Update Thread 43: ... I got nothin'

[Mamorien]

https://archiveofourown.org/works/104089...adult=true
A Thing of Vikings is back from hiatus!

Chapter 86: For Everything There Is A Season

Author athingofvikings has announced on his Tumbler site that he will be back on his weekly update schedule, with occasional month-long breaks, at least until hie finishes book 3. He also announced that he's forgoing fanfiction.net and will post his stories entirely on archiveofourown.org

Actually, he won't be abandoning the Pit of Voles until he finishes Book III, so the new chapter is in fact there. (Let's see if I still remember how to do this...) In Kappadokia, Sigurd and Gunnar explore the former Maniakes estate, among other things. In Rouen, Duke William gets a warning from Henry the handless Sir Henry the Sinister. In Köln, Hiccup makes his losses matter, and Toothless explains things to his mates. At his manor in Constantinople, Sigurd gets ready for a meeting. On the great steppes, Drago contemplates the next generation of dragons. Back in Constantinople, Sigurd's meeting comes off as well as can be expected. Somewhere east of Vatnajökull (where the Mildew is the worst), Eret son of Eret Eretsson follows the trade of a trapper. And we close in the chief's hut on Berk, where Stoick witnesses the final break in a relationship decades in the fraying, just before receiving news even more ominous...

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12639117/86...Of-Vikings

[Mamorien]

Actually, he won't be abandoning the Pit of Voles until he finishes Book III

Update: I spoke too soon. Due to FFN readers taking the author's note as a personal challenge, he's dropping FFN as of right now. I intend to start a thread in P&OF for discussion of those comments, particularly the last two.

[Shepherd]

https://www.tthfanfic.org/Story-33141-22...nament.htm
Hermione Granger and the Swiss Tournament (Potter spy school).

[ECSNorway]

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12747537/19...an-s-Order
Technician's Order (Shirou in FGO)

[Norgarth]

Heretical Edge
https://ceruleanscrawling.wordpress.com/...al-edge-2/

[Shepherd]

https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/26534/...lost-hoard
Vainqueur the Dragon.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13405869/13...digm-Shift
Hermione Granger and the Paradigm Shift (Potter AU).

[classicdrogn]

Turnabout, that Bleach fic where Lillinette wakes up as a soul in Rukongai with Starrk as a Zanpukato spirit after they die during the invasion of Karakura, has updated, fiunally laying out the slightly altered background of the Zanpukato Rebellion anime filler that is the probably-finale of the story. The author says there's three or four parts left in it, at any rate.

[Norgarth]

Summus Proelium
https://ceruleanscrawling.wordpress.com/...-proelium/

[SilverFang01]

The Twisted Path (HP): https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13426875/41...isted-Path

[Norgarth]

Fusionlance
https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/...t-66272783

Cross Purposes 2
https://www.tthfanfic.org/Story-32792-84...oses+2.htm

[Shepherd]

https://www.tthfanfic.org/Story-32792-84...oses+2.htm
Cross Purposes 2 (DC UA).

https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/26534/...ing-fields
Vainqueur the Dragon.

[Mamorien]

Do they say "on a roll" in the Star Wars 'verse, where wheels have been so much superseded by repulsorlift? Never mind, Bare Squadron is on one anyway!

Captain Keyla Kaeno and the other Felucian survivors recover aboard Home One and find comfort in each other. However, she refuses to abandon hope for Kara and Cal no matter what anyone says...

https://www.deviantart.com/travolore/art...-827136930

[Norgarth]

Heretical Edge
https://ceruleanscrawling.wordpress.com/...al-edge-2/

[Mamorien]

Do they say "on a roll" in the Star Wars 'verse, where wheels have been so much superseded by repulsorlift? Never mind, Bare Squadron is on one anyway!

Captain Keyla Kaeno and the other Felucian survivors recover aboard Home One and find comfort in each other. However, she refuses to abandon hope for Kara and Cal no matter what anyone says...

https://www.deviantart.com/travolore/art...-827136930

Over on the Bare Squadron discord, this led to a hearty cry of "FUCK IT IM GOING ALL, WE'RE BACK IN BUISNESS".

Well, this got dark, don't worry it's gonna get darker. But then again, after the darkness comes the dawn. Anyway mere hours after Travolore releases his chapter(...), DeshLune and I bring out our own to stay firmly within the lead. However this did not come easy, as Google Chrome/Google Docs decided to imitate the Cronavirus and cough up the ball badly. But that's a story for another day. Speaking of our story, Cal's arrival in Illum will begin his long training into become the Jedi Knight I had envisioned long ago when I started the Alternate Universe to smack back the egotisic one who shall not be named.

https://www.deviantart.com/tu49/art/Star...-837353732

[Norgarth]

Miss Skitter Goes to Sunnydale (Worm/Buffy) has updated for the first time in just short of 6 years
https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/...t-66331442
only a short update, but it is still an update

EDIT
Intrepid (Worm AU, multi PoV)
SB) https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/...t-66338087
SV) https://forums.sufficientvelocity.com/th...t-14980058

Relic of the Future
https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12863738/10...the-Future

[Shepherd]

https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/26534/...h-of-kings
Vainqueur the Dragon.

