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Grimoires & Gunsmoke: Operation Tolkien Ch. 53
2024.05.06 13:32 duddlered Grimoires & Gunsmoke: Operation Tolkien Ch. 53
Elijah was hunched over, resting his head on his arms as he watched a veritable horde of villagers help the refugees through the gate. Men and women, young and old, rallied together in a wholesome display of solidarity and compassion.
At least it should have been.
Sure, the people of this were extending their hands in hospitality, pulling together resources to support these refugees, but Elijah couldn't help but feel a twinge of skepticism. His mind flashed back to his experience during Hurricane Katrina, where the outpouring of aid and support often came with strings attached. For every warm bowl of soup provided, there seemed to be an expectation, a debt incurred, never official or even verbally spoken, but still palpably present. It was a harsh reminder that in the world he came from, assistance rarely came without conditions.
In the wake of the disaster, communities often rallied together, but the initial surge of goodwill could sometimes morph into resentment or expectation of repayment once the immediate crisis faded. Elijah wondered if this village would also eventually come to view these refugees not just as victims in need but as debts to be repaid or even new assets to exploit. After all, resources were finite, and adding new mouths to feed, especially in this quasi-medieval setting where scarcity was a constant threat, could strain even the most generous community's goodwill.
Moreover, Elijah was uncertain about this world's stance on the vulnerable, particularly women and children. From what he’d seen so far, the impression he got wasn’t exactly what one would call positive. If one went by Earth’s historical context, he could assume their futures were pretty bleak, regardless of what Coleman and the rest of the team wanted to do. Women and children often bore the brunt of societal upheavals and were usually forced by coercion or debt into more… intimate professions.
Elijah would like to detach himself from the situation, dust off his hands, and say this just wasn't their problem. However, a nagging sense in the back of his mind told him Coleman wouldn't stand for such a ‘Machiavellian’ approach or whatever buzzword he’d think up at the time. However, Elijah liked to think of himself as a Pragmatist or a Realist. Each decision had pros and cons, benefits, and demerits that could have very lethal consequences.
The question then became: What were they going to do with these refugees? Where would they go now? Where would they sleep? How would they eat? How would all of this be financed? And, most important of all, how could they manage to do all of this while still being able to operate and continue their primary objective?
Everyone loved getting caught up in the ideals and morality; they never stopped to ask if there was a place and time for any of that. It’s one thing to be presented with a problem like having a group of vulnerable people with the means and ends to do something about it, but they had neither. The ODA was far behind enemy lines, using minimal resources and very minimal personnel with little to no hopes of escape should they be compromised.
A groan of frustration left Eljah’s mouth as he dug deeper and deeper, using every ounce of his mind to find a way to come out on top. He needed to come up with some kind of win, or else they were unimaginably fucked. The immediate logistical challenges of shelter, food, and not getting their throats slit at night were enough of an issue. But when it came to the longer-term questions of operational security, sustainability, and execution of their mission were even more complex.
“Bro, what the hell…” Elijah whined as he lethargically rubbed his eyes.
Turning his eyes to his team, Elijah watched as Lister and Bennett were off poking at the Wyvern's corpse, pretending to pull security, while Kwon and Schwarz pushed a poorly maintained cart. The entire ODA, save for him and a few others, were off mingling with the locals or keeping themselves busy in some fashion. Even his team leader, Coleman, was off speaking with the village head and his son, acting as a diplomatic representative.
A sudden yank of his hair finally brought Elijah out of his brooding and caused him to rear up to his full height in the turret finally. “What is upsetting my human!?” She barked cheekily. “Human, inform your master why you are upset, and I shall fix it!”
“Fuckin’...!” Elijah winced as he glared up at the fairy who had both feet planted on his forehead, holding onto two fists full of hair to keep her anchored as she leaned forward. “Can you maybe NOT do that?” He sneered.
Unphased by Elijah’s discomfort, Yana simply fluttered her wings in what could only be described as a fairy's equivalent of a shrug. "But I must know," she insisted, her voice a mix of genuine concern and mischievous curiosity. "How else can I assist my human if he does not share his troubles?"
“Is it the stupid Elf? Is it your incessant need to constantly move around? Is it the stupid dirty mortals and their stupid dirty huts?” Yana started to shotgun off potential reasons while swinging side to side, still pulling at his hair. “Should I zap ‘em?”
Already sick of her shit, Elijah shot his hand to snatch the little menace off his head, but he found that Yana was infinitely faster. The fairy zipped up into the sky with a triumphant laugh. Glaring up at her, Elijah barked, "Yana, you can't just zap dudes all willy-nilly! We're trying to keep a low profile here and not create problems unnecessarily!” He narrowed his eyes and glared at his patron. “We need to find the right people to zap, and the right people to turn to our side."
Yana stuck her tongue out at her human before snapping her head to the side in a harrumph, clearly not taking any of his shenanigans. Meanwhile, Elijah grumbled to himself before leaning against the back of the turret and heaving a kind of deep and heavy sight that only the kind people who were at the end of their ropes made.
As the last group of refugees finally made their way inside, Elijah wondered what in hell he was going to do with this mess. Completely stumped, he decided to take a shot and ask his cosmic hitchhiker for any ounce of wisdom. Looking up, Elijah watched as Yana continued to hover above him with an impish grin.
"You had worshipers or some shit,” Elijah randomly blurted out, giving her an exhausted look. “What do you think we should do with this shit show? What do you think I should do with these people to make it easier to move around without babysitting them?"
“First of all, RUDE!” Yana shot back with her hands on her hips as she twirled around. “I HAVE worshipers! Not had!” She corrected but paused for a moment as she actually considered the question. "Well… Mortal problems require mortal solutions," the goddess finally said, landing on the edge of the mounted heavy machine gun’s barrel, swinging her feet in a carefree manner. "But, if you ask this great one, then this great one’s suggestion is just to take over the village."
Elijah's initial reaction was an instinctive scoff as he threw up his hands. "Yeah, no. That's not an option. I can't just take over some bumfuck village and—" He began to dismiss the fairy's outlandish suggestion, already regretting he had even bothered to ask this psychopath’s opinion. However, mid-retort, Elijah froze. His mind raced a mile a minute, and his brows furrowed as the dots started to connect.
This wasn't a bad idea... There were some major flaws and pitfalls he’d had to work out like that act there was some obvious contention the village head had for the ODA team and the refugees, but that could be worked out. The majority of the villagers were vastly more accommodating and accepting than their leader, especially after Elijah and the team returned the girl.
He could leverage that goodwill…
Turning the idea over in his mind, Elijah recognized the opportunity lying beneath the surface of Yana's seemingly absurd suggestion. If they could position themselves as protectors or if need be, take over the leadership position entirely. This would not only secure the innumerable special operations teams a base of operations but also provide some kind of support for the local population since they were still relatively close to the rift. This could facilitate their primary mission, provide a measure of safety, and give them a pool of local resources to draw upon.
A twinkle shone in Elijah’s eye as his thoughts went back to that blacksmith’s daughter. The genuine gratitude and goodwill they had earned for returning her could be the perfect foundation to build on. They just had to do something about this grabby, middle-aged man who seemed to stare at them suspiciously… Elijah’s gaze then drifted over to Coleman and the village head having a back-and-forth.
“Hey, Azeline,” Elijah called out, hoping for some insight from a local or at least to bounce some ideas off of her. However, there was no response. He tried again, a bit louder this time, "Azeline?" Still, nothing. Confused, Elijah looked down to find Azeline with her head lolling to the side, her mouth agape, and a large flow of drool flowing down her face as she found the deep embrace of sleep.
Irritated and somewhat amused at the sight, Elijah gave her shoulder a rough kick. "Hey, Aze! Wake up, goddamnit!" he barked.
Azeline's reaction was immediate. She flailed around violently, nearly tumbling out of the vehicle before she caught herself. She whipped her head towards Elijah and shot him a look that could curdle milk. "WHAT!?" she snarled, clearly not appreciative of being roused in such a manner. “WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT, YOU GODS DAMNED ASSHOLE!?”
An amused and mischievous look spread across Elijah’s face as he huffed continuously in amusement. “Heheheh, well… I got some questions I need to ask you.”
A bitter look formed on Azeline’s face as she swatted away Elijah's boot in outrage. "Why the hell would I answer anything you ask after that!?" she barked, balling her hand into a fist.
Elijah, unfazed and perhaps a bit emboldened by her reaction, looked up at Yana with exaggerated, mock innocence and said in a childish voice as if he were tattling on Azeline, "Yanaaa, she's not helping me."
Yana's tiny head suddenly popped into the turret, looking down at Azeline with an annoyed and incredulous expression. "Hah!?" she exclaimed, clearly taken aback by the scene unfolding below her.
“Guh…” Azeline flinched as her jaw tightened and her fierce looked waivered. For a moment she had completely forgotten about the existence of this damned Fae and was subsequetnly caught off guard. But just as Yana was about to let loose a few choice words of her own, Azeline shouted out first with a voice laced with exasperation, "Fine, fine, fine! What in the hells are your questions!?"
A mischievous and pompous grin was spread across Elijah’s face when he clapped his hands together. “Wonderful!” He shouted in glee before clearing his throat. "Alright, now that I've got your attention... I've been thinking…” His finger danced together as his expression turn contemplative. “So We've got these refugees and this village, right? And soooo… I may have found an opportunity here, but it's delicate.”
Azeline placed a hand to head and started rubbing it to assuage the headache away that was forming. She was close to just turning around and chucking the nearest object at the man, but the omnipresent glare of his patron prevented her from taking any action.
“As our local expert, what is your take on how to… let’s say…” Elijah paused for a moment, trying to figure out the right word in this strange language to express what he was trying to achieve. “Take over this village in a less-than-hostile way.”
Staring at the man as if he was stupid, Azeline remained quiet for a few long moments before responding with a mixture of disbelief and sarcasm, "Just say you're taking over...?" She narrowed her eyes and lightly shook her head as if to say that this was the most obvious solution. Continuing with a tone of incredulity, she added, "And if they resist, you kill the village head and anyone else who says otherwise. What kind of stupid question is that?"
“No, no, no. Just, no.” Elijah pressed both hands to the bridge of his nose before throwing his head back slightly. “I’m not trying to kill them or force them. I’m trying to umm….” His hands started rolling as he tried to think of the words. “Coerce? No. Pressure? No. Manipulate?” He then snapped his fingers and pointed at Azeline before continuing, “Manipulate! I’m trying to manipulate them into listening to us instead of their leader!”
The annoyed look on Azeline’s face softened a bit as she crossed her arms and tapped her finger on her bicep. “Hmmmm… I think I know what you’re trying to get at, but…” She hummed in interest as she began to collect her thoughts before speaking. "I haven't been a serf or a peasant since I was a child, so I'm not overly familiar with their current wants and needs," she confessed. "However, I have experience with taking over villages abandoned by their lords when I was a shield maiden. As far as I know, you've already done quite a bit by saving and returning one of their own. But, these refugees are going to quickly weigh on them and become a burden if left as is."
Elijah started to stroke his beard thoughtfully as he listened. The issue of the refugees was indeed pressing, and their presence could potentially strain their relationship with the villagers if not handled correctly. The main issues were going to be food and shelter, and seeing that the majority of the survivors were women and children, they couldn’t exactly be put to manual labor like military-aged men.
"They’ll eventually have to be relocated," Azeline concluded with a sigh, but her eyes sharpened as she looked over to the eastern horizon. "However… There’s quite a sizable town not too far away from here. Maybe you could get a trade caravan going under your protection. This village is out in the middle of nowhere, so any chance they could get an armed escort, they’ll jump at it.”
That bit of information seemed to light up Elijah’s face. "Okay, okay!” He nearly shouted as he looked over at Coleman, who was finally making his way over. “We could do a few favors, help around with the villagers, and ingratiate ourselves to them. If the village chief or whatever doesn’t like us, he’ll still be undermined by our favorable outlook, and then we could work on turning them against him," Elijah mused, his mind racing with possibilities.
“And if all else fails, you could…” Azeline smiled evilly and slid her hand across her throat. “Do some leadership changes behind the scenes during the Caravan escort.”
Just as Elijah and Azeline were getting into the meat of their nefarious plotting, Coleman arrived, catching the tail end of their cackling madness. The look on his face was one of disgust as he surveyed the scene before him. Elijah, still brimming with the glee of their scheming, barely noticed Coleman's approach until it was too late.
"Great... now there's two of them," Coleman muttered under his breath, his gaze shifting between Elijah and Azeline. The disdain was palpable in his voice as he spoke up, "Do I even want to know?"
“Probably not.” The two troublemakers said at the same time.
“Ryffka.” A voice called out in the periphery of Ryffka’s consciousness.
But the words quickly disappeared as quickly as they came, as deafening and horrifying snaps and hisses of projectiles resounded all around him. Ryffka found himself running through what seemed like an endless field of Kapen Grass as he ran for his life.
Ryffka's heart pounded in his chest wildly as terror gripped his mind. He cursed himself repeatedly, regretting trying to play it smart and join the Auxiliaries for some "valuable" experience before venturing into the independent and treacherous world of being a Freelancer. "Stupid, stupid, stupid," he screamed between labored breaths, the reality of his situation crashing down on him with every step he took through the dense grass that seemed to grip around his legs as if trying to slow him down.
The sounds of the strange and terrifying weapons pursued him relentlessly. Each snap and hiss was a promise of death if he dared to slow his pace. The projectiles struck the ground closer and closer, throwing up clumps of earth and snapping thick blades of grass with each impact. The idea that just moments ago, he had been considering this stint with the Auxiliaries as a mere stepping stone in his career seemed laughably naive now.
“Ryffka, wake up.” The voice called again, more urgently this time. It was a familiar voice, one that he recognized even in his panicked state. But the grip of fear was strong, and he struggled to break free from the terror’s unyielding hold.
With burning lungs, Ryffka pushed his legs to the limit as he made his flight. Ryffka's mind raced, searching desperately for a plan, any plan, to escape this nightmare. He had always prided himself on his ability to think on his feet, but he found himself in a seemingly impossible position.
Desperation started to set in as Ryffka realized just how hopeless his situation was. He was no proper mage with formal training, adorned with an arsenal of powerful spells at his disposal. No, he was merely some random lucky idiot who had learned to read at an early age and had been even luckier to get his hands on a beginner's spellbook. That modest achievement, which had once filled him with pride, now seemed insignificant in the face of the overwhelming force pursuing him.
He knew for a fact that he was outclassed in every conceivable way by these unknown beings, and his end seemed that it wasn’t just a possibility but an inevitability. The advanced magic or — whatever it was that his pursuers wielded — was like nothing he had ever encountered or read about. Each burst of cacophonous barking from their strange weapons was a stark reminder of his impending doom.
And just as this grim acceptance settled over him, a misstep sealed his fate. The thick tendrils of the Kapen Grass finally ensnared him. With a sudden jerk, his legs were yanked back by the usually inert crop, sending him face-first into the unforgiving earth below. An involuntary "oof" escaped his lips as he made contact, the ground knocking the breath from his lungs.
Dazed and confused as to why inanimate grass would usually trap him, Ryffka's eyes went wide with fear as the sound of two heavy thunks resounded just behind him. Turning around, he found two fist-sized orbs slowly rolling his way. A sense of dread and horror filled him as Ryffka opened his mouth to scream, but before a sound could come out, a thundering smack and searing hot pain coursed through his face.
“Wake up; you damned feathered idiot!” Talarion sneered as Ryffka shot up, holding his face with panicked eyes.
Ryffka's face spun around wildly, trying to make sense of his surroundings as his mind reeled from the sudden shift in reality. The last thing he remembered was the terrifying pursuit through the grass, but now he found himself bouncing rhythmically in the back of a carriage. The jostling was disorienting, and for a moment, he could not reconcile how he'd gone from a flight for his life to this.
Talarion's glare was sharp as he let out an exasperated sigh. "We're here," Talarion said, nonchalantly gesturing ahead.
Following the direction of Talarion's hand, Ryffka gazed out of the carriage to see a town built on top of a hill unfolding before them. It was almost impossibly picturesque, with quaint stone houses adorned with creeping vines and blooming flowers. The rooftops were a blend of earthy tones, and the streets were filled with the hustle and bustle of daily life, yet a tranquil harmony seemed to permeate the air.
For a moment, Ryffka simply sat there, taking it all in before a deep and heavy sigh left his mouth. They finally arrived at the town of Glennsworth, and hopefully, the events leading up to this point would turn into a distant nightmare. However, Ryffka knew trying to forget the horrors of how the otherworlders waged war would be impossible, but the town's allure did a lot to soothe his frayed nerves.
“Thank the gods…” Ryffka finally muttered out after flopping back down into the bed of the carriage.
As the lines of stress dissipated on Ryffka’s delicate features, Talarion couldn’t help but roll his eyes. "Yes, thank the gods,” Talarion shouted, gesturing grandly to the sky as they rumbled through the gates of Glennsworth. “Because it was the gods that dragged your sorry dehydrated ass across endless fields of garbage!” Talarion retorted sarcastically with a dry chuckle.
Ryffka looked up at him with an impish smile creeping onto his lips. "I suppose. I owe you a word of thanks." He shot back as his arms went behind his head and his eyes closed. “I would also suppose we could consider ourselves even since I dragged you out of that nightmare in the fort.”
Talarion huffed in feigned annoyance as he leaned against the wall and waved off Ryffka's remark with a wave of his hand. "Ya, whatever. I’m just glad we’re away from those damned demons.” He continued with audible relief in his voice. “It almost felt like we were being chased.”
“Right? It was as if those otherworldly hellspawns were unsatisfied with the fact they hadn’t struck down every soul in that damnable place and dedicated themselves to finishing the job...” Ryffka said in disgust as he let out an exhausted sigh.
Flipping his eyes over his shoulder and looking at the hilltop covered in buildings, Ryffka seemed to murmur to himself rather than to Talarion. "But what's next?"
"We find a way to make ourselves some money here and start gathering supplies," Talarion replied, leaning forward, his voice low and conspiratorial. "We have skills, and this town could use someone of our... talents. We horde as much crap as we can and then high tail it to Aldenshore."
Bringing his hand to his smooth chin, Ryffka considered Talarion's words with a smirk. "Hmmmmmm…" he hummed in interest as he thought this could be another opportunity to gain some experience as a newly budding Freelancer. "I like the sound of that. Plus, we should have some time to relax and spread our wings out before those… things… show up again.”
"Yeah, we'll lay low, gather what we can, and prepare for the road ahead," Talarion agreed, his eyes scanning the marketplace's vibrant stalls and chattering townsfolk. "I doubt they’ll attack somewhere so populated."
Ryffka chuckled lightly and sat up once more, allowing the tension to finally seep out of his shoulders as he watched a group of children chasing each other around a fountain.
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At least it should have been.
Sure, the people of this were extending their hands in hospitality, pulling together resources to support these refugees, but Elijah couldn't help but feel a twinge of skepticism. His mind flashed back to his experience during Hurricane Katrina, where the outpouring of aid and support often came with strings attached. For every warm bowl of soup provided, there seemed to be an expectation, a debt incurred, never official or even verbally spoken, but still palpably present. It was a harsh reminder that in the world he came from, assistance rarely came without conditions.
In the wake of the disaster, communities often rallied together, but the initial surge of goodwill could sometimes morph into resentment or expectation of repayment once the immediate crisis faded. Elijah wondered if this village would also eventually come to view these refugees not just as victims in need but as debts to be repaid or even new assets to exploit. After all, resources were finite, and adding new mouths to feed, especially in this quasi-medieval setting where scarcity was a constant threat, could strain even the most generous community's goodwill.
Moreover, Elijah was uncertain about this world's stance on the vulnerable, particularly women and children. From what he’d seen so far, the impression he got wasn’t exactly what one would call positive. If one went by Earth’s historical context, he could assume their futures were pretty bleak, regardless of what Coleman and the rest of the team wanted to do. Women and children often bore the brunt of societal upheavals and were usually forced by coercion or debt into more… intimate professions.
Elijah would like to detach himself from the situation, dust off his hands, and say this just wasn't their problem. However, a nagging sense in the back of his mind told him Coleman wouldn't stand for such a ‘Machiavellian’ approach or whatever buzzword he’d think up at the time. However, Elijah liked to think of himself as a Pragmatist or a Realist. Each decision had pros and cons, benefits, and demerits that could have very lethal consequences.
The question then became: What were they going to do with these refugees? Where would they go now? Where would they sleep? How would they eat? How would all of this be financed? And, most important of all, how could they manage to do all of this while still being able to operate and continue their primary objective?
Everyone loved getting caught up in the ideals and morality; they never stopped to ask if there was a place and time for any of that. It’s one thing to be presented with a problem like having a group of vulnerable people with the means and ends to do something about it, but they had neither. The ODA was far behind enemy lines, using minimal resources and very minimal personnel with little to no hopes of escape should they be compromised.
A groan of frustration left Eljah’s mouth as he dug deeper and deeper, using every ounce of his mind to find a way to come out on top. He needed to come up with some kind of win, or else they were unimaginably fucked. The immediate logistical challenges of shelter, food, and not getting their throats slit at night were enough of an issue. But when it came to the longer-term questions of operational security, sustainability, and execution of their mission were even more complex.
“Bro, what the hell…” Elijah whined as he lethargically rubbed his eyes.
Turning his eyes to his team, Elijah watched as Lister and Bennett were off poking at the Wyvern's corpse, pretending to pull security, while Kwon and Schwarz pushed a poorly maintained cart. The entire ODA, save for him and a few others, were off mingling with the locals or keeping themselves busy in some fashion. Even his team leader, Coleman, was off speaking with the village head and his son, acting as a diplomatic representative.
A sudden yank of his hair finally brought Elijah out of his brooding and caused him to rear up to his full height in the turret finally. “What is upsetting my human!?” She barked cheekily. “Human, inform your master why you are upset, and I shall fix it!”
“Fuckin’...!” Elijah winced as he glared up at the fairy who had both feet planted on his forehead, holding onto two fists full of hair to keep her anchored as she leaned forward. “Can you maybe NOT do that?” He sneered.
Unphased by Elijah’s discomfort, Yana simply fluttered her wings in what could only be described as a fairy's equivalent of a shrug. "But I must know," she insisted, her voice a mix of genuine concern and mischievous curiosity. "How else can I assist my human if he does not share his troubles?"
“Is it the stupid Elf? Is it your incessant need to constantly move around? Is it the stupid dirty mortals and their stupid dirty huts?” Yana started to shotgun off potential reasons while swinging side to side, still pulling at his hair. “Should I zap ‘em?”
Already sick of her shit, Elijah shot his hand to snatch the little menace off his head, but he found that Yana was infinitely faster. The fairy zipped up into the sky with a triumphant laugh. Glaring up at her, Elijah barked, "Yana, you can't just zap dudes all willy-nilly! We're trying to keep a low profile here and not create problems unnecessarily!” He narrowed his eyes and glared at his patron. “We need to find the right people to zap, and the right people to turn to our side."
Yana stuck her tongue out at her human before snapping her head to the side in a harrumph, clearly not taking any of his shenanigans. Meanwhile, Elijah grumbled to himself before leaning against the back of the turret and heaving a kind of deep and heavy sight that only the kind people who were at the end of their ropes made.
As the last group of refugees finally made their way inside, Elijah wondered what in hell he was going to do with this mess. Completely stumped, he decided to take a shot and ask his cosmic hitchhiker for any ounce of wisdom. Looking up, Elijah watched as Yana continued to hover above him with an impish grin.
"You had worshipers or some shit,” Elijah randomly blurted out, giving her an exhausted look. “What do you think we should do with this shit show? What do you think I should do with these people to make it easier to move around without babysitting them?"
“First of all, RUDE!” Yana shot back with her hands on her hips as she twirled around. “I HAVE worshipers! Not had!” She corrected but paused for a moment as she actually considered the question. "Well… Mortal problems require mortal solutions," the goddess finally said, landing on the edge of the mounted heavy machine gun’s barrel, swinging her feet in a carefree manner. "But, if you ask this great one, then this great one’s suggestion is just to take over the village."
Elijah's initial reaction was an instinctive scoff as he threw up his hands. "Yeah, no. That's not an option. I can't just take over some bumfuck village and—" He began to dismiss the fairy's outlandish suggestion, already regretting he had even bothered to ask this psychopath’s opinion. However, mid-retort, Elijah froze. His mind raced a mile a minute, and his brows furrowed as the dots started to connect.
This wasn't a bad idea... There were some major flaws and pitfalls he’d had to work out like that act there was some obvious contention the village head had for the ODA team and the refugees, but that could be worked out. The majority of the villagers were vastly more accommodating and accepting than their leader, especially after Elijah and the team returned the girl.
He could leverage that goodwill…
Turning the idea over in his mind, Elijah recognized the opportunity lying beneath the surface of Yana's seemingly absurd suggestion. If they could position themselves as protectors or if need be, take over the leadership position entirely. This would not only secure the innumerable special operations teams a base of operations but also provide some kind of support for the local population since they were still relatively close to the rift. This could facilitate their primary mission, provide a measure of safety, and give them a pool of local resources to draw upon.
A twinkle shone in Elijah’s eye as his thoughts went back to that blacksmith’s daughter. The genuine gratitude and goodwill they had earned for returning her could be the perfect foundation to build on. They just had to do something about this grabby, middle-aged man who seemed to stare at them suspiciously… Elijah’s gaze then drifted over to Coleman and the village head having a back-and-forth.
“Hey, Azeline,” Elijah called out, hoping for some insight from a local or at least to bounce some ideas off of her. However, there was no response. He tried again, a bit louder this time, "Azeline?" Still, nothing. Confused, Elijah looked down to find Azeline with her head lolling to the side, her mouth agape, and a large flow of drool flowing down her face as she found the deep embrace of sleep.
Irritated and somewhat amused at the sight, Elijah gave her shoulder a rough kick. "Hey, Aze! Wake up, goddamnit!" he barked.
Azeline's reaction was immediate. She flailed around violently, nearly tumbling out of the vehicle before she caught herself. She whipped her head towards Elijah and shot him a look that could curdle milk. "WHAT!?" she snarled, clearly not appreciative of being roused in such a manner. “WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT, YOU GODS DAMNED ASSHOLE!?”
An amused and mischievous look spread across Elijah’s face as he huffed continuously in amusement. “Heheheh, well… I got some questions I need to ask you.”
A bitter look formed on Azeline’s face as she swatted away Elijah's boot in outrage. "Why the hell would I answer anything you ask after that!?" she barked, balling her hand into a fist.
Elijah, unfazed and perhaps a bit emboldened by her reaction, looked up at Yana with exaggerated, mock innocence and said in a childish voice as if he were tattling on Azeline, "Yanaaa, she's not helping me."
Yana's tiny head suddenly popped into the turret, looking down at Azeline with an annoyed and incredulous expression. "Hah!?" she exclaimed, clearly taken aback by the scene unfolding below her.
“Guh…” Azeline flinched as her jaw tightened and her fierce looked waivered. For a moment she had completely forgotten about the existence of this damned Fae and was subsequetnly caught off guard. But just as Yana was about to let loose a few choice words of her own, Azeline shouted out first with a voice laced with exasperation, "Fine, fine, fine! What in the hells are your questions!?"
A mischievous and pompous grin was spread across Elijah’s face when he clapped his hands together. “Wonderful!” He shouted in glee before clearing his throat. "Alright, now that I've got your attention... I've been thinking…” His finger danced together as his expression turn contemplative. “So We've got these refugees and this village, right? And soooo… I may have found an opportunity here, but it's delicate.”
Azeline placed a hand to head and started rubbing it to assuage the headache away that was forming. She was close to just turning around and chucking the nearest object at the man, but the omnipresent glare of his patron prevented her from taking any action.
“As our local expert, what is your take on how to… let’s say…” Elijah paused for a moment, trying to figure out the right word in this strange language to express what he was trying to achieve. “Take over this village in a less-than-hostile way.”
Staring at the man as if he was stupid, Azeline remained quiet for a few long moments before responding with a mixture of disbelief and sarcasm, "Just say you're taking over...?" She narrowed her eyes and lightly shook her head as if to say that this was the most obvious solution. Continuing with a tone of incredulity, she added, "And if they resist, you kill the village head and anyone else who says otherwise. What kind of stupid question is that?"
“No, no, no. Just, no.” Elijah pressed both hands to the bridge of his nose before throwing his head back slightly. “I’m not trying to kill them or force them. I’m trying to umm….” His hands started rolling as he tried to think of the words. “Coerce? No. Pressure? No. Manipulate?” He then snapped his fingers and pointed at Azeline before continuing, “Manipulate! I’m trying to manipulate them into listening to us instead of their leader!”
The annoyed look on Azeline’s face softened a bit as she crossed her arms and tapped her finger on her bicep. “Hmmmm… I think I know what you’re trying to get at, but…” She hummed in interest as she began to collect her thoughts before speaking. "I haven't been a serf or a peasant since I was a child, so I'm not overly familiar with their current wants and needs," she confessed. "However, I have experience with taking over villages abandoned by their lords when I was a shield maiden. As far as I know, you've already done quite a bit by saving and returning one of their own. But, these refugees are going to quickly weigh on them and become a burden if left as is."
Elijah started to stroke his beard thoughtfully as he listened. The issue of the refugees was indeed pressing, and their presence could potentially strain their relationship with the villagers if not handled correctly. The main issues were going to be food and shelter, and seeing that the majority of the survivors were women and children, they couldn’t exactly be put to manual labor like military-aged men.
"They’ll eventually have to be relocated," Azeline concluded with a sigh, but her eyes sharpened as she looked over to the eastern horizon. "However… There’s quite a sizable town not too far away from here. Maybe you could get a trade caravan going under your protection. This village is out in the middle of nowhere, so any chance they could get an armed escort, they’ll jump at it.”
That bit of information seemed to light up Elijah’s face. "Okay, okay!” He nearly shouted as he looked over at Coleman, who was finally making his way over. “We could do a few favors, help around with the villagers, and ingratiate ourselves to them. If the village chief or whatever doesn’t like us, he’ll still be undermined by our favorable outlook, and then we could work on turning them against him," Elijah mused, his mind racing with possibilities.
“And if all else fails, you could…” Azeline smiled evilly and slid her hand across her throat. “Do some leadership changes behind the scenes during the Caravan escort.”
Just as Elijah and Azeline were getting into the meat of their nefarious plotting, Coleman arrived, catching the tail end of their cackling madness. The look on his face was one of disgust as he surveyed the scene before him. Elijah, still brimming with the glee of their scheming, barely noticed Coleman's approach until it was too late.
"Great... now there's two of them," Coleman muttered under his breath, his gaze shifting between Elijah and Azeline. The disdain was palpable in his voice as he spoke up, "Do I even want to know?"
“Probably not.” The two troublemakers said at the same time.
“Ryffka.” A voice called out in the periphery of Ryffka’s consciousness.
But the words quickly disappeared as quickly as they came, as deafening and horrifying snaps and hisses of projectiles resounded all around him. Ryffka found himself running through what seemed like an endless field of Kapen Grass as he ran for his life.
Ryffka's heart pounded in his chest wildly as terror gripped his mind. He cursed himself repeatedly, regretting trying to play it smart and join the Auxiliaries for some "valuable" experience before venturing into the independent and treacherous world of being a Freelancer. "Stupid, stupid, stupid," he screamed between labored breaths, the reality of his situation crashing down on him with every step he took through the dense grass that seemed to grip around his legs as if trying to slow him down.
The sounds of the strange and terrifying weapons pursued him relentlessly. Each snap and hiss was a promise of death if he dared to slow his pace. The projectiles struck the ground closer and closer, throwing up clumps of earth and snapping thick blades of grass with each impact. The idea that just moments ago, he had been considering this stint with the Auxiliaries as a mere stepping stone in his career seemed laughably naive now.
“Ryffka, wake up.” The voice called again, more urgently this time. It was a familiar voice, one that he recognized even in his panicked state. But the grip of fear was strong, and he struggled to break free from the terror’s unyielding hold.
With burning lungs, Ryffka pushed his legs to the limit as he made his flight. Ryffka's mind raced, searching desperately for a plan, any plan, to escape this nightmare. He had always prided himself on his ability to think on his feet, but he found himself in a seemingly impossible position.
Desperation started to set in as Ryffka realized just how hopeless his situation was. He was no proper mage with formal training, adorned with an arsenal of powerful spells at his disposal. No, he was merely some random lucky idiot who had learned to read at an early age and had been even luckier to get his hands on a beginner's spellbook. That modest achievement, which had once filled him with pride, now seemed insignificant in the face of the overwhelming force pursuing him.
He knew for a fact that he was outclassed in every conceivable way by these unknown beings, and his end seemed that it wasn’t just a possibility but an inevitability. The advanced magic or — whatever it was that his pursuers wielded — was like nothing he had ever encountered or read about. Each burst of cacophonous barking from their strange weapons was a stark reminder of his impending doom.
And just as this grim acceptance settled over him, a misstep sealed his fate. The thick tendrils of the Kapen Grass finally ensnared him. With a sudden jerk, his legs were yanked back by the usually inert crop, sending him face-first into the unforgiving earth below. An involuntary "oof" escaped his lips as he made contact, the ground knocking the breath from his lungs.
