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ask-de-writer · 4 years

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SEA DRAGON’S GIFT : Part 5 of 83 : World of Sea

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SEA DRAGON’S GIFT

Part 5 of 83

De Writer (Glen Ten-Eyck)

140406 words

written 2007

Reproduction in any form, physical, electronic or digital is prohibited without the express consent of the author.

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Users of Tumblr.com are specifically granted the following rights. They may reblog the story provided that all author and copyright information remains intact. They may use the characters or original characters in my settings for fan fiction, fan art works, cosplay, or fan musical compositions.

All sorts of fan art, cosplay, music or fiction is actively encouraged.

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New to the story? Read from the beginning. PART 1 is here

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Chapter 2: Maps

Climbing down the companion-ladder, into the lowest hold, Captain Mord inspected the live cargo vats. They were so big and heavy that they had required a complete change of the ship’s ballast system. Major changes in a ship were always a risk, and he was proud of his crew for taking this one. The Longin now handled better than ever before. It had paid for itself many times over. He remembered how it had been and could still see, in his mind’s eye, the single, much smaller vat that had originally held the Longin’s mussel beds for weaving and rope fibers. It had been used to bring their first cargo of live crabs to the Gathering. That bed was still there, much enlarged, to the delight Master Cirde, the weaver, and Mistress Daeron, of the rope walk.

Now, one full half of the lowest hold space was devoted to live cargo, mostly crabs and lobsters. The vats could be sealed to prevent slopping in bad weather, but the lids were normally off to allow for the continual inspection and feeding that living crabs needed. A hand-crank powered bucket line brought fresh sea water up the side of the ship , where an adjustable sluice brought it to the desired vat. There was even a draining system designed to ensure that the vats did not lose too much water during changes. The changed water went into the bilges where a second bucket line carried it up and discharged it over the side.

Silor’s voice could be heard through the hatches, “Crabs coming down!” The call was followed shortly by a loaded holding net, hanging from the crane line. The deck-hand assigned to the cargo hold snagged the crane line deftly with a boat-hook and pulled it to a traveling crane, hung from the overhead. He attached the net of crabs to the traveler and released the crane line, to which he fastened an empty holding net.

“Lift away!” he called up. The holding net disappeared up through the hatches. The deck-hand pushed the crabs down to the holding vat that he was loading and emptied them into it. A few just did not want to release the net and had to be encouraged to let go with the boat hook. From the holding vat the crabs were picked out, sorted, and their claws tied shut by older children, experienced in this tricky work. The processed crabs were given to the deck hand who took them to the appropriate cargo vats.

Strolling over to the holding vat, the Captain looked in at the crabs.

“Good sized, aren’t they?” he asked one of the children who was tying claws shut to keep the crabs from hurting each other during their time on the ship.

“Yessir,” the child said, concentrating on not getting pinched.

Satisfied that all was well, the Captain went back up the companion-ladder. Shortly, one of the cooks came down and began selecting several hundred crabs. They went back up by crane.

That night at dinner, the serving crew (serving was a rotating duty that everybody, including the Captain, got) brought in the usual steamed fish-cakes and seaweed salad, and water to drink.

Instead of sitting they remained standing, leaning casually against the ribs of the ship, next to the hull. The ribs arched over from the hull and became the deck beams above them. The servers were obviously waiting for something. They were grinning.

Clard, Master of the Ship’s Drums, and formal announcer got up. “Captain Mord Halyn has an announcement!”

That cut the usual dinnertime hubbub to nothing. Smiling jovially, the Captain said, “It has been an interesting and productive day. Kurin has showed us something completely new. We have found and proved a new crabbing area. I know that most of you are curious about today’s demonstration. The Longin’s Craft Masters have conferred and decided that it is not a Craft.”

Here Silor grinned triumphantly.

The Captain went on, “If it were a Craft, it would have to be registered with the fleet Council, and the basics of it shared to all ships of the fleet. As a skill, it is ours alone, and that is what we propose.”

Silor looked resentful, and then even more so as Master Juris held up two fingers, pointed to his fish-cakes, and made a come-hither gesture. With ill grace, he handed them over. As the Captain continued, Master Juris divided the two cakes with his fellow Masters.

“To celebrate all of this, the cooks have steamed up some of those crabs! Everybody gets a whole one! Since Kurin found the place and gave us the new skill, she gets one for each thing.” He paused and managed to look as if he’d just thought of something. “I’m not sure that it’s at all fair,” he paused again and exclaimed, “She gets more than me!” Then he grinned to show that he was kidding and sat to laughter. The servers went into the galley, came back with laden trays to distribute. Everybody started cheerfully cracking their crabs.

Silor glared darkly at Kurin who was tucking into her dinner with busy chopsticks at the journeyman’s table. If she hadn’t been showing off, I’d have all of my fish-cakes.

The Captain waited until everyone was near done to make a further announcement, “The success of this experiment has been enough to convince me of the reality of Kurin’s gift. What I propose, for the approval of the ship’s crew, is this. We should leave off our current fishing at once. We ought to take the time to make such charts as this,” he held up the chart that Kurin had made of the deep reef below them, “for all of our waters. Such charts could greatly improve all of our fishing. We have sufficient stores for the project. This Ship’s Business is open for discussion.”

The Longin had three fairly widely separated patches of ‘home waters’ that she worked. One, the richest, was a maze of reefs in the tropics, known as the Ship Killer. In times past, it had earned its name.

The others were in the north temperate zone, over two weeks of sailing from the tropic. One was in the Naral Sea and the other in the Cliftos Reach, separated by three days of fair weather sailing.

Everybody began discussing the proposal with their neighbors. There was much excited talk and hand waving. Cliques of crew-folk began to form. One group, mostly deck-hands, formed around Silor. They were opposed to the whole notion. It meant many course changes and much raising and lowering of sail. In short, a great deal of extra work for them.

Silor paced as he formulated his opposition. “Captain, Masters and crew, we deck-hands think that this notion is foolishness. Kurin can draw her pictures as we work our waters, as she did for this one. We can find no harm in letting the child do that. Diverting the whole ship because she was lucky once is madness. We are of the opinion that she simply guessed that this shallows was here because of the turn that the Naral Current takes. Anyone who studied the current could have thought of that. Should we lose valuable fishing time to pamper the white-haired brat? She has already gotten too much of this ship’s time.”

Cirde, Master Weaver responded, “As you say, Kurin is a child, now. That will only be until the Master’s Council approves her journeyman’s status at the next Gathering. However, she is welcome in the weaving shop, though she is not my apprentice. She listens well and works hard. I can never think of a time that she showed me a finished work that she could not repeat. That is how we recovered the secret of Longin Lace after Cat left us. She has just showed us a new finished work.

“I have never heard her brag. I believe that she can repeat this charting, to our benefit. But this is based solely on my experience with her.

“This is a matter of navigation. Let us defer to those who are skilled in the art. They have said that her talent is remarkable. I believe them.”

Clard, Master of the ship’s tocsin and hailing drums, added, “I second that. Anyone who thinks that what Kurin shows is only luck has their eyes closed and has left their wits on dry land.

“My experience of her is like Master Cirde’s. I wish that she were my apprentice. She has learned hailing drum talk faster than anybody in my experience. She knows every tocsin beat as well, and has been allowed to stand watch. In spite of this, I have never heard her brag, either. What she says she can do, she can do. Every Craft Master here,” he gestured expansively, “knows her worth.

“As with Master Cirde, I will trust those who know navigation. Remember this, as well, she predicted twenty fathoms depth. The sounding was twenty one. All of her chart that has been checked is as good. These charts could mean profit in both the short,” he waved a crab leg, “and long term.”

Master Juris stuck an oar in to hit Silor publicly once again. In a sarcastic voice he said, “Kurin makes boats instead of breaking them. I trust her. Let us vote. I am in favor.”

Captain Mord called the vote, which went to the charting expedition. Only a seething Silor and his adherents voted against.

The Longin began the first of the many carefully spaced passes back and forth over the first of her three fishing waters. Kurin’s mapping table was placed near to the stern, just out of the tiller-walk. This was an arc of deck, specially roughened to give good footing to the steersman. The table itself was a giant tallow-slate with several different styli to make an assortment of different kinds of marks.

As often as he could spare the time, Captain Mord would look on at the growing rough chart. When he took sightings, he told Kurin the latitude and longitude, so that the information could be used to give the chart scale. It was an odd collection of lines at the moment. With the Captain looking over her shoulder, she nodded to herself, made a counting type bobbing motion with her stylus hand and reached for the table. She quickly drew several lines with different styli.

“Would it distract you to ask what you are doing?” the Captain’s mellow voice came over her shoulder.

Without looking up, she replied, “No, Sir. It would probably help me to keep track of things.”

“Good. I would like to understand how this is done.” He gestured to the others that he had gathered to sit quietly. They did.

After a few moments of collecting her thoughts, she began, “Around here, the main deep wave comes from that direction.” She pointed. “It has a length of twenty pulse beats, and it has a very slight rise and fall, which means pretty deep water over there, say two hundred fathoms, at a guess. When I do the area functions I will know for sure.” Then she pointed off to the starboard bow. “From over that way I feel another wave, crossing the main wave. It is short and high. It has been getting shorter as we sail along this course. It is down to 9 pulses long and it is over three times as high. There is a high spot in the bottom over there that causes the main wave to pile up and bend as it goes around it. That is what makes the high short wave. The intersection of these waves is subject to a geometric analysis that will yield contour lines. I drew that in like so … .” she trailed off as she realized that more than just the Captain’s shadow had fallen on the charting table.

She turned to discover ten people, some of them older children, a few of the Craft Masters and the ship’s off duty-officers.

Captain Mord said, without apology, “You said that you could teach people. I have drawn together your first class. I have set up another for two Wohans hence. That may not be enough time for the first class, but perhaps we can work around that. This knowledge is too important to the ship not spread it so that it cannot be lost or forgotten.”

Kurin looked at him in surprise. How could it be that important? I’m just a kid. I expected to improve our crabbing a bit, that’s all. Me, teach the Captain and Masters? I wish Cat were here, or my dad. They’d know how to do it. The emptiness within her where being loved and safe had been, threatened to engulf her. I expect the Captain’s right though, he usually is. If I have people around me close, I won’t be so alone. Aloud, she said, “Very well, Captain. Students must be a able to read, write and figure. Time will tell if they can learn to do the navigation and charting.” She turned to the class. “You will all need tallow-slates and styli. You will also need a pair of dividers and a straight edge.” She paused, looking absent for a moment, and marked her chart.

“Did anyone feel the change in the waves, just then?” she asked.

It was one of the younger of the children, a cabin boy named Bron who held up a hand. “It was feeling kind of irregular, like you said, there was two different waves sort of bumping across each other. Now it feels smoother, like maybe one of them has gone away?” he questioned cautiously.

“Yes,” said Kurin, “it has. We have passed the high place in the bottom and the wave change it made. I’ve put that on the chart like so . …”

The arduous task of covering every mile of the Longin’s home fishing waters, east to west, then north to south, produced a chart like none ever seen before in the Naral fleet. It showed the contours and depth of the bottom, the location and direction of all of the permanent currents, and where the tidal currents flowed, with a table to calculate their speed and direction by the phases of the moons and the elevation of the sun. It also showed the shape, direction and patterns made by the long, deep waves.

The results surprised everybody. There were more shallows than anybody had dreamed, and there was a monstrously deep chasm that cut across the bottom, dividing sea-floor into unequal halves. Its depth was beyond what Kurin could detect.

After a week of charting, they moved on to the next of their three home waters, further south. This one proved to be a mostly level plain, varying in depth but averaging only a few hundred feet below the keel, sloping up to the east, where there were high humps, rising to within seventy or eighty feet below the surface.

Nothing betrayed the presence of the underwater hills except a permanent seaweed mat that was anchored to them. The paddle ducks in their coop up forward squawked and cackled at their wild cousins nesting on the mat.

The Ship Killer reefs of the Longin’s tropic home waters proved trickier. The reefs stopped most of the long waves that Kurin’s ability relied on. She mapped what she could, but it was less than a third of what was needed. She found a compromise.

TO BE CONTINUED

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#SEA DRAGON’S GIFT #Part 5 of 83 #World of Sea #Written by De Writer

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scumgristle · 4 years

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You’ve been vocal about your hate for My Chemical Romance’s Gerard Way, what is it about the guy that gets under your skin, because Boneyard Press published his first book “On Raven’s Wings”?

HDF:Short answer? Gerard Way is a liar and a fake who devalued Boneyard Press products and implied I was a liar by his deceits and instead of owning up to his deceptions he kept on lying and set his fans loose on me for an online hate campaign that hurt my wife’s recovery from Chemo and Radiation therapy to combat her ovarian and cervical cancer.

In order to inflate orders on his upcoming comic book, “The Umbrella Academy”, Dark Horse, editor Scott Allie & Gerard Way made a major press push stating the falsehood that “The Umbrella Academy” was Gerard’s first published work in comics, which they knew was a lie.

Gerard’s first published work was done over a decade earlier when Boneyard Press published his series, “On Raven’s Wings”. Issue #1 was published in April 1994, written by Gary Way, drawn by Jose Santos with inks by Dana Greene and a fully painted cover by Rob Nemeth. Issue #2 was published in September 1994 with Gary writing, Jose & Dana on the art, another great painted cover by Rob Nemeth. When Gary couldn’t hold his art team together, we canceled the series, but that didn’t stop me from schleppin’ this kids books to convention after convention telling everyone what a great new writer this kid was and that yeah, he’s got the goods. I did this for YEARS.

Dark Horse and its editorial staff knew all about this but decided to pump the numbers up with the lie about ‘first published work’. They were even lying about it when directly asked by some members of Gerard’s fan club. They claimed that Garry Way was not Gerard Way. According to Dark Horse, they were two different people.

Why did they do that? Because any comic geek worth his salt can tell you, an artist’s first published work is generally the most valuable, knowing this, fans will invest in a new book so they can have that “First published work” tag. Dark Horse & Gerard lied about it all to inflate their sales on the book.

