Mavis discount tire
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2022.01.05 18:54 ochoaboyyy DiscountTire_
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2023.05.30 09:00 BackstabbingBerries Should I just get a quite expensive apartment? I need advice.
This post might be messy due to brain fog. I'm chronically ill and in my mid-30s. I'm actually homebound. I'm not an American. I've been searching for awhile for an apartment and every fiber of my being is basically screaming at me to stop.
I get disability payments, but I still am financially supported by my elderly abusive parents. I won't be able to afford an apartment without the support. Currently I am dealing with an apartment that I can't really be in, but I don't have anywhere to go. That also hindered the process of finding a place. I understood that I am on my own. While I get money, my family won't pull me out of the street, if that happens.
I saw an apartment yesterday. The neighbourhood is meh and will get worse. The cost of living will continue to rise. And well as rent prices. It's okay, it's too big, but I don't have to use all of it. But it's in the upper range of my ability to pay. I won't be able to save or even maybe get nice things. But I will have an apartment. I'm tired, I can't control the future. I can't work. My father might stop working any day anyway. I have savings, but that's all. No pension or anything.
I asked for a discount and the landlord isn't about that. I never paid such high rent for an apartment but hey, it's 2023. I'm afraid that if I wait another day, it will be snatched. There's a lot of people that are looking to rent and don't need a discount. Should I just take it? These are the prices. And I am just torn. I'm so traumatised from whatever happened to me this year that I need to hide in a safe place.
Yeah, I am afraid. But even if I find something cheaper, it'll still be expensive, just more affordable. I'm just rambling at this point. I already lost some apartments to other people and I need a contract. My nerves are shot. Thank you.
submitted by BackstabbingBerries to TheGirlSurvivalGuide [link] [comments]
I get disability payments, but I still am financially supported by my elderly abusive parents. I won't be able to afford an apartment without the support. Currently I am dealing with an apartment that I can't really be in, but I don't have anywhere to go. That also hindered the process of finding a place. I understood that I am on my own. While I get money, my family won't pull me out of the street, if that happens.
I saw an apartment yesterday. The neighbourhood is meh and will get worse. The cost of living will continue to rise. And well as rent prices. It's okay, it's too big, but I don't have to use all of it. But it's in the upper range of my ability to pay. I won't be able to save or even maybe get nice things. But I will have an apartment. I'm tired, I can't control the future. I can't work. My father might stop working any day anyway. I have savings, but that's all. No pension or anything.
I asked for a discount and the landlord isn't about that. I never paid such high rent for an apartment but hey, it's 2023. I'm afraid that if I wait another day, it will be snatched. There's a lot of people that are looking to rent and don't need a discount. Should I just take it? These are the prices. And I am just torn. I'm so traumatised from whatever happened to me this year that I need to hide in a safe place.
Yeah, I am afraid. But even if I find something cheaper, it'll still be expensive, just more affordable. I'm just rambling at this point. I already lost some apartments to other people and I need a contract. My nerves are shot. Thank you.
2023.05.30 08:35 Autocornerd Bigger Tires: Are They Slowing You Down or Just Making a Statement?
Hey there, fellow auto enthusiasts! 🚗💨 I'm here to tackle a question that has sparked many debates and raised quite a few eyebrows in the automotive world: Do bigger tires affect speed and odometer readings? Buckle up and join me as we delve into this tire-tastic topic!
The Big Tire Dilemma: A Matter of Size and Speed
It's no secret that bigger tires can give your vehicle a mean and muscular look, not to mention an improved ground clearance for off-roading adventures. But let's address the burning question: Does going big mean sacrificing speed? 🏎️
Well, here's the deal: Yes, bigger tires do have an impact on your vehicle's speed, but it's not necessarily a negative one. Let's break it down:
Fear not, my speed-hungry friends! While bigger tires can impact your speed, it doesn't mean you're destined to cruise at a snail's pace. Here are a couple of things to consider:
Before making any decisions, it's important to weigh the pros and cons of installing bigger tires:
Pros:
I'm revving up the conversation to hear your thoughts and experiences with bigger tires.
submitted by Autocornerd to u/Autocornerd [link] [comments]
The Big Tire Dilemma: A Matter of Size and Speed
It's no secret that bigger tires can give your vehicle a mean and muscular look, not to mention an improved ground clearance for off-roading adventures. But let's address the burning question: Does going big mean sacrificing speed? 🏎️
Well, here's the deal: Yes, bigger tires do have an impact on your vehicle's speed, but it's not necessarily a negative one. Let's break it down:
- Increased Tire Diameter: When you opt for larger tires, you're effectively increasing the overall diameter of the tire. This means that with each revolution, the tire covers more ground. In other words, your car will travel a greater distance with each full rotation of the wheel.
- Altering Gear Ratios: Due to the increased diameter, the gear ratios of your vehicle may be affected. The larger tires can effectively change the final drive ratio, resulting in a lower numerical value. This can make your engine work a little harder to maintain the same speed, potentially reducing acceleration and top speed.
- Speedometer and Odometer Readings: Your speedometer and odometer are calibrated based on the original tire size specified by the manufacturer. When you switch to larger tires, the speedometer will read a lower speed than you're actually traveling. This is because it calculates speed based on the assumption that the tires are of the original size. Additionally, your odometer will record fewer miles than you've actually driven. It's like having a sneaky mileage discount!
Fear not, my speed-hungry friends! While bigger tires can impact your speed, it doesn't mean you're destined to cruise at a snail's pace. Here are a couple of things to consider:
- Re-Calibrating Your Speedometer and Odometer: To get accurate readings, you can re-calibrate your speedometer and odometer to account for the larger tire size. There are specialized devices and programming tools available that can help with this adjustment. Just make sure to consult your vehicle's manual or a trusted mechanic for the best approach.
- Choose Wisely: Opting for the right tire size is crucial to strike a balance between style and performance. Consider factors like your driving habits, the type of terrain you typically encounter, and any potential clearance issues that may arise with larger tires.
Before making any decisions, it's important to weigh the pros and cons of installing bigger tires:
Pros:
- Enhanced ground clearance for off-roading adventures
- A more aggressive and stylish appearance
- Improved traction and stability on certain surfaces
- Potential reduction in acceleration and top speed
- Altered gear ratios, requiring adjustments for optimal performance
- Inaccurate speedometer and odometer readings
I'm revving up the conversation to hear your thoughts and experiences with bigger tires.
2023.05.30 06:14 SparshResort Discover Bliss in the Heart of the Himalayas: Unforgettable Hotel Booking in Manali
Tired of endlessly searching for the perfect hotel booking in Manali that combines luxury, comfort, and breathtaking views?
Say goodbye to the stress of finding accommodation that meets your expectations. At Sparsh Resort, we understand the pain of shifting through endless options, that's why we offer hotel booking in Manali that caters to your every desire.
Immerse yourself in the lap of luxury with our spacious and elegantly appointed rooms, each designed to provide the utmost comfort and relaxation. Book your rooms in Manali today from our website & get a special discount of 10%! Hurry up limited slots available!
submitted by SparshResort to u/SparshResort [link] [comments]
Say goodbye to the stress of finding accommodation that meets your expectations. At Sparsh Resort, we understand the pain of shifting through endless options, that's why we offer hotel booking in Manali that caters to your every desire.
Immerse yourself in the lap of luxury with our spacious and elegantly appointed rooms, each designed to provide the utmost comfort and relaxation. Book your rooms in Manali today from our website & get a special discount of 10%! Hurry up limited slots available!
2023.05.30 02:41 Mooses_little_sister [PI] Root and Menace
Link to the original prompt here, and link to the image from that prompt. (Art by Ismail Inseoglu )
I adjusted the strip of cloth over my face, making sure it covered my nose. The air in our section had grown progressively worse over the course of my lifetime, and though not actually toxic, you didn't want to breathe it in for long. Tiny footsteps padded behind me, making only a slight sound, but in this area, you didn't discount any noise.
I spun, swinging my walking stick around, knowing it wouldn't be enough if there was a real threat. If only I hadn't lost my lanchette and gun— I stopped my stick at the last minute, pulling it up, nearly hitting myself in the process. Damn.
It was that dang dog again, the one who had taken to following me everywhere. Or at least everywhere it could. Even its apparent loyalty couldn't trump its self-preservation instincts when I went into certain parts of the ruined city. The people that still lived there, well, they weren't averse to eating whatever they could find.
I didn't eat dog, but not because of some moral shit. Just that it didn't agree with me, made me sick, and in this environment, if you got sick you probably ain't getting better. No, the mangy mutt was safe with me, or at least safer than with the others. Why it wasn't part of the wild packs that roamed the city, I don't know, maybe they also didn't want it tagging along.
"Shoo." I swung my stick again, gentler this time, poking it in the side to get it to leave. "I've got nothing for you." The dog simply moved a few steps to the side, cocking its head with a short whine. I didn't have time for this.
"Fine, follow me, what do I care." I continued picking my way through the rubble that lined the outskirts of our section. Blue crackled at the edge of my vision, the forcefield that separated us from the stinking rest of the city. When the sun hit it just right, you could see through it, see the rich sods going about their lives not caring about our suffering. And why should they?
I don't know that I would care, if I was them. But there was no dwelling on it. One could go mad trying to think the thoughts of others. Besides, I didn't know enough about them to really judge. They might never look because they couldn't bear the sight. A weak reason, but perhaps better than a studied indifference, or worse, a delight in our predicament.
My thoughts and the pattering sound of the dog's feet were the only noises that annoyed me as I searched through the rubble. Sometimes, here on the outskirts, there were things. Things we'd forgotten how to use, things that spoke of a better time. My stick was one of them, or at least a part of one. It had writing on it, and the jagged ends spoke of great destruction that had the ability to shear metal like paper.
But I found nothing that day, and as I sat at the campfire I lit that night, I sighed. A wet nose pushed itself into my hand, accompanied by a small whine.
"Go away." I shoved the nose away, making my voice harsh. "Get out of it. I don't want you, you understand?" The dog cocked its head, and went away, but only as far as the other side of the campfire. It would have to do, I was too tired to drive it further.
————————
The days blurred together as I traveled around the outskirts of our section. Always the sun rose above me, beating down on my head, and I gave thanks for the hat I found. Always beside me, the forcefield crackled its dire warning of pain if you tried to pass through. Always behind me, the dog's feet padded over the rough terrain, never failing.
I'd given up on driving it away. If it wanted to follow me until its paws fell off, that was its business. There was no energy to waste on trying to dissuade it. And, I supposed, it was company, of a sort. Sometimes, I found myself listening for the footsteps. But not because I cared about the dog, you understand. No, I simply wanted to make sure that if it died, its body wouldn't draw worse predators. Predators that might want to make me a snack.
————————
I woke one morning to yelps and snarls. Not a completely uncommon occurrence, the roving packs of wild dogs sometimes encountered each other and neither were likely to choose peace. Stretching, I rose from my prone position, reaching for my stick. The ashes of the campfire stirred in the gentle breeze, and I frowned. Something was missing.
The orange splotch of fur that normally lay across the fire from me, my constant annoyance, wasn't there. Another yelp rose into the early morning air, drawing my gaze to the scrum of fur just on the edge of sight. There was a flash of orange somewhere deep inside the rest.
Damn.
I ran over to the fight, nearly twisting my ankle as a piece of stone slipped from under my feet. Stupid dog, getting itself involved. Stupid human for making the same mistake. There had to be at least two packs all bearing down on the little orange dog. I watched for three seconds before a red mist covered my vision—not anger—blood. The little annoyance had taken a chunk out of a wild dog's throat.
But the defiance wouldn't last long, the other dogs were just playing with the orange one. Blinking the blood out of my eyes, I sighed. My stick wouldn't be enough to take down a single dog pack, never mind two. No, I had two choices. Walk away, or use my last deck of cards. I started to turn from the scene, determined not to get involved.
The little orange dog yelped, blood dripping down its front leg. My hands dropped my stick with a clatter, reaching into my pocket, ripping off the plastic that covered the card deck. It wasn't fair, if you were going to kill something, you should do it clean. Not this torturous playing with your victim.
Separating out the king, queen, jack, and ace, I stuffed them in the band of my hat, insurance until I found my next deck. Fanning the others in one hand, I summoned my magic, the power tied to the cards and only the cards. Most in my family had used it to gamble, but I'd found a more violent method. With my free hand, I pulled swiftly and surely, sending the cards spinning through the air toward the dogs.
The playing cards should have fallen before they made it halfway. They didn't. Bent to my will, they shot towards the dogs, slitting throats and slicing through hamstrings. I pushed and pulled, sending each card swirling in a dance of death, until they were too sodden with blood to be of any use. It only took seconds until all the wild dogs lay bleeding in the rubble. Like I said, good clean killing.
The orange dog, my annoyance, tried to walk toward me, but the damage done to both front legs made it impossible. Picking up my stick, I sighed again. Now I would have to treat the damn thing's wounds. And carry it around until it was better. Stupid dog. It whimpered as I came closer.
"Shh, little one, I won't hurt you. Come here, let's see what we can do about that leg."
————————
Weeks have passed since our encounter with the wild dogs. The little orange nuisance can walk now, and I've managed to find spare scraps of fabric to protect its feet from the rough terrain we cross. Not because I care, just so I don't have to carry the bloody thing if it gets hurt again. Same reason I make sure there aren't any wild dog packs in the areas we sleep.
So I guess I have a companion now, a liability. Stupid of me, in this place, you don't want any dead weight, you don't want to care about anything. And I don't. I really don't care, but... I'd miss the dang thing if it ever decided to leave. If that makes me stupid, well...
