Once upon a time in Esquarium 2.0 [Closed, Esquarium only]

[Luziyca]

October 3, 2018
Excerpt of the Daily Transcript of the Nantai Legislative Assembly
Kenyen, Nantai

---

Context: after the announcement regarding a referendum, and the response by the Namorese government, the Nantainese legislators have to address these issues. Among the issues such as who is eligible to vote, whether they should include an option for the status quo [Namorese territory under Luziycan administration], and whether they will use instant runoff voting, or a block vote. This is an excerpt of the debate concerning the inclusion of an option to maintain the status quo in the referendum.


Vladimir Bogolepov (11th district, Whigs): Mr. Speaker, I would like to propose that the referendum include an option for the status quo according to the October 7 Consensus. By ensuring that all of the options are offered, it will help to increase the legitimacy of the referendum in the eyes of the Namorese authorities.

Tao Fangwei (63rd district, People's Action): Mr. Speaker, if I may address the point raised by the honorable member from the eleventh district (Bogolepov), most Nantainese do not want to maintain the status quo. They would rather be under the sovereignty of one country or the other, not to be administered by one country while being under another's sovereignty. What the honorable member from the eleventh district proposes to do, Mr. Speaker, is to include an option that nobody wants, and that is unnecessary for the referendum to be valid.

Vladimir Bogolepov: Mr. Speaker, while I acknowledge the concerns that have been raised by the honorable member from the sixty-third district (Tao), the fact of the matter is that it is necessary to have a vote with meaningful options. It would be pointless for us to have a referendum without having all the major perspectives, especially when the independence option is on the ballot.

Tao Fangwei: Mr. Speaker, I would like to point out to the member from the eleventh district, with all due respect, the independence option is only included because if we do not include this option in the referendum, it will likely be challenged in the courts for not giving residents meaningful choice... (is interrupted by Bogolepov)

Vladimir Bogolepov: ...but you propose that you exclude the st... (is interrupted by Tao)

Tao Fangwei: ...the reason why I and my colleagues do not want the status quo included in the referendum, Mr. Speaker, is because if we include the status quo, it will mean that this dispute will continue. If we want to ensure that this dispute ends, it is up to us to decide what we want, and there have been polls stating that most prefer to be under Luziycan sovereignty.

Vladimir Bogolepov: Mr. Speaker, if I may address the concerns raised by the member from the sixty-third district, the matter at hand is that many polls have conflated Luziycan sovereignty with the status quo, by both Nantainese and federal polling organizations. It is impossible to determine whether Nantainese actually support the status quo, or support Luziycan sovereignty over Nantai. By including this option, we can ensure that people will be able to make a sensible and informed choice on whether they'd want Luziycan sovereignty, or to maintain the status quo between Namor and Luziyca.

Tao Fangwei: Even if we are to entertain the notions that the status quo and the "remain in Luziyca" options have been conflated, Mr. Speaker, we can see that the claims presented by the member from the eleventh district can easily be disproved. In a 2015 poll from the Kenyen Sibo, we can see that 63% of respondents supported Luziycan sovereignty over Nantai, 31% supported Namorese sovereignty over Nantai (under the Tao plan), 5% support the status quo (Namorese territory administered by Luziyca), and only 1% support independence.

Vladimir Bogolepov: That is just one poll, Mr. Speaker. There have been many more polls, especially published by the Kenyen Sibo in 2017 in the run-up to the attempted referendum, Den Konstitution, and Asteri tis Thalassa, that have conflated Luziycan sovereignty and the status quo. The fact is that even if one poll may show the difference, this does not change the fact that most have conflated them. Therefore, Mr. Speaker, to address the claim presented by the member from the sixty-third district, these polls show that it is essential that we include an option for the status quo.

Tao Fangwei: While the honorable member from the eleventh district is discussing claims that polling organizations somehow conflate the "remain in Luziyca" and the status quo options, there have been a lot of polls within Nantai by Nantainese papers besides Kenyen Sibo which do not conflate the two, such as the Kenyen Zvedza and the Po'ai Sibo. This means that for all intents and purposes, Mr. Speaker, it is difficult for the claims presented by the honorable member from the eleventh district to stan against such evidence. Because of this, Mr. Speaker, it is sufficiently clear that there is little to no support for the status quo in Nantai, and when you consider that there is no constitutional requirement to ensure that this option is provided, I believe that I speak for most of the chamber that there is no need to provide the status quo option, based on these points.

Vladimir Bogolepov: Mr. Speaker, I believe that considering that this debate will continue on to the detriment of other pressing issues, it'd be crucial for us to vote on the motion tabled.

Speaker (So Chen): Agreed. The legislature has heard of the terms of the motion. All those in favour of the motion will please say aye.

Some members: Aye.

Speaker: All members opposed to the motion, please say nay.

Some members: Nay.

Speaker: In my opinion, the nays have it.

Vladimir Bogolepov: Mr. Speaker, I would like to call for a division.

Speaker: Will all those voting aye to the motion please rise?

Sixty members rise

Speaker: Will all those voting nay to the motion please rise?

Eighty-four members rise

Speaker: With sixty votes in favor of the motion, eighty-four votes against the motion, five abstentions and one absent, the motion presented by Vladimir Bogolepov of the Whig Party has been defeated.

[Luziyca]

October 15, 2018
Kenyen, Nantai

---

Context: on a morning talk show in Nantai hosted by Yang Ling, Tan Ching is interviewed regarding the criticism of the Nantainese referendum by the host, and also criticizes Namor for undermining the referendum.


Yang Ling: ...and now, we are lucky to have gotten a chance to speak to the Chief Executive of Nantai about the referendum. Mrs. Tan, how are you doing?

Tan Ching: I am doing well: a bit groggy, but that's what happens when you have to get up early. (laughter)

Yang Ling: That's good to hear. Yesterday, we heard from the Esquarian Human Rights Monitor that the Nantai referendum may not be entirely fair because of, according to them, 'the ambiguity of the options listed on the ballot, the boycott of the vote by pro-reunification groups, and the authorities' ability to shut down potential voters who may vote against Bethlehem's preferred outcome.' What do you think of these claims?

Tan Ching: Well, to address the first point, Miss Yang, I'd disagree with the claims that they are ambiguous. The first option, for one, clearly says that Nantai would be a sovereign territory of Luziyca. The second one would mean that we will return to Namorese administration. And the third one will mean that we will become a sovereign state.

Yang Ling: I am pretty sure that nobody is disagreeing about the meaning of option one, Mrs. Tan. However, the last two options are ambiguous. Return to Namorese administration, for example: this option is so broad that it can be interpreted as 'return to Namor under the Tao plan,' or 'return to Namor as part of Nantai Prefecture.' And the last one: will it be a completely independent state with no Luziycan presence at all? Will it have some Luziycan bases present? Or what is the deal?

Tan Ching: If people vote for returning to Namorese administration, then it will be up to Bethlehem and Namo to hammer out the status of Nantai under Namor. While I hope that if this outcome happens, that the Tao plan is implemented, it is very likely that Namo will want to just have Nantai be incorporated under Nantai Prefecture, with no autonomy. So by making the option as vague as possible, it will give us wiggle room to ensure that the governments will hammer out a solution that is beneficial to all parties.