They kept right on lying even to Rolling Stone. Dark Horse’s Scott Allie said, “Hart published Gerard’s first comics when Gerard was fifteen. I don’t think we’ve ever said Umbrella Academy is the first comic Gerard did.” Funny thing was, the very day this was quoted in Rolling Stone the Diamond Preview catalogue came out with a full page add proclaiming that The Umbrella Academy is Gerard Way’s first published work. Full page ad. Big ass bulletin points. Dark Horse and Scott were full of shit and they knew it but they threw me under the bus in the press anyway.

Ripping off your fans like that, gaming store owners, that’s some pretty low shit to pull, but it was going to get a lot lower when he sicked his fans on me & I was unable to keep my wife from reading the hate mail, which just wrecked her. I mean, she was already emaciated from the Chemo & the Radiation… Watching her crying, reading that shit he sent my way because he wasn’t man enough to own up to his own actions…

Yeah….

This shit is personal.

You ready for the background on why this is such a burn? Because here’s the long story…

So it’s the early 90’s and I get a submission packet from a high school kid named Gary Way. He was a big fan of mine so he sent this comic book that he & his buddies were doing together to me. I thought it was pretty good. So I decided to invest my money & publish it. That’s when I got to know him, when I took him under my wing.

I did this with a lot of the lost souls & angry young kids who found their way to me. I wasn’t just their publisher, I was their friend, I cared about my guys. They were important to me and I wanted them to get stronger, to be stronger, to do the best work they could do. My philosophy at Boneyard Press was give me your stragglers, give me your battered & cast offs… I would rebuild them… I would forge them into wolves and together, we would own the shadows.

Gary was one of these kids.

I used to have talks with his mother about how to keep him from getting beat up & bullied at school where he lived in Jersey. I talked with Gary quite a bit too. This was before email & texting, so people actually talked to each other then… So… after Boneyard published the first issue of his on going series, I took a liking to the kid so much I got him on the Sally Jesse Raphael show as an “Official Boneyard Press Writer” and he got to stand up & ask a question on the air.

Pretty cool for the school punching bag, right?

Gary gets out of high school & stays in touch with me through his days in college. A lot of my interns & guys did that as they were growing up. When he called me from the offices of DC & told me about his new job at Vertigo, I thought, Fuck yeah, now one of my guys is rising up! Kick Ass!

911 happens, I don’t hear from the kid again. Me, my life moves at light speed, so I don’t think twice about it… a few years go by, I’m working full time in Adult films, then I get the youtube/mail from a fan who tells me all of her friends are calling her a liar over my book, On Raven’s Wings, and it’s author Gary Way.

You see… Apparently there was a Gerard Way with a new comic book coming out from Dark Horse comics & they were marketing it as the first published work of Gerard Way, the frontman for My Chemical Romance, which will have more value in the collectible comics market & would help them get a sales bump. My fan said to her friends, “Hey, that’s not his first published work, he did a series for Boneyard Press as Gary Way, that’s his first published work.” She contacts me to get the truth. I go fucking ballastic.

No motherfucker is going to make a liar out of one of my fans. Fucking no one.

I write a blog on my Live Journal account wondering if Dark Horse is a knowing partner of Garry Way’s charade to game the fans & the retailers or are they unwitting pawns. I was very, very, very angry. Then I got my hands on the My Chemical Romance video interview with all grown up Gerard Way telling people that he wished someone had taken a chance on him & published his comics when he was a teenager, that only someone believed in him enough to publish his work back then.

I’m fucking LIVID watching this & listening to this. I watched it over & over.

Then when Rolling Stone get’s involved, the press goes nuts, my lawyer tells me to shut the fuck up for once and since my wife was recovering from ovarian & cervical cancer, which nearly killed her… and the chemo turned her into a walking skeleton… I mean… I’d go to rub her feet, and there was no meat on the bottom of her foot. It was all bones.

Since the doctors in Japan had told me her cancer was stress related and that too much stress would kill her… I had to shut the fuck up & do my best to keep Waka from reading all the hate mail & hate memes on the web. That didn’t need to happen. Gary could have just owned up to the truth.

Only he didn’t.

Instead of manning up and owning his lies and deceptions, he chose to hide behind a bunch of clueless emo twits and chose to sick his fan base on me… On my wife. Who cried & cried reading this shit. She doesn’t want me to talk about this, she doesn’t want to acknowledge how this puke & the scum bags online got to her, but she was vulnerable back then. I was her only caregiver. The only one. Her family was back in Japan. And I couldn’t stop her with from reading this… I could only shut up, try to let it blow over while I consulted with my lawyers about what to do.

For what Garry Way did to my reputation, to my company and most of all, what he did to my wife… in the midst of her suffering… When I was only speaking the truth. If he wasn’t lying why did he call my office from the middle of his south American tour, when this whole thing blew up, he sure was able to find my number and communicate with me AFTER the truth came out. It didn’t have to go down the way it did. My wife should have been able to focus on recovering from cancer, from never being able to have a baby. But no, this asshole put us through the ringer to save his own pride when caught in a lie.

For that… For what he did to my wife… I hate that motherfucker.

I hate that motherfucker like you cannot even put into words.

#my chemical romance

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withastolenlantern · 5 years

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“I don’t suppose this thing has an air conditioner?” Davis said into the microphone that hovered precariously over his mouth. The helmet was ill-fitting, and he’d done a poor job of tightening it properly; it jostled about as he moved his head or futilely mopped his brow with a kerchief.

Chatham chuckled. “I’m afraid not Mister Santomas. Just be thankful you’re not wearing thirty pounds of gear and haptics.” The Carribean sun was blistering hot, even as they cruised above the sea at 100 knots in the retired Merlin she’d requisitioned from the Royal Navy. It felt not dissimilar from approaches she’d made from the upper Indian, flying in low over the vast sea, although the water here was different somehow. The spray was saltier, she felt, and had an almost greasy feel on her fingertips. She’d sailed three of the world’s four oceans before, and found they all had their unique quirks. How many of them were real, or imagined, or a product of man’s indifference to his impact on the aquatic biosphere, she could never say for sure.

The fab loomed in the distance as they approached, an imposing structure. It appeared roughly the size of the old oil rigs she’d seen in the holos, back from before sea-drilling had become cost-prohibitive. The main facility was buoyed on four articulated legs that undulated with the sea. “Those are the wave generators, there,” Santomas said, pointing to large barrel-like supports at the bottom of the crab-like supports. “The gyroscopic legs keep the fab facility statically level, and we’re able to kinematically capture enough energy from the motion to power some of the low-voltage devices inside.”

The detective was impressed, but noticed the sea swell was currently fairly calm. “How well do they work during storm surges?”

Santomas rotated his hands at the wrist in reply. “Your average low pressure front is no problem, even the tropical depressions. Hurricanes are another matter. We generally shut down production for anything above Category 2. The ballast in the legs is enough to keep the whole thing upright, but you can imagine doing precision machining over thirty foot swells is not, let’s say, optimal.”

“And it’s entirely self sufficient?”

“That’s the idea. The wind and solar plant on the roof provides higher voltage power for the heavy industrial equipment. Raw materials are brought in by the Logistics Union, typically via drone barge or hovercraft. Bigger stuff we have to bring in via copter, hence the helipad,” he said, pointing toward their destination. “Not all of them are this big; this is one of our largest models. I think they used to build cars in this one. Chang’an-Ford had the lease for a while, if I remember right, until we went idle. Or were supposed to, anyway.”

They took a low pass around the structure, it’s steel facades glistening in the sun where the salts of the sea spray had not yet turned the surface to corroded reds and browns. The Merlin autopilot chimed that it had picked up the transponder signal and was ready to begin the landing procedure. The detective keyed in her assent, and the helicopter lowered them toward the heavy concrete pad off to the side of the main fabrication building. They landed with a gentle thud, and the rotors started spinning down automatically with a decreasing whine.

Chatham hopped from the deck of the aircraft down onto the helipad, the tarmac broiling in the hundred-plus degree sun. Even the thermoelectrics in her tactical vest were having trouble keeping up. She thought that Santomas, dressed in heavy cotton khaki, must have been roasting alive.

“I always forget how fucking hot it is down here,” he said, confirming her suspicion as they walked across the pad toward the huge garage doors leading into the fabrication facility. “Let’s get inside.”

“Is the temperature regulated inside the fabricator? I assumed it wouldn’t be necessary since everything’s automated,” the detective said.

“No, the internal HVAC keeps everything at about 20C,” he explained as he pulled up his mobile and transmitted his credentials to the receiver next to a huge garage-style shutter. “Most of the equipment puts out its own waste heat and gets cranky above a certain temperature. There’s some cryogenic-based processes that run as well, depending on the model and production application.”

The receiver opened a holographic display terminal and he input a sequence of characters, and then a scanner took a retinal snapshot before chiming its recognition. The enormous door creaked alive and slid open slowly, the motors almost groaning at the weight. A breath of cooler air spilled out into the tropical sun, and it seemed downright Arctic against Chatham’s face.

The detective was taken aback at the cavernous space they entered. A central corridor led from the door straight through to the far side of the fab, with various machines whirring and thumping to either side of her off into the horizon. She noticed that the corridor and spaces between the machines were lined in multi-colored LED stripes pulsing in time, and overhead she saw several heavy drones flitting about hauling various pieces and parts. The cacophony of production was overwhelming, almost symphonic in its rhythm, as if an unseen conductor was directing a post-modern orchestra in an oddly tempoed concerto. “Fuck me,” she gasped breathlessly.

“Yeah, it sure is a thing,” Santomas replied with a smile that devolved quickly into concern. “Problem is, none of this stuff is supposed to be, uh…. on.”

#the world ocean

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vinniekpop · 3 years

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Files Received

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[Excerpt From the Recovered Files of Dr. Ira Ehrlich, World Historian]

THE DESOLATION: A BRIEF HISTORY

In the year 2100 a star in the Vela Constellation known as Velorum A went supernova.

A part of the Gamma Velorum star system; what was referred to as a singular celestial body was in all actuality a spectroscopic binary star; two stars that appear as a single point of light when viewed from a great distance, often shifting between blue and red in color. What was once Velorum A consisted of a blue supergiant and a red wolf rayet star. The wolf rayet star ended its life in a Type IC Supernova. A supernova is an astronomical event that occurs during the last stellar evolutionary stages of a massive star's life; a dramatic and catastrophic destruction marked by one final titanic explosion. This particular type of supernova occurs when the core of the star has been stripped of its outer layer of hydrogen and most of its helium shell. In wolf rayet stars, the loss of the protective outer shell can occur suddenly and the rapid expansion of the inner gases results in the far flinging of materials away from the star. This drives a fast moving shockwave into the surrounding interstellar medium.

In the case of Velorum A, the shockwave drove that celestial detritus from the core of the wolf rayet star into the heart of its neighboring blue supergiant. The supergiant absorbed all that it could, but the resulting build up of energy resulted in the supergiant going supernova as well, not long after the wolf rayet.

The inevitable consequence of these cosmic events was a high dose of gamma radiation that travelled the 840 light years across space to eventually collide with a planet called Earth, burning away a significant portion of its atmosphere, destroying electrical grids, downing planes, and essentially grinding the civilizations that lived there to a resounding halt. This initial event, called the Desolation, marked the beginning of the end for humanity as they knew it.

In the weeks after the radiation hit, the death toll topped ten million and showed no signs of abating. Despite extreme precautions, even the rich and powerful proved to be just as susceptible to the cosmic onslaught as the homeless, the panicked, the reckless, and the everyday citizen. In the months to come, radiation poisoning left more than sixty percent of world leaders dead or dying, along with more than a billion others worldwide. With the government in chaos, fear of anarchy and terrorism followed in its wake. But the terrorists were as busy dying as everyone else.

Urban areas became war zones, with thinning police forces fighting against survivors who looked at the end of humanity as an opportunity for blood, brutality, or profit. Commercial air travel shut down almost immediately, the planes that hadn’t crashed during the initial electrical surges were left abandoned on the runways with no one left to fly them. People tried to outrun what they couldn’t even see, leaving their homes, their cities, even their countries, only to die elsewhere. Others opted to ride the death and destruction out, stockpiling supplies in their homes and apartments- even their office buildings. Locking their doors and windows, guarding against an enemy that was literally in the air around them. They had all the comforts of dying in their own beds.

Those who locked themselves in and managed to survive, clung to sporadic news coverage hoping for a miracle. It wasn’t long until even that was gone, and the Earth fell silent.

The gamma ray burst, while it lasted only a short time, was the cause of long term and sometimes irreversible chemical reactions that took place in the Earth’s atmosphere; mostly involving oxygen and nitrogen molecules. Creating first nitrogen oxide and then nitrogen dioxide, affecting the planet threefold. This depletion of the ozone layer by up to 75% in some areas of the world would last for years to come. This reduction of protective atmosphere dangerously elevated the UV index levels on the surface. Those who survived the initial breakdown of civilization soon succumbed to a bevy of radiation based illnesses.

The nitrogen oxide produced by the depletion of the ozone layer eventually created a sort of photochemical smog which darkened the sky and blocked out parts of the sunlight spectrum. While this helped reduce the amount of people dying from UV exposure, it also negatively affected photosynthesis on the surface, causing a sharp drop in plantlife. This photochemical smog also attributed to the severe cooling of the Earth’s surface, impacting the climate and producing a cosmic winter; a period of prolonged cold weather resulting in the formation of a new glacial period. These phenomenons culminated in a devastating loss of life in the form of plants and the animals and in the mass extinction of other animals higher up on the food chain that relied on those plants eating animals to survive. Ultimately, a further 25% of the remaining human population perished from lack of food.

In the remaining human population, the gamma ray burst along with prolonged exposure to ultraviolet radiation acted as a rapid mutagen, creating sudden changes in the brain’s neurological processes. As a result, individuals began to develop preternatural abilities. Dubbed the Vela Effect, these ‘powers’ often took the form of psychic or accelerated/enhanced physical abilities. Common powers included the ability to manipulate weather or encourage plant growth, all of which were needed to combat the effects of the new Ice Age. Individuals with these gifts were later called the Touched and were instrumental in securing humanity’s survival and future in the days after the Desolation.

Even with the mutagenic advantage, population levels were stagnant. In some areas, the birth rate continued to drop and the death toll continued to rise. The dwindling human population suffered from a lack of resources including clean water, shelter, and renewable energy sources. Human survival became dependent upon people dividing themselves into small, manageable groups. Over the next few decades, those who had survived their brushes with radiation sickness began to note physical changes to go along with the sudden emergence of latent preternatural abilities.

