Marlene's federal way wa
Yakima, Washington
2009.10.01 23:12 jmkogut Yakima, Washington
A place to discuss Yakima, WA!
2008.07.10 04:01 Washington The Evergreen State
For all that is good in the Pacific Northwest. Washington is the absolute best.
2011.06.05 02:04 Aloveoftheworld City of Federal Way
A subreddit for Federal Way - a city in King County, Washington.
2023.06.09 01:59 Dungeon_Dice JoJo's Bizarre OC Tournament #6: Semifinal 2 - Errok vs Mx. Wah
Dédalo moved frantically around the control room, overturning rocks, checking behind the screen, looking for any kind of hidden button. “Ninian, are you just going to stand there or are you going to help me!”
“What do you want me to do, cut her out?!” Ninian gestured to the screen of Perdita’s face.
“There must be a button or lever somewhere here!” Dédalo snapped, refusing to believe there was nothing he could do to help Perdida’s predicament.
Perdida’s mind was occupied, having accessed the system and the dormant data stored in it. As she scanned through memories and visions, the relevant information unscrambled itself for her. Piece by piece, the memories played in series.
Her first memory, the birth of her artificial soul, heralded by the priests that created her as the greatest experiment they have succeeded in. “May the MAKS-0 bring peace to Pieduro forevermore!”
Next were the lives of the Piedurons she was tasked with maintaining peace over. Teaching the children how to use and play with their Temples responsibly, assisting the Piedurons through their everyday lives.
Then watching over the construction of the Ring, the key to unifying and connecting the use of all Temples to a single source.
Then the Piedurons slowly turned their attention to the world around them, visions of expanding past the island. With the construction of the Ring, they had the means of using their Temples much further beyond their island. Tools originally used to create were beginning to be seen as potential tools of destruction and oppression against adversaries. Visions of expansion and conquest filled the mind of a small, but growing population of Piedurons.
“War is not peace.”
“War goes against the idea of maintaining peace.”
“War can not happen if there are no Temples to fight with”
Pedida watched her original decision play out in; the construction of the Ring allowed her to shut down every single connected Temple. What happened after was a terrible oversight, the energy in each Temple overloaded rather than being simply shut down. The Ring that connected the Temples shared and distributed the energy of all temples between each other, but once disconnected they had no way to regulate the remaining excess energy.
The fallout wiped out the Piedurons as a civilization and destroyed the vast majority of Temples. The remaining few priests sealed Perdida away, and that was the last memory she could see in the database.
Perdida’s attention turned toward Electra and 2095, still fighting in the ring, using the carts to chase each other in a perpetual circle. The thought crept into Perdida’s mind; with the Ring under her control, she could turn off the Temples and stop the fight. She could prevent Temples from being used by the wrong hands.
No.
Perdida stopped herself. Not falling into the same logic that her previous self could not reason past. Her journey with Dédalo had allowed her to grow and understand, she would make a different choice this time.
The fight only took a bit longer to finish, the streaks of light made it difficult to tell what was happening, but the fight ended with a chain of explosions and both bodies falling out of their carts.
2095 falls to one knee, glare softening as Electra’s body goes limp while smoking from so many orb explosions. Her stare reaches thousands of yards, still processing her personal discovery before a speeding orb barely grazes her cheek and snaps her back. She sprints to the unconscious body and scoops her up, draping her over her back nestled underneath [Yours Truly] and holds the skater’s arms as she continues dodging to the best of her ability.
Her legacy wouldn’t end in this place, but neither would Electra’s.
Perdida opened a service door for 2095 to escape through, hoisting Electra over he shoulder. With a bit of guidance, 2095 made her way into the control room where they were now all gathered.
After getting everybody settled, Perdida managed to convince Dédalo that she was ok and relayed the story for the rest of them to hear.
“So I have a new plan. I figured out how to control the output of energy of each Temple to ensure that Temples can only be used when I allow them to be used…But in order to do that, I will have to stay within this mainframe.” Perdida looked toward Dédalo with a sad smile.
“Don’t worry Perdida, this will only be goodbye for now. I still have to find you a physical body after all.” Dédalo gave a warm chuckle as he walked up to the screen.
Dédalo pressed his hands against the screen and the image of Perdida pressed her hands against his. “We’ve learned a lot over the course of our journey. I’ll promise to tell you all about my next adventures when I get back.”
“...your mascara’s running.” Electra looked at a sniffling Ninian.
“It said it was waterproof, guess that was a fucking lie”; Ninian hide her face with her hands, quietly using Endless Rest to dry her face and fixed her make-up.
2095 looked on at the scene and ruminated on Perdida’s story. The similarities she shared with Perdida were not lost on her. Striving to become more than their programing, more than someone made to serve a higher purpose, but never losing sight of the joy of collaboration and connections to others. 2095 put a hand over her chest, she herself had also come a long way to be here hasn’t she.
To Be Continued…
Scenario: Sliema, Malta — 8:00 PM
On the island of Malta, in the center of one of its busiest cities, was a building. A decrepit, abandoned building, rusted and cast in reddish shadow by the taller structures that surrounded it. It was once an apartment building, but it had long since lost that use.
The rest of the city was filled with noise. Screaming, car alarms and barking dogs. But around here, where no one bothered to come around, it was quiet. Butterflies dotted the railings of the building, watching. Waiting for something to come. Not like the people inside could stand guard, with the boards over the windows. Still, they didn’t seem very concerned about the state of things.
“I was expecting to be impressed when you said you got a new place to stay, but this...” Ninian stared at the walls of Mari’s room, trying her best not to wince. They weren’t really in the best shape. Nothing here seemed to be, really, aside from the extremely comfortable bed she was taking a seat on. She turned to stare at Mari. “Shouldn’t you clean up a little? I bet it could use a new paint job, at least.”
“Geh. I don’t have time for painting.” Mari clacked away on her computer, hunched over in a garish (but surprisingly comfortable) gaming chair. Alarmingly loud EDM blared from the cat-ear headphones hanging around her neck. “Do you know how many things I would have to unplug to do that? It’s impractical.”
She gestured to the mass of wires emerging from her computer setup. Indeed, it’d be pretty difficult to move that around. Mari sat in front of a large array of computer monitors hung from the wall, all different shapes and sizes, all displaying different things. She swapped from keyboard to keyboard, not even taking the time to look at Ninian as she spoke.
“Besides, it’s better for me if my place looks like shit. Better that it doesn’t look like anybody lives here, right?”
“That only really matters on the outside...” Ninian sighed. “You could at least get some lights.”
“The screens are enough light.”
“...I suppose.”
The two sat in silence for a moment. Ninian turned to stare at the other person in the room; Nadine Sokenna laid on the other side of the bed, fast asleep. “I’m glad the two of you are doing alright.”
“Mmm.” Mari grinned. “Me too.” She exhaled, finally finishing whatever business she was handling on the computer and spinning the chair around to face the bed. The short shorts, thick blanket, and extremely oversized Hatsune Miku shirt she wore certainly weren’t that flattering, but at least her hair finally looked pretty nice. The bags under her eyes weren’t quite gone, but they seemed to glimmer with newfound lust for life.
She looked happy. That wasn’t something Ninian had been able to say about her before.
“I take it work’s been good?”
“Mmm!” Mari gestured widely to the screens behind her. “It’s an age of information, Ninian! No better time to be an info broker! Business is booming! Ehyeheheh!”
The swordswoman chuckled at that. She was silent for a moment, her smile turning into a frown, her eyes narrowing.
“Anyway... I assume you didn’t call me here just to talk.”
“Huh?” Mari tilted her head to the side. “Whaddya mean?”
“Well, you called me to deal with ‘that’, right?” She pointed up. “Truth be told, my schedule’s really packed right now, and I’m not sure how much I can do-”
“Oh, no, that’s not it at all.”
“Huh?”
“I just wanted you around.” She shrugged. “It’s a bit tough to relax right now. Super hard! Having big strong Ninian around makes me feel a little better. Ehe.” She was visibly blushing. “S-Sorry if that’s stupid, but I figured you’d like to catch up anyway.”
Ninian paused. “...So if you didn’t bring me here to, uh, deal with ‘that’... Are you just leaving that be?”
“Ah?”
“I mean, it’s kind of a problem for you, isn’t it? Doesn’t seem too convenient to leave it be...”
“Well, the plan was to leave it.” Mari shrugged. “But I got a bit lucky.”
“You invited me here... Just to sit around and chat while someone else does all the work?” The swordswoman raised an eyebrow, arms crossed. “As I said, I’ve got a packed schedule-”
“Nah, trust me.” The info broker snickered, spinning around in her chair as she spoke. “Youuuu... Are really gonna wanna see this one. I got somebody totally wild to help out.”
Ninian scoffed.
“Okay... And who would that be?” She tilted her head to the side. “I’ll be the judge of that.”
“You’re not gonna believe this one...” Mari cleared her throat. “I called in -”
*Scenario: A lonely boat, on the Mediterranean Sea — *
Wah watched the sun bob on the edge of the horizon. Their hair billowed in the wind, and seafoam sprinkled their face; they didn’t particularly seem to mind. Considering all they’d done with their ability, being on a speeding boat was probably the last thing to phase them; they’d just wrapped up a fight in a walking house, after all.
They stood in silence, a light smile on their face, eyes pleasantly half lidded. There was pleasure to be found in the small things. The sunset on the open sea, for one, was quite nice. Indeed, despite all the troubles it would no doubt cause, COLOSSI's shift to humanitarian aid was doing wonders for their mental. Now if only Solsbury and the rest of them would stop nagging...
But now wasn’t the time to worry about that. Nay, there were far more important matters. Wah pushed themself off of the boat’s railing, moving towards the driver's seat of the boat. It wasn’t a big boat; probably just used for leisure, but the owner had been nice enough to give them a ride.
A large sum of money was involved, of course, but that was neither here nor there.
“Oh, cappy-tan!” Wah leaned on the side of the boat behind the driver’s seat. A balding, sun-tanned man chuckled at the name. He wasn’t really much of a captain, but he did like to feel important.
“Howst long does thou think it will be before we arrive?” Wah tapped on the side of the boat a few times. “Wah has places to be, you see! Tis of utmost importance that I arrive quickly! Utmost! You understand, yes?”
“Yeah, yeah, I getcha...” The boater sighed. “It’ll be about ten minutes... Honestly, I don’t get why you’re in such a hurry to get there, anyway. Everybody else seems to be clearin’ out.”
“Oho?” Wah raised an eyebrow. They lowered it, and raised the other one, performing what could perhaps be called an ‘eyebrow wiggle’. “And why is that?”
“Dunno. Nobody’s said much, and everything they’ve said hasn’t been too, er, what’s the word...”
“Comprehensible?”
“Yeah. That one.”
“Wah sees, Wah sees!” Wah nodded a few times, bouncing off of the boat’s side and meandering back to the front, wobbling from side to side as the vessel rocked. “From what Wah understands, it’s quite a situation out there! No normal soul would find it any sort of comprehensible. A true predicament... And that is why Wah must go. To assist poor souls who cannot assist themselves! This predicament falls within Wah’s expertise, you see.”
“...Right.”
“Mmm!”
“Ain’t you just a normal soul, too? ‘Sides the ears, you don’t look all that special. Kinda twiggy.”
Wah paused. In the past, being called ‘kinda twiggy’ would’ve surely resulted in a violent tirade. But those were the demons they swore to leave behind speaking. Now, without them, Wah simply laughed. “Nay! Twiggy as Wah may be, you can rest assured, fine citizen!”
They turned, the boater catching the briefest glimmer in their eye. “Wah’s soul is the furthest from ordinary one could possibly get.”
“...If you say so...” He turned his attention back towards driving, and Wah turned theirs to the open sea once more.
Eventually, land came into view. The boater looked upon Malta with some confusion. Everything in the distance seemed perfectly normal. Wah, on the other hand, seemed extremely focused on something in the sky, something the poor man couldn’t seem to find no matter how hard he squinted.
“No need to make it all the way to the island.” Wah’s frown felt out of place on such a naturally silly face. “Park the boat near here. Wah can go the rest of the distances Wahself.”
“Ah..? It’s pretty far from here, though-”
“Verily! But it is nothing Wah cannot handle!” They snapped their fingers, jumping on top of the boat’s front railing, almost seeming to glide.
“Say, Cappy-tan! Have you ever seen a magician at work?”
Ninian gaped. “You... You called in... The head of COLOSSI?”
“...That’s what I said, yes.”
“Whuh...” Ninian frowned. “You’re fucking with me.”
“I’m not.”
“You so are.”
“I’m not! You underestimate the greatest info broker on the planet, my dear Ninian!” Mari jabbed a thumb into her chest as she gloated. “With my Stand ability: ｢Today is a Beautiful Day｣, my surveillance is simply unmatched! You see, the pins that make up my ability, when thrice jabbed into something, create a ‘butterfly within a frame’, but that’s only the basest applic-”
“I know what it does, Mari.” The swordswoman’s confusion briefly made way for the usual moodiness. If you let Mari start, you’d never get her to stop, after all. “I’m more... I mean, how did you even...?”
“I heard through the grapevine, as it were, that COLOSSI was making some big changes. All just rumors of course, so take that all with a grain of salt. But word out there is that their boss has gone completely mad! They’re big into justice and stuff now! Something like that. So I tracked them down, used my butterflies to establish communication, and made them a deal they simply couldn’t refuse.”
“And what could you possibly have to offer someone like that?”
“Information is the new money, Ninian.” Mari chuckled, staring at the wall of her room. “It didn’t take much. I just told them... I knew where a certain someone they quite liked was, and if they took care of my business, I’d sell ‘em the info for free.”
Ninian, after a few moments of stunned silence, simply sighed, scratching the back of her head. She smirked.
“...And you’re absolutely not fucking with me.”
“Aw, c’mon.” She chuckled again, turning her attention back to Ninian. “Have some faith in your best friend, will you? Just sit back and watch.” She raised a thumbs up, grinning from ear to ear. “I don’t have to do any work at all today! As long as no complications arise, it’s as good as dealt with! Wa ha ha!”
Elsewhere, in Sliema, a complication arose.
His name was Errok, and for once, he felt a bit too awestruck to open his mouth.
As rare of an occurrence as this was, most of his brain power was dedicated solely to figuring out what exactly he was looking at. After a large amount of deducing and such, he eventually came to the simple conclusion that he had no idea.
It’s not like anyone else who could see it, though. You couldn’t even see all of it. Only sections, massive spherical tubes of undulating red poking out from the cloudy sky, constantly moving ever so slowly. The wind whipped through his greasy hair as his eyes, wider than they’d been in years, observed what could only be described as a massive, floating worm, made entirely of bright red strings.
Now that he had given up entirely on trying to figure out what the thing was, Errok could dedicate his incredible intellect to other thought processes. Eventually, he arrived at a conclusion, one that was without a doubt something only someone as academically gifted as him could come up with.
“That thing is going to be my horse.”
Indeed, using whatever that was as a noble steed was the only logical idea. Wherever a powerful being resided, there too was opportunity to be found. And as a self proclaimed ‘Weapon To Kill The Soul’, there was surely no beast he could not tame.
He spent the next few minutes idly chuckling to himself.
It felt a bit off, admittedly. The city was pretty empty. The chaos caused by the thing no doubt led to a mass evacuation; he could tell from the buildings that had collapsed around him that it’d done quite a number on the place. Occasionally he’d hear someone screaming for help or something, but he couldn’t figure out where that was coming from, so he didn’t bother. But not having someone to monologue to felt strange. This was the part where he bragged about his incredible plan to some oafish bystander! Where were the oafish bystanders!
“I suppose...I could talk to myself.”
He nodded a few times. An excellent idea.
“Yes! This’ll do just fine. I can just talk to myself! Ha!”
Errok marched forward, a pep in his step that made his gait particularly loud.
“Now then... Clearly, the right answer... is to elevate myself! Aha! Yes!” He looked around at his surroundings. The stairs inside the buildings probably weren’t reliable, even if he could fit through the doors.
“No matter! I’ll just, uh, hrnmm...” He stared at a nearby building. It was pretty tall. “Well, I guess I could climb up that.”
“AHA! With my incredible strength, I’ll climb this building! That’s what I’ll do!”
His head swiveled around: still nobody around. He sighed, though you wouldn’t have been able to hear it from within the helmet, and began his ascent. With a grin, he unearthed the grotesque arm that was ｢You Are Blood｣ from its gauntlet. The arm shot forth, worms spraying from the mottled surface. Yes, they would be his ideal audience. He cleared his throat a few times.
“All living things tremble at the sight of Errok, Apostle of Rot, Destroyer of Souls! I need no weapon, for I am the blade which cleaves life itself!” His body shot forward with a cacophony of clanking, as he howled along with another bout of laughter.
“The world is my, uh, whetstone! I shall sharpen my blade on each fallen fool that tries to stop me, and become a better knight, a better god, a better trickster, than all those fools that I’ve destroyed!”
Hitting the side of the structure with a clatter, Errok stuck his sword into the side of the building. Again, his arm lashed out to grasp the next floor of the building, before yanking himself outwards. This cycle repeated itself, floor by floor, as Errok launched himself higher and higher towards the heavens, and towards the worm that would become his knightly steed.
“Then, when I have conquered all of life and every soul with the absolute, supreme power of rot and decay, then!”
With one last pull, Errok ascended into the air, his massive form silhouetted by the sun. “Then, I will finally tear that flamboyant freak a new one!”
With a CRASH, Errok landed on the roof of the building as it cracked around him. He gave a clumsy flourish to his wormy audience, grinning with menace and delight.
…and received a slow clap in return. Looking around in confusion, as worms do not have hands, Errok’s eyes fell upon the environment around him. The sun was slowly making its way towards the horizon line, casting the ruined skyline of Sliema in shadow, a golden light shining through gray clouds. It was absolutely beautiful; anyone with any sort of care for the world around them would simply have to stop and admire the view.
Errok didn’t have any of that. He was far more concerned with something else, as you’d expect. There on the roof stood another figure, a fae-like being with pale hair, pointed ears and teeth, and gleaming eyes.
“Oh hey,” Errok greeted, pointing with the finger of ｢You Are Blood｣. “Do I know you from somewhere? Might’ve seen you at the races... You look pretty important, though! I bet you’re super important! As am I! Pleasure to meet you!”
Wah just stopped clapping, giving Errok a look. Their nose wrinkled. “Wah is…charmed.”
Not picking up on the sarcasm, Errok beamed.
“Of course you are! I’m sure that you’ve heard about me! Errok, Apostle of Rot! I’ve committed more sins than one could possibly imagine! I’ve conquered all sorts of bozos and losers to get here! And now that I’m here, I’m gonna ride! That! Worm! Oh yeah!!!”
“…Uh huh,” Wah hummed, clearly not listening as they peered up at the worm. “There isn’t really much time for jokes right now, so-“
Suddenly, Wah stopped speaking. Errok stared at them for a few seconds. “...You gonna finish that sentence, or-”
“Shut up.”
The “Apostle of Rot” was fully prepared to go off on yet another monologue, but at that moment he thought to maybe see what exactly this mysterious weirdo stared so intensely at. He turned his gaze to the sky, and his eyes widened.
The clouds that obscured the form of the worm had split, only slightly, and something had descended from the hole produced. It was small, so it was a bit difficult to make it out at first, but if he squinted really hard, he could begin to see the silhouette of a young girl, holding loosely onto a balloon.
“Eugh.” He spat. “Hate kids.”
The figure was silent until it landed, never quite touching the ground. It wore a soft expression; a pure white girl, with a sundress that fluttered in the wind. The string in her hand led to a red balloon, just as red as the pupils concealed in her thin eyes. On the surface, she looked human, but just by looking at her you could tell that it was no human being. The way it seemed to lightly pulsate, skin forming briefly into strings that wrap endlessly around each other.
She smiled upon the two of them. It was not a friendly smile.
“Good evening, you two.” She raised her hands to the two of them. “Wah-Chan, leader of COLOSSI, overlord of the criminal underground the world over... And... Errok...San...”
“Hey. Wait.” Errok raised his hand. He turned to Wah. “That’s who you were? Oh, man, I’m a big fan of your-”
“Tell me. Do you know what ‘time’ it is?”
Errok stifled. He didn’t like this lady very much.
“8:01 PM, is it not?” Wah rudely ignored Errok’s plight. “What’s it matter.”
“Not quite what I meant. It’s almost the ‘Golden Hour’.” She chuckled. “The ‘Golden Hour’, as it’s called, is the most beautiful part of the day. It occurs in the last hour before sunset, and the hour directly before sunrise. It usually lasts only twenty to thirty minutes, but those twenty to thirty minutes are incomparable. Truly, there is beauty in the world.”
SIlence. Neither Errok nor Wah could figure out how to respond to that. Right as Errok was about to open his mouth anyway, the girl continued.
“If you couldn’t tell, ‘Golden Hour’ is about to start, in about two minutes, give or take. I only found this out recently. You see, I have lived my recent life in someone else’s eyes. I’ve never had the chance to learn about the world on my own. I was only recently able to learn about things on my own time, rather than on someone else’s. There was so much I was denied a chance to see. Do you know how cruel that is? Most of the knowledge I’ve gathered... Is completely useless to me now.”
She pointed at Wah. “Did you know that the Monogatari anime being released out of order was originally completely unintended?”
Silence.
“Exactly!” In her first showing of genuine emotion, the girl threw her hands into the air. Her voice remained perfectly monotone. “There’s no reason for me to know that information, either. But instead of important things, I’ve only been shown information like that. My brain, despite being far superior to that of a human being, is filled with useless information that serves no purpose to me. Do you know what it’s like? Having a vessel that doesn’t care for you? Even after all the work I went through to make her do what I wanted, she refused to show me anything worthwhile. I had to learn about things such as the ‘Golden Hour’ myself. Isn’t that cruel?”
