by Max Barry

Latest Forum Topics

Advertisement

Search

Search

[+] Advanced...

Author:

Region:

Sort:

«12. . .4,2434,2444,2454,2464,2474,2484,249. . .4,7634,764»

The Unified Nations of Felucia wrote:Those are some interesting names that you've picked to replace Banshees and Banshiek, they fit in well with everything else in your nation. Though, to be honest, it will be a bit odd to not see the terms being used anymore (unless Banshee and Banshiek become nicknames for them or something). Anyway, as I read your descriptions of the various forms of Charodey Magic I began thinking about some things that I'd like to ask you about:

  1. Would it be out the realm of possibility for multiple telekinetic users to collectively target and attack larger objects? With some members of the species being capable of moving around even small spacecraft, I feel like a fairly large group of members (or even a decently-sized group of powerful members) would be able to focus their powers on a larger target.

  2. Regarding Healing/Heartrending Magic, wouldn't the ability to control the blood within a person's veins be more akin to Hydrokinesis since it is specifically the control and manipulation of liquid matter, or are some abilities shared?

  3. I might be overthinking things, but I feel like a skilled practitioner of Electrokinesis would possibly have the potential to also perform various feats that a practitioner of Heartrending magic would through the control of the nervous system since the brain relies on electrical impulses to operate one's body...Of course I could be wrong about this, since I don't fully understand how the brain works, but it's something I felt like bringing up.

Thank you! People on F7 were confused by it, I’m generally working to change the Empire to have a slightly more Russian/Central and Eastern European feel, and I decided Banshee is kind of weird and has little to no relevance to the species.
I agree it will be weird!
1: Possibly! It depends on an individual’s power. Only very strong telekinetics can move small spacecraft (ie; moving a shuttle or pulling a Luke Skywalker and lifting a fighter) on their own but a group working together could move one or possibly attack or influence something bigger.
2: Healers/Heartrenders can only affect the body. The body is very complicated so they have a fairly broad range of things they can influence, but they can’t do anything to anything inorganic or dead (unless using one of their other abilities). Basically they have a broad range of things they can do, but the application of said things is narrow because they can only do them to a specific thing; living organisms, and cannot manifest these powers in any other way, so it’s not the same as the other types of magic. Hydrokinesis is broader, because it can be used to summon or control all sorts of liquids. I hope that explanation makes sense; I should probably specify that in the description.
3: Hmm. That’s an interesting point! A particularly skilled and knowledgeable electrokinetic could manipulate the nervous system, yes, but that would require very intense concentration and a great deal of knowledge of anatomy snd nervous function.

Cybus1 wrote:The Charoda and the Charodik:
A sub-species of the Evolved, the Charoda (female) and Charodik (male) are a powerful race of beautiful beings who are innately capable of magic. The general term for the species as a whole is Charodey (ie; “They are one of the Charodey”), while an ungendered individual is a Charodnik (ie; "They are a Charodnik", "Charodnik magic")
Created alongside the first Evolved, the Charodey were originally intended by Alex to be beautiful healers and spouses for Evolved, to serve them, to heal them, to use magic to help around the home, and to serve them domestically, but this was ultimately discarded in the early years of the Empire in favor of making them equal to their Evolved partners rather than subordinating them. This was also spurred on by the knowledge that attempting to subjugate a race capable of innate use of magic was risky at best because Evolved could only learn magic through studying it.
Charoda tend to be tall, slender, and curvaceous, while Charodik are generally tall, muscular, and broad-shouldered. Most Charodey are capable of using some form of magic, due to their intended role to support their Evolved mate by healing them after battles and serving them domestically. If they have a Blacklight purity of 75% or higher, they can shapeshift in much the same way as an Evolved. All others can make temporary changes, or can alter their appearance but not create biomass weapons, or vice versa. Most of them have black, brown, or red hair, though blonde is also not uncommon. Green, brown, or blue eyes are common, though violet, red, gold, or black eyes are also not uncommon.

All Charoda or Charodik are born with an innate power, with up to three being innate abilities, usually passed down via genetics. Innate abilities are the abilities the magic-user are strongest in, and require little to no thought or concentration. Some other abilities can be learned, with difficulty and intense practice, though using abilities which are not innate requires intense concentration.

Telekinesis:
The moving of objects with the mind. The most common ability, this can vary wildly. Some can only move household objects, some can slam people into walls, making them unable to even so much as twitch, while others can effortlessly lift and throw boulders, vehicles, even small spacecraft. More creative or sinister users can manipulate the forces involved to effect certain body parts, snapping a neck without ever laying a finger on someone, or crushing organs.

Healing/Heartrending:
The healing of wounds through magical means. The second most common ability, and fairly simple. Typically manifests as blue, purple, or orange energy in the form of ’sparks’ or waves flowing from the Charoda or Charodik's fingertips into the wound of another, or on the wound itself if the wound is on their own person. Almost any wound can be near-instantly healed, and pain quickly washed away. Many disease can be healed as well, though diseases which kill and reanimate the host, such as the Drakuli virus, cannot be healed if the victim has already reanimated. The dead cannot be reanimated via this power, as that falls under necromancy. Healers can also use their abilities offensively, freezing up muscles or causing certain neurotransmitters or chemicals to be released, calming an angry attacker, though this is only temporary. They can manipulate the body in various ways, forcing biomass weapons to form or deform, take the air from a mortal’s lungs, control the blood in a persons veins, slow breathing or pulse, induce heart attacks; a malevolent healer who understands the anatomy of their target is far more dangerous than one think; for this reason, healers are also sometimes known as heartrenders. Healers can also alter appearance to a degree, using magic to temporarily change their appearance or that of another.

Pyrokinesis:
The control of and manipulation of fire. Somewhat rarer than telekinesis, this power is less utilitarian than telekinesis, but is used for cooking, light, warmth, lighting cigarettes, and preforming other mundane tasks other than simply offense or defense. These flames is more potent than, say, plasmid-produced flames, and a Charoda or Charodik can control them with their mind, willing them into or out of existence, or directing them toward a specific thing.

Hydrokinesis:
The control of and manipulation of liquids, from blood to water. Uncommon but not rare, this ability has a number of practical uses. From sustaining oneself to magically refilling a wine glass, from stopping the flow the blood in veins or from a wound to boiling the blood of a target, this has highly varied applications, limited only by the imagination of the user. A hydrokinetic is often a skilled potion-maker.

Mesmerism:
The control of minds, both organic and artificial, by magical means. One of the slightly rarer abilities, but still more common than some, this can come in many forms. Some Charodey can use songs to bend men to their will, their siren songs molding minds like putty, while others simply override the personality of the individual, resulting in an obedient but unintelligent servant, while many other variations exist. In most cases, concentration is required to maintain the control. Robots can be controlled, but not artificial intelligence. “Dumb” AI can be forced to preform certain functions, though this requires quite a lot of effort of the part of the manipulator, as even ‘dumb’ AI are much smarter than most organics. All Charoda and Charodik have a ‘passive’ sort of charm to them, being unnaturally beautiful and charming, enough to perhaps make an opponent hesitate or to help seduce a potential romantic partner, though sufficiently strong-willed individuals can resist this.

Teleportation:
Transporting oneself or others to another place without physical movement. A rare ability, teleportation requires concentration to master. The target location must be envisioned, and intense concentration is required, but the teleportation itself is instantaneous. Sufficiently powerful Charoda or Charodik can teleport other objects or even people independently of themselves, which could easily be weaponized. One extremely powerful Charodik responded to a Drakul attack by teleporting all of the attacking Drakul into void of space.

Scrying:
Knowledge of things or events the user would otherwise have no knowledge of. Rarer than teleportation but more common than electrokinesis, necromancy or clairvoyance, scrying comes in many forms. One Charoda may have a vision of something which is happening across a universe, while another may literally dodge a bullet by having an extreme urge to move instantly. Scrying can be used to observe others, often using mirrors or still water as surfaces on which to observe things. In addition, a Charoda or Charodik capable of scrying can often locate objects or detect lies. This is distinct from clairvoyance in that scrying only informs the user of what is happening in the present, or to divine knowledge of the past or present. Scryers do sometimes have clairvoyant dreams or nightmares, and they can sense things a few seconds ahead of most other people, giving them faster reaction times, though due to the very short ‘range’ of this, it is not classified as clairvoyance.

Electrokinesis:
The creation of and manipulation of lightning or electricity. One of the rarest abilities, but among the most powerful. Most commonly used for generating magical lightning, which is extraordinarily powerful and destructive, this can also be used for less extravagant things such as rerouting power, powering things which no longer have electricity from another source, shutting off or turning on electrical or electronic devices and systems, or stunning foes.

Necromancy:
The ability to reanimate or control the dead or undead. Tied with clairvoyance for the rarest ability amongst Charoda and Charodik, this ability has fewer applications, but is potentially very powerful. The dead can be reanimated, either whole (that is to say, complexity restored to life, though this is very taxing on the user and potentially traumatizing to an resurrected individual), or in part (reanimated as a undead servant, the corpse or its components being used to serve the user). The undead can be controlled by a necromancer. Memories of a deceased individual can be gleaned by touching the skull. Feral Drakul can be controlled, though this is foolhardy at best. Non-feral Drakul (being coordinated by an Ancient) or sentient Drakul (Ekon or Ancients) are incapable of being controlled and attempting to do so will likely result in a psionic counterattack. Individual parts of the dead can also be reanimated or controlled, and necromancers are innately skilled at crafting Bone Charms. Some necromancers are capable of manipulating the bones or hardened core biomass of those who are not yet dead, but are incapable of doing anything to the living flesh surrounding said bones. Necromancers are also known as corpsewitches.

Clairvoyance:
The ability to see possible futures. The rarest ability, tied with necromancy, this is an an incredibly rare but fickle power. While many different future can be shown, almost all of them are possible. Spells and the use of aids such as magical chemicals or drugs are often used to try to artificially limit the futures shown to the most likely ones, though this can still be a mixed bag. Clairvoyance is fickle, but multiple uses can typically narrow down the most likely future or futures, especially if there are multiple users.

