recursal/Fanatic-Fandom huggingface dataset:
Euro Fighter

A roller coaster that has a vertical chain lift and beyond-vertical drops.

**Facts**

*Maximum Height:* 150 Feet

*Maximum Number of Vehicles per Train:* 1

*Modes:* Continuous Circuit

**Vehicle Types**

*Compact* - Only available for 6 riders each.

*Standard* - Consisting of 2 rows, each accompanying a maximum of 4 riders.

*V-Shape* - 6 seats are arranged into a V-shape.

**Notes**

* Based on an Euro Fighter model, manufactured by Gerstlauer (in real-life).
* Standard vehicles and their 2 rows are based on the 8-seater vehicles on the real-life version of that ride.
* Compact vehicles & V-shape vehicles are based on the vehicles used on Dare Devil Dive in Six Flags Over Georgia & Huracan in Belantis, respectively.
Furius Baco

Like a winged roller coaster, Furius Baco has sets of seats that are situated on each side of the track.

**Facts**

*Maximum Height:* 200 Feet

*Maximum Number of Vehicles per Train:* 10

*Modes:* Continuous Circuit

**Vehicle Types**

*Barrel* - Each vehicle's middle section is shaped like a barrel.

*Fire Cracker* - Each vehicle's middle section is shaped like a fire cracker.

*Jet* - Each vehicle's middle section is shaped like a rocket's jet.

*Standard* - Each vehicle's middle section is shaped like a large triangle shape.

**Notes**

* Based on the Wing Rider Coaster, manufactured by Intamin (in real-life).
* The barrel vehicles are based on the vehicles that are used on Furius Baco in Port Aventura.
Scythe Emerson

> *"I want no assistance from you."*–Scythe Emerson, Scythe
>
>

**Scythe Emerson** is a scythe from the MidMerican Scythedom.

He was present at Winter Conclave, at the entrance he had slipped on the stairs, and Rowan had tried to help him, but he treated Rowan with disdain due to the events at the Tonist monastery.

When Citra was ordained scythe, and Rowan escaped, he rendered him deadish in the process, and he had to be taken to a Revival Center.
Viper

Viper is a steel roller coaster, which involves riders riding in unusual-looking vehicles and travelling along the track that sometimes have thin metal rings that serve as tunnels.

**Facts**

*Maximum Height:* 150 Feet

*Maximum Number of Vehicles per Train:* 6

*Modes:* Continuous Circuit

**Vehicle Types**

*Viper* - Shaped like a viper.

**Notes**

* Based on the namesake ride, which was formerly located in Six Flags Great Adventure (in real-life).
Verbolten

Verbolten is an unusual roller coaster. It has a very strange twist, by consisting of several strange elements, including the LSM launch motor system and the freefall drop segment.

**Facts**

*Maximum Height:* 150 Feet

*Maximum Number of Vehicles per Train:* 8

*Modes:* Continuous Circuit

**Vehicle Types**

*Car* - The front vehicle's front end has a car bonnet shape and the other vehicles are smaller than that front vehicle.

*Snow Mobile* - The front vehicle's front end is made into the shape of a snow mobile's front end, and the other vehicles are smaller than the front vehicle.

**Notes**

* Verbolten was based on Family Launched/Elevated Seating Coaster, manufactured by Zierer, in real life.
* The car vehicles and the snow mobile vehicles were based on Verbolten's vehicles in Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Polar X-Plorer's vehicles in Legoland Billund, respectively.
Flipping Mad

Flipping Mad is an unusual roller coaster, like Coasterball, an inverter roller coaster and the reverse freefall coaster, which doesn't have horizontal nor diagonally curves at all. Hence that ride's name, each of Flipping Mad's vehicles has two passenger compartments each (one on each side) and these flip vertically and freely.

**Facts**

*Maximum Height:* 120 Feet

*Maximum Number of Vehicles per Train:* 2

*Modes:* Continuous Circuit

**Vehicle Types**

*Standard* - Simple themed vehicles with two flipping benches, one on each side.

**Notes**

* Based on the 4-D Free Spin, constructed by S&S - Sansei Technologies, in real life.
Tinsiu Qian

**Tinsiu Qian** was a Nimbus agent specialized in employment satisfaction.

## Biography

Qian had been a Nimbus agent specializing in employment satisfaction for 36 years until he was fired by the Thunderhead along with every other Nimbus agent in the world. He kidnapped Greyson Tolliver along with Bob Sykora and Audra Hilliard. They received directions from the Thunderhead to go into the ocean, 2 weeks after wandering they received a mysterious coordinate which led them to Kwajalein Atoll. Before arriving at shore their vessel was struck by the island defense system, and Agent Qian died in the disaster.
Boating School

Riders ride in boats that have a steering wheel each, so riders can steer their own boats using their own steering wheels, and riders can push down the pedal to accelerate their own boats.

**Vehicle Types**

*Motorboat* - Motorboat-shaped boats.

*Skipper* - Skipper-shaped boats.

**Notes**

* Based on the Electric Boats, manufactured by Garmendale World Class Theme Park Engineering (in real-life).
Daxson Robinson

**Dax** was one of the main characters in A Death of Many Colors.

## Biography

Dax lives in a town where many people, including himself, do not believe in Scythes.

On All Hallows Eve a year not long before Endura sank, he and his family throw a large party at their house, Dax goes as a fake scythe, Scythe Münchhausen.

Here, he meets a girl named Journé, who comes from the Tasmania Charter Region, dressed as an angel for All Hallows Eve. Journé believes in scythes, for which she is mocked by Dax and his friends.

