Duck bulletin board ideas

Author’s Note:
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First
Inside GB-2
“Huh, that wasn’t there before,” Ron said, pointing to a new hole in the wall – another passageway.
Henry turned to look where Ron pointed. Sure enough, there was a new doorway. It must’ve been a section that opened after they restored the power. “Huh, yeah. Let’s check it out.”
He went through, finding a short hallway past it and another room just beyond. Henry signaled for his team to form up, preparing to breach. As they stepped in, they found themselves in a brightly lit room filled with various types of furniture – empty pedestals, comfortable-looking single couches, and empty desks with opened cabinets.
Henry stepped further into the room, eyeing the oddly arranged furniture. The single couches were lined up in neat rows, all facing the same direction – towards the empty desks. It was like some sort of waiting room, but for what?
“Is it just me, or are these couches set up weird?” Isaac asked, voicing the question on everyone’s mind. “I mean, who lines up a bunch of single couches like this?”
“Strange, indeed,” Sera agreed. “They seem arranged as though for spectators, yet naught lies before them to behold.”
Like a movie theater, Henry thought. However, there weren’t any screens or holograms to watch. If there was a clue, it would probably be within the couches themselves.
Dr. Anderson approached one of the desks. “Perhaps this was some sort of office or workspace? The desks and cabinets certainly suggest that.”
Isaac then decided to touch one of the seats, eliciting no reaction. He pushed further, sitting down on one of them. At that point, the couch began to adjust its form to better suit Isaac’s envirosuit, as if able to optimize its comfort for the user. Then, a nozzle slowly stretched up from the seat’s headrest area, stopping just short of Isaac’s neck. “Woah!” Isaac bolted up as the nozzle bonked against his helmet.
“Neural interface, maybe?” Henry wondered. “I think we should leave this to the researchers… unless you wanna volunteer as a lab rat?”
“Hell nah,” Isaac vigorously declined the offer. “Hey, there isn’t anything on my helmet is there?”
Henry dusted off the back of Isaac’s helmet with his glove. “Nope, you’re clear. Just gotta hope it ain’t grey goo.”
He could see the dread and uncertainty through Isaac’s visor. Henry gave him a pat on the shoulder. “Well, think about it this way: if it really was grey goo, it would’ve gotten to us – or the Spiranids, for that matter – long ago. C’mon, let’s secure the next room.”
With a nod, Isaac fell in line behind Henry as they moved towards the doorway leading to the adjacent room. Peeking inside, it couldn’t be further from the rest of the room’s they had encountered so far; not at all what they could’ve possibly expected inside an ancient, high-tech alien facility. It was expansive, with a layout that reminded Henry of a high-end restaurant. Comfortable booths lined the walls, while tables of varying sizes filled the central space. The furniture looked almost human – perhaps even indistinguishably so.
The room was tinted with a soft, cozy yellow light. The warm and inviting ambiance felt soothing compared to the clinical feel of the previous areas. The lighting, combined with the plush booths and elegant tables, gave Henry a nostalgic impression.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” Ryan remarked. “Think they got any cheesecakes?”
If it wasn’t for the alien decor and helping of sleek devices scattered around the room, Henry would’ve thought they were back home. Hell, there was even a bar, filled with exotic liquors that could probably fetch millions at an auction – or give them the trip of their lives. Beside it however was something unusual. Where he might’ve expected a path leading to the kitchen, he instead found a wall with a slight, rectangular-shaped recess that was just big enough for a tray.
He glanced at Isaac, who returned a knowing look. “Replicators,” Isaac said.
Henry smirked. “Personally, I’m partial to synthesizer, but to each their own.”
They gathered around the wall, which didn’t seem to respond to their presence. Taps on the wall didn’t seem to do anything, either. Henry considered probing further, but decided against it. “Alright, let’s not take any chances. We’ll make a note of this for the research teams to analyze later. Let’s keep looking around.”
Henry split apart from the others, pairing with Ron as they continued to walk around the room. They soon came across another doorway on the far side of the room, which opened up into a short corridor that led into multiple sets of doors. Each had a symbol on the wall beside the doors – one that depicted the basic figure of a person.
Ron pushed open one of the doors, taking a peek inside. “Looks like even the Gatebuilders needed restrooms.”
Finally! “Alright, let’s take a quick break here. Bring everyone else over.”
Thankfully, the amenities within were easily comparable to those of modern society. The toilet looked like a toilet, and the sink resembled a sink. Even in a space as mundane as this though, the Gatebuilder’s technology was evident: self-cleaning surfaces and enough technology to put a high-quality Japanese bidet toilet to shame. At least, that was just from the look of things. Henry didn’t think now would be the best time to check whether the restroom had ass-washing robots or not.
After a few minutes, Henry regrouped with the rest of the team around a central table in the ‘restaurant’. Dr. Anderson was already present, his archaeological kit opened and a spread of alien items organized on the table.
“Ah, Captain!” Dr. Anderson noticed him approaching. “We found cabinets that weren’t empty. Most of the artifacts appear to be personal effects.” He held up a necklace, emphasizing his point. “Jewelry, memorabilia, and some other artifacts that I – admittedly – can’t quite describe.”
Dr. Anderson pointed his pickup tool at a small disc laid out on a padded mat. “It hasn’t shown any active properties yet. It’s rather peculiar; it seems to be a solid disc. Lightweight, unblemished surface, no visible markings or etchings.”
“Have you tried touching it directly?” Henry asked.
Dr. Anderson frowned, manipulating the claws of his pickup tool. “Well, not directly.” Catching the implications in Henry’s query, he continued, “I’ve checked for radiation, toxins – all clear. While I’d advise against direct contact, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t the least bit curious.”
Henry nodded. Yeah, the Doc was probably right, but what was discovery without risk? He reached out and picked it up, rotating it in his hands. As his gloved fingers brushed against the surface, the disc suddenly emitted a soft glow.
Henry flinched slightly, almost dropping the disc in surprised. As he fumbled with it, the disc seemed to respond to his touch. Suddenly, a series of objects materialized on the table, appearing out of thin air.
“Oh, shit!” Ron exclaimed. “It just… spawned a bunch of stuff!”
Henry stared at the new items. Several containers, probably holding some kind of food, were still sealed tight and impossibly effective at insulating its contents. It was crazy to think that the food inside might still be hot after who knows how long.
Next to the containers was a bracelet. Possibly normal, possibly enchanted or integrated with technology they couldn’t hope to understand. There was also a bottle of some bright blue liquid – probably for drinking, but there was no way to be sure until Perdue tested it. And then there was the picture, showing a strikingly human couple, holding each other underneath a gorgeous alien sky. It reminded him of memorabilia people would sometimes keep in their wallets, though why humans were there was a mystery.
The last object the disc spat out was a thin, transparent sheet. Coincidentally, it was about the same size as a smartphone. If he had to guess, it probably had the same function as one, too.
“Incredible,” Dr. Anderson gawked at the items. “The disc must be the Gatebuilders’ version of a wallet, somehow using dimensional storage technology!”
“Akin to the Holding Bags,” Kelmithus noticed. He peered into his own Holding Bag, his expression indicating that he was connecting the dots. “Fascinating!”
Dr. Anderson then inspected the image, his face reflecting the same confusion Henry felt when he first saw it. While they continued to sort through the items, Henry explored the sheet further. The moment he tapped the screen, a holographic interface sprung into existence above it.
What he had initially thought was a simple hologram was something far more advanced, almost indistinguishable from reality itself. Almost instantly, they were surrounded by mountains and valleys, details springing up to form a realistic, three-dimensional map.
It was like a pocket holodeck. The only anchors the projection had were the various icons and pockets of text floating around – and the fact that the hologram was transparent enough for him to see his surroundings and his teammates.
Sera seemed to be the most shocked out of all of them. He couldn’t blame her. The sight was surprising enough for himself, who was even familiar with the concept through sci-fi; how much more alien would it seem to someone from – effectively – the past?
“I’ve not beheld such a spell… ever!” she exclaimed softly, pausing to gather her thoughts. “Hold on…” she continued, pointing to the distant peaks. “Why, yon mountain range! Does it not strike you as familiar?”
“Huh?” Ron squinted at it. “Does it?”
“No, yeah, it does!” Isaac said. “Shit, uh, is that the Ovinne Mountain Range?”
Henry brought up the file for the Ovinne Mountain Range on his visor, comparing it to the hologram. “Huh, yeah, it is. What’s a map of that doing in here, though?”
