Hi self publishers
I'm a software developer exploring the idea of creating a website that would allow authors to input their manuscript and generate a narrated audiobook.
I'm guessing that the biggest obstacle around this would be lack of quality but I feel like text to speech has gotten pretty good now to the point where it might be a viable option, especially for people who can't afford to hire narrators.
I created a quick sample to give you an idea of the quality: http://sndup.net/t87s
There would be a few different voices to choose from and it would be delivered quickly (probably under 10 minutes, definitely under an hour). It would be in .mp3 format, split into chapters and ready to upload to Audible or similar platforms.
Curious to hear your thoughts on whether you would find this valuable, what features would be most important, and how much you would consider paying for it.
Thanks!

Hi folks! I'm fairly new to the fragrance world and looking to develop a collection. I'm starting to sample different scents to get my nose accustomed to the different notes. I recently got my hands on an LPDO sample kit and seeing that this brand is still new and not much talked about, I thought of giving a review of the samples I got for those interested.
LPDO is an Italian brand, said to be producing affordable, good quality fragrances inspired by luxury scents, and they also have gorgeous bottles imo. The discovery kit comprises all of their fragrances, at a whopping 24 samples for 15,90 euros free shipping (!!!).
I sprayed them all on paper, then on myself and smelled them over a few hours before writing my thoughts. I'd like to specify, I am not a professional and as I said I'm just getting started, so forgive me if I'm not super accurate with the notes - or outright too basic with my descriptions! But hey, all for honesty and growing, right? Here we go:

1. Gotique island - Warm spices, sweet, comforting, the opening leans slightly masculine but quickly transforms into creamy orange blossoms and vanilla. Feels sophisticated and mature, but slightly overpowering for my taste. 7/10
   
2. Superbe Café - rose bomb with coffee. i'm not a rose lover so I don't know what I expected. Smells like rose and burnt paper. Gave this to a friend instantly and I hope she doesn't wear it around me. 4/10
   
3. Soleil Desire - this I was most excited about because I love citrus and was not disappointed. Fresh, energetic, gingery, not sweet at all. Sage shines through beautifully but is gone quickly. Overall a solid unisex summer scent. 7/10
   
4. Vanille Persuasive - this is supposed to be the dupe for TF Tobacco Vanille but I haven't smelled that so can't confirm. It's vanilla with cloves, rum and dried fruits, has a luscious, deep and warm feeling. Good for the festive season I suppose, but I fear it can get too cloying. Not my thing but I can see the appeal. 6/10
   
5. Royal Tiaré - there's actually no Tiaré in this. Smells like pretty white flowers, creamy and sweet with a hint of pink pepper. Stays close to the skin. It's a comforting smell, like some good quality body lotion, with a luxurious sexy feel. I found myself smelling my arm over and over, even though at the start I thought it wasn't for me. Was going to give this a 6.5 but I might bump this to a 7/10
   
6. Fleur Noire - inspired by TF Black Orchid (haven't tried that though, I'd like to know if it comes close). I found this very intriguing. Spicy mandarin orange, a hint of green (is it gardenia?) and some lovely jasmine shining through. After a bit it becomes deeper, woody and tobacco-y, with a mysterious somewhat dark aura, and it lasts a good while. Might get too smoky after a while, but I enjoyed it. 7.5/10
   
7. La Nuit Blanche - inspired by Bianco Latte, I suppose. Smells like caramel vanilla, with a slightly bitter opening that reminds me of fresh almonds. After it's just sweet, milky vanilla creme caramel, like a more sophisticated version of pink sugar. Girly girly sweet tart 6.5/10
   
8. Voyage Secret - I did not like this. It smells pungent like vinyl paint. Very balsamic, a bit of rose and amber. Definitely too harsh. 4/10
   
9. Soul Sea - breezy, salty, junipery, very masculine. Pleasant and calming. The drydown smells like clean salty skin like fresh out of the ocean. Handsome Mediterranean man in the office. 7/10
   
10. Mieloud - I had high expectations for this one as I was curious about the honey notes and I'm so sad :( smells like cough drops but very bitter and medicinal. The bitterness goes quickly but so does the honey aroma and all that's left is oud and incense. For real, I had a bitter taste in my mouth after smelling this. 3/10
    
11. Excentum - supposed to be Accento by Xerjoff. Opens up very green and fresh, then turns into jasmine and lily of the valley with just a hint of rose, not overpowering which I like. Very classy woman in the workplace. Unfortunately it didn't last very long but I could see myself going back to this for sure 7.5/10
    
12. Touché - very surprised by this! I expected this to be more subtle, but it isn't, in a good way. Peach and red fruits on a white flowers creamy base, reminds me of Garnier shampoo. Girly, fresh, happy vibes. A bit too juvenile for some, I suppose, still I might consider getting a full bottle of this. Perfect for spring. 8/10
    

That's all the ones I've been through so far!! Let me know if you want an update with the rest of the samples (there's about ten left) and more importantly what do you think. Also, let me know if you are aware of what are the other designer fragrances that inspired these. Bye all!

There is a publicly filed brief that I would like to use as a writing sample. But my name is not on the brief. I would like to say (truthfully) that (1) the writing was edited by my superiors but is substantially my own work, (2) it was my idea to make these particular arguments, and (3) the judge found the argument persuasive and ruled in our client's favor. Assume that I have not received express permission to do this from the people whose names do appear on the brief (or from anyone else), and that I no longer work at this law firm.
I have a feeling that doing this would be unethical, but maybe I am wrong? Thoughts?

A personal note from Sargon Of Akkad…
As a proud and vocal defender of free speech, I am pleased to announce that I am moving my YouTube channel and podcast to a new location: the bathroom of my local McDonald's.
Now, I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "But Sargon, why on earth would you choose to broadcast your content from a fast food restaurant's bathroom? Won't that be unhygienic and uncomfortable for both you and your audience?"
Well, let me tell you. The McDonald's bathroom is the perfect location for my content. For starters, it is a publicly accessible space, which means that anyone can come and listen to me speak my mind without fear of censorship or persecution.
Furthermore, the bathroom provides the perfect acoustics for my voice. The echo chamber effect will make me sound like the powerful and persuasive speaker that I am, and the background noise of flushing toilets will add an exciting and dynamic soundscape to my content.
But most importantly, the McDonald's bathroom is a space where I can truly be myself. I won't have to worry about being judged or criticized for my controversial opinions, because the people who frequent the bathroom are likely to be too preoccupied with their own personal business to pay attention to me.
In short, the McDonald's bathroom is the ideal location for my YouTube channel and podcast. So, if you want to hear the unvarnished truth and the unfiltered opinions of a true free speech warrior, come on down to my local McDonald's and join me in the bathroom.
Together, we can take back the public square and defend our right to speak our minds without fear of reprisal. And hey, if you get hungry while you're there, you can always grab a tasty McRib sandwich (while supplies last).

Overview

1. Kennedy on the state of our union (9 min)
2. 2024 candidate comparison chart
3. Overview of Kennedy (3 min)
4. Fixing huge issues Biden & Trump don't fix (1 min)
5. Policies on Kennedy's website
6. Who is Bobby Kennedy? (30 min)
7. Kennedy's Record vs Biden's Record vs Trump's Record
8. A Hero Of The Planet
9. Kennedy's podcasts
10. Kennedy's books

Countering common smears

1. Kennedy isn't a grifter, or a plant to help Trump or Biden; Kennedy is a legitimate candidate who can win
2. Kennedy isn't anti-vax
3. Kennedy isn't a conspiracy theorist
4. Kennedy fully recovered from the brain worm incident over a decade ago and doesn't have cognitive issues
5. Kennedy isn't a spoiler
6. Kennedy isn't antisemitic and didn't claim covid-19 was an ethnically targeted bioweapon
7. Kennedy didn't claim atrazine causes transgenderism
8. Kennedy respects the 2nd amendment and isn't going to take people's guns away
9. Kennedy isn't authoritarian and didn't say climate change deniers should be jailed
10. Kennedy isn't responsible for the measles outbreak in Samoa
11. Kennedy has a solid stance on abortion that most Americans would agree with
12. Kennedy isn't a drug addict; he has now been clean for over 40 years (he understandably had previously turned to them in his youth in the wake of his father's and uncle's assassinations)
13. Kennedy wants the right kind of environmentalism that both sides can agree on, not authoritarian scams
14. Kennedy cares about both Israelis and Palestinians and wants peace

Evidence supporting counter-narrative claims

1. Science supports Kennedy's claims about Big Pharma corrupting our scientific system
2. Science supports Kennedy's claims on Covid, vaccines, EMFs, glyphosate, microplastics, and more
3. Science supports Kennedy's mercury-related claims
4. Science supports Kennedy's fluoride-related claims
5. Science supports Kennedy's Ivermectin-related claims
6. Science supports Kennedy's frog-related claims
7. Science supports Kennedy's claims about Wifi, 5G, and radiofrequency radiation
8. Science supports Kennedy's claims about syringe-injectable electronics
9. Science supports Kennedy's claims regarding different populations potentially having different levels of susceptibility to Covid
10. Kennedy's claims about NATO and Ukraine are supported by strong evidence
11. Kennedy stands up to the corrupt establishment

Short-form content

1. The truth about Ukraine (3 min)
2. Inflation, war, and banks (2 min)
3. Rising above partisanship and the duopoly (4 min)
4. Making housing affordable (3 min)
5. Not a conspiracy theorist 1 (5 min)
6. Not a conspiracy theorist 2 (3 min)
7. Calling out Fed, MIC, Oil, Pharma, CIA (2 min)
8. Persuasive memes
9. Truth to power and fighting for freedom (3 min)
10. Chronic disease (3 min)
11. Fighting factory farming corruption (3 min)
12. Making our government tell the truth (3 min)
13. Making our farms and food healthy (1 min)
14. The right kind of environmentalism (4 min)
15. Kennedy vs Biden for democracy comparison
16. Kennedy can win 1 (1 min)
17. Kennedy can win 2 (3 min)
18. Draining the swamp (2 min)
19. The truth about Trump's swamp record (2 min)
20. Fighting the great reset (2 min)
21. Mercury in vaccines (15 min)
22. Fighting against totalitarianism (13 min)
23. History lesson on Ukraine (4 min)
24. Vaccines: science vs orthodoxy (10 min)
25. Kennedy's covid record vs the duopoly's (4 min)
26. Kennedy can beat Donald Trump in 2024, Biden can't
27. Kennedy vs Trump on draining the swamp
28. Looking at vaccine science vs trusting Bill Gates (2 min)
29. Pro vaccine safety testing, not anti-vax (13 min)
30. Neither right nor left: what we stand for (2 min)

1. Humans need representatives and agents because they have a physical limitation: they cannot be in two places at the same time. An omnipresent god, by definition, is everywhere at the same time and therefore would have no need whatsoever for messengers, be they angels, prophets or priests.
   
2. Human speech was invented to communicate thoughts and ideas to another, otherwise inaccessible mind. It's extremely limited by our capacity to vocalize, codify and write down abstract concepts, as well listening and reading said codes.
   

An omnipotent, omniscient god has no such limitation and could access our minds any time he wants. In fact, believers do claim that god knows everything that's going on in our minds the whole time so that should be no big deal since he's already eavesdropping anyway. Therefore he would have no need whatsoever to deliver or pass down his message by any means that involves the imperfect human language, written or spoken.

1. If only one of the organized religions can be true and lead us to salvation, an omnibenevolent god would simply not allow Satan such an easy win. He would most definitely intervene (like believers claim he did in the past and still does today in alleged miracles) to make the only true path known to everyone once and for all. Again, he would do that without the need for any human intermediate or vehicle (e.g. Jesus) whatsoever.
   
2. That would not in any way violate our "free will". God wouldn't need to control our minds to convince us of his existence. All he has to do is to communicate directly with every single non-believer telepathically and convince him. He's omniscient so he knows what would convince that person. He's omnipotent, so no level of incredulity would be beyond his power of persuasion. A non-believer would, of his own volition, choose to trust the unquestionable evidences presented by god himself.
   

The fact that every single sect proclaims to be the true one while relying exclusively on a team of human messengers, evangelizers and interpreters tells us that they are all just different political factions struggling for control over believers. They're self serving corporations concerned only about their continued existence and expansion.