Dazed and confused as to why inanimate grass would usually trap him, Ryffka's eyes went wide with fear as the sound of two heavy thunks resounded just behind him. Turning around, he found two fist-sized orbs slowly rolling his way. A sense of dread and horror filled him as Ryffka opened his mouth to scream, but before a sound could come out, a thundering smack and searing hot pain coursed through his face.
“Wake up; you damned feathered idiot!” Talarion sneered as Ryffka shot up, holding his face with panicked eyes.
Ryffka's face spun around wildly, trying to make sense of his surroundings as his mind reeled from the sudden shift in reality. The last thing he remembered was the terrifying pursuit through the grass, but now he found himself bouncing rhythmically in the back of a carriage. The jostling was disorienting, and for a moment, he could not reconcile how he'd gone from a flight for his life to this.
Talarion's glare was sharp as he let out an exasperated sigh. "We're here," Talarion said, nonchalantly gesturing ahead.
Following the direction of Talarion's hand, Ryffka gazed out of the carriage to see a town built on top of a hill unfolding before them. It was almost impossibly picturesque, with quaint stone houses adorned with creeping vines and blooming flowers. The rooftops were a blend of earthy tones, and the streets were filled with the hustle and bustle of daily life, yet a tranquil harmony seemed to permeate the air.
For a moment, Ryffka simply sat there, taking it all in before a deep and heavy sigh left his mouth. They finally arrived at the town of Glennsworth, and hopefully, the events leading up to this point would turn into a distant nightmare. However, Ryffka knew trying to forget the horrors of how the otherworlders waged war would be impossible, but the town's allure did a lot to soothe his frayed nerves.
“Thank the gods…” Ryffka finally muttered out after flopping back down into the bed of the carriage.
As the lines of stress dissipated on Ryffka’s delicate features, Talarion couldn’t help but roll his eyes. "Yes, thank the gods,” Talarion shouted, gesturing grandly to the sky as they rumbled through the gates of Glennsworth. “Because it was the gods that dragged your sorry dehydrated ass across endless fields of garbage!” Talarion retorted sarcastically with a dry chuckle.
Ryffka looked up at him with an impish smile creeping onto his lips. "I suppose. I owe you a word of thanks." He shot back as his arms went behind his head and his eyes closed. “I would also suppose we could consider ourselves even since I dragged you out of that nightmare in the fort.”
Talarion huffed in feigned annoyance as he leaned against the wall and waved off Ryffka's remark with a wave of his hand. "Ya, whatever. I’m just glad we’re away from those damned demons.” He continued with audible relief in his voice. “It almost felt like we were being chased.”
“Right? It was as if those otherworldly hellspawns were unsatisfied with the fact they hadn’t struck down every soul in that damnable place and dedicated themselves to finishing the job...” Ryffka said in disgust as he let out an exhausted sigh.
Flipping his eyes over his shoulder and looking at the hilltop covered in buildings, Ryffka seemed to murmur to himself rather than to Talarion. "But what's next?"
"We find a way to make ourselves some money here and start gathering supplies," Talarion replied, leaning forward, his voice low and conspiratorial. "We have skills, and this town could use someone of our... talents. We horde as much crap as we can and then high tail it to Aldenshore."
Bringing his hand to his smooth chin, Ryffka considered Talarion's words with a smirk. "Hmmmmmm…" he hummed in interest as he thought this could be another opportunity to gain some experience as a newly budding Freelancer. "I like the sound of that. Plus, we should have some time to relax and spread our wings out before those… things… show up again.”
"Yeah, we'll lay low, gather what we can, and prepare for the road ahead," Talarion agreed, his eyes scanning the marketplace's vibrant stalls and chattering townsfolk. "I doubt they’ll attack somewhere so populated."
Ryffka chuckled lightly and sat up once more, allowing the tension to finally seep out of his shoulders as he watched a group of children chasing each other around a fountain.
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2024.05.04 16:52 Calilover8417 Advice if you want it from someone who failed three times :)
Hi guys - I just passed on my fourth attempt. I literally was starting to think this test was impossible. The pass feels good, but now I just want to help others. Take my advice with a grain of salt, obviously. I remember I used to not want to read the advice posts out of jealousy, but then would read them anyways because I was so desperate lol. Here are the things I did to pass.
submitted by Calilover8417 to CABarExam [link] [comments]
- Get a tutor. I couldn’t afford it. I was so envious of those who had access to help because I knew what a leg up that was for exam takers. I talked to five tutors the day after results, and only one of them truly stuck out to me. I got a second evening job at a restaurant and every penny I’ve made there has went to him. He was worth every penny. He’s the best, DM me if you want his info. I always knew that having a tutor was a huge leg up. Guys, there is a way that the bar examiners want us to answer these questions. Not only does organization and headings matter a ton - It’s things like “consent,” where I thought I knew what that meant as a defense to defamation. But when my tutor asked I couldn’t even put it into words. Consent = voluntary and knowing. That’s what they want to see there. Who knew lmao? Even if you can’t afford it, entertain the idea of finding someone. And then maybe picking up some extra hours somewhere.
- Develop an unbeatable team. Today, the first thing you do is make a list of the people put in your life specifically to help you pass this test. My team of people: my boss at my law firm job, my family, my best friends, my Pilates instructor, and my spiritual mentor. Once you make your list, stick close to those people. Doing something as a team is easier. The bar shouldn’t be done alone.
- NEVER speak illy of the exam. When people tell me “screw that test,” my response is always the same: “I have failed the test three times, and I’m still an advocate for it. It keeps our profession what it is.” It helps your mind. That’s all it does. To bash the test won’t help you at all. Learn to like it because you’re stuck with it for now - and that’s okay.
- GOAT BAR PREP!!!! USE HIM!!! Guys. My MBEs were in the 12th percentile back in July. I found Goat and read through almost every single one of his threads on Reddit, and bought his MBE tricks (they are super cheap). I DMed him and asked for a discount and he gave it to me. This guy changed the game for me!!! My tutor mainly helped me with essays, and without goat I wouldn’t have passed. His stuff was WAY more worth it than adaptibar honestly. Once I got into bed at night, instead of scrolling Instagram - I’d scroll his Reddit thread. When you learn about micro-learning - you learn that scrolling the way we do on Instagram can actually benefit us massively if we do it with something we actually need to study. Micro learn with goat and you will pass. He is also offering discounted tutoring right now in groups :) I’m not sure how to link a reddit page here but just search up GoatBarPrep on Reddit. And then find a comment from Snoo and click his page to his posts. So good.
- Learn about your brain health. I’ve lived with ADHD my whole life and never needed medicine for it. Not even in law school. I started listening to Dr. Daniel Amen (go listen to his episode with Jay Shetty - so good) and he said that sometimes you really may need the medicine for some things and not others. I got the help I needed from doctors and got medicine for this round of the test. It helped me so so much! I also learned to care about the health of my brain from listening to his podcasts. I had no idea that even being just 1% dehydrated causes our brain to function differently. My biggest takeaways: find an exercise you love and do it every day, drink water and stay hydrated, learn material like you are going to teach someone else because our brains appreciate the information more that way, and taking a long deep breath three is considered a reset for the brain.
- Practice. Put in the hard work. Outlining answers doesn’t suffice. Write them out and find someone to grade them. By test day this time - in my fourth study round I did over 50 essays fully written out, 2,000 questions in adaptibar, and 6 PTs. And I was intentional about all of it. Pointless and mindless studying gets us nowhere. It amplifies your study time if you truly tune in and learn to study properly.
- That brings me to this tip which is: learn to study. Looking back at my first three tries on the test, I giggle. There is a correct way to study! And that is to do it intentionally. Everything you do should a purpose and you should know that purpose. So should your tutor. Learn what stuff actually means. What is consent? Wtf is RAP??
- Find a FaceTime study partner. I clocked HOURS with all of my friends on FaceTime. They’d get on and clean their apartment, do work, etc. while I studied. It feels so much less lonely and then you can’t use your phone either (which is a huge battle for me). I’m sure you could even schedule Google meet meetings with people from this page. Grinding with someone else feels so much more productive!
- Most important - don’t give up. I promise you can do it. DM me if you have any questions. I’m gonna make a google drive of all of my study stuff to help people out. Comment if you want it and I gotchu 🤝🏼
2024.04.18 14:03 chaoz_2048 Trisolarizz (fanfiction)
Have u wondered can a human and trisolarian fall in love, two sentient beings capable of love who live on different planets who genuinely have feelings for each other.
I am in chapter 17 and I wonder could all this destructive energy be focussed towards love and cooperation instead.
Let me begin my story. Our protagonist is Claudia a 21 year old clerk, she has a boyfriend Stephen they met at a restaurant and had fallen in love.
One day when Claudia leaves her office and returns home she finds Stephen cheating on her, she is left heartbroken and leaves the room crying she misses the time she spent with Stephen but realises that he is not a person for her she needs someone better.
She tries getting a degree and a career as an astronomer, she meets a man named Tony, who knows of extraterrestrial life, Tony and Claudia like each other but Tony says that he is not Stephen he does not cheat on his girlfriend.
Claudia is upset, she finds no love so she goes to a dating app and is catfished couple of times she gives up.
She finds no love on earth, we humans are greedy and capable of lying which is non ideal quality for true love, she needs a dude who never lies or is ever greedy.
Claudia is upset with humans, she sees a trisolarian message 'you are bugs' she gets afraid. She sees a countdown, she wonders what it could be, is it because of her astrology profession that some higher race is trying to kill her?? She feels this is not the case she thinks this timer is when she will find true love.
Tony meets his girlfriend Juliana she is a blonde with a scarlet dress and she wears the diamond necklace Tony gave her, he is obcessed with Juliana and gives her lavish gifts to celebrate his love but Juliana feels this is too much and she does not deserve this so she refuses Tony's gift but he feels maybe she wants more or she dosent like him.
Tony gets a countdown and is driven mad he looses his mind this time and forgets his principles, he cheats on Juliana with ashley, Melissa and Bertha and feels guilty and commits suicide, Juliana is left crying she feels bad for Tony and reads his death note showing the effects of the countdown.
Juliana suspects Claudia as being responsible for this (as she believes, Claudia is using her skills to trick Tony into having an affair) and shoots her with her pistol, Claudia is injured a trisolarian sophon visits her and tells her she is a beautiful soul and must live, the trisolarian makes a call to the ambulance but the driver is afraid but reaches the site anyway.
Claudia is admitted to the hospital and saved, she thanks the mysterious visitor who saved her life she feels happy and optimistic about the world, the trisolarian sees her charm and develops a crush on her.
The trisolarian becomes her therapist he helps her recover from her trauma, she begins to like him.
Trisolarian asked her questions about the humans world and is very excited learning new things, he tells her the harsh reality of his world and how the chaotic era is to come.
They realise that all the time they spent with each other was a symbol of true love, Claudia said " I don't know where you live, how u look but my feeling for you are real, dear alien" trisolarian sees her beauty and replies ur a perfect human, our species wishes a life like yours we never lie but your species does, you are special u always speak the truth to me.
Claudia and the trisolarian have formed a long distance relationship, she feels he is perfect, the trisolarian informs her he can dehydrate and rehydrate himself so she does not worry about him dying in the chaotic era, Claudia gets a bit sus about her plans.
She asks trisolarian to visit earth one day, but he sadly replies u are beautiful along with ur planet but I can't visit you becausen of two reasons young lady,
1) my planet is too far from you and as a low ranking member of my species I might be dehydrated and killed on the journey, Claudia begins to cry she feels bad for the trisolarians life, she asks him to escape with her to eath.
Trisolarian replies with a shocking revelation to her
2) the princeps those wicked leaders of my world planned to kill you and your people, they want your planet for themselves they hate ur race and think that ur kindness and sweet nature is akin to bugs according to them.
Claudia is noticeably upset but she still loves the trisolarian for his honesty, she says we will escape our homeworlds together our love is beyond planets.
Trisolarian is caught by the guards and brought before the princeps, and questioned upon his beliefs, he says I love a human she is my queen she made my boring life wanting to destroy to a happy life of love.
The princeps without any emotion order him to be executed immediately, he speaks to the excecutioners and tells them have u ever felt love?? The curious excecutioner asks what is that,?? The trisolarian says u want to destroy humas because they can lie, but they can also love and it is not describeably by both of our civilizations, the executioner replied another lie made by the wallfacer to persuade us from our goals.
A sophon is placed on the trisolarians head connecting him to his girlfriend, he calls her saying that he is in danger so Claudia devises a plan she compliments the excecutioner saying that his electric weapon looks epic and she flirts with the excecutioner, the excecutioners feels shy and asks him is that love, does she love me, he replies it is a lie, the excecutioner says I don't care I feel so much better due to her she made me happier than I ever was.
Why are we killing humans they have more than we do not in technology but in their hearts' let's spread the love they share to our world the excecutioner said.
Princeps never knew of this, they said both must be executed, but Claudia intervened and said princeps we are close species, we can coexist without any harm done to any one party we can love each other's culture.
Princeps get afraid and say who is that giantess, they have never seen a human. Claudia informs them that there is a solution to three body problem, they get surprised whatl??
Claudia says, invade mars. The trisolarian says that humans are colonizing mars and they are making suitable habitats there so they (Claudia interrupts and says we) can settle on other planets. The princeps are overjoyed and tell this news to each other. Claudia becomes a beloved figure in trisolarian homeworld.
The trisolarian and Claudia share a virtual kiss, they have a virtualmtour of each other's home world's.
Trisolarians make a ship to reach mars, they start mining the trisolarian in love with Claudia is declared a hero and is allowed to supervise the project he is given free time for communication but it is kinda odd as he gets 8 hrs of free time after 72 hours of work. Thier relationship severed she meets another guy named Jhonny and he meets a trisolarian girl named 192920u29 who is epitome of trisolarian beauty.
They reject the other party and he finishes the work, he asked the princeps for eternal holiday on a spaceship that reaches earth eventually princeps agree after a lot of discussion.
While he boards the spaceship he sees a large sun it comes closer and closer, the sky turns red. He hears a shout!! Dehydrate!! Dehydrate!!!.
He knows this is his end, as the spaceship has no cooling system, the crew members begin to cry Claudia says Barry !!! She names her love.
Barry melts as he tries to dehydrate himself, claudia is totally upset and starts crying, Barry my love don't melt away u are special our species needs us.
The trisolarians try to save Barry but they too melt in the scorching sun. The whole city is destroyed all the pyramids melt, Claudia realises she will never met Barry.
The trisolarian species is destroyed and the planet is absorbed into its sun Alpha Centauri B.
Claudia remembers her interplanetary love and tells it to her friends, but they laugh at her as if it is a joke only she knows the existence of trisolaris.
You are not alone!! You have others..
submitted by chaoz_2048 to threebodyproblem [link] [comments]
I am in chapter 17 and I wonder could all this destructive energy be focussed towards love and cooperation instead.
Let me begin my story. Our protagonist is Claudia a 21 year old clerk, she has a boyfriend Stephen they met at a restaurant and had fallen in love.
One day when Claudia leaves her office and returns home she finds Stephen cheating on her, she is left heartbroken and leaves the room crying she misses the time she spent with Stephen but realises that he is not a person for her she needs someone better.
She tries getting a degree and a career as an astronomer, she meets a man named Tony, who knows of extraterrestrial life, Tony and Claudia like each other but Tony says that he is not Stephen he does not cheat on his girlfriend.
Claudia is upset, she finds no love so she goes to a dating app and is catfished couple of times she gives up.
She finds no love on earth, we humans are greedy and capable of lying which is non ideal quality for true love, she needs a dude who never lies or is ever greedy.
Claudia is upset with humans, she sees a trisolarian message 'you are bugs' she gets afraid. She sees a countdown, she wonders what it could be, is it because of her astrology profession that some higher race is trying to kill her?? She feels this is not the case she thinks this timer is when she will find true love.
Tony meets his girlfriend Juliana she is a blonde with a scarlet dress and she wears the diamond necklace Tony gave her, he is obcessed with Juliana and gives her lavish gifts to celebrate his love but Juliana feels this is too much and she does not deserve this so she refuses Tony's gift but he feels maybe she wants more or she dosent like him.
Tony gets a countdown and is driven mad he looses his mind this time and forgets his principles, he cheats on Juliana with ashley, Melissa and Bertha and feels guilty and commits suicide, Juliana is left crying she feels bad for Tony and reads his death note showing the effects of the countdown.
Juliana suspects Claudia as being responsible for this (as she believes, Claudia is using her skills to trick Tony into having an affair) and shoots her with her pistol, Claudia is injured a trisolarian sophon visits her and tells her she is a beautiful soul and must live, the trisolarian makes a call to the ambulance but the driver is afraid but reaches the site anyway.
Claudia is admitted to the hospital and saved, she thanks the mysterious visitor who saved her life she feels happy and optimistic about the world, the trisolarian sees her charm and develops a crush on her.
The trisolarian becomes her therapist he helps her recover from her trauma, she begins to like him.
Trisolarian asked her questions about the humans world and is very excited learning new things, he tells her the harsh reality of his world and how the chaotic era is to come.
They realise that all the time they spent with each other was a symbol of true love, Claudia said " I don't know where you live, how u look but my feeling for you are real, dear alien" trisolarian sees her beauty and replies ur a perfect human, our species wishes a life like yours we never lie but your species does, you are special u always speak the truth to me.
Claudia and the trisolarian have formed a long distance relationship, she feels he is perfect, the trisolarian informs her he can dehydrate and rehydrate himself so she does not worry about him dying in the chaotic era, Claudia gets a bit sus about her plans.
She asks trisolarian to visit earth one day, but he sadly replies u are beautiful along with ur planet but I can't visit you becausen of two reasons young lady,
1) my planet is too far from you and as a low ranking member of my species I might be dehydrated and killed on the journey, Claudia begins to cry she feels bad for the trisolarians life, she asks him to escape with her to eath.
Trisolarian replies with a shocking revelation to her
2) the princeps those wicked leaders of my world planned to kill you and your people, they want your planet for themselves they hate ur race and think that ur kindness and sweet nature is akin to bugs according to them.
Claudia is noticeably upset but she still loves the trisolarian for his honesty, she says we will escape our homeworlds together our love is beyond planets.
Trisolarian is caught by the guards and brought before the princeps, and questioned upon his beliefs, he says I love a human she is my queen she made my boring life wanting to destroy to a happy life of love.
The princeps without any emotion order him to be executed immediately, he speaks to the excecutioners and tells them have u ever felt love?? The curious excecutioner asks what is that,?? The trisolarian says u want to destroy humas because they can lie, but they can also love and it is not describeably by both of our civilizations, the executioner replied another lie made by the wallfacer to persuade us from our goals.
A sophon is placed on the trisolarians head connecting him to his girlfriend, he calls her saying that he is in danger so Claudia devises a plan she compliments the excecutioner saying that his electric weapon looks epic and she flirts with the excecutioner, the excecutioners feels shy and asks him is that love, does she love me, he replies it is a lie, the excecutioner says I don't care I feel so much better due to her she made me happier than I ever was.
Why are we killing humans they have more than we do not in technology but in their hearts' let's spread the love they share to our world the excecutioner said.
Princeps never knew of this, they said both must be executed, but Claudia intervened and said princeps we are close species, we can coexist without any harm done to any one party we can love each other's culture.
Princeps get afraid and say who is that giantess, they have never seen a human. Claudia informs them that there is a solution to three body problem, they get surprised whatl??
Claudia says, invade mars. The trisolarian says that humans are colonizing mars and they are making suitable habitats there so they (Claudia interrupts and says we) can settle on other planets. The princeps are overjoyed and tell this news to each other. Claudia becomes a beloved figure in trisolarian homeworld.
The trisolarian and Claudia share a virtual kiss, they have a virtualmtour of each other's home world's.
Trisolarians make a ship to reach mars, they start mining the trisolarian in love with Claudia is declared a hero and is allowed to supervise the project he is given free time for communication but it is kinda odd as he gets 8 hrs of free time after 72 hours of work. Thier relationship severed she meets another guy named Jhonny and he meets a trisolarian girl named 192920u29 who is epitome of trisolarian beauty.
They reject the other party and he finishes the work, he asked the princeps for eternal holiday on a spaceship that reaches earth eventually princeps agree after a lot of discussion.
While he boards the spaceship he sees a large sun it comes closer and closer, the sky turns red. He hears a shout!! Dehydrate!! Dehydrate!!!.
He knows this is his end, as the spaceship has no cooling system, the crew members begin to cry Claudia says Barry !!! She names her love.
Barry melts as he tries to dehydrate himself, claudia is totally upset and starts crying, Barry my love don't melt away u are special our species needs us.
The trisolarians try to save Barry but they too melt in the scorching sun. The whole city is destroyed all the pyramids melt, Claudia realises she will never met Barry.
The trisolarian species is destroyed and the planet is absorbed into its sun Alpha Centauri B.
Claudia remembers her interplanetary love and tells it to her friends, but they laugh at her as if it is a joke only she knows the existence of trisolaris.
You are not alone!! You have others..
2024.04.15 10:32 SwrnvM Update of my cat
Hey everyone, I posted on this sub asking for help where I shared a video of my cat breathing uneasily. I am so happy and can finally say he showed major improvements and started behaving like the cheerful boy he used to be.
How it started : My cat usually likes to roam around our garden after lunch / dinner and after 20-30 minutes he returns by himself. We live in our guarded property so no tenants / neighbors within 300 meters of radius. He knows the environment very well. On Saturday night we noticed he didn't return even after 40 minutes and being concerned my mom went out and I was finishing up my office works. My mom gave a call and I immediately recognized something is wrong and rushed there and saw my mom brining him in our room and my cat is on her lap breathing in an abnormal away ( like in the video I shared ) we saw little bit of poop sticking in his butt and tail and in liquid form.
Our anticipation : We were well aware that we might not find support immediately and our anticipation was he's extremely dehydrated and it lead to initial stage of UTI ( Urinary Tract Infection ).
Reasons we couldn't find immediate pet care / support : We live in India, unless someone is in Tier 1 or Tier 2 city it's nearly impossible to find vet clinic in the middle of the night. We have 1/2 local vets here and their profession is just prescribing medications to Cows and Goats and they are inexperienced + untrained and they were unable to prescribe any medicine / unable to detect the cause.
Our first step : We started feeding him his antacid and his ORS ( electrolytes ) as we were quite sure of him being dehydrated and yes we have to be "sure" and depend a bit on our luck as a human and doing what we could to find a solution and none of those would have harmed our cat.
Trying to find vet / support : 3/4 hours passed and we saw him holding up well and we found hope and it seemed he's not thirsty anymore and he layed down and after some time we saw him peeing blood and that was the time we were sure it was UTI / initial stage of UTI due to lack of hydration and heat. In the meantime we called almost all the nearby pharmacies and none of them knew any private vets and as it was midnight we knew it would be impossible for us to find any vet . We decided to look further and the nearest emergency clinic was 150KMs away in a Tier 2 city and we called 4 of the clinics. 2 of them didn't respond, one responded and he sounded extremely sleepy and the last person sounded a bit interested in helping us, he told it wouldn't be possible for him to diagnose without seeing the cat and he suggested we should keep him hydrated till the morning and then reach out to nearby vets.
Waiting till morning : From 3 am to 7 am, it has be one of the most stressful moment for me and mother. First we called a local animal rescue community and asked if they would be able to send us a vet but it wasn't possible as their only vet had another visit in another town but the person suggested to feed him few drops of Alkasol diluted in water which helps with the urinary system and doesn't do any harm. After like an hour we saw the blood in his pee got reduced by a bit but it was still concerning. After an hour, looking though google map and and after calling almost every family and friends my cousin sister who's a nurse trainee told me about a government funded animal welfare clinic and there's vet around that area who's popular in that locality.
Finding Vet : After we knew the vet's name, I searched him up on google map and he registered himself just by his "name" not as a pet clinic / private vet. We immediately called him and he picked up and before saying anything he said as he's getting transferred soon to another state as he works with government hospitals and he said "I will provide contact of my assistant who worked with me and he will be able to assist you". I thanked him and after disconnecting I received his assistant's number and immediately called him and after explaining my problem he gave a time of 3 PM as he had another patients and told us to keep feeding him the medicines that I mentioned before. He's so nice and we could tell he loves animals.
Why I didn't take him to the clinic in our car : Our cat hates getting inside of any car and crowded areas / seeing multiple people and the noise of street. Whenever we travelled with him in our personal car we would be absolutely scared during the entire journey. We already knew if tried doing that again and in that condition, he would probably get a heart attack and on the top that the temperature is currently 31° Celsius + car AC also makes him uncomfortable.
Vet visit : We kept doing what were doing before till 3:10 PM, the vet came with all his medications. He comforted our cat first as he gets scared when he sees unknown people. After getting him comfortable he gave him first dose of antibiotic injection and we let him rest. He told us he's dehydrated and that made his urinary system collapse. He gave us anti-inflammatory drops to feed the cat in prescribed time with some digestion improving medicines and vitamins. The vet told us due to the blood getting out of his body through his pee, he's breathing has increased to fill up for that oxygen he's loosing through his blood. He also told, if the breathing isn't reduced within 4-5 hours, he will visit again and will inject a medicine for that.
Last night : We saw good amount improvements and no blood in his pee anymore and his breathing got close to being normal, we stayed up all the night and for his hydration we kept feeding him his ORS as he was not eating anything as it was normal considering his condition. We felt relived and we were really happy seeing his progress.
Today, morning: The vet came for his second dosage of antibiotic, and he also injected a medicine called "Deriphyllin" to reduce stress from his lungs, along with another medicine to improve his appetite. After his medications and after 2 hours, we saw the sparkle in his eyes again, and he started behaving like the cheerful boy he was 2 days ago. He has pain in his thighs from the injections but still tried to walk in the room by himself. He took me to our stairs and wanted to go to the second floor, but he couldn't due to the thigh pain. So I carried him there on my shoulder, and we roamed there together for a few minutes. He was really happy.
Today is Monday, and before starting my office work, I decided to write this post and give you all the updates. I am smiling and writing this, and I am really grateful to all the people who sent their prayers and showed interest by asking for updates. I am thankful that this community exists. Some left disheartening DMs and comments, but I didn't mind that as I am not that type of person they assumed. Thank you, everyone, and I will post another update after 1 or 2 days. Also, feel free to ask me anything.
submitted by SwrnvM to CATHELP [link] [comments]
How it started : My cat usually likes to roam around our garden after lunch / dinner and after 20-30 minutes he returns by himself. We live in our guarded property so no tenants / neighbors within 300 meters of radius. He knows the environment very well. On Saturday night we noticed he didn't return even after 40 minutes and being concerned my mom went out and I was finishing up my office works. My mom gave a call and I immediately recognized something is wrong and rushed there and saw my mom brining him in our room and my cat is on her lap breathing in an abnormal away ( like in the video I shared ) we saw little bit of poop sticking in his butt and tail and in liquid form.
Our anticipation : We were well aware that we might not find support immediately and our anticipation was he's extremely dehydrated and it lead to initial stage of UTI ( Urinary Tract Infection ).
Reasons we couldn't find immediate pet care / support : We live in India, unless someone is in Tier 1 or Tier 2 city it's nearly impossible to find vet clinic in the middle of the night. We have 1/2 local vets here and their profession is just prescribing medications to Cows and Goats and they are inexperienced + untrained and they were unable to prescribe any medicine / unable to detect the cause.
Our first step : We started feeding him his antacid and his ORS ( electrolytes ) as we were quite sure of him being dehydrated and yes we have to be "sure" and depend a bit on our luck as a human and doing what we could to find a solution and none of those would have harmed our cat.
Trying to find vet / support : 3/4 hours passed and we saw him holding up well and we found hope and it seemed he's not thirsty anymore and he layed down and after some time we saw him peeing blood and that was the time we were sure it was UTI / initial stage of UTI due to lack of hydration and heat. In the meantime we called almost all the nearby pharmacies and none of them knew any private vets and as it was midnight we knew it would be impossible for us to find any vet . We decided to look further and the nearest emergency clinic was 150KMs away in a Tier 2 city and we called 4 of the clinics. 2 of them didn't respond, one responded and he sounded extremely sleepy and the last person sounded a bit interested in helping us, he told it wouldn't be possible for him to diagnose without seeing the cat and he suggested we should keep him hydrated till the morning and then reach out to nearby vets.
Waiting till morning : From 3 am to 7 am, it has be one of the most stressful moment for me and mother. First we called a local animal rescue community and asked if they would be able to send us a vet but it wasn't possible as their only vet had another visit in another town but the person suggested to feed him few drops of Alkasol diluted in water which helps with the urinary system and doesn't do any harm. After like an hour we saw the blood in his pee got reduced by a bit but it was still concerning. After an hour, looking though google map and and after calling almost every family and friends my cousin sister who's a nurse trainee told me about a government funded animal welfare clinic and there's vet around that area who's popular in that locality.
Finding Vet : After we knew the vet's name, I searched him up on google map and he registered himself just by his "name" not as a pet clinic / private vet. We immediately called him and he picked up and before saying anything he said as he's getting transferred soon to another state as he works with government hospitals and he said "I will provide contact of my assistant who worked with me and he will be able to assist you". I thanked him and after disconnecting I received his assistant's number and immediately called him and after explaining my problem he gave a time of 3 PM as he had another patients and told us to keep feeding him the medicines that I mentioned before. He's so nice and we could tell he loves animals.
Why I didn't take him to the clinic in our car : Our cat hates getting inside of any car and crowded areas / seeing multiple people and the noise of street. Whenever we travelled with him in our personal car we would be absolutely scared during the entire journey. We already knew if tried doing that again and in that condition, he would probably get a heart attack and on the top that the temperature is currently 31° Celsius + car AC also makes him uncomfortable.
Vet visit : We kept doing what were doing before till 3:10 PM, the vet came with all his medications. He comforted our cat first as he gets scared when he sees unknown people. After getting him comfortable he gave him first dose of antibiotic injection and we let him rest. He told us he's dehydrated and that made his urinary system collapse. He gave us anti-inflammatory drops to feed the cat in prescribed time with some digestion improving medicines and vitamins. The vet told us due to the blood getting out of his body through his pee, he's breathing has increased to fill up for that oxygen he's loosing through his blood. He also told, if the breathing isn't reduced within 4-5 hours, he will visit again and will inject a medicine for that.
Last night : We saw good amount improvements and no blood in his pee anymore and his breathing got close to being normal, we stayed up all the night and for his hydration we kept feeding him his ORS as he was not eating anything as it was normal considering his condition. We felt relived and we were really happy seeing his progress.
Today, morning: The vet came for his second dosage of antibiotic, and he also injected a medicine called "Deriphyllin" to reduce stress from his lungs, along with another medicine to improve his appetite. After his medications and after 2 hours, we saw the sparkle in his eyes again, and he started behaving like the cheerful boy he was 2 days ago. He has pain in his thighs from the injections but still tried to walk in the room by himself. He took me to our stairs and wanted to go to the second floor, but he couldn't due to the thigh pain. So I carried him there on my shoulder, and we roamed there together for a few minutes. He was really happy.
Today is Monday, and before starting my office work, I decided to write this post and give you all the updates. I am smiling and writing this, and I am really grateful to all the people who sent their prayers and showed interest by asking for updates. I am thankful that this community exists. Some left disheartening DMs and comments, but I didn't mind that as I am not that type of person they assumed. Thank you, everyone, and I will post another update after 1 or 2 days. Also, feel free to ask me anything.
2024.04.15 10:30 SwrnvM Update of my cat : breathing issue.
Hey everyone, I posted on this sub asking for help where I shared a video of my cat breathing uneasily. I am so happy and can finally say he showed major improvements and started behaving like the cheerful boy he used to be.
How it started : My cat usually likes to roam around our garden after lunch / dinner and after 20-30 minutes he returns by himself. We live in our guarded property so no tenants / neighbors within 300 meters of radius. He knows the environment very well. On Saturday night we noticed he didn't return even after 40 minutes and being concerned my mom went out and I was finishing up my office works. My mom gave a call and I immediately recognized something is wrong and rushed there and saw my mom brining him in our room and my cat is on her lap breathing in an abnormal away ( like in the video I shared ) we saw little bit of poop sticking in his butt and tail and in liquid form.
Our anticipation : We were well aware that we might not find support immediately and our anticipation was he's extremely dehydrated and it lead to initial stage of UTI ( Urinary Tract Infection ).
Reasons we couldn't find immediate pet care / support : We live in India, unless someone is in Tier 1 or Tier 2 city it's nearly impossible to find vet clinic in the middle of the night. We have 1/2 local vets here and their profession is just prescribing medications to Cows and Goats and they are inexperienced + untrained and they were unable to prescribe any medicine / unable to detect the cause.
Our first step : We started feeding him his antacid and his ORS ( electrolytes ) as we were quite sure of him being dehydrated and yes we have to be "sure" and depend a bit on our luck as a human and doing what we could to find a solution and none of those would have harmed our cat.
Trying to find vet / support : 3/4 hours passed and we saw him holding up well and we found hope and it seemed he's not thirsty anymore and he layed down and after some time we saw him peeing blood and that was the time we were sure it was UTI / initial stage of UTI due to lack of hydration and heat. In the meantime we called almost all the nearby pharmacies and none of them knew any private vets and as it was midnight we knew it would be impossible for us to find any vet . We decided to look further and the nearest emergency clinic was 150KMs away in a Tier 2 city and we called 4 of the clinics. 2 of them didn't respond, one responded and he sounded extremely sleepy and the last person sounded a bit interested in helping us, he told it wouldn't be possible for him to diagnose without seeing the cat and he suggested we should keep him hydrated till the morning and then reach out to nearby vets.
