Yuzu extended memory layout
Our new temporary layout is now finished.
2023.06.10 20:46 HappyZorrito Our new temporary layout is now finished.
| After torturing our fingers extending our cable-stayed bridge, building 3 more trains, an amusement park and the first three Modular buildings, we have completed our new layout. Time to make some new videos! Stay tuned. submitted by HappyZorrito to LEGOtrains [link] [comments] |
2023.06.10 20:23 cinnamonandcrime UPDATE: Belongings of 36 year old missing man, Jordan Boone, discovered by Tiktoker in Utah dessert.
Jordan Boone Jordan resided in Salt Lake City and was 36 years old at the time he went missing in 2021. It appears that at the time of his disappearance there was very little coverage and the majority of known information has been taken from his family’s Facebook appeal page, which is run by his younger sister Shelby.
Jordan and his younger sister Shelby were incredibly close. In a letter she wrote to her missing brother, she talks about the joys of their childhood, and memories of driving around and listening to Rilo Kiley or Bright Eyes at full blast. She describes him as a talented writer, musician, artist and photographer. Jordan was a caring person; he was an advocate for the LGBTQ+ and homeless communities and would take the time to make sure that people knew how loved and special they were. Unfortunately Jordan had struggled with depression throughout his teenage years and into his adulthood. In 2017, at the age of 31, he moved to Australia with his young family and it was during this time that he suffered his first bout of mania. His second occurred in 2018 along with an episode of psychosis. Jordan returned to America and his mania began to shift into further depression and suicidal thoughts. It is unclear if Jordan was officially diagnosed, but it appears accepted by his family that Jordan was suffering with bi-polar disorder and psychosis.
At some point after his return to Utah, Jordan believed that if he got to California he would be able to find a path to the other side of the world, where his daughter still resided in Australia. Jordan believed he could send a signal to her, and shot 11 flares into the sky. When these signals went unanswered, Jordan lit a fire to a garbage can and port-a-potty, which extended to the brush around them. Jordan was arrested for arson and was jailed for six months, with a requirement to be a part of a mental health programme upon his release. Jordan was due to end his probation on 6th August.
August 2021 Jordan had recently purchased a van that he decked out for camping, and on August 1st 2021 left with the van to head to the San Rafael swell. He had taken his own dog Lily, a Pitbull mix, but also his brother’s dog Cooper, whom he took without permission. Jordan’s family contacted law enforcement in the area and asked them to keep an eye out for him, knowing he was experiencing mania. Shortly after arriving, Jordan’s van got stuck in a desolate area due to flooding that the area was experiencing. Police have never revealed publicly where they located his van, but confirmed that his wallet and computer were located inside.
On August 3rd a couple on an ATV located Jordan and his dog Lily, and gave them a ride to Huntington, Utah. He was described as being dehydrated and wearing a wetsuit, and was checked out by EMTs. One of the attending officers told Jordan his family was looking for him, and offered to get him a room at a local hotel until someone could pick him up. Jordan’s family were informed that he had been located, and although Jordan’s probation officer was due to attend the following day, the family told the officer they were concerned about leaving Jordan alone. Unfortunately the officer was unable to stay, and sometime after the officer left, Jordan left the hotel.
After leaving the hotel, Jordan walked to a nearby convenient store where he spoke to a woman at the counter. She provided some water to Jordan’s dog, Lily. After 15-20 minutes, Jordan left the convenient store and located a garbage truck to the rear of the store which still had its keys in the ignition. Jordan reportedly stole the truck and abandoned it in Price, Utah, where it is believed he then stole a Jeep Renegade. Jordan pulled onto the drive of a private property, which led to an altercation with the resident. It is reported that during this altercation, Jordan hit this male with the vehicle and fled. The male chased after Jordan but ultimately lost sight of him.
Jordan made his way to Moab and attended a Verizon store where he attempted to purchase a mobile phone. This was unsuccessful due to Jordan not having any money or ID on him. Officers reported that they located a structure nearby which they believed Jordan had broken into and taken some water from; dog prints and Redwing boots prints were located in the mud nearby. The Jeep that Jordan had stolen was later found out of gas on the side of the highway at mile marker 21 in Cisco. There are reports that Jordan was sighted walking in Fruita, Grand Junction, Montrose and Nucla, Colorado, but I have no further information on these sightings.
On August 11th, Jordan’s dog Lily was believed to have been seen walking alone on a trail in Montrose County. This was the last sighting of Lily and she has not been located.
Jordan’s brother’s dog, Cooper, was located alive 3 weeks later, approximately 30 miles away from where Jordan’s belongings would ultimately be found.
Sadly, as Jordan went missing in the area of Moab during this time, there was speculation that he could have been responsible for the murders of Kylen Schulte, Crystal Turner, and Gabby Petito. We now know this is not the case, and the family confirmed that law enforcement never treated him as a suspect.
In March 2023 Shelby confirmed that there were no updates. She reported that there had been no official missing persons report listed for Jordan for an entire year after he went missing, allegedly due to some sort of Police error. Despite some strained relationship with the Police, they were able to get Jordan listed on NamUs and the family hired a private investigator, however there were never any further leads as to where Jordan might be, or what happened to him.
Discovery of Jordan’s belongings Tiktok user (Ryan) @ ry_of_the_desert is a self-described adventurer, posting videos of his adventures outdoors, largely in desert environments. On 22 May 2023, Ryan posted a video of his exploration in the desert of Sevier County, Utah. During this exploration, Ryan discovered some unusual belongings; some clothing, backpacks, and an electric guitar. He posted this video to tikok and it immediately went viral. I’m unable to post the link for Ryan’s Tiktok, but I would highly recommend having a look - he has created a playlist for videos relating to Jordan Boone’s case.
Someone who had seen this video forwarded this on to Jordan’s family, asking if they recognised any of the belongings. They immediately recognised the guitar,
which had been customised by Jordan’s daughter before he went missing. The family have since confirmed that all the belongings found belong to Jordan.
Ryan continued to search the area, and found further belongings that have also been confirmed as belonging to Jordan. These include another backpack, a phone, phone charger, lighter torch, and window chalk paint.
On 30th May Jordan’s family drove out to meet Ryan, and he took them to the spot where he found Jordan’s belongings. Ryan continues to assist the family, and has plans to launch a drone over the area in the hopes of discovering more.
He has provided videos with maps detailing where certain items were found, and I’d recommend having a look so that you can get an idea of the location and its distance from Moab and other sightings.
Conclusion This is a newly emerging update, and there could well be further updates in the coming days/weeks/months. I intend to update this post with any further updates or discoveries.
His sister Shelby wishes to point out, quite rightly, that Jordan is more than his illness, and he should be seen as a whole person with a family that loves him immensely. He was an exceptionally kind and caring person, and is a loved father, brother and son.
The family have always been open around Jordan’s mental health, and don’t shy away from the fact that this played a huge part in his disappearance. The family have always advocated for education on mental health, and their hope is that others may start to recognise the signs of mental health in others and in themselves, and seek help before any further tragedies occur. They also encourage others to spread love and compassion, and have often asked for empathy for those with mental health issues or criminal histories, like Jordan, and to remember that these are real people with real families and emotions.
Sources Apologies for the lack of sources, but there is very little official coverage around Jordan’s disappearance or discovery of his belongings. As more information is received, I will add further sources here.
I’m unable to post the Facebook Appeal page, but this can be found by searching “Missing: Jordan Boone and Lily the pit mix dog".
Ryan’s tiktok can be found at @ ry_of_the_desert
https://namus.nij.ojp.gov/case/MP95074 submitted by
cinnamonandcrime to
UnresolvedMysteries [link] [comments]
2023.06.10 20:06 LiseEclaire [Leveling up the World] - Academy Arc - Chapter 765
Out there - Patreon (for all those curious or wanting to support :)) At the Beginning
Adventure Arc - Arc 2
Wilderness Arc - Arc 3
Academy Arc - Arc 4
Previously on Leveling up the World…
PERSONAL AWAKENING
Orange clouds floated on a purple sky. There had been a time when Dallion would have found such a sight breathtaking, or at the very least remarkable. Now, it was just another day in his realm. Sitting at the top of Onda’s tower, Dallion stared into the distance.
“Hey, old man!” the teen nymph shouted. “You’re messing up the look!”
If there was one person whose arrogance had grown along with Dallion’s it was Onda. The hammer guardian had always seen himself as a genius and, thanks to the Moonstone in the realm, his opinion of himself had grown even further.
“You’ve no idea how much time and skill it took to get it right!”
Funny. Up to today, Dallion hadn’t minded the attitude. In fact, he hadn’t even noticed it.
“I need some assistance,” he said, glancing down.
At the comment, the guardian froze. There was a spark of emotions within him that was quickly subdued.
“She said not to encourage you,” Onda whispered.
“Harp?” Dallion split into a few instances and looked around. “I won’t be doing anything reckless,” he said with a sigh. “It’s forging related.”
“Forging?” The guardian didn’t sound convinced.
“A while back, you said that there are more complicated things than crafting metals. I want to learn magic crafting.”
“Magic crafting?” Onda shivered slightly while saying the magic word.
“Whatever the proper term is. I know you can do it, so—”
“Can’t.” The guardian quickly interrupted. “She said no magic.”
“Seriously?” Dallion grumbled. “Harp!” he shouted in the direction of the harpsisword’s tower.
Other than a few waves, there was no reaction. Harp was determined not to meddle in his development, and that included not helping him with anything magic related, at least for the time being. After what had happened in Lanitol, Dallion would have thought that he’d be given a pass for reasonable requests. Apparently, that wasn’t the case.
In all honesty, his request wasn’t exactly safe or random. The thought of challenging the archduke’s son had made him remember the duel they’d had back in Nerosal, including the origami weapons the noble had used. Creating such a weapon would be very beneficial in more ways than one. For one thing, Dallion was considering upgrading Lux’s home. Having the firebird follow him about like a bladebow with kaleidervisto sights was starting to get bothersome.
“What about enchanting?” Dallion asked. “I’ve already done that many times.”
The nymph shook his head.
“That was temporary.”
Maintaining his calm exterior, Dallion waited for a short while longer, then left his realm. The first thing he felt was a wave of air hitting him in the face. Moments later, his senses returned to normal.
Normally, entering a realm while flying wasn’t the best of ideas, but it didn’t count while on a cloud fort. Initially, Dallion had wanted to avoid the fuss, but when the squad of furies within the cloud had offered to take them, the choice was made for him.
Aware of their emotions, he knew that the offer was extended mostly because of Diroh. While guard furies assisted mages, they rarely went out of their way to catch up to one mid flight. The rumors of her being royalty must have spread.
“You can rest a bit,” the fury told Dallion. He was a seasoned veteran who didn’t have time for all the rank bullshit. “We won’t reach the Academy till tomorrow.”
One additional day. If Dallion had continued flying on his own, he’d have been there by now.
“Any news?” he asked, suppressing a yawn.
“Where do I start? The Azures are gathering armies in the northeast. Mages too. I’m expecting a major clash in a month at most. The new archduke is also positioning her forces. Now that she’s been given the new spot, she can’t afford to mess up.”
It was tempting to crack a smile. It would be nice if Priscord got humiliated in the upcoming battle, but that was unlikely to happen. The emperor had picked her for the position, which meant that he’d back her up with some of his legions. Losing two archdukes in the same area wasn’t something that would look good.
“Lots of crimsons are also there,” the fury continued. “At least we get to enjoy the skies here for a while.”
Dallion nodded. He, too, was going to join them.
“A bunch of rogues formed a new enclave in the west. It’s out of the empire, so no one’s bothering for now. I told some of your lot that it’s a mistake. No one listened.”
“Someone will take care of them.”
The west, at least, was deprived of any presence. Only the Order was slowly spreading in that direction. No wonder the last Star had made his stronghold there.
“There’s been a few skirmishes in the southeast, but nothing major. The Alliance is keeping the Azures in check. Only minor kingdoms are poking about, trying to get themselves noticed by one of the powers.”
“Yes, everyone’s choosing sides.”
That was true and things were only going to get tougher. Settlements, cities, even small countries were quick to ally themselves to one of the three powers. Even before the war began, several of the minor players had made their intentions known. Most had allied to the empire. Now that its position was shaky, they were looking at the other options. It didn’t end with whole settlements either. Guilds and trade organizations had been moving about, going further to the heart of the empire or out of it. Even hunter dens weren’t immune.
Before leaving Lanitol, Dallion had flown by the structure out of a feeling of nostalgia. What he found was an empty lot. He had expected some of the hunters to have gone—there were many dwarves among them. Yet, the building was missing as well. A more optimistic person might have assumed that the hunters had found a way to take their den as they left the city. In reality, it had likely been absorbed by the overseer. Neutrality was a dangerous notion, especially if those proclaiming to be neutral were strong.
“Over a dozen ghost towns have formed on the border,” the fury said. “If they remain too long without a master, the wilderness will take them.”
“That’s how it usually works.”
The fury glanced at Dallion sideways, but didn’t add anything more. It was obvious he wanted to know more about the fury, just as it was obvious that Dallion had no intention of sharing. The moment of calm had given him a while to relax, and now that adrenalin had loosened its grip, less immediate concerns had resurfaced.
Prophecies, he said to himself. So far, he had heard two. The first had come from a nymph sheet acquired years ago. The dwarf hunter who had found it swore that an otherworlder would bring to the end to the world, or at the very least a substantial change. When combined with what Cleric had shared, the worst might have come to pass. It was Dallion who had made it possible for Adzorg to construct his device. If he found the final pieces, he might pop the barrier between worlds like a soap bubble, letting void creatures pour into reality unimpeded.
If there was nothing you could do, the Order wouldn’t have sent you, Gen said from Dallion’s realm. There’s no point in perfect prophecies.
There is if all you need to do is hide, Dallion replied mentally.
If you’re hiding, you’re not doing it very well.
Dallion smiled. His echo had a suitable sense of humor, even if it didn’t help particularly right now.
“What about vortex gleams?” Dallion asked.
“Vortex gleams,” the fury repeated. “There’s talk of a few out east. The crimsons will know more. They don’t tell the rest of us much.”
“Right.” Dallion leaned back in the sea iron mesh that served as a chair. “Wake me up when we get to the Academy. Don’t stop for anything until we get there, not even assists.”
“You’re the mage.”
If the flight was eventful, Dallion never got to learn about it. Over a day, he spent the time sleeping. To a large part, that was to diminish the fatigue that had stacked up in the last six months. More importantly, though, he was hoping to have a Moon dream. With the curse, he hadn’t been getting anything that might help. This time was no different, although it didn’t bring nightmares either. All it brought was a whole lot of blankness: Dallion closed his eyes one moment, then when he opened them again, he was a few hundred feet from the battle mage building. According to the armadil shield, they had been there for hours, but no one had dared wake him up.
How nice of them, Dallion thought and sat up.
The fury on guard was new—far younger than the previous one, tasked with keeping the cloud stable. Everyone else, Diroh included, was gone.
“Where’s everyone?” Dallion cracked his back. Sleeping on war clouds wasn’t as comfortable as people assumed it would be.
“Your novice was escorted into the building, battle apprentice,” the fury replied, using Dallion’s standard title. “All your things were moved to your room as well.”
“And the furies?”
“They were sent out on another cloud. Katka ordered that we leave you to sleep undisturbed, so—”
“I get the picture.”
Dallion cast a spell, rising up from the cloud. Without a word of thanks, he floated straight to Katka’s room on the upper floor of the building, then went inside. The magic symbols on the walls glowed brighter as he passed. Recognizing him as belonging here, they remained in their present state.
The moment he flew in, the room widened, increasing tenfold in size. This wasn’t normal. Katka wasn’t a fan of modifications, preferring to keep things as they were. Ironically, that made many of the Academy mages see her as a snob. In their eyes, illusions weren’t good enough for her, since she resorted to getting the actual physical thing and bringing it here.
The current modification spell had turned the room into a modern Earth corporate office. There was lots of space, full of desks, cheap plants, water coolers and a glass walled meeting room at the far side. Looking closely, Dallion saw four figures gathered there.
Just great, he thought.
The archmage was present along with Katka. The other two were silhouettes made of cloud matter and water, respectively. That meant that the entire Shimmering Circle had gathered to discuss something. Since Dallion had joined, there had been only one similar meeting. Back then, the “woman” Dallion had seen in Gassil’s memory fragment had also been there, even if no one had formally introduced her to him. There were a few more instances in which she had taken shape to discuss something with Katka. As for the last member, he remained completely unknown. Dallion was aware of his existence, but nothing more.
“Dal,” the archmage’s voice echoed throughout the room, as if he were using loudspeakers. “Join us.”
Taking a deep breath, Dallion made his way to the door of the meeting room and went inside. The conference table was large enough to hold eight people. The seat next to Katka was left free, indicating he was supposed to take it.
“This must be important.” Dallion said, using his magic vision in an attempt to see the people behind the constructs. He was able to see the magic threads connecting the forms to invisible portals, but not what lay beyond. “First time I see everyone gathered.”
The sharp look the archmage gave him quickly told Dallion to tone down the humor.
“We heard what happened down south,” the man said. “What are your dealings with the Order?”
“You know I can’t tell you that,” Dallion said calmly. “Moon vows and all that.”
“Convenient.”
“What I can say is that the Azures tried to take out the archduke.” There was a moment’s pause. “And myself.”
“You were targeted?” Katka asked, more surprised than intrigued.
“I guess Grym is still mad at me for last time. They managed to put echoes in a lot of the people at the banquet. Most of them were normies, but there were a few awakened… as well as the local mage.”
“We know,” the archmage said. “Would have been nice to bring one of them alive for questioning.”
“Wasn’t my fault. The archduke absorbed all the evidence. I did manage to get the mage’s robe, though. If there’s anything to be learned, I’ll find it.”
“Such a marvelous ability,” the cloud woman said. “Sometimes you make me envious.”
“That’s not why I called for this,” the archmage hissed. “A messenger arrived from the emperor himself. The vortex gleam that was spotted not too long ago wasn’t the only one. As it turns out, it’s only a drop in the bucket. There have been twenty-seven confirmed sightings, but unlike the last one, the levels are much higher.”
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this story, consider joining my patreon or check out my other stories on redditserials:
The Scuu Paradox (a Space Opera Sci Fi)
The Cassandrian Theory (a Space Opera Sci Fi)
The Impeccable Adventure of the Reluctant Dungeon (Dungeon Core Adventure Comedy)
Uncharted Waters (An Urban Fantasy Detective Noir)
submitted by
LiseEclaire to
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2023.06.10 20:02 PurpleSolitudes Best Gaming Routers Available on Amazon
| Gaming routers are designed to provide a better online gaming experience by reducing lag and improving latency. If you are a serious online gamer, then a gaming router can be a worthwhile investment. It can help to improve your gaming experience and reduce lag, which can give you a competitive edge. Benefits of Using a Gaming Router: - Reduced lag: Lag is the delay between when you press a button on your controller or keyboard and when the action is reflected on the screen. Gaming routers can help to reduce lag by optimizing your network and prioritizing gaming traffic.
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Advanced security features: Gaming routers often have more advanced security features than traditional routers. This can help to protect your network from hackers and other online threats. Asus ROG Strix GS-AX5400 https://preview.redd.it/u4apcg7k7s4b1.png?width=1500&format=png&auto=webp&s=44108ff918ea9347cc10075796a9899351adb94b The Asus ROG Strix GS-AX5400 is a Wi-Fi 6 gaming router that offers a number of features designed to improve your online gaming experience. Read More Below View on Amazon TP-Link AC4000 MU-MIMO Tri-Band WiFi Router (Archer A20) https://preview.redd.it/k403h2is7s4b1.png?width=1500&format=png&auto=webp&s=dc5364d0f8d6e4c23abc41dc8bd63e4c5b473962 The TP-Link Archer A20 is a tri-band Wi-Fi router that offers a number of features designed to improve your home network. Read More Below View on Amazon Netgear Nighthawk Tri-Band Wi-Fi 6E Router (RAXE500) https://preview.redd.it/g0a7zi0v7s4b1.png?width=1380&format=png&auto=webp&s=371e3d57b2b8baf8bba53ac1507a217a4bad9fee RAXE500 performed very well in our tests. We were able to achieve speeds of up to 11,484 Mbps on the 6 GHz band, 4,804 Mbps on the 5 GHz band, and 1,201 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz band. This is more than enough speed for even the most demanding home networks. Read More Below View on Amazon TP-Link Archer AX50 (AX3000) Dual Band Gigabit Wi-Fi 6 Router https://preview.redd.it/n4rijtk18s4b1.png?width=1500&format=png&auto=webp&s=de77f4f5022ede22e82f7936e2c3613f93df651e Archer AX50 performed very well in our tests. We were able to achieve speeds of up to 2400 Mbps on the 5 GHz band and up to 500 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz band. This is more than enough speed for even the most demanding home networks. Read More Below View on Amazon submitted by PurpleSolitudes to storedekko [link] [comments] |
2023.06.10 19:34 tulpacat1 To Kill a Predator, Finale
Hi everyone.
To Kill a Predator is a work of fan fiction set in the Nature of Predators universe originally created by
SpacePaladin15 whose Patreon you should subscribe to.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Depiction does not equal endorsement.
Hope you enjoy it!
[
First] [
Previous]
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Memory transcription subject: Martin Russo, Human Refugee Date [standardized human time]: January 10th, 2137
Without the girls, life settles into a boring rut. I talk to them as much as I can on the pad, but they’re busy on Earth, hitting the ground running.
There’s been a lot of ground to cover before they’re caught up to where everyone else will be, particularly for Vilek. She’s often had to pull double-claws of studying, working her fluffy ass off to gain a baseline understanding of psychology in record time. Thiva’s classes on VP by contrast have prepared her well for humanity’s relatively simple technology.
That, and they’ve had to get used to Earth. Earth food, Earth culture, and a planet full of omnivores with forward-facing eyes. I’ve been doing what little I can to help coach and encourage them.
For my own part I’ve been restless. Given that I’m not able to look for a job yet, that physical therapy kicks my ass every other paw, and that I’ve got nothing to do other than look forward to a half-hour of chatting with my friends… I’ve started up on software again. It’s something I can do even while laying prone. Particularly since I have a way to write without using my hands.
What do I do with that, anyway? I can read minds. I can even use the raw data from a full brain scan to extract memories. There’s got to be something useful to do with this. It’s practically the only part of this entire debacle I haven’t bothered telling the UN about. Honestly after what I’ve been through, I can’t imagine trusting them, or the Venlil government, with this. Bastards would be prosecuting thought-crime by the end of the week.
Jarkim’s opened his business a couple of weeks back. Without an actual office, since he plans to simply operate out of Slavik’s farm. As I understand they tolerate it as long as he also helps out in return for food and board. I hope the arrangement works out for the both of them.
I gave Jarkim some help with his online presence. He wasn’t initially sure about the black and white picture of him in a fedora and a tie, or about the business name “Jarkim Krakotl, Private Eye”. But as soon as humans heard about Venlil Prime’s only Krakotl detective they’ve ended up coming to him with their problems.
He sent me a picture of his first solved case, some runaway kid who got lost and reunited with her mother. He was still wearing the hat. No tie, though.
Today is my paw off from Chasa’s torments, and it coincides with the launch of another exciting new business venture. So I take the time to visit Mosun.
“Hey Martin! Hold on a minute!” I see the Yotul wrangling a bunch of foam mats around the large, empty room. And its wall-length mirror. Fittingly the place look like the midway point between a dance studio and a martial arts dojo, except for the soft and spongy floor. It’s meant to safeguard against falls.
I glance around the room while he huffs and plops the last few ones down. There’s perhaps thirty-five or forty foam mats scattered on the floor. “So are you being optimistic, or did you get a good reception?”
He looks at me, bouncing with excitement. Though his ears signal a bit of nervousness. “Five Yotul have signed up so far! That’s almost half the Yotul in the entire town! And almost twenty humans! Hanya’s bringing a couple of Gojid friends too, and we’ve got a few Venlil coming along with their humans… Oh, and an Iftali, that was a surprise. Honestly I may be a little in over my head here; I’ve never taught crowds before! I’m not even sure how much will translate across species!”
“So you’ll be learning on the job. I have complete faith in you. Are the Exterminators going to give you any trouble?”
He barks a laugh. “Hah! No, Jarkim had a talk with the magister. I got permission from Vaska’s office to teach the classes in the name of cultural preservation, so those motherfuckers can’t touch me!”
I laugh as well. “You might need to censor your language a bit as a teacher.”
“Combat Dancing is about honesty and expression, Martin. If I can’t live it, how am I supposed to teach it?”
Well, he got me there. “Anything I can do to help?”
He glances at me, his voice gets a little uncomfortable. “Um, I don’t know. Can you carry heavy stuff right now?”
I shrug. “Probably not, no.”
“Then I’ll be fine. You’re not interested in taking the class?”
“I think my dancing days are over, for the foreseeable future.” I wryly lift my cane and wave it as a small reminder. It’s wood, and I’m quite fond of it. Chasa found a Venlil craftsman who wanted to be the first to make one for a human, and he made it out of the wood of some kind of tree called Lampan. The color reminds me of mahogany.
His ears droop a bit. “Ah yeah. How permanent is that looking?”
I shrug. “Finger dexterity on the right hand’s likely never going to be the same, but I’ll be able to play video games. Left arm should recover enough for daily use. Leg should get a full range of motion, but I won’t be going jogging. Thankfully I look dignified with a cane.”
He wags his tail teasingly and cocks his head as he regards me. “Do you? …Must be a human thing.”
“Piss off. Mind if I sit in on the class?”
“Of course not!”
Turns out first class of Yotul Combat Dancing is a quick demonstration, and then Mosun talking to the quite large and varied crowd. He talks about the history and cultural significance of Combat Dances to the Yotul, the philosophical underpinnings of the artform, and the mentality to be cultivated in practitioners.
Everyone is listening with rapt attention, and a few of the humans are even taking notes. When he opens the floor for questions, a Venlil asks “Isn’t this an expression of Predator Disease?”
To which Mosun answers “No. Next question?”
Which is honestly as much of a response as that warrants.
I talk with Hanya briefly after the class. She says that she’s been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and that human therapy is helping her out. She even talks excitedly about piloting shuttles again, someday soon. I’m glad for her.
Once I get back to the house, there’s a man in a suit waiting for me. He’s tall, bald, and has very dark skin. I don’t recognize him. He extends his hand toward me, and I shake it. He speaks English with an African accent, instead of letting the translator handle it. I’d guess western Africa, but I’m hardly an expert. “Bamidele Adeyemi.”
“Martin Russo. Can I help you?”
He indicates the door. “May I come in?”
“Sure. My Venlil hosts aren’t home right now.”
“Of course.”
Once he’s been let in, and I’ve given him something to drink, I wait patiently for him to explain his presence.
“I am the UN liason to the district magister’s office.”
I keep my tone neutral and politely curious. “What happened to Robert McGinley?”
He keeps his tone neutral too, but friendly. He smiles at me. “It was decided that he should be replaced.”
Oh no. Anyway. “Alright. But… No offense mister Adeyemi, but why are you here?”
He takes out a pad. “I have some documents that the UN and the District Magister would like you to sign.”
I sigh inwardly and make a quite heroic effort to not sigh outwardly. I look at the pad briefly anyway. As I expected, it’s about making myself legally liable should I speak up about what I’ve gone through. “I’m afraid you are wasting your time. McGinley told me to sign papers like this too, and I told him ‘no’.”
He nods, entirely unsurprised. “I understand you signed similar documents over a smaller… altercation with the Exterminators. Why the difference of response, if I may ask?”
“Because the first time he threatened to have me thrown out of the refugee center if I didn’t.”
Bamidele’s eyes widen briefly. “I see. That does explain why you told him to ‘fuck off’.”
“Yes.” I pause briefly. “…You’ve been polite enough that I don’t want to use the same language. But.”
He laughs briefly. “Haha, yes, I understand. Different circumstances, yes? My predecessor tried the stick. I am here to try the carrot. So tell me, mister Russo, what will it take for you to sign?”
“There’s nothing that…” I pause.
I sit down. I’m briefly quiet. I miss my friends so goddamn much. I swallow, mouth feeling dry as I tentatively reach for the proffered lifeline. “I… hear Sweden’s lovely this time of year.”
He flashes his teeth at me in a broad smile and chuckles pleasantly. “Hehe, I thought you might say that. But… You do realize it is January?”
Date [standardized human time]: January 12th, 2137
The thought of leaving this wretched planet and its wretched food and its wretched government and its wretched ever-present sun makes me feel like I’m already back in Earth’s lighter gravity.
I ended up paying Chasa back for all the pain and suffering she inflicted on me: The largest gift basket I could find online, filled with fruits, candies, and preserves of both Zurulian and human origin.
When I wake up at the start of the paw, my arch-nemesis has sent me two pictures. The first one is a schedule to keep for the next couple of months. In the second picture she’s put pillows and blankets in the basket and is using it as a bed, a paw raised in goodbye.
