Greetings Gate Keepers!

Hello, all you lovely people! It is time once again for another (extra-long) Shadow Gate report. This month, I’ll be covering an ongoing Battle Team event, as well as some some other topics of interest. If you look carefully, you MIGHT even find a nugget of wisdom or two! So get your magnifying glasses ready!

Did you know that August 27th is International Cosplay Day? In celebration, the theme for this month is cosplay. Enjoy!

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News

War Games!

So, as you are no doubt aware, the GJW is on hold. I am sure that the DC is coming up with something fantastic for us. In the meantime, Leeadra Halcyon and I have come up with a little something to keep ya’ll entertained.

War Games is a friendly competition between the Shadow Gate and the Voidbreaker Battle Teams. It is composed of a total of four cryptography competitions, which will each run for one week. There will also be a total of two fiction comps, and two flash game comps, all of which will run for two weeks. Which Battle Team will reign supreme? This is your chance to decide!

Proconsul Applications Now Open!

With the war on hold, our illustrious Consul has opened up applications for Proconsul. Are you looking for a chance to help out your clan? Looking to make a positive impact on Arcona? Here is your chance! You can get more information here.

Call for Social Media Content

As I have mentioned in previous reports, Zujenia has been working hard to create a social media presence for House Qel-Droma. As of right now, we have presence on Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube. Go take a look, like, follow, share and all that jazz. If you have an idea for content for any of these platforms, don’t hesitate to contact Zuji. You can either pm her, or send her an email (with the subject 'Content for [insert Platform] pg'). You can also contact her if you want to volunteer to help manage any of the platforms.

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Promotions, Arrivals and Departures

A hearty congratulations to both Zujenia and Edema for their promotions to Equite II!

Also, good job to Timeros, Zujenia and Adem for their participation in the Preliminary ACC tourney. Way to represent, ya’ll!

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Awards and Sparklies:

Activity, Crescents and Clusters, Oh My!

Strategos

• Earned 1 Crescent with Diamond Star

Timeros

• Participated in 1 ACC match

Sildrin

• Participated in 1 competitions

Edema

• Organized 2 comps

• Participated in 1 comp

• Earned 3 Clusters of Graphite

Zujenia

• Participated in 4 competitions and 2 ACC competitions
• 1 Crescent with Amethyst Star
• 8 Clusters of Fire
• 6 Clusters of Ice
• 1 Scroll of Indoctrination

Adem

-Participated in 1 ACC match

Lucine

• Participated in 5 competitions and 5 ACC matches
• 2 Crescent with Sapphire Star
• 19 Clusters of Ice

Great job, everyone! You rock!

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Competition List

Look! Things to do!

Battle Team Specific Comps

• War Games

Arcona Specific Competitions

• Arconan Gaming Domination

• Selen Development Phase 1: Locale

DJB-Wide Competitions

• DC Event: Art 4 Arx

There's lots more where that came from! Check them out on the Competitions page!

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Dish with the Diva

Do you have any questions for you BTL? Going forward, I will be offering a Q&A on a quarterly basis. It is a good opportunity to connect, find out more about future Battle Team plans, and perhaps even get some fashion advice!

• Leeadra Halcyon asked: Looking to update my wardrobe. What goes well with blue?

• Along a similar vein, Kordath Bleu asked: What's the best pairing for blue skin, red eyes? Strong's clothing is incredibly vague right now :P

  • Blue is an incredibly popular color! I would recommend solid colors such as white or black, and accessorize with greys and darker shades of blue or red. You cannot go wrong with sprinkling in metallic accents such as silver or gold in small amounts. Obviously, fabric choices would vary depending on the climate and season.

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Rhylance asked four questions:

• As you had a phenomenal showing in the ACC event, what advice would you give to newcomers interested in trying the ACC out?

