Desven

Sorry, this week hasn't been the best for me. 1. I've written a lot of lore over the past few years and have received input from a lot of people, including the playerbase. For some more extreme Vaurca changes, I've actually tested the waters with other people outside of the team, just to get an idea of what they think as well. I think we do need to keep ourselves open to receive criticism, even if it's unfounded. 2. I like how constant checkups have been with the latest LTA administrations, and I would like that as well. I think I can also contribute with ideas and help see where teams may be "stuck." This is basically what I do in my dayjob already. 3. A clear example is just all the lore surrounding the War in Heaven, which has even permeated the election arc a bit. One day, I woke up and thought about adding the West Phoenixport Law Center, which is now relevant in the election arc. I have also tested the waters a lot in terms of how the War in Heaven should go. 4. Off the top of my head, regular pings and keeping a calendar. If a team in specific needs more supervision, I would probably take a more hands-on approach to see how I can help. 5. Right now, for the most part, I want to highlight the same points I mentioned in my application (accessibility, congruity, and community). However, I'm also a big believer in setting up pieces to see where we can go from there—we've been doing this is in the Vaurca year for literal years. I would like to see how we can move post-phoron scarcity and think of an idea as to what's the next big step for the setting. 6. I've given my two cents every now and then, but I always feel like an intruder when I do so. I would like to actually provide better articulated feedback as part of the LTA and help the teams with whatever they might need. 7. Messaging individuals has worked wonders. I think helping the underperfoming individual come up with a project or suggestion of their own can also work. 8. Ideally, a consensus. However, there might be situations where that won't be achieveable, and that's ok. I wouldn't like to enforce something without listening to the other parties, but we do have to think about the future of the lore as a whole and try not to divide between two camps or more.

Ckey/BYOND Username: Desven Position Being Applied For: Deputy Loremaster Have you read the Lore Team Rules and Regulations wiki page?: Yes Past Experiences/Knowledge: Examples of Past Work: Basically all Vaurca wiki. I've also contributed in team projects by the team. 1) What do you believe you can bring to the team as Deputy Loremaster: When it comes to the broad of lore, I've been mainly concerned with two aspects: consistency and verisimilitude. I'll explain what I mean by each of these points by using the phoron crisis as an example. I know that we, internally, are working on how to fix it, but I still want to make my point clear. Consistency: The timeline for phoron discovery is not consistent at all, and the tremendous amounts of deposits in some areas of the Orion Spur contradict the idea that phoron deposits are running dry. I really like that lore teams are mostly autonomous, but I do believe that the lore writers, and the community as a whole, would benefit greatly from a "lore Bible"—a written document with core tenets of Aurora lore, the tone, and what we wish to strive. This lore Bible should be workshopped with the lore writers and may receive feedback from the players to ensure everybody is on the same page. This would make us all feel a lot more certain as to where we want to take lore and ensure a mix-up like this doesn't happen again. Verisimilitude: I risk sounding like a nerd, but the phoron crisis is actually a phoron shortage, which in my opinion doesn't make much sense. In the history of humanity, we haven't ran out of natural resources despite constant exploitation. It's true that some resources are getting harder to find, but consider for a moment we only have one planet whereas in Aurora we have literally hundreds, if not thousands. I believe this happened because many of us are young, and throughout our time writing lore, we have learned plenty about the world and how things work. We've all received feedback from players, saying "this doesn't make sense" and it's something I agree with. It might sound nitpicky, but it can really shatter the illusion of reality, which is critical whenever you're writing something, as Aristotle made it clear over two thousand years ago. For the phoron crisis, I think it would make more sense to be an actual crisis with embargos and private ownership of resources, but this is another conversation. However, this idea of verisimilitude also expands to what are the realistic expectations of your acquisitive power with your wage (economy lore), which is something the community usually worries about. I'm also highly against the sci-fi topic that one planet equals one monolithic culture. We have tried our best to go against that by having a mosaic of cultures, but some areas still need improvement, in my opinion. I believe verisimilitude can easily be achieved by having a more "dynamic" setting, where lore reacts and reflects on other happenings, and where nuggets of information sprinkled across everywhere can make the places seem genuine. This is something I heavily leaned on my recent Vaurca article, where a reporter goes through menial pieces of information to make sense of a contradicting story. This example might be too "extreme" of a solution, but I think that what the Election Arc, the War in Heaven Arc, and New Blades Old Wounds have shown is that you can run three events simultaneously and throw in references to each other, making it feel like these events are genuinely happening in the world we've built. 2) Do you have any experience managing a Team? The duties of a Deputy Loremaster often revolve around being a Project Lead, not necessarily just writing. In real life, I lead a team of writers and editors. I also have my experience as Vaurca writer. 3) Your thoughts on me as a loremaster, and how best you think you can assist me. I think you're highly ambitious but really open to feedback, which I really appreciate. I believe we share a similar ambition as wanting to make lore feel more "authentic" and serious, creating a compelling story for players. I'll be honest and admit that I didn't originally approach you for feedback, but I think the times we've sat down and worked on some documents, we've been a great pairing. 4) What do you believe are your biggest drawbacks, both as a writer and as an applicant for this position? As I told you before, I'm a huge pantser. I have ideas that I pick up from time to time and, if a project suits me because I think it'll end up tying things better later, I pick it up. For this reason, I struggle to make huge proposals or stick to a strict timeline where everything is absolutely planned. This has been highly evident in my recent arc proposal, which I won't go into detail here. 5) In a brief summary, explain the direction you'd wish to see the Lore Team take in regards to Aurora Lore. I believe that we have very solid bases and it's time for us to play with all of our pieces. I don't really plan of going "beyond" the Spur, rather I would like a lot more cooperation and a joint effort by all teams to make things work. However, I would like Aurora lore to be seen as a respectable, well-written community story and not amateurish. For that, I have a three points I want to focus on: 1. Accessibility: I'm a huge believer that the wiki should be easy to read and factual. I know it's hard to update everything, but there are huge lore arcs that as of now you can only understand if you read a million news articles. I would like the wiki to reflect more what happens every year, creating yearly articles (from 2462 til today) that summarize events neatly for new and returning players. I also think wiki formatting still has a long way to go. I've been trying for years to make more REDIRECT TO pages for the Vaurca wiki, but I would like to encourage all teams to do the same with theirs, as there's some information that feels arcane unless you dig deep on an article. And I'll be honest: I don't think collapses are a great idea. If the article gets too long, it should send you to a different page instead. There's a reason why Wikipedia doesn't have collapsable tables in long topics—you can't do ctrl f and if you're redirected to the page, you won't be shown the relevant paragraph immediately, leaving you confused as to where you'll find that information. I also believe we should use more hyperlinks when necessary and always introduce our topics. It's awful to read a page that references an acronym or something but it's not explained there, and then you can't find it anywhere because the acronym is only explained deep in a collapsable table. It's not user friendly at all. 2. Congruity: Out of fear of repeating my answer for question 1, I believe we need to make lore feel a lot more congruent and that it truly goes beyond what we see as the Horizon. With my recent Vaurca arc, I've tried doing this by introducing new ways in which information can be relayed to characters when it doesn't come directly from a news source. I want lore to feel organic, like things are happening the whole time and we get to see bits of it. It helps with the immersion and it also helps the players feel more invested. I know some lore teams have achieved this greatly, but it should be a standard we should all seek. 3. Community: I also believe we should strive for new ways to involve players in lore that don't necessary rely on heavily-planned lore arcs with in-game events. These are serious tasks that require months of preparation, yet I think we should think of new media or ways to participate where players can get involved even in every-day rounds. I think Odyssey can help with this a lot, but I believe that we should also think of ways players can even contribute from Discord or the forums. I want to encourage fan content if possible—the main draw of Aurora is always your own OC, but I truly want to see players be excited about lore characters and think of fan art, fanfics, just fan whatever about them. I want the playerbase to feel the passion some of us feel about these characters that only exist in the wiki or news articles, and I'm open to think of any way we can promote this. 6) Where do you think lore is lacking currently? I still think megacorp lore is lacking, particularly when it comes to Einstein Engines. I also feel like there could be a lot more about the cities in our major planets, like Biesel. We sometimes write a lot about these million places, yet we really don't give much for the players to pick them up and make them theirs. I've noticed that players feel a lot more comfortable when making characters with a steady template that has solid lore bases instead of a free-for-all, you make up all the holes on your own. By this I don't mean we need to dictate everything, but just provide a safety net for players to create their characters at ease. 7) Lastly, what timezone are you normally awake during? CST, I work from 9 to 5, but I always have my laptop with me.