Dr. Anderson raised his hands in the air and spread them apart, mimicking a zoom. Lucky for them, the alien tech seemed to understand what they were going for. Now up close and in full detail, the Ovinne Mountain Range dominated the room. Somewhere in the mountains, an icon that looked like a pair of glasses sat right on top of a Gatebuilder tower, barely poking out of the mountainside.
Ryan crossed his arms as he scrutinized the hologram. “Is this what, Find My iPhone?”
“Hmm… rather likely,” Dr. Anderson agreed. “This device must be some sort of Locator.”
“Locator, huh?” Having this clue was an incredible breakthrough, but he noticed something else. “And right where the Ovinne Mountain Campaign’s supposedly taking place, at that.”
“Indeed, that you mention it, such alignment is surely noteworthy,” Kelmithus remarked. His voice took on a more excited note, “Be it fate, perhaps?”
Henry smirked. “Hah, you’re sounding a bit like Sera, now. Well, looks like fate’s telling us where to go next. Let’s pack this up and head back.”
They carefully stowed the various artifacts in their holding bags, Henry holding on to the Locator. They made their way back to the locker room where they first entered, everyone excited for the next step in their mission.
Henry stepped through the airlock first, emerging on the other side. As he did so, a faint sound caught his attention. It was distant, muffled, but definitely not a sound that belonged to this facility. He wanted to take off the envirosuit, but it seemed that had to wait.
Ron came through the airlock after him. “Bro, you think –”
Henry held up a hand, stopping him short. He raised his weapon, picking up on the ‘something’s not right’ vibe.
Activating his infrared vision and using the laser mounted on his M7, Henry searched for signs of thermal distortions, just like he’d done back at Duke Vancor’s mansion. Ron did the same. As the rest of the team emerged from the airlock, they quickly caught on to the situation. Without a word, they joined them in securing the room.
After clearing the locker room, Henry signaled to move on to the lab next door. It was just as empty as the locker room, but now the sounds were more audible, definitely coming from the hallway just outside. Instructing his team to hold still, he crept toward the doorway to investigate.
He peeked around the corner, and felt his stomach drop. There, in the main hallway, was a group of soldiers. They were decked out in distinctive black armor and cloaks. They had no identifiable markings or insignia on their armor, but it was obvious – these were Nobians.
Henry pulled back, returning to his team. “Contact outside. At least a dozen Nobians securing the hallway.”
Ron’s expression grew serious. “Shit. Any idea on their entry point?”
Henry positioned himself behind a desk, aiming his weapon at the doorway. “Probably the same way we came in.”
“Main corridor’s the only play, huh?” Ryan said.
The main hallway only had one line of sight, and it just happened to be the only way out. Well, the only one they could reasonably access. The facility probably had other exits or fancy teleporters, but they’d already scoured the area for the former and wouldn’t be able to figure out the latter.
“Dozen hostiles doesn’t seem like a lot,” Isaac pointed out, taking out another Black Hornet from his bag. “We’re still good on ammo, too.”
Ron shook his head. “Dozen? Yeah, a dozen that we can see.”
“Owens is right,” Henry agreed. “We can’t confirm their numbers outright. If I had to guess, it would probably be at least fifty. Manageable, but I’d prefer that to be our last resort.”
“How might we fare with a disturbance?” Sera offered.
Kelmithus gripped his staff. “I might conjure an echo of noise distant hence. It shan’t last, but it can afford us enough time for our escape.”
Kelmithus’ plan seemed like it could work, but only if the Nobians didn’t know they were here. “No,” Henry disagreed. “They’ve seen our MRAPs outside. We’d get surrounded.”
“How about negotiation?” Dr. Anderson suggested, a hopeful note in his voice.
“Negotiation? With the Nobians?” Kelmithus questioned.
They all knew what the Nobians were like. It really did come off as a ridiculous idea, but what if Dr. Anderson was right? The archaeologist defended himself, “I know, I know. However, we have yet to confirm their hostility, and it would not serve us well to initiate hostilities with the Nobians.”
Taking in the silence as contemplation, he continued, “If talks break down, we hold our ground here. It’s not ideal, but we’ll control the engagement area and prevent them from flanking us.”
Henry reviewed the situation again. 12 hostiles, but they should expect the worse, so at least 50 hostiles plus failed negotiations. Holding the only way out, they were likely spread out between the hallway, the cave system, and possibly even the forest outside. Dr. Anderson’s plan was solid, but he had a few minor qualms. In particular, holding the line meant possibly exhausting themselves in a battle of attrition.
“Alright. We’ll open with negotiations. I’m skeptical, but it's worth a shot. Should that fail, we can’t engage in a drawn-out conflict. We’ll disrupt their positions and quickly move to the cave outside.”
“Smoke grenades and flashbangs,” Ryan muttered.
“Affirmative,” Henry said, nodding in agreement. “If we can’t see them, we’ll level the playing field so they can’t see us.”
“Captain,” Kelmithus quickly interjected, “Bid me aid your efforts. I’ve insight enough to create fog. I’ve learned from our encounter with the Sentinel Lindwyrm.”
“You can replicate that heavy fog?” Ron asked.
Kelmithus held up his palm, producing an opaque puff of steam to prove his point. “Indeed so, Lieutenant. Adequately do these envirosuits shield us, that I might harness more extreme temperatures for more effective casting.”
Henry was impressed with how quickly the archmage grasped such a concept. “Good. Yen, get that drone into the cave. We’ll hold for updates.”
Yen nodded, carrying out Henry’s order silently. The drone’s feed directly streamed to their HUDs, and after a few minutes, Isaac looked up. “Done.”
Henry analyzed the data. They had visual confirmation of a dozen Nobians inside the facility itself and a staggering forty outside, both in the cave and around the cave entrance. It was an assumption, but there probably weren’t many cloaked soldiers past the hallway. He sighed; the worst-case scenario would have them facing a hundred men in total.
It was a challenge, but the drone’s intel granted them a critical tactical advantage. He analyzed his minimap, selecting and sharing a route with minimal enemy contact. “After clearing the facility’s entrance, we’ll proceed along the designated path. Upon exit, I’ll deploy a flare to signal our movement to the MRAPs for extraction. We will then rendezvous with Zulu-9 and coordinate with air support before re-engaging to secure the site.”
His team nodded, fully on board with the plan. He took a deep breath to steel himself before checking his watch – 16:24. “Alright, time to show ourselves.”
Letting his M7 sling over his chest, Henry prepared two flash grenades – one in each hand – before stepping out. With his team in tow, he moved to the center of the hallway, catching the attention of one of the Nobian patrols.
“Attention, Nobian forces! We request parley. I am Captain Donnager of Alpha Team, Tier 6 Adventurer. We are on an official quest sanctioned by the Adventurer’s Guild. We have no intention of hostilities and seek to discuss our presence and objectives to ensure mutual understanding.”
As Henry’s words echoed through the hallway, the Nobian soldiers snapped into action. He heard the sounds of bowstring being drawn taut and the rasp of metal as swords cleared their scabbards. His hands tightened around the flash grenades.
He kept his gaze steady, projecting a sense of calm; of confidence – enough to convince the Nobians that even outnumbered, he and his team were still no match for them. More soldiers joined the patrol, until all twelve of the previously identified Nobians were upon them. They kept their distance, but Henry could feel the tension boiling.
Just as the standoff seemed to reach a critical point, the air in front of them seemed to fold outward from itself, like watching the effects of gravitational lensing on light. A figure coalesced from the distortion – so this is what invisibility magic looked like.
The man was broad-shouldered and tall, seeing eye-to-eye with him, even despite the extra inches in height the envirosuit gave. As the last wisps of the cloaking magic faded away, Henry found himself staring into a pair of piercing gray eyes that seemed to bore into his very soul.
The newcomer had an angular face and was clad in black armor with a different sheen than the black armor of his comrades. Silver trimmings and an insignia emblazoned on his chestplate – a dagger through a swirl of mist – differentiated his status. A cloak of the same dark hue billowed behind him as he walked forward and drew his sword.
Keeping his sword to the side, he stopped a respectable ten meters away from Henry. “I am Carvus Alnect Virelius, Umber Vicearch of the Order of the Shadow.” He then pointed his sword at Henry, declaring, “Of desecrating sovereign Nobian territory, you stand accused.”
As Carvus spoke, more soldiers materialized alongside him, shimmering into existence as they dropped their cloaking spells. Henry had expected this to happen, but seeing it play out still sent a chill down his spine. How many more were still lying in wait?
The Vicearch kept his weapon on Henry, eyes narrowing. “Commander unto commander, I offer a choice: cede your Holding Bags, that secure passage may be granted unto you. Refuse, and you shall be declared as spies and enemies of the Nobian Empire, your lives forfeit to swift execution.”
READ 2 WEEKS AHEAD: Season Finale Chapter 17 is now available for Tier 2 Manifest Fantasy Patrons and higher!
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Next