I looked down at the little dog, who was padding happily at my side. Tounge lolling out, with a happy smile, it pounced on a small twig, snapping it up into its mouth. At least if I was stupid, I'd be in good company. And like my mother used to say when I was little, 'Root, if you're going to be stupid, be stupid in a group, at least that way you'll have back-up.' I smiled, stiff muscles not used to the motion.
"Come on, Menace. Let's get going."
————————
Visit Mel_Rose_Writes for more stories!
submitted by Mooses_little_sister to WritingPrompts [link] [comments]
I adjusted the strip of cloth over my face, making sure it covered my nose. The air in our section had grown progressively worse over the course of my lifetime, and though not actually toxic, you didn't want to breathe it in for long. Tiny footsteps padded behind me, making only a slight sound, but in this area, you didn't discount any noise.
I spun, swinging my walking stick around, knowing it wouldn't be enough if there was a real threat. If only I hadn't lost my lanchette and gun— I stopped my stick at the last minute, pulling it up, nearly hitting myself in the process. Damn.
It was that dang dog again, the one who had taken to following me everywhere. Or at least everywhere it could. Even its apparent loyalty couldn't trump its self-preservation instincts when I went into certain parts of the ruined city. The people that still lived there, well, they weren't averse to eating whatever they could find.
I didn't eat dog, but not because of some moral shit. Just that it didn't agree with me, made me sick, and in this environment, if you got sick you probably ain't getting better. No, the mangy mutt was safe with me, or at least safer than with the others. Why it wasn't part of the wild packs that roamed the city, I don't know, maybe they also didn't want it tagging along.
"Shoo." I swung my stick again, gentler this time, poking it in the side to get it to leave. "I've got nothing for you." The dog simply moved a few steps to the side, cocking its head with a short whine. I didn't have time for this.
"Fine, follow me, what do I care." I continued picking my way through the rubble that lined the outskirts of our section. Blue crackled at the edge of my vision, the forcefield that separated us from the stinking rest of the city. When the sun hit it just right, you could see through it, see the rich sods going about their lives not caring about our suffering. And why should they?
I don't know that I would care, if I was them. But there was no dwelling on it. One could go mad trying to think the thoughts of others. Besides, I didn't know enough about them to really judge. They might never look because they couldn't bear the sight. A weak reason, but perhaps better than a studied indifference, or worse, a delight in our predicament.
My thoughts and the pattering sound of the dog's feet were the only noises that annoyed me as I searched through the rubble. Sometimes, here on the outskirts, there were things. Things we'd forgotten how to use, things that spoke of a better time. My stick was one of them, or at least a part of one. It had writing on it, and the jagged ends spoke of great destruction that had the ability to shear metal like paper.
But I found nothing that day, and as I sat at the campfire I lit that night, I sighed. A wet nose pushed itself into my hand, accompanied by a small whine.
"Go away." I shoved the nose away, making my voice harsh. "Get out of it. I don't want you, you understand?" The dog cocked its head, and went away, but only as far as the other side of the campfire. It would have to do, I was too tired to drive it further.
————————
The days blurred together as I traveled around the outskirts of our section. Always the sun rose above me, beating down on my head, and I gave thanks for the hat I found. Always beside me, the forcefield crackled its dire warning of pain if you tried to pass through. Always behind me, the dog's feet padded over the rough terrain, never failing.
I'd given up on driving it away. If it wanted to follow me until its paws fell off, that was its business. There was no energy to waste on trying to dissuade it. And, I supposed, it was company, of a sort. Sometimes, I found myself listening for the footsteps. But not because I cared about the dog, you understand. No, I simply wanted to make sure that if it died, its body wouldn't draw worse predators. Predators that might want to make me a snack.
————————
I woke one morning to yelps and snarls. Not a completely uncommon occurrence, the roving packs of wild dogs sometimes encountered each other and neither were likely to choose peace. Stretching, I rose from my prone position, reaching for my stick. The ashes of the campfire stirred in the gentle breeze, and I frowned. Something was missing.
The orange splotch of fur that normally lay across the fire from me, my constant annoyance, wasn't there. Another yelp rose into the early morning air, drawing my gaze to the scrum of fur just on the edge of sight. There was a flash of orange somewhere deep inside the rest.
Damn.
I ran over to the fight, nearly twisting my ankle as a piece of stone slipped from under my feet. Stupid dog, getting itself involved. Stupid human for making the same mistake. There had to be at least two packs all bearing down on the little orange dog. I watched for three seconds before a red mist covered my vision—not anger—blood. The little annoyance had taken a chunk out of a wild dog's throat.
But the defiance wouldn't last long, the other dogs were just playing with the orange one. Blinking the blood out of my eyes, I sighed. My stick wouldn't be enough to take down a single dog pack, never mind two. No, I had two choices. Walk away, or use my last deck of cards. I started to turn from the scene, determined not to get involved.
The little orange dog yelped, blood dripping down its front leg. My hands dropped my stick with a clatter, reaching into my pocket, ripping off the plastic that covered the card deck. It wasn't fair, if you were going to kill something, you should do it clean. Not this torturous playing with your victim.
Separating out the king, queen, jack, and ace, I stuffed them in the band of my hat, insurance until I found my next deck. Fanning the others in one hand, I summoned my magic, the power tied to the cards and only the cards. Most in my family had used it to gamble, but I'd found a more violent method. With my free hand, I pulled swiftly and surely, sending the cards spinning through the air toward the dogs.
The playing cards should have fallen before they made it halfway. They didn't. Bent to my will, they shot towards the dogs, slitting throats and slicing through hamstrings. I pushed and pulled, sending each card swirling in a dance of death, until they were too sodden with blood to be of any use. It only took seconds until all the wild dogs lay bleeding in the rubble. Like I said, good clean killing.
The orange dog, my annoyance, tried to walk toward me, but the damage done to both front legs made it impossible. Picking up my stick, I sighed again. Now I would have to treat the damn thing's wounds. And carry it around until it was better. Stupid dog. It whimpered as I came closer.
"Shh, little one, I won't hurt you. Come here, let's see what we can do about that leg."
————————
Weeks have passed since our encounter with the wild dogs. The little orange nuisance can walk now, and I've managed to find spare scraps of fabric to protect its feet from the rough terrain we cross. Not because I care, just so I don't have to carry the bloody thing if it gets hurt again. Same reason I make sure there aren't any wild dog packs in the areas we sleep.
So I guess I have a companion now, a liability. Stupid of me, in this place, you don't want any dead weight, you don't want to care about anything. And I don't. I really don't care, but... I'd miss the dang thing if it ever decided to leave. If that makes me stupid, well...
I looked down at the little dog, who was padding happily at my side. Tounge lolling out, with a happy smile, it pounced on a small twig, snapping it up into its mouth. At least if I was stupid, I'd be in good company. And like my mother used to say when I was little, 'Root, if you're going to be stupid, be stupid in a group, at least that way you'll have back-up.' I smiled, stiff muscles not used to the motion.
"Come on, Menace. Let's get going."
————————
Visit Mel_Rose_Writes for more stories!
2023.05.30 02:01 DarthPeanutButter Tubeless Tire Size Question
I’m new to mountain biking and my Cannondale Trail SE 3 came with WTB STX i25 TCS 32h rims, but I need new tires to go tubeless.
I can get a substantial discount on WTB tires through work, so I’m just wondering if I could run a vigilante 2.5 Tough/High Grip up front and a Trail Boss 2.4 Tough/Fast Rolling in the rear? It came from factory with a Breakout 2.3 up front and a non-TCS Trail Boss 2.25 in the rear.
I’m not sure exactly how the sizing works, but if my research is correct, the wider tires paired with the lower PSI used with tubeless setups should give me a bit better grip in the corners right?
That said, if anyone has other recommendations I’m open to options. I’ve been riding lots of hard packed flowy singletrack, sandy loose over hard, with some chunky rock gardens thrown in here and there (it is Colorado after all).
submitted by DarthPeanutButter to MTB [link] [comments]
I can get a substantial discount on WTB tires through work, so I’m just wondering if I could run a vigilante 2.5 Tough/High Grip up front and a Trail Boss 2.4 Tough/Fast Rolling in the rear? It came from factory with a Breakout 2.3 up front and a non-TCS Trail Boss 2.25 in the rear.
I’m not sure exactly how the sizing works, but if my research is correct, the wider tires paired with the lower PSI used with tubeless setups should give me a bit better grip in the corners right?
That said, if anyone has other recommendations I’m open to options. I’ve been riding lots of hard packed flowy singletrack, sandy loose over hard, with some chunky rock gardens thrown in here and there (it is Colorado after all).
2023.05.29 22:48 Impressive_Shock5501 First Build Using all new parts! Just curious if it looks good.
Hi, I'm building my first system using all new parts after my last PC bit the dust a few months back. I've been saving my money and I was wondering if this all looked good.
Build: https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/useDiscountTire/saved/#view=QQHJwP
Keyboard: https://www.keychron.com/products/keychron-k8-tenkeyless-wireless-mechanical-keyboard?variant=32018252955737
I'm picking up the card on what I think is a good deal but I'm not 100% positive so some secondary feedback would be nice: https://www.amazon.ca/Graphics-DisplayPort-Bearings-Military-Grade-Certification/dp/B0BQ921V81/ref=asc_df_B0BQ921V81/?tag=googlemobshop-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=579192039506&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11450258818113548819&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9001487&hvtargid=pla-1942016808179&psc=1
submitted by Impressive_Shock5501 to PcBuild [link] [comments]
Build: https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/useDiscountTire/saved/#view=QQHJwP
Keyboard: https://www.keychron.com/products/keychron-k8-tenkeyless-wireless-mechanical-keyboard?variant=32018252955737
I'm picking up the card on what I think is a good deal but I'm not 100% positive so some secondary feedback would be nice: https://www.amazon.ca/Graphics-DisplayPort-Bearings-Military-Grade-Certification/dp/B0BQ921V81/ref=asc_df_B0BQ921V81/?tag=googlemobshop-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=579192039506&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11450258818113548819&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9001487&hvtargid=pla-1942016808179&psc=1
2023.05.29 22:31 Impressive_Shock5501 First Build Using all new parts! Just curious if it looks good.
Hi, I'm building my first system using all new parts after my last PC bit the dust a few months back. I've been saving my money and I was wondering if this all looked good.
Build: https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/useDiscountTire/saved/#view=QQHJwP
Keyboard: https://www.keychron.com/products/keychron-k8-tenkeyless-wireless-mechanical-keyboard?variant=32018252955737
I'm picking up the card on what I think is a good deal but I'm not 100% positive so some secondary feedback would be nice: https://www.amazon.ca/Graphics-DisplayPort-Bearings-Military-Grade-Certification/dp/B0BQ921V81/ref=asc_df_B0BQ921V81/?tag=googlemobshop-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=579192039506&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11450258818113548819&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9001487&hvtargid=pla-1942016808179&psc=1
submitted by Impressive_Shock5501 to buildapc [link] [comments]
Build: https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/useDiscountTire/saved/#view=QQHJwP
Keyboard: https://www.keychron.com/products/keychron-k8-tenkeyless-wireless-mechanical-keyboard?variant=32018252955737
I'm picking up the card on what I think is a good deal but I'm not 100% positive so some secondary feedback would be nice: https://www.amazon.ca/Graphics-DisplayPort-Bearings-Military-Grade-Certification/dp/B0BQ921V81/ref=asc_df_B0BQ921V81/?tag=googlemobshop-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=579192039506&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11450258818113548819&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9001487&hvtargid=pla-1942016808179&psc=1
2023.05.29 22:04 enchantinglastrada MotoSport Avon Tire Promo Code
Click the link for MotoSport Avon Tire Promo Code. Save some money by selecting one of the current promo codes or coupons on that page. That page is updated regularly with the latest coupons, promo codes, and deals. Take advantage of the discounts by selecting one to use.
submitted by enchantinglastrada to GleesomeDiscount [link] [comments]
2023.05.29 21:59 enchantinglastrada MotoSport Dual Sport Dot Tires Promo Code
Click the link for MotoSport Dual Sport Dot Tires Promo Code. Save some money by selecting one of the current promo codes or coupons on that page. That page is updated regularly with the latest coupons, promo codes, and deals. Take advantage of the discounts by selecting one to use.
submitted by enchantinglastrada to GleesomeDiscount [link] [comments]
2023.05.29 21:43 creeperflint The Nature of Predators - The History of Non-Sapient Predators Epilogue [Fanfic]
First
Memory transcription subject: Luke Schmidt, Human Businessman
Date [standardized human time]: December 18th, 2136
I was the only human in the bar. I chalked it up to timing and chance, as it wasn’t a hostile bar. Aside from a few glances and the fact that people passing by my table took great care not to touch me, I had no issues. I could barely keep my head off the table, but that was more a function of tiredness than anything. I had arrived on Venlil Prime only a few days ago, and the goofy sleep schedule messed with my brain. Barlethy Shipping did provide us with blackout curtains to set up over the windows of our bedrooms, but it was still challenging.
That wasn’t even mentioning all the work I’d been doing. I was a salesman for Barlethy Shipping, which had been established for about 50 years prior to First Contact. FTL ships were horrendously expensive, and usually only the government had access to them, but the Barlethy billionaire family cared quite a bit about expanding their business on this frontier, and were willing to pour millions into private FTL ships for their employees, as well as efforts to ensure that the Venlil legal system wasn’t a hassle. I was meant to set up business deals with aliens, using a variety of methods of varying moral standing, and although others had already done so, there was still a whole planet of opportunity.
