Pharaoh RutinTutin

For more information regarding the inability of Immortals to cope with immortality, please refer to the legend of Wowbagger The Infinitely Prolonged. Or just ask him about it when he shows up to insult you.

But does she weigh the same as a Duck?

Edam, that was a gouda one.

Pretty good. But you missed some important events over the last two days. 1966 - A displaced Pharaoh reestablishes his royal presence in rural Michigan. He would later relocate to Florida where the Manatees greet his reign with respectful indifference. 1818 - A flood had damaged the organ of the St. Nikola parish church in Oberndorf bei Salzburg in Austria. Father Joseph Mohr, a young priest, gave a poem he wrote to a local schoolmaster and organist, Franz Xaver Gruber. Mohr asked Herr Gruber to arrange it for guitar... OK, if you aren't already familiar with this story you probably aren't interested in Christmas Music in general. This particular tale is told only slightly less often than the one about what happened when Quirinius was governor of Syria. Suffice to say that "Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht" (in English "Silent Night") was performed publicly for the first time two hundred years ago today.

WHO? The World Health Organization? Why would they be operating Dungeons?

22 December 1807 – The Embargo Act, forbidding trade with all foreign countries, is passed by the U.S. Congress, at the urging of President Thomas Jefferson. France and Britain are fighting. Again. So to make sure the US doesn't look like we are taking sides, Jefferson declares that we won't trade with anyone. This will certainly hurt France and Britain far more than it hurts America. 1808 – Ludwig van Beethoven conducts and performs in concert at the Theater an der Wien, Vienna, with the premiere of his Fifth Symphony, Sixth Symphony, Fourth Piano Concerto (performed by Beethoven himself) and Choral Fantasy (with Beethoven at the piano). The only thing missing was Lucy fawning over Schroder at his toy piano and Chuck Berry performing Roll Over Beethoven. 1891 – Asteroid 323 Brucia becomes the first asteroid discovered using photography. I KNEW those Asteroids were taking pictures of us. And they tried to tell me only humans could use photography. 1910 – US postal savings stamps 1st issued. That's right, the big banks effectively refused to accommodate small savers and investors, so individuals putting away money a little at a time had to deal with very small banks, or the Post Office. And a lot of Americans preferred the Post Office. 1932 – "The Mummy" directed by Karl Freund and starring Boris Karloff is released in the US - 1st Mummy horror film. A cinematic masterpiece and a perennial family favourite. 1942 – World War II: Adolf Hitler signs the order to develop the V-2 rocket as a weapon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjDEsGZLbio 1944 – World War II: Battle of the Bulge: German troops demand the surrender of United States troops at Bastogne, Belgium, prompting the famous one word reply by General Anthony McAuliffe: "Nuts!" A speech that will live forever in the history of American rhetoric. Right along side Lincoln at Gettysburg, FDR's "Fear Itself", and Clinton's "It depends on what your definition of 'Is' is." 1958 – "Chipmunk Song" reaches #1. So is this what happens when you give a songwriting comedian a variable speed tape player?

If there is something you vaguely remember from years past, there is a decent chance that it can be found on the internet

