Oh, oh those summer nights! Well-a, well-a, well-a huh! Tell me more, tell me more…!

And now that song is in your head for the rest of this report. /cue evil laughter and sparkle canons

Welcome, welcome, friends, to another Clan Arcona report! It’s seemed like a spiral of lazy summertime days (especially for those of us slowly dying in the heat) and especially hectic weeks all at once. Both the Brotherhood at large and our own shadowy, beautiful selves have been busy, so let’s dig right in!

Accurate depiction of your PCON and CON grooving this report is accurate.

What’s this? What’s this?!

In our last report, if you’ll recall, All The Things were happening! The Grand Master had released a timeline for the rest of the year, including the announcement of our next GJW in January/December. Our most pressing and mysterious concern will be the August event, which has simply been referred to as the, “Metagame.” What this will entail hasn’t been revealed to us yet, but I’m sure whatever the GM and DGM have planned for us, it’ll be exciting. Keep your eyes peeled (even the Miraluka in the crowd) and stay pumped!

Also mentioned in our last report was Socorra’s retirement from Herald and the ensuing opening in the office. Our own good friend from the Light side of the pond, V’yr was selected and released his first, shiny new Herald report! Give him some big hoorahs! This man is amazeballs and we’re really happy to see what he comes up with. Look out for any cool designs or updates he pushes, and tutorials especially!

Of a note with Herald business: if you’re the artsy type out there and would be interested in seeing other artsy people toss around ideas and work or sharing your own efforts, and have Telegram, hit up Atty or Esca! We’ve created a Telegram group for anybody just interested in gfx-type things, and all are welcome (even Vyr’s in it, whoop-whoop!).

Meanwhile, several other of our esteemed Dark Councillors, from the Voice and Headmaster, to the MAA and Senechal have put out reports too! Check them out! There’s hints at the Fiction Society, the new upcoming Possessions system, and all sorts of other things. Mav also released his most recent Deputy Grand Master report and did a lot of talking about paths and the new ranks and orders. The big discussion for the Dark Summit recently has been all about these projects, and it’s really exciting!

Besides just discussion of new orders and ranks, however, are more Possessions teasers — a hint at creating aspects for Possessions, oh my! — a rehaul of the Test of Lore, and some awards for fellow leaders and stellar workers around the Brotherhood. Shout out to our friend A’lora for his Amethyst Kukri and our old brother Meleu who got Equite II!

Wait, back up...what about paths?

As mentioned what seems like hundreds of times recently, the big release of the new Gray Path and opening of the other Paths is on the horizon! In preparation, each Clan was contacted to submit a unit path declaration proposal to the big guys for approval.

Here’s the rundown: each unit gets three Path slots assigned to them that they may choose (and change in six month intervals if they are so inclined, after submitting another proposal for approval). After the launch, units will have a chance to change their initial paths again in October, one time only. The options you can select are, obviously, Dark, Light, and Gray. What these selections amount to cover two things:

• Random join allotment. When new joins take the Test of Identity (mentioned in Mav’s report to replace the Test of Lore) they will also pick a Path. They will then be assigned to a unit, round-robin style, based on that Path. So, for instance, a unit with two Dark slots and one Light slot would be twice as a unit with only one Dark slot likely to get the new join that picked the Dark path.
• Placement of current member base. Ostensibly, you probably want to be in a unit that matches your character’s alignment. While it was decided that a member with a character whose alignment was against a unit’s could make an appeal to be part of the unit anyway, after providing fictional reasoning to the MAA staff and unit summit, it’s still sensible that Dark-siders wanna be with Dark-siders and Gray Jedi with Gray Jedi. If your character’s Path matches your unit’s Path, then you’re good to go. If it doesn’t, things can get more complicated, but not terribly so. This member placement also serves its fictional purpose in keeping like-minded characters in cozy niches with each other.

We polled you guys some months ago about what you thought Arcona’s alignment should be, and then, most recently, we polled the standing Summit on the alignment of their characters, and the full Summit on what three Path selections they thought Arcona would be be suited to. And guess what? I have graphs for you!

And they’re pretty! Or at least, I think they are.

Clan Arcona - What alignment would you want Arcona to have?

Standing Summit - What alignment would your character be without restriction?

Arconan Summit - What three Path slots should Arcona have?

So there you have it, folks! We’re a lot less darkity-sable-black than commonly thought! Though, to be sure, we’re no less the Shadow Clan. Shadows, my dears, come in all shades, and the darkest are cast by the brightest lights. Whether we walk the line between Dark and Gray or house a few dirty lighties (#rainbowsandsunshine), we’re still the First Clan, still full of tigerblood, and still very much Arcona. Always have been, always will be.

