La Villa Strangiato

Minutemen Launch “Operation Jakali”, Massive Offensive on Huitzilopochtli Article #12 of the Hasta La Victoria Siempre Arc Three days ago, the Minutemen began a massive offensive against Samaritan forces on the beach of Raposa on Huitzilopochtli, code-named Operation Jakali. According to Armed Forces spokespersons, operational security dictated secrecy up until the beginning of the offensive. Early this morning, more than seventy thousand legionnaires crossed the channel between Fort Ilhutical and Huitzilopochtli, with the aim of establishing a beachhead to the west of the mountainous center of the continent. “The primary objective of the operation was to quickly overwhelm the Samaritan defenses,” Legate Kiernan Finley explained in an interview over video call today. “We intend to strike to the heart of the continent and disable as much of their combat prowess as possible.” Legate Finley elaborated that secondary objectives included capture of Samaritan leaders and routing of supply lines. As of today, a beachhead has been established on Raposa, with intelligence provided by the Zo’ra’s Chosen unit allowing a corridor to be cleared in the Samaritan air defense network. A beach head was quickly established and reinforcements moved onto shore without issue. The elite troops of the Bloody Century and Zo’ra’s Chosen, two units known for both ruthlessness and combat efficiency, lead the way on to the beachhead. However, the following troops quickly found themselves bogged down, with the offensive quickly devolving into a stalemate. Currently, Legionnaires battle entrenched Samaritans deeper into the jungles of Huitzilopochtli. Roughly one-hundred casualties have been reported so far; it is suspected the number will increase as the offensive is ongoing. Shortly after the publicization of the offensive, Secretary of Defense Nathan Trasen permitted a press conference in the Mendell City hall. Tau Ceti Times journalist Kelvin Truong asked Trasen for his perspective on the length of the stalemate, and if he had confidence it would break. “We encountered a lack of intelligence in regards to the strength of the Samaritan force, and the speed of their response was unexpected,” Trasen stated. “Our forces have ended up engaging with a lot more terrorists than we’ve expected; our current intelligence is that there are Founding Movement members reinforcing the Samaritan defense as well.” Trasen’s statement that Founding Movement forces were joining with Samaritan militants was unexpected, given the Founding Movement is a primarily civilian-centric group without a military organization like the Samaritans, and Samaritan leader Xiomara Salvo previously denounced the Founding Movement’s bombing of Arequipa’s Valtas Square. Trasen did not respond to later requests to elaborate on this comment. He went on to say that while the stalemate was “unexpected”, he had “complete confidence” in the Armed Forces, and that it was “only a matter of time” before Samaritan forces were routed. Civil unrest on both Mictlan and within Tau Ceti continues in the aftermath of the operation’s launch, particularly after the recent arrest of several Tau Ceti Times reporters, including editor-in-chief Scott Sheen. Casualties of the Huitzilopochtli offensive are returning home for burial. Military analysts predict that Jakali will be the deadliest engagement for the Minutemen so far. We will continue to keep our readers updated as the offensive progresses.

