Entertaining speech outline

When They Do It Right

2017.09.11 00:39 HebrewDude When They Do It Right

PTCM is a hub for sharing above average, planned video camera operation; capturing calculated recording angles; maintaining good camera control, general perception, also properly controlling what's in the frame. Interesting content is not necessarily a solid ground for giving praise regardless of how good the content is on its own. Please dedicate a minute & read the rules before posting to make sure you don't violate them
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2011.08.25 20:30 ZeroShift SRD: Popcorn tastes good.

The place where people can come and talk about reddit fights and other dramatic happenings from other subreddits.
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2008.06.14 09:52 For all the ironic moments!

***Irony*** is a figure of speech defining an outcome of events which occur in a way that is contrary to what was, or might have been expected. It can often be funny, but is also characterized in tragic events. We tag flair onto posts to help identify particular types of irony. These tags are not set in stone, please comment your opinion if you disagree with the sub-category in which a post is tagged. An Entertaining & Educational sub-Reddit.
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2024.05.21 11:04 jakgem Lovely Runner [Episode 14]

Lovely Runner [Episode 14]
https://preview.redd.it/zjjgyt52wq1d1.jpg?width=900&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=573035fd05889c588dab5fadb5883d95f664b122
  • Drama: Lovely Runner
    • Also Known As: Time Walking on Memory, Carry Sunjae and Jump
    • Korean Title: 선재 업고 튀어
    • Adapted from: Tomorrows Best/ 내일의 으뜸 (webtoon)
  • Director: Yoon Jong Ho (Flower of Evil)
  • Screen Writer: Lee Si Eun (True Beauty)
  • Starring:
  • Network: tvN, TVING
  • Premiere Date: Monday April 8th, 2024
  • Airing Schedule: Monday and Tuesday at 8:50pm KST
    • Duration: 1 hour 10 Minutes
  • Episodes: 16
  • Streaming Sources: Viki, Viu
  • Plot Summary: In the glitzy realm of stardom, Ryu Seon Jae shines as a top-tier celebrity, captivating the spotlight since his debut. Despite the facade of a perfect life, the demanding nature of the entertainment industry has left him utterly exhausted. Im Sol, an ardent admirer, holds an affectionate love for Ryu Seon Jae. A childhood accident derailed her dreams, yet the solace found in Ryu Seon Jae's music on the radio transformed her into an unwavering fan. The narrative takes a poignant turn when Im Sol, reeling from the breaking news of Ryu Seon Jae's tragic demise, experiences a miraculous twist of fate. Transported back 15 years into the past, she confronts Ryu Seon Jae in his 19-year-old high school self. Im Sol grapples with the formidable challenge of altering the trajectory of his future, driven by an unyielding determination to avert the impending tragedy.
  • Major News Summary : 4 Reasons To Anticipate The Premiere Of "Lovely Runner"
  • Conduct Reminder: We encourage our users to read the following before participating in any discussions on KDRAMA: (1) Reddiquette, (2) our Conduct Rules (3) our Policies, and (4) the When Discussions Get Personal Post.
    • Any users who are displaying negative conduct (including but not limited to bullying, harassment, or personal attacks) will be given a warning, repeated behaviour will lead to increasing exclusions from our community. Any extreme cases of misconduct (such as racism or hate speech) will result in an immediate permanent ban from our community and a report to Reddit admin.
    • Additionally, mentions of down-voting, unpopular opinions, and the use of profanity may see your comments locked or removed without notice.
  • Spoiler Tag Reminder: Be mindful of others who may not have yet seen this drama, and use spoiler tags when discussing key plot developments or other important information. You can create a spoiler tag in Markdown by writing > ! this ! < without the spaces in between to get this For more information about when and how to use spoiler tags see our Spoiler Tag Wiki.
  • Please be reminded that spoiler tags must be used when discussing the original source material in consideration for those who haven't read it e.g. (webtoon) spoilers for webtoon (drama) spoilers for drama
  • Previous Discussions:
submitted by jakgem to KDRAMA [link] [comments]

2024.05.21 10:39 That_Fee_3632 FFIE MOONSHOT INCOMING? 🚀📈 Apes Hold Strong for Massive Gains! 💎🙌

Hello Fellow Apes🍌 I’m extremely tired and I have school at 8 in the morning. Don’t let my hard work go to waste. U.pv.ote
If Faraday Future Intelligent Electric Inc. (FFIE) were to experience a successful short squeeze, the potential peak price would depend on several factors, including the intensity of the short squeeze, the extent of retail investor participation, and the responses from institutional investors. Drawing from historical examples and market dynamics, here's an outline of what could influence the peak price:

Factors Influencing the Peak Price

  1. Short Interest:
  2. Retail Investor Momentum:
    • The collective buying power of retail investors can significantly amplify the stock price. If retail investors continue to buy and hold FFIE shares, refusing to sell, this could push the stock to extreme highs due to limited available shares and increased demand.
  3. Media and Social Media Attention:
  4. Institutional Responses:
    • Institutional investors covering their short positions would add to the buying pressure, potentially driving the price even higher. Some institutions might also take long positions to capitalize on the upward momentum.
  5. Regulatory Interventions:
    • Any regulatory interventions or trading halts could impact the peak price. For example, during the GameStop rally, trading halts and restrictions on buying introduced by brokerages like Robinhood temporarily suppressed the price oai_citation:4,Key Points About Regulation SHO.

Potential Peak Price

Given these factors, a potential peak for FFIE could be estimated by looking at similar past events:

Historical Context and Examples

Conclusion

While it's challenging to predict the exact peak price, understanding the dynamics of short squeezes and historical precedents can provide a reasonable estimate. If FFIE were to follow a similar trajectory to previous meme stocks, it could see substantial gains, with potential peaks ranging from a conservative estimate of $9 to an aggressive estimate of $43 or higher. The actual peak would depend on the intensity of the short squeeze, retail investor coordination, and market reactions.
(All ChatGPT oriented)
submitted by That_Fee_3632 to FFIE [link] [comments]

2024.05.21 08:19 digital_age_expo Want An Easy Fix For Your Keynote Speaker London

If you're looking for an easy fix for finding a keynote speaker in London, here are some steps you can follow to streamline the process:

1. Define Your Requirements

2. Research and Shortlist Speakers

3. Review Speaker Profiles and Videos

4. Contact Potential Speakers

5. Evaluate and Select the Speaker

6. Prepare for the Event

Additional Tips

By following these steps, you can efficiently find and secure a keynote speaker in London who will add value to your event and engage your audience effectively.
View Poll
submitted by digital_age_expo to blogs [link] [comments]

2024.05.21 08:00 massivedynamics8 Ensuring Comfort and Elegance: The Benefits of Khelaghar Baganbari's AC Hall for Your Wedding.

Index

  1. Introduction
  2. Overview of Khelaghar Baganbari
  3. Benefits of an AC Hall for Weddings
  4. Key Features of Khelaghar Baganbari's AC Hall
  5. Real-Life Examples of Successful Weddings
  6. Comparison with Outdoor Wedding Venues
  7. Tips for Maximising the AC Hall's Potential
  8. Conclusion

1. Introduction

Choosing the right venue is one of the most crucial decisions when planning a wedding. It sets the tone for the entire event and significantly impacts the comfort and enjoyment of your guests. For those planning a wedding in Kolkata, Khelaghar Baganbari offers a unique blend of elegance and comfort with its air-conditioned (AC) hall. This blog will explore the numerous benefits of hosting your wedding in Khelaghar Baganbari's AC hall, ensuring a memorable and pleasant experience for everyone involved.

2. Overview of Khelaghar Baganbari

Khelaghar Baganbari is a premier wedding venue in Kolkata known for its beautiful settings and top-notch facilities. It boasts lush green lawns and an elegant AC hall, making it a versatile choice for various wedding functions. The venue combines traditional charm with modern amenities, catering to the diverse needs of today's couples.

3. Benefits of an AC Hall for Weddings

Comfort in All Seasons

One of the primary advantages of an AC hall is the comfort it provides regardless of the weather. Kolkata's climate can be unpredictable, with hot summers and humid monsoons. An AC hall ensures that your guests remain comfortable, making it easier for them to enjoy the celebration.

Protection from Weather Elements

An AC hall offers protection from rain, wind, and extreme temperatures. This eliminates the stress of last-minute changes due to weather conditions, ensuring your wedding proceeds smoothly as planned.

Enhanced Guest Experience

Comfortable temperatures allow guests to relax and enjoy the festivities without discomfort. This can lead to a more engaging and lively atmosphere, as guests are more likely to participate actively when they feel at ease.

Preserved Décor and Food Quality

Temperature control in an AC hall helps preserve delicate floral arrangements and prevents food from spoiling. This is especially important for elaborate setups and perishable food items, ensuring everything looks and tastes as intended.

4. Key Features of Khelaghar Baganbari's AC Hall

Spacious and Versatile Layout

Khelaghar Baganbari's AC hall is designed to accommodate large gatherings comfortably. Its spacious layout can be adapted to suit different wedding themes and styles, providing flexibility in décor and seating arrangements.

Modern Amenities

The hall is equipped with modern amenities such as high-quality sound systems, lighting, and audiovisual equipment. These features enhance the overall experience, allowing for seamless execution of wedding rituals, speeches, and entertainment.

Elegant Interiors

The interiors of the AC hall are elegantly designed, offering a sophisticated backdrop for wedding ceremonies and receptions. The tasteful décor complements a wide range of wedding themes, from traditional to contemporary.

Accessibility

Khelaghar Baganbari's
AC hall is easily accessible for all guests, including those with mobility issues. The venue offers ample parking space and well-maintained facilities, ensuring convenience for everyone.

5. Real-Life Examples of Successful Weddings

Several couples have celebrated their weddings at Khelaghar Baganbari's AC hall, with glowing reviews highlighting the venue's comfort and elegance. For example, Rhea and Arjun chose the AC hall for their summer wedding. They appreciated the cool, comfortable environment, which kept their guests happy and allowed them to enjoy the event without worrying about the heat.
Another couple, Ananya and Raj, held their monsoon wedding at the AC hall. The unpredictable weather did not affect their celebration, thanks to the indoor setting. Their guests enjoyed the event without the hassle of rain or humidity, and the floral decorations remain fresh throughout the evening.

6. Comparison with Outdoor Wedding Venues

FeatureAC Hall at Khelaghar BaganbariOutdoor Wedding Venue Weather ControlExcellentLimited ComfortHighVariable Décor PreservationExcellentRisk of Damage Guest ExperienceConsistently PositiveDependent on Weather Setup FlexibilityHighHigh AestheticsElegant InteriorsNatural Beauty CostVariableVariable

7. Tips for Maximizing the AC Hall's Potential

Personalized Décor

While the hall's interiors are already elegant, adding personal touches can make the space truly unique. Work with your decorator to incorporate your wedding theme and colors into the setup. Use lighting to enhance the ambiance and create a warm, inviting atmosphere.

Efficient Use of Space

Plan the layout to make the best use of the available space. Consider the flow of guests and ensure there is ample room for movement. Designate specific areas for dining, dancing, and ceremonies to keep the event organized.

Technological Enhancements

Leverage the hall's modern amenities to enhance your wedding experience. Use the sound system for clear and impactful speeches, and incorporate audiovisual elements to share memories and entertain guests.

Catering Setup

Coordinate with your caterer to set up food stations and bars efficiently. Ensure there are enough serving points to avoid long queues and that the food remains fresh and appetizing throughout the event.

Guest Comfort

Provide ample seating and consider lounge areas where guests can relax and socialize. Ensure the AC is set to a comfortable temperature and that there is proper ventilation.

8. Conclusion

Khelaghar Baganbari's
AC hall offers numerous benefits that make it an ideal choice for weddings in Kolkata. From ensuring guest comfort and protecting your décor to providing a sophisticated and elegant setting, the AC hall addresses many of the common challenges faced in wedding planning. By choosing this venue, you can focus on enjoying your special day without worrying about the weather or other external factors.
Whether you're planning a summer wedding or a monsoon celebration, Khelaghar Baganbari's AC hall provides a reliable and beautiful backdrop for your nuptials. With thoughtful planning and personalized touches, you can create a memorable and seamless wedding experience that you and your guests will cherish for years to come.
submitted by massivedynamics8 to u/massivedynamics8 [link] [comments]

2024.05.21 07:45 apexsupportservices Navigating NDIS Services in Western Sydney: Everything You Need to Know

Navigating the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) can be a challenging task for beneficiaries and their loved ones. This comprehensive guide aims to simplify the process of accessing NDIS Provider Western Sydney, ensuring you make the most out of the support available. Whether you are new to the NDIS or looking to optimize your current plan, understanding the ins and outs of NDIS services is crucial.

Understanding NDIS and Its Importance

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is a pivotal program for individuals with disabilities in Australia. It provides funding for essential services and supports, empowering individuals to achieve their goals and lead more independent lives. In Western Sydney, a diverse range of NDIS services is available, designed to meet the unique needs of each participant.

What NDIS Provider Western Sydney Offers

Western Sydney is home to a vibrant community of NDIS providers offering a wide array of services. These services include:

How to Access NDIS Services in Western Sydney

Step 1: Understanding Your Eligibility

To access NDIS Provider Western Sydney, the first step is to determine your eligibility. You must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident under 65 years of age with a permanent and significant disability that affects your daily life.

Step 2: Creating Your NDIS Plan

Once deemed eligible, the next step is to develop your NDIS plan. This plan outlines your goals and the supports you need. Working with a Local Area Coordinator (LAC) or a planner from the NDIS, you will identify the necessary services and supports to include in your plan.

Step 3: Choosing the Right NDIS Provider

Choosing the right provider is crucial to ensuring you receive quality support. In Western Sydney, there are numerous NDIS providers, each offering specialized services. Apex Support Services, for instance, is renowned for its comprehensive and personalized approach to NDIS support.

Step 4: Implementing Your NDIS Plan

After your plan is approved, it’s time to implement it. This involves:
Check Your Eligibility:- The Ultimate Guide to NDIS Services Eligibility

Key Considerations When Navigating NDIS Services

Personalization of Services

Every NDIS participant has unique needs. Therefore, services should be tailored to meet individual goals and requirements. Apex Support Services excels in providing personalized care, ensuring each participant receives the appropriate support.

Quality and Compliance

Ensure your chosen NDIS provider complies with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission standards. This guarantees that services are delivered safely and effectively.

Community Engagement

Encouraging community participation is a significant aspect of the NDIS. Engaging in local activities and programs helps build social connections and enhances overall well-being.

The Role of Apex Support Services in Western Sydney

Apex Support Services stands out as a leading NDIS provider in Western Sydney, offering a wide range of supports tailored to individual needs. Their commitment to quality and personalized care makes them a preferred choice for many NDIS participants.

Why Choose Apex Support Services?

Testimonials from Western Sydney NDIS Participants

Participants who have availed services from Apex Support Services share their positive experiences:

FAQs about NDIS Services in Western Sydney

What services are available through the NDIS in Western Sydney?

The NDIS provides a range of services including personal care, therapeutic supports, support coordination, community participation, and assistive technology.

How can I find the right NDIS provider in Western Sydney?

Research and connect with providers, read reviews, and consider their experience and range of services. Apex Support Services is a trusted provider in the region, known for their quality care.
Read The full blog here:- How to find the right NDIS provider in Sydney?

How often can I review my NDIS plan?

NDIS plans are typically reviewed annually, but you can request a review sooner if your circumstances change.

Can I change my NDIS provider?

Yes, you have the flexibility to change providers if you are not satisfied with the services. Ensure a smooth transition by coordinating with your support coordinator.

Contact Apex Support Services

For more information or to begin your journey with NDIS Provider Western Sydney, you can reach out to Apex Support Services. Their team is ready to assist you with any queries and help you navigate the NDIS process smoothly. Contact them via phone at 1300 227 988 or email at [info@apexsupportservices.org](mailto:info@apexsupportservices.org) and follow us for more update on https://au.linkedin.com/company/apex-support-services-pty-ltd. Apex Support Services is committed to providing high-quality, personalized care to meet your unique needs and goals.
submitted by apexsupportservices to u/apexsupportservices [link] [comments]

2024.05.21 07:17 Right_Boysenberry111 do i really have autism?

I got a 2nd opinion ASD diagnosis from the Adult Autism Practice. This is a psychologist who specializes in adult autism. Am I really autistic?
In childhood my parents who are antivaxxers/believe in pseudoscience cures like hyperbaric chamber cures cancer were told by teachers and educational professionals --when I was 5 yo and in kindergarten-- that I am autistic and need to get a formal diagnosis. A speech language pathologist said that I had extensive speech delays as a baby. I have letters and report cards that confirm red flags of a developmental disordeautism traits (like not being responsive to social cues, not understanding boundaries, walking with a weird gait, not making eye contact, issue with tone and volume when talking, repetitive behaviors and interests, sensory issues) and even a letter proving that I had speech delays as a baby. I showed these to the 2nd opinion diagnosis team as an adult and got a diagnosis of autism btw. The school psychologist would have tested me for free when I was in kindergarten but my parents refused and sent me to private school instead. My parents also sent me to a clinic that claimed to cure autism by making kids listen to classical music and this clinic was run by a psychologist who had his license revoked. This revoked license was public info on google at that time so my parents knew but still sent me to the clinic to cure my ''weird traits'' aka autism.
I went back to public school for high school due to expensive tuition and closer location. The school staff insisted that I have autism yet again so my parents to me to a private psychologist. This one used no ADOS on me when I was still a child. My parents were the only two people who filled out surveys with numerical scales and on purpose under reported my symptoms. My dad literally laughed and admitted this to me later. My parents only wanted a normal child not an autistic one. So they got me tested to show that I am ''normal'' on paper and to make the school shut up. I had top grades but tons of social issues and otherwise clearly had autism so the school often wrote letters home about my issues.
Other teachers/school staff/classmates/peers/coworkers/siblings/family doctors said I have autism. Even when I told them nothing about my early childhood red flags and was in the self denial phase.
I got an OCD diagnosis when I was 17 yo from a psychiatrist who only diagnosed mental illness and only asked me about my current issues not childhood ones. The psychiatrist was not diagnosing any developmental disorders for anyone and did no testing for these as he only diagnosed mental illness. I got OCD meds which did not reduce my repetitive behaviors so I stopped taking these and my OCD diagnosis was overturned by the 2nd opinion autism diagnosis. Autism explains all of my symptoms yet OCD does not.
My 2nd opinion autism diagnosis had no ADOS but it was done by a recognized clinic that only does adult assessments. I am in my early 20s so my assessment was only me and the psychologist, as is standard in the clinic. There were no numerical scales about autism symptoms. I only described my autism symptoms starting from early childhood. Like an adult version of the ADI-R and using the DSM-5. Plus I showed the psychologist my old childhood letters and report cards which outline autism traits in detail from a young age.
I still 2nd guess myself despite the 2nd opinion autism diagnosis proving that I have autism. What do all of you think? Are 2nd opinion diagnosis valid? Were any of you misdiagnosed or had to get a 2nd opinion autism diagnosis?
submitted by Right_Boysenberry111 to aspergers [link] [comments]

2024.05.21 07:15 Right_Boysenberry111 Am I really autistic?