Eventually, when he is left alone with Journé, she reveals herself as Scythe Truth and that she has selected him for gleaning. Obviously, he doesn't believe this and tries calling for help, but the Thunderhead is unable to interfere with scythe matters.

Scythe Truth gleans him by flying in the air high enough to kill him with her wings, that were actually real, and drops him.

Everyone is convinced this was just a splat and he'll be revived soon, but the revival will never come, for this was a scythe action.

## Appearances

* *Gleanings*
	+ A Death of Many Colors
Davey

**Davey** is an employee at Mault Club.

Davey is working at Mault club the first night Greyson Tolliver as Slayd Bridger visits the unsavory scene of the city. He gets beaten up by an unsavory called Zax. He goes to the bathroom to freshen up, and Slayd follows him and asks him about his "job". Davey confesses he gets beaten up three or four times every day. Greyson wonders how the Thunderhead can allow such a thing, but Davey explains that it is not hurting him or anyone, his pain-killing nanites were set to maximum and his healing nanites to manual, so he can look beat up as long as needed. He also implies he likes getting beat up.

He helps Greyson integrate into the Unsavory community by setting up a situation in which Davey gets beaten up by Greyson, this gets him the approval of the other unsavories.

## Physical description

Davey looks like an All-Merican Billy from the 50s and wears a letter sweater.
Scythe Renoir

**Scythe Renoir** was scythe from the MidMerican Scythedom.

## Biography

Scythe Renoir lived in the northern reaches of the Mericas. He loved a Permafrost woman, but as a scythe, he could not marry her, so the woman married another Permafrost man. According to Scythe Faraday this was the reason why he started gleaning the Permafrost people. Faraday used to be friends with him before he started gleaning with ethnic bias.

Renoir started to secretly glean as many as he could in order to thin the population of the ethnic Permafrosts enough it would no longer be offensive to him.

Showing ethnic bias is against the Scythe Commandments, but since Permafrost was not considered a distinct race on their genetic index it only showed as a high percentage of "other", this helped mask what he was doing from the Scythedom.

One night in late November, Year of the Capybara, he was on his way to a double gleaning. A Permafrost woman and her son, but when he left his home, he encountered Scythe Lucifer who gleaned him by putting him in a publicar and setting it on fire, the vehicle sped through his neighborhood until the tires melted, by the time firefighters reached him, there was nothing they could do.

## Personality

Renoir had an obsession with order, he arranged his spices alphabetically, trimmed his hair to a measured length every Friday morning, etc, so it bothered him that the Permafrost people were not blended on a genetic level as much as the rest of the world, they looked racially distinct because they were very protective of their culture.

## Appearances

* Thunderhead
* The Toll (mentioned only)

## Trivia

* Scythe Renoir named himself aster French artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir which infuriated scythes from the FrancoIberian region. They felt all mortal-age French artists belonged to them.
* Scythe Renoir has a collection of masterpieces painted by his Patron Historic.
Scythe Carnegie

**Scythe Carnegie** is a scythe from the MidMerican Scythedom.

Carnegie was present at the Winter Conclave of January 7th, Year of the Raptor. When scythes were discussing the added security measures due to Scythe Lucifer's gleanings of scythes. He noted Scythe O'Keefe's idea of bringing scythes in to Conclave underground was the first good idea he had had in years.
Citra's uncle

This **unnamed man** is an unsavory, and the uncle of Citra and Ben Terranova.

## Biography

At some point in his life, he became an unsavory and had to be assigned with his own personal peace officer 24/7. He started to fall in love with her and calling her "his guardian angel". Eventually, they got married.

## Trivia

* It is unclear if he is the brother of Jenny Terranova or Mr. Terranova, or if he is their brother-in-law having married their sister instead.
Scythe Thorpe

**Scythe Thorpe** is a junior scythe from the MidMerican Scythedom. He was ordained at the Winter Conclave of January 7th, Year of the Raptor along with Scythe McAulifee.

At the aforementioned Winter Conclave, Scythe Curie and Scythe Goddard had to deliver their speeches as nominees for High Blade, and it was decided they would determine who went first with the flip of a coin. Since physical money was no longer common in the Post-Mortal World, he was tasked as scythe apprentice to find a coin in the administrative offices of the Scythedom.
Greyson's parents

Greyson's parents were "serial parents.” They loved the idea of having families but loathed raising them. Greyson and his sisters were his father's fifth family, and mother's third. They had tired of this new batch of offspring quickly, and when they began to shirk their parental response bilities, the Thunderhead took up the slack.

It helped Greyson with his homework, it advised him on how to behave and when to wear on his first date and although it could not exhibit a physical presence at his high school graduation, it took pictures of him from every possible angle, and had a fine meal delivered for him when he arrived home. That was more than he could say for his parents, who were off in PanAsia on a food-tasting excursion.
The Mortal Canvas

**“The Mortal Canvas”** is the sixth story in *Gleanings*. It was written by Neal Shusterman and co-authored with David Yoon.

## Plot

Set in the 2070s, the story is centered around Mortimer Ong, a student at the Mischler Art Academy. Their art teacher, Ms. Cappellino, was mortal-born, and laments how art is becoming less genuine and meaningful due to the loss of death and the finality it provides. One day a scythe named after Af Klint challenges his art class to an art contest, with the winner receiving a year of immunity.

The class is understandably stressed out, and struggle to come up with ideas. Though the scythe never specified what would happen to the losers, they all assume they would be gleaned. They visit a museum and there Morty kisses Trina. They sleep together, fearing that they might be dead soon. Morty is suddenly struck with inspiration.