If the medi-teddies ever learn to weaponize their cuteness, humanity is in real trouble. Packing is easy. I don’t have a lot. A band shirt from when I went to see ‘Where Angels Fear’, a few bad sketches of fruit, my dad's chess set, my pad, and a neural scanner.
Date [standardized human time]: January 13th, 2137
The space flight actually lands directly in Sweden, somewhere north of the polar circle at a place called Esrange. I immediately realize that winter’s back on the menu, as the cold makes my left leg and arm ache like hell. It’s the dead of night, too… But I’ve missed night. So has everyone else, as despite the cold people are walking straight out into the snow to just stare up into the starry sky and stare in open awe at the sky, where the stars form a backdrop for the northern lights. I join them.
A poetic whimsy falls over me, making me grin at the cheesiness.
It’s like the sky itself is welcoming us back home. From Esrange we take cars to Kiruna, Sweden’s northernmost city. From there it’s a long train ride south. I’ve gotten a sleeper cabin. With the generous stipend from the UN, I have no need to scrimp.
Even so, it takes significantly longer to travel 1400 kilometers across Sweden than it did to travel 16 light-years from Gliese 832. I’ve got almost twenty hours to appreciate the irony.
Date [standardized human time]: January 14th, 2137
I’m met at the train station in Lund by a man holding a sign with my name on it. His car takes me directly to the university. Everything feels very… ordinary, except I’m a bit dazed at having so many humans around me again.
We arrive a little before 8 in the morning. Excited students scurry to and fro, eager and hopeful for the first day of spring term. The driver is named Markus, and very kindly helps me find my way to my meeting. I’m left outside a door, standing around awkwardly.
The man I’m meeting with is Jonas Falck, and he’s the head of the department of computer science. While the UN has ‘encouraged’ the university to take me in despite it being so close to the term start, the decision remains with him.
I really wanted to see the girls first, but the meeting time was set for me. I desperately wish I had thought to shave beforehand. I’ve been using my beard to hide my weak chin, but it probably looks more unprofessional than-
“Hey, are you Martin Russo?”
Ah, I see.
Mister Falck is holding two cups of coffee and offers one of them to me with a smile. He’s got a full beard, a full belly, hair past his shoulders, and a pink hawaiian shirt to go with his khaki shorts and flip-flops. This man is clearly one of the most talented professionals working in the field today.
“So, do you mind if I ask…” He motions to my cane while I take a seat.
“How that happened?”
“Yes.”
“That’s classified. I’m not even joking.”
He nods once, like that was more or less what he expected to hear. He leans back in his chair, which creaks a bit, and takes a slow drink from his coffee while reading on his computer. “So you studied at Columbia University before the Bombing?”
“Yes.”
“And your family lived in New York?”
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” He doesn’t say it unkindly, but he does say it as rote. ‘Oh you’re from one of the places that doesn’t exist anymore? Sorry to hear that.’
I nod awkwardly. “Yes.”
“And you were focusing on studying brain-computer interfacing?”
I feel like a recording. “Yes.”
“It’s very uncommon to add a student this late. The term begins today.”
“Yes.”
“We can’t provide housing for you on such a short notice, for one.”
“I have that handled, sir.”
He scrunches his face up. “Jonas, please. Americans are so formal.”
“Alright, er, Jonas.”
“So, Martin, what I’m asking for is a reason. To take you in right now, I mean, instead of next year.”
I nod. This is thankfully something I had planned for. My hand slips into my pocket, fingering the box holding the scanner electrodes. “Well, Jonas… I think there’s something you should take a look at.”
Handling paperwork and basic orientation takes most of the morning. I manage to get morning-and-evening classes to share my time off with the lambchops. That only works because most people don’t want evening classes. Evenings are for partying if you’re a student, so late classes are mostly for adults with jobs.
I end up standing around nervously by the entrance to the university building, counting down the time. I watch people passing by as calmly as I can, still checking my pad every minute or so for any messages and jerking my head around like a bird at anything that’s even a bit of a shade of gray.
I can tell the alien girls are coming even before I see them, since everyone is glancing curiously their way. I straighten my back and shift my weight from foot to foot. I feel like a dog at an airport, waiting for the return of its owner.
They’re looking around as I see them, and Thiva’s the first to spot me. Her ears perk up and Vilek immediately looks to me as well. As they speed up into a sprint, I’m a bit surprised to see them both wearing clothes. Both girls are wearing custom boots made to fit their digitigrade legs.
They’re both wearing coveralls, Vilek’s in a hospital teal and Thiva’s in a bright red. It’s been explained to me that many at the university have a student culture of wearing colorful coveralls that they decorate with patches, called ‘
Ovve’, and that Thiva’s red marks her as a mechanical engineering student. Vileks’s teal, presumably, mark her as studying healthcare. Or specifically therapy, perhaps. I need to look it up.
Seeing as computer science students are apparently expected to wear pink ones, I’m thinking I might sit out this grand and colorful tradition. On the other hand according to the Internet it’s an informal rule to cut a bit from the ‘Ovve’ of anyone you’ve exchanged body fluids with and patch it onto your own. So I suppose I could be convinced.
The girls collide with me, thankfully gently. Their tails are wagging like crazy out of the back of their outfits, and they’re clinging to me. I inhale deeply, take in the distinct and pleasant scent of my cute Venlil friends, and cling to them as well. My fingers stroke through their thick fur, and I hear their happy wordless bleating and whistling.
I close my eyes and enjoy the moment, not giving one whit for the passersby watching the scene.
“Oh, girls, I-” Vilek punches me in the arm unexpectedly. The right one, thankfully.
“Ow!”
Even though her ears signal joy and her tail is wagging, her voice is still stern. “We learned what ‘lambchops’ means!”
Ah.
The student flat isn’t very expansive, but it’s larger than the one we shared on Venlil Prime. Probably because humans are just plain larger.
It’s currently sparsely furnished. There’s a couple of desks, a couch, a table, a beanbag chair, and a bunk bed. I take my shoes off in the hallway, as the girls do.
When in Lund. They help me unpack. There’s not a lot, but they had already set aside a little corner for me. I’ve got the beanbag chair instead of a desk, which I’m perfectly fine with.
I sigh and lean against a wall briefly. “I’m… so glad to be home.”
Thiva turns her head a little, flicking an ear in question. “You missed being on Earth?”
I chuckle, and pinch her ear-tip lightly. I lean over to give Vilek one too, for fairness. It earns me a pair of bleeps from them, and I go on the offensive to rub their heads and scratch their ears and do everything I can to make the lambchops squeal happily. They thankfully oblige. “I missed being with my herd.”
My friends are safe, they’re here with me, and we all have paths forward. I’ve fought and bled for this opportunity. I’m allowed to enjoy it. I sit down on the couch with a quiet groan of satisfaction, finally getting to put my cane aside. “So, girls… how are you feeling about Earth so far?”
They grumble immediately. “It is so freaking cold!” “Snow! We do not like the snow!”
“It’s only for another couple of… Months.” They’re undressing right in front of me. I am left briefly stunned.
Oh right they don’t normally wear clothes. Reminding myself of that doesn’t help. The context is what it is. They’re my best friends and my two favorite girls and they’re stripping naked before me.
My brain fails me. “…Okay, so, uhh. Um. Hmmh. Huh.”
Mother of God there’s nothing different! They’re naked.
They’re always naked! It hasn’t been a problem on VP, it won’t be a problem here! Man up! I take a deep and steadying breath and resolutely refuse to think of patches of white and red on a set of pink coveralls, with pink patches on their matching ones.
“I guess we should… buy some food? And some clothes for me to use? And…”
And they turn their heads toward me, staring at me with one eye each. Side by side. Making me feel like I'm being stared down by a single creature. One with forward-facing eyes. And an orange blush.
They take slow steps closer. Thiva speaks first with an amused lilt to her voice. “Or maybe this is a good time to talk. You know, about the house rules.”
Vilek speaks as well, moving her tail sinuously in a teasing motion. “Relationship statuses.”
Thiva comes in with the finisher, practically purring. “Sleeping arrangements.”
Ah.
---
And that's the end! Thank you all so much for reading, and check the comments for a small request from yours truly!
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2023.06.10 19:32 blindmike95 Should I extend the warranty on my P15 Gen2?
I had a P52 which broke, and support replaced it with a P15 Gen2 last year. I had originally purchased a 4 year warranty which carried over to the replacement machine, but it is about to expire. Would you all recommend purchasing an extended warranty before the current one expires? It looks like premier support plus is now the only item which includes accidental damage, which I would definitely include if purchasing the warranty since we just had our first child. 24 months for $161, 36 months for $340, 48 months for $583, and 60 for $903. It's a higher-end model. 11th gen I9 CPU, 32GB memory, 1TB SSD, RTAX3000 GPU. If I were to buy a new replacement machine I would probably be fine with some lower specs (I7 CPU, and could do without the dedicated GPU). What are your thoughts?
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2023.06.10 18:48 midwestchauffeur The Chauffeur Driver: Elevating Your Travel Experience
Introduction: In today's fast-paced world, where time is of the essence, having a chauffeur driver can be a game-changer. The role of a
chauffeur driver extends beyond simply transporting passengers from point A to point B. With their exceptional skills, professionalism, and commitment to customer service, chauffeur drivers offer a premium and personalized travel experience. In this article, we will explore the many facets of a chauffeur driver and why they are the epitome of luxury and convenience.
- The Essence of Luxury:
- The epitome of style and sophistication
- Impeccable presentation and attire
- A meticulously maintained fleet of luxurious vehicles
- Attention to detail and personalized service
- Professionalism at Its Best:
- Extensive training and expertise in driving
- Adherence to strict safety regulations
- Punctuality and reliability
- Excellent knowledge of local roads, routes, and traffic conditions
- Personalized and Discreet Service:
- Tailored to individual preferences and requirements
- Assistance with luggage and other needs
- Respect for privacy and confidentiality
- Familiarity with the best dining, shopping, and entertainment options
- Stress-Free Travel Experience:
- Relax and unwind while leaving the driving to a professional
- Avoid the hassle of parking, navigating traffic, or dealing with road rage
- Focus on important tasks or enjoy the journey in comfort
- Effortlessly move between multiple destinations without any logistical concerns
- Corporate Travel and VIP Services:
- Enhancing the image and reputation of businesses
- Welcoming and chauffeuring important clients and guests
- Providing a conducive environment for meetings and discussions
- Reliable transportation for high-profile events and functions
- Special Occasions and Celebrations:
- Arriving in style for weddings, anniversaries, and other milestone events
- Adding an extra touch of elegance to prom nights and parties
- Ensuring a safe and memorable experience on a night out or a special date
- Creating lasting memories with friends and loved ones
- Sustainability and Environmental Considerations:
- Embracing eco-friendly options with hybrid or electric vehicles
- Minimizing carbon footprint through efficient route planning
- Contributing to a greener future while enjoying luxurious travel
Conclusion: In an era where convenience, luxury, and efficiency are highly valued, the role of a chauffeur driver becomes increasingly essential. From providing a touch of elegance to ensuring stress-free journeys, chauffeur drivers excel in creating exceptional travel experiences. Their professionalism, dedication, and attention to detail set them apart, making them indispensable for both corporate travel and personal occasions. So, the next time you want to make a statement or add a touch of luxury to your journey, consider the services of a chauffeur driver and discover a whole new world of comfort, convenience, and class.
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2023.06.10 18:42 sistyko What is the best for Blogging? Wordpress or Blogger?
| Both Blogger and WordPress offer free platforms for creating blogs, but they have different features and considerations when it comes to making money from your blog. If your primary focus is on making money from your blog, WordPress.com might provide more flexibility and control over your site's design and monetization options. However, it's important to note that the free plans on both platforms have limitations, and if you aim to maximize your earning potential, you may eventually need to upgrade to a paid plan or consider self-hosted WordPress. Self-hosted WordPress.org is another option that gives you full control over your blog and monetization. You'll need to purchase your own domain and hosting, but it provides the most flexibility in terms of customization and earning potential. However, it requires more technical knowledge and maintenance compared to Blogger or WordPress.com. Here's an overview an comparison of both platforms: Blogger (Blogspot) Features: - User-friendly interface: Blogger is known for its simplicity, making it easy to create and manage a blog without any technical expertise.
- Free subdomain and hosting: When you sign up for Blogger, you'll get a free subdomain and hosting from Google. (You can also buy your own Domain later and integrate it with Blogger)
- Basic customization: While Blogger allows some customization options, they are more limited compared to WordPress. You can choose from a selection of templates and make basic modifications to the layout, colors, and fonts.
- Integration with Google services: As a Google product, Blogger integrates well with other Google services like Google Analytics for tracking your blog's performance and Google AdSense for monetizing through ads.
- Built-in commenting system: Blogger has its own comment system, allowing readers to leave comments on your blog posts.
- Monetization with Advertising Networks: You can monetize your blog by displaying ads through Google AdSense. Once you're approved for an AdSense account, you can customize ad placement on your blog. Besides, Blogger allows almost any kind of Advertising Network to monetize your blog.
- Affiliate marketing: Blogger allows you to promote affiliate products and earn a commission when someone makes a purchase through your affiliate links.
- Sponsored content: You can collaborate with brands for sponsored posts and receive payment for featuring their products or services.
Wordpress Features: - Versatile platform: Wordpress offers a range of features and customization options, making it suitable for both beginners and advanced users.
- Free subdomain and hosting: Similar to Blogger, Wordpress provides a free subdomain and hosting.
- Extensive theme selection: Wordpress offers a wide variety of free and premium themes to customize the design of your blog.
- Plugin functionality: While the free plan has limited plugin support, premium plans allow the use of various plugins to extend your blog's functionality.
- Integrated stats: You can access basic site statistics within the Wordpress dashboard, providing insights into your blog's performance.
- Community and support: Wordpress has an active community and support forums where you can seek assistance and guidance.
- Monetization with WordAds: Wordpress offers the WordAds program, which allows you to display ads on your blog. However, you need significant traffic to qualify for the program.
- Affiliate marketing: You can include affiliate links in your blog posts to earn commissions from sales generated through those links.
- Sponsored content: You can collaborate with brands for sponsored posts, adhering to Wordpress’s guidelines and disclosing any sponsored content appropriately.
It's important to note that both Blogger and Wordpress have terms of service and guidelines regarding monetization, so it's essential to review their policies and ensure compliance. Additionally, if you opt for a self-hosted WordPress.org blog, you'll have complete control over your site, including custom domain options, unlimited themes and plugins, and the ability to implement various monetization methods without platform restrictions. However, self-hosted WordPress.org requires technical knowledge, as you'll need to manage your own hosting and site maintenance. https://preview.redd.it/f0bx620hy75b1.png?width=1200&format=png&auto=webp&s=e999438d6270de36a4c7a5dd584d48bc071661ac submitted by sistyko to AdsenseAlternatives [link] [comments] |
2023.06.10 18:30 kcr141 As If On Q: part 5
Memory transcript subject: Tal, Venlil Space Corps
Date [standardized human time]: December 31, 2136
This was it. Since the incident at Sillis, humanity had gathered as many allies as they could and prepared to confront the federation, and in a few moments, I would be exiting subspace in orbit around Aafa.
By all rights, flying solo into this conflict should have terrified me. Instead, it just felt surreal. Really, I should have been vaporized by an antimatter bomb on the surface of Sillis, but a twist of fate— an unprecedented intervention led me here instead. Now, I was given a chance to scratch one more item off my bucket list, though not quite in the way I had hoped.
I dropped out of FTL, and the rest of Venlil Prime’s contribution to the fleet was close behind. As the Venlil ships joined the attack, I took in the situation before me. Most of our fleet consisted of human ships, however, they were interspersed with vessels from several other species including Mazics, Zerulians, Harchen, and even a few Thafki.
Already, the Kolshians were preparing to meet our advance; I didn’t have much time.
Quickly, I switched FTL configurations and began preparing to travel into subspace once again. Now, I just had to wait.
Up ahead, the two fleets were about to meet when suddenly, the humans’ allies panicked. A large portion of the non-human ships had broken formation, though luckily, they seemed to be recovering quickly. Several UN vessels followed the diverging ships and our fleet was divided into two. In response, the Kolshians split their fleet as well.
At first, I wasn’t sure what all the commotion was about, but it quickly became obvious: the ships that remained on their original course were fighting the Arxur.
There was no mistaking it, the space between us and the Kolshians was filled with Arxur vessels. They were scared, disoriented, and shooting at anything that moved.
As they began taking fire from UN ships, the Arxur sent out a hail.
“You! Humans! What trickery is this!?”
I recognized the huntress’ voice. In the aftermath of Sillis, I had listened to her transmission threatening to make cattle out of humans.
Looks like we found the rest of Shaza’s fleet.
Immediately, this led to more questions.
Was her fleet sent into the future, or had they just been in subspace this entire time?
Were the humans really sure that what I was about to do was safe?
We opted not to send a response, and the only reply offered by the Kolshians was a barrage of rail gun fire. Shaza and her army were getting sandwiched between the opposing fleets.
Stars, I really was spending too much time around Nick.
It wasn’t long before the human alliance and the Kolshians were fighting directly, and it quickly became apparent that the federation had been holding back all this time. Many of their ships were designs that had never been seen before, and they remained unusually composed despite the stress of battle. To top it all off, the Kolshians had us outnumbered significantly. If this worked, however, none of that would matter.
The FTL drive was ready. Immediately, I laid in my course and entered subspace.
Almost instantly, I felt a sickening jolt. The sound that resonated through my ship reminded me of the time Nick accidentally left a spoon in the microwave, and then everything went white.
When Q made Shaza’s fleet disappear, they were thrown into subspace despite the presence of FTL disruptors. Not only that, but there was no indication as to where they had gone. If such an event could be duplicated, the strategic advantage would be obvious, and so the UN’s scientists immediately got to work.
Having sensor readings from when the incident occurred certainly sped things along, but it seemed to me that all the humans really needed was to know that it was possible.
Slowly, I regained my senses. My ears were ringing and my head still hurt, but at least the vertigo had started to clear up. As the dizziness subsided, I suddenly understood what I was seeing out of the viewport:
Clouds!
The humans’ modifications to my drive had worked! Though it certainly wasn’t pleasant, I had passed through the Kolshians’ FTL disruptor field and appeared in Aafa’s lower atmosphere.
As I reduced my altitude, the capital city became visible. Even though the weather was partially overcast, the buildings, all made of glass and metal and constructed in unique, artistic shapes, glittered in the sunlight. The urban landscape below was dotted with patches of green giving credence to the planet’s name Aafa, meaning ‘Garden.’
I made sure the payload was ready and then dived down even lower. I made a pass directly over the city and, when I was in clear view of the School of Flora, I activated the release mechanism and triggered the remote ignition.
Dozens of projectiles flew out from underneath my ship. They spireled around chaotically before detonating and spewing a shower of bright red sparks.
There was no way I had not been seen, so now I just had to wait and hope the Kolshian fleet would get the message.
I began to climb in altitude, and as I did so, I kept an eye on the status of the unfolding battle using my ship’s sensors. It took a while, but eventually, something happened.
The Kolshian fleet doubled back. They turned away from their attackers and began making their way in my direction, rushing to defend Aafa.
As soon as this happened, the humans began broadcasting on an open channel:
“This is commander Fortin of the United Nations fleet, please respond.”
He was met with silence.
“You are no doubt aware that we have breached your defenses, however, we are willing to discuss the terms of a ceasefire, please. respond.”
Again, there was no reply.
As the Kolshian fleet neared the planet, a portion of its ships suddenly changed course. It was the ships that were believed to be autonomous, they all suddenly stopped in place, anchoring their position relative to Aafa. The allied fleet simply flew past them with neither firing on each other.
“I repeat, we are willing to negotiate for a peaceful—”
Commander Fortin was cut of by the voice of Nikonous:
“What did you drop on us?!”
“Chief Nikonous, as I said, we are requesting—”
“Spare the pleasantries predator, tell me what you did!”
“They were fireworks, sir,” Fortin said. “Completely harmless, however they could just as easily have been antimatter warheads, next time they will be. We have the ability to circumvent your FTL disruptors and therefore you cannot defend yourself from such an attack, however, as I told you before, we are willing to discuss the terms of a ceasefire.”
Chief Nikonous did not respond, and after an awkward silence, the commander continued.
“We request that you end all hostility with Earth as well as its allies. Assuming that the federation takes no military action against us, we will do the same.”
“This is unacceptable,” Nikonous replied. “I cannot simply allow more federation worlds to fall into your corruption. Your ‘allies’ fall within our purview.”
“Frankly, you aren’t in a position to demand something like that. Our terms are more than reasonable, and we will not be making concessions.”
“And what of the Arxur? Aren’t they your allies too now? Am I supposed to do nothing about the ones who would see us all dead?”
Like you’ve done anything at all before! I thought to myself.
Commander Fortin, however, gave a very simple response:
“The dominion no longer exists,” he said flatly.
After another long pause, Chief Nikonous huffed.
“Very well, I will consider your request.”
With that, the channel went silent. By this point, I had reached the upper atmosphere of the planet. It was surreal. The battle had stopped completely and the UN fleet was preparing to leave.
I was just about to begin charging my own FTL drive when I noticed something odd. One of the Harchen ships that fought alongside the UN was now barreling forward. Commander Fortin’s voice sounded over the comms channel once again:
“Harchen vessel, please return to formation. Do not engage, I repeat, do not engage!”
The ship continued on its path directly towards Aafa, and even stranger, the Kolshian fleet did nothing to stop it.
Something was off…
As I realized that the Harchen ship was headed in my direction, I moved to intercept.
I was just about to hail them when they opened fire. I was hit before I could react.
Quickly, I tried to shake their target lock, however, my ship’s engines had taken damage limiting my maneuverability.
After managing to establish a target lock of my own, I returned fire. The shots were intended only to disable the vessel, however upon connecting, the ship exploded violently.
It was carrying antimatter bombs. That was the only reason I could think of for the explosion I just saw. Unfortunately, I was beginning to lose altitude and didn’t have time to worry about why the Harchen ship was carrying warheads nor the amount of radiation I had just been exposed to.
The engines were not doing well, however, as I fell down to the surface, I managed to flip my ship around and regain some amount of control.
The landing was not nearly as gentle as I would have hoped, however the hull stayed together and the inertial dampers absorbed the brunt of the impact.
I did a quick survey of the situation. Looking out of the viewport, it appeared I had crashed somewhere outside of any of the Kolshian cities, however I could also see that civilization was not far away.
Turning myself in to the Kolshians seemed like a very risky idea, and I also very much doubted that anyone sided with the humans would be allowed to come rescue me, so I figured my best bet was to try and repair my ship as best I could.
I made my way to the back of the ship and opened the doors to the outside world.
As the ramp extended down to the ground, I spotted a Venlil waiting for me at the bottom; or rather, something that looked like a Venlil.
“Q?” I said nervously.
“Don’t worry, I just want to talk. I promise I won’t bite. unless you ask nicely. ”
Apparently, Q had ditched his extermination officer attire and, for some reason, gotten his fur dyed. The fur on top of his head now had an odd purple streak running through it.
Cautiously, I walked down to the bottom of the ramp.
“Do you uh… do you know what just happened?” I asked.
“With the Harchen ship? Yeah, the federation managed to find some supporters among the Harchen fleet. They were going to sabotage the ceasefire by bombing Aafa on behalf of the UN. ‘Better the civilians die than fall to the predators’ and all.”
I took a moment to absorb this. I had thought that the federation couldn’t disappoint me anymore than they had already, and yet once again, they somehow found a way.
“You know, it’s funny,” I said. “I always wanted to visit Aafa. I mean, this place is beautiful, isn’t it?”
“For me, personally?” Q replied, “Not a huge fan. It’s too… artificial, reminds me of home. Actually, are you by any chance feeling adventurous?”
“I mean, I did just crash land after fighting in a space battle, so I would say so.”
“In that case,” he said, “my offer from before still stands.”
Q turned to face me and extended his paw.
