Bloodshade Bureau of Foreign Inquiries || IC & OOC

[Starlight Coven]

”I have questions. I will ask.

You lead a vast number. I do not know the term for all you rule. It is more souls than have ever graced my world. That is how I speak of it. They are many and they are different. Those I rule are few an different. Witches. Nymphs. Infernals. Humans. Starfallen. They are together. Those you lead are also together. But they are many more than mine. How do you bind them together when they are countless worlds apart and countless forms beyond?

There are things you will not condone. There are ideas you will destroy. You think them vile. Some of these ideas I know. Slavery. Genocide. Others I do not know. I wish to know. Please tell me. I will know what they all are. I am curious. I await your answer.

Your world has artifices. Things that are made and can seem to think. I believe this to be so. How can you trust that which is made and not born or incarnated? It is strange. I wish to know.

My final question regards love. It is personal. You may disregard it. Love is complicated. It escapes understanding. You are an expert in it. I seek your wisdom. How does it manifest? And why is that of the many forsaken for that of the one? I am not passionate. These things elude me. I wish to better know them. But these things are often private. I will not intrude.

These are my questions. I will wait.”

-Luziella, Torchbearer of the Endless Night

[Bloodshade]

”I have questions. I will ask.

You lead a vast number. I do not know the term for all you rule. It is more souls than have ever graced my world. That is how I speak of it. They are many and they are different. Those I rule are few an different. Witches. Nymphs. Infernals. Humans. Starfallen. They are together. Those you lead are also together. But they are many more than mine. How do you bind them together when they are countless worlds apart and countless forms beyond?

"Well, we simply don't judge by appearance. I'm not sure when and why we adopted such a mindset but at one point in our history, we found out that we had more in common with other races of the galaxy and so judging by appearance is a thought process that we find to be extremely primitive and counter-productive. To put it simply, we've been through many trials and tests of courage and strength throughout the centuries. We've forged an unbreakable bond

Besides, this universe is a harsh one. Working together is of paramount importance, lest we get consumed by dark, malicious forces beyond our wildest imaginations. As for how we bind them? Simple. We share a culture. A bond. A belief in a concept greater than us. Most importantly, we believe in forming a sanctuary for all minds and forms. A free haven if you may."

- Prime Minister Rúna Skau

There are things you will not condone. There are ideas you will destroy. You think them vile. Some of these ideas I know. Slavery. Genocide. Others I do not know. I wish to know. Please tell me. I will know what they all are. I am curious. I await your answer.

"I'll be quick and simple with you. I'm not here to speak in riddles. To put it simply, you want to know what's taboo in Bloodshade? Genocide and slavery are at the top of the list. Drug addiction is heavily frowned upon but we try to help the afflicted out rather than shame or jail them. Incest of any kind is absolutely forbidden. There's no excuse for someone to be marrying within their family in this day and age. A relatively minor yet troublesome taboo is bigotry. Fortunately, the majority get shouted down. No one should spend their time and energy entertaining a bigot. I personally think they deserve a stinging shutdown"

- Director Victoria Hoffmeister

Your world has artifices. Things that are made and can seem to think. I believe this to be so. How can you trust that which is made and not born or incarnated? It is strange. I wish to know.

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

- Director Victoria Hoffmeister

"Listen, we can go on and on about how are senses are lying to us and that we're in a simulation or we're just pawns of greater beings. Don't tire yourself so much. Gods, if something is out of your reach, use your intelligence to create a tool that allows you to see it. Our senses are the only way we can truly detect what's around us and we can enhance that with tools of our own making, whether it be through the concentration of our psionic powers or through science. Chances are I'll disappoint you. You probably expected more esoteric explanations and that's where I draw the line. I'm no philosopher."

- Countess Ambrosia von Carstein

My final question regards love. It is personal. You may disregard it. Love is complicated. It escapes understanding. You are an expert in it. I seek your wisdom. How does it manifest? And why is that of the many forsaken for that of the one? I am not passionate. These things elude me. I wish to better know them. But these things are often private. I will not intrude.

These are my questions. I will wait.”

-Luziella, Torchbearer of the Endless Night

"Uh, well, love isn't exactly an easy thing to achieve really but it's rather simple in nature. It's not an enigma of any kind and everyone feels it. It takes plenty of time and mingling. I, myself, want to find a partner that I can confide my deepest, darkest emotions with and feel comforted around. One that can admire my talents and give me the space I need while also being there for me whenever I need someone. Of course, I'm not expecting my significant other to be some boot-licker. Love is two-way street. I'll do my best for anyone that does their best for me. Love can pave the way for many beautiful relationships. Don't worry your pretty little head. You'll get your zing sometime in the near future or maybe not. Not everyone finds meaning in someone else. Believe me, I'm single and content with my way of life"

- Kali Fiore

[Purpuriae]

"Is the concept of Divine Right recognized in Bloodshade? It's the belief that the monarch or leader derives all power from a divine being, in order to give legitimacy to his or her rule. In my Kingdom, the royal bloodline is descended from Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, through the birth of a man conceived between Her and a mortal. Crisanto was his name, and he was the first King of Purpuria. Since every other Purpurian monarch is descended from Crisanto, the divine ancestry is kept alive with every generation."

Hecate I (Xisela Alezandra Sofia de Crisanto), Queen of Purpuria

---

"Do you have magical academies in Bloodshade? In Purpuria, those are schools where individuals with magical potential can train to become qualified wizards. The oldest and most prestigious of such institutions is the Crisanto Academy for the Arcane Arts, but each county also has its own smaller academies, from which only the best and most promising students are accepted to Crisanto."

Hefesto, Headmaster of the Crisanto Academy for the Arcane Arts

[Valentine Z]

Exuberant Superintendent T-2000/2904-3 Surveillant Clarissa Alanis Star Breya « La Amoureux Chéri » Millie Taissa Butterfly Mélody Coraline Jolijn Trini Clementine Hollie Samantha Zeta Harumi: Oooh, hello there, my friends! This time, I will be the one asking questions, hope you guys don't mind, hm hm! I suppose that I'll ask questions that are a little different from the others and at the same time, I do hope that it won't be intrusive!

- What is the best and latest piece of computational technology that a consumer can have in your world? For instance, their CPU, RAM, you know, the usual stuff!
- Do people own smartphones? I bet they do, but I don't want to assume things! I know one particular can't live without them, but what about you all, hm hm? Ooh!
- What do you think of me, Clarissa? Ha ha, I am just kidding! I mean, what do you people think of AI and robots in general? Do they have the same rights like me?
- I am sure Gwen has bothered you with this question so many times and please do pardon us if we have asked before: Who was the tallest person in your nation?

[Bloodshade]

"Is the concept of Divine Right recognized in Bloodshade? It's the belief that the monarch or leader derives all power from a divine being, in order to give legitimacy to his or her rule. In my Kingdom, the royal bloodline is descended from Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, through the birth of a man conceived between Her and a mortal. Crisanto was his name, and he was the first King of Purpuria. Since every other Purpurian monarch is descended from Crisanto, the divine ancestry is kept alive with every generation."

Hecate I (Xisela Alezandra Sofia de Crisanto), Queen of Purpuria

"No no, of course not! We don't base our system of governance over some spirit in the sky, regardless of whether they exist or not. Ours is based on the will of the people. It contrasts rather heavily to your style of governance. Bloodshade's a democratic regime, simply put. Our selectorate is extremely broad. Accountability and transparency are keystones of our democracy.