Yang Ling: So, Mrs. Tan, you're admitting that the options are ambiguous?

Tan Ching: Not at all. They are not ambiguous to mislead people into voting for something that they don't want, they're vague to prevent people from voting for an option that gets shot down in negotiations between Namo and Bethlehem regarding the status of Nantai.

Yang Ling: Very well. What about the boycott?

Tan Ching: If pro-unification organizations want to boycott, that is their right. But if they boycott, they will not be able to convey their arguments, which will only fuel a vicious cycle where the only people who vote are those who support Luziycan sovereignty or Nantainese sovereignty, which would only strengthen the claims by Namo and pro-unification organizations that the referendum is not free and fair.

Yang Ling: But what about their concerns that they will be harassed by pro-Luziycan groups? Surely that is something to address?

Tan Ching: Police are cracking down on violent individuals and groups who seek to attack pro-unification groups: last night alone, Kenyen Police seized a cache of 22 guns that were to be used by a sect of a far-right organization to try and harm a small group of supporters of returning to Namorese administration. The members of the far-right organization are awaiting trial as we speak.

Tan Ching has a sip of water

Tan Ching: That being said, Miss Yang, we cannot force them to participate in the referendum. We cannot drag out every single person in Nantai and force them to vote, because it is an obvious violation of human rights. All we can do is to give everyone in Nantai an opportunity to participate, to watch and listen to the debates, to post posters up expressing their views, to register to vote. But if they don't want to do that, then they shouldn't complain when the results don't go in their favor.

Yang Ling: I see, Mrs. Tan. What about the authorities ability to shut down voters who vote against Bethlehem's wishes?

Tan Ching: If the voter has valid ID, then we will not deny them the right to vote, Miss Yang. Period. Even if they vote against the wishes of Bethlehem, we will not stop them. But what Bethlehem wants is for the people to express their wishes in a free and fair referendum, and will listen to what the people of Nantai want. And I doubt not even Namorese guns will stop it.

Yang Ling: That is an interesting segue, Mrs. Tan, as I was about to ask you your opinions on rumors that the Executive House in Namo will impose a no-fly zone over Nantai.

Tan Ching: For a government who criticizes the referendum as not being free and fair, Miss Yang, the Namorese are certainly not doing us any favors whatsoever. By engaging in provocative acts like severing ties with Luziyca, by potentially imposing a no-fly zone over Nantai, and by threatening to sabotage the functioning of the Gelyevich Gulf Commission, they are essentially influencing the outcome of the referendum: instead of winning the hearts and minds of the Nantainese, the Namorese are instead focused on threatening us, on destroying the foundations of peace in the Gulf region. And these actions, I think, will mean that most Nantainese will end up voting for Luziycan sovereignty come December, which is exactly the outcome Namo does not want. Even if the pro-unification groups do participate, I feel that the actions of Namo will have harmed their cause.

Yang Ling: I do agree with you on that one, Mrs. Tan. Well, it has been a pleasure interviewing you.

Tan Ching: Thank you, Miss Yang.

[Namor]

[OOC] Backdate this to 11/21/2018.

Намора Имингука Ваивуку
People's Republic of Namor
Ministry of Foreign Affairs

---

Press Statement on Talks between the People’s Republic of Namor and Christian Republic of Luziyca regarding Territory of Namor under Luziycan Administration

---

On November 21, 2018 (14 Tunnat 4994), representatives of the People’s Republic of Namor and the Christian Republic of Luziyca (henceforth known as “the two sides”) met in Ainin for talks regarding the current situation in territory of Namor under Luziycan administration. After a lengthy and constructive exchange, the two sides reached the following agreements:

• The two sides committed to existing diplomatic agreements on territory of Namor under Luziycan administration and agreed that no unilateral action that undermines Namorese sovereignty is deserving of legal force or recognition.
• The two sides agreed to include the Namorese people living under Luziycan administration in a peaceful resolution to the question surrounding territory of Namor under Luziycan administration.
• Pursuant to existing diplomatic agreements, the two sides agreed that the coastal waters of territory of Namor under Luziycan administration are the territorial waters of Namor, where the operation of Namorese civilian and coast guard vessels and the right of passage of Namorese military vessels cannot be infringed under international maritime law.
• The two sides recognized the right of the Supreme People’s Court of Namor to review all matters related to the external affairs of territory of Namor under Luziycan administration.
• The two sides acknowledged that persons born in territory of Namor under Luziycan administration are nationals of Namor.
• The two sides agreed that any military presence in territory of Namor under Luziycan administration cannot infringe upon Namor’s national security and that no military assets may be relocated to territory of Namor under Luziycan administration without the authorization of the People’s Republic of Namor.
• The two sides agreed that diplomatic representatives to the Christian Republic of Luziyca should not be stationed in territory of Namor under Luziycan administration.

[Luziyca]

backdate this too, plz

STATEMENT FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS CONCERNING THE TALKS IN THE CHARLINES

---

On November 21st, 2018, officials from the Christian Republic and from Namo negotiated in the Aininian territory of the Charline Islands to negotiate an end to the current crisis. After substantial negotiations to settle the impasse, the agreement that the two parties have reached is as follows:

1. The consent of the Nantainese is essential for any reunification to occur
   1. Declares that the current referendum scheduled for December 4th shall be completed, with the understanding it will remain non-binding
   2. Any further referendum can only take place with the approval of the Namorese people
2. The Christian Republic shall recognize the sovereignty of the Namorese people over Nantai: to this effect,
   1. All Nantainese born to Namorese who lived there prior to Luziycan administration are to be dual-nationals under Luziycan law
   2. Vessels belonging to the Namorese people have a right to use Nantai's waters
      1. This includes vessels belonging to the Namorese coast guard
      2. Namorese naval vessels may use Nantainese waters, so long as they're only using it to go to and from ports administered by Namor
      3. No further deployments of Luziycan troops to Nantai shall occur without the approval of the Namorese people
   3. The Supreme People's Court of Namor has the right to review Nantainese legislation that affects external relations
3. No diplomats to the Christian Republic may be stationed in Nantai

By ensuring that the democratic rights of the Nantainese people to determine their own future are upheld, we will be able to resolve this diplomatic crisis between the Christian Republic and the current administration in Namo, over Nantai. Thus, the agreement that has been arranged between the Christian Republic and the current administration in Namo takes a balanced approach in resolving these issues.

[Namor]

New Year's Address - January 1, 2019
Delivered by the President-General
Full transcript

---

President Txo, Vice President Ke, Secretary Yao, Vice Secretary Vang, deputies of the Central Council, fellow countrymen:

Today, we bid 2018 goodbye and welcome the year 2019. In a month, according to our laws, we will bid the year 4994 goodbye and welcome the year 4995. There is no better way to address you all as the President-General of Namor by acknowledging the calendar we inherited from our venerable ancestors. I would like to commend those who helped pass that law and put this sentence in my speech.

