Equipment loan letter
Let's fight back against student loan debt servitude
2014.09.14 12:21 daiyuesen Let's fight back against student loan debt servitude
Student Loans Defaulters
2012.07.19 05:57 elperu27 FighterJets
A community for fighter jet enthusiasts, to discuss and research armed, high-performance, fixed-wing combat aircraft, generally small to medium sized, with one or two crewmembers and one or two turbojet or turboprop engines (fighter, attack, CAS, COIN, etc.) and related content, including their armament, tactics, equipment, and units.
2017.06.19 12:32 bakibilla154 sba loans
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2024.05.16 23:13 AffectionateTower956 University of Ghent will re-evaluate its cooperation with three Israeli projects
link to Belgian VRT News article in Dutch
Good news from Belgium. There have been multiple small protests across Belgian universities to run background checks on any cooperation with Israeli universities that have ties with the army.
At the moment the UGhent rector has agreed to re-evaluate their cooperation with three Israeli projects that are possibly linked to the production of military equipment or directly involved with the Israeli government: namely Holon Institute of Technology, MIGAL Galilee Research Institute and Valcani Centre.
There was a small protest group active at the UGhent main building for about a week, and an open protest letter was signed by 1.500 people (including UGhent professors and personnel) to demand divestment.
submitted by AffectionateTower956 to Hasan_Piker [link] [comments]
Good news from Belgium. There have been multiple small protests across Belgian universities to run background checks on any cooperation with Israeli universities that have ties with the army.
At the moment the UGhent rector has agreed to re-evaluate their cooperation with three Israeli projects that are possibly linked to the production of military equipment or directly involved with the Israeli government: namely Holon Institute of Technology, MIGAL Galilee Research Institute and Valcani Centre.
There was a small protest group active at the UGhent main building for about a week, and an open protest letter was signed by 1.500 people (including UGhent professors and personnel) to demand divestment.
2024.05.16 23:11 Weathers_Writing They call Silicon Valley the tech capitol of the world. They're wrong
I won't disclose its actual location, so if that's why you're here, sorry to disappoint. It's not time for that yet. However, I do think it's time to start getting the word out. I've noticed an increase in what I'll call "Antennas" lately, or people who can detect cross-planar phase shifts. Without getting into all the math (some of which I don't even know), this is basically a phenomenon which refers to entropy seeping into our universe from other realms or universes or whatever you want to call it. Simply put, people think our universe is a closed system to entropy, meaning that the disorder of any variable in our universe can only increase or decrease in direct proportion to other variables in that same system (the universe). Under this precept, we can establish rules like the Laws of Thermodynamics, and for most people, they're effective. But not for Antennas.
Put another way, if you throw a bunch of bouncy balls into a box, there are a number of different configurations that the balls could take on, with different speeds and magnitudes. You can calculate all of those if you have the right numbers. Now let's say you throw in another set of balls that you don't consider in your calculations of the initial set. Well, then you're not going to get an accurate picture of what's happening. Most people only see the first set and calculate based on that, but some people can see two, three, four or more sets.
You'll understand the concept better when I tell you the story, but I wanted to give you a primer on an important concept that will help you understand why this place, which I'll call "Area X", exists, and what the goals of the people who work there are.
Also note that I'm going to be using the alias "Trent" moving forward. Please refer to me as such in any direct messages.
***
Eighteen years ago I started working as an independent Home Inspector. I dropped out of community college after my first semester (not because I didn't find some of the subjects interesting, but because deference to a man or woman has never been my style) and started working some odd jobs. I did construction work for a couple years, then plumbing. I even drove a garbage truck for six months. I've always found pleasure in using my hands, and getting dirty was never a problem for me. Still, having a boss really dragged ass, so I spent my free time working on creating my own business. It took a few years and lots of savings, but I finally managed to get basic set of Home Inspection equipment: Tyvek coveralls, a cheap half-face respirator, voltage & AFCI/GFCI testers, CO2 and radon monitors, an IR camera, and telescoping mirrors in addition to the boots, safety glasses, electric gloves, ladder, and toolkits I already had on hand.
My buddy at the time was in the business, but he was moving off to the coast, so he helped me get set up and even introduced me to some of his clients. Of course, by that time I had already gotten my State license, but I still was a bit apprehensive to work with insurance agencies. I thought I could make a living working independently, inspecting for mold or sizing up a house for a prospective buyer. Eventually, though, I realized I should probably take every job available to me.
Easing into the business went about as well as it could have. The clients my friend referred to me were very satisfied with my work, and I was able to retain them. Then, in order to increase my reach, I hired someone on Fiverr to build a website for my company which led to a marked increase in traffic and conversions. About six months through, I began to get on a first-name basis with the boys and girls down down at Allstate and Progressive, and they fed me some of the bigger cases. In fact, I got so booked by year's end that I had to hire someone to help manage my schedule and the Excel spreadsheet with all my finances. I capped off a successful year with a 5-star Google rating and a trip to Ireland to visit some family and friends and get piss drunk. When I got back, it was the grindstone all over again, until the summer when I discovered… well, you'll see.
First off, I want to say that I was never one to believe in the paranormal. I grew up watching the movies and hearing the ghost stories round the campfire like every other kid, but it never struck a chord with me. If I can't touch it or see it or hear it, does it really exist? Probably not. So don't go thinking this was a scared man seeing his own shadow. That being said, I had this sense that something was off about this house when I parked along the curb and looked through a large window, perhaps two times the size of my van, to a dingy, dark foyer.
The entire neighborhood was stacked with upper-middle class domiciles, though it seemed like only two thirds of them were occupied, mostly by professionals who commuted to the City every weekday, and the rest were empty. As a man who understands real estate, to say this was strange would be an understatement. Still, I had no problem appraising the mini-mansion for a couple of newlyweds looking to enter the community. I did some research on the property ahead of time, and it seems that it was owned by a couple of old timers who had gone off the grid some time ago. The water and electric bill were both unpaid dating back to 2004 (it was June of '06 now). The bank had repo'd the house (which only had about 100k left on it) and held it for a year and a half before putting it back on the market. I tried to find out more about the old couple who vanished, but there was nothing in the news.
I stepped out of the van in my coveralls and grabbed my suitcase which had my mask, gloves, and eye protection in it. I liked to do a preliminary survey first, running an eye test on the exterior then interior before bringing out the big guns (that way I could identify the areas where I think there could be problems instead of running a metal detector over the whole damn ocean seaboard). I was about to do just that when the window caught my eye again. It felt uncharacteristic of me to be so occupied with this window, but I detoured to the front porch and peeked inside anyway.
Most of the furniture had already been moved out, meaning all that was left was a single three-seater couch, a couple candlesticks on the fireplace mantle, a pristine chandelier overtop a dining room table, and the kitchenware: an oven, gas stovetop, marble countertops, and an island. I could see into the living room very clearly with the afternoon light, but the dining room was dim enough that there were a few structures I couldn't quite make out in the distance. One of them appeared to be some kind of china cabinet or bookshelf—I figured it was the former considering where it was located. The other shadow looked kind of like a grandfather clock. Or at least that's what I thought until it moved.
When I say it "moved", I don't mean to say that it picked up and walked away. If you're not familiar with the Necker Cube, I suggest you search it up, because that kind of illusion is the best way to describe what I saw. At first I was seeing the grandfather clock in a certain way—pushed into the corner of the room—and the next second my vision "corrected" and it was maybe five feet to the left of its former position. I shook my head and looked again and saw the grandfather clock in its second orientation, standing in the center of the room against the wall. I figured I was just seeing things, but even so I spent a little extra time dawdling around the Egress window, taking notes, and delaying the interior inspection.
When I finally grew a pair and went inside, I walked straight to the dining room. Sure enough, the grandfather clock was stowed away in the corner of the room. I spent a couple minutes watching it with my pencil and travel notebook out. I'm the kind of guy that likes to collect hard data when the chips are down. Unfortunately, the clock apparently already had enough fun and was content with sweating me. Oh, well.
I fitted my pencil behind my ear and pocketed my travel notebook, then flipped the rest of the first floor lights on and completed my prelim. I concluded that everything was pretty standard. If anything, the house was in better shape than I'd expect considering it presumably hasn't been lived in for a couple years. I say "presumably" because one can never count out squatters, even during those times. Mainly I was expecting more dust build up and cobwebs than there were. Perhaps someone from the department had come by recently. It's unlikely, but possible.
I did the same check upstairs and it came back mostly clean. There was a bit of staining near the attic I wanted to check for mold. Based on its color, it was probably just a minor case of Aspergillus, but better safe than sorry. Then I got to the basement, and, well, let's just count out the idea of anyone dropping by. I don't know what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn't what I found.
The first thing that caught my eye was the long, slender body of a birch tree lying pale and dead across a large portion of the even larger unfinished basement's cement flooring. I had to do a double take to make sure I wasn't dreaming, but, yep, there it was. Its crown was sealed up in the wall with only its trunk hanging out, which made me think of those medieval pillory devices which locked up people's heads and arms. Then confetti-scattered around the tree and all over the basement floor was a minefield of broken glass and ceramic tangled up with a set of random objects. And when I say random, I mean random. There was an unfurled Somali flag (the blue one with a single star in the center), some packaged drinks and condiments branded with all sorts of different languages (I could only make out Gaelic and Chinese or Japanese, I couldn't quite tell), a broken dome-shaped security camera, an otoscope (the thing the doc uses to check your ears), Hot Wheels cars (okay that one isn't so strange), and the list goes on.
At that moment, I wasn't freaked out or disgusted. I was more or less just confused. I started walking through the rubble, trying to avoid the sharp fragments but pretty confident that my steel toed boots would crush most the pieces anyway, when I heard a clink just up ahead. I was able to spot the coin in time, just before it jingled to a halt atop an old Life magazine. I picked it up and noted right away its oval shape and bronze color—clearly not American made. I tried reading it, but not only was the language not English, it appeared to be so old that most of the lettering had been filed down. I looked up at the ceiling to see if it dropped from a shelf, but there was nothing that could have been holding the coin. I considered for a moment, looking around at the other junk, and had the crazy idea that maybe all this stuff just appeared here. I popped the coin in my pocket and headed back to the van when I stopped by the tree and realized something. It wasn't a birch tree—it was a palm tree. I just didn't realize because of how ashy and decayed the bark was.
Now at this point you might think I've been acting a little nonchalant for such a strange occurrence, and I don't blame you, but if you're gonna stick around with me that's just something you're gonna have to get used to. I guess I was just born with a screw loose, but I really don't scare easily, and I tend to look at everything pragmatically. If you dig deep enough, you'll always find another plausible explanation. That being said, I do want to get to the part about Area X, so let me give you the rundown on what I learned about this basement.
I ended up trekking back to the van and picking up my gear. I was no longer running the routine inspection, obviously, but I figured I might as well throw 30 thousand dollars of scanning equipment at whatever the fuck anamoly existed in that basement. Most of it came back negative. There was a bit higher-than-usual EM interference as picked up on the voltmeters, but nothing that screamed danger close. Still, it was enough for me to set up my volt testers and IR camera while muddling through the rest of the junk. I won't bore you with another list of items, but I did find one thing of value: a diamond necklace. And not just any diamond necklace, it was one of those Queen-wearing, multi-row, big-jeweled necklaces like out of some Historical Fiction movie from the thirties. I almost didn't pocket it because I'm used to expensive items being owned by someone… someone who might want it back. But I figured if there was ever a place the finder's keeper's rule applied, it was probably in this Quantum graveyard.
7 O'clock rolled around and I hadn't eaten. I'm a pretty bulky guy, carrying my share of both muscle and fat, and most people think that means I need to eat a ton but that's really not the case. Mostly I just get dehydrated easily, especially in the summer. That said, I was bordering on famished territory and considered heading out for a bite when I heard another sound. The first thing I did was check my scanners, and sure enough the voltage needle was fully spun to the right side of the dial. EM interference. Then I went to see what had dropped. I was able to pick the object out pretty quickly since I had spent the last 6 hours staring at the mosaic of a basement floor. It was a silver briefcase, like one of those out of a crime novel, and it was cracked open.
I had this sense then that I was standing at a precipice, and if I opened the briefcase and looked inside, I wouldn't be able to stop whatever would come afterwards. Part of me deep down knew that I was just that type of guy that had to know, and maybe this was my Hamlet moment where it would be a trait gone a step too far. But then again I didn't really believe in any of that sentimental bullshit, so I opened the briefcase.
The gun surprised me a little, but not as much as the piece of paper laid atop a case file reading in large black font, "FIND ME". I expected the envelope to have some missing person file in it, but instead there were all these schematics and blueprints for some kind of device. Whatever it was, it was pretty massive. Some of the lengths were hundreds of meters long. And what's more strange is based on the blueprint's locale, it appeared to be underground. I looked back through the pages a couple times, then checked the note—nothing strange there. The gun appeared to be a simple glock. I was no gun expert, but I had been to the range pretty regularly with my construction buddies, so I got used to the feel of a pistol and rifle and some of the different names; however, I realized pretty quickly it wasn't your standard glock when I couldn't find mag-release. That's when I noticed how light the gun felt. I tried to chamber a round, but again, there was no hammer. What the hell kind of gun was this?
I ended up throwing everything back in the briefcase, including the necklace, coin, and a few Koozies I found that were branded with one of my favorite sports teams (never let an opportunity go to waste). I put up all my shit back in the van and spun over to a local burger joint, got my fill, and went home. I made sure to draft an email to the prospective buyers, telling them the house had several patches of black mold and a bit of a rat problem before drifting off to sleep. Although I really didn't do much of that.
When I woke up, I took a cold shower and downed a can of Reign, then commuted to my gym and got a lift and some sauna time in before making the trip back to the house. I brought some extra supplies with me for some experiments I cooked up while not sleeping the previous night.
First, I had two camcorders set up on a couple tripods in either corner of the basement. I wanted clear footage of these mystery objects spawning in. Then I set up a voltmeter in a similar fashion, but I had a wire extending out of it on a circuit which fed to an alarm that would blare when the reading was over 250 volts. Upstairs, I rearranged some of the furniture so that the small number of tables, chairs, clock, cabinets, and other little pillows or vases I could find were scattered across the living room, dining room, and kitchen. Then I pulled up a lawn chair to the front porch window and waited.
I didn't have to wait long though. In about a minute, I started to notice some of the objects moving. It was strange. When a few of them would shift simultaneously, it was like looking at a holographic card that would change shape depending on where your eyes were in relation to the image. Every time I saw a shift, I felt an awkward feeling in my eyes. They went blurry for a fraction of a second, then there was a twinge of pain, as if my brain couldn't handle the contradictory stimulus. It didn't get more crazy than that though—until the alarm went off.
I had cracked open the small rectangular window in the basement to the side of the house so I would hear it. It took four hours and several strange stares from passersby walking their dogs before it rang, so I was a bit lost in my thoughts, but when I heard the beep I perked up fast. It lasted for maybe 5 seconds total, but what I saw was truly miraculous. The best way I can describe it is a pool of silver or gray or translucent light emerging in the foreground between me and the objects in the different rooms. A series of twisting tentacles sprouted from the gray octopus-like head and spun in a way that reminded me of that little kids ride at the amusement parks. Then the objects started to "heat up" is the way I describe it. Their position became relative, meaning they were here one second, there another, then they popped out of existence entirely. Suddenly the rooms were all empty, then they were full of things I had never seen before. Then five seconds passed and the octopus vanished and it was back to the same old objects in their usual places.
It took a few minutes to process what I saw, and even then I wasn't sure I really saw it. I went inside and looked around at my distribution of the house's furnishings. They were all there, intact. Then I went downstairs to check the cams. I rewinded a couple minutes and played it back, but there was no flying object to be found. Instead, there was some gray static that lasted half a second and then the object, a kid's treasure chest toy, was there on the ground. But you want to know the really strange part? I rewinded the tape again, and when I watched the footage back, the treasure chest was always there.
I later came to understand that these poppings in-and-out of our reality are only conceivable to a conscious mind that can track the interference patterns—not rote computational instruments. In fact, even most people can't do it (although everyone has at least a slight awareness of it, even if only subconsciously). Plus, locations like the basement of this house are very rare and kept under tight lock. That became obvious to me two days later when, after my normal morning routine, I pulled up to a driveway and curbside filled with unmarked government vehicles. Either bravely or stupidly, I pulled up to a few officers (they were wearing suits in 85 degree weather, so I assumed…) who were idling by the large fence of crime scene tape and asked them what the score was.
"There was a crime," said the short man with a unibrow.
"Oh, is that right? Damn shame. Someone break in? I have a niece who lives nearby, so…"
The man looked at his two compatriots, both of whom were wearing sunglasses and a "get this civilian fuck out of here" expressions. "Oh, yeah," he started in a reassuring tone that was so condescending it would have annoyed anyone except me, "we found a body. We think it was a homicide. Best to keep your kids away from here for a while."
I thumbed the stubble on my chin, my other hand outstretched on the wheel, and considered moving on, but my mouth had other ideas. "That right? But uh, isn't this house vacant? I mean, I don't remember no one living in it."
The short man, now tall with temper, said, "Yeah, some squatters. We think there was a dispute over some drug money. Nothing for you to worry about though, we got it under control. Now if you wouldn't mind moving along, we have a lot of work to do."
Oh, I'm sure you do, I thought, but only said, "Of course, sir, sorry for keeping you from your job." Then I rolled up the window and cruised on, keeping my eyes on the house which slowly diminished in the side-view mirror.
Luckily I had been smart enough to break down my camp and lug home all my equipment each night, so I didn't leave anything incriminating. I didn't move the furniture back, so maybe that would come back to haunt me, but considering the kind of shit going down in that house, I didn't think they would notice.
For any of you wondering about the conclusion of the house story, I went back a couple weeks later after the suits had left and the tape was taken down and confirmed that not only was the basement entirely cleaned out, but it was no longer exhibiting any strange properties. I looked for a story related to the house, maybe a made up murder of some kind, but there was nothing. That bastard lied to me and didn't even bother to cover his story up.
Now, in the aftermath of an event such as this, I really only had one of two options. I could forget it, move on, continue living life. The necklace was surely worth a fortune. I could sell it and have enough to retire, or at least hire enough people and expand my business large enough to retire within ten or so years. Or I could take all that money and invest it in my own PI business with only a single objective: finding out what those people knew, and why they were hiding it.
I think you know me well enough by now to guess which line of reasoning appealed more to me.
***
For the sake of brevity, I'm going to omit most of my encounters along the journey to discovering Area X. There's a lot to tell, and if it appeals to you perhaps I'd be willing to share at a later date, but for now I want to get this part of the story, the more proximal part, out in the open.
Three years ago, I discovered the source of what I'll call "The Receiver". This is the device that was schematized in the documents that I found in the briefcase. What it does is a complex answer, and how it does it is pretty much all speculation, but here's what I've been able to find out: this universe we live in is a node in a network of many other spaces. These spaces exist in higher dimensions that we cannot directly perceive, but using a conceivable analogy, just think about a flower with petals. The petals are these other dimensions which bleed into our world, which is at the center. However, it's not that pretty. We see the physical world through the lens of spacetime: sizes, speeds, etc. These other dimensions don't necessarily have space or time. In fact, what actually exists there, I couldn't say. The only data I have on them is from two sources: correspondence information and server data from the secret agency (which I'll call "the Organization") that keeps this under wraps, and first-hand experience with realms from these other entities, either directly (I experience it) or through the eyes of someone else with the same or greater abilities than I possess.
I referred to these people with abilities earlier as "Antennas", and I will continue to use the term. Antennas really come in three flavors, marked by the strength of their ability: weak Antennas, like me, are able to observe spontaneous interactions between our universe and other dimensions (phase shifts) when there is a strong force of collision like existed in the basement; moderate Antennas may see phase shifts occur at any point, and they usually are able to retain memories from across the different transformations; strong Antennas, and I don't know if they exist yet, but they are able to consciously interact with these other realms and cause phase shifts to occur.
I mentioned that moderate Antennas are able to retain memories from before and after a phase shift. Technically, all Antennas have this ability, but it's about degree. I can recall only very specific instances and without much detail. Moderates are usually able to pick out much more nuanced minutiae. At the lower end of moderate scale, most of those details fade or get fuzzy over time, but for the very strong Antennas, they hold onto almost everything. One other property that scales with strength is interaction with other conscious entities. Only a small percentage of moderates are able to do this. What's interesting is that these entities can possess (yes, like ghosts) people who aren't even antennas, but no one is aware of such possession at this deep of a level. I have several companions now, and only two have had interactions with these otherworldly beings. Not all of them are malevolent, some of them are whimsical or kind, but there are a fair share of demons out there.
Getting back to the point, Area X started as a government funded project in the 70's. At that time, they were focused on a few subjects: Artificial Intelligence, DNA sequencing, and psychedelics. Yes, they were part of the infamous LSD experiments. But they looked at these subjects through a common lens—there was something that the burgeoning tech industry, fueled by the advent of a commercial computer market, was missing. As the tech giants rose in the early 2000's and began to collect mass amounts of data, this other agency was decades ahead in a different metric, although it was completely (and still is) hidden from the public. Their efforts to understand psychedelic experiences led to a formalized method of understanding interactions between multiple realities. They built certain scanning equipment to detect anomalies like the one I found in the basement; although their tools were much more sophisticated and didn't utilize voltage readings. Then they ran tests in these areas. One area in particular is a hot-bed of phase shift interactions. That's where Area X is located (and the Receiver).
The Receiver is a giant electromagnetic orb that has trapped the kind of multi-dimensional energy that causes the phase shifts; since the Organization seized control of the lab, it's effectively become a map of the Earth in relation to these other worlds. For the past twenty or so years, the Organization has been studying this map, using the data big Tech companies have collected to essentially develop a Rosetta Stone for interpreting the meaning of the fluctuations in their scanning equipment. Recently, the public, though going the long way round, was actually pretty close to a breakthrough in this same department until recently when ultra-powerful LLMs surfaced, and the whole world began going down what I'd argue is the wrong rabbit hole of language processing. But I digress.
Area X is essentially a private military base built for defending the most impactful piece of technology ever invented. With the Receiver, the Organization now has the power to essentially predict any and all future outcomes, the only thing holding them back is the limitations of their own scanning equipment which will get better with time. To put it into perspective, the Organization has access to a kind of data allocation tool which in one day can produce over ten thousand times that the Big Data companies combined would be able to filter through in the next decade. You might think, then, that the problem is merely asymmetric power, and that is certainly a concern, but it isn't the main concern. The main issue is that this organization is actively recruiting (and kidnapping) Antennas from around the world in an effort to find or make one of them into a strong Antenna. In other words, they want a subject who is able not only to see the future, but to manipulate it at will.
balance to the world. I've been working on amassing resources, capital, and building my own team, and now I'm ready. You might ask why I'm posting this here. Wouldn't it be better to keep all this secret? Well, yes, it would be. But that's the problem. Nothing is secret anymore. They know about me and the others, and if I don't make a move, they will. In a way, this is a letter directly to the organization that I know, and I'm coming.
