My IGSRep Page
My Barter Page
Games I Have:
Amnesia: The Bunker
Anomaly Defenders
Arcade Paradise
Astalon
Astalon
Autonauts vs Piratebots
Bot Vice
Calico
Chariot
Chivalry 2
Chivalry 2 Epic Edition
Crumble
Dead Island Riptide
Deceive Inc
Deponia
Filthy Animals Heist Simulator
For The King
From Space
Hotshot Racing
How 2 Escape
Just Die Already
My Friendly Neighborhood
My Friendly Neighborhood
My Friendly Neighborhood
OlliOlli World
Ryse: Son of Rome
Saints Row Gat Out of Hell
Saints Row The Third
Say No! More
Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones
Suchart Genius Artist Simulator
Super 3-D Noah's Ark
Switchball HD
The Beast Inside
The Town of Light
Turbo Overkill
Ultimate Zombie Defense
Warhammer 40,000: Daemonhunters
When Ski Lifts Go Wrong
Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus
Yono and the Celestial Elephants
Games I Want:
A Hat in Time
SOMA
The Surge
Bulletstorm
Dead Cells
LEGO City Undercover, Harry Potter 5-7, Indiana Jones, Pirates

Wade held Jasmine in his arms as he flew a low height down the long road to another section of the staryard, Tina on his back and Nathan and F right behind them in the air. Together, the five glided across the base grounds, taking care as to not irritate the aerial security during their search for the meeting room. Being outside for the flight, the group considered it a blessing that Wade's 'enhanced cooling unit' allowed his body to tolerate the breaching sun in the still cloudy sky, which, according to F, was dangerous to drones like her due to the inefficient cooling she and disassembly drones like her suffered from. Given F's physical fault, she had to fly under shady areas in order to safely traverse the base at day.
Originally, Wade and his friends had planned to walk to the meeting zone, but after running into a trooper experiencing a health mishap, the group did what they could to help the distressed officer. By the time he was brought to the medical ward by other soldiers, Wade found that him and his team would be at least a few minutes late if they kept on their way with their walk.
Deciding to speed things up, Wade, understanding the concern for performing such an effort, opted to carry the Fowleys around the base to the meeting area. Reluctantly, F decided to come along, carrying Nathan in a similar manner that Wade was carrying Jasmine. Taking notice of the time on his HUD, which read, "9:47 AM", Wade scouted for the building he and his friends were directed to. "8072" He said to himself, the number being for the building that would house the imminent meeting.
"They said it was down here, right?" Wade asked aloud to Tina before stopping himself in mid-air, the girl holding onto him tightly as he tried to speak over the growing sound of a retrofit Apache flying overhead.
Looking about, Tina nodded as she spotted the target building. "Yes, I believe that's the one over there!" Pointing past his head, Wade followed her finger to a large building ahead at his right. The structure was moderately tall, only about two stories high, with several soldiers and officers going in and out of the building. Wade smiled as he noticed the target number, as well as the big, bold words describing the building's designation. "8072, Briefing Center B"
"Good eye, honey. Hang on!" Continuing his low glide, Wade zoomed towards the building's entrance before stopping just meters above the ground, his two friends close behind as they slowed down as well. The troopers around them initially looked startled by the sudden arrival of Wade and his group, but quickly regained their composure as Wade hovered still above them.
"At ease! Just visitors." One of the soldiers declared as they identified the newcomers, who touched down before Wade let Jasmine down to her feet, Tina hopping onto the ground along with her.
Putting his hands up, Wade apologized for his swift surprise. "Sorry for the scare, we got delayed for a meeting we're invited to."
The soldier gave an understanding nod as he replied to the former worker drone sternly. "I can see that, just be a bit more careful next time, Mr. Carter. You gave the boys here quite a scare."
Wade returned the gesture in embarrassment as F put a hand to his back, chuckling at his efforts as Tina questioned the officer. "Is Mrs. J in there? She's the one who called for us."
The guard gave his reply as Wade and Tina pulled out their IDs for clearance. "Yes she is, Miss. The meeting's set to begin in under ten minutes." Checking the two drones' IDs, Jasmine and the others pulled out theirs as well, the watchman motioning another trooper over to verify the group. Once the guard finished checking the five's cards, he nodded in approval as the watchman spoke once more. "You're clear to enter."
"Thank you Sir, again, sorry about that spook back there." Wade replied with a smile as the trooper gave one of his own, the disassembly drone and his allies making their way towards the office door before stopping upon the call of a voice.
"Hey, Felice!" Wade turned to find the origin of the voice, F doing the same as the two quickly spotted a quartet of soldiers walking excitedly towards F. The disassembly drone glanced to her friends with a smile before turning back to the approaching entourage.
Wade examined the four troops as they got closer: Two human men, one woman, and a male worker drone. One of the male soldiers had short, blonde hair, and a small scar to the right side of their face. The second man bore a tan skin tone and had black hair, with blue strips that went down slightly in a mullet style. The woman bore a set of long, dark green hair, with the hair going down and over her left shoulder. As for the worker drone, he wore the standard green soldier helmet, single eye visor and all. He had no hair on him from what Wade could tell, and bore a pair of whiteish purple eyes on his visor.
As F walked over to the soldiers, the same one that called to her spoke again. "Felicity, I didn't expect to see you around here today! Where you been?"
The girl soldier interrupted his initial chatter. "Hang on Carlos, do you even know if she remembers us?"
"Aye, don't she have one o' them memory locks, or sumthin?" The drone added in a heavy Scottish accent.
F waved her hand as she replied to the group. "Easy, everyone. Thankfully I still got my memories, courtesy of my technician back at Central." Lowering her hand, F let down her usual persona as she gave a wide smirk to the soldiers, clearly pleased to see them. "Good to see you guys around here."
The soldiers gave light cheers to F as they all embraced her, the group having a surprise reunion as Wade and the others watched in surprise. These must've been F's old colleagues from when she was in the service, Wade thought. Quite the coincidence for them to be here at this base of all places.
Not bothering with the convenience of the matter, Wade shook the thought off as he and his friends watched F and her old friends breaking the hug, Tina wrapping an arm around her boyfriend as the second male human spoke to her in what the two discerned as Spanish. "Ay, who your new friends, F?"
"Oh, these guys?" F replied in the same language, quietly startling Wade and the others as they had never heard her speak like that until now. Glancing over to Wade, F motioned him and the others to come over. "Everyone, these are some friends I made in the past few days. Wade, Nathan, Tina, and Jasmine." She pointed her hand to the four as she said each of their names. "I met the boys here during my time on Ceres. Jasmine and Tina here are sisters."
The four soldiers gave various forms of excitement, ranging from hearty laughs to low woops and even a whistle from one of the guys. As F stood next to her old teammates, they each introduced themselves to Wade and his friends. The blonde soldier went first. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you all, name's Carlos, Lieutenant Marksman."
"I'm Private Alvaros, good with close-range and stealth operations." Said the tan soldier with a salute.
"Sergeant Lucia Vasquez, usually the one who leads this bunch around these days." The female warrior stated with a humorous smirk.
"And Corporal Duncan Wallace, at your service!" The soldier drone stated proudly as he saluted to the bunch in front of him, who gave warm smiles as Wade shook his hand.
"Quite honored to meet you all, seems you have quite the history with F." The former worker drone said as Carlos patted F on her back.
"Oh, we do! She's the one who took charge when we didn't! Did you all hear of the Pasting of Nola VI?" Jasmine and Tina gave nods of affirmation while Wade, not as familiar with such history, held his hand up in a questioning manner.
"I think, wasn't that the battle where the Navy just barely held the outpost in that system? From the Stryker Clan?" Wade asked as Carlos nodded approvingly to him.
"That's right, and if Felice weren't there, WE would've been the ones getting pasted!" Carlos' statement brought victorious cheers and "oorahs" from the group, F letting a blush loose as she chuckled at her team's praise of her efforts.
"Well, that's not wrong." Although she didn't want to break off from her friends and discuss the past few years since they'd last met, F remembered the briefing. Clearing her throat, she continued. "And as much as I'd like to chat about the good times, I've been called to a meeting here, as have Wade and his crew."
The soldier group gave understanding looks to F as Lucia spoke up. "Thought so, Carl here was real eager to see you, though."
"Maybe we can talk after the meeting?" Nathan proposed as the soldiers collectively nodded in agreement, F readying a smartcomm attachment before turning to face her friends again.
"We're probably getting low on time, you all go in, I'll catch up in a sec." Wade nodded in acknowledgement before taking Tina's hand, the lover drones continuing towards the briefing center as Jasmine and Nathan followed behind them.
Passing through the door, the four guests observed a short hallway, which seemed to split into two paths as they came closer to the other end. Looking to a sign on the wall above, they saw arrows pointing to two separate areas, "Primary Briefing Room; Main Lobby + Secondary & Tertiary" Going to the right, they entered the moderately active lobby, several officers walking and standing about in mass chatter. Walking over to the desk up against the wall to their left, Wade and his group waved a hand to the occupying attendant.
"Welcome, what do you need?" The desk attendant asked as Tina raised a finger to reply.
"We're here for a meeting, Mrs. J called us here."
The attendant nodded in understanding before directing an arm towards the other end of the room, where a single door stood. "She should be in the second briefing room down that way."
"Thank you." Tina replied warmly before she and Wade began walking towards the door, their friends behind them as they proceeded into the room.
The room beyond the door was quite sizable, a large circular table occupying the middle with several chairs surrounding it. The walls went up a few meters, with four whiteish blue lights illuminating the room. On the wall opposite to Wade and Tina were three monitor screens, all of which showed the USN in bright blue. In several of the seats were faces both familiar and unfamiliar, several men and women in varying styles of uniforms conversing about quietly or taking notice of the recent visitors. Standing up near the monitors were three people: A decorated officer whom Tina identified as a ship captain, and the so-called operatives, Tessa, albeit as a hologram, and J.
Walking slowly into the room, Wade gave a low wave of his hand as he tried to hide his nervousness. Noticing his shyness in front of the officers, Tina held his hand and rubbed his arm comfortingly while returning a pleasant smile to the staff in the room.
"Ah, Wade, Tina. Glad to see you all here." J stated with a smile as she scanned the group, raising a digital eyebrow as she noticed one missing guest. "Or, most of you, I see. Did F run off somewhere?"
Wade shook his head as he replied to his fellow disassembly drone. "Oh, no. She just ran into some old friends, she should be back-"
"Right now." F finished aloud as she entered the room, seemingly having heard Wade speaking about her absence. The warrior drone fast walked to Wade's team, taking a seat near them as they prepared to do the same. "Not too late, are we?"
"Not at all." The standing officer answered as the group took their seats, Wade and Tina sitting next to each other as they got comfortable. The captain examined the lot for a moment, glancing to J as he asked about them. "So, these are the ones you helped rescue from the Mojave?"
"Yes Captain, and they helped us out greatly in turn. This is Wade Carter, one of the captured drones whom became a disassembly drone before we could mount the rescue. The luckiest one, if you ask me." Motioning her arm over the others, she continued. "And there's his girlfriend, Mrs. Tina Fowley, and her sister Jasmine." Smirking to F and Nathan, she finished her friends' introductions. "And these two are Serial Designation F and Mr. Nathan, whom I've heard were once under your ranks."
The military captain gave a welcoming smile to the five as they returned the gesture, eyeing F and Nathan specifically before speaking to them. "Indeed they were, we still have records on their contributions to the colonies." Eyeing F, he continued. "Though, in Mrs. F's case, I won't blame her if she doesn't remember us. We've been very well aware of JCJenson's 'memory suppression' protocols when it comes to their DDs."
F laid back in her seat with a smug look as she replied to her former superior. "Well, my friend on the station's a good tech gal. She's... waived that hindrance from me."
"I see, that means your still with us, am I right, Mrs. Lee?" Unlike her friends next to her, F was not startled by her original name being said aloud, rather smiling proudly as she saluted to the captain. "Good to see you again."
"Pleased to be here, Sir." F replied as she lowered her arm, glancing to her companions next to her as J spoke up.
"Everyone, I'd like you to meet Captain Preston Mitchell, commander of the USNV Vickers down at the stardock."
Wade gave a respectful salute to Preston as he spoke first. "It's an honor to meet you, Sir."
"Thank you, Mr. Carter. I've heard about your efforts from J, you did an admirable job back there, son." Wade failed to hide an embarrassed blush from the compliment, but it quickly faded as a beep sounded from a small device on the table. It was swiftly silenced by the captain as he tapped a button on the small, pyramid shaped timer, then facing Wade's group before continuing. "Though, as much as we could use some small talk, it'll have to wait till later."
"Indeed, we're running late at this point." Said another officer, a highly decorated member of the base with dark skin, dark grey hair and a thin beard. He immediately won the attention of everyone in the room as he spoke up. "I'm General Hugh Hood, overseer of this base. I'm certain you know some of the reasons you're here with us, correct?"
Wade nodded as he spoke to Hood. "Yeah, it's cause of those rogue agents from the JCJenson corporation." Glancing to J, the corporate drone nodded in affirmation before speaking herself.
"Tessa and I spent the last hours of yesterday evening clearing up the matter with General Hood, along with several other officials stationed here." She stopped as the middle monitor behind her flashed with a banner at the top, reading, "INCOMING TRANSMISSION", and in place of the USN emblem was a textless version of the JCJenson logo. Below the profile image was another two lines of text. "N. Jenson (Company Exec); Comms Source: Yottrite IV"
"And also told our boss about what happened here too, he wanted to give his say on this ordeal." Looking to the general, J asked him, "May I put him on?"
Hood only gave a nod of approval to the corporate drone before she picked up a remote on the table and tapped a button, accepting the call as the picture shifted to show a middle-aged man in a pristine-looking business suit on the screen.
Wade and Tina glanced to each other before J introduced their guest on the screen. "Ladies and Gentlemen, the CEO of JCJenson: Mr. Noor Jenson."
Jenson gave a pleased nod to his subordinate as he spoke to J. "Thank you for the pleasantries, J. I see we are ready to discuss our plans on dealing with this 'recall' disaster I've bore witness to on the news this morning?"
J nodded as she replied to her boss. "Indeed, I've explained to General Hood here about our efforts yesterday, and, as of recent, we've just received a message from a source we believe to be close to the company."
Mr. Jenson looked down to J attentively as he spoke to her. "Well, that's quite intriguing news, J. Do you have this message available for us to view?" J and Hood both nodded in affirmation, but didn't get an immediate reply as Jenson gazed to Wade and his friends. "...And I presume these are some of the drones rescued from one of the factories?"
Again, J nodded to her superior before explaining her colleagues. "Yes Mr. Jenson, the two drones at the front in particular were among those taken by the Administrator and their subordinates." Pointing an arm to Wade and Tina, she introduced the drone couple. "The disassembly drone here is Mr. Wade Carter, a brother to his-technically speaking-owner, the late Ron Carter. The latter helped us recover Wade during an initial raid inside the Nevada facility." When bringing up Ron, J gave an apologetic look to Wade as to show she did not mean to be offending on him and his brother's relationship. "And this is his romantic partner, Mrs. Tina Fowley. I heard she and her sister Jasmine are pilots."
