u/KayleeSinn

If you are already familiar with the Expanse series, you more or less know what the factions are about. The only difference here is no alien ever shows up. Things remain perfectly mundane and grounded.

A - Earth. Overcrowded and most are poor. You'd be able to get Universal Basic Income though. It's not much but will keep you alive. You would start in the lower middle class, but it is hard to keep that position. You could easily lose your income and end up at the bottom. It is incredibly difficult to move up unless you are exceptionally skilled or are willing to do something criminal.

B - Mars. Rewards hard work. Merit based society. If you contribute you are greatly rewarded but if you can't or won't, you are very likely to end up dead as the society would not have any resources to spare on you. Unlike Earth though, it is much easier to climb to the middle or even upper-middle class and maintain your position there. The poor are almost non-existent.

C - The Belt. Stronger sense of unity than the others. Everyone is poor and downtrodden however your side controls most of the resources in the system. You have the biggest hope for the future even though things kinda suck now but only if you get your act together. Getting free from the control of Mars and Earth won't be easy and this time there won't be any aliens coming to rile things up.

A - You are endowed with the girthy power of sowing discontent but it is also your curse. You constantly find yourself sowing discontent, always stroking the flames of rebellion. Being the inspiration that lights the final spark. The problem though is that even if the new government ends up being something you like, you still find yourself not perfectly happy with it and starting a new rebellion.

This power also comes with perfect luck. You can be arrested but you are always freed by other rebels. When sentenced to death, it's always by some slow mechanism that fails allowing you to easily escape since everyone left the room. This luck also adds to your reputation and legend.

B - You are always the yes-person in the current regime, whatever it may be. You call out and point out dissidents. You get special privileges, insider info when something is about to go down or changes. Even if the regime changes and the new one is the polar opposite of the old, all is still forgiven, you quickly build trust and get let back in.

The downside is that you never get to decide or change anything. You always agree with whoever is in charge.

A - You would gain the Aura of Incompetence. You successfully fail or botch every task you attempt. You can not be fired due to it (good union) and might fail upwards to gain promotions. No one ever asks you to do anything critical since they expect you to fail. You're just delegated to the "kiddie table" where you could do the least harm and your work would matter the least, since someone has to double check and fix that later anyway.

B - Be exceedingly competent at everything. You know how to fix any machine, solve most problems, know a little about everything and do every task well. People constantly ask you take on hard or impossible tasks, solve problems for them, fix their car or computer etc.. They start to rely on you, take you for granted and get mad if you refuse, calling you selfish.

You won't most likely be promoted at your job since you are "too useful" in your current role and they find it hard to replace you. You may push for it, sue, demand it.. and then everyone hates you for it if you end up getting it.

You are suddenly kidnapped by a multiracial and inclusive street gang, your brain is extracted and placed in a jar. Then transported into a laboratory near the center of Earth, powered by a reactor designed to keep you alive for 1 MILLION(nyah!) years even with no maintenance. It could last a lot longer though.

It's not all bad though. You get to choose one of the following.

A - 10 regular avatars. You can design and remote control a human looking robot. While controlling it, it feels just like you are it. You can see what it sees, feel what it feels etc. After one is destroyed, you get to do that 9 more times. When the last one is gone, you're left as a brain sitting there with no contact with the outside world. The avatars don't age and have around the same durability of a regular human.

B - A single high quality avatar. It looks exactly like you, is incredibly durable and can repair itself fully. It can still be destroyed but only through extreme measures like full incineration or being crushed by an hydraulic press. Same as above, if it's destroyed, you're left as a brain with no contact with the outside world.

C - Connection to the internet and limited hacking powers. You can access all cameras that exist on the surface as long as they're connected to the internet. You can also communicate with others through text.

D - You're connected to a simulated world instead. It's not perfect, you know everyone there is just a NPCs but it evolves and reacts to your actions.

