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Or... whatever they're called. Bits^TM of the PPC Discord.

Also: contest to design a symbolic crown or other emblem is now on... ;)

hS

As it happens, everyone thinks DAS-DIG (the geologists) are really weird, because their acronym directly refers to their job. The loonies.

Maybe DAS-BOOT can be Hardric's magic unit - the BOrderline Occult Team.

hS

According to Flag Maker Junior, I swiped it from the flag of Tajikistan, which was very much news to me. =]

As for the stars, well, they come with the image of the crown and seven major moderators seemed roughly (very roughly) right. Plus, I think we can all appreciate the symbolism of seven white stars. =]

The first three parts are already on the Plort wiki , but to give newbies an impression of how this is supposed to work, I post them here again, with annotations that are not meant to be part of the chronicle. Also, I’m going to correct mistakes and insert missing links in part three.

((Part One, published 2014))

Not much is known about Hieronymus the hermit. He travelled wide and far, looking for a place where to dwell when his livelong journey came near its end. Following rumours about a dreaded plague called the Marizu, and the brave knights who fought this evil, he came to the shores of Wechi. Unseen by anybody, he roamed this vast land for over a year, even sneaking into Arkive and the Hall of Ancient Records. Only when a stranger accused the noble knights of vile malefaction, Hieronymus stepped forward to Borrd to defend their selfless deeds. ((Looking for something to do when I’m retired from my job, reading everything on "The Complete List of PPC Fiction", lurking and then joining a discussion about what the PPC actually do.))

Since then, he has talked to some of the denizens of Plort, and he began to build his home in Wechi, and to prepare his offerings to Kanun and Spelin, for he pondered to explore the mountain range of Purmeshun, but now he seems to be lost in the wood of Kar’eer. How he got there is still a mystery, for he has never been seen in Iric. ((Talking on the board while never chatting in the IRC, creating a wiki user page and thinking about prospective agents and how to get Permission, but not actually doing much, because my job got into the way.))

Some may conclude that Hieronymus is a fearsome mage who comes and goes of his own volition, and has not revealed his full power yet, while others may believe that he is a leaf in the wind, never knowing where he may be tomorrow, and both may be right, for being self-contradictory is his very nature.

((Part Two, published 2015))

Over time, rumours spread that the hermit may have left the dark woods to walk the roads and pathways of Plort again.

Inhabitants of Ozerbord remember a grey bearded man who appeared at the Games of Batveg, clad in the habit of a harlequin, pretending to be a veritable knight, but fighting the atrocities in other knight’s tales rather than the misdeeds of the Marizu. Of course this fool was laughed out of town. ((Introducing the "Uncanonical Department of Inaccuracies" in the badfic games.))

Wordsmiths and Grammagicians at Worhkshap tell tales of a taciturn, grey bearded man wielding a staff – named Androia – in the training sessions for scribe apprentices. Civilians, knights and even barons up and down Plort claim that this very man’s feeble attempts in practising the ancient arts of Beytah may actually have improved their strength. And nobody shall ever again mention the Quiet Baker-Knight’s weird experience at the Shipfest in a nameless harbour. ((Developing prospective agents Androia and Hieronymus in writing exercises for Poor Cynic’s workshops, beta reading for various PPCers, being shipped in the shipfic fest for "German Pretzels".))

It is also said that Hieronymus, on his flight from Ozerbord to Worhkshap, passed an unexplored region at the junction of the Wattuf Mountains and the Mountains of Reverence, where he found the Snow Drops, a moste potente potion that helps curing forgetfulness. How these will be used in the future is yet to be seen. ((Occasionally role-playing an uncanonical Flower – the Snowdrop, Inofficial Department Head of the Uncanonical Department of Inaccuracies – on the board.))

Recently, the peasants living in the lands between the rivers Wep and Freewep began to talk about a newcomer, fitting the hermit’s description, amongst the workers sent by Baron Neshomeh to help in repairing the damage caused by the last earthquakes. ((Webs.com and freewebs.com continuously delete former PPCers sites for inactivity.))