I got a 2nd opinion ASD diagnosis from the Adult Autism Practice. This is a psychologist who specializes in adult autism. Am I really autistic?
In childhood my parents who are antivaxxers/believe in pseudoscience cures like hyperbaric chamber cures cancer were told by teachers and educational professionals --when I was 5 yo and in kindergarten-- that I am autistic and need to get a formal diagnosis. A speech language pathologist said that I had extensive speech delays as a baby. I have letters and report cards that confirm red flags of a developmental disordeautism traits (like not being responsive to social cues, not understanding boundaries, walking with a weird gait, not making eye contact, issue with tone and volume when talking, repetitive behaviors and interests, sensory issues) and even a letter proving that I had speech delays as a baby. I showed these to the 2nd opinion diagnosis team as an adult and got a diagnosis of autism btw. The school psychologist would have tested me for free when I was in kindergarten but my parents refused and sent me to private school instead. My parents also sent me to a clinic that claimed to cure autism by making kids listen to classical music and this clinic was run by a psychologist who had his license revoked. This revoked license was public info on google at that time so my parents knew but still sent me to the clinic to cure my ''weird traits'' aka autism.
I went back to public school for high school due to expensive tuition and closer location. The school staff insisted that I have autism yet again so my parents to me to a private psychologist. This one used no ADOS on me when I was still a child. My parents were the only two people who filled out surveys with numerical scales and on purpose under reported my symptoms. My dad literally laughed and admitted this to me later. My parents only wanted a normal child not an autistic one. So they got me tested to show that I am ''normal'' on paper and to make the school shut up. I had top grades but tons of social issues and otherwise clearly had autism so the school often wrote letters home about my issues.
Other teachers/school staff/classmates/peers/coworkers/siblings/family doctors said I have autism. Even when I told them nothing about my early childhood red flags and was in the self denial phase.
I got an OCD diagnosis when I was 17 yo from a psychiatrist who only diagnosed mental illness and only asked me about my current issues not childhood ones. The psychiatrist was not diagnosing any developmental disorders for anyone and did no testing for these as he only diagnosed mental illness. I got OCD meds which did not reduce my repetitive behaviors so I stopped taking these and my OCD diagnosis was overturned by the 2nd opinion autism diagnosis. Autism explains all of my symptoms yet OCD does not.
My 2nd opinion autism diagnosis had no ADOS but it was done by a recognized clinic that only does adult assessments. I am in my early 20s so my assessment was only me and the psychologist, as is standard in the clinic. There were no numerical scales about autism symptoms. I only described my autism symptoms starting from early childhood. Like an adult version of the ADI-R and using the DSM-5. Plus I showed the psychologist my old childhood letters and report cards which outline autism traits in detail from a young age.
I still 2nd guess myself despite the 2nd opinion autism diagnosis proving that I have autism. What do all of you think? Are 2nd opinion diagnosis valid? Were any of you misdiagnosed or had to get a 2nd opinion autism diagnosis?
submitted by Right_Boysenberry111 to autism [link] [comments]

2024.05.21 06:19 _DefiniteDefinition_ Customer Service & MoP Remix

Customer Service & MoP Remix
Logged into my main Timerunner character after making a alt this afternoon
Noticed all my bags are missing that included my geagems/consumables.
Thought, okay no problem. I can put in a ticket and get it resolved. It’ll brick my main for awhile but surely Blizzard can fix the bug.
This is the email I get in response, stating, they can’t do anything.
submitted by _DefiniteDefinition_ to wow [link] [comments]

2024.05.21 05:08 hpxb Low Social Drive or Loneliness

I have an absolutely tremendous 5-year-old daughter. She's beautiful, smart, creative, curious, and funny - she's my world. I also strongly suspect that she meets diagnostic criteria for ASD. Her pediatrician and SLP essentially say they don't see the value of giving her a formal ASD diagnosis at the moment, as she is "mild," already receiving supportive services, and is in a private school that caters to her individual needs. My wife's family has a strong history of ASD (dad and brothers), and I would all but guarantee my daughter meets diagnostic criteria. Knowing the way accommodations work, I anticipate that there will be a point in the future when we need to get her formally assessed/diagnosed.
Academically, my daughter is right there with her peers, and in some places (e.g., reading/math) a bit advanced. She is super compliant, following all classroom rules and is a favorite of nearly every teacher. She has a history of expressive and receptive language issues, and has been in speech therapy since the age of 3.5. She's made great progress, but she is still behind in this area. She can function, but she communicates less clearly and with less complexity (in language structure and ideas) than her peers. She has a slew of others indicators - sensitivity to loud noises, restrictive food palette, aversion to eye contact, variable dislike of physical contact. Most notably, she struggles socially, and has really never demonstrated an observable interest in forming friendships with her peers, though they seek her out. She gets invited to birthdays and playdates, kids give her gifts (e.g., drawings) and they find her funny (she's super silly, which still plays very well at this age...I also think she's hilarious). She will engage with peers in structured activities (e.g., playing soccer or hide and seek) and she'll jump right into games with random kids at gymnastics and play places. However, it seems to be more about keeping herself entertained (e.g., doing the activity that they are doing) rather than the interaction with the kids that she is interested in, and she does not seem interested in interaction for interaction's sake. It is profoundly different from her peers, who all gravitate toward one another. This has always been true with her. If she has her choice, she will play by herself. She has literally never asked about a peer. She has never requested a playdate with a peer. She seems fairly indifferent when we offer playdates with her friends, even though they are begging to see her. She has never given a gift to a peer or expressed an interest in doing so, though she will if you prompt her to (but it really just feels like she is following instructions). She has never talked about liking a peer or missing a peer. She honestly does the same thing with everyone, including my wife and I. There just seems to be a clear dividing line, where she likes the things the person is doing or the things connected to the person (e.g., what they are playing with), but she could kind of take or leave the actual person. It honestly feels like she isn't interested in trying to form friendships - it doesn't seem like she feels peer interaction has much to offer her by itself, which I interpret as low social motivation (i.e., not deriving a ton of reinforcement from social interaction itself). It isn't antisocial, obviously - just like socially neutral. However, I'm afraid I'm just misreading the situation, and what I'm seeing doesn't reflect how she is actually feeling (i.e., she might want friendships but struggle navigating them).
All I care about is supporting her and helping her thrive. I guess my question is: how do you differentiate between low social drive (i.e., not finding peer friendships desirable by themselves) from wanting friendships but being unsure how to navigate social situations in service of attaining/building them? I want to help my daughter build needed skill sets and address areas of needed growth (e.g., social skills), but I don't want to make her feel like there is something wrong with her for not wanting to play with other kids to the same degree they want to play with her and each other. I want her to feel accepted as she is and not pressured into interactions she isn't interested in beyond what is necessary. Most importantly, I just don't want her to be lonely, and I genuinely can't tell if she's lonely or simply not very interested in socializing.
Any insight is so deeply appreciated. Thank you so much!
submitted by hpxb to autism [link] [comments]

2024.05.21 03:34 Firm-Factor2452 Implementation of IEP

How long after the IEP has been signed by parents should implementation occur? I know the law says “as soon as possible,” but here are some scenarios that have happened to my child:
1) Math goal is to solve word problems using assistive technology (text to speech). Services are push in SAI. Two months after agreement, I received a progress report that said “The class has not been working on word problems so no progress can be noted.” Is that normal?
2) It took two months to give my child a Chromebook enabled with text-to-speech and speech-to-text and show her how to use those features. This was required in IEP goals and accommodations and outlined in an assistive technology assessment they provided. My daughter was super stressed out because she couldn’t complete the classwork. When I said the IEP had not been implemented, the school said a “slow introduction” of the accommodations was acceptable. Is that true?
submitted by Firm-Factor2452 to specialed [link] [comments]

2024.05.21 02:43 BasalTripod9684 How often do professors wait this long to put grades in?

The deadline for final grades is tomorrow morning, and I’ve recieved my final grades in all of my classes except for one. My public speaking professor still hasn’t released grades for a lot of work (a speech that was three weeks ago, the outline for that speech, sona credits, and our final exam), and its starting to stress me out. I’ve sent two separate emails, and she said that grades for everything should be released by today (they haven’t, and it’s getting worryingly late).
On the off chance that this is a me-specific issue, and she straight-up forgot to grade my work, what can I do or who can I contact? I don’t think it’s likely, but I want to be prepared.
submitted by BasalTripod9684 to UTK [link] [comments]

2024.05.21 02:29 Ok_Coconut_2560 Noodles

My family has always been of great minds. I hated it. Growing up and having to study day and night to try and live up to them was extremely exhausting when I couldn't care how things worked as long as I was happy. I gave up but somehow everything kept turning out to be true.
Over my lifetime I have become the Gorden Ramsey of the science world. Known for my temper and also for huge things like curing world hunger using play-doe and cancer with baby powder I got in a back street ally while drunk.
To get my family off my back I started making random ideas so they could see me as a failure and leave me alone but...they keep working. And soon people started to praise me. Fame has left me with nothing but more and more attention. So today I plan to make sure that everyone can just think I'm insane and leave me alone and not some king.
I chuckled like a kid who was opening a Christmas present as I heard the crowd of people chatting and talking loudly as I hid behind my stage in a grey tight suit that my sister had picked out. I sighed and was ready to walk out and make a fool out of myself but my brother stopped me.
" Jack... I just want you to know how proud I am of you. Dad would have loved to see you right now. "
I thought it was ironic because last night while chilling on the couch watching TV and eating chips I made this theory up. He dusted off my shoulders held them tight and looked me in the eyes taking in the moment.
" go give them hell man. "
He had a goofy smile just like Dad but spoke with confidence.
" you got it, man. "
I heard my name being called onto the stage and the uproar startled me for a second but I collected myself and headed out after giving him a nod just to entertain him.
The lights were blinding as I grabbed the mic and looked at the table in front of me with a small box with the ingredients I needed and a chalkboard behind me.
After I stood still for a minute the crowd died down. I had not told anyone what I was presenting so the whole world was watching without a clue of what I was doing this time.
"Hello everyone. Today I believe I have my most important presentation yet..."
The crowd grew silent and hung on every word. And I heard my voice around the room through the speakers.
" Today I have with me a box...and inside is spaghetti I had for breakfast. "
The crowd laughed thinking it was a joke
" shut up "
The crowd grew silent once more
"Behind me is a chalkboard and I will now present my new findings to all of you...I have found out how to make portals to other worlds. "
A man in the far back of the audience yelled bullshit in a heavy Indian accent but he was so far it was a faint sound for me. I smiled at that thinking I had finally found something that would make me lose my title and I could go ahead and live a life without people making me feel like an evil man for not helping others.
I opened the box got a handful of the noodles and threw them at the chalkboard. I then grabbed a paper towel on standby to clean myself.
The noodles hit the board and slowly moved and rested on a spot on the board. I made eye contact with my brother backstage and he had a look on his face showing he believed in me.
I spun the board dropping the noodles to the ground I then grabbed the chalk and drew around the sauce and noodles that stuck to the board then drew my attention to the others that had fallen on the floor and drew an outline of that.
After it finished I threw the chalk in the crowd violently hitting an old lady in the face.
" Quickly I want a show of hands who thinks I'm a crazy guy "
Everyone raised their hands and I laughed to myself
I then went behind the board and laid it horizontally. I grabbed a small knife in my pocket and poked my finger with it. The crimson blood fell and hit the chalk and then as more and more blood hit the chalk it started glowing.
" you have got to be joking. "
I said out loud as it started to spark an orange glow and it slowly grew color to the rest of the chalk in orange sparks.
Once the symbol was fully sparking with orange the sauce began to swell and move around in a counterclockwise manner. I stepped away from it in shock as small parts of the blood in my finger began to float to the parts where it fell on the floor I drew my outlines on and started sparking those as well.
It started to smoke and hiss as if lightning could whisper and the orange began to take shape and the sauce made a doorway. The parts that were not on the board began to grow ice around them and started to make designs on the floor circling me and the board. Suddenly it grew in size and a large booming voice was heard through the portal as I felt panic of people start to set in.
A huge claw came out and scrapped the sides of my table trying to crawl out from the world it had been trapped in. Cold winds hit me as they cut my skin and threw around my clothes. As I saw the table was now melting from its touch.
A slimy green claw with mucus like a face-hugger egg from the movie Alien carved through the floor and pulled the rest of its body out slowly. A beast stood at 12 feet tall adjusting to our world as goop grew and shaped its body as people screamed, ran, and stood frozen in fear.
As it looked around it locked its spider-like eyes and swerled around coming out from the portal and twisting and turning around the body as it made its way to its head finding a place to rest. It then locked its eyes with me and its jaw twisted slowly from an ant-like maw to mine and slowly shrunk and it soon took the shape of me and knelt on the floor and spoke to me.
" master. "
I stood in shock as everyone seemed to calm down and watched to see what I would do.
"...umm "My family has always been of great minds. I hated it. Growing up and having to study day and night to try and live up to them was extremely exhausting when I couldn't care how things worked as long as I was happy. I gave up but somehow everything kept turning out to be true.
Over my lifetime I have become the Gorden Ramsey of the science world. Known for my temper and also for huge things like curing world hunger using play-doe and cancer with baby powder I got in a back street ally while drunk.
To get my family off my back I started making random ideas so they could see me as a failure and leave me alone but...they keep working. And soon people started to praise me. Fame has left me with nothing but more and more attention. So today I plan to make sure that everyone can just think I'm insane and leave me alone and not some king.
I chuckled like a kid who was opening a Christmas present as I heard the crowd of people chatting and talking loudly as I hid behind my stage in a grey tight suit that my sister had picked out. I sighed and was ready to walk out and make a fool out of myself but my brother stopped me.
" Jack... I just want you to know how proud I am of you. Dad would have loved to see you right now. "
I thought it was ironic because last night while chilling on the couch watching TV and eating chips I made this theory up. He dusted off my shoulders held them tight and looked me in the eyes taking in the moment.
" go give them hell man. "
He had a goofy smile just like Dad but spoke with confidence.
" you got it, man. "
I heard my name being called onto the stage and the uproar startled me for a second but I collected myself and headed out after giving him a nod just to entertain him.
The lights were blinding as I grabbed the mic and looked at the table in front of me with a small box with the ingredients I needed and a chalkboard behind me.
After I stood still for a minute the crowd died down. I had not told anyone what I was presenting so the whole world was watching without a clue of what I was doing this time.
"Hello everyone. Today I believe I have my most important presentation yet..."
The crowd grew silent and hung on every word. And I heard my voice around the room through the speakers.
" Today I have with me a box...and inside is spaghetti I had breakfast. "
The crowd laughed thinking it was a joke
" shut up "
The crowd grew silent once more
"Behind me is a chalkboard and I will now present my new findings to all of you...I have found out how to make portals to other worlds. "
A man in the far back of the audience yelled bullshit in a heavy Indian accent but he was so far it was a faint sound for me. I smiled at that thinking I had finally found something that would make me lose my title and I could go ahead and live a life without people making me feel like an evil man for not helping others.
I opened the box got a handful of the noodles and threw them at the chalkboard. I then grabbed a paper towel on standby to clean myself.
The noodles hit the board and slowly moved and rested on a spot on the board. I made eye contact with my brother backstage and he had a look on his face showing he believed in me.
I spun the board dropping the noodles to the ground I then grabbed the chalk and drew around the sauce and noodles that stuck to the board then drew my attention to the others that had fallen on the floor and drew an outline of that.
After it finished I threw the chalk in the crowd violently hitting an old lady in the face.
" Quickly I want a show of hands who thinks I'm a crazy guy "
Everyone raised their hands and I laughed to myself
I then went behind the board and laid it horizontally. I grabbed a small knife in my pocket and poked my finger with it. The crimson blood fell and hit the chalk and then as more and more blood hit the chalk it started glowing.
" you have got to be joking. "
I said out loud as it started to spark an orange glow and it slowly grew color to the rest of the chalk in orange sparks.
Once the symbol was fully sparking with orange the sauce began to swell and move around in a counterclockwise manner. I stepped away from it in shock as small parts of the blood in my finger began to float to the parts where it fell on the floor I drew my outlines on and started sparking those as well.
It started to smoke and hiss as if lightning could whisper and the orange began to take shape and the sauce made a doorway. The parts that were not on the board began to grow ice around them and started to make designs on the floor circling me and the board. Suddenly it grew in size and a large booming voice was heard through the portal as I felt panic of people start to set in.
A huge claw came out and scrapped the sides of my table trying to crawl out from the world it had been trapped in. Cold winds hit me as they cut my skin and threw around my clothes. As I saw the table was now melting from its touch.
A slimy green claw with mucus like a face-hugger egg from the movie Alien carved through the floor and pulled the rest of its body out slowly. A beast stood at 12 feet tall adjusting to our world as goop grew and shaped its body as people screamed, ran, and stood frozen in fear.
As it looked around it locked its spider-like eyes and swerled around coming out from the portal and twisting and turning around the body as it made its way to its head finding a place to rest. It then locked its eyes with me and its jaw twisted slowly from an ant-like maw to mine and slowly shrunk and it soon took the shape of me and knelt on the floor and spoke to me.
" master. "
I stood in shock as everyone seemed to calm down and watched to see what I would do.

"...umm "

Part two of the noodle demon.
Now that this creature knelt before me I realized that the room I was in was so terrible quietly you could hear everyone's ass get tight in anticipation of what would happen next.
" ...what...are you. "
I spoke carefully to the being that had taken the shape of myself. It still took my breath away and my throat was dry.
The beast was a deep green. The color mixed with shades of grey streaming from it. The longer I looked at it I could see it getting closer to what I looked like shaping itself.
From small flowing green tendrils to an arm they grew as they twisted and made bone then muscle and finally skin.
It locked eyes with me and it smiled deeply at me. As it formed the face finally.
" Your vassle. "
My eyes had not moved to the crowd at all but even though the lights hit the stage so hard it was enveloped in smoke.
The creature's eyes glowed as it answered brightly, not figuratively. This thing's eyes were glowing.
"To serve you, We are bound by blood magic. I am a reflection of your desires, Master, " it said, its voice now a whisper in my mind.
It began to stand up as my grey suit began to form on it and by the time it stood fully up it had copied what I looked like.
" let me explain everything. "
My body frozen in fear woke up with adrenaline as I blinked and a flash of green smoke covered my vision as he teleported right to me face to face.
Its body turned to smoke and went into the slits of my eyes. I felt visions follow me in my peripheral vision but surprisingly no pain followed power filled me and it felt like one hell of a drug.
My body and mind altered.
I was now in a very dark place with no walls or light except my reflection on the floor which waved like water.
I took a step back looking around and back to the reflection of me on the ground.
Soon the water rippled and my reflection fell through the floor like gravity was inverted. he flew upright and water fell off of him as he looked at me as he now stood straight ahead of me. He was just reflecting in the water but now eyed me down.
Collecting my nerves.
I begin to speak.
" what do you want..."
He was still in my form and stood perfectly straight. Now with water dripping from his...my hair.
Slight stubble with hair that hung down and my hazel eyes were not present within him but I was greeted with a swelling acidic green that doubled the size of my pupil.
" to serve you. "
He made no other movement than putting his hands behind his back like a soldier at ease.
I could not tell if it was lying or not.
" ...is that it? "
" I am the embodiment of your fear desires and brilliance. You have shaped me. Your desire for solitude birthed me. I will aid you in shaping the world how you see fit. Your reality becomes mine. "
There was a slight echo in the room as he spoke.
" wait...where are we "
I questioned haphazardly
" your mind. "
An awkward silence was in the air until I spoke
" so...am I just standing on the stage not making a sound? "
He gave me a concerned look.
" no...time has frozen outside for you. You may sleep here without having to in the real world so to others you look as if you never rest and you may think and plan what to do in battle here. For them, it will be about two seconds...Do...do you not have any knowledge of what I am? "
Suddenly I felt bad like I had encountered someone famous and I had no idea who they were. A slap in the face like a popular kid meeting someone who had never heard of them. Ego shattered.
" ok sorry no. I...don't go around reading about...monsters?"
I felt like was I saying the n-word of the demon realm not knowing if that word was offensive.
He folded his arms a little upset.
"Are you not a warrior? "
" well...no I...just watch TV and cook here and there- "
The demon cut me off
" weak. "
" excuse me? "
" look. I am an immortal being and after a while you get bored. So I'm sorry if I may be a little upset after being bonded with some nobody. "
I got quiet and I was a little annoyed that I was being roasted by some demon that I just met.
Its form wavers and eyes begin to open on its skin. Cheeks forhead etc.
"After being a god for so long it's fun to play with limitations. Makes things extremely exciting. "
" what do you mean by that? "
" look. You can only be so entertained by the same things. Life gets boring and now...you are going to help me with this. I get to have pure entertainment while you get every wish you could ever want. A mutual bond no? "
He then closed his eyes annoyed and the other eyes meshed back to his skin.
" though... the TV is not that interesting...life is what gets the blood pumping"
I felt the need to quickly change the topic
"Are there others like you? "
The room began to take shape very slowly as the water floor turned to wood and walls went around us.
" of course. You may meet them one day "
Confused and curious I pressed.
"Meet them? "
" yes. Summoning one of us is considered a threat to them. "
He spoke while opening and closing his newly found hand except backward.
" hm...no that don't look right "
I quickly responded
" Wait! How is doing that a threat! "
"Well, one doesn't just accidentally Summon one of us to suddenly get powers beyond human control. "
I thought back to how I summoned him by accident with some food I made.
" well...funny story but I summoned you using my breakfast..."
I had never regretted speaking so much as in that moment.
" What... "
Acid dripped from his words. Literally. His pupils split in half and his bottom jaw ripped open like an ant and curved giving sharpness to the bone.
"Please don't kill me. "
The room began to look like a cozy cabin with a fireplace and he slowly went back to normal.
" I would if I could. I've never felt so disrespected. We are bonded by your blood. If you die...I die. "
Suddenly I felt at ease by this new information.
Then a thought came to my mind
" ...God's can die? "
" you did hear me, right? "
The SAS from this guy was unneeded and I was starting to miss him being on his knees as weird as that sounds.
" so...all that power gone.... in an instant... "
" well...no actually God's powers don't just disappear they transfer to whoever killed them...wait...hold up."
He suddenly had an epiphany.
A smile grew on his face and he grabbed my shoulders
" you! You are going to help me kill the other gods! "
He sounded proud but I let him down.
" ha! No. "
" oh come on! Don't be like that. "
He did a pout.
"Look, man. I'm not killing gods for you. Just because you are bored. "
" hey...they might send people to kill you because you bonded with me. "
"What did I ever do to them? "
"They have a system to this stuff. They like to build and watch things play out. You're a problem. That can mess it up. So...they kill ya...to be honest, I don't know any other way to explain it, man. You know people normally just use my power to kill people and become a king and know this already. "
"This is outrageous. "
" bro. Look if you do this I will be able to get their powers and you will be able to do so much more than what I offer "
I tilted my head
" what can you do? Know what never mind. I will just talk to them and figure things out. "
He groaned and his form melted down sagging and it shot back up reforming
"Is there not anything that you want? Anything in the world? Gods don't put themselves in physical forms. They give people power and can make beings to hunt you. And if they care enough to come down themself. Ha, good luck."
I stopped and thought about it trying to weigh the options of pissing off higher beings.
Suddenly. I found something.
"Can you bring back the dead..."
He stopped confused.
" well...no "
" then I don't want anything "
" wait! "
He threw his arms out pleading
"I don't...but another God does..."
He crosses his arms smiling. He had left the question hanging letting me reconsider his offer.
I stopped and thought for a while before looking back up to him.
I let out a sigh and looked him in the eyes
" ok...you are going to help me get my father back. "
The demon smirked.
submitted by Ok_Coconut_2560 to dontmindthis9 [link] [comments]