At the showing, the scythe reveals that the true judge of the contest is the audience, not her. Morty does not win. However, his piece entitled *Af Klint Contemplating Sappho's Exit*, depicts the nude form of founding Sycthe Sappho with Af Klint's face, picking up the dagger which she self-gleaned with. Scythe Af Klint is close to gleaning Morty himself but he explains that in order to produce true art he needed to fear death like in the mortal age. The audience is rendered speechless with awe (both because of the painting and because of his sheer audacity) and Scythe Klint names it the "last mortal artwork".

The story ends with the art teacher being gleaned, as the scythe wanted to glean her respectfully before a mortal-born purge would. The story heavily focuses on the mortal-born and post-mortal generations' divide, and the question of if art is still art in a non-mortal age.

## Characters

* Belinda Cappellino
* Morty
* Trina Orozco
* Wynter Weitz
* Wyatt Weitz
* Scythe Af Klint
* Barista
* Scythe Sappho (mentioned)

## Inspiration behind the story

> "*I’m already a fan of Neal’s writing, so when he asked me to contribute to this anthology, I couldn’t help but dive right in. One of the most intriguing questions the Scythe universe asks is: if death were no longer a factor, what would we live for? We always tell ourselves to live life to the fullest, appreciate every minute of every day, and so on. But if we had unlimited time on earth, would those axioms go away? Would we stop thinking about life’s value entirely? For me, immortality’s effect on artistic work was particularly interesting, because so much of art explores what it means to be alive in the face of inevitable death. Would art in an immortal age be empty, simply because it had run out of questions to ask? And would immortals no longer be able to understand art from the mortal age?*" — David Yoon co-author of “The Mortal Canvas”
>
>

## References

1. ↑ Neal Shusterman's Shustermania December 2022 newsletter
Scythe Alighieri

> "*Narcissus incarnate, that man.*" — Scythe Faraday on Scythe Alighieri, The Toll
>
>

**Scythe Alighieri** is a retired scythe born in the mortal age, making him the oldest scythe alive.

## Biography

Born in the Brittannia region, but having also formerly been part of EuroScandia, FrancoIberia, TransSiberia, and Byzantium, was a very old Scythe, having been born in the mortal age, and even witnessed the founding scythes ride through town on their way to Buckingham Palace.

He was infamously part of the NewHope gleaning, lead by Scythe Goddard. He kept himself far from the outside world with his age and was known to glean anyone that bothered him (even with the annoyance of granting immunity to the family members) and had no knowledge of many outside matters such as the sinking of Endura.

## The Toll

During the Year of the Cobra, Alighieri is visited by Citra, Greyson, and Jeri. Citra tries to convince Alighieri to make a broadcast to the world about the NewHope gleaning, hoping that Alighieri will do it so that she can incriminate Overblade Goddard. Ultimately, Alighieri is convinced to make the broadcast, revealing to the world the truth of the NewHope gleaning, and exposing Goddard as the mastermind behind the gleaning.
Terranova family

The **Terranova family** is a family from MidMerica.

## History

The Terranovas have hordes of extended family on both sides.

## Known members

* Mr. Terranova
	+ Jenny Terranova
		- Citra Terranova
		- Ben Terranova
* Citra's uncle
	+ Citra's aunt
* Amanda
* Unnamed woman

## Trivia

* The family name "Terranova" is a compound word, terra which means "land" and nova which means "new". It translates to "New land".
Michelle Knowlden

**Michelle Knowlden** is a full time author who was once a space shuttle engineer. Michelle co-authored "Perchance to Glean" with Neal Shusterman in *Gleanings*.

A Shamus Award nominee, Michelle's stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, Amazing Stories, and Daily Science Fiction. She also collaborated with Neal Shusterman on the novella "UnStrung", as well as two other stories that appeared in his *UnBound: Stories from the Unwind World* anthology. Mystery novels include The Abishag Quartet, the Deluded Detective series, the Faith Interrupted cozy mystery series, Her Last Mission, and the 1920s-era novella "The Admiral of Signal Hill" She splits her time between riverboats and the Arizona highlands, much to the consternation of family, friends, and an Icelandic sponge named Marino.

## External links

* Michelle Knowlden's official site
* Michelle Knowlden on Goodreads.
Rowan's Grandma

Rowan’s grandmother had returned home after turning the corner for, third time, with a new husband and a baby on the way. The whole thing pissed Rowan's mother off because this time Grandma had reset all the way down to twenty-five, making her ten years younger than her daughter. Now Mom felt pressured to turn the corner herself, if only to keep up with Grandma.

> "You're going to have a new aunt, Rowan. Isn't it wonderful?
>
>
AWFul Clubs

**AWFul Clubs (Anachronistic Wish Fulfillment)** are unsavory clubs that reenact a specific theme (ex. Prison or 1950s). These clubs are unsavory-only, and they are places for unsavories to be free to be unsavory without bounds.

With the world under Thunderhead jurisdiction, no unsavory club is truly out of its control. The Thunderhead curates all unsavory experiences. No matter how unsavory things seem, they are just simulations of bad behavior.

## Known AWFul Clubs

* **LokUp:** a club in Fulcrum City designed to replicate a mortal-age incarceration facility.
* **Mault:** a club in Fulcrum City designed to replicate a late 1950s diner.
* **Gallery de Bäsch:** designed for destroying replica works of art, located in the District of Columbia.
* (name unknown): A restaurant where you got to mistreat the servers.
* (name unknown): An overpriced clothing store that encourages shoplifting.
* (name unknown): A fight club that sends a few people to a revival center each night.