Newsletter: Celebrate Vaurca History Month with PRIDE! Hi, all! As you may know, each August we celebrate Vaurca History Month, commemorating the ending of the Great Hive War over 29 000 years ago. August provides the perfect opportunity for us, as allies, to learn about Vaurcae, their history and culture, as well as their long list of contributions to the Orion Spur. This is my first August as Executive Director of Vaurca Equality and I couldn't be more excited. This time, we've prepared something special: we'll be hosting events alongside some of the most prominent Vaurca voices of the community. At Vaurca Equality, we believe it is our duty to provide platforms for those underrepresented, including the marginalized Queenless community. Be on the watchout for the panel list that'll be emailed to you in the upcoming days. Additionally, we'll be holding our first Vaurca Pride parade outside our headquarters on August 12, 2466. We invite all Vaurca, regardless of their brood or lack thereof, as well as every ally, to join us and show Biesel that Vaurcae are here and their voices need to be heard. I also want to thank all Vaurca Equality members for their continuous sponsorship of this mission. Our newspaper, the Caprice Sun, continues to experience many changes as we do our best to deliver the highest-quality content for our readers. Let's make this Vaurca History Month unforgettable! Your participation and enthusiasm will make all the difference. See you at the events! Mariam Ashraf Executive Director of Vaurca Equality