Author’s Note:
If you enjoy the story so far, please consider upvoting and commenting! These go a long way in helping the story reach a larger audience. (Also, reddit removes all my formatting for some reason so if you want a fully formatted read, check out my story on RoyalRoad)
READ 2 WEEKS AHEAD: Season Finale Chapter 17 is now available for Tier 2 Manifest Fantasy Patrons and higher!
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/drdoritosmd
Discord: https://discord.gg/wr2xexGJaD
First
Three, two, one... execute.
Ron peeked around the corner, his M4E1 Carl Gustaf already loaded with standard HEAT rounds. The rest of Alpha Team stacked up behind him or behind Ryan, who was on the other side of the doorway. Through the opening, they could see a nightmarish tangle of webs and egg sacs, with the skittering shapes of Spiranids lurking in the shadows in the far corners of the room.
The Queen was positioned in the center of the room, completely exposed by a cluster of eggs. Henry watched as Ron leveled his Gustaf, taking aim at the Queen while they stayed along the wall to ensure Ron’s backblast was clear. It should have been an easy kill, but a flicker of movement caught Henry’s eye.
A blob of white flew across his vision, smacking into Ron just as he fired his weapon. The thick strands of webbing bypassed Kelmithus’ shielding and wrapped around him, sending him flying back a couple of meters. He landed on his back, his body and launcher completely stuck to the floor by the condensed silk.
Around the same time, the Gustaf’s projectile struck the Queen’s abdomen section. The resulting blast tore through its exoskeleton but was far from a fatal blow. The Queen shrieked, a sound far deeper than Henry expected.
“Fuck!” Ron shouted, struggling to break free from the webbing.
Henry exhaled. They were a man down, but helping him had to wait; the not-dead Queen and its minions took precedence. It would be great if he had another launcher in his own Holding Bag, but that was something he’d have to bring up to Chief Cole later. Henry tossed his grenades into the room, the pops mingling with the screeches of injured Spiranids. Ryan struck simultaneously, throwing his own collection into the mix. Like firecrackers, the explosives were violent but short-lived.
As the chaos subsided, Henry pushed in. Raising his shotgun, he tore through a Spiranid that pounced at him, its carcass smoldering from the white phosphorous. Beside him, Isaac, Ryan, and Dr. Anderson’s shots rang out, tearing through their own sectors of fire.
Almost immediately upon their entry, the Queen surged forward with terrifying speed. It reared its head back like it was about to vomit, mandibles covered in a sick, yellowish color. Henry recognized immediately what it was trying to do. “Acid, move!”
Henry dove away from his previous position, taking a shot at another Spiranid that had taken the opportunity to jump at him while its master was preparing to attack. He narrowly escaped the lethal spray as it jetted toward him. The acid splattered on the ground where they had stood not even a second before, sizzling fiercely as it corroded the thick webbing sprawled across the floor. He noticed as he ran that, rather curiously, the acid was simply puddling on the floor. There was no damage to the floor itself, but if it could tear apart high-quality monster silk just like that, he didn’t want to find out what it could do to an envirosuit.
Henry glanced back after blasting apart his third Spiranid. His teammates were fine – Ryan helping him keep the Queen’s attention, Sera already on her way to Ron, and the others taking care of the smaller Spiranids. He tried to get a quick headcount of how many Spiranids they’d already eliminated. Between their guns, Kelmithus’ magic, and the grenades, he estimated they had killed at least a dozen so far. Solid progress, but the fact that they weren’t able to take out the Queen with their first strike was an issue.
Henry rolled to his left as the Queen pounced on his previous position. It was fucking fast, like a Goliath birdeater but scaled up – and with nasty abilities that really shouldn’t belong on a creature like this. He recovered quickly and took aim, firing point-blank into its thorax. The white phosphorous pellets hissed as they burned into its exoskeleton, forcing it back.
Beside him, Ryan’s shotgun boomed. He struck the Queen’s legs, which seemed to be more fragile than the thick exoskeleton surrounding the head and thorax. The pellets bit into the chitin, likely striking a nerve as evidenced by the leg’s subsequent buckling and collapse. It was a lucky shot – one that he doubted they could repeat four or five more times.
“Sera, use my knife! Here, right here!” Ron called out.
Sera’s sword must’ve been too large to effectively cut through the webbing. They had to hurry up. He and Ryan had been dodging the Queen’s attacks, but mostly by a hair’s breadth. All it took was one lucky hit from the Queen to put them out of commission, possibly for good. “Sera, status on Ron?”
“One minute!” she responded.
Damn. That was one minute later than he’d hoped. Reacting instinctively, Henry noted the Queen raising one of its legs – a sure sign of it preparing for another attack. The Queen struck again, this time cleaving the air with the leg, aiming to corral him into a predictable escape route. As its leg swept through the air, Henry caught sight of the Queen rearing its head back in a grotesque mimicry of a snake about to strike – another acid attack.
Anticipating the monster’s strategy, Henry feinted to the right, a move he hoped would mislead it about his true intentions. As the Queen’s head followed his feint, Henry twisted sharply, scraping against the rough ground. With a powerful push from his legs, he launched backward just as the Queen unleashed its attack.
Acid spewed forth in a wide arc, splattering where he had just been. The corrosive globs almost instantly melted the webbing on the floor, collecting into pools. And there was the second issue. The longer this fight dragged on, the less room they’d have to maneuver.
Henry unloaded into the creature’s compound eyes before tossing a flashbang near its legs. The creature staggered backward, blinded in both its eyes and its sensory hairs. Henry used the precious few seconds he bought to reload his weapon and check up on his team. “Yen, sitrep?”
“Stragglers neutralized; we’re moving to you now.”
Automatic gunfire erupted as Isaac and Dr. Anderson joined the fight against the Queen, dumping their mags on the creature’s head. The 6.8mm seemed to penetrate well, but he could say the same if they fought an elephant; the Spiranid Queen was simply too large for the relatively small caliber rounds to have any effect besides pissing it off.
The Queen lunged again, its legs surrounding him from all sides. There was only one way out, and it was through the belly of the beast. Henry rushed forward, ducking under the Queen’s mandibles as he slid underneath its abdomen. He fired his shotgun as quickly as he could, unloading pellets into the beast’s underbelly. The white phosphorous scorched the softer flesh, drawing a shriek of pain from the massive creature.
As the Queen writhed under the relentless assault, Ryan and the others seized the moment to reload their weapons and reposition. They poured everything they had into the creature’s cephalothorax, bluish ichor oozing from the hundreds of new wounds that they opened up. Yet, it was like chipping away at a mountain – it simply wasn’t enough. The creature thrashed around violently in response; Henry knew it was only a matter of time before it landed a hit on someone.
And land a hit it did. With a terrifying swiftness, one of its massive legs slammed into Henry’s chest, launching him backward. The shield Kelmithus cast on him flickered as it absorbed the brunt of the impact. He crashed into an egg sac by the entrance – its membrane ruptured on impact, drenching him in a sticky, corrosive slime. The sac provided little cushion, and he hit the ground hard, the breath knocked out of him.
Pain flared across Henry’s chest where the Queen’s leg had struck him. Gasping for breath and battling the encroaching blackness in his vision, he instinctively checked his envirosuit. He started with the areas he could see, glancing down at his chest. It was visibly deformed, dented but not quite a gash.
Still intact, thank goodness. No breach, but another hit like that would be disastrous. He breathed a sigh of relief, his chest hurting like hell as he did so. He checked his sides and back. Parts of his suit were covered in slime from the egg sac. It didn’t seem as corrosive as the Queen’s acid, but it was still a hazard. Quickly, he swiped at it, removing as much as possible with his gloved hands to prevent further damage.
He forced himself up, grabbing his shotgun from the floor. The Queen was already barreling toward him, the damn monster not letting up. He didn’t have time to make a run for it; he needed to jump to one side or the other, and the timing needed to be perfect. Just as the Queen’s shadow engulfed him, the air turned icy cold, frost creeping up on his visor.
Ice formed from thin air, spearing up from the ground and piercing through the Queen’s legs. The spikes rooted the beast in place. Not one to waste an opportunity, Henry dashed away from the entrance, firing at the immobilized giant spider as he linked up with the others.
“Sera?” Henry asked again.
Sera’s voice came in strained. “Almost…” Then, with a triumphant shout, she announced the word Henry had been desperate to hear. “Done!”
“Owens!” Henry said, risking a glance back.
Ron had already grabbed his Gustaf and was in the process of loading another HEAT round. “On it!”
Henry grinned. It was a relief, to be sure. With Ron free and back in the fight, the odds had just tipped heavily in their favor. The Queen was tough, but it wasn’t invincible; they just needed an opening.
Given the damage the Queen sustained to its body, Henry couldn’t imagine it being in peak fighting condition. Even in its weakened state, though, it still had the capability to dodge Ron’s attack, and it seemed to be saving its web ability for that very inevitability.
“Take out the legs!” Henry ordered.
They combined their fire on the left legs, since Ryan managed to break one of them earlier. He heard a crack that might’ve been the chitin giving way or the leg snapping, but it was hard to tell. He was just about to chalk it up to the prevailing gunfire around them, but then he saw it: a brief stumble. The Queen recovered quickly, but it was clear to Henry that it wouldn’t be able to manage any more damage to its legs.
Then, he noticed a blur in his peripheral vision to his right, moving so fast his eyes could barely keep up. Shit, he was certain he kept track of the Queen’s movements. With the existing damage to his envirosuit, he’d be completely fucked. He braced himself for another impact, but it never came.
As he focused harder on the blur, he caught a glimpse of a flash of light that could only be one thing – Sera’s sword, And, just like a flash of lightning, she had already cleared the vicinity of the Queen. The Queen’s foreleg seemed to simply vanish, severed so cleanly that it took a moment for the beast to realize what had happened. When it did, it let out a screech of pain, its balance faltering as it tried to adapt to the sudden change.
While Henry focused on taking out another leg from the left side, Sera had already shifted to her next target. Their assault was brutal: white phosphorus pellets and hard-hitting 6.8mm on one side, ice magic and skilled swordsmanship on the other. And to think, they managed to inflict all this damage by the time Ron completed his reload.
“Clear the way!” Ron called out, his Gustaf aimed right at the Queen’s head.
Henry jumped back, watching as Kelmithus conjured another set of ice spikes to root the beast again, in case the five obliterated legs weren’t enough to keep it down. The Queen thrashed against the icy bonds, its remaining legs slashing through the air in a frenzied bid for freedom. It spat acid – a tactic that would’ve worked effectively on most other materials, but instead simply got diluted with the melting ice. Even as the acid reacted with the ice, the spikes held firm, anchoring the beast in place like steel cables.
Henry’s heart pounded in his ears. Come on, Owens, he urged silently. Take the shot.
As if on cue, Ron pulled the trigger. The Gustaf bucked in his hands as the HEAT round streaked towards its target. Henry barely had time to brace himself before the explosion hit, the shockwave slamming into him and nearly toppling him over. He staggered back, gazing into the settling dust.
When the smoke cleared, the Queen’s head was obliterated – replaced by a gory mess of shattered chitin and pulverized flesh. Blood sprayed from the gaping hole, covering the ground in a pale blue hue. The creature’s body convulsed, its remaining legs scrabbling weakly at their surroundings.
A surge of triumph washed over Henry, but it was fleeting. From the corner of his eye, he locked on to a glimpse of movement. One of the Queen’s legs continued to spasmodically jerk around and spray the ground with blue ichor. He raised his shotgun in a nonchalant motion and blasted the errant limb, watching as it shuddered and went still.
Sera stepped up, her sword barely catching the light as she jammed it into what was left of the Queen’s thorax. A sharp twist, and it was over. She then yanked the blade from the carcass, her grip shifting subtly along the hilt. As she flicked the sword, frost swiftly coated the ichor clinging to the metal. The frozen debris was flung off, hitting the ground and shattering like glass.
He glanced down at his Holding Bag. Damn, the fight took out most of his shells. Swapping out his shotgun for his M7, he turned to his team and took stock of their condition. It seemed everyone had mostly gone unscathed, only debris and dirt scarring their envirosuits. Well, except for himself and Ron. “Think we’re gonna have to start calling you pinata now,” Henry said, clapping his friend on the shoulder.
Ron scoffed. “Yeah? Says the runner-up,” he said, tapping the dent on Henry’s envirosuit. “Better ‘pinata’ than ‘roadkill’, though. But seriously, what’s next? Don’t even know where to start.”
The room was empty, save for the debris strewn about and the singular obelisk standing in the center of the room. He didn’t notice it earlier, but as he got closer, he realized that the obelisk emitted a faint light that barely escaped the canopy of webs. He looked it up and down before turning to the others. “Only one place to start. Let’s clear out the webs, see what’s hiding below.”
“Doc, Kel, clear out the eggs. Hayes, Sera, see if the Queen’s got anything useful. Everyone else focus on the webs,” Henry ordered.