Slowly, they became stronger, faster, and more resilient; while others succumbed to a mysterious illness people began to call the Star-Blight. Marked by a swift mental deterioration, the ill were quickly overwhelmed with madness and became violent and deranged before falling into a sudden coma, followed by heart failure, and then death. An individual could remain ill for years or days before death took them, leaving those around them confused and terrified of who would fall next.

Some viewed the Star-Blight as a form of natural selection; humanity was changing, becoming stronger and more suited to their wild, dangerous new environment. Those who couldn’t handle the change would die. But even with their newfound resilience, life spans were still too short and birth rates remained low. Too Low.

In 2200 the Alpha-Beta-Omega Mutation was first reported. Humanity had changed. Evolution, in an attempt to battle declining birth rates, created a new system in which more of the population could potentially reproduce. Male and Female no longer dictated whether or not a person could bear a child; instead three new ‘dynamics’ or ‘subgenders’ emerged.

Alphas; characterized by their superior strength, protective instincts, and natural leadership abilities as well as an instinctual biological drive to sire children.

Omegas; naturally agile, graceful, nurturing beings whose biological need to bear and raise children made them ideal caretakers; dedicated to preserving peace and fiercely driven to guide and teach future generations.

Betas became the ballast, necessary to provide balance and genetic stability. The most unique amongst the new dynamics, their hormone production is dictated almost entirely by the biological makeup of those around them. If their family group is lacking in alphas, their bodies produce the necessary hormones to fill that role. If they lacked in omegas, the hormones they produced would allow their dormant reproductive organs to mature and enable them to bear children. Without the balancing aspects of Beta DNA, alphas and omegas would cease to exist.

Three a/b/o generations were born before, in 2275, the first people shifted from human to wolf. The ability to take on a primal form was considered by many to be evolution’s ultimate last ditch effort to preserve humanity; by providing them with a weapon in the form of their own bodies and shelter within their own fur. Perhaps the nomadic lifestyle humanity adapted had something to do with the form nature chose for them, but truely, like the development of the strange mutagenic gifts, the origin of the ability to shift would remain a mystery…

In those who were Star-Blighted, the ability to shift was not a blessing, but rather, a curse. People who suffered from Star-Blight found themselves unable to control their shifting. The would shift back and forth between human and wolf at random until one day they would simply get stuck somewhere between the two forms. These monstrosities, called the Rabid, were violent, bloodthirsty beasts that hunted what was left of humanity with a single minded focus. It was considered a blessing for a Star-Blighted family member to pass away before they became one of the most horrifying monsters that haunted their new world.

[File Corrupted - Unreadable]

[Excerpt From the Recovered Files of Dr. Chae Jeongsik, Professor of Sociology and Post-Desolation Histories]

POST-DESOLATION: THE WALLS

By 2280, the amount of Rabid roaming free in the wilds of what was once the Korean Peninsula became a real threat to what remained of humanity that called the peninsula their home. To protect themselves, in 2282 it was decided that the isolated packs would return from their self-imposed exile and join together to rebuild select cities, surrounding them with strong walls to keep out the Rabid. They could start over, not only with their own lives but with the story of the human species. They’d have to live simply at first, but they would not have to live primitively. All of humanity’s knowledge was stored away in books and journals. They could rebuild, slowly, with sustainability in mind.

At first, the need for cooperation kept everyone working in cooperation. The need to build up a defensible perimeter quickly and efficiently had to come before anything else. These fledgling cities were collectively known as the Walls. Outside of the Walls, smaller walled villages known as Compounds received resources and militarized protection from the Walls in exchange for their agricultural and industrial contributions; as long as they agreed to follow the law as decreed by the ruling body inside the Walls - The Committee.

Doctors and Scientists became world leaders and as a result, an extensive amount of focus was put on maintaining the status quo between the three dynamics. Large-scale genetic testing was performed and the subgenders were broken down into six distinct genotypes. AA and AB Alphas, OO and OB Omegas, and BB and AO Betas. This research was what led to the initial discovery of just how essential Beta DNA was to ensure the continuation of all three dynamics and that, without the genetic contribution of BB Betas in particular, the dynamics would become unbalanced and humanity would go back to being unable to produce enough offspring to maintain the population.

To prevent this from happening, The Committee declared a ban on all relationships that were not with partners who were ‘genetically compatible’. This regulation has resulted in a culture where betas are often controlled and manipulated by their families for social and political gain. Male betas in particular were prized for their ability to mold themselves to the needs of their community; to assume the role of either alpha or omega in terms of siring or bearing children and in terms of ability.

Some communities inside the Walls, seeing the danger in this new system, sought to re-isolate themselves from this newly reformed version of civilization. They sought to carve out their own place in the world, and so they left the city of Seoul behind to make use of the many islands surrounding the south western side of the peninsula. Teams were sent to clear the Rabid from a large island in the Western Sea known as Saeloun. There, the settlers rehabilitated what was left of the infrastructure of abandoned villages. Over the years the people who settled the island began to worship the moon, as it soon became apparent that the celestial body had an astounding effect on both their bodies and their preternatural abilities.

A religion, built around the story of an Omega called Tal and her two mates, a Male Alpha named Hae and a genderless Beta called Chugun, became the basis of their society. A society that emphasizes a person’s right to live on instinct rather than the cold science that dominated life inside the Walls.

These islanders, called Taliians, lived a life in direct opposition to those inside the Walls, but in a world where humanity was dwindled to nothing more than a smattering of life in varying corners of the world, the two factions let each other live in peace.

On the peninsula in what was once South Korea, initial projects aimed at restoring the major cities and walling them in, but it soon became apparent that without the population the world used to boast, there would be no way to maintain and protect so many fledgling communities. After a particularly devastating series of Rabid attacks, the decision was made to abandon construction in all areas except for Seoul, Daegu, and Busan.

The dwellers of those cities that were to be abandoned were invited to join those inside the Walls and many took them up on this offer. There were, however, those who regarded the ruined cities as their homes, their ancestral pack grounds, and refused to leave them behind for the safety of the Walls. They chose instead to carve out a place for themselves amongst the ruined cityscapes. While they lacked the resources to construct the great walls that surrounded the sanctioned cities, they used their survival instincts to make themselves invisible inside the ruins, relying on hunting and foraging to sustain themselves and eventually became the peoples known collectively as the Wolfolk.

In 2300 the MATCH program was set into motion inside Seoul; a program designed to sustain the population and balance the dynamics at the same time. At the age of five, every child inside the Walls is tested for their subgender and genotype. They are tested a second time at the onset of puberty and added into a pool of potential mates. At eighteen they receive a list of individuals deemed to be more than 95% compatible. They are required to meet with at least one person on the list for at least an hour once a month. Every year an updated list is sent and citizens have until they are twenty-five to choose a mate deemed as ‘compatible’.

After mating, a couple is required to meet their Reproductive Quota. Depending on the population needs in their area of the city, couples will be asked to produce a child of a certain subgender within the next five years to maintain a steady rise in all dynamics for future generations. Most often a second child is required of the couple as well. Any children produced that are not of that subgender are accepted but the couple is still required to produce the requested child. Failing to produce the requested subgender in a timely manner results in a fine. Failure to choose a compatible mate before your twenty-fifth birthday results in a fine. Choosing to mate someone outside of your government approved list of candidates results in a fine. Nothing is done to prevent you from making these choices, but the fines are meant to be harsh enough to discourage anyone from diverging from the approved course of action.

Since the prevailing message from the Committee is that the MATCH Program is ‘for the future’, the attitude of the general public towards those who did not follow the rules is less than favorable. Choosing to follow instincts when it came to finding a mate is seen as a sign of poor self-control and overall selfishness. It is viewed as a person being too emotional and not thinking logically, as them thinking only of themselves and not of the good of the community or of how their actions could affect the future of the city as a whole. People in relationships that couldn’t provide anything ‘beneficial’ were especially looked down upon. Relationships between two individuals that could not produce any offspring were, in particular, regarded with an attitude of confusion and revulsion. For example, a relationship between two male alphas.

Relationships consisting of more than a single mated pair were outright illegal, with the Committee declaring that those relationships took ‘useful’ DNA out of the available reproduction pool and therefore was a crime against the future of the Walls. Anyone discovered to be in a relationship like that would face forced separation and jail time, and little to no mercy from the public.

That same year in 2300, The Committee announced its blanket ban on shifting inside the Walls, proclaiming that those who shifted into their primal form had a higher likelihood of going Rabid. The Committee declared that those who allowed themselves to give into their base urges and become a literal ‘beast’ were uncivilized and undeserving of a place within the Walls.

One year later, they proclaimed those with mutagenic abilities, called the Touched, to be a danger to society, ordering family and friends to turn those they believed to be Touched over to Enforcement.

Initially, those who were found to be Touched were simply exiled from the Walls and left to fend for themselves out in the Wastes. However, it soon became obvious that individuals with certain abilities were essentially, and therefore those who were deemed useful were rehabilitated and trained as Special Operatives for Enforcement, those deemed dangerous were locked away or killed, and those who were deemed simply unfit for polite society were made to live out the rest of their days inside specially designated Sanatoriums.

In 2320 it became apparent that the MATCH program needed more individuals with unique DNA to sustain itself and so The Committee enacted its plan to bring the Wolfolk into the fold, sending out Enforcement teams to offer them a place inside the city and to take them by force if needed. Orders were given to killing their alphas, bringing their bearers and children back to the Walls. At the same time, they began to spread rumors that the Wolfolk, called the Shameless by Committee propaganda, were dangerous, lawless individuals who abhorred the Walls and everything they stood for. This ensured that the Compounds wouldn’t offer aid to any Wolfolk who managed to escape Enforcement.

The Committee also tightened their control over who could enter and exit the city, effectively trapping those Taliians who came to the city for things like specialized medical care and trading, detaining them until it was ‘safe’ to leave while at the same time trying to force them to assimilate into life inside the Walls by forcing them to stop shifting and to renounce their ‘heathen’ religion. Often Taliians who entered Seoul would end up trapped there for a year or more depending on what time of year they entered.

Seoul’s harsh rules acted in direct contrast to the general mayhem inside Daegu, and to the Monarchy that ruled with an ironfist in Busan. The populace accepted the rules put forth by the Committee as necessary to avoid the failings of the other resurrected cities, but there is a fraction of those inside the Walls who would see things change. Reports of a rebellion brewing right underneath the Committee’s nose are passed from person to person; whispers that those who are Touched might live in the shadows and those who would follow the instincts of their beasts have laid plans to demolish the system that would keep those who don’t follow it in poverty rather than give a single inch.

[File Corrupted - Unreadable]

[Excerpt from the Journals of Mr. Jo Hodong, Explorer and Amateur Cultural Anthropologist]

THE TALIIANS

In 2290, ten years after the decision to construct The Walls, a group of dissenters decided that life inside the Walls wasn’t for them and set out to find a place of their own. It was decided that attempting to live on the mainland wasn’t feasible without the protection the Walls provided and instead, guided by a vision of the future from one of their own, they chose to make their home on an island far out in the Western Sea. A team was dispatched to the 1636 sq. kilometer (632sqm) island consisting of two mountainous peaks and plentiful lowlands for agriculture, and ancient pine forests for hunting, alongside numerous sources of fresh water. They combed the island and its abandoned villages, eliminating any Rogues and Rabid they came across. The first group of defectors settled down in the remains of the largest village on the east side of the island, led by an omega woman and her two mates. The woman, who’s name was lost to history, is remembered mostly for her Touched ability; her prophetic visions. Over time she was deified by those who followed her and she became the embodiment of the Moon on Earth, Tal. Her mates consisted of an alpha man who history called Hae with the ability to manipulate fire which lead to him becoming the personification of the Sun to his mate’s Moon, and their co-mate a beta whose androgynous nature lead people to make their own assumptions about their gender, who was a healer of great stature known to have been so powerful they could bring people back from the dead if they got to them quickly enough. Called Chogun, they became the deity of life and death, personification of The Stars, the spark of chaos that wrought so much change on Earth.

Legend has it that the other deities the Taliians worship were the children of Tal and her mates, but science says that this is not possible. Individuals who are Touched who actively use their powers are infertile. The process of using their abilities raises their core body temperature so high that it renders their bodies incapable of procreation. People who have Passive abilities, like Foresight and Empathy, are incapable of controlling when or how they use their powers, though they can learn to manipulate and guide them in the right direction with practice over time; those with Passive abilities can never regain their fertility. Individuals with Active abilities- powers that require thought and action to use- such as power over the wind and rain- can choose not to use their powers for a time, usually a period of a year or more, and regain their fertility. Sadly, this is only true for people who can sire children not those who can bear them. Damage done to eggs stored in ovaries is permanent and irreversible, while those with testicles can hope to recover sperm production over time.

Unfortunately, this means that Tal more than likely never had any children, let alone so many children with Touched abilities. Nevertheless, the Taliians choose to believe that their various gods and goddesses, called the Brood, are the children of Tal just as the Taliians themselves are the Children of Tal; The Great Moon Mother.

After the settling of Saeloun, the Taliians spread out to occupy most of the islands surrounding the southwestern edge of the peninsula. Life on the islands consists of mostly homesteading. Homes are usually large, multi-family pack houses that function off of alternative energy sources such as solar, wind, and water based power. Farming, raising livestock, hunting, gathering, and salvaging from the Mainland are key components to their survival. While most homes have electricity, they enforce strict lights-out hours and are very conscious of conserving energy. In most Taliian villages, two places have constant power, the Main Hall and the Temple. Average pack size is between two hundred and five hundred, with the largest settlements boasting upwards of three thousand residents. The Main Hall serves as the central food storage area, with large walk-in freezers and refrigerators and an industrial style kitchen that serves the whole pack. The Temple serves as their emergency medical location, with a small surgical theatre and the ability to administer general anesthetic. The Temple receives medical supplies that they trade for from the Walls, although when it comes to most medical needs they rely on traditional and natural remedies. Both places are connected to back-up generators at all times.

Taliians are a diarchic society as their leadership is divided between the Pack Alpha and the Head Acolyte of Tal. The Pack Alpha sits at the head of the pack council, while the Head Acolyte of Tal is the leader of The Temple. The pack council sees to the day to day aspects of the pack including handing down justice when needed, while The Temple sees to the spiritual needs of the pack as well as their health needs as they train and provide healers to the village.