“Excuse me, but-”
“But anyway, back to the ‘Golden Hour’. It is frequently utilized by film mak-”
“Stop fucking doing that!” Errok slammed his boot into the ground, producing a loud clang that finally managed to silence the mystery girl. He huffed and puffed for a few seconds before clearing his throat and continuing. “What’s the point of talking to us about any of this? You just prattle on, and on, and on, without any purpose to it! You’re annoying! What’s your deal!”
“There is no point.”
“What?”
“There’s no point, really. I’m just making small talk.” The girl looked over her nails. “Human beings engage in ‘conversation’ to gain a grasp of each other’s personalities. To establish who is worthwhile to have around, and who is not. I simply wanted to do the same. While I’m in this form, I may as well play at humanity.”
“Anywho, from our conversation—” Errok scoffed. “—I have deduced something. You see, I was originally planning to take the ‘strings’ of every Stand user in the world, taking their abilities and adding to my own power. But I have unfortunately vastly underestimated how many Stand users are in the world. Frankly, it would be a lot of work to do myself. So I’ve decided to take on another vessel. Someone far more suited for this kind of work, and who will show me plenty of things.”
“Wah-Chan.” Wah rolled their eyes at that. “From this conversation, I have deduced that you are patient, calm, and rational. From observing the work of your organization, I can come to the conclusion that you are cruel and calculating. My name is Disappearance Addiction. I am the strongest ‘Miracle’ currently present in the world. And I would like for you to become my new vessel.”
“No thankies.”
“...”
“...What?”
“Wah doesn’t really care for that sort of thing.” Wah shrugged. “You seem annoying to have around. Wah actually came here to get rid of you, to be honest. ‘Tis my duty! Wah is on the side of justice, now, as is COLOSSI as a whole! It would be immoral to take the power of something like you.”
“You would refuse the power of a ‘Miracle’?”
“Wah doesn’t know what that is.”
Disappearance Addiction seemed well and truly stumped at that. Eventually, her head began to turn, slowly, as if she was afraid of what her gaze would land on.
“Errok... San...”
“Yeah?”
“You... Would you like... Power?”
“That’s the first interesting thing you’ve said all day.” Errok nodded. “Fuck me up, lady.”
“...You’re not going to think it over, or anything?”
“Nope.”
“Are you sure?”
“Can you just give it to me already? C’mon.”
“...” Disappearance Addiction was silent for a few moments. On one hand, this guy smelled very bad. He was incredibly impatient. And he generally seemed like a big idiot. On the other hand, he did scale the building pretty easily...
“Alright.” She sighed. “I’ve come to a decision. Errok-San. If you kill Wah-Chan before the ‘Golden Hour’ ends, you may become my vessel. Does that satisfy you?”
“How long till Goldy Hour ends?”
“Twenty to thirty minutes.”
“Ha!” Errok unsheathed his sword and swung it onto his shoulder. “I’ll end it in three!” He smirked beneath his armor, pointing his massive blade at Wah. “You there! Wah! Leader of COLOSSI, was it?”
“...That is me, yes.”
“Get ready for the fight of your life, bub! After I kill you, I’m gonna be the boss of COLOSSI! I’ll be on top of the world! God King Errok! Everyone’ll bow to me! That kinda power ain’t something a little pacifist baby face like you’s worthy of having! So I’ll just take it right out of your hands! Ha ha ha! Thinking about it really amps me up! Oh, man!”
He paused, staring at Wah.
“I was really expecting you to cut me off there. It’s been happening all day. You just gonna sit there?”
Wah’s brow furrowed.
“Tell me...” They stepped forward, the dust around them kicking into the air, beginning to circle around them. “...Do you honestly believe... That you can beat me? Is that something... You think you’re capable of?”
“Course it is. I’m a weapon to kill the soul.”
“Hmph.” Wah sighed. “So be it.”
Disappearance Addiction smiled upon the two as she rose further into the air, wind whipping through her hair. A golden glow illuminated the cityscape, the sun reaching its final moments in the sky. “I feel like... I should say something here...Ah, that’s it!
In the city of Sliema, Malta, currently with thick strings hanging overhead.
The area here is 32 by 40 meters with each tile being 2 by 2 meters. Wah and Errok start on top of buildings, as represented by their character tokens.
The yellow rectangles are clay buildings, each numbered to represent their elevation level.The (1) marked buildings are 5 meters tall, the ones marked with a (2) are 10 meters tall, and the ones marked with a (3) are 15 meters tall.
The White Rectangles are Laundry racks with nearby baskets, folding chairs, cleaned clothing, and towels.
The Green Circles are palm trees that are 20 meters tall.
The Magenta Lines across the map are Strings produced by Disappearance Addiction and are attached to the buildings and trees. These strings are thick enough to balance on and have B Durability.
The brown rectangles are wooden benches. The blue circles are fountains.
Goal: RETIRE your opponent!
Additional Information:
Players are not allowed to enter the buildings for the purposes of this match and will be Retired if they are unable or unwilling to leave the “out of bounds area”
There is enough space between buildings for either player to move through the alleyways
Wah starts next to a large umbrella with a hooked handle, a portable grill, and a cushioned lawn chair
Link to Official Player Spreadsheet
Link to Match Schedule
As always, if you would like to interact with the tournament community and be among the first to get updates for the tournament, please feel free to PM a member of our Judge staff for an invite to our Official Discord Server!
submitted by Dungeon_Dice to StardustCrusaders [link] [comments]
“What do you want me to do, cut her out?!” Ninian gestured to the screen of Perdita’s face.
“There must be a button or lever somewhere here!” Dédalo snapped, refusing to believe there was nothing he could do to help Perdida’s predicament.
Perdida’s mind was occupied, having accessed the system and the dormant data stored in it. As she scanned through memories and visions, the relevant information unscrambled itself for her. Piece by piece, the memories played in series.
Her first memory, the birth of her artificial soul, heralded by the priests that created her as the greatest experiment they have succeeded in. “May the MAKS-0 bring peace to Pieduro forevermore!”
Next were the lives of the Piedurons she was tasked with maintaining peace over. Teaching the children how to use and play with their Temples responsibly, assisting the Piedurons through their everyday lives.
Then watching over the construction of the Ring, the key to unifying and connecting the use of all Temples to a single source.
Then the Piedurons slowly turned their attention to the world around them, visions of expanding past the island. With the construction of the Ring, they had the means of using their Temples much further beyond their island. Tools originally used to create were beginning to be seen as potential tools of destruction and oppression against adversaries. Visions of expansion and conquest filled the mind of a small, but growing population of Piedurons.
“War is not peace.”
“War goes against the idea of maintaining peace.”
“War can not happen if there are no Temples to fight with”
Pedida watched her original decision play out in; the construction of the Ring allowed her to shut down every single connected Temple. What happened after was a terrible oversight, the energy in each Temple overloaded rather than being simply shut down. The Ring that connected the Temples shared and distributed the energy of all temples between each other, but once disconnected they had no way to regulate the remaining excess energy.
The fallout wiped out the Piedurons as a civilization and destroyed the vast majority of Temples. The remaining few priests sealed Perdida away, and that was the last memory she could see in the database.
Perdida’s attention turned toward Electra and 2095, still fighting in the ring, using the carts to chase each other in a perpetual circle. The thought crept into Perdida’s mind; with the Ring under her control, she could turn off the Temples and stop the fight. She could prevent Temples from being used by the wrong hands.
No.
Perdida stopped herself. Not falling into the same logic that her previous self could not reason past. Her journey with Dédalo had allowed her to grow and understand, she would make a different choice this time.
The fight only took a bit longer to finish, the streaks of light made it difficult to tell what was happening, but the fight ended with a chain of explosions and both bodies falling out of their carts.
2095 falls to one knee, glare softening as Electra’s body goes limp while smoking from so many orb explosions. Her stare reaches thousands of yards, still processing her personal discovery before a speeding orb barely grazes her cheek and snaps her back. She sprints to the unconscious body and scoops her up, draping her over her back nestled underneath [Yours Truly] and holds the skater’s arms as she continues dodging to the best of her ability.
Her legacy wouldn’t end in this place, but neither would Electra’s.
2095, with a score of 76 to Electra’s 59!
| Category | Winner | Point Totals | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Popularity | 2095 | 20 (6.5+2) - 10 (4.5+2) | |
| Quality | 2095 | 25 (8-9-8) - 18 (6-6-6) | Reasoning |
| JoJolity | Tie | 21 (7-7-7)- 21 (7-7-7) | Reasoning |
| Conduct | Tie | 10-10 | Nothing to report! |
After getting everybody settled, Perdida managed to convince Dédalo that she was ok and relayed the story for the rest of them to hear.
“So I have a new plan. I figured out how to control the output of energy of each Temple to ensure that Temples can only be used when I allow them to be used…But in order to do that, I will have to stay within this mainframe.” Perdida looked toward Dédalo with a sad smile.
“Don’t worry Perdida, this will only be goodbye for now. I still have to find you a physical body after all.” Dédalo gave a warm chuckle as he walked up to the screen.
Dédalo pressed his hands against the screen and the image of Perdida pressed her hands against his. “We’ve learned a lot over the course of our journey. I’ll promise to tell you all about my next adventures when I get back.”
“...your mascara’s running.” Electra looked at a sniffling Ninian.
“It said it was waterproof, guess that was a fucking lie”; Ninian hide her face with her hands, quietly using Endless Rest to dry her face and fixed her make-up.
2095 looked on at the scene and ruminated on Perdida’s story. The similarities she shared with Perdida were not lost on her. Striving to become more than their programing, more than someone made to serve a higher purpose, but never losing sight of the joy of collaboration and connections to others. 2095 put a hand over her chest, she herself had also come a long way to be here hasn’t she.
To Be Continued…
On the island of Malta, in the center of one of its busiest cities, was a building. A decrepit, abandoned building, rusted and cast in reddish shadow by the taller structures that surrounded it. It was once an apartment building, but it had long since lost that use.
The rest of the city was filled with noise. Screaming, car alarms and barking dogs. But around here, where no one bothered to come around, it was quiet. Butterflies dotted the railings of the building, watching. Waiting for something to come. Not like the people inside could stand guard, with the boards over the windows. Still, they didn’t seem very concerned about the state of things.
“I was expecting to be impressed when you said you got a new place to stay, but this...” Ninian stared at the walls of Mari’s room, trying her best not to wince. They weren’t really in the best shape. Nothing here seemed to be, really, aside from the extremely comfortable bed she was taking a seat on. She turned to stare at Mari. “Shouldn’t you clean up a little? I bet it could use a new paint job, at least.”
“Geh. I don’t have time for painting.” Mari clacked away on her computer, hunched over in a garish (but surprisingly comfortable) gaming chair. Alarmingly loud EDM blared from the cat-ear headphones hanging around her neck. “Do you know how many things I would have to unplug to do that? It’s impractical.”
She gestured to the mass of wires emerging from her computer setup. Indeed, it’d be pretty difficult to move that around. Mari sat in front of a large array of computer monitors hung from the wall, all different shapes and sizes, all displaying different things. She swapped from keyboard to keyboard, not even taking the time to look at Ninian as she spoke.
“Besides, it’s better for me if my place looks like shit. Better that it doesn’t look like anybody lives here, right?”
“That only really matters on the outside...” Ninian sighed. “You could at least get some lights.”
“The screens are enough light.”
“...I suppose.”
The two sat in silence for a moment. Ninian turned to stare at the other person in the room; Nadine Sokenna laid on the other side of the bed, fast asleep. “I’m glad the two of you are doing alright.”
“Mmm.” Mari grinned. “Me too.” She exhaled, finally finishing whatever business she was handling on the computer and spinning the chair around to face the bed. The short shorts, thick blanket, and extremely oversized Hatsune Miku shirt she wore certainly weren’t that flattering, but at least her hair finally looked pretty nice. The bags under her eyes weren’t quite gone, but they seemed to glimmer with newfound lust for life.
She looked happy. That wasn’t something Ninian had been able to say about her before.
“I take it work’s been good?”
“Mmm!” Mari gestured widely to the screens behind her. “It’s an age of information, Ninian! No better time to be an info broker! Business is booming! Ehyeheheh!”
The swordswoman chuckled at that. She was silent for a moment, her smile turning into a frown, her eyes narrowing.
“Anyway... I assume you didn’t call me here just to talk.”
“Huh?” Mari tilted her head to the side. “Whaddya mean?”
“Well, you called me to deal with ‘that’, right?” She pointed up. “Truth be told, my schedule’s really packed right now, and I’m not sure how much I can do-”
“Oh, no, that’s not it at all.”
“Huh?”
“I just wanted you around.” She shrugged. “It’s a bit tough to relax right now. Super hard! Having big strong Ninian around makes me feel a little better. Ehe.” She was visibly blushing. “S-Sorry if that’s stupid, but I figured you’d like to catch up anyway.”
Ninian paused. “...So if you didn’t bring me here to, uh, deal with ‘that’... Are you just leaving that be?”
“Ah?”
“I mean, it’s kind of a problem for you, isn’t it? Doesn’t seem too convenient to leave it be...”
“Well, the plan was to leave it.” Mari shrugged. “But I got a bit lucky.”
“You invited me here... Just to sit around and chat while someone else does all the work?” The swordswoman raised an eyebrow, arms crossed. “As I said, I’ve got a packed schedule-”
“Nah, trust me.” The info broker snickered, spinning around in her chair as she spoke. “Youuuu... Are really gonna wanna see this one. I got somebody totally wild to help out.”
Ninian scoffed.
“Okay... And who would that be?” She tilted her head to the side. “I’ll be the judge of that.”
“You’re not gonna believe this one...” Mari cleared her throat. “I called in -”
*Scenario: A lonely boat, on the Mediterranean Sea — *
Wah watched the sun bob on the edge of the horizon. Their hair billowed in the wind, and seafoam sprinkled their face; they didn’t particularly seem to mind. Considering all they’d done with their ability, being on a speeding boat was probably the last thing to phase them; they’d just wrapped up a fight in a walking house, after all.
They stood in silence, a light smile on their face, eyes pleasantly half lidded. There was pleasure to be found in the small things. The sunset on the open sea, for one, was quite nice. Indeed, despite all the troubles it would no doubt cause, COLOSSI's shift to humanitarian aid was doing wonders for their mental. Now if only Solsbury and the rest of them would stop nagging...
But now wasn’t the time to worry about that. Nay, there were far more important matters. Wah pushed themself off of the boat’s railing, moving towards the driver's seat of the boat. It wasn’t a big boat; probably just used for leisure, but the owner had been nice enough to give them a ride.
A large sum of money was involved, of course, but that was neither here nor there.
“Oh, cappy-tan!” Wah leaned on the side of the boat behind the driver’s seat. A balding, sun-tanned man chuckled at the name. He wasn’t really much of a captain, but he did like to feel important.
“Howst long does thou think it will be before we arrive?” Wah tapped on the side of the boat a few times. “Wah has places to be, you see! Tis of utmost importance that I arrive quickly! Utmost! You understand, yes?”
“Yeah, yeah, I getcha...” The boater sighed. “It’ll be about ten minutes... Honestly, I don’t get why you’re in such a hurry to get there, anyway. Everybody else seems to be clearin’ out.”
“Oho?” Wah raised an eyebrow. They lowered it, and raised the other one, performing what could perhaps be called an ‘eyebrow wiggle’. “And why is that?”
“Dunno. Nobody’s said much, and everything they’ve said hasn’t been too, er, what’s the word...”
“Comprehensible?”
“Yeah. That one.”
“Wah sees, Wah sees!” Wah nodded a few times, bouncing off of the boat’s side and meandering back to the front, wobbling from side to side as the vessel rocked. “From what Wah understands, it’s quite a situation out there! No normal soul would find it any sort of comprehensible. A true predicament... And that is why Wah must go. To assist poor souls who cannot assist themselves! This predicament falls within Wah’s expertise, you see.”
“...Right.”
“Mmm!”
“Ain’t you just a normal soul, too? ‘Sides the ears, you don’t look all that special. Kinda twiggy.”
Wah paused. In the past, being called ‘kinda twiggy’ would’ve surely resulted in a violent tirade. But those were the demons they swore to leave behind speaking. Now, without them, Wah simply laughed. “Nay! Twiggy as Wah may be, you can rest assured, fine citizen!”
They turned, the boater catching the briefest glimmer in their eye. “Wah’s soul is the furthest from ordinary one could possibly get.”
“...If you say so...” He turned his attention back towards driving, and Wah turned theirs to the open sea once more.
Eventually, land came into view. The boater looked upon Malta with some confusion. Everything in the distance seemed perfectly normal. Wah, on the other hand, seemed extremely focused on something in the sky, something the poor man couldn’t seem to find no matter how hard he squinted.
“No need to make it all the way to the island.” Wah’s frown felt out of place on such a naturally silly face. “Park the boat near here. Wah can go the rest of the distances Wahself.”
“Ah..? It’s pretty far from here, though-”
“Verily! But it is nothing Wah cannot handle!” They snapped their fingers, jumping on top of the boat’s front railing, almost seeming to glide.
“Say, Cappy-tan! Have you ever seen a magician at work?”
“...That’s what I said, yes.”
“Whuh...” Ninian frowned. “You’re fucking with me.”
“I’m not.”
“You so are.”
“I’m not! You underestimate the greatest info broker on the planet, my dear Ninian!” Mari jabbed a thumb into her chest as she gloated. “With my Stand ability: ｢Today is a Beautiful Day｣, my surveillance is simply unmatched! You see, the pins that make up my ability, when thrice jabbed into something, create a ‘butterfly within a frame’, but that’s only the basest applic-”
“I know what it does, Mari.” The swordswoman’s confusion briefly made way for the usual moodiness. If you let Mari start, you’d never get her to stop, after all. “I’m more... I mean, how did you even...?”
“I heard through the grapevine, as it were, that COLOSSI was making some big changes. All just rumors of course, so take that all with a grain of salt. But word out there is that their boss has gone completely mad! They’re big into justice and stuff now! Something like that. So I tracked them down, used my butterflies to establish communication, and made them a deal they simply couldn’t refuse.”
“And what could you possibly have to offer someone like that?”
“Information is the new money, Ninian.” Mari chuckled, staring at the wall of her room. “It didn’t take much. I just told them... I knew where a certain someone they quite liked was, and if they took care of my business, I’d sell ‘em the info for free.”
Ninian, after a few moments of stunned silence, simply sighed, scratching the back of her head. She smirked.
“...And you’re absolutely not fucking with me.”
“Aw, c’mon.” She chuckled again, turning her attention back to Ninian. “Have some faith in your best friend, will you? Just sit back and watch.” She raised a thumbs up, grinning from ear to ear. “I don’t have to do any work at all today! As long as no complications arise, it’s as good as dealt with! Wa ha ha!”
His name was Errok, and for once, he felt a bit too awestruck to open his mouth.
As rare of an occurrence as this was, most of his brain power was dedicated solely to figuring out what exactly he was looking at. After a large amount of deducing and such, he eventually came to the simple conclusion that he had no idea.
It’s not like anyone else who could see it, though. You couldn’t even see all of it. Only sections, massive spherical tubes of undulating red poking out from the cloudy sky, constantly moving ever so slowly. The wind whipped through his greasy hair as his eyes, wider than they’d been in years, observed what could only be described as a massive, floating worm, made entirely of bright red strings.
Now that he had given up entirely on trying to figure out what the thing was, Errok could dedicate his incredible intellect to other thought processes. Eventually, he arrived at a conclusion, one that was without a doubt something only someone as academically gifted as him could come up with.
“That thing is going to be my horse.”
Indeed, using whatever that was as a noble steed was the only logical idea. Wherever a powerful being resided, there too was opportunity to be found. And as a self proclaimed ‘Weapon To Kill The Soul’, there was surely no beast he could not tame.
He spent the next few minutes idly chuckling to himself.
It felt a bit off, admittedly. The city was pretty empty. The chaos caused by the thing no doubt led to a mass evacuation; he could tell from the buildings that had collapsed around him that it’d done quite a number on the place. Occasionally he’d hear someone screaming for help or something, but he couldn’t figure out where that was coming from, so he didn’t bother. But not having someone to monologue to felt strange. This was the part where he bragged about his incredible plan to some oafish bystander! Where were the oafish bystanders!
“I suppose...I could talk to myself.”
He nodded a few times. An excellent idea.
“Yes! This’ll do just fine. I can just talk to myself! Ha!”
Errok marched forward, a pep in his step that made his gait particularly loud.
“Now then... Clearly, the right answer... is to elevate myself! Aha! Yes!” He looked around at his surroundings. The stairs inside the buildings probably weren’t reliable, even if he could fit through the doors.
“No matter! I’ll just, uh, hrnmm...” He stared at a nearby building. It was pretty tall. “Well, I guess I could climb up that.”
“AHA! With my incredible strength, I’ll climb this building! That’s what I’ll do!”
His head swiveled around: still nobody around. He sighed, though you wouldn’t have been able to hear it from within the helmet, and began his ascent. With a grin, he unearthed the grotesque arm that was ｢You Are Blood｣ from its gauntlet. The arm shot forth, worms spraying from the mottled surface. Yes, they would be his ideal audience. He cleared his throat a few times.
“All living things tremble at the sight of Errok, Apostle of Rot, Destroyer of Souls! I need no weapon, for I am the blade which cleaves life itself!” His body shot forward with a cacophony of clanking, as he howled along with another bout of laughter.
