#Commonwealth Split-site

[naijabullet]

Mastercard Foundation Enterprise for Youth in Agriculture Program

You are here to learn about the Mastercard Foundation Enterprise for Youth in Agriculture Program. As you may already know, this is a ‘Work, Learn, and Earn’ opportunity to train unemployed youths and women in vegetable production (Olericulture) using technology. The technologies to be deployed in this program include: Greenhouse farming – a climate-smart growing method that gives growers…

[sammypinkgirl]

A Fallout 4 Rambling: The Children of Atom, and how neat they are.

Im a sucker for fictional religion, and politics. I am a massive nerd for big, cultural ideas that shape a setting. I adore the various tribes of new Vegas, and the lore about the Vipers, in specific. I adored the fact that New Vegas had real, tangible progress in the Fallout setting, in that nation states were emerging again. I thought it was just so cool. The ways that a culture emerges, shifts, and forms into something cohesive and nation-like are my favorite thing about both worldbuilding, and real history.

The east coast USA in the Fallout Universe is only beginning to start its evolution, and nation building. While there aren’t huge nations, yet, we see examples of powers emerging. There’s The Pitt, with potential for a rich economy, and strong military, there’s the commonwealth, with its political revolution bubbling to the surface, it’s just beginning.

What does that have to do with the children of Atom, you may ask. The reason I bring this up is to demonstrate something fascinating, a trend between the games that is interesting to me. While there aren’t large nations on the east coast yet, no national borders that slowly expand, there is something emerging, and that is a uniting religion. The Children of Atom are spreading, and doing so quickly. They are adapting their ideas, forming different sects, traveling however they can to spread their faith.

Think about the fact that the children of atom are now prominent in the Capital wasteland, Massachusetts, and Maine (mount desert island aka far harbor). They’ve spread across three former states, none connected by land. Think of how much the religion spread in between those distances, think about the fact that everyone in the commonwealth knows who the children of atom are, about their (local sect’s) war against non-believers. It’s becoming increasingly more of a normal occurrence, something people at least know about.

When you consider that not only is the faith militarizing in the commonwealth, but also in Maine, under a high confessor who seems to act similarly to a pope (in my understanding), and that they have accepted both people that use rad meds and those that have evolved, it’s pretty clear that they’re going to grow. Radioactive places are all over the world in Fallout. It’s a religion that has holy sites across the globe, in every region. The children of atom are fascinating because they are spreading, and I’m so wonderfully intrigued.

Now here’s some questions that I beg someone at BGS answers, cuz my brain can’t take it anymore:

What do the children of atom think about Fusion? Division is holy because it creates universes by splitting atoms, but what about fusion which…fuses them? Is that Un-holy? Are Laser weapons holy or unholy? Fusion Cores are holy, but I need to know why, and what church doctrine says!

What do the children of Atom think happens to those who aren’t laid to rest in radioactive areas? Richter said people could be “lost to the faith” if they disappeared in the fog, but what does that mean from a theological belief standpoint? What’s their afterlife in division brings godhood?

What’s the deal with Plasma weaponry, and the church? Similarly to laser, I gotta know. Heck, throw in the alien weapons too.

[libraryofcirclaria]

Nephina [Rewritten]

The content of this entry remains largely unaltered from the previous version; although some minor changes have been made.

Location and Orbital Pattern:

Nephina, like its sister planet Juno Minor, orbits yearly around the gas giant Juno Major. The difference is that Nephina is greater than Juno Minor in distance from Juno Major. As a result, Nephina is passed by Juno Minor once every 2400 years.

Evidence shows that Nephina and Juno Minor were once merged together as a single superplanet, which hosted plant life. Approximately 3 billion years ago, however, an unknown cataclysmic event caused the superplanet to split into Nephina and Juno Minor. Such findings provide plausible reasoning behind the striking similarities between the two worlds, especially in the ability of both planets to support life.

Nephina was observed in ancient times before setting below the horizon of Juno Major (relative to the viewpoint from Juno Minor), and was the source of myth and legend. Its resulting absence in the night sky over the following centuries would eventually lead belief in its existence to be subject to skepticism and controversy. Such disagreements ended in 1213, however, when Nephina was observed having reappeared over Juno Major's horizon.

Geography:

With its axis slightly less-tilted than that of Juno Minor, Nephina boasts of five climate "belts": the tropics belt, two temperate belts, and two polar belts. The tropics belt contains most of Nephina's oceans but also has desert regions and tropical forest regions. Here, it is warm year-round with wet and dry seasons. The temperate belts have more land and moderate temperatures. They are the narrowest belts and have four distinct seasons similar to Juno Minor. Vegetation in each temperate zone is dominated by numerous species of trees, grasses, and flowers. And the polar belts have constant polar vortices around each pole, each of which shrink during the summer months and expand during the winter months. Both poles are land-based, just like on Juno Minor, while each polar belt has the least amount of vegetation.

There are similar plant species on Nephina to Juno Minor, further supporting the theory that plant life existed on the ancient superplanet before the great split. There are, however, no native animals. Instead, rock-like organisms that produce carbon dioxide exist, as Nephina's only oxygen-consuming life forms, in a variety of sizes ranging from a grain of sand to miles in diameter. No microorganisms (i.e. bacteria) have existed on the planet before the arrival of humans. While the rock-like organisms are multicellular, their cell structures are quite different, in that they are larger and have more of a similarity to plant cells.

No noted cellular species from Nephina seem to pose a threat to humans. Similarly, no microorganisms from Juno Minor seem to harm or even interact with plant or carbon life on Nephina, posing a complete mystery to scientists. Nevertheless, visitors have been instructed to take precautions.

Colonization:

On 2 October 1364, the first humans set foot on Planet Nephina. In the years leading up to this accomplishment, a space apparatus, known as Ultima Porta (UP), had been constructed to conduct rigorous testing practices and eventually transport scientists and aerospace vehicles from Juno Minor to Nephina. And it was from this station that the landers were launched to arrive on the new world.

The first two humans to set foot on Nephina were Mara Kroll from the Commonwealth (ICSR) and Hana Mystera from Gyrosak. The next two were Tom Sortenson from the Commonwealth and Syndol Korvis from Gyrosak. The agenda of the mission was to map out the region surrounding their landing site in a detailed fashion and document its topography. However, matters took a controversial turn when Sortenson placed a Commonwealth flag atop a hill in the area and took a photo that would later be published in a Commonwealth media outlet. This prompted backlash from the Gyrosakian government, who condemned the decision as "an inappropriate act of nationalism," and filed a suit against the Commonwealth under the Congress of Circlaria. The lawsuit dragged on until the year 1369, when a final decision was reached to establish the Global District of Nephina, an objective, academic-based organization that emphasized a ban on national symbols of any kind (including mottos and anthems). In the years to follow, the Global District would oversee the establishment of a limited number of scientific communities that continue to dominate the landscape of Nephina to this day. In 1372, the Circlarian Space Agency was established; and in 1377, the Commonwealth liquidated its program to merge with it.

Although scientific communities constitute the majority of human settlements, businesses and other organizations are permitted to operate on the new world as well. For example, since 1419, the Commonwealth-based Library of Circlaria has been administrating a facility here.

[aabms]

Commonwealth Split-site Scholarships in the United Kingdom, 2025

The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) of the United Kingdom grants Commonwealth Split-site Scholarships 2025–2026 to bright and driven students from low- or middle-income nations. All Commonwealth students who are unable to pay for their education at UK universities or their PhD program have an excellent opportunity to realise their ambition of attending one of the country’s best…

[caalaadd]

Commonwealth Split-Site Scholarships 2025-26 in UK | Fully Funded

Want to pursue research and doctorate studies abroad? Apply for the Commonwealth Split-site Scholarships in the UK. Commonwealth Scholarships 2025-26 will be awarded to talented and highly motivated students from low or middle-income countries by the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). Students who do not get the opportunity to study in UK universities can pursue their PhD in top…

[sidewalksurgeon]

Sprint 5 Overview

Sprint Recap:

For our fifth and final Sprint, our main goal was to focus on the distribution of our posters and messages to as many places as possible. Last Sprint, we were in the process of printing our posters and had submitted our posters to multiple VCU distribution services such as Cabell Library, VCU Social Media, etc.