In a different way, I wanted to release this information to the public. There are lots of people out there waking up and realizing that the world they experience is not the one others experience. If you think you might be an Antenna, don't be afraid—you have a special gift that can be controlled. If you want more details on how to control it, or if you're interested in my mission, don't be afraid to reach out. This hasn't always been my life's work, but it is now.
At least until I die.
submitted by Weathers_Writing to weatherswriting [link] [comments]
Put another way, if you throw a bunch of bouncy balls into a box, there are a number of different configurations that the balls could take on, with different speeds and magnitudes. You can calculate all of those if you have the right numbers. Now let's say you throw in another set of balls that you don't consider in your calculations of the initial set. Well, then you're not going to get an accurate picture of what's happening. Most people only see the first set and calculate based on that, but some people can see two, three, four or more sets.
You'll understand the concept better when I tell you the story, but I wanted to give you a primer on an important concept that will help you understand why this place, which I'll call "Area X", exists, and what the goals of the people who work there are.
Also note that I'm going to be using the alias "Trent" moving forward. Please refer to me as such in any direct messages.
***
Eighteen years ago I started working as an independent Home Inspector. I dropped out of community college after my first semester (not because I didn't find some of the subjects interesting, but because deference to a man or woman has never been my style) and started working some odd jobs. I did construction work for a couple years, then plumbing. I even drove a garbage truck for six months. I've always found pleasure in using my hands, and getting dirty was never a problem for me. Still, having a boss really dragged ass, so I spent my free time working on creating my own business. It took a few years and lots of savings, but I finally managed to get basic set of Home Inspection equipment: Tyvek coveralls, a cheap half-face respirator, voltage & AFCI/GFCI testers, CO2 and radon monitors, an IR camera, and telescoping mirrors in addition to the boots, safety glasses, electric gloves, ladder, and toolkits I already had on hand.
My buddy at the time was in the business, but he was moving off to the coast, so he helped me get set up and even introduced me to some of his clients. Of course, by that time I had already gotten my State license, but I still was a bit apprehensive to work with insurance agencies. I thought I could make a living working independently, inspecting for mold or sizing up a house for a prospective buyer. Eventually, though, I realized I should probably take every job available to me.
Easing into the business went about as well as it could have. The clients my friend referred to me were very satisfied with my work, and I was able to retain them. Then, in order to increase my reach, I hired someone on Fiverr to build a website for my company which led to a marked increase in traffic and conversions. About six months through, I began to get on a first-name basis with the boys and girls down down at Allstate and Progressive, and they fed me some of the bigger cases. In fact, I got so booked by year's end that I had to hire someone to help manage my schedule and the Excel spreadsheet with all my finances. I capped off a successful year with a 5-star Google rating and a trip to Ireland to visit some family and friends and get piss drunk. When I got back, it was the grindstone all over again, until the summer when I discovered… well, you'll see.
First off, I want to say that I was never one to believe in the paranormal. I grew up watching the movies and hearing the ghost stories round the campfire like every other kid, but it never struck a chord with me. If I can't touch it or see it or hear it, does it really exist? Probably not. So don't go thinking this was a scared man seeing his own shadow. That being said, I had this sense that something was off about this house when I parked along the curb and looked through a large window, perhaps two times the size of my van, to a dingy, dark foyer.
The entire neighborhood was stacked with upper-middle class domiciles, though it seemed like only two thirds of them were occupied, mostly by professionals who commuted to the City every weekday, and the rest were empty. As a man who understands real estate, to say this was strange would be an understatement. Still, I had no problem appraising the mini-mansion for a couple of newlyweds looking to enter the community. I did some research on the property ahead of time, and it seems that it was owned by a couple of old timers who had gone off the grid some time ago. The water and electric bill were both unpaid dating back to 2004 (it was June of '06 now). The bank had repo'd the house (which only had about 100k left on it) and held it for a year and a half before putting it back on the market. I tried to find out more about the old couple who vanished, but there was nothing in the news.
I stepped out of the van in my coveralls and grabbed my suitcase which had my mask, gloves, and eye protection in it. I liked to do a preliminary survey first, running an eye test on the exterior then interior before bringing out the big guns (that way I could identify the areas where I think there could be problems instead of running a metal detector over the whole damn ocean seaboard). I was about to do just that when the window caught my eye again. It felt uncharacteristic of me to be so occupied with this window, but I detoured to the front porch and peeked inside anyway.
Most of the furniture had already been moved out, meaning all that was left was a single three-seater couch, a couple candlesticks on the fireplace mantle, a pristine chandelier overtop a dining room table, and the kitchenware: an oven, gas stovetop, marble countertops, and an island. I could see into the living room very clearly with the afternoon light, but the dining room was dim enough that there were a few structures I couldn't quite make out in the distance. One of them appeared to be some kind of china cabinet or bookshelf—I figured it was the former considering where it was located. The other shadow looked kind of like a grandfather clock. Or at least that's what I thought until it moved.
When I say it "moved", I don't mean to say that it picked up and walked away. If you're not familiar with the Necker Cube, I suggest you search it up, because that kind of illusion is the best way to describe what I saw. At first I was seeing the grandfather clock in a certain way—pushed into the corner of the room—and the next second my vision "corrected" and it was maybe five feet to the left of its former position. I shook my head and looked again and saw the grandfather clock in its second orientation, standing in the center of the room against the wall. I figured I was just seeing things, but even so I spent a little extra time dawdling around the Egress window, taking notes, and delaying the interior inspection.
When I finally grew a pair and went inside, I walked straight to the dining room. Sure enough, the grandfather clock was stowed away in the corner of the room. I spent a couple minutes watching it with my pencil and travel notebook out. I'm the kind of guy that likes to collect hard data when the chips are down. Unfortunately, the clock apparently already had enough fun and was content with sweating me. Oh, well.
I fitted my pencil behind my ear and pocketed my travel notebook, then flipped the rest of the first floor lights on and completed my prelim. I concluded that everything was pretty standard. If anything, the house was in better shape than I'd expect considering it presumably hasn't been lived in for a couple years. I say "presumably" because one can never count out squatters, even during those times. Mainly I was expecting more dust build up and cobwebs than there were. Perhaps someone from the department had come by recently. It's unlikely, but possible.
I did the same check upstairs and it came back mostly clean. There was a bit of staining near the attic I wanted to check for mold. Based on its color, it was probably just a minor case of Aspergillus, but better safe than sorry. Then I got to the basement, and, well, let's just count out the idea of anyone dropping by. I don't know what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn't what I found.
The first thing that caught my eye was the long, slender body of a birch tree lying pale and dead across a large portion of the even larger unfinished basement's cement flooring. I had to do a double take to make sure I wasn't dreaming, but, yep, there it was. Its crown was sealed up in the wall with only its trunk hanging out, which made me think of those medieval pillory devices which locked up people's heads and arms. Then confetti-scattered around the tree and all over the basement floor was a minefield of broken glass and ceramic tangled up with a set of random objects. And when I say random, I mean random. There was an unfurled Somali flag (the blue one with a single star in the center), some packaged drinks and condiments branded with all sorts of different languages (I could only make out Gaelic and Chinese or Japanese, I couldn't quite tell), a broken dome-shaped security camera, an otoscope (the thing the doc uses to check your ears), Hot Wheels cars (okay that one isn't so strange), and the list goes on.
At that moment, I wasn't freaked out or disgusted. I was more or less just confused. I started walking through the rubble, trying to avoid the sharp fragments but pretty confident that my steel toed boots would crush most the pieces anyway, when I heard a clink just up ahead. I was able to spot the coin in time, just before it jingled to a halt atop an old Life magazine. I picked it up and noted right away its oval shape and bronze color—clearly not American made. I tried reading it, but not only was the language not English, it appeared to be so old that most of the lettering had been filed down. I looked up at the ceiling to see if it dropped from a shelf, but there was nothing that could have been holding the coin. I considered for a moment, looking around at the other junk, and had the crazy idea that maybe all this stuff just appeared here. I popped the coin in my pocket and headed back to the van when I stopped by the tree and realized something. It wasn't a birch tree—it was a palm tree. I just didn't realize because of how ashy and decayed the bark was.
Now at this point you might think I've been acting a little nonchalant for such a strange occurrence, and I don't blame you, but if you're gonna stick around with me that's just something you're gonna have to get used to. I guess I was just born with a screw loose, but I really don't scare easily, and I tend to look at everything pragmatically. If you dig deep enough, you'll always find another plausible explanation. That being said, I do want to get to the part about Area X, so let me give you the rundown on what I learned about this basement.
I ended up trekking back to the van and picking up my gear. I was no longer running the routine inspection, obviously, but I figured I might as well throw 30 thousand dollars of scanning equipment at whatever the fuck anamoly existed in that basement. Most of it came back negative. There was a bit higher-than-usual EM interference as picked up on the voltmeters, but nothing that screamed danger close. Still, it was enough for me to set up my volt testers and IR camera while muddling through the rest of the junk. I won't bore you with another list of items, but I did find one thing of value: a diamond necklace. And not just any diamond necklace, it was one of those Queen-wearing, multi-row, big-jeweled necklaces like out of some Historical Fiction movie from the thirties. I almost didn't pocket it because I'm used to expensive items being owned by someone… someone who might want it back. But I figured if there was ever a place the finder's keeper's rule applied, it was probably in this Quantum graveyard.
7 O'clock rolled around and I hadn't eaten. I'm a pretty bulky guy, carrying my share of both muscle and fat, and most people think that means I need to eat a ton but that's really not the case. Mostly I just get dehydrated easily, especially in the summer. That said, I was bordering on famished territory and considered heading out for a bite when I heard another sound. The first thing I did was check my scanners, and sure enough the voltage needle was fully spun to the right side of the dial. EM interference. Then I went to see what had dropped. I was able to pick the object out pretty quickly since I had spent the last 6 hours staring at the mosaic of a basement floor. It was a silver briefcase, like one of those out of a crime novel, and it was cracked open.
I had this sense then that I was standing at a precipice, and if I opened the briefcase and looked inside, I wouldn't be able to stop whatever would come afterwards. Part of me deep down knew that I was just that type of guy that had to know, and maybe this was my Hamlet moment where it would be a trait gone a step too far. But then again I didn't really believe in any of that sentimental bullshit, so I opened the briefcase.
The gun surprised me a little, but not as much as the piece of paper laid atop a case file reading in large black font, "FIND ME". I expected the envelope to have some missing person file in it, but instead there were all these schematics and blueprints for some kind of device. Whatever it was, it was pretty massive. Some of the lengths were hundreds of meters long. And what's more strange is based on the blueprint's locale, it appeared to be underground. I looked back through the pages a couple times, then checked the note—nothing strange there. The gun appeared to be a simple glock. I was no gun expert, but I had been to the range pretty regularly with my construction buddies, so I got used to the feel of a pistol and rifle and some of the different names; however, I realized pretty quickly it wasn't your standard glock when I couldn't find mag-release. That's when I noticed how light the gun felt. I tried to chamber a round, but again, there was no hammer. What the hell kind of gun was this?
I ended up throwing everything back in the briefcase, including the necklace, coin, and a few Koozies I found that were branded with one of my favorite sports teams (never let an opportunity go to waste). I put up all my shit back in the van and spun over to a local burger joint, got my fill, and went home. I made sure to draft an email to the prospective buyers, telling them the house had several patches of black mold and a bit of a rat problem before drifting off to sleep. Although I really didn't do much of that.
When I woke up, I took a cold shower and downed a can of Reign, then commuted to my gym and got a lift and some sauna time in before making the trip back to the house. I brought some extra supplies with me for some experiments I cooked up while not sleeping the previous night.
First, I had two camcorders set up on a couple tripods in either corner of the basement. I wanted clear footage of these mystery objects spawning in. Then I set up a voltmeter in a similar fashion, but I had a wire extending out of it on a circuit which fed to an alarm that would blare when the reading was over 250 volts. Upstairs, I rearranged some of the furniture so that the small number of tables, chairs, clock, cabinets, and other little pillows or vases I could find were scattered across the living room, dining room, and kitchen. Then I pulled up a lawn chair to the front porch window and waited.
I didn't have to wait long though. In about a minute, I started to notice some of the objects moving. It was strange. When a few of them would shift simultaneously, it was like looking at a holographic card that would change shape depending on where your eyes were in relation to the image. Every time I saw a shift, I felt an awkward feeling in my eyes. They went blurry for a fraction of a second, then there was a twinge of pain, as if my brain couldn't handle the contradictory stimulus. It didn't get more crazy than that though—until the alarm went off.
I had cracked open the small rectangular window in the basement to the side of the house so I would hear it. It took four hours and several strange stares from passersby walking their dogs before it rang, so I was a bit lost in my thoughts, but when I heard the beep I perked up fast. It lasted for maybe 5 seconds total, but what I saw was truly miraculous. The best way I can describe it is a pool of silver or gray or translucent light emerging in the foreground between me and the objects in the different rooms. A series of twisting tentacles sprouted from the gray octopus-like head and spun in a way that reminded me of that little kids ride at the amusement parks. Then the objects started to "heat up" is the way I describe it. Their position became relative, meaning they were here one second, there another, then they popped out of existence entirely. Suddenly the rooms were all empty, then they were full of things I had never seen before. Then five seconds passed and the octopus vanished and it was back to the same old objects in their usual places.
It took a few minutes to process what I saw, and even then I wasn't sure I really saw it. I went inside and looked around at my distribution of the house's furnishings. They were all there, intact. Then I went downstairs to check the cams. I rewinded a couple minutes and played it back, but there was no flying object to be found. Instead, there was some gray static that lasted half a second and then the object, a kid's treasure chest toy, was there on the ground. But you want to know the really strange part? I rewinded the tape again, and when I watched the footage back, the treasure chest was always there.
I later came to understand that these poppings in-and-out of our reality are only conceivable to a conscious mind that can track the interference patterns—not rote computational instruments. In fact, even most people can't do it (although everyone has at least a slight awareness of it, even if only subconsciously). Plus, locations like the basement of this house are very rare and kept under tight lock. That became obvious to me two days later when, after my normal morning routine, I pulled up to a driveway and curbside filled with unmarked government vehicles. Either bravely or stupidly, I pulled up to a few officers (they were wearing suits in 85 degree weather, so I assumed…) who were idling by the large fence of crime scene tape and asked them what the score was.
"There was a crime," said the short man with a unibrow.
"Oh, is that right? Damn shame. Someone break in? I have a niece who lives nearby, so…"
The man looked at his two compatriots, both of whom were wearing sunglasses and a "get this civilian fuck out of here" expressions. "Oh, yeah," he started in a reassuring tone that was so condescending it would have annoyed anyone except me, "we found a body. We think it was a homicide. Best to keep your kids away from here for a while."
I thumbed the stubble on my chin, my other hand outstretched on the wheel, and considered moving on, but my mouth had other ideas. "That right? But uh, isn't this house vacant? I mean, I don't remember no one living in it."
The short man, now tall with temper, said, "Yeah, some squatters. We think there was a dispute over some drug money. Nothing for you to worry about though, we got it under control. Now if you wouldn't mind moving along, we have a lot of work to do."
Oh, I'm sure you do, I thought, but only said, "Of course, sir, sorry for keeping you from your job." Then I rolled up the window and cruised on, keeping my eyes on the house which slowly diminished in the side-view mirror.
Luckily I had been smart enough to break down my camp and lug home all my equipment each night, so I didn't leave anything incriminating. I didn't move the furniture back, so maybe that would come back to haunt me, but considering the kind of shit going down in that house, I didn't think they would notice.
For any of you wondering about the conclusion of the house story, I went back a couple weeks later after the suits had left and the tape was taken down and confirmed that not only was the basement entirely cleaned out, but it was no longer exhibiting any strange properties. I looked for a story related to the house, maybe a made up murder of some kind, but there was nothing. That bastard lied to me and didn't even bother to cover his story up.
Now, in the aftermath of an event such as this, I really only had one of two options. I could forget it, move on, continue living life. The necklace was surely worth a fortune. I could sell it and have enough to retire, or at least hire enough people and expand my business large enough to retire within ten or so years. Or I could take all that money and invest it in my own PI business with only a single objective: finding out what those people knew, and why they were hiding it.
I think you know me well enough by now to guess which line of reasoning appealed more to me.
***
For the sake of brevity, I'm going to omit most of my encounters along the journey to discovering Area X. There's a lot to tell, and if it appeals to you perhaps I'd be willing to share at a later date, but for now I want to get this part of the story, the more proximal part, out in the open.
Three years ago, I discovered the source of what I'll call "The Receiver". This is the device that was schematized in the documents that I found in the briefcase. What it does is a complex answer, and how it does it is pretty much all speculation, but here's what I've been able to find out: this universe we live in is a node in a network of many other spaces. These spaces exist in higher dimensions that we cannot directly perceive, but using a conceivable analogy, just think about a flower with petals. The petals are these other dimensions which bleed into our world, which is at the center. However, it's not that pretty. We see the physical world through the lens of spacetime: sizes, speeds, etc. These other dimensions don't necessarily have space or time. In fact, what actually exists there, I couldn't say. The only data I have on them is from two sources: correspondence information and server data from the secret agency (which I'll call "the Organization") that keeps this under wraps, and first-hand experience with realms from these other entities, either directly (I experience it) or through the eyes of someone else with the same or greater abilities than I possess.
I referred to these people with abilities earlier as "Antennas", and I will continue to use the term. Antennas really come in three flavors, marked by the strength of their ability: weak Antennas, like me, are able to observe spontaneous interactions between our universe and other dimensions (phase shifts) when there is a strong force of collision like existed in the basement; moderate Antennas may see phase shifts occur at any point, and they usually are able to retain memories from across the different transformations; strong Antennas, and I don't know if they exist yet, but they are able to consciously interact with these other realms and cause phase shifts to occur.
I mentioned that moderate Antennas are able to retain memories from before and after a phase shift. Technically, all Antennas have this ability, but it's about degree. I can recall only very specific instances and without much detail. Moderates are usually able to pick out much more nuanced minutiae. At the lower end of moderate scale, most of those details fade or get fuzzy over time, but for the very strong Antennas, they hold onto almost everything. One other property that scales with strength is interaction with other conscious entities. Only a small percentage of moderates are able to do this. What's interesting is that these entities can possess (yes, like ghosts) people who aren't even antennas, but no one is aware of such possession at this deep of a level. I have several companions now, and only two have had interactions with these otherworldly beings. Not all of them are malevolent, some of them are whimsical or kind, but there are a fair share of demons out there.
Getting back to the point, Area X started as a government funded project in the 70's. At that time, they were focused on a few subjects: Artificial Intelligence, DNA sequencing, and psychedelics. Yes, they were part of the infamous LSD experiments. But they looked at these subjects through a common lens—there was something that the burgeoning tech industry, fueled by the advent of a commercial computer market, was missing. As the tech giants rose in the early 2000's and began to collect mass amounts of data, this other agency was decades ahead in a different metric, although it was completely (and still is) hidden from the public. Their efforts to understand psychedelic experiences led to a formalized method of understanding interactions between multiple realities. They built certain scanning equipment to detect anomalies like the one I found in the basement; although their tools were much more sophisticated and didn't utilize voltage readings. Then they ran tests in these areas. One area in particular is a hot-bed of phase shift interactions. That's where Area X is located (and the Receiver).
The Receiver is a giant electromagnetic orb that has trapped the kind of multi-dimensional energy that causes the phase shifts; since the Organization seized control of the lab, it's effectively become a map of the Earth in relation to these other worlds. For the past twenty or so years, the Organization has been studying this map, using the data big Tech companies have collected to essentially develop a Rosetta Stone for interpreting the meaning of the fluctuations in their scanning equipment. Recently, the public, though going the long way round, was actually pretty close to a breakthrough in this same department until recently when ultra-powerful LLMs surfaced, and the whole world began going down what I'd argue is the wrong rabbit hole of language processing. But I digress.
Area X is essentially a private military base built for defending the most impactful piece of technology ever invented. With the Receiver, the Organization now has the power to essentially predict any and all future outcomes, the only thing holding them back is the limitations of their own scanning equipment which will get better with time. To put it into perspective, the Organization has access to a kind of data allocation tool which in one day can produce over ten thousand times that the Big Data companies combined would be able to filter through in the next decade. You might think, then, that the problem is merely asymmetric power, and that is certainly a concern, but it isn't the main concern. The main issue is that this organization is actively recruiting (and kidnapping) Antennas from around the world in an effort to find or make one of them into a strong Antenna. In other words, they want a subject who is able not only to see the future, but to manipulate it at will.
balance to the world. I've been working on amassing resources, capital, and building my own team, and now I'm ready. You might ask why I'm posting this here. Wouldn't it be better to keep all this secret? Well, yes, it would be. But that's the problem. Nothing is secret anymore. They know about me and the others, and if I don't make a move, they will. In a way, this is a letter directly to the organization that I know, and I'm coming.
In a different way, I wanted to release this information to the public. There are lots of people out there waking up and realizing that the world they experience is not the one others experience. If you think you might be an Antenna, don't be afraid—you have a special gift that can be controlled. If you want more details on how to control it, or if you're interested in my mission, don't be afraid to reach out. This hasn't always been my life's work, but it is now.
At least until I die.
2024.05.16 23:10 Weathers_Writing They call Silicon Valley the tech capitol of the world. They're wrong
I won't disclose its actual location, so if that's why you're here, sorry to disappoint. It's not time for that yet. However, I do think it's time to start getting the word out. I've noticed an increase in what I'll call "Antennas" lately, or people who can detect cross-planar phase shifts. Without getting into all the math (some of which I don't even know), this is basically a phenomenon which refers to entropy seeping into our universe from other realms or universes or whatever you want to call it. Simply put, people think our universe is a closed system to entropy, meaning that the disorder of any variable in our universe can only increase or decrease in direct proportion to other variables in that same system (the universe). Under this precept, we can establish rules like the Laws of Thermodynamics, and for most people, they're effective. But not for Antennas.
Put another way, if you throw a bunch of bouncy balls into a box, there are a number of different configurations that the balls could take on, with different speeds and magnitudes. You can calculate all of those if you have the right numbers. Now let's say you throw in another set of balls that you don't consider in your calculations of the initial set. Well, then you're not going to get an accurate picture of what's happening. Most people only see the first set and calculate based on that, but some people can see two, three, four or more sets.
You'll understand the concept better when I tell you the story, but I wanted to give you a primer on an important concept that will help you understand why this place, which I'll call "Area X", exists, and what the goals of the people who work there are.
Also note that I'm going to be using the alias "Trent" moving forward. Please refer to me as such in any direct messages.