“The world is my, uh, whetstone! I shall sharpen my blade on each fallen fool that tries to stop me, and become a better knight, a better god, a better trickster, than all those fools that I’ve destroyed!”
Hitting the side of the structure with a clatter, Errok stuck his sword into the side of the building. Again, his arm lashed out to grasp the next floor of the building, before yanking himself outwards. This cycle repeated itself, floor by floor, as Errok launched himself higher and higher towards the heavens, and towards the worm that would become his knightly steed.
“Then, when I have conquered all of life and every soul with the absolute, supreme power of rot and decay, then!”
With one last pull, Errok ascended into the air, his massive form silhouetted by the sun. “Then, I will finally tear that flamboyant freak a new one!”
With a CRASH, Errok landed on the roof of the building as it cracked around him. He gave a clumsy flourish to his wormy audience, grinning with menace and delight.
…and received a slow clap in return. Looking around in confusion, as worms do not have hands, Errok’s eyes fell upon the environment around him. The sun was slowly making its way towards the horizon line, casting the ruined skyline of Sliema in shadow, a golden light shining through gray clouds. It was absolutely beautiful; anyone with any sort of care for the world around them would simply have to stop and admire the view.
Errok didn’t have any of that. He was far more concerned with something else, as you’d expect. There on the roof stood another figure, a fae-like being with pale hair, pointed ears and teeth, and gleaming eyes.
“Oh hey,” Errok greeted, pointing with the finger of ｢You Are Blood｣. “Do I know you from somewhere? Might’ve seen you at the races... You look pretty important, though! I bet you’re super important! As am I! Pleasure to meet you!”
Wah just stopped clapping, giving Errok a look. Their nose wrinkled. “Wah is…charmed.”
Not picking up on the sarcasm, Errok beamed.
“Of course you are! I’m sure that you’ve heard about me! Errok, Apostle of Rot! I’ve committed more sins than one could possibly imagine! I’ve conquered all sorts of bozos and losers to get here! And now that I’m here, I’m gonna ride! That! Worm! Oh yeah!!!”
“…Uh huh,” Wah hummed, clearly not listening as they peered up at the worm. “There isn’t really much time for jokes right now, so-“
Suddenly, Wah stopped speaking. Errok stared at them for a few seconds. “...You gonna finish that sentence, or-”
“Shut up.”
The “Apostle of Rot” was fully prepared to go off on yet another monologue, but at that moment he thought to maybe see what exactly this mysterious weirdo stared so intensely at. He turned his gaze to the sky, and his eyes widened.
The clouds that obscured the form of the worm had split, only slightly, and something had descended from the hole produced. It was small, so it was a bit difficult to make it out at first, but if he squinted really hard, he could begin to see the silhouette of a young girl, holding loosely onto a balloon.
“Eugh.” He spat. “Hate kids.”
The figure was silent until it landed, never quite touching the ground. It wore a soft expression; a pure white girl, with a sundress that fluttered in the wind. The string in her hand led to a red balloon, just as red as the pupils concealed in her thin eyes. On the surface, she looked human, but just by looking at her you could tell that it was no human being. The way it seemed to lightly pulsate, skin forming briefly into strings that wrap endlessly around each other.
She smiled upon the two of them. It was not a friendly smile.
“Good evening, you two.” She raised her hands to the two of them. “Wah-Chan, leader of COLOSSI, overlord of the criminal underground the world over... And... Errok...San...”
“Hey. Wait.” Errok raised his hand. He turned to Wah. “That’s who you were? Oh, man, I’m a big fan of your-”
“Tell me. Do you know what ‘time’ it is?”
Errok stifled. He didn’t like this lady very much.
“8:01 PM, is it not?” Wah rudely ignored Errok’s plight. “What’s it matter.”
“Not quite what I meant. It’s almost the ‘Golden Hour’.” She chuckled. “The ‘Golden Hour’, as it’s called, is the most beautiful part of the day. It occurs in the last hour before sunset, and the hour directly before sunrise. It usually lasts only twenty to thirty minutes, but those twenty to thirty minutes are incomparable. Truly, there is beauty in the world.”
SIlence. Neither Errok nor Wah could figure out how to respond to that. Right as Errok was about to open his mouth anyway, the girl continued.
“If you couldn’t tell, ‘Golden Hour’ is about to start, in about two minutes, give or take. I only found this out recently. You see, I have lived my recent life in someone else’s eyes. I’ve never had the chance to learn about the world on my own. I was only recently able to learn about things on my own time, rather than on someone else’s. There was so much I was denied a chance to see. Do you know how cruel that is? Most of the knowledge I’ve gathered... Is completely useless to me now.”
She pointed at Wah. “Did you know that the Monogatari anime being released out of order was originally completely unintended?”
Silence.
“Originally, the series was planned to release in the order of the books; Bakemonogatari came first, and its prequel, Kizumonogatari, was planned to release in 2012. However, due to production issues, it was delayed until 2016, while the other parts of the anime were released on schedule, resulting in an out-of-order release. The bizarre watching orders of Monogatari that the series is somewhat internet famous for are completely unintended, and only exist due to production issues. Did you know that?”“No,” Wah glared, “Wah did not know that. To be frank, there is no circumstance or situation in which Wah would want or need to know that information.”
“Exactly!” In her first showing of genuine emotion, the girl threw her hands into the air. Her voice remained perfectly monotone. “There’s no reason for me to know that information, either. But instead of important things, I’ve only been shown information like that. My brain, despite being far superior to that of a human being, is filled with useless information that serves no purpose to me. Do you know what it’s like? Having a vessel that doesn’t care for you? Even after all the work I went through to make her do what I wanted, she refused to show me anything worthwhile. I had to learn about things such as the ‘Golden Hour’ myself. Isn’t that cruel?”
“Excuse me, but-”
“But anyway, back to the ‘Golden Hour’. It is frequently utilized by film mak-”
“Stop fucking doing that!” Errok slammed his boot into the ground, producing a loud clang that finally managed to silence the mystery girl. He huffed and puffed for a few seconds before clearing his throat and continuing. “What’s the point of talking to us about any of this? You just prattle on, and on, and on, without any purpose to it! You’re annoying! What’s your deal!”
“There is no point.”
“What?”
“There’s no point, really. I’m just making small talk.” The girl looked over her nails. “Human beings engage in ‘conversation’ to gain a grasp of each other’s personalities. To establish who is worthwhile to have around, and who is not. I simply wanted to do the same. While I’m in this form, I may as well play at humanity.”
“Anywho, from our conversation—” Errok scoffed. “—I have deduced something. You see, I was originally planning to take the ‘strings’ of every Stand user in the world, taking their abilities and adding to my own power. But I have unfortunately vastly underestimated how many Stand users are in the world. Frankly, it would be a lot of work to do myself. So I’ve decided to take on another vessel. Someone far more suited for this kind of work, and who will show me plenty of things.”
“Wah-Chan.” Wah rolled their eyes at that. “From this conversation, I have deduced that you are patient, calm, and rational. From observing the work of your organization, I can come to the conclusion that you are cruel and calculating. My name is Disappearance Addiction. I am the strongest ‘Miracle’ currently present in the world. And I would like for you to become my new vessel.”
“No thankies.”
“...”
“...What?”
“Wah doesn’t really care for that sort of thing.” Wah shrugged. “You seem annoying to have around. Wah actually came here to get rid of you, to be honest. ‘Tis my duty! Wah is on the side of justice, now, as is COLOSSI as a whole! It would be immoral to take the power of something like you.”
“You would refuse the power of a ‘Miracle’?”
“Wah doesn’t know what that is.”
Disappearance Addiction seemed well and truly stumped at that. Eventually, her head began to turn, slowly, as if she was afraid of what her gaze would land on.
“Errok... San...”
“Yeah?”
“You... Would you like... Power?”
“That’s the first interesting thing you’ve said all day.” Errok nodded. “Fuck me up, lady.”
“...You’re not going to think it over, or anything?”
“Nope.”
“Are you sure?”
“Can you just give it to me already? C’mon.”
“...” Disappearance Addiction was silent for a few moments. On one hand, this guy smelled very bad. He was incredibly impatient. And he generally seemed like a big idiot. On the other hand, he did scale the building pretty easily...
“Alright.” She sighed. “I’ve come to a decision. Errok-San. If you kill Wah-Chan before the ‘Golden Hour’ ends, you may become my vessel. Does that satisfy you?”
“How long till Goldy Hour ends?”
“Twenty to thirty minutes.”
“Ha!” Errok unsheathed his sword and swung it onto his shoulder. “I’ll end it in three!” He smirked beneath his armor, pointing his massive blade at Wah. “You there! Wah! Leader of COLOSSI, was it?”
“...That is me, yes.”
“Get ready for the fight of your life, bub! After I kill you, I’m gonna be the boss of COLOSSI! I’ll be on top of the world! God King Errok! Everyone’ll bow to me! That kinda power ain’t something a little pacifist baby face like you’s worthy of having! So I’ll just take it right out of your hands! Ha ha ha! Thinking about it really amps me up! Oh, man!”
He paused, staring at Wah.
“I was really expecting you to cut me off there. It’s been happening all day. You just gonna sit there?”
Wah’s brow furrowed.
“Tell me...” They stepped forward, the dust around them kicking into the air, beginning to circle around them. “...Do you honestly believe... That you can beat me? Is that something... You think you’re capable of?”
“Course it is. I’m a weapon to kill the soul.”
“Hmph.” Wah sighed. “So be it.”
Disappearance Addiction smiled upon the two as she rose further into the air, wind whipping through her hair. A golden glow illuminated the cityscape, the sun reaching its final moments in the sky. “I feel like... I should say something here...Ah, that’s it!
”OPEN THE GAME!”
Location:In the city of Sliema, Malta, currently with thick strings hanging overhead.
The area here is 32 by 40 meters with each tile being 2 by 2 meters. Wah and Errok start on top of buildings, as represented by their character tokens.
The yellow rectangles are clay buildings, each numbered to represent their elevation level.The (1) marked buildings are 5 meters tall, the ones marked with a (2) are 10 meters tall, and the ones marked with a (3) are 15 meters tall.
The White Rectangles are Laundry racks with nearby baskets, folding chairs, cleaned clothing, and towels.
The Green Circles are palm trees that are 20 meters tall.
The Magenta Lines across the map are Strings produced by Disappearance Addiction and are attached to the buildings and trees. These strings are thick enough to balance on and have B Durability.
The brown rectangles are wooden benches. The blue circles are fountains.
Goal: RETIRE your opponent!
Additional Information:
Players are not allowed to enter the buildings for the purposes of this match and will be Retired if they are unable or unwilling to leave the “out of bounds area”
There is enough space between buildings for either player to move through the alleyways
Wah starts next to a large umbrella with a hooked handle, a portable grill, and a cushioned lawn chair
| Team | Combatant | JoJolity |
|---|---|---|
| Bastards of Barcas | Errok | “The word “ignorant” has a nice ring to it, so I don’t mind being called that, but “incompetent” is going just a bit too far…” Establish superiority over your opponent through your movement and positioning! |
| COLOSSI | Mx. Wah | “A creature like you having a brain residing in his skull…is already a miracle in and of itself.” Establish superiority over your opponent through your movement and positioning! |
Link to Match Schedule
2023.06.09 01:45 SeaMonster350 Did Ruger discontinue the LCR in .327 federal mag?
Hi all,
Benen interest in a Ruger LCR in .327 federal mag but the website says currently unavailable. My LGS can't seem to find any in stock at distributors either. All other models say they're available. Is .327 federal mag dying?
Did Ruger discontinue the LCR in .327 federal mag? Is it the other way around where it's popular and they can't keep it in stock? Just wanted to ask and see if anyone on here has any insight.
submitted by SeaMonster350 to ruger [link] [comments]
Benen interest in a Ruger LCR in .327 federal mag but the website says currently unavailable. My LGS can't seem to find any in stock at distributors either. All other models say they're available. Is .327 federal mag dying?
Did Ruger discontinue the LCR in .327 federal mag? Is it the other way around where it's popular and they can't keep it in stock? Just wanted to ask and see if anyone on here has any insight.
2023.06.09 01:33 droxius Any communities to migrate to in the event of a Reddit Apocalypse?
I absolutely love this community, and the last thing I want to do is encourage anyone to leave, but I'm very worried about the future of the website that hosts us.
Assuming things fall apart and Reddit ceases to exist in the way it has, does anybody have any solid contingencies in place? I'd hate to see the community scattered across the web. If there's a popular choice where a lot of us are planning on heading, I want to make sure I'm tagging along.
Federated sites like Lemmy seem like a great option, but I haven't identified any LDS-related communities yet. I've probably got the technical skills needed to host an instance, but not the resources to run a server.
Anybody have any thoughts on how to keep the gang together?
(Just in case, I really want to emphasize. If by some miracle Reddit does a 180, I'm not going anywhere.)
submitted by droxius to mormon [link] [comments]
Assuming things fall apart and Reddit ceases to exist in the way it has, does anybody have any solid contingencies in place? I'd hate to see the community scattered across the web. If there's a popular choice where a lot of us are planning on heading, I want to make sure I'm tagging along.
Federated sites like Lemmy seem like a great option, but I haven't identified any LDS-related communities yet. I've probably got the technical skills needed to host an instance, but not the resources to run a server.
Anybody have any thoughts on how to keep the gang together?
(Just in case, I really want to emphasize. If by some miracle Reddit does a 180, I'm not going anywhere.)
2023.06.09 01:32 Stop-Hanging-Djs (SPOILERS) I really like the direction Spiderverse seems to be going when talking about trauma, dead loved ones and just generally how we look at tragedy and hardships (SPOILERS)
So, Spiderverse. I mostly liked it but I'm processing some feelings about it. But a thing I think they knocked out of the park so far is how Miles approaches the "tragic backstory" and the "pain makes you a better person" tropes. So, quick summary of the part I'm talking about (cause these are the most boring parts of analysis), basically the multiverse federation of Spider-people get together and tell Miles "Your father has to die and potentially more people you love have to die to make you a good Spider-man :). Also to save the multiverse and keep canon". Miles quite reasonably goes "What? No. Fuck off".
So if I look at this as a meta commentary to how Super heroes and specifically Spider-man has been written, it's a biting poignant critique. I won't dwell on this too long because comic readers of Spidey will know what the fuck I'm talking about. The fact that for some reason, corporate higher ups and writers think the appeal of Spider-man is watching him suffer. That if any tangible permanent good thing happens to Peter, well that's just bad writing! Peter needs to suffer. You can't be a hero and have good things. That's why we needed One More Day! That's why this whole Paul shit is good writing. These aren't emotionally exhausting, ruining the character and kinda against what Spider-man kinda is about at all! /s if it wasn't clear.
As a larger critique of media and tendencies these days that grimdark/suffering doesn't automatically mean good either. I like that for the most part Miles was mostly happy, a little "positive stress"-ed but mostly fine especially compared to other heroes. But we can't have a hero fighting like hell to protect the good things he has, it's about suffering and moving through pain, those are the only good stories /s. I feel like there are a bunch of people who unironically believe that. That's why I read a part of Miles as meta textual representation of a rejection of that in some ways
Miles doesn't believe that cynical shit. He suffered yeah but he doesn't wallow in it or lionize it like it's a core piece of him or makes him who he is. Because he and others believe there's more to him then his pain. There's the joys and his talents and the things and people he loves that define him just as much. He and a bunch of others (based Spider-Punk) believe in a better future and fighting for things to be... good y'know? And they wrote that without making it cloying or sacharrine . That is a goddamn accomplishment and something I can really really admire.
So in short, I like that Miles is a critique of "tragic backstories and dead loved ones" tropes and in a lot of ways a rejection of depressing, cynical writing. Not that I don't enjoy cynical, dark depressing works but there's good stories to be had in optimism and romanticism y'know?
Also movie look cool
submitted by Stop-Hanging-Djs to CharacterRant [link] [comments]
So if I look at this as a meta commentary to how Super heroes and specifically Spider-man has been written, it's a biting poignant critique. I won't dwell on this too long because comic readers of Spidey will know what the fuck I'm talking about. The fact that for some reason, corporate higher ups and writers think the appeal of Spider-man is watching him suffer. That if any tangible permanent good thing happens to Peter, well that's just bad writing! Peter needs to suffer. You can't be a hero and have good things. That's why we needed One More Day! That's why this whole Paul shit is good writing. These aren't emotionally exhausting, ruining the character and kinda against what Spider-man kinda is about at all! /s if it wasn't clear.
As a larger critique of media and tendencies these days that grimdark/suffering doesn't automatically mean good either. I like that for the most part Miles was mostly happy, a little "positive stress"-ed but mostly fine especially compared to other heroes. But we can't have a hero fighting like hell to protect the good things he has, it's about suffering and moving through pain, those are the only good stories /s. I feel like there are a bunch of people who unironically believe that. That's why I read a part of Miles as meta textual representation of a rejection of that in some ways
Miles doesn't believe that cynical shit. He suffered yeah but he doesn't wallow in it or lionize it like it's a core piece of him or makes him who he is. Because he and others believe there's more to him then his pain. There's the joys and his talents and the things and people he loves that define him just as much. He and a bunch of others (based Spider-Punk) believe in a better future and fighting for things to be... good y'know? And they wrote that without making it cloying or sacharrine . That is a goddamn accomplishment and something I can really really admire.
So in short, I like that Miles is a critique of "tragic backstories and dead loved ones" tropes and in a lot of ways a rejection of depressing, cynical writing. Not that I don't enjoy cynical, dark depressing works but there's good stories to be had in optimism and romanticism y'know?
Also movie look cool
2023.06.09 01:20 SoThenIThought_ Introducing The Roadmap: An Enormous, Living Library
I am the moderator and content creator for UnemploymentWA, UnemploymentNY among others.
- State Library/General Posts that Apply Nation-wide Many Entries
Back during the pandemic I sought to create essentially an FAQ. I wasn't aware that the amount of material that would need to go into such a thing in the terms of unemployment is absolutely enormous. Nonetheless I'm extremely stubborn and I didn't give up; I built a version of a library that exceeded the maximum post limit on Reddit of 10,000 characters. I built a separate version that is multitudes larger than that original version, perhaps as many as 800 pages of material.
Happily some if not all processes are similar across states and some if not all guidance / policy/laws are discoverable in the same way as I have previously cataloged elsewhere, in addition to federal policies affecting all states equally.
I intend to catalog and compile known issues and solutions that affect the state of Florida in the ways that I have done for other states, especially Washington.
If the moderators do not wish this activity, please tell me. I'm literally just a guy. I'm not a bot. I've just done this that much.
Please, take a second to review some of the known material in the version of the roadmap for other states, as this includes a section for federal information or general information that affects all claimants and all states, such as the guidance on how to do an escalation to force submitted eligibility issues to be processed in a more timely fashion, as was described in this post from u/abossbish
2023.06.09 01:19 Ok-Mix-1725 To all my Indian brethren out there. This is how I saved some money as an international student in New York and also some free guidance. Feel free to thank me in the comments.
 | Hello people, submitted by Ok-Mix-1725 to nyu [link] [comments] As a college student, I initially thought I couldn’t afford it. Rent in New York is prohibitively expensive, the price of food is triple the amount I would have paid back home, and my NYU tuition bill put a nice $50,000 dent in my wallet each year. However, I was meticulous with my saving, and as a graduating senior, I have a few tips to share about saving money as a student in New York. Look for affordable housing Living in Manhattan or downtown Brooklyn may seem glamorous, but it can burn a hole in your pocket. If your college is in Manhattan, consider living in Queens, Brooklyn, or Jersey City to save money. If you’re attending a college in Brooklyn, look for places like Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, or Coney Island. Sure, you’ll have to travel an extra 30 minutes every day, but it’s worth it. And try to find apartments without broker fees. It can save you almost $500–$1000. And also, use Zillow. Another tip is to look for sublets or hunt for people looking for roommates in Facebook and WhatsApp groups. This way, you can talk to the people you’ll be living with and save on guarantor fees. Guarantor companies charge around 1 month’s rent in order to insure you. List of Affordable and safest neighborhoods in NYC (that i know):
https://preview.redd.it/x0fu1i2bnv4b1.png?width=1698&format=png&auto=webp&s=4bd418bb0e7fac83fa851287c59d372f0308b0da https://nyc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/sidebaindex.html?appid=8153f961507040de8dbf9a53145f18c4 Waive your college health insurance Saving over $4,000 per year sounds too good to be true, right? But trust me, it’s possible. You just need to know the right information. My wonderful friend, Sai, introduced me to a free health plan from a company called Kimber Health during class. Since I was hardly paying attention anyway, I filled out my application on the spot. At first, I was skeptical, but two weeks later, I received my insurance card backed by UnitedHealthcare. And just like that, I waived my NYU insurance, and my roommates and I saved almost $15,000, which we used for our trip to Puerto Rico. Yeah, it was alright! Useful links: Here's the link. The application process should be 5 mins and they should get you onboard in 4-7 days: https://kimberhealth.com/application/2310 $0 health insurance for New Yorkers? That’s right! https://medium.com/@kimberhealth/0-healthcare-shouldnt-be-unbelievable-63d89ab6c325 Won’t the Essential Plan affect my immigration status? Nope! https://medium.com/@kimberhealth/wont-the-essential-plan-affect-my-immigration-status-ec9eeb0569b NYC Gov site: https://www.nyc.gov/site/ochia/find-what-fits/immigrants.page Cook at home NYC is notorious for its expensive food prices. I mean, who wants to pay $20 for a sandwich? The best way to save money on food every day is to cook at home. I know it’s tough as a student, but you can take turns cooking with your roommates or preparing food in advance for a couple of days. You can also make instant lunch, like a chicken salad. And say no to Uber Eats. Trust me, your wallet will thank you. Take advantage of discounted Metro cards and Museum visits Saving money in NYC can feel like a never-ending battle. But don’t worry, there are ways to make it easier. One of them is using Fair Fares NYC, a program that offers discounted metro cards to eligible New Yorkers. Thanks to my friend Sai, who introduced us to this program, my roommates and I save upwards of $60 per month. It may not be as much as health insurance savings, but it’s a consistent saving. And the best part? Immigration status is not affected. I did my research and spoke to an immigration lawyer, and it’s clearly mentioned on the NY state gov website that these details will not be shared with federal immigration authorities at any point in time. https://www.nyc.gov/site/fairfares/index.page Note: This applies to Health Insurance saving too(Tip 2). Not a money-saving tip, but a money-earning tip Saving money is important, but so is earning it. Try to find on-campus employment as soon as you get admission. Each university has different ways of finding employment opportunities, so start by emailing someone and I’m sure they’ll help you find the right person. At the end of the day, it’s not just about saving more money, but also earning it. With these five proven ways to save money as an international student in NYC, you can focus on your studies and experiences instead of worrying about your finances. Or, with the money saved, you can take a nice tropical vacation after your finals. |
2023.06.09 01:09 just_mansoor For what reason(s) do you choose to be Shia
I was just wondering what assures you that shia Islam is the correct way of Islam. I'd like to hear from what everyone else's thought process was. Allahumasaliallah muhammad wa ahli muhammad.
submitted by just_mansoor to shia [link] [comments]
2023.06.09 01:03 raisedbutconfused Had the absolute worst day
Came into work with a pretty bad muscle spasm in my back. Could barely walk and forget about bending over for anything.
