Copied from Arnauld Bertrands twitter post(@RnaudBertrand)
Wow, China and Russia issued an extraordinary joint statement yesterday, with almost 8,000 words when translated into English, and in many ways more important than the famous "no limits" partnership statement in February 2022.
Here are the points that stood out for me.
BUILDING A NEW WORLD ORDER The statement says that it is an "objective factor" that "the status and strength of emerging major countries and regions in the 'Global South' [are] continuously increasing", and that "the trend of world multipolarity [is] accelerating". This in turn "accelerates the redistribution of development potential, resources, and opportunities in a direction favorable to emerging markets and developing countries, promoting the democratization of international relations and international fairness and justice".
They point out that "countries that adhere to hegemonism and power politics are contrary to this trend, attempting to replace and subvert the international order based on international law with a so-called 'rules-based order'".
Security-wise, the statement says that "both sides believe that the fate of the peoples of all countries is interconnected, and no country should seek its own security at the expense of others' security. Both sides express concern about the current international and regional security challenges and point out that in the current geopolitical context, it is necessary to explore the establishment of a sustainable security system in the Eurasian space based on the principle of equal and indivisible security."
They go on to say that China and Russia "will fully tap the potential of bilateral relations" in order to "promote the realization of an equal and orderly multipolar world and the democratization of international relations, and gather strength to build a just and reasonable multipolar world".
As for the vision of this world order these 2 principles seem to be the foundational ones: 1) An order with no "neo-colonialism and hegemonism" of any kind: "All countries have the right to independently choose their development models and political, economic, and social systems based on their national conditions and people's will, oppose interference in the internal affairs of sovereign countries, oppose unilateral sanctions and 'long-arm jurisdiction' without international law basis or UN Security Council authorization, and oppose drawing ideological lines. Both sides pointed out that neo-colonialism and hegemonism are completely contrary to the trend of the times, and called for equal dialogue, the development of partnerships, and the promotion of exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations." 2) An order based on the UN Charter: "Both sides will continue to firmly defend the achievements of World War II and the post-war world order established by the UN Charter"
EXTREMELY STRONG CONDEMNATION OF THE US This condemnation starts with the paragraph highlighted above that "countries that adhere to hegemonism and power politics are contrary to [the trend towards a multipolar world order]", and the statement also condemns the fact that these "countries" (i.e. mostly the US) are "attempting to replace and subvert the international order based on international law with a so-called 'rules-based order'".
They also write that "both sides call on relevant countries and organizations to stop taking confrontational policies and interfering in the internal affairs of other countries, undermining the existing security architecture, creating 'small yards with high fences' among countries, provoking regional tensions, and advocating for camp confrontation."
They further say that "both sides oppose the hegemonic actions of the United States to change the balance of power in the Northeast Asia region by expanding its military presence and forming military blocs. The US, with its Cold War mentality and camp confrontation model, puts 'small group' security above regional security and stability, endangering the security of all countries in the region. The US should stop such actions."
On top of that the statement speaks of "serious concern about the United States' attempts to undermine strategic stability to maintain its absolute military superiority, including building a global missile defense system and deploying missile defense systems around the world and in space, strengthening the ability to disable the opponent's military actions with precision non-nuclear weapons and 'decapitation' strikes, enhancing NATO's 'nuclear sharing' arrangements in Europe and providing 'extended deterrence' to specific allies, constructing infrastructure in the South Pacific Nuclear-Free Zone treaty member Australia that could be used to support US and UK nuclear forces, engaging in US-UK-Australia nuclear submarine cooperation, and implementing plans to deploy and provide land-based intermediate-range and short-range missiles to allies in the Asia-Pacific and Europe."
The statement also condemns "the United States' unconstructive and hostile 'dual containment' policy towards China and Russia": "The United States' actions of conducting joint exercises with its allies ostensibly aimed at China and Russia and taking steps to deploy land-based intermediate-range missiles in the Asia-Pacific region have raised serious concerns for both sides. The United States claims it will continue these practices with the ultimate goal of establishing routine missile deployments worldwide. Both sides strongly condemn these actions, which are extremely destabilizing to the region and pose a direct security threat to China and Russia, and will strengthen coordination and cooperation to respond to the United States' unconstructive and hostile 'dual containment' policy towards China and Russia."
On Asia-Pacific specifically they write that "both sides oppose the creation of exclusive and closed group structures in the Asia-Pacific region, especially military alliances targeting any third party. Both sides point out that the US "Indo-Pacific Strategy" and NATO's attempts to take destructive actions in the Asia-Pacific region have negative impacts on the peace and stability of the region."
They also "demand that the United States refrain from engaging in any biological military activities that threaten the security of other countries and regions" and they oppose the "use [of] outer space for armed confrontation and oppose the implementation of security policies and activities aimed at achieving military advantage and defining outer space as a 'combat domain.'"
Lastly the statement condemns "the US and its allies' deterrent actions in the military field, provoking confrontation with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and exacerbating tensions on the Korean Peninsula, potentially leading to armed conflict", and asks that "the United States and NATO, as the responsible parties for the 20-year invasion and occupation of Afghanistan, should not attempt to deploy military facilities in Afghanistan and its surrounding areas again but should bear primary responsibility for Afghanistan's current economic and livelihood difficulties, bear the main costs of Afghanistan's reconstruction, and take all necessary measures to unfreeze Afghanistan's national assets."
ENORMOUS EXPANSION OF CHINA-RUSSIA COLLABORATION This will be my last point, the statement has an immense list - dozens and dozens of items - of expanded cooperation fields between both countries.
These are some of the most important ones: - Military cooperation: "[both sides] will further deepen military mutual trust and cooperation, expand the scale of joint training activities, regularly organize joint maritime and air patrols, strengthen coordination and cooperation within bilateral and multilateral frameworks, and continuously improve the ability and level of jointly responding to risks and challenges." - More trade, mutual investments and help each other economic development: "continuously expand the scale of bilateral trade", "continuously improve the level of investment cooperation between the two countries", and "jointly develop advanced industries, strengthen technical and production cooperation, including in the civil aviation manufacturing industry, shipbuilding industry, automobile manufacturing industry, equipment manufacturing industry, electronics industry, metallurgical industry, iron ore mining industry, chemical industry, and forest industry" - Cooperation on energy: "consolidate the strategic cooperation in energy between China and Russia and achieve high-level development, ensuring the economic and energy security of the two countries. Strive to ensure the stability and sustainability of the international energy market, and maintain the stability and resilience of the global energy industry chain and supply chain." Also nuclear energy: "deepen cooperation in the field of civilian nuclear energy based on the experience of successful and ongoing projects, including thermonuclear fusion, fast neutron reactors, and closed nuclear fuel cycles" - Promote each others' currencies and financial infrastructure: "Increase the proportion of local currency in bilateral trade, financing, and other economic activities. Improve the financial infrastructure of the two countries, smooth the settlement channels between the two countries' business entities, strengthen regulatory cooperation in the banking and insurance industries of China and Russia, promote the sound development of banks and insurance institutions established in each other's countries, encourage two-way investment, and issue bonds in the financial markets of each other's countries in accordance with market principles." - Deep education and scientific cooperation: "promote the expansion and improvement of quality in mutual study abroad programs, advance Chinese language teaching in Russia and Russian language teaching in China, encourage educational institutions to expand exchanges, cooperation in running schools, conduct high-level talent joint training and scientific research, support cooperation in basic research fields between universities, support activities of alliances of similar universities and high schools, and deepen cooperation in vocational and digital education" - Cooperation in the media and shaping public opinions: "Strengthen media exchanges between the two countries, promote mutual visits at various levels, support pragmatic and professional dialogues, actively carry out high-quality content cooperation, deeply explore the cooperation potential of new media and new technologies in the field of mass media, objectively and comprehensively report major global events, and spread true information in the international public opinion field." - Cooperation within global institutions: "deepen bilateral cooperation [at] the UN General Assembly and the Security Council", "supporting the role of the World Health Organization", "strengthen cooperation within the WTO framework", "cooperation within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)", "uphold the BRICS spirit, enhance the BRICS mechanism's voice in international affairs and agenda", etc.
I could go on and on, the scale of the cooperation they detail is absolutely breathtaking, both countries are going all in with each other.
This statement is absolutely extraordinary and will likely shape the world for decades to come. We now have Russia and China explicitly stating they're all in with each other to bring about a new "equal and orderly multipolar world and the democratization of international relations", and put an end to US hegemonic behavior. No more pretend, it's happening.

First Previous Wiki
A group of Sprilnav had entered the room, dragged claws bearing paint across Kashaunta and Penny's faces, and left again. Another group of Sprilnav, this time Elders, had entered the room, leading to a hologram forming around Penny and Kashaunta to hide their faces behind perfect masks.
They carried a long black box on their shoulders. Kashaunta approached their kneeling forms, unlatching the box with her claws. Special sounds chimed from electronic locks, and the box flipped open, revealing a new Soul Blade. It was Azeri's Soul Blade, or the one he'd once owned at least. Given the new information Penny had on them, the sword wasn't truly 'his' in a literal sense.
They had then moved to a more central room on the flagship, complete with a massive kitchen, bedroom, and entertainment room. Kashaunta's quarters were lavish, though they were not as flush with finery and gold as Penny would have expected.
Penny wore Kashaunta's Soul Blade on her hip. The ancient weapon didn't seem to have the mind-altering effects the last one did. But it was beyond powerful, for sure. It also came with a stealth coating that could be activated to hide its presence.
Azeri's Soul Blade, on the other hand, definitely affected her.
Penny could hear the faint sounds of distant voices echoing in her thoughts. She could sense Cardi and Nilnacrawla in her mind more clearly as if she'd finally put on a set of glasses after not having them her entire life. So many things were clearer now, but so many weren't. Kashaunta had made a sacred agreement with her, at least in Sprilnav culture.
Backed by the Progenitors. All of them, apparently. And they were all sworn to silence, which Nilnacrawla and Kashaunta assured her would also include Twilight and Nova. She could understand that, but Nova's actions toward Penny in the past made her wary of relying on him for anything related to her safety.
And it was before the Judgment, now in nine days. Kashaunta's VIs had gathered the data, ordered it, and formulated responses. She'd designed them to sound like real people and real things that would be said, not just decent scripts with odd lexicon and grammatical habits.
"So," Penny said, looking at Kashaunta relaxing beside her. The Elder's carefree stance didn't fool Penny as to what had just happened. It had looked rushed, but she knew there was a larger purpose behind it than she believed. "The Pact. Were you truly this desperate to regain my trust?"
"I was," Kashaunta admitted. "And am. I have a tendency to manipulate people around me. This has made me good at being able to tell when a relationship is falling apart. Were I not to do something this extreme, we would have continued to fall apart, and eventually the rift would have been too large for even this to bridge.
I do not expect forgiveness or for you to understand my viewpoint and ideas. I have destroyed nations and entire civilizations. I have spent my fair share of time in evil, and use the threat of who I was and who I am against those who slight me. Reputation is important among our species, more so than anything but power. But they are linked.
A reputation of weakness will never exist with a person of strength. If it develops, the Elders will pile onto that unfortunate soul to plunder the riches they believe can no longer be protected. And once you fall, it is impossible to rise again. We do need each other, Penny. Perhaps you do not agree, yet, but this goes beyond the Judgment."
Penny wanted to argue. She wanted to listen to the voices demanding her hatred of the Elder before her- wait, what?
Penny frowned. She focused on them, and they appeared. A cacophony of voices, all Sprilnav in origin. They were definitely here and worryingly a part of her psychic energy. It almost seemed like they were the voices of those she'd freed. Which wouldn't make sense unless... her title was actually bearing conceptual power.
She supposed that it was possible then.
"Kashaunta," Penny said.
"Yes?"
"Why do you have faith in me, when, as you say, so many others have failed?"
"Because you possess Cardinality. You possess Humanity. You even have a Progenitor Title, though it is only a budding one. Your approach to this, besides a few mistakes on our part, is remarkably sound. You have moved away from hatred of the Sprilnav to that of Elders. And you have moved away from hatred of Elders and Progenitors to that of certain Elders and Progenitors, which I understand.
Ultimately, you have me convinced that you do not want to carry out a war of vengeance against me and my kin for the actions we did before your species had a name. I know it is difficult to overcome hatred, and more so with a voice in your head telling you to distrust all we Elders say and do. And I believe you can convince the Alliance to restrict its war to methods that are not as destructive."
Penny thought it was odd how much Kashaunta was stressing it. Either the Alliance wasn't considered a threat to the Sprilnav or it was. Kashaunta seemed to suggest it was, perhaps, to flatter Penny somehow. She didn't exactly buy it but would let it play out.
It would be important for Penny to learn more about the Elder's viewpoint before the Judgment to exploit it among other Elders to help win the Judgment. She'd have to portray herself and the Alliance as weak, which meant learning more about Sprilnav technology and power. The briefings from the last meetings before the previous Judgment had been enlightening on that front. But Penny wanted the best shot she could have on this.
"Such as?"
"Culture war."
"That has a certain meaning among my species," Penny said. "I am not sure if it translates correctly."
"I want your Alliance to begin to turn the population against slavery. Just that. Go no further. If you do that, the Elders will fight back. This will escalate, and the list of grievances will grow. We will have rebellions, and they can win with my help."
"And what comes next?"
"I take power, of course. I do not purge the Sprilnav who rose to the top, but reward them. I bind them by respect and loyalty instead of fear and hatred. Objectively, it will be better to have a single unified state than a disparate mess of warring territories. Quality of life, quality of death, and everything in between. We can go further, if you like.
Turning the Collective into literal heaven for those who die, where they can return to real bodies as often as they want for free. I can extend this to other species and, over thousands of years, wear away the animosity between the Sprilnav and the rest of the galaxy. I distribute gifts, I lower taxes, and use android labor to replace slavery entirely. Would you not agree that this is better?"
"I am not sure. How would you maintain the state, when threats come from within and without?"
"Limits on power, separation of branches of government. Police forces, military forces. We have police trained to de-escalate situations, even when they are armed with riot shields or actual guns. There will obviously be some requirement for state violence, but I will lower it as far as possible."
"There will be those who wish to be independent."
"And they can be."
"You are not concerned about that?" Penny asked.
"With even just the Autonomous Peoples' Stars, independence is risky. Dangerous. People do not start those movements because if they succeed, they get invaded by a border power. Earth has seen that happen in its history, particularly with Europe and Asia. Luna would have seen it as well by now, if not for the First Contact. The problem is the power disparity. Going from the passive backing of 500 thousand planets and a central militarized state to that of maybe 4 or 5 planets with disjointed connections and only garrison supplies is a massive drop."
"But with your plan, there would be no border powers."
"There would be, of course," Kashaunta said. "There must be. Nations without a significant outside threat, that is at least somewhat credible, have a more difficult time staying united. Without a 'them' it is more difficult to define an 'us,' as we know very well."
"That is quite a cold way of looking at reality."
"Those who do otherwise are smears of gore amongst the black of space, or rotting in the ground of their home planets. Elders do not remain Elders by stupidity alone. Eventually, a few lessons must be learned."
"Must?"
"Must, even if they are later forgotten."
Kashaunta let out a sigh. "You and I, Penny. We are vastly different people. I admire your idealism, and I envy it. But when it comes to control of societies and curation of national identities, I have a vast array of experience."
"You do," Penny agreed. "The Pact says we should not lie to each other, so I will no longer dance around my reasons for my misgivings. I do not trust you because you are everything that has ruined the fortunes of my species in the past, often promising things like you do. Security before freedom, usually. You are rich. You are very far above most Sprilnav and even most Elders. You are a politician and a state leader. History tells me to be wary of such people, especially when they possess high amounts of power. Authoritarian countries can, with proper management, outpace those which are not by refusing to limit themselves by morals and ethics.
You are a queen, a monarch. This title goes back to the days of barbarity among our kind, when we believed people were superior based on bloodlines and genetics, sometimes to the extreme of actual inbreeding. You are highly experienced with manipulation, having billions of years of experience. I likely would not know whether you are manipulating me, and even Nilnacrawla has billions of years less experience with Elders than you would on account of his separation from Sprilnav society for so long.
I have no other trustworthy sources for what you say and do. I am surrounded only by enemies, neutral people, and you and Lecalicus alone as actual allies. Truth be told, there is nothing that will stop you from going back on all that you say because people like you have made promises not to before. And they did it anyway.
Companies. Nations. People. With a galaxy full of sentient minds all seemingly built on the same energy and manners of thinking, I see just another politician trying to get in good with me because I can get her what she wants. I fear that, Kashaunta. I fear it a lot. More than I have ever said and ever shown. It is a fear so visceral it colors my view of your entire species.
Because if you've lived a billion years, who's to say you haven't done this all before? How many aliens you've offered this honor, only to cast aside when they die fighting impossible enemies? And yes, my fear of you is that you will betray me. That is a deep-seated and personal matter that I will not explore at this time, but betrayal is something I guard against with all my might.
I hate that you have so much power over me, that I know it, and that you know it. You could enslave me for the next ten days, and I'd do it, to save my species. The Judgment trial is another way of showing the powerlessness of the galaxy before the Sprilnav, the powerlessness of the Alliance before the Sprilnav, and me before you, Justicar, and Yasihaut. Because guess what? I can win this. It will be hard, but I can do it because I set my mind to it, and my mind is my will, and my will is my iron fortress, my gauntleted fist, and my beating heart.
I can, I will, I must. But through all of this, guess what happens if I win the Judgment? Yasihaut files another one. I am strong, Kashaunta. Stronger than any human in history. But even now, inside your sanctum, inside the greatest ship I have ever seen, I remain powerless against the might of your people and your laws. I hear you talk of millennia and galaxies and think of how much I have struggled over the mere ten thousand star systems of the Alliance and this single planet's slave problem. There's billions more.
I have fought against odds beyond comprehension, but even now, I have to break bread with my enemy so that I can continue to survive in the system they built. Because with all that you are, it is impossible for me to see you as anything but an enemy. I cannot understand the value of the Pact. I can only guess at it. But the galaxy's weight is resting upon my shoulders, and my back is bowing. My spine... is breaking. How much more? How many more?
I hate what this universe is. I hate how it is structured. I hate the concepts, the Progenitors, the speeding space entities, and whoever else controls it. For a person to even condone the mindless suffering in this universe is an act of utter insanity. When I see you in your ivory castle, perched upon your mountains of gold, I think of the poor. I think of the justice you deserve that I cannot carry out because of the very power you wield. Do you know how angry that makes me? Do you know that my dreams are still sometimes haunted by Yasihaut's torture? I am a broken person, Kashaunta.
Broken by the weight of who I am and all I must do. But you, you get to sit here and eat, oblivious or indifferent to my suffering. Because you cannot stand to look down for fear of seeing the filth in your claws. I dream of your death, Kashaunta. And a thousand more. I want to tear down your civilization and all others like it. I want to kill, and maim, and murder. I want to be that indomitable power which all others fear and respect.
I want to mount Yasihaut's head on a spear and shove another between Nova's eyes for the crime of daring to use their ultimate power against me. And I want to kill you, too, for being the one I am forced to rely on to survive. For your own power being what forces me to bow and scrape to yet another master. This is why I bear my hatred for your kin, Kashaunta. Why I hate the Elders, the Progenitors, all of it. Because of the inherent unfairness of the galaxy you have built and the banal and insidious evil you have built it upon. I hate you, this galaxy, this universe.
Because you all will never get the justice you deserve, because I cannot repay the sheer weight of atrocity hanging from your heads. And to make you feel what you all deserve, would naturally require me to have the same punishment. Because I can't win without sinking to your level, either by being one of you Elders or having to use your ill-gotten power for my own benefit. I am climbing the mountain, the air is cold, the night is dark, the wind is blowing, and the ice is slick. I stand on the precipice of death, as does all I have known and loved.
To save them, I must use you, an Elder buoyed by an ocean of blood, merely so I can float up a little higher, perhaps to the next cliff or perhaps to that mountain peak. I believe I am fighting for the people. For freedom, justice, and the rights of my kind to self-determination. And to do so, I must sacrifice my own freedom. My own justice. And my own self-determination. All for winning a pointless case, against a stupid Elder who I'd press against a block of red-hot metal, just so I could enjoy her screams. I was a woman, once. A simple woman, a good human.
Now I am a monster. I have killed. I have avoided killing when I should not have. Yasihaut is still alive. Ikirshi is still alive. Tiglath is still alive. Nova is still alive. Azeri is still alive, too, even if his name is dead. Look what I am, and what I've had to do to get here. What will I have to do to continue? I am evil now. Because I will compromise my principles, and claim to fight for freedom while happily breaking bread with an Elder who openly espouses galactic domination. And I can't even say no, for fear of what that would mean for those I know and love.
I am broken, but I can still move. I can still think. And I can still hate. None of you have the right to stand against justice, but I do not have the power to make you kneel to it. Instead, I am being forced into this yet again. I deserve to die for what I am and what I have done, but I cannot because of who and what I fight for. I will only descend into worse depravity. When I am free of the Judgment, I will likely kill the slavers and enjoy it. Because that is what I am becoming now. I'm becoming you. Just as you said I would, proving that I'm powerless even against that."
Thick tears fell from Penny's eyes. With no one else but the Elder in the room and a currently fulfilled promise of no cameras, sound recording devices, and not even guards, only Kashaunta would know how much it pained Penny to say all this aloud. The pain doubled her over as the weight of her realization came to her.
Kashaunta let her be, waiting for Penny's tears to finally run dry. It was an ugly thing. All of the past trauma and misery came roaring back, drowning Penny in a sea of torment and suffering. Cardi and Nilncrawla were powerless to stop it. Her soul ached. Her mind shook.
At least, Penny drew a rasping breath. "So. Now you know, Kashaunta."
"I do," the Elder said. "I can tell you have many feelings on the matter. We don't have to continue discussion."
"You're not upset?"
"No," Kashaunta said. "Not at all. Why should I be? You bared your soul to me in this truth, Penny. Knowing the power I do hold over you, you did so anyway. This only proves that I was right to trust you and your strength."
"This isn't strength. I sat here and cried like a little girl."
"It took strength for you to admit how you feel and why, especially to me. To trust that I would listen, and to express exactly why you wish for me and my kin to die."
"You seem... oddly okay with me wanting to kill you."
"Because I have been surrounded by people who wanted to kill me before. Only one of them, in the long history of my life, admitted such to this extent before making their attempts, and that is you. I understand and respect your motive for wanting me dead, actually. I would feel the same way in your position. You are right. The way things are is not fair, and is not just. I also know that you won't kill me if you have the chance."
"Why do you think that?"
"Well, you do not seem the type to kill your allies, unless they directly betray you. I will not pretend that I am innocent. But do you truly think that you will be able to look me in the eyes, your main supporter among all my kind, and stab me in the heart? Because if you do kill me, I would at least request the honor of you doing it with your own hands. Or even the Soul Blade, if you wish to be poetic about it."
"So no lobbing asteroids of antimatter at you, then?" Penny laughed.
"I would think not, though if we are at that point, the future is lost anyway. To grapple with your past, present and future is a part of life, Penny. This right here is the reason I made the Pact with you. Because you are an honest person, with the will to do what is necessary, and the power to carry it out."
"But you'll be preparing contingencies to kill me, won't you?"
"No," Kashaunta said. "We are past that now."
"You act as if your life is already ending. A once in a billion years Pact with a human, acting like you won't protect yourself from a person who wants to murder you, and being uncaring about your legacy. Why?"
"Because it is you or nothing, Penny. I have lived over 13 billion years. I have had more than a full life. I have made my peace with death. Not the man himself, obviously, but the idea of it. We stand at the crossroads. I will wait no longer for the rot to keep spreading."
"So you will back me in the Judgment, then."
"More than that," Kashaunta said. "I am willing to be your lawyer, and represent you in this trial. If you accept, that is."
"I would, but I must ask you one question. Do you even care about the Alliance beyond what we could do to help you?"
"Yes, and no. I care about their idealism, and that they have AIs with high levels of cognitive power. I care that they recognise the value of Sprilnav lives as more than collateral damage, which is why their war plans only blow up our planets if they lose and are about to go extinct. Humanity and the hivemind are mainly valuable to me because they are valuable to you, the same with the rest of the Alliance. But they to have the ability to put a decent bureaucracy in place, through Phoebe and Edu'frec, or even the hivemind if it expands."
"Would you care if we lost?"
"Yes, though I can force myself not to if I must."
It seemed like an honest assessment of the situation. There was one more thing.
"Are you actually a lawyer, then? And are you skilled with Judticar's laws? It's quite touching that you're still willing to vouch for me, but if you don't have any sort of law degree, I can't exactly accept that."
"Yes to both. While I don't have an Eonic degree, I do have several thousand years of legal studies, with about a hundred in Justicar law."
"Would that actually be sufficient?"
"Yes. When we Sprilnav say we have put a hundred years into something, that is a raw time. It does not include sleeping, eating, vacations, and so on. My implant tells me I spent 181 years specifically studying Justicar law."
"How did you have time?"
"Delegation is a valuable skill for the sanity of country leaders."
"I suppose," Penny said. "Do you think that you and I appearing together in court would be detrimental to my case?"
"The only avenue they could pursue is that you've 'turned' me to your side. But seeing as I am extremely powerful and have refused bribes of inconceivable amounts of wealth, that narrative will be poorly accepted by all but the most biased of Judges. Or High Judges, as the case will be. Unfortunately, I do not qualify as either a Judge or High Judge, but my credentials and power are more than sufficient for them to be unable to block my ability to represent you. You have, as Nilnacrawla may have told you, already paid me for your services. Your linear singularities are more stable than I thought."
"So the money finally shows itself again," Penny smiled.
Kashaunta shared her grin. "Yes. That it does. You are surprisingly profitable as a bonus."
"I'm sure everything else I do is the bonus. Like making the other nations end slavery."
"Well, that would actually make them more productive."
"So why..."
"Elders love feeling powerful. They love having power over others, and being able to show it. They are generally insecure, their brains polluted by eons of paranoia and propaganda. The weakness of Elders is something that the powers that be use to exploit them."
"And your ego?"
"They have to prove their superiority to themselves. I live and breathe it with every step I take in this galaxy."
Penny sighed. "That is an impressive level of narcissism."
"That word didn't translate."
"It is a way to say a person admires themself to an unnatural and unhealthy degree."
"Then it would describe me, except the degree is quite healthy and natural. Elders' egos also help to keep us going. Reputation isn't just an external motivation."
Penny nodded. "We still must discuss your approach toward people in general later. But we have other priorities, don't we?"
"The Judgment," Kashaunta agreed. "You and Yasihaut will attend the Fort Court, and will be even better protected than last time. The Underground beneath it is continually pulverized, as it sits on a mostly active volcanic system, with lava outlets designed to ensure tunneling is impossible. The mindscape side fortifications are similarly impressive, and Justicar has spent a considerable amount of money on ensuring the security of this Judgment.
His reputation hinges on it greatly, even more so as he is there in person as a Judge. This makes him more vulnerable than usual. But if you kill his body, he will live. I do not suggest you try it, however. What I aim to do is present an argument that the premise of the Judgment trial is flawed, as there is limited legal proof that you and the Alliance are a threat to the Sprilnav.
To do this, I have already helped to secure two things for you. The treaty with Valisada and the Pact of Blades with me. These items will ensure the common scrutiny and arguments used against aliens will be ineffective. You have proven yourself capable of adhering to and participating in our customs, especially the ones related to trust and binding agreements. You also have wisely avoided killing any Sprilnav for a while. This, especially in the context of the slaves and the 85th Grand Fleet, will be massively beneficial to your argument.
Beyond this, I also have an array of legal evidence to challenge Yasihaut if she brings up your hatred of her, or the previous Judgment's outcome, or the battle that crippled the Progenitors. Indrafabar will be helpful to us, as he will defend the honor of his kin. He will not allow the argument of you being as strong as the Progenitors be seriously considered. No matter what you say or what people think, this will be a question of whether you can convince Indrafabar and Justicar of your ability to be peaceful, and behind that the Alliance.
You will find it harder to defend the rhetoric the Alliance has put out, but I have secured this portion of the Judgment with my defensive agreements with them as well. You both are anchored to me and my reputation too strongly for any of them to ignore, which is yet another reason why I am hoping to help defend you in person."
"So you are staking your own reputation on me, too. Is that another reason you did the Pact?"
"It is. The reputational blow losing this Judgment could have will not be enough to topple me. But it is a catalyst. It is capable of starting a chain of downfall events that lead to my dethroning or even my death. I am aware of this and am doing what I can to stave off that process and shore up all my defenses. I also have a lawyer with an Eonic degree in Justicar law who will be the main defender of your argument.
My presence in the court will be for your protection and as a reminder of the fact that you have a backer, and that backer is me. I expect Yasihaut's counterparts to undertake a similar process, though she will find it easier due to her being an Elder. I will introduce you to him in ten minutes."
"That is very kind of you, Kashaunta. I know that we have had our differences, and that your past is quite a contentious thing. But if I put all of that aside, and look at you as you are here, and now, I am grateful that you are doing all of this for me and my people. I do not know whether I can repay you for the Pact of Blades, but your conviction and intelligence are traits I admire."
"You are welcome, Penny. I know I cannot atone. But I will help you build a better galaxy, just as it should be."
Penny patted her on the hed, and turned her gaze to the opposite wall.
"I'm afraid," she admitted.
"Fear in this situation is natural. There is no shame in it. Your strength will allow you to work through it. Whether it is the strength you carry in your soul, or that which your father and Cardinality bring with them. You can do this, Penny. We can win."
"And if Yasihaut files another Judgment?"
Kashaunta gave her a dark grin. "I have a plan for that, too. When the Pact of Blades is revealed in the court, my abilities to aid you will widen considerably. They will understand, and if not, Indrafabar will teach them. He was there, after all."
"And this isn't witness tampering or whatever?"
"That doesn't exist here," Kashaunta said. "Justicar's laws do not include that. He enforces that by his soft power. It makes things more fair between Elders, but not between Elders and others. As is by design."
"Kashaunta," Penny said. "While you are an okay person, by your current deeds, I can't really say I'm not going to take the guy with a billion years of legal education over your scant hundred."
"I do not need to be your main lawyer, I just need to have the job listed as such in the courtroom. If he requires it, the lawyer will speak over me and you in all matters."
"You and I, you mean?"
"I do not mean," Kashaunta said. "My language does not always follow your grammatical rules."
"Speaking of that, during the Pact, you spoke a language we couldn't translate for a bit."
"Can you repeat it?"
"'Eis nama kaste Penny Balica, sun lanci Dorima Kashaunta. Ko'ri, lanci nupa bes na Dorima'Pecunyanova. Sp'rkial'nova. Homo Sapiens.' And then you said, 'Tol, nopa shikai.'"
"It roughly means: 'This act is between Penny Balica and the Elder Kashaunta. Now, we are in the claws of the Progenitors. Sp'rkial'nova. Homo Sapiens.' And the second part means 'take it or leave it,' or more accurately 'take or leave.' That's about what I said."
"So Dorima means Elder, and Dorima'Pecunyanova means Progenitor?"
"Yes. The specific translation is 'mourning one' and 'mourning god' for those terms. Pecunyanova was the very first Progenitor, and Nova's grandfather, which he took a piece of the name of. Nova took in the powers of his entire family line when he became a Progenitor, including Pecunyanova's title of Everlasting."
"I can sense a deeper meaning beyond the mourning."
"The type of 'mourning' that the ancient language describes is a soul agony, of the type which drives the happiest souls to suicide and the most evil souls to tears. There are many more descriptions given to the agony of remembering the Source war, which is what defines the name. We mourn our species, our empires, our lost galaxies, and even the aliens that once lived with us. Imagine you were on Earth, and you had a nuclear war. No shields, no bunkers.
And all that survived the aftermath, the starvation and the proxy wars over the scraps that remained, was the equivalent of a single village. That is how close we are to extinction, Penny. Progenitors went mad with grief. Entire cities voted to activate nuclear arsenals upon themselves. 70 whole Grand Fleets drove straight into the black hole at the center of the galaxy, never to return. It is a trauma... a trauma difficult to even describe now, with over 99.99% of my memories of that war strictly sealed away.
By the end of it, we were burning reality itself to try and burn the Source to ash. We weaponized linear singularities, sending them deep into the Source's flesh. We opened spatial rifts in that bastard's galaxy-sized body. We live in a false vacuum, Penny. Our scientists learned that, and harnessed that. We sent weapons at the Source capable of writing entire concepts out of reality and capable of changing reality itself to kill. Weapons outright banned between the universal superpowers were thrown like chaff in the wind. The fear and madness of that time... nothing comes close to it.
And it is another reason why we commit so many atrocities. Because we have lost our power, any way of feeling like we still have even a scrap of it is irresistible. Others have fallen to the sweet bliss of drugs, or the digital equivalent. More Sprilnav than are alive now by a million times are stored in databanks, waiting for us to build a new universal empire."
"And... the Source?"
"The cursed thing lived. A mockery to us all, one which we know we are powerless to do anything about. It could come here even now and crush my flagship between its skin cells. It could crush this entire galaxy by wading through it in a few years. And no, it does not know or care about little things like the speed of light. It broke causality in many of its battles without care for those it killed. And what you don't know is that the Source war wasn't the first time people tried to kill it.
Other universal powers did and drove it back with lesser weapons than what we used. But power that could force it away did nothing when it came for us. That burning, blinding hatred. It was hell, Penny. And what is left behind is almost as bad. And let me say that almost as bad in this case is still constant agony. Constant misery. I was one of them once. One of the Elders that hated everyone in the universe for the crime of being happy after such a horrendous fall.
I killed many people. I destroyed planets. I killed children, babies, and smashed eggs with my own claws. In person. The depths of what I sank to are beyond depraved and evil, Penny. I refuse to lose hope again. This is why I am here, now, backing you. I cannot atone, but I can rebuild. The Source will feed you its lies but do not forget what it is. Who it is. And what it has done to us."
"Your retelling is not fully accurate," Exile said.
"I am aware of that, speeding space entity. I told the most complete story I know, and will not bring back millions of years of agony just to give a better one. It is not safe for her."
"How would it be unsafe for me?" Penny asked.
"Because I would go insane and kill you, obviously."
"And the Pact of Blades?"
"Unless the Progenitors got here in time, you'd still die. They'd kill me next, with only a slight difficulty if only one is sent, and that one is not Nova. No bond is truly unbreakable, but that is what it would take for me to break the Pact of Blades. I... my mind is built on a foundation of ash. Turn that ash back to wood, and the center will fall through."
Penny moved closer to Kashaunta. She moved her arm over Kashaunta's back. "I'm sorry."
"Thank you."

