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voidwerks · 3 years

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Legiones Astartes: Rome 30,0000 - Electric Boogaloo - Part 1

It’s been several years since I did my informational posts on warp travel and threats to humanity in the 40k universe, and I was feeling particularly motivated so here’s a quick, dirty guide to where it all started. The bois that everyone in 40k loves (or loves to hate), the Astartes!

In the far off future of the 31st millennium, humanity has just recovered from nearly beating itself into extinction yet again, and the after effects of space elves blowing a permanent hole in reality after the biggest party the galaxy has ever seen. After thousands of years of plotting and planning, the Emperor of Mankind decided the time was right, sorted everyone’s shit out on Earth, and set out to make the galaxy a safer place for humanity. Whether anyone wanted it or not. To do this, he mustered tens of thousands of super soldiers, lead by men who were basically demi-gods, and sent them forth across the stars in what was known as the Great Crusade. This is the story of the sons of the sons, the Primarchs can have their own post another day.

Numero Uno, the the First Legion, the Dark Angels. Clad in black and silver armor, the Dark Angels were the first marines to be created. Between that and their assistance with retaking the Earth prior to the Great Crusade, they were allowed special permissions later Legions did not have. In particular, they had access to some of the oldest, strangest, and sometimes horrifying bits of technology that the Emperor had stashed away for a rainy day. Even 10k years later in 40k, the Angels still uphold that privilege, and if things ever get completely and truly fucked, they’ve got a few aces up their sleeves just in case. Owing to the culture of their adoptive homeworld, Caliban, the Dark Angels have a strong knightly aesthetic, as well as plenty of ranks, titles, and associated iconography so everyone can know what kind of badass you are.

Second ISN’T the Second Legion. Something bad happened to them and no one is allowed to talk about it. It’s actually the THIRD LEGION, the Emperor’s Children! Among the Legions, the Emperor’s Children had the unique distinction of being allowed to wear his personal emblem on their armor and carry his name. This was the Emperor’s gift to them after a company of them serving as honor guards during a victory parade, where they protected the Emperor from an assassination attempt involving a black hole bomb. The Emperor’s Children were perfectionists: anything that can be done can be done better, and they could get a bit salty when their brother Legions out-did them. Beyond that, they were renowned for their artistic skills, as well as their interpersonal skills with ‘mortal’ humans. While many marines either didn’t care for regular humans, or straight up disliked them, the Third Legion got along quite well with people, to the point they were often sent as diplomats to introduce long-lost planets of humans into the Imperium peacefully.

The Fourth Legion, completely unrelated to Marvel, were the Iron Warriors. To the Fourth Legion, war is entirely a matter of numbers. While other Legions fight with spirit, ferocity, nobility, the Iron Warriors fight with a machine-like efficiency and calculated planning. Rivals of the Seventh Legion, the Iron Warriors were particularly fond of siege-tactics. They’d bombard their foes with massed artillery, push in with columns of tanks, and hit critical points with forces of marines, changing tactics along the way as the variables shifted. While they took pride in their accomplishments, cold personalities and a ruthless fighting style didn’t make them many friends. Combined with feeling like they didn’t get much recognition for their efforts, often being stuck with some of the worst fights, the Iron Warriors tended to resent most of the other Legions. But no matter how tough, no matter how ugly, they would not bend, for the Iron Warriors always completed a task given to them.

Next in line, we have the Fifth Legion, the White Scars. Possessed of free spirits and a healthy dose of superstition, the White Scars preferred style of combat was: as quickly as physically possible. Whenever possible, they would ride to battle on anti-grav jet-bikes or speeders. Lacking that, on traditional motor bikes. Reminiscent of Mongolian horse riders, the White Scars fought from their mounts as often as they could, enjoying every moment of it, even if death might come at them at a few hundred miles per hour. Considered odd by most of their brother Legions, the Scars’ aloof personalities and plans divined by seers often saw them tearing about the galaxy in smaller warbands. Never staying in one place for long, they roamed wherever the winds of fate would take them.

