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Raising the Minimum Wage in Tennessee: How to Get Started
2024.05.19 07:03 Ok_Jelly_3340 Raising the Minimum Wage in Tennessee: How to Get Started
Facts:
Petition for Increasing the Minimum Wage in Tennessee
To the Tennessee General Assembly:
We, the undersigned residents of Tennessee, believe that the current minimum wage of $7.25 per hour is insufficient to meet the basic needs of individuals and families in our state. Given the significant rise in living costs and inflation since the last adjustment in 2009, we urgently call for an increase in the state minimum wage to a livable wage of $13.25 per hour. This adjustment will ensure that all working Tennesseans can afford necessities such as housing, food, healthcare, and transportation.
By signing this petition, we express our support for this necessary change and urge the Tennessee General Assembly to take immediate action.
Name Address Signature
submitted by Ok_Jelly_3340 to Knoxville [link] [comments]
- 30 states have a higher minimum wage than Tennessee's $7.25.
- Tennessee last raised its minimum wage in 2009.
- Since then, inflation has risen by about 36.6%.
- A decent living wage for a single adult in Tennessee is about $13.25 per hour.
Steps to Raise the Minimum Wage
Step 1: Organize a Petition Drive
Form a Nonpartisan Group:- Create or join a group focused solely on raising the minimum wage, without political affiliations.
- Use platforms like Zoom for virtual meetings. Schedule regular meetings and create a structured agenda. Use social media and local forums to recruit members.
- Signature Requirement: For statewide initiatives, the number of signatures required is significant and typically a percentage of the votes cast in the last gubernatorial election. The exact number can be confirmed with the Tennessee Secretary of State's office.
- Phone: (615) 741-2819
- For local initiatives, like in Knoxville, a charter amendment can be proposed if at least one registered voter files the petition with the county election commission for pre-approval (TCA 2-5-151).
- Draft a clear and concise petition for a minimum wage increase. Here is a sample:
Petition for Increasing the Minimum Wage in Tennessee
To the Tennessee General Assembly:
We, the undersigned residents of Tennessee, believe that the current minimum wage of $7.25 per hour is insufficient to meet the basic needs of individuals and families in our state. Given the significant rise in living costs and inflation since the last adjustment in 2009, we urgently call for an increase in the state minimum wage to a livable wage of $13.25 per hour. This adjustment will ensure that all working Tennesseans can afford necessities such as housing, food, healthcare, and transportation.
By signing this petition, we express our support for this necessary change and urge the Tennessee General Assembly to take immediate action.
Name Address Signature
Step 2: Collect Signatures
- Host Community Events: Organize events like town hall meetings, local fairs, or farmers' markets to gather signatures.
- Utilize Local Networks: Leverage small-town connections where everyone knows each other to spread the word and gather support.
- Set Up Booths: Place booths in high-traffic areas like grocery stores, libraries, and community centers to collect signatures.
- Door-to-Door Campaigning: Go door-to-door in your neighborhood to ask for signatures.
Step 3: Raise Awareness
- Social Media Campaign: Use platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to inform the community and encourage them to sign the petition.
- Local Media: Reach out to local newspapers, radio stations, and TV channels to cover your campaign.
- Flyers and Posters: Distribute flyers and put up posters in local businesses and public spaces.
Step 4: Submit the Petition
- Verify Signatures: Ensure all collected signatures meet the requirements.
- Submit to Authorities: Submit the petition to the appropriate state or local authority for validation.
Deadlines and Requirements
- Submission Deadline: Typically, signatures must be submitted several months before the general election to allow time for verification. For 2024, check with the Tennessee Secretary of State for specific deadlines and the number of required signatures (Ballotpedia) (Tennessee Secretary of State).
Key Points:
- Local Efforts: It is more challenging to change the minimum wage at a local level like Knoxville due to state preemption laws, but local advocacy can still be influential.
- Statewide Efforts: For statewide initiatives, a significant number of signatures is required based on the last gubernatorial election.
Other Ways to Advocate for a Higher State Minimum Wage:
- Legislative Advocacy:
- Lobby Lawmakers: Work with advocacy groups to meet with state legislators and push for a bill to increase the minimum wage.
- Public Campaigns: Use media campaigns, public rallies, and social media to raise awareness and put pressure on lawmakers.
- Coalition Building: Form alliances with labor unions, community organizations, and businesses that support higher wages.
- Electoral Strategy:
- Support Pro-Wage Increase Candidates: Work to elect state legislators who support raising the minimum wage.
- Voter Education: Educate voters about candidates' positions on the minimum wage and encourage them to vote accordingly.
- Public Pressure:
- Media Engagement: Write op-eds, participate in interviews, and use social media to highlight the need for a wage increase.
- Petitions and Letters: Organize letter-writing campaigns and online petitions to demonstrate public support.
- Local Government Initiatives:
- City and County Ordinances: While state law may preempt local minimum wage increases, some municipalities might still be able to implement higher wages for city or county employees or through specific local initiatives.
- Business Initiatives:
- Encourage Voluntary Increases: Encourage businesses to voluntarily raise wages and create public recognition programs for those that do.
- Partnerships with Businesses: Work with businesses to demonstrate the benefits of higher wages, such as reduced turnover and increased productivity.
- Legal and Policy Research:
- Economic Studies: Commission or conduct studies that show the positive impacts of a higher minimum wage on the economy and present these findings to policymakers and the public.
- Policy Proposals: Develop detailed policy proposals outlining how a wage increase can be implemented and funded.
Steps to Take Right Now:
- Form or Join an Advocacy Group: Find like-minded individuals and organizations to build a coalition.
- Contact State Legislators: Start a dialogue with state representatives and senators to gauge their support and educate them on the issue.
- Engage the Public: Use social media, community meetings, and local media to build broad public support.
- Prepare for Long-Term Efforts: Understand that changing the minimum wage may take time and sustained effort.
2024.05.19 03:35 Cazador0 Short Story: WPA - A Completely Average Roadtrip
WPA – A Completely Average Roadtrip
Disclaimer: Not canon, and I don’t use patreon so please don’t spoil me. Also, any opinion held by a character is that of the characters and not my own. Enjoy.
Town of Ljosalfington, local time 14:00, week 7
Emma Booker
“Again Illunor, I warned you before that this is a utility vehicle, not a party rated smart-limo. I am already compromising more than I should by allowing you to use the sample cooler as a minifridge, one which I can’t even use!” I said as I loaded the materials I had just purchased into the back of the high-G All terrain fusion-ethanol-electric hybrid 24th-century legacy pickup truck that I had printed out earlier this week, carefully avoiding the heavy ordinance hard point.
“That is hardly an excuse for that abysmally cramped leg space barely fit for cattle, never mind the bare minimum for standard decorum suitable for nobility. If this is what a car is like, then I don’t see why you care for your technology,” complained Illunor, who was sitting around idly with a malformed garish bowl of icecream that he had stashed away from lunch.
“If it bothers you so much, perhaps you could help next time with your ‘bigger-on-the-inside’ magic,” I retorted as I slid the last core sample into the back before covering it up with a tarp and strapping it down.
I had originally planned to visit Ljosalfington by myself to acquire much needed exo-materials to test various mana manipulator configurations as I worked to develop my first wand as not all of the materials I needed were procurable locally from Elaseer. I eventually yielded, much to my regret, to allowing Illunor to come with me as he insisted on wanting to deliver a letter personally in town after Thacea had pointed out the wisdom of not travelling alone.
We continued our back and forth for a bit yet as I finished securing my payload a voice called out to me from the direction of the town.
“Excuse me a moment, I couldn’t help but notice but are you from the academy?”
I turned to see an elf dressed in a plain brown buttoned up tunic matched by a slightly shabby pair of trousers with what appeared to be a lute upon his back and a plain and unenchanted longsword on his belt gesturing at our robes. Mine especially were new and unusual, tailored by the academy to go over my armour and allow access to the anchor points and allow me to exit my armour with minimal hassle. Illunor scoffed at what was evidently a commoner’s arrogance at approaching nobility and turned his head away in disgust. I glanced at Illunor and shook my head before turning to face the new man. I had time to spare, and any opportunity to engage in a hearts-and-minds dialogue with the locals outside the bounds of the managed environment of the academy was more than worth the time to chat. Especially as most of the other locals seemed to be content in ignoring me.
“Yes, we are currently studying at the Transgracian Academy. I am Cadet Emma Booker representing the United Nations of Earth and Luna from Earthream, and my aloof compatriot is Lord Illunor Rularia of the Vunerian courts. We were just about to head back but are in no rush. May I ask your name and what brings you by?” I asked with my hand outstretched in greeting.
“Ah yes, yes. My name is Edhel Redoehdelnif, a wandering bard by trade like my father and his father before him. My apologies, Cadet Emma Booker, I am unfamiliar with Earthrealm,” said Edhel as he grasped my hand with both of his and shook it tepidly yet vigorously. Or rather, tried to, as the motors on my suit resisted his efforts.
“News doesn’t seem to spread all that fast around here, so it makes sense you haven’t heard of us. We’re a new realm, and only just got here. Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Edhel Redoehdelnif,” I replied.
“Absolutely fascinating! And a knight no less, or perhaps a squire? I’m sure you have many stories to tell of Earthrealm. Say, by chance are you about to head back to the academy? I have business in Elaseer and the usual coach has been absent as of late so I would rather not go it alone,” said Edhel.
I was hesitant to bring a stranger back in the car with me, even if Illunor was present. However, the opportunity that meeting a bard presented was too good to pass up from an intel perspective and to win the favour of the populace at large.
“That is a great idea. I think I have room for one more…” I paused before gesturing towards Illunor, “provided everyone is ok with it that is.”
Illunor gave a huff and turned his head away in silence.
“Very well, I will allow this. But he will not be joining me in your sorry excuse for a coach,” said Illunor dismissively.
Illunor approached the backseat expectantly and the door opened for him automatically, allowing the dlc kobold to gracefully enter and lounge across the length of the seats, once again ignoring the seatbelts. I sighed as I made my way to the driver’s seat, and Edhel entered from the passenger side as he marveled at the automatic doors and the interior.
“What a strange carriage this is! Although I must say, shouldn’t you be retrieving your horses? I didn’t see any harnesses or sense any artifices,” inquired Edhel as he attempted to make himself comfortable on the car seat, lute in front of him.
“Oh no, this thing doesn’t need horses or magic,” I said with a chuckle as EVI started the car. The elf raised his eyebrows at the sudden hum of the engine and made an expression of alarm when the car started driving itself without my input. “See, purrs like a kitten.”
“Earthrealm must have some large kittens if they purr like that,” noted Edhel, “but you must be concealing the enchantments somewhere. Such a thing as this with such strange yet precise craftsmanship is only possible in the crownlands.”
“Nope, no magic,” I said cheerfully.
“Then how?” Asked Edhel.
“It’s rather simple really. Are you familiar with the workings of a mill?” I asked, deciding to keep things surface level and elementary to avoid provoking the IDOV threshold.
“Somewhat, though I confess to not being familiar with their workings. Are you suggesting this is akin to a mill?” Asked Edhel perplexed.
“It’s the same principal. A mill works by taking a source of rotation such as a waterwheel or windmill, transferring that rotation along a series of rotating shafts and interlocking gears, and finally putting that energy to work by rotating a millstone,” I began as the car pulled out onto the smooth cobbled road in the direction of Elaseer. A notification popped up in the corner of my vision indicating my recon drone swarm had shifted from a holding formation to a convoy screening formation, and while the roads were clear I kept the speed at 60km/h to account for my passenger’s apparent distaste for seatbelts.
“Rotation…” muttered Edhel. He turned to face one of the wheels and EVI pinged an alert for a probable match for a detection spell, “fascinating.”
“Edhel, what are you doing?” I asked.
“Oh, yes, perhaps I should have asked first. Yes, I can see how it all fits together. But the source of this rotation? I see no mighty river or great wind to power this, so where does it come from?” Asked Edhel, not really apologizing. Elven arrogance, it seemed, was not limited by class.
The act reminded me of Sorecar when he inspected my gun, but where the armourer had been respectful with it, Edhel was more flippant. I considered the possibility that he was a spy sent by one of her peers or the crownlands, though this did not mesh with the methods I had seen so far. Edhel may have been just overly enthusiastic. In either case, I quickly decided to only reveal the antique design for the ethanol engine, and not that of the batteries or the emergency coupler to my suit’s fusion reactor.
“Right, well please ask first next time. As to your question, I won’t bore you with the details, but the rotation is generated by creating a periodic sequence of explosions inside of a machine – a manaless artifice – called a combustion engine, said Emma.
“So that’s what that sound is…” pondered Edhel, “are these artifices typical in Earthream?”
“You are awfully inquisitive for a commoner,” noted Illunor as he inspected his nails for dirt, “and rather accepting of something which should be impossible.”
“I wouldn’t be much of a bard if I wasn’t, my lord,” said Edhel shifting uncomfortably in his seat, “perhaps some music might set the mood better?”
“That would be preferable, bard. I have heard enough of the Earthrealmer’s Road Trip Playlist and would like to listen to some music of real culture,” said Illunor.
The bard agreed and proceeded to awkwardly play a ballad about an adventurer who slew a hydra in some frozen wasteland. Partway through, I politely interrupted the Edhel to point out the seat controls much to his fascination and Illunor’s grumbling at their common nature, and after some adjustment the bard went on playing and I half-heartedly listened while I paid attention to the road and my drone feed.
Particularly after EVI detected something unusual and alerted me to its presence.
”Attention Caded Booker. There is a disabled vehicle blocking the primary route to destination. Heat signatures in the woods are consistent with that of an ambush.”
“Damn it,” I muttered.
I glanced at the drone feed to see a broken cart strewn horizontally across a wooden bridge over a brook. On the surface it looked like a pair of civilians who required aid and assistance, but off in the woods were several heat signatures, several of which held weapons of varying levels of enchantments. Occasionally one of the pair on the bridge would talk with them, suggesting they were in cahoots rather than hostages. I recalled crossing that very bridge not a few hours earlier, so the blockade was very recent.
“EVI, did we pass that cart on the way here?” I asked.
”Negative,” replied EVI.
I grimaced. I had been trained to handle road-side ambushes, but it was only something that was a theoretical possibility. Something that should only occur in a warzone or a corrupt and unstable polity. I knew I had the capacity to handle such an encounter, even non-lethally, but that didn’t change the fact that these were civilians and as such were the responsibility of local law enforcement. Combined with the fact that I had passengers I was responsible for and engaging the ambush was a risky option.
“EVI, give me a list of alternative routes,” I commanded.
”Affirmative. Here is a list of routes in order of recommendation,” replied EVI.
I looked over the routes superimposed on a map of the region and quickly dismissed taking a shortcut through the forest and cutting through farmland. A detour caught my eye that extended the journey by roughly ten kilometers and I immediately sent a pair of drones to scout it out before committing to the detour.
“Are you alright, Cadet Emma Booker? You seem distracted,” asked Edhel, snapping me back to reality.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just focused on driving,” replied Emma.
“I suppose it must be quite taxing to command an artificed carriage of this complexity. Perhaps it might ease your mind if you were to regale me a tale of a hero of your realm?” Said Edhel, strumming a complex tune from his lute as he spoke as each and every pluck triggered a low-level spell.
“Well, that may be a problem. We don’t have any monsters to fight, and wars are a thing of the past,” I said while desperately tip-toeing the subject of aunt Ran, the subject of war, and our voyages through the cosmos, “though we are not without the adventurous spirit. We certainly have many stories of grand voyages. Some mythical and fictional such as The Odyssey as told by the Greek poet Homer and some historical such as the race to the south pole.”
“The south pole,” muttered the bard, “so you have explored all of Earthrealm then? I suppose that makes some sense, if you have artifices such as this then traversal of a globe would be quite manageable.”
“You are quite perceptive,” I said, not wishing to elaborate.
“A great performer knows his audience,” said Edhel with a charming, honest, almost human smile.
I felt a pang of homesickness as an intrusive thought reminded me that I could have gone to a real college surrounded by friendly faces my age, engaging in nightly holostreams and dreaming of adventures in the stars from the safety of a college dorm room. The sight of Illunor in the rear camera was the only thing that kept me grounded, as I almost felt like I was back at home on a road trip rather than returning to a fantasy feudal court, constantly evading death at every turn with the fate of humanity on the line. As such, and prompted by EVI, I barely had the wherewithal to take the planned detour.
A fact which did not pass by Edhel.
“I believe you may have taken a wrong turn, Emma,” he commented.
“Nah, I’m just taking the scenic route. I came from that direction on the way here, and you have inspired me to see the other road and I figure it should only add a few extra minutes to our travel time,” I said, gesturing at a paper map which I had referenced exactly once, “though on that subject, you seem to know these lands quite well. Do you have any recommendations on places to visit in the Nexus to scratch that itch?”
Illunor raised his eyebrow at the detour excuse, knowing full well this was not part of the plan. I worried that he might complain about the issue and but thankfully remained silent as he snacked on the contents of the misused sample storage unit. Edhel himself took on a more pensive posture.
“I’m happy to have been such an inspiration, Emma, though I am sure an explorer such as yourself has little need of such. I would normally suggest the skyward fountains of Verdellan or the cloud tides of Asturia, but that may be too casual for someone of your calibre. Perhaps the severed chasm or the fire marsh of Bhandahova may be more to your liking. Or perhaps…” Edhel leaned in, “I have heard rumours of a dragon in the glassy obsidian wastes of Vurcanar.”
I chuckled at that, knowing how I was fortunate enough to fish a dragon scale out of the nearby lake for the ECS. “The thought of going dragon hunting had certainly crossed my mind…” I mused aloud.
“Yet you sound hesitant. Perhaps it is too much for a newrealmer. Perhaps a slime or a dire rat might be more appropriate,” he said with a tease.
“No, it’s not like that! It’s” I stammered, before attempting to change course after realizing I had been goaded, “what I mean is, I was under the impression that dragons were an endangered species. Where I come from, hunting endangered animals is usually illegal, and big game hunting in general is frowned upon. We do make exceptions in the case of problem animals such as if a large predator starts hunting humans, but as a rule we prefer conservation and try to find ways of coexisting with wildlife such as the use of barrier fences and scaring away dangerous animals rather than being forced to cull their numbers. Having a species go extinct would prevent future generations from appreciating them and risks destabilizing the ecosystem they are a part of. Now if this dragon was actively razing villages and eating civilians and livestock, that would be one thing, but this does not look to be the case. I don’t imagine the Nexus has any settlements in this wasteland, and the dragon clearly wants to be left alone. Killing an innocent dragon would be murder.”
I grinned to myself after delivering a diatribe that would have made my tenth grade social and environmental studies teacher beam with pride, though by the expressions of my passengers my view did not appear to be shared. Edhel’s mouth was agape in shock and fascination, while the Venurian in the back seat merely huffed in disapproval.
“I assure you Newrealmer, there are no innocent dragons,” stated Illunor with a hint of terseness breaking through his otherwise regal demeanor.
“Illunor, I understand that Venurians have personal reasons for not liking dragons, but you can’t just extend that disdain to their descendants or those uninvolved just because they are the same species,” I said.
“If I may interject on your behalf, my lord, I believe I can address Cadet Emma Booker’s concerns,” said Edhel with a bow. Illunor nodded in approval.
“Very well, you may proceed,” he said.
“Thank you, my lord. My dear Emma, you must understand that dragons are not simple animals driven entirely off of instinct as it appears to be the case in Earthrealm. They are monsters. Intelligent, long-lived, violent, greedy, cruel, territorial, selfish flesh-eating monsters. They are evil by the very nature of their being, unable to change by their own accord, and unwilling to change when His Eternal Majesty offered them freedom from their nature. It isn’t that they want to be evil. As intelligent animals – intelligent monsters – dragons are capable of understanding morality, and many have tried to overcome their evil nature at great expense to themselves. A well intended and noble sentiment, yet a doomed one as like all animals, they all succumb to their nature in the end. Overcoming one’s nature is impossible,” said Edhel. His eyes took on a stoic, almost remorseful gaze as he spoke, and Illunor nodded with approval.
I was appalled by this claim, not by the contents so much as how blatantly false it was. As a representative of the human race, I was a living counterexample to his whole argument. We had remained physiologically unchanged as a species since the last Ice Age, and yet in spite of that, in spite of our many flaws, we had found peace and balance. If we could do it, anyone could do it.