2024.05.21 02:28 onex7805 Fixing Attack of the Clones as it is, making the already existing concepts and ideas work

This is not a plan for my REDONE project, but just an idea I had while I was rewatching Attack of the Clones and making some changes to Episode 2 REDONE.
A lot of influences and ideas Lucas had for Attack of the Clones were sound: a blooming love story within the political backdrop at the center of the civil war, Palpatine using the war to gain power, Anakin's disillusionment with the ways of the Jedi, a hidden web of conspiracies setting for the war, and Dooku as this Jedi renegade who has defected to the Separatists. It has a lot of cool ideas, which is why frustrating the film fumbles at materializing them.
Aside from the romance between Anakin and Padme, the major failing of Attack of the Clones is that Lucas fails to show the turmoil of people of the galaxy, which would create a condition for Palpatine to rise. It is part of the reason why the politics in this movie is so boring because it doesn't dramatize the politics. Game of Thrones showed the general audience can get into a political epic.
So I decided to make a new outline, one that is faithful to Lucas' vision, ideas, and influences, while fleshing them out to make a more coherent story, also taking some cues from The Empire Strikes Back.
I also borrowed from and built upon the AOTC fixes I have done in the past:
https://old.reddit.com/fixingmovies/comments/qoftgq/in_attack_of_the_clones_padm%C3%A9_should_have_been/
https://old.reddit.com/fixingmovies/comments/z5m5wf/in_the_dooku_duel_in_attack_of_the_clones_obiwan/
Crawl:
The galaxy is falling asunder. Thousands of solar systems have declared their intentions to leave the Galactic Republic to create the CONFEDERACY OF INDEPENDENT SYSTEMS.
This Separatist movement, supported by various conglomerates like the TRADE FEDERATION, mercilessly strikes back the crumbling Republic with the mass-produced Droid Armies.
Senator Amidala, the former Queen of Naboo, is arriving at Alderaan to discuss the critical issue of granting Chancellor Palpatine emergency powers to assist the overwhelmed Jedi....
Alderaan:
The story begins with the right dab in the middle of the massive war that is yet to be called the "Clone Wars". We see Padme Amidala, now a Senator, arriving with her aide Cordé at the beautiful planet of Alderaan. After the Battle of Naboo, Padme Amidala became sort of a star--a prominent voice against the Separatist tyranny--but she is adamant against the Emergency Powers Act. This act is an amendment to the Galactic Constitution, which will grant Palpatine limitless powers, including bypassing the Senate to create a standing army to fight the Separatists. She meets Senator Bail Organa, the representative of Alderaan. Alderaan is a major progressive voting block, and Padme is here to unify the opposition against the constitutional amendment before the Senate votes on it. She has enough clouts and popularity to stop the amendment. Bail agrees with her that the emergency powers could be authoritarian, but he believes in the necessity of a centralized standing army.
As they discuss this matter, with Padme saying, "The day we stop believing democracy can work is the day we lose it", the meeting is adjourned abruptly when a city-wide alert is raised. They look outside to witness the Separatist battle fleet filling the sky, blinding the sunlight, and beginning a massive invasion of Alderaan. We switch to Count Dooku on the Separatist battleship (at this point, we don't see his face and learn his name), who reports to the hologram of his Master Darth Sidious that he has caught Senator Padme Amidala in the basket. Sidious smiles, "Good, good..."
Unknown Planet somewhere in the Outer Rim Territories:
Meanwhile, we switch to the battlefield on the other side of the galaxy. The local planetary military, under the command of the local government, is retreating from the relentless Droid Army. The Republic is continually losing the war, and we see the ineffectiveness of the planetary forces. Here, we see Anakin and Obi-Wan are commanding the withdrawal of their troops. Realizing some of the Republic forces are pinned down and on the verge of annihilation, Anakin disobeys Obi-Wan's orders to go to save the troops alone. In an act of courage, Anakin manages to save the troops and returns. As the Republic forces retreat, Obi-Wan scolds Anakin. With this, we understand Anakin's character--reckless but selflessly cares for his friends--and see his relationship with his Master Obi-Wan.
Obi-Wan is struggling as a Master to Anakin Skywalker. This is because Obi-Wan didn't take Anakin because he has a connection with him. He was entrusted out of obligation and duty for his dead Master Qui-Gon Jinn (whose name does not even get mentioned in the movie). So obviously, it is no wonder their relationship seems broken. Anakin feels attachments and all the emotions the Jedi Code forbids. He thinks Obi-Wan is too strict and cold--only one-minded about missions and duties.
Coruscant:
As the Jedi head to Coruscant, Anakin has a nightmare of her mother Shmi Skywalker. She's still trapped on Tatooine as a slave, and he wonders what happened to her.
Anakin returns to Coruscant to earn a decoration for his service by the Jedi Council. Master Dooku, is seated as one of the prominent members of the Council (so it can be an actual twist when Dooku is later revealed to be a bad guy). He is on good terms with Obi-Wan and Anakin since he was Qui-Gon Jinn's Master. Chancellor Palpatine is here, too, congratulating Anakin for his heroic effort. Palpatine suggests giving Anakin a reward. Anakin asks for a leave to return to Tatooine to see his mother. Much to Anakin's dismay, the Council rejects this on the grounds that the Jedi should let go of their past and attachments. The Jedi, especially Padawans, are strictly under the discipline with no autonomy. They cannot go anywhere they want. Instead, Dooku decides to give Obi-Wan and Anakin a non-combat mission as a prize, which is to find Padme. The Alderaanians are currently unable to reach Padme. Their mission is to find her and bring her back safely.
Regards to the hotly controversial emergency powers, the Jedi Council, like the public, is divided on this issue. Obi-Wan and Dooku are supportive of the amendment. Both show their distaste toward the Senate and the politicians in handling the crisis, "Don't forget she's a politician. They're not to be trusted", "It's been my experience that Senators are only focused on pleasing those who fund their campaigns... and they are more than willing to forget the niceties of democracy to get those funds". This is why they are shown to be very much supportive of Palpatine's controversial policies that can be perceived as authoritarian. Palpatine gets stuff done. In contrast, Anakin is apolitical--he never cared about politics.
Alderaan:
Anakin and Obi-Wan depart to a ravaged Alderaan. The battle is ongoing, and the Alderaanian forces seem to be unable to beat back the Droid Army. Here, the Jedi meet Senator Bail Organa for the first time, who is overseeing the Alderaanian forces. The battle resembles the Civil War battle from The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, in which both sides are dug in the trenches and unable to penetrate each other's defense line. Bail informs the Jedi that Padme's emergency powers talk was held in Aldera in ruins, currently occupied by the Separatists, and she would be stuck there--under their captive or hidden out of the enemy sight. The Separatists are entrenched in Aldera--a city protected by a massive energy shield. Bail informs the Jedi that they are on schedule and under their continued bombardment of the city, the enemy shields would be overwhelmed in a further month. Both Jedi are stunned, but they have no choice.
In the enemy stronghold in Aldera, we quickly learn why Dooku gave the assignment to find Padme to Anakin and Obi-Wan. It's because the Separatists are unable to find Padme, who seemingly has disappeared. If she had been rescued by the Republic, she would be on the news, which means she is still somewhere in Aldera. Dooku reports to the hologram of his Master that he cannot find Padme. Dooku is then Force-choked by his Master. Dooku pleads to his Master, promising him that he will get her.
Meanwhile, the Alderaanian troops watch the HoloNet broadcast of the current Senate session. As a major progressive voting block, Alderaanians and Senator Bail Organa used to be against granting emergency powers to the Chancellor, but this invasion has changed their mind. Palpatine has firmly established himself as a wartime Chancellor. Through the hologram, Bail Organa gives a speech in favor of the amendment and votes for it, which sways the rest of the Senate to his side. The amendment has passed. Palpatine says, "I love democracy. I love the Republic. Once this crisis has abated, I will lay down the powers you have given me!"
Meanwhile, a week has passed, and the trench warfare is ongoing. In Aldera, Corde--Padme's body double--is helping Padme hide in the underground subway tunnel. Corde leaves to get her more food and water but is then caught by the droids. The droids present her to Dooku. Corde is shocked to find that Jedi Master Dooku is the leader of the Separatist movement Dooku raises his hands and unleashes the Force lightning to torture her to open her mouth to locate Padme.
The newly created "Grand Army of the Republic" has arrived at Alderaan, wearing shining white armor. They are welcomed enthusiastically by the Alderaanian forces. Obi-Wan is surprised that the standing army has already been dispatched to warfare, so he tries to talk with them, but they seem... "different".
Anakin arrives, bearing "lunch", a cloth full of live insects and worms, which he casually reports he got from inside the CIS base after discovering an underground entrance into the city, running through the sewers beneath the protective shield. Obi-Wan scolds Anakin for being reckless. While the new Republic army installs the even more powerful cannons to bombard of the shield above ground, Anakin guides Obi-Wan the way through the sewers and into the underground levels of the city. Obi-Wan suspects Padme is dead at this point, but Anakin can sense her, due to the strong bond they formed during The Phantom Menace--he can feel she is holding his japor snippet tight. From there, they make their way to the shield generator chamber. Anakin wants to fight the droids, but Obi-Wan stops him. Obi-Wan simply blows up the shield generator by using small spherical bombs and pointing out that there are alternatives to fighting. With the shield down, the white-armored Republic troopers begin a full-scale attack on the city.
As Corde finally confesses to Dooku where Padme is hiding, the droids rush in to inform Dooku that the shield is deactivated. Dooku orders the droids to go after Padme while hurrying to flee.
The battle of Aldera is chaotic. The Republic troopers are aggressive and far more competent than the local planetary forces, dispatching the battle droids. Anakin rushes into the Separatist-ran POW camp alone to search for Padme. Instead, he finds a dying Cordé. She apologizes to Anakin, disheartened in thinking she had failed her duty to her mistress. She tells Padme is hiding in the underground subway tunnel of Aldera, and in her last grasp, tells him that Dooku is behind the Separatists. Anakin initially does not believe her, but there is no time to go and tell Obi-Wan about this. Anakin races to the underground tunnel. While Obi-Wan is looking for Anakin, he stumbles on the two corpses of the Republic troopers, whose helmets are cracked. He takes a closer look and discovers that these troopers have identical faces.
Anakin finds Padme, who has been hiding all these years. At first, she doesn't recognize him, for he has grown so much. Anakin is glad that she kept her word about keeping his japor snippet. However, the battle droids are rushing into the tunnel, and they both flee. Obi-Wan comes to rescue them. When Anakin is about to inform him of the last words of Padme's body double, "Master" Dooku is standing alongside Obi-Wan, listening to Anakin. Dooku asks him to hand Padme over to him. Anakin refuses, saying that he will be the one taking her to Coruscant. Obi-Wan allows him, for Anakin has been missing Padme for a long time. Anakin and Padme board his ship and leave Alderaan in haste.
Obi-Wan turns to Dooku to inform him that all Republic troopers are clones. Dooku pretends to be surprised. Bail suggests looking into Kamino--the civilization highly proficient in cloning technology.
Coruscant:
This is where Anakin and Obi-Wan's storylines diverge in two. Obi-Wan and Dooku arrive at Coruscant and visit the Archives. Kamino doesn't show up in any data. Dooku says, "If an item does not appear in our records, it does not exist!" Dooku heads off, and Obi-Wan is not satisfied.
Obi-Wan visits Yoda currently training Younglings. The scene goes the same as the film's, except at the end, Master Dooku barges into the room and says Anakin has still yet to be returned to Coruscant with Padme. Yoda predicts Anakin must have gone to Tatooine. Obi-Wan is frustrated with his apprentice, complaining that Anakin is too reckless and refuses to obey his command.
Obi-Wan: "I realize now what you and Master Yoda knew from the beginning... the boy was too old to start the training and..."
Yoda: "Obi-Wan, have faith that take the right path he will."
Yoda surprisingly asks Obi-Wan to trust his apprentice rather than control him. This makes Obi-Wan rethink his relationship. In order to bridge the relationship between Anakin and Obi-Wan, Obi-Wan's arc is that he must see Anakin as a man and respect him. Obi-Wan forms a connection with him by understanding Anakin's point of view ("What I told you was true, from a certain point of view."). Obi-Wan realizes maybe the Jedi Code is too rigid, and a sense of duties and obligation alone can't make one a great Jedi. This character arc lends well to The Clone Wars TV series and Revenge of the Sith, in which Obi-Wan evolved into a more quippy, light-hearted character who has a drastically different personality from TPM and AOTC. Both Anakin and Obi-Wan would become more understanding of each other, and as a result, their clash at Mustafar becomes more heartwrenching.
Anyway, Yoda orders Obi-Wan to go to Kamino to investigate the Clone Army. Dooku, learning where Padme has gone, smiles. He contacts and sends his army of bounty hunters to Tatooine. Jango Fett is not the only bounty hunter Dooku hired. Dooku orders them to use Anakin's mother Shmi Skywalker as bait.
Kamino:
From here, Obi-Wan's plotline is pretty much identical to the film's. He investigates Kamino, learns it was the Jedi Master who ordered the creation of the clone army for the Republic to prepare for the war, figures out that the bounty hunter Jango Fett is the genetic template for the clones, then Obi-Wan fights and chases him to Geonosis.
Geonosis:
There, Obi-Wan discovers Dooku in the middle of the conversation with the Separatist leaders. He realizes Dooku is the true mastermind of the Separatist Confederacy, and the new Separatist army is amassing to attack the Republic systems.
Tatooine:
For Anakin's co-occurring storyline, it is also largely similar. Anakin and Padme discuss politics and democracy, and Padme's ideals. Anakin sees politics as a simple matter, "That sounds an awful lot like a dictatorship to me", "Well, if it works...", as well as discussing Anakin's frustration with the Jedi Code. Anakin hates the Separatists because the slaver guilds have allied themselves to the Confederacy. Anakin keeps having a nightmare of her mother, and now she is dying in his dream.
Later, Padme awakes to find out that the ship has landed on Tatooine, not Coruscant. She is upset and argues with Anakin. He lied to her. He finally reveals what he learned about Dooku and says Tatooine is the safest location. Anakin believes the Jedi Council is compromised and can't trust it anymore, though Padme knows that is not the only reason. It is partially for Anakin to meet his mother again. His former owner Watto reveals that he sold Shmi to a moisture farmer named Cliegg Lars, who then freed and married her. They then get the Lars family, who tell Anakin that the Tusken raiders have abducted Shmi just recently. Padme allows him to leave her and track down the Tuskens, for she will be safe under the guard of the Lars family.
Anakin locates the campsite where one of Dooku's bounty hunters, having paid the Tuskens to kidnap Shmi, is torturing her in a tent. When the bounty hunter leaves, Anakin frees Shmi, who dies in his arms. The bounty hunter returns to the tent and is quickly apprehended by an enraged Anakin. Anakin "forces" him to make him confess who hired him. The bounty hunter says it is Dooku, and Anakin kills him after confirming his suspicion. Hearing the noise, the Tusken raiders surround the tent. Anakin massacres the entire tribe. Now, Anakin has personal stakes in defeating Dooku, and facing him is crucial in Anakin's arc in the story, unlike how he had no idea who Dooku even was in the film.
Anakin returns to the Lars homestead and finds out that the Lars family is held hostage by Dooku's bounty hunters. Anakin fights the bounty hunters to free Owen and Beau, but Cliegg is murdered. Despite Anakin's best efforts, the bounty hunters escape Tatooine with Padme to Geonosis. Anakin feels guilty about forsaking his duty and leaving her to the homestead.
Anakin races back to his ship, on which Anakin receives the message from Obi-Wan warning the Republic and the Council about Dooku and the imminent Separatist attack on the Republic. Anakin contacts the Council about what happened to Padme. Mace Windu orders Anakin to return to Coruscant. Don't do anything out of impulse. The Council will take care of it. Trust in the Council's judgment. Here, Anakin is facing two paths. Be a good, little, nice Jedi, and follow the Council's order, or chase after Dooku to save Padme and Obi-Wan. This is the point at which Anakin tests his resolve. Anakin makes a decision to go against the Jedi code (Attachment is forbidden) and get to Geonosis alone.
Geonosis:
Obi-Wan is held captive while Dooku comes along. Instead of Dooku revealing there is a Dark Lord of the Sith controlling the Republic (there is no reason for Dooku to spill the beans here), the confrontation with Dooku forces Obi-Wan to grow out of Qui-Gon Jinn's death. He should face the fact that his Master's Master has turned to the dark side because of the strict Jedi Code and the Republic's corruption. After all, Obi-Wan investigated the clone army, which was apparently commissioned by a member of the Jedi Council. And then the Republic will use the clone army--this immoral slave force--in the war. Then Dooku persuades Obi-Wan to join him. They both agree that they are dissatisfied with the ways the Republic and the Jedi Order handle things, so maybe Obi-Wan can see Dooku's point of view. Dooku should be a personification of what Anakin COULD become, concerning Obi-Wan that Anakin can succumb to the same fate as Dooku. This motivates Obi-Wan to gain some understanding with his apprentice Anakin.
From this point, the story is nearly identical to the movie. Anakin fights the Geonosians in the factory but also gets captured. Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Padme are pushed to the execution arena (don't have Anakin and Padme kiss here) and fight the beasts. The Jedi Knights arrive to rescue.
Here's the crucial difference. Instead of Padmé safely boarding the gunships and escaping the arena battle with the Jedi and the clones, she gets captured by Dooku during the arena fight. Dooku holds Padmé as a hostage and announces it to the Jedi, stopping the arena battle. Dooku says he will kill her if the Jedi continue resisting. Anakin insists they should surrender, however, all the Jedi glance at each other and arrive at the same conclusion: they will fight. This fuels Anakin's resentment toward the Jedi.
At the last moment, the clones arrive, blasting and destroying the battle droids. Dooku takes Padmé and flees. He has another idea of what to do with her. The clones and the Jedi escape, and the Battle of Geonosis begins. Now, there are personal character-related stakes for Anakin. Anakin is adamant about chasing Dooku from the start of the battle. The battle is now an obstacle for Anakin to catch up with Dooku, blocking the gunship's path. Instead of the conflict between Anakin and Obi-Wan on the gunship being "stop the gunship to rescue Padmé fell on the desert", which ends up pointless in the story, now, the conflict is that Obi-Wan believes this is a trap to lure Anakin. Obi-Wan shouts at Anakin not to follow Dooku. But angered by the other Jedi's lack of care for Padmé during the arena fight, Anakin ignores his warning and heads to rescue Padmé alone.
Catching up to Dooku in the hangar, Anakin finds that Dooku is holding Padme captive. Dooku taunts Anakin by holding Padme in the air with the Force choke, which echoes what Anakin does to Padmé in Revenge of the Sith. Now, Anakin's rashed charge at Dooku makes more sense because there is a clearer trigger for Anakin to act this way. Dooku hurls Padmé away, and the lightsaber fight commences. During the duel, Dooku reveals that he is the one who ordered to torture of his mother. Anakin gets all the more angry and impulsive, and predictably, gets his hand chopped off.
Instead of Yoda arriving late to save Anakin, it should have been Obi-Wan arriving late. In the movie, you get a supposedly "Master versus Apprentice" dialogue between the two, and you don't feel anything because you don't even know Dooku was Yoda's apprentice beforehand. Yoda vs Dooku was not built up, but Obi-Wan vs Dooku was built up. This is a student of the student going against the old Master, and these two characters having the dialogue makes more sense.
The fighting between Obi-Wan and Dooku is fierce but cut short when Dooku brings down a pillar over Anakin, forcing Obi-Wan to break off his attack to save him. Dooku then moves to his escape ship, forcing Obi-Wan to make a choice: a mission--that is stopping Dooku and ending the entire Clone Wars--or Anakin's life. Sacrificing a few to save the many. Although Obi-Wan should pick the first option as a Jedi Knight of the Republic, he eventually chooses Anakin's life. Dooku escapes.
Coruscant:
After the battle, Dooku arrives at Coruscant to meet Sidious as in the film, but Dooku reports one more thing to Sidious. He says that Anakin has fallen to the dark side for the girl.
Coruscant is currently holding a massive military parade through the city, resembling Roman Triumph, to celebrate the victory over Geonosis, while Palpatine is publically revealing the existence of the clone army. The citizens love Palpatine and see the hope that the Republic might win the war. The Jedi will also join the parade, with each Knight leading a battalion of clone troopers.
Preparing to be part of the parade, Anakin and Obi-Wan, for the first time in the story, have a heart-to-heart conversation, not a rigid Master-Student lecture. Anakin realizes he has been too reckless. His brash act of confronting Dooku alone costs him his arm and he apologizes to Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan then gives some respect to Anakin, for he has successfully protected Padme. In a way, Obi-Wan and Anakin go through the opposite character arcs. Obi-Wan changes from someone who supports Palpatine and, as he discovers the hidden conspiracies, to someone who is now against him and his emergency powers. Anakin, after witnessing what Dooku has done to his mother, is now looking for blood and vengeance against the Separatists--staunchly supporting more authoritarian measures to fight the war. This change goes alongside Anakin's embrace of more radical emotions.
Before Anakin and Obi-Wan depart to join the parade, Obi-Wan senses love between Anakin and Padme. Secretly, Padme kisses Anakin for the first time (No marriage as it comes across as too abrupt at this point).
As the Jedi march alongside the clone troopers, Obi-Wan secretly discusses with his Masters in the line his finding that it was likely Dooku who ordered the creation of the clone army for the Republic. Yoda and Mace Windu warn them to not reveal this secret to anyone else. They discuss if Dooku is the mysterious Sith Lord (Maul's Master) they were looking for... or maybe Dooku is the new apprentice of this mysterious Sith Lord. If there is another Sith Lord, he could be residing within the Republic's power structure. They found themselves fighting another war inside the Republic.
Palpatine oversees the parade from the top, while the citizens of the Republic cheer. Anakin gladly pledges his loyalty to the most powerful Chancellor in history, while Padme watches the parade with visible frustration as her efforts to stop Palpatine's emergency powers have utterly failed.
I tried to keep the general story elements the same. I focused on fixing what was already in the story rather than discarding it. I fleshed out the characters to be more active and get to have more choices in the decisions. The politics are more integrated into the character drama rather than being in the background. The character arcs for Anakin and Obi-Wan are clearer, with the climax concluding each arc. Instead of Anakin and Padme hiding on Naboo and just playing the patty cake for half of the film, the story is more aggressive and focuses on the war itself. Dooku's concept is utilized to the fullest as he manipulates the Jedi from within and firmly establishes him as Anakin's arch-villain. Padmé falling in love with Anakin makes more sense because she sees how far Anakin is willing to go to save her, especially in the climax. Anakin earns her love, not handed out to him. The romance is constantly developing to the end.
The qualm with the outline is how Anakin finds Padme in Aldera. Dooku sends Anakin and Obi-Wan to Alderaan so that they can find her for Dooku, only for Dooku to go to Alderaan himself and torture Padme's body double to learn about where Padme is. Dooku sending the Jedi then becomes pointless anyway. Another problem is that Padme only meets Anakin at the midpoint, so she doesn't interact with Anakin all that much, and the relationship doesn't get enough time and development.
Aside from those issues, I found the final outline to be more satisfying and tighter in my Episode 2 REDONE. Maybe sometime later someone would do a full rewrite treatment based on this outline lol.
submitted by onex7805 to RewritingThePrequels [link] [comments]