Jenson looked over the two drones as his obedient employee described them to him, quietly sighing as Wade and Tina returned the gaze with nervous smiles. Once J finished, Jenson spoke to Wade. "I... would say it's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Carter. But, given recent events, I don't hold fault to you for feeling frustrated at me for my... former subordinate's actions."
Wade shook his head lightly, taking Jenson's light apology with a faint smile as he replied to the CEO. "Actually, I don't. The only person I have such feelings put towards is," He hesitated for a moment, his anger at Dr. Halloway returning for a short moment before he eased himself. "..That bastard Halloway."
"The feeling's mutual, Mr. Carter. Dr. Halloway has been trying my patience for years now, especially with you and your fellow disassembly drones." Looking to J, then F, he returned his gaze to Wade before questioning him on his new body. "I don't know if J has told you of this, but if there's one truth my company has admittedly not held up to for a while, it's our quality. Recently, some of my research staff here made blueprints for an upgraded variant of the disassembly drone design. It's intended to fix several faults we expected to be nonexistent previously, most notably that atrocious cooling unit."
As a schematic pulled up on the left monitor, everyone glanced to the improved design before F spoke up about it. "If I may ask, Mr. Jenson, how big of an improvement is this new cooling unit supposed to be?"
"Good question, F. Frankly, it's supposed to do away with the issue entirely. Saves us from sacrificing enormous supplies of oil for the poorly built unit in the previous iterations. We even tested it with a repaired drone just a few days ago, and it worked flawlessly." Then, glancing to Wade again, he questioned the former worker drone on his new form. "Speaking of, how does your enhanced body feel, Mr. Carter? I'm certain it feels better to not have to-"
"Actually, Mr. Jenson," Wade interrupted, pulling out one of his canteens as he answered the CEO on his upgrades. "I guess Halloway changed up the blueprints, cause unfortunately this new cooling unit didn't cure the overheating problem. I... kinda learned that the hard way." Wade glanced to Tina apologetically, still feeling bad from her seeing him eat the corpse of the dead murder drone back at the factory.
The corporate CEO grimaced in frustration as he took in Wade's statement, already intolerant of the head researcher's actions as he replied. "...I was worried about that, Edgar always likes to run things his own way, making excuses for that 'Administrator' he watches over." Taking an agitated breath, he continued on with his spew on the two culprits of yesterday's events. "It was only because of all the very impressive creations and enhancements she and her research team provided that I tolerated them for so long, but this..." Sitting up straight in front of the camera, Jenson finished sternly. "J said the Administrator... Cyn, I believe? She was apparently something worse than we presumed originally, and I'm very inclined to believe so after yesterday."
"As well as the program tied to the Administrator, the AbsoluteSolver." J clarified before receiving an agreeing nod from Mr. Jenson, standing corrected on his placing of blame.
Raising a hand, Nathan asked about the supposed plans. "Yeah, about this "Solver Project", what do we plan to do about that?"
"Good question, Nate." Tessa replied as she crossed her arms before looking to Jenson and beginning her explanation. "Initially, we were going to investigate the other factories spread across Earth in order to get some more info on the Administrator before things get worse. But, just this morning, it seems someone else saved us the trouble." Just as Tessa neared the end of her sentence, J held up the remote again, tapping a few buttons before the left monitor shifted to show a slightly grainy video onscreen.
The video only showed a single being, a worker drone, dressed in a chrome suit and bearing a set of yellow eyes. Behind them was what appeared to be a vacant room, a few shelves holding many books within them standing still in the back. The drone's visage indicated they were filled with immense anxiety, terrified of being caught as they spoke quietly to the camera.
"I can only hope someone gets this in time, they're gonna be on me once they find out the transmitter screens are down!" Turning the camera, he showed what appeared to be a large factory room, several more of the mysterious conveyor belts like at the factory slotted next to each other. It was hard to discern every detail due to not only the window reflection, but also the dark lighting in the inactive conveyor room. Filming the room beyond, the drone continued. "Dr. Halloway's a madman, he's got more of those stolen drones being brought here and he's going to be overseeing it in the afternoon tomorrow! I've seen what happened back in Nevada, I can't take this any longer! I'm at coordinates ##.######, -###.###### Please, send someo-"
The suspicious, partially scrambled transmission immediately cut off to static, leaving Wade, Tina, and their friends with confused expressions as Tessa spoke up. "Yeah, that caught me by surprise too."
"So, that guy says they got more drones being sent 'there', but... where is there, exactly?" Jasmine asked with immense curiosity.
"I was hoping you'd ask that, Mrs. Fowley." The technician replied as she glanced to J, who tapped a few more buttons on the remote before speaking over her boss-friend.
"While the transmission itself isn't much to work off of, our friends from Comms over here managed to intercept the signal earlier, and even better, discern where it originated from." As J started her explanation, the screen shifted once more to show a large city, with one skyscraper highlighted in red as it was zoomed towards on the screen. "That scrambled audio wasn't a simple glitch, it was intentionally done so as to hide key information for us to uncover. Upon cleaning up the message, we managed to recover a set of coordinates, which direct to this structure here, in San Francisco."
Wade and his friends stared at the building in shock, examining the tall structure as it stood over the shorter buildings in the city. Tina broke the silence in her gaze. "So, this is another factory? It looks... terribly different from the one we got out of."
"Not exactly, Mrs. Fowley." Mr. Jenson answered, Tina and the others looking to him as he continued. "THAT is the Administrator's main laboratory, its location was kept on the down low so other authorities and terrorist groups wouldn't find out what the buildings true purpose was." Sighing, Jenson completed his reply. "But, with this recent mistake of Halloway's, that place has lost all purpose for us at the company."
Wade raised a hand to speak. "So, we're going to pounce on that place? Get Halloway before he runs off again?"
"Exactly." General Hood replied as he looked up to Mr. Jenson. "This whole 'recovery/recruitment' effort has gotten out of hand all across Sol. We've gotten countless reports of people being killed because of this, be it the brutal robberies here in Nevada or the bloodbath on Ceres. Even if Mr. Jenson refuses to cooperate, this has become a dire matter for us now. One way or another, this insanity will be stopped with due haste."
The CEO nodded in acknowledgement before explaining his own plans for the mission. "Speaking of cooperation, upon seeing what was happening at Earth, I ordered a detachment of our corporate starships in orbit at the time to depart for Sol in order to help with investigating the situation. They're not warships, but they are well-armed. I'll dispatch them to your authority upon concluding this call." Glancing to Wade and his team for a moment, Jenson continued. "As for the mission, I may not have much of a say, but let it be known that you have my blessing to do whatever it takes to end this madness. I don't care what you do with Halloway or any of his lackeys, or what happens to that facility down there... I want that program shut down."
"Thank you for the extra hands, Mr. Jenson. We'll make sure this Administrator is dealt with." Hood replied gratefully as Wade sat firm in his seat, Tina and the others following suite.
"General?" The former worker drone said aloud, catching Hood's attention before he made his request. "I know I'm not a soldier, but I want to help with dealing with Halloway and his grunts. After what he did, after losing my brother, I can't rest until I see that man stopped."
Tina raised a finger as well. "As do I, Wade could use a hand with those people, and given how we did during our escape run out of that place, I think the two of us make quite the duo." She glanced to Wade with a smirk as she referenced their combat prowess when flying together.
Nathan and F stood up before the latter gave her own request. "Sir, I wish to take part in this mission as well. I can also recommend Wade for you too, as I fought alongside him during the factory raid."
"Wouldn't mind giving a hand myself! And I'm sure my pal Kurtis would love to help, he's here at the base too!" Nathan added with a confident smirk, the group's determination encouraging Jasmine to stand up as well.
"I'd like to help too." She stated simply, a smile on her face as the general and his companions observed the five guests.
Admittedly, Hood knew it would be a bit absurd to allow these people to take part in an operation which would certainly involve bloodshed, especially considering most of them merely had civilian status at the moment. But, upon careful evaluation of the five, their desire to see this problem dealt with, and the fact that some of them had experience on the field...
He paused his train of thought as Captain Mitchell spoke to him. "General? I read up on the Fowleys' files when we recovered Mrs. Jasmine here, they provided service in their early careers." He smirked to the pilot sisters as he finished adding his say. "And to be frank, we need more people like them here. The records we have of them showed them to be damn fine pilots."
Tina blushed at the praise from Mitchell as she spoke to the general. "That is true, we uh... did get discharged for our... 'fancy maneuvering'."
"Sir?" Jasmine said, the general's attention on her as she added to the conversation. "Even if our flying is a bit out of protocol, Tina saved a lot of people on that starjet a few days back. I can promise you, she's an excellent woman to have at the wheel."
Glancing to Wade again, Hood took in his face, one of begging desperation as he spoke once more. "Please, Sir. My brother, the troops he brought from the Coalition, Halloway's gotten them all killed cause of this. I want to do this. I HAVE to do this, at least for them."
The good general took a deep, quiet breath, considering his decision once more before finally revealing it to Wade and his friends. "Mr. Carter, Fowleys? I'm probably making myself a fool for saying this, but you're permitted to assist us in this mission."
The drone couple contained their gratefulness in the form of ecstatic grins as Wade replied to the general. "Thanks, General. We won't let you down."
"And Mrs. Lee?" Hood said as he glanced to F, who returned the gesture as he told her, "You're technically under Mr. Jenson's authority, whatever his answer is, it's mine as well."
Bringing her yellow-orange eyes to her CEO, F awaited Mr. Jenson's answer. "F, yes? I heard Mr. Hood call you by a different name just now, I assume you have some experience with the army?"
The warrior drone nodded as she explained herself. "I once inherited the name of Felicity Lee, Mr. Jenson. I served under the USN Defense Forces before joining the DD Division." Then, glancing to the military staff near her, she finished with, "I had hoped to provide my enhancements to the Force one day."
Jenson gave a hint of a proud smile as he finally gave his decision. "Well, it seems you'll finally get that chance. From now on, even after this mission on Earth is over with, you're hereby dispatched to serve under the USN."
F admittedly couldn't hide her excited smirk as she flung a salute to her now former boss. "Thank you Sir!"
Looking up to Jenson, General Hood asked the CEO, "Mr. Jenson, how long until your ships can reach Earth?"
Jenson glanced down at his communication console as he answered the military leader. "At max speed, their Ion drives should be able to bring them into orbit in as little as one to two days. I believe there should be some ships within the system that could help as well."
"Signal them when you can, Mr. Jenson. We could use all the help we can get from them." The CEO nodded to Hood as he stood firmly to the viewer, the general turning to face Wade and his colleagues. "And Mr. Carter? We'll be mobilizing our forces immediately after this meeting concludes. It'll be a minute, but I want you to gather whatever items and belongings you'll need for this operation. Be ready to head to the flight pads in no more than three hours."
"Understood Sir!" Wade said with a salute, Tina, Jasmine and Nathan giving their own as Jasmine raised a finger.
"What about the area around the lab? That place looks like it's in the middle of the city."
J raised a finger as she told Jasmine and the others about their resolution of the civilian obstacle. "Shortly after reporting our findings on the transmission, Hood told us that they were sending in some teams to clear out the civilian population within several miles of the facility. Once we get there, it should be of no concern."
Jasmine sighed in relief as Tina spoke up. "So the people should be safe from any sort of danger?"
"Correct, Mrs. Tina." Preston answered before continuing. "Given the resistance Halloway and his men showed during the Coalition's raid, they most certainly won't hold back there."
"One more thing, Sir." Nathan asked. "The Coalition's going to help us out with this too, right?"
"You can count on it, Mr. Nathan." The Vickers' captain replied as he looked to J, then to Jenson as he spoke further. "I met the leader of the Coalition's detachment working with us when I was introduced to J and Mrs. Elliott here, they intend to see this conflict finished. I highly doubt they're willing to sit back and let us do this by ourselves."
"And their help will be much appreciated." Hood added, everyone's attention returned to him as he looked to Tessa, curious eyes scanning her holographic form. "And Mrs. Elliott, if I may. Do you mind heading down here to assist us in our investigations later on?"
"Funny you say that, General. I'm almost done with my own snooping around on the JCJ up in orbit, Cyn has some small departments of hers aboard, and I thought I'd gather some more intel before coming down." Glancing to Mr. Jenson, she saw him giving an understanding nod before returning her gaze to the military staff. "I should be down there by the evening, judging by where you're located."
"Do what you must, Mrs. Elliott. We could use whatever you find." Hood replied firmly as he turned once more to the JCJenson CEO. "Thank you for your time, Mr. Jenson. We will get to the bottom of this."
"It's my pleasure, General." Glancing to J and Tessa, he spoke to them once more. "J? Contact me when you've finished with Halloway and his Administrator."
"It'll be done, Mr. Jenson." The obedient servant answered before saluting firmly, receiving a final nod from her boss before he ended the transmission.
With their off-world guest out of the way, Hood looked to Wade and his friends, J, Tessa and Captain Mitchells sharing the gaze with them as the general spoke to them in finality. "Well, you know what comes next everyone. You're all dismissed for now. And remember, landing zone by 1300."
"We'll be there Sir." Wade said with a nod as he and his friends stood up, pushing in their chairs before making their way out to the door.
As they neared it, Wade stopped for a moment as they heard Hood call to one of his friends. "And F?" The soldier drone looked to the general as he continued. "Before we depart, would you mind changing your uniform? I believe it could help with identifying you from the other disassembly drones more easily." Glancing to J, then back to F, he finished with, "I recall hearing about the most formidable drones having clones prepared, yes?"
"Correct, Sir. I'll stop by the nearest barracks while I can." F replied before turning back to the door with her colleagues, Wade opening the door for them all as they passed through. After them, Wade passed through himself, shutting the door to the meeting room as he returned to the lobby.
Walking about together, F spoke to Wade and the others. "Well, that went smoothly. I'll be heading down to the barracks, then head over to your place to help out."
"Actually," Wade replied, raising a finger up as he asked his fellow murder drone, "You think you could bring your friends over? We could get to know each other while we're getting ready."
F glanced to Nathan with a smile before returning her eyes to Wade. "I could see about that. You're gonna like them, I can promise you that."
Taking Tina's hand, Wade walked with his girlfriend alongside Jasmine and the others, nearing the hallway they came through as they prepared for the walk back to the apartment.