The first thing accomplished during this Sprint was printing and distributing our posters around campus. Lillie, Alo, and Dalton split the printed posters amongst themselves and put them in places such as nearby bus stops and inside school buildings. Most of the posters were taken down immediately, but some stayed up until the end of the semester.

While the posters spread the word about picking up the e-scooters, they didn’t bring much engagement to our Link-tree. We decided to post our poster design along with our Link-tree link to the r/rva and r/vcu subreddits. We wanted to receive feedback about our poster designs to ensure they came across as we intended.

Both posts received lots of engagement almost immediately after we posted them. r/vcu ended up getting 33 upvotes and 22 comments. r/rva was even more successful receiving 67 upvotes and 104 comments. As expected from websites like Reddit, lots of the comments were either jokes or mean and unhelpful comments. The Redditors leaving helpful critiques all had similar things to say about our design. They all pointed out how our team's goal of making the sidewalks more accessible didn’t come across well in the poster. Redditors only knew about our goal to help those with mobility issues when I added an extra comment clarifying why we were doing this. Most assumed we were trying to do the scooter companies' jobs for them. They recommended we add some sort of blub or design on our poster indicating that this is to help the community rather than corporations.

Thanks to this feedback, we also decided we would distribute Dalton’s old poster design that talked about mobility issues and scooters. This poster showed how fallen scooters can make it hard for wheelchair users to use the sidewalks safely.

Even if the reaction to our posters was mixed on Reddit, it still shot up our engagement on Link-Tree. We got a total of 29 views that day, 24 unique views, 25 total clicks, 13 unique clicks, and a click-through rate of 86.21%. 

Along with our poster distribution and Reddit postings, we also submitted our designs to VCU distribution sites. We initially submitted our designs to VCU’s social media page, the Student Commons digital screens, the Commonwealth Times, the Cabell Library digital screen, the Stall Street Journal, and Telegram. We also messaged Byrd/Lime about putting our posters on their story and were even told by GRTC that they would put up posters on their bus stops and post us on their story.

The first ones to get back to us were the people in charge of the Student Commons digital screens. They sent us an email letting us know that our design was in their rotation of images and should play in the Commons. However, when I went to check, I noticed our design never came up. I sat for over half an hour while the screens kept repeating the same messages. I emailed the people in charge of the digital screen but they weren't able to help us fix the problem before the end of the semester.

VCU social media got back to us almost immediately and let us know that they would post our poster and Link-tree link every week on the official VCU Instagram story until the end of the semester. I’ve checked back every week and can confirm that our message plays weekly on their story. 

When we messaged the Commonwealth Times about putting our poster in their newspaper, they had already printed their last volume of the year. While we weren’t able to be posted in the physical release, they let us know that they would post us on their digital newsletter on December 1st. When December 1st came, they indeed posted us in the newsletter. We were the very first image when opening up the newsletter. 

The Cabell Library digital screen, Telegram, and Byrd/Lime never responded to our requests. Stall Street Journal also didn’t put us in an issue but they are focused on mostly mental/physical health issues so it makes sense why scooter safety wouldn’t fit in with their usual articles. Even though I spoke with Henry from the GRTC’s marking team and he approved our ideas, he never responded to any of my follow-up emails so we couldn’t do anything officially with the GRTC.

Towards the beginning of Thanksgiving Break, I got an email from Susan Sutphin (MPC Campus Coordinator) that Corey Beyers (University Relations) and Molly Case (Communications) would love to meet with us after the break to help us distribute our poster designs. 

Once break was over, we met up with everyone over Zoom. I let both Corey and Molly know about what we were doing for our project, what our goals were, and what we had accomplished so far. They both congratulated us on how much we had done already and were unsure how much more they could help us with. Since Corey has direct connections with VCU’s police, she told us she could create a “Geofenced Alert", which is when an alert pops up on your phone when you approach a specific area. She told me to give her 6 locations on campus where students would automatically receive a message telling them to pick up scooters if they stepped near those areas. This was all to be done through the Livesafe app which is a safety alerts app that VCU suggests all students download. She also said she would post us on all of the VCU police social media on December 4th. We agreed and she set up the Geofence to run December 4th-6th.

Molly told us there wasn't much more she could do for us since we submitted to almost all of the VCU distribution sites. She was the one who suggested we submit it on Telegram but when we did, we were denied.

On December 4th, VCU police posted us on their Instagram, Instagram stories, X (Twitter), Facebook, and Threads.

On Wednesday, December 6th, she shared with us all of the stats from the three days the posts were active. VCUpd’s Facebook reach and engagement reached 311, Instagram reach and engagement reached 508, Instagram stories reached 122 views, Twitter reach and engagement reached 188, and Threads reached 0. Corey informed us that the VCU police Threads account doesn’t ever get engagement since Threads isn’t as popular as other social media. 

The Geofence alert ran for three days as well and was set up at Cabell Library, The Student Commons, Harrison Street Cafe/Village Cafe, Monroe Park, Cary Street Gym, and Bowe Street Deck. I walked in these areas to test this out and can confirm that I received the alert on the Livesafe app. 

Corey also shared the stats for the Geofence alert and told us that it reached 423 users in the 3 days it was up.

Around when all of these posts and alerts were put up, we also received a large increase in our Link-tree engagement. We got a total of 23 views, 17 unique views, 16 total clicks, 8 unique clicks, and a click through rate of 69.57%.

Towards the end of our project, we also attempted to do an in-person survey at Cabell Library. We set up a table near the library and put out a large candy bowl. We would give people free candy if they completed our survey. The survey consists of questions asking the person if they have seen our posters around campus, if they use a scooter, and if they’ve had scooter related issues in the past. Sadly, we had very limited engagement. We only had 7 people fill out our survey since it was one of the coldest days of the year when we did this. Most people wanted to be in and out as fast as possible.

The very last thing we did during this project to spread our message was distributing even more posters around campus. Since a lot of our older posters were removed, we decided to put up even more. This time, we did a mix of our original scooter posters and also our accessibility issues poster as requested by many people on Reddit. We put them up on poles all over campus, Cabell library, outside apartment complexes, and just anywhere where they had an unlikely chance of getting removed. Like last time, some got removed almost immediately while some still stand even today.

Final Results:

By the end of the semester, we got a total of 145 views, 86 clicks, and a Click-through rate of 59.31% on our Link-tree. We put up over 20 posters around the VCU campus, were posted to VCU’s official Instagram story weekly, and were featured in the Commonwealth Times. We were also posted to VCU Police’ Instagram Stories (122 views), Instagram (508 reach and engagement), Facebook (311 reach and engagement), Twitter (188 reach and engagement), and Threads (0 reach and engagement). We were able to reach 423 users in 3 days with a Geofence alert in 6 locations on campus. We got 33 upvotes and 23 comments on r/vcu and 67 upvotes and 104 comments on r/rva. We were able to get the attention of VCU’s Monroe Park Campus Coordinator, VCU Police, GRTC’s marketing head, and VCU’s head of communication while trying to spread our message. We also got 7 people to fill out our survey during in-person polling. 

Towards the end of the Sprint, I got an email from Susan who let us know that she thinks our campaign made an impact on campus. She said that ever since we started our scooter campaign, scooters are no longer as scattered and fallen over like they used to be. She said she no longer sees them in weird places like bushes. 

Reflection:

I feel that our project was a success. We were able to distribute our message through many different platforms and methods and were able to reach hundreds of people. Susan who pointed out this scooter problem to us in the first place told us how she believes that our scooter campaign was a success. I feel like this entire project taught me such important skills that I wouldn’t have learned anywhere else. I feel like I learned how to network, learned how to properly advertise, distinguish helpful critique from unhelpful critique, learned how to continue on when things don't work out like they should, and also learned how to properly manage a project that goes on for this long. Even though my major doesn’t have anything to do with product design, I feel that everything I learned in this class can be applied to any career and skills

A couple of things that I wish we did differently would be to start reaching out to people earlier. I feel like we should have tried a more manageable goal from the very beginning rather than trying something so ambitious. We wasted a lot of time trying to contact people and find solutions to a problem that obviously couldn’t be solved in a semester. If I were to redo this project, I would greatly reduce the amount of time we took to plan our project. Because of this, we were very late on reaching out to people to help us distribute our projects. If we began that stage earlier, we could have been able to get our poster printed in the physical version of the Commonwealth Times and have the GRTC distribute our posters.

Overall, I think both the failings and successes of this project will prepare me for future projects in and outside of design. 