Hey everyone, EzeDoesIt back at it again with a surprise spoiler breakdown of everything Creative Director of the Rules and Lore Team, Luis Loza ( u/Paizo_Luis ), talked about during his interview today from BadLuckGamer! This was a last minute notification for me, so I made sure to spend the time today detailing every spoiler Luis talked about. He held back a few times, due to how close PaizoCon was (coming up next weekend!). But he did spill some beans, so I'll be relaying what was said.
Please check out the VOD for the full interview, and all the interesting discussions I did not cover HERE!
Beware ye, for there do be spoilers:
Gorum was chosen as the god to die, since his death would result in a lot of interesting changes and developments in the setting. It was not due to Gorum being boring, but rather the possibilities of the stories his death would create made it so he was the one that needed to die.
At one point, the god that was slated to die was actually Torag, not Gorum! Luis cited the ending hidden message in Lost Omens: Highhelm as a hint for Torag's possible death, and also set up the Dwarven Pantheon without Torag as either another hint of his death, or as a possible explanation if he did go on living ("You need to learn to live without me"). There ARE changes to the dwarven pantheon in the coming months, though!
Nethys was never on the chopping block. Luis doesn't want to "pop that balloon", and feels that the mechanics around magic would've needed to be changed in response to him dying. So he's been safe since the beginning. Again, the update to the Archives of Nethys lining up to Nethys being marked safe was a coincidence, but a fun one at that!
Luis was asked if there was anything in Pathfinder that he worked on that he was particularly proud of? And Luis answered, saying he's the most proud of developing the Automaton ancestry, and was really proud of being able to secretly doubling the ancestry's feat count by having the Enhancements in the level 1-9 feats.
Luis' crown jewel book he's worked on is Lost Omens: Divine Mysteries! AND Divine Mysteries was actually conceived BEFORE the OGL fiasco! They always wanted to do a sequel to Lost Omens: Gods & Magic, and came up with Yvali to delve into what makes a god and what makes them tick. Having a good framing device/narrative makes writing books more exciting for writers, and that excitement can definitely be felt by those who read the books!
Different pantheons are gonna be talked about in depth. The Orc pantheon and the Crucible will be covered. The Goblin pantheon, due to the interesting bits with the Barghest Goblin gods will be covered (Eze Note: this was mentioned before the OGL stuff came up in conversation, so not sure if Barghest Goblin gods will still be around or if the Goblin gods will still be Barghests, given new Barghests in Monster Core). The Azlanti pantheon is being explored as well, talking about how previously prominent gods fell into obscurity.
Luis made sure to grab every god stat block he could find and update them for the Remaster. All of the domains across all the books and AP backmatter have been collected and updated as well. Luis wanted to make sure every god was covered, so players wouldn't be left out in the cold due to switching to the Remaster version of the rules.
Luis talked about his job as a Creative Director of the Rules and Lore team, and cited an example where he had to make the call on whether Centaurs should have pointed ears or rounded ears. After consulting previous artwork and seeing it was split in the middle, Luis decided that Centaurs will have rounded ears. That way, it's one less detail artists will have to worry about.
The freelancers working on Divine Mysteries didn't know about Gorum's death! Gorum was put in the outline, and Luis assigned Gorum to himself to help keep the scent off the trail. Only the freelancer working on Arazni's section knew about Gorum's death ahead of the announcement, due to Arazni's promotion to the Core 20.
Luis was asked why archetypes aren't playtested like classes are, and Luis answered that the designers know how to make archetypes due to their knowledge of how classes work, and generally archetypes don't have brand new tech in them that warrants playtesting like that of class playtests (Commanders' Tactics and Exemplars' Ikons being stated as a new tech that needed testing). Also, classes are the thing players are most likely to interact with. Most of the time, you're not getting an archetype at Level 1 (obvious exceptions not-withstanding). But classes are, and so classes need to be put through the paces the most.
Another reason too is, if every archetype needed to be playtested, they would either not be able to put out as many books as they are currently, or they'd have to release far fewer archetypes due to how long the playtest process works. If they needed to playest the archetypes in the APG, they'd only have 5 or 6 archetypes at most, instead of the 40 archetypes we did get.
"Which lore books are you doing for the foreseeable future?" Can't talk about that since they aren't announced, but regional books are a safe bet! Aside from that, just know that the people assigned to future books are assigned to them because they are excited to be leading/writing them, and that should hopefully come through in reading the books in the future.
The word "Bloodrager" is gonna be spoken at PaizoCon. Such a tease!
The Battle Harbinger in Lost Omens: Divine Mysteries is gonna have their spellcasting diminished a bit and have their Divine Font change significantly in order for them to gain new, interesting combat abilities to allow them into the frontlines (or engaging more directly) more so than Warpriests already do. Doing so as a class archetype, they aren't restricted by the small wiggle room of the Cleric's doctrines. Luis dropped the fact they will have "Battle Auras", and left it at that!
Luis answered several of my submitted questions! The first one is in regards to info about Apsu and Dahak. Apsu and Dahak are getting entries in Divine Mysteries, and they are still around. Their story is getting changed and retcon'd, due to the OGL situation. But it's also being expanded! Dahak is gonna have other siblings, so the idea of more Dragon gods are being teased out in Divine Mysteries.
An interesting detail that's not getting talked in full quite yet is about Apsu and Dahak's granted spells for Clerics. Typically, unless they're a god like Nethys or Abraxas who are all about being tied into magic, most gods only grant 3 spells to Clerics. But Dahak and Apsu are "setting a particular and unique standard that's tied to them specifically" in that both will have 4 granted spells each. It'll make sense when you see it, but they'll have that extra 4th spell that they share that is setting up this common theme.
Luis mentions, as a comparison, themes that come up with the gods that people might not be aware of that have come up in development for them. The example he gives is Mzali and the three sun gods. He decided, in development, that they each grant the Zeal domain due to how all three of them have such enthusiasm and drive to them. So they not only share their connection to the sun, but they also all have the Zeal domain. So Apsu/Dahak will be further connected by the spells they grant, as an additional way to associate them with each other.
Next, Luis talked about when content outside of the Core 4 books will see about being Remastered. When it makes sense to bring something forward, they will (like how they're Remastering all of the domains in Divine Mysteries). But he feels like they've done a good job overall with keeping the game compatible with the previous content, sanctification and wizard schools being the most egregious changes. They're gonna address the most glaring things that need adjustment, but he asks to not expect them to go back and adjust every single thing to the Remaster. As the large amount of time it'd take to Remaster 4-5 years of content, it would mean next-to-no time left to create new material.
As an example for the above with bringing forward old content into the Remaster, there'll be updated Witch patrons in Lost Omens: Divine Mysteries, and Baba Yaga's entry the one that was specifically called out! (Eze Note: that'd just leave Mosquito Witch and Pact Patrons left to update to the Remaster, so I wonder if one or both of them will be coming forward as well?)
Luis does encourage this: If there's something that needs to be updated and you want it to be done, he recommends letting them know so they can assess that and find the time and space to get those issues looked at and addressed. Also, it might take time for those opportunities to publish these things to happen! Some might even be happening right now, but until it's announced or published, people just need to be patient and wait for the books to come out.
Someone asked about the Ysoki Tailblade being in the game? Luis doesn't know! He does know there's ancestry weapons in PC2, and of course Ratfolk are in PC2 as well, but he honestly does not know if it's in there. The same person asked about new ancestry weapons in general later. Luis couldn't say for sure there was new ones, and didn't want to get people's hopes up by making a mistake remembering which ones are new or not.
"Who does Arazni have a weird bond with?" In Arazni's entry in Lost Omens: Divine Mysteries, it's confirmed she will have a Herald! Luis wouldn't say who they are. She will have a shared history of trauma with them, and it's said Arazni will be learning to trust others a little bit to explain why she now has a herald (in addition to her needing a herald now that she's a Core 20 god!).
Another of my questions is answered! I asked if Luis was excited that Wrestler is in Player Core 2, and he of course said yes! He's not sure if it's been expanded at all (he joked Mike Sayre might declare it's perfect the way it is, lmao), but he's glad it's in the Core book now for more people to look at.
Luis' favorite player options in Tian Xia Character Guide is some of the new Magus stuff coming, but he doesn't elaborate further as he feels that TXCG is more so James Case and Eleanor Ferron's baby, and they should be the ones to talk about all that's in that book. He's also excited with some of the new ancestry stuff, especially the Yaoguai!
"Has there been anything as a Creative Director that you wanted to change or add, but you weren't able to?" Luis, and maybe other people might have this feeling as well, feels that maybe the timeline for Golarion didn't need to go back 10,000 years. A ton of stuff has changed just within the past 2024 years, so to conceive 10,000 years of history without as much change stretching the suspension of disbelief quite a bit. Obviously there's fantasy tropes of long histories, but sometimes it complicates some matters.
Final question I asked got answered, which was if Luis has helped out the Starfinder team with stuff in regards to the lore, especially considering SF2E is gonna be 100% compatible with PF2E. I also mentioned knowing they both have separate continuities, but wondered if there was still some collaboration there. Luis said yeah, he does. He, James Jacobs and Thurston Hillman (hi Thursty!), the three Creative Directors, get into weekly meetings with each other to discuss what each side in the Pathfinder rules, Pathfinder adventures, and Starfinder teams are all doing. The two games try not to do the same kinds of stories at the same time, like not wanting them to tell a Runelords story that's exactly like Return of the Runelords. Likewise, Starfinder probably won't be killing any of their gods right after War of Immortals comes out.
Although they try to keep the timelines separate, everyone still keeps in touch in order to make sure they aren't breaking each others' toys and keep at least some kind of connection between the two games. And there's an interest in crossover potential, too! So maybe there's a desire for things to line up, regardless. And we'll likely see some of these developments in the coming years!
And the final question is about whether frog-centric content is coming to PF2E! Luis mentions the Tripkee (new name of the Grippli) being in Player Core 2, and since they'll have a bit more space in PC2 compared to before, they'll be expanded a little bit.
Finally, Luis leaves us with this. He's teased enough about Divine Mysteries in today's stream, but he's sure to tease a little bit more during the Keynote at PaizoCon this coming weekend, and if you end up liking that tease, then you should show up during the Godsrain panel that same day so he can talk some more about what is in Divine Mysteries and show off some of the cool art in that book.
And that's all the spoilers said during the interview! Next post will be all of the spoilers I'll collect in the Discord Events server during PaizoCon! If you got questions you wanna ask, feel free to let me know (preferably via DMs here). I'll try to ask as many as I can during the entire weekend. Until next time!

Adaptation is a game of give and take. Especially when you're adapting something from film to the stage, you have to be aware of what you are losing by removing from the piece when placing all of it in real time in front of the actors. With film you can use close-ups, montages, quick editing, lighting tricks, visual effects etc to create your world. The suspension of belief in film can be harder to keep in tact because we expect a degree of realism from it. In the theater, we know everything we're watching is an artifice. We know the sets are made of cardboard. We know the ocean is shiny plastic. We know that's not real blood or a real knife. You're going into this with a much higher suspension of belief than in film where the goal is often to mimic real life as much as humanly possible. One bad visual effect can break the whole movie. Think of how many reviews, good and bad, couldn't help but mention the less than great visuals in the final battle in the first Black Panther film. On stage, you have the benefit of actors being able to respond in real time to anything that goes wrong and because that person is right in front of us, we have that connection with them and we can go along for the ride much easier than with film. That give and take can make or break an adaptation because for whatever you take away you have to justify that choice by adding something to it. Many adaptations, regardless of the medium, don't always do this and if they do they don't fully understand why what they removed worked. Anastasia is one such example of this because while they do try to add new elements to the story, it almost feels like an entirely different show. But to explain the intricacies of that we need to go back, all the way back.
Don Bluth made a name for himself primarily in the 80's after leaving Disney and creating his own animated films. His work was seen by many as anti-Disney because of the complexity of themes, darker subject matter and animation style that wasn't afraid to be uncomfortable or ugly. That's the general perception of his work but I'd also argue that the relationships between the characters in his films were much more fleshed out and complex than a lot of the stuff Disney was releasing at the time or after. Bluth wasn't afraid to have his characters be rude or mean or cowardly or insecure. The protagonist wasn't always a hero in the purest sense and oftentimes characters would act in a way we'd consider realistic. If they were in a scary situation, they'd run away or try to get out of it. If it was a situation that could benefit them, they'd try to profit to the fullest. Bluth placed his characters in worlds that were very mean and cruel but this only served to heighten the moments of joy and levity. As the 90's rolled on and Disney managed to climb back to the top of the mountain, Bluth did what he could to try to keep up. He didn't see a ton of success in the 90's largely because while at times he tried to ape the Disney formula, they still felt like watered down Don Bluth films.
Enter Lynn Arhens and Stephen Flathery.
In the 90's, these two were some of the biggest names in musical theater with projects like Once On This Island and Ragtime under their belts, to name a few. Lynn Arhens is actually a personal hero and inspiration of mine and oddly enough not for her theater work, although I'm a huge fan of that as well. I grew up watching Schoolhouse Rock as a kid and I actually learned how to write songs while watching those videos. Laugh all you want but you tell me how'd you explain something as complex as parts of grammar or the solar system or the revolutionary war in three minutes or less, for children no less. Her superpower is being able to explain a lot of information in a very short amount of time while having you sing along. Another thing she excels at is making songs the audience can actually leave the theater humming. That being said, it's worth contextualizing the world in which the bulk of their success was born.
Much like Democrats shell shocked by the Republican successes of the 90's, everyone not named Andrew Lloyd Webber was still in a state of awe and envy due to the massive success of Phantom of the Opera, Cats and Evita. The mega musical was born in the 80's and as we tap danced into the 90's, everyone else was trying to catch up. A characteristic of musicals from this era was that they all had that one big song they could perform just about everywhere to pull people in who otherwise may have never given the show a second glance. This was often the catchiest song in the show, oftentimes the opener, and the rest of the songs could range from equally good to songs you'd skip on the soundtrack. This is very much an approach that Arhens and Flathery would use and while I wouldn't say any of their songs were outright bad, there's often quite a bit of fluff. On the flip side, the 90's Disney animated musicals maybe had 5 to 7 songs and there was definitely an economy of time at play here. Today an animated film can be two hours, in the 90's this was far from the case. Every song needed to have a specific function within the story and character development. Rarely would you get songs that are just there to be there. Les Poissons is an example of this. The court of miracles and gargoyles number from Hunchback are also examples. But usually the stronger films like Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King etc were very careful about how many songs and where they were placed. In theater, you can cut and remove songs during previews or even during the run of the show. Outside of doing test screenings, film doesn't really afford you this unless you're early enough in production that the changes can be done in a reasonable amount of time. It's not like Disney could've released a new version of Hunchback as it was in theaters if audiences weren't responding to A Guy Like You. All of this is important because while Don Bluth was very much aping Disney's style at the time, it was clear he was trying to bring elements of the theater to the film as well.
Anastasia the film for all its flaws, and we'll get to those, is a pretty tight narrative and nearly every single song serves some sort of narrative or character based purpose. If a character is singing there is a reason why and that character is important in some way. A big part of the reason why it works is because while it's definitely inspired by The Mouse's then current offerings, it still very much feels like a Don Bluth film. The concept of even turning this story into a musical is very off-beat and in-tune with what Bluth would normally make. I can't imagine Disney making The Secret of Nimh but I can imagine Bluth trying and succeeding at making The Black Cauldron. I really don't see Disney ever making a film like All Dog's Go to Heaven but I can definitely see Bluth doing something really interesting with The Great Mouse Detective. His style is dark and evocative and isn't afraid to make you deeply uncomfortable or sad. Anastasia definitely toes the line but there's sequences in there I just cannot imagine Disney ever doing. The sequence for Once Upon a December is so haunting, melancholy, deeply sad and yet hopeful. Anything having to do with those weird demon things, especially when they try to get Anya to commit suicide, is something Eisner would never let his animators do. At the same time, the relationship between Anya and Demitri feels less like a fairytale romance but honestly like a 90's Meg Ryan romcom. They argue like normal people. They joke with each other like an actual couple would. They feel very realistic and realistic relationships between characters is something Bluth excels at. Because the worlds he creates are usually pretty ugly in some ways, it allows for the relationships to be more grounded. You wouldn't but Anya falling for Demitri in a day like Ariel did for Eric because the world the former couple inhabits feels harsher and therefore the characters have more grit. That being said the film does have flaws that become very relevant once we start talking about the stage version:
1) The villain does not feel properly integrated into the story. Most Disney villains had some kind of relationship with the protagonist that sets the main conflict into motion. Ursula is the one who conducts the spell. Scar is both Simba's uncle and kills Mufasa. Jafar is the first main character we ever see and he's the one who finds Aladdin. Rasputin is in the opening and he does set up the main conflict but there's no relationship between him and the protagonists. They don't even know he's alive until the last ten minutes of the film. He impact the narrative but he definitely could have been woven into the narrative more. I think confining him to the underworld was a mistake. With some slight reworking, you could have had him appearing as some of the randos Anastasia meets along her journey or even have the orphanage owned by him a la Mister Sinister. The setting and time period feels more like a suggestion than any sort of adherence to historical accuracy so they could've gone wild.
2) Most of the stuff in Paris feels like a completely separate movie. The last song we get is Key to Your Heart, which is also the closest we get to fluff, and there's no song within the film proper until after that. At the Beginning absolutely slaps but it should've been in the actual film. Everything after Sophie's song is fine but the film takes on a much more serious and grounded tone until Rasputin decides to remind us he's in the movie. The somewhat surreal tone and the momentum the film had comes to a screeching halt once we get to Paris. That being said, it's still a very good portion of the film but it doesn't really match with anything else in the first two acts.
3) Rasputin's motivations aren't entirely clear. He's still alive because the curse hasn't been fulfilled, I think. He wants to die forreal but that only happens if Anya is offed and even then that's ambiguous. Does he wanna die? Does he wanna be human again? Did he want power of any sort? If he wants to fulfill the curse to move on, we see he bites the dust quite literally once Anya breaks the glowing thingy anyway. It's a cartoon so you could say don't think too hard about it but the logic falls apart the exact second you analyze it. Why not have Bartok just smash the thing once he realizes it's still active? Why does Rasputin want the Romanovs dead so damn badly? His reasonings aren't explained well in the beginning so his actions feel more like an act of interia that anything else.
4) The side characters are kinda annoying. Vlad is mostly okay because he serves a definite role in the story as playing the more level headed one to Demitri's more fiery personality. Sophie starts to grate on my nerves but whenever she does they shunt her out of the film. The mandatory cute animal sidekicks range from irritating to please make it stop.
For what it's worth, the stage adaptation exercises both animal sidekicks largely be consequence of this version trying to be more historical fiction rather than a Disney Renaissance style musical. That brings us to one of the biggest and most controversial changes in the stage version, Gleb. He's a Russian officer who is torn between his feelings for Anya and his duty to the cause. He replaced Rasputin as the main threat. With Gleb, they do rectify points 1 and 3 but this is not without losing much of the energy Rapustin injects into the piece. For all his faults, Rasputin and his weird demon things move shit from Point A to Point B while also being very entertaining at the same time. Gleb has more of a motivation than Rasputin but the story comes to a screeching halt whenever we have to focus on him. He is in love with Anya because she's hot I guess and we get so many songs of this dude belting for the gods about how much he wants her but he can't pursue her. There are a total of three songs counting reprises that are dedicated to this and they're basically all the same. Gleb wants to bone, he has daddy issues and we move on. He interacts with her more but there is no reason he should be this blue balled over a chick he does not know. Anya and Demitri still have great chemistry and the plot is reworked to give them more time together. I like their dynamic more in the film but the musical does this fine but just differently. Anya doesn't really even know Gleb nor that he wants to see if the curtains match the drapes. So we're stuck in this completely unnecessary lopsided love triangle that makes Wolverine, Scott and Jean Grey's bullshit seem like Shakespeare. There is almost zero evolution within Gleb's many croons about how much he wants to bang this chick. He comes to basically the same revelation every single time so whenever he gets a song it's basically time for a pee break. Unlike Rapustin who at least gets an entertaining last fight and death, Gleb doesn't really even get that. He corners her, she goes full on Malala and tells him to do what he's gotta do, he chickens out and dips. They try to give it some weight by having Anya comfort him but she doesn't know this man and she certainly doesn't know he's in love with her. It feels even less powerful than the original ending because at least Rasputin actually killed her family so there's some connection there. Gleb is the son of the guy who was involved so his connection to any of this is nebulous at best. Why not just make him an ex-boyfriend or orphan she grew up with? Why not actually just make him the dad Gleb keeps referring to? Rasputin actually wants her dead and the story moves mostly because of his machinations behind the scenes. Gleb feels shoehorned into this narrative and he's not even entertaining while he's there. His songs are slow, repetitive and he has no real personality.
This is not the only change they made to the story. Vlad now has a mini subplot where he's trying to get back Sophie, now named Lily. This means she's in the story a lot more than she was previously and they don't succeed in making her less annoying. In film, a character can bounce in and out of the narrative without us questioning why they're not there. Theater is a bit different because you can't really have characters that just show up and never appear again. It's been done but usually they'll have the actor play a dual role in the story as well. Lily gets a lot more to do and I'm sorry but almost every song she gets besides the one from the film are also pee break songs. Land of Yesterday just feels like a Russian version of If I Knew Then from Beetlejuice but with much less relevance to the story. The Empress also gets a song now and while it's more memorable than any of the stuff Gleb or Lily get, there's no reason for it to be there. Some composers feel the compulsion to make every single emotional beat a song and while I understand that desire, you don't need it. Honestly my first time seeing the show, I started laughing when she busted out singing because it's so random. The original film got the point across without this and the musical does not expand on her character in any way so there's nothing new to communicate here. Maybe they felt the character should sing more but even without Close the Door, she gets some parts in other songs. This is an example of the fluff I was referring to earlier.
But for everything they added, they removed a lot of stuff but tried to play it down the middle. For example, in the film Rasputin tries to get Anastasia to kill herself by giving her an enchanting dream that turns into a nightmare. Demetri saves her life, she now has learned to trust him more and we move on. In the musical, Rapustin no longer exists but the scene does in a way. Now she has a nightmare about her family being killed where she Demetri comforts her as he does before but there's no narrative reason for this scene to be here. By this point, they've had more moments to build the romantic connection so it feels redundant. They also want to give us a reason to lead into the song where they realize they both know each other and that she's really Anastasia. It's a very flimsy setup and the film did this much better by having Demetri be the one who saved her life. It also undercuts his character development by a lot. There's no scene where he rejects the money. He doesn't have a personal connection to Anya or her grandmother like he did before. His character is neutered a lot in this version and doesn't come off as selfless as he did before. He turns down the money but not only does he have less of a reason to that now, that reveal feels much less powerful. His character isn't even involved in saving her life towards the end. While they do get more time to bond in this version, I just don't feel like they added enough to justify some of these changes.
I don't quite understand why they chose to go the route of realism with the musical. Maybe they're responding to people who thought the more fantastical elements were out of place but as we can see without that, the story doesn't have much of a reason to be a musical. There's an older movie version of this story with Ingrid Bergman that hits a lot of the same beats as the 90's version. That version is decidedly not a musical and also isn't that great of a film either. This isn't the easiest story to make compelling and the 90's version threaded the needle as best as it could. By using the story of Anastasia as more of a jumping off point for the type of fairytale musical audiences had become used to, it managed to make the story more removed from the actual real life Anastasia who did in fact die, although that was not known back then. The musical leans too much into the history and it just doesn't work. There are dark shows that deal with heavy subject matter. The Color Purple is basically just Beat My Ass: The Musical. But that show isn't also trying to be a romantic whimsical experience, Anastasia very much is. I wish they had just kept Rapustin, weaved him into the story more naturally and gave him a stronger personal connection to Anastasia and kept the darker non-history related elements in the show. The movie is plenty dark at times but the history and political struggle is given a passing mention in the opening and is rarely ever brought up again unless to refer to actual murders. The musical felt like Bridge of Spies set to music with how much focus they put on the political aspect of the story. That does not mesh and I think it's part of the reason why this show doesn't have as strong of a following as the film. It's not ungodly awful, but it doesn't justify its existence.

