The Zombie Squad!!

CC-1085 Commander Treeble is part of the Zombie Squad, but we already know his story. Unless anyone has specific questions about Treeble, I probably won't post an info dump about him. ❤

CT-4183 Captain Fable served during the first battle of Geonosis as a medic within Fox's second unit after his original command suffered a deadly series of malfunctions in their gunships.

Fable survives Geonosis and is stationed as CMO of the Coruscant Guard. Barely six months later, an explosion leaves him badly burned and Elum Nol (the Kaminoan overseeing the Coruscant med center) forces Fox to sign off on Fable's decommission.

Fable's replacement, Myth, catches Fox removing Fable's wrist ID chip and instead of exposing Fox, assists him from then on. (Seriously, Fox, you can't just cut people open and pull things out, heightened clone immune system or not.)

Fable recovers from his burns among the clone colony! He chooses to return to Coruscant to help Fox's first two "shadows", Talon and Malice, as well as assist the Guard's medics who are stretched as thin as the rest of Fox's men. Elum Nol is thankfully as stupid as he is cruel.

Fable is lighthearted, cheery, and usually smiling. Initially, he forced this attitude on Geonosis because so many people were dying so rapidly, and again on Coruscant, but the cheery mannerisms eventually stuck. He can come across as too friendly, even flirtatious, but it's all surface level. Underneath, Fable is closed off, and rarely allows people to see his real emotions.

His body is badly scarred, and he wears his armor despite the pain it causes him because he can't regulate his own body temperature effectively anymore. (He can't sweat.)

CT-4117 Malice was originally assigned to Fox's unit for the battle of Geonosis as one of their medics. Fox, Malice, and Talon were the only members of the unit to survive the initial invasion. Malice survives Geonosis physically unscathed.

He carries with him the guilt of not being able to help anyone except Talon. After Geonosis, and after discovering Elum Nol marked Talon for decommission, Malice tried to jump off the command center, but Talon (very much not dead) caught him. In his grieving, panicked, and unstable state, Malice stabbed Talon, twice. Talon still managed to hold on to him long enough for more help to arrive. Of course, Malice's mental deterioration drew Elum Nol's attention and he was also decommissioned (funneled to safety by Fox).

Malice taught himself long range marksmanship while Talon recovered from his Geonosis injuries. During a self-hatred fueled breakdown, Malice files his teeth to points, giving himself an eerie look. He wanted to make himself "look like the monster" he felt he was.

From the invasion of Geonosis onward, he acts as Talon's ears and occasionally his voice. Malice is defensive, aggressive, and quick to change moods. Post war he has a therapist and medication to help mitigate the mood swings and the survivor's guilt, along with his many other struggles.

While living in the Underbelly (the old warehouse the Corrie Guard base is built on top of) Malice befriends a lost Loth cat and calls him Taz. Taz lives with Malice and Talon throughout the war and after. Taz is drawn to Force users, and is particularly fond of Slick and Fox if the Commander visits.

Malice ends up with a cybernetic leg from the hip down. At first he hates it, because it's heavy and different, but as he adjusts to it and makes the machine his own and more a part of him, Malice starts to treat the cybernetic, and himself, a bit more kindly.

ARC-4899 Talon was in an explosion after the gunship he was on went down on Geonosis. He suffered extensive internal damage and lost most of his hearing. He describes his hearing loss as being able to hear himself, but muffled. (His hearing loss is based on my own experience.) He can read lips, and uses both combat signs and Basic Sign Language. He still talks, particularly with the intent to tease Malice and cheer him up.

On Coruscant, Talon and Malice are sent to Meerla and her brother almost immediately after Zero. Talon, being an ARC, pushes his recovery faster than he should, and the two return to Coruscant barely patched back together. Talon requires Malice's assistance in the field, despite how much his HUD can compensate for his hearing loss. Fox doesn't separate them.

Talon is chill. He doesn't rattle easily, or anger easily. Which is a good thing because Malice is a very loose cannon who needs a strong anchor. He doesn't mind not being able to hear and prefers not to use hearing aids. He normally only wears them when Malice is in a bad emotional phase and Talon wants to keep a closer watch on him. Coruscant is a surprisingly windy planet and wind is a bitch for hearing aids.

Talon and Malice are the first members of the Zombie Squad, originally just calling themselves "shadows" as they performed missions and tasks that Fox was unable to send legitimate troopers into the field for. The rest of the CG commanders know Talon and Malice, but are unaware of their decommission status or that everything they're up to is technically illegal, because Fox has their files sealed and none of the Zombies show up in HUD personnel data.

CT-7415 Zipper (also a veteran of Geonosis) was a member of one of the Senate security squads. His squad was on duty during an anti-war/anti-clone protest (the same protest turned riot that Nevo was stabbed during). Zipper foolishly took off his helmet when the person in front of him accused him of being a droid. Someone else threw acid in his face.

To the credit of the nat-born who accused him of being a droid, they tried to help Zipper until a medic was able to get to him in the chaos. By the time Zipper made it back to the med center his eyes were completely gone, along with some of his optic nerves and even part of the bone itself. Elum Nol decommissioned him. Meerla's brother made Zipper new eyes while he recovered from the acid burns.

Zipper is decent at slicing, not as good at it as Treeble, and not nearly as good as Fox, but until Treeble becomes part of the Zombies, Zipper is in charge of anything tech related.

The acid incident left him unable to cry (no tear ducts, he does cry), and with scars over most of his face. Meerla's brother (who doesn't have a name?) did reconstructive surgery on his eye sockets themselves, so he does have eyelids, also cybernetic. His sense of smell is affected, as the acid ate away part of his sinuses, and he frequently deals with having to flush out the new, larger cavities inside his nasal passage. (When he cries, his nose runs excessively.)

Zipper is quiet and shy, practical, and dislikes conflict. He found the nat-born who accused/helped him a year later and is friends with them. They introduced him to ice cream. His favorite flavor is caramel and salted pretzel. The nat-born (also without a name) makes Zipper the Star Wars equivalent of godfather to their firstborn child, which is apparently called a hold-father.

CT-18-2833 Blunt was one of Commander Stone's men after Geonosis. During an off world escort of a Senator, Blunt shielded the diplomat with his own body to prevent their assassination. He wasn't wearing armor at the time and was shot in the face. His lower jaw, lip, teeth and tongue, as well as part of his esophagus are all cybernetic. He can make minor facial expressions, but smiling is painful, so most of his expressions he makes with his eyes. He can't taste the food he eats and his windpipe was altered to accommodate the cybernetics. He can't breathe through his mouth, and his voice is very nasal as a result. He does not like his voice.

Blunt got his name for being direct and sometimes brutally honest, a trait that won him the affection of Mandalorian instructors, but pissed off the Kaminoans and other less assertive bounty hunters brought in to train the clones. He never was able to meet the qualifications for the ARC program, but prior to being shipped out to Geonosis, the Mandalorian who oversaw most of his training called him "mandokarla" and told him if he survived, to go to Concordia.

Post injury, Blunt seriously considers staying with Zero and Meerla's clone colony, and even considers going to Concordia since he's legally dead. He eventually chooses to come back to Coruscant, to help Commander Fox. Blunt couldn't justify not seeing the war through to the end. He becomes very close with Wynut and Zipper, often acting as an emotional counterweight to both of them. His level headedness against Wynut's misery, and his confidence against Zipper's shyness.

In battle, Blunt is almost as much of a tank as Talon, though Talon knows his own limitations, where Blunt doesn't care about his limitations. Every fight for Blunt is a fight to the death.

Underneath that, Blunt does care about his the other clones, and will go out of his way to make sure the other Zombies are okay, especially Wynut, since he's in the worst condition out of all of them.