“Will all due respect Edhel, that is nonsense. Monsters aren’t born, they are made. It is the mark of any intelligent species can adapt their behaviour to their environment for better or worse, and under the right care any so-called monster can grow to be a force for good,” I began, but while I searched for the right words Edhel shook his head.
“I appreciate your race is an empathetic one, Emma, your idealism is unfounded. As flesh eaters, a dragon must take the life of another animal or person to survive, or they will perish. As such, every dragon has taken a life. As long-lived creatures, they will have amassed a significant number of kills. As the land can only support so much animals, a dragon must be fiercely territorial and aggressive to remove competition, lest they starve. As such, even the most kind-hearted dragon alive must be violent and greedy, and their intelligence fuels this even more so if they know a bountiful land of morsels exists just outside their range.
Now perhaps a multitude of dragons may find a way to co-exist together in some settlement, but to support such a venture would require a large territory of prey, or a livestock animal. Perhaps they could support a large colony by farming grain for their livestock, but that would require effort on their behalf. As large animals, such efforts require a great deal of energy. Yet that size makes it easy for them to intimidate smaller races to do their labour for them, and to keep their client race in line dragons must be cruel. And even so, as their numbers grow so do their needs. As such, they must expand into the lands of their neighbours to survive until there is nothing left to devour, at which point they must turn against their own lest they starve. As such, it is the nature of dragons to conquer and devour. That is why there is no such thing as an innocent dragon,” finished Edhel.
I was speechless, not because I believed Edhel had a point, but because I was horrified at how easy he found it to rationalize the extermination of an entire sapient species. If this was how the elves thought, then it wasn’t the dragons who were the monsters. I suppressed that dark thought. Edhel’s thought process was a product of his culture, not a feature of his elven heritage. If there was any hope of peace between our people, I needed to show him there was another way of being. I needed to prove that co-existence was possible, no matter one’s nature.
I took a deep breath to steady myself before replying.
“That- that is a callous way of seeing things,” I began, though the shock was still there in my voice, “you speak as though there is no natural equilibrium with a dragon, that their only state of being must be to be cruel, to devour, to conquer. But I see things differently. In fact, I might wonder if a fledgling civilization might see the presence of a dragon as a boon rather than a curse. Being intelligent, the locals may be able to come to some agreement with the dragon. Perhaps they might leave some land as a hunting ground or offer up a share of their cattle or guard the dragon as it sleeps. In exchange, the dragon might allow them to build a town outside its mountain and protect them in times of danger. An equitable exchange. A civilization might even create artificial lairs to attract dragons for this very reason. True, some dragons may behave tyrannical towards their town, but a well armed populace of a large city would be more than capable of fighting such a threat, and a rational dragon might reason that threatening their own populace would put their reliable source of food and shelter at risk. You see, it’s all a matter of perspective.”
“You certainly are an imaginative one, Emma, to wonder up a quixotic world where the hare and the fox live together in harmony as equals. Even so, you seem to have ignored one key detail to such a society. What would happen should the dragon not be fed for months on end?” Asked Edhel with his eyebrow raised.
“The same thing as stranded a dozen starving, stranded Elves!” I spat back.
[Alert: Vehicle speed above recommended limit for conditions. Recommendation: slow down. ]
“I am driving slow!” I seethed, not realizing I had sped up with manual control enabled.
“I grow tired of this common prattle,” interjected Illunor just in time to prevent an awkward silence, “bard, play us another song.” “As my lord wishes,” said Edhel with a bow before turning to me with another smile, “perhaps a more soothing melody would be in order? A love song perhaps, to honour Cadet Booker’s compassionate nature?”
I said nothing as Edhel began to strum his lute again to the tune of a love story of a pair of doomed lovers named Ramian and Junette, hating his cheeky knowing grin that only served to get under my skin further as I focused on calming down and slowing the car back to a more reasonable pace before investigating a priority alert which I had been blinded to moments prior.
[Alert: hostile roadblock is absent, location unknown.]
Shit.
“Illunor, we may have a problem,” I said.
“Shush, Newrealmer, have you no class? We are almost at the best part! I’m sure it can wait,” replied the contextually clueless lizard.
I had never wanted to throttle Illunor as much as I did now.
“Illunor, shield, now,” I said with a raised voice.
“I don’t see-“ he started, pausing mid-sentence as his ears perked up.
[Alert: Multiple manafield and spell signatures detected!]
I took evasive maneuvers as Illunor tried to piece together a shield spell, fumbling it twice as panic appeared to set in and providing me with a reminder that Illunor was a civilian, not a soldier. A hail of arrows pelted the exterior of the truck, piercing but not penetrating the composite armour. I was tempted to do nothing but just drive away from the arrow fire, but a foreboding premonition of danger filled me as I recalled Sorecar’s hunter-seeker arrows.
Seeking to avoid that fate, I triggered the active defenses.
The smoke screens deployed around the vehicle, obscuring the sight of any who depended on visible light to see me. A barrage of decoy flares equipped with wooden cores shot upward at angles and diffusing to the side like a pair of giant wings which when combined with the MFD, short for mana-field dampener, inside the vehicle meant that the pelting hail of arrowfire softened to a whirr as the arrows whiffed over the top of the truck, retargeted away from the soft flesh of my passengers and even invoking friendly fire amongst the ambushers.
In the chaos, EVI and my drone swarm fed me complete tactical information on the ambush. Of the 26 individuals at the first blockade, 20 were accounted for, and 3 had died from friendly fire. Ahead at the bridge, 5 more of them were at the bridge where a barrier had been hastily erected to cage me in as the river valley was too deep to cross.
“Illunor, we need a bridge,” I said, taking stock of the wellbeing of my passengers.
The bard was huddled down low and suppressing his manafield, but otherwise rather composed. Illunor, on the other hand, was cowering in the gap between the seats with his hands covering his eyes and his tail tucked in.
“A bridge is no small request, Ne- Cadet Emma Booker,” replied Illunor, “and your ‘Emeffdee’ has blinded me to the outside of this moving death trap.”
“If I drop it, can you at least make a ramp?” I asked as I circled the battlefield. Or tried to, at least, as earthen ramparts emerged from the ground from a yet unseen source to cut off other avenues of escape.
“A ramp? Surely you don’t mean-“ he stammered.
“Yes or no,” I said.
Illunor paused, before taking an unsteady breath.
“Yes. But not with that Emeffdee,” he replied.
“Good. Steady your nerves and prepare to make a ramp ahead of us on my signal,” I said, “in the meantime, get your seatbelt on. This is going to be hairy.”
As I circled around to make my approach on the bridge, the final combatant made his appearance on a nearby tree, revealing himself as an elven mage. An alert focused on the air around him indicating he was preparing an unknown high-tier spell, and I locked the predator drone on him indicating the elf as a high-priority target if our escape plan failed, and I was forced to use lethal force.
If I was forced to kill.
It was one thing to know you may have to kill in the line of duty, but it was much harder to reconcile that with reality. No number of simulations could match the real thing, and a part of me wanted to simply offload the responsibility to EVI to keep my hands clean, but to do that would be betraying my duty as a human being. I breathed in deep and tried not to think about it, instead hoping to rely on the ace I held in my sleeve instead.
“EVI, ready the spell jammer,” I said unevenly.
“Acknowledged, the prototype Exo-Radiation Wave-Field Distruptor is primed. High risk target identified and locked, permission to engage?” EVI asked, forcing me to address the dreaded question.
“Negative,” I replied, “hold your fire. If the ramp fails, then you have permission to engage,” I said.
“Affirmative, on your mark,” replied EVI.
I lined up the truck with the bridge and bolted through the smoke, keeping a careful eye on the mage as I went. His spellform took on a more concerning shape as I accelerated, and I realized I could not afford to let him finish his spell. I triggered the spelljammer.
A terrible roar erupted from an array of speakers printed from mana-resistant materials that would have made Godzilla herself beam with pride. The sound was decidedly unnatural, gnarly, dubstep drop composed of an electric eel, a whale, a mountain lion, and a tyrannosaurus rex all being simultaneously assaulted by a swarm of angry cybernetic murder hornets as an equally chaotic wave of mana blasted outwards from the exterior of the truck, with the interior thankfully sheltered by audio and mana dampening.
The ambushing assailants cowered and panicked, and it was enough to cause the Elven mage’s spell to backfire in his face as his form exploded into ashes, meeting a horrific fate which I had tried so desperately to help him avoid. With all the combatants momentarily incapacitated or dead, I lowered the dampener and turned off the smoke.
“Ramp!” I shouted, snapping the lizard back to reality.
The Venerian nodded and hastily formed an earthwork ahead of us right before the blockade, and the truck leapt off the ramp with a not insignificant amount of air beneath our wheels. I braced for impact, regretting skimping on the shocks in the name of preserving materials, but the impact never came.
[Alert: Friendly spell designated ‘Feather Fall’]
Illunor thankfully had enough wherewithal to gently land the steel brick, and I sped off into the distance away from the trap that had unfolded behind us, leaving the interior of the truck in an awkward silence as we each processed our brush with death in our own way. “How many are dead?” I asked EVI.
“6 hostiles confirmed dead,” replied EVI.
I drove on in silence. Those were six deaths I had tried to avoid, and I became lost in thought as I wondered what I should have done differently to avoid the confrontation entirely.
Edhel broke the silence with a bout of laughter.
“Terrific! Absolutely terrific! Why, I can conjure up many a tale from this encounter alone! I live for this kind of inspiration!” Exclaimed Edhel a little too chipperly considering the circumstance.
“I would rather not hear stories about how I bravely ran away,” I moaned in deadpan sarcasm.
“You think too little of yourself, Cadet Emma Booker. It is plain to me that you are no ordinary rabbit. Make no mistake, I see it as a privilege to bear witness to the roar of a vorpal hare!” Said Edhel as he supressed his laughter, “though I am afraid with all the excitement that I must finish my song some other time.”
“How about I play some of our music?” I offered after the elf revealed his thrill-seeking side.
“Splendid, I would like that. Perhaps something of your ‘Roadtrip playlist’ you speak of? It sounds like a collection of your voyages,” said Edhel.
“That would be an improvement on the truth,” said Illunor dismissively as he eased from his state of shock, “it is little more than noise under the pretense of music.”
“Illunor…” I muttered to myself before turning the mic on, “no, no it’s not like that. I have terabytes of pre-recorded songs from various artists back home which can be played by… an artifice called a speaker. A playlist is a set of songs which are grouped together, usually to listen to in specific situations such as studying, partying, or travelling. The latter collection is what Illunor is referring to.”
I very deliberately chose not to reveal my ‘Unfortunate Daughters’ playlist.
“An artifice which plays music, and a magicless one at that. I must say, Emma, I fear for the bards in your realm,” said Edhel with a laugh.
“Your fear is misplaced, Edhel. Entertainers live like kings where I come from,” I retorted with a smirk of my own, “well, the ones with talent at least.”
“Well, well, I suppose I have to hear my competition!” Said Edhel with a laugh.
“Do as you must, though let it be known that I warned you,” said Illunor as he watched a play on his sightseer.
I had EVI compile a list of songs that left out content offensive to Nexian sensibilities or violating OpSec and as it compiled I mused over what type of sample spread I wanted to show off. Then it struck me. What better way to show off our culture than with some good old blue jumpers and nova rock! Sadly, jumpers were unavailable to show but I still had a whole list of modern artists to choose from.
Moments later, the car speakers sprung to life to the tune of ‘Innocent Youth of Mine. Edhel’s eyes lit up like a child visiting a zero-g gravity park for the first time, seemingly star-struck by the antique electric guitar and the synthesizer-drums in particular.
“What… what is this? I have never heard anything like this!” Proclaimed Edhel.
“Dreadful, isn’t it?” said Illunor, doing what he did best and pretending to hate it.
“Oh there is a lot more where that came from,” I said with a cheeky grin of my own, “this one is called ‘Innocent Youth of Mine’ by ‘Cannons and Poppies’. It’s part of the Nova Rock genre.
“And those strange instruments?” Asked Edhel.
“Oh, you mean the electric guitar and the synthesizer. They are electronic instruments, taking advantage of channeled and modulated electricity to create near any sound we can imagine,” I replied.
“Channeled electricity… are you suggesting these sounds were made by some form of lightning?” Asked Edhel.
[Suggestion: Avoid topic of electricity due to OpSec risk]
I nodded at EVI’s warning, thankful that it caught me before I discussed the very thing that all of my equipment ran on.
“It’s not exactly lightning, but close enough,” I said.
“If I had not witnessed to your display of power earlier, I might have perhaps been more skeptical of such a claim, but I suppose a lady must keep her secrets.” said Edhel with a raised eyebrow and chuckle, “but I digress, this music is most interesting.”
“There is a lot more where that came from,” I said with a cheeky grin of my own.
“If I ever have a prisoner in need of torture, I will turn to you first,” replied Illunor, “if you are willing to subject your peers to this madness then I cannot imagine what you would force upon your enemies before dunking them in ice.”
“In your dreams,” I retorted.
I played a few other songs including Astrodesee’s ‘Meteor Struck’, the Martian classic ‘Hotel Cydonia’ and even ‘Switching to Warp’ before Elaseer emerged from the distance, and I pulled up outside the gate to drop Edhel off.
“Here already?” Asked Edhel.
“Well, yeah. I was just running a quick errand, I didn’t want to go too far,” I replied casually.
“That was a distance worth at least five days of walking by foot, and you call that a ‘quick errand’?” Asked Edhel. I shrugged, and he laughed.
“Well in any case, thank you for allowing me passage in your car. I must apologize for my lack of gift or payment…” said Edhel. “Don’t worry about it, it was on the way,” I replied.
“I see, how generous. Perhaps we might one day meet again?” Asked Edhel.
“Maybe, but I’m not sure how likely that is. The academy takes up most of my time,” I replied, “though you never know. I still have a lot of quest hours to complete.”
“Is that so? In that case, I hope we meet again! Goodbye Cadet Emma Booker and farewell Lord Illunor Rularia,” he said. “And good travels to you, bard,” said Illunor.
I waved off Edhel and drove back to the academy, Illunor still sulking in the back seat.
“Perhaps next time, you should steer us away from danger?” Suggested Illunor.
“I tried, but we were tracked,” I replied.
I groaned inwardly at the additional work needed to fix the truck. EVI compiled a list of upgrades for future engagements, batting away my idea for a ‘turbo mode’ and a ‘jump boost’. Though at the end of the day, meeting the bard wasn’t a complete loss. It felt good to talk to someone almost normal for once, and I hoped I met him again.
Edhel Redoehdelnif
I watched as Cadet Emma Booker’s vehicle went off into the distance, getting one last look at the Earthrealmer’s strange artifice before turning towards the gate. The voyage was an exotic experience, not unlike that of a fever dream or a peak into a world completely alien to my own. Indeed, it was a struggle to contain my excitement and enthusiasm and process the experience rationally as I made my way through the southern gates of Elaseer and turned the corner of an alley before entering an impossible structure that did not exist.
“You are earlier than expected,” said the shadowy figure of my handler as I made my way to the meeting hall.
“The Earthrealmer’s means of transportation proved far more expedient than anticipated, my lord” I spoke as I knelt before him, “even with her unexpected departure from the anticipated road and the ambush we traveled for scantly more than an hour.”
“Yes, I will require a full report from you. Perhaps you can shed some light on the ‘smoke dragon’ my men claim intervened on the Earthrealmer’s behalf,” said my handler.
“Smoke Dragon, my lord?” I asked.
My handler responded by activating his sight-seer, revealing how the ambush had appeared from the outside. The Earthrealmer’s uncanny artifice traversed down the road, a pair of manafields displaying proudly from within until the archers began their assault. The artifice then transformed as smoke billowed out from its pores and wings sprung forth above until it was the form of a mighty wrym with a pair of glowing eyes springing forth from its ever extending head where it then gave forth a terrible unholy roar which sent waves of mana outward. The mage working to seal the area and trap their mark vapourized in an instant as his spell backfired. It was apparent to Edhel that his exceptional experience in the carriage was merely a muted rendition of the events unfolding around them.
It would seem the hare had the shadow of a dragon.
“I do have some insight, though I must confess the Earthrealmer did very little in the way of direct action. I suspect she has some unseen means of commanding and scrying through her artifices,” I said, “one which does not utilize magic as we know it.”
“Such a statement is heresy,” said my handler, “but such special circumstances are your reason for being. I will require you submit your memories for verification. What is your appraisal of the new realmer?”
“The girl is far more dangerous than a surface appraisal would suggest, though she prefers to conceal that power rather than utilize it out of a misplaced sense of compassion. Her people appear to have a boundless creative drive through which such artifices are birthed, though again it is misdirected towards more common applications. I believe that if properly tamed, this human animal may provide us with great works of art,” I said with a bow.
“I see. Does the girl know you work for us?” Asked my handler.
“She may harbour some suspicions, though did not voice them outright beyond concealing her knowledge,” I said, “though nothing significant. Provided our next meet is under believable circumstances such as a festival she should view me as cordial.”
“She has indeed proven clever,” conceded my handler, “very well, I will make arrangements for your paths to cross again. Perhaps I will arrange for her to be a contestant at the next inter-academy tournament. In the mean time, prepare your report and don’t wander far. This is a priority assignment.”
“As you wish, my lord,” I said with a bow and a smile.
Emma Booker had proved to be an interesting animal indeed, and I hoped our paths crossed again.
submitted by Cazador0 to JCBWritingCorner [link] [comments]
Disclaimer: Not canon, and I don’t use patreon so please don’t spoil me. Also, any opinion held by a character is that of the characters and not my own. Enjoy.
Town of Ljosalfington, local time 14:00, week 7
Emma Booker
“Again Illunor, I warned you before that this is a utility vehicle, not a party rated smart-limo. I am already compromising more than I should by allowing you to use the sample cooler as a minifridge, one which I can’t even use!” I said as I loaded the materials I had just purchased into the back of the high-G All terrain fusion-ethanol-electric hybrid 24th-century legacy pickup truck that I had printed out earlier this week, carefully avoiding the heavy ordinance hard point.
“That is hardly an excuse for that abysmally cramped leg space barely fit for cattle, never mind the bare minimum for standard decorum suitable for nobility. If this is what a car is like, then I don’t see why you care for your technology,” complained Illunor, who was sitting around idly with a malformed garish bowl of icecream that he had stashed away from lunch.
“If it bothers you so much, perhaps you could help next time with your ‘bigger-on-the-inside’ magic,” I retorted as I slid the last core sample into the back before covering it up with a tarp and strapping it down.
I had originally planned to visit Ljosalfington by myself to acquire much needed exo-materials to test various mana manipulator configurations as I worked to develop my first wand as not all of the materials I needed were procurable locally from Elaseer. I eventually yielded, much to my regret, to allowing Illunor to come with me as he insisted on wanting to deliver a letter personally in town after Thacea had pointed out the wisdom of not travelling alone.
We continued our back and forth for a bit yet as I finished securing my payload a voice called out to me from the direction of the town.
“Excuse me a moment, I couldn’t help but notice but are you from the academy?”
I turned to see an elf dressed in a plain brown buttoned up tunic matched by a slightly shabby pair of trousers with what appeared to be a lute upon his back and a plain and unenchanted longsword on his belt gesturing at our robes. Mine especially were new and unusual, tailored by the academy to go over my armour and allow access to the anchor points and allow me to exit my armour with minimal hassle. Illunor scoffed at what was evidently a commoner’s arrogance at approaching nobility and turned his head away in disgust. I glanced at Illunor and shook my head before turning to face the new man. I had time to spare, and any opportunity to engage in a hearts-and-minds dialogue with the locals outside the bounds of the managed environment of the academy was more than worth the time to chat. Especially as most of the other locals seemed to be content in ignoring me.
“Yes, we are currently studying at the Transgracian Academy. I am Cadet Emma Booker representing the United Nations of Earth and Luna from Earthream, and my aloof compatriot is Lord Illunor Rularia of the Vunerian courts. We were just about to head back but are in no rush. May I ask your name and what brings you by?” I asked with my hand outstretched in greeting.