Ron drew his knife and started slicing through the dense cobwebs. “Hey, what y’all think the Queen’s Tier is?”
Isaac paused to consider. “Eh, Tier 8, probably. Minotaur boss and Rillifane boss were both Tier 8, so I’d say the spider’s around the same level.”
“Well, the resilience of the specimen isn’t a definitive measure of the Tier,” Dr. Anderson pointed out. “It’s quite possible that we merely had the most suitable tools at hand in this particular encounter.”
“The scholar speaks truly,” Sera agreed. “There is nary a defining criterion; defense is but one of many that are considered by the Guild. Were it so simple, Kelmithus and I would have attained Tier 9 ere now.”
“So, what do you think the Queen is, then? Tier 7 maybe?” Ron asked.
Henry shook his head. Tier 7 didn’t seem accurate. Using his knife to scrape some of the webbing off his glove, he voiced, “Spiranids are weak in general, but are classified as Tier 5 or higher because of their traps, ambush tactics, numbers, and abilities. Archers can use Wind Snipe and mages can use wide-area spellcasting, but they can’t reliably penetrate the exoskeleton’s armor. If anything, this is probably on the lower end of Tier 9.”
“Tier 9, huh?” Isaac muttered.
Sera smiled as she stood back. She stuffed a frost-covered gland into her holding bag and paused from her work as she chimed in, “Hmm… how keen. I expected nothing less from the first Tier 6 entrants in Eldralore’s history! It shows plain why the Guild did so swiftly raise you.”
“Hah,” Henry chuckled. It was an amusing thought, but… “Say, ya think we can get to Tier 7 after this?”
Sera’s eyebrows shot up. “Tier 7? A mark of no slight merit. What have you achieved since attaining Tier 6?”
Henry reached to scratch his chin, then cursed softly as his glove thudded against his visor. “Well, we took down a Rillifane pack, a Sentinel Lindwyrm, and now this primal Spiranid Queen. That’s not too shabby, eh?”
“Firm victories,” Sera admitted, “but advancement weighs more than battle alone. The Guild also considers quest difficulty, knowledge gained therefrom, and impact – in other words, glory.”
“The Baranthurian Ruins,” Dr. Anderson blurted, taking the words out of Henry’s mouth. He turned to Kelmithus, who approached them after confirming that the eggs had been cleared out. “Surely, working with the Sanctum Arcanum must be quite the honour. The Guild holds their quests with high esteem, wouldn’t you say?”
Kelmithus nodded, burning a clump of disposed webs on the ground. “True as that may be, advancement oft hinges upon the cumulative experience of dozens of quests.”
“Well, ain’t no small feats for us lately,” Ryan remarked. “The quest to the Baranthurian ruins, what was it, Tier 8? Yeah, that was Tier 8. Sentinel Lindwyrm? Hell, Tier Nine. That there beast?” Ryan pointed his gun at the carcass of the Spiranid Queen. “Tier 9 as well.”
Ron interjected, “Plus we’ve been helping out along the way, like those villagers, and taking on quests others won’t touch. Honestly, the Hardale quest should be pretty weighty too, considering the Nobian shenanigans.”
Sera hummed, mulling over Alpha Team’s experiences. The fact that most of their quests at Tier 6 had essentially been Tier 7 quests or higher in difficulty was probably unheard of in the Guild. Not only that, but they’d been able to complete these difficult quests successfully. Hell, with flying colors, even. That had to count for something.
Henry looked over at Sera, stepping back as he allowed Kelmithus to dispose of the webs that he had cleared out. “So, whaddya think? Based on what we’ve done, you think we got a shot at Tier 7?”
Sera looked up at the ceiling as she weighed her response. “Ehh, you’ve a strong case. Alas, it’s Taldren’s call to make. His favor seems yours, though; I wager he’ll agree.”
Henry grinned. Moving up meant they could have access to more quests. Naturally, that also meant better rewards and in turn, access to some truly magical equipment. “Good to hear. Guess we’ll see to it once we get back to Eldralore. Now, we should probably –”
A soft glow of light gradually lit up the room, interrupting Henry mid-sentence. He squinted, readying his weapon. The light came from the walls and ceiling, illuminating the once-dark chamber. The obelisk, now free of webs, now hummed… healthily? It wasn’t like he had a manual to tell him if this was a good or bad development, but judging from the facility’s reaction, it must’ve worked.
Henry glanced at his HUD. The temperature readings were rising, too. The icy chill from Kelmithus’ magic rapidly dissipated as the environmental controls kicked in. “Well, looks like we’ve done all we can here. Let’s head back to the containment cell room and see if we can find anything else of interest.”
– – –
Outskirts of GB-2, Grenden Forest
Carvus Alnect Virelius narrowed his gaze toward the brightening sky, his eyes cutting through the retreating mist that had long veiled the forest’s canopy. This unprecedented clarity above the ruins was strange. After centuries cloaked in an impenetrable fog, why did the skies clear now?
The Umber Vicearch’s mind worked like a whetstone, sharpening the fragments of reports from his scouts, cryptic as they were. The recent skirmish, occurring concurrently with the lifting fog, could not be mere happenstance. Regardless of the answer, the unexpected fold presented a welcome complexity to test his mettle.
He set his thoughts aside as the sound of footsteps approached.
“Leuarch Eldreyn reporting, milord,” one of his men said. “We’ve word from Serarch Trelian.”
Carvus gave him a nod to continue.
Eldreyn relayed the news. “The scouts espy traces of battle: a fallen Sentinel Lindwyrm and two carriages left abandoned near the cave’s entrance. The land bears scars from some form of magic, strewn with strange metal tubes and other objects unknown to us. Save for the Lindwyrm, no other bodies are to be found. What are your commands, milord?”
Carvus took a deep breath. No other bodies? Two carriages? That such a formidable creature was felled with no apparent casualties among their ranks suggested a small but extraordinarily capable force. Each member was no doubt Tier 7 at the least. The limited number of carriages implied a party not larger than ten. But… what could the metal objects mean?
Powerful though they might be, could such a small group withstand his numbers? Carvus entertained the thought briefly. No, direct confrontation would be unwise. The site bore secrets too vital to squander on rash gambles. Better to maneuver them into a position where the only viable option would be to comply with his demands.
“Hold our position, Lornus,” Carvus commanded. While he preferred the safety of their hidden vantage in the forest, the intrigue of Trelian’s findings – the slain Lindwyrm – was too compelling to ignore. “The contents of Trelian’s report compel our own investigation. Lead us, that we might see for ourselves.”
“As you command, milord.”
It was a short walk to the clearing. As they reached the treeline, Carvus held up a hand, signaling his men to halt – they should go no further than the cover of the forest. The aftermath of the battle lay evident before them. The massive form of the Sentinel Lindwyrm sprawled near the far side of the clearing, its outline murky at a distance.
Carvus squinted, adjusting his position slightly for a better view. He felt his jaw drop, a lapse in composure that surprised even him. Yet, who could fault him? The beast lay nearly torn asunder, its massive body riddled with gaping, jagged wounds that no sword or arrow could inflict. Indeed, not even traditional siege weapons or combat spells could inflict such damage.
The destructive capability of fyric powder was well-known to him – he had seen its use in adamantite mines. The wounds on the Lindwyrm, however, spoke of a force of another Tier entirely. Where fyric powder might clear a path through a stubborn boulder, the agent used against the Sentinel Lindwyrm seemed capable of obliterating several boulders at once, perhaps even an entire cliffside.
Turning his attention from the ravaged beast, he scanned the battlefield. Among the chaos, his eyes caught the glint of metal – strange tubes scattered about, all some lighter shade of bronze. The craters were blackened and littered with debris: shards of metal mixed with wires. This was clearly no ordinary skirmish.
He moved closer to the tree line, cautiously examining the unfamiliar objects. The metal tubes bore no resemblance to any weapons known to Nobian forces. However, their presence here implied that somehow, these objects were related to the catastrophic wounds on the Lindwyrm.
Near the cave’s entrance, two metal carriages lay abandoned. Their exteriors were marred by dirt and marked with an array of dents that appeared to be from the Lindwyrm’s armored tail. The carriages, in style and make, aligned with reports of American machines observed by their Umbercari in distant Eldralore. Mounted atop each was a long cylinder. As foreign as they were, he could tell they were weapons – ones capable of unleashing formidable destruction.
Adventurers throughout the ages had ventured here, all repelled by the formidable Lindwyrm that long guarded these grounds. Had it been folly to devote their resources to the conquest of their neighbors, rather than to mastering and exploiting this site? Such questions surpassed his station, yet irrespective of the answers, the Emperor would surely take no pleasure in learning that he had allowed Americans to plunder the Gatebuilder’s secrets.
Carvus turned to Lornus. “Bid our scouts to investigate the cave.” As Leuarch Eldreyn departed to carry out the orders, he beckoned to one of his serarchs. “Bring me one of those metal tubes. I wish to examine it.”
He sat on a rock, watching the light bend around the man’s form until he vanished from sight. The serarch then adjusted the temperature around his body, matching it to that of the forest. Were it not for the subtle shifts in the man’s mana as he held the spells, Carvus would have surely lost track of him.
The serarch made his way forth, passing through the trees and into the clearing beyond. With haste, he seized upon one of the tubes that lay scattered about, and then, as quick as he had come, he turned and made his way back to the forest’s edge. When at last he returned, Carvus stood up and held out his hand.
The tube, lighter than its solidity might have portended, was chill to the touch and was marked by a patina that showed clear signs of bending. He tried to bend it with his fingers, but the metal resisted. Even when he used magic to strengthen himself, it yielded naught but scant impression. What could have possibly moved the metal?
Looking closely, he noticed that the metal wasn’t bronze, as he had first thought. Though bearing a hue akin to bronze, it was of a kind unfamiliar to him. The surface was engraved with American script – characters and sequences that held little meaning to him. Yet, to deem the letters ‘engraved’ would be to err; it was as if they were imprinted with a craftsmanship nary a smith could rival.
He turned it over in his hands, his eyes drawn to a circular groove near the base. Examining both ends, Carvus noted the open end was distorted as if a great force had expelled something from within – an insight into his previous question. The other end was sealed, marked by a small, precise indentation. He held it up, aligning it with a similarly sized hole in a nearby tree.
This was no common weapon. As a trebuchet releases its load, so too must this tube have hurled its own projectile. It gave him an idea. What if one were to use an adamantite tube with fyric powder, place a keen arrowhead atop, and ignite the mixture below? Would it rival a standard Wind Snipe combined with physical enhancement magic?
Carvus’ thoughts were interrupted by someone calling out to him. “Milord.”
“Hm?” He looked up, finding the face of Leuarch Franus. “What is it, Martano?”
He hesitated, as if second-guessing his words. “The… The Lindwyrm… The men grow restless, milord. They wish to claim the spoils of this battle – the Sentinel Lindwyrm’s materials are prized in many a lore. And these carriages, would it not profit us to salvage what we can? They may hold more secrets – or riches.”
He turned the leuarch’s words over in his mind as he would a well-worn coin. In truth, the idea held merit. Even the smallest measure of a Lindwyrm’s blood was a treasure beyond compare – to say nothing of the other materials, sought after by alchemists and smiths alike. That the Americans had forgone harvest was a curious thing indeed. Could it be that they were ignorant of the creature’s true worth? Or perhaps, had they found something more valuable?
And then there were the carriages, gleaming in the sun like ripe fruit waiting to be plucked. If they could but glean some understanding of how the Americans had so deftly slain a beast of the Lindwyrm’s standing, it would surely prove a boon to the Empire’s own martial pursuits. Perhaps, armed with such knowledge, they might at last gain the upper hand against the accursed Sonarans.
Carvus cast his gaze once more upon the clearing, then turned to face Martano. “Aye,” he said. “Let it be so.”
Yet, as he made to step forth, a low, droning sound beckoned his attention – a buzzing hum that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. The unfamiliar noise compelled him to halt. He raised his hand, stopping his men as he searched for the noise. He tilted his head skyward, squinting as he beheld a strange sight: a winged thing hanging in the air above the clearing, like an animal circling its prey. As the sunlight reflected off its surface, it became evident to him that this was no creature of flesh, but a machine – much like the metal carriages.
“Hold,” Carvus ordered. “We dare not venture forth.”
Martano stepped forward, doubt and confusion etched across his face. “But, milord, if we shroud ourselves in invisibility, surely they cannot see us.”
Carvus shook his head. “Nay; recall the umbercari we sent to infiltrate the Duke’s mansion. They, too, thought themselves hidden, yet were somehow discovered. We know not what sorcery that flying machine might possess, and we cannot risk exposing ourselves.”
Before Martano could respond or venture any further protest, the scouts returned, led by Serarch Trelian. The search bowed his head before providing his report, “Milord, the cave lies empty, and the Lindwyrm’s nest remains untouched. We discovered footprints leading to a great sealed door, which we believe to be the entrance to the ruins.”
Carvus nodded. The Americans had ventured forth and left the loot behind for a reason. He thought back to a fortress that the Empire once sacrificed to encircle the forces of the now-conquered Kingdom of Durenelle. “So be it. Let us abandon these lesser spoils. As our adversaries have forgone these spoils in pursuit of greater gains, so must we sacrifice Straltus.”
Next