Thank you for the amazing universe!
l Prologue l Previous l Next l
—-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Will he live?"
The Kolshian doctor ensured that the IV line was set properly in the arm, given feathers and fur tended to get in the way. But he knew what he was doing, and the needle slipped beneath the skin without protest. Confident that the connection was good, he stepped back, taking in the full form of Kalsim with bulbous orange eyes.
The captain was better off than when they found him in the cave, but that wasn't saying much. Naked, delirious, covered in blood, and on the brink of death. His guard wasn't doing much better, spare the mortal injury, but hysterical regardless. He was talking now, but Kalsim wasn't so lucky.
"Barely, maybe. I'm surprised he survived for as long as he did, given the extent of the gash." He regarded the large compress wrapped around the captains chest. Underneath, teal colored medigel worked feverishly to repair the wound. "I'm gonna say the makeshift bandage saved his life."
"Good thinking on his guards part, bad on mine." The other observer sighed. "If only we just escorted him through, all of this could've been avoided. But that's in the past now. Did you manage to preform a brain scan yet?"
The doctor shook his tail. "Unfortunately, it's better to wait until he's stable to run the scan through."
The other thought for a moment. "Do it now."
The doctor was taken slightly aback. "But sir, doing a brain scan on him, in this condition? There's a real chance that the process might kill him."
"I know the risk, but its one we have to take. If he dies, we lose our only piece on the board."
"Are you sure? How useful are his memories to us? Don't we need him alive?"
The other walked to the beside, and gently stroked a tentacles across Kalsim's chest. It carried with it small flakes of violet blood, which a single rub turned to dust.
"We don't need his body, but we need his mind. No matter what happens, we continue on as planned. Understand?"
The doctor was still hesitant, tentacles and tail rapping fidgeting nervously. "Alright, I can get it done. I'm just telling you now that I don't think this is a good idea."
"Nothing we've done so far has been a good idea." The other stepped back from the bed, and moved to exit the small medbay. "But we do what's necessary."
The doctor began the process of setting up the brain scan, while the other made for the door. He took one step out, before he raised his tentacle, and turned back to face the doctor.
"Oh, and do let me know when he wakes up. We have much to discuss."
Memory transcription subject: Kalsim, Captain, United Federation Fleet
Date [standardized human time]: December 31st, 2136
It was not the sound of Kelum's voice that awoke me, nor the agony pulling my chest apart. My first sense of awareness was entirely lacking them, replaced instead by a repeating electronic beat, and what sounded like someone rustling around inside of a cabinet. And pressing against by body was not the ungrateful chill of bare rock, but a plush mattress and soft sheets.
Am I...dead?
Opening my ideas left me staring across what appeared to be a small medbay. At least, it looked like any medbay I would find on one of my ships. Taking the place of the usual zurulian personnel, however, was a kolshain, a deep green, donned in a coat, tentacles shifting through a cabinet hanging over the basin.
"W-where am I?"
The kolshian spun around instantaneously, eyes widened at the sound of my frail voice. "Stars above, your awake." He rushed to my side and began scanning over my face. "How are you feeling? Any pain, any grogginess?"
Maybe I'm not dead? "I...feel fine, I think. The pain is gone, at least."
The kolshain nodded. "Then the medigel did its work, thank the stars above. It looks like your going to be alright."
I looked down to see a large bandage wrapped around my chest, much more professional than the rags that Kelum used as a substitute. In place of the pain, a soothing cold projected from where my wound presumably laid. That must be the medigel he's talking about. I moved my wing around as a bit of a test, and found that besides a few twinges here and there, it was almost like I hadn't been raked at all.
"It's gonna take a couple of months for the wound to heal, and there's definitely going to be a scar." The doctor placed a tentacle on my shoulder. "But you should be able to walk up and about no problem. Do you feel like walking?"
"I...I guess?"
"Alright, let me help you here." A tentacle wrapped around my wing as he gently helped me out of the bed. Placing my legs down on the panel floor felt odd at first, likely the lingering effects of whatever painkillers they pumped into me. But however awkward it was, I could move.
"I gotta say Kalsim, your quite resilient. I've never seen someone survive a wound like that."
I coughed, but it only produced a small wince. "Well, maybe I just have a reason to go on."
"Yes, yes..." The doctor looked towards the door, before concerned eyes turned back to me. "Are you sure that your alright?"
"Yes, I think so..." I paused as I remembered the first question that came to mind. "Where am I? Where's Kelum?"
"Your guard is safe, no worries. He was concerned about you, so he'll be glad to know your up and about."
"Can I see him?"
Some of the doctors compassion seemed to slip away. "Not at the moment. There's more important matters to attend to."
It was then I noticed his other tentacle slipping a holopad back into his pocket. "We're you just talking to someone?"
He looked to the door. "Someone that want's to talk to you. I can bring you to him, if you like?"
"Who?"
"It's better if you meet him in person. He can explain everything."
My mind immediately went to the most obvious possibility: Could this be the person who sent me the note? I was suddenly filled with a mix of anticipation and dread. The person who revealed that my old home still existed, but who's cryptic nature nearly led to my death. He could be friend or foe, ally or enemy. He promised me an out, but it could all still be a lie. A gift wrapped box hiding a live grenade inside, ready to blow up in my face.
But it seemed that no matter what, I would have to talk to him.
"Bring me to him."
I quickly realized that the medbay was just another part of the maze-like facility me and Kelum entered in what felt like months ago. The same confusing layout, the same matte steel panel floors and ceilings, the same sickly green light bars, the same signs leading to the same places. Quarters, Maintenance, Observation.
It was a short journey, but one that nearly sent my nerves jumping out of my skin. My mind was alight with possibilities of who the person could be and what he wanted. Why did he need my help? Why not anyone else? Was it because this facility held a past dear to me? Or was there something that I wasn't seeing here? That last option felt more the case as we neared our destination.
Finally, we stepped through a doorway leading back into the familiar room. The consoles still lay dormant, the sanctuary light still blasted through the (now damaged) viewport. And standing shadowed near the edge,
SQUAW!
The sudden screech threw me back for a second, for there wasn't just a person standing at the window. Accompanying the man was one of those birds, green and gold, the very same that plucked that lizard from right in front of me and Kelum. Its sharp beaked plucked seeds from the outstretched teal tentacle before it, beady forward facing eyes planted firmly on the kolshian's face. He let the bird feed for a moment longer before his appendage returned to his side, and he turned to face me directly.
"Ah, Kalsim. I'm glad to see you up and about."
He was well above middle age, that much was clear. His voice crackled like the pages of an ancient tome, carrying knowledge and wisdom of a lifetime and more. His face was creased and spotted, his eyes were beginning to dull, and his back was beginning to damper. But he was proud and determined, all carried in a demeanor that seemed to disdain the very concept of age itself.
And that demeanor also carried a permeating aura of authority. In the gilded bands and rings around his sleeves, in the robes tailored only for those select few, in the necklace around his neck born with the symbol of the Chiefdom. Yet he was not gaudy or audacious. The blue fabric was well maintained, but not perfect. The guild shone, but was not spotless. He was powerful, but not infallible, and that he knew well.
He was unlike any shadow caste member I had ever met.
"I will see myself out." The doctor bowed before he took his leave, shutting the door in his wake.
The shadow caste member sighed. "I tell him that he doesn't need to bow, but he never listens. My colleagues leave their impression, let me tell you."
He stepped down from the observation platform, prompting the bird to fly back out the broken window. He watched it fly away, only turning back when it finally disappeared over the canopy. His tail bent in a manner that suggested happiness.
"Beautiful creatures, are they not? I can't exactly recall the name, it's probably in the archives somewhere. But I'm sure it's more than befitting of their elegance. Your people had a talent for names, even still to this day."
He stepped up in front of me, standing just slightly below my eye level.
"I'm sure you have plenty of questions, so ask away."
I was surprised at how casual he was being with all this, given that I nearly died. Is this just an act, or is he really this laid back? It would've helped if I knew his actual name.
"Who are you?"
"Ah, that's simple. I am Maronis, and before you ask, yes, I was the one to send you the note."
Maronis. The name didn't ring familiar, despite my numerous interactions with the caste. "I don't recall you."
"I didn't expect you too." He began to walk around, sliding tentacles over the dead consoles. "Truthfully, I'm one of the less prominent members of the caste. Partly because I prefer it that way, partly because I'm not the most popular."
"Popular?"
"Yes, the caste hasn't taken a particular liking to me, and that's entirely my fault. I don't apologize, and they don't expect me too. However, it has left me, how shall I say, rather uniformed."
He stopped his wandering, and turned to face me directly. His causal disposition did turn out to be an act, for a grave expression quickly took its place.
"There are happenings, Kalsim. Happenings that threaten to bring the Federation to its knees. I need your help to stop them."
"Happenings?" I had the feeling he was being intentionally vague. Or maybe... "What do you mean, happenings?"
Maronis sighed, before closing the gap and placing a tentacle on my shoulder. "Like I said, I'm rather uniformed. In that respect we are the same. Come with me."
He guided me over to the viewport, where a warm breeze blew threw the broken window. The 'sun', now nearing the horizon, sent long shadows cascading over the hills and treetops. The town laid shadowed in the center.
"Tell me Kalsim, what do you believe the purpose of this place to be?"
The answer seemed obvious now. "Some sort of habitat for pre-contact life from Nishtal."
He nodded. "In some sense, you are correct."
"In some sense?"
His eyes glowed brightly as he stared towards the horizon. "When the Federation first began on its endeavors, our government initially insisted on the complete extermination of all predator flora and fauna. The farsul, scholars that they are, disagreed, believing there to be some value in maintaining at least some samples of predatory life. Whether for the purpose of study, or that scholarly disposition towards collection."
"Eventually, they came to a compromise, whereby the farsul could maintain their little collection, as long as it was well isolated from the rest of the galaxy. It's why their archives are located a kilometer below their oceans, and why this place is here."
"As the Federation expanded, they constructed hundreds of facilities just like this. For centuries, they served their purpose without issue. And that's where the story should have ended."
But it didn't was the statement left unsaid. And something inside told me it had to do with the discovery in the cave.
"Me and Kelum, we found a skeleton of an arxur in that cave. And the town...people used to live here, didn't they?"
The 'sun' now began to dip below the horizon, and the habitat began to grow dim. Somewhere off in the distance, the calls that became somewhat familiar died into the falling darkness.
"I believe your intuition to be correct. This place was once a facility of observation, transformed into one of experimentation. To what ends, well that remains to be seen."
He turned back to me as the light finally disappeared, rendering his already teal complexion a further decomposed green.
"And I believe that this is, or was, part of a larger plot that I've yet to be let in on. I only know it by its code name, Clear Sky. A secret so important that all besides its name is to be kept from even fellow members of the shadow caste. And you know how secrets can be dangerous little things. At once seeming so minor, yet carrying the capacity to bring down entire nations, civilizations, in one fell swoop."
Maronis brought his tentacles behind his back, and began to pace the room once again. "Now let me ask you another question, Kalsim. Why does the Federation stand today?"
I watched him circle as I processed the question. "I...don't know what you mean."
"Well think about it. The Federation is responsible for numerous crimes against sapience. The destruction of entire cultures, histories, ideals inconvenient to our rule. We wage a war that we both know continues only for its sake. We stand at the core of an empire whose foundation is built on blood and bone, and we revel in it. Any sane world would have long ago rejected us. So tell me, why does the Federation stand today?"
The way he talked so casually about the essential destruction of forty four distinct species, including my own, should have given me pause. But maybe that's the point. Maybe it's because we can talk about it at all. Maybe because...
"It's no secret."
Maronis stopped, turned to face me again, and for the first time since the conversation began, let a small smile lift the corners of his mouth.
"Its. No. Secret. For centuries upon centuries, this galaxy has come to understand us, the cured, the values that we propagate, the foundations of our empire, to be the true predator, and all because one species decided not to become its prey. And from that point forward, we have had to fight for every single tiny ounce of legitimacy, to convince others that we are the path forward when reality tells of an otherwise case. And that struggle," he raised a single appendage to the air, "that is what has granted our Federation strength. For despite it all, we have crafted the most powerful polity this galaxy has ever known, and likely will know."
He paused to take a breath.
"But, to those of a less intelligent disposition," I could almost see the urge to mention Nikonus by name ripple across the kolshian's skin, "to those whose analysis errs to the superficial, they do not see this strength. They see the agitations of the Shield and the Coalition, factions which in reality can be crushed with but a flick of a tentacle. They see the furthering acceptance of the arxur, a natural product of their ideologies inevitable decay. They only see the superficial, because they only desire the superficial."
"So imagine, for a moment, if the conquest of Skalga was an uninterrupted process. If the Federation had never been given pause to reflect. What then, Kalsim?"
I'd almost forgotten that I was a part of the conversation, given how long and, dare I say, passionate his little speech had been. But reflecting on his question, the answer only seemed obvious.
"The secret would have been maintained. The Federations true nature, lacking the intervention of the Venlil, would have in all likelihood never been revealed."
"And what would it have done," Maronis continued my train of thought, "but grant the superficial strength so many seem to desire? The Federation, supreme in its power, free to enact its will upon the entire galaxy, no obstacle standing in its way."
"But secrets are a dangerous thing. Uncontested power is no different. It breeds malaise, complacency, confidence. Combine them together, well, that's an easy way to bring down an empire."
The logic seemed sound, if not common sense. "If what the Federation did only came out now, it would be chaos. Entire species suddenly discovering they're the monsters they've been led to hate the entire time. The Federation, it would just tear itself apart."
"Exactly." Maronis stepped forward. "And it's why I need your help. Because me and you both understand that there can be no more secrets if the Federation is to survive. And more than anything else, that is what we both desire. Correct me if I'm wrong."
Maronis looked up to me as I considered what I did truly want. Because what I wanted was always a product of what the shadow caste wanted, what Nikonus wanted. They told me what to do, what to say, how to act. Constantly kept an officer at my side, making sure that I toed the line perfectly. So what did I want?
"I don't know."
But far from disappointment, or shock, Maronis looked almost like he expected that answer. "You've been on a leash so long you've forgotten how to fly. I know what Nikonus wants to do with you, to make you another pawn in his game to create a forever war with humanity. A delusional plan born from the ideological dredges that can only be described as his mind. And I know you want no part his game. So like I promised, I'm giving you an out."
But that only raised the obvious question, "How do I know I won't just become your pawn as well?"
"Because," he expected that response as well, "unlike Nikonus, I'm giving you a choice. You can walk out of here, pretend that this place and this conversation never existed. Of course," he took in the bandage, "the wound would be hard to explain. I doubt falling down a flight of stairs would do that, but that's all besides the point."
"And you wouldn't make me disappear, suffer an accident, two gunshots to the back of the head?"
"Smart of you to consider that, but no, I don't work that way. At least, with people I consider allies. And even if you walk away, I know you would side with me if it came down to it."
He looked out to the habitat, which was now bathed in dim glow of a false moon. The wails echoed through the night, met with like-minded calls across the ancient expanse. So called stars twinkled across the dome, forming the constellations that once stared down at me every night. Maronis looked upon it all with no small amount of appreciation.
"I brought you here to remind you of what the Federation took from you, and so many others like you, all in the service of predator and prey."
"But predator and prey is all but dying. The continuing acceptance of the arxur and humanity serves as prime evidence to that point. Those who cling to it have condemned themselves to die alongside it. And if they succeed, if Clear Sky becomes manifest, they'll drag the entire galaxy down with them too. Of that I am sure."
"But you don't even know what Clear Sky is, you said so yourself."
"But I know what the caste wants, and you know what they want: To have predator and prey to define this galaxy in perpetuity. Clear Sky can only serve that end. The path that the rest of the caste seems want to take, even if it succeeds, will bring ruin to the Federation."
There were still lingering doubts, but those were inconsequential in comparison to the evident truth. If Nikonus got the war he desired, it would spell the end of the Federation. Humanity, the Coalition, Jones, they had no interest in playing along like the Dominion. They would go for the throat before the shadow caste even had a chance to get out of bed.
And even if they did, what then? Whose to say the rest of the galaxy would go along too? Humanity was no arxur, that was plain for everyone to see. Fuck, even the sivkit found it in themselves to see humanity for who they truly were. At that point, waging a war against humanity on the grounds of 'fighting predators' would be tantamount to sticking a gun in our collective mouth and pulling the trigger.
Either way, if Maronis was telling the truth, the Federation was doomed, unless the shadow caste was stopped, unless Clear Sky was put down.
"What would you have me do?"
Maronis nodded his tail and he spoke in a stern report. "Nikonus believes you to be a loyal pawn. Use that against him. Find out the true nature Clear Sky, then kill it in its cradle. But most importantly, do whatever it takes to ensure that Clear Sky remains a secret. If any inkling of it reaches the public, that could spell the end of the Federation. To that end, no sacrifice is too great."
"Whatever it takes?"
He leaned in closer. "Whatever it takes."
He stepped back, and some of his casual demeanor seemed to return, if not fully.
"And if you don't think you can do that, leave. But if think you can," he raised one tentacle up, and held it out before me, "then I think we can help each other."
He wanted a handshake. That human gesture, their way of signalling agreement.
And it brought for that great dilemma once again. Whether this was an act, or an out. Whether I would once again sign my life away, or finally take a step towards freedom.
After all I've done, all I've been forced to do, what I'm meant to do...It could be an escape, or I could be doing it all over again.
But I looked out the window again, heard the calls of the wilds robbed from my people by the organization whose member was now promising to bring it all to an end. Me, my people, we could have this all. After a thousand years, we could finally fly free, or have our wings clipped once and for all.
And all it took was a handshake.
"So Kalsim, what will it be?"
I recalled what I told Kelum, standing on the brink of death: It only took a thousand years, but things are finally back to normal.
It was a lie, but it didn't have to be. Not anymore.
So I raised my wing, took his tentacle in my talon, and shook to the future of the Federation.
l Prologue l Previous l Next l

1. Device Identification Exercise:

• Provide excerpts from various texts and ask students to identify and annotate instances of specific literary devices.
  
• Discuss their findings as a class, exploring different interpretations and applications of the devices.
  

1. Creative Writing Prompts:

• Assign each student a specific literary device and ask them to craft a short story or poem that prominently features that device.
  
• Encourage creativity and exploration of the device's nuances in their narratives.
  

1. Literary Analysis Essays:

• Assign students a literary work (poem, speech, or prose) and ask them to write an essay analyzing the author's use of a chosen literary device.
  
• Emphasize the impact of the device on the overall theme and tone of the work.
  