I hesitated briefly, but then I took it and
Error 409: Unresolved sequence, consult user manual for more details
Transcript generation aborted
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2023.06.10 18:23 FelicitySmoak_ On This Day In Michael Jackson HIStory - June 10th
| 1970 - The Jackson 5 perform "The Love You Save" & "ABC" on the Groovy Show TV program in Los Angeles. 1972 - Michael third solo single, "I Wanna be Where You Are", on Motown enters the Billboard US Top 40 singles chart at #38. It will peak at #16 during a 9 week run. 1972 - Lookin' Through the Windows by The Jackson 5 on Motown Records enters the Billboard US Black Albums Chart where it will peak at #3 during a 29 week run 1975 - “Forever Came Today” is the last official single of the Jackson 5 released by Motown 1979 - Last concert of the first US leg of the Destiny World Tour at the War Memorial Auditorium (now Greensboro Coliseum) in Greensboro, North Carolina. Tour resumes in October 1993 - Michael makes an appearance at an afternoon rally at a middle school in Los Angeles to launch a new DARE programme called DAREPLUS (‘Play and Learn Under Supervision’) program for the school, an initiative educating children on the perils of substance abuse and gang membership Jackson was a member of the Board of Directors of DARE (‘Drug Abuse Resistance Education’) and he was presented with a t-shirt for which he said: “Thank you very much. I love you all. Thank you.” All members of the 'Challengers Boys & Girls Club' were invited to Neverland 1993 - Michael announces that "HTW"s total earnings of $1.25 million, along with his entire Super Bowl XXVII proceeds from that year will be funneled to "Heal L.A.", for the children having suffered from the Los Angeles’ riots at the time. The Big Brothers of Los Angeles give Jackson a rocking chair made by a woman who made them for President Kennedy and the Pope. Another group of children visiting the ranch get a sneak peak preview of Tom & Jerry: The Movie. The film wasn't scheduled to begin running in theaters until July 30th, but Michael received an advance copy from Joseph Barbera. 1997 - Michael plays the second of two nights at the Amsterdam Arena (now Johan Cruyff Arena) in Amsterdam,Netherlands , to an audience of 50.000. 1999 - Michael is in Paris, France. He stayed one day at Le Crillon hotel as he shopped around the town on his brief stop there for business related meetings 1999 - It is reported that the opening of the first 'Michael Jackson Dance Studio' (formerly announced as the 'Michael Jackson Entertainment School') happened in Tokyo. Michael couldn't attend the inauguration of the school but planned on going soon. 2002 - Michael Jackson arrives in London and checks in the Marriott Renaissance Hotel. 2003 - Michael finally gives his deposition in Indianapolis before going to Merville, Indiana Last month, Jackson he fell ill and was hospitalized before he could be deposed in a lawsuit filed by Gordon Keith (who signed the Jackson 5 to his Gary, Indiana-based Steeltown Records in 1967) and musician Elvy Woodard. The men claim that the Jackson 5 used the name of another Gary band and two of their songs without license. Jackson’s attorney, Bob Meyer, says the suit has no merit, noting that Michael was only 9 years old at the time. The deposition took place at a hotel from 11:21 a.m. to 5:10 p.m “Michael was extremely comfortable today,” he said. “He really surprised me.” Meanwhile, an attorney for the plaintiffs, Norman Reed, described Jackson’s deportment as “jovial,” though he went on to say that Jackson couldn’t answer every question because certain events in question occurred more than three decades ago Later in the evening, Michael was the main attraction at the Circle Center Mall in Indianapolis, as he tried to make his way through the crowds with his entourage to get a little personal shopping done at Brookstone, while also being followed by a mob of fans. https://preview.redd.it/sp4svpszu75b1.jpg?width=592&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d1b1056d939e4aa7bf9e3024ce83f8f231301dcb https://preview.redd.it/serywml0v75b1.jpg?width=592&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c53017f317ede1af988bb0d1d9749de552c1bdd6 https://preview.redd.it/1ndy87z2v75b1.jpg?width=592&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=66a48a5731167222b122a03a92b27b1b933ed1de Michael hires Charles Koppleman as his new business adviser. 2004 - Ray Charles passes away and Michael issues a statement: "I am saddened to hear of the death of my friend, Ray Charles. He was a true legend...an American Treasure. His music is timeless; his contributions to the music industry...unequaled; and his influence, unparalleled. His caring and humility spoke volumes. He paved the way for so many of us, and I will forever remember him in my heart." 2005 - Jury Deliberations Day 6 Jurors in the trial will be back again on Monday after ending their first full week of deliberations without reaching a verdict The jurors asked a number of questions today and also requested to have some testimony read back to them. Judge Melville held at least three meetings with attorneys from each side Legal experts say the lengthy and complex instructions issued by the Judge may be responsible for the extended deliberations. "This is a huge, huge celebrity trial, so you can bet that they're going to want to read those jury instructions pretty carefully," said Donna Shestowsky, a law professor at the University of California. Shari Seidman Diamond, a law professor at Northwestern University, agreed: "Running through these instructions is the use of words that are real words in everyday life that have different legal meanings." She said that terms such as "attempt," "reasonable" and "conspiracy" have specific meaning in criminal law and "we know that makes instructions harder to deal with." Diamond said that judges could make jury instructions more palatable but rarely did so as they were more concerned with making sure the instructions were unflawed and would not lead to a reversal on appeal. Peter Tiersma, a member of the California Judicial Council's task force on criminal jury instructions, said it was easier for a judge to simply copy the text of a legal opinion or of a statute in the instructions. He said that no matter how dense or incomprehensible the instructions were, "if you changed it, you risked getting it wrong." As an example, Diamond pointed out that the explanation of 'reasonable doubt' was buried on page 45 of the instructions, which offered little explanation of why jurors should ignore certain pieces of evidence. https://preview.redd.it/g4pfd1hyu75b1.jpg?width=612&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6a542f1df50e258fd78dde3779f904c1b4941bbb About 2,200 journalists received press credentials to cover the Michael Jackson trial, more than the O.J. Simpson and Scott Peterson trials combined. Major TV networks have committed dozens of staff members and some news organizations have even installed land lines, fearing that the explosion of phone calls following a verdict could jam the region's cell phone networks. Reporters from every continent except Antarctica are covering the story, a reminder that Michael's popularity remains intense outside the US. News organizations from more than 30 countries were represented "The appetite for Michael Jackson is insatiable," said Graeme Massie, who has covered the trial for Splash, a British news agency. "In the U.S., people may believe that Jackson's star has fallen, but in Europe it still shines brightly." The case is being closely watched in Japan where they are thinking of moving to a jury system. "People in Japan are interested in the King of Pop, but they also want to know how the jury will treat celebrities," said Wataru Ezaki, who works for a Japanese news organization in Southern California. "They want to see if jurors can be fair. It's a very unique case." Deliberations will resume Monday morning at 8:30 a.m. 2009 - AllGood Entertainment Inc. filed a $40 million lawsuit against Michael claiming breach of contract and fraud in an attempt to stop Jackson from performing in London. The New Jersey-based company filed the suit in federal court in New York stating that it signed a deal with Jackson's manager, Frank DiLeo for a pay per view reunion concert with the other Jackson siblings 2013 - Jackson v AEG Trial Day 26 Katherine Jackson was at court for the morning session Randy Phillips Testimony Jackson direct Panish showed a June 20th email from Tim Leiweke (CEO of AEG) to Dan Beckerman (CFO/COO of AEG) in which Beckerman described Phillips as jittery: "Trouble with Michael. Big trouble." Beckerman responded: "I figured something might be wrong given how jittery Randy has been this week. Is it "pre-show nerves" bad or "get a straight jacket/call our insurance carrier" bad?" Phillips said he was not jittery, but concerned with the show. Jittery meaning shaking and he said he doesn't think that's how he was. Phillips said Dr. Murray receiving $150k per month being the cause of Michael's sickness in June of 2009 never crossed his mind Phillips said he did not recall what was discussed in a phone conversation with Murray. In his video deposition that was shown to the jury, Phillips first said the conversation lasted three minutes. He was shown phone records that showed it lasted 25 minutes. Phone records show Phillips had a 25 minute phone call with Conrad Murray after Kenny Ortega's emails on June 20, 2009. Phillips said he didn't think the call lasted that long, doesn't recall what they talked about. "It's very possible I might have even read him these emails," Phillips testified, referring to the "Trouble at the Front" chain. "I would not have discussed his health other than what it was in the content of the emails" Phillips said everyone in the This Is It production got a list with everyone's phone numbers. He doesn't know how Dr. Murray got the list. Phillips was asking about how Conrad Murray got his home phone number. He initially said it might have been on a list given to tour personnel. Phillips then said that Murray may have gotten it from Jackson's former manager, Frank Dileo. Phillips testified that Dr. Murray called his home number. Panish showed picture of the business card Phillips gave Dr. Murray with his cell number on the back. The card was found in the doctor's car. Panish then asked Phillips about an email he sent director Kenny Ortega, telling him Murray was "unbiased and ethical", the email serves as Phillips' best recollection of his conversation with Dr. Murray. This morning, Panish frequently asked Randy Phillips whether he was truthful with Ortega. Panish: "Did you make that up and lie to Mr. Ortega?" Phillips: "No, I don't lie" Panish talked about email Phillips wrote to Ortega on Jun 20: "Kenny, it's critical that neither you, me or anyone else around this show become amateur psychiatrist or physicians. I had a lengthy conversation with Dr. Murray, who I'm gaining immense respect for as I get to deal with him more. He said that Michael is not only physically equipped to perform and, that discouraging him to, will hasten his decline instead of stopping it. Dr. Murray also reiterated that he's mentally able to and was speaking to me from the house where he has spent the morning with Michael. This doctor is extremely successful (we check everyone out) and does not need this gig so he is totally unbiased and ethical. It is critical we surround Michael with love and support and listen to how he wants to get ready for July 13th... You cannot imagine the harm and ramifications of stopping this show now. It would far outweigh "calling this game in the 7th inning". I'm not just talking about AEG's interests here, but the myriad of stuff/lawsuits swirling around Michael that I crisis manage every day and also his well-being. I am meeting with him today at 4p at the Forum. Please stay steady. Enough alarms have sounded. It is time to out out the fire, not burning the building down. Sorry for all the analogies. Randy" Phillips said he thought Dr. Murray was extremely successful based on the clinics he had and business he would've to close to go on tour. Phillips: "It was an assumption I made" Panish: "And that was not true, correct?" Phillips: "In retrospect, that's correct" As to the "we check everyone out" reference in the email, Panish asked if that was a true statement or untrue. Phillips: "It's not, it's hard to say yes or no on that. It is not true because everyone would imply everyone" Panish: "'We check everyone out'" is a false statement you wrote to Mr. Ortega, correct?" Phillips: "In retrospect, yes" Panish asked about the reference "he doesn't need the gig". "I made another assumption based on the information I had," Phillips explained, "I didn't have any basis to say he was unbiased and ethical" Panish used the email to try to show that 3 people _ Ortega, Murray and John Hougdahl _ were warning Phillips about Jackson's health. Phillips said Murray didn't agree with the assessments of Michael's health by Ortega and Hougdahl (the tour production manager). After multiple questions, Phillips said many of the statements in the email about Murray weren't true. Those statements included that AEG Live checked everyone out, and that Murray was an accomplished doctor who was unbiased and ethical. "At the time, I thought it was the truth", Phillips said of the above statements Phillips testified he wrote email to Sony exec asking her to remind him to tell her where Dr Murray was the night he was to be caring for Michael. Judge only allowed plaintiffs' attorney to say it was a social establishment, but the place was a strip club Panish then asked Phillips about the suggestion that Jackson needed a psychiatrist. Phillips confirmed what he said last week -- he never consulted a psychiatrist. He said today it wouldn't have been appropriate. As to having a mental health professional, "no one brought a psychiatrist," Phillips said, "because Michael didn't need one" Phillips testified he had conflicting information coming from Dr. Murray and Kenny Ortega regarding Michael. Panish pressed Phillips about the fact that he sent completely opposite emails to Ortega and AEG high ups. "It was because they were sent for different purposes," Phillips explained. Of the statements to Ortega, Phillips told the jury: "I just wanted to calm things down until we had this meeting" Before the morning break, Panish showed some of the emails he showed Phillips last week. Panish only had his copy, which had notes on it. Panish gave Phillips his annotated version of the email, but Phillips refused to look at them. Flipped them over so he couldn't see them. "I don't want to help you with your case", Phillips said of reviewing Panish's annotated copies of the emails. That brought some laughter. Phillips was ultimately given a clean copy of the emails, provided by his defense lawyers. Phillips said he remembers the meeting on June 20th lasted at least an hour. Dr. Murray and Phillips were sitting on one couch, Michael was on a bench and Ortega on another couch. In his deposition, Phillips said Ortega talked about Michael's physical and mental status. On the stand today, Phillips explained Ortega did very little talking in the meeting. "He addressed Michael coming to rehearsals. I do not believe he talked about Michael's physical condition and mental state. Dr. Murray did most of the talking," Phillips testified. Panish pressured Phillips about him changing the testimony. "My memory is getting better about the events of four years ago," Phillips said. "The purpose of the meeting was to find out what was happening with Michael because of the events on the 19th" Panish: "Did Mr. Ortega say he was concerned Michael was not getting enough sleep?" Phillips: "I don't remember if he asked that question. I know he asked about the food, but I'm not sure if he asked about the sleep" Panish: "Dr. Murray contradicted what Ortega said in the email, correct, sir?" Phillips: "Yes, Dr. Murray, said there wasn't anything wrong with Michael. Michael said there wasn't anything wrong with Michael. I don't know if there was a mental problem" Without getting into details, Phillips said Ortega and Murray "were a little combative" at the meeting. Phillips said Murray reassured everyone that Jackson's health was fine. He said Jackson also assured them nothing was wrong with him. He said Murray told the group that Jackson may have had the flu, or some similar ailment. He said Jackson's health was discussed. Phillips said he couldn't recall whether Jackson's sleep issues were discussed. A portion of Randy Phillips' deposition was played in which he said sleep issues were discussed at the June 20, 2009 meeting The meeting happened in the afternoon, Phillips said. Panish asked if Michael was shaking in that meeting. Phillips said "No, not at all" A vase was broken in one of the production meetings, Phillips explained. He said Frank Dileo, Paul Gongaware & himself were present. Phillips said he doesn't know who broke the vase, but he thinks it may have been Frank DiLeo. Phillips denied a vase was broken during the June 20th meeting at Michael's house. Panish: "Did you have a meeting with Michael where you threatened to pull the plug and take everything he had?" Phillips: "No" Panish: "Did you tell him he would lose everything, including his children, if the show didn't happen?" Phillips:"That's ridiculous, no" Phillips said Michael was a phenomenal father & denied ever saying to anyone at the meeting that Michael was on skid row or going to become homeless. Panish: "Did you ever tell Michael you were paying for his toilet paper?" Phillips: "No" Phillips denied that Murray said during the June 20th meeting that he "couldn't take it anymore." Phillips denied that Murray's contract was discussed at the meeting, saying that would have been inappropriate. Phillips was also again asked about emails a couple of AEG executives (former CEO Tim Leiweke and Dan Beckerman) traded about him. The email described Randy Phillips as jittery, and alluded to either him or Jackson having a "mental breakdown." Phillips denied he was having a mental breakdown, and said he didn't want to put words in the other executives' mouths. In the deposition played to the jury, Tim Leiweke said the reference to "mental breakdown" in the email could've been to Randy Phillips not Michael. Panish played depo of Dan Beckerman, in which he said he didn't recall what prompted him to say Phillips was jittery. Panish: "Did you think that Michael needed a straight jacket?" Phillips: "It was a generic comment" Phillips said it was a question of "stage fright and the show will go on" or "I can't do this let's cancel" scenario. Panish: "Do you think Michael needed a straight jacket?" Phillips: "No, I don't think Michael needed a straight jacket" Regarding the straight jacket email, Phillips said the way he read it he can't tell if it was referring to him or Michael. Panish pointed out that insurance was only if Michael had a break down, not Phillips. Thus, the email must've referred to Michael Questioning then moved back to the June 20th meeting, with Phillips describing Murray as "demonstrative" toward director Kenny Ortega. Phillips said Murray's message to Ortega was essentially "stay in your lane" and not to interfere with medical issues. "The meeting got a little bit heated when Dr. Murray was admonishing Kenny," Phillips recalled, but said hostile is too harsh of a word. Phillips said lack of sleep was discussed in the June 20th meeting, but wasn't the main focus. Phillips said the reason of the meeting was to find out what happened in the night before, what was the issue and also Michael missing rehearsals. Phillips said Michael had the best two rehearsals after the June 20th meeting. "Kenny told Michael to take the next two days off, spend some time with the kids," Phillips testified. Phillips was then asked about emails he sent to Leiweke, others, about the results of the June 20th meeting at Jackson's house. This was after Jackson's attorney, John Branca, earlier in the day had suggested a counselor to work with Jackson. Phillips email: "Anyway, things are not as bleak as Kenny's emails. John, now is not the right time to introduce a new person into his life" After this email is when Phillips made the "badgering" comment to Panish that prompted Judge Palazuelos' admonition to him. Suddenly, judge decides to take a break at 2:24 pm and sends the jury out of the courtroom. Outside the presence of the jurors, judge admonished Phillips for not answering the questions asked. "Mr. Phillips you need to answer questions," said Judge Yvette Palazuelos, frustrated. "Lawyers are trying to getting the answers." Judge told Phillips that arguing with the lawyers isn't really going to help his case, it will just lengthen his testimony. She noted his testimony is taking much longer than expected, and at this pace he will be here for another week. Phillips told the judge he's just trying not to say the wrong things or be caught in tricky questions. Judge: "It seems like they are pretty straight forward questions, but when you offer info, it may not be good for you" AEG's attorney Jessica Bina defends Phillips saying the questions are compound, but that she believes he's trying to answer the questions. Panish said he wants to finish today, that he hasn't argued with the witness or judge. "I really tried hard, for me, it's hard!" Panish said. Phillips said he understood and wants to go back to work as well. Promised to be better. Phillips said the email he wrote saying "this guy is trying to concern me" was referring to Kenny Ortega. "I had two concerns: wanted Kenny to be open minded until the meeting and I didn't want Kenny to quit," Phillips explained. At this point they were about $30 million plus in advance, Panish said. Phillips said it was about $28 million, which was a lot of money. Email on 3/13/09 from Leiweke to Phillips: "Phil (Anschutz) can be such a paranoid scrooge. He thinks he's smarter than everyone" After a break and admonition, Phillips testified about some of his concerns surrounding the show.He said he was concerned about Ortega. Phillips said he was concerned that Ortega as getting into an "entrenched position" regarding Jackson's health and rehearsals. Phillips: "I was also quite concerned that Kenny would throw up his hands in the air and quit." The CEO was talking directly to the jury. Phillips said again that his concern with Ortega was that he wasn't going into the meeting with an open mind and that he was going to quit. Panish played Phillips deposition where he said he didn't remember what he was concerned about regarding Ortega. "I think my answer today is clarification," Phillips said, adding he did not change his testimony. Panish questioned whether his description was something he "just remembered right now." Phillips responded, "I'm remembering a lot of things now." Panish shot back that Phillips hadn't remembered many things during his deposition. In his depo, played to the jury, Phillips said there were no discussions on June 20th about Michael taking a couple of days off. However, in court today, Phillips testified Ortega suggested that he take two days off After the June 20th meeting, Jackson took two days off and resumed rehearsals. At that point, Phillips began working out of Staples Center. Phillips said one of the changes to come out of the June 20th meeting was that he would be at Staples, looking in on rehearsals. Phillips was also shown an email from his assistant, looking for a physical therapist for Jackson on June 22, 2009 At this point, Phillips was asked about Arnold Klein. He was shown a June 23rd email from Jackson's business manager Michael Kane. Kane: "On the list of doctors that will help get (us) from today to the opening night, where does Arnold Klein stand on the list?" Phillips responded about Klein: "He scares us to death because he is shooting him up with something" Kane responded: "Well since we owe him $48k and he wants payment maybe I should stop paying him and he'll stop shooting him up. I have the details of what he is doing" Phillips told jurors the email was a response to a $48,000 bill that Jackson's manager received for the treatments by Dr. Arnold Klein. The treatments included numerous shots of cosmetic drugs such as Restalyne and botox, as well as other unidentified intramuscular shots, Phillips said, citing the bill. Phillips said he maintains his position that he didn't know what, if anything, any doctor was giving Michael. Phillips was asked about Jackson's rehearsals on June 23 and 24. He said he couldn't remember which songs were performed which day. Phillips said he watched them in its entirety, which lasted about 3 hours. He said Michael was engaged about an hour and a half to two hours. Panish: "Michael never did the whole show, did he, sir?" Phillips: "No, he wouldn't have, they were not ready for that" Panish: "Was Michael cold on the 23rd?" Phillips: "I don't remember" Panish: "Did you ever see Michael walking around in blankets?" Phillips: "It's possible, because the place was freezing. But I don't remember" On 6/25/09 the insurance broker wrote to Dr. Murray at 12:54:15 pm, probably London time (approximately 5am LA time): " We are dealing with a matter of great importance and your urgent attention would be greatly appreciated" The email talked about getting Michael's medical records. Phillips said he learned from the media that Dr. Murray had been treating Michael since 2006. Panish: "This is Dr. Murray doing something to help AEG get insurance, fair enough?" Phillips: "Fair enough" On 8/18/09 Phillips wrote email to Michael Roth: "I think I know what Michael died of and this would exonerate Conrad" Lionel Richie's ex-wife Brenda called Philips and said Michael died of a combination of other drugs and Propofol. Phillips said he never told police, the DA or Dr. Murray's attorneys about it because he thought the info was not reliable. Panish: "Did you want Dr. Murray to get exonerated?" Phillips: "I'd always want an innocent man not to get convicted" Panish played video of Phillips' deposition where he said he didn't remember what the information was but his memory has been refreshed Judge then adjourned session for the day. Trial resumes tomorrow morning. Panish said he has one more hour of questioning. The attorneys estimated Phillips will be done testifying by Wednesday afternoon Court Transcript submitted by FelicitySmoak_ to MichaelJackson [link] [comments] |
2023.06.10 17:53 helenalena [Subreddit status update] The aftermath of u/spez's AMA, reddit's and r/NBASpurs plans for the foreseeable future
First of all, thanks for being patient with us. Our decision to shut the subreddit down for 48 hours was positively received (93% upvoted) by the community save for a couple of redditors. I've devoted a good chunk of my time to write this update to keep you informed before shite goes down, so I hope you'll read this post in its entirety.
How the AMA went
Steve Huffman or spez is reddit's current CEO and he held a disasterclass of an AMA yesterday. He ignored the users' most popular and upvoted concerns and cherry-picked from the lot, answering a whopping total of 14 questions.
He slandered Apollo's developer yet again, claiming Christian was two-faced with his communication privately and publicly but could not come up with any evidence. Steve then proceeded to
lie about working with other third-party app developers when in truth,
they were repeatedly IGNORED, like robocalls and Nigerian princes.
He also inadvertently revealed he was using canned responses, forgetting to remove the "A:" prepend after replying to a blind user... only to edit it afterwards. However! Make no mistake, this is a huge improvement over editing other users' comments by modifying their database entries. We all start somewhere :')
The AMA promised a whole lot of nothing that isn't immediately available to any of us, and the plan to charge outrageous prices for API access is running full steam ahead, like the Spurs' race for seis.
NBASpurs moderation, bots and you
With their API pricing model, this subreddit's game and post-game thread bot will be affected, particularly the box scores.
The free tier allows 100 or 10 queries per minute depending on authentication access. The bot is used by half of existing team subreddits to my knowledge, but might be decommissioned or heavily modified to stay within the free tier limits. Reducing the API call rate will render the feature useless as box scores in essence, provide real-time data, else they don't offer any substantial value to anyone.
Quoting the post Steve wrote, developers can contact reddit through a support ticket if their bots require access to the Data API above the free limits, but bigger developers have been ignored for months and months on end, so it doesn't exactly inspire confidence that they will get a free upgrade to a different tier. If push comes to shove, we'll replace it with another bot that creates game threads only, sans any other details.
Other bots that I'm currently developing will not be affected by the API pricing changes, but I'm on the fence whether it's worth it at this stage. I'm seriously thinking about quitting after the 30th. I know I just returned to publicly moderating this community, but this is not the reddit I've grown up and fell in love with. I'm 31 and I've been here since I was 15. I've seen how the site's quality went down year after year. By the time the IPO comes around, reddit will just be like any other social media website. And that's a damn shame.
u/SquandasNutCheese is also undecided at this point, and may leave if things go terribly awry.
There's also a possibility that Reddit admins might step in, remove the active mod team and replace it with users who align more with their interests. That being said, I can promise another WFSN surprise if they walk back on the changes, so you better support this protest because you're in for a real treat.
How you can support the protest better, by order of magnitude/effectiveness
- Cancel Reddit premium, even if you've never paid for it, as a big fuck you to the establishment.
- Stay off Reddit by blocking *.reddit.com from your router, VPN, firewall or browser. You can also set up apps like Forest to keep you off it for a set amount of time. Be productive in real life. Meet new people through Bumble BFF, Meetup, Tinder, Hinge, Grindr, Raya, Ashley Madison... The world is your oyster.
- Uninstall the official Reddit app on Android or iOS. Your storage space is running low, I heard. Give it the App/Play Store rating it deserves, which is a rotten egg.
- Uninstall all third-party apps. Remember them teats covered with basketball stickers? Pepperidge Farm remembers.
If you can't help but visit reddit during the blackout because doomscrolling is your favourite pastime and you're maidenless - Do not post, comment on or upvote/downvote Reddit posts. I hear it can cause eye cancer. And cancer, is straight up a bloody turrible time.
- Install any of the third-party apps like Apollo, RIF, Sync, Boost, Relay and others. Discover what superior reddit browsing experience is like and lament the loss of a great product after the 30th.
- Browse old.reddit.com with ad-blocking software like uBlock Origin turned on. Nostalgia brings frisson. And frisson... makes you orgasm. I have the science to prove it.
Elsewhere on reddit
- AskHistorians has a very good bit on API access which I reckon is mandatory reading. It goes into detail how admins have promised minimal disruption; moderation support but did not or could not follow up on, and at times even reneged on. They all know how to dance the moonwalk, alright.
- u/Dall0o created Reddark to show the status of all subreddits who committed to the blackout. I suggest you bookmark it so you can watch them shutter without visiting Reddit. It's like watching the US vote for either Biden or Trump, but spicier because the internet does spicy best.
- 160/3588 subreddits have gone dark already as of writing, notably TIHI and wellthatsucks. TropicalWeather has decided to shut down indefinitely and will be a Discord-only community from here on. Huge communities such as music will follow suit, as well as videos, and the list is growing by the hour. Strength in numbers! Sincerely, Warriors fans.
Note: We're still sticking to the original schedule to avoid painting a target on our backs, plus coordination will result to an extremely sharp drop of reddit traffic instead of a sloping/downward trending curve. Making a statement, you know the works.
Outside reddit
- The Verge is covering the blackout period here, because we're the frontpage of the internet, baby!
- As we've been advertising since the beginning of time, the discord server will be up and running until a massive EMP disables all of Earth's internet infrastructure: http://discord.gg/NBASpurs
- Here's my Twitter list that aggregates all tweets from official channels, Spurs players and former ones, coaches, prolific beat writers and other reputable sources, with the exception of Jabari Young and Uncle Dennis. I included Kawhi in case the Moriah Mills of his life pops up and spills the secrets of the universe. And how can I forget our favourite Spur, **** *****!
- A list of podcasts to lend your ears to. Remember, I never said they were any good or up-to-date.
- RSS feeds for Spurs fans 40 years old and above. How's them knees and back?
I want to delete my account. I have had it with these mother-fucking snakes on this mother-fucking plane!
- Request and save your data first by submitting a GDPR or CCPA request. Prepare for an absolute cringefest as you walk through memory lane.
- Delete your post history using Redact or Power Delete Suite so the FBI doesn't come knocking on your door.
- Delete your account. If I learn you've returned using a different username... I see you Math Pro. I know you still want to be my husband, but girl's in a relationship with an American-Japanese guy called Hitachi. Nicole is also spoken for. Sorry, bud, but not sorry.
The future of the subreddit
We don't have any recommendations for a reddit alternative yet as we haven't tested any of moderators and users proffered (Lemmy, Mastodon, kbin social), but let us know if it interests you. You can also browse
RedditAlternatives only to
find out that admins banned one of the newly established subreddits detailing how to move to kbin. Shocking development, amirite?
Finally, you can vote to extend the blackout or re-open the subreddit through
Strawpoll. All moderators prefer to the idea of extending the blackout until the Mod Council, third-party developers and reddit come to an agreement that will be honoured to a T, but this community belongs to everyone who's participated in it, old or new. I'm counting on you to vote WISELY.
Go Spurs Go! Por Vida!
With love, xx, till the butter flies
submitted by
helenalena to
NBASpurs [link] [comments]
2023.06.10 17:25 headshotony Defining a sequence of indices to distribute an integer E accross N elements
I'm looking at a problem where we have an excess E (an integer >= 1) which has to be distributed accross N elements (integer >= 1).
We want to find all the index solutions on how to distribute this excess over the N elements such that for two different index solutions, the excess attributed to each element is different.
For example, for E=2 and N=3, one possible solution is [1, 1], i.e., distribute all the excess to element with index 1.Another possible solution is [1, 2], distribute one half of the excess to element with index 1 and the other half to element with index 2.Another solution is [2, 1], however, this solution is equivalent to [1, 2] since both elements 1 and 2 get one half of the excess each, similarly to what we've seen with [2, 1].So, an unique set of solutions for E=2 and N=3 is: {[1,1]; [1,2]; [1,3]; [2,2]; [2,3]; [3,3]}. Note that this is not the only set of unique solutions, it's just one.
I want to define a sequence f(X, E, N) that given an integer (1<=X<=n_unique_solutions) returns the indices of the solution.So, taking the example of f(X=2, E=2, N=3), the function should return [1,2].
For E=2 the unique set of solutions corresponds to the indices of the upper triangular portion of an N by N matrix.For E=3 the unique set of solutions corresponds to the indices of a tetrahedron inside an N by N by N cube which connects 3 vertices in the same face to a vertex in the opposite face.For E=3 I find the indices by building this cube and masking the tetrahedron (code in PyTorch):
import torch def idxs_3(N): triu = torch.triu(torch.ones((N, N))) # N, N mask = ( triu[:, :, None] * # N, N, 1 triu[:, None, :] * # N, 1, N triu[None,:, :] # 1, N, N ) # N, N, N idxs = torch.where(mask == 1)
There are two issues with this "geometric" approach: I don't know how to extend it to E>3, and the memory required grows exponentially with E.
So I wanted to try an arithmetic approach. If we layout the unique set of solutions produced by this approach for E=3 and N=4, a clear pattern can be observed
1: [1, 1, 1] 2: [1, 1, 2] 3: [1, 1, 3] 4: [1, 1, 4] 5: [1, 2, 2] 6: [1, 2, 3] 7: [1, 2, 4] 8: [1, 3, 3] 9: [1, 3, 4] 10: [1, 4, 4] 11: [2, 2, 2] 12: [2, 2, 3] 13: [2, 2, 4] 14: [2, 3, 3] 15: [2, 3, 4] 16: [2, 4, 4] 17: [3, 3, 3] 18: [3, 3, 4] 19: [3, 4, 4] 20: [4, 4, 4]
The first index varies slower, whereas the last index varies faster. The repeating pattern in the last index made me think of the modulus operator. But here is almost as if the period decreases over "iterations" first is mod4, then mod3, then mod2 and so on.
I tried playing around with this but couldn't reach a formula for any of indices. Has anyone seen something like this and can give a hint what to look into? Or can anyone extend the geometrical approach to E>3? Any help would be much appreciated, thank you!
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2023.06.10 17:25 Seamoose_Art Wasteland (Fallout x NoP)
Heads up! This story is both unpolished and unfinished, and posted here only for the sake of not letting my work go entirely to waste. If you want to continue the story yourself, feel free to do so.
Credit for
The Nature of Predators goes to
u/spacepaladin15.
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Memory Transcription Subject: Rania, Gojid Civilian
Date [Standardized Human Time]: Error 560 (estimated date: September, 2136)
At first, we assumed it to be an Arxur weapon, but we had plenty of time to get a more detailed look at the object intersecting our FTL trajectory. A mass of energy, far more than a star could emit, yet giving off no light. Gravitational pull was intense, but completely wrong for a black hole. Maybe the remains of a massive warp core accident? Whatever it was, it was directly in our path.
We had ample time before our collision, and nothing we could do. Our course was set, and escape vessels couldn’t be launched during an FTL jump. All that was left was to wait, and pray for a mercifully quick death that we all knew was unlikely. We built our starships to withstand direct assault from Arxur warships. Our deaths would be both inevitable and slow.
I was away from the refugee’s quarters, on the bridge. I couldn’t bear to watch pups cry in terror, as their parents tried hopelessly to ease their fear. The bridge was only marginally better. Some of the crew were facing their imminent death with stoicism. Many were praying. Many were crying. I don’t remember what I was doing when it hit, but I was probably crying too.
Then… then…
Pain, agonizing and blinding pain. No screaming. No noise at all. Silence, darkness, death.
Movement. But I couldn’t possibly move myself. Was I carried?
My first coherent memories started taking shape next to a fire. I couldn’t see, but the warmth and crackling were unmistakable. I tried to move, only to find myself unmoving. Was I in the wreckage of the ship? I felt no pain. Was I already dead?
“Hey, look who’s finally back in the land of the living. Can you hear me?”
A human. The species that started this whole mess. That attacked our cradle, let the Arxur find an easy target. That taunted us with their “Evacuation” cattle roundups. The disgusting mockery of a voice washed over me, tainting my very soul.
That fire must be to roast my flesh. Does it want my fear, before it kills me? It won’t get a single goddamn word, not so much as a noise. “You… damn, he must still be out of it. Maybe another stimpak..?”
Cli-hsssss. A stabbing pain in my arm, followed by… relief? My arm twitched slightly, but I couldn’t manage anything more. A rushing sound filled my ears, overpowering the growl on my left until it bore me away to unconsciousness.