As such, I had been talking to Venlil, viewing their wares, and traveling almost all the time I’d been here. When I wasn’t doing that, I was eating and sleeping. I really needed a break, so after fourteen hours of business, I arrived at the bar for a much-needed drink. I’d made a few successful deals thus far, so hopefully Barlethy Shipping wouldn’t mind the downtime too much.
I wasn’t really paying attention to the aliens around me, as I was rather exhausted, so I didn’t notice when the unfamiliar alien walked up to me. I did not recognize which species this was, which energized me. New things always did. The species was honestly rather ugly, which was weird because all the aliens I’d seen thus far were either cute or sleek, in my opinion. They had rough gray elephant skin with sparse thick, black hairs scattered around it, which made them look more like a hairy human than like an alien with fur. The top of their snout dangled down over their mouth, and they had short tusks and weird little giraffe horns. Their tail curled up like a squirrel’s, and their fingers were long, thin, and far too numerous. They looked like a squat, mammalian Arxur. And then, they sat down across from me.
“Hello there. You’re unique too! Isn’t that fun? Being the only one of your kind in sight really isn’t all that fun, but you get used to it,” she said, in a friendly, conversational tone that was apparently female, according to my translator.
I didn’t think that unfamiliar aliens were willing to get within an arm's length of unfamiliar humans. Maybe the Venlil or our other good allies, but I had never seen this race before. I said as much. “Pardon me, but who and what are you? I have never seen your species before, and I don’t think you’re allied with humanity.” I figured that she must be a regular here, since nobody gave her a second glance. Maybe she’d expressed wanting to meet a human for a while. I still had no idea what her deal was, though.
I think I came across a little harsher than I intended, but she didn’t seem to mind. She began, “Oh, pardon my manners. My name is Polkif, and I am a Zhetsian. You’re right, we’re not allied with humanity, and there aren’t a whole lot of us on Venlil Prime, so you probably haven’t heard of us. We don’t have a very large diaspora. I’ve been here a few years, and I’m used to being a novelty.”
I hummed, interested. Some part of me was always eager to talk to aliens, and I could indulge that now. Most of the time, my interactions with aliens were distinctly more… hostile, than I’d like, but that was unavoidable. Well, here was an opportunity to avoid hostilities! Though, I was still wondering why this wasn't shaping up to be hostile, so I asked, “Why are you comfortable walking up to random, unfamiliar humans? Even people who have been here since First Contact with us and who generally like humans aren’t often comfortable doing that. Especially since we have a reputation for being aggressive when drunk.”
Polkif snuffled, which my translator told me was laughter. After a few seconds, she said, “Well, we’re Zhetsians! We’re expected to be bold. We do have to be mindful of other species’ norms when offworld, but I don’t think they’ll kick my door down and drag me off to the predator disease facility just for being excited about talking to a human. I suppose you don’t know if they will until they do it, but I’ve gone this long without biased officers bagging me, so I figure my logic holds up. Besides, I don’t mind standing out and having to make an effort to fit in if it means I can avoid the current issues on my native planet, Miluja. Well, the issues are everywhere in Zhetsian space, but they’re especially strong there.”
I was intrigued, and thoughts of tiredness were out of my mind. Of course, there were a whole lot of aliens with all different cultures and histories, but this was new, even compared to other aliens I knew of, and was shaping up to be exciting. I would be especially tired later, but I didn’t mind the adrenaline that interest and excitement gave me right now. I prompted her, “What kind of issues?”
Polkif obliged me. “Civil unrest issues. All five Zhetsian planets are having issues with stampedes, mobs, protesting, and armed rebellion, but on Miluja it’s devolved into a civil war. Or Colony World 3, as it’s known offworld. They don’t like that we landed on naming it after Milu, since they say he had predator disease, but it’s tradition to call it that, and I like it better than the generic name, at least.
“Once the Cilany broadcast came out and reached us, it was pandemonium. Due to the anti-predator religion, a lot of people assumed that we were predators, so we split from the Federation. All the death cults and secret predator or predator-diseased sympathizers came out of the woodwork declaring this to be proof that they were right all along, and now everyone should join up with them and make a utopia, or something. Of course, all the elements that prevented those guys from making themselves known before were still there, so the government and the Federation-sympathizers cracked down on them. The rebellious elements were emboldened, though, and had quite a few guns and lots of repurposed farming equipment, so they fought back. This led to all the sympathizers still in the government to come out and support the rebellion too, except they were discovered, and you had tusk-fights in offices everywhere. It devolved from there, and now the whole planet is engulfed in civil war.
“The other planets are doing better, though not by much. Nitto is probably doing the best out of all of them, since the overwhelming majority of the government and populace was able to unite around the Nitre Rebellion’s legacy and kick the Federation out. Kipresa and Colony World 4 are undergoing low-level fighting and their share of unrest; their problems are mitigated by the fact that most of Kipresa just want to make money and aren’t up for fighting, and Colony World 4 knows that its denizens are mostly criminals, so they have a habit of not looking too closely as long as you don’t cause problems and there continue to be people willing to buy their ore. Mother Plains, our homeworld, has had more luck with the government cracking down on rebellion and dissent, but there are still decently sized patches that are held by rebel forces, and the Federation and government are growing more unpopular by the day.
“In short, there’s fighting and disruptions everywhere, though the last ship that came from Zhetsian space came a month ago, and I’m not sure how it’s progressed without me. The fact that no more ships have come is troubling enough. As for alliances, I can’t imagine that the UN wants to get involved in our civil wars, especially since most of the official governments would reject them anyway. So, we’re not allied with either the Federation or the UN, and I think we're best off focusing on getting ourselves to a stable position before helping anyone else with their problems.”
I sat back, stunned. Of course, in the back of my mind, I had figured that there might be intraspecies fighting somewhere in the Federation, but I’d started to discount that as a possibility, with how herd-focused and timid the Federation seemed. Species-wide civil wars and unrest was not what I expected. Though, if that’s what the situation back home was like, no wonder it seemed perfectly safe walking up to strange humans. I’ve known a few people from countries with civil unrest issues, and while some of them are intensely paranoid, some are fearless and barely blink at what normal people would consider notable dangers.
She continued after a few seconds. “I’m not quite sure where I stand on the issue. I am quite willing to call my home Miluja, and I have a lot of family who are farmers and on that side of the conflict, but you get leery of supporting such people after long enough away. The walls have ears when it comes to expressing dissent, you know. You’ve got to be on high alert if you want to do things the Federation government doesn’t approve of without them knocking on your door. It gets exhausting to hold such opinions after a while, in the face of all the opposition to them.”
She shook her head side-to-side slightly, and it occurred to me that she was probably looking for listeners in her blind spot. She had lowered her voice, too, so that I had to strain to hear her over the din of the bar. Even with how milquetoast that bit of opposition to the Federation ideology seemed, she didn’t seem like she wanted people to notice it. I’d had my share of paranoia, certain that the aggressive and somewhat underhanded negotiation tactics I’d used would be revealed, and I’d be fired and cause a huge diplomatic incident that would end in me being burned to a crisp. Well, her concerns couldn't have been that bad, since she seemed to settle down quickly enough. After she was done, she tipped her head back a bit to sip from her drink. Her snout prevented her from tilting the glass to her mouth all the way.
I decided to talk about myself a bit, since she seemed inclined to sit in silence, though she didn’t move away from my table. “Well, I’m sure you know about Earth. I’m here because I’m a representative of Barlethy Shipping, and I’m supposed to be negotiating deals with aliens, mostly Venlil. It doesn’t sound like we’ll be dealing with Zhetsians anytime soon, if it’s as bad as you say over there. I’ve been here for about a week on this trip, though I was here for a few weeks already during the Battle of Earth, and I’m already exhausted. Work and a weird sleep schedule will do that for you. After I’m done here, I’m going back to my hotel to sleep.”
Polkif responded, “Ah, I see. I’ve been an offworld business rep before, and it is not fun. Seeing other planets is enjoyable to a degree, but the schedule is grueling, other planets always have weird day/night cycles, and people tend to look down on Zhetsians as rebellious. I left for Venlil Prime about five years ago to help run a new branch of the farming equipment manufacturer I did sales for, though they try to hide their Zhetsian origins, and I exclusively work in non-public-facing roles. I was supposed to come back last month, but that didn’t pan out for obvious reasons. Oh well, I’ve got stable employment, since they’ve kept me on, and I think I can manage.”
I checked my holopad, and noted the time. It was 30 minutes until I wanted to go back to my apartment and sleep, since I’d scheduled an hour for this. A few thoughts flashed through my mind, most notably that getting back earlier would result in even more sleep, and that Polkif seemed nervous about discussing certain topics where others could hear. An idea sprang to mind, and I voiced it. “It’s been a pleasure talking with you, but I probably ought to start heading back to my hotel room. Do you want to discuss more things on the way? I’d love to hear more about you and your species, but it’s rather crowded in here.”
Something glinted in her eyes, and her fingers started twitching madly, bringing to mind images of sea anemones with bony tentacles. She responded, in a rather weird tone, “Oh, I’d love to do that. I don’t need to be anywhere for another three claws, so I’d be glad to discuss things on the way. Why don’t we finish our drinks and go?”
I’d almost finished my drink, so I downed the rest just as she chugged over half of her glass at once to finish it. As she hopped off the stool, I stopped leaning on the wall behind me, a poor substitute for a backrest, stretched my back a bit, and then grabbed my things and followed her.
It was rather empty outside, with only a few scattered and easily-avoidable groups of Venlil here and there on the street. I started towards my hotel, and Polkif followed. Once we’d gotten a decent ways away from anyone, Polkif started talking in a quiet but still conversational voice. “So what would you like to know?”
“Anything interesting,” I said. “Perhaps why you have a reputation for being rebellious, or why your government doesn’t like this Milu character, or why some of your planets are having it worse than others.”
“The walls have ears, but I have better vision and probably better hearing than you and most Venlil, so I’ll stop talking if there’s a chance of unwanted listeners. Do note that what I'm about to tell you is not the official history, and I could get in very serious trouble if people knew that I believed, or at least seriously considered, this stuff. I can drag you down with me if you start telling people about it. Capiche?”
This sounded serious, especially since her tone had gotten noticeably sharper. She seemed a lot more alert and less casual now, even considering the comments she made in the bar about the officials who handled predator disease, which reminded me of the old “knock on the door” of governments who took away people who opposed them, now that I thought about them. That was worrying, but it was probably something that required more context to understand. Also, it did not occur to me that aliens would have a word that translated to “capiche”, but I considered that it was context-appropriate and nodded. Polkif continued.
“Alright, so the first thing to know is that unwanted ideas and movements that spring up among us never quite manage to die, however much the Federation wants them to. We have quite a few dissident groups that are officially labeled “death cults”, as well as a lot of rebellious movements that the Federation has been working to stamp out. Many of these groups have survived centuries of opposition, and sometimes they preexist First Contact. The most notable of these groups are Linked Chains, the Steward Branch, the Inside, and the Nitre rebellion stuff on Nitto. Though, Linked Chains has spread offworld and has a pretty significant non-Zhetsian membership, so it isn’t near-exclusively Zhetsian like the others.
“What you should know is that, apart from a handful of bog-standard criminals and a few people looking for an excuse to cause harm, nobody dies or supports dying or misery in those groups. The Steward Branch is a religion that, especially now, is suspected to have been the original, true religion of Zhetsians, and which has as a core doctrine the idea that all life is precious and necessary for gaining true understanding. Including the predatory life. Linked Chains thinks that predators are necessary for the ecosystem to function properly, something that you humans seem to agree with. The Inside and the pro-Nitre stuff are the anti-Federation movements on Miluja and Nitto, respectively.
“The official accounts are pretty accurate as far as the origins of three of the movements, though Bilte is not evil, stupid, or manipulative like they portray him, the non-Steward branches are likely some combination of invented or blown way out of proportion by the Federation, and they like to underrepresent the amount of animosity that lingered after the Nitre rebellion’s resource issues were handled. Really, you need unofficial sources to get good histories for anything involving those movements. The thing they lie the most about, though, is the origins of the Inside on Miluja.
“A little over a century ago, Miluja, then only known as Colony World 3, started a program of reintroducing certain predators onto the planet in order to deal with pests. We’re a farming colony, you understand, so dealing with pests was a rather large priority, and sheer practicality overwhelmed the propaganda in this instance. The Exterminators Union threatened to withdraw over these changes, the planet called their bluff, and they left, only to realize that nobody wanted them back. A bounty system was implemented for unapproved wild predators, but a lot of other predators besides the original pest-killers started hanging around and coming out from the unannihilated parts of the wilderness that had been left when the Union left. People stopped minding, apparently. You can still access The Seven Sons of Aboulo TV show if you know where to look, it tells you something about what it was like back then. Much better than the contemporary first iteration of The Exterminators, which was a piece of over-the-top propaganda, though I digress.
“Of course, that wasn’t going to last forever. I can only imagine the reason we didn’t get shut down instantly was because we were, and remain, a bit of a backwater, and they all bought into their own lies enough that they thought we’d collapse on our own due to our changes. We didn’t, so they started helping the process along.
“The Farsul showed up to Zhetsian space and started poking around. The Farsul poking around in an unimportant, obscure species like ours can only mean trouble. They did some preliminary reconnaissance, then they threatened us if we didn’t disarm all of our civilian ships. We had the bright idea to retrofit all of our ships with guns, but apparently that encourages predator behavior, or something. Those made up almost all of our fleet! We really couldn’t afford the sanctions, scrutiny, accusations, and ostracization that would come from defying the Farsul, so we dutifully disarmed our ships, and shortly thereafter the Arxur showed up.”
