Shelter Me. We’ve encountered several reaver classifications with each new installment of the Saga & Songs. Many of you picked up on a tiny detail in Book 3, where Argent refers to Tsumiko as a bastion. In essence, those with a bastion’s classification serve as an anchor for the wards and barriers that protect a location. Usually, this means they have to stay put.
Argent was inclined to agree. “You would not be the first unofficial beacon. My own bondmate is unregistered, yet she has been acknowledged as both beacon and bastion.”
Tamiko and the Two Janitors (Amaranthine Saga, #3)
“I was bought and brought to become this enclave’s anchor, and I was raised in the Amaranthine style. They don’t send away their children.” Jiminy kept his eyes on the road as she guided the car toward the highway. “I don’t often leave campus, so this is something of an adventure.”
Tamiko and the Two Janitors (Amaranthine Saga, #3)
Fira could feel her cheeks warming. Pushing the stone toward the center of the table, she asked, “Why do I have to do this, anyhow? I thought Lufu is the one you want for an anchor. The stones like her, and she makes them happy. Train her.”
Followed by Thunder (Songs of the Amaranthine, #2)
FORTHRIGHT 
Are bastion and ballast the same? Because on Page 405 in the print version of Tamiko and the Two Janitors, Kip muses that Argent referred to his bondmate as “both beacon and ballast” and I’ve been wondering …
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Ah. That’s a bit of wordplay on my part. Kip is actually misremembering what Argent said. Argent correctly refers to Tsumiko as a “bastion.” Kip is really close when he inserts “ballast,” a steadying presence. An appropriate term for Jiro’s role in his life.
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Thank you for clarifying!
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Would that mean Lufu, Jiminy and Waaseya are also bastions?
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I mean … technically? But Lufu lived before such terms were assigned. Waaseyaa is one of *many* anchors at Wardenclave and doesn’t really think of himself as a reaver. He’s tree-kin, first and foremost. And Jiminy definitely identifies as a ward (though his status as Bellwether’s anchor is a matter of record).
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… I did use them as examples, but it’s so easy to quibble. lol
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All good, if Tsumiko’s the only confirmed one I’ll leave my notes like that. So many different interesting classifications I have to keep them straight somehow.
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