W_L

Careful guys, it's getting close to political. GA has rules on discussing this stuff outside the Pit. Paid vacation differences was a neat topic, since the US doesn't universally have it and who doesn't want to have minimum paid vacations. It's not politics per se, just a weird concept from different perspectives.

Good point, employees are pro-rata based for their minimum paid vacation days. I was pointing out a full-time UK employee with an equivalent US employee of 5 days/week. The 28 days is 5.6 weeks based on the equivalent calculation (5.6 x 5 days/week= 28 days). Under UK law, your employer owes you 28 paid vacation days under an equivalent work schedule to many of US employees. Minutia of math is fun, especially if you want to have a good holiday

How about this one: The UK has a national paid vacation law for full-time workers: You are guaranteed a minimum of 28 days of paid vacation, it may be more, but should not be less. In the US: We do not have a federal vacation law for full-time workers. This means employers do not need to give paid vacations to their workers except what is stated in employment contracts. There are no minimum requirements outside contracts, unless there are local laws within states. -------- Many business owners in the US would prefer working their staff and saving money, when they are not productive. The UK law might change in the future for a certain megacorp *cough* Tesla *cough*, but for now, you guys can enjoy a minimum 28-day paid vacation.

Levofloxacin is one of the stronger 3rd-gen antibiotics, it must have been a really bad infection. I mentioned a Streptomyces derived 1st gen antibiotic, Chlortetracycline, which is still in use, but it's efficacy is much lower after many generations of use. Few people realized, but the more antibiotics that are used to kill bacteria, the more resistant they become to our efforts to counter or kill them. However, in this scenario, 1st gen antibiotics like tetracycline derivatives and the more famous penicillin would still be effective for a few generations. I used to work at Community Health Center and learned the interesting background of antibiotics from our pharmacist.

I know it's a little weird to hear me talk shop about medicine production and disease, but it's an interesting historical topic. I've considered writing a medical historical fiction at one point set around this period. The Black Death/Bubonic Plague wasn't limited to the 14th century, it lasted well into the 17th century and killed millions of people throughout Europe in later outbreaks. Most historians don't talk about its relationship with major historical events like the French Wars of Religion, English rise as a global power, and other conflicts, but these plague outbreaks caused major social, economic, and population shifts throughout Europe. Warfare is important, but so is the presence of disease and its impact on people, a fact most of us have learned from Covid first hand.

Some horses need diapers I am omitting a bunch of things that led to the break between Valois-Medici and Habsburg. As a 1st person narrative, Eli wouldn't be involved in clandestined covert ops, it's Francis' job. I am wondering if I should pause and begin writing the short stories now or after the completion of Book 1. France is just as interesting around this period. Enroute to Aquitaine's main port, Bordeaux, Eli will be involved in something interesting.

The journey to Aquitaine was eye-opening for my group. While I had intelligence reports from Francis’ informants about the situation in France and had made initial observations in the Artois and Île-de-France provinces, the reality on the ground is often hidden within unobserved details. The vast fields that operated using modified three-field systems and modern mechanized farming tools were one such example. Unlike the Norfolk system, implemented in the British Isles and Ireland, which employed

I love European History, especially during the Early Modern Period. A lot of intrigue, plots, and complicated relationships.

There will be a lot of warfare going on soon: The historical three-way French Civil War: Habsburg backed Henri de Lorraine (Duke of Guise), Henry Valois (Henry III) backed by France and Italy due to his Medici family ties, and Henry Bourbon (King of Navarre) backed by England and other Protestant countries. This civil war divided the Catholic world and allowed a much weaker Protestant-backed king of France to rise to power in our history. During this same period, the Livonian War in Eastern Europe would be waged between Denmark, Poland-Lithuania, Brandenburg-Prussia, and Sweden against Russia, Livonia, and Khanate. Denmark as the strongest power during this time will not be part of the historic alliance, instead actively aiding Russia, due the meddling by Russian agents (something I mentioned several chapters earlier during the failed coup and invasion of London). It's going to last for more than a decade. As I mentioned, Navarre is going to turn into a European Afghanistan, drawing in Habsburg troops to dislodge forces in the Pyrenees. The issues in Paris and revelations of the Duke of Guise/Habsburg plot early force Duke of Parma's invasion of the Netherlands to end. He redirects forces to reinforce positions near France. As for the Eastern Front, the Northern Pact is going to come into play along with other things happening in the distant Far East.