1. Collaborative Storytelling:

• Divide the class into small groups and have each group create a collaborative story.
  
• Assign a different literary device to each group, instructing them to incorporate it seamlessly into their narrative.
  

1. Speech Writing and Delivery:

• Have students choose a social or political topic and write a persuasive speech using anaphora or epizeuxis to enhance their rhetorical impact.
  
• Organize a speech delivery session where students showcase their use of repetition for emphasis.
  

1. Literary Device Showcase:

• Assign each student or group a different literary device and ask them to prepare a presentation showcasing its historical origins, notable examples, and contemporary usage.
  
• Encourage multimedia elements such as visuals or short video clips to enhance engagement.
  

1. Rewriting Exercises:

• Provide sentences or paragraphs containing common expressions and ask students to rewrite them using more complex literary devices.
  
• Discuss the impact of the changes on tone, mood, and overall meaning.
  

1. Debate on Stylistic Choices:
   • Organize a debate where students defend or critique an author's use of a specific literary device in a given text.

• Encourage students to articulate how the device contributes to or detracts from the effectiveness of the work.

1. Literary Device Scavenger Hunt:

• Provide a list of literary devices and have students search for examples in books, articles, or online.
  
• Discuss their findings in class, exploring how different authors use the same device in diverse ways.
  

1. Themed Poetry Slam:

- Task students with creating a thematic poetry slam where each participant focuses on a different literary device. - Host a class poetry slam event where students perform their pieces and discuss their choices. 

1. Interactive Online Quizzes:

- Curate online quizzes or interactive activities that allow students to self-assess their understanding of literary devices. - Provide instant feedback to reinforce learning. 

1. Peer Review and Feedback:

- Implement peer review sessions where students exchange their creative writing assignments and provide constructive feedback on the integration of literary devices. - Encourage discussions on the effectiveness of different approaches. 

1. Literary Device Journal:

- Assign students a literary device to track in their personal reading over a set period. - Have them maintain a journal documenting instances of the device, their interpretations, and reflections on its impact. 

1. Literary Device Bingo:

- Create bingo cards with different literary devices - As students encounter instances of these devices in class readings or discussions, they mark off the corresponding squares on their bingo cards. 

1. Real-world Application Project:

- Challenge students to find examples of literary devices in advertisements, speeches, or news articles. - Present their findings, discussing how the devices are employed for persuasive or artistic purposes in the real world. 

My character is a travelling alchemist/herbalist merchant by trade and only wears basic civilian merchant clothing. Their only weapon is a basic unenchanted dagger, like any other civilian. Their primary skills are alchemy and speech. They are so bad in combat they have had to run for their lives when facing hostile mammoths past level 20 in lower difficulty settings and hope their own follower or random bystanders do the trick.
Only hostile areas they may enter are wildlife caves. They have never seen any Draugr or Falmer in their lives and about the only vampires they have met are Alva and the court mage in Solitude. Their only quests they have done are the menial fetch, delivery and persuasion quests.
They are more incompetent than the worst possible vanilla followers in the game and Durak thinks they are suited for the Dawnguard?

Frontiersman No. 0012: Duke Collins
Screaming, Demands, Orders. Those are the sorts of things you expect when you have a weapon pointed in your face, but out here, in the void of space, and with no contact with the one pointing this weapon, we simply stared at each other in silence. I slowly raised my hands to shoulder height, palms out, in an attempt to show that I meant no harm. In silence we waited, as the second being inside of the ship crawled out of the airlock. They seemed panicked, and once outside, they looked around, before also pointing their weapon in my direction. Then they began... to drift. I saw them panic for a moment, which made things worse, and they were soon tumbling backwords, albeit slowly, away from both vessels, still held in place by the mining drones. With a slow wave of my hand, I gestured to the first... Alien? Person? That their colleague was slowling escaping them. They glanced over their should and began to panic as well, but kept their weapon trained on me. With very slow movements, I brought one hand to my wrist and used the interface on my suit to task a drone to retrieve the distressed being, now flailing slightly as they floated away. Despite the gun still pointed my way, I couldn't help but chuckle a little. The ship had Point defense turrets for breaking up small debris, and I know Aerie wouldn't leave me hanging. Glancing over their shoulder, the first person, i'll stick with person, seemed to let go a sigh of relief as they saw the drone brining their companion back to us. With that, they tentatively lowered their weapon, giving me some sort of nod or bow, it was difficult to tell.
As the drone deposited the second person back near the airlock, they wheeled their weapon up at me once more, only to have the first one reach over and place their arm across theirs, lowering them. With that, I gestured towards my ship with the open airlock. "Hey Aerie," I asked, "Could you please tap into their comms, if possible? Try to decypher their language, and if you can, put something on the display in the ship to communicate the atmosphere contents inside? Something they may be able to understand."
"Understood, the graphs are displayed now, and their communications, at least in those suits, are laughably basic, I've been taking language samples since before they left the ship." Aerie replied, and with that, I began moving towards my airlock, and the two creatures followed, after seeming to discuss for a moment. Once inside the ship, I relaxed. I gestured to a display showing a simple numbers chart using dots, a periodic table, and lastly a graph referring to Oxygen and Nitrogen on the table, signifying percentages. I know for a fact I would never be able to pick this stuff up, but it seems that after review and discussing it for a bit, they seemed to understand, because the one that managed to not drift into space hesitantly reached up and began to remove their helmet.
As the helmet came off, to say I was shocked would be an understatement. I already assumed I was dealing with some sort of alien, or at least a long lost human colony, due to how similar the anatomy seemed within their suits, but what I was looking at was a real life alien! If human facial structure was anything to go by, then this one was female. She was tall, with a light green skin that seemed extremely smooth. They would look like a bad accident with powder paint if it wasn't for the lack of hair, which was instead replaced with rows of fins that traced around her head and ended down at her nape. She turned to me after her helmet was off, and seemed to realize something, as her head cocked to the side, and all of the fins, or frills, on her head raised at once, pointing straight out on the back of her head, and the ones on the top of her head angling slighty upwards, rather than laying flat. I describe all of this objectively, but it's not absurd to say that I found this woman absolutely stunning. A deep breath later, and she turned and said something in her language while gesturing to hear companion. Their tongue sounded like a mix of high pitched trilling combined with the standard throat and tongue sounds of typical human speech, almost like a bird was singing alongside someone speaking a foreign language.
If the first Alien was beautiful, words will not do justice to the second. As they removed their helmet, I was greeted by a second alien, with similar frills and soft looking skin, but theirs was a lighter green color, and they had eyes that were as blue as a clear summer sky. They burned with an intensity as she breathed deeply, and examined me still inside of my suit, her eyes seemed to crawl up and down my frame, examining every detail. She was smaller, with less sharp features on her face, but she was the first to smile at me after a moment, and give a bow.
I was completely dumbstruck. I had no idea what to do in the face of a situation like this. I ended up returning the bow as my head swam. Not because they were cute, you animals, but because of the situation. This was first contact! To my knowledge, humanity has not yet met another race, and here I am, 86 jumps from Terran space, face to face with two real life aliens!
"Uh.. Aerie? Any word on those translations?" I asked. I was given my answer when the previous display was wiped, and a graphic showing two people talking was shown. I gestured to the two, and pointed at the display. Even if they didn't understand what was intended, it at least got them speaking more, which I believe is what Aerie had wanted. They gesticulated at the display and talked amonst themselves while I watched. They were both still armed, and I wasn't keen on getting comfortable just yet.
After about 10 minutes of me observing them, I heard a ping in my helmet, followed by Aerie, "I am pretty sure I have enough samples to have dissected the language, please give it a try."
Clearing my throat, I called out, "Uhm.. hello? Can you guys understand me?" They both wheeled around to face me, shock on their faces, and as they spoke, I heard their words translated through my helmet.
The tall, larger one spoke first. "Hello, I am shocked, you seem to have translated our language extremely quickly. I am Yorlia," She said, giving a bow. "and this my Liege, Countess Varien of house Gostak."
At this, the smaller alien spoke up while giving a bow. "Thank you for coming to our rescue, please call me Varien. If I may ask, why do you still wear your armor, and of which race are you? Your features seem to elude to you also being a Filorian, yet we have never seen a ship of your make, nor of such power to dispatch our pursuers in a single shot."
"I still wear my armor because you are still armed." I replied. "And no, I am not uh... Filorian. I am Human. You are Humanity's first contact among the stars." At this, they both glanced at each other, seeming to be a little suprised. Slowly, they both placed their weapon on the floor.
"We apologize," Said Varien, "We have had a rough day. Once again, thank you for our rescue, and welcome to the stars. May we have the pleasure now of looking the being who has saved us in the eyes?"
Slowly, I unclasped the latched on my helmet, hearing the familiar hiss of air escaping at I slid the clunky thing off. After placing the helmet under one arm against my hip, both of the Filorians let out a slight gasp, and, too fast for her apparent bodyguard to stop her, Countess Varien strode past her and reached to touch my face. Unsure of how to respond, I ended up standing there as a glove was removed, and Varien was suddenly poking and prodding at my cheeks, and giving my disty brown hair a slight tug.
"Yor, Yor! They look just like us! Just like us but fuzzy! Do all of your kind have fur on your head? Are all of you so lightly colored? Why do you look like us? Do you also have a love for the water? Yor you must touch his fur, you must!" Varien was practically bouncing, and if not for the shock of first contact still running through my system, I'm sure I would have been laughing out loud.
I let out a breath I had been holding. "Let me at least get out of my armor. I can tell this will take awhile."
Without my helmet, my comment fell on deaf ears.

I am NOT OOP. OOP is u/Honest_Version_8785
Originally posted to AITAH
Previous BoRU #1 + BoRU #2
[New Update] - AITA for telling my friend that he deserved to have his GF cheat on him and then get his ass beat by her affair partner?
Trigger Warnings: abuse, infidelity, emotional abuse and manipulation, verbal abuse, physical violence, mentions of depression, possible mental issues, exploitation, financial abuse, codependency, isolating and obsessive behaviors
RECAP
Original Post: December 21, 2023
My friend, Mark (M18), has recently been having a lot of relationship troubles with his girlfriend, Leah (F18). They got together back in February of this year (when we were still in high school), and their relationship has become a complete train wreck. Mark was (and still is) head over heels for Leah; he has told me and my other friends that she is “definitely the one” and that he eventually plans on marrying and settling down. This all seemed both premature and immature to me, but it's beside the point.
Leah, on the other hand, is a nightmare. She’s cheated on Mark several times now and every time she does, she gives Mark some lame story about him not being supportive enough or that she made a mistake or that she wanted to see him get jealous for her sake. He gobbles it up every time. According to Mark, Leah largely acts like this because her father was very abusive towards her and her mother, and therefore she carries a lot of trauma with her. Mark constantly reiterated that he wants to help her work past that, but things haven't really been going his way.
Since September, Leah has been seeing this other guy, Derek (M22), and she’s 100% infatuated with him. I only know this based on what my other friends (and Mark) have been telling me because I was in another state for college.
Mark has been arguing a lot with Leah about Derek, and she has threatened to leave Mark if he doesn’t just simply accept her for “who she is.” He did. Not only that, he and Leah have entered what he calls a semi-open relationship. This means, according to Mark, that Leah is allowed to see Derek as much as she wants, but Mark isn’t allowed to see anyone else. This is because Leah feared Mark would become emotionally invested in them and leave her. Mark begrudgingly agreed to this and has been seething for months about it.
Since about November, Leah has been seeing Derek more than she does Mark. While Mark doesn’t admit to it, our other friends have told me that she is essentially in a full-time relationship with Derek and only comes to Mark for money and emotional support.
Fast forward to this week, and I’m back home for the break. Mark started texting me on Saturday, saying that he hated Derek for “trying to steal his girl” and wanted to beat his ass that night. He said that he wanted me to come along since all of our other friends couldn’t (they made up excuses not to go; they have told me this, but Mark doesn’t know). Since I just got back home the day before, I was still exhausted, so I point-blank refused Mark’s request. I told him that Leah was a lost cause, and I wasn’t going to fight some people I’d never seen for her. Mark started begging me, saying that Leah is the love of his life and that he needs my help. I refused again. He then says that he’ll go on his own, but I told him that he probably shouldn’t.
I woke up Sunday morning to more than 300 messages on my phone from Mark and all our friends. Long story short, Mark went over to Derek’s place to bring Leah back. He ended up getting his ass kicked by Derek and his friends. They only stopped when Leah asked them to. I called Mark and told him that he should probably talk to a lawyer or something, but he refused since Leah asked him to not escalate the situation.
I then told him that he was being dumb, and this triggered him so much. He started saying how I was a bitch and a snake for not backing him up and how I was a fake friend. I was so irritated at this point, so I told Mark that he deserved to get jumped and that it made sense why Leah preferred Derek over him. He hung up on me, and we haven’t spoken since.
Since then, my other friends have been saying that I’m an asshole for how I handled the conversation, but they do agree Mark is a dumbass.
AITA?
AITAH has no consensus bot, but based on the comments, OOP was NTA
RELEVANT COMMENTS
Big-Philosopher-2735 NTA! He's delusional. Your other friends should've been honest with him. Maybe if everyone was honest, he'd get it. Good for you for not getting involved in the fight.

OOP We've all been trying to get him to leave her, but he keeps on insisting that she is the most spectacular person in the world beneath all of the shit she gets up to

 
Update #1: December 24, 2023
Some of my friends and I ended up going out with Mark to see how he was doing. We didn't want to go to his parents' place since Leah was now living there with him and we didn't want to see her. He does look very beaten up (black eye, bruises all over his face and arms, busted lip, etc.), but he was surprisingly in a good mood and even insisted that I didn't have to apologize for how I spoke last time.
He told us that Derek ended up dumping Leah a few days after the fight. Apparently, he asked Leah to dump Mark. She refused, and they argued (I'll spare you most of it). Their conversation ended with Leah being kicked out of his apartment in the middle of the night, and Mark had to come pick her up. He has refused his parent's (and our) request to escalate the situation at Leah's request.
Mark has said that Leah has been very depressed about Derek dumping her and spends a lot of the days crying. Mark just says he's incredibly thankful to be there to comfort her and emotionally support her. He keeps on saying that when it comes down to it, Leah chose him over Derek, and nothing can take that away. Like I said above, Leah has decided to return to living with Mark, she can technically go to her mother's house but doesn't want to.
Here's the real kicker: Mark says that he has a very good reason to believe Leah might be in the early stages of pregnancy now. My friends and I assumed the child was Derek's, but Mark insisted that regardless, it would be his kid. We asked him to get paternity testing, and he has refused since "he can't do that to Leah." We've told him that the relationship is toxic, but he didn't want to hear it since that was a "matter of perspective." Also, his parents have no clue about the potential pregnancy.
He says that in the future, he doesn't want us to say anything about Leah unless it is the absolute truth (his speech of singing her praises). My other friends and I all left pretty stunned, and I'm thinking that at this stage, I'll slowly be removing myself from Mark's life.
It sucks since I've known him for a long time and do enjoy his company. But I don't think I'll be able to remain friends with him in good faith if I'm not able to speak honestly to him.
RELEVANT COMMENTS
CIMARUTA Dude is trying to ruin his life as fast as possible

OOP 100% he is. It's tragic to watch him give up everything for this pointless "relationship"

lotusbiscoffbaby Forgive me for this, but me personally, I wouldn’t even bother with someone like Mark. He’s delusional and stupid at this point, and he can’t even see how manipulative Leah is being. He’s willing to throw his whole life away for a girl who has no respect for him and for a baby that probably isn’t even his. OP, it’s probably best to just keep your distance or go no contact with Mark, seeing as he’s made his choice.

