text:
		The Time I Found Love In A Senior Citizen –By Aaron Brooks

	Her Tinged Ciggerate’s heat radiated off into the back of my neck. I could feel her Presence. I couldn’t help but stare. Both me and my mother’s eyes were fixed on the slow burning Marlboro in her hand and the smoke that spit up her wrist.
“I’m A Libertarian, I don’t like to be told what to do.”
She observed my mom, down to the heartbeat. As did I. We both hated everything my mom did. We both hated being told what to do by my mothers all seeing eyes.
	She wasn’t the type of Libertarian who complains about Guantanamo Bay. She’s The Kind Of Libertarian who fucking drops Acid and goes to musical festivals. The epitimy of cool. Everything boring old me needed. Not only did she not have an opinion on Free trade economics SHE DIDN’T GIVE A FLYING FUCK ABOUT FREE TRADE ECONOMICS. She smoked weed on the hood of homeland security vehicals.
	The 14 in me wanted to end my conversation with her. Drugs, fun and freedom had taken there sweet toll on her body. Her hair was frizzed her clothes slightly tattered.  For being at the Jewish religious ceremony centered around death her shoeless feet dancing was quite the practice of someone celebrating life.  She was what a 65 year old women should be physically yet somehow she had redefined sexy for me in thirty seconds. We didn’t say much after that except small talk about “The fucking Bastard” known as Mayor Bloomberg. Everything she Said held so much weight. After our conversation came to a sad conclusion I mulled over her words like a priest reading the book of Mathew. I spent the rest of the night eating salled debating wether to go talk to her or not. I knew I would once have these debates with myself I didn’t know they’d would be about talking to someone who probably spent her morning opening social security checks. At a Shiva for all places! As if my pedophilic fantasies couldn’t get any worse, they had to be during a week that’s supposed to be filled with depression and tears.
	I looked all around the party for her, I curled around all the corners of the house. Elevating myself above tables scanning across the circles of people looking for her. Sometimes I saw her, but than she would be gone and disappear into another women. Some moments I would see her twice, at other times it seemed she never existed.
	Well fuck. She’s gone. I had my chance; I could have gone back to her house and talked into the morning. We could have drank, laughed and loved.
			KIDS THESE DAYS- Muriel Frumberg
	I had to get out of that shiva. My brother died for fucks sake, I can’t have one night of griping and smoking. This boy and his mother whom I had never met before came up to me wish me good luck or some shit. And they both stay fixated on the cigerates I was lighting back to back. People say they don’t care how you look, that’s bullshit. His mom looked so scared that I was talking to her son. Turns out this kid is some kind of Libertarian as well, he tried talking drones with me. Pathetic. I was minding my business my brother had just died. It was not the appropriate time for foreign policy discussion for fucks sake.
	You should have seen this kid. He was fucking weird. His eyes constantly were shifting around. He didn’t let people walk behind him. If you left the fucking boy alone for a second he would start mumbling to himself.
	I couldn’t help but feel bad for him. This kid’s definitely got something fucking wrong with him, probably have to do with something with his shitty bitch of a mother.
	THE NEXT IS A TEXT CONVERSATION AARON’S MOM AND DAD
DAVID: How was Shiva.
SARAH: It was good. Jean says “hi”.
Aaron was acting a little weird.
I think he was talking to voices again.
DAVID: What exactly was he doing
Or saying?
SARAH: He was talking about an old woman
He was talking to “her” about drones and
Mayor Bloomberg. He introduced me to her.
It was all very eerie.
DAVID: What else is there to do?
More therapy? More meds? What?
SARAH: Part of me says yes. However,
This is the first time I’ve seen Aaron
Happy in a long time.
DAVID: Are you suggesting we just
Let him live in his own little universe?
SARAH: Maybe just until the school
Year starts up again?
DAVID: Are you fucking insane? I think
We should send him back to the psych ward.
He’s obviously depressed.

title: I'm a 14 year old with the beginning signs of schizophrenia. Also i'd be happy to translate any Hebrew words (used minimally).

question: Was the old woman real?

answer: It seems like the old woman might have not been real. While there is a section of the text seemingly from her perspective, the section from Aaron's parent's perspective suggests that she might have just been imaginary.

question: Why does Aaron want to find the old woman again?

answer: Aaron wants to find the old woman to initiate a romantic relationship with her.


split: train

text:
Earth's orbit within the sun's habitable zone means its temperatures are just right for life. But icy worlds located within their star's habitable zone may abruptly skip from too cold to too hot without going through a habitable stage, a new study finds.

The finding suggests that there may be fewer potentially habitable worlds than scientists previously thought, the researchers said.

Whereas Venus seems too hot for life and Mars seems too cold, Earth lies between Venus and Mars, where temperatures have the potential to be just right for its surface to possess liquid water. This "Goldilocks" zone is also known as the habitable zone, because on Earth, there is life virtually wherever there is liquid water.

Stars like the sun brighten over time. This raises the possibility that a planet or moon that starts out cold and icy around a young dim star, such as early Earth, may eventually warm to a stable habitable state as the star grows more luminous. [How Habitable Zones for Alien Planets and Stars Work (Infographic)]

However, the new study finds that some planets may go directly from a Mars-like icehouse stage to a Venus-like hothouse phase, bypassing Earth-like habitable conditions.

"Previously, studies suggested that icy planets and moons, such as [Jupiter's moon] Europa, will become habitable for life after their surface ice or snow melts," said study lead author Jun Yang, of Peking University in Beijing. "Our work shows that this will not happen."

