text:
Unlike most modern languages, Java does not support the concept of user-defined enumerated types--enums. This article revisits the topic one more time, briefly defining what it means for a programming language to support enums and reviewing the strengths and weaknesses of two alternative approaches for Java. It then presents a mini-language for defining enums compactly. A small "compiler" that translates this mini-language into Java source code is provided as a resource accompanying this article.
I first encountered user-defined enumerated types in the late 1970s when I switched from FORTRAN to Pascal. Pascal, Ada, and C++, the programming languages that dominated my life before I switched to Java in 1997, have always had this feature. Even though Java is currently my programming language of choice, I've had to adjust to the lack of enums.
What is an enumerated type? Consider, for example, this C++ code fragment:
enum Day {SUNDAY, MONDAY, TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY,
This declaration provides a user-defined type named
Day. It
enumerates all of the possible values for a variable of this type.
Related Reading
Java Data Objects
Different programming languages take slightly different approaches, but the most desirable characteristics of an enumerated type facility in a programming language are:
Let's consider these characteristics one at a time.
An enum declaration should create a new type that is distinct from all
other types, including primitive types and all other enum types currently in
scope. In particular, when it comes to assignments or function arguments,
variables of type
int and variables of an enumerated type cannot
be freely interchanged without explicit casts. The compiler should be able to
enforce this. For example, given the above enum declaration and a method with
the following specification:
public void foo(Day);
the compiler would report an error if we attempt to call this method with
an argument of type
int, as in
foo(4); // compilation error
Unlike Pascal, Ada, and C++, C enums are not simply like
ints, they
ints. Thus, C also fails to support enums, according to my
The amount of typing effort to create the enum type should be minimal. For example, compare the above enum declaration with the following Java alternative:
public static final int SUNDAY = 0;
public static final int MONDAY = 1;
public static final int TUESDAY = 2;
public static final int WEDNESDAY = 3;
public static final int THURSDAY = 4;
public static final int FRIDAY = 5;
public static final int SATURDAY = 6;
The enum declaration is compact and efficient, but the Java constant declarations are not. Enums with larger numbers of values provide even better examples. While compact, efficient declaration of enumerated values is important, especially when attempting to get programmers to use the language feature, this criterion is of lesser importance than the other three.
Language operators (such as assignment, equality, and less than) should work for enums. Enums should be usable as array indices and in control flow constructs such as the case alternatives of switch statements. For example, I would like to be able to write a statement similar to the following:
for (Day d = SUNDAY; d <= SATURDAY; ++d) {
switch(d) {
case MONDAY: ...;
case TUESDAY: ...;
case WEDNESDAY: ...;
case THURSDAY: ...;
case FRIDAY: ...;
case SATURDAY:
case SUNDAY: ...;
I can do this if the enums are defined as integer constants as in characteristic 2, above,
but not if they are objects. For Java, methods such as
compareTo() provide suitable alternatives to the relational
operators, but there are no good non-
int alternatives for array indices and
switch statements.
Enums should have performance characteristics at the level of primitive integer types. There should be no runtime penalty for using enums over ints.
A language fully supports enumerated types if it meets all four of the above criteria. Thus, Pascal, Ada, and C++ all support enumerated types, while Java does not. As indicated in Resources below, enum support is one of the most requested Java language extensions.
James Gosling obviously knew about enums when he designed Java, so their omission must have been intentional. Perhaps he did not fully appreciate their value, or perhaps he made a conscious decision to promote polymorphism by discouraging processing based on multi-way branching, as is often associated with enums. Whatever the reason, we are (still!) forced to live without them in Java.
Java does not directly support user-defined enumerated types, but two general approaches have evolved as alternatives.
The first alternative, which I will refer to as the enums-as-integer-constants alternative, uses integer constants. For example, a Java program might contain:
public static final int SUNDAY = 0;
public static final int MONDAY = 1;
public static final int TUESDAY = 2;
public static final int WEDNESDAY = 3;
public static final int THURSDAY = 4;
public static final int FRIDAY = 5;
public static final int SATURDAY = 6;
The integer constants allow us to work in Java using symbolic names instead
of raw constant values, making the source code much more readable and
maintainable. The constants can be declared within a larger class with other
fields and methods, such as a
Date class, or they can be collected
in a separate class, such as
Day. With the separate class
approach, constants will need to be qualified, as in
Day.MONDAY." As a variation of the separate class
approach, one could use a Java interface. Then, other classes needing to
access the constants could "implement" the interface and access the
constants by their simple name; i.e., "
Personally, I dislike the use of interfaces for this purpose.
This enums-as-integer-constants alternative clearly satisfies criteria 3 (language integration) and 4 (efficiency) since the enumerated values are implemented as ints, but it fails on the other two. It is too verbose and certainly isn't type-safe, the more serious failure. Although I have used this approach in the past, I do not consider it to be a viable alternative to actually having enums built into the language.
As outlined in publications by Eric Armstrong, Joshua Bloch, Glen McCluskey,
and others (see Resources), the second alternative, which I will refer to as the enums-as-objects alternative, creates a distinct
class for the enumerated type and uses public objects of that class for the
enumerated values. The class definition for
Day would look
something like the following:
import java.util.Map;
import java.util.HashMap;
import java.util.Iterator;
import java.io.Serializable;
import java.io.InvalidObjectException;
public final class Day implements Comparable, Serializable {
private static int size = 0;
private static int nextOrd = 0;
private static Map nameMap = new HashMap(10);
private static Day first = null;
private static Day last = null;
private final int ord;
private final String label;
private Day prev;
private Day next;
public static final Day SUNDAY = new Day("SUNDAY");
public static final Day MONDAY = new Day("MONDAY");
public static final Day TUESDAY = new Day("TUESDAY");
public static final Day WEDNESDAY = new Day("WEDNESDAY");
public static final Day THURSDAY = new Day("THURSDAY");
public static final Day FRIDAY = new Day("FRIDAY");
public static final Day SATURDAY = new Day("SATURDAY");
* Constructs a new Day with its label.
* (Uses default value for ord.)
private Day(String label) {
this(label, nextOrd);
* Constructs a new Day with its label and ord value.
private Day(String label, int ord) {
this.label = label;
this.ord = ord;
nextOrd = ord + 1;
nameMap.put(label, this);
if (first == null)
first = this;
if (last != null) {
this.prev = last;
last.next = this;
last = this;
* Compares two Day objects based on their ordinal values.
* Satisfies requirements of interface java.lang.Comparable.
public int compareTo(Object obj) {
return ord - ((Day)obj).ord;
* Compares two Day objects for equality. Returns true
* only if the specified Day is equal to this one.
public boolean equals(Object obj) {
return super.equals(obj);
* Returns a hash code value for this Day.
public int hashCode() {
return super.hashCode();
* Resolves deserialized Day objects.
* @throws InvalidObjectException if deserialization fails.
private Object readResolve() throws InvalidObjectException {
Day d = get(label);
if (d != null)
return d;
else {
String msg = "invalid deserialized object: label = ";
throw new InvalidObjectException(msg + label);
* Returns Day with the specified label.
* Returns null if not found.
public static Day get(String label) {
return (Day) nameMap.get(label);
* Returns the label for this Day.
public String toString() {
return label;
* Always throws CloneNotSupportedException; guarantees that
* Day objects are never cloned.
* @return (never returns)
protected Object clone() throws CloneNotSupportedException {
throw new CloneNotSupportedException();
* Returns an iterator over all Day objects in declared order.
public static Iterator iterator() {
// anonymous inner class
return new Iterator()
private Day current = first;
public boolean hasNext() {
return current != null;
public Object next() {
Day d = current;
current = current.next();
return d;
public void remove() {
throw new UnsupportedOperationException();
* Returns the ordinal value of this Day.
public int ord() {
return this.ord;
* Returns the number of declared Day objects.
public static int size() {
return size;
* Returns the first declared Day.
public static Day first() {
return first;
* Returns the last declared Day.
public static Day last() {
return last;
* Returns the previous Day before this one in declared order.
* Returns null for the first declared Day.
public Day prev() {
return this.prev;
* Returns the next Day after this one in declared order.
* Returns null for the last declared Day.
public Day next() {
return this.next;
The enumerated values are declared as public static objects in the class.
Additionally, the class contains private constructors, an
to step over all of the values, common Java methods such as
equals(), and
and methods similar to those in other languages that are designed to make the
class more usable, such as
first(), and
last(). Additional
examples are available in the articles listed in the Resources section below and in the download files for this article.
This enums-as-objects alternative has the very desirable characteristics of type safety and runtime efficiency (criteria 1 and 4 above), but it fails miserably on the other two criteria. In particular, it is much wordier than the enums-as-integer-constants alternative, and therefore less likely to be used by most programmers. Also, it does not permit enums to be used as array indices or as case alternatives for a switch statement, thereby decreasing its utility. In general, I prefer this second (enums-as-objects) alternative, but in practice, I have used it less often.
In summary, neither approach provides a satisfactory alternative to having enums built into the language. Now, I am not in a position to modify the Java language beyond voting for proposed language changes, so I can't do anything about the integration of enums-as-objects with the rest of Java, but I can remove the burden imposed by the effort to create the class and objects necessary for the second alternative.