## Trivia

* The story Unsavory Row is named after Unsavory Row, a street lined with **AWFul Clubs** located in the old District of Columbia that appears in the story.
Brother McCloud

> "*Hello, friend! Did you know that the Great Fork tolls for you?*" — Brother McCloud, *Thunderhead*
>
>

**Brother McCloud** is a Tonist who belongs to the Locrian Tonist order in Wichita.

## Biography

While Scythe Anastasia and Scythe Curie were staying at a Wichita hotel, they ordered room service, but when Citra opened the door it was Brother McCloud instead. Afraid it might be another attempt on their lives, Citra mistook his intentions and broke his arm at the elbow. Brother McCloud had actually come to preach the Tonist religion.

Since he was a Tonist he had his healing and pain nanites extracted, therefore he felt a lot of pain and he would not heal quickly. Citra was embarrassed for breaking his arm, Scythe Curie came to investigate and was annoyed at what had happened but still helped him by getting ice, a mortal-age remedy for swelling and pain. He then went to the Tonist monastery where the doctor put his arm in a cast.

Later on, when Greyson needed a place to hide from the Scythedom and went to Scythe Anastasia for help she told him he could go to a Tonist monastery and ask for Brother McCloud. Brother McCloud received Greyson and help him get used to the Tonist way of life at the monastery.

When Scythe Cervantes visits the Tonist monastery looking for Greyson, he finds Brother McCloud at the visitor's center, he is not very fond of scythes as Tonists usually are, and refuses to help Scythe Cervantes find Greyson because he is afraid the scythe might glean him. After more threats from the scythe, Curate Mendoza is called, and they agree he can talk to Greyson but is not allowed to glean him.

## Physical description

Brother McCloud is described as a young man, around the same age as Scythe Anastasia. He has cosmetic issues that no one in the post-mortal age had: yellow, crooked teeth, and acne. He wears Tonist clothing, a shapeless brown burlap shirt, and pants.

## Appearances

* *Thunderhead* (first and only appearance)
Scythe Travis

**Scythe Travis**, one of the Texas Scythe who rescued Rowan.

## Biography

### The Toll

After Rowan was revealed as Scythe Lucifer, public enemy #1, the Texas Scythes kept most of his family in Texas. Scythe Travis and Scythe Coleman rescued Rowan from his execution. With Scythe Constantine they managed to convince Rowan to kill for them.
Maxim Easley

> "*But I'm always happy to serve a Highblade.*" — Maxim Easley, *Scythe*
>
>

**Maxim Easley** was the executive of Regenesis.

One day Scythe Goddard and his entourage showed up at his estate and killed his guards, then forced Easley into giving Goddard his estate in exchange for a year of immunity for himself, his family, and the surviving staff. Goddard went further and kept Easley as the pool boy, forcing him to resign his job as executive of Regenesis.

After Goddard succumbed to the fire at the Tonist monastery, all the staff and his family left. His estate was ultimately put up for sale.
Devora Murray

**Devora Murray** was a woman gleaned by Scythe Anastasia.

## Biography

On the evening of November 10th, Year of the Capybara Scythe Anastasia gave Devora Murray a gleaning warning.

The woman was busy walking down the street and talking on her phone with her friend Colleen, she did not notice Scythe Anastasia was trailing her.

At a street corner, while waiting for the light to change, Scythe Anastasia tapped her on the shoulder and told her she had been selected for gleaning, then pulled a hypodermic gun out of her robe and injected a tracking device in her arm. The woman was stunned and tried to bargain, later she was very upset with Scythe Anastasia.

Anastasia gave her a month to put her life in order and say her goodbyes. However in the tracking device was a grain of lethal poison that would activate if she left MidMerica, or if she did not contact her within the next 30 days to let her know how she'd like to be gleaned, then gave her her business card. She also warned her against trying to get immunity from another scythe, because they would know she had been marked for gleaned and they would glean her on the spot.

## Physical description

Devora Murray is 93 years old but looks 33.
Citra's aunt

This **unnamed woman** is a peace officer, and the aunt of Citra and Ben Terranova.

## Biography

At some point in her life, she became a peace officer and was assigned to an unsavory man 24/7. He started to fall in love with her and calling her "his guardian angel". Eventually, they got married.

## Trivia

* It is unclear if she is the sister of Jenny Terranova or Mr. Terranova, or if she is their sister-in-law having married their brother instead.
Scythe Dali

Scythe Dali is a Scythe of the FrancoIberian Scythedom and one of the main scythes in The Persistence of Memory.

## Biography

Scythe Dali had a wife and daughter before becoming a scythe.

One day on a trip with them, they all perished in a fire. This was while the Thunderhead was still learning to influence weather. Only Dali’s body could be recovered for revival, as drones kept melting in the fire trying to recover his wife and daughter.

Scythe Dali was 20 when he began his apprenticeship, years older than other apprentices.

In The Persistence of Memory, Scythe Dali intends to glean a couple of newlyweds by encasing them in solid ash. However, his subjects run away, causing him to glean their parents. After Scythe Gaudi gleans his subjects, he declares that he is going to go into Gaudi’s park and glean people with a pitchfork but quickly loses the appetite for it.

After he learns that Penelope isn’t actually a ward of Scythe Gaudi, he plans to glean her out of spite.

However, when he sees that Gaudi won’t misalign the crossbow, he tries to take the bolt to self-glean, but it hit him in the shoulder and not the heart. So he takes Penelope on as an apprentice to annoy her uncle instead.

## Gleaning Method

Scythe Dali thinks that gleaning is a sacred act and should be respected, he makes all of his gleanings spectacles, such as gleaning a newlywed couple with a combustion gun, a tribute to the volcanic winds of Pompeii. Scythe Dali does this to immortalize his gleaning subjects, despite ending their lives. Before he gleans them, he gives them their last meal, which is mostly his favorites since he doesn’t know theirs.