21 December 1582 - Ever get so frustrated with Christmas that you want to skip it? Flanders adopts Gregorian calendar, tomorrow is Jan 1 1583 1849 - First US skating club formed in Philadelphia. The club used against Nancy Kerrigan was in Detroit. 1866 - Fetterman Massacre: Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho Indians kill all 81 US Army soldiers in the worst military disaster ever suffered by the U.S. Army on the Great Plains. Never heard of this battle? Well, about ten years later, a bigger "worst military disaster" would be led by George Armstrong Custer. 1872 - According to Jules Verne, this is when Phileas Fogg completed his round the world trip in 80 days, in "Around the World in Eighty Days". 1891 - First game of basketball, based on rules created by James Naismith, played by 18 students in Springfield, Massachusetts. No dribbling, dunking, three-pointers, shot clock, or players of color. 1913 – Arthur Wynne's "word-cross", the first crossword puzzle, is published in the New York World. Thirty two clues leading to a world wide obsession. 1914 – First feature-length silent film comedy "Tillie's Punctured Romance" released starring Marie Dressler, Mabel Normand and Charlie Chaplin. Comedy in movies? This will never catch on. 1933 – Fox Films signs Shirley Temple aged 5, to a studio contract. Pretty girls in movies? This will never catch on. 1937 – Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the world's first full-length animated feature, premieres at the Carthay Circle Theatre. Animation in movies? This will never catch on. 1968 – Apollo program: Apollo 8 is launched from the Kennedy Space Center, placing its crew on a lunar trajectory for the first visit to another celestial body by humans. Bear in mind that the most famous image of the mission, Earthrise, was an illusion. A result of the spacecraft being in motion around the Moon. From the Lunar surface, the Earth appears to remain at the same point in the sky at all times. 1970 – Elvis Presley meets US President Richard Nixon in the White House - the image of this meeting is the most requested photo from the entire National Archives. Prominent figures of the 50s who faded somewhat but came back in the 60s only to become national embarrassments in the 70s. 21 December is normally the Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, south of the Arctic Circle. It is the traditional feast day of St Thomas The Apostle, aka Thomas the Doubter. Combining the long night with the remembrance of the Apostle who doubted the Resurrection, some Christian congregations observe the night of 21 December as "Blue Christmas". A service, not for the departed, but for those who have lost someone in the previous year.

Only once per month? I had not thought about that. But now that I have read it, it seems so obvious.

Yes

It has long been an occasional plotline in Superman stories about how his X-Ray Vision, hearing, or other super senses can become so overwhelming to him that he is effectively immobilized. Grace has super senses of her own, but because she has a way of turning them off entirely by retracting the antennae, she has not learned how to ignore the background noise.

19 December 1686 – According to Daniel Defoe, this was the date Robinson Crusoe left his island after 28 years. Because everyone wants to leave the tropics and return to Britain in December. 1732 – Benjamin Franklin under the name Richard Saunders begins publication of "Poor Richard's Almanack". As the publisher, Franklin can take all the credit if the people like the almanack. And if it is not well received, he can blame the whole thing on "Poor Richard". 1776 – Although the exact date is disputed, around this time Thomas Paine publishes his first "American Crisis" essay beginning "These are the times that try men's souls". If he's writing about time, couldn't he be a little more specific about the date? 1777 – American Revolutionary War: George Washington's Continental Army goes into winter quarters at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. A forge is hot. Right? This should be a nice warm place for the Army to spend the winter. 1842 – US recognizes independence of Hawaii. This does not necessarily mean that the US would always regard Hawaii as independent. 1843 – God bless us, every one! "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens is published, but only 6,000 copies are sold. Bah, humbug! 1932 – London Calling. The BBC Empire Service, today the BBC World Service, begins broadcasting. Before we continue, please listen to some personal messages. Jean has a long moustache. The kennel is cold. Ivy eats little lambs. Little sister is lost in the woods. Don't buy the liverwurst. Brother John are you sleeping? The Pharaoh is in denial. 1972 – Apollo program: The last manned lunar flight, Apollo 17, crewed by Eugene Cernan, Ronald Evans, and Harrison Schmitt, returns to Earth. Are those annoying astronauts gone? Life can get back to normal for the Moon Men. 1983 – The original FIFA World Cup trophy, the Jules Rimet Trophy, is stolen from the headquarters of the Brazilian Football Confederation in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. A little less than eight kilograms of gold plated sterling silver on a lapis lazuli base. The scrap value of the trophy is sure to offset the risk of what would happen to the thieves if they were ever caught by angry soccer fans. 1984 – The Sino-British Joint Declaration, stating that China would resume the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong and the United Kingdom would restore Hong Kong to China with effect from July 1, 1997 is signed in Beijing, China by Deng Xiaoping and Margaret Thatcher. By the end of the Twentieth Century, Britain had accepted that their dominions and colonies might become independent nations. But the thought of turning over a British colony to another country just isn't Cricket.

