My pawpaws saplings I planted last fall are still alive!

They have started budding leaves. I know I'm a few years away from fruit production but I am curious if anyone has found good ways to attract pollinators outside of rotting meat. Not sure the city would be very excited about that prospect.

I am considering making a native carion flower plant garden near the trees to make area more attractive to pollinators prior to the pawpaws flowering. Was wondering it anyone else had tried that idea. I've found 3 somewhat promising options in my area of Ohio.

These seem to be an especially symbiotic options https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trillium_sessile https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trillium_erectum

And this could be grown if you have a bog garden https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symplocarpus_foetidus

Its a bit potato, I made it on my phone. Feel free to make improvements.

Should I be concerned that Duo is coming for me?

I'm currently hunting down pawpaw trees, Blueberry bushes, black raspberry, and other native fruits for my garden.

Looking for suggestions.

I looked into black cherries, but they get too large and too easily wind damaged for the proximity I'd have to plant them to my house.

I've made it my mission to get banned from NextDoor while trolling the MagaHats. They won't stop sending me notifications. I've been stealing memes from the https://lemmy.world/c/shermanposting group.

So far I'm more or less been allowed to run rampant, so here are some of the hits.

The average brain weighs 1300-1400 grams. If 0.5% of that is plastic by weight, your brain contains 6.5 - 7 grams of plastic. The average plastic credit card weighs 5 grams.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/aug/21/microplastics-brain-pollution-health

I have no photos or videos, but I was on Topsail Island on vacation on June 4th around 11pm, where I saw a decently bright moving object erupt with a huge v-shaped tail for atleast 30 seconds. The tail was a faint green color. It fell from the eastern sky into the northeastern sky.

Google has been particularly unhelpful. Was wondering if you fine folks had any idea. I'm assuming space debris. But I cant find any other reports of anyone seeing it.

I got the crazy idea of having a drink of the game, and so I made Philadelphia Fish House Punch. I got this recipe from dropout.tv

• 1 cup rum
• 1/2 cup second rum
• 6 oz Peach Brandy
• 6 oz Cognac
• 1 cup Lemon Juice
• Oleo Saccrum (6 lemon rinds macerated in 3/4 cup of sugar)
• 4 cups of water

It kept the five of us pretty buzzed for most of the 8 hr game we played. It was quite delicious. There were 2 cups worth left at the end, so its probably a good amount for a 6 player game.

The Game

Factions

• Vuil'Raith Cabal (Red - started speaker, has a beef with me from last game)
• Argent Flight (Orange - me)
• Federation of Sol (Blue - a very strong player who missed last game)
• Barony of Letnev (Black - Pretty chill dude)
• Titans of Ul (Pink - the newest player in the group, also missed last game)

Round 1

• Spend 8 Influence
• Have units on the edge of the board in 3 systems

They were pretty rough and no one really did much round 1, I got most of the way to 3 units on the edge and set myself up to take MR round 2. I took technology and got myself Self Assembly Routines, my only tech skip was green, which was a color I wasn't going to dabble in at all.

Round 2

• Spend 8 Influence
• Have units on the edge of the board in 3 systems
• Have 4 Structures

I took leadership specifically to get to MR before Federation of Sol. Gaining myself a point, I also complete the 3 systems at the edge of the game board. I'm also 3 cups deep into the punch, I'm very buzzed. I also unlock my commander. I attempt to fly my destroyer at the gravity rift to mecatol to complete a secret objective but it exploded.

Vuil'Raith gets Titans Support for the Throne.

Round 3

• Spend 8 Influence [B]
• Have units on the edge of the board in 3 systems [O]
• Have 4 Structures [R,P]
• Have a flagship or Warsun on the game board.

Here I make my first mistake and take Imperial hoping to get a free point off MR instead of fortifying my position. It had two trade goods on it, and I was feeling very surly. Federation of Sol immediately kicks me off Mecatol before I can pop imperial, they knew what I was planning on doing. I end up scoring spend 8 influence off Imperial and scoring Have 4 structures at the end of the round. Barony, Sol, and Vuil'raith all score secret objectives. I also have Alpha Strike IIs.

Important Law is passed, Wormholes no longer allow for movement through them.

We break for lunch/dinner (Its 3 pm, we started at noon) and get some Indian food, its delicious.