## Appearances

* The Toll (Mentioned Only)
* Gleanings
	+ The Persistence of Memory

## Trivia

* The title of his story, “The Persistence of Memory”, is based off a painting by his patron historic of the same name.
Mars colony

The **Mars colony** was humanity's second attempt to expand humanity beyond Earth.

## The destruction of the Mars colony

In the Year of the Bison, Xenocrates visits the Mars colony. Under his influence, Carson Lusk was able to single-handed destroyed the Martian colony. The explosion from the core destroyed everything, leaving a mark called “The Eye of Mars”. The only survivors were on the same ship as Carson.

## Known residents

* Carson Lusk
* Thunderhead
* Carson's mother
* Carson's father
* Devona - Carson's friend and crush.
* Mr. McGeary - Mortal Studied teacher at Carson's school.
* Acheron Yost - Carson's friend, classmate and captain of the basketball team.
* Acher's parents - They ran the colony's alloy manufacture plant.
* Governor Vallerin
* Unnamed photographers and reporters.
* Lisa Riojas - The chief engineer at Energy Resources.
* Otto - Engineer at Energy Resources.
* 97 survivors onboard the cargo ship that managed to escape the destruction of the colony.
* Captain Quarry - Captain on board the cargo ship that managed to escape the destruction of the colony.

## Visitors

* Underscythe Xenocrates - He was the first scythe to ever set foot on Mars.
* Xenocrates entourage:
	+ A woman who was his chief of staff.
	+ A chef.
	+ Two members of the scytheguard.

## Known locations

* Humanus Mons - Dome where Mars colonizers lived.
* Olympus Mons - Mars's largest volcanic mountain.
* 4th Planet Java - One of the only two coffeehouses in the dome. It features an open-air terrace, which is not open air as it is still under the dome. It overlooks the spacious park that filled the center of the dome.
* Mining families' apartments - Where Carson lived with his family.
* Shopping arcade
* Daedalia Park
* Mars A&M - The only college on Mars. The careers offered focused on agriculture and mining degrees.
* Tharsis Trail
* Northern Outpost - It was under construction when the colony was destroyed. Carson and his family were supposed to live there once construction was finished. It was supposed to house at least a hundred settlers.
* Drill array - Where Carson and his parents worked. There were fifty-two wells in a four-by-thirteen array, each named after a playing card.
* Energy Resources - Where the fusion reaction, which powered the whole colony, was contained.

## Culture

The day the first vessel of the shipping season arrived was known as "First Arrival". It was a colony-wide holiday. A festival that filled the paths of Daedalia Park: food, crafts, and music to greet the new arrivals.

## Trivia

* Shipping season came to the colony every two Earth years and the Mars colony only saw 4 shipping seasons. We can then guess that the colony only lived 8 Earth years since its foundation.
Lanikai Lady

**Lanikai Lady** is the boat that took the Nimbus agents to the Atoll, and got destroyed by a laser-beam.

## Context

On April 1st, Year of the Raptor every Nimbus agent was fired from their job by the Thunderhead via email. The Authority Interface had been shut down, every single agent now unemployed, and unsavory.

A month later formal director, Audra Hilliard, offered unemployment formal Nimbus agents a new job that involved traveling. Embarked into the ocean on the with Hilliard and her crew, after 2 weeks of wandering in the ocean, they receive mysterious coordinates from the Thunderhead, which take them to Kwajalein Atoll.

## Passengers

* Audra Hilliard
* Loriana Barchok
Nectaris Prime colony

**Nectaris Prime colony** was a colony on the moon.

The moon colony was the first attempt at off-world settlement. The plan was to steadily populate the Lunar Frontier' and relieve the population problem back on Earth. The Thunderhead had it all worked out. Then came the disaster.

In the Year of the Lynx, the Nectaris Prime colony on the moon had a catastrophic atmospheric failure. Their entire supply of oxygen, even the reserve of liquid oxygen, vented into space, killing every colonist. Not a single survivor.

That’s all the public knows because the public history databases are all subject to scythes approval. Scythes are allowed to do anything they want. Even censor history.

In the Thunderhead's backbrain are:

* Those first articles written.
* Personal recordings made by the doomed colonists before they died.
* Broadcasts pleading for help.

In the short story A Martian Minute it could be assumed that Xenocrates was involved in the accident to preserve the Scythedom way of life.
Curate Mendoza

**Curate Mendoza** was a Tonist Curate, the head of the Tonist monastery that had harbored Greyson Tolliver.

## Biography

### Life before Tonism

Before he was a Tonist Mendoza worked in advertisement, he was very skilled at his job and came up with the idea of the genetic engineering of the iconic blue polar bears for AntarctiCool Soda. He used his experience as a marketing guru to help promote The Toll later as a tonist.
Sofía Lapuente

**Sofia Lapuente** is an author, screenwriter, and avid world traveler who immigrated from Spain to the United States to realize her dream of storytelling. Sofia co-authored "The Persistence of Memory" with Neal and Jarrod Shusterman in *Gleanings*.

She has received a master's degree in fine arts at UCLA, worked as a producer for Telemundo and casting director on an Emmy nominated show. She wrote *Retro* with her partner Jarrod. Together, the couple writes and produces film and television under their production company Dos Lobos Entertainment. They are partners in every sense of the word, with love and multiculturalism as an ethos, living between Madrid, Spain, and Los Angeles, California.

## Bibliography

### Novels

* *Retro* (2023) co-authored with Jarrod Shusterman.

### Short stories

* *The Persistence of Memory* (2022) co-authored with Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman (from *Gleanings*)

## Trivia

* For her gleaning method she likes the idea of a mortal dance. Making her subject dance passionate dance like Flamenco and then gleaning them.