[webvacancy]

Commonwealth Split-site Scholarships 2022/2023 for LMICs (Fully-funded)

Commonwealth Split-site Scholarships 2022/2023 for LMICs (Fully-funded)

Deadline: February 17, 2022 Applications are open for the Commonwealth Split-site Scholarships 2022/2023 for low and middle income countries. Funded by the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Commonwealth Split-site Scholarships enable talented and motivated individuals to gain the knowledge and skills required for sustainable development, and are aimed at those who could not…

[theteasetwrites]

Hi! Thanks for explaining the Leah thing. Wow, that’s all crazy. If it’s not too much trouble could you give me the run down on how the hell negan has a child??? I read that somewhere but I wasn’t sure if it was fake.

No problem! And sure, I can tell you about the Negan thing lol. Below the cut are some pretty major TWD season 11 spoilers.

So yes it is true. Negan is married to a woman named Annie, who is expecting a child.

Here's the story: Negan was banished from Alexandria at the end of season 10. He was living in Leah's cabin for a while, and then somehow he ended up in Maggie's group helping them fight against the Reapers. At some point, he split from the group to live on his own, and we didn't see him again for a while.

We see him again when he crosses path with Maggie and co., but this time he is with a new group that is led by a woman called Annie, who is Negan's wife now, and she is also pregnant. Lance Hornsby and the Commonwealth Army had killed most of their people so Negan and Annie are helping the group bring them down.

Negan and Annie both got kidnapped by the Commonwealth shortly after Sebastian died, and now they are at some kind of work site where they are forced to do manual labor (basically slavery/concentration camp vibes).

So that's all I really know about what Negan is up to rn. Then again, I honestly don't pay too much attention to Negan unless Daryl is involved lol so some of that might be slightly incorrect, but that's what I think is going on in season 11.

I have some predictions about what I think is going to happen, including Annie having a miscarriage or maybe Annie and the baby dying (you know, for man pain), but I also have no proof of that I just feel like that's what they're gonna do. At the same time, I don't really care because Negan doesn't deserve happiness and Annie is kind of annoying so if she dies I won't be too upset. <3

[naijabullet]

Global Innovation Fund for Organizations | How to Apply

Here’s an opportunity to apply for the Global Innovation Fund (GIF) which is designed to help organizations like yours grow. This Global Innovation Fund programme is a social impact-first investment vehicle that collaborates with mission-aligned development agencies, philanthropy, and other funders to identify and fund evidence-based innovations that have the potential to improve the lives of…

[concussed-to-pieces]

The Mettle Of A Man; Part Twelve

Fandom: Fallout (4)

Pairing: Eventual Paladin Danse/Female Sole Survivor

Rating: Holy shit M.

AN: Enjoy!

Part One: ArcJet

Part Two: The Prydwen

Part Three: Orders

Part Four: Finding Brandis

Part Five: Weston Water And Oberland

Part Six: Meeting Preston And Matthew

Part Seven: Radstag And Radstorm

Part Eight: The Return To Sanctuary Hills

Part Nine: Domestic Ruminations

Part Ten: Institutionalized

Part Eleven: Two Weeks, Three Days

[!TRIGGER WARNING!: This installment contains a brief scene of attempted sexual assault. Stay safe!]

Mark twenty-eight nuclear warheads .

  Backhand squinted down at the paper, up at Ingram and then back at the paper. "Oh, is that all?" She asked sarcastically. "What, you don't want me to grab milk and eggs while I'm out?"

  " Easy , smartass." Proctor Ingram laughed. "We know the general location. All we need is for you to sweep the area, get rid of hostiles and secure the payload. Simple!"

  "Yeah? Where's the general location then?" Backhand challenged.

  Ingram spread the map out on the desk, tapping the area circled in the lower left hand corner. "It's a military site, Prescott I think? One of our scribes was able to triangulate it using the documents you and Danse scooped from that veteran housing development."

  "In the Glowing Sea." Backhand groaned. "I had kind of hoped to never need to go back out there." I'd better start getting some damn perks for all the legwork I'm doing , she thought uncharitably.

  " Theirs not to make reply, theirs not to reason why, theirs but to do and die ." Ingram quoted at her, laughing again when Vega grumbled under her breath. "C'mon Vega, you're like the Brotherhood's poster child for Commonwealth recruitment. Where's your Ad Victoriam spirit? You have to spearhead this, if only for the eventual publicity."

  "Ah, the press ." Backhand retorted. "Who's my backup, then?"

  "Your sponsor, obviously! Though I'm guessing after this you'll be welcomed into the fold for real." Ingram mused, her expression thoughtful. "Danse seemed better when I saw him last. I think the time off the Prydwen has really done him some good."

  Vega tried to hide her flush of pride, quickly asking, "Other than the lack of big boomers, how is Prime looking?"

  "Pretty good, I'd say! It was a real stroke of luck that you got us Madison back, even if working with her makes me want to set my pubes on fire." Ingram answered frankly. "We're both too stubborn to function well together, but sometimes we can shut up and actually get shit done. Those are the times I believe we might have a shot here."

  "Your confidence is overwhelming." Backhand said dryly. 

  The other woman gave her a lopsided grin. "I've seen too many ops go south to put all my eggs in one scientist's basket, Vega. At least we'll have the numbers of the Minutemen on our side in case Prime can't get off the ground."

  "Has Quinlan had any luck getting that information unscrambled? My buddy hit a dead end pretty early on with the encryption, and he's dying to know whether he actually helped or whether it's all junk data." 

  Truthfully Sturges had gotten much further than either of them had expected (the fact that he knew there was data on the tape at all was a miracle), but Ingram didn't exactly have to know that. The older woman's sigh didn't sound overly promising though.

  "Nothing yet. He and his scribes have been working as close to around the clock as they can get without disrupting Cade across the way. It's always a process in close quarters." The proctor hummed. "With any luck, maybe a few more days?"

  "I'll keep my fingers crossed." Backhand promised. "I know it'll probably all be considered confidential information, but still."

  …

  "No."

  " Excuse me, Paladin?" Arthur snarled.

  Danse stood by the door to the elder's quarters, his posture perfect. "I said no, Elder Maxson." He repeated. "I will not be engaging with you any longer." 

  "Dare I ask what has brought about this insubordination? " The younger man queried.

  Danse stood firm. "This is not insubordination, Elder Maxson. You have exploited me long enough and I refuse to let you continue."

  "I'll have you exiled, Paladin." Maxson threatened. "One word from me and your status goes up in smoke. We are on the brink of war with the Institute and you wish to weaken our ranks? You're a good soldier, Danse. Don't make me send you away."

  Danse shook his head. His hands, clasped at the small of his back, trembled nervously until he clenched them into fists. "I'm sorry, Elder Maxson, but I refuse to allow you to manipulate or abuse me any further." 

  "Are you disobeying a direct order from your elder, Danse?" 

  "I am simply-"

  A knock on the door to Maxson's quarters interrupted whatever Danse had intended to say, and a split second later Knight Vega poked her head around the door. "Apologies, Elder Maxson." The woman said with a salute. "I was unaware that you two were having a discussion. Paladin, we are departing in ten minutes."

  Arthur jerked his head to the side to indicate that Elizabeth should leave. " Get out , Vega." He barked. 

  She hesitated and Danse closed his eyes in defeat, knowing that he was screwed the second she departed.

  He heard the door close and Arthur was abruptly on him, one hand gripping the paladin's throat to force Danse's head against the wall as he tore at the zipper of the other man's jumpsuit. "You are going to fuck me, Danse, so I suggest you warm up to the idea." Maxson hissed against his ear.

  Danse felt nauseous, dirty as Arthur pawed at him. Say no, damn it! What's wrong with you?

  The only warning either man got was a barely-audible knock on the door before Paladin Brandis barged in. Arthur whirled on the older man, murder in his eyes for the barest second. " Brandis! " Maxson roared. "How many-"

  "I have sixteen new aspirants seeking to rise to knight or scribe, Elder Maxson!" Brandis waved a sheaf of papers at the younger man. "I also have seven squires who believe they are ready for evaluation to ascend to aspirant. Oh, was I interrupting something?" He remarked, blinking in a befuddled manner at the clearly-furious elder.

  Maxson stared back at the older paladin, his chest heaving. "Don't think for one goddamn second that I don't know exactly what you're up to, you old fool!" Arthur's blue eyes were fairly crackling with rage. 