The climate of a water-rich planet depends on at least two factors. One is how much ice covers its surface. Ice has a high albedo, meaning it reflects much of the light that falls onto it back to space before the light can warm the planet's surface. In this way, the ice cools the planet, which leads to the formation of more ice and makes the planet even colder. The second factor is the amount of water vapor in the planet's atmosphere; water vapor is a greenhouse gas that traps heat, warming a planet, which leads more water to evaporate and makes the planet even warmer.

The albedo of ice plays a dominant role in the climate of icy planets. A 2004 study suggested that Earth escaped a possible "snowball phase" because the sun brightened over time and because volcanic activity on Earth released carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that helped the planet retain heat.

In contrast, many icy bodies, such as Jupiter's moon Europa and Saturn's moon Enceladus, do not release large amounts of greenhouse gases via volcanoes. As such, researchers wanted to see how these worlds evolved if they had only the light of their stars to help warm them.

In the new study, the scientists developed a global climate model that simulated the evolution of the climate of an icy planet lacking greenhouse gases other than water vapor. This 3D computer model included multiple layers of the atmosphere, as well as winds and their effects on temperatures, clouds, water vapor, snow and ice, according to the study.

The researchers found that, without the presence of greenhouse gases besides water vapor, icy bodies needed a lot of energy from their stars before they started melting — about 10 to 40 percent more than Earth gets from the sun. When the ice finally did melt in simulations, the resulting drop in albedo made these worlds much warmer very quickly. This rapid warming often led to greenhouse stages in which most or all of the water oceans vaporized, rendering these worlds uninhabitable for water-based life as it is known on Earth.

"The finding suggests the number of potentially habitable planets and moons may be less than previously estimated, especially for small icy planets and icy moons," Yang told Space.com.

The paper detailing the new findings was published online July 31 in the journal Nature Geoscience.

_Follow Charles Q. Choi on Twitter @cqchoi. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+.Original article on Space.com._

Recent news

{{ articleName }}

question: What planets are mentioned in this document?

answer: Venus, Mars, Earth, Jupiter, and Saturn

question: What finding suggests there may be fewer potentially habitable worlds than scientists previously thought?

answer: Icy worlds located within their star's habitable zone may abruptly skip from too cold to too hot without going through a habitable stage.

question: What are the two factors a water-rich planet depends on?

answer: One is how much ice covers its surface and the second is the amount of water vapor in the planet's atmosphere.

question: How do some planets go directly from a Mars-like icehouse stage to a Venus-like hothouse phase?

answer: It depends on the amount of ice covering the surface and the amount of water vapor in the planet's atmosphere. When ice melts from high albedo it makes worlds much warmer very quickly. This rapid warming can lead to greenhouse stages where water oceans vaporize.

question: What is an albedo?

answer: Albedo has to do with light reflection. A high albedo reflects much of the light that falls onto it back to space before the light can warm the planet's surface.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: At the time of the document, there was a finding that icy worlds located within their star's habitable zone may abruptly skip from too cold to too hot without going through a habitable stage. This means that there are less habitable worlds than previously thought by scientists. The document discusses these findings.


text:
Apologies if another genre tag would have been more appropriate, but I'm not sure exactly how to classify this.

The universe in which this excerpt takes place is an alternate-history fantasy dieselpunk North Korea in which mythological creatures are factory farmed for materials, food and alchemical drugs to enhance the lifespan and capabilities of the elite. This particular story was inspired by a post on /r/writingprompts, but the setting is something I've been working on for quite a while.

I'd really appreciate any critique you can give me.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Ryugyong Hotel, 97th floor
Pyongyang
May 6th 2004

She looked absolutely majestic. Chestnut curls spilled halfway down the tanned flesh of her back. Her eyes were iridescent viridian and her face youthful, with rounded cheeks and a strong nose and daubed with mottled warpaint in thick curved lines that cradled her delicate features. Lacy olive fabric hugged her bust and stomach, a single opaque tube from collarbone to waist.

Her legs were not in fact legs at all but the body of a vast deer with flanks of rich mahogany fur and great hooved legs. Her back was spotted with patches of cream and a bushy tail the shape of a tapered bulb sprang from her rear. She gripped a staff carved in a tight spiral and ornamented with a dozen mystical woods.

“I am Nayeli the huntress, great fertility goddess of the plains, and I demand that you cease your exploitation of the great creatures gifted unto you lest I be forced to crush you and all of your foul mechanisms.”

He laughed, the throaty chuckle of a man both cruel and wise, and then Kim Il-Sung spoke. “You expect that we would forsake our great wealth, our great power, this glorious civilisation, at the whims of a feeble goddess?”

He wore a greatcoat of crimson hydra-scales (in effect a rich, heatproof leather) festooned with communist iconography and riveted steel reinforcements. It formed not only protection from the elements but also a sort of flexible exoskeleton that worked with the cocktail of extraordinary reagents coursing through his system to vastly enhance his fighting capabilities even unarmed. Its tiny diesels belched black smoke behind him.

Frustrated, she snarled, and the two figures dove forward.

Enchanted staff clashed with protective steel and magelight bathed the enhanced-concrete structure of the building. She sprang back, surprised by his tenacity, and he advanced relentlessly. Despite being ninety-two years of age, he maintained the physique and determination of a man barely forty, and the first clash was followed by a second and third wish the same conclusion. The combination of mythical scales and machined metal easily outmatched the primitive magic of the goddesses’ staff, and she was driven back blow after blow.

“You see.” He spoke comfortably, as if deflecting her blows barely tired him. “I am supreme leader Kim Il-Sung, eternal president of the republic, commander of the Korean People’s Army and herald of the great mythological revolution.” A flourish of his wrist and her weapon crackled with the sound of strained wood.

The hotel was formed from a trio of upright triangles fused to a central column in a sort of ‘Y’ shape, and she’d already backed half the length of her ‘wing’. “NO!” Her voice was strained, desperate. “You cannot defile the world in this way! I cannot allow you to do this!”