Fletch gently pushed open the large and lavishly decorated bronze doors of the university administration building and ambled out into the portico. He set his cup of coffee down on the pedestal of a granite pillar and pulled his cigarette case from the breast pocket of his tan trench coat. The old chief inspector plucked a cigarette from the ornately engraved case with slender fingers and wondered why the Kael let him come at all.
Something felt very off with the whole thing. The more he thought about it, the more he questioned the story he got. Mike Anderson was certainly depressed, but as far as Fletch could tell, he had not displayed any suicidal behavior. And why now? Fletch thought. Things were on the upswing for the kid. His grades were excellent, his family situation was good, and he was out of the house more this term than the last. Fletch scratched his mustache. Why would the seals hide the autopsy and the gun? He brought the cigarette to his lips, snapped the filigreed case shut, and slipped it back into the breast pocket of his coat. Fletch flicked open his lighter and sighed as he lit his cigarette. Murder.
It was a hopeless case. These days, warrants were approved by the seals, and even if they weren't, he doubted that he could get one anyway. His suspicion of foul play was backed by nothing but his instinct.
Fletch watched students hustle and bustle through the plaza in front of him as he puffed away at his cigarette and pondered his theory.
But why kill him now? They could have done it in complete secrecy while he was a POW. And it couldn’t be to keep what happened in Philadelphia under wraps. His death brings more attention to it. And he wasn’t a rebel. So why? Fletch sipped at his coffee as he flicked ash from his cigarette. Vengeance? Did he kill some noble brat during the war?
Fletch scratched at his grey mustache and glanced at his watch. I’ll have to follow that thread. He tossed his half-smoked cigarette into a puddle as he briskly walked down the steps and through the university plaza.
The withered investigator was deep in thought when he entered the parking lot. What do I tell that Enrique chap? He unlocked his car and crawled in. I certainly can’t tell him that his mate’s been clipped with no evidence. Fletch turned the key, and the engine of his little Volvo sputtered to life. It’s no bleeding use. I’ll just tell the lad they weren’t interested in sharing and keep my suspicions to myself.
As he reached for the shifter, Fletch noticed a delightfully thick manilla envelope stuck in the gap between the center console and the passenger seat.
He pulled the envelope from the crack. Gingerly, he opened it and pulled out a small note. It read We’re even now, prick.
Fletch smiled and couldn’t help but mutter, “The game is afoot,” as he flicked through the stack of documents inside.
Isabella poked her head into the large office and saw Professor Dret’la with a ball of dark green yarn on her lap and bone darning needles beset with carvings in her hands.
Isabella was struck with confusion. What? She crochets!?
The professor looked up from her labor, spotted the confused girl outside her door, and called, “Come in.”
Isabella walked into the office and took a seat. She gestured to the yarn in the professor's hands. “What are you making?”
The professor smiled as motherly as one could with a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth. “It will be a hat for my son. He just received his commission as a junior biologist, so he has to rummage around in freezers to get samples for his whole research team.”
Isabella blinked. This was not characteristic at all for the quick-tempered professor with a penchant for launching chalk across lecture halls at the mildest provocation.
Isabella shook off her shocked expression and gave the tall professor a dimpled cheek smile. “That’s so sweet! I’m sure he’ll love it. One of the best gifts I’ve ever received was a thick wool sweater from my mamma during a training exercise off the coast of Norway.”
The professor, still smiling, sat up straight. “I hope that’s the kind of reception I get.”
The professor’s demeanor hardened as she stowed the yarn and needles in the desk drawer. “Now, let's get down to business.”
Isabella gulped.
“To start, congratulations. You’ve passed our testing and been selected for officer training.”
Isabella asked, “Who else was selected?”
“There are nine others: Robert Rhodes, Elena Pavel, Hal Jellico, Zheng Li, Brooke Halsey, Colow Aden, Magnus Tordenskjold, Bill Lee, and Kazuya Yamamoto.”
Isabella didn’t recognize all the names.
“Should you choose to accept, you will be taking a prep course taught by Colonel Ocidea and I starting next week and lasting all through the summer. If we deem you ready, you’ll ship out for basic training and then off to the Royal Military Academy, where you can earn your commission.” Dr. Dret’la leaned in close to Isabella. “Do you accept?”
Without hesitation, Isabella answered, “Yes.”
“Mike, come over here. You’re going to want to see this.” Calty voiced from her seat in the front of the cockpit.
Mike rolled off the couch and walked into the front of the cockpit as the captain shouted, “Decelerate!” Mike couldn’t help but grab onto the back of Calty’s seat as the FTL drive kicked into gear. The cockpit glass dimmed just before blindingly bright blue jets of fire from the front-facing engines came into view. A bright green circle flickered onto the glass surrounding a marble-sized dot darker than the rest of the now dim screen. The dots and circles expanded at an extreme pace until they took up most of the display. Another dot appeared—minuscule compared to the other—surrounded by a red circle. The growth of the shadowy dots and the circles around them slowed and then stopped entirely as the engines sputtered out.
The HUD faded out of view, and the tint of the glass slowly lightened, revealing a vast planet embraced by blue-green ice with a colossal foundry in its orbit. The planet, a gas giant called Drassus, was orbited by four rings. One was made of containers, and the other three were made up of loose ore gleaming in the nearby star's light. Exhaust chimneys spewing gas and fire sprouted from the otherwise spherical foundry, giving it a sea urchin-like profile, which, together with the weave of pipes bringing fuel from beneath the icy surface of the planet below, made the foundry resemble an old naval mine.
The captain strode up to the front of the cockpit. “One-third ahead and steer 14 degrees left. We’re unloading in bay three.”
Six mech suits and a tug exited a plasma-shielded hanger as the ship came to a halt. The mechs glided to the front of the ship and started dismounting the external cargo bay from the Broken Fin while the tug hitched onto the opposite end of the ten-kilometer-long rack of containers.
A little while later, the tug pulled away with the load of containers, and the comm system blared to life. “Broken Fin, you are cleared to leave. The UO corporation thanks you for your business.”
The captain replied, “Our pleasure. Broken fin out.” as the ship pulled out of the loading bay.
He turned to the navigation officer and said, “Lock in coordinates for jump to Kael Prime.”
The captain went to the central control board and pulled up traffic control. “Tower 1, this is the Broken Fin. We request a jump slot to Kael Prime from Drassus.”
“Broken Fin, request granted. Your departure slot is at 16:33.”
Mike glanced at the top right of the ship's HUD and looked at the time. 16:21.
Better get my stuff together…
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The ship shuddered ever so slightly despite the inertial dampeners as it exited FTL. Mike was lounging on the couch with his bag at his feet. He was ready to get off this tub.
Mike idly watched flames lick at the cockpit window as the ship descended into the atmosphere of Kael Prime. He looked at Dreki, who was sitting on the other couch. His muscles bulged through his clothes despite wearing a white sweater so large it could be mistaken for the sail of an average-sized boat. Mike asked, “Do you know anything about what’ll happen to me now?”
The big Kael shifted in his seat. “Technically, I’m not supposed to tell you anything, but what the hell.” Dreki pulled the collar of his sweater down, revealing an angry white number burnt into his iron-gray skin just below the collarbone. “First, you’ll get branded.” He released his shirt and pointed to a small scar on the side of his head. “Then you’ll get an AR implant.”
“Where will I be getting that?” Mike asked.
“The Imperial Science Academy. We’re going to be staying there for a few days. They’ll run a bunch of tests and get you fitted for equipment there. After that, I’ll drop you off at the spaceport, and you’ll be off to Tlaxcalssus for basic training. After that, I don’t know.”
“Thanks.”
The ship shook as it touched down on the landing pad. “Time to go.” Dreki shouldered his pack and walked out the door. Mike fiddled with the straps of his bag as he followed Dreki down the ramp and to the far side of the ship, away from the rest of the passengers. Mike's nose was immediately assaulted with the acrid smell of sulfur from where the fiery exhausts of engines had melted asphalt. The spaceport was swarming with vehicles and filled with the constant roar of ship engines and a symphony of smaller equipment. Power loaders and mechs loaded and unloaded heavy cargo, shuttles bustled to and fro with passengers, baggage carriers snaked through the crowded landing pads, and vehicles that looked like floating garage doors zipped through the air at ankle height, bringing pilots and crew to their ships. Mike couldn’t help but chuckle a little at the absurdity of it all. Here he was, in the heartland of the enemy, walking through what was essentially a ten-acre parking lot.
Dreki plopped his bags on the ground and yawned as he stretched his arms over his head. “Our skiff will be here in a minute.”
Mike tuned out the beeps and whirrs of the tank-sized forklifts and mechs unloading the ship and gazed out beyond at the horizon. You’re not in Kansas anymore, bub. Mike thought as he studied the skyline of the imperial city basked in the glow of the early evening sun. Some of the buildings wouldn’t look all that out of place on Earth, but the skyline was assaulted with abominations that pissed on the laws of physics as Man understood them. Tusk-shaped skyscrapers defied gravity with their seemingly unsupported curves, and even more absurd were pyramids stacked atop another point-to-point like hourglasses. Any delusion of normalcy that Mike could come up with was shattered.
Dreki picked up his bag and pointed to a slab of black marble speeding towards them at ankle height. “Here’s our skiff.” A railing popped out of the center as the skiff came to a gliding halt. Dreki boarded the skiff and took hold of the rail, and Mike followed suit.
They sped through the spaceport and stopped outside what looked to Mike like a train station. Dreki shouldered his bag and stepped off the skiff. Mike stepped off and quickly fell in pace with Dreki. The big Kael led Mike into a grand station bustling with people. Most were Kael, but there was a smattering of other species. Some stared at Mike, others glanced, but most completely ignored him as he followed Dreki through the hall and onto a platform. Unfamiliar aliens clearly weren’t an uncommon sight here.
The walls of the station were covered with mosaics depicting Kael warriors from the distant past. Dreki noted the human's curiosity and said, “The founders of the clans.” He leveled a massive hand toward an opulent, towering mosaic of a Kael warrior wielding a bronze falx. The imposing figure's body was made of blue gemstones, the eyes rubies, one tusk silver, and the other gold. “That’s the founder of my clan, Drekalla Gold Tusk.”
Mike asked, “How’d he manage that?” As he followed Dreki into a mostly empty train car.
Dreki plopped down on a bench. “He was the war priest of Hroptaug the Conqueror during the unification wars. After the wars were won, Hroptaug granted us the Steam Hills.” Dreki pointed through the train window at the mosaic of another warrior whose body was made of milky white pearls. “That one,” He paused and spat on the floor, “Tiblan the Terror, challenged Drekalla to a duel for most of that land. Drekalla was cutting him to pieces, but the craven poisoned his blade. Just before Drekalla could deliver the final blow, the poison reached his heart, and Drekalla died. The only wound on his body was a cut across his forearm that barely drew blood.” Dreki rolled up his sleeve, showing a scar that reached from his elbow to the middle of his forearm. “Every K’alla is cut the same way to remind us of the blood feud.”
Mike inwardly sighed. Kael and their damned feuds… “How long ago was this.”
“Seven thousand four hundred and fifty-one years ago.”
Mike held back a snort. The absurdity of it all. The first human law codes came about to stop blood feuds, and out here, they have feuds that have lasted longer than Earth's recorded history.
“How’s that feud been going as of late?”
Dreki’s face sagged, “Not good.”
They both grew quiet. Mike shuffled uncomfortably.
Mike glanced at the route display and broke the silence, “What's with the middle city, inner city thing?”
Dreki relaxed slightly. “Oh, so the city used to be a fortification. The inner city is actually a volcanic island. The middle is built over the river, and the outer city was built on the banks.”
“I see.”
The doors closed, and the intercom sounded, “Next stop, the inner city.”
————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Dale Robert’s wrinkled face was unreadable, and his highly decorated black and blue dress uniform immaculate as he led a horse through the street. He felt the eyes of thousands of onlookers on him, and he hated it. The pure black horse had a black leather saddle on its back. Two tall, glossy black boots were placed backward in silver stirrups, and the elaborate hilt of Mike’s basket-hilted broadsword jutted from the top of a black leather scabbard buckled to the saddle. Roberts followed the horse-drawn caisson bearing the flag-draped coffin of his old commanding officer. Not much farther now, he thought. The sounds of the cartwheels rolling and the horse’s tack jangling were wholly drowned out by boots stamping the ground in unison. Almost all of the 1800 survivors of the 801st regiment were there, resplendent in their dress uniforms, marching behind Mike one more time. The local police and fire departments joined them.
Roberts was unsure about it all. He felt that the poor kid's family would have preferred a smaller service back home in Colorado instead of this damn near royal procession. And Roberts was damn sure that the seals did not give their permission for this, no matter what the police chief said.
A reporter ducked through the police barricade and tried to ask the marching soldiers questions, but they remained stone-faced as the procession marched nearer to the gates of Philadelphia National Cemetery. Roberts handed the reigns of the riderless horse to another man in uniform and joined seven other members of Charlie platoon in pulling the casket from the cassion. They silently began their march to the grave, closely followed by General McCarthy, the man who was Joint Chief of Staff, and the color guard. Bagpipers began to blare, “Going Home.” Roberts heard the sound of gravpulse engines and looked up in dismay as a Kael gunship broke through the low clouds and descended to just barely above the cemetery. A loudspeaker blared, “Disperse at once.”

When introducing the main types of motorhomes, we typically stick to the common Class A, B, and C categories. But there are two important motorhome types that some might call ‘tweeners’ – the Class B+ and the Super C RV.
While Class B+ RVs are designed to provide more luxury than your standard class B camper van, the best super C RVs are designed for more rugged, off-road use than a standard class C motorhome. Let’s learn more about Super C RVs and some of the top-selling models you can find at Camping World dealerships nationwide.

What is a Super C RV?

A Super C RV is essentially a heavier-duty upgrade to a standard Class C motorhome. Most Super C motorhomes are built on a larger, heavier truck chassis, such as the RAM® 5500 SLT, the Freightliner® S2RV, and the Ford® F-550 Chassis.
Many Super C RVs also boast more powerful diesel engines, allowing them to tow heavier loads than an average Class C motorhome. Still, the significant identifying feature shared by Class C and Super C RVs is the cabover bunk area above the driver’s cockpit.

What are the Pros and Cons of Super C RVs?

Here are some of the most important advantages and disadvantages of Super C RVs, as compared to other motorhomes:

Pros

• Towing Capacity. Larger diesel engines and beefed-up towing packages allow you to tow heavier loads.
• Interior Living Space. A larger, heavy-duty chassis allows for bigger builds with more spacious floorplans.
• Holding Tank Capacities. Larger fresh, gray, and black water holding tanks allow you to camp longer between dump station visits.
• Extended Wheelbase. A wider wheelbase provides more stability and security when navigating this RV through various road conditions.
• Exterior Storage. Massive basement compartments provide ample room for grills, camping chairs, pop-up shelters, and more.
• Suspension. Upgraded suspension for a smoother, more comfortable ride and an improved ability to handle unmaintained roads. Learn more about RV suspension.
• Engine Maintenance. The engine is located under the hood in the front, providing easier access for mechanics than what’s required in Class A diesel motorhomes.

Cons

• Maneuverability. Larger RVs require more care and precision from the open highway to entering gas stations and parking lots. Still, most Super C RVs fall under the 26,000-pound limit, meaning you don’t need a special license to drive them.
• Fuel Efficiency. On average, this RV type gets less than 10 miles per gallon. This is closer to what you’ll get with most Class A diesel RVs but less than you’d get with a compact Class B RV.
• Price Point: Super C RVs start at a higher price point than standard Class C motorhomes, making them a more direct comparison with Class A diesel pushers.

Learn more about the pros and cons of diesel versus gas RVs.

Camping World’s Best Super C RVs

These are four of the top-selling Super C motorhomes you’ll find on Camping World lots:

Dynamax Isata 5 28SS with Xplorer Package

Powered by a Cummins 6.7L I6 turbo diesel engine, the Dynamax Isata 5 28SS boasts a 10,000-pound towing capacity for towing a larger toad or even a boat like the Nepallo. With a Quad-View camera system, you’ll have views from the hitch, the top of the rear wall, and on both sides for easy maneuvering in and out of campsites.
The exterior is equipped with a TV mount under the armless patio awning, which dramatically reduces the chances of bumping your head as you’re moving about outside your RV. The cabover mattress measures 50” x 80” for a comfortable secondary sleeping area, and the booth dinette can be upgraded to a tri-fold sofa or theater seating, depending on your preference.
Find a Dynamax Isata Super C near you.

RV Specs

• Length: 31’2”
• Chassis: Ram® 5500 SLT Chassis - Factory 4-Wheel Drive
• Sleeping Capacity: Up to 4
• Freshwater Capacity: 78 gallons
• Waste Water Capacity: 45 (gray) and 45 (black) gallons

Jayco Seneca Prestige 37L

https://youtu.be/kGFppR4bQDU
Of the Super C RVs on our list, the Jayco Seneca Prestige 37L boasts the highest sleeping capacity. As Chris says in the video, it’s full of luxury amenities like solid surface countertops with an undermount, stainless steel sink in the kitchen, a 50” LED TV, and a 40” electric fireplace below the entertainment center.
The overhead bunk above the cockpit boasts an impressive 750-pound weight capacity, and the included cargo net can handle up to 300 pounds if you use that area for gear storage. The JAYCOMMAND® control center powered by Firefly helps you control all the RV's interior systems from the control panel or directly from your smartphone using the mobile app.
Outside, the Seneca Prestige boasts a hitch receiver with a 12,000-pound capacity. It also has features like a water filtration system and a Thetford macerator system that would be pricey add-ons for many motorhomes. With slide-out toppers above all the slide-outs and the industry’s largest travel-view window in the entrance door, Jayco has thought of it all with this prestigious Super C RV.
Explore new and used Jayco Seneca motorhomes.

RV Specs

• Length: 39’4”
• Chassis: Freightliner® S2RV Chassis
• Sleeping Capacity: Up to 9
• Freshwater Capacity: 72 gallons
• Waste Water Capacity: 81 (gray) and 50 (black) gallons

Thor Motor Coach Magnitude XG32

Ideal for couples or small families, the Thor Magnitude XG32 boasts a nearly full-length slide-out on the driver’s side. This dramatically increases the floor space between the theater seating on the passenger side and the dinette and kitchen on the off-camp side.
It also creates extra floorplan space for a sizeable bathroom with a 32” x 32” corner shower, a mirrored vanity, and plenty of storage for linens and bathroom essentials. The bedroom features a second slide-out that houses the 60” x 75” queen bed that’s laid out opposite a massive closet and dresser.
The exterior features a powered patio awning, an exterior 32” TV with a built-in, Bluetooth-enabled sound bar, an exterior shower and LP connection, and a 100-watt solar charging system with a power controller. This 50-amp coach also comes standard with the Winegard® Connect Wi-Fi Extender +4G and a rooftop satellite mounting backer.
Check the price of Thor Magnitude motorhomes in your region.

RV Specs

• Length: 33’8”
• Chassis: Ford® F-550 Chassis
• Sleeping Capacity: Up to 4
• Freshwater Capacity: 75 gallons
• Waste Water Capacity: 47 (gray) and 40 (black) gallons

Tiffin Allegro Bay 38AB

Tiffin’s Allegro Bay 38AB is one of three floorplans offered in this Super C model. The 38AB sleeps up to six, making it ideal for families traveling with kids and their friends. Because every adventure starts with the journey to your destination, the Allegro Bay is powered by a Cummins® Quiet B6.7 360-HP diesel engine with a six-speed Allison transmission.
You can expand your destination selection with this Super C, as it’s equipped with an Onan 8,000-watt diesel generator that’ll keep your electrical systems running as long as you keep diesel fuel in the tank. Plus, its better optional upgrades include solar prep and three 200-watt solar panels with a 30-amp charge controller.
This 50-amp Super C RV also boasts plenty of holding tank capacity for boondocking trips, but the interior makes you feel like you’re glamping no matter the destination. A 20-cubic-foot refrigerator is one of the largest in the industry, and the residential microwave with an air fryer makes reheating camp meals as simple as the touch of a button.
Discover Tiffin Allegro Bay Super C RVs nationwide.