Continuing on, the moment you’ve all been waiting for: SKYRIM STILL EXISTS. But really, the Sixth Legion, the Space Wolves. It doesn’t take much to explain these boys, the Space Wolves were vikings in space. They could be a bit dense, were prone to showing off, loved getting into fights, and even invented a kind of alcohol that could get marines drunk. In peace, they could be a bit rough around the edges but were jovial types. Beyond that however, the Wolves had a much more notorious side. While their brothers would mock them at times for being a bit ‘simple’, they were also feared as the Emperor’s hounds. If someone fucked up somewhere in the galaxy, the Wolves were the sent to deal the punishment. Typically, this involved plenty of axes and other people’s heads. While unconfirmed even 10k years later, it is rumored that the Space Wolves were responsible for reaving both the Second and Eleventh Legions at the Emperor’s command. Whatever they did must have been horrible, for it resulted in the culling of tens of thousands of marines and two demi-god primarchs. So remember kids, tug on the wolf’s tail at your own peril.

Eternal rivals to the Fourth Legion, here comes the Seventh Legion, the Imperial Fists. While not as bitter as their brothers in the Fourth, the Fists shared a lot of similarities with them. Blunt, no-nonsense, analytical, monumentally stubborn, fond of hitting their foes as hard as possible, on the surface the two seemed quite alike. But while the Iron Warriors were frequently unconcerned with what happened after their battles, grinding entire cities into dust, the Imperial Fists would always build and fortify. Wherever they passed, they would leave their mark in the form of walls, repaired cities, and forts to ensure their hold. This earned them the distinction of being recalled late in the Crusade to oversee the fortification of the entire Solar System. The reclamation of the galaxy was nearly complete, and it was their task to ensure that Terra would be able to withstand anything the universe could throw at it from that point forward. At least, that was the idea...

What stalks the night, strikes fear into the hearts of the unjust, and has bat wings? Move over Bruce Wayne, it’s the Eighth Legion, the Night Lords. Among the Legions, the Night Lords were unique in the fact that they did not operate like a traditional army. Unlike other Legions, the Night Lords’ favorite method of fighting was to strike fear and terror into their enemies. Considered brutal and sadistic even in the early days, the Night Lords would ‘pacify’ star systems by cutting off supply lines, destroying infrastructure, terrorizing civilians, and savagely breaking their enemy’s will before finishing the job. Known for taking bone trophies, using blood as paint, painting their armor with skulls, and even fashioning people’s faces into tea cozies, there were very few in the Imperium that genuinely liked the Night Lords. In fact, late into the Crusade they were even risking censure or a visit from the Space Wolves. But as they maintained from their inception: they were a necessary evil. Not everyone in the galaxy was reasonable. Some didn’t even respect the immense might of the Astartes. There were some that would only listen to fear. And the poor buggers that wouldn’t even listen to that? They would be made into examples, slowly, painfully, and without any remorse.

A breath of fresh air from the Night Lords, the Ninth Legion, the Blood Angels. Where the Night Lords were immensely cruel, showcasing some of the worst humanity had to offer, the Blood Angels showed some of the best. Kindness, nobility, flowing golden locks of hair with slight curls, using their strength to protect the weak, seeing the goodness in others, the Blood Angels were quite human for heavily augmented super-soldiers. Well, they did have one teensy little problem. Just a bit of casual bloodlust that could leave them going into a frenzy now and then (sometimes even drinking blood) if they didn’t keep their tempers in check. However, largely due to their own self-discipline they were able to keep this fact a secret for the most part.

Last (for now, don’t want this to be the next Color of the Sky post), but definitely not the least, the Tenth Legion, the Iron Hands. While the Iron Warriors have a very mechanical way of thinking, and a strong affinity for tech, the Iron Hands take this to a completely new level. To them, anything could be improved by mechanizing it, up to and frequently including themselves. The Hands were notorious for heavily modifying themselves, and had more tanks than any other Legion, tied only with the Iron Warriors. Ironically for a Legion obsessed with machinery, the Iron Hands are also possessed of a volatility only shared by their brothers in the Sixth and the Twelfth Legions. In contrast to the cool, collected rationality of machines, Astartes of the Iron Hands were notoriously hot-headed and liable to making rash decisions if they lost their tempers. This alternating clash frequently manifested as contempt for their own ‘weakness’, but also as contempt for others, resulting in the Iron Hands keeping very few friends, even amongst themselves.