Wade's visor beeped to life as his alarm system went off, the murder drone's clock showing the time, "8:00 AM", changing to his green-yellow eyes as he woke up. Tina's visor activated as well, the drone girl's own alarm activating she awakened from slumber with Wade.
Stifling a yawn, Wade looked to Tina as he rubbed her back, easing her as she rose upright. "Good morning, sweetie."
"Morning, Wade." Tina replied quietly as she looked to Wade, the two drones smiling warmly as they took in each other's presence. Noticing they were both almost completely bare of clothing, the two drones blushed as Wade began to move off the bed.
"Well, I should get something on." The former worker drone stated as they touched down on the floor, Tina grabbing her green shirt from the counter as she tried to get dressed as well.
"So should I." Tina said back as she put the shirt on, memories of their recent night together still fluent in her mind as she slowly walked over to the kitchen.
The last hours of the past night had been calm for the most part, Wade and his friends detailing their tragic capture, the loss of his brother Ron, the rescue of the drones, and finally, Tina and Wade's miraculous escape from the factory before returning to the base. After the chatter in the bar, the group split off to go their separate ways for the time being, Jasmine going with Wade and Tina to help them into her place before leaving them to watch it while she went to get some food for the next day. During their quiet stay in the apartment, Wade and Tina made small talk over what to do in the future before having what humans would call a... very pleasant night together.
And now, with the new day approaching, the drone couple had to get ready for whatever came ahead. Walking over to his clothes on one of the vacant chairs in the living room, Wade picked up his shirt, slapping it on him before glancing to Tina, who merely wore her copper brown pants and green shirt from yesterday. Smiling at his girlfriend, Wade spoke to her as he turned back around to continue redressing himself. "Seems Jasmine went out somewhere this morning. I don't see her anywhere."
Tina listened to Wade as she inspected the counter, noticing a small sticky note lying on it as she took hold of it. Tina could tell it was left by Jasmine, given the handwriting. The note said, "Morning you two! Went to get some food I forgot to pick up, I should be back shortly after you wake up. - Jasmine"
The pilot drone smiled as she read her sister's note, then turning to the living room to speak to Wade. "She went to get some breakfast, we should expect her to come back any minute now." Opening the fridge, Tina grabbed two cool cans of oil, one for herself and another for Wade. Setting the cans down on the counter, Tina closed the fridge before taking hold of the cans again, taking them with her to the living room where a fully dressed Wade now resided at.
As Tina took a seat next to Wade on the couch, the disassembly drone examined his built-in smartcomm, trying to add all the still active contacts he remembered off the top of his circuits as he spoke to Tina. "It's gonna be hard, being my own person without Ron." Chuckling, Wade smirked at Tina, finding himself unsure at his own words. "Or maybe I'm just overreacting."
Tina chortled at Wade's inconfidence as she tried to bring him some, handing him one of the oil beverages as she spoke. "I think you'll do fine, honey. I've run into some disrespectful humans in my life too."
Wade nodded in understanding as he took a sip of the oil, the sound of the front door opening catching the drones' attention as Jasmine walked in. Carrying a paper bag full of food items, the human pilot spoke aloud. "Morning, you two! Just had to finish an errand I screwed up last night."
"Oh, it's not a problem for us, Jass." Wade replied as he took a sip of his oil, Tina looking over to the kitchen wall as she listened to her sister.
"How was your night? You lovers passed out on me when I came in, so I just rested on the couch." The lover drones gave looks of apologetic concern as Jasmine walked back into the living room, the woman noticing Wade and Tina's faces as she continued speaking. "It's nothing, though. I slept well."
"I hope so, we didn't mean to take up the whole bed." Tina responded as she gave a blush of embarrassment, Wade nodding in agreement as Jasmine replied back.
"I did, really. Besides, you two deserved the bed after all you put up with yesterday. Gotta have some place to blow some steam."
Wade and Tina smiled at Jasmine's comment, then blushed as Wade questioned about her phrasing. "Wait, you mean that as a euphemism or...?"
A knock at the door shut up the discussion, Wade standing up as he offered to handle the visitors. "I'll get the door." Tina nodded as he walked over to the apartment entrance, checking the small peephole before opening the door. Looking down, he saw two beings: a human and drone soldier whom he assumed were from the Coalition given their specific body gear.
While he took notice of the militia duo, the drone soldier spoke up to him. "Good morning, we're looking for a..." He lifted up what appeared to be an ID card, Wade glancing at the object as he heard the drone continue his question. "...Wade Carter? We heard he resided here since last night." Looking to Wade again, the drone stopped himself upon finishing his sentence, then picking himself up as he spoke further. "Come to think of it, you look like him."
Wade smiled warmly as he spoke to the two guests. "That's right. You need something?"
"Eh, more like the other way around, actually." The drone soldier replied as he handed Wade the ID, the former worker drone taking it in his hands as he glanced over it. The ID showed him from when he was still a worker drone, but was thankfully untarnished from the factory as Wade held it tightly. Before he could speak, the human soldier handed him a pouch carrying what Wade presumed were a few more of his personal belongings. The drone soldier spoke once more as Wade took the pouch. "We found these while scavenging the storage bays at the factory, we've been heading around delivering them back to those they belong to."
Wade smiled brightly before finally speaking in a grateful tone. "Thanks, Sirs. If there's anything I can do to help, just let me know."
The two soldiers nodded as the human one replied. "Just doing our job, Mr. Carter. Have a pleasant morning." With that, the troopers departed the apartment complex, leaving Wade to himself as he shut the door.
Heading back inside, Tina and Jasmine looked to Wade as the former spoke to him. "Who was that?"
"Just some boys from the Coalition, and just like Nathan said, they finally found my ID!" Wade answered before showing the card off, Tina grinned happily as she saw it, Jasmine giving a simple smile as he spoke further. "Feels good to have it back, I think that was what was keeping me down a little yesterday."
"Well, at least you won't have to worry about that anymore." Tina replied as Wade put the card in his pocket, taking his seat again before setting the pouch at his legs. Taking notice of the pouch, Tina asked, "What's in that? Battery candy?"
Wade shook his head as he began pulling out the items inside the bag, speaking to Tina as he examined them. "Oh, no, looks like some more of my belongings." Once he was done, Wade put the pouch on the couch's cup holder, on the space behind the drink holders themselves. The items were other various cards and papers with various personal information of Wades written on them, along with Wade's wallet. Wade found it almost comical that the items were all separated from each other, rather than being inside the wallet after getting cleared out.
Tina seemed to agree with Wade's thoughts as he began reinserting the cards into his wallet. "Well, that's silly. They just put everything in that little pouch instead of putting it all back in that thing."
Wade chuckled as he put his ID into the frontal window pocket of the wallet. "Yeah, guess they had to clear every little part of it before sending it off." As he finished restocking his wallet, Wade glanced to the pouch before continuing. "Besides, that IS a nice pouch."
"It sure is." Tina replied before taking another sip of her oil can, Wade putting his wallet away as she spoke again. "On another subject, however, you think we should go see if Nathan's around? Him and Kurtis could come by and have some small talk."
Wade nodded as he started to speak, but stopped as Jasmine spoke first. "Actually, I ran into F earlier while at the market. I heard from her that Nathan was going to be joining her for a date later this afternoon." Glancing to Wade, she finished with, "So he might be already busy for the moment."
Taking his own oil can, Wade shrugged his arm as he replied. "Eh, no problem with that. Don't wanna kill a growing relationship, now do we?"
Tina chuckled lightly as she agreed with her boyfriend. "Indeed, if it were us, they'd probably do the same fo-"
The chatter stopped as another knock sounded at the door, Wade moving to get up again as he glanced to the ladies in confusion. "Another visitor?"
"You think it could be F?" Tina made a wild guess as Wade approached the door, glancing out the peephole in slight surprise before opening the door.
Wade felt as if their talk about the Ceres couple had been a form of summoning as he saw F and Nathan standing at the door, bearing strangely serious expressions as they were greeted by the former worker drone. "F! Nathan! Funny timing, we were just talking about you. Come on in, have a seat."
As the two walked past Wade, F pat him on the shoulder as she spoke to him. "As much as I'd like to visit Wade, I'm afraid we're not gonna be here long, nor are you and the Fowleys."
Wade raised an eyebrow at her reply as he followed Nathan and F, the two simply standing in front of Tina and Jasmine as Wade returned to the living room. "Oh?"
"We're leaving? Should we get dressed and pack our things ASAP?" Tina asked with mild concern as F replied to her.
"Yep, you're on the ball with getting ready, but we're... not exactly leaving." The disassembly drone's words brought a confused face from Tina as Nathan clarified his crush.
"We got a call from J, just as we were heading to one of the diners here." The two drones paused for a moment, glancing to each other as they almost spewed out about their date, but shook it off as Nathan continued with little hesitation. "She told us that Tessa had intercepted some kind of transmission, one that might help us clear up this situation with the company faster than we initially thought."
F gave an affirming nod on Nathan's explanation before adding to it. "Her and J are playing host to a meeting held by the general stationed here, and she wants us to attend." Glancing over Wade and the Fowley sisters, she finished the explanation with, "They especially want you two to come as well, given what you both went through."
Wade and Tina gave blushes of embarrassment at the news, honored by the invitation but also a little uncomfortable with their elevated status as they glanced to each other. After taking a moment to process what they heard, Wade broke the silence. "Well, I did make that promise at the factory, and to J and Tessa earlier... and I intend on acting on said promise." Looking to Tina, his girlfriend gave an agreeing nod as she stood up with him.
"Glad to hear it. We don't have to be in that much of a rush, though, the meeting doesn't start until 10." F stated, Wade and Tina both glancing at the clock to check the time before looking back to their murder drone friend with nods of acknowledgement.
Standing up from her chair, Jasmine stretched as she announced her goals to the room. "Well, in that case, I should hit the shower."
"Right, I'll get myself fixed up too." Tina replied as she looked to Wade, the two sharing warm smiles before heading to the kitchen. Noticing the still unstored items on the counter, Tina spoke aloud. "Jasmine? You mind if Wade and I help store the groceries in the cabinets here?"
"Sure, thanks!" Jasmine answered in a grateful tone as she went off to the bathroom in the back of the apartment, Tina glancing to Wade as she began to take some food out of the bag.
"I'll get the refrigerated stuff." Wade stated simply as he took some items out of the bag, Tina putting her chosen food stuffs into one of the cabinets as they worked to unload the fresh consumables from Jasmine's errand.

In 2016, Australia legalised access to medicinal cannabis, allowing patients to access dozens of different cannabis products through prescriptions.
Now the Victorian government wants to take another step in opening the door for medicinal cannabis patients in the state to be able to drive.
In a bill passed last year, the government committed to launch a closed-circuit trial to research the impairment that medicinal cannabis causes on driving.
A push to change driving laws around medicinal cannabis has also been seen in other states such as Western Australia, while in Tasmania it is legal to drive as long as a person is not impaired by the drug.
But how does medical cannabis legislation work, and what are the risks to road safety?

Medical cannabis in Victoria explained

Any Victorian patient, with any medical condition, can be prescribed medicinal cannabis by their doctor if they believe it is clinically appropriate.
There are two groups of medicinal cannabis patients, with different driving rules applying to each of them.
Medicinal cannabis patients using cannabidiol or CBD products have always been allowed to drive in Victoria as long as they are not impaired.
However, some medicinal cannabis products contain a compound known as Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, which is responsible for the "high" feeling associated with cannabis and could impair driving ability.
It is currently an offence in Victoria for a person to drive with any amount of THC in their system, whether the THC comes from medicinal cannabis or not.
Victoria Police currently conducts random roadside drug testing throughout Victoria, with saliva tests that are positive for THC resulting in a drug-driving charge.
Drivers with THC in their system faced mandatory licence suspensions and fines if caught.
The new trial by the government will seek to test just how impaired people with medicinal cannabis in their system are whilst driving.

How will the trial work?

Drivers who use medicinal cannabis will be taken around driving courses with an instructor at special closed road facilities such as METEC in Bayswater North and AARC in Wensleydale.
Minister for Roads and Road Safety Melissa Horne said the trial, conducted in partnership with Swinburne University, would be a world-first.
"There is nowhere in the world that actually has got that standard way of measuring impairment through medicinal cannabis," Ms Horne said.
"It is a basic human right — we've got a legally prescribed drug, let us be able to measure what that looks like in a road safety environment."
About 70 participants will take place in the trial, due to begin in September this year.
When first announced last year, the trial was praised by legal groups such as the Australian Lawyers Alliance, who have dubbed driving laws penalising medicinal cannabis users as "outdated and unfair".
"Cases are coming before the courts every week where people are losing their licence and their livelihood because they are taking prescribed medicinal cannabis and driving," Australian Lawyers Alliance spokesperson Greg Barns said.
"Drivers who take opioids or other prescription medication do not find themselves in court or risk losing their license, and neither should drivers who have taken a prescribed and legal dose of cannabis."
Ms Horne would not however say when any potential law changes would be passed if the trial is found to be successful, with results due in 2026.

Is it dangerous to drive with THC in your system?

