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Random Nighttime Wilderness Encounter Table

2023.06.10 05:54 DnDBambi Random Nighttime Wilderness Encounter Table

So I'm running SKT and they have a nicely detailed random encounter table for day time travel, but I also really wanted something for the nighttime while the party are trying to safely rest. So I made this!
I added a few unique ideas/suggestions I'd seen around the internet while also creating a few of my own. I had my own party in mind for this (4 x Lv. 6) but I'm hoping it's universal enough to adapt for any party!
Feel free to use and let me know what you think :)

Random Nighttime Wilderness Encounter Table

At the beginning of each night/long rest, roll a d20. On a result of 12-20 a nighttime encounter occurs. Roll a d100 and consult the table based on the party's current location
Roll a d4 (reroll 4s) to determine if the encounter occurs on the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd watch of the night
Once they have their first nighttime encounter, the d20 range shrinks by two for every future nighttime encounter thereafter until they reach the next settlement, upon which, the range resets. This is to prevent there being an encounter every single night they're on the road and not bogging down gameplay. Feel free to adjust these DCs if you want less or more random encounters.
- After first nighttime encounter, new range = 14-20
- After second nighttime encounter, new range = 16-20
- After third nighttime encounter, new range = 18-20
- After four nighttime encounter (and every encounter after) a Nat20 must be rolled to receive a new encounter

The Table

Encounter Table Notes:

Abominable Yeti:

A single abominable yeti ambushes the party hungering for flesh and blood. If the party manage to defeat this yeti, there is a 30% chance that 1d3 regular yetis show up after battle, drawn in by the sounds of combat and the scent of blood

Bandits/Barbarians:

You can choose between bandits or barbarians for this encounter based on the location and frequency of previous encounters
Bandits:
- 1 bandit captain and 3d6+2 bandits
- Mounted on riding horses
- 25% chance they attack without warning
- Promises the party not to attack if they 'pay a toll' (no less than 100gp of treasure)
- Is this a potential way to introduce the 'Happy Fun Ball'?
- Treasure: Each bandit carries a pouch containing 1d10gp. The bandit captain’s pouch holds 2d10gp and 1d6 gems worth 100gp each
Uthgardt Barbarians:
- Hostile group of Uthgardt barbarians made up of 4d6 tribal warriors, and 1 Uthgardt shaman (Appendix C). If the total number rolled is great than 20, add 1d3 berserkers and a tribal chieftain (berserker w 90hp)
  - If dealing with the Gray Wolf tribe, use the werewolf stat block for all berserkers and chieftains (+90hp) and add 1d4 wolves as animal companions
- Uthgardt Barbarian General Info
  - Black-haired and blue-eyed people
  - Take their name from Uthgar Gardolfsson, a hero chief who battled giants and conquered much of the North before ascending to godhood
  - Currently 11 tribes scattered across the north
  - They speak Bothii (their own language) and most speak common
  - Their spirit mounds are sacred as it's a place where tribe members gather to revere Uthgar, honour their ancestors, make sacrifices to their totem animal spirit, and choose a new Great Chief
  - Uthgardt fear magic so much so that they attempt to kill and dismember any spellcasters they meet
  - Tribal shamans aren't attacked because their power comes from spirits of their dead ancestors
  - Tribes will unite against a common enemy, like a giant (whom they hate most of all)
  - Each tribe consists of 1 Great Chief, 2-5 chieftains, and 1-3 shamans depending on the size of the tribe
  - Use the "Reghed Chieftain" stat block for a Great Chief
Uthgardt Tribes and Locations
- Black Lion Tribe
  - Northern Silver Marches and the Druarwood
  - Spirit mound - Beorunna's Well
  - Great Chief - Stellok Kolraavi (male - wears armour made of orc hide)
  - Shaman - Tysis Kolraavi (Stellok's younger sister)
  - Hate diplomacy and civilisation
  - Avoids settlements in the Silver Marches
- Black Raven Tribe
  - Icy foothills west of Mirabar including the ice lakes and Spine of the World north of Mirabar
  - Spirit mound - Raven Rock
  - Great Chief - Ojin Voninsdottir (female - orc-skull helm)
  - Prey on caravans travelling via Northern Means or Blackford Road
  - Often ride Giant Vultures into battle
- Blue Bear Tribe
  - Believed to be extinct but have been spotted throughout the Delimbiyr Vale (from the Nether Mountains to the northern tip of High Moor)
  - Spirit mound - Stone Stand
  - Great Chief - Kriga Moonmusk (female - old and travels in a fur-draped chair carried by 4 tribal warriors)
  - Stays hidden while travelling to preserve the myth of their extinction
- Elk Tribe
  - Wanders the Evermoors and the plains between Flint Rock and the Dessarin River
  - Spirit mound - Flint Rock
  - Great Chief - Rond Vaarson (male - old)
  - Rond has spilled so much blood in his past, he no longer craves it
- Gray Wolf Tribe
  - Located throughout the North, as far west as the Sword Coast and as far east as the Delimbiyr Vale
  - Spirit mound - None
  - Great Chief - Recently slain Syken Nightblaze
  - Syken was slain by adventurers from Neverwinter
  - His daughter, Envir Sykensdottir, now controls the pack and plans to attack Neverwinter to prove she should be named the next Great Chief of the tribe
  - Potentially run a surprise encounter if the party ever goes to Neverwinter
  - The tribe roams in packs with ordinary wolves
  - Will hunt down and kill those who survive their attacks to prevent the spread of lycanthropy to non-tribal members
  - The only members of the tribe who possess lycanthropy are the chieftains and berserkers. The rest of the tribe are regular tribal warriors
  - In an encounter have all barbarians start out in human form, then have them use their 'Shapechanger' action on their first turn to turn into a Hybrid or Wolf form and freak the party out
  - Lycanthropy Cure: Can be cured with a 'Remove Curse' or 'Greater Restoration' spell
- Great Worm Tribe
  - Based themselves at Great Worm Cavern and strike out occasionally to defend their territory (surrounding mountains, Feel Pass, Frost Hills, Lurkwood, and the northern reaches of the Silver Marches)
  - Spirit mound - Great Worm Cavern
  - Great Chief - Wormblod (male - brutal and hoards treasure)
  - Venture into the Crags and its southern plains when food is scarce
- Griffon Tribe
  - Located throughout the North, as far west as the Sword Coast and as far east as the Silver Marches. Never going further south than Triboar and Yartar in the Dessarin Valley
  - Spirit mound - Shining White
  - Great Chief - Halric Bonesnapper
  - Tribe is dwindling as they have made too many enemies of late (still 300 strong though)
  - Different from all other tribes as they have established a permanent settlement (Griffon's Nest)
- Red Tiger Tribe
  - Found throughout the Silver Marches but have recently begun moving into its surrounding forests, including elf-controlled regions of the High Forest
  - They are trying to find the Grandfather Tree and lay claim to it
  - Spirit mound - Beorunna's Well
  - Great Chief - Seriska Hungermaw (female - ruthless yet cautious)
  - Often attack settlements in the Silver Marches and prey on caravans travelling on the roads
  - Skilled at avoiding heavily fortified keeps
  - Even known to attack boats on the Rauvin River from time to time
- Sky Pony Tribe
  - Found near the base of the mountains in the Silver Marches
  - Spirit mound - One Stone
  - Great Chief - Arnzan Vashk (male - orc spearhead sticking out of his chest and he attempts to hide the pain)
  - The tip of the spear is very close to piercing his heart and killing him
  - Was wounded during the War of the Silver Marches
  - His rivals are circling and preparing to unseat him
- Thunderbeast Tribe
  - Currently hiding in the depths of Lurkwood preparing for a 'stampede' through the Surbrin Hills and the Dessarin Valley to the south
  - Spirit mound - Morgur's Mound (hasn't been visited in years)
  - Great Chief - Harthulk Hornspear (male - towering man with a terrible scowl and cracked, tough skin like dinosaur leather)
  - Their stampede won't stop until their people or their enemies are dead
- Tree Ghost Tribe
  - Share the High Forest with the native elves
  - Spirit mound - Grandfather Tree
  - Great Chief - Boorvald Orcbane (male - honourable and a protector)
  - Declared themselves the protectors of the Grandfather Tree after years of conflict with other tribes and the elves of the High Forest
  - Rarely seen outside of the forest
  - Boorvald hunts orcs and frequently launches attacks against the Iceshield orc-holds along the western edge of High Forest
  - Boorvald has 6 sons and 3 daughters, each of whom was given an "Oathbow" from the tribe's elf neighbours as a gift of friendship
  - The tribe contains tribal warriors from other tribes who came to the Grandfather Tree, gained enlightenment, and forsook their allegiances to pledge to help the Tree Ghosts protect the Grandfather Tree

Bioluminescent Lights:

Depending on the location, this can be represented as bioluminescent lights or more of a aurora borealis in the night sky
The party, or person on watch, notices a faint glow coming from nearby in the camp. A small pond (or tree/shrub/etc) is emitting a faint, beautiful glow that seems to be a wonder of nature
Describe how the lights beautifully dance and shimmer in the night
The effect is harmless and the party can spend as much or as little time engaging with it as they want

Blights:

2d4+1 vine blights and 2d4+1 needle blights attack the party in the night
The vine blights move in close and camouflage using their False Appearance ability. Once they're within 20ft, they run forward and use their Entangling Plants ability to subdue the party
The needle blights then move within 30ft and release a volley of needles at the party from a distance
Alternatively, the party may happen to set up camp in a congregation of unmoving vine blights who are relying on their False Appearance to strike when the party is caught off-guard. The needle blights join in later in the combat

Bodak:

A single bodak is drawn to the party's campsite by the light/noise, following its mission from Orcus to spread death across the Material Plane
Any non-war trained animals will flee right before this encounter takes place
If it fits in your narrative, the bodak can be a fallen NPC that one of the players used to know. It is seeking out all allies and enemies from its past life to wipe them from existence
Increase the HP if a single bodak doesn't pose much of a challenge

Dire Wolves:

3d4 dire wolves encircle and ambush the party at night
The wolves won't attack outright. They will surround and then slowly close in on the party, giving anyone a chance to do something that might scare them off before combat begins (PC Intimidation check vs Wolves Insight check)
- Potentially nominate a pack leader that will have an impact on how this plays out
If the party don't do anything or fails to intimidate the wolves, they will attack
If things aren't going well for the party, you can have the wolves' survival instinct kick in if their numbers are reduced to less than the number of still-threatening PCs

Displacer Beasts:

1d4+2 displacer beasts ambush the party either for food or just general sport
One displacer beast might lash out at the party in an attempt to draw them away from the group to a location where the rest of the pack are waiting for a bloodier ambush

Ghosts:

1d4 ghosts appear and attack the party
If a 1 is rolled, a solitary, sad-looking ghost appears in the middle of their camp and sings a haunting song, then walks to where its grave is marked by a filthy stone. If the party ignore the ghost or leave the grave alone, nothing happens and the ghost remains suspended in the air looking at the grave until the party leaves. It they clean the grave site out of respect for the dead, the ghost disappears and turns into a shower of 777 silver pieces. If they desecrate or disrespect the grave for some reason, it attacks
- If it attacks, bump its HP up to 60 so it poses somewhat of a challenge

Ghouls:

1d4+4 ghouls attack the party led by 1 ghast
The ghast will give orders to the ghouls to attack who it feels is the strongest party member
If ghouls are attacked while feasting on a paralysed creature, they will drag their prey their full movement (half speed) away while also continuing to use their bite on their paralysed victim

Giant Snakes:

1d4+1 giant constrictor snakes slither into the campsite and attempt to snap up a tasty meal
You can have the snakes appear and pause, waiting to see the party's reaction, to give your PCs a chance to do something that might prevent this from being a combat encounter

Magical Glowing Mushrooms:

Tasha's Cauldron of Everything - Magic Mushrooms (pg. 166)
The party stumbles across a collection of magic mushrooms near their campsite, radiating this magical glow
Those proficient in Medicine, Nature, or Survival can surmise that these are not naturally forming mushrooms and with a DC12 roll, can recall stories of magical mushrooms and how some can save lives or bestow unusual powers when consumed
If a mushroom is eaten, roll a d10 to determine its effects:
- 1: The creature’s skin turns an unusual colour. Roll a d4:
  - 1 - Purple with yellow splotches
  - 2 - Bright orange with tiger stripes
  - 3 - Tree-frog green with red squiggles
  - 4 - Hot pink with yellow spots
  - This change is permanent unless removed by a Greater Restoration spell or similar magic.
- 2: The creature gains the enlarge or reduce effect (50 percent chance of either) of the Enlarge/Reduce spell for 1 hour.
- 3: The creature regains 5d8 + 20 hit points.
- 4: Vocally, the creature can only cluck and croon like a chicken. The creature can also understand and speak to chickens. This curse lasts for 1 hour unless ended by a Remove Curse spell or similar magic.
- 5: The creature can understand and speak all languages for 1d4 days.
- 6: The creature gains the benefits of the Telepathy spell for the next 24 hours.
- 7: The creature gains the benefits of the Speak with Plants spell for 8 hours.
- 8: The creature immediately casts the Time Stop spell, requiring no components. Constitution is the spellcasting ability for this spell.
- 9: The creature immediately casts the Detect Thoughts spell, requiring no components. Constitution is the spellcasting ability for this spell.
- 10: Magical mists pour out of the creature’s eyes and ears, acting as a Fog Cloud spell for 1 hour that is centred on the creature and moves with it.

Oni:

An old halfling woman with a small glaive will approach the party's campsite looking for a place to rest and some company to talk to
The glaive is a custom weapon made for a halfling that she's had since she was a young woman. She's pretty handy with it but getting quite slow in her older age. It's her only form of protection as she travels
The old woman is really an oni who has used it's Change Shape ability to be able to get closer to its prey
When the oni feels the party is no longer believing its lies or has completely let their guard down, it will attack
This attack may begin with a Cone of Cold to surprise the party, and then on its next turn it will transform into its true giant form. Or it could also start with the oni transforming prior to combat, then on its first turn casting Invisibility on itself to create a sense of fear amongst the party

Owlbear Pack:

A loud, deep hooting sound can be heard throughout the night, not close but not too far from the campsite. The hooting sounds like it comes from something much louder than a regular owl
Players who made a successful DC12 Perception check, notice off in the distance a pack of 5 owlbears slowly moving through the terrain in single-file
There is a large owlbear at the head of the line, and another large owlbear bringing up the rear. In the middle of them are three smaller offspring
They don't appear to be hunting at this moment, just moving from A to B
Unless the party does something to draw the pack's attention, they will move on into the night

Owlbears:

1d4+1 hunting owlbears will spring into the party's campsite, hunting them for food
- If a total of 5 is achieved and you feel this encounter is way too deadly for your group, have the hunting pack be a family made up of two adult owlbears and three younger offspring (40hp) who are hunting for their first time (no multiattack)
- If an offspring is killed, the parents will fight to the death with unbridled fury seeking vengeance
- If both parents are killed off, the offspring will flee
If only 2 owlbears are rolled and you feel this encounter too simple, max out their hit points (91hp)

Pegasus:

A glimmering, white pegasus descends from the sky and lands not far from the party's campsite, looking for a place to drink, eat, or temporarily rest
- If this occurs along a road/trail, the pegasus won't land, but will instead gracefully soar past the party, basking in the night air
Pegasi are usually quite jumpy, so will immediately take off into the sky if any loud noises are made or it is attacked
However, if a good-aligned character can quietly approach and succeed on a DC15 Animal Handling check, the intelligent creature will stay grounded and watch the character as it approaches
Narrate a peaceful interaction between the two before the pegasus takes its leave and flies off into the night
- If a character tries to mount the pegasus they will need to succeed on a DC25 Animal Handling check
- A failure will result in the pegasus bucking them and flying off
- A success, and the pegasus will just stand there, MAYBE briefly trot around, before indicating for the character to get off and then saying goodbye and flying off

Revenant:

1 revenant stumbles into the party's campsite, appearing initially like a zombie, but will begin speaking to the party. Very much unlike a zombie.
The revenant says he has come to seek justice for the wrongs the party did to him, killing him in such a brutal manner and taking the life of his greatest love, Kella. The party will then see past the unfamiliar face and recognise him as the slain leader of the Seven Snakes, Xolkin
As Xolkin has sworn vengeance on the party, he can now only be completely destroyed by either using a Wish spell when his soul is bodiless, the party just straight-up dying, or the party survives for over a year from when the vengeance was enacted. After one of these has occurred, the Xolkin's body will crumble to dust and his soul will fade into the afterlife
If Xolkin can't beat them in this first encounter, next time he appears, it will be with weapons and backup (spectres, wights, ghasts, etc). He won't quit until he is successful, making sure each future encounter is harder and more challenging

Stormy Night:

The clouds final erupt and the remainder of the night is filled with thundering rain and high winds
- Rain can be replaced with a blizzard if the party is in the upper mountains or far-north sections of the continent
Unless one of the party members has a way to avoid/negate the rain and wind (such as Leomund's Tiny Hut for example), the party has a very restless nights sleep
They gain the effects of a Long Rest but everyone also gains one level of Exhaustion and cannot recover any previous levels of exhaustion

Undead:

A single wight leads an undead army to attack the party. The army is made up of 2d6 zombies and 1 ogre zombie
- If the number of zombies rolled is less than 6, replace the single ogre zombie with 1d4 ogre zombies
The wight will send the horde of zombies in first while it attacks from range to begin with, then moving in closer for melee

Vampire:

A figure will emerge out of the darkness, staggering a little. They make no effort to stealth either. They are friendly and will comply with whatever reasonable requests the cautious PCs make
They will reveal themselves to be a vampire, in dire need of blood. They will ask for a donation, but if refused, will walk away disappointed
If the player does contribute blood, the vampire will thank them, and next time this encounter is rolled, the vampire may have a gift for them (magic item, gold/platinum, jewels, etc)
The player may choose to drain some blood into a vial or pot for the vampire to then drink, or they may choose to let the vampire bite them. Regardless of the way, they will take 1d6 piercing/slashing damage (based on how they draw the blood), then 3d6 necrotic damage, and their max HP is reduced by that amount until the end of a long rest
If concerns are raised, the vampire will assure them that a simple bite isn't enough to turn someone. They must be killed with a bite and then buried in the ground to rise as a vampire
If the party is very brazen and choose to attack the vampire, it is the DM's choice whether the vampire straight away flees, or decides to bite a character to take some blood by force to teach them a lesson for their rudeness, then flee

Will-o'-Wisps:

A cluster of 1d6+1 will-o'-wisps appear and start floating around the campsite
Initially the wisps will appear as beautifully coloured, bobbing lantern lights offering hope and safety
Eventually the wisps will surround the party and launch a surprise attack
Alternatively, you can have the wisps attempt to lure the party away from the campsite by somehow beckoning them to follow. From here the wisps will lead the party into some sort of hazardous trap like quicksand pits or monster lairs so they can feed on the suffering of their prey and revel in their death screams
- If you are considering this option, potentially reduce the wisp numbers to only 1d4

If you're interested in the possibility percentages that went into calculating these d100 results, you can see them in this picture here:
Wilderness Encounter Possibility Calculations
If you would like all of the above in a neat PDF format, you can download it here.
Looking forward to hearing people's thoughts!

submitted by DnDBambi to UnearthedArcana [link] [comments]

2023.06.10 04:04 SKwiatks Written In the Stars ch. 15: Down With the Sickness part 2