“Fool. You don’t have a choice.” Another step forward and one arm deflected her blow while the other delivered a punch to her gut. She doubled over in pain and slid backwards almost two meters. The angled glass was only a few meters behind her now, thick and uncompromising. Pretty soon she’d be trapped between her relentless opponent and the three-hundred-meter plunge to the concrete below. There was no way either of them could survive a drop like that…

She had a plan, at least.

His next two blows failed to connect as she darted backwards, no further effort to assail her opponent, and as she’d hoped the brief lack of contact frustrated her opponent. He dashed at her, drug-fuelled muscles lending a burst of speed, and her attempt to dodge was futile. The supreme leader crashed hard against her lower body and smashed her against the unyielding glass, but that failed to interrupt her. With a pained roll she flipped their positions such that he was closest to the windows, and he eyes we squeezed tightly shut and incantations spilled from her lips and she was smashing the staff hard against the ground.

The whole building rocked from the force of the blast as her weapon was completely vaporized. As thick as it was the glass shattered instantly, spilling a cascade of white fragments down the side of the building.

He was not so easily crushed. Though the force of the blast had thrown him from the window he’d kept a firm grasp of her leg, and now *both* of them tumbled faster and faster on the almost-vertical glass. Without her staff she was defenceless, however.

*Crack*
Her nose broke.
*Crack*
Now her jaw.
*Crack*
Her ribs splintered and buckled as well.
*Crack*
He struck her temple, hard, and she slid dizzily backwards off the side of the ‘wing’ and plummeted vertically towards the ground and then he was scrabbling for purchase against the smooth glass and not finding any.

title: [SP] Two 'gods' clash in a present-day city

question: Where is this story set?

answer: The story is set in an alternative version of North Korea. In this world mythological creatures are harvested. The Supreme Leader Kim Il-Sung speaks of a "Mythological Revolution."


text:
“The world knew its mother was returning. It began to prepare like a bird protects its nest or as a mother deer eats her baby’s waste. Everything changed before anyone realized it was changing. At some time, somebody thought the globe was heating up too much. It was like a comforting flame in the fireplace, though, and not the suicidal oven everyone predicted. Just one more thing for her it was later seen. The disease was nature’s greatest sacrifice. So many things changed then.

“The disease mostly just killed humans. It would break them down and turn their insides to water before they died. Most plants became inedible to humans. But, if you did eat them, you caught the disease, although animals seemed unharmed. The spirits of animals were awakened as they hadn’t been in many years. It seemed rabbits and squirrels scurried everywhere, that bears and wolves were twice as big and fearless. The deer were the uniquely altered. The herds grew and they relearned an old tongue, unspoken for generations. Their eerie clicks and chirps pealed through the forest each evening.

“Most affected were still the humans. Certainly, a great many died from the disease, but those who didn’t were the Callisto of progress—something far more mystical than what was called evolution, but betterment nonetheless. Indians got sick, but none died. One night, deer came into the reservation towns, snorting ancient rhythms like the drums. Indians woke up. Their bones felt the old songs, and everyone sang. The sick were healed. The old ways returned.

“The United States’ Department of Natural Resources studied the first changes curiously. Soon, it became apparent that nature was being reshaped into something unknown. They began massive conservation efforts to preserve everything as it had been. At first, they tried to control pollution and invasive animals, but after the disease that had to be abandoned. There were not enough people left. Then, when it became apparent that wild game was the sole source of food, the DNR found its leverage. It seemed as if a Senate or President hardly mattered anymore, it was the DNR whom the citizens obeyed.

“Now in control, the DNR doubled its conservation efforts. Studying whatever they had the resources for, they discovered that they hated what nature was doing. They wondered what had happened to forests of concrete and stars of streetlights. Despite what nature was doing elsewhere, the DNR in patches prevailed preserving things as they had been and always fighting for more. They wanted conservation above all things, the conservation of what had passed away.

“Then, Mother returned. No one knew she was coming, but we should have known the signs. The DNR called her a demon; we loved her as a god. She would guide us, give us counsel. The old ways had brought her back. She blessed us and taught us about our new world. She would say, ‘How beautiful is this world! Would you do anything to protect it?’

“The DNR met with her early on, to try and make out what she intended. It was not hard for them to understand that she wanted nature to prosper. She saw their conservation as a mother sees her child’s first art. Obviously threatened, the DNR began attacking. They would burn forests and kill animals. Once, after they had slaughtered most of a herd of deer, some Indians joined in the survivors song of mourning.

“I’m not sure if the DNR had forgotten the people living off of the land, but they were surprised. They invited us into their cities, assuming we would be with them. But, how could we desert the mother? She came and she told us, ‘We must protect this world! Would you die for me?’ And we would die for her. We began attacking DNR agents in the forests. We never went to their cities, because there were too many of them.

“A war of sorts began. They saw us as minions of a demon trying to destroy nature. So, they began fighting back. People died on every side. But, Mother urged us, ‘You are protecting the world! Don’t I deserve your life?’ We all gave our lives. Every living Indian came together. We fought and we died. Because I was too old, I just remembered. I saw the story and wrote the songs, even though there is no one left for me to pass it onto. Mother came to me and said, ‘The world has been saved! Go and tell the enemy of your victory.’

“So, I walked for a week to come to you. No one had told me how many of you had been killed. It was another week before I even saw traces of anyone. I thought maybe I was alone in this world. But, tonight you found me as I was eating this meal. Now you have heard my story.”

Billy Little-Fawn sat on the ground next to a pit of embers. The bones of a rabbit had been thrown into a hole. He intended to bury it before he left. A weary DNR agent, watched an old man who could not escape tell his story. He looked at the agent, who smiled showing small pieces of leaves stuck in his teeth. Billy covered his hole. Then, the DNR agent shot him between the eyes. Afterward, he staggered away. He threw himself on the ground to sleep. Something like sweat seeped from his pours, and the man never woke up.

