add stories

content/stories/poetry/snowball.md

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+---
+title: A Snowball Grows
+date: 2021-01-29
+tags: 
+- poetry
+---
+
+White falls from the sky \
+onto a mountain \
+and so a snowball grows.
+
+<!-- more -->
+
+White falls from the sky \
+on the village beside \
+but the snow is shoveled aside. \
+People laugh and they play, \
+pushing problems away \
+as the snowball grows.
+
+The white comes down heavier \
+and the villagers cheer \
+but the mayor sees the danger. \
+He travels around \
+telling the town \
+as the snowball grows.
+
+"It's just a snowball," one person says \
+as they stare at their screen. \
+"We'll take care of it later," another suggests, \
+the paperwork beside them untouched. \
+"It's not going to hit us," asserts a third \
+as they walk into their door. \
+"That's a fake snowball," somebody claims \
+as they wear their red cap. \
+"That's too much work," the last person scoffs \
+in his house barren of items.
+
+And so the snowball grows.
+
+One day the sun rises \
+but the snowball \
+blocks its light \
+and its shadow \
+looms over \
+the village.
+
+Panic erupts — \
+the villagers scramble \
+up to the mountain \
+to hack away at the snowball.
+
+The white comes down faster — \
+the villagers pray \
+but the snowball \
+continues to grow.
+
+Finally — \
+the snowball is freed.
+
+One house is crushed. \
+A sigh of relief, \
+and everyone return \
+to help rebuild the house.
+
+The next year: \
+white falls from the sky \
+onto a mountain \
+and so a snowball grows.

content/stories/run-on.md

@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+---
+title: Run On
+date: 2020-04-16
+tags:
+- complete nonsense
+- you could say that the story *ran on* badumtiss
+- these are like ao3 tags now
+nopreview: true
+---
+
+I was running from a dark thing and it was all horrible when my eyes snapped open and I looked at my alarm clock, which said that it was ten in the morning, which meant that I was going to be late for school unless I teleported back in time, so I got up and rushed to put on my clothes and do everything, then I didn’t even eat breakfast as I rushed to school before realising I could use my magical powers that I could as soon as I turned eleven to turn back time and avoid all this mess, so that’s what I did, but only after I actually ate breakfast and took my time, then I looked deep into myself and used my powers from friendship and determination to go back three hours (my friends were the bestest ever after I saved their lives using my magical powers), and I walked calmly to school, trying not to blush at my boyfriend (who is actually the hottest werewolf ever) when he suddenly popped out of nowhere, and I clutched his hand because I loved him so much, then he said, “oh hi babe what’s up?” then I said, “oh nothing,” then I giggled because he was so funny and then he laughed because I laughed then I laughed because he was laughing because I was giggling and everything was awesome, until suddenly a tree burst from the ground and we couldn’t get to school because suddenly there were tree monsters everywhere and I got scared but I knew that John (the werewolf) would protect me because he was a werewolf and so he transformed into a blue wolf (the rarest and most powerful kind) and after that he used his magical powers to vaporise the tree monsters with flashes of light and they all disappeared, and then I hugged him because I was scared and I said, “I was scared, thank you,” to which he said, “oh it’s nothing I would always protect you, my love,” and then I giggled again because he was being so cute, so I stared into his brilliant blue eyes which I only just realised matched the colour of his wolf form and admired all his really big muscles which would save me from any tree monster, but then suddenly he tensed and I realised that he was tense so I ran behind him again and peeked out from behind his shoulder and saw that something terrible appeared (even worse than tree monsters!), it was a ghost, and that was the first time I saw my boyfriend scared, which I could feel using my psychic powers so I told him telepathically that it was going to be ok and I could handle it using my dark powers which were super effective against psychics, and I focused really hard but nothing happened, so I thought of the strong bond that I had with all my friends and begged them for their help because there was this ghost and it could destroy the world, then they sent all their power and my eyes glowed as I tapped into a part of my power that i had never seen before, but it was now unlocked because of my friends’ determination and courage that flowed through my veins, as a white light burst from my hands that I held outstretched in front of me when I realised that this was the dark thing I was running from in my dream this morning, which I would finally kill because of the power of my friends that I had to see at school today, and I shouted as I killed the ghost, “omae wa mo shindeiru,” and it exploded and so we celebrated with my friends and they were all super impressed as I told the story and smiled at my hot boyfriend.

content/stories/unstagnation/2020/axit.md

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+---
+title: Axit
+date: 2020-06-22
+tags:
+- barin
+- unstagnation
+---
+
+Imperial Palace\
+1 Kansei Road\
+Emina, Asvyn
+
+<!-- more -->
+
+Mr. Brendan May\
+Chairman\
+Enigma Alliance\
+3 Indigo Boulevard\
+Saiyu, Weilam
+
+This is to inform the Chairman, in accordance with the Enigma Agreement, adopted at Saiyu on 12 December 1915 ("the Agreement"), that the Asvish Empire intends to exercise its right to withdraw from the Enigma Alliance. Unless the Asvish Empire identifies suitable terms for re-engagement, the Asvish Empire will submit to the Chairman, as per Article 50, paragraph 2 of the Agreement, formal written notification of its withdrawal as soon as it is eligible to do so. Pending the submission of that notification, in the interest of transparency for parties to the Agreement, the Asvish Empire requests that the Chairman inform the parties to the Agreement and the States entitled to become parties to the Agreement of this communication relating to the Agreement.
+
+Signed,\
+*Hina Asvyn*\
+Empress Regnant of Asvyn\
+22 June 2020
+

content/stories/unstagnation/2020/crystal.md

@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+---
+title: Crystal
+date: 2020-06-13
+tags:
+- unstagnation
+---
+
+The dark green sun shone on forests of the clearest blue as the rivers of the brightest yellow trickled down the hilly landscape. Unicorn after unicorn pranced alongside the riverbank, frolicking around. I hid in one of the bushes, not daring to take a breath as their playful behaviour brought them closer and closer to my hand.
+
+*Just a little more…*
+
+<!-- more -->
+
+Right before I reached out to pet what would have been the most luxurious fur ever to be felt by mankind, my dreams were shattered. A sudden weight pressed upon my chest, and pain spasmed throughout my body before I opened my eyes to see my younger brother on my chest, grinning at my suffering.
+
+“Jordan,” I groaned, slowly laying my head back down on my pillow, “now what did you have to do that for?” I reached for the edge of my blanket, trying to pull it over my head to escape the wrath of the evil sunbeams streaming through my window.
+
+“Mom says it’s time to get up! She’s making pancakes!” The little rascal jumped up and down before bounding off my bed and out of my bedroom. 
+
+I said sleepily, still not fully awake, “Pancakes…? What are pancakes?”
+
+Then my brain finally finished booting up. My eyes widened, and I flung my blankets away to finish my morning routine as fast as possible as my nose registered a wonderful aroma floating from the kitchen downstairs. “Pancakes! Wait! Save some for me!”

content/stories/unstagnation/2020/diplomacy.md

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+---
+title: Diplomacy
+date: 2020-06-29
+tags:
+- barin
+- unstagnation
+---
+
+Laveli Guild Headquarters\
+Laveli Town, Eos
+
+Emp. Hina Asvyn\
+Empress Regnant\
+Asvish Empire\
+1 Kansei Road\
+Emina, Asvyn
+
+<!-- more -->
+
+Upon reviewing your first set of proposals regarding Asvyn's withdrawal from the Enigma Alliance ("the Alliance"), Eos would like to raise some concerns in sections 1 (one) and 3 (three).
+
+- To protect the sovereignty of Eos, Eos cannot permit "all regions of neighbouring Enigma territories within 10 (ten) kilometres of Asvyn" to be ceded to the Asvish Empire. Eos is open to further discussion to clearly define borders.
+- Additionally, the proposed addition of unified free trade and travel zones mentioned in section 3 (three) is not applicable to section 50 (fifty) of the Enigma Agreement, and any such agreement must be negotiated with the whole of the Enigmatic Council separately.
+
+Unfortunately, because of the recent formation of the Moyen Channel, Eos has invoked paragraph 51 (fifty-one) in article 2 of the Enigma Agreement, and will be unable to vote on or approve any Level 1 provisions as part of the Enigmatic Council. As a result, any message sent as part of the section 50 (fifty) withdrawal proceedings will not be replied to until 29 June 2022, or when Eos revokes its passage of section 50 (fifty), whichever comes first.
+
+Signed,\
+*Retadux*\
+Ean High Representative to the Enigmatic Council\
+29 June 2020

content/stories/unstagnation/2020/dominate.md

@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+---
+title: Dominate
+date: 2020-07-01
+tags:
+- barin
+- unstagnation
+---
+
+A huge uproar erupts from the crowds of Saiyu as the results of the 2020 Weilamese election are revealed to the world.
+
+<!-- more -->
+
+"…and your new President of Weilam until 2024 is…Roy Tamino!"
+
+"What the hell!" One citizen has his mouth hanging open. "How—how did *he* win!"
+
+A few metres away, another is waving a campaign poster in the air, cheering wildly for her preferred candidate. "Woo! For Weilam! Young power!"
+
+Standing off to the side is a supporter of a third party candidate, crying with his face in his hands.
+
+Under the shadow of a building, a group of people chant with masks. "Axit! Axit! Axit!"
+
+The candidate of the other party is shaking hands with the president-elect, a forced smile on his face. "Congratulations, Roy! This result was unexpected to me too, don't worry!"
+
+Roy Tamino himself is staring at the votes on the screen, seemingly oblivious to his surroundings. "But—I never wanted this," he whispers. "I'm just nine years old; this was just a joke…Do *I* have to deal with Farele and Enigma?"