The place where I work essentially forces me to work 4 jobs at once in the mornings- bartending, serving, hosting, bussing, and take-out. It gets busy in the mornings and I have to handle roughly $1000 in sales on my own (usually more), and that’s not including take-out and UbeDoordash. Every now and then they give me server support, but they’re often too cheap to do that.
First table I get is a table of teenagers. There were 7 of them so it’s an autograt. They were super impatient and kept demanding stupid little things the whole time and acting like they were my only table, tried rushing everything I did. I go to get the bill and as I’m putting in the autogratuity, one of the owners (let’s call him Asshole) tells me that the autogratuity (that we have been doing for years) is too high, and demands I put it lower.
Next table that comes in while I’m already dealing with this is just as bad- 3 top of two women and a boy. The kid just keeps screaming over anything I’m saying demanding things, and the mother is doing jack about it. Literally- “can I start you off with sparkling wa—“ “I WANT A PIZZA” “okay, which pizza?” “The meatlovers” “okay one meatlovers pizza, can I start you all off with water?” “NO CARAMELIZED ONIONS” “okay…no caramelized onions…any water for the table?” The mom- “yes, I’ll have sparkling, she’ll have tap.” Mom starts to order and while I’m taking it down- “I WANT A LEMONADE” just ignoring him at this point, taking the adults’ orders. I repeat everything back to them and the kid just starts screaming “PIZZA AND LEMONADE PIZZA AND LEMONADE” and the mom is just laughing and stroking his hair.
Then I get a little busy, maybe 7 tables in and I hit a point where everybody has what they need and I have a moment to use the bathroom. Asshole comes and aggressively jiggles the handle and tries to enter the bathroom for about 10 seconds. I wash my hands and he starts screaming at me for using the bathroom.
All this while I’m close to tears my back hurts so much.
It starts to drizzle outside and our two tables in the patio get wet, including the roll-ups. I have tables that need immediate attention, so I leave it for the moment since it’s not urgent and the damage is already done.
One of the other owners (let’s call him Dickhead) points to the glasswasher and demands I clean the garbage from the tray. I clean it and he starts yelling that it’s unacceptable to keep it that way. Because apparently I have all this time on my hands to clean shit while doing all these other things.
Finally finishing up, last table closes up and I start my closing duties for the morning shift. Dickhead runs to the back where I’m doing rollups and starts screaming at me that the rollups on the patio got wet.
I finally leave and try getting home. Subway is down at the station I need to get to, so I get off one station earlier where it was going to turn back and see my bus is there. It only comes once every 40 minutes or so so I was pretty happy, but this asshole sees me coming up and starts to close the doors and drive off. I run in front of the bus and he stops, gets all pissed and opens the doors, screaming at me that he had been there all day. I reply “congratulations, I’ve been at my job all day, too.” He makes a face but doesn’t respond.
Finally get home and my back is still absolutely killing me to the point that I am close to tears. I am exhausted, in pain, beaten down, and have been disrespected all fucking day.
Just one of those days where everything seems to go wrong, it seems.
submitted by raisedbutconfused to Serverlife [link] [comments]
The place where I work essentially forces me to work 4 jobs at once in the mornings- bartending, serving, hosting, bussing, and take-out. It gets busy in the mornings and I have to handle roughly $1000 in sales on my own (usually more), and that’s not including take-out and UbeDoordash. Every now and then they give me server support, but they’re often too cheap to do that.
First table I get is a table of teenagers. There were 7 of them so it’s an autograt. They were super impatient and kept demanding stupid little things the whole time and acting like they were my only table, tried rushing everything I did. I go to get the bill and as I’m putting in the autogratuity, one of the owners (let’s call him Asshole) tells me that the autogratuity (that we have been doing for years) is too high, and demands I put it lower.
Next table that comes in while I’m already dealing with this is just as bad- 3 top of two women and a boy. The kid just keeps screaming over anything I’m saying demanding things, and the mother is doing jack about it. Literally- “can I start you off with sparkling wa—“ “I WANT A PIZZA” “okay, which pizza?” “The meatlovers” “okay one meatlovers pizza, can I start you all off with water?” “NO CARAMELIZED ONIONS” “okay…no caramelized onions…any water for the table?” The mom- “yes, I’ll have sparkling, she’ll have tap.” Mom starts to order and while I’m taking it down- “I WANT A LEMONADE” just ignoring him at this point, taking the adults’ orders. I repeat everything back to them and the kid just starts screaming “PIZZA AND LEMONADE PIZZA AND LEMONADE” and the mom is just laughing and stroking his hair.
Then I get a little busy, maybe 7 tables in and I hit a point where everybody has what they need and I have a moment to use the bathroom. Asshole comes and aggressively jiggles the handle and tries to enter the bathroom for about 10 seconds. I wash my hands and he starts screaming at me for using the bathroom.
All this while I’m close to tears my back hurts so much.
It starts to drizzle outside and our two tables in the patio get wet, including the roll-ups. I have tables that need immediate attention, so I leave it for the moment since it’s not urgent and the damage is already done.
One of the other owners (let’s call him Dickhead) points to the glasswasher and demands I clean the garbage from the tray. I clean it and he starts yelling that it’s unacceptable to keep it that way. Because apparently I have all this time on my hands to clean shit while doing all these other things.
Finally finishing up, last table closes up and I start my closing duties for the morning shift. Dickhead runs to the back where I’m doing rollups and starts screaming at me that the rollups on the patio got wet.
I finally leave and try getting home. Subway is down at the station I need to get to, so I get off one station earlier where it was going to turn back and see my bus is there. It only comes once every 40 minutes or so so I was pretty happy, but this asshole sees me coming up and starts to close the doors and drive off. I run in front of the bus and he stops, gets all pissed and opens the doors, screaming at me that he had been there all day. I reply “congratulations, I’ve been at my job all day, too.” He makes a face but doesn’t respond.
Finally get home and my back is still absolutely killing me to the point that I am close to tears. I am exhausted, in pain, beaten down, and have been disrespected all fucking day.
Just one of those days where everything seems to go wrong, it seems.
2023.06.09 01:00 CaptaMajora Giving Some Stickers Away
 | I'm giving away some of the stickers I've made. submitted by CaptaMajora to StreetStickers [link] [comments] Like legit just giving them away. I would love to see them slapped on things and so if you would like to do that. Send me a message with an address and I'll send you some. The only thing I ask is a picture back once you've stuck it. I'm working on a collage of my stickers. Then maybe one day I'll get to see one out in the wild that I didn't stick lol. Thanks! |
2023.06.09 00:48 Fearless-Knee2008 Boston Public School Spending Breakdown for Next Year
Hey everyone! I’m a BU undergrad working on a project to inform Boston residents about our local government by creating and distributing a weekly newsletter summarizing Boston City Council meetings. This week there was no city council meeting, and instead there were many budget meetings about the City's budget for the next financial year (FY24). I took a deep look into the spending for the Boston Public Schools, (BPS) one of the biggest parts of spending for the city, breaking everything down. If anyone is interested in a quick digestible update on Boston government I have included my newsletter and the link to get free weekly information about local issues important to life in Boston. Previous suggestions have been super helpful so any and all feedback is appreciated!
While these are just large figure, nit picky spending stuff like which school gets the funding is done by the department, so if you're really interested, be sure to contact the BPS system and the superintendent!
Boston City Council Ways & Means Committee Meeting:
Duration: 1 hour 41 minutes
Attendance: All Present
$1.45 billion for Boston Public Schools (BPS) (FY24).
New Investments:
submitted by Fearless-Knee2008 to northend [link] [comments]
While these are just large figure, nit picky spending stuff like which school gets the funding is done by the department, so if you're really interested, be sure to contact the BPS system and the superintendent!
Boston City Council Ways & Means Committee Meeting:
Duration: 1 hour 41 minutes
Attendance: All Present
$1.45 billion for Boston Public Schools (BPS) (FY24).
New Investments:
- $9.6 million for individualized education programs (IEPs) for students with disabilities to access the proper education to meet their needs.
- $6.3 million in dual language and bilingual education programs and to help multilingual and bilingual learners and teachers.
- $3.5 million for Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) programs that aim to better suit the needs of the student in literacy, cultural and linguistic responsiveness, and create standards aligned to a student’s grade.
- $1.2 million for expansion access and use of resources aimed to better student life such as family liaisons, bullying prevention, counselors, bilingual social workers, safety protocols, and more to give students all the support they need.
- $1.1 million for high school and alternative education pathways to expand Early College and Career Pathways programs from students grade 7-12 to create alternative pathways for certain students.
- $1.9 million for community engagement by creating a family hotline, translation and interpretation services, increasing Family Engagement Facilitators, and investing in the creation of 2 new roles: Chief of Community Engagement and Chief of Family Advancement.
- Estimated $84 million increase from last year, representing 31% of new spending.
- $1,800 more per student raising the number to $28,900.
- $15 million for school based Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding from the federal government to fund FY24 and project into FY25).
- $328.1 million for various capital investments for BPSs such as building new schools, improving/remodeling existing schools, purchasing of new equipment/hardware for existing schools, and repairing damages.
- $657.1 million for investments in the Boston Center for Youth and Families, Department of Innovation and Technology, various recreation and safety departments, Mayor's Office of Housing, Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture, Boston Public Library, Boston Housing Authority, Boston Planning and Development Agency, and the Boston Public Health Commission.
- $40 million for the OPEB Liability Trust Fund for teachers and BPS workers.
- $1.8 million for transportation-related spending such as busing, roads, bridges, and other infrastructure related to BPS.
- $1.75 million for new computers and other technology.
- $39 million for equipment for schools such as computers, vehicles, medical equipment, supplies, buses, parking meters, street lights, and much more.
- $29.4 million for transportation and public realm improvements.
- $27.5 million for other projects such as Boston Housing Authority decarbonization, Waste and Sewage Commission operations, the animal shelter, and others.
- $2.2 million to extend building open times, landscaping, building repairs, and refinishing flooring.
- $100k for field trips and other activities
- Go to https://www.purplely.org/ to get to know all the candidates in this year’s city council elections.
- The city council meeting video and minutes are available here
- Use this link to access the city council calendar with meeting agenda and minutes.
- To find information about who your Council Member is, use this link to look up your address.
- To get more details about any bill or resolution, use this link to search by number or topic.
- If you have any questions you would like answered by the city council or any feedback on this newsletter, please email us at [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]).
- Sign up here to receive this letter after every city council meeting.
2023.06.09 00:48 Fearless-Knee2008 Breakdown of Boston Public School Budget for FY24
Hey everyone! I’m a BU undergrad working on a project to inform Boston residents about our local government by creating and distributing a weekly newsletter summarizing Boston City Council meetings. This week there was no city council meeting, and instead there were many budget meetings about the City's budget for the next financial year (FY24). I took a deep look into the spending for the Boston Public Schools, (BPS) one of the biggest parts of spending for the city, breaking everything down. If anyone is interested in a quick digestible update on Boston government I have included my newsletter and the link to get free weekly information about local issues important to life in Boston. Previous suggestions have been super helpful so any and all feedback is appreciated!
While these are just large figure, nit picky spending stuff like which school gets the funding is done by the department, so if you're really interested, be sure to contact the BPS system and the superintendent!
Boston City Council Ways & Means Committee Meeting:
Duration: 1 hour 41 minutes
Attendance: All Present
$1.45 billion for Boston Public Schools (BPS) (FY24).
New Investments:
submitted by Fearless-Knee2008 to MassachusettsPolitics [link] [comments]
While these are just large figure, nit picky spending stuff like which school gets the funding is done by the department, so if you're really interested, be sure to contact the BPS system and the superintendent!
Boston City Council Ways & Means Committee Meeting:
Duration: 1 hour 41 minutes
Attendance: All Present
$1.45 billion for Boston Public Schools (BPS) (FY24).
New Investments:
- $9.6 million for individualized education programs (IEPs) for students with disabilities to access the proper education to meet their needs.
- $6.3 million in dual language and bilingual education programs and to help multilingual and bilingual learners and teachers.
- $3.5 million for Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) programs that aim to better suit the needs of the student in literacy, cultural and linguistic responsiveness, and create standards aligned to a student’s grade.
- $1.2 million for expansion access and use of resources aimed to better student life such as family liaisons, bullying prevention, counselors, bilingual social workers, safety protocols, and more to give students all the support they need.
- $1.1 million for high school and alternative education pathways to expand Early College and Career Pathways programs from students grade 7-12 to create alternative pathways for certain students.
- $1.9 million for community engagement by creating a family hotline, translation and interpretation services, increasing Family Engagement Facilitators, and investing in the creation of 2 new roles: Chief of Community Engagement and Chief of Family Advancement.
- Estimated $84 million increase from last year, representing 31% of new spending.
- $1,800 more per student raising the number to $28,900.
- $15 million for school based Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding from the federal government to fund FY24 and project into FY25).
- $328.1 million for various capital investments for BPSs such as building new schools, improving/remodeling existing schools, purchasing of new equipment/hardware for existing schools, and repairing damages.
- $657.1 million for investments in the Boston Center for Youth and Families, Department of Innovation and Technology, various recreation and safety departments, Mayor's Office of Housing, Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture, Boston Public Library, Boston Housing Authority, Boston Planning and Development Agency, and the Boston Public Health Commission.
- $40 million for the OPEB Liability Trust Fund for teachers and BPS workers.
- $1.8 million for transportation-related spending such as busing, roads, bridges, and other infrastructure related to BPS.
- $1.75 million for new computers and other technology.
- $39 million for equipment for schools such as computers, vehicles, medical equipment, supplies, buses, parking meters, street lights, and much more.
- $29.4 million for transportation and public realm improvements.
- $27.5 million for other projects such as Boston Housing Authority decarbonization, Waste and Sewage Commission operations, the animal shelter, and others.
- $2.2 million to extend building open times, landscaping, building repairs, and refinishing flooring.
- $100k for field trips and other activities
- Go to https://www.purplely.org/ to get to know all the candidates in this year’s city council elections.
- The city council meeting video and minutes are available here
- Use this link to access the city council calendar with meeting agenda and minutes.
- To find information about who your Council Member is, use this link to look up your address.
- To get more details about any bill or resolution, use this link to search by number or topic.
- If you have any questions you would like answered by the city council or any feedback on this newsletter, please email us at [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]).
- Sign up here to receive this letter after every city council meeting.
2023.06.09 00:47 Fearless-Knee2008 A Look Into Boston's Public School Budget for Next Year
Hey everyone! I’m a BU undergrad working on a project to inform Boston residents about our local government by creating and distributing a weekly newsletter summarizing Boston City Council meetings. This week there was no city council meeting, and instead there were many budget meetings about the City's budget for the next financial year (FY24). I took a deep look into the spending for the Boston Public Schools, (BPS) one of the biggest parts of spending for the city, breaking everything down. If anyone is interested in a quick digestible update on Boston government I have included my newsletter and the link to get free weekly information about local issues important to life in Boston. Previous suggestions have been super helpful so any and all feedback is appreciated!
While these are just large figure, nit picky spending stuff like which school gets the funding is done by the department, so if you're really interested, be sure to contact the BPS system and the superintendent!
Boston City Council Ways & Means Committee Meeting:
Duration: 1 hour 41 minutes
Attendance: All Present
$1.45 billion for Boston Public Schools (BPS) (FY24).
New Investments:
submitted by Fearless-Knee2008 to boston [link] [comments]
While these are just large figure, nit picky spending stuff like which school gets the funding is done by the department, so if you're really interested, be sure to contact the BPS system and the superintendent!
Boston City Council Ways & Means Committee Meeting:
Duration: 1 hour 41 minutes
Attendance: All Present
$1.45 billion for Boston Public Schools (BPS) (FY24).
New Investments:
- $9.6 million for individualized education programs (IEPs) for students with disabilities to access the proper education to meet their needs.
- $6.3 million in dual language and bilingual education programs and to help multilingual and bilingual learners and teachers.
- $3.5 million for Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) programs that aim to better suit the needs of the student in literacy, cultural and linguistic responsiveness, and create standards aligned to a student’s grade.
- $1.2 million for expansion access and use of resources aimed to better student life such as family liaisons, bullying prevention, counselors, bilingual social workers, safety protocols, and more to give students all the support they need.
- $1.1 million for high school and alternative education pathways to expand Early College and Career Pathways programs from students grade 7-12 to create alternative pathways for certain students.
- $1.9 million for community engagement by creating a family hotline, translation and interpretation services, increasing Family Engagement Facilitators, and investing in the creation of 2 new roles: Chief of Community Engagement and Chief of Family Advancement.
- Estimated $84 million increase from last year, representing 31% of new spending.
- $1,800 more per student raising the number to $28,900.
- $15 million for school based Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding from the federal government to fund FY24 and project into FY25).
- $328.1 million for various capital investments for BPSs such as building new schools, improving/remodeling existing schools, purchasing of new equipment/hardware for existing schools, and repairing damages.
- $657.1 million for investments in the Boston Center for Youth and Families, Department of Innovation and Technology, various recreation and safety departments, Mayor's Office of Housing, Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture, Boston Public Library, Boston Housing Authority, Boston Planning and Development Agency, and the Boston Public Health Commission.
- $40 million for the OPEB Liability Trust Fund for teachers and BPS workers.
- $1.8 million for transportation-related spending such as busing, roads, bridges, and other infrastructure related to BPS.
- $1.75 million for new computers and other technology.
- $39 million for equipment for schools such as computers, vehicles, medical equipment, supplies, buses, parking meters, street lights, and much more.
- $29.4 million for transportation and public realm improvements.
- $27.5 million for other projects such as Boston Housing Authority decarbonization, Waste and Sewage Commission operations, the animal shelter, and others.
- $2.2 million to extend building open times, landscaping, building repairs, and refinishing flooring.
- $100k for field trips and other activities
- Go to https://www.purplely.org/ to get to know all the candidates in this year’s city council elections.
- The city council meeting video and minutes are available here
- Use this link to access the city council calendar with meeting agenda and minutes.
- To find information about who your Council Member is, use this link to look up your address.
- To get more details about any bill or resolution, use this link to search by number or topic.
- If you have any questions you would like answered by the city council or any feedback on this newsletter, please email us at [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]).
- Sign up here to receive this letter after every city council meeting.
2023.06.09 00:42 LiseEclaire [Leveling up the World] - Academy Arc - Chapter 763
Out there - Patreon (for all those curious or wanting to support :))
At the Beginning
Adventure Arc - Arc 2
Wilderness Arc - Arc 3
Academy Arc - Arc 4
Previously on Leveling up the World…
The mage’s hands moved at a vast speed, creating the impression he was casting six spells simultaneously. Dallion’s motions were even faster, but the quality of the spells was largely lacking. Only his sword skills made up for the difference, maintaining the stalemate.
Circles of purple light and magic symbols flashed into existence, only to be destroyed near completion. Even so, an occasional spell would sneak through. Most of the time, it was Dallion’s spells that were ignored. Too weak to deal any actual damage, they found their way to their target where they would fizzle off. When Nerot managed to complete one of his spells, however, the entire scene changed.
Initially, Dallion feared that the mage would resort to a mass destruction spell and kill everyone in the hall. Why he hadn’t still remained a mystery. If Nil were here, he’d probably provide an explanation.
Spikes of aether burst into the air, filling the space like magic caltrops. All of Dallion’s instances that came into contact with the objects were punctured by his very own magic threads that grew out from the inside. In the process, Dallion lost five health for each instance killed off this way. Normally, such a small amount would be negligible, yet that was only as long as Lux was nearby.
Spinning through the hall like a deadly ballet dancer, Dallion kept on slashing at the mage with a series of spark attacks. He had to be careful not to come into contact with the floor or anything touching it. That was the trick that had caused Ruby and the cloud fox to get captured in the trap—both of them were in contact with Diroh, who, for some reason, had chosen to walk on the actual floor.