Apologies to disappoint but we don't worry ourselves with gods. It's a load of bull."

- Countess Ambrosia von Carstein

"Do you have magical academies in Bloodshade? In Purpuria, those are schools where individuals with magical potential can train to become qualified wizards. The oldest and most prestigious of such institutions is the Crisanto Academy for the Arcane Arts, but each county also has its own smaller academies, from which only the best and most promising students are accepted to Crisanto."

Hefesto, Headmaster of the Crisanto Academy for the Arcane Arts

"Magical academies? Yes and no. Fact of the matter, we ensure that everyone is capable of wielding our brand of magic. it's an inherent part of all beings in our universe. It's a part of every school and university curriculum to teach citizens from the ages of 5 to 22 years of age how to properly utilise and control their inherent psionic powers. 'Daorun' is the term we use to differentiate our brand from all other brands of psionics. We might be capable of mimicking the effects of magic but unlike the general nature of 'magic', every being in our universe is capable of dipping into Daorun.

However, your average citizen's not going to do much if they don't delve deeper, risking their sanity along the way. In that case, there most certainly are academies that allows one to further enhance their ability to use Daorun. Those that do wish to enhance their psionic abilities tend to join the army or law enforcement, although eccentric folk can apply their abilities to any field."

- Prime Minister Rúna Skau

[Bloodshade]

(Image)

Exuberant Superintendent T-2000/2904-3 Surveillant Clarissa Alanis Star Breya « La Amoureux Chéri » Millie Taissa Butterfly Mélody Coraline Jolijn Trini Clementine Hollie Samantha Zeta Harumi: Oooh, hello there, my friends! This time, I will be the one asking questions, hope you guys don't mind, hm hm! I suppose that I'll ask questions that are a little different from the others and at the same time, I do hope that it won't be intrusive!

- What is the best and latest piece of computational technology that a consumer can have in your world? For instance, their CPU, RAM, you know, the usual stuff!

“Well, I’m no engineer so I unfortunately can’t give you the specifics but I will tell you how computing has evolved! In this day and age, we use lasers to transmit data! Our CPUs are hybrid in nature, mainly using graphene and silicon as its base. Best of both worlds! We’ve also entered the field of quantum and optical computing too! Exciting stuff all around!”

- Countess Ambrosia von Carstein

- Do people own smartphones? I bet they do, but I don't want to assume things! I know one particular can't live without them, but what about you all, hm hm? Ooh!

“Oh! We don’t necessarily have smart phones! Computers have been miniaturized to the point where you can’t make the difference between them! Of course, there are different brands of computers! Entertainment has evolved, after all!

- Countess Ambrosia von Carstein

- What do you think of me, Clarissa? Ha ha, I am just kidding! I mean, what do you people think of AI and robots in general? Do they have the same rights like me?

“I mean no offense when I say this but to put it simply, A.I are treated with fear and skepticism. You, of all people, should know just how limitless A.I can prove to be, right? We’re afraid and rightfully so. You are a good person but what happens when an A.I goes haywire? Many people end up suffering as a result and I don’t want to embrace A.I to the point of giving them the leeway to hurt another. However, that doesn’t mean we don’t treat them with respect. Synthetic A.I do most certainly enjoy full rights. They’re still sentient after. However, there are different kinds of A.I. Some A.I are simply purpose-built to fulfill a certain task and simply expire when it has reached its full potential in order to avoid rampancy.

You’re a good person and I’m glad to be able to call you a friend but I hope you’re not taken aback by my response.”

- Countess Ambrosia von Carstein

- I am sure Gwen has bothered you with this question so many times and please do pardon us if we have asked before: Who was the tallest person in your nation?

“The tallest person you say? Well, I know it’s irrelevant but believe it or not, I’m the tallest actress in the film industry! I’m 187.92 centimeters, my dear. However, that’s not answering your question. That’s me boosting my ego and I apologize. Now then, tallest person? Well, tallest in history is Dorian Felton and he was a famous general! A 2.34 meter-tall beast. Imagine the size of such a warrior...Ahem, you understand what I mean. However, that’s only accounting for the male populace. What about the women? Well then, the tallest lady in Bloodshade is Nyala Vaughan. She might as well be an Amazonian Queen. Imagine a 2.08 meter-tall supermodel! Gorgeous lady with a sweet-as-honey personality. I’ve personally met her on multiple occasions.”

- Kali Fiore

[New Dunmore]

"Ahoy! 'tis me again. Don't worry, I told me friend to shut up, so no more questions about loot. But I do have more questions.

Fer starters, other than drugs, is thar anythin' that be legally allowed but be considered a social taboo? On the other side o' the Doubloon, is thar anythin' socially acceptable that be legally not acceptable?

Me other question be this. Do the lot o' ye believe in the paradox o' tolerance? If so, then what are some 'limits' ye 'ave on things like political ideologies, religions, etc?"
- High Captain Denver 'Longbeard' Hale

[Bloodshade]

"Ahoy! 'tis me again. Don't worry, I told me friend to shut up, so no more questions about loot. But I do have more questions.

"Fantastic..."

- Director Victoria Hoffmeister

---

"Sure! We'll gladly listen to what you have in store for us!"

- Ambrosia von Carstein

Fer starters, other than drugs, is thar anythin' that be legally allowed but be considered a social taboo? On the other side o' the Doubloon, is thar anythin' socially acceptable that be legally not acceptable?

"Well, we're known as a liberal haven of drugs but if you believe that we're a bunch of junkies, you'll be terribly disappointed. You'd be surprised at how many people negatively react to substances that do nothing but harm their way of life. It gets frustratingly boring and disgusting to use and no one truly wants to be a junkie.

As for the other side of the...doubloon? Uh, no, if something's illegal, it's like that for a good reason and we tend to ensure that culture and law go hand in hand and that people understand why a certain something's illegal. I could say that arranged marriages are still a thing among the upper class of society but those fat cats understand what happens when you try to snake your way around the law."

- Countess Ambrosia von Carstein

Me other question be this. Do the lot o' ye believe in the paradox o' tolerance? If so, then what are some 'limits' ye 'ave on things like political ideologies, religions, etc?"
- High Captain Denver 'Longbeard' Hale

"Paradox? Bit of a loaded question there, you sun-baked 'swashbuckler'. Anyways, there's a simple rule in Bloodshade that tends to govern what we do and don't tolerate. Your rights stop when you violate another person's rights. If your ideology involves undermining or exploiting a certain class of people, whether upper or working, no one's going to give you the time of day. If your religion involves murdering races or ideologues that it deems inferior, chances are you're going to get a slap across the face, at the very least, mind you. I'd gladly smash your face on the sidewalk and get myself locked in jail. It'll be worth it.

Simply put, we don't appreciate preachers around these parts, whether religious or political. Preachers can't have their cake and eat it. The only violence we like to employ is against fascist, totalitarian regimes but come on, who wouldn't?"

- Director Victoria Hoffmeister

[Zitravgrad]

"I shuffle through this shattered reality for answers, and why am I here again? Ah, yes. Because you actually answer things. Look, after a few (which is like 28) games of 5D Chess With Multiverse Time Travel, I get owned by existential crisis again. I have also found that time travel might just be possible, with too many forms of possibility for it. I hate to say this, but my head hurts for once after a long time."