“Ah yes, yes. My name is Edhel Redoehdelnif, a wandering bard by trade like my father and his father before him. My apologies, Cadet Emma Booker, I am unfamiliar with Earthrealm,” said Edhel as he grasped my hand with both of his and shook it tepidly yet vigorously. Or rather, tried to, as the motors on my suit resisted his efforts.
“News doesn’t seem to spread all that fast around here, so it makes sense you haven’t heard of us. We’re a new realm, and only just got here. Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Edhel Redoehdelnif,” I replied.
“Absolutely fascinating! And a knight no less, or perhaps a squire? I’m sure you have many stories to tell of Earthrealm. Say, by chance are you about to head back to the academy? I have business in Elaseer and the usual coach has been absent as of late so I would rather not go it alone,” said Edhel.
I was hesitant to bring a stranger back in the car with me, even if Illunor was present. However, the opportunity that meeting a bard presented was too good to pass up from an intel perspective and to win the favour of the populace at large.
“That is a great idea. I think I have room for one more…” I paused before gesturing towards Illunor, “provided everyone is ok with it that is.”
Illunor gave a huff and turned his head away in silence.
“Very well, I will allow this. But he will not be joining me in your sorry excuse for a coach,” said Illunor dismissively.
Illunor approached the backseat expectantly and the door opened for him automatically, allowing the dlc kobold to gracefully enter and lounge across the length of the seats, once again ignoring the seatbelts. I sighed as I made my way to the driver’s seat, and Edhel entered from the passenger side as he marveled at the automatic doors and the interior.
“What a strange carriage this is! Although I must say, shouldn’t you be retrieving your horses? I didn’t see any harnesses or sense any artifices,” inquired Edhel as he attempted to make himself comfortable on the car seat, lute in front of him.
“Oh no, this thing doesn’t need horses or magic,” I said with a chuckle as EVI started the car. The elf raised his eyebrows at the sudden hum of the engine and made an expression of alarm when the car started driving itself without my input. “See, purrs like a kitten.”
“Earthrealm must have some large kittens if they purr like that,” noted Edhel, “but you must be concealing the enchantments somewhere. Such a thing as this with such strange yet precise craftsmanship is only possible in the crownlands.”
“Nope, no magic,” I said cheerfully.
“Then how?” Asked Edhel.
“It’s rather simple really. Are you familiar with the workings of a mill?” I asked, deciding to keep things surface level and elementary to avoid provoking the IDOV threshold.
“Somewhat, though I confess to not being familiar with their workings. Are you suggesting this is akin to a mill?” Asked Edhel perplexed.
“It’s the same principal. A mill works by taking a source of rotation such as a waterwheel or windmill, transferring that rotation along a series of rotating shafts and interlocking gears, and finally putting that energy to work by rotating a millstone,” I began as the car pulled out onto the smooth cobbled road in the direction of Elaseer. A notification popped up in the corner of my vision indicating my recon drone swarm had shifted from a holding formation to a convoy screening formation, and while the roads were clear I kept the speed at 60km/h to account for my passenger’s apparent distaste for seatbelts.
“Rotation…” muttered Edhel. He turned to face one of the wheels and EVI pinged an alert for a probable match for a detection spell, “fascinating.”
“Edhel, what are you doing?” I asked.
“Oh, yes, perhaps I should have asked first. Yes, I can see how it all fits together. But the source of this rotation? I see no mighty river or great wind to power this, so where does it come from?” Asked Edhel, not really apologizing. Elven arrogance, it seemed, was not limited by class.
The act reminded me of Sorecar when he inspected my gun, but where the armourer had been respectful with it, Edhel was more flippant. I considered the possibility that he was a spy sent by one of her peers or the crownlands, though this did not mesh with the methods I had seen so far. Edhel may have been just overly enthusiastic. In either case, I quickly decided to only reveal the antique design for the ethanol engine, and not that of the batteries or the emergency coupler to my suit’s fusion reactor.
“Right, well please ask first next time. As to your question, I won’t bore you with the details, but the rotation is generated by creating a periodic sequence of explosions inside of a machine – a manaless artifice – called a combustion engine, said Emma.
“So that’s what that sound is…” pondered Edhel, “are these artifices typical in Earthream?”
“You are awfully inquisitive for a commoner,” noted Illunor as he inspected his nails for dirt, “and rather accepting of something which should be impossible.”
“I wouldn’t be much of a bard if I wasn’t, my lord,” said Edhel shifting uncomfortably in his seat, “perhaps some music might set the mood better?”
“That would be preferable, bard. I have heard enough of the Earthrealmer’s Road Trip Playlist and would like to listen to some music of real culture,” said Illunor.
The bard agreed and proceeded to awkwardly play a ballad about an adventurer who slew a hydra in some frozen wasteland. Partway through, I politely interrupted the Edhel to point out the seat controls much to his fascination and Illunor’s grumbling at their common nature, and after some adjustment the bard went on playing and I half-heartedly listened while I paid attention to the road and my drone feed.
Particularly after EVI detected something unusual and alerted me to its presence.
”Attention Caded Booker. There is a disabled vehicle blocking the primary route to destination. Heat signatures in the woods are consistent with that of an ambush.”
“Damn it,” I muttered.
I glanced at the drone feed to see a broken cart strewn horizontally across a wooden bridge over a brook. On the surface it looked like a pair of civilians who required aid and assistance, but off in the woods were several heat signatures, several of which held weapons of varying levels of enchantments. Occasionally one of the pair on the bridge would talk with them, suggesting they were in cahoots rather than hostages. I recalled crossing that very bridge not a few hours earlier, so the blockade was very recent.
“EVI, did we pass that cart on the way here?” I asked.
”Negative,” replied EVI.
I grimaced. I had been trained to handle road-side ambushes, but it was only something that was a theoretical possibility. Something that should only occur in a warzone or a corrupt and unstable polity. I knew I had the capacity to handle such an encounter, even non-lethally, but that didn’t change the fact that these were civilians and as such were the responsibility of local law enforcement. Combined with the fact that I had passengers I was responsible for and engaging the ambush was a risky option.
“EVI, give me a list of alternative routes,” I commanded.
”Affirmative. Here is a list of routes in order of recommendation,” replied EVI.
I looked over the routes superimposed on a map of the region and quickly dismissed taking a shortcut through the forest and cutting through farmland. A detour caught my eye that extended the journey by roughly ten kilometers and I immediately sent a pair of drones to scout it out before committing to the detour.
“Are you alright, Cadet Emma Booker? You seem distracted,” asked Edhel, snapping me back to reality.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just focused on driving,” replied Emma.
“I suppose it must be quite taxing to command an artificed carriage of this complexity. Perhaps it might ease your mind if you were to regale me a tale of a hero of your realm?” Said Edhel, strumming a complex tune from his lute as he spoke as each and every pluck triggered a low-level spell.
“Well, that may be a problem. We don’t have any monsters to fight, and wars are a thing of the past,” I said while desperately tip-toeing the subject of aunt Ran, the subject of war, and our voyages through the cosmos, “though we are not without the adventurous spirit. We certainly have many stories of grand voyages. Some mythical and fictional such as The Odyssey as told by the Greek poet Homer and some historical such as the race to the south pole.”
“The south pole,” muttered the bard, “so you have explored all of Earthrealm then? I suppose that makes some sense, if you have artifices such as this then traversal of a globe would be quite manageable.”
“You are quite perceptive,” I said, not wishing to elaborate.
“A great performer knows his audience,” said Edhel with a charming, honest, almost human smile.
I felt a pang of homesickness as an intrusive thought reminded me that I could have gone to a real college surrounded by friendly faces my age, engaging in nightly holostreams and dreaming of adventures in the stars from the safety of a college dorm room. The sight of Illunor in the rear camera was the only thing that kept me grounded, as I almost felt like I was back at home on a road trip rather than returning to a fantasy feudal court, constantly evading death at every turn with the fate of humanity on the line. As such, and prompted by EVI, I barely had the wherewithal to take the planned detour.
A fact which did not pass by Edhel.
“I believe you may have taken a wrong turn, Emma,” he commented.
“Nah, I’m just taking the scenic route. I came from that direction on the way here, and you have inspired me to see the other road and I figure it should only add a few extra minutes to our travel time,” I said, gesturing at a paper map which I had referenced exactly once, “though on that subject, you seem to know these lands quite well. Do you have any recommendations on places to visit in the Nexus to scratch that itch?”
Illunor raised his eyebrow at the detour excuse, knowing full well this was not part of the plan. I worried that he might complain about the issue and but thankfully remained silent as he snacked on the contents of the misused sample storage unit. Edhel himself took on a more pensive posture.
“I’m happy to have been such an inspiration, Emma, though I am sure an explorer such as yourself has little need of such. I would normally suggest the skyward fountains of Verdellan or the cloud tides of Asturia, but that may be too casual for someone of your calibre. Perhaps the severed chasm or the fire marsh of Bhandahova may be more to your liking. Or perhaps…” Edhel leaned in, “I have heard rumours of a dragon in the glassy obsidian wastes of Vurcanar.”
I chuckled at that, knowing how I was fortunate enough to fish a dragon scale out of the nearby lake for the ECS. “The thought of going dragon hunting had certainly crossed my mind…” I mused aloud.
“Yet you sound hesitant. Perhaps it is too much for a newrealmer. Perhaps a slime or a dire rat might be more appropriate,” he said with a tease.
“No, it’s not like that! It’s” I stammered, before attempting to change course after realizing I had been goaded, “what I mean is, I was under the impression that dragons were an endangered species. Where I come from, hunting endangered animals is usually illegal, and big game hunting in general is frowned upon. We do make exceptions in the case of problem animals such as if a large predator starts hunting humans, but as a rule we prefer conservation and try to find ways of coexisting with wildlife such as the use of barrier fences and scaring away dangerous animals rather than being forced to cull their numbers. Having a species go extinct would prevent future generations from appreciating them and risks destabilizing the ecosystem they are a part of. Now if this dragon was actively razing villages and eating civilians and livestock, that would be one thing, but this does not look to be the case. I don’t imagine the Nexus has any settlements in this wasteland, and the dragon clearly wants to be left alone. Killing an innocent dragon would be murder.”
I grinned to myself after delivering a diatribe that would have made my tenth grade social and environmental studies teacher beam with pride, though by the expressions of my passengers my view did not appear to be shared. Edhel’s mouth was agape in shock and fascination, while the Venurian in the back seat merely huffed in disapproval.
“I assure you Newrealmer, there are no innocent dragons,” stated Illunor with a hint of terseness breaking through his otherwise regal demeanor.
“Illunor, I understand that Venurians have personal reasons for not liking dragons, but you can’t just extend that disdain to their descendants or those uninvolved just because they are the same species,” I said.
“If I may interject on your behalf, my lord, I believe I can address Cadet Emma Booker’s concerns,” said Edhel with a bow. Illunor nodded in approval.
“Very well, you may proceed,” he said.
“Thank you, my lord. My dear Emma, you must understand that dragons are not simple animals driven entirely off of instinct as it appears to be the case in Earthrealm. They are monsters. Intelligent, long-lived, violent, greedy, cruel, territorial, selfish flesh-eating monsters. They are evil by the very nature of their being, unable to change by their own accord, and unwilling to change when His Eternal Majesty offered them freedom from their nature. It isn’t that they want to be evil. As intelligent animals – intelligent monsters – dragons are capable of understanding morality, and many have tried to overcome their evil nature at great expense to themselves. A well intended and noble sentiment, yet a doomed one as like all animals, they all succumb to their nature in the end. Overcoming one’s nature is impossible,” said Edhel. His eyes took on a stoic, almost remorseful gaze as he spoke, and Illunor nodded with approval.
I was appalled by this claim, not by the contents so much as how blatantly false it was. As a representative of the human race, I was a living counterexample to his whole argument. We had remained physiologically unchanged as a species since the last Ice Age, and yet in spite of that, in spite of our many flaws, we had found peace and balance. If we could do it, anyone could do it.
“Will all due respect Edhel, that is nonsense. Monsters aren’t born, they are made. It is the mark of any intelligent species can adapt their behaviour to their environment for better or worse, and under the right care any so-called monster can grow to be a force for good,” I began, but while I searched for the right words Edhel shook his head.
“I appreciate your race is an empathetic one, Emma, your idealism is unfounded. As flesh eaters, a dragon must take the life of another animal or person to survive, or they will perish. As such, every dragon has taken a life. As long-lived creatures, they will have amassed a significant number of kills. As the land can only support so much animals, a dragon must be fiercely territorial and aggressive to remove competition, lest they starve. As such, even the most kind-hearted dragon alive must be violent and greedy, and their intelligence fuels this even more so if they know a bountiful land of morsels exists just outside their range.
Now perhaps a multitude of dragons may find a way to co-exist together in some settlement, but to support such a venture would require a large territory of prey, or a livestock animal. Perhaps they could support a large colony by farming grain for their livestock, but that would require effort on their behalf. As large animals, such efforts require a great deal of energy. Yet that size makes it easy for them to intimidate smaller races to do their labour for them, and to keep their client race in line dragons must be cruel. And even so, as their numbers grow so do their needs. As such, they must expand into the lands of their neighbours to survive until there is nothing left to devour, at which point they must turn against their own lest they starve. As such, it is the nature of dragons to conquer and devour. That is why there is no such thing as an innocent dragon,” finished Edhel.
I was speechless, not because I believed Edhel had a point, but because I was horrified at how easy he found it to rationalize the extermination of an entire sapient species. If this was how the elves thought, then it wasn’t the dragons who were the monsters. I suppressed that dark thought. Edhel’s thought process was a product of his culture, not a feature of his elven heritage. If there was any hope of peace between our people, I needed to show him there was another way of being. I needed to prove that co-existence was possible, no matter one’s nature.
I took a deep breath to steady myself before replying.
“That- that is a callous way of seeing things,” I began, though the shock was still there in my voice, “you speak as though there is no natural equilibrium with a dragon, that their only state of being must be to be cruel, to devour, to conquer. But I see things differently. In fact, I might wonder if a fledgling civilization might see the presence of a dragon as a boon rather than a curse. Being intelligent, the locals may be able to come to some agreement with the dragon. Perhaps they might leave some land as a hunting ground or offer up a share of their cattle or guard the dragon as it sleeps. In exchange, the dragon might allow them to build a town outside its mountain and protect them in times of danger. An equitable exchange. A civilization might even create artificial lairs to attract dragons for this very reason. True, some dragons may behave tyrannical towards their town, but a well armed populace of a large city would be more than capable of fighting such a threat, and a rational dragon might reason that threatening their own populace would put their reliable source of food and shelter at risk. You see, it’s all a matter of perspective.”
“You certainly are an imaginative one, Emma, to wonder up a quixotic world where the hare and the fox live together in harmony as equals. Even so, you seem to have ignored one key detail to such a society. What would happen should the dragon not be fed for months on end?” Asked Edhel with his eyebrow raised.
“The same thing as stranded a dozen starving, stranded Elves!” I spat back.
[Alert: Vehicle speed above recommended limit for conditions. Recommendation: slow down. ]
“I am driving slow!” I seethed, not realizing I had sped up with manual control enabled.
“I grow tired of this common prattle,” interjected Illunor just in time to prevent an awkward silence, “bard, play us another song.” “As my lord wishes,” said Edhel with a bow before turning to me with another smile, “perhaps a more soothing melody would be in order? A love song perhaps, to honour Cadet Booker’s compassionate nature?”
I said nothing as Edhel began to strum his lute again to the tune of a love story of a pair of doomed lovers named Ramian and Junette, hating his cheeky knowing grin that only served to get under my skin further as I focused on calming down and slowing the car back to a more reasonable pace before investigating a priority alert which I had been blinded to moments prior.
[Alert: hostile roadblock is absent, location unknown.]
Shit.
“Illunor, we may have a problem,” I said.
“Shush, Newrealmer, have you no class? We are almost at the best part! I’m sure it can wait,” replied the contextually clueless lizard.
I had never wanted to throttle Illunor as much as I did now.
“Illunor, shield, now,” I said with a raised voice.
“I don’t see-“ he started, pausing mid-sentence as his ears perked up.
[Alert: Multiple manafield and spell signatures detected!]
I took evasive maneuvers as Illunor tried to piece together a shield spell, fumbling it twice as panic appeared to set in and providing me with a reminder that Illunor was a civilian, not a soldier. A hail of arrows pelted the exterior of the truck, piercing but not penetrating the composite armour. I was tempted to do nothing but just drive away from the arrow fire, but a foreboding premonition of danger filled me as I recalled Sorecar’s hunter-seeker arrows.
Seeking to avoid that fate, I triggered the active defenses.
The smoke screens deployed around the vehicle, obscuring the sight of any who depended on visible light to see me. A barrage of decoy flares equipped with wooden cores shot upward at angles and diffusing to the side like a pair of giant wings which when combined with the MFD, short for mana-field dampener, inside the vehicle meant that the pelting hail of arrowfire softened to a whirr as the arrows whiffed over the top of the truck, retargeted away from the soft flesh of my passengers and even invoking friendly fire amongst the ambushers.
In the chaos, EVI and my drone swarm fed me complete tactical information on the ambush. Of the 26 individuals at the first blockade, 20 were accounted for, and 3 had died from friendly fire. Ahead at the bridge, 5 more of them were at the bridge where a barrier had been hastily erected to cage me in as the river valley was too deep to cross.
“Illunor, we need a bridge,” I said, taking stock of the wellbeing of my passengers.
The bard was huddled down low and suppressing his manafield, but otherwise rather composed. Illunor, on the other hand, was cowering in the gap between the seats with his hands covering his eyes and his tail tucked in.
“A bridge is no small request, Ne- Cadet Emma Booker,” replied Illunor, “and your ‘Emeffdee’ has blinded me to the outside of this moving death trap.”
“If I drop it, can you at least make a ramp?” I asked as I circled the battlefield. Or tried to, at least, as earthen ramparts emerged from the ground from a yet unseen source to cut off other avenues of escape.
“A ramp? Surely you don’t mean-“ he stammered.
“Yes or no,” I said.
Illunor paused, before taking an unsteady breath.
“Yes. But not with that Emeffdee,” he replied.
“Good. Steady your nerves and prepare to make a ramp ahead of us on my signal,” I said, “in the meantime, get your seatbelt on. This is going to be hairy.”
As I circled around to make my approach on the bridge, the final combatant made his appearance on a nearby tree, revealing himself as an elven mage. An alert focused on the air around him indicating he was preparing an unknown high-tier spell, and I locked the predator drone on him indicating the elf as a high-priority target if our escape plan failed, and I was forced to use lethal force.
If I was forced to kill.
It was one thing to know you may have to kill in the line of duty, but it was much harder to reconcile that with reality. No number of simulations could match the real thing, and a part of me wanted to simply offload the responsibility to EVI to keep my hands clean, but to do that would be betraying my duty as a human being. I breathed in deep and tried not to think about it, instead hoping to rely on the ace I held in my sleeve instead.
“EVI, ready the spell jammer,” I said unevenly.
“Acknowledged, the prototype Exo-Radiation Wave-Field Distruptor is primed. High risk target identified and locked, permission to engage?” EVI asked, forcing me to address the dreaded question.
“Negative,” I replied, “hold your fire. If the ramp fails, then you have permission to engage,” I said.
“Affirmative, on your mark,” replied EVI.
I lined up the truck with the bridge and bolted through the smoke, keeping a careful eye on the mage as I went. His spellform took on a more concerning shape as I accelerated, and I realized I could not afford to let him finish his spell. I triggered the spelljammer.
A terrible roar erupted from an array of speakers printed from mana-resistant materials that would have made Godzilla herself beam with pride. The sound was decidedly unnatural, gnarly, dubstep drop composed of an electric eel, a whale, a mountain lion, and a tyrannosaurus rex all being simultaneously assaulted by a swarm of angry cybernetic murder hornets as an equally chaotic wave of mana blasted outwards from the exterior of the truck, with the interior thankfully sheltered by audio and mana dampening.
The ambushing assailants cowered and panicked, and it was enough to cause the Elven mage’s spell to backfire in his face as his form exploded into ashes, meeting a horrific fate which I had tried so desperately to help him avoid. With all the combatants momentarily incapacitated or dead, I lowered the dampener and turned off the smoke.
“Ramp!” I shouted, snapping the lizard back to reality.
The Venerian nodded and hastily formed an earthwork ahead of us right before the blockade, and the truck leapt off the ramp with a not insignificant amount of air beneath our wheels. I braced for impact, regretting skimping on the shocks in the name of preserving materials, but the impact never came.