So as of the mugger incident, Grace had only used her telekinetic abilities on objects (other than herself) in moments of great emotional duress? It may be possible to imagine that the government scientists raising Shade Tail knew of her telekinesis, but some how managed to convince her that she wasn't as powerful or as accurate with that ability as they actually knew she was (or could be) in an attempt to keep her "under control" until they were convinced she really was the weapon they wanted.

18 December 218 BC – Second Punic War: Battle of the Trebia: Hannibal's Carthaginian forces defeat those of the Roman Republic. Yes, the defeat was quite humiliating for Rome. However, Hannibal did not defeat all of Rome's legions, capture or destroy the city of Rome, or establish a colony for Carthage in Italy. Rome will not make the same mistakes when they go to Carthage in the future. 1271 – Kublai Khan renames his empire "Yuan" (元 yuán), officially marking the start of the Yuan dynasty of Mongolia and China. And I thought Kublai Khan ruled a place called Xanadu. Is it possible that the drug fevered dreams of English romantic poets shouldn't be my primary source for history? 1655 – The Whitehall Conference ends with the determination that there was no law preventing Jews from re-entering England after the Edict of Expulsion of 1290. For future reference, if you tell someone to leave you also need to tell them to not return. 1833 – The national anthem of the Russian Empire, "God Save the Tsar!", is first performed. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky would quote this work to represent the struggle of the Russian defenders of Moscow in the 1812 Overture, even though this anthem was written twenty one years after that battle. Keep a few of those cannons loaded and pointed at the critics. No one will complain. 1892 – Premiere performance of The Nutcracker (Щелкунчик, Балет-феерия) in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov. The libretto was adapted from a story by Alexandre Dumas, which itself was adapted from a story by E. T. A. Hoffmann. This performance was not well received. This ballet and its score would forever be an obscure footnote. 1917 – The resolution containing the language of the Eighteenth Amendment to enact Prohibition is passed by the United States Congress. Certainly nothing could go wrong with this. 1966 – Dr. Seuss' "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" airs for 1st time on CBS. This was narrated by Boris Karloff in one of the best performances of his later years. Thurl Ravenscroft singing "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" remained uncredited, even though his performance was gr-r-reat!

Isn't Grace supposed to do a quick-change for each die that lands randomly in the shop?

17 December 497 BC – The first Saturnalia festival was celebrated in ancient Rome. Masters served their slaves. Gifts, usually small or humorous, were exchanged. Public gambling was permitted. And a sober person in Rome was the exception rather than the rule. 546 – Siege of Rome: The Ostrogoths under king Totila plunder the city, by bribing the Byzantine garrison. If you underpay your guards while everyone they are supposed to be guarding is partying, some of them just might take that bribe. 1526 – Pope Clemens VII publishes degree Cum ad zero - forms Inquisition. I didn't expect this. 1538 – Pope Paul Excommunicates Henry VIII of England. Or as Mr VIII calls it, Tuesday. 1790 – The Aztec calendar stone is discovered at El Zócalo, Mexico City. This is actually the second time Europeans have discovered the stone. The first time it was buried next to the Cathedral hoping that people would forget it was there. Later, American troops would use it for target practice. So not particularly fond of preserving pre-Christian art in the New World? 1807 – Napoleonic Wars: France issues the Milan Decree, which confirms the Continental System. France can't fight Britain, so instead it won't permit anyone in Europe to do business with Britain. This ends up hurting the rest of Europe a lot more than Britain, eventually leading to the rest of Europe rejecting Napoleon's authority. So blockades and embargos may hurt you and your allies more than the intended target. I'm sure politicians will bear this in mind well into the future. 1862 – American Civil War: General Ulysses S. Grant issues General Order No. 11, expelling Jews from parts of Tennessee, Mississippi, and Kentucky. It seems the General may have overstepped his authority. 1865 – First performance of the Unfinished Symphony by Franz Schubert. The elusive end to that Symphony would eventually be found. 1903 – The Wright brothers make the first controlled powered, heavier-than-air flight in the Wright Flyer at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. And they still have not found my luggage. 1936 – Birth of Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires. He earns a degree in Chemistry and loses half a lung before taking a job with a religious group. Eventually, he is transferred to Rome where he works under the name Francis. 1957 – The United States successfully launches the first Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile at Cape Canaveral, Florida. Cape Canaveral is on our side. Usually, at least. Why is the government launching ICBMs at it? 1969 – Project Blue Book: The United States Air Force closes its study of UFOs. Out of over 12,000 investigations, only 701 (less than 6%) can not be explained. And none of them suggest a level of science or technology unknown to the Air Force, or an extraterrestrial origin. Of course, that is the OFFICIAL opinion... 1989 – The Simpsons first premieres on television with the episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". George H W Bush was President. The Berlin Wall was down. And Tracy Ulman was trying to convince anyone in television that her style of comedy could be accepted as funny without cartoon shorts between the sketches.