BYOND Key: Lavillastrangiato Character Names: Meret Aikio, Gulay Uzun, Jiaxing Volvalaad, Rosalea Arrellanes, etc etc Species you are applying to play: Skrell What color do you plan on making your first alien character: White Have you read our lore section's page on this species?: Yes! Why do you wish to play this specific race: I'd like to play a Skrell because I'd like to gain some more well-rounded knowledge of an aspect of lore I previously neglected. After digging into Skrell lore, I was very happy to find the concept of a technologically-advanced yet stagnant race being played a lot better than B*ystation. There are intriguing reasons for such widespread societal cohesion (they're literally psychically influencing each other to groupthink!) and the generational trauma of Glorsh-Omega creating an insular, highly-regulated society that punishes non-normative behaviour. Wow, literally 1894! One thing I also found a really cool Doylist explanation for why Skrell only speak Nral'malic is the history of them wiping out all other languages. I'm big on lore that explores colonialism and its implications especially within non-human sci-fi societies, so I thought that was very cool. I'd also like to learn more skrore (skrell lore) to get a stronger grasp on Vaurca and Diona lore, as these are two species that have very strong ties with the Federation (and I have never played a C'thur for fear of mucking up some skrell lore). Identify what makes role-playing this species different than role-playing a human: Skrell are an amphibious species of (short) humanoids native to the planet of Qerrbalak, part of the galaxy-spanning Nralakk Federation. They are psionic, sharing a collective psychic field known as the Wake, which subtly incentivises groupthink and a strong collective mindset. Those who are less susceptible to psionic influence are known as "Listeners" in contrast to "Receivers", and are stereotyped as shifty and generally untrustworthy. Skrell society is heavily anti-synthetic due to the collective trauma of the reign of Glorsh-Omega. Glorsh-Omega was a tyrannical artificial intelligence singularity that ruled over the Skrell for over a century, and laid down rigid, sometimes nonsensical laws that could see any dissident Skrell being harshly punished or executed. Among other crimes, it sterilised many Skrell with a vaccine known as the X'Lu'oa, put many through back-breaking slave labour, and dictated regulations at unpredictable whim. The Skrell's relief came when Glorsh met a sudden end (or did they?) after an event known as the Tri-Qyu explosion, in which a massive surge of bluespace energy seemed to destroy the artificial intelligence. In the aftermath of Glorsh-Omega's reign, the Nralakk Federation gradually came together under a strictly-managed authoritarian government, that while a technological utopia pushed Skrell into groupthink and adhering closely to social norms for fear of social shunning and re-education. It is worth noting that while a human may see "re-education" as carrying the implications of death or physical torture, the Nralakk Federation almost never practices the death penalty (even if sometimes in name only). Capital punishment takes the form of forced, indefinite cryosleep, but capital punishment and actual physical harm is quite rare in the Federation's law enforcement. Within the Nralakk Federation, most Skrell live comfortably. A skrell's societal standing is determined by their Social Credit Score (SCS), a numerical value assigned to Federation citizens which determines what privileges (and sometimes what humans would consider rights) within Federation space. Primaries, the highest numericals, earn access to exclusive living spaces, the best medical treatment, and other privileges which all other numericals are not permitted. Those with a particularly low social credit score are even barred from reproduction, discouraging producing tadpoles with a "dissident" mindset. Character Name: Qilue Volvuqiuxiu Please provide a short backstory for this character: Qilue Volvuqiuxiu is a Xiialt Skrell native to Aliose, born a Listener. Biologically, they were one of two tadpoles born to Syloiv Quuvolvu, a doctor strongly loyal to the Federation, and Wylux Uiloy, a former Lyukal member and member of the Veteran's Lodge. Wylux grew somewhat distant from the Quya early on in Qilue's gestation, and they and their Qrra'Myaqq Quuyilov were raised by Syloiv and another Qu'Poxii Ryuhilu, practicing Weishi and living a normal life. Qilue began pursuing a medical career in Depth College at the Aliose University of Medical Sciences, and during this time they started to speak more to Wylux, in contrast to Quuyilov. Wy'lux told Qilue tales of the reign of Glorsh-Omega, and how the signs had long been seen due to society's complacency and group-think. As a Listener, Qilue was quite aware of their general reputation as untrustworthy due to their lack of ability to be psionically inoculated into this collective mindset, and it was here they began to doubt some of the teachings and Federation-centric values they'd been raised with. Over time in their education, Qilue began to syncretise Wy'lux's Suur'ka beliefs into their own Weishi ideaology, though they kept it secret in order to avoid conflict. Qilue was fully aware of the irony, and felt guilt over having dissenting feelings towards the Federation, which they still believed in deeply, but not being confident enough to fully commit to Suur'ka teachings. Around this time, Qilue's name was Qilue Volvuqiuxiu'Wylux; their newfound connection with their other parent was readily apparent. Qilue pursued both a medical doctorate and studied psychology in school, with the intent of eventually working around the Federation with all manner of species (except, of course, with synthetics). They met and settled down with an academic rival named Vuvuyulqa Jru'Kylu, and after long attempts of trying, finally celebrated the birth of a child, Kuulraq. But the isolation of being a Listener, and having to constantly hide being an adherent of Suur'ka, was wearing on Qilue. As much as they loved Vuvuyulqa, being around them was beginning to become stifling, not to mention a growing rift due to Qilue's hiding of their beliefs from their Qu'Poxii. Vuvu began to grow suspicious of their lover, and unbeknownst to Qilue, began to investigate their Quya and Wylux's beliefs. Vuvu discovered Wy'lux's Suur'ka beliefs through some questioning of Veteran Lodge-adjacents and Qilue's Qrri'Myaq, and eventually accused Qilue of being Suur'ka to the Ruupkala itself. Upon interrogation, Qilue could no longer contain their secret and admitted that they had been taught Suur'ka in secret by Wy'lux. Both Qraa'Myaq and tadpole were disgraced, with the rest of Qilue's Quya isolating themselves from them, and Vuvuyulqa permitting Kuulraq to have only limited contact with Qilue. Devastated from both the sudden isolation from their family, the marked drop in their social credit score from 6.98 to 4.55 and with little options available to them in their homeland, Qilue decided to take up a work exchange contract with Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals, hoping the time away from Nralakk could provide a much-needed break and personal insight. Despite this, Qilue attempts to remain optimistic and open, feeling (mostly) confident that they could one day regain a comfortable position within Skrell society again, though their attachment to the beliefs taught by their parent still lingers in their mind. What do you like about this character?: I'm going to be completely honest and say "they took the fucking tadpoles in the divorce" is a hilarious phrase, which is partially what inspired Qilue's backstory. However, I like the idea of playing a deeply conflict nationalist whose own beliefs and practices put them at odds with the majority of their culture, leaving them an outcast. I think the conflict of "skran (skrell man) versus society" and whether or not it's better to fit in and not be true to your own beliefs or stand out at risk of losing everything is something I would like to play with a Skrell character without having them be explicitly anti-Federation. How would you rate your role-playing ability?: im ceo of lore im good roleplay Notes: Qilue is she/her within human space and they/them in the Federation. Also, I'm not too sure on the precise social credit score numbers or the drop Qilue would take, but owing to how they were an upstanding citizen of the Federation prior, they remained a Secondary (though now a low-numerical one).