  "Me? The only thing I'm up to is trying to get this paperwork taken care of." Brandis protested blandly. "You're so suspicious , Maxson. It won't do you any favors." Brandis seemed to finally notice Danse standing there slackjawed and the older paladin began to scold, "zip up your uniform, Danse! We're a military , not a frathouse!" His eyebrows raised, all but begging Danse to take the opening and flee.

  Danse gulped and floundered to apologize, zipping up his suit. He caught the barest glimpse of Maxson's thunderous glare before he turned tail and bolted. The cowardice burned at him, but really, what else could he do?

  He shouldered past Vega lurking just outside the door, and stormed down the catwalk to the grease pit without a word.

  Their aerial approach to the Glowing Sea was silent and riddled with turbulence. Danse could identify the territory of the area from a fair distance away, the way the radiation tinged the sky to a sinister yellowed bruise a sure indication.

  Waypoint Echo was precariously positioned on the very edge of the Glowing Sea. Danse felt a fair amount of trepidation as he and Knight Vega approached the area after they disembarked the vertibird. He had never ventured into the Glowing Sea, but he supposed there was no time like the present.

  He was glad to at least find a familiar face, although Haylen didn't appear happy to see him and Vega. The scribe looked tense, wary. Danse supposed he could understand that; the post was much less than favorably placed. They were only just outside the heavy haze of radiation, and the radstorms weren't inclined to remain stationary for too long. To say nothing of the deadly creatures that tended to emerge from the area and wander north. Waypoint Echo was not a hospitable assignment by any stretch of the imagination. 

  His scribe had never searched for the easy jobs. Danse felt a wave of pride for the woman he had sponsored back when she was nothing but an initiate. Haylen had rolled with the punches and become an admirable scribe, a loyal friend and an incredible asset to any team she joined. "Scribe Haylen!" He greeted her warmly with a salute. "Ad Victoriam. Another day, another assignment."

  "Paladin Danse," Haylen addressed him through gritted teeth, oddly not returning his salute. "Can I get a word with you before you depart? It's urgent." She was already grabbing his arm before he even nodded, the scribe leading him away from the camp. Knight Vega was listening intently while the other field scribe briefed her on their current situation and any observations they might have made.

  "Scribe Haylen, is something amiss?" The paladin asked, a little concerned once Haylen had moved him out of earshot of the encampment. 

  The petite woman whirled on him, looking more furious than Danse had ever seen her. " How could you not tell me?" She hissed. 

  Danse stared at her, bewildered. "I...what do you mean, Haylen?"

  "Don't play dumb with me, Danse! Quinlan got the list decoded. He knows . Maxson knows. Hell, maybe even Vega knows! Maybe she's leading you into a trap right now." Haylen took hold of his gauntlet once more. "Danse, you have to run ."

  "Haylen, I'm afraid I have no idea what you're talking about." Danse replied, thoroughly puzzled. What would Quinlan decoding the Institute information have to do with him?  

  Haylen's fingernails scraped at the worn red-orange paint denoting his rank as she gripped down even tighter. "Danse, you...do you really not…" she appeared to be trying to ask something, but couldn't seem to amass the words.

  "Take your time. Get your mind straight." Danse said kindly. "Whatever it is, I'll hear you out."

  She sobbed suddenly, her small frame rattled by the outburst. "Oh Danse , I'm so sorry." She whispered.

  …

  Backhand lingered on the edge of the camp, half-watching Haylen appear to argue with the paladin about something. Trouble in paradise? she wondered, turning the distress pulser for their endeavor over in her hands before she tucked it away in her satchel. 

  "Man, I guess whatever Rhys passed along to her earlier really has her in a twist." One of the other scribes commented. "I dunno' if I've ever seen her this heated."

  Danse thundered back towards the camp, leaving Haylen to call his name plaintively. "Ready to continue our mission, soldier?" He gritted the words out at Backhand. 

  Backhand raised an eyebrow at his sudden change of mood, but then recalled what she had interrupted earlier that morning and reasoned that he had more than every right to be a little testy. The woman simply nodded and fell into step behind him. "See you guys soon!" She said to the soldiers occupying Echo, waving in farewell. Haylen didn't wave back, the scribe looking wholly dejected. 

  Was she crying?

  "Hey Danse, is Haylen alright? She seemed upset." Backhand inquired after they had been walking for several minutes.

  "We had a discussion." was all Danse said in reply. His tone didn't exactly encourage further questioning, so Backhand decided that she should probably, maybe , just this once, not attempt to converse.

  "Sorry, didn't mean to pry." She mumbled. 

  "I'm certain you didn't. But we can't afford to be distracted on this mission." Danse instructed firmly. "There's too much at stake, Knight Vega."

  "Oh, absolutely!" Backhand agreed. 

  "I need you to take point during this engagement, as you're the one who knows where we're going." Danse paused, letting her come up alongside him. "We can't lose sight of what's important. If we do, the Institute has already won." 

  The paladin, in spite of his words, seemed out of sorts. Spacey , even. His grip on his rifle was uncharacteristically slack, especially considering how hostile their environment was. 

  Backhand was reminded of his behavior during their search for Brandis and she said as much, prodding the paladin to respond. "I'm fine. Just...thinking," he muttered. "I apologize, I'm not very good at following my own orders. I lecture you on distraction while also being distracted."

  "After this campaign is over, I vote for a little R and R. The proverbial run ashore. Sound good to you?" Backhand asked, tilting her head.

  Danse cleared his throat. "I wish I had your optimism." He said plainly. "Once the Institute hears we have these munitions, assuming the bombs are even here in the first place, it will be all-out war. I'm not so foolish to think they'll surrender or melt back into the shadows under the threat of our superior firepower. They will demand a live test." The paladin gestured vaguely around him at the blasted landscape. "I know for a fact that Maxson won't stop until the Institute is nothing but a fractured husk. The idea that there are innocent people down there, good people who will be slaughtered with the bad…" He shook his head. 

  "It's sobering." Backhand murmured in agreement, not sure why she was surprised by the paladin's display of humanity. She had been in and out of the Institute over the last few weeks, building a rapport with the various scientists and synths and also passing along pertinent information to the Brotherhood. All the while Shaun pressured her to take over his position, " before I am gone, Mother. " She hadn't known that Danse was actually listening to her field reports.

  "It's grotesque entrapment. People who wanted a better life, people who wanted to help the world, people who thought they were helping." Danse sounded disgusted and strangely upset. "Bodies snatched in the middle of the night, or lured in by the lie of bettering mankind!" He had turned to her as he ranted, his pauldrons rising and falling rapidly from the force of his body against the frame of his armor. "He's your son , Vega, how could he--"

  "He's not my son anymore." Backhand cut him off, stung by his heated words. "The man who leads the Institute may be related to me through biology, but he is not my son, Paladin Danse." She heaved a sigh, looking away. "I guess he really never was, in a way. His father...his father told me he wanted children. Once I got pregnant, though, it was like the reality of it became too much for him." Her laugh was a sad noise, mirthless and hollow. "And if he thought it was too much, imagine how I felt. I didn't really have a lot of agency in the matter, I just wanted to make him happy and when I realized that not even that could make him happy, I kind of lost it. Hence the divorce and stuff. I loved that baby more than anything in the world, but I know that I wasn't a great mom. I was in way over my head. Scared. Terrified . Alone. And then...then he was taken from me. Just like that."

  "Knight Vega, I...forgive my outburst, please. I didn't mean to imply that any of this is your fault." Danse mumbled. "I simply...I-I mean, I see you, the way you interact with the people of the Commonwealth, and I can't wrap my head around the fact that someone even tangentially related to you could be capable of such...heinous machinations."

  "I'm a byproduct of the Great War, Paladin Danse." Backhand smiled thinly. "A relic from times of pretend plenty. The Institute raised Shaun, shaped him into their perfect leader. He doesn't understand the struggles of the real world. He can't understand the ugliness of war, not like how someone who lived through it can." 

  "You would think the perfect leader would want what's best for his troops." Danse remarked.

  "He's dying , Danse. The only reason he thawed me out again is because he's dying, and the Institute wanted me to take over." Backhand confided, scoffing a little. "Can you even believe that shit? His board of directors really thought my altruistic, bleeding-heart ass would take over their body-snatching extravaganza. Hell, they seem confused every time I tell them to fuck off."