I have designed a mini-language called jEnum for declaring enums, and I
have written a small "compiler-like" translator that translates
jEnum declarations into the equivalent Java class. For example, the
declaration for enum
Day given in the beginning of this article is
translated into the equivalent Java class listed above--this is actually
how the class was created. Moreover, jEnum permits an optional package
declaration (simply copied over into the class) and an optional class
comment (also copied), and allows the specification of underlying integer
values and string representations for the objects, as illustrated in the
following example:
package com.softmoore.util;
* Various USA coins
enum Coin { PENNY("penny") = 1, NICKEL("nickel") = 5, DIME("dime") = 10,
QUARTER("quarter") = 25, HALF_DOLLAR("half dollar") = 50 };
Although the enums-as-integer-constants alternative has merit in certain circumstances, the enums-as-objects alternative is generally preferable because of its type safety. Of course the enums-as-objects alternative still has its shortcomings. This section briefly outlines jEnum, which retains the strengths of the enums-as-objects alternative while at the same time providing a compact, efficient declaration of enumerated values. In other words, it also satisfies criteria number 2.
For the compiler-oriented reader, here is the simple grammar for the jEnum mini-language.
compilationUnit = ( packageDecl )? ( docComment )? enumTypeDecl .
packageDecl = "package" packagePath ";" .
packagePath = packageName ( "." packageName )* .
docComment = "/**" commentChars "*/" .
enumTypeDecl = "enum" enumTypeName "{" enumList "}" ";" .
enumList = enumDecl ( "," enumDecl )* .
enumDecl = enumLiteral ( "(" stringLiteral ")" )? ( "=" intLiteral )? .
packageName = identifier .
enumTypeName = identifier .
enumLiteral = identifier .
commentChars = any-char-sequence-except-"*/"
The grammar allows an optional package declaration in the beginning that
looks just like any Java package declaration, optionally followed by a standard
Javadoc comment. The enum type declaration begins with the word
enum" (itself also a reserved word in the jEnum
language). The enumerated values are enclosed in curly braces and are
separated by commas. Each declaration of an enumerated value consists of a
standard Java identifier, optionally followed by a string literal enclosed in
parentheses, optionally followed by the assignment operator "=" and
an integer literal.
If you omit the string literal, then the name for the enumerated value
will be used. If you omit the assignment of an integer literal, then the
compiler will assign values sequentially after the last assigned value,
starting with zero, if none are assigned. The string values are returned as
part of the
toString() method, and the integer values are returned
by the
ord() method. For example, given the following enum
enum Color { RED("Red") = 2, WHITE("White") = 4, BLUE };
RED has the label "Red" and ord 2
WHITE has the label "White" and ord 4
BLUE has the label "BLUE" and ord 5
Note that Java reserved words are still reserved in jEnum; you can't
have a package named "
this" or an enum type named
for." Additionally, all string labels (string
literals or enumerated value names) must be distinct, and all integer literals
must be strictly increasing. Thus the following would not compile, as labels
are not distinct:
enum Color { RED("Red"), WHITE("BLUE"), BLUE };
Nor would this declaration compile, because integers are not increasing
WHITE is auto-assigned the value 2):
enum Color { RED = 1, WHITE, BLUE = 2 };
As a more complete and realistic example, consider this enum type declaration that, through the magic of bootstrapping, is actually used by the jEnum translator.
package com.softmoore.jEnum;
* This class encapsulates the symbols (a.k.a. token types)
* of a language token.
enum Symbol {
enumRW("Reserved Word: enum"),
abstractRW("Reserved Word: abstract"),
assertRW("Reserved Word: assert"),
booleanRW("Reserved Word: boolean"),
breakRW("Reserved Word: break"),
byteRW("Reserved Word: byte"),
caseRW("Reserved Word: case"),
catchRW("Reserved Word: catch"),
charRW("Reserved Word: char"),
classRW("Reserved Word: class"),
constRW("Reserved Word: const"),
continueRW("Reserved Word: continue"),
defaultRW("Reserved Word: default"),
doRW("Reserved Word: do"),
doubleRW("Reserved Word: double"),
elseRW("Reserved Word: else"),
extendsRW("Reserved Word: extends"),
finalRW("Reserved Word: final"),
finallyRW("Reserved Word: finally"),
floatRW("Reserved Word: float"),
forRW("Reserved Word: for"),
gotoRW("Reserved Word: goto"),
ifRW("Reserved Word: if"),
implementsRW("Reserved Word: implements"),
importRW("Reserved Word: import"),
instanceOfRW("Reserved Word: instanceOf"),
intRW("Reserved Word: int"),
interfaceRW("Reserved Word: interface"),
longRW("Reserved Word: long"),
nativeRW("Reserved Word: native"),
newRW("Reserved Word: new"),
nullRW("Reserved Word: null"),
packageRW("Reserved Word: package"),
privateRW("Reserved Word: private"),
protectedRW("Reserved Word: protected"),
publicRW("Reserved Word: public"),
returnRW("Reserved Word: return"),
shortRW("Reserved Word: short"),
staticRW("Reserved Word: static"),
strictfpRW("Reserved Word: strictfp"),
superRW("Reserved Word: super"),
switchRW("Reserved Word: switch"),
synchronizedRW("Reserved Word: synchronized"),
thisRW("Reserved Word: this"),
throwRW("Reserved Word: throw"),
throwsRW("Reserved Word: throws"),
transientRW("Reserved Word: transient"),
tryRW("Reserved Word: try"),
voidRW("Reserved Word: void"),
volatileRW("Reserved Word: volatile"),
whileRW("Reserved Word: while"),
The mini-language jEnum translator accompanies this article. If the enum
declaration for
Day is defined in a file named
Day.enum," then the command
$ java -jar jEnum.jar Day.enum
will generate the complete class
Day.java shown above for the
enums-as-objects alternative, including standard Javadoc comments for the
methods. You can combine the call to
java and its command line
arguments into an executable file (a Unix shell script or a Windows batch
file), so that the translator can be invoked as simply as:
$ jec Day.enum
There are four important points that you should know about using the jEnum
translator. First, the source file name does not have to end in
.enum." Any suffix is accepted as long as the full
file name is supplied.
Second, if the file name does end in the suffix
.enum, then supplying the suffix as part of the
command line is optional. The translator will search first for a file with the
exact name specified on the command line, and then for a file ending in
.enum. The following is also acceptable:
$ java -jar jEnum.jar Day
Related Reading
Mac OS X for Java Geeks
Third, the name of the Java file produced by the translator is based on the
name given in the enum definition, not the name of the source file. In other
words, if the file were named simply "
d.enum," the
Java source file would still be named "
Day.java." Of
course, good naming conventions recommend naming the source file
Fourth, the compiler accepts three flags that allow you to generate the different enum alternatives as follows:
-o generates the enums-as-objects alternative.
(This is the default.)
-c generates the enums-as-integer-constants
alternative, implemented as a class.
-i generates the enums-as-integer-constants
alternative, implemented as an interface.
Additionally, the
-c flag not only creates the
class containing the integer constants, but also attempts to provide some of the
functionality of the enums-as-objects approach by defining several public
static methods such as
toString(int n),
prev(int n), and
Complete code for the jEnum compiler, plus several examples and Javadoc files for this article, are available in jEnum.zip
Adding type-safe enums is one of the most requested enhancements for Java. See developer.java.sun.com/developer/bugParade/bugs/4401321.html.
Eric Armstrong wrote one of the earliest (and still one of the best) articles describing enums in Java in "Create enumerated constants in Java."
For another excellent reference on typesafe enums in Java, see Chapter 5: "Substitutes for Missing C Constructs" of Joshua Bloch's Effective Java Programming Language Guide (Addison-Wesley, 2001; ISBN: 0201310058); specifically, "Item 21: Replace enum constructs with classes."
Glen McCluskey provides yet another clear explanation of the typesafe enum construct in this Java Developer Connection (JDC) Tech Tip, "Using Enumerations in Java Programming," (August 2001).
James Gosling and Henry McGilton originally advised Java programmers on how to cope with Java's enum absence in "The Java Language Environment" whitepaper (see the "2.2.3 No Enums" section).
"Using Enumerations in Java Programming," Java Developer Connection (JDC) Tech Tips, August 7, 2001.
"Using readResolve," Java Developer Connection (JDC) Tech Tips, February 5, 2002.
"Java Q&A: Constants, I do declare, Readers describe how they employ constants," by Tony Sintes.
"Use constant types for safer and cleaner code," by Thomas E. Davis.
John I. Moore, Jr. is Principal Consultant for SoftMoore Consulting.
Return to ONJava.com.
Copyright © 2009 O'Reilly Media, Inc.


text:
The school announced Wednesday that the NCAA denied the school's appeal on its Academic Performance Rate (APR).
It's the same criterion that prevented Connecticut from playing in the 2013 postseason.
The APR measures players' graduation rate and academic progress over a four-year period in years prior.
Milwaukee's penalty was based on the APR from 2009-10 through 2012-13.