[applause, laughter]

We close the previous year — a year of struggle and success — as a nation more determined, stronger, and united than before. I speak from my heart when I say this past year has been rough for us. The economy is recovering and our coast is being rebuilt, but many of our citizens are still struggling to return to their normal lives. Our investors, one of the boldest in the world, are less certain than usual about their prospects. Every day, I receive letters and phone calls detailing the struggles we continue to face. Fadong and I were fortunate enough to meet thousands of our brothers and sisters, comrades-in-arms who not only reveal the problems we need to address but also exemplify the fighting spirit of our nation.

The fighting spirit of Namor is one of perseverance, courage, and willingness to change what fails to satisfy us. We saw that spirit in full force over the last few months when our country was faced with the most severe regional crisis in decades. Despite the threats made against our sovereignty and territorial integrity, despite the threats of war, we stood our ground, stuck to our bottom line, and came out of the crisis with an agreement that acknowledges our rights over our territory. Foreign Minister Pao called this agreement the deal of the decade. I call this the deal of the century — the Namorese Century.

[sustained applause]

Make no mistake, my fellow countrymen. Our country is the People’s Republic of Namor. The people are our strength, the people are our support, the people are our success. As long as we have the people, there is nothing we cannot do even in the toughest of times. We can come together. We can work together. Whatever gets thrown at the Namorese people, they toss it back in the opposite direction. That is our history and that is our future.

[applause]

Namor will always look out for its best interests. But our best interests lie not in war or a perpetual state of hostility, but a sustainable and satisfying peace. We have nothing against the Luziycan people. From day one of my presidency, our policy has been to establish a mutually beneficial, respectful, and trustworthy relationship with the Luziycan people.

But that relationship cannot materialize when the other side does not treat us as equals. It cannot materialize when the other side threatens to cut off all trade with us in violation of their own laws. It cannot materialize when the other side does not let us exercise our right to develop relations with other nations and blocs. It cannot materialize when the other side treats everything and anything we do — from amending our own constitution to having the same nuclear policy as everyone else — as some sort of existential threat. It cannot materialize when the other side blatantly engages in word games that chip away at our sovereignty in violation of past agreements.

Last year’s crisis was a lesson learned. Throughout the crisis, we exercised the highest degree of restraint, doing what was within our rights as a sovereign state. At the same time, we expressed our preference for a dignified diplomatic outlet to the impasse. We made it clear that while we wanted negotiations, we were not going to be dragged to the negotiation table against our own will. Finally, we entered talks with the Luziycan regime at our own will and negotiated a settlement that satisfies our core interests.

The crisis underscores the importance of mutual respect when it comes to maintaining peace in Borea. Unfortunately, the crisis has taken its toll on stability in the continent. Cross-border trade has come to a halt, hurting world markets and posing inconveniences to trade with our partners in the Esquarian Community. Travel plans have been disrupted by the cancellation of flights and ferry routes. Our military remains on high alert.

Now that the crisis has come to a close, it is time for us to look forward and lay the groundwork for the restoration of our mutually beneficial, respectful, and trustworthy relationship with the Luziycan people. As we lift our temporary restrictions on travel to Nantai Prefecture, we expect cross-border trade and travel to resume. At an appropriate time, we will restore all channels of top-level communication with the Luziycan regime. We will also enter direct and unmediated talks with the Luziycan regime within the framework of our constitution and laws to discuss the restoration of diplomatic contact between the two countries.

Of course, the path to rebuilding the trust that had dissipated during the crisis will not be easy. We will do everything we can to make sure that this trust is not won by making unacceptable concessions proposed by the other side — be it trading our citizens for land or relinquishing our right to decide the future of our territory. If these issues are ever brought up, there will be no progress. But if the Luziycan regime is serious about peace in Borea, then there is no progress that cannot be made. We want a good neighborly relationship with the Luziycan people — as we always have and always will.

[applause]

Peace and stability in Borea is a subset of world peace and stability. Namor, like the rest of the world, strives for peace, for we benefit the most from it. We do not imagine that we can get along with everybody, nor do we see the world as a zero-sum game where win-win solutions are purely hypothetical.

Last year saw the common aspiration of world peace challenged by the notion that some things are a zero-sum game. Both here and abroad, people are thinking in weird ways. We are asked to pick sides. Do we side with liberal democracies or non-democracies? Do we side with developing countries or developed countries? Do we side with the IFDS or the EC?

The failure of last year’s Esquarian Summit to produce an agreement shows how pervasive this way of thinking has become. But it doesn’t have to be that way. In fact, we in Namor prove it doesn’t have to be that way. We are the world’s largest democracy, we are proud partners with the Esquarian Community, and we are a proud member of the International Forum for Developing States. When we trade with the Common Market and help other IFDS members improve their economy and security, that is not favoring one group of nations over another. That is not betraying our values. That is being who we are.

[applause]

The IFDS is an organization of developing states that share a common and legitimate goal of elevating the developing world. It seeks not to vanquish developed countries, but to improve the standing of developing countries vis-a-vis developed countries. It does not want to rule the world, but to make it better and fairer for all. We are a developing country with an interest in cooperating with other developing countries. When developing countries come together, they all end up better. That is why Namor is part of the IFDS, and that is why I am committed to the economic integration of IFDS member states.

[applause]

It has been two years since we signed the association agreement with the Esquarian Community. Since the Central Council and Esquarian Parliament ratified the agreement, Namor has enjoyed preferential treatment in the Common Market while the EC gained greater access to the Namorese market. Our relationship with the EC is among the most important in the world, for its foundation is our adherence to shared values — democracy, economic freedom, human rights, and the rule of law. It goes without saying that both Namorese and Esquarians benefit from the fruits of greater trade. My administration will stand by this agreement as we look forward to building a more fruitful relationship with our partners in the Community.

It is essential that the relationship between the IFDS and EC return to normal. As our association with the EC and membership in the IFDS show, the two organizations are not contradictory and there is plenty of room for them to work together. Hence our opposition to unreasonable sanctions that restrict trade between the EC and IFDS and our own ability to trade with other IFDS members. At the end of the day, we need to consider the impact unnecessary sanctions are having on the everyday lives of ordinary people. If our goal is to promote human rights, then we shouldn’t be quoting some 18th-century document to justify making life harder for other humans.

Last year, I proposed establishing mechanisms of communication between the EC and IFDS, similar to the ones that exist between the EC and Namor now. Such mechanisms would not only prevent misunderstandings that resulted in the ongoing trade dispute but provide new opportunities for cooperation as well. The sooner we have those mechanisms, the better. I will raise the importance of communication in the next IFDS Forum, and I will raise it again in the next Esquarian Summit. But until these mechanisms of communication are established, we will not wait. If necessary, Namor will play an active role in mediating talks between the EC and IFDS so existing differences do not spiral into a deadlocked rivalry that endangers world peace and our own development.

[applause]

This is the last full year of my first term. Being in this office is not easy. Compared to leading a party, it is a different experience. One thing you learn as President-General is the responsibility that comes with the office. The same applies to every deputy sitting in this room. We were all elected by people who decide how long we can serve them.

My term may be winding down, but there is still a lot of work to do. We have suffered some bumps along the way. The nation was shook by the passing of Long Jiaoche, a friend, innovator, and patriot who dedicated his every minute as Vice President-General to building a country that makes its citizens proud. I want to take a moment to reflect once again on what Long represented — the spirit of change. We saw this in Long when he led the movement to promote renewable energy. He was an entrepreneur with no previous political experience, but his concerns about the nation’s future and passion for shaping the future for the better put him in a venerable position in our government.