Every Pack Alpha comes together to form the main governing body of the Children of Tal. They meet once a year during the annual Summer Meeting on the Mainland. The leadership of the various temples form the Light of the Moon and meet yearly in the same way. In between meetings messages are delivered by trained birds and via Storytellers. The leader of the Alpha’s Council is called the Prime, and they are acknowledged as the overall leader of the Taliians as a whole.

The Prime is the alpha all other alphas defer to, historically they have often earned their place by challenge, but can be democratically voted into the position as well. When a Prime steps down or passes away, they name an heir. The Taliian people can either choose to accept that heir or name one of their own. A competition will be held to determine whether or not the Prime’s Successor will maintain their hold on the title of Prime.

The leader of the Light of the Moon is simply called The First. They are almost exclusively an Acolyte of Tal, but other servants of other members of the Brood have held the title in the past. Like their Prime counterpart, their authority inside the temple is absolute. They lead the important ceremonies during the Summer Meeting and once a year they administer the test that determines whether or not a trainee is ready to move onto acolyte status

To reflect their diarchic leadership, members of Taliian packs dedicate themselves two-fold; picking a profession to master and a deity to pledge their loyalty to; a Calling and a Devotion. A person is expected to work hard at their profession and they spend their life trying to live according to the ideals of their Devoted. Each person chooses their own path and the Acolytes help them achieve a closeness to Tal and Her Children as they follow that path. The goal is to have a population who individually excel at unique skills and who have a steady relationship with their gods.

Inside the main body of the Pack exists individual Hearths. Each Hearth is led by an alpha who submits to the Pack Alpha. Newly mated individuals can choose to stay in their family home or establish a new Hearth. Some Hearths, such as the Saltwater Hearth maintained by the Kim Family in the Village of Haedoji can be traced all the way back to the founding of the village while newer Hearths, such as Kim Hongjoong’s Aurora Hearth are only a single generation old.

Taliians are marked so they can easily identify each other and to show which Packs they belong to. They also believe that the marks keep them honest; you can’t lie and deceive anyone if your true identity is right there for everyone to see. The backs of their right hands are tattooed with the unique, distinct insignia of their Pack. Receiving your First Mark is a right of passage and signifies a juvenile's ascension into the rank of adults. A mark on the bicep shows which dynamic a person belongs to, and one on the shoulder declares the temple a person has Devoted themselves to, and a more complicated series that begins at their right wrist and travels up the arm with time, is made up of symbols that when read detail a person’s history; the hearth of their birth, their Calling, their mating, anything that someone might need to know about them is etched in a design that flows together almost seamlessly to the untrained eye.

Those who serve the Temple have an additional tattoo across their right cheek bone depicting the phases of the moon. The more complete the cycle is, the farther into their training an Acolyte is. A fully trained Acolyte will have the entire cycle from start to finish spanning across their cheek. Certain embellishments to the design depict an acolytes rank within the Temple as well.

Common Mating Practices

In contrast to those who live inside the Walls, Taliians believe that their wolf is part of their soul and to ignore it is to ignore Tal herself. Therefore, they believe that following your instincts can be an almost religious experience. Because of this belief, Taliians tend to be a more sexually free society than any other Post-Desolation peoples. Jealousy is considered to be a toxic emotion and possessiveness is frowned upon up to a certain extent. Following the example of their Goddess, many Taliians have more than one mate.

Their three main deities represent the alpha, beta, and omega spirit. They are represented in an Earthly way by the sun, moon, and stars. The saying used to go, ‘the sun is the counterpart of the moon, the moon compliments the stars, and the stars mirror the sun, but the sky is not complete without all three.’

It used to be that unions between alpha, beta, and omega were considered the perfect relationship as it mirrored the relationship of the Founders. But gradually over the years, those types of unions fell out of favor. Partly because it became harder and harder to find a third person that they could get along with to complete the trio, but also because people became more concerned with lines of ascension.

In the past having more than one mate was something you did only out of love, but as times changed and people jockeyed for status a marked change began to happen among the mating habits of Taliians.

People began to take on mates for a variety of reasons, which led to the concept of First Mates and Second Mates. A First Mate would be a mate an individual took on for love. They are bonded and there is a real, true relationship between them as partners. A Second Mate is usually a mate that is taken for status, for political gain, so a bearer can have an extra set of helping hands around the house, or so that an alpha can gain an heir if their First Mate fails to produce one. In this situation, there is usually one person who has two individual mates, but those mates have no relationship with each other. These are called Cross-Mates. A trio of people or more who are all in a romantic relationship with each other are called Co-Mates.

There is a difference between Co-Mates and Second/Third/etc Mates aka Cross-Mates. Co-mates are people who are in a mutual relationship with each other. They are all mated to each other and all enjoy an intimate relationship. Co-mates are people who are in love, a unit, they’re all equal in their bond. A Second/Third/etc Mate is a mate that a person chooses to take on outside of and separate from their original union. Second/Third/etc Mates are usually for social or political gain or to produce heirs and it’s not considered socially acceptable to show them any favoritism over a First Mate.

Example: An alpha who is already bonded with an omega decides to mate with another omega. The two omegas have no feelings for each other and therefore do not want to be in a union together. The second omega would then become the Alpha’s Second Mate and the two omegas would now be considered cross-mates as opposed to co-mates.

Most of the time, Second Mates are for political or societal gain; usually more along the lines of a contractual agreement. Often they are brought into the fold so that more children can be born to a specific Hearth. The Second Mate and the First Mate are not often involved with each other, and if they do become romantic/intimately involved, they can become co-mates. First and Second Mates might even live in different homes, though more often than not they simply have their own quarters within the packhouse. For example, the First Mate has a set of rooms, a drawing room, a bedroom, and a room for their pups that they share with their mate, and then the Second Mate will have the same style of apartment, and the shared Mate will stay with them when the mood strikes. It is considered inappropriate to live permanently with a Second Mate. One must still provide for them and acknowledge their children as children of one’s Hearth.

Typically, the custom of taking a Second/Third Mate is practiced by alphas and betas, rarely will an omega or an omega-aligned beta take on a second mate that is not a co-mate. When it comes to Second Mates, no one is forced into anything. Taliians are very much concerned with an Omega’s right to choose their own mate. If a Second Mate really wanted to, they could find another mate of their own. But because it would make lines of succession difficult to untangle, omegas are generally discouraged from having more than one dominant mate. Overall, the actual parentage of a child does not matter; it only matters whose Hearth they were born to as that’s where they get their status from. Agreeing to become a Second Mate can guarantee an Omega’s children have higher status, which is usually more than enough for most Omegas to make the choice.

Sexual freedom is important to Taliians, and people often have sex outside of their unions. For the Children of Tal, Moon Festivals are a time of socializing and celebrating. It was discovered long ago that the cycles of the Moon influenced hormone levels, and that even those who aren’t expecting a heat or a rut can feel the effects of a full moon. To discourage unpleasantness, anyone who is willing or wanting to have a little fun in their heightened state of arousal is invited to attend the Moon Festival where people indulge with whoever they want as long as all parties are willing.

In fact, Moon Festivals are so important to their culture that children thought to be conceived during a Moon Festival are often considered to be lucky and it’s said that they’re destined for the Temple.

Bondmates are what mated wolves are called after they exchange a mating bite; or ‘mark’. Not every mated pair/trio/etc choses to bond, and not every bond takes. A rejected bond can make a wolf very sick, so people have to be very sure that their wolf halves have accepted each other before they attempt to exchange marks. Often choosing to become bondmates involves going to the Temple for guidance and seeking counseling with the Acolytes there.

In addition to bondmates, there also exists the concept of Fated mates. Anyone can mate with anyone, but everyone has at least one Fated mate. Meeting your Fated mate is signaled by the Pull, the Pull is a physical/biological response to someone who is your perfect mate, on a scientific level. Often described as a sensation of the Earth moving beneath your feet but you’re standing still, the pull is more so a sign that two individuals are essentially designed for each other—perfectly compatible. In terms of science they'd produce offspring with superior genes. The instinct to act on the Pull is the same instinct that drives people to mate during Heats and Ruts; a deep seated need to ensure their lineage.

Among Taliians, hunting partners are bonded similarly to mates. It’s said that hunting partners exchange pieces of each other’s soul to keep them in tune with each other and encourage them to look out for each other in dangerous situations.

THE TALIIAN PANTHEON:

Tal - Moon Goddess; The First Omega. Legend has it that she birthed the Taliian people and continues to guide them through their Earthly lives until they one day return to her side. Mate of Hae and Chugun. Goddess of the Past, Present, and Future. Patron Deity of the Touched. Sacred of Omegas, and Protector of Bearers. Worshiped in the Temple of the Moon.

Hae - Sun God; The First Alpha. Watches over Her People while She sleeps. Deity of Justice, Civil Order, and War. Mate of Tal and Chugun. Sacred of Alphas, and Guiding Light to all Alphas. Worshiped in the Temple of the Sun.

Chugun - Life & Death. Genderless, but often depicted as male. The First Beta. Guides Tal’s People from their Earthly bodies back to Her side. The souls Chugun returns to Tal are healed and returned to Earth to be reborn. Mate of Tal and Hae. Sacred to Betas. Worshiped in the Temple of the Tomb.

THE BROOD

Chijin - A Beta God of the Earth. Male. He Who Provided the Islands. God of Fertile Land. Worshiped in the Temple of the Stone.

Konggi - An Omega Goddess of the Sky. Female. Bringer of Rain, Clean Fresh Air, and the keeper of the Moon Temple where Tal lives. Worshiped in the Temple of the Wind.

Mul - A Beta Goddess of the Sea. Female. The Endless Provider; Goddess of Fishing. Guides and Protects those who travel to the Mainland on Salvage Expeditions and ensures that they return safely. Worshiped in the Temple of the Waves.

Namu - An Alpha God of the Forest. Male. Provides foraging and building materials; Patron of Famine and Shelter. Worshipped in the Temple of the Glade.

Pul - An Alpha God of Fire. Male. Fire is essential for Taliian survival, but it can also be deadly. Pul is a respected, revered, and feared God. Worshiped in the Temple of the Flames.

Sanyang - An Alpha Goddess of Hunting. Female. Guides hunters on their quest for prey, directs their hand as they hunt. Provides dutiful worshipers with good luck in their hunting endeavors. Worshiped in the Temple of the Beast.

Tongmul - An Omega Goddess of Animals. Female. Watches over animals in the fields and ensures their good health. Worshiped in the Temple of the Beast.

Nongbu - An Omega God of Farming. Male. Patron of the Harvest, Planting, and Protector of Fields. Worshiped in the Temple of the Harvest.

Kongang & Uihak - Beta & Omega Twin Deities of Health & Healing; Brother and Sister. Kongang is a Beta God who specializes in Traditional Medicine, and Uihak is a Omega Goddess whose realm in Childbirth. Worshiped in the Temple of the Soul.

Nunbora - An Alpha Goddess of the Snow. Female. Snow is a big factor in how Taliians live their day to day lives; Cosmic Winter means long, hard periods of cold and heavy snow. Respecting Snow as the game changer that it is, is an absolute necessity and therefore they pay Nunbora the utmost respect so that their winters will be short and the frost will come late enough for them to secure the harvest. Worshiped in the Temple of the Frost.

Misul - An Omega Goddess of Crafting. Female. Source of Inspiration and Artistic Ability of all who wish to create. Worshiped in the Temple of the Masteries.

Nanlo - A Beta Goddess of the Hearth. Female. Watches over the Hearth, Protects the Packhouse when no one is there. Ensures Harmony within the Home. Worshiped in the Temple of the Heart.

Kyolhon - A Beta God of Mating/Bonding. Male. Works Closely with Tal and Nanlo to find the perfect mates for each of Her Children. Blesses Unions and Bonds. Fertility and Love are his specialties. Worshiped in the Temple of the Heart.

POWERFUL EVILS:

Chaos - the Spirit of Desolation

Geulimja - the Dark Shadow. He travels the land and spreads sickness and death wherever he touches. Animals starve, plants will not grow, water becomes poisonous and dangerous to bath in or drink.

Gongpo - the spirits of those who failed to return to Tal after death. They try to inhabit bodies already holding a wolf spirit and drive them insane (Taliian myth for the origin of the Rabid)

THE WOLFOLK

Originally called the Wolf Folk, the name over time flowed together to become the Wolfolk. The ancestors of the Wolfolk were those who chose to stay behind in the ruins of what were once great cities, refusing to abandon their ancestral homes. While some Wolfolk are nomadic, most have a permanent home hidden away somewhere in the stone tombs of cities long dead.

They rely a large amount upon hunting and foraging as raising livestock and growing crops requires large amounts of land space and makes it hard for them to keep themselves hidden from Rabid and Rogues alike. Each pack has uniquely adapted to the territory they live in. Every Wolfolk village is different, with different cultures and rules unique to their pack structure.

Packs are generally small, twenty to thirty being the norm while packs of fifty or more find it hard to stay safe and hidden. A surprising amount of the Wolfolk are Touched, most likely due to the fact that in the early years of the ban, the Walls used to throw those whose powers they deemed to be too ‘dangerous’ out of the city which lead them to intermingle with the Wolfolk.

In addition, or probably in part due to this phenomenon, most Wolfolk packs have traditions and rituals that are conducive to genetic diversity. The most benign of those being that matings inside the pack are frowned upon and mechanisms exist for young people of different packs to meet. More extreme packs will have bans of mating with someone who shares the same Clan name as them. Slightly more problematic traditions include young alphas being kicked out at a certain age and they can only return if and only when they bring a mate back with them.

Perhaps among the worst of these practices are those Wolfolk packs who raid the homes of young omegas from other packs, systematically capturing them and sometimes killing all of their relatives to prevent anyone coming after them. Most Wolfolk tribes are peaceful and resent their barbarian reputation inside the Walls, but some of them have given into their more base instincts, especially those closer to Daegu where chaos seems to reign even in the surrounding areas that make up the Wastes outside the city.