The peasants are probably not mistaken, for one day not far in the past, Hieronymus appeared in the Hall of Ancient Records – as he likes to appear out of the blue – and he bent low, and he spoke up and said, ‘Milady Neshomeh, I travelled wide and far. My eyes are old, and my posterior can not stand perpetually riding against the Marizu. But my mind is still sharp, and my hands don’t tremble. If you would assign me a corner in your castle Arkive, where I can rest and store my staff and flask, I could help you copying and restoring these documents I see are in bad shape and may soon disaggregate into dust. And in case I feel ever fit to follow you into battle, I would appreciate the licence to wear your colour on my shield.’

((Offering to help Neshomeh with archiving "The Lost Tales", and asking permission to use Neshomeh’s special shade of green on my coat of arms. Also, Hieronymus the hermit asking for a corner to store his still uncanonical "weapons" implies that Hieronymus the boarder, if he ever asks for and gets permission, would like to have Hieronymus the archivist’s apprentice store his stories in the archive of Lost Tales, skipping the step of having them gone lost elsewhere first.))

((Part Three, published 2016))

The humble hermits request was met with grace. But rather than finding the rest he had hoped for in that tiny corner at Arkive, the archivist’s new apprentice was immediately sent off to demonstrate and improve his Eich-Tee-Ehm-Ehl skills in the devastated lands. ((Actually working on "The Lost Tales" and the wiki.))

While Hieronymus was supposed to travel between Arkive and the river Freewep, he somehow became sidetracked to the City of Borrd. He arrived just in time for the annually Baronial Council, where he barely escaped imprisonment and prosecution for treason and libel by Baron Thanasius Ampelius. Had he not conveniently gone lost in the wood of Kar’eer again, Hieronymus would certainly have talked his head off. ((Getting into a dispute about who should govern the new nation "Riding of Sittorese" and chickening out of the role play. Also, my job getting into the way becomes a recurring theme.))

On his flight from the baron’s ire, the hermit fell into a dubious dungeon. But that is another story and shall be told on another day – actually here, based on this, – but Hieronymus did still not reveal how he got out of this mess again.

The way through the dungeon may have led to an alternate universe, for Hieronymus clearly remembers that he got out of the forest by following Baron Dann from Castle Tegnoh to La Wunj, where he attended a great festival, apparently held annually to celebrate a victory over the ypurs. His memories of spotting Dame Karrin the Blue and Baron Thanasius Ampelius, and making an awkward attempt to apologize, are much less clear. Before he could hear a response, Hieronymus fell to the floor, very drunken, rolled under a table, started to snore and never spoke another word in Iric.

((The festival was proposed by the baron formerly known as Techno-Dann on the Baronial Council. I had so hoped for an opportunity to finally put one line into the IRC and give closure to the role-play I had chickened out of, while having an excuse to ignore all further discussion. Alas, it was not meant to be.))

When he woke up again, all the Ops and Dars of Iric were gone, La Wunj lay mostly abandoned, none of the few citizens Hieronymus still found remembered any recent festivities, and when he asked for Baron Dann, glares and stares were the only answers the hermit got, for everybody knows that south-eastern Plort is and always was ruled by the fair Baroness Delta Juliette. Thus, Hieronymus joined the last trek that left La Wunj to the west, and since he became more invested in the Riding of Sittorese, he travelled on until he reached the Empire of Fanvik-Neht, where he built a secret hermitage which he hopes will once become a stronghold of goodriding. ((Acknowledging Delta Juliette’s story and the abandoning of the IRC; creating an account on fanfic.net and starting to write "Air'ihpotre" fanfiction that didn’t get much attention yet.))

How he got across the ocean and then back again, is still one of many mysteries, but although he was supposed to be back on his job of dusting off old scrolls in Arkive, some strange fate took the archivist’s apprentice to the newly assembled Baronial Council again, where he was promptly and retroactively tasked with keeping the records. ((Assuming responsibility for the chronicles of the Baronial Councils.))

((Part Four, published 2017))

On his way home from the City of Borrd, Hieronymus the hermit got no further than the Lhawgin Heights, for one evening, when he sat at his campfire [...] strange noise [... ho]oded figure spoke, approaching the old man, [... some(?)] of the Barons talked among us, and [...] agree [...] your journeys through the nations of [...] works in the archives [...] gain [...]understanding of the ways and mores of Pl[ort, ...] dedication to the Riding of Sittorese and the Law of Goodriding. Thus [...] join the ranks of our armies, riding against the Marizu [...]