If you’re curious, you can look over the Path Declaration Proposal that we submitted here. Otherwise, onward we go!

Other news, reports, and happenings:

• DGM Report
• ReadJSTments
• Appeals Panelists Chosen
• MAA Report
• Headmaster Report
• Voice Report
• Herald Report - Off to never never land
• Seneschal Report
• Gaming Update #39
• Galeres Report - July
• Qel-Droma July Report
• Nighthawk Report 002
• Shadow Gate Report - Second Edition
• Dark Disciple Review

Like the light, you disappear…

Last month, our friends over in Clan Odan-Urr found themselves in need of a Proconsul when theirs went and decided to become the new, fancy Herald. xP

To that end, our own Turel applied and was chosen to go back to his roots and lead with A’lora.

Turel has been a boon for us. He's not only shared in helping HQD build, he's also helped as a member while growing through the terms of his probation and continued to help in Galeres. I can only hope his experience as one of our summit has helped him grow, and wish him the best as a Proconsul.

That means that…

Galeres Quaestor is open for applications

Applications for House Galeres Quaestor will be open Brotherhood-wide until Thursday, August 6th, at 23:59 EST. I rather liked Jac’s position on his Appeals Panelist hirings, and so shall add the same disclaimer that we reserve the right to select a candidate before the end of the deadline if we receive one worthy of such. So, if you’re interested, be prompt in submitting your awesome application.

Applicants should have:

• A concrete plan of action and ideas for the House moving forward
• Any past leadership in the Brotherhood or notable achievements listed
• Any leadership experience outside of the club or in real life that may be relevant listed
• ~ < 12 Hour email turn-around time
• Strong IRC and TG presence (TG is not required but is encouraged)
• Rank of at least Dark Jedi Knight
• Ideas for the fictional expansion and position of House Galeres and their role within Clan Arcona
• 30/60/90 day plan
• Answer the Question: “Why do you want to be Quaestor of House Galeres?”

Typical Quaestor duties include:

• Writing and publishing monthly House reports
• Tracking and being conscious of members’ activity and taking responsibility for keeping track of when they are due for medals or promotions
• Writing of lead and/or supporting recommendations for medals and promotions
• Oversee the development and direction of House and Battleteams
• Constant communication with the rest of the Summit, including upper summit, sister-House leaders, and Clan Rollmaster
• Development, training, and appointment of subordinate leaders

Email your applications to Atty ([Log in to view e-mail addresses]) and Arcia ([Log in to view e-mail addresses]). Goodluck!

Recognition

The biggest delight of this — and the section I’m sure you all skip to before going back and reading the rest <3 — is getting to see these various awards and promos get featured. To shine the spotlight. To say thank you to each of you for all that you do and see you recognized accordingly.

So thank you, Arconans, and congratulations. And thank you, too, to the MAA staff. The business of awarding members can be a bumpy one, and Aabs and his staff do a lot for us. Please remember to give them a thanks if you catch them around, pandas and all.

That said...OH MAH SWEET GAWD LOOK AT ZEE SHINIEZ!

Promotions!

• Nashiro Kakos, Jedi Hunter to Dark Jedi Knight! Check the Knight Fiction here!
• Uji, Obelisk Templar to Obelisk Prelate!
• Zednich Wolfram, Dark Jedi Knight to Sith Warrior!

Awards!

• Zednich Wolfram was awarded 1 Anteian Cross
• Legorii Arconae was awarded 1 Anteian Cross
• Ernordeth Puer-Irae was awarded 1 Steel Cross
• Egregious was awarded 1 Steel Cross
• Rrogon Skarwas awarded 1 Dark Cross
• K'tana was awarded 1 Steel Cross
• Revs was awarded 1 Dark Cross
• Kanis Da'uul was awarded 1 Anteian Cross

Outstanding Achievements (or just general cool stuff)!

Shout out to K’tana for recruiting Yuh’orah! Great job!

Another shout out to our very own Rhi for designing the PVE award, Cluster of Earth! Arcona is representing very nicely! Great job, Rhi!

In The Land of Melons

Greetings, Arconans!

We’ve been hard at work this past month with various projects and proposals, the Unit Path declaration mentioned above being one of them! We prettied up all of our thoughts on the matter and sent it off for approval, so stay tuned for the next update!