K'lax Conflict Witness' Story Explained War in Heaven, Part Three: “Hail horrors,” Article 4 By Ahklu Zkazos This article was marked as a 'Quality contribution' by our forum members. Only registered members are allowed to comment. Subscribe to VUO to receive more articles like this in your inbox. While the Izweski Hegemony has been preoccupied with a rebellious lord, newspapers from the East Heartland region of Moghes have reported on Kort, a Vaurca janitor who claims to have participated in the K'lax virtual reality conflict. The news has failed to garner attention from the wider Orion Spur, and many that have read the articles believe Kort's story to be a hoax. While some of Kort's claims are compelling, solid arguments have been made to refute the story. This article is meant to remain impartial, showcasing multiple perspectives alongside the chronology of events. Civil discussion is encouraged in the comment section, which will be moderated by Vaurca Updates Online staff. Who Is Za'Akaix'Kort K'lax? Za'Akaix'Kort K'lax is a Vaurca janitor who currently works at the Baandr fish market. The name was reported by The Baandr Fisher's Gazette as Za'Viax'Kort K'lax but the publication's editor confirmed to me in a phone call that it was a mistake. This distinction is very important—there is nothing to suggest Kort is mentally impaired by nature. Keep in mind Vaurcae aren't known for keeping members they deem "defective." The 2465 Land Survey of Lord Mizaruz Izweski, which is publicly available here, lists all residents of Baandr that must pay tribute to the lord. The survey lists every clan leader and his working dependents, alongside profession. The survey's section of Vaurca residents is brief, listing only a small community led by a Ta'Akaix'Lubillin'xaa K'lax, a servant of Zkaii. Among the dependents of Lubillin appears Za'Akaix'Kort K'lax with the title "Custodian, fish market." This piece of evidence proves Kort's identity and should remove any speculation if the Vaurca is real. While no records of employment from the fish market have been made public, it is safe to assume that Kort was working as a janitor since at least January 2465, long before the news broke. I interviewed a young fisher who also works in the market. They chose to remain anonymous. The fisher stated that they've been working there for only about nine months, and confirmed to have seen Kort before. The fishersinta said: "The Vaurca community in Baandr is small, so when you see one, you really remember them. I've never interacted with Kort, but I had seen them walk around with some kind of unique headphones. I have friends that have spoken with them and they all agree that Kort is polite." I also asked about the mental faculties of Kort. The fishersinta replied: "The people that know them […] all claim they were sound. I had never heard of Kort saying something crazy. I believe that's why some Sinta chose to believe them." Keep in mind that this testimony is anecdotal, and I was unable to interview any Unathi that had come in contact with Kort. I received some emails from Sinta who supposedly had spoken to Kort, only to fail to identify themselves as proper employees of the fisher market. Keep in mind that even if the fishersinta's testimony is true, these conversations would have been likely brief, as my source was adamant that Kort had no friends and kept to themselves. However, when asked if they believed Kort to fit the "kooky janitor" trope, my source replied with a firm no. I also asked the fishersinta when Kort first began missing work. Their response was uncertain: "About a month ago, maybe a month and a half." The Baandr Post first reported that Kort had taken a leave of absence starting in March 2466. The Baandr Herald, who recorded an interview with Kort, reported that the leave had begun in May 2466. The Baandr Fisher's Gazette reported that Kort had only been absent for three weeks, all in June. The Gazette, though sponsored by the Fishing League, is not affiliated with the fish market. In my call with the Gazette's editor, they confirmed that the date provided in their article was an "estimate" but remained unverified. Regardless, dates are relevant as they offer the time frame during which Kort could have participated in the virtual reality conflict. All outlets, including the fishersinta I interviewed, agree that Kort returned to work the first days of July. Chronology of Events On July 3, 2466, Kort—who had reincorporated a day prior to their job—had a mental breakdown after reportedly refusing to enter the janitor's closet, believing it was "controlled" by the deceased Master-at-Arms Gist. The Vaurca had been asked by a supervisor to retrieve some soap. According to eyewitness testimony, Kort "shrieked" and "babbled" before having a seizure [1] [2] [3]. The Vaurca was immediately assisted, but after regaining consciousness, they threatened their coworkers with a broomstick [2]. The fisher I interviewed claimed to have seen the event and believed the object to be a "tie rod" used for scaffolding. My source claims to have not witnessed an actual threat by Kort, and believes the Vaurca held the object "by accident" after attempting to flee the crowd. The claim that Kort threatened to injure their coworkers remains dubious. Minutes later, Kort calmed down and accepted a glass of Xuizi juice. The Vaurca was reportedly lucid and talked while the personnel waited for the healers to arrive and examine Kort [1] [3]. It was during this period when Kort first mentioned having participated in the K'lax conflict. According to the reports, Kort's speech was "composed" and their narrative was "logical" [1] [2] [3] [4]. Kort remained calm until the healer arrived. The healer, Myuza Naazki, was reportedly so impressed by what Kort said that she was the one who called The Baandr Post. It is important to note that Naazki has just recently relocated to Baandr. She was not listed in the Land Survey of 2465 and reportedly had "little to no experience" when dealing with Vaurca patients. Naazki informed the Post she was "genuinely curious" about what Kort mentioned and believed it to be true. Naazki's behavior has been scrutinized by some, including The House of Medicine, that believe she "outed" a patient and must face consequences. However, Naazki remains she did nothing unethical because "[Kort] was sound and well-spoken when we met. They showed interest in talking to the media and asked if I knew someone that could report on their story. I determined [Kort] to be healthy and their story to be no cause for alarm, but rather the truth." This request by Kort has yet to be confirmed by any eyewitnesses. The following day, Kort returned to work as usual. However, The Baandr Post interrupted them mid-shift with a myriad of questions. Kort answered during their lunch break. According to my source, "[Kort] reincorporated to their job as usual. They just quietly kept moping after the interview was over." Kort's story was published that afternoon, but the initial report did not include much of the information gathered in the interview. On July 7, 2466, The Baandr Post published the story again. The "recycling" of this story has also been a matter of speculation. The Post released Kort's interview in its morning edition, providing a deeper insight as to what Kort had mentioned, as well as additional context on the K'lax virtual conflict. The Post's second report concluded that Kort's story cannot be verified, but contends that the Vaurca "must be telling the truth" as the imagery was "vivid." On July 9, The Baandr Fisher's Gazette reported on Kort's story. The Gazette's article was mostly a rehash of the information provided by the Post but containing some errors. The Gazette also claimed that Kort had been on "medical leave," but this detail remains unconfirmed. Despite the shortcomings of The Baandr Fisher's Gazette, this article was popular among fishers of the city. According to my source, by July 11 or 12: "[Sinta] were coming to the market just to see Kort. Some even spoke with them, but most were just puzzled to see this Vaurca from afar. Kort had spoken about something we've all been wondering about. [Kort] remained polite, but I could see they mostly kept to themselves and didn't want to be swarmed by a crowd." On July 14, Kort was interviewed by The Baandr Herald. The Herald interview was much more thorough and recorded. The complete interview can be seen here. The interview was performed inside the fish market and, according to my source, "improvised." It is unknown if the Herald had permission to record inside the market or if Kort was informed of the interview beforehand. Despite this, the production of the Herald's interview remains high quality, with professional lighting, microphones, and high-resolution cameras. This has led some to dismiss the idea that the Herald could not record as a rumor. On July 15, Kort returned to work in complete silence. According to my source: "They just showed up and didn't say a word, didn't interact with anyone. [Kort] wasn't particularly talkative before, but today felt as if something was off." It is uncertain if the Vaurca will do more interviews. Sources and Disclaimers I've mentioned three newspapers already: The Baandr Post, The Baandr Fisher's Gazette, and The Baandr Herald. Alongside the fisher I interviewed, these are the three main sources regarding the Kort story. However, when analyzing the content of each publication, we should also consider the inner politics of the papers and their perspective, especially for those not native to the East Heartland. The Baandr Post is, essentially, a tabloid. It is considered a cheap newspaper, often read by peasants before and after work. The Post is printed twice a day—in the morning and afternoon. The morning edition is the longest, including all the large feature articles with relevant news for the day. The afternoon edition is usually considered rushed by most readers. On slower days, the afternoon Post has been noted for repeating the same short story up to three times in different sections, covering all the necessary printing space. This is relevant because Kort's story was likely picked up as a filler. The Post could have posted a well-written article days later after the original story gained some traction. Because the original Post note