## External links

* Sofía Lapuente's official site
* Sofía Lapuente (@sofiandjarrod) on Instagram.
* Sofía Lapuente (@sofiandjarrod) on TikTok.
* Sofía Lapuente on Goodreads.

## References

1. ↑ Mysterious Galaxy Virtual Event: Author Neal Shusterman and family discussing GLEANINGS
The Battle at Kwajalein Atoll

> "*Attention! Attention!” Her voice rose above the alarm. “Scythes are headed our way. Repeat, scythes are headed our way. The entire atoll has been marked for gleaning.*" — Loriana Barchok, *The Toll*
>
>

**The Battle at Kwajalein Atoll** was a battle of annihilation that took place on Kwajalein Atoll. It was led by Honorable Scythe Goddard and was meant to destroy and prevent the launching of the spacecraft positioned on the island.

The news of the scythe plane approaching the island triggered the early launch of 42 spacecraft, attempting to launch before the arrival of Scythe Goddard & Rand. The Thunderhead warned Greyson that something was amiss by telling him "*I'm thinking that a journey would be for everyone on the atoll would be a good idea*." Greyson realized this was a scythe action due to the unclear warning The Thunderhead was giving him. Greyson went to warn Loriana Barchok, the de facto head of The Nimbus Agents. Loriana then activated the tsunami alarm on the islands, with the announcement, "*Attention! Attention! Scythes are headed our way. Repeat, scythes are headed our way. This entire atoll has been marked for gleaning*." Loriana instructed the residents of Kwajalein to head to the spacecraft, and they began filling up with colonists.

Meanwhile Goddard, Rand, Mendoza, Pickford, Hammerstein, Franklin, and Nietzsche were approaching the atoll in scythe planes determined to prevent the spacecraft from launching. Once Pickford, Hammerstein, Franklin, and Nietzsche were met with the sight of the 42 spacecraft they retreated with their respective planes, leaving Goddard, Rand & Mendoza.

The first craft launched was shot down by a missile shot by Goddard, followed by a second plane. The two exploded planes sent debris flying in every direction. Simultaneously, many spacecrafts were taking off, eager to be off the island. Debris was flying through the air, such as a piece of flaming shrapnel, which struck Anastasia in the head, rendering her deadish. Rowan carried her to a ship, boarding the spacecraft with Anastasia and others. Goddard and the pilot flew to the spacecraft holding Rowan & Anastasia, prepared to send a missile into the ship.

On the scythe plane, Scythe Rand pulled out a knife, gleaning the pilot. Before Goddard could react to the pilots gleaning, Rand turned the knife onto Goddard, severing his aorta, rendering him deadish on the spot. Curate Mendoza, and Rand, carrying Goddard, ran for the safety pod, but Rand pushed Mendoza out of it, effectively gleaning the man.

The Battle at Kwajalein Atoll
* Scythes
	+ Anastasia
	+ Faraday
	+ Lucifer
	+ Morrison
* Captain Loriana Barchok
* Thunderhead (through Nimbus agents)
	+ Scythe Goddard
	+ Scythe Rand
	+ Scythe Pickford (retreated)
	+ Scythe Hammerstein (retreated)
	+ Scythe Franklin (retreated)
	+ Scythe Nietzsche (retreated)
* Curate Mendoza
 * 2 ships
* 2 Cirri
* Scythe Anastasia (rendered deadish)
* Colonists >125
* Unnamed pilot (fratricidal gleaning)
* Curate Mendoza (intentional fratricide)
Fulcrum City

**Fulcrum City** is the capital of MidMerica.

## Information

Fulcrum City is a post-mortal metropolis located toward the center of MidMerica in the Mississippi River.

## History

Formerly called St. Louis, the Thunderhead renamed it Fulcrum City after dividing North America into regions. The city served as the meeting place of the scythe conclave. There was once a giant silver arch on the river bank, but it was destroyed in the Age of Mortality by terrorism.

## Features

### Capitol Building

*Main article: Capitol Building*
It holds the administrative offices of the MidMerican Scythedom, as well as hosting its conclave three times a year.

### Fulcrum City AI Offices

*Main article: Authority Interface*
The Offices of the Authority Interface affairs in Fulcrum City.

### Fulcrum City Galleria

It has a food court. Luigi's (Esme's favorite pizza place) is located there.

### The Arch

It was known as the "*Gateway Arch*" in the Age of Mortality. It had stood on the western bank of the Mississippi River until it was brought down by terrorism. Only the two ends remain reaching towards the sky.

### The Scythedom tower

*Main article: The Scythedom tower*
The tallest building in Fulcrum City.
Scythe Brando

**Scythe Brando** was a scythe who was on the island of Endura at the time of its sinking. Rowan Damisch had stolen his robe somehow when he escaped captivity with the help of Scythe Rand. When Rowan was talking to Scythe Anastasia, a woman with black hair approached him mistaking him for Scythe Brando as he was wearing his robes, Anastasia quickly made up that he wasn't Scythe Brando but Scythe Vuitton, and that the woman had confused them. It is unknown if he or the woman were able to escape or perished when the island sank.
Black Knights' Tango

**“Black Knight's Tango”** is a bonus story in the B&N Exclusive Edition of *Gleanings*. It was written by Neal Shusterman.

## Plot

A boy named Kitt, who has a strong relationship with his grandma, receives an invitation to play chess with a scythe.

## Characters

### Appeared

* Kittisak Kansaden
* Yai
* The Thunderhead
* Lalita Kansaden
* Scythe Bergman

### Mentioned

* Scythe Thao Si Sunthon
* Kitt's grandfather

## Trivia

* This story was included in all German editions of *Gleanings* as story number 8.
Vault of Relics and Futures

The **Vault of Relics and Futures** was located in Endura, preserving the founders’ robes and rings, along with 40,000 scythe diamonds.