[...] addressed like this, the archivist’s apprentice was so fl[ustered(?) ...] forgot that he had not made proper offers at the temples of Kanun an[d Spelin ...] never wandered the Knights’ Road, and he fell to his knees, and he felt a sword touch his should[er(?) ...] became a knight of Plort without much of the pomp and cere[mony(?) ...us]ually involved.

[Archivist’s note: The end of the scroll looks like it was ripped by talons and singed by flames. As far as can be determined from other sources, Hieronymus the hermit did not return to Arkive before the next Baronial Council was held, but he may have shown up when Baron Iximaz gathered an Army for a campaign to the Bronee.]

((Getting Permission, participating in a Role Play that became part of Iximaz’s "Neverfree From Working")).

((I don’t know yet whether there will be another scroll. Keeping the tune is hard, I obviously didn’t do much worth mentioning since I got Permission, and there is not much left that would be mentionable just for me doing it for the first time. So, this may be a good point to let this tale end.))

HG

I figured the ants being near-invisible was deliberate, and I'm sure you realize these guys are forever doomed to be the Watermelon Department, those watermelon guys, melonheads, etc. ^_^

Also, Anglish is awesome and I'm totally reading that when I get a chance.

~Neshomeh

So, the difference between wraiths and Suvians, IMO, is that wraiths always target canon characters whereas Suvians are original characters. With this theory, though, I wonder if that distinction becomes moot, and normal OCs can be infected with the same range of issues that go along with wraiths. But I don't think you can exorcise glitter, though, so maybe not. Maybe glitter is like a bacteria or virus, and wraiths are more like parasites.

That would make Archir the Emerald make a bit more sense, I guess: he was a parasite evolved not to need to inhabit a host, instead feeding indirectly through close contact.

Honestly, he should just have been a character replacement, though. >.> (And how do we fit that in?)

~Neshomeh

*squirrels away for future reading*

Please please please can we come up with a pun so we can have a division called DAS-BOOT?

The sound of hoofbeats filters in from the courtyard, and steps were heard on the flagstones of Otik.

A figure long absent from the councils of Plort appeared through the door: Knight Ælcalen, drawn by fell tidings from the contentment of his mead-hall L'Urque.

"Long it has been since I have been here," said he. "And dark are the days that draw me back. Yet I have come. Plort calls, and I shall not hold back. No Baron am I, yet years plenty on this fair isle have I dwelled, and what counsel and service I may render is at the command of this august assemblage."

"Neither citizen of Wechi nor Borrd am I, but in between, yet both are dear to my heart. I would count myself craven should I not stand forth to play whatever part I must".

It looks like it's based on something, is all. (I mean, it keeps giving me flashbacks to the Starbucks logo, but it's not that, obvs. ;))

You could probably invert or recolour three of the stars (or I could, if I redraw the flag - you know how I am about compulsively redrawing everything). How confident are you in those numbers, though? I seem to recall three retirements a few months ago, plus Matt giving up ownership - so that's at least four who've 'gone', and four remaining... (Not that I object to the number of stars changing! Very American. ;))

hS

The two different blues are indeed deliberate; so are the two wider grey bars. Discord has this too - the slightly wider top section for the name of the channel you're chatting in at the top, and the text input box at the bottom. Hope that clears that up.

The crown-and-stars is to represent the mods (Mords in Plort), as there have been roughly seven major moderators in the Discord since its inauguration. Presently, there are four mods, but blurring out four would have been much more of a faff than I was willing to put up with. =]

And yes, I made it! Flag Maker Junior is my tool of choice, and you may find it here.

I assume the two different blues are deliberate. Are the slightly wider top and bottom grey bars also intentional?

And, uh... what is the crowny thing in the icon?

Internally, I like the fact that this draws on the flags of both Iric and Ozerbord, the two states the Discord has taken ground from. I also think that the outer blue can symbolise the sea, with the grey being the mountains and cliffs. It's almost a cross-section of Plort, with the Discord's areas (and Borrd itself, as the capital of the Union) in white... like this:



(Did you make this, or is it cribbed from somewhere?)

hS

I'm not sure Dr. Niamh will like it, but that's for her response in the Letters section.