was so brief, I'll be mostly referring to the second article, published on July 7. I'll point out any differences between the two and if there was any information present only in the first article. The Fisher's Gazette, as mentioned before, is not an official publication by the Fishing League. Going through their webpage, the Gazette feels mostly an amateur outlet. This was confirmed to me by their editor, who admitted to the mistakes in their story and confessed not trying to get in touch with Kort before their article's publication. The Baandr Herald, in contrast, is a serious, large newspaper. It is owned by the Keepers of Heirlooms, the same guild that runs Sinta Articles, the largest and Hephaestus-sponsored publication in Moghes. This is highly relevant, especially because Sinta Articles has done its best to avoid stories related to the K'lax conflict, despite first being eager to publish them. Due to the regional nature of The Baandr Herald, it is likely that the newspaper had more "leeway" when compared to Sinta Articles. However, the story might still be biased. The fisher I spoke with claimed that Kort's interview with the Herald lasted "about an hour, an hour and a half, maybe almost two…" yet the released footage is roughly 27 minutes long. Keep in consideration that the fishersinta was working and did not keep track of how long the interview lasted in real time. We must also take into consideration the amount required to install the lights, cameras, and prepare the crew for an interview. There's another source I haven't mentioned by name yet. On Chirper, an anonymous user claimed to have attended Kort before Healer Naazki arrived. Normally, I wouldn't take these accounts seriously, but the user has chirps going as far as four years ago, with most insinuating she's employed as a paramedic in Baandr. I chose not to reveal her account handle as I don't want to expose her, but I want to make it clear that the information by this account is considered "speculative" at best since I couldn't confirm her identity. I believe it's an account with enough history for it to be a hoax, but I don't trust sources I can't confirm a hundred percent. The claims made by the paramedic will be marked so they can be taken with a grain of salt. Kort's Narrative Kort claims to have participated in the K'lax conflict, taking place inside Vaurca virtual reality. The Vaurca provided some detail as to how the war is being fought and who is currently in advantage. The specifics of the quotes have been contended, with variations being scrutinized by interested parties online. It's important to keep in mind that only The Baandr Post and The Baandr Herald can be considered primary sources, as they were the only two outlets that directly spoke with Kort. In the original Post article, Kort was quoted saying: "Everything was ashes and fire. There was no place to stand. Everything was wrecked. I don't wish to return. I never saw so much death." In the second Post article, this quote was slightly modified to "Everything was wrecked. There was no place standing. I do not wish to return. I never saw so many corpses" (emphasis is mine). The alteration of the quote has raised some concern, but is speculated that the editorial team decided to tweak the text for readability. Because this isn't common practice when citing someone, the alteration has been exhaustively analyzed in the past few days by Vaurca Updates Online readers. This will be discussed in the next section. The second Post article included more information. In the new note, Kort claimed to have been part of the "mirror vanguard" and affirmed that Zkaii's troops had a large advantage. This last post was already implied by the original note, but the second article greatly expanded upon it. Zkaii, according to Kort, had "greatly reduced" Tupii's forces, which were now retreating "to a stockpot [sic]" [1]. It is unknown what Kort meant by this. Additionally, the question remains—if the Post had already altered Kort's words, why did they choose to maintain the word "stockpot"? This, too, has also been a great subject of speculation, but no consensus has been reached. An analysis of Kort's vocabulary is outside the scope of this article, as it would require a deeper insight. In the second article, Kort revealed that the internal name for the warzone is "Shathulson" [sic] and described the area as "mushy, cavernous." The name provided by Kort is similar to the "Shant Ulson" and "Xathul Son" variants previously gathered here in Vaurca Updates Online. Some supporters of Kort's story have claimed that the name is definitive proof that Kort is not lying, but the reports of a "Shathulson" have persisted for months, even if the spelling has been debated. Kort also informed The Baandr Post that the conflict was being fought "by the millions" and that it didn't look to be nearing soon. According to Kort: "[Gist] and Tupii won't give up. They just won't give up." This is in reference to Master-at-Arms Gist, a recently deceased Vaurca military officer from the Izweski Hegemony. For those unfamiliar, Vaurcae believe that, after death, a computer program can recreate their personality and interact with others in virtual reality. It has been widely speculated by Vaurca Updates Online readers that the Vaurca Gist was "culled" so that he could aid Tupii—an event that, if true, has been considered barbaric by many. The Post note concluded with Kort claiming that they were returned to the real world because they did not agree with their commanding officer. Kort denied they were in any danger or told by anybody not to speak about this situation. Kort reported they felt "at peace" because they could work at the fish market again. This last remark is one of the largest differences in the Herald's note and interview, where Kort mentioned they were "not at liberty" to speak much. According to the Chirper account from a paramedic, Kort remarked they wanted to talk with the press "under a pseudonym" and that they "weren't safe even in the fish market." This was not mentioned anywhere else and Kort ultimately did not use any aliases. The Baandr Herald did a more thorough report and interview. The main differences between both stories is the detail—for the Herald, Kort vividly described the death they claimed to have witnessed: "Virtual corpses and not like real corpses, they smell more. They [inaudible] more. It was a pile of stenches." It is also noteworthy to mention that there are sections of Kort's interview that are hard or impossible to understand. Kort's voice modulator is a cheaper model and "fizzles" often. The Baandr Herald tried its best to provide subtitles to the interview, but there are words left marked as inaudible. Additionally, some words in the subtitles do not match what I heard. I believe this was the reason why some of Kort's quotes were altered in the Post articles, though the practice still remains heterodox for a newspaper. Theories Kort's story has been largely scrutinized and many readers, including local Sinta, believe it to be a hoax. The reasons as to who or why this hoax is being promoted are diverse. Some Sinta believe that this is a distraction promoted by the Izweski Hegemony to divert attention from the recent Izaku rebellion and the shortcomings of the Hegemon. Others believe that the hoax was promoted by Zkaii as a way to garner media attention and put pressure on Tupii. However, there is no conclusive evidence to suggest either of these two theories is true. What is evident, however, is that some of the details surrounding Kort's story are murky and hard to rationalize. One of the biggest mysteries regarding Kort's case is Healer Naazki and her involvement. Some posters believe that Naazki is part of a conspiracy to promote Kort's story. Naazki claims she only contacted The Baandr Post because Kort requested her to do so. The healer has no known involvement with The Baandr Post. In her Chirper, she stated that the Post seemed the obvious choice because "[t]hey were the only ones that would listen to a Vaurca." The paramedic's account reiterated that Kort wanted to speak with the press through various chirps, saying Naazki never exposed her patient. Again, this remains dubious. The House of Medicine claims that they'll conduct an investigation to determine if Naazki broke any rules of her profession. Some statements made by Kort have been edited, something that has also incited conspiracy theories. While the audio from the Herald's interview seems to be intact from the original, it is possible that the original footage contained more information that was deemed not apt for the public. However, as I mentioned before, the quality of Kort's voice modulator is not the best, and at times their speech becomes unintelligible. It is possible that part of this raw interview footage contained entire sections where Kort's speech was undecipherable. Additionally, the changes in the paragraphs between the two notes by the Post are, all things considered, minimal. There is nothing to suggest the Post heavily altered Kort's words, though it remains a possibility. Some skeptics of the story also believe that Kort simply had a mental breakdown or sought five minutes in the spotlight. Again, all evidence we know of Kort's character has been anecdotal, but even then, it is possible that a mental breakdown could occur at any time. As for Kort's interest to become a public figure: while their reaction to crowds might be seen as evidence that they're not interested in being recognized, several people have mentioned that Kort did seek to speak with the media. It is likely that Kort simply did this to interest reporters from the Baandr region. Conclusion The veracity of Kort's story remains unconfirmed and the motives that prompted Kort to speak are also unclear. While we might receive more information in the future, it is likely that we may not learn anything new about this event. However, Kort's words do appear to align with some of the information already gathered by outlets such as Vaurca Updates Online, corroborating what we know about the K'lax conflict. Ahklu Zkazos is a Unathi independent journalist from Moghes. He currently lives in Mictlan. Zkazos considers himself as a "Vaurca-skeptic skeptic," seeking to promote healthy debate among the Vaurca Updates Online community.