According to the VicRoads website, THC is a psychoactive substance that has been shown to impair cognitive and motor function, increasing your risk of being involved in a motor vehicle crash.
A meta-analysis of studies conducted in 2021 found cannabis increased the risk of crashes somewhere between 11 and 42 per cent.
Researchers found the added crash risk from cannabis similar to that of the legal blood alcohol content (BAC) limit for driving, with the high end of estimates similar to that of prescription drugs like antidepressants.
Internationally, there is a lack of research on the effects of cannabis on driving impairment.
In the United States, where recreational cannabis is legal in some states, the drug is the second most frequently found substance in the bodies of drivers involved in fatal motor vehicle accidents after alcohol.
A study of emergency department presentations in Canada, which legalised cannabis in 2018, showed no evidence of significant changes in traffic-injury emergency departments.
Driving while drug-impaired remains illegal in both countries, but the measurement of what constitutes impairment differs across state and country lines.
In Canada, any reading above 2 nanograms (ng) of THC per millilitre of blood while driving is considered an offence, while in the US state of Colorado that figure is 5ng or above.
Meanwhile, in states like New York and California, penalties are based on whether law enforcement can prove a driver has been impaired by a drug.
For now, the Victorian government has not made clear what any introduced driving laws may look like, should the trial be successful.

How have medicinal cannabis advocates reacted?

Legalise Cannabis MPs have criticised the government for moving too slowly on the issue, saying millions of dollars are being spent to conduct research that has "already been done".
"In 2023, Dan Andrews promised an answer 'in coming months' followed by a guarantee to have it fixed by 2024. Now, with a new premier, it's mid-2026 at best. She's in the slow lane," MP Rachel Payne said.
“Given the 10-year time blowout, I am calling on the premier to follow Tasmania’s lead and allow Victorians, unimpaired and prescribed medical cannabis, to drive without fear of recrimination."
Ms Payne noted a similar study that had already been conducted by Swinburne University, where 40 people were tested on a virtual driving simulator after consuming medical cannabis, as opposed to a real vehicle and road as planned in the new trial.
The Australian Legal Alliance (ALA) has also called for the prosecution of medicinal cannabis patients who are driving while unimpaired to be paused while the trial is undertaken.
ALA national president Shaun Marcus said drivers were being prosecuted merely for having a substance in their body rather than potentially dangerous impaired driving.
"That is not what road safety legislation was designed to protect," Mr Marcus said.
"The ALA is calling upon the government to not prosecute those persons currently before the courts between now and the end of the trial.
"We see the detrimental effects and over-representation of certain communities before the courts, and we say it really should change quicker."
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-05-21/victoria-medicinal-cannabis-driving-cbd-thc-explaine103872650

https://www.academia.edu/119725333
​
Movable nu is an optional -n added to several endings in Greek. These include 3sng. endings -e(n), -ti(n), -si(n); 3pl. -ousi(n); dat.pl. -si(n); and some others also of the form -si(n), like pérusi(n) ‘last year’. Other descriptions that -n can only appear before a vowel in the next word, that this is only Att-Ion, etc., are not true, though some cases are more common (Martín González 2011). No cause is known for this, but it is unlikely that several classes of words that merely happened to end in -si would ALL have optional -sin do to sound change, etc. Their distribution suggests analogical spread from 3sng. endings -ti(n), -e(n) after most -ti > -si, allowing other classes of words in -si to become -si(n), but this is also uncertain, and no source for -n is known there either. Most explanations include -n being added later (sometimes only in Att-Ion.) to avoid V#V, but why -n? Why not for other cases of V#V, where no C was added? Knowing whether it began in Att-Ion. and spread before writing began or was even older (in Proto-Greek) could help explain its origin.
​
Another piece of evidence is in the Middle Phrygian inscription which contains blaskon ‘he passed’ and kiuin ‘he departed’. These must be 3sng. verbs, since there is no pl. noun to be a subject in either sentence (see translations in (1) below). It is hardly likely that one of Greek’s closest relatives would have unexpected -n in the 3ng. if it were unrelated to 3sng. -ti(n), -si(n), -e(n) in Greek. Any answer to these questions seems to require something at the level of Proto-Phrygian-Greek (or earlier), but nothing within accepted IE grammar allows it.
​
A third language with 3sng. -n is Tocharian B. There, *-eti > -(ä)n appears, ALSO supposedly a later affix -n. Again, all these are supposedly late additions, and have no known origin, add no meaning. Since 3pl. *-onti > *-ent^ä > -en, at the least one could assume that 3sng. *-eti became *-enti by analogy in TB, with regular sound changes in both. However, 3 separate cases of analogy, of similar yet unrelated types, seems very unlikely for this group. Tocharian shares some odd sound changes with Greek (H-breaking of *uH2 > *waH2, *th > l (in dialects, G. dáptēs ‘eater / bloodsucker (of gnats)’, Cretan thápta, Polyrrhenian látta ‘fly’)), so looking for another shared, yet odd, shared feature might be fruitful.
​
The traditional reconstruction of PIE verb endings has some problems when looked at with an eye towards internal reconstruction. Since 1sng. *-m has pl. *-me, 2sng. *-tH2 has pl. *-tH2e (2), we’d assume 3sng. *-nt existed due to pl. *-ent (possibly from *-nte due to the inability to pronounce *-C-nte at that stage of PIE). If final *-e-nt > *-et in PIE (similar to supposed *-n > *-r), but present *-e-nt-i > *-enti, it would explain much of this data, with *-et vs. -enti creating analogical variants *-e(n)t and *-e(n)ti (it is impossible to be sure which parts happened in PIE vs. PG, PPh., PT). Similarly, nt-stem nouns would only have the voc. affected, so simple analogy might restore -nt there as well. If many of these variants were rare (avoided in most to avoid confusion between sng. and pl., especially in those in which sound changes would merge *-enti and *-onti), only a few IE languages might retain them. If so, past 3sng. *-et / *-ent in Greek would become -e / -en, as attested, with analogy changing -ti to -ti / -tin, then further analogy as above. For Phrygian, *-ent > -in would be regular, with -on likely analogy from 3pl. *-ont.
​
If PIE *-t were original, there would be no reason to import *-nt from the pl. Keeping the sng. and pl. distinct, especially in the 3rd, should be the main job of any analogy. Also supporting *nt in the 3sng. and pl. is the parallel *m and *tH2 in both for other persons. 3 separate analogies that added -n(-) to make the 3sng. and 3pl. more similar (or identical in the case of Ph. -on) do not seem needed or likely.
​
​
Notes
​
(1)
​
The only Middle Phrygian inscription :
​
MPhr-01 (W-11)
manka mekas sas kiuin en ke bilatede-
nan nekoinoun : pokraiou kē gloureos gamenoun
sa soroi mati makran : blaskon ke takris ke loun-
iou mrotis lapta mati a oinoun : nikostratos
kleumakhoi miros aidomenou matin kisuis : mo-
kros uitan partias plade por koroos ..-
ros pantēs : penniti ios koroan detoun
soun omasta omnisitous
​
​
I segment them as 6 sentences divided by : with each sentence 17 syllables long. For convenience this would be:
​

1. manka mekas sas kiuin en ke bilatedenan nekoinoun

​

1. pokraiou kē gloureos gamenoun sa soroi mati makran

​

1. blaskon ke takris ke louniou mrotis lapta mati a oinoun

​

1. nikostratos kleumakhoi miros aidomenou matin kisuis

​

1. mokros uitan partias plade por koroos ..-ros pantēs

​

1. penniti ios koroan detoun soun omasta omnisitous

​
​
Here, the first sentence (with each sentence 17 syllables long) would be:
​
A great man has departed from here and into the beloved-land/paradise of the dead.
​
A great man (manka mekas) has departed (kiuin) from here (sas) and (ke) into (en) the beloved-land/paradise (bilatedenan) of the dead (nekoinoun).
​
kiuin = [kiwin] ‘(has?) departed’ < *kyewe(n)t
*kyew- > Skt. cyav- \ cyu-, OP ašiyava ‘set out’, Arm. č’u ‘departure / journey’, G. -(s)seúomai ‘rush / hurry’
​
The -n must be 3sng. Not only is there no other pl. subject available if -n came from *-nt, but also no other word that might otherwise be the verb. This 3sng. -n is also seen in 41.3 (that has far too many words ending in -n, 2 of which must be verbs, and no pl. nouns, to make sense without 3sng -t / -n ). For others, see (Whalen 2024a).
​
​
The third:
​
blaskon ke takris ke louniou mrotis lapta mati a oinoun
​
He passed (blaskon) from us (a oinoun) into (mati) the grave (lapta) of death (mrotis) swiftly (takris) and (ke… ke) peacefully (louniou)
​
ke < *kWe ‘and’
​
*logh-onyo- ‘lying down / resting / peaceful’
​
*mloH3-sk^e- > G. blṓskō ‘move/come/go/pass’, TA mlusk- ‘escape’, TB mlutk-, Arm. *purc(H)- > prcanim \ p`rcanim \ p`rt`anim ‘escape / evade’; Slovene molíti ‘pass / hand over’
​
*tHko- ? > Skt. su-túka- ‘running swiftly’, ava-tká-
*tHku- ? > *thakhu- > G. takhús ‘quick/, tákha \ takhú ‘soon/immediately < *quickly’
​
Ph. mrotis : L. morti- ‘death’
gen. *mrteis > mrotis (and/or *-ois > *-eis; compare *oi > *ei > ē in Arm., perhaps optional)
​
Lubotsky said some *l > ol, etc., maybe also *n > on (compare G. *sm- > he- / ho- / ha-)?
*nsmeo:m > *onhmyo:n > *onyu:n > oinoun
or?
*nsmeo:m > *anhmyo:n > *ãnyu:n > oinoun
if nasalized *a (or schwa?) > *õ first?
​
tháptō ‘bury’, *th > l as in some Greek dialects
​
​
(2)
​
Both 2sng. *s and *tH2 might have the same origin. Optional change of *t > *th / *s by *H2 (if pronounced x or similar) would simply be assimilation of fricatives, and might also explain:
​
*kwa(H2)t(h)o- > Skt. kvath- ‘boil’, Go. hvaþō ‘foam’
*kwa(H2)so- > OBg kvasŭ ‘leaven / fermented drink’
*kwa(H2)s(e/i)yo- > L. cāseus ‘cheese’, *kwasja-z > ON Kvasir ‘a wise Van formed from the spit of gods, killed by dwarves who mixed his blood with honey to ferment into Mead of Poetry’
​
which resembles *dhH2:
​
*bhndhH2no- >> G. phátnē / páthnē ‘manger / crib’
*bondhH2o- > *bantsa- > OE bósig ‘crib’, NLG banse ‘silo / barn’, *bansta- > Go. bansts ‘barn’
​
maybe something similar also in:
​
*windho-s > MIr find ‘a hair’, *winlo- > L. villus ‘shaggy hair / tuft of hair’, *winthos > *óinthos > íonthos ‘young hair’
*windhaH2 > *wandhH2i-? > OPr wanso ‘first beard’, MIr. fés ‘hair’, fésóc ‘beard’
​
​
Martín González, Elena (2011) Movable nu in Archaic Greek Epigraphic Prose
https://www.academia.edu/5983395
​
Whalen, Sean (2024a) Phrygian mankan / mankēn ‘man’ (Draft)
https://www.academia.edu/118405366
​
Whalen, Sean (2024b) Phrygian *-g- > -k- / -0-
https://www.reddit.com/HistoricalLinguistics/comments/1cj1fmj/phrygian_g_k_0/
​

Honey Badger gets all it's stats multiplied by x amount until it reaches the size of the Irish Wolfhound so if the Irish wolfhound is say 10 or more times larger than a regular Honey Badger then the Irish Wolfhound- Sized badger has 10x thicker skin/10x ferocity/10x strength/bite etc. In this scenario can any other animal/animals in Africa contend or any animal/animals in the world contend with it?

Recommended watch: XG vs Spirit games 3 & 5

Meta

https://preview.redd.it/8lh6q98jyp1d1.png?width=500&format=png&auto=webp&s=f8a6c4d30cfc509cd0dfc83d03884494204e9a4b
https://preview.redd.it/1e8vnkkkyp1d1.png?width=500&format=png&auto=webp&s=e28039d5efe0329bb4616d95d62007d2d054d8e4
Data source: datdota.com