At that, Polkif stopped talking, and a Venlil suddenly came out of a building that we had assumed was closed, almost hitting us with the door. The Venlil only heard the last part about the Arxur showing up, according to my calculations, and after a look of startlement that he shared with us, he turned around and headed the opposite direction. Polkif exhaled, and said, “The annoying thing about Venlil Prime is that there isn’t a night when everyone sleeps. There’s always a sizable portion of the population awake and active at any given moment, so you can’t avoid people staring at you nearly as much as you’d like.”
I bet a lot of people stared at Polkif. She seemed to be a regular in that bar, but elsewhere? Given that Polkif had stopped talking before I noticed the Venlil coming out of the building, I got the feeling that she was hyper-aware of scrutiny and always thinking about how people would perceive her every move. The walls have ears, after all. No wonder she was so noncommittal in the bar, compared to here. I figured that I should keep my observations to myself, though, and responded, “I can see that. On the bright side, not having a night means there’s nowhere you shouldn’t go at night. Wait, does the Federation even have street crime?”
Polkif snorted, which my translator told me indicated derision, same as for humans. “You’re more likely to get reported for predator disease for being out alone than to get mugged. But, yes, that will happen on occasion. Usually it takes the form of criminals running up, grabbing your bag, and running off again, no violence or confrontation involved. I know for a fact that there’s more violent crime than the Federation likes to admit to, though. Anyway, back to the story? Nobody’s watching.”
“Please.”
“Alright, so where were we? Farsul, ships, Arxur… Ah yes, the Arxur raid. After our fleet was significantly reduced, a fleet of more than a thousand Arxur ships showed up to Colony World 3. Normally this would be a death sentence, but a combination of tactics, guts, and on-the-ground resistance ended in us decimating the Arxur fleet, which then retreated with almost no cattle. Miluja hasn't had any Arxur problems since; they say we taste bad, and decimating their fleet probably put us firmly in the “don’t bother” camp. Fine by us! Anyway, during the battle, we’d asked around for help, but the other planets weren’t willing to divert resources, and I also suspect they wanted to avoid retaliation. They had to have known about the Farsul ship order. We also sent a few scouts further away to ask for help from other species, and that fleet did show up! Once the battle was already over and the Arxur were already retreating. Lazy cowards barely fired a single shot.
“As you might imagine, that fleet, known as the Assistance Fleet, stuck around. They offered to help us rebuild our bombed infrastructure and almost-annihilated fleet, for a hefty sum of cash and quite a lot of food. The other requirement was that we revert all of the changes we had made regarding predators and accept what was essentially an occupation. Our remaining pristine wilderness? Gone. Our new and unique ideas? Either well-hidden, taught away, or trapped in the minds of those stuck in facilities. Our wildlife? Mostly gone, although the original netry birds and jutalem are still around, despite the best efforts of the exterminators. Stubborn little bastards, they are. Some have taken them as a sort of symbol.
“The last important bit from that period is Milu. Things really sucked after the Assistance Fleet established themselves, as stated previously. Milu was a bureaucrat who schemed to smuggle out a whole bunch of information that the Outside occupiers wanted to destroy, subverted a great many efforts to diagnose people with predator disease and kill predators, and even worked to convince the physical fleet to head home instead of being threatening in our orbit. All around a stellar guy. He eventually got found out, diagnosed, and sent to a facility. The Outside tried to publicize it, for whichever reason, maybe to demoralize the Inside. It instead turned into a huge scandal, which ended in somebody blowing up the facility Milu was kept in, which resulted in several staff members dying and most of the inmates escaping, including Milu, who was never seen again. People started calling the colony Miluja around that time. Means something like “Milu’s Continuation” in the old Zhetsian language that people use to name things. As you can imagine, the Outside does not like that name, and while using it isn’t enough for a diagnosis, it will get you a whole lot of scrutiny that can easily lead to one.
“So, that’s that, mostly. Lots of fighting, lots of rebellion, lots of farmers telling their children all the things they don't teach in schools, and always the looming Federation ready to squash anything they don’t like. Personally, I’m quite surprised you lot managed to get a foothold. They go so hard on the propaganda.”
That was… a lot to take in. ‘Why does the Federation let them be like this?’ and ‘How horrible can the Federation be?’ were hardly original thoughts at this point, so I latched on to the one thing I understood well. “Well, Tarva was nice and nobody rushed us until we could handle it, and those were the lucky parts. Beyond that, it’s really a matter of time, as people see us not snapping and eating them. Personally, I suspect that the Federation going so hard on the propaganda was their undoing. They tell everyone that predators are pure evil, then predators who aren’t pure evil show up, so people figure the old framework no longer applies and they start judging things more rationally.”
Polkif hummed for a second, then responded, “That’s a decent theory. One would hope that some of that tolerance would extend to me, but I suppose you’re new, and old habits die hard. You know, there’s a few places on the planet I can’t go because of how riled up the populace is about predators, especially lately with you humans arriving. We’re the rebels, so I must be doing something horrible! Clowns, the lot of them.”
I imagine Polkif couldn’t get away with much, if what I took from her was accurate. Her race may have had some leeway with how deviant they were expected to be, but everything about her told me she was always under a lot of scrutiny. Though, this information didn’t seem like someone who perfectly obeyed every law and whim of the Federation would know about. So, I asked her, “If you’re under so much scrutiny, how do you know all this stuff? These unofficial histories don’t seem like something you could easily access.”
Polkif spoke again, but slower and with a weird cadence. “There’s more scrutiny for the Zhetsian diaspora than for Zhetsians on Zhetsian planets. That’s not to say that you aren’t always on high alert at all hours of the day because you never know who’s watching, who’s listening, who’ll report you, and what they’ll take as a sign that you have predator disease, or need your assets confiscated, or what have you. It just means that you have more trustworthy confidants and more leeway on Zhetsian planets. More people who can tell you stories and pass around contraband.
“As a relevant example of contraband, have you ever heard of The History of Non-Sapient Predators?”
I said, “No, I haven’t.”
She started twitching her fingers again, and the front of her snout flopped around a bit. I wasn’t aware she could move it. Then, she spoke. “The History of Non-Sapient Predators is one of the most well-known contraband books, at least amongst Zhetsians. It’s generally considered unsafe for us to get involved in movements offworld, and I’m not sure what contraband books exist elsewhere. Anyway, it’s up there with The Wild and Wondrous Deep, The Linked Chain, and The Social Strain. It’s an anthology of documents from the Galactic Archives, detailing the rise and fall of Colony World 3’s anti-Federation movement, as well as the context it takes place in.
“Most of the documents are publicly accessible in the Galactic Archives, just arranged in an unflattering manner. Some of them require special credentials to access, and a few are definitely not in the Archives, or reference documents that aren’t. It’s a common rumor that the Farsul Government Employee Registry doesn’t exist and is either completely hidden for some reason or a code for something else; also that many documents that used to be on the public network but classified were deleted or moved to a secret location or network after this book was created.
“It’s published under a pseudonym, and there are many theories on who made it. Whoever created it would have had to go to the Farsul homeworld, since the Archives are located there, and would have had to find a way to access non-public documents. It was definitely compiled before Milu, since neither he nor the name Miluja are mentioned. It cuts off after the Rebuilding starts. It was likely made by either a Zhetsian from Miluja or someone who greatly values Miluja, since it’s really only our history, despite the broad-sounding title. I’m sure there are other books detailing other species’ forgotten histories and interactions with non-sapient predators, but I don’t know about them. This is the history of our non-sapient predators.
“Anyway, that book is the defining source of the actual history of the Inside and Colony World 3. Copies are rare, but I used to know someone who had one back on Miluja.”
Wow. With every word that came out of Polkif’s mouth, a picture was being made of the side of the Federation that was so old and paranoid that it wouldn’t reveal itself, even now that Federation narratives were being questioned across the planet, or especially now that that was happening. Though, apparently Polkif wasn’t so paranoid as to hide it from me. I knew that my status as a human made people assume I was comfortable with predatory things, but I found that I did not take Polkif for the type to trust anyone she wasn’t extremely confident in. So I asked her, “Why are you telling me all this? I know I’m a human, but I could tell people. I’m a stranger to you.”
She snuffled again. “Remember when I said that I could drag you down with me? Well, I’ve actually been looking into you for a bit. You’re the only human I’ve seen out here, what can I say? I was interested. I’m quite good at navigating electronic things, and I happen to have discovered several dossiers of blackmail that your shipping company has provided you to help you make deals. Perhaps not as predatory as it could be, but I’m sure I could portray it properly if I needed to make this known to appropriate parties. I’m sure you know how illegal it is and how much of a diplomatic incident this would create.”
Wait.
She knew about that?
Sudden terror gripped me. I liked to think of my activities as aggressive business tactics, but her statement reminded me that it was still blackmail and would likely end in jail time and a diplomatic incident if I were caught. She also refueled the paranoia of getting reported for it that had been plaguing me ever since I arrived on Venlil Prime as a businessman. And, since this random alien who was simply interested in me could find it, that meant that I was in a very precarious position. Out of fear, and desperation, I shot back, “If I reported you, wouldn’t law enforcement just take you away before you could do anything, and wouldn’t they not listen to you if you’re a known predator? You seemed to imply that back at the bar.”
She replied just as quickly, “Exterminators. They deal with cases of predator disease, or really any crime involving the Zhetsian diaspora as they like to assume that we all have predator disease. Anyways, as you’re a human, they’re much less likely to believe anything you say, and that combined with experience and security measures means I will absolutely have time to send it off before they get me. I can be anonymous if need be. And don’t you try to delegate reporting to anyone or do it anonymously; if anyone comes knocking on my door, I’m blaming you, and out this goes.”
Well, damn. I stopped in the middle of the street to think, barely noticing Polkif’s eye glittering as she stopped next to me. I really should have known that someone like Polkif would only reveal anything to anyone if she was very sure that they wouldn’t reveal anything. Whether because she trusted them as people, or because she held something over them. I drastically misjudged her; she was intensely paranoid, but so good at masking that you never knew until she was already acting against you.
The aggressive negotiation tactics already stressed me out. When combined with Polkif’s knowledge of them, they made me feel far out of my depth. My mind was racing, but something did occur to me, and I asked her, “Do you do this frequently for the sake of it, or do you want something from me? You don’t seem the type to task unnecessary risks.”
More snuffling, of what I thought was a distinctly different character than previous snuffling. Probably a malicious laughter, if I had to guess. “I did have an idea that required a human. When I said that I had no copy of The History of Non-Sapient Predators on Venlil Prime, I lied. Had to see how you reacted, after all. I do indeed have a copy that I took with me from Miluja, and have made copies of it since. I was thinking that humanity having a copy would be useful. You guys can translate it, make copies, get famous and make boatloads of cash off of it, or whatever else you can think of. The Federation doesn't have eyes or tendrils on Earth, so the book, our history, won’t die, or at least it has a greater chance not to. I have no clue how many copies there are across the Federation, but I know it’s not that many. I was under the impression that humans quite liked the preservation of knowledge and history, based on what I’ve seen of humanity’s reaction to the Cilany and Yotul situations. So, you wouldn’t mind preserving important history that's been suppressed by the Federation.”
That was… surprisingly benign. I was about ready for her to demand I fork over all of my money, go rogue with my company ship, or commit crimes against exterminators and the government. A little bit of smuggling, especially of something this important, was nothing, especially compared to the activities I’d been engaging in. I already had to smuggle in some of the negotiation material, anyway.
She continued, “As I said, this book is very, very illegal, and even as a human you’re likely to get in a lot of trouble for having it. As you’ve already been able to hide all that blackmail, you shouldn’t have a problem hiding this, but do be careful, and do not get caught. Only look at it once you’re back on Earth, away from prying eyes, and don’t let your company find out until you don’t need their support. I'd recommend keeping your identity wholly separate from your ownership of that book. As for getting it to you, I happen to know that you’re going to be going to a certain library to do research on Venlil agricultural history tomorrow - you really shouldn’t use the DailyMemo112 app, it has poor security - so when you get there, look out for the book titled “History of Agricultural Exports of Venlil Prime: Volume 18” by “Bitsly” in the agriculture section. It’s a fake cover, obviously, with a few fake pages too, but it's what you're looking for, so take it and go. You should probably buy a few other books about Venlil Prime trade, for cover. Any questions?”
Aside from the fact that she casually mentioned that she knew about my daily schedule for the remaining 2 weeks of my trip, that was surprisingly straightforward. A few plans for what I'd do with the book were even percolating in my mind; I'd translate them to English, of course, and then I could post them anonymously online, maybe I could put a paywall or tip jar in there to make money off of it? I didn't need the money, since my job paid me well, but this could blow up, and I wouldn't be one of Barlethy Shipping's spacefaring employees if I didn't keep an eye out for opportunity. None of these ideas were something I needed Polkif for, though. So, I replied, “No. Uh, thank you for telling me all this? Fascinating stuff.”
“You’re welcome, and thank you, if you pull this off successfully. Oh, and don’t tell the UN. They care quite a bit about Venlil laws and sovereignty, you know. Them knowing will attract attention that neither of us want. Never tell anyone anything unless you absolutely have to, you know. Now, I believe that is your hotel right there?”
I looked away from Polkif, and noticed that we were indeed in front of the huge, gray hotel building I was staying in. I wasn't sure how Polkif knew it was mine, but I probably shouldn't have been surprised at that point. It spoke to how adrift and detached from all non-business endeavors I was on Venlil Prime that I didn’t recognize the area around the place I was staying until it was pointed out to me. With a sudden bout of melancholy washing out some of the paranoia, I said, “Indeed.”