I think I’ll have to use the combo again, Dallion thought as he cast an aether barrier on the ceiling to leap onto for a direct plunge attack. The execution was a bit rusty, allowing the mage to cast a protection long before the blade struck him.
Dallion twisted his face in anger. Too many of the skills he relied on were unusable. Line and point attacks were out of the question—he didn’t want to be the one slaughtering everyone in the room. Spreading magic threads through the blade was also impossible since he needed it to have enough spark to keep shattering Nerot’s outer defenses in the hopes of eventually slicing through. Music seemed inefficient, acrobatics and athletics were severely limited due to the prison item trap… What else was there?
“The structure of the Academy has lasted for centuries,” the mage hissed as he kept on casting. The slight pause between words indicated that the fight was exerting him more than he liked to admit. “Created by the emperor himself. And otherworlders like you shattered all that just to gain an inkling of power.”
“What did the Azures promise you?” Dallion twisted in then thrust forward, performing a shattering strike aimed at the mage’s shoulder.
The pure force of the attack managed to pass through the shell of magic, shattering the old man’s left arm.
For a moment Dallion felt a rush of euphoria. Sadly, it was short-lived. A mesh of green light formed around the wounded area, repairing both wounds and attire.
“The Azure federation be damned!” The old man hissed. “They’re no better. Battle mages with delusions of grandeur incapable of seeing the greatness of the universe. It’s time for mages with actual knowledge rise to the top as it should be.”
Another rogue megalomaniac, Dallion sighed internally. They were always the same, just as they were too prideful to admit when they received help. Katka and the other battle mages of the Academy had dealt with close to a dozen such individuals so far and it was always the same: vague, prideful, senior mages who felt even more unappreciated after the latest world changes. Some had even tried to establish rival “academies” only to find that changing the world order of things wasn’t as easy as they imagined.
“Is that why you put me into these clothes?” Dallion successfully cast another spell, causing a circle of twelve aether blades to emerge around him. “So I can’t use my weapons to stop you?” Music threads linked to the blades, causing them to resonate with pain.
The effect was harmful to everyone, though Dallion hoped it would be more so on the mage. He really hated fighting such enemies. They appeared frail and snobbish, yet possessed such an arsenal of spells that could make them boost all of their traits at a moment’s notice, and that was before they started using the really devastating casts.
Can you hear me? Dallion asked, changing his approach. If he couldn’t go against an enemy directly, he was going to go after his clothes. I know you can hear me, he said, using his music skills to add a note of authority.
We were warned not to talk to you, the robe replied.
In the midst of fighting, Dallion cracked a smile. Of course, it would be the robe that would rebel. Someone as snobbish as Nerot probably viewed it as an unwanted stepchild. As a mage he was required to wear it, even if he strongly preferred to have something a lot fancier.
You don’t like him much, do you? Dallion pressed on. Why put up with someone who hates you?
He’s still my owner.
Help me and I’ll be your new one, Dallion said. This was the first time he had actually offered to bribe an item. It wasn’t a lie. Seeing the magic threads and included symbols, he could tell that the robe had close to exceptional qualities. It wasn’t as good as the archmage’s, but definitely better than his.
You already have a robe.
I also have the ability to modify items, far better than the old man.
There was a moment of silence. The intensity of the fight between Dallion and Nerot increased. Then one of the mage’s long sleeves caught his fingers. It seemed natural—something that could happen to anyone who valued style over practicality. However, Dallion knew that he’d gotten his answer.
The next time the harpsisword struck, no barrier emerged, letting it slice through the layers of garment and into the man’s side.
You better repair that once you’re done, the robe said with an almost audible wink.
“Bastard!” the old mage screamed. All of his spells fizzed away as he quickly started a series of new ones to compensate for the unexpected event. The waves of anger coming from him were deafening. And still, beyond the hatred, there was something else… a barely audible voice that kept whispering.
Once you kill him, you’ll be able to take your rightful place as the head of Linatol, the voice said.
Even he has an echo? Dallion wondered.
Weapons and magic aren’t the only ways to win a battle, the haprsisword said. Realm invasions were quite popular, a lot more than in the current age.
That made sense. It was one of the first warnings Dallion received, both within the realms and without. He had often asked himself why such importance was put on that, considering how rarely it actually occurred. Now he had his answer. Having one’s realm invaded was devastating, and also there was no way to tell that anything was wrong. The mage and all the other members of the “coup” might have had their realms invaded months or even years ago. It was even possible that they themselves had forgotten about it under the influence of a powerful limiting echo. They would continue with their lives, their loyalties unchanged until the moment they were thrust into action… like now.
Taking advantage of his opponent’s weakness, Dallion quickly put a few more strikes in. His speed, combined with the robe’s meddling, managed to grant him a few hits before the mage had successfully cast his protection and healing spells. In his mind, Dallion could almost see the red rectangles pop up. Unfortunately, that didn’t prove enough to earn him the victory. Unlike Katka, experienced mages were difficult to take down. Nil was very right when he said that a good strategy trumped quick reflexes each time.
A new set of aether swords emerged, though this time belonging to Nerot. The mage had swallowed his pride and was now using anything and everything to remain in the fight, including copying Dallion’s low-level spells. Purple filled the room, giving it the appearance of a vortex realm.
Every second dozens of Dallion’s instances faded out of existence, only to be replaced by dozens more. Yet, despite the huge strain, he could see he was starting to gain the upper hand. As much as the mage was doing, he was merely compensating for that single moment his robe had gone against him.
Harp, will his magic withstand a point attack? Dallion asked.
Maybe, the weapon’s guardian didn’t sound certain. It’s risky.
Not if I angle it right. All I need is to make sure that there’s nothing between him and the wall when I—
Reality shattered like glass. Fragments that could be felt, but didn’t exist, filled the hall bringing time to normal.
Both Dallion and the mage instinctively pulled back. Crossbow bolts hit the ceiling, destroying an entire portion of it. With several of his instances, Dallion could see Ruby send wind slashes against a small group of “merchants” who were charging at Diroh. A wave of ice quickly stopped them in their tracks as the fury focused on other targets. Even Skye was moving about like a ball of mist, blocking the vision of everyone who got near. But amid all the chaos, the event that was most notable of all was the archduke standing up from his throne.
Raw power emanated from him as he rose like a titan, his sights set on the mage.
“Did you think you could contain me in a realm, Nerot?” his voice boomed. Beneath him, the throne crumbled as if made of sugar. “You’ve grown bold and stupid in your old age.”
Black tendrils surrounded the mage as the overseer also emerged in the room. Aether and void clashed, with neither gaining the upper hand.
“When you ran from the Academy I took you in and this is how you thank me?” A chunk of the wall broke off, transforming into a spike as it flew at the mage’s stomach. The hit was fatal, piercing through tendrils, barriers, and the mage’s body himself.
The sight was enough to send chills down Dallion’s spine. That was the true power of an archduke. The political defeat had cost him a lot, but as a person, he remained strong as ever. It was that power that kept all other of his relatives at bay. They wanted the throne, but were fully aware they couldn’t have it. The display of power was also a warning: neither mage, nor overseer, nor plot attempt was capable of killing off the rightful ruler of the province.
Dallion looked at the remnants of the mage. While he could still sense the robe and many of the other item guardians, the magic that had been throughout the old man was no more. While a relief, that also was a pity. Dallion would have liked to have a go at questioning the echoes in his realm. It was very likely that most of them would have faded away before answering any questions, but the pride of their owners would have ensured that they be seen doing so. Now, all of Nerot’s secrets died with him.
The floor behind Archduke Linatol rose up, forming a new throne in the place of the last. Content that he had made his point, the noble sat back down, completely disinterested in the rest of the fighting that was taking place.
“So,” he looked at Dallion while the overseer joined the fray on his behalf. “Where were we?”
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this story, consider joining my patreon or check out my other stories on redditserials:
The Scuu Paradox (a Space Opera Sci Fi)
The Cassandrian Theory (a Space Opera Sci Fi)
The Impeccable Adventure of the Reluctant Dungeon (Dungeon Core Adventure Comedy)
Uncharted Waters (An Urban Fantasy Detective Noir)
submitted by LiseEclaire to redditserials [link] [comments]
Adventure Arc - Arc 2
Wilderness Arc - Arc 3
Academy Arc - Arc 4
Previously on Leveling up the World…
The mage’s hands moved at a vast speed, creating the impression he was casting six spells simultaneously. Dallion’s motions were even faster, but the quality of the spells was largely lacking. Only his sword skills made up for the difference, maintaining the stalemate.
Circles of purple light and magic symbols flashed into existence, only to be destroyed near completion. Even so, an occasional spell would sneak through. Most of the time, it was Dallion’s spells that were ignored. Too weak to deal any actual damage, they found their way to their target where they would fizzle off. When Nerot managed to complete one of his spells, however, the entire scene changed.
Initially, Dallion feared that the mage would resort to a mass destruction spell and kill everyone in the hall. Why he hadn’t still remained a mystery. If Nil were here, he’d probably provide an explanation.
Spikes of aether burst into the air, filling the space like magic caltrops. All of Dallion’s instances that came into contact with the objects were punctured by his very own magic threads that grew out from the inside. In the process, Dallion lost five health for each instance killed off this way. Normally, such a small amount would be negligible, yet that was only as long as Lux was nearby.
Spinning through the hall like a deadly ballet dancer, Dallion kept on slashing at the mage with a series of spark attacks. He had to be careful not to come into contact with the floor or anything touching it. That was the trick that had caused Ruby and the cloud fox to get captured in the trap—both of them were in contact with Diroh, who, for some reason, had chosen to walk on the actual floor.
I think I’ll have to use the combo again, Dallion thought as he cast an aether barrier on the ceiling to leap onto for a direct plunge attack. The execution was a bit rusty, allowing the mage to cast a protection long before the blade struck him.
Dallion twisted his face in anger. Too many of the skills he relied on were unusable. Line and point attacks were out of the question—he didn’t want to be the one slaughtering everyone in the room. Spreading magic threads through the blade was also impossible since he needed it to have enough spark to keep shattering Nerot’s outer defenses in the hopes of eventually slicing through. Music seemed inefficient, acrobatics and athletics were severely limited due to the prison item trap… What else was there?
“The structure of the Academy has lasted for centuries,” the mage hissed as he kept on casting. The slight pause between words indicated that the fight was exerting him more than he liked to admit. “Created by the emperor himself. And otherworlders like you shattered all that just to gain an inkling of power.”
“What did the Azures promise you?” Dallion twisted in then thrust forward, performing a shattering strike aimed at the mage’s shoulder.
The pure force of the attack managed to pass through the shell of magic, shattering the old man’s left arm.
For a moment Dallion felt a rush of euphoria. Sadly, it was short-lived. A mesh of green light formed around the wounded area, repairing both wounds and attire.
“The Azure federation be damned!” The old man hissed. “They’re no better. Battle mages with delusions of grandeur incapable of seeing the greatness of the universe. It’s time for mages with actual knowledge rise to the top as it should be.”
Another rogue megalomaniac, Dallion sighed internally. They were always the same, just as they were too prideful to admit when they received help. Katka and the other battle mages of the Academy had dealt with close to a dozen such individuals so far and it was always the same: vague, prideful, senior mages who felt even more unappreciated after the latest world changes. Some had even tried to establish rival “academies” only to find that changing the world order of things wasn’t as easy as they imagined.
“Is that why you put me into these clothes?” Dallion successfully cast another spell, causing a circle of twelve aether blades to emerge around him. “So I can’t use my weapons to stop you?” Music threads linked to the blades, causing them to resonate with pain.
The effect was harmful to everyone, though Dallion hoped it would be more so on the mage. He really hated fighting such enemies. They appeared frail and snobbish, yet possessed such an arsenal of spells that could make them boost all of their traits at a moment’s notice, and that was before they started using the really devastating casts.
Can you hear me? Dallion asked, changing his approach. If he couldn’t go against an enemy directly, he was going to go after his clothes. I know you can hear me, he said, using his music skills to add a note of authority.
We were warned not to talk to you, the robe replied.
In the midst of fighting, Dallion cracked a smile. Of course, it would be the robe that would rebel. Someone as snobbish as Nerot probably viewed it as an unwanted stepchild. As a mage he was required to wear it, even if he strongly preferred to have something a lot fancier.
You don’t like him much, do you? Dallion pressed on. Why put up with someone who hates you?
He’s still my owner.
Help me and I’ll be your new one, Dallion said. This was the first time he had actually offered to bribe an item. It wasn’t a lie. Seeing the magic threads and included symbols, he could tell that the robe had close to exceptional qualities. It wasn’t as good as the archmage’s, but definitely better than his.
You already have a robe.
I also have the ability to modify items, far better than the old man.
There was a moment of silence. The intensity of the fight between Dallion and Nerot increased. Then one of the mage’s long sleeves caught his fingers. It seemed natural—something that could happen to anyone who valued style over practicality. However, Dallion knew that he’d gotten his answer.
The next time the harpsisword struck, no barrier emerged, letting it slice through the layers of garment and into the man’s side.
You better repair that once you’re done, the robe said with an almost audible wink.
“Bastard!” the old mage screamed. All of his spells fizzed away as he quickly started a series of new ones to compensate for the unexpected event. The waves of anger coming from him were deafening. And still, beyond the hatred, there was something else… a barely audible voice that kept whispering.
Once you kill him, you’ll be able to take your rightful place as the head of Linatol, the voice said.
Even he has an echo? Dallion wondered.
Weapons and magic aren’t the only ways to win a battle, the haprsisword said. Realm invasions were quite popular, a lot more than in the current age.
That made sense. It was one of the first warnings Dallion received, both within the realms and without. He had often asked himself why such importance was put on that, considering how rarely it actually occurred. Now he had his answer. Having one’s realm invaded was devastating, and also there was no way to tell that anything was wrong. The mage and all the other members of the “coup” might have had their realms invaded months or even years ago. It was even possible that they themselves had forgotten about it under the influence of a powerful limiting echo. They would continue with their lives, their loyalties unchanged until the moment they were thrust into action… like now.
Taking advantage of his opponent’s weakness, Dallion quickly put a few more strikes in. His speed, combined with the robe’s meddling, managed to grant him a few hits before the mage had successfully cast his protection and healing spells. In his mind, Dallion could almost see the red rectangles pop up. Unfortunately, that didn’t prove enough to earn him the victory. Unlike Katka, experienced mages were difficult to take down. Nil was very right when he said that a good strategy trumped quick reflexes each time.
A new set of aether swords emerged, though this time belonging to Nerot. The mage had swallowed his pride and was now using anything and everything to remain in the fight, including copying Dallion’s low-level spells. Purple filled the room, giving it the appearance of a vortex realm.
Every second dozens of Dallion’s instances faded out of existence, only to be replaced by dozens more. Yet, despite the huge strain, he could see he was starting to gain the upper hand. As much as the mage was doing, he was merely compensating for that single moment his robe had gone against him.
Harp, will his magic withstand a point attack? Dallion asked.
Maybe, the weapon’s guardian didn’t sound certain. It’s risky.
Not if I angle it right. All I need is to make sure that there’s nothing between him and the wall when I—
Reality shattered like glass. Fragments that could be felt, but didn’t exist, filled the hall bringing time to normal.
Both Dallion and the mage instinctively pulled back. Crossbow bolts hit the ceiling, destroying an entire portion of it. With several of his instances, Dallion could see Ruby send wind slashes against a small group of “merchants” who were charging at Diroh. A wave of ice quickly stopped them in their tracks as the fury focused on other targets. Even Skye was moving about like a ball of mist, blocking the vision of everyone who got near. But amid all the chaos, the event that was most notable of all was the archduke standing up from his throne.
Raw power emanated from him as he rose like a titan, his sights set on the mage.
“Did you think you could contain me in a realm, Nerot?” his voice boomed. Beneath him, the throne crumbled as if made of sugar. “You’ve grown bold and stupid in your old age.”
Black tendrils surrounded the mage as the overseer also emerged in the room. Aether and void clashed, with neither gaining the upper hand.
“When you ran from the Academy I took you in and this is how you thank me?” A chunk of the wall broke off, transforming into a spike as it flew at the mage’s stomach. The hit was fatal, piercing through tendrils, barriers, and the mage’s body himself.
The sight was enough to send chills down Dallion’s spine. That was the true power of an archduke. The political defeat had cost him a lot, but as a person, he remained strong as ever. It was that power that kept all other of his relatives at bay. They wanted the throne, but were fully aware they couldn’t have it. The display of power was also a warning: neither mage, nor overseer, nor plot attempt was capable of killing off the rightful ruler of the province.
Dallion looked at the remnants of the mage. While he could still sense the robe and many of the other item guardians, the magic that had been throughout the old man was no more. While a relief, that also was a pity. Dallion would have liked to have a go at questioning the echoes in his realm. It was very likely that most of them would have faded away before answering any questions, but the pride of their owners would have ensured that they be seen doing so. Now, all of Nerot’s secrets died with him.
The floor behind Archduke Linatol rose up, forming a new throne in the place of the last. Content that he had made his point, the noble sat back down, completely disinterested in the rest of the fighting that was taking place.
“So,” he looked at Dallion while the overseer joined the fray on his behalf. “Where were we?”
The Scuu Paradox (a Space Opera Sci Fi)
The Cassandrian Theory (a Space Opera Sci Fi)
The Impeccable Adventure of the Reluctant Dungeon (Dungeon Core Adventure Comedy)
Uncharted Waters (An Urban Fantasy Detective Noir)
2023.06.09 00:33 PurpleMonkeyFeet Moving. Feel free to follow
When I requested to take over this subreddit as I saw it had no moderators and had been basically abandoned, I intended to try to revive it.
As it often does, however, life got in the way. Worse, Reddit has gone to great lengths to drive everyone away. Lengths that include astronomical fees, lies, and deceit against some of the very people that helped make reddit, reddit.
I have had several accounts and witnessed many disappointing actions taken by those that run this site but with the new API changes and the way it's been handled (here is just one example, if you're interested) I will be restricting this subreddit and the others that I moderate and I'll be demoting myself as moderator. In the case of this subreddit, that means that it will be left without one again.
I welcome any and everyone to follow me to Lemmy which is a federated (think decentralized sort of like email. With reddit, everyone must use one set of servers. With Lemmy, like email, I can join gmail and you can join hotmail and we can still message each other) link aggregator similar to reddit.
Once you have an account on a Lemmy server, I have created a "community" as Lemmy calls their version of subreddits for Pierre there as well. Just search communities, be sure to select "all" so you're not limited to just your Lemmy server that you created an account on, and search for "pierre" to join.
submitted by PurpleMonkeyFeet to Pierre [link] [comments]
As it often does, however, life got in the way. Worse, Reddit has gone to great lengths to drive everyone away. Lengths that include astronomical fees, lies, and deceit against some of the very people that helped make reddit, reddit.
I have had several accounts and witnessed many disappointing actions taken by those that run this site but with the new API changes and the way it's been handled (here is just one example, if you're interested) I will be restricting this subreddit and the others that I moderate and I'll be demoting myself as moderator. In the case of this subreddit, that means that it will be left without one again.
I welcome any and everyone to follow me to Lemmy which is a federated (think decentralized sort of like email. With reddit, everyone must use one set of servers. With Lemmy, like email, I can join gmail and you can join hotmail and we can still message each other) link aggregator similar to reddit.
Once you have an account on a Lemmy server, I have created a "community" as Lemmy calls their version of subreddits for Pierre there as well. Just search communities, be sure to select "all" so you're not limited to just your Lemmy server that you created an account on, and search for "pierre" to join.
2023.06.09 00:12 DiscipulusDoctricis Emory vs WashU for the southeast
Emory cost of attendance - 162k (114k scholarship)
WashU cost of attendance - 169k (105k scholarship)
My goal is to work as a litigator at a top firm and I would like to clerk along the way. WashU places a larger percentage of graduates into big law and federal clerkships, but the overwhelming majority into the midwest and NYC and I am not interested in working in the midwest or NYC. I want to work in the deep south, texas, or florida. Likewise, WashU has an absolutely massive placement rate into federal clerkships, but I have no idea how much of that is caused by the school's name and network and how much is self selection. Not all clerkships are equally competitive: if the clerkship office has been encouraging students to mass apply to district courts in flyover states, of course they are going to have a relatively higher success rate.
I am an atlanta area native and I think I would far prefer living in atlanta for three years to St. Louis. Emory seems like a better "fit" for me. I love the southern LAC vibe and I have spoken to tons of students and alumni that I have really enjoyed. I quite like the idea of being able to build relationships in atlanta during law school
submitted by DiscipulusDoctricis to lawschooladmissions [link] [comments]
WashU cost of attendance - 169k (105k scholarship)
My goal is to work as a litigator at a top firm and I would like to clerk along the way. WashU places a larger percentage of graduates into big law and federal clerkships, but the overwhelming majority into the midwest and NYC and I am not interested in working in the midwest or NYC. I want to work in the deep south, texas, or florida. Likewise, WashU has an absolutely massive placement rate into federal clerkships, but I have no idea how much of that is caused by the school's name and network and how much is self selection. Not all clerkships are equally competitive: if the clerkship office has been encouraging students to mass apply to district courts in flyover states, of course they are going to have a relatively higher success rate.