[Mamorien]

It started as crack on the As N Approaches Infinity Discord -- now Stitches in Time is a real live crossover!

A loose cannon of a Time Lord, some uncontrollable shinigami, and a bunch of renegade magical girls must combine their time magic, science magic, magic time science, and magic magic to save all those they hold dear. Also the universe, but that's probably not important.

Can they pull it off? Can they save their friends and family? Almost certainly. Or at least, they have a better shot at it than basically anyone else. Can they do this without getting each other killed? Well…

https://archiveofourown.org/works/235904...s/56603746

[Shepherd]

https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/...t-66348164
Endless Pantheon: Letters from Home (SG1/Dresden Files).

[Shepherd]

https://archiveofourown.org/works/226182...s/56648164
Umino Iruka and the Covert Cabinetry (Potter/Naruto).

[Bad Moon]

Drakensis Star Adder Symphony chapter 4 is up

https://forums.sufficientvelocity.com/th...t-14988404

[Mamorien]

I forgot something for last week's A Thing of Vikings.

One of the more serious diplomatic errors that Hiccup made was failing to pay a visit to the King of Francia, Henry of the Capets, until late in AD 1042. He made multiple visits to Normandy, a visit to the Holy Roman Empire, and visits to many other monarchs and high lords, but seemed to avoid a visit to Paris and King Henry until circumstances forced his hand. This apparent snubbing in favor of more powerful and connected nobles, including some who were nominally Henry's vassals, combined with Hiccup's later actions, served to highlight Henry's lack of power and influence, and the king did not take the lack of interest well at all. Simply put, it seemed he wasn't important enough for Hiccup to bother with.

While Hiccup had his reasons for his decisions—setting up the Dragon Mail being one of them, following the coastal route of his merchant contacts—the implicit lack of importance his actions assigned to King Henry soured relations between them before they even had a chance to formally open.

With that bit of old business tended to, onward! to this week's update.

The legendary Zhou general Sun Tzu defined strategy, bing-fa, as a set of rules to help make decisions about possible situations and decisions that a person might encounter on the battlefield and off. Personally, I prefer to define the concept somewhat more broadly: A strategy is the set of approaches one takes towards a goal that one has selected. 
On a gameboard, the goal is to defeat the opposing player.  At war, the goal can vary, from conquest to defense to punitive measures or other such possibilities.  But the strategy is how one goes about implementing those goals.  On a gameboard or at war, the strategy might be aggressive or defensive, offensive or reactive, straightforward or subtle.  At play, my strategy might be to capture as many pieces of my opponent's as possible, or to outmaneuver them so that I can capture the enemy's key pieces without a protracted struggle.  At war, the possibilities are even more numerous; I might have the goal of conquest, in which case, occupying and seizing control of the enemy's territory is my strategy—or, alternatively, I might strike at the head directly, aiming at the enemy leader with the intent of capture in order to force a surrender and settlement.  In either case, the goal is served and possibly fulfilled.
But the goal is the why and what, and the strategy is the greater how and the when and where, and it is important to never lose sight of that distinction.  You do not have a battle just because you wish to have a battle; no, battles are done in service of a greater strategy, and while stirring tales of heroism might seem like incentive to some, oftentimes it is better to not fight at all, or only fight on one's own terms.  Many of the ruminations on dragon combat in these pages are seen by many as glorifying such battles, and I will certainly agree that there is glory and honor in fighting when necessary.  And that is key.  When Necessary.  But if it is not necessary, then it is just a waste—and there is no honor in that.  To win without fighting should be the strategy any commander worthy of being followed should aim for, and to preserve their forces for another day.

In Rouen, Hiccup takes a decision about William's safety and wonders what he'll tell his dad. In the ruins of Glenfinnan, Stoick has more immediate concerns, like who destroyed the village and why. In Inbhir Niss, Mac Bethad receives the after-action report from Dagur and Savage, then immediately discovers a need for Maneuvering Room. On the great steppes, Drago is ready when Gökhan and his followers finally make their move. Back on Berk, Stoick gets Mac Bethad's official announcement of regret, passes it on to Jacob, then greets Hiccup's arrival with another youth in need of sanctuary. After getting William settled, Hiccup heads over to the smithy and learns of Gobber's decision. Stoick tries to talk to Jacob, with limited success on his own, followed by needed assistance. Finally, Wulfhild and her loves are presented with the results of the synod...

https://archiveofourown.org/works/104089...s/56656750

[Norgarth]

Fusionlance (John Biles' latest story) nears the end of it's tale
https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/...t-66365873

[Shepherd]

https://www.tthfanfic.org/Story-33141-23...nament.htm
Hermione Granger and the Swiss Tournament (Potter spy fic).

[Norgarth]

The conclusion of Fusionlance
https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/...t-66395525

Summus Proelium
https://ceruleanscrawling.wordpress.com/...-proelium/

[Mamorien]

Stitches in Time (As N Approaches Infinity {BLEACH/Puella Magi Madoka Magica}/Doctor Who AU)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/235904...s/56736721