I think this theory would make glitter more or less a different form of author-wraith: like slash-wraiths, infusing a character with it alters its nature. It makes just as much sense as any other theory. ;) If we want to draw in the glitter-golems hypothesis, then natural Suvians (rare) are of that kind, while the various created kinds are archetypes with glitter shoved into them.

hS

The blue fesses represent the Discord logo itself, while the white and blue stripes on dark grey represent the text (white) and links (blue) on the chat background (grey, by process of elimination). The icon in the top represents the, er, icons in the chat, as well as the various Mords we've had there (roughly seven, by my count).

I hope this is to everyone's satisfaction. =]

The doors of Otik creak open. As the rail lashes at the flagstones, Baron Huinesoron walks slowly into the council chamber. He walks with a cane, one leg trailing limply behind him, but his back is straight and his head held high.

He does not look at the gathered barons, knights, and civilians. He crosses the wide floor in silence, coming at last to a stop in front of the grand map of Plort carved into the wall. From his pocket he draws a stylus, pulsing with red light.

"We've been through some troubling times lately," he says. A ripple runs through the crowd as they hear the cracking in his voice, the strain weighing on every syllable, but the baron does not look round. He raises the stylus, and its lambent glow cuts into the stonework like clay.

"The war…" Huinesoron shakes his head. "Was it even a war?" His hand moves over the Forest of Kar'eer, dust falling as the rain where it passes. "The Mords of the discord say their lands are bountiful and cultured. They say the western lands pleaded to join with them, to live under their enlightened rule." He walks down the length of the map, his cane tapping on the stone, and presses his palm over the city Ozerbord. "They say that when their airships landed at Skypcht, they were welcomed with open arms.

"I have my doubts." The stylus sweeps across the Geymez Plateau, obliterating the name of Ozerbord, and inscribing a new one in its place. "But I will not fight. Geymez, as La Wunj, belongs to the discord."



He steps back and looks up, his gaze taking in the northern Spalchik Lowlands, where the city of Teebor and the castle Kwenaya gleam as twin jewels. "The Refuge stands empty," he says. "Oh, it draws the crowds from time to time, when peril strikes or the old festivals resume, but none live there." He stretches up and plucks the green gem of Kwenaya from the map. "It has no need of a baron," he says softly.

The stylus flickers to life anew, its light shading to a deep blue. "I relinquish the barony of what was once Ozerbord," Huinesoron says, tracing glowing lines across the map. "Let what remains of the Refuge stand without the baron it no longer needs, and let the Lady Iximaz take up her place as warden of the new discord in the west. By the Edict of Bast, those lands once held by Baron Thanasius Ampelius also pass to her; the lands beyond the mountains are united once more."

He steps back. The whole chamber seems to hold its breath as he studies the map, and then he makes his slow, steady way down to the line of the Larninkurvs.

"Barony July," he says, and a sigh drifts through the air. "Barony Ampelius. Barony Cassie. Barony Araeph." The baron lifts his stylus again, and green fire gathers about its tip. "All stand empty, in the heart of Borrd and the Riding. This cannot be."

Under his pen a new pattern of baronies takes shape. "I will take Barony Araeph as my own," Huinesoron says, plucking the amber jewel of Araeph's castle and pressing his own garnet into its place. "I will reclaim Retben from its ruins and build a new keep in its place. And I will take also Barony July, ceding back its southern tip to Barons Neshomeh and Juliette.

"But," and with a sudden stroke he inscribes a circle around the city of Borrd itself, "I will not claim baronial authority over this city. I ask that the Council of Borrd be jointly trusted with that duty, as has been proposed on many previous occasions."

He pauses for a moment, bowing his head. Then he reaches up and carves a new hole into the map, on the banks of the river Meibot. "We have welcomed Baron Eshakhar into our midst," he says, pulling a carved rose quartz from his pocket and clicking it into place. "Let Baronies Ampelius and Cassie be hers to watch and to ward, to lead into battle and to lead in time of peace."



Baron Huinesoron turns at last, facing the Council. His face is pale and drawn as he looks out at them, and in his outstretched hand he holds the four gemstones he has plucked from the map: amber for Araeph, topaz for Thanasius Ampelius, turquoise for July, and jasper for Cassie.