I am an atlanta area native and I think I would far prefer living in atlanta for three years to St. Louis. Emory seems like a better "fit" for me. I love the southern LAC vibe and I have spoken to tons of students and alumni that I have really enjoyed. I quite like the idea of being able to build relationships in atlanta during law school
2023.06.08 23:57 LinJamRose IDR plan with two jobs
Does anyone here know the best way to go about applying to an IDR with a side gig? I presently work an office job and I pick up bartending shifts on the side. Despite having a side gig I live in an extremely HOC living area and I’m paying down some private student loans as well. I’ve never had to make federal student loan payments before so I have no record of an IDR at the moment. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
submitted by LinJamRose to StudentLoans [link] [comments]
2023.06.08 23:46 HailCorduroy Records delivered yesterday and today
 | I know what I’ll be doing this weekend submitted by HailCorduroy to jasonisbell [link] [comments] |
2023.06.08 23:42 CloselyCall125 How to recover stolen cryptocurrency from Trading scams in 5 easy steps.
Are You A Victim of Cryptocurrency Scam?
The cryptocurrency market has become a hotbed for fraudulent activities. One of the most common forms of cryptocurrency fraud is trading scams where fraudsters steal cryptocurrency from unsuspecting investors. This research outlines five easy steps to recover stolen cryptocurrency from trading scams, with a particular focus on the role of miners in the recovery process.
Introduction
Cryptocurrency has become an increasingly popular investment option for many people around the world. However, as the popularity of cryptocurrency has grown, so too has the number of fraudulent activities associated with it. One of the most common forms of cryptocurrency fraud is trading scams, MT4 trading scams and MT5 trading scams where fraudsters steal cryptocurrency from unsuspecting investors. When this happens, it can be challenging to recover the stolen cryptocurrency. In our research, we will outline five easy steps to recover stolen cryptocurrency from trading scams, with a particular focus on the role of miners in the recovery process.
Step 1: Report the Scam to the Appropriate Authorities. The first step in recovering stolen cryptocurrency from a trading scam is to report the scam to the appropriate authorities. This could include local law enforcement agencies, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), or the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). It is essential to report the scam as soon as possible to increase the chances of recovering the stolen cryptocurrency.
Step 2: Trace the Stolen Cryptocurrency After reporting the scam, the next step is to trace the stolen cryptocurrency. This process can be challenging, but it is essential to determine where the stolen cryptocurrency has been transferred. One way to do this is by analyzing the blockchain, which is a decentralized ledger that records all cryptocurrency transactions.
Step 3: Contact the Miners
Once you have traced the stolen cryptocurrency, the next step is to contact the miners. At Upclaim they have certain undercover miners they work with on every case they solve. Miners are individuals or organizations that verify transactions on the blockchain by solving complex mathematical problems. They are an essential part of the cryptocurrency ecosystem and can play a significant role in recovering stolen cryptocurrency. Contacting the miners involves providing them with information about the stolen cryptocurrency and requesting that they freeze the account holding the stolen cryptocurrency.
Step 4: Hire a Cryptocurrency Recovery Specialist.
In Most cases, Reporting to the FBI or any of the regulatory bodies doesn't guarantee that you will have a successful recovery of your loss. The reason why this is the case is that there is a criteria on magnitude of amount lost before a case can be pursued. In this case, it is well known that the magnitude of the amount loss shouldn't be nothing less than 1million USD or else it wouldn't be prioritized. More also, There is higher chances of recovery If the loss is from an organization,firm or government body compared to an Individual loss.
If the stolen cryptocurrency cannot be recovered through the previous steps, it may be necessary to hire a cryptocurrency recovery specialist. You can easily hire them at Upclaim Recovery firm These specialists have the expertise and tools necessary to recover stolen cryptocurrency and are often successful in retrieving the stolen funds. However, it is essential to do thorough research before hiring a recovery specialist to ensure that they have a proven track record of success.
Conclusion
Recovering stolen cryptocurrency from a trading scam can be a challenging process, but it is possible with the right approach offered by the experts at UPCLAIM,ORG. The four steps outlined in our research provide a roadmap for recovering stolen cryptocurrency, with a particular focus on the role of miners in the recovery process. By reporting the scam to UPCLAIM , ORG, tracing the stolen cryptocurrency, contacting the miners, and hiring a cryptocurrency recovery specialist, investors can increase their chances of recovering their stolen funds. It is essential to remain vigilant and take steps to protect yourself from trading scams in the first place to avoid the need for recovery efforts altogether.
submitted by CloselyCall125 to UPCLAIM_ORG [link] [comments]
Are You A Victim of Cryptocurrency Scam?
The cryptocurrency market has become a hotbed for fraudulent activities. One of the most common forms of cryptocurrency fraud is trading scams where fraudsters steal cryptocurrency from unsuspecting investors. This research outlines five easy steps to recover stolen cryptocurrency from trading scams, with a particular focus on the role of miners in the recovery process.
Introduction
Cryptocurrency has become an increasingly popular investment option for many people around the world. However, as the popularity of cryptocurrency has grown, so too has the number of fraudulent activities associated with it. One of the most common forms of cryptocurrency fraud is trading scams, MT4 trading scams and MT5 trading scams where fraudsters steal cryptocurrency from unsuspecting investors. When this happens, it can be challenging to recover the stolen cryptocurrency. In our research, we will outline five easy steps to recover stolen cryptocurrency from trading scams, with a particular focus on the role of miners in the recovery process.
Step 1: Report the Scam to the Appropriate Authorities. The first step in recovering stolen cryptocurrency from a trading scam is to report the scam to the appropriate authorities. This could include local law enforcement agencies, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), or the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). It is essential to report the scam as soon as possible to increase the chances of recovering the stolen cryptocurrency.
Step 2: Trace the Stolen Cryptocurrency After reporting the scam, the next step is to trace the stolen cryptocurrency. This process can be challenging, but it is essential to determine where the stolen cryptocurrency has been transferred. One way to do this is by analyzing the blockchain, which is a decentralized ledger that records all cryptocurrency transactions.
Step 3: Contact the Miners
Once you have traced the stolen cryptocurrency, the next step is to contact the miners. At Upclaim they have certain undercover miners they work with on every case they solve. Miners are individuals or organizations that verify transactions on the blockchain by solving complex mathematical problems. They are an essential part of the cryptocurrency ecosystem and can play a significant role in recovering stolen cryptocurrency. Contacting the miners involves providing them with information about the stolen cryptocurrency and requesting that they freeze the account holding the stolen cryptocurrency.
Step 4: Hire a Cryptocurrency Recovery Specialist.
In Most cases, Reporting to the FBI or any of the regulatory bodies doesn't guarantee that you will have a successful recovery of your loss. The reason why this is the case is that there is a criteria on magnitude of amount lost before a case can be pursued. In this case, it is well known that the magnitude of the amount loss shouldn't be nothing less than 1million USD or else it wouldn't be prioritized. More also, There is higher chances of recovery If the loss is from an organization,firm or government body compared to an Individual loss.
If the stolen cryptocurrency cannot be recovered through the previous steps, it may be necessary to hire a cryptocurrency recovery specialist. You can easily hire them at Upclaim Recovery firm These specialists have the expertise and tools necessary to recover stolen cryptocurrency and are often successful in retrieving the stolen funds. However, it is essential to do thorough research before hiring a recovery specialist to ensure that they have a proven track record of success.
Conclusion
Recovering stolen cryptocurrency from a trading scam can be a challenging process, but it is possible with the right approach offered by the experts at UPCLAIM,ORG. The four steps outlined in our research provide a roadmap for recovering stolen cryptocurrency, with a particular focus on the role of miners in the recovery process. By reporting the scam to UPCLAIM , ORG, tracing the stolen cryptocurrency, contacting the miners, and hiring a cryptocurrency recovery specialist, investors can increase their chances of recovering their stolen funds. It is essential to remain vigilant and take steps to protect yourself from trading scams in the first place to avoid the need for recovery efforts altogether.
2023.06.08 23:29 MADesmond_UFL Has anyone used the BOP.gov website and found incorrect data?
A guy in my professional life rubbed me the wrong way so I used the internet to find out who he is for personal judgement to make myself feel better. Turns out the guy embezzeled money at his job and was sentenced to prison. I used the bop.gov website to learn more info and it says he shouldn't be released until 8/2023.
Is there a way that he could have been released early and the website not updated? Can federal prisoners send emails? Maybe someone else is emailing on his behalf, idk, but I'm curious.
submitted by MADesmond_UFL to RBI [link] [comments]
Is there a way that he could have been released early and the website not updated? Can federal prisoners send emails? Maybe someone else is emailing on his behalf, idk, but I'm curious.
2023.06.08 22:59 JulianSkies Emergency Services Guild R&D: Stampede Studies
This little piece I wrote because I have zero mental energy to write something I care too much aobut the format and quality, and i've been wanting to have a look at this topic for a while.
Don't expect a lot of quality, but here have a thing.
---
[This video is shown in its raw form for purposes of transparency of the procedures. For the edited version please visit the Emergency Services Guild public-facing site]
[Content Warning: This video contains images of both stampedes and wartime stampede incidents of the following situations: Human First Contact, Operation Blindside, Sillis Occupation, Kolshian Scouting of Venlil Prime]
[This video will be subtitled instead of utilizing audio translation]
The camera’s view is completely obscured by a grey mass “I think it’s running, can you check it for me?” says a deep bassy voice of a human.
“Yes, i’m getting the audio and a very good closeup for your shirt” the voice of a venlil sounds hoarse
The grey mass recedes and the room becomes visible. A large naturally-lit room of plain appearance, there is a long table set in the center of it surrounded by chairs, the table itself is clearly designed with a holographic projector and at the far end of the room there is a large display.
There are seven people present, three humans dressed in grey outfits with red highlights, each one of them with a different insignia emblazoned on their breast but all three of them have similar themes, a helmet, an axe and a ladder is present on all three designs. Four venlil represent, two with sashes of office with the white with red stripe color and the exterminator’s pyre-and-shield insignia and two with armbands with the red pawprint.
“Alright, before we start the actual meeting, can I ask why are they here?” says one of the humans, well-built and with a lighter complexion, pointing at the two venlil with sashes.
“Because it’s part of our job? Because we’re involved?” says the one with greyish wool and dark spots
“I’m sorry if i’m skeptical why an exterminator is in a meeting involving public safety and stampede response”
“Because” the venlil’s voice becomes louder “It’s our job. And I’m already brahking tired of this whole act. I’ve heard every variation of ‘you shouldn’t be the ones doing this’ you can imagine. Every human I’ve met has said this, multiple times” he slams his fists on the table
“And I brahking agree, look!” he points at one of the venlil with the armbands “Our jobs literally overlap, why do we even HAVE this overlap? What could the exterminator’s guild do in a stampede that the emergency services guild couldn’t? Why is it that any job that requires you to have the slightest bit of tail to do it they drop on us? I don’t brahking know!” he’s taking deep breaths “So… Why don’t we skip this part and just get to the meeting?”
The humans are taken aback, while it seems like the venlil were quite unfazed at the sudden energetic outburst in a strange reversal of the usual reactions. “Not… Quite what I was expecting” that first human adds “Alright, I’ll keep my thoughts to myself for now”
With that, the human that had been adjusting the camera sits down and the arrangement of seating is visible clearly: The four venlil are on one side of the table while the three humans are on the other. One of the venlil with the armbands speaks up “We are gathered at this moment for a presentation of the United Nations’ Extraplanetary Emergency Response Division’s research on the nature and possible mitigation of stampedes”
“Present for this meeting are three human representatives of the UNEERD, Captain Fabia” a human female with short crimson hair and wiry build nods “Captain Jorge” the first human nods “And Captain Ishikawa” a human much taller human with shortly cut dark hair and mildly reddened skin speaking of a disagreement with the eternal twilight nods.
“Present are also four venlil representatives. Representing the Exterminator’s Guild are Division Lead Toss” the venlil who had the outburst earlier nods “Of the Stampede Response division, Division Lead Tunam” a venlil with a strangely reddish coat halfway between pink and red nods “Of the Behavioral Studies division” the speaking venlil himself, best identified by an eyepatch on his right eye, nods “Representing the Emergency Services Guild is me, Division Lead Onam of the Stampede Response division, and Division Lead Liram” the venlil beside him nods, a woman with a distinctive vertical striping pattern “Of the Medical Response division.”
Onam takes a deep breath “You may begin the presentation, Captain Jorge” he’s being incredibly professional
With that, Jorge uses a holopad to summon an image on the monitor at the far end, a simple bullet point list “Though all present here already know, I’ll state it for the record. The ESG has requested from the UNEERD an independent study of mitigating techniques for stampede events, both to help us increase our understanding of the local needs and to acquire an outside perspective that may improve their own understanding”
“We will be presenting our current findings, which have proven to be pretty surprising in my opinion” he gives another command to his holopad moving to the next slide “I’ll begin with the most important finding before we look into how we’ve reached this conclusion. But in effect, a proper stampede event can actually severely reduce to completely eliminate casualties in a situation of panic, however, those events can devolve into panicked flight as well as not every species is capable of those”
At that, Toss tilts his head to the side “Of all things… Stampedes preventing casualties? That’s really difficult to believe”
Ishikawa offers a shrug “I know. I’ll be honest we kind of came into this with, let’s say… A bit of a bias against you. But the observations held true, and it turns out the situation is considerably more complex than it seems”
Jorge nods “Take note this is mostly a preliminary study, we don’t have a lot of data of the sort we needed.” he pulls up another bullet list in the screen “Our work was focused more on the behavioral end, as you’ve more than proven to have the infrastructure and technical superiority here, but we have found a distinct lack of behavioral studies on stampedes”
Tunam takes a deep breath “Sure. More stuff we got wrong, as always” but before one of the humans can say something he waves dismissively with his tail “It’s alright, you’re just doing your job. It just gets exhausting hearing this every damn paw. Sorry for the interruption, please continue”
Jorge has a look on his face for a moment, something like worry and sympathy, before continuing “We have performed our studies by examining footage of stampede events with specific characteristics. First, monospecies events, with three examples. The stampede events during our first contact, as a sample of stampede events amongst the Venlil, recovered footage of an event in the Cradle during Operation Blindside, as a sample of stampede events amongst the Gojid. Take note that while this particular footage was from a situation far from any attack sites and before the arxur invasion, the reliability of it is shaky because of the wartime situation. And a stampede event on Sillis that happened recently in response to peacekeeper forces”
As he talks, three of the bullet points light up “Additionally, we later compared stampede events involving multispecies groupings. Particularly we have studied the very recent events here on Venlil Prime during the kolshian threat as well as a second event that occurred on Sillis involving a damaged dam” the last two bullet points light up
The female firefighter pipes up “We’re going to treat you like adults here but early warning we’re not going to be censoring any of the footage. I imagine given you all work with this there shouldn’t be anything you’re not familiar with”
The one-eyed venlil makes an assentive motion with his ears “Sadly, we’ve all seen enough of the carnage to be used to it”
Jorge moves on to the next slide, which contains video. He passes the holopad off to the human woman at his side “Your turn, Fabia”
She nods “We’ll start by examining this footage of the first contact. First tell me if there’s anything unusual you notice here” she says, letting the footage play. It’s an aggregation of a few different cameras, apparently from residential apartments. It shows the residents, all Venlil, running away from their apartments and spilling over in the streets, the residents of each apartment building start running towards where presumably the nearest bunker is. It only takes a few moments before they start pushing each other out of the way and the ones at the fringes of the herd end up unable to follow the group as the ever-growing mass of people start to push them against the walls of the buildings and side streets, a little while longer the first tramplings start to happen.
Tunam has had a very careful eye on the footage “This looks like a textbook case of a stampede. Nothing particular to it” he flicks his ear to the side
Taking the sign, Toss adds in “Dreadful, as always, but not even the worst example I’ve seen”
Onam sighs “I remember that one. Wouldn’t want to be those two knowing all of this was caused by them. But still, a pretty normal stampede, if anything a mild one”
Liram makes a dismissive wave of her tail “Didn’t even manage to overflow the hospitals, so i’m calling that one a win”
The sunburnt human bites his lower lip, trying to keep something inside. But ultimately it spills over “How bad is it for those kinds of responses?” it’s not so much an accusatory tone as much as a sad one.
“Very” is the only answer Onam gives.
At that, Fabia waves “And here is where a human, or more specifically outsider perspective helped.” she presses a couple of controls in the holopad, rewinding the footage to the start “I want you to pay attention to how this particular herd moves, just the one from the beginning of the video”
The footage plays again, showing the residents of the apartments rushing out, most take the stairs while a few take the elevators. There’s parents carrying their pups and some elderly being rushed along. The footage switches to the outside view where the whole herd of venlil from the apartment seems to erupt out of the front doors at the same time, it follows them for a bit until they’re closer to another group leaving their residence before Fabia pauses “Here’s where we noticed something, how much panic do you see in here?”
It’s Tunam’s turn to respond “Normal levels, i’d say, nothing out of ordinary. Which, they were expecting a raid or worse, so keep that in mind.”
Fabia nods “And that’s why the difference is important. Pay attention to their movement” she rewinds to the moment where they’re leaving the apartment building “Pay close attention to their feet” she zooms the video
The four venlil focus on it, seemingly unable to see what is happening “It takes humans at least months of training to be able to do this. They’re all moving in perfect synchrony” she rewinds one more time, and with the information out there it’s clear that at this point, this herd’s footsteps are moving in perfect lockstep “And I have severe doubts those people have any sort of training”
Onam turns his one good eye towards Fabia, then back at the footage, then back at Fabia “That… Yes, I can see that. But that has to be a fluke, if that is true then we wouldn’t have tramplings”
In response, Fabia changes footage. It shows a different apartment building, but the contents are similar: Up until the herd is a good distance away from the building their movement is synchronous and even the exit, though clearly panicked, seems to flow without injury. She shows footage from three more apartments “We thought that too, but this pattern repeats every time. This is a level of instinctive organization that’s, to me, supernatural. But at some point it breaks down”
The medical lead had his eyes closed in thought for a while now “That… Now that you say that… Stampede injuries are always outside. Well, no, not always of course. But less than twelve percent of them happen inside buildings, the vast majority happens on the streets”
The human woman passes the datapad aside, Ishikawa picks it up and calls up the footage again. It’s the same as the initial one, but it shows two herds approaching “And here’s where it breaks down. Look” he plays it as everyone pays much closer attention to the details of the video. The two different herds simply crash into each other, causing people to fall over and the two previously-synchronized groups to fall completely out of order.
Tunam’s tail swipes a short arc forwards “Ah, I see. Each herd is acting like a single unit at that point, so this situation is like two people running into each other. Now they’re on the floor and confused” he stares as the footage continues, and what was two groups ends up splitting into four completely disorganized groups “And the herds are unable to reform after that”
“This is where i’m going to introduce some specific terms we’re using here” Ishikawa adds “Specifically we’re referring to the organized movement portion as a ‘stampede’ proper. The situation where everything breaks down and they are completely disorganized we’re referring to as ‘panicked flight’, much how it is for us humans. And this specific situation that caused the breakdown of the stampede we’re calling an ‘impact’ event, given it was two herds impacting against each other”
Ishikawa then changes to a different piece of footage “And this will be the second breakdown situation we’ve recognized, a ‘command failure’ event.” he starts the footage, it’s a proper stampede, the video is from a camera on a defensive bunker proper, the masses trying to get inside are visible at the bottom of the image. Something happens in the incoming stampede, it slows down a little bit, before suddenly the back half overtakes the front half, tossing people into the ground.
“Notice how the approaching herd seems to be behaving as we’ve initially expected, even going so far as slowing down to prevent from barrelling into the people waiting to enter the bunker” he adds, before rewinding to just before the breakdown and zooming the video “But notice here, at some point those two start having a discussion while they run” the video is zoomed on a pair of venlil who seem to be shouting, though the video has no audio “Shortly after, the entire formation breaks and the rear speeds up, trampling the front”
The crimson venlil adds “They were following the one on the right…” he has a certain tone of awe on his voice “They all had their attention trained on him”
At that the female firefighter makes a questioning noise “How’d you figure that out?”
Tunam does a quick sideways flick of his ears in a dismissal move “I guess you don’t know how to see where we’re focusing our attention on when we don’t have to turn our entire heads for it. But pay attention to the ears, when they’re completely upright to take in sound they’ll be tracking whoever the focus is. As you can see, they were all focusing on the one on the right, which was the one being yelled at” he focuses on the now still image for a while “You can see he has his tail in his hands, while the one yelling at him has his chest first ruffled out.” his eye seems to focus beyond the image now “This herd didn’t break down because of another, but they lost guidance, is that it?”
Jorge sighs, but he has a slight smile “See, I told you it’d be wise to have at least one venlil in our team. Just from being able to read their body language he skipped past two weeks of comparisons”
Ishikawa gives a light sigh “But that’s correct. This is a ‘command failure’ situation. We’ve noticed that in every stampede there seems to be someone that works at least as pace setting, if not straight up herd leader. It seemed in cases to mostly be arbitrary, but once someone got in that position everyone would follow that one”
Jorge picks up the holopad again “Next up” the screen changes again, it’s another video that is quite clearly not on Venlil Prime “This one happened during peacekeeping operations on Sillis…” there’s a certain inflection of disgust in the human’s voice as he mentions ‘peacekeeping’ “You probably already know what to expect but I want you to focus on the differences here”
The video that plays out starts with what seems like a protest in front of a UN field base, the recording is from the body cam of a soldier on top of a watchtower. There’s a moderate mass of tilfish with all sorts of signs, there’s shouting. The camera turns to show an APC get close to the mass from inside the base, there’s shouting from the human guards but nothing happens, until the APC revs up its engine heavily. At the angry roar of the vehicle the protesters started to bolt, four large groups forming in different directions.