## History

* April 1st, Year of the Raptor:
	+ Scythe Curie traps Citra and Rowan in the vault to preserve their bodies, sacrificing herself.
	+ Scythe Cleopatra's robe was worn by Citra.
	+ Scythe Prometheus's robe was worn by Rowan.
* August 2nd, Year of the Cobra: The vault was retrieved by Scythe Possuelo, Jerico Soberanis and crew.
* The founders’ robes were relocated to a museum.

## Trivia

* Scythe Da Vinci was known for his unusual robes, one being the Vitruvian Man spread across it, was worn by Scythe Faraday in Kwajalein.
Easley's estate

**Easley's estate** was an opulent mansion owned by Maxim Easley.

## Description

The mansion is located in a rich neighborhood in Fulcrum City.

### Exterior

A pair of wrought iron gates give way to the estate's grounds, a quarter-mile driveway ends at the mansion. The front lawn is big enough to allow for a helicopter to land safely.

### Interior

The mansion's first floor has a grand foyer with archways leading to a grand winding staircase. The foyer has several pieces of artwork on display including a Cézanne painting. The mansion's decoration is opulent, chosen by Easley's wife.

The mansion's living room is ornate and has plush furniture. It also has a sizeable library, filled with mortal age books made of paper, that had been collected by Easley. There is also a weight room.

In the back of the mansion, there is a huge pool with waterfalls and a swim-up bar. Beyond the deep end of the pool, there is a cabana and a massage tent. There are several terraces, and a garage filled with more than a dozen of mortal-age vehicles, including a Rolls Royce.

## History

The mansion was surrounded by gate guards who were gleaned by Scythe Goddard and his junior scythes when they took possession of the mansion.

More TBA.

After Goddard succumbed in the Tonist monastery's fire in the Year of the Capybara, all the employees left, and Maxim Easley put the mansion up for sale.

## Known residents

* Maxim Easley, his wife, and children (former)
* 12 full-time employees between a nanny, a butler, servants, housekeepers, gardeners, and stable personnel (former)
* The pool boy (former)
* Scythe Goddard (former)
* Scythe Rand (former)
* Scythe Volta (former)
* Scythe Chomsky (former)
* Esme (former)
* Rowan Damisch (former)
Jarrod Shusterman

**Jarrod Shusterman** is a New York Times bestselling author and screenwriter. Jarrod co-authored "The Persistence of Memory" with Neal Shusterman and Sofía Lapuente in *Gleanings*. Jarrod also co-narrated the audiobook for *Gleanings*.

He co-authored the standalone novels *Dry* and *Roxy* as well as the short story "UnDevoured" in the *UnBound: Stories from the Unwind World* with his father, Neal Shusterman. He co-wrote *Retro* with his partner Sofía. They are partners in every sense of the word, with love and multiculturalism as an ethos, living between Madrid, Spain, and Los Angeles, California. The couple writes and produces film and television under their production company Dos Lobos Entertainment.

His siblings are Brendan, Joelle, and Erin Shusterman.

## Bibliography

### Novels

* *Dry* (2018) co-authored with Neal Shusterman.
* *Roxy* (2021) co-authored with Neal Shusterman.
* *Retro* (2023) co-authored with Sofía Lapuente.

### Short stories

* *UnDevoured* (2015) co-authored with Neal Shusterman (from *UnBound*)
* *The Persistence of Memory* (2022) co-authored with Neal Shusterman and Sofía Lapuente (from *Gleanings*)

## Trivia

* His scythe robe would be scarlet red because it's his favorite color. His Patron Historic would be Kurt Vonnegut same as his father, Neal. He said he didn't know Neal's Patron Historic was Vonnegut when he was thinking what his own Patron Historic would be.
* His gleaning method would be using knives.

## External links

* Jarrod Shusterman's official site
* Jarrod Shusterman (@sofiandjarrod) on Instagram.
* Jarrod Shusterman (@sofiandjarrod) on TikTok.
* Jarrod Shusterman on Youtube.
* Jarrod Shusterman on Goodreads.

## References

1. ↑ Gleanings on Audible
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Mysterious Galaxy Virtual Event: Author Neal Shusterman and family discussing GLEANINGS
Ezra Van Otterloo

**Ezra Van Otterloo** was a mural artist

## Biography

### Early life

When he was 7 years old, he got angry with his father and drew a picture of a scythe coming for him, but got scared that it might come true, so he tore it up and flushed it down the toilet. When he was 15 he put a piece of awful-smelling cheese in his brother's pocket because he was going on a date with the girl he had a crush on.

### Meeting The Toll

A month before his audience with The Toll he had drunk enough absinthe to put a mortal-age man into the hospital, the nanites protected him from the worst of it as he woke up with no more than a headache.

Ezra requests an audience with The Toll at the Verrazzano bridge, because he is frustrated with his art as he cannot find direction or fulfillment in it.
Kwajalein

**Kwajalein**, also known as **Kwajalein Atoll** or **Land of Nod** is an atoll, part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands where the founding scythes located the fail-safe.

## History

Situated in the Pacific Ocean, west of the islands of Micronesia and east of Hawaii, the Kwajalein Atoll was the site of a pre-mortal military installation. These military installations were used as a testing ground for rockets and as a launch site for spy satellites, some of which are assumed to still be functional in the Thunderhead's  observational satellite network. After the end of the Age of Mortality, Kwajalein became the site at which the founding scythes established a fail-safe in the event the Scythedom were to ever fall to corruption.