Wolfolk are incredibly territorial when it comes to both their cities and their hunting grounds, and skirmishes between both other Wolfolk packs, Rogues, and even Compounders are not uncommon. They tend to rove far from home in their wolf forms in search of hunting and areas to forage, often traveling with their smaller, lighter weight packmates riding on their backs in human form in order to carry supplies and help bring their haul back.

Most Wolfolk packs are ruled by a single family with an alpha handing down leadership to their first born alpha offspring generation to generation and therefore are called after the Clan Name of their ruling alpha, i.e. the Choi Pack.

AN ANNOTATION OF IMPORTANT PEOPLES AND PLACES:

PEOPLES:

Citizens: Those who live inside the Walls; particularly Seoul.

Compunders: Those who live inside the sanctioned villages outside the Walls, who supply the Walls with useful agricultural products and industrial resources in exchange for supplies and protection from the Rabid.

The Colonies: Fledgling Compounds often far, far from the Walls. Often located in the most dangerous parts of the Wastes, they are tasked with settling the land and carving out a foothold for the Walls in that area. Often people are sent to the Colonies as a punishment, and people who struggle inside the Walls will often volunteer for the Colonies as a last ditch effort to survive. The Colonies are notoriously dangerous, untrained, and undersupplied. Most of them are wiped out by Rogues or Rabid barely a year after they’re founded.

Taliians: Those who live on the islands along the southwestern coast of the peninsula and revere the Moon.

Sangilions: A particular subset of the Taliian people, native to the island of Saeloun; they reject Tal and instead worship the sun, her mate Hae. They are a civilization of raiders that rely on brute force to survive on top of their mountain.

The Chayuroun: A small civilization founded in 2285 on an island far to the north in the Western Sea. Their population consists of almost entirely Omegas with a few genetic throwbacks to Betas mixed in.

Wolfolk: Fringe dwellers who live inside the ruins of abandoned cities. Called the Shameless by those inside the Walls for their reliance on their wolflike ability to survive in the Wastes.

The Rabid: Those who have reached the final stages of the Star-Blight and have descended into madness; stuck between their human and wolf forms, driven by a need to hunt healthy humans. They roam the Wastes attacking anything living, human or animal. Most often they are little more than animals themselves, but some have retained a sort of warped, sadistic intelligence. Rarely, they organize into a sick, twisted facsimile of a functioning pack. At worst, they band together in blood thirsty, destructive groups to prowl the forests, mountains, and abandoned cities of the Wastes in search of prey.

Rogues: Those who choose to reject any form of law and order, roaming nomadically throughout the Wastes. They rely on violence and survival of the fittest to sustain their way of life,; often at the expense of others. Murder and thievery are their bread and butter. Rogues often act as slavers, kidnapping Wolfolk, Taliians, and Citizens alike and selling them to the highest bidder.

PLACES:

Seoul: Most Commonly Referred to as ‘The Walls’. A Walled City built upon the ruins of what used to be the Capital of South Korea. Ruled by the Committee, the Walls uphold an unwavering belief in science and uniformity, believing that it is key to the continuation of the human race.

Wonju Compound: A Compound to the North West of Seoul, dedicated to the Walls they are a lumber district overseen by the Bang Family.

Saeloun: An Island in the Western Sea, about eight hours by boat from Incheon. Saeloun is the location of the original Taliian settlement. Those who live there follow the guidance of both their pack leaders and the Temple of the Moon; a religious sect dedicated to the worship of the Omega Moon Goddess Tal.

Haedoji: Located on Saeloun; The Oldest Taliian Village, the Original Taliian Settlement. Home of the Shore Pack, their leading family is the Kim Clan.

Kangbyon: Second Oldest Taliian Village, the Second Settlement on Saeloun founded after Haedoji became too crowded. Home of the River Pack, their leading family is the Bang Clan.

Sangil: Third Oldest Taliian Village, the Third Settlement on Saeloun. Founded after a fissure developed over the leadership of Kangbyon. Home of the Mountain Pack, their leading family is the Oh Clan. A splinter religion, they instead choose to worship the Alpha Mate of Tal, the Sun God Hae.

Baengnyeong: A island far to the North of Saeloun off the coast of what use to be North Korea; home of the Chayurouni Tribe - a Warrior Race comprised almost entirely of Omegas and a select few Betas who generations ago escaped from a dangerous group of alphas who intended to enslave them. They isolate themselves and do not associate with people from off their shores. Alphas are forbidden on their island.

The Haven: A Secret Village located inside the Ruins of Jeonju, North of what is left of Old Gwangju. A Wolfolk settlement; home of the Choi Pack- it is located almost entirely inside of a few rehabilitated apartment buildings, sort of like a town inside of a building.

Jirisan: A summer village belonging to the Taliians located in the heart of an ancient forest near the Southern end of the Korean Peninsula. Large enough to accommodate the entirety of the Taliian nation, it is only occupied from Mid-May to Mid-August. Designed as a summer home to allow their islands to recuperate from constant human occupation, Jirisan consists of a collection of sturdy wooden packhouses- one for each Pack- with enough cleared land to pitch tents in between; as well as a Temple and an arena for competitions such as wrestling and foot races and a central square area for festivals.

The Walled City of Daegu: One of the three remaining Walled Cities, Daegu is ruled by a ruthless monarchy that rules over it’s people with an iron fist. A strict class system exists with those who are Touched composing the highest tier and Omegas taking on a role as second-class citizens.

The Walled City of Busan: The last of the three remaining Walled Cities, Busan succumbed to a mysterious illness known only as The Virus. What is left of it is rules by lawlessness. Their Compounds have all been taken over by Daegu, leaving the citizens of Busan without any resources, but with nowhere else to go.

[The Remainder of this Journal was Never Recovered]

[Excerpt from the Research of Dr. Enomoto Yasuka, Geneticist and Bioengineer]

A/B/O SUBGENDER GENOTYPES

As a result of the gamma radiation combined with environmental stressors, human evolution responded by separating the second chromosomal pair back into two distinct pairs. Called 2A and 2B, these chromosomes then mutated. 2A developed the genes that would lead to the ability to shift into wolves, and 2B developed the genes that determined a person's reproductive anatomy in regards to their subgender.

The pair of chromosomes that make up 2B each contain one of the Alpha, Beta, or Omega alleles. Each person inherits one allele from each parent. The paired alleles are called genotypes. There are a total of six different genotypes a person can have: AA, AB, OO, OB, BB, and AO.

Alpha and Omega alleles are dominant, meaning people with the AA and AB genotypes are Alphas and people who make up the OO and OB genotypes are Omegas. The BB genotype results in a Beta, however, people who have the AO genotype are Betas as well since the two dominant alleles cancel each other out.

Example: A Male Alpha, Genotype AB and a Female Omega, Genotype OB would have a 25% chance of producing a AO Beta, a 25% chance of an OB Omega, a 25% chance of an AB Alpha, and a 25% chance of producing a BB Beta, or a 50% chance of producing a Beta offspring as opposed to the likelihood that they’d produce another Alpha or Omega being 25% each.

REPRODUCTIVE ANATOMY

The presence of the Alpha/Beta/Omega alleles in Chromosome 2B rewrites the rules when it comes to how the X and Y Chromosomes behave.

All embryos are endowed with the same all-purpose structures that determine the growth of the developing person’s reproductive organs. The development of these reproductive structures are triggered by secretions released from the testes called androgens.

At the direction of these androgens; male alphas, male betas, and male omegas will develop typical external male genitalia- and the absence of these androgens for female alphas, betas, and omegas when it comes to developing typical external female genitalia.

It is the presence of the omega and beta alleles in combination with the Y Chromosome; and the alpha allele in combination with the X Chromosome that alters the configuration of the internal reproductive structures.

Between the fifth and seventh weeks after fertilization, human embryos of either sex develop two primordial gonads that will by the eight week commit themselves to becoming either testes or ovaries.

If either the Y Chromosome or the alpha allele is present, one gonad will become a teste. If there is no Y Chromosome or alpha allele present one will become an ovary.

Embryos start out with two sets of ducts known as the Müllerian Ducts and the Wolffian Ducts. In absence of the testes, Wolffian Ducts atrophy while the Müllerian Ducts grow into the uterus, fallopian tubes, and the inner part of the vagina. With testes present, the opposite happens; androgens produced by the testes stimulate the Wolffian Ducts to develop into seminal vesicles, vas deferens, and epididymis.

In male alphas, a testicular protein called Müllerian Inhibiting Factor prevents the Müllerian Ducts from developing into the internal childbearing organs. In female alphas, the presence of the second X Chromosome prevents Müllerian Inhibiting Factor from being produced, allowing female alphas to develop their childbearing organs.

The combination of the second X Chromosome and the alpha allele influences the synthesis of each individual enzyme required to build functioning internal reproductive structures, leading to the unique alpha female configuration of organs that allows them to both sire and bear children.

In female alphas, one gonad develops into an ovary while the other develops into a teste. The ovary is connected to the uterus by a fallopian tube while the teste and the surrounding epididymis are housed in a protective layer of tissue that is connected by a vas deferens to a seminal vesicle that takes the place of one Bartholin’s Gland located in between the vulva and the opening of the vagina. While the ducts of the Bartholin’s Gland secretes the fluids required for the natural lubrication of the vagina; the ducts of the seminal vesicle in combination with the vas deferens secretes semen and spermatozoa upon orgasm; allowing an alpha female to potentially fertilize any other individual with childbearing organs.

During sexual intercourse the presence of submissive pheromones causes a female alpha’s cervix to swell, closing it off and preventing her own reproductive material from reaching her eggs. When a female alpha chooses to submit to another person, her cervix does not swell and instead the tissue housing the teste and epididymis swells, preventing sperm from being secreted upon orgasm. When allowing penetration, an alpha female’s vaginal walls swell to lock her partner in place; similar to the knot developed by an alpha male.

In male alphas, the first gonad descends into the scrotum and divides into the testes, and the second gonad descends and becomes the bulbus glandis aka the ‘knot’; tissue located at the base of the penis that swells up to lock the alpha into place inside their partner in the moments before ejaculation. They remain locked together until the swelling goes down, ensuring that no sperm is wasted. Often a male alpha will cycle through numerous orgasms as their knot goes down, all while locked in place with their partner.

In female omegas and betas, the process is fairly simple; the second gonad atrophies and is reabsorbed into the body leaving them with a function set of childbearing reproductive organs.

Similar to Female Alphas, the presence of the Y Chromosome in relation to the Omega and Beta Alleles in Male Betas and Male Omegas determines the unique way their internal reproductive structures develop, one gonad becomes the testes, splitting and descending into the scrotum, while the other develops into ovaries which are then attached to the uterus by fallopian tubes. A short vaginal opening is located inside the rectum leading to the cervix. Outside of Heats, the opening is sealed shut by a flap of tissue. During heats, the tissue blocking the vaginal opening swells, blocking the rectum and allowing for sanitary access to the cervix and thus the uterus. Hormones secreted during Heats allow for enhanced muscle elasticity, easing anal penetration. A Bartholin’s Gland located a the vaginal opening secretes what it colloquially known as ‘slick’ during Heats as well, to aid in the process of anal penetration. Those same hormones allow for the tissues of the anus and rectum to easily and safely stretch during childbirth, giving male betas and omegas the ability to birth their children naturally without medical intervention.

Male Omegas begin to experience their Heats at the onset of puberty, while Male Betas reproductive abilities remain dormant until their place in their pack structure is determined. Once their role has been assigned, they will either develop a Heat or a Rut to suit their role. A Beta can switch dynamics based upon the pheromones of their sexual partner and once bonded often falls into one role and stays there. For example, if a Male Beta is mated to a Male Alpha, the beta's body will be triggered to begin producing Omega Aligned Hormones, which will in turn trigger the maturation of their childbearing organs and thus a Heat, allowing them to become pregnant and bear children. A Male Beta mated to an Omega would begin to produce Alpha Aligned Hormones which would trigger a Rut and thus the production of the reproductive material needed to sire a child. A Male Beta mated to another Male Beta’s designation would depend on which individual was more Dominant in terms of rank within the pack structure. A Male Beta in a relationship with more than one person might struggle with their place in the pack, especially if one mate is more dominant while the other is more submissive, causing their hormones to swing rapidly between Alpha Aligned and Omega Aligned. The rapid hormonal shifting often leads to an illness called Diametrical Breakdown Syndrome characterized by hot flashes, night sweats, sudden weight loss, nausea, loss of appetite, stomach cramps, loss of muscle mass, irritability, trouble sleeping, fatigue, memory loss, and lowered sex drive. If the issue is not resolved it can lead to a coma and eventually death.

Reproductive Potential of Each Dynamic:

Male Alphas - Sire Only.

Female Alphas - Bear and Sire.

Male Betas - Bear and Sire Depending on Alignment; Difficulty with Conception/Sustaining Pregnancy Due to Hormonal Imbalances.

Female Betas - Bear, With a Lowered Chance of Siring; Difficulty with Conception/Sustaining Pregnancy Due to Hormonal Imbalances.

Male Omegas - Bear, With a Lowered Chance of Siring.

Female Omegas - Bear Only.

Cultural Note:

In same-sex relationships the person who contributed their dna to the creation of the child is called the Sire and the person who gave birth to them is called the Bearer. A female alpha who contributed their DNA is referred to as ' Isa ' by their children and a male omega or beta who birthed a child is called ' Beba '. Mother and Father are normally used by male-female pairings. However, any combination of terms that suits a family best is tolerated. For example, a pup can have a female omega bearer, aka their mother and male alpha father, aka their sire. Another pup can have a male alpha sire, aka their father and a male omega Bearer, aka their beba .

BIOLOGY OF SHIFTING

A person’s ability to shift relies entirely upon a special cell similar to stem cells called ‘Catalyst Cells’. Like stem cells, a person’s body contains catalyst cells throughout their entire lifetime and their body can use them whenever it needs them. Catalyst Cells do not have a specific role in the body and can become any cell that is required of them. Unlike stem cells, which become more tissue-specific when an embryo reaches maturity, Catalyst Cells retain their embryonic state. Produced and circulated by dual-functioning scent glands located on the sides of the throat, inside of wrists, and on the inner thigh; Catalyst Cells are present in the brain, bone marrow, blood and blood vessels, skeletal muscles, skin, and liver primarily. Most of the time they are dormant and have to be activated when the body ‘calls’ on them using certain hormonal triggers; but in times of dire need the body can use Catalyst Cells to make repairs and grow new tissue- lending to humanities new found resilience and increased healing factor.