Waiting till morning : From 3 am to 7 am, it has be one of the most stressful moment for me and mother. First we called a local animal rescue community and asked if they would be able to send us a vet but it wasn't possible as their only vet had another visit in another town but the person suggested to feed him few drops of Alkasol diluted in water which helps with the urinary system and doesn't do any harm. After like an hour we saw the blood in his pee got reduced by a bit but it was still concerning. After an hour, looking though google map and and after calling almost every family and friends my cousin sister who's a nurse trainee told me about a government funded animal welfare clinic and there's vet around that area who's popular in that locality.
Finding Vet : After we knew the vet's name, I searched him up on google map and he registered himself just by his "name" not as a pet clinic / private vet. We immediately called him and he picked up and before saying anything he said as he's getting transferred soon to another state as he works with government hospitals and he said "I will provide contact of my assistant who worked with me and he will be able to assist you". I thanked him and after disconnecting I received his assistant's number and immediately called him and after explaining my problem he gave a time of 3 PM as he had another patients and told us to keep feeding him the medicines that I mentioned before. He's so nice and we could tell he loves animals.
Why I didn't take him to the clinic in our car : Our cat hates getting inside of any car and crowded areas / seeing multiple people and the noise of street. Whenever we travelled with him in our personal car we would be absolutely scared during the entire journey. We already knew if tried doing that again and in that condition, he would probably get a heart attack and on the top that the temperature is currently 31° Celsius + car AC also makes him uncomfortable.
Vet visit : We kept doing what were doing before till 3:10 PM, the vet came with all his medications. He comforted our cat first as he gets scared when he sees unknown people. After getting him comfortable he gave him first dose of antibiotic injection and we let him rest. He told us he's dehydrated and that made his urinary system collapse. He gave us anti-inflammatory drops to feed the cat in prescribed time with some digestion improving medicines and vitamins. The vet told us due to the blood getting out of his body through his pee, he's breathing has increased to fill up for that oxygen he's loosing through his blood. He also told, if the breathing isn't reduced within 4-5 hours, he will visit again and will inject a medicine for that.
Last night : We saw good amount improvements and no blood in his pee anymore and his breathing got close to being normal, we stayed up all the night and for his hydration we kept feeding him his ORS as he was not eating anything as it was normal considering his condition. We felt relived and we were really happy seeing his progress.
Today, morning: The vet came for his second dosage of antibiotic, and he also injected a medicine called "Deriphyllin" to reduce stress from his lungs, along with another medicine to improve his appetite. After his medications and after 2 hours, we saw the sparkle in his eyes again, and he started behaving like the cheerful boy he was 2 days ago. He has pain in his thighs from the injections but still tried to walk in the room by himself. He took me to our stairs and wanted to go to the second floor, but he couldn't due to the thigh pain. So I carried him there on my shoulder, and we roamed there together for a few minutes. He was really happy.
Today is Monday, and before starting my office work, I decided to write this post and give you all the updates. I am smiling and writing this, and I am really grateful to all the people who sent their prayers and showed interest by asking for updates. I am thankful that this community exists. Some left disheartening DMs and comments, but I didn't mind that as I am not that type of person they assumed. Thank you, everyone, and I will post another update after 1 or 2 days. Also, feel free to ask me anything.
submitted by SwrnvM to cats [link] [comments]
How it started : My cat usually likes to roam around our garden after lunch / dinner and after 20-30 minutes he returns by himself. We live in our guarded property so no tenants / neighbors within 300 meters of radius. He knows the environment very well. On Saturday night we noticed he didn't return even after 40 minutes and being concerned my mom went out and I was finishing up my office works. My mom gave a call and I immediately recognized something is wrong and rushed there and saw my mom brining him in our room and my cat is on her lap breathing in an abnormal away ( like in the video I shared ) we saw little bit of poop sticking in his butt and tail and in liquid form.
Our anticipation : We were well aware that we might not find support immediately and our anticipation was he's extremely dehydrated and it lead to initial stage of UTI ( Urinary Tract Infection ).
Reasons we couldn't find immediate pet care / support : We live in India, unless someone is in Tier 1 or Tier 2 city it's nearly impossible to find vet clinic in the middle of the night. We have 1/2 local vets here and their profession is just prescribing medications to Cows and Goats and they are inexperienced + untrained and they were unable to prescribe any medicine / unable to detect the cause.
Our first step : We started feeding him his antacid and his ORS ( electrolytes ) as we were quite sure of him being dehydrated and yes we have to be "sure" and depend a bit on our luck as a human and doing what we could to find a solution and none of those would have harmed our cat.
Trying to find vet / support : 3/4 hours passed and we saw him holding up well and we found hope and it seemed he's not thirsty anymore and he layed down and after some time we saw him peeing blood and that was the time we were sure it was UTI / initial stage of UTI due to lack of hydration and heat. In the meantime we called almost all the nearby pharmacies and none of them knew any private vets and as it was midnight we knew it would be impossible for us to find any vet . We decided to look further and the nearest emergency clinic was 150KMs away in a Tier 2 city and we called 4 of the clinics. 2 of them didn't respond, one responded and he sounded extremely sleepy and the last person sounded a bit interested in helping us, he told it wouldn't be possible for him to diagnose without seeing the cat and he suggested we should keep him hydrated till the morning and then reach out to nearby vets.
Waiting till morning : From 3 am to 7 am, it has be one of the most stressful moment for me and mother. First we called a local animal rescue community and asked if they would be able to send us a vet but it wasn't possible as their only vet had another visit in another town but the person suggested to feed him few drops of Alkasol diluted in water which helps with the urinary system and doesn't do any harm. After like an hour we saw the blood in his pee got reduced by a bit but it was still concerning. After an hour, looking though google map and and after calling almost every family and friends my cousin sister who's a nurse trainee told me about a government funded animal welfare clinic and there's vet around that area who's popular in that locality.
Finding Vet : After we knew the vet's name, I searched him up on google map and he registered himself just by his "name" not as a pet clinic / private vet. We immediately called him and he picked up and before saying anything he said as he's getting transferred soon to another state as he works with government hospitals and he said "I will provide contact of my assistant who worked with me and he will be able to assist you". I thanked him and after disconnecting I received his assistant's number and immediately called him and after explaining my problem he gave a time of 3 PM as he had another patients and told us to keep feeding him the medicines that I mentioned before. He's so nice and we could tell he loves animals.
Why I didn't take him to the clinic in our car : Our cat hates getting inside of any car and crowded areas / seeing multiple people and the noise of street. Whenever we travelled with him in our personal car we would be absolutely scared during the entire journey. We already knew if tried doing that again and in that condition, he would probably get a heart attack and on the top that the temperature is currently 31° Celsius + car AC also makes him uncomfortable.
Vet visit : We kept doing what were doing before till 3:10 PM, the vet came with all his medications. He comforted our cat first as he gets scared when he sees unknown people. After getting him comfortable he gave him first dose of antibiotic injection and we let him rest. He told us he's dehydrated and that made his urinary system collapse. He gave us anti-inflammatory drops to feed the cat in prescribed time with some digestion improving medicines and vitamins. The vet told us due to the blood getting out of his body through his pee, he's breathing has increased to fill up for that oxygen he's loosing through his blood. He also told, if the breathing isn't reduced within 4-5 hours, he will visit again and will inject a medicine for that.
Last night : We saw good amount improvements and no blood in his pee anymore and his breathing got close to being normal, we stayed up all the night and for his hydration we kept feeding him his ORS as he was not eating anything as it was normal considering his condition. We felt relived and we were really happy seeing his progress.
Today, morning: The vet came for his second dosage of antibiotic, and he also injected a medicine called "Deriphyllin" to reduce stress from his lungs, along with another medicine to improve his appetite. After his medications and after 2 hours, we saw the sparkle in his eyes again, and he started behaving like the cheerful boy he was 2 days ago. He has pain in his thighs from the injections but still tried to walk in the room by himself. He took me to our stairs and wanted to go to the second floor, but he couldn't due to the thigh pain. So I carried him there on my shoulder, and we roamed there together for a few minutes. He was really happy.
Today is Monday, and before starting my office work, I decided to write this post and give you all the updates. I am smiling and writing this, and I am really grateful to all the people who sent their prayers and showed interest by asking for updates. I am thankful that this community exists. Some left disheartening DMs and comments, but I didn't mind that as I am not that type of person they assumed. Thank you, everyone, and I will post another update after 1 or 2 days. Also, feel free to ask me anything.
2024.04.13 17:46 DiscreteCollectionOS This new fishing item is so OP and I think you all know what it is
It’s the smoker. It’s so good guys. I really think it needs a nerf it’s just too good, and I’m gonna discuss why.
So first- how do you get the smoker? Well, the crafting recipe is bought from Willy’s shop for 10K gold, kinda like how the dehydrator is bought from Pierre’s. However, unlike the dehydrator, this seems to be the only way to get a smoker. The price isn’t too expensive, but does prevent you from getting the recipe immediately (assuming your not playing multiplayer and/or super good at minmaxing the game). Despite this you can get the recipe extremely quickly in the grand scheme of things. While 10k in spring 1 isn’t manageable for most players, by fall of year 1 you should have enough gold to buy the recipe. I’d even say that most players will get enough by middle of their first summer.
Now- it’s crafted with 10 hardwood and 1 of each of the new jellies. These jellies aren’t hard to catch. They have a chance at being pulled seemingly when the game gives trash. The better the luck, the less likely trash will be pulled and the more likely it will be a jelly. They can also be produced by certain fish in a fish pond as long as you have a certain population. The hardwood needed in this recipe is also fairly inexpensive. 1 day in the secret woods and you can get more than enough to craft it.
So now let’s talk about what it does. The smoker takes 1 piece of coal and 1 fish- and turns it into a single smoked fish. The smoked fish sells for 2x of the original fish’s price in mere minutes. But that’s not all- as the real great things about the smoker are the bonuses that come with the skill buffs, and the fact that the smoker carries over the quality. This is so broken- that I feel it needs a nerf
So I’m gonna do some math real quick here. The smoked fish counts as an artisan buff. This means that it sells for 1.4x as much as it would normally sell for if you have the level 10 farming skill “Artisan”.
fish(2 x 1.4) = 2.8fish
But that’s not all, because it also stacks with the fisher and angler professions. So we are just going to pick the better angler profession. If you have picked the pirate profession at level 10, then this won’t be nearly as good, but still
fish(1.5 x 2) = 3fish
Since these stack, the correct formula is shown below.
fish(1.5 x 2) x 1.4 = 4.2fish
THATS RIGHT! THE SMOKER OVER QUADRUPLES THE SELL PRICE OF THE FISH PUT IN! So, the highest selling non-legendary fish in the game is the lava eel. It’s base sell price is 900 gold for a standard quality. Assuming you picked all the right skills, we can plug it into our formula.
900(1.5 x 2) x 1.4 = 3780g from 1 regular quality lava eel and 1 coal
Now then- let’s push this to it’s limit. Legend II sells for the same price as the legend, and is technically renewable. As long as the Extended Family Quest is active, you can catch a single Legend II. So most players will probably sell this one, unlike the original legendary fish, all of which can only be caught once. The legend and legend 2 sell at iridium quality for 10k gold.
10000(1.5 x 2) x 1.4 = 42000 GOLD. FROM A SINGLE FISH
The smoker is way too easy to craft for the potential profits it can earn, and is unlocked fairly early in the game. It gives an insane boost to fishing, making a skill that could already earn good money if you knew what you were doing, infinitely better. That and the other buffs to fishing this update, make fishing extremely good now. I think the smoker is too good for how cheap it is to craft and obtain. Simply making it cost even double or triple the price would make this issue feel a lot less intense than it feels now.
submitted by DiscreteCollectionOS to StardewValley [link] [comments]
So first- how do you get the smoker? Well, the crafting recipe is bought from Willy’s shop for 10K gold, kinda like how the dehydrator is bought from Pierre’s. However, unlike the dehydrator, this seems to be the only way to get a smoker. The price isn’t too expensive, but does prevent you from getting the recipe immediately (assuming your not playing multiplayer and/or super good at minmaxing the game). Despite this you can get the recipe extremely quickly in the grand scheme of things. While 10k in spring 1 isn’t manageable for most players, by fall of year 1 you should have enough gold to buy the recipe. I’d even say that most players will get enough by middle of their first summer.
Now- it’s crafted with 10 hardwood and 1 of each of the new jellies. These jellies aren’t hard to catch. They have a chance at being pulled seemingly when the game gives trash. The better the luck, the less likely trash will be pulled and the more likely it will be a jelly. They can also be produced by certain fish in a fish pond as long as you have a certain population. The hardwood needed in this recipe is also fairly inexpensive. 1 day in the secret woods and you can get more than enough to craft it.
So now let’s talk about what it does. The smoker takes 1 piece of coal and 1 fish- and turns it into a single smoked fish. The smoked fish sells for 2x of the original fish’s price in mere minutes. But that’s not all- as the real great things about the smoker are the bonuses that come with the skill buffs, and the fact that the smoker carries over the quality. This is so broken- that I feel it needs a nerf
So I’m gonna do some math real quick here. The smoked fish counts as an artisan buff. This means that it sells for 1.4x as much as it would normally sell for if you have the level 10 farming skill “Artisan”.
fish(2 x 1.4) = 2.8fish
But that’s not all, because it also stacks with the fisher and angler professions. So we are just going to pick the better angler profession. If you have picked the pirate profession at level 10, then this won’t be nearly as good, but still
fish(1.5 x 2) = 3fish
Since these stack, the correct formula is shown below.
fish(1.5 x 2) x 1.4 = 4.2fish
THATS RIGHT! THE SMOKER OVER QUADRUPLES THE SELL PRICE OF THE FISH PUT IN! So, the highest selling non-legendary fish in the game is the lava eel. It’s base sell price is 900 gold for a standard quality. Assuming you picked all the right skills, we can plug it into our formula.
900(1.5 x 2) x 1.4 = 3780g from 1 regular quality lava eel and 1 coal
Now then- let’s push this to it’s limit. Legend II sells for the same price as the legend, and is technically renewable. As long as the Extended Family Quest is active, you can catch a single Legend II. So most players will probably sell this one, unlike the original legendary fish, all of which can only be caught once. The legend and legend 2 sell at iridium quality for 10k gold.
10000(1.5 x 2) x 1.4 = 42000 GOLD. FROM A SINGLE FISH
The smoker is way too easy to craft for the potential profits it can earn, and is unlocked fairly early in the game. It gives an insane boost to fishing, making a skill that could already earn good money if you knew what you were doing, infinitely better. That and the other buffs to fishing this update, make fishing extremely good now. I think the smoker is too good for how cheap it is to craft and obtain. Simply making it cost even double or triple the price would make this issue feel a lot less intense than it feels now.
2024.04.13 16:21 Odisher7 Constant regeneration in Aged modpack
I have a constant regeneration effect that refreshes every few seconds and that makes me immortal. What is causing it?
Mod list:
submitted by Odisher7 to feedthebeast [link] [comments]
Mod list:
- 🟢 [EMF] Entity Model Features
- 🟢 [ETF] Entity Texture Features
- 🟢 3D Skin Layers
- 🟢 AdditionZ
- 🟢 Advancement Plaques
- 🟢 AdventureZ
- 🔵 Aged-Addition
- 🟢 Alternate Current
- 🟢 Ambient Environment
- 🟢 Ambient Sounds
- 🟢 Amecs
- 🟢 Antique Atlas 4
- 🟢 Apple Skin
- 🟢 Archers (RPG Series)
- 🟢 Architectury API
- 🟢 Areas
- 🟢 Armorful
- 🟢 ARRP
- 🟢 Async Locator
- 🟢 Athena
- 🟢 Attribute Fix
- 🟢 Auto Third Person
- 🟢 Auto Tag
- 🟢 AzureLib
- 🟢 AzureLib Armor
- 🟢 Backslot
- 🟢 Backslot Addon
- 🟢 BadOptimizations
- 🟢 Balm
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2024.04.12 16:03 Volybear Trying to do the math on Wine VS New option
So, I am trying to do the Math on Wine vs Dehydrator when it comes to Ancient Fruits. To my calculations, I learn that Dehydrator is much better than making and aging Wine.
Now, since I read here and there that wine is still the best option and I am not sure if my math is correct, so I was hoping to get some help here.
Ancient Fruit regrows every 7 days. It has a base value of 550.
If turned into Iridium Quality Wine, it takes 63 days (Making wine, Aging) and sells for 3300. That would make it 52.3 / day. If we calculate this for 5 pieces of Ancient Fruit, it gives us 261.5 per day.
If we dehydrate it, it only takes one day but 5 pieces of fruit. This then sells for 4150, meaning 4150 per day.
I feel like I am making a mistake somewhere along here, because this would mean dehydrate is much better than Wine? Is it just because I calculate it in time spent, not just highest sell price?
Do others just rather let it sit for days, not have to worry about it? Also, I think the space and resources to set up Dehydrator is much cheaper than Kegs and Casks.
EDIT
From what I've learned from the comments, my math is correct, but the best way is skipping the Aging part.
If you sell your wine, at normal quality, it only takes 7 days to make, meaning 235 per day and for 5, this becomes 1178 per day. This also aligns very nicely with the growth period of Ancient Fruit, meaning, if you build the exact amount of kegs, you profit every 7 days without excess.
All these calculations are done without accounting for the Artisan profession, meaning the prices might differ with those, but I doubt it would change the outcome.
Overall, Aging is not worth it. Kegs is the way with high selling items, dehydrator for fruits that produces multiple or often (Blueberries etc)
submitted by Volybear to StardewValley [link] [comments]
Now, since I read here and there that wine is still the best option and I am not sure if my math is correct, so I was hoping to get some help here.
Ancient Fruit regrows every 7 days. It has a base value of 550.
If turned into Iridium Quality Wine, it takes 63 days (Making wine, Aging) and sells for 3300. That would make it 52.3 / day. If we calculate this for 5 pieces of Ancient Fruit, it gives us 261.5 per day.
If we dehydrate it, it only takes one day but 5 pieces of fruit. This then sells for 4150, meaning 4150 per day.
I feel like I am making a mistake somewhere along here, because this would mean dehydrate is much better than Wine? Is it just because I calculate it in time spent, not just highest sell price?
Do others just rather let it sit for days, not have to worry about it? Also, I think the space and resources to set up Dehydrator is much cheaper than Kegs and Casks.
EDIT
From what I've learned from the comments, my math is correct, but the best way is skipping the Aging part.
If you sell your wine, at normal quality, it only takes 7 days to make, meaning 235 per day and for 5, this becomes 1178 per day. This also aligns very nicely with the growth period of Ancient Fruit, meaning, if you build the exact amount of kegs, you profit every 7 days without excess.
All these calculations are done without accounting for the Artisan profession, meaning the prices might differ with those, but I doubt it would change the outcome.
Overall, Aging is not worth it. Kegs is the way with high selling items, dehydrator for fruits that produces multiple or often (Blueberries etc)
2024.04.08 12:55 drchavaanjanent Voice disorders - Diagnosis and Treatment Voice disorders - Symptoms and causes
 | A Voice Disorder occurs when voice quality, pitch and loudness differ or inappropriate for an individual age, gender, abnormal voice. It may be structural, functional and neurogenic voice disorder & also psychogenic voice disorders. submitted by drchavaanjanent to u/drchavaanjanent [link] [comments] https://preview.redd.it/cwwtineqj8tc1.jpg?width=526&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cb4375052c52ba723ca466981ce55dcb90b763ab Causes Your voice box (larynx) is made up of cartilage, muscle, and mucous membranes and is located between the top of your windpipe (trachea) and the base of your tongue. At the windpipe's entry are two flexible bands of muscle tissue called the vocal cords. When your vocal chords vibrate, sound is produced. Air passing through the larynx causes this vibration, which brings your voice chords closer together. When you swallow, your vocal cords also help shut your voice box, keeping you from inhaling food or fluids. Your vocal cords cannot function correctly if they get inflamed, acquire growths, or become paralysed, and you may have a voice issue. The following are some of the most frequent vocal disorders: • Laryngitis • Muscle tension dysphonia • Neurological voice problems such as spasmodic dysphonia • Polyps, nodules, or cysts on the vocal cords (noncancerous lesions) • Precancerous and cancerous lesions Risk Factors A voice issue can be caused by a number of circumstances, including: • Aging • Alcoholism • Allergies • GERD • Illnesses such as colds or upper respiratory infections • Improper throat cleaning over time • Neurological issues • Stress • Scarring from neck surgery or injuries to the front of the neck • Screaming • Smoking • Throat cancer • Throat dehydration • Thyroid disorders • Misuse or overuse of the voice Voice disorders can happen to anyone, regardless of profession or existing health conditions. There are various factors that can either trigger or aggravate these disorders. 🗣️ At ASIAN ENT CARE CENTRE, we understand the impact of voice disorders on your daily life and professional activities. Dr. Chava Anjaneyulu, a Senior ENT Surgeon and Chairman of our center, specializes in diagnosing and treating a wide range of voice disorders. 🌟 Why Choose Us: 1️⃣ Senior ENT Surgeon 2️⃣ Chairman of Asian ENT Care Centre 3️⃣ Expertise in Voice Disorders 4️⃣ Comprehensive Evaluation and Treatment 5️⃣ Tailored Solutions for Every Patient 6️⃣ Dedicated to Your Vocal Health and Well-being Whether you're a teacher, singer, call center agent, or anyone experiencing voice-related issues, we're here to help you regain confidence in your voice. 🕰️ Clinic Timings: 🗓️ Monday to Saturday ⏰ 10:00 AM - 1:30 PM & 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM BOOK YOUR APPOINTMENT WITH OUR ENT EXPERT TODAY! 📞 Call Us: +91 8179033446 💻 Visit Our Website: https://drchavaanjanentcarecentre.com/ |
2024.04.05 19:36 Amxhydro Mass Murder & Mayhem by a Hospital
Previously posted on Serial Killers, but removed because it was not about a specific serial killer
Sutter the largest hospital chain in California has had for at least 9 years a program to murder poor, elderly, disabled patients called 'Comfort Care'. The name is similar to 'Comfort Focused Treatment' a phrase found on a State of Calif form (POLST) where the patient has dictated the level of care they are to receive if incapacitated. The difference is Sutter uses morphine to prevent the patient from eating or drinking so they die of dehydration. The process takes two weeks.
Sutter has a regional office that covers the San Francisco Bay Area with a dedicated staff that tracks victims that have been targeted. That staff, pursues intended victims year after year. In my mother Eve's case Sutters hit team would show up every time she was at Mills-Peninsula. Five times over 5 years to proposition me for permission to murder her. They presented the State POLST form. If I would agree to the Comfort Focused Treatment they would murder her. Mills has a ward where they carry out theses murders. They do not wait for permission. Sutter's team was in the ICU trying to remove Eve from the ventilator without extubation therapy knowing it would be fatal. Only the ICU's chief physician's intervention saved her. That was temporary, once he left and Sutter transferred Eve to Comfort Care she was killed. No local or State law enforcement, nor regulatory agency will intercede. No medical malpractice attorney's are interested. A past head prosecutor for Calif. medical crimes speculated if State wide and if operating for more then 9 years Sutter likely has a body count that is only eclipsed by Charles Cullen who's murders are features in the book and movie The Good Nurse. I have found no investigative reporters who are interested. Those who commit the murder make no secret of what they do. Calif. Medical and Nursing Boards have their confessions, but will not report it to law enforcement. Nursing Board claims Sutter's nurses killed Eve they just did not murder her. The Medical Board's response is they do not regulate murder. CAL OES 2-920 requires doctors and nurses report suspicious death.
An ICU patient can cost $5,000 a day. Medicare reimburses 18% and Sutter pays the rest. So Sutter has a financial incentive. Some Sutter staff are on board, others are not. Once in Comfort Care the doctor that ran the ward got tired of Eve not dying after starving her for a week so he murdered her with an overdose of morphine. There is no regulation in hospitals to stop Sutter. The most outlandish excuses by Sutter's team and the nursing staff that conspire with them suffices because they have never been challenged. Sutter is going to murder the person they have targeted and there is no authority who will stop them. Local police will not intercede nor will adult protective services. The Calif. Dept. of Public Health (DPH) that licenses Sutter investigated and took two murder confessions, but then stopped and sought to cover it up. I have their report. I have subpoenaed the Medical and Nursing Board's murder confessions, but they refuse to produce them. I can not present this to the San Mateo county DA. The only ones who's report of murder are allowed is a doctor or local police. Comfort Care is not hospice. It is an off the books illegal program with no medical records nor operating protocols. Sutter has turned murder into a money saving program with quasi official status. If you are elderly, dependent upon Medicare and are a patient of Sutter you are likely to end up a victim.. Do you have a relative at Sutter that died that falls into these categories? Have you approved Comfort Focused Treatment on your POLST form?
Amxhydro's response to removal from Serial Killers and to public comments.
There is no hospice at Mills. It is offered at other locations under different names. Hospice reception is an involved process that reviews the care to be provide. Eve was moved from the ICU to Comfort Care (CC) by force. She could have gone home but was held against her will. Hospice is voluntary. There are no medical records for CC. Mills' staff that run CC do not claim it is hospice. They state it exists only to murder patients. It does not provide medical care. It has no operating protocols, the doctor and nurses devise ways to kill the person as they go. Hospice is not for free. There is no charge for CC. They are killing the patient to save money. They can murder the patient at any time and by any means. This is attested to by those who run Mills CC. It was also confirmed by the nurses who learned after they got a shift in CC what Sutter was doing and they refused to administer the morphine. They knew doing so would make them dependent on Calif Nursing Board keeping secret their role. The nurse is then also dependent on Sutter for legal defense. The Nursing Board perpetuates Comfort Care by enabling Sutter. Those who have been compromised base Sutter's authority to murder on, “no one has stopped us to date”.
Sutter's staff cites their experience starving patients to death. Starvation is used because it fits their story that they are following the POLST forms Comfort Focused Treatment. The difference is Sutter withholds nourishment and uses morphine to keep the victim unable to swallow. When the morphine wore off Eve would be begging for water. Comfort Focused Treatment is misrepresented as giving consent for murder. It does not. Sutter pushed me to change the POLST form every time I was solicited over 5 years.
The hospitals that caught Charles Cullen gave him referrals to other hospitals. They destroyed evidence and refused to cooperate with the police. Calif. hospital oversight is by Dept. Public Health (DPH). DPH depends upon self policing. The hospital writes their own protocols and DPH just asks that they abide by them. The DPH investigator of my complaint seemed ignorant of CC at first, but after interviewing staff and taking two murder confessions she stopped and attempted to cover it up. I have her notes.
Some on Reddit believe Comfort Care either does not exist or is hospice. Learning Sutter murders with impunity surprised the head of Mills' ICU. Sutter's team came into the ICU to advocate and to carry out Eve's murder. The ICU doctor kicked them out. In doing so he saved Eve's life, but she was later murdered in CC.
Vanderdrift was Calif's past DOJ prosecutor for medical profession murders. He was made aware of Sutter's CC. With Covid he speculated there may be a correlation between it's high ICU fatality rate and Sutter murdering with impunity. In Eve's case Sutter was targeting a functional productive adult. CC is off the books, unchecked and unregulated. The acceptance of the practice by staff, the lame excuse offered, no concern for prosecution, the aggressive manner it is solicited indicated to Vanderdrift it has been operating more than 9 years. Sutter has 20 locations in Calif. Those committing the murder write what ever death certificate they like. Vanderdrift speculated the number of murders is vast and under the radar. With the Covid crush there is no telling who Sutter was targeting. Sutter needs be subjected to a comprehensive forensic analysis not just samples of past individual murders, but pharmaceutical use, statistical review of victims like age, medical condition, disability, financial. Plus by region like Sutter hospitals in poor communities. New Jersey poison control called attention to Charles Cullen's drug of choice. Poison control agencies nation wide were warned to look for similar patterns and as a result two states are now prosecuting serial killers. Calif. poison control has no interest. DPH and Medical & Nursing Boards and the legislative committees that oversee them have cover up suspicious death. The Medical Boards response to me from their investigation is they do not regulate murder. The nurses confessed to murdering Eve, but the Nursing Board claims it was not murder. Both refused to file CAL OES 2-920 suspicious death reports.
To those responding to my Serial Killer posting that believe this is not possible. The CC staff brag that no one has stopped them. Family members who visit someone in CC only see a unconscious person .They do not realize there is no feeding tube and even if they did staff will lie to them. It is only because I spends time in the ICU and CC that I learned what is going on.
Medicare covers only 18% of a 30 day stay in an ICU (pre Covid) that can end up costing Sutter $127,000 per patient. That is an incentive to kill. Sutter started soliciting me when Eve's emergency room visits increased to twice a year.
Some State legislators have sough to confront DPH and the Medical and Nursing board refusal to file OES 2-920's, but they have been stopped by staff on their committees. A legislator even claimed the POLST form's Comfort Focused Treatment gives authority to starve a patient to death. There is a comment on my Reddit posting belittling me because I can't deal with Eve's death. Comments from nurses shows they know the reality of hospice and that hospice & hospital patients are killed all the time. Serial killers operate individually. Sutter the largest hospital system in Calif. is running CC. So a good percentage of Californians face the risk of being victimized
Reddit moderators believe this is not a Serial Killer topic. Is the Serial Killer Reddit community only interested in killers who were caught? CC is run in the bay area by a doctor of ethics and a nurse. It is all they do. The excuses they offer are idiotic because no one has confronted them. Their followers are either nurses who are compromised or those whose employment would be jeopardize. In Cullen's case the county DA did not pursue him. Local police in conjunction with poison control did. San Mateo DA and local police will do nothing. The current State DOJ prosecutor is worthless. Contact the victims' group 4 Fate in Sacramento. They know all the worthless prosecutors and state legislators. The CC victims names are on file as the CC doctors sign the victim's POLST forms. With the Medical and Nursing Board's murder confessions the DA only has to interview Sutter's SF staff to confirm Eve's murder. This case shares similarities with Cullen, beside a record setting body count. The murders are known and have confessed. Cullen confessed every time he was caught. Local, county and state official have covered up both. The hospitals who caught Cullen thwarted the police investigation. Sutter is orchestrating these murders. Those with Sutter who are carrying this out may be deranged, but to many people have already gone along with them.
submitted by Amxhydro to murders [link] [comments]
Sutter the largest hospital chain in California has had for at least 9 years a program to murder poor, elderly, disabled patients called 'Comfort Care'. The name is similar to 'Comfort Focused Treatment' a phrase found on a State of Calif form (POLST) where the patient has dictated the level of care they are to receive if incapacitated. The difference is Sutter uses morphine to prevent the patient from eating or drinking so they die of dehydration. The process takes two weeks.
Sutter has a regional office that covers the San Francisco Bay Area with a dedicated staff that tracks victims that have been targeted. That staff, pursues intended victims year after year. In my mother Eve's case Sutters hit team would show up every time she was at Mills-Peninsula. Five times over 5 years to proposition me for permission to murder her. They presented the State POLST form. If I would agree to the Comfort Focused Treatment they would murder her. Mills has a ward where they carry out theses murders. They do not wait for permission. Sutter's team was in the ICU trying to remove Eve from the ventilator without extubation therapy knowing it would be fatal. Only the ICU's chief physician's intervention saved her. That was temporary, once he left and Sutter transferred Eve to Comfort Care she was killed. No local or State law enforcement, nor regulatory agency will intercede. No medical malpractice attorney's are interested. A past head prosecutor for Calif. medical crimes speculated if State wide and if operating for more then 9 years Sutter likely has a body count that is only eclipsed by Charles Cullen who's murders are features in the book and movie The Good Nurse. I have found no investigative reporters who are interested. Those who commit the murder make no secret of what they do. Calif. Medical and Nursing Boards have their confessions, but will not report it to law enforcement. Nursing Board claims Sutter's nurses killed Eve they just did not murder her. The Medical Board's response is they do not regulate murder. CAL OES 2-920 requires doctors and nurses report suspicious death.
An ICU patient can cost $5,000 a day. Medicare reimburses 18% and Sutter pays the rest. So Sutter has a financial incentive. Some Sutter staff are on board, others are not. Once in Comfort Care the doctor that ran the ward got tired of Eve not dying after starving her for a week so he murdered her with an overdose of morphine. There is no regulation in hospitals to stop Sutter. The most outlandish excuses by Sutter's team and the nursing staff that conspire with them suffices because they have never been challenged. Sutter is going to murder the person they have targeted and there is no authority who will stop them. Local police will not intercede nor will adult protective services. The Calif. Dept. of Public Health (DPH) that licenses Sutter investigated and took two murder confessions, but then stopped and sought to cover it up. I have their report. I have subpoenaed the Medical and Nursing Board's murder confessions, but they refuse to produce them. I can not present this to the San Mateo county DA. The only ones who's report of murder are allowed is a doctor or local police. Comfort Care is not hospice. It is an off the books illegal program with no medical records nor operating protocols. Sutter has turned murder into a money saving program with quasi official status. If you are elderly, dependent upon Medicare and are a patient of Sutter you are likely to end up a victim.. Do you have a relative at Sutter that died that falls into these categories? Have you approved Comfort Focused Treatment on your POLST form?