Xtreme Gaming vs Spirit, Grand Final

https://preview.redd.it/9u5c1tg2zp1d1.png?width=500&format=png&auto=webp&s=6f75ebae14a4152b00b8cc3d4626da9db1cb6bde
We get a rare sighting of the Stealth Assassin on XinQ. The Riki did absolute work in this one. The Grimstroke did not get to play dota and was abused all game by Riki. When he got his Diffusal Blade, even the cores were at risk of dying to the pesky support. The pickoffs were a huge pain for Spirit and the 5v5s weren't any better. Xxs' Dark Seer was masterful with his spell usage. The Walls made the fights near impossible to win for Spirit. The Normal Punch felt like haymakers. Then there's Dy's Bane on top of all this who did no wrong and provided the necessary lockdown to shut his enemies down. A sublime performance from XG lands them game #1. XG 1-0 Spirit.
https://preview.redd.it/qkxp3h85zp1d1.png?width=500&format=png&auto=webp&s=2744787f0a60e30e493d6d4c898cdcb91c66ae6d
Despite a small networth disparity between the two sides for most of the mid-game, you could feel that XG had to do so much to make things close. Xtreme flexed their Naga for XinQ and it didn't have the impact we come to expect from him. The Naga was basically used for disengaging or resetting with her ult and that's never going to be enough. Once the Song & Torrent Storm were down, Spirit would dictate the rest of the flow. Naix and TA were hampered in this game. Razor going in and linking any of the two meant they had to spend the fight running away or with no damage to use. If they were able to somehow hit a target, decrep + glimmer were there to save the opponents. XG had huge problems against the Centaur's initiation and Bane's Grip. The fight for the second Rosh ended in a complete disaster for XG. They tried to bail out of a terrible fight with a Song but the Stampede meant they couldn't escape. 4 heroes lost and an Aegis on the side of Spirit meant complete control of the map and the game for the Radiant side. The high-ground siege was safe for Spirit. Jugg never really felt threatened. Manta, Spin, and Healing Ward were all he ever needed to survive and reset. Spirit got so far ahead that they could comfortably dive into their enemy's fountain and get away with it. XG tried to get cute with their Naga pick and as a result, lost their first game in Wallachia. Spirit 1-1 XG.
https://preview.redd.it/abzo3ug7zp1d1.png?width=500&format=png&auto=webp&s=c63b1d2a3c601a41aa75fd8d1f0f326103beecbb
We get Marci for XG with a twist. It was Dy playing her! Both sides exchanged blows but neither side pulled away until the 25th minute. Gyro with an Aegis sieged the T2 mid tower. Spirit put their symphony of stuns on display. Sven was able to Storm Hammer and blow up XinQ in the back line. Primal Beast Pulverized the Centaur. Bat Lassod the Lesh. DK Dragon Tailed the Gyro. With Sven pummeling them during the process, it was a clean team wipe for the Eastern Europeans. It looked grim for XG but they weathered the storm. In the ~43rd minute, a smoke-on-smoke action saw the Gyro getting free rein in the fight and Spirit paying heavily for it. The Dire weren't able to output the necessary damage to deal with Gyro. 3 casualties with no buybacks on Sven + DK translated into 2 lanes lost. It was all XG from that point. Spirit wanted to contest the last Rosh of the game but got dismantled in the fight. The creeps would end Spirit's misery as the 2 lanes pushed while they were fighting for Rosh. This was a much closer game but XG came through when needed. XG 2-1 Spirit.
https://preview.redd.it/flgm2z3azp1d1.png?width=500&format=png&auto=webp&s=2ffe79c1c715a868b3acd1ebf43a35d88289283e
Game 4 has a script we are all aware of. Yatoro's Faceless Void got his way and with no propers saves for Chrono, it was only ever going to go one way. Yatoro's entire plan was to catch the Troll Warlord in his ult and that would pretty much secure the fight. Between Zeus and Enchantress, Spirit had an absurd amount of damage that synergized very well with Chrono. The beginning of the end for XG happened around the 27th minute. Troll with Aegis wanted to push T2 mid but he lost his first life so easily and after reincarnating, he got Chronod and died. The remainder of XG couldn't bail out because Collapse's Slardar was on the case and so the rest of Ame's team joined him in the grave. The fights would follow a similar pattern from that point, giving XG no chance at this game. Larl's Zeus deserves a shoutout for a flawless performance. 15/0/17. We are going the distance. Spirit 2-2 XG.
https://preview.redd.it/5xl77xwczp1d1.png?width=500&format=png&auto=webp&s=7c0569dcde63252bdb1b0e1776622c3fa10a560e
This time around it was XG who went with Void and Spirit answered with the Anti-Mage for Yatoro. Spirit went off to a brilliant start. The Puck got destroyed mid by Leshrac. Pango was slowed down and the AM participated in early fights. Spirit had a respectable lead but some botched initiations by the Batrider were punished by Ame. Successive catches on Leshrac by the Void slowed down the game. This wasn't too bad for the AM. Once he got his Aghs, the map control started to become an issue for the Dire. The Radiant would get 1 set of racks mid but the game would still be in the balance. XG were scared to show in the lanes as an Abyssal from AM or any stun from Spirit's teammates was almost certainly leading to death. The deciding fight was for the 4th Rosh of the game. XG arrived too late for Rosh but they decided to fight anyway. AM would be able to kill both Void and Puck. The Void would buyback and the second part of the fight proved to be fatal for XG. AM jumped the wandering Ench, Ame Chronos the AM, and brought down his first life. SD would save AM upon his reincarnation. Void would lose all his mana and would get destroyed along with his 2 supports. All 3 with no buyback meant XG lost the Grand Finals. Spirit in TI form trumps the red-hot XG who won 13 in a row before losing 3 of their last 4 games. Spirit 3-2 XG.
Congrats to Spirit for winning PGL Wallachia. 🏆
P.S. I won't be doing DLS23 groups, maybe the last day of groups.

Hello again everybody!
Before we get started on today's post the current voting for Alolan-Decidueye currently has B tier votes in a battle with the Abstaining votes. While doing these next few votes in an effort to get through all the traditional starters unless Abstaining votes end up winning out by a decisive margin (like twice as many as the most votes for any single tier) we will tier the Pokemon into the tier that has the highest amount of votes as opposed to putting them off until later.
So with that being said we will put Alolan-Decidueye into B tier for the time being. Like with all previous votes I'll continue to check the numbers and if anything changes I'll update it on tomorrow's post.
(Please note that this voting/tiering is centered around Classic as after a certain point in Endless only about 5 Pokemon and 2 abilities are truly viable.)
So current tiers are:
S tier - Garganacl, Cloyster, Skeledirge, Gholdengo, Tinkaton
A tier - Gyarados/Mega, VenusauMega/Dyna, Aegislash, Corviknight/Dyna, Excadrill, GardevoiMega, Toxapex, ScizoMega, GengaMega/Dyna, Delphox
B tier - Kanto-Persian/Dynamax Kanto-Meowth, Weavile, Starmie, Rhyperior, Quagsire, Mamoswine, Whimsicott, Aggron/Mega, Infernape, Alolan-Decidueye
C tier - Linoone
F tier - Dustox
With that being said let's get to today's vote!
Today is day 34 of tier voting and today we begin the gauntlet of getting through the rest of the traditional starters that we haven't voted on yet (for the moment we will skip over Charizard, as well as Greninja and Meowscarada since they have abilities that aren't yet implemented which will likely effect how well they do in the game). So that brings us to Blastoise as well as its Mega and Dynamax Evolved forms! Blastoise is the bulkiest of the Gen 1 starters at the tradeoff of having the worst attacking stats out of the 3. This combines well with being a pure Water type as Water only has 2 weaknesses and 4 resistances giving it good survivability even in its base form. Its Hidden Ability is somewhat niche but good on a Rain team or when trekking through the game's various Water-based biomes. All 3 of its forms are a bit slow but it is able to remedy this through natural access to one of the best boosting moves in the game in Shell Smash. Its Mega form greatly improves its mediocre attacking stats and also boosts its already good bulk even further while it's Dynamax form goes the full-on bulky wall route while also boosting its attack stats somewhat. It has a very good movepool for its Mega form, made even better by the addition of this game's Egg Move choices for it. Its Passive Ability is somewhat famous in Endless but maybe a little more situational in Classic mode (which is what these votes are centered around), it does allow it to guarantee a Shell Smash and survive however which is always useful in its own right.
(Please note that Pokemon with Mega/Dynamax evolutions will be tiered as one Pokemon and not tiered separately for their Mega/Dynamax form. Different variants such as Alolan Persian vs. Kanto Persian will be tiered separately however.)
(Also here is the post with rules for voting/tiering posts and a little more explanation about them in general: https://www.reddit.com/pokerogue/s/0LNZhPPzR9 Links to past votes can all be found here as well in comments added to the OP with each new vote)
And here is a quick reminder of what each tier generally means:
S tier: Top tier, can make or break your entire run, essentially the cream of the crop
A tier: really strong but not quite top tier, maybe slightly outclassed or has a slight weakness holding it back
B tier: solid choices that can make it to your endgame team, might be reliant on team composition to truly function well or might just be outclassed as well
C tier: usually early-mid game Mons, ones you don't really want to take to end game if you can avoid it, usually pretty decently glaring weakness but something redeeming enough to keep from F tier
F tier: no reason to use in end game unless you're doing it for a meme/joke
Abstain/No Opinion: this will be a voting option mostly just for Pokemon people haven't unlocked/used to their full potential yet. If Abstaining votes outvote each individual tier then the Pokemon will be tabled for the time being and another vote will open up for it later (can mostly see this happening with Legendaries).
(Data in parentheses is for Mega Blastoise) [Data in brackets is for Dynamax Blastoise]
*
Blastoise (Mega) [Dynamax]
Type: Water
Mega: Yes
Dynamax: Yes
Starter cost {Squirtle}: 3
Possible Egg moves: Ice Beam, Dark Pulse, Origin Pulse, Bouncy Bubble
Abilities: Torrent (Mega Launcher) [Torrent]
Hidden Ability: Rain Dish (Mega Launcher) [Rain Dish]
Passive Ability: Sturdy - this Pokemon can not be knocked out from full HP by a single attack, it is also immune to OHKO moves
Evolution: Squirtle evolves into Wartortle at level 16. Wartortle evolves into Blastoise at level 36. Blastoise can Mega Evolve with Mega Bracelet and Blastoisinite. Blastoise can Dynamax with Dynamax Bracelet and Max Mushrooms.
Base stats:
HP - 79 (79) [100]
Attack - 83 (103) [95]
Defense - 100 (120) [130]
Sp. Attack - 85 (135) [105]
Sp. Defense - 105 (115) [125]
Speed - 78 (78) [75]
Learnset by level up: Tackle, Tail Whip, Water Gun, Withdraw, Rapid Spin, Bite, Water Pulse, Protect, Rain Dance, Aqua Tail, Shell Smash, Iron Defense, Hydro Pump, Wave Crash, Flash Cannon
Notable TMs: Chilling Water, Dig, Brick Break, Zen Headbutt, Body Slam, Ice Punch, Rock Slide, Rest, Sleep Talk, Body Press, Crunch, Liquidation, Aura Sphere, Dragon Pulse, Surf, Ice Spinner, Helping Hand, Hydro Pump, Blizzard, Earthquake, Focus Blast, Haze, Weather Ball, Flip Turn, Muddy Water, Whirlpool, Scald, Outrage, Waterfall, Swagger, Double Team, Brine
*
Tomorrow's vote: Meganium!
Pokemon on the radar for voting very soon: Flygon, Leavanny, Gallade/Mega, Comfey, Araquanid, Crobat, Malamar, Ferrothorn, Walrein, Gliscor, Roserade, Vileplume, Minior, Hitmonchan, Bibarel, Chandelure, Archaludon/Dynamax Duraludon, Alakazam/Mega, Flamigo, Volcarona, Barbaracle, Butterfree/Dyna, Beedrill/Mega, Mawile/Mega, Drednaw/Dyna, Annihilape, Cramorant, Aerodactyl/Mega, Glimmora, Heatran, Tapu Koko, Dialga/Primal, Galarian-Zapdos, Regieleki, Regidrago, Zacian, Zamazenta, Rayquaza/Mega, Latias/Mega, Latios/Mega, Ho-Oh, Volcanion, Toxtricity/Dyna, Carbink, Porygon-Z, Cinccino, Snorlax/Dyna, Wishiwashi
(Other requests will be added to this list and this list is not necessarily in order)
Happy voting!
View Poll

I tried posting this on the main sub and I got no response, not even up or down points. I just want to share something that hopefully at least someone would find interesting. Beware of a wall of text.
Just to be clear, I'm not a Legion fanboy. I don't think they're the best option for the Mojave, nor the most likely to be canonized. They're good for a playthrough or two if you're into pseudo-genocide runs, and creating an OP melee character in FNV is actually super easy with some of the insane perks you can get.
Regardless, I feel a little frustrated when some people don't appreciate the Legion for what they are. They get basic facts about their ideology wrong, nor understand the deeper nuance to them that isn't immediately apparent unless you get a good look. So in the interest of understanding, but not agreeing with the Legion, I'm going to share some information and my personal takes on them. As much as possible, I'll link to relevant non-game commentary and in-game dialogue (the number indicates the dialogue ID#).
For starters, the Legion does not enslave "everybody" they come across. J.E. Sawyer talked about this in his Formspring posts. The Legion has "cities of their own" (quoted from Caesar), non-tribal settlements in their territory that are populated by "civilized" wastelanders who are generally left alone. They have to provide tribute and do whatever the Legion tells them to do. Still, the Legion is supposedly an apathetic overlord who doesn't interfere much in the lives of the wastelanders.
Developer comments as seen by some (including myself) as unnecessary and pointless if it's not represented in the narrative. In contrast, others call it the "word of God" and treat it on the same level of canon. Regardless, Sawyer in these posts is not explaining things that were simply not present in the game, he is adding supplementary commentary on information already present in the game. Caesar's ideology is rooted in extreme form utilitarianism; he believes that tribals are a waste of human resources, and that "Slavery is a gift" for their lives would be put to use, rather than constrained to their villages and engaged in petty raids and fights for survival. Canyon-Runner says the same thing (7-9 and 30-31), albeit since he was raised to be a legionary he is obviously brainwashed but he explains the self-rationale behind a Legionary's slavehood; yes, Legionaries are slaves as well, not just the women. Additionally, if you help Primm join the NCR, Caesar's Legion garrisons the town and "keeps Primm open for business"; which is ironic that Primm joining the NCR is the best ending for a Legion playthrough.
NCR Citizens are an exception because just as Caesar views humans as a resource on the same level as weapons and supply lines, he is denying the enemy resources by capturing their citizens. However, this would not be the situation forever; how could it change? What does Caesar want? Well...
The Legion isn't a country, but it wants to be. The Legion is a massive and well-organized raider gang when stripped of all its pomp and frills.. Or to put it more politely, an army without a state. They have no state bureaucracy, no forms of taxation, no form of civic participation in the government, and no concept of citizenship; because all these things simply do not exist, as of yet, to the Legion. The Legion is more comparable to the enemies of Rome rather than Rome itself; a horde of barbarians that travels from place to place, gathering strength and crushing resistance whenever it appears.
So how could the Legion reform? Let's listen to the big man himself. (163) I'm not a philosophy student so I won't tell you how Caesar is wrong about Hegelian dialectics. There are plenty of people more knowledgeable about me on that topic that already made posts about it. However, it doesn't matter if he interpreted it wrong because the message he is trying to communicate is still understandable. Keep in mind, one of the main themes about Fallout is how people perceive the old world and misconstruct past ideas. Caesar also completely misdefined what the "Pax Romana" meant, and this is the same game where a gang of anarchists think that Elvis Presley was a messiah figure.
To summarize Caesar's rationale in one sentence; he wants to take the best aspects of the NCR and combine it with the best aspects of the Legion to create a utopia. He believes that the NCR is corrupted, dying by a flawed democracy, militarily weak, internally divided, and ruled by selfish elites. However, at the same time, it is also the most socially advanced civilization we have seen so far, with citizenship, taxation, a standing professional army, and industry. He believes that the Legion is adaptable while also being assimilationist; that is is disciplined, incorruptible, defined by a single purpose and militarily powerful. Yet, as I explained above, it resembles more like the Gauls that Caesar defeated rather than Rome itself.
Caesar's choice to emulate Rome was because he considered it a highly adaptable society that is able to both change and improve; this is backed up by Ulysses who explains that various Legion equipment (like Hydra or healing powder) comes from the tribes that the Legion conquered. Caesar thinks that the Legion is a system of government designed to survive in the wasteland; I don't think many people make the connection that Caesar and the Master (Fallout 1) have almost identical ideologies and motives. On a sidenote, I think New Vegas was begging for a Super Mutant character, desperate and lonely after the loss of his Master, who ends up being the most patriotic Legion supporter in the whole game when he realizes Caesar is the Master. Kinda stupid, but these games are full of characters like that.
But of course, the Legion's philosophy is centred all around one man. The Legion is, as I explained before, a slave army with no individuality, and their vision for a future comes entirely from Edward Sallow/Caesar. Let's talk a little bit about the big man himself.
Caesar's worldview is motivated by growing up under Tandi. This is narrative story writing on how Caesar is a foil to Tandi; a foil is like a mirror, it's the opposite but the same. Caesar talks about how the NCR was best under the reign of it's "queen" (106 onwards) and how the NCR has fallen into decadence and decay after the loss of their founder's vision. Clearly, if you read between the lines, Edward Sallow was influenced by authoritarian governments at a young age. Let's take it a step further; how many people predict the Legion will collapse after the death of Caesar? Marcus, Mr. House, Ulysses, Graham, the list goes on.
These people are simply reiterating the thoughts of Caesar that he applied to the NCR; without the unifying vision of their founder, a new nascent civilization will lose its path, drop its ideals and become a corrupted decadent husk until fading away.
In summary, there's a lot to appreciate the Legion for if you read between the lines; they're a commentary on the brutal rise of a society with an idealized worldview to greatness and the subsequent taming when all the conquering is done. Most civilizations throughout history had violent starts; America, the British Empire, Rome itself. It's a perfect representation of one of the main themes in the series; how the past is interpreted, or misinterpreted, by the present.
This post is already long enough so I can't even talk about the other interesting things like the long list of allegories for the Legion; Lanius seems to be an allegory for Marcus Antonius, Arcade Gannon is an allegory for Cato the Younger (if you sell him into slavery), Caesar is an allegory for...Caesar. At the end of the day, I hope you guys take away a new found appreciation for what the writers gave the audience with the Legion.