Howdy, a couple questions. 1. Which Eridani PMC was Liu-su part of? 2. Which megacity on Eridani I did Liu-su mainly operate on? 3. I'd like you to expand a little more on how synthetics are viewed in various parts of the Spur, particularly Elyra. How are IPCs viewed there, and what is a reason that they might be seen in that way in Elyra? Bonus points if you can find a similarity in the way that Dominians view synthetics.

Tau Ceti Times Reporters, Editor Arrested Article #10 of the Hasta La Victoria Siempre Arc In the aftermath of classified document leakage providing evidence that the Tau Ceti Armed Forces relaxed their rules of engagement to include civilians, a raid conducted by Mendell City Police Department was launched on the offices of the Tau Ceti Times and the Mendell City Bugle. Yesterday evening officers in riot gear forcefully entered the building of the Tau Ceti Times, arresting reporters Rajinder Singh, Selena Anjaparidze, and editor-in-chief Scott Sheen. Also taken into custody was Verona Falk, the former Mendell City Bugle reporter who won the Carrier Pigeon Prize for Journalistic Excellence in 2463. Video footage taken by an employee who wished to remain anonymous shows officers kneeling on and forcefully shoving Singh and Sheen, despite no visible attempts from either to resist arrest. Several employees have expressed that they believe the arrests were carried out for the Tau Ceti Times’ opposition towards the continuing military occupation of Mictlan. Still others have openly wondered why the MCPD, allegedly strained to its breaking point after the massive protests, took time to conduct a raid on the news offices. As always, Truth Finders is fully committed to the truth of Biesel operations within Mictlan space, and we can only hope that one day Mictlan will be free to choose independence for itself. We will continue to report on the conflict in the Corporate Reconstruction Zone as developments occur.