Amxhydro's response to removal from Serial Killers and to public comments.
There is no hospice at Mills. It is offered at other locations under different names. Hospice reception is an involved process that reviews the care to be provide. Eve was moved from the ICU to Comfort Care (CC) by force. She could have gone home but was held against her will. Hospice is voluntary. There are no medical records for CC. Mills' staff that run CC do not claim it is hospice. They state it exists only to murder patients. It does not provide medical care. It has no operating protocols, the doctor and nurses devise ways to kill the person as they go. Hospice is not for free. There is no charge for CC. They are killing the patient to save money. They can murder the patient at any time and by any means. This is attested to by those who run Mills CC. It was also confirmed by the nurses who learned after they got a shift in CC what Sutter was doing and they refused to administer the morphine. They knew doing so would make them dependent on Calif Nursing Board keeping secret their role. The nurse is then also dependent on Sutter for legal defense. The Nursing Board perpetuates Comfort Care by enabling Sutter. Those who have been compromised base Sutter's authority to murder on, “no one has stopped us to date”.
Sutter's staff cites their experience starving patients to death. Starvation is used because it fits their story that they are following the POLST forms Comfort Focused Treatment. The difference is Sutter withholds nourishment and uses morphine to keep the victim unable to swallow. When the morphine wore off Eve would be begging for water. Comfort Focused Treatment is misrepresented as giving consent for murder. It does not. Sutter pushed me to change the POLST form every time I was solicited over 5 years.
The hospitals that caught Charles Cullen gave him referrals to other hospitals. They destroyed evidence and refused to cooperate with the police. Calif. hospital oversight is by Dept. Public Health (DPH). DPH depends upon self policing. The hospital writes their own protocols and DPH just asks that they abide by them. The DPH investigator of my complaint seemed ignorant of CC at first, but after interviewing staff and taking two murder confessions she stopped and attempted to cover it up. I have her notes.
Some on Reddit believe Comfort Care either does not exist or is hospice. Learning Sutter murders with impunity surprised the head of Mills' ICU. Sutter's team came into the ICU to advocate and to carry out Eve's murder. The ICU doctor kicked them out. In doing so he saved Eve's life, but she was later murdered in CC.
Vanderdrift was Calif's past DOJ prosecutor for medical profession murders. He was made aware of Sutter's CC. With Covid he speculated there may be a correlation between it's high ICU fatality rate and Sutter murdering with impunity. In Eve's case Sutter was targeting a functional productive adult. CC is off the books, unchecked and unregulated. The acceptance of the practice by staff, the lame excuse offered, no concern for prosecution, the aggressive manner it is solicited indicated to Vanderdrift it has been operating more than 9 years. Sutter has 20 locations in Calif. Those committing the murder write what ever death certificate they like. Vanderdrift speculated the number of murders is vast and under the radar. With the Covid crush there is no telling who Sutter was targeting. Sutter needs be subjected to a comprehensive forensic analysis not just samples of past individual murders, but pharmaceutical use, statistical review of victims like age, medical condition, disability, financial. Plus by region like Sutter hospitals in poor communities. New Jersey poison control called attention to Charles Cullen's drug of choice. Poison control agencies nation wide were warned to look for similar patterns and as a result two states are now prosecuting serial killers. Calif. poison control has no interest. DPH and Medical & Nursing Boards and the legislative committees that oversee them have cover up suspicious death. The Medical Boards response to me from their investigation is they do not regulate murder. The nurses confessed to murdering Eve, but the Nursing Board claims it was not murder. Both refused to file CAL OES 2-920 suspicious death reports.
To those responding to my Serial Killer posting that believe this is not possible. The CC staff brag that no one has stopped them. Family members who visit someone in CC only see a unconscious person .They do not realize there is no feeding tube and even if they did staff will lie to them. It is only because I spends time in the ICU and CC that I learned what is going on.
Medicare covers only 18% of a 30 day stay in an ICU (pre Covid) that can end up costing Sutter $127,000 per patient. That is an incentive to kill. Sutter started soliciting me when Eve's emergency room visits increased to twice a year.
Some State legislators have sough to confront DPH and the Medical and Nursing board refusal to file OES 2-920's, but they have been stopped by staff on their committees. A legislator even claimed the POLST form's Comfort Focused Treatment gives authority to starve a patient to death. There is a comment on my Reddit posting belittling me because I can't deal with Eve's death. Comments from nurses shows they know the reality of hospice and that hospice & hospital patients are killed all the time. Serial killers operate individually. Sutter the largest hospital system in Calif. is running CC. So a good percentage of Californians face the risk of being victimized
Reddit moderators believe this is not a Serial Killer topic. Is the Serial Killer Reddit community only interested in killers who were caught? CC is run in the bay area by a doctor of ethics and a nurse. It is all they do. The excuses they offer are idiotic because no one has confronted them. Their followers are either nurses who are compromised or those whose employment would be jeopardize. In Cullen's case the county DA did not pursue him. Local police in conjunction with poison control did. San Mateo DA and local police will do nothing. The current State DOJ prosecutor is worthless. Contact the victims' group 4 Fate in Sacramento. They know all the worthless prosecutors and state legislators. The CC victims names are on file as the CC doctors sign the victim's POLST forms. With the Medical and Nursing Board's murder confessions the DA only has to interview Sutter's SF staff to confirm Eve's murder. This case shares similarities with Cullen, beside a record setting body count. The murders are known and have confessed. Cullen confessed every time he was caught. Local, county and state official have covered up both. The hospitals who caught Cullen thwarted the police investigation. Sutter is orchestrating these murders. Those with Sutter who are carrying this out may be deranged, but to many people have already gone along with them.
2024.04.01 19:06 SilverSodarayg Late Game Money Makers Breakdown (1.5-1.6)
1. Introduction
This will be an in-depth and mathematically dense study into the various endgame (Y3+) methods of making money for the purpose of comparing them in terms of efficiency, speed, and ease of implementation. This has been an ongoing project of mine for months and the only relevant thing 1.6 added did not impact the final conclusion; the entries and discussion around the 1.6 content are marked with spoilers. This guide will only focus on what the best strategies are for making money on your Farm(s), not what any individual may find fun or prefer.Lastly, I am assuming the Farmer is Level 10 in Farming and Mining, with the Tiller, Artisan, and Gemologist professions for what should be obvious reasons. The Farmer also has access to Skull Cavern and Ginger Island.
2. Isn't Starfruit Wine the Best?
Short answer, no. Long answer, yes, sometimes. Any true player of this game has spent more time on the wiki than actually playing the game. You may be familiar with the Keg Productivity page, which shows that Starfruit is the most productive fruit to put in a Keg; meaning, compared to all other fruits, Starfruit allows the Keg to produce Gold the quickest. When our goal is to make as much Gold as quickly as possible, time becomes a currency which we must invest carefully to maximize profit; therefore maximizing productivity, or Gold/Day better than maximizing the raw increases in Gold from processing items.Now notice I said fruit. When sorted by productivity, the top item to put into a Keg is actually Coffee Beans (Tea Leaves are also up there, but only produce at the end of the season so end up being irrelevant). We will circle back to Coffee later, but for now it brings up a good point. The Keg Productivity page is about making a single Keg as profitable as possible. Coffee Beans are able to be so productive not because Coffee is valuable, but because they take far less time to process: 2 hours compared to Wine which takes 6.25 days. Because processing a Coffee takes far less time than it takes to grow Coffee Beans, this means you would need about 25 (math for this later) Coffee plants just to keep a single Keg running full time in order to reach the maximum productivity.
This is where our assumption of being in the endgame is important. When your supply of Kegs is limited, the Keg Productivity page tells you what the best items are to put in them. But when the supply of Kegs becomes less limited, we encounter a different problem. Everything on your Farm, from Crops to Machines to buildings, competes for one thing: space. This is where I'll introduce the second currency, Tiles. You can build dozens of sheds and use up all the space in the Quarry, the fact of the matter is there are a limited number of Tiles (or perhaps more importantly, limited time to visit them) available to the Farmer. If you only had 100 tiles, would you rather have most of them be dedicated to growing Coffee Beans just to supply a few Kegs, or would you rather have a 2:1 ratio of Starfruit and Kegs to output more, higher value Wine? It's not just about making a single Keg as productive as possible, but about making a given Tile as productive as possible. Your farm is a place that turns Tiles and Days into Gold when invested into with Crops and Machines. Thus, in order to maximize productivity in both space and time, the metric we will look at is Gold/TileDay.
3. Inputs, Products, and Machines
The beautiful thing about Gold/TileDay is that, since all machines, buildings, and crops compete for the same resource, Tiles, they can all be compared directly under this metric. This means we can compare every Wine, Juice, Jelly, and Pickle to things like Pale Ale, Honey, Gems in the Crystalarium, and even Caviar and Cheese.Before going further however, I want to note that I did do some math for Animal Products, and it gets really complicated, especially with the Golden Animal Crackers. Coops and Barns can be self enclosed systems that house all the animals, feed, and Machines to make things like Cheese and Mayo, but once you start getting into Friendship and different product qualities it just got too far beyond the scope of what I wanted to do. I will leave in the numbers for the Lava Eel Fish Pond since I found it to be the most interesting, although as you will see this is a poor option compared to everything else. Just have Pigs if you want to make money outdoors. Regarding some 1.6 content, rough calculations show me Sheep with Golden Animal Crackers and either Shepherd could be competitive, and comparing this option to Pigs will probably be my next venture. Shepherd in particular is enticing because once you have the Sheep at max Friendship, you are getting 2 Wool every day per Sheep and Iridium Rancher Wool nearly breaks even with Artisan Cloth (after factoring in the bonus Cloth chance), with the benefit you don't need Looms for Wool so the entire process could be hands off thanks to Auto Petter and Auto Grabber. This setup can almost reach 700 Gold/Tile Day (closer to 650 after factoring in Wool quality chances). Pigs can surpass this so long as you are getting extra Truffles from Forager or just lucky Pigs but it can vary a lot because of all these factors; also dedicating more Tiles to the Pigs is a cost itself. Also, this all assumes Max Friendship and Mood with the Crackers which can take a while to obtain.
This will be the beginning of the technical portion of this analysis where I explain my reasoning and method for calculating the various Gold/TileDay for each product, so if you don't care for the skip down to the Results table.
Some terminology: Inputs will refer to whatever will eventually end up becoming a finished Product, which will be what is sold. Unlike the various productivity pages on the wiki, if a crop is the Input to a Keg or Preserves Jar, I am considering the opportunity cost of that Input to be the cost of that Crop's seed, not the sell price of that Crop. In this setup we are committing a set amount of space for both growing and processing the Crop and can thus always ensure that any seed you buy will be processed eventually and thus never have to consider selling the Crop itself. Machines refer to Kegs, Preserves Jars, Bee Houses, Dehydrators, and Crystalariums. All Inputs have an associated cost, growth time, and product price for whatever they will eventually become (i.e. Starfruit destined to become Wine is different from Starfruit destined to become Jelly). Each Product has its corresponding processing time and associated machine which will be factored into the costs.
Now to briefly explain how I implemented this in MATLAB (code link at bottom on post, feel free to vet or translate to a better language, yes CS people I can hear your boos), the general idea is I set up some arrays with all the numbers mentioned above, each row being an entry for a certain product such as Starfruit Wine or Diamond. There are some other tags which are to distinguish cases where regrowable Crops are done in the Greenhouse/Ginger Island or just for a season, as the fixed costs can be defrayed better in the former case and doing so has a big impact on long term profitability.
The main loop first determines if the Input is seasonal based on the aforementioned tag, then determines the Product type to flow the Input to the correct set of calculations, as Honey and Gems use a separate set of calculations compared to Keg and Preserves Jar Products. The Gold/TileDay of Gems are the simplest, simply being the sell price of that Gem divided by the time it takes to replicate it, as this entire setup only takes one Tile. Honey is more complex, as you have to now factor in the fact that each flower is servicing multiple Bee Houses, and thus not all Tiles are outputting a product but are still necessary to attaining that product. I went with a pretty conservative ratio of 20 Bee Houses for every flower, which can be edited in the code under the "hives" variable. As an example, for a set of 20 Bee Houses and 1 Fairy Rose, 20 Fairy Rose Honey are produced every 4 days, thus the calculation is 20*(680 Gold)*1.4/(4 Days)/(21 Tiles) = 226.67 Gold/TileDay (this assumes a year round production on Ginger Island and thus can ignore the initial growing period of the flower and the cost of its seed).
For Keg and Preserves Jar Products, the calculations are similar but instead of fixing the Crop to Machine ratio at 1:20, an optimal ratio is calculated by dividing the Crop's growth (or regrowth) time by the processing time of the machine. This ratio is then compared to a table of ratios, where the closest but higher value in the table is picked (to ensure there are always enough Crops to supply the Machines), and then the indices of that picked ratio are used to calculated the recommended Crop and Machine amounts (the table is set up in such a way to allow this calculation). As an example, Starfruit takes 13 days to grow and Wine takes 6.25 days to make, which gives a ratio of 2.08. At the default resolution of 65 (which is the largest integer allowed in the dividend or divisor), it recommends a ratio of 52 Starfruit Crops and 25 Kegs, which is 2.08 exactly. The Gold/TileDay is calculated similarly to Honey, using the maximum between Crop amount of Machine amount for product amount and the Maximum between Crop growth time and Machine processing time for the number of days it takes. This ensures the correct bottleneck is always used as if the Crops take longer to grow than it takes the Machines to process, there must be more Crops than Machines and vice versa.
As a final note, for reproducing crops grown for only a season, I considered their growth time to be the maximum amount of harvests that season divided by 28 days. If you have a surplus you can still run your Kegs full time for the season that the Crop is growing and you will "catch up" at the end of the season. For reproducing crops in the Greenhouse or Ginger Island, their growth time is simply their regrowth time. Additionally, Crops with multiple Crops per harvest had their growth time to be considered whatever it is normally (or how I have laid out above for a reproducing and multiples crop like Blueberries) divided by the average amount of crops per Harvest. Coffee Beans also follow this rule, although I considered the processing time for Coffee to be divided among each Bean, which gives the intended effect of requiring five times as many Coffee Beans as normal to get a Keg product compared to other Crops (this is also used for the Dehydrator, as it requires five Fruits as an input.
4. Results
| Input | Product Type | Gold/TileDay |
|---|---|---|
| Starfruit | Wine | 142.86 |
| Starfruit | Aged Wine | 79.89 |
| Starfruit | Jelly | 114.19 |
| Starfruit (1.6 Machine) | Dried Fruit | 89.55 |
| Starfruit (Fast) | Wine | 139.61 |
| Ancient Fruit (Outside) | Wine | 116.42 |
| Ancient Fruit (1st Year) | Wine | 125.36 |
| Ancient Fruit (Long Term) | Wine | 174.34 |
| Rhubarb | Wine | 42.81 |
| Hops (Seasonal) | Pale Ale | 117.91 |
| Hops (Long Term) | Pale Ale | 174.55 |
| Wheat | Beer | 53.03 |
| Coffee Bean (Long Term) | Coffee | 57.98 |
| Fairy Rose (Seasonal) | Honey | 171.09 |
| Fairy Rose (Ginger Island) | Honey | 226.67 |
| Poppy (Seasonal) | Honey | 113.16 |
| Blue Jazz (Seasonal) | Honey | 61.85 |
| Diamond | Gem | 195 |
| Lava Eel | Aged Roe | 38.69 |
Also if these numbers seem low, remember these values measure how much Gold each Tile that has either a Crop or Machine on it makes every day. If you have a full Greenhouse (120 tillable tiles) of Ancient Fruit and a nearly full Big Shed (another 120 tiles at least) of Kegs, that's 240*174.34 = 41,842 Gold/Day. Note that it doesn't matter what Tile is doing what, so long as it is contributing to the business; each Tile is credited as having an equal share of the combined productivity of the operation.
Obviously you only cash out about every week when you sell the Wine, theoretically making about 292,891 Gold every 7 days. The actual profit from selling 120 bottles of Ancient Fruit Wine is 277,200 Gold, and the reason this number is lower is because Kegs take slightly less than a week (6.25 days) to process Wine, so there is another 3/4 of a day where the Kegs are making money. So as a bit of a disclaimer, your real Gold/TileDay can vary depending on when you sell and how quickly you are picking up and refilling your Kegs.
It's a bit of an open secret that aging Wine in Casks is a loss in productivity, something that the table further illustrates. You are better off using your cellar space for more Kegs. The only advantage of Casks is that they are much cheaper to craft. If you really want to age Wine, I will say that have no more than 8 Casks for every Keg you have producing Wine, as it takes roughly 8 times as long to age Wine as it takes a Keg to produce it. Preserves Jars, on the other hand, are actually more productive than Kegs on a per Machine basis (320 vs 240 Gold/Day for Starfruit). However their faster processing time means you need to spend more Tiles growing Starfruit (and also more money buying seeds), leaving less Tiles for your Machines. The "Fast Starfruit" is a hypothetical where instead of Artisan you pick Agriculturalist and use Deluxe Speed Gros, which I generously ignored the cost of; but even with this Artisan still comes out on top.
As for the underperformers, non Fairy Rose flowers aren't worth your time, and neither are Aged Roe or Beer. Ponds are a fun option that have their own advantages such as that giving other products occasionally, but from a money making standpoint they aren't worth investing into.
Coffee also underperforms drastically compared to is per unit productivity, as the sheer amount of plants and the fact it takes 5 Coffee Beans to produce one Coffee drag its Gold/TileDay down. Machines inherently are more productive than Crops, i.e. a Tile with a Machine on it makes more money than a Tile with a Crop on it. For this reason you want more Machines, so products like Coffee which demand a high amount of Crops end up being poor options. Also, reaching that maximum productivity the Keg Productivity page advertises for Coffee requires you to refill your machines every 2 in-game hours, so have fun with that.
1.6 Machine Dehydrators effectively increase the value of each Fruit by slightly more than 1.5x their base price, which is half the increase Wine provides on a per fruit basis. This alone means they can't stack up to Kegs, similarly to how Juice can't stack up to Wine since Kegs only provide a 2.25x increase to Vegetables compared to the 3x increase for Fruits. They also suffer from the same problem Coffee does, as each Machine takes 5 Fruits as an Input you end up having few Machines and many Crops.
This leaves what I believe to be the five standouts from this analysis: Starfruit, Long Term Hops and Ancient Fruit, Diamonds, and Ginger Island Fairy Rose Honey. Starfruit is the classic choice and will be the easiest to get off the ground since the seeds are buyable, and they beat out Hops in Summer planted outside. Your Greenhouse space is better served with Hops or Ancient fruit though.
Hops have two problems; you have to harvest them every day and the fact they are on a trellis means they don't use your limited Greenhouse space very efficiently on their own. However for any SVE players, there is a Heart Event that makes Hops the best option, reaching about 260 Gold/TileDay. It is only in this case I recommend them, as outside of the fact that they are easier to get off the ground, our next option is slightly better due to convenience factors.
Good ole' Ancient Fruit. It has almost everything you want: high sell price, regrowable, long regrowth, not on a trellis, its only disadvantage is that it is by far the hardest Crop to scale. It can take a year if not longer to fill up a Greenhouse with Ancient Fruits with the Seed Maker, so start early. In the meantime, you can fill it with Starfruit or whatever else you might want, and this is the option I recommend for your Greenhouse.
As for Ginger Island, I am pleased to recommend Fairy Rose Honey as the product of choice. Coming in at first place overall and clearing second by a considerable margin, year-round production of Fairy Rose Honey is only stifled by the fact that it can take a while to craft all the Bee Houses. Still it's such a good option I recommend you do it even as your main farm's seasonal Fall activity if you can. The Seasonal numbers for Honey are lower because he first Honey or two you harvest will be Wild Honey, so using Speed Gros to get that flower to bloom as fast as possible is crucial. Another key is making sure each flower services at least 20 Bee Houses, which sounds like a lot but can be done in reasonable walkable configurations and isn't near the maximum of 60. There are diminishing returns for ever Bee House a flower uniquely services (only about a 8 Gold/TileDay increase for doing the full 60 Bee Houses compared to 20) so don't worry about reaching the maximum.
Lastly, Diamonds. This is by far the simplest choice but has the downside of having probably the highest cost in Gold to implement. Each Crystalarium needs to be seeded with a Diamond, and the Crystalariums themselves are very expensive to produce since their components could otherwise be sold for a lot. Depending on what you are buying and what you are mining the cost can range from 4000 to 33,000 Gold per Machine, and you probably won't profit for a while (at least 25 days). It's because of this long turnaround that they are hard to recommend, but SVE players again have an event that makes Crystalariums a more enticing option.
Final Conclusion: Greenhouse w/ Ancient Fruit year-round, Ginger Island w/ Fairy Rose Honey year-round. Probably Pigs/Crystalariums outdoors, but as far as Crops go: Starfruit in Summer, Fairy Rose Honey in Fall. Rhubarb is your best option for Spring (even beating out Strawberries) and it conveniently has the same growth time as Starfruit, so it can be planted with the exact same ratio that Starfruit uses, even though the profits are far lower.
I have much more data that this, including the exact ratios of Crops to Machines for every setup and how much each setup costs to build, which factors in everything from the initial costs of seeds to the costs of crafting/buying materials for Machines. If anyone is interested in the full data I'll link both it (as an viewable Google Sheet) and the script I used to generate it (MATLAB) (no spoiler tags in either of these, be warned). I'll end with what the ratios the script recommends for Crops to Machines for these good cases.
- Starfruit - 52:25 or ~2:1 (that is, always have at least 52 tiles growing Starfruit for every 25 Kegs)
- Ancient Fruit (Long Term) - 28:25 or ~1:1
- Hops (Long Term) - 32:45 or ~2:3
- Fairy Rose Honey (Ginger Island) - 20 hives per flower (at least)
2024.03.18 14:55 spsusf If These Walls Could Talk
Bartholomew was in disbelief of the man gleefully staring at him for no other purpose than to stare. It was the torturer’s favorite plot. He received his victim from his majesty, then drove them mad with silence. Not a word, watching ever so attentively. Bartholomew didn’t know what was happening, but the cold stone walls from which he was shackled had seen it many times. The chamber grew bored of the same old routine, but the torturer was fond of watching his victims slowly decay.
In a few days he would starve to death Bartholomew thought, his mouth gagged with rag and rope. These walls knew better: humans dehydrate faster than they starve. Bartholomew's descent into insanity would be the only distraction from the slow, agonizing shutdown of his organs. The heart and mind go last.
The basement begged the torturer to use the whip or mace that hung from its southern barrier. A breeze from the entryway would have them sway like windchimes, but the torturer ignored them. If these walls could talk, they would remind him of the great executioners that came before. Arthur “The Prick” as he was referred, a particular favorite of the enclosure. He’d toss his duties into the iron maiden, then closed its door slowly. The shrieking sound of its occupant tickled the walls with delight. Efficient, cruel, and to the point. Indeed, the incessant shrill sound of screaming throughout the kingdom forced his majesty to end The Prick’s reign.
Then came Roger “The Finger”, known for collecting the digits of the convicted. He scoffed the title of executioner and thought torture a more suitable punishment in the eyes of God. He removed the thumbs from thieves and tongues of the blasphemous. The walls rather not remember the fate of adulterers. Alas, his majesty could not tolerate a kingdom full of thumbless beggars, mute heretics, and effeminate eunuchs. He rather them dead.
Thus, his majesty appointed a new executioner under strict guidelines. “Death without a trace. No sound and no surviving criminals are to exit these walls”, his majesty instructed. That is how the dark chamber’s latest occupant became known as William “The Silent”.
“I shall let God decide”, William professed out of his majesty’s earshot. A secret he only shared within the cellar walls. Like Roger, William did not want death on his hands, to let God be the judge of the wicked.
He cleverly devised a method to silence those sent to him without removing their tongues or use of excruciating murder. Should they starve to death or die in captivity, “twas their destiny,” William justified. It was only through a cruel twist of fate that his majesty, Bartholomew, now discovered his executioner's notorious methods. Hung from the only walls that knew the full history of his cruel rulership.
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In a few days he would starve to death Bartholomew thought, his mouth gagged with rag and rope. These walls knew better: humans dehydrate faster than they starve. Bartholomew's descent into insanity would be the only distraction from the slow, agonizing shutdown of his organs. The heart and mind go last.
The basement begged the torturer to use the whip or mace that hung from its southern barrier. A breeze from the entryway would have them sway like windchimes, but the torturer ignored them. If these walls could talk, they would remind him of the great executioners that came before. Arthur “The Prick” as he was referred, a particular favorite of the enclosure. He’d toss his duties into the iron maiden, then closed its door slowly. The shrieking sound of its occupant tickled the walls with delight. Efficient, cruel, and to the point. Indeed, the incessant shrill sound of screaming throughout the kingdom forced his majesty to end The Prick’s reign.
Then came Roger “The Finger”, known for collecting the digits of the convicted. He scoffed the title of executioner and thought torture a more suitable punishment in the eyes of God. He removed the thumbs from thieves and tongues of the blasphemous. The walls rather not remember the fate of adulterers. Alas, his majesty could not tolerate a kingdom full of thumbless beggars, mute heretics, and effeminate eunuchs. He rather them dead.
Thus, his majesty appointed a new executioner under strict guidelines. “Death without a trace. No sound and no surviving criminals are to exit these walls”, his majesty instructed. That is how the dark chamber’s latest occupant became known as William “The Silent”.
“I shall let God decide”, William professed out of his majesty’s earshot. A secret he only shared within the cellar walls. Like Roger, William did not want death on his hands, to let God be the judge of the wicked.
He cleverly devised a method to silence those sent to him without removing their tongues or use of excruciating murder. Should they starve to death or die in captivity, “twas their destiny,” William justified. It was only through a cruel twist of fate that his majesty, Bartholomew, now discovered his executioner's notorious methods. Hung from the only walls that knew the full history of his cruel rulership.
2024.03.05 00:54 justicetojarell Do I have a case?
PRESENT DAY :
A 30 pg Wrongful death complaint was mailed January 8, 2024 and received by the Virginia Dept of Health Professions.
On January 22, 2024 via telephone I received two case numbers, provided by [redacted], Dept of Health Professions. On January 31, 2024 via telephone I was advised both cases were sent to DHP central regional office.
On February 7, 2024 [redacted], central regional office advised both cases / investigations were pending assignment. On February 8, 2024 I received via email attached formal letters for both individuals outlined in the formal complaint submitted.
Synopsis of Wrongful Death Complaint :
HEALTHY 30yr old male SUDDEN DEATH attributed to medical malpractice, gross negligence and causation.
The assigned RN per their podcast
02:03:21 (Spotify) - Bullshit For Your Health : “And there’s nothing clinically like wrong with him at this point, right”.
Cause : CARDIAC ARRHYTHMIA (UNDETERMINED ETIOLOGY) manner : NATURAL. Medical Examiner Authority - SUDDEN IN APPARENT GOOD HEALTH.
30yr old male had take out from a Mexican restaurant on 6/22/2022. On 6/23/2022 30yr old male without significant past medical history presented to Bon Secours St Mary’s Hospital via ambulance (due to syncope episode) at 11:56 PM and admitted to ED 11:58 PM to address concerns for intravascular volume depletion (severe dehydration).
Medical record show patient presentation likely due to “viral gastroenteritis”. Essentially pt symptoms were consistent with what is food poisoning, including being admitted for (severe dehydration) causing syncope episode. EKG and imaging tests were not acutely concerning and he did not appear toxic, he did not report chest pain, his cardiac history was remarkable. Initial lab work did not warrant an additional set of labs.
Per the pt medical record the pt Cardiovascular health was remarkable for over 5 hours into admission (11:58 PM - 5:39 AM) prior to the unethical Lorazepam injection. Pt standing admission order was for daily labs, including blood work and to continue saline/IV resuscitation.
It is reflected pt was without saline/IV resuscitation for over two hours post the initial treatment administered 12:40 AM and completed at 2:45 AM. It is reflected at 5:42 AM the 2nd saline/IV resuscitation administered and completed at 5:42 AM, ordered at 5:29 AM.
Around 5 AM I witnessed a rash on the pt skin. I brought it to the assigned RN attention. The RN immediately ignored my concern which in turn resulted in me demanding for the assigned MD name on paper as I was prepared to file a complaint regarding our overall experience with RN and MD as it was horrible and I had enough. They both were beyond unprofessional and dismissive. At one point the MD literally looked me in my face and told me to press a button on the vitals machine in their absence.
Subsequent to the altercation with RN, per the RN via their podcast coerced the MD to prescribe Lorazepam to the pt for “behavioral issues” labeled as “anxious and agitated” under the guise of retaliation and to relinquish their duties.
Lorazepam was ordered at 5:29 AM. At 5:39 AM 06/24/2022 pt was administered intravenously and immediately had onset of emergency symptoms consistent with a seizure.
Initial Lorazepam injection was ordered the same time as 2nd saline/IV 5:29 AM however Lorazepam was administered first as the pt had been without saline/IV for over two hours.
The first medication ordered in response to the onset of emergency symptoms was a 2nd dose of Lorazepam at 6:01 AM requiring a cabinet override. Per RN via his podcast advised that not only is Lorazepam administered for “behavioral” purposes but also to treat “seizures”.
Lorazepam is a brand of benzodiazepines. Benzodiazepines are used as a rescue medicine meant to rapidly stop seizures. Active seizures begin with administration of benzodiazepines.
It is reflected at 6:03 AM the pt was pulseless. It conveniently reflects that the 2nd lorazepam injection was not administered until 6:06 AM, one minute post the initial Epinephrine injection at 6:05 AM however it also reflects the initial Epinephrine was not ordered until 6:08 AM.
Essentially allowing for a gross delay in life saving treatment as the pt did not receive any treatment until 6:05 AM.
At 7:00 AM 06/24/2022 the pt was pronounced.
Conclusion
It is reflected the result of initial Lorazepam injection was an untreated allergic reaction that in turn developed into a seizure, causing respiratory depression, resuscitation efforts and obstruction of the pt airways ultimately causing his sudden death. The pt sudden death would not have occurred but for the unethical administration of Lorazepam.
MD prescribed Lorazepam on the basis of hearsay w/o a formal and or documented examination having been completed showing medically necessary treatment was needed.
It is reflected that within a five hour timeline a provisional diagnosis did not exist for said “behavioral issues” and that is because “behavioral issues” labeled as “anxious and agitated” under the guise of retaliation, did not exist. The pt who was suspected of “behavioral issues” that required medication, a focused history and physical examination should have been performed.
Post the pt sudden death. Two sources (RN podcast) & (grievance response letter) identifies a damning additional emergency symptom the pt experienced following initial Lorazepam injection however this introduced symptom does not reflect in the pt medical record, immediately changing the trajectory of what took place. The same medical record that in which Bon Secours St Mary’s “reviewed” in response to the grievance filed.
Additionally,
RN recorded on his podcast “Bullshit For Your Health” episode 95 “The grieving process is not always linear” approximately 25 days post the pt sudden death outlining pt presentation to hospital until his sudden death. Spotify and SoundCloud starting at the 01:53:14 mark.
These references were made prior to the administration of LORazepam 2mg/mL injection 1mg.
02:03:21: RN : “And there’s nothing clinically like wrong with him at this point, right”.
submitted by justicetojarell to AskLawyers [link] [comments]
A 30 pg Wrongful death complaint was mailed January 8, 2024 and received by the Virginia Dept of Health Professions.
On January 22, 2024 via telephone I received two case numbers, provided by [redacted], Dept of Health Professions. On January 31, 2024 via telephone I was advised both cases were sent to DHP central regional office.
On February 7, 2024 [redacted], central regional office advised both cases / investigations were pending assignment. On February 8, 2024 I received via email attached formal letters for both individuals outlined in the formal complaint submitted.
Synopsis of Wrongful Death Complaint :
HEALTHY 30yr old male SUDDEN DEATH attributed to medical malpractice, gross negligence and causation.
The assigned RN per their podcast
02:03:21 (Spotify) - Bullshit For Your Health : “And there’s nothing clinically like wrong with him at this point, right”.
Cause : CARDIAC ARRHYTHMIA (UNDETERMINED ETIOLOGY) manner : NATURAL. Medical Examiner Authority - SUDDEN IN APPARENT GOOD HEALTH.
30yr old male had take out from a Mexican restaurant on 6/22/2022. On 6/23/2022 30yr old male without significant past medical history presented to Bon Secours St Mary’s Hospital via ambulance (due to syncope episode) at 11:56 PM and admitted to ED 11:58 PM to address concerns for intravascular volume depletion (severe dehydration).
Medical record show patient presentation likely due to “viral gastroenteritis”. Essentially pt symptoms were consistent with what is food poisoning, including being admitted for (severe dehydration) causing syncope episode. EKG and imaging tests were not acutely concerning and he did not appear toxic, he did not report chest pain, his cardiac history was remarkable. Initial lab work did not warrant an additional set of labs.
Per the pt medical record the pt Cardiovascular health was remarkable for over 5 hours into admission (11:58 PM - 5:39 AM) prior to the unethical Lorazepam injection. Pt standing admission order was for daily labs, including blood work and to continue saline/IV resuscitation.