Congrats to me! For V'yr has selected me to be a Magistrate on his staff! It’s a big step for me in the DJB as a whole, but fear not! I’ll still be airlocking according to my regular schedule. I’m hoping to gather new skills to better help the Brotherhood as well as the Clan, so we’ll see what all I can come up with as my service moves forward!

Arcona’s Recruitment Office, which is to be detailed more below, is going to get some great ideas passed around to implement so we can net ourselves some newbies that are more directly involved upon joining, rather than building up from the random method. Not to say that we don’t want random joins as well, but having someone to know right off the bat is always a nice thing to have going for you.

As for me, personally, I am apartment hunting and I hate it. Moving sucks, the end. Miya and I believe we have a place chosen, so we will be aiming to start moving around September. Keep an eye out for more updates on that, for I’ll be out of contact for a few days while it happens.

That’s all for now, all ye darkity...gray..light things!

~E

Projects

Over the past month, the sitting Summit and Arconae have been working on refining an Expectations and Responsibilities document that outlines what Arcona expects of each of its individual summiteers, from Battleteam Sergeant to Consul, and the Arconan Summit as a whole to meet the standard we set for our leaders. A more public version of this will be made available on the wiki in the months to come.

So, we’ve been busy ourselves, but here are some things that the rest of you can look forward to helping with!

Recruitment Office

After a small meeting with several people, we’ve got a good idea of who is interested in helping Arcona get new joins in a more direct manner. We’ll be tossing around various ideas on not only how to gain newbies, but also on how to retain them better. Recruiting isn’t just the acquisition, for if you can’t keep them, what’s the effort worth? Stay tuned for more information and possibly some formal announcements on this little official/unofficial project!

Mentorship Program

You think your DJB training ends when you hit DJK and receive your first saber? Think not, young bloods! A newly promoted idea has crossed the upper Summit, to which we will be taking full advantage of some of our more veteran members to help those in their junior years learn leadership and further refine their writing, graphics skills, gaming, etc! Nothing concrete for this one as of yet, but expect some very exciting updates as we progress further along with the concept.

Character Workshops

Rumor is there may be one more Beta Workshop this weekend, however if there is not, don’t fret! This program is still being worked on and from the sounds of it, come the first week of August, we’ll have a big kick off for it once again! Expect even more to be included and some actual documentation on how the process works!

Antei Contract Bureau

You’ve been asking for it, and it’s on its way back! Wally, Celevon and staff have been working hard to get the ACB back in business with some alterations for a DJB-wide release, if accepted! However, expect to see it for Arcona, at the least, soon enough! More information to come as the Overseer and Commissioner pass information down the lines!

Wiki Updates

Many wiki pages are calling out for some updates, whether they just be a simple changing of the guard or full fictional overhauls into the present. I’ll be looking to the old group that assisted Legz with the wiki updates, but I’m also looking for new blood! If you want to help out in updating a lot of pages, send an email to [Log in to view e-mail addresses] with your interest. Remember, volunteer work looks good on you, and is rewarded!

The Adventures of Atty and Arcy...a.k.a. Ask the A-Team

Sang asks: “When will you immortalise Vyr in your writings?”

• Atty: In a month? Next week? Now? We can do now. What’s my prompt? Decide in the comments and let it be done! /cracks knuckles

Vyr asks: “Arcona is obviously the top contender for GJX XII, thought it's still a ways off. Who do you see as your top rivals for winning in the coming conflict? sticks mic in face”

• The A-Team: “Rivals” implies that there will be any kind of competition for Arcona, dear treelady. ;)

• Of course, the Brotherhood has made a lot of amazing strides and is seeing remarkable levels of activity across the board, especially since the re-Clanning of every unit seems to have lit some roaring fires and Episode XII generates hype. We’ve seen some great stuff from all our brethren, from rebuilding Tarentum to GJWXI runner-ups Taldryan, and I can tell you that working with Odan-Urr showed some definite talent. New and old generations are coming together all over while we all gear up for all our new changes, so we’re hoping all the energy carries the Brotherhood right up to January’s War screaming and cheering. We really think it’s anyone’s victory, and are damn sure excited to take on anyone that wants to run at us for First Clan!

Cable asks: “What does it mean?”

• Atty: “It.” Pronoun (it), nominative (it), and possessive (its). Used to represent an inanimate thing, person or animal, group, concept or idea, action or activity, or impersonal subject understood, previously mentioned, about to be mentioned, or present in the immediate context; used in statements expressing an action, condition, fact, circumstance, or situation without reference to an agent. (That’s just one definition, though. :D)

• Arcy: Well, you see, the Airlock means people who ask silly questions get jettisoned.