OOP Yeah, I'll be keeping my distance. Its just so awful that he's throwing his life away for the most useless reason

butterpiescottish I, in Mark's mother's place, would kick Leah out of my house and tell Mark that the child would not enter my house without a paternity test and I would no longer be supporting him financially.

OOP If his parents try anything, he'll go no contact with them. He told us that between his parents (dad and step mom) and Leah, he's choosing Leah.
It really does suck, and I feel like it is extremely unfair to them.

 
Update #2: January 21, 2024
Last Post I've been receiving some DMs from people asking what happened with Mark. Since the winter break ended, I have returned to college so I haven't seen him since the day he spoke with me and the other guys. All the information I've been receiving about him has thus come from our Whatsapp group or what the other guys have been telling me. I've only texted Mark himself twice since then and both instances were about things unrelated to Leah.
However, there are some updates. As of last weekend, Mark confirmed on our group chat that Leah is indeed pregnant. He is excited about "becoming a dad", also we'll probably never know if the child is his or Derek's since Mark has rejected the idea of a paternity test and asked us to not bring it up again. However, my friends told me that they are fairly certain the kid's Derek's based on the timeline.
Mark and Leah are still living with his parents and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Mark works part-time in addition to taking some online courses at a college. Therefore, he and Leah are still largely being supported by his parents. Mark did message us telling us that his parents did argue with him a bit, but he managed to convince them to keep Leah and a child with them. He also told us that Leah told him that she preferred staying with him instead of going back home to her mom. It's only speculation, but some of the other guys and I assume that Mark may threatened no contact with his own parents if they don't accept Leah and the kid since he hinted at that during our last conversation.
Mark has also been trying to convince Leah to go into therapy but so far she has refused all of his persuasions. On the bright side, Mark has told us Leah is no longer interested in open relationships (possibly due to her fallout with Derek) and is dedicated to only him.
RELEVANT COMMENTS
Black_Pearl47 Leah probably tried to convince Derek to stay with her and take over the baby and he refused and the only one left was Mark.
I hope she realizes that Mark is a good person who is willing to cut off contact with his own parents to stay with her and the child even though it might not be his and starts to value him.
On the other hand my fear is that she find someone else who is in a better situation than mark and who is willing to take it on with a child and she abandons mark again.
And the part where Leah no longer wants an open relationship I think is due to the fact that Mark regains consciousness and leaves her and the son, I hope I'm wrong and that Leah has in fact changed and become a better person.

OOP Honestly, I've been slowly distancing myself from the guy so I'm not sure which direction he plans on going. That being said, he has reiterated that who the kid's biological father is means nothing to him as he plans on raising it as his own

 

----NEW UPDATE----

Update #3 (rareddit): May 11, 2024 (4 months later)
It's been a while since my last post, mainly this is because I've had very little communication with Mark and have been focused on my studies. Now that I'm home for summer vacation, I was able to catch up on all the Mark bs.
Firstly, Mark and Leah got married. It was a very small, town hall-type wedding just to get a marriage certificate. This happened about a month and a half ago.
Since then, Mark has become a complete POS. He regularly fights with his step-mom and dad since he thinks they make Leah feel "unwelcomed". It got so bad that they had Mark and Leah move out to an apartment on the other side of town. They give them about 2k a month to cover their living expenses and Mark works part-time to cover everything else they need.
Since getting married, all Mark ever posts on our group chat is how amazing Leah is, and how wrong we were for trying to get him to leave. Tbh, I find it so annoying, that I've put the group on mute. Some of the other guys and I have since made another group chat with everyone except Mark in it because we are all tired of his bs.
Mark has also started treating some of the other guys in the group like shit. This one guy, Alan, helped Mark and Leah move to the apartment and then Mark started accusing him of trying to make a move on pregnant Leah 🤢. Alan of course denied it, but Mark still accuses him from time to time. It is so uncalled for, tbh it ruined the entire group's opinion of Mark.
A few days ago, when I got back home from school, I decided to drop in and see Mark in person. He was chill but then started going about how he again thought Alan was trying to move in on Leah. It was awkward, I told him he was imagining it and nobody aside from him would want Leah, he kinda jokingly kinda seriously called me a dick and I haven't spoken to him since then. Thank God Leah wasn't home at the time because I didn't want to see her.
Ngl, myself and the other guys sometimes joke that "Dereck" needs to come back and set Mark straight again. But on a serious note, I have decided to no longer have ANY contact with Mark, and if I post in the future again about trying to build up a relationship with him or interacting with him in any way I'll be a hypocrite, a lying POS.
Leah is now very noticeably pregnant. Mark told us that the doctor told them that the due date is probably going to be in mid-August.
Nobody has heard of Derek, but rumour has it Leah tried to contact him again a few times though he ghosted her when he found out about the pregnancy.
Honestly, I think my life will be a lot simpler when I drop Mark and his family out of my life, most of our other friends group is doing this and I'll encourage those on the fence to do the same.
 