Hi, just want to chip in—as per the wiki, Vaurcae arrived in the Federation circa 2450, so your Skrell would likely be very young to be playable on station. Another important bit is that while Vaurcae can molt, this is rare, and it would be extremely hard for a Skrell to get their hands on a piece of Vaurca chitin. If it were lab material for xenoanatomy, sure, but for a coming of age ceremony where you can just burn it, I feel like this wouldn't really fly. If you want to incorporate Vaurcae in your story somehow, I recommend you check out Diulszi. Good luck.

Åke Torvald Shares Stage with Vaurca Ally at Phoenixport Rally After constant allegations of vaurphobia, Cetian Conservatives candidate Åke Torvald invited an unlikely ally to the stage. While rallying in Phoenixport, Torvald mentioned once more the West Phoenixport Law Center (WPLC), an institution he commended again: “They’re the only ones that truly care about Vaurcae. The Zo’ra Hive doesn’t care for their members, they only care about their votes in a ballot.” Ta’Akaix’Myur’kha’aalik C’thur, founder of the WPLC, was invited by Torvald to join him on the podium. “Many have said that I’m a ‘racist,’ a ‘xenophobe.’ Those are meaningless accusations. I am an honest man who was raised to speak the truth,” explained Åke Torvald, “If I say something against High Queen Vaur, it’s not ‘vaurphobia,’ it’s her and her policies. Vaur cannot hide behind ‘-isms,’ and if she’s doing it it’s because she knows she and Dorn are losing.” The WPLC founder stated, “It’s true that Åke is a good man, and perhaps the only one that knows Vaurca struggles are more nuanced. I’m standing here, asking all voting Vaurcae to follow your brain and not your hearts. High Queen Vaur has neglected all Vaurca broods, including hers. Remember she’s responsible for the state of Flagsdale today. Don’t mindlessly listen to propaganda and cast your vote for Åke Torvald. He’s the only man with solutions to fix the communities in Xerxes, Flagsdale, and Luthien.” The presence of the West Phoenixport Law Center was seen as a welcome addition to some voters, while others disagreed. A Phoenixport local who attended the rally commented: “I had respect for Torvald. I thought he was a people’s man, the only one that can truly fix how corrupted this country is. However, I didn’t expect him to become a sell-out. I guess everyone has a master, but this… this caught me by surprise.” Roman Brooks, political analyst and professor at the University of Scottsdale, commented about the rally: “Åke Torvald is reasonably concerned about the Vaurca vote, which could potentially tilt the outcome of the election. Securing this demographic, or even slightly dividing it, can completely change the outcome for Dorn’s campaign. The Cetian Conservatives are currently second in polls and rapidly closing the gap with the Free-Market Party. This can be their chance to win.” While Vaurca voting trends have yet to be properly analyzed, it is reported that terms “Åke” and “Torvald” had seen a rise in Hivenet logs during the past month. However, no further analysis has been made about these statistics. Analysts still remain confident that most Vaurcae will vote for Joseph Dorn, despite the recent limitations enacted by the Electoral Integrity Enhancement bill.

This application is approved. If you have any more questions about Vaurcae when playing, please ask me, my deputies, or just drop by the Vaurca channels at lorecord.

Sorry, I had a very busy weekend. I'll come back to this app later tonight.

Hi, thank you for applying. I want to clear up some misconceptions and I'll ask a few questions. First of all, Vaurcae follow a cycle similar to insects. So the eggs grow into larvae, that grow into pupae, eventually growing into full Vaurcae. I just noticed that the Vaurca biology page doesn't have an exact period of development for Workers, but I've always pictured them to take around a year in total. It's probably the last six months (from pupae to adult Vaurca) that their training in Virtual Reality is intense. However, Virtual Reality dilates time, so it's entirely possible that Pilcg spent what felt two years of training. The actual requirements of the training may depend on the profession, so it makes sense that a surgeon would train for what feels even longer. Secondly, think of a Hive as a federation and a brood as a state. So because the brood is a big entity, the actual operations of everyday affairs are ran by hive-cells. The hive-cell is commanded by an Alate (Ta) that actually assigns the Vaurcae. So a hive-cell is a bit like a big family that's really controlled. The hive-cell might specialize in a niche, or command its members to fulfill a new job. In this case, Pilcg would be requested by their hive-cell to join a job as something they trained in (this part you've got right). Because Pilcg is a C'thuric Vaurca, this comes with the extra layer of C'thur, LLC. However, this is more advanced lore and you're not required to know that for your application. At last, Vaurcae aren't limited to visit Virtual Reality until they die. I know that there are no Virtual Reality mechanics in game and we wish to change that, however, I'm not so sure if hard-working Vaurcae get promised something in the afterlife. They might, and I might add this as part of the upcoming religion expansion. That aside, I'm not so sure if a Worker that was designed for surgery can simply be promised to return to VR full time and enjoy leisure time. Workers already live 20 years or so, so 20 years of service for eternity in Virtual Reality seems like a fair bargain. Though likely, what you could have is make Pilcg resent everyone because it was forced to come to the real world. This doesn't mean Pilcg is rogue or hates its Hive or even Xetl, but it could make Pilcg be somewhat moody. Maybe that can interest you. Now, as for the questions: How does Pilcg plan to adapt to human space? Has its hive-cell done anything in preparation for this? Is Pilcg coming in blank? While Pilcg is young, it might have formed an opinion about recent Vaurca events. How does Pilcg feel about the upcoming Biesel elections, or the current war between the K'lax? How does Pilcg relate to the other C'thur broods? What does it think about the other Hives? There are many Queenless Vaurcae on board, including some Punished. How does Pilcg feel about them? Did the Alate warn Pilcg to steer away from those crowds? Is Pilcg naive or does it hold resentment towards them?

PART I

This application is really strong. Accepted.