I can't believe I missed that move. Check and mate, I concede.

16 December 1431 – Hundred Years' War: Henry VI of England is crowned King of France at Notre Dame in Paris. Henry is an 11 year old boy who inherited the crown of both countries when he was less than one year old. England is dominated by minor nobles on the brink of civil war. France is tired of these Brits using their country as a proxy war and revenue source. But having a big ceremony for the kid is sure to make everything better. 1653 – English Interregnum: The Protectorate: Oliver Cromwell becomes Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland. See? England is just fine without a King. 1689 – Convention Parliament: The Declaration of Right is embodied in the Bill of Rights. Ok, England really wants a King. But this time we are setting some limits. 1770 – Birth of Ludwig van Beethoven. At age 21, he would go to Joseph Haydn in Vienna to learn composing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qeazGmme1Y 1773 – American Revolution: Boston Tea Party: Members of the Sons of Liberty disguised as Mohawk Indians dump hundreds of crates of tea into Boston harbor as a protest against the Tea Act. The rebellious colonists were completely uncivilized. Not one of them would keep his pinky finger extended while throwing the tea overboard. 1811 – The first two in a series of four severe earthquakes occur in the vicinity of New Madrid, Missouri. To the natural philosophers of the early Enlightenment era, earthquakes were phenomena associated with oceanic coastlines and the largest of mountains. The American Midwest is notably lacking in both. Darn it. This means we will actually need to examine what happened and not just talk about it over brandy and cigars. 1843 – The discovery of octonions by John T. Graves, who denoted them with a boldface O, was announced to his mathematician friend William Hamilton, discoverer of quaternions, in a letter on this date. The Octonions are a hypercomplex number system. Not an onion with eight legs. Darn it. 1901 – Beatrix Potter privately publishes The Tale of Peter Rabbit. It goes on to sell over 45 million copies worldwide. English literature approaches its zenith. 1907 – The American Great White Fleet begins its circumnavigation of the world. "White" is not just the color of the ships. This attempt to demonstrate American Naval power instead highlights the American Navy's logistical limitations. And by the time the fleet returned to the US, it was obsolete. 1921 – Camille Saint-Saëns, French pianist and conductor begins decomposing. 1937 – Theodore Cole and Ralph Roe attempt to escape from the American federal prison on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay; neither is ever seen again. According to prison officials, they died. According to popular legend, they escaped. Of course what really happened was Alien Abduction. Who would be a better target than an escaped prisoner? 1944 – World War II: The Battle of the Bulge begins with the surprise offensive of three German armies through the Ardennes forest. Even though the war would be over in less than a year, the Battle of the Bulge would continue to be fought, and generally lost, by the aging population around the world. 1947 – William Shockley, John Bardeen and Walter Brattain build the first practical point-contact transistor. Now millions of people who can't understand the most basic aspects of Quantum Mechanics are able to carry portable electronics that rely on QM. 1971 – Don McLean's 8+ minute version of "American Pie" released. In case you were unaware, if you ever hear this version of the song on the radio it means the DJ had to take a restroom break. 1978 – Cleveland, Ohio becomes the first major American city to default on its financial obligations since the Great Depression, owing $14,000,000 to local banks. Oh Cleveland. Whenever the jokes about Detroit grow tired and thin, we always have you.

So where's the Duck?