Without Long, we would not have come up with the most radical climate change legislation to date. One wonders how much more he could have contributed to this country had he not been taken away from us so soon. His service was our boon, and his loss is our loss. Long’s wife and children join us today, and I salute them for having such a great man in their family.

[sustained applause]

Long’s vice presidency may have been cut short, but we will pick up from where he left off. This June will mark the second anniversary of the tidal wave that ravaged our coast. The nationwide state of emergency that was declared in the wake of the wave will complete its second year. The tidal wave is already behind us. We have cleaned up the debris. We are on the road to recovery.

That is not to say the problems that the tidal wave left behind are no longer there, but we have reached a point where to solve these problems we need a more comprehensive and long-term approach that does not befit a perpetual emergency. In the months ahead, I will be working with the Central Council to create conditions for the state of emergency to end. We will continue lending a hand to those who need it, including the local governments that are at the forefront of the recovery process.

What makes natural disasters so frightening is not the damage they cause but the inability to effectively respond to them. We can choose to be better prepared for future natural disasters or we can let nature hit us where it hurts the most. Right after the tidal wave, we did our very best to evacuate people from the danger zone and save as many lives as possible. But the resources we had to combat it were not enough. That was the conclusion of the Central Council’s report on our preparedness for the tidal wave, and I accept it. That we didn’t see the tidal wave coming is not an excuse; we should have known that if a wave could happen in 1794, it could happen the very next day. Namor cannot do without an effective civil defense. If we have state of the art institutions warning our citizens of an imminent invasion, if we have enough bomb shelters, if we can maintain the most secure border in the world, there is no reason we cannot warn everyone in danger of being flooded by waves to escape to safer ground. Until we can, I will have no higher priority.

This is not something we can achieve overnight, but there are good places to start. Our budget for the 2019 fiscal year supports a robust bottom-up civil defense infrastructure, equipping local governments with the tools they need so they do not have to wait for someone from afar to save lives when the next disaster strikes. This includes investments in periodic mandatory evacuation drills, disaster preparation education and training, and new shelters. This includes an upgrade in our emergency warning system, which will extend alerts to all cellphones and computers.

Upgrading our civil defense will require a review of our laws. After finishing my address, I will return to working on legislation that will create favorable conditions for the compliance of evacuation orders and impose tougher penalties for ignoring evacuation orders without good reason. The end goal is not to shame anyone into evacuating; it is to make us more familiar with the procedure when it comes to natural disasters and to act upon that procedure. Only then can we say we truly succeeded in better preparing our country for the next calamity.

[applause]

Preparedness for future disasters is not our only task at hand. Recovery has been an integral part of my agenda since June 10, 2017. Thanks to the stimulus, our economy will continue growing as both consumption and investment return to their normal levels. Jobs are starting to come back, which means unemployment will decrease as time goes by. Last year, we feared that our children would become a lost generation because nature denied them the right environment to study. But today, I can report to you that 93 percent of all schools that ceased to function in the aftermath of the tidal wave have since reopened.

The next generation is no longer lost, but it is not yet won. People are still struggling, and some understandably feel that we haven’t done enough or anything at all. I want to set the record straight because there is cause for optimism in the new year. We poured trillions of ramon into the economy after the tidal wave. We also cut the amount in taxes coming out of people’s paychecks so that even more money is poured into the economy. We will get more out of the economy than what we put in. And that’s not going to happen in two, five, or ten years. That’s happening right now. We are entering our sixth consecutive quarter of growth. Not only do we expect growth to continue, but we also expect to grow as a faster rate.

As I’ve said before, we are not just rebuilding. We are building on top of what we had rebuilt. Crucial to our plan for post-tidal wave recovery is the investment in new infrastructure and services that will lay the foundation for Namor to become a developed and dignified superpower by 2025. New schools, roads, high-speed rail, and canals — not just on our coast, but in our heartland. We are exploring new sources of energy, which will create thousands of jobs and make our country more sustainable so that we can be coal-free by the year 2035. We are transforming healthcare from a commodity to a human right. Those are what I had set out to accomplish when I entered office. The tidal wave is in the past. Let us look forward.

[applause]

Namor is a diverse country. We come from different backgrounds and experiences, so naturally, there are going to be differences among us. In this chamber, I see people from my own party and coalition, but there are also members of the opposition who play an indispensable role in our democracy. In about a year, election season will begin. Politicians will up their ante. Ads that attack this person and that person will dominate the airwaves. Some will claim to do a better job than others.

In partisanship, we may forget our greater purpose as citizens of this country — to look after our fellow compatriots and toil for the common good. It is never the time for us to isolate ourselves in ideological cocoons. The nation is our greatest community and its welfare is our highest goal. If we stick together and do what’s right, we can overcome anything. The story of our nation is one of struggle. We cherish this story with pride, for in struggle we arouse our conscience. In struggle, we reveal the best in us. And in struggle, we become even stronger.

Thank you, and long live our People’s Republic!

[The IASM]

MJ12: That's everyone online. Let us proceed with the agenda at hand for today.


MJ11: It seems MJ00 is still AFK however.


MJ03: He has been AFK for years now. Just assume he is dead and left the mic on like he usually did.


MJ12: MJ03 is correct in his assessment. As our founder, we should not disturb his monitoring even if it is hypersitional at this point. Anyways, our memetic experiment in Razaria seemed to fail, MJ02 what you say of this?


MJ02: One of the other clique decided to spring a trap for them, I suspect the Techno-Vestiborevans but reports are unconfirmed. Either way, this is deeply frustrating.


MJ04: It was almost a success then.


MJ08: What do you mean almost?


MJ04: Their destruction implies they were seen as enough of a threat to be worthy of elimination. Worthy of praise even. The whole purpose of mimetically inspired subversion has worked by infecting those who destroyed them with the same evolutionary ruthlessness that all men need to survive the rebirth of the Brass God. Shame they will be burnt for their disloyalty towards it.


MJ09: What about other matters, like our man north of Xiaodong?


MJ07: He is doing as about expected although Tinza as of late is rather quiet. We should increase our SOF units to increase our influence in the area.


MJ08: The Ministry of Truth's Whisperers are expensive assets 07 and moving in the amount you desire is a wasteful effort. What is the point of achieving the goals of our founder if our hand is seen? A pickpocket is most competent when his victim thinks he must have dropped his wallet, not being seen and then getting away with it. I cannot spare anymore.


MJ07: What a shame.


MJ08: Shut it 7, you know I am right about this. If all is to proceed well we must maintain the illusion, for what show is good when you know what is going on behind the scenes?


MJ12: Speaking of, 11 how is the project of the court developing? I have not been able to visit for a while.


MJ11: The GE is enjoying our particular bait, she will make quite the useful tool to exploit and eventually a useful scapegoat. His Most Sacred Majesty's progeny are for the most part healthy although the sisters are staying away from GE. HMSM, on the other hand, has become reclusive as of late for unknown reasons.


MJ03: The brat is smarter than most of his courtiers and he is able to bluff people into thinking he is is just well bred and well mannered.