Now, I love Lou, but had to think of something to get two certain characters to Ericson to help save his life. One of them is a relative to one of the kids as the school. And after this chapter, Clem, will start to loosen her prejudice over Maya when they start to bond and work together to save Louis's life. She will start to look at Maya, and sees what Violet sees in her.
Over the next couple of days, Louis's pain in his lower right abdomen started to burn and hurt like hell. He thought it was hungry pains and found himself not hungry. Or it was weird after-sex pain that lasts several days after having sex the first time. Louis ignored the pain and eased up for quite some time when he, Aasim, and Willy were out hunting.
Louis fought through the pain of taking the rabbit out of the snare and held his side. Louis has a cold sweat now forming on his brow. Am I getting sick or something? Better not be. I am needed for hunting. Louis must be kneeling for quite some time as Aasim comes back hauling two rabbits.
"Dude you're okay?" Aasim looks at his friend.
Louis slowly rises and holds his right side. "Yeah...just...heartburn."
Aasim's eyebrows raise in concern, "Lou, you're not fine. You're sweating and it is freezing out."
"Let's just get the rest of the traps set for Thumper to run into them if they ever come out." Louis waves off Aasim's concern.
"Still think you should see Ruby." Aasim looks at him.
"Will you stop worrying about me? I'm fine, I don't need—" Louis pauses as he feels his stomach turn. Louis starts to gag and runs to a side of the tree and pukes.
Aasim drops the kills and tends to his friend. Aasim approaches Louis and sees him turning a different shade of color, "Come on, let's get you back home. Willy and I will set the traps later. You need to see Ruby now. Vomiting is not an indicator of fine Louis," Aasim spoke.
Louis nods and holds his right abdomen, as the pain steadily worsens. Willy finishes catching a rabbit and looks as Aasim walks close to Louis and sees Louis's pale brown now, "What is wrong with him?"
"Louis is sick. Taking him back to see Ruby. Take what we caught to Omar, and you and I will reset the traps later this evening." Aasim said.
"It is just the stomach bug, Aasim," Louis spoke, trying not to make it a big deal.
"Maybe, but let's have Ruby verify it first, okay." Aasim walks with him.
"Okay... I think you are wasting your girl's talents on something silly as the stomach bu—" Louis then felt a sharp pain now in his lower right side as it causes him to fall to his knees with a thud.
"Louis!" Aasim rushes to his side and sees his friend holding his side. "Shit.."
Willy looks to Aasim, "What is happening to him? Stomach bugs usually don't make people faint, do they?"
"No, they don't. Come on, I need your help." Aasim instructs Willy on what to do, and the rest of the way back Aasim carries Louis on his shoulder.
Violet is on watch duty when she sees Aasim carrying Louis, and she rushes down from the watch tower to open the gate. Once Aasim and Willy are through the gate, Violet asks, "What happened?"
"I don't know. We need to see Ruby ASAP. Something majorly is wrong with Louis." Aasim told Violet.
"She's in the greenhouse with Clementine." Violet pointed in the direction of the greenhouse.
Aasim nodded, "Willy, go fetch her and meet me in the nurse's station. Violet go to the library and find a medical book, any medical book."
"Why a medical—" Violet started to say.
"Because I think we are going to need it to find out exactly what is wrong with Louis," Aasim spoke. He heaves Louis up the stairs to the admin building. It was a long tiring climb but he laid Louis down on a soft bed in the nurse's station.
Violet comes in first with the book Aasim requested and didn't take long before Clementine and Ruby are at the door. Clementine rushes to be at her lover's side. She felt Louis's head as he breaks out in a cold sweat, and he looked pale. Clementine looks at Aasim, "What happened? What is wrong with him?"
Aasim rubs the back of his neck, "I don't know. He was acting strange when we were hunting and trying to reset the snares when Louis started to vomit, and then as we were walking back, he fainted and hasn't woken up since. He was favoring his right side."
Ruby stands by Louis and touches his forehead, "He's got a fever, that is for sure."
Clementine looks into Ruby's blue eyes, "Stomach bug?"
Aasim shook his head, "Stomach bugs don't make people faint. Or have severe lower abdominal pains"
Violet reaches for the book Aasim requested and asks Aasim to list off Louis's symptoms, "Aasim give me Louis's symptoms again."
Aasim looked at Violet and started to list off his symptoms, "He has a fever, vomited out in the woods, and been holding his lower right side. And fainted."
Violet looks to Clementine who is near Louis's right side, "Clem lift up Louis's shirt and lightly feel around where his hip is."
Clementine looks at Violet and does precisely what she instructed. When she touches the tender spot on Louis's stomach Louis groans, and his fist slams the bed, and he hugs his body. Violet looks and finds what is wrong with him, "Fuck...his appendix ruptured."
Clementine looks at her, "How do you know that?"
"A girl who used to live here, Maddy. Her appendix ruptured, and Ms. Martin had to take her to the hospital." Violet spoke.
Violet handed the medical book to Ruby and pointed the medical term out to her. Clementine looks at Louis and then back at the two girls, "Okay...what do we do? Pain meds."
Violet eyes Aasim and Ruby, and Ruby is first to speak, "Clem, Louis needs more than just medicine. He needs surgery."
Clementine eyes widen, "Surgery?! But we don't have that option around here." Clementine took her gaze off the two girls and looked at Louis, who looked to be in pain. She closes her eyes and is afraid to ask this question to get an answer she is afraid to hear. Clementine reopens her eyes and looks at Ruby, "What happens if Louis can't get surgery?"
Ruby reads what would happen if the appendix is not removed in time, and she is afraid to answer Clementine. Clementine looks to her as the only medical person in this school who know this stuff, "Well?"
Ruby swallows hard, "Louis could die Clem."
Clementine face falls and she holds his hand, and her eyes squeeze shut. She reopens them and looks at Ruby with tears in her eyes, "Can you do it? Or look it up somewhere on how to do it?"
"Clem...I...I know little about this kind of stuff. I didn't go to med school, I could make it worse." Ruby's voice broke.
"You're the best bet I have, Ruby!" Clementine raises to her feet.
"I'm not a surgeon, Clem. I only know basic medical knowledge of what Ms. Martin told me." Ruby looks at Clementine with empathy and wishes she knew more, but she doesn't.
The whole time when Clementine and Ruby are talking, Violet eyes Louis. Maya! Maya knows how to heal people. Maybe she can help Louis. Violet fixes her eyes on Clementine, "Maya might know how to help Louis."
Clementine and Ruby both turn to look at Violet. Clementine crosses her arms and eyes, Violet, "And how will your girlfriend know how to fix him? He needs a surgeon Vi, not an herbalist."
"Clem, Ruby needs help, and Maya knows some medical knowledge here that can help save Louis. It is not like we got a choice here in picking doctors here. I know you have trust issues with Maya, but she can help Clementine." Violet ignores the comment on her girlfriend, which Violet had every right to tell Clementine off but chooses not to as Louis needs her help more than her feud with Clementine.
Ruby looks to Clementine, "I can use another set of hands from a healer. And she is right. We don't have many options to choose from if we want to save Louis. If Violet can bring Maya here, the better."
Clementine looks to Ruby and then to Violet, and then her gaze rests on Louis, whose life is hanging in the balance. Clementine closes her eyes to think as she doesn't have much of an option but to take up Violet's offer and bring Maya here to inspect Louis and work with Ruby to save him. Clementine sighs, "Fine. But take Aasim with you. I don't want anyone from her group to come and know about this place, got it? Especially Arvo and Bonnie." Violet turns to her friend, and the two of them leave the nurses' station.
...
Violet and Aasim walk in the woods as Violet leads him down the pathway she takes to meet Maya. Aasim told her, "I am surprised Clem is being civil on this matter."
"Louis's life is on the line. So, she doesn't have much choice to hold onto her pride." Violet murmurs. "She loves him, and people will do anything to keep the person they love alive. I would have done the same thing if Maya was like this." Violet admitted.
Aasim looks at her, "Speaking of which, how do you know where she will be? Or know her whereabouts in her camp?"
Violet looks to him and then her eyes forward, "We worked out a coding system of leaving messages close by an opening in the wall by her tent in her group's camp. How she treated my shoulder a few days ago. Ruby is good, but the stuff Maya uses is better." Violet admitted. "Don't tell Ruby I said that. I'm grateful for her skill of taking care of me and everyone, but something about the stuff Maya uses...it is better, and feels like there are some magical healing properties."
Aasim holds out his hands, "I won't, and pretend I didn't hear you prefer your girlfriend's stuff over Ruby's."
Violet smiles a little, then focus on getting to Maya to help Louis. They are nearing Maya's group encampment, and she signals to Aasim to be quiet and follow her lead. They didn't get far into the caravan's territory when Violet pulled Aasim behind a bush for cover as they saw a red hair woman, Maya, and Aniya. Aasim whispers to Violet, "How are we going to get her away from those two."
Violet watches her girlfriend and notices they just come back from hunting. She looked and thought of a way to get her attention, "Stay here,"
Aasim looks at her, "Violet. No, this is suicide. We will wait for her to be alone."
"Louis may not have that kind of time, Aasim. Every minute counts, and Louis needs that surgery, now!" Violet hisses. "I will go and get her attention. Wait here, please!" Violet inches closer and closer behind the three females as the redhead is carrying a small bore and two rabbits. Maya had a bow and a quiver of arrows.
Maya looked back and halted in her tracks as she heard footsteps behind them or nearby. Bonnie notices her slight absence, "Something wrong, Maya?"
Maya peers through the trees as she holds up a finger to her leader to stay quiet momentarily. Maya zeros in on the sound and looks to see Violet. Her eyes widened, and she had to think of something, "I thought I heard something back there. But I guess it was a bird or a walker. There are those still around." Maya turns back, and with her foot, she writes a one and an m in the dirt for Violet to see. It was a subtle motion that Bonnie or her sister never saw what Maya did with her foot. Maya turns back and follows Bonnie and her sister up the trial that led to their encampment.
Violet waited until the three of them were out of sight, and she went to the spot where Maya paused, and in the dirt, she wrote one m. Violet took that to mean one moment or one minute. Violet nods and goes to where Aasim is hiding. "Okay, she saw me and wrote a message in the dirt. She will be with us momentarily. She needs to find a way to sneak away from her group. Give her a few minutes." Violet spoke.
"But you said." Aasim started to say.
"I know, but I also don't want us or her to get in trouble here," Violet answers him. "I'm going about this in a smart way where we don't have spilled blood. Just trust in her, okay." Violet grips the tree with her hand.
They waited five minutes or so when Violet heard Maya's sweet voice calling her, "Vi? Violet?"
Violet peers out from the bush and motions for Aasim to get up with her, "Maya over here."
Maya comes to Violet and hugs her. Violet melted in her embrace and loved the soft touch Maya brought in her warm hugs. Violet holds onto Maya longer than she planned, but her heart got in the way. Aasim saw the love Maya and Violet shared with each other and kindly made his presence known to them. Violet snaps out of her love moment and pulls back from Maya. Maya sees Aasim, and she looks at Violet, "Okay..this is new. You brought a friend with you."
"Clementine's idea, not mine. I will cut to the chase. Louis needs your help, Maya." Violet spoke gently to her.
Aasim looks to this Indian girl, "Violet says you are good with medicine and are knowledgeable with medical procedures. is that right?"
"Yes on some, what is this about?" Maya looks at the two of them.
"We need your help in helping Louis. His appendix ruptured, and he needs surgery. Clementine said you won't be a help because you are an herbalist, but I know you can help him." Violet urges her girlfriend.
Maya looks into Violet's eyes with sympathy, "Vi, I love you, and great you have faith in my skill as a healer. I hate to agree with your leader Clementine here, but she is right. I, too, don't have any knowledge of surgical procedures. I never was trained to be one, not even out in Jackson when studying to be a healer in my Tribe."
Violet looks into her lover's eyes, "So you can't help us?"
"I didn't say that entirely. I am not a surgeon, but I know someone who is or used to be one. Someone in my group was one before the zombie outbreak happened. I can go get him." Maya looks at Aasim and Violet. Maya eyes Aasim, "If that is okay?"
Violet looks at Maya and nods, "Go."
Maya nods and heads back down the pathway she came from. Aasim watches her go and leans to Violet, "Vi, we came to get Maya not bring others to the school."
"Maya knows her group members, and one of them just happens to be the miracle Louis needs. We are going to bring them back to the school rather Clem likes the idea or not. Not like we can go ask anybody else here if they know surgery." Violet spoke.
Aasim heaves a sigh, "I just don't know how I feel about this, Vi."
Violet looks at him, "I'm doing this to save Louis. And this person in Maya's camp is our only option." Violet sighs, "I won't lose another friend when we can have a shot at saving him. I won't lose someone else I care for. Not you, Louis, Clementine, Tenn, or Maya., not today not ever."
....
Maya enters through the hole and she secretly sneaks out. Maya sees Bonnie by the campfire and Alberto chopping away at some fresh kill. Aniya was playing with Alicia keeping her occupied as Maya zeros in on Robert's tent. Maya sneaks in and finds him snoozing on his cot. With a deep breath, Maya approaches him, "Robert. Robert, I need you to wake up." Robert was still in a deep slumber and groaned a little.
Maya then goes by his arm and pinches him hard to get him awake. Robert sprung up, "Son of a bitch! Who the Fu—" Robert looks at Maya, "What are you doing?"
"I need you," Maya spoke.
"With what? You don't look to be injured or need medical treatment." Robert eyes her.
Maya took a deep breath, "I need your skills as a surgeon, Robert. And I need you to come with me to my girlfriend's camp. Louis needs your help."
When Maya mentions Louis's name Robert sits up, "What happened to my son?"
"His appendix ruptured. He needs a surgeon, and he needs an operation, like now, he needs you." Maya looks at him.
Robert closes his eyes. "Maya, I can't." Robert looks away, "I..."
Maya goes and kneels down to him and places her hands on Robert's knees. "I know this pain you caused runs deep."
"It is not that Maya, I can...I can possibly kill him. I haven't been in the OR since the outbreak happened. And I don't have the equipment if things go south. What if I.." Robert shakes his head, "There is a reason surgeons are not allowed to do surgery on our own families or be near the operating room. We get too involved."
"Robert, Louis needs you now more than ever. I have seen how you tried to care for Mike after he got bit. But the difference between Mike and your son Mike was already too far gone to be fixed, where there is still time to save your son. You can do this, Rob." Maya squeezes her pressure on his knee. "Rob, Louis doesn't have much time. If you want that reunion with your son, you need to step up here. Otherwise, you might not get another opportunity. Please."
Robert lets out a sigh and then raises his gaze to look at Maya, "Okay. Take me to him."
Maya raises to her feet and heads out of his tent. Robert comes after her shortly, and when Maya starts to head to the opening where she sneaks out, Robert pulls her back, "We need a better plan to get out of camp. Because of this outing we are doing Maya, is going to raise questions. Especially Arvo and Alberto."
"Okay, doc, you have any ideas?" Maya eyes him.
Robert looks at the gate and then at his medical tent, "Actually, I do. Wait here." Robert goes to his med tent and grabs the supplies he needs for surgery. Maya paces in the sandy dirt while she waits. It took several moments as she watched Robert approach Bonnie and started talking to her. Maya couldn't make out their conversation, but she was surprised when Bonnie gave the okay. Robert then nodded and walked back to Maya. "Okay, all set, let's go."
Maya had a confused look as she followed Robert to the main gate. Arvo peers over the ledge and yells out, "Where are you two going?"
Robert looked at Arvo and calmly said without a nervous tone back at him, "Maya and I will be going into that small town little ways down the river looking for more medical supplies. I am running low on bandages and drugs. We will be back sometime this evening or late in the night. I cleared it with Bonnie."
Arvo eyes Maya suspiciously, "And why do you need her?"
"To watch my back in case I run into trouble with walkers," Robert said. "And to help me carry supplies back for the group."
Arvo sneers, "Think it is a waste but fine. Go."
Robert nods and motions to Maya to get a move on. Once they were away from the main gate, Maya looked up at him, "You really need supplies Rob, or was that a lie to cover up what you will help me with."
"Well, I still have bandages left, and some drugs, but will not have enough for our group after when I perform this surgery on my son. So in a way, it wasn't a total lie. Just won't be going to that town but to Ericson." Robert told her with his eyes forward.
Maya looks at him and can't believe he went against his own instincts and kind of lied to Bonnie. Just comes to show her how much Robert cares for his son. Maya then leads Robert to where Aasim and Violet are hiding. Maya looks at Robert, "Before you meet them, they are not too keen to have adults in their camp, and don't argue with them to pose you are a threat. Listen to everything they say, as we are on their turf, got it?"
Robert looks at her, "Why so hostile? Do they not have any adults?"
"Violet told me all the adults left when the world turned to shit and left the children at the school you sent your son to, to fend for themselves. So yeah they have trust issues with adults and do not take kindly to them. Promise me you will remain calm and not threatening." Maya advises Robert.
Robert nods, "Okay I promise." Maya nods and takes Robert down the path to the brush where Violet and Aasim are at.
Once Maya comes to the spot Aasim and Violet are shocked when a man in his early 40s comes with Maya. Aasim looks to Violet and Violet looks back at him. Maya looks back at them, "Okay I brought the only person I know who can help Louis. Led us to your camp." Aasim eyes Robert and Maya and before he can say anything, Violet urges them to head toward Ericson.
...
The walk to Ericson was tense as Maya felt the tension of Aasim's stare. The only thing keeping her somewhat calm was looking and gazing at Violet. She can sense she is worried for her friend as she keeps her distance a little bit from her. Maya half wanted to walk side by side with her lover to have Maya be her rock, and for Violet to help ease Maya's stormy seas.
The sun was just a little past noon when they walked into unfamiliar land that Maya had never seen before. They walk across a bridge and strange markings in the trees with ropes hanging down. Maya steals a glance at Robert as he looks back at her. The last time he saw this place was when it was still functional. So seeing the condition of the school now was a foreign concept to Robert. Up ahead Maya sees the iron gates she saw in her vision of Violet's past. And the walls and the towering building structures that lie beyond that gate.
As they got closer to the entrance to the gate of the school, Maya saw a sign that read 'Don't Fuck with Us!' next to a dead man tied around a tree whose body was half decomposed. Maya looked to the right on the edge of the school wall was a cart of some kind. She was distracted as the little boy named AJ shot a warning shot at them. Aasim comes up from behind Robert and Maya and yells, "No, AJ, don't shoot! We need them."
AJ comes down as Willy and Ruby usher in the new guests and Violet and Aasim. Ruby looks to her boyfriend, "I thought we were just getting Maya, not a fucking adult."
Aasim looks at her, "She says he is a surgeon Ruby."
"And you think bringing an adult man to school is a good idea, Aasim?" Ruby asks.
"What choice do we have. Louis needs a surgeon, and this guy is the best we got," Aasim admitted.
Ruby heaves a sigh, "Alright, Clem will not be pleased about this."
Violet talked with AJ to stand down and not threaten Maya and Robert, as Aasim talks with Ruby. Violet glances a worried glance at her girlfriend for bringing her inside her group's walls. She longed for this moment to happen, but not in this way.
Ruby and Aasim come back to Robert and Maya, "Take it one of you is the surgeon?"
Maya nudges Robert, as Robert comes forward, "Yes...I was told someone in your group needs medical treatment."
Ruby then orders, "Follow me."
Maya nods for Robert to follow the redhead with a southern accent as Maya awkwardly awaits by the walls of Ericson. Maya sees the weird looks of a boy Maya has never seen before with short brown hair. Another little boy with a burn scar across the right side of his face. And another teenage boy with puffy afro hair by a campfire staring at her. So this is where Violet lives. Huh, not what I envisioned. Maya looks around the structure. Sees good strong walls, and almost feels like home a little. And another strange feeling, Maya almost sees this is an excellent place to bring her sister, and they no longer have to feel threatened by walkers or any adult figure threatening them. It is the home Maya longs to give her little sister and to have a future with Violet.
Maya stood there and was about to sit by the stone wall of the gate when Violet came and stood next to her, "Come on, you don't have to be so standoffish, and look suspicious."
Maya eyes her girlfriend, "I get looks from your group members that they don't trust me, and I want to earn their trust some and not pose a threat."
"Standing by the gates, Maya is kind of sending a weird message. And we've been through a lot, so bringing anyone new into our walls, my group is hesitant about. Besides, Aasim told me to have you sit at a picnic table while your friend—is talking with Clementine." Violet said in a soft voice to ease Maya's anxieties. She then takes hold of Maya's hand and leads her to a picnic table close to the admin building, as they wait on the news of Louis.
....
Clementine holds Louis's hand as she waits for Violet and Aasim to return with Maya for help. She heard a knock on the door as Ruby came in with a person she least expected to see. Clementine got worried, and before she had a chance to speak, Ruby explained the situation, "Clem, before you start, this is Robert. He has come to help Louis. That is it."
Ruby nods for Robert. Robert nervously came forth as Maya was not kidding these kids had been through hell. Robert had seen this girl before, the prosthetic foot girl several weeks back who let Alberto, Aniya, and him go. Clementine was just as shocked to see him again too. Clementine slowly spoke, "You're a surgeon?"
Robert nods, "Been one for the past 24 years. Maya told me you have someone that has a dire need for surgery."
Clementine was still shocked and speechless this man was kind and not threatening to her, which was the first she saw in an adult figure that was not trying to fuck her over. And in some odd way, he has the same gentleness as Louis. Clementine looks to Ruby and then to this humbled man. "Louis is over here."
Clementine led this man of about 40 years of age by the bedside of the small nurses' station. Robert's blood runs cold as he sees his son looking so sick. And he felt like he was going to vomit. He doesn't want to give away to his son's girlfriend that that is his son, but Clementine is already starting to make some connection that this man is related to her boyfriend.
Robert examines his son's abdomen, and Maya's diagnosis is right on the money. Robert turns to the two girls standing at the end of the bed, "Okay, I am going to need assistance here. Out of the two of you, who has more medical care skills and is not afraid of blood and guts? If both of you aren't, I am going to need Maya's help."
Clementine looked to Ruby, and Ruby came forth, "I am the healer here."
"That counts for something." Robert looks at the young redhead. "What's your name, kid."
"Ruby." Ruby offered out her name.
When Clementine heard Robert speak the word kid, had the same wavelength as Louis's voice. Clementine looks at her boyfriend and then at the man standing over him. Same eyes as Louis, even down to the same kind of freckles around his nose, cheeks, a little bit of his chest, and hands. Clementine looks at Robert and ponders. No, he can't be. Louis had a falling out with his father. Why would his father come to him now? What broke Clementine's thoughts was a soft touch of Ruby's hand on her arm, "Clem, we need you to vacate the room."
"No, I am not leaving him, Ruby. I love him. What if something happens, and I am not there in his last moments." Clementine protests. "He is the love of my life Ruby!"
Ruby held onto her leader's cheeks, "I promise to come to get you, but Clementine, we need this space to work and save Louis's life here. Please wait outside. I will fetch you when he is through. Please."
Clementine closes her eyes and reopens them to look back at Robert and then at Louis, and she slowly exits the room with a thorn in her heart. She knows Robert heard her calling Louis the love of her life.

submitted by SKwiatks to TeamViolet [link] [comments]

2023.06.10 00:41 Luma44 Fireside Chat - 6/9/2023 - On the topic of Doxxing and the DRS Ledger

Important links: 💰📈Vote & Save the Date: June 15, 2023🚀10:00AM(CT) Gamestop Annual Shareholder Meeting📈💰 - ttps://www.reddit.com/Superstonk/comments/13jaogy/vote_save_the_date_june_15_20231000amct_gamestop/
Computershare Megathread - for any questions about direct registering

TA;DR: Don’t release any non-public information that you do not have explicit permission to release. It is morally wrong and potentially illegal. Specific to the GME DRS ledger, it is legal to look, illegal and immoral to share it publicly. We have a zero-tolerance policy for doxxing.