"We've been through some troubling times lately," he says again. "This island fortress has-" He pauses, wincing, and leans heavily on his cane before speaking again. "Has been shaken. But it has not fallen."

Huinesoron straightens up again, and a fiery spark seems to burn in his eyes. "And it will not fall," he declares. "Not while any one of us draws breath. This is the Union of Plort - the legacy of Jay and Acacia - and it. Will. Not. Fall.

"We must draw together, now more than ever. To that end-" He stops again, draws a deep breath. "To that end, I propose that this Baronial Council be expanded to include not only our military leaders, but also those who guide the fo- five nations of Konti-Nyuum." He looks across the crowd, noting faces and absences. "Let the archivists of Wechi send their representatives, and the Beytahs of the Riding. Let," a wince crosses his face, "Protector Tomash of Ozerbord sit in council, and…" The baron closes his eyes, clutching the gemstones in an involuntary fist. "And let the Mords of the discord be seated among us, that together we may debate and decide what is best for the Union of Plort."

---

The national borders and the shut-down baronies aren't really open for dispute. The Discord has taken over most of the RPing that used to be done on T-Board, so it gets the land to go with it. The relocation of Barony Huinesoron, boundaries of Barony Eshakhar, expansions of baronies Iximaz, Neshomeh, and Juliette, status of Borrd, and the expansion of the Council of Plort (not the Council of Borrd, which remains just barons - Iximaz, Phobos, PC, Huinesoron, Kaitlyn, and Eshakhar by the above maps), are all up for debate.

Oh, and in keeping with the theme established a while back, the colour of baronies on the map/the gemstones used for their castles is what you get if you plug their names into <font color="this spot">. Since 'Zingenmir' is identical to 'Huinesoron', you get Eshakhar.

Iximaz - Sapphire
Phobos - Obsidian
PoorCynic - Jade
Neshomeh - Lapiz Lazuli
Huinesoron - Garnet
Kaitlyn - Ruby
Eshakhar - Rose Quartz
Juliette - Amythest
VixenMage - Turquoise

And someone please give the Discord a proper name! Baron Me has been using the descriptive word 'discord', but I doubt you want to just stick with that. (If you feel like making a flag for it - or if anyone wants to throw in a flag for the Riding of Sittorese - that would be delightful.)

hS

The History of Konti-Nyuum (newly revised, with thematic maps interspersed into it).

V. The Age of Change

Change, it seems, is inevitable. It began with the election of four new barons; for by the Edict of Bast, three of them took their lands in the western regions of Konti-Nyuum. In the annual baronial council of Plort, eight nobles vied for control of the increasingly crowded Borrd and Ozerbord - while in Wechi, Neshomeh alone held dominion. Of the barons of Iric, Juliette and VixenMage, who each watched over vast swathes of land, almost nothing was heard. Tensions grew ever higher.

Another invasion drove the first wedge between the patterns of past and future. The vile Green Ads, bandits and masters of stealth, swarmed across Borrd, rendering travel between its cities and towns perilous even for the best-armed among its people. All effort was made to banish them, led by two key figures: Huinesoron, who beseeched the gods Spelin Tam-Ara and Kanun Syorn for relief, and Tomash, mayor of the town Teebor, who sought to cast great wards about the whole of Plort.

The confrontation between the two was brought to a head by the arrival of the Inter'Nelerors, savage flying beasts from beyond the Mistwall that swarmed across Borrd and Ozerbord alike. With their refuge shattered, the people fled to Wechi, turning in fear to the gods of distant Wechi-Ah; yet it was not gods who brought salvation. By the power of Programm'an, Tomash spread his protection across the skies of Ozerbord, creating the Refuge anew. In doing so laid claim to the title of Lord Protector, ousting Baron Huinesoron from the position.

Confined to Borrd, the Inter'Nelerors were swiftly dispatched, but there was another crisis to come: Ofum, long the fortress and training ground of Plort, was burned to the ground by hands unknown. The knights of Plort wavered, unable to press their attacks against the Marizu.

The Baronial Council convened in an atmosphere of despair, yet from it sprang hope anew. Forts were raised in Ozerbord and Wechi, to take up the burden of Ofum's loss. A new city was inaugrated at Critta-Kalthin, to trade with distant lands. And a new nation was created: the Riding of Sittorese between Borrd and Iric, taking the fertile lands that were once Thalia's and using them to feed the armies of Plort.