Spells:
Magic which requires specific incantations, ingredients, rituals, or things other than the natural abilities of the user. These can vary wildly in complexity, from the sacrificing of things or opening corpses to create bone charms in elaborate Mercerist rituals, to simple charms which use telekinesis and scrying to unlock a lock, independent of any natural gift for either power. Spells are also used to create illusions of various kinds, among many other uses.

(Derived/inspired by the Russian word for enchanter or conjurer, charodey)
I finally replaced the Banshees with a new name; the Charodey, or, Charoda for females and Charodik for males. Thoughts, if any? I also updated some power descriptions.

Excellent work on all recent posts Cybus! The new names are far more fitting, I do agree that Banshee was kind of generic.

The Orson Empire wrote:Excellent work on all recent posts Cybus! The new names are far more fitting, I do agree that Banshee was kind of generic.

Thanks! I’m pleased with how they turned out. I’m working on a few other things as well.

Orsonian Telepathy:

Non-restricted Orsonians are know for their extremely powerful telepathic powers, or the ability to exchange information on a psychic level (without physical communication). Due to their origins as soldiers for the Cybusian Empire, telepathy proved to be a useful ability on the battlefield, as they could coordinate movements and strategies with one another without alerting the enemy or accidentally leaking the battle plans. Orsonians were capable of conveying emotions, having entire conversations, or even displaying entire experiences (such as showing their comrades what happened during an especially eventful combat mission) without speaking or moving a muscle. Individuals could then replicate and spread these entire conversations to others using the same methods; this would ultimately lead to the most popular conversations or events being "seen" by trillions of Orsonians, creating a sort of psychic social media.

As a result of this, the most signature move of the species was battle telepathy- using the information sharing ability to vastly improve the skills of each individual soldier. This allowed armies of Orsonians to pull off nigh-impossible maneuvers and operate at maximum efficiency, steamrolling over their opponents and pulling through precarious situations (such as being heavily outnumbered). In this state, Orsonians exibit a strong hivemind mentality, behaving more like a giant superorganism than an individual. Additionally, the collective intelligences of every Orsonian operating in this manner could theoretically cause a "superintelligence" to emerge, potentially god-like in its capabilities. However, this has never occured in history; there is possibly a "critical point", or the percentage of all Orsonians that are engaged in battle telepathy at any single time for the superintelligence to be possible, and this numbee has probably not been reached. The Evolved also frequently used the universal command codes to bring Orsonians out of battle telepathy- this was often the only way to stop them once in this state.

For restricted Orsonians (particularly those from Earth), telepathy is heavily limited, and has little practical uses. Cybusian generic and memetic "locks" render battle telepathy impossible, as well as extremely easy psychic communication. Only the most mundane and powerless aspects are left; for example, restricted Orsonians can sometimes sense emotional states, such as fear, anger, sadness, etc. Additionally, they can sense powerful "experiences" a specific location has had in the past, such as a tragic incident inside of an old home. In certain areas, such as battlefields (where the carnage is heavy and prolonged), the feeling can be overwhelming, inducing nausea or pain; soldiers typically go through training in order to handle this. The most intense incidents occur when a restricted Orsonian enters a rage state, regaining some or all of their ancient abilities. If sensing an emotion is like a ripple in a pond, then sensing a rage state is like a massive tsunami flooding an entire city. All Orsonians in the initial zone, within 20-50 kilometers of the occurrence, will be instantly hit with a wave of extreme pain, causing many to vomit, suffer a panic attack, or simply collapse and go unconscious for a time; some may spontaneously begin raging themselves. All Orsonians within 1,000 kilometers of a rage state (but outside the initial zone) will suffer similar symptoms to the battlefield example described earlier. Even if a rage state happened on the opposite side of the Earth, Orsonians have still sensed it and knew something crazy just happened. This is what makes those incidents so dangerous; a single Orsonian going mad could completely paralyze an entire city, and thus enormous efforts are put into monitoring and isolating at-risk individuals.

The Orson Empire wrote:Orsonian Telepathy:

Non-restricted Orsonians are know for their extremely powerful telepathic powers, or the ability to exchange information on a psychic level (without physical communication). Due to their origins as soldiers for the Cybusian Empire, telepathy proved to be a useful ability on the battlefield, as they could coordinate movements and strategies with one another without alerting the enemy or accidentally leaking the battle plans. Orsonians were capable of conveying emotions, having entire conversations, or even displaying entire experiences (such as showing their comrades what happened during an especially eventful combat mission) without speaking or moving a muscle. Individuals could then replicate and spread these entire conversations to others using the same methods; this would ultimately lead to the most popular conversations or events being "seen" by trillions of Orsonians, creating a sort of psychic social media.

As a result of this, the most signature move of the species was battle telepathy- using the information sharing ability to vastly improve the skills of each individual soldier. This allowed armies of Orsonians to pull off nigh-impossible maneuvers and operate at maximum efficiency, steamrolling over their opponents and pulling through precarious situations (such as being heavily outnumbered). In this state, Orsonians exibit a strong hivemind mentality, behaving more like a giant superorganism than an individual. Additionally, the collective intelligences of every Orsonian operating in this manner could theoretically cause a "superintelligence" to emerge, potentially god-like in its capabilities. However, this has never occured in history; there is possibly a "critical point", or the percentage of all Orsonians that are engaged in battle telepathy at any single time for the superintelligence to be possible, and this numbee has probably not been reached. The Evolved also frequently used the universal command codes to bring Orsonians out of battle telepathy- this was often the only way to stop them once in this state.

For restricted Orsonians (particularly those from Earth), telepathy is heavily limited, and has little practical uses. Cybusian generic and memetic "locks" render battle telepathy impossible, as well as extremely easy psychic communication. Only the most mundane and powerless aspects are left; for example, restricted Orsonians can sometimes sense emotional states, such as fear, anger, sadness, etc. Additionally, they can sense powerful "experiences" a specific location has had in the past, such as a tragic incident inside of an old home. In certain areas, such as battlefields (where the carnage is heavy and prolonged), the feeling can be overwhelming, inducing nausea or pain; soldiers typically go through training in order to handle this. The most intense incidents occur when a restricted Orsonian enters a rage state, regaining some or all of their ancient abilities. If sensing an emotion is like a ripple in a pond, then sensing a rage state is like a massive tsunami flooding an entire city. All Orsonians in the initial zone, within 20-50 kilometers of the occurrence, will be instantly hit with a wave of extreme pain, causing many to vomit, suffer a panic attack, or simply collapse and go unconscious for a time; some may spontaneously begin raging themselves. All Orsonians within 1,000 kilometers of a rage state (but outside the initial zone) will suffer similar symptoms to the battlefield example described earlier. Even if a rage state happened on the opposite side of the Earth, Orsonians have still sensed it and knew something crazy just happened. This is what makes those incidents so dangerous; a single Orsonian going mad could completely paralyze an entire city, and thus enormous efforts are put into monitoring and isolating at-risk individuals.

Excellent work Orson! I am particularly interested in the fact that rage states effectively temporarily cripple surrounding Orsonians because of the telepathic link; it’s a viscous circle because one can trigger more, and so on.

The Early Cybusian Empire:

After creating Arcadia and seeding it with life, Alexander grew bored after only a handful of years of watching his Evolved form communities. Leaving power in the hands of a proto-nobility, the boyars, he left to continue his destructive rampages and trysts with Elizabeth Green.
In the wake of their god abandoning them (albeit with a promise to return eventually), the boyars began to differentiate groups and form towns and cities. The most powerful group were known as the Cybs. The Cyb were all Evolved, unlike other tribes which featured proto-Evolved Alex had created or discarded after deeming them useless. The Cybs slowly began to consolidate power, spreading out from their capital at what is now the Arcadian city center; Vostrik.
Among the first of the nobles were the Marisip, who declared their burgeoning state the Cybusian Empire, and began to conquer the non-Evolved people groups and tribes on the planet. If a group opposed conquest, they were sacrificed to Alexander in the rite later known as Ravak Opfernik. The boyars began to expand, reaching the beautiful Varykino region, and the Cytroxian Ocean, then the Nhokotral Ocean. Due to the cold climate, the kefta emerged as a Cybusian standard, quickly filtering from the boyars down to the lower classes. Tomas Marisip abolished the boyars and created the modern-day noble ranks, handing out parcels of land and slaves to those who were especially loyal, and was also responsible for instituting several modern Mercerist practices such as the veneration of Saints and the creation of Bone Charms.
The Marisip Dynasty was overthrown after 800 years by a radical group of extreme Mercerists who believed that the return of Alexander was nigh; this movement was led by the Issacar family, who became the new rulers of the Empire. This Issacar coup was labeled as the Second Founding of the empire, symbolically refounding the Empire and devoting it entirely to Alexander Mercer.
Under the Issacar Dynasty, the Cybusian Empire conquered the entirety of Arcadia, with Vostrik as the capital. Several of the prominent noble families who rose to power during this period were the Nhokotril's, the Nochytoral’s, and the Hasdrubal’s. The Issacar family was brutal, maintaining Imperial stability through the use of a vast network of informants and a brutal religious secret police known as the Eldricha, who would drag suspects through the streets, publicly interrogate and torture them, then take them to a cell for private interrogation and torture, and then a public execution through Ravak Opfernik. The family of the suspect was deemed guilty by association and either executed or sold into slavery.
However, after around 200 years of brutal Issacar rule, there was a coup known as the Third Founding, wherein the House of Rakovsky seized power and “refounded” the Cybusian Empire, liquidating the old noble families in a purge known as The Great Reformation. The Second Founding saw the Issacar Dynasty destroyed, and every member of the Eldricha hunted down and executed to help win over the populace by eliminating their hated tormenters.
The Great Reformation saw the rise of noble families still in existence today, such as the Vostrov family. Other families were brutally tortured, declared to be heretics and traitors, and then sacrificed to Lord Mercer. Pyotr Rakovsky was named Emperor and thus began the Rakovsky Dynasty.
Under the Rakovsky’s, the Empire adapted much of the traits that are associated with Cybusians today. The Rakovsky’s encouraged scientific development and private enterprise, and it was under Empress Katherine Rakovsky that the first Imperial satellites and spacecraft were developed. The Empire developed a handful of off world colonies, several of which were tropical, leading to the longstanding love of coffee and tea in the Empire, which was previously available from some tropical island chains in the Nhokotral Ocean, but was rare as a result. The Rakovsky family ruled for approximately 1,500 years, until an event known as The Great Arrival. The Emperor at the time was an extraordinarily popular one; the handsome, charismatic, devout and intelligent Nikolai Rakovsky. He had presided over a time of great economic expansion, and had ushered in an era of intellectual and cultural creativity, and his court included a large number of creative figures. He had liberalized the Empire and had even banned the enslavement of Evolved and Charodey, though species without Blacklight were still considered completely inferior and fit only for enslavement. Nikolai had also presided over the rise of the phenomenon of Pilgrimage Fleets, faithful Mercerists traveling from off-world colonies back to Arcadia to worship and to venerate the remains of Saints. Under his rule, the Empire had expanded to several new worlds and the economy was booming, the faithful were devout but not extreme, and generally, there was prosperity.
One day, there was a flash of black and red light in the Imperial Palace, and Nikolai was astonished to see his lord and god, Alexander Mercer emerge from a “intense shining blackness that devoured the light” according to a chronicler. Falling to his knees, Alex approached Nikolai. He thanked him for shaping a fine Empire in his absence, and declared he would reward him by granting him the honor of becoming one with his god. Forming a biomass blade, he stabbed Nikolai in the chest. Nikolai Rakovsky willingly gave himself up for Consumption, and it is said that Alex preserved his consciousness within him, though there is no evidence to either support or refute this. With that, Alexander Mercer assumed total control of the Cybusian Empire, the nobility immediately falling into line and enforcing his will in The Fourth Refounding (also known as The First Alexandrian Refounding), undoing many of Nikolai’s reforms and starting to draw up plans for universal conquest. The remaining members of the Rakovsky family were permitted to remain in positions of power, and the Raksovky family is still an influential noble family to this day.