She flopped her snout around a bit, twitching her fingers all the while. I assumed, or at least hoped, that this was the Zhetsian version of smiling. “See you never, probably. Further contact would only be suspicious. The walls have ears, so be careful. Goodbye.”
I watched her walk off, back towards the bar. I entered my hotel, feeling dazed now that everything had time to settle in. The adrenaline was wearing off, and with nothing new or exciting to occupy my attention, I crashed hard. Exhaustion, combined with the events and emotions of the past hour, made me incapable of having thoughts more complex than a sense of paranoia and a desire to go to bed.
I stumbled up to my room and fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow, without even pulling the blackout curtains over the window.
Previous
submitted by creeperflint to HFY [link] [comments]
Memory transcription subject: Luke Schmidt, Human Businessman
Date [standardized human time]: December 18th, 2136
I was the only human in the bar. I chalked it up to timing and chance, as it wasn’t a hostile bar. Aside from a few glances and the fact that people passing by my table took great care not to touch me, I had no issues. I could barely keep my head off the table, but that was more a function of tiredness than anything. I had arrived on Venlil Prime only a few days ago, and the goofy sleep schedule messed with my brain. Barlethy Shipping did provide us with blackout curtains to set up over the windows of our bedrooms, but it was still challenging.
That wasn’t even mentioning all the work I’d been doing. I was a salesman for Barlethy Shipping, which had been established for about 50 years prior to First Contact. FTL ships were horrendously expensive, and usually only the government had access to them, but the Barlethy billionaire family cared quite a bit about expanding their business on this frontier, and were willing to pour millions into private FTL ships for their employees, as well as efforts to ensure that the Venlil legal system wasn’t a hassle. I was meant to set up business deals with aliens, using a variety of methods of varying moral standing, and although others had already done so, there was still a whole planet of opportunity.
As such, I had been talking to Venlil, viewing their wares, and traveling almost all the time I’d been here. When I wasn’t doing that, I was eating and sleeping. I really needed a break, so after fourteen hours of business, I arrived at the bar for a much-needed drink. I’d made a few successful deals thus far, so hopefully Barlethy Shipping wouldn’t mind the downtime too much.
I wasn’t really paying attention to the aliens around me, as I was rather exhausted, so I didn’t notice when the unfamiliar alien walked up to me. I did not recognize which species this was, which energized me. New things always did. The species was honestly rather ugly, which was weird because all the aliens I’d seen thus far were either cute or sleek, in my opinion. They had rough gray elephant skin with sparse thick, black hairs scattered around it, which made them look more like a hairy human than like an alien with fur. The top of their snout dangled down over their mouth, and they had short tusks and weird little giraffe horns. Their tail curled up like a squirrel’s, and their fingers were long, thin, and far too numerous. They looked like a squat, mammalian Arxur. And then, they sat down across from me.
“Hello there. You’re unique too! Isn’t that fun? Being the only one of your kind in sight really isn’t all that fun, but you get used to it,” she said, in a friendly, conversational tone that was apparently female, according to my translator.
I didn’t think that unfamiliar aliens were willing to get within an arm's length of unfamiliar humans. Maybe the Venlil or our other good allies, but I had never seen this race before. I said as much. “Pardon me, but who and what are you? I have never seen your species before, and I don’t think you’re allied with humanity.” I figured that she must be a regular here, since nobody gave her a second glance. Maybe she’d expressed wanting to meet a human for a while. I still had no idea what her deal was, though.
I think I came across a little harsher than I intended, but she didn’t seem to mind. She began, “Oh, pardon my manners. My name is Polkif, and I am a Zhetsian. You’re right, we’re not allied with humanity, and there aren’t a whole lot of us on Venlil Prime, so you probably haven’t heard of us. We don’t have a very large diaspora. I’ve been here a few years, and I’m used to being a novelty.”
I hummed, interested. Some part of me was always eager to talk to aliens, and I could indulge that now. Most of the time, my interactions with aliens were distinctly more… hostile, than I’d like, but that was unavoidable. Well, here was an opportunity to avoid hostilities! Though, I was still wondering why this wasn't shaping up to be hostile, so I asked, “Why are you comfortable walking up to random, unfamiliar humans? Even people who have been here since First Contact with us and who generally like humans aren’t often comfortable doing that. Especially since we have a reputation for being aggressive when drunk.”
Polkif snuffled, which my translator told me was laughter. After a few seconds, she said, “Well, we’re Zhetsians! We’re expected to be bold. We do have to be mindful of other species’ norms when offworld, but I don’t think they’ll kick my door down and drag me off to the predator disease facility just for being excited about talking to a human. I suppose you don’t know if they will until they do it, but I’ve gone this long without biased officers bagging me, so I figure my logic holds up. Besides, I don’t mind standing out and having to make an effort to fit in if it means I can avoid the current issues on my native planet, Miluja. Well, the issues are everywhere in Zhetsian space, but they’re especially strong there.”
I was intrigued, and thoughts of tiredness were out of my mind. Of course, there were a whole lot of aliens with all different cultures and histories, but this was new, even compared to other aliens I knew of, and was shaping up to be exciting. I would be especially tired later, but I didn’t mind the adrenaline that interest and excitement gave me right now. I prompted her, “What kind of issues?”
Polkif obliged me. “Civil unrest issues. All five Zhetsian planets are having issues with stampedes, mobs, protesting, and armed rebellion, but on Miluja it’s devolved into a civil war. Or Colony World 3, as it’s known offworld. They don’t like that we landed on naming it after Milu, since they say he had predator disease, but it’s tradition to call it that, and I like it better than the generic name, at least.
“Once the Cilany broadcast came out and reached us, it was pandemonium. Due to the anti-predator religion, a lot of people assumed that we were predators, so we split from the Federation. All the death cults and secret predator or predator-diseased sympathizers came out of the woodwork declaring this to be proof that they were right all along, and now everyone should join up with them and make a utopia, or something. Of course, all the elements that prevented those guys from making themselves known before were still there, so the government and the Federation-sympathizers cracked down on them. The rebellious elements were emboldened, though, and had quite a few guns and lots of repurposed farming equipment, so they fought back. This led to all the sympathizers still in the government to come out and support the rebellion too, except they were discovered, and you had tusk-fights in offices everywhere. It devolved from there, and now the whole planet is engulfed in civil war.
“The other planets are doing better, though not by much. Nitto is probably doing the best out of all of them, since the overwhelming majority of the government and populace was able to unite around the Nitre Rebellion’s legacy and kick the Federation out. Kipresa and Colony World 4 are undergoing low-level fighting and their share of unrest; their problems are mitigated by the fact that most of Kipresa just want to make money and aren’t up for fighting, and Colony World 4 knows that its denizens are mostly criminals, so they have a habit of not looking too closely as long as you don’t cause problems and there continue to be people willing to buy their ore. Mother Plains, our homeworld, has had more luck with the government cracking down on rebellion and dissent, but there are still decently sized patches that are held by rebel forces, and the Federation and government are growing more unpopular by the day.
“In short, there’s fighting and disruptions everywhere, though the last ship that came from Zhetsian space came a month ago, and I’m not sure how it’s progressed without me. The fact that no more ships have come is troubling enough. As for alliances, I can’t imagine that the UN wants to get involved in our civil wars, especially since most of the official governments would reject them anyway. So, we’re not allied with either the Federation or the UN, and I think we're best off focusing on getting ourselves to a stable position before helping anyone else with their problems.”
I sat back, stunned. Of course, in the back of my mind, I had figured that there might be intraspecies fighting somewhere in the Federation, but I’d started to discount that as a possibility, with how herd-focused and timid the Federation seemed. Species-wide civil wars and unrest was not what I expected. Though, if that’s what the situation back home was like, no wonder it seemed perfectly safe walking up to strange humans. I’ve known a few people from countries with civil unrest issues, and while some of them are intensely paranoid, some are fearless and barely blink at what normal people would consider notable dangers.
She continued after a few seconds. “I’m not quite sure where I stand on the issue. I am quite willing to call my home Miluja, and I have a lot of family who are farmers and on that side of the conflict, but you get leery of supporting such people after long enough away. The walls have ears when it comes to expressing dissent, you know. You’ve got to be on high alert if you want to do things the Federation government doesn’t approve of without them knocking on your door. It gets exhausting to hold such opinions after a while, in the face of all the opposition to them.”
She shook her head side-to-side slightly, and it occurred to me that she was probably looking for listeners in her blind spot. She had lowered her voice, too, so that I had to strain to hear her over the din of the bar. Even with how milquetoast that bit of opposition to the Federation ideology seemed, she didn’t seem like she wanted people to notice it. I’d had my share of paranoia, certain that the aggressive and somewhat underhanded negotiation tactics I’d used would be revealed, and I’d be fired and cause a huge diplomatic incident that would end in me being burned to a crisp. Well, her concerns couldn't have been that bad, since she seemed to settle down quickly enough. After she was done, she tipped her head back a bit to sip from her drink. Her snout prevented her from tilting the glass to her mouth all the way.
I decided to talk about myself a bit, since she seemed inclined to sit in silence, though she didn’t move away from my table. “Well, I’m sure you know about Earth. I’m here because I’m a representative of Barlethy Shipping, and I’m supposed to be negotiating deals with aliens, mostly Venlil. It doesn’t sound like we’ll be dealing with Zhetsians anytime soon, if it’s as bad as you say over there. I’ve been here for about a week on this trip, though I was here for a few weeks already during the Battle of Earth, and I’m already exhausted. Work and a weird sleep schedule will do that for you. After I’m done here, I’m going back to my hotel to sleep.”
Polkif responded, “Ah, I see. I’ve been an offworld business rep before, and it is not fun. Seeing other planets is enjoyable to a degree, but the schedule is grueling, other planets always have weird day/night cycles, and people tend to look down on Zhetsians as rebellious. I left for Venlil Prime about five years ago to help run a new branch of the farming equipment manufacturer I did sales for, though they try to hide their Zhetsian origins, and I exclusively work in non-public-facing roles. I was supposed to come back last month, but that didn’t pan out for obvious reasons. Oh well, I’ve got stable employment, since they’ve kept me on, and I think I can manage.”
I checked my holopad, and noted the time. It was 30 minutes until I wanted to go back to my apartment and sleep, since I’d scheduled an hour for this. A few thoughts flashed through my mind, most notably that getting back earlier would result in even more sleep, and that Polkif seemed nervous about discussing certain topics where others could hear. An idea sprang to mind, and I voiced it. “It’s been a pleasure talking with you, but I probably ought to start heading back to my hotel room. Do you want to discuss more things on the way? I’d love to hear more about you and your species, but it’s rather crowded in here.”
Something glinted in her eyes, and her fingers started twitching madly, bringing to mind images of sea anemones with bony tentacles. She responded, in a rather weird tone, “Oh, I’d love to do that. I don’t need to be anywhere for another three claws, so I’d be glad to discuss things on the way. Why don’t we finish our drinks and go?”
I’d almost finished my drink, so I downed the rest just as she chugged over half of her glass at once to finish it. As she hopped off the stool, I stopped leaning on the wall behind me, a poor substitute for a backrest, stretched my back a bit, and then grabbed my things and followed her.
It was rather empty outside, with only a few scattered and easily-avoidable groups of Venlil here and there on the street. I started towards my hotel, and Polkif followed. Once we’d gotten a decent ways away from anyone, Polkif started talking in a quiet but still conversational voice. “So what would you like to know?”
“Anything interesting,” I said. “Perhaps why you have a reputation for being rebellious, or why your government doesn’t like this Milu character, or why some of your planets are having it worse than others.”
“The walls have ears, but I have better vision and probably better hearing than you and most Venlil, so I’ll stop talking if there’s a chance of unwanted listeners. Do note that what I'm about to tell you is not the official history, and I could get in very serious trouble if people knew that I believed, or at least seriously considered, this stuff. I can drag you down with me if you start telling people about it. Capiche?”
This sounded serious, especially since her tone had gotten noticeably sharper. She seemed a lot more alert and less casual now, even considering the comments she made in the bar about the officials who handled predator disease, which reminded me of the old “knock on the door” of governments who took away people who opposed them, now that I thought about them. That was worrying, but it was probably something that required more context to understand. Also, it did not occur to me that aliens would have a word that translated to “capiche”, but I considered that it was context-appropriate and nodded. Polkif continued.
“Alright, so the first thing to know is that unwanted ideas and movements that spring up among us never quite manage to die, however much the Federation wants them to. We have quite a few dissident groups that are officially labeled “death cults”, as well as a lot of rebellious movements that the Federation has been working to stamp out. Many of these groups have survived centuries of opposition, and sometimes they preexist First Contact. The most notable of these groups are Linked Chains, the Steward Branch, the Inside, and the Nitre rebellion stuff on Nitto. Though, Linked Chains has spread offworld and has a pretty significant non-Zhetsian membership, so it isn’t near-exclusively Zhetsian like the others.
“What you should know is that, apart from a handful of bog-standard criminals and a few people looking for an excuse to cause harm, nobody dies or supports dying or misery in those groups. The Steward Branch is a religion that, especially now, is suspected to have been the original, true religion of Zhetsians, and which has as a core doctrine the idea that all life is precious and necessary for gaining true understanding. Including the predatory life. Linked Chains thinks that predators are necessary for the ecosystem to function properly, something that you humans seem to agree with. The Inside and the pro-Nitre stuff are the anti-Federation movements on Miluja and Nitto, respectively.
