Corporal Jackie was a baboon in the South African Army during World War I.
He was the official mascot of the 3rd Transvaal Regimen when his owner Albert Marr was drafted into war and would not leave Jackie at home.
He asked his superiors if Jackie, too, could join the army and they said yes.
So Jackie was given an official style uniform with a cap, a ration set, and his own pay book.
Jackie would salute to superior officers and light soldiers' cigarettes. He would even stand at ease in the style of a trained soldier.
Due to his heightened senses, Jackie was useful to sentries on duty at night.
The baboon would be the first to know when an attack was coming or enemy soldiers were moving around nearby.
Jackie and Marr survived a battle where the casualty rate was 80%, in Delville Wood, early in the Somme Campaign.
When Marr was serving in Egypt, he was shot in the shoulder at the Battle of Agagia, 26 February 1916, while Jackie was with him, licking the wound as they awaited help.
Jackie was given his own rations while with the army and ate them with his own knife and fork, as well as his own washing basin.
When the regiment was drilled and marched, Jackie would be with them.
Jackie spent time in the trenches in France where he tried to build a wall around himself during extreme enemy fire.
However, a piece of shrapnel from an explosion flew over the wall hitting Jackie in the leg and arm.
When stretcher bearers tried to take Jackie away, he refused, desperate to finish his wall and hide.
Doctors treated Jackie's wounds, but they decided his leg had to be amputated and were surprised that he even survived.
Jackie was awarded a Medal of Valor for the event of his injuries and promoted from private to corporal.
After the war was over, Jackie was discharged with papers and went back to South Africa. He tragically died in a house fire in 1921.
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Velveteen vs The Masterpost
When I was in high school, I stumbled across Seanan McGuire’s series of “Velveteen vs.” stories, staring Velma “Velveteen” Martinez, a former child superhero with the power to animate toys, who stumbles from one misadventure to the next. Taking place in a world where superheroics is run almost entirely by a single corporation and child heroes are put through some of the worst abuses of child stars, the series features fun characters, worldbuilding, and relationships, and of course, cool fight scenes. In true comics fashion, it ends on a rather open-ended note and, as far as I can tell, she hasn’t written any stories since 2017, but most of the main arcs are tied up and I definitely recommend you check them out!
(I became obsessed with these stories after finding them. An example of me getting into comics before I actually got into comics.)
(Thank you to https://broken-engines.blogspot.com/ for compiling directory of story links I could borrow for this post.)
Velveteen vs. The Isley Crayfish Festival
Velveteen vs. The Coffee Freaks
Velveteen vs. The Flashback Sequence
Velveteen vs. The Old Flame
Velveteen vs. The Junior Super Patriots, West Coast Division
Velveteen vs. The Eternal Halloween
Velveteen vs. The Ordinary Day
Velveteen vs. Patrol
Velveteen vs. The Blind Date
Velveteen vs. Blacklight vs. Sin-Dee, Part I
Velveteen vs. Blacklight vs. Sin-Dee, Part II
Velveteen vs. The Holiday Special
Velveteen vs. The Secret Identity
Martinez and Martinez v. Velveteen
Velveteen vs. The Alternate Timeline, Part I
Velveteen vs. The Alternate Timeline, Part II
Velveteen vs. The Retroactive Continuity
Velveteen Presents Victory Anna vs. All These Stupid Parallel Worlds
Velveteen vs. The Uncomfortable Conversation
Velveteen vs. Bacon
Velveteen vs. The Robot Armies of Dr. Walter Creelman, DDS
Velveteen vs. The Fright Night Sorority House Massacre Sleepover Camp
Velveteen vs. Vegas
Velveteen Presents Victory Anna vs. The Difficulties With Pan-Dimensional Courtship
Velveteen vs. Legal
Velveteen Presents Jackie Frost vs. Four Conversations and a Funeral
Velveteen vs. Jolly Roger
Velveteen vs. Everyone, Part I
Velveteen vs. Everyone, Part II
Sponsorship: Velveteen vs. The Epilogue
Velveteen vs. The Aftermath
Velveteen vs. Hypothermia
Velveteen vs. Santa Claus
Velveteen vs. Global Warming
Velveteen Presents The Princess vs. Public Relations
Velveteen vs. The Thaw
Velveteen vs. Balance
Velveteen vs. Spring Cleaning
Velveteen Presents Polychrome vs. The Court of Public Opinion and Not Punching Anyone
Velveteen vs. The Melancholy of Autumn
Velveteen vs. A Disturbing Number of Crows
Velveteen vs. Trick or Treat
Velveteen Presents Action Dude vs. Doing the Right Thing
Velveteen vs. The Consequences of Her Actions
Velveteen vs. Going Home Again
Velveteen vs. Everything You Ever Wanted
Velveteen vs. The Retroactive Continuity (2)
Velveteen Presents Jacqueline Claus vs. The Lost and the Found
Velveteen vs. Recovery
Velveteen vs. Temptation
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Part fifty-five of Shizuroth, aka, the SOLDIER General's Self Saving Shizun.