The Breakaway: How the Future of the Flagsdale Hornets Hangs on a Thread By an Anonymous User This article was marked as a 'Quality contribution' by our forum members. Subscribe to VUO to receive more articles like this in your inbox. In a short time, the Flagsdale Hornets went from being an amateur team to one of the biggest names in basketball. Their humble origins have been thoroughly documented, emphasizing how residents of a slum made it big just by practicing basketball among themselves. This modern rags-to-riches story has made many believe they too can get into professional sports just by slam dunking at a factory courtyard. In reality, the history of basketball in Flagsdale is more complex. The sport was introduced by a group of Vaurcae that wished to promote physical activity and distract from gang activity. At the same time, the Biesellite Basketball Association (BBA, now the Cetian Basketball Association) sought two expansion teams. The New Marfa Lakesurfers had already been confirmed after an increased interest in basketball among the Elyran immigrant population. However, the BBA did not wish to keep the divisions uneven. The expansion was expected to occur by 2459, but it missed its mark. Desperate, the BBA sought any potential expansion franchises that could promise a solid fanbase. Vaur seized this opportunity, alongside the popularization of amateur basketball teams in Flagsdale, to submit a proposal. Vaur's team debuted in the 2460 season. The reason why Vaur chose Flagsdale over any other Vaurca settlement goes beyond the presence of basketball in the slum. In just three years, Flagsdale had transformed from an abandoned industrial area to the de facto Vaurca capital in Tau Ceti. Vaur, wishing to improve the PR of Vaurcae, wanted to show there was more to Flagsdale than crime and mycosis. Did it work? In a recent survey, 56% of respondents associated Flagsdale with "basketball." Only 32% of surveyees mentioned "crime" or "gangs." You be the judge. And while we're at it: the Flagsdale Hornets haven't actually trained in Flagsdale for the past four years—sorry to burst your bubble. Their home arena is actually Getmore Square in Phoenix Park. A lot of Hornets material is misleading, implying that the team still practices and plays in an abandoned factory, but this is false. Why the team isn't called the "Phoenix Park Hornets" is just another way in which Vaur gets to cheat the system—this time, in basketball too. Vaur soon realized that running a sports franchise, while profitable, is expensive. Enter Arthur "Artie" Sellers. Artie Sellers is a billionaire businessman. After selling his private equity firm to Idris Incorporated, Sellers became interested in sports franchises, particularly in baseball and basketball. After the short-lived glory of his previous team, the Homewood Barks (Cetian Baseball League), Sellers invested in the Flagsdale Hornets. By 2463, he became the majority owner—the same year the Hornets made it to the playoffs. But something else happened in late 2463: New Sedantis was unveiled. With New Sedantis on the rise, Vaur made her best efforts to relocate everything to Caprice, leaving Flagsdale as a rotting slum for those deemed largely undesirable. If Vaur relocated everything else, why was her basketball team off the table? Turns out, this was exactly Vaur's objective. New Sedantis has a huge arena known by the pompous name "Palace of Freedom for All Sapients in the Republic of Biesel." Despite explicitly being built for the Hornets, Vaur still remains unable to relocate the franchise. And the reason behind this is none other than Artie Sellers. The majority owner is known for his immense dislike of Caprice. In an interview in 2465, Sellers said, "There's no way you can get me to travel more than 20 minutes. No way. I ain't going to any fucking hellhole planet." The animosity towards the Zo'ra does not stop there. Despite owning the biggest Vaurca sports team, Sellers has reportedly made various comments that some have deemed "vaurphobic." For example, before the 2466 season, Artie Sellers said during a podcast, "I pay these fucking bugs enough to have them know what side of the court they have." Additionally, Sellers reportedly referred to the K'lax hive as "the green ones" during a private conversation, which also stirred up a wave of journalists hungry to report non-news. So why has Sellers yet to be "canceled" by Vaurca Equality? The obvious reason, of course, is money. But beyond that, Sellers' hands-on approach toward the Flagsdale Hornets has turned the team into a huge success. The Flagsdale Hornets won the CBA Championship in 2465, and the Hornets seem strong enough to win another championship for a consecutive year. This has all been possible, many think, thanks to Sellers and how involved he's been during practice and acquisitions. In other words: without Sellers, there's no Flagsdale Hornets. Despite the promises made by the Hornets during these playoffs, the Zo'ra are expected to stop maintaining the franchise next season. If the franchise fails their mark, they're expected to undergo radical changes or even dissolution. This scenario remains unlikely. While Sellers' teams have flopped before, he's not willing to have the Hornets sink as well. Meanwhile, Vaur wants to have her cake and eat it too, something that has only been possible due to the CBA's aggressive expansions for the past couple of years. The latest Port Antilla's team, Bayleys Papiyosas, flopped after one season, and Vaur was quick to rescue it. It is unknown how much, if any, of the identity of the Papiyosas will remain after it's relocated to New Sedantis. The Flagsdale Hornets have been famous for remaining a Vaurca-only team, despite some Vaurca stars now playing on other teams, most notably among the Portsville Fisherfolk. Vaur's new team is likely to remain Vaurca-only. As always, this is a good reminder to all Vaurca Updates Online readers that sports, particularly basketball, are where the Biesellite government is currently pushing their progressive agenda. As the playoffs are about to start, I invite you to boycott everything related to the CBA. Don't throw your money and views at them. In a short time, they'll have Vaurcae playing on every team for the sake of inclusion.

‘Bound’ Vaurca Truck Driver That Killed VP Fahjil Hurk’jurl Three Years Ago: Where Are They Now Despite the initial outrage surrounding the Electoral Integrity Enhancement Act, Vaurca Equality—the Zo’ra-led NGO dedicated to furthering Vaurca civil rights—now admits that the decision taken by Congress was the correct choice. “This is something we’ve actually tried to push for in recent years,” said spokesperson Clara Stevenson. “For the best part of the decade, we’ve tried to emphasize the need to consider ‘Bound’ Vaurcae as apart from ‘Unbound’ Vaurcae. The [Universal Citizenship Program] has been great in providing all Zo’ra a legal standing, but there are biological differences that need to be highlighted between the psyches.” Stevenson’s greatest example was the “Bound” truck driver that killed Vice President Fahjil Hurk’jurl in late 2462. Despite the case originally being ruled as an accident, many Biesellites believed that justice had to be sought. What resulted was perhaps the worst witch hunt in the history of the nation. The Vaurca deemed responsible, Ka’Viax’Nurp Zo’ra, was arrested in 2463 despite multiple protests made by their “hive-cell.” Nurp faced trial for involuntary manslaughter, although charges for second-degree murder were initially considered. Nurp received the best legal counsel available, and despite a mediatic campaign titled “Justice4Nurp,” their fate was sealed in 2464. Judge Rosa Barrios sentenced Ka’Viax’Nurp Zo’ra for eight years in federal prison, despite the recommended sentence being between four and six years. Nurp’s defense argued that Nurp couldn’t understand what was happening and also made notice that Vice President Hurk’jurl went beyond the speed limit. However, prosecutors reassured that the “Bound” Vaurca was trained to be a driver in a chaotic environment, and that Nurp’s negligence to stop the truck was a clear-cut case of vehicular homicide. The courtroom proceedings were televised and lasted three days. Additionally, jurors made their verdict in only 45 minutes. After losing the trial, Nurp’s defense maintained the driver’s innocence. Lead attorney Chadwick Tremblay made the following statement: “What we lived today… was kangaroo court. Plain and simple. Today… the whole Republic of Biesel has lost their minds.” After the trial, Ka’Viax’Nurp Zo’ra was transported to Tonsberg Federal Correctional Institution, a prison feared by many due to New Gibson’s harsh climate. During transportation, Nurp was reported to be calm but confused about their surroundings. An unverified source claimed: “As Nurp entered [the prison]... [they] didn’t understand what was going on. [Nurp] even asked, ‘Are we going to be on time for me to feed my goldfish?’ thinking [they] were returning home.” Since then, Vaurca Equality has campaigned for Nurp’s freedom. While the recently-enacted bill that prohibits “Bound” Vaurcae from voting has been seen by critics as an “anti-democratic solution,” Vaurca Equality is now doing the best with the hand they were dealt with. “If there was any time to speak up about Nurp’s case, it’s now,” said Clara Stevenson. “Many policies have to be changed in regards to ‘Bound’ citizens. I hope that after the election season is over, whoever is elected president will consider these issues.”