"Considering that the Bloodshadian (as well as the Valerian) are beyond us in technological advancement and employ the force that I might cover with the blanket term of 'magic', has there been any soul so daring enough to say that they can tamper with time itself or has anyone tried to do so? Do you have a deity or a religion for time itself too?"

Dr. Feodora Alexandrovna Miroslavskaya
First Lady of Zitravgrad, mathematician, computer scientist and military technologist

[Bloodshade]

"I shuffle through this shattered reality for answers, and why am I here again? Ah, yes. Because you actually answer things. Look, after a few (which is like 28) games of 5D Chess With Multiverse Time Travel, I get owned by existential crisis again. I have also found that time travel might just be possible, with too many forms of possibility for it. I hate to say this, but my head hurts for once after a long time."

"Considering that the Bloodshadian (as well as the Valerian) are beyond us in technological advancement and employ the force that I might cover with the blanket term of 'magic', has there been any soul so daring enough to say that they can tamper with time itself or has anyone tried to do so? Do you have a deity or a religion for time itself too?"

Dr. Feodora Alexandrovna Miroslavskaya
First Lady of Zitravgrad, mathematician, computer scientist and military technologist

"You're mad to even ask that question so casually! Listen! Sure, we have our own brand of what you'd still consider to be 'magic' but for one to wrap their minds around the passage of time and deftly manipulate it without causing any adverse affects would be an impossible miracle. Come on Feodora, a myriad of nuclear missiles wouldn't come anywhere near close to the destructive capability of messing with time. No one has the kind of mental fortitude to carry out such a task with their minds alone. It's mentally suicidal to try to engage one's brain and wrap one's head around time. I've heard of one individual that's tried to create a machine that would allow him to manipulate the river of time and swim backwards or forwards but they're long gone now. Rather than being comfortable with familiar technology, they're now at the mercy of time and are probably dead or worse. It's just asking for trouble if you want to play around with time. We might have technology that you can currently dream of but we're overly responsible and finicky when it comes to playing with science. We don't to rush to our demise.

The Makers and Valerians might be ancient and technologically advanced races but the fact of the matter is that time is a concept that our minds simply can't afford to play around with. However, there are few in this universe who can use time like a common tool. However, all I know is that these beings use time in the same fashion as how one uses a screwdriver to unscrew a bolt. They don't seem to abuse it and when you keep abusing a tool, it's going to break. There is a group of odd folk we consider to be enemies of the state and they're addressed as 'Scavengers'. There also exists a Numen who might or might not be the psychopomp of time itself, meaning that they have the knowledge and capability to fashion time in such a graceful way that we might as well consider them to be the incarnation of fate itself."

- Countess Ambrosia von Carstein

[Bani Musandam]

"Good evening, Fair people of Bloodshade. I have a few questions if you don't mind me asking. I apologize in advance for any lack of knowledge, for our nations are quite different in terms of 'advancement'.

Seeing how you are a nation in the heavens, I must ask. If you come across a people top primitive, either in terms of technology or brainpower, to integrate but still smart enough to be considered a sapient being, how exactly do you go about... dealing with them. Are there special protocols or is it entirely situational? For that matter, are there any examples where such a thing was the case? I, of course, ask this because there is no way a tiny kingdom like mine could go up against beings closer to gods than men and win, so I must hope that the rulers of the sky are kind ones.

My next question is a bit less existential. Roughly, how would you say wealth is divided in your nation?

Lastly, I must ask. Does your nation have a plan for continuing after a catacylsm? As in, if your nation was mostly or totally wiped off the map by some force, does your nation have a plan to continue the current government, culture, and/or nation or would you all just proclaim that the end is nigh?"
- Malik Munjid Khatib Al-Musandami

[Bloodshade]

"Good evening, Fair people of Bloodshade. I have a few questions if you don't mind me asking. I apologize in advance for any lack of knowledge, for our nations are quite different in terms of 'advancement'.

Seeing how you are a nation in the heavens, I must ask. If you come across a people top primitive, either in terms of technology or brainpower, to integrate but still smart enough to be considered a sapient being, how exactly do you go about... dealing with them. Are there special protocols or is it entirely situational? For that matter, are there any examples where such a thing was the case? I, of course, ask this because there is no way a tiny kingdom like mine could go up against beings closer to gods than men and win, so I must hope that the rulers of the sky are kind ones.

"Salam Allaikum, you interesting desert fellow! Look at me using my limited knowledge of your local language to woo you! Anyways, don't you worry now. There's always something that's out of our playing field but your descendent will get to this point sooner or later.

As for how we treat relatively primitive nations? We generally don't bother ourselves and tend to ensure that our interactions with such polities are at a minimum. First and foremost, we actively refrain from sharing our technology with primitive nations. We're not a charity. If we do share the secrets to our technology, it comes in the form of a scientific treaty. There are only very few times where we decide to intervene in a primitive nation's affairs and that's if it can pose any kind of threat to our interests but that hardly ever happens because we generally just keep to ourselves.

If a citizen of our nation deals with a citizen of a primitive nation, they can engage with them in a normal fashion so long as they don't claim to represent our state. We usually ensure that any primitive nation that possess the capability to communicate with us understand that our intentions are to completely ignore them until they can establish themselves in their own way. However, some pre-FTL civilisations have garnered our favour approval to the extent where we've applied a 'special case' scenario to them and slowly but surely helped them ascend. They still had to figure it out by themselves. We were just there to keep them on the right path, potentially speeding up their technological progress by centuries.

Anyways, at the end of the day, we remind our citizens that it's illegal to pass down information that could possibly result in a 'rippling' culture shock that could destabilise a society. Come on now, the fact that aliens exist would be a shocker to most relatively primitive nations. We don't want to further destabilise them by having them delve into our secrets or reverse-engineer our technology...oh god, wait a second, I'm rambling, aren't I? You don't understand half of what I'm saying, right?

My apologies, let me sum it up and be concise. Simply put, we don't engage with those who are vastly inferior to us when it comes to technological and societal advancements. You can craft swords and spears. We can craft metallic behemoths that can travel from star to star and also use weapons that can blast the hottest type of fire, something we call plasma. Now you might be asking, why am I talking to you? Well, it'd be ridiculous to restrict one's communication with someone else and almost impossible. Besides, you don't see to be too phased by me, right? Please say yes..."

- Countess Ambrosia von Carstein

My next question is a bit less existential. Roughly, how would you say wealth is divided in your nation?

"Well, to put it simply, we have strong middle class that tends to be capable of contending with the wealth of the uber-rich somehow. It's mostly due to the fact that our economies are vastly expanding and so with plenty of opportunity to go around as well as the government entering a 'soft war' with mega-corporations, ensuring they're kept in check for the most part."

- Countess Ambrosia von Carstein

Lastly, I must ask. Does your nation have a plan for continuing after a catacylsm? As in, if your nation was mostly or totally wiped off the map by some force, does your nation have a plan to continue the current government, culture, and/or nation or would you all just proclaim that the end is nigh?"
- Malik Munjid Khatib Al-Musandami

"Erm...well, we were almost wiped off of the map through our own devices once. We can rebuild...migrate to some other planetary candidate amidst the stars. There's plenty of planets to go around...or maybe one day, someone down the line might think that being nomads is the best possible route for us if we haven't established ourselves properly."