Hey Superstonk!

It’s possible that if you’ve been actively patrolling Reddit over the past 24 hours, you’ve come across instances in which the personal financial information of members of our community was posted and/or discussed. We have done our best as a moderation team to remove references to this content. Allow us to explain the *why* behind those removals. Please, give us the benefit of the doubt as we explain our perspective on these events.

*****

What happened?

The personal financial information (description of the number of DRS’d shares, locations, number of people with matching names) of members of our mod team, Superstonk, and other GME communities was posted by another sub on Reddit. It was explicitly stated by people involved in this breach of trust that at least some of this content was not consensually released to the public. In order to protect our community from the release of non-consensual personal information, as well as to avoid witch-hunts from all sides, we have removed reference to this release of information from Superstonk and will continue to do so.
In fact, there is evidence that those responsible for this breach of trust and violation of privacy in sharing private data from the Computershare ledger likely violated Federal Regulations.
Evidence here:
https://preview.redd.it/0t5in0hhj25b1.png?width=791&format=png&auto=webp&s=24ef627268fa8d2cbeb690a9353b83f78ecd562d
https://preview.redd.it/nda8cvuhj25b1.png?width=887&format=png&auto=webp&s=ec9bad3e5510d287be687aa52757b8c99ee5ee9d

What are the Potential and Actual Ramifications?

As a mod team, we want to be as clear as possible, and for once, I’m taking off the gloves and the mod hat, and speaking bluntly to this community:

To those who released this information, this was profoundly stupid. If you are intending to act in ways that are pro-GME, you have missed the mark here.

At this point, we need to take a moment and encourage all members of the sub to be aware of how information from the DRS ledger for GameStop *could* be weaponized now that it has been leaked. It has been proven that there are parties who have viewed the names on the ledger who are willing to look up people by name, and report out the status of their investments without their permission. This includes people who have purple circles but have made the personal choice not to post them. The bot matters - but the ledger matters more. It’s not a stretch to believe that they could, theoretically, cross reference DRS posts made on Reddit (which contain user names) with actual names on the ledger based on share counts reported. If you have a random number of shares that nobody else does, congratulations, you can now potentially be identified by this group of GME investors willing to publicly share your personal information, which includes your name, address and position. If/when the time ever comes to sell, information about how many shares you sold can now be tracked. That’s nobody’s business, unless you *want* it to be. For some people, this doesn't matter. So what? They're proudly invested and not afraid to have their names publicly tied to that investment. For others, they are more cautious. They are concerned about personal safety, or their family/friends knowing personal financial information. It is unfair to take away the autonomy of the individual to control how much information is made public without their consent.
At this time, we have no way to confirm which names they have seen and retained, or if they captured personal information in contradiction of Gamestop’s policies. It is apparent that they spent a great deal of time and effort looking for specific names, and then making public comments about their findings. We can't say with any certainty who they are and are not aware of, which positions they know, or what information they have retained.
There is a very good reason Gamestop corporate insists on not allowing people to record the names of its shareholders when viewing the ledger: to avoid situations exactly like this. People have abused this access to confidential information and are now weaponizing it to further their own agenda. This is a really bad look for the GME community and should be shunned.
It is incredibly troubling that several individuals very publicly decided that their agenda outweighed the rights of members of our community, namely privacy and the ability to consent to the public revelation of their private information. The fact that this breach of trust came from within our Reddit community is not only disappointing but dangerous. We’ve already seen that this “project” has resulted in bullying and harassment of community members both on Superstonk and elsewhere. Some of these folks are simply “unverified” as having DRS’d their shares because their names or LLC names were unknown. We’ve already received confirmation from members of this community who are so rattled about having their personal information out there being cross-referenced and released that they are actually UN-DRSing their shares.
Beyond the legal entanglements they created for the GME community, they violated people’s privacy. They suggested that people weren’t conclusively DRSd to damage the reputation of this mod team. They suggested that other people who have been active in the community were not DRSd because they could not find them on the ledger. There are *any* number of reasons for this that aren’t sinister. For instance, they don’t know the names of the mod team, and as such would not know where to look. People hodl through spouses and LLCs. But the subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) suggestions that people were lying about their DRS positions kicked off micro-aggressions and witchhunts and finger pointing, causing genuine rifts between community members based purely on superficial interpretations of anecdotal information.

Moving Forward

As a moderator team, we have no tolerance for anyone who is revealing the personal information of others on the sub without their express and enthusiastic consent. Anyone found to break this policy will be banned immediately. We will also fully support and cooperate with any further investigations that may result from these actions, including legal ones. If your information has been shared or is shared in any way, please message the mod team via mod mail and we will work with you to find a resolution to the best of our ability. Additionally, you may report it here to: https://www.sec.gov/whistleblowesubmit-a-tip
No one has a right to your personal information. No one has a right to try to leverage that information to try to force you to make any sort of financial decisions. There is *NO WRONG WAY TO HOLD THIS STOCK*. Coercion and threats will not be tolerated, including and especially when they utilize privileged (potentially legally barred) information in order to try to achieve their objectives.
Your financial decisions are your own. Your personal information is your own. No one has a right to demand proof of anything from you here with regards to your identity or investment. If anyone is making such requests, report them and their comments immediately. We’re *done* with the gatekeeping and purity tests. You like book? Book ‘em. You like DRS? Do it. You like your broker? I wouldn’t… but I’m not you. Let’s unite around love of the stonk, and not around the rallying cry of a fractionalized subgroup playing “holier than thou.”
No one can be required to be publicly accountable for their personal finances and decisions. Zealotry will not be tolerated. We will not allow "Inquisition-style" tactics to be employed to execute witch hunts against members of our community for the way they invest. Anyone making calls for this will also be banned. This mod team is absolutely supportive of DRS and believes it to be the way. I'm on public record time and again saying that I think DRS will be the key differentiator for the success of GME. When the dust settles, they will not talk about Superstonk. They will talk about how a bunch of idiots found DRS and owned the company they loved in their own name. That is my belief, and it is shared by the mods on this team. However, this tent is big enough for everyone, including people who do not have a single share in DRS.
Our community is and will always be a collection of individual investors who have done their due diligence in order to make their own financial decisions for their own best interests. Anyone making calls that your private information should be made public without your knowledge and consent as some sort of “proof” of your legitimacy within this community is wrong and is grossly against the principles upon which Superstonk was founded.
Please report any instance of this behavior you see, and do what you feel is necessary to ensure your own safety and privacy. Remember that we are here to love the stonk, respect each other, and try to build a better world for people. That means that the basic rules of consent, honest/fair dealings, and integrity do matter.
There are people out there saying “Changing the world is what is at stake.” That’s a noble sentiment. But if you have to break the law to get there, then we’re no better than the people we’re currently up against.
Hodl.
-Superstonk Mod Team

submitted by Luma44 to Superstonk [link] [comments]

2023.06.09 22:48 KyleKKent Out of Cruel Space, Part 708

First
Capes and Conundrums
Pavel stretches in the stillness. The tapping of the keyboard and swearing under the breath makes Pavel consider his new partner a bit. Silicon Blake has an interesting background. Pavel made a point of looking into it. The man was... genetically human, currently. But he had been born of a brain scan of a Tret man. Sionis Blake. The man’s father. Legally.
Silicon had made the jump from a fully synthetic body to a human clone body with dataports about two weeks ago. Freshly after his training as an Undaunted. Legally he was considered to still be both a Tret and a synthetic. But for all practical purposes, he was a human cyborg.
One who wasn’t used to the sheer requirements of his body. Pavel suspected a good chunk of his bad attitude was the fact the man was only eating once a day and only small portions.
The morning shift started shortly after breakfast and went right to lunch. So when Pavel went for lunch, he went alone at first before doubling back.
“Hey, we’re supposed to be together. Like it or not you’re coming with me to the mess hall.” Pavel says and the man groans in frustration and closes his computer.
“Fine, but I’m taking my damn work with me.” Silicon states as he stands.
“Fair enough.” Pavel states and the walk goes in silence. There’s a small, out of the way table near the edge of things and Silicon starts working again, only to be interrupted when Pavel comes back with two trays. “You’re not eating enough.”
“What? The hell is going on?” Silicon demands as Pavel forces him to take the laptop off the table and puts a tray full of food down in front of him.
“I looked up your medical profile...”
“Why?”
“Because humans can eat what other beings consider biohazards, and if we were going to have forced contact I didn’t want to accidentally kill you with onion breath. Which is something that can make a Feli very sick and cause a standard Tret to vomit.” Pavel explains.
“Okay...”
“However, I noted that you volunteered for the Endurance Program. An initiative to give other races more staying power akin to humans.”
“Yes, and it’s worked very well. I’ve nearly doubled my productivity.” Silicon says and Pavel nods.
“It did, however, you’re not feeding yourself enough. Your breakfast is big enough, for a breakfast. You need Lunch and Dinner too.”
“What?” Silicon demands.
“To put it in mechanical terms, you’re operating on emergency power. This cripples many major systems. You need to fuel up more consistently.” Pavel states before pointing to the loaded plate. “What I grabbed you is called a ham and cheese sandwich. To it’s side is kettle chips with sea salt, opposite is a garden salad and the cup of brown substance is a dessert called chocolate pudding. It’s a small lunch, but a decent one. Consider this the minimal intake.”
He then pulls out a pair of large water bottles and places them on the table. “You also need to hydrate more. Water is converted into the lubricant of your physicality and without it the whole system will fail.”
As Pavel had been speaking Silicon had pulled out a bioscanner and gone over everything before pausing on the salad. “Why is there an acid here?”
“You’ve got stronger stuff in your stomach. Turn that scanner on yourself.” Pavel says dismissively as he grabs his larger and much more loaded sandwich off his own plate. Three types of meat, hot mustard, lettuce of some kind and tomato with swiss cheese. Good stuff.
“Look, if this is some kind of ill conceived peace offering...”
“Peace nothing, you’re hangry half the time. Humans get aggressive in times of desperation. Basic instinct. You have that instinct now so even if you aren’t consciously looking for a fight, you’re ready to haul off on someone because you need food.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really. Now eat for god’s sake.”
“I’ve had breakfast. Two of those pancakes, a fruit cup and a glass of water. That’s plenty.”
“Nowhere near enough for breakfast. Let alone breakfast for someone in a high stress job. Besides, breakfast in only one of three meals.” Pavel counters and Silicon glares at him. “Seriously eat, it will help.”
Silicon gives him an odd look before grabbing his sandwich and taking a bite out of it. Pavel concentrates on eating his own much larger meal and he finishes within ten minutes. The spice in the mustard forced him to slow a little and he sits back to watch as Silicon goes at the pudding cup. For what the man claimed of not needing the food he outright inhaled it.
“So?” Pavel asks as Silicon finishes up taking a swig of his water. “Feel better?”
“... yes.” Silicon admits with his eyes screwed shut in frustration. “... I just thought it was Apex aggression not...”
“Hunger and desperation? You need thousands of calories a day. Also, don’t forget to use the bathroom when you need it. Our digestive tracts are powerful but not perfect. You will need to let it out.”
“really? You’re telling me to excrete? How simple do you think I am?” Silicon asks tartly.
“I think that you’re used to living in a body that required only energy and only have memories of a body that needed very little in the form of physical nourishment. So I’m not making any assumptions and telling you everything.” Pavel says as he finishes off his own water. “Now, I’ve got something to do. Our lunch break ends in a half hour and I’ll see you back at the test chamber for the remainder of that shift. Then we’re moving onto mine. I hope you’re ready to play spotter.”
“Oh goody. Using chemically propelled murder tools to NOT actually kill.”
“You have a problem with your orders?” Pavel asks him and he sighs.
“No. I’ll see you in a half hour.” Silicon says and Pavel nods before taking his own tray, then grabbing Silicon’s depleted one and taking them both out. “... Damnit, I hadn’t thought that humans would require so much damn food. I’m pulling in Axiom to feed, so why aren’t I being sustained?”
•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•
And it was back to the programming. Silicon was working faster and actually humming to himself a bit so that seemed alright. But not ideal. Pavel was really starting to get bored though. After yesterday’s test of things the drones had not been reactivated as Silicon seemed to be of the belief that things were a purely programming issue. If they were great, the problem is that there was no way of telling if things were just a programming issue or something mechanical.
Pavel pulls out his communicator and brings up the specs of the drones. They were basic, off the shelf prosthetic bodies designed to be piloted by a person, but a program in it’s place instead. They had been reinforced and upgraded a few times, but none of it seemed too egregious.
Similar codes and programming had been used in travelling shows and other such bits of entertainment to serve in the role that a minimum wage worker would slowly have their soul worn away doing. The repetitive, thankless tasks that need to be done over and over and over again.
Providing a low level opponent to be beaten in a fistfight or outsmarted by someone sneaking around shouldn’t be too hard. A videogame AI could get the behaviours down and then it was controlling the body.
Which was where Silicon and several other people were stuck. There was something wrong with their sense of balance and often they struggled to stay standing at all. All of them. Despite the code.
“If it was a gun I’d be checking it for cracks.” Pavel mutters to himself.
“What was that?” Silicon asks looking up from his laptop.
“All the drones are failing in the same way. You think it’s coding but... if it was a gun I’d be checking for structural damage.”
“These aren’t guns.”
“But both are machines. I think the hardware should be tested a bit. The coding has a lot of eyes on it. But the hardware?’
“The hardware was bought from a reputable source and passed their safety inspections.”
“Safety means that my necklace breaks if someone tries to strangle me with it.” Pavel says and Silicon pauses and looks up at him. Opens his mouth to say something then reconsiders and giving the nearest drone a look.
“Grab a toolkit. We’re taking it apart.” He says as he closes the laptop.
It takes five minutes to carefully take apart the chest of the drone and start examining the internal components.
“Here. These little gyroscopes are all over the place in the drone to give it a kinesthetic location sense. If you’re mentally linked to it then you can feel the direction of down from both gravity and the internal scope.” Silicon explains and Pavel gives one a tap. It does not move. “You have got to be kidding me.”
“Is this jammed?” Pavel asks as he pokes it again before reaching in with his fingers and feels... “There are metal filings in here. A dirty production line?”
When he removes his finger from thy gyroscope it moves easily in response. He brushes out a few shavings and Silicon is muttering something foul under his breath as he tests the other gyroscopes. One in every five of them are jammed in someway and after they clear out the chest they put the plating back on and move to the other limbs.
The pattern holds. One stuck internal gyroscope in every batch of five. It takes a full hour to clean out them all and give the internals of the drone some extra cleaning. It’s sealed back up again and Pavel is tightening the last screw as Silicon is tapping away at his laptop again.
“Okay! Take a step back. Let’s see if that helped.”
“If nothing else it’ll fail faster with it knowing which way to fall.” Pavel notes as he steps away and the drone activates. It sits upright the same as it could before and then turns over and stands upright. There was markedly less wobble this time and Silicon sends a command. It snaps it’s arms out and begins to turn.”
“Hey! That did it... shit. We need to clean out all the drones.” Silicon curses.
“We report this in and get fifty other guys to help, this is not a two man mission.” Pavel says wryly. “Not to mention the quartermaster is going to be looking to kill someone for having shit product forced on us. They do not take this shit lying down.”
“The sale’s rep will either be looking for a new job or finding a new fetish by the time those monsters are done with her.” Silicon notes. “Hey, think you’re ready to test it for fighting ability?”
“Sure thing.” Pavel says closing up the toolbox and then sliding it away with a foot. “Send it.”
“Alright, let’s test it’s tracking and offence. I need to dodge the attacks and move around the drone. Get it to follow you.” Silicon says sending the command and the Drone suddenly snaps it’s head towards Pavel and then turns as one. “That was a little stiff, I’m going to have to iron things out a little...”
The drone opens with an attempted haymaker and Pavel hops to the side and keeps going until he’s standing behind the drone. It follows him the whole time and then tries a cross. He fades back and takes a few steps away and it keeps pace as best it can.
As the drone goes for a grab he uses Axiom to leap clean over it and land on the other side then weaves to the side to avoid the snap kick as the logic tree self updates and the drone gets a fraction better at fighting.
“There we go! Living code! Finally!” Silicon cheers! “Start deflecting it’s attacks. Block and parry, I need to see how it responds to that.”
“Sure thing.” Pavel says and he swats away the next attempted haymaker.
“Interesting, okay, it’s correlating with that code chunk...” Silicon says as Pavel blocks two jabs boxer style and prevents it from grabbing onto him. “Hey that’s weird! Can you hit it back? Don’t break it or nothing, but see how it responds...”
“This good?” Pavel asks as he palm thrusts it in the middle of the chest and Silicon lets out a confused sound. The drone stumbles back in response to the light blow and regains it balance.
“Well how the hell did that happen? Do it again!” Silicon says as he squints at his screen.
Pavel rushes the drone and then gives it another, slightly firmer, smack in the middle of the chest. Silicon swears under his breath.
“This is weird! Alright, I’m deactivating the drone. Can you drop it off in it’s charging port?”
“Easy enough.” Pavel says as he catches the suddenly powered off robot and hefts it over his shoulder. It slots into it’s place easily and he walks over to where Silicon is squinting at the screen. “So what’s it look like?”
“There was a weird bit of...” Silicon says before looking up at Pavel. “Right, okay, basically every step of the program is like a huge tree right? You start at the tip and by evaluating a situation you go down one of the branches. Basically it’s like a plan flowchart, is this happening? If yes, go this way, if no then go down to the next question. A computer’s processing speed lets it go through this fast so it can keep up with reality.”
“But only if you’ve got enough questions for all the things that happen.”
“Right, well that’s where the Virtual Intelligence comes in. Where it compares situations and while likely not understanding them, it does know how to mimic them. This is where you get things like chat-bots or a video game enemy that seems to learn. It’s almost learning, but it’s not. Not really. That’s what we’re trying to get to, and we have the start of it.”
“Did something go weird?”
“I’m not sure yet? I think... maybe yes? Maybe no?” Silicon says as he turns the laptop to let Pavel see the lines up on lines of code. “This is literally the drone’s brain here. The thing is about an evolving program is that it can cause itself to bloat. That was the issue I was having yesterday and still today. Although it’s not as big as it was yesterday now that we know there’s hardware problems too. We put a lot of code into making these things balance and now that we’ve solved the problem... how much of that can be taken out and how much has to be left in is going to be the work of weeks.”
“Ah got it.”
“You do?”
“I’m a sniper. I have to focus on not only aiming for the target, but I have to accommodate for the wind drag at different temperatures and humidity levels, particles in the air like ash or dust, the gravity of the world I’m on, the movement of the target and the things around them. To say nothing of the make of the weapon firing the bullet and the make of the bullet itself. It’s very much a science.” Pavel says pulling out his little book and handing it to Silicon.
The formally synthetic man looks through the small black book and sees rows upon rows of calculations without any answers written he lets out a little hum before closing it and handing it back.
“I think I understand. Still. There’s more to do... and not much more time to do it. This shift is about to end.”
“It is. Which means it’s time for you to see all that dread math in motion.”
“Oh no! Not the dread math!” Silicon’s sarcasm could peel paint.