2024.05.21 02:11 onex7805 Fixing Attack of the Clones as it is, making the already existing concepts and ideas work

This is not a plan for my REDONE project, but just an idea I had while I was rewatching Attack of the Clones and making some changes to Episode 2 REDONE.
A lot of influences and ideas Lucas had for Attack of the Clones were sound: a blooming love story within the political backdrop at the center of the civil war, Palpatine using the war to gain power, Anakin's disillusionment with the ways of the Jedi, a hidden web of conspiracies setting for the war, and Dooku as this Jedi renegade who has defected to the Separatists. It has a lot of cool ideas, which is why frustrating the film fumbles at materializing them.
Aside from the romance between Anakin and Padme, the major failing of Attack of the Clones is that Lucas fails to show the turmoil of people of the galaxy, which would create a condition for Palpatine to rise. It is part of the reason why the politics in this movie is so boring because it doesn't dramatize the politics. Game of Thrones showed the general audience can get into a political epic.
So I decided to make a new outline, one that is faithful to Lucas' vision, ideas, and influences, while fleshing them out to make a more coherent story, also taking some cues from The Empire Strikes Back.
I also borrowed from and built upon the AOTC fixes I have done in the past:
https://old.reddit.com/fixingmovies/comments/qoftgq/in_attack_of_the_clones_padm%C3%A9_should_have_been/
https://old.reddit.com/fixingmovies/comments/z5m5wf/in_the_dooku_duel_in_attack_of_the_clones_obiwan/
Crawl:
The galaxy is falling asunder. Thousands of solar systems have declared their intentions to leave the Galactic Republic to create the CONFEDERACY OF INDEPENDENT SYSTEMS.
This Separatist movement, supported by various conglomerates like the TRADE FEDERATION, mercilessly strikes back the crumbling Republic with the mass-produced Droid Armies.
Senator Amidala, the former Queen of Naboo, is arriving at Alderaan to discuss the critical issue of granting Chancellor Palpatine emergency powers to assist the overwhelmed Jedi....
Alderaan:
The story begins with the right dab in the middle of the massive war that is yet to be called the "Clone Wars". We see Padme Amidala, now a Senator, arriving with her aide Cordé at the beautiful planet of Alderaan. After the Battle of Naboo, Padme Amidala became sort of a star--a prominent voice against the Separatist tyranny--but she is adamant against the Emergency Powers Act. This act is an amendment to the Galactic Constitution, which will grant Palpatine limitless powers, including bypassing the Senate to create a standing army to fight the Separatists. She meets Senator Bail Organa, the representative of Alderaan. Alderaan is a major progressive voting block, and Padme is here to unify the opposition against the constitutional amendment before the Senate votes on it. She has enough clouts and popularity to stop the amendment. Bail agrees with her that the emergency powers could be authoritarian, but he believes in the necessity of a centralized standing army.
As they discuss this matter, with Padme saying, "The day we stop believing democracy can work is the day we lose it", the meeting is adjourned abruptly when a city-wide alert is raised. They look outside to witness the Separatist battle fleet filling the sky, blinding the sunlight, and beginning a massive invasion of Alderaan. We switch to Count Dooku on the Separatist battleship (at this point, we don't see his face and learn his name), who reports to the hologram of his Master Darth Sidious that he has caught Senator Padme Amidala in the basket. Sidious smiles, "Good, good..."
Unknown Planet somewhere in the Outer Rim Territories:
Meanwhile, we switch to the battlefield on the other side of the galaxy. The local planetary military, under the command of the local government, is retreating from the relentless Droid Army. The Republic is continually losing the war, and we see the ineffectiveness of the planetary forces. Here, we see Anakin and Obi-Wan are commanding the withdrawal of their troops. Realizing some of the Republic forces are pinned down and on the verge of annihilation, Anakin disobeys Obi-Wan's orders to go to save the troops alone. In an act of courage, Anakin manages to save the troops and returns. As the Republic forces retreat, Obi-Wan scolds Anakin. With this, we understand Anakin's character--reckless but selflessly cares for his friends--and see his relationship with his Master Obi-Wan.
Obi-Wan is struggling as a Master to Anakin Skywalker. This is because Obi-Wan didn't take Anakin because he has a connection with him. He was entrusted out of obligation and duty for his dead Master Qui-Gon Jinn (whose name does not even get mentioned in the movie). So obviously, it is no wonder their relationship seems broken. Anakin feels attachments and all the emotions the Jedi Code forbids. He thinks Obi-Wan is too strict and cold--only one-minded about missions and duties.
Coruscant:
As the Jedi head to Coruscant, Anakin has a nightmare of her mother Shmi Skywalker. She's still trapped on Tatooine as a slave, and he wonders what happened to her.
Anakin returns to Coruscant to earn a decoration for his service by the Jedi Council. Master Dooku, is seated as one of the prominent members of the Council (so it can be an actual twist when Dooku is later revealed to be a bad guy). He is on good terms with Obi-Wan and Anakin since he was Qui-Gon Jinn's Master. Chancellor Palpatine is here, too, congratulating Anakin for his heroic effort. Palpatine suggests giving Anakin a reward. Anakin asks for a leave to return to Tatooine to see his mother. Much to Anakin's dismay, the Council rejects this on the grounds that the Jedi should let go of their past and attachments. The Jedi, especially Padawans, are strictly under the discipline with no autonomy. They cannot go anywhere they want. Instead, Dooku decides to give Obi-Wan and Anakin a non-combat mission as a prize, which is to find Padme. The Alderaanians are currently unable to reach Padme. Their mission is to find her and bring her back safely.
Regards to the hotly controversial emergency powers, the Jedi Council, like the public, is divided on this issue. Obi-Wan and Dooku are supportive of the amendment. Both show their distaste toward the Senate and the politicians in handling the crisis, "Don't forget she's a politician. They're not to be trusted", "It's been my experience that Senators are only focused on pleasing those who fund their campaigns... and they are more than willing to forget the niceties of democracy to get those funds". This is why they are shown to be very much supportive of Palpatine's controversial policies that can be perceived as authoritarian. Palpatine gets stuff done. In contrast, Anakin is apolitical--he never cared about politics.
Alderaan:
Anakin and Obi-Wan depart to a ravaged Alderaan. The battle is ongoing, and the Alderaanian forces seem to be unable to beat back the Droid Army. Here, the Jedi meet Senator Bail Organa for the first time, who is overseeing the Alderaanian forces. The battle resembles the Civil War battle from The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, in which both sides are dug in the trenches and unable to penetrate each other's defense line. Bail informs the Jedi that Padme's emergency powers talk was held in Aldera in ruins, currently occupied by the Separatists, and she would be stuck there--under their captive or hidden out of the enemy sight. The Separatists are entrenched in Aldera--a city protected by a massive energy shield. Bail informs the Jedi that they are on schedule and under their continued bombardment of the city, the enemy shields would be overwhelmed in a further month. Both Jedi are stunned, but they have no choice.
In the enemy stronghold in Aldera, we quickly learn why Dooku gave the assignment to find Padme to Anakin and Obi-Wan. It's because the Separatists are unable to find Padme, who seemingly has disappeared. If she had been rescued by the Republic, she would be on the news, which means she is still somewhere in Aldera. Dooku reports to the hologram of his Master that he cannot find Padme. Dooku is then Force-choked by his Master. Dooku pleads to his Master, promising him that he will get her.
Meanwhile, the Alderaanian troops watch the HoloNet broadcast of the current Senate session. As a major progressive voting block, Alderaanians and Senator Bail Organa used to be against granting emergency powers to the Chancellor, but this invasion has changed their mind. Palpatine has firmly established himself as a wartime Chancellor. Through the hologram, Bail Organa gives a speech in favor of the amendment and votes for it, which sways the rest of the Senate to his side. The amendment has passed. Palpatine says, "I love democracy. I love the Republic. Once this crisis has abated, I will lay down the powers you have given me!"
Meanwhile, a week has passed, and the trench warfare is ongoing. In Aldera, Corde--Padme's body double--is helping Padme hide in the underground subway tunnel. Corde leaves to get her more food and water but is then caught by the droids. The droids present her to Dooku. Corde is shocked to find that Jedi Master Dooku is the leader of the Separatist movement Dooku raises his hands and unleashes the Force lightning to torture her to open her mouth to locate Padme.
The newly created "Grand Army of the Republic" has arrived at Alderaan, wearing shining white armor. They are welcomed enthusiastically by the Alderaanian forces. Obi-Wan is surprised that the standing army has already been dispatched to warfare, so he tries to talk with them, but they seem... "different".
Anakin arrives, bearing "lunch", a cloth full of live insects and worms, which he casually reports he got from inside the CIS base after discovering an underground entrance into the city, running through the sewers beneath the protective shield. Obi-Wan scolds Anakin for being reckless. While the new Republic army installs the even more powerful cannons to bombard of the shield above ground, Anakin guides Obi-Wan the way through the sewers and into the underground levels of the city. Obi-Wan suspects Padme is dead at this point, but Anakin can sense her, due to the strong bond they formed during The Phantom Menace--he can feel she is holding his japor snippet tight. From there, they make their way to the shield generator chamber. Anakin wants to fight the droids, but Obi-Wan stops him. Obi-Wan simply blows up the shield generator by using small spherical bombs and pointing out that there are alternatives to fighting. With the shield down, the white-armored Republic troopers begin a full-scale attack on the city.
As Corde finally confesses to Dooku where Padme is hiding, the droids rush in to inform Dooku that the shield is deactivated. Dooku orders the droids to go after Padme while hurrying to flee.
The battle of Aldera is chaotic. The Republic troopers are aggressive and far more competent than the local planetary forces, dispatching the battle droids. Anakin rushes into the Separatist-ran POW camp alone to search for Padme. Instead, he finds a dying Cordé. She apologizes to Anakin, disheartened in thinking she had failed her duty to her mistress. She tells Padme is hiding in the underground subway tunnel of Aldera, and in her last grasp, tells him that Dooku is behind the Separatists. Anakin initially does not believe her, but there is no time to go and tell Obi-Wan about this. Anakin races to the underground tunnel. While Obi-Wan is looking for Anakin, he stumbles on the two corpses of the Republic troopers, whose helmets are cracked. He takes a closer look and discovers that these troopers have identical faces.
Anakin finds Padme, who has been hiding all these years. At first, she doesn't recognize him, for he has grown so much. Anakin is glad that she kept her word about keeping his japor snippet. However, the battle droids are rushing into the tunnel, and they both flee. Obi-Wan comes to rescue them. When Anakin is about to inform him of the last words of Padme's body double, "Master" Dooku is standing alongside Obi-Wan, listening to Anakin. Dooku asks him to hand Padme over to him. Anakin refuses, saying that he will be the one taking her to Coruscant. Obi-Wan allows him, for Anakin has been missing Padme for a long time. Anakin and Padme board his ship and leave Alderaan in haste.
Obi-Wan turns to Dooku to inform him that all Republic troopers are clones. Dooku pretends to be surprised. Bail suggests looking into Kamino--the civilization highly proficient in cloning technology.
Coruscant:
This is where Anakin and Obi-Wan's storylines diverge in two. Obi-Wan and Dooku arrive at Coruscant and visit the Archives. Kamino doesn't show up in any data. Dooku says, "If an item does not appear in our records, it does not exist!" Dooku heads off, and Obi-Wan is not satisfied.
Obi-Wan visits Yoda currently training Younglings. The scene goes the same as the film's, except at the end, Master Dooku barges into the room and says Anakin has still yet to be returned to Coruscant with Padme. Yoda predicts Anakin must have gone to Tatooine. Obi-Wan is frustrated with his apprentice, complaining that Anakin is too reckless and refuses to obey his command.
Obi-Wan: "I realize now what you and Master Yoda knew from the beginning... the boy was too old to start the training and..."
Yoda: "Obi-Wan, have faith that take the right path he will."
Yoda surprisingly asks Obi-Wan to trust his apprentice rather than control him. This makes Obi-Wan rethink his relationship. In order to bridge the relationship between Anakin and Obi-Wan, Obi-Wan's arc is that he must see Anakin as a man and respect him. Obi-Wan forms a connection with him by understanding Anakin's point of view ("What I told you was true, from a certain point of view."). Obi-Wan realizes maybe the Jedi Code is too rigid, and a sense of duties and obligation alone can't make one a great Jedi. This character arc lends well to The Clone Wars TV series and Revenge of the Sith, in which Obi-Wan evolved into a more quippy, light-hearted character who has a drastically different personality from TPM and AOTC. Both Anakin and Obi-Wan would become more understanding of each other, and as a result, their clash at Mustafar becomes more heartwrenching.
Anyway, Yoda orders Obi-Wan to go to Kamino to investigate the Clone Army. Dooku, learning where Padme has gone, smiles. He contacts and sends his army of bounty hunters to Tatooine. Jango Fett is not the only bounty hunter Dooku hired. Dooku orders them to use Anakin's mother Shmi Skywalker as bait.
Kamino:
From here, Obi-Wan's plotline is pretty much identical to the film's. He investigates Kamino, learns it was the Jedi Master who ordered the creation of the clone army for the Republic to prepare for the war, figures out that the bounty hunter Jango Fett is the genetic template for the clones, then Obi-Wan fights and chases him to Geonosis.
Geonosis:
There, Obi-Wan discovers Dooku in the middle of the conversation with the Separatist leaders. He realizes Dooku is the true mastermind of the Separatist Confederacy, and the new Separatist army is amassing to attack the Republic systems.
Tatooine:
For Anakin's co-occurring storyline, it is also largely similar. Anakin and Padme discuss politics and democracy, and Padme's ideals. Anakin sees politics as a simple matter, "That sounds an awful lot like a dictatorship to me", "Well, if it works...", as well as discussing Anakin's frustration with the Jedi Code. Anakin hates the Separatists because the slaver guilds have allied themselves to the Confederacy. Anakin keeps having a nightmare of her mother, and now she is dying in his dream.
Later, Padme awakes to find out that the ship has landed on Tatooine, not Coruscant. She is upset and argues with Anakin. He lied to her. He finally reveals what he learned about Dooku and says Tatooine is the safest location. Anakin believes the Jedi Council is compromised and can't trust it anymore, though Padme knows that is not the only reason. It is partially for Anakin to meet his mother again. His former owner Watto reveals that he sold Shmi to a moisture farmer named Cliegg Lars, who then freed and married her. They then get the Lars family, who tell Anakin that the Tusken raiders have abducted Shmi just recently. Padme allows him to leave her and track down the Tuskens, for she will be safe under the guard of the Lars family.
Anakin locates the campsite where one of Dooku's bounty hunters, having paid the Tuskens to kidnap Shmi, is torturing her in a tent. When the bounty hunter leaves, Anakin frees Shmi, who dies in his arms. The bounty hunter returns to the tent and is quickly apprehended by an enraged Anakin. Anakin "forces" him to make him confess who hired him. The bounty hunter says it is Dooku, and Anakin kills him after confirming his suspicion. Hearing the noise, the Tusken raiders surround the tent. Anakin massacres the entire tribe. Now, Anakin has personal stakes in defeating Dooku, and facing him is crucial in Anakin's arc in the story, unlike how he had no idea who Dooku even was in the film.
Anakin returns to the Lars homestead and finds out that the Lars family is held hostage by Dooku's bounty hunters. Anakin fights the bounty hunters to free Owen and Beau, but Cliegg is murdered. Despite Anakin's best efforts, the bounty hunters escape Tatooine with Padme to Geonosis. Anakin feels guilty about forsaking his duty and leaving her to the homestead.
Anakin races back to his ship, on which Anakin receives the message from Obi-Wan warning the Republic and the Council about Dooku and the imminent Separatist attack on the Republic. Anakin contacts the Council about what happened to Padme. Mace Windu orders Anakin to return to Coruscant. Don't do anything out of impulse. The Council will take care of it. Trust in the Council's judgment. Here, Anakin is facing two paths. Be a good, little, nice Jedi, and follow the Council's order, or chase after Dooku to save Padme and Obi-Wan. This is the point at which Anakin tests his resolve. Anakin makes a decision to go against the Jedi code (Attachment is forbidden) and get to Geonosis alone.
Geonosis:
Obi-Wan is held captive while Dooku comes along. Instead of Dooku revealing there is a Dark Lord of the Sith controlling the Republic (there is no reason for Dooku to spill the beans here), the confrontation with Dooku forces Obi-Wan to grow out of Qui-Gon Jinn's death. He should face the fact that his Master's Master has turned to the dark side because of the strict Jedi Code and the Republic's corruption. After all, Obi-Wan investigated the clone army, which was apparently commissioned by a member of the Jedi Council. And then the Republic will use the clone army--this immoral slave force--in the war. Then Dooku persuades Obi-Wan to join him. They both agree that they are dissatisfied with the ways the Republic and the Jedi Order handle things, so maybe Obi-Wan can see Dooku's point of view. Dooku should be a personification of what Anakin COULD become, concerning Obi-Wan that Anakin can succumb to the same fate as Dooku. This motivates Obi-Wan to gain some understanding with his apprentice Anakin.
From this point, the story is nearly identical to the movie. Anakin fights the Geonosians in the factory but also gets captured. Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Padme are pushed to the execution arena (don't have Anakin and Padme kiss here) and fight the beasts. The Jedi Knights arrive to rescue.
Here's the crucial difference. Instead of Padmé safely boarding the gunships and escaping the arena battle with the Jedi and the clones, she gets captured by Dooku during the arena fight. Dooku holds Padmé as a hostage and announces it to the Jedi, stopping the arena battle. Dooku says he will kill her if the Jedi continue resisting. Anakin insists they should surrender, however, all the Jedi glance at each other and arrive at the same conclusion: they will fight. This fuels Anakin's resentment toward the Jedi.
At the last moment, the clones arrive, blasting and destroying the battle droids. Dooku takes Padmé and flees. He has another idea of what to do with her. The clones and the Jedi escape, and the Battle of Geonosis begins. Now, there are personal character-related stakes for Anakin. Anakin is adamant about chasing Dooku from the start of the battle. The battle is now an obstacle for Anakin to catch up with Dooku, blocking the gunship's path. Instead of the conflict between Anakin and Obi-Wan on the gunship being "stop the gunship to rescue Padmé fell on the desert", which ends up pointless in the story, now, the conflict is that Obi-Wan believes this is a trap to lure Anakin. Obi-Wan shouts at Anakin not to follow Dooku. But angered by the other Jedi's lack of care for Padmé during the arena fight, Anakin ignores his warning and heads to rescue Padmé alone.
Catching up to Dooku in the hangar, Anakin finds that Dooku is holding Padme captive. Dooku taunts Anakin by holding Padme in the air with the Force choke, which echoes what Anakin does to Padmé in Revenge of the Sith. Now, Anakin's rashed charge at Dooku makes more sense because there is a clearer trigger for Anakin to act this way. Dooku hurls Padmé away, and the lightsaber fight commences. During the duel, Dooku reveals that he is the one who ordered to torture of his mother. Anakin gets all the more angry and impulsive, and predictably, gets his hand chopped off.
Instead of Yoda arriving late to save Anakin, it should have been Obi-Wan arriving late. In the movie, you get a supposedly "Master versus Apprentice" dialogue between the two, and you don't feel anything because you don't even know Dooku was Yoda's apprentice beforehand. Yoda vs Dooku was not built up, but Obi-Wan vs Dooku was built up. This is a student of the student going against the old Master, and these two characters having the dialogue makes more sense.
The fighting between Obi-Wan and Dooku is fierce but cut short when Dooku brings down a pillar over Anakin, forcing Obi-Wan to break off his attack to save him. Dooku then moves to his escape ship, forcing Obi-Wan to make a choice: a mission--that is stopping Dooku and ending the entire Clone Wars--or Anakin's life. Sacrificing a few to save the many. Although Obi-Wan should pick the first option as a Jedi Knight of the Republic, he eventually chooses Anakin's life. Dooku escapes.
Coruscant:
After the battle, Dooku arrives at Coruscant to meet Sidious as in the film, but Dooku reports one more thing to Sidious. He says that Anakin has fallen to the dark side for the girl.
Coruscant is currently holding a massive military parade through the city, resembling Roman Triumph, to celebrate the victory over Geonosis, while Palpatine is publically revealing the existence of the clone army. The citizens love Palpatine and see the hope that the Republic might win the war. The Jedi will also join the parade, with each Knight leading a battalion of clone troopers.
Preparing to be part of the parade, Anakin and Obi-Wan, for the first time in the story, have a heart-to-heart conversation, not a rigid Master-Student lecture. Anakin realizes he has been too reckless. His brash act of confronting Dooku alone costs him his arm and he apologizes to Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan then gives some respect to Anakin, for he has successfully protected Padme. In a way, Obi-Wan and Anakin go through the opposite character arcs. Obi-Wan changes from someone who supports Palpatine and, as he discovers the hidden conspiracies, to someone who is now against him and his emergency powers. Anakin, after witnessing what Dooku has done to his mother, is now looking for blood and vengeance against the Separatists--staunchly supporting more authoritarian measures to fight the war. This change goes alongside Anakin's embrace of more radical emotions.
Before Anakin and Obi-Wan depart to join the parade, Obi-Wan senses love between Anakin and Padme. Secretly, Padme kisses Anakin for the first time (No marriage as it comes across as too abrupt at this point).
As the Jedi march alongside the clone troopers, Obi-Wan secretly discusses with his Masters in the line his finding that it was likely Dooku who ordered the creation of the clone army for the Republic. Yoda and Mace Windu warn them to not reveal this secret to anyone else. They discuss if Dooku is the mysterious Sith Lord (Maul's Master) they were looking for... or maybe Dooku is the new apprentice of this mysterious Sith Lord. If there is another Sith Lord, he could be residing within the Republic's power structure. They found themselves fighting another war inside the Republic.
Palpatine oversees the parade from the top, while the citizens of the Republic cheer. Anakin gladly pledges his loyalty to the most powerful Chancellor in history, while Padme watches the parade with visible frustration as her efforts to stop Palpatine's emergency powers have utterly failed.
I tried to keep the general story elements the same. I focused on fixing what was already in the story rather than discarding it. I fleshed out the characters to be more active and get to have more choices in the decisions. The politics are more integrated into the character drama rather than being in the background. The character arcs for Anakin and Obi-Wan are clearer, with the climax concluding each arc. Instead of Anakin and Padme hiding on Naboo and just playing the patty cake for half of the film, the story is more aggressive and focuses on the war itself. Dooku's concept is utilized to the fullest as he manipulates the Jedi from within and firmly establishes him as Anakin's arch-villain. Padmé falling in love with Anakin makes more sense because she sees how far Anakin is willing to go to save her, especially in the climax. Anakin earns her love, not handed out to him. The romance is constantly developing to the end.
The qualm with the outline is how Anakin finds Padme in Aldera. Dooku sends Anakin and Obi-Wan to Alderaan so that they can find her for Dooku, only for Dooku to go to Alderaan himself and torture Padme's body double to learn about where Padme is. Dooku sending the Jedi then becomes pointless anyway. Another problem is that Padme only meets Anakin at the midpoint, so she doesn't interact with Anakin all that much, and the relationship doesn't get enough time and development.
Aside from those issues, I found the final outline to be more satisfying and tighter in my Episode 2 REDONE. Maybe sometime later someone would do a full rewrite treatment based on this outline lol.
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2024.05.21 00:14 Junepero Story’s of panem 115 quinquenal quell twist reveal and pre games part 1