The camera follows one such group as it starts heading off down a street, unlike the venlil stampedes this one starts from moment zero with trampling and people moving into each other. At some point it’s visible someone at the middle of the formation seems to hesitate and slow down, causing the entire mass to slow down for a moment, and then someone else near the slower raises their arms. At this point this is too far from the soldier’s body camera to catch noise, but what seems to be a discussion has happened, and suddenly the stampede speeds up and the scene that follows gets considerably worse as the mass turns into a tangle of limbs cross across eachother and tearing itself apart as they try to move in the same general direction.
“It started bad” says Toss “But it got worse. I’ve never seen a stampede get worse like that”
Onam puts his tail on the table, tapping the surface gently with it “It happens as it grows in size but this group didn’t change. That did seem like a command failure situation causing it to get even worse, yes, but they seemed to already be very out of sync from the start”
The human with the holopad nods “And that’s the biggest failure of your treatment of stampedes showing itself.” he rewinds the video to when the APC starts roaring “And honestly, we were stuck on that failure mode for a while too until one of the younger members of our team spoke their mind. Pay closer attention to the amount of damage that is happening during the stampede here” they all lean closer as they watch the start again “How many wounds are you seeing?”
It’s the one-eyed venlil that answers “None… They’re not trampling eachther, they’re climbing each other, and walking under the others, somehow without hurting themselves?” his voice has a definite awe to it.
Jorge nods “Yep. Tilfish, both from their body plan and however way their kinesthetic sense works, appear to be fully capable of moving over, through and under each other like they weren’t even there. That seems to be pretty unique to their species”
It’s the red furred venlil that comments now “But they lose that coordination when the command failure happens, so they start to miss their movements and now we have limbs tangled on themselves and tearing themselves apart”
“Comparing medical reports from this with medical reports from the first incident with just venlil” starts the female firefighter “We see different wound patterns. A monospecies panicked flight of tilfish will lead primarily to damaged and removed limbs while one of venlil will lead to crushing wounds. Because your herd movement patterns and capacities are different, when the stampede fails into panicked flight the wounds are different”
Liram tilts her head to the side “That’s what you meant. We… Speh, the entire federation, has been treating stampedes like they behave the same for every species” her tail swats left to right for a while with an excessive amount of force “But this makes sense. And I presume you have an example of a species that doesn’t stampede up next, right?”
Jorge nods, moving to the next video. It shows a wide, long street “This one was recovered from the Cradle, this happens during the strikes on the orbital defenses but before the first orbital drop. Meaning, long before any ground operation starts” the video is sped up considerably at the start, the trickle of gojid into the streets is slow as to require that, but the flows from the buildings and side streets slowly thicken as more and more people start fleeing away from the camera’s direction. The mass that forms is enormous, taking up the entire street, and to flows and moves as if it wasn’t a mass of people, not even like a mass of animals, but it flows like a river, like it ceased to contain living beings and it now contained fluid particles.
Tunam, whose expression has been growing more and more serious by the moment, initiates “I… I’ve never seen a stampede like… It really shows the difference seeing the comparison, here we didn’t have groups forming at exit points and leaving, we have a slow trickle until the mass of people is…”
Ishikawa nods “Until the mass of people starts behaving like a fluid, completely detached from the will of the people inside of it” he puts his elbows in the table “Very much how it works with humans. At that point, you just need to let the flow move you and hope for the best, while trying to keep yourself safe”
Jorge zooms in the image, which appears to be sufficiently high quality to get detailed images of any particular member of the mass “You can even see the measures they take to prevent harming themselves” he directs the zoom to an area where you see the gojid have somehow arranged themselves back-to-back and front-to-front as they’re pushed and shoved, trying to avoid harming themselves on each other. It’s visible, however, they have no control over the motions as they’re simply being moved by the mass. One unlucky woman trying to hold on to some form of backpack gets pulled under the mass of bodies by the article. Most gojid seem to be taking conscious effort to keep their quills from flaring out, but many are failing and some trickle of blue can be seen on some backs
“Of course” the zoomed out area directs to a different section while zooming out “This is neither instinctual nor organized, as you can see the vast majority of the cases are like… This…” the best description of the moving mass of very sharp people being dislocated by nothing but panic and fluid forces is… A meat grinder. There’s more blue than brown visible and the speed with which the human moves the video elsewhere is quite indicative of how none of the present trained emergency workers had the stomach to witness it.
Liram has stood up “By the void… But- But- There’s gojid population on this planet! I’ve never seen anything like this when they’re involved!” there’s straight up panic in her voice.
With a command, Jorge moves on to the next slide “And that segues well into the next topic of research, multispecies stampedes” there’s a still image of a large street in the capital, mostly empty at this point “As you can imagine there’s behavioral differences in multispecies situations”
Jorge passes the holopad over to Ishikawa “This one is pretty recent, hell I still remember it myself. The kolshian probing attack” the video starts, and for a few seconds the slow foot traffic of the mostly empty street seems undeterred. Then, most everyone still walking the streets, which here in the capital means a variety of species from venlil and human to takkan and iftali, picks up their holopads at once. And with different degrees of urgency and reading speed, they start running.
Nothing seems to progress further than that other than people entering buildings, but after a while longer it happens, groups start leaving the buildings in large herds “As you can see” Ishikawa pauses “We see them exiting buildings in large groups, just as the stampeding species do” he let it play again. Just like in the first two videos the large groups seem to be moving roughly in coordination within themselves, but it seems to be a much more frail kind of coordination as the group’s form changes and shifts as the people inside adjust their position.
Ishikawa zooms into one of the groups “Here, check their movement” it’s visible that only a portion of them is moving in actual synchrony, the venlil as well as a pair of sulean and three krakotl seem to be moving very much in lockstep, and one human who seems to be acting as a leader as she points and shouts. Meanwhile the other humans, two takkan and a gojid aren’t moving quite in synchrony but seem capable of keeping themselves in formation thanks to the others around them. “Here we see the effect of a mixed species setting. The stampeding species manage to give enough structure to the group that the others can follow”
Tunam is staring intensely at the video “But that’s a very fragile configuration, isn’t it? The ones organizing on instinctive drive can’t possibly keep this much structure for long? Without training this is going to break down quickly”
Ishikawa nods “That’s what we thought as well but…” he lets the video play, and they watch that mass of bodies continue to move mostly organized down the street. At some point another equally mixed group starts approaching from the side, but one of the takkan appears to start shouting. But instead of things breaking down, what happens is that both groups merge together, there’s some minor bodily impacts but from the visible motions of the group there’s some shared apologies and they continue moving at a slower speed, matching the speed of the second group “That doesn’t happen, the whole situation is even more stable”
The video continues for a while, and Ishikawa zooms to the front of the formation. The human who’d been the apparent leader taps rather violently a venlil on the shoulder. There apparently seems to be a verbal altercation, but both give each other affirmative visual cues and the venlil speeds up a little bit. And the rest of the herd matches pace as the group changes direction to another street “And this is a smooth change of command, presumably the human that’d been the unofficial lead figured out who knew the shortest path to the bunker and they’ve began following him instead”
The crimson venlil sinks down in his chair “That’s… I’ve never seen a stampede move quite like that, even multispecies ones. It has to be you…”
“Much as i’d love to give us all the credit” Jorge starts “I don’t quite think it is. Or rather, it’s not something i’d say is inherently human. If it was, once that group changed command they’d break down, or it wouldn’t be able to merge that easily with a takkan mediating. No, I think it was just those specific humans being able to keep their cool that helped it.”
He looks at Tunam for a half second before continuing “Everyone else seems to be… Very prone to panicking quickly. And while we’re just as prone to panic we don’t seem to get there as fast as the others. For some reason. Keeping a bit of a calmer head allows the prevention of command failures and the overall effect of reducing the panic level in a herd enough that any member present has enough wits to negotiate through an impact as well”
Upon noticing Tunam’s souring expression, Ishikawa gives the pad another command to move on to the next video “To give a bit more context to an important part of the behavior we’re analyzing here, we have this one footage of what is essentially a stampede event, but not one most people would recognize as such”
It seems to be footage of Sillis again, most obvious by the number of tilfish present. The footage is from a cargo hauling drone in a work site by a river at the bottom of a dam. There are a handful of humans, a half dozen venlil and a gojid all wearing construction uniforms identifying them as part of one of the UN relief forces, the various tilfish around are also wearing bright construction vests and protective gear and with the exception of two of them, they seem to be trying their best to stay away from the others. Suddenly, the gojid who’s near the river looks down at his feet, then starts running away shouting. At that everyone other than the tilfish start running as well, the group slows down for a moment as the tilfish workers run towards the group and they all continue together up a hill. A few seconds after they crest the hill there’s suddenly water in the worksite as the dam cracks and collapses. The group stops at the top of the hill, and quickly they’ve brought up holopads to start doing damage assessment as a few head closer to the rushing waters.
“This, as you can see, looks nothing like what you expect out of a stampede. We’ve interviewed those workers remotely to get a better grasp of what happened” Fabia adds “Thanks to their sensitivity to ground vibrations, the gojid worker caught the dam’s damage early and called for the others to run, which caused the work crew to evacuate to higher ground.” she waves at Ishikawa, who rewinds the video and zooms on the group as it runs “As you can see, we have the organized movement of a stampede proper” and known his cue he skips ahead to the group on top of the hill “And they stopped quickly, as well.
The human with reddened skin rewinds the video again to show the moment the group slows down “And here’s the particular detail I want you to pay attention to. Notice the group formed when the gojid called out the emergency, but only two tilfish joined it. The two that were already talking with the UN forces”
Onam tilts his head, clearly in thought as his blind eye is facing the screen now “You’re saying there’s an influence of familiarity?”
In answer, Ishikawa shakes his head in negative “Yes and no, we believe this is an effect of threat-assessment. The two that trusted the veracity of the information about the danger moved as quickly as the rest of the herd, which had managed to form thanks to the presence of the venlil and tilfish. Only after the other tilfish recognized those two did they start moving”
“And the whole group slowed down for them, without breaking apart” the crimson venlil adds “This is very much not anything we’d consider a stampede, however as you said the synchronized movement happens and they even managed to clear through the obstacles in a surprisingly safe manner on the way out”
Jorge picks up the holopad again and moves on to the next slide “So to sum up our theories. Certain species have an innate capacity of large-numbers collective movement, what we call a stampede is simply that natural capacity displaying itself during mass flight. That capacity can be harnessed to reduce casualties of panicked flight by giving the moving group an organized form, but only as long as the organization can be sustained. This mass movement capacity also applies to situations where other species would still perform in an organized fashion, but its instinctive nature severely speeds up the process.”
Before he can continue, however, Tunam mutters a little too loudly “But the results you’re going to give us are going to be the same brahking thing as always”
Jorge ignores the muttering “To begin with we’re going to suggest a system similar to the fire brigades we have on Earth. Essentially, any group large enough, such as a company or an apartment building, needs to have a handful of people with some training in emergency procedures for fire escape, so they can guide the rest of the people.”
Ishikawa intrudes “And in countries with higher seismic activities like mine, those procedures also include how to deal with earthquakes for example”
Jorge nods, and takes a deep breath “Look, I’m not going to sugarcoat it. Your threat-assessment skills are horrible, for some reason- No, I think for reasons we’re all acquainted well enough by now, you’re all very likely to jump at shadows, far more than you should. However, your flight responses are part of your nature, trying to fight your nature never, ever works, you always have to work with it.” he’s staring directly at Tunam, who has met his stare with his right eye “So the primary suggestion is to introduce a form of ‘emergency herd lead’ training in organizations so that we’re certain there are individuals capable of keeping command and a lower baseline of chaos during a stampede event as well as further research into better methods of performing such a function”
Tunam doesn’t flinch from the stare “Come on, say it”
“No. As much as I’d love to say something like what you think I will, I’ll be honest. You guys expect to face orbital bombardment threats with enough frequency that civilian bunkers are part of city planning. Not a human alive today could imagine living in this nightmare their entire lives, I’m going to give you some credit here. Plus, in real threat situations as seen in the last video, you have very beneficial threat responses.” Jorge adds
Jorge waits for a few moments, then continues “That concludes the presentation of the early findings and initial measures we’ve identified. It should be noted that this topic will require much further research, preferably from a multidisciplinary group with representatives of multiple species. Though those findings may be applicable at the present our suggestion is that any action taken at this moment be only provisional and on an experimental level until further research can be made”
Onam stands up “Very well, with that I declare the meeting concluded” he takes in a deep breath and sits back down, making an annoyed sound with his voice as he swats his tail to the side “What is it about you humans that you could see all those things?”
Fabia shrugs, sitting more relaxed in her chair “I don’t think it’s something special, we’re just outsiders with a different perspective.”
A loud screeching noise can be heard, and as everyone turns to face Tunam the source of the noise is visible as the hand he had on the table had dug its claws into it “It’s not like we haven’t found out those things before, isn’t it?” he doesn’t seem to be directing his words to anyone in particular
The one-eyed venlil tilts his head to the side “We did have that work group almost fifteen cycles ago. I remember they were considering a suggestion like what we just had right now, but the work group never went anywhere and we never got any real results”
Tunam stands up suddenly, sending his chair scattering “One more to the list I guess…” there’s a tiredness to his voice “I should figure out where they wound up…” he turns around and goes to leave “We’re done here, yes? I should go” and stalks out.
The remaining people in the room look at his exit confusedly, as Ishikawa comes over to turn off the camera the others can be seen leaving.
submitted by JulianSkies to NatureofPredators [link] [comments]
Don't expect a lot of quality, but here have a thing.
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[This video is shown in its raw form for purposes of transparency of the procedures. For the edited version please visit the Emergency Services Guild public-facing site]
[Content Warning: This video contains images of both stampedes and wartime stampede incidents of the following situations: Human First Contact, Operation Blindside, Sillis Occupation, Kolshian Scouting of Venlil Prime]
[This video will be subtitled instead of utilizing audio translation]
The camera’s view is completely obscured by a grey mass “I think it’s running, can you check it for me?” says a deep bassy voice of a human.
“Yes, i’m getting the audio and a very good closeup for your shirt” the voice of a venlil sounds hoarse
The grey mass recedes and the room becomes visible. A large naturally-lit room of plain appearance, there is a long table set in the center of it surrounded by chairs, the table itself is clearly designed with a holographic projector and at the far end of the room there is a large display.
There are seven people present, three humans dressed in grey outfits with red highlights, each one of them with a different insignia emblazoned on their breast but all three of them have similar themes, a helmet, an axe and a ladder is present on all three designs. Four venlil represent, two with sashes of office with the white with red stripe color and the exterminator’s pyre-and-shield insignia and two with armbands with the red pawprint.
“Alright, before we start the actual meeting, can I ask why are they here?” says one of the humans, well-built and with a lighter complexion, pointing at the two venlil with sashes.
“Because it’s part of our job? Because we’re involved?” says the one with greyish wool and dark spots
“I’m sorry if i’m skeptical why an exterminator is in a meeting involving public safety and stampede response”
“Because” the venlil’s voice becomes louder “It’s our job. And I’m already brahking tired of this whole act. I’ve heard every variation of ‘you shouldn’t be the ones doing this’ you can imagine. Every human I’ve met has said this, multiple times” he slams his fists on the table
“And I brahking agree, look!” he points at one of the venlil with the armbands “Our jobs literally overlap, why do we even HAVE this overlap? What could the exterminator’s guild do in a stampede that the emergency services guild couldn’t? Why is it that any job that requires you to have the slightest bit of tail to do it they drop on us? I don’t brahking know!” he’s taking deep breaths “So… Why don’t we skip this part and just get to the meeting?”
The humans are taken aback, while it seems like the venlil were quite unfazed at the sudden energetic outburst in a strange reversal of the usual reactions. “Not… Quite what I was expecting” that first human adds “Alright, I’ll keep my thoughts to myself for now”
With that, the human that had been adjusting the camera sits down and the arrangement of seating is visible clearly: The four venlil are on one side of the table while the three humans are on the other. One of the venlil with the armbands speaks up “We are gathered at this moment for a presentation of the United Nations’ Extraplanetary Emergency Response Division’s research on the nature and possible mitigation of stampedes”
“Present for this meeting are three human representatives of the UNEERD, Captain Fabia” a human female with short crimson hair and wiry build nods “Captain Jorge” the first human nods “And Captain Ishikawa” a human much taller human with shortly cut dark hair and mildly reddened skin speaking of a disagreement with the eternal twilight nods.
“Present are also four venlil representatives. Representing the Exterminator’s Guild are Division Lead Toss” the venlil who had the outburst earlier nods “Of the Stampede Response division, Division Lead Tunam” a venlil with a strangely reddish coat halfway between pink and red nods “Of the Behavioral Studies division” the speaking venlil himself, best identified by an eyepatch on his right eye, nods “Representing the Emergency Services Guild is me, Division Lead Onam of the Stampede Response division, and Division Lead Liram” the venlil beside him nods, a woman with a distinctive vertical striping pattern “Of the Medical Response division.”
Onam takes a deep breath “You may begin the presentation, Captain Jorge” he’s being incredibly professional
With that, Jorge uses a holopad to summon an image on the monitor at the far end, a simple bullet point list “Though all present here already know, I’ll state it for the record. The ESG has requested from the UNEERD an independent study of mitigating techniques for stampede events, both to help us increase our understanding of the local needs and to acquire an outside perspective that may improve their own understanding”
“We will be presenting our current findings, which have proven to be pretty surprising in my opinion” he gives another command to his holopad moving to the next slide “I’ll begin with the most important finding before we look into how we’ve reached this conclusion. But in effect, a proper stampede event can actually severely reduce to completely eliminate casualties in a situation of panic, however, those events can devolve into panicked flight as well as not every species is capable of those”
At that, Toss tilts his head to the side “Of all things… Stampedes preventing casualties? That’s really difficult to believe”
Ishikawa offers a shrug “I know. I’ll be honest we kind of came into this with, let’s say… A bit of a bias against you. But the observations held true, and it turns out the situation is considerably more complex than it seems”
Jorge nods “Take note this is mostly a preliminary study, we don’t have a lot of data of the sort we needed.” he pulls up another bullet list in the screen “Our work was focused more on the behavioral end, as you’ve more than proven to have the infrastructure and technical superiority here, but we have found a distinct lack of behavioral studies on stampedes”
Tunam takes a deep breath “Sure. More stuff we got wrong, as always” but before one of the humans can say something he waves dismissively with his tail “It’s alright, you’re just doing your job. It just gets exhausting hearing this every damn paw. Sorry for the interruption, please continue”
Jorge has a look on his face for a moment, something like worry and sympathy, before continuing “We have performed our studies by examining footage of stampede events with specific characteristics. First, monospecies events, with three examples. The stampede events during our first contact, as a sample of stampede events amongst the Venlil, recovered footage of an event in the Cradle during Operation Blindside, as a sample of stampede events amongst the Gojid. Take note that while this particular footage was from a situation far from any attack sites and before the arxur invasion, the reliability of it is shaky because of the wartime situation. And a stampede event on Sillis that happened recently in response to peacekeeper forces”
As he talks, three of the bullet points light up “Additionally, we later compared stampede events involving multispecies groupings. Particularly we have studied the very recent events here on Venlil Prime during the kolshian threat as well as a second event that occurred on Sillis involving a damaged dam” the last two bullet points light up
The female firefighter pipes up “We’re going to treat you like adults here but early warning we’re not going to be censoring any of the footage. I imagine given you all work with this there shouldn’t be anything you’re not familiar with”
The one-eyed venlil makes an assentive motion with his ears “Sadly, we’ve all seen enough of the carnage to be used to it”
Jorge moves on to the next slide, which contains video. He passes the holopad off to the human woman at his side “Your turn, Fabia”
She nods “We’ll start by examining this footage of the first contact. First tell me if there’s anything unusual you notice here” she says, letting the footage play. It’s an aggregation of a few different cameras, apparently from residential apartments. It shows the residents, all Venlil, running away from their apartments and spilling over in the streets, the residents of each apartment building start running towards where presumably the nearest bunker is. It only takes a few moments before they start pushing each other out of the way and the ones at the fringes of the herd end up unable to follow the group as the ever-growing mass of people start to push them against the walls of the buildings and side streets, a little while longer the first tramplings start to happen.
Tunam has had a very careful eye on the footage “This looks like a textbook case of a stampede. Nothing particular to it” he flicks his ear to the side
Taking the sign, Toss adds in “Dreadful, as always, but not even the worst example I’ve seen”
Onam sighs “I remember that one. Wouldn’t want to be those two knowing all of this was caused by them. But still, a pretty normal stampede, if anything a mild one”
Liram makes a dismissive wave of her tail “Didn’t even manage to overflow the hospitals, so i’m calling that one a win”
The sunburnt human bites his lower lip, trying to keep something inside. But ultimately it spills over “How bad is it for those kinds of responses?” it’s not so much an accusatory tone as much as a sad one.
“Very” is the only answer Onam gives.
At that, Fabia waves “And here is where a human, or more specifically outsider perspective helped.” she presses a couple of controls in the holopad, rewinding the footage to the start “I want you to pay attention to how this particular herd moves, just the one from the beginning of the video”
The footage plays again, showing the residents of the apartments rushing out, most take the stairs while a few take the elevators. There’s parents carrying their pups and some elderly being rushed along. The footage switches to the outside view where the whole herd of venlil from the apartment seems to erupt out of the front doors at the same time, it follows them for a bit until they’re closer to another group leaving their residence before Fabia pauses “Here’s where we noticed something, how much panic do you see in here?”
It’s Tunam’s turn to respond “Normal levels, i’d say, nothing out of ordinary. Which, they were expecting a raid or worse, so keep that in mind.”