First Last

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2023.06.09 21:56 npc-69420 [Excerpt: The Eye of Medusa] The secrets of the Iron Hands and their cold grudge against the Raven Guard

CONTEXT: The Iron Hands can simulate any recorded memory of past Iron Hands. This is used for training, intelligence and so on.
Stronos is an Iron Hands Marine. He is often disliked and mistrusted by his comrades due to his reluctance to embrace the mantra of the flesh being weak. Although he has significant augmentations himself, something about the Iron Hands' cold adherence to algorithms in battle and decision making bothers him.
As Stronos continues to question the doctrines and practices of his chapter, he begins to unravel the secrets of the Iron Hands which make the Dark Angels' internal politics look like children's play.
PART 1: THE CONCLAVE: Iron Father Kristos is a controversial, but increasingly powerful figure in the Iron Hands. His rise to power came with his crushing of a WAAAGH, but the specifics of that campaign are simultaneously very controversial & secretive.
His actions were so controversial, a conclave was created by Kristos to represent him to the Iron Council. Despite the controversy he creates, Kristos is incredibly powerful both as an individual and a commander.

“Blessings and benedictions of Mars.’ Velt smiled graciously. ‘Your criticisms are noted and welcomed–’ the scratching of meme-quill on parchment recorded his contrition for the future historians ‘–and I will be improved for the recognition of my prior failings.’
‘See to it,’ Verrox grumbled.
‘I will, Iron Father. As you know, the Iron Council demands the uprising be crushed immediately and utterly. To the last soul. Word of the Iron Hands’ failure to prevent insurrection within their own system limits cannot be allowed to spread. It will draw unwelcome attention at a difficult time, when the conclave of Kristos continues to engender discord within.’
‘I do not care what others think.’
‘What you will not have heard in open council,’ Velt went on, ‘is that Warleader Kristos himself has demanded the Mechanicus resolve this insurrection.’
‘Former warleader,’ said Verrox. ‘The Iron Fathers have chosen not to elevate one of our number to lead. Not since the debacle on Columnus.’
‘Putative,’ Quorus reprimanded the Iron Father. ‘The morality of Iron Father Kristos’ methodology remains in dispute. That is the entire basis of the conclave. He would undoubtedly emphasise that the Weirdwaaagh was crushed with minimal losses.”

So we can glimpse from conversations about him that Kristos is both disliked and respected. Guymer does an excellent job of portraying Kristos as someone worthy of this reputation, but most noteworthy is the mention of the Weirdwaaagh that he crushed.
Why is it so controversial? Stronos does not actively seek out the truth but it is eventually given to him.
PART 2: DISCORD BETWEEN IRON FATHERS: In this section, Stronos is shaken after learning a member of the Raven Guard was able to sneak around him undetected. He goes to the tech priests for a check-up and an upgrade, but encounters Tubriik Ares, an Iron Father and a Dreadnought.

“Is Stronos injured?’
Stronos considered silence, but decided that he could keep nothing from the ancient. ‘I am defective. I seek to rectify that.’
‘How so?’
‘The Raven’s son proved himself my superior. I must improve and adapt.’
‘Improve and adapt.’ Ares’ vocabularisers rumbled with scorn. ‘We recall a time when Iron Hands were less like Kristos and more like Kardan Stronos. They were ruthless, yes, but adaptable, not slaves to calculus.”

The calculus is a complex, algorithmic system that dictates every part of a battle to the Iron Hands. Most Iron Hands will follow the calculus to the letter during a battle, a practice that Stronos himself dislikes but is pushed for very strongly by Kristos and his conclave.
Interestingly, Ares, a Dreadnought and an Iron Father, dislikes the modern Iron Hands' reverence of it.

“The Kristosian question makes all matters subject to doubt,’ Stronos said to Ares, voice low. ‘All will be as it once was once the arguments are resolved.’
Ares turned from the Apothecary to him. His emptiness seemed for a moment… sorrowful. ‘Kardan Stronos speaks of the arguments, but what does he know of the question, for there is only one?’
Stronos made to formulate an answer, only to realise he had none. Often he had railed against the waste of energy that the conclave brought on the Iron Council, but had never found the time to learn for himself what, in effect, it was all for. He shook his head honestly. He had been built to be a war machine. This round voyage to Medusa was the first time since his novitiation that he had not been either in the thick of a warzone or in transit from one to another.”

Ares' sorrow is a noteworthy reaction. A sign that not all Iron Hands condone the actions of Kristos.

“I know little of Kristos beyond his roll of honours,’ said Stronos, stung. ‘I know that he was once considered an exemplar of the Iron Creed.’
‘As it is now interpreted for you, perhaps.’
‘What do you mean by that?’ demanded Haas [the Apothecary working on Stronos].
Ares did not answer directly. ‘It began on Columnus,’ he said.
‘Everyone knows that,’ Haas said, dismissively, then picked up a spoon-headed implement from his medicae trolley and bent towards Stronos.
‘And what happened there to cause such crisis?’ Ares countered.
Stronos couldn’t answer. He looked to Haas. The Apothecary let out a frustrated sigh and said nothing, focusing instead on Stronos’ eye. He had no answer either.”

PART 3: THE CALCULUS: To show him the truth, Ares takes Stronos to the Simulus. With the Simulus, Stronos can experience the memories of anyone at the event - the Simulus uses complex algorithms and calculations to accurately simulate the POV of anyone at a recorded event, even if the perspective of that individual is not recorded in data.
The simulus jumps to the planet Columnus where the Raven Guard and the Iron Hands are fighting an Ork Waaagh together. Stronos sees the events from the perspective of Captain Stenn

“ Stronos canted, and though he was unconscious of his physical body he could somehow feel that he spoke with a strained jaw and through gritted teeth.
He had a bitter, illogical loathing for the descendants of Corax that he could not explain. Having just experienced a small part of Orvid Stenn’s existence, he felt that he should feel greater empathy for his brother Space Marine, but he did not. What he felt was greater ambivalence, as though along with his body he had been dissociated from everything of his own experience that could have made him care. He was not Orvid Stenn, and the dissonant notion arose that he might equally not be Kardan Stronos. He was nobody, and anybody had the potential to be him.
He was simulus – the collective.”

...

“The Raven Guard were spread along the length of the thigh-height rockcrete wall that demarcated the bombed-out lot of haulage depot 764 from the adjoining premises. It wasn’t much, but it was something. With the exception of some minor damage, it had weathered the destruction of the outer defences relatively intact, a credit to the Administratum clerk that had overseen its construction, and ran roughly parallel to where the curtain wall had been until ten minutes before.”

After being driven back by the Orks, the Imperial forces realize that the Waaagh is being led by a warpboss who is granting the orks unnatural bravery and fierceness. The Raven Guard hold the front line alongside mortal troops.

“He had heard in dispatches of the psychic energies that flowed through their Gargants – weapon grids, shields and piercing uncanny augurs – and that brought their lumpen drop ships to ground still. He had heard too of the court of warpheads with which the self-styled warpboss, Zagdakka, surrounded himself, and had lost two squads of his most experienced Scouts in a failed attempt at thinning their “numbers. He saw now with his own eyes the weird energy that flowed through these greenskins in their battle-madness like some manner of psychic connective tissue, the brawn and sinew of some gestalt ork that drove them unto death with a single, overriding will. The fire discipline of the Raven Guard and their mortal allies slaughtered greenskins every minute by the hundred, but they didn’t seem to care, hurling themselves recklessly against the Imperial guns as though possessed.
Not that the blasted Iron Hands would allow for the slightest deviation from their precious calculus. Stenn sneered, his pistol emitting a final hiss as coolant jets sprayed from the weapon’s muzzle and the vents locked. He thumbed off the safety and selected rapid fire.
He could teach the Iron Hands a thing or two about logic.
‘Kristos, you honourless shell, I’m talking to you.’ He raged into the vox as he seared the heaving mass of orks with plasma. Too soon, heat warnings blinked red on the pistol’s side and he was forced to flick back to vent. ‘I need reinforcements and I need them now. Now, Kristos! I want a creeping artillery barrage walking outwards from the outer “wall over the southern highway and I want aeronautica backup. Kristos!”

As the Raven Guard fight tooth and nail, Captain Stenn and the rest of the Raven Guard realize the Iron Hands are standing behind them but not engaging.

“A squad of Iron Hands Centurions, almost as well camouflaged as the Raven Guard themselves in their huge black warsuits and perfect stillness. Their hurricane bolters were unloaded and pointed at the ground or at walls, whichever direction they had happened to be facing when the strange malaise of inaction had taken them. Stenn regarded them with fury. The few Iron Hands he had seen had been that way, ever since the unexpected psychic onslaught had levelled the south wall outright. At first he had wondered if it was a secondary effect of Zagdakka’s powers, but the Raven Guard and their mortal allies were unaffected. Yavid had a replacement eye as well as a bionic arm and he remained functional, as did the crew interfaces of their vehicles. As did the damned skitarii.”

...

“The Centurions moved!
There they were, silent as the blown-out repair shops through which they came, ghosts of the machine bound forever to a doomed cycle of destruction and repair. The firepower of the Centurions alone would have ripped a hole into the ork horde as wide as the gates of the Ravenspire, but six full squads of Tactical Marines also moved up through the rubble behind them. They spread out, taking fire-positions just beyond the chokepoint where Stenn’s efforts held the orks at bay. What were they waiting for? He saw a pair of hellfire Dreadnoughts lumbering into position either side of the smaller Centurions, and then heard the weary collapse of a pockmarked stretch of rockcrete as the glacis plate of a Redeemer pattern Land Raider drove through it. Its sponson flamestorm cannons traversed to track the flows of the ork horde, liquid promethium dribbling to the rubble floor.
Stenn cursed as he punched his lightning claw through a charging ork’s ribs. Never expect an Iron Hand to commit until he was good and ready.”

...

“What are you waiting for?’ He shot an ork in the face as it made to barrel towards Yavid, and found himself in the sights of the nearest Iron Hands squad. They had bolters locked and aimed, but for some reason held their fire. Their eye slits shone an ephemeral white, but they could have been decoy suits for all the urgency they showed. ‘Shoot, curse you!’
A horrible sense of premonition grew under his skin like a worm. Stenn looked over his shoulder and >> RESTRICTED DATA >>”

The simulus is interrupted and Stronos learns from Ares that these events have been hidden from normal viewers. However, the data cannot be falsified even by Iron Fathers so Ares and Stronos continue watching.
We continue watching the Raven Guard struggle against the Warpwaaagh as the Raven Guard line begins to fall. Captain Stenn valiantly holds the line but warp powered orks are chipping away at the Raven Guard. He recognizes that the Iron Hands are holding back because of their calculus, but does not anticipate the final tactic the calculus commands.

“Stenn gave a grunt of pain as psychic fingers tightened around him and squeezed. ‘Damn you >> RESTRICTED DATA >> Just kill me yourself.’ His armour cracked like a sea-crustacean’s shell, blood spurting from ruptured seals as his body was crushed. He screamed, genhanced anatomy fighting a battle with pain that had been stacked well against it from the outset. ‘Emperor forgive you!’
With every scrap of conscious thought locked away in hardened centres of his brain structure he cursed the Iron Hands. He cursed the casual brutality, the bare calculation of risk versus reward. His last thoughts before those final redoubts succumbed to braindeath were not of the pain, nor of his brother Raven Guard that fell to the mind-blasts of the warpboss’ retinue, nor even of the Iron Hands themselves as they finally descended on the fray. With the enemy leaders bottled up with the last of the Raven Guard, the Iron Hands opened fire. Tactical Marines, Centurions, Land Raiders, each warrior a cog in a war machine that sprayed fire to a perfectly choreographed maelstrom that consumed Warpboss Zagdakka, his retinue, the Raven Guard, and Stenn himself.
But he was not thinking about that. He was thinking about Dawnbreak.
Because Iron Hands did not make mistakes.
>>> TERMINATING SIMULUS.”

TL;DR The Raven Guard and Iron Hands are defending against a Warpwaaagh. In the final, climactic battle, the Iron Hands under the command of Kristos and the calculus, determine that the most efficient way to win the battle was to use the RG and IG as human shields, and only fire once the Warpboss was in range. Kristos rises to infamy because of his methods, which resulted in minimal losses for the IH.
In part, this incident is linked to an innate hatred of the Raven Guard that many Iron Hands have. However, as implied when Stronos first enters the Simulus, it's suggested that this hatred has been programmed into the Iron Hands' calculus.
The calculus itself isn't unlike incredibly important algorithms that exist in companies today. Any changes require a collective vote, and the entities that have worked on it include Iron Fathers and important tech priests. This is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of conspiracies. If you want to find out how the Iron Hands are actually way worse than the Dark Angels in terms of secret circles and internal politics, I highly recommend Guymer's books.
Stronos is one of the most complex Space Marine protagonists I've read. He believes in many of the Iron Hands' tenets, yet cannot help but question aspects that the rest of his peers readily accept. It's an interesting look at how the dogmatic attitudes of the Space Marines often prime them for corruption as much as it protects them.

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2023.06.09 20:23 TripleNerdScore1 Trip Report: Tokyo Kyoto Osaka Hakone (30s couple, traveling while visibly trans)

Hi everyone! This sub was so incredibly helpful to me in the planning process - I was deeply grateful for everything I learned, so I thought I'd post a trip report now that we're back!
About us: We're a 30s couple from the Midwest US. We're pretty experienced travelers (South America, UK/Ireland, Europe, lots of places in the US), but this was our first visit to Asia and first visit to Japan. As travelers, we love getting out on foot, local food/drink (especially street food), live music, nerd shit, weird art/vending machines. Also, my partner is a cis guy, but I am a trans masc person who is visibly trans (post-op in a few ways, but not passing/not stealth).
Dates: May 13 - May 29
What we did: Tokyo Kyoto Osaka Hakone Back to Tokyo
Tips and tricks:

Definitely get your walking training in ahead of time! We walked 10 miles a day on the trip. We're pretty avid backcountry camping/hiking fans who regularly put in 8 - 10 miles on the trail (not to mention taking our dog for multiple walks a day in the neighborhood), so I figured we'd be good - but it was A LOT, especially since you're also trying to translate and navigate at the same time. Japan is not generally a super accessible place from a disability perspective; benches and public seating areas are not common. I found myself wishing I'd packed a collapsible seat of some kind, tbh!
Good shoes a must! Merrell Moabs are my go-to for hiking, but for this trip I went with Nike Dunk 6 high-tops, which rocked. My partner went with Onitsukas and didn't do as well - he wound up buying inserts partway through the trip, which helped.
Work on a little Japanese ahead of time! We came in with about a dozen words/phrases, which was honestly truly helpful. So many people are so kind and thoughtful anyway, but it was an appreciated gesture that we had planned ahead and were trying our best. Google Translate's camera feature (Google Lens) was a life-saver for translating written words on signs!
We had a great experience with Ubigi for an eSIM. The days of purchasing an actual SIM card or even a burner device (like we used to do when backpacking in Europe) are long past. We hooked up our Ubigi eSIMs beforehand, flipped the switch when we got there, and we were golden. Just in case, we'd set up our Verizon coverage to include a Pay-As-You-Go international plan, but we didn't end up using it. We also didn't use half as much data as we thought we would - we both came home with extra GB on our Ubigi plan still. We didn't do a PocketWifi and I don't think we needed it - Ubigi did most of the heavy lifting, and free WiFi at various places did the rest.
Fly into Haneda, not Narita - way closer to Tokyo city center.
Get your Suica right away at the airport - our beloved Suica got us through so many things! We also withdrew some cash and split it up between us - we withdrew a few more times on the trip and it worked like a charm. (Just make sure it's an international ATM that includes your card type - not all of them do. Also, notify your bank you'll be traveling, so your card doesn't throw a flag!) We used our credit card as well - the Chase card was accepted pretty much all places CCs are, but many places remain cash-only, especially bars and restaurants.
Had a great experience using the Friendly Limousine Airport Bus service straight from Haneda to our hotel area.
I booked shinkansen tix ahead of time, so I got nice discounts on weekday Green Car tix for two - but I really needn't have worried, there were plenty of seats available day-of.
Don't bother with shinkansen for Kyoto to Osaka - we wound up just hopping on a local with our Suicas and it was fine.
Don't bother with the Romancecar from Hakone back to Tokyo - it's fastemaybe a nicer seating experience, but just hopping on a local with your Suica is an order of magnitude cheaper.
Look things up in Japanese if using Google Translate; use Tabelog for restaurants if possible. Google Maps in English is more touristy reviews/reactions.
Tokyo Skytree was hit-or-miss - only real letdown of the trip.
Tokyo teamLab PLANETS was completely worth it - absolutely worth the hype in my opinion.
Queer and trans travelers - I felt completely safe, but as a plus-size trans masc nonbinary queerdo, I stuck out like a sore thumb. I didn't feel in danger, but I was absolutely aware that I did not fit in. Stares were common, especially from older men and young kids. (Weirdly, local women seemed more friendly and curious about me!) Just be prepared for it and remember you're not in any danger physically - it's all just curiosity.
I have to thank this subreddit for recommending Hakone, especially for the tip to book a ryokan with private onsen access. We had an absolutely beautiful experience at Yamanochaya in Hakone, which included both a private "onsen" soaking tub in our room and private 1:1 access to a larger, actual hot spring onsen on the property. I otherwise would not have been able to experience a real hot spring onsen at all, as they are gender-segregated. Thank you, /JapanTravel!