  "You turned them down?" 

  The bewilderment in his tone caught Backhand by surprise. " Yeah , Danse. Obviously."

  "The promise of returning the Commonwealth to its former glory wasn't enough to sway you?" The paladin queried, his voice laden with that rare sarcasm he employed. 

  Backhand chuckled wryly. "Did you forget the part where I've seen the Commonwealth at the peak of that former glory? It wasn't better. It was just a little less irradiated." She thumped her pauldron against his own after a moment. "Hey, I'm with you, okay? No matter what happens, we'll get through this and enjoy that sweet off-time." She promised. "I know you can't see, but I'm definitely smiling under here."

  "I can tell." Danse lapsed into contemplative silence, and Backhand wished she could see his expression. Something, anything to clue her in as to what he was thinking about. 

  They passed a crashed plane, the trail of wreckage from it extending well past Backhand's limited field of view. Danse tuned into its distress signal like a reflex, and Backhand half-listened to the mayday broadcast of Skylanes one-six-six-five. 

  "... left engine failure, we're out fifteen three at this time …"

  The plane had been coming in the day the bombs dropped. Due to its location in the Glowing Sea, Backhand could only assume no one had survived. She almost wanted to ask Danse to turn off the broadcast, but the signal quickly petered back out into static as they carefully descended the ridge past the plane.

  The shattered remains of sparse buildings jutted from the caustic ground like the incisors of a gargantuan beast, offering a semblance of shelter only to roving feral ghouls or ambitious mole rats.

  It was a man-made hellscape, awe inspiring in its grim misery, and Backhand felt like she understood Danse's taciturn mood a bit better now.

  Abruptly, a towering monolith was brought into sharp contrast against the green sky by a sullen flash of lightning. Backhand swallowed, unnerved by the stark stone structure that loomed up out of the wan light like a dark pyramid to a forgotten, terrible deity.

  She tried to shake off her fanciful thoughts, scolding herself for being so easily influenced. This wasn't some silly story, some maniac rumination on the subject of doomed expeditions and places where man shouldn't go. This was just one more thing that humanity had built.

  "And here we are." She announced needlessly. "You ready?"

  "My power armor is within nominal parameters, so I would say I'm as ready as I'll ever be." Danse replied simply. 

  Working together, they muscled the double doors open and cautiously made their way into the pyramid-like structure. Backhand grimaced at the bank vault-esque door that greeted them, raising an eyebrow and cocking her helmet at Danse. "I'll bet...fifty caps that I can just give this a spin and it'll bust wide open." She said confidently, resting a gauntlet on the handle.

  "Nice try, Vega." The paladin replied, his tone dry and humorless. "Don't forget we have a job to do."

  Vega grumbled to herself and spun the handle, watching the ancient tumblers creak and separate before the door slowly swung inwards. "Bingo." She breathed, stepping gingerly out onto the old catwalk. "Shit, it looks like ArcJet in here."

  "Remarkably similar." Danse agreed. "Be very cautious about what you shoot in here, we don't know what will explode. And remember to check your corners. I don't want to lose you to something we don't see." 

  Backhand swallowed hard, saluting while inclining her head to indicate that she received and returned the order. "Ad Victoriam, Paladin Danse."

  "Ad Victoriam, Knight Vega." 

  Silence hanging heavy in the air, Vega plodded down the rickety stairs of the catwalk. She briefly debated just hopping the railing and taking the plunge, but ultimately decided against it. The stiff gusts of wind from the door had stirred the centuries of dust into a thick haze, and warning lights still spiraled in amber circles, casting disorienting shadows over everything.

  "It would appear that this facility was converted into a launching silo as well." Danse commented, gesturing at the large gantry-like structure that took up the majority of space in the middle of the pyramid. 

  Down, down, down they went, past multiple security doors. Feral ghouls rose to greet them, some still clad in the tattered remains of army fatigues. 

  "I've had nightmares like this." Backhand admitted during a brief moment of reprieve while she painstakingly tapped away at the keys of a terminal. "Sergeant Cathan and the rest of my squadron turn into ferals and I have to put them down." Danse's heavy gauntlet landed on her pauldron, squeezed once, and then departed. "I know it's dumb to be worried about. They've been dead for…" Vega trailed off, finally getting the double blast doors open and turning off the weakly buzzing alarm in the same stroke. " That's it." She said in relief. 

  Danse took point during this secondary half of the expedition, the paladin staying unusually quiet. Backhand chalked it up to him focusing more on his targets, lest a stray laser hit one of the caged warheads. 

  Down into the bowels of Prescott they trudged, soldiering onwards through tunnels made tight by the bulk of their power armor. The headlamp on Danse's new helmet illuminated the cramped, half-collapsed areas as he scanned from three to nine and back again.

  "Left up here." Backhand broke the silence, directing him through a hole in the wall to circumvent a rubble-filled dead end and then overtaking him when he paused to check his rifle. "We should still be able to pick up the tunnel around this junk."

  "Affirmative." Danse replied shortly. "I would advise that we not attempt to clear any debris. We don't know what will collapse on us."

  Vega grimaced, "good point. That's why you're the paladin." Oddly, he made a scoffing sound, but she dismissed it as him being sarcastic again.

  When the tunnel finally opened up into an enormous room, Vega breathed a little easier. Ahead of them loomed a massive set of red double doors, tarnished with age but still holding strong. What appeared to be a control room was situated over the doors, and Backhand quickly spotted the stairs that would lead her upwards.

  The body sprawled across the top of the stairs gave her pause, however. It wasn't a feral ghoul, but a Child Of Atom. Backhand glanced up to the door to the control room, then back down at the body. 

  Up. Down. Up again.

  And she continued over the body, one massive gauntlet knocking comically gentle on the door.

  "Enter." Intoned a voice from inside the room. Behind her, she heard Danse's rifle hum as he primed it.

  " Easy , cowboy. Let me see if I can get this settled peacefully." Backhand whispered. She had no idea whether Danse had heard her or not, but she prayed he had as she set sabaton into the room. 

  The Children Of Atom had always been a ragged-looking bunch, their lives dedicated to the pursuit of " the Glow " and worship of what they called " the Great Divide ". This man was no exception, though the room was also occupied by a turret and assaultron. Two things no one wanted to deal with in close quarters.

  "Halt, stranger. You stand upon Atom's sacred ground." The religious fanatic announced grandly. "Speak your business or be divided where you stand."

  Backhand mused over her reply for a moment, finally stating, "we seek the Glow of Atom, my uh, brother ."

  " You? " The man scoffed, "you, who slaughtered Atom's most faithful as you stormed this compound?"

  "We sought to release them to Atom's embrace. Return them to the universe to be...divided anew. After all, matter cannot be created or destroyed, only repurposed," Vega replied smoothly, "as dictated by the Law of Conservation of Mass, writ by his most holy eminence Antoine Lavoisier." 

  "Ah, I see you are a scholar of the sacred texts as well!" The man remarked, a smile crossing his stern features. "Forgive my ignorance, sister. When I saw your armor, I feared that you came to destroy this holy ground." Backhand blinked behind her helmet. That had been strictly high school science bullshit, but she would take the victory. "I assume you wish to bask in Atom's Glow then, as one of his faithful?"

  "We seek to spread Atom's glory via the use of these munitions." Backhand explained. "Our organization requires these vehicles to distribute Atom's might. Please, permit us to utilize them."

  "You will put them to good use? That is all we can ask for!" The Child Of Atom's eyes filled with tears of what Vega could only assume was gratitude. "I had thought we would stand guard over this holy ground for all of time. Please, take this and prepare to enter His inner sanctum." He took her gauntlet and pressed a scrap of paper into it, gesturing at the worn-looking terminal on the table beside the sputtering turret. "Follow the brilliance of the Glow, and it shall lead you to the relics. May Atom's radiance warm your soul." He breathed, those teary blue eyes focused on the visor of her helm. 

  Vega inclined her head respectfully, praying that Danse would stand aside and let the man depart without a fight. Clearly she needn't have worried; the paladin obligingly shifted the bulk of his armor out of the way so the religious zealot could leave the room peacefully. 

  "' His most holy eminence' ?" Danse repeated, his tone wry. "You certainly have a gift, Knight Vega." 