“That’s the last of them,” said Mother.

title: That's the Last of Them

question: What was the difference between what scientists predicted about climate change and the reality?

answer: Rather than the earth heating up into an unbearable cauldron, it became more like a comforting flame in the fireplace.

question: Why was wild game the sole source of food after the proliferation of disease?

answer: Because animals were not susceptible to the disease.

question: What was the main difference between the narrator's view of the changing nature of the earth and the DNR's view?

answer: The DNR does not like what nature is changing into and is working towards the conservation of what was, while the narrator is embracing the change.

question: Why did some humans survive the disease?

answer: No one knows.

question: Write a ~8 sentence summary.

answer: Global warming happened, however, it was not the suicidal oven that most expected. It was more of a comfortable flame in the fireplace. With it came a disease that affected both plants and humans. The animals were untouched and became the primary source of food. Also, not all humans succumbed to the disease. Those who survived rose against those who are trying to conserve the ways of the old. They rose against those who want to preserve skyscrapers and cities. The two factions fought over their beliefs.


text:
RAOUL II OF NESLE (died 1160), son of Raoul I, Seigneur of Nesle, and his wife Rainurde. Châtelain of Nesle and Bruges. Third generation of the House of Nesle.

Raoul was brother to Yves II, Count of Soissons, and supported his donation of the chapel of Beaulieu to the abbey of Soissons (presumably the Abbey of St. Medard, Soissons, rebuilt in 1131 by Pope Innocent II). Raoul was allied with Thierry, Count of Flanders, and signed a charter in which the latter donated property to the town of Saint-Omer.[1]

Raoul married Gertrude de Montaigu, daughter of Lambert, Count of Montaigu and Clermont, and his wife [either the daughter of Henry III, Count of Louvain, or Giselbert, Count of Clermont]. Raoul and Gertrude had four children:

-   Conon, Count of Soissons
-   John of Nesle (d. 1200), Châtelain of Bruges, Seigneur of Nesle, Falvy, and Hérelle
-   Raoul le Bon, Count of Soissons
-   Baudouin of Nesle.

The children of Raoul and Gertrude were members of both the House of Nesle and the House of Clermont.

Sources

Dormay, C., _Histoire de la ville de Soissons et de ses rois, ducs, comtes et gouverneurs_, Soissons, 1664 (available on Google Books)

[1]

title: Raoul II of Nesle

question: When did Raoul II of Nesle die?

answer: 1160

question: Who did Raoul II of Nesle marry?

answer: Gertrude de Montaigu

question: Where was Raoul II of Nesle from?

answer: the article does not answer this question

question: Who was Pope Innocent II?

answer: the article does not answer this question

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: Raoul II of Nesle was the brother of Yves II, Count of Soissons, and supported his donation of the chapel of Beaulieu to the abbey of Soissons.


text:
_NOVALENA_ is a genus of North American and Caribbean funnel weavers first described by R. V. Chamberlin & Wilton Ivie in 1942.[1]

Species

it contains fifty-three species:[2]

-   _N. ajusco_ Maya-Morales & Jiménez, 2017 – Mexico
-   _N. alamo_ Maya-Morales & Jiménez, 2017 – Mexico
-   _N. alvarezi_ Maya-Morales & Jiménez, 2017 – Mexico
-   _N. annamae_ (Gertsch & Davis, 1940) – Mexico
-   _N. approximata_ (Gertsch & Ivie, 1936) – Mexico, Costa Rica
-   _N. attenuata_ (F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1902) – Mexico, Guatemala
-   _N. atzimbo_ Maya-Morales & Jiménez, 2017 – Mexico
-   _N. bipartita_ (Kraus, 1955) – El Salvador
-   _N. bipunctata_ Roth, 1967 – Mexico, Trinidad
-   _N. bosencheve_ Maya-Morales & Jiménez, 2017 – Mexico
-   _N. calavera_ Chamberlin & Ivie, 1942 – USA
-   _N. chamberlini_ Maya-Morales & Jiménez, 2017 – Mexico
-   _N. cieneguilla_ Maya-Morales & Jiménez, 2017 – Mexico
-   _N. cintalapa_ Maya-Morales & Jiménez, 2017 – Mexico
-   _N. clara_ Maya-Morales & Jiménez, 2017 – Mexico
-   _N. comaltepec_ Maya-Morales & Jiménez, 2017 – Mexico
-   _N. costata_ (F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1902) – Costa Rica
-   _N. creel_ Maya-Morales & Jiménez, 2017 – Mexico
-   _N. dentata_ Maya-Morales & Jiménez, 2017 – Mexico
-   _N. divisadero_ Maya-Morales & Jiménez, 2017 – Mexico
-   _N. durango_ Maya-Morales & Jiménez, 2017 – Mexico
-   _N. franckei_ Maya-Morales & Jiménez, 2017 – Mexico
-   _N. garnica_ Maya-Morales & Jiménez, 2017 – Mexico
-   _N. gibarrai_ Maya-Morales & Jiménez, 2017 – Mexico
-   _N. intermedia_ (Chamberlin & Gertsch, 1930) – Canada, USA
-   _N. irazu_ Maya-Morales & Jiménez, 2017 – Costa Rica
-   _N. iviei_ Maya-Morales & Jiménez, 2017 – Mexico
-   _N. ixtlan_ Maya-Morales & Jiménez, 2017 – Mexico
-   _N. jiquilpan_ Maya-Morales & Jiménez, 2017 – Mexico
-   _N. laticava_ (Kraus, 1955) – El Salvador
-   _N. leonensis_ Maya-Morales & Jiménez, 2017 – Mexico
-   _N. lutzi_ (Gertsch, 1933) – USA
-   _N. mexiquensis_ Maya-Morales & Jiménez, 2017 – Mexico
-   _N. oaxaca_ Maya-Morales & Jiménez, 2017 – Mexico
-   _N. orizaba_ (Banks, 1898) – Mexico
-   _N. paricutin_ Maya-Morales & Jiménez, 2017 – Mexico
-   _N. perote_ Maya-Morales & Jiménez, 2017 – Mexico
-   _N. plata_ Maya-Morales & Jiménez, 2017 – USA
-   _N. poncei_ Maya-Morales & Jiménez, 2017 – Mexico
-   _N. popoca_ Maya-Morales & Jiménez, 2017 – Mexico
-   _N. prieta_ Maya-Morales & Jiménez, 2017 – Mexico
-   _N. puebla_ Maya-Morales & Jiménez, 2017 – Mexico
-   _N. punta_ Maya-Morales & Jiménez, 2017 – Mexico
-   _N. rothi_ Maya-Morales & Jiménez, 2017 – USA
-   _N. saltoensis_ Maya-Morales & Jiménez, 2017 – Mexico
-   _N. shlomitae_ (García-Villafuerte, 2009) – Mexico
-   _N. simplex_ (F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1902) – Mexico, Guatemala
-   _N. sinaloa_ Maya-Morales & Jiménez, 2017 – Mexico
-   _N. tacana_ Maya-Morales & Jiménez, 2017 – Mexico, Guatemala
-   _N. triunfo_ Maya-Morales & Jiménez, 2017 – Mexico
-   _N. valdezi_ Maya-Morales & Jiménez, 2017 – Mexico
-   _N. victoria_ Maya-Morales & Jiménez, 2017 – Mexico
-   _N. volcanes_ Maya-Morales & Jiménez, 2017 – Mexico