Sang asks: “Do you pay the wages, or does the DC?”

• Atty: My people, ah, have a system of working their own avenues for profit.

Vyr asks: “Can I has a Fade? :P”

• Atty: If you join us, possibly… :P
• Arcy: You get a guardsman, what you need a Fade for? Plus you have two Arconans on staff. You sure you don’t secretly wish to be Arconan?

Sang... asks: “Do you feel like a plastic bag, floating in the wind, wanting to start again?”

• Atty: Do you ever feel, feel so paper thin, like a house of cards, one blow from caving in? (The answer is no, cause BABY I’M A FIIIIIREWOOORK! Bah dah da something Katy Perry lyrics.)

Sang asks: “What happened to my Cythraul?”

• Atty: Tam is probably hanging out in the Feluriaglade with the others that have been left, like Mamoru and Akua (before Socks got back). I imagine Atty would visit them if they let her.

SANG AGAIN asks: “As a kinda "lightsider" how do you deal with the riffraff determined to kill you and everyone in the galaxy in order to rule? :P”

• Atty: With sunshine and rainbows. And murder. By which I totally mean kindness. :D Mostly, I just have Arcia for that...’cause she’s always got something for that.

Vyr asks: “Want a bandana made of tree vines? :P”

• Atty: Sure? :P

Sang asks: “Who is your favourite tree?”

• Atty: V’yr, of course, though Treebeard is a close second.

Sang asks: “What's the square root of 20482?”

• Atty: Your mom. ;)

Sang (gfdi, man) asks: “How much do I need to bribe Vyr to get custom robes? :P”

• Atty: considering I haven’t been successful yet, I couldn’t tell you :P But he’s mentioned something about HRLD competitions for custom robes.

Lexic asks: “What's the relationship like between yourself and Captain Arcia Nighthawk? Sisterly?”

• Atty: They’re the very bestest of friends and sisters and they’ll be together foreversies. Disclaimer: Atty’s perspective may not, ah, match others.

• Arcy: I think Atyiru needs to lay off the caff.

Maxi asks: “Okay, what are taxes and how do I fool people into thinking I am mature?”

• Atty: taxes are what you owe us for depriving us of your wonderful self for so long and are to be paid in the form of smartass commentary and hugs. As for maturity…Hahahahahahhhwahhh /sobs

Hades asks: “Okay A4, here is a question for you. Where would the ARC CON vacation if they had the time?”

• Atty: if she had time, Atyiru would go back to her homeworld, Alpheridies, and visit her family there, possibly dragging a certain Hapan along with her.

Terran asks: “If Atty had the opportunity to get bionic implants and could choose between monochromatic vision or no depth perception, which would she choose?”

• Atty: monochromatic vision would be the wiser choice. She’s never been able to experience color the way most people do anyway, so it’s not like she can miss what she’s never had. Instead, she’d be able to clearly see the faces of her friends for the first time — black and white or no, that first smile would surely be brilliant to her.

Terran asks: “Oh, I have one for Arcia too: there's a persistent rumor that Arcia isn't actually PCON, but has just be relegated to the Nighthawk's kitchen. Would you care to comment?”

• Arcy: The false rumor initiating crewman has since been...well...’relieved’ of their station. Any further questions?

Xen'Mordin asks: “Would you rather fight one horse sized duck or a hundred duck sized horses?”

• Atty: A hundred duck sized horses, that I may train them into a tiny army of fluffy, neighing death machines that kill with cuteness and overwhelming numbers.
• Arcy: AIRLOCK THEM ALL! GET IT OFF THE SHIP!

V’yr asks: “Firefly Season 2?”

• Atty:
• Arcy: I’ve just seen the first episode this week… >.>
• Atty: AND YOU HAVEN’T WATCHED THE REST YET? WTF PECAN GET OUT OF THIS DOC AND GOGOGO.

Atra asks: AskTheAtty, we know the answer is 42, but what is the question?

• Atty: Not even I know, buddy. <3

Malik asks: AskTheAtty, why is a towel the most important thing a hitchhiker can carry?

• Atty: Because it's so useful, of course.

V’yr asks: “If your character got killed in the least meaningful way, would you call that "bobafetted" or "washed"?”

• Atty: Firstly, STOP BREAKING MY HEART. Secondly, please, I’d call it “blindsided.”

In Closing

The Adventures of Atty and Arcy: The Comic!

(In which everyone struggles to read Atty’s handwriting and little Arcia gets greedy around the Clan.)

Arcona Invicta!