DO NOT COMMENT IN LINKED POSTS OR MESSAGE OOPs – BoRU Rule #7

THIS IS A REPOST SUB - I AM NOT OOP

Chapter 26 - The Infinite Beckons
Previous Chapter
“Okay, this part’s a little tricky.” Ma’et gestured out the shuttle’s cockpit. “You got lined up easy enough, and our velocity’s at a relative zero to the ship. The bay door’s open. Now you engage the lateral thrusters while monitoring the distance from the shuttle to the bay’s interior wall. Come in too fast and you’ll damage them both..”
Trix looked over at the controls, and the neatly gummed labels that the humans had placed over the English text with her own language. She gingerly pressed the ‘Lateral Thruster’ button, then as the control knob next to it lit up, she twisted it slowly.
An earlier misadventure when lining up the ship and the shuttle where she’d twisted the control knob much more rapidly made her much more cautious about giving it too much power too quickly, yet the shuttle slowly drifted - away from the ship. “Other thruster, feathers.”
Chagrined, she dialed the thruster back to zero, then rotated it the other direction. The ship immediately stopped moving away, and instead drifted into the hangar bay. Trix watched as it drifted past the door, staring at the distance readout until it dropped into the yellow and immediately swung the knob the other way. It took a couple of tries to get the velocity back to zero, but she managed it.
“Beautiful. Now we engage the grav plating which lets the ship’s internal grav pull us down as it ramps up, and close the external door via the console over there.” Ma’et gestured to the remote console, and Trix scanned it, punching the buttons as she found them.
“Nicely done. Go ahead and hit the engine shutdown. In the old days there’d be like, thirty steps to it but nearly all of it is automated. But lucky you, you get to read all about the manual sequence since taking over in the event of computer failure is one of a pilot’s duties.” Ma’et chuckled and squeezed Trix’s shoulder. “For now, that’s good enough. Go ahead and open both the lateral boarding door, and the rear loading door. Also extend the rear loading ramp.”
Trix did, then glanced over at Ma’et. “Anything more?”
“Nope. First day on the job, and you’ve done the first job successfully. Not perfectly, but pretty damn good for your first time piloting off planet. Go ahead and head back to talk with the Captain, and I’ll handle the rest.”
Trix unbuckled the acceleration harness (Though, she felt zero acceleration during the entire trip so she couldn’t fathom just WHY Ma’et had insisted on her buckling in) and moved past the much smaller woman as she left the cockpit.
In the back, Josh was already outside the ship, grabbing a handtruck. She watched as he pushed it up the loading ramp to the stack of boxes that contained the food and equipment she’d need for the next few weeks of existence here in space. “Why aren’t you using one of the gravity belts?” She gestured over to the wall where the belts were hanging.
“Eh, this stuff’s fairly light and those have a limited lifespan. I don’t want to burn out the Keplite cores on stuff we can just move by hand. They’re expensive.”
“Oh. What’s Keplite, anyway? Ji and Min have mentioned it a few times.” Trix glanced over at the large belts with their big circular pads in the middle.
Before Josh could answer, Alex walked in between them. “Ji, Min! We’re going to be converting the room across from yours back into crew quarters for Trix. Gonna need you two to move the Spider. Is there room here in the hangar for it?”
“It’ll fit better if we assemble it and use packing mode.” Ji countered, as he hopped out of the shuttle. “It’ll take a day or so. We’ve got it spread all out in there.”
Alex turned over to Trix and beckoned. “Follow me. Gonna give you the full tour while they’re unloading." He took a few steps back, then lifted his arms wide to gesture to their surroundings. "This is obviously the hangar bay. Shuttle's the big thing you were just flying. Below us is a small cargo hold, empty right now. Not gonna show you unless you happen to like large empty boring-ass boxes.” He raised an eyebrow, and Trix quickly shook her head. "Alright. Most of the shit in here is just maintenance tools and loading gear. Nothing exciting. Ramp to main transit corridor here."
They walked out into the hallway. “Okay, well through that door’s opposite the hangar is the fabber bay. The fabber is a huge machine that manufactures stuff for us, like a 3D printer. Do you guys have anything like that?” Trix shrugged, and Alex continued. “Well either way, it can make virtually anything from a bed to a bomb to a computer. The more complex and difficult items take a hell of a lot longer to make. It’s also a major power hog since the manufacturing process uses extremely powerful fields, both magnetic and force. In other words, if you need something and we didn’t bring it with you we can make it here.”
He walked down the hall a bit, and gestured to the doors on either side. “Launcher bays, 1 and 2. Normally we use ‘em to launch beacons, buoys, sensors, things like that into space. If someone tries to start shit with us we CAN use them to launch missiles but we have very few of those available. We’re not out here to get in fights, but if we have to defend ourselves we pack a big punch.” He opened one of the doors and walked inside. “The big hatch over there is the manual tube loader. The ship can auto-load various things but if we need to put something into space that isn’t already in storage, that’s where we do it. If Ji tells you to climb in yourself, he’s joking and you should hit him because it only exists to launch shit into space.”
Trix laughed at that, but she had learned enough of Ji’s sense of humor while working on the car to understand the sentiment. “Will I even be in here at all though?”
“Maybe. If something needs to be manually loaded, we use these. Back when we were at the derelict ship I had to send a battery over to help out while we planned our rescue. You might be asked to do the same.” Alex shrugged and lead her out into the hall. “Last thing here is the ship’s primary armament.” He reached over to the side of the hallway and pressed a hatch release. The compartment it lead to was incredibly small and tightly cramped.
“We don’t use it much outside of scaring off pirates or relieving stress, but this is our primary weapon out in space. Eight-chamber five meter long rotary railgun. Fires one round every 1.2 seconds that travel roughly a million kilometers per hour when fired stationary, or closer to 280 kilometers per second. It fires either solid armor-piercing unguided slugs or flak munitions that are used to produce clouds of metallic debris. The former will shred a ship’s armor and pulverize anything inside. The latter can overwhelm particle shields and damage exterior components without nearly as much penetration. The reason I’m saying all this to you,” He tapped the top of the cannon where it joined to the ship. “This thing’s got a super limited firing arc. Meaning that we can only shoot what we’re pointed at. If, by some miracle, we get into a fight out there then our ability to shoot back is gonna depend on your ability to fly the ship while facing the enemy.”
Trix swallowed heavily as she tried to imagine just how powerful this massive cannon was. She glanced over at the side of it, to the twin belts that fed in ammo. Each round it would fire was longer than her forearm and thicker than her waist.
“That’s the worst case scenario though. In reality, if we get into any shit out there, fighting is the LAST thing we want to do. Negotiation to avoid hostility first, escape second, fight last.” Alex shooed her out of the compartment. “That said if we encounter any low-yield junk out there then we’ll get some target practice in. If you’re game then we can let you try targeting for a bit and unload some kinetic mayhem while things are dull.” He grinned wickedly, as he manually pulled the hatch back into place, sliding two large locking levers into place.
“Okay, that’s it for this deck. There’s stairs on the far side leading up to the tech deck but the ladder here’s quicker.”
They climbed up the ladder, with Alex leading and Trix following. Her wings banged against the ceiling as she climbed, and it took her a few moments to get them tucked in tight enough to get through the hatch but with Alex’s help they got up there.
“Tech deck. Mostly. In the front of the ship here right under Bridge access is the exception, the pool room.” He opened the door and they walked in together. “Mainly used for observation but the pool there is great for relaxation. You can adjust the temperature with the controls on the wall there, goes from chilly to full on hot tub. Adjustable depth from 3 to 10 feet, and the pool walls are display panels. If you use a breather it’s fun to turn the display to external then go down underwater and relax while staring at the stars. Do you swim much?”
Trix nodded. “Sure, there’s a river a… couple kilometers? I think? I’m not good with converting distances yet. Anyway, it’s near the hab and we’d go there when I was younger and didn’t have as much to do in the fields.”
“Cool. Well, feel free to use it but just a word of warning you might want to check if anyone’s in first. Swimwear is optional and since the crew is a pretty tight family we don’t usually get embarrassed if we’re seen swimming in the buff.” Alex waved over at the control console. “If you’re not sure the big green button on the outside is the comm button, just ask if anyone’s using it.”
“Ji brought me in here when we came up to do the medical scans. He showed me Kiveyt from orbit for the first time. Do all human ships have a room like this?” Trix reached over to dip her hand into the water. It was quite warm to the touch.
“Nah. This ship wasn’t originally designed as a scout ship or survey ship. It was originally a yacht. Big luxury vehicle for rich people to fly around in space and have fun in. Throw parties. Most of the ridiculous amenities it has I got rid of ages ago, but that left a huge amount of space we filled up with all the launchers and sensors and whatnot. I kept the pool though because I love soaking after a long day.” He pressed the door control and they left the pool room.
“Just past the pool room on either side of the ship we have collection dishes for D-space particles. Those are EVA only, so you won’t be dealing with those. They let us collect extremely powerful particles which lead back here.” Alex spoke as he walked, and turned the corner into a much, much larger room.
“This is the ship’s main power supply. Charged particles enter the torus reactor and discharge energy which is converted into electrical power and routed through the ship. Those bottles over there…” He gestured to four massive grey metal canisters on the wall. “Contain the actual particles. They’re made of the strongest materials we have because if one ruptured, the ship would instantly explode from the inside out. Don’t worry,” Alex quickly raised his hands. “The chances of that happening are virtually impossible. This is the single most well-protected location on the ship.”
He gestured to the other side of the large room. “Over there’s the terminals that Min is usually at. She and Ji are in charge of all engineering. That means power, propulsion, all computer systems, and the like. Well, the physical parts of them that is. Ma’et is our computer geek when it comes to integration, programming, and all the fun software shit.”
Alex left the room, and gestured to the other side. “I’m sure you’re familiar with medical over there. Let’s do us both a favor and not have to go there much. Otherwise I’m pretty sure Kyshe will gut me.” He didn’t stop to show her inside, and they reached the main staircase. “The back half of the ship on this deck is all propulsion access and maintenance. I’m more or less our damage control guy, along with Ji and Min. For them it’s because they’re smart as shit and for me it’s because I had to learn how to maintain my own ship. Most common damage out here is stray micro meteors or debris while we’re parked and the particle shields are down. Sometimes worn out components inside. Again, no EVA for you so the only thing you’ll need to worry about for DC is being an assistant to one of us while we fix shit.”
They went up the stairwell to the uppermost of the three floors. “There used to be an observation bubble above us, but I had it removed because it was useless. Even if I covered it with ablative plating it was a massive wart on top of the ship that served zero practical purpose. Anyway, the top floor here is where you’ll spend 90% of your time on the ship. Back here…” Alex started walking to the rear of the ship, and walked through a large open doorway. “Mess hall. We generally have two kinds of meals here - when we’re on long deployment, the food extruder over there can produce rations. They’re not amazing but they’re quick both to make and eat. It’ll also make reasonable meat and dairy substitutes. If you want a real meal though we usually keep the good stuff in deep freeze so it takes a fair amount of time to be ready. Other than that the bev dispenser is over there. Water and various juices on tap all the time, alcohol is restricted only to meals only. We all get together for breakfast and dinner though, since it’s just a good way to socialize. Tonight expect a big meal in celebration.”
He walked out of the mess, and opened a door to a large open area. “Rec room. Not used a whole lot because most of us use haptic suits for exercise and recreation but we don’t have a suit that’ll fit you or your wings, so I want you to be in here twice a week at least. Ma’et is a great partner for any exercise that doesn’t involve fighting, unless you like bruises in which case she’ll happily go a few rounds with gloves on. Pilots don’t get the level of exercise you’re used to on the planet working fields so exercise up here will be pretty damn vital.”
She looked around the room, then hurried to catch up to the captain as he walked out. “On the other side of the hall from the Mess is general storage. Cleaning supplies, a small laundry unit if the one in your room quits working, random odds and ends. Also a few extra bunks just in case we need them. Unfortunately I am going to have to have you spend one night in here while we get your room cleaned up and ready for you.” He walked in, and over to one of the walls. “Bunk folds down from here. Looks, uh…” He glanced at the fold-down bed and back at Trix. “Looks tight. Do me a favor and see if you’re gonna be OK there?”
It was very close, but Trix laid down on the sleeping pad and adjusted until she found a good comfortable spot. “For just one night, this will do…”
“Alright, no worries then. We’ll have your room ready quick as we can.” She got off the pad and Alex gestured for her to follow. “Quarters themselves are here, 4 on either side of the main hallway. Myself, Josh, Ma’et, and Amanda on the right in that order. Ji, Min, Your quarters, and the last was converted into a mechanical room for Par. Speaking of…”
He walked into the last room and knocked on a large hatch. “Par, would it be alright if I introduced our newest shipmate?”
“Of course, Captain.” The hatch slid silently open revealing a large, intricate array. Circuit boards were laid out in rows and wires ran between them in perfectly neat, ordered channels. In the center of it all was a large oblong egg-looking object. “Trix, may I present to you Parathanelias Sigma-822.”
Several rows of lights lit up along the side of the egg, and the pleasant musical voice she’d heard so often came from a small speaker alongside it. “It is a pleasure to meet you in person, Trksehnoarala.”
Trix stared at the open hatch then gestured behind her. “I thought you were in those floating metal balls…?”
“The spheres you mention are my remotes. None of them are large enough to house my primary systems. In a way, they are my eyes, ears, and limbs. My true nature is integration here within the ship itself, and I make up for my limited mobility in person by having the greatest mobility of any other member of the crew.”
“He also has an avatar in VR of an organic human, but most of the time he uses the floating spheres to interact with us and the rest of the world. His core,” Alex gestured to the egg-like central object, “houses his base personality and his most important memories. The rest of this is extra storage for less critical information. I’m a bit jealous because his most important memories will always be preserved forever in perfect clarity. The rest of us get to have our memories fade with time, but his will be eternal.”
Alex stood there mutely for a moment then shook his head. “Anyway. Back to the tour. Thanks Par!”
“My pleasure.” The hatch slid silently shut and Alex and Trix left the room. “This room has been empty for long enough I pretty much gave it over to Ji and Min for a long while.” Alex walked into the room next to Par’s. “It’s kind of a mess but we’re going to get it cleaned up then it’ll be yours.”
There was no bed in the room, and the tables against the walls were covered with electronics and quickboards. In the center of the room, a huge metal contraption was spread out. Eight large jointed legs were wired in to a big central circular turret. Above that, a multitude of ‘limbs’ extended out - one a large grasper with clawed metal fingers, another ending with an odd cone-shaped implement with a blackened tip. A third was a huge metal pipe jutting out, and a fourth looked to be a number of small openings to place something into.
Trix gestured to it, “What is THAT thing?”
“That’s the Spider. It’s a long-time project the Twins have been working on. Pretty much since they joined the crew, really. It was meant to be a mechanical walker for the military but… well, that’s their story to tell.” Alex snorted. “There’s going to be enough time to go into the details later. Point is, before we even start leaving the system we’re gonna move this out, get a full king sized bed in here for you, some more storage, and so on. That door,” He gestured to a door on the other side of the room, “Leads to a hygiene unit. Full on shower, no bath but if you want to soak the Pool’s down a floor. Aside from no tub it has a deluxe toilet, sink, and a small cleaning unit for clothes.”
Trix cautiously stepped around the large disassembled robot, and opened the door to peer inside. The hygiene unit was much larger than she’d expected, and she was grateful to see that most of the facilities was familiar to her.
“Okay, one last stop and it’s the most important.” Alex walked out into the hallway and Trix rushed to catch up, almost tripping as she hopped over a piece of scrap cable along the floor. “I’m sure this will become your second home on the ship real fast. The bridge.”
They walked down the hall through a small access corridor into a large, wide open space. A large chair sat in the center with a number of controls and articulating arms present on the back. In front of it, a number of control panels were arranged in rows. The front of the bridge and both sides were dominated by massive window screens that showed the area the ship was currently facing. She could see one screen to the side with a display showing Kiveyt, first as a small dot with a zoomed-in and blown up image next to it.
“The door back there in the corner leads to a briefing room, nothing special there but a table and chairs. The big chair in the middle is mine, but if you ask super nicely I’ll let you sit in it.” Alex grinned, and pointed at the console in the very center of the bridge, in front of the Captain’s chair. “But that station over there is primary navigation. Josh is there quite a lot of the time, though just as often I navigate from the Captain’s Chair or Ma’et controls the ship from her neural interface. As of now, though, I bequeath ownership of it unto you - for the next few weeks, at least.”
Trix walked around the bridge staring at everything. The control consoles were smooth, rounded and sleek in their presentation. Each one had a large keyboard in front covered with the strange runes of the Humans’ language. Various other instruments and implements were present at each station, but at hers she smiled gratefully to see that the keys had already changed and had more familiar and recognizable letters in place of the Humans odd script. The layout was definitely weird, and she knew it was going to take time and effort to grow accustomed but at the very least she would be able to understand what she was doing as she learned. Even better, the seat lacked the same high back that the other seats had, which would have been pressed tightly and uncomfortably against her wings.
She glanced back at Alex, who just nodded at her. Encouraged, she took a seat and glanced around. “This is mine.” She whispered it and then let her wings spread out with pleasure as she realized that from here, from this station, she would be the one personally controlling the entire massive vehicle behind her. It lacked the flight stick of the shuttle or the handle controls of her aircar, and in a way she felt disappointed she wouldn’t be able to manually control the ship the same way she could the smaller vehicles. But as she looked around her and rested her hands on the cool surface of the console, she felt something else. A thrill of anticipation at the thought of being the one in control of this massive ship and everyone inside of it.
Alex climbed several steps up to the captain’s chair on its elevated dais, and took a seat directly behind her. The sight of a winged alien in front of him at the nav console with the stars stretching out above and beyond her was a strange one, but a pleasant one. He tried to think of a witty quip to finish the tour with, but failing that he settled for a much simpler one instead.
“Welcome aboard, Pilot.”
—--
“Okay, before we get started, I believe that this is a special occasion warranting a toast.” Alex sat at the head of the large table at the mess, with the other six organic members of the crew assembled further down. “To our new pilot trainee!”
“Here Here!” “To Trix!” “To our Trainee!”
Alex took a sip of his whisky, and sighed in pleasure. “God that hits the spot. Okay everyone, dig in.”
The dinner was an odd affair, mostly because every single member was wearing their visor. Trix could not speak English, and the crew couldn’t speak her native tongue. Masks which would automatically translate couldn’t be worn during a meal so the solution was to have real-time speech to text appearing on everyone’s visor. Trix, who never had worn a visor before, had a difficult time getting the display to appear just right in front of her eyes but she and Par had gotten it dialed in.
Trix glanced at the array of food in front of her. Some items looked familiar, others completely foreign, and none of it smelled quite right. She gestured to the food. “None of this is from Kiveyt. Is it safe for me to eat it?”
“I went through our entire comestible database while we were on the planet. Surprisingly there’s almost no Terran food you can’t eat.” Josh had a massive burrito nearly as long as Ma’et’s arm on the plate in front of him, and he spoke while dabbing hot sauce over it. “All of our Macronutrients are completely interchangeable. Most Micronutrients are as well. There’s a few exotic vitamins and amino acids that you need that we can’t provide, but we have supplements from the planet that’ll handle those.”
“Oh.” Trix glanced around at the table, trying to decide what to eat. The spread was, per Alex’s suggestion, extremely large and quite diverse. “I’m not sure where to start then.”
Min picked up a large platter with a circular dish on it. “Far as I’m concerned the best place to start is with Pizza. It’s one of the most widely loved foods throughout Terran space.” She dumped a slice onto the plate in front of Trix, while Ji slid a very tall glass of water over to her, alongside an odd reddish looking beverage.
“Give the fruit punch a try too. It’s much more sweet than the juice you were serving down on the planet. A lot more mild too.” He suggested, and gestured to another plate. “Also? Tacos are never a bad choice.”
Trix reached out and picked up one of the odd, semi-circular items. Ji grabbed one as well, and bit into it with gusto. Trix mimicked the motion, crunching into the hard shell. It was quite interesting, tasteless at first as she bit into the shell and the lettuce, but then the spiced meat hit her tongue. It was quite mild but not unpleasant. She chewed on it and gulped down a mouthful. “Not bad.” She took another bite.
The taco vanished quickly, and she glanced down at the slice of Pizza next. “Like this, Trix.” Min gestured to pick it up by the crust, putting her fingers in front of it to prevent it from flopping down. Trix followed Min’s example, and took a huge bite. This one was even milder, almost disappointingly so. “Not much flavor to this one. Is all your food really light like this?”
The humans glanced around at that. “Y’know, Sophie mentioned our rations were tasteless. They have a pretty strong cinnamon taste to ‘em.” Alex sat back thoughtfully as he nursed the glass of whisky in his hand. “The food we had down on the planet was all pretty strong flavors…”
Josh handed the bottle of hot sauce in his hand over to Trix. “Try a dab of this. It adds a kick to some foods.”
Trix took the bottle, and put a few drops of it on the slice of pizza in front of her. She took another bite, and her eyes lit up. The next few bites all had more hot sauce each, and the crust itself ended up practically drenched in it. “Thanks, Josh. That was delicious.”
The rest of the crew was staring at her and she shrunk back slightly at their intense scrutiny. Had she done something wrong? She hadn’t ever offended them during any meals back on the planet, so the sudden shift in attention was jarring and quite uncomfortable.
Ji whistled at the sight of the alien hungrily wofling down the slice of pizza covered in bright spicy sauce. “Here, try some of that on a taco next!” He picked up another shell and offered it to her.
Trix reached out and took the taco, this time pouring a hefty amount of sauce on it. Eating this one was much messier, and she could feel the hot sauce dribbling down the side of her mouth as she took a huge bite. Min handed her a paper towel, and she embarrassedly wiped away the errant food. “Thanks, Min. That was great too, Ji.”
“Hold up.” Alex stood up and walked over to one of the cupboards, pulling out another bottle of sauce. “I’m curious now. This is a lot hotter than the sauce you’ve been trying thus far. See if it’s to your liking. Just, start with a very small amount. A little goes a LONG way.” He walked back to the table, placing the bottle next to Trix. She studied it briefly, mostly the logo - a caricature of a human whose head appeared to be on fire.
“Um, Okay. Should I try it with the Pizza or the Taco?” She glanced between the two dishes she’d already tried. “Either one. Whichever you prefer.” was Alex’s reply.
Trix reached out and grabbed a third Taco, opening up the bottle. Immediately she could smell the fragrant sauce within, and she carefully poured a small amount into the shell. She cautiously took a bite and chewed thoughtfully.
“Too hot?” Alex suggested, but she shook her head. “No. Just…” She poured more sauce on the taco, and ate the rest in only a few bites. “Whew. Sorry, Captain Alexander. That was incredible! I’ve never tasted anything like it before.”
“Captain Alexander just sounds weird. Call me Alex or Al. Or ‘Captain’ if you really, really need to use my rank for whatever reason.” Alex sat down, and chuckled. “But that’s interesting. Very, very interesting. That sauce there?” He gestured towards the bottle. “It’s made with a chemical called ‘Capsaicin’. To humans it’s a powerful spice. Too much of it causes a painful burning sensation that lingers. We normally dilute it to make it more palatable and less painful.”
Trix glanced at the bottle. “I guess that explains the fire on the little picture here.” She grabbed another slice of the pizza, and drizzled the sauce on top.
“Three tacos and two slices of pizza?” Ma’et was impressed as she saw how much food the Avian was packing away.
“The disadvantage of those muscular bodies.” Josh waved his hand towards Trix. “They require all the calories that a Human does and more. Back on the planet I learned their species used to be a lot smaller, but after developing animal husbandry and reliable sources of higher calorie foods they bulked up pretty quick.”
Trix, for her part, slicked off the second slice of pizza with gusto. She grabbed a fourth taco, and liberally poured the spicy sauce all over, before wolfing that down as well. She grabbed the fruit juice that Ji had offered her… the ‘punch’? And downed it almost as quickly.
“I hope after all this is over, we can buy some more of that sauce. I definitely want the others back at home to try it.” She licked her lips, and sighed with contentment. “This juice too. I like how sweet it is.”
“Birds are immune to Capsaicin.” Josh murmured softly, but it was picked up by the visor and translated perfectly. “I wonder what the chances are that space-birds would be too?”
—--
“Slide the jack under that joint there.” Trix did as instructed, wheeling the small hydraulic device under the ‘spider’s’ massive leg. “Great. Just gotta line up the leg with where the servos join in…” Ji and Min lifted the leg and immediately began connecting up cables and lines. After all the connections were made, Ji braced himself against the wall and shoved - hard - against the leg, firmly connecting the mechanical rotary joint into place.
“Okay, testing.” Min walked over to the console and began punching in codes. Like the other six limbs before it, this one shook slightly then began to flex, twist, and move around. “Range of motion is nominal. Motors are all showing peak. Locking joints and anchor bolt systems are green.”
Ji wiped off some sweat from his forehead, and leaned back against the wall. “I knew it was a mistake to work on it up here. At least if we put it in the hangar we could have lowered the gravity.”
“It would have been in the way during the rescue op, and we had enough shit going on then we didn’t need to add ‘reassemble a multi-ton walking modular platform’ to the list.” Min gestured with her head, not even glancing over at her brother. “Man up. Trix hasn’t even broken a sweat.”
“I don’t sweat.” Trix mumbled, as she stared at the massive machine. “This thing is crazy. Puts my car to shame.”
“Yeah, our pride and joy. Together we’ve spent decades refining it.” Min glanced over at Trix with a broad smile. “The modular bay on top has been my focus, while Ji’s been adjusting and perfecting the leg and motion systems.”
“What’s it for?”
“Well, right now it’s kind of in between intended uses.” Ji walked over to a large shelf and gestured to the assorted objects there. “With our original plans it was going to have a bunch of swappable options. Right now, it has short and long range assault armaments and a plasma cutter for breaching sealed doors. A basic military drone capable of adapting to all kinds of situations.”
Trix stared at the array of weapons in front of her. “So this is what the human military uses to fight with?”
“Nah.” Min set down the quickboard and walked over to the huge machine. “We envisioned it as a multi-purpose response unit. Capable of dropping in from outside the atmosphere an landing anywhere, going anywhere. Dealing with any situation that could possibly arise. It’s an all-terrain support mech and its modular nature would have made it able to respond to nearly any situation. And it was rejected by the military.”
“What? Why?”
Ji held up a hand and ticked off his fingers. “One, it’s more expensive to drop one of these than a squad of soldiers. Nevermind the fact that it can do 10 people’s worth of work without putting even a single person in danger. Two, it’s too big to be fired out of normal launchers. Adding new launchers to ships would have been a significant amount of work and cost that the navy wasn’t willing to foot the bill. Three, we didn’t have any money after developing it. Meaning we couldn’t bribe anyone in the government into pressuring the military to work with us.”
“Four, they already have hover tanks and artillery and we couldn’t convince them that our system was superior to those.” Min sighed, and threw herself into a chair.
“Hovering is cheating though.” Ji glared at his sister.
“Cheating? What?” Trix just looked bewildered at this.
“Hovering isn’t all-terrain. Hovering is NO terrain.”
“Oh.” Trix took a seat in a nearby chair herself. “So did the captain buy this then?”
“Nope. See, we were finishing up Uni and started developing the Spider, but we didn’t really have the money to actually MAKE one. We had all the plans and all the research on our side but not the raw materials or the money to get those raw materials.” Ji pulled out a stick of gum and popped it in his mouth. “At first we tried going straight to the military which was a huge mistake, they just made a million excuses and told us to get lost. Then we tried approaching some weapon dev companies for funding. They basically told us they’d fund it in exchange for all the rights to production and we’d get whatever they felt was fair. Which when we pressed on a figure, wasn’t much.”
Trix glanced over at the massive mech. “But it got made, obviously.”
“Yup. When we weren’t sure what to do, a buddy of ours mentioned that Al was looking for an engineering team. We can do starship engineering.” Min grabbed the quickboard and extended one of the spider’s legs towards her, so she could kick her feet up on it. “Matter of fact, this ship’s a thing of beauty. Al is a complete doofus but he takes fantastic care of the ship. When we came on we gave him a list of everything that should change. He sat down with us, went over it point by point, and even though it ended up costing over half a million credits he gave us full authorization to make every single change we suggested.”
“So after we did a stint working as engineers we joined up as crew.” Ji had an odd smile on his face. “Since then, we’ve put the money we made from working here towards building this thing. We actually had it completed but then I had this idea of using an array of microservo actuators instead of a larger servo to give us a lot more fine control over the joints. That didn’t work, like, at all but when we used a combination of them we managed to find just the right ratio that gives us twice the amount of precision in each joint, which lets us use the-”
“ANYWAY.” Min interrupted her Brother before he could get too deep into the weeds. “We had it built, with the original armaments we envisioned, but Al suggested making a module for mining and sampling. We brought it in here in order to disassemble it to make the servo adjustments and while we were at it we were going to be replacing the actual weapons with a mining beam, core sample collector, and an array of sensors. Now though we’re going to put it in storage for a while. We got much more important things to take care of now.”
“Oh.” Trix had begun to tune Ji out when he launched into his diatribe. “But what do you mean joined up as crew? You were already crew, weren’t you?”
Min swung her foot down, and gestured to the ship. “It’s different. There’s employees… and then there’s crew. Right now you’re an employee. You’re working with us, you’re out here, but your home’s back with your Teff. Right?”
Trix nodded.
“Well, when you’re crew… this is your home. We’re all family out here. I don’t know as much about the whole Teff thing but I think it’s sort of similar. This ship’s our home, the crew is our family. Alex may be a childish idiot but he’s loyal to his crew like nothing else.” Min stood up and walked over to put her hand on her brother’s shoulder. “When we worked here and started to see how well he treats his people, we felt like we could really belong here. He asked if we’d like to join up, so we did. Best decision we ever made.”
“Yup. He treats the crew as well as he treats the ship.” Ji gestured around him. “Working for him paid well. Working as crew, we don’t get paid regularly but we get a cut out of every mission and that cut is HUGE. That’s how we could afford to actually build the spider in the first place.”
“Ah. So if he invited me along, does that mean he wants me to join the crew too?” Trix wasn’t sure how she felt about that. Joining another family was commonplace for males who left their Teff to join others, but incredibly rare for females.
“Dunno. He’s hired on specialists in the past who’ve come and gone. And he’s invited people to join up who said no and that was that.” Ji shrugged and pressed the release on the hydraulic press, letting it collapse down. “C’mon, we should get the last leg attached. Then we can pack it up and use a grav collar to move it down to the hangar. Don’t want to make you stay in that cramped storage room again tonight.”
“Yeah, I tried to stretch my wings in the morning and I banged up against one of the shelves. Really not looking forward to that again.” Trix grumbled at the memory, and stood up. “Okay, what more do we need done to get this over with?”
—--