'Pseudo-Cephalon' Technology Fried, Hivenet Watch Investigates Possible Sabotage War in Heaven, Part Three: “Hail horrors,” Article 4 Last night, the Hivenet Watch announced through their Chirper account that their "pseudo-cephalon" nicknamed "Larry" was down. This morning, multiple reputable sources "with deep understanding of the Hivenet Watch's inner workings" confirmed to Truth Finder that the organization has currently enacted protocols which align to a thorough investigation of total malfunction, including possible sabotage. A full report is expected to be released to Izweski Nation's authorities the following week. However, chances of any information leak have significantly dropped. The Hivenet Watch has tightened its security, providing unique nano-identifiers to all printed material. Additionally, the Hivenet Watch reportedly fired 50 members of its staff that were considered "potential whistleblowers," according to one of our sources. The organization has also submitted a cease and desist letter to mxbyrn, the mysterious web operator of Orion Leaks. Independent newspapers have been advised against spreading the leaked information, with legal action taken from the Hivenet Watch as well. Despite the internal investigation, the leading cause of the "pseudo-cephalon" malfunction is suspected to be a memory overload and overworking of the neural central processing unit. The corruption of the data may have led to "hardware malfunction," according to one of our sources. Regardless of the case, the Hivenet Watch is not suspected to cancel its Project N01-58. While the "pseudo-cephalon" technology "cannot easily be replicated," a next-gen prototype "might already be at works," mentioned our source.

War in Heaven: K'lax's Dirty Secret War in Heaven, Part Three: “Hail horrors,” Article 3 By Jason Schmidt This article is part of a series on the K'lax hive and its struggles to integrate within the Izweski Hegemony. Part 1 and 2 are available to Vaurca Updates Online subscribers. All three Vaurca hives have one thing in common: greed. As wolves in sheep's clothing, the Vaurca have done their best to appear inoffensive to their host nations, planning the moment in which they'll attack. Even the C'thur, taken under the wing of the authoritarian Nralakk Federation, have found ways to expand their influence—especially in the hyper-capitalist Eridani Corporate Federation. The K'lax are no exception, and in record-time they've found themselves becoming one of Not'zar's closest allies. However, greed is a powerful and blinding ambition. From the Vaurca's presumably catastrophic departure from their home planet to Vaur's unapologetic plan to rig Biesel elections, greed has been the downfall of Vaurcae. It's no surprise that the K'lax are also riddled with this disease, and no figure personifies it better than Tupii. Tupii made her move against ruler Zkaii earlier this year in March. This, however, didn't come out of the blue. Tupii couldn't have made it more painfully obvious, since her election as the head of a K'lax brood, that she had bigger plans for herself. With Zkaii's poor reputation as a pushover inside the hive, it's hardly unexpected that the "high queen" reportedly didn't see this coming. Tupii had to bait Zkaii into a public conflict until, eventually, they decided to settle things in private. This was followed by a very formal declaration of war that Tupii ensured met all the requirements for what is considered honorable within Vaurca tradition. But perhaps beyond trying to appease other Vaurcae, Tupii should have focused on how this insurrection is seen from outside. While all hives try to justify their rigid monarchy as a consequence of their natural eusociality, the pompous titles of their leaders are meaningless in real-world politics. All except in the K'lax brood. The K'lax have done their best to incorporate the Hegemony's feudalist system into their traditional hierarchies. The Izweski Nation recognizes that the K'lax hive is a proper clan, with an overlord and lords, further divided into clan leaders. In other words, what's really at stake in the K'lax conflict is not who gets to rule over the hive, but rather, who gets to rule over Tret and have a real-life impact. And the Hegemon isn't happy. The Unathi are no strangers to insurrection and feuds. Eight years ago, a succession crisis struck the Hegemony, leaving Not'zar as victor. However, timing is key, and the Izweski Nation has more pressing matters. Reportedly, ever since the conflict was brewing behind the scenes, Not'zar has requested multiple updates. Additionally, the Hegemon decided to peek into Hivenet for the first time, after his reign had a much more hands-off approach towards the technology in contrast to Biesel and Nralakk. But now that the Hegemony is doing its best to woo Hephaestus Industries and the Skrell, a war of succession—especially among his subjects in charge of large-scale industry—is awful optics. Therefore, as soon as the story hit the media, it disappeared. But it's not only the Keepers of the Heirlooms the ones that are guarding the war as a secret. The K'lax hive has not pronounced itself once since the start of the conflict, and while Admiral Xitac spoke more openly about the conflict as soon as the news came out, their words were also carefully chosen and—not to mention—optimistic. Even now during the negotiations with the Federation, it's Vedhra the one acting as representative and not Tupii or Zkaii. Why are the K'lax so scared of their war? One major reason is that they're losing their grip on the Hegemony's economy. Last time I wrote about the K'lax, Hephaestus had yet to sweep and save the traditional guilds, thus rescuing the Izweski Nation from a major depression. Although Tret wasn't spared by the downturn, it managed to spare the Hegemony's economy during the first quarter of 2465. At the time, Tret remained mostly autonomous—while the Hegemony and Hephaestus have always been involved, the Tretian Guild was mostly owned and operated by the K'lax hive. Therefore, my previous article projected a grim future if Tupii were ever to attack Zkaii. A year later, however, the panorama has changed: the Tretian Guild has had to adapt into the new Hephaestus-owned guild model and even K'lax influence within the organization has diminished. Just last week, for example, Yukal T'zakal reunited with K'lax Hive officials to yet again seek for a proper guildmaster replacement for Tret. This doesn't mean that Tret will be able to operate without Vaurcae. That likely is never going to happen unless the Hegemony changes its instance on IPC labor. And even then, IPCs have historically shown not to be as resilient to harsh working conditions as Vaurcae can adapt to. A great example is Burzsia, another pet project of Hephaestus Industries that has been in development for way longer than Tret, yet has struggled to maintain the same level of efficiency. Not to mention, Burzsia has been the target of extremist groups for its inhumane conditions. In contrast, nobody protests Tret, and the most dangerous jobs are reserved to Vaurcae that have no will to oppose their position. In other words, Tret needs the manpower and mentality of Vaurcae to run as a well-oiled machine, something both Hephaestus and the Hegemony are well aware of. But no amount of industry may excuse the rather outrageous decisions made by the K'lax. An interesting choice is that the K'lax war is occurring entirely inside virtual reality, something that was mocked by Unathi media at first. Though the idea might be amusing, curiosity to properly understand what happens inside has completely overshadowed any risible notions. And as I have stated before, it's likely that Vaurcae are hiding a lot more inside Virtual Reality than what we know of. With Not'zar's interest piqued, the Hivenet Watch has been swift to establish an operating base in Skalamar. If the K'lax fail to report more about their conflict themselves, the Hivenet Watch will ensure that the information comes to light. The presence of Nralakk officials in Uueoa-Esa might also influence the Hegemon's decision to formally institute a Hivenet Watch office in Moghes. This might also point to the obvious: the secret war is no secret at all. Skrell visitors are well aware of the conflict and were perhaps alerted long before the public feud occurred. Vedhra's presence in diplomatic talks can be seen suspicious at best and futile at worst, as nobody is being fooled. But in the meantime, K'lax don't want you to know about their conflict. So what's the best outcome for everyone? It depends on what you're focusing on. During her short reign, Tupii has rapidly picked up on improving the relations with Hephaestus and the Hegemony, something Zkaii attempted to as well but couldn't achieve properly. However, Tupii has also been criticized for trying to appease anti-Hegemony sectors within the hive. Zkaii is a staunch loyalist, which can be seen as a positive as we know where she stands. But ultimately, all of this is irrelevant—the best outcome for Vaurcae will always be a victory for them, and what we'll be forced to take will be the scraps of whatever arrangement they make that'll benefit themselves first. The sooner the Hegemon and the rest of the Spur understand this, the better Jason Schmidt is a professor at the Department of Economics in the University of Tr'ha'rem. Schmidt is also known as the author of Man vs. Megacorps: The Secret of Wealth in the Transstellar Age. He lives with his two dogs and enjoys playing chess.