Good morning, tributes, and welcome back to stories of Panem. Before we begin, I would love to thank the splendid Christian Blanco, the original writer of Tales of the Hunger Games, and Lauren from Panem Reborn, to which these tales are inspired by. I hope you all are excited for our quinquennial quell we have today. So if you're ready, let's go.
3rd Quinquennial Quell: 151 Tribute Names
As the 115th Games, the 8th Quinquennial Quell, came into light, a plethora of excitement spread around the Capitol, even remembering the success of last year's games. President McCaine went live at noon on the Fourth of July, reading the twist. Modeling his crisp white suit and long blue hair, which flowed behind him like a "walking Tarzan" according to Nico Anderson, this year's commentator, with Camilla due to Silca recovering from a car accident she had got into. McCaine then read the twist out loud: “As a reminder to the districts that fairness never really existed, this year's tributes would be chosen via the mentors.” Curious sounds of intrigue sounded in Snow Square as President McCaine signed off, leaving the Capitol lights to discuss among themselves.
In District 14, Ezra Montario had to tase the girl Cleopatra’s older sister after she tackled Ezra to the ground. Even Felicity Breen, the mentor for District 11, had to stop Thalia, the girl from 11, from punching a laughing girl after Felicity chose her. In District 8, Amanda Mills looked forward at the district's population, with her wife talking to her to keep her mind at bay. Mayor Ravenski also talked with Amanda as the citizens were being ushered into the square. “You’ll be alright, right dear?” Amanda smiled and nodded before standing up from her seat. Watching Mayor Ravenski finish his speech, Amanda rose up to the microphone, looking at the sea of purple. Camilla remarked, “They’re showing hope; that’s rare.” “Don’t get mad if I choose you. There’s nothing I can do.”
One girl then shouted, “Isn’t that what you said when you got your supposed death sentence?” However, before Amanda could respond, a peacekeeper soon took this girl to the Falling Factory. As this girl screamed out, Silca then recounted, “Thank God it isn’t her going in.”
Amanda then walked down into the square, noticing the frightened young youths and solemn older youths. As such, the 19-year-old victor walked over to the ladies, fashioning a dress that looked like a “funeral garment,” according to Nico. She then walked her way to the middle-aged youths; many started sobbing uncontrollably, causing Amanda to wince. Calculating a plan in her mind like clockwork, she then walked to the older youths. She then saw one girl, a tall brown-haired girl with hazel eyes, fashioning a long purple dress. “Come, come.” The girl sighed before taking Amanda by the hand, as many of the nearby youths sighed as Amanda plopped the girl back up, asking, “What’s your name, hun?”
“Veilia Winagin.”
Camilla praised Veilia for her strong atmosphere and for “not throwing a scene like many other tributes did.” Amanda soon nodded before returning back to the square, walking to the male section. Again, many of these youths were looking away, many of them clinging on for dear life. Amanda softened, seeing one crying into his friend’s shoulder before she continued further on to the 17-year-old youths. Strong-minded and staring forward, their faces turning a further shade of white. Finally, Amanda walked, seeing one boy looking her way. Camilla asked if the boy knew her, causing Silca to shrug. Amanda then took this boy by the hand, a tall blonde boy with blue eyes and a smattering of brown freckles, to the stage. Nico recoiled, seeing this boy’s light purple hat and suit, with Camilla recounting that it only made him more of a purple mouse.
As Amanda returned to the stage, the boy introduced himself to be 18-year-old Jaxon Chaneli. As Jaxon shook Veilia’s hand, Amanda announced the pair as this year's tributes for District 8. Moderate applause followed as Jaxon and Veilia met with their families. Veilia was visited by a stony-faced older sister and frantic younger cousins and aunts and uncles. She gently removed herself from them before walking over to her sister. “Don’t anger Amanda. I did that back when we were kids. I want you to try to win.” Veilia rolled her eyes and nodded before asking, “The feud ended, why are you still harping on it?” However, before her elder sister could respond, she was yanked to the train station by impatient peacekeepers. As for Jaxon, only his elderly grandfather visited him. Jaxon embraced his grandfather in a tight hug before thanking him for taking care of him during the war. Mr. Chaneli smiled before embracing him, saying, “Just do whatever you can to make it back.” Jaxon sadly smiled before going with the peacekeepers that were taking Veilia and him to the train. When they entered, they saw their mentor straightening out her long black hair. Amanda turned back at her tributes before shrugging and inviting them to the table with a table of fabrics.
“Here, knit.”
Jaxon and Veilia shrugged again before twiddling away with the fabrics. However, as Veilia began frantically making a shawl, Amanda sighed before telling them to focus their attention on the screen. As Amanda turned on a tape of her own games, Veilia shouted before hurling her sewing needle toward Amanda. As she caught the needle between her fingers, Amanda said, “Enough.”
As Veilia screamed out in a psychiatric trance, a peacekeeper soon injected a sedative into Veilia’s arm, and she fell unconscious. “Put her in her room.” As the peacekeepers obliged, Amanda soon took out a barber’s cape. “Wanna haircut?” she asked. As Jaxon shrugged and nodded, he sat down before listening to Amanda talk about the upcoming week in the Capitol as she gave Jaxon a haircut. “I do these with all of my mentees; we are the district of fashion, after all.” Jaxon laughed before allowing Amanda to continue his haircut. Finally, Jaxon’s haircut was finished; he now fashioned a side cut, giving him more of a daring appearance. Even Amanda laughed, saying, “I think I made you too fierce.”
Jaxon smiled before continuing to watch Amanda’s games. As they were reaching the finale with Ezekiel and Mason, Jaxon turned to Amanda, saying, “If my arena is as humid as that one, I would rather hop off my podium early.” Amanda then looked at Jaxon with a bewildered look before Jaxon laughed, saying he was joking. Amanda smirked before inviting him to sit with her on the couch. The two then talked about their personal lives, with Jaxon becoming intrigued when Amanda talked about all of the fancy clothes people wore in the Capitol. However, as she finished her speech, the train from District 8 arrived in the Capitol.
Amanda warmly waved at her fans at the platform before bringing out a very tired Veilia and a fierce-looking Jaxon wandering into the audience. However, as Jaxon was trying to talk to many of the Capitol lights at the train station, he had been pushed behind by Veilia. As she sniggered, Amanda quickly rushed over and helped him up, joking, “My, my, a sedative can change anyone’s mind.” Jaxon sniggered before being helped up by Capitol teens his age, obtaining a successful reputation, with many appreciating his laid-back attitude and sociable demeanor. This intrigued many Capitol lights about some of his fashion designs, as he was a fashion designer's apprentice.
Veilia’s crowd she had obtained from before had vanished with the drop of a hat, as commentators put it, resulting in her stomping in a fit. After a brief delay, Amanda then thanked the audience for their time before walking Jaxon and Veilia to the limousine. Along the way to the 8th floor of the accommodation tower, Amanda scolded Veilia for acting like a “four-year-old,” which resulted in Jaxon joking, “I guess she’s an amnesiac now.” As the limo arrived at the apartments, Amanda sniggered before leading her tributes up to their apartment on the 8th floor. As they arrived, Jaxon asked where their stylist was, resulting in a middle-aged woman to pop out and say, “BOO.” As Veilia shrieked, Jaxon smirked as Lacey Berrick introduced herself to the two before showing them the designs she had in mind. Jaxon admired the designs of pure silk but was mortified when Veilia jumped on the table, ruining the designs. As Lacey remained calm, Jaxon sarcastically said, “You don’t want 8 to get another victor.” Veilia laughed as she vindictively smiled, saying, “No one will get out of the arena now.” However, before Jaxon could respond, Amanda put a gentle hand on his shoulder, saying, “She can make a new one.” As Lacey pinched the nerve on Veilia’s neck, temporarily knocking her out, Lacey gave Jaxon a pre-made outfit that resembled leisurely Capitol couture. Amanda said, “I’ll see if I can put a divider up between the two of you.”
Jaxon nodded before sitting on the couch, putting on Capitol TV. Amanda soon joined before asking, “Which district do you want to watch?” As Amanda turned to the reapings in 12, Jaxon laughed, seeing the comedic scuffle that occurred, then became intrigued, watching the reaping in District 3 occurring, before asking Amanda to tune into it. As she did this, they were about to hear the female tribute being announced.
Mayor Doe was concluding his speech. Albert Latier, the district's appointed mentor, looked onward into the sea of yellow youths watching ahead in turmoil. With a flip of his cape, Albert walked down the stairs. Even many sounds of laptops could be heard typing away in the furthest enclosure of the male and female youths, which made most of the Capitol citizens watching in the viewing square chortle loudly, with Camilla sarcastically saying, “My, my, someone’s at work typing away.” Albert trailed further down before finding one young lady with a short frizz of red hair and large black glasses with green eyes. As Albert tapped this lady on the shoulder, she sighed before allowing the peacekeepers to lead her to the stage before she was plopped up by Mayor Doe.
As he asked her what her name was, the girl responded, “Iris Plummer.” As the 18-year-old shyly smiled at the nearby camera, Nico recounted that he adored Iris’s long yellow gown, saying he “wanted it for his personal collection.” Albert shook Iris’s hand before he returned to the reaping pen, walking to the middle of the pen. He looked at one young lad with similar glasses and a smattering of brown curly hair. Albert tapped him on the shoulder. As the lad jumped up, he sighed before joining Iris on the stage. This lad was revealed to be 15-year-old Astral Vaughn. Astral shook Iris’s hand as Mayor Doe announced the pair as the tributes for the district, bringing the pair to their holding rooms to meet with their parents and friends. Iris was only visited by a few of her server room friends, MJ and Joey. Iris embraced the two of them in a tight hug, expressing her appreciation for their companionship. As MJ began to sob about potentially losing her friend to the games, Joey soon reminded her to “run for the perimeter” as soon as she could. As Iris began to ask how this would be important, Joey placed his finger over Iris’s mouth, saying, “You’ll thank me when you get there.” Before Iris could protest more, peacekeepers soon took her to the waiting dock for Astral. Astral was visited by his professor parents and younger brother. He embraced his family members in a tight hug before listening to his father rant about any electric currency/magnetic field in an arena that might attract any electrical matter. Astral sighed before saying he had “all the electrical mind information one could muster.” “That’s why you’re the smartest in the district.”
Astral laughed before saying he would do what he could to come back. After one final embrace, the pair from District 3 were brought onto the hovercraft, where they saw their mentor playing a game that was being displayed via a robot hologram. “Is that my hologram game device?” Albert was caught off guard before looking at the short lad, saying, “You made this.”
As Iris chimed in, Albert’s face turned to surprise, and he smiled before saying, “3 has some smart ones this year.” Iris and Astral walked to the dining carriage as Albert talked to the pair about the upcoming week. He appreciated his tributes’ attentiveness before showing the past reapings in the districts. However, Astral made Iris giggle by mimicking Albert’s strict teacher-like personality by showing goofy faces and expressions. Iris smirked before Albert tossed some metals and wires out for the pair. “Why do you want us to make a battery?”
As Albert still beckoned the pair to do as he asked, he giggled to himself as Iris’s battery gave her a light electric shock. Astral noticed this before helping the 18-year-old rewire the circuits on her own battery. Iris smiled before ruffling Astral’s curly brown hair with her hand, joking, “You remind me of my younger brother Anteno.” Albert’s face whitened as he recalled Anteno’s death in the 112th Games. However, to not upset his mentee, Albert remained quiet before commending them on their teamwork with the battery exercise. As the train arrived in the Capitol, Albert smartened his tributes before the train settled in McCaine station. As the pair disembarked, Astral was approached by many eager fans his age, asking him about his renewable lightbulbs that he had engineered back in his district that had gotten popular. Astral laughed before taking a few of those out of his pocket, causing many of them to cheer and fight over them, causing Iris to gently bring Astral to her crowd of citizens. As the pair from District 3 geeked out with the Capitol lights, Albert swooped them up before thanking the Capitol for their time, with both Astral and Iris waving at their fans.
“We have fans?” Astral said in a surprising manner.
Iris smiled before saying, “You’re a little genius who got some of your inventions in the Capitol. Damn right, we got fans.” Astral laughed as Albert commended the two on a job well done before keeping the pair entertained as a short TV descended from the limousine roof with Albert signing to the Avoxes to put on the reboot of “The Bunger Games.” This beloved cartoon show from the second incarnation had been rebooted after the 113th Games by Killian Phips (who would also become a head gamemaker in later games). Once the pair from District 3 arrived at their accommodation floor, Albert shouted, “Keep the noise down, Heath.” As the 2s’s commotion settled down, Albert made a call to the pair's stylist, Elesa Mauvile. Elesa then showed up, saying how “adorable the geeky pair looked.” As the two gave each other bewildered looks, they were surprised when Elesa asked if she could see Iris’s goggles.
As Elesa looked further into the goggles, she gasped with manic stylist delight before squealing, “Astrologists, astrologists.” As Elesa and her team began to work, Albert sighed before saying, “At least the girl has talent.” After a half-hour wait, Elesa and her team returned to the apartment, where Iris and Astral’s cleanly made, stylish galaxy/astrologist-themed outfits were revealed. Iris wore a long dress with light blue and purple. Astral complemented the outfit with a long flowing black cloak with a galaxy-themed suit and black top hat. These outfits caused Iris to squeak and say how beautiful it was. Elesa smiled as Astral admired the galaxy stars on his suit.
Albert and Elesa both brought the pair down to the parade, being greeted with a comedic scuffle occurring.
submitted by Junepero to christianblanco [link] [comments]