Fireb0rn is a streamer best known for his Hollow Knight content, but he also does decent game journalism. One of his videos about how fake steam game scams work and a follow up video about one of those scams in practice are both well made and informative, you should watch them if you use steam.
He made two videos recently I think would have community interest and would be good for Ludwig to discuss on Mogul Mail.
• He did a video on Screen Rant / Game Rant and their predatory business practices. The company copyright stuck the channel over a summary of an article only shown in screenshot form in the video, and seems to have also taken down his follow up on the issue.
• He did a video on MrBadim, a content creator Fireb0rn claims runs scams on Steam and exploited literal child labor to sell games, which was also copy right struck. MrBadim and his family have begun harassing Fireb0rn and his wife.
He’s a much smaller YouTuber and doesn’t have the influence to get YouTube to seriously look into the fraudulent copyright strikes. I think he does really great work and would love if Lud could raise awareness about it.
(Also Hollow Knight speedrunner vs Hunters would make a great Bros vs Pros ok bye)

Just to be clear, I'm not a Legion fanboy. I don't think they're the best option for the Mojave, nor the most likely to be canonized. They're good for a playthrough or two if you're into pseudo-genocide runs, and creating an OP melee character in FNV is actually super easy with some of the insane perks you can get.
Regardless, I feel a little frustrated when some people don't appreciate the Legion for what they are. They get basic facts about their ideology wrong, nor understand the deeper nuance to them that isn't immediately apparent unless you get a good look. So in the interest of understanding, but not agreeing with the Legion, I'm going to share some information and my personal takes on them. As much as possible, I'll link to relevant non-game commentary and in-game dialogue (the number indicates the dialogue ID#).
For starters, the Legion does not enslave "everybody" they come across. J.E. Sawyer talked about this in his Formspring posts. The Legion has "cities of their own" (quoted from Caesar), non-tribal settlements in their territory that are populated by "civilized" wastelanders who are generally left alone. They have to provide tribute and do whatever the Legion tells them to do. Still, the Legion is supposedly an apathetic overlord who doesn't interfere much in the lives of the wastelanders.
Developer comments as seen by some (including myself) as unnecessary and pointless if it's not represented in the narrative. In contrast, others call it the "word of God" and treat it on the same level of canon. Regardless, Sawyer in these posts is not explaining things that were simply not present in the game, he is adding supplementary commentary on information already present in the game. Caesar's ideology is rooted in extreme form utilitarianism; he believes that tribals are a waste of human resources, and that "Slavery is a gift" for their lives would be put to use, rather than constrained to their villages and engaged in petty raids and fights for survival. Canyon-Runner says the same thing (7-9 and 30-31), albeit since he was raised to be a legionary he is obviously brainwashed but he explains the self-rationale behind a Legionary's slavehood; yes, Legionaries are slaves as well, not just the women. Additionally, if you help Primm join the NCR, Caesar's Legion garrisons the town and "keeps Primm open for business"; which is ironic that Primm joining the NCR is the best ending for a Legion playthrough.
NCR Citizens are an exception because just as Caesar views humans as a resource on the same level as weapons and supply lines, he is denying the enemy resources by capturing their citizens. However, this would not be the situation forever; how could it change? What does Caesar want? Well...
The Legion isn't a country, but it wants to be. The Legion is a massive and well-organized raider gang when stripped of all its pomp and frills.. Or to put it more politely, an army without a state. They have no state bureaucracy, no forms of taxation, no form of civic participation in the government, and no concept of citizenship; because all these things simply do not exist, as of yet, to the Legion. The Legion is more comparable to the enemies of Rome rather than Rome itself; a horde of barbarians that travels from place to place, gathering strength and crushing resistance whenever it appears.
So how could the Legion reform? Let's listen to the big man himself. (163) I'm not a philosophy student so I won't tell you how Caesar is wrong about Hegelian dialectics. There are plenty of people more knowledgeable about me on that topic that already made posts about it. However, it doesn't matter if he interpreted it wrong because the message he is trying to communicate is still understandable. Keep in mind, one of the main themes about Fallout is how people perceive the old world and misconstruct past ideas. Caesar also completely misdefined what the "Pax Romana" meant, and this is the same game where a gang of anarchists think that Elvis Presley was a messiah figure.
To summarize Caesar's rationale in one sentence; he wants to take the best aspects of the NCR and combine it with the best aspects of the Legion to create a utopia. He believes that the NCR is corrupted, dying by a flawed democracy, militarily weak, internally divided, and ruled by selfish elites. However, at the same time, it is also the most socially advanced civilization we have seen so far, with citizenship, taxation, a standing professional army, and industry. He believes that the Legion is adaptable while also being assimilationist; that is is disciplined, incorruptible, defined by a single purpose and militarily powerful. Yet, as I explained above, it resembles more like the Gauls that Caesar defeated rather than Rome itself.
Caesar's choice to emulate Rome was because he considered it a highly adaptable society that is able to both change and improve; this is backed up by Ulysses who explains that various Legion equipment (like Hydra or healing powder) comes from the tribes that the Legion conquered. Caesar thinks that the Legion is a system of government designed to survive in the wasteland; I don't think many people make the connection that Caesar and the Master (Fallout 1) have almost identical ideologies and motives. On a sidenote, I think New Vegas was begging for a Super Mutant character, desperate and lonely after the loss of his Master, who ends up being the most patriotic Legion supporter in the whole game when he realizes Caesar is the Master. Kinda stupid, but these games are full of characters like that.
But of course, the Legion's philosophy is centred all around one man. The Legion is, as I explained before, a slave army with no individuality, and their vision for a future comes entirely from Edward Sallow/Caesar. Let's talk a little bit about the big man himself.
Caesar's worldview is motivated by growing up under Tandi. This is narrative story writing on how Caesar is a foil to Tandi; a foil is like a mirror, it's the opposite but the same. Caesar talks about how the NCR was best under the reign of it's "queen" (106 onwards) and how the NCR has fallen into decadence and decay after the loss of their founder's vision. Clearly, if you read between the lines, Edward Sallow was influenced by authoritarian governments at a young age. Let's take it a step further; how many people predict the Legion will collapse after the death of Caesar? Marcus, Mr. House, Ulysses, Graham, the list goes on.
These people are simply reiterating the thoughts of Caesar that he applied to the NCR; without the unifying vision of their founder, a new nascent civilization will lose its path, drop its ideals and become a corrupted decadent husk until fading away.
In summary, there's a lot to appreciate the Legion for if you read between the lines; they're a commentary on the brutal rise of a society with an idealized worldview to greatness and the subsequent taming when all the conquering is done. Most civilizations throughout history had violent starts; America, the British Empire, Rome itself. It's a perfect representation of one of the main themes in the series; how the past is interpreted, or misinterpreted, by the present.
This post is already long enough so I can't even talk about the other interesting things like the long list of allegories for the Legion; Lanius seems to be an allegory for Marcus Antonius, Arcade Gannon is an allegory for Cato the Younger (if you sell him into slavery), Caesar is an allegory for...Caesar. At the end of the day, I hope you guys take away a new found appreciation for what the writers gave the audience with the Legion.

My current build is one of 2
Kraken-Collector-Youmuus-IE-Mortal Reminder
Kraken-Collector-IE-Mortal Reminder-Bloodthirster
Reasoning and thought process:
Lethality and raw AD boost the damage done on kraken passive. Zerker boots, W max, Alacrity and Kraken give 2.01 AS. Your attack speed is not really lacking and is unreasonable to try and touch 2.5.
Collector also makes picking up those skirmish fights around neutral jungle objectives easier and thus snowballing your lead and gold further.
Mortal Reminder vs LDR:
Mortal gives only 5 less AD and 5% less armor pen while providing heal cut. Healing in top lane is more of a factor that needs to be dealt with post 3 items golbally. 5 raw AD is neglible and if you say you can feel you are overexaggerating the utility of grievous in major fights given grievous is proc’d by physical damage then R reactivation volley is an automatic AoE heal cut debuff for 3s.
Quinn at the point of getting Mortal Reminder will have 50% or 75% crit scaling her passive cd fast enough that a passive auto will be back up and marking an enemy after a full combo rotation.
Disclaimer:
I will still go the kraken-blade-IE-LDMR build if there are bulky tanks 2 or more on a team (i.e. skarner top, tahm kench support)
I also dont play the electrocute lethality style too often in top lane because its counter of armor stackers and lack of attack speed throws off my attack moving rhythm.
These are also my thoughts current and subject to change based on item balance but right now one AS item with boots into full AD feels spicy and baby I love the heat.
P.S. no Kraken slander will be tolerated here, that item is in more than a fair spot at the moment. Its not worse or better than last patch its just different and numbers change all the time.

