The Bookwyrm

When in reality a very light breeze would blow it over. Or a very powerful soothing from a guy named Breeze.

Luckily their planet only had one tectonic plate, so there were no earthquakes.

This kind of riddle accepts only yes or no questions. Sorry. It's a good question, though...

Or it had been, until Thaidakar mistakenly brought it fully into TLT with some offhanded narrating.

A new image has been released, and this one is of a galaxy known as NGC 628, Messier 74 or the Phantom Galaxy. There was another version of the image that had more or a purple hue, so I'm assuming that this one is in a different wavelength than that one. (I don't know which one is the near-infrared and which one is the mid-infrared, sorry.) I don't really know what kind of science they're going to be able to do with an image like this, but it just goes to show how incredible and amazing the detail that Webb can produce is. Most of what we see in this image is the gas and dust that makes the skeleton of the galaxy, and that's easier to see in infrared wavelengths, which is what Webb is equipped for. I'll admit, when I first heard that Webb was going to be an infrared telescope, I was kind of disappointed, because I for some silly reason thought infrared was boring. But now that I see and understand exactly what that allows the telescope to see, I'm so glad that they went with it. For some clarification, Webb has two primary cameras: MIRI, and NIRCam. NIRCam is designed to see in the Near-Infrared (as you could probably guess by the name). Near-infrared light is light that's closer to light in the visible spectrum that we can see. Infrared light probably has a bunch of different colors in it, just not colors that we can comprehend. Near-infrared light is going to be higher on the spectrum than other infrared light, meaning it has more energy and is easier to detect. MIRI stands for Mid-InfraRed Instrument. Mid-Infrared light is near the center of the infrared spectrum (which, I should add, is much larger than the visible spectrum). It holds less energy and allows us to see different things than what Near-Infrared light will show us. Many of the side by side images I've shown above are just a NIRCam image and a MIRI image shown together, but some of the more detailed images are a composite of data gathered by both cameras, overlapped and filtered to create a spectacular vista.

Based on all of the videos and trailers I've watched, and all of the music that they've released, I can safely conclude that this game is going to be incredible. The music really is insanely good. I've always loved all of the Xenoblade Chronicles soundtracks, and this game is clearly continuing that tradition. All of the music is new and original while still clearly following the Xenoblade Chronicles style. And the way they've incorporated the flute into the soundtrack, to fit the theme of the off-seers, just makes it all so much better. The story and gameplay look really well streamlined. The battle system is incredibly detailed and complex, and I can't wait to see what combinations and styles I'll be able to try out within that battle system. The world is clearly full of lore and secrets, and connections to both previous games, and those secrets are one of the things that I am looking forward to the most. I think there's a good chance this is going to turn out to be my favorite Xenoblade Chronicles game.

"You were just holding it, actually," Tria said. She gestured to the pointy tool that Helkins had pointed at Lylac. Not a tool, Lylac realized. A weapon. Helkins picked up the small pointy weapon again. On closer inspection, it looked somewhat like a dagger, but the hilt was thicker than it looked like it should be. "Take a look inside the hilt," Tria said. When Helkins opened a small hatch in the hilt and peered inside, he gave a nod of appreciation. Lylac couldn't see inside the hilt from where she was, but an orange glow emanated from it. "I'm impressed, Tria. This is good work. And it's well disguised....this is perfect." He tossed the weapon to Tria. "Keep working on this." Helkins then turned to Lylac. "I don't know what skills you possess, but they'd better be useful. We don't let anyone join unless they can help our cause in some way." He turned back to Tria. "I'll be back in a few weeks to check your progress and give you an update. Make sure your friend knows all of the important details before then. We'll have her joined officially in no time." Helkins turned and looked Lylac in the eye. "Work on her loyalty, too. She's too unsure right now." Then he stood up, his magical prosthetics whirring. He walked to the door, opened it, and left.