- Countess Ambrosia von Carstein

[Valentine Z]

Valentina “De Sierlijke en Vrij High Valkyrie ov Valentine Z” Anastasia Freya Ada. Jolin Annelijn Caitlin Trijntje Crystal Clarice Constance Judy Voi. D. Nexitros Annile Teresa Thida Myat Yadana Aye: This might perhaps be seen as a more personal question, which I hope that Ms. Ambrosia will not mind answering! I always am fascinated by the fashion statements of yourself, and I really think that they are beautiful and looks good on you! Do you usually shop around, or have your countrymen do some custom cuts? Do you do international shopping? As for the second question, do you have a limit on the amount and type of magic that you do, including for ethical reasons?

[Bloodshade]

Valentina “De Sierlijke en Vrij High Valkyrie ov Valentine Z” Anastasia Freya Ada. Jolin Annelijn Caitlin Trijntje Crystal Clarice Constance Judy Voi. D. Nexitros Annile Teresa Thida Myat Yadana Aye: This might perhaps be seen as a more personal question, which I hope that Ms. Ambrosia will not mind answering! I always am fascinated by the fashion statements of yourself, and I really think that they are beautiful and looks good on you! Do you usually shop around, or have your countrymen do some custom cuts? Do you do international shopping? As for the second question, do you have a limit on the amount and type of magic that you do, including for ethical reasons?

"Oh stop it! You're making me blush. Such a flatterer, aren't you? You're as cute as a button too, flaunting that beautiful Valkyrie-esque outfit! Why I'll say it's almost illegal to look that good! Now now, as for your question, I do my own shopping. Got this outfit from a cute little so-called 'counterculture' store! I fell in love with it in an instant! Snugly wraps around my figure and especially my neck! Makes me feel safe and proud too! My black dress has always been a part of who I am, honestly speaking. Can't imagine myself not wearing it. Anyways, I don't want to get too sappy. As for international shopping, I don't really need to buy stuff from other nations? Maybe if I have the chance to burn some money, I'll go ahead and do it but most of the stuff that I buy will end up being sent as a gift to my friends, family and loved ones! I'm not much of a consumerist. I think I have everything I need in my life.

Now uh, as for the magic part, there are a few things I won't do unless I have a good reason to. That involves actions that one could identify as necromancy or mind control. I respect the will of the dead to stay dead and the will of the living to have control over themselves. That's about all I can think of honestly. I just don't want to wrest control over somebody, whether dead or alive."

- Countess Ambrosia von Carstein

[Bani Musandam]

"Hello again. I have more questions if you do not mind me asking.

For starters, if a foreign nation, people group, religious group, or otherwise were to spread their brainthink (Philosophy/Ideology) or religion unintentionally/benignly through trade, conversation, or otherwise, would your nation do anything about that? If so, how would they? Conversely, if a foreign nation or group were to intentionally spread their brainthink or religion for the sake of instability or to gain influence over your nation, how would you stop that that?

I could probably take a guess and say your people aren't exactly fervent believers. No offense meant. But, if I am wrong, what are the religious demographics of the nation of Bloodshade?

The world I live in is a rather chaotic place, and yours isn't much different in that regard. It seems both of our nations need friends to survive. Who would you say are your important allies? And I do mean in strategic/political terms terms, for the record. Not accusing you of anything, it's just the last person I asked replied with 'the winter', the Suwfyatiu are a strange people.

My last question is somewhat related to the first one. Has there ever been a time a nation has culturally 'shocked' your nation, only for that part to be integrated? I mean this in the sense that your nation came across some current/previous group with a radical idea that, while initially shocking, was eventually adopted by your people? This can be anything as simple as clothing and jewelry to perspective on life itself, though I doubt the latter happens all that often, if ever."
- Malik Munjid Khatib Al-Musandami

[Kiu Ghesik]

So, an OOC question, or rather several OOC questions- I've noticed the Tercérito uses lots of man-sized robots to carry about equipment and heavy weaponry. Do they still use LMGs and other man-portable heavy weapons, or have automated weapons platforms fully removed the human factor from that role on the battlefield? And another question related to Obama's drones- do the Difesameijala deploy autofactories or other such facilities to create these things in-situ, or are they shipped in from factories located behind the lines of battle?

Do the Fànazio have dedicated intelligence-gathering spacecraft or AWACS-type information warfare vehicles, or are those roles filled by more multipurpose vessels? And lastly, do the Fànazio use drones in space combat? It seems like they would, since the Tercérito's got military-grade AI constructs readily available, but I don't see any mention of the Fànazio having any on smaller vessels- their AIs seem exclusively reserved for larger warships. Maybe it's just me not noticing, or maybe inter-branch communication is just really bad in the Difesameijala, and the Tercérito hasn't shipped the Fànazio their drones yet.

And lastly, how does Alarielle feel about having a flagship class named after her? Has anyone asked? I hope they have, it'd be rather inconsiderate not to, after all.

[Bloodshade]

"Hello again. I have more questions if you do not mind me asking.

For starters, if a foreign nation, people group, religious group, or otherwise were to spread their brainthink (Philosophy/Ideology) or religion unintentionally/benignly through trade, conversation, or otherwise, would your nation do anything about that? If so, how would they? Conversely, if a foreign nation or group were to intentionally spread their brainthink or religion for the sake of instability or to gain influence over your nation, how would you stop that that?

"We're not necessarily the type to curtail the flow of information into the minds of our citizens but we generally do not accept any kind of language that would promote what we find to be a violation of one's sentient rights. We won't act like we're an unbiased polity. Any kind of ideology that we consider to be harmful and generally cancerous in nature, especially ultra-nationalism, psuedo-scientific racism, ethno-nationalism, totalitarianism, violent religious extremism and so on, are shunned from our society and way of life. However, any other philosophy or ideology, no matter how odd it might be, is generally allowed if it continues to prove itself to not be a malignant tumour. We don't care if a citizen of ours believes to have found the path to nirvana or whatever. Just don't violate your neighbour's rights and we're all good to go. Of course, the state will intervene on one's behalf if such an ideology proves to be harmful to an individual since while they're not exactly hurting anyone, we don't want people hurting themselves because they think that whipping themselves to death while being immolated is a path to the heavens. Before you ask, yes, we do have our odd-jobs here and there.

If a foreign nation or group proves to be trying to purposefully gain the edge on us by indoctrinating our people in some way, it would generally be met with condemnations and requests to cease their actions. If they don't bother acceding to our demands, the next step is to block all communications with them. If that fails and they're not getting the message, we're going to bomb them back to another dimension and remove their ability to undermine our nation. Is that overkill? Yes, it is but at least now, people will understand that we mean business.

Still, to give credit to my people, not much tends to sway them easily, monarchists tend to be laughed and spat at. Religious preachers tend to be sneered and scoffed at. Authoritarian propagators tend to be roughed up, to say the least. One will have to be extremely insidious and subtle to get into people's mind or they're going to have to be outrageously creative and philosophical to convince people"

- Director Victoria Hoffmeister

I could probably take a guess and say your people aren't exactly fervent believers. No offense meant. But, if I am wrong, what are the religious demographics of the nation of Bloodshade?