  • My advice would be to definitely try it out. I enjoyed the ACC because it allowed me to meet people that I would not typically interact with. It also allowed me the opportunity to work on my combat writing, which is an important skill for any writer to master. Finally, it allowed me to really get to know my character, because the greatest measure of a person is how they react to stressful situations. It is also a great way to come up with new storylines for your character.

• What has been your favorite experience in the DJB so far?

  • The ACC event would probably be my favorite single experience. In general, I would say that I have enjoyed meeting and interacting with all of the new people. I feel like I have made lots of new friends, and it is a truly wonderful experience.

• How does it feel to be chipped by Rhylance?

  • “What chip?”
  • Seriously, though, this will be a fun storyline to resolve. Assuming, of course, Atyiru does not simply try to have Rhylance brutally murdered first. The Shadow Lady is scary when she’s in overprotective mode.

• Would you recommend this chipping procedure to others?

  • “What in the world are you talking about?”
  • I would suggest that there are far more beneficial technological enhancements and modifications that could be done instead.

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Zujenia asked a whopping fifteen questions this month!

• Are you feeling lucky?

  • Yes, always! Except when I am not.

• If Lucine could get a custom patterned case for her datapad, what would it be?

  • It would be brown leather, with a hand-tooled geometric design along the edges.

• Gathering from recent ACC fights, how would Lucine rate the following items in importance? Her datapad, nail file, and a gang contact.

  • Her datapad first, because it is not only a useful tool, but it is also her security blanket. Gang contacts are second, because you never know when you might need to phone a friend. A nail file comes in third, because she has her manicure technician on speed dial.

• What is Lucine's favorite breakfast? Both in her ability to make, and outside her ability.

  • Her favorite breakfast is tea, toast, two sunny-side up eggs, and some sort of fruit. As for what she can prepare? Well… she is almost good enough to boil water without starting a fire, so I guess it would just be tea. We are slowly making progress!

• Decipher this, redhead! 'Ykt spo hoqr hoqrqeqmpolreao!'

  • Do you want a hint for question #5? “Shadow is incorporated”.
  • The answer turned out to be “You are best bestsisprentice!” Yes, Zuji, yes you are!

• How does Lucine feel about her immediate boss dropping in and requesting to aid on a mission? Even giving in to the btl's command?

  • Well, since it is really not smart to say no to your boss without a very good reason, of course Zuji is welcome along! ‘Teamwork makes the dream work’, and all that.

• Where should we hold the Awesome Bestsisprentice showdown? With the inclusion of Juli, how we gonna do this, tournament till the victor is decided? :p

  • I think we should hold the showdown in the Arcona Citadel Cantina. After all, why deny people a show, especially since we are drafting Kordath to be the ring-dude? There might be some good betting opportunities, after all. Since we are throwing Juli into the mix, I would favor a no-holds barred three-way competition, with the last one standing being the victor.

• What childhood possession does/would Lucine hold onto for life if she could?

  • Though it’s less a childhood possession and more of a family heirloom, Lucine has an emerald necklace that once belonged to her mother. She wants to hold onto it to serve as a reminder that people, even family, will always take advantage of you if they are given the chance.

• Any juicy phobias? Pray tell!

  • None that she has encountered yet. But that’s the awful thing about phobias; you often don’t know you have them until you are confronted with them for the first time.

• How does Lucine keep a wide, diverse and individualized group under her control?

  • A combination of wit, charm, subterfuge, manipulation and the occasional mind trick.

• What advice do you believe is the most important to give to a new member?

  • The DB offers a wide variety of things to do, and an even wider variety of people to interact with. For maximum fun, do not be afraid to dive in and try everything. It may seem daunting, but it is totally worth it.

• What is the one question Lucine doesn't want to ask herself?

  • How many of her problems would have been avoided if she did not have such a negative opinion of people?

In Closing...

Yeah, I pretty much had to do it.

That’s it for this month! As always, if you have any questions, concerns or just want to chat, feel free to contact me via email ([Log in to view e-mail addresses]) or on Telegram (@LucineVasano).

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