RV Specs

• Length: 39’4”
• Chassis: Freightliner® S2RV Chassis
• Sleeping Capacity: Up to 6
• Freshwater Capacity: 150 gallons
• Waste Water Capacity: 70 (gray) and 45 (black) gallons

Thor Motor Coach Magnitude RS36

The Thor Magnitude RS36 is another 4x4 Super C RV with a 6.7L Power Stroke Turbo Diesel engine that delivers up to 12,000 pounds of towing capacity. Even if you don’t tow, that powerful engine won’t have any trouble with this RV’s heavy-duty construction, which features a welded tubular steel floor, a welded tubular aluminum roof and sidewall cage construction, and Vacu-bond laminated roof, walls, and floor.
Inside that beefy package, Thor equipped the RS36 with all the features you need for comfortable easy navigation. That includes safety features like lane departure warning and pre-collision assist, comfort amenities like adjustable pedals and heated remote exterior mirrors, and an entertainment system with an 8” color LCD touchscreen and voice-command recognition.
To keep you comfortable and keep your systems running throughout the camping season, this 50-amp coach is built with dual 13,500-BTU air conditioning units, a 100-watt solar charging system with charge controller, and a 6,000-watt Onan diesel generator with automatic generator start to keep your appliances powered when camping off-grid.
Check the price of Thor Magnitude motorhomes in your region.

RV Specs

• Length: 37’8”
• Chassis: Ford® F-600 Chassis
• Sleeping Capacity: Up to 6
• Freshwater Capacity: 75 gallons
• Waste Water Capacity: 40 (gray) and 40 (black) gallons

These Super C RVs are some of the most rugged luxury RVs you’ll find. At a similar price point, here are a few other collections of luxury RVs you might be interested in:

• Camping World’s Guide to Luxury RVs
• 2022 Luxury Fifth Wheels
• Four Class B+ RVs That Goldilocks Would Love

Which of these Super C RVs is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below.

Introduction

Christian religious education is defined as the process where by Christian learning takes place. It often involves “teaching which enables practicing Christians to adopt and deepen their Christian belief, values and dispositions to experience and act in a Christian way. It depends to a greater extent on how this process is adopted and practiced in different churches.

Different practices in Christian education in local churches

At some degree of certainty that all Christian churches have a similar aim’s and practices. The liturgical aspect is of paramount importance in the Trinitarian belief and practices in that it serves as introduction to what Christianity is all about. This is where the process of Cognitive learning takes places it involves the worship service where hymns are sang, lessons extracted from the books of the bible are read, sermon often punctuated with exhortation, admonishment and instruction in righteous living is delivered and prayers are said. It also involves the celebration of the holy Eucharist which Jesus Christ himself, recognized as the head of the church, initiated based on experience acquired in the worship service, it can be seen as Christian religious education is a confessional churchly activity of evangelism, instruction and nurture.
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I assure that “Youth are the most critical of all critics when it comes to religion”. Today, common inhabitants do pray and accept the holiness in church for Christ which they are aware that Christ constitutes the sacred bread and wine, but do not entirely act upon worshipping and fail to confront the thoughts and feelings to masses which would spread dignity of godliness among selves. The moral lies in the fact that this creates lackness to reach spiritual beliefs through worship and liturgy resulting in declination the faith which affects the divine nature approaching positivity.
Christian education is a vital important part in youth development. For Christian education to be explored, generation of today should be brought into contact through various practices. In the early centuries, reformers emphasized and trusted true faith and doctrines, to change and reform behaviour as the only solution for salvation in Christian education. Christian school movements prove a challenge as a messenger to convey god’s given mission and honour god.

Traditional approach

This approach was practiced since many decades and is still continued to be practiced which helps in binding and governing the ethics and morality within the religion and belief. Since beginning described, in leaving our homeland to teach the gospels throughout the world through scriptures, god conveyed his message – by sending his son Jesus for us, the Holy Spirit, the Holy Church, and Baptism for building unity.
Christianity consists of three things – Religious faith, way of life and community of mankind towards salvation are most important. The most vital of all belief preached is that there is only one god. The term Christian does not imply on the fact that a Christian should grow up in a Christian community, but precisely accepts Christian faith and belief, follows and leads the path of life on which Jesus walked on and made mankind accept Christian community through involvement and participation physically and mentally, as a result, traditional approach is how the local churches and preachers go about conducting their services. The apostle’s creed was apparently developed to summarize the Christian doctrine for man who baptised himself.

Theological and Biblical approach

This approach is regarded as an abstract discipline which teaches what bible is written. It is the study of god expressing god’s thought. The movement of bible indicates the doctrines to the kerygma to didache, to theological ethics, to revealed truth, to the way of living in Christian community.
God’s salvation to the world, worshipping the holy spirit, baptizing people in the name of god, preaching gospels as the word of god, share Christ’s own body and blood as bread and wine in holy communion, repenting and confessing god’s forgiveness etc are the concepts of theological and biblical foundation to Christian education. Even though mankind is aware but fail to involve due to the increasing evil and greed.
The service is organized to accept the call of god and to love him and others and which aims to gather people to worship him in return allowing him to take control over the world and through his presence spread peace, righteousness, justice, joy and helps in the growth of the life in an individual through increased faith.

Activities organized and performed in different local churches through to these practices

Some churches develop the initiative of the worshippers by confessing their faith in the words of the apostle creed. Each activity is correlated and composes a range of varied elements. Their current activities reflect the lives of an individual and drive them for a purpose through various numbers of activities to attain a better quality of life.
Due to activities, all age group gain variety of skills through many spiritual centred activities. Church acts as an interpreter between god and the worshippers to support in training the composition of these activities which are far more complex to solve a disturbed youth. They have to thereby standardize their curriculum and activities in regards to implement it. Different denominations organize activities to resolve the aim therefore to meet the need of the youth. Curriculum should be more focused than just on providing knowledge.
Activities are necessarily planned to build youth commitment. I believe it is necessary to reach them, i.e. train them to be strong future leaders. They should be kept one step ahead, for their life is very challenging. I believe that the best way to outreach youths mind is to be a youth like them to understand their psychology as it differs from every individual. The same activities do get affected as the youth is choosy and subtle.

Changing activities for tomorrow

Here the question is voiced that, what substantial change can be brought apart from the current activities to eradicate the above upcoming and dynamic problems in nature with respect to behavioural management or of what medication of healing would work out.
I would comment, the activities in the practices should be expanded and conduct likewise programmes workshops on educating purity before marriage, sex, child abuse, exploitation, rape, adultery, adolescence sex, teenage mothers, drugs addiction, aids, and divorce. Workshops, seminars for sex, abuse, peer mentoring, identifying preventive measures instead of curative measures targeting the social, political and the economical factors would be effective for incorporating the overall issues to bring the insight of the good and evil sides of every consequence, discussion on essential real life skills. Our goal is to create “world changers”, inviting the sacrifiers of evil and giving and sharing healthy priorities to save ourselves and the world, before it becomes a terrible fate and a debt for our own selves.
As the world is in unsafe fists of crime, terrorism, corruption, violence, youth have been diverted to a fast-paced and expects instant opportunities. Perhaps, the approaches of these local activities tend to be helpful and may bring positive results but I still feel that there is something missing, to monitor the youth from within. In an article – Practical: The Role of the Full-Time Youth Pastor in the Local Church, by Graeme Codrington, Denomination: Baptist (All), submitted on, May 18, 1997, states that, “In a world that is so busy, and demands so much of all of its inhabitants, young people need a secure environment, where they can experiment and decide who they want to be. They need significant people to be there to help them through this process. They need role models to follow”.
Above statement eventually satisfies the fact that these folks are craving for friendly support socially and for stimulation. Overall factors which conglomerate are peers, parents, teachers, church members and Christian community. All factors rely on one common feature which constitutes leadership. Ironically, most youth do understand the surrounding factors but the factors themselves become tough unknowingly that they can’t quite control the situation which then becomes too late to recover. The task is questioned commonly as what kind of leader a person should be to prove creditability and capability to influence the youth to pursue the direction towards god? In an article again stated by, Graeme Codrington, Denomination: Baptist (All), – Practical: The Role of the Full-Time Youth Pastor in the Local Church, submitted on, May 18, 1997, “Young people are not just “little adults” (cf. Elkind 1984:18). They are complex individuals who are battling to deal with the awesome transformation of their bodies, minds, and emotions. They are in a time of transition and growth, developing from the birthed bundle of potential to a fully integrated, functional member of society. The church is in a unique position to assist in this process”. Church as a role model fosters spiritual growth in every youth making them responsible to participate in Christian faith; she is a sign for an entrance of the god’s kingdom to the world of salvation, repentance, justice and peace to bring equality. She struggles hard and performs her duties wholly and solemnly reminds parents to structure their offspring’s life in Christian formation.
Church members acting as supporters, preach to establish and to promote a platform and share to encourage several types of civic, cultural, religious educational associations. In an article by Arthur Paul Boer – What must a Pastor know? Reflection on Congregational studies defines on writer James Hopewell’s statement saying beyond the embarrassment. “He has also observed that churches are sometimes chagrined by the change of hypocrisy and lament that they cannot measure upto ideals of Christian community”. Writer James Hopewell referred by Arthur Paul Boer notes that Christian leaders are incharge and build a church thereby rise in hypocrites. I observe practically that, though the world is changing, church strategy is also changing in complementing the growth. It still targets the set mission. Even though, somewhere in the corner hypocrites do exist but church leaders aim to find out what is the outcome in the people from the traditional, theological and biblical practices.
Perhaps according my research, I suggest they experiment bringing out good approaches to youth’s growth. Instead of the current activities followed in churches I would want to suggest the approach can be focused to bring in the outcome irrespective to exploration and innovation of ideas and thoughts for internal and external behaviour of an individual related to the surroundings around him, deepening of commitments to the teaching, provide opportunities to analyse socially and theologically and viewing his life in a theological manner. To build a framework of an activity consist of – to have an experience “like us”, to sense new boundaries by exploring new links to every Christian among themselves and to god across social and cultural boundaries.
In addition, exploration and inventive programmes can be executed to judge youth’s spirituality. Daily opportunities resulting in disorientation gets support through mission of god. Integration conceptual activities also can help in building and to capture ‘a born leader’. Church leader serves them as task leaders in the corrosion and freeing the task of a disconnected mind by planning tactics and dividing the burden of other’s through consultation. As the purpose is commitment, to serve the lost, skill based leadership formation training programmes can be organized to develop an effective leader so as to sustain the capability and capacity of the leader to solve the complaints lies in the dimensions of the ability. Workshops on intersections to shape boundaries of an individual and communities through theological and biblical language, symbols, and rituals to attain certain centered objectives.
As growth of globalization is tremendous, these leaders come across and face new opportunities and challenges. I believe they help in building an integral performance in conducting entrepreneurial business-based activities, describing the activities because youth’s mind is business-oriented, therefore the activities are to be structured keeping business in mind involving biblical and theological approaches with the existing resources for a business oriented youth. They tend to produce facilitate management sources to sustain and develop faith and love. When the youth develops a church from within, he will be able to observe and analyse the holistic environment.
The activities require presence of not only church members but also worshippers for youth development in successful implementation of these practices. Some worshippers form in small groups, some large varied to race culture. Arthur Paul Boer also examines simultaneously that when a group of pastors were having service of congregation, one among them exclaimed in deep breath “It showed me I’m not alone”. So often in our churches we berate ourselves for problems we face: not enough men, too few youth, preponderance of a certain race or culture. He is clear with the fact that a single person fails, unity increases strength. We ourselves give birth to a problem and then strive hard to face it because as there are few leaders left to catch a grip to support a large community. Due to less number of youth, less support is achieved to sustain the laws and policies of the church and unable to accomplish god’s mission. It is not only one who contributes but many. Above mentioned statement “It showed me I’m not alone” expresses that each race and culture form their own group; build small churches for their own community within their own boundaries, where god expects togetherness, wholeness. It requires lot of efforts to help small churches grow whereas large church with mass contribution grows as their already exist efforts in large numbers which take over the chained actions for development. Whether single church group or many, big or small, the development is important.
On this contradiction, I would suggest that this also includes that in small group the development is paid more attention and given a close eye, problems are spotted quickly and easily to meet the challenges. No matter how large or small challenges occur, the way we approach it is unique and comprehensive as this brings out effects of development in the youth. Whereas in large it becomes difficult to assist as there are more than one individuals. Due to small groups according to races and culture, differentiation exists. But the important criterion is group commitment and work effort in all sets of practice for congregations in any race or culture for a healthy youth so that to accomplish god’s mission. As a result both objectives are co-related to each other.
To understand the nature of Christian youth it is a very distinguished and a unique phenomenon. Due to the increasing issues of ‘peer pressure’, this has led to the obstruction in the development of youth. There are negative as well as positive aspects of it. Negative aspects influence a weaker mind. It is the most consistent findings revealed in observation. Due to the inquisitive innocence, an innocent becomes a prey of the negative aspect, thereby exploited and develops an evil companionship where he adopts negative qualities and habits. But there is positive aspects as in there are some groups who work towards peer relationship. Here innocent gets an opportunity to identify his fear, weakness and have control over his own power. The peer mentors play the part in organizing programmes to understand the behaviour. They interact with the teens and open lines of communication, build up action plans to change the behaviour by using the discipline skills wherever necessary. As church members play an integrate role, it is a challenge for them to develop the youth and make Christian education reachable to them.
Teachers are responsible preachers. Youth growth depends on a teacher infact they are the true facilitators of our learning, are Baptist figures and true authors of an individual’s life book. They also act as the resource developer and planner setting the curriculum for the healthy growth of an individual, depending how the curriculum is designed with the kind and level of leadership skills to recognize the youth psychology. Parents play a significant role in Christian education. They are the promising leaders which shape up Christianity, infact are the real teachers of Christian education. Parents act as a moral standard and support, therefore can synchronize to their growing youth to be aware from their early hood to gain knowledge in Christian faith and this is done when they themselves too experience a fullness of church.
Misunderstandings and miscommunication between parents and their children are one of the issues which follow breakings in the development of the youth. Due to parent’s own principles, for respect and love of family values often creates harmness to the children’s growth which tempts them to behave against them. Thus youth becomes a totalitarian of his own life by going against the values and ethics and unknowingly gets stucked in the torturous situations. Most Christian youth, fail to act upon the 10 commandments of bible.
I must say, I myself as a youth in my real life experience have observed that the originality of the commandments has changed excessively and replaced with the following:
Thou must worship money
Thou must “lyrically” murder
Thou must have evil possession
Thou must have sex
Thou must enjoy drug addiction
Thou must prosper, worship own self
Thou must not feel guilty
Thou must have no respect for ancestral values
Thou must not serve, sacrifice
Thou must differentiate
Due to the above, youth fails to feel guilty in which guiltness is a part of our conscience creating a false belief system as an obstacle in his maturity and creating structure of his own. Under such circumstances he avoids promoting prayer, sacrifice, grace, redemption, worship and meditation, atonement. Considering money and sex are the only two things reliable to satisfy the needs, creating a limitation and a boundary for establishing personal spiritual growth and development.
In general terms, when the efforts of religious and educational institutions, society lack to perform the planned task for Christian education, a positive approach is expected and constructed to gain knowledge and teaching through parents and teachers. Youth must be aware of guiltiness which is a gift from god to help us in being and doing well.
Still the question is raised in a Journal: Volume 5 Number 4, October 2003 by Author Charlene Tan, “Can Christian teachers and parents teach Christian beliefs without indoctrinating their students and children?”
Yes, they can teach Christian beliefs without indoctrinating their students and children they need to be careful when a child is to be handled as their minds are immature. At times it is difficult to understand them because their way of thinking is varied. Firstly before going to the next process, the first process has to be resolved. As teachers and parents are the role models for the development. In order to develop and understand these three role models should be systematically developed first. Only by abiding this rule, they can achieve the development in child. But the point lies beneath that how teachers and parents can prove themselves as an effective source of development by keeping in mind the relative factor of Child’s mind compatibility and psychology? As there are variations in psychological behavior teachers and parents should be mentally prepared, be changeable and adjustment oriented accordingly.
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The political and current affair of the nation is affected by corruption and evilness rationally which gave birth to vivid factors like jealousy, modesty and so on, making human’s built a tendency to mislead the positive factors. The situations have made the teachers adapt those inequalities within them, affecting the surrounding factors. Parents have too due to their increasing self priority created barriers of understanding among their families.
Many people are often drawn towards the attention of the church because of their felt needs and not for spiritual needs.
For instance, it does occur that why the youth is tuned out of his own way? Even in their interaction with their own members it tends to happen with them that they fail to hear a word said to them – stating “I didn’t hear a word you said?”, even though it is obvious that they have said something relating to us. This proves a kind of negligence in contacting the positive mechanism which grows in the back of our minds. Such system blocks all the wanted and useful messages allowing us to hear and see only what our mind tells us to hear and believe. As this tendency is increased in the youth generation, it is creating gaps between a believer and faith of god.
The question is – How? How can we overcome this problem? Youth have themselves developed a capacity in mind to hear only what pleasures them without taking a decision that whether it is false or truth. My query is – How we can bring these groups of youth closer to god? Unconsciously resulting in unexpected calamities and unknowingly they are unable to repent it wisely. Due to this increasing factor, youth can’t get a grip of effective communication and develop themselves internally. Here the parents then enter the scene to play their role.

The main question lies whether the local churches fulfill and meet to mature disciples in Christian education?

As stated above, ‘youth’ are the most critical of all critics when it comes to religion. In this modern era, youth is distracted to church because they are building castles in air due to the unmaterialistic desire. Youth today have focused their vision to crave success and prosperity for their rising life graph; they exploit their own ones due to greed and selfishness. During the primary phase of struggle and hard work, youth craves to achieve prosperity, at the same time, do thank god and accept his involvement for success, but hand in hand, lack to follow the bibles ethics which says to respect others in and with unity. Due to the competition and growth politically, more often youth seem to push the fellow mates and strive to takeover their place. They themselves are unaware that they give birth to exploitation and inequality. And due to inequality, unity is declined, wherein bible does not specify inequality. In a book source, Pastor – “Rick Warren’ – illustrates in his book – The Purpose-Driven Church -“The issue is church health, not church growth!” declares warren. “if your church is healthy, growth will occur naturally. Healthy consistent growth is the result of balancing the five biblical purposes of the church.”
In addition to this he also declares that “If u concentrate on building people, God will build the church”.
I agree at a certain point with the above statement. I herewith would want to magnify on “How would one build a healthy youth for a healthy church”? In this sense I believe that both are co-related with each other. Again the issue arises in my mind ‘How will the church be healthy if the youth is unhealthy?’ The issue can’t be only concentrated on church. For a church to survive, the basic foundation is the youth and for the youth to be saved and attracted the church has to be healthy. In my knowledge it is a ‘Vicious Circle’.
Local churches upto some extent do specifically fulfill the discipleship through the practices and play a great emphasis in fulfilling and conveying the message of god to us, but still lack to read the minds and bring the youth closer to her, for which she has to upgrade her atmospheric appearance with new packages to reach the youth in a new taste due to the competitive modernism which is hovering on the youth.
The latter part can play the best part coz when first falls in place, everything else falls in place, from the beginning to the end, from all angles in all walks of life. Towards a healthy faith, healthy church can turn and seed a growth of spirituality through which mankind will grow spiritually from within thereby causing church growth.
Author Perry G. Down states in his book – “Teaching for spiritual growth” that ‘how can we best enable Christians to grow towards maturity?’ For this question he suggests three key concepts- ministry, believer, and purpose. But my understanding says that these concepts are incomplete somewhere to create a bond in reaching the results because today’s youth is attracted towards the unrealistic worldly matters, but has resulted in declination towards the god’s spiritual growth. The major role connecting these three concepts is commitment and effort. As the church ministry is the foundation pillar, the main aim is how much measure of commitment is valued and given to achieve the target successfully. Mankind is able to commit only when he chooses the right direction in fear and is able but this is unfortunate as the alien world tend to let us unidentify the type of strategies of growth for maturity. By identifying the type of strategies of growth, we can understand the level of growth required towards maturity at which we can be spiritual. Another reason for in growth is fear. As the youth fears to face unexpected problems, the efforts are less and require the hierarchy’s support.
Author Gary C. Newton stated in his book – “Going towards spiritual maturity” quotes the principle that “God is ultimately responsible for all spiritual growth”. The question arises at this point that if god is responsible for everything, what will be the purpose and role of human? I comment that while god supplies the resources like bible, church, Holy Spirit, baptism, it is also our responsibility to supply effort and commitment to utilize those resources and give results to god. In bible, Paul highlights this principle of his personal lifestyle and in his teachings comparing with the example of a soldier or athlete to illustrate the amount of sincerity and efforts. (1 Corinthians 9:24-27), Paul states that “In a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize”. I herewith conclude in a Christian race all runners (ministry, believers, purpose) will fail to get a prize if there is no effort that is commitment from everyone.
Along with the concept of ministry, believer, purpose; effort is also the key concept and it has to be achieved from the youth as well. A healthy youth will gain efforts only when the growth will favour them from within, when the forces of the ministry believers and youth will collide with each other to form a healthy growth.
This will create a mutual relationship between god’s provisional resources and our active involvement in process which is more clearly in Philippians 2:12-13: “Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is god who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose”. This principle is intricate but the application is clear.
If one is to grow towards maturity in Christ then one must cultivate and demonstrate the efforts with passion, Philippians 2:17-18: ” But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. So you be glad and rejoice with me”.
Therefore the conclusion lies in the above concept, both; effort of the youth along with the work of ministry, believers proves in the healthiness of the church. In the book “Youth At Risk” by Peter Christian Olsen, 2003, he highlights four basic needs which he has clearly created an awareness of the effects that affects the development of youth:
Acceptance – belonging
New beginnings and second chances – forgiveness
Significance – generosity
Freedom – independence
I agree with his confirmation that he examines in deriving the above developmental needs from the provision of the Almighty’s resources as the absence of these needs do intentionally contribute in how they shape the personality, maturity, responsibility and stability of emotions. He emphasizes Christian community in respond to the needs determining that, the resources will be polishing youth through support during the fear and avoid them from destruction. At times the concepts will be foreign, indigestive for youth because unable to realize its importance. Rather the community need not re-interpret or change the language but simplify their thoughts and improve their visionary and understanding by change in structure through a friendly communication by becoming an effective leader to bridge the gap between the church and the youth. Therefore forces and efforts are needed for decision making which is an effective key in respond to ministry believer and purpose for a possibility of a healthy youth to build a healthy church, which will make the church flourish.

Supporting surveys

According to a survey, some findings proved that church fails to answer every question of the youth.

Q.1 In what way and sense is Christian religion, faith and church viewed by today’s modern youth?

Youth of today’s modern era is firm on the point stating that inspiration is lacked in religion; they feel that the world is divided through religion and is the major factor which is affecting the growth. A 17-year-old Jude from Kent says confidently that “He does not agree with the church who talks on subject morality” and is “Overfilled with traditionality”.
Youth pick their ideas which suit their taste through various religious beliefs. There are few in bunch who strongly believe, there exist only single religion which has controlled the truth. Young generation refer to perform all activities as per their own desire which in return less importance to the religious belief are being given, which gives birth to the side effects of the conduct.

Q.2 Why do young crowd feel that Christianity is not a ‘happening’ cultural activity?

An 18-year-old Marcus said that he left church when he was 15 because the teachings did not amuse him and it did not interest him of anything as a youth.
The major quest, a struggle for a religion is to impose an exertion of force of involvement in terms of attraction. I usually attend church service wherein I find young ones missing the services. I kept questioning myself that, where the young crowd has disappeared? Surprisingly the young ones have taken charge for the attendance of the church. In this consequence the church should give priority to change its curriculum and its way of presenting the services with new attractive packages for enhancement.

Q.3 Are the young preachers practicing different approaches in Christianity declining. What are your suggestions?