Fabia nods “And that’s why the difference is important. Pay attention to their movement” she rewinds to the moment where they’re leaving the apartment building “Pay close attention to their feet” she zooms the video
The four venlil focus on it, seemingly unable to see what is happening “It takes humans at least months of training to be able to do this. They’re all moving in perfect synchrony” she rewinds one more time, and with the information out there it’s clear that at this point, this herd’s footsteps are moving in perfect lockstep “And I have severe doubts those people have any sort of training”
Onam turns his one good eye towards Fabia, then back at the footage, then back at Fabia “That… Yes, I can see that. But that has to be a fluke, if that is true then we wouldn’t have tramplings”
In response, Fabia changes footage. It shows a different apartment building, but the contents are similar: Up until the herd is a good distance away from the building their movement is synchronous and even the exit, though clearly panicked, seems to flow without injury. She shows footage from three more apartments “We thought that too, but this pattern repeats every time. This is a level of instinctive organization that’s, to me, supernatural. But at some point it breaks down”
The medical lead had his eyes closed in thought for a while now “That… Now that you say that… Stampede injuries are always outside. Well, no, not always of course. But less than twelve percent of them happen inside buildings, the vast majority happens on the streets”
The human woman passes the datapad aside, Ishikawa picks it up and calls up the footage again. It’s the same as the initial one, but it shows two herds approaching “And here’s where it breaks down. Look” he plays it as everyone pays much closer attention to the details of the video. The two different herds simply crash into each other, causing people to fall over and the two previously-synchronized groups to fall completely out of order.
Tunam’s tail swipes a short arc forwards “Ah, I see. Each herd is acting like a single unit at that point, so this situation is like two people running into each other. Now they’re on the floor and confused” he stares as the footage continues, and what was two groups ends up splitting into four completely disorganized groups “And the herds are unable to reform after that”
“This is where i’m going to introduce some specific terms we’re using here” Ishikawa adds “Specifically we’re referring to the organized movement portion as a ‘stampede’ proper. The situation where everything breaks down and they are completely disorganized we’re referring to as ‘panicked flight’, much how it is for us humans. And this specific situation that caused the breakdown of the stampede we’re calling an ‘impact’ event, given it was two herds impacting against each other”
Ishikawa then changes to a different piece of footage “And this will be the second breakdown situation we’ve recognized, a ‘command failure’ event.” he starts the footage, it’s a proper stampede, the video is from a camera on a defensive bunker proper, the masses trying to get inside are visible at the bottom of the image. Something happens in the incoming stampede, it slows down a little bit, before suddenly the back half overtakes the front half, tossing people into the ground.
“Notice how the approaching herd seems to be behaving as we’ve initially expected, even going so far as slowing down to prevent from barrelling into the people waiting to enter the bunker” he adds, before rewinding to just before the breakdown and zooming the video “But notice here, at some point those two start having a discussion while they run” the video is zoomed on a pair of venlil who seem to be shouting, though the video has no audio “Shortly after, the entire formation breaks and the rear speeds up, trampling the front”
The crimson venlil adds “They were following the one on the right…” he has a certain tone of awe on his voice “They all had their attention trained on him”
At that the female firefighter makes a questioning noise “How’d you figure that out?”
Tunam does a quick sideways flick of his ears in a dismissal move “I guess you don’t know how to see where we’re focusing our attention on when we don’t have to turn our entire heads for it. But pay attention to the ears, when they’re completely upright to take in sound they’ll be tracking whoever the focus is. As you can see, they were all focusing on the one on the right, which was the one being yelled at” he focuses on the now still image for a while “You can see he has his tail in his hands, while the one yelling at him has his chest first ruffled out.” his eye seems to focus beyond the image now “This herd didn’t break down because of another, but they lost guidance, is that it?”
Jorge sighs, but he has a slight smile “See, I told you it’d be wise to have at least one venlil in our team. Just from being able to read their body language he skipped past two weeks of comparisons”
Ishikawa gives a light sigh “But that’s correct. This is a ‘command failure’ situation. We’ve noticed that in every stampede there seems to be someone that works at least as pace setting, if not straight up herd leader. It seemed in cases to mostly be arbitrary, but once someone got in that position everyone would follow that one”
Jorge picks up the holopad again “Next up” the screen changes again, it’s another video that is quite clearly not on Venlil Prime “This one happened during peacekeeping operations on Sillis…” there’s a certain inflection of disgust in the human’s voice as he mentions ‘peacekeeping’ “You probably already know what to expect but I want you to focus on the differences here”
The video that plays out starts with what seems like a protest in front of a UN field base, the recording is from the body cam of a soldier on top of a watchtower. There’s a moderate mass of tilfish with all sorts of signs, there’s shouting. The camera turns to show an APC get close to the mass from inside the base, there’s shouting from the human guards but nothing happens, until the APC revs up its engine heavily. At the angry roar of the vehicle the protesters started to bolt, four large groups forming in different directions.
The camera follows one such group as it starts heading off down a street, unlike the venlil stampedes this one starts from moment zero with trampling and people moving into each other. At some point it’s visible someone at the middle of the formation seems to hesitate and slow down, causing the entire mass to slow down for a moment, and then someone else near the slower raises their arms. At this point this is too far from the soldier’s body camera to catch noise, but what seems to be a discussion has happened, and suddenly the stampede speeds up and the scene that follows gets considerably worse as the mass turns into a tangle of limbs cross across eachother and tearing itself apart as they try to move in the same general direction.
“It started bad” says Toss “But it got worse. I’ve never seen a stampede get worse like that”
Onam puts his tail on the table, tapping the surface gently with it “It happens as it grows in size but this group didn’t change. That did seem like a command failure situation causing it to get even worse, yes, but they seemed to already be very out of sync from the start”
The human with the holopad nods “And that’s the biggest failure of your treatment of stampedes showing itself.” he rewinds the video to when the APC starts roaring “And honestly, we were stuck on that failure mode for a while too until one of the younger members of our team spoke their mind. Pay closer attention to the amount of damage that is happening during the stampede here” they all lean closer as they watch the start again “How many wounds are you seeing?”
It’s the one-eyed venlil that answers “None… They’re not trampling eachther, they’re climbing each other, and walking under the others, somehow without hurting themselves?” his voice has a definite awe to it.
Jorge nods “Yep. Tilfish, both from their body plan and however way their kinesthetic sense works, appear to be fully capable of moving over, through and under each other like they weren’t even there. That seems to be pretty unique to their species”
It’s the red furred venlil that comments now “But they lose that coordination when the command failure happens, so they start to miss their movements and now we have limbs tangled on themselves and tearing themselves apart”
“Comparing medical reports from this with medical reports from the first incident with just venlil” starts the female firefighter “We see different wound patterns. A monospecies panicked flight of tilfish will lead primarily to damaged and removed limbs while one of venlil will lead to crushing wounds. Because your herd movement patterns and capacities are different, when the stampede fails into panicked flight the wounds are different”
Liram tilts her head to the side “That’s what you meant. We… Speh, the entire federation, has been treating stampedes like they behave the same for every species” her tail swats left to right for a while with an excessive amount of force “But this makes sense. And I presume you have an example of a species that doesn’t stampede up next, right?”
Jorge nods, moving to the next video. It shows a wide, long street “This one was recovered from the Cradle, this happens during the strikes on the orbital defenses but before the first orbital drop. Meaning, long before any ground operation starts” the video is sped up considerably at the start, the trickle of gojid into the streets is slow as to require that, but the flows from the buildings and side streets slowly thicken as more and more people start fleeing away from the camera’s direction. The mass that forms is enormous, taking up the entire street, and to flows and moves as if it wasn’t a mass of people, not even like a mass of animals, but it flows like a river, like it ceased to contain living beings and it now contained fluid particles.
Tunam, whose expression has been growing more and more serious by the moment, initiates “I… I’ve never seen a stampede like… It really shows the difference seeing the comparison, here we didn’t have groups forming at exit points and leaving, we have a slow trickle until the mass of people is…”
Ishikawa nods “Until the mass of people starts behaving like a fluid, completely detached from the will of the people inside of it” he puts his elbows in the table “Very much how it works with humans. At that point, you just need to let the flow move you and hope for the best, while trying to keep yourself safe”
Jorge zooms in the image, which appears to be sufficiently high quality to get detailed images of any particular member of the mass “You can even see the measures they take to prevent harming themselves” he directs the zoom to an area where you see the gojid have somehow arranged themselves back-to-back and front-to-front as they’re pushed and shoved, trying to avoid harming themselves on each other. It’s visible, however, they have no control over the motions as they’re simply being moved by the mass. One unlucky woman trying to hold on to some form of backpack gets pulled under the mass of bodies by the article. Most gojid seem to be taking conscious effort to keep their quills from flaring out, but many are failing and some trickle of blue can be seen on some backs
“Of course” the zoomed out area directs to a different section while zooming out “This is neither instinctual nor organized, as you can see the vast majority of the cases are like… This…” the best description of the moving mass of very sharp people being dislocated by nothing but panic and fluid forces is… A meat grinder. There’s more blue than brown visible and the speed with which the human moves the video elsewhere is quite indicative of how none of the present trained emergency workers had the stomach to witness it.
Liram has stood up “By the void… But- But- There’s gojid population on this planet! I’ve never seen anything like this when they’re involved!” there’s straight up panic in her voice.
With a command, Jorge moves on to the next slide “And that segues well into the next topic of research, multispecies stampedes” there’s a still image of a large street in the capital, mostly empty at this point “As you can imagine there’s behavioral differences in multispecies situations”
Jorge passes the holopad over to Ishikawa “This one is pretty recent, hell I still remember it myself. The kolshian probing attack” the video starts, and for a few seconds the slow foot traffic of the mostly empty street seems undeterred. Then, most everyone still walking the streets, which here in the capital means a variety of species from venlil and human to takkan and iftali, picks up their holopads at once. And with different degrees of urgency and reading speed, they start running.
Nothing seems to progress further than that other than people entering buildings, but after a while longer it happens, groups start leaving the buildings in large herds “As you can see” Ishikawa pauses “We see them exiting buildings in large groups, just as the stampeding species do” he let it play again. Just like in the first two videos the large groups seem to be moving roughly in coordination within themselves, but it seems to be a much more frail kind of coordination as the group’s form changes and shifts as the people inside adjust their position.
Ishikawa zooms into one of the groups “Here, check their movement” it’s visible that only a portion of them is moving in actual synchrony, the venlil as well as a pair of sulean and three krakotl seem to be moving very much in lockstep, and one human who seems to be acting as a leader as she points and shouts. Meanwhile the other humans, two takkan and a gojid aren’t moving quite in synchrony but seem capable of keeping themselves in formation thanks to the others around them. “Here we see the effect of a mixed species setting. The stampeding species manage to give enough structure to the group that the others can follow”
Tunam is staring intensely at the video “But that’s a very fragile configuration, isn’t it? The ones organizing on instinctive drive can’t possibly keep this much structure for long? Without training this is going to break down quickly”
Ishikawa nods “That’s what we thought as well but…” he lets the video play, and they watch that mass of bodies continue to move mostly organized down the street. At some point another equally mixed group starts approaching from the side, but one of the takkan appears to start shouting. But instead of things breaking down, what happens is that both groups merge together, there’s some minor bodily impacts but from the visible motions of the group there’s some shared apologies and they continue moving at a slower speed, matching the speed of the second group “That doesn’t happen, the whole situation is even more stable”
The video continues for a while, and Ishikawa zooms to the front of the formation. The human who’d been the apparent leader taps rather violently a venlil on the shoulder. There apparently seems to be a verbal altercation, but both give each other affirmative visual cues and the venlil speeds up a little bit. And the rest of the herd matches pace as the group changes direction to another street “And this is a smooth change of command, presumably the human that’d been the unofficial lead figured out who knew the shortest path to the bunker and they’ve began following him instead”
The crimson venlil sinks down in his chair “That’s… I’ve never seen a stampede move quite like that, even multispecies ones. It has to be you…”
“Much as i’d love to give us all the credit” Jorge starts “I don’t quite think it is. Or rather, it’s not something i’d say is inherently human. If it was, once that group changed command they’d break down, or it wouldn’t be able to merge that easily with a takkan mediating. No, I think it was just those specific humans being able to keep their cool that helped it.”
He looks at Tunam for a half second before continuing “Everyone else seems to be… Very prone to panicking quickly. And while we’re just as prone to panic we don’t seem to get there as fast as the others. For some reason. Keeping a bit of a calmer head allows the prevention of command failures and the overall effect of reducing the panic level in a herd enough that any member present has enough wits to negotiate through an impact as well”
Upon noticing Tunam’s souring expression, Ishikawa gives the pad another command to move on to the next video “To give a bit more context to an important part of the behavior we’re analyzing here, we have this one footage of what is essentially a stampede event, but not one most people would recognize as such”
It seems to be footage of Sillis again, most obvious by the number of tilfish present. The footage is from a cargo hauling drone in a work site by a river at the bottom of a dam. There are a handful of humans, a half dozen venlil and a gojid all wearing construction uniforms identifying them as part of one of the UN relief forces, the various tilfish around are also wearing bright construction vests and protective gear and with the exception of two of them, they seem to be trying their best to stay away from the others. Suddenly, the gojid who’s near the river looks down at his feet, then starts running away shouting. At that everyone other than the tilfish start running as well, the group slows down for a moment as the tilfish workers run towards the group and they all continue together up a hill. A few seconds after they crest the hill there’s suddenly water in the worksite as the dam cracks and collapses. The group stops at the top of the hill, and quickly they’ve brought up holopads to start doing damage assessment as a few head closer to the rushing waters.
“This, as you can see, looks nothing like what you expect out of a stampede. We’ve interviewed those workers remotely to get a better grasp of what happened” Fabia adds “Thanks to their sensitivity to ground vibrations, the gojid worker caught the dam’s damage early and called for the others to run, which caused the work crew to evacuate to higher ground.” she waves at Ishikawa, who rewinds the video and zooms on the group as it runs “As you can see, we have the organized movement of a stampede proper” and known his cue he skips ahead to the group on top of the hill “And they stopped quickly, as well.
The human with reddened skin rewinds the video again to show the moment the group slows down “And here’s the particular detail I want you to pay attention to. Notice the group formed when the gojid called out the emergency, but only two tilfish joined it. The two that were already talking with the UN forces”
Onam tilts his head, clearly in thought as his blind eye is facing the screen now “You’re saying there’s an influence of familiarity?”
In answer, Ishikawa shakes his head in negative “Yes and no, we believe this is an effect of threat-assessment. The two that trusted the veracity of the information about the danger moved as quickly as the rest of the herd, which had managed to form thanks to the presence of the venlil and tilfish. Only after the other tilfish recognized those two did they start moving”
“And the whole group slowed down for them, without breaking apart” the crimson venlil adds “This is very much not anything we’d consider a stampede, however as you said the synchronized movement happens and they even managed to clear through the obstacles in a surprisingly safe manner on the way out”
Jorge picks up the holopad again and moves on to the next slide “So to sum up our theories. Certain species have an innate capacity of large-numbers collective movement, what we call a stampede is simply that natural capacity displaying itself during mass flight. That capacity can be harnessed to reduce casualties of panicked flight by giving the moving group an organized form, but only as long as the organization can be sustained. This mass movement capacity also applies to situations where other species would still perform in an organized fashion, but its instinctive nature severely speeds up the process.”
Before he can continue, however, Tunam mutters a little too loudly “But the results you’re going to give us are going to be the same brahking thing as always”
Jorge ignores the muttering “To begin with we’re going to suggest a system similar to the fire brigades we have on Earth. Essentially, any group large enough, such as a company or an apartment building, needs to have a handful of people with some training in emergency procedures for fire escape, so they can guide the rest of the people.”
Ishikawa intrudes “And in countries with higher seismic activities like mine, those procedures also include how to deal with earthquakes for example”
Jorge nods, and takes a deep breath “Look, I’m not going to sugarcoat it. Your threat-assessment skills are horrible, for some reason- No, I think for reasons we’re all acquainted well enough by now, you’re all very likely to jump at shadows, far more than you should. However, your flight responses are part of your nature, trying to fight your nature never, ever works, you always have to work with it.” he’s staring directly at Tunam, who has met his stare with his right eye “So the primary suggestion is to introduce a form of ‘emergency herd lead’ training in organizations so that we’re certain there are individuals capable of keeping command and a lower baseline of chaos during a stampede event as well as further research into better methods of performing such a function”
Tunam doesn’t flinch from the stare “Come on, say it”
“No. As much as I’d love to say something like what you think I will, I’ll be honest. You guys expect to face orbital bombardment threats with enough frequency that civilian bunkers are part of city planning. Not a human alive today could imagine living in this nightmare their entire lives, I’m going to give you some credit here. Plus, in real threat situations as seen in the last video, you have very beneficial threat responses.” Jorge adds
Jorge waits for a few moments, then continues “That concludes the presentation of the early findings and initial measures we’ve identified. It should be noted that this topic will require much further research, preferably from a multidisciplinary group with representatives of multiple species. Though those findings may be applicable at the present our suggestion is that any action taken at this moment be only provisional and on an experimental level until further research can be made”
Onam stands up “Very well, with that I declare the meeting concluded” he takes in a deep breath and sits back down, making an annoyed sound with his voice as he swats his tail to the side “What is it about you humans that you could see all those things?”
Fabia shrugs, sitting more relaxed in her chair “I don’t think it’s something special, we’re just outsiders with a different perspective.”
A loud screeching noise can be heard, and as everyone turns to face Tunam the source of the noise is visible as the hand he had on the table had dug its claws into it “It’s not like we haven’t found out those things before, isn’t it?” he doesn’t seem to be directing his words to anyone in particular
The one-eyed venlil tilts his head to the side “We did have that work group almost fifteen cycles ago. I remember they were considering a suggestion like what we just had right now, but the work group never went anywhere and we never got any real results”
Tunam stands up suddenly, sending his chair scattering “One more to the list I guess…” there’s a tiredness to his voice “I should figure out where they wound up…” he turns around and goes to leave “We’re done here, yes? I should go” and stalks out.
The remaining people in the room look at his exit confusedly, as Ishikawa comes over to turn off the camera the others can be seen leaving.
2023.06.08 22:50 jcook311 What do Franklinites Believe ?
Our beliefs can best be summed up by our motto Community, Liberty, Common Sense. Ideals we believe are just as valid in the 21st century as they were in 1776.
Franklinites believe that local governments that are closer to their citizens are better at addressing those citizens needs. A strong federal government is obviously needed for defense and international commerce but when it comes to education, social programs, and the use of communities natural resources more power should be given to the states,cities, and towns to find the best solutions for their diverse citzens. In this way Franklinites can be seen as a federalist philosophy to government.
Franklinites also believe in individualism. We believe that individual people if they are given all the facts and are given a good education are the most capable at knowing what is best for them and their family. It is extremely diffcult for any government to take into account every possible citizens needs instead it is better for government to instead provide a fair, stable, and safe system by which it's citizens can reach for their own dreams. In this way Franklinites can be seen as a libertarian philosophy to government.
Finally Franklinites believe that politics based on conservatism or progressivism is inherently flawed. Instead politics should be about applying science, consensus, and common sense to solve the issues of the time. Franklinites we're willing take ideas that are typically conservative or progressive and mix and match and blend them to find creative functional solutions to problems. In this way Franklinites can viewed as a centrist philosophy to government.
We hope these ideas fundamentally resonate with not only most Americans but most people are around the world. Together we can make a country and world that is freer, safer, and more prosperous. After all " We must indeed all hang together or, most assuredly we will all hang separately." - Benjamin franklin
submitted by jcook311 to Franklinites [link] [comments]
Franklinites believe that local governments that are closer to their citizens are better at addressing those citizens needs. A strong federal government is obviously needed for defense and international commerce but when it comes to education, social programs, and the use of communities natural resources more power should be given to the states,cities, and towns to find the best solutions for their diverse citzens. In this way Franklinites can be seen as a federalist philosophy to government.
Franklinites also believe in individualism. We believe that individual people if they are given all the facts and are given a good education are the most capable at knowing what is best for them and their family. It is extremely diffcult for any government to take into account every possible citizens needs instead it is better for government to instead provide a fair, stable, and safe system by which it's citizens can reach for their own dreams. In this way Franklinites can be seen as a libertarian philosophy to government.
Finally Franklinites believe that politics based on conservatism or progressivism is inherently flawed. Instead politics should be about applying science, consensus, and common sense to solve the issues of the time. Franklinites we're willing take ideas that are typically conservative or progressive and mix and match and blend them to find creative functional solutions to problems. In this way Franklinites can viewed as a centrist philosophy to government.
We hope these ideas fundamentally resonate with not only most Americans but most people are around the world. Together we can make a country and world that is freer, safer, and more prosperous. After all " We must indeed all hang together or, most assuredly we will all hang separately." - Benjamin franklin
2023.06.08 22:39 Heavy-Advantage-6268 Can Anyone Help Identify what I'm up against?
I moved to Federal Way on Saturday the 3rd of June and had visited this place a month prior. First visit It felt like there was a spirit or some ghost that resided here. Since actually moving in I've seen this skinny human looking figure walking down the hallway if my door is opened slightly. It will constantly try to get my attention and at one point it peaked an arm and head over and looked directly at me, though there were devoid of eyes yet their skin was pale and their fingers long and pointed with almost a mouth that was formed from shadow. A friend stayed the night and it was quiet for the next few days until he left. Everytime I would start to fall asleep I would feel a presence trying to come over or influence me and try to put me into a state of sleep paralysis. I've resorted to every defence I can and yet I feel as I'm only slowing its advances on me. Please someone I need help or advice.
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