Milwaukee's most recent aggregate score was 908, falling below the minimum required score of 930. The bar was previously at 900.
"The academic success of our student-athletes will always be the top priority in the Milwaukee athletic department," Milwaukee athletic director Amanda Braun said in a statement. "We are aware that problems did occur in the past, but we have faced them and made changes and are accepting the consequences from the NCAA. Well before we even started the appeals process, we began implementing new processes to help all of our student-athletes have more success in the classroom."
In addition to the exclusion from postseason play, the Milwaukee team members must participate in four hours of "academic activities" in place of four hours of basketball practice next season.
The Panthers won the Horizon League tournament before losing to Villanova in their opening game of the NCAA tournament this year.
They can participate for the regular-season Horizon League title next season, but cannot play in the conference tournament or any postseason event.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Simone A. KitchFebruary 22,2013
Simone A. Kitch
Simone A. Kitch
PLAINFIELD Simone Antoinette Kitch, 68, died Monday, Feb. 18, 2013, at her home.
She was born in Brandon on Dec. 20, 1944, the daughter of Emile and Dorothy Racine.
She graduated valedictorian of her class from Brandon High School and earned a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the College of St. Joseph the Provider in Rutland.
She was primarily a homemaker but had worked for Rutland Area Visiting Nurse Association and the Becket School in Pike, N.H.
She volunteered for Red Cross disaster relief efforts in Louisiana, Ohio and Vermont, and for the humane society in Barre.
She was known as an artist and enjoyed cooking, gardening, knitting and crocheting.
Survivors include her husband, David Kitch, of Plainfield; two sons, Aaron Johnson, of Thetford, and Daniel Johnson, of Woodruff, Wis.; a daughter, Simone Stewart, of Delaware, Ohio; seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren; three brothers, Armand Racine, of Killeen, Texas, Maurice Buzz Racine, of Brandon, and Terry Racine, of Leicester.
The funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Monday, Feb. 25, at St. Marys Catholic Church in Brandon.
Private burial will be at a later date in St. Marys Cemetery.
Friends may call from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 24, at the Miller & Ketcham Funeral Home in Brandon.
Memorial contributions, in lieu of flowers, may be made to Simone Kitch Memorial Fund, in care of Miller & Ketcham, 26 Franklin St., Brandon, VT 05733.MORE IN ObituariesPaul N. Sourdiff
BURLINGTON Paul Nelson Sourdiff, 92, passed away on Dec. Full StoryBrian Vachon
Brian Vachon, 75, of Middlesex, died after a short illness on December 9 at... Full StoryDylan Baker
Dylan Baker, 18, passed away peacefully in the early morning of December 7... Full Story
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text:
OK, I've had it. Cold No. 3 – or No. 4? – this season has settled into my head and chest. I've had it. Really.
It used to be I'd get one cold a winter and be done with it. An inconvenience, but no problem. It's to be expected.
This winter of my discontent has brought with it flu-like symptoms, a stay in the hospital and three or four colds. I've lost count. That shouldn't happen.
It leaves me feeling weak and tired. My head is like a balloon about ready to pop. I have a sore throat. I have the sniffles and a cough. No fever, though! Small favors, indeed.
The common cold is the bane of medical science. Something so simple yet impossible to cure, other than it running its course.
My dad claims not to have had a full-blown cold in 20 years, ever since he started taking big doses of time-released vitamin C. He takes one a day, and if he feels something coming on, he takes two a day.
My good wife found a bottle of vitamin C at the drug store that doesn't come flat out and say it is time released, but the bottle says it provides "24-hour immune support," so you make the inference. The 500 mg tablets come in an orange jar with a splash of blue, the team colors of the Denver Broncos, and I'm not sure how much confidence I have in their defense against the common cold. Or the Seattle Seahawks.
There's nothing common about the cold. It's a virulent little sucker that saps you of your strength, just enough to make you feel miserable but not enough to make you stay home from work, where all sorts of germs lurk, and where you probably picked up this bugger in the first place.
By the time you realize you have a cold, you have passed the most contagious phase, and you are unlikely to pass it on to someone else if you take the proper precautions of coughing into your sleeve, blowing your nose, not breathing on anyone else and not touching anyone else. Easy enough to accomplish. Just keep your distance.
Employers don't give you enough sick days to cover the duration of the common cold, especially if it hits three or four times in a season. You are expected to tough it out, and take the proper precautions against spreading it.
It used to be so simple, "Starve a cold, feed a fever." But WebMD – my source of choice for free professional advice – says the "good news" is never starving either of them. You are supposed to feed them with all sorts of good foods: broccoli, beef liver, kale, mustard, collard greens and beets, in addition to orange juice – not oranges – tangerines, watermelon, carrots, cantaloupe and peaches.
Starving a cold must come from the fact that your taste buds are in disarray. Nothing tastes quite right, so it seems to make innate sense to avoid food. If it tastes bad, it must be bad, or so your system is telling you.
But whether it tastes good is beside the point for me. I have an appetite through thick and thin, good health and bad. I always want to eat something, if not everything. And that's why I weigh more than I should by a decent margin.
If starve a cold were the remedy, by now I probably would be much closer to what I should weigh, which according to the body mass index is next to nothing, or 100 pounds less than I weigh now, whichever is less. I would be a bag of bones. But the body mass index sadists would be happy.
I thought – mistakenly – that all this water I have been drinking since November would ward off any colds, drowning the germs in a half-gallon of water a day. Sometimes, I look at that quart bottle of water and think there's no way I can drink it all – it's just not worth it – but before you know it, I'm on to the second bottle, if feeling a little waterlogged.
It all about hydration, and I was under the mistaken assumption that the water would wash away the germs that found home in my lungs and other internal organs. The common cold germs are doing a luxurious backstroke in all that water, rather enjoying themselves, as if they were at an indoor water park in the middle of winter.
Cold No. 3 – or No. 4? – has left me pining for spring. I'll blame the cold weather and deep snow. And groundhog Woodstock Willie says we have six more weeks of winter. Enough time for cold No. 4 – or No. 5? Gadzooks.
• Dick Peterson, who lives in Woodstock, is a mental-health advocate. He is a freelance writer and a former Northwest Herald Opinion Page editor. He can be contacted at firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
Step-By-Step Latin Ballroom Stage Makeup Tutorial
Of course, you know that this look is not confined to the perimeters of Latin Ballroom Dancing, right? I just entitled this post 'Step-By-Step Latin Ballroom Stage Makeup Tutorial' because, well, this was my look for my very first Latin Ballroom performance! 😀
I photographed the steps for this look on the second day of a 2-day show as the check-in time was later for the second day. First day was a mad rush! Had to check in early in the morning for stage runs and rehearsals.
One reason for making a detailed tutorial for this look was because it really isn't a complicated look. I completed my own makeup within 30 minutes (35 minutes, tops? I didn't time myself but it didn't feel very long) and if you were to follow through the steps below, you'd definitely have people complimenting your makeup next time. ^_^*
Another reason is that the only difference between this stage makeup look and my usual looks is the intensity of colors, and I have plenty of makeup tutorials here. So don't overthink! It's not that difficult.
The third reason is that I haven't done a step-by-step tutorial in too long a time. HAHAHA! The last one was this.
I'm gonna jump right straight into eye makeup because while most people have minimal problems applying foundation, they are stuck when it comes to eye makeup.
These were the items used on my face, I think I forgot to place some more items like concealers. It's actually not a lot…….. it just LOOKS like a lot. Lol. You probably won't need most of what are shown here if you're a minimalist.
Step 1: Prime your lids
I primed my eyes with Urban Decay Primer Potion in Eden, a matte beige. You can use any eye primer of your choice, as long as it does the job of making your eye makeup last longer and enhancing the colors.
Here are other recommendations:
(Click on the links to see where you can get them)
If you do not own an eye primer and do not have time to get one, your concealer or cream eyeshadow (Maybelline Color Tattoo Eyeshadow review here) can double up as an eye primer, provided it does not have too much slip or too little moisture to hold the eyeshadows up.
Step 2: Set the base shade
Shades used:
- Sugarpill Poison Plum
- Urban Decay Voodoo (from Vice 2 Palette – review)
- Urban Decay Shell Shock (from Vice Palette 2)
- Makeup Geek Galaxy
- Makeup Geek Ocean Breeze
Not shown here is MAC Shroom.
Voodoo and Shell Shock obviously didn't come in this form. I depotted them from the Urban Decay Vice 2 Palette. I'm so glad I did! Wouldn't wanna lug Vice 2 around. Too bulky and fragile!
Apply Shell Shock – highly pigmented metallic silver – all over the lids. Go higher than your natural fold, you will be blending it out later.


text:
MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Gov. Scott Walker tells The Associated Press that he is "100 percent behind Tommy Thompson," but he won't say whether he voted for him in the Republican U.S. Senate primary on Tuesday.
Walker had refused to say leading up to the election who he intended to vote for in the four-person race. In an interview Wednesday, Walker said he didn't want to rehash the campaign and instead was looking ahead to helping Thompson beat Democrat Tammy Baldwin.