MJ02: This still leaves the matter of the Red Orchids. The Assassination of MJ01 cannot stand even if we What do we know of them?

b]MJ08[/b]: They seem to be a section of radicalised Wnuiashü under someone known as Shlam Las. Fortunately, his distaste is not directed against us and I suspect we can use his true anger against his actual enemies.

MJ02: Not to be obtuse 08 but who exactly are his enemies?

MJ08: Aristocrats, plutocrats, oligarchs. Those he considers to revel in their excess and to be utter wastes. From what we have been able to extract from one of his followers is that they take the doctrines of the Wnuiashü to apply to all, not just those in their territory and that the continued existence of men like us is an example of disorder before Thearch who must be an exemplar of acetic morality.

MJ11: Ah glorious, crypto-heretics then who wish to impose their designs His Most Sacred Majesty, what a disgusting revelation. But I concur, these men can be exploited to our benefit with ease if you handle it well.

MJ12: I assure you that is what we were all thinking. In the end, they must be weakened and punished for their insolence but not before their atonement is complete. I was thinking of using it to eliminate some old acquaintances myself.

MJ08: What about Apšviestiai my dear friends? I am speculating that they might be conspiring to accelerate their efforts to destabilise us. What is to make of the Regent’s efforts to enable them to enter our lands under even less surveillance than usual?

MJ12 They will be on our turf, we will watch them regardless of whether we are strictly allowed to. If our proposals with regards to the UNIR were to leak it would cause oh so many inconveniences.

MJ02: Agreed but speaking on the topic of brothers shall we do about Daoyang then? The fellow has been of clear use to us? Do we plan to initiate him eventually?

MJ12: You would be correct 02 but we must be patient. Let him taste the flaws of our land, and let him dream of something... sublime. Leak what he needs to know and aid him without him knowing. We will know when to include him and if he fails he can be ruined just like his aunt. I will send the reports veiled as per usual; you find them in the usual chambers of knowledge, just ask for Tomes on the Architectonics of Eschaton and you will receive it. This meeting of the Majestic Twelve is hereby adjourned.

[Razarija]

December was well into winter in Razaria, and indeed any place roughly 50 degrees above the the equator, and as expected much of the land became blanketed in snow. It was no spectular process, nature merely ran a simple algorithm replacing green with white. The skies were coated in a protective film, a grey associated for much of history with gloom, as divinity refused man from appreciating its beauty. To depress, white need not be painted over with pitch black absorbing all wavelengths of visible light like how an abyss harvested and devoured dreams and souls alike, but just tainted with a drop of void that deracinated the original purity. Simply through this, man was made aware of the breakdown of order, the defiling of beauty, and the desecration of serenity, whose greatest capacity to inspire horror lay with witnessing the process by which they machined like maggots, flies, microbes, and worms in consuming a cadaver. The innately good was being wiped away before your very eyes, much like how a body of your beloved turned into rotting, stinking flesh as you kept vigil before it. It was this horror that assaulted in winter, lifelessness eating away at vigor, snow eating away at vegetation, cold eating away at warmth, as all that had been so primordially affectionate to the evolution-conditioned mind was obliterated like death by a thousand cuts.

Of course, humans in fulfilling their character as a conniving creature found a way to avert their sight. Deepest into the ritual, midway through the execution, as the decaying face of the dead began to reveal sections of the cranium alongside the thriving brood of grubs tearing away at the eyes as its weak exterior was first perforated before turning into an edible bath for young life that indulged in it, licking every drop of liquid that once made their step-parent perceive the world by its light metaphorical and literal, it was decided that to stop screaming one would simply grab popcorn. Celebrations and feasts in particular had became a staple of winter solstice. People stocked up to live winter like they lived in spring, which came soon after, but that was of little concern to a pitiable beast at the mercy of nature.

While in a logic analogous to tearing out your heart before friends and family nature sent its beauty of warmth into occultation, its replacement for the time was hardly a perversion or parody. Comparisons may be drawn to the factors of an impulse of necrophilia legendarily felt under various circumstances of which descriptions have severely conflicted. A greater impression was made when in interface with a cruel, murderous cold, an inertion that sucked life of ambiguously adjacent subjects. The haunting, howling song of the gelid gale of this time was the most captivating concert of all, it held listeners by their shoulders, then hacked them apart with the sharpest yet most intangible blades, minced their remains with bones freshly torn out and fashioned instantaneously into cleavers, but they would feel no more than a chill, yet as the scalpels dug themselves into spines like shaving razors into poor quality Yorkshire pudding they were driven to shiver. All shivers came from fear of some sort. And then the magnificent conductor pieces the victim back together in an equally painful process because the glue used was a mixture of skunk oil, fermented spicy bean sauce Sichuan-style, and 1,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane.

Stepping out from the facade of the monotonous apartment block where he dwelled, the egghead scouted the surroundings, which were despite being as familiar as a space one passes through on every occasion of going outside can get always seemed to withhold an alien character. Such was perhaps the wonder of living in Čiragrad, and in winter nonetheless. As his eyes fixed in on the horizon, the road towards which was flanked by dozens of buildings, some recognized yet repetitive, others refreshing yet alien, his arm pivoted about the shoulder region as his hand moved in to brush his disorderly hair that came to resemble less of a bird's nest and more of a straw hut's top after a particularly ferocious and inundating rainstorm, clearing away from his forehead a few drooping strands of hair. It took him effortless movement to further lower his hand and extend his fingers to cover his mouth and facial hair, then letting free a small gust of warm air through his lips slightly thawing his uncovered hands.

Like everyone else, he pulled the hood of his snorkel parka over his head and tightened the zip, having recognized with fairly straightforward ease that today temperatures were still rather low for comfort, and stuck his hands in the jacket's pockets, perhaps the only place they could be warm in. The lack of possession of gloves was mainly attributable to his engrossing life that often let many things slip through, evidently among these filtrates were the sense of a proper winter clothing inventory.

Stepping down the street which was still decorated by thick stripes of snow, the man peered around him, rather anxiously, many reasons contributed to in his mind a sense of caution. Many thickly clothed people strode along these roads with him, some also distributing glares on objects and persons alike, others ignorant of their environment altogether, their heads looking down while shielded under the hoods of their jackets or their fur caps while their hands either dug tightly into pouches or held a mobile phone, the latter scrolled with difficulty with their nearly numb thumbs in the cold weather.

Clouds constantly emerged from the heads of these bipedal figures as they exhaled, if not for this their humanity would be scarcely identifiable, but even then the lack of direct perception of something that delivered familiarity built secretly a fear. Even breathing had became peculiar.

Priding himself on being an urban intellectual who purportedly navigated its pandemonium with the sheer power of books that also generally uplifted him, he refused to surrender himself to a nearly anti-social cynicism and eagerly reconnoitred the landscape with his eyes, scanning each mundane and everyday detail.

Buildings. Many of them, built from marble or concrete, stood as they always did, some baring decripiting walls, others unfurnished ones that stunk of a brutality of life. Air conditioners hung by windows, as another gale of the season blew into his face and let loose a chill that struck like conducted lightning down his body via his bones and flesh. He felt a pain from his gut, thus reminded of a checkup for his appendicitis that he had scheduled in a few days. Snowfall hardly changed the countenance of houses and halls, only their roofs saw some decoration by long pieces of this immaculate yet crude airborne silk.