#warhammer 40k #warhammer 40000 #games workshop #forge world #dark angels #blood angels #iron warriors #emperor's children #night lords #space wolves #white scars #imperial fists #iron hands

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theangrypokemaniac · 4 years

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@nyarthsis

If Team Rocket 'always had a heart for unpopular Pokémon', that's an admission their Alola catches aren't particular loveable creatures, so I'm not thinking anything too controversial.

You're saying they take pity on the animals no one wants, as in it's normal for me not to find them adorable.

Some Pokémon, such as Lucario, become fan favourites without the advertisement of a regular role the anime. With Wobbuffet, Bewear, Stufful, Mareanie and Mimikyu, do people like them for themselves, or because of their association with Team Rocket?

I think its the latter. I can't imagine there would be such interest in them were they to be owned by a Twerp or appear as a one-off. Really then, it's not what or who they are, it's to whom they belong that matters.

Alola has really devalued catching. Rather than be true to the source material, so battering a Pokémon into submission, as Ash did with Bulbasaur, Primeape, Muk, and many others, now you have to ask their permission!

Bewear didn't even get that. She hung around for no reason, and her 'friend' Stufful was belatedly tacked on. I see why those two were left behind, as Team Rocket had no right to take them elsewhere.

In terms of welfare, Mimikyu and Mareanie are better off staying with them, free and safe, rather than locked in the insalubrious depths of H.Q., but then it never bothered the writers sending previous Pokémon into an uncertain future, so what difference does it make now?

It can only be that, like their predecessors, there is no intention to ever bring them back, but unlike the rest, the fans can't even be allowed the vain hope of a return, not with this rather awkward disposal.

It's feasible that Jessie and James could call their base and request old monsters to join them, but it's difficult to imagine they'd fly across the world to Alola, wander through the woods, pick 'em up and go all the way back again. Why make parting so final and irreversible?

It does imply that Game Freak don't like them, so why should I?

I keep noticing this fickle attitude. A new era starts, we're expected to fall instantaneously in love with every element, beg for more and yet more. Then, once the next region arrives, this adoration asked of us is meant to evaporate and immediately transfer to the next batch.

Well why start to like them, if eventually the makers don't care, to the extent you wouldn't even know previous Pokémon had ever been alive?

Have you heard one mention of Seviper, Yanmega, Dustox, Cacnea, Carnivine, and Mime Junior since they left?

Why were they happy to chuck Wobbuffet after Sinnoh, yet fetched for Kalos?

How could Team Rocket live without it for an entire generation but suddenly it's indispensable again? What do you imagine the rest of their Pokémon felt about that?

Have Jessie and James wondered allowed how Arbok, Weezing, Lickitung and Victreebel are doing?

What of the last two generations?

What is this nonsense where every character is so detached from the past?

Supposing I was to force myself to appreciate them: since they've gone, never to return, I'd be dissatisfied with the show, thus no better off than I am now.

My feelings don't run on a switch. I can't find myself besotted one minute then dump the object of affection without a second thought, just because Nintendo want it from me.

Even if I had a more positive opinion of the current interpretation, there's no benefit to becoming involved when it's all so fleeting.

Mareanie is ugly, with three teeth. I think he's a sea anenome, so ought to be more attractive, but it's covered in nipples instead!

It looks like a bonsai tree growing breasts, reminiscent of the hideous content lurking within an Hieronymous Bosch painting.

The idea that all Mimikyu copy Pikachu, the most famous Pokémon, when in their world it's nothing special, is too stupid for me to accept. How could that be coincidence?

It's referencing reality, acknowledging the real world's view of Pikachu as the star, so if it's breaking the fourth wall, it invites disbelief.

Wobbuffet does sod all. It's a complete dead weight and has no attacks. Yet it's the one to survive generation after generation. Where's the logic in that?