—
I woke up on a bed, staring at what must’ve been the ceiling, though all I could see was vague rust-brown shapes in the distance. My body still refused to move. And yet still, somehow, so little pain. Was my nervous system destroyed?
No. Hunger. Brutal, snarling hunger stabbed through my stomach like a dagger. I made a weak noise, remembered where I was, and rapidly forced silence.
If it knows I’m awake, it’ll torture me until it lets me die… “Oh! You— you’re awake again! Can you hear me?”
Don’t make a noise. It might lose interest. “...No. Dammit. It’s going to starve if it doesn’t fully wake up soon… I can’t afford all these meds for much longer anyway. I’ll just have to… leave this here for it. Maybe it’ll wake again while I’m out.”
And just like that, a rush of movement and it was gone.
It worked! I lived… I lived, just so I could starve…
By the graces of the protector. Food. I could smell food, just inches to my right.
Can I move to pick it up? Can I move my jaw to eat? Is it a trap? The human must be trying to fatten me up. Or maybe it didn’t leave at all, and is just waiting in the shadows to see if I take the bait. Or… maybe… Fuck it. I was already good as dead, I could at least die full. I tried moving my arm, but to no avail. My other arm was no better. Maybe I could move my head?
The world shifted around me, a nauseating whirl of muted colors. But that meant my head could move. I could move… the food was still just barely out of reach.
I can almost taste it… it’s so close to my nose… I let out a weak cry of frustration. I couldn’t help myself.
Did the human intend for this torture? The frustration became rage, filling my body like a white-hot star until I—
Trembling, my claw grasped the food. Rage and hunger animated my arm, pushing it forward. Whatever this was, it was soft. It smelled heavenly. I brought it up to my face. My vision was just recovered enough to make out its form; a strayu-like pillow drizzled with a sweet glaze. I tore into it like an animal, barely even tasting. I must not have eaten in days.
Gone in seconds, and the hunger was barely sated. But it was enough energy to force movement with. Slowly, unsteadily, I rose to a sitting position. The world threatened to shift away from under me, but I held, trying to get my bearings.
I’m in… some sort of shack. Bare, rusted sheet metal on the walls; clearly an improvised structure. Other than that oddity, the room was surprisingly normal. No blood dripping from cages, no hunting trophies on the walls. A torn up carpet, a beaten-up table and chair, some cabinets, all illuminated by soft rays of light pouring in from a window over the table. And right next to my little mattress…
is that more food? Some sort of orange vegetable. Like the sweet strayu, I ate without even tasting.
Much better. I was still starving, but only metaphorically. I could even move my other arm, though my legs were entirely numb and refused to cooperate no matter how much I pushed them. Could I escape by dragging my body with my arms?
No. I was still too weak. I had to count on the human fattening me up a bit more before I could make a break for it.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Memory Recovery Subject: Nathan Dunne, sole survivor of Vault 111
Date: December 13th, 2287
Just a hair to the right… and… Now. The interloper, a feral dog that had wandered onto the property, dropped without a sound.
I couldn’t afford to attract any attention, so I’d hastily slapped together a silencer for my pipe revolver. An old oil filter, just small enough to not obstruct the scope I’d hastily tied to the top. The gun looked ridiculous, but it got the job done silently. If I attracted any visitors, my alien guest was as good as dead. Nearly a week after finding it, and it still wasn’t waking up consistently.
Now’s not the time for thought. Focus. Now. The second dog also dropped. The alpha of the pack still hadn’t noticed anything, a miracle. I lined up one last shot… pulled the trigger, and finally let myself breath. That was way too close. Every day without the fence finished was another day of silent stress.
Putting up a fence was easy enough, but putting up a fence QUIETLY was nightmarishly slow work, constantly punctuated by hiding from any would-be visitors. But these dogs had wandered onto the property without even seeing me. Could they smell the alien? I knew Dogmeat could track injuries from a far greater distance…
Fence should've been up yesterday. Back to work.
I’m running out of barbed wire. And screws. And boards. Can I afford another expedition? What if Dogmeat can’t defend him? Not a chance in hell I’m risking any other group learning about this… although Mama Murphy probably knows anyway, doesn’t she. Maybe the Minutemen can— No. I can’t risk it. I’ll have to improvise. Maybe I can set up a Tesla arc as defense and leave to raid Sunshine Tidings. Rusted metal sheets don’t make for the best walls, but better than nothing. The sun was still high, so I had some time if I hurried. As I began gathering supplies, a thought crossed my mind. A Tesla arc was better than nothing, and Dogmeat was formidable enough, but… surely if the alien was in serious danger, it could use some self defense. Those spikes weren’t gonna cut it. Maybe that bastard Kellogg’s old .44 would finally get some use?
I grabbed the .44 revolver, a spare arc trap I’d salvaged from Fort Hagan, and some tools. It would have to do. There was already power hooked up to the shack for heating, so wiring the—
The food’s gone. Dogmeat didn’t eat carrots, so I knew there was only one culprit. The alien must’ve woken up while I was working. It was back asleep now, but at least it got something down. It wouldn’t starve.
Thank god. …right. If it can wake up, this trap is probably more dangerous to it than any invader. I walked back over to the shed, stowed the Tesla arc and tools, and grabbed a handful of vegetables and a water canteen. If it could stomach food, it needed to start putting on weight now to make up for lost time. This would be a start, at least.
I set the food and water on the table (taking care not to break the digital chimera I’d already laid there), and the gun beside the bed. I knew it could reach to there, without a doubt. Maybe toss in a handful more bullets, too; it’s not like I’d ever be able to make myself use the damn thing. I gave one last glance at the alien curled up on a bare mattress before closing the door and setting out.
—
Memory Transcription Subject: Rania, Gojid Civilian
Date [Standardized Human Time]: Error 560 (estimated date: Unknown)
Help me. Kay-ut. Ki-ra. Protector. Anyone. It’s right there. When I heard the human coming, I faked sleep hoping it wouldn’t check. As seconds passed, that hope grew thinner and thinner. Clearly, it could see the food was gone. Not that it needed to figure anything out; it could probably see through my deception just looking at me.
Ki-yu, trickster; please, let this work. Let me live a moment longer. Noises all around me. Was it laying out torturous weaponry? Was it getting ready to gut me?
Protector. Please. I don’t want to die. The noise around me stopped. Had the gods heard my prayers? I dared not check; if the human was still there, and I so much as opened an eye, I was dead. But death failed to claim me, and more noises failed to appear, until I finally worked up the courage to take advantage of my blessing and open my eyes.
The human was gone. I was alive. One more look around the room, to make sure it hadn’t—
A gun. A human weapon, close enough to grab. And ammo… I knew humans were masters at trapping, at deceiving; such was their nature. I stared at the gun, trying to figure out what the trap was.
But I was tired, and hungry, and every sense told me that this wasn’t a trap, but a
loaded gun. An answer to my prayers for safety. I couldn’t hold myself back anymore. I picked it up. It felt solid and weighty in my hands, lending some sense of security to the otherwise hopeless situation. Emboldened, I tried to rise to my feet again.
If I grabbed some of the furniture and stood on my good leg, I could just about stay upright without pain. That would have to do for now. Maybe I could use something in this room as a crutch. A leg of the table might do nicely, if I could—
Food. More food, all over the table. A sprawl of alien vegetables, including that orange one I had earlier. A metal jug, probably filled with water. And…
is that a translator? Curiosity overpowered both my hunger and my fear. On closer inspection, it was indeed a translator, one of the older dedicated units. Wired into… some sort of metal armband with a green flickering screen. The craftsmanship was shoddy; some parts were literally held together with insulated tape. Still, it appeared to be powered on and functional.
If I wasn’t in so much danger… I’d love to get a better look at what the human did with this thing. To wire Federation tech directly into one of their devices, and make it work… My attention drifted back to the bounty laid out on the table before me. It could all be poisoned, but I’d already eaten the human’s food; what harm could it do to be full?
—
Sweeter than the orange one, but not as filling. Kind of mushy. Now no longer starving, I began to savor my meal slightly more. The green fruit was next, the one nearly the size of my skull. Upon breaking open the shell, it turned out to be pinkish red inside, and so juicy that I didn’t even need the water in the jug.
Bitter, but strangely satisfying. Next was a massive purple flower, which I could only guess was supposed to be food as well. The taste was unpleasant, but it felt bizarrely good to eat. Maybe a medicinal herb?
Why would the human give me a medicinal herb? I’d been circling around the question for some time now. Why the food? Why the gun? Why the lack of gutting? Even if those supposed “empathy tests” weren’t faked, our species were at war! Did it not know?
Well-fed prey made for better-tasting prey, but a gun did not feed. A translator did not feed. Did it really want to talk to me? I weighed my options.
Option 1: Run. Impossible to do in my current state. Even with a large head start, even with uninjured legs, humans were nothing if not persistent; my odds were not all too favorable. And where would I go, anyway?
Option 2: Hide. Impossible to do in any state. Humans were perceptive and cunning. Nothing short of divine protection would hide me. And again, where would I go afterwards?
Option 3: Fight. I had a loaded gun, but for all I knew it was only there to lure me into a false sense of security. And besides, did I really expect to outfight a predator?
Option 4: Talk. It wasn’t likely, but maybe the human would have some sympathy (or at least fake some sympathy to keep up appearances). I was already injured, and it hadn’t torn me apart already; it clearly had something else in mind. Maybe the translator was involved in its “Something else”?
I didn’t…
like that last option, but it seemed a hair better than shooting on sight when the human came back. Maybe I was forsaking the protection of the gods, forsaking my fellow Gojid. But none of the options were without risk, and I had to try something bold if I wanted to survive.
A noise from outside roused me from my thoughts.
It’s coming. Time to make your choice.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Memory Recovery Subject: Nathan Dunne, sole survivor of Vault 111
Date: December 13th, 2287
Halfway through the outbound trip, I realized I’d forgotten my pip-boy at camp. I’d taken both off, while working on wiring in that translator to the spare one from Vault 81. Having no way of assessing potential injuries simply would not do.
Halfway through the return trip, I realized I’d brought Dogmeat with me instead of leaving him to guard. I managed to make myself move a little faster. That .44 was no guarantee of safety, not if the alien simply couldn’t get up.
Once back, I could at least be sure that nothing happened. No blue blood seeping through the shack’s foundation. I grabbed the pip-boy, ordered Dogmeat to patrol, and prepared to leave before the daylight faded.
That’s a bit cold, isn’t it? Leaving without even checking on your guest? I was leaving so I could build a fence for its protection, but… a quick check couldn’t hurt. Just to make sure nothing happened, right? Yeah. Sure. I had the time. Though maybe barging straight in wasn’t the brightest idea, not when I had just given it a revolver.
I knocked twice, and tried to lower my voice to a more soothing register. I had no idea if my hacked-together translator abomination would work, so tone was key. Before I could even speak, I heard a wild scrambling from the inside.
“Don’t— please don’t k-kill me, human, I’ll… I’ll do anything.”
…I guess I should be glad the translator worked? What the hell was that? “I’m not gonna hurt you. I promise. Is it OK with you if I come inside?”
“I… Y-Yes.”
I gave Dogmeat a strong look to stay back, and cracked open the door. The terrified sniveling over the translator couldn’t have prepared me for what met my gaze.
A few weeks ago, I’d heard a heart-wrenching noise while poking around the edge of the glowing sea; a lone radstag doe, torn literally in half by a deathclaw. The beast was scared off by an approaching Vertibird, leaving the doe to wail helplessly until I put it out of its misery.
I had nothing else I could compare the alien to. It was shaking like an aspen leaf, eyes screwed shut and body curled up against the wall. The gun was still technically in its hand (claw?), but pointed at nothing. Just looking at the thing made me feel helpless.
But I brought it back from the brink of death. Soothing terror would surely be easier than saving its life.
—
Memory Transcription Subject: Rania, Gojid Civilian
Date [Standardized Human Time]: Error 560 (estimated date: Unknown)
Protector. Please, give me strength. It’s… It’s going to… No. It just wants to talk. Rania, get a hold of yourself. I cracked open an eye. Tears largely blinded me from the horrifying details of the predator, but the human still towered over me, casting an engulfing shadow over my weakened form. It was all I could do to not further embarrass myself with incoherent pleading.
It seemed to take notice of my fear, crouching down to roughly eye level.
“You’re OK. I’m not going to hurt you, no matter what. What’s your name?”
“R-Rania.” I forced another eye open. The human had moved itself to a chair. Soft daylight illuminated a pair of forward-facing eyes, but no predatory scowl. It had an expression which could be mistaken for solemn sympathy on another species. But it had no reason not to be sincere. There was no other audience, nor anything I could do to escape. Could it really be concerned?
“Rania. My name is Nate. Can you tell me… what you are?”
“Just Nate? I— I thought humans had two names.”
“Oh, uhh… Nathan Dunne. I just go by Nate.”
I noticed a distinct look of confusion engulf the human’s face. Actually, I started to notice a lot of things. It wasn’t just the building and translator that were so clearly improvised. It— Nate’s armor was clearly not standard-issue anything. Nor the weapon on his side, some sort of pistol made seemingly from scrap.
He didn’t look like a UN soldier, nor a civilian of any type. And… just now… did he ask
what I was? How could he not know?
“I’m a… I’m a G—Gojid. Does that mean anything to you?”
He shook his head, which even I knew was a human gesture for no. “Not as such. I might need to work out some issues with the translator, though, so don't count on it meaning—”
“The Federation? The cradle? Venlil? Arxur? UN?”
A bizarre shudder passed through Nate. “I know about the UN, though I can’t imagine how they’re relevant now… and no to the rest.”
“I can’t imagine how they’re relevant”!? What the hell could that mean? “What— what does the UN mean to you?”
Again, that shudder, like a shadow cast over his soul. “They were a global group, trying to keep international peace. When the first Resource wars sparked… they collapsed like a house of cards. 2052. I was 12. After that, it…” he trailed off, before forcing himself to speak. “It all went to hell. As you can see.”
I couldn’t speak for shock. Predators were deceitful by their nature, yet I knew in my heart his words were sincere. It was plain as day, etched across his face. And if so…
What the hell? What the hell!? What was any of that? “As you can see? What do you mean?”
“Can you walk?”
Should I reveal my weakness? I don’t see any way he couldn’t notice my condition by now, so maybe I can get some sympathy for it? “I… no, I don’t think so…”
“Then I can carry you outside. If you want, I mean. You’ll see what I meant by ‘went to hell’ real quickly.”
He’d have to… oh Protector, if he chose to carry me to slaughter, there’d be nothing I could do. But by this point, my fear was starting to wear thin from weariness. Curiosity was slowly taking the upper hand.
“S-show me.”
And just like that, the world moved out from under me. Instinctively, I grasped the human’s artificial pelt like a pup clinging to its mother. Light flooded my still tearstained eyes. I blinked them clear, and looked out on the world.
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Memory Transcription Subject: Rania, Gojid Civilian
Date [Standardized Human Time]: Error 560 (estimated date: Unknown)
Was this Earth? This couldn’t be Earth. Earth was green, wasn’t it?
Yellow foliage, grey trees. A soft blue sky, intermittently broken up by concrete highways that towered towards the clouds. And on the horizon, the mammoth corpse of a city, a metal carcass that dominated the skyline.
No green. No life. Not even wind. The whole scene was eerily still, seemingly frozen in time.
Unable to make sense of the wider world, my attention drifted closer. A ring of ramshackle fencing, a larger building that I might mistake for a house. An ancient hand-worked water pump. A plot of vegetables. A beast with glistening fangs, bounding towards—
“Dogmeat, no. Stay.”
Somehow, impossibly, the beast heeded the command, slowing down enough for me to get a better look at my imminent demise. Long brown fur with black markings, a swishing tail, a red fabric tied around its neck. Forward-facing eyes gleaming with hideous intelligence. It sat down, tilting its head and letting out a shrill whine.
“You still haven’t met Dogmeat yet, have you— Rania? Rania!”
I couldn’t breathe. It was looking straight at me. I thought the human was terrifying, but this
thing made it look harmless. Did Nate not realize the danger he was in?
“N— No! Please… don’t let it…”
“It’s not going to hurt you either. You’re OK. Breathe.” Nate turned slightly, shielding the beast from view. “Here. We can go back inside if he scares you too much.” I managed to choke out an affirmation, and felt darkness overtake me as we rushed back into the relative safety of the shack. The door clicked shut, sealing the beast outside.
“Rania, talk to me. Can you breathe?”
“Please… please don’t feed me to it…”
Nate’s eyes went wide, and his hand rose to cover his mouth. I didn’t know much human body language (aside from the vicious snarl they called a smile), but shock was a constant across almost every species. His eyes cast around the room wildly, his breathing becoming erratic before he managed to regain control.
“Rania, I— I’m not going to
feed you to him. You— listen, I won’t even let him in. It’s safe here.” He clearly had something else to say, and silently struggled with the words for a moment before finding his phrasing. “Can you tell me why you’re so scared? What happened before I found you?”
The words took several moments to consciously register, but their effect was immediate. If Nate was trying to startle me out of my fear, he couldn’t have done a better job. When I spoke, it was with startling clarity as fear was replaced by near-indignant confusion.
“How could I not be scared? You’re
predators. Even if… even if you really don’t
want to kill me, seeing injured prey must be a powerful temptation to your instincts, no? Not to mention the invasion of the cradle; even if you do have empathy, why try to save an enemy species?”
A few moments of stillness, and then I mimicked his previous motion of shock as I realized what I’d done. If he somehow didn’t know the situation with the Gojid before, he did now. Even prey empathy didn’t extend to their sworn enemies. My stupid thoughtless rambling meant I was good as dead.
“Rania.” Nate’s words were slow, soft, and measured. “I don’t know where you come from or what the situation is out… up there. But I can promise you this.” He tapped my shoulder, snapping me out of my terrified reverie and forcing me to pay full attention. “I’m never going to hurt you. I’ll keep it safe here, as long as it takes for you to heal. You can hold me to that.”
“Safe… even safe from that monster..?”
Nate looked deeply hurt, but quickly covered it up with his previous expression of concern. “Yes. I wish I could prove to you that my dog is friendly, but… if he scares you that much, I’ll find somewhere else for him.”
He stole a glance out the window, before turning back to me. “Listen. I need to get some supplies for the fence while there’s still light. I’ll take Dogmeat with me. Do you know how to use this?” He gestured towards the gun, still sitting where I’d carelessly let it slip from my claws minutes earlier.
“Y-yes.”
Apparently seeing straight through my lie, he bent down to show me. “Here, you just need to pull back the hammer. Finger over the trigger, and line up these sights on your target. Only pull the trigger when you know you have your shot.”
Nate stood up, putting one hand on the door before remembering something. “If you start hurting, you can use this.” He set a syringe down on the table. “Just stab wherever it hurts. The pack’ll do the rest for you. I’ll be back at sundown.”
And just like that, he was gone.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Memory Transcription Subject: Rania, Gojid Civilian
Date [Standardized Human Time]: Error 560 (estimated date: Unknown)
For a while, I just sat there, gun in hand and mind slowly dissolving from all the new information weighing it down. But boredom is a powerful thing, and even injured as I was, restlessness started to take hold.
With the beast gone, and gun in hand, I started convincing myself that it might be a good idea to get another look at the land. I needed to know what I had to work with in case… something happened. And I
swore I saw a vegetable garden earlier. Curiosity was getting the better of me.
I tested my legs again. One was sore, but shockingly capable. The other was still burning when I applied pressure, and swaddled in bandages. I didn’t particularly feel like knowing what was under there. One leg would have to do. I didn’t need my legs to shoot, after all.
Cautiously, without making a sound, I cracked the door open. Nobody was out there. I took one shaky step. Then another. Inch by silent sore inch, I made my way over to the “house”.
Like everything out here, it was a rough-hewn heap of rusted metal and thick planks of wood. On closer inspection, however, some care had clearly been put into making it insulated. The windows even had glass (albeit covered in dust), rather than the screen mesh in my shack.
This must be where the human lives. What could Nate be hiding from me? My curiosity burned brighter than the pain in my leg as I ambled towards the door. Unlocked. I peeked inside.
Thick layers of carpet. A fireplace on the wall, a couple paintings. A mattress much better-maintained than mine, pushed up under one of the windows.
No blood dripping from cages. No hunting trophies on the walls. No indication that this was the lair of a predator. If not for the construction materials, it could be mistaken for a house back on the cradle.
It even has refrigeration and lights, without a functional power grid. I guess that predatory cunning comes in handy. I already knew what the fridge must be filled with. I made the decision not to look. It’d be better if Nate didn’t know I was here, and that’d be pretty hard to hide with vomit all over his carpet. I couldn’t stop myself from looking in one of the cabinets, though. The thing was stuffed with cans of food, nearly full to bursting. Some were clearly homemade, some looked like they’d been excavated from the dirt. Maybe they had been.
My good leg was starting to ache, cutting my exploration short. With no small hesitation, I forced myself back outside, back to the shack where I could rest up a bit.
—
I was only steps away from the door when a horrifying sight stopped me in my tracks. Dead animals, three of them. Sickly looking things, but recognizably the same species as that ‘Dogmeat’. I couldn’t look away.
Was Nate hunting before I woke up? I stepped closer, morbid curiosity dowsing my pain.
I don’t see any bite marks. And… predators don’t eat other predators.
Did he kill them to protect me? Humans were apex predators on their planet. It couldn’t have been self-defense. Nor could it have been hunger, if he’d just left them to rot. So… what other reasons would he have to fight?
I looked closer, my eyes meeting a series of glassy stares. Two of them looked literally skin and bones, but the third looked a lot like Dogmeat. Mouth closed, eyes staring up at the sky unseeing. I almost felt bad for it.
“I wish I could prove to you that my dog is friendly, but… if he scares you that much, I’ll find somewhere else for him.” Did Nate feel any conflict, having to shoot them on my behalf? Was he going to shoot Dogmeat too, just to ease my fears? He clearly cared about the beast, but if he thought “keeping me safe” meant…
No. I wouldn’t let it come to that. I had to overcome my fear. If I wanted to survive, I needed to be stronger.
Reaching out to the body, arm trembling, I ran a claw down its side. It was soft… still warm, too. The thought that this predator had been alive so recently, only to be put down for my safety, managed to elicit a twinge of sorrow.
That feeling, hold on to that. Force it through your fear. My movements got bolder, even exploring the rows of sharp teeth hidden by a clenched jaw. And the soft fur on its underbelly… its long tail, which sat limp and unmoving on the dust. I could feel my fear begin to fade more and more with every second I sat next to the body of this predator.
Eventually, I forced myself to rise. As I walked back to my bed, I stole one last glance backwards. Instead of horrifying predators, all I saw was a family of three. That they had to die so I could live… the thought filled me with a strange sense of shame.
I couldn’t stand there forever. My poor legs wouldn’t allow it. Back to the bed, step by shaky step.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Memory Recovery Subject: Nathan Dunne, sole survivor of Vault 111
Date: December 13th, 2287
Hauling sheet metal was no easy task, even with the help of a dog. It was dark by the time I got home; I’d missed my appointment with the sunset by nearly half an hour.
Supplies stowed away, armor shed, weapons holstered. I rummaged around the fridge for a radstag fry I’d prepared a couple days ago. I didn’t have the energy to cook, and I still needed to check in with Rania. Dogmeat hovered around my ankles, performing his best puppy impression.
These might be the last meals you get to eat with him. I gave a few scraps for his unconvincing performance.
I knew the minutemen would take good care of him, and Valentine could make good use of his nose. But saying goodbye would be a challenge. He’d had my back practically since I escaped Vault 111, and casting him aside felt like nothing short of a betrayal.
The radstag felt like sawdust in my mouth. I tossed the rest of it to Dogmeat, who looked up quizzically rather than digging in. I knew he was wondering why I was being so generous all of a sudden, but I wasn’t ready to break the news to him yet.
—
“Is it OK with you if I come in?”
The voice responding sounded completely different. Still recognizably Rania, but without the terrified quivering I’d expected. “Yes. We need to talk.”
I slipped inside, taking care not to let out too much heat. The figure facing me, while again still undoubtedly Rania, was otherwise unrecognizable. Sitting up straight, unshaking, looking directly at me. A far cry from the poor creature I’d talked to when I left. He (he? I decided to assume it was male, given the voice from the translator) turned his head slightly to the side, leaving one eye to meet both of mine in what I assumed was an intense stare for a person with side-facing eyes.
“Nate.” Rania’s voice was thick with determination. “I’ve decided… I want to get used to Dogmeat. If he’s really as friendly as you say, you shouldn’t have to get rid of him just because of my fear.”
It was all I could do to suppress a full-bodied sigh of relief.
If he’s on the fence on this decision, showing my joy would force his hand. I have to stay calm. “Can I ask why?”
“I, uh… I found the other predators. The feral ones. The ones you shot.”
Oh. “And I… I don’t want you to have to do the same for him. It doesn’t…” The quivering returned in shades, but he continued. “Even if you meant ‘find somewhere else for him’ literally, you shouldn’t have to do that for my sake.”
“I…” I buried my face in my hands, trying to beat back tears. “Thank you. I couldn’t imagine having to… thank you. I can still keep him away from you if you’re scared. You shouldn’t have to live in fear.”
Rania shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “Actually, I was thinking I should… you know,
get used to him, not just tolerate him from a distance. Face my fear head-on. Just… not tonight, OK?”
For all that quivering, he’s a lot braver than I thought he’d be. “Yeah. We can get something worked out later. Right now, you need to rest. I’m not just talking about tonight; you’re still injured. Best you can do right now is rest and eat. Which reminds me… The vegetables I brought you earlier. How were they? Any you really liked?”
“Oh, uhhh… yeah, the orange one was really nice. And that red mushy one wasn’t so pleasant; I could eat it anyway to get full, but I’d rather not. Why do you have so many vegetables, anyway?”
Why wouldn’t I? “What do you mean?”
“Well, I thought… predators eat flesh, right? Were you growing them for decoration? I mean… it was nice to see something green and growing out here, but that seems like a lot of effort!”
I couldn’t manage a verbal response to this. All I could give was a baffled stare, which Rania seemed to interpret as a threat.
“I— I didn’t mean to insult you—”
“No, no, it’s just…” I rubbed my eyes. Hauling sheet metal had sapped all my energy, but I couldn’t just let this slide. “I mean… humans aren’t obligate carnivores. Most predators aren’t; even deathclaws forage for mutfruit when they can. Or does the word ‘predator’ mean something else to you?”
It was Rania’s turn for a blank stare, and I began to wonder if
I’d just said something insulting. He looked down, mumbling something the translator couldn’t catch, then turned his attention back. “I think we should talk about this later. I need to rest.”
I knew it was a flimsy excuse (I could practically see his mind overheating as he stared back into the ground), but he wasn’t exactly wrong. I bid my farewell with a solemn nod.
—
The moon cast a picturesque blue light through the windows, giving just enough illumination to fend off sleep. On its own, the meager light couldn’t fight off the exhaustion radiating through my muscles, but Rania’s bizarre outburst was also keeping me up.
Not knowing about the history of our planet was perfectly reasonable, given his alien identity. Being so scared of humans despite apparently knowing about them was strange, but nothing a bit of trauma couldn’t induce. But even schoolchildren knew the basics of the food chain, and I found it hard to believe that a space-faring alien race would be less knowledgeable about ecology than the local population of raiders. Even with no education at all, certain things were obvious by observation.
If nothing else, Rania was right about one thing. We will
need to talk about this later.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[Continued in comments]
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2023.06.10 17:23 ohhidied LEGACY: From the Book of SAW (Chapter 30) Kill or Be Killed
Read Chapter 29 Here:
https://www.reddit.com/saw/comments/1417n7j/legacy_from_the_book_of_saw_chapter_29_wristdeep/ ____________________________________________
*** CHAPTER 30 **\*
As Daniel is brought into the control room, his eyes widen at the sight of the bustling tech team huddled around a computer terminal, engrossed in their work. The ethereal glow of multiple screens illuminates their focused faces, while a tangled web of cables drape across the tabletop.
But what truly captured Daniel's attention was the meticulously detailed layout of the museum displayed before the team. The blueprint, marked with distinct security zones and strategic points, sprawled across the surface. Each section was carefully annotated, indicating cameras, alarm systems, trap locations, and other crucial information.
Time passes sluggishly, with tension hanging in the air for what feels like an eternity. The tech team painstakingly maneuvers through digital obstacles, their nimble fingers dancing across the keyboard, determined to breach the formidable firewall guarding the museum's security feed. Finally, success flashes across their faces as they gain access to the coveted treasure trove of footage.
The computer springs to life, displaying a mosaic of individual camera feeds. Daniel’s gaze darts across the screen, observing the technician skillfully navigating through the labyrinth of lenses. Each camera reveals different corners of the museum. His heart races as he witnesses the victims, trapped and vulnerable, captured by the unblinking eyes of the cameras.
Just as the tension reaches its zenith, the door swings open and Lincoln strides into the room.
Aware of the team’s crucial task, Lincoln breaks the silence, “Any progress?” he queries.
A spark of adrenaline ignites in Marlow’s eyes, “We just got it,” he exclaims, unable to contain his elation.