The colors of frontages had minimal variety, being little more than many shades of grey or the rare cream. This feature of the city changed the least through the year, except maybe when sometimes they were burning down as drunk Territorial Defense troops firebombed streetblocks in venting destructively the depression and neurosis that had built up in them (the power to release and not to impose was the real fought-over commodity in Razarian society; rotational Territorial Defense service was a very egalitarian move since randomly rampaging and causing destruction was no longer a noble activity and could now be enjoyed by anyone every few years). With the unique sombreful hues that this time of the year had threw on everything like action painting, the continuing image of flats and halls helped them become what resembled a main subject, they embodied the monochromatism that the city took on.

As a man familiar with domestic and foreign accounts of his country, he may have been inclined to believe that such an architectural mood was something that set in after the tumultous and confusing first half of the 20th century (not designed or put into place; that would be overestimating the power, both in terms of simple will and in Cositene religious metrics, of the average functionary in the Jastrebovian reactionary police-state). But simply how organically they appeared, in a timeless way such that even the color loss of photographs of the distant past made them near perfect snapshots of today and the future, convinced him of a more transcendent role of the City.

Two days had passed since winter solstice. He recalled this, and further remembered that he did not do much on that day, but did to expectations celebrated the occasion with his family, and later friends. He excavated his mind exhaustingly for details of his life around 40 hours ago. Memories took seconds to bury under impenetrable rock, but such mental geology only occurred at specific times.

Ah yes, rifles sounded on winter solstice night, emitting devilish crackles and demonic laughter. Wondered what were they for. The deadliest 7.62mm round is one packed with the Vitrian's sorrows.

Krugly @linearsecant 1979 isn't being repeated every year, 1979 was just every year. RETWEETSFAVORITE 47304

Trees were still dressed in their white greatcoats though those were thin and melted on touch. They stood on guard in front of the infinite cement blocks, regimented invisibly. They too had a perennial history around here, even though they alternated their appearances much more frequently, but nevertheless their existence was respected, or rather simply disregarded. Once any of these pedestrians realized these spruces for what they were the social-technological hivemind would instantly set in harvesting the cellulose for construction. Fortunately these wood armies evaded such a fate for such a long time. Can't destroy what can't exist.

His steps left a trail of prints, and unconsciously wove into a rhythm of snow crushed under the weight of the foot. Only that in the city it was drowned out by everyone else doing the same thing. They all happen to somehow destructively interfere with each other, all at once, such that nothing in city life was memorable, no great day with the boys could be worthy of clay tablet record, let alone steps. Steps that ought to get some more attention since they were basically how you got around. Aside from the bicycles.

The intellectual's shadow swimmed through window after window, glass panel after glass panel, forming an ephemeral overcast on many things, cups, chairs, tables, Senrian hentai, trinkets, the half-eaten remains of a woman who had no name feasted upon by flies, worms, and rats - all so eager to suck that bone marrow out or have a sip of ventricular fluids while not minding the broken fragments of some sword-like keratinous object encrusted on that mound of unliven life -, and a rusty old lock.

The shadow ventured through brick walls, concrete walls, metal fences, corrugated fiber boards, the shining exterior of car bodies, and disposed furniture. It ventured through things men could be lined up and shot against - that seemed to be their sole purpose here.

Enough with these meaningless thoughts, he thought meaninglessly, while unsuccessfully transferring attention to the purpose of his walk.

He began to pay attention to the many pedestrians on these roads again. Dressed mostly like him. Upon closer look that idea was blown to pieces, thankfully.

Some, actually, many were in camouflage jacket patterns. These were rather cringeworthy, being inconsistent in coloring and style, some digital, others spotted, and yet others stripes. Their wearers had a thirst for the release of war, which turned into hunger as they were repressed every day, alas they were stuck here. Anger built up in their eyes and hands. A wrong stare getting one bruises would be considered extremely lucky by someone who didn't know much of what was going on taking a first look at the situation.

This was not the product of some stereotype of these peoples by the author but simply an outpour of the setting (perhaps it was). The quasi-gopniks precipitated into circles of four or five, nothing out of the ordinary.

Everyone else in their dull-colored, thick, decrepit clothing seemed to be not just fearful but eager to serve as background foil for these ruffians. While the mladi vojnici raised their heads high without cover, disrespectful of the carving winds or the numbing cold, and publicly conversed, all others dropped their nobs as if raised by an executioner after decapitation, or hid them away in their hoods and hats, all while being for the large part silent.

Although this could perhaps be viewed as a monstrous vestige of Dušan Sretenić's fascist exaltation of youthly vigor in the late 1950s and early 1960s, a single demagogue's words had no power to distort reality over such a long time in such a grotesque fashion. Indeed one didn't exactly find that energy among these 'youth' not to mention how some of them were actually middle-aged and perhaps possessing families (well, that to their credit).

Rather, this was just a matter of fact. Fists await dispute. Actually, it wasnt even that complicated, it was just social attitudes built up from the past few centuries finding new life in university life of people. Not that in the bastion of one brand of traditionalism that said university life was very familiar to the types found and prescribed elsewhere in Open Society™. They give you free time at specific sections of the calendar, that is granted.

Law scarcely touched everyday life, and so alternative codes were devised to impose order in these places. Around here at this very moment the students in their parodies of uniforms that ironically lacked all discipline were the ones to transmute men to maggots.

Unfortunately for Mr. Egghead he had committed a string of violations of this unwritten arta.

Self-enforcing community discipline: agents activated and deployed to investigate.

By looking around, scanning closely and scrutinizing intensely, the man had raised the suspicion of the bored collegians and cynical hooligans. He clearly didn't really fit in and in a sea of others who did it was natural for them to get suspicious.

"Saw that?

"What?"

"Yee yee ass haircut, brown jacket."

But maybe looking around too much wasn't a crime in itself.

"What's with him?"

"Gets my thinking emojis spinning."

"Can you speak human please?"

"yeah absolute kissless virgin stop trying to be cool lmao"

It was pretty clear to any observer that the short, bespectacled history student didn't exactly fit in. He was there though so there had to be a reason.

"I think he looks familiar." he turned towards the striding man, disregarding the vitriolic banter of his friends. "Can't remember where... give me a minute"

His thinking emoji truly got spinning as he did the classic nyannyancosplay pose complete with the smile which he acquired in response to his friends' bombardment of jokes or more precisely a particular one that he found actually funny. The human brain as a computer was being tested of its limits.

He had the suspicion. The suspicion. It assembled itself from fragments of the past, of shootouts in long comment threads, of secret chat raids, of the storms at campus debates. Polemic. For him, what could clues of polemic hint at? He toed the state line. Now he was a vector of it. Anything he encountered opposing him had to be against the beast behind him. That was a frightening but also exciting possibility. But first he needed to locate more recalls of whoever this mysterious ill-fitting nerd was. He was not reminded of himself, since he was in reality rather sociable, which wasn't of much relevance to this description except perhaps some background in understanding why it took him so long to find out more about this figure. This target.

"Ah right.

Twitter."

I guess they never miss huh? Twitter was a pretty huge red flag.