content/stories/unstagnation/2020/father-and-daughter.md

@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+---
+title: Father and Daughter
+date: 2020-07-02
+tags:
+- barin
+- unstagnation
+---
+
+Trumpets blare around the royal procession as Princess Dazel bows down in front of her father.
+
+"My daughter, what news have you brought for us today?" King Rambel Bheosetrawpe Mydrule leers imposingly in his startling green robes, staring down at the princess.
+
+<!-- more -->
+
+"Father, I have returned from the Waterfall of Fate, but…" Dazel lowers her head further, "I could not awaken my power."
+
+The king lets out a long sigh, mouth set in a firm line, then places his hand on his daughter's shoulder, beckoning for her to stand up. "Rise, Dazel. We shall discuss this matter further in a more…secluded area."
+
+Dazel somewhat fearfully stands, but she follows her father behind the throne, away from any prying eyes. King Rambel pushes the heavy wooden doors together behind her. Once he verifies that there is no one else to overhear their discussion, he kneels, placing a hand on Dazel's shoulder once again. He opens his mouth to speak, but the princess starts speaking rapidly before words can form.
+
+"I'm sorry, father, but I *can't* do this! I've spent my whole childhood praying and praying! Please, please let me do the things I love! I can't do this anymore—"
+
+Rambel raises a hand for silence. "Dazel, I understand—"
+
+"No, you don't!"
+
+"Do not interrupt me. As I was saying, I understand your situation. And you are correct. I have been far too harsh on you ever since your mother passed away. I have pushed you to awaken your gift. But I now see the error of my ways." He stands, looking directly into her tearful eyes. "You may go. Live your life, and may it be happier than what I have put you through."
+
+The princess looks skeptical, but also hopeful. "Do you mean that, father?"
+
+The king belts out a hearty laugh and slaps her on the cheek. "Ha, you believed me for a moment there! Of course not," he snorts, "now you must head to the Forest of Destiny."
+
+Dazel just looks broken and crestfallen as she turns away.

content/stories/unstagnation/2020/honour.md

@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+---
+title: Honour
+date: 2020-07-06
+tags:
+- unstagnation
+---
+
+"Arro, since you're going to be the saviour of our world, you just have to know one thing. Under *no* circumstance will you reveal your abilities. Even though you held a *press conference* yesterday, there's still a chance we can keep you hidden a little longer. Is that clear?"
+
+Arro nodded his head quickly. "Yes, sir. I'll make sure I only control one element in front of people."
+
+"Good child," his master said, patting his head. "You understand what must be done."
+
+<!-- more -->
+
+------
+
+"Welcome to the 2020 Kolaltan Magic Championship! We're going to start off with—on my left over here—the Groundhogs versus—on my right—the Electric Boogaloos!" The announcer gestured wildly at the two teams of five heading from opposite ends of the arena. The crowd cheered exuberantly. Arro, as the leader of the Electric Boogaloos, confidently smirked at the Groundhogs.
+
+"Groundhogs, eh? More like you're-going-*down*-hogs, am I right?"
+
+There was a quiet groan behind Arro. The Groundhogs just looked at the Boogaloos oddly, and their leader shook her head. "Was that supposed to be a roast?"
+
+Arro frowned for just a second when he realised that his joke was not well-received. "No, of course not. I was just…testing my vocal chords." He bit his tongue before he could manage to insult himself further. "Anyway, you're going *down!"*
+
+"The Boogaloos have been absolutely *dominating* the tournament so far, using their spectacular electric zappy powers to ruin everyone else's days!" the announcer boomed. "But now they face an opponent with earth powers! And everyone knows that electricity is completely ineffective against the ground! Whatever will they do!"
+
+"Yeah, electric isn't a good element to pick, you know," one of the Groundhogs pointed out.
+
+"Shut up! We got this, so you guys prepare to…uh, wet your shirts!"
+
+There was silence.
+
+There was a cough in the crowd.
+
+"…Well, I'm sure the Boogaloos' magic is better than their trash-talking, so why don't we get started? Players, are you ready? Go!"
+
+Immediately after the whistle was blown to denote the start of the match, Arro's team fired lightning bolt after lightning bolt. One of the Groundhogs was too slow and subsequently convulsed out of the ring, but the others raised shields made out of earth. Rocks and dirt were flung in the direction of the Boogaloos, absorbing any negative charge that might have reached the opposing team. One by one, the Groundhogs used their element to strike down Boogaloo after Boogaloo.
+
+At last, only Arro was left, throwing arcs of electricity in the hopes of randomly breaching the earthen barrier of the Groundhogs.
+
+"Give up, man," said a Groundhog. "You can't win."
+
+*My honour,* thought Arro. *It* cannot *take another beating. I can win. I must win. I will win. I will not lose my honour!*
+
+And a wave of water streamed from his fingertips, crashing into his opponents. Three of them fell off the edge, surprised by the sudden onslaught of their weak element. The crowd roared with approval.
+
+"What a surprise!" said the announcer, sounding very surprised indeed. "It turns out that the Electric Boogaloos have an Elemental Master on their team! And from what we can see, he *demolishes* the Groundhogs using his water powers, *sweeping* the team! It's one-on-one, folks, and I don't see how the last Groundhog is going to—"
+
+Suddenly, a giant fist erupted from the ground, punching Arro out of the ring instantly.
+
+"…win," the announcer finished lamely. "And the Groundhogs win with that surprise attack! From what we can see, that attack must have completely drained its caster…"
+
+Arro spat out water as he tread up to the surface. He lay on his back, looking at the ceiling. *I failed. I must redeem myself. I must regain my honour.* His eyes flickered over to the last Groundhog, who had his fist in the air in triumph. *I must have my revenge.*

content/stories/unstagnation/2020/injustice.md

@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+---
+title: Injustice
+date: 2020-06-25
+tags:
+- barin
+- unstagnation
+---
+
+It is — unethical and *deeply* immoral to block our people from knowledge. Is Leeco not a free tribe? Do we not accept those in pursuit of information? We cannot block our citizens from learning more about the universe to further the human race. Our tribe was founded on the principle of helping each other learn and grow by education. We cannot learn if we never challenge our beliefs, no matter how deep their roots lie — you might remember how ingrained racism was in Leeco so many decades back — and we cannot grow as a society if we resist change! If we do not rapidly adapt to the world, the world will rapidly adapt around us. And that is unacceptable.
+
+<!-- more -->
+
+In order to face the changing world, we must cease our aimless — no, *destructive* actions of what can only be described as censorship — and allow Leecans to learn and share their knowledge of any topic they wish to! It is not the duty of that government to restrict what art or science one learns. It is not the responsibility of the government to hold still our way of life. The *people* influence the government, certainly not the other way around. To claim so is to be utterly incorrect in a free and just tribe.
+
+—George Anstion, assassinated five days before the Koran Revolution.

content/stories/unstagnation/2020/java.lang.nullpointerexception.md

@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+---
+title: java.lang.NullPointerException
+date: 2020-06-19
+tags:
+- barin
+- unstagnation
+---
+
+*Test 19/20 failed: Memory access violation.*
+
+I let out a loud exhale as my fingers twitched in front of the keyboard. Someone else walked by.
+
+<!--more-->
+
+“Um, Siava, are you all right?”
+
+I fought to keep my hands under control as they strained for something, anything to latch onto and ruin. *Bad hands. Do not strangle her. She is your friend. Friends are good. Friends are helpful. Friends are calming.*
+
+“Ah, Selene! No, everything is perfectly fine! It’s only the *tenth time that* this *stupid* program *breaks* on me and I don’t know *why* but there is absolutely nothing wrong whatsoever! Whichever garbage Xunilean engineer designed this stupid framework needs to go to hell but I’m fine! Perfectly fine and sane and sane and fine!”
+
+Selene looked concernedly from my twitchy fingers, which were now gripping the keyboard tightly — no, *bad hands*, don’t break the keyboard — to my beaming face. “Yeah, no. You’re about to blow up. Come get a drink with me?”
+
+I shook my head, returning to my computer to hammer away lines upon lines of troubleshooting code with the strength of determination and coffee. “You don’t understand. This is going to work. All I need is *one more* try! I’ve spent hours on this, I’m sure I can fix it I know exactly what went wrong I’m *going to finish it tonight—*”
+
+My monitor suddenly went black. I turned to see Selene moving her hand away from the power button of the workstation. The fury of a thousand suns burned within me, and adrenaline pumped throughout my body, demanding I settle the matter immediately with the one who *dared* take me away from my work. I stood up and glared at my ex-friend. “Selene.”
+
+She put her hand on my shoulder, applying just enough pressure to turn me in the direction of the break room. “Siava. Look, I’m sorry, but it’s past midnight! The buses and subways aren’t running today, so you’re my carpool home, and everyone else has gone already!” She gestured at the rest of the darkened cubicles.
+
+“That does not mean you get to take me away from my work,” *you traitorous woman,* I added mentally. “I only needed a couple more minutes.”
+
+“Calm down,” Selene said soothingly. Only now did I notice that she had already packed up all my things — maybe she wasn’t the worst person in the world after all. “Even if you spent hours more, there’s no guarantee you can finish before daybreak,” she yawned, “and I’d like to get at least six hours of sleep tonight. So we’re leaving, right now.”
+
+Now that I had stopped looking at that accursed screen, my blood pressure returned to slightly more regular levels. I sighed. “You’re right, sorry. I guess I was just a little worked up.”
+
+I started picking up my things that Selene had very nicely finished packing up for me. She smiled. “That’s the spirit. There’s no need to worry about anything. It’s a good idea sometimes to come back to something later, after you’ve had a break.”
+
+We were already in my car and on the highway when she asked, “You did save your work before I turned your computer off, right?”
+
+As my car headed down the ramp off the high-speed road, any onlooker would only see one person in the vehicle.