It is reflected pt was without saline/IV resuscitation for over two hours post the initial treatment administered 12:40 AM and completed at 2:45 AM. It is reflected at 5:42 AM the 2nd saline/IV resuscitation administered and completed at 5:42 AM, ordered at 5:29 AM.
Around 5 AM I witnessed a rash on the pt skin. I brought it to the assigned RN attention. The RN immediately ignored my concern which in turn resulted in me demanding for the assigned MD name on paper as I was prepared to file a complaint regarding our overall experience with RN and MD as it was horrible and I had enough. They both were beyond unprofessional and dismissive. At one point the MD literally looked me in my face and told me to press a button on the vitals machine in their absence.
Subsequent to the altercation with RN, per the RN via their podcast coerced the MD to prescribe Lorazepam to the pt for “behavioral issues” labeled as “anxious and agitated” under the guise of retaliation and to relinquish their duties.
Lorazepam was ordered at 5:29 AM. At 5:39 AM 06/24/2022 pt was administered intravenously and immediately had onset of emergency symptoms consistent with a seizure.
Initial Lorazepam injection was ordered the same time as 2nd saline/IV 5:29 AM however Lorazepam was administered first as the pt had been without saline/IV for over two hours.
The first medication ordered in response to the onset of emergency symptoms was a 2nd dose of Lorazepam at 6:01 AM requiring a cabinet override. Per RN via his podcast advised that not only is Lorazepam administered for “behavioral” purposes but also to treat “seizures”.
Lorazepam is a brand of benzodiazepines. Benzodiazepines are used as a rescue medicine meant to rapidly stop seizures. Active seizures begin with administration of benzodiazepines.
It is reflected at 6:03 AM the pt was pulseless. It conveniently reflects that the 2nd lorazepam injection was not administered until 6:06 AM, one minute post the initial Epinephrine injection at 6:05 AM however it also reflects the initial Epinephrine was not ordered until 6:08 AM.
Essentially allowing for a gross delay in life saving treatment as the pt did not receive any treatment until 6:05 AM.
At 7:00 AM 06/24/2022 the pt was pronounced.
Conclusion
It is reflected the result of initial Lorazepam injection was an untreated allergic reaction that in turn developed into a seizure, causing respiratory depression, resuscitation efforts and obstruction of the pt airways ultimately causing his sudden death. The pt sudden death would not have occurred but for the unethical administration of Lorazepam.
MD prescribed Lorazepam on the basis of hearsay w/o a formal and or documented examination having been completed showing medically necessary treatment was needed.
It is reflected that within a five hour timeline a provisional diagnosis did not exist for said “behavioral issues” and that is because “behavioral issues” labeled as “anxious and agitated” under the guise of retaliation, did not exist. The pt who was suspected of “behavioral issues” that required medication, a focused history and physical examination should have been performed.
Post the pt sudden death. Two sources (RN podcast) & (grievance response letter) identifies a damning additional emergency symptom the pt experienced following initial Lorazepam injection however this introduced symptom does not reflect in the pt medical record, immediately changing the trajectory of what took place. The same medical record that in which Bon Secours St Mary’s “reviewed” in response to the grievance filed.
Additionally,
RN recorded on his podcast “Bullshit For Your Health” episode 95 “The grieving process is not always linear” approximately 25 days post the pt sudden death outlining pt presentation to hospital until his sudden death. Spotify and SoundCloud starting at the 01:53:14 mark.
These references were made prior to the administration of LORazepam 2mg/mL injection 1mg.
02:03:21: RN : “And there’s nothing clinically like wrong with him at this point, right”.
- “That this person is generally healthy”.
- “Not agitated in the sense that somethings wrong. Agitated in the sense that I want to be comfortable and I’m not comfortable yet, right”.
- “The ER doctor actually thinks this patient looks so good, the ER doctor , the plan was we’re gonna discharge and send him home”.
- “I’m not in pain i’m just nauseous”.
- “I’m not in pain”.
- “Scans fine , everything's good lab work”.
2024.02.26 10:00 Imaginary-Ad-1578 What cut should I get?(+Am I going bald?) Last slide is the products I use. I shampoo and oil 2 times a week and condition once a week.
 | submitted by Imaginary-Ad-1578 to curlyhair [link] [comments] |
2024.02.26 10:00 Imaginary-Ad-1578 What cut should I get?(+Am I going bald?) Last slide is the products I use. I shampoo and oil 2 times a week and condition once a week.
 | submitted by Imaginary-Ad-1578 to Hair [link] [comments] |
2024.02.18 19:20 Hatrct Banning of Fluvoxamine in Canada
Unfortunately there is no such thing anymore as investigative journalists: journalists are just there to spread propaganda. So I had to undertake this task myself. There has STILL not been any criminal trials for those whose actions led to the absolutely unnecessary and preventable death of hundreds of Canadians. There isn't even ANY DISCUSSION OF THIS. WHAT ON EARTH IS GOING ON? Why are Canadians taking this? If someone comes and murder your child will you smile and shake your rear end and wave pompoms enthusiastically for them? What is wrong with people? Why are Canadians so PASSIVE and accepting of abuse and murder against their own flesh and blood? How is deaths via apparent criminal negligence so brazenly allowed in this nation?
In Summer 2001, our own scientists did a study proving the fluvoxamine, an antidepressant with arguably the least side effects among antidepressants, did a Randomized Control Trial, considered the "gold standard" type of medical study in terms of drug effectiveness, is safe and effective at reducing serious illness from covid, published in the Lancet, which is widely accepted to be one of the top medical journals in the world:
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X2100448-4/fulltext
Notice the date of this article: August 17 2021
https://brighterworld.mcmaster.ca/articles/antidepressant-fluvoxamine-can-save-covid-19-patients-mcmaster-led-research-shows/
In addition, there were several previous/concurrent smaller studies that indicated fluvoxamine is safe and effective for reducing covid, as well as some describing the ways it does this, here are a few:
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pharmacology/articles/10.3389/fphar.2021.652688/full
https://academic.oup.com/ofid/article/8/2/ofab050/6124100
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2773108
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.09.27.22280428v1
Look what the government did, at time Canadians are dying from lack of doctors they took away the licence of a doctor partially because he was prescribing fluvoxamine to covid patients: and notice the date of this article: Sep 28, 2021
Meanwhile, they give relative slaps on wrists for doctors who sexually assault patients or do other significantly bad things, these are just 2 examples:
https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/toronto-doctor-who-sexually-abused-patients-has-greatly-harmed-medical-profession-but-will-keep-license/article_42c2d223-3f06-5360-835f-fe5f7dac413d.html
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/investigations/doctors-insurance-independent-medical-examinations/article37141790/
The "experts" who are hand picked by the government and have monopoly on saying they are "the science" finally accepted the actual science, but in a bizarrely late and negligent manner: outside a common sense approach/timely cost/benefit analysis: and keep in mind the date for this article: Dec. 22, 2021
https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/ontario-becomes-the-first-province-to-list-fluvoxamine-as-a-covid-19-treatment-to-consider-1.5717489
If you tell your doctor you are feeling sad, watch how QUICKLY they will prescribe you antidepressants, like DRINKING WATER: there are already around 4 million Canadians taking antidepressants:
https://www.huffpost.com/archive/ca/entry/antidepressant-use-in-canada-among-highest-in-world-oecd_n_4320429
Safety profile of fluvoxamine (which has been prescribed for decades):
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7868844/
So why did it take almost 6 months for this safe and effective drug to be allowed for covid (and even then it was only allowed in theory: practically, I think hardly anyone got this/they did a very poor PR campaign to notify doctors/patients about this drug for covid) ? This defies COMMON SENSE. The only thing I can think of is that they were ONLY, AGAINST THE CONCEPT OF INFORMED CONSENT, wanted to push covid vaccines as the ONLY UNCONTESTED accepted treatment. But EVEN then, it still DEFIES COMMON SENSE, because many Canadians in summefall 2021 who were vaccinated from BREAKTHROUGH INFECTION also ended up dying, while the fluvoxamine was SITTING IN THE CUPBOARDS AND PREVENTED FROM BEING TAKEN BY DYING PATIENTS STRUGGLING TO BREATH. WOULD THIS NOT BE A SYSTEMATIC MURDER OF CANADIAN CIVILIANS? THEY ALSO CENSORED EVERYBODY WHO LITERALLY SAID THE WORD FLUVOXAMINE, SO WAS THIS NOT A DELIBERATE, SYSTEMATIC MURDER OF CANADIAN CIVILIANS AND MEDICAL PATIENTS? THOSE WHO CAUSED THESE DEATHS NEED TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE, OTHERWISE NOBODY CAN CLAIM CANADA IS A DEMOCRACY, OTHERWISE HOW CAN ANYBODY CLAIM THAT THERE IS ANY REASONABLE LEVEL OF LAWFULNESS IN CANADA.
How many Canadians died from covid in August through December 2021? How many were vaccinated/died from breakthrough infection? About 3000, the majority were already vaccinated. Why were they denied access to available, cheap, effective, safe medicine, which 4 million Canadians are already taking for depression? Why did doctors who tried to save their lives become prevented from doing so? How is this different to physically restraining a doctor and preventing them from providing water to someone dying from dehydration, because presumably you feel in your strange and paranoid mind that it will jeopardize uptake of a vaccine (but again this is a moot point because at least some who died got breakthrough infection/were already vaccinated)? How is this consistent with informed consent or common sense?
Worst of all, I remember in summefall 2021, CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, largely funded by government aka our tax money) would AUTOCENSOR on their website in the article comment section any comment that had the word "fluvoxamine" in it. This tells you everything you need to know. This was not an accident. This was deliberate, and Canadians died as a result. Is it not criminal negligence? In my opinion, at the very least it should be considered manslaughter due to criminal negligence, at the worst it should be considered deliberate murder.
ANYONE who knows any Canadian who died from covid in summefall 2021 should come together to open a court case: their deaths were preventable and they appeared to have died due to criminal negligence. This would be the litmus test for our democracy: if they win the case we can claim that there is democracy in Canada. If not, it will be obvious that there is no democracy. This is a very common sense case, it is literally basic logic: available safe drug that was already prescribed for decades like drinking water for depression being denied, people included those with breakthrough infection after vaccination dying as a result, those who warned this and tried to save lives were censored despite gold standard medical studies backing up their words. What is there to argue?
What is the point of having 3 branches of government, Judiciary/excecutive/legislative, if the judiciary will let the executive do whatever it wants, including criminal negligence leading to unnecessary and preventable deaths? How can people claim Canada is a democracy if this is the case? How can there be any faith from people in the government if this is the reality? The ONLY way they can prove people that there is democracy is if those whose deliberate decisions and actions/policies resulted in the unnecessary/potentially preventable deaths of Canadians are held accountable. Canada is waiting. The ball is in their court now.
submitted by Hatrct to DebateVaccines [link] [comments]
In Summer 2001, our own scientists did a study proving the fluvoxamine, an antidepressant with arguably the least side effects among antidepressants, did a Randomized Control Trial, considered the "gold standard" type of medical study in terms of drug effectiveness, is safe and effective at reducing serious illness from covid, published in the Lancet, which is widely accepted to be one of the top medical journals in the world:
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X2100448-4/fulltext
Notice the date of this article: August 17 2021
https://brighterworld.mcmaster.ca/articles/antidepressant-fluvoxamine-can-save-covid-19-patients-mcmaster-led-research-shows/
In addition, there were several previous/concurrent smaller studies that indicated fluvoxamine is safe and effective for reducing covid, as well as some describing the ways it does this, here are a few:
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pharmacology/articles/10.3389/fphar.2021.652688/full
https://academic.oup.com/ofid/article/8/2/ofab050/6124100
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2773108
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.09.27.22280428v1
Look what the government did, at time Canadians are dying from lack of doctors they took away the licence of a doctor partially because he was prescribing fluvoxamine to covid patients: and notice the date of this article: Sep 28, 2021
In addition to barring Phillips from providing exemptions for COVID-19 vaccines and face masks, the college has restricted him from:... Prescribing fluvoxamine, an anti-depressant, and atorvastatin, a medication primarily used to prevent cardiovascular disease, in relation to COVID-19.https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/patrick-phillips-covid-19-misinformation-college-1.6191906
Meanwhile, they give relative slaps on wrists for doctors who sexually assault patients or do other significantly bad things, these are just 2 examples:
https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/toronto-doctor-who-sexually-abused-patients-has-greatly-harmed-medical-profession-but-will-keep-license/article_42c2d223-3f06-5360-835f-fe5f7dac413d.html
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/investigations/doctors-insurance-independent-medical-examinations/article37141790/
The "experts" who are hand picked by the government and have monopoly on saying they are "the science" finally accepted the actual science, but in a bizarrely late and negligent manner: outside a common sense approach/timely cost/benefit analysis: and keep in mind the date for this article: Dec. 22, 2021
https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/ontario-becomes-the-first-province-to-list-fluvoxamine-as-a-covid-19-treatment-to-consider-1.5717489
If you tell your doctor you are feeling sad, watch how QUICKLY they will prescribe you antidepressants, like DRINKING WATER: there are already around 4 million Canadians taking antidepressants:
https://www.huffpost.com/archive/ca/entry/antidepressant-use-in-canada-among-highest-in-world-oecd_n_4320429
Safety profile of fluvoxamine (which has been prescribed for decades):
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7868844/
So why did it take almost 6 months for this safe and effective drug to be allowed for covid (and even then it was only allowed in theory: practically, I think hardly anyone got this/they did a very poor PR campaign to notify doctors/patients about this drug for covid) ? This defies COMMON SENSE. The only thing I can think of is that they were ONLY, AGAINST THE CONCEPT OF INFORMED CONSENT, wanted to push covid vaccines as the ONLY UNCONTESTED accepted treatment. But EVEN then, it still DEFIES COMMON SENSE, because many Canadians in summefall 2021 who were vaccinated from BREAKTHROUGH INFECTION also ended up dying, while the fluvoxamine was SITTING IN THE CUPBOARDS AND PREVENTED FROM BEING TAKEN BY DYING PATIENTS STRUGGLING TO BREATH. WOULD THIS NOT BE A SYSTEMATIC MURDER OF CANADIAN CIVILIANS? THEY ALSO CENSORED EVERYBODY WHO LITERALLY SAID THE WORD FLUVOXAMINE, SO WAS THIS NOT A DELIBERATE, SYSTEMATIC MURDER OF CANADIAN CIVILIANS AND MEDICAL PATIENTS? THOSE WHO CAUSED THESE DEATHS NEED TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE, OTHERWISE NOBODY CAN CLAIM CANADA IS A DEMOCRACY, OTHERWISE HOW CAN ANYBODY CLAIM THAT THERE IS ANY REASONABLE LEVEL OF LAWFULNESS IN CANADA.
How many Canadians died from covid in August through December 2021? How many were vaccinated/died from breakthrough infection? About 3000, the majority were already vaccinated. Why were they denied access to available, cheap, effective, safe medicine, which 4 million Canadians are already taking for depression? Why did doctors who tried to save their lives become prevented from doing so? How is this different to physically restraining a doctor and preventing them from providing water to someone dying from dehydration, because presumably you feel in your strange and paranoid mind that it will jeopardize uptake of a vaccine (but again this is a moot point because at least some who died got breakthrough infection/were already vaccinated)? How is this consistent with informed consent or common sense?
Worst of all, I remember in summefall 2021, CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, largely funded by government aka our tax money) would AUTOCENSOR on their website in the article comment section any comment that had the word "fluvoxamine" in it. This tells you everything you need to know. This was not an accident. This was deliberate, and Canadians died as a result. Is it not criminal negligence? In my opinion, at the very least it should be considered manslaughter due to criminal negligence, at the worst it should be considered deliberate murder.
ANYONE who knows any Canadian who died from covid in summefall 2021 should come together to open a court case: their deaths were preventable and they appeared to have died due to criminal negligence. This would be the litmus test for our democracy: if they win the case we can claim that there is democracy in Canada. If not, it will be obvious that there is no democracy. This is a very common sense case, it is literally basic logic: available safe drug that was already prescribed for decades like drinking water for depression being denied, people included those with breakthrough infection after vaccination dying as a result, those who warned this and tried to save lives were censored despite gold standard medical studies backing up their words. What is there to argue?
What is the point of having 3 branches of government, Judiciary/excecutive/legislative, if the judiciary will let the executive do whatever it wants, including criminal negligence leading to unnecessary and preventable deaths? How can people claim Canada is a democracy if this is the case? How can there be any faith from people in the government if this is the reality? The ONLY way they can prove people that there is democracy is if those whose deliberate decisions and actions/policies resulted in the unnecessary/potentially preventable deaths of Canadians are held accountable. Canada is waiting. The ball is in their court now.
2024.02.18 16:47 hydra1280 If I was in Mad Max before the fall (the game)
As it would not be after the fall or during, I would be able to plan by taking out multiple loans, selling assets and sticking to the mostly nomadic lifestyle, situating myself at the final location where the game takes place. Not choosing to be stuck without a home, I would use the hidden underground house in the dunes region where the buzzard takes his life on the bed before our player gets there. I would then do the obvious by stock-piling gas and water, then I would do the technical things I would need to do like soundproofing, reinforcing the house, adding water filters, auto farms, air filters and air generators. Now that I have gotten all the necessities, I would expand the space, adding helpful facilities like libraries filled with literature, educational material and reading manuals or smelting facilities to create fresh iron. To finish off my hidden masterpiece with 7 rooms, 3 lounge rooms, 2 kitchens with one of them being a restaurant size, 18 store rooms, various other facilities and a lifting garage which would take my car to the top then cover it over with sand, I would head out.
Though this is the safe part, there is the fact that even though I waited out the worst of the apocalypse, there are still a lot of horrors, which is where the storerooms come into play. Though 1 of the storerooms, which is the biggest, is used for the storage of several TV series and a large portion of the internet, one of the other store rooms is filled with ammunition and guns while others are filled with things like cars and car parts. Going out into the main world of Mad Max, I have 2 choices, the first is to join Max and storm into the fray as his buddy and the second is to wait till after and try to recruit him in his crazed state then. If I was a PUSSY, I would have chosen the latter but since I want the choice to effect the world and have fun, I choose the former.
Stepping into the world, I choose to flaunt my swagger by showing off my vehicle with tinted, bulletproof windows. When enemies come to attack me, I would activate an AI-guided, highly pressurised, compact ballista since the years in the ground would allow me to advance my skills in mechanics and coding. Besides that, I would take a page from the buzzards book by adding a great deal of rotating or standing spikes alongside a panel to choose which side to launch them which would work alongside the ballista. As a final measure, landmines would also be taken from the buzzards playing cards, to be shot out of the back or shot like a disk to the sides as a bonus for my real ace in the hole. The true ace in the hole would be the explosives I would carry in a side dispenser which would release sticky bombs with extra explosive potency.
Waiting at the Titanic, I allow the enemies to destroy Chum's hideout, moving only after Max runs away in the buggy. With him out of the way, I have fun, using explosives I crafted or gathered during the chaotic fall of humanity to a single territory. Waiting for Max to make a move, I would build a hideout on The Dry Gusty Bridge, using my resources to get to a further away part and reach the road level. Once on the road level, I set up a remote-controlled ladder which would descend or rise when I wanted it to, using the top to create a small home with some rations, a sniper spot and a bed. Looking out of the snipers' den, I wait till Max leaves Jeet's and I meet him when he is getting the gunpowder supply set up. With him in a slightly favourable situation, I present myself as a traveller, asking questions until I reveal my intention to have Max join the Riders, an organisation I plan to start with 12 members with a vested interest in doing what is right, helping people and beating bandits. Since it would be obvious Max wouldn't agree to care, I use the fact that I know his reaction to try and confuse him and then ultimately hit him with my offer of support at the drop of a hat and an array of information, whether he responds or not is up to him. Though Max would be apprehensive, the deal simply has no downsides with the only problem being that I am suspicious, which shouldn't be too much of a problem since my gameplay max accepts everything and all quests. I would once again take a backseat, letting Max do his own thing until he eventually goes to the backpacker sage where I extend an offer to him after Max leaves, leaving an impression. Though the backpacker is a bit of a mystery, I am going to go ahead and say yes since he acts like a spiritual guide to lost and weary travellers like Max. The rest of the members would be no names that didn't play into the story and would be picked after I played mind games and set up trials, then providing them with parts for their vehicles. The group would wander the wastes, being helpful and generous as I would also provide them with great benefits and a work-life balance that they haven't had for so long, pulling them back to the memory of older times. The main use of the 12 chariots would not be to do good but to start a legacy and fame, returning the idea of heroes and valiance to the world.
To create a headquarters, I would use the scrap location in Dry Gusty, at 3.50 in this video: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJCuEnTAJuI]
Getting a crew together, I would have them meet at a location where I bring the smelting tech and have them ship steel directly from the dump which would be reprocessed. Though potentially dangerous, I could easily come up with countermeasures to go against Gastowns' forces and any wanna-be traitors like by bolting the weapons onto the vehicles so they can't turn them against me. When the construction is completed, I would allow the workers to remain in the above area while the passage underground is, both, hidden and sealed with protective measures. Quickly a town would develop that could sustain itself since I would use 3d printers to create an enormous amount of water sails to cover the town, adding to it by delivering bug farms, allowing for both food and water while they built the walls. (I should probably mention that I destroyed the mess covering the secret sewer entrance which is how I got transports to and from Gastown to Jeet's.) Thanks to the work I would lead, the town would become a big contributor to my sustained power as they won't easily forget what I did for them or that there is more where that came from. The movement of steel would still continue regularly with any disturbances from Gastown being dealt with by me or any of my 12 chariots.
Around this time, Max would have gotten to Gutgash, at least in my play-through since I went to literally everything. When he eventually leaves and the women are taken, I surprise him again since he has to come back and forth to clear tasks, removing the danger level. Hanging around, I act as a supporting force by helping deliver steel to their cult and ensuring that it is actually water-worthy by making the gate airtight. Annoying Gutgash to my slight delight and making the people love me, but I would still choose to appease him, if only slightly by adding supporting pillars and small turret posts around the base where Gutgash could station his men.
Continuing on, I would meet Max at Pink Eye's, helping him defeat the invaders and getting in contact with Pink Eye who I would use to service my 12 chariots' cars, getting my men to build 12 extra bays and car lifts. This would of course be after Max's discussion, at which point I would offer support by helping build the utilities which Max creates for all of the bases. Putting to use her technical knowledge, I would use her as my main force, giving her solar panels, a battery and a TV setup to work on schematics as she worked on an aeroplane schematic I gave her for a small commercial vehicle which could easily be fitted with a series of dropping mechanisms like a turret releasing used shells. With this, I would not only increase my favourability to Max and Pink Eye but I would help Max by giving him a bomber plane to call upon in times of need. Though it would seem useful, I wouldn't let him use it in Gastown, to keep the main story going until he got past the races. To fill time, I would first help Pink Eye with her project to get her children out of dodge by giving her an actual, ridable, sand surfer with all the necessities to survive in the middle of nothing at the bare minimum on top of the nearly endless supply of dog food. It would come equipped with all sorts of things like water purifiers and spare parts along with an inside compartment, to add onto everything else, I would help supply 2 more of these vessels at the original schematics with a radio and walky-talky so we could see if things went well.
When it finally came time for Max's, lover's, execution and mutilation along with her child and dog, that is when I finally take more of a direct approach, getting my men to engage the Scrotus' horde with crossbows, shields and spears while I take on Scrotus. Being a lot easier, I simply shot him in the head with my guns, cutting off his head with a combat knife and waiting for Max to arrive. Now without a leader and their territories severely impacted and reduced, there was only a small force to combat me and Max, allowing him to see what really mattered while I took the war rig for myself, adding it to my town as a building that would quickly rip apart at the moment of a hat to run and destroy without the average joe realising.
Now with almost all problems and foes dealt with, I go to the Dunes region, specifically where the buzzards' main base is. Standing in front of it, I get my men to remove all surrounding snipers and secure the area around the airport. When night falls and the buzzards attempt to launch an assault with their vehicles, I would use my connections with the chariots and my militia to blast them to smithereens. If buzzards came out or attempted to surround us, I would unleash Max to deal with them and bomb and hordes to numerous to deal with. Only when the dawn of the next day rises would I, TRULY, act as I unleash my thunderous voice over the intercom.
"I AM, [insert name], AND MY WRATH IS BOUNDLESS, YOU HAVE PILLAGED AND SLAUGHTERED INNOCENTS!! THAT CROSS THESE FORSAKEN DUNES FOR YOUR PLEASURE AND DELIGHT, NEED OR NOT, OUT OF EVERYONE, YOU HAVE BOTH THE MOST SANITY AND THE LEAST, THE ONLY CHANCE FOR ATONEMENT IS SUBMISSION, YIELD OR DIE" me
With little to no choice, the buzzards almost submitted if it weren't for their psychotic lifestyles so to get them back on track, I'll make them work on clearing the sand and creating bricks in the surrounding region until the runways can be seen once more along with other structures. Not putting their efforts to waste, they would use the sand and other materials to construct bricks and general housing. To feed them I would use similar actions as before by creating liveable settlements where they could come together for water and food, finally bringing proper stability to the region. With the buzzards made inactive and the chariots out to roam, there would be no one to overly stimulate the fear and insanity of the denizens. What's more, by putting in reclamation efforts to stop the fires at the destroyed oil rigs, the people could get a large amount of accessible fuel and with a more civilised living circumstance brought back to the people, trade and projects could be put together like by scrapping or restoring the windmills. As a final accomplishment, I would do what I have always wanted to do in Mad Max which is to clear out the ruble in the doorway to the observatory, turning it into my own, personal, abode, as I look out at the Great White in a decked out, modern and safe observatory luxury suite.
Other projects would be enacted like creating train tracks from Gastown to all 4 major faction bases or using Chumbucket to create amazing mechanics. Speaking of Chumbucket, repairing his home would be a priority since it would also become the learning centre for mechanics in my empire as well as storage for cars that would be possessed by my elite riders who would be different from the 12 chariots as my elite riders would be trained and armed for my protection or enforcing. Similarly, I would also integrate the organic mechanic as an esteemed member since disease, death and injury are so common in the post-apocalyptic world, making his need to train the next generation extremely important. To also increase cooperation and handling, Pink Eye would be moved to the airport into a highly secured FNAF tier defence control room where she would manage the small air fleet and its destruction if someone or something bad happens. The gladiator arena would also be put into play but I would use more humane practices like boxing as though most people in Mad Max, at least the ones we face, are of the new generation, there is still a great benefit to the homage of older practices as, like Wu Zentian. By paying homage to what is believed to be a greater time, influence and the good of that era would be associated, so long as you had the power to "justify" your rule and words, which at this point, I would. As for the racing competition, I would keep that mostly as is, with the difference being that I would remove the need to kill the driver's aid and instead make them combat any survivors, still keeping the bloodiness but also adding in a lot more loyalty and emphasis on trust. Possibly the most important change I would make though would be the introduction of water stations with water sails that would be checked on using patrols so that people didn't steal them and instead only drank the water to not die of dehydration. As for the development that I value the most, that would be the re-establishment of professions by setting up schools and seeing what people did before the fall to better put them into service.
With all my desired improvements accomplished, I would choose to return to my home in the ground, keeping a check on everyone using my trusted aids who would be given phones. To reward Max for his aid, I would give him an RV that he could put wherever and enjoy a somewhat normal life, travelling across cities or staying in a secluded location. I would still choose to come to the surface periodically to have fun and check on things but for the most part, I would enjoy my life, writing, relaxing and developing, asking Max to be my escort when I leave to travel around. Though things wouldn't be perfect and things like bandits or Syndicates were likely to emerge, I believe that I would slowly be able to take charge and root out the rats that harm the collective as the people slowly advance to having proper lives again. Being able to be in a group without worrying if you will be looted or eaten, having meals, not being blasted by the sun, getting aid and many more things that should be free and accessible, even in the current world.
submitted by hydra1280 to randomideasorthoughts [link] [comments]
Though this is the safe part, there is the fact that even though I waited out the worst of the apocalypse, there are still a lot of horrors, which is where the storerooms come into play. Though 1 of the storerooms, which is the biggest, is used for the storage of several TV series and a large portion of the internet, one of the other store rooms is filled with ammunition and guns while others are filled with things like cars and car parts. Going out into the main world of Mad Max, I have 2 choices, the first is to join Max and storm into the fray as his buddy and the second is to wait till after and try to recruit him in his crazed state then. If I was a PUSSY, I would have chosen the latter but since I want the choice to effect the world and have fun, I choose the former.
Stepping into the world, I choose to flaunt my swagger by showing off my vehicle with tinted, bulletproof windows. When enemies come to attack me, I would activate an AI-guided, highly pressurised, compact ballista since the years in the ground would allow me to advance my skills in mechanics and coding. Besides that, I would take a page from the buzzards book by adding a great deal of rotating or standing spikes alongside a panel to choose which side to launch them which would work alongside the ballista. As a final measure, landmines would also be taken from the buzzards playing cards, to be shot out of the back or shot like a disk to the sides as a bonus for my real ace in the hole. The true ace in the hole would be the explosives I would carry in a side dispenser which would release sticky bombs with extra explosive potency.
Waiting at the Titanic, I allow the enemies to destroy Chum's hideout, moving only after Max runs away in the buggy. With him out of the way, I have fun, using explosives I crafted or gathered during the chaotic fall of humanity to a single territory. Waiting for Max to make a move, I would build a hideout on The Dry Gusty Bridge, using my resources to get to a further away part and reach the road level. Once on the road level, I set up a remote-controlled ladder which would descend or rise when I wanted it to, using the top to create a small home with some rations, a sniper spot and a bed. Looking out of the snipers' den, I wait till Max leaves Jeet's and I meet him when he is getting the gunpowder supply set up. With him in a slightly favourable situation, I present myself as a traveller, asking questions until I reveal my intention to have Max join the Riders, an organisation I plan to start with 12 members with a vested interest in doing what is right, helping people and beating bandits. Since it would be obvious Max wouldn't agree to care, I use the fact that I know his reaction to try and confuse him and then ultimately hit him with my offer of support at the drop of a hat and an array of information, whether he responds or not is up to him. Though Max would be apprehensive, the deal simply has no downsides with the only problem being that I am suspicious, which shouldn't be too much of a problem since my gameplay max accepts everything and all quests. I would once again take a backseat, letting Max do his own thing until he eventually goes to the backpacker sage where I extend an offer to him after Max leaves, leaving an impression. Though the backpacker is a bit of a mystery, I am going to go ahead and say yes since he acts like a spiritual guide to lost and weary travellers like Max. The rest of the members would be no names that didn't play into the story and would be picked after I played mind games and set up trials, then providing them with parts for their vehicles. The group would wander the wastes, being helpful and generous as I would also provide them with great benefits and a work-life balance that they haven't had for so long, pulling them back to the memory of older times. The main use of the 12 chariots would not be to do good but to start a legacy and fame, returning the idea of heroes and valiance to the world.
To create a headquarters, I would use the scrap location in Dry Gusty, at 3.50 in this video: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJCuEnTAJuI]
Getting a crew together, I would have them meet at a location where I bring the smelting tech and have them ship steel directly from the dump which would be reprocessed. Though potentially dangerous, I could easily come up with countermeasures to go against Gastowns' forces and any wanna-be traitors like by bolting the weapons onto the vehicles so they can't turn them against me. When the construction is completed, I would allow the workers to remain in the above area while the passage underground is, both, hidden and sealed with protective measures. Quickly a town would develop that could sustain itself since I would use 3d printers to create an enormous amount of water sails to cover the town, adding to it by delivering bug farms, allowing for both food and water while they built the walls. (I should probably mention that I destroyed the mess covering the secret sewer entrance which is how I got transports to and from Gastown to Jeet's.) Thanks to the work I would lead, the town would become a big contributor to my sustained power as they won't easily forget what I did for them or that there is more where that came from. The movement of steel would still continue regularly with any disturbances from Gastown being dealt with by me or any of my 12 chariots.
Around this time, Max would have gotten to Gutgash, at least in my play-through since I went to literally everything. When he eventually leaves and the women are taken, I surprise him again since he has to come back and forth to clear tasks, removing the danger level. Hanging around, I act as a supporting force by helping deliver steel to their cult and ensuring that it is actually water-worthy by making the gate airtight. Annoying Gutgash to my slight delight and making the people love me, but I would still choose to appease him, if only slightly by adding supporting pillars and small turret posts around the base where Gutgash could station his men.
Continuing on, I would meet Max at Pink Eye's, helping him defeat the invaders and getting in contact with Pink Eye who I would use to service my 12 chariots' cars, getting my men to build 12 extra bays and car lifts. This would of course be after Max's discussion, at which point I would offer support by helping build the utilities which Max creates for all of the bases. Putting to use her technical knowledge, I would use her as my main force, giving her solar panels, a battery and a TV setup to work on schematics as she worked on an aeroplane schematic I gave her for a small commercial vehicle which could easily be fitted with a series of dropping mechanisms like a turret releasing used shells. With this, I would not only increase my favourability to Max and Pink Eye but I would help Max by giving him a bomber plane to call upon in times of need. Though it would seem useful, I wouldn't let him use it in Gastown, to keep the main story going until he got past the races. To fill time, I would first help Pink Eye with her project to get her children out of dodge by giving her an actual, ridable, sand surfer with all the necessities to survive in the middle of nothing at the bare minimum on top of the nearly endless supply of dog food. It would come equipped with all sorts of things like water purifiers and spare parts along with an inside compartment, to add onto everything else, I would help supply 2 more of these vessels at the original schematics with a radio and walky-talky so we could see if things went well.
