US people who care about railroads should definitely read the Corridor ID Selections. While it was published a little over a year ago, the program is designed to fund shovel-ready programs and dedicate money to assessing the viability of corridors which would be either new or upgraded, and they just posted a massive update to the map including new HSR viability studies.
A partial list of served cities:
High speed rail candidates
San Francisco, Anaheim, LA, Vancouver, Portland, Seattle, Eugene, Charlotte NC, Atlanta, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Las Vegas, Palmdale
New Conventional rail candidates
Asheville NC, Salisbury NC, Savannah GA, Chattenooga TN, Nashville, Memphis, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Boston, Albany, San Jose, San Luis Obispo, King's Mountain NC, Moline IL, Naperville IL, Wyanet IL, Chicago, Fort Wayne IN, Columbus OH, Pittsburgh PA, Cleveland OH, Cincinnati OH, Dayton OH, Toledo OH, Detroit MI, Coachella CA, Fullerton CA, Indio CA, Riverside CA, Palm Springs CA, Fort Collins CO, Pueblo CO, Denver CO, Boulder CO, Colorado Springs CO, Newport News VA, Charlottesville VA, Roanoke VA, Richmond VA, Dover DE, Wilmington DE, Berlin MD, St Paul-Minneapolis MN, Eau Claire WI, Fayetteville NC, Raleigh NC, Lillington NC, Fuquay-Varina NC, Mobile AL, Bay St. Louis, Gulfport, Biloxi, Pascagoula MS, Houston, San Antonio, Rosenburg TX, Flatonia TX, Seguin TX, Meridian MS, Mineola TX, Longview TX, Marshall TX, Shreveport LA, Ruston LA, Monroe LA, Vicksburg MS, Jackson MS, Jacksonville FL, Miami FL, Orlando Fl, Tampa FL, Indianapolis IN, Louisville KY, Milwaukee, WI; La Crosse, WI; Eau Claire, WI; St. Paul, MN; Fargo, ND; Bismarck, ND; Dickson, ND; Glendive, MT; Billings, MT; Bozeman, MT; Butte, MT;
Helena, MT; Missoula, MT; St. Regis, MT; Sandpoint, ID; Spokane, WA; and Pasco, WA, Duluth WA, Peoria IL, Phoenix, Tuscon, Maricopa, Reading PA, Scranton
These are most of the cities with new service
If you are between two of these cities, there is a serious chance you will have a train coming to you soon. Check the Doc for more as well as service upgrades on existing services
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Title: Pain and Scouting in La Noscea
Characters: Zoissette Vauban, Klynt Gohtawyn
Rating: Teen
Summary: If Zoissette will not take care of herself, she has no shortage of people in her life who will at least try to make her feel bad about that.
Notes: Not sure if I will consider this canon or not. Testing some feelings I have about gunblades and the fairy familiar, and trying to find a voice for the latter.
Zoissette and Klynt stayed low and out of sight behind a rock. Neither knew for sure how many hundreds of yalms the cave system stretched under La Noscea, but they could be reasonably certain no patrols would be coming by where they were. Zoissette was sitting down, leaning her back against the rock, legs bunched up close to her as she drew diagrams in her codex. Klynt, for her part, stayed crouched, sneaking a peek out every once in a while to check the area.
Zoissette shifted her weight, and winced as she did so, regretting the motion. A moment later she doubly regretted it, for she happened to do so just as Klynt was stealing one of the many glances she had been aiming in her direction since they had entered the caves. Zoissette tried to adjust her grimace into a grin as she turned her face to Klynt, but Klynt just shook her head and stuck her head out for another glance around.
"How long is she gonna take," grumbled Klynt as quiet as Zoissette knew she knew how.
"Patience," chided Zoissette, as she reached up to tap the side of her glasses. A little number, rapidly dropping, appeared in her field of view. "...she is coming back to us now."
A moment later her fairy familiar, Lavender, zipped in, moving from high along the cavern ceiling where the pirates that were in the caverns were unlikely to look up to see, weaving between stalactites before dropping down from right above Zoissette and Klynt. Klynt barely spared her a glance, while Zoissette held her codex flat and open in front of her. The fairy landed on the pages, and placed her palms against them as she did so. Immediately runes began to appear above the page, taking the shape of the caverns, and showing the positions of the various pirates and others that Lavender had seen on her travels.
Zoissette frowned, carefully scanning the simulacrum as it formed. She gestured to Klynt, who shifted to crouch nearby and take a look.
"Looks like we got two paths," said Klynt.
"Concur," said Zoissette. She traced her finger along one, and it glowed a faint orange as her finger passed through the image. "This route is shorter, by a fair amount. We should be able to traverse it faster."