***
Eighteen years ago I started working as an independent Home Inspector. I dropped out of community college after my first semester (not because I didn't find some of the subjects interesting, but because deference to a man or woman has never been my style) and started working some odd jobs. I did construction work for a couple years, then plumbing. I even drove a garbage truck for six months. I've always found pleasure in using my hands, and getting dirty was never a problem for me. Still, having a boss really dragged ass, so I spent my free time working on creating my own business. It took a few years and lots of savings, but I finally managed to get basic set of Home Inspection equipment: Tyvek coveralls, a cheap half-face respirator, voltage & AFCI/GFCI testers, CO2 and radon monitors, an IR camera, and telescoping mirrors in addition to the boots, safety glasses, electric gloves, ladder, and toolkits I already had on hand.
My buddy at the time was in the business, but he was moving off to the coast, so he helped me get set up and even introduced me to some of his clients. Of course, by that time I had already gotten my State license, but I still was a bit apprehensive to work with insurance agencies. I thought I could make a living working independently, inspecting for mold or sizing up a house for a prospective buyer. Eventually, though, I realized I should probably take every job available to me.
Easing into the business went about as well as it could have. The clients my friend referred to me were very satisfied with my work, and I was able to retain them. Then, in order to increase my reach, I hired someone on Fiverr to build a website for my company which led to a marked increase in traffic and conversions. About six months through, I began to get on a first-name basis with the boys and girls down down at Allstate and Progressive, and they fed me some of the bigger cases. In fact, I got so booked by year's end that I had to hire someone to help manage my schedule and the Excel spreadsheet with all my finances. I capped off a successful year with a 5-star Google rating and a trip to Ireland to visit some family and friends and get piss drunk. When I got back, it was the grindstone all over again, until the summer when I discovered… well, you'll see.
First off, I want to say that I was never one to believe in the paranormal. I grew up watching the movies and hearing the ghost stories round the campfire like every other kid, but it never struck a chord with me. If I can't touch it or see it or hear it, does it really exist? Probably not. So don't go thinking this was a scared man seeing his own shadow. That being said, I had this sense that something was off about this house when I parked along the curb and looked through a large window, perhaps two times the size of my van, to a dingy, dark foyer.
The entire neighborhood was stacked with upper-middle class domiciles, though it seemed like only two thirds of them were occupied, mostly by professionals who commuted to the City every weekday, and the rest were empty. As a man who understands real estate, to say this was strange would be an understatement. Still, I had no problem appraising the mini-mansion for a couple of newlyweds looking to enter the community. I did some research on the property ahead of time, and it seems that it was owned by a couple of old timers who had gone off the grid some time ago. The water and electric bill were both unpaid dating back to 2004 (it was June of '06 now). The bank had repo'd the house (which only had about 100k left on it) and held it for a year and a half before putting it back on the market. I tried to find out more about the old couple who vanished, but there was nothing in the news.
I stepped out of the van in my coveralls and grabbed my suitcase which had my mask, gloves, and eye protection in it. I liked to do a preliminary survey first, running an eye test on the exterior then interior before bringing out the big guns (that way I could identify the areas where I think there could be problems instead of running a metal detector over the whole damn ocean seaboard). I was about to do just that when the window caught my eye again. It felt uncharacteristic of me to be so occupied with this window, but I detoured to the front porch and peeked inside anyway.
Most of the furniture had already been moved out, meaning all that was left was a single three-seater couch, a couple candlesticks on the fireplace mantle, a pristine chandelier overtop a dining room table, and the kitchenware: an oven, gas stovetop, marble countertops, and an island. I could see into the living room very clearly with the afternoon light, but the dining room was dim enough that there were a few structures I couldn't quite make out in the distance. One of them appeared to be some kind of china cabinet or bookshelf—I figured it was the former considering where it was located. The other shadow looked kind of like a grandfather clock. Or at least that's what I thought until it moved.
When I say it "moved", I don't mean to say that it picked up and walked away. If you're not familiar with the Necker Cube, I suggest you search it up, because that kind of illusion is the best way to describe what I saw. At first I was seeing the grandfather clock in a certain way—pushed into the corner of the room—and the next second my vision "corrected" and it was maybe five feet to the left of its former position. I shook my head and looked again and saw the grandfather clock in its second orientation, standing in the center of the room against the wall. I figured I was just seeing things, but even so I spent a little extra time dawdling around the Egress window, taking notes, and delaying the interior inspection.
When I finally grew a pair and went inside, I walked straight to the dining room. Sure enough, the grandfather clock was stowed away in the corner of the room. I spent a couple minutes watching it with my pencil and travel notebook out. I'm the kind of guy that likes to collect hard data when the chips are down. Unfortunately, the clock apparently already had enough fun and was content with sweating me. Oh, well.
I fitted my pencil behind my ear and pocketed my travel notebook, then flipped the rest of the first floor lights on and completed my prelim. I concluded that everything was pretty standard. If anything, the house was in better shape than I'd expect considering it presumably hasn't been lived in for a couple years. I say "presumably" because one can never count out squatters, even during those times. Mainly I was expecting more dust build up and cobwebs than there were. Perhaps someone from the department had come by recently. It's unlikely, but possible.
I did the same check upstairs and it came back mostly clean. There was a bit of staining near the attic I wanted to check for mold. Based on its color, it was probably just a minor case of Aspergillus, but better safe than sorry. Then I got to the basement, and, well, let's just count out the idea of anyone dropping by. I don't know what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn't what I found.
The first thing that caught my eye was the long, slender body of a birch tree lying pale and dead across a large portion of the even larger unfinished basement's cement flooring. I had to do a double take to make sure I wasn't dreaming, but, yep, there it was. Its crown was sealed up in the wall with only its trunk hanging out, which made me think of those medieval pillory devices which locked up people's heads and arms. Then confetti-scattered around the tree and all over the basement floor was a minefield of broken glass and ceramic tangled up with a set of random objects. And when I say random, I mean random. There was an unfurled Somali flag (the blue one with a single star in the center), some packaged drinks and condiments branded with all sorts of different languages (I could only make out Gaelic and Chinese or Japanese, I couldn't quite tell), a broken dome-shaped security camera, an otoscope (the thing the doc uses to check your ears), Hot Wheels cars (okay that one isn't so strange), and the list goes on.
At that moment, I wasn't freaked out or disgusted. I was more or less just confused. I started walking through the rubble, trying to avoid the sharp fragments but pretty confident that my steel toed boots would crush most the pieces anyway, when I heard a clink just up ahead. I was able to spot the coin in time, just before it jingled to a halt atop an old Life magazine. I picked it up and noted right away its oval shape and bronze color—clearly not American made. I tried reading it, but not only was the language not English, it appeared to be so old that most of the lettering had been filed down. I looked up at the ceiling to see if it dropped from a shelf, but there was nothing that could have been holding the coin. I considered for a moment, looking around at the other junk, and had the crazy idea that maybe all this stuff just appeared here. I popped the coin in my pocket and headed back to the van when I stopped by the tree and realized something. It wasn't a birch tree—it was a palm tree. I just didn't realize because of how ashy and decayed the bark was.
Now at this point you might think I've been acting a little nonchalant for such a strange occurrence, and I don't blame you, but if you're gonna stick around with me that's just something you're gonna have to get used to. I guess I was just born with a screw loose, but I really don't scare easily, and I tend to look at everything pragmatically. If you dig deep enough, you'll always find another plausible explanation. That being said, I do want to get to the part about Area X, so let me give you the rundown on what I learned about this basement.
I ended up trekking back to the van and picking up my gear. I was no longer running the routine inspection, obviously, but I figured I might as well throw 30 thousand dollars of scanning equipment at whatever the fuck anamoly existed in that basement. Most of it came back negative. There was a bit higher-than-usual EM interference as picked up on the voltmeters, but nothing that screamed danger close. Still, it was enough for me to set up my volt testers and IR camera while muddling through the rest of the junk. I won't bore you with another list of items, but I did find one thing of value: a diamond necklace. And not just any diamond necklace, it was one of those Queen-wearing, multi-row, big-jeweled necklaces like out of some Historical Fiction movie from the thirties. I almost didn't pocket it because I'm used to expensive items being owned by someone… someone who might want it back. But I figured if there was ever a place the finder's keeper's rule applied, it was probably in this Quantum graveyard.
7 O'clock rolled around and I hadn't eaten. I'm a pretty bulky guy, carrying my share of both muscle and fat, and most people think that means I need to eat a ton but that's really not the case. Mostly I just get dehydrated easily, especially in the summer. That said, I was bordering on famished territory and considered heading out for a bite when I heard another sound. The first thing I did was check my scanners, and sure enough the voltage needle was fully spun to the right side of the dial. EM interference. Then I went to see what had dropped. I was able to pick the object out pretty quickly since I had spent the last 6 hours staring at the mosaic of a basement floor. It was a silver briefcase, like one of those out of a crime novel, and it was cracked open.
I had this sense then that I was standing at a precipice, and if I opened the briefcase and looked inside, I wouldn't be able to stop whatever would come afterwards. Part of me deep down knew that I was just that type of guy that had to know, and maybe this was my Hamlet moment where it would be a trait gone a step too far. But then again I didn't really believe in any of that sentimental bullshit, so I opened the briefcase.
The gun surprised me a little, but not as much as the piece of paper laid atop a case file reading in large black font, "FIND ME". I expected the envelope to have some missing person file in it, but instead there were all these schematics and blueprints for some kind of device. Whatever it was, it was pretty massive. Some of the lengths were hundreds of meters long. And what's more strange is based on the blueprint's locale, it appeared to be underground. I looked back through the pages a couple times, then checked the note—nothing strange there. The gun appeared to be a simple glock. I was no gun expert, but I had been to the range pretty regularly with my construction buddies, so I got used to the feel of a pistol and rifle and some of the different names; however, I realized pretty quickly it wasn't your standard glock when I couldn't find mag-release. That's when I noticed how light the gun felt. I tried to chamber a round, but again, there was no hammer. What the hell kind of gun was this?
I ended up throwing everything back in the briefcase, including the necklace, coin, and a few Koozies I found that were branded with one of my favorite sports teams (never let an opportunity go to waste). I put up all my shit back in the van and spun over to a local burger joint, got my fill, and went home. I made sure to draft an email to the prospective buyers, telling them the house had several patches of black mold and a bit of a rat problem before drifting off to sleep. Although I really didn't do much of that.
When I woke up, I took a cold shower and downed a can of Reign, then commuted to my gym and got a lift and some sauna time in before making the trip back to the house. I brought some extra supplies with me for some experiments I cooked up while not sleeping the previous night.
First, I had two camcorders set up on a couple tripods in either corner of the basement. I wanted clear footage of these mystery objects spawning in. Then I set up a voltmeter in a similar fashion, but I had a wire extending out of it on a circuit which fed to an alarm that would blare when the reading was over 250 volts. Upstairs, I rearranged some of the furniture so that the small number of tables, chairs, clock, cabinets, and other little pillows or vases I could find were scattered across the living room, dining room, and kitchen. Then I pulled up a lawn chair to the front porch window and waited.
I didn't have to wait long though. In about a minute, I started to notice some of the objects moving. It was strange. When a few of them would shift simultaneously, it was like looking at a holographic card that would change shape depending on where your eyes were in relation to the image. Every time I saw a shift, I felt an awkward feeling in my eyes. They went blurry for a fraction of a second, then there was a twinge of pain, as if my brain couldn't handle the contradictory stimulus. It didn't get more crazy than that though—until the alarm went off.
I had cracked open the small rectangular window in the basement to the side of the house so I would hear it. It took four hours and several strange stares from passersby walking their dogs before it rang, so I was a bit lost in my thoughts, but when I heard the beep I perked up fast. It lasted for maybe 5 seconds total, but what I saw was truly miraculous. The best way I can describe it is a pool of silver or gray or translucent light emerging in the foreground between me and the objects in the different rooms. A series of twisting tentacles sprouted from the gray octopus-like head and spun in a way that reminded me of that little kids ride at the amusement parks. Then the objects started to "heat up" is the way I describe it. Their position became relative, meaning they were here one second, there another, then they popped out of existence entirely. Suddenly the rooms were all empty, then they were full of things I had never seen before. Then five seconds passed and the octopus vanished and it was back to the same old objects in their usual places.
It took a few minutes to process what I saw, and even then I wasn't sure I really saw it. I went inside and looked around at my distribution of the house's furnishings. They were all there, intact. Then I went downstairs to check the cams. I rewinded a couple minutes and played it back, but there was no flying object to be found. Instead, there was some gray static that lasted half a second and then the object, a kid's treasure chest toy, was there on the ground. But you want to know the really strange part? I rewinded the tape again, and when I watched the footage back, the treasure chest was always there.
I later came to understand that these poppings in-and-out of our reality are only conceivable to a conscious mind that can track the interference patterns—not rote computational instruments. In fact, even most people can't do it (although everyone has at least a slight awareness of it, even if only subconsciously). Plus, locations like the basement of this house are very rare and kept under tight lock. That became obvious to me two days later when, after my normal morning routine, I pulled up to a driveway and curbside filled with unmarked government vehicles. Either bravely or stupidly, I pulled up to a few officers (they were wearing suits in 85 degree weather, so I assumed…) who were idling by the large fence of crime scene tape and asked them what the score was.
"There was a crime," said the short man with a unibrow.
"Oh, is that right? Damn shame. Someone break in? I have a niece who lives nearby, so…"
The man looked at his two compatriots, both of whom were wearing sunglasses and a "get this civilian fuck out of here" expressions. "Oh, yeah," he started in a reassuring tone that was so condescending it would have annoyed anyone except me, "we found a body. We think it was a homicide. Best to keep your kids away from here for a while."
I thumbed the stubble on my chin, my other hand outstretched on the wheel, and considered moving on, but my mouth had other ideas. "That right? But uh, isn't this house vacant? I mean, I don't remember no one living in it."
The short man, now tall with temper, said, "Yeah, some squatters. We think there was a dispute over some drug money. Nothing for you to worry about though, we got it under control. Now if you wouldn't mind moving along, we have a lot of work to do."
Oh, I'm sure you do, I thought, but only said, "Of course, sir, sorry for keeping you from your job." Then I rolled up the window and cruised on, keeping my eyes on the house which slowly diminished in the side-view mirror.
Luckily I had been smart enough to break down my camp and lug home all my equipment each night, so I didn't leave anything incriminating. I didn't move the furniture back, so maybe that would come back to haunt me, but considering the kind of shit going down in that house, I didn't think they would notice.
For any of you wondering about the conclusion of the house story, I went back a couple weeks later after the suits had left and the tape was taken down and confirmed that not only was the basement entirely cleaned out, but it was no longer exhibiting any strange properties. I looked for a story related to the house, maybe a made up murder of some kind, but there was nothing. That bastard lied to me and didn't even bother to cover his story up.
Now, in the aftermath of an event such as this, I really only had one of two options. I could forget it, move on, continue living life. The necklace was surely worth a fortune. I could sell it and have enough to retire, or at least hire enough people and expand my business large enough to retire within ten or so years. Or I could take all that money and invest it in my own PI business with only a single objective: finding out what those people knew, and why they were hiding it.
I think you know me well enough by now to guess which line of reasoning appealed more to me.
***
For the sake of brevity, I'm going to omit most of my encounters along the journey to discovering Area X. There's a lot to tell, and if it appeals to you perhaps I'd be willing to share at a later date, but for now I want to get this part of the story, the more proximal part, out in the open.
Three years ago, I discovered the source of what I'll call "The Receiver". This is the device that was schematized in the documents that I found in the briefcase. What it does is a complex answer, and how it does it is pretty much all speculation, but here's what I've been able to find out: this universe we live in is a node in a network of many other spaces. These spaces exist in higher dimensions that we cannot directly perceive, but using a conceivable analogy, just think about a flower with petals. The petals are these other dimensions which bleed into our world, which is at the center. However, it's not that pretty. We see the physical world through the lens of spacetime: sizes, speeds, etc. These other dimensions don't necessarily have space or time. In fact, what actually exists there, I couldn't say. The only data I have on them is from two sources: correspondence information and server data from the secret agency (which I'll call "the Organization") that keeps this under wraps, and first-hand experience with realms from these other entities, either directly (I experience it) or through the eyes of someone else with the same or greater abilities than I possess.
I referred to these people with abilities earlier as "Antennas", and I will continue to use the term. Antennas really come in three flavors, marked by the strength of their ability: weak Antennas, like me, are able to observe spontaneous interactions between our universe and other dimensions (phase shifts) when there is a strong force of collision like existed in the basement; moderate Antennas may see phase shifts occur at any point, and they usually are able to retain memories from across the different transformations; strong Antennas, and I don't know if they exist yet, but they are able to consciously interact with these other realms and cause phase shifts to occur.
I mentioned that moderate Antennas are able to retain memories from before and after a phase shift. Technically, all Antennas have this ability, but it's about degree. I can recall only very specific instances and without much detail. Moderates are usually able to pick out much more nuanced minutiae. At the lower end of moderate scale, most of those details fade or get fuzzy over time, but for the very strong Antennas, they hold onto almost everything. One other property that scales with strength is interaction with other conscious entities. Only a small percentage of moderates are able to do this. What's interesting is that these entities can possess (yes, like ghosts) people who aren't even antennas, but no one is aware of such possession at this deep of a level. I have several companions now, and only two have had interactions with these otherworldly beings. Not all of them are malevolent, some of them are whimsical or kind, but there are a fair share of demons out there.
Getting back to the point, Area X started as a government funded project in the 70's. At that time, they were focused on a few subjects: Artificial Intelligence, DNA sequencing, and psychedelics. Yes, they were part of the infamous LSD experiments. But they looked at these subjects through a common lens—there was something that the burgeoning tech industry, fueled by the advent of a commercial computer market, was missing. As the tech giants rose in the early 2000's and began to collect mass amounts of data, this other agency was decades ahead in a different metric, although it was completely (and still is) hidden from the public. Their efforts to understand psychedelic experiences led to a formalized method of understanding interactions between multiple realities. They built certain scanning equipment to detect anomalies like the one I found in the basement; although their tools were much more sophisticated and didn't utilize voltage readings. Then they ran tests in these areas. One area in particular is a hot-bed of phase shift interactions. That's where Area X is located (and the Receiver).
The Receiver is a giant electromagnetic orb that has trapped the kind of multi-dimensional energy that causes the phase shifts; since the Organization seized control of the lab, it's effectively become a map of the Earth in relation to these other worlds. For the past twenty or so years, the Organization has been studying this map, using the data big Tech companies have collected to essentially develop a Rosetta Stone for interpreting the meaning of the fluctuations in their scanning equipment. Recently, the public, though going the long way round, was actually pretty close to a breakthrough in this same department until recently when ultra-powerful LLMs surfaced, and the whole world began going down what I'd argue is the wrong rabbit hole of language processing. But I digress.
Area X is essentially a private military base built for defending the most impactful piece of technology ever invented. With the Receiver, the Organization now has the power to essentially predict any and all future outcomes, the only thing holding them back is the limitations of their own scanning equipment which will get better with time. To put it into perspective, the Organization has access to a kind of data allocation tool which in one day can produce over ten thousand times that the Big Data companies combined would be able to filter through in the next decade. You might think, then, that the problem is merely asymmetric power, and that is certainly a concern, but it isn't the main concern. The main issue is that this organization is actively recruiting (and kidnapping) Antennas from around the world in an effort to find or make one of them into a strong Antenna. In other words, they want a subject who is able not only to see the future, but to manipulate it at will.
balance to the world. I've been working on amassing resources, capital, and building my own team, and now I'm ready. You might ask why I'm posting this here. Wouldn't it be better to keep all this secret? Well, yes, it would be. But that's the problem. Nothing is secret anymore. They know about me and the others, and if I don't make a move, they will. In a way, this is a letter directly to the organization that I know, and I'm coming.
In a different way, I wanted to release this information to the public. There are lots of people out there waking up and realizing that the world they experience is not the one others experience. If you think you might be an Antenna, don't be afraid—you have a special gift that can be controlled. If you want more details on how to control it, or if you're interested in my mission, don't be afraid to reach out. This hasn't always been my life's work, but it is now.
At least until I die.
submitted by Weathers_Writing to nosleep [link] [comments]
Put another way, if you throw a bunch of bouncy balls into a box, there are a number of different configurations that the balls could take on, with different speeds and magnitudes. You can calculate all of those if you have the right numbers. Now let's say you throw in another set of balls that you don't consider in your calculations of the initial set. Well, then you're not going to get an accurate picture of what's happening. Most people only see the first set and calculate based on that, but some people can see two, three, four or more sets.
You'll understand the concept better when I tell you the story, but I wanted to give you a primer on an important concept that will help you understand why this place, which I'll call "Area X", exists, and what the goals of the people who work there are.
Also note that I'm going to be using the alias "Trent" moving forward. Please refer to me as such in any direct messages.
***
Eighteen years ago I started working as an independent Home Inspector. I dropped out of community college after my first semester (not because I didn't find some of the subjects interesting, but because deference to a man or woman has never been my style) and started working some odd jobs. I did construction work for a couple years, then plumbing. I even drove a garbage truck for six months. I've always found pleasure in using my hands, and getting dirty was never a problem for me. Still, having a boss really dragged ass, so I spent my free time working on creating my own business. It took a few years and lots of savings, but I finally managed to get basic set of Home Inspection equipment: Tyvek coveralls, a cheap half-face respirator, voltage & AFCI/GFCI testers, CO2 and radon monitors, an IR camera, and telescoping mirrors in addition to the boots, safety glasses, electric gloves, ladder, and toolkits I already had on hand.
My buddy at the time was in the business, but he was moving off to the coast, so he helped me get set up and even introduced me to some of his clients. Of course, by that time I had already gotten my State license, but I still was a bit apprehensive to work with insurance agencies. I thought I could make a living working independently, inspecting for mold or sizing up a house for a prospective buyer. Eventually, though, I realized I should probably take every job available to me.
Easing into the business went about as well as it could have. The clients my friend referred to me were very satisfied with my work, and I was able to retain them. Then, in order to increase my reach, I hired someone on Fiverr to build a website for my company which led to a marked increase in traffic and conversions. About six months through, I began to get on a first-name basis with the boys and girls down down at Allstate and Progressive, and they fed me some of the bigger cases. In fact, I got so booked by year's end that I had to hire someone to help manage my schedule and the Excel spreadsheet with all my finances. I capped off a successful year with a 5-star Google rating and a trip to Ireland to visit some family and friends and get piss drunk. When I got back, it was the grindstone all over again, until the summer when I discovered… well, you'll see.
First off, I want to say that I was never one to believe in the paranormal. I grew up watching the movies and hearing the ghost stories round the campfire like every other kid, but it never struck a chord with me. If I can't touch it or see it or hear it, does it really exist? Probably not. So don't go thinking this was a scared man seeing his own shadow. That being said, I had this sense that something was off about this house when I parked along the curb and looked through a large window, perhaps two times the size of my van, to a dingy, dark foyer.