2024.05.20 22:50 FarmWhich4275 An Insult To The Galaxy

Humanity. When a Skatanii Expedition Fleet first found them, there was reason for much celebration among the Great Empires of the Galaxy. The Skatanii were just explorers and dataminers, more interested in simply cataloging the universe than actually bothering with the humans. After exchanging information they simply left, broadcasted the location of a human colony world, then just buggered off.
With the location of a new potential conquest, war fleets from the entire galaxy began the slow march to conquer the newcomers. It was then that the first signs we had bitten off more than we could chew. The first - and Last battle of Eden-4. It was the Kataskan Imperium. Bloodthirsty slave mongering scum that have plagued the galaxy for millennia since the dawn of the First Sons. They arrived on the outskirts of the system, Eden-4, the so-called 'New Hawaii'... whatever that was.
A fleet of thousands of warships of every possible class and make, size and profile, the massive conglomeration of thousands of years of dominating civilizations and stealing their assets for their fleets. They had heard rumors of human strength and dexterity, intelligence, but nothing... NOTHING prepared them for what happened. The speech heard around the galaxy blasted across the entire communication network. A grand speech from the fleet admiral as he started his bloviating and posturing, keeping his fleet on standby as he spat his meaningless words to the humans.
At its conclusion humanity as a whole offered the galaxy one simple response.
In front of the entire galaxy, in front of the largest fleet of the Six Empires. In front of everyone, the humans phase-shifted their entire civilization into an alternate dimension and stayed there. Six dozen star systems suddenly became empty ghosts that looked like they were there, but weren't. Every ship, every building, every star, hell, even every asteroid in the local belts, suddenly phased out of reality and into their own alternate dimension of existence, leaving nothing but a slightly transparent ghost of what once was.
An entire portion of the galaxy's unexplored regions simply popped out of existence, along with the entire civilization that it contained. The warfleet that remained behind did not transition realities with it, and launched an absurdly stupid attempt to do damage. This failed embarrassingly badly as every shot they fired simply flew through each object harmlessly. As if a great civilisation from eons past created holograms of massive star systems and forgot to turn them off.
The humans acted as if the warship fleet nearby was little more than a mild irritation, and they simply just carried on doing whatever they were doing at the time. The fleet's communication signals were blocked, and the Admirals' pitiful childish wailing remained unanswered, his calls going to nobody. Humanity, in one fell swoop, not only secured their future as a species and as an empire, but also rendered unto any enemy the most egregious and vicious insult they could possibly suffer.
To be ignored.
The rest of the galaxy saw this as a direct challenge. They all launched attacks. ALL of them ended the same way. Any disruptor technology they attempted was nothing but a waste of time. Any missile launched simply flew by or did not fire at all owing to the fact its intended target could not be found. They even attempted their own phase-shift. That also failed. They phased into the wrong universe. Humanity was able to hijack their phase shift systems and phase the ships out of existence completely, leaving the crew floating dead in space.
After that, numerous attempts were made. All were simply ignored. Doomsday devices and superweapons became effectively worthless. The greatest powers in the galaxy became little more than laughing stocks because of their inability to put down a minor civilisation ten times smaller than their own vassals. Humanity had the smallest ships, the weakest weapons, and the fewest systems. They took down entire empires by simply developing the means to ignore them.
All previous conventions of war were rendered useless in the span of about two minutes. The armies they assembled had nowhere to land. The ships they built had nothing to shoot. Empires came into human systems and set up remote outposts to taunt the humans there. The humans simply ignored them, making all efforts as worthless as the people who created them. Humanity took no steps to kick them out or even retaliate. They just ignored them.
It has been ten years since the last time anyone has tried to do anything about them. Humanity has since claimed a further sixty systems in their local sector, stopping only when reaching borders. They would warp in with their fleets, phase the entire system out, then carry on as if nothing happened. They were building an entire civilisation on our doorstep, right in front of us in their very own pocket dimension. And there was sweet bugger all anyone could do about it. Angry words are exchanged when they get close to a border. They block the comms and bugger off or carry on as normal.
They never encroach on territory and clearly mark their own borders. They do not engage with any traders, and do not answer random radio communications. They simply ignore everything around them.
But that ends today. Today, I, Thraxx Th'Rann Tarr, Merchant of the Sarannai Imperium will bridge that gap. I have been observing humans for some time now. Trying to understand them. I found a weakness. I traveled for weeks, warping through every system known to us until finally happening upon the original world. 'New Hawaii' as they called it, is now a bustling tourism hub. The place that started it all.
They, as per usual, ignored the entrance of my small frigate and I carefully maneuvered my ship through the traffic. They could do nothing to me but pass through but I tried my best to avoid them regardless. I hovered around a station for a bit. It looked like a drydock of some kind and I observed it for about an hour, eventually finding what I was looking for - a seemingly disused or derelict dock. I maneuvered my ship into it and started praying. I had a pre-recorded message for the humans. Every known radio frequency, every known signal, all broadcasted only locally.
I prayed one last time and then started the recording.
"Hello humans! I understand that your introduction to the galaxy was not exactly what we would call erm... friendly? Yeah I guess that's an apt enough description. I uhm... I would like to be the first member of the galactic community to extend a hand in friendship! Or at the very least, a hand in commerce. My name is Thraxx Th'Rann Tarr, Orderly Merchant of the Saranai Imperium! I mean no harm of any kind! If I receive no answer within the hour, I shall simply show myself out. If parked in the wrong place, I apologize for the inconvenience! Thank you and erm... have a nice day, I guess?"
This definitely caught their attention and suddenly every ship within visual range turned to face mine. "Unauthorized Scan. Unauthorized Scan." My ship's AI barked at me loudly as I now had several dozen warships perform scans on my ship.
"Oh gods I knew it! I sounded so stupid on that recording! I should have made a proper speech! Oh no, oh no!" I yelled at myself for my incompetence.
"Docking Clamps Engaged. Pressurization is complete." My AI said again, loudly snapping me out of my daze.
"WHAT!? D-docking clamps!?" I quickly hurried towards my console and checked things. I had phased out of existence and they had brought me into their universe. Moreso, I had docked with their station.
Before I could do anything further, I heard a polite banging on my airlock door. "Hello? Anybody home?"
"C-coming! Please hold on!" I yelled out and scurried from my seat.
I quickly staggered over to the door and equalized pressure between the doors and opened it. Three humans, a large tall dark skinned one, two armor clad ones behind him, and several pairs of eyes hiding from the other end of the passageway.
"Oh! H-hello!" I was a bit scared but I blurted out a greeting nonetheless.
"A blue space elf?" The tall dark one said.
"Sonofabitch..." The one on the left said, then handed some sort of item begrudgingly to the other one.
"What... was... Nevermind. Uhm... Welcome to my shop! Let me show you the merchandise!" I stepped back, allowing these oddly adorable creatures through. Their heavy footsteps echoed through the hallway as I showed them to the cargo hold.
"So what er... Kind of stuff do you have exactly?" One of them asked.
"Oh... I had no idea what to bring exactly. You didn't exactly join the market so I brought some souvenir stuff, local crafts, musical instruments and other things like that. Simple stuff. I have no idea what your dietary requirements are so I tried to avoid foodstuffs. No weapons no tech no state secrets and whatnot just. Uh... Tourist-y stuff, I guess." I explained as I got to the cargo bay doors and walked inside.
The humans followed and allowed me to put the lights on so we could actually see. One of the humans vocalized a sharp whistling noise and broke formation to go look at an instrument nearby.
"Huh... Looks like a fancy version of a Harpsichord..." He said, gingerly pressing one of the keys.
"That is called a Soronokey. We usually use it for musical performances or such things. Let me just... unfold it properly..." I approached and carefully unfolded the intricate device, flipping covers and twisting gears until it was open.
"It looks like a combination of an accordion, piano and a harp..." The tall dark one spoke idly. "Please excuse me, the muse is restless." He suddenly said, and stood in front of it.
He tried to make some kind of song. or something. He seemingly pressed some random keys on the instrument, creating a god awful noise a few times, then attempted a melody. I tried to keep my face as straight and salesman-like as possible but his childish instrument butchering grated on me.
"Okay then, ladies and gentlemen, Bohemian Rhapsody."
Still standing, he began the strangest but most entertaining song I had ever heard. Strange stops mid-chord, odd riffs and peculiar notes, he was quickly gaining a hold on the instrument and by the time the song he was playing was over, he had almost mastered the instrument. He very clearly had experience with similar devices. When he finished some minutes later, the two guards and several humans nearby that had filtered in gave him a round of applause.
"That sound is DAYUM crisp. Dats da shit right there. MMh! Haven't had a sound that clean since my days in the theater!" He exclaimed happily. "She's complicated though. Bit feisty! Takes some getting used to. I NEED that thing! What you want for it?"
I shook my head and smiled in surprise. "Uh... I don't know uhm... I could go for some instruments of yours in trade, or I take gold bullion. Gold is still a decent trade medium these days. I can take that. Probably have to figure something out but, that will do for now I guess."
My nervousness was more than apparent but they seemed unphased. One of them spoke up. "Uhhh lemme see. More instruments... Uhhh..." He looked around, opening covers and boxes. "uhhh... No guitar. Want one?"
"Gee-tar? What's a gee-tar?" I asked, curious.
"This." He said, holding up the odd wooden thing he was carrying. He moved it around and held it gently, then began to play a song on it. The sound of that immediately caught my ears. The Cassanai would LOVE that thing!
"Oh! Oh my! That sound! Uhm... Let me think uhm... Is it okay to ask for uh... two or three of those in exchange for the Soronokey?" I asked politely as I could.
"Yeah sure! We have a music shop on the dock, I can go get some stuff you can try out." He smiled with a spark in his eye.
"I have a better idea." The tall dark one said. "Welcome to New Hawaii Tourist Center. If you will please follow me I will help you organize your merchants license. Then, we can make a proper deal and figure out a proper trade system."
My face lit up with excitement. This... This was more than I was hoping for! "Yes! Yes I-I would love that! Th-thank you!"
"Fantastic. Please follow me." He said, waving everyone away from my ship for now.
I followed with a happy step and all the humans that had wandered in were ushered out of my ship, two guardsmen protecting the entryway for me. We strutted away and headed for something called a Trade Office. I however had one question.
"Erm... May I ask something?"
"Sure. What's up?" He replied calmly.
"After all that has thus far happened, why are you so... uhm... friendly?" I asked as politely as I could.
"You asked politely? It's not that hard to understand. Up to this point we had angry words, nasty proclamations and warlords using our space to measure their dicks. We were always interested in trade and friendship, hell, even sharing tech. All we ever wanted was to not be alone in the universe but nnnOOOOoooo we had to suffer an entire galaxy made of empire hungry dickheads." He explained with an annoyed tone.
"So... To break your animosity all I had to do was be polite?" I asked with genuine confusion.
"Yup. Please and thank you will get you a lot of places with humans. Make a note of that." He said, closing one eye cheekily. "Here you are, The Commerce Guild's Trade Office. It wont take that long and I have made sure to secure your ship from prying eyes. I will see to it we have some equally interesting merchandise available for trade and secure some bullion just in case." He said with a smile.
"Thank you! Looking forward to it!" I replied with enthusiasm and walked into the door.
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2024.05.20 22:30 EliteAdventuresT Exploring Yosemite in Style: Private Hummer Tour 2024 Guide

Exploring Yosemite in Style: Private Hummer Tour 2024 Guide
Experience the exclusive Yosemite Private Hummer Tour, featuring lunch, transfers, and historical insights, as you immerse yourself in the beauty and history of Yosemite National Park.
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Introduction to Yosemite Private Hummer Tour
Embark on an extraordinary adventure through Yosemite National Park with the exclusive private Hummer 4X4 tour, offering a unique and personalized exploration of the park's natural wonders. This exceptional tour not only includes a gourmet picnic lunch and convenient transfers but also provides a profound insight into Yosemite's rich history, making it an ideal choice for travelers seeking a truly immersive experience. By opting for this private Hummer excursion, visitors can expect VIP treatment that goes above and beyond, ensuring a memorable and enlightening tour of Yosemite's most captivating sights and stories.
In the realm of private tours in Yosemite National Park, the Hummer 4X4 tour stands out as a top-tier experience that caters to those looking for a blend of luxury, comfort, and educational value during their park exploration. As guests traverse the stunning landscapes and iconic landmarks aboard the rugged Hummer 4X4 vehicle, they not only witness the grandeur of Yosemite but also delve into the historical significance behind each stop, thanks to the knowledgeable guides accompanying them on this remarkable journey. This tour transcends mere sightseeing, serving as a gateway to the essence of Yosemite, promising an unparalleled adventure that is both enlightening and entertaining for all participants.
The private Hummer tour of Yosemite National Park is meticulously crafted to offer an exclusive and personalized experience for travelers seeking a deeper connection with the park's beauty and history. One of the standout features of this tour is the exceptional level of service provided to guests, ensuring that every aspect of their journey is seamlessly executed with attention to detail. From the moment guests are picked up for the tour to the moment they are dropped off, the focus remains on delivering a premium experience that exceeds expectations. This commitment to excellence sets the private Hummer tour apart as the epitome of luxury and sophistication in exploring Yosemite National Park.

History and Significance of Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park, established in 1890, holds a storied past that dates back over a century, solidifying its position as one of the oldest national parks in the United States. Its UNESCO World Heritage Site designation in 1984 further underscores its global importance, recognizing the park's unique natural and cultural heritage. Throughout its history, Yosemite has attracted visionaries and conservationists who have played pivotal roles in its preservation, leaving a legacy that continues to inspire environmental stewardship worldwide.
The park's significance extends far beyond its stunning landscapes and iconic features. Serving as a haven for a diverse array of plant and animal species, including the awe-inspiring giant sequoias that tower over the forest, Yosemite showcases the intricate tapestry of nature within its borders. The presence of varied wildlife, from black bears to mule deer, further emphasizes the ecological importance of the park, highlighting the delicate balance of the ecosystem within its boundaries. By immersing oneself in the private Hummer tour of Yosemite National Park, visitors not only witness the natural beauty of the park but also gain a profound appreciation for its historical and ecological significance, making Yosemite a cherished gem in the national park system.
Yosemite National Park's rich tapestry of history and significance is woven into every aspect of the private Hummer tour, offering guests a deeper understanding of the park's evolution over time. The tour guides often share anecdotes and stories about significant figures like John Muir and President Roosevelt, shedding light on their contributions to Yosemite's preservation and highlighting key moments in the park's past. By exploring these historical narratives firsthand during the tour, guests can forge a deeper connection with Yosemite's heritage and gain insights that enrich their overall park experience. This blend of natural beauty and historical context creates a multifaceted journey through Yosemite National Park that resonates with travelers seeking a comprehensive and enlightening adventure.
Original Link: https://elite-adventures.com/all-offers/f/exploring-yosemite-in-style-private-hummer-tour-2024-guide

Private Hummer 4X4 Tour Itinerary

The private Hummer 4X4 tour of Yosemite National Park presents an exclusive and tailored itinerary that allows guests to delve into the park's beauty and history in a personalized manner. A highlight of the tour is the visit to Glacier Point overlook, renowned for its sweeping panoramic views of Yosemite Valley, Half Dome, and Yosemite Falls. This stop provides guests with a breathtaking perspective of the park, immersing them in its grandeur and offering photo opportunities that capture the essence of Yosemite's iconic landscapes.
In addition to Glacier Point, the tour includes stops at The Pioneer Village History Center, where guests can engage with exhibits and demonstrations that showcase the cultural heritage of the region. This historical site offers a window into Yosemite's past, illustrating the traditions and lifestyles of early settlers in the area. By incorporating these significant landmarks into the itinerary, the private Hummer tour ensures that travelers not only appreciate the park's natural beauty but also gain a deeper understanding of its historical and cultural roots. This blend of natural wonders and cultural insights creates a multifaceted tour experience that appeals to guests seeking a comprehensive exploration of Yosemite National Park.
When crafting the itinerary for the private Hummer tour, tour operators carefully curate each stop to provide guests with a well-rounded and engaging journey through Yosemite National Park. The inclusion of optional hiking experiences allows visitors to immerse themselves in the park's wilderness, exploring hidden trails and scenic vistas that showcase Yosemite's diverse landscapes. By offering these opportunities for outdoor adventure, the tour caters to guests seeking a more active and hands-on exploration of the park, providing a deeper connection with nature and a heightened sense of discovery. This blend of sightseeing and outdoor activities ensures that the private Hummer tour appeals to a wide range of interests and preferences, making it a versatile and enriching experience for all participants.

Lunch Options and Dietary Accommodations

Delve into the culinary delights of the private Hummer tour of Yosemite National Park, where a gourmet picnic lunch awaits guests amidst the breathtaking landscapes of the park. The tour ensures quality and variety in the lunch offerings, catering to different dietary needs and preferences to provide a satisfying dining experience for all participants. Whether guests have specific dietary requirements or special requests, the tour strives to accommodate their preferences, ensuring that everyone can enjoy a delicious meal while surrounded by Yosemite's natural wonders.
For those looking to savor local flavors, the lunch options often feature fresh and locally sourced ingredients that highlight the region's culinary offerings. Imagine relishing a gourmet sandwich crafted with artisan bread, complemented by crisp, farm-fresh salads, and delectable desserts that elevate the dining experience. Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, or other dietary restrictions are thoughtfully considered, with flavorful alternatives that cater to diverse palates and preferences. This attention to detail in the lunch offerings not only ensures a satisfying meal but also enhances the overall ambiance of the dining experience, creating a memorable picnic amidst the splendor of Yosemite National Park.
The presentation of the picnic lunch is thoughtfully executed to elevate the dining experience, transforming it into a memorable moment of the tour. Picture unwrapping a carefully prepared lunch package at a scenic overlook, with the iconic Half Dome or Yosemite Falls as your backdrop, making every bite a sensory delight that complements the stunning vistas. This thoughtful approach to dining not only nourishes guests during their exploration but also adds a touch of elegance and indulgence to the overall tour experience, creating a culinary journey that mirrors the natural beauty and sophistication of Yosemite National Park.

Hotel Pickup and Drop-off Locations

When booking the private Hummer tour of Yosemite National Park, guests can take advantage of the convenient hotel pickup and drop-off services available at various locations. Whether staying in Oakhurst, Fish Camp, Mariposa, or El Portal, the tour ensures that guests are seamlessly transported to and from their accommodations, eliminating the need to worry about logistics. This door-to-door service adds a layer of comfort and convenience to the tour, allowing guests to focus on enjoying their exploration of Yosemite's stunning landscapes without the hassle of arranging transportation.
The flexibility in pickup times offered by the tour operator caters to the diverse schedules and preferences of guests, ensuring a personalized and stress-free experience. Whether guests prefer an early morning start to catch the sunrise over Yosemite Valley or a later pickup time to align with their itinerary, the private Hummer tour accommodates these requests with professionalism and efficiency. By providing this level of customization in hotel pickup and drop-off, the tour sets the stage for a seamless and enjoyable journey through Yosemite National Park, allowing guests to relax and immerse themselves in the beauty of the surroundings without logistical concerns.

Child Safety Measures and Family-Friendly Features

Ensuring the safety and comfort of children is a top priority during the private Hummer tour of Yosemite National Park. The tour adheres to specific safety regulations, including the mandatory use of car seats and booster seats for younger participants, guaranteeing a secure and worry-free journey through the park. For instance, children of varying ages or heights may require a car seat or booster seat to comply with safety standards and regulations, providing peace of mind to parents and guardians throughout the tour.
In addition to the safety measures in place, the family-friendly features of the private Hummer tour cater to the needs and preferences of young travelers, enhancing their overall experience. The tour often incorporates special activities and amenities tailored to engage children, such as interactive educational sessions about the park's wildlife and history or fun scavenger hunts that keep them entertained and excited during the journey. By combining safety with entertainment, the private Hummer tour ensures that families can create lasting memories together in the stunning landscapes of Yosemite National Park, fostering a sense of adventure and discovery for guests of all ages.
The private Hummer tour's commitment to providing a family-friendly experience extends to the guides and staff, who are dedicated to creating a welcoming and engaging environment for young travelers. These knowledgeable guides often engage children in educational discussions about the park's flora, fauna, and history, fostering a sense of curiosity and exploration that resonates with young minds. By encouraging interactive learning and discovery, the tour aims to inspire a lifelong appreciation for nature and conservation in children, instilling values of stewardship and environmental responsibility that are integral to Yosemite National Park's legacy.

Cancellation Policy and Refund Process

Understanding the flexibility offered by the private Hummer tour's cancellation policy is essential for guests planning their Yosemite National Park adventure. The tour allows for a full refund if canceled up to 24 hours in advance, providing guests with the freedom to adjust their plans without financial repercussions. This policy ensures that travelers can book their experience with confidence, knowing that they have the flexibility to make changes if unexpected circumstances arise.
To streamline the refund process and ensure clarity for guests, the private Hummer tour outlines the steps required to request a refund and the timeframe within which travelers can expect their reimbursement. By providing transparent and detailed information on the cancellation policy and refund process, the tour prioritizes customer satisfaction and aims to deliver a seamless booking experience for all participants. This commitment to transparency and customer service underscores the tour operator's dedication to ensuring a positive and stress-free journey through Yosemite National Park for all guests.