  Backhand grinned under her helmet, reading the password off the scrap of paper and then carefully punching it into the terminal. "What can I say? A little diplomacy and a healthy sprinkling of mumbo-jumbo goes a long way." With a simple keystroke, the massive doors creaked open. The woman bowed as best as she could in her armor. "Shall we?" 

  Danse appeared to have returned to his silence, simply nodding and walking back out of the room.

  What's gotten into him? Backhand wondered.

Part Thirteen

[libraryofcirclaria]

Nephina

Library of Circlaria

Earlier Blog Posts

Location and Orbital Pattern:

Nephina, like its sister planet, Juno Minor, orbits yearly around the gas giant, Juno Major. The difference is that Nephina is greater than Juno Minor in distance from Juno Major. As a result, Nephina is passed by Juno Minor once every 2400 years.

Evidence shows that Nephina and Juno Minor were once merged together as a single superplanet and may have been hosting plant life during this time. Approximately 3 billion years ago, however, an unknown cataclysmic event caused the superplanet to split into Nephina and Juno Minor. Such findings provide plausible reasoning behind the striking similarities between the two worlds, especially in their abilities to support life.

Nephina was observed in ancient times before setting below the horizon of Juno Major (relative to the viewpoint from Juno Minor), and was the source of myth and legend. Its resulting absence in the night sky over the following centuries would eventually lead belief in its existence to be subject to skepticism and controversy. Such disagreements ended in 1213, however, when Nephina was observed having reappeared over Juno Major's horizon.

Geography:

With its axis slightly less-tilted than that of Juno Minor, Nephina boasts of five climate "belts": the tropics belt, two temperate belts, and two polar belts. The tropics belt contains most of Nephina's oceans but also has desert regions and tropical forest regions. Here, it is warm year-round with wet and dry seasons. The temperate belts have more land and moderate temperatures. They are the narrowest belts and have four distinct seasons similar to Juno Minor. Vegetation in each temperate zone is dominated by numerous species of trees, grasses, and flowers. The polar belts have constant polar vortices around each pole, each of which shrink during the summer months and expand during the winter months. Both poles are land-based, just like on Juno Minor, while each polar belt has the least amount of vegetation.

There are similar plant species on Nephina to Juno Minor, further supporting the theory that plant life existed on the superplanet before the great splitting. There are, however, no native animals. Instead, rock-like organisms that produce carbon dioxide exist in a variety of sizes ranging from a grain of sand to miles in diameter. No microorganisms (i.e. bacteria) have existed on the planet before the arrival of humans. While the rock-like organisms are multicellular, their cell structures are quite different, in that they are larger and have more of a similarity to plant cells.

No noted cellular species from Nephina seem to pose a threat to humans. Similarly, no microorganisms from Juno Minor seem to harm or even interact with plant or carbon life on Nephina, posing a complete mystery to scientists. Nevertheless, visitors have taken precautions.

Colonization:

On 2 October 1364, the first humans set foot on Planet Nephina. In the years leading up to this accomplishment, a space apparatus, known as the IGLTV (Inter-Global Laboratory and Transit Vessel), had been constructed to conduct rigorous testing practices and eventually transport scientists and aerospace vehicles from Juno Minor to Nephina. And it was from this station that the landers were launched to arrive on the new world.

The first two humans were Mara Kroll from the Commonwealth (ICSR) and Hana Mystera from Gyrosak. The next two were Tom Sortenson from the Commonwealth and Syndol Korvis from Gyrosak. The agenda of the mission was to map out the region of their landing site in a detailed fashion and document its topography. However, matters took a controversial turn when Sortenson placed a Commonwealth flag atop a hill in the area and took a photo that would later be published in a Commonwealth media outlet. This prompted backlash from the Gyrosakian government, who condemned the decision as "an inappropriate act of nationalism," and filed a suit against the Commonwealth under the Circlarian League of Nations. The lawsuit dragged on until the year 1369, when a final decision was reached to establish the Global District of Nephina, an objective, academic-based organization that emphasized a ban on national symbols of any kind (including mottos and anthems). In the years to follow, the Global District would oversee the establishment of a limited number of scientific communities that continue to dominate the landscape of Nephina to this day. In 1372, the Circlarian Space Agency was established; and five years later, the Commonwealth liquidated its program to merge with it.

Although scientific communities are the most frequent of human settlements, businesses and other organizations are permitted to operate on the new world. For example, since 1419, the Commonwealth-based Library of Circlaria has been administrating a facility here.

[suzilight]

Wellcamp Quarantine Hub Near Toowoomba to Take Travellers by Year End  | ABC News Australia 10.07.21

1,000-bed quarantine facility at Wellcamp Airport outside Toowoomba will be used by domestic travellers returning from COVID hotspots.  Expected to be completed by the end of March next year. 

Cabins will be split into different zones, accommodating singles, doubles,  family rooms and options for accessibility.  Plans include a medical treatment center, kitchen and warehouse storage.  Security and police offices will also be housed on site. 

"We anticipate there to be a continuing need for quarantine facilities."

Another 1,000-bed quarantine facility is being built in Queensland by the Commonwealth government on a 30-hectare Army barracks site in the industrial area of Pinkenba, near Brisbane Airport.  

[mrninjapineapple]

Meet my OC - The Gunslinger

Gender: Male

Age: Unknown

Sexuality: Bisexual

Height: 6′ 0″

Weight: 15st 9lb

Relationship: No, cannot remember ever having had one

*NOTE - I couldn’t find a mod that adds porcelain masks (which is what Gunslinger canonically wears) so I’ve taken some creative liberties with the Mojave Manhunter mod instead.*

Full bio under the cut!

Tubes full of gel and cold metal tables. Bright white corridors and flashing blue lights. Blood, screams, and the smell of burnt ozone. These fragmented images are all the mysterious figure known as the Gunslinger remembers about his past. The earliest memories which he can recall with any clarity consist of running through a broken landscape and waking up in a strange, abandoned town. Wandering through the town and its surroundings, he quickly learned the harsh lessons of the Commonwealth and found rudimentary weapons, armour, and a gas mask to cover his twisted visage. He stayed within the town for a time, surviving on the flora and fauna around until a chance encounter with a wandering mercenary changed everything.

Her name was Bullseye. Having got the drop on him, the pair soon found themselves at a stalemate. Each impressed by the other’s skill, they formed a tentative truce. Given Bullseye’s proficiency with long-range combat and his penchant for causing havoc up-close, the truce inevitably led way to a partnership and the duo soon found themselves travelling the Commonwealth together, taking on mercenary contracts and jobs and splitting the caps between them. He soon earned the name Killshot, due to his pinpoint accuracy and ruthless demeanour. Leaning into this new moniker, Killshot used some of his earnings to purchase new tailor-made armour, consisting of a duster atop ballistic weave vest and a matching mask.

The pair fell into a rhythm for a while, fulfilling contracts with professionalism and consummate ease, earning themselves a reputation amongst the upper echelon of hired guns in the Commonwealth. On a lucrative contract from a wealthy client, they were teamed up with a squad of Gunners and tasked with providing support on a routine expansion mission. Animal eradication, site recon, and the establishment of a rudimentary FOB. Simple. When they came upon a settlement however, Killshot could only watch with horror as the Gunners moved in. Raining down bullets and fire, the squad of soldiers watched with glee as settlers fled and fell before them. He had taken on dubious contracts before; killed when he had to. But the wholesale slaughter before him proved too much and stirred something within him. The Gunners were well-armed and well-armoured but he had taken on tougher opponents and more of them. Killshot danced around them, his dual revolvers firing so fast that before the squad had even realised what was happening, the last of them lay dead at his feet. As he surveyed the surrounding carnage, Bullseye approached. Still young and motivated by greed and impulse, she disagreed with his newfound altruism and left, taking the caps for the job and going to find work on her own.

Assessing the state of the settlement, Killshot found nothing but blood and ash. The last house he checked, however, had a stumpy little ghoul inside who immediately fell to his knees, pleading for his life. As Killshot put away his weapons and promised not to harm him, the ghoul – identifying himself as Murray – couldn’t help but praise his saviour. He yammered about how he watched through the window as the evil soldiers who had destroyed his home and killed his friends were defeated by a hero clad in the clothes of his favourite radio-play stars. He was a defender of virtue in a world of chaos, a bringer of peace and law, a light in the darkness. A real life gunslinger. Dramatic embellishment and fawning praise aside, Killshot liked the name. And so, the newly-reborn Gunslinger helped Murray to bury the dead and together, they set off.