[Alert: Friendly spell designated ‘Feather Fall’]
Illunor thankfully had enough wherewithal to gently land the steel brick, and I sped off into the distance away from the trap that had unfolded behind us, leaving the interior of the truck in an awkward silence as we each processed our brush with death in our own way. “How many are dead?” I asked EVI.
“6 hostiles confirmed dead,” replied EVI.
I drove on in silence. Those were six deaths I had tried to avoid, and I became lost in thought as I wondered what I should have done differently to avoid the confrontation entirely.
Edhel broke the silence with a bout of laughter.
“Terrific! Absolutely terrific! Why, I can conjure up many a tale from this encounter alone! I live for this kind of inspiration!” Exclaimed Edhel a little too chipperly considering the circumstance.
“I would rather not hear stories about how I bravely ran away,” I moaned in deadpan sarcasm.
“You think too little of yourself, Cadet Emma Booker. It is plain to me that you are no ordinary rabbit. Make no mistake, I see it as a privilege to bear witness to the roar of a vorpal hare!” Said Edhel as he supressed his laughter, “though I am afraid with all the excitement that I must finish my song some other time.”
“How about I play some of our music?” I offered after the elf revealed his thrill-seeking side.
“Splendid, I would like that. Perhaps something of your ‘Roadtrip playlist’ you speak of? It sounds like a collection of your voyages,” said Edhel.
“That would be an improvement on the truth,” said Illunor dismissively as he eased from his state of shock, “it is little more than noise under the pretense of music.”
“Illunor…” I muttered to myself before turning the mic on, “no, no it’s not like that. I have terabytes of pre-recorded songs from various artists back home which can be played by… an artifice called a speaker. A playlist is a set of songs which are grouped together, usually to listen to in specific situations such as studying, partying, or travelling. The latter collection is what Illunor is referring to.”
I very deliberately chose not to reveal my ‘Unfortunate Daughters’ playlist.
“An artifice which plays music, and a magicless one at that. I must say, Emma, I fear for the bards in your realm,” said Edhel with a laugh.
“Your fear is misplaced, Edhel. Entertainers live like kings where I come from,” I retorted with a smirk of my own, “well, the ones with talent at least.”
“Well, well, I suppose I have to hear my competition!” Said Edhel with a laugh.
“Do as you must, though let it be known that I warned you,” said Illunor as he watched a play on his sightseer.
I had EVI compile a list of songs that left out content offensive to Nexian sensibilities or violating OpSec and as it compiled I mused over what type of sample spread I wanted to show off. Then it struck me. What better way to show off our culture than with some good old blue jumpers and nova rock! Sadly, jumpers were unavailable to show but I still had a whole list of modern artists to choose from.
Moments later, the car speakers sprung to life to the tune of ‘Innocent Youth of Mine. Edhel’s eyes lit up like a child visiting a zero-g gravity park for the first time, seemingly star-struck by the antique electric guitar and the synthesizer-drums in particular.
“What… what is this? I have never heard anything like this!” Proclaimed Edhel.
“Dreadful, isn’t it?” said Illunor, doing what he did best and pretending to hate it.
“Oh there is a lot more where that came from,” I said with a cheeky grin of my own, “this one is called ‘Innocent Youth of Mine’ by ‘Cannons and Poppies’. It’s part of the Nova Rock genre.
“And those strange instruments?” Asked Edhel.
“Oh, you mean the electric guitar and the synthesizer. They are electronic instruments, taking advantage of channeled and modulated electricity to create near any sound we can imagine,” I replied.
“Channeled electricity… are you suggesting these sounds were made by some form of lightning?” Asked Edhel.
[Suggestion: Avoid topic of electricity due to OpSec risk]
I nodded at EVI’s warning, thankful that it caught me before I discussed the very thing that all of my equipment ran on.
“It’s not exactly lightning, but close enough,” I said.
“If I had not witnessed to your display of power earlier, I might have perhaps been more skeptical of such a claim, but I suppose a lady must keep her secrets.” said Edhel with a raised eyebrow and chuckle, “but I digress, this music is most interesting.”
“There is a lot more where that came from,” I said with a cheeky grin of my own.
“If I ever have a prisoner in need of torture, I will turn to you first,” replied Illunor, “if you are willing to subject your peers to this madness then I cannot imagine what you would force upon your enemies before dunking them in ice.”
“In your dreams,” I retorted.
I played a few other songs including Astrodesee’s ‘Meteor Struck’, the Martian classic ‘Hotel Cydonia’ and even ‘Switching to Warp’ before Elaseer emerged from the distance, and I pulled up outside the gate to drop Edhel off.
“Here already?” Asked Edhel.
“Well, yeah. I was just running a quick errand, I didn’t want to go too far,” I replied casually.
“That was a distance worth at least five days of walking by foot, and you call that a ‘quick errand’?” Asked Edhel. I shrugged, and he laughed.
“Well in any case, thank you for allowing me passage in your car. I must apologize for my lack of gift or payment…” said Edhel. “Don’t worry about it, it was on the way,” I replied.
“I see, how generous. Perhaps we might one day meet again?” Asked Edhel.
“Maybe, but I’m not sure how likely that is. The academy takes up most of my time,” I replied, “though you never know. I still have a lot of quest hours to complete.”
“Is that so? In that case, I hope we meet again! Goodbye Cadet Emma Booker and farewell Lord Illunor Rularia,” he said. “And good travels to you, bard,” said Illunor.
I waved off Edhel and drove back to the academy, Illunor still sulking in the back seat.
“Perhaps next time, you should steer us away from danger?” Suggested Illunor.
“I tried, but we were tracked,” I replied.
I groaned inwardly at the additional work needed to fix the truck. EVI compiled a list of upgrades for future engagements, batting away my idea for a ‘turbo mode’ and a ‘jump boost’. Though at the end of the day, meeting the bard wasn’t a complete loss. It felt good to talk to someone almost normal for once, and I hoped I met him again.
Edhel Redoehdelnif
I watched as Cadet Emma Booker’s vehicle went off into the distance, getting one last look at the Earthrealmer’s strange artifice before turning towards the gate. The voyage was an exotic experience, not unlike that of a fever dream or a peak into a world completely alien to my own. Indeed, it was a struggle to contain my excitement and enthusiasm and process the experience rationally as I made my way through the southern gates of Elaseer and turned the corner of an alley before entering an impossible structure that did not exist.
“You are earlier than expected,” said the shadowy figure of my handler as I made my way to the meeting hall.
“The Earthrealmer’s means of transportation proved far more expedient than anticipated, my lord” I spoke as I knelt before him, “even with her unexpected departure from the anticipated road and the ambush we traveled for scantly more than an hour.”
“Yes, I will require a full report from you. Perhaps you can shed some light on the ‘smoke dragon’ my men claim intervened on the Earthrealmer’s behalf,” said my handler.
“Smoke Dragon, my lord?” I asked.
My handler responded by activating his sight-seer, revealing how the ambush had appeared from the outside. The Earthrealmer’s uncanny artifice traversed down the road, a pair of manafields displaying proudly from within until the archers began their assault. The artifice then transformed as smoke billowed out from its pores and wings sprung forth above until it was the form of a mighty wrym with a pair of glowing eyes springing forth from its ever extending head where it then gave forth a terrible unholy roar which sent waves of mana outward. The mage working to seal the area and trap their mark vapourized in an instant as his spell backfired. It was apparent to Edhel that his exceptional experience in the carriage was merely a muted rendition of the events unfolding around them.
It would seem the hare had the shadow of a dragon.
“I do have some insight, though I must confess the Earthrealmer did very little in the way of direct action. I suspect she has some unseen means of commanding and scrying through her artifices,” I said, “one which does not utilize magic as we know it.”
“Such a statement is heresy,” said my handler, “but such special circumstances are your reason for being. I will require you submit your memories for verification. What is your appraisal of the new realmer?”
“The girl is far more dangerous than a surface appraisal would suggest, though she prefers to conceal that power rather than utilize it out of a misplaced sense of compassion. Her people appear to have a boundless creative drive through which such artifices are birthed, though again it is misdirected towards more common applications. I believe that if properly tamed, this human animal may provide us with great works of art,” I said with a bow.
“I see. Does the girl know you work for us?” Asked my handler.
“She may harbour some suspicions, though did not voice them outright beyond concealing her knowledge,” I said, “though nothing significant. Provided our next meet is under believable circumstances such as a festival she should view me as cordial.”
“She has indeed proven clever,” conceded my handler, “very well, I will make arrangements for your paths to cross again. Perhaps I will arrange for her to be a contestant at the next inter-academy tournament. In the mean time, prepare your report and don’t wander far. This is a priority assignment.”
“As you wish, my lord,” I said with a bow and a smile.
Emma Booker had proved to be an interesting animal indeed, and I hoped our paths crossed again.
2024.05.19 02:16 Present_Ask_9089 H: miscs W: miscs I need
Spare miscs
s after the name = displayable item
Irradiated Bonemeal s
Uplink Module s
Flight Recorder s
Module Instructions s
Uniform Voucher s
Fire breather kit ticket s
Potassium s
Phosphorus s
Nitrogen s
"Evidence" s
Robot Part
Poison Supply s
Buffout Supply s
Albino Radstag Blood s
Army Training Graduation Papers s
Serum Z
Beckett's Belongings s
Bobby Pin Box s
Bolton Greens Centerpiece
Bolton Greens Place Settings
Broken Uplink
Cargo s
Claim Token s
Commendation s
Creature Attractant Recipe s
Creature Deterrent Recipe s
Dove Necklace s
Devil's Blood Vial s
Earle's Pocket Watch
Dry Kindling
Damaged Mainframe Core s
Edwin's Diary s
Edwin's Key s
Eugene's Letter
Feral Ghoul Blood Sample s
Graveyard Shovel s
Greens
Growth Enhancer Recipe s
Growth Suppressor Recipe s
Heating Coil s
Inert Bombs s
Irradiated Ore s
Item for Allay s
Lou's Remote Detonator s
Luca's Explosives a
Mainframe Core s
Moist Radkelp s
Mole Rad Blood Sample a
Mr. Fuzzy Token s
Nuka cade token s
Nuka-World Toy Truck
Osmosis Kit s
Portable Power Pack s
Pressure Gauge s
Scanner Upgrade s
Solvent Attractant s
Solvent Deterrent s
Solvent Enhancer s
Solvent Suppressor s
Strange Book s
Toad Eye
Token s
Toxic Barrel
Toxic Sludge
Trench Mask s
Type-T Fuse s
U.S.S.A. Beacon s
U.S.S.A. Crew Dog Tags
Unstable Mixture s
Uplink
Valid Ballot s
Weapon case
Wolf blood sample s
submitted by Present_Ask_9089 to Market76 [link] [comments]
s after the name = displayable item
Irradiated Bonemeal s
Uplink Module s
Flight Recorder s
Module Instructions s
Uniform Voucher s
Fire breather kit ticket s
Potassium s
Phosphorus s
Nitrogen s
"Evidence" s
Robot Part
Poison Supply s
Buffout Supply s
Albino Radstag Blood s
Army Training Graduation Papers s
Serum Z
Beckett's Belongings s
Bobby Pin Box s
Bolton Greens Centerpiece
Bolton Greens Place Settings
Broken Uplink
Cargo s
Claim Token s
Commendation s
Creature Attractant Recipe s
Creature Deterrent Recipe s
Dove Necklace s
Devil's Blood Vial s
Earle's Pocket Watch
Dry Kindling
Damaged Mainframe Core s
Edwin's Diary s
Edwin's Key s
Eugene's Letter
Feral Ghoul Blood Sample s
Graveyard Shovel s
Greens
Growth Enhancer Recipe s
Growth Suppressor Recipe s
Heating Coil s
Inert Bombs s
Irradiated Ore s
Item for Allay s
Lou's Remote Detonator s
Luca's Explosives a
Mainframe Core s
Moist Radkelp s
Mole Rad Blood Sample a
Mr. Fuzzy Token s
Nuka cade token s
Nuka-World Toy Truck
Osmosis Kit s
Portable Power Pack s
Pressure Gauge s
Scanner Upgrade s
Solvent Attractant s
Solvent Deterrent s
Solvent Enhancer s
Solvent Suppressor s
Strange Book s
Toad Eye
Token s
Toxic Barrel
Toxic Sludge
Trench Mask s
Type-T Fuse s
U.S.S.A. Beacon s
U.S.S.A. Crew Dog Tags
Unstable Mixture s
Uplink
Valid Ballot s
Weapon case
Wolf blood sample s
2024.05.19 01:43 nicski924 Bellroy Venture 26L Advice
Hi everyone, I own a Topo Designs 40L Global Travel bag that I use for 1 week or more trips. But I’m in the market for a smaller bag for overnight to 3-5 day trips. I’ve fallen a little in love with the look of the Bellroy Venture Ready 26L and they have the 1st gen on sale in Navy for $155 (2nd gen is $259 and the only difference is a luggage pass through that I won’t use and an AirTag hidden pocket. I found no other discernible differences in structure size or function).
For context, I do tend to overpack a bit (but I’m working on it, lol) and mainly only travel to warm weather places.
A sample of what my current 3-5 day list looks like:
Wear on plane: Patagonia Capilene Cool Daily Tee, Public Rec Flex shorts, Bombas No Show merino socks, Adidas Climacool mesh boxers, Adidas tank undershirt, Ridge Merino Solstice sun hoodie, Kizik Athens, Mission baseball cap.
Need to pack:
2 Patagonia Capilene Cool Daily tees, 2 Public Rec Go To tee, 1 Public Rec Elevate tee, 1 Public Rec Go To polo shirt.
1 Public Rec Flex shorts, 1 Patagonia Stretch Wavefarer shorts, 1 Western Rise Evo shorts, 1 Western Rise Evo 2.0 pants, 1 Arctic Cool mesh shorts. The Flex and Wavefarer shorts double as swimsuits, and the mesh shorts would just be pajama/lounge shorts.
Fairly certain I can get the tops and bottoms in my 11x11 compression packing cube.
5 Adidas Climacool mesh boxer briefs, 3 Adidas tank undershirts, 3 Bombas No Show merino socks, 2 Mission baseball caps. I always wear a hat and these pack rather easily as they’re unstructured. Also, I wear mesh boxers as a liner while swimming in hybrid shorts so I take more than the number of days.
The underwear, socks and hats should all fit in my 11x7.5 compression packing cubes.
So those two cubes stacked on top of one another are 18.5” in height and 11” in width. The Bellroy is 19.6” tall and 13” wide, so should be good there.
Other things I need to fit in the main bucket compartment would be my Olukai Ohana’s (size 11th pack pretty thin), Matador Refraction Packable Sling (2.5x7x2” would probably go in the clamshell slash pocket), and my 10x7x3” hanging toiletry kit (which may fit in the larger mesh pocket on the clamshell).
My iPad Air 11” would go in the laptop pocket in its keyboard case and my Kindle would go in the tablet pocket.
I would use the top outside tech pocket for my 3-in-1 MagSafe charger, AirPod Pro 2’s, 2 USB-C cables, dual plug brick, and my Nitecore 10k battery pack.
The hidden side stash pocket is where my clear liquids bag would go. And then a 21oz Hydroflask in the water bottle pocket.
I would attach my Matador speed stash for my iPhone and sunglasses.
https://bellroy.com/products/venture-ready-pack?color=nightsky&material=baida_ripstop&size=26l
So two questions…do you think this is all possible to fit in the Bellroy and do any of you own one who can give me an actual unpaid for review?
Thanks for any help, advice, opinions or sarcastic comments!
submitted by nicski924 to onebag [link] [comments]
For context, I do tend to overpack a bit (but I’m working on it, lol) and mainly only travel to warm weather places.
A sample of what my current 3-5 day list looks like:
Wear on plane: Patagonia Capilene Cool Daily Tee, Public Rec Flex shorts, Bombas No Show merino socks, Adidas Climacool mesh boxers, Adidas tank undershirt, Ridge Merino Solstice sun hoodie, Kizik Athens, Mission baseball cap.
Need to pack:
2 Patagonia Capilene Cool Daily tees, 2 Public Rec Go To tee, 1 Public Rec Elevate tee, 1 Public Rec Go To polo shirt.
1 Public Rec Flex shorts, 1 Patagonia Stretch Wavefarer shorts, 1 Western Rise Evo shorts, 1 Western Rise Evo 2.0 pants, 1 Arctic Cool mesh shorts. The Flex and Wavefarer shorts double as swimsuits, and the mesh shorts would just be pajama/lounge shorts.
Fairly certain I can get the tops and bottoms in my 11x11 compression packing cube.
5 Adidas Climacool mesh boxer briefs, 3 Adidas tank undershirts, 3 Bombas No Show merino socks, 2 Mission baseball caps. I always wear a hat and these pack rather easily as they’re unstructured. Also, I wear mesh boxers as a liner while swimming in hybrid shorts so I take more than the number of days.
The underwear, socks and hats should all fit in my 11x7.5 compression packing cubes.
So those two cubes stacked on top of one another are 18.5” in height and 11” in width. The Bellroy is 19.6” tall and 13” wide, so should be good there.
Other things I need to fit in the main bucket compartment would be my Olukai Ohana’s (size 11th pack pretty thin), Matador Refraction Packable Sling (2.5x7x2” would probably go in the clamshell slash pocket), and my 10x7x3” hanging toiletry kit (which may fit in the larger mesh pocket on the clamshell).
My iPad Air 11” would go in the laptop pocket in its keyboard case and my Kindle would go in the tablet pocket.
I would use the top outside tech pocket for my 3-in-1 MagSafe charger, AirPod Pro 2’s, 2 USB-C cables, dual plug brick, and my Nitecore 10k battery pack.
The hidden side stash pocket is where my clear liquids bag would go. And then a 21oz Hydroflask in the water bottle pocket.
I would attach my Matador speed stash for my iPhone and sunglasses.
https://bellroy.com/products/venture-ready-pack?color=nightsky&material=baida_ripstop&size=26l
So two questions…do you think this is all possible to fit in the Bellroy and do any of you own one who can give me an actual unpaid for review?
Thanks for any help, advice, opinions or sarcastic comments!
2024.05.18 22:33 tgpomy I guess Nice Guys Finish Last is accurate
I'm going to try my best to make this story concise. But I'm looking for an unbiased opinion on my relationship/breakup since I have no one else to vent to. My friend group is generally the type of guys who would disregard any sort of feeling ("just get over it, dude") and I don't even want to bring my family into it. So here goes:
About 8 months ago I began a relationship with a girl I met online. We hit it off immediately on our first date, it was a feeling/spark I've never had before. We quickly went on dozens of unique dates - a baseball game, farmers markets, arcades, nice dinners, movie nights at my house, gym dates. Everything was going amazing - our personalities blended perfectly, we had zero fights, arguments, or disagreements. Intimacy and passion were there. It felt too good to be true. After a few months she was saying things like how lucky she was to have met me and how much of a gentleman/kind person I was. She told me about her past experiences with exes that mistreated her, cheated on her, etc and the baggage that came along with it. So naturally I went above & beyond to make her feel loved, validated, worthy. Shortly into the new year, she texts me out of the blue that my sometimes-slow text responses (I travel for work & she obviously knew that) triggered her & she needs to take time away. We met in person, she broke it off & told me she needs time to heal from her insecurities. I was devasted but understanding. I told her I loved her and will be open to her again when she is ready. In the meantime she blocked me & fully deleted her Instagram, even though I respected her space.
In March she reached out again. We quickly picked up where we left off and she told me about all the healing & personal improvement she'd done in the time apart. After a few friendly but intimate meet-ups I spilled my heart out to her & told her my intent of trying a relationship again but this time, stronger. I would do my absolute best to communicate with her frequently and help ease any fears/insecurities she had. She seemed thrilled with my newfound openness, we had talks about fate/God bringing us together again & she said "absolutely yes, but all I ask is that we take things slow so I don't get triggered again." The past 7-8 weeks were amazing, our relationship seemed stronger than before. We were texting frequently, FaceTiming almost daily, and seeing each other 2-3 times per week when our schedules aligned. We were talking about the future again (our family goals, etc.) & all of the dates we had lined up. She had me sign up at her local gym so we could be consistent workout partners. We went out with her best friend so she could introduce us. We planned double dates with our coworkers. A few Fridays ago, we both took off work & spent the entire day together, from 7am to midnight. I gifted her baseball attire as a callback to the first baseball game I took her to, and she was so excited. It was amazing - I saw my future in front of me and I had zero concerns. It felt like one of the greatest days of my life.