Lincoln’s footsteps echo softly as he circles the table, his eyes fixated on the monitor, and together they notice Gavin sitting on the cold floor, his posture guarded, clutching the box tightly against his side.
Marlow, furrowing his brow, spoke with concern, “That’s strange,” he murmurs.
Curiosity piqued, Lincoln redirects his attention towards Marlow, eager to uncover the cause of his colleague’s unease, “What is it?”
Marlow, delving into the depths of the internal code, sifts through the virtual layers with a sense of urgency. A realization dawns upon him as he unearths an unexpected anomaly. “This shouldn’t be here,” he stated.
Puzzled, Lincoln seeks clarification, “What’s the problem?”
With his eyes fixated on the screen, Marlow reveals the unsettling discovery, “There’s a duel broadcast,” he discloses.
As the significance of Marlow’s revelation sinks in, Lincoln’s gaze narrows, honing in on the critical detail before him. The digital feed displays a timer, ominously counting down from a daunting forty minutes. A sense of urgency permeates his words, “Is it live?”
Marlow focuses on Lincoln, “Yes, but, I need to establish a barrier to block Hoffman out and prevent him from regaining control.”
"Good. Do it. Let me know when it's done." Lincoln said.
Leaving the room behind, Lincoln stepped outside and spotted Agent Kullen with a squad member. Several entrances had been cleared of traps, and the dismantled weapons and explosives were being carefully transported to the rear of a SWAT van.
“We’ve got access to the security feed," Lincoln said, "The survivors are still alive.”
A sense of relief filled Kullen’s words, “Where are they being held?”
“You were right, new construction.” Lincoln confirmed.
Kullen looks over his shoulder towards the expansion area, "We’re still disabling those traps."
"One more thing," Lincoln said, "I didn’t see Logan and Elanor, but Gavin Beck is inside, and he's injured. Can't tell how bad…."
Swiftly responding to the update, Kullen activated his radio and relayed the crucial information, his voice urgent, “Attention, we’ve located three victims. One of them is injured. Requesting ambulances to move to the front immediately and prepare for emergency evacuation.”
Attempting to maintain composure amidst the escalating situation, Kullen addressed Lincoln, “Stay positive, Detective,” he said, his hand trembling, “I just got off the phone with Zeke Banks. He’s on his way. What about Hoffman and Schenk?”
Surprised by the mention of Zeke’s impending arrival, Lincoln inquired, "Zeke is coming here?"
Before Kullen could respond, his peripheral vision caught a glimpse of movement. Across the caution tape, news reporters scurried about, positioning themselves in front of their cameras, a sense of urgency driving their actions.
“What’s going on?” Kullen muttered to himself.
Together, Lincoln and Kullen maneuvered their way toward the journalist, their curiosity triggered by the unfolding scene.
“We’re outside of the National History Museum, where we can now confirm the presence of three survivors trapped within,” the reporters voice resonated through the airwaves, “Gavin Beck, Sarah Harper, and Renee Walsh have become the latest victims in the harrowing saga of the Jigsaw Killer, whose reign of terror has plagued our city for over a decade.”
A sharp pang of shame pierced Lincoln’s core upon hearing the reporter's words, the weight of responsibility pressing heavily upon him.
“But now, for the very first time, we possess live footage capturing the game as it unfolds,” the reporter continued, a hint of excitement in their tone. “The following footage has been extracted from the security cameras situated within the building behind me.”
Stunned by the unfolding revelation, Agent Kullen broke through the caution tape and stepped purposefully in front of the camera, his intention clear - to put an end to the broadcast.
“What do you think you’re doing?” the angered correspondent demanded, her voice beaming with frustration.
Kullen fixed a stern gaze upon the woman, his tone firm, “How did you obtain this footage?”
“It’s all over the internet!” She explains, “The whole trap is being shared online.”
Audiences across the country were turning into the live feed.
As their televisions faded to black, a message materialized: Viewer Discretion is Advised.
Meanwhile, growing tired of Elanor’s desperate cries for help, Hoffman maneuvered her away from Logan, who remained unconscious, and wheeled her into the surveillance room. Pushing her into a corner, he retrieved duct tape from a nearby drawer and used his knife to slice off a substantial length. He then applied it firmly over Elanor’s mouth, muffling her anguished wails that now fell upon deaf ears. Just as Hoffman prepared to depart, his attention was captured by the television, revealing the live footage of the ongoing trap.
Intrigued, Hoffman placed his knife down and took a seat at the nearby table. Folding his arms, he watched intently as Gavin struggled to remove the weighty sandbag from his chest.
“What the fuck?” Amanda exclaimed, seated behind Hoffman, her astonishment, mirroring his own.
Outside the surveillance room, Logan began to regain consciousness. As his awareness sharpened, he quickly assessed his surroundings and searched for Elanor. Shifting his body upward, he felt the tight restraints of the handcuffs encircling his wrists. Peering into the surveillance room, he caught sight of Elanor in distress, while Hoffman remained fixated on the television screen. A wave of relief washes over Logan, knowing that she was still alive. Determined to find a means of escape, his gaze scanned the room until it landed on the aluminum dispenser above him, along with scattered barrels of petroleum.
Across town, Autumn had finished gathering her belongings when she too caught sight of the live footage showcasing the museum trap. Recognizing two of the victims, and recalling the information she had learned from Lincoln about their previous trials, she became engrossed in the broadcast. Setting her bag down, she stood near the couch, locked into the unfolding events, with a police escort standing beside her.
As Autumn remained captivated by the live feed, she witnesses Gavin rise to his feet and stagger toward the women, his movements unsteady. In his approach, he picked up a brick from the tower, clutching it tightly in his hand.
Within the confines of the exhibit, Gavin positioned himself behind Renee and Sarah, observing their relentless efforts to assault the grate obstructing the ventilation shaft. Sarah turned around, and Gavin extended the brick towards her. With determined force, another powerful strike landed, causing one of the bolts to come loose. They repeated the action, gradually peeling the barrier away from the wall, creating a narrow gap. Utilizing their combined strength, they exerted enough force to retract the screen, bending the screws on the left side.
Gavin retrieved another brick from the tower and rejoined the women. Gripping the red brick firmly, his palms began to perspire, a symbol of his mounting apprehension.
“Almost got it,” Renee uttered, twisting and pulling the screen until it finally yielded, breaking off the hinges.
Exhausted, Renee leaned backward, allowing Sarah to be the first to peer inside.
Gavin takes a deep breath, loosening his grip on the stone, anxiously awaiting the reveal.
Sarah sighed, disappointment tainting her voice. The shaft lay before them, outlined with menacing barbed wire and shards of broken glass.
“Told ya,” she said.
“We’ve made progress,” Renee exclaimed, still hopeful, “That’s what matters.”
Sarah’s eyebrows arched dubiously as she voiced her concerns, “We don’t know if that’s a way out and we’re running out of time.”
As Sarah turned to gauge Gavin’s perspective, her world abruptly shattered. A brutal impact from the brick collided with her head, causing blood to spill from the painful gash. She crumbled to the floor, disoriented and struggling to comprehend the sudden assault.
The unexpected violence filled Renee with fear and her mind raced frantically. Without wasting a moment, she launched an attack against him, but her weakened state rendered her efforts feeble. Gavin easily overpowered her, forcefully pushing her to the ground, her head meeting the unforgiving concrete with a sickening thud.
Meanwhile, the horrified audience watching from the safety of their homes bore witness to the unfolding events, their hearts gripped by the chilling spectacle. Each gruesome moment played out before their eyes.
Hoffman, displaying a disturbing apathy, seemed unaffected by the brutality taking place, while Elanor’s eyes bulged from their sockets, a silent plea for help and salvation.
Autumn, filled with disbelief and revulsion, found herself appalled by the heinous attack. Beside her, the police escort swiftly reached for his radio, urgently engaging in communication with law enforcement personnel on-site.
Inside the control room, Lincoln, Kullen, Marlow, and Daniel endured the torment of witnessing the disturbing footage. Their faces etched with concern as their minds raced to find a way to intervene and put an end to the nightmare.
With her stomach to the floor, Gavin straddles Sarah and removes the piano wire from his pocket.
Still dazed from the wicked blow to her head, Sarah fought with all her strength, desperate to free herself from Gavin's torment. She struggled to push him off her back, kicking and flailing while her screams for help filled the room.
Determined to succeed, Gavin attempted to wrap the piano wire around Sarah’s throat, but she instinctively blocked him, using her remaining hand to shield her vulnerable neck. In a surge of defiance, she reached back and delivered a forceful elbow strike to his abdomen. The pain coursed through him, causing him to drop the piano wire to the floor. However, he swiftly flipped her body over, sliding her wrist beneath his knees, effectively immobilizing her. With a frightening resolve, he resumed his vicious attack, tightening his grip around her throat, Desperately gasping for air, Sarah’s face grew increasingly red under the pressure of Gavin’s grip, and her vision began to blur, the world around her fading into a hazy abyss.
Unbeknownst to Gavin, a flicker of consciousness had returned to Renee, and the sound of Sarah’s harrowing struggle pierced through the fog of her own pain. With great effort, Renee attempted to rise, battling the throbbing ache in her head, her focus fixated on the weapon discarded by Gavin, lying on the floor within reach.
Seizing the piano wire with a surge of adrenaline, Renee quickly closed the distance to Gavin, her sole focus on saving Sarah. Without hesitation, she skillfully wrapped the cord around Gavin’s neck, forcefully pulling him away from her friend’s gasping form. Gavin’s hands thrashed about in a futile attempt to clutch the sturdy wire that tore into his flesh.
Sarah, still recovering and crawling to safety, watched in astonishment and awe as Renee took control of the situation. With a fierce determination fueled by anger and vengeance, Renee twisted and yanked on the cord, tightening the grip around Gavin’s neck, causing him to bleed profusely and struggle in agony. Beads of sweat formed on his head, his tongue protruding from his mouth in a grotesque display. His face contorted into a horrifying medley of colors-red, purple, and blue- as the life force drained from him.
Lost in a moment of unbridled rage, Renee’s primal scream pierced the air as she continued to tug on the cord, relentlessly severing his throat. Each pull intensified the macabre scene, painting the floor with a gruesome tapestry of blood. Sarah, a witness to the chilling brutality, could only watch in horror as Renee nearly detached Gavin’s head from his body, the lifeless body hanging limp on the wire.
A heavy silence settles over the room, punctuated only by the lingering presence of blood and the haunting memory of the violence that had just occurred.
The savage display captured by the security cameras spread like wildfire across the internet, captivating an audience of thousands. The harrowing footage was swiftly clipped and shared on numerous websites, causing the viewer count to skyrocket with each passing second. Reactions on social media were diverse, ranging from visceral disgust to arguments defending the act as self defense. The disturbing visuals ignited a storm of controversy, prompting a deluge of calls to flood news stations, with viewers expressing a myriad of complaints and concerns.
Feeling a wave of overwhelming emotions, Daniel emerged from the suffocating confines of the control room, his face flush with disgust.
Noticing Daniel’s distress, Lincoln approached with a sense of understanding. "You alright?"
"Just overwhelmed," Daniel replied, "Needed some air, some space to process it all."
Nodding in acknowledgment, Lincoln offered a small gesture of comfort, “I got some water in the car. Go on. Take a rest.”
Grateful, Daniel made his way towards the car, allowing himself a momentary escape from the relentless onslaught of darkness and despair.
***
TO BE CONTINUED...
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2023.06.10 17:02 TheADHDad A DEFECT IN NEUROLOGY, NOT A DEFECT OF HUMANITY ADHD: A National Crisis
A DEFECT IN NEUROLOGY, NOT A DEFECT OF HUMANITY ADHD: A National Crisis
2023
To Larrakia Country I write to you from the lands and home of Larrakia, in the Northern Territory, which I am grateful to call my home too. Their elders, leaders and children are the owners and protectors of this land and its stories and songs. I am grateful for their hospitality and grace, considering the intolerance and violence that they continue to endure. I dedicate my work and myself to support their stewardship, in whatever role I am asked.
To my sons You are incredible people already. This is one of the biggest things I think I will ever do to make the world you are growing up in a better place than the one I was born into. We have already endured so much together, yet you go from strength to strength. The Blue Witch’s days are numbered.
To E, A, J, M, Ki, N, P, B, Ke, and all the Spirited Children Some might think I paint a bleak picture in this document. You all know this isn’t even the half of it. You deserve the life you want to lead, anything less is a failure, and should be unacceptable to all.
To Dad, Star, Cat, Moh. It is a comfort to know you are somewhere better, when we are left here.
A DEFECT IN NEUROLOGY, NOT A DEFECT IN HUMANITY ADHD: A National Crisis
Abstract ADHD is the biggest and easiest dealt with human challenge of our time. It is a debilitating impairment, that is lifelong and brings no inherent benefits or superpowers. It has likely been a part of hominid neurology for 300,000 years, and in that time it has been systematically rejected by genetic evolution as an enormous set of risks to the survival of the human race. It brings earlier death, more disease, isolation, hopelessness. Making the people who live with it even more remarkable. I have seen neglect, abuse, cruelty and ignorance that would make Dickens blanch. ADHD is routinely rejected, shunned and left in-addressed by Psychiatrists, Paediatricians, Nurses, Teachers, Judges, Police, leaving families in ruins, good and vibrant people be turned to husks, and children as young as 7 turn to suicide.
Not understanding it, not treating it costs our economy $20.5baud a year, if not more.
The need for a national effort to tackle the challenges is paramount to the future success of all Australians.
Self and Evidenced Truths.
- People with ADHD deserve recognition as living beings with rights, dignity, and aspirations despite our impairments.
- Fundamental to those rights, dignity and aspirations being observed we deserve guaranteed access to our medications, support, workplace arrangements and other accommodations across our lifespan.
- ADHD is a current and emerging Australian national crisis that demands immediate response in kind.
- ADHD is a chronic neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorder that impairs many aspects of living, at all points of the lifespan (Faraone et al., 2015).
- People diagnosed with ADHD face higher risks of other neurodevelopmental disorders, of suffering child abuse, experience school exclusions and engagement, discrimination, financial predation, other mental health problems, physical disorders, substance use, accidental injuries, chronic health problems and premature death, including suicide attempts and completions. Children are twice as likely to die by age 10, adults are 5 times more likely to be dead by age 25 (Barkley et al., 2022).
- Stimulant medications should be used as soon as possible and practicable following a diagnosis. Several Stimulant medications are safe and effective for treating ADHD and for preventing many adverse outcomes. Non-Stimulant and Non-medication treatments are less effective. (Storebø et al., 2015).
- ADHD costs Australia $20.4 billion per year in lost productivity, wellbeing, and public services (Deloitte Access Economics, 2019).
- There is a need for more awareness, education, and training explaining what ADHD is, as many people with ADHD remain undiagnosed and untreated due to ignorance, bias, or incompetence (Faraone et al., 2019).
- Australia’s attitude towards ADHD costly, uncoordinated, and unfair. This harms people with ADHD in multiple ways, such as limiting their ability to manage their symptoms, increasing their financial burden, and reducing their social support (Australian Clinical Practice Guidelines for ADHD Working Group, 2022).
As a Matter of Urgency
- The Commonwealth Government must fund a co-designed national awareness campaign for ADHD, highlighting its medical nature, the importance of early and persistent intervention and its impacts across the lifespan, and all aspects of modern life as a matter of priority. a. With particular focus on key peak bodies; Australian Health Practitioners Registration Agency and its members, the Australian Council of Unions and its Members, Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority Curriculum, Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Australian Finance Industry Association, Law Council of Australia, Police Federation of Australia, Universities Australia, and Australian Council for Private Education and Training.
- The Commonwealth Government must expand the professions that can screen, assess and diagnose ADHD to include Teachers, General Practitioners, Mental Health Nurse Practitioners, Midwives and Remote Area Nurses, as well as expand telehealth options for remote areas.
- The Commonwealth Government must establish a national framework for ADHD assessment and support that clarifies roles and responsibilities of different agencies and ensures seamless transitions across life stages and reduce costs for government.
- The Commonwealth Government should mandate that bachelors, postgraduate degrees, and Community Service certificates and diplomas in health sciences, enrolled and registered nursing, education, community health, criminal and industrial law and allied health fields include compulsory modules in ADHD, co-designed with people with ADHD.
- The Commonwealth Government must delist methylphenidate, amphetamines, and their various formulations as Schedule 8 drugs and relist them as Schedule 4, they must also expand Medicare and PBS coverage for ADHD medication to include all people with a diagnosis of ADHD. This would reduce the stigma and discrimination associated with ADHD medication use as well as simplify the prescription and dispensing process for people with ADHD and their prescribers.
- The Commonwealth Government must fund presentation sensitive research on ADHD and its comorbidities, as well as presentation responsive training for anyone who cares for, educates, works with, or employs people with ADHD.
- The Commonwealth Government must direct new training and mentoring programs for practitioners, staff and community and health service delivery areas, focusing on Peri-Natal Services, Daycare and Primary School staff. Rationales Personal Experience My personal experience is as a father of a child with ADHD and as a sufferer of undiagnosed ADHD myself. My professional experience with government, hospitals, mental health, drug and alcohol case management, and the elderly, has led me to being an Advocate.
I suffered countless unnecessary medical, emotional, economic hardships and injustices throughout my life because of my undiagnosed ADHD. As a child I experienced routine ridicule, shame, and punishments. I was regularly abused and excluded by teachers, both immediate and extended family, peers, and random members of the public, verbally and physically. For symptoms, colloquially and incorrectly referred to as behaviours, of my Combined Presentation of ADHD. Combined Presentation of ADHD means that I have both inattentive and hyperactive-impulsive symptoms. Symptoms are the observable signs of ADHD, such as difficulty paying attention, being easily distracted, fidgeting, talking excessively, not saying much, daydreaming, working memory issues, etc. Symptoms that informed my personality and identity, that I was targeted for, abused for.
As I grew up, contrary to popular belief that ADHD symptoms get better as people age, the effects of my undiagnosed ADHD quickly got worse. The lack of access to university due to needing to work to support myself and look after my ailing father put me in unskilled retail positions, which became administrative positions before accidentally falling into Community Services. Through those careers, the constant workplace bullying and harassment prior to my diagnosis, needing to leave positions that were constantly either short contract or put up for recruitment where my skills, knowledge and wisdom meant nothing has left me with a colourful and varied career. The experience is nice but puts me at a significant disadvantage as I get older. My undiagnosed ADHD made it possible for me to perform well in different jobs. But as I juggled time management, organisation, communication, and self-regulation I would be burnt out as I self-medicated with work, and I would become expendable. Less time in positions, less experience, less expertise, less money, less able to provide for my family, less able to take part in society.
Despite my experience with health systems and supporting disabilities, my son who is 5, is facing similar barriers already and he is aware of himself. Being unable to access practical support for his disability, medication has been rationed as though we should be grateful to be receiving any assistance at all. We are 6 months post the last review, and the practitioner we saw last, hopefully mistakenly, provided us with incorrect information. Both his school and education department in the Northern Territory refused to allow therapists into the school to do observations without onerous and impractical limitations, not least of which was opposing observations in classes which effectively means no inclusive practices. It has come to the point where, to conserve his and my own mental well-being we will have to close his plan out. This shows how the education system continues to fail to accommodate the needs of children with ADHD and violates their right to inclusive education, and not much has changed in 30 years.
The emotional and physical toll of everyday life with ADHD and past traumas makes life an ongoing struggle. My Combined Presentation ADHD, physically, is managed, but even that is tenuous. My health is up in the air, as getting regular reviews with a psychiatrist is impossible, despite the medication I am on being perfectly safe and the prognosis of my condition is unremarkable while on medication. Regular reviews with a psychiatrist are essential for monitoring my medication dosage, side effects, and effectiveness, as well as for addressing any other mental health issues that I endure. You’ll need to start another Inquiry before I talk about those though.
ADHD has meant more serious consequences, and harder to rectify situations: homelessness joblessness, discrimination, isolation. I am still standing but am never safe from them. These are some of the ways that ADHD, diagnosed and undiagnosed, has impacted my life. Due to the lack of recognition, respect, dignity that I deserve as a person, disability or not. I received my Diagnosis less than 3 years ago and already I have experienced the best stability and success I have ever had. In this 3 years I have been homeless, unemployed, suffering severe trauma and depression. All dealt with alone.
My NDIS application is now 18 months into its appeal. I wonder if it will survive longer than the AAT?
ADHD assessments and diagnosis: Children and adults with ADHD often face various gaps and barriers in accessing appropriate assessment, diagnosis, and treatment services for their condition. These include lack of awareness and recognition of ADHD among health professionals and the public; stigma and discrimination associated with ADHD; variability in diagnostic practices and criteria; limited availability and accessibility of specialist services; high out-of-pocket costs for diagnosis and treatment; lack of coordination and integration of care across different sectors; insufficient monitoring and evaluation of treatment outcomes; and lack of evidence-based guidelines and quality standards for ADHD care. These gaps and barriers contribute to the underdiagnoses and under treatment of ADHD in Australia and limit the potential benefits of early intervention and quality care.
ADHD management: Qualified and experienced practitioners who can assess and diagnose ADHD in children and adults are in short supply, especially in rural and remote areas. This leads to long waiting times, inflated costs, and inconsistent quality of assessments, and cascading health outcomes. People with the Inattentive presentation of ADHD, which is predominantly girls and women, face significant gender bias in ADHD assessments, support services and research. This leads to under recognition, misdiagnosis and inadequate treatment and supports of both inattentive presentation ADHD and female-specific issues related to ADHD. Different sectors and levels of government fail to coordinate and integrate their support services for people with ADHD. This creates gaps, overlaps and confusion in accessing education, health, disability, and social services. The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) staff, and feeder service staff incorrectly prevent and discourage people with ADHD as a primary disability from making access requests. This flows to review mechanisms, including the Australian Administrative Tribunal. This excludes and isolates many people with ADHD from accessing not just NDIS support, but any support at all. Many people with ADHD cannot afford or access ADHD medication, especially those who are not eligible for Medicare or PBS subsidies. This limits their treatment options and affects their quality of life.
The impact of ADHD on individuals, families, and society: Children and adults with ADHD have a significantly reduced life expectancy and are more likely to die prematurely from various causes, such as accidents, suicide, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and substance abuse. The reduction in life expectancy ranges from 9 to 13 years for people with ADHD compared to those without ADHD. The risk of premature death is higher for those with more severe ADHD symptoms, comorbid disorders, and untreated ADHD. In Australia, this means that (statistically) about 1,900 deaths per year would be attributable to ADHD, but further study would be necessary to investigate. Children and adults with ADHD are more likely to suffer from various chronic physical and mental health conditions, such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, asthma, allergies, sleep disorders, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, personality disorders, substance use disorders, and antisocial behavior. These conditions can impair the quality of life and functioning of people with ADHD and increase their health care costs and utilization. In Australia, the annual health system cost of ADHD is estimated to be $546 million. Children and adults with ADHD face various economic challenges and disadvantages, such as lower educational attainment, lower income, higher unemployment, higher poverty, lower productivity, higher criminality, higher health care expenses, and higher social service costs. The annual cost of ADHD to the Australian society is estimated to be $20.4 billion, which comprises $12.8 billion in financial costs and $7.6 billion in wellbeing costs.
Awareness of ADHD: ADHD is not a result of poor parenting, low intelligence, or moral weakness. ADHD is a lifelong condition that can persist from childhood to adulthood and affect various aspects of life. The importance of recognising ADHD as a genetic, neurological medical condition, requiring medication as a first line of successful management, and not a behavioural issue, cannot be overstated. Health professionals, educators, employers and the public lack awareness and understanding of ADHD, which causes stigma, discrimination and underdiagnoses of ADHD. Research funding for ADHD in Australia is inadequate, which hampers the development of evidence-based practice guidelines, interventions, and policies for people with ADHD. This also limits the opportunities for innovation and collaboration in addressing the challenges posed by ADHD. Children with ADHD typically receive a disproportionate percentage of school based harassment, both from peers, and education staff. Routinely EAPs are formulated in opposition to recommendations made by specialist practitioners, and children are severely punished for not meeting the often odious or impossible goals. Detentions, responsibilities, suspensions, supervision and expulsions are common place. In the classroom, ignorant and unqualified teachers harass students and parents to stop behaviours they, from no basis, deem developmentally inappropriate. Time off to be with the excluded children is often supported by employers, higher education facilities, until they decide that enough is enough. ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder that has a strong genetic basis. ADHD is associated with structural and functional differences in the brain, especially in the regions involved in attention, executive function, emotion regulation and reward processing. ADHD is also influenced by environmental factors that can affect gene expression and brain development. The name ADHD (Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) is inadequate and misleading for several reasons. First, it implies that the core symptoms of the disorder are only attention deficit and hyperactivity, while ignoring the causal and key features such as impulsivity, emotional dysregulation, and executive dysfunction. Second, it suggests that attention deficit and hyperactivity are always present and equally severe in all cases of ADHD, while ignoring the heterogeneity and variability of the disorder across individuals, subtypes, and contexts. Third, it conveys a negative and stigmatising view of the disorder as a deficit or a problem, while ignoring the strengths and potential of people with ADHD.
Conclusion The writing is on the wall, whether you read it or not is irrelevant to its truth; improve the outcomes for people with ADHD and the entire nation will benefit, go on ignoring its magnitude and we will continue the cycle again, until the next generation finally addresses it. Addressing it represents net savings for the Commonwealth Government, and the states and territories. I think we could find other ways to spend $7 billion dollars than on badly managing ADHD in Australia.
I am happy to answer more questions or speak to any of the points raised herein.
References: Barkley, R. A. (2015). Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: A handbook for diagnosis and treatment (4th ed.). Guilford Press. Biederman, J., Faraone, S. V., Monuteaux, M. C., Bober, M., & Cadogen, E. (2006). Gender effects on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in adults, revisited. Biological Psychiatry, 59(12), 1123-1131.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2005.12.036 Doshi, J. A., Hodgkins, P., Kahle, J., Sikirica, V., Cangelosi, M. J., Setyawan, J., Erder, M. H., & Neumann, P. J. (2012). Economic impact of childhood and adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in the United States. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 51(10), 990-1002.e2.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2012.07.008 DuPaul, G. J., Weyandt, L. L., O’Dell, S. M., & Varejao, M. (2009). College students with ADHD: Current status and future directions. Journal of Attention Disorders, 13(3), 234-250.
https://doi.org/10. 1177/1087054709340650 Efron, D., Sciberras, E., Hassell, P. (2015). Are Australian children with ADHD being adequately treated? Archives of Disease in Childhood, 100(10), 914-916.
https://doi.org/10. 1136/archdischild-2014-307467 Faraone, S. V., Asherson, P., Banaschewski, T. et al. (2015). Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Nature Reviews Disease Primers, 1, 15020.
https://doi.org/10. 1038/nrdp. 2015. 20 Faraone, S. V., Banaschewski, T., Coghill, D. et al. (2020). The World Federation of ADHD International Consensus Statement: 208 evidence-based conclusions about the disorder. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 108, 1-18.
https://doi.org/10. 1016/j.neubiorev. 2019. 11. 022 Garg, S., Lillystone, D., Dossetor, D. (2018). Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: an update for paediatricians. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, 54(2), 120-125.
https://doi.org/10. 1111/jpc. 13717 Kooij, J. J., Bijlenga, D., Salerno, L., Jaeschke, R., Bitter, I., Balázs, J., … & Stes, S. (2019). Updated European Consensus Statement on diagnosis and treatment of adult ADHD. European Psychiatry, 56, 14-34.
https://doi.org/10. 1016/j.eurpsy. 2018. 11.001 Le, H. H., Hodgkins, P., Postma, M. J., Kahle, J., Sikirica, V., Setyawan, J., Erder, M. H., & Doshi, J. A. (2014). Economic impact of childhood/adolescent ADHD in a European setting: the Netherlands as a reference case. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 23(7), 587-598.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-013-0495-0 Nigg, J. T., Greven, C. U., & Wilmot, B. (2015). Neurodevelopmental problems: an overview. In A. Thapar, D. S. Pine, J. F. Leckman et al. (Eds.), Rutter’s child and adolescent psychiatry (6th ed., pp. 1-14). Wiley Blackwell. Russell, A. E., Ford, T., Williams, R., & Russell, G. (2019). The association between socioeconomic disadvantage and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): a systematic review. Child Psychiatry & Human Development, 50(3), 487-503.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-018-0842-6 Sayal, K., Prasad, V., Daley, D., Ford, T., & Coghill, D. (2018). ADHD in children and young people: prevalence, care pathways and service provision. The Lancet Psychiatry, 5(2), 175-186.
https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(17)30167-0 Sciberras, E., Mulraney, M., Silva, D., & Coghill, D. (2014). Prenatal risk factors and the etiology of ADHD—review of existing evidence. Current Psychiatry Reports, 16(1), 431.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-013-0431-3 Taylor, E., Döpfner, M., Sergeant, J. et al. (2004). European clinical guidelines for hyperkinetic disorder—first upgrade. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 13(Suppl 1), I7–I30.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-004-1002-x Coghill, D. R., Banaschewski, T., Zuddas, A. et al. (2011). European guidelines on managing adverse effects of medication for ADHD. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 20(1), 17–37.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-010-0140-6 Deloitte Access Economics. (2019). The social and economic costs of ADHD in Australia.
https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/au/Documents/Economics/deloitte-au-economics-social-costs-adhd-australia-270819.pdf Australian ADHD Professionals Association. (2019). The social and economic costs of ADHD in Australia.
https://aadpa.com.au/the-social-and-economic-costs-of-adhd-in-australia/ Doshi, J. A., Hodgkins, P., Kahle-Wrobleski, K., Erder, M. H., & Gericke, C. A. (2020). Social and economic costs of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder across the lifespan: a systematic review and meta-analysis. PharmacoEconomics, 38(11), 1205-1222.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s40273-020-00958-8 submitted by
TheADHDad to
TheADHDadSubreddit [link] [comments]
2023.06.10 16:49 AdExpress5215 PLS HELP! Changed to SDD but kept HDD - why is it saying this?!!