You happen on a clearing where stuff toy animals are arguing over a tea set. You step closer to hear what the argument is about and stand there quietly as the animals are too focused on their debate that they don't even notice you.

The Toy Bear is arguing for Steampunk setting being the best. He claims that it allows for enough advancement and makes everything possible if you're clever enough, with no downsides.

The Penguin is arguing for Frostpunk. Slightly dystopian yes but also cozy, easy to manage and rewarding for those who are willing to put in the work.

The Frog is arguing for Medieval Fantasy as it's the only one where magic exists and claims that it's the only one where a kiss from a princess could turn him into a prince.

And the plush crab with a shank is arguing for Sci-Fi dystopia. The galactic empire bringing peace and prosperity for all.

They suddenly turn to you. Siding with any would permanently change the world into one of those settings. Everything would be transformed and people will forget they ever lived in another reality and just take the new world for granted. No one would die or be erased out of existence right away.. but depending on circumstances they may die after.

WYR pick.

A - Steampunk(If you study or have a job, it is transformed into a fitting alternative in that world)

B - Frospunk (you and your loved ones are guaranteed shelter and jobs in one of the surviving settlements)

C - Medieval Fantasy(you will not gain magic powers and can't get them later, otherwise your social statues will remain similar to what it is in the real world. Magic, elves, dragons and other stuff will exist though)

D - Sci Fi (You will be a citizen of the Galactic Empire initially but if you cause issues, you could easily become a fugitive, the laws would not be fair)

E - Kick over the table with the tea set. You would die immediately, Your skeleton would emerge and get banished into a surreal hell dimension where you would have to fight demons for all eternity.

The worst comes to pass and Earth is completely flooded with water from all the ice caps in the solar System. Some islands may exist but you don't know where they are and how to get to them.

WYR pick.

A) A small row boat with a makeshift black skull and bones sail, 18th century black powder cannon (with unlimited ammo), a fully loyal first mate and a talking parrot.

B) Biological adaptations that give you gills and let you breathe underwater.

C) A hidden tiny sand island with no vegetation at all but a with a hidden underground cellar filled with near unlimited supply of rum.

D) A plank to hang onto, a compass, a sextant and a map of the world (the nearest island is 200 miles away and the map doesn't specify whats there)

A) Remain a meat popsickle. Age, sag, weaken and die

B) Replace most of your body with metal parts that can easily be repaired, never age and never get weak and wrinkled.

A) Jar of totally safe and healthy steroids imported from North Korea and developed for their Celestial Wonder Trooper program. Eating them will make you permanently hulk up, grow in size to 6'5 - 8' (depending on how tall you are now, shorter people will grow less) and be able to throw a car or smash through a wall. You won't get invulnerability or faster healing but using your strength would not cause any damage or strain.

B) Get a job at CIA. They will surgically alter you into a 12 year old. You will get $1.2mil/year, and up to 4 assassination contracts a year plus a license to kill. The surgery isn't reversible.

C) Your eyes will be able to shoot lasers after it's done. Eyesight will remain unaffected. Still they are real lasers and not sci-fi, so it might take some time to actually burn through some things. Good for shooting down drones though if you focus on them long enough.

I've only played with tier 3 competitors but they are no made equal. Alonso sort of starts a war with everyone and usually gets wiped out early or is forcing me to babysit and defend him.

I was thinking about replacing him with Beryl for a new game since I heard that she is stronger .. but also for a bit more variety. Would she be able to hold out against Margaret and Silva better or at least keep peace with them?

So I randomly happened on a video where they talked about how during the civil war, people used to make spruce beer using molasses and spruce branches. It seemed very interesting since it's literally hooching trees, which are the cheapest thing imaginable.

However I have no access to molasses, so I was thinking, would just sugar, spruce, water and yeast work? I think molasses has more nutrients for yeast than plain sugar so not sure. Also normally just using white sugar makes the end result taste kinda bad.