content/stories/unstagnation/2020/leadership.md

@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+---
+title: Leadership
+date: 2020-07-22
+tags:
+- barin
+- unstagnation
+---
+
+"…preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of Weilam."
+
+"…preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of Weilam," I repeated.
+
+"Congratulations, Mr. President," said the Chief Justice. I nodded, raising my hand above my head to take the taller man's hand. As we were released from the handshake, I took my other hand and waved at the crowd, who burst into cheers.
+
+<!-- more -->
+
+Standing off to the side, my parents tearfully clutched each other tightly, their faces smiling but white.
+
+My friends from school had gathered on the sidewalk. I thought I heard them cheering the loudest.
+
+------
+
+"Mr. President, on your first day in office, I would recommend starting off with enacting the first item on your agenda: allowances for every citizen."
+
+"Okay! You can do that, right? Can I go visit my friends now?" Honestly, all these fancy people wanted to talk to me, and it was getting annoying. There were people congratulating me, people asking me for leadership, people asking me for help—a twelve-year-old only has so much time, you know—I just wanted a day off.
+
+"Sir, you promised the people you would enact change, so by not doing anything productive, you're going to make everyone doubt you." My advisor knew well, of course, but the people had elected *me*. No matter that he was nearly four times my age, *I* was the one in charge.
+
+"Absolutely not, George. A *man*," I noticed gleefully that my advisor flushed at the emphasis of that word, "needs to manage and balance his time wisely. And I haven't been doing that lately. We can work on changing the world tomorrow."
+
+"I'll call your mother and tell her that you haven't been doing your job properly," he threatened.
+
+My face paled. "No! Not mom! I'll do anything! I'll sign everything! I'll fill out all the forms! I would write law stuff but I don't know how to do that! I'll *even draw you a butt!"*
+
+He smiled. "That is appreciated, but not at all necessary. Now, son, why don't we get you over to the Chamber of Representatives…"

content/stories/unstagnation/2020/letter-weilam-ciers.md

@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+---
+title: A Letter from Weilam to Ciers
+date: 2020-08-20
+tags:
+- barin
+- unstagnation
+---
+Saiyu Sphere\
+1 Indigo Boulevard\
+Saiyu, Weilam
+
+Mrs. Rio Nohigi\
+Prime Minister\
+1 Apelio Avenue\
+Ciers
+
+<!-- more -->
+
+This letter is to inform you that Eos will not be able to hold this year's Continental Summit. The explosion detonated by Ptuyo has crippled large parts of the tribe, and I am deeply sorry to determine that this makes Eos unsafe for a gathering of world leaders. As per section 6 of the Saiyu Peace Agreement, responsibility for the organisation of the Summit will be transferred to Ciers.
+
+This letter was sent on behalf of Eos by accelerated approval from the Ean High Representative of the Enigmatic Council.
+
+Best regards,\
+Brendan May\
+Chairman of the Enigma Alliance\
+20 August 2020

content/stories/unstagnation/2020/moyen-channel-formed.md

@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+---
+title: How the Moyen Channel was Formed
+date: 2020-06-23
+tags:
+- barin
+- unstagnation
+---
+
+"Good morning, citizens of Ptuyo!"
+
+My phone's screen flickers once as the video I'm watching is replaced by the face of a young man with glasses, luxurious golden locks, and an exquisite moustache: Riley, Director of Public Affairs in our tribe. "I do hope you're all having a great day so far," he says excitedly, "but I'm afraid I must interrupt you for an important message from our Supreme Leader, Sebastian."
+
+<!-- more -->
+
+Riley's face vanishes from my phone, and I take a moment to look around at everyone else. They're attached to their phones, too. Sebastian's stubbled face appears on all our displays. His grin is enthusiastic, and he spreads his hands at the camera before speaking.
+
+"Thank you, Riley! I know you're all doing really important things, but I'm afraid that I've got really important news! Right after this message from our Director of Defense, it's the one and only…Crow!"
+
+The image on the screen flashes one more time to show someone who looks somewhat to a younger, malnourished Riley. Crow has glasses, but unlike Riley, he's distinctly more…frail. His black hair is disheveled, but I know that his endless patience and big brain makes him invaluable to our tribe.
+
+"Yes! Guys, do you know what we just did? Do you know we just did?" Crow is sitting in his office, wearing a simple maroon t-shirt. His smile is infectious, and I'm all ears, ready to hear what is about to come next. Any de-escalation of the rising tensions between Preton and Farele would be sorely welcome, as I wouldn't want to fight—
+
+"We broke the world — with just a single bomb!"

content/stories/unstagnation/2020/normal-xunilean-morning.md

@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+---
+title: A Normal Morning in Xunil
+date: 2020-06-20
+tags:
+- barin
+- unstagnation
+---
+
+Light from the morning sun gently shone across my face as my curtains automatically opened to the start of the day. A steady beeping infiltrated my ears, rousing me from my sleep.
+
+“Good morning, Alston. It is seven in the morning.”
+
+I rubbed my eyes and sat up, stretching to get the sleep out of my muscles. “Good morning to you too, Bixby. What do I have on my schedule today?”
+
+<!-- more -->
+
+As I headed to my bathroom to freshen up leaving my house, my personal assistant said, “You have: one meeting with the Technological Officer of Demauge to discuss continuing exchanges of technology and information between Demauge and Xunil.”
+
+I looked up from the heated toilet seat I had just sat down on. “Is that it?”
+
+“Yes.”
+
+“So an easy day, then.” I finished defecating into the fancy lavatory and grabbed my electric toothbrush. The aforementioned fancy lavatory closed and cleaned itself as I left it. “Itsh been a while shinch I got won.”
+
+Finishing my preparations for the day, I walked through the automatic door and to the people mover. As the machine carried me down to the lobby, I checked the status of and registered a route to the nearest train station.
+
+The people mover dropped me off in front of the bus station outside. Just in time, too — I could see it arriving on the tracks. Putting my phone away, I speedwalked towards the escalator and took the steps two at a time. My digital identification opened the security barrier in advance, allowing me to catch the bus within my allotted boarding time.
+
+When I reached the subway station, there was a surprising number of people crowding the escalators — some appeared to be holding signs, a protest maybe? — so I hurried down the normal stairs and into the station proper. My route led me to take the slower, unupgraded trains, but those were the more comfortable ones, anyway. As a result, it took several more minutes than the computer had originally anticipated to reach Camber Station.
+
+My gaze turned wistful at the entrance to access the vacuum train pods. It was a real shame that none of the other tribes cared much for easy transportation between them — but things were getting better, at least between tribes in Farele and in Enigma. Still, none of them would commit to the cost of a vacuum train or even civilian airports, but at least there *were* discussions aimed at improving intertribal transit — the ancient Xunilean bullet trains were starting to show their age. My tribe did what they could to improve performance from our end, but we could only do so much without external funding and support.
+
+*“Welcome to the Intertribal High-Speed Rail System. This is the Demauge–Xunil Line. Please submit your ticket.”*
+
+...And they still used those old-fashioned disposable physical tickets, too.
+

content/stories/unstagnation/2020/re-education.md

@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+---
+title: Re-education
+date: 2020-06-30
+tags:
+- barin
+- unstagnation
+---
+Welcome to Herdit's Social Education Course! As the successful completion of this course is compulsory for acquiring citizenship in Herdit, we hope you learn from your experience in this program.
+<!-- more -->
+
+When you are admitted into Herdit, you will receive your very own hPhone, provided free-of-charge from the government! This phone comes with unlimited access to the internet as well as 500 gigabytes of storage for all your personal data. Herdit will use your hPhone to collect data for the sole purpose of adjusting your karmic score, colloquially known by the population as "karma". We use end-to-end encryption to keep all your data safe and secure on our servers.
+
+In addition to your hPhone, your karmic score can also be modified from interactions in public spaces via security footage and others' hPhones, too! When you interact with others, your topic of discussion, mood, tone, and speaking style all are put through sophisticated technologies to ensure that your karmic score is as accurate as possible.
+
+Your karmic score is very important to your life in Herdit. It is visible to every citizen in the tribe, and higher scores indicate that you are a better person in society! Herdit encourages competition for the highest possible karmic score, so engage in meaningful and factual discussion, work hard, and aim to help others raise their karmic scores, too! When you have a high karmic score, you are eligible for discounts, early access to public services, and other rewards!
+
+Unfortunately, lower karmic scores may pose risks to a happy life in Herdit. Scores may be lowered as a result of an impolite demeanor, a lack of contribution to society, and the discussion of improper topics. If your score is too low, you may be required to head to the nearest Re-Education Centre so we can help you raise it back up to an acceptable level.
+
+Thank you for considering Herdit citizenship, and we hope you strive to become the best person you can be!