Walker on Wednesday also continued to refuse to say who he voted for in the Republican presidential primary in February. But Walker said Wednesday he fully supports Mitt Romney.
Thompson defeated businessman Eric Hovde, former U.S. Rep. Mark Neumann and state Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald on Tuesday.


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For what kinds of expenditures do I get reimbursed?
Employees should get reimbursed for losses and reasonable expenses incurred while doing their job. To be eligible for reimbursement, you must be able to show that you incurred a particular expense or loss while performing services at the request of, or for the benefit of, your employer. You also must show that you performed the services under the direction or control of the employer.
Does my employer have to reimburse me for mileage on my vehicle?
Yes, but your employer may choose how to provide the reimbursement. Your employer may choose to reimburse you a reasonable mileage rate that will, on average, substitute for your actual cost in operating your vehicle for business purposes. Employers who reimburse for mileage usually use the rate suggested by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The rate as of January 1, 2015 was $.575 per mile. Please refer to the IRS website for the most up-to-date mileage reimbursement rate .Employers may, instead, choose to pay for the actual costs incurred while operating your vehicle for business purposes. Under this option, rather than pay you $.575 per mile, your employer would pay for the actual amount of gasoline your car used, etc. while being used for business.
What happens if my personal vehicle is damaged or stolen while I'm on company business?
This depends on whether your employer pays you a reasonable mileage rate reimbursement. If your employer does reimburse you for mileage using a reasonable rate, your employer does not have to pay if your vehicle is damaged or stolen (unless the damage or theft was directly caused by your employer's negligence). However, if your employer chooses instead to pay you the actual cost of operating your vehicle, then any loss or damage to your vehicle must be paid for by the employer.
For further information about your employment rights, contact the Workers' Rights Clinic.
This Fact Sheet is intended to provide accurate, general information regarding legal rights relating to employment in California. Yet because laws and legal procedures are subject to frequent change and differing interpretations, the Legal Aid Society–Employment Law Center cannot ensure the information in this Fact Sheet is current nor be responsible for any use to which it is put. Do not rely on this information without consulting an attorney or the appropriate agency about your rights in your particular situation.


text: Hello Tatertots and Jello! I'm Rach H, and I blog at Family Ever After. Here's a little bit about me... my husband I and grew up in South Dakota. During college, I majored in Family and Consumer Science Education, then taught middle school sewing for a year. Now I'm a mom to 3. I'm very passionate about letting my kids "help" me do projects. Basically, my blog is a big mish mash of things I … [Read more...]


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Police seek help in Waterloo assault
Mar 11/13
Waterloo Regional Police are asking the public for any information related to the assault of a Toronto man that took place early on the morning of Sat., March 9 on Seagram Drive near the UW Place residence.
Police say the 20-year-old man was visiting Waterloo to attend a Tamil student function at the St. George Banquet Hall in Waterloo.
The victim left the hall and later arrived at a student residence on Seagram Drive shortly before 3 a.m. The victim was assaulted in a parking lot by three males described as having dark skin.
The victim was admitted to hospital where he received treatment for serious but non-life threatening injuries.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call Waterloo Regional Police at 519-653-7700, ext. 6399, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
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The new Volvo FMX
Volvo FMX Classic
The new Volvo FM
Volvo FM Classic
Up until now, ordering a Volvo FMX with a driven front axle meant choosing between manual and the automatic Powertronic. But with its latest modifications, I-Shift has become an option for all the driven front axle vehicles.
The modified I-Shift allows customers to order a 4×4, a 6×6 or an 8×6 with Volvo's automated I-Shift transmission. With this they can choose between manual and automated gear shifting at any given moment. Only minor adjustments were needed to make the intelligent transmission compatible with the driven front axles. Astrid Drewsen is the product manager responsible for the expanding offer, which includes both D11 and D13 drivelines.
Wherever there's a risk of getting stuck
"It means the Volvo FMX can take on rough and hilly terrain with the comfort and fuel-efficiency of our most popular transmission. This is particularly important in rough conditions and where there's a lot of manoeuvring involved. It allows the driver to relax a little and let I-Shift do some of the work. At the same time it makes sure you have the lowest possible fuel consumption," explains Astrid Drewsen.
The fact that I-Shift manages gear changes quickly and smoothly has already made it very popular among drivers. And it's smart enough to know when to jump gears. But drivability isn't the only benefit, its smoothness also puts less stress on the driveline and tires, minimising maintenance costs.
"And you always have the option of using the manual mode – perhaps if you want to be absolutely sure of staying in the same gear through a patch of slippery terrain. Of course, for the most extreme conditions Powertronic and manual are still available. But for general construction work this is the ideal transmission. It's the best of both worlds for the driver – and the operator," says Astrid Drewsen.
The fact that I-Shift can be customised to the type of driving the truck is used for makes it ideal for construction tasks on and off-road. Among other things, the construction programme for I-Shift offers modes such as P+ for bad roads. This ensures that gear changes are carried out at higher engine revs. The construction options can also be combined with fuel saving options. So I-See can be used whenever the truck is running on the road.
"An 8×6 Volvo FMX with I-Shift is perfect for building and maintaining roads – or any other situation where it's tricky to get the vehicle to the work site."
Astrid Drewsen sums up the new partnership between I-Shift and driven front axles: "It's going to be appreciated wherever there's a risk of getting stuck and whenever you're constantly working the clutch and the gear lever."
Explore the I-Shift and software options here


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Monday, June 28, 2010
Bodega Harbour House Destroyed by Fire
A house on Condor Court in the Bodega Harbour subdivision of Bodega Bay was destroyed by fire this morning, and at least one more was seriously damaged. We saw the big clouds of brown and white smoke billowing up at around 8:30 a.m. By the time I arrived, there were about ten fire trucks and dozens of firefighters on the scene.
It was gut-wrenching to see the charred remains of the home, still on fire, belching smoke and flames. But at the same time I was so incredibly grateful to see the huge response from our firefighting community. There were trucks from Bodega Bay Fire Department, Bodega Volunteer Fire Department, Bloomfield Fire Department, Valley Ford Fire Department, Occidental, Sebastopol, and Nor Cal.
At the time of this writing, there are still lots of unanswered questions. I asked around to see if anyone was hurt. Some people said no, others said they didn't know yet. One of the firefighters told me they don't know the cause of the fire yet. Lots of neighbors were standing around watching but nobody seemed to know who the homeowners were.
As you can see from the photos below, the house next door caught on fire too. While I was there, I saw a team of firefighters approaching the house with axes, as though preparing to break in. At the last second, our security guard (in the white shirt) yelled to them and it sounded like he said they were able to determine the house was unoccupied, so they didn't have to break in after all.
It appeared they were able to save the house on the other side, but I couldn't tell for sure.
This is a perfect time to encourage everyone to show their support for the Bodega Bay Firefighters' Association by attending their annual pancake breakfast at the Bodega Bay Grange from 7:30 am - 11 am this Saturday, July 3rd!
Below is a photo they sent me over the weekend to help promote their fundraiser. Little did anyone know we'd soon have much more compelling images to illustrate the dangerous, heroic work our firefighters perform in the line of duty. Let's give thanks and show our support by attending their pancake breakfast next weekend!
Bodgea Bay Firefighter Association's Annual Pancake Breakfast
Saturday, July 3, 7:30-11:00 a.m.
The Grange Hall
1370 Bodega Avenue, on the corner of Highway 1
Bodega Bay, CA
Adults $7.00
Child $5.00
Under 3 yrs Free
For additional information call the Bodega Bay Firefighters at 875-3001.
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7 comments:
Wow! That is so sad. Great blog Kathlene. You are spot on regarding the courageous work of the firefighters. I will keep my fingers crossed that indeed no one was hurt and the home destroyed was vacant. Thanks for being there! Suzanne
- June 28, 2010 at 11:26 AM
Amazing photos. Thank God for the brave firefighters! Great job guys!!
- June 28, 2010 at 11:52 AM
- dtarca said...
I went thru there this morning about 10am and saw all the activity inc. the helicopters. Thanks for the information. My heart goes out to the homeowners. I'll be interested to hear if its a rental home or owner occup. and what the suspected cause was. All in all its a great reminder of how important our fire & police services are! I was amazed at all the engines that were present...GREAT response!
- June 28, 2010 at 12:47 PM
- Kathlene said...
The Press Democrat says it was an unoccupied vacation rental. http://www.petaluma360.com/article/20100628/ARTICLES/100629581/1010/SPORTS?p=all&tc=pgall.
- June 28, 2010 at 2:34 PM
- Cherrie said...
Wow that is so sad, looks like a total loss. Glad no one was hurt!
- June 28, 2010 at 9:08 PM
My girlfriends and I have had many scrapbooking retreats in that house. We loved the big open living room and big beautiful windows. We will miss this beautiful home.
- June 30, 2010 at 4:41 PM
- Roberta said...
I have spent many a scrap retreat in this beautiful house. So sad. We would be going again this fall had the house not been booked when we needed to rent it! We will miss it.