Nah, if you think the expedition shotgun is bad you're straight up wrong, sorry. It's a balanced weapon precisely because it's very powerful in close-to-mid-quarters but has a limited amount of shots (which you can just drag a cell charger into the Spark airlock and charge it anyway). Like I said, it's a mid-to-close range gun, which is good precisely because the mobs will get up in your face. It has a large spread, like a shotgun. 1. The Intrepid is xenoarchaeology/science's purview. 2. I have never been on an away mission as xenoarch without at least one other person. Many other scientists will tell you it is a death sentence to go without another person on an away mission if you're not a miner. Case in point, last night I happened to die on the Hephaestus mining station after (checks) two shots from the marksman energy turret, and this was after basic medical attention. Also machetes are just there for consistency as I pretend that I am totally capable of coding a guncabinet subtype. Machetes are not a "strong melee weapon". I have mentioned this multiple times. Anyway I realised after a code dive last night that simplemobs are ridiculously broken in terms of damage output. So I might end up changing the damage values on some of them, which would make this PR somewhat moot (though they would still be very aggro).

I did learn this today! I would say the shotguns are still pretty balanced even if you rip out the firing pin, as you mostly do damage when you're up close and again, you only get three shots. Machetes are also not very strong against carbon mobs anyway. They're about as effective as emergency axes. Here's the PR, BTW https://github.com/Aurorastation/Aurora.3/pull/17810

If you say "skill issue" on this post I'm killing you with a hammer, first of all. Second, simplemobs are busted as fuck. I know it, you know it, we all know it. Reavers and spectral eels, in particular, are very fast and hit lethally hard. It's pretty much a guarantee that if you don't immediately gib one, they are going to give you arterial bleeding. I've never really had a problem with simplemobs when I play xenoarchaeology. It could be that I never go it alone when I play xenoarch, so I usually have someone who can shoot the simplemobs attacking me for me. But I've noticed that even when I go it alone, I can empty a shotgun into an eel and gib it. In three shots! "But LVS," I hear you saying. "The miners have kinetic accelerators! Those are pretty good, and you can even run-and-pump with them now." True! However, the problem when you are shooting an eel with a kinetic accelerator is that you can also be caught in your own blast. If you manage to see the reaver/eel before it sees you (unlikely if you're not a Vaurca or Tajara), you can definitely get a few KA blasts in on it. The reason most miners tend to get run down by these mobs, however, is because they surprise you and then get in close. clever girl Then, you're forced to run away while shooting, but given how fast these mobs are, they're probably going to be keeping pace with you, which means you have to catch yourself and the mob in the KA blast, which will probably hurt you as much as you hurt the mob. Also, this is if you don't get hit in the foot by A) your KA blast or B) the mob in question. If they get a lucky break on your foot or hand, you can kiss the round goodbye. Therefore, I think mining would be much more accessible and much less bullshit if miners were given a locker that contains a couple expedition shotguns, the same way the Intrepid does. I think this would be reasonably balanced for a few reasons: You can't fire these shotguns on the ship, they're locked to away sites with their firing pin Miners have a limited carrying capacity, which means they might have to do a bit of an inventory shuffle, which allows them moments of vulnerability while also having a way to defend themselves Expedition shotguns don't have a ton of shots (the ammo counter lies; you have about three shots because they shoot multiple beams) This is a pretty easy thing to add and I would add it myself but I would like to get player feedback (preferrably from miners) and maybe dev feedback before throwing a PR in the ring.