The entire neighborhood was stacked with upper-middle class domiciles, though it seemed like only two thirds of them were occupied, mostly by professionals who commuted to the City every weekday, and the rest were empty. As a man who understands real estate, to say this was strange would be an understatement. Still, I had no problem appraising the mini-mansion for a couple of newlyweds looking to enter the community. I did some research on the property ahead of time, and it seems that it was owned by a couple of old timers who had gone off the grid some time ago. The water and electric bill were both unpaid dating back to 2004 (it was June of '06 now). The bank had repo'd the house (which only had about 100k left on it) and held it for a year and a half before putting it back on the market. I tried to find out more about the old couple who vanished, but there was nothing in the news.
I stepped out of the van in my coveralls and grabbed my suitcase which had my mask, gloves, and eye protection in it. I liked to do a preliminary survey first, running an eye test on the exterior then interior before bringing out the big guns (that way I could identify the areas where I think there could be problems instead of running a metal detector over the whole damn ocean seaboard). I was about to do just that when the window caught my eye again. It felt uncharacteristic of me to be so occupied with this window, but I detoured to the front porch and peeked inside anyway.
Most of the furniture had already been moved out, meaning all that was left was a single three-seater couch, a couple candlesticks on the fireplace mantle, a pristine chandelier overtop a dining room table, and the kitchenware: an oven, gas stovetop, marble countertops, and an island. I could see into the living room very clearly with the afternoon light, but the dining room was dim enough that there were a few structures I couldn't quite make out in the distance. One of them appeared to be some kind of china cabinet or bookshelf—I figured it was the former considering where it was located. The other shadow looked kind of like a grandfather clock. Or at least that's what I thought until it moved.
When I say it "moved", I don't mean to say that it picked up and walked away. If you're not familiar with the Necker Cube, I suggest you search it up, because that kind of illusion is the best way to describe what I saw. At first I was seeing the grandfather clock in a certain way—pushed into the corner of the room—and the next second my vision "corrected" and it was maybe five feet to the left of its former position. I shook my head and looked again and saw the grandfather clock in its second orientation, standing in the center of the room against the wall. I figured I was just seeing things, but even so I spent a little extra time dawdling around the Egress window, taking notes, and delaying the interior inspection.
When I finally grew a pair and went inside, I walked straight to the dining room. Sure enough, the grandfather clock was stowed away in the corner of the room. I spent a couple minutes watching it with my pencil and travel notebook out. I'm the kind of guy that likes to collect hard data when the chips are down. Unfortunately, the clock apparently already had enough fun and was content with sweating me. Oh, well.
I fitted my pencil behind my ear and pocketed my travel notebook, then flipped the rest of the first floor lights on and completed my prelim. I concluded that everything was pretty standard. If anything, the house was in better shape than I'd expect considering it presumably hasn't been lived in for a couple years. I say "presumably" because one can never count out squatters, even during those times. Mainly I was expecting more dust build up and cobwebs than there were. Perhaps someone from the department had come by recently. It's unlikely, but possible.
I did the same check upstairs and it came back mostly clean. There was a bit of staining near the attic I wanted to check for mold. Based on its color, it was probably just a minor case of Aspergillus, but better safe than sorry. Then I got to the basement, and, well, let's just count out the idea of anyone dropping by. I don't know what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn't what I found.
The first thing that caught my eye was the long, slender body of a birch tree lying pale and dead across a large portion of the even larger unfinished basement's cement flooring. I had to do a double take to make sure I wasn't dreaming, but, yep, there it was. Its crown was sealed up in the wall with only its trunk hanging out, which made me think of those medieval pillory devices which locked up people's heads and arms. Then confetti-scattered around the tree and all over the basement floor was a minefield of broken glass and ceramic tangled up with a set of random objects. And when I say random, I mean random. There was an unfurled Somali flag (the blue one with a single star in the center), some packaged drinks and condiments branded with all sorts of different languages (I could only make out Gaelic and Chinese or Japanese, I couldn't quite tell), a broken dome-shaped security camera, an otoscope (the thing the doc uses to check your ears), Hot Wheels cars (okay that one isn't so strange), and the list goes on.
At that moment, I wasn't freaked out or disgusted. I was more or less just confused. I started walking through the rubble, trying to avoid the sharp fragments but pretty confident that my steel toed boots would crush most the pieces anyway, when I heard a clink just up ahead. I was able to spot the coin in time, just before it jingled to a halt atop an old Life magazine. I picked it up and noted right away its oval shape and bronze color—clearly not American made. I tried reading it, but not only was the language not English, it appeared to be so old that most of the lettering had been filed down. I looked up at the ceiling to see if it dropped from a shelf, but there was nothing that could have been holding the coin. I considered for a moment, looking around at the other junk, and had the crazy idea that maybe all this stuff just appeared here. I popped the coin in my pocket and headed back to the van when I stopped by the tree and realized something. It wasn't a birch tree—it was a palm tree. I just didn't realize because of how ashy and decayed the bark was.
Now at this point you might think I've been acting a little nonchalant for such a strange occurrence, and I don't blame you, but if you're gonna stick around with me that's just something you're gonna have to get used to. I guess I was just born with a screw loose, but I really don't scare easily, and I tend to look at everything pragmatically. If you dig deep enough, you'll always find another plausible explanation. That being said, I do want to get to the part about Area X, so let me give you the rundown on what I learned about this basement.
I ended up trekking back to the van and picking up my gear. I was no longer running the routine inspection, obviously, but I figured I might as well throw 30 thousand dollars of scanning equipment at whatever the fuck anamoly existed in that basement. Most of it came back negative. There was a bit higher-than-usual EM interference as picked up on the voltmeters, but nothing that screamed danger close. Still, it was enough for me to set up my volt testers and IR camera while muddling through the rest of the junk. I won't bore you with another list of items, but I did find one thing of value: a diamond necklace. And not just any diamond necklace, it was one of those Queen-wearing, multi-row, big-jeweled necklaces like out of some Historical Fiction movie from the thirties. I almost didn't pocket it because I'm used to expensive items being owned by someone… someone who might want it back. But I figured if there was ever a place the finder's keeper's rule applied, it was probably in this Quantum graveyard.
7 O'clock rolled around and I hadn't eaten. I'm a pretty bulky guy, carrying my share of both muscle and fat, and most people think that means I need to eat a ton but that's really not the case. Mostly I just get dehydrated easily, especially in the summer. That said, I was bordering on famished territory and considered heading out for a bite when I heard another sound. The first thing I did was check my scanners, and sure enough the voltage needle was fully spun to the right side of the dial. EM interference. Then I went to see what had dropped. I was able to pick the object out pretty quickly since I had spent the last 6 hours staring at the mosaic of a basement floor. It was a silver briefcase, like one of those out of a crime novel, and it was cracked open.
I had this sense then that I was standing at a precipice, and if I opened the briefcase and looked inside, I wouldn't be able to stop whatever would come afterwards. Part of me deep down knew that I was just that type of guy that had to know, and maybe this was my Hamlet moment where it would be a trait gone a step too far. But then again I didn't really believe in any of that sentimental bullshit, so I opened the briefcase.
The gun surprised me a little, but not as much as the piece of paper laid atop a case file reading in large black font, "FIND ME". I expected the envelope to have some missing person file in it, but instead there were all these schematics and blueprints for some kind of device. Whatever it was, it was pretty massive. Some of the lengths were hundreds of meters long. And what's more strange is based on the blueprint's locale, it appeared to be underground. I looked back through the pages a couple times, then checked the note—nothing strange there. The gun appeared to be a simple glock. I was no gun expert, but I had been to the range pretty regularly with my construction buddies, so I got used to the feel of a pistol and rifle and some of the different names; however, I realized pretty quickly it wasn't your standard glock when I couldn't find mag-release. That's when I noticed how light the gun felt. I tried to chamber a round, but again, there was no hammer. What the hell kind of gun was this?
I ended up throwing everything back in the briefcase, including the necklace, coin, and a few Koozies I found that were branded with one of my favorite sports teams (never let an opportunity go to waste). I put up all my shit back in the van and spun over to a local burger joint, got my fill, and went home. I made sure to draft an email to the prospective buyers, telling them the house had several patches of black mold and a bit of a rat problem before drifting off to sleep. Although I really didn't do much of that.
When I woke up, I took a cold shower and downed a can of Reign, then commuted to my gym and got a lift and some sauna time in before making the trip back to the house. I brought some extra supplies with me for some experiments I cooked up while not sleeping the previous night.
First, I had two camcorders set up on a couple tripods in either corner of the basement. I wanted clear footage of these mystery objects spawning in. Then I set up a voltmeter in a similar fashion, but I had a wire extending out of it on a circuit which fed to an alarm that would blare when the reading was over 250 volts. Upstairs, I rearranged some of the furniture so that the small number of tables, chairs, clock, cabinets, and other little pillows or vases I could find were scattered across the living room, dining room, and kitchen. Then I pulled up a lawn chair to the front porch window and waited.
I didn't have to wait long though. In about a minute, I started to notice some of the objects moving. It was strange. When a few of them would shift simultaneously, it was like looking at a holographic card that would change shape depending on where your eyes were in relation to the image. Every time I saw a shift, I felt an awkward feeling in my eyes. They went blurry for a fraction of a second, then there was a twinge of pain, as if my brain couldn't handle the contradictory stimulus. It didn't get more crazy than that though—until the alarm went off.
I had cracked open the small rectangular window in the basement to the side of the house so I would hear it. It took four hours and several strange stares from passersby walking their dogs before it rang, so I was a bit lost in my thoughts, but when I heard the beep I perked up fast. It lasted for maybe 5 seconds total, but what I saw was truly miraculous. The best way I can describe it is a pool of silver or gray or translucent light emerging in the foreground between me and the objects in the different rooms. A series of twisting tentacles sprouted from the gray octopus-like head and spun in a way that reminded me of that little kids ride at the amusement parks. Then the objects started to "heat up" is the way I describe it. Their position became relative, meaning they were here one second, there another, then they popped out of existence entirely. Suddenly the rooms were all empty, then they were full of things I had never seen before. Then five seconds passed and the octopus vanished and it was back to the same old objects in their usual places.
It took a few minutes to process what I saw, and even then I wasn't sure I really saw it. I went inside and looked around at my distribution of the house's furnishings. They were all there, intact. Then I went downstairs to check the cams. I rewinded a couple minutes and played it back, but there was no flying object to be found. Instead, there was some gray static that lasted half a second and then the object, a kid's treasure chest toy, was there on the ground. But you want to know the really strange part? I rewinded the tape again, and when I watched the footage back, the treasure chest was always there.
I later came to understand that these poppings in-and-out of our reality are only conceivable to a conscious mind that can track the interference patterns—not rote computational instruments. In fact, even most people can't do it (although everyone has at least a slight awareness of it, even if only subconsciously). Plus, locations like the basement of this house are very rare and kept under tight lock. That became obvious to me two days later when, after my normal morning routine, I pulled up to a driveway and curbside filled with unmarked government vehicles. Either bravely or stupidly, I pulled up to a few officers (they were wearing suits in 85 degree weather, so I assumed…) who were idling by the large fence of crime scene tape and asked them what the score was.
"There was a crime," said the short man with a unibrow.
"Oh, is that right? Damn shame. Someone break in? I have a niece who lives nearby, so…"
The man looked at his two compatriots, both of whom were wearing sunglasses and a "get this civilian fuck out of here" expressions. "Oh, yeah," he started in a reassuring tone that was so condescending it would have annoyed anyone except me, "we found a body. We think it was a homicide. Best to keep your kids away from here for a while."
I thumbed the stubble on my chin, my other hand outstretched on the wheel, and considered moving on, but my mouth had other ideas. "That right? But uh, isn't this house vacant? I mean, I don't remember no one living in it."
The short man, now tall with temper, said, "Yeah, some squatters. We think there was a dispute over some drug money. Nothing for you to worry about though, we got it under control. Now if you wouldn't mind moving along, we have a lot of work to do."
Oh, I'm sure you do, I thought, but only said, "Of course, sir, sorry for keeping you from your job." Then I rolled up the window and cruised on, keeping my eyes on the house which slowly diminished in the side-view mirror.
Luckily I had been smart enough to break down my camp and lug home all my equipment each night, so I didn't leave anything incriminating. I didn't move the furniture back, so maybe that would come back to haunt me, but considering the kind of shit going down in that house, I didn't think they would notice.
For any of you wondering about the conclusion of the house story, I went back a couple weeks later after the suits had left and the tape was taken down and confirmed that not only was the basement entirely cleaned out, but it was no longer exhibiting any strange properties. I looked for a story related to the house, maybe a made up murder of some kind, but there was nothing. That bastard lied to me and didn't even bother to cover his story up.
Now, in the aftermath of an event such as this, I really only had one of two options. I could forget it, move on, continue living life. The necklace was surely worth a fortune. I could sell it and have enough to retire, or at least hire enough people and expand my business large enough to retire within ten or so years. Or I could take all that money and invest it in my own PI business with only a single objective: finding out what those people knew, and why they were hiding it.
I think you know me well enough by now to guess which line of reasoning appealed more to me.
***
For the sake of brevity, I'm going to omit most of my encounters along the journey to discovering Area X. There's a lot to tell, and if it appeals to you perhaps I'd be willing to share at a later date, but for now I want to get this part of the story, the more proximal part, out in the open.
Three years ago, I discovered the source of what I'll call "The Receiver". This is the device that was schematized in the documents that I found in the briefcase. What it does is a complex answer, and how it does it is pretty much all speculation, but here's what I've been able to find out: this universe we live in is a node in a network of many other spaces. These spaces exist in higher dimensions that we cannot directly perceive, but using a conceivable analogy, just think about a flower with petals. The petals are these other dimensions which bleed into our world, which is at the center. However, it's not that pretty. We see the physical world through the lens of spacetime: sizes, speeds, etc. These other dimensions don't necessarily have space or time. In fact, what actually exists there, I couldn't say. The only data I have on them is from two sources: correspondence information and server data from the secret agency (which I'll call "the Organization") that keeps this under wraps, and first-hand experience with realms from these other entities, either directly (I experience it) or through the eyes of someone else with the same or greater abilities than I possess.
I referred to these people with abilities earlier as "Antennas", and I will continue to use the term. Antennas really come in three flavors, marked by the strength of their ability: weak Antennas, like me, are able to observe spontaneous interactions between our universe and other dimensions (phase shifts) when there is a strong force of collision like existed in the basement; moderate Antennas may see phase shifts occur at any point, and they usually are able to retain memories from across the different transformations; strong Antennas, and I don't know if they exist yet, but they are able to consciously interact with these other realms and cause phase shifts to occur.
I mentioned that moderate Antennas are able to retain memories from before and after a phase shift. Technically, all Antennas have this ability, but it's about degree. I can recall only very specific instances and without much detail. Moderates are usually able to pick out much more nuanced minutiae. At the lower end of moderate scale, most of those details fade or get fuzzy over time, but for the very strong Antennas, they hold onto almost everything. One other property that scales with strength is interaction with other conscious entities. Only a small percentage of moderates are able to do this. What's interesting is that these entities can possess (yes, like ghosts) people who aren't even antennas, but no one is aware of such possession at this deep of a level. I have several companions now, and only two have had interactions with these otherworldly beings. Not all of them are malevolent, some of them are whimsical or kind, but there are a fair share of demons out there.
Getting back to the point, Area X started as a government funded project in the 70's. At that time, they were focused on a few subjects: Artificial Intelligence, DNA sequencing, and psychedelics. Yes, they were part of the infamous LSD experiments. But they looked at these subjects through a common lens—there was something that the burgeoning tech industry, fueled by the advent of a commercial computer market, was missing. As the tech giants rose in the early 2000's and began to collect mass amounts of data, this other agency was decades ahead in a different metric, although it was completely (and still is) hidden from the public. Their efforts to understand psychedelic experiences led to a formalized method of understanding interactions between multiple realities. They built certain scanning equipment to detect anomalies like the one I found in the basement; although their tools were much more sophisticated and didn't utilize voltage readings. Then they ran tests in these areas. One area in particular is a hot-bed of phase shift interactions. That's where Area X is located (and the Receiver).
The Receiver is a giant electromagnetic orb that has trapped the kind of multi-dimensional energy that causes the phase shifts; since the Organization seized control of the lab, it's effectively become a map of the Earth in relation to these other worlds. For the past twenty or so years, the Organization has been studying this map, using the data big Tech companies have collected to essentially develop a Rosetta Stone for interpreting the meaning of the fluctuations in their scanning equipment. Recently, the public, though going the long way round, was actually pretty close to a breakthrough in this same department until recently when ultra-powerful LLMs surfaced, and the whole world began going down what I'd argue is the wrong rabbit hole of language processing. But I digress.
Area X is essentially a private military base built for defending the most impactful piece of technology ever invented. With the Receiver, the Organization now has the power to essentially predict any and all future outcomes, the only thing holding them back is the limitations of their own scanning equipment which will get better with time. To put it into perspective, the Organization has access to a kind of data allocation tool which in one day can produce over ten thousand times that the Big Data companies combined would be able to filter through in the next decade. You might think, then, that the problem is merely asymmetric power, and that is certainly a concern, but it isn't the main concern. The main issue is that this organization is actively recruiting (and kidnapping) Antennas from around the world in an effort to find or make one of them into a strong Antenna. In other words, they want a subject who is able not only to see the future, but to manipulate it at will.
balance to the world. I've been working on amassing resources, capital, and building my own team, and now I'm ready. You might ask why I'm posting this here. Wouldn't it be better to keep all this secret? Well, yes, it would be. But that's the problem. Nothing is secret anymore. They know about me and the others, and if I don't make a move, they will. In a way, this is a letter directly to the organization that I know, and I'm coming.
In a different way, I wanted to release this information to the public. There are lots of people out there waking up and realizing that the world they experience is not the one others experience. If you think you might be an Antenna, don't be afraid—you have a special gift that can be controlled. If you want more details on how to control it, or if you're interested in my mission, don't be afraid to reach out. This hasn't always been my life's work, but it is now.
At least until I die.