CC-1449 Wynut served on Geonosis and was intended to replace Zero as Fox's third co-commander. However, while Fox was struggling with the aftermath of Geonosis, Wynut dealt with an attempt on the Chancellor's life. A chase ensued, resulting in Wynut falling from a rooftop and fracturing part of his pelvis and his back. Wynut was replaced by Thire. Fable is the only member of the Zombies who knows Wynut has a command rank.

When given the option, Wynut chose the discomfort of a cybernetic spine instead of paralysis. The spine works fine for a while, but during a mission with the Zombies, an explosion messes up one of the sensors near his pelvic injury and it causes him a great deal of pain. Fable and Malice have messed with the sensor to try and get the adjustments right for Wynut, and he even went back to see Meerla's brother (who was able to adjust it properly for a short period of time), but he ultimately needs an upgrade.

His nature at heart is kind and sensitive, but the amount of pain he deals with constantly makes him sharp and cranky. Wynut always feels immediate guilt about his abrasive, sometimes cruel attitude. When the pain is really bad, he just lays down and doesn't talk for fear of reacting negatively to his friends and family. He doesn't like hurting them, or upsetting them.

He doesn't act as a commander for the Zombie Squad (that responsibility ultimately falls to Fox, though the squad usually makes decisions on a more egalitarian basis than a normal unit). Wynut is in too much pain after the sensor issues began. He is often responsible for transport, paperwork, and gear checks/inventory. Wynut doesn't mind. He still goes into the field when necessary, and usually injected with intense pain killers.

Wynut is aggressively protective of Zipper. Fox kept trying to convince Wynut to stay with the colony where Meerla's brother could provide more adequate medical care. Wynut stays on Coruscant to make sure Zipper doesn't get into trouble. He does not trust Zipper's nat-born friends, he does not trust Zipper to defend himself (both in combat and otherwise). Zipper also helps Wynut with a lot of the background work required to keep the Zombies a functioning unit.

He knows Fable from working with him on Geonosis and later in the CG. The two of them keep up a flirtatious, playful banter with one another that can quickly devolve into actual arguing if either one of them is in enough pain. Most of the time, it's just in good fun to try and keep each other's spirits up. They each consider the other to be a close friend, and Fable isn't as close to Wynut as Zipper and Blunt are.

Constellation

Sqaure: “Lay with me?”

Pairings:TechxReader

Warnings: NONE!��

Notes: Ok this is the first thing ive written in awhile and it was all done late at night. Fair warning!  My first entry to the @clonexreaderbingo and my first clone fic.  ENJOY!

AO3

You and the boys are wandering around the market of the most recent planet you've stopped on.  Everyone paired off, wandering from stall to stall collecting supplies you are low on.  Wrecker immediately draggin Echo off to the food stalls, Hunter and Crosshair looking over the weapons at another.  This left Tech to find a few pieces needed to fix the ship after your latest mission and you to restock the ever dwindling med supplies.  

You're still not sure how you got swept up in all this.  Sure, you're good at patching them up and handing them the correct tools when they are fixing things. You can even aim your blaster well enough now that Crosshair mostly keeps his comments to himself.  However you ended up here, it's still better than scraping together what you could to survive on your homeworld.  At least with them you can sleep soundly and not stress about where your next meal is coming from. That meal, more often than not, is a ration bar, but that's still a veritable feast compared to the meager meals you could pull together before.

After loading up on med supplies your eyes begin to wander around the market. Keeping an eye on the others while you listen to Tech barter with a droid over a part he needs.  As he is finishing up with  his transaction you notice a book seller a few stalls down, much to your delight.  While you always love to pick up a new fiction novel to waste the hours in hyper space with, what you really love is information books.  Medical tomes, Engineering manuals, fauna and flora of the many planets you visit.  Could you find all this information on the holonet?  Probably, but the smell and feel of the pages is one of your guilty pleasures.  You justify the space they take up in your footlocker by virtue of them being reference materials.  

You drift over to the stall and start poking through the Medical texts, Tech following behind to start poking through the engineering manuals.  Not finding anything worth taking home, your eyes wander to the right, to a small marking on the next shelf.  MYTHOLOGY.  You've always had a fascination with the lore of the many planets.  Stories passed down from generation to generation.  Fanciful explanations of why things were the way they were.  The Sun god flying across the sky, towing the sun behind his chariot.  Always, there is a god of war to make sacrifices to, ensuring a swift defeat of one's enemies.  One book in particular catches your eye.  A book of stars and their stories.  You take it off the shelf and open to a random page.  As you read the tale of the small warrior who takes on a mighty giant Tech comes up behind you, his chest almost touching your back as he leans over your shoulder.

“A book of local legends? Fascinating.”  He remarks. He's so close that his breath brushes your neck, causing you to shiver slightly.  You clear your throat and turn your head to look at him. Taking in his profile as he reaches around you to adjust his goggles.  His arm bushing yours.  As he reads the fable.  You stay stock still, not daring to move for fear of encouraging him to move away from you.  It is no surprise that you've had a crush on this man for the last few months. You just could never bring yourself to tell him, so instead you cherish the moment like this, where you can feel his warmth so close to yours.  

It only takes a moment for him to finish reading,  when he does, he straightens up and steps back, he holds his hand out for the book so he can add it to the small pile he has in his arms and wanders off to pay for them before you head off to meet up with the others.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

When they arrived on the planet Tech had found a nice spot to land the marauder.  Just on the  outskirts of town, close enough to be convenient but far enough to stay out of trouble.  They had set down on the edge of a field of waist high flowers of varying shades of purple and pink.  That's where you lay now.  After making your way back to the ship with your purchases and real, actual food for dinner you grabbed a blanket, lightstick and your new book to find a comfy place to spread out. 

You decide to spread your blanket out in the field not too far from the ship. The slight breeze rustled through the leaves of the flowers, making them gently sway as you devoured the stories and waited for the sun to set, the light scent of the flora surrounding you and the soft sounds of the guys by the ship floating in the air.   Once the sky dimmed and the stars began to wink to life you began to piece together the constellations.  Trying to tie the stories you had just read with the clusters of dots above.  After some time you hear footsteps making their way through the stalks toward your hiding place.  A few moments later a face pops over the wall of petals above you.

“Ah, there you are”  Tech says, he notices the book lying across your abdomen “oh! I see you are already studying the local fables. I was hoping to dive into that once i finished with the needed repairs”

“Perfect timing then,” you smile up at him, “I'm not that far in.  We can read some together, some of the corresponding constellations are even visible tonight. Come LIE WITH ME?” Waving in the general vicinity of the blanket you scoot towards the edge to make room for him. After only a moment of thought he makes his way into the small clearing you have made and lowers himself to the ground.

You turn your head to take him in. He has one knee bent, the other splayed to the side.  One arm tucked behind his head, the other resting on his stomach.  Once settled he lets out a small sigh as he looks at the smattering of stars above him.  A small smile makes its way across your lips.  It's so rare you get to see the guys relaxed like this.  So often there are plans to be made, repairs to be dealt with, rations to be procured. Not to mention the amount of time they spend trying not to be injured while being shot at.  You are glad that he could have this moment even if it's only for a short time.

 Picking up your book you move a little closer so that he can see the book better. Together you turn the pages and take in the stories of the planet. Stories passed down from generation to generation, telling of warriors and monsters and greater beings that controlled the weather.  It became a small competition to see who could pick out the correct cluster of stars making up the mystical beings first. 

Time passed without notice until your body let out a small shiver.  The tepid breeze of earlier had become quite chilly as the evening went on.  

“You're cold” Tech states, while simultaneously wrapping his arm around your shoulder and pulling you into his body.  Surprised you settle your head onto his shoulder and turn your body into his, settling your hand on his chest.  He rubs his hand up and down your arm, creating friction to warm you up.  