[1]

[2]

title: Novalena

question: What is Novalena?

answer: Novalena is a genus of North American and Caribbean funnel weavers first described by R. V. Chamberlin & Wilton Ivie.

question: How many species does Novalena contain?

answer: Novalena contains thirty-five species in all.

question: When was Novalena described?

answer: Novalena was described in 1942.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: Novalena is a genus of North American


text:
JENNIFER JOHNSTON (born 12 January 1930) is an Irish novelist. She has won a number of awards, including the Whitbread Book Award for _The Old Jest_ in 1979 and a Lifetime Achievement from the Irish Book Awards (2012). _The Old Jest_, a novel about the Irish War of Independence, was later made into a film called _The Dawning_, starring Anthony Hopkins, produced by Sarah Lawson and directed by Robert Knights.[1]

Biography

She was born in Dublin to Irish actress and director Shelah Richards and Irish playwright Denis Johnston.[2] A cousin of actress and film star Geraldine Fitzgerald, via Fitzgerald's mother, Edith (née Richards), Jennifer Johnston was educated at Trinity College Dublin,[3]. For decades, she has lived in Derry, Northern Ireland, and currently lives near Dublin.[4] Other cousins include the actresses Tara Fitzgerald and Susan Fitzgerald.[5][6]

Johnston was born into the Church of Ireland and many of her novels deal with the fading of the Protestant Anglo-Irish ascendancy in the 20th century. She married a fellow student at Trinity College, Ian Smyth, in 1951.[7] Johnston is a member of Aosdána.[8]

Awards and honours

-   2012 Irish Book Awards Lifetime Achievement Award[9]
-   2006 Irish PEN Award
-   1989 Giles Cooper Awards for _O Ananias, Azarias and Misael_
-   1979 Whitbread Book Award for _The Old Jest_ in 1979
-   1977 Booker Prize shortlist for _Shadows on our Skin_
-   1973 Authors' Club First Novel Award for _The Captains and the Kings_

List of works

Novels

-   _The Captains and the Kings_ (1972), winner of the Author's Club First Novel Award
-   _The Gates_ (1973)
-   _How Many Miles to Babylon?_ (1974)
-   _Shadows on Our Skin_ (1977), shortlisted for the Booker Prize
-   _The Old Jest_ (1979), winner of a Whitbread Book Award for 1979
-   _The Nightingale and Not the Lark_ (1980)
-   _The Christmas Tree_ (1981)
-   _The Railway Station Man_ (1984)
-   _Fool's Sanctuary_ (1987)
-   _The Invisible Worm_ (1991)
-   _The Illusionist_ (1995)
-   _Three Monologues: "Twinkletoes", "Musn't Forget High Noon", "Christine"_ (1995)
-   _The Desert Lullaby_ (1996)
-   _Finbar's Hotel_, edited by Dermot Bolger (1997) (Contributor)
-   _Two Moons_ (1998)
-   _The Essential Jennifer Johnston_ (1999) (contains _The Captains and the Kings_, _The Railway Station Man_, and _Fool's Sanctuary_)
-   _Great Irish Stories of Murder and Mystery_ (2000) (Contributor)
-   _The Gingerbread Woman_ (2000)
-   _Mondschatten_ (2000)
-   _This is not a Novel_ (2002)
-   _Grace and Truth_ (2005)
-   _Foolish Mortals_ (2007)
-   _Truth or Fiction_ (2009)
-   _Shadowstory_ (2011)
-   _Fathers and Son_ (2012)
-   _A Sixpenny Song_ (2013)
-   _Naming the Stars_ (2015)

Plays

-   _The Nightingale and Not the Lark_ (1981)
-   _Indian Summer_ (1983)
-   _Andante un Poco Mosso_, in _The Best Short Plays 1983_ (1983)
-   _The Porch_ (1986)
-   _The Desert Lullaby: A Play in Two Acts_ (1996)
-   _The Christmas Tree: A Play in Two Acts_ (2015)

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5] Michael Coveney, “Susan FitzGerald obituary”, _The Guardian_, 10 September 2013.