Catalyst Cells can divide and self-renew indefinitely, meaning they can mimic various cell types, allowing them to heal flesh wounds, knit broken bones, and even regenerate damaged organs if given enough time. As previously stated, Catalyst Cells remain dormant until the right combination of hormones activates them. Once activated they begin to divide rapidly, attaching themselves to the nearest aspects of their host’s body and altering the body from the inside out. Some Catalyst Cells attack and break down existing bodily structures to make room for new growth or reshaping them into the best base to suit a person’s transformation from human into wolf.

A person’s body can on average produce and store enough Catalyst Cells to transform from human to wolf and back at most three times in a twenty-four hour period. The cells require the right combination of hormones to activate, but the quickness with which they allow a person to change requires that an exhaustingly large amount of energy be available to burn, meaning that those who shift have to eat a high calorie, high protein diet to be able to change with any kind of speed or grace.

After a person has burned through their store of Catalyst Cells they usually require a cooling down period of twelve to twenty-four hours to build up enough cells to shift again, leaving the individual essentially trapped in whatever form they were in last when their reserves ran out. It is recommended that a person try to avoid becoming trapped in their animal form. Spending too long in wolf form puts one at risk for memory loss, personality changes, and eventually the loss of the ability to shift back into their primary human form as the beast takes over entirely and overrides the shifter’s human nature. It is also recommended that a person not try to shift again until the required time has elapsed and their stores have been renewed as there is the potential to become ‘caught’ in between forms; a condition known as going ‘Rabid’.

While forcing yourself to change and becoming caught between form is a rare feat, one often only accomplished by those who are truly desperate to change, there is an illness known as the Star-Blight that causes a person’s Catalyst Cells to become unstable, activating outside of normal protocol, and therefore causing a person to shift back and forth rapidly without being able to maintain a proper cool down period. Prolonged time in their wolf form coupled with their inevitable fate of becoming stuck in between the two forms eventually causes them to go mad and thus they become one of the Rabid, a condition for which there is as of yet no known cure.

[End of Recovered Information Available At This Time]

{Would You Like to Continue?}

[YES] or [NO]

THE YEAR IS 2395; ninety-five years after the imposition of the MATCH program and one-hundred and five years after the Taliians separated from the Walls. The Wolfolk have been resisting the Committee's attempts to bring them into the fold for the past seventy-five years, but things are beginning to come to a head. The Committee; currently led by Kang Jinsun, a cold and calculating Alpha whose ruthless pursuit of the Wolfolk and recent crack down on those who would avoid the MATCH Program is beginning to stir feelings of dissent in the general population.

On the island of Saeloun, the Shore Pack- the oldest and most powerful of the Taliian settlements- is led by Alpha Kim Kyuwook while high in the mountains, the Village of Sangil rots from the inside out.

In the ruins of Jeonju the Alpha of the Choi Pack has passed away, leaving his young son San to lead in his place.

While away in the Compounds outside of Seoul, Yeonjun struggles with a gift he can hardly stand to bear. Inside the Walls, locked away inside the Sanatorium, a man with a similar gift struggles to find his way in a world that looks to only be made up of varying shades of gray.

And a young beta runs from it all.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/29254905/chapters/71838882

#fictional word primer #long post #the moon above #vinnie writes things #pseudoscience #I apologize to anyone on mobile who can't see the 'read more'

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cmbynreviews · 6 years

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Director Luca Guadagnino on why "Call Me by Your Name" is making everyone cry

Hollywood's award-season prognosticators are busy divining the Oscar chances of prestige pictures like Christopher Nolan's summer box office hit Dunkirk against festival darlings such as Guillermo del Toro's Venice-winning aquatic interspecies love story The Shape of Water and unseen 800-pound gorillas like Steven Spielberg's Pentagon Papers exposé The Post. Yet one movie has been quietly but consistently building a steady drumbeat of support: Luca Guadagnino's Call Me by Your Name.

This swooning romance between 24-year-old grad student Oliver (Armie Hammer) and precocious 17-year-old Elio (Timothée Chalamet) during a hot Italian summer in 1983 won't open in theaters until November 24, but it first unspooled way back at the Sundance Film Festival last January. And what a debut: festival director John Cooper, who introduced the film at its world premiere, actually started to cry just trying to describe it.

People have been breaking into tears ever since. And for good reason: Guadagnino's film version of André Aciman's 2007 novel is a rapturous ode to pure passion, an unfiltered look at love that has moved audiences at film festivals from Berlin to Toronto. Last week at the New York Film Festival, the sold-out crowd at Alice Tully Hall even gave it a 10-minute ovation.

Guadagnino is grateful for the effusive reaction. "I am constantly overwhelmed", he told Observer during a late-morning chat after the film's Sundance premiere in the café of Berlin's posh Hotel Adlon Kempinski. As to where all those tears are coming from, he puts it down to resonance. "We filmmakers can create an emotional bridge in peoples' lives through the stories we tell and the elements we combine".

Octogenarian James Ivory, the acclaimed filmmaker of A Room with a View and Howards End, whose 1987 film Maurice was a landmark in gay cinema, was slated to direct Call Me by Your Name, but he ended up writing the script and co-producing, handing over the reins to Guadagnino mainly as a result of financial pragmatism (Guadagnino refers to his production as "micro-budget"). But the choice of the Italian director was inspired.

The filmmaker shot in his hometown of Crema, a village in the Italian region of Lombardy that also contains the area of Sanremo where the book takes place. Aciman actually set his novel in 1987, but Guadagnino decided to push the time earlier, to 1983. "I thought that '83 is the year – in Italy at least – where the '70s are killed, when everything that was great about the '70s is definitely shut down", he said. "And I think our characters in the movie are in a way untouched by the corruption of the '80s – in the U.S., Reagan, and in the UK, Thatcher".

One of the tactile pleasures of the period setting is enjoying a defiantly analogue world: no cell phones, no computers, no electronic screens of any kind. "I was watching the movie again", said Guadagnino. "And, even though I've seen it so many times, I noticed that they read so many books, there are so many books in the film". But the director also pointed out that Elio is not the kind of person who would be fixated on social media anyway. "If we had shot the movie today", he said, "I don't think that Elio would use the cell phone to browse online and see if there were any boys around on Grindr".

Since Oliver is there to study Greco-Roman antiquities under Elio's professor father (Michael Stuhlbarg) and the focus is on education and intellectual pursuits, the story seems to revel in being immune to any outside current affairs – political, social, cultural – especially since Elio and his worldly parents seem so effortlessly tolerant and open-minded as they shift between speaking French, Italian, and English just as easily as the Lombarian sunlight flickers through the trees.

That polyglot sensibility soon becomes a polyamorous instinct for the virginal Elio, who initially seems more interested in pursuing the local girls until his mutual attraction to Oliver, initially masked, becomes increasingly apparent. In one 12-hour period, Elio finally loses his virginity: first by having sex with a girl, then later with Oliver – and, in the film's most notorious scene, he even uses a peach to masturbate. "He's burning with desire!" laughs Guadagnino. "And Timothée vibrates every muscle with desire".

The most potent characters, unexpectedly, turn out to be Elio's parents, peripheral players who watch from the sidelines with knowing glances. And by the end, they provide the emotional ballast for their son. His dad even delivers a remarkable father-son speech about true love that has had viewers thanking Guadagnino at post-screening Q&A's. (It's also more or less guaranteed Stuhlbarg an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.)

Although ostensibly a niche story about two gay men falling in love, Call Me by Your Name has been garnering wider and wider interest. Does it have the traction to go mainstream? Maybe so, especially since Guadagnino's intent was never sexual politics but simply to explore the nature of desire.

Armie Hammer spoke to this point during the New York Film Festival. "This film deals with locating, isolating, figuring out that thing inside of you and what it is", he said at a panel discussion about the film. "And are you repressing it? Are you being healthy and integrating it into your life as a whole? Desire is a really powerful human emotion. And you see the fruition of how beautiful it can be in this situation. But I know that, if you take that desire and you don't handle it properly, it can eat you alive".

Guadagnino is equally interested in Elio's journey of self-discovery. "I don't know if he's going to end up having a gay life or a straight life", he said. "I think he's going to be a man who is always going to be in wonderment of the unexpected delights that life and desire will bring to him. I really believe in that".

STEPHEN GARRETT | OBSERVER | 13 Oct 2017

#Call Me by Your Name #Guadagnino #timothee chalamet #armie hammer #andre aciman #james ivory #reviews #CMBYN #Elio #Oliver #Perlman #Chiamami col tuo nome

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newrockvoipgateway · 5 years

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Rotary Vacuum Pump of Actual Vacuum Oil Level

Rotary vane vacuum pump (Rotary vane pump) is an oil-sealed mechanical vacuum pump. The working pressure ranges from 101 325 to 1.33 x 10_Pa, which belongs to low vacuum pump. It can be used alone or as the front pump of other high vacuum pumps or ultra-high vacuum pumps. It has been widely used in metallurgy, machinery, military industry, electronics, chemical industry, light industry, petroleum, medicine and other production and scientific research departments.

Rotary vane vacuum pump can set the upper and lower limits of the required vacuum. When the vacuum reaches the upper limit, the pump will stop automatically, and when the vacuum drops to the lower limit, the pump will start automatically. The oil level of rotary vane vacuum pump needs to be checked regularly. To check the oil level of the rotary vane vacuum pump, the oil level should be in the center of the oil mark of the rotary vane vacuum pump. The oil level is too low to seal the exhaust valve, which will affect the vacuum degree. If the oil level is too high, it will cause fuel injection when starting. In the specific operation, the following points should be paid attention to.

Before the rotary vane vacuum pump runs, take off the triangle belt first, turn the motor to correct, and then start, so as not to inject oil. When running, the oil level rises slightly, which is a normal phenomenon. When the oil quantity is insufficient, vacuum pump oil is used and added from the filling hole. Oil must be filtered to prevent impurities from entering and blocking oil holes.

Rotary vane vacuum pump outlet, such as mounted solenoid valve, should be operated with the pump at the same time. When starting the rotary vane vacuum pump, the start button should be first or twice activated to make the oil pressure in the pump chamber into the oil tank, and then start the operation formally. When the ambient temperature is higher, the oil temperature of rotary vane vacuum pump increases, the viscosity decreases, and the saturated steam increases, which will cause the limit vacuum to drop. Therefore, ventilation and heat dissipation should be strengthened. Rotary vane vacuum pumps with air ballast valves are used when there is more condensable steam in the suction gas.

Before shutting down the rotary vane vacuum pump, the valve at the suction port should be closed to isolate it from the vacuum system, and then the pump should be shut down to check the limit vacuum of the rotary vane vacuum pump. The compressed vacuum gauge should be used. The vacuum gauge should be connected directly with the pump port of the rotary vane vacuum pump. It will reach the limit vacuum within 30 minutes. Before starting, check whether the cooling water of the water-cooled pump can be connected. When the ambient temperature is low, the belt pulley can be moved by hand so that the oil in the pump chamber can be discharged into the tank. Then press the motor button to send electricity, pay attention to whether the direction of power supply can be reversed, whether the direction of pump rotation is correct.

At the same time, the rotary vane vacuum pump can also adjust the vacuum required in practical work. It can set and display the vacuum (negative pressure) value in real time through the integrated digital liquid crystal panel. The flow rate of the vacuum pump can be adjusted in size. The rotary vane vacuum pump is equipped with high sensitivity import sensor, high quality flow regulating valve and precise control circuit to complete the automatic regulation. Functions, greatly saved the time and energy of developers; Rotary vane vacuum pump built-in low interference, long-life micro-vacuum pump; with the special silencing system of micro-air pump and independent shock absorption system, to ensure that intelligent vacuum pump can work for a long time, low noise and reliable.

Oil-Diffusion-Pumps-High-Vacuum-Pump-for-PVD-Coating-Machine

Air-suction-pump-electric-rotary-vane-vacuum-pump

water-ring-vacuum-pumps-for-mineral-separation-industry

#Rotary vane vacuum pump #Oil-Diffusion-Pumps

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maritimemanual · 4 years

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How To Make Cargo Operation On Oil Tankers Safer?

Emergencies are not uncommon in the marine world, especially during a voyage. It is even more difficult to transport oil as oil tankers may be vulnerable to challenges like leakage, fire emergencies or threats from pirates.

Each and every person involved in the operation of a ship is trained to act in an emergency situation. There are some necessary precautions and safety measures that can help a ship’s management to ensure a risk-free and smooth sail.

How To Make Cargo Operation On Oil Tankers Safer?

Following are some of those safety measures which can make the cargo handling operations safe.

1) Close Accommodation Openings

The accommodation area of a ship is the living space which contains all the cabins for the ship’s crew, meeting rooms, lockers, mushrooms, provision stores, recreational rooms, etc. During a cargo operation, it should be ensured that all the openings to this area are closed. This helps to prevent cargo vapors from ingressing or entering. This measure needs to be taken for the sake of safety despite the discomfort that the crew might face because of the temperature and humidity.

2) Keep Vents Open

All cargo tank vents and high-velocity vent valves should be operational during the handling process. All P/V valves must also be checked during ballast watches for safe and proper operation.

3) Closing Sighting and Ullage Ports

An ullage tank is a tank that is almost full. On an oil tanker, all ullage ports must be closed securely and not opened until there is a requirement. No sampling, sound or auditing of tanks must be in progress while connecting or disconnecting the burning cable to the ship.

4) Shut Down Ballast Tanks

All segregated ballast tanks should be closed. Cargo leaks from the cargo tanks into permanent ballast tanks this can create a serious pollution problem. Ingress of water from the ballast tanks into the cargo spaces should also be checked on a daily basis.

5) Short Natural Ventilation

If need be, any kind of ventilation must be shut off or isolated from the direction of the cargo vapor flow.

6) Shut Tank Lids

No tank lids on the entire vessel should be left open. It should be ensured that all cargo tank hatches, ports or access openings are closed tightly. In this manner, the escape of oil and other hydrocarbon vapors can be prevented.

7) Strainer Cover, Drain Plug and Inspection Plates

A strainer is a simple device that is installed to hold large foreign objects from causing damage or blockage. It should be ensured that the strainer cover, inspection plate and drain plug located in the pump room are in proper positions.