Grace is transforming into her Squirrel form. At that size, the caltrops are not dangerous, and she can probably fit about fifty dice in her squirrely cheek pouches. As for who might walk in? I expect the Spanish Inquisition.

Is it possible that the "Ditzy" is a mental filter that Nanase can override with intent or effort? If so, is Nanase willingly playing the "Ditzy" role to force Sarah into solving this part of the puzzle?

I realized after posting this in the "History" thread that it actually belongs here.

14 December 557 – Constantinople is severely damaged by a 6.4 magnitude earthquake. This is clearly divine retribution towards humans daring to inhabit a geologically unstable planet. 835 – Sweet Dew Incident: Emperor Wenzong of the Tang dynasty conspires to kill the powerful eunuchs of the Tang court, but the plot is foiled. Why do you want to kill the eunuchs? Haven't they given enough already? These men are truly cut out for their jobs. 1542 – Princess Mary Stuart becomes Queen of Scots at the age of only one week on the death of her father, James V of Scotland. Would a six day old girl truly be any worse than {Insert any world leader}? 1782 – A good day to be French. The Montgolfier brothers first test fly an unmanned hot air balloon in France; it floats nearly 2 km (1.2 mi). 1812 – A not-so-good day to be French. The French invasion of Russia comes to an end as the remnants of the Grande Armée are expelled from Russia. 1836 – The Toledo War unofficially ends. The causes date back to some badly drawn maps from the period just after the Revolutionary War. Michigan was forced to accept losing Toledo to Ohio and was given the Upper Peninsula as a conciliation prize. Today, Michigan is grateful to be rid of Toledo (Detroit alone is bad enough) and enjoys the wildlife, timber, and mineral resources of the Upper Peninsula. 1896 – The Glasgow Underground Railway is opened. This has nothing to do with the American Abolitionist Movement or the US Civil War. This Underground Railway is the Glasgow District Subway Company. And no Five Dollar Footlongs either. Well, maybe if you want the haggis... 1900 – Quantum mechanics: Max Planck presents a theoretical derivation of his black-body radiation law. Herr Doktor Planck, why did you chose that adjective to name this natural law? Any humorous comment I might make will sound needlessly racist. 1911 – Roald Amundsen's team, comprising himself, Olav Bjaaland, Helmer Hanssen, Sverre Hassel, and Oscar Wisting, becomes the first to reach the South Pole. Considering that this team started in Norway, they effectively gave everyone else attempting to reach the South Pole a head start of thousands of miles. And they still got there first. 1918 – The 1918 United Kingdom general election occurred, the first where women were permitted to vote. It turns out that women and men are equally capable of choosing the wrong candidates. 1920 – Death of George Gipp, American football player (b. 1895). "I've got to go, Rock. It's all right. I'm not afraid. Some time, Rock, when the team is up against it, when things are wrong and the breaks are beating the boys, ask them to go in there with all they've got and win just one for the Gipper. I don't know where I'll be then, Rock. But I'll know about it, and I'll be happy." To be performed by Ronald Reagan in the 1940 film, Knute Rockne, All American. 1939 – Winter War: The Soviet Union is expelled from the League of Nations for invading Finland. And there are still people who wonder why a country like Finland would actively ally itself with Nazi Germany. 1940 – Plutonium (specifically Pu-238) is first isolated at Berkeley, California. I suppose that isn't the strangest thing with which anyone has experimented in Berkeley. 1941 – World War II: Japan signs a treaty of alliance with Thailand. Japan is already controlling significant portions of China. The British Empire is trying to defend Australia and keep India from exploding in revolution while simultaneously clinging for life in Europe. And the Americans have just lost most of their Pacific Fleet and are only now reluctantly entering the war. What was Thailand really supposed to do when the Japanese were already in Bangkok? 1948 – Thomas T. Goldsmith Jr. and Estle Ray Mann are granted a patent for their cathode-ray tube amusement device, the earliest known interactive electronic game. It was never manufactured or marketed, so it had no effect on the future video game industry. The device is not generally considered a candidate for the title of the first video game, as while it had an electronic display it did not run on a computing device. Despite all that, it was still relevant to the early history of video games. Didn't they realize how close they were to a fully electronic version of Battleship? 1958 – The 3rd Soviet Antarctic Expedition becomes the first to reach the southern pole of inaccessibility. But if they reached it, doesn't that mean that it is actually accessible? 1962 – NASA's Mariner 2 becomes the first spacecraft to fly by Venus. This begins a long series of fly-bys, orbiters, and landers from every spacefaring nation on Earth. Nothing sparks scientific competition like some good old Freudian Venus Envy. 2017 – The Walt Disney Company announces that it would acquire 21st Century Fox, including the 20th Century Fox movie studio, for $52.4 billion. Who's the leader of the club that now owns you and me? M-I-C- -K-E-Y- -M-O-U-S-E!