I suspect his popularity rests on being there so long he's considered part of the furniture, the sole catch in which you can invest an emotional connection whilst fairly certain he'll remain around.

By now it ought to have developed some semblance of a personality, but it's as faceless as ever. Other Pokémon that have been and gone had a bit more about them, but Wobba's so bland no one can summon the energy to write him out.

If he went, what would you miss? Breaking out of his ball and hissing 'WAAAAAHBUHFEH'? Is that so integral?

I have several objections:

What is it meant to be?

Why does its tail have eyes?

Why is that never mentioned?

Is it a sort of quadruped, or has it only one foot with four toes, arranged like the bottom of a medical walking stick?

A lot of my reactions to Pokémon are influenced by encountering them in the games. With Wobbuffet, I remember first coming across it in the cave near Blackthorn City, and just as you're winning the fight, it pulls out Destiny Bond and suddenly you're both down.

When you finally get one, it's tricky to train. You have no choice but to guess whether the opposition will launch a physical or special move, and mostly you get it wrong. He never learns anything else and doesn't evolve, so it's that forever.

Persevering with Magikarp is worthwhile, but what's to be gained from taking any time out to fight with Wobbuffet?

The anime eliminates this problem. You're aware of the nature of the approaching onslaught because you can see it coming, and the opponent said it aloud.

In this context Wobbuffet should be the most powerful Pokémon in the universe. Come on, it can deflect every attack!

Is it? No. It has a successful defence about once a generation, and still loses the battle. I can't say if it's worse to be utterly pointless, or to not fulfil one's potential.

I resent it muscling in on the motto, as if it's considers itself of equal rank to Meowth. No it's not!

When I was young, there was a tendency for magazines to refer to Team Rocket as a duo. Meowth was judged to be in the same position as Pikachu: a main character yes, and valuable enough to be accorded the privilege of liberty, but still very much owned by people.

You would see references to Jessie and James as his Trainers, though how they assumed this worked went unexplained. Even if shared, one had to have to caught him, thus be his proper owner.

Later on this developed into them being three equal members, and the term 'TRio' emerged, but now, although perhaps not officially recognised, there's an attitude of treating them as a quartet.

It's just wrong! Wobbuffet's not been around since day one. He didn't join Team Rocket voluntarily because he had nowhere else to go. It was a choice made for him by his original Trainer, so out of his hands, or rather his flippers.

If he was an independent Pokémon who just tagged along one day, that would be different, but it belongs to Jessie. Promoting one of hers means James is lesser, and no longer equal.

In each generation Team Rocket catch at least one local Pokémon, but as Wobbuffet's there, it ends up with Jessie having more on her side than James, and I dislike the imbalance. Plus the one he does get is violent.

It can't be solved by giving him another new one, as then he's captured two in the region, and she has only one, so again it's skewed.

Whilst Wobbuffet does count in numbers, he's not on the level of the rest, who fight regularly. He's both there and not simultaneously.

I'm still irked the way Lickitung was ejected to make room.

It was the best Pokémon they ever had! It took out Pikachu, Vulpix and Bulbasaur with one move! It would've won those Princess Dolls for Jessie if the writers hadn't changed the rules so that Lick only affects those of sound mind!

It was as if they realised their mistake too late, and so Lickitung was featured less and less to avoid it dominating a fight, then hurriedly traded away for something reliably feeble.

The following analogy you may not understand, but I think it fits rather aptly:

There's a game called Final Fantasy VIII. One of the side quests involves you racing through a castle under a time limit. If successful, you are rewarded with Odin as a Guardian Force, which is a deity that will provide a defence.

Unlike others, he is out of your control, but every so often, as you enter battle, he turns up and annihilates your opponents. It's very welcome.

Unfortunately this game was programmed by bunyips, who clearly didn't want the last section of the game to be accidently easier for you. Oh no. If you're progressing, it ain't gonna be through luck, or turning the console on and off until he arises.

Therefore, towards the close, you come up against ex-friend Seifer. Odin is fixed to rush to your aid, but when he does, bloody Seifer slices him in half, horse and all!