[6] Maureen Paton, “Tara Fitzgerald: Naked ambition” (profile), _The Independent_, 2 May 2003.

[7]

[8]

[9]

title: Jennifer Johnston

question: What does the article say about Jennifer Johnston's achievements?

answer: She's the recipient of the Whitebread Book Award for her novel The Old Jest in 1979 and a Lifetime Achievement from the Irish Book Awards in 2012. She has four other awards and honors to her name, spanning five decades.

question: What does the article say about the plays Johnston wrote?


text:
CORVO ATTANO is a fictional character of Arkane Studios' _Dishonored_ universe. He is the lead protagonist in _Dishonored_, one of two playable protagonists in _Dishonored 2_, and has appeared in multiple _Dishonored_ fictional works, including a comic series, and the first published book of a trilogy of novels announced in 2016.

Background

In the _Dishonored_ universe, Corvo was born 25th Day, Month of Nets, 1798 in Karnaca, Serkonos to a lower-class family.[1] His father was killed in a logging accident while Corvo was young. He became estranged from his sister Beatrici, and mother who died, as revealed in the second and third editions of the comics, before Corvo left his birthplace to travel to Dunwall.[2][3]

At the age of 16 he won a fighting tournament, the Blade Verbena, for which he was awarded a military rank as officer.[4]

At the beginning of the first game, the player is introduced to Corvo serving as a body guard, known as Lord Protector, for the character, Jessamine, who is Empress of the game's fictional monarchy.[5] When the empress is assassinated, Corvo is blamed for her murder, making him ostensibly, the first Royal Protector in history to do so.[6] He is imprisoned and tortured for six months, before escaping.[7] The plot of the game proceeds with Corvo a “wanted exile, hunted by those who arranged the regicide.”[8]

Throughout the plot, it is implied that Corvo previously had a private intimate relationship with Jessamine, and that he was the father of Jessamine's daughter, Emily Kaldwin. This is later confirmed in the second game, and expounded upon in the intergame comic series and novel.[9][10][11]

As the second game progresses, Corvo and his daughter are confronted by Jessamine's purported half-sister, Delilah, who serves as the game's main antagonist.[12]

Development

The early development of the character was based on 17th century London attire, and was similar in appearance to that of the character Garrett from the game series _Thief_. The original concept was abandoned as the universe developed into its eventual form, described as “whalepunk”.[13]

_Dishonored_

The character of Corvo develops throughout the first game based largely on the decisions made throughout, with Emily reacting to Corvo's moral decisions through her drawings.[14] According to Harvey Smith:

  We got contacted by so many players who told us that they literally changed the way they played after they came back from a particularly violent mission and saw that Emily had posted up these disturbed drawings in black crayon[15]

It is possible, through decisions made by players through the game, to arrive at multiple possible endings. However, subsequent publications leading to the setting of the second game, revealed the most extreme possible “high chaos” ending was not considered canon by the developers.[16] Regarding canon, Smith said “we tend to pick elements that we like as canon.”[17]

_The Dunwall Archives_

Corvo appears repeatedly in the graphic novel _Dishonored: The Dunwall Archives_, released by Dark Horse Comics.[18] This includes multiple entries in the book's opening timeline, an excerpt from the historical record of government positions and ranks, and a reproduction of his wanted poster, advertising a reward of 30,000 coins, and decrying that “The offenses of this man are high crimes under the laws of the City Watch of Dunwall and the edicts of our brave Lord Regent in these times of peril.”[19]

According to the timeline provided in the book, Corvo is named Royal Protector on the 7th Day of the Month of Songs, 1817 at the age of 19, and six years later, the two become lovers on the 2nd of Rain, 1823.[20] Corvo is then marked by the outsider following Jessamine's death in the year 1837, making the character aged 39 at the beginning of the first game.

_The Wyrmwood Deceit_

Corvo serves the leading role in a comic mini-series by Gordon Rennie and Andrea Olimpieri, entitled _Dishonored: The Wyrmwood Deceit_, released August 3 through October 19, 2016. The full set was also released as a graphic novel collection on November 29 of the same year.[21][22] The series is set twelve years after the conclusion of the events of the first game, and centers on his attempts to find an apprentice to serve as his heir.[23]

The series opens showing Corvo involved in the selection and training of the city guard, while serving in his official capacity.[24] He then encounters city watch officer Martha Cottings, who he considers a potential candidate to be his heir.[25] In an ensuing battle with gang members, he discovers that a locket belonging to a boy member of the gang, contains a picture of his estranged sister.[26] This leads Corvo on his central mission of the series of investigating the nature of the picture.

The series explores Corvo's personality more deeply through the use of thought captions.[27] The first issue received an overall rating of 7.5 from _CGMagazine_[28]

_The Corroded Man_

In the game-inspired book by Adam Christopher, _Dishonored: The Corroded Man_, Corvo trains and fights alongside his daughter Emily, when an escaped prisoner reforms the Whalers gang, originally responsible for the assassination of the Empress.[29] In writing the novel, Christopher coordinated with writers of the games, to ensure continuity of the canon.[30][31]

_Corroded Man_ confirmed the low chaos outcome of the first game as canon.[32] It also addressed multiple intermediate decisions where Corvo favored non-lethal decision making.[33] Waverly Boyle, one of three possible randomized targets for Corvo during the first game, is cemented as the canon objective. Corvo in fact chose to have her kidnapped, and all three sisters survive the mission. The character Slackjaw, appearing in the book, reveals that the character was rescued by the canon Corvo, who consequently, made the decision to kill his captor, Granny Rags. Similarly, Geoff Curnow, who appears in the book, must necessarily have been saved by Corvo in the game.[34]