Ao3 link.
Previous parts: forty-one, forty-two, forty-three, forty-four, forty-five, forty-six, forty-seven forty-eight, forty-nine, fifty, fifty-one, fifty-two, fifty-three, fifty-four
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"Good evening and welcome back to Channel Zero News, where we relay you top news from around the Planet on the hour, every hour. I am Jackie Sanine, here with you in Midgar.
"First, let's take a look at what's going on with the war.
"The Wutai War has been ongoing for almost eight years now and has been noticeably winding down in the past year and a half. With only one major holdout of Wutai forces left in Fort Tamblin, it's safe to say that the war is all but won for Shinra and her allies. With Fort Tamblin under ongoing siege by Shinra, it is unlikely that there will be any noticeable movements anytime soon.
"Still, there are new developments in the Shinra front. We take you live with our correspondent Maiser Rav, who's in the front with the latest news from the trenches."
"Thank you, Jackie. I'm here in the town of Sang Fe, which has been occupied by Shinra forces since the fall last year when the town was discovered abandoned by a scouting party of Shinra SOLDIERs. Acting now as a major connection point and the only airfield in the area, Sang Fe has become a major staging location in this final stretch of the war.
"As you can see behind me, the Shinra forces here are well established. With the fall rain season soon upon us, they're more interested in digging rain channels, rather than trenches.
"Here's Corporal Leynri from Shinra Infantry troops, sharing his experiences in the trenches."
"We haven't actually ever used any trenches?"
"Thank you, Corporal Leynri. The camp in Sang Fe is truly a beacon for Shinra Military, boasting high numbers of both infantry and war machinery - never mind the high number of SOLDIERs.
"SOLDIER Second Class, Davidson, has been a regular at Sang Fe for a long time."
"Yeah, I've been here for a few months with the SOLDIER company. It's been fine - the local monsters give us more work than the Wutai troops do, really."
"Have there been any interesting incidents of late?"
"Well, not as such? It's just a lot of hurry up and wait right now. I guess the most interesting thing is that Sephiroth came and went, and no one really knows where he is right now. Somewhere in Wutai, but, yeah, who knows where."
"Thank you, SOLDIER Second Class Davidson. As we all know the movements of SOLDIER First Class Sephiroth are of high interest to us all. Whenever Sephiroth is being deployed in the front, you can expect something big to follow. According to the various soldiers here, Sephiroth arrived a little over a week ago with a couple members of Shinra Investigation Sector of the Public Security Department, or Turks, as they're colloquially known. They were, by all appearances, on a high class secret mission, but no one knows where or what.
"Here's Colonel Havre, the camp commander, commenting on the rumours."
"I can't comment on the rumours."
"Thank you Colonel Havre. Aside from a few mysterious secret missions and the upcoming rain season, the life in Sang Fe is quite normal and calm, with the SOLDIERs and infantry members keeping in shape by using the local gym and taking part in team activities. It's important to keep your skills sharp even during your downtime.
"Trooper Guy here knows what's the best way to keep in shape."
"Yeah, I practise parade forms sometimes. Our sergeant is really keen on us getting the forms right, you know, to look good on camera. Hey, watch me do this -"
"Thank you, Trooper Guy, for that wonderful display of skill. While we were out collecting these interviews, we got a chance to talk to one of the more recent arrivals - SOLDIER First Class, Angeal Hewley, who arrived at the same time as Sephiroth."