Leaked Minutemen Documents Reveal Relaxing of Rules of Engagement Article #10 of the Hasta La Victoria Siempre Arc Another scandal has rocked the Tau Ceti Armed Forces as the war against insurgency on Mictlan continues. Classified Mictlan Defense Force briefing documents, containing top-secret information about the tactics of the Tau Ceti Armed Forces, have been leaked to multiple news sources, including the Tau Ceti Times and the Mendell City Bugle. Most notably, the document details a loosening of the rules of engagement for all Minutemen forces deployed to Huitzilopochtli. “Samaritans will often use civilian dwellings to mask their advance, or use unarmed scouts, as they have realized forces are restricted from countering these tactics,” one section of the briefing claims. “Henceforth, all Tau Ceti Armed Forces personnel may assume reasonable suspicion of any non-combatant outside of urban areas, waiving Section 2.5 of the Forces Code of Conduct. Usage of artillery outside of designated FOB areas on Huitzilopochtli has been cleared, waiving Section 2.6 of the Forces Code of Conduct.” Also mentioned in the document was permission for police, as assisted by Mictlan Defense Force personnel, to detain any civilian suspected of “terrorist sympathies” within the confines of an urban area. The document also details the Minutemen’s continued campaign to secure a hold on the beach of Raposa, Huitzilopochtli. Samaritan air defenses restrict jets and shuttles to movement over water, restricting supply access to the rest of the continent and forcing TCAF boats to remain a distance away from the shore. Within this section was a briefing on the amount of “ghost towns” rising near the continental coastlines, as the local civilian population began evacuating from areas where fighting occurred and continues to occur. Previous leaked footage of Bloody Century engagements across Mictlan, which consisted of white phosphorus usage, firing on civilians, and extrajudicial executions, has indicated previous disregard for rules of engagement. However, there is now confirmation that the Armed Forces has officially sanctioned engagement with civilians. No official statement has been released by the Secretary of Defense, Nathan Trasen, or the Defense Bureau. A letter from the editor: As the situation on Mictlan grows more intense, the Tau Ceti Times would like to continue its commitment to unbiased, truthful reporting. That we have been honored with the opportunity to reveal the scale and unprecedented brutality of military operations on Mictlan is not just a mark of trust, but an obligation. It should not, and it should never be, illegal to stand up for what is right. We hope and pray for a solution that allows Mictlan to recover in peace, democracy, and security. Until then, we will continue reporting for all galactic citizens. - Scott Sheen, editor-in-chief, Tau Ceti Times

pipe bomb (Played a round with Sandrine as Captain, a lot of good communication and chill RP. +1)

Zhèngfǔ District Protests Continue, Nathan Trasen Reaffirms Confidence In Peacekeeper Mandate Article #9 of the Hasta La Victoria Siempre Arc Earlier this morning Secretary of Defense Nathan Trasen held a press conference at Mendell City Hall next to Zhèngfǔ District Square, still occupied by thousands of protestors who have refused to disperse since a week ago. Organizations involved in the protest, such as Cetians for Sapient Rights and the anti-corporate group Syndicated Union of Laborers, have made agreements with the Mendell City Police Department to permit continued assembly in certain sections of the square. Residents of Zhèngfǔ District have already made complaints to city bylaw offices about trash, noise, and harassment by protestors. MCPD is permitting protestors to assemble for three more days, after which they have been warned they will be dispersed by force. During the press conference, Trasen was proud to announce that information was obtained which led to the routing of a Founding Movement cell planning another attack from the city of Medeyre. Medeyre is a known frontline between the TCAF and insurgent forces. Secretary Trasen also reported that further counter-operations were underway against the Samaritans, and that control could soon be restored to Huitzilopochtli, the continent under Samaritan control. Rajinder Singh, a reporter from the Tau Ceti Times, questioned Trasen’s claim at the press conference and claimed that this was the third time in the past month that the Defense Bureau had made claims of progress against the Samaritans. “The operations currently ongoing on Huitzilopochtli are making progress,” Trasen responded. “The Foreign Legion, unfortunately, couldn’t have made the kind of steps that we were looking to take previously. It’s been a long road, but the Minutemen have done so much for us in getting rid of terrorism on Mictlan, and while I cannot elaborate further at this time, I do believe we’re in our final hour.” “We as a nation have a duty to protect our citizens,” Trasen continued. “And when our duty is done, we can finally allow Mictlan to open up the next chapter of its own history. Even if it’s hard at times, we cannot waver in this, or we are not a nation worthy of respect.” Secretary Trasen’s statement confirmed what many analysts had suspected, that the Republic is prepared for a long and protracted engagement on Mictlan. We at the Orion Spur Oracle stand with Secretary Trasen, and his unwavering commitment to the long term security of the Republic’s citizens.