Round 4

• Spend 8 Influence [B,O]
• Have 3 ships on the edge of the system [O]
• Have 4 Structures [R,P,O]
• Have a flagship or Warsun on the game board. [U,B,P,R]
• Have 3 tech skips []

Round 4 is a very combat heavy round, Vuil'Raith take the skies of Mecatol from Federation of Sol, but fail to take the planet. I'm after him in turn order, before Sol gets to go and Orbital drop more stupid fucking ground forces, I try to negotiate with Vuil'Raith to retreat in the face of my 5 destoryers, he doesn't take the offer, so I move forward with the combat, and roll 16 anti-fighter barrage dice, I got 7 hits, so all of his sustain damage ships start the combat damaged. He retreats and got 0 things for it. I end up destroying his carrier in combat. I also win the ground war against Sol, who still got to poop a guy because of his commander, and reclaimed my throne.

At the end of the round I score having my flagship on the board and I score the secret objective Controlling Mecatol and having at least 3 ships in the system. I also finagled Vuil'Raiths support for the throne.

Round 5

Phase 1

• Spend 8 Influence [B,O]
• Have 3 ships on the edge of the system [O]
• Have 4 Structures [R,P,O,U,B]
• Have a flagship or Warsun on the game board. [U,B,P,R,O]
• Have 3 tech skips [P]

Phase 2

• Have your Flagship or Warsun in another players home system or Mecatol Rex. []

This round goes very badly for me, I have no clear paths to any public objectives, or secret objectives that aren't all out war deep into fortified enemy territory. Vuil'Raith invades the system next to my home planet with their Flagship and Sol does the same to my other system sans flagship, they're trying to score 3 systems at the edge. I retailiate against Vuil'raith because clearly their plan is to move on my home system next round and lose their Support for the Throne, I can't take back the planet though. I end up using my hero to consolidate my forces near home. I score 0 points, which feels hella bad. I had a plan to use my hero to blockade Sols homesystem with my flagship, but they built at home before I could do it.

I'm also booted off Mecatol by and enormous Barony of Letnev fleet.

Federation of Sol and Titans of Ul have both scored all their secret objectives.

Round 6

Phase 1

• Spend 8 Influence [B,O]
• Have 3 ships on the edge of the system [U,P,O]
• Have 4 Structures [R,P,O,U,B]
• Have a flagship or Warsun on the game board. [U,B,P,R,O]
• Have 3 tech skips [P]

Phase 2

• Have your Flagship or Warsun in another players home system or Mecatol Rex. [B]
• Have Structures on 5 planets outside your home system []

Barony already has this second stage 2 on the board, but they're prevented from taking Imperial.

Titans of Ul run a terror Campaign against Barony, they take one planet with a structure and planet crack another (The artifact that lets them destroy a planet). Federation of Sol, tries to take Mecatol and fails, their 10 ground troops rolled terribly against 3 Durain Armored, Ecluidian Shielded Mechs of the Letnev. Letnev lost 0 ground forces that fight, it was insane.

I take the skies next to my home planet again, but not the ground from Sol. I am completely starved of tactic tokens, and do very little else this round.

I trade Vuil'Raith my Support for the throne for their faction promisary note, in order to get my fleet off that gravity rift next round. I end up trading the promissory note to Barony of Letnev so they can attempt to take a third system near the edge, in exchange for their support. Titans got 5 PDS shots on 2 Barony Cruisers and destroy them.

Vuil'Raith end up trading them their support for the throne, becuase they can score and if the game ends during this scoring round they'll be tied for last with me at 7 points, which is the most points they'll have ever scored in a game.

Letnev score a secret objective and win the game.

Final Scores

• Barony of Letnev - 10
• Federation of Sol - 8
• Titans of UI - 8
• Vuil'Raith - 7
• Argent Flight - 7

Playing Argent Flight this weekend, never played them before, so I'm looking for tips and hints. I've done some reading already.

It's going to be a 6 player game, looking like Hacan, Sol, Mentak, Vuil'Raith and undecided so far.

We draft the map when we play, so there isn't advance planning.Seating also undecided, it's all decided randomly on game day.

I've noticed the 0 capacity cost mechs and the 1 capacity Destroyers.

Pretty sure I want sarween tools and plasma scoring as my starting techs for PDS II and Strike Wing Alpha II.

And my second red tech to be self-assembly routines for that sweet mech goodness.

Hoping for a red skip in my slice for an early assault cannon. If there's 2 red tech skips in my slice again, I may take psychoarcheology instead of self assembly routines. (see my Titans Of Ul post game for details)

Round 1 technology or trade seems like the best 2 options hands down. So unless I get lucky on speaker token, I'll likely have to take trade.