2023.06.10 16:37 manalitrippackages Explore the Enchanting Beauty of Manali with Exciting Trip Packages
| https://preview.redd.it/jc51a5u0a75b1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=665cf0e72665f65d78589e03e69cacd15d8c89b6 Manali, nestled amidst the majestic Himalayas, is a paradise for nature lovers and adventure enthusiasts. With its snow-capped peaks, lush valleys, gushing rivers, and breathtaking landscapes, this popular hill station in India offers a perfect escape from the bustling city life. Whether you're seeking a peaceful retreat or an adrenaline-filled adventure, Manali has something for everyone. To make the most of your Manali experience, consider opting for one of the enticing trip packages available. Let's delve into the details of what Manali has to offer and the various tour packages to help you plan your dream vacation. - Manali's Natural Beauty: Manali boasts unparalleled natural beauty that captivates visitors throughout the year. The town is surrounded by snow-capped mountains, dense forests, and picturesque valleys. Rohtang Pass, Solang Valley, Beas Kund, and Hadimba Temple are some of the must-visit attractions that showcase the stunning landscapes and provide a glimpse into the rich culture and heritage of the region.
- Adventure Sports: For adventure enthusiasts, Manali is a playground for thrilling activities. Indulge in exciting options like paragliding, river rafting, zorbing, skiing, and trekking. Solang Valley and Rohtang Pass are popular spots for skiing, while the Beas River offers thrilling opportunities for white-water rafting. The adrenaline rush and breathtaking views make these experiences unforgettable.
- Cultural Delights: Manali's charm extends beyond its natural beauty. The town has a rich cultural heritage influenced by its predominantly Himachali population. Explore the famous Hadimba Temple, dedicated to the local deity, and witness the unique architectural style. Visit the Manu Temple, which holds historical and mythological significance. Take part in local festivals like Dussehra and Kullu Dussehra, where you can witness traditional dance forms, music, and vibrant celebrations.
- Shopping and Local Cuisine: Manali offers a delightful shopping experience with its bustling markets. The Mall Road is a shopper's paradise, featuring a wide range of traditional handicrafts, clothing, and souvenirs. Don't forget to indulge in local delicacies like steaming momos, spicy Thukpa, or the traditional Himachali Dham, a platter of rice, dal, and curries served on special occasions.
https://preview.redd.it/hjamf62ta75b1.jpg?width=275&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4cd8fb3450022432f82ea598a4baef22fecf8975 Manali Trip Packages: To make your Manali trip hassle-free and enjoyable, numerous tour operators offer a variety of packages tailored to different preferences and budgets. Here are some popular options: - Adventure Package: This package includes thrilling activities like paragliding, river rafting, and skiing, along with accommodation and transportation to ensure an action-packed vacation.
- Honeymoon Package: Ideal for newlyweds, this package offers romantic accommodation, candlelight dinners, and leisurely strolls amidst the scenic beauty of Manali.
- Family Vacation Package: Perfect for families, this package includes comfortable accommodation, sightseeing tours to major attractions, and activities suitable for all ages.
- Budget Package: Designed for budget-conscious travelers, this package provides affordable accommodation, transportation, and a curated itinerary covering the must-visit places in Manali.
A trip to Manali promises an enchanting experience filled with natural beauty, adventure, and cultural delights. With the diverse range of trip packages available, you can customize your vacation to suit your preferences and budget. So, embark on a memorable journey to Manali and create lasting memories in this captivating hill station. Book your trip today and get ready for an unforgettable adventure! submitted by manalitrippackages to u/manalitrippackages [link] [comments] |
2023.06.10 15:09 Zoliv13 [H] Bundle games from Humble/Fanatical/IG + 1000 V-Bucks [W] Wishlist/Offers (Update 10/06/2023)
Hello,
I'd like some
fair exchange for those, i'm willing to put more than one game against a game i really want, depends on the offer. I could accept Paypal, but that's not my goal (just getting games i'd like to play). I might want to keep something in those lists, i also have some other Humble and Fanatical games i'm not sure i'll play, so they might appear one day (could be money for an exchange if you have something from my wishlist, don't hesitate to ask). I'm from Europe, that might matter for Keys or gift links. Also, i have many games now, and a lot to do yet, so i might be very picky, even for games on my wishlist (it's more a list for interesting games, that i might want in an undetermined future if i have time).
(HB Unrevealed Key = i have it still unrevealed, but will provide a key, considering the Humble view on trading games)
For people living in France, i also have some old games in boxes that i can send by post, ask me if interested.
My IGSRep page My SGSFlair page My GameTrade page My Barter (come to Barter, it's so much better !)
My SteamTrade *** I have Amazon Prime, so i already have the games that drop there ***
*** Please tell me what you're interested in in my list and don't just drop yours ***
112 Operator (HB Unrevealed Key)
6120 (Indiegala Key)
911 Operator (HB Unrevealed Key)
A Conversation With Mister Rabbit (Indiegala Key)
Alien Cat 2 (Indiegala Key)
Aliens: Fireteam Elite (HB Unrevealed Key)
Alone With You (DIG Key)
AMID EVIL (HB Unrevealed Key)
Arata Haunted Asylum (DIG Key)
Army Men RTS (HB Unrevealed Key)
AWAKE - Definitive Edition (Fanatical Key)
Baba Is You (HB Unrevealed Key)
Backbone (HB Unrevealed Key)
Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery (HB Unrevealed Key)
BOK-BOK: A Chicken Dating Sim (DIG Key)
Borderlands 3: Super Deluxe Edition (HB Unrevealed Key)
Builder Simulator (HB Unrevealed Key)
Click and Slay (Fanatical Key)
Codename Ghost Hunt (DIG Key)
Combat Tested (Fanatical Key)
Conflict Area (DIG Key)
Conflict Area (Indiegala Key)
Cosmonautica (Fanatical Key)
Cris Tales (HB Unrevealed Key)
Dagon - The Eldritch Box DLC (HB Unrevealed Key)
Death Squared (HB Unrevealed Key)
Detached: Non-VR Edition (HB Unrevealed Key)
Destiny 2: Beyond Light (HB Unrevealed Key)
Dezinsector (Indiegala Key)
Don't Look (DIG Key)
Driftland: The Magic Revival (HB Unrevealed Key)
Duke Nukem Forever: Hail to the Icons Parody Pack (HB Unrevealed Key)
Duke Nukem Forever: The Doctor Who Cloned Me (HB Unrevealed Key)
Explosionade (Fanatical Key)
Fling to the Finish (Fanatical Key)
Flyist (DIG Key)
Forep Man (DIG Key)
Frick, Inc. (HB Unrevealed Key)
Fury Unleashed (HB Unrevealed Key)
GALAXIUM (DIG Key)
Generation Zero® (HB Unrevealed Key)
Gloria Victis (HB Unrevealed Key)
GOD's DEATH (DIG Key)
GRIME (HB Unrevealed Key)
Il Sole e la Luna (DIG Key)
Game of the forgotten Gods. Wake up / Игра забытых Богов. Проснись (DIG Key)
GameGuru (HB Unrevealed Key)
Good puzzle: Castles (Indiegala Key)
Guilty Gear X2 #Reload (HB Unrevealed Key)
Hack 'n' Slash (HB Unrevealed Key)
Harpoon (Indiegala Key)
HoloSprint (DIG Key)
Honey, I Joined a Cult (HB Unrevealed Key)
Incandescent (DIG Key)
Intelligence (Indiegala Key)
Izmir: An Independence Simulator (HB Unrevealed Key)
Lemuria: Lost in Space (DIG Key)
Lust from Beyond: M Edition (HB Unrevealed Key)
Meeple Station (HB Unrevealed Key)
Mello Haunted House (DIG Key)
Metal Strike (DIG Key)
Midnight Ghost Hunt (HB Unrevealed Key)
MirrorMoon EP (HB Unrevealed Key)
Morbid: The Seven Acolytes (HB Unrevealed Key)
NAVALNY: A Nightmare of Corrupt (DIG Key)
Not Another Weekend (Indiegala Key)
Omae Wa Mou Shindeiru (Indiegala Key)
Onsen Master (IGN Key)
Orbital Racer (HB Unrevealed Key)
Patriots: Back to Civilization (DIG Key)
Pixross (HB Unrevealed Key)
Planet TD (HB Unrevealed Key)
Quantum Replica (Fanatical Key) x2
Quest: Escape Room (Indiegala Key)
Raccoon: The Orc Invasion (DIG Key)
Railroad Tycoon 3 (HB Unrevealed Key)
Reach the Summit (Indiegala Key)
Remnants of Naezith (HB Unrevealed Key)
Rocky Ride (Indiegala Key)
Runner3 (Fanatical Key - Might Keep)
Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter - Legend of the Beast DLC (HB Unrevealed Key)
Sid Meier's Railroads! (HB Unrevealed Key)
Sit on bottle (Indiegala Key)
SMIB: Mission Cure (Indiegala Key)
Soul Searching (HB Unrevealed Key)
Soulblight (HB Unrevealed Key)
Space BloX (DIG Key)
Space Crew: Legendary Edition (HB Unrevealed Key)
Spider-Robots War (Indiegala Key)
Spiritfarer®: Farewell Edition (HB Unrevealed Key)
Stacking (HB Unrevealed Key)
STAR WARS Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast (HB Unrevealed Key)
STAR WARS: The Force Unleashed Ultimate Sith Edition (HB Unrevealed Key)
StarCrossed (HB Unrevealed Key)
Stick Fight: The Game (HB Unrevealed Key)
Strange Brigade (HB Unrevealed Key)
Sunlight (HB Unrevealed Key)
Supreme Ruler Cold War (Fanatical Key)
Swag and Sorcery (HB Unrevealed Key)
Swords and Soldiers 2 Shawarmageddon (Fanatical Key)
System Shock: Enhanced Edition (HB Unrevealed Key)
System Shock: Enhanced Edition (HB Unrevealed Key)
System Shock 2 (HB Unrevealed Key)
Telefrag VR (HB Unrevealed Key)
Teleglitch: Die More Edition (HB Unrevealed Key)
The Amazing American Circus (HB Unrevealed Key)
The Amazing American Circus (HB Unrevealed Key)
The Big SokoBang (DIG Key)
The Detective Chapters: Part One (DIG Key)
The Governor (DIG Key)
The Inner World (HB Unrevealed Key)
The Invisible Hand (HB Unrevealed Key)
The Orphan A Tale of An Errant Ghost - Hidden Object Game (DIG Key)
The Watchmaker (Fanatical Key)
The Wild Eight (HB Unrevealed Key)
Thyra Adventure (DIG Key)
Ticket to Ride (HB Unrevealed Key)
Time Lock VR 2 (Indiegala Key)
ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove (HB Unrevealed Key)
Townsmen - A Kingdom Rebuilt (HB Unrevealed Key)
Trash Squad (DIG Key)
Tricone Lab (Indiegala Key)
Turbo Golf Racing (HB Unrevealed Key)
Unexplored (Fanatical Key)
Vanguard Princess (DIG Key)
War Robots: Planet Defender (DIG Key)
What A Trash Game (DIG Key)
Win The Diamond (DIG Key)
Worms Rumble (HB Unrevealed Key)
X-Morph: Defense Complete Pack (HB Unrevealed Key)
XCOM: ULTIMATE COLLECTION (HB Unrevealed Key)
Yet Another Hero Story (Indiegala Key)
YOU DON'T KNOW JACK Vol. 2 (HB Unrevealed Key)
Zack 2: Celeste's Map (Indiegala Key)
Zen Cube (DIG Key)
Zombie Claus (Indiegala Key)
Zombie Driver HD Complete Edition (HB Unrevealed Key)
Removed / Banned / Delisted / Purchase Disabled games :
- Afterfall Insanity Extended Edition
- Beast Boxing Turbo
- Betrayer
- Cloud Chamber
- Defenders of Ardania
- Depths of Fear :: Knossos
- Dollar Dash
- Droplitz
- Gettysburg Armored Warfare
- Grind Zones
- Leviathan: Warships
- Magicka: Wizards of the Square Tablet
- Naval War: Arctic Circle
- On The Path
- Quadrant M4
- Quixzel Rush: Pumpkin Bash
- Quixzel Rush: Tooth Protector
- Run Away
- Shadows: Price For Our Sins Bonus Edition
- Sine Mora + Ex
- Spaceguy 2
- Star Shield Down
- Trials of The Illuminati: Women of Beauty Jigsaws
- Trials of The Illuminati: Animated Christmas Time Jigsaws
- Two Brothers
- World War 1 Centennial Edition
- ZombieRush
Challenges, Lootboy, second hand, might have some dupes in it (also might not be up to date) => i can exchange them for games but also for trading cards, based on grey market value Vs trading cards market value :
- 1954 Alcatraz
- A New Beginning
- A New Beginning - Final Cut
- A Valley Without Wind
- Alien Spidy
- Angvik
- Animals
- Anna - Extended Edition
- Anna's Quest
- AquaNox
- AquaNox 2
- Bad Rats
- Bang Bang Racing
- Beat Hazard
- Beat Hazard Complete
- Bionic Heart
- BlazeRush
- Bunch Of Heroes
- CAPSULE
- Car Mechanic Simulator 2014
- Cargo! - The quest for gravity
- Ceville
- Clockwork Survivors
- Commander: Conquest of the Americas
- Commandos 2: Men of Courage
- Commandos 3: Destination Berlin
- Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines
- Commandos: Beyond the Call of Duty
- Company of Crime
- Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?!
- Crash Time 3
- Critical Mass
- CrossKrush
- Dangerous platform
- Dark Fall: Lost Souls
- Darwinia
- Dead Hungry Diner
- Deadly 30
- Defunct
- Demigod
- Deponia
- DESOLATE
- Disciples II: Galleans Return
- Disciples II: Rise of the Elves
- Dragon Blast DLC
- Drop Hunt - Adventure Puzzle
- Dungeon of the Endless
- Dungeons - The Dark Lord
- Eidolon
- El Matador
- Elite Forces
- Escape From Russia: Mobilization
- Eternal Step
- Ethan: Meteor Hunter Deluxe Edition
- EUIII Chronicles
- eXceed - Gun Bullet Children
- Fantasy Wars
- Fated Souls 3
- Fester Mudd - Episode 1
- Figment
- Final Slam 2
- Finding Teddy
- Fireburst
- Flower Shop: Summer In Fairbrook
- Flower Shop: Winter In Fairbrook
- Future Wars
- Galactic Civilizations I: Ultimate Edition
- Girlfriend Rescue
- Going Under
- Grand Ages Rome
- Grand Ages Rome Gold
- Grav Blazer
- Greed: Black Border
- Grotesque Tactics: Evil Heroes
- Gunman Clive
- Hard Reset Extended Edition
- Heileen 2: The Hands Of Fate
- Hero by Chance
- Holy Avatar vs. Maidens of the Dead
- Holy Potatoes! A Weapon Shop?!
- Home
- Huntsman: The Orphanage
- Idol Hands
- Imperial Glory
- In Between
- inMomentum
- Ion Assault
- Jets'n'Guns Gold
- Jumping Cat
- Kalaban
- KAMI
- King's Bounty: Armored Princess
- King's Bounty: The Legend
- Kingdom Wars 4 - The Plague: Kingdom Wars
- Knights of Honor
- Konung 2
- Konung 3
- Legends of Eisenwald
- Little Racers STREET
- M.U.D. TV
- Magicka
- Majesty 2
- Mata Hari
- Megabyte Punch
- Memory Booster
- Men of War: Assault Squad GOTY
- Mind: Path to Thalamus
- Miner Wars 2081
- Multiwinia
- NASCAR '15 Victory Edition
- NASCAR Heat Evolution
- Night Wanderings
- Nordlicht
- Norega Barracks + Academy DLC
- Nuclear Dawn
- Nuclear Dawn
- Of Orcs and Men
- Oil Rush Bundle
- One Finger Death Punch 2
- Onikira - Demon Killer
- Overcast - Walden and the Werewolf
- Painkiller Recurring Evil
- Painkiller Redemption
- Painkiller: Black Edition
- Patrician IV
- Patrician IV Gold
- Pirates of Black Cove
- Pixel Heroes: Byte & Magic
- PixelJunk Monsters Ultimate
- Planets Under Attack
- Plush
- Poly Memory: Cats
- Poly Puzzle: Dogs
- Poly Puzzle: Furries
- Poof
- Post Apocalyptic Mayhem
- Praetorians
- Primal Carnage
- Punch Club
- Purgatory: War of the Damned
- Puzzle Art: Cats
- Puzzle Kingdoms
- Quell
- Quell Memento
- Quell Reflect
- Race! Beauty! Bugs!
- Razor2: Hidden Skies
- Really Big Sky
- Red Faction Guerrilla Re-Mars-tered + Armageddon Bundle With DLC (Nordic D)
- Red Johnson's Chronicles - 1+2
- Regions of Ruin
- Rise of Flight: Channel Battles Edition
- Runaway, The Dream of the Turtle
- Save the Dodos
- Shadowgrounds Survivor
- Shift Happens
- Simple Builder
- Skilltree Saga
- Sky Mercenaries
- Smalles Class DLC
- Space Empires IV Deluxe
- Space Empires V
- Space Pilgrim Academy: Year 3
- Spirited Heart Deluxe
- Square's Route
- Star Ruler
- Star Wolves
- Starsphere
- Stellar Interface
- Stoirs VR
- STRIDER
- Stunt Hill
- Swamp Jump
- Switch Galaxy Ultra
- Sword of the Stars Complete Collection
- Terror Time
- The Deed II
- The Deed: Dynasty
- The End of Labyronia: Nerubis
- The God's Chain
- The Joylancer: Legendary Motor Knight
- The King's Crusade - Lionheart
- The Old City: Leviathan
- The Void
- Theatre of War 2: Africa 1943
- Theatre of War: 3 - Korea
- Theatre of War: Centauro
- Theatre of War: Kursk + Caen
- Toby: The Secret Mine
- Toy Tinker Simulator
- Trainz Simulator 12
- Trainz Simulator 12 - Coronation Scot DLC
- TRAUMA
- Tropico 3
- Trulon: The Shadow Engine
- Turba
- Twin Sector
- UFO Afterlight
- Undefeated
- Uplink
- Us and them
- Valnir Rok
- Vault Cracker
- Vegas: Make It Big
- Velvet Assassin
- Vessel
- Warrior Kings
- Warriors' Wrath
- Wasteland Angel
- Weable
- When Our Journey Ends - A Visual Novel
- Whispering Willows
- Windforge
- Windscape
- Windstorm: Start of a Great Friendship
- Zombie Driver HD Complete Edition
- Zombie Pirates
- Zombie Shooter
Wishlist : Various offers welcome, i'll browse lists, and most wanted are :
Currently or recently bundled : * ABRISS * Achilles: Legends Untold * AFTERLIFE: KILLING DEATH * ALTF4 * Blade of Darkness * Boneraiser Minions * Brotato * CARRION * Deadlink * Dome Keeper * Dread Delusion * Gearshifters * Gone Viral * GRAVEN * HYPER DEMON * Impaler * Just King * LEGO® Star Wars™: The Skywalker Saga * Loot River * Mago * Prince of Persia (various) * Project Warlock II * Rogue: Genesia * Shantae and the Seven Sirens * The Citadel * Ultratron * ULTRAKILL * Windbound * Zombieland: Double Tap - Road Trip
Bigger or rarer (for a big load of my games) : * Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord * RESIDENT EVIL Village * Hades * Cyberpunk 2077 * ELDEN RING * A Plague Tale: Requiem * Cuphead * GTFO * Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy * Noita * Choo-Choo Charles * Garry's Mod * Prototype 1 and 2 * Bleak Faith: Forsaken
DLCs : * The Surge The Good, the Bad and the Augmented DLC * The Surge 2 - Season Pass * Vermintide 2 DLCs : Warrior Priest Career - Sister of the Thorn * Borderlands 3 Season Pass 2 * Mortal Shell: The Virtuous Cycle * Rocksmith DLCs * Lego Season Passes (DC Super Villains - Jurassic World - Marvel Super Heroes - Movie - Hobbit - Incredibles - Worlds) * Dead by Daylight DLCs (A Nightmare on Elm Street - Ash vs Evil Dead - Chains of Hate - Charity Case - Curtain Call - Ghost Face - Headcase - LEATHERFACE - Resident Evil Chapter - Silent Hill Chapter - Stranger Things Chapter - The Bloodstained Sack - The Halloween Chapter - The Saw Chapter - Sadako Rising Chapter - Forged in Fog - Resident Evil: PROJECT W)
See here for the rest of my wishlist. Compare2Steam + offers, i'll browse lists, and eventually take Paypal, but i'm more interested in Paypal & TF2, but i'm more interested in games trades
submitted by
Zoliv13 to
GameTrade [link] [comments]
2023.06.10 15:09 Zoliv13 [H] Bundle games from Humble/Fanatical/IG + 1000 V-Bucks [W] Wishlist/Offers (Update 10/06/2023)
Hello,
I'd like some
fair exchange for those, i'm willing to put more than one game against a game i really want, depends on the offer. I could accept Paypal, but that's not my goal (just getting games i'd like to play). I might want to keep something in those lists, i also have some other Humble and Fanatical games i'm not sure i'll play, so they might appear one day (could be money for an exchange if you have something from my wishlist, don't hesitate to ask). I'm from Europe, that might matter for Keys or gift links. Also, i have many games now, and a lot to do yet, so i might be very picky, even for games on my wishlist (it's more a list for interesting games, that i might want in an undetermined future if i have time).
(HB Unrevealed Key = i have it still unrevealed, but will provide a key, considering the Humble view on trading games)
For people living in France, i also have some old games in boxes that i can send by post, ask me if interested.
My IGSRep page My SGSFlair page My GameTrade page My Barter (come to Barter, it's so much better !)
My SteamTrade *** I have Amazon Prime, so i already have the games that drop there ***
*** Please tell me what you're interested in in my list and don't just drop yours ***
112 Operator (HB Unrevealed Key)
6120 (Indiegala Key)
911 Operator (HB Unrevealed Key)
A Conversation With Mister Rabbit (Indiegala Key)
Alien Cat 2 (Indiegala Key)
Aliens: Fireteam Elite (HB Unrevealed Key)
Alone With You (DIG Key)
AMID EVIL (HB Unrevealed Key)
Arata Haunted Asylum (DIG Key)
Army Men RTS (HB Unrevealed Key)
AWAKE - Definitive Edition (Fanatical Key)
Baba Is You (HB Unrevealed Key)
Backbone (HB Unrevealed Key)
Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery (HB Unrevealed Key)
BOK-BOK: A Chicken Dating Sim (DIG Key)
Borderlands 3: Super Deluxe Edition (HB Unrevealed Key)
Builder Simulator (HB Unrevealed Key)
Click and Slay (Fanatical Key)
Codename Ghost Hunt (DIG Key)
Combat Tested (Fanatical Key)
Conflict Area (DIG Key)
Conflict Area (Indiegala Key)
Cosmonautica (Fanatical Key)
Cris Tales (HB Unrevealed Key)
Dagon - The Eldritch Box DLC (HB Unrevealed Key)
Death Squared (HB Unrevealed Key)
Detached: Non-VR Edition (HB Unrevealed Key)
Destiny 2: Beyond Light (HB Unrevealed Key)
Dezinsector (Indiegala Key)
Don't Look (DIG Key)
Driftland: The Magic Revival (HB Unrevealed Key)
Duke Nukem Forever: Hail to the Icons Parody Pack (HB Unrevealed Key)
Duke Nukem Forever: The Doctor Who Cloned Me (HB Unrevealed Key)
Explosionade (Fanatical Key)
Fling to the Finish (Fanatical Key)
Flyist (DIG Key)
Forep Man (DIG Key)
Frick, Inc. (HB Unrevealed Key)
Fury Unleashed (HB Unrevealed Key)
GALAXIUM (DIG Key)
Generation Zero® (HB Unrevealed Key)
Gloria Victis (HB Unrevealed Key)
GOD's DEATH (DIG Key)
GRIME (HB Unrevealed Key)
Il Sole e la Luna (DIG Key)
Game of the forgotten Gods. Wake up / Игра забытых Богов. Проснись (DIG Key)
GameGuru (HB Unrevealed Key)
Good puzzle: Castles (Indiegala Key)
Guilty Gear X2 #Reload (HB Unrevealed Key)
Hack 'n' Slash (HB Unrevealed Key)
Harpoon (Indiegala Key)
HoloSprint (DIG Key)
Honey, I Joined a Cult (HB Unrevealed Key)
Incandescent (DIG Key)
Intelligence (Indiegala Key)
Izmir: An Independence Simulator (HB Unrevealed Key)
Lemuria: Lost in Space (DIG Key)
Lust from Beyond: M Edition (HB Unrevealed Key)
Meeple Station (HB Unrevealed Key)
Mello Haunted House (DIG Key)
Metal Strike (DIG Key)
Midnight Ghost Hunt (HB Unrevealed Key)
MirrorMoon EP (HB Unrevealed Key)
Morbid: The Seven Acolytes (HB Unrevealed Key)
NAVALNY: A Nightmare of Corrupt (DIG Key)
Not Another Weekend (Indiegala Key)
Omae Wa Mou Shindeiru (Indiegala Key)
Onsen Master (IGN Key)
Orbital Racer (HB Unrevealed Key)
Patriots: Back to Civilization (DIG Key)
Pixross (HB Unrevealed Key)
Planet TD (HB Unrevealed Key)
Quantum Replica (Fanatical Key) x2
Quest: Escape Room (Indiegala Key)
Raccoon: The Orc Invasion (DIG Key)
Railroad Tycoon 3 (HB Unrevealed Key)
Reach the Summit (Indiegala Key)
Remnants of Naezith (HB Unrevealed Key)
Rocky Ride (Indiegala Key)
Runner3 (Fanatical Key - Might Keep)
Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter - Legend of the Beast DLC (HB Unrevealed Key)
Sid Meier's Railroads! (HB Unrevealed Key)
Sit on bottle (Indiegala Key)
SMIB: Mission Cure (Indiegala Key)
Soul Searching (HB Unrevealed Key)
Soulblight (HB Unrevealed Key)
Space BloX (DIG Key)
Space Crew: Legendary Edition (HB Unrevealed Key)
Spider-Robots War (Indiegala Key)
Spiritfarer®: Farewell Edition (HB Unrevealed Key)
Stacking (HB Unrevealed Key)
STAR WARS Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast (HB Unrevealed Key)
STAR WARS: The Force Unleashed Ultimate Sith Edition (HB Unrevealed Key)
StarCrossed (HB Unrevealed Key)
Stick Fight: The Game (HB Unrevealed Key)
Strange Brigade (HB Unrevealed Key)
Sunlight (HB Unrevealed Key)
Supreme Ruler Cold War (Fanatical Key)
Swag and Sorcery (HB Unrevealed Key)
Swords and Soldiers 2 Shawarmageddon (Fanatical Key)
System Shock: Enhanced Edition (HB Unrevealed Key)
System Shock: Enhanced Edition (HB Unrevealed Key)
System Shock 2 (HB Unrevealed Key)
Telefrag VR (HB Unrevealed Key)
Teleglitch: Die More Edition (HB Unrevealed Key)
The Amazing American Circus (HB Unrevealed Key)
The Amazing American Circus (HB Unrevealed Key)
The Big SokoBang (DIG Key)
The Detective Chapters: Part One (DIG Key)
The Governor (DIG Key)
The Inner World (HB Unrevealed Key)
The Invisible Hand (HB Unrevealed Key)
The Orphan A Tale of An Errant Ghost - Hidden Object Game (DIG Key)
The Watchmaker (Fanatical Key)
The Wild Eight (HB Unrevealed Key)
Thyra Adventure (DIG Key)
Ticket to Ride (HB Unrevealed Key)
Time Lock VR 2 (Indiegala Key)
ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove (HB Unrevealed Key)
Townsmen - A Kingdom Rebuilt (HB Unrevealed Key)
Trash Squad (DIG Key)
Tricone Lab (Indiegala Key)
Turbo Golf Racing (HB Unrevealed Key)
Unexplored (Fanatical Key)
Vanguard Princess (DIG Key)
War Robots: Planet Defender (DIG Key)
What A Trash Game (DIG Key)
Win The Diamond (DIG Key)
Worms Rumble (HB Unrevealed Key)
X-Morph: Defense Complete Pack (HB Unrevealed Key)
XCOM: ULTIMATE COLLECTION (HB Unrevealed Key)
Yet Another Hero Story (Indiegala Key)
YOU DON'T KNOW JACK Vol. 2 (HB Unrevealed Key)
Zack 2: Celeste's Map (Indiegala Key)
Zen Cube (DIG Key)
Zombie Claus (Indiegala Key)
Zombie Driver HD Complete Edition (HB Unrevealed Key)
Removed / Banned / Delisted / Purchase Disabled games :
- Afterfall Insanity Extended Edition
- Beast Boxing Turbo
- Betrayer
- Cloud Chamber
- Defenders of Ardania
- Depths of Fear :: Knossos
- Dollar Dash
- Droplitz
- Gettysburg Armored Warfare
- Grind Zones
- Leviathan: Warships
- Magicka: Wizards of the Square Tablet
- Naval War: Arctic Circle
- On The Path
- Quadrant M4
- Quixzel Rush: Pumpkin Bash
- Quixzel Rush: Tooth Protector
- Run Away
- Shadows: Price For Our Sins Bonus Edition
- Sine Mora + Ex
- Spaceguy 2
- Star Shield Down
- Trials of The Illuminati: Women of Beauty Jigsaws
- Trials of The Illuminati: Animated Christmas Time Jigsaws
- Two Brothers
- World War 1 Centennial Edition
- ZombieRush
Challenges, Lootboy, second hand, might have some dupes in it (also might not be up to date) => i can exchange them for games but also for trading cards, based on grey market value Vs trading cards market value :
- 1954 Alcatraz
- A New Beginning
- A New Beginning - Final Cut
- A Valley Without Wind
- Alien Spidy
- Angvik
- Animals
- Anna - Extended Edition
- Anna's Quest
- AquaNox
- AquaNox 2
- Bad Rats
- Bang Bang Racing
- Beat Hazard
- Beat Hazard Complete
- Bionic Heart
- BlazeRush
- Bunch Of Heroes
- CAPSULE
- Car Mechanic Simulator 2014
- Cargo! - The quest for gravity
- Ceville
- Clockwork Survivors
- Commander: Conquest of the Americas
- Commandos 2: Men of Courage
- Commandos 3: Destination Berlin
- Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines
- Commandos: Beyond the Call of Duty
- Company of Crime
- Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?!