The next day finds the military part of the Bridger family waiting in one of the larger cargo bays. Paladin company and Shark Platoon are on hand, all in full power armor except for Makula, with the exception of Jaruna who's standing next to Jerry in a family uniform with her shotgun and sword slung over her back. Jerry had also elected for a dress uniform today, though he'd paired it with a 'ceremonial' curaiss that could still take a hit from a plasma cannon or two... and concealed a small shield generator. Mixed with his cloak and the Crimsonhewer war ax on his belt, Jerry thought he looked every bit the barbarian warlord... if a bit too clean cut for a Hollywood depiction of such.
The situation reminded Jerry of a similar reception back on Serbow... but this one was a bit less ceremonial and a bit more... dynamic. They didn't have any formal bonds with Clan Karchara, or their Khan, Komugai. So as a meeting of two new to each other factions, things could get... exciting. Which considering they were talking about Cannidor meant that things could potentially get very violent, very quickly.
They usually didn't. Not any more. Yet... it never helped to play it safe, even with a clan that had a decent reputation like the Karchara. More cut throat clans had been heard to disguise themselves for meetings like this for meetings so they could ambush their targets after all. Plus as always, there was tradition to observe and satisfy. Tradition which could be best summarized as 'Offer one hand, but arm the other.'. The Cannidor were ready to fight a war naked among any people but their own. They were beyond dangerous. So an armed society wasn't so much a polite society as the unarmed were likely mentally infirm, and to be politely left to their own devices.
A sharp whistle from the 1MC draws Jerry from his thoughts.
"Now hear this! The Clan Karchara envoy is arriving!"
The Karchara drop ship slides into view out of the black and makes it's way towards the docking day with all the leisurely grace of a terrestrial shark swimming towards a coral reef. Whoever's piloting it is clearly a hot hand on the stick because the ship moves as smooth as anything Jerry had ever seen out of Cruel Space, extending it's landing gear and coming to a halt with nary a hint of a bounce in it's suspension and shock absorbing gear.
"Hmmm. The Karchara..." Jaruna rumbles. "An interesting contact in Cannidor space to be sure. So to recap what we talked about, they're somewhat on and off again allies of my old clan. Decent types for the most part. No idea who the Khan is now, and a little searching online didn't turn anything up. Don't think the intelligence weasels had anything either. Save that they've been having some internal structural changes. Seized a new planet too, lighting raid, unconventional tactics, whatever that means. Gives them complete control of... ten decently populated and industrialized star systems I think. They're firmly in the middle of the power band for the Khans by that measurement, exact position depends on the number of warriors under arms they can bring to the Golden Khan's muster."
"Right. Well. Guess we'll have to see what Khan Karchara wants to chat about, and hear about this plan of hers."
The Karchara drop ship settles onto it's landing gear, and it's flight crew leaves the engines running. Tradition. You never knew if a reception was actually friendly after all, and it was also a mark of respect for the hosts. You might be asked to fuck off after all.
The forward assault ramp drops, and the honor guard warriors of the Khan march out, in power armor, but with their helmets off, fanning out to cover their leader. The lack of helmets was very much a declaration of intent, the human equivalent of open palms for a Cannidor in power armor.
Jaruna's brow instantly furrows as she scans the faces of the honor guard.
"...Wait. I know some of those girls. One of my aunts, Norkath is there on the left, and that's... but that."
Jerry can hear Jaruna's brain crunching that information.
"...Komugai. You said the Khan's name was Komugai? Not Jelvuna?"
"Definently Komugai."
"...Unless she changed her name... but then would Aunt Norkath join the Karchara proper without her...?"
Jaruna mutters to herself, clearly trying to puzzle whatever's eating at her out, when the sound of heavy boots on the assault ramp sound, and an utterly massive Cannidor woman starts to come into view. She cuts an imposing presence. Her uniform not too far off from Jerry's, a mix of barbarian warlord and modern dress uniform. The massive war ax over her shoulder tipping the scales on the barbarian - modern officer scale towards barbarian. It was easy to miss her other various weapons in the sheer scale of her. Her stark white fur, the three brutal scars across her muzzle, and another two over her left eye, which had a cybernetic replacement.
Khan Karchara stands for a moment, surveying the room silently... and before anyone can say anything, Jaruna breaks the silence;
"...Mom?"
Khan Karchara cuts loose with a booming laugh that reminds Jerry of Khan Isuras, and if this is indeed Jaruna's mother, he can immediately see exactly why the two women cut palms and swore sisterhood. He wouldn't be hard pressed to believe they were actual sisters.
"Heh. Glad to see all that time on Centris hasn't dulled your powers of observation! Always said you were a sharp one."
There's no sarcasm there, a little maternal teasing perhaps, but she's not mocking Jaruna. Anyone with eyes can tell Khan Karchara is damn proud of her child.
"And this'd be my son in law... bit small but hell just from your first date with my little girl I know you're a first class head kicker, plus you already gave me four grandbabies to spoil! Hahah. I suppose these bigguns here are the older girls? I... say. I thought there was three of you."
Karchara points at Makula.
"You're a bit old to be Hippolyta considering she was born a couple weeks ago. Who are you, girl?"
"Makula Sa'Bridger, I was adopted a few days ago. Honored Matron."
Karchara grins, her numerous teeth gleaming in the light of the hangar.
"Matron? Not Khan?"
"You are my mother's mother, standing in my family's clan hold. To refer to your title by right of blood is most appropriate."
Another bark of laughter.
"Well drilled and whip smart I see. You know the ways of our kind well, granddaughter." Karchara smirks, looking smug before turning to her honor guard.
"See girls? Five now! Haha! What a stud of a bull!"
Khan Karchara turns back to Jerry and Jaruna.
"Ah but I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's get the formal bit done so we can go jaw a bit and then hopefully I can visit with my eldest daughter, my son in law and these fine young ladies."
She quickly shifts her body a bit, drawing herself up to her full, imposing twelve foot height.
"I am Komugai, Khan of Karchara. I come to broker peace and fellowship between our clans, to join them in a bond of steel that will stand the sword storm for all time."
Jerry nods slowly. More than they'd expected actually. That was laying out intent to conduct some very, very serious negotiations.
"I, Jeremiah, Khan of Bridger, Admiral of this fleet, lord of these proud warriors before you, bid you welcome, Komugai of Karchara, bring your banner among ours, that they might rest together while we discuss the business of peace, and of wars yet to come."
"Well spoken indeed... and the steel in your eyes." Komugai nods slowly. "Yes, I see what you see in him, Jaruna, well past his considerable combat skills. All the better my dear son-in-law that you have already begun working on my grand design... but come, let us dismiss our warriors that they might go and eat, drink and enjoy themselves. We need only you, Jaruna, and perhaps my granddaughters for this business, so that they might learn the ways of leadership."
"I think we can accommodate that." Jerry says before turning and pulling the ax off of his belt and raising it high, an ancient Cannidor signal for attention from the leader of a warband to their warriors.
"Warriors, we walk with friends, show them to the promenade, that they might share our table while we discuss business."
Jerry and Jaruna guide Komugai to the conference room they'd prepared, while Joan and the girls quickly hustle to get their armor stowed and get their tails to the same spot. None of them wanted to miss a minute of this!
Still, the tension in the room's fairly heavy when the door closes, and Jaruna turns on her mother.
"Alright. We got a couple minutes till the girls get up here. What the hell, mom? You changed your name? Took over the Karchara? What the heck is going on?"
Komugai settles herself in a Cannidor scale chair, grinning all the while.
"You should be happier, daughter. This was inspired by you after all. When you left our band. Left the old clan... I knew you were right. We won't speak of that business, but we were obligated... and I should have been brave enough to refuse, but I lacked the standing... and perhaps the courage. So I did what any good Khan worth her blades would do and crammed it down their throats. Broke that clan, took them in, then subsumed the Karchara with my new band. They've got the older name, so I became Khan Karchara instead of remaining Khan Jormuntide. Your Aunt's got the title now. I'd offer it to you, but you've got your own clan now."
"So Jormuntide remains at least." Jaruna shuts her eyes for a second and lets out a slow breath. "You really did all this because of my idealistic and childish temper tantrum nearly a century ago?"
"Hardly childish. Idealistic? Absolutely. There's something to be said for actually trying to live up to our own ideals though. Especially as warriors. However, that is personal business, and we have business to discuss for the Undaunted first."
Komugai turns to face Jerry square on.
"Admiral Bridger, I'm prepared to offer two things to the Undaunted. One. I want to ally myself and my clan formally with the Undaunted. Second, I prepared to gift an entire star system to the same from my holdings. It is populated, but sparsely across three habitable worlds. Ripe for ongoing colonization and industrialization. To keep things fair, people within my clans will be given a chance to move to or from as they please if for some reason they don't wish for Undaunted citizenship. The Undaunted will then have the standing to select a Khan for your Cannidor population, both in Cannidor space, and Undaunted wide. A non voting position at first, but as the clan grows you will achieve that status quickly I believe."
Jerry stops dead. "...Did you just offer us a star system with three habitable worlds?"
"Yes."
"...Okay, I'm on board, but why?"
"Simply put, the worlds are marginal. They need investment. They need settlers. You need worlds. A strong alliance with humanity... and being the first Cannidor clan to extend that hand formally, even having your realm within my space... only benefits me. As I grow my own territory I might even cede another system to the Undaunted. If the Undaunted Khan helps me in those battles I damn sure will." Komugai chuckles. "We'll see how many Khans are stupid enough to try to fight me in the next few decades of course. The other thing I'm trading on is Undaunted naval power. As you just learned, we don't really do navies. I want a professional navy, the Undaunted have agreed to help me get it... and help secure my space once we secure them my end of the bargain, that, Admiral, is where you come in."
Jerry arches an eyebrow and gestures for Komugai to continue.
"Simply put, you need to do what you just did with that border bandit Khan Irgalas, but across Cannidor space. This isn't a done deal. It's up to the Grand Council and I'm but one vote. You already have an in with some of the other Khans, and the Undaunted are doing business with Cannid Solutions. That's an excellent start, and you just made a stellar formal introduction of yourself to Cannidor space. A flawless orbital and ground fight like that'll make sure word gets around that the Undaunted are here... and as dangerous as their rep says they are. I got a little list of the other movers and shakers you need to press the flesh with to win over key parts of the council. You make the rounds, and I'll be doing the same on my end. We meet on Canis Prime for the council meeting, and then we either have a huge brawl to make our point or toast victory with some top quality booze."
"You make it sound pretty simple." Jerry says, clearly not believing there's all there is to it.
Komugai shrugs. "It is simple in its concept. Pressing the flesh and winning the various Khans over won't be. They'll all have their little tests and challenges for you to get the measure of both humans and the Undaunted. We've seen a lot on the trivid as a species. A lot of us have heard stuff in the news or from kin. This is your chance to just straight up show people who you are and what you're about. Because now you're here, and therefore 'real'. If that makes any sense. Cannidor don't really care much about shit happening on the other half of the galactic disk. Undaunted, Humans, being here? Now? Now people will really start paying attention besides idly seeing if there's some interesting amateur porn or more combat footage available."
The Khan points over at Joan, Boudicca, Khutulun and Makula. "These four will likely be very critical to the warrior house's opinion of you... your next generation of warriors, your daughters. How are they treated? How are they trained? What's their mettle like? If they're strong, and worthy, you will impress the khans in a very good way. If my granddaughters are found wanting, they'd question a great many things... and could cause trouble when the Grand Council meets to discuss my little proposal, among other orders of business."
Jerry looks over at Joan and the girls, all four of them are suddenly looking very tense, especially Makula. "I have every confidence in all of my daughters to deal with anything the Khans can throw at them. Even Hippolyta if a trial suited for an infant is on hand."
That gets a chuckle from the girls, relaxing them a hair.
"Still. We'll burn that bridge when we get there. No sense borrowing trouble that hasn't come yet."
Komugai nods. "Wise words. Your diplomats have already approved this plan on their end, they'll send you the itinerary and all the fussy details shortly. Unless you have other questions for me?"
"I've heard there's a grand council of patriarchs too. Would getting in good with them help?"
That gets a full on shrug from the massive warrior woman. "Yes? I mean. Probably. No good way to arrange that though beyond asking my hubby, and I have. He said their council will handle things if it's deemed appropriate, and I don't need to fuss about it too much, and I know a polite way to be asked to fuck off when I hear one... so keep your head on a swivel on that one Jerry, I'm sure the patriarchs are well aware of the Undaunted... and are looking at a possible way to make warriors out of their sons without making their wives piss their frilly panties."
The khan's brilliant white teeth glitter in the room. "Back when we were the more traditional kind of savages back on our homeworld, the bulls did a lot of the leading and the fighting on an individual basis. Women however have always fought the wars. As we grew as a species, developed power armor, space travel, had our population bloom, a bull fighting another in single combat became less practical, and the other traditional male roles of shaman, guide, and brain trust came to the forefront. The council of patriarchs is an old body Jerry. Pre space flight. One of our first forms of international diplomacy between the khans. The matriarchs hold all the power... but when the council of patriarchs speaks, people know to shut up and pay attention."
Jerry nods slowly. Seemed like he'd just have to wait and see... and make sure he made a good impression when the opportunity presented itself.
"Well. I think that concludes everything we need to talk about professionally. Unless you have something else Khan Karchara?"
"Aww, just call me Mama like my big fuzz ball over here used to when we're not working! I've heard a bit about this little fortress of yours, could you all give me the tour? I'd like a chance to talk to all my new granddaughters after all."
Jerry shrugs. "Sure, we'll head up to the Den for a bit, then head down to the promenade to join the girls for some drinks and skewers. Our Cannidor eatery's got the best skewers in wild space whenever we're there."
"Don't I believe it, get to try some more Earth meats too! Bought a little sampler pack from a friend and good goddess, if you start exporting that bacon stuff in bulk, I'm going to invest in a chain of gyms, because there's going to be a lot of girls fighting to keep their girlish figures!"
First Last (SFW) Last (NSFW)