_NZ Gamer_ praised the novel, saying “As a standalone novel, The Corroded Man is good. Compared to other gaming related novels, it’s truly excellent.”[35] As of 2016 two additional novels are planned.[36]

_Dishonored 2_

[Actors portraying Corvo and Emily at Paris Games Week 2016] In the second game, where Corvo is one of two playable characters, he appears 15 years older than at the conclusion of the first, and the story progresses with the other playable character, Emily Kaldwin, his daughter, having now grown into adulthood. Corvo now serves as Emily's Royal Protector and Spymaster. As creative director Harvey Smith addressed the dilemma posed by the interaction between the two, saying Corvo was "wondering how long he can keep protecting his daughter ... He knows that someday somebody’s going to come for her, because she’s the Empress, and she needs to be able to stand on her own.”[37]

During initial development of _Dishonored 2_, the sole protagonist was planned to be only Emily, but the decision was made to include Corvo due to the nostalgia the development team had for the character.[38] In this second game, some, such as _Fox News_ have observed Corvo is designed to favor a play style involving stealth and evasion in comparison to the abilities of Emily.[39] Other's have disagreed, such as James Davenport, writing for _PC Gamer_, saying “it’s not like Emily is The Stealth Character and Corvo is The Maniac” but adding that players should prefer Corvo who favor a play style of plotting precise movements, managing smaller groups of enemies, who would “rather hide in a corpse than clean your room”, and “want to see the silent protagonist made into a troubled, loving human.”[40]

Speaking of the development of the character in the second game, and the decision to fully voice the character, creative director Harvey Smith said:

  Before we kind of assumed certain things about Corvo, but that’s the strength and weakness of giving them a voice. Sometimes he says something and it might be different than what you assumed about him. He has a more assertive personality than before, so I feel like you have to know the character a bit better to write lines for him now.[41]

Writing of the visual updates to Corvo for the second game, developer Sergey Kolesov emphasized “Our main focus was on tailoring a new costume that fits his position in society but also reflects the assassin he becomes once more when the game starts.”[42]

Reception

In 2013, _Complex_ rated Corvo number thirty among “The 50 Most Badass Video Game Characters Of All Time”.[43] TGN named him sixth on their list of all-time best video game assassins, calling him a “perfect mix of silence and aggression,”[44] while Tim Horton of Creative.co, and senior writer for _Now Loading_, named him seventh in his same list for _Movie Pilot_.[45]

In their book, _The Dark Side of Game Play_, Mortensen, Linderoth, and Brown examine Corvo and his in-game actions as a motif revolving around vengeance. As they phrase the moral delimma posed by the character's actions: “Virtuous Corvo would not pursue personally motivated revenge but might find his actions justified due to the offenses committed.” They continue, emphasizing that vengeance is, "connected to a dark emotion because it is associated with a negative and often powerful sensation about wanting and believing that retaliation will make up for the injustice caused.[46]

Robert Rath, writing for _The Escapist_, saw Corvo as a man tested and tempted by a Satanic figure (the Outsider). Corvo is provided by the Outsider the tools and, with the Heart, the justifications for killing, with the gameplay incentivizing taking a more violent approach. Rath sees a low chaos Corvo as “a good man who holds onto his morals as the world beats him down”, in contrast to the higher chaos Corvo who gives into his “baser instincts”.[47]

In another article Rath, with contributions by Dr. Stephen Banks of the University of Reading, looked at Corvo's actions through the lens of British 18th and 19th century honor culture. They note that Corvo, despite being former Lord Protector, and the truth of his ousting being fully believed by Loyalist, is nonetheless referred to by first name even by servants, and in many ways treated like a servant, sent to run errands. They continue: “Corvo does all the tasks the blue bloods of the Loyalist Conspiracy are unable to perform because it might sully their reputations.” Finally they conclude that:

  Corvo's dishonor made him a useful tool to the Loyalists, that his work for them debased his reputation further, and that ultimately, the Loyalist leaders found out - to their eventual ruin - that Corvo didn't play by their elegant rules.[48]

Voicing

Unlike other characters in the first game, Corvo remains silent during all conversations.[49] Corvo was left deliberately “blank”, allowing the player to decide on his motivations depending on their playstyle. During alpha, the developers experimented with giving the player some text input options, though this was not developed further.[50]

According to co-creators Raphael Colantonio and Harvey Smith, the choice to omit dialogue in the original incarnation, was an attempt to allow players to develop his personality through their own actions, and avoid incorporating elements into dialogue which may conflict with those choices. “If we portrayed Corvo angry and seeking revenge, it might offend the non-lethal player who is seeking a stable outcome for Dunwall and vice versa.” [51]

_PC Gamer_, comparing Corvo to the silent protagonist of the _Half-Life_ series, Gordon Freeman, quoted Arkane writer Austin Grossman, saying:

  The difference between _Dishonored_ and how it works in _Half-Life 2_ is that it's a lot more personal. I think you get that involvement because the character has personal relationships with people from the beginning. And it's very clear that people have fucked with you in a very personal way.[52]

This motif is abandoned in media published following the first game, first through the use of thought captions in the comics, and culminated in _Dishonored 2_ where he was fully voiced by actor Stephen Russell, in a performance described as gruff.[53][54] According to Harvey Smith, the choice to voice the character lent a “different theme in the narrative sense, in the literary sense ... Corvo's an older guy, he's coming home for the first time to Serkonos. Emily is like an empress outlaw on the run, and she's young, she's 25. So their perspectives are very different.”[55]