Known only through legend as the Land of Nod, the Kwajalein Atoll remained untouched by humanity for ages, the only apparent reminder of former human presence being old roads and building foundations spread across the main island. As intended by the founding scythes, the location of the island itself was to be kept secret, its existence only being known through clues left by founding Scythe Leonardo Da Vinci; a notable example being the children's nursery rhyme "The Land of Nod." Such clues kept the existence of the atoll a mystery, even to the Thunderhead itself.

The existence of Kwajalein was revealed by Scythe Faraday and Munira Atrushi after the two had discovered its location through an old Atlas stored in a hidden tunnel within the Library of Congress. Unbeknownst to them, the Thunderhead had been watching the pair through a camera thought to be deactivated at the moment they discovered the atoll, only realizing after a faint mechanical whirring was heard from one of its cameras and touching the camera, which was warm from the usage.

The location of Kwajalein having been exposed to the Thunderhead itself, the AI sought to discover the location, later doing so by using a group of its former Nimbus agents, who despite being marked unsavory, were given the coordinates of Kwajalein through Greyson Tolliver.

After the failsafe was activated, the static interference was cleared, allowing the Thunderhead to clearly see and monitor the atoll, as well as allowing the Thunderhead to use wireless communication there.

## The Land of Nod nursery rhyme

>
> Let’s all forsake,
>
> The Land of Wake,
>
> And break for the Land of Nod.
>
>
>
> Where we can try,
>
> To touch the sky,
>
> Or dance beneath the sod.
>
>
>
> A toll for the living,
>
> A toll for the lost,
>
> A toll for the wise ones,
>
> Who tally the cost,
>
>
>
> So let’s escape,
>
> Due south of Wake,
>
> And make for the Land of Nod.
>
>
>
>
> – Nursery rhyme written by Scythe Leonardo Da Vinci
>
>
Jacory Zimmerman

> "*But... but...*" — Jacory Zimmerman, Scythe
>
>

**Jacory Zimmerman** was a scythe apprentice.

Jacory was tested alongside Citra and Rowan by Scythe Curie at Vernal Conclave. He was the first one to be tested.

He was asked by Curie what he would do if a woman hurls herself on his blade, offering herself as a sacrifice to prevent the gleaning of her child, and dying in the process. He answered that by resisting gleaning she had violated the third commandment, and he would be obliged to glean her and the rest of her family. To this Scythe Curie tells him that it wasn't an acceptable answer, because the rule says if one resist one's own gleaning, had she been the gleaning subject the rule would apply. He failed the test and had to receive punishment from his sponsoring scythe.
Scythe Chomsky

**Scythe Chomsky** was a junior scythe from the MidMerican Scythedom.

## Biography

Scythe Chomsky was a junior scythe under Scythe Goddard along with Scythe Rand and Scythe Volta. Like Goddard, Chomsky was a new order scythe who enjoyed the art of gleaning.

Chomsky was gleaned by Rowan Damisch in a Tonist monastery, along with Scythe Rand (who survived) and Scythe Goddard (whose head was later revived on Tyger's body.)

## Personality

According to Volta, Chomsky was brainless brawn. He didn't have a conscience, and had no illusions of having one, either. He seemed to be rather impatient and prone to being slightly defensive when questioned.

## Gleaning method

Scythe Chomsky's preferred method of killcraft was by catastrophic induction using a flamethrower. He was very fond of it, and it was his signature weapon. Chomsky would burn down buildings and structures in his gleanings, and beyond that his uses of it are unknown.

## Appearances

* *Scythe*
* *Thunderhead* (mentioned only)

## Trivia

* Originally Scythe Chomsky's robe color was red. When Neal Shusterman saw the cover of the book, he felt that if he made Chomsky red, it would give him too much importance, because everyone would think it was him on the cover. So he chose to not have a red scythe at all in the first book and left the cover as symbolic of scythes in general. In book two, however, he did put in Scythe Constantine, whose robe is crimson.
* Author Neal Shusterman has referred to Scythe Chomsky's fans within the Arc of a Scythe fandom as "Chomsky-ites".
* Chomsky was not brought back like Rand and Goddard were because Neal Shusterman felt that anyone who gleaned using a flamethrower deserved to die; the popularity of the character surprised him.
* A Chomsky novella was considered for *Gleanings*, however for unknown reasons it was cut.
* It is implied he might like swimming, given his comment on a large estate probably having a decent-sized pool.

## References

1. ↑ "I originally had scythe Chomsky as red. Then I saw the cover, and felt that if I made Chomsky red, it would give him way too much importance, because everyone would think it was him on the cover. So I chose to not have a red scythe at all in the first book, and leave the cover as more symbolic of scythes in general. In book two, however, I did put in Constantine, whose robe is crimson." Neal Shusterman on his Reddit AMA
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Second Chomsky question! Jeez, why do you guys like Chomsky? >! Anyone who would glean people with a flamethrower deserves to die! !< Although all you Chomsky-ites are giving me an idea for a Chomsky story in the upcoming Scythe story collection…" Neal Shusterman on his Reddit AMA
3. ↑ *Scythe*
Michael H. Payne

**Michael H. Payne** is an American science fiction and fantasy writer. Michael co-authored of "Never Work with Animals" with Neal Shusterman in *Gleanings*.

He has had short fiction featured in numerous publications, including Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, the Writers of the Future contest anthology, and eleven of the last twelve Sword and Sorceress collections.

His novels have been published by Tor Books and Sofawolf Press. His fifteen years of Monday-through-Friday webcomic updates earned him second place in the Daily Grind competition, and his poetry has been nominated for the Rhysling Award in each of the last four years.

## External links

* Michael H. Payne on Wikipedia.
* Michael H. Payne's official site
* Michael H. Payne on Goodreads.