2024.05.16 22:29 HaykakanTxa Daily News Report: 05/16/2024
Date: 05/16/2024
Reading time: 14 minutes, 2817 words🪖 Military
Chamber of Deputies of Luxembourg unanimously adopts motion expressing support for Armenia
The Chamber of Deputies of Luxembourg unanimously adopted a motion expressing support for Armenia. The motion condemns the forced exodus of more than 100,000 Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh as a result of Azerbaijan's military operation. It calls for the immediate release of Armenian PoWs by Azerbaijan.Armenpress, Luxembourg lawmakers urge government to act for implementation of ICJ orders by Azerbaijan
Russia expels U.K. defense attache in tit-for-tat move
Russia has expelled Britain’s defense attache in a tit-for-tat response to the expulsion of one of its own diplomats from London last week. A. T. Coghill must leave the territory of the Russian Federation within a week.Armenpress
Ruben Vardanyan's detention period was extended for another 5 months
Vardanyan was arrested on September 27, 2023, at the Azerbaijani checkpoint of Hakari Bridge. He was charged with three counts: financing terrorism, creating and participating in armed units and/or groups. Azerbaijan confirms presence of about 23 Armenian prisoners.CivilNet, Azerbaijan extends Rune Vardanyan’s arrest by 5 months
Training sessions will be held from June 11 to August 30
From June 11 to August 30, training camps of reservists will be held in Armenia. Up to 5,151 citizens will be involved in the training sessions, of which 4,647 are rank-and-file and junior non-commissioned officers. It is planned to provide 45 units of road construction equipment.CivilNet
🏛️ Politics & Government
An opposition figure was killed in Azerbaijan
Natig Mehdi, a member of the opposition Musavat party of Azerbaijan, was killed in Baku. Mehdi's disappearance was reported by his nephew on May 9, and his death was announced on May 14. His colleague Elsevar Islamov is accused of the murder. Islamov worked as a security guard at a Baku school, and Islamov was the school's deputy financial director.CivilNet
Zelenskiy visits Kharkiv describing the situation there as “extremely difficult”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy travelled to the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on Thursday. He described the battlefield situation in the region as "extremely difficult" but under control. Zelenkiy postponed all his foreign trips on Wednesday as the situation deteriorated. Russia says it has taken control of 12 villages since it launched its attack.Armenpress
Red Cross visits Armenian captives held in Azerbaijan
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) representatives visited Armenian detainees in Azerbaijan. Among those detainees are representatives of the former military and political leadership of Nagorno-Karabakh. Baku officially confirms capture of 23 Armenians, 17 of whom ended up in Baku after Azerbaijan's military aggression last September.Armenpress
France accuses Azerbaijan of interference in New Caledonia riots
France accuses Azerbaijan of ‘interference’ in politics of its Pacific territory of New Caledonia, which has seen deadly riots in recent days. Azerbaijan swiftly denies the charge, adding to a growing number of tensions between France and the hydrocarbon-rich Caspian Sea state. The riots were sparked by moves to agree a new voting law that supporters of independence say discriminates against the indigenous Kanak population.ArmRadio
No new Armenia-Azerbaijan border created, the border existing at time of USSR collapse being reproduced – PM’s Office
No new border is being created between Armenia and Azerbaijan; rather, the existing de jure border at the time of the USSR’s dissolution is being reproduced. The border description is exactly as presented on the 1976 map.ArmRadio
Armenia border residents dissatisfied with delimitation
Residents Kirants are dissatisfied with the results of the delimitation of the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan.PanArmenian
Deputy Foreign Minister Paruyr Hovhannisyan receives EU Delegation
Deputy Foreign Minister Paruyr Hovhannisyan received the delegation led by Adrien Kirali, Director of Neighbourhood East and Institution Building of the European Commission. Interlocutors highly appreciated the Joint EU-US-Armenia high-level meeting held on April 5, 2024 in Brussels.Armenpress, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan meets with EU Trade Commissioner
Armenian, Jordanian Foreign Ministers express concerns over tense situation in the Armenian quarter of Jerusalem
Political consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia and The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan were held in Yerevan. The parties commended the current high level of political dialogue between Armenia and Jordan. The interlocutors exchanged views on the prospects of developing cooperation between the two countries.Armenpress
Armenian Foreign Minister, PACE President exchange ideas on regional issues
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan met with the President of the PACE Theodoros Rousopoulos in Strasbourg on May 16. The interlocutors exchanged views on the issues related to Armenia’s engagement in the Council of Europe.Armenpress, Armenia involved in efforts to reopen regional communications: Mirzoyan
Prime Minister Pashinyan meets with World Bank and International Finance Corporation leadership
Nikol Pashinyan received the World Bank's Senior Managing Director Axel van Trotsenburg and International Finance Corporation (IFC) Regional Vice President Alfonso Garcia Mora. The progress of joint projects, as well as the potential for diversifying Armenia's economy, were discussed.Armenpress
Speakers of the Parliaments of Armenia, Azerbaijan have brief conversation
Alen Simonyan and Sahiba Gafarova had a short conversation in Geneva. The main meeting of the speakers of the parliaments of the two countries is expected to take place in the evening.Armenpress
Armenian Foreign Minister signs Oviedo Convention in Strasbourg
Minister of Foreign Affairs Ararat Mirzoyan signed Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Dignity of the Human Being with regard to the Application of Biology and Medicine (Oviedo Convention) Armenia is the 37th country to join the Convention.Armenpress, Armenia signs Council of Europe’s Bioethics Convention
Government approves housing provision program for Nagorno-Karabakh displaced people
The government approved the housing provision program for forcibly displaced persons from Nagorno Karabakh. Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Narek Mkrtchyan presented the relevant project.Armenpress, The housing problem of Artsakh residents will be solved in 3 stages, 2-5 million drams will be given. the government accepted the plan, Armenian government approves program to support refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh
Armenia to establish Embassy in Cyprus
Armenia will establish an embassy in the Republic of Cyprus, the residence in Nicosia. The project was included in the package of non-reportable issues at the May 16 session of the government. The justification for the project states that the two countries accept each other as traditionally friendly countries.Armenpress, Armenia will have an embassy in Cyprus, Armenia to open embassy in Cyprus, Armenia will open an embassy in Cyprus, Armenia to open Embassy in Cyprus
Legal basis for border delimitation with Azerbaijan relies on the last maps of the USSR- Pashinyan
Pashinyan: It was fundamental for Armenia not to create new borders, but to reproduce the borders previously confirmed by the Alma-Ata Declaration. The last maps of the Soviet Union, de jure having legal significance, he said.Armenpress, In the issue of border demarcation, Armenia has adopted the principle of "the border passes where it passes". Pashinyan, The border demarcation commissions of Armenia and Azerbaijan signed a protocol, Pashinyan on Armenia-Azerbaijan border delimitation agreement: ‘I think it’s major success’, Pashinyan commented on the agreement reached with Azerbaijan on the issue of border demarcation in Tavush
Armen Grigoryan and Bogdan Klich discussed regional and extra-regional developments
Secretary of the Security Council of the Republic of Armenia Armen Grigoryan received the Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Senate of Poland Bogdan Klich. The parties discussed the Armenia-Poland bilateral agenda. Ideas were exchanged on the possibilities of expanding cooperation in various fields, particularly focusing on promoting trade and economic relations.Armenpress
World leaders should steer clear of Baku climate conference unless political prisoners are released
Hrair Balian: World leaders who stand for a rules-based international order must decline participation in the 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku unless 23 Armenian political prisoners jailed illegally in Azerbaijan are released. Balian says Azerbaijan is one of the most corrupt despotisms on the planet. Azerbaijan wants to turn the COP29 into a “Cop of peace”, urging countries participating in the summit to observe a ‘Cop truce”CivilNet
State revenue committee chairman meets with WBcolleagues
Chairman of the State Revenue Committee Rustam Badasyan met with his colleagues from the World Bank. The meeting discussed the progress of programs implemented with the assistance of the Bank. An agreement was reached on possible areas for further cooperation.Armenpress
Slovakia's prime minister not in life-threatening condition – deputy PM
Slovak PM Robert Fico is no longer in a life-threatening condition after being shot several times, deputy prime minister says. Fico's surgery had gone "well" and he was "not in a [life-threatening situation] at this moment", deputy PM Tomas Taraba says. Earlier the defence minister said the prime minister was "fighting for his life" after being gravely injured in an attack.Armenpress, Slovakia PM Robert Fico no longer in life-threatening condition – deputy PM
Healthcare Ministry to receive additional 3 billion AMD to cover government-paid services
The Armenian government has decided to provide the country’s Healthcare Ministry with an additional amount of 3 billion drams to cover government-paid medical services for citizens. Half of this money will be spent on aid to low-income families, 400 million on emergency aid, 500 million on hemodialysis, 300 million on cancer treatment, 200 million on transplantation, and 100 million on treating infectious diseases.ArkaAm
Yerevan Mayor visits Missak Manouchian’s tomb at French Pantheon
The official delegation led by Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan visited the French Pantheon, where the remains of French national hero Misak Manouchian and his wife Meline are buried. The ceremony took place on February 21, on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the execution of the executed soldiers.ArmRadio
💵 Economy
EEU membership is beneficial for Armenia- Pankin
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Alexander Pankin said participation in the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) is beneficial for Armenia. He said the growth of the Armenian economy and its involvement in the flows of commodity production cooperation is statistically confirmed by various indicators.Armenpress
Granting market status to Armenia's economy discussed in USA
Armenian Economy Minister Gevorg Papoyan met with U.S. officials in Washington. Focus was on Armenia-US bilateral trade and granting Armenia the status of a market economy. In January-March 2024, the Armenian-American trade turnover amounted to more than $108.9 million (37.4% decrease compared to the first quarter of last year)ArkaAm
''Learn & Work: YSU Expo- 2024'' launched at Yerevan State University
"Learn & Work: YSU Expo- 2024" has gathered applicants, students, graduates, university divisions, and employers under one roof. The Zangezur Copper Molybdenum Combine CJSC has joined the Expo with great pleasure. The mining industry is one of the most important branches of Armenia's economy.Armenpress
Byblos Bank Armenia celebrates Students' Day with scholarship recipients
Yerevan State University students who received scholarships from Byblos Bank Armenia gathered to meet with the Bank's CEO, Hayk Stepanyan. The Bank and the university have a history of successful collaboration. 10 YSU students were granted nominal scholarships of AMD 1 million each, while five others received tuition reimbursement.ArkaAm, Byblos Bank Armenia celebrates Students' Day with scholarship recipients
EBRD and EU boost funding for Armenian firms via Inecobank
The EBRD is providing a US$ 7 million loan to Inecobank for on-lending to Armenian firms. The EU is complementing this support with grant incentives of up to 15 per cent and free local and international consultancy services. At least 70 per cent of loans provided to Ineco Bank will be allocated towards funding investments in green technologies.ArkaAm, EBRDis providingUS$ 10 million financial package to ArmSwissBank for on-lending to Armenian MSMEs, EBRD plans to invest up to 500 million euros in Armenia in 2024
EBRD President Odile Renaud-Basso re-elected for a second term during annual meeting in Yerevan
Odile Renaud-Basso re-elected for a second term as the bank's president. The EBRD is the leading institutional investor in Armenia. The bank has invested more than €2.1 billion in 211 projects in the country’s financial, corporate, infrastructure and energy sectors.ArkaAm, EBRD Governors re-elect President Odile Renaud-Basso for a second term
Ardshinbank hostspanel discussion on economic and trade sanctions as part of 33rd EBRD Business Forum
Ardshinbank organized a panel discussion on economic and trade sanctions. The main objective of the discussion was to exchange views and assist participants in the practical implementation of sanctions compliance. The meeting also discussed the role of financial institutions in ensuring sanctions compliance, mechanisms for collaboration between the public and private sectors in combating sanctions evasion, and the importance of information transparency.ArkaAm, Ardshinbank held a panel discussion on economic and trade sanctions within the framework of the 33rd EBRD conference (PHOTO)
Armenian customs find amphetamine in package from US, suspect detained
90 pills of amphetamine found in package sent from U.S. to Yerevan Zvartnots Airport. The package was sent via Globbing Shipping forwarder company. The drug, fully banned in Armenia, was found inside the package alongside edibles and personal items.ArkaAm, SRC found 90 amphetamine tablets in a shipment sent from the USA to Yerevan (VIDEO)
Donations to Armenia:
HimnadramServicemenFund
Armenian Wounded Heroes
ArmeniaFund
2024.05.16 22:19 Messindistressaa Confused About Deferment and Consolidation
Hello, please help me! I'm finishing up an MA this spring and moving on to a PhD. Both were fully funded--no loans. My undergrad loans were first COVID frozen and then were deferred while I was in the MA. I've gotten letters trying to start payments. I've never had to pay student loans during the summer. What do I do? Are they not caught up on enrollment or is this between programs liminal space valid to collect payments? Will deferment restart in fall? I'm absolutely ignorant about this whole process and am confused about how to handle this or where to go for help if this is too big for reddit. Any advice?
submitted by Messindistressaa to StudentLoans [link] [comments]
2024.05.16 22:01 Dorrin_Verrakai I ran the MMLU-Pro benchmark on GPT-4o, some notes
(Yes, the creators already did this, but I wanted to try reproducing their results.)
First of all, there's definitely still issues with the dataset.
For my second run, I used temperature 0.5 (which OpenAI uses in their simple-evals repo) and this system prompt:
If the model's output didn't seem to give an answer at all I manually checked it. This was:
So I'd say the results themselves are basically "yep, that sure is how it scores". I don't know if my overall scores are actually slightly worse or if it's the effect of removing almost 500 questions from a 12.3k question dataset.
Total cost: maybe $160 based on token counts, messed up cost tracking at first.
The second run had approx 2.17M input tokens and 5.04M output tokens. Naively scaling this to other models (without actually using their tokenizers, and assuming they'll give identical output lengths) gives these approximate prices:
I'll post the inputs/outputs of both runs if anyone knows a good place to upload password-protected zips (to avoid accidental scraping, since everything posted to reddit is trained on).
submitted by Dorrin_Verrakai to OpenAI [link] [comments]
First of all, there's definitely still issues with the dataset.
- Questions mostly have 10 possible answers, but some have fewer "to remove unreasonable choices". This is supposed to be done by actually having <10 answers (I assume), but in some cases questions are padded with N/A at the end multiple times. Removing N/A from the end of the options list until only one existed resulted in removing 3314 options from the test. AFAIK N/A is never the correct answer to any question (I checked).
- Some questions are duplicates. I kept only the first instance encountered. This removed 86 questions from the test. I didn't check if their answer options were also duplicates.
- Some questions have duplicate answer options (i.e. A and C or whichever being the same answer). As this is obviously incorrect I removed these questions from the test. This removed ~400 questions. It should be pretty easy to fix these but I didn't want to spend more time.
- Some questions are impossible to answer as they're missing info.
- For example, question ID 2668 is "Which of the following scans can image brain function?" but it does not give further details, and the answer options are things like "I, II and III only".
- I only noticed one of these but I'm pretty sure there are more.
- Some questions have very bad formatting, like 11797:
- \textquotedblleftNew business firms can under price older firms, because thenewer firms can buy the latest equipment and are not bur-denedwith the older, less economical equipment which olderfirms must retire before they can economically adopt thenew. This is why continued technological progress contributesto maintaining a competitive economic system." Explain the er-rors in both sentences.
- Smarter models will probably do better on things like this, but I don't think the formatting is intentional.
You are a knowledgeable expert. When given a multiple choice question, think it through then give your single final answer as The answer is ....Here is their system prompt:
You are an knowledge expert, you are supposed to answer the multi-choice question to derive your final answer as The answer is ....I'm not a fan of the phrasing, but more importantly in my preliminary testing I noticed that GPT-4o interpreted it to mean that it could give multiple answers. My "single final answer" was intended to prevent that. This mostly worked, but when answering questions that involved a lot of LaTeX in the CoT it would sometimes format the answer using LaTeX, making regex matching unreasonably hard. (I didn't fix those, scoring them as failures.)
For my second run, I used temperature 0.5 (which OpenAI uses in their simple-evals repo) and this system prompt:
Answer the following multiple choice question. The last line of your response should be of the following format: 'Answer: ($LETTER)' (without quotes) where LETTER is a single one of the options. Think step by step before answering.This is based on this prompt from OpenAI's evals. OpenAI's says to pick one of "ABCD" but I was too lazy to generate that dynamically so I changed it a bit. It seems to work well. I used the regex Answer\s*:\s*\(\$?([A-Ja-j])\) to capture the answer.
If the model's output didn't seem to give an answer at all I manually checked it. This was:
- Mostly GPT-4o saying that none of the answers are correct
- Sometimes the model entering an infinite loop until it ran out of output space
- A few times the model giving a numeric answer, often one that had no correspondence to possible answers. Scored as a failure.
- A few times very slightly bad formatting that my regex didn't match. If the answer it gave was correct I manually fixed it, on the rationale that a slightly better regex could have caught it, otherwise I left it alone (since it wouldn't affect the score either way).
| Models | Prompting | Overall | Biology | Business | Chemistry | ComputerScience | Economics | Engineering | Health | History | Law | Math | Philosophy | Physics | Psychology | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GPT-4o (TIGER Lab) | CoT | 0.7149 | 0.8504 | 0.7852 | 0.7428 | 0.7512 | 0.784 | 0.5401 | 0.7152 | 0.6718 | 0.5393 | 0.762 | 0.6947 | 0.7355 | 0.7726 | 0.7091 |
| GPT-4o (my first run) | CoT | 0.7100 | 0.8441 | 0.7802 | 0.7502 | 0.7404 | 0.7763 | 0.5740 | 0.7061 | 0.6761 | 0.5753 | 0.7901 | 0.6760 | 0.7349 | 0.7611 | 0.7117 |
| GPT-4o (my second run) | CoT | 0.7113 | 0.8441 | 0.7725 | 0.7628 | 0.7506 | 0.7662 | 0.5584 | 0.6964 | 0.6641 | 0.5597 | 0.7772 | 0.6474 | 0.7378 | 0.7445 | 0.7041 |
Total cost: maybe $160 based on token counts, messed up cost tracking at first.
The second run had approx 2.17M input tokens and 5.04M output tokens. Naively scaling this to other models (without actually using their tokenizers, and assuming they'll give identical output lengths) gives these approximate prices:
- Claude 3 Opus: $410
- GPT-4-0314: $367
- GPT-4-32k-0314: $608
I'll post the inputs/outputs of both runs if anyone knows a good place to upload password-protected zips (to avoid accidental scraping, since everything posted to reddit is trained on).
2024.05.16 21:59 Immediate_Ad7035 Equipment lease advice
I've defaulted on a equipment lease in November 23. However in Jan 24 the finance company asked if I would rent the equipment at a lower price. They said this would avoid court and repossessing the equipment. Allow me to continue to use it for another year at which time i could renew, give it back or start a new lease. I agreed and while finalizing the details over the phone their representative ended the call for no reason. May 24 they sent me letter from a lawyer saying pay full amount and return equipment or they will sue me. I can afford the rent we agreed upon and however I have other debt that I'm doing a consumer proposal for. The trustee says that I have to include the lease as part of the proposal.Is this true?
How can they ask for payment and equipment?
Once they lease or sell it, they will be making double the money. The equipment has not lost value. I was hoping that the lawyer or finance company would void the lease and honor the agreement for rent. If I return the equipment it will cut my business in half.
If i file the proposal with them included can i make a deal after wards to rent the equipment and can a creditor be removed from a consumer proposal at a latter date after the fact?
Can I sue the finance company for not completing the rental agreement as agreed.?
Do I have any other options to keep the equipment?
submitted by Immediate_Ad7035 to legaladvicecanada [link] [comments]
How can they ask for payment and equipment?
Once they lease or sell it, they will be making double the money. The equipment has not lost value. I was hoping that the lawyer or finance company would void the lease and honor the agreement for rent. If I return the equipment it will cut my business in half.
If i file the proposal with them included can i make a deal after wards to rent the equipment and can a creditor be removed from a consumer proposal at a latter date after the fact?
Can I sue the finance company for not completing the rental agreement as agreed.?
Do I have any other options to keep the equipment?
2024.05.16 21:24 Pokey-Porky Is the RGB2COMP the right choice for you?
 | TL;DR: I was trying to find if the difference between S-Video and RGB2COMP was great enough to make the financial decision to change all my cables and buy new/more equipment. I found that there is a noticeable difference in quality, and the decision if it’s worth it is up to you! submitted by Pokey-Porky to crtgaming [link] [comments] For more context on photos and videos please read the painfully long description LOL (sorry I just wanted to be thorough): Before I got my PVM, I was heavily considering the RGB2COMP as an option for my WEGA Tv. With the WEGA, I was limited to S-Video for most of the consoles that also supported RGB. When I tried to do research, I had a very hard time (and actually could not) find a video that directly compared the improvement that using an RGB2COMP makes as opposed to S-Video. All of the videos and posts I found really didn’t do direct comparisons, and only compared it to composite, in which case the RGB2COMP would obviously provide a huge improvement. What I was trying to find though was if the difference between S-Video and RGB2COMP was great enough to make the financial decision to change all my cables and buy new/more equipment. My personal need for the RGB2COMP went away when I got my PVM but I still was curious of the difference and now, using the Extron Crosspoint, I also had the ability to compare native RGB to RGB2COMP. So I decided to get everything I needed to do a comparison in-depth enough (given the equipment I have) to have some solid findings, and for others that may have the same question I did to see if RGB2COMP is the upgrade you are looking for. To get some thoughts and points I would like to state/make out of the way: I was really happy with the improvement S-Video makes over composite, and feel it’s an improvement enough to make the investment for the consoles that support it. I was/still am perfectly pleased with the way that S-Video looks, but given that I now have a PVM and an RGB capable setup I do prefer RGB (there is no denying the jump in quality). I am also aware that the HD Retrovision Component Cables exist, but for the purpose of this comparison, its strictly trying to answer the question “is the RGB2COMP the right choice for me, in comparison to S-Video and keeping native RGB in mind?” Equipment Used: For this comparison I am using the following displays: · PVM 1953MD · Sony KD-27FS120 For this Comparison I am using the following Consoles+ Video output · PS1- S-Video · PS1- RGB (Two separate consoles) For this comparison I am using the following Cables/equipment · Retro Access RGB SCART- CSYNC Cable · Wookieewin SCART to BNC Breakout Adapter · Extron Crosspoint 300 series 12:8 model · Wookieewin BNC to SCART Adapter with a 470 Ohm Resistor on the SYNC LINE- VERY IMPORTANT WHEN USING A CROSSPOINT AND RGB INPUTS/OUTPUTS!!!! · RetroTink RGB2COMP · Onn Brand (Walmart) RCA cables (for component) · OEM PS1 S-Video Cable Main Games used in the comparison: · Final Fantasy VII · Metal Gear Solid Final things to note in this comparison: · The way that this is hooked up is RGB PS1 input into the Crosspoint, output to the PVM (Native RGB signal) and output to the RGB2COMP (Converted RGB signal). The RGB2COMP then outputs component to the Sony Wega Tv. A separate PS1 is hooked up directly to the Sony Wega Tv with an OEM PS1 S-Video cable. · PLEASE NOTE THAT IF YOU ARE USING A CROSSPOINT AND AN RGB SIGNAL, IF YOU OUTPUT TO SCART OR CONSUMER SPEC EQUIPMENT YOU NEED A 470 Ohm RESISTOR ON THE SYNC LINE FOR IT TO BE SAFLEY USED. The crosspoint outputs TTL level sync and if it is unattenuated it can permanently damage your tv or equipment over time. You can solve this by messaging Wookieewin and asking them to include the 470 Ohm resistor onto your order. · I originally intended to directly compare the RGB2COMP converted component signal to the Native RGB, both on my PVM switching back and forth simultaneously. I quickly realized that this would not be as feasible as I hoped as the PVM processes component brightness differently. It would be very impractical to turn the brightness knob up and down each time I switched, so I ruled this comparison option out, and placed a greater focus on the RGB2COMP VS S-Video comparison. · I chose Metal Gear and Final Fantasy as they have multiple discs and focused my comparisons mainly on their intro screens to keep the photos as similar as possible. I decided not to compare gameplay too much because of its variability given that this is two different consoles running the same game at the same time. · The Native RGB and RGB2COMP comparisons are running at the same time (they are the same signal, one is just converted to component) on two different screens (the WEGA consumer TV and the PVM). · The S-Video and RGB2COMP comparisons are strictly on the consumer WEGA Tv. · The WEGA Tv is set to “MOVIE” Mode and the PVM is dialed to what I feel is the “appropriate brightness” for the PVM (note this is subjective). End Findings and Final thoughts: · Starting with the comparison of RGB2COMP on the consumer WEGA Tv and Native RGB on the PVM, it is very evident that there is what I would call a blue-ish/green-ish hue to the consumer WEGA TV. It is also interesting and important to note that the WEGA and PVM draw the images slightly differently. I don’t think (and cannot say for certain) that the RGB2COMP is what is causing this hue-change, and I strongly believe that it is the Wega Tv as I have found that it provides a very “Super Saturated” look as opposed to the more “Natural” Look of the PVM. This is very color pallet subjective and it’s very possible that someone else’s PVM will not have the same look and hue as my PVM, same with the WEGA Tv. Other than these differences the signal is very similar and picture quality is equally good on both. Chances are that you wouldn’t even notice the hue difference if you were only looking at one or the other. · For the S-Video comparison I started with the Final Fantasy intro screen comparison to mainly show the color difference, which is very slight but very noticeable. The biggest difference that I found overall is the difference in brightness. I would also like to point out that when looking at this comparison S-Video has what I can best describe as a “white dot effect” in some images, and this is most noticeable in the closeup of the Final Fantasy letters. Now as previously stated the biggest difference is the brightness, I chose and put a greater focus on the intro of Metal Gear to show off how significant it is, as Metal Gears intro is already dark in nature. I feel that the images speak for themselves in terms of brightness, and would like to say that to me brightness makes a huge difference in gameplay. I played Halo to completion on composite video, and I felt that some areas were unbearably dark! It felt like I could not see where I was going or looking at all! I later made the upgrade to original competent cables for the Xbox, and right away noticed the brightness difference. The areas that felt pitch black on composite, had a faint outline in component, allowing me to have an idea of where I was going while still keeping that dark atmosphere intact. All of this to say that brightness makes a big difference in how you experience the game (at least for me). To answer the main question, there is a noticeable difference and upgrade in using the RGB2COMP over S-Video, but if its worth the financial expense for the upgrade is for you to decide. I hope you enjoyed this in-depth analysis and Hope it helps someone out there trying to make the decision as I was faced with. (Sony KD-27FS120 RGB2COMP) (PVM 1953MD RGB) (Sony KD-27FS120 RGB2COMP) (PVM 1953MD RGB) (Sony KD-27FS120 RGB2COMP) (PVM 1953MD RGB) Sony KD-27FS120 Sony KD-27FS120 Sony KD-27FS120 Sony KD-27FS120 Sony KD-27FS120 Sony KD-27FS120 Zoomed in for a better look Sony KD-27FS120 Sony KD-27FS120 Zoomed in for a better look |
2024.05.16 21:15 MattyHarlesden2018 It seems a lot of people here aren’t getting the support they need so here are some tips, basically have some free therapy.