Great. Accepted.

Hi. I only have one comment, mainly. I think machinists are currently a position covered mainly by Orion Express and Hephaestus Industries. I think your character would fit a lot better in Hephaestus given their background, but I'd like to know what you think. And I guess I also have a question. Vaurcae really don't distinguish humans and synthetics that much. They understand they're different, but as many Vaurcae are so highly augmented, to them its almost as if synthetics are just a different flavor of humans. How does your character bring this dynamic to their workplace?

I was referring mainly to this article. This application is approved.

Hi. Just a quick question: What does Vaat think about Vaur's bid for VP? What does she think about the whole Queenless scandal with the WPLC and Torvald?

There's this thread that might be better-suited for continuing this motion:

Flagsdale Hornets MVP, Kermak, on Life, Biesel, and Everything Else [Pictured: Flagsdale Hornets MVP, Za’Akaix’Kermak Zo’ra, wearing a light-blue suit, shaking hands with President Joseph Dorn during a tour of Biesel’s presidential office. The picture was taken in late 2465 after the Cetian Basketball Association Finals championship.] Flagsdale Hornets superstar, Za’Akaix’Kermak Zo’ra, made an appearance earlier this week on the podcast “Free Throw,” where he opened up about everything from his life and career to the political climate and his personal interests beyond basketball. You can listen to the full episode here. Kermak joined the Flagsdale Hornets last year, but his basketball journey started much earlier—during his pupal stage. Literally. He was part of Athvur’s Vespas, a pupal basketball team sponsored by the Flagsdale Hornets. All Vespas games take place entirely in Virtual Reality, and while their seasons might seem short in real-time, time dilation allows them to be much longer. Pupal basketball has become a major part of Zo’ra’s sports culture, with the Zo’ra Basketball League now boasting eight teams. The best players from these teams often go on to professional careers, with many joining the Flagsdale Hornets, although some have signed with other CBA teams. Last year, in his rookie season, Kermak was named CBA Rookie of the Year, sharing the honor with Xochitl Mazaticue of the Caxamalca Axolotls. This year, Kermak took home the CBA Most Valuable Player Award. With a Marques Freeman Trophy now in his collection, Kermak is determined to lead the Flagsdale Hornets deep into the playoffs and secure a second consecutive CBA Championship. “I think we’re in a great position. We’ve proven we’re a mighty competitor, and while the Portsville Fisherfolk and the Virklund Berserkers also gave it all this season, the playoffs have only proven that we’re still here to give a fight,” Kermak said. Kermak also touched on broader topics, including his thoughts on High Queen Vaur potentially becoming the Vice President of the Republic of Biesel. “We’re doomed without her,” Kermak affirmed. “Plain and simple. The political landscape of Biesel is scary, especially if Dorn and Vaur lose. I know I’m very young, so I haven’t been around to actually see what it was like before, but it’s frightening just how much hate is in politics today. I’m mostly worried about vaurphobia, and how vaurphobic candidates are given a platform. It should be a no-brainer to vote for Dorn in the upcoming elections.” Lastly, Kermak shared insights into his personal life and hobbies off the court. Surprisingly, the point guard lives alone in a penthouse, a departure from the typical communal living of Vaurcae. This revelation intrigued “Free Throw” host, Tyler McAdams, and Kermak was quick to explain: “I’m into house gardening. You could say I’ve got two green thumbs. My penthouse is full of houseplants—they’re lush and I really like them. I think that’s why I don’t feel lonely all by myself, because I’ve got all these plant friends to keep me company. I also have a cat named Mrs. Naismith. Mrs. Naismith is probably the best cat because she doesn’t chew on the leaves of my plants. They’re all a good bunch, and I enjoy their company.” Kermak’s life outside the court was largely unknown before this podcast. Hopefully, this interview provides a better insight into the life of the MVP and why he’s considered to be so charismatic!

I love Kaiser and I wish he gets his own custom item, but I feel like yeah this would be a better fit for everyone in the loadout.

Approved.

Hi, this app good, albeit a bit short. I have one question only: How does Eek incorporate the Phalanx Doctrine to its life? Does it follow it, does it agree with it, or whatever you can tell me about this.