As the attendance of the youth in church has declined, but on the other hand people practicing approaches are increasing in numbers. The following is revealed through one of the youths that more the deepening are the studies of the bible, more a person becomes a hypocrite of the Christian leadership and unintentionally accepts and performs the lifestyle of the clergy right or wrong at times unknowingly. In such case, the practices are affected and become different from those which are to be precise. Seen are still some true Christian youngsters who are different in their attitude and conduct, but in spite of such difference, they are not involved into the immorality and violence activities with other youths. They present themselves as they are from a different unknown religion, but practice the religion and it

Shortly before a final paper with pre-assigned topics was due for one of my last courses at Columbia University, our professor sent us an email telling us to forego the previous parameters of the essay, and to instead write about the events that had occurred not even forty-eight hours earlier, as well as our reflections on them, to be done in any manner we chose. Here is a very lightly revised version of what I submitted: read it, ignore it, upvote it, downvote it, hate it, love it.
I am prefacing this essay by stating that it is the culmination of several intense emotions that I have been dealing with over the last few weeks, more specifically, the last several days. It is a free-form expression of the many things occupying my mind, and, as such, it may seem overwhelming or disjointed. Nevertheless, I will do my best to convey my feelings into something representative of my beliefs, and my time at this institution.
My time at Columbia University has been bookended in an almost comically bad way; it started with Zoom classes during the COVID-19 pandemic, and now it ends with Zoom final exams due to the lockdown of Columbia’s campus after protests regarding the Israel – Palestine conflict reached a fever pitch not just within Morningside Campus, but the international stage. My classmates and I missed in-person orientation, and now, given recent developments, we will not have a University Commencement, a fact I found out not from Columbia, but a New York Times alert, somehow lowering my opinion of this administration’s handling of recent events even more. While the circumstances around my time at Columbia have now both begun and finished in the same manner, I am proud to say that I have not. I do not mean that Columbia has simply made me a better writer, a more critical thinker, or more well read, although it certainly has done those things, sometimes forcing me to when I was not particularly in the mood to do so, but those improvements pale in comparison to the maturity and empathy my time at this university has given me.
When the decision to transition to remote learning during the Spring 2020 semester was made, occurring only a short time after I had received my acceptance letter (email), my first thought was how the pandemic would affect my transfer from community college to Columbia in September. Admittedly, this was a selfish perspective, considering the tremendous challenges that many would endure during the ensuing lockdowns and other upheavals of life. My concerns were solely focused on myself because I was on a simple track to graduate, place my degree on my resumé, and continue my trajectory of military service to college to employment, leaving little else to consideration, to include other people who were not in my immediate circle. Sitting here now, two weeks from graduation, with a job at a Fortune 500 company lined up, I should be happy, with the plans I had made years ago coming to fruition. Yet I cannot help feeling a sense of sadness and concern for the school I have spent years of my life at, and for the world as a whole.
James Hatch, a former member of the United States’s elite Naval Special Warfare Development Group, or DEVGRU, for short, more commonly known by its nickname, Seal Team Six, famous for its involvement in the killing of Osama Bin Laden and the rescue of the Maersk Alabama Captain Richard Phillips from pirates, amongst other things, spent over twenty years in the military. After being wounded on a mission to rescue American serviceman sergeant Bowe Bergdahl from enemy forces, he was medically discharged, and would eventually attend Yale University. While there, he wrote a piece titled My Semester with the Snowflakes (please give this a read, it will help people who have never been in the military understand its culture, along with some of the challenges veterans face when transitioning to college), where he details his initial discomfort with being in a vastly different environment than the military, surrounded by individuals who possessed opinions and beliefs contrary to the ones he was accustomed to. He recalls witnessing a student protest the country he spent over two decades serving by coating her hand in red paint, and leaving a palm print on an American flag, and details his shock when a classmate of his explained to him what a “safe space” was, as well as his pride when he began to understand the nuances of life both inside and outside of the nation he dedicated twenty-six years to.
I can relate to Mr. Hatch, (despite my service paling in comparison to his, as well as the fact that Columbia is far superior to Yale), because, like his friends who make fun of him for attending college with a bunch of “snowflakes,” mine do the same. More significantly, however, his personal growth during his time at school is something that I have experienced myself. When I started at Columbia, I did not even know which major I would choose, and was largely lost in a world very different than the one I had come from. Despite this, I made the decision to avoid communities such as MilVets and the students who made it very clear that they came from a military background, with their style of dress and demeanor, not because those organizations and individuals are a detriment; I know for a fact that MilVets has helped countless students succeed at Columbia and beyond, and the veterans that I have relationships with are all phenomenal people, but because I wanted to pressure myself into being exposed to something different. I was uncomfortable at first, but this turned out to be the right decision. I learned as much from simply talking to people whom I would normally never converse with about topics and ideas that I had never encountered as I did during classes about great works of art, polar and Cartesian coordinates, literature, astronomy, the list goes on.
If the protests about the Israel – Palestine conflict had occurred when I first started at Columbia, I would have been frustrated by the students taking up space, forcing us to be funneled on to campus by restricted access points and identification checks. Likely irritated by the disturbance of the quiet during finals season, I would have agreed with the people who called for students to simply focus on their assignments and stop inconveniencing others by shouting about something occurring on the other side of the world. Instead, I decided to learn about the conflict, educating myself about both sides of a war that has roots extending back millennia. While Columbia University did not agree to the demands of the protestors, they achieved something else they surely desired, reaching a goal they did not state to President Shafik and her advisors: they brought attention to their cause by educating at least one additional person about it.
After reading, talking to people, listening to input from students within various classes, and understanding that things such as the intertwined nature of financial workings, as well as conflicts not just in the Middle East, but all over the world, are a level of complexity that baffles some of the most brilliant minds of ours and previous generations, I will leave my thoughts about Israel and Palestine separate from this paper. I recognize that it is important to choose a side, as remaining impartial helps no one. However, when every news agency, group and individual makes their voice heard, satirical sources such as The Onion make these kind of posts, or Adult Swim’s Rick, the nihilistic, narcissistic, psychopathic, misanthropic lead character from the series Rick and Morty, addresses the conflict in this manner, I feel that it is better to relegate myself to a much smaller part of this debate, namely the occurrences on Columbia University’s Morningside Campus.
During basic training for the United States Army, a sense of brotherhood and camaraderie is hammered into recruits’ identities. When you graduate and are assigned to a unit, one where you could be thousands of miles from home on the opposite side of the country, or even in a completely different country, serving on one of the international bases, approaching someone who you have never met before is easy. Talking to them about shared experiences and stories you have in common, and the bonding that occurs, is the product of an indoctrination process and lifestyle that has existed longer than any of us have been alive, and is proof of its effectiveness. This sense of familiarity tends to continue even when one leaves the military. The Veterans of Foreign Wars community is a place for prior servicemembers of all conflicts to share a drink, a laugh, and sometimes a tear. When I go to the Veterans Administration Hospital for periodic check-ups or the occasional injury, men and woman wearing hats commemorating their service during Vietnam waiting for their appointments greet me with a smile and a handshake, as if we have known each other for years. While working at a golf club’s greens department before I transferred to Columbia from community college, a coworker of mine who had served in the Gulf War had heard from our supervisor that I had been in the Army, and he introduced himself to me on my first day, before anyone else, telling me that if I needed anything, I only had to ask. This camaraderie has expanded to encompass not just veterans, but first responders such as firemen, EMT’s, and the police as well.
Underneath the picture on my driver’s license, the word “veteran” is emblazoned next to a star, written in bright red text and all capital letters. I know for a fact that this one-and-a-half-inch indicator has helped me during interactions with law enforcement on multiple occasions. Only earlier this semester, during Presidents’ Day weekend, I went upstate to spend time with my family. While driving back, in an effort to make the seven-hour trip at a reasonable time, I was stopped for going twenty miles-per-hour over the speed limit. The officer who pulled me over, initially reserved, became noticeably more friendly when I handed him my license and registration. Ultimately, he gave me what amounted to a parking ticket for my actions, rather than the point-incurring, heavily fined moving violation he could have charged me with.
The ‘Thin Blue Line,’ as it is known, is a reference to the idea that the police are the barrier between law abiding citizens and criminals, order and chaos. The most common representation of this concept is a black-and-white American flag, with a single blue line in the place where a red or white stripe would normally be. This style has been expanded to include numerous other colors representing other first-responders: green for the military, red and white no longer to be interpreted as the traditional stripes of the American flag, but instead meant to represent the fire department and paramedics, and even grey for corrections officers. Seeing the appropriation of one of the most iconic symbols in the world, one that flies above the White House, schools, homes, national and international events, and even the Moon, I can say, as someone who has been unwillingly entangled within that appropriation, is nothing short of terrifying.
The fact that these entities and their supporters have literally sewn themselves into the fabric of the symbol of our nation makes one think that there is little room for the countless other occupations, aspects and people that make up this country. The idea of the police being the sole protectors of our society is patently absurd, and all one must do is point out the many instances of police brutality occurring over the years to refute it. I find myself thinking of how much power the officer who stopped me just three months ago had over me. Initially, I was happy that I had received a slap on the wrist, but recently I have found myself wondering what if my license did not state that I was a veteran, would he have charged me with a ticket that would have had much more serious implications? What if he was simply having a bad day, and he decided he did not like the look of me, or the color of my car, and I was the one who he ultimately decided to vent his frustrations on? This traffic infraction, an incredibly small incident compared to all the turmoil in the world, one that involves two strangers, supposedly bonded by our professions, on the side of a quiet, New York highway, serves as a metaphor to me, reminding me of the power structures at play on a much larger scale.
On April 22^nd, 2024, I received this email, one of the many Clery Crime Alerts that students are automatically sent. An affiliate of Columbia University had their car stolen at gunpoint by two masked men on Claremont Avenue, not even a five-minute walk from campus. I skimmed the report, and almost immediately forgot about it, recognizing that crime is an inevitability in major cities, and that I needed to start my commute to school. Days later, on the night of April 30^th, 2024, I received another email from Columbia, containing one of the most ominous messages I had ever seen, one that put the kind of fear in my heart that not even the alert of an armed carjacking could. Columbia’s Emergency Management Operations Team, offering no explanations, specifications, or even a greeting or sign-off, wrote in bold letters these three sentences: “Shelter in place for your safety due to heightened activity on the Morningside campus. Non-compliance may result in disciplinary action. Avoid the area until further notice.” Due to the protests on campus during recent weeks, President Shafik testifying before Congress, Columbia’s role as one of the main catalysts for student protests around the country, and the occupation of Hamilton Hall occurring in the earlier hours of that day, it was not hard to figure out what the email was referencing. Over the next several hours, I followed news agencies, remained glued to the Columbia subreddit, and listened to WKCR, in awe of these eighteen- to twenty-two-year-old students putting themselves at risk to deliver on the ground, accurate, unbiased coverage of one of the most significant events in the school’s history.
While tracking the events from multiple perspectives, to include the social media accounts of those near and on campus live streaming them, I held out hope that the university would make good on their promise from several days earlier to not invite the NYPD back, but a frightening picture began to unfold, one that I was intimately familiar with. One WKCR reporter stated that 114^th street had so many officers on it that he could not see the asphalt of the road beneath them, and I knew that the staging area the NYPD had chosen was one of the best routes for moving towards what the military, and presumably law enforcement, would call an ‘objective.’ The officers cleared the smaller ‘objective,’ the largely unoccupied tents in front of Butler, and then moved towards Hamilton Hall, ordering even those not associated with its occupation to disperse, raising my stress levels and likely those of others, as it is rarely a good sign when police do not want their actions recorded and archived. After the initial entry to campus and clearing of areas and people in the immediate vicinity of Hamilton Hall, came the Long-Range Acoustic Device, or LRAD, a device that makes a megaphone sound like a whisper, and one known for its crowd-control potential, capable of producing sounds loud enough to cause damage to ear-drums, nausea, and headaches, ordering individuals to clear away. The NYPD began its execution of tactics in a way that my fellow soldiers and I used to rehearse, tactics I never dreamed that I would witness outside of the military, and certainly not by police officers who vastly outnumbered unarmed students on their own campus. The NYPD created a perimeter, or a ‘second layer of security’ to both provide reinforcements for the officers entering the building, and to prevent the fleeing of what are called ‘squirters,’ or individuals who attempt to escape the building after the raid begins. While the ‘breach’ team moved towards the front doors, using tools from a ‘hooligan kit,’ such as bolt cutters, hand-held battering rams and crowbars, a siege machine was brought in to allow access from a window; when taking over a building, the idea is to enter it from as many different directions as possible to better disorient and overwhelm its occupants. Flash-bang grenades, described as non-lethal, but known to have harmful effects, were thrown inside, presumably before entering any room, hallway, or otherwise enclosed area to minimize the resistance of anyone unfortunate enough to be on the receiving end of what can only be described as an assault on the visual and auditory senses. According to the Manhattan District Attorney, one of the officers inside Hamilton Hall had what is called in the military a “negligent discharge,” meaning his firearm went off unintentionally. While no one was hurt, the question remains why at least one, and more likely, numerous other officers were carrying guns loaded with live ammunition in the first place, when they so drastically outmatched the protestors in numbers and equipment. Additionally, a negligent discharge is an act of incompetence that would result in an active-duty soldier facing serious consequences, and derision from his peers. So far, the officer remains defended by his coworkers, and unpunished by his superiors.
As all this unfolded, I communicated with my friends from the past and present. My friends from the military checked on me to ensure that I was okay, as did my friends from school. The difference in how they viewed these events highlights what I believe is the change in myself that I stated I am most proud of at the beginning of this paper. My friends from the military were commenting that the assertion of order and control by way of militarized tactics was necessary, not concerning themselves with the human toll and destruction of trust that came along with it. Conversely, my schoolmates lamented the brutality and overstepping of boundaries that the NYPD and Columbia’s administration committed, one that turned a place meant to be a beacon of free speech, expression, and ideas, into what is now a police-state with strict control over who enters it.
My education inside and outside the classroom at this institution has challenged, thrilled, and changed me. Sitting here now, at the end of this paper, the end of the semester, and the end of my time at Columbia University, I am left feeling confused and sad regarding recent events, but also hopeful for the future. I know from experience that the students, teachers, and culture of this school have the power to encourage critical thinking and initiate personal growth. If it did those things for me, surely it can do the same for others

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Jean Paul Gaultier Ultra Male 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $8
Jean Paul Gaultier Le Male SnowGlobe 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $8
JOHN VARVATOS OUD EDP 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $9
KILIAN Let's Settle in the Bedroom like Adults 2 ML - $5, 5 ML - $10
KILIAN Angel's Share 2 ML - $12
LACOSTE L.12.12 EDT 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7
LACOSTE L.12.12 EDP 2020 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7
LACOSTE Inspiration 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7
LACOSTE Touch of Pink 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7
Lattafa Oud For Glory Bade Al Oud (Initio Oud for Greatness Clone) 2 ML -$2, 5 ML -$6,10 ML $12
Lattafa Alhambra Fabulo Intense (Tom Ford Fxxing Fabulous Clone) 2 ML -$2, 5 ML -$6,10 ML $12
Lattafa Khamrah (Killian Angels Share Clone) 2 ML -$2, 5 ML -$6,10 ML $12
Lattafa Kismet Magic (Killian Angels Share Clone) 2 ML -$2, 5 ML -$6,10 ML $12
Lattafa Velvet Oud EDP (Tom Ford Ombre Leather Clone) 2 ML -$2, 5 ML -$6,10 ML $12
Lattafa Woody Oud (Tom Ford Oud Wood Clone) 2 ML -$2, 5 ML -$6,10 ML $12
Lattafa Alhambra Rose Petals EDP (Tom Ford Rose Prick Clone) 2 ML -$2, 5 ML -$6,10 ML $12
L'Aventure Al Haramain EDP 2 ML - $2, 5 ML - $5, 10 ML - $9
L'Aventure Blanche Al Haramain EDP 2 ML - $2, 5 ML - $5, 10 ML - $9
Lalique Encre Noire 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7
Lalique Encre Noire A L'extreme 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7
LANCOME Hypnose 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7
LANCOME La Vie Est Belle 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $8, 10 ML - $14
Mancera Cedrat Boise 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $17
Mancera Cedrat Boise INTENSE Edition 2 ML - $5, 5 ML - $11.50, 10 ML - $21
Mancera Red Tobacco 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $17
Mancera Hindu Kush 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $17
Mancera Aoud Lemon Mint 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $17
Mancera Instant Crush 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $17
Mancera Black Intensitive Aoud 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $17
Maison Martin Margiela By the fireplace 2 ML - $5, 5 ML - $12
Maison Martin Margiela Sailing Day 2 ML - $5, 5 ML - $12
Maison Martin Margiela By the Lemon Trees 2 ML - $5, 5 ML - $12
MONTBLANC Explorer 2 ML - $2, 5 ML - $5, 10 ML - $9
MONTBLANC Legend EDP 2 ML - $2, 5 ML - $5
MONTBLANC Legend Night 2 ML - $2 5 ML - $5
MONTBLANC Individuel 2 ML - $2, 5 ML - $5
MOSCHINO Toy Boy EDP 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7
MUGLER A*Men Pure Havane 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10
MUGLER Cologne 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10ML - $17
Mercedes Benz Club Black 2 ML - $2, 5 ML - $5, 10 ML - $10
Mercedes Benz SELECT 2 ML - $2, 5 ML - $5, 10 ML - $10
Marc Jacobs DECADENCE 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10
Miu Miu Miu Miu 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10
NISHANE ANI Extrait De Parfum 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $15
Nasomatto Duro 2 ML - $9.50, 5 ML - $23
NAUTICA Voyage 2 ML - $2, 5 ML - $5, 10 ML - $10
Narcisco Rodrigues For Her EDP 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $11
Ormonde Jayne Tolu 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML - $13
PACO RABANNE XS 2018 2 ML - $2, 5 ML - $5, 10 ML - $10
Penhaligon - The Favourite Eau De Parfum 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $15
Parfums de Marly Althair 2 ML - $7, 5 ML - $17
Parfums de Marly Greenley 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $15
Parfums de Marly Kuhuyan 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $15
Parfums de Marly Akaster 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $15
Parfums de Marly Percival 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $15
Parfums de Marly Kalan 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $15
Parfums de Marly Darley 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $15
Parfums de Marly Nisean 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $15
Parfums de Marly Habdan 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $15
Parfums de Marly Pegasus 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $15
Parfums de Marly Pegasus Exclusif 2 ML - $7, 5 ML - $17
Parfums de Marly Layton 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $15
Parfums de Marly Layton Exclusif 2 ML - $7, 5 ML - $17
Parfums de Marly Oajan 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $15
Parfums de Marly Sedley 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $15
Parfums de Marly Shagya 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $15
Parfums de Marly Godolphin 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $15
Parfums de Marly Galloway 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $15
Parfums de Marly Carlisle 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $15
Parfums de Marly Herod 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $15
Prada Marienbad 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $15
Prada Day for Night 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $15
Prada L’Homme 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10
Prada L’Homme INTENSE 2 ML - $4., 5 ML - $10
Prada Luna Rossa Carbon 2 ML - $4., 5 ML - $10
Prada Luna Rossa OCEAN 2 ML - $4., 5 ML - $10
PINO Selvestre Original 2 ML - $2, 5 ML - $5, 10 ML - $10
ROCHAS Moustache EDP 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10
Reyane Tradition Insurrection II Pure Extreme 2 ML - $2, 5 ML - $5, 10 ML - $10
Ralph Lauren POLO BLUE EDP 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML-$15
Ralph Lauren POLO RED 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $6, 10 ML - $12
Ralph Lauren Blue 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10
Ralph Lauren Pure Turquoise 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10
Revlon Charlie Red 5 ML - $2, 10 ML - $5
Revlon Charlie Gold 5 ML - $2, 10 ML - $5
Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan 2 ML - $5, 5 ML - $13
Serge Lutens Clair de Musc 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10
Serge Lutens La Couche du Diable 2 ML - $5, 5 ML - $11
SHISEIDO Relaxing Fragrance 2 ML - $8, 5 ML - $20
Swiss Arabian Royal Mystery EDP 2 ML - $2, 5 ML - $5, 10 ML - $9
SEAN JOHN Unforgivable 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML - $15
Sarah Jessica Parker Lovely 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10
TAUER Parfums, Andy Tauer No.2 L'Air Du Desert Marocain 2 ML - $8, 5 ML - $20
Teo Cabanel Barkhane 2 ML - $5, 5 ML - $11
Tiziana Terenzi Ursa 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $15
Tiziana Terenzi Chimaera Extrait De Parfum 2 ML - $8, 5 ML - $20
TOM FORD Ombre Leather EDP 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $15
TOM FORD Grey Vetiver 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $15
TOM FORD Grey Vetiver Parfum Edition 2023 2 ML - $7.50, 5 ML - $18
TOM FORD Beau De Jour EDP 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $15
TOM FORD Black Orchid Parfum 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $15
TOM FORD NOIR EDP 2 ML - $7.50, 5 ML - $18
TOM FORD NOIR EXTREME EDP 2 ML - $7.50, 5 ML - $18
TOM FORD OUD WOOD EDP Private Blend 2 ML - $11, 5 ML - $26
TOM FORD Tuscan Leather EDP Private Blend 2 ML - $8, 5 ML - $20
TOM FORD Venetian Bergamot Private Blend Discntd. 2 ML - $8, 5 ML - $18
TOM FORD COSTA AZZURRA EDT 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $15
TOM FORD COSTA AZZURRA 2021 EDP 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $15
TOM FORD COSTA AZZURRA EDP Private Blend Discntd. 2 ML - $9, 5 ML - $22
STERLING JUST JACK COLLECTION by ARMAF Eau De Parfum (Clones of Tom Ford fragrances):
TOBACCO LEAF (TOBACCO VANILLE Clone) 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $6, 10 ML- $12
NEROLI (NEROLI PORTOFINO Clone) - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $6, 10 ML- $12
HOMME NOIR (NOIR Clone) - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $6, 10 ML- $12
NOIR ENDURANCE (NOIR EXTREME Clone) - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $6, 10 ML- $12
BLACK IS BLACK (NOIR DE NOIR Clone) - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $6, 10 ML- $12
OMBRE SUEDE (OMBRE LEATHER Clone) - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $6, 10 ML- $12
FANTA FAB (THE Fuckxxing FABULOUS Clone) - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $6, 10 ML- $12
ITALIAN LEATHER (TUSCAN LEATHER Clone) - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $6, 10 ML- $12
Tommy Bahama Set Sail St. Barts 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $8
Torry Burch Torry Burch 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $8
Usher UR 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8, 10 ML - $14
Viktor & Rolf SpiceBomb 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10
Viktor & Rolf SpiceBomb Extreme 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10
Viktor & Rolf SpiceBomb Infrared 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10
Viktor & Rolf FlowerBomb 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $15
VERSACE Man Eau Fraiche 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML - $13
VERSACE DYLAN Blue 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $8
VERSACE Pour Homme 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10
VERSACE EROS EDT 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7
VERSACE EROS EDP 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10
VERSACE EROS FLAME 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10
VERSACE Pour Homme OUD NOIR EDP 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10
VERSACE Bright Crystal 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10
Ambre Impérial Van Cleef & Arpels 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $15
Xerjoff Erba Pura 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $15
Xerjoff Naxos 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $15
Xerjoff Lira 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $15
YSL MYSLF EDP 2023 2 ML - $5, 5 ML - $12
YSL Y EDP 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10
YSL L’Homme EDT 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $9
YSL La Nuit de L’Homme EDT 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $9
YSL L’Homme Le Parfum 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10
YSL La Nuit de L’Homme Le Parfum 2 ML - $4., 5 ML - $10
YSL LIBRE EDP 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10
YSL Tuxedo 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $15
YSL Caban 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $15
YSL Trench 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $15
YSL 37 rue de Bellechasse 2 ML - $7, 5 ML - $17
ZARA Denim Couture 2 ML - $2, 5 ML - $4, 10 ML - $8
Cuba Royal Cuba Paris (Clone of 1 Million Paco Rabanne) 2 ML- $2, 5 ML- $4, 10 ML- $8
Cuba Red Cuba Paris 2 ML - $2, 5 ML-$4, 10 ML-$8
4711 Original Eau de Cologne 4711 - 2 ML - $2, 5 ML - $4, 10 ML - $8