I’m kind of alarmed that there are so many people on here that aren’t equipped with the basics so here are some that work for me.
Google De catastrophising worksheet
Google Bilateral stimulation techniques ( this is for fidgety panickers like me)
YouTube full body scan for non fidgety panic attackers
The 555 rule ( I find the term funny having lived in Thailand and I’m pretty certain nobody will understand the reference
You’re not having a heart attack. Your Neanderthal brain has decided you’re being chased by a Sabre tooth tiger when in fact you’re in Walgreens and there’s no danger.
If you’re in public pick any topic and work your way through every letter of the alphabet. I find animals works best
Google Stretching you can do in public without looking weird
Not caring about looking weird in public
Breath in for 4 seconds , hold it for 4 seconds, breath out for 4 seconds and I know it sounds odd but try and breath in through your stomach.
And most importantly , if anyone reads this, drop your shoulders unclench your jaw and take a deep breath .
submitted by MattyHarlesden2018 to PanicAttack [link] [comments]
Google De catastrophising worksheet
Google Bilateral stimulation techniques ( this is for fidgety panickers like me)
YouTube full body scan for non fidgety panic attackers
The 555 rule ( I find the term funny having lived in Thailand and I’m pretty certain nobody will understand the reference
You’re not having a heart attack. Your Neanderthal brain has decided you’re being chased by a Sabre tooth tiger when in fact you’re in Walgreens and there’s no danger.
If you’re in public pick any topic and work your way through every letter of the alphabet. I find animals works best
Google Stretching you can do in public without looking weird
Not caring about looking weird in public
Breath in for 4 seconds , hold it for 4 seconds, breath out for 4 seconds and I know it sounds odd but try and breath in through your stomach.
And most importantly , if anyone reads this, drop your shoulders unclench your jaw and take a deep breath .
2024.05.16 21:12 GatorGirl10 Where do we start??
Hello! I am seeing all the wonderful comments of y’all receiving your Golden Letters!! Congratulations!! My question is where do I start to see if my loans would qualify to be forgiven? Is there any type of a guide in the group I can review?
submitted by GatorGirl10 to StudentLoans [link] [comments]
2024.05.16 21:10 SparkyNest [H] Recent Bundles +150 Steam Games [W] Want List or Paypal (from 0.80$ each)
REP
Steam profile
IGSRep +118 trades confirmed
SGS Flair +237 trades confirmed
GameTradeREP +24 trades confirmed
Payment through Paypal (USD) using Good & Services option. Not accepting other type of payment (bitcoin, Venmo, etc). If you want to pay using F&F option fees are on your own (I'm from EU).
Press Ctrl + F to search games in the list
Want List
SPECIAL PACK This 15 games for 1$
5$ * Earth Defense Force 4.1 The Shadow of New Despair + a ton of DLC * DLC list here
10$
Game deslisted from Steam
0.80$ each one
OFFER Buy 5 games of the this list for 3$
OFFER Buy 10 games of the this list for 4$
1.75$
OFFER Buy 3 games of this second list for 4$
submitted by SparkyNest to SteamGameSwap [link] [comments]
Steam profile
IGSRep +118 trades confirmed
SGS Flair +237 trades confirmed
GameTradeREP +24 trades confirmed
Payment through Paypal (USD) using Good & Services option. Not accepting other type of payment (bitcoin, Venmo, etc). If you want to pay using F&F option fees are on your own (I'm from EU).
Press Ctrl + F to search games in the list
- Huntdown
- We Were Here Forever
- THE DARK PICTURES ANTHOLOGY: LITTLE HOPE
SPECIAL PACK This 15 games for 1$
- Western Press Mk Cans II Character DLC
- Western Press
- Kholat
- 140
- MirrorMoon EP
- Contraption Maker
- Air Guardians
- Gentlemen!
- Gravity Badgers
- Ignite
- Tank Operations - European Campaign
- McGuffin Curse
- Age of Steel: Recharge
- Combat Wings: Battle of Britain
- Battlesloths 2025: The Great Pizza Wars
10$
Game deslisted from Steam
0.80$ each one
OFFER Buy 5 games of the this list for 3$
OFFER Buy 10 games of the this list for 4$
- 140
- 3079 – Block Action RPG FPS
- A Juggler's Tale
- Age of Steel: Recharge
- Air Guardians
- Akane the Kunoichi
- Axis Game Factory
- Battlesloths 2025: The Great Pizza Wars
- Blob From Space
- Clickr
- Combat Wings: Battle of Britain
- Conan Chop Chop
- Contraption Maker
- Dark Raid
- Dark Shadows - Army of Evil
- Death Track: Resurrection
- Demolition Master 3D
- Depths of Fear: Knossos
- Divekick
- Doc Clock: Toasted Sandwich of Time
- Dock Clock
- Dungeons: The Eye of Draconus
- dUpLicity ~Beyond the Lies~
- Dynamite Jack
- Endorlight
- Evan's Remains
- Faces of War
- Fun with Ragdolls: The Game
- Fun with Ragdolls
- Fury Unleashed
- Game Corp DX
- Gentlemen
- Girls Like Robots
- Gravity Badgers
- Haegemonia: Legions of Iron
- Haegemonia: The Solon Heritage
- Heileen 1: Sail Away
- Humanity Asset
- Ignite
- Into the Void
- Kholat
- Kingdom Elemental
- Love Letter
- MacGuffin's Curse
- Mayhem Intergalactic
- Memories of a Vagabond
- Metrocide
- Millennium: A New Hope
- MirrorMoon EP
- N.P.P.D. RUSH - The milk of Ultraviolet
- Nether: Resurrected
- Nightsky
- Ocean City Racing
- Out of Reach
- Particulars
- Party of Sin
- POSTAL 2
- Praetorians
- Random Access Murder
- Recovery Search & Rescue Simulation
- Reflex
- Relicta
- Retimed
- Rover Mechanic Simulator
- SanctuaryRPG: Black Edition
- Shadows: Price for Our Sins Bonus Edition
- Shark Attack Deathmatch 2
- Shelter 2
- Shoppe Keep
- shutshimi
- Sid Meier’s Ace Patrol: Pacific Skies
- Size Matters
- SOL Exodus
- Space Trader: Merchant Marine
- Spirits
- Splendor
- STANDBY
- STCC II DLC for Race07
- Steam Bandits Outpost Explorer Equipment
- Still There
- Stonerid
- Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones
- Super 3-D Noah's Ark
- Super Killer Hornet: Resurrection
- Sweezy Gunner
- Symphony
- Tank Operations - European Campaign
- The Great Jitters: Pudding Panic
- The Uncertain: Last Quiet Day
- The Wild Eight
- THOTH
- ThreadSpace: Hyperbol
- TIMEframe
- Total Pro Golf 3
- Uriels Chasm
- Valfaris
- Werewolf: The Apocalypse — Heart of the Forest
- Western Press + Mk Cans II Character DLC
- Zombie Tycoon 2: Brainhov's Revenge
- Destroyer: The U-Boat Hunter
- Cities: Skylines DLC - K-pop Station
- Cities: Skylines DLC - Airports
- Cities: Skylines DLC- JADIA Radio
- Cities: Skylines DLC - African Vibes
- Encased: A Sci-Fi Post-Apocalyptic RPG
1.75$
OFFER Buy 3 games of this second list for 4$
- The Red Lantern
- OTXO
- Rebel Inc: Escalation
- Kraken Academy
- Black Skylands
- Small World + Spider Web + Cursed + Royal Bonus
- Terraformers EU
- Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3
- King Of The Castle
- Amanda the Adventurer
- Loddlenaut
- Steelrising
2024.05.16 21:10 SparkyNest [H] Recent Bundles +150 Steam Games [W] Want List or Paypal (from 0.80$ each)
REP
Steam profile
IGSRep +118 trades confirmed
SGS Flair +237 trades confirmed
GameTradeREP +24 trades confirmed
Payment through Paypal (USD) using Good & Services option. Not accepting other type of payment (bitcoin, Venmo, etc). If you want to pay using F&F option fees are on your own (I'm from EU).
Press Ctrl + F to search games in the list
Want List
SPECIAL PACK This 15 games for 1$
5$ * Earth Defense Force 4.1 The Shadow of New Despair + a ton of DLC * DLC list here
10$
Game deslisted from Steam
0.80$ each one
OFFER Buy 5 games of the this list for 3$
OFFER Buy 10 games of the this list for 4$
1.75$
OFFER Buy 3 games of this second list for 4$
submitted by SparkyNest to indiegameswap [link] [comments]
Steam profile
IGSRep +118 trades confirmed
SGS Flair +237 trades confirmed
GameTradeREP +24 trades confirmed
Payment through Paypal (USD) using Good & Services option. Not accepting other type of payment (bitcoin, Venmo, etc). If you want to pay using F&F option fees are on your own (I'm from EU).
Press Ctrl + F to search games in the list
- Huntdown
- We Were Here Forever
- THE DARK PICTURES ANTHOLOGY: LITTLE HOPE
SPECIAL PACK This 15 games for 1$
- Western Press Mk Cans II Character DLC
- Western Press
- Kholat
- 140
- MirrorMoon EP
- Contraption Maker
- Air Guardians
- Gentlemen!
- Gravity Badgers
- Ignite
- Tank Operations - European Campaign
- McGuffin Curse
- Age of Steel: Recharge
- Combat Wings: Battle of Britain
- Battlesloths 2025: The Great Pizza Wars
10$
Game deslisted from Steam
0.80$ each one
OFFER Buy 5 games of the this list for 3$
OFFER Buy 10 games of the this list for 4$
- 140
- 3079 – Block Action RPG FPS
- A Juggler's Tale
- Age of Steel: Recharge
- Air Guardians
- Akane the Kunoichi
- Axis Game Factory
- Battlesloths 2025: The Great Pizza Wars
- Blob From Space
- Clickr
- Combat Wings: Battle of Britain
- Conan Chop Chop
- Contraption Maker
- Dark Raid
- Dark Shadows - Army of Evil
- Death Track: Resurrection
- Demolition Master 3D
- Depths of Fear: Knossos
- Divekick
- Doc Clock: Toasted Sandwich of Time
- Dock Clock
- Dungeons: The Eye of Draconus
- dUpLicity ~Beyond the Lies~
- Dynamite Jack
- Endorlight
- Evan's Remains
- Faces of War
- Fun with Ragdolls: The Game
- Fun with Ragdolls
- Fury Unleashed
- Game Corp DX
- Gentlemen
- Girls Like Robots
- Gravity Badgers
- Haegemonia: Legions of Iron
- Haegemonia: The Solon Heritage
- Heileen 1: Sail Away
- Humanity Asset
- Ignite
- Into the Void
- Kholat
- Kingdom Elemental
- Love Letter
- MacGuffin's Curse
- Mayhem Intergalactic
- Memories of a Vagabond
- Metrocide
- Millennium: A New Hope
- MirrorMoon EP
- N.P.P.D. RUSH - The milk of Ultraviolet
- Nether: Resurrected
- Nightsky
- Ocean City Racing
- Out of Reach
- Particulars
- Party of Sin
- POSTAL 2
- Praetorians
- Random Access Murder
- Recovery Search & Rescue Simulation
- Reflex
- Relicta
- Retimed
- Rover Mechanic Simulator
- SanctuaryRPG: Black Edition
- Shadows: Price for Our Sins Bonus Edition
- Shark Attack Deathmatch 2
- Shelter 2
- Shoppe Keep
- shutshimi
- Sid Meier’s Ace Patrol: Pacific Skies
- Size Matters
- SOL Exodus
- Space Trader: Merchant Marine
- Spirits
- Splendor
- STANDBY
- STCC II DLC for Race07
- Steam Bandits Outpost Explorer Equipment
- Still There
- Stonerid
- Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones
- Super 3-D Noah's Ark
- Super Killer Hornet: Resurrection
- Sweezy Gunner
- Symphony
- Tank Operations - European Campaign
- The Great Jitters: Pudding Panic
- The Uncertain: Last Quiet Day
- The Wild Eight
- THOTH
- ThreadSpace: Hyperbol
- TIMEframe
- Total Pro Golf 3
- Uriels Chasm
- Valfaris
- Werewolf: The Apocalypse — Heart of the Forest
- Western Press + Mk Cans II Character DLC
- Zombie Tycoon 2: Brainhov's Revenge
- Destroyer: The U-Boat Hunter
- Cities: Skylines DLC - K-pop Station
- Cities: Skylines DLC - Airports
- Cities: Skylines DLC- JADIA Radio
- Cities: Skylines DLC - African Vibes
- Encased: A Sci-Fi Post-Apocalyptic RPG
1.75$
OFFER Buy 3 games of this second list for 4$
- The Red Lantern
- OTXO
- Rebel Inc: Escalation
- Kraken Academy
- Black Skylands
- Small World + Spider Web + Cursed + Royal Bonus
- Terraformers EU
- Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3
- King Of The Castle
- Amanda the Adventurer
- Loddlenaut
- Steelrising
2024.05.16 19:59 AnxietyUpbeat7957 My advice: Do not apply to this university
I just wante to alert anyone AGAINST trying to get a CPT internship job in the USA while at Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT).
I've been trying to get my authorization for an Amazon SDE Internship for Summer and they have been putting a lot of obstacles to it.
For CPT, you need your job offer letter from the employer and then you submit that to a Handshake application (yes, that website to find jobs, even when you got your job elsewhere) and you have to wait for the Office of Experiential Learning to check the info and send an email to my employer to aprove it. It has been 2 weeks and tons of emails for them to send a link. A direct link to the aproval form.
Then you have to sign up for the internship course (0 credits if you are for a non-credit internship) and after that you submit the CPT form signed by your employer.
Well, now the Office of Global Services says the signature format in my CPT form is incorrect, even when Amazon does the same signature for thousands of interns.
And when you contact them via email, they send a response telling you not to email them or your case gets pushed back in the queue. Their phones are disconnected and the times I went in person they have a paper in the door that says "Not working for the rest of the week".
Right now, I am looking to change university because they just ruined my Amazon internship and now I have to keep paying my student loan.
I know, welcome to America and Illinois Institute of Technology.
submitted by AnxietyUpbeat7957 to IIT [link] [comments]
I've been trying to get my authorization for an Amazon SDE Internship for Summer and they have been putting a lot of obstacles to it.
For CPT, you need your job offer letter from the employer and then you submit that to a Handshake application (yes, that website to find jobs, even when you got your job elsewhere) and you have to wait for the Office of Experiential Learning to check the info and send an email to my employer to aprove it. It has been 2 weeks and tons of emails for them to send a link. A direct link to the aproval form.
Then you have to sign up for the internship course (0 credits if you are for a non-credit internship) and after that you submit the CPT form signed by your employer.
Well, now the Office of Global Services says the signature format in my CPT form is incorrect, even when Amazon does the same signature for thousands of interns.
And when you contact them via email, they send a response telling you not to email them or your case gets pushed back in the queue. Their phones are disconnected and the times I went in person they have a paper in the door that says "Not working for the rest of the week".
Right now, I am looking to change university because they just ruined my Amazon internship and now I have to keep paying my student loan.
I know, welcome to America and Illinois Institute of Technology.
2024.05.16 19:49 emkid09 Art Institute Refund / Nelnet / Paid-in-Full by Consolidation.
Hi. Just got off the phone with Nelnet. Verified my address, told me they aren't sure the amount but then i re-read the letter and at the bottom it says: consolidation will be forwarded to your new servicer rather than refunded to you.
When I checked my Studentgov account on my AI Loan, the detail says canceled -2,000. The other AI loan detail says canceled -1,167. Both say Paid-in-Full by Consolidation.
I don't believe I'll receive a re-fund, but again, it's only the beginning of this situation, nobody doesn't know a real answer just yet. HOWEVER, I'm just assuming I won't get a refund because it was Paid-in-Full by Consolidation.
Just double check your Art institute loans on Studentgov.
submitted by emkid09 to StudentLoans [link] [comments]
When I checked my Studentgov account on my AI Loan, the detail says canceled -2,000. The other AI loan detail says canceled -1,167. Both say Paid-in-Full by Consolidation.
I don't believe I'll receive a re-fund, but again, it's only the beginning of this situation, nobody doesn't know a real answer just yet. HOWEVER, I'm just assuming I won't get a refund because it was Paid-in-Full by Consolidation.
Just double check your Art institute loans on Studentgov.
2024.05.16 19:17 sleepythey So overwhelmed by name change process :(
I really just need to vent, I know it will all get done eventually but I'm so overwhelmed right now! I added a content warning just in case, since one of the things I'm venting about is how frustrating it is to have to say my deadname over and over and get misgendered on the phone even after explaining why I need to change my name. This is super long, I don't really expect anyone to read it but just needed to get it out.
My partner and I are both trans and we changed our names at the same time (last names too, since we have been married for over a year and wanted to have the same last name). We got through the legal process. Yay! Our state makes it pretty easy and I was so excited to have it done, finally! But now...
We got our names updated on our Social Security cards a few weeks after changing our names, it took a while because the name change hearings were over the phone and we were told the court would mail the certified name change orders but they just never came so we had to go in person to get copies. They are appointment only now but we also finally got appointments and went to the DMV to update our driver's licenses. Still waiting to get the real licenses in the mail, which is annoying since so many places want to see your new ID and we just have the paper ones right now, still, after about 2 weeks (I know, I know, it takes a while but I'm impatient). We could probably bring those in to banks along with the court order, but we also only have one day off together though to do everything we need to do for normal life along with name change stuff. And some things like PayPal make you upload pictures of front and back of ID. Which won't work with these stupid paper ones since they are literally just on regular printer paper.
I've been working on updating my own stuff (and some of my partner's) as much as I can on my other day off when they are at work, but it's just. So much. I feel like I'm getting a lot done and then I look at the list of what we have left to do and get so discouraged. My partner has tried to help a couple times but they get stressed out immediately and can't figure out what to do so I told them I would take care of it since, ya know, we are married and I love them.
I am very confused by the paperwork from the credit union where I have a car loan to update my name on the title, but at least they had an online portal to update the account name. I'm going to try to go in and ask for help with the papers for the title. And the DMV said I should update the title before I update the registration. It feels even more complicated because my dad is also on the title and registration, as he cosigned on the loan for me, but not only does he live in another state already but he is also moving next week to a different state. And he isn't very happy about me changing my name, but idk at least he's sort of trying (at least just so I won't stop talking to him and my mom). I'm really hoping this won't cause any other issues with the title update.
My other two banks (checking account for regular use and checking account I use for bills) gave a number to call but the customer support people (after asking "oh did you get married? congratulations ms. xyz" like yes but you're still incorrect stop it) said to go in person to show the new ID and name change documents. And the two credit cards my partner and I have (one in my name and they are an authorized user, the other vice versa) are stressing me out. One of them (Capital One) made me fax them information (who even faxes anymore???), no clue if they got it or not, or when that will be updated. The other, Synchrony Car Care, I need to call and figure out but I've been putting it off because I'm so so sick of being misgendered and deadnamed immediately as soon as they look up my account. Why can't they just have online portals to upload this stuff??
We have appointments for updating our birth certificates (another one where you either have to mail it in and just hope they get it or else go in person) but they just changed both our appointments to a different day when we have to work without asking if the new time would work. So I will have to cancel and reschedule those and they are so hard to get, and apparently they're still working on applications from February. I also want us to get passports, because we are going on a vacation in October that is easy driving distance to Canada and my partner has never been out of the U.S. and I haven't in a long time. So I thought that would be cool. But a) they are so expensive! even for the cards and b) we will need birth certificates for that. So I figured we can just apply for the passports with our uncorrected birth certificates and the name change orders, but I have no clue where my birth certificate is since we moved. So I will have to go get a copy of that before applying to correct it, apply for the passport, then try to correct the birth certificate.
Oh, and I found out once all the banks and credit cards are finally updated I will need to contact all three credit bureaus to make sure my record is updated correctly or I could lose all my credit history.
I'm sure I'm forgetting stuff too, I've done a lot but it just seems like it is never ending and all the major stuff is a pain to change. And so much of it has fees. Fees for new Driver Licenses, fees for correcting the birth certificates, fees for the car title thing (they want a check for $7.50, I don't even have a checkbook), lots and lots of fees for passports.
I need to do other things too, I'm supposed to call to schedule an appointment to talk about potentially getting ADHD meds (yeah gotta say that untreated ADHD is not helping this situation) and call the same place to schedule a different appointment to see a therapist about top surgery (since Kaiser Permanente requires a letter) and I haven't done either thing. I need to work on this apprenticeship thing I'm doing through work, because once it's done I'll get a kitchen manager certification which will be cool and it has been completely free, but I haven't worked on it in weeks. I want to play Zelda BOTW but haven't done that in weeks. I need to start cooking at home more because my partner and I are spending way too much on food but that means planning out meals and going grocery shopping or we end up leaving the store with just snacks. Every spare moment is spent on the name change stuff and/or having minor breakdowns about it and/or taking a nap to avoid dealing with it.
I know it'll be okay in a few more months, I know it will feel so good once everything is finally updated. But right now? I feel like I'm drowning in name change forms.
submitted by sleepythey to lgbt [link] [comments]
My partner and I are both trans and we changed our names at the same time (last names too, since we have been married for over a year and wanted to have the same last name). We got through the legal process. Yay! Our state makes it pretty easy and I was so excited to have it done, finally! But now...
We got our names updated on our Social Security cards a few weeks after changing our names, it took a while because the name change hearings were over the phone and we were told the court would mail the certified name change orders but they just never came so we had to go in person to get copies. They are appointment only now but we also finally got appointments and went to the DMV to update our driver's licenses. Still waiting to get the real licenses in the mail, which is annoying since so many places want to see your new ID and we just have the paper ones right now, still, after about 2 weeks (I know, I know, it takes a while but I'm impatient). We could probably bring those in to banks along with the court order, but we also only have one day off together though to do everything we need to do for normal life along with name change stuff. And some things like PayPal make you upload pictures of front and back of ID. Which won't work with these stupid paper ones since they are literally just on regular printer paper.
I've been working on updating my own stuff (and some of my partner's) as much as I can on my other day off when they are at work, but it's just. So much. I feel like I'm getting a lot done and then I look at the list of what we have left to do and get so discouraged. My partner has tried to help a couple times but they get stressed out immediately and can't figure out what to do so I told them I would take care of it since, ya know, we are married and I love them.
I am very confused by the paperwork from the credit union where I have a car loan to update my name on the title, but at least they had an online portal to update the account name. I'm going to try to go in and ask for help with the papers for the title. And the DMV said I should update the title before I update the registration. It feels even more complicated because my dad is also on the title and registration, as he cosigned on the loan for me, but not only does he live in another state already but he is also moving next week to a different state. And he isn't very happy about me changing my name, but idk at least he's sort of trying (at least just so I won't stop talking to him and my mom). I'm really hoping this won't cause any other issues with the title update.