13 December 902 – Battle of the Holme: Anglo-Saxon forces are defeated by Danish Vikings under Æthelwold (a son of Æthelred of Wessex) who is killed in battle. Are we to be disappointed in the Anglo-Saxons because they were defeated by a dead Viking? Or should we be impressed that a dead Viking could defeat the Anglo-Saxons? 1294 – Saint Celestine V resigns the papacy after only five months to return to his previous life as an ascetic hermit. This plan is ruined when his successor, Boniface VIII, subsequently imprisons him in the castle of Fumone in the Campagna region, in order to prevent his potential installation as antipope. The next pope to resign of his own accord was Pope Benedict XVI in 2013, 719 years later. Apparently the Vatican never established a budget for Papal pensions. 1545 – Pope Paul III begins the Council of Trent. Bishops assemble to decide once and for all for the nineteenth time what it is to be Christian. 1577 – Sir Francis Drake sets sail from Plymouth, England, on his round-the-world voyage. You know Captain Drake had his ducks in a row. 1636 – The Massachusetts Bay Colony organizes three militia regiments to defend the colony against the Pequot Indians. This organization is recognized today as the founding of the National Guard of the United States. Minutemen, Rainbow Division, and Weekend Warriors of all eras fall in formation. 1642 – Abel Tasman is the first recorded European to sight New Zealand. Initially he calls it Staten Landt and changes it a year later to Nieuw Zeeland. His initial estimates that this land connected to South America, or at least occupied most of the space between Australia and South America, proved to be somewhat incorrect. 1862 – American Civil War: At the Battle of Fredericksburg, Confederate General Robert E. Lee defeats Union Major General Ambrose Burnside. Despite the loss, General Burnside still had the best facial hair of any officer in that war. 1895 – First complete execution of Gustav Mahler's 2nd Symphony. Wouldn't an "incomplete" execution actually be a wounding of the Symphony? 1903 – Italo Marciony (or Marcioni), patents the earliest version of the ice cream cone mound in New Jersey. Never before have headaches tasted so good. 1925 – Birth of Dick Van Dyke, American actor, singer, dancer, and last man to fall to the Ottoman Empire. 1928 – George Gershwin's "An American In Paris" premieres at Carnegie Hall (NYC). It sounds like a good show, but I get so self conscious at fancy events. I'm never sure I'm dressed appropriately. If only there was some way to make the formal aspects of menswear easier to use... 1928 – Clip-on tie designed. Thank you. 1929 – Birth of Christopher Plummer, Canadian actor and producer. Apparently a 13 December birthday is helpful towards being cast as Julie Andrews' co-star. 1948 – Happy Birthday to the Rock and Roll Republican. Ted Nugent is now 70. 1960 – While Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia visits Brazil, his Imperial Bodyguard seizes the capital and proclaims him deposed and his son, Crown Prince Asfa Wossen, Emperor. Nothing quite like getting fired while you're on vacation. 2003 – Iraq War: Operation Red Dawn: Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is captured near his home town of Tikrit. Hiding in a basement for months without shaving and living off Mars bars? Why does that sound both disgusting and appealing?

Tensaided will believe that Tedds's behavior was a reaction to his legendary game and trash-talk skills. It wasn't of course, but Tensaided won't know that. Will this throw Tensaided off of his own game? Could he end up losing to Rich or Larry?