"I arrived with Sephiroth. I'm sorry, I can't comment on his whereabouts or what he's been up to. Yeah, we've encountered Wutai troops, but how it went down is classified. Sephiroth was in high spirits the last I saw him. I don't know what his hair routine is? I'm sorry - I have new mission orders, I have to go. No, I'm sorry, I can't really say whether he could give an interview. I really have to go -"
"Unfortunately Angeal Hewley couldn't prove or disprove the rumours about secret missions. I suppose we will have to stay in suspense for now. I know I will be eagerly waiting for any developments and will be reporting back as soon as there's anything new to be reported.
"This has been Maiser Rav, reporting from Sang Fe camp in Wutai. Back to you, Jackie."
"Thank you, Maiser. It's truly heartening to see that things are going well in Wutai. Do these news about Sephiroth's involvement in the war relate to the latest developments from Shinra Science Department concerning the updates to the SOLDIER program? Here's Gavin Lynch, with a glimpse into the mysterious world of Shinra's science research and development."
"Thank you Jackie. I'm here on the second floor of the Shinra Building, as the science floor has been evacuated due to an escaped specimen, which will no doubt soon be brought back under control. While we wait for contamination procedures to run their course, let's take a look at the history of the SOLDIER program through the eyes of the employees here.
"Laboratory Technician Berk, a long time contributor to Shinra's most advanced science developments, about how he feels about the impact his work has had on the world."
"Oh god, oh god, please let me quit, I haven't seen my family in two weeks."
"Thank you Laboratory Technician Berk. Professor Hojo, the head of Shinra Science Department, is known for his… high standards and… work ethics. Many in this team are hardened veterans in their field, and have been involved in the SOLDIER program for many years.
"Nurse Sinclair, what can you tell us about the rumours about new methods being introduced within the SOLDIER program by the Professor?"
"..."
"Nurse Sinclair? Ma'am, what can you tell us about the rumours concerning new procedures for creating SOLDIERs?"
"..."
"Nurse Sinclair?'
"... I need to call my mom. Excuse me…"
"... Thank you Nurse Sinclair! I think judging by that thousand yard stare, things are really happening and we can expect something new and exciting from the Shinra Science Department in the upcoming days! This has been Gavin Lynch reporting from Shinra Building! Back to you in the studio, Jackie."
"Thank you Gavin, for these enlightening insights. We will be looking for further developments in the near future!
"Next up, sports, as we go to the world of chocobo racing where a scandal is brewing - is chocobo inbreeding the secret to the ultimate racing bird? Joining us is..."
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The only trustworthy news media
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We're all aware that your favorite (living) 90 year old rocker is a wanted criminal in Night City. Kerry's charges even change each time you meet up with him in game, which is hilarious. But some of the charges are unlike the others.
TW for mentions of murder and human remains/dead bodies.
Here are some of the average charges Kerry accrues throughout the game. Most of them are drug or assault charges, specifically against police and corpo suits. Typical rockerboy shit, really keeping the punk spirit alive. (Also copyright infringement which always makes me laugh seeing it next to literal MURDER)
The charges so far are all pretty expectable for Kerry. We even see charges like "hostage taking" and "unauthorized use of military hardware" that line up with events that take place in his side missions. However, there are two charges that always stood out to me:
So what the hell are these about? When I first saw these charges I assumed they referred to situations where an officer/corpo was already dead and Kerry continued to fire on them. However, if that were the case, the wording would be something more akin to "mutilation of a corpse" or "tampering with a corpse." The specific word choice of "human remains" implies the body had already been processed for burial.
I discovered these charges many months apart and had never connected them to a possible singular event until, while replaying Holdin' On, I remembered these:
Kerry has two urns on his wardrobe. I assume these are for his parents' ashes. However, as is implied in Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, it is illegal to keep cremated remains. And although not expressly stated in Cyberpunk 2077, much media in the cyberpunk genre (or with themes of late stage capitalism) give ownership of human remains to the state, or the corporate entity that the deceased worked for. I could absolutely see this being the case in Cyberpunk 2077 as well, seeing as Jackie's body can be seized by Arasaka and claimed as "corporate property." In that case, the urns would just be in memorial and contain no actual remains. I think, though, that most people would prefer to use something from that family member's past to memorialize them, like an object that represented their interests.
So, with Kerry having two distinct charges for both obtaining and "defiling" human remains, and having two urns despite the requirement that cremated remains be stored in the columbarium, I theorize that Kerry stole his parent's ashes back from the city/the company they worked for. Who knows, maybe some of his other charges came about during the theft as well.
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