When it finally came time for Max's, lover's, execution and mutilation along with her child and dog, that is when I finally take more of a direct approach, getting my men to engage the Scrotus' horde with crossbows, shields and spears while I take on Scrotus. Being a lot easier, I simply shot him in the head with my guns, cutting off his head with a combat knife and waiting for Max to arrive. Now without a leader and their territories severely impacted and reduced, there was only a small force to combat me and Max, allowing him to see what really mattered while I took the war rig for myself, adding it to my town as a building that would quickly rip apart at the moment of a hat to run and destroy without the average joe realising.
Now with almost all problems and foes dealt with, I go to the Dunes region, specifically where the buzzards' main base is. Standing in front of it, I get my men to remove all surrounding snipers and secure the area around the airport. When night falls and the buzzards attempt to launch an assault with their vehicles, I would use my connections with the chariots and my militia to blast them to smithereens. If buzzards came out or attempted to surround us, I would unleash Max to deal with them and bomb and hordes to numerous to deal with. Only when the dawn of the next day rises would I, TRULY, act as I unleash my thunderous voice over the intercom.
"I AM, [insert name], AND MY WRATH IS BOUNDLESS, YOU HAVE PILLAGED AND SLAUGHTERED INNOCENTS!! THAT CROSS THESE FORSAKEN DUNES FOR YOUR PLEASURE AND DELIGHT, NEED OR NOT, OUT OF EVERYONE, YOU HAVE BOTH THE MOST SANITY AND THE LEAST, THE ONLY CHANCE FOR ATONEMENT IS SUBMISSION, YIELD OR DIE" me
With little to no choice, the buzzards almost submitted if it weren't for their psychotic lifestyles so to get them back on track, I'll make them work on clearing the sand and creating bricks in the surrounding region until the runways can be seen once more along with other structures. Not putting their efforts to waste, they would use the sand and other materials to construct bricks and general housing. To feed them I would use similar actions as before by creating liveable settlements where they could come together for water and food, finally bringing proper stability to the region. With the buzzards made inactive and the chariots out to roam, there would be no one to overly stimulate the fear and insanity of the denizens. What's more, by putting in reclamation efforts to stop the fires at the destroyed oil rigs, the people could get a large amount of accessible fuel and with a more civilised living circumstance brought back to the people, trade and projects could be put together like by scrapping or restoring the windmills. As a final accomplishment, I would do what I have always wanted to do in Mad Max which is to clear out the ruble in the doorway to the observatory, turning it into my own, personal, abode, as I look out at the Great White in a decked out, modern and safe observatory luxury suite.
Other projects would be enacted like creating train tracks from Gastown to all 4 major faction bases or using Chumbucket to create amazing mechanics. Speaking of Chumbucket, repairing his home would be a priority since it would also become the learning centre for mechanics in my empire as well as storage for cars that would be possessed by my elite riders who would be different from the 12 chariots as my elite riders would be trained and armed for my protection or enforcing. Similarly, I would also integrate the organic mechanic as an esteemed member since disease, death and injury are so common in the post-apocalyptic world, making his need to train the next generation extremely important. To also increase cooperation and handling, Pink Eye would be moved to the airport into a highly secured FNAF tier defence control room where she would manage the small air fleet and its destruction if someone or something bad happens. The gladiator arena would also be put into play but I would use more humane practices like boxing as though most people in Mad Max, at least the ones we face, are of the new generation, there is still a great benefit to the homage of older practices as, like Wu Zentian. By paying homage to what is believed to be a greater time, influence and the good of that era would be associated, so long as you had the power to "justify" your rule and words, which at this point, I would. As for the racing competition, I would keep that mostly as is, with the difference being that I would remove the need to kill the driver's aid and instead make them combat any survivors, still keeping the bloodiness but also adding in a lot more loyalty and emphasis on trust. Possibly the most important change I would make though would be the introduction of water stations with water sails that would be checked on using patrols so that people didn't steal them and instead only drank the water to not die of dehydration. As for the development that I value the most, that would be the re-establishment of professions by setting up schools and seeing what people did before the fall to better put them into service.
With all my desired improvements accomplished, I would choose to return to my home in the ground, keeping a check on everyone using my trusted aids who would be given phones. To reward Max for his aid, I would give him an RV that he could put wherever and enjoy a somewhat normal life, travelling across cities or staying in a secluded location. I would still choose to come to the surface periodically to have fun and check on things but for the most part, I would enjoy my life, writing, relaxing and developing, asking Max to be my escort when I leave to travel around. Though things wouldn't be perfect and things like bandits or Syndicates were likely to emerge, I believe that I would slowly be able to take charge and root out the rats that harm the collective as the people slowly advance to having proper lives again. Being able to be in a group without worrying if you will be looted or eaten, having meals, not being blasted by the sun, getting aid and many more things that should be free and accessible, even in the current world.
2024.02.14 02:45 GrouchyAuthor3869 It's been 25 years, 1 month, and (redacted) days since I was gooned.
I woke up on a particularly sentimental date last week, and while doing my morning routine read thru the news i ran into the Trails Carolina death story, and it's been fucking me ever since. I was sent to Stone Mountain School in Black Mountain, NC from January '99 to the end of May '00, the second half of 8th grade and my freshman year of highschool (I was a Pathfinder the whole time, if anyone else went there and knows what that means). Relative to most other TTI survivors, I had a less messed up and abusive experience (less is relative, it was still messed up and bad), and I consider myself lucky for it. The place got bought by Aspen as I was leaving. It was announced at Family Weekend in April 2000.
I've generally done pretty well keeping what happened from getting to me, but currently I'm being run out of the state I've lived in for 8 years by anti-trans bigotry (not me, two other members of my family), so my coping strategies are a little frayed, and not working as well.
I learned some neat stuff, like how to sharpen a knife, how to start a fire, and how to split a log to do timber frame construction. I also learned how to mask, how to pass as neurotypical, and that no one can be trusted. I have also developed a distrust of and hatred for mental health professionals, for which sufficiently vehement language is banned by the rules of this subreddit. Mostly what I learned was how to get thru and out with the minimum of friction and harm to myself.
I was woken up on the last day of a Christmas vacation trip to my grandparents house by a couple of kidnappers and my dad. They at least did it in daylight. The one who sat in the back with me for two hours holding my seatbelt clip so I couldn't tuck and roll had apparently been flown from Hawaii just for me. Apparently a 6'2, 330 pound 13 year old being trafficked into the TTI is considered a high-risk, specialist 'client'. As a result of my intake interview, I was then stood on the porch for four hours in a T-shirt and shorts, in freezing rain, the day after a major ice storm up in the mountains of North Carolina. I was so dehydrated the next morning when they sent me to psych lockdown for additional evaluation, I was so dehydrated that they gave up trying to draw blood after 9 sticks and they gave me prescription Gatorade all day. I drank 14 gallons, because then, as now, I enjoyed malicious compliance.
It sounds like some stuff changed after the Aspen takeover (the only time I saw a staff member lay hands on a kid was after that kid attacked the staff with a shovel, and he released the kid as soon as he was on the ground, like you're supposed to). There were a lot fewer mind games, and the actual official attitude of the place was "here's the level system and it's requirements, so do them or don't, that's up to you. Staff is here to make sure you don't die and to sign your level sheets." Maybe a third of people actually got all of the achievements on the sheets. Most eventually got pulled and we never knew what happened to them.
I have some damn good memories of that time: clearing a patch of woods to build a kitchen structure and garden for our campsite, harvesting and taking care of the decorative moss beds and gravel paths around our campsite that we laid out and built, sitting on a bald on the AT on July 4th watching 5 towns fireworks displays simultaneously, hauling the Mohicans (the younger group) on a 30 foot rope out of the pit for the long drop outhouse they had to dig because theirs was getting full. Hilariously unsafe, but we all know how seriously safety is taken in these places. Keeping those positive memories has been helpful in dealing with the bad ones.
I also harbor a deep and righteous rage towards anyone associated with the TTI or the mental health professions. You are all the same.
I don't have a coherent end to this; I've just been vibrating with rage for almost a week, and people who haven't been there do not believe it.
submitted by GrouchyAuthor3869 to troubledteens [link] [comments]
I've generally done pretty well keeping what happened from getting to me, but currently I'm being run out of the state I've lived in for 8 years by anti-trans bigotry (not me, two other members of my family), so my coping strategies are a little frayed, and not working as well.
I learned some neat stuff, like how to sharpen a knife, how to start a fire, and how to split a log to do timber frame construction. I also learned how to mask, how to pass as neurotypical, and that no one can be trusted. I have also developed a distrust of and hatred for mental health professionals, for which sufficiently vehement language is banned by the rules of this subreddit. Mostly what I learned was how to get thru and out with the minimum of friction and harm to myself.
I was woken up on the last day of a Christmas vacation trip to my grandparents house by a couple of kidnappers and my dad. They at least did it in daylight. The one who sat in the back with me for two hours holding my seatbelt clip so I couldn't tuck and roll had apparently been flown from Hawaii just for me. Apparently a 6'2, 330 pound 13 year old being trafficked into the TTI is considered a high-risk, specialist 'client'. As a result of my intake interview, I was then stood on the porch for four hours in a T-shirt and shorts, in freezing rain, the day after a major ice storm up in the mountains of North Carolina. I was so dehydrated the next morning when they sent me to psych lockdown for additional evaluation, I was so dehydrated that they gave up trying to draw blood after 9 sticks and they gave me prescription Gatorade all day. I drank 14 gallons, because then, as now, I enjoyed malicious compliance.
It sounds like some stuff changed after the Aspen takeover (the only time I saw a staff member lay hands on a kid was after that kid attacked the staff with a shovel, and he released the kid as soon as he was on the ground, like you're supposed to). There were a lot fewer mind games, and the actual official attitude of the place was "here's the level system and it's requirements, so do them or don't, that's up to you. Staff is here to make sure you don't die and to sign your level sheets." Maybe a third of people actually got all of the achievements on the sheets. Most eventually got pulled and we never knew what happened to them.
I have some damn good memories of that time: clearing a patch of woods to build a kitchen structure and garden for our campsite, harvesting and taking care of the decorative moss beds and gravel paths around our campsite that we laid out and built, sitting on a bald on the AT on July 4th watching 5 towns fireworks displays simultaneously, hauling the Mohicans (the younger group) on a 30 foot rope out of the pit for the long drop outhouse they had to dig because theirs was getting full. Hilariously unsafe, but we all know how seriously safety is taken in these places. Keeping those positive memories has been helpful in dealing with the bad ones.
I also harbor a deep and righteous rage towards anyone associated with the TTI or the mental health professions. You are all the same.
I don't have a coherent end to this; I've just been vibrating with rage for almost a week, and people who haven't been there do not believe it.
2024.02.06 22:28 Saltpataydahs Articles from the future: TDS Exposed - By Connolly Geiger
TDS Exposed - By Connolly Geiger (NYT circa 2074)
Teleportation Degeneration Syndrome or as it is more commonly known as ‘TDS’, is a disease that causes the cells to break down in your body. Since it was first documented in 2063 it has affected more than 14 million people worldwide. While it would appear to be a non-transmissible disease like Alzheimer’s or Smog Lung, the early reports seem to indicate that the number of people with TDS could be a lot higher than we first thought. So far, the fatality rate has remained low but after nearly a decade of research scientists now say the worst is yet to come.
“The disease appears to lay dormant in the human body for some time before one day it decides to strike,” said Dr. Taki Yamagura. He is the head of the ERL (or Earl as the staff has come to call it), the Energy Redirection Lab located deep underground at Great Plains University. He is one of the world’s leading authorities on teleportation and the first to draw the link between TDS and teleporting. He is one of the Technologists on the board of researchers for the TDS report coming out later this month.
“I recall the day she (Susan Moretz) came to my lab. She had only begun to show signs of Corticobasal degeneration, things like shaking hands and pausing mid-sentence. She was brought to me by the former head of GPU’s health and medicine department. There was concern she had (very) early-stage Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s, but test results did not show her positive for either.” He recalled being sympathetic, but unsure why she was being brought to him.
“What do I have to do with this? I said, my main field of expertise is all of this!” He said as he gestured to the 2 story tall machine that hummed and vibrated next to us. That’s when, he said, he was told Susan was a graduate of GPU and had finished her studies about four years prior.
“It was then I recalled her face. She was a promising student, very smart. She had a good understanding of the human electro-genome and its idiosyncrasies when it comes to re-pairing with the e-sequencers. The only problem was, she was a thrill seeker, a Hopper.”
For those who are unaware, since the creation of human safe teleportation in 2049, there have been those who have used this method of transportation to satisfy their own need for entertainment and pleasure. As with any new invention, someone will inevitably come along to pervert its original intent to satiate their desire for excitement. Like skitching, or drag racing, hopping is no different. Hopping is when you program a Tele-Pad to shift you from one location to another in rapid succession.
Originally designed to help overcome the issue with long distance teleportation, “auto-shifting” (AKA Hopping) was meant for non-living materials only. In the early days of teleportation, if you had to get goods from one side of the country (or world) to another you had to use several Tele-Pads to keep the cargo moving from one place to the next. This required the technician to remotely set the pads along the way to shift the moment the cargo arrived. In doing this, you could effectively ship goods from anywhere across the world within minutes.
In 2058 with the help of people like Dr. Yamagura, we finally cracked long distance teleportation and auto-shifting became a thing of the past, or so we thought. Because Tele-Pads with auto-shifting only existed at universities (or older manufacturing plants), it made sense that Hopping became more and more popular with youth culture. According to anecdotes, the first Hoppers performed it for fun or for bets and drinking games. Soon though, as more people began to do it, another reason for hopping began to emerge.
“It was called being ‘Nerved’ or ‘Nerving yourself’,” says Orion Waynemark, a self-professed ‘serial hopper’ and author of the book “Unnerving: The truth about Hopping”. Being ‘Nerved' was the described state of euphoria you felt when you set the auto-shifter to Hop you from place to place so fast that your electro-genome didn’t even have a chance to recompile before being transmitted to the next Tele-Pad. The word is a take on the term “nirvana” or a state of total Zen. Orion went on to describe the sensation you feel when Hopping.
“You basically existed as only an electric signal or transmission for several minutes at a time. It’s hard to describe except that it felt good. It’s kind of like explaining the taste of salt without being able to use the word “salt” in any way. You just have to have someone try it and then they instantly understand its use.” Orion has come a long way from the Hopping days of his youth. Now confined to a wheelchair due to his progressing TDS, he warns the youth of today not to even try it.
“Look, I know the link between TDS and Hopping is a new science but even if they weren’t connected, Hopping is still dangerous. It’s like a drug, once you Nerve yourself, you don’t want it to end. If I could say one thing to the kids today, don’t Hop. Just don’t do it. Smoke weed, snort Heroin, drink until you need to go to the Liver Farm but just don’t Hop. It’s not just TDS you need to worry about, it’s your mental health too. I’ve lost friends to the Nerve and I hope and pray that they’re just happy, wherever they are.”
Since Hopping was criminalized in 2060, cases of disappearance, depression, anxiety and yes, TDS, have decreased at Universities around the world. But the damage is done, while frequency or new cases of TDS has decreased, this is only true for case studies of university students and staff. Unfortunately, cases of TDS still appear to be rising globally at an incremental rate. Which brings us back to Susan Moretz and the GPU lab.
“It would appear that the cells in her body were beginning to degrade faster than they were being replenished.” Dr. Yamagura continued, “You’ll have to forgive me as biology is not my main area of expertise but as it was explained to me your body replaces over a Billion of its own cells every day and that about every three months, most of the cells in your body have been completely replaced. What we now know is that something about teleportation may be impacting your body’s ability to do this.”
What Dr. Yamagura is describing is the act of regeneration. As most of us are aware, the body can regenerate itself. Even before the days of holo-stitching or synthetic skin grafts, the human body could heal itself of most non-traumatic injuries. This process of regeneration is fueled by a product in our cells called ATP or Adenosine Triphosphate. This nucleotide is essentially what our cells use to do most work in our body, a kind of cellular “currency” as it were.
“From what I have read from the report so far, it would seem teleportation affects the ATP in your body causing a kind of exchange rate failure as it were. For instance, as it was explained to me, it’s easier if you think of ATP as a 1-dollar bill. Every time your cells go to regenerate, they use this one dollar bill and break it up into 100 pennies. Each penny has a specific job and once it’s done with that job, another penny is produced which goes back to the dollar and keeps everything even. From what we can tell, it’s possible TDS causes some pennies to go missing causing you to create an ATP deficit.”
While unnoticeable at first, this deficit eventually grows and causes the breakdown of multiple systems in your body. Susan Moretz was the first person to die from TDS and her mother still describes the agony of living with her in her final weeks.
“It was awful, terrible, I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy,” Grace Moretz describes her daughter's last days of life while we sit in her kitchen. “They say it’s a complete system shutdown, but it's worse than that. It was like Alzheimer’s crossed with some kind of Dystonia or Parkinson’s. Shortly before she passed, she couldn’t remember anything that happened in the past decade of her life. She refused to acknowledge her husband or her children and repeatedly asked to see her former fiancé John.”
John Sterger was a classmate of Susan’s; they had dated on and off for a few years before he proposed to her. They were set to be married once both had graduated from GPU but an accident that occurred during a Hopping party caused John’s death when he never reappeared after trying to tie the record for longest Hop.
“Even up to her final minutes,” Grace continued, “through the tremors, the nausea, and incontinence she was adamant she was 22 years old. Her last words were expressing regret over not having any children, a statement I tried to hide from her son who was watching everything on video call.”
Susan Moretz died at the age of 32 from what at first appeared to be supremely early onset Alzheimer’s exacerbated by poor nutrition and dehydration. Susan was drinking and eating in the days before her death, but her body would not capture any nutrients, nor would it hydrate itself. This was the first clue that something more sinister was happening and ultimately led to the discovery of TDS.
Though still a new disease, TDS is already undergoing criticism from several in the techno-medical community. Dr. Hans Scribe thinks it’s too early for teleportation to be linked to any diseases and that we just don’t have enough information to declare it a real problem.
“It’s unfair is what it is, TDS is a hit-job against the teleportation industry.” Dr. Scribe agreed to sit down with me in his office lab at ETH Zurich, the home of the first site – to – site teleportation. “First of all, it's unfair to call it Teleportation Degradation Syndrome without 100% proving its teleportation causing the problem. Teleporting has gone through enough research and scrutiny over the years, and I can tell you without a doubt that it is 100% safe.”
The scrutiny Dr. Scribe refers to is the tumultuous beginnings of the teleportation industry. Long since thought of as science fiction, teleportation remained a pipe dream of 20th and early 21st century authors. Scientists had worked on the idea for years, but it wasn’t until the first ever teleportation of an inanimate object (a rubber ducky) occurred in 2040 that it became a reality. Dr. Scribe showed me around his lab, a veritable museum of the first objects ever teleported.
“My favorite is the basketball. It was what helped lead us to discover that gravitons are real.” Dr. Scribe pointed to the basketball on the far side of the lab that was being held in place by a gravity field. The ball was set just inches above a basket that had been affixed to the wall, eternally looking like it was about to swish through the net.
“Before that we were just kids playing with a new toy, but that experiment showed us an object teleporting in motion will continue its motion even after being shifted. Just one example of the new age of science technology that teleportation ushered in. But still, even when science has brought them a miracle, people still want to complain about ethics and morals and other nonsense.”
Dr. Scribe is referring to the debate that happened in the public theater shortly after the announcement of the first successful site-to-site teleportation. Society was largely unprepared for the consequences of the discovery of teleportation. In the years following its creation, millions of jobs in the shipping industry disappeared, scarcity became scarce, and new innovations were being created overnight. This rapid change caused lots of debates and sometimes skirmishes around the world as humanity adjusted to the new age of quantum technology.
“One of the biggest detractors to teleportation tech were the religious ones,” Dr Scribe stated, “we would have hundreds of protesters outside of our doors daily telling us how we were ‘acting against God’s will’. They accused us of blasphemy, said we were playing God and that the ‘soul was not a signal’, whatever that meant. In the end, they all subsided. Father time did most of them in, the rest acknowledged the validity of The Trials.”
The Trials were a series of public teleportation experiments put on in major cities around the world, a’ la “a world’s fair”. Scientists, in cooperation with several major universities and governments, wanted to show the public that when it came to teleportation, there was nothing to be afraid of. Tele-Pads were set up to allow for supervised public use to allow the average person to test out the technology for themselves. It worked and hundreds of thousands of ‘armchair’ scientists showed up with their apples, paintings, computers, and other objects eager to see and use the technology for themselves. To scientists like Dr. Scribe, it was a blessing (his word choice, not mine).
“It was the best thing that could have happened. The effects weren’t immediate but gradually over the course of the years, teleportation became more accepted to the point where it is now more uncommon to run into a person who has never teleported than one who has. You’ll never be rid of those troglodytes who fear change.” He stated.
I pressed Dr. Scribe that although his point about not knowing enough about TDS is valid, the counter argument is that perhaps we still don’t know enough about Teleportation to be using it on a daily basis. And when I mentioned the fact that those “Troglodytes” he was referring to were the only group of people proven to be 100% free of any reported cases of TDS, he shrugged his shoulders.
“Like I said, it’s too early to be sure of anything.” He wrapped up by showing me the memorial to Hank Fuch, the first ever ‘Tele-naut’ and among one of the first to die from TDS.
Back with Dr. Yamagura, he insists that cases like Susan or Hank were rare. That the mortality rate for TDS is extremely low and with the intervention of brain-chips those with TDS could live relatively symptom free for the duration of their lives.
“The chip serves to bolster the quantum signal for restructuring of your body’s ATP production and acts as a receptor that has been linked with you on a cellular level causing the retardation of any negative effects teleportation may have had on your electro-genome. It basically tricks your brain chemistry into thinking you never stepped into the Tele-Pad.”
As of last year, it has been officially recommended that anyone using teleportation technology should be using a brain-chip. Now unfortunately for millions of people, whether by choice or genetics, brain chips are not an option. What does this mean for the teleportation industry? It remains to be seen, already dozens of multinational companies have put a halt on human teleportation to and from work. This has caused (once thought extinct) taxi services to come back to life as many must find alternative ways to travel to work.
However, people like Grace Moretz refuse to ever use the technology again. “It’s evil, I know it in my heart. I’m now convinced more than ever that my daughter died years before TDS killed her.” When I asked what Grace meant by that, she began to cry.
“My daughter died the day she first stepped on a Tele-Pad, like I died, like anyone who has used a Tele-pad has died. We’re all copies. I know it now to be true and no amount of science will ever tell me otherwise. TDS doesn’t affect the originals, only the ones who showed up on the other side.” Chilling words from a bereaved mother.
In the writing of this report, I have had to travel via Tele-Pad no less than 14 times. I have not felt any effects of TDS though I do have a brain-chip that may be remediating its effects. Only time will tell whether teleportation is a cursed technology like Lasik or Bio-Drives. Unfortunately for us the best way to find out is through repeated use, experimentation and study. Until the official report is published, it would appear we The Trials are still happening, and we are all taking part in the experiment.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yIHHlSW-85--OMy5OTu_5xCqvd8Po63mRAMJ6rqyzM4/edit?usp=sharing
submitted by Saltpataydahs to KeepWriting [link] [comments]
Teleportation Degeneration Syndrome or as it is more commonly known as ‘TDS’, is a disease that causes the cells to break down in your body. Since it was first documented in 2063 it has affected more than 14 million people worldwide. While it would appear to be a non-transmissible disease like Alzheimer’s or Smog Lung, the early reports seem to indicate that the number of people with TDS could be a lot higher than we first thought. So far, the fatality rate has remained low but after nearly a decade of research scientists now say the worst is yet to come.
“The disease appears to lay dormant in the human body for some time before one day it decides to strike,” said Dr. Taki Yamagura. He is the head of the ERL (or Earl as the staff has come to call it), the Energy Redirection Lab located deep underground at Great Plains University. He is one of the world’s leading authorities on teleportation and the first to draw the link between TDS and teleporting. He is one of the Technologists on the board of researchers for the TDS report coming out later this month.
“I recall the day she (Susan Moretz) came to my lab. She had only begun to show signs of Corticobasal degeneration, things like shaking hands and pausing mid-sentence. She was brought to me by the former head of GPU’s health and medicine department. There was concern she had (very) early-stage Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s, but test results did not show her positive for either.” He recalled being sympathetic, but unsure why she was being brought to him.
“What do I have to do with this? I said, my main field of expertise is all of this!” He said as he gestured to the 2 story tall machine that hummed and vibrated next to us. That’s when, he said, he was told Susan was a graduate of GPU and had finished her studies about four years prior.
“It was then I recalled her face. She was a promising student, very smart. She had a good understanding of the human electro-genome and its idiosyncrasies when it comes to re-pairing with the e-sequencers. The only problem was, she was a thrill seeker, a Hopper.”
For those who are unaware, since the creation of human safe teleportation in 2049, there have been those who have used this method of transportation to satisfy their own need for entertainment and pleasure. As with any new invention, someone will inevitably come along to pervert its original intent to satiate their desire for excitement. Like skitching, or drag racing, hopping is no different. Hopping is when you program a Tele-Pad to shift you from one location to another in rapid succession.
Originally designed to help overcome the issue with long distance teleportation, “auto-shifting” (AKA Hopping) was meant for non-living materials only. In the early days of teleportation, if you had to get goods from one side of the country (or world) to another you had to use several Tele-Pads to keep the cargo moving from one place to the next. This required the technician to remotely set the pads along the way to shift the moment the cargo arrived. In doing this, you could effectively ship goods from anywhere across the world within minutes.
In 2058 with the help of people like Dr. Yamagura, we finally cracked long distance teleportation and auto-shifting became a thing of the past, or so we thought. Because Tele-Pads with auto-shifting only existed at universities (or older manufacturing plants), it made sense that Hopping became more and more popular with youth culture. According to anecdotes, the first Hoppers performed it for fun or for bets and drinking games. Soon though, as more people began to do it, another reason for hopping began to emerge.
“It was called being ‘Nerved’ or ‘Nerving yourself’,” says Orion Waynemark, a self-professed ‘serial hopper’ and author of the book “Unnerving: The truth about Hopping”. Being ‘Nerved' was the described state of euphoria you felt when you set the auto-shifter to Hop you from place to place so fast that your electro-genome didn’t even have a chance to recompile before being transmitted to the next Tele-Pad. The word is a take on the term “nirvana” or a state of total Zen. Orion went on to describe the sensation you feel when Hopping.
“You basically existed as only an electric signal or transmission for several minutes at a time. It’s hard to describe except that it felt good. It’s kind of like explaining the taste of salt without being able to use the word “salt” in any way. You just have to have someone try it and then they instantly understand its use.” Orion has come a long way from the Hopping days of his youth. Now confined to a wheelchair due to his progressing TDS, he warns the youth of today not to even try it.
“Look, I know the link between TDS and Hopping is a new science but even if they weren’t connected, Hopping is still dangerous. It’s like a drug, once you Nerve yourself, you don’t want it to end. If I could say one thing to the kids today, don’t Hop. Just don’t do it. Smoke weed, snort Heroin, drink until you need to go to the Liver Farm but just don’t Hop. It’s not just TDS you need to worry about, it’s your mental health too. I’ve lost friends to the Nerve and I hope and pray that they’re just happy, wherever they are.”
Since Hopping was criminalized in 2060, cases of disappearance, depression, anxiety and yes, TDS, have decreased at Universities around the world. But the damage is done, while frequency or new cases of TDS has decreased, this is only true for case studies of university students and staff. Unfortunately, cases of TDS still appear to be rising globally at an incremental rate. Which brings us back to Susan Moretz and the GPU lab.
“It would appear that the cells in her body were beginning to degrade faster than they were being replenished.” Dr. Yamagura continued, “You’ll have to forgive me as biology is not my main area of expertise but as it was explained to me your body replaces over a Billion of its own cells every day and that about every three months, most of the cells in your body have been completely replaced. What we now know is that something about teleportation may be impacting your body’s ability to do this.”
What Dr. Yamagura is describing is the act of regeneration. As most of us are aware, the body can regenerate itself. Even before the days of holo-stitching or synthetic skin grafts, the human body could heal itself of most non-traumatic injuries. This process of regeneration is fueled by a product in our cells called ATP or Adenosine Triphosphate. This nucleotide is essentially what our cells use to do most work in our body, a kind of cellular “currency” as it were.
“From what I have read from the report so far, it would seem teleportation affects the ATP in your body causing a kind of exchange rate failure as it were. For instance, as it was explained to me, it’s easier if you think of ATP as a 1-dollar bill. Every time your cells go to regenerate, they use this one dollar bill and break it up into 100 pennies. Each penny has a specific job and once it’s done with that job, another penny is produced which goes back to the dollar and keeps everything even. From what we can tell, it’s possible TDS causes some pennies to go missing causing you to create an ATP deficit.”
While unnoticeable at first, this deficit eventually grows and causes the breakdown of multiple systems in your body. Susan Moretz was the first person to die from TDS and her mother still describes the agony of living with her in her final weeks.
“It was awful, terrible, I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy,” Grace Moretz describes her daughter's last days of life while we sit in her kitchen. “They say it’s a complete system shutdown, but it's worse than that. It was like Alzheimer’s crossed with some kind of Dystonia or Parkinson’s. Shortly before she passed, she couldn’t remember anything that happened in the past decade of her life. She refused to acknowledge her husband or her children and repeatedly asked to see her former fiancé John.”
John Sterger was a classmate of Susan’s; they had dated on and off for a few years before he proposed to her. They were set to be married once both had graduated from GPU but an accident that occurred during a Hopping party caused John’s death when he never reappeared after trying to tie the record for longest Hop.
“Even up to her final minutes,” Grace continued, “through the tremors, the nausea, and incontinence she was adamant she was 22 years old. Her last words were expressing regret over not having any children, a statement I tried to hide from her son who was watching everything on video call.”
Susan Moretz died at the age of 32 from what at first appeared to be supremely early onset Alzheimer’s exacerbated by poor nutrition and dehydration. Susan was drinking and eating in the days before her death, but her body would not capture any nutrients, nor would it hydrate itself. This was the first clue that something more sinister was happening and ultimately led to the discovery of TDS.
Though still a new disease, TDS is already undergoing criticism from several in the techno-medical community. Dr. Hans Scribe thinks it’s too early for teleportation to be linked to any diseases and that we just don’t have enough information to declare it a real problem.
“It’s unfair is what it is, TDS is a hit-job against the teleportation industry.” Dr. Scribe agreed to sit down with me in his office lab at ETH Zurich, the home of the first site – to – site teleportation. “First of all, it's unfair to call it Teleportation Degradation Syndrome without 100% proving its teleportation causing the problem. Teleporting has gone through enough research and scrutiny over the years, and I can tell you without a doubt that it is 100% safe.”
The scrutiny Dr. Scribe refers to is the tumultuous beginnings of the teleportation industry. Long since thought of as science fiction, teleportation remained a pipe dream of 20th and early 21st century authors. Scientists had worked on the idea for years, but it wasn’t until the first ever teleportation of an inanimate object (a rubber ducky) occurred in 2040 that it became a reality. Dr. Scribe showed me around his lab, a veritable museum of the first objects ever teleported.
“My favorite is the basketball. It was what helped lead us to discover that gravitons are real.” Dr. Scribe pointed to the basketball on the far side of the lab that was being held in place by a gravity field. The ball was set just inches above a basket that had been affixed to the wall, eternally looking like it was about to swish through the net.
“Before that we were just kids playing with a new toy, but that experiment showed us an object teleporting in motion will continue its motion even after being shifted. Just one example of the new age of science technology that teleportation ushered in. But still, even when science has brought them a miracle, people still want to complain about ethics and morals and other nonsense.”
Dr. Scribe is referring to the debate that happened in the public theater shortly after the announcement of the first successful site-to-site teleportation. Society was largely unprepared for the consequences of the discovery of teleportation. In the years following its creation, millions of jobs in the shipping industry disappeared, scarcity became scarce, and new innovations were being created overnight. This rapid change caused lots of debates and sometimes skirmishes around the world as humanity adjusted to the new age of quantum technology.
“One of the biggest detractors to teleportation tech were the religious ones,” Dr Scribe stated, “we would have hundreds of protesters outside of our doors daily telling us how we were ‘acting against God’s will’. They accused us of blasphemy, said we were playing God and that the ‘soul was not a signal’, whatever that meant. In the end, they all subsided. Father time did most of them in, the rest acknowledged the validity of The Trials.”
The Trials were a series of public teleportation experiments put on in major cities around the world, a’ la “a world’s fair”. Scientists, in cooperation with several major universities and governments, wanted to show the public that when it came to teleportation, there was nothing to be afraid of. Tele-Pads were set up to allow for supervised public use to allow the average person to test out the technology for themselves. It worked and hundreds of thousands of ‘armchair’ scientists showed up with their apples, paintings, computers, and other objects eager to see and use the technology for themselves. To scientists like Dr. Scribe, it was a blessing (his word choice, not mine).