You look up to see him also looking at you, eyes locking.  Hidden in your own little world for the moment you could almost imagine you were the only two on the planet.  With this feeling making you bold, you lean up to press your lips to his.  After a moment you pull away, eyes wide, realizing what you have just done.  Fear streaks through you, have you just kriffed up your friendship by showing your hidden feelings? Before you can go into a complete emotional spiral Techs hand rests lightly on your cheek as he lowers his to kiss you again.  This time with more intensity.  You melt into it,  mind quieting, hand wandering from his chest to his waist.

When you finally part, you can't help but smile.  You open your mouth to say….something.  Your brain still is not quite working when you hear someone tromping through the foliage.  A second later Wrecker comes barreling through the leaves

“There you two are!”  oblivious to the state of things he smiles down at the two of you “Hunter told me to come make sure nothing happened to you two” 

“Ah yes, We shall pack up right now as it is quite late.  You can head back to the ship and let Hunter know that we will be along shortly”  Tech says as you both sit up disentangling yourselves from each other and begin to gather your things. You think you see Wrecker wink at him as he turns to leave.  

Items collected, you both stand to head back to the ship, but before you do Tech steps in front of you and reaches for your hand, toying with your fingers

“You caught me by surprise.  I did not think you were interested in me like that.”  He refuses to meet your eyes, instead, looking at your joined hands.  “But, um, i very much liked it…if you would like to…continue….another time”  FInally, he lifts his gaze to meet yours, to see a large smile on your face

“Yeah, tech” you say, a dopey smile spreading across your face “I would very much like that as well”

So I saw your tattoo/soul mate post and thought what if the 212th find out Obi Wan got a tattoo when drunk with Quinlan and everyone in the 212th starts a betting pool for who can see Obi Wans tattoo first (medics are excluded from the pool) so all the clones keep spilling their drinks and stuff on Obi Wan in the hopes that when he does change they can see the fabled tattoo

OMG I love that idea. And Cody seducing him with the added bonus of winning the bet XD

Best online pet stores for ordering food, meds, and more supplies.

Our pets really are our best friends, especially since we spent the last year indoors with them. Whether it’s a dog, cat, rabbit, fish, or any of the other furry (or scaly) friends we invite into our homes, pets are family members and deserve the best care. This year, many of us have welcomed a new pandemic pet to keep us in company, in an otherwise isolated time.

However, you don’t even have to leave your shelter to look for supplies, as everything you need for pets can be ordered from the comfort of your home.

Perfect for busy pet parents. Here are the best pet supply stores you can order right now. They deliver groceries, treats, medicines and other essentials right to your doorstep.

Chewy is your one-stop-shop for every pet, whether it’s a dog, cat, reptile, bird, or even a farm animal.

Not only do they carry adorable items like furniture and toys for cats and dogs, but they also sell essentials like medication and food that you never want to go without. Best of all, they have an autoship service that automatically delivers your order to your doorstep so you never forget that Fido meal again.

Make sure your pets are always feeling good and receiving the best care. The online pet pharmacy is a great option to find essential medications for your pet, such as Flea and tick medications, heartworm medications, pet medications and over-the-counter medications. Currently, the site is offering a 25% discount with code “CARE25” at checkout, plus free shipping on orders over $48.

Not a pet, these pet products are innovative, stylish, and your pet will love them.

Fable Pets is changing the Pet Space game and you want to participate. The pet care company wants to make feeding, training and exercising your pet an easy and fun experience with their line of products.

Show your Alpha Dog (or Alpha Cat) how much you care about the new Alpha Paw toys and treats. The online pet store sells essential products for your dog and cat at great prices and has it easily delivered to your home. Check out the bestsellers for all breeds, including the exclusive PawRamp website, so your pets can get on and off easily without getting injured. As an added benefit for the owner, be sure to visit the product store with customizable items such as collars and rings with your pet’s name and other products for dogs and cats.

For the wilderness of your home, make sure they have the essentials to get started in style. Wild Ones specialize in leashes, straps and other essentials for walking or running for your dog. Complete with colorful harness, leash, and poop holder, now available for $98. For an a la carte option, check out the range of everyday items including necklaces, shampoos, treats, toys, and more.

Red rover, red rover, send Fido down at once. Transport your pets in style and comfort with Roverlund roof racks. In addition to carrying bags for your pet, they also sell matching bags for their humans so you can travel with the loot. Remember to also put a strap on the stroller so you can walk around there.

When in doubt, give your pup a full box of items. After all, you deserve it. BarkBox is a monthly subscription box for dogs that is filled to the brim with staples like squeaks, string, treats, and snacks. All of these products are puppy approved and made in the USA. Boxes start at $23 per box but are worth more than $40. Each month’s box also follows a theme so you and your fluffy friend will have fun opening the mailbox to see what gifts you’ve received.

PrettyLitter works as both an odor control litter box and a doctor on the go as the litter box changes color depending on your cat’s health. After work, the litter box will clump together as usual, but it will also change color to indicate if your cat is healthy or has issues like high pH, bladder problems, problems, kidneys, urinary tract infections and other illnesses. Plus, PrettyLitter can be delivered by subscription without the hassle of or having to bring heavy bags from the pet store.

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Seeds Or Clones: Which Is Better For Growing Cannabis?

When growing cannabis, you have two paths to choose from: seeds or clones. One one hand, seeds are reliable, easy, and accessible. Clones, on the other, are fast, efficient, and carry the exact traits of the mother plant. However, both methods have their downsides. Let's compare seeds and clones so you can decide how to proceed with your grow.

There Are Two Ways To Start A Cannabis Garden—Using Either Seeds Or Clones For most gardeners, it is faster and easier to work with clones than seeds. Just think of your home garden in a marijuana grow tent. You are much more likely to start with young plants rather than seeds. They are faster and easier to start than it is to germinate seeds. Also, plants of the same variety from seeds can vary in quality, but clones have already been selected and are uniform.

In many states where marijuana is legal or is allowed medical dispensaries sell clones. In Northern California at least, the clone companies produce infection and disease-free clones. If you have access to healthy clones start with them.

If you don’t have access to clones locally, look online where you will find many clone and seed sources that will ship to you. They provide a much wider choice of varieties including fabled strains not available locally. Although ordering seeds is not totally risk-free, the small package is unlikely to be detected because seeds have no odor and are shipped in “normal” envelopes that don’t raise suspicions.

WHAT ARE PLANT CLONES?

Clones are grown from a central plant and are genetically identical to their parent. They are created by taking a cutting from the parent plant. This is usually a piece about several inches long from a healthy branch. That piece of limb, or cutting, is then allowed to grow roots. This is often done by placing the cutting in water until sufficient roots are grown and the plant can be put into a pot with soil or placed in the ground.

The best clones are the ones created from a healthy mother plant. The plant should be fast growing with a strong, and robust root system. It should also generate abundant harvests that are known to produce high-quality buds.

GROWING CANNABIS FROM CLONES

Growing cannabis from clones instead of seeds is done for several reasons. It’s a quicker method of cultivation. The cannabis clone is already germinated and just needs to take root. Growing a plant fast also means economical. Less time spent waiting for the plant to mature means a quicker harvest, and if you are a seller this equates to the faster a product can be marketed.

With a clone, you also have an excellent idea of what the mature plant will turn out like. They are predictable in the quality of the buds they will produce. This is a good thing when it comes time to harvest. You know what kind of cannabis product you will be getting. Another benefit of growing cannabis from clones is if the parent plant has pest resistant qualities so will the clone. A plant resistant to bugs makes for a stronger plant and a better marijuana harvest.

On the other hand, cloning a plant does have a few drawbacks. Plants grown from seeds have the ability to adapt to changes in their environment, and so does each future generation of the plant. This adaptability helps the lineage of the plant be strong enough to grow in different environmental conditions. A cloned plant is exactly the same genetically as its parent and can’t change its own genetics to adapt to a changing environment.