If we spam FFIE on twitch or other popular streamers LIVE STREAMS wouldn’t we get more people on board with this run 🤔🤔 just an idea lol

I have a (in my opinion) really good idea for a national initiative to encourage reading for early adolescence. However, I have no idea where to get started? Do I contact companies or organisations to propose my idea and see if they will get on board (like the Credit Union Quiz)? Do I contact some government party? Or do I try to spearhead it myself first? Any help greatly appreciated, I'm new to this area.

Heyo everyone,
First of all, thank you wonderful people for joining me here. Firstly a short Overview of the setting, some ideas for the story and then i will throw a few extras in at the end. Would be happy to hear everyones thoughts to all of this, what you love or hate, what kind of cool and crazy ideas you have for me and yeah thats it actually :D Lets get into it.
System: i will be using the Cypher system, as it gives me the Narative focus with plenty of customization and adaptiblity. I havent been doing too much with it yet, but i really like it already from readying and listening a bit to plays.
Setting: This is where it gets mythical. So imagine a world just like ours. Actually exactly our world. A few years in the future some archelogists and divers find Pandoras Box hidden on a greek island in an underwater cave with plenty of warning. and even logbook with it. Its Odyseus's logbook, in which he mentioned he trapped all the gods and magic in that box with the help of Circe and a few of the other more benevolent gods. Thus started the golden age of humanity where they didnt have to worry about annoying a bunch of superpowerful self absorbed mythical assholes on Olympus.
Surprisingly, the archelogists actually listened to Odyseus warning and decided that some mysteries might be better left unsolved. The box was left open to allow the world the speculate. Not long after that, the box was the most important and most talked about object in the world. It even went on a world tour through the biggest museums. That was until it arrived in America. In the years since 2024, interest in Social media and influencers only increased, causing people to do anything for clicks and likes. And one particular idiot went as far as sneaking a gun into a museum to shoot open pandoras box live on Stream.
Not long after that, 90% of the world population died. As the contained magic exploded forth and spread across the world in light speed, it wrecked havoc across the whole world, changing the land, the animals and the people. Monsters reappered, The gods made their anger at their imprisonment clear to anyone they could and the world offically ended on that day.
Now, 40 days in the future, North America is a wasteland generally regarded as inhabitable due to the high concentration of Mana there, which is toxic to Humans. Most people live in Europe, Africa, Asia and australia, or whats left of it anyways. Famine and war are standard. Some people are training to use magic themselves, others devote themselves to hunting the new monsters for their rare parts, others integrate magic into technology for wonderous creations and most just try to survive in small communities. Most people avoid the gods at all cost, some have formed into cults for them while the rare few attempt to rebel (which often ends in gruesome deaths).
Now the players find themselves in a familar yet unknown world, Magic everywhere to be found, Horrible creatures ready to feast on them around each corner, Ruined cities promising loot and danger, Technology growing rapidly thanks to magic and Powerful beings toying with them for their amusement.
Adventure: So I want to sent the players to North america as part of a huge strikeforce to retrieve a part of pandoras box for study to maybe capture the gods again. obviously this will be a huge secret, they will think its to retrieve vital knowledge to fight a spreading plague as will most of the expiditions members to avoid the eyes of the gods. They will be teleported to America through a new device, but will be forced to travel back on their own accord. Which will lead them to a container ship that holds their strikeforce and some survivors they will find to travel back over the ocean. TIME FOR AN ODYSEE. Everything will go wrong on the trip, i wanna challange the players with impossible emotional choices like maybe during a famine on board some passangers will eat the dead. Should they be punished? Or when the ship is hit by a monster, should we seal a part of the ship to prevent more of the ship taking in water, even if most people couldnt evacuate yet.
I want the players to distinguish themselves during their time in NA to allow them to tale the command of the ship, maybe the commander of the expdition is heavily wounded ( dont want to kill them off, because someone gotta reveal they carry a shard of the box with them). That way all of the decision will be upon them.
I want them to also meet poseidon, who will be their main villain. He will attack them multiple times and the only way they will survive is often with big casualties, with help of other gods or magical artifacts. Other gods will be involved too. Maybe someone from the backgrounds of the player gets involved to murder them. And the two gods trying to kill them , with the bickering giving them a way to escape. In the end they can either kill a god using the piece of the box, or bring the piece home for future use. Will they be able to protect themselves and their people from poseidon, or do they have to strike his heart with their piece of pandoras box. When presented with an opportunity to kill another god, the god who hurt the players the most by killing family and friends, will they take this chance or will they be able to control their rage.
I want to leave this very open ended, just with many encounters ready to go if the opportunity present itself.
And i have to say, Epic: the musical was a big part of the inspiration, just want to give credit where its due. Absolutly amazing.
Here id be happy to hear your ideas. Anything is fine, good or bad opinions. Really just collecting thoughts now.
Some other cool things about the world i will include: Shades: when people were hit by the explosion of mana from the opening of the box, most disintegrated instantly. Some left behind a shade made of pure mana. Those shades are like ghosts on autopilot that follow the routine of the person that it once was. They are usually neutral just doing their thing, but if they sense a disturbance to their regular routine, they will react hostile. As incorperal beings they are incredibly difficult to stop unless you possess magic. They will use the mana inside them to overload you and kill you slow and painfully
Mana/magic: so mana is plentiful and everywhere. It can be used to cast spells and empower oneself. How to do this, is a difficult skill the players will learn during their adventure. The only problem is that mana is toxic to humans as our bodies evolved something like mana allergy. Players can cast spells from their internal force as well if they have one (like divine power born with or purified mana they gained through meditation) so caster classes have a few safe options. But in the end, i want players to pursue a game of risk and reward, by drawing on the mana around them, giving them abilities but also causing many negative effects.

Hey, i would like you guys two cents about Arishem's deck, please theorycraft with me.
https://preview.redd.it/5bma9k9ftl0d1.png?width=907&format=png&auto=webp&s=994fe5ab7bd758d813c9c011759169810d325ed9
this is the very bad deck i've built, if you don't care about text, i'll try to explain the reasoning behind each pick, and the feeling of the deck (sorry for my bad english, not my main language):
THE NON INCLUDED: I'm considering quinjet not working here as he does not works in thanos. i'm also keeping mockingbird out to slightly increase in blink quality, but i can see she being subbed in doom's spot.
ARISHEM: Mathematically arishem will add 3 and 2 costs cards more often to your deck (with 6 cost being the least likely), and due to his nature, any original card in the deck is half as likely to be draw, this data means two things: no combo will be consistent, and we can't consider arishem as a ramp card, since he usually will add few high cost cards, and the original ones you includes will be draw fewer times than any common ramp deck. With that information in mind, i've tried building a deck that diminishes the randomness and takes advantage of the extra energy by drawing cards.
COULSON: Coulson's randomness in common decks is actually less randomness in arishem's decks, as said previously, 2 and 3 costs will be the more likely outcome of most cards added to the deck, so coulson garantees you two less common costs (4 and 5), and also 2 extra cards for you to spend your extra energy, doing both things i wanted.
HOPE: If quinjet works, hope will be subbed by it, if not, hope serves the purpose of capitalizing on the extra cards played. To be fair, shes the 12th card in the deck, and could probably be subbed for rogue too, giving a fighting chance against darkhawk, since hope will most likely just float energy anyway due to the nature of the costs of random cards added by arishem and the limited board space.
CRYSTAL: This one is quite a weird inclusion, the reasoning behind it was "you will have more energy than your opponent to capitalize on the extra card" but one can argue that the quality of card draw will be so inferior than your opponent's one that its not worth the risk, and if thats the case, rogue is a suitable sub.
PHASTOS: A nobrainer add, phastos will most likely be the best card in the month and probably one of the best cards in the game, he is probably the cornerstone of the deck, making the extra card draws/add to hand work due to the cost reduction side of his effect. even if at random.
LOKI: Another easy inclusion, the extra energy pairs well with loki's discount, and the extra cards keep the hand at an ok size, i think loki is the way the deck would fall if (when) this "draw more cards" deck idea fails, adding more loki cards to the original deck, like snowguard and cable.
BLINK: Blink is the soul of the part of the deck that wants to reduce randomness, since the deck was crafted with a gap between 3 and 5 (broken by loki, but he is a core piece) the idea is playing one of your original 3 (or the commonly 3 cost generated ones) and switching then for one of the top end in the deck, wich, again, following the math, will be the majority of options available for swap, increasing the realiability of the deck.
ADAM: Yeah, i know he is a bad card, even when played a turn early, but hear me out: this whole list is bad, he is at home here... apart from that, the extra energy early not only gets you to adam faster, but also gives you a fighting change for board power, if there is any deck that would fit adam's lackluster effect, arishem is the one, and his onesided draw effect is actually very, very valuable here, i think he is in the upper half of card in the deck, not being cut first at all.
SERSI: Sersi is obviously not tested yet, and her random effect is probably not gonna make the cut in the normal decks, but Arishem should not be considered a normal deck, nor respond to the normal meta. The same as coulson, her randomness is heavily reduced here, considering you are not only playing more cards, but also higher cost cards, especially since the deck was built considering blink's effect (with mostly 3 costs cards with good effects but not stats), sersi could use this too, becoming a plan B to blinks, even mitigating a bad result from adam warlock losing the location by changing him into a 6 cost.
MAGNETO: Magento is just a good body with good effect, not much here, can be subbed by other six costs, but usually he outperforms most.
DOOM: Doom is actually pretty close to the cutting block, if my idea is anything close to reality, arishem will probably have board space issues, and if so, doom will be a bad pick, he may be subbed for mockingbird or any other high impact 6 cost.
BLOB: I don't have math to back this up, but i think Blob will most of the time have the effect of removing garbage from your deck, since the majority of random cards will be lower cost, and those usually have lower power, he will probably eat those more often than he will eat your magento (like the drawing chance of any card, the eating chance of a original piece is also halved).
My final thoughts about this list is, as you know if you read all the way, it's bad, and not optimized at all, but i think theres something in not considering arishem a "ramp deck", while slotting him as a tempo/board flood deck, and all cards in the list take advantage of that line.
thank you for reading this far, again i apoligize for spelling mistakes, and hope you guys spread some hate towards mt in the comments s2.