In my timeline, Bruges and Navarre were territories that frequently switched between different factions during the wars involving Spanish, Bourbon French, Dutch Republican, and English forces. Conflicts like the Thirty Years’ War (1618–1648) exemplified this territorial fluidity. Understanding the transitory nature of these gains, I aimed to secure strategic holdings for England and its allies. Unfortunately, despite extensive contingency planning, Bruges was impossible to hold against the Habsb

During my timeline, an English physicist named Arthur Eddington introduced the concept of Time’s Arrow in 1927. In his work, he identifies three core components that define the flow of time and its perception by human beings: Time’s effects are recognized by conscious beings. Time must be consistent for rational observations. Time has no physical form, except when its results are observed across a large group of individual data points. There is a common misconception ab

Many fantasy stories often feature a powerful protagonist who achieves their goals through abilities, items, or allies by the tale's end. While I admire characters like Rimuru, Souma, and to some extent, Ainz, real human leaders don’t follow such predictable patterns. My foes and rivals could never have anticipated the chaotic conflicts that unfolded. Yet, I achieved a breakthrough amidst the chaos. My ability granted me full access to the history of humankind in my timeline up to the late 21st

A variation of the Livonian War, maybe

Thanks for reading True, one of the interesting things about technological development people often forget is that it's not linear or even exponential at times. The development of radar versus Infrared technologies are perfect examples. England/UK and Germany were at the forefront of both technologies and chose different paths. While we in hindsight understand that radar is far more versatile than IR tech, this kind of "ex-post" thought pattern blinds leaders to dangers that require the path not taken. Infrared technology developed by Germans became the basis for heat seeking missile technology, one of the first breakthroughs to smart weapons in the 20th century. Against invisible enemies like the Russian Empire in my story, you need weapons that can hit them while they're hot. On the human side, the 16th century was a cesspool of intrigues in various courts. Johann III of Sweden did murder his brother Erick XIV for the throne, depending on your version of history he's either a well-meaning king or a power-hungry usurper. Henri de Lorraine, Duke of Guise, was the same and he worked for Henry III of France, but he also was secretly working with the Habsburg Empire as well in real history, too. I use a few minor points of European history in Of Pride and Power as well to breathe life into this universe. It's a dynamic struggle.

I do agree, Nick and Charlie's relationship made the show work in season 1 (the books as well, though Charlie's Ace sister, Tori, also helped things along.) Personally, I like Isaac among the group of LGBTQ+ friends, quiet and bookish ace-queer boy with a broad range of literary interests. I wish he and James (autistic and queer) could be an item, even if it's not a traditional romantic pairing. Ace people can form deep relationships with same gender and opposite gender partners, it's not gay/straight/bi, just interactions and reactions that develop. As for over-representation, it's a bit of the producers taking a literal perspective from Alice Oseman's webnovels and novels. The books were very LGBT+ represented, so it's not that far off. However, in terms of realism, it's akin to some of our own stories that overloads on representation due to the lack of it in reality. For readers of the novels, along with continuing fans of the show, it's an escape into a world where you can find friends you can identify with, a community that you wish to exist. As for Netflix's track-record with LGBT+ shows, I wasn't that happy with the inconclusive ending to Special, which I was following after a stellar 1st season as well. As a gay blind guy myself, it's rare to see disability and gay representation combined like that anywhere (we're not that different from your normies, though still a bit off ). Problem is that while I love the fresh take and exposure, it's pretty inconclusive in the end with a real-life no solution plot. It's the opposite of Heartstoppers fantastical scenario with its grounded disabled gay main character, maybe you will enjoy it more @Krista He doesn't find the answers, he just put one foot forward and continues to move on, real-life basically. Not great, not bad.

Several favorable events occurred over the next few years that seemed to improve Anglo-French relations. First, the major port city of Le Havre and its surrounding area were officially ceded to English control by treaty as a goodwill gesture from the French royal court. Although English troops already occupied the city, this treaty formalized the arrangement. Following the brief war in France in 1558, trade with Le Havre flourished, with the city becoming a key hub for English industrial exports