Because I'm a nerd, here's the actual breakdown!
DAY 1 ARRIVAL 📍 Flew into Haneda; made it to our hotel (lovely experience at Hotel Plaza Sunroute); had our first world-famous konbini 7/11 experience; walked around Shinjuku; went out for dinner at Ryu no Miyako Inshokugai - talk about jumping in the deep end 🍣 Onigiri and vending machine green tea; little whipped cream treats; Nagahama ramen and sesame mackerel donburi 👣 10,400 steps 🏁 4.8 miles
DAY 2 SHIBUYA 📍 Meiji Shrine and Gardens - got goshuin and omamori; Harajuku, went to 7/11; back to the hotel for a nap; Shibuya, including Don Quijote, Center Gai and Dogenzaka Street; Nonbei Yokocho for late night 🍣 7/11 (plum onigiri and corn/mayo sandwich, some kind of spam musubi situation, matcha roll); Ichiran coin-op ramen with extra chashu and a matcha tofu custard thing; banana shock smoothie at Shibuya109 in Center Gai; chicken and pork belly yakitori with beers at Morimoto; brown sugar shoju and shoju-infused Oolong tea cocktails at Tight Bar (strong recommend for this joint!); grilled squid, octopus, and okonomiyaki for afters at Tsukishima Monja Kuuya Shibuya 👣 32,000 steps 🏁 14.5 miles 😮‍💨
DAY 3 SHINJUKU 📍 Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden; Shinjuku area (including Disk Union, Disney, Onitsuka); Kabukicho and Kabukicho Tower; GODZ metal bar; Golden Gai; Omoide Yokocho 🍣 7/11 (onigiri, matcha filled roll thing, royal milk tea, tomago sushi, strawberry donut, cafe latte); many types of dango (sesame oil, soy sauce, and apricot mochi were our favs); McDonald's (weirdly good chicken sandwich with yuzu radish topping, vanilla custard chocolate pie, white grape soda); yummy little warm imagawayaki filled with adzuki bean paste + royal milk from depachika); a couple of Asahis at GODZ; simple yakitori snacks at Golden Gai (including some… mystery offal items); back to 7/11 for drunk matcha ice cream and waffle snacks 👣 28,800 steps 🏁 13.0 miles
DAY 4 ASAKUSA 📍 Went out for coffee; walked around Kinarimon Gate and Nakamise; toured Asakusa Shrine, Senso-ji Temple, surrounding Shinto and Buddhist shrines; stopped for sushi and mochi; went for a walk up Sumida River; dipped into Shoden and Imado shrines; crossed Kototoi Bridge to Tokyo Skytree; went up Tokyo Skytree; back to Senso-ji for night photos; capped off evening with gyoza 🍣 Lattes at cute puppet theater coffeeshop (espresso, dandelion tea); 7/11 for breakfast-y fuel; strawberries from a street stall at Nakamise; sushi lunch; beautiful mochi + tea dessert; grilled gyoza, soup dumpling gyoza, shoujo Oolong tea cocktail for afters 👣 25,500 steps 🏁 11.66 miles
DAY 5 JIMBŌCHŌ, AKIHABARA 📍 Train to Ichigaya - notable French-inspired neighborhood; breakfast at local French café; Yasakuni Shrine; Kanda River walk by Hosei University; Tokyo Daijingu Shrine; Jimbōchō Old Book Town; walked from there to Akihibara; hit up noodles, arcade, nerd shops (comics, TCGs/CCGs, retro video games systems, TTRPGS, etc); gachapons; hit up the bizarre rare vending machines 🍣 Vending machine coffee and milk tea; yummy French pastries (bacon and sour cream roll, quiche, sour cream raisin custard thing); had to try some avocado and cheese Doritos; cold udon with duck broth soup, curry rice for Chris; fish-shaped taiyaki with custard cream dessert treat; dope gyoza place ("weekday" version with pork and cabbage, shrimp and chili mayo, yakitori with tare, and shogayaki with onions) 👣 Forgot watch at hotel - we’ll say 10,000 steps 🏁 Guessing about 5 or 6?
DAY 6 TEAMLAB PLANETS, TRAVEL TO KYOTO 📍 Hit up teamLabs, had an amazing time exploring the exhibits - the infinite light crystal room was our fav; train to Tokyo Station; lunch at underground Ramen Street restaurants under the station - went with Soranoiro, one of the few veg/vegan ramen shops in Japan - delicious; shinkansen to Kyoto; out for nightlife in Kiyamachi-Dori and Pontocho 🍣 Quick 7/11 snacks; train snacks (pocky, coffee, little teriyaki cutlet sandwich); Soranoiro ramen bowls; killer yakitori we fried right at our table in izakaya in Pontocho (honestly probably a meal highlight of the whole trip); brown sugar shoujo; 7/11 for ice cream on the way back 👣 18,900 steps 🏁 8.63 miles
DAY 7 KINKAKUJI, NISHIKI, GION 📍 Kinkakuji Temple; bus back to Kiyamachi-dori; spent whole afternoon walking and eating street food at Nishiki Market; back to hotel for rest, laundry, rooftop drink; out for nightlife in Gion 🍣 Family Mart for coffee and doughnuts; Nishiki Market Street street food delights - seared yakitori style crab stick, little octopus chuka idako on skewers, kara-age on skewers, sea squid croquettes and beer, strawberry and adzuki bean mochi balls; mimosas and red wine; Kyoto Gion Okaru - geisha-decorated izakaya with insane curry udon bowls and beers; picked up box of mochi dango for dessert 👣 20,200 steps 🏁 9.07 miles
DAY 8 SHRINE DAY 📍 OK, this is a lot:

Yasakajinja (we happened to be here while a young couple was having a Shinto wedding ceremony!)
Yasui Kompira-gū (built 1170, shrine for ending bad relationships and starting new ones, has special stone that you pin your wishes to - many young girls will crawl through the stone to mark a breakup or wish for love)
Kennin-ji (built 1202, large grounds - among the oldest in Kyoto);
Reigen-in (part of Kennin-ji grounds, a Zen teahouse with a tea garden where they served adzuki bean buns with tea made from the actual hydrangeas of the tea garden outside!)
Zenkyoan (boar shrine which we initially thought were cute hedgehogs)
Kyoto Ebisu Shrine (dedicated to fishermen - we happened to be here during the shrine's annual mikoshi festival - a battalion of locals in traditional clothes, hoisting and dancing with the mikoshi around the neighborhood)
Kodai-ji (built 1606, gorgeous grounds - we skipped the tour)
Hōkan-ji/Yasaka Pagoda (dating back to 589 and rebuilt in 1400s, huge black 5-story pagoda featuring massive shakyamuni pole inside and reliquary of a bone of the Buddha in the foundations)
Ryōzen Kannon (built 1955 after WW2, massive Buddha statue and active Buddhist temple)
Of course the world-famous Kiyomizudera (built 778, enormous Kyoto-red temple with beautiful buildings spiraling up into the forest)

🍣 Hotel coffee, tea, cream puffs; adzuki bean buns with tea made from the actual hydrangeas of the tea garden at the shrine; dope bento box lunch; got takeout fast food donburi and fizzy lemonade 👣 22,800 steps 🏁 10.39 miles
DAY 9 FUSHIMI-INARI 📍 Fushimi Inari, the famous shrine of over 1,000 torii gates - super amazing (and intense!) summit of Mt Inari! Back to Nishiki Market for reward street food and drinks; back to hotel for a rooftop drink and soak; finally out for soba at Kawamichiya Ginka in Pontocho. 🍣 Snack pack on our hike (sausages, cheese, some kind of fish meat/cheese stick, and surume - sweet chewy dried squid stuff); orange smoothie; conveyor belt sushi; strawberry mochi roll; whisky highball and red wine; massive soba spreads (chicken seared with wasabi/yuzu/horseradish dipped in ponzu sauce, fried soba noodles in a rich soup, cold soba noodles dipped tsukemen-style in a really amazing umami soy sauce soup, tempura shrimp and veggies, a hot soba noodles in a clear broth soup) 👣 27,600 steps 🏁 Supposedly 12.3 miles, but that hike to summit Mt Inari was something else 😤
DAY 10 TRAVEL TO OSAKA, SHINSABASHISUJI, AMEMURA, DOTONBURI 📍 Beautiful brunch on the bank of the canal in Kyoto; local train to Osaka-Umeda; checked into Osaka hotel; walked around Shinsaibashisuji and Dotonburi a little bit; scoped out Amemura ("Ameri-mura") for dope American-inspired Japanese streetwear; wandered up and down street food stalls in Dotonbori; swung by Namba Hips (mostly pachinko); found a couple of fun little hole-in-the-wall places (little Japanese craft beer brewery, retro video games bar) 🍣 Brunch at Kawa Cafe (croque monsieur, ramen, tea and delicious apple tart); takoyaki, cheesy waffle shaped like a massive 10yen coin, sweet chili hotdogs from stands in Dotonbori; dashi gose craft beer (by Derailleur Brew Works) from Umineko, shots at Space Station bar 👣 19,500 steps 🏁 9.01 miles
DAY 11 NAMBAYASAKIJINA, DOTONBURI 📍 Morning Japanese breakfast at a wonderful little 24-hour diner; Hozen-ji (moss shrine); Kamigata Ukiyo-e Museum across the street (focusing on Osaka woodcuts celebrating Dotonburi's kabuki and entertainment history); Nambayasaka-jinja (lion head shrine); Den Den Town (Osaka's Akihabara); ended up at a cozy little kushikatsu bar which actually was playing the Tigers game (away game vs the Swallows at Tokyo); street food waffles for dessert; hit up a late-night batting cage - ended up at Round1 (a big multi-floor arcade complex) and did the rooftop batting cage! My partner won a giant plushie for me from a claw machine! 🍣 Dope traditional japanese omelette and fish breakfast; cute macarons from market stand; Family Mart for snacks before nightlife; skewers, beer, and highballs from Dotonbori kushikatsu place; ridiculous nutella, whip, and strawberry stuffed waffle from Waffle Khan 👣 29,100 steps 🏁 13.31 miles
DAY 12 KUROMON ICHIBA, OSAKA CASTLE, DOTONBURI 📍 Kuromon Ichiba Market for street food; Osaka Castle Park and Nishinomaru Gardens; toured Osaka Castle and museum all the way up to the top; subway to Tanimachi-9-chome subway station for amazing live jazz at Sub Jazz Cafe. (This was amazing! Akira "Ro" Hasegawa (sax) and Yukie Fujikawa (keys) - Ro is also the owner and was bartending on this particular night too.) Out to Don Don for killer yakiniku and beer; found our way to Oboradaren, an Tokunoshima-themed island vibes bar and music spot where there was a great live band playing fun island vibes beach rock - big crowd of 40s+ Japanese women who knew all the songs, wound up drinking passionfruit chuhai and joining them in the conga line around the bar 🍣 Oden hot pot, wagyu skewer, otoro sashimi, crab gratin in the half-shell, bracken green tea soy cakes at Kuromon Market; ice cream sandwiches at Osaka Castle; milk tea, little roast beef sandwich, and cheesecake at Sub Jazz Cafe; yakiniku-style wagyu, ribs, ox tongue, assorted mushrooms; passionfruit chuhai and red wine at the island vibes spot; taro and brown sugar boba teas 👣 23,000 steps 🏁 10.42 miles
DAY 13 KAIYUKAN, SHINSEKAI, DOTONBURI 📍 Fun trip to Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan; quick pass through Shinsekai; lunch at spot where you can fish your own catch from an indoor fishing boat pool; out for one last Dotonburi night - wound up getting konbini snacks and sitting on the waterfront talking and people-watching for hours 🍣 Not a banger food-wise, but interesting little spread at the fish-your-own place - huge prawn for grilling, kara-age, and fatty tuna nigiri for Max, tempura veggies and whitefish with doteyaki for Chris; from Family Mart, fruit smoothie, ice cup, and KitKat for Max, onigiri and lemonade for Chris 👣 19,100 steps 🏁 8.64 miles
DAY 14 TRAVEL TO HAKONE, HAKONE SHRINE 📍 Bombed to Shin-Osaka for an early shinkansen to Odawara; trained to Odawara to Hakone; dropped luggage off at ryokan, then bus to Motohakone; saw Hakone Shrine and Onshi-Hakone Park (as well as a segment of the actual Old Tokaido!); returned to ryokan for the night, where we were treated to a gorgeous 1:1 kaiseki from a Michelin-star chef, private hot spring onsen, and private in-room hot spring bath 🍣 Konbini snacks before shinkansen; snacks and coffee on train; late lunch in Motohakone (curry and soba, pork cutlet); incredible, massive multi-course kaiseki and sake for dinner, plus strawberry cake, champagne, and more sake for dessert 👣 13,900 steps 🏁 6.26 miles
DAY 15 HAKONE OPEN AIR MUSEUM, TRAVEL TO TOKYO, LAST NIGHT IN SHINJUKU 📍 Woke up in gorgeous ryokan; leisurely kaiseki breakfast with leftover cake; final soak in the private onsen; Hakone Open Air Museum - very cool; had kind of a challenging trip back but finally made it from Museum back to ryokan to bus stop to Hakone-Yumoto to Odawara to Shinjuku to the hotel 😮‍💨 Considering the last night as our real "last night" of the trip, our final night out in Tokyo was all just extra icing on the cake - went out for yakitori skewers and Asahi Superdrys in cozy alley in Omoide Yokocho, found really wonderful cake and tea dessert open late also in Omoide, hit up 🎵 Donki! 🎵 for a final round of bulk snacks and souvenirs, ended up on a late-night excursion to find Park Hyatt Hotel (featured in Lost in Translation); finished night at hotel watching the city go to sleep from our balcony 👣 22,700 steps 🏁 10.3 miles
FINAL SCORE 📸 Pics: 1,929 👣 Steps: 337,700 🏁 Miles: 153.78 (we averaged 9.6 miles per day, every day, for 16 days) 🇯🇵 “Nihongo jōzu!”: 4 (I know more proficient Japanese speakers are insulted, but it's honestly a pretty nice comment when you're at my level) 👶 Comments on how young we look/how we can’t possibly be celebrating our 10-year wedding anniversary: 3 ✨ Gratitude: Infinite.

submitted by TripleNerdScore1 to JapanTravel [link] [comments]