- Crash Time 3
- Critical Mass
- CrossKrush
- Dangerous platform
- Dark Fall: Lost Souls
- Darwinia
- Dead Hungry Diner
- Deadly 30
- Defunct
- Demigod
- Deponia
- DESOLATE
- Disciples II: Galleans Return
- Disciples II: Rise of the Elves
- Dragon Blast DLC
- Drop Hunt - Adventure Puzzle
- Dungeon of the Endless
- Dungeons - The Dark Lord
- Eidolon
- El Matador
- Elite Forces
- Escape From Russia: Mobilization
- Eternal Step
- Ethan: Meteor Hunter Deluxe Edition
- EUIII Chronicles
- eXceed - Gun Bullet Children
- Fantasy Wars
- Fated Souls 3
- Fester Mudd - Episode 1
- Figment
- Final Slam 2
- Finding Teddy
- Fireburst
- Flower Shop: Summer In Fairbrook
- Flower Shop: Winter In Fairbrook
- Future Wars
- Galactic Civilizations I: Ultimate Edition
- Girlfriend Rescue
- Going Under
- Grand Ages Rome
- Grand Ages Rome Gold
- Grav Blazer
- Greed: Black Border
- Grotesque Tactics: Evil Heroes
- Gunman Clive
- Hard Reset Extended Edition
- Heileen 2: The Hands Of Fate
- Hero by Chance
- Holy Avatar vs. Maidens of the Dead
- Holy Potatoes! A Weapon Shop?!
- Home
- Huntsman: The Orphanage
- Idol Hands
- Imperial Glory
- In Between
- inMomentum
- Ion Assault
- Jets'n'Guns Gold
- Jumping Cat
- Kalaban
- KAMI
- King's Bounty: Armored Princess
- King's Bounty: The Legend
- Kingdom Wars 4 - The Plague: Kingdom Wars
- Knights of Honor
- Konung 2
- Konung 3
- Legends of Eisenwald
- Little Racers STREET
- M.U.D. TV
- Magicka
- Majesty 2
- Mata Hari
- Megabyte Punch
- Memory Booster
- Men of War: Assault Squad GOTY
- Mind: Path to Thalamus
- Miner Wars 2081
- Multiwinia
- NASCAR '15 Victory Edition
- NASCAR Heat Evolution
- Night Wanderings
- Nordlicht
- Norega Barracks + Academy DLC
- Nuclear Dawn
- Nuclear Dawn
- Of Orcs and Men
- Oil Rush Bundle
- One Finger Death Punch 2
- Onikira - Demon Killer
- Overcast - Walden and the Werewolf
- Painkiller Recurring Evil
- Painkiller Redemption
- Painkiller: Black Edition
- Patrician IV
- Patrician IV Gold
- Pirates of Black Cove
- Pixel Heroes: Byte & Magic
- PixelJunk Monsters Ultimate
- Planets Under Attack
- Plush
- Poly Memory: Cats
- Poly Puzzle: Dogs
- Poly Puzzle: Furries
- Poof
- Post Apocalyptic Mayhem
- Praetorians
- Primal Carnage
- Punch Club
- Purgatory: War of the Damned
- Puzzle Art: Cats
- Puzzle Kingdoms
- Quell
- Quell Memento
- Quell Reflect
- Race! Beauty! Bugs!
- Razor2: Hidden Skies
- Really Big Sky
- Red Faction Guerrilla Re-Mars-tered + Armageddon Bundle With DLC (Nordic D)
- Red Johnson's Chronicles - 1+2
- Regions of Ruin
- Rise of Flight: Channel Battles Edition
- Runaway, The Dream of the Turtle
- Save the Dodos
- Shadowgrounds Survivor
- Shift Happens
- Simple Builder
- Skilltree Saga
- Sky Mercenaries
- Smalles Class DLC
- Space Empires IV Deluxe
- Space Empires V
- Space Pilgrim Academy: Year 3
- Spirited Heart Deluxe
- Square's Route
- Star Ruler
- Star Wolves
- Starsphere
- Stellar Interface
- Stoirs VR
- STRIDER
- Stunt Hill
- Swamp Jump
- Switch Galaxy Ultra
- Sword of the Stars Complete Collection
- Terror Time
- The Deed II
- The Deed: Dynasty
- The End of Labyronia: Nerubis
- The God's Chain
- The Joylancer: Legendary Motor Knight
- The King's Crusade - Lionheart
- The Old City: Leviathan
- The Void
- Theatre of War 2: Africa 1943
- Theatre of War: 3 - Korea
- Theatre of War: Centauro
- Theatre of War: Kursk + Caen
- Toby: The Secret Mine
- Toy Tinker Simulator
- Trainz Simulator 12
- Trainz Simulator 12 - Coronation Scot DLC
- TRAUMA
- Tropico 3
- Trulon: The Shadow Engine
- Turba
- Twin Sector
- UFO Afterlight
- Undefeated
- Uplink
- Us and them
- Valnir Rok
- Vault Cracker
- Vegas: Make It Big
- Velvet Assassin
- Vessel
- Warrior Kings
- Warriors' Wrath
- Wasteland Angel
- Weable
- When Our Journey Ends - A Visual Novel
- Whispering Willows
- Windforge
- Windscape
- Windstorm: Start of a Great Friendship
- Zombie Driver HD Complete Edition
- Zombie Pirates
- Zombie Shooter
Wishlist : Various offers welcome, i'll browse lists, and most wanted are :
Currently or recently bundled : * ABRISS * Achilles: Legends Untold * AFTERLIFE: KILLING DEATH * ALTF4 * Blade of Darkness * Boneraiser Minions * Brotato * CARRION * Deadlink * Dome Keeper * Dread Delusion * Gearshifters * Gone Viral * GRAVEN * HYPER DEMON * Impaler * Just King * LEGO® Star Wars™: The Skywalker Saga * Loot River * Mago * Prince of Persia (various) * Project Warlock II * Rogue: Genesia * Shantae and the Seven Sirens * The Citadel * Ultratron * ULTRAKILL * Windbound * Zombieland: Double Tap - Road Trip
Bigger or rarer (for a big load of my games) : * Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord * RESIDENT EVIL Village * Hades * Cyberpunk 2077 * ELDEN RING * A Plague Tale: Requiem * Cuphead * GTFO * Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy * Noita * Choo-Choo Charles * Garry's Mod * Prototype 1 and 2 * Bleak Faith: Forsaken
DLCs : * The Surge The Good, the Bad and the Augmented DLC * The Surge 2 - Season Pass * Vermintide 2 DLCs : Warrior Priest Career - Sister of the Thorn * Borderlands 3 Season Pass 2 * Mortal Shell: The Virtuous Cycle * Rocksmith DLCs * Lego Season Passes (DC Super Villains - Jurassic World - Marvel Super Heroes - Movie - Hobbit - Incredibles - Worlds) * Dead by Daylight DLCs (A Nightmare on Elm Street - Ash vs Evil Dead - Chains of Hate - Charity Case - Curtain Call - Ghost Face - Headcase - LEATHERFACE - Resident Evil Chapter - Silent Hill Chapter - Stranger Things Chapter - The Bloodstained Sack - The Halloween Chapter - The Saw Chapter - Sadako Rising Chapter - Forged in Fog - Resident Evil: PROJECT W)
See here for the rest of my wishlist. Compare2Steam + offers, i'll browse lists, and eventually take Paypal, but i'm more interested in Paypal & TF2, but i'm more interested in games trades
submitted by
Zoliv13 to
SteamGameSwap [link] [comments]
2023.06.10 15:09 Zoliv13 [H] Bundle games from Humble/Fanatical/IG + 1000 V-Bucks [W] Wishlist/Offers (Update 10/06/2023)
Hello,
I'd like some
fair exchange for those, i'm willing to put more than one game against a game i really want, depends on the offer. I could accept Paypal, but that's not my goal (just getting games i'd like to play). I might want to keep something in those lists, i also have some other Humble and Fanatical games i'm not sure i'll play, so they might appear one day (could be money for an exchange if you have something from my wishlist, don't hesitate to ask). I'm from Europe, that might matter for Keys or gift links. Also, i have many games now, and a lot to do yet, so i might be very picky, even for games on my wishlist (it's more a list for interesting games, that i might want in an undetermined future if i have time).
(HB Unrevealed Key = i have it still unrevealed, but will provide a key, considering the Humble view on trading games)
For people living in France, i also have some old games in boxes that i can send by post, ask me if interested.
My IGSRep page My SGSFlair page My GameTrade page My Barter (come to Barter, it's so much better !)
My SteamTrade *** I have Amazon Prime, so i already have the games that drop there ***
*** Please tell me what you're interested in in my list and don't just drop yours ***
112 Operator (HB Unrevealed Key)
6120 (Indiegala Key)
911 Operator (HB Unrevealed Key)
A Conversation With Mister Rabbit (Indiegala Key)
Alien Cat 2 (Indiegala Key)
Aliens: Fireteam Elite (HB Unrevealed Key)
Alone With You (DIG Key)
AMID EVIL (HB Unrevealed Key)
Arata Haunted Asylum (DIG Key)
Army Men RTS (HB Unrevealed Key)
AWAKE - Definitive Edition (Fanatical Key)
Baba Is You (HB Unrevealed Key)
Backbone (HB Unrevealed Key)
Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery (HB Unrevealed Key)
BOK-BOK: A Chicken Dating Sim (DIG Key)
Borderlands 3: Super Deluxe Edition (HB Unrevealed Key)
Builder Simulator (HB Unrevealed Key)
Click and Slay (Fanatical Key)
Codename Ghost Hunt (DIG Key)
Combat Tested (Fanatical Key)
Conflict Area (DIG Key)
Conflict Area (Indiegala Key)
Cosmonautica (Fanatical Key)
Cris Tales (HB Unrevealed Key)
Dagon - The Eldritch Box DLC (HB Unrevealed Key)
Death Squared (HB Unrevealed Key)
Detached: Non-VR Edition (HB Unrevealed Key)
Destiny 2: Beyond Light (HB Unrevealed Key)
Dezinsector (Indiegala Key)
Don't Look (DIG Key)
Driftland: The Magic Revival (HB Unrevealed Key)
Duke Nukem Forever: Hail to the Icons Parody Pack (HB Unrevealed Key)
Duke Nukem Forever: The Doctor Who Cloned Me (HB Unrevealed Key)
Explosionade (Fanatical Key)
Fling to the Finish (Fanatical Key)
Flyist (DIG Key)
Forep Man (DIG Key)
Frick, Inc. (HB Unrevealed Key)
Fury Unleashed (HB Unrevealed Key)
GALAXIUM (DIG Key)
Generation Zero® (HB Unrevealed Key)
Gloria Victis (HB Unrevealed Key)
GOD's DEATH (DIG Key)
GRIME (HB Unrevealed Key)
Il Sole e la Luna (DIG Key)
Game of the forgotten Gods. Wake up / Игра забытых Богов. Проснись (DIG Key)
GameGuru (HB Unrevealed Key)
Good puzzle: Castles (Indiegala Key)
Guilty Gear X2 #Reload (HB Unrevealed Key)
Hack 'n' Slash (HB Unrevealed Key)
Harpoon (Indiegala Key)
HoloSprint (DIG Key)
Honey, I Joined a Cult (HB Unrevealed Key)
Incandescent (DIG Key)
Intelligence (Indiegala Key)
Izmir: An Independence Simulator (HB Unrevealed Key)
Lemuria: Lost in Space (DIG Key)
Lust from Beyond: M Edition (HB Unrevealed Key)
Meeple Station (HB Unrevealed Key)
Mello Haunted House (DIG Key)
Metal Strike (DIG Key)
Midnight Ghost Hunt (HB Unrevealed Key)
MirrorMoon EP (HB Unrevealed Key)
Morbid: The Seven Acolytes (HB Unrevealed Key)
NAVALNY: A Nightmare of Corrupt (DIG Key)
Not Another Weekend (Indiegala Key)
Omae Wa Mou Shindeiru (Indiegala Key)
Onsen Master (IGN Key)
Orbital Racer (HB Unrevealed Key)
Patriots: Back to Civilization (DIG Key)
Pixross (HB Unrevealed Key)
Planet TD (HB Unrevealed Key)
Quantum Replica (Fanatical Key) x2
Quest: Escape Room (Indiegala Key)
Raccoon: The Orc Invasion (DIG Key)
Railroad Tycoon 3 (HB Unrevealed Key)
Reach the Summit (Indiegala Key)
Remnants of Naezith (HB Unrevealed Key)
Rocky Ride (Indiegala Key)
Runner3 (Fanatical Key - Might Keep)
Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter - Legend of the Beast DLC (HB Unrevealed Key)
Sid Meier's Railroads! (HB Unrevealed Key)
Sit on bottle (Indiegala Key)
SMIB: Mission Cure (Indiegala Key)
Soul Searching (HB Unrevealed Key)
Soulblight (HB Unrevealed Key)
Space BloX (DIG Key)
Space Crew: Legendary Edition (HB Unrevealed Key)
Spider-Robots War (Indiegala Key)
Spiritfarer®: Farewell Edition (HB Unrevealed Key)
Stacking (HB Unrevealed Key)
STAR WARS Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast (HB Unrevealed Key)
STAR WARS: The Force Unleashed Ultimate Sith Edition (HB Unrevealed Key)
StarCrossed (HB Unrevealed Key)
Stick Fight: The Game (HB Unrevealed Key)
Strange Brigade (HB Unrevealed Key)
Sunlight (HB Unrevealed Key)
Supreme Ruler Cold War (Fanatical Key)
Swag and Sorcery (HB Unrevealed Key)
Swords and Soldiers 2 Shawarmageddon (Fanatical Key)
System Shock: Enhanced Edition (HB Unrevealed Key)
System Shock: Enhanced Edition (HB Unrevealed Key)
System Shock 2 (HB Unrevealed Key)
Telefrag VR (HB Unrevealed Key)
Teleglitch: Die More Edition (HB Unrevealed Key)
The Amazing American Circus (HB Unrevealed Key)
The Amazing American Circus (HB Unrevealed Key)
The Big SokoBang (DIG Key)
The Detective Chapters: Part One (DIG Key)
The Governor (DIG Key)
The Inner World (HB Unrevealed Key)
The Invisible Hand (HB Unrevealed Key)
The Orphan A Tale of An Errant Ghost - Hidden Object Game (DIG Key)
The Watchmaker (Fanatical Key)
The Wild Eight (HB Unrevealed Key)
Thyra Adventure (DIG Key)
Ticket to Ride (HB Unrevealed Key)
Time Lock VR 2 (Indiegala Key)
ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove (HB Unrevealed Key)
Townsmen - A Kingdom Rebuilt (HB Unrevealed Key)
Trash Squad (DIG Key)
Tricone Lab (Indiegala Key)
Turbo Golf Racing (HB Unrevealed Key)
Unexplored (Fanatical Key)
Vanguard Princess (DIG Key)
War Robots: Planet Defender (DIG Key)
What A Trash Game (DIG Key)
Win The Diamond (DIG Key)
Worms Rumble (HB Unrevealed Key)
X-Morph: Defense Complete Pack (HB Unrevealed Key)
XCOM: ULTIMATE COLLECTION (HB Unrevealed Key)
Yet Another Hero Story (Indiegala Key)
YOU DON'T KNOW JACK Vol. 2 (HB Unrevealed Key)
Zack 2: Celeste's Map (Indiegala Key)
Zen Cube (DIG Key)
Zombie Claus (Indiegala Key)
Zombie Driver HD Complete Edition (HB Unrevealed Key)
Removed / Banned / Delisted / Purchase Disabled games :
- Afterfall Insanity Extended Edition
- Beast Boxing Turbo
- Betrayer
- Cloud Chamber
- Defenders of Ardania
- Depths of Fear :: Knossos
- Dollar Dash
- Droplitz
- Gettysburg Armored Warfare
- Grind Zones
- Leviathan: Warships
- Magicka: Wizards of the Square Tablet
- Naval War: Arctic Circle
- On The Path
- Quadrant M4
- Quixzel Rush: Pumpkin Bash
- Quixzel Rush: Tooth Protector
- Run Away
- Shadows: Price For Our Sins Bonus Edition
- Sine Mora + Ex
- Spaceguy 2
- Star Shield Down
- Trials of The Illuminati: Women of Beauty Jigsaws
- Trials of The Illuminati: Animated Christmas Time Jigsaws
- Two Brothers
- World War 1 Centennial Edition
- ZombieRush
Challenges, Lootboy, second hand, might have some dupes in it (also might not be up to date) => i can exchange them for games but also for trading cards, based on grey market value Vs trading cards market value :
- 1954 Alcatraz
- A New Beginning
- A New Beginning - Final Cut
- A Valley Without Wind
- Alien Spidy
- Angvik
- Animals
- Anna - Extended Edition
- Anna's Quest
- AquaNox
- AquaNox 2
- Bad Rats
- Bang Bang Racing
- Beat Hazard
- Beat Hazard Complete
- Bionic Heart
- BlazeRush
- Bunch Of Heroes
- CAPSULE
- Car Mechanic Simulator 2014
- Cargo! - The quest for gravity
- Ceville
- Clockwork Survivors
- Commander: Conquest of the Americas
- Commandos 2: Men of Courage
- Commandos 3: Destination Berlin
- Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines
- Commandos: Beyond the Call of Duty
- Company of Crime
- Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?!
- Crash Time 3
- Critical Mass
- CrossKrush
- Dangerous platform
- Dark Fall: Lost Souls
- Darwinia
- Dead Hungry Diner
- Deadly 30
- Defunct
- Demigod
- Deponia
- DESOLATE
- Disciples II: Galleans Return
- Disciples II: Rise of the Elves
- Dragon Blast DLC
- Drop Hunt - Adventure Puzzle
- Dungeon of the Endless
- Dungeons - The Dark Lord
- Eidolon
- El Matador
- Elite Forces
- Escape From Russia: Mobilization
- Eternal Step
- Ethan: Meteor Hunter Deluxe Edition
- EUIII Chronicles
- eXceed - Gun Bullet Children
- Fantasy Wars
- Fated Souls 3
- Fester Mudd - Episode 1
- Figment
- Final Slam 2
- Finding Teddy
- Fireburst
- Flower Shop: Summer In Fairbrook
- Flower Shop: Winter In Fairbrook
- Future Wars
- Galactic Civilizations I: Ultimate Edition
- Girlfriend Rescue
- Going Under
- Grand Ages Rome
- Grand Ages Rome Gold
- Grav Blazer
- Greed: Black Border
- Grotesque Tactics: Evil Heroes
- Gunman Clive
- Hard Reset Extended Edition
- Heileen 2: The Hands Of Fate
- Hero by Chance
- Holy Avatar vs. Maidens of the Dead
- Holy Potatoes! A Weapon Shop?!
- Home
- Huntsman: The Orphanage
- Idol Hands
- Imperial Glory
- In Between
- inMomentum
- Ion Assault
- Jets'n'Guns Gold
- Jumping Cat
- Kalaban
- KAMI
- King's Bounty: Armored Princess
- King's Bounty: The Legend
- Kingdom Wars 4 - The Plague: Kingdom Wars
- Knights of Honor
- Konung 2
- Konung 3
- Legends of Eisenwald
- Little Racers STREET
- M.U.D. TV
- Magicka
- Majesty 2
- Mata Hari
- Megabyte Punch
- Memory Booster
- Men of War: Assault Squad GOTY
- Mind: Path to Thalamus
- Miner Wars 2081
- Multiwinia
- NASCAR '15 Victory Edition
- NASCAR Heat Evolution
- Night Wanderings
- Nordlicht
- Norega Barracks + Academy DLC
- Nuclear Dawn
- Nuclear Dawn
- Of Orcs and Men
- Oil Rush Bundle
- One Finger Death Punch 2
- Onikira - Demon Killer
- Overcast - Walden and the Werewolf
- Painkiller Recurring Evil
- Painkiller Redemption
- Painkiller: Black Edition
- Patrician IV
- Patrician IV Gold
- Pirates of Black Cove
- Pixel Heroes: Byte & Magic
- PixelJunk Monsters Ultimate
- Planets Under Attack
- Plush
- Poly Memory: Cats
- Poly Puzzle: Dogs
- Poly Puzzle: Furries
- Poof
- Post Apocalyptic Mayhem
- Praetorians
- Primal Carnage
- Punch Club
- Purgatory: War of the Damned
- Puzzle Art: Cats
- Puzzle Kingdoms
- Quell
- Quell Memento
- Quell Reflect
- Race! Beauty! Bugs!
- Razor2: Hidden Skies
- Really Big Sky
- Red Faction Guerrilla Re-Mars-tered + Armageddon Bundle With DLC (Nordic D)
- Red Johnson's Chronicles - 1+2
- Regions of Ruin
- Rise of Flight: Channel Battles Edition
- Runaway, The Dream of the Turtle
- Save the Dodos
- Shadowgrounds Survivor
- Shift Happens
- Simple Builder
- Skilltree Saga
- Sky Mercenaries
- Smalles Class DLC
- Space Empires IV Deluxe
- Space Empires V
- Space Pilgrim Academy: Year 3
- Spirited Heart Deluxe
- Square's Route
- Star Ruler
- Star Wolves
- Starsphere
- Stellar Interface
- Stoirs VR
- STRIDER
- Stunt Hill
- Swamp Jump
- Switch Galaxy Ultra
- Sword of the Stars Complete Collection
- Terror Time
- The Deed II
- The Deed: Dynasty
- The End of Labyronia: Nerubis
- The God's Chain
- The Joylancer: Legendary Motor Knight
- The King's Crusade - Lionheart
- The Old City: Leviathan
- The Void
- Theatre of War 2: Africa 1943
- Theatre of War: 3 - Korea
- Theatre of War: Centauro
- Theatre of War: Kursk + Caen
- Toby: The Secret Mine
- Toy Tinker Simulator
- Trainz Simulator 12
- Trainz Simulator 12 - Coronation Scot DLC
- TRAUMA
- Tropico 3
- Trulon: The Shadow Engine
- Turba
- Twin Sector
- UFO Afterlight
- Undefeated
- Uplink
- Us and them
- Valnir Rok
- Vault Cracker
- Vegas: Make It Big
- Velvet Assassin
- Vessel
- Warrior Kings
- Warriors' Wrath
- Wasteland Angel
- Weable
- When Our Journey Ends - A Visual Novel
- Whispering Willows
- Windforge
- Windscape
- Windstorm: Start of a Great Friendship
- Zombie Driver HD Complete Edition
- Zombie Pirates
- Zombie Shooter
Wishlist : Various offers welcome, i'll browse lists, and most wanted are :
Currently or recently bundled : * ABRISS * Achilles: Legends Untold * AFTERLIFE: KILLING DEATH * ALTF4 * Blade of Darkness * Boneraiser Minions * Brotato * CARRION * Deadlink * Dome Keeper * Dread Delusion * Gearshifters * Gone Viral * GRAVEN * HYPER DEMON * Impaler * Just King * LEGO® Star Wars™: The Skywalker Saga * Loot River * Mago * Prince of Persia (various) * Project Warlock II * Rogue: Genesia * Shantae and the Seven Sirens * The Citadel * Ultratron * ULTRAKILL * Windbound * Zombieland: Double Tap - Road Trip
Bigger or rarer (for a big load of my games) : * Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord * RESIDENT EVIL Village * Hades * Cyberpunk 2077 * ELDEN RING * A Plague Tale: Requiem * Cuphead * GTFO * Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy * Noita * Choo-Choo Charles * Garry's Mod * Prototype 1 and 2 * Bleak Faith: Forsaken
DLCs : * The Surge The Good, the Bad and the Augmented DLC * The Surge 2 - Season Pass * Vermintide 2 DLCs : Warrior Priest Career - Sister of the Thorn * Borderlands 3 Season Pass 2 * Mortal Shell: The Virtuous Cycle * Rocksmith DLCs * Lego Season Passes (DC Super Villains - Jurassic World - Marvel Super Heroes - Movie - Hobbit - Incredibles - Worlds) * Dead by Daylight DLCs (A Nightmare on Elm Street - Ash vs Evil Dead - Chains of Hate - Charity Case - Curtain Call - Ghost Face - Headcase - LEATHERFACE - Resident Evil Chapter - Silent Hill Chapter - Stranger Things Chapter - The Bloodstained Sack - The Halloween Chapter - The Saw Chapter - Sadako Rising Chapter - Forged in Fog - Resident Evil: PROJECT W)
See here for the rest of my wishlist. Compare2Steam + offers, i'll browse lists, and eventually take Paypal, but i'm more interested in Paypal & TF2, but i'm more interested in games trades
submitted by
Zoliv13 to
indiegameswap [link] [comments]
2023.06.10 14:30 LanesGrandma Antique Evil
(Content warning: Horror)
The curator loved old things, not old evil. The two converged at Clayburn Offshore Treasury. Museum jobs are hard to get, even with all the right degrees. Getting hired to run the Clayburn Offshore Treasury? That’s winning the museum employment lottery. It’s the Clayburn family’s very elite, very private museum. Anyone serious about preserving our past would be honored to be hired there.
I was over the moon. According to Clayburn – Mr Clayburn Jr, my new boss – I was the first new hire since he took over from his late father in 2006. Judging by his appearance, I guessed Clayburn was no more than 18 when his dad died. The previous curator died less than two weeks before I was hired. I’m ashamed to admit this but at the time, I blamed him for neglecting the building since Clayburn probably hadn’t learned much from his dad.
Clayburn had a few rules for me, not many. The big rule was, I had to summarize intentions and get his permission before going beyond the stuff on the list of daily routines left by the last curator.
My first priority was to modernize security. To me, that was more important than any daily routine. I felt it was critical, given the number of priceless artifacts and how simple it would have been for anyone to walk in and out with whatever they could carry. Plus, the Treasury is attached to what Clayburn calls “the main building”, a large brick house for him and the current museum curator.
The only other man-made objects on the small island were the boathouse and the massive shed for cut wood and three months of food and supplies for two, in case winter weather prevented the monthly deliveries by boat. There was nothing else on the island, I was sure of it. I’d walked every sandy inch of it to make sure I hadn’t missed a fence that needed mending or a sign or window that needed replacing. Once I got my thoughts in order, I texted my ‘outline of intent’ for security, stressing how this would help all buildings on the island. Clayburn approved it all. Cameras and locks took a couple of weeks to arrive, but installations all went smoothly.
The bigger challenge was environmental modification, to better preserve exhibits and the items held in storage. That upgrade was only for the Treasury proper. Of course, to provide proper environmental upgrades for the items, I needed a full list of everything in the Treasury’s care. Clayburn was quick to provide that to me after security was beefed up.