- July 3, 2010 at 12:57 AM


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14 surprising causes of dehydration
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Springfield, Ill. The State Board of Education
has nominated 16 Illinois schools for the National No
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K-12 schools were selected for showing academic excellence
or for demonstrating dramatic gains in student achievement.
This program honors schools that have done an exemplary
job preparing their students to meet todays challenges
by showing outstanding academic improvement, said
State Superintendent of Education Randy Dunn.
Schools showing improvement in reading and mathematics
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Schools in the top 10 percent for reading and mathematics
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St. Charles; Lincoln Middle School, Park Ridge; Butler
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The Blue Ribbon Program requires schools to have at least
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Currently, I am wondering, how the completely normal everyday-life on the planet Verces could look like. As far, as we know, Vercites are quite skilled scientists. As far as we also know, the vercite civilisation makes frequent use of electrical light, modern architecture (by using glas and steel) and mass-transit-systems (their cities are interconnected by a railway-system). Furthermore, a great deal of cybernetics is known and the Vercites maintain a large space-station and have mastered interplanetary spaceflight. Although we do not know, which parts of vercite science are magical and which are pure technlogical, the Vercites could enjoy a very modern lifestyle not very different from life in our early 21. century. But we also know, a significant number of pure vercites prefers a more rural, quasi-medieval lifestyle.
So, how do you think, everyday-life on Verces looks like? Would it be a retro-futuristic "The-Jetsons-Lifestyle"? Would it be a medieval-fantasy-style life in the shadows of gleaming skyscrapers? Or would life on Verces even look like a strangely "warped" version of our modern everyday life - with urban Vercites driving to work by car, watching television, buying stuff in supermarkets and cecking mails on the vercite internet ?
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<3 Verces so much. Favorite planet in the system, outside Golarion.
Just focusing on the Ring, but my personal take is:
It's a lot like one of the nicer and cooler planets from the Star Wars or Mass Effect universes. Technology is pretty far ahead of what we have now but in a bit of a retro sort of way. Holographic displays and hover-capable vehicles and such.
Perhaps each nation/culture has its own tech aesthetic. Like in one nation, everything looks like it's designed like an iPod. In another, "clunkier", more sharp-edged machinery built more for sheer practicality may be the norm.
The great sprawling glass-and-steel cities and the more pastoral areas are interwoven pretty carefully for the most part. A lot of care has generally been taken to ensure that the natural and rural alements of their world remain beautiful even as they stand alongside equally carefully planned cities and transit systems.
The divide between the more tech-dependent folks and the more rural Pure Ones isn't as severe as, say, the Amish and the rest of hte United States. Pure Ones out in those areas probably still have some token tech, and they certainly still have an important place in society as well as political and social weight to throw around.
Generally it's a pretty positive, hopeful place. But there are still problems. Most of our issues in the RL "First-wrold" countries can probably be reflected there. Vercites know more about their neighboring worlds than most humanoids in the solar system, and they particularly know about Eox and what happend with the Diaspora, so that probably looms over their heads as much as it drives them towards advancement.
There's also some potential social strife between castes, as seen with that one country that's tossing old traditional checks and balances aside. Generally though, I figure people get on pretty well with their current balance of castes, though their related values dealing with them might seem alien to many of us.
There's one more potentially unsettling issue. IIRC, it's not stated if slavery is a big thing on Verces, or indentured servitude or any other form it might take, but it is pointed out that some of those monks that expose their bodies to the crazy freezing temperatures of Darkside are often sold, I think as Aethership navigators or somesuch. I wonder if that's a unique example of people-as-property on Verces and if there's some more to it, like Vercites actually seeing it as an honor for these folks to be made into living Aethership parts. Maybe that's how they themselves see it.
There's no real day or night, just the eternal shades of twilight over the Ring, so that has to affect every day life somehow. Perspective on the passage of time and years and all that.
Electronic music is probably huge. I like to imagine bards putting on hybrid electronic and magical lightshows in "night"clubs while the sound system is blasting. But "traditional" music would still be going strong too, particularly among the more rural Pure Ones. And of course there would be every manner of hybrid genre formed by the two meeting.
Fashion? I like to think the Aethership Captain in Distant Worlds sets the tone for the norm. "Space clothes"-style fashions, hoods up with communication gear built in, etc. Adjust as needed between castes: Rural types use actual cloth or leather, urban types use artifiicial materials. Tattooing is definitely a big thing.
Related to fashion: Do Vercites have hair? Can't recall any mention of it, and the art doesn't really show one way or the other. If not, kind of goes with their description as being super-smooth-skinned.
Like to imagine groups of youths racing hoverbikes for kicks or pink slips.
The silvery steel streets joining the cities would be a beauty to look upon, gleaming in the twilight as they flow over green pastures, lakes, forests...
Forests. Fey exist on Verces. Imagining some of the preserves and parks having enormous wooden walkways and structures partially held aloft by hovering tech supporting their weight, with just enough of the appropriate force field tech to keep people from falling over the edge.
Religion. Brigh is probaby big amongst the Augmented. Like huge. None of the "risen" gods of Golarion likely have a following or are even really known amongst the Vercites, but that planet may very well have its own ascended gods. The Empyreals and usual archfiends are probably known. Pharasma is definitely known. Aroden probably is too. I'm not sure which, but either of those two could do well in a sort of "keeper of the balance" role between all three castes. Asmodeus has been called out as being known pretty much everywhere. I like to think Desna is known and revered by many, possibly as a patron goddess of Aethership explorers. Law enforcement probably has to deal with fiend-related cults from time to time.
Gah, gotta run. Really excited to see what people come up with for this planet.
Well, this is definitly a great way, Verces could look like! I also prefer Verces to be more a more friendly and bright Sci-Fi-Planet. I really really hope, Verces doesn´t become "grim-dark" in the coming publications. (This whole grim-dark-and-gritty-Sci-Fi-Thing was a bit overdone during the last few years...)
As for the sold monks....this hasn´t to be a kind of slavery. I could imagine some of the monks "selling" themselves to the vercite Spacefleet to serve their planet - meaning, they become living spaceship-parts voluntary. Since they don´t need any worldly goods or a payment as a living Starship-computer, the payment they would get as a regulary crewmember, is mainly used to support the monks order.
While Verces has some high tech, I imagine it however to be a more restrictive on resources, in other words the average native has a much smaller carbon/energy footprint than the average First Worlder here on Earth. So there's probably tech for when tech is needed and available and simpler solutions otherwise.
Could also be. In every case, they have an allmost neverending source of clean energy for their cities - the sun!
|Echo Vining
I really really hope, Verces doesn´t become "grim-dark" in the coming publications. (This whole grim-dark-and-gritty-Sci-Fi-Thing was a bit overdone during the last few years...)
I doubt it. Maybe it's partly Mikaze's influence, but I kind of see Verces as a bit of a bright spot in the star system, as well. And there are plenty of other planets to throw down the grimdark with, if that's desired.
Also <3 Verces. Mixing tech and magic has always been one of my soft spots.
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Well, Eox or the Moonscar are also quite evil. But basicly Gorbacz is right - just as most golarian Realms, most Planets would have the aligment "Neutral". But beside this, I would still not see Verces as the typical hightech-crapsack-world. There are, of course, certain Problems as various monsters on the bright and the dark side, mad extremists from each cast who threaten the planets harmony, the normal share of criminality and so on. But overall, things on Verces go well and the planet isn´t a hellhole.
As for contact with other worlds: What if the vercites would be a kind of "young upstarts" as spacefaring race and show the typical happy gung-ho-mentality? (Just to keep a certain "pioneer-flair" as in those old pulp-sf-novels)
Spacetravel is a relative recent inovation and a lot of places in the golarian solar system still have not been visited by vercites. There is a lot of trade with the Diaspora. Some moons of Liavara and planet Akiton are also frequently visited. Much of Eix ist still a mystery, since the bone sages intercept most space-crafts. The outer worlds just as the three inner worlds past Akiton are still waiting for Visitors from Verces.
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Agreed'd with you both, Waldi and Jonathon. Verces seeming to be a brighter place and a sci-fi/fantasy mashup that wasn't saturated with grimdark really sold me on the place. Sure it's got problems, it needs adventurers after all, but it isn't some bleak, hopeless hellhole.
On a planet-scale, it seems to fit the role of "the good kingdom" fairly well, a generally nice place that PCs would be eager to protect from...well...Eox for starters.
That isn't to say some of Verces' fauna isn't downright terrifying though. Freakin' bloodbrothers....damn.
Had another thought on religion: Erastil might be a big figure along the lines of caste divisions too. He could certainly be quite popular with more rural Pure Ones.
Half wonder if Brigh's origins could be on Verces....(if not Aballon...)
Perhaps Brigh was the first Augmented on Verces. This could some nice transhuman spice to the augmented caste. There could be an augmented secret society trying to achieve apotheosis via technomagical augmentation. If Brigh could become a higher beeing by using transhuman modifications, others could do this also. They could be a heretical, evil cult or a group of basicly good but misunderstood, ultra-progressive scientists...