8) Check Pump Room

A pump room is that area of the ship which contains the largest concentration of pipelines. The pump room of a ship should be positively checked at regular intervals of time especially during cargo handling.

9) Gas Freeing Operation

During a gas freeing operation or tank washing, it should be ensured that all the washing covers are removed. At all the other times, they should be closed. Only the people who are directly involved in the operations should be allowed on the main deck. Also, everybody involved in the operation should be dressed appropriately and observe anti-static precautions.

10) Checking High-Pressure Alarm

During the loading operation, the high-pressure alarm of the cargo tanks should be checked properly.

11) Shut AC If Required

Sometimes the air conditioning systems’ intake air could draw cargo vapors. In such a case, the AC system should be stopped. Hence, the accommodation area will find its ports shut.

12) Cargo Hoses and Flange Connections

A cargo hose is used to ship to shore products like chemicals. A flange is a rim that is installed for increasing the strength of another object. Cargo hoses in flanges should always be checked thoroughly before use. All the courses should also be handled properly. They should be lifted and not dragged on the deck. Cargo hoses in flanges should also be supported at various points in order to avoid twisting. They must also be adjusted according to the draught of the shape of the cargo operation proceeds.

In the same manner, all flanges must also be properly tightened using bolts. One should always be careful while removing a flange from any section of the pipeline in order to ensure that it does not contain oil at pressure and is made up of approved metal like steel.

13) Check Limit of Elevation

A metal cargo arm is designed in such a way that it can operate under various elevations arising because of the tidal effects. The limit of elevation of metal cargo arms must also be examined properly. This involves a comparison with the ship’s data. The cargo operation can only be improved in all the criteria for this are met.

14) Isolate Window AC Unit

If the time comes, any kind of window AC unit present on the ship needs to be shut down or isolated.

15) Check Gland Condition of Pumps

It should be ensured that the gland conditions of all the cargo pumps situated in the pump room are thoroughly checked and examined.

16) Check Alarms and Trips

It is to be ensured that all alarms and trips are working properly before any cargo operation begins.

17) Handling the Arm

The metal arm is acquitted with a parking lock. This parking lock should not be tampered with or removed unless and until the metal arm is empty. If it is opened before, it can lead to an oil spill. Also, if the arm has any ice on it, it must be removed immediately before opening the lock or else it could cause an imbalance.

18) Mooring Ropes

One should always keep an eye on the mooring ropes with which the arm is connected for operation. They should always be monitored, and the operation should be stopped immediately if there is excessive drifting.

19) Earthing

This is one of the most important precautions to be taken. Pipeline flow may electrostatically charge the static accumulator oil. Hence, pipeline bonding is mandatory so that electrostatic charge accumulation can be prevented. So, the pipelines should be bonded to each other and to the structure of the ship. The structure of a ship is finally naturally earthed to the sea through the hull.

20) Check Emergency Release

Emergency releases should be checked in advance and the draining arrangements should be ready so that as much oil as possible can be drained out if there is a situation of an oil spill.

21) Lighting

During night time, it must be ensured that the cargo station and pump rooms are provided with sufficient light.

22) Weather

The master of the ship and the terminal in charge should always keep an eye on the weather conditions at sea at all times. In case of rough weather like lightning or storms, the ship cargo operation should immediately be stopped.

23) Keep Equipment Ready

All sorts of safety equipment such as oil spill fighting equipment, firefighting equipment as well as personal protective equipment, gas detection equipment, etc. must be ready at all times to ensure maximum safety.

24) Crew

Finally, the crew of the ship should be well aware of their duties and must be well trained about how to react during an emergency situation at regular intervals of time.

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Also read: 15 Common Oil Cleanup Methods At Sea

References:

http://www.imo.org/en/OurWork/Safety/Regulations/Pages/OilTankers.aspx

from WordPress https://www.maritimemanual.com/how-to-make-cargo-operation-on-oil-tankers-safer/

#Marine Guide

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eliminateyourfears-blog · 5 years

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A Brief Guide To DSLR Tripods & Alternatives

When you're brand-new to digital photography, whether you're using an old film Camera or a contemporary digital SLR (a.k.a. "DSLR"), for a while, you may be material just to stroll concerning with Camera in hand. Lots of contemporary DSLR Camera Wrist Strap lenses have integrated optical picture stabilization, which helps counteract the activity you might accidentally present, in spite of trying your best to maintain your motions controlled while taking your images.

For some circumstances, you can commonly flee without making use of a tripod and, in reality, having your Camera mounted on a tripod can inhibit how artistically you make use of the Camera to develop your photographic work of arts.

Nonetheless, there are circumstances when a tripod is invaluable. I will certainly cover some case in point scenarios, and after that review your choices when it comes to getting a tripod - whether it be an extra standard aluminium or carbon fiber tripod, or one of the alternative tripods, such as a Gorilla Pod, an Ultra Sheathing II, or a camera beanbag.

Why You May Intend To Get A Tripod.

For every single scenario where a tripod is needed, it is required to avoid presenting undesirable resonance into your Camera, particularly throughout long direct exposure photos, where the Camera's shutter will certainly be open for a 2nd or extra, throughout which time any vibration will certainly be gotten and also, most likely, be stood for as obscuring of your topic( s) in your last photo. Landscape photography is one such below niche that always gain from having a top quality tripod.

An additional location of photography where you will want a tripod is if you're checking out light paint - this moment, not just are you going to be utilizing longer direct exposure times, you're additionally going to need to rest your Camera on a steady platform, while you either stand off away with a flashlight, or enter into the structure, paint light into your scene. As soon as once again, a tripod is your friend for this task.

Anytime you need to keep your Camera at a details angle - whether it be definitely straight (such as for landscape photos) or vertical (such as for picture pictures of people) or any other angle in between - a tripod is the very best device for the job. Being human, there's just as long you can hold your Camera in an absolutely still position, prior to you begin to tiredness ... as well as that's when you'll wish you would certainly had a tripod to take the pressure. Supplying you have a solid tripod that can pleasantly hold the weight of your DSLR Camera (and possibly and outside flash on top), after that it will certainly keep your devices at the angle you desire it, for as lengthy as you require it.

It's excellent to have a tripod when doing product digital photography - sometimes, I will certainly take the photos without utilizing a tripod. Nonetheless, it can rapidly end up being a task to hold a large DSLR, and also that's when I'm thankful I've obtained the choice to stick the Camera on the tripod, so I can just concentrate on organizing the items to get the very best shot.

Sorts Of Camera Tripod.

Okay, so since you're with any luck coming about to the advantages of having a tripod, the next concern is which sort of tripod to obtain?

Nowadays, the means I see it, there are really 2 sorts of tripod:.

Standard Tripods.

Different Tripods.

Tripod Type 1. Typical Tripods.

These have 3 legs (hence the term "tri" vessel) stacked in areas that collapse down on top of one an additional, to maintain the tripods compact when saving them or when taking a trip with them. When you are using these tripods, the legs can be relieved to a needed size as well as after that secured in area, for the specific elevation you require. Locking the legs is either done by means of a spin-lock system (where you rotate rings to secure the legs so your tripod won't fall down unceremoniously to the flooring), while others have quick-release locks (with flaps that can be snapped open or firmly shut).

Among the key decisions you'll need to make is whether to obtain an aluminium tripod, or one constructed from carbon fiber. Aluminium tripods will certainly be less costly to buy than carbon fiber variations, yet the carbon fiber tripods will evaluate less, making them the much better choice for those that such as to go travelling with their Camera equipment and also desire to take a tripod along.

Just keep in mind, since carbon fiber tripods are so light-weight, you're likely to require something to evaluate it down, to make sure that the wind will not introduce undesirable vibrations - excellent carbon fiber tripods, such as the 3LT "Brian", which I possess, have a hook below the central column, onto which you can sling your Camera bag, for included ballast.

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crosbyru-blog · 6 years

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CarMax closes four stores as Hurricane Florence churns toward Carolinas

The National Hurricane Center said the storm is expected to approach the coast of North Carolina and South Carolina on Thursday or Friday. Photo credit: Bloomberg UPDATED: 9/12/18 1:25 pm ET – adds transportation impact CarMax has closed four stores in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia as Hurricane Florence approaches the east coast as a Category 4 storm. CarMax, the leading U.S.-based used-vehicle dealership group by volume, has shuttered locations in Myrtle Beach and Charleston, S.C., as well as stores in Winterville, N.C., and in Virginia Beach, Va. The company said in an emailed statement that it will assess other locations for possible closure as Hurricane Florence continues to develop. “The health and safety of our associates is our top priority,” Darren Newberry, CarMax senior vice president of store operations, said in the statement. “We have activated our Emergency Response Center to monitor the storm and quickly respond to the needs of our associates and communities. We encourage those in impacted areas to act now and prepare for the storm.” The National Hurricane Center said Wednesday morning the storm was about 530 miles from Cape Fear, N.C., and is expected to approach the coast of North Carolina and South Carolina on Thursday or Friday. Hurricane and storm surge warnings are in effect for coastal areas of the Carolinas, with Wilmington, N.C., projected to be in the storm’s direct path. For more coverage from The Weather Channel, click here Every dealer along the North Carolina coast reached by Automotive News Tuesday was closing, while dealers outside the hurricane’s projected landfall area were taking a wait-and-see-approach. Robert Glaser, president of the North Carolina Automobile Dealers Association, said the organization had activated an emergency relief fund for dealership employees in the state that could be affected. “On Monday, we’ll be reaching out to every dealership east of [Interstate] 95 and say, ‘What can we do to help?’ ” Glaser said. {{title}} {{abstract}} Read more > {{/content}} ]]> His group had sent hurricane preparedness tips to its members. Automakers were bracing for the storm, too, with Daimler and Volvo Car Group suspending operations at their South Carolina plants. ‘Manageable’ impact Jonathan Smoke, chief economist at Cox Automotive, said as of Tuesday he expected the potential automotive impact to be “manageable.” “While any flooded vehicle is a disaster, we expect Florence to take relatively few in comparison to other hurricanes,” Smoke said in emailed commentary. He said that vehicle density in Houston last year and the nature of flooding there after Hurricane Harvey created a sizable loss. But vehicle density in the path of Hurricane Florence is about half that of Houston. Population in the coastal area where Florence is expected to hit — broadly from Savannah, Ga., to Norfolk, Va. — is less than half that of the Houston area or of Florida, which was hit by Hurricane Irma last year. The path of Hurricane Florence has about 9 million vehicles in operation, with a density of 162 vehicles per square mile, compared with 326 vehicles per square mile in the Houston area and 314 vehicles per square mile in Florida, Smoke said. “With the evacuation and other preparations taking place now, the impact should be less than what we saw in Houston last year,” Smoke said. “North Carolina could lose 20,000 to 40,000 vehicles if Florence maintains its current path and remains a Category 4 or 5 hurricane given the likely damage from wind and flooding.” Logistics efforts Ports and railroads that handle finished vehicles and import containers of auto parts are racing to clear cargo from the storm’s path and preparing to shut down operations. At the Port of Charleston, longshoremen were loading two car carriers on Wednesday with BMW vehicles — a Mitsui O.S.K. Line vessel which will set sail for China and a K-Line vessel bound for Southampton, U.K., and Bremerhaven, Germany, spokesperson Erin Dhand said. Container and auto terminals will be closed Thursday through Saturday, the South Carolina Ports Authority said in a customer advisory. That means truck and rail shipments with imported parts for BMW’s plant in Spartanburg will be suspended, but BMW officials say they do not expect any production disruption. Terminals at the Port of Virginia are shuttered today. Class I railroad CSX Transportation is advising customers to expect delays for shipments traveling through the I-95 corridor. The company interchanges automobiles at the Port of Charleston and in Columbia, S.C. Contingency plans include holding trains at intermediate points to keep them from harm’s way and mobilizing repair crews to restore service and infrastructure as rapidly as possible once the weather moderates. Norfolk Southern, which runs regular intermodal trains between Charleston and Greer, S.C. that haul components to the BMW plant, also said it will suspend operations in certain areas and hold traffic at yards outside the hurricane zone. The railroad is staging ballast trains, equipment, generators and other resources so it can commence recovery operations as soon as it is safe. Meanwhile, vehicle hauling company United Road has moved big rigs to inland points in its network and suspended deliveries in and out of the hurricane zone, CEO Kathleen McCann told Automotive News. The transport provider is able to monitor the position of trucks to ensure they are parked in appropriate high ground areas or well out of the anticipated path of the storm, she added. Maintenance shops are also taking precautions, raising equipment and inventories off the ground where possible and securing items that could be moved by wind or water. “Some customers used us to preemptively move vehicles out of harm’s way and rental car companies are positioning vehicles to move into the affected areas once the storm passes and water subsides,” McCann said in an email. “An ounce of prevention is well worth the pound of cure in these circumstances. Our managers and team have been through this drill numerous times and they take the safety of our people and customers’ vehicles very seriously.” Eric Kulisch contributed to this report. http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/autonews/BreakingNews/~3/I24wHHrxkXY/carmax-storm-retail-dealers-disaster Latest Auto News http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/autonews/BreakingNews/~3/I24wHHrxkXY/carmax-storm-retail-dealers-disaster

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philipfloyd · 6 years

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Rank Tracking is DEAD! 6 Big Keyword Tracking Myths That Need to Disappear

Every digital marketer, webmaster, SEO Pro or online business owner is interested and needs to do rank tracking. We depend on it like we do on oxygen.

Yet, with Google’s latest changes and algorithm updates, it’s becoming harder and harder to do keyword tracking accurately. There are even voices saying that rank tracking is obsolete and makes no sense in tracking your keywords anymore. But is it really so?

Despite all the restless pessimistic thoughts and nagging questions, we believe that things have changed indeed but rank tracking is far from dead. Hence, we gathered 6 reasons why you might think you shouldn’t do rank tracking anymore and 6 solutions to fight the worries back and still monitor your rankings.

Take a deep breath and face the giants. Here are the 6 most important Google updates that make rank tracking look dead, but also the counter-arguments, and the tips on how to do rank tracking despite all these changes.