Klynt looked meaningfully at Zoissette for a long moment. "More patrols, though. Yer still getting used to that gunblade. And only just barely got cleared for fightin' again. We should take the longer path. Almost nobody that way, and it'll be easier for you to take better care of yourself."
"I apologise," said Zoissette. "I seem to have forgot. What manner of tart was it you wanted brought back for you from the Bismarck?"
Zoissette looked cooly at Klynt, and tried not to wince when another pain shot up her side. Klynt, for her part, frowned.
"I can get my -own- stuff when we stop by the Bismarck. Iffen we can even spare a moment after we get done here, the way yer pushin' yerself. And why the bloody hell would I get a - oh."
Klynt huffed while Zoissette put on her best innocent face.
"My mistake, Klynt. For a moment there, I thought I was speaking with Archon Y'shtola. You sounded just like her."
"Fine. See if I care," groused Klynt, sticking her head up again to look for patrols. Zoissette nodded, and looked to Lavender.
"Alright. You will stay with Klynt as we make our way through here. I can use the conjury cartridges and the two mana shield cartridges to keep myself well and hale while you tend to any injuries Klynt sustains. We should be able to surprise the first patrol here, and -"
As she went along, she could feel the slight undercurrent of emotions from the connection she shared with Lavender. She felt the familiar's concern, as well as annoyance and more than a bit of recalcitrance. She looked up and frowned at her, just as the fairy crossed her arms and frowned right back.
"What? I have not even gone through the entirety of my planned strategy."
Lavender flitted down to the book, and looked back at Zoissette sternly as she pointed at the other, longer path.
"That will take longer," said Zoissette. "My plan has us moving faster, getting to the tidespear faster, and most importantly, getting us out faster."
The fairy crossed her arms once more, and stuck her chin up in the air at Zoissette. Rather like Archon Y'shtola, really, but she had made that comparison once already.
She did not glance up as she noticed Klynt move off, figuring that her friend had simply spotted something of interest and would be back shortly. On the image that still hovered above the codex pages, the fairy swiped her hand through the orange path that Zoissette had highlighted, dispelling the color, before walking along the longer path, turning it orange instead.
Zoissette waved her hand through the image, dispelling the highlight on the longer path, and once more highlighting the shorter path.
"We must be quick about our work in here. We simply must consider that they have patrols outside as well who are like to return while we waste time in here."
The fairy frowned and shook her head.
"... okay, it is unlikely, but still not outside the realm of possibility. I cannot fathom why you are so insistent on the longer path."
The fairy tilted her head, and then pointed meaningfully at her arm, then to the left side of her navel, then to her opposite leg, then to her hand, then to her - all locations where Zoissette had, not so long ago, had to be stitched back together. Bones set, muscles reknitted, and other attentions she was still feeling the effects of.
Zoissette wanted to cross her arms right back, but she had to hold the codex open, so she settled for mimicking Archon Y'shtola and jutting her chin out at the fairy.
"Oh, so I see I have also brought Archon Urianger with us," she said. "Less admonishments and pointed words, more sighs and long looks and crossed arms and attempts at meaningful looks and gestures from across the room. I am fine."
Putting off Klynt was one thing, Zoissette knew. Klynt would let her, for one. Trying to do so with Lavender was quite another, and the fairy put her hands on her hips and shook her head vigorously at her.
"Fine then," said Zoissette, looking at the paths again. "Compromise. We go this way," she said, marking a path that was a light grey. That meant Lavender had seen down it, but had not actually traveled it. "How many did you see when you looked down this path?"
The fairy held up three fingers. Zoissette nodded.
"Klynt and I can handle that."
The fairy clenched her fists at her side and looked annoyed.
"What? It is a little longer than the path I would like, but three instead of a dozen seems like an improvement to me, do you not agree?"
"Actually, there's four down thataway."
"Ah. Thank you, Klynt, for scouting that out during my lovey discussion with Lavender. Let me just update the map, and -"
Zoissette paused. Something was wrong. That voice sounded very off. She slowly turned her head upward to see a Roegadyn woman standing over the rock, looking down at her and Lavender with an distantly interested expression on her face.
"...You are not Klynt," said Zoissette.
"I am not Klynt," the woman agreed.
Zoissette's hand went slowly for her gunblade. "I do not imagine I could convince you to surrender?" she said, grinning nervously. Lavender took to the air, beginning to pull aether to herself.
The woman glanced up, and then suddenly ducked down behind the rock.
"Might could. Maybe call off Klynny though before she turns me into a Miq'abob, aye?"
Zoissette looked around, and saw Klynt had tucked herself further back into the caves. But not so far back that she did not have space to be able to throw her spear, which she was now holding in her hand, held back and ready to absolutely murder someone with.
"Lavender, go see if you can get Klynt to stand down before she stabs our new friend," said Zoissette. Lavender nodded and flitted off to Klynt.