I also guess, Sarenrae would be a big thing on Verces. Most Cities seem to use solar power - so there would be a great deal of devoution to the sun-goddess. :)
Perhaps Brigh was the first Augmented on Verces. This could some nice transhuman spice to the augmented caste. There could be an augmented secret society trying to achieve apotheosis via technomagical augmentation. If Brigh could become a higher beeing by using transhuman modifications, others could do this also. They could be a heretical, evil cult or a group of basicly good but misunderstood, ultra-progressive scientists...
I also guess, Sarenrae would be a big thing on Verces. Most Cities seem to use solar power - so there would be a great deal of devoution to the sun-goddess. :)
I'm of two minds on the Brigh idea. On the one hand, I love the idea of her being born out of artificial life. But the Transcendant Trans"human" idea has some real fire to it too. Really gotta dwell on this one.
(and for your well-intentioned extremist idea, you've got one whole nation they could be running in what with the Augmented/God-Vessel team-up on the Pure Ones, sayin' "Get augmented now, caste balance be damned!")
Absolute solid call on Sarenrae too. Complete with a possible analogue between Golarion's mainstream Sarenraens and the harsher Dawncult reflected in the people of the Ring and those tribes that managed to live in the Fullbright.
A thought:
Augmented animals and plants.*
Augmented summoned creatures?
Augmented angels!
Admittedly those last two probably need to function on a spiritual level. But the visual has taken root and therefore WANT
*And this could raise another issue with serious social ramifications: It could lead to a mundane alternative to awaken as an "uplift" option for non-sapient species. Man, druids(who may likely be found only in the God-Vessel and Pure One castes) probably have strong feelings about that possibility.
|James Sutter Creative Director, Starfinder Team
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Loving this thread. And agreed--Verces has good parts and bad parts, but in general the Ring is one of the nicer places in the system to live.
And while there's certainly slavery somewhere on Verces, the monks that sell themselves to the aethershipyards are doing so voluntarily, to serve their sect and potentially to continue their quest for enlightenment.
|1 person marked this as a favorite.
Awesome! Was hoping that was the intention, on both counts! :D
Thinking about the lack of a day/night cycle some more. It has to have some real meaningful effects on the way folks live day to day. There may not be a generally accepted "active/rest" period of the day for folks to share. How is the passage of time percieved, as colored by the views of their ancestors that didn't have clocks? Possibly some form of satellite, be it moon or otherwise? Or some other form of natural/magical atmospheric phenomenon that happens with dependable regularity?
In some parts of the Ring, interior lighting could possibly be handled mostly with mirror arrangements in some buildings since the direction of sunlight is a near constant. Could see this working out with some types of homes and certainly for temples of Sarenrae and other structures built with an eye for grand aesthetics.
This doesn't really apply to "everyday life", but the habit of Vercites to try and assign a caste identity to offworlders has me wondering where most of our Golarion-types would fall.
Divine casters as God-Vessels seems obvious enough, but do druids that don't follow a specific deity get rolled into that as well? Possibly with them being seen as embodying a divine force, nature in this case?
Wonder what it would take to be considered Augmented with Golarion-appropriate means... I'd rather not imagine Augmented as requiring some sort of half-construct template(for a lot of reasons), but perhaps any of those sorts from Golarion could fit the bill.
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Perhaps users of arcane magic would count as "augmented" because there is a strong connection between technology and arcane magic on Verces. It´s a bit far fetched, but sounds somehow reasonable.
Augmented angels!
Of course! This reminds me a bit of "Desolation Road" by Ian McDonald, wich could be, together with it´s semi-sequel "Ares Express" also a source of great inspiration for Verces! (Desolation featured a artificial godess with a whole bunch of solar-powered, cybernetic angels).
Divine casters as God-Vessels seems obvious enough, but do druids that don't follow a specific deity get rolled into that as well? Possibly with them being seen as embodying a divine force, nature in this case?
I think, vercite druids would be found mostly outside civilised areas. This whole thing about the godvessel-caste could be a very urban insitution. While vercite clerics of the godvessel-caste can be found mostly within the vast cities of Verces, the druids would dwell in remote or rural areas. Maybe, their ancient religion is considered a thing of the past in the cities...
How is the passage of time percieved, as colored by the views of their ancestors that didn't have clocks? Possibly some form of satellite, be it moon or otherwise? Or some other form of natural/magical atmospheric phenomenon that happens with dependable regularity?
Maybe, it´s the moon? Does Verces have a moon?I also imagined, that Verces was not tidaly locked naturally. Before the Twins collided to form the Diaspora, Verces rotated just like the other worlds of the golarian system. Then, just after the collision of the twins, Verces was hit by several asteroids and the massive impacts stopped it´s rotation. The then primitive civilisation on Verces just survived barely. Nowadays, there are several legends and myths about the "time of the moving sun", but mostly, life on Verces got used to the eternal day (or night).
Beside this, I wonder, if the Stewards would make a great campaign-background. I could imagine them to be a mixture between the UN-forces, the X-Com, SHIELD and so on. While most nations on Verces live in peace together, a lot of otherworldly forces try to destroy the Ring-Nations and vercite civilisation in general. So the Stewards are constantly battling infiltrators from Eox, Demons or agents of the dark tapestry...
|Matthew Morris RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8
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Loving this thread. And agreed--Verces has good parts and bad parts, but in general the Ring is one of the nicer places in the system to live.
And while there's certainly slavery somewhere on Verces, the monks that sell themselves to the aethershipyards are doing so voluntarily, to serve their sect and potentially to continue their quest for enlightenment.
For some reason I see them either as the spice navigators from Dune, or Pilot's people from Farscape.
|Evil Midnight Lurker
Shining Children too!
Beside this, I wonder, if the Stewards would make a great campaign-background. I could imagine them to be a mixture between the UN-forces, the X-Com, SHIELD and so on. While most nations on Verces live in peace together, a lot of otherworldly forces try to destroy the Ring-Nations and vercite civilisation in general. So the Stewards are constantly battling infiltrators from Eox, Demons or agents of the dark tapestry...
Or the Stewards could be a form of Jedi Order ... :)
It's probably just my current Mass Effect kick, but I can see a bit of the Spectre approach with them too, being authorized to bend the rules when they deemed necessary to protect Verces(and its allies and interests in space) and chosen from the best-of-the-best of their respective nation's peacekeeping forces.
Speaking of that series: Wonder if high-end Vercite armor might be a combination of mundane physical armor, the usual magical protection, and additional energy shielding like Mass Effect's...er....mass effect fields.
(and great, now I can't stop thinking about an X-Com-ish game set on this planet)
I also imagined, that Verces was not tidaly locked naturally. Before the Twins collided to form the Diaspora, Verces rotated just like the other worlds of the golarian system. Then, just after the collision of the twins, Verces was hit by several asteroids and the massive impacts stopped it´s rotation. The then primitive civilisation on Verces just survived barely. Nowadays, there are several legends and myths about the "time of the moving sun", but mostly, life on Verces got used to the eternal day (or night).
Hadn't considered that... I had a bit of a Vercite creation myth rolling around in my head, but this kind of throws it for a loop. Or makes it make much more sense. Gonna have to think it through a bit more. :)
For some reason I see them either as the spice navigators from Dune, or Pilot's people from Farscape.
Or Karan S'jet minus some extremities. :O Or Hybrids from the new Battlestar Galactica...
Either way it probably has to increase the level of anthropomorphism the aethership crews apply to their ships, what with a real live person actually being a part of the ship.
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Been thinking a lot about Verces over the past few months.
I've been playing around with some ways to structure the general religious beliefs of the vercites, but I'm not entirely happy with it:
Spinning out of the idea that Vercite culture heavily values balance, which could be influenced by the very nature of their planet and shows in the parallel caste system they have going, I kind of figured they would have a dualistic thing going with their pantheon or other divine structures.
So they see their world and their race as having been formed within a balance between two forces who simultaneously oppose and complete each other.
Zaern-Ra, Mother Light, is the goddess of Fullbright and the sun. She is the light that enables life, who warms the world, but she's unrelenting. Her gift can be dangerous without moderation.
Zoen-Kah, Father Dark, is the god of Darkside and the expanse of space. His darkness provides some relief from the burning sun, but again, too much and this leads to ruin as well.
It's where these two forces are in balance where life can truly flourish, and where their children, the Vercites, were born.
I like this spin as far as making them a culture that places a lot of value on yin-yang/dualism/etc. concepts. And I like the idea of vercites associating creatures of Fullbright, Darkside, and space with their respective deities. And when one considers what side of the planet is producing those frostbitten, amputee ascetics to navigate aetherships... But that also leads to some serious problems that really mucks up a lot of what I love about Verces.