The next day, she was "out with friends" but would text me as soon as she was home so we could FaceTime. Instead, I got several calls from a random number. When I finally answered, it was another man telling me that he was her boyfriend. I hung up & broke down. I called her number that night and the morning after and got nothing. She finally called me at night and told me what I can only assume are lies about their relationship. That they were never in a relationship and she never cheated on me when we were together, but they were seeing each other intermittently. She also said she feels that I deserve someone better than her. Somehow I kept my composure but I was so disgusted at how someone could spend the entire day prior with you, tell you how much they love you, and be a liar the whole time without remorse.
The next day I wrote a letter telling her how hurtful it was, but that in spite of everything I loved her & forgive her and hoped we could reconnect after things settled down, and dropped it off at her work. A week later, she texted me that it was "inappropriate to visit her work during what was implied to be no-contact and make her feel vulnerable. She's trying with her "ex" & doesn't want to involve me any more than she has." She immediately blocked me afterwards (despite me not saying anything to her) & I have no way of contacting her again now that her social media is gone. It's been weeks and I'm still just as confused and devastated. I'm blaming myself for things out of my control and left wondering what I could have done differently. My heart wants her back but at the same time my brain knows there's nothing I can do, nor should do to prove myself further. All I'm left with are amazing memories, an abrupt end, and a membership to her gym that I pretty much can't use anymore.
If you made it this far, thank you for listening. It really did help just to get things off my chest.
submitted by tgpomy to BreakUps [link] [comments]
About 8 months ago I began a relationship with a girl I met online. We hit it off immediately on our first date, it was a feeling/spark I've never had before. We quickly went on dozens of unique dates - a baseball game, farmers markets, arcades, nice dinners, movie nights at my house, gym dates. Everything was going amazing - our personalities blended perfectly, we had zero fights, arguments, or disagreements. Intimacy and passion were there. It felt too good to be true. After a few months she was saying things like how lucky she was to have met me and how much of a gentleman/kind person I was. She told me about her past experiences with exes that mistreated her, cheated on her, etc and the baggage that came along with it. So naturally I went above & beyond to make her feel loved, validated, worthy. Shortly into the new year, she texts me out of the blue that my sometimes-slow text responses (I travel for work & she obviously knew that) triggered her & she needs to take time away. We met in person, she broke it off & told me she needs time to heal from her insecurities. I was devasted but understanding. I told her I loved her and will be open to her again when she is ready. In the meantime she blocked me & fully deleted her Instagram, even though I respected her space.
In March she reached out again. We quickly picked up where we left off and she told me about all the healing & personal improvement she'd done in the time apart. After a few friendly but intimate meet-ups I spilled my heart out to her & told her my intent of trying a relationship again but this time, stronger. I would do my absolute best to communicate with her frequently and help ease any fears/insecurities she had. She seemed thrilled with my newfound openness, we had talks about fate/God bringing us together again & she said "absolutely yes, but all I ask is that we take things slow so I don't get triggered again." The past 7-8 weeks were amazing, our relationship seemed stronger than before. We were texting frequently, FaceTiming almost daily, and seeing each other 2-3 times per week when our schedules aligned. We were talking about the future again (our family goals, etc.) & all of the dates we had lined up. She had me sign up at her local gym so we could be consistent workout partners. We went out with her best friend so she could introduce us. We planned double dates with our coworkers. A few Fridays ago, we both took off work & spent the entire day together, from 7am to midnight. I gifted her baseball attire as a callback to the first baseball game I took her to, and she was so excited. It was amazing - I saw my future in front of me and I had zero concerns. It felt like one of the greatest days of my life.
The next day, she was "out with friends" but would text me as soon as she was home so we could FaceTime. Instead, I got several calls from a random number. When I finally answered, it was another man telling me that he was her boyfriend. I hung up & broke down. I called her number that night and the morning after and got nothing. She finally called me at night and told me what I can only assume are lies about their relationship. That they were never in a relationship and she never cheated on me when we were together, but they were seeing each other intermittently. She also said she feels that I deserve someone better than her. Somehow I kept my composure but I was so disgusted at how someone could spend the entire day prior with you, tell you how much they love you, and be a liar the whole time without remorse.
The next day I wrote a letter telling her how hurtful it was, but that in spite of everything I loved her & forgive her and hoped we could reconnect after things settled down, and dropped it off at her work. A week later, she texted me that it was "inappropriate to visit her work during what was implied to be no-contact and make her feel vulnerable. She's trying with her "ex" & doesn't want to involve me any more than she has." She immediately blocked me afterwards (despite me not saying anything to her) & I have no way of contacting her again now that her social media is gone. It's been weeks and I'm still just as confused and devastated. I'm blaming myself for things out of my control and left wondering what I could have done differently. My heart wants her back but at the same time my brain knows there's nothing I can do, nor should do to prove myself further. All I'm left with are amazing memories, an abrupt end, and a membership to her gym that I pretty much can't use anymore.
If you made it this far, thank you for listening. It really did help just to get things off my chest.
2024.05.18 21:58 Kent89052 Whats the name of this 1950s movie about a con man who tricked people into thinking he knew the outcome of future baseball games.
In the movie the con man sends 100 letters predicting the winner of an up coming baseball game. 50 said one team won, 50 said the other. After the game was over, he sent out letters to the 50 who had gotten the correct prediction. Predicting the next upcoming game. Again Half said one team Half said the other. After this game was over, he had 25 people who had gotten a correct prediction for 2 games. He continued the process until he had 6 people who got 4 predictions correct. He then asked these people for money for further predictions
submitted by Kent89052 to movies [link] [comments]
2024.05.18 20:52 constellation-hours [M4M] a dark academic and a herbalist flirt via snail mail
STARTER (anything here can be tweaked to suit your character!)
In the sanctuary of your office, bathed in the soft glow of morning light, a mound of correspondence patiently awaits your perusal. The sea of mundane white envelopes is nothing out of the ordinary, but an emerald letter in golden script somewhere in there catches your eye. The return address bears the seal of the Royal Apothecary, an institution unknown to you, situated in the remote town of Jabuticaba—a name you have only ever encountered on maps, and it is addressed to you directly, a professor and researcher who has been working at the University of Mykon for over twenty years. With a measured hand, you unfurl the envelope.
Sir—
I write to convey a matter of grave concern, one that has regrettably eluded your attention since the publication of your dissertation entitled “the potential of elemental alchemy in mineral extraction” back in January. I am sincerely outstanded that a shadow hasn’t been cast upon your career and standing. I am therefore led to believe the academic standards of University of Mykon have gone down in the past thirty years since I last was an overseas student. In an ideal world, I would trust that, following your resignation, the vacant post would swiftly be filled by a learned and forward-thinking scholar, one who actually champions the cause of progressive sciences, thus illuminating the path for the minds of tomorrow. Yet, I am all too aware of the political machinations that often dictate the course of academia, where adherence to antiquated principles of elemental alchemy prevails within the hallowed halls of your establishment.
The oversight in question is no trifling matter. In your report, you assert that our continent lacks the requisite climatic and soil conditions for the growth of hyperaccumulative plants such as mimilus pangiens and mormine baratensis, therefore making it impossible to perform phytomining to extract metals from the soil. You advocate instead for the practice of elemental alchemy to obtain these vital compounds, a notion that I find preposterous. I write to you now surrounded by these very plants you claim are impossible to grow without the rarest of conditions, flourishing in abundance no more than 300 leagues from where you teach. The former blooms resplendent with its crimson tears and cadmium skirt, while the latter, though in nascent stages, has expanded its network of roots significantly. You may wonder at my methods, but I assure you, the truth lies within the realm of possibility.
That during your entire research process you ended up overlooking the vast network of exceptional herbalists active and thriving in all corners of our rich civilization is tragedy. That this omission also went unnoticed amidst the rigors of peer review is comedy.
I assure you, under different circumstances, I would not concern myself with the written ramblings of amateurs, fictionists, or charlatans who roam the corridors of your institution. It is not my duty to lead the willful pighead towards enlightenment, nor do I relish the prospect of engaging in fruitless endeavors. However, fate has intervened in the form of a promising protegee of mine, who, through diligent scholarship, earned a prestigious placement at your university. Imagine my astonishment upon her return, then, bearing your treatise, which to my dismay is now part of the national syllabus.
It is not with much of a heavy heart that I contemplate the necessity of addressing the errors that have crept into your research on phytomining. Were it not for the endearing praise and admiration bestowed upon you by my impressionable yet brilliant protegee, whose judgment I trust despite the fable quality of the tales she shares of your teachings, I would be compelled to raise my quill in defiance and expose these discrepancies to the discerning eyes of the intellectual community. Let this instead be a fair warning to do your due diligence and rectify the shortcomings of your life’s works.
With concern and scruple,
N.H. Al-Tamimi
RULES
* Be +21
* Discord
* Send a sample
* Third or first person, past or present tense
If you wish, instead of an alchemist, your character can be a demonologist, an exorcist, a mage, a witch... And his field of research can be anything else you would prefer, as long as it's in the realm of fantasy and/or science fiction!
This story starts off as an exchange of letters. Other than the occasional anatomical etching, botanical watercolor or daguerreotype (not of each other, of course! That would be frivolous. Unless…), there will be no actions, no dialogue, no inner monologue, only what our characters are willing to write on the pages of their letters to each other.
But who knows! They might eventuallymuster the courage find a reasonable justification related to timeliness and confidentiality for talking on the phone, and eventually, finally, one just might go looking for the other in person.
submitted by constellation-hours to Roleplay [link] [comments]
In the sanctuary of your office, bathed in the soft glow of morning light, a mound of correspondence patiently awaits your perusal. The sea of mundane white envelopes is nothing out of the ordinary, but an emerald letter in golden script somewhere in there catches your eye. The return address bears the seal of the Royal Apothecary, an institution unknown to you, situated in the remote town of Jabuticaba—a name you have only ever encountered on maps, and it is addressed to you directly, a professor and researcher who has been working at the University of Mykon for over twenty years. With a measured hand, you unfurl the envelope.
Sir—
I write to convey a matter of grave concern, one that has regrettably eluded your attention since the publication of your dissertation entitled “the potential of elemental alchemy in mineral extraction” back in January. I am sincerely outstanded that a shadow hasn’t been cast upon your career and standing. I am therefore led to believe the academic standards of University of Mykon have gone down in the past thirty years since I last was an overseas student. In an ideal world, I would trust that, following your resignation, the vacant post would swiftly be filled by a learned and forward-thinking scholar, one who actually champions the cause of progressive sciences, thus illuminating the path for the minds of tomorrow. Yet, I am all too aware of the political machinations that often dictate the course of academia, where adherence to antiquated principles of elemental alchemy prevails within the hallowed halls of your establishment.
The oversight in question is no trifling matter. In your report, you assert that our continent lacks the requisite climatic and soil conditions for the growth of hyperaccumulative plants such as mimilus pangiens and mormine baratensis, therefore making it impossible to perform phytomining to extract metals from the soil. You advocate instead for the practice of elemental alchemy to obtain these vital compounds, a notion that I find preposterous. I write to you now surrounded by these very plants you claim are impossible to grow without the rarest of conditions, flourishing in abundance no more than 300 leagues from where you teach. The former blooms resplendent with its crimson tears and cadmium skirt, while the latter, though in nascent stages, has expanded its network of roots significantly. You may wonder at my methods, but I assure you, the truth lies within the realm of possibility.
That during your entire research process you ended up overlooking the vast network of exceptional herbalists active and thriving in all corners of our rich civilization is tragedy. That this omission also went unnoticed amidst the rigors of peer review is comedy.
I assure you, under different circumstances, I would not concern myself with the written ramblings of amateurs, fictionists, or charlatans who roam the corridors of your institution. It is not my duty to lead the willful pighead towards enlightenment, nor do I relish the prospect of engaging in fruitless endeavors. However, fate has intervened in the form of a promising protegee of mine, who, through diligent scholarship, earned a prestigious placement at your university. Imagine my astonishment upon her return, then, bearing your treatise, which to my dismay is now part of the national syllabus.
It is not with much of a heavy heart that I contemplate the necessity of addressing the errors that have crept into your research on phytomining. Were it not for the endearing praise and admiration bestowed upon you by my impressionable yet brilliant protegee, whose judgment I trust despite the fable quality of the tales she shares of your teachings, I would be compelled to raise my quill in defiance and expose these discrepancies to the discerning eyes of the intellectual community. Let this instead be a fair warning to do your due diligence and rectify the shortcomings of your life’s works.
With concern and scruple,
N.H. Al-Tamimi
RULES
* Be +21
* Discord
* Send a sample
* Third or first person, past or present tense
If you wish, instead of an alchemist, your character can be a demonologist, an exorcist, a mage, a witch... And his field of research can be anything else you would prefer, as long as it's in the realm of fantasy and/or science fiction!
This story starts off as an exchange of letters. Other than the occasional anatomical etching, botanical watercolor or daguerreotype (not of each other, of course! That would be frivolous. Unless…), there will be no actions, no dialogue, no inner monologue, only what our characters are willing to write on the pages of their letters to each other.
But who knows! They might eventually
2024.05.18 20:49 constellation-hours [M4M] a dark academic and a herbalist flirt via snail mail
STARTER (anything here can be tweaked to suit your character!)
In the sanctuary of your office, bathed in the soft glow of morning light, a mound of correspondence patiently awaits your perusal. The sea of mundane white envelopes is nothing out of the ordinary, but an emerald letter in golden script somewhere in there catches your eye. The return address bears the seal of the Royal Apothecary, an institution unknown to you, situated in the remote town of Jabuticaba—a name you have only ever encountered on maps, and it is addressed to you directly, a professor and researcher who has been working at the University of Mykon for over twenty years. With a measured hand, you unfurl the envelope.
Sir—
I write to convey a matter of grave concern, one that has regrettably eluded your attention since the publication of your dissertation entitled “the potential of elemental alchemy in mineral extraction” back in January. I am sincerely outstanded that a shadow hasn’t been cast upon your career and standing. I am therefore led to believe the academic standards of University of Mykon have gone down in the past thirty years since I last was an overseas student. In an ideal world, I would trust that, following your resignation, the vacant post would swiftly be filled by a learned and forward-thinking scholar, one who actually champions the cause of progressive sciences, thus illuminating the path for the minds of tomorrow. Yet, I am all too aware of the political machinations that often dictate the course of academia, where adherence to antiquated principles of elemental alchemy prevails within the hallowed halls of your establishment.
The oversight in question is no trifling matter. In your report, you assert that our continent lacks the requisite climatic and soil conditions for the growth of hyperaccumulative plants such as mimilus pangiens and mormine baratensis, therefore making it impossible to perform phytomining to extract metals from the soil. You advocate instead for the practice of elemental alchemy to obtain these vital compounds, a notion that I find preposterous. I write to you now surrounded by these very plants you claim are impossible to grow without the rarest of conditions, flourishing in abundance no more than 300 leagues from where you teach. The former blooms resplendent with its crimson tears and cadmium skirt, while the latter, though in nascent stages, has expanded its network of roots significantly. You may wonder at my methods, but I assure you, the truth lies within the realm of possibility.
That during your entire research process you ended up overlooking the vast network of exceptional herbalists active and thriving in all corners of our rich civilization is tragedy. That this omission also went unnoticed amidst the rigors of peer review is comedy.
I assure you, under different circumstances, I would not concern myself with the written ramblings of amateurs, fictionists, or charlatans who roam the corridors of your institution. It is not my duty to lead the willful pighead towards enlightenment, nor do I relish the prospect of engaging in fruitless endeavors. However, fate has intervened in the form of a promising protegee of mine, who, through diligent scholarship, earned a prestigious placement at your university. Imagine my astonishment upon her return, then, bearing your treatise, which to my dismay is now part of the national syllabus.
It is not with much of a heavy heart that I contemplate the necessity of addressing the errors that have crept into your research on phytomining. Were it not for the endearing praise and admiration bestowed upon you by my impressionable yet brilliant protegee, whose judgment I trust despite the fable quality of the tales she shares of your teachings, I would be compelled to raise my quill in defiance and expose these discrepancies to the discerning eyes of the intellectual community. Let this instead be a fair warning to do your due diligence and rectify the shortcomings of your life’s works.
With concern and scruple,
N.H. Al-Tamimi
RULES
* Be +21
* Discord
* Send a sample
* Third or first person, past or present tense
If you wish, instead of an alchemist, your character can be a demonologist, an exorcist, a mage, a witch... And his field of research can be anything else you would prefer, as long as it's in the realm of fantasy and/or science fiction!
This story starts off as an exchange of letters. Other than the occasional anatomical etching, botanical watercolor or daguerreotype (not of each other, of course! That would be frivolous. Unless…), there will be no actions, no dialogue, no inner monologue, only what our characters are willing to write on the pages of their letters to each other.
But who knows! They might eventuallymuster the courage find a reasonable justification related to timeliness and confidentiality for talking on the phone, and eventually, finally, one just might go looking for the other in person.
submitted by constellation-hours to RoleplayPartnerSearch [link] [comments]
In the sanctuary of your office, bathed in the soft glow of morning light, a mound of correspondence patiently awaits your perusal. The sea of mundane white envelopes is nothing out of the ordinary, but an emerald letter in golden script somewhere in there catches your eye. The return address bears the seal of the Royal Apothecary, an institution unknown to you, situated in the remote town of Jabuticaba—a name you have only ever encountered on maps, and it is addressed to you directly, a professor and researcher who has been working at the University of Mykon for over twenty years. With a measured hand, you unfurl the envelope.
Sir—
I write to convey a matter of grave concern, one that has regrettably eluded your attention since the publication of your dissertation entitled “the potential of elemental alchemy in mineral extraction” back in January. I am sincerely outstanded that a shadow hasn’t been cast upon your career and standing. I am therefore led to believe the academic standards of University of Mykon have gone down in the past thirty years since I last was an overseas student. In an ideal world, I would trust that, following your resignation, the vacant post would swiftly be filled by a learned and forward-thinking scholar, one who actually champions the cause of progressive sciences, thus illuminating the path for the minds of tomorrow. Yet, I am all too aware of the political machinations that often dictate the course of academia, where adherence to antiquated principles of elemental alchemy prevails within the hallowed halls of your establishment.
The oversight in question is no trifling matter. In your report, you assert that our continent lacks the requisite climatic and soil conditions for the growth of hyperaccumulative plants such as mimilus pangiens and mormine baratensis, therefore making it impossible to perform phytomining to extract metals from the soil. You advocate instead for the practice of elemental alchemy to obtain these vital compounds, a notion that I find preposterous. I write to you now surrounded by these very plants you claim are impossible to grow without the rarest of conditions, flourishing in abundance no more than 300 leagues from where you teach. The former blooms resplendent with its crimson tears and cadmium skirt, while the latter, though in nascent stages, has expanded its network of roots significantly. You may wonder at my methods, but I assure you, the truth lies within the realm of possibility.
That during your entire research process you ended up overlooking the vast network of exceptional herbalists active and thriving in all corners of our rich civilization is tragedy. That this omission also went unnoticed amidst the rigors of peer review is comedy.
I assure you, under different circumstances, I would not concern myself with the written ramblings of amateurs, fictionists, or charlatans who roam the corridors of your institution. It is not my duty to lead the willful pighead towards enlightenment, nor do I relish the prospect of engaging in fruitless endeavors. However, fate has intervened in the form of a promising protegee of mine, who, through diligent scholarship, earned a prestigious placement at your university. Imagine my astonishment upon her return, then, bearing your treatise, which to my dismay is now part of the national syllabus.
It is not with much of a heavy heart that I contemplate the necessity of addressing the errors that have crept into your research on phytomining. Were it not for the endearing praise and admiration bestowed upon you by my impressionable yet brilliant protegee, whose judgment I trust despite the fable quality of the tales she shares of your teachings, I would be compelled to raise my quill in defiance and expose these discrepancies to the discerning eyes of the intellectual community. Let this instead be a fair warning to do your due diligence and rectify the shortcomings of your life’s works.