content/stories/unstagnation/2020/save-file.md

@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
+---
+title: Save File
+date: 2020-07-22
+tags:
+- unstagnation
+---
+
+The sun shone brightly through an open window and its rays bounced happily around Peanut's house before slamming into his eyes.
+
+"Argh!" Peanut shut his eyes, holding back a few tears. "Stupid sun… Let me play my games!"
+
+<!-- more -->
+
+The sun no longer shone through the open window, its rays instead slamming into the thick curtains draped over the opening. Darkness reigned in the room for only a moment before electric lights illuminated a sleek-looking desktop computer setup. Sitting on a glossy wooden table, three large monitors displayed a video, collage of applications, and the desktop wallpaper, respectively.
+
+Peanut blinked a few times to get the black spots out of his eyes, reclining all the way back in his gaming chair. It took a minute, but eventually he had dabbed all his salty eye fluids away. "Now, how do I install this…" he said, going back to clicking through his folder and files. "Maybe if I get rid of this and try again?"
+
+*Are you sure you want to permanently delete this folder?*
+
+"Yeah, I'm sure. What's in a NAND anyway? Just some system archives, right?"
+
+*Folder deleted.*
+
+"All I have to do is get the new dumped data in, and…" Peanut rubbed his hands together while he waited for the file copy operation to complete. "Let's try it!"
+
+*System dump not found. Load failed.*
+
+"Aw, man! What do you want me to do, junos? I've deleted and reinstalled and tried everything!" said Peanut, grumbling as he eventually closed all of his windows, pulling up junos again to play another game. "You win, for now. Rutadex it is, I guess."
+
+*Please select your language.*
+
+Peanut blinked. Then again. He squinted at the screen, hoping against hope that his heart wouldn't plummet any further as his brain asked his eyes to double-check that they had read the on-screen text correctly.
+
+His save data, the save in which he had spent dozens of hours to grind and upgrade his character to the best character it could possibly be—all completely gone. As soon as his mind finally caught up to the present and fully, completely understood what had happened, he reeled back, shocked.
+
+"Wha—How—what—when—h-how did this happen? No, that's impossible!" A thought occurred to him. "junos's save data is kept in the *NAND?* Oh, no… It might be salvageable!"
+
+Typing furiously on his keyboard, he opened up terminal window after terminal window, launching all the data recovery tools he had.
+
+*File not found.*
+
+*File does not exist.*
+
+*Error: Not found.*
+
+*File not found: Check the path?*
+
+*Space reallocated.*
+
+As negative after negative flashed by on the screen, he was about to curl up into a ball and cry for days until one last program chirped a notification at him.
+
+*File 00 found. Recover?*
+
+"*YES! YES!* Oh, give me my gummies back, thank you testdisk I love you!" Gleefully, Peanut took the recovered file and plopped it into Rutadex's save directory as junos loaded in the background. "Still better check it, just in case…"
+
+*Save data corrupted. Deleting and resetting…*
+
+Wordlessly, Peanut stood up, gently pushed his chair away, and then went up to his room, where he lay down and cried himself to sleep.

content/stories/unstagnation/2020/slush.md

@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+---
+title: Slush
+date: 2020-07-29
+tags:
+- unstagnation
+---
+I poked at the green slush dripping down the table with a metal rod. "What…is this? It looks pretty tasty."
+
+Dr. Brown grinned maniacally. "Why, it's my patented magic alien slush, of course! What else *could* it be?"
+
+<!-- more -->
+
+The metal rod was instantly flung into the nearest hazardous waste disposal unit. "Huh. I thought it was a lime-flavoured snow cone. It looks pretty good, you know…"
+
+The doctor waved a finger at me, shaking his head. "The mystic slush is not for human consumption, my good man. It is the key to solving all the world's problems! It contains power you would not believe! We shall conquer the world with the slush—well, maybe not conquer, but we will save it, my friend!"
+
+I looked oddly at him. "All I hear are buzzwords. What does it actually *do?"*
+
+Dr. Brown cleared his throat, gesturing majestically. "My slush will rule the planet—with its amazing power—the power of placebo!"

content/stories/unstagnation/2020/the-leeway-of-leeco.md

@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+---
+title: The Leeway of Leeco
+date: 2020-06-14
+tags:
+- barin
+- unstagnation
+---
+
+I confidently strode up to my teacher, a fistful of papers in my left hand. Mrs. Lowshi smiled as I approached. “Good morning, Bobby. Are you here to hand in yesterday’s homework?”
+
+<!-- more -->
+
+Well, I had been playing video games all night. What use was homework anyway? I put on as convincing of a disappointed face as I could. “I’m so sorry, Mrs. Lowshi, but I couldn’t do it. Every time I tried, my dog ate it! Here’s all I could salvage from his paper-thirsty mouth…” The fistful of shredded paper was dropped on Mrs. Lowshi’s desk, who brought hands up to her mouth in horror.
+
+“Goodness! Why, I can’t imagine how many times you had to redo the work!”
+
+I nodded as despairingly as I could manage, but a large grin had broken out inside me. Of course she fell for it! Every teacher in Leeco was trained so that they were more “open and tolerant” after the whole Kora incident. It was a great change, if you ask me. School is just a free babysitting program for parents to drop off their children before they go to work. Completely useless.
+
+I squinted as hard as I could to get a tear to fall out of my eye. The more dramatic, the better. “I did, Mrs. Lowshi! I did! You have to believe me! I—” I paused for dramatic effect, and my teacher took the opportunity to bring me around to her side of the desk.
+
+“There, there,” she said as she patted me on the back in a soothing tone. “Don’t worry about the work, now. I’m not going to make you do it again. I’m sure you know the content by heart already. Would you like a tissue before we begin the test?”
+
+I shook my head, then wordlessly headed back to my table. As I brushed past my friend’s desk, I tapped it twice. He got the message and headed up to Mrs. Lowshi’s desk, who looked at him concernedly. “Joey, what’s wrong?”
+
+“Mrs. Lowshi! You have to help me! We can’t take the test today! I was studying with my friends last night, and none of us could understand anything!”
+
+Impressive. He managed to shed at least five tears there. As I sat down in front of my desk, my teacher’s voice drifted up from the front of the room. “Oh, it’s all right, Joey. We won’t make you take the test. We’ll spend a few more days reviewing before we move on to the next unit. Is that okay?”

content/stories/unstagnation/2020/wet-hair.md

@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+---
+title: Wet Hair
+date: 2020-06-26
+tags:
+- unstagnation
+---
+
+*Splash!*
+
+A flying projectile hits the back of Cloche's head. It explodes, soaking her whole body as she lurches forward from the impact, which is not quite strong enough to cause any lasting pain. She pauses for a moment, then slowly turns around to face the perpetrator.
+<!-- more -->
+
+Garson is smiling obliviously at her inner demons, and laughs at her misfortune.
+
+"Ha! Got you, Cloche!" 
+
+Cloche runs her fingers through her now-wet hair, which stretches down to her waist. Her voice becomes quiet. "That was you?"
+
+"Man, I thought I'd never be able to sneak up on you! I bet you didn't hear a thing, did you!"
+
+Cloche stays silent for a few seconds.
+
+"Uh, Cloche? Are you okay? You seem…a little bit more annoyed than I thought you were…"
+
+Finally, she can take no more of this *boy's* nonsense and explodes.
+
+"You *inconsiderate* *scoundrel!"* she yells, shaking. "Do you *realise* what you've done?"
+
+Garson looks to be taken aback. "What—"
+
+"You *wet* my *hair!* It takes *hours* upon *hours* for this mass of keratin to dry out properly, and does it *look* like we're near a hair dryer anywhere? I trusted you, Garson! I trusted you! And you had the sheer *nerve* to go behind my back and *soak* me! I should take you to court for assault!"
+
+"I'm sor—"
+
+" 'Sorry' isn't going to cut it here, Garson!" Cloche steps closer to him, glare intensifying. "What you have done to me is completely unacceptable and condones *cruel and unusual punishment*, but since I'm a forgiving girl, I'll let you off with one last warning. Do I make myself clear?" She hisses the last sentence right up to the pale-faced Garson.
+
+"Yes, ma'am!" Garson squeaks.
+
+Cloche spins around, causing her waterlogged hair to follow after, slamming into Garson's face like a sledgehammer. He stumbles backward, disoriented.
+
+"Owie…" Garson mutters. "Are those rockets, mommy?"