Granted, you have all of the power granting diseases from Ashyn along with all the other investiture, and you feel miserable. And your curse is you can't get rid of those magical diseases using magical healing. I wish Silence Divine was out.

"How do you make an avatar?" Bookwyrm asked as he narrated another TV and turned on Interstellar on that one. "I never saw the need to, personally, but I'm curious."

"I...." Lylac trailed off. "Tria has been talking to me, and....I think she's right. Your cause is right. Though it took me far to long to realize it." Lylac paused, considering whether to tell Helkins this next part. She decided to do it. "My brother fights for the Queen in the war," she said. "If...if you can really end this war quickly, and if you're really going to protect us from a greater threat, then what choice do I have? I just...I just want the fighting to stop. And I realized that the rebels have the best chance of making that happen." She ignored the part of her that felt sickened at the fact that she was now supporting the very people her brother was fighting.

Bookwyrm turned on Interstellar on Nameless's tv and grabbed some popcorn.

"I promised her that she wouldn't be hurt," Tria said. "I won't let you do anything to her." Helkins sighed, still holding the sharp tool. "We talked about this, Tria. We have to eliminate those that know too much, or turn them to our side. We can't let the Queen learn our plans." "I know," Tria said. "But she'll listen to reason. I know Lylac; she'll understand and come through." Helkins sighed again. Then he put down the tool and sat on the couch. "Well then...Lylac, was it?" he said. "You'd better listen closely."

Tria sighed. "I was afraid you'd say that." A knock suddenly came at the door. Trina moved to open it. "I'm your friend, Lylac. I'm not going to hurt you, and neither is he. Just hear us out." The door opened, and Helkins walked in.

"Helkins is a criminal though, Tria. He's in hiding. They'll execute him if they find him." Lylac looked at Tria. "They'll execute you if they find out you talked to him. If they heard you saying these things." "I don't care," Tria said. "It's time I do something." She gestured again to the dismantled weapon around her. "The rebels aren't criminals for trying to protect the kingdom. They're criminals because the Queen fears the threat they are to her power." Tria turned and looked at Lylac. "Helkins is coming to my house in a few minutes, to help me finish assembling this. Then we'll plan our next move. If I can't convince you that the rebels are right, then he can. Trust me."

This man was not killed by any kind of weapon. I've also said he died from a fall.

"The rebels disagree with the foolish 'peace' that our Queen talks about," Tria continued. "The kingdom of Gevran is slowly advancing on our borders. Another war is brewing, Lylac. A big one." She sighed and looked at the dismantled weapon around her. "Our soldiers are unprepared. Our kingdom, Shalari, isn't ready. The Queen refuses to ignore the threat on our own borders." Tria turned and looked Lylac in the eyes. "Gevran will conquer all of Riladi if we don't do something. The rebels need these magic weapons. they need to win this civil war, overthrow the Queen, and ready our kingdom for the real threat."

[The content above is no longer canon due to a misunderstanding. To continue the story, please go on and read the post after all of our discussion where we work out what went wrong.]

Do you realize that's not a question?

Tria lived alone, despite her young age. She kept her small cottage neat and clean, despite the fact that her hobby sometimes made a mess. The building was small, with only a few rooms, but it was cozy, if somewhat eccentric. Magical devices lined the walls, and a table in the center of the living room had what look liked a half dismantled air scooter. The glowing magical core that powered the machine illuminated the otherwise sparsely lit room. Tria had always had an interest in magical technology, and liked to experiment with it.

Granted, your curse is you are shoved into an alternate dimension where nothing makes sense, because that is the only place you can get Selish doritos. I wish to be the judge of a waffle cook off between Scadrians and Rosharans.

Lylac tried not to let that fear show. "It was the Starmakers, of course. We liked the way they scattered the motes of light as they flew through the air." As soon as Lylac said the word Starmakers, Tria's eyes finally softened. Lylac let out a small sigh of relief. "Well, why didn't you say so earlier?" Tria said, finally smiling. "Come in!" I'm going to have to ask her what that was about, Lylac told herself.