With concern and scruple,
N.H. Al-Tamimi
RULES
* Be +21
* Discord
* Send a sample
* Third or first person, past or present tense
If you wish, instead of an alchemist, your character can be a demonologist, an exorcist, a mage, a witch... And his field of research can be anything else you would prefer, as long as it's in the realm of fantasy and/or science fiction!
This story starts off as an exchange of letters. Other than the occasional anatomical etching, botanical watercolor or daguerreotype (not of each other, of course! That would be frivolous. Unless…), there will be no actions, no dialogue, no inner monologue, only what our characters are willing to write on the pages of their letters to each other.
But who knows! They might eventually
2024.05.18 20:13 nymanashteggranlemtg OET Writing Test: Paid Service for Evaluation of Writing skills
I have my OET examination in 10 days. I am a native English speaker however I studied medicine in a different language and have been working for the last 10 plus years in my second language. I have never worked in a hospital environment in English. I am particularly worried about the English writing part of the OET. Is there a reputable service where I can send a sample of a referral letter to be honestly graded to see if I am ready for the OET test? I did the OET Pulse test and I passed easily however I felt like its format doesn't evaluate writing in a way that is similar to the real OET test. Any suggestion would be helpful. Thanks.
submitted by nymanashteggranlemtg to IMGreddit [link] [comments]
2024.05.18 19:11 SandAnthz122 Estimation Confusion (Q4(b))
This chapter is about Sampling and Estimation
I listed out what I can see from this question, the population mean, population standard deviation, sampling mean and sampling error, but for the other half of this question (the multiple means from choosing 40 samples each day) stumps me a ton
I assume you have to find a confidence interval but they do not give you the percentage of confidence, what do I do here?
Fyi I asked this in a math discord server, waited 8 hours yet no response has came out, sorry if I act a bit cranky here sometimes because of that
(And lastly, for rule breaking sake (look at picture 3 and 4), the question comes from this textbook I bought about college (Pre-Uni) level maths (3rd semester), and I have not gotten my results for my finals yet aswell)
submitted by SandAnthz122 to askmath [link] [comments]
I listed out what I can see from this question, the population mean, population standard deviation, sampling mean and sampling error, but for the other half of this question (the multiple means from choosing 40 samples each day) stumps me a ton
I assume you have to find a confidence interval but they do not give you the percentage of confidence, what do I do here?
Fyi I asked this in a math discord server, waited 8 hours yet no response has came out, sorry if I act a bit cranky here sometimes because of that
(And lastly, for rule breaking sake (look at picture 3 and 4), the question comes from this textbook I bought about college (Pre-Uni) level maths (3rd semester), and I have not gotten my results for my finals yet aswell)
2024.05.18 17:58 Broad_Dentist1190 Please read:Biometrics not submitted in 30 days-Conflicting information in Gc key portal
Hi All,
I am applying for Canadian PR via Family sponsorship and I do have a active Canadian Visa .I got my biometrics done last year.From reading comments and online it seemed like I needed to give biometrics.
However my biometrics letter read this Note: You only need to pay biometric fees at this time. When your application is processed, you will receive further instructions on when and how to give your biometrics. For more information on biometrics, please visit the IRCC website at https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/campaigns/biometrics/facts.html
Hence I had not given biometrics.I did pay fees within 30 days as required.On Gckey portal my biometrics section also shows
1) How can I contact IRCC from USA in phone?
2) By how many days are we supposed to send the biometrics?
3) How do we request extention?
4) By reading above information,should I have given biometrics already or they would request and send me email to schedule?
Thanks a lot!
submitted by Broad_Dentist1190 to ImmigrationCanada [link] [comments]
I am applying for Canadian PR via Family sponsorship and I do have a active Canadian Visa .I got my biometrics done last year.From reading comments and online it seemed like I needed to give biometrics.
However my biometrics letter read this Note: You only need to pay biometric fees at this time. When your application is processed, you will receive further instructions on when and how to give your biometrics. For more information on biometrics, please visit the IRCC website at https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/campaigns/biometrics/facts.html
Hence I had not given biometrics.I did pay fees within 30 days as required.On Gckey portal my biometrics section also shows
- We do not need your fingerprints. We will send you a message if this changes.
1) How can I contact IRCC from USA in phone?
2) By how many days are we supposed to send the biometrics?
3) How do we request extention?
4) By reading above information,should I have given biometrics already or they would request and send me email to schedule?
Thanks a lot!
2024.05.18 15:57 Furebel Research into various manifestations' Pigmental Assessment for Neutral Tonal Selection and Usage
 | Director Tau, I used some of my spare time to conduct a very important research into chromatic choices of manifestations's attire preferences, and here are the results of my research. submitted by Furebel to SnowbreakOfficial [link] [comments] Research into chromatic tilt across all manifestations' General shape preferences I also listed here personalized data of each manifestation:
|
2024.05.18 15:46 femchemeng1999 Why is it so difficult to reapply for a blue badge?
My grandad requires a blue badge, and I've just had to spend an hour of my life reapplying, after having a healthcare professional write a letter to support the claim.
Surely reapplying for a blue badge should be as simple as has the patient recovered? Is this still required? With a sample being audited every year. Not the hoop jumping that this is.
For amputees do they expect the limb to grow back? For patients with dementia do they expect this to magically go away? The stupidity of North Tyneside Council never ceases to amaze.
submitted by femchemeng1999 to northtyneside [link] [comments]
Surely reapplying for a blue badge should be as simple as has the patient recovered? Is this still required? With a sample being audited every year. Not the hoop jumping that this is.
For amputees do they expect the limb to grow back? For patients with dementia do they expect this to magically go away? The stupidity of North Tyneside Council never ceases to amaze.
2024.05.18 15:45 femchemeng1999 Why is it so difficult to reapply for a blue badge.
My grandad requires a blue badge, and I've just had to spend an hour of my life reapplying, after having a healthcare professional write a letter to support the claim.
Surely reapplying for a blue badge should be as simple as has the patient recovered? Is this still required? With a sample being audited every year. Not the hoop jumping that this is.
For amputees do they expect the limb to grow back? For patients with dementia do they expect this to magically go away? The stupidity of North Tyneside Council never ceases to amaze.
submitted by femchemeng1999 to NewcastleUponTyne [link] [comments]
Surely reapplying for a blue badge should be as simple as has the patient recovered? Is this still required? With a sample being audited every year. Not the hoop jumping that this is.
For amputees do they expect the limb to grow back? For patients with dementia do they expect this to magically go away? The stupidity of North Tyneside Council never ceases to amaze.
2024.05.18 14:23 LionFree8182 Deloitte Immigration Support Service
I would like to ask how Deloitte UK support in filling Skilled worker visa form. Do they by their own or provide sponsorship letter and provide support in filling the form. I got job offer in a bank and they have toold me that deloitte will take care of my sponsorship.
What document and forms deloitte ask me to fill to give me CoS and apply for a visa on behalf of the company.
submitted by LionFree8182 to deloitte [link] [comments]
What document and forms deloitte ask me to fill to give me CoS and apply for a visa on behalf of the company.
2024.05.18 14:16 Inside_Reality_5979 How can a man age 100% slower than 30–40-year-old males and 99% of 20-year-old males?
A lot of people want to look younger in their 40s and 50s. They even want to spend thousands of dollars on cosmetics and treatments to look younger than their age.
Most people start worrying about their aging when they hit their 40s or 50s. The ideal time to start thinking about aging and health is early 20s. It’s the time when people should start incorporating healthy habits into their daily routines.
He sleeps for 8 hours a day and any act that speeds up the process of aging like sleeping less than eight hours, eating a cookie or any processed food is considered an act of violence.
Bryan mostly wakes up at 4;50 am. His bedroom has no books, no towels, no mobile phone or electric device, no clothes, no chair, and no mirror. There is only one bed for sleeping a laser face shield to boost his collagen growth and a device that he wears on his penis to monitor nighttime erections.
Bryan, who is 46 years old, claims to have 2 hours and 18 minutes of erection each night while an average 18-year-old has 3 hours of erection per night.
When he wakes up he measures his body weight to calculate his body fat, hydration level, and body mass index. He is in the 1% of ideal muscle fat. He has a light therapy lamp to mimic sunlight which he turns on in the morning for 2 to 3 minutes to reset his circadian rhythm. He takes 2 pills of ferritin for iron along with vitamin C.
He has organized his blueprint supplement regime from left to right on his kitchen counter. He sips dark green sludge in the morning and takes more pills in between those sips. He has a home gym in which he spends an hour a day, seven days a week. In his meals, he eats steamed vegetables and lentils blended.
submitted by Inside_Reality_5979 to healthycouch [link] [comments]
Well, the answer is no
Basics
Let’s talk about the basics first. The issue here shouldn’t be how to look young or increase longevity but the main point is when to ??Most people start worrying about their aging when they hit their 40s or 50s. The ideal time to start thinking about aging and health is early 20s. It’s the time when people should start incorporating healthy habits into their daily routines.
Bryan Johnson, who is researching longevity, has his final meal before 11 am.
Bryan Johnson
Johnson has spent nearly $4M on his mission called Blueprint. He has a team of 30 doctors monitoring his daily progress. He eats more than 111 pills a day and collects his daily stool samples for monitoring. Bryan also wears a baseball cap that shoots red light on his scalp. He eats 1500 calories a day. Bryan prefers to take all these 15oo calories at one time of the day. Even if he gets invited to dinners he fills his plate with food but doesn’t touch anything at all. He also monitors his nighttime erections by wearing a tiny jet pack attached to his penis.
He sleeps for 8 hours a day and any act that speeds up the process of aging like sleeping less than eight hours, eating a cookie or any processed food is considered an act of violence.
What is it like to be Bryan Johnson???
Well, Let’s talk about something about his day-to-day life.Bryan mostly wakes up at 4;50 am. His bedroom has no books, no towels, no mobile phone or electric device, no clothes, no chair, and no mirror. There is only one bed for sleeping a laser face shield to boost his collagen growth and a device that he wears on his penis to monitor nighttime erections.
Bryan, who is 46 years old, claims to have 2 hours and 18 minutes of erection each night while an average 18-year-old has 3 hours of erection per night.
When he wakes up he measures his body weight to calculate his body fat, hydration level, and body mass index. He is in the 1% of ideal muscle fat. He has a light therapy lamp to mimic sunlight which he turns on in the morning for 2 to 3 minutes to reset his circadian rhythm. He takes 2 pills of ferritin for iron along with vitamin C.
He has organized his blueprint supplement regime from left to right on his kitchen counter. He sips dark green sludge in the morning and takes more pills in between those sips. He has a home gym in which he spends an hour a day, seven days a week. In his meals, he eats steamed vegetables and lentils blended.
Some doctors showed serious concerns regarding more than 100 pills a day. They said that taking too many pills at a time can have a cumulative effect on the body and also there is no proof that just because they worked on Bryan's body doesn’t mean that it will work on your body too.
2024.05.18 13:29 Anemicgirl7 Feeling upset after being “fired” from an internship I was just hired at.
It’s been such a long process finding an internship in this tough market. I finally found a really good sales and management position (my major is management), they paid well, the company environment was great and I signed my employment contract and other documents too. When it came to using Everify for my documents, I brought my SSN, License, I-94, Passport, and I-20. For some reason they weren’t going through.
My manager told me to go home and that he’ll see me next week (anticipated start date). Unfortunately while I was driving home, he called me and said they won’t be able to hire me as I require CPT sponsorship.
He wrote me an offer letter and said it shouldn’t be a problem but when Everify wasn’t working, he called corporate and they said they don’t have the “license” for hiring me. I’ve never heard of companies needing a license but I didn’t question it.
I’m just upset because this was an amazing position with job opportunities for after graduation.
Lesson: make sure the hiring managers are 100% sure they can work with OPT/CPT
submitted by Anemicgirl7 to f1visa [link] [comments]
My manager told me to go home and that he’ll see me next week (anticipated start date). Unfortunately while I was driving home, he called me and said they won’t be able to hire me as I require CPT sponsorship.
He wrote me an offer letter and said it shouldn’t be a problem but when Everify wasn’t working, he called corporate and they said they don’t have the “license” for hiring me. I’ve never heard of companies needing a license but I didn’t question it.
I’m just upset because this was an amazing position with job opportunities for after graduation.
Lesson: make sure the hiring managers are 100% sure they can work with OPT/CPT
2024.05.18 06:52 Thick-Town6602 Ex wife circles back 5 years later.
So some back story. Ill try to keep it short but there's no way. I just need to vent.
About 5 years ago my wife of 25 years decided she wasn't in love with me any longer. I signed us up for couples therapy and she bailed after 3 sessions. Her reason was it was up to me to make her fall in love with me again. Over the next year it was decided that we were going to divorce. She also comes up with the an agreement where we sell the house after the last 3 kids graduate high school. The agreement is pretty one sided to her favor. She wants to have the house appraised at the time of divorce and I get 50 percent of its value at that point in time. Not when it sells which is a few years later. A few things about the house. Its in a very nice suburb for Seattle. I found it the late 90s for 75K. We bought it and a few years later we had our first child and she decided to be a stay at home mom. I was good with it. Over the next 5 or 6 years we had our other 3 kids and life was good. I worked full time and over that time I fixed up the house on my own. It was originally 750 SF so as the family grew I added on as we needed the extra room for the kids and eventually built the standalone garage. And I did all the work myself. She was a stay at home mom. It went this way as the kids got older. When to 2 youngest were in 7th grade I started pushing for her to get a job or maybe go to back to college or take some classes in some interests that she might develop into a career that she would enjoy. Nothing ever came of that but she did get a few jobs were she worked part time and made minimum wage. I kept the bills paid and provided a nice stable home and life for our family. I even started assistant coaching football and baseball for the kids teams so I could spend after work time with them. During that time she was a great partner, wife and mom. Life was good.
Then, as you know, the SHTF. We start the process of separating. I eventually converted our standalone garage to an apartment to live in as we worked stuff out and I also didn't want to live apart from our 4 kids (15,15, 17 and 20 ) at the time. It gets pretty awkward over time. She wants us to split time in the garage apartment every 30 days where we switch. During that time we had decided to divorce so it was official. So by now its more than a year and a half later. I've moved on and actually started seeing someone and she's getting love letters in the mail from someone. I didn't care if she was seeing anyone but the letters delivered to the house where the kids could see them. That was rough. We start negotiating the divorce and she initially wants alimony for life. In Washington state it's generally 1 year of alimony for every 5 years you're married and she wasn't happy with that but oh well. We do a mediated divorce and I agree to pay 5 years of alimony which mounts to about 125K (2K a month) for her. Also, If you don't know, she gets that money free, and I have to pay the taxes on it. Yet another crappy thing that Im bitter about. And up to that point Im paying for everything, the mortgage, utilities, food ect just like we are one happy family. So after her 2k she gets from me our finances are calculated and we are suppose to be both making the same. She's a bit over with her part time job pay so she's suppose to pay me $200 a month. She doesnt think its fair so anyone want to guess how many months she actually pays that $200 to me. Im sure you know the answer (its 0 BTW)
The divorce is finalized and I moved out. Over the course for the divorce I meet someone and we hit it off. We actually have been living together for 4 years now. Her guy moves into the house I found, fixed up and paid for for 25 years. One of the kids lived with me for a year because of covid and the other kids decide to stay in the house. Not because of the relation with me but I moved about 45 minutes away and they have their friends there and are working closer to their childhood home. Me and the kids have a great relationship.
Any how. over the last 2 years of our last 2 in high school all I got from her is I need more money for the kids. Keep in mind Im Im giving her alimony and monthly money for the kids as well. When they turned 18 I told her that I was going to give the kids money directly to them and not through her. She in turn started charging the kids rent and remember the apartment I built. She charged our oldest son 700 a month to live there while he was still in college barely scraping by. I've also bought every one of my kids cars paid for health car and car insurance as well. It was a rough time for me.
So eventually she offered to buy the house outright. She offered me 60K. I literally laughed at her. I countered with 125K and no more alimony. Which represented a 25% decrease because I was cashing her alimony in a lump sum. She stated that she deserved every bit of the alimony. Tons of back and forth and at this point i'm sick of it and dealing with her and accept 100k just to be done with her. So now, I have nothing to show for 25 years of work. Im so bitter over that. About a year ago my daughter was going to start college in alaska. Her and her long term boyfriend (4 years all though high school) were going to attend the same college and of course they break up 30 days before they were going to leave together. I have to scramble and pay about 5k to get her there. I fly with her to get her settled in. I mentioned to my X that she should help with the cost as well. She says that was a deal make with our daughter and she wouldn't be helping with the cost in anyway. Of course all think about is all the times she called me asking for more money to "help" the kids. Im steaming just thinking about that. Since then I haven't texted the ex even related to the kids.
So its been a rough ride and I have dealt with a ton of emotions. I kept up with seeing the counselor now and then to keep me head on straight. I feel I've lost everything and in this economy there's no way I can purchase another house of my own. Even making the money I do which is pretty good. Im bitter and pissed but every day things come in line and I've learned to move on.
THEN.....THEN after 5 years of ups and downs I get a text from my ex. She's going on about how she wishes her and I can be friends. Hoping someday that we can spend time together with the kids for holidays or something. Then she says "I really never wanted to get a divorce from you" it was just how things worked out. What the fuck?????
All I can think is that she is typing that text to me from my old house that is now worth 1 million on zillow that she lives in with her guy. I wonder if he knows she's sending me that. I really brings me back and messes with my emotions again.
submitted by Thick-Town6602 to Divorce_Men [link] [comments]
About 5 years ago my wife of 25 years decided she wasn't in love with me any longer. I signed us up for couples therapy and she bailed after 3 sessions. Her reason was it was up to me to make her fall in love with me again. Over the next year it was decided that we were going to divorce. She also comes up with the an agreement where we sell the house after the last 3 kids graduate high school. The agreement is pretty one sided to her favor. She wants to have the house appraised at the time of divorce and I get 50 percent of its value at that point in time. Not when it sells which is a few years later. A few things about the house. Its in a very nice suburb for Seattle. I found it the late 90s for 75K. We bought it and a few years later we had our first child and she decided to be a stay at home mom. I was good with it. Over the next 5 or 6 years we had our other 3 kids and life was good. I worked full time and over that time I fixed up the house on my own. It was originally 750 SF so as the family grew I added on as we needed the extra room for the kids and eventually built the standalone garage. And I did all the work myself. She was a stay at home mom. It went this way as the kids got older. When to 2 youngest were in 7th grade I started pushing for her to get a job or maybe go to back to college or take some classes in some interests that she might develop into a career that she would enjoy. Nothing ever came of that but she did get a few jobs were she worked part time and made minimum wage. I kept the bills paid and provided a nice stable home and life for our family. I even started assistant coaching football and baseball for the kids teams so I could spend after work time with them. During that time she was a great partner, wife and mom. Life was good.
Then, as you know, the SHTF. We start the process of separating. I eventually converted our standalone garage to an apartment to live in as we worked stuff out and I also didn't want to live apart from our 4 kids (15,15, 17 and 20 ) at the time. It gets pretty awkward over time. She wants us to split time in the garage apartment every 30 days where we switch. During that time we had decided to divorce so it was official. So by now its more than a year and a half later. I've moved on and actually started seeing someone and she's getting love letters in the mail from someone. I didn't care if she was seeing anyone but the letters delivered to the house where the kids could see them. That was rough. We start negotiating the divorce and she initially wants alimony for life. In Washington state it's generally 1 year of alimony for every 5 years you're married and she wasn't happy with that but oh well. We do a mediated divorce and I agree to pay 5 years of alimony which mounts to about 125K (2K a month) for her. Also, If you don't know, she gets that money free, and I have to pay the taxes on it. Yet another crappy thing that Im bitter about. And up to that point Im paying for everything, the mortgage, utilities, food ect just like we are one happy family. So after her 2k she gets from me our finances are calculated and we are suppose to be both making the same. She's a bit over with her part time job pay so she's suppose to pay me $200 a month. She doesnt think its fair so anyone want to guess how many months she actually pays that $200 to me. Im sure you know the answer (its 0 BTW)
The divorce is finalized and I moved out. Over the course for the divorce I meet someone and we hit it off. We actually have been living together for 4 years now. Her guy moves into the house I found, fixed up and paid for for 25 years. One of the kids lived with me for a year because of covid and the other kids decide to stay in the house. Not because of the relation with me but I moved about 45 minutes away and they have their friends there and are working closer to their childhood home. Me and the kids have a great relationship.