Traveler Reviews and Testimonials

Exploring Visitor Experiences
Travelers who have embarked on the private Hummer tour of Yosemite National Park have shared their firsthand experiences, offering valuable insights and feedback on the tour. Many guests have lauded the tour guides for their extensive knowledge of the park's history and geography, enriching the tour with engaging narratives and educational content. A reviewer commended the guide's ability to weave captivating stories about Yosemite's past, bringing the park's heritage to life and creating a memorable and immersive experience for guests. These anecdotes not only educate but also entertain, adding depth and context to the overall tour experience.
Personalized Service and Memorable Moments
Among the common themes in traveler reviews are expressions of appreciation for the personalized service provided during the private Hummer tour. Guests often highlight the guides' attentiveness to individual needs and preferences, creating a bespoke experience that caters to each group's unique interests. For instance, a review praised the guide for accommodating a special request for a scenic lunch spot overlooking Yosemite Falls, showcasing the dedication to creating unforgettable moments for guests. This commitment to personalized care and exceptional service contributes to the tour's stellar reputation and positive reviews from those who have explored Yosemite National Park in the comfort of a private Hummer.
The testimonials from previous guests underscore the tour's ability to create lasting memories and forge meaningful connections with Yosemite's natural beauty and history. Guests often mention the transformative nature of the private Hummer tour, with some describing it as a once-in-a-lifetime experience that deepened their appreciation for the park's wonders. By immersing themselves in the stories and landscapes of Yosemite National Park through the private Hummer tour, travelers leave with a sense of awe and inspiration that lingers long after the tour concludes, underscoring the lasting impact of this exceptional exploration of one of America's most treasured national parks.

Pricing Structure and Inclusions

When evaluating the pricing structure of the private Hummer tour package in Yosemite National Park, guests can gain insight into the value and offerings that make this experience exceptional. The tour package typically encompasses a private tour in a 4X4 Hummer, ensuring an exclusive and personalized journey away from the crowds. Travelers can enjoy the convenience of hotel pickup and drop-off, streamlining the logistics of the day and allowing them to focus on the beauty of Yosemite's landscapes. Additionally, bottled water is provided throughout the tour, keeping guests refreshed and hydrated as they explore the park's natural wonders.
The tour price often covers a delectable picnic lunch, offering guests a culinary experience amidst the stunning vistas of Yosemite National Park. The lunch options are varied and cater to different dietary preferences, ensuring that all guests can enjoy a satisfying meal during their adventure. For those seeking to enhance their experience further, optional upgrades may be available for an additional cost. These upgrades could include activities such as hiking, providing a deeper immersion into the natural beauty of Yosemite, or visits to specific historical sites within the park that enrich the overall tour experience. By offering these optional enhancements, the private Hummer tour allows travelers to customize their journey to align with their interests and preferences, creating a truly personalized and unforgettable experience in Yosemite National Park.

Comparison with Alternative Tour Options

The private Hummer tour distinguishes itself by providing an exclusive adventure away from the typical tourist crowds, with a maximum of only five travelers per tour. This intimate setting allows guests to enjoy a secluded and serene experience amidst Yosemite's breathtaking landscapes, fostering a deeper connection with nature and the park's natural wonders. The tranquility and exclusivity of the private Hummer tour create a sense of immersion and tranquility that sets it apart from larger group excursions, allowing guests to savor a peaceful and enriching journey through Yosemite National Park. By choosing the private Hummer tour, visitors can escape the hustle and bustle of traditional tours and embrace a unique and secluded experience that unfolds in harmony with the natural splendor of Yosemite.
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2024.05.20 22:20 healthmedicinet Health Daily News May 19 2024

DAY: May 19 2024
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2024.05.20 21:35 erratic_hours I passed February 2024 (F24) as a multi repeat taker working full time - Resources I used, what changed for me, and some thoughts.

I passed the Bar in February 2024 in a UBE jurisdiction after failing multiple times. I told myself that if I ever passed (which to me me seemed like an unlikely miracle), I would pass on the resources that I used as a multi repeater working full time at a fairly demanding job. This post is to explain what resources I used, why they were helpful, and what changed from my failing tests to my passing test. I am just hoping this is helpful to someone.
I took the Bar in a non-UBE jx several times and failed, and once in a UBE jx for F24, where I passed with a 302. I was not a good law student, I work full time, I graduated 6 years ago. I understand there are people with more stuff going on than me (all the kudos to parents taking this test - you are amazing and you got this!), but I do genuinely believe I am nothing special for the purpose of passing this test. I did a few points better on the MEE/MPT's than I did on the MBE, but I got passing scores on both. My jx does not give the full breakdown, so I don't know induvial essay scores, just the MBE vs writing component scores.
Resources: The study resources I used in F24.
Note: I found this post from u/SingAndDrive that really made an impression on me. I used Barbri on my failing tests and it NEVER resonated with me. I also used AdaptiBar (more on this below). I knew I needed to figure out a non-traditional Bar prep that was budget friendly and worked with my 9-5 corporate job. The linked post was a great starting point for me, and I did end up using a few of the resources they used. P.S. shout out to u/SingAndDrive for that post, and for still responding to people asking follow up questions about their experience.
1. NCBE BarNow "Everything Pack" - This is for MEE and MPT's. I did over 70 essays total - 4-6 essays per topic (I recommend at least 5 per topic) tested on the MEE and then 5 MPT's (I always did ok on these so I was not worried. If you are, do more. This was invaluable and very budget friendly (maybe $130). It includes hundreds of real essays and MPT's and all of the corresponding grader's point sheets. At first I would read the essay, outline my answer a bit, and then literally copy the graders point sheet exactly. I did this for 4-5 essays before I felt I could actually try on my own. I timed my essays (30 min per essay in my jx) and treated it like a real test to the best of my ability. Sometimes I checked the grader sheet as I was writing.
2. SmartBarPrep UBE Smart Sheets - This is the only thing I used for remembering rules for the MEE's. What I like about it is that it focuses on the main things that are tested and tells you the highly and moderately tested rules. Does it cover literally everything ever test? No, but you do not need to know everything. The goal is not perfection - it's a passing score. I also love that it was $130. It has some resources about MPT's I found useful for formatting different types of MPT's and
3. NY sample essays for MEE essays - Free and helpful for a few reasons. First, if you look at the real essays by passing test-takers and refer back to the corresponding NCBE graders sheet you will see that great scores don't hit on every little point on the graders sheet. Sometimes passing scores come to the wrong conclusion. There is room for human error and perception in your responses. Second, it was so s helpful to me to see the format of passing essays. The MEE is all patterns (types of essays), do enough and you will begin to see patterns and patterns of how to format your response. I am very much a learn by watching person, and really needed the correct format laid out in front of me.
4. AdaptiBar - I used AdaptiBar during my failing tests, but the way I used it on my passing F24 test was very different. The big difference between my failing test and by passing test - a) I did wayyyy more questions on my passing test. In total, for F24 I completed around 1,600 questions. I'm sure I did like 600 on my failing tests. b) I reviewed every question I got wrong. For me this was reading the question again and then reading the full explanation of each answer. For one of the two tests you can take on AdaptiBar, I created an Excel sheet where I copied the question I got wrong in column A, the correct answer in column B, and the explanation in column C. I wish I did this for both tests. I don't know if I personally had time to do this for literally every question. I generally did 30 questions a day, all on one topic (more on my study schedule below). I reserved two Saturdays for a full 200 question test. MBE's are repetitive - they ask you a lot of the same base rules in different ways, and then stick these random niche exceptions/tiny rules in there. I highly recommend AtaptiBar or some other databank of NCBE questions with explanation. Do the licensed questions. It was the most expensive study aid I used by far, but I personally needed this resource to pass.
5. Goat Bar Prep - GoatBarPrep I wish I had found this subreddit sooner, but for the month I knew about it before the exam it was great. I read through the free megaposts for topics I needed help on. For example, I did not take Secured Transactions in law school and was starting from scratch. u/SnooGoats8671 is a wonderful teacher - he knows how to distill down complicated topics, and is an interesting and entertaining writer. Do not be fooled by the memes and silliness - this is the real deal. I did feel a bit like Alice falling down the rabbit hole and into insanity, but maybe that is part of the process. I personally bought a few additional resources from this tutor that specifically target tips and tricks on the MBE that gave me great results. For example, I saw a 10% increase in my Civil Procedure questions on AtaptiBar after using Goat Bar Prep MBE for Civ Pro resources. This was huge for me because I was basically hovering around 50% on Civ Pro (my worst MBE topic). I never directly reached out to u/SnooGoats8671, but others have stated he is very responsive and great to work with if you need a 1:1 tutor.
Failure vs Success: AKA, what changed?
While I did use (mostly) different resources, the biggest change was me - my attitude, my approach, and my effectiveness.
1. Passive vs Active Studying - I know you have heard this before, but it's the gospel truth - you NEED to practice active studying. Author Jessica Klein has some excellent thoughts on this in her book "Fck the Bar". Basically, you need to do the hard stuff. The extra un-fun stuff. Reading your rules is boring, but also passive. You need to write essays. Honestly, I didn't feel like I knew/started to memorize the rules for real until I starting writing essays. I started writing essays three months before test day, but didn't kick it in gear
2. My Study Schedule - I am someone who loves a schedule, so I made one in Excel that detailed what I was studying from December 2023 through the end of February 2024. I scheduled two wiggle-room days each month, but in December life and holidays happened and I missed a few days. In January and February my schedule would change a bit, but I never missed a day because I had scheduled two wiggle-room/life happens days. No topic left behind. I worked on a 14-day cycle, where each work day had one topic assigned to them and weekend days had two topics assigned to them. I generally stuck to the same 14-day loop of topics over and over again, so each topic was covered two times each month. I combined Agency and Partnership because they are best friends, and never studied Conflict of laws outside when it was on a combo MEE practice essay. I am not sure if this was unwise or a good move over all, but it gave me 13 topics for 13 days, and on the 14th day I worked on MPTs or full on MBE tests or I devoted that 14th day to a topic I was having trouble with. I did not do two-a-day topics until the last two weeks before the Bar. Again, I was studying full time and I didn't really have time to fully devote my day to two topics. Honestly, it was for the best because I always start of strong when studying and dwindle off and it gets later. Speaking of - I studied maybe 2-4 hours a day during the work week and 5-7 hours on the weekend. I was not nose-to-book the whole time I was studying, but I tried my best. It helps that my then boyfriend now fiancé looming over me playing FIFA in the same room I studied in. Every time I picked up my phone he would turn to me and ask, "What are you studying now?"
3. I Slept - No seriously. I went to sleep before 12AM. I never slept while studying for my failing tests. It sucked and I was a stressed mess. I was still a stressed mess this time, but I had way more brain function, wasn't burnt out, and felt physically better. For the record, I said "physically better", not "good". I did not feel "good". It was a lot of really hard, exhausting work and I never wan to do it again. It took me a month to gather myself up to even write all this. Anyways, get some sleep.
4. I was real with myself about why I kept failing - My multiple failures were a result of a few things. First, I was totally burnt out. Not sleeping, non-stop stress, and law school really sucked for me. I was just not in a good place. Before studying for F24, I had not studied for the Bar in at least two years. I was working full time, playing rec sports, had a boyfriend, and friends. I was in a good place. Second, I was studying ALL WRONG. All passive studying, nearly no active studying (see above). I FULLY believe I could have passed in the non-UBE jx I failed so many times in if I just did then what I did on F24. Finally, I acknowledged I was the problem, and decided to break the cycle. Better habits, new approach, worked within my schedule, and focused on discipline and consistency (Not my strong suite. Again, high recommend acquiring a FIFA playing study overlord - or an accountability buddy).
5. Test Day Mentality - I don't know if this is advice, but I walked into that testing center PUMPED UP. I was in a great mood - it was game day and I was ready to ball. A security person asked me how I was doing on Day 1, and I said, "GREAT!" and she said, "You are the only one." That is a true story. In retrospect I may have been losing my mind a bit, but hey, fake it until you make it, right? I tried my best to carry that mentality to Day 2. I also made a friend to hang with before, during lunch, and as we were leaving the test center - we still text! I am sure plenty of people need to be silent and alone to focus up, but for me, talking to someone (about work, life, whatever isn't test related) helped to keep my brain dynamic and awake. My friend was also a retaker who passed on F24, and I like to think having a friend helped them too.
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2024.05.20 20:47 wecanhaveallthree [f][leagues of votann] Milk Run

It was too late now. All Meddler could do was grit his teeth and tuck his chin.
The punch came in fast, but in that slow-motion shaft-collapse things do when there’s pain on the way and nothing you could do about it. He had plenty of opportunity to study the crisscross of scars on hairy knuckles, to smell the rancid grog they called ‘shoot’ on his assailant’s breath - to watch those wide, angry eyes as the blow landed.
To hear half the bones in that untrained fist break on skein-toughened skull. It must have been like belting bedrock. Ancestors, the poor drunk would have had more luck slamming his hand in a metal press.
Meddler grinned. His turn. And since there were no prizes in a bar fight - and he might need his own hands for something useful that day - he slugged the local right in his gut and stepped back to avoid the sudden stream of watery ejecta. Hold and Forge, but they served thin-bodied stuff in these local dives, knowing that the labourers off the plains - strictly grog-free, those jobs, and touchy about it - wouldn’t argue the difference, and wouldn’t feel it all the same by the end of the night.
The plainsfolk had no tolerance for it. Hadn’t much tolerance for anything that happened in cities like Maron Ma’jal, though calling the sprawl that spread out from the meagre sandstone docks a ‘city’ - smaller even than a rural logistics hub back on Hesperis - felt like giving the locals too much credit.
Their urban kin felt at least an equal disdain for the plainsfolk. The publican barely looked up as his nominal fellow fell into a puddle of quick-drying sick, groaning.
‘Dirt eaters,’ he growled. ‘No end of trouble.’
Meddler grunted, smoothing down his ruddy red beard. It bristled like a gyrinx when his temper was up, like a bloody thornbush - and that seemed more often than not, the last few days. He wiped sweaty palms down the rugged grey weave of his coverall. ‘From me or them, sirrah?’
‘Henh. Don’t mind the brawls. Part of the entertainment.’ The publican held a musty glass up to the morning light filtering in through the cracked shutters. ‘But the ones I don’t know? No good. Lot of strange faces, hands I don’t recognise.’ The glass passed this cursory examination and went back on the rack. ‘You see hands like his, what do you think?’
The Kin shrugged, not particularly interested - he’d just wanted a drink before the sun picked up and day-roster rolled over. ‘They don’t pay me to think.’
A strange, high-pitched warble: the publican’s laughter. He brought all four hands down on the weathered countertop, then folded two up to cradle his tilted head. With heavy brow and thick furred body visible beneath a rough tunic, the Karic could almost be a strain of Jokaero, though nothing Meddler had seen suggested they had anything like the innate technical genius of that race. They were humanoid enough that they might survive under the bootheel of the Imperium, even - relegated to the very bottom of that black pit as an abhuman strain.
If the Kin were ever put in such straits, Meddler figured he’d eat his own axe than ‘survive’ in that manner, even if it meant he’d never join his Ancestors. Some lives just weren’t worth living.
‘You look down, sure,’ said the publican. ‘But that’s what you do, you look. Always looking. More eyes than should fit in your head, all looking where others can’t or won’t. So. Humour me, and see to his hands.’
With a scowl, Meddler knelt - not a far trip down, all told. When he’d confronted the plainsfolk, his red ‘hawk would barely have tickled the Karic’s nose and this specimen hadn’t been particularly imposing. They stood about the height of a well-fed Imperial, thinner in the trunk, with much of their bulk going towards their four arms and powerful legs. They’d been hunters at some time in the not-so-distant past. Judging by the dirt eater’s attire of rough leather harness and moccasins, some kept those traditions alive and in practical use.
The Kin carefully turned the Karic’s primary hands over. Knuckle-scarred, as he’d seen, but the palms were less rough. Much less so. Not what one would expect from a labourer or, as he’d speculated, a regular hunter. Weathering, at very least, from working with hides and crude tools or weapons, would be expected.
The second set was even smoother. Delicate, even, as though almost unused, or used very sparingly.
‘Fresh as a virgin seam,’ Meddler frowned. ‘This lad’ - and even he, who’d never known the Karic had existed a bare few weeks before, could see now this was a youth - ‘Hasn’t done a day’s hard labour in his short life. Or,’ he rubbed speculatively at his wholly unharmed jaw, ‘Been in a fight. What’s he doing in a worker’s dive? They come off the plains to change their stars, that it?’
‘Sometimes, yes,’ the publican equivocated, waggling his own secondary hands. ‘But him? This? No. Ordinarily, I think, a clan falls apart, a hated clan, so no other will take the young - all come to the Majoris. All fade into the metropolis. Assimilate. Why you might see many untempered young. But I hear nothing of such a thing, while I hear of children like this often. And not just children - the honoured eld, too, and they are more reckless with their age, not less.’ The Karic crossed his arms and bowed his head a moment, a gesture lost on the Kin. ‘Their bones should be at rest, not moving about as restless haunts.’
‘Restless?’ Meddler quirked a smile. ‘Like ghosts?’
‘Pah. Or soon to be. I think that is what you are here to look for, yes? And you have not seen it; you have seen its absence, which proves it.’
‘Be a bit of a bloody end for them, wouldn’t it? Who’ll guide them to join the old chiefs?’
The publican’s eyes flashed - with warning, and sorrow. That was understandable enough. Even if he wouldn’t spit on a plainsfolk for risk of giving the wretch water, there were some hurts - some spiritual wounds - that he could still feel and empathise with.
‘I do not think they care.’
‘Come now.’ Meddler tried a different, soothing track. ‘It can’t be all that bad. I hear they’re finishing up an agreement right now. Independence for the plainsfolk. Mutual recognition. They lose nothing. Same deal as you urbans got.’
‘There is a maxim.’ The publican returned to his glasses, polishing away, holding to the light - doing little but spreading the dust around. ‘Off-worlder as you are, unlearned, you will not know it. It loses much in translation. ‘The image is not the thing itself.’ Hanh, I speak wrongly. Perhaps… ‘appearance may be deceptive’. There. Better, perhaps. Do you have a similar knowing, on your stars?’
Meddler was quiet a moment.
The canny rag-pusher had the Kin pegged, alright. Back home, the only time he’d ever had a sniff of drink was a customary sip of cider on Landing Day. He certainly hadn’t been the prize brawler he made himself out to be - was ordered to make himself out to be. The Core was a hard place, and the Hesperian League skeined strong, but it skeined smart, too: ‘appearance may be deceptive’ indeed.
He’d been allowed in, a mercenary offworlder, to start fights and catch gossip that the urbans wanted him to have - but didn’t want to pass on themselves. Because appearance was the thing, down here.
Appearance was why the publican polished glasses while the plainsfolk poured into the ‘unseen’ parts of Ma’jal: young, scared scrappers ready to fight and their elders, here to make sure they did. And none of their experienced warriors to be seen. Which meant they were still out on the plains, the North Harvest - where a treaty was due to be signed, supposedly, any day now, between the Karic and their new overlords.
‘Somebody,’ he said at last, ‘should tell someone.’
The publican shrugged, a perfect imitation of the Kin’s earlier dismissal.
Perhaps the disinterest wasn’t feigned. The Karic may hold only a single system, true, and of that single system, only this world had anything approaching an industrial base - and even that had only recently discovered the most crude of forging techniques. Enough for iron and black powder. But their cities were built on the fragmented remains of older, greater bastions. Fortresses and starports and a whole southern continent that was so deeply irradiated it made even instruments designed for the brutal conditions of the Core scream.
The Karic built on their own bones. They had risen and fallen before. Who knew how many times? The digs were still in their infancy, and they made new discoveries, new revelations about this ragged, remnant species daily. Their history was as long as it was violent. They would, the publican’s shrug seemed to say, endure, no matter what misery came tomorrow.
Who would be arrogant enough to claim dominion over such a people?
A fluting, electronic voice penetrated the bar, rattled the glasses in their racks. It spoke in melodic trade-speech, the common tongue, and the higher pitch of an alien lexicon. The newcomers had been busy. They’d wired an extensive loudspeaker network into the city, and they’d been thorough when they did it with an efficiency that was almost - almost! - Kin.
But then, they’d had plenty of practice.
They had it down to a science.
‘Another glorious day, citizens and members,’ the voice sang, ‘for the Greater Good.’
submitted by wecanhaveallthree to 40kLore [link] [comments]