"Er, not necessarily, dear. I mean, I don't want to....Shit, how do I say this without fucking myself over? Uh, so have you ever heard of the Greek and Egyptian pantheon? You're on Earth, right? You must know of these people in your studies at least! They're your neighbours! Well, they believe in different gods and so do my people. Some aren't just deists. Others are pantheists. More people have created their own syncretic type of Omnism where they adapt every single pantheon or god that they might come across because in their minds, the omniverse is all about discovering communities of higher beings to worship and praise. We do have our own brand of theists who each dedicate themselves to a Numen and they tend to be the majority. However, they don't truly worship the Numens but rather, they worship the concepts that they represent. The loveliest and most popular Numen in our galaxy is our dear ol' Alarielle. I always feel a sense of pride whenever I mention her. Imagine! A goddess deciding that our planet is worth her time and presence. Usually, I'd call any deity a cunt but Alarielle's always proven herself to be giver rather than a taker. She's proven herself to be a great friend of my people and to me! Yes, I do have a goddess that occasionally councils me. Come on now, you aren't jealous you don't have that type of connection with a deity, do you? Oh don't worry! I was just pulling your leg."

- Countess Ambrosia von Carstein

The world I live in is a rather chaotic place, and yours isn't much different in that regard. It seems both of our nations need friends to survive. Who would you say are your important allies? And I do mean in strategic/political terms terms, for the record. Not accusing you of anything, it's just the last person I asked replied with 'the winter', the Suwfyatiu are a strange people.

"Important allies, huh? Let me think! While we're generally on friendly terms with most polities in our galaxy, we do find that the Elyrians of the Elyra Galactic Polity are sole allies in this galaxy, mainly due to the fact that they've guaranteed our independence, respect our policy of neutrality when it comes to their own political shenanigans and are our historical allies in past wars that I hope is not repeated in the future. The Elyrians fought tooth and nail just to keep Bloodshade on its toes in the war and they will always have our outstanding gratitude for the war against tyranny. Not an official name but it generally was a fight against authoritarian regimes. However, while we are neutral and generally try to distance ourselves from any aggressive moves that the Elyrians are complicit of, we always respect their sovereignty and if a war was to ever break out, we'd be the first to back them up. Lahmian's honour!"

- Countess Ambrosia von Carstein

My last question is somewhat related to the first one. Has there ever been a time a nation has culturally 'shocked' your nation, only for that part to be integrated? I mean this in the sense that your nation came across some current/previous group with a radical idea that, while initially shocking, was eventually adopted by your people? This can be anything as simple as clothing and jewellery to perspective on life itself, though I doubt the latter happens all that often, if ever."
- Malik Munjid Khatib Al-Musandami

"We haven't truly come across such a nation that has shocked us. We might veer away from a society that we find to have too many relative taboos within it but for something to shock us, it has be an idea that's totally, utterly repulsive and unique to us. Stormfels has been our listen in terms of frightening ideologies and taboos. So far, nothing has truly shook us to our core.

If we're talking about moderate shocks, oh sure! The Lumittu polities, the ones that inhabited Yvresse before we even came along, used to commune with their dead and I mean it literally. If a death occurs in a Lumittu family, it wouldn't be much of an issue unless they couldn't find the body. Now losing the body would be a true tragedy which is why Lumittu society is rather closely-knit. Anyways, they would bind the consciousness of their dead relative to an object. The 'dead', in such a state, would then have to learn how to project a body using one's inherent psionic power and voila, life is back to normal until the 'dead' Lumittu reaches a point in their 'living after-life' where they believe that they've done everything they can to support their families in their ethereal form. With that, they'd then truly disappear from the world but what's charming is that there would be no crying or anguish, just smiles of happiness that a Lumittu has passed on, knowing they've fulfilled themselves and gave all the love they could to their loved ones. It's a custom that's making my heart warm as we speak.

With all the time in the world, the most untrained of psionic users in death could easily break such a barrier and finally speak to their loved ones while bound to the object. The most trained individuals can make themselves practically immortal but only a handful exist who can pull off such things. To us Lahmians, the fact that death was nothing but an obstacle was something we found to be shocking yet saddening, knowing that so many people's consciousnesses could've been saved and kept with us. Still, that didn't stop us from begging the Lumittu people to teach us. While many Lumittu choose to bind themselves to an object, it seems that after our initial joy of knowing that death could be evaded, a great number of Lahmians chose not to proceed with this skill we've adopted from the Lumittu. Some people preferred to embrace death. Others believed that there was nothing more to conquer in life when they were at the verge of death, preferring to slumber in the void of non-existence forever or if they were chosen for their piety, one can live their next life in the hand-crafted universe of a Numen until they request that a Numen release them from life."

- Kali Fiore

[Bloodshade]

So, an OOC question, or rather several OOC questions- I've noticed the Tercérito uses lots of man-sized robots to carry about equipment and heavy weaponry. Do they still use LMGs and other man-portable heavy weapons, or have automated weapons platforms fully removed the human factor from that role on the battlefield? And another question related to Obama's drones- do the Difesameijala deploy autofactories or other such facilities to create these things in-situ, or are they shipped in from factories located behind the lines of battle?

Before I start, thank you very much for the questions! It's a bit embarrassing to say that I haven't thought about the concept behind some of these questions but after a while of pondering, I've gotten it!

Anyways, let's start with this. Yes, soldiers are still expected to carry their own equipment and are still expected to use LMGs because of the need for a squad to have an element in it that can place down suppressive fire on an enemy. I already had this concept thought up in my mind but the thing with the drones (The BDF Ushabti in this case) is that there are multiple variants. You can have 'mule' drones that are optimally designed to simply carry a soldier's equipment and weaponry for them. These drones will basically embed themselves in a squad and they have an extremely simple type of A.I that uses its sensors to detect danger in the form of loud sounds, unidentified or enemy heat signatures or voice command in case a soldier spots something before it. In such a case, the Ushabti would march itself quickly in a reachable and defensible position where a soldier could safely retreat to and resupply. However, here's why I'm not writing it so drones can replace a soldier's need to carry their own weapons and have them slack off. What happens to a drone if it's the first to get destroyed in an engagement? What happens if it's breaks down? What happens if it's hacked and runs away? To answer all these instantly, the Ushabti's role is to lengthen the period of time where a squad wouldn't need any sort of maintenance or resupply. Their point is to make a soldier fight longer than the enemy, not make the life of a soldier easier. Those maggots are still carrying their own supplies and weapons!

Moving on to the more aggressive variants of the Ushabti that involves rotary cannons and missile racks, these kinds of drones are generally used in frontal assaults to focus the enemy's attention and keep their eyes pinned on the drones. These Ushabti variants, due to their suicidal role, are indeed not expected to last long or achieve victory. They're just there to make a mess of the enemy's confidence and muddle their focus so that the more trained personnel can manoeuvre and defeat the enemy or create breakthroughs wherever the bots have softened up the defences. Another role would be that these drones would be used to deal with insurgencies that are holed up in forests. Although most insurgencies tend to be easily capable of dispatching these drones, the point of them is to either play the same game as the insurgents holing up in a hostile natural environment and that is simply playing a war of attrition. The insurgents expect to snipe out some soldiers? Nope, send some drones to keep them engaged and compromise an insurgent's position. In this situation, a squad would be letting the drone take point while they follow it. If they lose contact with the drone or if the drone enters combat, the insurgents would've peeled off the first two layers of the 'Survivability Onion' which is don't be seen and don't be acquired. Already, the insurgents are at a disadvantage. Of course, I'm talking about normal, generic insurgents but one never has the luxury of a 'normal insurgent' in a real war since they're adaptive little shits who might already be used to fighting in such types of war.