He killed Odin, the ancient King of the North! The Lord of Valhallah! The Father of the Vikings!

It's not normal fighting death, it's irreversible. He's gone for good.

After this Gilgamesh introduces himself as a replacement. He too will randomly appear and set about the enemy.

The problem is that whilst Odin destroyed monsters unfailingly, with Gilgamesh it's a rarity.

He uses four swords, and which you get is also a lottery.

One is the same as Odin's, two deal average damage, but not death, and the worst one depletes 1 HP, so it might as well not have bothered.

Not only does it arrive but a fraction of the time, but it's in a fraction of those times that it's of any assistance, which is something of a comedown.

Lickitung is Odin: didn't see it often, but it tore the place apart!

Wobbuffet is Gilgamesh: once in a blue moon it provides rescue, but it's on a lot lower percentage than it's predecessor.

It's difficult not to be disappointed.

#team rocket #wobbuffet #mareanie #mimikyu #bewear #stufful

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brilliantorinsane · 7 years

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Twitter ARG: A Sort of Summary

I’ve seen a lot of confusion here on Tumblr about what is supposedly going on in the twitter-verse. There’s a reason for that: it’s confusing. It’s vague. It relies on intuitions and moves in fits and starts. But it is also fascinating, compelling, and loads of fun. So for anyone who is interested I thought I’d give it a go, summarizing what is happening and what we think might happen. For starters:

The reason you’re hearing very little concrete information about twitter is: there is very little concrete information about twitter. It is all halls and mirrors. There have been (as far as I am aware) two major instances of people receiving DMs from the twitters: the first was the Dale Pike ‘reveal’ in which she ‘confessed’ and released her ‘script’; and the second prompted worriesconstantly’s announcement that we need to trend Norbury on March 21. But if it’s all so vague, why are putting any stock in it? Well, there are a few good reasons.

1. The show itself pointed us towards twitter in numerous ways.

2. If you’ve been following the ARG theories, you are doubtless aware of the speculation that the John and Sherlock twitters are BBC run. Evidence includes their posting of an original photo that seems like it could only have been taken from a window of the BBC building.

4. Our fellow tumblr-ers who are convinced something is going on. As far as I have seen, there tends to be a direct correlation between the amount of time someone has been digging through this twitter game and how convinced they are that something is happening. Sure, you could call that confirmation bias. Or, like I am inclined to do, you can see it as the collective consensus of those who have the most solid basis for reaching an informed conclusion.

3. The most compelling evidence is the intricacy of what is occurring. Like I’ve said, I’ve only been there two days, but it really is compelling. There’s a network of interconnecting accounts, interacting with each other and with us. Even those who don’t openly communicate display the most curious coincidences in timing. And it’s hard to conceive that they could be fellow-fans—there are too many oblique hints of ‘something coming,’ which would be cruel if they don’t actually know something. To me this feels like a game of ‘BBC or trolls’; and I’d be ridiculously impressed with any trolls who could pull this off, and somehow maintained this level of dedication and interest over such a span of time.

Very well, then. Here are the known players in this Twitter story:

1. The Sherlock and John accounts: These, of course, are the ones tumblr is most familiar with. For the most part, they are just telling an ongoing narrative about their happy existence as a couple—a remarkably frequent and high-quality narrative. However, they have had some meta discussions about stories, about ‘the game’ being a bit harsh but still worth playing . . . It is also worth noting that in their universe Rosie does exist, but the events of TFP apparently do not.

2. Contact_JM, i.e. an account that claims to be Moriarty: This one is also pretty well known around here. He tweets less frequently than the Sherlock and John, but still with impressive dedication. He has not infrequently dropped codes, puzzles, and cryptic clues. Other times he just rambles on in a thoroughly psychopathic-sounding manner.