2024.05.20 18:05 chaos_knight_xy Boruto Boudicans Ch. 37 part 4

Boruto Boudicans Ch. 37 part 4
Meanwhile, in Bodeland.
Graham had felt he had learned a great many things from Marjory.
"You, John Graham are a headache." Said Marjory.
Graham smiled with embarrassment.
"I did ask you to teach me." Said Graham. "You said yes."
Marjory turned toward Graham.
"Perhaps you should read more, if you desire knowledge to improve oneself." Said Marjory.
"And what if I get a headache for reading." Said Marjory.
"Then you should probably read out in the snow." Said Marjory. "I think your brain would worry about the cold more than the sickness of a couple of words."
At once, they found themselves in the grassy valley where the home of Steward of Bodeland resides.
"Now why did you insist to escort me home again?" asked Marjory with a suspicious tone.
Graham was embarrassed.
"Well, um, chivalry, maybe?" said Graham with an embarrassed smile.
Marjory grabbed him by his collar with one hand, while another held a book close to her chest.
Graham was taller than Marjory, but once she grabbed him by his collar he crouched down below her height.
She looked into his eyes like she was trying to find cracks in a shield.
"Right!?' she said.
She let go at that moment, Graham caught his breath.
She had a strong grip for a girl, or maybe Graham liked to think that.
"Heh." Said Graham. "Some say the pen is mightier than the sword, then why not try training with both?"
Graham looked towards his right.
He saw a cross with a ring loping the arms and stem.
"Why is a Boru Cross made in the green field?" asked Graham.
"No one knows who built it." Said Marjory. "Although I guess it is a form of art, a Boru Cross in the middle of a large green field."
Graham started jogging towards.
"Where are you going?" asked Jory.
"To pray!" replied Graham.
"Why." Responded Marjory.
"Why not." Replied Graham. "I am still living, Jory, a prayer is always a good thing, remember the teachings from our church."
"I told you not to call-me." Said Jory, but the words could not come from her mouth.
She sighed then turned away to walk home, then a wind blew in her face.
She then turned her face in Graham's direction.
Graham was kneeling beneath the cross, with his sword stabbed in the ground.
The wind had stopped blowing hard and was now blowing lightly.
The air had now become light and peaceful, and Jory still saw Graham, bowed down in silence.
Graham stood still like a statue, even though the wind blew hair into his closed eyes.
His sword stabbed the ground next to him, with a firm grip of his strong hands, yet despite all this the boy still desired to prove himself, in fields you wouldn't expect him to be.
Jory smiled lightly by just looking at Graham in the peaceful atmosphere of wind and silence.
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She then opened the door, entered then tried closing it but the wind was too hard at that moment.
At once another hand helped her close it, it was her father.
"Papa, you are done with work, earlier than usual." Said Marjory in surprise.
"That I am." Replied Mr. Halliday. Sitting down in a chair, "So what do you think of him?"
"Him!?" said Marjory in surprise.
"John Graham." Said Mr. Halliday. "I talked with him, and he has agreed to wed you, when you both come of age.
Marjory was shocked.
"W-Wed!?" she said in shock.
She then turned around, not facing her father.
Steward Andrew Halliday had predicted that his daughter may not take a betrothal well.
"Look, Marjory, I did this because I love you, I want what is best for you." Said Andrew Halliday. "I've taught John Graham as student-."
Marjory put her hand up to stop her father from speaking.
"I'm not upset, Papa." Said Marjory to Steward Halliday's surprise. "I admit Graham, he is an odd fellow, a bit hot headed at times..."
Marjory turned towards her father.
"But he at least is humble and tries to improve in areas he falls flat." Said Marjory, with a small smile, and eyes looking like they could water at any second but didn't.
She hugged her father.
Steward Halliday was shocked.
"Thank you for the splendid choice, Papa." Said Marjory.
Steward Halliday hugged back.
"I'm glad, you approve, my dear." He spoke.
While all this happened, Wallace and Ehou had finally arrived at the lands owned by the Okami clan.
"Woah." Said Ehou. "This noble clan of the land of Fire has taken a Boudican influence."
He gazed upon the Medieval Boudican stone walls.
On the walls, there was a mix of Boudican sentries, and Land of Fire sentries.
The Boudican sentries had spears, shields and arrows alike for weaponry. As for clothing, they wore either leather jerkins, or cloth tunics, embroldened with the colors of Fife.
The Land of Fire sentries wore an attire, surprising to Ehou, they were not Shinobi.
They rather wore attire similar to the Samurai of the Land of Iron, albeit different in their own style with some Boudican influence.
The wore leather jerkins with breastplates, with spears, arrows, and shields with the symbol of a wolf in the moon.
"Why don't they have Shinobi up here?" asked Ehou.
"Shinobi are for the most part exclusive to the main villages." Replied William. "Most clans of nobility connected to the Daimyo have their traditional private militias, because they wouldn't want the Hidden Leaf intermingling in their affairs."
"Sounds a bit like they oppose the Leaf." Said Ehou.
"Why else would the Daimyo's area forbid Hidden Leaf ninja's from operating in it." Said William. "Sounds like the Daimyo wants to be self-reliant on his own means."
William knocked on the front door to the new castle of the union of Fife and the Okami clan.
The door opened immediately.
"Are there Boudicans living here?" asked Ehou.
"Of course there are, Macduff the Earl of Fife lives here, so of course his pheasants and few clan members would come to live here with them." Said William. "Don't worry they don't hate me like Bodeland, or at the very least tolerate me, which I am thankful for."
An Okami clan messenger opened the gate.
"Well, Macduff's squire are you?" Said an Okami clan messenger at the gate.
"That I am." Replied William Wallace.
"And who might your brother in arms in be?" asked the messenger.
"A new Boudican squire named Ehou Norimaki, a squire of Shinobi and Boudican blood?" said William.
The messengers eyes lit up.
"Oh, Lady Tsukasa would be dyeing to see this, the both of you?" said the messenger with humble courtesy. "Might I direct you to her and Lord Macduff."
"That is why I am here sir?" replied William.
"They are in their private house on the mountain, I'm sure the both of you will be a pleasant surprise for them." Said the messenger.
The boys climbed the mountain on their horses.
Ehou was in awe as they climbed the mountain, the trees were of a different breed, there was more moss than usual.
"What happened here, this does not look like the Land of Fire." Said Ehou.
"Seems the Earl of Fife, has added Boudican greenery." Said William Wallace with a smirk, so big, it was like he threatened to smile. "It is like we are traveling to the ancient mytholigical city of Avalon, maybe we are knights of the round table of ancient Arthurian Legend, I am Sir Gawain, and you are Sir Galahad, perhaps Macduff is our King Arthur, and Lady Tsukasa is our Queen Gwenevere."
"No." replied Ehou. "I am Sir Gawain, you are Sir Mordred, the throne will be mine, once I take down you! You Usurper!"
"Alright Gawain, defend your king then." Said William Wallace in a joking tone. "Lets race to the King."
"Alright, Bordred! but not too fast, I have no desire to destroy the greenery." Said Ehou.
The boys ran with their horses up north, but not fast, for they did not wish for their horses to rip up the trees and the fine greenery.
Eventually they found themselves at a humble yet graceful settlement, a cross between an house and castle.
They found Macduff next to the house, in analyzing what it looks like a sword.
"Macduff!" said William Wallace.
Ehou was very confused, William acts more happy with Macduff then his own family in the Leaf.
"William, my boy." Said Macduff. "It has been a while."
Macduff put his hands on William's head.
"Hey." Said William in protest.
"William is closer to Macduff than the Uchiha." Thought Ehou.
Macduff looked towards Ehou Norimaki.
"And you must be Ehou Norimaki, one of the new squires to the band of Macduff." Said said Macduff.
"That I am my lord." Said Ehou.
"Please, a friend of William's does not need such courtesy." Said Macduff putting a hand to his beard. "And you have no idea who your father is?"
"That is correct, my- I mean Macduff." Replied Ehou.
"Interesting." Said Macduff.
Macduff then looked towards home.
"Huh you are just in time, our lady is up from our nap." Said Macduff with a grin. "Wait here, I will make us some drinks real quick."
The boys were confused by Macduff but ultimately obeyed.
Ehou decided to wait by practicing with his sword.
William Wallace decided to wait by reading a book.
After exactly like 1 minute.
"Alright boys, you may come inside now, there is sweet cakes and hot cocoa." Said Macduff.
The boys stopped what they were doing, and walked to go inside.
"Alright, maybe I should eat a sweet cakes with my sword." Said Ehou.
"Unless you want the red smile, I don't recommend you do that." Said William
Once inside, and in the living room with Macduff and Tsukasa, both Ehou and William were shocked beyond words
So shocked they forgot about the hot cocoa and sweet cakes in front of them.
Even after serving themselves with cocoa and sweetcakes, they were still shocked.
All Tsukasa and Macduff did was smile.
Yet still, Ehou and William were shocked.
https://preview.redd.it/dimjt16dul1d1.png?width=931&format=png&auto=webp&s=18f98927e50cc2f5bae2d1e67c624bac662326ed
Both Ehou and William stared blindly at Tsukasa, mainly her stomach.
Her belly was large like an egg.
She was pregnant.
A child of Macduff, a Boudican man, and Tsukasa, a Shinobi woman.
They both knew what this meant.
"Another Half Boudican!" thought both Ehou and William.
"We-we are happy for you both." Said Ehou. "Just wow, another half Boudican."
"This would be the fourth half Boudican to exist, including David Bruce." Said William.
"You know." Said Tsukasa. "I was worried how our child would come out, since he or she may have been the first you know half-Boudican, but upon seeing you, the both of you, my worries were softened, I am more optimistic now, especially after meeting you, William."
"You give me too much credit, my lady." Said William. "If anything, Ehou should be the half-Boudican your child should strive to be like."
"What me?" said Ehou. "I haven't even found out my surcoat yet."
Both Macduff and Tsukasa laughed.
"Only time will tell Ehou, but if you really wish to not be surcoat less." Said Macduff. "Perhaps you should do more digging into your family secrets."
"I suggested the same thing too." Said William.
"I will be sure to do that." Said Ehou. 'But if it is a chicken, I would prefer to surcoat less."
"What is wrong with a chicken?" said both Macduff and William.
Tsukasa laughed.
"I can see where he is coming from, Chickens are seen as jokes in the Land if Fire." Said Tsukasa.
"I would prefer a lion like William and Macduff." Said Ehou. "If not, maybe I'll accept a wolf like yours my lady."
"A-a wolf?" said Tsukasa. "You flatter me."
"Yes, I can take a wolf, a grey wolf's head in an icy white background, I'll take that." Said Ehou.
"What about a pig?" asked Macduff.
"No, a pig is not good, in fact it may be worse than chicken." Said Ehou.
"Oh, this is fun." Said Tsukasa. "What about a boar."
Ehou thought for a second.
"A red boar with a black background sound fearsome." Said Ehou. "I guess."
"It is no use seeing what surcoat you would be ok with." Said William. "What surcoat your father had, is the one you get, same way I didn't choose to be of the Wallace clan, nor did I choose who my mother was, or that I would be related-."
Macduff and Tsukasa were silent.
"I'm just speculating, by the way, what if it is possible my father did not have a surcoat?" Said Ehou.
"Only boys of nobility merely close to babes would undergo such hard training to have their body strong enough to wear chainmail." Said William. "So, in any case your father would have to be a Boudican noble."
"That is correct, although there is one rare case, I recall of a Boru man being knighted by the lordship of Boru." Said Macduff.
"Alright I am getting confused." Said Ehou. "Boudican, Boru and Gorman, this is just confusing, I thought Boudica was an umbrella term."
Macduff was about to speak, but Tsukasa put her soft hand on his hand.
"I will explain it to him, husband." Said Tsukasa. "From one of Shinobi background to another."
Ehou sat down in attention.
William and Macduff were silent.
Tsukasa held up three fingers.
"Well, you are right, Boudica and Boudican are an umbrella term, when we refer to all Boudicans in general." Explained Tsukasa. "However, Boudica the land and world itself, is more or less separated into three different lands, we have mainland Boudica, the largest one, south, we have Gormandy, then west we have the land of the Boru. All three are Boudicans, same culture, usually the same everything, but accents, like for example, Macduff and William here have mainland Boudican accents, the most common one."
"Oh, I see." Said Ehou. "I know what a Gorman accent sounds like...."
Ehou's emotion soured.
Tsukasa noticed.
"What's wrong?" asked Tsukasa.
Ehou didn't respond, so as a result Macduff was curious.
William put his hand on Ehou's shoulder.
"Don't worry Ehou, I trust them, and so should you." Said Ehou.
William looked at Macduff and Tsukasa with a determined face.
"There is something I need to bring up to you. Ehou killed a Gorman Squire named Scrope." Said William, without hesitation.
Everything after that was a haze for Ehou.
Everything was now darkness for Ehou, had he himself passed out?
To himself, it was like he fell into a sea of dark water.
He was drowning,
Drowning
Drowning.
His thoughts in this black sea had finally come to him, his thoughts. No, his memories.
The oldest thing he remembers is his mother drilling in him, certain things needed to live, reading, brushing teeth, tying shoes, telling him the greatness of his late father, Right, that is what he wanted, to be like his father, a great shinobi, yes that was what he wanted to be, what he strived to be.
"But no." thought Ehou. "Whoever my father was, he was never a Shinobi, no, he was a Boudican Knight, a regular mainland Boudican, Gorman or Boru, I did not know."
Perhaps Ehou will never know, for all he knew, he may never know, his memory is already a mess as it is.
He killed the squire, Scrope, he does not how or why, but he did. There is a gap in his memory of what went down, but in one second, he found Scrope confronting him, then the next he was dead. There is no way Ehou had eliminated a squire that quick, at least not quick enough that no one would see.
Ehou clutched his fist.
"Who was my father, but also who was I when I was younger?" thought Ehou. "Before my earliest memories."
"Ehou." Said a voice.
Ehou, who was in the dark sea, now saw a light.
"Ehou." Said the light.
Ehou swam harder and reached the light.
"Gasp." Said Ehou, "I-I'm awake?"
Ehou found himself in a forest, with his Boudican gear, along with his horse as well.
"Your finally awake, geez, are you ok?" Said William.
Ehou collected himself, then remembered what happened.
"You-you told them!" said Ehou with a face of betrayal.
"I did." Said William Wallace.
"Why did you!" yelled Ehou, grabbing the hilt of his sword, still in its scabbard.
William sighed.
"See, that is how a murderer would react." Said William. "And unfortunately, because of your reaction, we had to cut our visit with Lord Macduff and Lady Tsukasa short, especially because I don't want an emotionally destructive warrior boy around a pregnant lady." Ehou was shocked, but he knew William was right. So, he let go of his sword.
William Wallace put his hand on Ehou's shoulder.
"Macduff is one of the closest people to me, closer to me than any of the Uchiha." Reassured William. "He told me he will sort it out with the Boudican Church and whomever Scrope's family is, we will have a fair trial, a private one, so your mother or anyone else would ever know of this."
"Are you sure, I will be fine?" asked Ehou.
"Since we have no way of figuring out that you had a motive for murder." Said William. "I'm sure Lord Macduff will find a way to prove your innocence, he helped me in the toughest spot in my life, I'm sure he will help you."
"You think?" asked Ehou.
"I know?" replied William. "I've seen it myself."
Ehou looked down at his feet.
"I guess I will trust you then." Said Ehou.
"That's the spirit." Said William Wallace. "Now let's get going, onward to the Leaf."
"Wait what's that?" asked Ehou.
William and Ehou looked down from the mountain, and saw an outcast settlement, that looked linked to the Hidden Leaf.
"What's that place?" asked Ehou.
"I don't know." Said William. "But let's go check it out."
The boys went up to the door of the settlement.
There was rugged tape, preventing access, although from the looks of it, it looked dusty and rugged you could hardly tell.
Ehou saw a weary old flag with a gloomy ruined yet very familiar symbol.
"Is that crest the same as your cousins and aunts?" asked Ehou.
"It is." Replied William. "Judged from the state, it is like no one has ever been here for a while, the no-entry tape is run down and dusty."
"Why would they forbid anyone from entering?" asked Ehou.
"The fact, everything is so dusty, means that they could not care to prevent anyone from entering." Said William. "Or maybe they just did a really good job at hiding it, because let's be honest no one in the Leaf even talks about it, let alone mentions it."
"This?" said Ehou.
"A dark truth." Said William.
Both boys entered.
They were all in shock.
"Woah, is this it? Even the blood stains are still here" said Ehou. "They would never teach us this in school."
William Wallace stood dazed looking at the area.
There were still white illustrations of where murdered bodies were slain.
Dried 20 years and older blood was still splattered on road and walls alike.
Houses cracked and broken into.
A memory flash appeared before William's eyes.
He didn't need to guess what this place was, he knew, all too well.
This was the site of the Uchiha Massacre.
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William decided to look and explore the place.
He went inside a family unit.
He saw an warrior outline of a body at the door to the kitchen of that unit.
He went into the room next to it.
He saw a white outline of body that had dropped a book.
He went into the next house, saw something similar, then the next.
He saw the body outlines varied from size.
In one house, he found the outline of what look like a family having dinner then was slain.
The next house the same thing, except one of the youngest escaped to the closet, only to be dragged out and killed just like his or her family.
The next one may have been even more haunting.
A white outline of a body, a mother, reaching for a cradle, most likely her own baby.
But she was slain in the attempt, as for her child.
The cradle is slice clean in half, another outline under the cradle.
William remained unfazed after seeing all this, but all in all he knew what they meant.
"Huh, this right here is a peace of a cruel and brutal history?" said Ehou. "And we honor the perpetrator, Itachi as one of the greatest heroes ever in the Leaf."
"What do you make of this?" asked William.
"Well, it is horrible, I agree." Said Ehou. "But Itachi did the right thing, the Uchiha would have destroyed the Hidden Leaf, if Itachi did not deal with them."
"Huh?" replied William. "I have a bunch questions, first, how could the Uchiha that are not warriors, namely humble workers, old people, women and children be a threat to the Leaf?"
"Easy, once we eliminate the warriors, they would want revenge." Replied Ehou. "The thing is, the Uchiha are fueled by their emotions, it gives them power, it controls them, so that is why they should all be killed, when they were going to rebel."
"Sounds like murder to me?" replied William.
"It was self-defense." Said Ehou.
"Funny, I could use the same thing to justify a slaughter of certain people, I don't like." Said William.
"They would have destroyed the village." Protested Ehou.
"That is just objective, and an assumption at best." Replied William.
"And you are assuming they wouldn't." shot back Ehou.
"I didn't plus whatever the Uchiha planned to do?" said William. "I think why they did, is a better question then what they were planning to do."
"Tobirama is right." Said Ehou. "Think about it, they were responsible for lots of problems, remember Madara and Obito, after all remember what the Nine Tales did to the Leaf, many witnesses testify it had the tomoe of the Uchiha in it's eyes, plus remember the Akatsuki, as well as instigating the Fourth Great Ninja War."
"Sounds like the Leaf needs a scapegoat." Replied William. "What about the first three Ninja Wars, did the Uchiha start those I wonder, lets see, the Uchiha were relegated to a police force under Tobirama, and forced to locate to the edge of the Village after the nine tales attack, with no say in the direction of the Hidden Leaf, while other clans like the Hyuga had the privelage."
William pointed to Uchiha crest.
"Sounds like they were oppressed by the Leaf." Said William.
"Maybe they should have peacefully protested, instead of you know have an armed revolt." Countered Ehou. "I doubt the Hidden Leaf would allow freedom of speech." Said William. "Then again all nations do that, if I said Madara was right, the elders would demand my head. Plus if you want to argue a peaceful solutions, shouldn't that apply to the Leaf as well."
"Back then was a time of war, a peacefull approach by the Leaf would have made the Hidden Leaf look weak." Said Ehou.
"No, they could have a strong ally, through peaceful negotiation." Countered William. "The Uchiha clan are still ethnic to the Land of Fire, I doubt they would betray the Land of Fire and side with an outside nation."
"Agree to Disagree." Replied Ehou.
William Wallace stood at him at disbelief.
Ehou then looked at the sun.
"Well, it is getting late." Said Ehou. "I want to get home now."
William eyed Ehou suspiciously.
"Very well." Said William. "We will talk about this later, or not?"
The ride back to the Leaf was slow and quite.
Ehou and William did not say a word to each other.
When William and Ehou got back to William's house to undress out of their Boudican gear.
Ehou refuses to leave his chain male shirt, but rather still wear it.
"I am going to tell my mother." Said Ehou.
"Are you sure?" said William. "There is a chance she will try to not let you be a Boudican."
"But I saved many people this day, because of my Boudican prowess." Said Ehou. "I don't think it will be that bad, I hope."
"Well, whatever happens." Said William. "We are still brothers in arms, friends, even though we don't agree on everything."
William gave out his hand.
Ehou smirked
Eho shakes his hand.
"Not just friends, rivals, and fellow brothers that are Half Boudican, remember that?" said Ehou.
"I will." Replied William.
"I'll see you later, Will." Said Ehou, leaving.
"Alright, bye." Replied William, who was also leaving his house for dinner with the Uchiha.
submitted by chaos_knight_xy to u/chaos_knight_xy [link] [comments]

2024.05.20 15:49 Gold-Oven8507 The Importance of Citing Sources

The Importance of Citing Sources
Dear Sara Jo:
“Failure to provide an oral citation is considered a form of plagiarism, even if you cite your sources in a written outline, bibliography, works cited page or list of references. When you are delivering a speech, you must provide an oral citation for any words, information or ideas that are not your own”(https//.library.mc3.edu).
This funny t-shirt came across my social media feed today. 😳 When you said this same quote about Cage and James thought you were hilarious for it, that would’ve been a good time to say “In the words of Judge Judy, I wouldn’t believe Cage of his tongue came notarized”.
submitted by Gold-Oven8507 to SeekingWhatTheyHide [link] [comments]

http://activeproperty.pl/