Besides the alignment imbalance of having a dualistic religion based around NG Sarenrae and LE Zon-Kuthon, which doesn't bother me all on its own, those associations lead to some real problems. Having most things on Fullbright associated with Sarenrae, even if incorrectly, is one thing, but associating everything on Darkside and especially space with Zon-Kuthon is another entirely. Even if they had a more LN-ish view of "Zoen-Kah", that's still some harsh expectations to associate with all those worlds, stars, and alien life forms that Vercites are pushing outwards to explore and meet. That just doesn't seem to mesh very well for a people that seem to be painted as generally hopeful. The emphasis on Zon-Kuthon could also lead to some nasty associations with Augmentation, and I'd really rather avoid having one of the neatest aspects of Verces slapped with such a negative slant.*
So, if the duality thing was going to be kept, would it work better with Daez-Na? That association seems to mesh much better with a hopeful peoples' view of space, while still keeping them respectful of the dangers waiting out there. (and while it's easy to look at what happens to those ascetics on Darkside and think "Kuthonite", perhaps too easy and oversimplified, what they ultimately become and do just screams "Desnan") It does heavily skew that major religious structure towards Good though, where a balanced result leaning more towards neutral might be more fitting.
Or maybe the duality of two deities/concepts could be split up further, with a positive and negative aspect for both light/the sun and darkness/space? So everything potentially wonderful about what's out there in space and among the stars is represented by Desna, while everything about space that's horrible(oh hi Dominion of the Black![/wiseau]) is associated with Zon-Kuthon. That leaves the question of who to pair off with Sarenrae, and I don't know if Nergal is quite big enough to fill those shoes.
Gotta think about this some more...
*Building in religious taboos against augmentation is a big thing I'd want to avoid at all costs. I'd want to avoid using the half-construct rules from the ARG to represent any form of Augmentation for similar reasons. I'd hate to see Verces go down the "cybernetics harm your soul!" route.
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Also had digital fey on the mind for a while too.
While natural fey are still around in the usual places on Verces, there are younger fey races being born in virtual environments from the interaction of magic and technology. These fey range in nature just like their physical world counterparts, typically seen as mischievious and playful creatures. Some of their antics can manifest to those incapable of seeing them as "bugs" or unusual glitches, ranging from harmless to risky.
Some of the more beneficient types often manifest as playful and a-bit-too-eager-to-help combinations of highly stylized geometric shapes, fractals, and Vercite emoticons, and often latch onto specific Vercites, sometimes serving as familiars. These fey can be allowed to manifest in the physical world as beings of "hard light" if supplied with the right technology. While some vercites actively foster the birth and growth of such beings to serve as playmates/guardians for their children or aides, these are not artificial beings. They are born "naturally" within their electronic environments and are as real and sentient as their physical world fey kin. Any vercite hand in their birth is more akin to the growing of Leshies in the physical world.
As familiars and aides, they tend to be much more fickle and quite a bit less reliable than constructed AI or VI, but their nature also allows them much more ease at dealing with magic and other matters that run on "fey logic".
Just imagining hard-light "butterflies" made of glowing triangles and other shapes which rearrange themselves into alien emoticons in order to express extreme emotions. ;) :D :O D: >:| :3 ^_^ and such. I love the idea of a vercite explorer summoning one of those from a hardlight projector to help with some task or another.
|Landon Winkler
Good thoughts here.
Desna's a great choice for the patron of the dark. She's a great patron for good starfarers in general, particularly with her interest in the Dark Tapestry. If they've been worshiping her for a long time, which seems reasonable, she could have even had a hand in pushing them towards spaceflight.
I'd be tempted to make the dark-places-between-the-stars god a more recent addition to the pantheon, someone they'd encountered since they began traveling through space. My personal inclinations go towards Yog-Sothoth but Zon-Kuthon inspired space madness sounds pretty unpleasant too.
Love the digital fey too. Cute!
I love the digital fey as well! Though I'v had vercites in my game before and had similar critters running around except they were Gremlins born on Verces to counter act the Augmentation of Vercites and creatures, druids may keep them in their dominion as the fear of the expansion of technology might loom heavily on the horizon. They ranged from Rustlings who rust metal with its saliva to Clanks who resemble a crude primitive Augment who is a mockery to the arcane sciences, I had stats for them some where.
|Lloyd Jackson
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Definately on board with Brigh having a major following.
As for the dualistic aspect. It fits, but like you, Mikaze, am not quite sure which deities would fit best. Some for consideration,
Sarenrae for the NG sun. Listed as a patron of farmers and healers. She is the Everlight from which all things grow.
Charon for the NE dark. The Stillness to which all things return. He holds dominion over water and death.
As the people of Verces are quite advanced, they would know that cold is just molecules having less energy/moving slower and heat is the opposite. So, the Everlight provides energy to all things, speeding them up. creating new life. However, if you put too much energy into things, they are destroyed. Just as too much life would overwhelm the ring.
Mortals were not meant to experience eternal light.
Opposite you have the Stillness that slowly takes away from all things, slowing them down, aging them. Preventing the ring, and all creation, from being overwhelmed. As the trully habitable area of Verces is quite small, overpopulation is probably a big concern. Unchecked, all life would end and all things would cease.
Mortals were not meant to experience eternal night.
Charon has ice as a subdomain.
I also imagine weather dieties being quite important. With a constant wall of low cold area flowing low over the line and a equally constant wall of hot air flowing high over the line, you could have some trully spectacular storms. Imagine if the two layers inverted!
Other deities to consider, Shizuru and Tsukiyo as the balanced pair LG gods of day and night, with Nurgal and Kostchtchie as unbalanced CE duo heat and cold.
As for the Outer Gods. Those are blasphemies. Dwelling the in the blackness of space beyond all light, yet denying the Stillness which holds sway. They are beyond darkness or light. They are Evil.
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I've never even considered how crazy the weather could get between Fullbright and Darkside. Yikes. That brings new ideas for their architectural styles to mind, but also offers more potential for alternate energy sources for their technology.
Have to admit, Shizuru and Tsukiyo reenvisioned as anthropomorphized and positive personifications of light and dark for Vercites holds a lot of appeal.
And Good Lord, gremlins would be absolute horrors on that planet... Tech support and engineering might be an adventure in and of itself sometimes depending on whether or not gremlins are involved. Oh man, and then there's the space program...
Still wondering whether or not Vercites have hair, before I go too far visualizing one way or the other. I've just been imagining all of them wearing head-hugging hoods like the Aethership captain or similar headwear to dodge the issue, and now that's how a lot of their fashion looks in my head. Kind of like a modernized interpretation of the styles worn by the heroes in the Isle of Dr. Necreaux card game.
|Evil Midnight Lurker
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Y'know how the Azlanti and Thassilonians crudely stitched ioun stones into their very flesh?
I'm thinking bionic ioun sockets, complete with built-in wayfinder circuitry. Totally modular, you can change your loadout at a moment's notice with no pain and no attunement period. Karzoug would plotz.
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Y'know how the Azlanti and Thassilonians crudely stitched ioun stones into their very flesh?
I'm thinking bionic ioun sockets, complete with built-in wayfinder circuitry. Totally modular, you can change your loadout at a moment's notice with no pain and no attunement period. Karzoug would plotz.
Y'know, that would be incredibly handy for ioun stone users in spacesuites/hazmat suits/envirosuits/etc.
Thinking about vercite firemen telling each other to "pop in a white one" before heading into danger got me to thinking about regeneration and augmentation. The augmentation process has got to involve steps that ptevent rejection caused by healing/regeneration magic and effects. Perhaps it's done through process that unify the Augmented individual's flesh and plastics/metals on a spiritual level, making them truly a part of their core being.
Kind of been seeing Brigh's faith going that way on Verces, preaching that true augmentation must happen on all levels, physical, mental, and spiritual.
(and now I'm thinking of Augmented angels again, who could either be angels that were augmented or are angels born from augmented souls. Same for augmented devils, demons, etc...)
|Lloyd Jackson
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Have to admit, while there are native dangers on Verces that can't be ignored, it really does seem like the biggest threats to Verces are offworld(Eox, the more malevoleent Dark Tapestry stuff, freakin' Dominion of the Black). You probably could get away with the "home team" pantheon leaning Good that way.
Ooh...wait. Have a fullblown dual pantheon maybe? Instead of focusing on two(or even four) big divine entities, they could be split into two "courts" or some other structure. Both are filled with many entities that fulfill different aspects of their court, and are on their own either benevolent or malevolent.
Like say:
Court of the Light : Sarenrae(life giving aspects, healing), Shizuru(embodies certain positive social structures, light's sword), Nurgal(the deadly aspects of the sun, blinding brilliance), and other deities that aren't specifically "sun/light/stars" related but pretty much mesh with their general theme.
Court of the Dark : Tsukiyo(moon and spirits), Pharasma(the dark of the nurturing before birth and the rest of the dead), Zon-Kuthon(the harshness of Darkside and space madness), Outer Gods(more of the same), and so on. Desna might be a big one in this grouping as well, but...
There could also be gods that are particularly revered that cross over between the courts. They are the gods that represent that critical sort of balance between the two forces. They belong to both courts. It could be argued that Desna would belong here, because while she's a creature from the darkness of space, she's also tied tightly into the stars. She's definitely of the night, but the lady sparkles. And her placement between the two pantheons makes her very important to vercite culture.
Maybe that could be something that colors the cultures by location. In those communities closer to Darkside, you find a lot more folks that revere the Court of the Dark over that of Light, and vice-versa.