From the perspective of the people running the government and the various public health authorities, one of the absolute worst things you can possibly do is remember what they told you five minutes ago. Especially if you keep track of the most alarming things they say, then it’s very easy to realize that pretty much none of it is true and you can’t take any of it seriously.
Just four years ago for instance, as you probably recall, we were told repeatedly that COVID-19 was a “once-in-a-lifetime pandemic.” The United Nations still has an article on its website right now that makes that exact declaration, it’s called, “All hands on deck to fight a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic.” And it wasn’t written by some intern or whatever; the author was the U.N.’s Secretary-General, and he wasn’t the only one saying that - various peer-reviewed papers promoted by the N.I.H. made the same claim; so did the White House, where Jenn P’Saki insisted during a press briefing that COVID was a, “once-in-a-century pandemic.”
Now, all those pronouncements didn’t last long. We’re now less than six months away from another presidential election, and just in time, whaddaya know, there is a new “once-in-a-lifetime pandemic” on the horizon. Along with nationwide civil disorder, we’re getting another pathogen.
And in fact, we’re told that this pandemic is going to be potentially much deadlier than the last one. So all the old predictions were way off; it turns out COVID was a “TWICE-in-a-lifetime pandemic,” I guess, or maybe eventually a “THREE-times-in-a-lifetime,” “FIVE-times-in-a-lifetime.”
Here’s the New York Post to explain:

“A bird flu pandemic with the potential to be ‘100 times worse than COVID’ may be on the horizon after a rare human case was discovered in Texas. The H5N1 avian flu has spread rapidly since a new strain was detected in 2020, affecting wild birds in every state, as well as in commercial poultry and backyard flocks. It has now even been detected in mammals, with cattle herds across four states becoming infected in recent weeks, and on Monday, federal health officials announced that a dairy worker in Texas caught the virus. Dr. Suresh Kuchipudi, a bird flu researcher from Pittsburgh, said we are now, quote, ‘getting dangerously close to this virus, potentially causing a pandemic.’ He noted that H5N1 has already been detected in species across the world and said, quote, ‘I think this is a virus that has the greatest pandemic threat that is playing out in plain sight and globally present.’ The World Health Organization estimates that about 52% of humans who have contracted the H5N1 since 2003 have died. For comparison, COVID currently kills only about 0.1% of those it infects.”

So there’s been many many headlines about the bird flu as we gear up for the election, we knew it would be something, and so bird flu is what they’re going with. The reporter from the New York Post, as you just heard, opens her report by saying that the bird flu could be “100 times worse” than COVID, but she doesn’t explain how she’s coming up with that number exactly.
Later on in the video, she says that 52% of humans who have contracted bird flu since 2003 have died, while COVID only kills 0.1% of people that it infects, and that makes bird flu sound even more serious than “100 times” more dangerous. But it’s also using very old data. So the question remains: where exactly is the idea that bird flu could be “100 times worse than COVID” coming from?
Now, if you dig around the New York Post’s article, you’ll find this explanation:

John Fulton, a pharmaceutical industry consultant for vaccines and the founder of Canada-based BioNiagara … also expressed his concerns. ‘This appears to be 100 times worse than COVID — or it could be if it mutates and maintains its high case fatality rate,’ he said. ‘Once it’s mutated to infect humans, we can only hope that the [fatality rate] drops.’

This is worse - or it could be. This is something - well actually it’s not that thing, but it could be. Now, the Post is quoting from a Daily Mail interview, in which Fulton also says,

This discovery is very concerning, and governments should take immediate action by seeking out and mobilizing all high-potential production capacity for vaccines and therapeutics for the prevention and treatment of avian influenza H5N1. …’We need to sound the alarm bells to wake up our governments to the fact that there is a virus that is undergoing mutations that would/ could eventually allow it to become highly transmissible in human (mammals).

“Would/could.” So, a guy named John Fulton says that IF the bird flu mutates to spread easily among humans, and IF it maintains a high fatality rate, then it COULD be 100 times worse than COVID. And he says this is all very disturbing, and we need the government to help create (and presumably fund) more “vaccines and therapeutics.” So the next time you get your COVID booster—if you’re one of the four people still doing that—you should make room on your arm for the Bird Flu vax when that is ready to go, that’s the idea. And because of this quote, various news outlets, including the Post, have said that “experts” are warning about the existential threat posed by bird flu. And this guy, as far as I can tell, seems to be the primary source of this claim.
But John Fulton is not an expert in anything. According to his LinkedIn, he’s got a degree in “corporate communications” from something called “Brock University” in Canada. And he lists—and I’m not making this up—“social media” as one of his professional skills. So his qualifications are that he can use Instagram and Facebook. Essentially, he’s a salesman, a marketer. And he currently consults on the side for something called “POP Biotechnologies,” which says on its website that it, “develops revolutionary therapies that expand treatment possibilities in cancer care and infectious disease prevention.”
Where have we seen this before? When have we seen fake “experts” pretending to know what they’re talking about, as they raise the alarm about some catastrophic public health emergency without disclosing their obvious conflicts of interest?
Now, it’s actually hard to believe the media is being this flagrant about the narrative this time around—they’re not even getting a scientist to scare everyone—if you wanted to deliberately undermine people’s trust in public health—to whatever extent any trust still exists—then it’s hard to think of what you’d do differently exactly. You’d do exactly what the media is doing now: You’d find some “social media expert” and get him to say something outrageous and supposedly terrifying, and then you’d pretend that he knows what he’s talking about.
Now, to be clear, I’m not saying that bird flu or H5N1 definitely isn’t, or couldn’t be, potentially in the future, a threat - I’m not an expert on the topic anymore than John Fulton is. We’re both just guys giving our opinion—unlike John Fulton, I’m happy to admit that—what I am saying is that, right now, according to all of the available evidence we have, there’s no sign that the bird flu is ANY kind of significant threat to the public, or worthy of ANY real concern, or ANY of the blaring headlines that it’s getting. There’s no evidence that it’s spreading between humans. There’s one farm worker somewhere who’s supposedly currently infected, and that’s it right now. The commercial milk and dairy supply is safe, according to a recent analysis of hundreds of random samples, and this tracks with how bird flu has behaved for decades; it typically doesn’t infect people at all, so there are no real signs that’s changing, so nothing really to worry about.
Of course, anything could happen in the future. There’s an infinite number of possible terrible things that could happen at any time. Do you sit around worrying about those things? Well, you shouldn’t.
But here’s the key point. If that does change—let’s just say hypothetically, if bird flu suddenly becomes infectious and starts killing humans, which could theoretically happen, just like anything could theoretically happen—then there IS no doubt about one thing: that in that hypothetical universe, the bird flu will be far deadlier than it WOULD have been, if the public health establishment hadn’t LIED to us for years about COVID. Public health authorities proved with COVID that we can’t trust anything they say. So if there IS another “once in a lifetime pandemic”—an actual REAL one this time—we’ll have no choice but to ignore them, or at best take them with a massive grain of salt.
And of course, in turn, that will provide them with the pretense to use even more force than last time. So in a way, their own flagrant untrustworthiness becomes a benefit to them. It guarantees we will defy them—because what other choice do we have?—-which gives them the excuse to be authoritarians.
A year ago, the head of the World Health Organization delivered a speech about the “next pandemic,” which he said was inevitable, and he made it clear that he understands very well that people will be hesitant to ever obey public health officials again, so to counteract that hesitancy—and to ensure “equity,” he says—the head of the WHO insisted on “changes” that, “must be made.”

“We cannot kick this con down the road. If we do not make the changes that must be made, then who will? And if we do not make them now, then when? When the next pandemic comes knocking—and it will—we must be ready to answer decisively, collectively, and equitably. … And for enhanced international cooperation, the pandemic accord, a generational commitment that we will not go back to the old cycle of panic and neglect that left our world vulnerable, but move forward with a shared commitment to meet shared threats with a shared response. That’s why we say the pandemic accord is a generational agreement. A commitment from this generation is important because it’s this generation that experienced how awful a small virus could be.”

So he says, “When the next pandemic comes knocking—and it will—we must be ready to answer decisively, collectively and equitably. And for enhanced international cooperation,” he says, there needs to be a “pandemic accord” to ensure that “the old cycle of panic and neglect” never happens again. The panic that, you know, the so-called “public health authorities” intentionally stoked? That panic that’s like, all their fault? It must never happen again. And instead he says we need a “shared response” directed, of course, by the WHO.
Now, if you go and look up the “pandemic accord” on the WHO’s website, you’ll find that it’s intended to, “support global coordination through a stronger WHO,” additionally, “At the heart of the proposed accord is the need to ensure equity in both access to the tools needed to prevent pandemics (including technologies like vaccines, personal protective equipment, information and expertise) and access to health care for all people.”
And we know that that means—we know what equity and access, we know what these things mean—it means that if you’re a white guy, it’s always bad news - especially if the extremely unlikely scenario really does play out where the bird flu somehow mutates and starts infecting people’s lungs. And if they ever develop any treatment that works and won’t make you even sicker—so there’s a whole bunch of big big “ifs” here—but if all that happens, then if you’re a white guy, I guess you’re gonna be last on the list. Now, in any event, there’s no point in fretting about whether there will be another COVID-style pandemic - the World Health Organization is saying there WILL be, t’s inevitable.
Now, this is a very far cry from the old lines we heard about how COVID was a “once in a century” or “once-in-a-lifetime” pandemic. The moment they realized COVID was over, the public health establishment stopped pretending that it was a rare event. It’s not rare anymore now, it’s inevitable, it’s gonna happen again, anytime. So they immediately got to work on preparing for the next pandemic, and already, with another presidential election rapidly approaching, some of the least impartial and least qualified people in the country desperately want us to believe that it’s about to arrive.

Hi, I'm currently running Ooba+AllTalk through Silly Taverns, and it before outputting character or narrator's responses, it's narrating file names and paths. And some times it is confusing between character and narrator's speech.
This is the output in chat window, which seems to be understanding what is character and narrator speech, but it missed the last ", shich would close the character's response. And it seems that there shouldn't be two audio interfaces above the response:
https://preview.redd.it/mqemjzy6h01d1.png?width=392&format=png&auto=webp&s=047df71222cf92f808c4a609776903d3a7ac4099
This is Ooba's output in the command prompt, which seems to ge adding "audio src", "filepath_and_name.wav" and other things like "7.99 seconds. LowVRAM: False DeepSpeed: True" as part of the input, to be processed by AllTalk.