2023.06.09 18:59 hodsct59 Belmont Park Choices 6-10-2023 Belmont Stakes Day

My normal maximum budget for any week of racing is around $400, which I am comfortable with losing should I not hit a race. While I personally do not like to lose that much any week, the only other options are to bet less money or pass the races entirely. Playing less money will cause me to far short of my monthly and/or yearly goals and not playing at all is like the saying goes "You have to be in it for any chance of winning." On big race weekends, I will budget more, not to spread out my risk anymore, but to bet more of the better races and fuller fields that comes around only so often. Good Luck and hopefully you can knock down a big score which is so much more enjoyable than trying to nickel and dime the tracks to death (never works long term).
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Race 1: Maiden Special Weight --- Purse $90,000 --- 3 YOs & Up F&M ---- 6 Furlongs Turf:
2) Get Respect (8-1) is making her first start of the year. However, with maidens, they do not have to be the fittest a trainer can get them because most are not anywhere near their full potential until after a few races of experience. This one has 7 works for her first start this year, the first two were leg stretchers, the next four were decent and has the look of a trainer trying to get horse fit and the last work, 3 days before scheduled start, simply an exercise to keep her happy until race day. 3x5 to Storm Cat.
6) Quiescent (15-1) has started twice this year, setting the pace to the top of the stretch before tiring slightly to finish third while losing the photo finish at the wire to the Brown entry just above her, then setting the pace for a half before tiring badly in her last race which obviously her first start of year took enough conditioning out of her that she was still tire when entered back despite one average work after that first start (better known as a bounce). Now she has one good work, indicating she is not tired now and expect a rebound in this start. 5x5 to Mr. Prospector but also has a crossing influence to Never Bend through the dam line of Arch on her sire side and thru the 3rd dam, Stiff Breeze, a daughter. Fifth dam, Whirl Right, is a full sister to 1941 U.S. TC winner Whirlaway.
3) Roman Goddess (12-1) has started once this year and stumbled at the start which basically eliminated her from having any chance to impact the race. She has five more works since that effort and most of them were designed only to give her some leg stretching exercise. 4x4 to Mr. Prospector & Danzig.
10) Cindylouwho (15-1) has started 4 times this year, with 2 third place finishes in 5 furlongs grass sprints her only board finishes and the starts on dirt with little effort put into each race. She now has 3 placings in 4 lifetime attempts on grass and only needs to produce a race similar to any of them to be a major factor against these. She has what looks like two good works since her last, but both came on the Palm Meadows training track which is one of the fastest training tracks in the nation and those works are average at best. However, based off her actual races, she fits with these. 4x3 to A.P. Indy, 5(C)x5(C)x4(F) to Northern Dancer, 5x4 to Mr Prospector, 5x5 to Secretariat & Roberto.
My Risks: $8 WP 2, $5 Ex Box 2-6, $1 Tri Box 2-3-6, $.20 Super Box 2-3-6-10, $1 Super Key 2 with 3-6-10 with 3-6-10 with 3-6-10. Total Risk $42.80.
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Race 2: Allowance --- Purse $80,000 --- 3 YOs & Up F&M NY Bred N/W $18K 1x or N/W 2 Races Lifetime --- 7 Furlongs Turf:
8) Silver Skillet (10-1) has one start this year which he chased the early pace for 6 furlongs before tiring, which is a typical first start back for most front runners after getting five months or longer break. Trainer put one easy or leg stretching type work in her since that start simply because he already saw her speed was still there in works prior to her first start back. This will be her first start on grass in her career. See a likely gate to wire effort for her against these. 5(C)x5(F)x5(F) to Mr. Prospector.
6) Lisa's Vision (8-1) has started once this year where she sat mid-pack early edge herself up to the edge of being a serious contender into the stretch before flattening out and stalling. Again, this is a typical first start back for a horse with this running style and you should expect improvement this out. Her last two efforts just before the break in races with same class, distance, and surface, she was nearing an effort to move on to the next condition or better races. Trainer has put 5 more works in her since her last effort, an easy work followed by 4 decent to good works. If she gets a little help with a pressured early pace which she did not get in her first start back, she could easily win this. Contender. 5x3 to Storm Cat.
7)Royal Dancer (12-1) has one start this year where she was eyeing the early pace as two ahead of her duel for a quarter, then the leader shook free and open a clear lead, forcing this one to pick up the chase much earlier than preferred, but then chase the loose leader to the top of the stretch before tiring after breaking from the 12th post, a slot that has very little chance to win in NY grass sprints. Trainer has put 5 more works in her since that effort, mostly leg stretching type works but a couple that could prove very helpful, including a bullet work five days before this start. She has two NY bred stakes placings on grass before she broke her maiden. Has some talent. 4(C)x5(C)x5(F)x5(F) to Northern Dancer, 5x4 to Fappiano.
1)I'mhavingamoment (5-1) has four starts this year, the first race was a state bred stakes race which she was overmatched against coming off a maiden win, then finished second and then 2 thirds after a drop down in class and a slow rise back up into condition allowance in her last start while also her first effort on grass. Has two works since that last effort, a good work followed by a decent and useful work. 5x4 to Danzig, 5x5 to Cyane, 5(C)x5(F)x5(F) to Northern Dancer. Her 5th dam is U.S. Champion Filly, Tempted, who has a stakes race named in her honor for 3 YO fillies.
My Risk: $6 WP 6, $5 Ex Box 6-8, $1 Tri Box 6-7-8, $.30 Super Box 1-6-7-8, $1 Super Key 8 with 1-6-7 with 1-6-7 with 1-6-7. Total Risk: $41.20.
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Race 3: Pass on betting.
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Race 4: Allowance --- Purse $85,000 --- 3 YOs & Up N/W $18K 1x or N/W 2 lifetime --- 7 Furlongs:
4) Bezos (50-1) has started 4 times this year, has flashed front running speed in all of them but then tired badly. In his last start, he carried his speed further than he has all year long or since he was last in his best form. This type wins only when they can control the early pace and he looks like he found a spot where he can do just that. Most of these horses have not tried stakes races in their career but the few that have has done so against young 2 YOs or 3 YOs, except this one when he set the pace in a G3 and a listed stake race against proven older horses. In addition, he will carry light race in the field due to his jockey receiving a 7 lbs. apprentice break. May seen foolish but will take a shot with this one with the speed to top of the stretch angle I have used successful plenty of times.
9) Twelth Man (6-1) has started three times this year with a second in his first start his only board finish this year. However, his current form cycle began with his last start last year after a 7-month break and he returned in close to same physical form as when he was stopped on. After a couple of pretty good efforts, he had a couple of not so good efforts. He is working on his third race since a good effort, and this is an angle I read about years ago that suggested betting horses back in their third start after a win if next two starts were not as good as his winning effort, but tweaked this angle to include all horses that gave a solid effort because it worked more often that way and with higher odds than the third race after a win.
2) Shipsational (15-1) has started 4 times this year with a second in his third start back as his only board finish this year. Next two races were poor and would normally be enough to consider a horse has tailed off his best form. But he has 5 works since that last effort, all of them decent to good that were also likely very useful. His current form cycle began in October last year when he came off almost a 7 month break after a second and third effort in a G2 & G3 stake races that obviously knocked him off his best form.
My Risks: $5 Ex Box 4-9, $1 Tri Box 2-4-9, $2 Quinella 2-4, $2 Quinella 4-9. Total Risk $20.00.
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Race 5: Poker Stakes(G3) --- Purse $200,000 --- 4 YOs & Up ---- One Mile Turf:
3) Mackinnon (15-1) is making his first start of the year. Has six works to prepare for this start but also a trainer that brings his trainees back in top form often. 4x5 to Storm Cat.
1)Chez Pierre (1-1) threw easily a career best in last. A bounce candidate for sure. Under no circumstance would I accept 1-1 odds or less on a horse whose biggest win in the U.S. before his last race was a listed stake and has shown he is vulnerable against this class.
5) Anaconda (8-1) looks in best shape of the rest in a weak field for a G3 stakes race.
My Risk: $8 Exacta Straight 3-1, $1 Tri Box 1-3-5, $6 Tri Straight 3-1-5. Total Risk $20.00.
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Race 6: Brooklyn Stakes(G2) --- Purse $250,000 ---- 4 YOs & Up --- 1 1/2 Miles:
6) Forewarned (20-1) has five starts with one win and one third his placings this year. I normally try to find horses that run late in these marathon type races, and he looks like he maybe can though this far is a question mark for him like every other horse in this field.
11) Code Runner (50-1) was originally trained by Asmussen and showed a little ability but not enough to impact graded stakes races. Horse was eventually put in hands of a trainer that has shown no ability or idea of how to properly prepare or get a horse fit. So, his race record looks much worse than it should and in a race like this, anything can and usually does happen.
9) Calibrate (10-1) won a stakes race at this distance two back while finishing in front of a couple of these, then was kept wide by the jockey throughout in his last start when beaten by several of these (per equibase footnotes). Switch of trainers and two good works since his last start. Which one will show up today? Guess right and you could make a decent score.
7) Warrant (5-2) won his last start under a drive after stalking and putting only front runner away heading into the stretch. Will likely have more pace to run at in here, so if jockey times his move slightly later, he will have a better chance of holding the late runners safe. A move a little early, like his last, likely results in a board finish only. 3 works since his last start, an easy leg stretching type work followed by two good works suggests he will be antsy to go earlier than usual.
My Risks: $4 Exacta Box 6-11, $1 Tri Box 6-9-11, $.30 Super Box 6-7-9-11. Total Risk $21.20. (a wild guess).
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Race 7: Ogden Phipps S(G1) --- Purse $500,000 --- 4 YOs & Up F&M ---- 1 1/16 Mile:
1)Pass The Champagne (8-1) ran a monster type race when just getting caught at the wire by the eventual Ky Oaks winner in the Ashland Stakes in her very first start against winners two years ago. However, that race not only knock her off form, but she needed almost a year off after a dull effort in the Oaks, then won an O/C race in her only start before taking another year break. A typical scenario of being asked to do too much too soon. She has four starts this year but in her last start, she suggested she has returned to her best form. Two useful works since her last start and she is sitting on go. 3x4 to Mr. Prospector, 4(C)x5(C)x5(C) to Northern Dancer.
4) Secret Oath (2-1) has started three times this year, winning her first start and then just missing in both of her next two starts, finishing 2nd in each race. Her Ky Oaks win remains her only G1 triumph through she has placed 2nd or 3rd in six more G1 races, all in her last 10 starts. 4x3 to Fappiano, 5(C)x5(C)x4(F) to Mr. Prospector.
2) Search Results (4-1) has started once this year and finishing third after trying the length of the stretch to get by the top two with no results. She has three works since that start, a good work followed by two useful works. Complete outcross in her first five generations. However, 8th dam, Iron Maiden, a daughter of War Admiral, produced 1957 Ky Derby winner Iron Liege and is 2nd dam of 1955 Ky Derby winner, Swaps.
6) Clairiere (6-5) has started twice this year, finishing second in the first start and then turning the tables on that rival in their next start. Both again shows up for the next major test for older females and either one could win without it being a major shock. She has 5 works since her last start, 2 easy leg stretching type works followed by two good and useful works and then another leg stretching type work 6 days before scheduled start. 3x4 to Mr. Prospector, 5x5 to Northern Dancer.
My Risks $5 Ex Box 1-4, $1 Tri Box 1-2-4, $3 Tri Key 1 with 2-4 with 2-4, $2 Super Key 1 with 2-4-6 with 2-4-6 with 2-4-6. Total Risk $34.00.
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Race 8: Woody Stephens Stakes(G1) --- Purse $400,000 --- 3 YOs ---- 7 Furlongs:
2) Gun Pilot (20-1) has started five times this year with 1 win and 2 seconds his best finish. In his last start, lasix was removed from him for the second time and for the second time he ran a flat race, especially in the stretch but this time it was an even race where his late kick was missing. It will be interesting to see what he does when lasix is remove for the second race in a row for the first time of his career. He has four works since that start, an easy leg stretching work followed by 2 bullet 5 furlongs works then another blowout type work 5 days before his scheduled start. Sire, Gun Runner, was a late developer mostly because he was thrown against top competition that set him back a few months, but trainer has brought this one along more slowly and waiting for the light to click on for him. 4x3 to Storm Cat, 4x4 to Quiet American, 5(C)x5(C)x5(F) to Fappiano. His 5th dam, Ocean's Answer, is a full sister to Storm Bird who developed her own important line and is named a Reine-de-Course mare because of her influence on the breed.
13) Drew's Gold (8-1) has started four times in his career, winning all 4 starts, including 3 this year. Now, he will get the acid test to find out just how good he might be. Many of you probably do not know this trainer, but he started his training career in Southern California and a few years later was sending horses back & forth to compete in Florida and California. But he, like several others, closed their California barns due to workers compensation laws that cause many good barns to struggle, then practically disappeared for a decade before resurfacing again in Kentucky & then NY. He has one workout since his last start, a bullet work 10 days before scheduled start. Contender. 5x4 to Storm Bird, 5x5 to Northern Dancer, Secretariat, & Blushing Groom. His dam line traces back to La Troienne which simply means this is a dam line influenced by Domino as 10 of her 11 daughters and one son was bred to Domino line sires.
11) Victory Formation (10-1) has started 3 times this year, winning a listed stakes in his first start followed by a poor effort in a G2 stakes race and then leading until deep stretch before finishing 3rd in another listed stakes. However, if you look at the distance of all three races (1 mile, 1 1/8 mile and 1 1/8) and then you look at his dam line, you will see his problem. His 2nd dam is a daughter of a solid sprinter and good sprinting sire, 4th dam, White Jasmine, is a granddaughter of Crimson Satan and his 6th dam, Sister Satan, is a 1/2 sister to Crimson Satan. Crimson Satan hails from the Domino sire line who was best known by how fast he was sprinting. He has four works since his last start, the first two good works followed by 2 decent works where trainer looked intent on trying to get him to rate by slowing his works down, something he did for the first time. 5x3 to Mr. Prospector, 5x5 to In Reality, 5(C)x5(C)x5(F) to Seattle Slew.
4) General Jim (7-2) has started three times this year, finishing unplaced in his first start though blocked most of the stretch run, then winning his next two starts in a G3 and then a G2 stakes races. He has three works since his last start, a leg stretching type work, then a good work, followed by another leg stretching type work six days before scheduled start. Looks as ready as any in here to me. Outcross in his first 5 generations but has plenty of Mr. Prospector & Northern Dancer influences on both sides.
My Risks: $5 Ex Box 2-13, $1 Tri Box 2-11-13, $.30 Super Box 2-4-11-13, $1 Super Key 13 with 2-4-11 with 2-4-11 with 2-4-11. Total Risks $29.20.
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Race 9: Jaipur Stakes (G1) --- Purse $400,000 ---- 3 YOs & Up --- 6 Furlongs Turf:
5) Dr, Zempf (8-1) has started twice this year with his first start being a win in an O/C race on a GP turf course that played much faster this year than normal. Then tried G1 stakes company in his next out, set most of the pace to the top of the stretch before tiring at one mile on Keeneland's grass course. Believe he will enjoy the cutback to 6 furlongs. 3x4 to Machiavellian but sire line and broodmare sire line flows back into Northern Dancer.
13) Front Run The Fed (30-1) has started once this year in an allowance race, was near the back early, then started his rally soon after a half was complete and came with a rush in the stretch and was up and clear in time for the win. Has two leg stretching type works since that start. The stretch-out to six furlongs should suit him even more but will need to avoid trouble for best opportunity. 4x4 to Rahy, 4x5 to Mr. Prospector, 5x5 to Roberto.
10) Big Invasion (6-1) has two starts this year, winning his first start in a listed stakes at 5F on grass, then finishing unplaced in a G2 stakes race at 5 1/2 furlongs on grass but had trouble near the eight pole that likely caused him a better finish. Has 2 decent and useful works since his last start. 5x4 to Mr. Prospector. His 5th dam, Really Blue, is an unraced full sister to 1969 G1 Ky Derby & Preakness winner Majestic Prince and 2nd dam of 1998 Ky Derby & Preakness winner, Real Quiet.
6) Ice Chocolat (30-1) has three starts this year, the first to at 5 1/2 furlongs on grass and he finished unplaced in both of them, then switched to the AWT and stretched out to six furlongs when he edged closer to the leaders in the stretch run but a closing late kick was lacking. Now his fourth start of the year and one good work since his last start should help him find that needed punch late. 4(C)x5(C)x5(F) to Northern Dancer, 5(C)x4(F)x 4(F) to Mr. Prospector, 5x5 to Special.
My Risk $5 Ex Box 5-13, $ 1 Tri Box 5-10-13, $.30 Super Box 5-6-10-13, $1 Super Key 5 with 6-10-13 with 6-10-13 with 6-10-13. Total Risk $29.20.
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Race 10: Metropolitan H(G1) --- Purse $1,000,000 --- 3 YOs & Up One Mile:
6) Zandon (5-1) has started once this year and finished second in what obviously trainer considered a prep for this start. The total purse for that race was $175K and no real help in raising a stallion's value, the purse for this race is $1M along with a likely raise in a stallion's value. He has three decent to good works since that effort and follows exactly the type of works he put in the horse before that race. 4x5 to Mr. Prospector.
2) Slow Down Andy (10-1) is making his first start of the year. He has 8 works to prepare for this start, the first 2 blowout type 3 furlongs works followed by 3 4 furlongs works that were simply leg stretching type works then a good 5 furlongs work and 2 good six furlongs works, none of them too fast to suggest he may leave his race in his works but not too slow to get no help from them. For reference, you can look how he brought Goldencents back off a 7-month break after winning the previous year BC Dirt Mile and finished 2nd to Palace Malice in the Met Mile. The favorite beat him last year in the BC Dirt Mile but his trip in the race (stumbled at the start, then became rank when rushed) before heading to biggest race of his life was a major reason why and usually knocks top horses off their best form. 5x4 to Mr. Prospector.
1)Cody's Wish (7-5) has made one start this year and made it a decisive win in a G1 stakes but everything in there were not of G1 quality except him which made an average win look like a romp. These are much tougher and trainer is acting concerned by how fast he has worked the horse since that race. 3 blistering fast works. Normally, horses that works this hard in works are tosses for me but I have not seen Mott put these types of works into his trainees in decades (thought he learned the hard way that super-fast works rarely works). He might run away and hide but the opposite happens way more than not. Am using caution. 3(C)x5(F)x5(F) to Mr. Prospector.
My Risks: $5 Ex Box 2-6, $3 Tri Straight 2-6 with 2-6 with 1, $5 Tri Key 6 with 1-2 with 1-2. Total Risk $26.00.
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Race 11: Manhattan Stakes(G1) --- Purse $750,000 --- 4 YOs & Up --- 1 1/4 Mile Turf:
3) Warren Point (5-1) has one start in the U.S. this year where he was near the back early closed with a rush and taking a brief lead into the stretch before hanging and dropping back to fifth at 3-5 at 1 3/8 mile on the grass. Horse has shown he would much prefer the 1 1/4M distance as all 4 of his grass wins have come at that distance and his one 1 1/2-mile win was on the AWT. He has three works since that start, a leg stretching type work on dirt followed by two bullet works on grass around the dogs. 4x4 to Mr. Prospector, 5x5 to Northern Dancer, but also has a crossing to Never Bend through his grandsons Shirley Heights and Irish River.
10) Highest Honors (20-1) has one start this year where he was near the back early, was in a grind mold throughout the race but never really reach serious contention to finish 4th. Trainer has put 11 works in him, the first 5 works a little faster than he normally puts into his trainees, then gave the horse 13 days before returning to the work tab for six more weekly works, all of them good and decent though again faster than what he usually asks from his trainees. Likely as ready as he can be without a race in between some of these works. 4(C)x5(C)x4(F) to Mr. Prospector, 5x3 to Northern Dancer.
5) Soldier Rising (12-1) has one start this year where he sat mid-pack early, then eased back to last nearing the far turn while he waited for others to offer their best move, then came with a rush down the stretch to finish 2nd though no threat to winner who got away while he waited. Has 2 works since that race, a bullet work followed by a leg stretching work 6 days before scheduled start, both on grass around the dogs. 3x4 to Sadler's Wells & Danehill, 4(C)x5(C)x5(F)x5(F) to Northern Dancer, 5x5 to Special.
1)So High (50-1) has three starts this year and has not placed yet this year though he has carry his speed to the top of the stretch in each race. This race is lacking on front runners who has shown ability to beat good horses but this one will likely be the last one to stop. He has run respectable in a G1 stakes race last year at 1 3/8 miles but was never going to beat Channel Cat who won several big G1 grass stakes in his career. 4x5 to Northern Dancer, 5x5 to Northern Dancer.
My Risks: $5 Ex Box 3-10, $1 Tri Box 3-5-10, $.20 Super Box 1-3-5-10, $.60 Super Key 3 with 1-5-10 with 1-5-10 with 1-5-10, $6 Super Straight 3-10-5-1. Total Risk $30.00.
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Race 12: Belmont Stakes(G1) --- $1,500,000 --- 3 YOs --- 1 1/2 Mile:
1)Tapit Shoes (20-1) Has three starts this year, the first two in o/c races where he finished 4th, then 3rd and then finished 2nd (by a head) in a stakes race at OP that offered an all fees paid to the winner to enter the Preakness S. But before that start, trainer had him under consideration for a start in the Blue Grass S by working him three times at Keeneland including on the day of the race but opted to wait while he tried to qualify Verifying for the derby. He worked again on Lexington Stakes Day which suggests that race was also under consideration before deciding on the race he did race in. Since that near miss, he has 4 more good works and this horse is sitting on a big effort. 4(C)x5(C)x5(F)x5(F) to Mr. Prospector but has a Seattle Slew crossing in the sire line and as grandsire of the 4th dam, Trithenia.
7) Hit Show (10-1) has started three times this year, winning a G3 stakes in his first start, then missing a G2 win by a nose when second followed by a fifth in the Ky Derby after getting caught in the melee near the rail turning into the stretch. Has three works since that start, a leg stretching type work followed by a good work and them another leg stretching type work one week before scheduled start. 4x5 to Fappiano, 5x5 to Mr. Prospector.
8) Angel Of Empire (7-2) has three starts this year, finishing 2nd in a listed stakes then winning his next 2 starts in a G2 and a G1 stakes races following by a fast closing third in the Ky Derby. He has three works since his last start, a useful work followed by two very good works but not too fast that it takes anything out of him. 4x5 to Miswaki, 5x4 to Mr. Prospector.
3) Tapit Thrice (3-1) has 4 starts this year, winning his first three starts in an o/c race, then a G3 win followed by a G1 win. In his last start in the Ky Derby, he was never able to get involved because his Blue Grass win caused him to use to much fitness trying to catch a speed type on Keeneland's notorious speed favoring track. A blunder his trainer makes almost every year that has caused him several derby wins. He has three works since that race, a useful one followed by a good work and then a leg stretching type work one week before scheduled start. 3x4 to A.P. Indy & Unbridled.
My Risks: $5 Ex Box 1-7, $1 Tri Box 1-7-8, $4 Tri Key 1 with 7-8 with 7-8, $.30 Super Box 1-3-7-8, $1 Super Key 1 with 3-7-8 with 3-7-8 with 3-7-8. Total Risk $37.20.
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Race 13: Allowance --- Purse $80,000 ---- 3 YOs & Up NY Bred N/W $18K 1x or N/W 2 Lifetime --- 1 1/16 Mile Turf:
9) Curly Larry And Mo (8-1) has started three times this year and has not placed. However, all three starts came against open bred and he should relish the return to NY bred foes. He has no works since his last race but expect him to set the early pace and play a catch me if you can game, much like he did in last year's one mile BC Juvenile Turf S. Complete outcross in his first 5 generations but has a Caro crossing in the sire line and in the broodmare sire line as sire of the dam of Maria's Mon, who is the broodmare sire. Also has Crafty Admiral influence through Danzig and Crafty Admiral himself as the sire of the 4th dam, Won't Tell You, dam of Affirmed.
6) Mighty Atlas (30-1) has started twice this year, the first in a state bred o/c race where he trailed for a half mile then put in a run to get into contention into the stretch but could not chase down the gate to wire winner at one mile on dirt. Next start was in a state bred allowance, also at one mile on dirt, he never got involved after two works just before that race were on the dull side also, indicating he regressed slightly off that first effort. Now has two more works since his last start, a good work followed by a leg stretching but useful work and will now make the first grass start of his career. Good shot at upsetting this field. 5x2 to Capote with crossing help from the influential broodmare Alanesian.
8) Barrel Of Quests (15-1) has started twice this year, the first which he made a move to get into contention going into the far turn but had no further response in his first start in seven months in an open bred condition allowance race, as should be expected. He then shipped back to NY and was entered in a state bred allowance and cut back to a mile on grass when he ran an even race but again had no response in the stretch run. Will likely keep moving forward and is not far off his best race, so any improvement off his last likely results in a board finish. Complete outcross in his first 5 generations but has plenty of Domino blood on both sides of pedigree.
2) Let's Go Big Blue (4-1) will be making his first start of the year. However, last year, hew broke his maiden in his first start, then his next three starts came against open bred stakes horses, and he held his own in the first two before by far the worst race of his career when blinkers were added. That last experience did not help, and trainer will remove the blinkers for this start, and he will go with first time lasix. He has six works for this start, the first 4 were leg stretching type works followed by 2 good works. Will be tough to deny if he comes back anywhere close to the fitness he had when he took a break. 4x4 to Al Hattab.
My Risks: $5 Ex Box 6-9, $1 Tri Box 6-8-9, $.30 Super Box 2-6-8-9, $1 Super Key 6 with 2-8-9 with 2-8-9 with 2-8-9. Total Risk $29.20.
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Race 5 $3 Triple Play: 3 with 5-10 with 3-10. Total Risk $12.00
Race 7 $1 P6: 1 with 2 with 5,10 with 2,6 with 3 with 1,7. Total Risk $8.00.
Race 8 $.50 Mandatory P5: 2 with 5,10, with 2,6 with 3,10 with 1,7. Total Risk $8.00.
Race 9 $.50 Late P5: 5,10 with 6 with 3 with 1,7,8 with 2,6,9. Total Risk $9.00.
Total Risks All Bets: $397.00.

submitted by hodsct59 to horseracing [link] [comments]

2023.06.09 17:58 The_Omniphage [QCrit] Adult Sci-Fi Action Thriller - HOUNDS OF GAIA (70k, 2nd attempt)

Hey all,
Thanks for helping me out with my first attempt. As you can see, a lot has changed about this 2nd one, including the name of the book itself and almost the entirety of the query letter. I took the feedback to heart and I hope this one hits the mark a bit better by providing more of a character angle and focus.
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QUERY LETTER
Dear [READER],
Foxhound never cared much about the gaps in her memory. Sure, it bothered her—not knowing who she was or where she came from. But being a Contractor, a kind of spacefaring mercenary, helped keep her mind off things. Rather than dwelling, she’d rocket around the farthest reaches of the solar system, earning a steady paycheck hunting down ne’er-do-wells and enjoying a semblance of freedom most folks in the outer colonies couldn’t dream of. So when she receives an urgent request from a humanist cult aboard a city-sized starship claiming to have a brutal, bone marrow-eating serial killer in custody, she accepts the gig. She figures the contract to transfer the prisoner back to Earth is just another well-paying job that’ll keep her mind off things.
Upon discovering that the suspect in custody is an orphan girl—one that could pass for the merc’s much younger doppelgänger—she decides it’s time to get some answers. But before she can piece together who the girl is, how their lives intertwine, and who orchestrated their implausible rendezvous, a group of violent prisoners aboard Foxhound’s starship breaks free. As the once-peaceful cultists take up arms in response, Foxhound teams up with her mechanized AI assistant and two of the cult’s wayward members to stop the barbaric escapees, elude the grasp of the cult’s enigmatic, radicalized leader, and protect and extract the mysterious, potentially dangerous girl.
HOUNDS OF GAIA (70,000 words) is a sci-fi action-thriller with horror elements set thousands of years into humanity’s lonely future. The book will appeal to lovers of sci-fi in the tradition of S.A. Barnes (Dead Silence), Edward Ashton (Mickey7), and James S.A. Corey (Leviathan Falls).
[REDACTED BIO, 80 WORDS]
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FIRST ~300 WORDS
Prologue
Location: Unknown
Survive.
Move.
Survive.
Observe. Examine. Analyze. Extrapolate.
React. Retreat.
Survive.
Dodge. Guard. Protect.
Faster.
Advance. Attack. Annihilate.
Survive.
Slash. Maim. Rip. Crack. Devour.
Digest.
Satisfy. Nourish. Sustain.
Evacuate. Escape.
Survive.
♁
“Where the hell is everybody?” Corporal Vasquez, a senior officer of Deadwood Mining Corporation Security, said out loud to no one in particular.
In his four years working for DMC-Sec’s boots-on-the-ground District Management Team, he had never seen a security substation so empty. Even for Deadwood—one of the smallest backwater mining asteroids, floating around the Kuiper Belt so far beyond the reach of the sun’s rays—it seemed unusual, concerning even. There wasn’t even an officer stationed at the reception desk.
“How should I know?” replied his captive, a gaunt, worse-for-wear man known around the station only as “Fink.”
“Wasn’t talking to you.” Vasquez shoved Fink, sending the bald, slender man shoulder-first into one of the security substation walls.
“Hey, watch it, man,” the prisoner whined, righting himself. He shook his wrists, jingling the cumbersome cuffs that kept his arms secured behind his back. “Kind of at a disadvantage here.”
In the short time they had been together, Vasquez had already begun to understand why some of his fellow officers chose to use violence as a means of keeping the rabble around the station in check. It wasn’t his style. In fact, it was a point of pride to Vasquez that he never bent the rules when it came to enforcing what limited laws there were on Deadwood, but Fink had pushed him to his limits through sheer annoyance and indignation.
Vasquez had picked up Fink while undercover on a human trafficking sting. The skeletal man hadn’t been the target, and the corporal had blown his cover by bringing him in, but Vasquez simply couldn’t ignore the flagrance with which Fink had approached him. Worse, Fink was offering up children for sale. The conversation between them had lasted mere minutes before Fink was in cuffs and Vasquez was marching him back to the security substation for processing.