Having been a mercenary for some time, Gunslinger was well accustomed to Goodneighbor. Despite its crime and overall air of lawless chaos, it was the best place for a displaced ghoul to resettle and so, he made sure Murray was safe in the care of Mayor Hancock and left to continue his mercenary work, this time under a new name and with a new purpose. Fashioning custom porcelain masks to go with his dual revolvers and re-dyed duster, Gunslinger quickly gained notoriety for his skill and generosity, often saving settlers and other vulnerable people for no charge. His work was to be cut short however, as he received word that Murray had become ill and his condition was worsening rapidly. Concluding his contract quickly, Gunslinger headed for Goodneighbor to care for the only true friend he had known.

With Murray’s condition semi-stable in his presence, Gunslinger vowed to stay by his side. He was soon approached by Mayor Hancock, who proposed a partnership, offering him a place in his private security alongside Fahrenheit and Honoria Wilson in return for the perks of free lodging within the townhouse, free food, drink, and chems at the Third Rail, and any other perks befitting someone of his status. Gunslinger declined the offer, instead choosing to serve in a more unofficial capacity, offering his protection to the citizens of Goodneighbor and upholding the peace. And that is where he has stayed, meting out justice in Goodneighbor and protecting the meek and innocent. His name has become legend in the Commonwealth and any visitor to the town knows before long to keep the peace or face the Gunslinger.

[qamarusman778]

Applications are invited to apply for the GIST International Scholarships 2021 in South Korea. One of the Prestigious University. All International Students from any part of the world are eligible to apply for Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology Scholarship 2021. GIST is offering Masters Degree Scholarships, Doctoral Degree Scholarships and Masters leading to PhD Scholarships for all students. Aspirants those who want to study on Fully Funded Scholarships in Korea are encouraged to apply. This award is available for academic year of 2021-22. Also apply for KMU University Scholarships 2022 in Taiwan (Fully Funded).

GIST is offering all study fields and majors under this scholarship to undertake Masters Degree, PhD Degree or MS leading to PhD. The scholarship will cover all the expenses to study abroad. The award duration for Masters Degree is 2 Years and for PhD degree it is 4 Years.

The Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) was established in 1993 located in South Korean. GIST is a research university by Korean Government. According to QS World Universities Ranking it is ranked at 3rd in worldwide and at 4th in South Korea. Students can learn leadership qualities in this university. You can also apply for Commonwealth Split-site Scholarships 2022 in UK (Fully Funded).

GIST International Scholarships 2022 Details:

University: Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology

Degree level: Masters, PhD, MS leading to PhD

Scholarship coverage: Fully Funded

Eligible nationality: International

Award country: South Korea

Last Date: 15 October 2021.

[unik0rnu]

🌹, 🍂, 💐, 🌺, 💫, ☄️ for Lucy? 🍁, 🌸, 💦 for Harrison?

Thank you kindly for the asks! Let’s go:

Lucy: 

🌹 Where in the world does your OC feel most at home? Is there any reason why? If it’s not the place they were born, where were they born? Is there a certain somebody that makes them feel at home where ever they may be? What does home mean to them?

Home for Lucy is whenever she is sure no one from the fair distance and within same walls wants to stab her in her sleep. Nuka World under Harrison protection will be the most home-ish and safe place since also after the disciples wiping she did prove her worth and loyalty to the raider’s goals and now they no longer need to sleep with one eye open with Gage since Harrison is patrolling and staying up all nights and gang leaders might not have such a strong urge to betray her. Later eventually she will set up base back in Sanctuary in her mother’s home since they will need second solid base in Commonwealth and somewhere deep in the woods still lies a pre-war secret lab section  that will be important for Harrison in order to understand the experiment and maintain his power as well as his body. A place where she can put down her guard, where she can sense presence of her boss and be sure Gage is also nearby will always be worth calling home but there are few places like this since later on her reputation will be more knowledgeable to wasteland folks and she will be on wanted list of sort. 

So yeah what can i say...away from Nuka World home announcement for them would sound like so:  A small blond lady along with a raider thug and tall grumpy old man looking for a warm cave to duck in without worry of being pitchforked by angry local settlers and half of the commonwealth. Ain’t many places they can call home, poor fuckers. 

🍂 Does your OC enjoy hugs? What do they do as a show of affection for: their friends, their family, their significant other(s) or for strangers? Over all what are they like with receiving affection from others?

Oh she secretly loves hugs and affection of any kind but keeps in mind its better to leave them for very few and private moments. Besides how the hell that would make her look in society she is stuck with. Harrison and type of her job forced her to strip her mind from emotions as they were useless and making her weak but once the events calmed down they do come at peace and leave that part behind. With friends in public like Lizzie she will bump against their shoulder with a smile or chuckle, its safe in public and still reflects that she feels good in their company. With Harrison she will just bury herself in deep fatherly hug when gone for a few days, especially he is very tall and big so its like hugging a yao guai just in a brown thick coat. And because she never had a good father experience that hug will mean a world to them. With Gage she knows he has a hard time to be soft fucker but as the time goes on, the affection switches from small things, like checking his patch out and forcing to help taking care of his wounds too, not just hers, into letting down the bitch tough face and raider stiff attitude. Inviting him for the drink, just two of them, closing the distance and ending up just resting against his chest or sleeping hugged to his back. If the urge is strong and rules can go fuck themselves she will just charge at him and let all that sweet stuffed in her chest love drown him. 

As for people who didn’t reach yet friend level any kind of touching contact which doesn’t involve knife is for her a way to show affection. Be it soft fist bump in their arm, fast shoulder shake or very split millisecond side hug. Hell, even if she smiles at them its already a good sign, and in a humane soft manner, not the smirky bitch one. If her resting bitch face goes away its already a fantastic sign and promising future she won’t stab them later on. 

💐 How does your OC handle being unwell or forced to rest in bed? Who cares for them and in what ways? Does your OC enjoy being doted on or are they a terrible patient? Reversed: is your OC good at taking care of others who are ill or in need?

If you tell her to do that when there is shiet to be done and there almost always is in her mind you will see a constant middle finger, raised from the bed and the moment you turn around or leave she will be gone, sneaking away to get at least her knife and try to leave outside. She was raised to fulfill mission, no matter what so a stupid cold or broken bone is suppose to nail her in place. Fuck no, she can’t right? She can’t be that weak even if pain sweats her eyes. Gage learns slowly her urges as with each park taken he sees her taking extreme solutions to many situations, not thinking about possible bad outcomes so when the really bad cold catches her or she got badly wounded again he will be the one yelling at her to stop that shit. Aside from usual care like shoving injections or closing wounds and occasional cooking he will be constantly ensuring her that she can close both eyes shut and get an actual restful sleep, that he is on the watch and nothing out there waits to kill her when she ain’t looking. World neither will fall apart in flames if she will be gone in dreams for few hours. With Harrison come back that part is becoming easier as the simple sharp look in his eyes of mixed care and threat is convincing enough to put that knife down and shove her ass back in bed. With Gage guarding the Fizztop and Harrison overlooking the rest of the town there is no way of sneaking out and in this case it would be a bit ungrateful since they both put so much effort for her. 

She is better at taking care of others than herself tho if these are in her social circle. She doesn’t need to force herself, it comes natural to her. She will switch in a second from a vicious bitch to a caring bitch. Trying even to overcome her lack of cooking skills to deliver something warm and edible to that person if need. If she can’t get that fucking soup perfect for shit she will threaten and kidnap a local masterchef of sort to make and teach her how to do it. She means well but...ya remember her empathy can have weird and extreme outcomes.

Lol imagining like someone being under her care when sick and they go to the bathroom and spot a chef cook in a kitchen chained to a fucking stove cooking some good shit and Lucy siting at the table reading a cooking recipe and pointing a pistol at them.          

🌺 What does your OC do to calm down when they’re scared or after a nightmare? Do they have any special comfort items or need to be reassured by a specific person? How do they handle this if they’re alone?

Normally she would drink or take calmex right away but she slowly tries to give up on that addiction as they do more harm than good. Having Gage or Harrison around will help to break that thought if she can either crawl up to Porter’s bed or wake him up to ensure that everything is real and alright or kindly ask Harrison to watch over her as he doesn’t need to sleep. Maybe he looks like a nightmare in a dark but its her nightmare she is familiar with.