"Damn." the brevity of his group's response was accordingly appropriate.

Krugly @linearsecant only through compliance does the caged have a chance of freedom RETWEETSFAVORITE 50338

"Yeah, I remember now." the undergrad raised his freshened face along with a hand and finger in a moment of realization. This prompted anticipation of his findings from the others.

"some brand of...weird-thinker. not a friendly.

also, i think i saw his account's name on a list somewhere."

"Shit, that's serious...How far is it?"

"Neotastanic level?"

"You all honest to Pravi Vladika know that isn't a thing. At best, it's like identifying a beast by its shadows-"

"Right cut the twitter language I know we're getting one of them now but we'd need good communication. What level is this?" interjected the math major

"Hey, I think we should go after that guy now if it really is who Zemy says it is. It doesn't matter if they're praising the Big Cageman or retweeting Piškulić, a list... surely means no good news." the comparative linguistics teacher and racket sport coach cut in. Having earned his credentials by this way, he showed an understanding of doing things first, often without even asking questions. It wasnt some resignation of critical thinking to the state, which wasn't even that overreaching here, there were just people who knew the situation better. Why he intervened was a matter of convenience, a fundamentally benevolent consciousness of helping others, and greed for social capital. A beautiful personality soup. He turned to the glasses-boy. "What type of list was it?"

"Signed by the City Karcist."

There were a couple of those (not even called the City Karcist like thats a dumb title), but even the drool from one was a good enough reason to hack somebody to bits in the open for it. Costeny's hierarchy itself was pretty brutal with regards to making sure it was noticed and respected.

"Right. I'll go shoulder-tap the other gangs around here and maybe speak up to a few on-duty folk if I can find any. Hvezdomir, chart our route to the nearest resuast...with the stuff, of course." the teacher seemed to not have remembered it was not the classroom here.

"Uh huh, why a prayer-square?"

Another one ejaculated: "Anything the city-church signs is worthy of a...gathering."

Gathering.

"Fair enough...guess we'll start running. We already lost him. And I haven't had my fried breadsticks for breakfast yet."

Krugly @linearsecant Today, we're mostly ants with bad sense of smell RETWEETSFAVORITE 27185

The "class" split up and stirred up. Lots of people. Basically caused a tide. The guy wasnt that easy to identify, but some people in the other hangouts had also managed to recognize him, which really went to show twitter penetration in this country. Young men in camouflage jackets ran up to circles of other young men in camouflage jackets, elocuted for a minute or two, and before long the entire group was in full speed trying to get to the objective.

It was now an exciting event, somewhat like a hunt. A few days before, they'd already have rounded up hundreds of people more or less spreading corruption on earth via the blue cyber bird god thing, and now they nearly drove them to extinction, so even a clue of one was exhilarating and evidently mobilized hundreds instantaneously.

Catch-up needed time though. Nekras Vučetović kept his momentum.

He was still wandering towards his destination - what a long walk, he thought - having little clue of what was to hit him next.

Around him there were less and less people again, and more audible were the wind's cacophonic screams. Sometimes, it did blend with a mental impression of his fellow citizens.

He was focused on thinking about the hardware store he was going to reach in another 10 minutes or so of walk. It'd already taken him fifteen to twenty, maybe a lot less if he had a bike, but this was pretty occasional for the few reasons he ventured outside his residence in freezing January. A frosty month that wasn't quite friendly.

His mind ignored the cheering and chanting in the distance which had sprang out of nowhere. It was an anomaly, which he chose to ignore, because it was too actually festive of something to happen and definitely a hallucination, or otherwise something immaterial.

It grew louder. One could now resolve that it was just chanting. Perhaps 'calls' were more appropriate. Some whistling as well, and curses, and hasty steps.

Now it came from another direction.

"Shit, where is he heading?" diffracted through the alleys between houses and shops enough for the words to be clearly distinguished. By now the streets around him have cleared almost completely, with only an old man sitting at the doorstep of a closed store clasping his hands.

It probably wasn't for him. Kids playing again, he thought.

There were more and more irritated roars from left and right, muted by the structures. There was a third person masculine pronoun invoked that seemed to be really on the minds of everyone on those other sides.

Not me, he thought.

Now the cries had talked of resuasts, of beatings, of clubbings, of screens, of expositions and of crimes. It became rather disturbing if one knew the full context, or rather was simply around in the city for the past week.

Maybe they are looking for me, but that's not much of a possibility. Would be quite entertaining however.

The street ended in front, and some big green signs hung above, indicating directions that no one had use for. The roads were empty, traffic lights dimming and even flickering, not a single policeman in sight, standing, to guide just anyone. They weren't perenially like this though. Armies of bikes raced through this crossing on a daily basis. It was mostly self-discipline, mutual courtesy, and the experience of being beaten into a coma if you rammed someone else into one.

The diffraction would presumably end any time now and the voices were clearer and clearer - they had synchronized with him. Followed him like shadows, and desiring to haunt him like one, but he was too rigid for that to get through and be effective.

As Nekras took another step forward he felt that the cold had receded somewhat and it was alright for him to take off his hood now. He did, loosening the zip and expositing his countenance. Now he turned left.

A flood of men. Charging like sprinting leopards converging on a single prey, and dancing with fists.

It was him.

----

A huge convoy of men moved past an onlooking crowd who had just evacuated their homes when seeing so many people dressed in such fashion navigating the city with enthusiasm.

"What's going on? Can't see shit"

"These people piled onto some guy, beat him unconscious, they're carrying him to the resuast now."

"Why?"

Krugly @linearsecant Robotiger riding is a fantasy, adherents unrealizing of their futility, the fiction of some tradition to which they can escape from the truth that they are so quick to be obsolete under. RETWEETSFAVORITE 40268

Krugly @linearsecant The Brass God crushes Hyperborea under its feet. RETWEETSFAVORITE 36211

[Victoriala II]

crosspost with Breviarium.

Twelve years ago I was with my grandparents. Yearly family vacation. We went to the local falls and paid our respects to the shrine of Sri Sibari. By night, grandmother would tell us a fairy story, some taken from the puranas and some taken from the folklore in Dang. It was usually an uneventful reprieve, where we could swim and eat roasted river fish.

This one was different, though, because grandmother told us a different story:

About eighty-one years ago, before the war entered the country, there was a kind, young lady that lived with her old aunt in the middle of the rice paddies. Her aunt cared for her after her mother and father died in the north provinces, and due to her good heart she cared for the girl like she was her own. Being in the mountain-fields, she helped her aunt in tilling the land and planting the rice, but she had a penchant to help other people she comes across in the marketplace where she and her aunt come to buy and sell. Thus she was called Arung-Arilao, or Arilao, for her spirit was filled with love.

Every month, Arilao and her aunt would go to the temple and pay their earnest respects. While her aunt would plead to the Moon-mother and the Sun-father of ample rain and sunlight for her crops, Arilao would wish two things: to see her mother and father, and for a friend. You see, she was among people in her village, but they are mostly grown up or old. As a child she was alone, with no one to play with.

In one of such times as these, a little fairy-angel [dewati], a mere shard of Balahari's essence, heard her prayers. This fairy-angel was a kind soul, but to the gods she was too weak to bear boons to mortals. But it did not stop her, not at all. So, she took the form of a young girl and gave herself the name of Lapi'ik, the bird.