“It was the best thing that could have happened. The effects weren’t immediate but gradually over the course of the years, teleportation became more accepted to the point where it is now more uncommon to run into a person who has never teleported than one who has. You’ll never be rid of those troglodytes who fear change.” He stated.
I pressed Dr. Scribe that although his point about not knowing enough about TDS is valid, the counter argument is that perhaps we still don’t know enough about Teleportation to be using it on a daily basis. And when I mentioned the fact that those “Troglodytes” he was referring to were the only group of people proven to be 100% free of any reported cases of TDS, he shrugged his shoulders.
“Like I said, it’s too early to be sure of anything.” He wrapped up by showing me the memorial to Hank Fuch, the first ever ‘Tele-naut’ and among one of the first to die from TDS.
Back with Dr. Yamagura, he insists that cases like Susan or Hank were rare. That the mortality rate for TDS is extremely low and with the intervention of brain-chips those with TDS could live relatively symptom free for the duration of their lives.
“The chip serves to bolster the quantum signal for restructuring of your body’s ATP production and acts as a receptor that has been linked with you on a cellular level causing the retardation of any negative effects teleportation may have had on your electro-genome. It basically tricks your brain chemistry into thinking you never stepped into the Tele-Pad.”
As of last year, it has been officially recommended that anyone using teleportation technology should be using a brain-chip. Now unfortunately for millions of people, whether by choice or genetics, brain chips are not an option. What does this mean for the teleportation industry? It remains to be seen, already dozens of multinational companies have put a halt on human teleportation to and from work. This has caused (once thought extinct) taxi services to come back to life as many must find alternative ways to travel to work.
However, people like Grace Moretz refuse to ever use the technology again. “It’s evil, I know it in my heart. I’m now convinced more than ever that my daughter died years before TDS killed her.” When I asked what Grace meant by that, she began to cry.
“My daughter died the day she first stepped on a Tele-Pad, like I died, like anyone who has used a Tele-pad has died. We’re all copies. I know it now to be true and no amount of science will ever tell me otherwise. TDS doesn’t affect the originals, only the ones who showed up on the other side.” Chilling words from a bereaved mother.
In the writing of this report, I have had to travel via Tele-Pad no less than 14 times. I have not felt any effects of TDS though I do have a brain-chip that may be remediating its effects. Only time will tell whether teleportation is a cursed technology like Lasik or Bio-Drives. Unfortunately for us the best way to find out is through repeated use, experimentation and study. Until the official report is published, it would appear we The Trials are still happening, and we are all taking part in the experiment.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yIHHlSW-85--OMy5OTu_5xCqvd8Po63mRAMJ6rqyzM4/edit?usp=sharing
2024.01.24 03:48 Drummer_wife I’m becoming a hypochondriac and I can’t stop it.
I 29F am overweight. I’m also in the healthcare profession and I have started to fear every single healthcare issue known to man. I’ve had blood work done, and it shows no health issues aside from PCOS (which caused the issue with my weight) and my Crippling PTSD and Anxiety. My husband and I used to go cycling, and now I haven’t had time as both of our jobs have picked up and we’re constantly busy,
And my Anxiety has been making me lack the energy and want to go cycling. I invested in one of those weighted hula hoops but I’ve used it all of once. But now I’m convinced that every panic attack is a heart attack and every water retention from dehydration and lack of sleep is a heart failure issue.
But it’s just not.
I know I need to change, and I know I need to diet but I am struggling. How do I get past this? Therapy does nothing but make me realize that it’s literally all in my head and in order to fix my health worries I have to work out and maybe take supplements.
submitted by Drummer_wife to offmychest [link] [comments]
And my Anxiety has been making me lack the energy and want to go cycling. I invested in one of those weighted hula hoops but I’ve used it all of once. But now I’m convinced that every panic attack is a heart attack and every water retention from dehydration and lack of sleep is a heart failure issue.
But it’s just not.
I know I need to change, and I know I need to diet but I am struggling. How do I get past this? Therapy does nothing but make me realize that it’s literally all in my head and in order to fix my health worries I have to work out and maybe take supplements.
2024.01.13 23:34 BionicForester19 Is fascia studied by physiotherapy students?
Hello all.
I'm writing an article about fascia, specifically how it's a relatively new topic of study here in North America.
For the purposes of the article I'm wanting to know what professions in the medical field study fascia. I know massage therapists study it in brief but really only to the extent that of what it is and what it does in its healthy state. I'd like to know if fascia is studied as part of the physiotherapy curriculum. If it is, how in depth is the topic studied? Does it cover fascia only in its healthy state or does it cover compromised fascia due to injury, overuse, dehydration, etc?
For those that reply with a "Yes, we studied it", how much you studied (time-wise/a paragraph/chapter, etc), healthy and/or compromised, and your general location would be helpful (state or province).
Thanks in advance.
submitted by BionicForester19 to physiotherapy [link] [comments]
I'm writing an article about fascia, specifically how it's a relatively new topic of study here in North America.
For the purposes of the article I'm wanting to know what professions in the medical field study fascia. I know massage therapists study it in brief but really only to the extent that of what it is and what it does in its healthy state. I'd like to know if fascia is studied as part of the physiotherapy curriculum. If it is, how in depth is the topic studied? Does it cover fascia only in its healthy state or does it cover compromised fascia due to injury, overuse, dehydration, etc?
For those that reply with a "Yes, we studied it", how much you studied (time-wise/a paragraph/chapter, etc), healthy and/or compromised, and your general location would be helpful (state or province).
Thanks in advance.
2024.01.12 02:07 Logic_Sandwich JoJo's Bizarre OC Tournament #7: R1M28 - Jim Peckle and Sulka Kiisseli vs Titan Patel and Kibō Inago
The results are in for Match 26. The winner is…
Bonnie stood behind the bar, still as a statue. She rang the gong as the last hand fell, shattering the wall of noise that’d overtaken the bar for the last ten minutes.
Tables had been broken, chairs smashed, chunked, or missing, the floor almost wholly replaced by sliding doors that she was certain wouldn’t sell if she ripped them up, and the booths had seen significantly better days.
“Vira!” She shouted, speaking for the first time since the gong rang.
The man appeared with a wad of cash in his hand. “Just finished. The tally’s at two-fifty.” He smiled broadly. “That’s probably the best night you’ll get around here!”
Bonnie sighed loudly, and took the wad away from the boy. “For our lucky winner…” She stepped over her bar. One foot rose and fell over a pile of patrons, and another brushed against a fallen table, sending it sailing away.
Her fingers dug through the wad, and slowly, but surely, she produced a stack of bills. “... one hundred thousand rupees to the booth pair, Deacon Blues and Disco-”
‘Delilah D. Pierogi’ tried to cut her off. “Delilah-”
“Bull.” She spat back through gritted teeth, with narrowed eyes boring into Disco’s skull. “D. Lune.” She gently passed her the wad of bills. “I don’t forget faces, and I don’t forget favors.”
Disco graciously took the wad of bills, and started divvying it up in her hands. “Is this legal?”
“Everyone who came in signed up to have their money taken, so it is on paper.” She turned her back to the pair. “Oh, if you could use your psychic wackadoo whatever to take the doors out, I’d appreciate it! I betcha those things would make it hard to clean in here…”
With the wad properly split, and half of it ending up in Deacon’s pocket, as his hands were still strapped to his trumpet, Disco couldn’t help but blink. “Psychic wackadoo?”
“Ya know, the floaty things you weirdos use to beat the shit out of each other.” Bonnie walked through the fallen crowd, eliciting groan after groan as the seas of drunks were parted by her passing.
“Stands.” Disco politely corrected Bonnie’s assertion.
“Sits, walks, whatever!” The floor sagged beneath the weight of Bonnie’s shrug. “I don’t care what they’re called, I care that the mess-” The doors miraculously disappeared. “- is cleaned.” She shook her head. “I love psychics, they dress weird and carry cash; I love psychics, they dress weird and carry cash…”
Deacon pulled his lips from his instrument. “Miss Disco?” He called. She wordless turned to him. “I think we can go…”
“Indeed.” The ruckus had ended. They’d won the battle, fifty-thousand rupees each, which was far more than the flyer had advertised…they thought.
The pair found a path not littered with broken glassware, tables, and fallen drunks, and took it back to the surface world, far from the salt-encrusted beer emporium where they’d spent the past four hours.
Bonnie flipped through the wad of bills in her hands. “You knocked out the bean counter, right?”
Vira smiled broadly. “He went down first, as promised.” Another hundred thousand rupees left the gargantuan women, and found themselves in the hands of the wiry man.
With a finger pressed into the wad, and eyes burning like fresh coals, Bonnie stared into Vira’s soul. “Vira, you’re fired.”
Vira’s smile stayed put. “I’ll leave my phone on, miss Bonnie.”
She turned back to her mess, brandishing the broom that had fallen underneath the register like a knight. “You’d best.”
Vira turned and walked away. His slow, prodding steps echoed from the hall until the door creaked and slammed shut behind him.
Her sigh echoed across the bar as one of her feet slid over the counter. She started walking around, for her humor, while looking over the faces of her patrons-some new, some old-and found one of the other psychic wackadoos staring at her with one eye open. She smiled, baring her jagged teeth in his direction, and watched that eye shut. “Sunset, right?”
“Nope.” He said aloud. “You’ve got the wrong number. Leave a message after the beep.”
Bonnie leaned down over him. Her towering frame would’ve blocked the sun from all angles had they been outside, but instead, all the lights in the room bounced off of her, letting Sunset only see a pair of red eyes and sharp, white teeth gleaming down at him. “Are you gonna beep, kid?”
Sunset’s shaking rattled the floorboards. The image of a far more violent and dangerous Brick Punchwell rolled around in his noggin. “B-b-beep!”
“Tell that Brick fella I’ll fight him if he wants.” Sunset’s eye popped back open. “Seems like a fun timewaster.” She stood back up, and started sweeping. “Oh, and don’t fake getting hit next time. You learn a lot less if you don’t take your lumps.”
Aside from the sound of bristles scraping into the floorboards, not a thing disturbed the silence in the bar. “Get him and get out before my regulars wake up.” The next sound was a set of elbows digging into the wood, propping the streetear up, before he scrambled to his feet.
Before Bonnie got done sweeping, and long before her other patrons stumbled out of the bar, Sunset was gone.
Scenario: Somewhere in The Midnight Market, Port Konwar, 5:34 PM
Aatan Ayam found himself in a bit of a bind. Today, like most days recently, hadn’t exactly been very lucrative. He was supposed to be doing his usual routine, bumping into people on the streets and snagging a watch or a wallet, but recently he’d lost his nerve. It was hard not to imagine all of those eyes judging him silently. They all probably knew by now, it wasn’t like he was subtle about it. How was he supposed to know what those pictures were for? It wasn’t like he meant-
Bad thoughts. Doomspiraling in the middle of the street wouldn’t help anyone. Then again, it wasn’t like anything he could do would help now. He really bungled it this time.
Dipping into one of the port’s various seedy back alleys, he spared a brief nod to a few other small-time crooks before slipping into the back door of one of the perpetual constriction sites that dotted the area. Aatan preferred this to whatever luxury villa or whatever that should’ve been built five years ago; it made for a very convenient shortcut. He couldn’t count the times a quick trip through here had shaken an angry mark.
His reminiscence was cut short by a stern voice: “Mr. Ayam~!”
He reached one hand into his pocket, coming to a halt but not daring to turn around. He was already fucked, yeah? He’d go down with the ship if he had to. He wasn’t just gonna take it lying down. “What’s it to you?”
“I’m here to congratulate you on an exceeding performance. Your superiors have found your work positively delighting- Efficient, too.”
Aatan’s blood ran cold, his fist clenching as he tried to stifle the faint trembling that was wracking his body. He just had to turn around, dammit, and then he could-
“Don't embarrass yourself by taking that hand out of your pocket. It's not hard to assume it's just a taser, given your gutlessness- no way it's a gun. Even if it was, your aim's likely much too shaky to do anything, and it would just sour the mood.”
Well. That’s out the window now. Realistically, the go-between had a gun at his head. Only made sense, really. Tie up loose ends. He knew the job was too good to be true. That much cash for a few photos and a map? Might as well have been getting paid to stick his head in a guillotine.
Mustering his courage, he forced out a few shaky words. “...So what do you want from me, then? Why bother talking?”
“I already said- do try to keep up. Your efficiency was remarkable, and you were quite thorough. That level of quality in one's work is rare to come by! Most “employees” like yourself would just be a liability to those of us in the Suite, but there’s an off-chance you might be just be useful to us after all.”
Aatan clenched his fists, finally turning around to the face of one Dr. Apollo. “For what? Canvasing another crime scene for you?”
Apollo only laughed at that. “No, nothing so barbaric. You, it appears, have an ear on the pulse of this part of town. All you’d have to do is translate! In metaphorical terms, of course. It’s how your superior put it- Mr. Now! has quite the way with words.”
“What, like, some kinda spy shit?”
“Precisely~! You make yourself troublesome to track you down, you know. I was fortunate to find this little spot so quickly. I’m sure you have plenty more like it in the neighborhood- don't bother trying to hide it.”
Aatan hesitated for a moment, unsure whether that information should be so readily given up. Alas, it seemed the doctor correctly took his silence as assent.
“While I certainly could torture you for the information on where they might be… I don't really want to. Not in the mood. It's difficult enough to find diligent workers, besides.”
Aatan visibly paled at the notion of being tortured. He’d already figured he’d gotten himself involved with some shady fucks, but now he had to update that description to shady psychopathic maniacs. He’d gone and done it this time…
“So, the choice is yours, friend. You can either be a part of something bigger than yourself, or be a part of the common heap. Entirely up to you.”
Scenario: The River Square, Port Konwar, 5:12 PM
Kibo Inago was on self-assigned legwork duty for the day. What was supposed to be a fun break from his search for the Aces had gone very wrong, very quickly. Evidently this “City of Passion” was in its Gilded Age, and he didn’t have to look very far to figure that one out. Port Konwar was a prime demonstration of the deeply-rooted class differences that had taken hold of this city; what few houses there were seemed to have been rotting for a long time, and the few projects that were supposed to alleviate that issue had been stalled for years.
To be fair, the area was primarily commercial, but it was quite spartan. The work here was mostly a thankless slog, a vital part of the city’s heartbeat that had nevertheless been ignored simply because it was inconvenient. Whether it was gross incompetence or malicious negligence, it made his blood boil to see the state of all but the wealthiest parts of the city.
As much as he would like to do something, he was here precisely because that seemed a doomed endeavor. In light of… ‘murder’ didn’t quite capture that savagery of what was done to Paris Aco. It was senseless and brutal, a truly despicable act of wanton violence. It was an act of terror, a warning shot to anyone who dared to dream of a better future.
As a dreamer himself, an investigation was the least he could do in her honor.
He was shaken from his thoughts by an insistent pawing at his leg. Looking down, he saw Titan, his partner for the task. He couldn’t think of a better companion for a task like this; Titan was just as upset as he was, even if he couldn’t quite show it on his face. But his nervous pacing, his flattened ears, and of course, the occasional “are we there yet?” was proof enough that he was every bit as anxious to turn up something concrete as Kibo.
Fortunately for them, they had some kind of lead to work off. Sure, it was just a name, but it was better than nothing.
According to one of the back alley denizens, some local small-timer had been acting pretty sketchy recently, just after he supposedly got hired for some “big job.” Sure, it could’ve been a coincidence, but they had to do their due diligence. Besides, everyone they asked seemed to know the guy somehow. Whether he’d snagged twenty bucks out of their hand or thrown them a ten for lunch, most of the less fortunate residents seemed to have a story to tell about him.
Kibo didn’t really think this “Aatan” sounded like a murderer. Sparing a glance down at the Ace of Swords, though, he had to admit the world was full of surprises. If everything was always as it seemed, the world wouldn’t need superheroes. But right now, he felt in his heart that this city needed something to believe in, something to hope for. He’d do his best to give that to them.
As if reading Kibo’s mind, Titan rubbed against his leg affectionately, a robotic voice emerging from the gadget he wore: “Everything will work out for the best. Evil never triumphs for long.”
“...Thanks, Titan. I’m glad you came along.”
“Me too!” Titan stretched himself out with a satisfied purr before taking off down the street, deftly weaving himself between the legs of the pedestrians. Around here, nobody paid him much mind; he was just another stray to them, and one of the less annoying ones. Kibo, for his part, had a lot more trouble parting the sea of cranky, tired factory workers forced to walk home from a long day at work. Those, he reckoned, were the lucky ones; the other half would probably be on overtime until at least seven. He did his best not to ruffle any feathers as he pushed onwards; at least Titan was pretty good about not straying out of sight, so they never got separated.
The streets of Port Konwar were practically an open vineyard for Sulka’s purview; plenty of blossoming crooks looking for the next big haul, listless vagabonds in search of something greater than themselves, disgruntled workers who needed an outlet for the stresses of their job all roamed free at this hour of the evening. To their left, an apparently clumsy child bumped into a factory worker, snagging the watch clean off her wrist in the process. Sulka wondered how much money that watch cost. How much of her time did she spend slaving away to a system that didn’t care about her for that one piece of ornamentation, only for it to be snatched away in an instant? What would she do when she found out? Drink to forget? Lash out at her loved ones? Cry herself to sleep and wonder if her life was a futile endeavor?
Pain, anger, despair, vice. They were all so… trite. To experience them was basically tying puppet strings to one’s own wrists, begging for somebody else to pull in just the right way until they danced to a better tune. Sulka’s tune.
Pain was in and of itself a force, parallel to [gravity] in many ways. Both drew people into inevitable conflict, pulling them into a self-reinforcing spiral that would drag one downwards into the murky depths. One wrong brush with [gravity], or one wrong brush with pain, and one would simply… stop. In this sense, pain, and its derivatives of misery, desperation, and rage, among others, were another avenue to study and master [gravity].
Hence why they found themselves here. Sure, Bedtown was likewise in a sorry state of affairs, but the people there had long since learned helplessness, accepting the state of affairs. Here, in Port Konwar, the embers of hope flickered just within view yet just out of reach. People could not help but suffer here. From this pathetic lot, Sulka would pluck their selection of new minions; there would be some chaff, of course, the average citizen with nothing left to lose. Any organization needed numbers, of course. But they were really interested in those with true potential, the fledgling signs of a Stand. Those they would bring into their orbit, a second chapter of the Poets of the Fall.
That was the intention, anyway. In truth, they were merely surrounded by the oppressive atmosphere of total burnout. Despite their search, Sulka could not find an ounce of vitality behind the eyes of the port’s denizens. Those who were fortunate enough to have that spark about them were…
“Sulka, is it really necessary to be here at this time of day? I’m usually eating dinner right about now, and I do like to keep some kind of routine.”
Much like Jim. Oddly enough, he had grown on them slightly. He was the type of person who knew when it was the right time to listen, and they were the type that knew when they needed to talk. In that sense, they complemented each other nicely. But Jim provided one thing more valuable than simply another pair of ears.
“Yes, Jim. Tell me, is not the end of a bad workday supposed to be the height of menial misery?”
Jim cocked an eyebrow. “I mean, sure, I guess. But if you go through it enough, you kinda just… take it on the chin, you know?”
“Hmm. I see.” Sulka nodded. Yes, Jim seemed somehow immune to the low points of life. If mastering pain was critical to mastering [gravity], then Jim was a perfect subject. Somehow, he had become almost immune to the concept; he could be hurt, and often was, yet never could the pain stick. Jim floated comfortably above the spiral of misery; if anyone were to have mastered pain, Sulka had concluded, it would be Jim Peckle.
“What does that have to do with anything, though?”
“If we are to swell our numbers, it ought to be those on the brink of destitution most easily swayed. Hope for the hopeless, wealth for the poor, such things are trivial promises that nonetheless hold such power over people.”
“Well, yeah. Everybody wants more. Especially in conditions like these, I doubt many people are really satisfied with their lives.”
“Precisely. And yet I see no anger, no ambition. They have become a living psychology experiment, walking proof of learned helplessness. This is a pitiful sight. These people need purpose, direction. To be a cog in the well-oiled machine that is the Heart of the Rose.”
“I mean, the benefits package is A-grade. You could try that as a selling point.”
Sulka sighed. “So you’ve informed me. ‘Benefits’ are for the diligent and the committed; the occasional luxury is a pittance in the face of commanding loyalty and respect. That is to say, they are earned, not given. A reward should not ignite the flames of passion, but rather feed them.”
“Why can’t it do both? Isn’t the whole point of a reward to encourage improvement?” Jim posited. Honestly, for getting involved with organized crime (at least formally), he expected a slightly worse experience. It was nice to be able to speak his mind and feel heard. He figured most syndicates were pretty cutthroat, really, but Sulka was… usually not. Except for that one time they almost beheaded a supposed rat. He was pretty okay with that remaining an isolated incident.
“I suppose so. Loyalty may be treated as some elusive ideal, but it’s merely psychology. Give people what they want and they will like you; give people what they need and they will trust you and rely on you. When someone relies on you, trusts you, and likes you, they enter your orbit, and thus their loyalty is ensured. The only point of difficulty is ensnaring them in the first place.”
“I wouldn’t be quite so… clinical about it, but I guess you’ve got a point.”
“I always do, Jim.” Sulka cracked the slightest smirk before their face returned to a practiced neutrality. They were no fool; their current approach was turning up suboptimal results. By walking among the crowd, they could only survey a few faces from the throng. They missed too much by staying in the thick of things. What they needed, were they to secure any useful assets from this venture, was a proper vantage point.
Nodding to themselves, they turned to inform their assistant of the change in plan, only to bear direct witness to one of his typical blunders. This time, it seemed he had bumped into somebody quite roughly, ending with him tripping over a bump in the sidewalk and landing face-first in a plot of dirt that should, by all accounts, have a tree planted there. As Jim was quite suddenly able to attest, no such tree existed. Not even a seed.
Getting to his feet, he shook the residue off his clothes, took a deep breath, and wiped his eyes clean before stepping back into pace without missing a beat. Sulka didn’t even bother to confirm his state; whatever answer he gave would be far too sunny for their liking. It somehow managed to put them off every time to see the man so unfazed by inconvenience, from the menial to the mortal. Was that truly the nature of pain? Something to wipe away like the dirt from one’s clothes?
“Jim.”
Jim moved to a slight jog to catch up with Sulka, still recovering a little from the sudden fall. “What’s up?”
“I believe a change of strategy is in order. We accomplish little as one among many. We must find a place from which we can be singular, take note of the insects as they flit about to find the healthiest specimens.”
Jim had gotten his fair share of practice translating some of Sulka’s more obscure statements. “You mean… we should find somewhere high up, yes?”
“Quite. It will be much more efficient to survey the whole port at once from above.” Looking around, their eyes settled on the framework of a building, the construction effort long since abandoned. It was a brilliant rusted stain on what little skyline the area could claim to have.
It would be perfect.
As dusk fell on the Night Market, Kibo felt an odd, almost astral tug through the maze of broken street lamps and barrel fires. The streets buzzed with activity, yet through that constant drone crept a faint whisper, one that spoke to his soul.
His hair stood on end, a shiver crawled up his spine, his vision blurred before coming back into focus sharper than before. This adrenaline rush meant only one thing. Snapping his head up, he quickly scanned his field of view, and then he looked down. There was a bare earth pit, with a ramp gouged deep into the side, his gaze settling on a half-finished foundation for luxury apartments below. Between the unfinished concrete and metal, the plastic screens separating abandoned construction areas from the lonely finished pieces, he caught the faintest glimpse of a person hiding.
“Titan,” he spoke, his voice low and measured so as not to attract attention. “I think we’re onto something. Let’s look in there.”
The two moved into the pit, finding the sound inside one of the buildings. Titan perked up, dutifully rushing to Kibo’s side and craning his neck to find a good angle. Upon realizing he was a smidge too short, he turned to his companion. “I’ll get in closer! I’ll give you a signal if it’s him.” Pausing for a moment, Titan nodded. “He’s not alone. I hear…two other voices. Sounds like an argument. Things might get ugly.”
“Then it’s our job to straighten it out. Ready?”
“Ready.” Titan hopped onto a beam, meandering his way closer until he could hear clearly.
“...you supposed to be?”
The first to speak was a stockily-built person in decorated professional attire. Possibly a scientist of some kind? More likely a doctor. They seemed disgruntled, almost impatient. Was the other interrupting something? “That really should be much of your business, I’m afraid. Have you never heard of a little thing called privacy?”
The response came from a taller, equally professional individual, almost resembling a doll. Profession unclear, but their body language was comfortable. Not apologetic in the slightest, Kibo noted. Whatever slight the doctor perceived, the one with the angel motif didn’t much seem to care. “Privacy? You’re in my city now, I’m afraid. Currently your ‘privacy’ is inconvenient to me. It sounds like you’re doing a little recruitment drive. I thought I should shut that down now before you got any fancy ideas about whose turf you’re on.”
Taking another look, there were two other individuals. One seemed like a plus-one to the one in the white suit. They were hanging back for the most part, letting their partner handle business, but they were shrewd, observing, perceptive. A lookout, Kibo hazarded. The other… he recognized his target, Aatan Ayam. He seemed the odd one out of the bunch; stiff, unmoving, but quivering with obvious fear. He could be a hostage. That would complicate matters.
Kibo refocused as the conversation resumed. The shorter individual, chuckling slightly to themselves, gave a sly grin, equally confident despite the clear threat in their opposition’s words. “Ah, I see, I see, that’s what this is, then~? So sorry to burst your bubble, but I suspect this ocean is a tad bigger than you bargained for. Punching up is gutsy, but unless you want those guts enervated, you’ll take a hint and leave.” Slight tensing of the arms and shoulders; preparing to guard. A fight brewing, perhaps? It seemed he would need to intervene before things got ugly.
For Sulka’s part, their gaze grew stormy as they listened to Apollo’s blatant disrespect. ‘Punching up’ was utterly beneath them. Not to mention the scrawny kid who wouldn’t even look them in the eye. There was a distinct lack of simple good manners, they noted. Perhaps they’d ought to correct that notion.
Just as they began to call upon ｢Dark Disquiet｣, the sound of rapid footsteps snapped everyone’s attention to a nearby window, right on time to see Kibo—or rather, Kamen Rider Shastra—vault through, landing a perfect break roll before standing and pointing at Aatan.
“Are you sure you want to be staking such bold claims with nothing but talk to back them up? You’re playing with fire to discuss your villainy so nonchalantly. If you’re looking to get burned that badly… go ahead and try me.”
For a moment, nobody moved, processing the sudden and authoritative intrusion of the hero.
It was Sulka who first regained composure, if it could even be said that they’d lost theirs. “So another party is intent on mucking things up, hm? Very well, you can be likewise disposed of.”
Jim eyed the masked face cautiously. He made a point to stay on top of the small things, and he’d seen a mask like that in the papers before. “Hey, uh, I’m pretty sure this guy’s the real deal. One of those tokusatsu heroes that’ve started cropping up around here.”
“...What is a ‘tokusatsu,’ Jim?” Sulka grunted, somewhat confused.
“It’s uh. Kinda like superheroes, I guess. More of a vigilante type thing, usually have fancy suits and weapons with unique powers. I’m not super familiar myself.”
Sulka’s face shifted dramatically. “Superheroes, you say? Powers no science could hope to explain…yes, how exquisite. Shastra, was it? What do you know about ｢gravity｣?”
Shastra stood his ground, only the slight tilt of his head towards the new voice as indication that he’d heard the question. Behind the mask, his eyes narrowed. A question like that didn’t bode well for the future of this scuffle. “...No chance you’re talking the Newtonian kind, is there?”
“None whatsoever. You, Shastra, will make an excellent subject for my hypothesis. If pain and gravity are indeed two sides of the same coin, then your suffering is the natural experiment.”
“Great. Always the crazy ones. Why can’t Stand users ever just be normal?” Shastra spread his feet, resting one hand on the Ace of Swords as he entered a battle stance. “That’s a nice idea, but I’m afraid you’ll have to test it from a prison cell.”
Jim, moderately worried about the path this conversation had in store for them, stepped between Sulka and Shastra, mustering all the calm charisma he could to lend his words power. “Okay, I see that things are getting a bit heated here, but I think there have been a couple of critical misunderstandings. We should probably clear them up first, and then-”
Jim was cut off by a cat landing on his face. It was only for a moment, but it stunned him into silence long enough for Titan to leap from him onto Sulka. His ears were flattened against the side of his head, and while he didn’t scratch, his leap caught Sulka off-balance and sent them tumbling to the ground.
With a hiss, Titan bounded to Kibo’s side. “You think I’d just let you get a cheap shot? As long as Shastra’s around, I’ll protect him from the likes of you!”
Apollo rested her head in one hand with a dejected sigh. “Lovely. Just… lovely. I had hoped this would be done with quickly, and I wouldn’t have to waste my time on a whole new fear world, but-”
She was cut off by a primal, guttural scream, one that reverberated through the metal structure to create a harmony of cicadas, a screech that drowned out all room for rational thought. Aatan fell to the ground, his hands shaking, his head on a constant swivel between the assortment of colorful characters all around him. He kicked and pushed and dragged himself backwards towards the nearest corner with all his might.
“You- you people! You’re all- you’re- you’re all fucking freaks! I-I don’t want to be a part of whatever planet you live on, okay? Just- LEAVE ME ALONE!” His hand came down on a crack in the floor with a sickening crunch. As he lifted it once more, the tattered remains of a flower could be seen.
A storm began to swell.
“Well then. It was lovely to meet you all, but with that, my job is done.” Apollo leapt back a few paces, her cheshire grin widening with the all satisfaction of a plan coming together. “These little things really are quite convenient for weeding out the useless, you know. Fortunately, I suspect that means you all won’t fare any better than he will.”
The storm raged louder. At its center, the panicked pickpocket curled up, the eye of the storm providing only a small respite;
Shastra unsheathed the Ace of Swords, calling upon his Stand to mitigate the rising gale as he reached out a hand. “Hey! Grab on! I’ll pull you out of there!”
Sulka stepped forwards, still regal and poised even as the winds threatened to blow them over. “This… this is pain, isn’t it? Your pain, externalized… how marvelous. Show me more.”
Whether the words were drowned out in the storm, or Aatan had simply resigned himself, there was no reaction from him. The only thing his words seemed to accomplish was stoking the storm further, black clouds billowing from the ground, creating a vortex that emanated primal hunger.
The raging gray encompassed their vision. The raucous thunderclaps encircled their ears. Everything was the storm There was only the storm.
As the cyclone subsided, only Apollo was left, smiling quite contentedly. “Yes, quite handy indeed~ a proper playing field needs a couple pawns, in the end.”
Scenario: ???
It was a dark and stormy night, the moon piercing through the gathering clouds. Kibo looked up at its fading light pensively. Ten minutes in here already, and nothing. Just the looming sense of dread and the thickening miasma. At least he and Titan weren’t separated.
Rain fell from the sky, the pit now unveiled a massive, abandoned quarry, with the abandoned foundations turned into blocks of concrete that only half-looked like things people would actually build, a malformed monument, a half-melted ziggurat of earth and stone. Rain lashed them, crackling in the sky.
“I don’t think we’re in Rakin anymore, Titan.”
“Doubtful. We need to get on higher ground.” Titan hopped up. “I smelled a lot of copper. If water keeps flowing in, it will become acid.”
A roar bellowed out from the heavens as a shadow formed on the cloud. It shifted, twisted, kept no true shape, but both Kibo and Titan understood its message instinctively: war. With a great and terrible clamor, something lightning-like struck the pooling water, and detonated.
They couldn’t know where the others were. But in that moment, each knew the other heard the same message.
Well, Kibo reckoned, what were the odds it didn’t end like this anyway? Eldritch forest or no, no hero could let these two go unchallenged.
Drawing the Ace of Swords, he pointed it at his soon-to-be opponents. He began to speak, to pronounce the inevitable triumph of justice, but the sound was drowned out by yet another roar.
Across from them, Jim scrambled above the rising acid, watching the heavens split over him; all he could hear OPEN THE GAME!
Location: The Trial of Aatan Ayam, the child who informed on Paris Aco and caused her death at the hands of Metropolis.
Pictured is a greater-scope view of the arena. Each square is 5x5 meters, and the map as a whole is 24x24 squares, thus 120x120 meters. The electric blue is rapidly rising water, creating a pit lake. Due to a high concentration of arsenic, copper salts, and various heavy metals, this causes an incredibly exothermic chemical reaction that creates high concentrations of copper acids; in layman's terms, the liquid can be thought of as scalding, toxic acid.
Each layer of the 'ziggurat' darkens as it goes up, with each layer being five meters above the next. There are drains all over the map, which reacts with something inside the ziggurat. The red circles are vents that are constantly releasing acidic steam, and rise 8m above whatever layer they're on. They are carved in with bas-release murals, meaning that while they cannot be blocked, Titan may very easily attach pasta to them. Each vent is around 2m across, being plentiful on the upper left of the map and rare on the lower right. The layers are not perfectly even; there's a large amount of variation, with plentiful cover if you know where to look. It’s notably easy to climb between two layers. Titan and Inago begin on the bottom left of the map, while Sulka and Jim begin on the top right.