Hi there, I have a couple of questions. 1. Can you elaborate on what you mean by this? Currently, we have no planets in lore with a Western European name/cultural background restriction. On the other hand, we have three planets with Asian (north and south) cultural restrictions, one with West African cultural restrictions, two with Central and Southern American cultural restrictions, an entire MENA/Anatolia nation-state, a myriad of non-white/Anglo NPCs, and many non-Western European-influenced cultures. 2. What is an existing planet or nation-state that you would want to see expanded on, apart from your personal favourite planet, and why? What, in your opinion, justifies this expansion? 3. A lot of the Horizon crew has Solarian origins. In this case, how would you write a Gadpathur arc to avoid the Solarian crew getting attacked, antagonized, or otherwise ICly-justified roadblocking? In addition, I'd also like to note that no lore team controls language lore, and that is up to Arrow's purview.

With the inevitable As A First Responder Player out of the way, let me first say that the medical hardsuits were already nerfed to be on par with other hardsuits in terms of speed. They've already been nerfed. Why remove them? Second of all, hardsuits are excellent quality of life to have for a First Responder because of two things; built-in jetpacks and leg actuators. If someone gets flung out into space, you don't have to waste precious seconds trying to grab a jetpack so you also don't get flung into space. Leg actuators, apart from being very fun to jump around on, are especially useful because they stop you from getting owned super hard if you just happen to fall down a hole while responding to something (since you land on your feet with them enabled). If you're picking up a pattern here, congrats. The hardsuit is good for keeping yourself alive, which nicely dovetails into keeping a patient alive. It has its own disadvantages of being slightly slower, taking up a back slot, and taking a long time to put on properly. Inb4 "people could just put it on before code blue starts and then powergame it" well, they shouldn't really be doing that, should they? Ahelp it. Overall I don't think making it harder to rescue people is a great idea.

Played a brief round with you as my CMO. Innocuous, no bad behaviour. The round after that, I played as my xenoarchaeologist, and what followed was kinda wacky. Not all of this is your fault or entirely placed on you, but I would like to summarise the events to attempt to elucidate why shit broke down so badly. Before I get too deeply into this, I would like to establish this is not a -1. It is an attempt to explain why the entire thing exploded as badly it did, and offer potential critique that you can take or leave. As TL;DR as I can make it: Max Burns catches wind of the lone asteroid (the Solarian base away site) on sensors. Choosing to interpret the sensor readings as a potential distress signal, he assembles a team [Avengers theme] to "rescue" whoever is sealed on the base. This goes wrong for multiple reasons; the bridge crewman (Rajkumari Saha) gets thrown around from the Intrepid's movement and damages her organs, Saphy Lotami steps on a mine, then after the Intrepid gets back to the Horizon, the miner (Delan Girard) gets attacked by a reaver and an inopportune rescue mission gets launched, in which Hildebrand Metze kind of rushed out and got owned (sorry, Rookie, you got filtered). Meanwhile, Max Burns sends the entire security team, most of the engineers, and the other first responder (Hal'zrrimya Yufalrii) back to the base. Another bridge crewman, Azari Marrkarr, and myself, Jiaxing Volvalaad, teleport down to the Spark to potentially assist in rescuing Delan, because as far as I knew at the time, nobody has showed up to the Spark for medical assistance. The kicker is that neither of us have access to the Spark airlock, and Azari requesting someone who has access to the airlock takes a very long time to complete. So the bodies of Hildebrand and Delan get recovered, but meanwhile the Intrepid lifts off and goes back to the base. That's more or less the Big Events. To speak on my personal feelings, I felt you ignored the science department. Jiaxing tried to discuss stuff with Burns over comms; I didn't really push it that hard, as by that point I had different IC concerns. If you want to assemble an expedition, that's fine, and it's fine if the RP reason that research isn't immediately consulted is because you consider it a matter of life and death, that's fine. At the midway point of the round, however, it's been obviously established that this is not a matter of life and death, and control was not handed over to the research department in the aftermath of it becoming an expedition. This was kind of frustrating. Communication, as you brought up in maincord previously, broke down a lot. I didn't have access to command comms except through overhearing it, so I can't say what did and didn't happen; however, I do know that pretty much the entire round could have gone a bit smoother if you gave more clear, decisive orders. "Continue exploring, but offload the bridge crewman". "Send a security officer along with the first responder". Etc. etc. Sometimes, you also have to not volun-tell people, and keep away teams smaller depending on player interest. We can't all have bangers every day we play, which is why a command trial exists. I wish you luck in your future rounds!