Thanks Chris, I hope to write this on the side as Of Pride and Power winds down. Hopefully yes I'll try I hope you will keep reading. It's a fantasy story with 19th century American characters. All these boys have character arcs developing alongside all these interesting abilities and fantasy worldbuilding. It's a setup for a fantasy story so it's incomplete. 19th century american characters in a fantasy world. Thanks Bill, I don't know if I can combine Western, 19th century, and Fantasy well, but I'd like to try. One of the major problems with game fiction, especially for folks not into anime, manga, games, and D&D, it's hard to get people excited about abilities and stats. Daily Grind, a modern fantasy LGBTQ series, has managed to do it quite well with mainstream fans as well, but it's a story catered towards Millenials and Gen Zers, who are used to this stuff. Thanks for thinking of Westworld, I loved the show, as well. It's one of those things that combined Sci-Fi with bizarre scenarios. I probably have been influenced by it. Thanks for reading, I do think characters should be focused Glad I can still surprise you Cassie 19th century characters in a fantasy world It's a weird combination of Western, Historical Fiction, and Fantasy. Thanks, I am considering a small Novelette or Novella length standalone story just for fun to have this kind of story on GA.

Thanks guys for reading, First let me address the negative points, which I do agree with. This was an experimental story and I don't usually write Gamefic on GA (Most people don't write it on here, unlike sites like Royal Road and Ao3 with a lot more author who do, but it's a good test with different audiences.) It's cool, I knew this was a bit weird to write for GA, but wanted to test it out and also see how folks feel about this kind of storytelling. It's kind of a trope now to have green goblins in fantasy stories, they're the go-to villains for Anime and Manga. This is more fantasy than sci-fi, but I understand the confusion. Modern fantasy, especially low fantasy (Gates, Towers, and ect) which this is based on, is more geared to game mechanics that seemed like sci-fi. World systems are a dime a dozen, it's a big thing in webnovels. Talo, you are correct that this is one of those personal taste things. Currently in 2024, the most viewed Anime series is based on the Korean manga series Solo Levelling, which utilizes these elements. It's considered one of the game-fiction genre gems. The baseline plot of that story is a young twenty-something weak guy who risks his life fighting monsters in order to provide money to support his little school age sister and his mother on life support in a hospital. He dies and gets a second chance to become a "Player", gaining abilities and levels as he defeats enemies. That plot worked quite well for 5 volumes, until we get into unscalable territory that most power fantasy go into. My problem with Power fantasy is they go on for too long without a steady plot. The only exception to this rule is Omniscient Readers' Viewpoint, but that story has built in-universe concepts that transcends genres. A good progression fantasy requires clear characters with established core concepts and ideals. ----------------- As to why I went down this rabbit hole, I was originally going to write a historical fiction story involving Walt Whitman and his partner, Peter Doyle, who was a conductor for rail cars, when the two met. They travelled together extensively in the 19th century and we're inseparable. However, as I mentioned I was researching this in my daily status updates last month, I couldn't write that story and had a ton of research ready. Thus, I took a different to hide my author identity. The 19th century was an era of rapid development and deep societal issues that have yet to be resolved. The core characters in Off the Rails aren't just western caricatures, it's interesting to build a fantasy story around people who are different with value systems that don't operate like we have today. I was trying to incorporate various things into my writing, which I don't use as a style choice. Most people couldn't guess it was me

Congrats @chris191070 and @BentedWreath Good guesses from all, no one figured out it was me who wrote the weird genre twist with a historical fiction story 😛 Thank you @Mark Arbour for providing plausible cover (Yacht Club was good)

Agree completely, Beautiful Thing is an amazing film and way ahead of its time as a gay coming of age movie with a well-acted cast and good plot. Modern audiences will probably gravitate towards streaming shows like Heartstoppers, which shares similar themes and concepts. However, if you like the latter you should give the former a watch and I think fans of the former should see the series as well.

As for beefcakes, Kyle Snyder may not have won Gold, but he has definitely wrestled his way into my mind:

I agree the climbers are incredible: exposed legs, arms, and compression clothes let's audience see the magic of their male bodies in motion. Glad this is now an official sport

While not everyone's cup of tea, no one can deny Yuto Horigome is one of the best Skateboarders in the world: His skills on a skateboard are the closest thing to Superman flight at the Olympics. ----------

Nope, diplomacy is the worst as diplomats are prostitutes for your country, but it's a cool part of history. European history and Asian history is fun during the 16th century, there's tons of stuff. Glad you picked up on August 23rd 1572 Easter egg. Shh... 🤫 Nippon stuff is setting up a spin-off, if I decide to write it in this universe. Omegaverses don't usually do what I have done.

Thanks for being a loyal reader