Thoughts? I figured I’d develop the early Empire

Post self-deleted by Cybus1.

I see the post-dissertation life has been treating you well, Cybus! Quite the string of production from you today.

I'll echo Fel and Orson in supporting the name change for the banshee, and would like to add my personal admiration for the post on early Cybusian history. Given how central Arcadian lore is to the EOA universe, it's really the origin story for the region at large.

I've also officially began the voting process for the 2021 Olympics, which will last for the next three days. In the event of a tie, I'll re-run the poll with only the top vote-getters included. All of you are entitled to a vote, and I highly encourage you to throw your weight behind your preferred candidate! Best of luck to all!

All application forms can be located on this dispatch, which will be greatly expanded upon as the games draw nearer:


EOA Summer Olympiad 2021
Kaohsiung, Formosan Republic



2021 Summer Olympic Games

Official logo of the 2021 Olympiad

Host city: Kaohsiung, Formosa

Motto: Lift Your Heads Toward the Sky (出頭天)

Nations: 8

Events: 347 in 34 sports

Opening: 1 June 2021

Closing: 22 June 2021

Opened by: President Josh Clanton

Stadium: Formosa National Stadium

The 2021 Summer Olympics (Formosan: 2021 年夏季奧運會), also known as Kaohsiung 2021 (高雄 2021), was an international multi-sport event held from 1 June to 22 June, 2021 in Kaohsiung, Formosa. The event marked the first time that the Formosan Republic has hosted an Olympic Games, and the fourth time the Games have been held in East Asia. Thousands of athletes from 8 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) participated in nearly 350 events, outlined in detail on the Olympic Results and Medal Table dispatch.

The 2021 Games saw the introduction of a number of new disciplines, including 3x3 basketball, freestyle BMX, and madison cycling. Efforts were made to ensure gender parity in all competitions, with several new mixed team and women's events added to the Olympic program. The sports of karate, polo, motorcycle racing, sport climbing, surfing, and skateboarding made their Olympic debuts, while baseball and softball will return for the first time since 2008. These competitions were staged across 27 venues in Kaohsiung proper, as well as four satellite venues throughout the island of Formosa. The centrepiece of the Games was Banping Olympic Park in Zuoying District, home to Formosa National Stadium, the Athlete's Village, and the Olympic Media Center.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) voted to select the host city several years in advance of the Games, from a pool of several candidates. The final ballot saw the Formosa Olympic Committee (台灣奧委會) and Kaohsiung narrowly defeat competing bids from Berlin, in the Cybusian Empire, and Santa Catalina, the capital city of the Wagain Empire. Berlin had previously hosted the Summer Olympics once before, in 1936, while Santa Catalina has never been selected as host city.

Kaohsiung is the cultural and economic centre of southern Formosa. Affectionately referred to as the 'Harbor Capital' (港都) by locals, Kaohsiung is a major global seaport bordered by the warm South China Sea to the west and south and the Chungyang Mountain Range to the northeast. The city's pleasant year-round climate, excellent transportation links, and low cost of living have encouraged rapid growth in tourism in recent years. Some of the city's many attractions, showcased as part of the Olympic development agenda, include Sizihwan, Cijin Island, Lotus Pond, Love River, and Yushan National Park. Following the Games, many of the new facilities and infrastructure upgrades will be maintained in their Olympic form, as part of a long-term strategy to market Kaohsiung as a premier international sports and leisure destination.

Preparation

Infrastructure

The 2021 Olympic Games utilized a mixture of newly-constructed venues, existing and historic sites, and temporary facilities, some of them in well-known locations such as Sizihwan Bay and Kaohsiung Harbor. The nucleus of the Kaohsiung Olympics was Banping Olympic Park, a 371-acre multi-venue campus situated between Mount Banping nature preserve in the east and the Formosan Naval Academy in the west. Just to the south is the picturesque Lotus Pond, a popular urban retreat framed by the Spring and Autumn Pavilions, the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas, Chi Ming Palace, and the Kaohsiung Confucian Temple, among numerous other historic landmarks.

In addition to an international broadcasting centre and Olympic village with housing for thousands of athletes and coaches, Banping Park hosted five newly-constructed venues beside the existing Formosa National Stadium. Nicknamed the 'Dragon Stadium' (龍體育場) for its elegant curvilinear design, the arena was designed by celebrated Japanese architect Toyo Ito, and is surrounded on all sides by an urban eco-park. The first stadium in the world built with integrated photovoltaic panels, it is capable of meeting 70% of its electricity needs through renewable solar power. It is expected to host both the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as men's and women's football and the track and field portions of the athletics competition.

Other permanent venues in the Banping cluster include the Olympic Gymnastics Centre, Olympic Aquatics Centre, Olympic Velodrome, and the Olympic Dojang, which hosted the popular taekwondo tournament. Zuoying Coliseum, which hosted the basketball and handball events, is expected to be converted into a league-calibre arena for Kaohsiung's professional basketball team. All of Banping Olympic Park is within walking distance of the National Stadium station on the Kaohsiung Metro's red line. The proximity of public transit options allows athletes and spectators alike the ability to seamlessly travel between Banping and downtown Kaohsiung, as well as the city's harbor and international airport.

There are four venues which, by necessity, were located outside the boundaries of Kaohsiung City. Penbay International Circuit, used for the motorcycle racing competition, is located in nearby Pingtung County. Wushantou Reservoir, which housed the rowing and the canoe sprint disciplines, is in a mountainous area of neighbouring Tainan City. Further afield is Donghe Beach, considered the finest surfing destination in Formosa, and Ta Shee Country Club, whose acclaimed course hosted the men's and women's golf events.

Torch Relay

The 2021 Summer Olympic torch relay ran from late January 2021 and ended with the opening ceremony in Kaohsiung in early June. After being lit in a small ceremony in Olympia, as per centuries of tradition, the torch was transported by hand to the Greek capital of Athens, where it was formally transferred from the previous Olympic city of Rio de Janeiro to Kaohsiung. The torch was then briefly displayed at Banping Park before embarking on the international leg of its five-month torch relay, transiting between various world cities for all to see in preparation for the event. By early March, the torch had made its way back to the island of Formosa, where it was relayed across the island from city to city by over 1,500 torch bearers, passing by various landmarks and culturally significant locations along the way.

- Rome, Italy
- Madrid, Spain
- Berlin, Germany
- Saint Petersburg, Russia
- Stockholm, Sweden
- London, England
- Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Richmond, Virginia, USA
- Havana, Cuba
- Bogotá, Colombia
- Santa Catalina, Federal District
- Segou, Mali
- Djibouti City, Djibouti
- Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- Islamabad, Pakistan
- Yangon, Myanmar (Burma)
- Jakarta, Indonesia
- Ravenwood, Australia
- Tara, New Zealand
- Manila, the Philippines
- Kyoto, Japan
- Hong Kong, China

The Games

Opening Ceremony

The opening ceremony took place at Formosa National Stadium on 1 August 2021. The crowd in the stadium was estimated at 110,000, including multiple global leaders, with over three billion more tuning in on radio and television around the world. As mandated by the Olympic Charter, the proceedings combined the formal ceremonial opening of this international sporting event with an artistic spectacle meant to showcase the host nation's culture and history. The following overview was published by Formosan News Network (FNN), who covered the event live.

"After years of anticipation and preparation, the day that many have been looking forward to has finally arrived; millions of citizens from across Formosa and billions from across the world eagerly await the start of the Olympic Games. Within the host city of Kaohsiung, the Formosan National Flag (Meifeng) adorned the streets alongside countless advertisements for the games and the flags of the nations participating in the event. Fans would pack into the Formosa National Stadium, which had been expanded upon to double its seating capacity for the games, and the venue would eventually be filled to the brim with locals and visitors from across the globe that were intending on cheering for their national teams (who, by this point, had already arrived at the stadium hours prior and were being prepared to later enter the field when called upon).

At 6 PM, the bands of all of the military academies within Kaohsiung gathered in the center of the stadium to play a welcoming march for the members of the International Olympic Committee and President Joshua Clanton as they were seated in their designated section of the arena. Both Presidents of the IOC and Formosan Republic would be introduced to the crowd with cheers and applause before a welcoming ceremony would be carried out. Shortly thereafter, a series of fireworks (totaling up to thirty-two, symbolizing the celebration of the 32nd Olympiad of the Modern Era) were set off in a trail from as far south as the 85 Sky Tower towards the stadium, burning in the national colors of all of the nations that previously hosted the Olympic Games. As the final fireworks went off, hundreds of small drones would soar through the skies above the stadium and would be used to form iconic symbols from the eight nations participating in the event before circling around one another in the formation of the Olympics Rings. Students from nearby schools would then enter the field to the National Flag Anthem of Formosa with a large version of Meifeng in their hands, carrying and handing it over to members of the Formosan Honor Guard in preparation of the flag raising ceremony. From there, the Honor Guard carried it to the flag podium and raised it to the National Anthem of the Formosan Republic - Taiwan the Green - followed by a display of green, gold, and white fireworks (symbolizing the national colors of Formosa).