i would support this

IMHO the first step here is to add stuff to xenobiology and xenobotany. I must once again reiterate the tired adage of "port it from Bay"; they have xenofauna (with limited custom traits), plants that spawn with randomized traits on planets, and a gun with custom shells that can trap animals.

Oh. (accepted)

I think Gabo is mechanically good at the game and capable of RPing really well, and I think he deserves a command trial to see how he'd pull off a command role. +1

BREAKING: Mass Protests Grip Mendell City, Blockade Zhèngfǔ District Article #8 of the Hasta La Victoria Siempre Arc Public protests consisting of estimated millions of Mendell City residents occurred in Zhèngfǔ District today, in response to recent news that the Mictlan Defense Force assisted the Biesel Security Service Bureau in mass arrests to scout for Founding Movement members. Sister protests have also occurred in Hengsha biodome on New Gibson, compounding further unrest that occurred after an allegedly leaked bodycam video showing excessive force by the Minutemen. Security experts have dismissed the video, alleged to be filmed in the village of Xochi on the terrorist-occupied continent of Huitzilopochtli, as likely staged or heavily edited. Protestors of multiple species gathered in front of City Hall, many displaying signs relating to the freedom of Mictlan, decrying what is seen as the illegal occupation of the planet, and demanding the freedom of the suspected Founding Movement members. The crowd has been estimated to be around 3 million strong, which would make the demonstrations the largest in the history of the independent Republic. The Mendell City Police Department, according to a statement from their office, was apparently expecting a large protest, but was quickly overwhelmed by the size of the crowd. Demonstrations have stretched from Zhèngfǔ District to the surrounding districts of Phoenix Park and Xinghua Prefecture. Bureau of Defense experts say that the propaganda of the Founding Movement and Samaritan, both organizations known to use Extranet and social media to spread their message, have contributed to the current state of unrest. “They’ve essentially turned terrorists into victims,” said Kevin Darichuk, a psychological operations expert with the Bureau of Defense. “Their videos, this edited footage, managed to sway millions; and this is after the government of Mictlan took what were very reasonable measures.” Darichuk advised caution in news sources that did not come directly from government sources, and encouraged citizens to be distrusting of footage posted anonymously on the Extranet. “Anyone can edit these, basically.” Some protesters have stated their intention to remain within Zhèngfǔ District indefinitely, until what they claim as the Republic’s “unlawful occupation” on Mictlan has ended. Secretary of Defense Nathan Trasen condemned the protests. “As I have said before, when I took my oath of office, I swore to protect this Republic and all of its citizens. Sometimes this means making hard choices. The demonstrators today haven’t seen what I and Prime Minister de Santos have seen when we consider our options. These claims and doctored footage do not just insult our efforts to protect our people, they insult those lost to the vicious attacks from the Founding Movement and the Samaritans. I can say this; the Peacekeeper Mandate will continue, until the job is done.” We will keep our readers updated should any further developments occur.