For sale fragrance decants/samples, prices listed below in US dollars. All atomizers come in black plastic spray bottles with a lid & individually marked with labels. Shipping orders by Canada Post first class airmail with tracking, rates: to Canada $10 USD and USA $7 USD NEW DISCOUNTED RATE. I accept PayPal G&S (please pay any associated fees to PayPal) or Interac (Canada Only, no fees), local Pickup in Vancouver, BC, Canada is also possible. Please pm/chat me if you are interested.
Feedback, Photos & Fragrantica Page:
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/fragranceswap/search/?q=redline-007&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&type=comment
eBay: https://feedback.ebay.ca/fdbk/feedback_profile/silver.*.star
Photos: https://imgur.com/a/Vlhetr8
Fragrantica Page https://www.fragrantica.com/membe1450019
\**JUST ARRIVED and ready for summer**\* >>> Parfums De Marly SEDLEY, GREENLEY, ALTHAIR>MANCERA CEDRAT BOISE, CEDRAT BOISE INTENSE, HINDU KUSH, RED TOBACCO, AOUD LEMON MINT> ARMANI Acqua Di Gio EDP, Acqua Di Gio PARFUM >INITIO Narcotic Delight>TOM FORD Grey Vetiver Parfum and more...*
The Price list is in USD and updated on 05.15.2024
ARMANI Acqua Di GIO 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - 10, 10 ML - $16.50
ARMANI Acqua Di GIO Eau de Parfum 2022 - 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - 10, 10 ML - $16.50
ARMANI Acqua Di GIO PARFUM 2023 - 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - 11, 10 ML - $20
ARMANI Acqua Di GIO ABSOLU 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - 10, 10 ML - $16.50
ARMANI Profondo 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - 10, 10 ML - $16.50
ARMANI Profondo Lights 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - 10, 10 ML - $16.50
ARMANI Profumo 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - 10, 10 ML - $16.50
ARMANI Stronger with You 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - 10, 10 ML - $16.50
ARMANI Stronger Intensely 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - 10, 10 ML - $16.50
ARMANI Stronger Absolutely 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - 10, 10 ML - $16.50
ARMANI City Glam 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - 10
ARMANI Si Fiori 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10
ARMANI Si Passione 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10
ARMANI Code Feme 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50
AZZARO Wanted By Night 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50
AZZARO The Most Wanted EDP 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50
AZZARO The Most Wanted PARFUM 2022 - 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10
Atelier Cologne Ambre Nue 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $11.25
Atelier Cologne Oud Saphir 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $13.50
Atelier Cologne Clementine California 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Atelier Cologne Rose Anonyme 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Atelier Cologne Bois Blonds 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Amouage Interlude Black Iris 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $16
Amouage Interlude Man 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $15
Amouage Meander 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $15
Amouage Enclave 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $15
Amouage Lyric Man 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $15
Amouage Boundless 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $16
Amouage Memoir Man 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $15
Amouage Dia Man 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15
Amouage Jubilation XXV 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $15
Amouage Beach Hut Man 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $15
Amouage Epic Man 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $15
Amouage Reflection Man 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $15
Amouage Beloved Man 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $15
Aedes De Venustas Grenadille d’Afrique 2 ML - $5, 5 ML - $12.50
Atelier des Ors Rose Omeyyade 2 ML - $5, 5 ML - $12.50
ACQUA Di PARMA Colonia Intenza 2 ML - $5, 5 ML - $12.50
Acqua Di Parma Bergamotto Di Calabria 2 ML - $5, 5 ML - $12.50
Acqua Di Parma Chinotto Di Liguria 2 ML - $5, 5 ML - $12.50
ACQUA Di PARMA OUD EDP 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $16
ACQUA Di PARMA Colonia Leather 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $16
ACQUA Di PARMA Colonia MIRRA 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $16
ACQUA Di PARMA FICO di AMALFI 2 ML - $5, 5 ML - $12.50
Acqua di Parma Arancia di Capri 2 ML - $5, 5 ML - $12.50
Acqua Di Parma Colonia Club 2 ML - $5, 5 ML - $12.50
ACQUA Di PARMA Colonia Quercia 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $12.50
Acqua Di Parma Mandorlo Di Sicilia 2 ML - $5, 5 ML - $12.50
Acqua Di Parma Mirto Di Panarea 2 ML - $5, 5 ML - $12.50
ACQUA Di PARMA Colonia Essenza 2 ML - $5, 5 ML - $12.50
ABERCOMBIE & FITCH FIERCE 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML - $14
ARIANA GRANDE Cloud 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $18
Anna Sui Flight of Fancy 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $8, 10 ML - $14
Al Haramain L’Aventure 2 ML - $2, 5 ML - $5, 10 ML - $9
Al Harmain L’Aventure Blanche 2 ML - $2, 5 ML - $5, 10 ML - $9
ARMAF CDNIM 2 ML - $2, 5 ML - $4, 10 ML - $9
ARMAF CDNIM Parfum Version 2 ML - $2, 5 ML - $5, 10 ML - $9
ARMAF CDNIM Milestone 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $8, 10 ML - $16
ARMAF Tres Nuit 2 ML - $2, 5 ML - $4, 10 ML - $9
ARMAF Derby Club House 2 ML - $2, 5 ML - $4, 10 ML - $9
BURBERRY Mr. Burberry 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $9, 10 ML - $14
BURBERRY Mr. Burberry EDP 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $9, 10 ML - $14
BURBERRY LONDON For Her EDP 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML - $14
Bond 9 New York Nights 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $15, 10 ML - $24
BVLGARI Goldea The Roman Night 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $9, 10 ML - $16
BVLGARI Mon Jasmin Noir 2 ML - $7, 5 ML - $15
BENTLEY INTENSE Eau de Parfum 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $8, 10 ML - $15
BERDOUES Collection Perfumes GRAND CRU Eau de parfum made in FRANCE:
MILLÉSIME OUD WA VANILLIA - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $12
MAASAÏ MARA - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $12
SOMEI YOSHINO - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $12
PÉNG LÁI - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $12
AZUR RIVERA - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $12
Banana Republic ICON COLLECTION Eau de Parfum:
Tobacco & Tonka Bean - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $6, 10 ML- $11
Gardenia & Cardamom - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $6, 10 ML- $11
83 Leather Reserve - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $6, 10 ML- $11
Dark Cherry & Amber - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $6, 10 ML- $11
Neroli Woods - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $6, 10 ML- $11
17 Oud Mosaic - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $6, 10 ML- $11
78 Vintage Green - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $6, 10 ML- $11
Peony & Peppercorn - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $6, 10 ML- $11
Linen Vetiver - 2 ML - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $6, 10 ML- $11
90 Pure White - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $6, 10 ML- $11
06 Black Platinum - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $6, 10 ML- $11
Cypress Cedar - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $6, 10 ML- $11
CARNER BARCELONA Botafumeiro - 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $8, 10ML - $15
CARNER BARCELONA Ambar Del Sur - 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $8, 10ML - $15
CHANEL Gabrielle Essence 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $16
CHANEL Bleu 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $16
CHANEL Bleu EDP 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $16
CHANEL Bleu Parfum 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $16
CHANEL Allure 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $16
CHANEL Allure Homme Sport 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $16
CHANEL Allure Homme Sport Cologne 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $16
CHANEL Allure Homme Sport Eau Extreme 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $16
CHANEL Egoiste Platinum 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $16
CHANEL Pour Monsieur EDP 2 ML - $7, 5 ML - $17
Creed Aventus 2 ML - $9, 5 ML - $22
Creed Aventus 10th Anniversary 2 ML - $10, 5 ML - $25
Creed Aventus Cologne 2 ML - $10, 5 ML - $25
Creed Aventus For Her 2 ML - $10, 5 ML - $25
Creed Viking 2 ML - $8, 5 ML - $20
Creed Viking Cologne 2 ML - $8, 5 ML - $20
Creed EROLFA 2 ML - $8, 5 ML - $20
Creed Neroli Sauvage 2 ML - $8, 5 ML - $20
Creed Millesime Imperial 2 ML - $8, 5 ML -$20
Creed Original Vetiver 2 ML - $8, 5 ML - $20
Creed Original Santal 2 ML - $8, 5 ML - $20
Creed Green Irish Tweed 2 ML - $8, 5 ML - $20
Creed Royal Oud 2 ML - $12, 5 ML - $29
Creed Himalaya 2 ML - $8, 5 ML - $20
Creed Tabarome 2 ML - $8, 5 ML - $20
Creed Bois du Portugal 2 ML - $8, 5 ML - $20
Creed Virgin Island Water 2 ML - $8, 5 ML - $20
Creed Silver Mountain Water 2 ML - $8, 5 ML - $20
Creed Royal Maifair 2 ML - $8, 5 ML - $20
Creed Royal Water 2 ML - $8, 5 ML - $20
Creed Royal Princess Oud 2 ML - $11, 5 ML - $27
Creed Pure White Cologne 2 ML - $12, 5 ML - $30
Creed Jardin d’Amalfi 2 ML - $12, 5 ML - $30
Creed White Amber 2 ML - $12, 5 ML - $30
Carolina Herrera Saffron Lazuli 2 ML - $10, 5 ML - $24, 10 ML - $45
Carolina Herrera Bad Boy 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML - $13
CARTIER Pasha Parfum 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10
CHOPARD Amber Malaki 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $5, 10 ML - $10
COACH New York Eau De Parfum 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10
COSTUME NATIONAL Soul 2 ML - $5, 5 ML - $10
Calvin Klein ETERNITY 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $6, 10 ML - $10
Calvin Klein Truth 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $6, 10 ML - $10
Calvin Klein Truth for Her 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $6, 10 ML - $10
COTY ASPEN 2 ML - $2, 5 ML - $4, 10 ML - $9
DIOR Fahrenheit EDT 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10
DIOR Fahrenheit Le Parfum 2 ML - $5, 5 ML - $13
DIOR Homme 2020 EDT 2 ML - $5, 5 ML - $13
DIOR Homme Le Parfum 2020 2 ML - $10, 5 ML - $25
DIOR Homme ORIGINAL 2021 EDT - 2 ML - $8, 5 ML - $20
DIOR Homme Cologne 2 ML - $5, 5 ML - $13
DIOR SAUVAGE EDP 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $15
DIOR SAUVAGE Parfum 2 ML - $7, 5 ML - $17
DIOR EAU SAUVAGE EXTREME 2 ML - $6, 5 ML - $15
DIOR Jadore EDT 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $17
DIOR Addict Shine 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $9, 10 ML - $16
Dolce & Gabbana The One EDP 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10
D & G The One INTENSE EDP 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $18
D & G Velvet Amber Sun EDP 2 ML - $7, 5 ML - $18
Dolce & Gabbana K (KING) 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML - $12
Dolce & Gabbana K (KING) EDP 2020 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $8, 10 ML - $15
Dolce & Gabbana INTENSO EDP 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $8, 10 ML - $16
Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $6, 10 ML - $11
Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue For Her 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $6, 10 ML - $11
D & G Light Blue Eau Intense 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $9
D & G Light Blue Intense For Her 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $9
DIESEL Spirit of The Brave 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $6, 10 ML - $12
Demeter Pineapple 2 ML - $2, 5 ML - $5, 10 ML - $10
Elizabeth & James White Nirvana 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $17.50
Etat Libre d’Orange You or Someone Else 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $8, 10 ML - $15
English Laundry Windsor 2 ML - $2, 5 ML - $4, 10 ML - $8
English Laundry Notting Hill 2 ML - $2, 5 ML - $4, 10 ML - $8
Frederic Malle Portrait of a Lady 2 ML - $10, 5 ML - $25, 10 ML - $50
Francis Kurkdjian L’Homme A la Rose 2 ML - $8, 5 ML - $20
Francis Kurkdjian Grand Soir 2 ML - $9, 5 ML - $22
Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540 - 2 ML - $10, 5 ML - $25
Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540 Extrait 2 ML - $12, 5 ML - $30
Francis Kurkdjian Oud Extrait 2 ML - $12, 5 ML - $30
Francis Kurkdjian Oud Satin Mood EDP 2 ML - $10, 5 ML - $25
Francis Kurkdjian Oud Silk Mood Extrait 2 ML - $12, 5 ML - $30
Francis Kurkdjian Petit Matin EDP 2 ML - $7, 5 ML - $18
Francis Kurkdjian Aqua Universalis 2 ML - $7, 5 ML - $18
Francis Kurkdjian Aqua Vitae 2 ML - $7, 5 ML - $18
Guerlain Oud Essentiel 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $18
Guerlain Shalimar Eau de Parfum 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $18
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Part I of my Story on the Empress GF, which may or may not yet come as a Meme in this AU from u/Sweet_older-Sister. But whether or not, I wrote this up and wanted to share it with you, with Part II soon to follow.
WARNING: If you expect this to be a harsh takedown or bashing of AU!Big E, I have to disappoint you. She WILL be criticized, but I personally prefer him/her to be a sympathetic, ultimately well-meaning, if highly flawed, Character. Also, the SO for Big E is both perpetual and a Psyker, just not one anywhere near her Level. That said, I kept them Gender-neutral, so if you wanna imagine them and Big E as Golden Space Lesbian Mommies, feel free to do so!
Regardless of all that, however, I mostly just hope you can enjoy this! Have fun!
I open the door to her chamber, paying no heed tot he noises of raging battle, clearly audible despite all the walls, doors and distance between us and them.
As always, despite the gold-plated…everything, the most radiant thing in this room is still her.
Tall and proud she stands as she puts on the last pieces of her golden armor, light glowing off o fit, pure and bright. Her mighty sword hangs by her side and her long, raven black hair is flowing down her back. When she turns around, her glowing eyes, which seemed so often to somehow hold both the untold wisdom oft he wises changes and yet also the boundless arrogance oft he most reckless fools widen upon seeing me, before they swiftly narrow again.
„…I told my Companions to keep you away“, she says, her voice sounding cold and rejecting.
„Well, too bad“, I say, meeting her eyes without fear. „They know better than to try and keep me away when the two of us have to talk.“
Anger briefly flares up in her eyes. „There is nothing to talk about. You are distracting me from preparing for battle!“, she says, her voice cold, harsh and regal, demanding obedience. „As your Empress, I order you to leave. At once!!“
Most other men and women would have crumbled at this moment. Hastily apologized and retreated.
But not me.
I stand my ground and return her cold glare without flinching. „…I am not your Subordinate“, I say, firmly and steadfast. „Not at this moment. Right now, I am your Consort and equal, and as such, I refuse that order!!“
Her eyes widen before she grits her teeth. „You DARE defy your Empress?!“ She stomps a foot on the ground. „I command you, LEAVE!!“
I narrow my eyes. „No.“
„I SAID LEAVE!!!“ Her scream shakes the room far more harshly than the distant Artillery Fire ever had. Her voice rings not just in my ears, but in my mind and soul, as psychic pressure seems to drown the room.
And still, I stand my ground and glare up at the Golden Giantess above me. „NO!!“
Her mask is slowly cracking, her eyes wide and her breathing starting to become uneven. „I…I ORDER you to LEAVE-“
„And I REFUSE!!“ My own shout is not nearly as impressive in terms of sheer power…but it seems to hit the Empress of Mankind like a whiplash.
Her breathing going ever more ragged, she turns away from me. „There is NOTHING to talk about, now!! Leave!!“
I clench my fist, a wave of anger rushing through me. „You think you can just shut me out like that?! Confine me to a secure Chamber while you rush off to your Doom?! You selfish BITCH!! That’s NOT how it works!! Didn’t you promise me, all these Millennia ago?! That we would see this through together, come what may?! That you would never ignore me or shut me out?!“ I snort bitterly. „But, well, I suppose you broke that last promise a while ago. What’s one more, eh?!“
I swear I can hear her breath hitch in her throat. My heart clenches at the sound, but I soldier on. She NEEDS to hear this.
„And where did that lead us?! Oh, right: Besieged in our Palace by our own daughters and their sons that have fallen prey to our worst enemies, with all that’s left to do being a reckless assault on their Leader that could well get you killed!! An assault that I just NOW learned about from one of our older sons!! How could I forget that?!“
„Stop it!!“, she growls. „I…I have to-“
„You ALWAYS ‚have to‘!! And yet, you have never stopped considering if maybe you SHOULDN’T!! That would have saved us a lot of trouble, wouldn’t it?!“ I shake my head, glaring at her. „Maybe it’s time for you to finally get that obstinate head out of your golden laurels-“
„STOP IT!!“
„-and stop being the Empress of Mankind for a few fucking minutes-“
„S-stop it!“
„-so I can finally have a real fucking talk with the woman I fell in love with again-“
„S…stop…“ Her voice sounds almost pleading now, but I steel my heart and prepare the final blow.
„BEFORE I MIGHT LOSE HER FOREVER, JUST LIKE WE LOST OUR DAUGHTERS, YOU STUBBORN OLD WOMAN!!!“
I am panting heavily, finally feeling the hot tears running down my face. I didn‘t even realize that I have begun to cry…but, laying my wounded heart bare like this has brought up all the pain and suffering from the last few years all too strongly.
Slowly, hesitantly, she turns back around to face me. The Golden Halo framing her head has vanished, as had much of her glow…and her eyes, usually so regal and proud, are now brimming with tears, looking so ancient, tired and sad as they turn towards me.
The Mask that is the Empress of Mankind has crumbled away…and what remains is the woman I had learned to know and love, all those Millennia ago, when we first met at on shores of old Albion.
A woman so old, tired, weary and sad, so beaten down and wounded that I had begun to fear she was forever lost.
„I…I am sorry…“ Her voice is almost a whimper, carrying untold grief and regret as she collapses onto her bed, which nearly breaks under her weight. „I am s-so sorry…I…I ruined everything…!“
She buries her face in her hands and begins to sob.
My heart clenches and I breathe out the last of my anger, relief flashing through my mind. I have gotten through to her, finally, for the first time in years.
Too late, I remind myself as sharp regret flashes through me. Far too late for far too many people…
But at least not entirely too late.
I sigh as I slowly walk up to and then sit down next to her. I reach up and gently place my hand on her armored arm.
„H-how…“ She finally whispers between sobs. „How did I screw this up so badly…? How did I let it come to this…?“
I sigh again. „…It was not entirely your fault“, I finally say. „The Game was rigged against us the moment the Four kidnapped them. The seeds were already sown. And…“ I look down, overwhelming regret in my heart. „And while you fucked up, it’s not like I have done too much better of a job...“
Images flash before my mind. Images of my…OUR daughters. Our darling little Girls and their significant others, our sons and daughters in law. Our greatest hope for Mankind and the Galaxy, our pride and joy. So many of them now lost forever, through our enemies fault and our own hubris.
I remember giving my blessing Hathor‘s attack on the Interex to avenge her Moonbeam, thinking nothing more of it, only for her to emerge as the Chosen Warmaster of Chaos…
I remember trying and failing to convince my Empress to give Petra more meaningful assignments, Campaigns where she can truly show her worth and skills, only to let myself be convinced that she and the Iron Warriors were needed too badly in these grueling Sieges…
I remember trying to talk Aurelia out of her worship of her Mother, to stop spreading Cults to her service over the Worlds she conquers, only to fail miserably...and to fail even more miserably in comforting her after she lost her Little Light on Monarchia…her mother and I had not talked for a while after that…
I remember chastising Alpharia and Omega for their reckless approach to collateral damage in their style of Warfare, chosing my words too harshly…
I remember coldly telling Alakhai that I do not approve of her significant other, getting into a loud shouting match over it…
I remember harshly rebuking Magnolia after Nicea, her reckless pursuit of Warp Knowledge pressing all the wrong buttons in me and, in my anger, making me compare her unfavorably to Lyanna and Mortia…
Next to me, she keeps crying, her shoulder trembling as years off suppressed guilt, regret and grief finally break through to the surface. „Our daughters…our sweet children…m-my fault…all my fault…!!“
Bitter guilt roils in my soul. „No“, I whisper quietly. „It was my fault, too. I…I wasn’t that good a parent, either…not to them, and not to our children in-law…“
...Where had we gone so wrong? We had raised children before! And not too badly, at that! So why had we now failed so miserably at keeping our Family together?!
…The answer is simple and bitter. Because we had severely overestimated our ability to be the parents they deserved while running an ever-expanding Empire of Conquest and balance between the two issues, especially since our daughters were vitally important Generals. Because we had trouble trusting people we didn’t know for a long time already, like Malcador, after Millennia of heartbreaks and betrayals. Not at all helped by the fact that we had been unable to bond with our daughters before they were taken from us as embryos.
But that is no excuse. The Lion’s share oft he blame falls on both our shoulders, and we know it. We had placed what we believed to be the needs of Mankind and the Imperium before our Family too many times…and now, we all had paid the price for this.
Oh, how the Four must be laughing at our foolishness…and, much as I HATE them for all they have done to us and our Family, I have to bitterly admit that they would be right to do so…
Still crying, she pulls me to her into a hug, which I gently return. Despite her towering over me, I had always felt the most comfortable with her when she was at this size.
…It provides a small measure of relief from the agonizing knowledge that a Number of our Children, now in service to those four fucking Cancer Tumors upon reality, are currently trying to breach into the Imperial Palace and destroy us, Mankind and all we have ever worked for. And the knowledge that some of our other children have already died at each others hands.
And now, my Empress would have to kill one more of our daughters to end this. Hathor, our best and brightest Girl, beloved and cherished, now our worst, most bitter enemy.
Our ultimate failure as Parents, laid bare.
„…I can never make up for what I have done“, my love finally says, her voice sad and resigned even as her tears still flow. „Not to them…and not to you. I am sorry…but I know that it changes nothing…“
I gently place a hand on her cheek. „…It does change one thing“, I say quietly. „That I know the woman I love is still there…“
„…I was not a good wife to you in these last years“, she whispers. „Almost as bad as I was a mother…“
I gently press my head against her. „…I forgive you“, I finally say.
She shakes her head. „I don’t deserve that…“
„Maybe not. But I forgive you, anyway.“ I look at her. „Just, please…promise me to never let your mask control you like this, again.“
She nods, burying her face in my shoulder. „I swear…I swear, I won’t…“
She is sincere. I can tell. I have known her too long not to.
„I didn’t want you to come here“, she says quietly. „I knew that if I saw you, I would crumble again…“
„Perhaps it was time for you to crumble“, I answer sadly. „To remind yourself that you are still human, at the core…not just the cold, calculating, uncaring Empress you had become…“
She tightens her hug, silence reigning for a few seconds. „…Thank you“, she finally whispers. „Thank you for…for snapping me out of this, one last time…“
Fear now rises within me. Despite knowing that this may be the last time I see her…I do not want to think about this. The idea of losing her forever after all we have been through…it is terrifying.
„…Please, don’t…don’t say that.“ Now it is I whose voice is shaking. „Our other daughters and children in-law…they still need you. The Imperium still needs you. I still need you! You…you will make it. You have been in tough spots before! You-“
She interrupts me, gently pressing her forehead against mine. „…If…if I don’t come back…promise me you’ll be there for them. For as long as you can. Please, my love…promise me you won’t give up. Promise me that you will be a better parent than I was…“
I swallow. „I…I promise.“ I finally whisper. And I mean it, as much as I desperately hope I will never have to face this future without her.
I try to calm myself. She will be fine. She will win…and after this War is over, we will finally make all the amends we can, save as many of our children as possible and finally, FINALLY do right by them…as they deserve, as we should have from the start!
We will!! We HAVE to!!
…I desperately cling onto this hope. The Alternatives…are too much to bare imagining.
She tightens her hug around me again as we sit there, quietly wishing that this last moment of quiet and calm, filled with regret and sorrow as it may be, would never end.
But it would. Soon. The Teleporters would be ready in mere Minutes.
Oh, how I wish I could accompany her onto the Vengeful Spirit, to confront our wayward daughter, perhaps, as I hoped foolishly, even save her…but I know that this is the one thing she will never allow. As a Psyker, I am powerful, but never as strong as Malcador, let alone her or any of our daughters. Chaos would not hesitate to kill me or worse aboard this tainted vessel and I can not afford to slow her down and make her waste time and energy protecting me.
And besides, if any Daemons make it through the defenses while she is gone, I will be needed to keep them from reaching the Throne.
I know that this, she would be adamant about, now more than ever. So I do not even try.
…It still causes an awful feeling in my gut, nonetheless, as we stay hugging each other for as long as we can, two foolish, flawed and weary parents, sharing in our grief, regret and sorrow over our destroyed family in these last moments before the Final Clash…

In desperate need of advice.
I made two close friends over the course of last year, despite getting betrayed in previous friendships, which was a big step for me. This previous year I've been at home so this was inevitable too. R & L got close to me. They never got along with each other, though they got along with me nicely.
I sort of realised that they both tend to drain me a lot so I made a group chat with them and another acquaintance. R and Z wanted to expand their social circle, L wanted to tag along. Now, L was the type to barely read the chat, but excessively share her problems with us now and then. Draining. R is an egoist by heart, could not tolerate someone different from her. She likes me because I tend to mould myself according to different people.
The acquaintance (Z) had initially been fond of R but soon got tired of her ego and inability to adapt to situations. Which; understandable, but she didn't have to be a jerk about it. Z left the GC after a situation where R said an offhanded remark that disrespected Z.
Now, I got really mad at this, so much that I gave R the silent treatment. I was confused back then too; what stance should I take? But in the end, L brought us together. She listened to R's rants, asked me if I was fine. A group video call and discussing the problem later, we were fine. R and L got closer after that, mostly because I was not always available to talk (ambivert here) and they bonded amongst themselves in my absence.
THE PROBLEM
Me, R and L spend months keeping the GC active, getting closer. I would think that things were fine but at some points they weren't. R and L got along well at first, but L's problem of oversharing everything was getting in the way. I wouldn't call her a narcissist– L is far from that. But maybe she's not used to social cues and her way of bonding is through her tragic stories. While I understand that friends should be there for each other in times of need; and the past year has been a bottom pit for us three, doing things excessively is a problem.
R entertained this at first but soon got tired of it. Repeated bombardment of L's situation with her crush who was nonchalant. Her family problems, career confusion. We knew she needed to see a shrink but our society is conservative. That would not have been possible. (They both need to atp)
I did not take this particularly seriously. I knew that L could change her habits for us, albeit slowly. R; the impatient type, at first could not grapple with it, but then persisted. She said she saw her "past self in L," and wanted to help her.
Situations happened where L's problems triggered R and instead of setting boundaries, she got mad at L when it was too late. Whenever R talked about her problems or feelings, L tried comforting her like, "you can try at this college/major with me," and R would get mad because she thought L was making everything about her.
Through trial and error, they finally decided to take a break. L moved away from her toxic family to frequent an academy in another city, tried to control her urges of talking about her day/problems etc. Exam season for me and R started. I put the "only admins can text," on the GC and I'd share a meme or two everyday.
THE SITUATION
Knowing me, I'd barely text either of them. I wanted no drama during exams. L respected this. She didn't text R either. One day, R texted L and asked her how she was. Instead of an "I'm okay," L hit her with a "this is how my life is going."
L has a boyfriend now. She talks about him A LOT. It gets tiring. She stopped it when she moved to the city and our exams started, but her boyfriend went to the same academy as her. The BF had also acquainted himself with R. R thought he was an okay person.
Now, shortly after R and L's interaction, BF texted R over a petty issue; L hit him in front of everyone, R should scold L that women should not hit men. R's feminism came to play. She tried mediating between them and suggested a breakup. No one liked the idea. L was mad at BF for annoying R with this problem, but since the deed was done, she further consulted R. BF, on the other hand, insulted R with words that pinched her such as, "My judgement of you was wrong. You don't know the difference between right and wrong."
L put off her decision until after a class trip where BF had to be there. She didn't want to ruin the trip. She said, "a third person can't understand the situation of two people," which pinched R. R thought she ignored her advice. I think L was finally putting up boundaries. She didn't want R to be involved in this further.
R does not know boundaries.
Where I was going through exam fever, depressed, I saw that R wanted to call me and I immediately answered. I wanted to share my burdens with a fellow exam taker. Instead, I was hit with late night calls of R ranting about the situation. She was distressed about it. She didn't understand why L wasn't taking her advice immediately. I tried to calm her down, told her it's normal for a third party to be treated like this and you shouldn't take this to heart. Getting involved wasn't the best option but it's no use lamenting over what's done.
Two days before my exam (R did not have that exam), I woke up to R's mean texts towards L in the GC. The context was logical but the way she said it, putting L down and disrespecting her was not. She said, "we never had a friendship. It was always about you and your BF and other relations. I'm ending my friendship with you," among other things. Was this true? I knew L was as much of an emotional pillar for R as she was for L. L had her fair share of listening to R's rants till 2 in the morning. Well– maybe not fair.
What's bothering me is that it wasn't L's fault this time. She tried so hard to change for R– and me– and R treated her this way.
I talked to them individually. L was distressed over this, but she didn't take into account my upcoming exam. R wanted to explain herself but she didn't take into account my exam. R said she "never treated L as a friend. I only pitied her."
Upsetting me more was that fact that R was treating me the same way she claimed L and BF treated her. She ranted to me without thinking that I had a life. She dragged me in her fight with L. She expected counselling/advice from me just to not take it. I tried telling her what she did was wrong but I couldn't control my anger at this point. Once is a mistake, twice is a pattern.
R values her friendship with me a lot more than she does with anyone else. She considers me a role model, a true friend. She also wants to garner all of my attention to her, which is impossible because I have a big social circle. She respects me. But she doesn't respect my friends. Why did I introduce friends like Z and L to her? Because she wanted to expand her social circle and wanted my help. (Of course I learned my lesson after Z's situation).
I value my friendship with R too. Despite our relationship being a 30-70, she has shown signs of improvement. She tries not to interrupt me (and still fails), she likes reading my stories and commenting on characters I make. She takes a genuine interest in my aspirations.
But she disrespected L. I'm grateful for L because she came to me at the darkest point of my life, when my search history was filled with "helpline numbers," and with her help I got offers from two universities. R doesn't know this.
I'm torn apart. I haven't talked to either of them for two days now. My relationship with L will be normal, but not with R. I don't know how to tackle things with her. I am in desperate need of help. I can't even talk about this to anyone because I've shut my socials for exams and no one is close enough for this. What do I do?