If alone tho she will struggle, she hates to be alone for too long. If fear strikes her at battlefield she will try to cover her fear and damp it down with anger instead, psycho or fury could help and she isn’t addicted to it as to calmex so that’s one way out but stupid. If its just a nightmare in a middle of a night she won’t go immediately to sleep but walk around, talking to herself and convincing it was just a dream, grab a mannequin, do a silly dance with it, anything silly to relax a mind and take it off the stress and that nightmare. A shot of booze won’t hurt as long as it ends up on just one but it rarely does. Reassurance is her best ally in these beside she is too big of a girl for comforting items like an old plush puppet found in some certain treehouse back in Sancturary....right...riiiiight? ._.

💫What is your favorite fact about this character and why?

I think the simple fact that she is kind of evil oc and she knows about it. I don’t think there is many characters of this kind out there but i might be wrong. Since childhood i was trying to strike best - peaceful outcomes in games and so on but later on i started to sympathize with actual villains, be it games and stories. They can be full of surprises and complex in a interesting way, prove to be actually powerful allies as well and in general they talk to me more than a basic superman trying to strike for a world peace.  

☄️ Does this OC deserve better treatment from you? Do you make them suffer just a little bit too much? Be nice to them!

Oh ye, ofc she deserves better, she wants hugs, friends, she is bad but she wants a warm treatment too from time to time, she still have emotions ;c  Me, the creator, Uni, i’m horrible to her. I burned her hands too, like noooooo you can’t just wear gloves all the time for no reason, lets do smth bout it that will fit with all that dedication ya willing to push yourself in a fight no matter the consequences. Get burned bitch. Anyway, i’m taking her off the calmex addiction, giving her Harrison back as a better man who wants to protect her and do braids on her hair and softening the stinky to a level of a warm wet piece of trash, maybe getting some actual friends on a way. The pages on a start were focus more on a action and game lore kind off and just parks themselves but now with last page i finally get to actually break down and slow the shit to get to more emotional level, at least i hope to get it that way. 

Now Harrison time:

🍁 Where does your OC go when they need to have some time to themselves? Would they ever have their own “comfort corner” filled with all the things they like? Do they have a favorite spot outside that feels like its theirs and theirs alone?

Sadly he will be very lost at the start to find this kind of spot as he popped into the world from nowhere, just finally doing the separation from Lucy to a nearby old synth skeleton in a heat of a fight situation. Since the disciples base got a vacancy and cleaning it up feels too much of an effort for the rest of gangs he decided to make this place his comfort zone as its fairly close to Feit base but still separated behind walls, no windows to peek in for curious ones. He can’t sleep so he has a plenty of time to make it his corner. The only things he posses are his memories so he will just meditate there and surround himself with all the good moments from the past, adding the new ones to the collection, keeping his humanity on check and all the urges balanced. Also trying new tricks with his powers feels safe to do it there, the telekinetic ones especially since the place is spacey and there ain’t much to break. He doesn’t want to go too far away even if he needs a moment, he always has in the back of his head the need to be close when problems arise.

Personally on a side note i struggle to think of an explanation to the Nuka World leaders and overall people there as to how Lucy will explain to them...who the fuck he is and why he is there and where he came from and why give him a disciple base. Like...saying a truth to Gage is easier since they run together but the rest? She can’t even say he is her lost-found father since they don’t even look like family. 

🌸 What are some of their favorite things and why? List as many as you can think of!

There won’t too many as he just got off but some basic stuff i know for now:

- sweet snacks, whiskey and smokes as he still remembers these tastes from pre-war: just being softie for these small habits and diet sins

- being in charge, keeping order around due to his profession, even if times changes he still keeps the attitude and he just likes it

- training the newbie raiders, pointing out mistakes to Porter, advising Lucy on some combat moves and tips: it might feel like he is being proud, all knowing but he actually is hell of a experienced smart fighter, don’t get fooled by his age either, he just enjoys training people under him and see them improve  

- proving Porter wrong: oh boy they really don’t like each other at the start

- doing dem braids, he starts to have a soft spot for going father mode

- even if he isn’t fully human he takes care of his “shell”, perfectly shaving, keeping his shirts clean and smooth, overall he enjoys that “self care” routine even it it might feel silly in the wasteland and due to the fact who he is 

💦 If you as the writer could erase one traumatic event from this OC’s life what would it be and why?

Probably killing his son. The experiment would get to him one way or another since he would get suspicious what kind of shady business is going on in police department and asking too many questions and stuffing nose in corners he shouldn’t would eventually lead anyway to his assassination and still giving his body for that experiment resulting in same outcome but the sudden trauma and speed of events is what pushed him out of there, taking control of himself and situation also resulting in his nature softening and toning down, knowing he doesn’t have much left and it can be lost at any moment. 

[harryandmeghansussex]

Tour Itinerary that I've done a super super short summary for!

They arrive privately in Cape Town on the 22nd, for tour to formally start the next day.

• Monday 23rd - Harry and Meghan start their day attending a workshop that teaches children about their rights + safety, and provides self defense + women empowerment sessions to young girls in the community. After that they tour the District Six museum, and then they join a cooking session at the Homecoming Centre.

• Tuesday 24th - They travel to Monwabisi Beach to learn more about Waves For Change. Then they head to visit the LunchBox Fund, one of the charities that benefited from the Archie's baby shower donations. They will meet with Dr Thomas Maes after, who is leading the Commonwealth Litter Programme. Harry then will travel to Seal Island to learn about the role they play in combatting poaching. Back with Meghan, they will then visit the Bo Kaap area to mark Heritage Day, they will visit the Auwal Mosque and meet representatives from different faith groups. After they will visit with locals for a cup of tea! That evening they will attend a reception, with young future leaders.

• Wednesday 25th - They start their day meeting Archbishop Desmond Tutu + Mrs Tutu at their legacy foundation. This is where Harry and Meghan's schedule splits for a while. Whilst Harry travels to Botswana that afternoon, Meghan will visit the Woodstock Exchange to meet female entrepreneurs + investors.

• Thursday 26th - Harry starts his day at Chobe Forest Tree Reserve where he will plant trees with school children. He then will visit a Sentebale project. He then travels to Chobe National Park to do a dedication for the QCC. Off to Angola - where he will spend his evening at a Halo Trust de-mining camp. Same day Meghan will take part in a private "Women In Public Service" breakfast in CapeTown.

• Friday 27th - Early Morning visit to a working de-mining field, Harry will detonate a mine + give a speech. Unveiling next, Harry's project, a three country partnership QCC to protect green space. He then travels to Huambo and is welcomed by the Governor, who was the same man who welcomed his Mother when she visited. Harry will the visit the location where Diana was photographed and see the benefits that de-mining has had on that community. He will meet reps from all three de-mining organisations in Angola. He will then visit the Orthopaedic Hospital, which newly renovated will be named after his Mother. Plaque unveiling, tour + speech here before on to the next location. He will attend an evening reception.

• Saturday 28th - Harry will have an meeting with President Lourenco, before heading to visit the maternity hospital to see a project working at preventing HIV transfers from Mama to baby. Then off of Malawi.

• Sunday 29th - He will visit the Nalikule College of Education and meet with young girls benefitting from UKAid funding. The project is supported by QCT. He then has an audience with President Mutharika. Then a evening reception highlighting the partnership between the UK and Malawi.

Monday 30th - Starts the day at Liwonde National Park, where he will pay tribute at the memorial site of Guardsman Talbot. He will then head to the National Park HQ to receive a briefing on their operations. He will then watch a demonstration exercise. And to end the day, another QCC dedication.

Tuesday 1st - Harry will travel to Mauwa Health Center to see a youth reproductive health Outreach programme. He will tour the center before departing back to South Africa. Whilst Harry's there, Meghan will attend a roundtable with ACU, one of her patronages, in Johannesburg, before meeting students. She will then visit a school to learn about the work of a local charity, receiving UKAid funding for its work raising awareness + tackling sexual violence in schools.

• Wednesday 2nd - Back together, Harry and Meghan will visit a township to meet inspiring youth, addressing the rising unemployment facing young people in SA. Later on they will meet Mrs Graca Marcel, the widow of Nelson Mandela. They will then attend an afternoon reception to celebrate SA + the UK's working relationship, before finishing their day with an audience with President Ramaphosa + his wife.

They will depart privately that evening.