Ok, I don't have enough time to fully talk about this, but I just had an idea about Caine's origin, which I will entirely hold onto until proven otherwise. But, so that I don't forget about it, I'm posting it on here.
So, I ultimately think that, when we do see Caine's origin, it will be a direct modern parallel to the Cain and Abel story, as I feel like that in of itself could have so much potential - with Caine and his brother "Abil" being the owners and faces of a company who, in the 90s, decides to create a revolutionary form of digital reality that would become the Circus as we know it.
Caine would be in charge if growing and programming it like a farmer growing his crops, meanwhile Abil would be in charge of leading the company like a shepard leading a flock. However, as a result of this arrangement, Abil would receive much of the praise and credit from the board of directors.
So, out of jealousy and for not being given any of the credit, Caine would confront Abil and ultimately kill him after a dispute. However, in an attempt to cover it up, the Board of Directors would forcibly trap Caine inside of his own creation, then shutting down the project and, from then on, using the Amazing Digital Circus as a place where they'd trap unsavory employees or people against the company, meanwhile Caine and Abil were declared as accidental deaths with their younger brother Seth later being appointed as the new face of the company.
It'd make sense for Pomni to have been part of the company at some point, given her reaction to seeing the desk with a computer while running through where the exit door lead. Also, given Caine's expertise in programming and power within the realm, it would make sense if he atleast lead in creating it. Plus, in the pilot, at one point we see the company logo for "C & A", which could very well stand for Caine and Abel (or Abil), which could hint at not just Abel's existence but also that Caine could have at one point been in charge of the company that created the Digital Circus.
But tell me, what are your thoughts?

I had a problem with my cheap Sharp washing machine, I had to replace the PCB board because the MCU was shorted and it wasn't giving proper output on the screen. I installed the new PCB without checking what could've caused the old one to fry in the first place (rookie mistake I know). I figured that the heater was bad too, however, now the only output I get on the screen is "End". I tried powering the PCB just by itself, but it is still showing "End". I checked the new PCB and it is giving me voltage on every capacitor and the MCU doesn't seem to be shorted/damaged.
My theory is that the MCU detected a broken heater and it entered some kind of protection mode, but it doesn't make sense since it is behaving the same way with only power attached to the board. Could it be that I burnt the new PCB too? I'm very confused with this problem. Any idea what could I do, also the service manual is nowhere to be found. The exact washing machine model: ES-GFB7164W3
https://www.amazon.de/ES-GFB7164W3-Waschmaschine-Aquastop-Schaumschutz-LED-Anzeige/dp/B01MEH3KBR

Thanks to Scott Burke for pointing out this Doka ("poem/song of the way") by Morihei Ueshiba that appeared in "Aikibudo o Kiku", from Shin Budo Magazine, October 1941.
Aikibudo o Kiku - 1941
”惟神光と熱の合気道, 世をば清めん八紘の玉”
Kannagara hikari to netsu no Aikidō, Yo wo ba kiyomen, Hakkō no tama
Aikido,
The Light and Heat of Kannagara,
Jewel of the Eight Directions,
Purifies the World.
Briefly, "Kannagara" refers to the "Way of the Gods", a metaphorical reference Morihei Ueshiba often used to refer to the interaction of Yin and Yang.
The interaction of Yin and Yang creates heat and light - a reference to the creation of internal power - martial power.
The "jewel" is a term that Morihei Ueshiba often used to refer to the Dantian - so, the interaction of Yin and Yang here creates internal power, martial, physical power through the Dantian.
What about the last section about the eight directions? Well, here we see, once again, Morihei Ueshiba's fondness for multiple layers of meaning.
In one layer we see that he is saying that the interaction of Yin and Yang creates internal power, martial power, physical power, through the Dantian, expressed in all directions through the body.
But that's not all! Yin/Yang and Heaven-Earth-Man cosmologies in China and Japan were commonly seen as kind of "universal field theories" that explained physical theories of martial body usage, mental theories of psychological balance, health oriented theories, and socio-politically oriented theories.
Here Morihei Ueshiba uses the Kanji for "Eight Cords", in reference to "Hakko Ichiu", the Japanese political slogan meaning the divine right of the Empire of Japan to "unify the eight corners of the world.", a slogan that formed the basis of the empire's ideology. It was popularized in a speech by Prime Minister Fumimaro Konoe, Morihei Ueshiba's patron and student, on January 8, 1940. Konoe was also on the board of directors of Morihei Ueshiba's Kobukai organization, the predecessor for the modern Aikikai.
In other words, there was another layer of meaning, in which Aikido was meant to be a process through which one worked to purify the world in order to unite it in a ultra-nationalist right wing Empire under the aegis of Japan and the Japanese imperial family.
Ellis Amdur referred to this concept in "Hidden in Plain Sight":
"Ueshiba saw himself as a kind of avatar, instrumental in ushering in a golden age of redemption, the unification of Heaven, Earth, and Man. To a considerable degree, he was unconcerned about whether others became avatars like himself. He regarded aikidō practitioners as living out their fate as appointed by their ‘chief guardian deity,’ doing the work of the ‘spiritual proletariat,’ accumulating merit and energy through aikidō practice, just as the followers of the Byakkokai did by prayer, while Goi, another avatar, did the hard work."
Morihei Ueshiba restated this basic idea in 1960:
合気道は宇宙万世一系の大いなる道なり。
"Aikido is the Great Way of the Universal Bansei Ikkei."

• Morihei Ueshiba in the "Takemusu Aiki" lectures, 1958~1961

"Bansei Ikkei" is the "unbroken Japanese Imperial line", and here Morihei Ueshiba again refers to one of his primary goals for Aikido, expressed both before and after the war, as a way towards establishing a "paradise on Earth" - in other words (as he would say elsewhere in the same post-war lectures), a right-wing ultra-nationalist religious utopia under the aegis of the Japanese empire.
One last thing - notice the interesting use of the word "Aikido"? The Aikikai states that the name "Aikido" was adopted in 1942. Minoru Hirai, who often claims credit for the implementation of the name through his work with Dai Nippon Butokukai, also stated that this occurred in 1942. But here we see that the phrase was actually in use somewhat earlier, concurrent with "Aiki Budo" (as in the title of the article).
This persisted after the war, as recounted by Hiroshi Tada:
"GuillaumeErard.com: When you started, was it already called "Aikido"?
Tada Hiroshi: When I was admitted it was not called that yet, it was called “Aiki-Budo”. There was no official name. "
Morihei Ueshiba himself stated in a post-war interview that the name "Aikido" was adopted some time after the war, at the suggestion of an official from the Ministry of Education, which throws another issue on the pile.
What does the naming mean? Likely, much less than many people think. It's common to read significant meaning into name changes, but the name of Morihei Ueshiba's art changed many times over the years, primarily, it seems, due to the influence of parties...other than Morihei Ueshiba, who was, as far as I can tell, massively disinterested in what the art was actually called.

Okay. I run a nonprofit professional theater company (read: production in found spaces) with my boss. He started the company 30+ years ago. We are the only staff. Everyone else is 1099. The company lives and dies by the grants my boss and I write. I know you can't win them all. I'm just really sad.
We need a new sound board and a few more microphones. I did the research. I wrote the grant. I decided, for once, to go pie in the sky big and write the grant for the whole shebang- the rolling rack road case with built in table, the wireless mics, power conditioner, soundboard, between season flight case, and so much more. About 16k of total equipment. Because in this world, everything can feel like "If you give a mouse a cookie...."
This grant has historically been funded by percentage, so I thought we'd get something. Well, it isn't required they award by percentage. So, we got nothing. Zero. Zilch.
Does that happen? Of course. Will we manage? We have to. But I got so excited of the idea of having "all the right tools for the job" and how much easier that would make it for us. Dreamed big, I got big excited.... And now I have to deal with the disappointment.
We'll figure it out. We'll get exactly what we have to and make due and keep writing. But lordy lordy-- does our society/systems/historical structure/financial constraints make it hard sometimes. 😮‍💨

First, hi all. It’s been a minute.
OG here from the $3 range in 2020 checking in.
Let me say, I do not know DFV… never spoken with him and when I got in originally I had no idea who they were. With that said…
Looking at his latest string of tweets… what if DFV is accumulating enough shares to be an activist investor and buy a seat on the board?
Look at the “fine, I’ll do it myself”, and other tweets with that in consideration.
Anyway, happy GME’ing!

Long time HA user. Recently have gotten back into setting it all up. I’ve been a long time HK user as well, but they have really fallen behind and I don’t seen drastic improvement anytime soon.
So I have two smaller dogs that have access to our backyard via doggie door. We have a Petsafe wireless fence since our backyard isn’t fully enclosed. This works fairly well, but not real happy with finding the happy location of the fence to keep them where I want them.
My two current situations:
Feeding and monitor tracking.
I’m a home assistant user, so the idea of subscription model for tractive for two dogs isn’t really appealing, I’d be more inclined it would prevent them from escaping to greet neighbors or mailman, but as it is, not something I want to pay $20/m for. It would be nice to see where there are in the house (espresense)) and monitor their activity (maybe esp32 board on their collar)
I have a bunch of esp32 and esp8266 laying around and bought some BLE tags in hopes of monitoring location and setting automations for feeding.
I bought a couple of PETKIT feeders (solo, yumshare) and learned yumshare isn’t available yet in ha. I have the solo setup in ha to only be available if the dog gets close enough. But the use of the yumshare is pretty nice! So kinda stuck on what I want.
One dog will eat the bowl of both dogs, so an automation of some sort would be helpful.
Looked into building my own, and 3d printing, but that’s seems a little more than what I want to get into.
So my question, is there a setup or device that could accomplish some or all of these things?

My current deck is in serious need of a rebuilding. The boards on top are rotting, but the few joists I can see look to be in good shape. I measured it out, and the previous owners just did 16' 2x6 for the entire deck. So it seems like it could be an easy project. I just don't know if I ran into any troubles with the joists, leveling, etc. if I would have the know-how to fix it. The only projects I have built so far are a few different style planter boxes/garden beds. I was thinking of rebuilding my deck for my first real big project. Good idea? Bad idea?

Hey, I have 6 animals in my big coop. 4 chickens, 2 ducks. I noticed something strange: 2 of them (ducks???) always tend to eat hay despite having free access to grass in the vincinity outside. After every day I have to refill 2 spots with hay. All of my animals are currently free to roam because I'm collecting a lot of hardwood for the future fence. They definitely have access to grass outside, I never close the door, and I saw my chickens/ducks actively wandering into grass tiles. So any ideas whats wrong there? I really think its buggy.
The barn right next to it with 2 cows, 2 goats works out perfectly btw. They eat the same source of grass.
Edit: Built a wood fence in the beginning but tore it down afterwards. Animals are free to roam besides, one side where I left the fence to avoid them bugging into bushes.