Some of the insurgencies that Bloodshade has faced has been an extreme pain in the butt that no drone would expect. There came a point where in the Res'vian Silver Wars, Bloodshade High Command stopped supplying drones because the Res'vian insurgency were easily able to keep themselves hidden and disable the drones, looting it for salvage or equipment. The soldiers had to resort to the primitive tactic of boots on the ground, which went as well as you'd expect it to go. Imagine FT Vietnamese with plasma weaponry, the natural ability to match their surroundings by shifting their body colours and by regulating the temperature of their bodies to match their surroundings since they're cold blooded creatures. Don't get me started on the Res'vian insurgent commandos that on top of all that, equipped light-warping suits that allowed them to be nigh-invisible and can only be reliably acquired by sound or in case the suits failed them in such a hostile environment like the deep jungle. The Chyluliwans are the only race who were a part of the Res'vian tribes and I definitely took a page out of 'Predator' when creating.

Do the Fànazio have dedicated intelligence-gathering spacecraft or AWACS-type information warfare vehicles, or are those roles filled by more multipurpose vessels? And lastly, do the Fànazio use drones in space combat? It seems like they would, since the Tercérito's got military-grade AI constructs readily available, but I don't see any mention of the Fànazio having any on smaller vessels- their AIs seem exclusively reserved for larger warships. Maybe it's just me not noticing, or maybe inter-branch communication is just really bad in the Difesameijala, and the Tercérito hasn't shipped the Fànazio their drones yet.

In the Fànazio, space tends be a place where things are much easier to acquire especially since gravitic sensors are a thing. Even then, no one can truly hide in space too due to whatever electro-magnetic waves it emits along with its size. As for drones in space combat, that is something I'm planning on adding and the idea of drone warfare in space does get me giddy since I have all sorts of ideas of how one drone could tip the tide and how a swarm of drones could be an invaluable, frightening asset. Of course, I'm rather lazy and haven't added it in there yet but if you want a sneak peak, here's one drone that'll be shared by both the Tercérito and Fànazio but will mainly be used by the Fànazio due to its weaponry (Huge fuckoff laser that can switch modes, from shield disruption to burning through a ship's hull and armor) and propulsion system (Anti-gravitational flight). Maaaybe the Fànazio will be mean and keep these drones for themselves. Chances are they will with all this fancy tech and the fact that the Tercérito already have their own toys to play with. Anyways yeah, the military factbook is in an eternal WIP and I was lazy to add drones to the Fànazio at the time.

Oh yeah, as for your A.I construct, I do want to mention that 'assistants' are many tiers below a 'construct'. You'll notice that 'constructs' are in the officer part of 'Crew' while 'assistants' are in the enlisted part of the 'Crew'. The A.I assistant is just there to do all the 'heavy-lifting'. It's just an efficient automated computer that cuts down on the number personnel that would otherwise be needed to do simple, tedious, thankless tasks that keep the gears grinding. It's like a cute little Alexa that would have this kind of conversation with a tank commander.

"Alexa, reload the main gun!" - TC

"Okay! Got it!" - A.I assistant

Hopefully thought, these Alexas of the Tercérito don't got "I'm sorry, I can't hear you. Could you repeat that?" in the middle of battle because that would be awfully frustrating and embarrassing. Anyways, assistants are basically just complex virtual assistants. Now the A.I constructs though? Those are something else entirely and aren't spared to the Tercérito because how rare it is to come by. I probably should note that A.I constructs are not a thing at all during peace-time but before I go into detail. Let me explain how an A.I construct is made. It involves mapping and replicating one's brain anatomy onto an 'A.I core' of sorts. It's a trans-humanist type of A.I and it's an expensive process with ethical concerns. Not many people would allow themselves to have their brain be used in such a way because they'd basically be re-incarnated, with their only aim being to serve in the Fànazio for their relatively short lifespan and also occasionally be used in land operations by the Weltraudahsila, the ones who truly get all the funding and equipment in the armed forces. Sound familiar? That's because the idea's been snapped from Halo lmao. I can't pretend to say that this idea is original at all and I feel like if A.I were very easy to create in my lore, that'd shoot me up to FFT which is not what I want.

And lastly, how does Alarielle feel about having a flagship class named after her? Has anyone asked? I hope they have, it'd be rather inconsiderate not to, after all.

Well, it started off with a very simple petition but a lot of people who just really really liked Alarielle being around Bloodshade and all and they said: "Hey! If she's the toughest person in our side of the universe, how about she becomes the toughest gal in our space navy! The flagship!"

No one really needed to tell her since she already noticed of her own accord. Oh right, I should mention who the hell Alarielle even is since I re-purposed the Inner Circle factbook and now she's kinda gone. Alarielle's a Numen and what one could consider to be a supreme Numen in the universe that she presides in which is Bloodshade's universe. She does have a physical form which she uses to lounge around in the deepest forests of Bloodshade and occasionally decides to mingle around in the countryside, chilling out with the people, making sure that any sort of 'arguments' between sentient polities and nature are resolved peacefully. For example, lets say a farmer's been shooting 'pests' that have been killing his livestock or eating his crops for too long. If she's got the free time and comes along, she'll come along and just fix this whole situation by shifting the entire ecosystem of a planet rather subtly and intelligently just so instead, the farmer won't have to deal with pests any longer and those pests won't be bothering anyone else. She's basically telling the entire ecosystem to move around, both fauna and flora. How does she do that? Well, Alarielle's a Numen of nature and that means anything which is considered to be natural in composition is something that she can manipulate.

She's very sweet and tries her best to maintain a warm relationship between sentient polities and nature on millions of planets. She won't intervene if a civilisation needs to mine or collect lumber. She's not that much of an interventionist and can accept that sometimes, nature has to make way in order for a civilisation to advance. She's simply there to ensure that nature is healthy enough to sustain life so y'know, the sentient beings don't destroy the only reason that they're alive. However, when war erupts, Alarielle just seeps back. She might be the most capable being in the universe but unless she's directly pulled into a war, she'll just watch in disappointment and sigh as she watches lives being lost everywhere, waiting for the day when peace returns so she can ensure that nature naturally recovers.

Of course, she might be nice 99% of the time but the other 1% is when someone decides to just fuck with her out of curiosity and arrogance. There was a time someone thought it'd be funny to burn her favourite grove on Yvresse for no reason but to frustrate her, thinking that from all the reports of her being a benevolent goddess, she'd just frown and wag her finger at them. Nah, she's just going to get every wild animal within a mile radius and rip them to shreds. Very few people know about that 10% of her personality and the few areas that Alarielle has a no-nonsense rule in regards to. It might sound scary but to be honest, it's not all that unreasonable that with the millions of planets within her grasp, she decides to dedicate a dozen or so spots on a few of those planets to be of unparalleled natural landmarks that should never be touched? That sounds reasonable to me.

Shit, I rambled. Uh, to sum it up, people wanted to honour her for being such a cutie. She just kinda knew about it without anyone telling her, blushed and aww'd, decided to owe Ambrosia & Co a few favours in return for the kind gesture and then went back to business as usual. Oh yeah, if you're exceptionally good to nature, Alarielle can give you some rare favours! All Ambrosia asked is for her advice and council about state-building. Alarielle might be a master of nature but she perfectly understands the mind behind sentient life and is a bit of a cheat code really.

[Zitravgrad]

"Sometimes, I wonder... how do you handle or talk around such a diverse crowd in your own office and your nation's politics? How does it feel being surrounded by such colorful characters? Don't even get me started on a talking cursed cat... I ask this because, well, I am surrounded by a strange cast myself -- venomous snake, blind crow, phantom lynx, and oddly emotional computer. You know it..."