3. Dale Pike/The Skull/ContactWSSH: Yes, this the Dale Pike who wrote the fics everyone went wild over, released a script they had written, then ‘confessed’ to being a fan and said goodbye. This one concerned me most at first, because I was genuinely concerned that we might be harping on a fan who just made a mistake and wanted to be left alone. The thing is: she didn’t leave. She is still posting fics which are no less meta and suggestive that her previous ones. And she is still using her Dale Pike twitter account—an account created solely for the purpose of . . . whatever it is she is doing. And while using that account she is still being just as openly cryptic and suggestive and interactive as ever—even to the point of resurrecting the old contactWSSH twitter and having a thoroughly mysterious conversation with them. Whoever she is, she has chosen to play this game; she hasn’t been forced into it. And what is she up to? Well, she is the queen of mixed messages. One moment kind and encouraging, the next insulting. Portraying herself as a fan and then claiming some mysteriously privileged status. Declaring she is finished only to begin again. Dropping cryptic hints, ranging from her fanfiction to an eminem music video which concludes with an innocent DVD being replaced by one labeled ‘explicit content.’ She is most likely one of the villains of this narrative.

4. Assorted: Besides these major players there are a few minor players who seem significant—@Bask_in_flies and @HarappaTiger have had brief, cryptic conversations with Contact_JM about executing some sort of plan. @eugenim portrays herself as sort of Eurus/Moriarty hybrid, and interacts like a cross between Contact_JM and Dale Pike: sometimes talking like a fan, sometimes like a psychopathic insider. Besides these, there are a few other potential players that people are keeping eyes on.

5. Creator twitters: there are a few of the Sherlock creators who periodically tweet things that are . . . suggestive, to say the least. Sometimes they are manifestly striking, other times they would passed unnoticed if it weren’t for uncanny timing: Gatiss and the Sherlock account both posting about moors around the same time, for example. The comments on their tweets can also be ripe with suggestion and ‘coincidence’.

Good. Now, finally: What all of this is hinting at:

I’m going to divide this section into two parts. First: What we know (as much as we know anything at this point):

1. The hints and the halls and mirrors cannot yet be assembled into a complete and coherent image. But they insistently hint at a secret episode, a false narrative, and something coming.

2. What has been seen on twitter strongly supports theories about a future fourth-wall break—both in the sense that what is going on in twitter is already breaking the fourth wall, and that it is hinting at some further, more undeniable break.

3. In this narrative, there are good guys and bad guys. Figuring out which is which seems to be part of the puzzle.

4. There are hints that this might be a ‘choose your own story’ ARG: obviously it would end in the release of The Lost Special no matter what we do, but we might have some say in how that happens and what role we play in its release.

5. Whatever is coming is still being only hinted at; it has not yet begun in earnest.

6. Maybe it’s a fluke, maybe it’s intentional, but this past week has felt different. More urgent—like something is coming. (Having just arrived I can’t testify to this one, obviously; but it seems to be the general consensus of those who have been involved long-term).

7. We are supposed to trend Norbury on March 21st—and this time, we will have help. (Okay, we don't technically know this. But again, worriesconstantly assures us that she has good reason to suspect this is the case on the basis of some dms. And seriously, what could she have to gain by making this up? Making people angry at her if nothing happens? There is always the possibility that this is another intentionally false lead from tptb; but worries constantly is certainly trustworthy, and it’s worth a try. Fortunately, #norbury has the added bonus of being worthwhile even if it doesn’t launch anything ARG related).

And finally: What we believe might be coming:

Well, okay, the actual speculations are far too numerous to actually list here. I’m just going to give my personal favorite theory about what might happen if/when the ARG kicks off and the fourth wall collapses for good. However, because this post is getting quite long and this isn’t really an essential part, I’m going to link to a separate post here for anyone who is interested.

In conclusion: What do we do with all of this?

Whatever you want, really. If you’d rather sit back and watch things unfold, go for it. (Although I’d still encourage participating in #norbury even if you are giving twitter theories a wide berth. That’s is a worthwhile project regardless of the ARG; something being set in motion by it would just be an added bonus!) But if you are aching for engagement, learning to navigate this twitter story will give you no end of entertainment and brain-teasers. So if you want to have a good time while potentially participating in making history, give it a look.