Iric did not protest the appropriation of its lands. In fact, very little news was had out of the far eastern lands, and over the months that followed the council, utter silence fell. None travelled down the untended roads between Tumblar and La Wunj; no ships sailed the sea routes between them. The land of Iric was deserted, and when Baron Huinesoron in his wanderings brought its tattered banner to Borrd, the nation was declared lost.

Over time the people drifted back, from Borrd, the Riding, and lands overseas, drawn by the lure of empty fields ripe for the taking. They had no leaders, no laws or structures of politics; discord reigned among the rivers between the mountains. But out of it something new arose, a nation of factions and divisions, unlike anything that had been seen on Konti-Nyuum.

The time was coming when the maps of Plort would be redrawn once more...



Or... welcome back, once again, to the Protectorate/Union of Plort, Konti-Nyuum! This is the answer to the question 'what if the PPC community was actually a medieval kingdom', and it's been providing us with fun and bemusement for a few years now. You - yes, you! - are a citizen of the Union - a knight, a civilian, or a baron. There is a handy Beginner's Guide to get you oriented, and a whole wiki attached to it.

This is the thread for you to tell us your story, whether you're new to Plort or just need to update it. Transform your history into Plort-speak (the Glossary is helpful here) and write it up, and we'll put it on the Cyclopaedia/wiki for you. Mine looks like this, for instance, and you can hunt down any other Boarder's that you're interested in. (Be aware that the map above is as of the Fall of Iric. It hasn't been updated to reflect new developments... it will be.)

This is also the thread for heraldry! The original purpose of Plort was to give me an excuse to draw heraldic shields for people, and that certainly hasn't changed. The College of Arms at Castle Maklaur uses two styles of heraldry: Inglish and Alvish. There's a guide to those, too. If you can describe your shield(s), either in formal heraldic speak or just in words, I'll be delighted to create it for you. (And if you want to put together a description of a Marizu warlord you've fought, and create heraldry for them, that's fine too! There's even a section on it, and a few that already exist.

Finally, this is the thread for the Council of Plort to take place. This is an in-universe RP to which everyone is invited, though only Barons (currently) have voting rights. It's where we both play around with fictional politics, and try to update the setting to match the current state of the community. I'll be making a sub-thread for the Council shortly. It's... going to be a busy one. (This is where we'll be updating the map. Hooooo boy.)

Last thing, I swear - Plort is for fun. Plort is not for attacking people. I hope I don't have to say that.



Huinesoron, by the Grace of Kanun Baron of Plort, Protector of Ozerbord, Warden of the Fanvik-Whirl, Master of Kwenaya, Friend of Medellurth, &c &c

Yeah, the whole 'our flashpatch is ants! Here's loads of details about the ants! Oh, and I guess there's a watermelon or something in there too' thing was entirely deliberate. They're meant to be almost invisible. My only sorrow is that I couldn't make them even smaller. :D

Ned is not only a Fred-allusion - he's a relative of some description. Take a look at the last part of their full names. I assume the name is actually some sort of description (this is YW, after all), so it could mean they're simply white holes of roughly the same mass... or it could mean more. Who knows? (Anyway, I have no plans along those lines :( Fred...)

The observatory, being in a convent, has extremely restricted access. The nuns of San Galileo aren't as strict as they were in their old convent, but they do have some rules. Though negotiation is always possible.

I was originally planning to have Alembic write the Narrativium article, and then Sunniva translate it into Anglish as a joke. I gave up on that when I realised how much excruciating work it would be. If you want to see it done properly, check out Poul Anderson's Uncleftish Beholding, the direct inspiration for Sunniva.

Dr. Niamh's review was the first thing I wrote for this. I try to have a tidy mind, and the completely disparate nature of our 'studies' on Suvians was driving me crazy. So I fixed it. ^_^

hS

First, this is an awesome concept (and also ties in with a few ideas I had, but I'll get to those later), and I really enjoyed reading these. They're clever and funny.

Secondly, if Ned oybjf uvf dhnagn va n znaare fvzvyne gb n pregnva pnaba ur'f pyrneyl na nyyhfvba gb (the rot13 is So You Want To Be A Wizard spoilers, more or less), I'll be vaguely unhappy. Also, how dare you remind me of that!