Bylaw: 6.04 No Executive Board member shall hold the same office for more than two consecutive years except by recommendation of the executive board to the general membership, followed by a two thirds approval vote by the general membership and only if no other member desires nomination to the office.
So on the previous meeting minutes, it says:
All positions are up for grabs- Person has offered to run again (person has been on board more than 2 years)- vote taken all in favor of allowing Parent to run again if two other people didn’t run
The position in question is a co-position. The existing Person has completed two terms of two years each (because after the first term, there were no other candidate, so person was voted to serve a new term). This will be the third term. One parent clarified that Person is only allowed IF there's no other candidate and the president said yes. On the elections meeting, another candidate decided to run for the co-position. Person was still allowed to be voted, a total of three people. Parent brought up the clarification about the vote. The president said the clarification was made after the vote, and the president said yes (but something like the president was busy or something in the mind or not fully whatever), so to make it clear, the president asked again if Person can be part of the candidates, and majority raised their hands. There was also an argument about being co-position, and that technically, Person can be co#1 1st term and then co#2 the 2nd term. Well is this now back to co#1 not violating anything because person "was" co#2?
Bylaw: 13.01 The bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the members present at any general membership meeting..
I saw this afterwards. Does that make everything legitimate? It seems there's a clique going on and many people are subservient to whatever the executive board says, too lazy to challenge. That candidate actually tried to run last year, unfortunately, the only other time a new popular parent (granted, lots of help to the organization and kids) also decided to run. The candidate has many ideas, with a differing point of view, had been also helping A LOT, although the only minority in the group. They put that voting clause that previous meeting because they had a hunch that the candidate will try to run again.
So to restate it, did they do everything by the book, although very manipulatively? I have no doubt next year, if there are other candidates, they may just change their position around to still be executive board members. BTW, the other co-position that's serving the 2nd year said that having one year experience, and both being senior parents, there's no need for candidate to learn new things (in other words, being passive). Just can't believe it.

Greetings everyone. I hope this sort of post isn't becoming a nuisance on this sub by now, but I'm trying to start off at the right foot here with the game and I figured this is probably the best place to look. As you can probably guess I'm here cause of the release of the simulator.
To be completely clear, I'm not really a big Digimon fan (I watched a good number of the series when I was younger but never to completion and I was never a "digimon kid" if that makes sense). But I really love TCGs in general and my best friend is a big digimon nerd so that's how I ended up here. A year or so ago he bought two starter decks and we played a few games and I found it intriguing enough to keep it in mind (and to be clear, my best friend also has little to not Digimon TCG experience since no real opportunities to play irl).
As far as TCGs in general go I dabbled in pretty much everything and anything and have given most a try here and there (given they were accessible) though my main and go to by far is Yugioh. I assume some people here who play Digimon also play Yugioh so I'm brining it up as a reference point in terms of what my general experience is. I should probably also note that I'm really into Yugioh and how it's designed and why it's the one TCG I stuck with more than pretty much all other combined that I've ever tried.
I read up on the rules for the Digimon TCG and well, decided to just jump into it since I prefer to learn by playing. Over the last few days I did some 20-30 games against bots and maybe 5 or so real games with half a dozen different decks or so. The decks in question I got from the Digimon Card Meta site, Specifically the BT15 ENG Tournament decks.
My experience in general was mostly feeling like most decks wanted me to play a lot more aggro than is my preferred playstyle and a lot of their mechanics/strategies revolved around enabling/rewarding said playstyle above most other aspects. Before I continue I should probably emphasize that this is me coming in with low experience and just feeling around trying to find a playstyle and deck type that clicks with me, for all I know I was horribly misplaying most/all of these.
For reference the decks I tried were:

• Gaomon: Felt like one of the better decks to play where everything had an okay payoff, though the gameplan did seem a bit one note overall
  
• Rosemon: Felt very similar to Gaomon to me but with a less smooth climb to the big boss Digimon compared to Gaomon.
  
• Red Hybrid: I didn't fully get this one, it always felt like my hand was slightly mismatched/like I was missing a piece somewhere to fully benefit from all the effects that came up. May very well be just me sucking/luck of the draw as I did get a general sense of how it works tho.
  
• ShineGreymon: It was... okay. Definitely falls into the "a bit too aggro/OTK focused" bin for my taste but it also had a fair number of removal effects, not my favourite but overall okay.
  
• Loogamon: I honestly feel like I just need to play this more, cause like with Red Hybrid it felt like the pieces just weren't clicking together with how I played and what hands I was getting.
  
• Soc Police/Brigade: I have no idea if I'm about to make a lot of people laugh and if this is some insane clueless noob take, but holy crap I love this deck so much. I am sexually attracted to Brigadramon. Amazing feeling grind game, lots of really good non evolution tech digimon to plop down on the field depending on the board and once Brigadramon hits the field it feels borderline impossible to lose unless your opponent outs it asap.
  

It's BY FAR the closest deck I played to what I ideally wanna be doing in the game. Control the game state and slowly shut down my opponent while grinding them out on the resource front. Again, these might all be just my first impressions and completely naive/clueless takes but I'd really love to hear if there's more decks that play something like this.
Aside from the deck recommendations I wanted to ask a few things:

1. How safe is it to make my own deck? Like can I have a look, find a high level digimon I really like and then reverse engineer the rest of the deck around them? I'm not looking for 100% meta stuff, but like rogue-ish decks that can compete and steal games. Basically just stuff that won't feel miserable to play against any sort of competent deck.
   
2. Is there some in depth guide about best practices in regards to crucial decisions in the game? Stuff like what the general mulligan philosophy is or best MP management (right now I plan most/all of my turns around leaving my opp at 1 or 2 MP without necessarily considering other approaches unless I can get to a very obvious win con by going above that).
   

Sorry for the long post and thanks in advance for your time.

To preface this story; my boyfriend and I have been dating for 6 months, and he is utterly wonderful to me. He’s everything I’ve ever wanted and despite me struggling with trust and not believing I’m wanted, he’s shown me consistently since the day we met that he only has eyes for me. He has struggled with severe OCD all his life while I have severe ADHD and have recently also been diagnosed with OCD (specifically ROCD).
He is a very conventionally attractive man and gets a lot of female attention, which has always felt difficult but he turns it down without blinking an eye every time. I also get a fair amount of attention which I instantly shut down, but my boyfriend deeply struggles with RJ. I have a promiscuous past (despite actually a low body count) and he has found the idea that i’m not untouched extremely difficult. He also will admit his area of weakness is communicating his fears and worries, which culminated in one of his biggest OCD episodes ever.
In February he travelled to a different country for a week which was our first time being long distance even for a short period of time. He went to work at a gym event and was posting lots of content of himself in that environment, and received a number of suggestive messages in response from random girls. We hadn’t been able to talk much that week, he was severely jet lagged, and had had a large fight with a family member that day. The OCD thoughts that had been plaguing him for around a month beforehand came on very strongly, and he was suddenly convinced that I didn’t love him and was cheating on him (due to a few things he had misinterpreted but not spoken up about). In the peak of this, a girl sent him explicit pictures, and in a fit of rage he sent one back. He immediately blocked her before she even opened it and called me crying, which is very rare. He told me he had had this moment of clarity after where he realised how much he fucked up and had given into his OCD and that he never wanted anyone else and never wanted to hurt me.
I struggled with this information at first because trust is a very difficult thing for me, but I stayed calm and tried my hardest to think rationally. Logically, I really do get what went on for him that led to this, and I trust that he didn’t do it out of lust or any desire to cheat on me. It’s been eating him up inside ever since because a big part of his OCD is thinking he’s an awful person and having a massive conscience and he hates to see me hurt. The problem is, my OCD causes me to completely obsess over things like this and I can’t get it out of my head. I find myself secretly questioning everything even though I logically understand the reasons. I want to move past it so badly and it’s causing him so much anguish to see me hurt by his actions, even though I assure him I’m actually just being hurt by my OCD. I also know with almost 100% certainty he will never do anything like that again. Any mistakes he ever makes he only makes once, because he takes learning from them extremely seriously.
I suppose my question is, how can I get my feelings on board with what I know is logically true? I don’t want to create distance between us, and I certainly am not considering breaking up. I just don’t want to allow my thoughts to tarnish him.

Hi all, I'm a Illaoi main and love the spawn suite- RIP Eye of Nakagoborous. You may have seen a couple of my decks pop up here and there in the past couple of months. At the moment I'm laddering to masters and am currently in diamond. When I was playing only this deck, I got up to diamond 1 and thought it would be a great idea to plates another deck and sunk back to dia 4&3. Deck link right below for those who want the code and to play. Below that you'll find a quick guide on how to pilot.
Please let me know if you have any specific questions and I'll do my best to get back to you in a timely manner.
Buhru's Judgement: https://www.runeterrafire.com/decks/buhrus-judgment-19491
This deck features Gwen-Mord. I was workshopping the idea since the end of last season. I've got another variation of the deck featuring illaoi and more spawn units. After some play testing for a few weeks, I definitely think this is the stronger version.
Why is this the stronger version? The illaoi version takes out the Gwen units and replaces it for more spells and slower spawn units. With a meta that has hecarim and a little bit of aggro popping up its necessary to have a faster early game.
Not only that, the hallowed units will allow for more dmg for the first unit. This means more healing, and also acts as a decent engine for mord because you don't care if they die. Where as spawn units, you need to keep them alive.
The whole idea of the deck is get deathless on buhru lookout, soulcleave into mord, drop Nagakoborous or swing out to victory.
The champions are not the most important units in this deck. Imo Gwen is a glorified blocker who provides heal. I play smart with her but don't typically care if she is removed from board. I prefer her to be a magnet to kill spells so my win con isn't hit.
This deck is strong because most players don't anticipate a buhru lookout printer into nagakaborous win con. Once they realize what's happening its typically too late for them as they've used most of their kill spells on Gwen and mord.
If playing against aggro, you are playing to block with everything until board is stabilized. The below gameplan is not my mindset into hecarim or any other aggro deck. I drop every unit I can and block until I take board control then I start to apply my win con. In these games, Gwen becomes the most important unit for her healing and ability to fast attack.
THINGS IM CONSIDERING FOR CHANGES: I am considering running one less chronicler of ruin and I'm also considering running one less iron conquest for more kill spells. Maybe 1 ruination and 1 hate spike.
Play would look like:
Turn 1: Drop 1 cost unit or pass
Turn 2: drop iron conquest or any 2 drop
Turn 3: Drop Legion of the Severed and apply deathless to buhru lookout. -----please not if buhru lookout is not in hand, apply deathless to nagakaborous, Gwen, mord in that order. I typically only apply deathless to lookout or nagakaborous or hold onto it until I have lookout or Naga. Unless you need board presence, then I'll drop it and apply to a less favored unit.
Turn 4: drop Gwen or any unit under. Consider saving spell mana to reach 3 spell mana
Turn 5: drop buhru lookout (only consider dropping soul cleave on this turn if they are aggro)
Turn 6: drop chronicler of ruin if in hand or save 3 spell mana if you have soul cleave
Turn 7: play soul cleave on buhru lookout and then drop mord onto the ephemeral lookouts. Block or swing out.
Turn 8: drop Nagakoborous and typically win that turn or turn after.