Llama.generate: prefix-match hit llama_print_timings: load time = 4086.81 ms llama_print_timings: sample time = 175.23 ms / 150 runs ( 1.17 ms per token, 856.01 tokens per second) llama_print_timings: prompt eval time = 3118.73 ms / 170 tokens ( 18.35 ms per token, 54.51 tokens per second) llama_print_timings: eval time = 16437.70 ms / 149 runs ( 110.32 ms per token, 9.06 tokens per second) llama_print_timings: total time = 20020.93 ms / 319 tokens Output generated in 20.56 seconds (7.30 tokens/s, 150 tokens, context 1086, seed 324029852) [AllTalk TTSGen] audio src"fileextensionsalltalkttsoutputsTTSOUT1715962048.wav" controls autoplayaudio Seraphina's eyes hold a mix of concern and determination as she explains the situation. "You were attacked by some wild creatures that inhabit this forest. They must have been provoked or simply mistook you for prey. I was nearby, sensing your distress through my connection to the forest, and rushed to your aid." Her voice is gentle yet firm, radiating a sense of reassurance. "I managed to scare off the beasts and tend to your wounds using my healing magic. You're safe now [AllTalk TTSGen] 7.99 seconds. LowVRAM: False DeepSpeed: True [AllTalk TTSGen] Narrator (Text-not-inside) [AllTalk TTSGen] audio src [AllTalk TTSGen] 0.32 seconds. LowVRAM: False DeepSpeed: True [AllTalk TTSGen] Character [AllTalk TTSGen] fileextensionsalltalkttsoutputsTTSOUT1715961994.wav [AllTalk TTSGen] 3.82 seconds. LowVRAM: False DeepSpeed: True [AllTalk TTSGen] Narrator (Text-not-inside) [AllTalk TTSGen] controls autoplayaudio audio src [AllTalk TTSGen] 0.50 seconds. LowVRAM: False DeepSpeed: True [AllTalk TTSGen] Character [AllTalk TTSGen] fileextensionsalltalkttsoutputsTTSOUT1715962048.wav [AllTalk TTSGen] 2.25 seconds. LowVRAM: False DeepSpeed: True [AllTalk TTSGen] Narrator (Text-not-inside) [AllTalk TTSGen] controls autoplayaudio Seraphina's eyes hold a mix of concern and determination as she explains the situation. [AllTalk TTSGen] 0.95 seconds. LowVRAM: False DeepSpeed: True [AllTalk TTSGen] Character [AllTalk TTSGen] You were attacked by some wild creatures that inhabit this forest. They must have been provoked or simply mistook you for prey. I was nearby, sensing your distress through my connection to the forest, and rushed to your aid. [AllTalk TTSGen] 2.38 seconds. LowVRAM: False DeepSpeed: True [AllTalk TTSGen] Narrator (Text-not-inside) [AllTalk TTSGen] Her voice is gentle yet firm, radiating a sense of reassurance. "I managed to scare off the beasts and tend to your wounds using my healing magic. You're safe now [AllTalk TTSGen] 1.68 seconds. LowVRAM: False DeepSpeed: True 

And this is Silly Tavern's:

 'Deramack: "What... What happened?"\n' + 'Seraphina:', model: 'silicon-maid-7b.Q5_K_M.gguf', max_new_tokens: 150, max_tokens: 150, temperature: 1, top_p: 1, typical_p: 1, typical: 1, sampler_seed: -1, min_p: 1, repetition_penalty: 1.1, frequency_penalty: 0, presence_penalty: 0, top_k: 0, min_length: 100, min_tokens: 100, num_beams: 1, length_penalty: 1, early_stopping: false, add_bos_token: false, smoothing_factor: 0, smoothing_curve: 1, max_tokens_second: 0, sampler_priority: [ 'temperature', 'dynamic_temperature', 'quadratic_sampling', 'top_k', 'top_p', 'typical_p', 'epsilon_cutoff', 'eta_cutoff', 'tfs', 'top_a', 'min_p', 'mirostat' ], stopping_strings: [ '\nDeramack:' ], stop: [ '\nDeramack:' ], truncation_length: 2048, ban_eos_token: false, skip_special_tokens: true, top_a: 0.52, tfs: 0.09, epsilon_cutoff: 1.49, eta_cutoff: 10.42, mirostat_mode: 0, mirostat_tau: 5, mirostat_eta: 0.1, custom_token_bans: '', api_type: 'ooba', api_server: 'http://127.0.0.1:5000', legacy_api: false, rep_pen: 1.1, rep_pen_range: 0, repetition_penalty_range: 0, encoder_repetition_penalty: 1, no_repeat_ngram_size: 0, penalty_alpha: 0, temperature_last: true, do_sample: true, seed: -1, guidance_scale: 1, negative_prompt: '', grammar_string: '', repeat_penalty: 1.1, tfs_z: 0.09, repeat_last_n: 0, n_predict: 150, mirostat: 0, ignore_eos: false } Endpoint response: { id: 'conv-1715961974025842176', object: 'text_completion', created: 1715961974, model: 'silicon-maid-7b.Q5_K_M.gguf', choices: [ { index: 0, finish_reason: 'length', text: `  *Seraphina's eyes hold a mix of concern and determination as she explains the situation.* "You were attacked by some wild creatures that inhabit this forest. They must have been provoked or simply mistook you for prey. I was nearby, sensing your distress through my connection to the forest, and rushed to your aid." *Her voice is gentle yet firm, radiating a sense of reassurance.* "I managed to scare off the beasts and tend to your wounds using my healing magic. You're safe now`, logprobs: { top_logprobs: [ {} ] } } ], usage: { prompt_tokens: 1086, completion_tokens: 192, total_tokens: 1278 } } 

Hi, I'm currently running Ooba+AllTalk through Silly Taverns, and it before outputting character or narrator's responses, it's narrating file names and paths. And some times it is confusing between character and narrator's speech.
This is the output in chat window, which seems to be understanding what is character and narrator speech, but it missed the last ", shich would close the character's response. And it seems that there shouldn't be two audio interfaces above the response:
https://preview.redd.it/mqemjzy6h01d1.png?width=392&format=png&auto=webp&s=047df71222cf92f808c4a609776903d3a7ac4099
This is Ooba's output in the command prompt, which seems to ge adding "audio src", "filepath_and_name.wav" and other things like "7.99 seconds. LowVRAM: False DeepSpeed: True" as part of the input, to be processed by AllTalk.

Llama.generate: prefix-match hit llama_print_timings: load time = 4086.81 ms llama_print_timings: sample time = 175.23 ms / 150 runs ( 1.17 ms per token, 856.01 tokens per second) llama_print_timings: prompt eval time = 3118.73 ms / 170 tokens ( 18.35 ms per token, 54.51 tokens per second) llama_print_timings: eval time = 16437.70 ms / 149 runs ( 110.32 ms per token, 9.06 tokens per second) llama_print_timings: total time = 20020.93 ms / 319 tokens Output generated in 20.56 seconds (7.30 tokens/s, 150 tokens, context 1086, seed 324029852) [AllTalk TTSGen] audio src"fileextensionsalltalkttsoutputsTTSOUT1715962048.wav" controls autoplayaudio Seraphina's eyes hold a mix of concern and determination as she explains the situation. "You were attacked by some wild creatures that inhabit this forest. They must have been provoked or simply mistook you for prey. I was nearby, sensing your distress through my connection to the forest, and rushed to your aid." Her voice is gentle yet firm, radiating a sense of reassurance. "I managed to scare off the beasts and tend to your wounds using my healing magic. You're safe now [AllTalk TTSGen] 7.99 seconds. LowVRAM: False DeepSpeed: True [AllTalk TTSGen] Narrator (Text-not-inside) [AllTalk TTSGen] audio src [AllTalk TTSGen] 0.32 seconds. LowVRAM: False DeepSpeed: True [AllTalk TTSGen] Character [AllTalk TTSGen] fileextensionsalltalkttsoutputsTTSOUT1715961994.wav [AllTalk TTSGen] 3.82 seconds. LowVRAM: False DeepSpeed: True [AllTalk TTSGen] Narrator (Text-not-inside) [AllTalk TTSGen] controls autoplayaudio audio src [AllTalk TTSGen] 0.50 seconds. LowVRAM: False DeepSpeed: True [AllTalk TTSGen] Character [AllTalk TTSGen] fileextensionsalltalkttsoutputsTTSOUT1715962048.wav [AllTalk TTSGen] 2.25 seconds. LowVRAM: False DeepSpeed: True [AllTalk TTSGen] Narrator (Text-not-inside) [AllTalk TTSGen] controls autoplayaudio Seraphina's eyes hold a mix of concern and determination as she explains the situation. [AllTalk TTSGen] 0.95 seconds. LowVRAM: False DeepSpeed: True [AllTalk TTSGen] Character [AllTalk TTSGen] You were attacked by some wild creatures that inhabit this forest. They must have been provoked or simply mistook you for prey. I was nearby, sensing your distress through my connection to the forest, and rushed to your aid. [AllTalk TTSGen] 2.38 seconds. LowVRAM: False DeepSpeed: True [AllTalk TTSGen] Narrator (Text-not-inside) [AllTalk TTSGen] Her voice is gentle yet firm, radiating a sense of reassurance. "I managed to scare off the beasts and tend to your wounds using my healing magic. You're safe now [AllTalk TTSGen] 1.68 seconds. LowVRAM: False DeepSpeed: True 

And this is Silly Tavern's:

 'Deramack: "What... What happened?"\n' + 'Seraphina:', model: 'silicon-maid-7b.Q5_K_M.gguf', max_new_tokens: 150, max_tokens: 150, temperature: 1, top_p: 1, typical_p: 1, typical: 1, sampler_seed: -1, min_p: 1, repetition_penalty: 1.1, frequency_penalty: 0, presence_penalty: 0, top_k: 0, min_length: 100, min_tokens: 100, num_beams: 1, length_penalty: 1, early_stopping: false, add_bos_token: false, smoothing_factor: 0, smoothing_curve: 1, max_tokens_second: 0, sampler_priority: [ 'temperature', 'dynamic_temperature', 'quadratic_sampling', 'top_k', 'top_p', 'typical_p', 'epsilon_cutoff', 'eta_cutoff', 'tfs', 'top_a', 'min_p', 'mirostat' ], stopping_strings: [ '\nDeramack:' ], stop: [ '\nDeramack:' ], truncation_length: 2048, ban_eos_token: false, skip_special_tokens: true, top_a: 0.52, tfs: 0.09, epsilon_cutoff: 1.49, eta_cutoff: 10.42, mirostat_mode: 0, mirostat_tau: 5, mirostat_eta: 0.1, custom_token_bans: '', api_type: 'ooba', api_server: 'http://127.0.0.1:5000', legacy_api: false, rep_pen: 1.1, rep_pen_range: 0, repetition_penalty_range: 0, encoder_repetition_penalty: 1, no_repeat_ngram_size: 0, penalty_alpha: 0, temperature_last: true, do_sample: true, seed: -1, guidance_scale: 1, negative_prompt: '', grammar_string: '', repeat_penalty: 1.1, tfs_z: 0.09, repeat_last_n: 0, n_predict: 150, mirostat: 0, ignore_eos: false } Endpoint response: { id: 'conv-1715961974025842176', object: 'text_completion', created: 1715961974, model: 'silicon-maid-7b.Q5_K_M.gguf', choices: [ { index: 0, finish_reason: 'length', text: `  *Seraphina's eyes hold a mix of concern and determination as she explains the situation.* "You were attacked by some wild creatures that inhabit this forest. They must have been provoked or simply mistook you for prey. I was nearby, sensing your distress through my connection to the forest, and rushed to your aid." *Her voice is gentle yet firm, radiating a sense of reassurance.* "I managed to scare off the beasts and tend to your wounds using my healing magic. You're safe now`, logprobs: { top_logprobs: [ {} ] } } ], usage: { prompt_tokens: 1086, completion_tokens: 192, total_tokens: 1278 } } 

When Jupiter is placed in the second house of a Vedic astrology chart, it generally brings positive influences to the areas governed by this house. The second house is associated with wealth, speech, family, values, and possessions. Jupiter, known as the planet of wisdom, expansion, and good fortune, typically enhances the qualities of the house it occupies. Here are the detailed effects of Jupiter in the second house:
Wealth and Finances

• Prosperity: Jupiter in the second house often indicates financial abundance and prosperity. The native is likely to have good earning potential and a comfortable financial situation.

Speech and Communication

• Eloquent Speech: The native is likely to be articulate, eloquent, and persuasive. Jupiter's presence can enhance oratory skills and the ability to communicate effectively.
• Positive Communication: The native's speech tends to be positive, optimistic, and encouraging, often inspiring others.

Family and Values

• Strong Family Bonds: Jupiter in the second house often signifies a strong, supportive, and well-knit family. The native may come from a respected family background.

Possessions and Material Comforts

• Abundance of Possessions: The native is likely to accumulate valuable possessions and enjoy material comforts.
• Quality of Life: Jupiter's influence can lead to a high quality of life, with access to luxuries and a comfortable living environment.

Personal Values and Self-Worth

• High Morals: Jupiter in the second house can instill strong moral and ethical values. The native tends to be honest, principled, and trustworthy.
• Self-Worth: The native often has a healthy sense of self-worth and self-esteem, recognizing their own value and capabilities.

Challenges and Considerations
While Jupiter's placement in the second house is generally beneficial, there can be some potential challenges:

• Overindulgence: Jupiter's expansive nature might lead to overindulgence in food, luxury, or spending. The native should be mindful of excess.

Mitigating Factors
The overall impact of Jupiter in the second house will also depend on other factors in the birth chart:

• Aspects from Other Planets: Beneficial aspects from planets like Venus or Mercury can enhance Jupiter's positive effects, while challenging aspects from planets like Saturn or Rahu may introduce difficulties..

Summary
Jupiter in the second house generally brings wealth, eloquence, strong family bonds and high moral values. It enhances the native's financial position, communication skills and overall quality of life. However, there are potential challenges such as excessive indulgence or financial overconfidence, but these can be managed with awareness and prudence. The broader context of the entire birth chart will provide a more comprehensive understanding of the effects of Jupiter in the second house. Contact us for more information 8595675042.

Over the course of 7 years being exposed to the language, I’ve heard half a dozen native Italians use a uvular R instead of a trill (and sometimes instead of what I normally perceive as a tap). Here is the most recent example I’ve come across.
The first time I encountered this phenomenon was when I was learning Italian around Macerata. One of the teachers spoke like this, and I assumed he was from somewhere else, but other teachers mentioned that he was local. The man in the sample I just gave is presumably from Bari, so I’m not so likely to believe that it’s regional.
If it’s a speech impediment, it seems unusual to me, and nobody I’ve talked to has acknowledged it. For one, I am aware that it may be a delicate subject, so I tried to be tactful when asking (indirect) questions, but other native Italians didn’t acknowledge anything different when I’ve asked about this “accent”. On the other hand, my native language also features a trill, and though native speakers struggle with it too, they approximate it using other sounds. Then again, in Russian I think some people do this too.