For nearly an entire hour, various performers would share with the world the aspects of Formosan history and culture with all forms of art (particularly though music and dancing), with major emphasis on the influence of the indigenous tribes of the past and the Chinese immigrants that helped turn the nation into what it is today. Once all was said and done, various announcers would state to the crowd in their native languages "Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome the athletes of the games of the thirty-second Olympiad!", leading to the athletes taking part in the parade of nations marching out to the center of the stadium behind their designated flagbearer and a woman holding a sign with the nation's name in their native language, Formosan, and English (only if it wasn't their native language). Additionally, since English is arguably the dominant language within the city, the national teams were ordered in alphabetical order in the English language (with the exception of the previous host of the Olympics, which traditionally goes first, and the current hosting team, which traditionally goes last), causing the order to go as follows: the Wagain Empire, the Cybusian Empire, the Mamaran Empire, the Orsonian Empire, Santa Lucija, the Timmian Confederation, the West Africa Confederation, and the Formosan Republic (officially the Democratic Republic of Taiwan). Each team was greeted with thunderous cheers and applause as the fans in attendance were excited to see their home teams and the teams of their allies, and throughout the entirety of the parade, the Olympic athletes were treated to live traditional music ensembles that were handpicked by the Formosan Olympic Committee from around the world.

The head of the Formosan Olympic Committee would eventually give a speech in Formosan welcoming the athletes and international fans to the city, followed by a speech given in English from the President of the International Olympic Committee, praising the Formosans for their warm reception and efforts. They would also urge the athletes to have fun and, understandably, to reject doping and the usage of performance enhancing drugs, with this reminder being reiterated in the various national languages of the world. Afterward, Joshua Clanton, the President of the Formosan Republic, would stand up and approach a nearby microphone and addressed to the world the formal opening of the 2021 Summer Olympics by speaking in the Formosan language: “我在此宣布高雄运动会开幕, 庆祝第32届现代奥运会!” (translation - "I hereby declare the games of Kaohsiung, celebrating the thirty-second Olympiad of the modern era, open!"). Multiple fireworks would be set off in celebration and the Olympic Flag would be carried in and passed over to soldiers of the Formosan Honor Guard, who would raise the flag to the Olympic Anthem. A multinational chorus of over 100 children would sing the anthem in Greek as a pair of Formosan citizens (a professional golfing champion and retired gymnast) took the Olympic Oath, representing athletes and officials respectively. There would then be a short dance presentation, followed by bright golden fireworks – representing the release of doves of peace.

At this point, the Olympic Flame entered the stadium as a continuation of the Kaohsiung relay leg from the outside, where it would then be relayed around the arena by ten athletes. The last athlete would take the torch to the Olympic Cauldron (appearing as a beautiful pillar adorned with a nature-themed design, surrounded by a spiral staircase resembling the body of a coiling dragon, with the top of the cauldron resembling a blossoming lotus) at the opening between the two ends of the stadium, reaching the top and igniting the fuse within. A flurry of spectacular fireworks of various colors and shapes, some projecting Olympic rings, others forming hoops, flower outwards and float down, signalling the ending of the ceremony. "

Sports

Official Event Program

At the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, nine sports were contested. Since then, the number has gradually risen to incorporate newer and more diverse forms of entertainment from around the world. The official programme for the 2021 Summer Olympics featured 347 individual events in 34 different sports, the most ever included at an Olympic Games. Ten of the 34 sports consist of multiple disciplines (an example being diving and swimming within aquatics), which may share a common heritage or core set of rules but otherwise operate independently, sometimes in different venues.

Olympic Sport

Color

Disciplines

Venue

Capacity

Type

Events

Archery

Cayenne

1

Neiweipi Cultural Park

7,200

Temporary

5

Aquatics

Mocha

5

Kaohsiung Olympic Aquatics Centre
Gushan Arena (water polo)
Cijin Coastal Park (marathon swimming)

17,500
5,200
4,500

New Construction
New Construction
Temporary

49

Athletics

Olive

4

Formosa National Stadium
Weiwuying Metropolitan Park (road)

110,000
17,000

Existing

48

Badminton

Fern

1

Fu'an Badminton Centre

8,500

New Construction

5

Baseball & Softball

Moss

2

Chengcing Lake Baseball Stadium

20,000

Existing

2

Basketball

Teal

2

Zuoying Coliseum
Aozihdi Forest Park (3x3 basketball)

17,500
4,000

New Construction
Temporary

4

Boxing

Ocean

1

Kaohsiung Arena

15,000

Existing

13

Canoeing

Midnight

2

Yanchao National Whitewater Centre (slalom)
Wushantou Reservoir (sprint)

8,000
7,000

New Construction
Temporary

16

Cycling

Aubergine

5

Kaohsiung Olympic Velodrome (track)
Fongshan Urban Sports Park (BMX)
Maolin National Scenic Area (mountain)
Kaohsiung Harbor (road)

6,000
6,000
2,000
5,000

New Construction
New Construction
Temporary
Temporary

22

Equestrian

Plum

3

Kaohsiung Dashe Equestrian Centre

14,000

New Construction

6

Fencing

Maroon

1

Kaohsiung Exhibition Centre

5,000

Existing

12

Field Hockey

Red

1

Zhongzheng Stadium

30,000

Existing

2

Football

Tangerine

1

Formosa National Stadium

110,000

Existing

2

Golf

Banana

1

Ta Shee Country Club

21,000

Existing

2

Gymnastics

Lime

3

Kaohsiung Olympic Gymnastics Centre

17,000

New Construction

18

Handball

Spring

1

Zuoying Coliseum

17,500

New Construction

2

Judo

Sea Foam

1

Kaohsiung Martial Arts Hall

11,000

Existing

15

Karate

Turquoise

1

Kaohsiung Martial Arts Hall

11,000

Existing

8

Modern Pentathlon

Aqua

1

Various

N/A

N/A

2

Motorcycle Racing

Blueberry

1

Penbay International Circuit

95,000

Existing

4

Polo

Grape

1

Formosan Naval Academy

6,500

Temporary

2

Rowing

Magenta

1

Wushantou Reservoir

7,000

Temporary

14

Sailing

Pink

1

Sizihwan Bay

10,000

Temporary

10

Shooting

Salmon

1

Formosan Army Infantry School

4,500

Temporary

15

Skateboarding

Cantaloupe

1

Fongshan Urban Sports Park

6,000

New Construction

4

Sport Climbing

Honeydew

1

Fongshan Urban Sports Park

6,000

New Construction

6

Surfing

Sky

1

Donghe Beach

6,000

Temporary

2

Table Tennis

Orchid

1

Kaohsiung Exhibition Centre

5,000

Existing

5

Taekwondo

Lavender

1

Kaohsiung Olympic Dojang

8,500

New Construction

8

Tennis

Carnation

1

Kaohsiung Qiaotou International Tennis Centre

27,500

New Construction

5

Triathlon

Silver

1

Cijin Coastal Park

4,500

Temporary

3

Volleyball

Nickel

2

Sanmin Arena
Sizihwan Bay (beach)

12,000
12,500

New Construction
Temporary

4

Weightlifting

Charcoal

1

Kaohsiung Arena

15,000

Existing

14

Wrestling

Tan

2

Kaohsiung Arena

15,000

Existing

18

Medal Table

Over 4,000 athletes from all eight recognized National Olympic Committees (NOCs) qualified to compete in the Kaohsiung Olympics. Every nation acquired at least one of each of the three medal grades — bronze, silver, and gold — with the Timmian Confederation ultimately taking home the most medals overall.

Podium Sweeps

Of the hundreds of events contested at an Olympic Games, only a handful will witness podium sweeps, or instances in which one nation's athletes secure the gold, silver, and bronze medals in a particular competition. The achievement is considered especially challenging because no more than three athletes from one nation may qualify in an individual event, meaning every team member must walk away with an Olympic medal. Achieving a podium sweep is considered an indication of a nation's total mastery of a given discipline.

Date

Sport

Event

Nation

Athletes

3 June

Skateboarding

Women's Street

Wagain Empire

Rayssa Leal (gold)
Pamela Rosa (silver)
Gabi Mazetto (bronze)

4 June

Triathlon

Men's Triathlon

Timmian Confederation

Mario Mola (gold)
Kristian Blummenfelt (silver)
Vincent Luis (bronze)

7 June

Cycling

Women's BMX Racing

Wagain Empire

Marianna Pajón (gold)
Shanayah Howell (silver)
Domenica Azuero (bronze)

10 June

Gymnastics

Men's Individual Rings

Mamaran Empire

Ibrahim Colak (gold)
Nikita Simonov (silver)
Eleftherios Petrounias (bronze)

10 June

Wrestling

Men's Greco-Roman 60kg

Mamaran Empire

Kerem Kamal (gold)
Islomjon Bakhramov (silver)
Kenichiro Fumita (bronze)

11 June

Canoeing

Men’s C-1 1,000m Sprint

Cybusian Empire

Tomasz Kaczor (gold)
Sebastian Brendel (silver)
Martin Fuksa (bronze)

15 June

Canoeing

Men’s K-1 1,000m Sprint

Timmian Confederation

Balint Kopasz (gold)
Fernando Pimenta (silver)
Aleh Yurenia (bronze)

17 June

Sport Climbing

Women's Speed

Timmian Confederation

Patrycja Chudziak (gold)
Emma Hunt (silver)
Aleksandra Miroslaw (bronze)

19 June

Athletics

Women's 100m Dash

Wagain Empire

Elaine Thompson-Herah (gold)
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (silver)
Shericka Jackson (bronze)

21 June

Karate

Women's Kumite 61kg

Mamaran Empire

Yin Xiaoyan (gold)
Merve Coban (silver)
Giana Lotfy (bronze)

22 June

Wrestling

Men's Freestyle 120kg

Mamaran Empire

Taha Akgul (gold)
Geno Petriashvili (silver)
Yusup Batirmurzaev (bronze)

Event Calendar

Olympic events were scheduled to begin anywhere between 7:00 and 22:00 Taipei Standard Time, with time slots influenced largely by expected worldwide television ratings. Certain marquee events, such as single's tennis and men's football, were scheduled to occur during primetime hours to ensure maximum coverage.