And so Lapi'ik came to knock on Arilao’s house.

“Oh! What’s your name?” Arilao said in surprise.

“My name is Lapi’ik. I’m from across the mountain.” Lapi’ik smiled.

Arilao was filled with joy. Her prayers were answered and so muttered to the gods her humblest gratitude. She held Lapi’ik’s hands, and told her to come inside. She presented Lapi’ik to her aunt, whom found Lapi’ik as lovely as Arilao yet not as gentle as she. Finally, the aunt thought to herself, she has found a true friend.

And they played along the days, as children do. Arilao would wait for the morning until Lapi’ik comes to play, and they would frolic along the wilderness of the mountains. They would throw rocks at the river, chase birds and shrews and would climb trees to catch its fruits, or just yank it from the branches using long sticks. And one day, once they were tired, they sat around the pebbled shores of the river and talked.

“So, what is it like to be with a mother and father?” Arilao asked.

“It was nice. We lived along the temples and we go to festivals. Why do you ask?” Lapi’ik answered.

“I never knew mine. Only my aunt lives with me.”

“Really? That’s sad.”

“How I wish to see my mother and father at least once. By then I would be truly happy.”

The fairy-angel side of Lapi’ik sparked within her. This is her change to make good with her new friend, and to answer her last prayer. And so, by nightfall, when Arilao had to come home, Lapi’ik shed her human form and fluttered back to the mountains.

One day, Lapi’ik did not come to play with Arilao. Arilao was saddened by it, waiting until noontime—but nothing came. She sighed. Her aunt, seeing Arilao looking beyond the window in longing, came to embrace her.

“Do not be disheartened, dear, she might’ve been doing some other things. She will come back tomorrow.”

“She will?” Arilao asked.

Her aunt smiled. “I am sure of it.”

Thus, the day came by without Lapi’ik, and by night she had to sleep.

In the dead of the dark, when Arilao was asleep, someone touched her arm, waking her. It was Lapi’ik. She was holding a metal lantern.

“Lapi’ik? What are you doing here? It’s nighttime!” She whispered.

“I want to show you something. Come, grab your vakul.”

And so they tiptoed away unnoticed by her sleeping aunt, and, wearing their vakul, ran outside.

“Where are we going?” Arilao asked.

“To the temple!” Lapi’ik answered.

And so, they came to the temple, where the shrine to Sumpusin was the only one filled with candles and light. Everything had an eeriness to them bathed in the dark of the night.

Lapi’ik put down her lantern and she and Arilao laid down their vakul in obeisance to the gods. The wind was chilly.

“Why did you bring me here?” Arilao asked again.

Lapi’ik smiled, assuring her.

“You said you wanted to see your mother and father, right? You will see them here.” She replied. “If you look between your legs, you will also see them both.”

“Really?”

“Trust me.” Lapi’ik held Arilao’s hands. “Face the shrine of the Moon-Mother backwards and do it.”

Arilao thus followed Lapi’ik’s instruction. She opens her legs, and slowly she bends in order to see.

She saw her parents upside down.

They were smiling and greeting her. However, they had the form of charred, dessicating corpses, rotting in their burial garb for many years since they were cremated. Her father’s arm, trying to raise his hand to wave at her, fell apart. They seemed suffering, filled with shame that this is the way their daughter has seen them. They were trying to smile with what’s left of their faces.

And her eyes widened with shock, and went back up. There, she saw Lapi’ik’s true form, a radiant four-armed creature with the ears of a horse and the horns of a deer. In a gasp of fear, Arilao froze. Lapi’ik only smiled. Her wishes have been granted.

Arilao screamed and ran away. Perhaps she came to the safety of her aunt.

Grandmother didn’t say what happened after.

[Razarija]

[14:40]

<xenobaroque> how many transgender programmers do we have
<HUMR> yes
<delpo> yes
<naprava kola> 24
<xenobaroque> what the fuck

[14:41]

<ping wang> lol same
<HUMR> thats a team to develop some blockbuster game lmao
<delpo> it is a blockbuster game though
<Clueful> I thought it was a next gen distributed system?
<Tailoroffishnets> I thought it was a next gen cryptocurrency
<Tailoroffishnets> tf is this i didn't buy stock for a fucking internet reinvention
<HUMR> no its not
<Nik Zem> Really entertaining how little of it anyone knows at this point.
<Tailoroffishnets> Quite obviously even the shareholders dont
<naprava kola> Anyway we spent our budget on kidnapping the transgender programmers so we couldn't do it on Monic lunar new year.
<naprava kola> could've been entertaining if that happened
<naprava kola> the bombings didn't strike the first one as a sign of anything
<Ladumrasky> we heard this story bruh
<naprava kola> we had to

[14:42]

<Puštik ben> I feel we are perhaps the most incompetently designed scheming villains as of yet.
<naprava kola> drag them into a cellar and
<Puštik ben> As if the very object we create mocks us for our foolishness in doing so.
<naprava kola> convince them we weren't one of their equally mentally ill friends bringing them to a surprise BDSM session.
<Puštik ben> The Object.
<naprava kola> SHUT THE FUCK UP THERE'S 4,501 PEOPLE IN THIS CHAT ONLY 1,830 HEARD MY STORY
<Puštik ben> Sketchy chat relay can't even support formatting, smh my head.
<naprava kola> If you thought that was difficult fucking wait for the next one
<Ladumrasky> What do we do
<HUMR> you are the 544th person to ask that congratulations...
<Ladumrasky> For this subject?
<HUMR> yes
<naprava kola> one person we had to blackmail but they instead managed to blackmail us with the
<Clueful> Total blackout
<naprava kola> clips that @Sokkolo had to put on the thing

[14:43]

<naprava kola> like he had these 1080p videos of drogon troops raping dead RLM fighters
<naprava kola> but there was also some sort of sensitive data in there i didn't know what was
<xenobaroque> convenient?
<Razoreniac> all systems will be hit with exactly 64 different handles
<xenobaroque> cool
<Razoreniac> handles vary wildly in approach
<Razoreniac> Then mostly brute force matters
<Nik Zem> Things will be as different as they'll be for a few months.
<naprava kola> yes
<Tailoroffishnets> grand.

[14:44]

<Frasier> Hello how do i make virile nomad run on Jiskra OS the program's bizarre
<Razoreniac> The programmers were to fill the need to attain that capability, yeah
<Razoreniac> Was a difficult and frankly absurd ordeal but the treaure of our time lies in its embodiment
<Burnt forage cap> only chaos reigns as supports of straw vanish
<Jim> Nothing needs to be done after the hit, yeah
<Jim> I have reservations about some components though
<Jim> Fallout could be too big
<Puštik ben> @Frasier why are you trying to run a literal rape game?
<Nik Zem> Not knowing even the certainty of a hostile force tends to shatter arrangements like the one we're in.
<Nik Zem> Situational schizo
<Jim> hm
<Clueful> yeah the entire joke lies in it being untraceable
<Clueful> or even myriad "perpetrators"
<Clueful> as good as absence of
<Edmund> Looks like they won't stand the
Edmund has been kicked
<Frasier> @Puštik ben PMs