Also, coned plants generally produce a smaller harvest than one grown from a seedling. The clone tends to be a much weaker plant, with a root system that doesn’t grow as strong and deep as the seedling’s does. Another issue may be the parent of the clone may not have had bug and pest resistant qualities in its genetic makeup. This can make the cloned plant susceptible to damaging infestations.

GROWING CANNABIS FROM SEEDS

There are two types of seed strains, stable and unstable. As the name states, a stable seed strain lineage always has the same qualities. The grower or breeder will start with both a male and female plant and breed them until the specific desired qualities are stabilized in the plant. The new plants in the breed’s lineage will have most of the same desired traits, along with a few genetic variations.

An unstable seed strain often produces plants more quickly, but there is no consistency in their traits and quality of their harvests. The plants that do grow are not a reputable strain. Most cannabis dispensaries won’t buy products from plants grown from unstable seed strains.

Cannabis plants grown from stable seed strains are a much healthier plant than ones grown from clones. The seedling has a much stronger root system, starting with a taproot. This is a root that grows vertically downward for a considerable distance away from the seed. It forms a strong anchor that is able to reach rich nutrients deep in the soil. A robust, healthy plant creates a more significant yield of the product. With cannabis seeds, you also have a much greater variety of plants to choose from.

The disadvantages of growing from a cannabis seed include not knowing the specific qualities of the plant until it reaches maturity. Growing a plant from seed takes more time to cultivate. Seeds are very delicate in their early stages of growth and need more skill to grow. When growing a plant from seed, you won’t know if it’s male or female until it’s fully grown.

A female plant grows the flowers or buds, and a male plant creates the seeds. The female is the plant you want for harvesting your marijuana product.

Starting With Cannabis Seeds

Pros:

If you buy your seeds from an established seed bank, than you have a great idea on how your plant will be like in terms of looks, yield, quality, and flowering time.

Cannabis seeds can be discreetly delivered to almost anywhere in the world – you don't need to know a cannabis grower in person or collect bagseed in order to start growing with seeds

You can purchase feminized seeds from a seed bank which means you will get 100% females and don't have to worry about male marijuana plants. Only female cannabis plants produce bud.

You can breed your own seeds by mating two cannabis plants, which gives you a basically unlimited supply of seeds

Seeds give you the best chance of a 'clean slate' which means you plants won't come with any sort of disease or pests

Cons:

Not all seeds will germinate

Old seeds or improperly stored seeds may be slow growing

If using non-feminized seeds, about half of the plants will end up being male, which do not produce buds.

Seeds can take a little more time than clones to get started growing and be ready for harvest, since clones are usually already "mature" and established when you start growing

Costs can add up if purchasing seeds for every grow, and famous strains can cost quite a bit of money per seed

Creating your own seeds will save you monetary cost, but there is still a cost in time (and effort) to cross together two plants to make seeds

Seeds are a good way for many people to start growing because they can be easily purchased off the internet. Where can I safely purchase cannabis seeds?

Sometimes you will find good seeds (bagseed) in marijuana that you have purchased which can definitely be used to start growing. The downside of using seeds that you find is you will have no idea what to expect as far as growth, yields, or size. The bud quality of bagseed is often different from the buds it came from, since it is not a stablized strain. It could be like the bud it was found it, or it could be completely different.

When using unknown seeds, you will need to determine the gender your plants as they are growing to prevent any males from pollinating your females.

Healthy seeds should be dark brown or light grey. If you find seeds which are small and white, they are likely immature and won't germinate properly.

Healthy seeds can be stored in a cool dark place, or your fridge until you're ready to use them(don't freeze them).

Seeds which are kept in a cool, dark place remain viable for years, though after a few years you will notice that they take a bit longer to germinate and you may get a few more duds than with fresh seeds. Seedlings from older seeds can also be really slow growing even if you're giving them perfect conditions. By the way, LED grow lights for seedlings is also important!

Starting With Cannabis Clones

Pros:

Guaranteed gender – if the mother plant was female, the clone will be female too

Clones usually have a head start compared to starting with a seed, since clones are usually already mature and established when you start growing with them. Compared to seeds, clones usually have an overall shorter grow period and therefore will be ready to harvest a bit more quickly.

Clones can be quickly grown into a 'mom' and recloned, for a constant source of new plants. You can clone any plant to create an unlimited amount of plants

Since clones are genetically identical to their mother plant, you know almost exactly what you're getting. Although there is some variance even between clones, they tend to grow much more alike than two random plants.

Rooted clones can be coaxed to flower almost immediately if time or space is an issue

Cons:

Clones can be harder to find compared to seeds – many people don't know a cannabis grower in real life, and seeds are really easy for almost anyone to get due to the availability of online seed banks

If the original grower had any problems with the mother plant (like pests or viruses) then it's possible that the new grower (you) can inherit the same problems from the clone

If you start with a clone that hasn't been well established, it's possible it might unexpectedly die on you, or remain in shock for a long time. When cloning is done incorrectly, it may take weeks of extra care in order for the plant to recover

Newly created clones are more sensitive/picky about lights and nutrients compared to young plants from seed

In order to get clones, you will need to know someone who already has marijuana plants, or you may be able to buy some from your local medical marijuana dispensary if you're in a suitable location and have a recommendation for marijuana from your doctor.

Starting with a clone can save you a couple of weeks compared to starting with seeds because they have a head-start on growth. Using clones also guarantees the gender of your plant because the clones have the exact same genetics as their parent plant including gender.

If you have a female plant that you like, you can just clone her indefinitely to make more plants without ever again having to worry about sexing your plants or creating seeds. Yet you will also end up with the same strain/genetics for every clone you take off the same plant.

If you're starting out with a clone, you want to treat it gently for the first day or two that you have it. If your clone hasn't established roots yet, then you want to make sure that it stays moist and gets gentle light (like from florescent tubes) until it develops some roots. A humidity dome will help the plant get moisture until she's established her roots.

If your clone has already established its roots, then put it in its new home with your lights a bit further away than normal until she's settled in and showing new growth.

Only give your clone just a little bit of water at first with a highly diluted cannabis-friendly "grow" nutrient solution.

It's tempting to want to put your lights close to the new baby and give it full-strength nutrients because you want to do everything you can to make sure it does okay.

However, in the very beginning, less is more for your clone. Your clone is more sensitive to heat and light than an established plant, and you're putting it in a completely new environment. What's more, if you are a beginner, a full spectrum LED grow light can be your great choice!

It's important to check on your clone frequently during it's first 24 hours to make sure there isn't any unforeseen problems such as it tipping over. Once the clone has started really growing (usually after a couple of days) then you can put your lights closer and start feeding it with full-strength nutrients.

CLONES OR SEEDS — WHICH IS BETTER FOR GROWING CANNABIS?

Honestly, the answer is entirely subjective. It all boils down to the personal preferences and skill of the grower. Beginners will have a much easier time—and see better results—using seeds. Clones are more tricky, and best reserved for slightly more experienced growers. However, veteran growers will also choose seeds for breeding purposes, or to see plants through from start to finish.

As with everything in the world of growing, experimenting will enable you to find your own way of doing things. Try both and see what works best for you and your growing style. Good luck!

Atelier Escha and Logy Plus Opinions

A friend recently informed me that my opinions are, apparently, very different from general consensus, which insists that Totori is one of the best and Escha and Logy is among the worst.  I chalk this up to the same reason they thought child Rorona was a good idea in Meruru: Japan is weird, and waifu bait is more important than legitimate quality, because oh damn Escha and Logy is a fantastic game.  Yes, one of the protagonists is a male alchemist.  Yes, I am sure there are many who are upset about it.  It’s still, I think, the best put-together game in the series (that I have played), barring arguably Ayesha depending on what’s more important to you.  For me personally?  Escha and Logy outranks Ayesha by virtue of two areas where it shines beyond anything else in the series, and a single character that I just adore.  In most regards, Ayesha would have it outranked, but the things it does better are so significant that I honestly think it earns the top spot.