Abilities

Along with the use of various weapons, Corvo gains access to special abilities, dubbed “a delight for fans of the macabre” by _The Washington Times_.[56] These allow the player greater freedom in navigating the games' objectives, and play central roles in the stories of the book and comic series.[57][58][59][60] His abilities are granted to him through his interaction with the character _The Outsider_, described in-game as “a figure of myth, neither good nor evil.”[61][62] Corvo's abilities introduced in the initial game, are continued through and expanded upon in the sequel.[63] According to lead designer Binga Bakaba, “Corvo comes back with all of his powers ... and what we wanted to do is not only put them in the new engine, but also find interesting tweaks or improvements to them.”[64]

-   BLINK - In the first game blink initially allows players to teleport a short distance, and can be subsequently upgraded to allow travel over greater distances. In the expansion, Knife of Dunwall, a modification was introduced for the ability as used by the character Daud, allowing players to freeze time. Dishonored 2 introduced additional mechanics allowing players to use the teleportation momentum as an attack, and to assassinate enemies through windows or over ledges.[65][66] _PC Gamer_ cited the ability blink as the inspiration behind similar abilities in the games Destiny and Deus Ex.[67]
-   DARK VISION - Dark vision initially allows players to see enemies through solid objects, and can be upgraded to reveal items.[68] The sequel introduced additional mechanics. The upgrade _Greater Dark Vision_ provides vision of objects and security systems, while the upgrade _Premonition_ provides vision of the routes of non-player characters.[69] In 2016 the satirical website, _Point and Click Bait_ published a story claiming a class action lawsuit had been filed in the Supreme Court of Dunwall, alleging overexposure to Dark Vision had given game characters cancer.[70]
-   DEVOURING SWARM - The devouring swarm ability summons rats which attack enemies and devour their bodies. This ability interacts with an overarching mechanic in the game, wherein, as the player progresses through the story, corpses left behind encourage deleterious infestations of insects throughout the game world. Upgrades available in Dishonored 2 allow for greater swarms, swarms that follow the player, and the ability to summon two swarms simultaneously.[71]
-   POSSESSION – With the use of this ability Corvo may possess other characters in the games, including animals and other humans, as well dead bodies, each unlocked in successive upgrades.[72] Additional modifications allow players to increase the maximum duration of the ability, and possess multiple characters in sequence.[73]
-   BEND TIME allows players to manipulate the passage of in-game, stopping or slowing it.[74] Alterations lend greater longevity to its use, and greater movement for its duration.[75] Writing for _Forbes_, Paul Tassi described Bend Time as “the most fun you can have”, and a principal reason to prefer Corvo as protagonist.[76]

Mask

Throughout Corvo's appearances he wears a mask to hide his identity for, as he himself phrased it in the third edition of the comic series “certain work that needed done”.[77] It also provides telescopic sight. In the fictional universe, it is designed by the inventor Piero Joplin, after a dream in which he sees “death itself”, as revealed in the final short film in the _Tales from Dunwall_ series.[78] For the development of the second game, the material of the mask was updated to be sewn metal, and to fit more closely.[79]

In 2013 Technically Magic Effects used the in-game model for the mask to develop a 3-D printed replica for competition, and in 2016 it was announced at E3 that the collectors edition of _Dishonored 2_ would include a 13.5 inch replica.[80][81] _Polygon_ and _IGN_ described it as “iconic”, and in 2013, _Game Informer_ named Corvo's mask as number four on their list of creepiest video game masks.[82][83][84] In their examination of beloved but unrecognized characters, _Games Radar_ observed, “The mask basically becomes his face, to the point that almost all the game's promotional material features it. In his world, it is the face of Death.”[85]

The mask was the inspiration behind the “Lacking Moral Fiber” purchasable hat in the game _Team Fortress 2_.[86]

Notes

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title: Corvo Attano

question: Who is Corvo Attano?

answer: He is a fictional character in the Dishonored universe - a set of video games, comics, and graphic novels from Arkane Studios. He is the lead protagonist in the game 'Dishonored' and one of two playable characters in 'Dishonored 2.'

question: What is Corvo's relationship with Empress Jessamine?

answer: Corvo served as a bodyguard or Lord Protector to Empress Jessamine. It was implied that they had a private intimate relationship that produced a daughter, Emily Kaldwin. Corvo was blamed for assassinating Jessamine, is tortured and jailed for six months before he was able to escape.

question: Summarize everything relating to Emily Kaldwin.

answer: Emily Kaldwin is Corvo and Jessamine's daughter and rightful heir to the throne. In Dishonored, Emily was still a little girl and Corvo did everything he could to keep her safe from those who killed her mother (Delilah, Jessamine's half-sister). In the game, Emily's drawings were affected by Corvo's actions (e.g. darker drawings when Corvo used lethal methods against enemies and vice-versa). In Dishonored 2, Emily is portrayed as an adult and is a playable character that uses a different play style to that of Corvo.

question: List Corvo's abilities in the game.

answer:
Blink - teleport short or greater distances.
Dark Vision - see enemies and objects through walls.
Devouring Swarm - summon rats that attack and devour enemies.
Possession - Corvo can take control of humans and animals in the game.
Bend Time - slow or stop time.

question: Write a ~6 sentence summary.

answer: Corvo Attano is a fictional character and lead protagonist in Dishonored, a video game from Arkane Studios set in the 'whalepunk' Dishonored universe. He is also one of two playable characters in the game's sequel, Dishonored 2. The story: Corvo was the bodyguard or Lord Protector and secret lover of Empress Jessamine. He got blamed when Jessamine was assassinated by Delilah's (her half-sister) men so Delilah could become the new empress. However, Corvo and Jessamine had a daughter, Emily Kaldwin, who is the rightful heir. Corvo does everything he can to protect Emily and expose those who were behind Jessamine's death, using otherworldly abilities granted to him by a mysterious character known as 'The Outsider."