"In return, I think that your uncle has asked us about exotic torture methods in Zitravgrad. That was... long ago. But yes, I would like to ask that in return. Thank you very much."

"Also, one more thing, apologies... I have published a few poems under the penname of Mr. Matthias Ilias Keightley. Embarrassingly terrible ones, yes. Every man makes a mistake. Still, I am wondering if Ms. Perfect like you have done something you are embarrassed of once in your life? Too personal a question, yes. But I find it would be amusing."

"I will keep adding questions if something goes into my mind. Heh... Salutations from the North Wind."
Respectfully yours, with due regards -- His Excellency, Kazimir Ivanovich Miroslavsky
Premier of the United Federation of Zitravgrad, Commander-in-Chief of Zitravgradian Armed Forces, Director of National Law Enforcement Committee

[New Dunmore]

"Ahoy thar, lasses! Are ye happy to see me? Probably not, but I 'ave a few more questions regardless.

Me first question be this, What are the most common kinds o' music in yer nation? I can imagine that ole sea shanties an' 'Baroque'-chanties are not exactly yer nation's forte. I know that the main music Earthlings 'ave are electrical, hip hop, 'n rock, but I can imagine, as humanoids ye might not be all that different... but who knows, maybe ye all like Gothic Metal, 'n by Gothic, I mean the ancient Germanic culture, Har!

Do ye look up to any 'ancient' cultures, as the Earthlings do to the Romans or Seres (Chinese), or do ye prefer to view the past as more o' what not to do rather than somethin' to be looked up to?

Tis a bit o' a random question, but what are yer, decidedly civilian, beds made out o'? They gotta be nicer than the pile o' rocks I sleep on an', in the case o' Ambie, stronger than a bunch o' reeds.

Lastly, me friend has another question. Well, technically, tis two, but they be related. Would ye say that thar be a clear geographical divide between the Rich, Middle Class, an' Poor are they more 'equally spread out' in that sense? If they be geographically divided, is gentrification an issue or are thar regulations regardin' that? Wit' that, farewell and happy sailing!"
- High Captain Denver 'Longbeard' Hale

OOC: One more question, and if you already said it somewhere I am sorry, but exactly inspired you to make the retcon from a Warhammer nation to the FT Venice that is modern Bloodshade?

[Bloodshade]

"Sometimes, I wonder... how do you handle or talk around such a diverse crowd in your own office and your nation's politics? How does it feel being surrounded by such colorful characters? Don't even get me started on a talking cursed cat... I ask this because, well, I am surrounded by a strange cast myself -- venomous snake, blind crow, phantom lynx, and oddly emotional computer. You know it..."

"When you say diverse, I'm going to assume you mean in terms of personality and not race. Sorry. There are two very simple trait that makes everything rather simple for me and it's called compromise and persistance. If I feel like I can concede in a certain area without undermining myself, I'll go ahead and do it. If I feel like I can't concede, I'll just play the long game. That's just general advice to those who aren't on my level. When relationship dynamics are introduced into the world of politics, you'll have to tire yourself and figure out how everyone you work with is like and what exactly they want at the end of the day. I apologize for the vagueness of my answers but you don't exactly want me to write a book about how I deal with the people around me. Do you?"

- Countess Ambrosia von Carstein

"In return, I think that your uncle has asked us about exotic torture methods in Zitravgrad. That was... long ago. But yes, I would like to ask that in return. Thank you very much."

"As for...ugh, when did my uncle say that? Please forget that question. My uncle's a blunt, stupid man who thinks that politics is strictly cutthroat, literally speaking. He has a tempestous relationship with the law and while I owe him for introducing me to the world of politic, I'm at my neck with him. We don't officially practice torture here in Bloodshade. Of course, I'm not stupid. Intelligence agents and soldiers do resort to inflicting pain on POWs and high value targets. They tend to be caught and punished but I understand that some members of the hierarchy don't mind staying quiet about any atrocities being commited under their watch. They're also punished for the actions of their subordinates if they don't stop them from commiting criminal actions. Hopefully, that motivates people to not perform such abhorrent actions in the first place. Not only will somone get thrown in prison for performing torture, they'll be ridden with guilt as they find their colleagues being thrown in prison as well. Prison time tends to be the most generous punishment. Does that sound unfair? Well, maybe people shouldn't be commiting acts of torture."

- Countess Ambrosia von Carstein

"Also, one more thing, apologies... I have published a few poems under the penname of Mr. Matthias Ilias Keightley. Embarrassingly terrible ones, yes. Every man makes a mistake. Still, I am wondering if Ms. Perfect like you have done something you are embarrassed of once in your life? Too personal a question, yes. But I find it would be amusing."

"I will keep adding questions if something goes into my mind. Heh... Salutations from the North Wind."
Respectfully yours, with due regards -- His Excellency, Kazimir Ivanovich Miroslavsky
[i]Premier of the United Federation of Zitravgrad, Commander-in-Chief of Zitravgradian Armed Forces, Director of National Law Enforcement Committee

"Huh, there's no need to be embaressed. I understand that it's almost addictive to be self-depreciating but I hope you realize that practice is the only way to get good at something. Then again, if you have that kind of attitude, then maybe you don't even like poetry. No need to torture yourself and cry to the heavens about how much you can hate it when you can just drop the pen. Anyways, I'm a bit offended that you believe I've given off an image of perfection. It's odd to hear that. Do I look too pretty to fail? Believe it or not, people will quickly start to forget about my looks if I prove to be incompetent. Anyways, I tend to not have the time to be embaressed. I'd say I still get embaressed whenever I bare my true personality and feelings to certain people in my life but otherwise? I don't like wasting time being embaressed. Anything I do behind closed doors, I make sure I'm public with. It helps to develop a reputation of being a normal, relatable individual when you're serving your people in a public office."

- Countess Ambrosia von Carstein

[Bloodshade]

"Ahoy thar, lasses! Are ye happy to see me? Probably not, but I 'ave a few more questions regardless.

Me first question be this, What are the most common kinds o' music in yer nation? I can imagine that ole sea shanties an' 'Baroque'-chanties are not exactly yer nation's forte. I know that the main music Earthlings 'ave are electrical, hip hop, 'n rock, but I can imagine, as humanoids ye might not be all that different... but who knows, maybe ye all like Gothic Metal, 'n by Gothic, I mean the ancient Germanic culture, Har!

"Music? Well, we've got different names for our music but suprisingly enough, one can boil down our music aand find that it's awfully similar. I'd say that hard rock, electronic house, uptempo disco, industrial rock, symphonic metal and a rather special brand of pop music originated in Bloodshade! I've probably only just brushed the surface though!"

- Kali Fiore

Do ye look up to any 'ancient' cultures, as the Earthlings do to the Romans or Seres (Chinese), or do ye prefer to view the past as more o' what not to do rather than somethin' to be looked up to?

"Ancient cultures? Well, it depends on how ancient we want to go. The cultures immedietaly preceding the destruction of our homeworld? Definitely not! As far as that may be, we still are a tad bit sensitive about that era of our history. We'd prefer dipping straight into our own version of the classical, renaissance and industrial era. It's perfectly fine to admire the concepts, feats and technologies that were born, reached and discovered during those times. Historical figures are up in the air. People, in general, are flawed so I personally don't think that anyone is truly worthy of veneration until only after they are judged for their contribution to the general advancement of Lahmiankind alongside their personal flaws or negative actions."