CHARACTERS Escha and Logy isn’t quite as fantastic as the group from Ayesha, though there are still a lot of excellent additions, as well as some of the best possible returning characters.  Odelia doesn’t come back, but hey, no one’s perfect.

Escha - Escha’s the fun, bubbly character who I am pretty sure is a furry of some kind?  I’m not entirely sure what the tail is about, but she’s got one, and it sure is a thing that is there.  She’s a fun and compassionate character who is very modest about her skills, but never to the point of self-deprication.  She’s generally very light-hearted and filled with determination to make her dream of reaching the unexplored ruins a reality.  Also her real mother passed away when she was young, so she was raised by the super cute robot mom for the town.  I bring this up because there’s a bit early on in her route where Logy seems surprised at how human Clone acts, and it’s revealed this is because Escha taught her a few phrases to add to sentences just to give the appearance of a human quirk, and it totally worked.  I really enjoy that tidbit, because it really shows how clever Escha is and how well she can read people.

Logy - I’m sure a lot of people hate this guy entirely on the basis that he is a guy protagonist in a game typically about cute girls doing cute things.  Which I get.  Atelier Ayesha’s cast was, in part, so great because it’s almost all-female.  But the guy is a solid character.  Down to earth and a good serious contrast to Escha’s bubbly personality, with a personal history that’s engaging and well developed.  In fact, I’d say he’s pretty good.

Awin - He’s alright?  A bit of a doofus, but likes to fix things and dreams of flying to the end of the world to see what it’s like.  I don’t have a ton of attachment, but like Juris, I liked him a lot better than I initially thought I would.

Reyfer - This clown on the other hand.  Reyfer kinda bugs me, and I’m not 100% sure why.  I think it just boils down to being annoying with how he interacts with a lot of the cast.  He can be kind of abrasive and a bit obnoxious.  He just comes off as a stingy dick a lot of the time.

Threia - By contrast, I really like Threia.  She’s a historian who focuses on unraveling the mysteries of the ancient civilization.  She’s related to Keith, which I guess plays in to why she’s such a good character to have build up more world history for us.

Wilbell - The best non-Odelia girl is back, and she’s as adorable as ever.  Still plucky and upbeat, and on her quest to contract with the strongest of spirits.  Not much to update, just know that she’s still excellent.

Linca - same deal.  Not much to update, she’s still very entertaining and a lot of fun.  Still trying to make 100 friends like Marion requested.  Good luck, socially awkward friend.

Marion - Not playable this time, but still her stressed-out self who is tired of paperwork forever.  She gets some good interactions with Threia, but ultimately, not a ton of change.

Solle - Solle is fun.  He’s deadpan, but gets along well with the Homunculi that exist around the office because he makes such good candy for them.  He’s a hard worker who is very methodical and serious while also coming across as very snarky, and I can appreciate that.

Grumman - Then we have Solle’s dad, who is a bit more boistrous, and is trying his best to connect to his son through his work.  Grumman isn’t particularly interesting, but he does get some nice interactions with Solle and the barkeeper.

Lucille - The best new character.  Lucille is the youngest of the group, and looks up to Escha and Logy as her seniors.  She’s a healer from a famous medical company, but is struggling to feel like she lives up to the family name, and doesn’t know what to do.  She gets a really nice character arc about how much she struggles with her academics, and in turn, how hard it is to learn the trade she’s in.  But she persists and overcomes, with a bit of help from Escha and Logy, and it’s all very sweet.  I love Lucille a lot.

Micie - This guy...is a weirdo.  He’s an auditor who checks up on the group, but is kinda flashy and doesn’t really do a whole lot?  I’ll be honest with you, outside of a few comedic scenes, I don’t remember much of what he does, aside from quote his mentor, carries a rose everywhere, and has terrible taste.

Katla - A shopkeeper who sells various goods, and is known for basically price gouging people for literal junk she sells.  I’m not her biggest fan, due to my general dislike of that type of character, but she’s not particularly abrasive either.

Nio - Nio comes back, and she’s as precious as ever.  She’s looking for her sister,  Ayesha, who is apparently also a wanted criminal like Keith?  That was...surprising.  Anyway, Nio is a pleasant and gentle character, like always, and I’m actually glad she made a return for this game.  She also has some interesting connections to another character you meet much later on, based on her experiences in Atelier Ayesha.

Clone - Escha’s robot-mom.  Since Escha’s mother died at a young age, Clone kinda took over.  Her significance is more in her history, as Clone created a storybook for Escha about the Bumblebee/Hummingbird Princess, which is basically a biography of her friend.  The story goes that one day, the plants stopped producing as much food, and a young child asked Bumblebee Princess, who always knew the answer to every problem, why the plants weren’t producing as much.  Bumblebee Princess didn’t know, but offered a magical watering can that would help them sustain their crops while she searched for an answer.  Over time, Bumblebee Princess realized that the magical watering can may have made the problem worse, and encouraged everyone to stop using them.  However, the watering can was too useful, and they all refused, which led Bumblebee Princess to be very sad and lonely.  The end.  ...for anyone wondering, when Escha was read this story as a kid, she started crying, and I imagine Clone was very perplexed about it.  I love you, robot mom.   Clone is a fun character whose late-game stories form the basis for what I, personally, think is the best character in the series thus far.

Flameu - The Bumblebee Princess herself.  Flameu is an awesome character, and is like 30% of the reason this is my favorite game in the series.  A lot of her history is implicit, so there is a lot I’m drawing from inference and personal perspective.  The story as I understand it is that Flameu was around ages ago in the time right before the Dusk began, and was an alchemist of pretty significant renown.  People would come to her with problems, and she would always find a solution.  The presence of the stone tablet you assemble (which I think is what unlocks the Bumblebee Princess fable) also hints at Flameu being considered something above normal people, and almost a deific figure given her depiction as a figure elevated above humans.  That’s how big a deal her work was.  We also learn, when she appears, that she is the administrator of a facility called Geosis, which was designed to study the problems of the Dusk and create a solution.  Unfortunately, her research didn’t turn up good answers, and the solution she starts to put into action is a potentially massive problem that may cause more long-term harm than good.  All of this is pretty decent already, but what really hooks me is that her history is one of tragedy.  Begin the interpretation!

The fable of Bumblebee Princess is a direct link to Flameu’s history.  She was a brilliant person, and was looked up to as a beacon of knowledge.  However, when she needed to know an answer most, she couldn’t find one.  She knew so much, but didn’t have an answer for how to stop the Dusk.  When she tried to come up with a fast solution, she made one that could have negative consequences long-term.  She recognized the mistake later, and attempted to make the correction, but to the people, the initial suggestion was too convenient, and present convenience was weighted as more significant than sustainability for the future.  As a result, no one else felt the need to keep searching and abandoned both Geosis and Flameu, content with the unsustainable suggestion while she continued to try desperately to find a better answer.  She doesn’t figure it out.  She doesn’t come to a good answer, and instead resorts to significant extremes in reinvigorating the planet that could put everything living nearby in danger.  There’s also the personal tragedy, where she promised Clone that, once she had an answer, she’d fix everything and they’d be able to relax together again and eat apples.  By the time you meet her, Flameu has long-since forgotten the promise she made, but they do this thing I love, where her actions are still in line with her promise to Clone, showing that on some almost subconscious level she retained what was important, even if she couldn’t remember.  Her direct links to this recurring environmental problem of the Dusk is fantastic, and her personal history is the most fascinating the series has had to offer.