content/stories/unstagnation/2021/a-favour-2.md

@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+---
+title: A Favour II
+date: 2021-07-27
+tags:
+ - unstagnation
+---
+
+*Ring…ring…ring…*
+
+Yellow! Are you there?
+
+Sorry, it's not about League today, haha. I was just talking to Blue the other day.
+
+<!-- more -->
+
+Listen, I think something's up with him. His voice was weird and raspy and there was clearly glass breaking in the background. He said it was Fortnite? I remember you were his best friend in university; do you know why he'd suddenly need a lot of money, by any chance? I know he wouldn't do anything like…*that*, but…
+
+Oh! That's good to hear. When my boyfriend dropped off the money he wanted, he mentioned that the place felt super shady, so I thought maybe…
+
+I'm just worried about him, that's all.
+
+Ha — you too? Of course, I'd do anything for you guys. What is it?
+
+No, I can't play League today, I've told you I have a job! We already play with Green and the others every Saturday anyway…
+
+Huh. That's odd. Uh…Blue actually asked for that much yesterday.
+
+Ah, that makes sense! Y'know, for a moment there I almost thought… Sorry for doubting you, yeah of course I'll help! Homes are getting really expensive, I've heard.
+
+Congratulations, by the way!  What's the address of your new house? Wanna invite Blue and Green and the others for a housewarming party when you move in?
+
+So true! When I moved into my first house, it was like a dream come true. So many rooms. And the kitchen… it was ten times better than the dingy one at our dorm… it has an island in the middle!
+
+…An *island in the middle*!
+
+Right, right, sorry. Yes. Direct deposit, I take it?
+
+Jesus, do you still have your flip phone too? And a laptop as thick as our textbooks? It's time to join the civilised world, man! Get with the times! Even Purple is less boomer than you, and she was ten times the nerd you were in uni.
+
+Yadda yadda yadda, direct deposit is totally safe now, no one's going to be spying on you or anything…except for the banks, heh.
+
+All right, fine. Old-fashioned cash it is. It'll take me some time to clear it with my bank, so I think I can get it to you…on Friday? And you still live with your parents?
+
+Gotcha. Dude, you're way too addicted to League.
+
+Shit. Sorry, my boss is calling me. Should I call you back?
+
+See ya!

content/stories/unstagnation/2021/a-favour.md

@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+---
+title: A Favour
+date: 2021-06-20
+tags:
+ - unstagnation
+---
+
+*Ring…ring…ring…*
+
+Hello?
+
+Oh, Blue! I almost didn't recognise your voice; it's been forever since we chatted! How've you been doing?
+
+Yeah, I know you have work and all, but…it's been, what, a year since we last played League together and it'd be great to get together again — remember that time when you were killed by a minion at bottom —
+
+<!-- more -->
+
+You don't play anymore? That's…a shame. Right, work and everything. So, uh, what'd you want to talk about?
+
+A favour? Sure! What is it?
+
+Uh…I think that's fine, but how much?
+
+*A hundred thousand* — damn, did you buy a house or something?
+
+Come to think of it, your voice is kinda raspy, and you're coughing a lot too. Are you all right? Should I come over?
+
+A small fever, eh? Oh well. If you insist... I'll send the money over to your bank account, don't spend it on drugs, hehe.
+
+Hm? Why not? Direct deposit's really safe now, you know. Why would you want it —
+
+Right. Sorry. Sure, I'll come by and drop it outside your door, your address is still the same, right?
+
+Ah, let's see... 135 Redwood Drive, is that right? You know, are you sure you're all right? I think I hear something smashing in the background...
+
+Oh, yeah. Ugh, Fortnite. Right, I'll get the cash ready... I still don't know about dropping it off in an envelope; what if someone steals it? When would be a good time for you to pick it up? I'll swing by around that time if I can make it...
+
+As soon as possible? Of course, Blue, my boyfriend's going to do groceries today; I'll send him your way at around...hm, three o'clock? Sounds good?
+
+No problem! Friends gotta help each other out, right? I still wish we could play some League together, though...
+
+Yeah, yeah, lots of work and everything. Well, you take care, Blue!

content/stories/unstagnation/2021/complacency.md

@@ -0,0 +1,75 @@
+---
+title: Complacency
+date: 2021-05-21
+tags:
+ - barin
+ - unstagnation
+---
+"On the red side we have your ten-year undefeated champion, Ping Pong! And her challenger, Markus Tennis! Will this be the year that the Crowne Cup finally switches hands?"
+
+The stadium roars as Ping Pong strides over the carpet onto the battlefield. Her stance is ready, eyes drilled into her opponent who merely stares blankly at her. "Let's have a good fight."
+
+<!-- more -->
+
+"Agreed." Markus raises his paddle, bouncing on his knees. "Show me what you've got."
+
+The ball starts on Ping's side. All is quiet on this battlefield except for the clicks of cell phone cameras.
+
+"Players at the ready!"
+
+Ping grips the hollow ball a little tighter.
+
+"Begin!"
+
+Clack-clack the ball flies off of her hands and a buzzer rings as Ping aces her first serve. Markus looks shocked.
+
+"Right away Markus is surprised by Ping's masterful serve! It's yet another reminder how she's stayed undefeated for a whole decade!"
+
+"Well, I have to say, I wasn't expecting that," Markus says sheepishly, scratching the back of his head with his paddle. "You're good."
+
+Ping stays silent, and lifts the ball up to her paddle again. Markus follows suit and stops talking, his expression changing to one more serious.
+
+"Ready?"
+
+"Always have been."
+
+The ball flies off of Ping's paddle and again and again Markus can never defend against her serves. Sometimes he sends a couple of balls back, but it's never long until he messes up. She wonders how he even made it to the final. As her hands play on autopilot, she glances at the crowd and notes that a good chunk of them have pulled out their phones. Table tennis is mildly interesting at the best of times but now that she's only a couple of points away from the match, 8-0, they all know how the rest of the game is going to go.
+
+Ping swings her paddle a little too early and Markus scores his first point. He looks like a child who received his first present on Christmas morning. "Ha! How was that?"
+
+"Very good. But can you keep it up?"
+
+The audience is suddenly engaged again at the news of a Markus win. Murmurs among them discuss betting odds and the possibility of witnessing the end of an era. Ping smiles inwardly. This is more like it.
+
+She flubs some more shots and Markus becomes more and more confident, his swings more precise and his reflexes more attentive. As the leading player switches to Markus, the score 9-8, he mocks her. "Sorry to disappoint you, ex-champion. You win some, you lose some, huh?"
+
+Ping stays calm. She's aware that the crowd is holding their breath. With only two points until Markus wins, and one point until a deuce — Ping Pong has never yet entered a deuce with another player — bets and dreams of making a fortune on her loss fly through the air.
+
+Ping serves. Her hand moves in slow motion.
+
+The ball also bounces slowly, and Markus has to lean in to hit it back to her, setting her up perfectly for a smash.
+
+9-9.
+
+"Don't get too complacent," she warns.
+
+"That was a fluke," Markus brushes off, but he's sweating a little more now. "Do that again, can you? I'll be ready for it."
+
+Ping serves.
+
+This time, the orange sphere is sent all the way to the edge of Markus's table near the front of the net. He dives, missing it entirely, and ends up prostrating himself in front of her.
+
+10-9.
+
+"Get up."
+
+Markus doesn't say a word as he gets up and goes back to his side. His gamer face is ready, and he claps his cheeks twice. "Is that all you can do?" he manages to say.
+
+Ping serves.
+
+The ball blurs, and before Markus can even raise his paddle, it's struck the table once on each side and flown off beyond. An ace.
+
+"And with a surprise comeback after Markus's own, Ping Pong wins the Crowne Cup for the eleventh year in a row!"
+
+Ping puts her right palm over her left fist and bows. "You were a fine competitor. I wish you luck on your future ambitions." Without waiting for her opponent's response, she turns around and exits the battlefield, leaving her opponent in the dust.
+