My other two banks (checking account for regular use and checking account I use for bills) gave a number to call but the customer support people (after asking "oh did you get married? congratulations ms. xyz" like yes but you're still incorrect stop it) said to go in person to show the new ID and name change documents. And the two credit cards my partner and I have (one in my name and they are an authorized user, the other vice versa) are stressing me out. One of them (Capital One) made me fax them information (who even faxes anymore???), no clue if they got it or not, or when that will be updated. The other, Synchrony Car Care, I need to call and figure out but I've been putting it off because I'm so so sick of being misgendered and deadnamed immediately as soon as they look up my account. Why can't they just have online portals to upload this stuff??
We have appointments for updating our birth certificates (another one where you either have to mail it in and just hope they get it or else go in person) but they just changed both our appointments to a different day when we have to work without asking if the new time would work. So I will have to cancel and reschedule those and they are so hard to get, and apparently they're still working on applications from February. I also want us to get passports, because we are going on a vacation in October that is easy driving distance to Canada and my partner has never been out of the U.S. and I haven't in a long time. So I thought that would be cool. But a) they are so expensive! even for the cards and b) we will need birth certificates for that. So I figured we can just apply for the passports with our uncorrected birth certificates and the name change orders, but I have no clue where my birth certificate is since we moved. So I will have to go get a copy of that before applying to correct it, apply for the passport, then try to correct the birth certificate.
Oh, and I found out once all the banks and credit cards are finally updated I will need to contact all three credit bureaus to make sure my record is updated correctly or I could lose all my credit history.
I'm sure I'm forgetting stuff too, I've done a lot but it just seems like it is never ending and all the major stuff is a pain to change. And so much of it has fees. Fees for new Driver Licenses, fees for correcting the birth certificates, fees for the car title thing (they want a check for $7.50, I don't even have a checkbook), lots and lots of fees for passports.
I need to do other things too, I'm supposed to call to schedule an appointment to talk about potentially getting ADHD meds (yeah gotta say that untreated ADHD is not helping this situation) and call the same place to schedule a different appointment to see a therapist about top surgery (since Kaiser Permanente requires a letter) and I haven't done either thing. I need to work on this apprenticeship thing I'm doing through work, because once it's done I'll get a kitchen manager certification which will be cool and it has been completely free, but I haven't worked on it in weeks. I want to play Zelda BOTW but haven't done that in weeks. I need to start cooking at home more because my partner and I are spending way too much on food but that means planning out meals and going grocery shopping or we end up leaving the store with just snacks. Every spare moment is spent on the name change stuff and/or having minor breakdowns about it and/or taking a nap to avoid dealing with it.
I know it'll be okay in a few more months, I know it will feel so good once everything is finally updated. But right now? I feel like I'm drowning in name change forms.
2024.05.16 19:15 SurpriseGlobal9163 Not sure if I should look into bankruptcy or keep paying off my credit card slowly?
If someone who has considered bankruptcy or gone through it can offer any input that would be greatly appreciated!
I’ve been keeping track of my expenses but after 1.5 years my credit card keeps going up. This is mainly due to interest and unexpected expenses. I’m 25 and have 20K in credit card debt and 20k in student loan debt. I do not have anything in savings, 1K in investments from few years ago and roth from work. I have been looking through people’s experiences and reading over threads and feel like bankruptcy might be for me but I have been scared to even think about it. The only assets I really have are a car and what I listed above.
I have tried to reduce my use of credit cards and pay more than the minimum every month but barely making a dent. I tried looking at getting a different credit card with 0% APR but hard when my credit is bad from my cc debt. I understand it’s my fault for not budgeting, i mainly used to help my family out. I keep getting letters for loan consolidation but it seems to good to be true…if someone has done this I would love to hear personal experience!
My job also does not allow for me to have a second job which I know can help so I feel stuck (auditor). I make around $4k after taxes, and use 2.6k for living expenses (already reduced my living expenses, this is the lowest I could do and includes $200 i use to try to stretch through the month on grocceries) and the remaining 1.4k goes to my credit cards which $1,200 (includes minimum pmt and interest) so only $200 actually goes to paying it down.
I’m just not sure what to do and exhausted of stressing and being sleepless trying to figure out what to do. Any advice would be helpful.
I also understand this is my fault, I am much better with money but I just feel stuck in this cycle.
submitted by SurpriseGlobal9163 to povertyfinance [link] [comments]
I’ve been keeping track of my expenses but after 1.5 years my credit card keeps going up. This is mainly due to interest and unexpected expenses. I’m 25 and have 20K in credit card debt and 20k in student loan debt. I do not have anything in savings, 1K in investments from few years ago and roth from work. I have been looking through people’s experiences and reading over threads and feel like bankruptcy might be for me but I have been scared to even think about it. The only assets I really have are a car and what I listed above.
I have tried to reduce my use of credit cards and pay more than the minimum every month but barely making a dent. I tried looking at getting a different credit card with 0% APR but hard when my credit is bad from my cc debt. I understand it’s my fault for not budgeting, i mainly used to help my family out. I keep getting letters for loan consolidation but it seems to good to be true…if someone has done this I would love to hear personal experience!
My job also does not allow for me to have a second job which I know can help so I feel stuck (auditor). I make around $4k after taxes, and use 2.6k for living expenses (already reduced my living expenses, this is the lowest I could do and includes $200 i use to try to stretch through the month on grocceries) and the remaining 1.4k goes to my credit cards which $1,200 (includes minimum pmt and interest) so only $200 actually goes to paying it down.
I’m just not sure what to do and exhausted of stressing and being sleepless trying to figure out what to do. Any advice would be helpful.
I also understand this is my fault, I am much better with money but I just feel stuck in this cycle.
2024.05.16 19:10 Professional_Disk131 Element79 Gold Corp Completes Maverick Springs Option Deal (CSE:ELEM, OTC:ELMGF)
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https://preview.redd.it/lbfmqh23mt0d1.png?width=461&format=png&auto=webp&s=d323973719f815db48c89180bbbe76f7bbeff071 Element79 Gold Corp. (CSE: ELEM) (OTC: ELMGF) (FSE: 7YS) has successfully concluded the Binding Option Agreement with Sun Silver Limited, resulting in the transfer of ownership of the Maverick Springs Project to Sun Silver. This achievement marks a significant step in Element79 Gold Corp.’s ongoing strategy to enhance shareholder value through judicious asset management and partnerships. https://preview.redd.it/og4oh4y3mt0d1.jpg?width=982&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c26091616a3b0e84951c5edfd686e8ec6414cca4 About Element79 Element79 Gold (CSE: ELEM) (OTC: ELMGF) (FSE: 7YS), a mining entity focused on gold and silver, is strategically positioning itself for significant operational advancements. The company is on track to recommence production at its Lucero project in Arequipa, Peru, targeting a restart by 2024. Lucero, known for its high-grade deposits, stands as a cornerstone in Element79 Gold’s portfolio. In addition to its developments in Peru, Element79 Gold holds an impressive suite of assets along the Battle Mountain trend in Nevada. This includes the promising Clover and West Whistler projects, which show potential for rapid resource development. Notably, three properties within this portfolio are poised for sale to Valdo Minerals Ltd., with the transaction expected to be finalized in the first half of 2024. Expanding its geographical footprint, Element79 Gold is also making strides in British Columbia. The company has initiated a drilling program and signed a Letter of Intent to acquire a private company holding an option for 100% interest in the Snowbird High-Grade Gold Project. This project comprises 10 mineral claims located strategically near Fort St. James, reinforcing the company’s asset base in central British Columbia. Further enhancing its asset management strategy, Element79 Gold has moved its Dale Property, located approximately 100 km southwest of Timmins, Ontario, into a spin-out process through its wholly owned subsidiary, Synergy Metals Corp. This strategic realignment is aimed at maximizing shareholder value through efficient asset utilization and focused corporate structuring. https://preview.redd.it/hov00vm4mt0d1.jpg?width=982&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6c131a5a0e9da843ef9a9ba13b1ed9e13ee8bad7 Highlights of Element79 Gold’s Strategic Developments Since its acquisition in 2021, Element79 Gold has diligently advanced the Maverick Springs project, culminating in an updated 43-101 compliant inferred resource estimation of 3.71 million ounces of gold equivalent (AuEq). In pursuit of strategic partnerships to further develop Maverick Springs, Element79 Gold’s management successfully negotiated and entered into a Binding Option Agreement with Sun Silver in August 2023. This pivotal move aligns with the company’s strategic focus on the high-grade Lucero Project in Peru, which boasts near-term production potential. The transaction with Sun Silver not only shifts the company’s focus but also realizes significant value for Maverick Springs. Originally acquired and carried at CAD $3.337 million, the project was sold for CAD $5.033 million, reflecting an impressive return on investment of 51% within 28 months. The sale generated substantial financial gains for Element79 Gold, amounting to CAD $4,400,000 in cash and 3,500,000 ordinary shares in Sun Silver, valued at AUD $0.20 per share (fair market value of AUD $700,000). These shares are anticipated to be listed on the Australian Stock Exchange around May 15, 2024. A portion of the proceeds, CAD $2,200,000, will be allocated to settle the loan tied to the Waterton Contingent Value Rights Agreement. The remaining funds will be strategically used to further the development of other corporate projects and operations, reducing both capital debt and accounts payable. This strategic financial management underscores Element79 Gold’s commitment to optimizing its asset portfolio and enhancing shareholder value in the competitive mining sector. Key Financial Highlights
James Tworek, CEO of Element 79 Gold Corp https://preview.redd.it/pgx7rjg5mt0d1.jpg?width=982&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d4b2c211f4ee3bffd91366dff364048891e33471 Collaboration with Artisanal Miners at Element79 Gold Element79 Gold (CSE: ELEM) (OTC: ELMGF) (FSE: 7YS) has actively engaged with local artisanal miners in Lomas Doradas to promote sustainable mining practices and community collaboration. In April, the company’s community relations team organized a significant meeting aimed at enhancing mutual support and establishing a formal collaboration for mineral extraction and ore sale processes. During this meeting, Element79 Gold presented draft contracts proposing 10-year surface access rights for exploration at the Lucero mine site, alongside similar access for local miners in designated areas. These agreements were intended to unify efforts and optimize ore market pricing, with the goal of creating mutual economic benefits. A critical follow-up meeting was held in Chachas on April 28th, where the community voted on these initiatives. This gathering aimed to solidify the partnership between Element79 Gold and the artisanal miners, moving towards formalizing their cooperative relationship and ensuring continued updates on the initiative’s progress. Conclusion Element79 Gold (CSE: ELEM) (OTC: ELMGF) (FSE: 7YS) is exemplifying strategic acumen and operational dexterity across its diverse portfolio. By actively managing its assets from the Lucero project in Peru to strategic ventures across Nevada and British Columbia, the company is effectively balancing exploration potential with financial stability. The successful negotiation and sale of the Maverick Springs project, alongside collaborative engagements like those with the artisanal miners of Lomas Doradas, highlight Element79 Gold’s commitment to ethical practices and community involvement. |
2024.05.16 19:07 Professional_Disk131 Element79 Gold Corp Completes Maverick Springs Option Deal (CSE:ELEM, OTC:ELMGF)
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https://preview.redd.it/rprrdytslt0d1.png?width=461&format=png&auto=webp&s=ceb8a70577e26a8e32d97c3512647d8c625a4ed9 Element79 Gold Corp. (CSE: ELEM) (OTC: ELMGF) (FSE: 7YS) has successfully concluded the Binding Option Agreement with Sun Silver Limited, resulting in the transfer of ownership of the Maverick Springs Project to Sun Silver. This achievement marks a significant step in Element79 Gold Corp.’s ongoing strategy to enhance shareholder value through judicious asset management and partnerships. https://preview.redd.it/wu3i2hytlt0d1.jpg?width=982&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8fc06eb43b22b9613f26d769f859af47f6c03c64 About Element79 Element79 Gold (CSE: ELEM) (OTC: ELMGF) (FSE: 7YS), a mining entity focused on gold and silver, is strategically positioning itself for significant operational advancements. The company is on track to recommence production at its Lucero project in Arequipa, Peru, targeting a restart by 2024. Lucero, known for its high-grade deposits, stands as a cornerstone in Element79 Gold’s portfolio. In addition to its developments in Peru, Element79 Gold holds an impressive suite of assets along the Battle Mountain trend in Nevada. This includes the promising Clover and West Whistler projects, which show potential for rapid resource development. Notably, three properties within this portfolio are poised for sale to Valdo Minerals Ltd., with the transaction expected to be finalized in the first half of 2024. Expanding its geographical footprint, Element79 Gold is also making strides in British Columbia. The company has initiated a drilling program and signed a Letter of Intent to acquire a private company holding an option for 100% interest in the Snowbird High-Grade Gold Project. This project comprises 10 mineral claims located strategically near Fort St. James, reinforcing the company’s asset base in central British Columbia. Further enhancing its asset management strategy, Element79 Gold has moved its Dale Property, located approximately 100 km southwest of Timmins, Ontario, into a spin-out process through its wholly owned subsidiary, Synergy Metals Corp. This strategic realignment is aimed at maximizing shareholder value through efficient asset utilization and focused corporate structuring. https://preview.redd.it/26tim6wult0d1.jpg?width=982&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1d482984f7da22777d5623234c9b3ca659815df5 Highlights of Element79 Gold’s Strategic Developments Since its acquisition in 2021, Element79 Gold has diligently advanced the Maverick Springs project, culminating in an updated 43-101 compliant inferred resource estimation of 3.71 million ounces of gold equivalent (AuEq). In pursuit of strategic partnerships to further develop Maverick Springs, Element79 Gold’s management successfully negotiated and entered into a Binding Option Agreement with Sun Silver in August 2023. This pivotal move aligns with the company’s strategic focus on the high-grade Lucero Project in Peru, which boasts near-term production potential. The transaction with Sun Silver not only shifts the company’s focus but also realizes significant value for Maverick Springs. Originally acquired and carried at CAD $3.337 million, the project was sold for CAD $5.033 million, reflecting an impressive return on investment of 51% within 28 months. The sale generated substantial financial gains for Element79 Gold, amounting to CAD $4,400,000 in cash and 3,500,000 ordinary shares in Sun Silver, valued at AUD $0.20 per share (fair market value of AUD $700,000). These shares are anticipated to be listed on the Australian Stock Exchange around May 15, 2024. A portion of the proceeds, CAD $2,200,000, will be allocated to settle the loan tied to the Waterton Contingent Value Rights Agreement. The remaining funds will be strategically used to further the development of other corporate projects and operations, reducing both capital debt and accounts payable. This strategic financial management underscores Element79 Gold’s commitment to optimizing its asset portfolio and enhancing shareholder value in the competitive mining sector. Key Financial Highlights
James Tworek, CEO of Element 79 Gold Corp https://preview.redd.it/cng906pwlt0d1.jpg?width=982&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c7be47a701ab68ea20ee745edd508cfc37a6d773 Collaboration with Artisanal Miners at Element79 Gold Element79 Gold (CSE: ELEM) (OTC: ELMGF) (FSE: 7YS) has actively engaged with local artisanal miners in Lomas Doradas to promote sustainable mining practices and community collaboration. In April, the company’s community relations team organized a significant meeting aimed at enhancing mutual support and establishing a formal collaboration for mineral extraction and ore sale processes. During this meeting, Element79 Gold presented draft contracts proposing 10-year surface access rights for exploration at the Lucero mine site, alongside similar access for local miners in designated areas. These agreements were intended to unify efforts and optimize ore market pricing, with the goal of creating mutual economic benefits. A critical follow-up meeting was held in Chachas on April 28th, where the community voted on these initiatives. This gathering aimed to solidify the partnership between Element79 Gold and the artisanal miners, moving towards formalizing their cooperative relationship and ensuring continued updates on the initiative’s progress. Conclusion Element79 Gold (CSE: ELEM) (OTC: ELMGF) (FSE: 7YS) is exemplifying strategic acumen and operational dexterity across its diverse portfolio. By actively managing its assets from the Lucero project in Peru to strategic ventures across Nevada and British Columbia, the company is effectively balancing exploration potential with financial stability. The successful negotiation and sale of the Maverick Springs project, alongside collaborative engagements like those with the artisanal miners of Lomas Doradas, highlight Element79 Gold’s commitment to ethical practices and community involvement. |
2024.05.16 19:05 Professional_Disk131 Element79 Gold Corp Completes Maverick Springs Option Deal (CSE:ELEM, OTC:ELMGF)
Element79 Gold successfully manages a diverse portfolio, optimizing financial returns and advancing key projects such as the high-grade Lucero project in Peru. The company demonstrates a strong commitment to sustainable mining and community collaboration, notably through partnerships with local artisanal miners to enhance mutual economic benefits. Through strategic sales and partnerships, such as the Maverick Springs transaction, Element79 Gold enhances its financial stability and provides non-dilutive capital to fuel further exploration and development. Element79 Gold Corp. (CSE: ELEM) (OTC: ELMGF) (FSE: 7YS) has successfully concluded the Binding Option Agreement with Sun Silver Limited, resulting in the transfer of ownership of the Maverick Springs Project to Sun Silver. This achievement marks a significant step in Element79 Gold Corp.’s ongoing strategy to enhance shareholder value through judicious asset management and partnerships. About Element79 Element79 Gold (CSE: ELEM) (OTC: ELMGF) (FSE: 7YS), a mining entity focused on gold and silver, is strategically positioning itself for significant operational advancements. The company is on track to recommence production at its Lucero project in Arequipa, Peru, targeting a restart by 2024. Lucero, known for its high-grade deposits, stands as a cornerstone in Element79 Gold’s portfolio. In addition to its developments in Peru, Element79 Gold holds an impressive suite of assets along the Battle Mountain trend in Nevada. This includes the promising Clover and West Whistler projects, which show potential for rapid resource development. Notably, three properties within this portfolio are poised for sale to Valdo Minerals Ltd., with the transaction expected to be finalized in the first half of 2024. Expanding its geographical footprint, Element79 Gold is also making strides in British Columbia. The company has initiated a drilling program and signed a Letter of Intent to acquire a private company holding an option for 100% interest in the Snowbird High-Grade Gold Project. This project comprises 10 mineral claims located strategically near Fort St. James, reinforcing the company’s asset base in central British Columbia. Further enhancing its asset management strategy, Element79 Gold has moved its Dale Property, located approximately 100 km southwest of Timmins, Ontario, into a spin-out process through its wholly owned subsidiary, Synergy Metals Corp. This strategic realignment is aimed at maximizing shareholder value through efficient asset utilization and focused corporate structuring. Highlights of Element79 Gold’s Strategic Developments Since its acquisition in 2021, Element79 Gold has diligently advanced the Maverick Springs project, culminating in an updated 43-101 compliant inferred resource estimation of 3.71 million ounces of gold equivalent (AuEq). In pursuit of strategic partnerships to further develop Maverick Springs, Element79 Gold’s management successfully negotiated and entered into a Binding Option Agreement with Sun Silver in August 2023. This pivotal move aligns with the company’s strategic focus on the high-grade Lucero Project in Peru, which boasts near-term production potential. The transaction with Sun Silver not only shifts the company’s focus but also realizes significant value for Maverick Springs. Originally acquired and carried at CAD $3.337 million, the project was sold for CAD $5.033 million, reflecting an impressive return on investment of 51% within 28 months. The sale generated substantial financial gains for Element79 Gold, amounting to CAD $4,400,000 in cash and 3,500,000 ordinary shares in Sun Silver, valued at AUD $0.20 per share (fair market value of AUD $700,000). These shares are anticipated to be listed on the Australian Stock Exchange around May 15, 2024. A portion of the proceeds, CAD $2,200,000, will be allocated to settle the loan tied to the Waterton Contingent Value Rights Agreement. The remaining funds will be strategically used to further the development of other corporate projects and operations, reducing both capital debt and accounts payable. This strategic financial management underscores Element79 Gold’s commitment to optimizing its asset portfolio and enhancing shareholder value in the competitive mining sector. Key Financial Highlights Updated Resource Estimation: 3.71 million ounces of gold equivalent (AuEq). Sale of Maverick Springs: Achieved a final sale value of CAD $5.033 million, marking a 51% ROI over 28 months from an acquisition and carrying cost of CAD $3.337 million. Proceeds from Sale: Totaling CAD $4,400,000 in cash and 3,500,000 shares in Sun Silver, priced at AUD $0.20 per share. Share Listing: Shares expected to be listed on the Australian Stock Exchange around May 15, 2024. Loan Repayment: CAD $2,200,000 of the proceeds will be used to settle the loan associated with the Waterton Contingent Value Rights Agreement. Funding Future Projects: Remaining funds will be used to advance other corporate projects and operations, while reducing capital debt and accounts payable. “The successful closing of the transaction highlights Element 79’s steadfast dedication to executing its strategic roadmap. This is a critical milestone in the Company’s history: it stands as proof of our team’s ability to generate value through project execution, and indicates a potential turning point in our ongoing mission to build a stronger and more focused company; it reinforces diligent financial management by to clearing up the balance sheet from past endeavours, and it provides non-dilutive capital to support operations and advance strategic exploration programs on our core properties to generate further value for our investors.“ James Tworek, CEO of Element 79 Gold Corp Collaboration with Artisanal Miners at Element79 Gold Element79 Gold (CSE: ELEM) (OTC: ELMGF) (FSE: 7YS) has actively engaged with local artisanal miners in Lomas Doradas to promote sustainable mining practices and community collaboration. In April, the company’s community relations team organized a significant meeting aimed at enhancing mutual support and establishing a formal collaboration for mineral extraction and ore sale processes. During this meeting, Element79 Gold presented draft contracts proposing 10-year surface access rights for exploration at the Lucero mine site, alongside similar access for local miners in designated areas. These agreements were intended to unify efforts and optimize ore market pricing, with the goal of creating mutual economic benefits. A critical follow-up meeting was held in Chachas on April 28th, where the community voted on these initiatives. This gathering aimed to solidify the partnership between Element79 Gold and the artisanal miners, moving towards formalizing their cooperative relationship and ensuring continued updates on the initiative’s progress. Conclusion Element79 Gold (CSE: ELEM) (OTC: ELMGF) (FSE: 7YS) is exemplifying strategic acumen and operational dexterity across its diverse portfolio. By actively managing its assets from the Lucero project in Peru to strategic ventures across Nevada and British Columbia, the company is effectively balancing exploration potential with financial stability. The successful negotiation and sale of the Maverick Springs project, alongside collaborative engagements like those with the artisanal miners of Lomas Doradas, highlight Element79 Gold’s commitment to ethical practices and community involvement.