Any how. over the last 2 years of our last 2 in high school all I got from her is I need more money for the kids. Keep in mind Im Im giving her alimony and monthly money for the kids as well. When they turned 18 I told her that I was going to give the kids money directly to them and not through her. She in turn started charging the kids rent and remember the apartment I built. She charged our oldest son 700 a month to live there while he was still in college barely scraping by. I've also bought every one of my kids cars paid for health car and car insurance as well. It was a rough time for me.
So eventually she offered to buy the house outright. She offered me 60K. I literally laughed at her. I countered with 125K and no more alimony. Which represented a 25% decrease because I was cashing her alimony in a lump sum. She stated that she deserved every bit of the alimony. Tons of back and forth and at this point i'm sick of it and dealing with her and accept 100k just to be done with her. So now, I have nothing to show for 25 years of work. Im so bitter over that. About a year ago my daughter was going to start college in alaska. Her and her long term boyfriend (4 years all though high school) were going to attend the same college and of course they break up 30 days before they were going to leave together. I have to scramble and pay about 5k to get her there. I fly with her to get her settled in. I mentioned to my X that she should help with the cost as well. She says that was a deal make with our daughter and she wouldn't be helping with the cost in anyway. Of course all think about is all the times she called me asking for more money to "help" the kids. Im steaming just thinking about that. Since then I haven't texted the ex even related to the kids.
So its been a rough ride and I have dealt with a ton of emotions. I kept up with seeing the counselor now and then to keep me head on straight. I feel I've lost everything and in this economy there's no way I can purchase another house of my own. Even making the money I do which is pretty good. Im bitter and pissed but every day things come in line and I've learned to move on.
THEN.....THEN after 5 years of ups and downs I get a text from my ex. She's going on about how she wishes her and I can be friends. Hoping someday that we can spend time together with the kids for holidays or something. Then she says "I really never wanted to get a divorce from you" it was just how things worked out. What the fuck?????
All I can think is that she is typing that text to me from my old house that is now worth 1 million on zillow that she lives in with her guy. I wonder if he knows she's sending me that. I really brings me back and messes with my emotions again.
2024.05.18 06:16 Neat-Grapefruit-3301 SERIOUS: F8 in 2 of my courses
Really serious!!!!!!! It is a long one, please read till the end and help
So this is regarding my CH E 243 final exam, few days after my deferred final on 20 Feb,2024 I got an email from my prof that my eclass had been accessed during the final and he would have an online meet with me to discuss the issue. I was really shocked and confused as I didnt access it during the exam and I talked to one of my friends to whom I had given the password to see some of the extra sample papers. He agreed in front of me that he used my eclass and said that he would say the same to the professor. Few days later, I met with the professor and explained the situation but he didnt believe me and was trying his best that I admit it because he couldn't prove that I accessed it. He told me that he would have a talk with my friend but when he talked with my friend, he used his same intimidating behaviour and scared my friend that he was lying and he would face very serious consequences for this due to which he changed his statement that he didnt use my eclass during the exam and was really sorry. The professor then reported this to the dean of engineering and a meeting was scheduled on 8th April(after literally 1 month). The professor told me that sharing eclass login credentials was not an offense and if I was honest, nothing would happen to me but this was the biggest lie. In the meeting with academic integrity coordinator of the dean, the first thing he told me was sharing eclass login credentials is a much more bigger offense than cheating in final and it would be best for me if I admitted I had cheated rather than sharing details. Still, I kept on my stand and said till the end that I apologize for this confusion but I did not use eclass and gave exam with full honesty. Today, the decision letter came after 1.5 month and I was shocked to see it. First of all they sent the letter on the evening of day of add/drop deadline, idk what took them this long. They decided to give me an F8 in two of my courses, CH E 243, the one in which they suspected cheating and ECE 240, this one I had 2 same written assignments to another student and had received a 0 in both in the starting of winter sem. Idk how this even makes sense. Also a more shocking thing is they have mentioned that first I was denying for cheating but later when the coordinator told me the consequences, I admitted to it which I never did in reality. I am really depressed and dont know what to do, please if somebody can advise me what to do, that would be really helpful. I understand they dont believe me in the final exam but why give an F8 in the other course which has absolutely no relation with it. ECE 240 is a pre requisite for my 3rd year course and it is only offered in the winter sem, idk what to do. I mean why do they have to give the decision on literally the last day. The decision date is literally 14 may but they chose to send it today, is this being done intentionally???? Also the letter doesn't mention anything whether who accessed the eclass was checked or not, it just says I intentionally cheated and first denied then agreed to it, really disappointing.
PLEASE HELP ME
submitted by Neat-Grapefruit-3301 to uAlberta [link] [comments]
So this is regarding my CH E 243 final exam, few days after my deferred final on 20 Feb,2024 I got an email from my prof that my eclass had been accessed during the final and he would have an online meet with me to discuss the issue. I was really shocked and confused as I didnt access it during the exam and I talked to one of my friends to whom I had given the password to see some of the extra sample papers. He agreed in front of me that he used my eclass and said that he would say the same to the professor. Few days later, I met with the professor and explained the situation but he didnt believe me and was trying his best that I admit it because he couldn't prove that I accessed it. He told me that he would have a talk with my friend but when he talked with my friend, he used his same intimidating behaviour and scared my friend that he was lying and he would face very serious consequences for this due to which he changed his statement that he didnt use my eclass during the exam and was really sorry. The professor then reported this to the dean of engineering and a meeting was scheduled on 8th April(after literally 1 month). The professor told me that sharing eclass login credentials was not an offense and if I was honest, nothing would happen to me but this was the biggest lie. In the meeting with academic integrity coordinator of the dean, the first thing he told me was sharing eclass login credentials is a much more bigger offense than cheating in final and it would be best for me if I admitted I had cheated rather than sharing details. Still, I kept on my stand and said till the end that I apologize for this confusion but I did not use eclass and gave exam with full honesty. Today, the decision letter came after 1.5 month and I was shocked to see it. First of all they sent the letter on the evening of day of add/drop deadline, idk what took them this long. They decided to give me an F8 in two of my courses, CH E 243, the one in which they suspected cheating and ECE 240, this one I had 2 same written assignments to another student and had received a 0 in both in the starting of winter sem. Idk how this even makes sense. Also a more shocking thing is they have mentioned that first I was denying for cheating but later when the coordinator told me the consequences, I admitted to it which I never did in reality. I am really depressed and dont know what to do, please if somebody can advise me what to do, that would be really helpful. I understand they dont believe me in the final exam but why give an F8 in the other course which has absolutely no relation with it. ECE 240 is a pre requisite for my 3rd year course and it is only offered in the winter sem, idk what to do. I mean why do they have to give the decision on literally the last day. The decision date is literally 14 may but they chose to send it today, is this being done intentionally???? Also the letter doesn't mention anything whether who accessed the eclass was checked or not, it just says I intentionally cheated and first denied then agreed to it, really disappointing.
PLEASE HELP ME
2024.05.18 05:58 FredTheCat24 Help Finding Political Science PhD Programs
Hello all,
I am a prospective political science PhD student in the United States looking for advice and help, particularly in what programs to apply to and the chances of getting in. I am interested in American politics, particularly centered on elections, representation, and voting.
I have a bachelors in political science and masters in public administration (with two certificates in nonprofit management and genocide/mass atrocity prevention) from SUNY Binghamton (Binghamton University), both with a 4.0.
I have not taken the GRE yet (so no scores rn), but am taking the summer to study. I feel like my letters of recommendation will be pretty good as well and feel strong about my writing sample. I have no official research or publications, but am working on the latter.
So far my professors have recommended schools like the Ivys, MIT, NYU, SUNY Stony Brook, etc..
What programs do you all recommend and do you think I can get into them?
Thank you in advance
submitted by FredTheCat24 to PhD [link] [comments]
I am a prospective political science PhD student in the United States looking for advice and help, particularly in what programs to apply to and the chances of getting in. I am interested in American politics, particularly centered on elections, representation, and voting.
I have a bachelors in political science and masters in public administration (with two certificates in nonprofit management and genocide/mass atrocity prevention) from SUNY Binghamton (Binghamton University), both with a 4.0.
I have not taken the GRE yet (so no scores rn), but am taking the summer to study. I feel like my letters of recommendation will be pretty good as well and feel strong about my writing sample. I have no official research or publications, but am working on the latter.
So far my professors have recommended schools like the Ivys, MIT, NYU, SUNY Stony Brook, etc..
What programs do you all recommend and do you think I can get into them?
Thank you in advance
2024.05.18 05:28 PropRatActual The Albino: Ep 11
Hey all, 4th Wall here. The little storm that blew threw upended my, sort of, schedule. So, I'm just decided to write what came to mind first then alternate from there. Hope you guys enjoy the Episode.
First, Previous, Next (Patreon)
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Benjamin stared at the exhausted looking Farie in shock, “How much time do we have?”. Jukha simply stood, stepped over to the floorboards near the fireplace, and began ripping them up with his bare hands. After several planks yielded to his strength, Jukha pulled out a pair of packs, and handed one to Vilora. “Oh” Ben stated flatly, having been given the answer to his question. He turned to see the sisters already packing up their packs, and Ben began the same.
In moments, the four were ready to go, slipping out the back door and into the forest. Benjamin paused, “Hold on a moment.” He turned to look back at the house, reaching out with one hand before clenching it into a fist. He ripped the heat out of the roaring fire dispelling it into the air before kneeling down and placing both hands on the ground. Vilora gasped quietly at the power Benjamin began wielding a dangerous amount of Majik. He pulled from the depths of the world itself, summoning pure compounds from the ground and from various natural sources. He used the refuse in Jukha’s farmyard to provide him with the last of the required ingredients. It wouldn’t be much, but Benjamin relit the fireplace, forcing the flames to turn a few of the remaining logs into charcoal without burning them.
Extinguishing the flames once more, he combined the components he had acquired, before willing the concoction up into the flue and packing it around the circumference of the inside of the brick chimney. Vilora stepped up to him, touching his shoulder with a trembling hand, “What… what have you done. I felt it, but I don’t understand it.”
Benjamin took a long cleansing, and slightly shakey breath. The exertion left him feeling drained for a moment. He turned to her, expression was grim, but he patted her hand on his forearm, “Giving us some breathing room. They will search the house. I’ve just left them a little surprise.” He stood, looking towards the forest, “how do we get to your sisters.”
Vilora nodded and they followed her into the forest, it was not a long walk. And after about 20 minutes they came to a clearing with a strange tree in the middle. “Please, Ben. Whatever happens next, know that we are not Fay. Promise me.” Benjamin heard the fear in her voice wondering if it was from what he had just done, or something deeper. He nodded once absently, his musket already unslung and in his hands. He had loaded a buck and ball cartridge into it before they left the cabin, knowing that he was only going to get one shot in an ambush. Viola had his original flintlock pistol in her hand, and Valtrya was semi hiding behind her sister with Bens Stiletto dagger clutched tightly in her fingers. “Very well,” the Farie stated, and turned to face the tree. Her wings quickly began glowing a vibrant green, and they fluttered violently as she began to chant something in her native tongue.
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The Hunters arrived, led by the singular Orc from the capital guard. He was the same one that had been spared by Benjamin just over a week earlier. He brought with him a tracker. Ski’murika was one of the arachnid people known as Sil’skira. This one was a flat grey to Mi’ki’s own jet-black carapace, and she skittered lightly into the room. The Sil’Skira had no sense of smell, but their sense of taste bordered on the supernatural. She raised one leg to her mandibles, tasting the ground around them, before dipping it into a bowl and repeating the process, “four of them. An Orc, a Fay, two Aereesin females, and… a strange one. I’ve not sampled this one before, but he carries majik’s sour aftertaste.” The Soldier orc, and the three other Hunters managed to not cringe. The Sil’Skira were known for their wide… pallet… as far as what they considered food. Many a sentient being had been turned to a husk by a hungry Sil, and The Orc did not doubt that this one came by her… flavor recognition… honestly. The other three; a Hellirine named Jazeel, her twin brother named Jeraal, and a Mountain troll who’s name defied pronunciation gave the Sil a wide birth, stepping up to the fireplace. “Well, while we’re here. Lets warm our bones.” Jazeel casually began stacking wood and kindling atop the chared remains of an apparently freshly quenched fire. “How far do you think they could have gone?”
“Not far” the Sil’Skira stated absently, “Their food is but lukewarm. I can still taste the spittle on the strange one’s spoon.” She turned to pad over to the fireplace. The Soldier orc, named Gurrut leaned up against the table, “Should we really be stopping for a fire? If they are so close?” Jeraal only smirked, “It’s a long game boss. They may not have gotten far, but they will be frantic. Look at how they left. Something, or someone warned them. They will be ill prepared. No, better to keep our pace. We will wear them down easily in the mor..”
Jazeel lit a spark into her tinder box while her brother was talking. She placed it into the fireplace and the kindling lit quickly. A single twig flared up, sending an ember into the flu where Benjamin had packed his quickly made gunpowder. It ignited instantly, and the flu provided enough constriction to pressurize the reaction. The fireplace detonated in a weak, but effective improvised bomb. The brickwork shattered into shards of deadly fragmentation, Jareel simply ceased to exist, being turned to a cloud of yellow blood and internal organs trimmed in red skin and white bone fragments. Her brother’s head was caved in by a large brick chunk, sending skull bone spalling deep into his brain, rending it to ribbons. He died before he hit the floor. The Sil’Skira’s abdomen popped like a balloon in the over pressure wave, and she quickly curled into a quivering ball as her blood pressure dropped, no longer fighting against her leg muscles. Their employer, the soldier orc from the capital, lost his arm above the elbow. His armor saved his vital organs however, but one shard threaded the needle, taking his right eye. The Mountain troll was thrown to the far wall, but Her naturally resilient body survived both the shockwave and the fragmentation impacts. She picked herself off the floor, stumbling to the screaming capital guard. She bound his wounds quickly before taking a flaming shard of the sabotaged fire and searing the stump to stop the bleeding. She then left him there. There was no point in anything else. The hunt was over.
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Benjamin tried not to stare, but he was failing miserably. Jukha’s Farie wife’s body was glowing bright green now, and he almost had to shade his eyes if he tried to look directly at her. She was not the only one he was struggling not to stare at. Viola’s explanation and subsequent revelation had taken him by surprise. He realized that he had treated them like children, pupils at best. Benjamin had focused on training them to be free, turning a blind eye to the relationship forming between them and himself. *You are not forcing us to do anything but leave* He ran that statement over in his mind. The “leave you” was implicated heavily, and it ate at him. He did not want to force these girls to do anything. Yet, despite his best efforts, he was forcing something on them anyway. He silently both cursed his situation and cursed his own ignorance. He found that, if he was truthful with himself, he did not want them to leave either; and that more personal revelation brought its own paradox. He could not bear to own them as property, but the thought of leaving them tore at him with similar pain.
“It is almost time!” Benjamin looked back from where he was keeping watch, Vilora was panting heavily, her painfully bright glowing wings drooping slightly, “I won’t be able to keep the connection for long!” She called as the tree in front of them began to creak. Two of its great limbs began to move on their own accord, groaning under forces older than space and time. Benjamin’s eyes widened as the two branches slowly formed a sphere, then his head snapped around at the sound of a dull thud emanating from the direction they had come. He smiled grimly. His little IED must have been triggered, and with any luck, taken their pursuers with it.
“Ready yourselves!” Jukha called, and Ben turned back to a view he had not expected in his wildest dreams. ‘you’ve gatta be shitting me’ He thought as a rippling green mirror filled in the center of the circle created by the branches of the tree. Benjamin felt the sisters at his side. And he nodded to them, “you first. I’ll cover our six.” Vi raised an eyebrow at the odd expression but nodded. Taking her sister’s hand and stepping through the portal. They were closely followed by Jukha, who seemed absurdly calm about the whole thing. Benjamin held his ground, slowly backing toward the portal while he kept his eye on the tree line.
“Benjamin. Hurry, I can’t.. I can’t hold!” Vilora’s frantic tone moved Benjamin into action, He spun on his heels, slipping his musket to his left hand and scooping up Vilora as he passed her at a full sprint. He jumped as the portal sputtered, passing through it and into a familiar tunnel that he remembered from his first meeting with the Celestial, Sol. This one was a minute fraction of the distance, however, a single step in fact. His feet landed on soft moss and an earthy smell alerted him to his change of location. His eyes began to adjust to the much dimmer light as he set Vilora’s exhausted form on the ground gently. His eyes peeled away the darkness after a moment and Benjamin grunted, tucking the butt of the musket under his right arm as he thumbed the hammer and slapped the frizzen in place. He drew his sword/pistol hybrid and settled the sights on a second being, who just so happened to have the misfortune of being ordered to bind the sister’s wrists. The mechanical sounds of his weapons attracted the attention of everyone in attendance, but his voice froze them in place, “unbind them… now” he growled.
His musket, loaded with Buck and ball, was trained on a small group of Farie’s standing in close formation with thin lances rested base to the on the ground. The other Farie was currently holding the rope leash to the sisters. He glanced at the small squad of lancers, “you move, you die.” His tone bore icy promise on its wings, and even Jukha could not bring himself to act. “Benjamin. Peace, please. These are my sisters. They are Vin. Remember your promise” Vilora’s voice cut through the silence first, and Benjamin glanced at her, then back at the scene in front of him. He took a long deep breath, sheathing his sword/revolver, and lowering his Musket. He did not sling it, he returned it so a muzzle up ready position designed to keep his ammunition from falling out of the barrel should he still need it. “Then please explain to them that I have a pathological aversion these women being bound, and that It would be in their best interest to release them...mediately.” Vilora’s eyes widened as she turned to see the state of Vi and Val. She spoke quickly, and the Vin who held the girls looked back at Ben in shock before frantically unbinding both Vi and Val. The girls sprinted to Benjamin, slamming into him with shaking embraces before he gently, but protectively pushed them behind him.
One of the Lancers, a Farie with more ornate armor on than the rest stepped forward and Benjamin turned to face her, not so subtly settling his musket into a position to easily kill her if he needed. The Fairie paused, clearly considering something before Vilora stepped over and laid a hand on her shoulder. She shook her head at the other woman, it was an almost imperceptible thing, but the other farie’s eyes widened as she regarded Benjamin again. “Peace, Beenjaymin.” She said finally, handing off her lance to a subordinate and opening her hands to show them empty. “We do not mean you harm, but we must protect what little we have left. The Matriarch wishes to see you, but we cannot allow you to meet here bearing arms. Please, understand.”
Benjamin hesitated, and Viola leaned around him to look up. He gave her a smiling glance before looking back at the Farie. She nodded in understanding, “I swear to you. Your… girls… will be permitted to stay at your side for the trip. Our sister has explained that they are not mere slaves to you.” Benjamin eyed her skeptically, and if this realms concept of honesty were not already explained to him, he would have not believed her. He slowly reached for the hammer on his musket, lowering it gently to half-cock before handing it slowly to the Farie who originally bound the sisters, “Do not touch anything on it. This is not a weapon you have any concept of, and it can kill 4 people at once.” He held her gaze until she nodded, “lean it against something. This side up, and DON’T touch it.” He then unhooked the scabbard from his belt, handing the revolver sword and its sheath to her as one unit, “Same goes for this. I’ll know if you touch it. It is very loud.” He did the same with Vi’s flintlock pistol, surprised that it didn’t go off when it was dropped on the ground during their capture. The stiletto dagger was the last, a familiar weapon to this realm that needed no explanation.
“Very well.” Benjamin said finally, “I believe that is everything.” The head lancer nodded, waving an arm elegantly toward the biggest live oak that Benjamin had ever seen. Benjamin thought it might be a live oak, at least. It stood twice the height of a California Red Wood but had the proportions of a Live oak. Massive drooping main branches arched overhead before touching the ground and returning skyward. Some of the largest limbs were the lowest and seem to bounce along the ground. Each grounding seemed to sprout smaller trees, and Benjamin felt his mouth fall open as they drew closer. The texture of the limbs sharpened as they closed, and Benjamin began to make out lit windows, carved into the tree limbs themselves.