1 June 2021

Archery: Mixed team recurve
Aquatics: Men's 10km open water swim
Aquatics: Women's 10km open water swim
Cycling: Men's road race
Fencing: Men's individual épée
Fencing: Women's individual épée
Judo: Men's extra-lightweight
Judo: Women's extra-lightweight
Shooting: Men's 10m air pistol
Shooting: Women's 10m air pistol
Taekwondo: Men's flyweight
Taekwondo: Women's flyweight
Weightlifting: Men's 61kg
Weightlifting: Women's 49kg

2 June 2021

Archery: Women's team recurve
Aquatics: Men's syncronized 3m springboard
Aquatics: Women's syncronized 3m springboard
Aquatics: Men's 4x100m freestyle relay
Aquatics: Women's 4x100m freestyle relay
Cycling: Women's road race
Fencing: Men's individual foil
Fencing: Women's individual foil
Judo: Men's half-lightweight
Judo: Women's half-lightweight
Shooting: Men's 10m air rifle
Shooting: Women's 10m air rifle
Skateboarding: Men's street
Taekwondo: Men's featherweight
Taekwondo: Women's featherweight
Weightlifting: Men's 67kg
Weightlifting: Women's 55kg

3 June 2021

Archery: Men's team recurve
Aquatics: Men's syncronized 10m platform
Aquatics: Women's syncronized 10m platform
Aquatics: Men's 4x100m medley relay
Aquatics: Women's 4x100m medley relay
Aquatics: Mixed 4x100m medley relay
Canoeing: Men's C-1 slalom
Cycling: Men's cross-country mountain bike
Fencing: Men's individual sabre
Fencing: Women's individual sabre
Judo: Men's lightweight
Judo: Women's lightweight
Shooting: Men's skeet shooting
Shooting: Women's skeet shooting
Skateboarding: Women's street
Table Tennis: Mixed doubles
Triathlon: Women's individual triathlon

4 June 2021

Aquatics: Men's 4x200m freestyle relay
Aquatics: Women's 4x200m freestyle relay
Baseball & Softball: Softball
Canoeing: Women's C-1 slalom
Cycling: Women's cross-country mountain bike
Equestrian: Dressage team
Fencing: Women's épée team
Judo: Men's half-middleweight
Judo: Women's half-middleweight
Shooting: 10m air pistol mixed team
Shooting: 10m air rifle mixed team
Taekwondo: Men's welterweight
Taekwondo: Women's welterweight
Triathlon: Men's individual triathlon
Weightlifting: Men's 73kg
Weightlifting: Women's 59kg

5 June 2021

Basketball: Men's 3x3 basketball
Basketball: Women's 3x3 basketball
Cycling: Men's time trial
Cycling: Women's time trial
Gymnastics: Men's trampoline
Gymnastics: Women's trampoline
Equestrian: Dressage individual
Fencing: Men's épée team
Judo: Men's middleweight
Judo: Women's middleweight
Rowing: Men's single sculls
Rowing: Women's single sculls
Rowing: Men's double sculls
Rowing: Women's double sculls
Surfing: Men's shortboard
Surfing: Women's shortboard
Triathlon: Mixed relay

6 June 2021

Aquatics: Men's 200m medley
Aquatics: Women's 200m medley
Aquatics: Men's 400m medley
Aquatics: Women's 400m medley
Canoeing: Men's K-1 slalom
Fencing: Women's foil team
Judo: Men's half-heavyweight
Judo: Women's half-heavyweight
Rowing: Men's lightweight double sculls
Rowing: Women's lightweight double sculls
Shooting: Men's trap shooting
Shooting: Women's trap shooting
Table Tennis: Men's singles
Table Tennis: Women's singles
Taekwondo: Men's heavyweight
Taekwondo: Women's heavyweight
Polo: Men's polo

7 June 2021

Archery: Women's individual recurve
Aquatics: Men's 100m butterfly
Aquatics: Women's 100m butterfly
Aquatics: Men's 200m butterfly
Aquatics: Women's 200m butterfly
Athletics: Men's 10km run
Athletics: Women's 10km run
Canoeing: Women's K-1 slalom
Cycling: Men's BMX racing
Cycling: Women's BMX racing
Fencing: Men's foil team
Judo: Men's heavyweight
Judo: Women's heavyweight
Rowing: Men's quadruple sculls
Rowing: Women's quadruple sculls
Shooting: Mixed team trap shooting
Polo: Women's polo

8 June 2021

Archery: Men's individual recurve
Aquatics: Men's 100m breaststroke
Aquatics: Women's 100m breaststroke
Aquatics: Men's 200m breaststroke
Aquatics: Women's 200m breaststroke
Athletics: Men's 5km run
Athletics: Women's 5km run
Badminton: Mixed doubles
Fencing: Women's sabre team
Golf: Men's golf
Gymnastics: Men's artistic individual all-around
Gymnastics: Women's artistic individual all-around
Judo: Mixed team
Sailing: Men's RS:X sailboard
Sailing: Women's RS:X sailboard
Shooting: Women's 25m pistol
Tennis: Mixed doubles

9 June 2021

Aquatics: Men's 100m backstroke
Aquatics: Women's 100m backstroke
Aquatics: Men's 200m backstroke
Aquatics: Women's 200m backstroke
Athletics: Men's 3,000m steeplechase
Athletics: Women's 3,000m steeplechase
Badminton: Women's doubles
Cycling: Men's BMX freestyle
Cycling: Women's BMX freestyle
Fencing: Men's sabre team
Gymnastics: Men's individual vault
Gymnastics: Women's individual vault
Gymnastics: Men's individual floor exercise
Gymnastics: Women's individual floor exercise
Sailing: Men's Laser dinghy
Sailing: Women's Laser Radial dinghy
Shooting: Men's 25m rapid fire pistol

10 June 2021

Aquatics: Men's individual 3m springboard
Aquatics: Women's individual 3m springboard
Athletics: Men's 110m hurdles
Athletics: Women's 100m hurdles
Badminton: Men's doubles
Cycling: Women's team sprint
Equestrian: Eventing team
Gymnastics: Men's individual pommel horse
Gymnastics: Men's individual rings
Sailing: Men's 49er skiff
Sailing: Women's 49erFX skiff
Shooting: Men's 50m rifle three positions
Tennis: Women's doubles
Weightlifting: Men's 81kg
Weightlifting: Women's 64kg
Wrestling: Men's Greco-Roman 60kg

11 June 2021

Aquatics: Men's individual 10m platform
Aquatics: Women's individual 10m platform
Athletics: Men's 400m hurdles
Athletics: Women's 400m hurdles
Boxing: Men's flyweight
Boxing: Women's flyweight
Canoeing: Men's C-1 1,000m sprint
Canoeing: Women's C-1 200m sprint
Cycling: Men's team sprint
Equestrian: Eventing individual
Gymnastics: Men's individual parallel bars
Gymnastics: Men's individual horizontal bars
Sailing: Men's Finn dinghy
Shooting: Women's 50m rifle three positions
Weightlifting: Men's 96kg
Weightlifting: Women's 76kg
Wrestling: Men's Greco-Roman 67kg

12 June 2021

Aquatics: Women's duet artistic swimming
Athletics: Men's long jump
Athletics: Women's long jump
Athletics: Men's 1,500m run
Athletics: Women's 1,500m run
Boxing: Men's featherweight
Boxing: Women's featherweight
Cycling: Women's team pursuit
Gymnastics: Women's individual uneven bars
Gymnastics: Women's individual balance beam
Sailing: Mixed Nacra 17 multihull
Skateboarding: Women's park
Tennis: Men's doubles
Weightlifting: Men's 109kg
Weightlifting: Women's 87kg
Wrestling: Men's Greco-Roman 77kg

13 June 2021

Aquatics: Women's team artistic swimming
Athletics: Men's triple jump
Athletics: Women's triple jump
Athletics: Men's 800m run
Athletics: Women's 800m run
Boxing: Men's lightweight
Boxing: Women's lightweight
Canoeing: Men's C-2 1,000m sprint
Canoeing: Women's C-2 500m sprint
Cycling: Men's team pursuit
Field Hockey: Men's field hockey
Skateboarding: Men's park
Sport Climbing: Men's lead climbing
Weightlifting: Men's 109kg+
Weightlifting: Women's 87kg+
Wrestling: Men's Greco-Roman 87kg

14 June 2021

Athletics: Men's high jump
Athletics: Women's high jump
Athletics: Men's 50km race walk
Boxing: Men's welterweight
Boxing: Women's welterweight
Canoeing: Men's K-1 200m sprint
Canoeing: Women's K-1 200m sprint
Cycling: Women's sprint
Field Hockey: Women's field hockey
Gymnastics: Women's individual rhythmic all-around
Sport Climbing: Women's lead climbing
Table Tennis: Men's teams
Table Tennis: Women's teams
Volleyball: Women's beach volleyball
Wrestling: Men's Greco-Roman 97kg

15 June 2021

Aquatics: Men's 1,500m freestyle
Aquatics: Women's 1,500m freestyle
Athletics: Men's pole vault
Athletics: Women's pole vault
Athletics: Men's 20km race walk
Athletics: Women's 20km race walk
Baseball & Softball: Baseball
Boxing: Men's middleweight
Boxing: Women's middleweight
Canoeing: Men's K-1 1,000m sprint
Canoeing: Women's K-1 500m sprint
Cycling: Men's sprint
Gymnastics: Women's group rhythmic all-around
Volleyball: Men's beach volleyball
Wrestling: Men's Greco-Roman 130kg