submitted by The_Omniphage to PubTips [link] [comments]

2023.06.09 16:12 Michael_AN_Creech The Chronicles of Marcus Hellyrr - Prologue

I'd like to start by letting everyone know that the genre is Fantasy Epic, and that this is a long prologue at 6,414 words. This prologue serves a purpose as it takes care of a lot of my setting and plot setup. It also gives the reader a fair bit of worldbuilding without making it too much of an info dump (talking to you Robert Jordan ;P).
I've had several people beta read this for me and gotten a lot of positive feedback. The prolbem for me is that these were all people I know very well on a personal level. Several have made comparisons to Chronicles of Narnia or Lord of the Rings as far as how well the full book is written. The problem is, friends and family can often have a bias and make things seem better than they really are. So, now I want to do a test run in the real world and see what people who don't know me think. Is it as engaging and compelling as they have made me hope that it is?
I'm basically wanting to take a page from a couple authors I admire and follow the ABC rule for critiquing. Please let me know of any point where you thought it was Awesome, Boring or Confusing. I know prologues aren't everyone's favorite thing, but this has basically been written like a novella for the main story as it foreshadows a lot of things leading all the way into book four.
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PROLOGUE
ARCHIVE INFINITUM
October 14, 844 (Alt-Future)
"Welcome back to the Archive, Master Jonathan."
"Thank you, Charles. It's good to be back. Have you noticed anything interesting in the Physical Realm?"
"I have not, sir. Do you require any assistance today?"
"Thank you, but no. I'm only here to revisit a passage within the history of the Order. Shortly after, I'll depart for the reunion at the Tower."
"Excellent, sir. I'll leave you to it."
Jonathan emerged from the ether and walked through the Archive doors. Inhaling deeply, he breathed in the familiar scents of dusty cleanliness that can only truly be found in a place of learning. The lights reflected off the floor's white marble surface, casting a glow that evenly lit every corner of the large chamber. Even so, the room still felt cavernous to him, as if he were a galleon amidst the vastness of the ocean.
Jonathan appeared to be in his early to mid forties. Though, with the way he carried himself and the spring in his step, he seemed closer to his late twenties. His hair was shoulder length and dark gray. He wore bifocals though he hadn't needed them since his ascension, and dressed with a refined sense of style.
His gray eyes were by far his most interesting feature, though. They were the only hint of how old he truly was and the many adventures and travesties he'd witnessed. Regardless, how old he was didn't matter as age had long since lost its meaning for him. After all, being an immortal tended to give a man new priorities in life.
As he strolled across the room, a lift descended from the tower's heights. The square platform had waist high rails around its perimeter. It floated through the air showing no sign of a suspension system to raise or lower it. This was accomplished by a magical enchantment that allowed it to levitate and dart about the room at mind numbing speeds. As he stepped up onto the platform's dais, it landed on the floor in front of him. He took a position at its center, then, after folding his arms behind his back, mentally willed it to take him to floor eight hundred forty four.
It rose off the ground, gradually gaining speed until it was a hundred or so feet in the air. At that point, the platform took off like a rocket. The thought of what these speeds would do to him if this were outside the Realm of Intellect crossed his mind, making him chuckle nervously. He knew he had to be moving close to six hundred miles per hour.
Now, let me tell you a bit about Jonathan's pet project, The Archive Infinitum. The Archive is a magical structure he'd designed shortly after the cataclysm that nearly wiped out the human race. An event most of you now refer to as the Night of Burning Skies. That same event is also what gave us the powers we now refer to as magic.
Shortly after obtaining his ascension, he learned that science's multiverse theories were close to how reality really worked. There are an infinite number of parallel universes, or branching timelines, that coexist simultaneously. What was different is that each universe shared a common six realm structure. The Physical Realm, the Realm of Intellect, the Dominion of Shadows, the Plane of Enlightenment, the Land of the Forgotten, and the Ether.
He built the Archive within the Realm of Intellect so it wouldn't be bound by the laws of physics or time as we know them. Once the structure was anchored in place, he could set most of those parameters himself. What he didn't realize was that making it here would have an unintended, though not unwelcome, side effect. The structure's size, shape, and architectural style could change by anyone who entered it.
When someone enters the Archive, it ascertains their strength of mind and will. Suppose the individual's mental fortitude is deemed stronger than that of the other occupants. In that case, the appearance will adjust to one that best serves and appeals to that individual. This could become unsettling for the occupants already inside the first few times it happened. That being said, it has no effect on the contents atop the shelves or where you're located within the structure. For Jonathan, it shared an uncanny resemblance to the George Peabody Library, though on a much grander scale.
The lift stopped after a brief ride, and Jonathan stepped off. He resumed his stride, passing row after row of the cherry wood bookcases. There were hundreds of rows and thousands of tomes and scrolls in each. As a scholar, he'd spent most of his existence here. But, even so, he knew there would always be something more to be gleaned from their pages.
Today was a day of remembrance. Of celebration. Of mourning. It was the anniversary of the end of a war that had lasted ten thousand years. With the death of one individual, a light of hope was given to many. For others, it was a bittersweet victory that left a void in their hearts. He'd come here today to revisit a passage that would return him to that fateful day. Reliving the event which granted them this peace, and once again, paying his respects to a dear friend.
"Ah, yes, yes, yes. Here we go."
The plaque on the side of the bookcase read, Row DD, Column 15. Now that he'd found the right one, he began scanning the shelves. It wasn't long before his hand landed on the tome he sought.
"Here it is." He pulled it down from the shelf. "My word. Has it truly been fifteen hundred years since I glanced through these pages?"
Looking at the cover, he chuckled. The combined magic of the Archive and the Realm had created a thin layer of dust. Giving it the feeling of something ancient and lost to time. Raising it to his lips, he blew the dust away, causing the magic to dissipate as it fell to the floor. He pulled open the cover and rifled through the pages. The section he stopped at contained the account of Rexinon the Prophet's final words.
Summoning his divine magics, he channeled a spell into the tome. The words that once filled the passages began to fade away, leaving only the blank pages, which now bled a blueish gray smoke. The soft glow of the lights against the floor diminished as the smoke spread. As the darkness grew more substantial, luminescent spheres and arcs of brilliant blues and crimson could be seen dancing about its surface like lightning.
The ground trembled beneath his feet, and the smokey haze took on a more stormlike appearance. All around him, the air started to feel heavy, and the taste of dust and sea salt filled his mouth. A gentle rain began to fall, and the room's remaining lights winked out. If not for the increasing flashes of lightning, he would've been left in total darkness. But even this was not a comfort, as those flashes cast shadows against the storm's ever swirling walls. Many of which appeared to be dark things that should never be seen in the light.
The storm's intensity grew, bringing disorienting cracks of thunder and wind whipping around him. It assaulted his senses and seemed to have an almost vengeful purpose. That meant he had to constantly focus on the spell, bracing himself against the onslaught. If he failed, it would kill him without question.
Some of the shadows began to take on a physical form with details beyond what the walls could offer them. He watched as an hourglass tumbled end over end, circling him before it returned to the storm. A moment later, a blazing fireplace and mantle emerged but produced neither light nor heat. Finally, a door engraved with the crest of the Order appeared. These images were ones he'd expected to see for this particular passage, and so came as no surprise. However, when a fourth image appeared, he was caught off guard.
Although it was normal for three images to accompany this spell, an occasional fourth spoke of prophecy. He focused intently on this final image. It showed twelve people standing in a circle; one of them was coated in blood. Two others were bound by chains. One a man, the other a woman.
He looked closer at the man and realized it was Godric. His eyes opened wide as he tried to decipher the meaning behind the image. Only a few moments passed while he speculated, but it was a few moments too many. Disaster struck, and too late, he realized his mistake. He'd lost focus, and now the storm would surely take him.
Hurricane force winds and debris tore at his clothes, quickly turning them into rags. One powerful gust slammed into his side as if he'd been struck by a car, knocking him off his feet. The storm swelled with even greater ferocity. It threatened to consume him this time, and he wondered if it would finally cost him.
Rain and hail pelted his face and body, while dust and sand stung his eyes. As he wiped away the grit, a bolt of lightning struck before him, temporarily blinding him. He got to his hands and knees, gasping for breath as the storm continued to beat him relentlessly.
Steeling himself against the pain, he rose to his feet. As fast as he could manage, he began casting mental defenses and barriers to protect his mind from the horrific assault. He bellowed in defiance of the storm, "I will not let it end this way! I refuse!" One defense after another was laid upon his person, until finally, he succeeded. The winds died to a breeze as the rain became little more than a summer misting.
He heard the sound of a quill scratching against paper over the storm's remnants, and the air behind his back grew hot as a crackling fire joined the room's ambiance. The sickly sweet smell of incense filled his nostrils, reminding him of days spent in his master's study. Another fond memory.
The storm wall vanished as the tremors subsided, making the room visible through a misty haze. The light of the fireplace cast his shadow across the now rough cut gray stone floor. Half a dozen tapestries hung around the room, and a liquor cabinet stood at the room's far corner. The main entry door remained closed to his left, and the doorway to the study's balcony lay to his right. At the room's center sat Rexinon at his desk, writing furiously on a piece of parchment.
Wiping the sweat from his brow, he breathed a sigh of relief. Although he'd done this countless times, the journey into the pages of history was always filled with peril. But, blessedly, the most intense part of the spell was complete. And while he could now relax in that fact, that fourth image still concerned him.
He stood in the familiar square room, clothing restored to its original state. The evening's air flowed through the open windows, making the ambient temperature quite cozy. Crossing the room, he paused at the desk and listened as Rexinon started muttering. "What I wouldn't give for a typewriter, much less a computer. Would make this so much faster."
Jonathan couldn't help but crack a smile. "Oh, but how many times have I thought the same thing, old friend?" He remarked, though he knew Rexinon couldn't hear him.
He stepped up to the desk and leaned over it. Looking down at the paper Rexinon was writing on, he frowned. Like so many times before, it appeared as little more than black scribbles on a page. Those words had to be important, but there was no way to know.
This was one of the spell's critical weaknesses. The details within the vision were only as precise as what was written in the tome. Most of the books in the Archive were magically transcribed. The benefits of this were completed histories free of victor and writer biases. Although, it wasn't flawless.
Throughout history, there have been individuals or events that the spell couldn't see. The most well known examples of these blips in time were the United States presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt from 1933 to 1945 and the United Kingdom's Prime Minister, Michael Durham, from 2063 to 2065. All that is known about them was their lives before office and the accounts written by those around them. These gaps in history were generally the result of one of two things. In these two cases, a place or individual with a strong connection to the Dominion of Shadows.
Sighing, he pushed off the desk and crossed the room to the liquor cabinet. He opened the glass doors, pulling several bottles and a glass from the shelves. He made a drink consisting of three parts Red Adders Bite and one part Dry Amorian Blood Wine, then added a lime wedge to the rim of the glass. The others wouldn't arrive for another half hour, leaving him time to kill.
He walked around the room with his drink in hand and studied the various tapestries, several of which he'd been a part of. Each one depicted an accomplishment or tragedy facilitated by the Order. All save one, which showed a scene from the event that started it all.
The one to the left of the cabinet showed the Order's founding. In the background stood a grand tower of black and white marble. Its four sides were engraved with the Mark of Hellyrr, which glowed with a magical light. In front of it stood a man facing a gathered crowd, his arms swept wide in triumph. They looked up at him and the structure with reverence and awe.
He continued to move in a counterclockwise manner around the room. Above the main entry door hung another tapestry. One he was even depicted in. It showed the aftermath of a massacre. Six figures stood amidst the bodies of hundreds. The earth around them was scorched by flame, and the blood of the fallen had stained it red. The cloud covered sky glowed a deep crimson with gold outlines from the fires below. It had come to be known as the Cleansing of Elysian, in which the entirety of the planet's second continent had been annihilated to preserve the world.
"I wish it had never come to this. Why can't we all just get along? Instead of thriving in the prosperity of our two lands, they plotted and began planning to bring war to our own people. To rape, pillage, and enslave them. Even with all my vast knowledge and wisdom, I can't understand why they felt the need to dominate and control the world." He looked back up at the tapestry. "Even now, most of the land is still uninhabitable."
He turned around and looked at the tapestry above the balcony door. This one would appear out of place with the others to all but a few handfuls of people. Even for those who learned the truth behind it, it looked like little more than an artist's vision of what a beautiful landscape at sunset should look like. The sky is dotted with hundreds of stars as shades of red, orange, and yellow dance across the land's horizon. The artist's point of view appears to be looking down from a hillside. Down the hill's slope, you can see a pond teaming with wildlife along its edge. The remaining landscape is filled with miles of forest stretching toward the horizon.
For the few who survived this event and still remained, they knew it depicted the final moments of their world before all of humanity was nearly lost.
Jonathan fixated on this tapestry more than he had on the others. The longer he stared, the more distant his expression grew. Over time, his breathing quickened, and his grip on the glass slipped. It shattered as it hit the floor, causing the rug to stain from the liquid. The sound jerked him out of the trance like state, making him feel ill.
He could still recall the memory of that long ago day like it were yesterday. The thought of how close humanity had come to extinction made his legs weak, and he stumbled back against the wall behind him. He slid down the stones' cool surface and noticed his hands were now trembling. Through shuddering breaths, he uttered the words of a broken man. "So much death. So many lives were lost that day. So many. Oh, Sonia. Even after all this time, I still miss you."
The main entry door slammed open, crashing against the wall with a loud bang. Jonathan jerked as one of them collided mere inches from where he sat. The startling sound had been enough to pull him from his stupor, but it still took a moment for him to gather himself. A man in the doorway lowered his foot from where he'd obviously kicked the unlocked door in.
"Knock, knock, Rex. Seems you've done it now."
"Seth. I'll never understand the animosity you held for Rexinon," Jonathan said wearily as he got to his feet.
Seth stood just shy of five foot eight inches and had slick black hair that he kept combed back. He wore black jeans and a beige dress shirt with mother of pearl buttons, which had seen far too much polish in recent days. A malevolent grin displayed his perfect teeth and careless eyes. He strode into the room, dragging a chair behind him, and placed it on the rug by the fireplace.
"Was kicking the door in really necessary, Seth?"
A second man stepped into the room, obviously annoyed by the unnecessary use of force. He wore a navy blue business suit and towered over everyone else in the room, and that was saying something considering Jonathan was six foot. As he still held to the standards of a marine, he kept his hair high and tight and his face clean shaven. He stood at the rug's edge out of respect for the Order so as not to mar the embroidered Mark of Hellyrr. A respect Seth clearly lacked.
"Godric Gibbs. This day changed you. Hell, it changed all of us, but few as much as you," Jonathan said. He looked back at the door as the third and final man entered. "Assassin."
This man was of a height with Jonathan and wore all black from head to toe. His outfit looked like something out of a TV show. Almost like a cross between Gi Joe's Snake Eyes, and CW Arrow's League of Assassins. After ten thousand years, all they knew about him was his previous occupation as a contract killer. It wasn't long before they'd taken to calling him Assassin, as they had no other name to go by. Any time he was asked a question regarding his past, he either remained silent or dodged it outright. He took a position to Godric's left and, like Godric, took care of where he stood on the rug.
The three men stood in silence and watched as Rexinon continued to write. Godric and Assassin seemed content to wait until he addressed them. On the other hand, Seth seemed to grow more agitated as the minutes passed. Jonathan chuckled in spite of himself.
About twenty minutes later, Rexinon spoke, "Reverend Seth Jones, Colonel Godric Gibbs, and Assassin. To what do I owe the pleasure?" His tone plainly indicated that he already knew.
Seth spoke first. "Oh, cut the crap, Rex. You already know why we're here. This cult thing of yours has gone on long enough."
"Well, there's the pot calling the kettle black," Jonathan muttered sarcastically.
Godric rolled his eyes. Everyone in the room knew about Seth's past as a cult leader. They also knew his anger was more at being forced to wait in silence than anything to do with Rexinon or the Order.
"Calm yourself, Seth. There's no need for such hostilities." Godric looked at Rexinon apologetically. "I'm sorry to have to do this, old friend, but my hands are tied. Rexinon the Prophet, Headmaster of the Hellyrrian Order, you've been charged with conspiracy to overthrow the governments of Aurelia and seize control for the Order.
"As we speak, the leaders of the Hellyrrian Order are being gathered for execution. Furthermore, your towers and all their artifacts will be destroyed, and any remnants of the Order's existence is to be wiped from the face of history. As of 0813 this morning, you have been sentenced to death. How do you plead?"
Rexinon continued to write at an incredible rate. He knew why they'd come. He'd known this was coming for months. After all, his gift was the gift of prophecy. The evidence for the charges against him was both substantial and ethereal, depending on what light was shown on it.
Two centuries ago, the Order had tracked the activities of an unknown number of individuals who'd been subtly manipulating several of the Aurelian governing bodies. They'd spread like a poison, corrupting them and turning once prosperous kingdoms which knew few hardships, into lands where the people had to fight just to survive. The problem was that whoever that force had been, always seemed to be just one step ahead of them. Now, not only was it check, but checkmate. The Order had lost.
"I believe the Righteous Twelve to be ill advised. I believe you've been manipulated by the same corrupted governing body which we've spent so long trying to purify—." Seth grunted. "—But," he said at length, "I accept all charges against me, save one. Neither myself nor anyone else of the Order has ever sought to rule Aurelia, as the charges would imply. The Cleansing of Elysian should've been proof enough to show that to be true."
Rexinon penned the final words of his letter and placed the pen back in its stand. Pulling the top off a jar, he dusted the page with a thin layer of sand to soak up any excess ink. After dumping the sand back into another jar to be cleaned, he pushed away from his desk and stood to look at his guests for the first time. After nudging his stool back under, he addressed Godric directly.
"Will you join me on the balcony one last time?"
Godric nodded his head and gestured towards the balcony doorway. As they stepped outside, Jonathan followed.
Rexinon leaned against the railing and looked out over the city, his gaze fixed on the setting sun. Godric joined him and looked down to the tower's base, some five hundred feet below. Although he was not afraid of heights, it gave him respect for the sturdily mounted railing at the balcony's edge.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Rexinon said. Godric looked at him, confused. "The way the world has turned out since that day? Ten thousand years of watching as civilization was rebuilt and destroyed time and time again by a senseless war. Watching them evolve into something more as they learned how to use these gifts we were given. In some ways, we're greater than we ever were. In other ways, we're inferior. If I have any regrets, it's that I couldn't do more to leave the people better prepared for this new age."
"Well spoken. If it's any consolation, I believe this is wrong. I even spoke out against the council for a different outcome. For my efforts, though, I was threatened with execution if I didn't cease my objections."
Rexinon's tone grew heated after hearing of the council's reaction. "You should know better than anyone why I fought so hard against them, then. I'm not against governance. I'm against corrupt governance. We had far too many corrupt politicians and warlords in our own time for me to ever want to allow it again."
Godric nodded his head. "Yes. The problem is you played too heavy a hand too quickly. Instead of accepting that they'd been beaten, they cheated by playing with an ace they had hidden up their collective sleeves."
Rexinon sighed, knowing his words were true. "Indeed. I've accepted my fate. I won't run. Won't even make it difficult for y'all. I have no need to. I would like to make one final request to ease your conscience, though."
Rexinon leaned toward Godric conspiratorially. As he did this, the world around them began to shimmer and distort. Almost like the motion blurring you'd see on a TV. Likewise, their conversation was masked by the sound of white noise and the sound of hushed incoherent whispers.
This was the second hurdle the scrying spells had to deal with. Individuals with divine magic could conceal their conversations or even the events they were a part of. Rexinon had concealed this conversation, and to this day, Godric has never spoken of what was said.
Jonathan returned to the study with a resigned sigh. There was nothing more he could learn from their conversation. Assassin stood in the same spot he'd been when he first entered the room and looked as if he hadn't so much as twitched. Seth, however, was rummaging through the desk's drawers. He'd tried to figure out what he was looking for in the past, but nothing seemed obvious.
The shards of glass from when he'd dropped his cup earlier had vanished, along with the stain on the rug from the liquor. As expected, the glass had returned to the cabinet, and the bottles had refilled to where they were before he'd arrived. This was yet another reminder that this was a magically induced vision of an event that had long since passed. It could be too easy to forget that this wasn't real and that if he spent too much time here, it would have consequences in the real world for him.
He knew they'd be out there a while. In previous visits, he'd occasionally spent this time combing through the room, similar to what Seth was doing. Having cataloged everything centuries ago, there was nothing left to do but wait. So, he walked around the desk and sat squarely within the Mark of Hellyrr embroidered on the rug. There, for the next hour or so, he would remain, arms folded, legs crossed, and eyes shut. Freeing his mind of all unnecessary thoughts and emotions. At least, that was the plan.
About forty minutes in, Seth started to grumble and complain, forcing Jonathan to give up on his meditation. "… I know he's one of the humblest among our kind, but lord, does he have to be so dull? I can't find anything interesting anywhere. Even his liquor cabinet is dull." Seth walked from behind the desk to the liquor cabinet, pulled a few bottles out at random, and read the labels aloud. "Red Adders Bite, Amorian Blood Wine. Christ, he's even got Athester's Sweet Malt. This crap might as well be water." He pulled another bottle down and said, "At least he's got the taste to have at least one bottle of Nordic Berserker."
"Some of us prefer the simpler things in life. You might find life more enjoyable when you aren't always looking for the rare and exotic," Assassin said with a disinterested, almost dismissive tone.
Seth clicked his tongue. "Hell, even this letter he was so focused on when we arrived makes no sense." Seth thrust the letter towards Assassin, who took it nonchalantly. "Look at this."
Jonathan studied Assassin intently, hoping for any sign that would reveal the letter's contents. It was no use, though; for all the emotion he showed, Jonathan would've thought it no more important than a grocery list. But, if that were the case, why obscure it from the eyes of the scrying spell? The frustration caused by such a simple sheet of paper was baffling.
Jonathan got to his feet as Rexinon and Godric returned. As Rexinon walked to stand at the center of the rug, Jonathan moved behind the desk. Godric walked toward Assassin and conversed with him for a few minutes. Once again, the sound of white noise shrouded what was said. This time, it was Godric who masked his words from the spell. When Assassin nodded, Godric moved beside him and faced Rexinon.
Rexinon looked at each tapestry and seemed to relive each as he did so. They all knew those accomplishments and tragedies would stand the test of time. Any efforts to change that would fall flat. The Order had played too significant a role in shaping this new world. Finally, he turned to Godric, kneeling as he met his regret filled eyes.
Assassin pulled an infamous rod from his side, dubbed the Executioner's Handle. Forged in the Dominion of Shadow by Assassin some three thousand years ago. It was one and a half feet long of shadow infused steel and bound with his own divine essence. Ominous black tendrils crawled along Assassin's hand like something alive and flowed into the handle. The shaft elongated, and an axe head formed at its end.
Though he had accepted his fate, seeing that axe form made Rexinon's heart stop momentarily. He looked at Godric questioningly. Godric knew what that look meant and nodded his head in assent. Agreeing to this had allowed them both to right several wrongs this night by asking one simple question. "Do you have any final words or requests?"
"I have two, if you'll grant them. The first, allow me to disband the Order formally as my final act as headmaster."
Seth started to protest, but Assassin lowered the axehead in his direction as a silent threat. Seth glared at Assassin with seething hatred. Godric nodded to Rexinon. "Proceed."
As the headmaster of the Hellyrrian Order, he had a mental connection with every member. Without hesitation, Rexinon's eyes began to glow with a brilliant purple hue. This would be Rexinon's final order, and Godric knew it would save thousands.
"My brothers and sisters, hear me now and heed my words. Abandon the Order and save yourselves. Flee to the hills and never look back to what we once were. With my dying breath, the Hellyrrian Order is no more. The governments of Aurelia have played a hand we can't stand against. Anyone who disregards this command will be hunted down and executed without mercy. To the leaders and guild masters of the Order, I charge you with dismantling everything relating to the Order and turning over every artifact and document you can to Godric the Just, Jonathan the Wise, or Assassin the Watcher. I also ask that you help calm those who feel outraged and betrayed by this night. Do not blame the Twelve, as they were little more than pawns in this corrupt game of politics. Farewell, my friends. My family. May the peace we have fought for be found in the coming days."
The glow faded, and he slumped forward onto his hands, his breathing labored. A few moments passed, and he managed to catch his breath but still looked towards the ground.
"The second request I have is that anyone who would heed that warning be spared. The ruling factions wanted me. As long as no one else causes trouble, we know they won't cause too much fuss over it."
His voice took on a much sharper edge as he looked back up. "You call us a cult, though you know we are nothing of the sort. On the contrary, our Order has stood for nearly five thousand years for the betterment of the entire world. How they treated you should tell you that what I said and what we were doing was justified."
"Shut your mouth, Rex!" Seth spat venomously.
Godric glared at Seth. His own anger with this situation was at the point of breaking free. "Be silent! I don't know what kind of grudge you have, but I, for one, don't give a damn what the council said. Rexinon doesn't deserve death for the crimes he's being accused of. Unfortunately, the ruling factions in almost every nation are corrupted and working towards being as corrupt as they were back in our day." Godric sighed. "Regrettably, my hands are tied, though. The law is the law, and I have been overruled on this matter. Regardless of what my conscience thinks, I will abide by the rules of the land."
Rexinon nodded, understanding Godric's situation perfectly. Godric had become the divine embodiment of law and justice at his ascension. While those two things work hand in hand, they are far from the same, and one must often walk a fine line to serve them both. In this case, the choices were clear. In the end, it didn't matter what he chose; he would inevitably betray one virtue or the other. Unfortunately, there was no good way for him to handle this, and Rexinon could see how this was affecting him.
"The majority of the Order will heed my warning. As for the leaders, if any are still alive, they will follow that command to the letter. They'll even aid you in handling any hotheads who resist," Rexinon said.
"The good news is that no one has yet been executed this evening. I'll personally see to it that those who abide by that order are given a chance to live long, productive lives within society. If all goes well, you will be the only casualty of this idiocy."
Rexinon gave the faintest sign of a smile with a halfhearted chuckle as he said, "Godric, one thing I'll not allow is any of the Order's work ending up in the hands of one of those tyrants. Therefore, I demand that Jonathan be given every document, scroll, and tome held within our strongholds for safekeeping." Rexinon felt exhausted. The spell to warn his Order took more out of him than anticipated.
"You're in no position to be making demands of us," Seth said. Godric finally snapped and struck him so hard that he slammed back into the wall beside the fireplace, cracking it. He got back to his feet a moment later, fixed his shirt, and looked down at the blood he'd wiped from his lip. Godric looked back at Rexinon.
"As you were saying."
"Assassin, I'd ask that you secure all our relics and artifacts, regardless of their magical significance. I don't need to tell you what all we have housed around Aurelia."
"No, you don't. The nukes of our time were nothing compared to some of those items," Assassin replied.
"We'll see to it that it's done. There are things within these walls that were never meant for untrained mortal hands," Godric added.
"Thank you."
"As for the texts, Jonathan will have a field day going through everything. There is far too much the council doesn't understand within these walls that we can't afford to lose."
"Godric was right, Rex. I still have everything. Much of which has been quite useful over the centuries,"
Godric turned his head away, no longer able to look Rexinon in the eye. "I no longer deserve the right to call you a friend, but is there anything else you would ask of me?"
Rexinon looked at Godric for a long time and couldn't help but smile. Not at his pain or suffering in following the orders given to him, but knowing that if anyone here had ever been a friend to him, Godric certainly was. With his final words, he left Godric with a warning.
"No, but I'll leave you with this. Be wary of those among you, for one will betray you all. My friend."
Godric nodded, accepting these as Rexinon's final words as a tear ran down his cheek. Rexinon lowered his head, and Assassin enveloped his axe's blade in a purple aura.
"Woah, Assassin, what's with the new color? Never seen that before," Seth asked.
Ignoring the question, Assassin swung the axe, severing Rexinon's head cleanly.
That night, the cries of the Order were heard in every city across Aurelia. All mourning the death of the Order's first, and last, headmaster.
Jonathan fought back tears of his own as he watched the axe's head vanish. Assassin secured the handle on his belt as he walked towards the desk. Godric looked as though he was going to be sick.
"Did you do as I asked?" Godric asked shakily.
"Of course. I may be a trained killer, but even I know this was bullshit, mate."
Seth walked over and picked up Rexinon's severed head by the hair. He held it up before him, a mischievous grin on his face. Then he whispered something into Rexinon's ear.
Assassin's eyes locked on Seth. As he let go of the head, he used one of his abilities, known as shadow step, to cross the distance to where Seth stood. Before Rexinon's head hit the ground, Assassin snatched it out of the air and punched Seth so hard that it sent him flying into the same section of the wall he'd hit earlier. He bounced off it, but the force of the impact sent several of the stones flying into the next room. Seth crumpled to the floor, where he lay unmoving for several seconds. After a while, his head snapped upright, and he began to laugh. He stood up as if nothing had happened and headed out the door. Godric, now seething with anger, watched as Assassin started to go after him. "Leave him. He's not worth your time."
Jonathan paced around the room, waiting for the spell to wear off. His heart ached, and his own anger toward Seth at that moment made him wish he could destroy the man. But that was Seth's way, and they'd all learned to let it go in time. The world began to blur and vanish, reverting to the Archive once again.
He closed the cover, placing the tome back on the shelf with a heavy sigh. His fingers lingered on the binding as he read the inscription, A Complete History of the Hellyrrian Order, Volume 666. Finally, Jonathan let his hand fall to the side as he walked away with his shoulders slumped.
As if speaking to an old friend, he lamented, "Damn you, Rex. Why couldn't you have just left well enough alone?"
As Jonathan walked away, he shed a tear at the loss of one of his closest friends.