Wonder Woman #78: Eclipse

<< < [>]
Author: Predaplant
Books: Wonder Woman
Arc: Season 3: Darkness
Set: 96
Diana stared out at the horizon. She flew high above the ground. Isolated. Alone.
She watched the land below her, as far as she could see, looking for any signs of conflict, of combat. Of anything that looked abnormal at all, really. She couldn’t be too sure.
The land was crowded, busy. People had travelled halfway across the world to see what was about to happen in the sky above Diana.
But that just made it all the more dangerous.
Diana steeled herself, focused even more strongly.
The sky started to go dark.
“Seems like nothing yet,” came a voice through Diana’s earpiece, from back home in Gateway City.
Diana’s wife Chloe watched each of her displays, waiting. One thing she had gotten better at over her time as the Justice League’s coordinator was minimizing the amount of typing, clicking, and dragging that she had to do. Learning how to let the information come to her, rather than make her have to go to it, really helped her have time to process major events and effectively co-ordinate the team.
But those physical motions helped to stave away the fear, in a way. Helped her feel like she could control something, even in the times where there wasn’t much for her to actually do. Now, she sat in front of her computer, completely focused on the screen to leap into action as soon as she did start to receive reports that seemed to indicate an issue.
It felt like she was on a roller coaster, climbing the first hill, blindfolded.
As much as she had tempered her mind, had learned to quell that fear, it still poked and prodded at the back of her mind.
“Totality starts in five minutes,” Chloe called out to everybody listening. The Justice League, the Titans, Cassie’s squad, and a number of other heroes who Chloe had gotten into contact with all formed a slim band across the continent, watching the line of the eclipse.
Chloe knew that there was a chance the Dark Gods would completely overwhelm them all. They had a lot of power on their side, sure, but they couldn’t be everywhere at once. At the same time, she knew there was a chance this would all be for nothing, and there wasn’t even going to be an attack.
Hard to say for sure.
She crossed her fingers as she continued to watch for notifications.
The timer ticked down, slowly, second by second.
“Totality starts now, everybody! Keep an eye open!”
In the skies above Mexico, Diana kept her head on a swivel. The sky around her had gone dark, light swallowed up by the eclipse, but Diana’s eyes were still sharp enough to make out fine details on ground level below her. She scanned all the people looking up at the sky, but none seemed to be swept up in anything supernatural or unseemly.
Chloe’s voice came through her earpiece again. “Anybody see anything, let us know ASAP.”
But there was nothing.
Chloe knew that she couldn’t let herself get complacent, as difficult as it was to keep her focus up. There were so many little details that she had to keep an eye on. Social media activity was a big one that she usually tried to watch, but it was already elevated with the eclipse... which meant that she had to sort by region within the line of the eclipse, to see if there was any part of the line with a spike relative to the others.
She also kept watch on power grids, earthquakes, wind and weather patterns... all the sorts of things that might get triggered when an army of the gods bursts through onto the mortal plane. Her monitors were all alight with data.
But nothing indicated a target.
They had gone through so much effort to get heroes ready to spring into action... and there was nothing so far. She was almost disappointed, as much as she truly hoped against disaster.
Then something popped up on her stream that made Chloe raise an eyebrow. A trend correlated along the eclipse line that shouldn’t have anything to do with the eclipse.
She clicked on it, and it expanded to fill one of her monitors. She scrolled through posts, narrowing her eyes. This was definitely out of the ordinary.
In front of her eyes were an array of what almost looked like zombies. People who had died, but who appeared pallid, ghoulish.
Their eyes recessed into their sockets, and their mouths hung open in grotesque poses. Chloe couldn’t tell if they were smiles of delight or screams of terror. She turned away, opening up the comm link as she did so.
“Hey everybody? Think we found the problem. It’s not a physical attack, it never was. They’re attacking death.”
“Attacking death? I’m sorry, how’s that even possible?” came a voice Chloe didn’t recognize. She pressed on.
“I don’t know how they did it, but people who are dying are really weird. I’m sorry, I know this is a lot to ask, but do we happen to have any doctors here today?”
“I’m a doctor,” came a reply. “Where do you need me to go?”
WWWWW
Doctor Mid-Nite examined his patient closely. He was in a small hospital in Ohio, where an old woman had recently passed away. Mid-Nite was told that the patient was a hundred and two years old. It really hurt to see somebody who had been through so much, who deserved a peaceful death after such a long life, contorted and defaced.
But so she was.
By the time he got there, the doctors were already starting to perform an autopsy. Mid-Nite conferred with the team; they hadn’t found anything yet that would indicate why she was in such a condition. He radioed Watchtower to let her know, and joined in on the autopsy.
Back in Gateway City, Watchtower tapped her foot impatiently. She knew that autopsies took time, but the eclipse would be over fairly soon, and she wanted to be able to minimize the damage, if at all possible.
The worst part was, she knew that it wasn’t that likely that the autopsy would turn up with much at all. If this was truly magical or cosmological in nature, that change wouldn’t likely have a medical component to it. It would just... happen.
Maybe they could get somebody with more of a magical background in on this? But who was there, even? Zatanna had asked to not be contacted for heroic activities after her short stay in Gateway, and they had respected that. Maybe that British magician guy, Constantine, would show up. He always seemed to show up when he was needed... but he was a tricky one to contact. And unfortunately, she couldn’t spare the time it would take to go to Olympus and plead for help.
Maybe Diana could, though? She wasn’t a god anymore, but she was still Wonder Woman.
Chloe froze. Her brain put together the pieces.
The Wonder. The thing that had given Diana her codename in the first place. The place where the newly dead passed through on the way to their final destination, protected by the Amazons.
She immediately slammed the button to open the comm line.
“Wonder Woman! Do you think they could have gained access to the Wonder?”
Diana’s voice came back over the line, in a tenor that Chloe had so rarely heard her use. Diana was furious, and she sounded like a storm rumbling over the horizon, unstoppable, tearing the landscape apart as it growled. “That would be possible.”
“Let me know what you need to get in there and fight them back.”
Diana’s response was simple, but chilling. “I need to die.”
The line was filled with a handful of objections, from heroes across the continent. Chloe swiftly muted anybody talking for ten seconds, and continued the conversation. “Do what you need to do. We can’t let them win.”
“There would be a way to get me back. The Well of Souls on Themyscira is meant as an escape hatch back into the outside world from the Wonder. It’s protected by monsters in order to prevent us from attempting to circumvent our role as the Wonder’s protectors unless the need is dire.”
“I... I think we do still need you, Wonder Woman,” Chloe said quietly. She took her finger off the button.
“At least, I do,” Chloe muttered under her breath. Summoning her courage, she put her finger back on the button and continued.
“We’ll send a team to the Well. Do what you need to do to join the fight on that side.” She glanced at the clock. The eclipse was rapidly approaching its end. “Everybody else... if you have something important to do, feel free to go. I’d appreciate you sticking around until the end of the eclipse, but I doubt we’ll be having the fight we anticipated.”
WWWWW
It was very hard to kill an Amazon. Diana debated the best way to do it, the way she could join the fight the fastest. A number of options ran through her head. It was so hard to choose, to even consider the unpleasantness of death... but she could think of one that she might be able to handle.
She turned on her earpiece, flicking the button that would let her communicate directly with Chloe, and only her.
“I love you.”
“I love you, too,” Chloe replied. Diana could hear that she was crying. “Diana... come back.”
Diana sucked in a lungful of air. “I will.”
She took off upwards, accelerating as she did so. She thought about Chloe, Donna, Cassie, and all the other bonds she had made since coming to Man’s World. About how devastated they’d be if she didn’t return.
So she knew that one thing was true: she would have to return. Fight through the Dark Gods’ hordes, save the dead, and save the day.
She knew that one day, she would take her rest in the Wonder amongst her fallen comrades, but she knew her story still had more pages remaining. It was not the end. Not yet.
She flew higher and higher still. The air around her grew colder and thinner. She struggled to pull in a breath.
She closed her eyes and focused. She needed to keep going. Higher, and higher.
Her powerful lungs heaved, but there was barely any oxygen for her to pull on. She opened her eyes. She had made it to the stratosphere.
Diana tried to fly higher, but it felt like she was treading water. She struggled to produce force greater than that pulling her back down to Earth... but slowly, still, she pushed her way upwards.
She could feel herself fading away. She did her best to accept it. Seeing what laid beyond life was daunting... but she knew she had to do it. This was her role in this moment. Nobody else’s.
She let go, at peace with herself.
And she plummeted thirty-five kilometres downwards into the Gulf of Mexico.
WWWWW
Cassie gathered her team together as Chloe signed off. They were stationed in downtown Dallas, and the sky was cloudy enough that it was hard to watch the eclipse. There was even a warning for a storm coming in later that night.
Shame, really.
“So Wonder Woman’s dying?” Peony asked Cassie.
“Yeah,” Cassie said dourly. “I guess so.”
“We can’t let that lie,” Tora said, determination in her eyes. “Can we help her out?”
“There was that Well of Souls team, right?” Kiran asked. “Maybe we could be a part of that?”
“Not a lot of men on the Justice League,” Dolphin observed wryly. “They’re gonna need us if they want to be allowed on Themyscira.”
Cassie took a deep breath. “Yeah, sure. We can do that.”
“What’s wrong?” Kiran asked.
“It’s hard to describe,” Cassie started to say, pushing her hair back behind her ear as she did so. “But it’s kind of scary to see somebody you care about so much stare down death so bravely.”
She balled her hands up into fists. “Guess that just means those of us who are left need to fight that much harder to get her out of the Well of Souls. I’ll go tell Watchtower that we want to help out with this. Sorry, Peony, but I think you’re going to have to stay home with this one.”
Peony nodded. “Yeah… I get it. Kick Urzkartaga’s butt for me, will you?”
“We will,” Dolphin chuckled. “Or, well, Wonder Woman will.”
“Good enough,” Peony replied with her own laugh.
WWWWW
Diana opened her eyes. She was in a place that was very difficult to describe. It was dark… or, that was how she would describe it at first glance. But despite there being no sources of light, she found that she understood the geography that surrounded her perfectly, as if she were walking around her house in the dark, despite never having seen any of it before.
She could hear sounds of battle. She put a hand on her Lasso, and rushed forwards towards the fighting.
She might not have been able to see them, but she knew that there were a group of Amazons ahead, fighting off an army. That army was harder to discern; it felt like Diana’s knowledge of this place was almost repelled by them, and yet the Amazons themselves shone bright. She could see one of them getting pushed back by some sort of plant creature, and she lashed out her lasso, restraining the creature long enough for the Amazon to slice her sword clean through it, killing it.
The Amazon smiled at Diana. It was a smile Diana recognized well.
It was Sable, Diana’s former lover, lost in combat in Diana’s first few days within Man’s World.
“Diana. Glad to see you finally made it!”
The two women flew into the fight together, ready to put an end to the threat of the Dark Gods, once and for all.
<< < [>]

Copper futures soared to a record high of $5.13 per pound before easing to $5.05 on Wednesday, driven by mounting concerns over insufficient supply and heightened speculative demand, further intensified by a short-squeeze in the US.
The metal’s pivotal role in electrification—from electric vehicle charging infrastructure to grid-scale energy storage and data-center development—continues to underpin optimistic forecasts for its utility.
China’s increasing copper ore imports, despite the sharp price rise, underscore robust demand from manufacturers. This trend fuels hopes for industrial growth in the country following Beijing’s plan to issue long-maturity bonds. However, the scarcity of copper has adversely affected Chinese smelters, which account for over half of the global supply, squeezing their margins and reducing output. The prospect of increased mine supply remains bleak. High costs associated with new projects have led major mining companies to pursue mergers and acquisitions rather than initiate new developments. This trend was highlighted by BHP’s renewed attempt to acquire Anglo American, signaling a shift in strategy among mining giants facing the financial and logistical challenges of expanding production.
Copping copper
The Biden administration has begun discussions with potential investors about acquiring a stake in one of the world’s top copper producers’ Zambian mines, valued at up to $3 billion. This initiative follows a financial crisis faced by the mines owner, First Quantum Metals, and aims to prevent Chinese control over these crucial resources.
The effort to secure the Zambian mines is part of a global rush to acquire more copper. The bidding process, expected to conclude later this year, highlights the intense demand for copper.
The U.S. has long focused on building up supplies of critical metals and minerals essential for the green-energy transition. Copper futures have risen 20% this year, reflecting the urgent need for new sources as existing mines close or reduce output.
However, the U.S. lacks a domestic mining industry and a sovereign wealth fund, unlike China, which can direct its state-owned enterprises to invest heavily regardless of commodity prices.
Given these limitations, the U.S. government collaborates with private companies and friendly nations to secure investments in strategic assets. For instance, the U.S. and Saudi Arabia have discussed agreements in the Democratic Republic of Congo, ensuring American companies have rights to production from Saudi-invested mines.
Amos Hochstein, a senior adviser to U.S. President Joe Biden, has been instrumental in these efforts. Hochstein and his team have been traveling globally to promote an investment model that avoids debt and corruption. The U.S. has committed over $1 billion to the Lobito Corridor project, enhancing infrastructure to export critical minerals from Angola, Congo, and Zambia. Additionally, the U.S. successfully urged the UAE to invest in Zambia’s Mopani Copper Mines.
Last year, the International Development Finance Corp invested $740 million in the mining sector, significantly up from previous years. The agency is currently negotiating to finance a major copper mine in Pakistan, which is expected to become one of the world’s largest by 2028. TechMet, an Irish company, is one of the agency’s key investments, having received $105 million in funding.
Meanwhile, Chinese miners, with government backing, continue to acquire global mining assets aggressively. Last year, China spent over $19 billion on metals and mining investments in Belt and Road countries, the highest level since 2013. A Chinese firm is also in advanced talks to buy Chemaf, a metals producer developing a cobalt and copper mine in Congo, competing with Western companies for control of these resources.
Exploiting the price gap
Copper producers and traders are increasingly shipping more metal to the U.S. to capitalize on higher prices for CME futures compared to the London Metal Exchange, according to four sources involved in these trades.
This practice, known as arbitrage, involves selling commodities in different locations to benefit from price discrepancies. The current trend is driven by surging U.S. copper prices, as hedge funds have increased their positions in the futures market amid relatively strong demand.
On Tuesday, CME copper futures for July climbed above $10,800 per metric ton, more than $600 per metric ton above the LME price, compared to a difference of about $50 at the end of February. This significant price gap between the CME and LME has been a “big time positive” for the past two weeks, according to a source working with a South American producer.
Bids for copper to the US for June have risen to a premium of $300 per ton over the LME price, almost double what shipments were selling for a week ago. The shorter transit time from South America to the US has also halved financing costs compared to shipping to China.
“You can see the (copper) demand in the draw on CME stocks,” said a copper trader based in London. Copper stocks in CME warehouses in the U.S. have dropped 30% to 21,310 tons in the past month, indicating strong end-user demand for the industrial metal. In comparison, stocks of copper in LME-approved warehouses have fallen over 15% since early April, now standing at 103,100 tons.
Traders have cited low water levels in the Panama Canal as a factor contributing to tight supplies, along with disruptions at First Quantum’s Cobre operation in Panama.
Copper boom
Several mining companies meanwhile are advancing their projects, aiming to capitalize on the soaring demand for the industrial metal.
Giant Mining Corp. (CSE: BFG) has taken significant steps towards expanding its presence in the market. The company, which recently underwent a rebranding from Augusta Gold, is in the process of raising funds to conduct copper exploration in Nevada.
Giant Mining’s flagship project, the Majuba Hill Porphyry Copper Project situated in Nevada, USA, is targeting a resource between 50 and 100 million tonnes. Past drilling saw intersections such as 7.6 meters at 1.55% copper, 44.5 meters at 1.41% copper, 47.4 meters at 1.06% copper, and 113 meters at 0.45% copper.
Small scale historic mining has occurred at Majuba Hill, which was primarily concentrated on the Majuba fault zone and veins in subordinate structures. Drilling to date meanwhile has outlined a body of oxide copper-silver-gold mineralization, which is in the process of being defined and modeled to produce a mineral resource estimate. An imminent drilling initiative aims to provide the data required for that estimate.
Element 29 Resources (TSXV: ECU) is another player in the sector, focusing on copper exploration and development in Peru. With projects like the Elida Porphyry copper deposit and the Flor de Cobre Porphyry copper project, Element 29 aims to tap into the vast potential of Peruvian mining resources.
The pit-constrained, inferred mineral resource estimate for Elida encompasses 321.7 million tonnes, grading at 0.32% copper, equivalent to 2.24 billion pounds of contained copper. Additionally, it includes 0.029% molybdenum and 2.6 g/t silver.
Within this resource, there exists a near-surface, higher-grade subset comprising 34.1 million inferred tonnes, with copper grading at 0.55%, alongside 0.037% molybdenum, and 4.4 g/t silver. This subset, delineated by a cut-off grade of 0.45% copper, holds significant potential for extraction with minimal stripping during the initial years of mining.
Sterling Metals Corp. (TSXV: SAG) meanwhile is making waves in the Canadian mining landscape with a recent acquisition. The completion of the acquisition of the Copper Road project in Ontario marks a milestone for Sterling Metals, positioning the company to explore new copper-moly-silver-gold prospects in the region. The Copper Road project spans 24,000 hectares and represents a promising brownfield copper-moly-silver-gold venture linked to the Midcontinent Rift. Remarkably, until 2021, this project had never been fully consolidated.
Historical production data from the Coppercorp and Tribag Mines further underscores its potential. Between 1965 and 1973, Coppercorp extracted 1.02 million tonnes at 1.16% copper, while Tribag Mines reported extracting 16,000 tonnes from over 1 million tonnes of ore. Tribag Mines also reported reserves of 600,000 tons at 2.2% copper during the same period.
Recent drilling activities in 2023 have validated and expanded upon historical porphyry and breccia results at the heart of the project. Notable highlights from drilling in the breccia zone include intersections such as 38.63 meters of 1.06% copper and 50.17 meters of 0.88% copper, from depths of 76 meters and 79 meters downhole, respectively.
https://thedeepdive.ca/copper-breaches-5-per-pound-mark-amid-supply-constraints-and-speculative-demand/

Guinness World Records has been expanded by a space expert in order to showcase some incredible statistics found throughout the rest of the cosmos. In a new video this week, British scientist and BBC TV broadcaster Brian Cox says, "If there was a Guinness World Records 'Universe' book, the records would be remarkable." Cox quickly moves through an extensive list of exciting space-based records, starting with "the most enormous compact object," a supermassive black hole, a picture of which was taken by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope three years ago. The so-called M87 galaxy, which is six billion times more massive than the sun and is located 55 million light-years from Earth.In addition to numerous records, Cox unveils the universe's fastest object as well as its biggest structure and smallest object. The scientist identified Glass-z13 as the farthest distant verified galaxy when asked. "The light's journey from it to the telescope took around 13.4 billion years. We are examining the galaxy as it might have been 200 million or 300 million years after the Big Bang. Glass-z13 has a distance from Earth of little over 33 billion light-years due to the expansion of the universe. The James Webb Space Telescope, the largest telescope of its sort ever constructed, made the discovery of the far-off galaxy. The Webb telescope has been conducting research into deep space and sending stunning images back to Earth since its deployment earlier this year. As Cox points out, recordings of the universe are subject to perpetual change as astronomers and scientists make new discoveries all the time using more potent tools like the Webb telescope.
What reionized the Universe, and when?
When did the transparency of the universe begin? It's a strange but crucial question. The Universe was once opaque, but over time it changed to transparency and is still transparent now. It is literally the reason we can see far-off objects in the sky, and in a more existential sense, that instant of cosmic transparency had an impact on the behaviour of galaxies, the formation of stars, and other things. Answering the question is something that many astronomers want to do because it has significant ramifications for the objects we want to study and because we are here because of it. Astronomers from several countries may have discovered the solution to the puzzle: 12.7 billion years ago, roughly 1.1 billion years after the Big Bang. The fact that this is a few hundred million years later than previous calculations has some intriguing ramifications. Our entire Universe was in a hot, dense condition and all of its matter was ionised immediately after the Big Bang, like minutes after it: Any hydrogen or helium nuclei were free of any electron bonds. When an electron attempted to move, a photon, a particle of light, would strike it and cause it to fall. At the time, all of the light was incredibly high-energy and more than capable of maintaining the ionisation of the environment. As matter is so dense, if you were in this miasma, which in a sense you were since everything in the Universe was, it would appear absolutely opaque to you. An ionisation timeline Gas was cold and neutral in the early Universe (on the left), but as time goes on (on the right), radiation from stars and active black holes rips electrons off hydrogen atoms, illuminating the gas. An ionisation timeline Gas was cold and neutral in the early Universe (on the left), but as time goes on (on the right), radiation from stars and active black holes rips electrons off hydrogen atoms, illuminating the gas. The time interval is roughly one billion years from left to right. Thesan Collaboration, in picture Astonishingly, as the Universe cooled and expanded over the next 400,000 years, the average photon eventually ran out of energy to ionise hydrogen. For the first time, protons and electrons united and remained together to form neutral hydrogen. Recombination is the term used to describe the joining of an electron and a proton, hence this event is referred to as recombination even though it was the first time most atoms had united. Continuing the story Neutral hydrogen is highly good at absorbing visible light, the wavelengths of light humans can see, therefore the universe was still opaque even though the density of the Universe was reducing as it expanded. This period is known as the Dark Ages. That situation would last for a very, very long period until new objects formed that could emit ultraviolet light. When they were created, they ionised the hydrogen in space once more, but this time was different since the Universe had a lower density, allowing photons to go farther without being absorbed. Space became transparent all of a sudden and remained so. We can see a great distance even today because the majority of gas is ionised, or officially called a plasma. Reionization refers to this point in the universe's history. However, when did that occur? A pleasant approach to learn more exists. A blazar, or galaxy containing a supermassive black hole spewing energy, as depicted by an artist. Credit: Science Communication Lab and DESY A blazar, or galaxy containing a supermassive black hole spewing energy, as depicted by an artist. Credit: Science Communication Lab and DESY Image: Science Communication Lab at DESY Huge black holes evolved in the centres of galaxies as they initially emerged from the darkness. These black holes would collect matter as it fell into them, building up in a disc that would become extremely hot and emit high-energy ultraviolet light, X-rays, and gamma rays. These galaxies are what astronomers refer to as quasars, and we can view them from a very, very long way. When these quasars' light reaches us, it battles the Universe's expansion, which causes their wavelengths to lengthen—a process known as redshifting. In other words, the redshift reveals the quasar's distance, which in turn reveals how long after the Big Bang we observe it. Due to the fact that light can only move at a certain speed, objects that are further away are redshifted more and appear to us in the past.Because of the quasar's immense strength, even if we observe it before reionization, it will have already ionised the hydrogen immediately around it, allowing light to escape. The light from the quasar will be absorbed if there is a cloud of hydrogen between us and the quasar that is sufficiently removed from it to remain neutral. The redshift of the wavelength gap we detect in the quasar's light indicates how far away the cloud is from us and, more significantly, how far back in time we saw it. Very far distant clouds are neutral and unionised. However, following reionization, we suddenly stop noticing them because they are unable to take in the quasar's light.. So in theory, all we need to do is isolate the light from a collection of distant quasars using really good spectra. Numerous wavelengths will exhibit significant absorption, which will disappear at a sufficiently low redshift. Reionization took place then. This is really difficult to do in real life. You need really brilliant quasars, and even then, they are faint because they are so far away. Additionally, you need very good spectra, which calls for a large telescope and prolonged exposures. Numerous additional factors must also be taken into consideration, such as how the universe was structured back then. However, the astronomy team actually did this. They used archived observations of 42 additional extremely bright quasars from two other observatories in addition to 25 very distant very bright quasars from the XQR-30 survey. They discover that the Universe first became transparent roughly 1.1 billion years after the Big Bang by closely examining the 67 quasar spectra. Illustration of the first stars in the universe illuminating the gas clouds where they originated. Photo: NAOJ Illustration of the first stars in the universe illuminating the gas clouds where they originated. Photo: NAOJ And that's really fascinating! What precisely ionised the universe is unknown. There was enough time for supermassive, extremely hot, luminous stars to form as well, and they could have also blasted out UV light, enough to contribute. It might have been these very quasars. Was it thus stars, quasars, or a combination of both? The timing may be able to focus this. Reionization was previously estimated to have occurred 200 million years earlier, but if the new estimate is accurate, there is plenty of room for many more of these first-generation stars to form and contribute. So, if you'll excuse the pun, it might have been both stars and quasars working together. Around this time, galaxies were developing, and if these stars were incredibly powerful, they could blow gas straight out of the galaxies, altering the evolution of those galaxies. In order to comprehend when these stars existed and what they might have done to their surrounding environments, we need to know when reionization took place. I'll remind you that you reside in a galaxy and on a planet revolving around a star whose lineages may be traced back to this period. Reionization—what it was, when it happened, and how it affected the universe—thus plays a role in our existence. It's clear why we want to know the answer. And it might be here at last. Naturally, more observations are preferable. We may also be able to determine the duration of reionization if we have more exact estimates of this number from models of cosmic structure. 1,000,000 years? 10, fifty, or one hundred? It's almost certain that larger telescopes with better cameras will be used to answer that question. We are among the first species to comprehend precisely how the universe came into being and what occurred to it after that. You can quote me on that, but the Universe took 13.8 billion years to get here, and I think it was worth the wait.