Zoissette glanced around the edge of the rock she had been hiding behind, holding her side as a pain shot up while she did so. She resolved to continue to ignore that.
"Friend of hers?" asked Zoissette.
"Aye. We served together under a real cuss," said the Roegadyn woman. To her credit, she kept her weapons out of her hands, but seemed content to keep the rock between her and Klynt. "How's she these days?" the Roegadyn asked, conversationally.
"Oh, well. Fussing at me in place of - well. Never mind that. She is well, anyroad," said Zoissette.
"Mmm," the other woman said.
Klynt ambled over, spear still in her hand, ready to strike.
"Best come out slow," said Klynt. The other woman did so, moving slowly, keeping her hands out where Klynt could see them.
"...Rhysgeim?" said Klynt.
"Aw, thank the navigator, I was hopin' ye'd remember me," said the other woman. Rhysgeim. Zoissette made a mental note. And then she wrote down an actual note.
"The bloody hell are you doing down here with these third-rate pirates!" Said Klynt, grinning. "I thought ye'd do better than this. Hells, you had the good sense to get out 'fore I did. Part of why I eventually got the stones to leave."
"Aw, well, you know how it is. Hard to find your fortune when you've a reputation as a turncoat and a coward. But look at you, palling around with the Warrior of Light!"
Zoissette relaxed as the two conversed, sighing, and resting her back against the rock they were supposed to be using for cover once more. She looked over at Lavender flitted down, and landed on her knee, sitting primly.
The two glared at one another, but Zoissette winced as another chorus of pain shot up her side, and she grumbled.
"We are going to talk later," said Zoissette. She sighed. "...but maybe you are right. Klynt, ask your friend about what we were talking about with which path to choose, maybe we can get out of this without too much fighting or trouble."
"Sure," said Klynt, barely interrupting her conversation to do so.
Zoissette just closed her eyes and leaned her head back. Her friends and even her familiar sure were a pain sometimes. But, perhaps, that was for the best.
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🎻 💤 🌴 💘 🍔 🤔 for Khloe!
thank you !!! <3
🎻 VIOLIN: do they play any instruments?
khloe doesn't play any instruments, no! they've never really had an interest in creating music themself but they're happy to sit and listen to others play while they read or something.
💤 SLEEPING: are they a light or heavy sleeper? what are their sleep habits like?
khloe is largely a light sleeper, which is a combination of trauma and simply being a cat.
their echo manifests as horrific premonitory nightmares, which means that sleep has never really been something they mesh well with. but also, they're crepuscular leaning nocturnal like the rest of their mooncat family, so they'd be sleeping at weird times anyway. they sleep in a big nest of blankets instead of a nicely made bed.
🌴 PALM TREE: do they have a green thumb? do they enjoy gardening?
absolutely not. they're no good at gardening and they're not a fan of getting down in the dirt. but they're probably better at it than mama zhwan, who unlike her child, manages to simply Absolutely Destroy any plant that comes under her care.
💘 HEART WITH ARROW: what and/or who do they consider most important to them?
their mage cane; it's something they couldn't do without now. it's the biggest thing they have to connect them to their father, who died in the calamity.
their hair; khloe is psychotic and is convinced their hair is directly tied to their magic. they cut it short in an episode post shadowbringers, and that fucks them up for..... a while lmao
their chocobo; her name is nebula, and they got her not far into their journey, not long after they became a scion. she is always by their side when possible, and if they have no one else in the world, they have nebula.
their partners; lho polaali is their wife (and my gf's wol), and she is one of the basic constants of their life. it doesn't matter what happens, where they go, what they do, how long they're gone. she will always be there for them to come back to. haurchefant, because the whole uh. alternate history vault clutch benediction kind of fucked them both up. g'raha, where it's complicated because they're still kind of sore from the whole uh,,,, being lied to after having a life changing event sprung on them out of the blue lmao.
🍔 HAMBURGER: are they good at cooking? baking? which do they prefer?
khloe is EXTREMELY good at both. when they got kicked out of the stillglade fane and forced onto their OE, they started working as a kitchen hand at the bismarck and accidentally found their passion. now in their adventuring downtime they work as a chef there.
between the two though, they prefer baking. it's something delicate that they're not too clumsy to do, and they love sharing what they've made with people. anyone. no one is safe after khloe's spent a day baking.
🤔 THINKING FACE: what are some of their quirks/mannerisms?
the good ol purring, snurgling, sleeping in any position anywhere anytime. when they get excited, infodumping about something for example, sometimes some of their consonants start taking on that little "mrrp" noise.
they have restless legs. they jiggle their leg when they're sitting no matter where or when, despite their best efforts.
their tail curls around the legs/waist/shoulders of people near them that they particularly like.
they dig their claws into their palms to keep calm. not much sets them off but when they go off they go off. one of those, the quite ones are who you should look out for, deals.
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