content/stories/unstagnation/2021/divine-assistance.md

@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+---
+title: Divine Assistance
+date: 2021-05-28
+tags:
+ - ibia
+ - unstagnation
+---
+He took a deep breath.
+
+And then another one.
+
+Samuel continued to empty and fill his lungs until his hands stopped shaking.
+
+Today was the last day.
+
+The day that their city would be saved, or set for ruin. The council had chosen him to be the one to deliver the message.
+
+<!-- more -->
+
+Samuel wrapped his coat tighter around him and firmly shoved the door open with one hand, the other occupied with holding a rolled-up scroll bound with warm red wax. The warm light from the rising sun cast his shadow behind him, as if he was a hero about to set off on his journey.
+
+The grueling trail to the shrine was covered with snow, and the downpour of snow kept getting in Samuel's eyes, making it near-impossible to see the road in front of him. The only way he was able to tell which way he was slowly trudging through the snow was by following the wide, empty space that was free of the crowded trees typically found in the forest.
+
+Perhaps she didn't want to be contacted; that was why she had sent this snowstorm to stop him, even though she must have known of the predicament that the city was facing.
+
+What felt like hours later, as Samuel was wishing again that he had brought a lamp, the constant battering of the hands covering his face suddenly ceased. The crunch of the snow beneath his boots gradually stopped. It became quiet.
+
+It was still dark outside, the rays from the sun only just peeking over the treetops, unable to penetrate through the dark canopy itself. There was not a chirp from a bird nor a rustle from the wind in the trees to be heard.
+
+A stone slab surrounded by a large stone arch entered Samuel's view. Two torches to either side of the slab were lit, keeping the stone table warm and dry against the freezing wilderness. Laying ahead of the shrine was a cave, a faint orange glow visible.
+
+Finally — after so many weeks of fruitless visits, she was finally here.
+
+Even though he was overwhelmed with relief, Samuel could not help but feel a twinge of frustration at the goddess for waiting until the last day to show up.
+
+He stepped closer to the mouth of the cave.
+
+"Who goes there?" The voice beyond the cave was authoritative but neutral. "Halt and state your origin and purpose."
+
+Samuel closed his eyes and knelt reverently in without moving further in. "O powerful goddess, my name is Samuel, and I come to you from the city of Shope. I beg of you to hear my plea."
+
+"...Please enter."
+
+"Thank you, my lady."
+
+The interior of the circular cavern was warm. A fire in the centre crackled, its shadows along the walls dancing merrily. There was little else in the room aside from its sole occupant sitting cross-legged against the wall, who had clearly been manipulating some string with her hands and now held a complex web in front of her. She stared at Samuel expectantly.
+
+Her prickling gaze was too much for Samuel and he looked away. In his peripheral vision, he noticed that the woman had returned to tightening and weaving the string with her fingers.
+
+"So, Samuel, what did you want me to do?"
+
+"Goddess —"
+
+"My name is Casia. Use it as you please."
+
+Samuel hesitated.
+
+"...Goddess, the city of Shope is under a terrible plight. I humbly ask for your assistance so that the people in the city will live."
+
+A profound sigh came from the goddess. "What is it this time? Another blight, perhaps? Or have the rats eaten all the grain? Or is it plague — ugh, please don't let it be plagues. I hate plagues, they're so annoying to get rid of. No one ever cleans things properly and the instant I cure you all, someone gets infected again the next day," she grumbled.
+
+"...I beg your pardon?"
+
+"Never mind. So what is it?" she repeated, sounding impatient.
+
+"R-right, yes. My sincerest apologies, my lady," Samuel said hurriedly. "The problem is that the city of Shope is being threatened with utter annihilation."
+
+The goddess tapped her foot against the ground. "That's not the problem," she said slowly, like she was a junior school teacher explaining something to one of her very dim students. "I would like you to tell me exactly *what* is happening, *why* it's happening, and what you want me to do."
+
+"How forgiving you are, my lady." The goddess's eye twitched. "Our supply lines are cut off and we are under lockdown. No one can leave or come in. One of your sisters has threatened mass destruction of our unworthy human settlement, so we would humbly ask for your assistance to diffuse the situation."
+
+Samuel noted with more than a little satisfaction as he bowed that this was the first time in his visit that the goddess looked truly surprised.

content/stories/unstagnation/2021/growing-pains.md

@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+---
+title: Growing Pains
+date: 2021-05-25
+tags:
+ - barin
+ - unstagnation
+---
+Renge Academy\
+No address\
+Biyori, Asvyn
+
+Hina Asvyn\
+Empress\
+1 Kansei Road\
+Emina, Asvyn
+
+<!-- more -->
+
+Empress,
+
+With all due respect, as one of Your Majesty's principal advisors, the mass annexation of Enigmatic territories is not only in grave violation of Section 2 of the Enigma Agreement, but has also led to Empire forces being stretched far too thin across the nation. The Principal of Intelligence informs me that they are unable to conduct adequate surveillance to prevent uprising. Combined with the Favonius resistance and ongoing struggle against Asvish control from the previously Enigmatic territories, I urge you to reconsider the attack on further Enigmatic territories lest they fully commit to war — a war we will be unable to defend against.
+
+I send this letter to you from the Renge Academy in Biyori, one of the few newest regions taken from the Enigma Alliance. Empire officials are few and far between, and it is only because of the lethargic nature of the citizens here that this region is currently stable.
+
+To quell the rebellion and restore order to the Empire, I would like to put forth my agreement for the suggestion of the Principal of Continental Security to accept aid offered by the Farelean nation of Ciers. No matter how it might appear on the world stage, Empress, the domestic situation is truly dire and the Empire is at serious risk of becoming fractured. Although not my place to say, I would place under consideration that building a positive relationship with other nations would be beneficial to Asvyn's continued survival after the impending withdrawal from the Enigma Alliance.
+
+I shall be visiting and examining the statuses of the far more conflicted regions of Sayoasa, Yuru, and Aineiru in the upcoming weeks. In order to make a proper assessment, I request for a small dispatch of bodyguards in the event of chaos.
+
+Yours,\
+Kuvira Smith\
+Principal for Homeland Security\
+25 May 2021

content/stories/unstagnation/2021/kuro-in-baccalor.md

@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+---
+title: Kuro in Baccalor
+date: 2021-08-19
+tags:
+ - ibia
+ - unstagnation
+---
+"…And never come back again, boy!"
+
+You fall to the ground with an *oof!* as the bartender tosses you out of the tavern. Scowling, you yell behind his retreating back, "You're wrong! All of the goddess cities are wrong! The only way for people like us to prosper is to take control of our own lives!"
+
+<!-- more -->
+
+It's been only a few hours since you entered the goddess city of Baccalor, but since then you've been forcibly removed from nearly every business you've gone into. How incredibly rude — but to be expected of a goddess city, filled with entitled, lazy sheep who refuse to look ahead past the blindfold in front of their faces.
+
+The symbol of the goddess cities on the tavern sign, a heptagon inscribed in another heptagon, cowers before your knowledge.
+
+Brushing some dirt off from your rear, you think that the library across the street must contain people who are even *somewhat* more enlightened than the women — with the occasional man — drinking their problems away.
+
+"Welcome!" a young woman greets you warmly with a smile as the bell above the door rings to signify your arrival in the library. It's only natural that she would.
+
+You nod politely in return, attention stolen by the rows upon rows of bookshelves that fill both floors of the building. There are many more books in Baccalor's library than in your hometown of Stuco's. But of course, unlike Stuco, you scoff as you skim the titles across each shelf, goddess cities don't curate their selection and so the junk such as the (false!) *glorious history* of the goddesses lies on the wooden racks.
+
+The book is worn, well-read. It appears that the disease that is worship runs much deeper in this city than you had imagined. You'll need to work harder if you want to show them the truth.
+
+Strutting up to the nearest group of women reading at the long wooden desk — seriously, where did all the men in the library go? — and clear your throat to announce your presence. Only a few raise their attention from their books.
+
+"Yes?" asks a rich woman with glasses. "What do you want?"
+
+You have to admit that less than half of the people there giving you attention is a little disheartening. "Ah — I'd just like to ask you all if you knew the goddesses' role in the destruction of Malum?"
+
+Collective exasperated sighs come from all around you, even from those who weren't looking at you.
+
+"Look, child," says the rich woman again, "How old are you, exactly?"
+
+Ad hominem. A classic diversion tactic. You'd never fall for it —
+
+But she questioned your age! Really, even as a teenager, you'd know way more than these Baccalorean snubs.
+
+"I'm fourteen," you declare proudly.
+
+The woman places her open book face-down, resting her elbows on the table with clasped hands. "Please understand," she says firmly, "that Malum isn't real, no matter what Stuco always says. Historians from across the six goddess cities have investigated our history and found no evidence of another goddess city. There are only six goddesses, anyway, so who would rule over this supposed Malum?"
+
+The clear disrespect from the uneducated women is really testing your limits. You can accept blissful ignorance, yes, but to actively defend lies even when the truth is right in front of them? Utterly unacceptable.
+
+"Lady," you don't quite mean to but your tone comes out a bit harsher than you'd like. "I know you've all been brainwashed by your so-called patron goddess, but think with your own heads for a moment, okay?" You spread your hands as if lecturing a child. "That's what the goddesses want you to think. They have you all wrapped along their little finger. They just want to control us people so they can exploit us! They just want to —"
+
+A finger taps your shoulder, interrupting your tirade. You whirl around to see who dared to interrupt the truth.
+
+"Excuse me." The librarian who greeted you earlier still smiles as her voice turns hard. "I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave. You're disturbing our guests."
+
+The rich woman shakes her head as if she thinks she's so much smarter than you. "You'll understand when you're older," she says off-handedly, returning to her book. The rest follow.
+
+As you're led by the shoulder to the exit, you call back, "When the goddesses take all your crops and force you to kill, don't say I didn't tell you so!"
+