Thirdly, re: flashpatches: with the departmental one, basically-black on black doesn't wore very well for me. I'm effectively guessing if there's supposed to be an ant there or no. Similarly, more contrast on DAS-VOID and DAS-SQUEE's ants please? They're quite hard to see, let alone distinguish.

That being said, I like the descriptions of the patches and why they were chosen for each devision.

Fourthly, "You can't get much more negative than this, Professor." was a good line, though I will admit to skimming the technical bits (in the grand tradition of paper-readers everywhere)

(Intermission: "like unto those we have observes" -> "observed" in the conversation between Maria and Ned).

Fifthly, the whole Maria/Ned thing was fun reading. And Peregrin is currently demanding observatory access from somewhere near the back of my brain.

Sixthly, reading Anglish is painful. Writing it must have been more so. Thanks for not subjecting the wider PPC to an entire untranslated article.

Seventhly, interesting bit of multiverse theory there.

Eighthly, I'm liking the interplay between the papers around the fridge getting raided and the samples being eaten. Also, more Laduquac please.

Ninthly, the bit about salt was one of the best lines in the cookbook (which was good).

Tenthly, Joan and Durand have the "agent pair that rub each other the wrong way" dynamic going pretty well.

Eleventhly, Mandy really needs to start talking to Building Maintenance more.

Twelthly, the review article is rather appreciated (on an in-universe basis) because there's never enough of those.

Finally, expect RC #112358's reactions to this sometime soon-ish (given that it's a bit past midnight already)

... OK, that ended up being more than a few thoughts.

- Tomash

Just asking if magic could be a potential subject.

Actually, I just got an idea. Perhaps trying to study techbanes effects from different continua, like Dresden Files, Harry Potter, Persona 3,...

(this is a partial slate of notes; varied reactions aren't written down)
- Ellie is cute, and I'm liking Ave's fake-frustrated here
- Zeb, no, don't you'll make the console go off ... and he did
- Well, now I know Zeb has a thing for Genji. I'm going to assume that was a bit of characterization for the guy, but I don't know what, since I don't know Overwatch
- Zeb with a lighting canon!
- "special hatred for putting punctuation at the end of the last sentence of each paragraph". Took me a re-read to figure out what that was saying (but that's probably me), and I can't figure out how it connects to the setting blending together
- I liked the scene where Zeb was teasing Ave about Tracer and the detective
- The jet exploded. Both agents involved have Problems with explosions. You terrible person.
- I like the line about Ave's mom
- The bit about Ave eyeballing the bar was a good bit of character development, I'd say
- Oh, god, another explosion. ... "Mission, not War". Poor them
- I want to see Ellie reacting to Zeb doing Overwatch impressions now
- Now you've got me thinking about purple v. beige prose
- Zeb, I know you (apparently) like Soldier 76, but please get your hormones under control
- Petition to get Zeb a mini-Bastion! Sign here: :P
- “THE BATTLEFIELD IS NOT AN APPROPRIATE PLACE TO SCOUT OUT A GIRLFRIEND!” was a fun scene
- "Wouldn't we both like to know." was a really nice line
- "Do you think that was typed with one hand?" No, you know it was
- Good luck getting that plane back into HQ, y'all
- Something about the dialogue straddling the line between the last two paragraphs felt off, probably because it took me a moment to realize that "Bet you enjoyed that" was Ave's line.

So, review-wise, pretty good, I think. I don't know Overwatch, so I expect half the jokes flew over my head, but the mission was interesting enough that I didn't feel the urge to put it down in the middle.

- Tomash

What about in-fic (non-PPC) exorcisms, though? Has that ever happened?

This may be the only documented case I remember.

HG

Depends on the question. ;) If it falls into one of the existing divisions (eg, DAS-DIG could deal with earth magic), definitely. If it would need a new division, then... possibly. Like I say, it depends on the question.

hS

I never really thought about something like that inside the PPC before. But now I read it? I can't believe The PPC went for so long without something like that. In my book, it makes it a very good idea.

Now, quick question. Will DAS also look over problems and questions concerning magic, whatever it's a form of magic tied to tecnhology or not? Because I think there ideas to be found there.