Carved into the base of the tree was an ornate entrance with lettering that Benjamin didn’t recognize carved into the arches. Benjamin felt Viola take one of his hands, and Valtrya take the other. He ran his thumbs over the soft tops of their hands, trying to comfort them as much as he could. He felt them press up against him as they entered a throne room of some kind. On the far end, atop a series of steps was a throne, carved into the wall itself. “The Matriarch” Vilora whispered from behind him.
Ben halted several paces behind the lancer squad, bowing as he watched Vilora and Jukha do so out of the corner of his eye. “Rise” came the command from the ornately yet unarmored Farie sitting on the throne, “So tell me,” She asked, looking directly at Benjamin, who was keeping the girls directly behind him, “Are you the reason that my orders to bind the Aereesins were not followed?” Benjamin instantly regretted giving up his weapons. “I am,” he stated meeting her gaze unflinchingly. “Oh? You believe yourself above my command?” Her cold tone registered, and Benjamin slowly closed his fist, finding what he was looking for. A single guard, one not present at their arrival began to march toward him, hand on her sword.
Benjamin speared the guard with an icy glare, while talking to the Farie ruler, “I expected Vin to be more hospitable.” He reached out with one hand and the guard froze as he gripped the metal of her armor with his mind, “Especially with women baring Vin names in solidarity.” He slowly began to close his outstretched fist, and the guard inside the armor began screaming as the metal buckled, compressing against her body. Benjamin finally turned his icy gaze to the monarch, “My girls” He hated to use that card, but it was the only one he had that wasn’t lethal, “Have spent over a century being bound, tortured, raped, and degraded. I killed their former master, a Romoregin no less, for it. I killed his puke son’s champion for it. I’ve killed two capital guards for it. I will kill without mercy to keep bindings from touching their skin. So, my lady what are you willing to do to bind them.” He gave the guards armor another small squeeze, using the shrieking metal to punctuate his resolve.
The queen slowly stepped off her Throne, walking stoically over to her guard as she eyed Benjamin contemplatively. “Stand down, Vailin.” She said to the now trembling guard, but her eyes were on Benjamin. Benjamin slowly released his grip on her armor and she fell to the floor, weeping. “You two, get her to a healer.” The monarch ordered before taking to her wings and hovering up to face Benjamin at eye level. “You care so much for your slaves, yet you do not free them. Why is that.”
“Benjamin doesn’t want to keep us slaves!” Viola blurted out before she caught herself meekly adding “Your majesty” as the Monarch leveled a surprised but firm expression at her. “Oh? And yet you are still his, dear.” she said, turning back to Benjamin. Benjamin took a deep breath, “The principality would have resold them anyway. My only choice was to own them, teach them, then smuggle them to a free nation, or murder them by returning them to the system. Had we made it to Maridia, they would be emancipated already.” He met the Monarchs gaze levelly, “Their lives are in my hands… but at least their blood isn’t on them.”
“Hmm, compassion and violence of action. No wonder Cosmos touched you.” The Queen mused. Benjamin chuckled at the expression drawing a raised eyebrow from the Vin Monarch, “Something funny, young one?” and Benjamin gave her an amused smile, “It’s just that I’ve heard something like that before, from Sol. I believe the Orcs call her Suelin.”
This time, the Vin Monarch’s face smoothed of all expression as she failed to find any falsehood in Benjamin, “Come with me, please.” She stated it as a question, but her urgency peaked Benjamin's curiosity. The four of them followed the queen up to the throne. She pulled on an armrest and the throne slid into the wall to one side, revealing a simply carved passage into the heart of the tree.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
f you made it this far, I very much appreciate it. I hope you enjoyed the episode! If you believe I have earned it, I have a Patreon that is two episodes ahead of the free releases for this series. I hope you feel taking a look is worth it. Either way, come hang out in the comments. Everyone's welcome! I've discovered Im a bit of a "warts and all" poster, so even critical comments are welcome. Hell, You might even teach me something (it happens more than I'd like to admit).
I have heard people off and on reference Royal road, So I am going to give it another shot. I'll be adding the Royal Road link from now on. If you like reading over there, It is on the same schedule as here. I would greatly appreciate a like/review/comment if you feel so inclined. Thank you again for stopping by.
First, Previous, Next (Patreon) Royal Road
submitted by PropRatActual to HFY [link] [comments]
First, Previous, Next (Patreon)
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Benjamin stared at the exhausted looking Farie in shock, “How much time do we have?”. Jukha simply stood, stepped over to the floorboards near the fireplace, and began ripping them up with his bare hands. After several planks yielded to his strength, Jukha pulled out a pair of packs, and handed one to Vilora. “Oh” Ben stated flatly, having been given the answer to his question. He turned to see the sisters already packing up their packs, and Ben began the same.
In moments, the four were ready to go, slipping out the back door and into the forest. Benjamin paused, “Hold on a moment.” He turned to look back at the house, reaching out with one hand before clenching it into a fist. He ripped the heat out of the roaring fire dispelling it into the air before kneeling down and placing both hands on the ground. Vilora gasped quietly at the power Benjamin began wielding a dangerous amount of Majik. He pulled from the depths of the world itself, summoning pure compounds from the ground and from various natural sources. He used the refuse in Jukha’s farmyard to provide him with the last of the required ingredients. It wouldn’t be much, but Benjamin relit the fireplace, forcing the flames to turn a few of the remaining logs into charcoal without burning them.
Extinguishing the flames once more, he combined the components he had acquired, before willing the concoction up into the flue and packing it around the circumference of the inside of the brick chimney. Vilora stepped up to him, touching his shoulder with a trembling hand, “What… what have you done. I felt it, but I don’t understand it.”
Benjamin took a long cleansing, and slightly shakey breath. The exertion left him feeling drained for a moment. He turned to her, expression was grim, but he patted her hand on his forearm, “Giving us some breathing room. They will search the house. I’ve just left them a little surprise.” He stood, looking towards the forest, “how do we get to your sisters.”
Vilora nodded and they followed her into the forest, it was not a long walk. And after about 20 minutes they came to a clearing with a strange tree in the middle. “Please, Ben. Whatever happens next, know that we are not Fay. Promise me.” Benjamin heard the fear in her voice wondering if it was from what he had just done, or something deeper. He nodded once absently, his musket already unslung and in his hands. He had loaded a buck and ball cartridge into it before they left the cabin, knowing that he was only going to get one shot in an ambush. Viola had his original flintlock pistol in her hand, and Valtrya was semi hiding behind her sister with Bens Stiletto dagger clutched tightly in her fingers. “Very well,” the Farie stated, and turned to face the tree. Her wings quickly began glowing a vibrant green, and they fluttered violently as she began to chant something in her native tongue.
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The Hunters arrived, led by the singular Orc from the capital guard. He was the same one that had been spared by Benjamin just over a week earlier. He brought with him a tracker. Ski’murika was one of the arachnid people known as Sil’skira. This one was a flat grey to Mi’ki’s own jet-black carapace, and she skittered lightly into the room. The Sil’Skira had no sense of smell, but their sense of taste bordered on the supernatural. She raised one leg to her mandibles, tasting the ground around them, before dipping it into a bowl and repeating the process, “four of them. An Orc, a Fay, two Aereesin females, and… a strange one. I’ve not sampled this one before, but he carries majik’s sour aftertaste.” The Soldier orc, and the three other Hunters managed to not cringe. The Sil’Skira were known for their wide… pallet… as far as what they considered food. Many a sentient being had been turned to a husk by a hungry Sil, and The Orc did not doubt that this one came by her… flavor recognition… honestly. The other three; a Hellirine named Jazeel, her twin brother named Jeraal, and a Mountain troll who’s name defied pronunciation gave the Sil a wide birth, stepping up to the fireplace. “Well, while we’re here. Lets warm our bones.” Jazeel casually began stacking wood and kindling atop the chared remains of an apparently freshly quenched fire. “How far do you think they could have gone?”
“Not far” the Sil’Skira stated absently, “Their food is but lukewarm. I can still taste the spittle on the strange one’s spoon.” She turned to pad over to the fireplace. The Soldier orc, named Gurrut leaned up against the table, “Should we really be stopping for a fire? If they are so close?” Jeraal only smirked, “It’s a long game boss. They may not have gotten far, but they will be frantic. Look at how they left. Something, or someone warned them. They will be ill prepared. No, better to keep our pace. We will wear them down easily in the mor..”
Jazeel lit a spark into her tinder box while her brother was talking. She placed it into the fireplace and the kindling lit quickly. A single twig flared up, sending an ember into the flu where Benjamin had packed his quickly made gunpowder. It ignited instantly, and the flu provided enough constriction to pressurize the reaction. The fireplace detonated in a weak, but effective improvised bomb. The brickwork shattered into shards of deadly fragmentation, Jareel simply ceased to exist, being turned to a cloud of yellow blood and internal organs trimmed in red skin and white bone fragments. Her brother’s head was caved in by a large brick chunk, sending skull bone spalling deep into his brain, rending it to ribbons. He died before he hit the floor. The Sil’Skira’s abdomen popped like a balloon in the over pressure wave, and she quickly curled into a quivering ball as her blood pressure dropped, no longer fighting against her leg muscles. Their employer, the soldier orc from the capital, lost his arm above the elbow. His armor saved his vital organs however, but one shard threaded the needle, taking his right eye. The Mountain troll was thrown to the far wall, but Her naturally resilient body survived both the shockwave and the fragmentation impacts. She picked herself off the floor, stumbling to the screaming capital guard. She bound his wounds quickly before taking a flaming shard of the sabotaged fire and searing the stump to stop the bleeding. She then left him there. There was no point in anything else. The hunt was over.
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Benjamin tried not to stare, but he was failing miserably. Jukha’s Farie wife’s body was glowing bright green now, and he almost had to shade his eyes if he tried to look directly at her. She was not the only one he was struggling not to stare at. Viola’s explanation and subsequent revelation had taken him by surprise. He realized that he had treated them like children, pupils at best. Benjamin had focused on training them to be free, turning a blind eye to the relationship forming between them and himself. *You are not forcing us to do anything but leave* He ran that statement over in his mind. The “leave you” was implicated heavily, and it ate at him. He did not want to force these girls to do anything. Yet, despite his best efforts, he was forcing something on them anyway. He silently both cursed his situation and cursed his own ignorance. He found that, if he was truthful with himself, he did not want them to leave either; and that more personal revelation brought its own paradox. He could not bear to own them as property, but the thought of leaving them tore at him with similar pain.
“It is almost time!” Benjamin looked back from where he was keeping watch, Vilora was panting heavily, her painfully bright glowing wings drooping slightly, “I won’t be able to keep the connection for long!” She called as the tree in front of them began to creak. Two of its great limbs began to move on their own accord, groaning under forces older than space and time. Benjamin’s eyes widened as the two branches slowly formed a sphere, then his head snapped around at the sound of a dull thud emanating from the direction they had come. He smiled grimly. His little IED must have been triggered, and with any luck, taken their pursuers with it.
“Ready yourselves!” Jukha called, and Ben turned back to a view he had not expected in his wildest dreams. ‘you’ve gatta be shitting me’ He thought as a rippling green mirror filled in the center of the circle created by the branches of the tree. Benjamin felt the sisters at his side. And he nodded to them, “you first. I’ll cover our six.” Vi raised an eyebrow at the odd expression but nodded. Taking her sister’s hand and stepping through the portal. They were closely followed by Jukha, who seemed absurdly calm about the whole thing. Benjamin held his ground, slowly backing toward the portal while he kept his eye on the tree line.
“Benjamin. Hurry, I can’t.. I can’t hold!” Vilora’s frantic tone moved Benjamin into action, He spun on his heels, slipping his musket to his left hand and scooping up Vilora as he passed her at a full sprint. He jumped as the portal sputtered, passing through it and into a familiar tunnel that he remembered from his first meeting with the Celestial, Sol. This one was a minute fraction of the distance, however, a single step in fact. His feet landed on soft moss and an earthy smell alerted him to his change of location. His eyes began to adjust to the much dimmer light as he set Vilora’s exhausted form on the ground gently. His eyes peeled away the darkness after a moment and Benjamin grunted, tucking the butt of the musket under his right arm as he thumbed the hammer and slapped the frizzen in place. He drew his sword/pistol hybrid and settled the sights on a second being, who just so happened to have the misfortune of being ordered to bind the sister’s wrists. The mechanical sounds of his weapons attracted the attention of everyone in attendance, but his voice froze them in place, “unbind them… now” he growled.
His musket, loaded with Buck and ball, was trained on a small group of Farie’s standing in close formation with thin lances rested base to the on the ground. The other Farie was currently holding the rope leash to the sisters. He glanced at the small squad of lancers, “you move, you die.” His tone bore icy promise on its wings, and even Jukha could not bring himself to act. “Benjamin. Peace, please. These are my sisters. They are Vin. Remember your promise” Vilora’s voice cut through the silence first, and Benjamin glanced at her, then back at the scene in front of him. He took a long deep breath, sheathing his sword/revolver, and lowering his Musket. He did not sling it, he returned it so a muzzle up ready position designed to keep his ammunition from falling out of the barrel should he still need it. “Then please explain to them that I have a pathological aversion these women being bound, and that It would be in their best interest to release them...mediately.” Vilora’s eyes widened as she turned to see the state of Vi and Val. She spoke quickly, and the Vin who held the girls looked back at Ben in shock before frantically unbinding both Vi and Val. The girls sprinted to Benjamin, slamming into him with shaking embraces before he gently, but protectively pushed them behind him.
One of the Lancers, a Farie with more ornate armor on than the rest stepped forward and Benjamin turned to face her, not so subtly settling his musket into a position to easily kill her if he needed. The Fairie paused, clearly considering something before Vilora stepped over and laid a hand on her shoulder. She shook her head at the other woman, it was an almost imperceptible thing, but the other farie’s eyes widened as she regarded Benjamin again. “Peace, Beenjaymin.” She said finally, handing off her lance to a subordinate and opening her hands to show them empty. “We do not mean you harm, but we must protect what little we have left. The Matriarch wishes to see you, but we cannot allow you to meet here bearing arms. Please, understand.”
Benjamin hesitated, and Viola leaned around him to look up. He gave her a smiling glance before looking back at the Farie. She nodded in understanding, “I swear to you. Your… girls… will be permitted to stay at your side for the trip. Our sister has explained that they are not mere slaves to you.” Benjamin eyed her skeptically, and if this realms concept of honesty were not already explained to him, he would have not believed her. He slowly reached for the hammer on his musket, lowering it gently to half-cock before handing it slowly to the Farie who originally bound the sisters, “Do not touch anything on it. This is not a weapon you have any concept of, and it can kill 4 people at once.” He held her gaze until she nodded, “lean it against something. This side up, and DON’T touch it.” He then unhooked the scabbard from his belt, handing the revolver sword and its sheath to her as one unit, “Same goes for this. I’ll know if you touch it. It is very loud.” He did the same with Vi’s flintlock pistol, surprised that it didn’t go off when it was dropped on the ground during their capture. The stiletto dagger was the last, a familiar weapon to this realm that needed no explanation.
“Very well.” Benjamin said finally, “I believe that is everything.” The head lancer nodded, waving an arm elegantly toward the biggest live oak that Benjamin had ever seen. Benjamin thought it might be a live oak, at least. It stood twice the height of a California Red Wood but had the proportions of a Live oak. Massive drooping main branches arched overhead before touching the ground and returning skyward. Some of the largest limbs were the lowest and seem to bounce along the ground. Each grounding seemed to sprout smaller trees, and Benjamin felt his mouth fall open as they drew closer. The texture of the limbs sharpened as they closed, and Benjamin began to make out lit windows, carved into the tree limbs themselves.
Carved into the base of the tree was an ornate entrance with lettering that Benjamin didn’t recognize carved into the arches. Benjamin felt Viola take one of his hands, and Valtrya take the other. He ran his thumbs over the soft tops of their hands, trying to comfort them as much as he could. He felt them press up against him as they entered a throne room of some kind. On the far end, atop a series of steps was a throne, carved into the wall itself. “The Matriarch” Vilora whispered from behind him.
Ben halted several paces behind the lancer squad, bowing as he watched Vilora and Jukha do so out of the corner of his eye. “Rise” came the command from the ornately yet unarmored Farie sitting on the throne, “So tell me,” She asked, looking directly at Benjamin, who was keeping the girls directly behind him, “Are you the reason that my orders to bind the Aereesins were not followed?” Benjamin instantly regretted giving up his weapons. “I am,” he stated meeting her gaze unflinchingly. “Oh? You believe yourself above my command?” Her cold tone registered, and Benjamin slowly closed his fist, finding what he was looking for. A single guard, one not present at their arrival began to march toward him, hand on her sword.
Benjamin speared the guard with an icy glare, while talking to the Farie ruler, “I expected Vin to be more hospitable.” He reached out with one hand and the guard froze as he gripped the metal of her armor with his mind, “Especially with women baring Vin names in solidarity.” He slowly began to close his outstretched fist, and the guard inside the armor began screaming as the metal buckled, compressing against her body. Benjamin finally turned his icy gaze to the monarch, “My girls” He hated to use that card, but it was the only one he had that wasn’t lethal, “Have spent over a century being bound, tortured, raped, and degraded. I killed their former master, a Romoregin no less, for it. I killed his puke son’s champion for it. I’ve killed two capital guards for it. I will kill without mercy to keep bindings from touching their skin. So, my lady what are you willing to do to bind them.” He gave the guards armor another small squeeze, using the shrieking metal to punctuate his resolve.
The queen slowly stepped off her Throne, walking stoically over to her guard as she eyed Benjamin contemplatively. “Stand down, Vailin.” She said to the now trembling guard, but her eyes were on Benjamin. Benjamin slowly released his grip on her armor and she fell to the floor, weeping. “You two, get her to a healer.” The monarch ordered before taking to her wings and hovering up to face Benjamin at eye level. “You care so much for your slaves, yet you do not free them. Why is that.”
“Benjamin doesn’t want to keep us slaves!” Viola blurted out before she caught herself meekly adding “Your majesty” as the Monarch leveled a surprised but firm expression at her. “Oh? And yet you are still his, dear.” she said, turning back to Benjamin. Benjamin took a deep breath, “The principality would have resold them anyway. My only choice was to own them, teach them, then smuggle them to a free nation, or murder them by returning them to the system. Had we made it to Maridia, they would be emancipated already.” He met the Monarchs gaze levelly, “Their lives are in my hands… but at least their blood isn’t on them.”
“Hmm, compassion and violence of action. No wonder Cosmos touched you.” The Queen mused. Benjamin chuckled at the expression drawing a raised eyebrow from the Vin Monarch, “Something funny, young one?” and Benjamin gave her an amused smile, “It’s just that I’ve heard something like that before, from Sol. I believe the Orcs call her Suelin.”
This time, the Vin Monarch’s face smoothed of all expression as she failed to find any falsehood in Benjamin, “Come with me, please.” She stated it as a question, but her urgency peaked Benjamin's curiosity. The four of them followed the queen up to the throne. She pulled on an armrest and the throne slid into the wall to one side, revealing a simply carved passage into the heart of the tree.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
f you made it this far, I very much appreciate it. I hope you enjoyed the episode! If you believe I have earned it, I have a Patreon that is two episodes ahead of the free releases for this series. I hope you feel taking a look is worth it. Either way, come hang out in the comments. Everyone's welcome! I've discovered Im a bit of a "warts and all" poster, so even critical comments are welcome. Hell, You might even teach me something (it happens more than I'd like to admit).
I have heard people off and on reference Royal road, So I am going to give it another shot. I'll be adding the Royal Road link from now on. If you like reading over there, It is on the same schedule as here. I would greatly appreciate a like/review/comment if you feel so inclined. Thank you again for stopping by.
First, Previous, Next (Patreon) Royal Road
2024.05.18 03:14 wongpath7 What supporting documents do I upload for a I-539 Application: Change of Status from F2 to F1?
If anyone who is knowledgeable or has experienced filing an i-539 from online. Please tell me what supporting documents you uploaded. It is for a change of status from F2 to F1 for my daughter who is going to college.
So far, I have the following documents
submitted by wongpath7 to immigration [link] [comments]
So far, I have the following documents
- I-94
- New I-20 issued by the school
- Acceptance Letter
- Letter of Sponsorship and Financial statement/Bank statement
- Passport Photo