Some of my notes on the instincts (kind long and rambly but could be helpful:
The instincts generally reflect our own personal prioritizes for having our needs met, but also manifests in how we try to mirror and channel those instincts in our relationships with others. Here’s a little bit about how being SX instinct first/second contrasts with being that instinct last in this regard. So we look after our own instinctual needs (as prioritized by our stacking) and we also extend the same priorities to others by default.
Dominant instinct is like a drug fix, we go after it and desire it so much that we develop a tolerance to it, become hard to please, addicted, constantly craving it. It starts out as a genuine/balanced need and we just take it too far (that’s how it ends up being our dominant, usually happens early in childhood, think way back).
Second instinct is more “natural”, something we do somewhat spontaneously, can be a “free/easy” space for us (depending on the relationship with the other two instincts), can sometimes antagonize the dominant or can work in synergy with it.
Last instinct is omitted from the “stacking”, and sometimes known as the blind spot. Definitely an area we are very close to literally blind in it. Blind to what it is, blind to how to take care of it, and blind within that domain in general.
We don’t see any of the instincts clearly, they’re all distorted, even the secondary – but given our priorities, the secondary instinct can be a place that we seem weirdly skilled and it’s often somewhat effortless. An example would be me, I went into a job for a specific technical skill and then was promoted as an HR person due to my social skills. No training or intention in that area, just happened naturally because I have a knack for understanding people and their potential.
SX FIRST/SECOND: offers and initiates SX with charged looks, sexual attraction gestures, erotic and emotional revelations, sexual provocations, opportunities to channel passions and chemistry, welcomes “fusion” in the form of opening/dissolving boundaries and expanding sense of self, can often take the first steps towards intimacy and push the envelope on boundaries. Readily allows themselves to be swept up in passions/impulses and invites others to do the same. Can also be overly provocative and always “on the hook/in heat” for SX stimulation. E.g. the codependency of SX comes in and they can be sensitive to your rejection or easily turned on and off (fickle, on and off, up and down, hot and cold, etc). Still, the idea is that they’re sensitive to your SX needs and look first for chemistry, attraction, charge, sexuality, repulsion, boundary-pushing, etc. in the relationships. Even if you aren’t in a sexual relationship they have an eye out for that and overemphasize SX. Can be prone to commodifying/objectifying their relationships and feelings towards others based on how many SX sparks fly in their company.
SX LAST - deprioritizes SX and can make others’ intimacy needs seem lost, unacknowledged. Can turn sexuality into something frigid/stiff/forced, forbidden, or shallowly physical and/or social (“friends with benefits”). Doesn’t naturally enjoy having mutual boundaries disturbed or expanded in real time and can seem overly inhibited. Lacks spontaneity when it comes to taking risks from an emotional or sexual standpoint. SX becomes an afterthought. All the energy is spent trying to focus on other instincts. E.g. if others are feeling comfortable/taken care of/boundary maintenance (SP) or involved/included/affiliated (SO) and SX boundary dissolution and sexual ecstatic peaks/intensities gets hung out to dry. This can lead to (at times) rather practical, mundane, efficient, boring, perfunctory, formal, lifeless relationships lacking much spark and charisma. And because SX is being repressed, it can come out in unhealthy and irresponsible ways.
SP FIRST/SECOND - naturally looks after your needs, asks if you are comfortable, produces physical sustenance and naturally provides practical help. Make strong caretakers and providers. (I stopped writing here, maybe others can fill this in, I'm not SP first or second but you get the idea. Often wants to engage others in more physical activities, like fitness, eating, exploring, going out. SP is often about "lifestyle" and SP-types can be classic "good life" people who wants to welcome you to enjoy their lifestyle with them, whatever that may be. They can really encourage you to indulge and enjoy life e.g. through food, drink, etc. An SP-first or second can have a "don't hold back" attitude that they extend towards others, like spending money shopping, food, making sure you're feeling good, looking good, etc. But it can be a bit shallow since it doesn't necessarily integrate SO and SX needs. Still, has a way of really looking at the basics of what you need and works in cooperation with you to have both of your SP needs addressed.
SP BLINDS - can make others feel neglected in SP, glosses over physical needs and forgets about practical needs and responsibilities. Has a childish quality about them, will tune out when SP responsibilities come up, will lose track of what you’re saying if it’s too focused on practicality, etc. Will often find it pretty boring and tedious to talk about stuff like finances, health, job, logistics, material needs, etc. Won’t naturally take into account your SP needs/state when trying to filter the experience, will sometimes lack some empathy e.g. if you’re sick they might dismiss you as being sick, or if you’re poor they might not realize how much worse off you are than they are, etc. This can lead to various forms of tactlessness because SP is such a central need that when it’s downplayed in importance, there’s this lack of understanding what really makes us tick and needs to be addressed.
SOC-FIRST/SECONDS - involves you in their life, welcomes you to concessions, events, causes, shares with you the latest news and brings you into their circle. SO is very much about larger groups, beyond one-to-one (where SX intimacy is dissipated and collective needs are met). It can be very relating/bonding/friendship-focused in the one-to-one sense but the topic of conversation quickly moves towards other people and broader affiliations. Usually a one-on-one relationship won’t be able to sustain if there isn’t a good bit of juice from SX. Therefore SOC-FIRSTS/SECONDS will often be skilled at connecting you, them, others, to a larger group. Often that’s where their relationships play out most vibrantly. Will invite you to the party, bring up something that’s going on in the community, ask about your friends, tell you about theirs, ask about your social groups, etc. You’ll quickly start to see that the energy is expanded beyond just you/them. And can also sometimes easily get into politics, since understanding the broader sphere becomes very important and central to the personality.
SOC-BLINDS: can be totally oblivious to larger groups like that and will downplay their importance. SOC blind can easily lump big groups of people together due to their blindness, will make generalizations about all social connections being a waste of time, etc (unless they can push SP or SX buttons). Can stereotype other people quite easily as faceless masses. Often won’t invite you along, won’t focus on broader inclusion, won’t be interested in coming along with you and others, just tends to draw a strong boundary, has limited energy or motivation to really participate in a community. Seemingly not as good relating to a group as a whole, doesn’t feel motivated or driven to talk to people, can easily remove themselves from group involvement and will often feel relieved. Can easily see SOC as a burden/waste of time. Too complicated, not enough independence/intimacy, just a general pain, obligation, etc. Also, can be quite tactless because there isn’t such a strong sensitivity of customs, traditions, manners, ethics, morals, politeness, adapting to others, can seem selfish, disinterested, and cold.

J. V. Stalin
The Party's Tasks Report Delivered at an Enlarged Meeting of the Krasnaya Presnya District Committee of the R.C.P.(B.) With Group Organisers, Members of the Debating Society and of the Bureau of the Party Units December 2, 1923 Source : Works, Vol. 5, 1921 - 1923 Publisher : Foreign Languages Publishing House, Moscow, 1954 Transcription/Markup : Salil Sen for MIA, 2008 Public Domain : Marxists Internet Archive (2008). You may freely copy, distribute, display and perform this work; as well as make derivative and commercial works. Please credit "Marxists Internet Archive" as your source.
Comrades, first of all I must say that I am delivering a report here in my personal capacity and not in the name of the Central Committee of the Party. If the meeting is willing to hear such a report, I am at your service. (Voices : "Yes.") This does not mean that I disagree with the Central Committee in any way on this question; not at all. I am speaking here in my personal capacity only because the commission of the Central Committee for drafting measures to improve the internal situation in the Party 1 is to present its findings to the Central Committee in a day or two; these findings have not yet been presented, and therefore I have as yet no formal right to speak in the name of the Central Committee, although I am sure that what I am about to say to you will, in the main, express the Central Committee's position on these questions.
Discussion — A Sign of the Party's Strength The first question I would like to raise here is that of the significance of the discussion that is now taking place in the press and in the Party units. What does this discussion show? What does it indicate? Is it a storm that has burst into the calm life of the Party? Is this discussion a sign of the Party's disintegration, its decay, as some say, or of its degeneration, as others say?
I think, comrades, that it is neither one nor the other: there is neither degeneration nor disintegration. The fact of the matter is that the Party has grown more mature during the past period; it has adequately rid itself of useless ballast; it has become more proletarian. You know that two years ago we had not less than 700,000 members; you know that several thousand members have dropped out, or have been kicked out, of the Party. Further, the Party membership has improved, its quality has risen in this period as a result of the improvement in the conditions of the working class due to the revival of industry, as a result of the return of the old skilled workers from the countryside, and as a result of the new wave of cultural development that is spreading among the industrial workers.
In short, owing to all these circumstances, the Party has grown more mature, its quality has risen, its needs have grown, it has become more exacting, it wants to know more than it has known up to now, and it wants to decide more than it has up to now.
The discussion which has opened is not a sign of the Party's weakness, still less is it a sign of its disintegration or degeneration; it is a sign of strength, a sign of firmness, a sign of the improvement in the quality of the Party's membership, a sign of its increased activity.
Causes of the Discussion The second question that confronts us is: what has caused the question of internal Party policy to become so acute precisely in the present period, in the autumn of this year? How is this to be explained? What were the causes? I think, comrades, that there were two causes.
The first cause was the wave of discontent and strikes over wages that swept through certain districts of the republic in August of this year. The fact of the matter is that this strike wave exposed the defects in our organisations; it revealed the isolation of our organisations— both Party and trade-union—from the events taking place in the factories. And in connection with this strike wave the existence was discovered within our Party of several secret organisations of an essentially anti-communist nature, which strove to disintegrate the Party. All these defects revealed by the strike wave were exposed to the Party so glaringly, and with such a sobering effect, that it felt the necessity for internal Party changes.
The second cause of the acuteness of the question of internal Party policy precisely at the present moment was the wholesale release of Party comrades to go on vacation. It is natural, of course, for comrades to go on vacation, but this assumed such a mass character, that Party activity became considerably weaker precisely at the time when the discontent arose in the factories, and that greatly helped to expose the accumulated defects just at this period, in the autumn of this year.
Defects in Internal Party Life I have mentioned defects in our Party life that were exposed in the autumn of this year, and which brought up the question of improving internal Party life. What are these defects in internal Party life? Is it that the Party line was wrong, as some comrades think; or that, although the Party's line was correct, in practice it departed from the right road, was distorted because of certain subjective and objective conditions?
I think that the chief defect in our internal Party life is that, although the Party's line, as expressed in the decisions of our congresses, is correct, in the localities (not everywhere, of course, but in certain districts) it was put into practice in an incorrect way. While the proletarian-democratic line of our Party was correct, the way it was put into practice in the localities resulted in cases of bureaucratic distortion of this line.
That is the chief defect. The existence of contradictions between the basic Party line as laid down by the Congresses (Tenth, Eleventh and Twelfth), and the way our organisations put this line into practice in the locali-ties—that is the foundation of all the defects in internal Party life.
The Party line says that the major questions of our Party activities, except, of course, those that brook no delay, or those that are military or diplomatic secrets, must without fail be discussed at Party meetings. That is what the Party line says. But in Party practice in the localities, not everywhere, of course, it was considered that there is really no great need for a number of questions concerning internal Party practice to be discussed at Party meetings since the Central Committee and the other leading organisations will decide these questions.
The Party line says that our Party officials must without fail be elected unless there are insuperable obstacles to this, such as absence of the necessary Party standing, and so forth. You know that, according to the Party rules, secretaries of Gubernia Committees must have a pre-October Party standing, secretaries of Uyezd Committees must have at least three years', and units secretaries a year's, Party standing. In Party practice, however, it was often considered that since a certain Party standing was needed, no real elections were needed.
The Party line says that the Party membership must be kept informed about the work of the economic organisations, the factories and trusts, for, naturally, our Party units are morally responsible to the non-Party masses for the defects in the factories. Nevertheless, in Party practice it was considered that since there is a Central Committee which issues directives to the economic organisations, and since these economic organisations are bound by those directives, the latter will be carried out without control from below by the mass of the Party membership.
The Party line says that responsible workers in different branches of work, whether Party, economic, trade-union, or military workers, notwithstanding their specialisation in their own particular work, are interconnected, constitute inseparable parts of one whole, for they are all working in the common cause of the proletariat, which cannot be torn into parts. In Party practice, however, it was considered that since there is specialisation, division of labour according to properly Party activity and economic, military, etc., activity, the Party officials are not responsible for those working in the economic sphere, the latter are not responsible for the Party officials, and, in general, that the weakening and even loss of connection between them are inevitable.
Such, comrades, are, in general, the contradictions between the Party line, as registered in a number of decisions of our Congresses, from the Tenth to the Twelfth, and Party practice.
I am far from blaming the local organisations for this distortion of the Party line, for, when you come to examine it, this is not so much the fault as the misfortune of our local organisations. The nature of this misfortune, and how things could have taken this turn, I shall tell you later on, but I wanted to register this fact in order to reveal this contradiction to you and then try to propose measures for improvement.
I am also far from considering our Central Committee to be blameless. It, too, has sinned, as has every institution and organisation; it, too, shares part of the blame and part of the misfortune: blame, at least, for not, whatever the reason, exposing these defects in time, and for not taking measures to eliminate them.
But that is not the point now. The point now is to ascertain the causes of the defects I have just spoken about. Indeed, how did these defects arise, and how can they be removed?
The Causes of the Defects The first cause is that our Party organisations have not yet rid themselves, or have still not altogether rid themselves, of certain survivals of the war period, a period that has passed, but has left in the minds of our responsible workers vestiges of the military regime in the Party. I think that these survivals find expression in the view that our Party is not an independently acting organism, not an independently acting, militant organisation of the proletariat, but something in the nature of a system of institutions, something in the nature of a complex of institutions in which there are officials of lower rank and officials of higher rank. That, comrades, is a profoundly mistaken view that has nothing in common with Marxism; that view is a survival that we have inherited from the war period, when we militarised the Party, when the question of the independent activity of the mass of the Party membership had necessarily to be shifted into the background and military orders were of decisive importance. I do not remember that this view was ever definitely expressed; nevertheless, it, or elements of it, still influences our work. Comrades, we must combat such views with all our might, for they are a very real danger and create favourable conditions for the distortion in practice of the essentially correct line of our Party.
The second cause is that our state apparatus, which is bureaucratic to a considerable degree, exerts a certain amount of pressure on the Party and the Party workers. In 1917, when we were forging ahead, towards October, we imagined that we would have a Commune, a free association of working people, that we would put an end to bureaucracy in government institutions, and that it would be possible, if not in the immediate period, then within two or three short periods, to transform the state into a free association of working people. Practice has shown, however, that this is still an ideal which is a long way off, that to rid the state of the elements of bureaucracy, to transform Soviet society into a free association of working people, the people must have a high level of culture, peace conditions must be fully guaranteed all around us so as to remove the necessity of maintaining a large standing army, which entails heavy expenditure and cumbersome administrative departments, the very existence of which leaves its impress upon all the other state institutions. Our state apparatus is bureaucratic to a considerable degree, and it will remain so for a long time to come. Our Party comrades work in this apparatus, and the situation—I might say the atmosphere—in this bureaucratic apparatus is such that it helps to bureaucratise our Party workers and our Party organisations.
The third cause of the defects, comrades, is that some of our units are not sufficiently active, they are backward, and in some cases, particularly in the border regions, they are even wholly illiterate. In these districts, the units display little activity and are politically and culturally backward. That circumstance, too, undoubtedly creates a favourable soil for the distortion of the Party line.
The fourth cause is the absence of a sufficient number of trained Party comrades in the localities. Recently, in the Central Committee, I heard the report of a representative of one of the Ukrainian organisations. The reporter was a very capable comrade who shows great promise. He said that of 130 units, 80 have secretaries who were appointed by the Gubernia Committee. In answer to the remark that this organisation was acting wrongly in this respect, the comrade pleaded that there were no literate people in the units, that they consisted of new members, that the units themselves ask for secretaries to be sent them, and so forth. I may grant that half of what this comrade said was an overstatement, that the matter is not only that there are no trained people in the units, but also that the Gubernia Committee was over-zealous and followed the old tradition. But even if the Gubernia Committee was correct only to the extent of fifty per cent, is it not obvious that if there are such units in the Ukraine, how many more like them must there be in the border regions, where the organisations are young, where there are fewer Party cadres and less literacy than in the Ukraine? That is also one of the factors that create favourable conditions for the distortion in practice of the essentially correct Party line.
Lastly, the fifth cause—insufficient information. We sent out too little information, and this applies primarily to the Central Committee, possibly because it is overburdened with work. We receive too little information from the localities. This must cease. This is also a serious cause of the defects that have accumulated within the Party.
How should the Defects in Internal Party Life be Removed ? What measures must be adopted to remove these defects?
The first thing is tirelessly, by every means, to combat the survivals and habits of the war period in our Party, to combat the erroneous view that our Party is a system of institutions, and not a militant organisation of the proletariat, which is intellectually vigorous, acts independently, lives a full life, is destroying the old and creating the new.
Secondly, the activity of the mass of the Party membership must be increased; all questions of interest to the membership in so far as they can be openly discussed must be submitted to it for open discussion, and the possibility ensured of free criticism of all proposals made by the different Party bodies. Only in this way will it be possible to convert Party discipline into really conscious, really iron discipline; only in this way will it be possible to increase the political, economic and cultural experience of the mass of Party members; only in this way will it be possible to create the conditions necessary to enable the Party membership, step by step, to promote new active workers, new leaders, from its ranks.
Thirdly, the principle of election must be applied in practice to all Party bodies and official posts, if there are no insuperable obstacles to this such as lack of the necessary Party standing, and so forth. We must eliminate the practice of ignoring the will of the majority of the organisations in promoting comrades to responsible
Party posts, and we must see to it that the principle of election is actually applied.
Fourthly, there must exist under the Central Committee and the Gubernia and Regional Committees permanently functioning conferences of responsible workers in all fields of work—economic, Party, trade-union and military; these conferences must be held regularly and discuss any question they consider it necessary to discuss; the interconnection between the workers in all fields must not be broken; all these workers must feel that they are all members of a single Party family, working in a common cause, the cause of the proletariat, which is indivisible; the Central Committee and the local organisations must create an environment that will enable the Party to acquire and test the experience of our responsible workers in all spheres of work.
Fifthly, our Party units in the factories must be drawn into dealing with the various questions relating to the course of affairs in the respective enterprises and trusts. Things must be so arranged that the units are kept informed about the work of the administrations of our enterprises and trusts and are able to exert an influence on this work. You, as representatives of units, are aware how great is the moral responsibility of our factory units to the non-Party masses for the course of affairs in the factories. For the unit to be able to lead and win the following of the non-Party masses in the factory, for it to be able to bear responsibility for the course of affairs in the factory—and it certainly has a moral responsibility to the non-Party masses for defects in the work of the factory—the unit must be kept informed about these affairs, it must be possible for it to influence them in one way or another. Therefore, the units must be drawn into the discussion of economic questions relating to their factories, and economic conferences of representatives of the factory units in a given trust must be called from time to time to discuss questions relating to the affairs of the trust. This is one of the surest ways both of enlarging the economic experience of the Party membership and of organising control from below.
Sixthly, the quality of the membership of our Party units must be improved. Zinoviev has already said in an article of his that here and there the quality of the membership of our Party units is below that of the surrounding non-Party masses.
That statement, of course, must not be generalised and applied to all the units. It would be more exact to say the following for example: our Party units would be on a much higher cultural level than they are now, and would have much greater authority among non-Party people, if we had not denuded these units, if we had not taken from them people we needed for economic, administrative, trade-union and all sorts of other work. If our working-class comrades, the cadres we have taken from the units during the past six years, were to return to their units, does it need proof that those units would stand head and shoulders above all the non-Party workers, even the most advanced? Precisely because the Party has no other cadres with which to improve the state apparatus, precisely because the Party will be obliged to continue using that source, our units will remain on a somewhat unsatisfactory cultural level unless we take urgent measures to improve the quality of their membership. First of all, Party educational work in the units must be increased to the utmost; furthermore, we must get rid of the excessive formalism our local organisations sometimes display in accepting working-class comrades into the Party. I think that we must not allow ourselves to be bound by formalism; the Party can, and must, create easier conditions for the acceptance of new members from the ranks of the working class. That has already begun in the local organisations. The Party must take this matter in hand and launch an organised campaign for creating easier access to the Party for new members from workers at the bench.
Seventhly, work must be intensified among the non-Party workers. This is another means of improving the internal Party situation, of increasing the activity of the Party membership. I must say that our organisations are still paying little attention to the task of drawing non-Party workers into our Soviets. Take, for example, the elections to the Moscow Soviet that are being held now. I consider that one of the big defects in these elections is that too few non-Party people are being elected. It is said that there exists a decision of the organisation to the effect that at least a certain number, a certain percentage, etc., of non-Party people are to be elected; but I see that, in fact, a far smaller number is being elected. It is said that the masses are eager to elect only Communists. I have my doubts about that, comrades. I think that unless we show a certain degree of confidence in the non-Party people they may answer by becoming very distrustful of our organisations. This confidence in the non-Party people is absolutely necessary, comrades. Communists must be induced to withdraw their candidatures.
Speeches must not be delivered urging the election only of Communists; non-Party people must be encouraged, they must be drawn into the work of administering the state. We shall gain by this and in return receive the reciprocal confidence of the non-Party people in our organisations. The elections in Moscow are an example of the degree to which our organisations are beginning to isolate themselves within their Party shell instead of enlarging their field of activity and, step by step, rallying the non-Party people around themselves.
Eighthly, work among the peasants must be intensified. I do not know why our village units, which in some places are wilting, are losing their members and are not trusted much by the peasants (this must be admitted)—I do not know why, for instance, two practical tasks cannot be set these units: firstly, to interpret and popularise the Soviet laws which affect peasant life; secondly, to agitate for and disseminate elementary agronomic knowledge, if only the knowledge that it is necessary to plough the fields in proper time, to sift seed, etc. Do you know, comrades, that if every peasant were to decide to devote a little labour to the sifting of seed, it would be possible without land improvement, and without introducing new machines, to obtain an increase in crop yield amounting to about ten poods per dessiatin? And what does an increase in crop yield of ten poods per dessiatin mean? It means an increase in the gross crop of a thousand million poods per annum. And all this could be achieved without great effort. Why should not our village units take up this matter? Is it less important than talking about Curzon's policy? The peasants would then realise that the Communists have stopped engaging in empty talk and have got down to real business; and then our village units would win the boundless confidence of the peasants.
There is no need for me to stress how necessary it is, for improving and reviving Party life, to intensify Party and political educational work among the youth, the source of new cadres, in the Red Army, among women delegates, and among non-Party people in general.
Nor will I dwell upon the importance of increasing the interchange of information, about which I have already spoken, of increasing the supply of information from the top downwards and from below upwards.
Such, comrades, are the measures for improvement, the course towards internal Party democracy which the Central Committee set as far back as September of this year, and which must be put into practice by all Party organisations from top to bottom.
I would now like to deal with two extremes, two obsessions, on the question of workers' democracy that were to be noted in some of the discussion articles in Pravda.
The first extreme concerns the election principle. It manifests itself in some comrades wanting to have elections "throughout." Since we stand for the election principle, let us go the whole hog in electing! Party standing? What do we want that for? Elect whomever you please. That is a mistaken view, comrades. The Party will not accept it. Of course, we are not now at war; we are in a period of peaceful development. But we are now living under the NEP. Do not forget that, comrades. The Party began the purge not during, but after the war. Why? Because, during the war, fear of defeat drew the Party together into one whole, and some of the disruptive elements in the Party were compelled to keep to the general line of the Party, which was faced with the question of life or death. Now these bonds have fallen away, for we are not now at war; now we have the NEP, we have permitted a revival of capitalism, and the bourgeoisie is reviving. True, all this helps to purge the Party, to strengthen it; but on the other hand, we are being enveloped in a new atmosphere by the nascent and growing bourgeoisie, which is not very strong yet, but which has already succeeded in beating some of our co-operatives and trading organisations in internal trade. It was precisely after the introduction of the NEP that the Party began the purge and reduced its membership by half; it was precisely after the introduction of the NEP that the Party decided that, in order to protect our organisations from the contagion of the NEP, it was necessary, for example, to hinder the influx of non-proletarian elements into the Party, that it was necessary that Party officials should have a definite Party standing, and so forth. Was the Party right in taking these precautionary measures, which restricted "expanded" democracy? I think it was. That is why I think that we must have democracy, we must have the election principle, but the restrictive measures that were adopted by the Eleventh and Twelfth Congresses, at least the chief ones, must still remain in force.
The second extreme concerns the question of the limits of the discussion. This extreme manifests itself in some comrades demanding unlimited discussion; they think that the discussion of problems is the be all and end all of Party work and forget about the other aspect of Party work, namely, action, which calls for the implementation of the Party's decisions. At all events, this was the impression I gained from the short article by Radzin, who tried to substantiate the principle of unlimited discussion by a reference to Trotsky, who is alleged to have said that "the Party is a voluntary association of like-minded people." I searched for that sentence in Trotsky's works, but could not find it. Trotsky could scarcely have uttered it as a finished formula for the definition of the Party; and if he did utter it, he could scarcely have stopped there. The Party is not only an association of like-minded people; it is also an association of like-acting people, it is a militant association of like-acting people who are fighting on a common ideological basis (programme, tactics). I think that the reference to Trotsky is out of place, for I know Trotsky as one of the members of the Central Committee who most of all stress the active side of Party work. I think, therefore, that Radzin himself must bear responsibility for this definition. But what does this definition lead to? One of two possibilities: either that the Party will degenerate into a sect, into a philosophical school, for only in such narrow organisations is complete like-minded-ness possible; or that it will become a permanent debating society, eternally discussing and eternally arguing, until the point is reached where factions form and the Party is split. Our Party cannot accept either of these possibilities. This is why I think that the discussion of problems is needed, a discussion is needed, but limits must be set to such discussion in order to safeguard the Party, to safeguard this fighting unit of the proletariat, against degenerating into a debating society.
In concluding my report, I must warn you, comrades, against these two extremes. I think that if we reject both these extremes and honestly and resolutely steer the course towards internal Party democracy that the Central Committee set already in September of this year, we shall certainly achieve an improvement in our Party work. (Applause.)
Pravda, No. 277, December 6, 1923
Notes 1. This refers to the commission set up in conformity with the decision of the Political Bureau and of the Plenum of the Central Committee of the R.C.P.(B.) which took place on September 23-25, 1923.
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