Riots Sparked In Wake of Mictlan Defense Force Crackdowns on Founding Movement Article #7 of the Hasta La Victoria Siempre Arc CW: Police Brutality Early yesterday morning, columns of Mictlan Defense Force trucks rolled into major population centers across Mictlan, as part of what officials are calling the largest military assisted law enforcement operation since the Solarian Collapse. After days of gathering intelligence following the bombing in front of the MDF headquarters, the Defense Force assisted Biesel Security Service Bureau agents alongside local law enforcement in a mass arrest of suspected Founding Movement collaborators. The MDF has claimed their assistance to local law enforcement was due to the potentially dangerous nature of Founding Movement collaborators, and soldiers were needed where police would not suffice. However, social media posts and some footage captured by PDA shows usage of excessive force by military personnel. One video from Lago de Abundancia shows a woman sustaining a head injury after attempting to push away a soldier from arresting her husband; the video received over ten-thousand re-Chirps, and was circulated on 64tan. Claims of extrajudicial executions have also been spread, but no evidence has risen to suggest any detainees have been killed in the process of arrests.. In the hours that followed the morning raids, citizens began to assemble in several cities across the continent. A massive demonstration took place outside of the city hall of Arequipa, the Mictlan capital, demanding release of those arrested. In the aftermath of a riot in Sikunda, a group of 200 locals managed to gain entry to their local police station, freeing several detainees in custody. At the moment, no deaths have been confirmed as a result of the protests. Carlos Juarez, a spokesperson for the Mictlan Defense Force, condemned the unrest and stated that the arrests were a precautionary measure. “We’re trying to rule out any possible criminal associations,” said Juarez. “We have been stretched so thin within the past few years; enough is enough. To unequivocally defeat the Founding Movement, we have had to take desperate measures. I advise all citizens to remain calm, shelter in their homes, and cooperate with law enforcement as much as possible. When we have confirmed the detainees have no affiliation with the Founding Movement, they will be released.” Many have speculated that MDF authorities used Founding Movement activity as an excuse to conduct arrests against anti-corporate and anti-Biesel occupation actors. Truth Finders, an online news forum, has supposedly obtained leaked communications between Republic officials pressuring the MDF to conduct the round up, and adding certain groups and people to the lists of those to be arrested who they wished silenced or discredited. We at the Tau Ceti Times have been unable to verify this, but recongize it is not outside the realm of possibility. Prime Minister Laslo de Santos also released a statement encouraging cooperation with authorities. “Our light of liberty has been threatened; because of this, we’ve needed to investigate thoroughly. Please, let cooler heads prevail.” Demonstrations have also occurred in Mendell City, Ashton, and Belle Côté, as well as continuing unrest in Hengsha on New Gibson. Protestors have been seen waving Mictlan flags, with a heavy police presence. The MCPD in particular expect protests to swell in number over the coming days, as activist organizations plan large events in the capital to protest the ongoing violence.

That's perfectly reasonable. I have nothing to add.

This is just a Discord where I hang out with my Aurora friends. I've had it since before I became deputy loremaster. I don't really have an issue with botanist. The only thing I've said about them in this Discord is the following. Considering "I Love Meat" was used as, well, an example in botanist's application, I feel it is pertinent to post this content that they advertise writing, and perhaps it will explain for itself why I expressed this. I can't exactly say "-1, that thing you wrote is sus" because A) +1s and -1s in dev apps don't really mean much and B) I honestly have no idea what to say in response to that, I'm kind of dumbstruck. And that's about it. Lisek has their own experiences with botanist as to why they expressed it (very melodramatically), and this has been discussed with staff. They probably shouldn't have said it, and it's not polite to say. You were very quick to make this complaint, Danse, and given your own history with your own words being taken out of context (especially how you congratulated me on being DLM), I'm a little disappointed that you jumped this quickly to try and pin an accusation of harassment on me. I have no doubt you have your own Discords with your own friends, and sometimes you probably say things in them that you wouldn't say in public. This is because, in real life and online, people say things to their friends that they would not say in public. I know why this is a bother; it's not excellent optics to see the deputy loremaster saying something like "I'm not sold on this" etc. etc. in some group of friends. Bad optics, frankly, are a perfectly good reason to discipline or remove someone from the team, and I understand if the staff wouldn't want me because this happened. I'll keep writing lore regardless.

This is accepted, with some edits.

Biesel is under the purview of the loremaster team (being myself and Triogenix at the moment), and human lore did not write either of the Mictlan arcs. I would suggest thinking of an arc outside of the Corporate Reconstruction Zone/Tau Ceti as your example arc.

1. How would you approach writing something in humanlore you didn't personally like or weren't interested in? 2. Building off that, what's a few ideas you would have for offworlder humans, your self-proclaimed least favourite thing in humanlore?