STORY The story of Escha and Logy is fairly simple.  You play as either Escha, whose dream is to fly to the unexplored ruins nearby, or as Logy, whose dream was to build a new model of airship.  Both have very straight-forward premises. However, Logy's story comes with his own history of failure and trying to move past the damage he once caused to another, which was a nice inclusion, while Escha’s dream is one shared by the entire town, perhaps as a remnant of a long-forgotten hope to connect with Geosis to combat the Dusk when things went south.  The story almost entirely focuses on their work with the local government, and getting to the unexplored ruins where they discover Geosis and Flameu.  I try not to get into spoilers for things too much with this, but I kinda have to here since this is such a large element of the game.  It continues on from the history of Ayesha, in a sense.  Geosis is a facility designed to work toward re-populating the planet with plant life in an effort to combat the Dusk. Flameu, its administrator, is willing to go through with the plan to reinvigorate the planet, even if it has long-term negative impact.  There's also a storybook that Clone wrote for Escha called Adventures of Bumblebee/Hummingbird Princess, depending on your translation apparently.  The book is designed to be a history of Flameu's life, and showcases a bit about how humans may have caused the Dusk by over-utilizing the soil and causing the problems of it not sustaining crops.  Flameu researched and found this to be a central cause, tried to dissuade others from using the techniques she first recommended, but by then the problem had already taken root, and humans refused to change their methods because they were too convenient.  So, Flameu went back to Geosis to continue searching for a new answer, and in her isolation, came to her own extreme conclusions.  It's a great story for the antagonist, and it's handled in the way I absolutely adore: things aren't as directly stated, and you have to piece together their history.  I love when that happens.

SETTING Again, it continues on from Ayesha, though with less of an emphasis until the conclusion.  The start of the game is simply examining a bunch of nearby ruins to discern information about the past, and a village whose water is drying up, a clear set-up for the encroaching Dusk that happens in the next game.  We also get the fragments that show an ancient depiction of Flameu, which leads to the protagonists unlocking the story of Bumblebee Princess.  Then there's Threia's role as a historian, and her breakthrough in finding out that the ancient civilization likely banded together to combat the environmental calamity of the Dusk, rather than being at war with itself as previous records had suggested.

I think what really sells this aspect is Geosis.  It's an indication that not only were there measures to survive the Dusk, but also measures to study it long-term, even after humans were gone, and to fix the issues. It ties in nicely with Threia's breakthrough, and presents a setting that is still suffering after a millenium of study.  It really hammers home how significant the impact of the Dusk is, and that humans may be outright incapable of fixing it.  The best we can really get is a temporary and hypothetical band-aid for the larger problem.  The seed from Flameu is the only thing offering any real hope of a major change, and even then, it sounds like something that offers a regional fix, not a global one, which suggests something that, even if long-lasting, is not a perfect fix and will not last forever.  I just think it's fantastic how well this trilogy has presented concepts through implication alone, and managed to have such a heavy setting and background while maintaining a light-hearted tone throughout the game.

ALCHEMY SYSTEM And now we are in it.  I mentioned at the start that Ayesha would still hold the top spot if it weren't for two areas of Escha and Logy.  This is one of them.  In Escha and Logy, they introduce a ton of new alchemist skills, and you can use whatever you want if you have the element points.  You can add more points to elements, remove points from one element to add to others, duplicate, boost effect value; a ton of nonsense.  The end result is a system that is astonishingly complicated but very intuitive and easy to learn.  There's little real difficulty with synthesis in this game, but a ton of options you can use to adjust your final product.  I am absolutely in love with the synthesis system in this game; it's so good.  Though I guess the idea of being able to utilize a ton of skills with no downside or real limitations didn't appeal to many since they never do this again for some reason. Bunch of nonsense if you ask me.

BATTLE SYSTEM And this is the other one.  Let's start with items.  I've talked before about how items are the most valuable part of an Alchemist's abilities, and about how certain games that don't emphasize the use of items can feel a little awkward because that's supposed to be the point.  Escha and Logy falls into the category of "you don't necessarily need items." Equipment can do all the work for you. BUT!  Unlike every previous game, where using up an item's stock meant it ran out and disappeared forever, this game introduces the concept of equipping your attack and healing items.  You can use those equipped items, and when you run out, that's it for the current adventure.  But upon returning to town, items will be fully restocked by your friendly Homunculus helpers.  That's right; gone are the days of having to either buy or re-craft dozens of items to ensure you have a healthy stock.  You just equip them and run. The tradeoff is that, because you can only carry so much instead of buying/crafting an unlimited supply, item effects seem a lot stronger, to the point that super-bosses are only really beatable by exploiting your items.  Which means that, while equipment can carry you, your equipped items are essentially a trump card that can and will blast through problems you run into.  It's fantastic.

The other benefit is in regards to your equipment.  You know how, in the Arland games, you had to make different ingots to forge new weapons, and in Ayesha you had to find the weapons at all and then upgrade them with dyes and whetstones?  Escha and Logy introduces the best system ever: your base items are included as ingredients for the next step up.  What this means is, if you find excellent traits early, you can apply them to a lower-tier item, and it will naturally transfer up to the next weapon.  Armor works the same way, using any similar-category armor as a base.  I started Sophie and it seems like they got rid of this, which is a shame because this is the best way to handle upgrading equipment, no contest.

OTHER MECHANICS Let's start with the Homunculus friend.  For completing quests, Solle will give you candy that he made.  This candy can then be given to a Homunculus, who will duplicate your items.  This can be synthesized products, or ingredients.  You can also give extra candy to speed up the production, to the point you could obtain items instantly.  What does this mean?  It means that you can essentially duplicate your best rare synthesis items to use more often (Golden Apple was my most frequently used), or duplicate the finished products that you need, such as the crystal ball that has a bunch of cost up traits that sell for like 4000cole each in the early game, making you filthy rich forever as a result.  The system is just an excellent way to make sure you have resources, and considering this game still has a time limit, that is invaluable.

Then we have the field event system.  When exploring, you have a field event gauge that goes up with each battle or gathering session.  When you gain a number next to the bar, it means you can expend it to activate a field event.  It will present three options from a pool.  One is to fight a tough enemy (which can net you new weapons/armor before you can craft them), one is to gather all gathering spots on a map (HUGE time-saver, and what you should generally be doing all the time), finding a relic in the area (is the only way I know to get ultimate traits for equipment and items), and a few that increase the rarity of gatherable items or the value of relics while you're in the area.   Increasing relic value then using a Dowsing Rod to increase trait value in certain areas is the ONLY way I know of to obtain the ultimate traits for equipment.  This is...difficult for me.  I really like the system, and I think using the field events is a clever way to have to hunt things down.  However, the tradeoff is that, unless you look up this information or are exceptionally lucky, I can't think of a single way anyone is supposed to know about this.  This is the beginning of a change that I'm really not a fan of, in which the best traits are hidden behind an almost luck-based system.  Unless you're lucky or go in with the fore-knowledge of how to obtain them, it may as well be impossible. If there's any low point to this game, it is this.

Lastly, you have the...okay, I completely blanked on the name, but you can buy certain effects from Marion.  These can be getting an extra item out of a synthesis, bonus experience for combat/synthesis; the usual stuff they included in Meruru as well.  I love these kinds of things, so I'm all in favor of it.  The cost can be pretty high, but that's what you likely have a homunculus duplicating a million Crystal Balls with price increasing traits for.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS Much like Ayesha, art style is fantastic.  Just wanted to throw that out there again.

The only other point I can really bring up is the romance between Escha and Logy.  Generally speaking, I dislike any sort of forced romance between characters.  I'm all good with it if the characters are already married/dating, or if the entire point of the genre is romance, but when it's thrown into something with no reason other than "people like romance right?" it tends to bother me a bit. That being said, the game gives you dialogue options, and will tell you one is the romance option, and the other is basically just friendship, indicated by a heart or smiley-face respectively.  So it's graciously giving me a choice.  I don't remember this for a certainty, but I'm almost positive that choosing the friendship options doesn't even exclude you from the true ending bits.  So it's entirely up to you whether they're a blatant couple, or really good friends.  It's a small little detail that I actually really appreciate.