“The official accounts are pretty accurate as far as the origins of three of the movements, though Bilte is not evil, stupid, or manipulative like they portray him, the non-Steward branches are likely some combination of invented or blown way out of proportion by the Federation, and they like to underrepresent the amount of animosity that lingered after the Nitre rebellion’s resource issues were handled. Really, you need unofficial sources to get good histories for anything involving those movements. The thing they lie the most about, though, is the origins of the Inside on Miluja.
“A little over a century ago, Miluja, then only known as Colony World 3, started a program of reintroducing certain predators onto the planet in order to deal with pests. We’re a farming colony, you understand, so dealing with pests was a rather large priority, and sheer practicality overwhelmed the propaganda in this instance. The Exterminators Union threatened to withdraw over these changes, the planet called their bluff, and they left, only to realize that nobody wanted them back. A bounty system was implemented for unapproved wild predators, but a lot of other predators besides the original pest-killers started hanging around and coming out from the unannihilated parts of the wilderness that had been left when the Union left. People stopped minding, apparently. You can still access The Seven Sons of Aboulo TV show if you know where to look, it tells you something about what it was like back then. Much better than the contemporary first iteration of The Exterminators, which was a piece of over-the-top propaganda, though I digress.
“Of course, that wasn’t going to last forever. I can only imagine the reason we didn’t get shut down instantly was because we were, and remain, a bit of a backwater, and they all bought into their own lies enough that they thought we’d collapse on our own due to our changes. We didn’t, so they started helping the process along.
“The Farsul showed up to Zhetsian space and started poking around. The Farsul poking around in an unimportant, obscure species like ours can only mean trouble. They did some preliminary reconnaissance, then they threatened us if we didn’t disarm all of our civilian ships. We had the bright idea to retrofit all of our ships with guns, but apparently that encourages predator behavior, or something. Those made up almost all of our fleet! We really couldn’t afford the sanctions, scrutiny, accusations, and ostracization that would come from defying the Farsul, so we dutifully disarmed our ships, and shortly thereafter the Arxur showed up.”
At that, Polkif stopped talking, and a Venlil suddenly came out of a building that we had assumed was closed, almost hitting us with the door. The Venlil only heard the last part about the Arxur showing up, according to my calculations, and after a look of startlement that he shared with us, he turned around and headed the opposite direction. Polkif exhaled, and said, “The annoying thing about Venlil Prime is that there isn’t a night when everyone sleeps. There’s always a sizable portion of the population awake and active at any given moment, so you can’t avoid people staring at you nearly as much as you’d like.”
I bet a lot of people stared at Polkif. She seemed to be a regular in that bar, but elsewhere? Given that Polkif had stopped talking before I noticed the Venlil coming out of the building, I got the feeling that she was hyper-aware of scrutiny and always thinking about how people would perceive her every move. The walls have ears, after all. No wonder she was so noncommittal in the bar, compared to here. I figured that I should keep my observations to myself, though, and responded, “I can see that. On the bright side, not having a night means there’s nowhere you shouldn’t go at night. Wait, does the Federation even have street crime?”
Polkif snorted, which my translator told me indicated derision, same as for humans. “You’re more likely to get reported for predator disease for being out alone than to get mugged. But, yes, that will happen on occasion. Usually it takes the form of criminals running up, grabbing your bag, and running off again, no violence or confrontation involved. I know for a fact that there’s more violent crime than the Federation likes to admit to, though. Anyway, back to the story? Nobody’s watching.”
“Please.”
“Alright, so where were we? Farsul, ships, Arxur… Ah yes, the Arxur raid. After our fleet was significantly reduced, a fleet of more than a thousand Arxur ships showed up to Colony World 3. Normally this would be a death sentence, but a combination of tactics, guts, and on-the-ground resistance ended in us decimating the Arxur fleet, which then retreated with almost no cattle. Miluja hasn't had any Arxur problems since; they say we taste bad, and decimating their fleet probably put us firmly in the “don’t bother” camp. Fine by us! Anyway, during the battle, we’d asked around for help, but the other planets weren’t willing to divert resources, and I also suspect they wanted to avoid retaliation. They had to have known about the Farsul ship order. We also sent a few scouts further away to ask for help from other species, and that fleet did show up! Once the battle was already over and the Arxur were already retreating. Lazy cowards barely fired a single shot.
“As you might imagine, that fleet, known as the Assistance Fleet, stuck around. They offered to help us rebuild our bombed infrastructure and almost-annihilated fleet, for a hefty sum of cash and quite a lot of food. The other requirement was that we revert all of the changes we had made regarding predators and accept what was essentially an occupation. Our remaining pristine wilderness? Gone. Our new and unique ideas? Either well-hidden, taught away, or trapped in the minds of those stuck in facilities. Our wildlife? Mostly gone, although the original netry birds and jutalem are still around, despite the best efforts of the exterminators. Stubborn little bastards, they are. Some have taken them as a sort of symbol.
“The last important bit from that period is Milu. Things really sucked after the Assistance Fleet established themselves, as stated previously. Milu was a bureaucrat who schemed to smuggle out a whole bunch of information that the Outside occupiers wanted to destroy, subverted a great many efforts to diagnose people with predator disease and kill predators, and even worked to convince the physical fleet to head home instead of being threatening in our orbit. All around a stellar guy. He eventually got found out, diagnosed, and sent to a facility. The Outside tried to publicize it, for whichever reason, maybe to demoralize the Inside. It instead turned into a huge scandal, which ended in somebody blowing up the facility Milu was kept in, which resulted in several staff members dying and most of the inmates escaping, including Milu, who was never seen again. People started calling the colony Miluja around that time. Means something like “Milu’s Continuation” in the old Zhetsian language that people use to name things. As you can imagine, the Outside does not like that name, and while using it isn’t enough for a diagnosis, it will get you a whole lot of scrutiny that can easily lead to one.
“So, that’s that, mostly. Lots of fighting, lots of rebellion, lots of farmers telling their children all the things they don't teach in schools, and always the looming Federation ready to squash anything they don’t like. Personally, I’m quite surprised you lot managed to get a foothold. They go so hard on the propaganda.”
That was… a lot to take in. ‘Why does the Federation let them be like this?’ and ‘How horrible can the Federation be?’ were hardly original thoughts at this point, so I latched on to the one thing I understood well. “Well, Tarva was nice and nobody rushed us until we could handle it, and those were the lucky parts. Beyond that, it’s really a matter of time, as people see us not snapping and eating them. Personally, I suspect that the Federation going so hard on the propaganda was their undoing. They tell everyone that predators are pure evil, then predators who aren’t pure evil show up, so people figure the old framework no longer applies and they start judging things more rationally.”
Polkif hummed for a second, then responded, “That’s a decent theory. One would hope that some of that tolerance would extend to me, but I suppose you’re new, and old habits die hard. You know, there’s a few places on the planet I can’t go because of how riled up the populace is about predators, especially lately with you humans arriving. We’re the rebels, so I must be doing something horrible! Clowns, the lot of them.”
I imagine Polkif couldn’t get away with much, if what I took from her was accurate. Her race may have had some leeway with how deviant they were expected to be, but everything about her told me she was always under a lot of scrutiny. Though, this information didn’t seem like someone who perfectly obeyed every law and whim of the Federation would know about. So, I asked her, “If you’re under so much scrutiny, how do you know all this stuff? These unofficial histories don’t seem like something you could easily access.”
Polkif spoke again, but slower and with a weird cadence. “There’s more scrutiny for the Zhetsian diaspora than for Zhetsians on Zhetsian planets. That’s not to say that you aren’t always on high alert at all hours of the day because you never know who’s watching, who’s listening, who’ll report you, and what they’ll take as a sign that you have predator disease, or need your assets confiscated, or what have you. It just means that you have more trustworthy confidants and more leeway on Zhetsian planets. More people who can tell you stories and pass around contraband.
“As a relevant example of contraband, have you ever heard of The History of Non-Sapient Predators?”
I said, “No, I haven’t.”
She started twitching her fingers again, and the front of her snout flopped around a bit. I wasn’t aware she could move it. Then, she spoke. “The History of Non-Sapient Predators is one of the most well-known contraband books, at least amongst Zhetsians. It’s generally considered unsafe for us to get involved in movements offworld, and I’m not sure what contraband books exist elsewhere. Anyway, it’s up there with The Wild and Wondrous Deep, The Linked Chain, and The Social Strain. It’s an anthology of documents from the Galactic Archives, detailing the rise and fall of Colony World 3’s anti-Federation movement, as well as the context it takes place in.
“Most of the documents are publicly accessible in the Galactic Archives, just arranged in an unflattering manner. Some of them require special credentials to access, and a few are definitely not in the Archives, or reference documents that aren’t. It’s a common rumor that the Farsul Government Employee Registry doesn’t exist and is either completely hidden for some reason or a code for something else; also that many documents that used to be on the public network but classified were deleted or moved to a secret location or network after this book was created.
“It’s published under a pseudonym, and there are many theories on who made it. Whoever created it would have had to go to the Farsul homeworld, since the Archives are located there, and would have had to find a way to access non-public documents. It was definitely compiled before Milu, since neither he nor the name Miluja are mentioned. It cuts off after the Rebuilding starts. It was likely made by either a Zhetsian from Miluja or someone who greatly values Miluja, since it’s really only our history, despite the broad-sounding title. I’m sure there are other books detailing other species’ forgotten histories and interactions with non-sapient predators, but I don’t know about them. This is the history of our non-sapient predators.
“Anyway, that book is the defining source of the actual history of the Inside and Colony World 3. Copies are rare, but I used to know someone who had one back on Miluja.”
Wow. With every word that came out of Polkif’s mouth, a picture was being made of the side of the Federation that was so old and paranoid that it wouldn’t reveal itself, even now that Federation narratives were being questioned across the planet, or especially now that that was happening. Though, apparently Polkif wasn’t so paranoid as to hide it from me. I knew that my status as a human made people assume I was comfortable with predatory things, but I found that I did not take Polkif for the type to trust anyone she wasn’t extremely confident in. So I asked her, “Why are you telling me all this? I know I’m a human, but I could tell people. I’m a stranger to you.”
She snuffled again. “Remember when I said that I could drag you down with me? Well, I’ve actually been looking into you for a bit. You’re the only human I’ve seen out here, what can I say? I was interested. I’m quite good at navigating electronic things, and I happen to have discovered several dossiers of blackmail that your shipping company has provided you to help you make deals. Perhaps not as predatory as it could be, but I’m sure I could portray it properly if I needed to make this known to appropriate parties. I’m sure you know how illegal it is and how much of a diplomatic incident this would create.”
Wait.
She knew about that?
Sudden terror gripped me. I liked to think of my activities as aggressive business tactics, but her statement reminded me that it was still blackmail and would likely end in jail time and a diplomatic incident if I were caught. She also refueled the paranoia of getting reported for it that had been plaguing me ever since I arrived on Venlil Prime as a businessman. And, since this random alien who was simply interested in me could find it, that meant that I was in a very precarious position. Out of fear, and desperation, I shot back, “If I reported you, wouldn’t law enforcement just take you away before you could do anything, and wouldn’t they not listen to you if you’re a known predator? You seemed to imply that back at the bar.”
She replied just as quickly, “Exterminators. They deal with cases of predator disease, or really any crime involving the Zhetsian diaspora as they like to assume that we all have predator disease. Anyways, as you’re a human, they’re much less likely to believe anything you say, and that combined with experience and security measures means I will absolutely have time to send it off before they get me. I can be anonymous if need be. And don’t you try to delegate reporting to anyone or do it anonymously; if anyone comes knocking on my door, I’m blaming you, and out this goes.”
Well, damn. I stopped in the middle of the street to think, barely noticing Polkif’s eye glittering as she stopped next to me. I really should have known that someone like Polkif would only reveal anything to anyone if she was very sure that they wouldn’t reveal anything. Whether because she trusted them as people, or because she held something over them. I drastically misjudged her; she was intensely paranoid, but so good at masking that you never knew until she was already acting against you.
The aggressive negotiation tactics already stressed me out. When combined with Polkif’s knowledge of them, they made me feel far out of my depth. My mind was racing, but something did occur to me, and I asked her, “Do you do this frequently for the sake of it, or do you want something from me? You don’t seem the type to task unnecessary risks.”
More snuffling, of what I thought was a distinctly different character than previous snuffling. Probably a malicious laughter, if I had to guess. “I did have an idea that required a human. When I said that I had no copy of The History of Non-Sapient Predators on Venlil Prime, I lied. Had to see how you reacted, after all. I do indeed have a copy that I took with me from Miluja, and have made copies of it since. I was thinking that humanity having a copy would be useful. You guys can translate it, make copies, get famous and make boatloads of cash off of it, or whatever else you can think of. The Federation doesn't have eyes or tendrils on Earth, so the book, our history, won’t die, or at least it has a greater chance not to. I have no clue how many copies there are across the Federation, but I know it’s not that many. I was under the impression that humans quite liked the preservation of knowledge and history, based on what I’ve seen of humanity’s reaction to the Cilany and Yotul situations. So, you wouldn’t mind preserving important history that's been suppressed by the Federation.”
That was… surprisingly benign. I was about ready for her to demand I fork over all of my money, go rogue with my company ship, or commit crimes against exterminators and the government. A little bit of smuggling, especially of something this important, was nothing, especially compared to the activities I’d been engaging in. I already had to smuggle in some of the negotiation material, anyway.