Google Lets You See Results For Your Location Only

Keywords Don’t Matter Anymore

Ranking On Top Positions Is Not Enough Any Longer

The Ranking Data Delivered By Google Is Enough

Google Obstructs You From Knowing Exact Keyword Traffic

You Don’t Even Know What Keyword You’re Ranking For

1. Google Lets You See Results For Your Location Only

It’s been a while now since Google no longer lets you change domains to search and see results from countries others than your own. Yes, the incognito mode doesn’t do the work in this area anymore, nor does it when setting the no country recognition feature (as in google.com/ncr ). And this is a problem.

Starting October 27, 2018, Google shut off the possibility of getting results from a global point of view, in the pursuit of making search results even more local and relevant.

As always, Google played their best yet (sometimes) uncomfortable card: delivering the best results possible.

Many hope things are not lost for good and run right to Settings aiming to select a country service they’re most interested in. We did it too. Yet results still come from your country IP, leaving us with the question of “what’s there to be done in order to get the ranking data we need?”.

This change doesn’t only affect the desktop version, but it also applies to mobile searches, as well as to Google Maps and the iOS Google app. The action of manually checking your rankings is not what it used to be anymore.

Now the choice of country service will no longer be indicated by domain. Instead, by default, you’ll be served the country service that corresponds to your location Evelyn Kao Search Product Manager at Google

Similarly to the above-mentioned update, Google launched a couple of other major updates in the past that paved the way for today’s reform in search engine results. Chronologically speaking, these two are known as the Pigeon Update and the Possum Update.

In short, the Pigeon Update was meant to help the engine provide a more useful, on-point, and true search results to such extent that it changed the way SEO practitioners do business locally.

Launched on July 24, 2014, the Pigeon workings were meant to filter all local results, remove inorganic ballast, and deliver you the closest businesses to your location. By improving their parameters in terms of distance and location, Google was set to make the local SERPs experience a better one. Thus, we could say that Google had a thing for local results since a long time ago, slowly but surely moving towards today’s bulletproof algorithm and search environment.

Although an unconfirmed update, Possum was documented by major SEO professionals in the industry who confirmed that Google rolled out an algorithm change, one that significantly impacted local results and local listings. The massive local update happened on September 1, 2016, changing the way local search rankings worked.

Possum is one more evidence that Google was slowly steering to better the local search results experience, eventually getting to today’s environment where you’re bound to manually monitor rankings at a local level only.

Solution: Start Using Rank Checker Tools

How many of you noticed that we’ve repeatedly used the term “manually” when talking about rank monitoring? It’s because yes, all these Google updates launched over the years turned our manual rank checking upside down. Yet, there’s hope.

In hard times like this, you still wish to rank on the first SERPs of every country. Maybe you have a business in Ireland, but you have the offices in the UK; therefore, it would be impossible to accurately check your ranks. To answer the needs, many rank tracking tools have emerged on the market and lend a helping hand to professionals in their fight of monitoring their activity across the Internet.

Should you check keyword ranking on a particular market, the Rank Tracking section available in the cognitiveSEO allows you gain deep insight into it by taking simple steps. All you need to do is to go to Add Keywords, select your desired location and search engine, decide whether you need local rank tracking and new keyword suggestions to track, and then hit the Track Keyword Now tab.

You can also do it by going to Site Explorer, enter your or your competitor’s website, run the Rankings section and select the desired country. That’s it, now you can see what are your top 20 keywords in that particular location, what pages target those keywords, and the position that page sits on in SERPs.

2. Keywords Don’t Matter Anymore

The Google Hummingbird search algorithm is meant to bring more accuracy to Google searches and since the launch date on September 26, 2013, it systematically sought to understand the intent of the user.

Many times, one can type the word, say, “horse” in the search bar and hit enter, waiting to be fed with the information one needs.

Google will always approximate the intent behind your search, no matter how short or long the word you entered is, and therefore deliver results which, sometimes, will not cater to your needs.

By striving to deliver more relevant results, Google is often missing the point of the query. Targeting the intent of the user and offering them results based on intent and not the exact keywords means rewriting the users’ keywords.

For instance, when searching for “brown sugar”, you’d expect to find basic information about it such as definition, product specificities, how it’s made, origins, you know, the Wikipedia kind of stuff. However, you’ll get a variety of information all reading “Google is trying their best to guess what exactly you need to know about it, what exactly you’re searching for”. Results range from product information, nutritional facts, answer boxes, all-time music hits, to recipes, various uses, how-to guides, and blockbuster movies.

The Hummingbird algorithm also overhauled both Knowledge Graph and Semantic Search, in response to the concern they didn’t really address the query, and searching still required a lot of hard work by the user. Hence, both Knowledge Graph and Semantic Search joined their forces to one, find the right things in response to a query, go deeper and broader, and deliver more information than you asked, and two, know what results to deliver based on the context of the searched keywords. To this extent, many say that keywords are long forgotten and now context is king. Is it true, though? Either way, here’s a backstage view of how search is run, simplified by Matt Cutts:

youtube

Solution: Monitor Long Tail Keywords and Learn From the Best

Keywords are not dead yet; no, not in the least. And you can still build your rank tracking strategy on them, oh yes!

One smart move would be to monitor long tail keywords or queries. This way you’ll make sure you filter out all the irrelevant stuff that might occur when you’re doing rank monitoring. Google will feel compelled to deliver you straightforward results instead of guessing your intent and then displaying possible results back at you.

For example, if you’re in the football equipment industry, besides the main keyword “football equipment”, you could also check long tail keywords such as “what is the best football equipment”, “how to choose football equipment”, “football equipment for sale”, so on and so forth. Go for tracking keywords that users would normally search for.

But how to do this? Simply use the Keyword Tool & Content Assistant and get all the keyword research you need.

All keyword listings and suggestions come from search engine historical data, plus Google suggestions and autocomplete. Basically, we should all be working with the set of keywords that users are actually typing in search engines and use them in our content by crafting something that would answer all their needs.

Source: johnjohnston.info

Bonus card: spy on your competitors, look at their status with a keyword ranking checker, see what they failed to deliver or where they didn’t satisfy the users, and bring something valuable yourself. This will definitely draw them to you.

3. Ranking On Top Positions Is Not Enough Any Longer

Rumor has it that ranking on top position is not relevant or good enough any longer. How come? Well, this happens with all the additional elements Google adds in response to a query. Local carousel, local knowledge panel, advertising and paid results, Knowledge Graph features, vertical organic results, mark-up data, and many others strive to give just a bit more information to the user and trigger their interest on a particular topic, many times in addition to the targeted results.

The below-displayed image is somewhat apocalyptical and presents an augmented and exaggerated reality, and yet, this is the true face of Google, despite that now we’re spoonfed small portions only. If one would fit all the SERP features in one image, this would be it:

If we were to take into consideration the multitude of things displayed on SERPs when hitting a search, we definitely wouldn’t score top 10 on the first page. This is how a SERP usually looks like.

It’s true – we can widen our knowledge with loads of information at a time and yet, the multiple data display can defocus and annoy users, making their search even more sinuous.

Simultaneously, important web pages drop on the second result page, although being in top 10.

Solution: Granular Keyword Monitoring, Optimize for Answer Boxes, Mobile Ranking, Voice Search

In-Depth Keyword Research

As Matt Cutts said in the aforementioned YouTube video, search engines will pick up the web page or site that has the most relevant, frequent and smart-placed keywords in their content.

We all know that keyword stuffing is a big no-no in the SEO game, therefore it doesn’t mean you should fit as many keywords as possible into your bodies of text, but rather do a more granular and detailed research.

You can hit the best-performing keyword by simply using the same Keyword Tool. You can do your research in two ways:

One is by using the keyword ideas available in the Keyword Explorer section, applying the “relevancy” filter or any other filter is most interesting you (such as no. of words, containing or excluding certain terms, volume of search, or CPC).

The other one is by taking a peek at your competition, track competitors in the niche, and look at top 20/ 50/ 100 organic results in Google and see what keywords they ranked on. You know, all you need is know how to learn.

Learning is the mother of all progress. And well-placed keywords can make you register progress within your content.

What’s more, you should start monitoring at a local level. Google is returning search results as personalized and local as possible, remember? Therefore, keep in mind that you should make friends from among your closest ones. Also, start optimizing your content and monitoring your website ranking for the local market.

Target Answer Boxes

I’m sure you once daydreamt how it is to be immortal. Or at least live a really long life. Ok, at least how it is to be in the spotlight, the queen or king of the ball. Anyways, getting back to our sheep, there’s a point I want to make here. And that is – drumrolls- you should target answer boxes, duh! Of course, as long as it is possible.

Being on the Google’s answer box will do you a big favor, making you appear on Google’s first page not once, but twice.

Therefore, it’s somewhat getting to know how it is to be really popular. Given that the percentage of search results with answer boxes out of the total number of search results is fairly small, you should definitely use this information to your own benefit and take action.

cognitiveSEO study from 2015

We’ve even written a couple of articles on the answer box topic, and tried to decode the Google answer boxes algorithm by conducting a SERP research on 10.353 keywords. If you want to know how to get up there, in the answer boxes, you should definitely read them.

Mobile Rank Tracking

Did you know that mobile results differ from the desktop ones? Hence rankings differ. Just give it a go, search for a restaurant, or anything that comes to your mind, on both mobile and desktop, and you’ll witness a slight difference. Hence, whom should we believe?

The below-displayed screenshots are here to demonstrate the fact that rankings do differ from one another, although the entered keyword is just the same.

Voice Search Is Another Big Player in the Game

Similar to the answer box targeting tip, you should also optimize content for today’s big child star – voice search. Voice search is worth taking into consideration when talking about rank tracking because it can get the first option for the voice search bot when delivering an answer to user queries. In other words, use smart, well-performing keywords, simple language when giving tips or providing definitions, to such extent that the Google bot would return your content to questions made verbally. For more on the voice search phenomenon and whether it has any impact on the SEO world, check this article.

4. The Ranking Data Delivered By Google Is Enough

Many ask themselves: “If Google’s free tools – such as Search Console, or Google Analytics – provide all the ranking data you need, what’s the point in using a rank tracker?”. Especially one that we should pay for.

Especially now, when Google Analytics made an update and is offering a nice amount of highlight over your data. If until recently you could analyze your keyword performance and the impact of your marketing activities across all channels by taking a look 3 months behind, now you’re entitled to gain insight from the last to 12 months.

Solution: Accept That Google Delivers Ranking Data, But Not Quite On-Point

Despite the previously mentioned rumors, are we really and fully satisfied with the ranking data we get from Google? Why is it that so many digital marketers tend to use one additional rank checker tool besides Google Analytics or Google Search Console?

It’s because many Google tools fail at delivering accurate and fresh results. Many times they raise question marks over them. The truth is that Google Analytics, for instance, doesn’t offer complete data, but a rather extremely segmented, and therefore unreliable data.

To exemplify, the keyword positions are only shown on average and not on their true spot. In addition, it looks like it’s always missing something when displaying the data; many times, it doesn’t fit with the page statistics and social media activity. Below it’s a set of screenshot meant to demonstrate the statement. The keyword we chose is “SEO myths”. We had to analyze a third result in order to decide what tool is the winner.

5. Google Obstructs You From Knowing The Exact Keyword Traffic

Google is smart and cunning. They know what exact information is OK to be shared, and what’s wiser to keep for themselves. Just look at the many algorithm changes they’ve made in the course of years, many still officially unconfirmed, but tackled by many SEO practitioners – like Fred and Possum.

Therefore, if Google doesn’t let you know how much traffic you are getting for each keyword; is it worth the bother to monitor them?

Solution: Check the Pages With the Highest Traffic

Indeed, Google doesn’t give you access to all the data. But this shouldn’t stop you from playing the detective and do rank checking and keyword monitoring. What you can do is to check the pages with the highest traffic from your site and see the top ranking keywords for those pages. This way, you’ll know what keywords to focus on in the future.

For instance, if we were to analyze Nestle’s website, by using Google Analytics we cannot find the keyword data that we need. Yet, we can do a bit of reverse engineering: we could easily analyze its top ranking pages and find what keyword are those pages ranking on.

6. You Don’t Even Know What Keyword You’re Ranking For

Following the previous idea that Google is penny-wise when deciding what information to convey, we can hardly know what keyword we’re actually ranking for. Hence, how should we monitor them?

Besides, pages often rank for keywords that they aren’t specifically targeting. It is because Google has gotten way better with user intent, remember? So instead of ranking high for the very words you bet they’d bring you fame, you can often reach first positions for other keywords. It can be hard or even impossible to track those rankings because sometimes you don’t know what to look for.

Solution: Site Explorer Shows You Those Keywords

Nothing we think and said above is false. Yet, there’s a way out. Yes, you can rank for keywords you didn’t target but you can get to know which ones are those ones. For instance, with Site Explorer you can see the top ranking keywords for any site, from any country service.

Don’t Forget About the Other Search Engines

Everybody talks about Google, but Bing and Yahoo are certainly worth taking into account. It is wise that you track and increase keyword ranking across all major search engines, such as Yahoo and Bing. Even though Google is king.

Within your own cognitiveSEO account, you can add keywords on all 3 search engines and draw some valuable conclusions from there.

Conclusion

Is rank tracking dead already, with us not knowing it yet? Is it worth engaging in keyword ranking analysis anymore? Does it pay to invest time and resources in tracking your website position in today’s major search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing? Should we still bother creating rank tracking reports and building entire marketing strategies meant to place us higher in SERPs?

These were the questions I woke up this morning with. I concluded we had to find the answers to these questions. Perhaps the drive comes from the fact that rank tracking is all digital marketing efforts in a nutshell. In fact, everything digital strategists, SEO analysts, content writers, copywriters, and everyone else in the online marketing environments strive to achieve is comprised inside the walls of getting up there as the first results in search engines.

I hope the scenarios given in this article are worth considering and that they’ll make a difference to you. Should you have knowledge of other rank tracking myths or solutions to the above-mentioned ones, don’t hesitate to contribute in the comments section. I’d love to discuss this matter, as it is of the utmost importance to each and every one of us.

The post Rank Tracking is DEAD! 6 Big Keyword Tracking Myths That Need to Disappear appeared first on SEO Blog | cognitiveSEO Blog on SEO Tactics & Strategies.

from Marketing https://cognitiveseo.com/blog/17318/rank-tracking-is-dead/ via http://www.rssmix.com/

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