If one were to go that route, I guess it becomes a matter of assigning those gods that would be known of Verces to their appropriate court. Or caste. Which is funny, because vercites are explicitly stated to try to figure out what caste offworlders belong to, in a well-meaning way. They could very well do the same thing with gods they were previously unaware of. "Iom-Daya? Oh, she must be of the Light Caste! Look at her iconography! I wonder if she serves Zaern-Ra or Shiez-Ru? Maybe Sheal-En?"
I need to double check to make sure s/he isn't Golarion-specific, but Goez-Ra would definitely be a crossover deity. Aezma-Dayah though...well, he's often called the Prince of Darkness, but damn it would be tempting to put him in the Light Court because he would totally work that angle for all it was worth.
making up alien names for familiar deities is fun
|Lloyd Jackson
True that. However, I will be leaving the name making to you.
From the stuff on Gozreh and Rovagug, I don't think Gozreh is limited to one planet. Personal thoughts are sentient races have all kinds of divine beings that relate to them: dieties of the hunt, law, contracts, slavery, freedom, etc. Gozreh is the diety of everything else. Plants, animals, microbes, and ecosystems in general. Not sure how that would ft here though, as the main ecosystem part seem to be pretty well cultivated and managed. The storm aspect would definitely fit.
|James Sutter Senior Editor/Fiction Editor
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Hey folks! Just wanted to pop in and say that I love what ya'll are coming up with in this thread. I'm always loath to present new canon on the messageboards, so I can't really give anything more than the write-up in the book, but I think the different pantheons and god interpretations that might arise on the various sides of the world have huge potential! Glad to see folks running with it. :D
(And the idea of Gozreh being associated with the major storms resulting from the pressure/temperature differentials is awesome... think of the sort of crazy wind-focused druid characters you could make...)
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It's exciting to see the creator of Verces excited about people being excited about Verces. :D ps. more Verces plz!
I was all eager to suggest "Pixels" as the name of that digital fey "helper" race, but then I just found this. Augh, beaten. Right down to the appearance!
Gozreh's storm aspect kind of leads one to think that Verces' weather forecasters might actually be forecasters. Wind farms (and maybe lightning farms?) might actually be sacred ground in some cases.
My headcanon Vercite deity naming conventions fall short with monosyllabic Brigh. And she's kind of super-important. :(
Is there published info on the planets anywhere, or is this all wishing / conjecture?
Also, why not put in some new gods for the other planets. Must we really use the same gods so many bazillions of miles away? OK, I admit it, I just dont like Desna. :)
But still.
Anyway, what info is available on the other planets? I just remember seeing the planets in the campaign book, but otherwise ... ?
Hey folks! Just wanted to pop in and say that I love what ya'll are coming up with in this thread. I'm always loath to present new canon on the messageboards, so I can't really give anything more than the write-up in the book, but I think the different pantheons and god interpretations that might arise on the various sides of the world have huge potential! Glad to see folks running with it. :D
(And the idea of Gozreh being associated with the major storms resulting from the pressure/temperature differentials is awesome... think of the sort of crazy wind-focused druid characters you could make...)
Ex meteorology major here. I did a project back in college that dealt with tidally locked weather patterns. I have some of my sources (and wikipedia) that I remember using. Here's to seeing if I can pick up more. I remember there being talk of one large Hadley cell on the heated side.
Tidal Locking Could Render Habitable Planets Inhospitable
This has some interesting stuff on tidally locked planets that seems more in line with Verces
Anyway, what info is available on the other planets? I just remember seeing the planets in the campaign book, but otherwise ... ?
Looks like we're going to need some Verces material, given the support the planet is getting.
We don't actually know if it is Verces. According to this blog from a guy that was at the seminar, The Frozen Stars is the AP adventure that will take place on Triaxus. That's the planet that every century or so goes into a long lasting winter. So I'd assume we (the party) would be getting there in its wintertime. Of course, I could see Verces being used where you travel to its dark side.
I'm trying to manage my expectations, but Verces is on the location+key list for Baba Yaga's Hut. :) I suspect OoW's off-world ventures are going to be on Triaxus-during-its-winter-cycle only though, but I'm still really looking forward to more on that world and its people as well.
Vermin hunter archetype for Rangers or Rogues, anyone?
Safety Inspector inquisitors and Tech Support rogues too. ;)
Seriously though, rangers and rogues like that might be critical in keeping the lines and other equipment in working order between the sun farms and the communities back on the ring. Hell of a way to make a living.
Would digital gremlins be called Glitches?
Golarion:Blast these Gremlins and their constant tampering with my devices
Verces: Theyre Glitches in a grand system, if you dont get rid of them they'll breed like rats and infest the entire system to the point of no return.
I like Gremlins being called Glitches, thats more or less what they are except they make the glitches bigger and more of a mess. Picture it! Gremilins/Glitches just gnawing away at wires and cables leading to important devices stabling and fueling the ring.
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Very nice stuff everybody. One thing I could suggest for Verces (not having read Distant Worlds - my copy hopefully has just shipped!) without getting too grimdarque on everybody's utopian vision would be some nefarious secret organizations and a nice, well-fed criminal underbelly. There can't be just love and light... All that technology has to have corollary misuse - blackmarket augmentation/chop shops, cloning, hacking/data havens out in the boondocks; illegal trade in illicit substances - empowering spices, planar-opening snuff. Nothing all encompassing, but very sophisicated under the radar organised crime.
And perhaps the odd tight knit band of revolutionaries ready to commit the odd bit of urban terrorism. All sorts of fringe groups come to mind, from the anti-augmented, the Luddite-esques, the anti-imperialists (whether there is any imperial yearning on behalf of Verces (I'm guessing not) or just perceived by these fringe radicals), the anti-spacefarers, the anti-other-antis, rural-sovereignty nuts, survivalists. Just a thought.
Seems that behind the facade of a tech-marvel society a small canker or two might lurk... Anyway, fronting a small group of fashion-spiky nut-job anarchists bristling with third-hand tinkered-with tech'n'augmentations and a planet load of angst, political dogmatism and misplaced aggression. In a mall. On Verces. :)
On Know Direction today they interview about Distant Worlds a bit. Haven't heard it myself but may have some interesting things in it.
|Lloyd Jackson
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We got a Paizonian on the thread! Huzzah!
Thank for the links to stuff on locked planets. Very interesting. With constant moderate to strong winds, wind power becomes more viable. It would also fit with the form-fitting clothing people have proposed. I was particularly intrigued by the idea that at the equator the low level winds would be warm. This means fasting moving cold air mass over warm air mass, with the masses heading in opposite directions. Isn't this how tornadoes form? I'm suddenly seeing Verces architechture being very strong and aerodynamic, in the equatorial regions at least. Also, were would the oceans be?
I like the dual-court idea. Anyone else have thoughts on it?
|Landon Winkler
I like the dual-court idea. Anyone else have thoughts on it?
I like it. It's a really good fit for their world. In a lot of ways it's about unification of opposing forces (light/dark, magic/technology, progress/tradition).
I especially like having a mix of good, neutral, and evil deities within each.
There was some talk about Desna being the intermediary, but I think Gozreh is actually a better choice for that. It really cements Gozreh's place as an important figure and highlights just how desolate the light and dark sides are (because in another world, a god of life and nature could easily fall in the light court).
That dualism could cast an interesting reflection on their relationship with magic and technology as well. It could be that they don't just work with both, but instead try to always use both, as either one alone is dangerous. Nethys as god of magic makes some sense there as would an equivalently dangerous tech god.
Tapping into the gremlin conversation, their local patron (perhaps one of the fae Eldest or just a local god) would make a good deity for the dangers of technology.
That dualism could cast an interesting reflection on their relationship with magic and technology as well. It could be that they don't just work with both, but instead try to always use both, as either one alone is dangerous. Nethys as god of magic makes some sense there as would an equivalently dangerous tech god.
Or maybe Naeth-Ys embodies this dualism too (in addition to his normal dualism between destructive and other magic) and instead of half skeleton appears as half-terminator 1000 augmented cyborg skeleton there.
While magic and technology are different, I wouldn't say they're opposing.
Symbolic reality. In the physical universe, a rose is a red flower with a thorny stem. In the symbolic universe, a rose could represent red for the blood of the martyr and thorns for her torments, or it could represent something else entirely so long as the rose makes a plausible symbol for what it represents.
Inherent nature. Aristotle said things fall down because it's their nature to. Tying this in to symbolic reality, this can explain phenomena at odds with material physics. For example, a giant doesn't suffer from the square-cube law because it's nature to be big and strong.
Even more speculative, a space saturated with magic can apply inherent nature to mundane equipment (e.g., a rune giant's weapons and armor) to keep them from bending under their own weight. After all, the only rational purpose for a 40-foot spear is to arm a giant, so it must be a giant's weapon and therefore benefits from inherent nature the way a giant does.
Getting back on topic, what I wonder about regarding Verces is its interplanetary trade. Specifically, besides "We need some hick to mediate a dispute," what reason would they have to visit Golarion? All I can think of is bioprospecting (not to be confused with alien abduction), and that requires no cultural exchange (leading some to call it biopiracy).