The Collect
Almighty and merciful God, in your goodness keep us, we pray, from all things that may hurt us, that we, being ready both in mind and body, may accomplish with free hearts those things which belong to your purpose; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever; Amen
Readings:
Psalm 5; 6 Proverbs 4
Gospel: Matthew 11:7–15
7 And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John,What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?
8But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.
9But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.
10For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
11Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
12And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.
13For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.
14And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.
15He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Commentary:
We often find others, and sometimes ourselves, in a moment of religious fervor quoting a single verse or perhaps a passage, as a means of accentuating our editorial point or even justifying that point or opinion. When a verse is used appropriately, in that the contextual meaning of the verse actually is relevant to the theme we are seeking to emphasize, the usage stirs great emotion and sometimes introspection or encouragement. But when a verse is used out of context, the result is an opposite effect, causing confusion when the reader attempts to understand the writers intent or motivation.
Therefore, if we are going to use bible verses effectively, without sowing confusion and misunderstanding, we should attempt to learn all we can about the Bible, especially these individual scenes or vignettes we are presented with in bible studies such as the one today.
Quite frequently, the backgound of the Gospel account and the historical and cultural influences, are interesting, enlightening, and add a deeper understanding and appreciation of the lesson presented in the Gospel.
Regarding the setting or background of the passage we are studying today, we find John the Baptist—who had been arrested and imprisoned by Herod Antipas (see Mt. 4:12 and 14:1-12) hearing reports of the works of Christ—even while in prison—leading John to send two of his disciples to inquire of Jesus if he was indeed the Christ, the anointed one promised by the prophets. The one that the people were longing for with great expectations; a Messiah that would lead them out of subjugation by the Romans and restore the kingdom to its former glory as was under the reign of King David. (v. 11:2-3)
Donovan writes of this situation:
“The reason behind John’s question is found in his messianic expectations. He called people to repent (3:2), because “Even now the axe lies at the root of the trees. Therefore, every tree that doesn’t bring forth good fruit is cut down, and cast into the fire” (3:10). He warned that the one who was to come would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. “His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing floor. He will gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire” (3:12). John clearly expects a fire-and-brimstone messiah.”
“Jesus has not lived up to that billing. He has pronounced blessings on the poor in spirit, the meek, and peacemakers (5:1-11). He has called his disciples to love their enemies (5:42-48). He has warned them not to judge others (7:1-5). These teachings seem weak by comparison with the actions anticipated by John’s fire and brimstone preaching.”
“Furthermore, Jesus moved away from Jerusalem, the home of the temple and the center of religious authority, and began his ministry in Galilee (4:12).”
“Then Jesus worked a series of healing ministries in chapters 8-9—what Bruner calls an “ambulance ministry”—of tremendous significance to those who were healed, but not significant to the nation as a whole. It has been centuries since Israel has heard a prophetic voice (other than John’s). People are looking for a voice of authority—for a fire that will purge the dross—for a powerful leader who will restore Israel’s former glory—for a messiah who will restore the people of God. John keeps watching Jesus hoping to see fireworks, but thus far has been disappointed.”
“But we must admire John. He has a problem with Jesus, so he approaches Jesus as directly as his imprisonment allows—no behind-the-back criticism! He sends his disciples to ask Jesus if he is the one or shall they look for another? John has doubts, but he seeks to learn what Jesus will say—is open to hearing Jesus say that he is, indeed, the one! ”
In verse 6, Jesus states, “And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.” John did not take offense, but only expressed doubt. We can surmise, that John was questioning his own situation just as he was questioning that of Jesus. After all if he (John the Baptist) was truly the one sent by God to prepare the way for the Messiah, why is he in prison? Wouldn’t he better serve God by being out preaching the word of God? And if Jesus was the anointed one, why isn’t he calling down lightening strikes on the Romans, putting them on the run out of Judea? John, as great of a prophet as he was, is about to learn a great lesson in messiah-ship.
“Jesus could rebuke John for his doubts, but instead offers him a blessing. Jesus has not lived up to John’s expectations, but John has not allowed that to be a stumbling block (skandelisthe). Soon enough, Jesus will deal with cities that refuse to repent (11:20-24)—hometown people who take offense (13:57)—Pharisees who take offense (12:1-8; 15:12) and conspire to kill Jesus (12:9-14) and charge that Jesus gets his power from Beelzebul (12:24)—and even disciples who desert him when the chips are down (26:31-33). John has done none of those things, but simply asks Jesus to confirm that he is the one for whom everyone has been waiting. Jesus offers the blessing, not just to John, but to all who do not take offense—all who do not stumble—all who are not scandalized. Jesus blesses us when we remain faithful in the face of prayers that seem not to be answered or hopes that go unfulfilled.” (Donovan)
Perhaps you now understand the importance of reviewing the nuances of the surrounding factors relative to a passage. Hopefully the brief summation provided helps you to understand why Jesus did not rebuke John, but in the verses suggested as today’s study, we find Jesus offering John praise.
“And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John,What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?”(v. 7) John’s disciples had departed, returning to Herod’s prison to report what Jesus had said, and Jesus turns his attention to the followers who had gone out to hear John preach and now were intently listening to and watching Jesus.
Instead of teaching in the formal places of religious instruction, such as the temple in Jerusalem or the outlying synagogues, John had preached in the wilderness, rural areas free of distraction and creature comforts. It required effort upon the part of the people to make the arduous journey out there to hear him, but none the less they did, in great multitudes according to the Gospel writers.
Jesus—in a rhetorical manner—asks them, “What went ye out into the wilderness to see?” Naturally, no one—much less multitudes of people—would make such a great effort to venture out into the desert to hear someone preach who was unworthy. “ They who are weak as reeds will be shaken as reeds; but John was strong in spirit, Eph. 4:14. When the wind of popular applause on the one hand blew fresh and fair, when the storm of Herod's rage on the other hand grew fierce and blustering, John was still the same, the same in all weathers. The testimony he had borne to Christ was not the testimony of a reed, of a man who was of one mind to-day, and of another to-morrow; it was not a weather-cock testimony; no, his constancy in it is intimated (Jn. 1:20); he confessed and denied not, but confessed, and stood to it afterwards, Jn. 3:28. ” (Henry)
In essence, Jesus is stating “Let me tell you what kind of man John is!”
“But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.” (vs. 8-10)
John was said to wear a rough cloak made from the hair of a camel, with a leather belt to gird it, eating wild honey and grains so as to avoid the comparison of those political and religious leaders who lavished upon themselves great luxury. “A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.” Is a direct condemnation of the weak and lascivious usurper who had inherited his father’s throne, Herod Antipas, who in an attempt to seduce his own step daughter granted her a wish, which resulted in her mother asking for John’s head on a platter.
“Note, they who have lived a life of mortification, are least likely to be driven off from their religion by persecution. John appeared rough and unpleasant, yet they flocked after him.” (Henry)
“A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.” Israel endured four hundred years without a prophet. When John burst onto the scene with his fiery preaching, the authenticity of his ministry generated enormous public appeal. “For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.” “John prepares the way of the one who is to come. People check roads before the king travels them. Servants repair potholes and scouts insure security. Today, executives have assistants who plan their travel, secretaries who make their reservations, chauffeurs who drive their cars, and pilots who fly their planes. Just as the services of those who prepare the way enhance the executive’s ability to accomplish work, so also John smoothed Jesus’ entry into the world by calling people to repentance.”(Donovan)
“Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist:” (v. 11a) Jesus declares John to be, not just the greatest prophet, but the greatest figure ever. Given Israel’s pantheon of heroes, such as Abraham, Moses, and David, this is an astonishing statement, indeed. What makes John so special is not his personal characteristics, excellent though those might be, but his privileged place in salvation history. All the other heroes of the faith have done mighty works, but only John has the privilege of introducing the Messiah.
“notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”(v. 11b) “ John stands at the pinnacle of the old era, but even the greatest representative of the old era is less than the humblest representative of the new. An appropriate metaphor is the ancient astronomer whose observations were limited by a small, primitive telescope. The most brilliant person, so limited, could never match the work of a more ordinary person with access to today’s space-based telescopes. Like Moses, John marched up to the border of the promise without actually entering it himself. He was Jesus’ forerunner—not his disciple. If the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John, consider where that places us. We may be very ordinary Christians, but God considers us to be great.” (Donovan)
“And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” (vs. 12-15)
Jesus’ reference to violence refers to both the intensity of spiritual warfare surrounding the ministry of Jesus and His herald, and also to the intensity required to persevere in following God and His kingdom.
The exact sense of this has been greatly debated, and is made more difficult by complicated grammar. Carson probably gives the best sense of both expressions. “The kingdom has come with holy power and magnificent energy that has been pushing back the frontiers of darkness. This is especially manifest in Jesus’ miracles and ties in with Jesus’ response to the Baptist…The kingdom is making great strides; now is the time for courageous souls, forceful people, to take hold of it.” (Carson)
“For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. ” Jesus saw an era ending with John; all the prophets and the law anticipated John and his ministry as a herald. There is a sense in which John spoke for every prophet who heralded Jesus’ coming. Under the Old Covenant, every other prophet announced, “The Messiah is coming.” John alone had the privilege of saying, “The Messiah is here.”
“The ministry of John was the beginning of the gospel, as it is reckoned, Mk. 1:1; Acts 1:22. This is shown here in two things: [1.] In John the Old Testament dispensation began to die, v. 13. So long that ministration continued in full force and virtue, but then it began to decline. Though the obligation of the law of Moses was not removed till Christ's death, yet the discoveries of the Old Testament began to be superseded by the more clear manifestation of the kingdom of heaven as at hand. [2.] In him the New-Testament day began to dawn; for (v. 14) This is Elias, that was for to come. John was as the loop that coupled the two Testaments; as Noah was Fibula utriusque mundi—the link connecting both worlds, so was he utriusque Testamenti—the link connecting both Testaments. The concluding prophecy of the Old Testament was, Behold, I will send you Elijah, Mal. 4:5, 6. Those words prophesied until John, and then, being turned into a history, they ceased to prophecy. ” (Henry)
“He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” “A proverbial form of speech often used by Jesus after important utterances, here for the first time in Matthew.” (Bruce) A saying of Jesus that will appear throughout the Gospels which is a veiled warning to all mankind, to listen, to take heed, to understand that the teachings of Christ are indeed the thoughts and commandments of his Father in Heaven, and an implication that to ignore these words will result in less than favorable circumstances.
Benediction
It is not enough to acclaim Jesus Christ as our Lord and King. Our mission in life is to make his kingdom a reality among us and to bring it to those around us by our words and deeds. The way to do this is to live as he lived: for others, in love and service. May almighty God bless you for this task: the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord and to give shape to his kingdom. Thanks be to God!
Thought for the Day:
Living at risk is jumping off the cliff and building your wings on the way down.
Ray Bradbury

The Collect
Almighty and merciful God, in your goodness keep us, we pray, from all things that may hurt us, that we, being ready both in mind and body, may accomplish with free hearts those things which belong to your purpose; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever; Amen
Readings:
Psalm 5; 6 Proverbs 4
Gospel: Matthew 11:7–15
7 And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John,What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?
8But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.
9But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.
10For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
11Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
12And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.
13For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.
14And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.
15He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Commentary:
We often find others, and sometimes ourselves, in a moment of religious fervor quoting a single verse or perhaps a passage, as a means of accentuating our editorial point or even justifying that point or opinion. When a verse is used appropriately, in that the contextual meaning of the verse actually is relevant to the theme we are seeking to emphasize, the usage stirs great emotion and sometimes introspection or encouragement. But when a verse is used out of context, the result is an opposite effect, causing confusion when the reader attempts to understand the writers intent or motivation.
Therefore, if we are going to use bible verses effectively, without sowing confusion and misunderstanding, we should attempt to learn all we can about the Bible, especially these individual scenes or vignettes we are presented with in bible studies such as the one today.
Quite frequently, the backgound of the Gospel account and the historical and cultural influences, are interesting, enlightening, and add a deeper understanding and appreciation of the lesson presented in the Gospel.
Regarding the setting or background of the passage we are studying today, we find John the Baptist—who had been arrested and imprisoned by Herod Antipas (see Mt. 4:12 and 14:1-12) hearing reports of the works of Christ—even while in prison—leading John to send two of his disciples to inquire of Jesus if he was indeed the Christ, the anointed one promised by the prophets. The one that the people were longing for with great expectations; a Messiah that would lead them out of subjugation by the Romans and restore the kingdom to its former glory as was under the reign of King David. (v. 11:2-3)
Donovan writes of this situation:
“The reason behind John’s question is found in his messianic expectations. He called people to repent (3:2), because “Even now the axe lies at the root of the trees. Therefore, every tree that doesn’t bring forth good fruit is cut down, and cast into the fire” (3:10). He warned that the one who was to come would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. “His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing floor. He will gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire” (3:12). John clearly expects a fire-and-brimstone messiah.”
“Jesus has not lived up to that billing. He has pronounced blessings on the poor in spirit, the meek, and peacemakers (5:1-11). He has called his disciples to love their enemies (5:42-48). He has warned them not to judge others (7:1-5). These teachings seem weak by comparison with the actions anticipated by John’s fire and brimstone preaching.”
“Furthermore, Jesus moved away from Jerusalem, the home of the temple and the center of religious authority, and began his ministry in Galilee (4:12).”
“Then Jesus worked a series of healing ministries in chapters 8-9—what Bruner calls an “ambulance ministry”—of tremendous significance to those who were healed, but not significant to the nation as a whole. It has been centuries since Israel has heard a prophetic voice (other than John’s). People are looking for a voice of authority—for a fire that will purge the dross—for a powerful leader who will restore Israel’s former glory—for a messiah who will restore the people of God. John keeps watching Jesus hoping to see fireworks, but thus far has been disappointed.”
“But we must admire John. He has a problem with Jesus, so he approaches Jesus as directly as his imprisonment allows—no behind-the-back criticism! He sends his disciples to ask Jesus if he is the one or shall they look for another? John has doubts, but he seeks to learn what Jesus will say—is open to hearing Jesus say that he is, indeed, the one! ”
In verse 6, Jesus states, “And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.” John did not take offense, but only expressed doubt. We can surmise, that John was questioning his own situation just as he was questioning that of Jesus. After all if he (John the Baptist) was truly the one sent by God to prepare the way for the Messiah, why is he in prison? Wouldn’t he better serve God by being out preaching the word of God? And if Jesus was the anointed one, why isn’t he calling down lightening strikes on the Romans, putting them on the run out of Judea? John, as great of a prophet as he was, is about to learn a great lesson in messiah-ship.
“Jesus could rebuke John for his doubts, but instead offers him a blessing. Jesus has not lived up to John’s expectations, but John has not allowed that to be a stumbling block (skandelisthe). Soon enough, Jesus will deal with cities that refuse to repent (11:20-24)—hometown people who take offense (13:57)—Pharisees who take offense (12:1-8; 15:12) and conspire to kill Jesus (12:9-14) and charge that Jesus gets his power from Beelzebul (12:24)—and even disciples who desert him when the chips are down (26:31-33). John has done none of those things, but simply asks Jesus to confirm that he is the one for whom everyone has been waiting. Jesus offers the blessing, not just to John, but to all who do not take offense—all who do not stumble—all who are not scandalized. Jesus blesses us when we remain faithful in the face of prayers that seem not to be answered or hopes that go unfulfilled.” (Donovan)
Perhaps you now understand the importance of reviewing the nuances of the surrounding factors relative to a passage. Hopefully the brief summation provided helps you to understand why Jesus did not rebuke John, but in the verses suggested as today’s study, we find Jesus offering John praise.
“And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John,What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?”(v. 7) John’s disciples had departed, returning to Herod’s prison to report what Jesus had said, and Jesus turns his attention to the followers who had gone out to hear John preach and now were intently listening to and watching Jesus.
Instead of teaching in the formal places of religious instruction, such as the temple in Jerusalem or the outlying synagogues, John had preached in the wilderness, rural areas free of distraction and creature comforts. It required effort upon the part of the people to make the arduous journey out there to hear him, but none the less they did, in great multitudes according to the Gospel writers.
Jesus—in a rhetorical manner—asks them, “What went ye out into the wilderness to see?” Naturally, no one—much less multitudes of people—would make such a great effort to venture out into the desert to hear someone preach who was unworthy. “ They who are weak as reeds will be shaken as reeds; but John was strong in spirit, Eph. 4:14. When the wind of popular applause on the one hand blew fresh and fair, when the storm of Herod's rage on the other hand grew fierce and blustering, John was still the same, the same in all weathers. The testimony he had borne to Christ was not the testimony of a reed, of a man who was of one mind to-day, and of another to-morrow; it was not a weather-cock testimony; no, his constancy in it is intimated (Jn. 1:20); he confessed and denied not, but confessed, and stood to it afterwards, Jn. 3:28. ” (Henry)
In essence, Jesus is stating “Let me tell you what kind of man John is!”
“But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.” (vs. 8-10)
John was said to wear a rough cloak made from the hair of a camel, with a leather belt to gird it, eating wild honey and grains so as to avoid the comparison of those political and religious leaders who lavished upon themselves great luxury. “A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.” Is a direct condemnation of the weak and lascivious usurper who had inherited his father’s throne, Herod Antipas, who in an attempt to seduce his own step daughter granted her a wish, which resulted in her mother asking for John’s head on a platter.
“Note, they who have lived a life of mortification, are least likely to be driven off from their religion by persecution. John appeared rough and unpleasant, yet they flocked after him.” (Henry)
“A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.” Israel endured four hundred years without a prophet. When John burst onto the scene with his fiery preaching, the authenticity of his ministry generated enormous public appeal. “For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.” “John prepares the way of the one who is to come. People check roads before the king travels them. Servants repair potholes and scouts insure security. Today, executives have assistants who plan their travel, secretaries who make their reservations, chauffeurs who drive their cars, and pilots who fly their planes. Just as the services of those who prepare the way enhance the executive’s ability to accomplish work, so also John smoothed Jesus’ entry into the world by calling people to repentance.”(Donovan)
“Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist:” (v. 11a) Jesus declares John to be, not just the greatest prophet, but the greatest figure ever. Given Israel’s pantheon of heroes, such as Abraham, Moses, and David, this is an astonishing statement, indeed. What makes John so special is not his personal characteristics, excellent though those might be, but his privileged place in salvation history. All the other heroes of the faith have done mighty works, but only John has the privilege of introducing the Messiah.
“notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”(v. 11b) “ John stands at the pinnacle of the old era, but even the greatest representative of the old era is less than the humblest representative of the new. An appropriate metaphor is the ancient astronomer whose observations were limited by a small, primitive telescope. The most brilliant person, so limited, could never match the work of a more ordinary person with access to today’s space-based telescopes. Like Moses, John marched up to the border of the promise without actually entering it himself. He was Jesus’ forerunner—not his disciple. If the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John, consider where that places us. We may be very ordinary Christians, but God considers us to be great.” (Donovan)
“And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” (vs. 12-15)
Jesus’ reference to violence refers to both the intensity of spiritual warfare surrounding the ministry of Jesus and His herald, and also to the intensity required to persevere in following God and His kingdom.
The exact sense of this has been greatly debated, and is made more difficult by complicated grammar. Carson probably gives the best sense of both expressions. “The kingdom has come with holy power and magnificent energy that has been pushing back the frontiers of darkness. This is especially manifest in Jesus’ miracles and ties in with Jesus’ response to the Baptist…The kingdom is making great strides; now is the time for courageous souls, forceful people, to take hold of it.” (Carson)
“For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. ” Jesus saw an era ending with John; all the prophets and the law anticipated John and his ministry as a herald. There is a sense in which John spoke for every prophet who heralded Jesus’ coming. Under the Old Covenant, every other prophet announced, “The Messiah is coming.” John alone had the privilege of saying, “The Messiah is here.”
“The ministry of John was the beginning of the gospel, as it is reckoned, Mk. 1:1; Acts 1:22. This is shown here in two things: [1.] In John the Old Testament dispensation began to die, v. 13. So long that ministration continued in full force and virtue, but then it began to decline. Though the obligation of the law of Moses was not removed till Christ's death, yet the discoveries of the Old Testament began to be superseded by the more clear manifestation of the kingdom of heaven as at hand. [2.] In him the New-Testament day began to dawn; for (v. 14) This is Elias, that was for to come. John was as the loop that coupled the two Testaments; as Noah was Fibula utriusque mundi—the link connecting both worlds, so was he utriusque Testamenti—the link connecting both Testaments. The concluding prophecy of the Old Testament was, Behold, I will send you Elijah, Mal. 4:5, 6. Those words prophesied until John, and then, being turned into a history, they ceased to prophecy. ” (Henry)
“He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” “A proverbial form of speech often used by Jesus after important utterances, here for the first time in Matthew.” (Bruce) A saying of Jesus that will appear throughout the Gospels which is a veiled warning to all mankind, to listen, to take heed, to understand that the teachings of Christ are indeed the thoughts and commandments of his Father in Heaven, and an implication that to ignore these words will result in less than favorable circumstances.
Benediction
It is not enough to acclaim Jesus Christ as our Lord and King. Our mission in life is to make his kingdom a reality among us and to bring it to those around us by our words and deeds. The way to do this is to live as he lived: for others, in love and service. May almighty God bless you for this task: the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord and to give shape to his kingdom. Thanks be to God!
Thought for the Day:
Living at risk is jumping off the cliff and building your wings on the way down.
Ray Bradbury