16 June 2021

Aquatics: Men's 800m freestyle
Aquatics: Women's 800m freestyle
Athletics: Men's shot put
Athletics: Women's shot put
Athletics: Men's marathon
Athletics: Women's marathon
Boxing: Men's light heavyweight
Canoeing: Men's K-2 1,000m sprint
Canoeing: Women's K-2 500m sprint
Cycling: Women's keirin
Equestrian: Jumping team
Sailing: Men's 470 dinghy
Sailing: Women's 470 dinghy
Sport Climbing: Men's speed climbing
Tennis: Women's singles

17 June 2021

Aquatics: Men's 400m freestyle
Aquatics: Women's 400m freestyle
Athletics: Men's discus throw
Athletics: Women's discus throw
Athletics: Men's 400m dash
Athletics: Women's 400m dash
Boxing: Men's heavyweight
Canoeing: Men's K-4 500m sprint
Canoeing: Women's K-4 500m sprint
Cycling: Men's keirin
Equestrian: Jumping individual
Golf: Women's golf
Sport Climbing: Women's speed climbing
Wrestling: Men's freestyle 57 kg
Wrestling: Women's freestyle 50 kg

18 June 2021

Aquatics: Men's 200m freestyle
Aquatics: Women's 200m freestyle
Athletics: Men's javelin throw
Athletics: Women's javelin throw
Athletics: Men's 200m dash
Athletics: Women's 200m dash
Basketball: Women's basketball
Boxing: Men's super heavyweight
Cycling: Women's madison
Rowing: Men's coxless pair
Rowing: Women's coxless pair
Tennis: Men's singles
Volleyball: Men's indoor volleyball
Wrestling: Men's freestyle 65 kg
Wrestling: Women's freestyle 53 kg

19 June 2021

Aquatics: Men's 100m freestyle
Aquatics: Women's 100m freestyle
Athletics: Men's hammer throw
Athletics: Women's hammer throw
Athletics: Men's 100m dash
Athletics: Women's 100m dash
Cycling: Men's madison
Handball: Men's handball
Karate: Men's kata
Karate: Women's kata
Motorcycle Racing: Electric road race
Rowing: Men's coxless four
Rowing: Women's coxless four
Sport Climbing: Men's bouldering
Wrestling: Men's freestyle 74 kg
Wrestling: Women's freestyle 57 kg

20 June 2021

Aquatics: Men's 50m freestyle
Aquatics: Women's 50m freestyle
Athletics: Men's 4x100m relay
Athletics: Women's 4x100m relay
Athletics: Women's heptathlon
Basketball: Men's basketball
Cycling: Women's omnium
Football: Women's football
Karate: Men's kumite 67kg
Karate: Women's kumite 55kg
Motorcycle Racing: 250cc road race
Rowing: Men's eight
Rowing: Women's eight
Sport Climbing: Women's bouldering
Wrestling: Men's freestyle 86 kg
Wrestling: Women's freestyle 62 kg

21 June 2021

Aquatics: Men's water polo
Athletics: Men's 4x400m relay
Athletics: Women's 4x400m relay
Athletics: Men's decathlon
Badminton: Women's singles
Cycling: Men's omnium
Handball: Women's handball
Karate: Men's kumite 75kg
Karate: Women's kumite 61kg
Modern Pentathlon: Men's modern pentathlon
Motorcycle Racing: 600cc road race
Volleyball: Women's indoor volleyball
Wrestling: Men's freestyle 97 kg
Wrestling: Women's freestyle 68 kg

22 June 2021

Aquatics: Women's water polo
Athletics: Mixed 4x400m relay
Badminton: Men's singles
Football: Men's football
Karate: Men's kumite 75kg+
Karate: Women's kumite 61kg
Modern Pentathlon: Women's modern pentathlon
Motorcycle Racing: 1000cc road race
Wrestling: Men's freestyle 125 kg
Wrestling: Women's freestyle 76 kg

Marketing & Broadcasting

By the end of 2019, more than 500 licensed Olympics merchandise stores were operating across Formosa. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Olympic merchandise was made exclusively available online, with more than 5000 products being available via the official Olympic committee website. With the exception of the Liông Gē and Hǔ Mči merchandise, said products included apparel, key-chains, cups (& mugs), and commemorative chopsticks, and were available for purchase by customers from all over the world.

Various companies from across Formosa and the world demonstrated their support for the games in the lead-up to summer 2021. The two most notable domestic sponsors are Carrington Industries and the dataDyne Corporation, both of which became part of the Olympic Partner Program (TOP) and have each individually donated over NT$9 Billion (≈$325 Million USD) towards operational costs and construction. Other domestic sponsors of the games include the Evergreen Group, Foxconn, the CPC Corporation, Fubon Financial Holding Co., Ltd., Bank of Kaohsiung, Taiwan International Shipbuilding Corporation, and Hongda International Electronics Co., Ltd. (also known as the HTC Corporation). International partners included PDC Wagondia, Coca-Cola, General Electric, Omega, Visa, Samsung, and Toyota.

Mascots

The Kaohsiung Olympics Organizing Committee began accepting submissions for the official mascots of the Games throughout August 2017, with over 2,000 entries being received by the end of the month. Three shortlisted entries were unveiled at the Kaohsiung Municipal Qianzhenguomin Elementary School on 7 December later that year, with a poll being conducted between 11 December, 2017 and 22 February, 2018 by the children of Formosa to choose the winning entry, with each participating elementary school class (both within Taiwan and from across the globe) allocated one vote. The Minister of Cultural Affairs and Chair of the Mascot Selection Committee would explain the reasoning behind having elementary students choose the mascots by saying "Our children represent a future that the Kaohsiung Olympics want to embody through the Games, so we hope that many schools and classes will take this opportunity to help shape the Games for this future to become a reality."

The results were announced on 28 February, 2018, with the winning entry, a duo inspired by the famous Lónghǔ Tǎ temple in Kaohsiung, receiving over 100,000 votes, nearly more than double that of the second place entry (which had slightly over 60,000 votes). The pair was later named by the Organizing Committee on July 22, 2018 and given an official description behind their character shortly thereafter: Liông Gē (龍哥), a male dragon with green (occasionally red) scales and golden, flame-like hair, was described as being bold and extroverted, with a fiery and destructive personality that was counterbalanced by the more calm and caring demeanor of his companion. Hǔ Mči (虎妹), a female tiger with silver/white fur and blue accents, was described as being a more timid and introverted individual, serving as an embodiment of purpose and patience, with a coiled power hidden deep within that could spring into action with transformative force at will. As the games crept ever closer, the Republic began placing both Liông Gē and Hǔ Mči on buses and planes advertising the upcoming Olympics, as well as in various television commercials and online advertisements hyping up the event. In 2019, the pair were featured on all forms of merchandise in preparation for the next year's event, and even though the Olympics were delayed until 2021 due to the global outbreak of Covid-19, Liông Gē and Hǔ Mči merch remained extremely popular within Taiwan by the time the games were underway.

Emblem

In late April 2016, the Formosan Republic unveiled the official emblem of the 2021 Summer Olympics to the world. It was based on the first Chinese character in the host city's name (高) and takes the form of a multicolored ribbon inspired by the design of the logo used during the 2005 Duisburg World Games. The aim of the design was to create an atmosphere of creativity and celebration, with the warm colors of orange and magenta above a green-and-blue bottom symbolizing the sun rising over the ocean and mirroring Kaohsiung as a passionate city with plenty of sunshine – a vibrant metropolis by the sea. The official slogan, "Lift Your Heads Toward the Sky" (Taiwanese Hokkien: 出頭天, romanized: Chhut-thâu-thiⁿ), was later revealed in June of that same year and was intended to serve as inspiration for the athletes to enter with hope in their hearts, to perform to the best of their abilities, and to have a positive outlook on the games regardless of the outcome.

Read factbook

Novo Wagondia wrote:I see the post-dissertation life has been treating you well, Cybus! Quite the string of production from you today.

I'll echo Fel and Orson in supporting the name change for the banshee, and would like to add my personal admiration for the post on early Cybusian history. Given how central Arcadian lore is to the EOA universe, it's really the origin story for the region at large.

Thank you! I worked a lot on the history and I’m glad someone likes it!

