The wheel of the year

This is mostly for fayanora, but others may find it useful.

Most societies in temperate climates had eight sun-related festivals. We don't have a name for them as a group anymore. But one of the older names is "the wheel of the year".

These are based on the position of the sun (actually on the earth's position in its orbit).

There are three main ways you can track the sun's position over the course of the year.

First, you can (if you have a clear enough horizon) set up a spot and when the sun rises each morning have an assistant at the end of a long rope place a stick in the ground. Do this every day and you'll get an arc of sticks. You want the long rope so that the sticks are far enough apart.

If you prefer, you can do the same sort of thing at sunset.

The final way is to have a pole stuck in the ground, and every day mark the point at which its shadow is longest.
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not so super power

I was thinking about the Whateley shared universe just a bit ago and came up with an interesting take on one of the better powers to have. Regeneration.

In the Whateley-verse it comes at various levels, from "heals a bit fast than normal", to "her arm grew back before the removed one hit the ground.

There *are* drawbacks to the higher levels of regen. One is a form of cancer that *uses* the regn to grow faster and unstoppably.

another is that at the higher levels things like your blood and breast milk are major biohazards because if they get into someone else's body they can turn them into a copy of you.

But I'd been thinking about *dis*advantages. Powers that are inconvenient. And that's when it hit me.

Somebody with really high level regen. Say the "will heal from anything that doesn't kill them outright" level complete with being pretty much immune to diseases.

For the character I have in mind that last is a really good thing. Y'see, their high level regen is just a bit messed up.

It's *slower* than normal healing. A lot slower. A shaving cut might take days to heal. Something more serious... ouch.

Maybe stick them into a Normal Girl vignette. Codename "Breakable" (by contrast to the guy in "Unbreakable" :-)