She continued, “As I said, this book is very, very illegal, and even as a human you’re likely to get in a lot of trouble for having it. As you’ve already been able to hide all that blackmail, you shouldn’t have a problem hiding this, but do be careful, and do not get caught. Only look at it once you’re back on Earth, away from prying eyes, and don’t let your company find out until you don’t need their support. I'd recommend keeping your identity wholly separate from your ownership of that book. As for getting it to you, I happen to know that you’re going to be going to a certain library to do research on Venlil agricultural history tomorrow - you really shouldn’t use the DailyMemo112 app, it has poor security - so when you get there, look out for the book titled “History of Agricultural Exports of Venlil Prime: Volume 18” by “Bitsly” in the agriculture section. It’s a fake cover, obviously, with a few fake pages too, but it's what you're looking for, so take it and go. You should probably buy a few other books about Venlil Prime trade, for cover. Any questions?”
Aside from the fact that she casually mentioned that she knew about my daily schedule for the remaining 2 weeks of my trip, that was surprisingly straightforward. A few plans for what I'd do with the book were even percolating in my mind; I'd translate them to English, of course, and then I could post them anonymously online, maybe I could put a paywall or tip jar in there to make money off of it? I didn't need the money, since my job paid me well, but this could blow up, and I wouldn't be one of Barlethy Shipping's spacefaring employees if I didn't keep an eye out for opportunity. None of these ideas were something I needed Polkif for, though. So, I replied, “No. Uh, thank you for telling me all this? Fascinating stuff.”
“You’re welcome, and thank you, if you pull this off successfully. Oh, and don’t tell the UN. They care quite a bit about Venlil laws and sovereignty, you know. Them knowing will attract attention that neither of us want. Never tell anyone anything unless you absolutely have to, you know. Now, I believe that is your hotel right there?”
I looked away from Polkif, and noticed that we were indeed in front of the huge, gray hotel building I was staying in. I wasn't sure how Polkif knew it was mine, but I probably shouldn't have been surprised at that point. It spoke to how adrift and detached from all non-business endeavors I was on Venlil Prime that I didn’t recognize the area around the place I was staying until it was pointed out to me. With a sudden bout of melancholy washing out some of the paranoia, I said, “Indeed.”
She flopped her snout around a bit, twitching her fingers all the while. I assumed, or at least hoped, that this was the Zhetsian version of smiling. “See you never, probably. Further contact would only be suspicious. The walls have ears, so be careful. Goodbye.”
I watched her walk off, back towards the bar. I entered my hotel, feeling dazed now that everything had time to settle in. The adrenaline was wearing off, and with nothing new or exciting to occupy my attention, I crashed hard. Exhaustion, combined with the events and emotions of the past hour, made me incapable of having thoughts more complex than a sense of paranoia and a desire to go to bed.
I stumbled up to my room and fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow, without even pulling the blackout curtains over the window.
Previous
2023.05.29 21:28 Critical-Star666 Helpless,broke and BDD
i just googled for the first time a cure for BDD and it shattered me.
theres no cure and ill forever have to live with an uneven shaped mouth with loads of discolouration, my fathers narcissistic eyes and my moms weak jaw. i hate everything about my face and the worst part is that i cant afford to fix it bcs i left at 16 , not a penny to my name.
on top of it i'm an immigrant so not only i feel ugly i feel the constant difference in features of those around me and its so hard to hide with that in mind.
i can't do anything about it i can't wear enough make up to cover up my flaws , its the canvas that's fucked and whatever paint i put on and it will always look crooked.
sometimes i wish i was blind from birth so i wouldnt stress about it at least when im by myself , it's exhausting .
i hate how everyone tilts their head and sigh and then say ''but..'' before giving an elaborate compliment or giving the ''but you have such a cute face!'' as if that isn't the compliment i loathe the most , it's vague and easy to deliver i've lied many times to shitty people before it isnt hard ( a good example is my shit abusive mother who is also is obsessed with her looks , except she decided to procreate and pass me double the suffering- genetics and a childhood filled with abuse ).
im tired of people lying to me , ive been bullied all my school years for being ugly and never got asked out on dates by anyone before i started over sexualising myself, since im an adult now and know a big majority of people hump objects and wild animals it doesn't feel real anymore.
i always had to fight for everything , i begged and tried different approaches but it always ends up like this.
im burned out exhausted and suicidal, im constantly picking fights with my boyfriend and i have pushed my self care to the latest possible moment bcs i don't want to deal with myself.
intimacy is near impossible for me , specially because every man til now except my current boyfriend have abused me repeatedly .
i heard how my ex male friends would speak of women id hear classmates and my ex , my father and it gets to me deeply because they did it effortlessly-- speak so much shit abt women gorgeous beyond this world what makes my boyfriend any different ? what makes ME any different from the other women ? that's right, nothing. in fact it makes it all worse!!!! bcs im an ugly nobody and they are nepo babies with generational wealth who get lipo and fillers every other month.
don't want to deal with all of the work i put into my hair my skin my body all for it to look the same but 'slightly more alive' , it just feels pointless.
even recently had an old friend (not anymore) constantly make backhanded comments about how she finds Ant-eaters cute and i look like one, even tho each time she saw how it broke me.
i opened up to her about my hate for my downturned eyes and my small mouth, it all just made it so much worse for me ..... because one thing about this problem is the feeling that im truly hideous and everyone lies bcs they themselves would hate to have my face and what comes with it.
i crave honesty and no one gives it to me straight and articulate, no one gives me details of my face like i do and it feels like im constantly being gaslit , an outsider to an insider joke everyone laughs about without me.
and why lie now that im an adult it just seems so pointless? had my mom speak horrors of herself since the dawn of my days and we look alike, an ex best friend make constant jokes abt how i look like a rat/mouse when i was a teen , my stepmother a orthodontist would constantly make it a habit to mention my asymmetry and after wash it down with the ''Lana del rey is asymmetrical but she's gorgeous ! ''.... thanks but unlike her i don't have the lifted cat eyes the perfect jaw and the full lips so what's that worth to me anyways?
and even if someone was to give it to me straight what would've happened? im broke , the mental health field is already corrupt and shit as it is even more so towards women no doctor would ever sign a paper with a huge discount on plastics under the reasons that : ''she sees her abusers every time she looks at her reflection making it impossible to function in this society normally without getting repeatedly traumatised''
right? right???
wish someone could sign me a paper so i could have a year of different surgeries and move on with my life , i genuinely hate spending too much time in front of the mirror it would be so much more practical to have it all layed there , wash my face brush my teeth and head out.
and with the way the economy is going i can kiss a career and stability goodbye ... its already painful to pay for mayo at macdonalds how am i supposed to afford surgery?
i just want to live, actually live for once.
submitted by Critical-Star666 to BDDvent [link] [comments]
theres no cure and ill forever have to live with an uneven shaped mouth with loads of discolouration, my fathers narcissistic eyes and my moms weak jaw. i hate everything about my face and the worst part is that i cant afford to fix it bcs i left at 16 , not a penny to my name.
on top of it i'm an immigrant so not only i feel ugly i feel the constant difference in features of those around me and its so hard to hide with that in mind.
i can't do anything about it i can't wear enough make up to cover up my flaws , its the canvas that's fucked and whatever paint i put on and it will always look crooked.
sometimes i wish i was blind from birth so i wouldnt stress about it at least when im by myself , it's exhausting .
i hate how everyone tilts their head and sigh and then say ''but..'' before giving an elaborate compliment or giving the ''but you have such a cute face!'' as if that isn't the compliment i loathe the most , it's vague and easy to deliver i've lied many times to shitty people before it isnt hard ( a good example is my shit abusive mother who is also is obsessed with her looks , except she decided to procreate and pass me double the suffering- genetics and a childhood filled with abuse ).
im tired of people lying to me , ive been bullied all my school years for being ugly and never got asked out on dates by anyone before i started over sexualising myself, since im an adult now and know a big majority of people hump objects and wild animals it doesn't feel real anymore.
i always had to fight for everything , i begged and tried different approaches but it always ends up like this.
im burned out exhausted and suicidal, im constantly picking fights with my boyfriend and i have pushed my self care to the latest possible moment bcs i don't want to deal with myself.
intimacy is near impossible for me , specially because every man til now except my current boyfriend have abused me repeatedly .
i heard how my ex male friends would speak of women id hear classmates and my ex , my father and it gets to me deeply because they did it effortlessly-- speak so much shit abt women gorgeous beyond this world what makes my boyfriend any different ? what makes ME any different from the other women ? that's right, nothing. in fact it makes it all worse!!!! bcs im an ugly nobody and they are nepo babies with generational wealth who get lipo and fillers every other month.
don't want to deal with all of the work i put into my hair my skin my body all for it to look the same but 'slightly more alive' , it just feels pointless.
even recently had an old friend (not anymore) constantly make backhanded comments about how she finds Ant-eaters cute and i look like one, even tho each time she saw how it broke me.
i opened up to her about my hate for my downturned eyes and my small mouth, it all just made it so much worse for me ..... because one thing about this problem is the feeling that im truly hideous and everyone lies bcs they themselves would hate to have my face and what comes with it.
i crave honesty and no one gives it to me straight and articulate, no one gives me details of my face like i do and it feels like im constantly being gaslit , an outsider to an insider joke everyone laughs about without me.
and why lie now that im an adult it just seems so pointless? had my mom speak horrors of herself since the dawn of my days and we look alike, an ex best friend make constant jokes abt how i look like a rat/mouse when i was a teen , my stepmother a orthodontist would constantly make it a habit to mention my asymmetry and after wash it down with the ''Lana del rey is asymmetrical but she's gorgeous ! ''.... thanks but unlike her i don't have the lifted cat eyes the perfect jaw and the full lips so what's that worth to me anyways?
and even if someone was to give it to me straight what would've happened? im broke , the mental health field is already corrupt and shit as it is even more so towards women no doctor would ever sign a paper with a huge discount on plastics under the reasons that : ''she sees her abusers every time she looks at her reflection making it impossible to function in this society normally without getting repeatedly traumatised''
right? right???
wish someone could sign me a paper so i could have a year of different surgeries and move on with my life , i genuinely hate spending too much time in front of the mirror it would be so much more practical to have it all layed there , wash my face brush my teeth and head out.
and with the way the economy is going i can kiss a career and stability goodbye ... its already painful to pay for mayo at macdonalds how am i supposed to afford surgery?
i just want to live, actually live for once.
2023.05.29 19:55 AutoModerator Join The Official Fashionreps Discord! You'll Get Personal Help, Unique Finds, Free Stuff, & More! 🤑
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submitted by AutoModerator to FashionReps [link] [comments]
Tired of scrolling aimlessly on the subreddit? Join our Discord server and instantly be connected with 60,000+ other repfam. Discord is the easiest way to get 1-on-1 help with replicas. We highly recommend you join!
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Did we mention that there are exclusive monthly events from people like CNFactory? These are discord member only events (free stuff) 🤠🤠. Join to find out more!
PS - Discord users get special discounts from sellers that are active in our Discord.
2023.05.29 19:47 erpoyo 1 Set Chassis Modification Set Kit With FRP Parts For Tamiya Mini 4WD RC Car Parts With Wheel Tire
 | Hi, submitted by erpoyo to Cheap_RC [link] [comments] Today's PromoCode: 1 Set Chassis Modification Set Kit With FRP Parts For Tamiya Mini 4WD RC Car Parts With Wheel Tire Discount: 60% OFF (Using the Code) Link to Product: Here Code: BG17e36b Check all my other updated promo codes in the following Spreadsheet Link Enjoy! https://preview.redd.it/hah0idjtnu2b1.png?width=361&format=png&auto=webp&s=9a06a921c5cf9ae2ca0e8125efe8da9597d938bb |
2023.05.29 19:26 elevul And finally after a year of playing I finished my first playthrough of Cyberpunk 2077, just ahead of the release of Phantom Liberty!
Story as old as time: man becomes older, man has more responsibilities, man doesn't play videogames.
But I'm tired of it and I really missed playing games so last year I got Cyberpunk 2077 heavily discounted and started playing it.
Now, a year and 82 hours and 12 minutes later I have finally finished the game!
https://i.redd.it/wk8j0zwnho2b1.jpg
I have to admit that I had been expecting more as someone who was in love with The Witcher games, but overall I haven't been disappointed, neither by the story nor by the gameplay.
I am looking forward to Phantom Libertyy and, more importantly, the next project based on Unreal Engine 5! Seeing how much incredible stuff modders have created despite the limitations of Red Engine, I am looking forward to see what they'll do when the game runs on a more standardized and malleable platform.
submitted by elevul to patientgamers [link] [comments]
But I'm tired of it and I really missed playing games so last year I got Cyberpunk 2077 heavily discounted and started playing it.
Now, a year and 82 hours and 12 minutes later I have finally finished the game!
https://i.redd.it/wk8j0zwnho2b1.jpg
I have to admit that I had been expecting more as someone who was in love with The Witcher games, but overall I haven't been disappointed, neither by the story nor by the gameplay.
I am looking forward to Phantom Libertyy and, more importantly, the next project based on Unreal Engine 5! Seeing how much incredible stuff modders have created despite the limitations of Red Engine, I am looking forward to see what they'll do when the game runs on a more standardized and malleable platform.