The sleek silver 1937 Horch 853 sports cabriolet pulled up to the Cafe Horakova, and a tall, slim figure in a fine suit and a handmade black and crimson kefta stepped out as the driver parked. Beside the sleek German car were two other vintage cars: an Art Deco inspired car of Czech extraction, a 1939 Sodomka Aero 50 Dynamik in black and red belonging to Francisco D’Anconia, and a black 1936 Mercedes-Benz 450K Special Roadster with the top up and with strangely dark windows.
The man smiled as he entered the cafe, and was greeted by the familiar face of Sarlota Horakova, the lovely hostess who wore a lightweight blue and gold dress-like kefta. Her long curly black hair cascaded down her back and she held the man in her gaze for a moment, smiling. He was tall, slim, and his cool blue eyes stared at Sarlota for a moment. His raven hair was perfectly arranged and his face showed no signs of perspiring despite the multiple layers and the warm afternoon. It was a handsome face with a sharp jawline and high cheekbones, giving him an aristocratic air.
“Good afternoon Frau Horakova. You are looking quite well today."
“Good afternoon Herr Kosarek. Thank you, you look quite dashing yourself! Herr D’Anconia and Herr Eichhorst are at their table in the back. I’ll be out shortly with your usual order.”
The other patrons lifted their gaze briefly from their books or conversations to gaze at the aristocratic scion, and those who were not regulars stared in awe as he walked to a rear table to sit with two titans of industry.
Two men sat at a booth in the rear. One of them wore a fairly simple dark suit, albeit one made with very fine materials. He looked middle-aged, and his hair was graying, but age had not obliterated an otherwise fairly nice-looking face. Most would say he looked very good for his age; he had been born in 1305, after all. He smiled broadly, unnaturally sharp canines glinting for a second in the light.
“Herr Kosarek! How are you?”
“I’m well, Herr Eichhorst. And yourself?”
“I am well. Herr D’Anconia and I were just discussing an exhibit at the Klederhouse Germanic Heritage Museum. They are working with several museums to display a selection of paintings by Macke, Dix, and Werefkin, among others.”
Kosarek thought for a moment.
“But Werefkin was Russian and Swiss!”
Thomas scowled.
“And German!”
“What exactly were you discussing?”
Francisco D’Anconia, wearing a fine double-breasted grey suit from Sauerbrey and Co, the famed Wagain tailor, spoke up now.
“We were debating about when to go see it. Thomas wants to go tonight. I wanted to have a nice evening at the Old Manila Teahouse and then a stroll along the Sanlucar, maybe see that new Vera Keyes movie, Secrets and Lies, at a theater?”
Kosarek thought for a moment.
“Just go to the Săo Bento instead? It’s close to the Klederhouse, and they have excellent tea. In fact, I’ll go with the two of you!”
Sarlota drifted up with several cups of strong but very sweet coffee and a plate of Buchteln (a warm sweet yeast roll topped with vanilla sauce) and said
“I’ll pretend that I didn’t hear you compliment someone else’s tea, Viktor Kosarek."
“My apologies Frau Horakova. Everyone knows you make the best cup of coffee in the city, and your sweets are to die for.”
“Hmmph. Yes, I do. And you will not speak of other dining establishments while in my cafe. Is that clear?"
She drifted away, and they resumed their conversation. Francisco grabbed a roll and bit into it, before sipping his coffee and smiling.
“Ah, Sarlota. She does make an excellent cup of coffee and even better food. She's fiesty though.”
Viktor sipped his coffee.
“So, let’s go the teahouse which shall not be named while we are here, and then go look at the lovely interwar paintings. We can then go to Poliguen Books! D’Anconia here recently got a Russian copy of White Guard somewhere and hopefully his luck will rub off on us. Maybe the Hussenbach park afterwards? And then, see where the night takes us! We’re all nocturnal creatures here...especially Thomas.”
Eichhorst looked somewhat insulted.
“I am, yes. But that’s not my only characteristic! I am a gentleman.”
Francisco dryly remarked
“You are undead Thomas.”
“That does not preclude being a gentleman!”
Thomas sipped on the coffee and took a few bites of a sweet roll, savoring the warmth and the vanilla sauce. Viktor pondered this for a moment.
“...How can you be eating or drinking normal food Thomas?”
“I can enjoy mortal food, although I derive no benefit from it. I cannot overindulge though. Fortunately there are no such restrictions on liquid intake, but unless it is blood it offers me no sustenance.”
Viktor nodded and took a long sip of coffee, regretting asking that question. Francisco broke through the silence.
“So, who else is excited for Secrets and Lies, the new Vera Keyes film? The trailer looked fantastic!”
Viktor ate a roll and then nodded.
“I’m rather excited. The trailer looked excellent; I especially liked the bit with her drinking coffee, and the skipping phonograph record with Vera’s cover of The Great Pretender playing. And that sinister little smirk at the end…chills. I am very excited. How about you Thomas?”
“No motion picture will ever top Fritz Lang’s M in my book…Nosferatu gets nothing right about vampires, but it is still an excellent film, and it gets close.”
Francisco sighed
“Your stuck in the Weimar era, aren’t you Thomas?”
“Nein. I am simply nostalgic.”
Viktor smiled
“My father talks of that period a lot. He shares your nostalgia Thomas. Then again, he also misses the Kaiser, so, there’s that…”
“We have a new Emperor now. Emperor Mercer. He may not be a Hohenzollern, but he’s wiser than Kaiser Wilhelm the II ever was.”
Francisco spoke up.
“So, now that we’ve had a bit of a trip down memory lane, how about we go see some art from that period?”
“Whatever happened to your quiet night?”
“Now I want to explore German art. We can go watch Secrets and Lies together tomorrow night.”
The three kept chatting and drinking coffee until 3, when they departed in their cars to meet at the Klederhouse, the procession of antique cars a memorable sight on the streets of Santa Catalina.

Not much, just a "slice of life", but I finally used Thomas Eichhorst again.

I tried to integrate links into the text, but whenever I hit preview, it failed to work properly, so I listed them below:
The 1939 Sodomka Aero 50 Dynamik in black and red belonging to Francisco D’Anconia:
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/99/8e/1e/998e1e813348cc99345c6a6eb870a218.jpg

The black 1936 Mercedes-Benz 450K Special Roadster belonging to Thomas Eichhorst:
https://i.imgur.com/zCcYFUb.jpg

The silver 1937 Horch 853 sports cabriolet belonging to Viktor Kosarek:
https://www.classicdriver.com/sites/default/files/cars_images/feed_620564/d327852ace4485b7d7f780d1c07fb4027aeff84f.jpg

Otto Dix, Night Over The City:
https://www.reproduction-gallery.com/catalogue/uploads/1581728737_large-image_otto-dix-nightoverthecity-lg.jpg?is_thumbnail=yes

August Macke, Turkish Cafe:
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1003/2254/products/01a10x16OrencoOriginalsAugustMacketurkishCafe3.jpg?v=1546353236

Marianne Von Werefkin, Red City:
https://live.staticflickr.com/7240/7028121609_c16ec1f43e_z.jpg

Very nice post, Cybus! It was definitely an enjoyable read.

Speaking of reading, my family went to a rather interesting store that was filled to the brim with novels, manga, and comics (as well as DVDs, CDs, vinyl records, and all sorts of memorabilia) after going out for lunch today. While we were there I decided to pick up a Lovecraft and Edgar Allan Poe book since they seemed interesting (and, honestly, were cheaper than the comics I wanted). I might get around to reading them, but then again I haven't read books that were hundreds of pages (400+) in a long time, so I might just put them on a shelf for a bit.

The Unified Nations of Felucia wrote:Very nice post, Cybus! It was definitely an enjoyable read.

Speaking of reading, my family went to a rather interesting store that was filled to the brim with novels, manga, and comics (as well as DVDs, CDs, vinyl records, and all sorts of memorabilia) after going out for lunch today. While we were there I decided to pick up a Lovecraft and Edgar Allan Poe book since they seemed interesting (and, honestly, were cheaper than the comics I wanted). I might get around to reading them, but then again I haven't read books that were hundreds of pages (400+) in a long time, so I might just put them on a shelf for a bit.

Thanks!
Ooh, Lovecraft and Poe! Two of my favorite authors! Great picks!

Woo! I graduated with History Honors from The University of North Carolina at Charlotte and now have a Bachelor of Arts in History and a journalism minor! I’m going back next semester for my masters.

Cybus1 wrote:Woo! I graduated with History Honors from The University of North Carolina at Charlotte and now have a Bachelor of Arts in History and a journalism minor! I’m going back next semester for my masters.

Congratulations, Cybus! Really amazing job, and onto grad school as well!

Cybus1 wrote:Woo! I graduated with History Honors from The University of North Carolina at Charlotte and now have a Bachelor of Arts in History and a journalism minor! I’m going back next semester for my masters.

Congrats!

Something of a random question, but what local/regional food chains do y'all appreciate the most about where you live? This question is always on my mind around this time of year, near when I'm planning to return home and re-acquaint myself with the finest parts of Texas cuisine.

Personally, I have always loved Chick-fil-A, despite their unfortunate politics from time to time. It's probably the most reliably excellent fast food chain in the south, and though it can (mostly) be found across the US now, it always reminds me of childhood and being home. Whataburger is, of course, another regional favorite, as is Raising Cane's. The Austin-San Antonio area in particular is home to the excellent Torchy's Tacos and Bill Miller Bar-B-Q, which Andrew might have run into in Houston.

Novo Wagondia wrote:Something of a random question, but what local/regional food chains do y'all appreciate the most about where you live? This question is always on my mind around this time of year, near when I'm planning to return home and re-acquaint myself with the finest parts of Texas cuisine.

Crown Burgers has the best burgers in Utah, Their signature Crown Burger is a cheeseburger with hot pastrami and is one of the most beloved burgers in the state. Like many places in Utah, it has Fry Sauce as a condiment that's popular here. They also cook the food in full view of the customer as the entire kitchen is one row of equipment along the back wall behind the counter.

If you'd ever end up in Utah and want to try it out, I'd warn you unless you have a particularly large appetite to consider getting the Jr Crown Burger because they are extremely filling.

There's also Arctic Circle, which popularized Fry Sauce in the United States. If you're unfamiliar with Fry Sauce it's a mixture of Ketchup and Mayo.

Novo Wagondia wrote:Something of a random question, but what local/regional food chains do y'all appreciate the most about where you live? This question is always on my mind around this time of year, near when I'm planning to return home and re-acquaint myself with the finest parts of Texas cuisine.

Personally, I have always loved Chick-fil-A, despite their unfortunate politics from time to time. It's probably the most reliably excellent fast food chain in the south, and though it can (mostly) be found across the US now, it always reminds me of childhood and being home. Whataburger is, of course, another regional favorite, as is Raising Cane's. The Austin-San Antonio area in particular is home to the excellent Torchy's Tacos and Bill Miller Bar-B-Q, which Andrew might have run into in Houston.

This is a hard one.

Our best to go food is probably a fresh made sandwich from the Publix deli, specifically the chicken tender sub. Publix is a grocery store only found in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, the Carolinas, and Virginia. So the only people besides myself who know of it are probably Cybus and Fel.

Chick-Fil-A is always solid. Other good ones are Pollo Tropical (only found in Florida) and Checkers, if you go there get their fries.

Timmy City wrote:This is a hard one.

Our best to go food is probably a fresh made sandwich from the Publix deli, specifically the chicken tender sub. Publix is a grocery store only found in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, the Carolinas, and Virginia. So the only people besides myself who know of it are probably Cybus and Fel.

Chick-Fil-A is always solid. Other good ones are Pollo Tropical (only found in Florida) and Checkers, if you go there get their fries.

How is the Cuban food in Tampa area (I think you mentioned long ago that's where you're from)? I visited Miami and the Keys once, and loved the pork sandwiches and ceviche there, but have never visited central Florida.

Novo Wagondia wrote:How is the Cuban food in Tampa area (I think you mentioned long ago that's where you're from)? I visited Miami and the Keys once, and loved the pork sandwiches and ceviche there, but have never visited central Florida.

I want to say I’m from all over. Cuban food in Tampa is pretty similar to Miami with one glaring exception, the Cubano also known the Cuban sandwich. Miami’s Cuban sandwiches don’t have salami and tomatoes and Tampa’s version does.