The list detailed the name of each item, current location, how and when it was obtained by the Treasury, and any special instructions. Several magnificent items stood out, a couple of which the outside world considered “lost to history”.
One of those caused me to gasp with joy: Aeyotin the Constant. The entry for him read:
On June 2, 1931, one Mr. Graviston Davis III entrusted Clayburn’s father, Jed Senior, with the legendary automaton Aeyotin the Constant. Mr. Clayburn Sr or his descendents or next of kin must be present before Aeyotin’s secure holding box is opened, and the box must never leave the Treasury property under any circumstances. Abandon rather than relocate.
Automatons aren’t widely known and that’s a shame. They’re like early androids, machines designed to look and act like humans. There are some like animals, of course, but the human ones interest me the most. The best are programmed to perform activities that appear to be random or in response to external stimuli rather than on a regular cycle.
I’d assisted with several vintage automatons before this job, and even got behind the scenes at the Smithsonian to see the Praying Monk up close. The Monk was wonderful, automatons in general are wonderful and I love them
I desperately wanted to examine Aeyotin. He’d been in the building for more than 90 years. Who knew what sort of deterioration had occurred since his arrival? I had to document his condition and take all necessary measures to restore him as far as possible.
I texted Clayburn to get permission to view Aeyotin.
Clayburn’s reply text was quick and unexpected. He told me to stand still until he was present and that he would be with me in less than 10 minutes.
Aeyotin was an automaton, not a mass murderer, and I was well trained in handling antiquities. Being asked to remain motionless seemed excessive, even insulting. Still, I’d just landed a great job and didn’t want to get fired so I stood there, motionless..
On arrival, Clayburn asked me to keep my phone handy and to stand at the doorway until he opened Aeyotin’s box.
“If anything goes wrong, call Ron Lundholm. If it goes really wrong, get the motorboat. Call Ron once you’re a mile out.”
Clayburn was clearly concerned. Fair enough, I thought, he hadn’t known me long enough to trust me thoroughly and he might not have a lot of faith in himself. I accepted I would have to prove my worth to Clayburn so I stood and watched him carefully open what looked like a metal broom closet.
He then backed up, bringing with him a smaller wooden container large enough to hold a child. He stopped arms length from me and laid the container gently on the floor. Without taking his eyes off it, he handed me a small ring of keys. “Never lose these.”“No sir, I won’t.”
“This container must never leave this property.” He unlatched the container as gently as I would expect when dealing with locks almost 100 years old. And with that, he pried open the top to reveal Aeyotin the Constant. Maybe it’s scientifically possible for air from an old wooden container to smell differently than the air around the container. I’m not sure how that small amount of air could instantly change the smell of the air in a three story building, but it did. Then again, if the air had smelled like wood and old oil, I doubt I’d have given it a second thought.Clayburn opened the container and I was overcome by the smell of old books, seaweed and formaldehyde, most unpleasant. Along with the odor came an odd feeling, oppressive, almost dread. A sense of something, for lack of a better term, unholy. It was so strong, I wanted to ask Clayburn about it. But before I could speak, he started reciting facts like he was a robot reading from a too-fast teleprompter.
“He’s three feet tall, made of delicately carved and painted wood with metal inner workings. He would walk, pause, close his eyes and raise his prayer beads. He prayed in a melodious voice. He raised his eyes to Heaven and resumed walking. For hours.”
He paused for a breath. “He was created no later than 1529.”I took a half step forward, thinking he was having a medical issue. If I got him to put the lid back, maybe I could convince him to go to the main building where our living quarters were. He could get a glass of water, and lie down. Again, before I could speak, he motioned me back by sweeping his arm towards me. “No closer!”
He resumed his too-fast recitation. “Some say he was created by the genius who later created the Praying Monk for Charles the Fifth.“
He paused again and I couldn’t stop myself from speaking. “Thank you, yes, there’s talk that Aeyotin became conscious, and–”
Clayburn looked at me, barely breathing. The hairs on my arms rose and my stomach tightened. Something was beyond not right.
“Sir, if you’d like, I can take over from here. I’ll be most careful.”Clayburn’s demeanor softened. “Yes! Yes, that pleases him. I’m going for lunch now.”
When I heard a door close, I figured it was Clayburn returning to the main part of the building. Only then did I feel safe enough to approach Aeyotin.
“Hello there,” I said, hoping to make the silence less creepy. By speaking to a creepy, child-sized, 500 year old wooden doll. No wonder my stomach tightened further. It was smarter than me that day.
It’s good practice and part of my work routine to wear gloves before touching artifacts. Out of habit I carry a few pairs with me all day, every day. As I put on a pair to examine Aeyotin, I noticed how badly my hands were shaking. That changed my course of action. I wouldn’t risk damaging Aeyotin by trying to pick him up. It would be enough to do a quick check of his physical condition then make sure the door was locked when I left. Everything else could wait until the next day.
Starting at his head, I pressed gently into the surrounding material to ensure there weren’t any wood or paint chips or any other signs of deterioration. Given the estimated age, I wasn’t surprised to feel something pliable behind him. It didn’t take long to see the object was paper, which I was able to remove by raising Aeyotin’s head ever so slightly.
I followed standard museum measures to retrieve and open the papers folded behind Aeyotin’s body. There was what looks like ancient paper, stuff that I would only open in a fully controlled environment. I felt it was safe to open the newer parchment and yes, the parchment seemed newer than the paper even though it was delicate and appeared to be over 50 years old.
The parchment started with a message written by Mr. Jed Clayburn Sr and his then attorney, Wilson Hughes Baine III. It was dated July 2, 1931 and it made me work some math before I could go any further.
I, Jed Clayburn, being of sound mind and body at age 57, do hereby make this declaration on July 2, 1931 in the presence of my attorney, Wilson Hughes Baine III, both of us from Flagmaker Country, (state name isn’t legible).
Hereunder is true to the paper as humanly possible. That means Mr. Clayburn Sr was born in 1874. He was 132 years old when he died in 2006. That’s significantly older than the oldest verified person, ever.
Under any other circumstances, I would have written this off as unreliable, verging on a hoax. Problem was, there was a birth certificate and a baptismal certificate included in the paperwork. Both of them were in very good condition, having been protected by several layers of cloth.
No death certificate, though. And no birth or baptismal certificate for Mr. Clayburn Jr. It could have been a well orchestrated hoax and I didn’t see how it could affect me at all so I moved on.
Then I read the rest of the document and wished I hadn’t.
This is Aeyotin the Constant who on Friday, November 4, 1530 was at the site of the St Felix Flood. Aeyotin the Constant instructed the adults therein to pray to the Lord who created this planet lest they die and leave their souls in peril. The Flood on the day of Saturday, November 5, 1530, sent 100,000 souls to their well-deserved location be that Heaven, Hell or Neither.
Curators benefit from a strong artistic nature. My imagination has always been helpful. I’d never have described it as vivid prior to reading that paragraph. As I read it, I felt my blood grow colder as humidity increased and breezes unsettled my footing. There was no explanation for the wind but it got stronger and stronger until I had to grip the sides of the display table close to Aeyotin’s container to stay upright. The winds were fierce yet neither the parchment in my hand nor Aeyotin’s container moved. I took a deep breath to clear my head and choked, unable to breathe Seawater forced its way into my nose, throat and ears. Without thinking I released the parchment and staggered backwards, away from Aeyotin who remained desert dry.
Another wave hit me. Water pressed down on my head and into my eyes. Seaweed wrapped around my nose and throat. I scrabbled at it, pulled at it and it broke in my hand. I couldn’t breathe air anymore. My lungs felt heavy, filled with water.
I knew I was drowning.
My body bent backwards.
I couldn’t scream.
I exhaled.
Falling.
Dark.
I grabbed the sides of the display table and gasped. A piece of seaweed clung to my left hand.
But there was no water. There was no flood.
I wasn’t close to drowning but my mind thought I was.
That flood is recorded history. Aeyotin’s appearance is not part of the history as I learned it, and it’s rather creepy that he would be reported there shortly after he was allegedly built. To think people actually mistook the automaton’s programmed behavior for preaching was more than creepy. It was horrifying.
The parchment was lying on the table as if I’d only just set it there.
My heart rate slowed a bit as I tried to calm down. My muscles, however, remained tense and I couldn’t stop staring at the seaweed. Logically, I wanted to run. Yet I felt compelled to read the next event listed.
“I refuse to feel what they felt.” I stared at Aeyotin feeling both foolish and scared to bits. “I, I don’t need to. I understand the words.“
Aeyotin winked. Obviously that couldn’t have happened. I wrote it off as a trick of the mind, something I imagined to reassure myself about continuing my work.
This is Aeyotin the Constant who was at the village in England that aided Alexander Leighton in 1630. Aeyotin the Constant instructed the adults therein to pray to the Lord who created this planet lest they die and leave their souls in peril. When the prayers were completed he instructed the adults therein to drown all of the children in the Cavernous Bog. I took a short break to remember I was not going to feel what any of the victims felt. Other than terror, of course, something I was going to feel no matter what I did or didn’t read.
Back to the parchment.
He then instructed the adults therein to enter the Cavernous Bog praising the Lord lest their children’s souls remain in peril. This sent 103 souls to their well-deserved location be that Heaven, Hell or Neither.
A list of 103 victims, allegedly authorized by Charles II the King, was included.
Alexander Leighton, a Scottish Presbyterian who upset English royalty and was made to suffer for it. How could 103 people, many of whom were adults, confuse the automaton’s activities with a call to murder children before commiting mass suicide in a very terrible way? Who was traveling around with Aeyotin 100 years after his creation, and why? That gave me a new rush of cold fear down my spine.
This is Aeyotin the Constant who was at the village on the east coast of Acadia that failed to act on behalf of King George II, prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire, in 1730. Aeyotin the Constant instructed the false priest and the adults therein to pray to the Lord who created this planet lest they die and leave their souls in peril. When the prayers were completed he instructed the adults therein to tie all of the children in the false cathedral. Time to prepare for another horrible event. No good can come of adults tying children in a church, false cathedral or otherwise. After a few deep breaths, I went back to the parchment.
He then instructed the adults therein to remain in the false cathedral, praising the Lord lest their children’s souls remain in peril. Lastly he instructed the false priest to set fire to the cathedral from the inside while praising the Lord, lest any soul remain in peril. This action, sent 47 souls to their well-deserved location be that Heaven, Hell or Neither.
A list of 47 victims, including their ages showing most were children, was included. It, too, was allegedly authorized.
While this is the lowest number of murders on the page, it was the one that cut me to the core.
Who brought Aeyotin to North America in 1730 and allowed adults to burn children to death? How could the adults do it?
The ice in my spine put pressure on my heart. I felt emotionally broken and deeply afraid and it all related to Aeyotin. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t shake the feeling I was in the presence of evil.
Further to the words from the parchment, I assert and affirm, Mr. Graviston Davis III of Flagmaker Country entrusted me with Aeyotin the Constant one month ago. Prior to that date, Aeyotin the Constant had been held captive in the Davis family mausoleum since being discovered at the edge of the village limits in 1732 when new colonizers arrived, expecting to find a pre-existing village. They instead found the burnt-out remains and no survivors save the automaton who told Mr. Davis’ ancestor each of the three events outlined here. I or my descendents or next of kin must be present before Aeyotin’s secure holding box is opened, and the box must never leave the Treasury property under any circumstances. Do not activate him. Do not engage in dialog. Block your ears if he should speak. Shield your eyes if he should beckon. Above all, abandon rather than relocate. That was enough Aeyotin for one day. I took photos of the parchment and the other forms before folding the documents together and replacing them under Aeyotin’s head. As I laid his head back, one eye winked. It definitely winked this time, eyelid raised and lowered.
I have no memory of screaming.But someone in that room screamed.
The scream was loud enough to rouse Clayburn who rushed back from the main building. I was still bent over Aeyotin in his wooden container when Clayburn arrived.“Back up two steps,” he said. “Don’t stand up until then.” His tone was calm, too calm, as if he’d been through this before.
I did as directed.
Clayburn moved closer to the wooden container and stared at Aeyotin for a few seconds before speaking again. “What did he say?”
I shook my head slightly. “Nothing. But thanks for confirming Aeyotin can talk.”
Clayburn put the lid over Aeyotin but didn’t latch it. He turned, his face still flushed from running. His gaze went from me to Aeyotin and back to me. “Mostly gives orders.”
“Yeah,” I said, taking a half step back, “I read that.”
Clayburn took a step towards me. I should have taken another step back, or possibly left the room. Instead, every muscle in my body tensed as I stared at his face.
Until the time he left me alone with Aeyotin, Clayburn had looked every inch a man in his mid-thirties.
He looked twice that age.
“It’s been the experience of a lifetime working here, sir.” I extended my hand. Clayburn stared at it without moving a muscle. He was still for so long, I looked at my hand to see what was wrong.
It wasn’t just my hand. All of my visible skin looked like well aged wood. I tried to scream but my jaw creaked open very slightly then snapped shut. My right hand grabbed and squeezed my throat, not enough to choke me but enough to prove I was not in control.
With my hand still on my throat, I said, “This is mine, anytime I want it.” It wasn’t my voice. Then my hand released my throat and smacked the lid off Aeyotin’s container.
I wanted to cry, to scream, to go back a few weeks in time and not apply for this job but it was too late. Unsure how to proceed, I looked at Clayburn. His expression was one of sympathy and sadness, like he was at a friend’s funeral.
My heart froze.
This is what evil feels like, and I am it.
“We shall meet again,” Clayburn said, turning to bend again towards the wooden container. “Take the motorboat and call Ron when you reach shore. He’ll tow it back for me.”
******
More at
LG Writes,
Odd Directions and
Write_Right submitted by
LanesGrandma to
LGwrites [link] [comments]
2023.06.10 14:30 LanesGrandma Antique Evil
The curator loved old things, not old evil. The two converged at Clayburn Offshore Treasury. Museum jobs are hard to get, even with all the right degrees. Getting hired to run the Clayburn Offshore Treasury? That’s winning the museum employment lottery. It’s the Clayburn family’s very elite, very private museum. Anyone serious about preserving our past would be honored to be hired there.
I was over the moon. According to Clayburn – Mr Clayburn Jr, my new boss – I was the first new hire since he took over from his late father in 2006. Judging by his appearance, I guessed Clayburn was no more than 18 when his dad died. The previous curator died less than two weeks before I was hired. I’m ashamed to admit this but at the time, I blamed him for neglecting the building since Clayburn probably hadn’t learned much from his dad.
Clayburn had a few rules for me, not many. The big rule was, I had to summarize intentions and get his permission before going beyond the stuff on the list of daily routines left by the last curator.
My first priority was to modernize security. To me, that was more important than any daily routine. I felt it was critical, given the number of priceless artifacts and how simple it would have been for anyone to walk in and out with whatever they could carry. Plus, the Treasury is attached to what Clayburn calls “the main building”, a large brick house for him and the current museum curator.
The only other man-made objects on the small island were the boathouse and the massive shed for cut wood and three months of food and supplies for two, in case winter weather prevented the monthly deliveries by boat. There was nothing else on the island, I was sure of it. I’d walked every sandy inch of it to make sure I hadn’t missed a fence that needed mending or a sign or window that needed replacing. Once I got my thoughts in order, I texted my ‘outline of intent’ for security, stressing how this would help all buildings on the island. Clayburn approved it all. Cameras and locks took a couple of weeks to arrive, but installations all went smoothly.
The bigger challenge was environmental modification, to better preserve exhibits and the items held in storage. That upgrade was only for the Treasury proper. Of course, to provide proper environmental upgrades for the items, I needed a full list of everything in the Treasury’s care. Clayburn was quick to provide that to me after security was beefed up.
The list detailed the name of each item, current location, how and when it was obtained by the Treasury, and any special instructions. Several magnificent items stood out, a couple of which the outside world considered “lost to history”.
One of those caused me to gasp with joy: Aeyotin the Constant. The entry for him read:
On June 2, 1931, one Mr. Graviston Davis III entrusted Clayburn’s father, Jed Senior, with the legendary automaton Aeyotin the Constant. Mr. Clayburn Sr or his descendents or next of kin must be present before Aeyotin’s secure holding box is opened, and the box must never leave the Treasury property under any circumstances. Abandon rather than relocate.
Automatons aren’t widely known and that’s a shame. They’re like early androids, machines designed to look and act like humans. There are some like animals, of course, but the human ones interest me the most. The best are programmed to perform activities that appear to be random or in response to external stimuli rather than on a regular cycle.
I’d assisted with several vintage automatons before this job, and even got behind the scenes at the Smithsonian to see the Praying Monk up close. The Monk was wonderful, automatons in general are wonderful and I love them
I desperately wanted to examine Aeyotin. He’d been in the building for more than 90 years. Who knew what sort of deterioration had occurred since his arrival? I had to document his condition and take all necessary measures to restore him as far as possible.
I texted Clayburn to get permission to view Aeyotin.
Clayburn’s reply text was quick and unexpected. He told me to stand still until he was present and that he would be with me in less than 10 minutes.
Aeyotin was an automaton, not a mass murderer, and I was well trained in handling antiquities. Being asked to remain motionless seemed excessive, even insulting. Still, I’d just landed a great job and didn’t want to get fired so I stood there, motionless..
On arrival, Clayburn asked me to keep my phone handy and to stand at the doorway until he opened Aeyotin’s box.
“If anything goes wrong, call Ron Lundholm. If it goes really wrong, get the motorboat. Call Ron once you’re a mile out.”
Clayburn was clearly concerned. Fair enough, I thought, he hadn’t known me long enough to trust me thoroughly and he might not have a lot of faith in himself. I accepted I would have to prove my worth to Clayburn so I stood and watched him carefully open what looked like a metal broom closet.
He then backed up, bringing with him a smaller wooden container large enough to hold a child. He stopped arms length from me and laid the container gently on the floor. Without taking his eyes off it, he handed me a small ring of keys. “Never lose these.”“No sir, I won’t.”
“This container must never leave this property.” He unlatched the container as gently as I would expect when dealing with locks almost 100 years old. And with that, he pried open the top to reveal Aeyotin the Constant. Maybe it’s scientifically possible for air from an old wooden container to smell differently than the air around the container. I’m not sure how that small amount of air could instantly change the smell of the air in a three story building, but it did. Then again, if the air had smelled like wood and old oil, I doubt I’d have given it a second thought.Clayburn opened the container and I was overcome by the smell of old books, seaweed and formaldehyde, most unpleasant. Along with the odor came an odd feeling, oppressive, almost dread. A sense of something, for lack of a better term, unholy. It was so strong, I wanted to ask Clayburn about it. But before I could speak, he started reciting facts like he was a robot reading from a too-fast teleprompter.
“He’s three feet tall, made of delicately carved and painted wood with metal inner workings. He would walk, pause, close his eyes and raise his prayer beads. He prayed in a melodious voice. He raised his eyes to Heaven and resumed walking. For hours.”
He paused for a breath. “He was created no later than 1529.”I took a half step forward, thinking he was having a medical issue. If I got him to put the lid back, maybe I could convince him to go to the main building where our living quarters were. He could get a glass of water, and lie down. Again, before I could speak, he motioned me back by sweeping his arm towards me. “No closer!”
He resumed his too-fast recitation. “Some say he was created by the genius who later created the Praying Monk for Charles the Fifth.“
He paused again and I couldn’t stop myself from speaking. “Thank you, yes, there’s talk that Aeyotin became conscious, and–”
Clayburn looked at me, barely breathing. The hairs on my arms rose and my stomach tightened. Something was beyond not right.
“Sir, if you’d like, I can take over from here. I’ll be most careful.”Clayburn’s demeanor softened. “Yes! Yes, that pleases him. I’m going for lunch now.”
When I heard a door close, I figured it was Clayburn returning to the main part of the building. Only then did I feel safe enough to approach Aeyotin.
“Hello there,” I said, hoping to make the silence less creepy. By speaking to a creepy, child-sized, 500 year old wooden doll. No wonder my stomach tightened further. It was smarter than me that day.
It’s good practice and part of my work routine to wear gloves before touching artifacts. Out of habit I carry a few pairs with me all day, every day. As I put on a pair to examine Aeyotin, I noticed how badly my hands were shaking. That changed my course of action. I wouldn’t risk damaging Aeyotin by trying to pick him up. It would be enough to do a quick check of his physical condition then make sure the door was locked when I left. Everything else could wait until the next day.
Starting at his head, I pressed gently into the surrounding material to ensure there weren’t any wood or paint chips or any other signs of deterioration. Given the estimated age, I wasn’t surprised to feel something pliable behind him. It didn’t take long to see the object was paper, which I was able to remove by raising Aeyotin’s head ever so slightly.
I followed standard museum measures to retrieve and open the papers folded behind Aeyotin’s body. There was what looks like ancient paper, stuff that I would only open in a fully controlled environment. I felt it was safe to open the newer parchment and yes, the parchment seemed newer than the paper even though it was delicate and appeared to be over 50 years old.
The parchment started with a message written by Mr. Jed Clayburn Sr and his then attorney, Wilson Hughes Baine III. It was dated July 2, 1931 and it made me work some math before I could go any further.
I, Jed Clayburn, being of sound mind and body at age 57, do hereby make this declaration on July 2, 1931 in the presence of my attorney, Wilson Hughes Baine III, both of us from Flagmaker Country, (state name isn’t legible).
Hereunder is true to the paper as humanly possible. That means Mr. Clayburn Sr was born in 1874. He was 132 years old when he died in 2006. That’s significantly older than the oldest verified person, ever.
Under any other circumstances, I would have written this off as unreliable, verging on a hoax. Problem was, there was a birth certificate and a baptismal certificate included in the paperwork. Both of them were in very good condition, having been protected by several layers of cloth.
No death certificate, though. And no birth or baptismal certificate for Mr. Clayburn Jr. It could have been a well orchestrated hoax and I didn’t see how it could affect me at all so I moved on.
Then I read the rest of the document and wished I hadn’t.
This is Aeyotin the Constant who on Friday, November 4, 1530 was at the site of the St Felix Flood. Aeyotin the Constant instructed the adults therein to pray to the Lord who created this planet lest they die and leave their souls in peril. The Flood on the day of Saturday, November 5, 1530, sent 100,000 souls to their well-deserved location be that Heaven, Hell or Neither.
Curators benefit from a strong artistic nature. My imagination has always been helpful. I’d never have described it as vivid prior to reading that paragraph. As I read it, I felt my blood grow colder as humidity increased and breezes unsettled my footing. There was no explanation for the wind but it got stronger and stronger until I had to grip the sides of the display table close to Aeyotin’s container to stay upright. The winds were fierce yet neither the parchment in my hand nor Aeyotin’s container moved. I took a deep breath to clear my head and choked, unable to breathe Seawater forced its way into my nose, throat and ears. Without thinking I released the parchment and staggered backwards, away from Aeyotin who remained desert dry.
Another wave hit me. Water pressed down on my head and into my eyes. Seaweed wrapped around my nose and throat. I scrabbled at it, pulled at it and it broke in my hand. I couldn’t breathe air anymore. My lungs felt heavy, filled with water.
I knew I was drowning.
My body bent backwards.
I couldn’t scream.
I exhaled.
Falling.
Dark.
I grabbed the sides of the display table and gasped. A piece of seaweed clung to my left hand.
But there was no water. There was no flood.
I wasn’t close to drowning but my mind thought I was.
That flood is recorded history. Aeyotin’s appearance is not part of the history as I learned it, and it’s rather creepy that he would be reported there shortly after he was allegedly built. To think people actually mistook the automaton’s programmed behavior for preaching was more than creepy. It was horrifying.
The parchment was lying on the table as if I’d only just set it there.
My heart rate slowed a bit as I tried to calm down. My muscles, however, remained tense and I couldn’t stop staring at the seaweed. Logically, I wanted to run. Yet I felt compelled to read the next event listed.
“I refuse to feel what they felt.” I stared at Aeyotin feeling both foolish and scared to bits. “I, I don’t need to. I understand the words.“
Aeyotin winked. Obviously that couldn’t have happened. I wrote it off as a trick of the mind, something I imagined to reassure myself about continuing my work.
This is Aeyotin the Constant who was at the village in England that aided Alexander Leighton in 1630. Aeyotin the Constant instructed the adults therein to pray to the Lord who created this planet lest they die and leave their souls in peril. When the prayers were completed he instructed the adults therein to drown all of the children in the Cavernous Bog. I took a short break to remember I was not going to feel what any of the victims felt. Other than terror, of course, something I was going to feel no matter what I did or didn’t read.
Back to the parchment.
He then instructed the adults therein to enter the Cavernous Bog praising the Lord lest their children’s souls remain in peril. This sent 103 souls to their well-deserved location be that Heaven, Hell or Neither.
A list of 103 victims, allegedly authorized by Charles II the King, was included.
Alexander Leighton, a Scottish Presbyterian who upset English royalty and was made to suffer for it. How could 103 people, many of whom were adults, confuse the automaton’s activities with a call to murder children before commiting mass suicide in a very terrible way? Who was traveling around with Aeyotin 100 years after his creation, and why? That gave me a new rush of cold fear down my spine.
This is Aeyotin the Constant who was at the village on the east coast of Acadia that failed to act on behalf of King George II, prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire, in 1730. Aeyotin the Constant instructed the false priest and the adults therein to pray to the Lord who created this planet lest they die and leave their souls in peril. When the prayers were completed he instructed the adults therein to tie all of the children in the false cathedral. Time to prepare for another horrible event. No good can come of adults tying children in a church, false cathedral or otherwise. After a few deep breaths, I went back to the parchment.
He then instructed the adults therein to remain in the false cathedral, praising the Lord lest their children’s souls remain in peril. Lastly he instructed the false priest to set fire to the cathedral from the inside while praising the Lord, lest any soul remain in peril. This action, sent 47 souls to their well-deserved location be that Heaven, Hell or Neither.
A list of 47 victims, including their ages showing most were children, was included. It, too, was allegedly authorized.
While this is the lowest number of murders on the page, it was the one that cut me to the core.
Who brought Aeyotin to North America in 1730 and allowed adults to burn children to death? How could the adults do it?
The ice in my spine put pressure on my heart. I felt emotionally broken and deeply afraid and it all related to Aeyotin. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t shake the feeling I was in the presence of evil.
Further to the words from the parchment, I assert and affirm, Mr. Graviston Davis III of Flagmaker Country entrusted me with Aeyotin the Constant one month ago. Prior to that date, Aeyotin the Constant had been held captive in the Davis family mausoleum since being discovered at the edge of the village limits in 1732 when new colonizers arrived, expecting to find a pre-existing village. They instead found the burnt-out remains and no survivors save the automaton who told Mr. Davis’ ancestor each of the three events outlined here. I or my descendents or next of kin must be present before Aeyotin’s secure holding box is opened, and the box must never leave the Treasury property under any circumstances. Do not activate him. Do not engage in dialog. Block your ears if he should speak. Shield your eyes if he should beckon. Above all, abandon rather than relocate. That was enough Aeyotin for one day. I took photos of the parchment and the other forms before folding the documents together and replacing them under Aeyotin’s head. As I laid his head back, one eye winked. It definitely winked this time, eyelid raised and lowered.
I have no memory of screaming.But someone in that room screamed.
The scream was loud enough to rouse Clayburn who rushed back from the main building. I was still bent over Aeyotin in his wooden container when Clayburn arrived.“Back up two steps,” he said. “Don’t stand up until then.” His tone was calm, too calm, as if he’d been through this before.
I did as directed.
Clayburn moved closer to the wooden container and stared at Aeyotin for a few seconds before speaking again. “What did he say?”
I shook my head slightly. “Nothing. But thanks for confirming Aeyotin can talk.”
Clayburn put the lid over Aeyotin but didn’t latch it. He turned, his face still flushed from running. His gaze went from me to Aeyotin and back to me. “Mostly gives orders.”
“Yeah,” I said, taking a half step back, “I read that.”
Clayburn took a step towards me. I should have taken another step back, or possibly left the room. Instead, every muscle in my body tensed as I stared at his face.
Until the time he left me alone with Aeyotin, Clayburn had looked every inch a man in his mid-thirties.
He looked twice that age.
“It’s been the experience of a lifetime working here, sir.” I extended my hand. Clayburn stared at it without moving a muscle. He was still for so long, I looked at my hand to see what was wrong.
It wasn’t just my hand. All of my visible skin looked like well aged wood. I tried to scream but my jaw creaked open very slightly then snapped shut. My right hand grabbed and squeezed my throat, not enough to choke me but enough to prove I was not in control.
With my hand still on my throat, I said, “This is mine, anytime I want it.” It wasn’t my voice. Then my hand released my throat and smacked the lid off Aeyotin’s container.
I wanted to cry, to scream, to go back a few weeks in time and not apply for this job but it was too late. Unsure how to proceed, I looked at Clayburn. His expression was one of sympathy and sadness, like he was at a friend’s funeral.
My heart froze.
This is what evil feels like, and I am it.
“We shall meet again,” Clayburn said, turning to bend again towards the wooden container. “Take the motorboat and call Ron when you reach shore. He’ll tow it back for me.”
******
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