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS If Ayesha is the Totori of the Dusk trilogy, Escha and Logy is the Rorona.  It's very straight-forward and simple, but in a way that's engaging and fun.  The enjoyment of the core mechanics for alchemy and combat is unbelievably fun, and I think that alone means it should rank at the top.  Including a solid story for the antagonist based on their struggle that led them to this point, and continuing the trend of emphasis on the environmental impacts of the Dusk and how humans caused this issue becomes a very nice icing on the cake.  The whole game is put together excellently, and is super enjoyable to play.

If you enjoyed this (for some reason), consider checking out the write-ups for the other games in the series as well!

Atelier Rorona Plus Atelier Totori Plus Atelier Meruru Plus Atelier Ayesha Plus Atelier Escha and Logy Plus Atelier Shallie Plus Atelier Sophie Atelier Firis

Penetrating the Medias Psyche

threshold B. RosePenetrating the Medias PsycheWriting commodity | library 26, 2008Gerard Braud, television training consultant, discusses ploy of the media business with Eve B. Rose, and offers suggestions to assure that a companys stories are told fairly and out media bias. Ever squat open-mouthed in amazement in the time reading a news story? Ever pull so provoked that you hurl bolster at your television? If so, yores not alone.Were all overworked of the teasers, of the version that energy nowhere, speak Gerard Braud of gored Braud Communications. Reporters stated up a situation, word hard legwork but during you watch the story, you earn facts that are this one loosely analogous or arent related at all. endemic a big letdown.For communicators, however, it can be much poor than a letdown. appeal can be a disaster. Reporters will act as judge and jury if you let them, says Braud. besides many writer have alone three stuff on their mind. One, this fable has to be great because I want to impress the boss. Two, I requirement to sweep an award. Three, I want to put this story on my regain so I can pull a extra prestigious, greater paying job. Braud knows. Before opening his consulting firm, he worked for 15 agedness as a reporter in print, transmission and television. I left the work because biography were taking more and more superficial, he says. Reporters were also lumping all description of beside the point facts calm to form it develop that something sinister was going on in communal America. position communicators notice a party working in the outstanding interests of its member and customers, reporters connect the clone dots to come ascend with a picture of the giant that soul under the bed. indefinitely Braud weakness corporate North America to be a discipline freak. That means administrator must end their repudiation about the severity of negative news, while combined communicators have to go above and beyond what they complete now to protect their company. ac lot of communicators equitable go over the motions, he says. They rewrite a emergency communications plan, but they dont analysis it or review it annually. They conduct radio training but dont control refreshers on a formal basis. They often prohibition role comedy with executives before an interview. agnate Tiger Woods, you precondition practice your technique constantly. Thats the only style to win.Communicators can too take the offensive and penetrate the medias psyche. Corporate communicators are protected by the same early amendment freedom as the media, Braud explains, and they have the appropriate to investigate into journalist motives. conceding that communications professionals can crack the medias psyche, they can conclude the presence of reporters, editors, and producers. They owe it to their organization to go that extra mile. Doing so will further enhance their reputation and increase their value. You have the right to control the way the press mask your organization, says Braud. Obviously, you dont have control past the ultimate edit or the closing rewrite, but you have control of everything dominant up to that. You dont have to presumption what the media will do; you have the ability to find out ahead of time. How? By inquisitive lots of tough questions. Before in concert to accord the television access to your party and your management, treatment extensive press conference with the producer or the correspondent to jewel out where the story is going. When you get your questions answered, you prepare to unearth what the reporter wish to do. Nine point out of 10, you will be able to isolate different topics and explain them. The result: the reporter will have to outset discarding knowledge and belief that would otherwise have gone toward the story. True, part of members of the television will resist. After all, if they tell you everything they believe and you appearance them situation their presumption are incorrect, they will see their story kickoff to melt right ahead their eyes. They dont want to see that happen. through encourage them to dissertation to you, lay down some field rules. during you reveal a reporter or a producer that you are willing to cooperate and be perfectly open calculate that you expect the same from them, Braud suggests. instruct them that you will share intelligence with them and in return you want them to part information with you. They usually agree.Still, many communicators balk at asking a long series of questions. They experience reporters and producers prohibition want to answer them all. They may still feel that their question are intrusive, even rude, and that their stamina will acrimony the media. But their determination to get what they right will try their durability and intelligence, leading the media to be other careful go through their facts. The media needs to know that you are going to hold them to aforesaid a huge standard that there will be inferno to wage if they dont living up to it or get the facts wrong, says Braud.You will too be adept to evaluate the situation. Why down until subsequently the experience to detect that the story twist was motivated by intimate wants or needs? Braud remembers one network journal producer who wanted to do a report on sexual dysfunction in females. Her holder was prevail there a female version of Viagra? My applicant was a sex therapist at a major schooling medical midpoint and her research had to accomplish with undo mental blocks to get good sex, says Braud. The producer kept upsetting to drive the fable and earn the therapist to consider issues over of her cutting-edge research.In preliminary exchange with the producer, Braud concluded that the contractor suffered from the erotic dysfunction she was exploring in the story, that she was embarrassed back seeking help, and that she asked for to effort the information so she could attain information for herself. back meeting with the maker herself, the therapist agreed. In the end, she decided not to share because her research execute not apt the version angle. breathtaking last point she requested was to have her work misrepresented.Communicators must level the playing field, respond Braud. You need to know that you have both the right and the responsibility to exploration deeply within reporters psyches. Give yourself the charter to square out the medias motives. If you dont, your organization and its stakeholders will hurt for it.Copyright Rose Communications, Inc. vigil B. Rose, ABC, CIMA is a writer and editor with more than 25 dotage of understanding in purchasing and organizational communications. trig addition to marketing brochures and more collateral, she writes pasty papers, bondholder reports commentaries, newsletter and magazine articles, and head communications mid other things. To get more around Eves services, visit www.everose.com

THE FEDERATION AND YOU:  A BRIEF GUIDE TO THE GALAXY

SUBMITTED BY: PROTOSTAR™

UNITED GALACTIC FEDERATION OF SENTIENTS

The Federation was founded from the Peacekeeper’s initial contact with other advanced races outside of their own solar system and a many generations of trial and tribulations with the races now on the Council of Seven. Formed upon the principles of granting fundamental rights to sentient beings, promoting social and technological progress, and their non-interference policies with developing systems.

The leading body of the Federation is the Council of Seven (previously the Council of Six before the Teneans recent addition). It is comprised of the most elite and technologically advanced races of the Kheldas Galaxy. It is seen in reaching such levels, the Seven have put aside petty differences to work towards the betterment and progress of the galaxy as a whole and bring the other denizens of the galaxy into the fold. With their most esteemed leaders at the forefront of decision making, the Federation has grown into a formidable and well bodied system of leadership for the Kheldas Galaxy. They are not without their bureaucratic red tape, burdening sanctions and regulations, bad decisions, and lengthy debate periods as with any system of government; especially being on a galactic level.

But who is a part of this mysterious clandestine ruling body? Say no more as we venture through the highly advanced races of our grand galaxy!

THE COUNCIL OF SEVEN

The Teneans, the most recent addition to the council and the most tenacious. With their fantastical hybridization of magic and psionics into their machinery, harnessing the raw Primal Elements never looked so easy. Yet this race isn’t without its troubled past and resentment to the rest of the Council. These spunky,squishy, near hairless bipeds were almost wiped out completely by the Peacekeepers from a miscalculation that is still frowned upon to this day. Introducing a nanotechnology to have this race take a few steps back and rethink their volatile emotional reactions didn’t account for it being mystically connected to their Primal Pattern. The resulting mutated Manaphage was thankfully extracted by a Deus Ex event of the god-like Kheldari coming to intervene and save the race. Now part of the Federation with a seat on the Council, these fellows govern with a divine purpose upon their backs.