content/stories/unstagnation/2021/magic-paint-gun-cartridges.md

@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+---
+title: Magic Paint Gun Cartridges
+date: 2021-05-31
+tags:
+ - unstagnation
+ - literature
+---
+*Pew pew!*
+
+Splotches of colour cover the previously white wall until a coherent picture forms.
+
+"Success!" Minestro steps back from his magic paint gun to admire his freshly painted Nyan Cat. Illuminated by harsh fluorescent lighting, to either side of the pixel art cat and stretching for many metres are recreations of other memes. To the right of the paint gun lies a stack of papers whose contents have already been scanned and blasted on the walls.
+
+<!-- more -->
+
+Minestro takes the last picture to the left of the paint gun mounted on his table and feeds it into a scanner sitting beside it. "Last one and that'll be it for the day."
+
+As soon as the scanner spits the picture back out at him, the gun beeps angrily. Reading the text with a frown, Minestro curses the fallacy of printers of any kind still being utterly useless even with modern technology and magic.
+
+OUT OF INK.
+
+The regret of choosing this model of magic paint gun has more than caught up to him already. Supposedly able to infinitely use a single cartridge, it had turned out that the cartridge would empty as soon as the paint gun stopped drawing from it.
+
+Minestro sighs. The paint gun has analysed the picture and provided him with a colour map, but it can't tell him how many cartridges he needs to buy — it just gives an "recommended estimate" of a hundred cartridges of each colour. Since the printer moves from left to right, top to bottom like a book, he'll need to calculate that number himself if he doesn't want to be scammed by Big Printer.
+
+Useless machine.
+
+Since some colours are made from a mix of other colours, Minestro reasons, he can use just one cartridge if a colour before or after also uses the same base colour. Luckily, it's not terribly difficult, and he's able to crunch the numbers in his head. The end result comes out to ten red cartridges, thirteen yellow cartridges, and four blue cartridges.
+
+One trip to the hardware store later, Minestro slots in his third-party ink into the gun, ignoring any warnings about warranty or damage to the gun and lets it rip.
+
+Minestro decides that the resulting image is beautiful and well worth the investment of both the paint gun and the shopping trip.
+```
+.B................
+..YY...........YYY
+...YYY.....YYYY...
+..YYYYYYYYYYYYY...
+.YYBBYYYYYBBYYY...
+.RRYYYYBYYYYRRY...
+.RRYYYOOOYYYRRY...
+..YYYYOOOYYYYYY...
+.YYYYYYYYYYYYYY...
+```
+

content/stories/unstagnation/2021/nora.md

@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+---
+title: Nora
+date: 2021-05-23
+tags:
+ - unstagnation
+---
+Long ago, the gods wiped themselves out in a magical war of epic proportions, leaving the world in ruins. The remnants of the forces escaped to the stars and skies above, but the carnage had lasting effects on Earth. The age of the gods was over.
+
+<!-- more -->
+
+Many millennia later, the very first animals appeared, along with humans. They built a civilisation with elemental skills granted to them by the latent energies in the ground but attributed to gods in the sky. Some were able to control the flow of the rivers. Some were able to breathe life into flames. Others still had the ability to raise the earth. Yet most were powerless against the beast animals that attacked the people.
+
+Animals were not the only threat to society. The powers used to construct could also be used to destroy. One being was known to cause much strife to those who lived in the cities. Said to be a powerful figure corrupted by power, all conflicts between the people paled in comparison to this figure. Against the Demon Lord, even the most stubborn of enemies would band together to fight a new common enemy.
+
+It would never succeed, until...
+
+At last, a white-haired boy ended it all. The chosen one himself, he did so with nothing but a ragtag band of elementals and friendship and determination. He discovered the secrets of the world and the true story behind the gods that were worshipped around the continent.
+
+He kept moving forward, forging his own path against the trials and tribulation set against him.
+
+He came to trust his friends , protecting and letting them protect them in the face of unimaginable danger.
+
+He learned much on his journey, growing into a strong and compassionate man.
+
+He and I...
+
+The domain of the gods is ever so lonely.
+
+---
+
+This Unstagnation short was heavily influenced by one of the works of Nettlespike.

content/stories/unstagnation/2021/patron.md

@@ -0,0 +1,77 @@
+---
+title: Patron
+date: 2021-05-30
+tags:
+ - ibia
+ - unstagnation
+---
+"Please hurry, goddess."
+
+What was this human thinking, pushing her around to "hurry"? She was one of the seven goddesses of the world! Even if she couldn't smite him on the spot, there were at least five ways she could think of off the top of her head to torture him until he begged her for mercy.
+
+<!-- more -->
+
+"Was it Kemia? Histia? Tell me exactly what my sister said," she demanded as she followed the running Samuel through the snowy forest.
+
+"*Huff*…it was Mafia. She said that…*puff*…she was bored and was going to kill us all," Samuel wheezed.
+
+"Mafia..." Casia mumbled. "I see. I'll help you, then. Leave her to me."
+
+---
+
+The midday sun reflected off of the snow compressed by the hundreds of frantic footsteps of the citizens of the city of Shope.
+
+"She has arrived with her ultimatum," Samuel observed solemnly as they stepped through the gates. "We now entrust our lives to you, Lady Casia."
+
+"Like I said, my name is Casia. Just Casia." Mortals and their dim-wittedness never failed to impress her with their terrible memories and comprehension abilities. "Don't worry about Mafia," she said, waving at a young boy glimpsing at them through a gap in a window. "Just make sure none of you people get in my way."
+
+Samuel bowed as they reached the town square. "As you wish,." He stepped ahead of her toward a group of old men in heavy jackets who were gesturing wildly at a bored-looking young woman sitting cross-legged on the rim of the frozen fountain, her hands casually placed behind her to support her position.
+
+The woman looked up at their arrival and beamed upon catching Casia's eye, waving cheerfully. "Hey, Cassie! How're you doing?"
+
+Samuel excused himself and the old men and huddled them together, whispering rapidly. Casia put her hands on her hips and frowned at the woman. "Mafia, what's happening? Some mortal complained to me about some threat you made to destroy all their food or something."
+
+Mafia laughed, waving the matter off with a hand. "Oh, that? I was just having some fun. Even if we can't control mortal humans directly, that just makes it a little more challenging, you know?"
+
+Casia was not amused. "What game?"
+
+Leaning forward and resting her chin on the backs of her hands, Mafia smiled coldly. "Don't you ever want to see how they'll react when you make all of their food rotten? Maybe they'll fight among each other, breaking out in civil war," she gushed. "Their city's no doubt going to crumble as they know it, but think about how they might run to other settlements, how the children will be orphaned, or even how the people are slowly going to lose hope and give into despair! How much stress can society take before it shatters? It's just so much more interesting when you can see exactly what every person's thinking!"
+
+Casia was silent for a few moments. It did seem like a good experiment — for sure Fisia and Kemia would agree without hesitation. However... She looked back at Samuel, who wiped his brow as he scribbled over pieces of paper and handed them out to the elders, pointing them in every direction. 
+
+What he had said on their multi-hour run back to Shope about each person in the city...
+
+From the various buildings facing the town square, she could feel the gazes of dozens of the people who lived in their village, each with their own aspirations and hopes.
+
+The boy on the second floor of the barber's shop, who wanted to get better at his craft and cut his own hair so that he might be able to spend more time with the girl he liked whenever she came to get a haircut — how foolish.
+
+The girl training to take over her parents' apothecary, constantly lathering products in her hair in the hopes that it might grow faster and so she might be able to visit her friend at the barber's more often — doubly foolish.
+
+The boy and the girl's parents, who looked on at the obvious schemes of their children with amusement but encouragement — it was very irresponsible of them.
+
+Their futures now depended on her actions today.
+
+"Mafia, I'm afraid that I can't support this. Please do not interfere with the matters of Shope from now on. I'll revert anything you try to do."
+
+"You're no fun," Mafia sighed, brushing the snow off of her pants as she stood and turned away from her. "I don't see why you care so much about mortals. Whatever. I guess I'll just come back when you're not looking." She winked at Casia.
+
+"That...will never happen!" Casia called after her sister. "I'll stay here the whole time and protect this city! I'll watch over it to make sure you or anyone else lays a finger on it!"
+
+That stopped Mafia from walking out of the city. "Oh, really?" She smirked. "You're going to chain yourself to these mortals? I wonder how long it'll take before you get bored too."
+
+Casia glanced at the faces in each home that regarded their conversation.
+
+"I know you very well, Cassie. In a few thousand years, you're going to grow bored. I'll keep an eye on this place for when that happens.."
+
+"I will not!"
+
+"Whatever you say, sister. See you then!" Mafia strode off. None of the elders or Samuel dared to stop her.
+
+After Samuel made sure that Mafia had exited the city, he raised his open palm in the air, and then slowly closed it.
+
+Cheers erupted around the city as people swarmed out of the homes and shops. Samuel himself held his clenched fist up in the sky triumphantly for a few more moments before he joined Casia by the frozen fountain.
+
+"Thank you for your assistance. We will never forget our debt to you," his eyes were shining as he and the elders behind him kneeled in front of her, "our patron goddess. We must construct a shrine! Let this day be marked as the Day of the Goddess — a day of celebration and offerings as a reminder to the benevolence of our divine leader!"
+
+Casia let out a small smile as she nodded firmly at Samuel's proposition. With offerings and a city of citizens in her debt, who could grow bored?
+