2023.05.29 18:37 bvanevery bad starts in adjacency bonus systems
 | Back in the stone ages, a bad start in a game of tiles with bonuses, meant getting stuck on land that was of very poor quality and would greatly impede your empire development. The canonical example would be getting stuck on an ice floe around the arctic circle in Civ II. There's no food or resources on those tiles for the most part, so the growth potential of your first few cities, is just crippled compared to civs starting in more productive regions of the world. submitted by bvanevery to GamedesignLounge [link] [comments] Nowadays I think thanks to recent Civ games, a lot of bonuses are tied up in building similar classes of improvements adjacent to each other, to gain multiplicative effects on that class of improvement. The examples below are taken from Galactic Civilizations III. In this case the pictoral artwork and available tiles for a homeworld planet are constant, but the distribution of features on the planet is random. Not all features are equally worthwhile, and some are a hindrance. These are generally a consequence of tile adjacency bonus systems, and will apply to any such system in any game. Just remember that "ability to make something adjacent" is always the thing of precious value. In GC3 these starts are typically so bad, due to the generator being so random, that I find myself starting games over and over and over again. To get a good start, much like we used to reroll characters for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons when I was a kid. Unlike AD&D, the consequence in a 4X game isn't just whether you feel stronger or think you'll do better. There's actual demonstrable wasted hours of real world game time, when one gets stuck with a bad start. This is because the earliest decisions of a 4X game are most impactful. So I'd rather waste 15 minutes rerolling planets at the beginning of a game, than 2 to 3 hours or longer trying to recover from a poor start. Actually it can be quite a bit worse than that: I can look back at a 17 hour game that I'm bored to death of, and realize it had a lot to do with not getting a good homeword at the very beginning of the game. Was half of my play time, wasted time? I found myself doing so many rerolls this morning, that I decided I'd finally write this up, as to why each of these rolls is bad. I'm in some kind of endgame with GC3 where I'm very close to being done with it, despite having never finished a game or beaten it. I'm tired of my life being wasted to the tune of 16 to 19 hours at a go on this stuff, before I get totally bored and quit. It's been really bad compared to most other 4X I've played, and this adjacency bonus system is the core of the tedium. an actually ok start Wouldn't you know the 1st screenshot after I start writing the post, undermines my thesis. :-) I swear there was roll after roll after bad roll that prompted me to get started on this. This planet is ok because there are broad areas of empty space to build on. Notably, this homeworld has no farmland on it whatsoever. You'll see later why that's a good thing. Remember, being able to put stuff adjacent to each other, is where all systemic profit comes from. The special features are not really in the way, and they are not terribly redundant or mutually conflicting. If a tile has bonuses for multiple categories you can't typically avail yourself of both bonuses, because improvements tend to be for 1 category only. So in case of a conflict in an adjacency system, you have to make a choice, and various starts can force you into a choice. This is, in essence, getting a lot less bonuses per tile than you might otherwise get. choked with farmland This is the kind of planet that keeps me starting the game over and over and over again. Notice how much of the planet's surface is covered with farmland. Farmland isn't something you build other things on top of in this game; you only build farms on them. Yes, you could destroy the farms and build something else instead. But that also means you're sacrificing "bonuses given at the beginning", whatever budget of valuable stuff was allocated for your homeworld. In an adjacency bonus system, unless an abundant resource like this is tremendously valuable at the beginning of the game, this would always be a bad roll, in any game. There isn't any room left on the planet for other stuff. Most of the planet has you considering and probably giving up "farm related bonuses". And farms, in this game, are not valuable to homeworld creation. Not in this quantity. You might need like 2 farms to build a city on your homeworld. You don't need to build a city immediately on your homeworld either, because all homeworlds start with the ability to support a reasonable amount of population. The main thing you need at the beginning are construction bonuses, and farms don't give you that. Farms also don't need to be on your homeworld to provide food to your homeworld. That 1st screenshot, there's nothing stopping me from building cities on it. I just can't do it immediately, which isn't important. All I have to do is find some planet somewhere that's got 2 farms on it, and develop them. Then I'll have the food and be able to produce a city on my homeworld just fine. That's pretty much Colonialism 101. In addition, the funky looking tree in the upper left corner, called an Artocarpus Fruit, gives exactly the same adjacency bonuses as the farmland. The green Floodplain icon in the middle, gives a similar bonus to farmland, just less valuable! So the sprawl of only 1 class of adjacency bonus, is even worse than it might obviously appear. The Random Number Generator just went to town on spewing waaaaaaay too much of 1 thing. And the whole point of class bonus systems, is having to make tradeoffs between the various classes. This is a roll that says, "you can develop any kind of homeworld you want, so long as it's based on farmland." As is typical for class tradeoff systems, lack of balance is totally unprofitable. You gotta build ships, you gotta research techs, you gotta make money... farmland does help you make money, but the bonus isn't all that much. incompatible adjacencies At least this one isn't spammed with farmland, but it's still not a good homeworld. First the features that give bonuses, are often blocking each other so you can't put much next to them. The chunk of rock in the lower right corner for instance, the Thulium, can't have anything built next to it right now, unless you tear up the farmland. It only gives a +2 Wealth bonus anyways. That peninsula lacks tiles, and experience with this particular homeworld over the course of the game shows, that you're never going to be able to get a lot more tiles available in that region. So there's really no basis for creating a wealth center in that region; it's pretty much a useless bonus, 8-Balled behind the farm. Thulium is also not rare in the galaxy anyways. It's not a critical resource that allows you to build a special project, it's just something you mine around planets. I think this kind of bonus came from an earlier stage of GC3's development where maybe it was more important and difficult to come across. Nowadays, in version 4.52, it would probably be best if they got rid of these planetside "bonuses" entirely. They just take up valuable space. Another case of "different classes blocking each other" is the maze looking thing at the upper middle, and the red stonehenge icon next to it. The maze is a Research bonus and the stonehenge is a Construction bonus. Most improvements will not allow you to take advantage of both simultaneously. There is one improvement that gets a bonus from both, but you must have a special resource, Arnor Spice, in order to build it. Most games, you will not have Arnor Spice initially and you may go a very long time without being able to get it. You can' t count on it being available on some planet, as it's kinda like the spice melange from Dune and doesn't exist very many places. Even if you wanted to invade a planet to obtain it from someone else, it might be on the far side of the galaxy and unreachable for quite awhile. If you try to trade with the AIs for it, they typically give you really bad deals. You can do trade missions at your shipyards, essentially using productivity and time to create the resources in a chain of transactions. But you must have spare shipyard output to do that, and that's generally not true early in the game. You also have to research certain techs to make the trades, and you won't have those techs at the beginning. So for now, trying to gain a bonus from both Research and Construction simultaneously, is bottlenecked by Arnor Spice. Unless your homeworld came with Arnor Spice, this ain't happenin' for awhile. So that 1 adjacency next to the stonehenge, is of decidedly lower value. Similarly, that colored lump in the upper left is a Research bonus. The blue crystal icon next to it is a Ship Construction and All Construction bonus. Incompatible. So, the 2 empty hexes adjacent to them both, have to sacrifice 1 or the other bonus. Additionally, adjacency bonuses promote the creation of regions of tiles, all getting bonuses from the same class, to reinforce each other. These 2 bonuses are going to create a boundary between incompatible regions, if it's even useful to develop them at all. If you absolutely had to play this homeworld in some kind of tournament capacity, just dealing with whatever you were given, then you'd probably decide to go for either Construction or Research, and ignore the bonuses for the other category that you're not going to get. Consolidating a region of stuff that has the same class of bonus, is way too valuable to do otherwise. So this homeworld is bad because it didn't give you Construction and Research bonuses in different areas, where you could develop both separately. Worth a reroll, rather than wasting many game hours overcoming this. The next 4 rolls in a row, I got spammed with farmland again. The 5th roll gave me not too much farmland, a valuable critical resource, pretty decent open areas, and a couple of bonuses crammed behind some stuff that I couldn't use. In AD&D terms that would be like rolling a "15" when 3..18 is the range. Pretty good, but, you could do better. Will you keep rolling to do better? If I wasn't doing this writeup, I probably would have settled at this point. Mainly because the valuable critical resource was Helios Ore, which lets you build the Strategic Command, which lets you chuck out ships a lot faster. useless capitol I really hate that GC3 doesn't do the most basic of sanity checks, about whether a given homeworld generation is fair. Your capitol has adjacency bonuses for most classes of stuff, and can also receive a few bonuses as well, like for Construction. As such, it's quite valuable at the very beginning of the game, to be able to put stuff next to your capitol. In this roll you can't, and unless you chop down farmland, you never will be able to. Even if you do, you're not going to get many adjacent tiles out of it. Your capitol has been basically crippled / nerfed. The only roll more insulting than this, is when the capitol gets put on the 1 tile island! That happens with colonial capitols plenty of times. On other planets at least you can often terraform a new tile into existence next to the capitol, and you don't expect all planets to be of equal quality anyways. But your homeworld, you're under enormous pressure to build all kinds of improvements everywhere. You don't have enough terraformable tiles for all the stuff you need to do, so if a region lacks for adjacency, there's a good chance it's gonna stay that way. Most of the tiles available for terraforming on this particular planet, are in the upper middle. There's also no way to know that except by playing the game over and over again. If you play the same race, you'll get the same homeworld, and you'll do its various possible developments many many times. So I know where the "big regions of adjacency" can and can't be. That's probably enough examples of the problems with adjacency bonus systems. I really think it's a bad game design trajectory, akin to shoe stores that offer "Buy One, Get One 50% Off". That's a slimebag way of saying you'll get a 25% discount when you buy more shoes than you wanted anyways. Shoe prices start off jacked up sky high, so getting 25% merely brings them out of the stratosphere. They've given you nothing. They've just played with your psychological expectations of what the baseline price is, tricking you into thinking you got "a deal". Adjacency systems, that are crowded, with resources blocking each other from building stuff next to them, and classes being incompatible, are exactly the same thing. Why don't we just go back to "this tile gives you +3 on Construction," Period, The End, and be done with it? It would save players all this BS micromanagement about where exactly to put things. So they could get on with the game, and not have it take 16 to 20 hours before they're bored to death of micromanaging all this guff. Adjacency systems convince players that they're "doing something", when nothing is being done. Psychologically they're a massive sunk cost fallacy. You micromanaged this homeworld, so it must have been worth bothering to do. You micromanaged all these planets in your empire, so.... Strategically, if you're wondering about the time impact to a spacefaring 4X game, consider the design decision as follows. "Turn each planet into a minigame. What could possibly go wrong?" |
2023.05.29 16:29 ameway5000 Struggling to stay with Xfinity
Hi - I’ve been with Xfinity since 2006. My contract just expired on 5/5. The week prior I started reaching out, because I was tired of my rates suddenly increasing only to find out my promotional pricing had expired.
So this time, I was more proactive. I have now reached out 6 times via phone and 5 times via chat. Each time, I’m told that the only promotions available are for me to upgrade my services, which would be $50 more a month!!
When I say, I just want the same service I already have, there are no options.
I have 800 for speed and 125 channels. I think the 800 is probably already at least double what I need! But there is no option to downgrade that is cheaper than what I am currently paying.
My plan went from $181 a month to over $200. This remaining promotional discount will last for another 12 months, and then I will be paying full price, which I think is close to the promotional plan they are trying to get me to sign.
For this month, I have gotten a $25 credit, but I’m pretty sure that was a one time thing.
Why does Xfinity not want to retain customers? I live in a suburb of a major city, I have plenty of other options for my internet and cable.
Once this billing cycle ends, I will be canceling my service and switching to another provider. I’m so unbelievably frustrated - this has happened over the years, but Xfinity was always able to make it work. Not this time.
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So this time, I was more proactive. I have now reached out 6 times via phone and 5 times via chat. Each time, I’m told that the only promotions available are for me to upgrade my services, which would be $50 more a month!!
When I say, I just want the same service I already have, there are no options.
I have 800 for speed and 125 channels. I think the 800 is probably already at least double what I need! But there is no option to downgrade that is cheaper than what I am currently paying.
My plan went from $181 a month to over $200. This remaining promotional discount will last for another 12 months, and then I will be paying full price, which I think is close to the promotional plan they are trying to get me to sign.
For this month, I have gotten a $25 credit, but I’m pretty sure that was a one time thing.
Why does Xfinity not want to retain customers? I live in a suburb of a major city, I have plenty of other options for my internet and cable.
Once this billing cycle ends, I will be canceling my service and switching to another provider. I’m so unbelievably frustrated - this has happened over the years, but Xfinity was always able to make it work. Not this time.
2023.05.29 14:13 Reasonable_Length920 Addressing Challenges in Car Leasing and Fleet Management in India
 | submitted by Reasonable_Length920 to u/Reasonable_Length920 [link] [comments] https://preview.redd.it/cx1sy307ir2b1.jpg?width=2048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c373df8b4ed74c25ad9d702930f3154592667a4e Car leasing and fleet management in India have grown significantly in recent years due to their cost-effectiveness, flexibility, and convenience. However, this industry has its fair share of obstacles. From diverse road conditions to regulatory complexities, businesses in India face unique hurdles in successfully managing car leasing and fleet operations. In this blog, we will explore some of the critical challenges faced by car leasing and fleet management companies in India and discuss practical strategies to address them. THE VOLATILITY OF FUEL COSTS One crucial challenge fleet management faces is the volatility of fuel costs in India. Rising fuel prices increase operational expenses impacting profitability and the overall financial health of the fleet management industry. Increased fuel prices and consumption also hinder sustainability efforts and increase emissions. Addressing the challenge:
Another pressing issue is the need for more skilled and reliable drivers in India's car leasing and fleet management industry. Recruiting and training are crucial for ensuring safe and efficient operations. We are addressing challenges in driver safety and compliance.
Insurance is vital for car leasing and fleet management, providing financial protection against risks such as damage, theft, and unforeseen events that could impact the business's financial stability. To Address Insurance Considerations:
Keeping expenses in check and optimizing financial resources are vital for long-term sustainability. Strategies for cost management and budgeting.
One of the foremost challenges in India is the diverse road conditions across different regions. From well-maintained highways to congested city streets and challenging rural terrains, fleet managers must navigate these variations to ensure efficient operations. ADDRESSING THE CHALLENGE
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