And remember, all of this endorsement is coming from someone who attached very little credibility to the ARG until getting on twitter just one day ago. If you’re intrigued, come and see for yourself. You would be most welcome!

@worriesconstantly

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mastcomm · 4 years

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Libya, Harry and Meghan, SpaceX: Your Monday Briefing

(Want to get this briefing by email? Here’s the sign-up.)

Good morning.

We’re covering halting steps toward peace in Libya, Harry and Meghan’s hard break from the British royal family and a facial recognition app that’s scraping photos from Facebook.

A glimmer of hope in Libya

Gen. Khalifa Hifter, a rebel commander in Libya whose forces are laying siege to Tripoli, is due to meet in Moscow today with President Vladimir Putin of Russia, amid hopes that the general might embrace a permanent cease-fire agreement that he refused to sign last week.

The meeting comes a day after more than a dozen international powers with competing interests in Libya met in Berlin and called for a cease-fire, an arms embargo and “a Libyan-led and Libyan-owned political process” for ending a conflict that has festered for nearly nine years.

But expectations remain low: On Sunday, as General Hifter’s forces launched fresh attacks on Tripoli, he and the Libyan prime minister refused to even spend time in the same room together.

Related: As Russia and Turkey play a bigger role in trying to end the conflict, Europe is belatedly sensing the implications of “a new Great Game, this time in North Africa, that is rapidly destabilizing its backyard,” our Brussels-based correspondents write.

Russia: Our reporter in Moscow explains why Mr. Putin announced last week a surprise reorganization of the government four years before he is scheduled to step down. (Hint: An autocrat’s usual retirement package — death, jail or exile — is unappealing.)

Harry and Meghan’s hard exit

When Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, made the bombshell announcement that they planned to “step back” from their royal duties, they said they hoped to carve out a “progressive new role” within the monarchy.

But under a severance deal announced over the weekend, the couple will lose most of the privileges and perks of royalty once they give up their full-time status and forsake Britain for an uncertain future in Canada and the United States. It’s a harsher deal than the soft exit they’d imagined.

“It brings me great sadness that it has come to this,” Harry said of the agreement, which codifies one of the most dramatic ruptures within the British royal family since King Edward VIII abdicated the throne in 1936 to marry an American, Wallis Simpson.

Details: Harry and Meghan will forgo public funding of their activities, abandon their royal designations and repay the more than $3 million they spent refurbishing their residence on the grounds of Windsor Castle. But for now, their website has retained references to “His Royal Highness” and “Her Royal Highness.”

Quotable: Penny Junor, a royal biographer, said the British royal family was “trying to prevent a half-in, half-out arrangement, which doesn’t work.”

Impeachment arguments take shape

President Trump’s high-powered legal team is expected to expand today on its earlier arguments that the case against the president is legally and constitutionally invalid, and driven by a desire to hurt him in the 2020 election.

Democrats argued in a competing legal brief on Saturday that Mr. Trump, through his pressure on Ukraine, had enlisted a foreign government to help him win re-election, then sought to conceal his actions from Congress. And with the president’s Senate impeachment trial set to open on Tuesday, Democrats are intensifying their demands for testimony and documents.

Another angle: Mr. Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudolph Giuliani, and his Ukrainian allies see people who are fighting corruption in the country as enemies. That could complicate President Volodymyr Zelensky’s battles with oligarchs and organized crime.

Related: The Times Magazine profiled Mr. Giuliani, a central player in Mr. Trump’s Ukraine pressure campaign.

From opinion: The Times’s editorial board endorsed both Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar for the Democratic presidential nomination.

The trouble with Italy’s Five Star Movement

Italy’s anti-establishment Five Star Movement, which won the largest vote in national elections two years ago, was supposed to revolutionize the country’s politics. Now it looks to be on the verge of a slow-but-irreversible collapse.

Five Star had a messy breakup with Matteo Salvini’s hard-right League party over the summer, and its governing coalition with the center-left Democratic Party hasn’t worked out. The main problem, analysts say, is that Five Star has failed to transition from a vague protest movement into a governing party that is willing to take clear positions.