content/stories/unstagnation/2021/student-over-teacher.md

@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+---
+title: Student Over Teacher
+date: 2021-06-13
+tags:
+ - unstagnation
+---
+
+"You have failed our people for the last time, Rooster." Yammy's declaration was intensified by the kneeling man with his hands tied before him. Briefly, a hole parted in the grey cloud cover, allowing a single sunbeam to illuminate Yammy's face as he looked out at the crowd assembled in front of him. "Out with the old and in with the new, as they say," he chuckled.
+
+<!-- more -->
+
+"Just you wait," spat Rooster, an angry and determined expression on his face disregarding the foot pressing the side of his head into the wooden stage. "You'll run down the village just like every other leader before you. Mark my words, you'll be overthrown one day — and that is when I shall return from my exile and restore balance."
+
+Yammy twisted his foot harder into Rooster's head, but threw his own back and laughed. "Exile? You think you'll be going into exile? Oh, no, my old master, don't you remember what you taught me? 'The best way to deal with your opponents is to not have any opponents at all,' you said. That's what this," he said, flicking a hoop made of rope suspended in the air by a wooden beam, "is for. You will not live long enough to see my permanent rule." Yammy brought his foot off of Rooster's head and tapped it twice against the ground. "Bring forth the steps!"
+
+Two men in heavy armour parted the crowd by hoisting a set of light-looking wooden stairs up the stage.
+
+"You bastard! I would never — in my twenty years as head of this village, I have never executed a single person!"
+
+"Maybe you should have, to get rid of your opponents," Yammy winked. "Take him up!"
+
+There was little struggle as the two guards roughly yanked Rooster to his feet and pushed him up the steps to the gallows. "You'll never get away with this!" His attempt to turn his head back to yell at Yammy was ruined by a guard shoving his head into the rope hoop.
+
+"Whenever you're ready." One guard motioned to the other, who nodded and took a step back. Rooster closed his eyes, ready for the inevitable.
+
+A *swish* above his head and gasps from the crowd immediately let him know something was off. A sweaty hand tugged on his own, and Rooster turned to see a stout young boy dragging him along as he stumbled out of the iron armour set, which was cut in two. "Master, let's go!" he said, face shiny and flushed.
+
+Yammy was furious. "Traitor! Apprehend them both at once!"
+
+Rooster didn't hesitate and threw the rope around his neck behind him. Before the second guard could impale them both with his deadly-looking spear, he sped up ahead of the boy off the stage and onto the dirt road, looking back occasionally to make sure he could keep up. "Move, boy, move!" he yelled as he felt the tension on his hand increase. "You should have ridden those pounds years ago!"
+
+The *clank clank clank* of iron on ground became quieter and quieter as the duo put more distance between them and their pursuers until they reached the edge of a thick line of trees. "Do not let go of my hand, boy!"
+
+"Stop!" Yammy ordered as they reached the tree line shortly after, holding the guard behind with an outstretched arm. "We will never catch them if we chase after them in the Forest of Git. But no matter. The forest will take care of them for us."
+
+---
+
+"Foolish boy. Napbot, that was incredibly reckless of you and not at all necessary."
+
+The boy sat with his back against a tree, heaving. "I…couldn't…let you…go like that, master. Yammy…what he's doing is…not right. And I would have been executed soon after because of you."
+
+Rooster sighed. "That…is true," he admitted. "I must apologise for associating with you. From this day on, we will live as fugitives off of the Forest of Git — until we can reclaim what is rightfully ours."

content/stories/unstagnation/2021/the-second-front.md

@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+---
+title: The Second Front
+date: 2021-06-16
+tags:
+ - barin
+ - unstagnation
+---
+
+Maquiate Todofuken Administration Centre\
+1 Todofuken Road\
+Maquiate, Asvyn
+
+Hina Asvyn\
+Empress\
+1 Kansei Road\
+Emina, Asvyn
+
+<!-- more -->
+
+Empress,
+
+I am pleased to report that the negotiations with the recently Enigma-seceded region of Maquiate have concluded very much in the favour of the Empire. The region has pledged allegiance to Emina and are currently assisting in driving out rebellious forces with their sizable military. It is predicted that the Empire will be unified within several days with the reinforcements from Maquiate.
+
+Additionally, the Favonius organisation has put forth a proposal: they are willing to cease all activities in the Empire should we offer them a free trade agreement. The Principal of Intelligence notes that the organisation has heavy ties to the Preton Alliance, which could potentially open up the Empire up to exploitation in the future. It is advised that the current campaign remain unchanged to remove the threat of Favonius by force, as there is no advantage to diplomacy in the current situation.
+
+The regions of Aineiru, Shiganshina, Kanokari, and Shuchiin have been secured with minimal losses. Pleiades has pledged full support to the Empire as well and has ejected its Favonius members. At this point in time, most of our efforts are targeting the remaining Romcom and Tonikawa. It is advised that Romcom focused on due to its dominance over Tonikawa. Should Romcom fall, Tonikawa will fall as well.
+
+The Imperial Proclamation with reference to the Enigma withdrawal has resulted in reduced morale across Empire-supporting territories, many of whom had withdrawn from the Enigma Alliance after the Empire was the first to do so. If I may, I must comment that this is a peculiar action to take — after years of negotiations and stalls, the Empire rejoins the Enigma Alliance. It has not quite caused upheaval throughout the Empire yet, but there are already troubling signs during these unstable times.
+
+It is therefore my recommendation that efforts be focused on strengthening the Interior before managing External affairs.
+
+Yours,\
+Kuvira Smith\
+Principal of the Interior\
+14 June 2021

content/stories/unstagnation/2021/uprising.md

@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+---
+title: Uprising
+date: 2021-05-24
+tags:
+ - barin
+ - unstagnation
+---
+The Sinamaria Rose\
+12 Dedication Road\
+Emina, Asvyn
+
+Hina Asvyn\
+Empress\
+1 Kansei Road\
+Emina, Asvyn
+
+<!-- more -->
+
+Empress,
+
+It has been observed that some regions in the state have been discouraged by the pace of the withdrawal from the Enigma Alliance. There is a threat that is provoking citizens and sparking unrest in areas of greatest tension, pressuring them to conduct trade with Preton in breach of Section 1 of the Saiyu Agreement, which remains in force until withdrawal negotiations are concluded and signed. The group calls themselves "Favonius". A status report of the group's activities and their impacts on each region are listed below.
+
+ - Emina: The capital city remains fully under control of the Empire. Citizens living in Emina are generally strongly opposed to the activities of this new group. No action is recommended for this region.
+ - Kolalta: Much like Emina, Kolalta is under little danger as the region detests the Preton Alliance. No action is recommended for this region.
+ - Pleiades: The Principal for Intelligence has determined that the origins of Favonius originate in Pleiades. The state of affairs in this region is more normal than many of the other regions that they have spread to.
+ - Shiganshina: The peasant majority in Shiganshina have been easily convinced by Favonius and are currently refusing to follow orders from the Empire. It is advised that the military be applied to reassert control over the region.
+ - Kanokari: Favonius has gained full control over the local government in Kanokari. All demands and ultimata have been ignored. It is advised that the military be applied to reassert control over the region.
+ - Keion: For whatever reason, Favonius has not advanced in this region at all, and Keion has not acknowledged Favonius, either. It is advised that surveillance be increased in this region to determine the cause behind the anomalous behaviour.
+ - Shuchiin: The semi-autonomous region believes that allying with Favonius and conducting trade with Preton will further line their pockets. Favonius supporters have secured the majority of the seats in the legislative council and they are unreceptive to our demands. It is advised that the military be applied to reassert control over the region.
+ - Romcom: Romcom has fallen completely to Favonius and they are currently waging war against the neighbouring regions of Ruvinheigen, Tonikawa, and Musani in an effort to bring them under control. It is advised that reinforcements be sent to those regions to prevent the fall of more regions to Favonius.
+ - Musani: Musani is currently completely stable even against the Romconian attack. Resistance against Favonius is very strong in all levels of authority. No action is recommended for this region.
+ - Tonikawa: Nearly half of Tonikawa has been captured by Romcom and the situation is critical. It is strongly advised that the military be more heavily applied to this region.
+ - Ruvinheigen: This semi-autonomous region is currently stable but there are rumours behind the scenes about a possible Favonius uprising. It is recommended that surveillance be sharply increased in this region to monitor the situation as it changes.
+ - Aineiru: Favonius has just started taking root in this region and it is causing a small but growing impact on government control. It is advised that specialised agents be used to eliminate problematic persons to prevent further growth of confusion.
+
+The situation is quite dire in many regions of the Empire, Empress, and I hope that you will allocate us the troops we need to shut down this attack on our state.
+
+Yours,\
+Kuvira Smith\
+Principal for Homeland Security\
+24 May 2021