The Collect
Almighty and merciful God, in your goodness keep us, we pray, from all things that may hurt us, that we, being ready both in mind and body, may accomplish with free hearts those things which belong to your purpose; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever; Amen
Readings:
Psalm 5; 6 Proverbs 4
Gospel: Matthew 11:7–15
7 And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John,What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?
8But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.
9But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.
10For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
11Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
12And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.
13For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.
14And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.
15He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Commentary:
We often find others, and sometimes ourselves, in a moment of religious fervor quoting a single verse or perhaps a passage, as a means of accentuating our editorial point or even justifying that point or opinion. When a verse is used appropriately, in that the contextual meaning of the verse actually is relevant to the theme we are seeking to emphasize, the usage stirs great emotion and sometimes introspection or encouragement. But when a verse is used out of context, the result is an opposite effect, causing confusion when the reader attempts to understand the writers intent or motivation.
Therefore, if we are going to use bible verses effectively, without sowing confusion and misunderstanding, we should attempt to learn all we can about the Bible, especially these individual scenes or vignettes we are presented with in bible studies such as the one today.
Quite frequently, the backgound of the Gospel account and the historical and cultural influences, are interesting, enlightening, and add a deeper understanding and appreciation of the lesson presented in the Gospel.
Regarding the setting or background of the passage we are studying today, we find John the Baptist—who had been arrested and imprisoned by Herod Antipas (see Mt. 4:12 and 14:1-12) hearing reports of the works of Christ—even while in prison—leading John to send two of his disciples to inquire of Jesus if he was indeed the Christ, the anointed one promised by the prophets. The one that the people were longing for with great expectations; a Messiah that would lead them out of subjugation by the Romans and restore the kingdom to its former glory as was under the reign of King David. (v. 11:2-3)
Donovan writes of this situation:
“The reason behind John’s question is found in his messianic expectations. He called people to repent (3:2), because “Even now the axe lies at the root of the trees. Therefore, every tree that doesn’t bring forth good fruit is cut down, and cast into the fire” (3:10). He warned that the one who was to come would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. “His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing floor. He will gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire” (3:12). John clearly expects a fire-and-brimstone messiah.”
“Jesus has not lived up to that billing. He has pronounced blessings on the poor in spirit, the meek, and peacemakers (5:1-11). He has called his disciples to love their enemies (5:42-48). He has warned them not to judge others (7:1-5). These teachings seem weak by comparison with the actions anticipated by John’s fire and brimstone preaching.”
“Furthermore, Jesus moved away from Jerusalem, the home of the temple and the center of religious authority, and began his ministry in Galilee (4:12).”
“Then Jesus worked a series of healing ministries in chapters 8-9—what Bruner calls an “ambulance ministry”—of tremendous significance to those who were healed, but not significant to the nation as a whole. It has been centuries since Israel has heard a prophetic voice (other than John’s). People are looking for a voice of authority—for a fire that will purge the dross—for a powerful leader who will restore Israel’s former glory—for a messiah who will restore the people of God. John keeps watching Jesus hoping to see fireworks, but thus far has been disappointed.”
“But we must admire John. He has a problem with Jesus, so he approaches Jesus as directly as his imprisonment allows—no behind-the-back criticism! He sends his disciples to ask Jesus if he is the one or shall they look for another? John has doubts, but he seeks to learn what Jesus will say—is open to hearing Jesus say that he is, indeed, the one! ”
In verse 6, Jesus states, “And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.” John did not take offense, but only expressed doubt. We can surmise, that John was questioning his own situation just as he was questioning that of Jesus. After all if he (John the Baptist) was truly the one sent by God to prepare the way for the Messiah, why is he in prison? Wouldn’t he better serve God by being out preaching the word of God? And if Jesus was the anointed one, why isn’t he calling down lightening strikes on the Romans, putting them on the run out of Judea? John, as great of a prophet as he was, is about to learn a great lesson in messiah-ship.
“Jesus could rebuke John for his doubts, but instead offers him a blessing. Jesus has not lived up to John’s expectations, but John has not allowed that to be a stumbling block (skandelisthe). Soon enough, Jesus will deal with cities that refuse to repent (11:20-24)—hometown people who take offense (13:57)—Pharisees who take offense (12:1-8; 15:12) and conspire to kill Jesus (12:9-14) and charge that Jesus gets his power from Beelzebul (12:24)—and even disciples who desert him when the chips are down (26:31-33). John has done none of those things, but simply asks Jesus to confirm that he is the one for whom everyone has been waiting. Jesus offers the blessing, not just to John, but to all who do not take offense—all who do not stumble—all who are not scandalized. Jesus blesses us when we remain faithful in the face of prayers that seem not to be answered or hopes that go unfulfilled.” (Donovan)
Perhaps you now understand the importance of reviewing the nuances of the surrounding factors relative to a passage. Hopefully the brief summation provided helps you to understand why Jesus did not rebuke John, but in the verses suggested as today’s study, we find Jesus offering John praise.
“And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John,What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?”(v. 7) John’s disciples had departed, returning to Herod’s prison to report what Jesus had said, and Jesus turns his attention to the followers who had gone out to hear John preach and now were intently listening to and watching Jesus.
Instead of teaching in the formal places of religious instruction, such as the temple in Jerusalem or the outlying synagogues, John had preached in the wilderness, rural areas free of distraction and creature comforts. It required effort upon the part of the people to make the arduous journey out there to hear him, but none the less they did, in great multitudes according to the Gospel writers.
Jesus—in a rhetorical manner—asks them, “What went ye out into the wilderness to see?” Naturally, no one—much less multitudes of people—would make such a great effort to venture out into the desert to hear someone preach who was unworthy. “ They who are weak as reeds will be shaken as reeds; but John was strong in spirit, Eph. 4:14. When the wind of popular applause on the one hand blew fresh and fair, when the storm of Herod's rage on the other hand grew fierce and blustering, John was still the same, the same in all weathers. The testimony he had borne to Christ was not the testimony of a reed, of a man who was of one mind to-day, and of another to-morrow; it was not a weather-cock testimony; no, his constancy in it is intimated (Jn. 1:20); he confessed and denied not, but confessed, and stood to it afterwards, Jn. 3:28. ” (Henry)
In essence, Jesus is stating “Let me tell you what kind of man John is!”
“But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.” (vs. 8-10)
John was said to wear a rough cloak made from the hair of a camel, with a leather belt to gird it, eating wild honey and grains so as to avoid the comparison of those political and religious leaders who lavished upon themselves great luxury. “A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.” Is a direct condemnation of the weak and lascivious usurper who had inherited his father’s throne, Herod Antipas, who in an attempt to seduce his own step daughter granted her a wish, which resulted in her mother asking for John’s head on a platter.
“Note, they who have lived a life of mortification, are least likely to be driven off from their religion by persecution. John appeared rough and unpleasant, yet they flocked after him.” (Henry)
“A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.” Israel endured four hundred years without a prophet. When John burst onto the scene with his fiery preaching, the authenticity of his ministry generated enormous public appeal. “For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.” “John prepares the way of the one who is to come. People check roads before the king travels them. Servants repair potholes and scouts insure security. Today, executives have assistants who plan their travel, secretaries who make their reservations, chauffeurs who drive their cars, and pilots who fly their planes. Just as the services of those who prepare the way enhance the executive’s ability to accomplish work, so also John smoothed Jesus’ entry into the world by calling people to repentance.”(Donovan)
“Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist:” (v. 11a) Jesus declares John to be, not just the greatest prophet, but the greatest figure ever. Given Israel’s pantheon of heroes, such as Abraham, Moses, and David, this is an astonishing statement, indeed. What makes John so special is not his personal characteristics, excellent though those might be, but his privileged place in salvation history. All the other heroes of the faith have done mighty works, but only John has the privilege of introducing the Messiah.
“notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”(v. 11b) “ John stands at the pinnacle of the old era, but even the greatest representative of the old era is less than the humblest representative of the new. An appropriate metaphor is the ancient astronomer whose observations were limited by a small, primitive telescope. The most brilliant person, so limited, could never match the work of a more ordinary person with access to today’s space-based telescopes. Like Moses, John marched up to the border of the promise without actually entering it himself. He was Jesus’ forerunner—not his disciple. If the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John, consider where that places us. We may be very ordinary Christians, but God considers us to be great.” (Donovan)
“And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” (vs. 12-15)
Jesus’ reference to violence refers to both the intensity of spiritual warfare surrounding the ministry of Jesus and His herald, and also to the intensity required to persevere in following God and His kingdom.
The exact sense of this has been greatly debated, and is made more difficult by complicated grammar. Carson probably gives the best sense of both expressions. “The kingdom has come with holy power and magnificent energy that has been pushing back the frontiers of darkness. This is especially manifest in Jesus’ miracles and ties in with Jesus’ response to the Baptist…The kingdom is making great strides; now is the time for courageous souls, forceful people, to take hold of it.” (Carson)
“For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. ” Jesus saw an era ending with John; all the prophets and the law anticipated John and his ministry as a herald. There is a sense in which John spoke for every prophet who heralded Jesus’ coming. Under the Old Covenant, every other prophet announced, “The Messiah is coming.” John alone had the privilege of saying, “The Messiah is here.”
“The ministry of John was the beginning of the gospel, as it is reckoned, Mk. 1:1; Acts 1:22. This is shown here in two things: [1.] In John the Old Testament dispensation began to die, v. 13. So long that ministration continued in full force and virtue, but then it began to decline. Though the obligation of the law of Moses was not removed till Christ's death, yet the discoveries of the Old Testament began to be superseded by the more clear manifestation of the kingdom of heaven as at hand. [2.] In him the New-Testament day began to dawn; for (v. 14) This is Elias, that was for to come. John was as the loop that coupled the two Testaments; as Noah was Fibula utriusque mundi—the link connecting both worlds, so was he utriusque Testamenti—the link connecting both Testaments. The concluding prophecy of the Old Testament was, Behold, I will send you Elijah, Mal. 4:5, 6. Those words prophesied until John, and then, being turned into a history, they ceased to prophecy. ” (Henry)
“He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” “A proverbial form of speech often used by Jesus after important utterances, here for the first time in Matthew.” (Bruce) A saying of Jesus that will appear throughout the Gospels which is a veiled warning to all mankind, to listen, to take heed, to understand that the teachings of Christ are indeed the thoughts and commandments of his Father in Heaven, and an implication that to ignore these words will result in less than favorable circumstances.
Benediction
It is not enough to acclaim Jesus Christ as our Lord and King. Our mission in life is to make his kingdom a reality among us and to bring it to those around us by our words and deeds. The way to do this is to live as he lived: for others, in love and service. May almighty God bless you for this task: the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord and to give shape to his kingdom. Thanks be to God!
Thought for the Day:
Living at risk is jumping off the cliff and building your wings on the way down.
Ray Bradbury