At the top is a temple, standing 15x15 meters across pictured with more detail here. Each square is 1x1 meter, with a 5m tall central temple, with a flower bud on top. The flower bud shoots regular blasts of lightning into the clouds, where they fall down later. The zenith is ringed with a 1m high stone railing. There are seven vents each 8m tall, with four massive drains, closed off with grates. The temple, flower bud, vents, and grates are all unbreakable, even by Sulka. Inside the temple is Aatan, with barriers to keep you from interfering in his trial.
Goal: RETIRE your opponents!
Additional Information:
There are three major stage hazards during the match; the rising water, lightning bolts, and acid rain.
The water will rise to cover the first layer in a minute, the second two minutes after that, and the third two after that; in other words, after five minutes, the only thing above water will be the temple’s zenith and a few vents on the third level. Five minutes after that, ten minutes after the match began, the zenith will be submerged, confining players to the 5x5m area on top of the central temple. While the water is extremely dangerous, being in it for a small bit of time is not notably deadly, though it will cause painful blistering nearly on contact.
‘Bolts’ of lightning, acting more like projectiles than actual lightning, will regularly fall from the sky. These will always land in the water, exploding into force and heat. It is extremely unlikely to be hit directly by these, but they will heat up nearby water, meaning that it only gets more acidic as you go out.
That said, they can theoretically be dodged or blocked, but they act at the equivalent of A Power and Speed. Due to some horrible quirk of luck, Jim begins stranded on a small and rapidly disappearing patch of dry land with 3m of ankle deep water between him and dry land and, inconceivably, his location will be directly struck by these bolts of lightning. Twice. Additionally, if Sulka gets into the water, lightning is far more likely to hit them, becoming an inevitability if they’re more than waist deep.
Finally, as the content of the clouds above becomes more acidic, the rain will become increasingly so as well, having a far more diluted effect of the actual lake acid. This will cause rashes and pain over time, and eventually cause cuts to open on exposed flesh. The salt will dehydrate the players as well. The effects need to build up; this will only be acute after about five minutes.
Inago’s Stand gives some resistance to the acid, but this will be worn down over time. Jim can power through some dehydration and discomfort from his Pilot skill, and Titan has innate massive resistance to acid, poison, and heat. While he still won’t want to take a swim, he can handle it far better than the humans. Unfortunately, this means that he is not in enough passive danger from the rain that Inago may freely use ｢Diamond in your Heart｣.
Sulka begins with Marko Runoloija, user of ｢Ultraviolet｣. Marko’s helmet gives his face immunity from the long term effects of the rain, meaning Sulka is the only one without some sort of innate resistance to the rain. Olli is presumably elsewhere, not having a good time.
Inago is required to make an impassioned speech in character at some point in the match. He also does not have his motorbike.
Link to Official Player Spreadsheet
Link to Match Schedule
As always, if you would like to interact with the tournament community and be among the first to get updates for the tournament, please feel free to PM a member of our Judge staff for an invite to our Official Discord Server!
submitted by Logic_Sandwich to StardustCrusaders [link] [comments]
Evergreen, with a score of 74 to Cause for Concern’s 64!
| Category | Winner | Point Totals | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Popularity | Evergreen | 16 (5+1.5+2) - 14 (4+1.5+2) | It was a close back and forth, |
| Quality | Evergreen | 24 (8 8 8) - 19 (7 6 6) | Reasoning |
| JoJolity | Evergreen | 24 (7 9 8) - 21 (7 7 7) | Reasoning |
| Conduct | Tie | 10-10 | Nothing to report! |
Tables had been broken, chairs smashed, chunked, or missing, the floor almost wholly replaced by sliding doors that she was certain wouldn’t sell if she ripped them up, and the booths had seen significantly better days.
“Vira!” She shouted, speaking for the first time since the gong rang.
The man appeared with a wad of cash in his hand. “Just finished. The tally’s at two-fifty.” He smiled broadly. “That’s probably the best night you’ll get around here!”
Bonnie sighed loudly, and took the wad away from the boy. “For our lucky winner…” She stepped over her bar. One foot rose and fell over a pile of patrons, and another brushed against a fallen table, sending it sailing away.
Her fingers dug through the wad, and slowly, but surely, she produced a stack of bills. “... one hundred thousand rupees to the booth pair, Deacon Blues and Disco-”
‘Delilah D. Pierogi’ tried to cut her off. “Delilah-”
“Bull.” She spat back through gritted teeth, with narrowed eyes boring into Disco’s skull. “D. Lune.” She gently passed her the wad of bills. “I don’t forget faces, and I don’t forget favors.”
Disco graciously took the wad of bills, and started divvying it up in her hands. “Is this legal?”
“Everyone who came in signed up to have their money taken, so it is on paper.” She turned her back to the pair. “Oh, if you could use your psychic wackadoo whatever to take the doors out, I’d appreciate it! I betcha those things would make it hard to clean in here…”
With the wad properly split, and half of it ending up in Deacon’s pocket, as his hands were still strapped to his trumpet, Disco couldn’t help but blink. “Psychic wackadoo?”
“Ya know, the floaty things you weirdos use to beat the shit out of each other.” Bonnie walked through the fallen crowd, eliciting groan after groan as the seas of drunks were parted by her passing.
“Stands.” Disco politely corrected Bonnie’s assertion.
“Sits, walks, whatever!” The floor sagged beneath the weight of Bonnie’s shrug. “I don’t care what they’re called, I care that the mess-” The doors miraculously disappeared. “- is cleaned.” She shook her head. “I love psychics, they dress weird and carry cash; I love psychics, they dress weird and carry cash…”
Deacon pulled his lips from his instrument. “Miss Disco?” He called. She wordless turned to him. “I think we can go…”
“Indeed.” The ruckus had ended. They’d won the battle, fifty-thousand rupees each, which was far more than the flyer had advertised…they thought.
The pair found a path not littered with broken glassware, tables, and fallen drunks, and took it back to the surface world, far from the salt-encrusted beer emporium where they’d spent the past four hours.
Bonnie flipped through the wad of bills in her hands. “You knocked out the bean counter, right?”
Vira smiled broadly. “He went down first, as promised.” Another hundred thousand rupees left the gargantuan women, and found themselves in the hands of the wiry man.
With a finger pressed into the wad, and eyes burning like fresh coals, Bonnie stared into Vira’s soul. “Vira, you’re fired.”
Vira’s smile stayed put. “I’ll leave my phone on, miss Bonnie.”
She turned back to her mess, brandishing the broom that had fallen underneath the register like a knight. “You’d best.”
Vira turned and walked away. His slow, prodding steps echoed from the hall until the door creaked and slammed shut behind him.
Her sigh echoed across the bar as one of her feet slid over the counter. She started walking around, for her humor, while looking over the faces of her patrons-some new, some old-and found one of the other psychic wackadoos staring at her with one eye open. She smiled, baring her jagged teeth in his direction, and watched that eye shut. “Sunset, right?”
“Nope.” He said aloud. “You’ve got the wrong number. Leave a message after the beep.”
Bonnie leaned down over him. Her towering frame would’ve blocked the sun from all angles had they been outside, but instead, all the lights in the room bounced off of her, letting Sunset only see a pair of red eyes and sharp, white teeth gleaming down at him. “Are you gonna beep, kid?”
Sunset’s shaking rattled the floorboards. The image of a far more violent and dangerous Brick Punchwell rolled around in his noggin. “B-b-beep!”
“Tell that Brick fella I’ll fight him if he wants.” Sunset’s eye popped back open. “Seems like a fun timewaster.” She stood back up, and started sweeping. “Oh, and don’t fake getting hit next time. You learn a lot less if you don’t take your lumps.”
Aside from the sound of bristles scraping into the floorboards, not a thing disturbed the silence in the bar. “Get him and get out before my regulars wake up.” The next sound was a set of elbows digging into the wood, propping the streetear up, before he scrambled to his feet.
Before Bonnie got done sweeping, and long before her other patrons stumbled out of the bar, Sunset was gone.
If a brawl in a bar is too rowdy for you, what about a library?
Aatan Ayam found himself in a bit of a bind. Today, like most days recently, hadn’t exactly been very lucrative. He was supposed to be doing his usual routine, bumping into people on the streets and snagging a watch or a wallet, but recently he’d lost his nerve. It was hard not to imagine all of those eyes judging him silently. They all probably knew by now, it wasn’t like he was subtle about it. How was he supposed to know what those pictures were for? It wasn’t like he meant-
Bad thoughts. Doomspiraling in the middle of the street wouldn’t help anyone. Then again, it wasn’t like anything he could do would help now. He really bungled it this time.
Dipping into one of the port’s various seedy back alleys, he spared a brief nod to a few other small-time crooks before slipping into the back door of one of the perpetual constriction sites that dotted the area. Aatan preferred this to whatever luxury villa or whatever that should’ve been built five years ago; it made for a very convenient shortcut. He couldn’t count the times a quick trip through here had shaken an angry mark.
His reminiscence was cut short by a stern voice: “Mr. Ayam~!”
He reached one hand into his pocket, coming to a halt but not daring to turn around. He was already fucked, yeah? He’d go down with the ship if he had to. He wasn’t just gonna take it lying down. “What’s it to you?”
“I’m here to congratulate you on an exceeding performance. Your superiors have found your work positively delighting- Efficient, too.”
Aatan’s blood ran cold, his fist clenching as he tried to stifle the faint trembling that was wracking his body. He just had to turn around, dammit, and then he could-
“Don't embarrass yourself by taking that hand out of your pocket. It's not hard to assume it's just a taser, given your gutlessness- no way it's a gun. Even if it was, your aim's likely much too shaky to do anything, and it would just sour the mood.”
Well. That’s out the window now. Realistically, the go-between had a gun at his head. Only made sense, really. Tie up loose ends. He knew the job was too good to be true. That much cash for a few photos and a map? Might as well have been getting paid to stick his head in a guillotine.
Mustering his courage, he forced out a few shaky words. “...So what do you want from me, then? Why bother talking?”
“I already said- do try to keep up. Your efficiency was remarkable, and you were quite thorough. That level of quality in one's work is rare to come by! Most “employees” like yourself would just be a liability to those of us in the Suite, but there’s an off-chance you might be just be useful to us after all.”
Aatan clenched his fists, finally turning around to the face of one Dr. Apollo. “For what? Canvasing another crime scene for you?”
Apollo only laughed at that. “No, nothing so barbaric. You, it appears, have an ear on the pulse of this part of town. All you’d have to do is translate! In metaphorical terms, of course. It’s how your superior put it- Mr. Now! has quite the way with words.”
“What, like, some kinda spy shit?”
“Precisely~! You make yourself troublesome to track you down, you know. I was fortunate to find this little spot so quickly. I’m sure you have plenty more like it in the neighborhood- don't bother trying to hide it.”
Aatan hesitated for a moment, unsure whether that information should be so readily given up. Alas, it seemed the doctor correctly took his silence as assent.
“While I certainly could torture you for the information on where they might be… I don't really want to. Not in the mood. It's difficult enough to find diligent workers, besides.”
Aatan visibly paled at the notion of being tortured. He’d already figured he’d gotten himself involved with some shady fucks, but now he had to update that description to shady psychopathic maniacs. He’d gone and done it this time…
“So, the choice is yours, friend. You can either be a part of something bigger than yourself, or be a part of the common heap. Entirely up to you.”
Kibo Inago was on self-assigned legwork duty for the day. What was supposed to be a fun break from his search for the Aces had gone very wrong, very quickly. Evidently this “City of Passion” was in its Gilded Age, and he didn’t have to look very far to figure that one out. Port Konwar was a prime demonstration of the deeply-rooted class differences that had taken hold of this city; what few houses there were seemed to have been rotting for a long time, and the few projects that were supposed to alleviate that issue had been stalled for years.
To be fair, the area was primarily commercial, but it was quite spartan. The work here was mostly a thankless slog, a vital part of the city’s heartbeat that had nevertheless been ignored simply because it was inconvenient. Whether it was gross incompetence or malicious negligence, it made his blood boil to see the state of all but the wealthiest parts of the city.
As much as he would like to do something, he was here precisely because that seemed a doomed endeavor. In light of… ‘murder’ didn’t quite capture that savagery of what was done to Paris Aco. It was senseless and brutal, a truly despicable act of wanton violence. It was an act of terror, a warning shot to anyone who dared to dream of a better future.
As a dreamer himself, an investigation was the least he could do in her honor.
He was shaken from his thoughts by an insistent pawing at his leg. Looking down, he saw Titan, his partner for the task. He couldn’t think of a better companion for a task like this; Titan was just as upset as he was, even if he couldn’t quite show it on his face. But his nervous pacing, his flattened ears, and of course, the occasional “are we there yet?” was proof enough that he was every bit as anxious to turn up something concrete as Kibo.
Fortunately for them, they had some kind of lead to work off. Sure, it was just a name, but it was better than nothing.
According to one of the back alley denizens, some local small-timer had been acting pretty sketchy recently, just after he supposedly got hired for some “big job.” Sure, it could’ve been a coincidence, but they had to do their due diligence. Besides, everyone they asked seemed to know the guy somehow. Whether he’d snagged twenty bucks out of their hand or thrown them a ten for lunch, most of the less fortunate residents seemed to have a story to tell about him.
Kibo didn’t really think this “Aatan” sounded like a murderer. Sparing a glance down at the Ace of Swords, though, he had to admit the world was full of surprises. If everything was always as it seemed, the world wouldn’t need superheroes. But right now, he felt in his heart that this city needed something to believe in, something to hope for. He’d do his best to give that to them.
As if reading Kibo’s mind, Titan rubbed against his leg affectionately, a robotic voice emerging from the gadget he wore: “Everything will work out for the best. Evil never triumphs for long.”
“...Thanks, Titan. I’m glad you came along.”
“Me too!” Titan stretched himself out with a satisfied purr before taking off down the street, deftly weaving himself between the legs of the pedestrians. Around here, nobody paid him much mind; he was just another stray to them, and one of the less annoying ones. Kibo, for his part, had a lot more trouble parting the sea of cranky, tired factory workers forced to walk home from a long day at work. Those, he reckoned, were the lucky ones; the other half would probably be on overtime until at least seven. He did his best not to ruffle any feathers as he pushed onwards; at least Titan was pretty good about not straying out of sight, so they never got separated.
Pain, anger, despair, vice. They were all so… trite. To experience them was basically tying puppet strings to one’s own wrists, begging for somebody else to pull in just the right way until they danced to a better tune. Sulka’s tune.
Pain was in and of itself a force, parallel to [gravity] in many ways. Both drew people into inevitable conflict, pulling them into a self-reinforcing spiral that would drag one downwards into the murky depths. One wrong brush with [gravity], or one wrong brush with pain, and one would simply… stop. In this sense, pain, and its derivatives of misery, desperation, and rage, among others, were another avenue to study and master [gravity].
Hence why they found themselves here. Sure, Bedtown was likewise in a sorry state of affairs, but the people there had long since learned helplessness, accepting the state of affairs. Here, in Port Konwar, the embers of hope flickered just within view yet just out of reach. People could not help but suffer here. From this pathetic lot, Sulka would pluck their selection of new minions; there would be some chaff, of course, the average citizen with nothing left to lose. Any organization needed numbers, of course. But they were really interested in those with true potential, the fledgling signs of a Stand. Those they would bring into their orbit, a second chapter of the Poets of the Fall.
That was the intention, anyway. In truth, they were merely surrounded by the oppressive atmosphere of total burnout. Despite their search, Sulka could not find an ounce of vitality behind the eyes of the port’s denizens. Those who were fortunate enough to have that spark about them were…
“Sulka, is it really necessary to be here at this time of day? I’m usually eating dinner right about now, and I do like to keep some kind of routine.”
Much like Jim. Oddly enough, he had grown on them slightly. He was the type of person who knew when it was the right time to listen, and they were the type that knew when they needed to talk. In that sense, they complemented each other nicely. But Jim provided one thing more valuable than simply another pair of ears.
“Yes, Jim. Tell me, is not the end of a bad workday supposed to be the height of menial misery?”
Jim cocked an eyebrow. “I mean, sure, I guess. But if you go through it enough, you kinda just… take it on the chin, you know?”
“Hmm. I see.” Sulka nodded. Yes, Jim seemed somehow immune to the low points of life. If mastering pain was critical to mastering [gravity], then Jim was a perfect subject. Somehow, he had become almost immune to the concept; he could be hurt, and often was, yet never could the pain stick. Jim floated comfortably above the spiral of misery; if anyone were to have mastered pain, Sulka had concluded, it would be Jim Peckle.
“What does that have to do with anything, though?”
“If we are to swell our numbers, it ought to be those on the brink of destitution most easily swayed. Hope for the hopeless, wealth for the poor, such things are trivial promises that nonetheless hold such power over people.”
“Well, yeah. Everybody wants more. Especially in conditions like these, I doubt many people are really satisfied with their lives.”
“Precisely. And yet I see no anger, no ambition. They have become a living psychology experiment, walking proof of learned helplessness. This is a pitiful sight. These people need purpose, direction. To be a cog in the well-oiled machine that is the Heart of the Rose.”
“I mean, the benefits package is A-grade. You could try that as a selling point.”
Sulka sighed. “So you’ve informed me. ‘Benefits’ are for the diligent and the committed; the occasional luxury is a pittance in the face of commanding loyalty and respect. That is to say, they are earned, not given. A reward should not ignite the flames of passion, but rather feed them.”
“Why can’t it do both? Isn’t the whole point of a reward to encourage improvement?” Jim posited. Honestly, for getting involved with organized crime (at least formally), he expected a slightly worse experience. It was nice to be able to speak his mind and feel heard. He figured most syndicates were pretty cutthroat, really, but Sulka was… usually not. Except for that one time they almost beheaded a supposed rat. He was pretty okay with that remaining an isolated incident.
“I suppose so. Loyalty may be treated as some elusive ideal, but it’s merely psychology. Give people what they want and they will like you; give people what they need and they will trust you and rely on you. When someone relies on you, trusts you, and likes you, they enter your orbit, and thus their loyalty is ensured. The only point of difficulty is ensnaring them in the first place.”
“I wouldn’t be quite so… clinical about it, but I guess you’ve got a point.”
“I always do, Jim.” Sulka cracked the slightest smirk before their face returned to a practiced neutrality. They were no fool; their current approach was turning up suboptimal results. By walking among the crowd, they could only survey a few faces from the throng. They missed too much by staying in the thick of things. What they needed, were they to secure any useful assets from this venture, was a proper vantage point.
Nodding to themselves, they turned to inform their assistant of the change in plan, only to bear direct witness to one of his typical blunders. This time, it seemed he had bumped into somebody quite roughly, ending with him tripping over a bump in the sidewalk and landing face-first in a plot of dirt that should, by all accounts, have a tree planted there. As Jim was quite suddenly able to attest, no such tree existed. Not even a seed.
Getting to his feet, he shook the residue off his clothes, took a deep breath, and wiped his eyes clean before stepping back into pace without missing a beat. Sulka didn’t even bother to confirm his state; whatever answer he gave would be far too sunny for their liking. It somehow managed to put them off every time to see the man so unfazed by inconvenience, from the menial to the mortal. Was that truly the nature of pain? Something to wipe away like the dirt from one’s clothes?
“Jim.”
Jim moved to a slight jog to catch up with Sulka, still recovering a little from the sudden fall. “What’s up?”
“I believe a change of strategy is in order. We accomplish little as one among many. We must find a place from which we can be singular, take note of the insects as they flit about to find the healthiest specimens.”
Jim had gotten his fair share of practice translating some of Sulka’s more obscure statements. “You mean… we should find somewhere high up, yes?”
“Quite. It will be much more efficient to survey the whole port at once from above.” Looking around, their eyes settled on the framework of a building, the construction effort long since abandoned. It was a brilliant rusted stain on what little skyline the area could claim to have.
It would be perfect.
His hair stood on end, a shiver crawled up his spine, his vision blurred before coming back into focus sharper than before. This adrenaline rush meant only one thing. Snapping his head up, he quickly scanned his field of view, and then he looked down. There was a bare earth pit, with a ramp gouged deep into the side, his gaze settling on a half-finished foundation for luxury apartments below. Between the unfinished concrete and metal, the plastic screens separating abandoned construction areas from the lonely finished pieces, he caught the faintest glimpse of a person hiding.
“Titan,” he spoke, his voice low and measured so as not to attract attention. “I think we’re onto something. Let’s look in there.”
The two moved into the pit, finding the sound inside one of the buildings. Titan perked up, dutifully rushing to Kibo’s side and craning his neck to find a good angle. Upon realizing he was a smidge too short, he turned to his companion. “I’ll get in closer! I’ll give you a signal if it’s him.” Pausing for a moment, Titan nodded. “He’s not alone. I hear…two other voices. Sounds like an argument. Things might get ugly.”
“Then it’s our job to straighten it out. Ready?”
“Ready.” Titan hopped onto a beam, meandering his way closer until he could hear clearly.
“...you supposed to be?”
The first to speak was a stockily-built person in decorated professional attire. Possibly a scientist of some kind? More likely a doctor. They seemed disgruntled, almost impatient. Was the other interrupting something? “That really should be much of your business, I’m afraid. Have you never heard of a little thing called privacy?”
The response came from a taller, equally professional individual, almost resembling a doll. Profession unclear, but their body language was comfortable. Not apologetic in the slightest, Kibo noted. Whatever slight the doctor perceived, the one with the angel motif didn’t much seem to care. “Privacy? You’re in my city now, I’m afraid. Currently your ‘privacy’ is inconvenient to me. It sounds like you’re doing a little recruitment drive. I thought I should shut that down now before you got any fancy ideas about whose turf you’re on.”
Taking another look, there were two other individuals. One seemed like a plus-one to the one in the white suit. They were hanging back for the most part, letting their partner handle business, but they were shrewd, observing, perceptive. A lookout, Kibo hazarded. The other… he recognized his target, Aatan Ayam. He seemed the odd one out of the bunch; stiff, unmoving, but quivering with obvious fear. He could be a hostage. That would complicate matters.
Kibo refocused as the conversation resumed. The shorter individual, chuckling slightly to themselves, gave a sly grin, equally confident despite the clear threat in their opposition’s words. “Ah, I see, I see, that’s what this is, then~? So sorry to burst your bubble, but I suspect this ocean is a tad bigger than you bargained for. Punching up is gutsy, but unless you want those guts enervated, you’ll take a hint and leave.” Slight tensing of the arms and shoulders; preparing to guard. A fight brewing, perhaps? It seemed he would need to intervene before things got ugly.
For Sulka’s part, their gaze grew stormy as they listened to Apollo’s blatant disrespect. ‘Punching up’ was utterly beneath them. Not to mention the scrawny kid who wouldn’t even look them in the eye. There was a distinct lack of simple good manners, they noted. Perhaps they’d ought to correct that notion.
Just as they began to call upon ｢Dark Disquiet｣, the sound of rapid footsteps snapped everyone’s attention to a nearby window, right on time to see Kibo—or rather, Kamen Rider Shastra—vault through, landing a perfect break roll before standing and pointing at Aatan.
“Are you sure you want to be staking such bold claims with nothing but talk to back them up? You’re playing with fire to discuss your villainy so nonchalantly. If you’re looking to get burned that badly… go ahead and try me.”
For a moment, nobody moved, processing the sudden and authoritative intrusion of the hero.
It was Sulka who first regained composure, if it could even be said that they’d lost theirs. “So another party is intent on mucking things up, hm? Very well, you can be likewise disposed of.”
Jim eyed the masked face cautiously. He made a point to stay on top of the small things, and he’d seen a mask like that in the papers before. “Hey, uh, I’m pretty sure this guy’s the real deal. One of those tokusatsu heroes that’ve started cropping up around here.”
“...What is a ‘tokusatsu,’ Jim?” Sulka grunted, somewhat confused.
“It’s uh. Kinda like superheroes, I guess. More of a vigilante type thing, usually have fancy suits and weapons with unique powers. I’m not super familiar myself.”
Sulka’s face shifted dramatically. “Superheroes, you say? Powers no science could hope to explain…yes, how exquisite. Shastra, was it? What do you know about ｢gravity｣?”
Shastra stood his ground, only the slight tilt of his head towards the new voice as indication that he’d heard the question. Behind the mask, his eyes narrowed. A question like that didn’t bode well for the future of this scuffle. “...No chance you’re talking the Newtonian kind, is there?”
“None whatsoever. You, Shastra, will make an excellent subject for my hypothesis. If pain and gravity are indeed two sides of the same coin, then your suffering is the natural experiment.”
“Great. Always the crazy ones. Why can’t Stand users ever just be normal?” Shastra spread his feet, resting one hand on the Ace of Swords as he entered a battle stance. “That’s a nice idea, but I’m afraid you’ll have to test it from a prison cell.”
Jim, moderately worried about the path this conversation had in store for them, stepped between Sulka and Shastra, mustering all the calm charisma he could to lend his words power. “Okay, I see that things are getting a bit heated here, but I think there have been a couple of critical misunderstandings. We should probably clear them up first, and then-”
Jim was cut off by a cat landing on his face. It was only for a moment, but it stunned him into silence long enough for Titan to leap from him onto Sulka. His ears were flattened against the side of his head, and while he didn’t scratch, his leap caught Sulka off-balance and sent them tumbling to the ground.
With a hiss, Titan bounded to Kibo’s side. “You think I’d just let you get a cheap shot? As long as Shastra’s around, I’ll protect him from the likes of you!”
Apollo rested her head in one hand with a dejected sigh. “Lovely. Just… lovely. I had hoped this would be done with quickly, and I wouldn’t have to waste my time on a whole new fear world, but-”
She was cut off by a primal, guttural scream, one that reverberated through the metal structure to create a harmony of cicadas, a screech that drowned out all room for rational thought. Aatan fell to the ground, his hands shaking, his head on a constant swivel between the assortment of colorful characters all around him. He kicked and pushed and dragged himself backwards towards the nearest corner with all his might.
“You- you people! You’re all- you’re- you’re all fucking freaks! I-I don’t want to be a part of whatever planet you live on, okay? Just- LEAVE ME ALONE!” His hand came down on a crack in the floor with a sickening crunch. As he lifted it once more, the tattered remains of a flower could be seen.
A storm began to swell.
“Well then. It was lovely to meet you all, but with that, my job is done.” Apollo leapt back a few paces, her cheshire grin widening with the all satisfaction of a plan coming together. “These little things really are quite convenient for weeding out the useless, you know. Fortunately, I suspect that means you all won’t fare any better than he will.”
The storm raged louder. At its center, the panicked pickpocket curled up, the eye of the storm providing only a small respite;
Shastra unsheathed the Ace of Swords, calling upon his Stand to mitigate the rising gale as he reached out a hand. “Hey! Grab on! I’ll pull you out of there!”
Sulka stepped forwards, still regal and poised even as the winds threatened to blow them over. “This… this is pain, isn’t it? Your pain, externalized… how marvelous. Show me more.”
Whether the words were drowned out in the storm, or Aatan had simply resigned himself, there was no reaction from him. The only thing his words seemed to accomplish was stoking the storm further, black clouds billowing from the ground, creating a vortex that emanated primal hunger.
The raging gray encompassed their vision. The raucous thunderclaps encircled their ears. Everything was the storm There was only the storm.
As the cyclone subsided, only Apollo was left, smiling quite contentedly. “Yes, quite handy indeed~ a proper playing field needs a couple pawns, in the end.”
It was a dark and stormy night, the moon piercing through the gathering clouds. Kibo looked up at its fading light pensively. Ten minutes in here already, and nothing. Just the looming sense of dread and the thickening miasma. At least he and Titan weren’t separated.
Rain fell from the sky, the pit now unveiled a massive, abandoned quarry, with the abandoned foundations turned into blocks of concrete that only half-looked like things people would actually build, a malformed monument, a half-melted ziggurat of earth and stone. Rain lashed them, crackling in the sky.
“I don’t think we’re in Rakin anymore, Titan.”
“Doubtful. We need to get on higher ground.” Titan hopped up. “I smelled a lot of copper. If water keeps flowing in, it will become acid.”
A roar bellowed out from the heavens as a shadow formed on the cloud. It shifted, twisted, kept no true shape, but both Kibo and Titan understood its message instinctively: war. With a great and terrible clamor, something lightning-like struck the pooling water, and detonated.
They couldn’t know where the others were. But in that moment, each knew the other heard the same message.
Well, Kibo reckoned, what were the odds it didn’t end like this anyway? Eldritch forest or no, no hero could let these two go unchallenged.
Drawing the Ace of Swords, he pointed it at his soon-to-be opponents. He began to speak, to pronounce the inevitable triumph of justice, but the sound was drowned out by yet another roar.
Across from them, Jim scrambled above the rising acid, watching the heavens split over him; all he could hear OPEN THE GAME!
Pictured is a greater-scope view of the arena. Each square is 5x5 meters, and the map as a whole is 24x24 squares, thus 120x120 meters. The electric blue is rapidly rising water, creating a pit lake. Due to a high concentration of arsenic, copper salts, and various heavy metals, this causes an incredibly exothermic chemical reaction that creates high concentrations of copper acids; in layman's terms, the liquid can be thought of as scalding, toxic acid.
Each layer of the 'ziggurat' darkens as it goes up, with each layer being five meters above the next. There are drains all over the map, which reacts with something inside the ziggurat. The red circles are vents that are constantly releasing acidic steam, and rise 8m above whatever layer they're on. They are carved in with bas-release murals, meaning that while they cannot be blocked, Titan may very easily attach pasta to them. Each vent is around 2m across, being plentiful on the upper left of the map and rare on the lower right. The layers are not perfectly even; there's a large amount of variation, with plentiful cover if you know where to look. It’s notably easy to climb between two layers. Titan and Inago begin on the bottom left of the map, while Sulka and Jim begin on the top right.
At the top is a temple, standing 15x15 meters across pictured with more detail here. Each square is 1x1 meter, with a 5m tall central temple, with a flower bud on top. The flower bud shoots regular blasts of lightning into the clouds, where they fall down later. The zenith is ringed with a 1m high stone railing. There are seven vents each 8m tall, with four massive drains, closed off with grates. The temple, flower bud, vents, and grates are all unbreakable, even by Sulka. Inside the temple is Aatan, with barriers to keep you from interfering in his trial.
Goal: RETIRE your opponents!
Additional Information:
There are three major stage hazards during the match; the rising water, lightning bolts, and acid rain.
The water will rise to cover the first layer in a minute, the second two minutes after that, and the third two after that; in other words, after five minutes, the only thing above water will be the temple’s zenith and a few vents on the third level. Five minutes after that, ten minutes after the match began, the zenith will be submerged, confining players to the 5x5m area on top of the central temple. While the water is extremely dangerous, being in it for a small bit of time is not notably deadly, though it will cause painful blistering nearly on contact.
‘Bolts’ of lightning, acting more like projectiles than actual lightning, will regularly fall from the sky. These will always land in the water, exploding into force and heat. It is extremely unlikely to be hit directly by these, but they will heat up nearby water, meaning that it only gets more acidic as you go out.
That said, they can theoretically be dodged or blocked, but they act at the equivalent of A Power and Speed. Due to some horrible quirk of luck, Jim begins stranded on a small and rapidly disappearing patch of dry land with 3m of ankle deep water between him and dry land and, inconceivably, his location will be directly struck by these bolts of lightning. Twice. Additionally, if Sulka gets into the water, lightning is far more likely to hit them, becoming an inevitability if they’re more than waist deep.
Finally, as the content of the clouds above becomes more acidic, the rain will become increasingly so as well, having a far more diluted effect of the actual lake acid. This will cause rashes and pain over time, and eventually cause cuts to open on exposed flesh. The salt will dehydrate the players as well. The effects need to build up; this will only be acute after about five minutes.
Inago’s Stand gives some resistance to the acid, but this will be worn down over time. Jim can power through some dehydration and discomfort from his Pilot skill, and Titan has innate massive resistance to acid, poison, and heat. While he still won’t want to take a swim, he can handle it far better than the humans. Unfortunately, this means that he is not in enough passive danger from the rain that Inago may freely use ｢Diamond in your Heart｣.
Sulka begins with Marko Runoloija, user of ｢Ultraviolet｣. Marko’s helmet gives his face immunity from the long term effects of the rain, meaning Sulka is the only one without some sort of innate resistance to the rain. Olli is presumably elsewhere, not having a good time.
Inago is required to make an impassioned speech in character at some point in the match. He also does not have his motorbike.
| Team | Combatant | JoJolity |
|---|---|---|
| Heart of the Rose | Jim Peckle and Sulka Kiisseli | “You know what? I’ve had enough. Peckle Blast.” You need to triumph here, be it through your own expertise, through overwhelming force to tear down your opponents, or to turn their own unstoppable force against them. Lead your way through this storm, break everything that stands against you, outfox opponents with skill and technique; in whatever way it means to you, Define and Embody the Peckle Blast! |
| Moonbeam Riders | Titan Patel and Kibō Inago | “A jump to the sky turns to a Rider Kick.” Piloting your way through storms, using the modularity of your constructs, defense, and utility to convert into surprising, oppressive offense. Controlling a fight, setting things in your favor, creating a stairway to heaven your opponents can’t touch you in, or striking right at the end to save everything; in whatever way it means to you, Define and Embody the Rider Kick! |
Link to Match Schedule