Oceara wrote:Crown Burgers has the best burgers in Utah, Their signature Crown Burger is a cheeseburger with hot pastrami and is one of the most beloved burgers in the state. Like many places in Utah, it has Fry Sauce as a condiment that's popular here. They also cook the food in full view of the customer as the entire kitchen is one row of equipment along the back wall behind the counter.

If you'd ever end up in Utah and want to try it out, I'd warn you unless you have a particularly large appetite to consider getting the Jr Crown Burger because they are extremely filling.

There's also Arctic Circle, which popularized Fry Sauce in the United States. If you're unfamiliar with Fry Sauce it's a mixture of Ketchup and Mayo.

Cook-Out is fantastic and cheap. I especially love their spicy crispy chicken sandwich with cheese, and I get it with fries and a chicken quesadilla.
Biscuitville has great Southern breakfast food. I especially like their spicy honey chicken biscuit and their cheese grits. To my delight, they once had a shirt that read “The North has bagels. We have biscuits. The South wins.” I found that hilarious, accurate, and it appealed to my sense of Southern pride. On the breakfast topic, Waffle House hashbrowns are fantastic, especially when ordered with cheese and onions.
There’s a fantastic South American chain called Viva Chicken. I think it’s regional. I really really love their arroz chaufa, Peruvian fried rice with rotisserie chicken. They also have an incredible augas freaschas (the delightful beverages that you sometimes refer to) in the form of a fantastic and refreshing drink called Chica Morada; it’s made from purple corn and has lots of great spices and it’s awesome.
Chick-Fil-A is quite good, but I’m also a big fan of Bojangles! I love their seasoned fries and cajun chicken and their biscuits are also quite good. Popeyes has excellent “blackened” grilled chicken tenders, but I don’t care for their “cajun” fries or biscuits. Zaxby’s has good fluffy crinkle fries with seasoning and pretty good chicken.
The Charlotte region also has a great series of French cafes, Amelie’s French Bakery. I adore their macaroons and the simple but delicious croque monsieur with ham, cheese, bechamel sauce, and Dijon on a crossiant. Sadly, the Uptown Charlotte location closed and because I don’t have my car on campus, I have no way to get to the other locations.
And finally, Showmars has good chicken. The fries leave something to be desired though.
Oh, and Cast Iron Waffles has AMAZING Belgian waffles with caramel mixed into the batter to sweeten them. I like to get the cinnamon bun waffle; the basic waffle dusted with cinnamon and brown sugar, and drizzle of icing. I believe they’re a local chain.

As Timmy pointed out, Publix is a regional grocery chain. I’ve never got actual prepared food from there; but when we go to the beach, we get sandwich making supplies from the local Publix and they have excellent deli counter meats; I’m especially fond of their sliced buffalo chicken, and honey turkey.

Sorry, rambling.

Oh! Since we are on the topic:
There was a coffee shop in uptown Charlotte I adored. Subsecreto, right by the light rail, which meant I had easy access from campus. An enigmatic, mysterious, rather odd little coffeeshop that was magic themed, had such strange objects for decor (such as a phrenology head, an authentic Turkish fez, huge comfy leather chairs, a book to anonymously write secrets in, a painting of a witches sabbath, and more) and (I kid you not!) a bookshelf door that slid open to the bathroom and a workshop which held a fashion company where the company founder helped designed a new armored backpack for the military (which he showed to me, along with various prototypes of it, and there were several veterans who came in at times to try it on). The owner claimed to be a former Blackwater operative. The barista made an utterly amazing variety of coffee and teas; such as “The Crucible” (a chai latte), “A Cold Day In Hell” (iced coffee, but flavored with something that I think involved chili peppers? It was fantastic!), among others. Their secret was a huge, fancy, brass-covered espresso machine. When I first started school at UNCC the barista and I became pals, and he recommended restaurants and patiently listened to my rambling about the things I learned or books I read.
Fittingly, and true to its theme, the place mysteriously vanished in the summer of 2019 and the owner vanished from all social media. It was utterly bizzare; there was absolutely zero indication they were closing, they were there one day and then, literally the next day, there was no trace they had ever been there! I miss it so much! I yearn for their amazing coffees and the eccentric owner and the friendly barista.

Cybus1 wrote:Cook-Out is fantastic and cheap. I especially love their spicy crispy chicken sandwich with cheese, and I get it with fries and a chicken quesadilla.
Biscuitville has great Southern breakfast food. I especially like their spicy honey chicken biscuit and their cheese grits. To my delight, they once had a shirt that read “The North has bagels. We have biscuits. The South wins.” I found that hilarious, accurate, and it appealed to my sense of Southern pride. On the breakfast topic, Waffle House hashbrowns are fantastic, especially when ordered with cheese and onions.
There’s a fantastic South American chain called Viva Chicken. I think it’s regional. I really really love their arroz chaufa, Peruvian fried rice with rotisserie chicken. They also have an incredible augas freaschas (the delightful beverages that you sometimes refer to) in the form of a fantastic and refreshing drink called Chica Morada; it’s made from purple corn and has lots of great spices and it’s awesome.
Chick-Fil-A is quite good, but I’m also a big fan of Bojangles! I love their seasoned fries and cajun chicken and their biscuits are also quite good. Popeyes has excellent “blackened” grilled chicken tenders, but I don’t care for their “cajun” fries or biscuits. Zaxby’s has good fluffy crinkle fries with seasoning and pretty good chicken.
The Charlotte region also has a great series of French cafes, Amelie’s French Bakery. I adore their macaroons and the simple but delicious croque monsieur with ham, cheese, bechamel sauce, and Dijon on a crossiant. Sadly, the Uptown Charlotte location closed and because I don’t have my car on campus, I have no way to get to the other locations.
And finally, Showmars has good chicken. The fries leave something to be desired though.
Oh, and Cast Iron Waffles has AMAZING Belgian waffles with caramel mixed into the batter to sweeten them. I like to get the cinnamon bun waffle; the basic waffle dusted with cinnamon and brown sugar, and drizzle of icing. I believe they’re a local chain.

As Timmy pointed out, Publix is a regional grocery chain. I’ve never got actual prepared food from there; but when we go to the beach, we get sandwich making supplies from the local Publix and they have excellent deli counter meats; I’m especially fond of their sliced buffalo chicken, and honey turkey.

Sorry, rambling.

Oh! Since we are on the topic:
There was a coffee shop in uptown Charlotte I adored. Subsecreto, right by the light rail, which meant I had easy access from campus. An enigmatic, mysterious, rather odd little coffeeshop that was magic themed, had such strange objects for decor (such as a phrenology head, an authentic Turkish fez, huge comfy leather chairs, a book to anonymously write secrets in, a painting of a witches sabbath, and more) and (I kid you not!) a bookshelf door that slid open to the bathroom and a workshop which held a fashion company where the company founder helped designed a new armored backpack for the military (which he showed to me, along with various prototypes of it, and there were several veterans who came in at times to try it on). The owner claimed to be a former Blackwater operative. The barista made an utterly amazing variety of coffee and teas; such as “The Crucible” (a chai latte), “A Cold Day In Hell” (iced coffee, but flavored with something that I think involved chili peppers? It was fantastic!), among others. Their secret was a huge, fancy, brass-covered espresso machine. When I first started school at UNCC the barista and I became pals, and he recommended restaurants and patiently listened to my rambling about the things I learned or books I read.
Fittingly, and true to its theme, the place mysteriously vanished in the summer of 2019 and the owner vanished from all social media. It was utterly bizzare; there was absolutely zero indication they were closing, they were there one day and then, literally the next day, there was no trace they had ever been there! I miss it so much! I yearn for their amazing coffees and the eccentric owner and the friendly barista.

I've never been much of a coffeeshop regular myself (though I do enjoy coffee), but it sounds like it would be hard to stay away from Subsecreto. Here in the UK, a popular coffeeshop drink is London Fog, or earl grey tea with steamed milk and vanilla syrup, though I'm pretty sure it was invented in Canada. Either way, that drink alone is certainly worth a visit.

I actually went to my first Cook-Out when I was last at the beach in North Carolina, and thought it was superb. I was more excited about the watermelon milkshake than anything, and it did not disappoint.

Forgot to add Bojangles. Literally a Southern staple.

Novo Wagondia wrote:Something of a random question, but what local/regional food chains do y'all appreciate the most about where you live? This question is always on my mind around this time of year, near when I'm planning to return home and re-acquaint myself with the finest parts of Texas cuisine.

Personally, I have always loved Chick-fil-A, despite their unfortunate politics from time to time. It's probably the most reliably excellent fast food chain in the south, and though it can (mostly) be found across the US now, it always reminds me of childhood and being home. Whataburger is, of course, another regional favorite, as is Raising Cane's. The Austin-San Antonio area in particular is home to the excellent Torchy's Tacos and Bill Miller Bar-B-Q, which Andrew might have run into in Houston.

My family used to go to the local Cook-Out once a week for food and milkshakes (I typically ordered a cheeseburger with fries and a chicken quesadilla on the side, as well as a caramel cheesecake milkshake for dessert), and even though we don't go there as often nowadays I must say it is definitely a nice place to visit. Additionally, I'd have to say Waffle House and Chick-Fil-A are nice places (even though I haven't been to them in quite some time), and I definitely cannot forget about Bojangles (I really love their seasoned fries, which are some of the best I've ever had)...Interestingly enough, ever since the pandemic started, my family doesn't go out to these restaurant chains as much anymore. Instead, we've either stayed home and cooked whatever we have at our place or we go to a local family-owned Mexican restaurant that is very close to our home.

Timmy City wrote:This is a hard one.

Our best to go food is probably a fresh made sandwich from the Publix deli, specifically the chicken tender sub. Publix is a grocery store only found in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, the Carolinas, and Virginia. So the only people besides myself who know of it are probably Cybus and Fel.

Chick-Fil-A is always solid. Other good ones are Pollo Tropical (only found in Florida) and Checkers, if you go there get their fries.

I've passed some Publix grocery stores before in the past (maybe even a few times while vacationing in Florida, though I've more than likely never noticed them when I was there), but I've never actually gone to them. I know for a fact that there's one not too far from where I live, and I'm pretty sure that my mom goes there for groceries nowadays since she stopped going to WalMart.

«12. . .4,2434,2444,2454,2464,2474,2484,249. . .4,7634,764»

Advertisement