submitted by Professional_Disk131 to Pennystock [link] [comments]
2024.05.16 19:05 Professional_Disk131 Element79 Gold Corp Completes Maverick Springs Option Deal (CSE:ELEM, OTC:ELMGF)
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https://preview.redd.it/9tvbpqvblt0d1.png?width=461&format=png&auto=webp&s=29941ec4fc8ea282e8f1b04b002612f6a96b2993 Element79 Gold Corp. (CSE: ELEM) (OTC: ELMGF) (FSE: 7YS) has successfully concluded the Binding Option Agreement with Sun Silver Limited, resulting in the transfer of ownership of the Maverick Springs Project to Sun Silver. This achievement marks a significant step in Element79 Gold Corp.’s ongoing strategy to enhance shareholder value through judicious asset management and partnerships. https://preview.redd.it/f14mjo8glt0d1.jpg?width=982&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e8dcb9cc3475a80f47559476e3fcd0398ec82e24 About Element79 Element79 Gold (CSE: ELEM) (OTC: ELMGF) (FSE: 7YS), a mining entity focused on gold and silver, is strategically positioning itself for significant operational advancements. The company is on track to recommence production at its Lucero project in Arequipa, Peru, targeting a restart by 2024. Lucero, known for its high-grade deposits, stands as a cornerstone in Element79 Gold’s portfolio. In addition to its developments in Peru, Element79 Gold holds an impressive suite of assets along the Battle Mountain trend in Nevada. This includes the promising Clover and West Whistler projects, which show potential for rapid resource development. Notably, three properties within this portfolio are poised for sale to Valdo Minerals Ltd., with the transaction expected to be finalized in the first half of 2024. Expanding its geographical footprint, Element79 Gold is also making strides in British Columbia. The company has initiated a drilling program and signed a Letter of Intent to acquire a private company holding an option for 100% interest in the Snowbird High-Grade Gold Project. This project comprises 10 mineral claims located strategically near Fort St. James, reinforcing the company’s asset base in central British Columbia. Further enhancing its asset management strategy, Element79 Gold has moved its Dale Property, located approximately 100 km southwest of Timmins, Ontario, into a spin-out process through its wholly owned subsidiary, Synergy Metals Corp. This strategic realignment is aimed at maximizing shareholder value through efficient asset utilization and focused corporate structuring. https://preview.redd.it/xd4kvtkhlt0d1.jpg?width=982&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ad404402b8ec7de07752019d2942e02aaf8eff64 Highlights of Element79 Gold’s Strategic Developments Since its acquisition in 2021, Element79 Gold has diligently advanced the Maverick Springs project, culminating in an updated 43-101 compliant inferred resource estimation of 3.71 million ounces of gold equivalent (AuEq). In pursuit of strategic partnerships to further develop Maverick Springs, Element79 Gold’s management successfully negotiated and entered into a Binding Option Agreement with Sun Silver in August 2023. This pivotal move aligns with the company’s strategic focus on the high-grade Lucero Project in Peru, which boasts near-term production potential. The transaction with Sun Silver not only shifts the company’s focus but also realizes significant value for Maverick Springs. Originally acquired and carried at CAD $3.337 million, the project was sold for CAD $5.033 million, reflecting an impressive return on investment of 51% within 28 months. The sale generated substantial financial gains for Element79 Gold, amounting to CAD $4,400,000 in cash and 3,500,000 ordinary shares in Sun Silver, valued at AUD $0.20 per share (fair market value of AUD $700,000). These shares are anticipated to be listed on the Australian Stock Exchange around May 15, 2024. A portion of the proceeds, CAD $2,200,000, will be allocated to settle the loan tied to the Waterton Contingent Value Rights Agreement. The remaining funds will be strategically used to further the development of other corporate projects and operations, reducing both capital debt and accounts payable. This strategic financial management underscores Element79 Gold’s commitment to optimizing its asset portfolio and enhancing shareholder value in the competitive mining sector. Key Financial Highlights
James Tworek, CEO of Element 79 Gold Corp https://preview.redd.it/eyjjp9eilt0d1.jpg?width=982&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=91dffea323772643fea168ed7888395758818fbd Collaboration with Artisanal Miners at Element79 Gold Element79 Gold (CSE: ELEM) (OTC: ELMGF) (FSE: 7YS) has actively engaged with local artisanal miners in Lomas Doradas to promote sustainable mining practices and community collaboration. In April, the company’s community relations team organized a significant meeting aimed at enhancing mutual support and establishing a formal collaboration for mineral extraction and ore sale processes. During this meeting, Element79 Gold presented draft contracts proposing 10-year surface access rights for exploration at the Lucero mine site, alongside similar access for local miners in designated areas. These agreements were intended to unify efforts and optimize ore market pricing, with the goal of creating mutual economic benefits. A critical follow-up meeting was held in Chachas on April 28th, where the community voted on these initiatives. This gathering aimed to solidify the partnership between Element79 Gold and the artisanal miners, moving towards formalizing their cooperative relationship and ensuring continued updates on the initiative’s progress. Conclusion Element79 Gold (CSE: ELEM) (OTC: ELMGF) (FSE: 7YS) is exemplifying strategic acumen and operational dexterity across its diverse portfolio. By actively managing its assets from the Lucero project in Peru to strategic ventures across Nevada and British Columbia, the company is effectively balancing exploration potential with financial stability. The successful negotiation and sale of the Maverick Springs project, alongside collaborative engagements like those with the artisanal miners of Lomas Doradas, highlight Element79 Gold’s commitment to ethical practices and community involvement. |
2024.05.16 18:48 Observer-Finland Team REPR´s second in command. (My second character.)
Letter E in team name: Elena Nathara
Sex: Female
Age: 25 during the Fall of Beacon, 26 Atlas arc
Birthday: 7th day of 4th month
Species: Faunus, snake. Notable markers are snake eyes and tongue. (Several generations of snake faunus family is/are the reason for more than one trait.
Height: 1,77 meters
Family: A father, mother died in a mining accident when working for SDC. She has no other relatives, as far as she knows,>! yet she is rumoured to have an older sister working with crime families of Vacuo.!<
Class: Assassin. Speciality: Offence, the killing of key targets during battle, moving in the environment.
Appearance: Athletic, strong body, medium-length green-coloured hair, and green eyes.
Colour: Yellow, yet likes green more.
Weapons: A sword gauntlet in her left and right arm with a magnetized flame thrower on the right one(or uses a flame thrower that she carries on her back) and a small crossbow in the left one. She uses, on occasion, metal cloves with poison-laced claws.
History: Elena Nathara was born to a snake faunus mother and a snake faunus father in Vacuo. Her childhood wasn´t an easy one. Her mother died in a mining accident when she was 11. She had to learn to survive at an early age and had to work in different jobs to stay alive as part of her training. Her father was a huntsman who trained Elena to fight with mentors he trained with in his early life to teach her about the world, to move unseen, move fast in different environments and to use her charm to gain information and gain access to secure places.
When she was 17 years of age, she did huntsman assessment trials and passed with excellent grades. Instead of going to Shade Academy, she took the opportunity that a Beacon Academy faculty member who was visiting Vacuo made for her to go train at Beacon. While suspicious of the teacher´s intentions, she accepted the offer on condition that her father was allowed to move to Vale. Later in her life, she started to wonder whether the teacher was looking for her specifically under the orders of Ozpin, Headmaster of Beacon, yet she couldn´t prove anything, and she did profit from it anyway.
She met Rogert Oberon during initiation and became his partner for the rest of initiation. They showed great teamwork and the ability to complement their respective skills. They became members of REPR with Rogert in charge. Elena became Rogert´s most trusted ally and a teacher in parkour and advanced hand-to-hand skills in the team. Over time, Elena grew close to Roth, and Raina became the kind of younger sister Elena never had.
During Elena´s time in the Beacon, Elena gained an interest in singing and becoming a doctor, both interests reinforced by her talent pool. After graduation, Elena wanted to travel the world to see what else is there in the Kingdoms other than Vale and Vacuo.
Current location: Unknown, last seen in Mistral near its capital. No recent sightings.
Profession: Solo working Huntress for hire.
Personality:
=Redacted theories to authorized personnel only as follows: Kinetic redirection assumed aura-based technique that is relatively common among Huntsmen. Theories about a semblance that is easily covered and hard to prove without more information. Permission is requested to search for the information with more hands-free methods. It is also said that Elena has an unnatural ability to detect weak points in people, Grimm and items.
=Classified information ends=
Skills:
submitted by Observer-Finland to RWBYOC [link] [comments]
Sex: Female
Age: 25 during the Fall of Beacon, 26 Atlas arc
Birthday: 7th day of 4th month
Species: Faunus, snake. Notable markers are snake eyes and tongue. (Several generations of snake faunus family is/are the reason for more than one trait.
Height: 1,77 meters
Family: A father, mother died in a mining accident when working for SDC. She has no other relatives, as far as she knows,>! yet she is rumoured to have an older sister working with crime families of Vacuo.!<
Class: Assassin. Speciality: Offence, the killing of key targets during battle, moving in the environment.
Appearance: Athletic, strong body, medium-length green-coloured hair, and green eyes.
Colour: Yellow, yet likes green more.
Weapons: A sword gauntlet in her left and right arm with a magnetized flame thrower on the right one(or uses a flame thrower that she carries on her back) and a small crossbow in the left one. She uses, on occasion, metal cloves with poison-laced claws.
History: Elena Nathara was born to a snake faunus mother and a snake faunus father in Vacuo. Her childhood wasn´t an easy one. Her mother died in a mining accident when she was 11. She had to learn to survive at an early age and had to work in different jobs to stay alive as part of her training. Her father was a huntsman who trained Elena to fight with mentors he trained with in his early life to teach her about the world, to move unseen, move fast in different environments and to use her charm to gain information and gain access to secure places.
When she was 17 years of age, she did huntsman assessment trials and passed with excellent grades. Instead of going to Shade Academy, she took the opportunity that a Beacon Academy faculty member who was visiting Vacuo made for her to go train at Beacon. While suspicious of the teacher´s intentions, she accepted the offer on condition that her father was allowed to move to Vale. Later in her life, she started to wonder whether the teacher was looking for her specifically under the orders of Ozpin, Headmaster of Beacon, yet she couldn´t prove anything, and she did profit from it anyway.
She met Rogert Oberon during initiation and became his partner for the rest of initiation. They showed great teamwork and the ability to complement their respective skills. They became members of REPR with Rogert in charge. Elena became Rogert´s most trusted ally and a teacher in parkour and advanced hand-to-hand skills in the team. Over time, Elena grew close to Roth, and Raina became the kind of younger sister Elena never had.
During Elena´s time in the Beacon, Elena gained an interest in singing and becoming a doctor, both interests reinforced by her talent pool. After graduation, Elena wanted to travel the world to see what else is there in the Kingdoms other than Vale and Vacuo.
Current location: Unknown, last seen in Mistral near its capital. No recent sightings.
Profession: Solo working Huntress for hire.
Personality:
- Elena is a charisma and survival-oriented person due to her practised tricks and experiences of her youth. She believes she needs to be as strong and clever as possible to simply survive day to day.
- While Elena looks and acts tough, she shows her kinder side to those who earn her trust. She had(or has) trust issues due to her childhood on Vacuo and needed to be distrustful of others to stay alive.
- Elena is protective of children and has become a big sister figure to some of the kids in Vale. Has strong protective instincts focused on her family and teammates.
- Elena hates SDC with a passion due to her family history with the company and losing her mother in a mining accident caused by faulty equipment. Over time her dislike became her desire to see SDC burn for the poor treatment of its workers and continuing the idea of Faunus not deserving rights.
=Redacted theories to authorized personnel only as follows: Kinetic redirection assumed aura-based technique that is relatively common among Huntsmen. Theories about a semblance that is easily covered and hard to prove without more information. Permission is requested to search for the information with more hands-free methods. It is also said that Elena has an unnatural ability to detect weak points in people, Grimm and items.
=Classified information ends=
Skills:
- Knowledgable in human, faunus and criminal psychology. (Trained by her mentors in Vacuo and successfully helped train her team leader Rogert Oberon.)
- Infiltration and spying skills. (She received training in stealth from her mentors, father, and teachers in Vacuo.)
- Good interrogator skills and how to gain information by talking and by inflicting pain. Specializes in the manipulation of targets to gain useful information.
- Advanced hand-to-hand and close combat skills with a focus on assassination.
- Advanced parkour skills. Highest ranking in speed trials.
- Knows how to camouflage and hide in different environments. Specializes in desert camouflage. Trained in wilderness survival and how to survive there potentially for years at a time. (Trained by Rogert Oberon and in Huntsman Academy.)
- Knows how to survive in a desert and has an endurance advantage there due to her snake faunus nature.
- Knows how to gather intel with computers and how to open electronic doors with a specially designed unlocking device. (Trained by Raina Odell.)
- Good medical skills gained in the time between graduation and the Fall of Beacon.
- Fast runner and very agile fighter.
- Can channel a lot of force to specific points due to knowing the human body making her also a good medic.
- Fast climber.
- Lightning-fast reaction speed due to her snake faunus nature.
- Strong resistance against heat.
- Easily affected by cold and winter environments due to her faunus nature.
- Impatience (yet it became more manageable as she got older.)
- Easily affected by attacks that land on her when the aura is out.
- Elena became a Huntress to learn how to fight and to give her more career options.
- After graduation, Elena wanted to travel the world. So when the team was put on a vote about sticking together, she voted No despite her "affection" for Roth and Raina wanting her to stick around.
- As Elena travelled around the world, she gained a reputation for being an Angel of mercy due to helping any wounded around villages she passed by.
- Originally intended to be a counter for Ace Operative Harriet during early creation phase.
- Singer: Elena had to discover her talent early in her life to survive, which led her to take many different routes in the job market. She discovered a decent talent for singing, if somewhat unprofessionally, while undercover.
2024.05.16 18:48 Observer-Finland Team REPR´s Leader(Re-release)
Note: Taken from Introducing my first OC
PS: Largely minor changes.
(Let me know if there is any inconsistency.)
Letter R in team REPR(Reaper): Rogert "Roth" Oberon
Sex: Male
Age: 25 during the Fall of Beacon, 26 or 27 during Atlas arc.
Birthday: 18th day of the 10th month
Height: 1,87 meters
Species: Faunus, Bear. Notable markers: Bear snout.
Family: Father and mother, lost a younger sister and brother in a Grimm attack.
Class: Tank. Speciality: Defense, taking and holding ground.
Colours: Cares little for the colour rule yet the colour of the symbol is brown and uses black armour. Varied colours in the rest of the attire intended for camouflage depending on the environment.
Semblance: =Redacted under orders of Headmaster of Beacon= Authorized personnel only as follows:
Animal morphing, Roth Oberon is able to turn into a big bear and is able to remain in full control after years of practice. However, to maintain control of his semblance he needs to change into a bear once every 2 weeks for at least 2 hours to avoid permanently damaging his body. Gained the semblance in his 3rd year as a Huntsman trainee during a hunting mission. Becomes stronger, aura takes more damage and is more animalistic in animal form.
=Classified information ends=
Profession: Huntsman in training at Beacon Academy, team leader. (Former)
Vale defence forces. (Former)
Guardsman of Beacon. (Current)
Appearance: Strong arms with strong legs, broad shoulders, gold brown bear eyes, and brown hair. Bear mouth/snout. Note: Functional muscles instead for show.
Weapons:
Graduate Huntsman in Atlas arc: Two gauntlets with automatic machine guns and a sword blade coming out of them, grappling hooks on both, a spear tip and spear adjusted for his height and physique that can be split into 2 pieces. Carries dust grenades with him with empty dust slots and different dust with him.
Student to graduate Huntsman in Mistral arc: Spear, machine gun gauntlet, sword gauntlet, one-shot reloadable rocket launcher with ammo and a spear tip from a broken spear.
Strengths:
Skills:
While a humble person, Roth has no illusions of his strengths and how powerful he can be when in battle.
Roth values loyalty and honesty, things he has shown to his team by having no secrets from them and has encouraged his team to do the same with great effect. Because of his values in honesty, Rogert does not forgive attempts to lie to him and tries to limit his words to be as truthful as possible.
Roth has a ruthless attitude when it comes to leadership and dealing with enemies. As a leader, Roth expects nothing but competence and giving 100% in combination with a firm chain of command and on-the-spot obedience.
Roth is a strong believer in learning and improving skills. Because of this, Roth has learned from his teammates the skills he lacked before meeting them and has instructed them to do the same.
Desiring always to have the upper hand, he learned to keep his emotions in check at all times and focused on his studies in his free time and school time. Other people often consider him emotionless, yet no one is willing to say it in his earshot, and he doesn´t mind this thought about him.
Rogert has mastered his emotions, and he can make decisions that would make other people disgusted with themselves be it torture or cruel punishments without flinching as he got older. While his team reminds him about his better nature and while his actions have never been directed against an innocent, Rogert believes he can´t afford to hesitate to act when many lives are at stake.
His team, REPR, has helped him loosen up, and he discovered his liking for playing the saxophone and driving. His team has helped him to become a better man than he thinks he needs to be as the years went by.
Facts about the character:
submitted by Observer-Finland to RWBYOC [link] [comments]
PS: Largely minor changes.
(Let me know if there is any inconsistency.)
Letter R in team REPR(Reaper): Rogert "Roth" Oberon
Sex: Male
Age: 25 during the Fall of Beacon, 26 or 27 during Atlas arc.
Birthday: 18th day of the 10th month
Height: 1,87 meters
Species: Faunus, Bear. Notable markers: Bear snout.
Family: Father and mother, lost a younger sister and brother in a Grimm attack.
Class: Tank. Speciality: Defense, taking and holding ground.
Colours: Cares little for the colour rule yet the colour of the symbol is brown and uses black armour. Varied colours in the rest of the attire intended for camouflage depending on the environment.
Semblance: =Redacted under orders of Headmaster of Beacon= Authorized personnel only as follows:
Animal morphing, Roth Oberon is able to turn into a big bear and is able to remain in full control after years of practice. However, to maintain control of his semblance he needs to change into a bear once every 2 weeks for at least 2 hours to avoid permanently damaging his body. Gained the semblance in his 3rd year as a Huntsman trainee during a hunting mission. Becomes stronger, aura takes more damage and is more animalistic in animal form.
=Classified information ends=
Profession: Huntsman in training at Beacon Academy, team leader. (Former)
Vale defence forces. (Former)
Guardsman of Beacon. (Current)
Appearance: Strong arms with strong legs, broad shoulders, gold brown bear eyes, and brown hair. Bear mouth/snout. Note: Functional muscles instead for show.
Weapons:
Graduate Huntsman in Atlas arc: Two gauntlets with automatic machine guns and a sword blade coming out of them, grappling hooks on both, a spear tip and spear adjusted for his height and physique that can be split into 2 pieces. Carries dust grenades with him with empty dust slots and different dust with him.
Student to graduate Huntsman in Mistral arc: Spear, machine gun gauntlet, sword gauntlet, one-shot reloadable rocket launcher with ammo and a spear tip from a broken spear.
Strengths:
- Roth is very strong and durable allowing him to survive hits that would kill many others.
- Adaptable to changing situations and has strong willpower, keen intelligence, and a sharp mind.
- Versatile combat technique and knows how to use a variety of weapons or forms.
- His ability as a leader and calm attitude has kept his team in tip-top shape and has made them self-reliant on themselves making the team effective alone, in pairs or as a group.
- Bear´s sense of smell.
- Classified ahead: Can gain bear´s abilities because of his semblance when turning fully into a bear or just partially.
- Can be slower in a fight than most fighters even in his younger years.
- Workaholic.
- Roth´s darker impulses are closer to the surface when he is in charge.
- Great anger towards Grimm makes him hunt them with abandon or lure them in relatively easily. (Weakness in academy years, in adult years unorthodox trapping and luring method against Grimm. Double-edged sword.)
Skills:
- Knows many melee weapon combat forms and has a lot of fist-fighting experience. After training and fighting in missions in a military unit for 3 years after graduation, he has learned to fight like a commando.
- Edit: Knows how to train dogs.
- Knows how to make new weapons from the ground up with primitive equipment and knows how to maintain them effectively and how to repair them.
- Rogert knows how to survive in the wilderness for potentially years. Building shelter, use of camouflage, hunting for food and foraging, how to lose a hunter, navigating etc. His speciality is tracking a target or missing supplies.
- Advanced stealth skills and ability to disappear enhanced by military education.
- Knows how to make grenades and bombs and how to defuse them. (Trained in the military and by Parish Broc.)
- Knows the basics of using military equipment and weapons after graduation and training in the military.
- Interrogation skills enhanced by his physical presence and knows how to gain information by talking. (And knows how to extract information by inflicting pain and suffering. Trained with some success by Elena Nathara.)
- Knows psychological warfare and guerrilla tactics. Specializes in Grimm.
- Knows criminal psychology, how to establish a crime scene and how to gather evidence. (Trained by his father and Raina Odell.)
- Knows how to administer first aid. (Basic and Huntsman academy training.)
While a humble person, Roth has no illusions of his strengths and how powerful he can be when in battle.
Roth values loyalty and honesty, things he has shown to his team by having no secrets from them and has encouraged his team to do the same with great effect. Because of his values in honesty, Rogert does not forgive attempts to lie to him and tries to limit his words to be as truthful as possible.
Roth has a ruthless attitude when it comes to leadership and dealing with enemies. As a leader, Roth expects nothing but competence and giving 100% in combination with a firm chain of command and on-the-spot obedience.
Roth is a strong believer in learning and improving skills. Because of this, Roth has learned from his teammates the skills he lacked before meeting them and has instructed them to do the same.
Desiring always to have the upper hand, he learned to keep his emotions in check at all times and focused on his studies in his free time and school time. Other people often consider him emotionless, yet no one is willing to say it in his earshot, and he doesn´t mind this thought about him.
Rogert has mastered his emotions, and he can make decisions that would make other people disgusted with themselves be it torture or cruel punishments without flinching as he got older. While his team reminds him about his better nature and while his actions have never been directed against an innocent, Rogert believes he can´t afford to hesitate to act when many lives are at stake.
His team, REPR, has helped him loosen up, and he discovered his liking for playing the saxophone and driving. His team has helped him to become a better man than he thinks he needs to be as the years went by.
Facts about the character:
- Rogert prefers to be called Roth because the name is easier to pronounce, and he prefers a shorter name.
- Rogert put the team to vote during graduation on whether they should stick together as a group. Ultimately, the team was split up, yet REPR occasionally would help each other on big operations. He voted No, yet never said why, even when asked.
- Roth´s closest relationships are with his parents, Elena and Raina, and he thinks highly of Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck due to his teaching and wisdom.
- Originally intended to be a counter for Elm, an Ace Operative during early development phase.
- Scholar: His lack of social interaction in his school years made Rogert focus more on his studies than on making friends. Due to this, he has gained a lot of knowledge and an interest in researching history and myths. Math skills and history were his best subjects, and he often likes to talk about both when asked.