Unsnark: I can’t believe we are swinging so far in this direction. Please vote!
Ladies and gentlemen of the Class of 2024: I would like to start off by congratulating all of you for successfully making it to this achievement today. I'm sure your high school graduation was not what you had imagined, and most likely, neither was your first couple years of college.
By making it to this moment through all the adversity thrown your way from COVID, I hope you learned the important lessons that suffering in this life is only temporary. As a group, you witnessed firsthand how bad leaders who don't stay in their lane can have a negative impact on society. It is through this lens that I want to take stock of how we got to where we are, and where we want to go as citizens and, yes, as Catholics. One last thing before I begin, I want to be sure to thank President Minnis and the board for their invitation to speak.
When President Minnis first reached out a couple of months ago, I had originally said No. You see, last year I gave the commencement address at my alma mater, Georgia Tech, and I felt that one graduation speech was more than enough, especially for someone who isn't a professional speaker. But of course, President Minnis used his gift of persuasion. [Laughter] It spoke to the many challenges you all faced throughout the COVID fiasco ,and how you missed out on so many milestones the rest of us older people have taken for granted. While COVID might have played a large role throughout your formative years, it is not unique. Bad policies and poor leadership have negatively impacted major life issues. Things like abortion, IVF, surrogacy, euthanasia, as well as a growing support for degenerate cultural values in media, all stem from the pervasiveness of disorder.
Our own nation is led by a man who publicly and proudly proclaims his Catholic faith, but at the same time is delusional enough to make the Sign of the Cross during a pro- abortion rally. He has been so vocal in his support for the murder of innocent babies that I'm sure to many people it appears that you can be both Catholic and pro-choice.
He is not alone. From the man behind the COVID lockdowns to the people pushing dangerous gender ideologies onto the youth of America, they all have a glaring thing in common. They are Catholic. This is an important reminder that being Catholic alone doesn't cut it.
These are the sorts of things we are told in polite society to not bring up. You know, the difficult and unpleasant things. But if we are going to be men and women for this time in history, we need to stop pretending that the "Church of Nice" is a winning proposition. We must always speak and act in charity, but never mistake charity for cowardice.
It is safe to say that over the past few years, I have gained quite the reputation for speaking my mind. I never envisioned myself, nor wanted, to have this sort of a platform, but God has given it to me, so I have no other choice but to embrace it and preach more hard truths about accepting your lane and staying in it.
As members of the Church founded by Jesus Christ, it is our duty and ultimately privilege to be authentically and unapologetically Catholic. Don't be mistaken, even within the Church, people in polite Catholic circles will try to persuade you to remain silent. There even was an award-winning film called Silence, made by a fellow Catholic, wherein one of the main characters, a Jesuit priest, abandoned the Church, and as an apostate when he died is seen grasping a crucifix, quiet and unknown to anyone but God. As a friend of Benedictine College, His Excellency Bishop Robert Barron, said in his review of the film, it was exactly what the cultural elite want to see in Christianity -- private, hidden away, and harmless.
Our Catholic faith has always been countercultural. Our Lord, along with countless followers, were all put to death for their adherence to her teachings. The world around us says that we should keep our beliefs to ourselves whenever they go against the tyranny of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We fear speaking truth, because now, unfortunately, truth is in the minority. Congress just passed a bill where stating something as basic as the biblical teaching of who killed Jesus could land you in jail.
But make no mistake, before we even attempt to fix any of the issues plaguing society, we must first get our own house in order, and it starts with our leaders. The bishops and priests appointed by God as our spiritual fathers must be rightly ordered. There is not enough time today for me to list all the stories of priests and bishops misleading their flocks, but none of us can blame ignorance anymore and just blindly proclaim that “That's what Father said.” Because sadly, many priests we are looking to for leadership are the same ones who prioritize their hobbies or even photos with their dogs and matching outfits for the parish directory.
It's easy for us laymen and women to think that in order for us to be holy, that we must be active in our parish and try to fix it. Yes, we absolutely should be involved in supporting our parishes, but we cannot be the source for our parish priests to lean on to help with their problems. Just as we look at the relationship between a father and his son, so too should we look at the relationship between a priest and his people. It would not be appropriate for me to always be looking to my son for help when it is my job as his father to lead him.
St. Josemaría Escrivá states that priests are ordained to serve, and should not yield to temptation to imitate laypeople, but to be priests through and through. Tragically, so many priests revolve much of their happiness from the adulation they receive from their parishioners, and in searching for this, they let their guard down and become overly familiar. This undue familiarity will prove to be problematic every time, because as my teammate's girlfriend says, familiarity breeds contempt. [Laughter]
Saint Josemaría continues that some want to see the priest as just another man. That is not so. They want to find in the priest those virtues proper to every Christian, and indeed every honorable man: understanding, justice, a life of work — priestly work, in this instance — and good manners. It is not prudent as the laity for us to consume ourselves in becoming amateur theologians so that we can decipher this or that theological teaching — unless, of course, you are a theology major. We must be intentional with our focus on our state in life and our own vocation. And for most of us, that's as married men and women. Still, we have so many great resources at our fingertips that it doesn't take long to find traditional and timeless teachings that haven't been ambiguously reworded for our times. Plus, there are still many good and holy priests, and it's up to us to seek them out.
The chaos of the world is unfortunately reflected in the chaos in our parishes, and sadly, in our cathedrals too. As we saw during the pandemic, too many bishops were not leaders at all. They were motivated by fear, fear of being sued, fear of being removed, fear of being disliked. They showed by their actions, intentional or unintentional, that the sacraments don't actually matter. Because of this, countless people died alone, without access to the sacraments, and it's a tragedy we must never forget. As Catholics, we can look to so many examples of heroic shepherds who gave their lives for their people, and ultimately, the Church. We cannot buy into the lie that the things we experienced during COVID were appropriate. Over the centuries, there have been great wars, great famines, and yes, even great diseases, all that came with a level of lethality and danger. But in each of those examples, Church leaders leaned into their vocations and ensured that their people received the sacraments.
Great saints like St. Damien of Molokai, who knew the dangers of his ministry, stayed for 11 years as a spiritual leader to the leper colonies of Hawaii. His heroism is looked at today as something set apart and unique, when ideally it should not be unique at all. For as a father loves his child, so a shepherd should love his spiritual children, too.
That goes even more so for our bishops, these men who are present-day apostles. Our bishops once had adoring crowds of people kissing their rings and taking in their every word, but now relegate themselves to a position of inconsequential existence. Now, when a bishop of a diocese or the bishop's conference as a whole puts out an important document on this matter or that, nobody even takes a moment to read it, let alone follow it.
No. Today, our shepherds are far more concerned with keeping the doors open to the chancery than they are with saying the difficult stuff out loud. It seems that the only time you hear from your bishops is when it's time for the annual appeal, whereas we need our bishops to be vocal about the teachings of the Church, setting aside their own personal comfort and embracing their cross. Our bishops are not politicians but shepherds, so instead of fitting in the world by going along to get along, they too need to stay in their lane and lead.
I say all of this not from a place of anger, as we get the leaders we deserve. But this does make me reflect on staying in my lane and focusing on my own vocation and how I can be a better father and husband and live in the world but not be of it. Focusing on my vocation while praying and fasting for these men will do more for the Church than me complaining about her leaders.
Because there seems to be so much confusion coming from our leaders, there needs to be concrete examples for people to look to in places like Benedictine, a little Kansas college built high on a bluff above the Missouri River, are showing the world how an ordered, Christ-centered existence is the recipe for success. You need to look no further than the examples all around this campus, where over the past 20 years, enrollment has doubled, construction and revitalization are a constant part of life, and people, the students, the faculty and staff, are thriving. This didn't happen by chance. In a deliberate movement to embrace traditional Catholic values, Benedictine has gone from just another liberal arts school with nothing to set it apart to a thriving beacon of light and a reminder to us all that when you embrace tradition, success — worldly and spiritual — will follow.
I am certain the reporters at the AP could not have imagined that their attempt to rebuke and embarrass places and people like those here at Benedictine wouldn't be met with anger, but instead met with excitement and pride. Not the deadly sin sort of pride that has an entire month dedicated to it, but the true God-centered pride that is cooperating with the Holy Ghost to glorify him. Reading that article now shared all over the world, we see that in the complete surrender of self and a turning towards Christ, you will find happiness. Right here in a little town in Kansas, we find many inspiring laypeople using their talents.
President Minnis, Dr. [Andrew] Swafford, and Dr. [Jared] Zimmerer are a few great examples right here on this very campus that will keep the light of Christ burning bright for generations to come. Being locked in with your vocation and staying in your lane is going to be the surest way for you to find true happiness and peace in this life.
It is essential that we focus on our own state in life, whether that be as a layperson, a priest, or religious. Ladies and gentlemen of the class of 2024, you are sitting at the edge of the rest of your lives. Each of you has the potential to leave a legacy that transcends yourselves and this era of human existence. In the small ways, by living out your vocation, you will ensure that God's Church continues and the world is enlightened by your example.
For the ladies present today, congratulations on an amazing accomplishment. You should be proud of all that you have achieved to this point in your young lives. I want to speak directly to you briefly because I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolical lies told to you. How many of you are sitting here now about to cross this stage and are thinking about all the promotions and titles you are going to get in your career? Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world.
I can tell you that my beautiful wife, Isabelle, would be the first to say that her life truly started when she began living her vocation as a wife and as a mother. I'm on the stage today and able to be the man I am because I have a wife who leans into her vocation. I'm beyond blessed with the many talents God has given me, but it cannot be overstated that all of my success is made possible because a girl I met in band class back in middle school would convert to the faith, become my wife, and embrace one of the most important titles of all: homemaker.
[Applause lasting 18 seconds]
She is a primary educator to our children. She is the one who ensures I never let football or my business become a distraction from that of a husband and father. She is the person that knows me best at my core, and it is through our marriage that, Lord willing, we will both attain salvation.
I say all of this to you because I have seen it firsthand how much happier someone can be when they disregard the outside noise and move closer and closer to God's will in their life. Isabelle's dream of having a career might not have come true, but if you asked her today if she has any regrets on her decision, she would laugh out loud, without hesitation, and say, “Heck, No.”
As a man who gets a lot of praise and has been given a platform to speak to audiences like this one today, I pray that I always use my voice for God and not for myself. Everything I am saying to you is not from a place of wisdom, but rather a place of experience. I am hopeful that these words will be seen as those from a man, not much older than you, who feels it is imperative that this class, this generation, and this time in our society must stop pretending that the things we see around us are normal.
Heterodox ideas abound even within Catholic circles. But let's be honest, there is nothing good about playing God with having children — whether that be your ideal number or the perfect time to conceive. No matter how you spin it, there is nothing natural about Catholic birth control.
It is only in the past few years that I have grown encouraged to speak more boldly and directly because, as I mentioned earlier, I have leaned into my vocation as a husband and father, and as a man.
To the gentlemen here today: Part of what plagues our society is this lie that has been told to you that men are not necessary in the home or in our communities. As men, we set the tone of the culture, and when that is absent, disorder, dysfunction, and chaos set in. This absence of men in the home is what plays a large role in the violence we see all around the nation. Other countries do not have nearly the same absentee father rates as we find here in the U.S., and a correlation could be made in their drastically lower violence rates, as well.
Be unapologetic in your masculinity, fighting against the cultural emasculation of men. Do hard things. Never settle for what is easy. You might have a talent that you don't necessarily enjoy, but if it glorifies God, maybe you should lean into that over something that you might think suits you better. I speak from experience as an introvert who now finds myself as an amateur public speaker and an entrepreneur, something I never thought I'd be when I received my industrial engineering degree.
The road ahead is bright. Things are changing. Society is shifting. And people, young and old, are embracing tradition. Not only has it been my vocation that has helped me and those closest to me, but not surprising to many of you, should be my outspoken embrace of the traditional Latin Mass. I've been very vocal in my love and devotion to the TLM and its necessity for our lives. But what I think gets misunderstood is that people who attend the TLM do so out of pride or preference. I can speak to my own experience, but for most people I have come across within these communities this simply is not true. I do not attend the TLM because I think I am better than others, or for the smells and bells, or even for the love of Latin. I attend the TLM because I believe, just as the God of the Old Testament was pretty particular in how he wanted to be worshipped, the same holds true for us today. It is through the TLM that I encountered order, and began to pursue it in my own life. Aside from the TLM itself, too many of our sacred traditions have been relegated to things of the past, when in my parish, things such as ember days, days when we fast and pray for vocations and for our priests, are still adhered to. The TLM is so essential that I would challenge each of you to pick a place to move where it is readily available.
A lot of people have complaints about the parish or the community, but we should not sacrifice the Mass for community. I prioritize the TLM even if the parish isn't beautiful, the priest isn't great, or the community isn't amazing. I still go to the TLM because I believe the holy sacrifice of the Mass is more important than anything else. I say this knowing full well that when each of you rekindle your knowledge and adherence to many of the church's greatest traditions, you will see how much more colorful and alive your life can and should be.
As you move on from this place and enter into the world, know that you will face many challenges. Sadly, I'm sure many of you know of the countless stories of good and active members of this community who, after graduation and moving away from the Benedictine bubble, have ended up moving in with their boyfriend or girlfriend prior to marriage. Some even leave the Church and abandon God. It is always heartbreaking to hear these stories, and there is a desire to know what happened and what went wrong.
What you must remember is that life is about doing the small things well, setting yourself up for success, and surrounding yourself with people who continually push you to be the best version of you. I say this all the time, that iron sharpens iron. It's a great reminder that those closest to us should be making us better. If you are dating someone who doesn't even share your faith, how do you expect that person to help you become a saint? If your friend group is filled with people who only think about what you're doing next weekend and are not willing to have those difficult conversations, how can they help sharpen you?
As you prepare to enter into the workforce, it is extremely important that you actually think about the places you are moving to. Who is the bishop? What kind of parishes are there? Do they offer the TLM and have priests who embrace their priestly vocation? Cost of living must not be the only arbiter of your choices, for a life without God is not a life at all, and the cost of salvation is worth more than any career.
I'm excited for the future, and I pray that something I have said will resonate as you move on to the next chapter of your life.
Never be afraid to profess the one holy, Catholic, and apostolic Church, for this is the Church that Jesus Christ established, through which we receive sanctifying grace.
I know that my message today had a little less fluff than is expected for these speeches, but I believe that this audience and this venue is the best place to speak openly and honestly about who we are and where we all want to go, which is Heaven.
I thank God for Benedictine College and for the example it provides the world. I thank God for men like President Minnis, who are doing their part for the Kingdom. Come to find out you can have an authentically Catholic college and a thriving football program. [Laughter and applause]
Make no mistake: You are entering into mission territory in a post-God world, but you were made for this. And with God by your side and a constant striving for virtue within your vocation, you too can be a saint.
Christ is King.
To the Heights.

This is my first time coming back to college in 4 years and I applied myself heavily, every single day. I’ve always known that I could be a good student if I just stopped being lazy and allowing procrastination to get the best of me.
I’ve achieved things I never knew I could. I won 2nd place in a persuasive speech tournament out of 20 candidates, my topic was on police reform. I’ve always struggled in math and I have a 91% in statistics, scoring a 93% on our final. I’ve gotten A’s on all of my essays for my classes.
And lastly, passing my first semester in my life with a 4.0 GPA. In high school of my freshman year, I got a 3.5. After that, it never happened again. 2.8, 2.2, and a 2.0. I’m very excited to see how my educational future blossoms.