What’s next: At elections in the Emilia Romagna and Calabria regions later this month, the ascendant Mr. Salvini “is hoping to put a stake in the government’s heart,” our Rome bureau chief, Jason Horowitz, writes.

Closer look: Last month Jason profiled Luigi Di Maio, Five Star’s political leader and Italy’s foreign minister.

If you have 20 minutes, this is worth it

Helping to exploit Angola’s wealth

Isabel dos Santos, above center, Africa’s richest woman and the daughter of Angola’s former president, often took cuts of her country’s wealth through decrees signed by her father. Global banks, bound by strict rules about politically connected clients, largely declined to work with her family.

But consulting companies readily embraced her business, and even agreed to take money from offshore shell companies tied to her and her associates. As a result, they both facilitated and helped legitimize her efforts to profit off diamonds, oil and banks in a country hobbled by corruption.

Here’s what else is happening

Virus in China: The authorities reported a third death and more than 130 new cases linked to a mysterious respiratory virus over the weekend, bringing the total number of reported cases to about 200. As millions in China prepare to travel home for Lunar New Year, some experts worry that the outbreak could be more severe than the government admits.

Rocket blast: SpaceX intentionally blew up a spacecraft, with NASA’s blessing, after launching it from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, as a way to test an escape feature for astronauts. The test may set the stage for SpaceX and Boeing to launch their first crewed flights.

Controversial app: Hundreds of American law enforcement agencies are using Clearview, a facial recognition app that identifies people based on photos scraped from Facebook and other websites. Clearview has shrouded itself in secrecy.

Klimt, revealed: A prosecutor said a painting by Gustav Klimt that was found last month inside the walls of the same Italian museum from which it was stolen almost 23 years ago is authentic.

Snapshot: Above, a small clothing factory that was flooded by calls from widows seeking work in Aleppo, Syria. As the country’s civil war grinds on, more women in socially and religiously conservative areas are leaving home and working for the first time.

What we’re reading: This look back at Prohibition, 100 years later, from NorthJersey.com. “It’s a perfectly mixed cocktail of history, politics and culture,” writes Gina Lamb, a Special Sections editor. “Don’t miss the video.”

Now, a break from the news

Cook: Red curry lentils with sweet potato and spinach is an aromatic meal inspired by Indian dal.

Watch: With “Star Trek: Picard,” a spinoff following Patrick Stewart’s Starfleet officer, the franchise is trying to rediscover its place in a universe that it effectively invented.

Smarter Living: If you’re a night owl tired of not getting enough sleep, here’s how to become a morning person.

And now for the Back Story on …

The Australian Open

Facing the likelihood of incoming clouds of smoke from the bushfires scorching the country, tournament officials say they may have to close the retractable roofs on three stadiums and restrict play to the eight indoor courts. Play began today.

The retractable roof on what is now Rod Laver Arena was a big attraction when it was new, in 1988. According to its designers, the point was to allow the stadium to host concerts and sports in all seasons.

It also helped the Australian Open make the transition into one of the grander of tennis’s four Grand Slam events.

When the event began in the early 20th century, travel time for Americans and Europeans could be more than a month, so play was largely limited to Australians and New Zealanders.

Even after the advent of jet travel, low prize money and dates around the Christmas holidays kept many players away. Chris Evert played the Australian Open just six times; John McEnroe five; Bjorn Borg once.

Over time, prize money and ranking points increased. The tournament shifted to the third and fourth weeks of January and moved to Melbourne Park — which has since added two more retractable roofs. Those additions now seem prescient.

That’s it for this briefing. See you next time.

— Mike

Thank you To Mark Josephson and Eleanor Stanford for the break from the news. Today’s Back Story is drawn from reporting by Ben Rothenberg, who covers the Australian Open for The Times. You can reach the team at [email protected].

P.S. • We’re listening to “The Daily.” Our latest episode is about Bernie Sanders’s campaign strategy. • Here’s today’s Mini Crossword puzzle, and a clue: Point of a fable (five letters). You can find all our puzzles here. • The New York Times reported from 159 countries in 2019.

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