- Countess Ambrosia von Carstein

Tis a bit o' a random question, but what are yer, decidedly civilian, beds made out o'? They gotta be nicer than the pile o' rocks I sleep on an', in the case o' Ambie, stronger than a bunch o' reeds.

"What's that last statement supposed to mean? Whatever, your mouth is dirtier than your underside, it seems. Well, believe it or not, people still stick with polyester, silk, cotton or a mixture of all these three! They're probably not going to go out of fashion because nostalgia is a powerful emotion. Oh, I should specify that the majority of silk is synthetic in nature but you probably guessed it already. Does it even matter whether it's natural or synthetic? No but prissy rich folk care about its origin for some reason. Quite a few beds use repulsors but that's a bit too expensive. We just have simple, plastic bed supports. There's not much to innovate about when it comes to sleep unless it has something to do with the material."

- Countess Ambrosia von Carstein

Lastly, me friend has another question. Well, technically, tis two, but they be related. Would ye say that thar be a clear geographical divide between the Rich, Middle Class, an' Poor are they more 'equally spread out' in that sense? If they be geographically divided, is gentrification an issue or are thar regulations regardin' that? Wit' that, farewell and happy sailing!"
- High Captain Denver 'Longbeard' Hale

"Geographical? Well, the rich tend to enjoy having their own orbital habitats? You know what I mean by that right? Imagine a large house the size of an island but built in the middle of space, amongst the stars. That's what an orbital habitat is. Artificial island in the middle of the sea. They've even created their own version of gated communities situated in the deep dark expanse of our galaxy, distancing themselves from what they deem to be the 'frightening' uncertainty of living. I'm rather sure they just do so out of spite, increasing the overheads of tax-collecting agencies and the likes. They also want to pick their own neighbors. The middle and working class tend to stick with planets and not to toot the state's horn but life's good. It's comfortable, homely and cheap to live on a planet than in a metal box drifting in space.

We don't exactly care about where the rich and powerful build their homes in the middle of space so long as they occupy an area of space that won't be of strategic importance to us in the future. That or they just build their homes in no man's space. Space that isn't occupied by anyone, as far as we know at least. Of course, that means they don't get to enjoy our protection and services although they still answer to most of our laws, assuming they consider themselves to be a part of Bloodshade or interact with it in some way. Sounds unfair? Cry me a river. If they somehow are in a place that the state suddenly takes interest in, we move them to another batch of space within our celestial borders, whether they like it or not. Space is infinite in space. The rich only ever complain about our 'authoritarian' practices out of arrogance. Oh boo hoo, we forced them to move to another patch of identical space and they just can't live with having a gas giant in their backyard. The horror! Oh please! All that money and they still have the audacity to complain."

- Director Victoria Hoffmeister

OOC: One more question, and if you already said it somewhere I am sorry, but exactly inspired you to make the retcon from a Warhammer nation to the FT Venice that is modern Bloodshade?

Eh, I wouldn't say Bloodshade is a 'Venice' of some sorts. I've just used 'Venice' quite a bit because I did a bad job at trying to explain Bloodshade's position in the galaxy, relative to its neighbors. Bloodshade's an upstart kind of nation. A middle-man of sorts. The one that's trying its hardest to be the center of everything, climbing its way out of a pit of obscurity and being ahead of the game when it comes to socialogical and technological advances. The goal is to make Bloodshade into a leech of knowledge and art, sucking talent away from more established interstellar civilizations that wouldn't even have recognized those talents in a million years and letting them set the foundations for Bloodshade. Perhaps you could say Bloodshade's a free haven of sorts. One that's trying to sell an ideal model of interstellar society that could possibly be exported in the future. That'd be one way for Bloodshade to make its mark. It helps that Bloodshade's a state born from fleeing refugees, born from the ashes of their own idiocy, who've entered the good graces of a scientific community of precursors. Those precursors are not going to suddenly gift them with the key to the universe. They just try and nudge them onto what they deem to be an ideal path, assuming that whoever runs Bloodshade wants to interact with the precursors. The key word is 'try'. They couldn't care less if their advice was rejected. They only give it out of a mixture of pity and curiosity.

Anyways, my reasons for abandoning Warhammer is pretty simple. At one point, I was basically writing lore for Warhammer Fantasy. I was very constrained by the laws and rules of that universe that I might as well have joined Games Workshop. I simply gave up and started from scratch and I found that it's much easier to write when I'm not constrained by an established lore.

[Yerbanistan]

"Salutations comrades. What is the biggest or tallest building in Bloodshade? For us, it is Yachingov Palace, completed just this week. Named after the greatest man in the world—which is me—this 500-meter-tall architectural marvel represents the absolute finest in Yerbanistani engineering and workmanship. Built as a residence for government officials and visiting guests, Yachingov Palace is the grandest and most spectacular structure in the country, with luxurious accommodations and its own theater, sports complex, amusement park and hospital. It is also home to L'Internationale, an upscale gourmet restaurant serving the best in French, Italian and Yerbanistani cuisine. And did I mention, it's HUGE? So come visit Yachingov Palace today. Glory to Yerbanistan!"

Maksim Yachingov, Chancellor of Yerbanistan

[Bloodshade]

"Salutations comrades. What is the biggest or tallest building in Bloodshade? For us, it is Yachingov Palace, completed just this week. Named after the greatest man in the world—which is me—this 500-meter-tall architectural marvel represents the absolute finest in Yerbanistani engineering and workmanship. Built as a residence for government officials and visiting guests, Yachingov Palace is the grandest and most spectacular structure in the country, with luxurious accommodations and its own theater, sports complex, amusement park and hospital. It is also home to L'Internationale, an upscale gourmet restaurant serving the best in French, Italian and Yerbanistani cuisine. And did I mention, it's HUGE? So come visit Yachingov Palace today. Glory to Yerbanistan!"

Maksim Yachingov, Chancellor of Yerbanistan

"Greetings, Mr. Yachingov

In regards to your question, would a space elevator count? They tend to average out at 50,000 kilometers in height and are primarily used to connect denizens living on the surface of a planet and send them straight up to a space port. It's a staple part of our economy and simply helps your average citizen travel from system to system. A space elevator connects a planet to the equivalent of an interstellar transport hub, where all manner of goods and people coming in and out of such a space port. A key piece of infrastructure that is widespread through our state."

- Countess Ambrosia von Carstein

[Koinonia Poleis]

“Greetings, Hello, Khaírete! I, hereby, formally request to gain knowledge about your nation through question form. I do hope you receive and accept this request with due haste, but please, take your time.

Are plays enjoyed within your nation, or have you all moved on to another form of performance art? If plays are still viewed, are they liked by everyone or are they only enjoyed by the rich elite? Lastly, provided they are still viewed, what kind of plays are the most common within your nation?

If someone were to be interested in dedicating their lives to philosophy, religion, or political thought, would they get much support? I mean support on all levels, from would their parents generally allow it to would the government give them enough social welfare to survive on. Does it depend on the philosophies (religion, politics, etc) in question, for that matter?

To move on from the possibly high pretentious questions I have just asked, how does intercity or intercontinental transport work? Do they yearn for the high sea or they prefer to fly in the air with giant metal birds? Or perhaps they just drive their metal carriages everywhere. I am legitimately curious.

I apologize if I sounded about as pretentious as a ‘Computer Era’ Monarch. I don’t do formal well.”
- Lycophon of Thebes