Peacekeepers! Everyone's loved and adored, most militaristic advanced race.Commonly known as the ‘Grays’ by their adoring fans, the Peacekeepers are the eldest race in the galaxy now that the Kheldari have gone to parts unknown. They govern themselves with a self imposed purpose of policing the galaxy in order to keep the other races and ruling bodies out of conflict with each other. The Peacekeepers were the initial founders of the Federation, causing much of its laws and regulations to be built around their own beliefs and incorporating consolations from the other ruling races. The only known large-scale error in their ways, was introducing what became the mutated Manaphage to the Tenean homeworlds before the Teneans joined the Council - causing a near genocide of the Tenean people. To say animosity still exists between the two races is an understatement. The Great Transgression, as history has named it, is still a large stain upon the Peacekeeper’s considerably clean record in the history of their race and still pains their people to this day (one would hope).

Let’s not forget the Moeshan. The amphibian-like techno-geniuses have spread their influence and technology through the galaxy with bright, booming minds full of innovation. Hailing from a mysterious deep ocean planet, this race has segregated their different biological variances to specified tasks and roles to provide the utmost efficiency in life on the planet - simply beautiful! Having a neutral standpoint on bringing progress to the technological advancement of the galaxy has given this race a favorable outlook from the rest of galaxy-kind. Oh, and be sure to compliment them - it makes them work even more efficiently...

With all the techno-talk of the Moeshan, nothing can compare to the cold, calculating ability of the Modri. Their entire race has ‘moved beyond’ the hindrance of fleshy bits and converted to completely mechanical bodies. The Modrian’s knack for calculation and analysis are second to none without any of those pesky biological shortcomings in the way. Their way of life stems from their unanimous membership into The Ascendancy - a Modrian order that voices technocratic dogma of the only way for true progress to form from the galaxy is to shed one’s mortal shell for a mechanized one. Back on their homeworld of Mechara everything runs like clockwork thanks to the Ascendancy and stays within expected and calculated measures. They’re wonderful at what they do, from auditing your taxes to crafting an expert battle plan. The Modrian’s humor could use a bit of work though.

We’ve come to the Tarnacians. None can deny their sheer strength of magical capability to harness the Primal Elements into feats of untold wonder. But having unprecedented amounts of magical skill under their backwater belts doesn’t account for superior intellectual capacity. Along with holding a seat on the Council of Seven, they operate one of the galactic-level megacorps - ScalaCo, with CEO ‘Big Rex’ at the helm on their homeworld Tarnacia. Selling all manner of alchemical & magical potions, gear, and curios - all with their abundant list of potential side effects, yet people still keep coming back for more.

The Shloons - a still ‘primitive’ in technological scale, but highly capable race that gives balance to the technocratic leanings of the rest of the Council of Seven. The incredibly hardy race is entirely botanic and gains their sustenance simply from the cosmic radiation of space brought about from the Primal Fire of stars. Each member of this green-thumbed race holds a mystical connection to their homeworld Mother-tree Nindra that even holds a sentience herself. Found to have an unnaturally calm demeanor, the Shloons are slow to anger, but possess an unbridled Primal wrath when finally pushed to their limits; controlling and manipulating the very flora around them to their will. Word of advice - don’t.

Finally the [ERROR: DATA CORRUPTION. PLEASE DOWNLOAD YOUR PURCHASE AGAIN TO REPAIR] - completing our look at the Council of Seven.

MONEY AND WHERE TO SPEND IT

The wonderful world of the Protostar™ Corporation is brought to you by Phineas T. Rotostar and his helpful family of clones and re-programmable mechadroids. Being the largest privately held and most successful megacorp specializing in any and all aspects of trade, defense, exploration, real estate, and nutritional simulation sciences in the known galaxy - it’s no wonder “Pappa Phineas” is the consumerist’s best friend.

Following in the ‘Big Three’ are Symbotic Pharmaceuticals. Ran by the Cenitians, an intelligent race of morphic ooze, Symbotic specializes in all manner of medical innovation and application. Their shining creations are their Symbots - programmable symbiotes that aid in a multitude of medical treatments and physiological boosting needs. You won’t walk into a medical facility or frontier planetary settlement without finding Symbots in use!

It wouldn’t be fair in business to fail elaborating on ScalaCo. The reptilian ran business of mystical amazement is the largest and most prevalent dealer in anything magical. Healing potions, invisibility cloaks, whimsical flying carpets - it’s all there and more. Plus an untold amount of very possible and potential side effects from magical hiccups in the harnessing of the Primal Elements. I hope you enjoy those mooo-velous udders.

DANGERS OF THE GALAXY - BLASTER TRAINING IS YOUR FRIEND

No manner of civilization big or small (big in this case on a galactic level) is without its corruption. Keep the kids away from strangers and shady alleys folks - the Black Sun Cartel is watching. A galactic size organization of crime bosses and near-do-wells, the ‘Cartel’ as they’re commonly called deals in all things drug, hedonistic, trafficking, laundering and other suspicious and illegal activity. No one knows who the true head of this nefarious group is, but there’s none to worry as long as you stay a straight laced citizen and leave it to the Federation’s capable hands!

Not to be forgotten especially the further from Federation space one ventures, are the loose coalition of space pirates known as the Novaburn Freebooters. This rag-tag group of ruffians traverses the galaxy, vying for individual wealth, power, and fabled Kheldari artifacts. One can quickly identify these fellows on the horizon from their signature banner emblazoned on their ships.

THE PRIMAL ELEMENTS - FABRIC OF REALITY

Science doesn’t have to be your strong suit to know what makes the universe tick. Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Logic, and Life - these are the raw supreme forces that make up anything and everything as their Primal Pattern. From space travel to your toaster - the Primal Elements are at work. Through the combination of different physical expressions and energies of these forces, our technology does its duty and allows us to function as civilization as a whole. Some races even have the power to manipulate the Primal Elements in their raw forms, causing the fantastical results we better know as magic!

WAR & ADVENTURE, EXPLORATION OF THE FRINGE

Finally we come to the fringes of the galaxy! Untold adventure, exploration and marvels of the likes never seen before await the courageous traveler in the Fringe...along with a very hostile resistance built together against Federation influence and control. The Fringe Defense Coalition opposes any and all interference from the Federation in the extremities of the galaxy. Joined together with like minded races at the edges of the galaxy, the FDC has been an ongoing opposition against the Federation taking the final step of bringing the galaxy under one benevolent ruling body. Decimating defenseless colonization ships, hijacking or sabotaging cargo transports, and violent space skirmishes are all par for the course for this hostile group. One day, it is the hope of the Federation to finally bring this sizable opposing force into the fold to finally have the galaxy at peace.

STYGIAN GATES - VISITING GRANDMA WITH FTL TRAVEL

All this wouldn’t be possible without the fabled creation of the precursor Kheldari race - the Stygian Gates. Found in every known solar system in the galaxy, these massive solid rings of unknown organic-like alloy allow one travel from one system to another. The only catch, is that they tap into the very fabric of Primal Life itself and go straight into the Land of the Dead! Interconnected by byways within this haunting realm, Time itself becomes relevant, and in the length it would take to travel from one planet to the next, you arrive in a connecting solar system. However, this mode of travel isn’t without its dangers as there are many nasty, horrendous, nightmarish beings that call this realm home. It’s advised to stay on the byways if you value not becoming a..permanent resident.

THIS DOES NOT ACCOUNT AS AN END ALL, INEXHAUSTIBLE DETAIL OF ALL THERE IS IN THE GALAXY. ANY AND ALL PHYSICAL, MAGICAL, PSIONIC, PSYCHOLOGICAL OR OTHER SELF ALTERING HARM THAT IS ENCOUNTERED BY PURCHASER DOES NOT HOLD PROTOSTAR AND PROTOSTAR AFFILIATES LIABLE FOR ANY AND ALL DAMAGES. BROUGHT TO YOU BY PROTOSTAR™ - FOR MONEY!