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2023.06.09 15:36 roaddogg2k2 Videogame promotion causes an uproar

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2023.06.09 13:29 GalUpUnder [F/GM 4 A playing F] (Discord) Who wants to play as a princess with light magic in a long-term DnD/RPG style magic school fantasy adventure?

Hello there, I'm GalUpUnder, a 24-year-old from the Netherlands, and I'm seeking a creative roleplay partner for a long-term, story-driven, DnD/RPG-style adventure. In this roleplay, you will assume the role of the princess Stella of Solaris, the kingdom of light. The journey begins as you enroll in a prestigious magic school, where you'll learn magic, forge friendships with fellow students who will eventually become part of your adventuring party. Together, you will embark on a quest that takes you to various realms, interact with diverse characters, and undertake both the main quest and numerous side-quests.
for the last couple of months I have been writing a lore-document - alongside my study - for a fantasy story which I wanted to tell. This came about after I saw a terrible Netflix adaptation of a magic school cartoon from the mid-2000’s which had a pretty neat premise and thinking to myself that I could do better and the desire to play as the ‘’main character’’ of this cartoon (why I used quotation marks will become relevant later). As a result I took the premise of the cartoon and started to take inspiration from other fantasy stories like Lord of the Rings, The Witcher and God of War.
Regarding the ‘’main character’’, I figured it would be unfair to ask someone to play as side characters/a side character in a story and world which they didn’t write themselves. That is why I wrote the story around the deuteragonist of the cartoon, moving her up to main character, making the story revolve more around her and moving the original main character to the position of deuteragonist which I will be playing alongside 4-5 charter which will make up your main party and all the other characters in the world you will be interacting with. I will have multiple references which you can choose from for each party member (all though experience has told me that Genshin Impact character references are very popular) and for most of the major ‘’NPC’’ characters.
I have to clarify that this lore document is far from complete. That's why I would appreciate a partner who can also bring ideas and suggestions to the table, preferably with some experience in DnD campaigns, as I have had very positive experiences with people who do. I will ensure clear communication when certain ideas conflict with the lore document and discuss how we can integrate your suggestions in a different way.
Additionally, depending on the direction we choose for this story, it can either be suitable for all ages or contain some adult elements, similar to how The Witcher incorporates adult themes without being explicit. Ideally, I would prefer a partner over 18, but if you are younger and truly want to engage in this story, adult content will be strictly off-limits. There will be no discussion on this matter.
If this sounds interesting to you then feel free to read the history section from my lore-document down here to get a taste of the lore and/or reach out to me her an Reddit. I do prefer to roleplay on discord though we will probably move there soon after if we click. Happy reading and I hope to hear from you soon!
History
The first age, the age of creation
In the beginning, there was only the void. After eons of nothingness, the Great Dragon emerged, and with his fiery breath, he created the six magical realms. Gaia, known as Earth by its inhabitants, was the world of Nature; Solaris, the world of Light; Sparks, the world of Fire; Andros, the world of Water; Numa, the world of Wind; and Marigold, the world of Mind.
The second age, the age of chaos
Although the six main magical elements were established, chaos still reigned in the early days. To manage the aspects of life about which he had little insight, the Great Dragon chose a few of the earliest beings to become Primordials. like gods and goddesses.
The third age, the age of harmony
Many years passed until the time came for the Great Dragon to pass on its power and lay to rest. He chose a man with a good heart from Sparks, the world of Fire, as the new carrier of its power. This person became known as the Guardian of the Dragon's Flame. The Flame was passed on from generation to generation, and at some point, the latest Guardian married into the Royal House of Sparks.
While the other five realms discovered and built their societies around magic, bringing them closer together, the people of Gaia relied on their vast resources instead of magic, isolating themselves from the other realms.
The forth age, the age of war
Over time, the other realms became envious that the Great Dragon had chosen Sparks over their realm. Any choice would have led to envy. When the titles of Guardian and ruler of Sparks merged, the other realms feared that the Flame would now be firmly under the control of Sparks, which led to many wars. No matter how many wars were fought, no matter how many incredible weapons were forged, no one could win against the strong warrior culture of the Sparken people, who were basically unstoppable with the Flame by their side.
Around this time, people started to experiment with different kinds of magic, including Dark Magic. While this gave the other realms more of a fighting chance, it came at a terrible cost, as Dark Magic had corrupting properties.
To stop the cycle of violence and self-destruction, the ruler of Sparks and Guardian of the Flame made a promise. The Guardian would not break off their marriage, but they would use the Flame for the betterment of all the realms, not just Sparks. The Guardian and their ancestors would travel throughout the realms, offering help whenever needed and improving life wherever they went. This finally stopped the violence between the kingdoms.
The fifth age, the age of darkness
Although the wars had ceased and peace had returned to the realms, evil had not yet been eradicated. Many people still practiced Dark Magic, leading to long-lasting effects for all the realms for centuries to come. The practice of Dark Magic was deemed illegal and punishable by death, but this didn't deter those who couldn't resist its potential power. It caused many wars against darkness and eventually led to the division of Sparks and the disappearance of the Guardian, centuries after it was thought that darkness had been annihilated for good.
The sixth age, the age of prosperity
A few years had passed since these terrible events, and Princess Stella of Solaris [you] was about to leave for her magic fairy boarding school. Her father and mother, the king and queen, bid her farewell, and her mother gave her a special ring gifted by one of the Guardians many generations ago. The ring could transform into a powerful staff that could enhance the user's power and allow them to teleport at the cost of a considerable amount of stamina. Stella would need to learn how to use it first, but little did she know that she would need to use it very soon, as her carriage would get ambushed by monsters.
As Princess Stella embarked on her journey, the realms were experiencing a period of prosperity and relative peace. The conflicts of the past had subsided, and the realms began to flourish once again. However, lurking in the shadows, remnants of darkness and practitioners of Dark Magic continued to pose a threat to the delicate balance of the realms. Princess Stella, armed with her inherited power of light and the mystical staff, would soon find herself entangled in a new adventure, where she would play a crucial role in the fate of the magical realms and the struggle against darkness.
With her courage, determination, and the support of newfound allies, Princess Stella would face formidable challenges, unravel long-lost secrets, and strive to restore harmony and peace to the realms. Her journey would test her abilities, forge her character, and ultimately shape the destiny of the magical realms in the sixth age, the Age of Prosperity.

submitted by GalUpUnder to RoleplayPartnerSearch [link] [comments]

2023.06.09 10:53 BreBhonson Any Nashville-Style Hot Chicken Sandwichs in Tbilisi?

Similar to Daves Hot Chicken, Hattie B's. Looking for something really spicy.

submitted by BreBhonson to Sakartvelo [link] [comments]

2023.06.09 06:12 kolonalpanic Report for a last minute 5/29-6/9 trip

Wrote some stuff down in a Google Doc every night, so it ended up being super long and rambly. Hopefully I was able to cut it down at least a little bit. I wasn't sure if I could leave references to individual businesses or Airbnb experiences in, so please let me know if I need to remove those.
I planned this trip 2 weeks before I had to leave, so I was in a huge rush. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without everyone’s help here and on the Discord! It was my first time traveling solo, so I was a little more neurotic about it than usual. Also I don’t know how accurate the steps/distance on iOS is, but I figure there’s enough internal consistency to compare between days.
Some personal highlights
Tokyo

Check out some listening bars if you’re down for a low key night with more of a focus on listening to music than socializing: Grandfather’s, Bar Martha, Bar Track, Ginza Music Bar
Yoshikami is a pretty interesting (albeit pricey) place for dinner. It’s apparently been there since the 1960s and has a nice diner vibe.

Kyoto

Otagi Nenbutsuji, Adashino Nenbutsuji, and Nanzenji were my personal favorites.
Fu-ka near Ginkakuji for fantastic omurice.

Osaka

I loved Osaka in general for its mixture of being laidback with big city vibe
Izakaya crawl with Taka was amazing (https://www.airbnb.com/experiences/1018635). It’s true that you can plan a night of izakayas for free, but honestly I found the cost pretty worth it. Taka was a really cool guy and made for an incredibly memorable night.
Okonomiyaki Chitose for okonomiyaki. Great food and great staff.

Monday, May 29 - arriving in Tokyo

3pm - Haneda Airport arrival. Withdrew money after immigration, picked up Suica card, then traveled to Ueno Station (close to hostel) to pick up JR Pass due to 1 hour line at airport. In hindsight, I obviously should’ve gotten the JR Pass the following day, but I was jetlagged and exhausted and wasn’t thinking. When I arrived at the hostel, I ended up falling asleep and decided to just start my trip officially the following morning.

Reflections If you’re an anxious planner or traveler like me, definitely don’t plan anything specific on the first day. There’s a good chance your plans will get derailed. The JR Pass line at the airport is often super long and if you can, try to stop by an office close to where you’re staying or near one of your stops.
Walked: 6540 steps / 3.1 miles
Tuesday, May 30 - Tokyo (Akihabara)

7am - Yoshinoya for breakfast (Random, but I wanted to try all 3 of the big gyudon places by the end of the trip just because. Even as a big completionist, this wasn’t worth it at all.)
8am - Walked around Ueno Park, then Ameya Yokocho.
11am - Gyukatsu Motomura for lunch at Ameyoko, which was absolutely incredible.
12pm - Walked around Akihabara and checked out the “Weird vending machines” on Google Maps. It was definitely weird. Would recommend if you’re kind of drawn to weird shit, and the hostel staff found it super entertaining when I showed them everything.
3pm - I ended up moving through Akihabara pretty fast (I have a bad habit of not being able to take my time with these things). I decided to stop by some places in Ginza, like the Sembikiya flagship store and the Okuno building (Room 306).
6pm - I was still pretty jetlagged, so I ate some dinner with people at the hostel and hung out with the hostel residents and staff.
10:30pm - Stopped by a convenience store to grab something for breakfast the next morning.

Reflections
Having a list of restaurants or specific foods (e.g. tempura, okonomiyaki) to pull from can be super helpful in being slightly flexible/spontaneous but also settling some of your (my) neuroticism. I had planned to check out Gyukatsu Motomura elsewhere but since it’s a chain and I had no idea what to eat, it helped me make a decision for lunch.
It can be a good idea to have an “overflow list” of things to do in certain areas. I thought I’d spend more time in Akihabara but I think I was still getting the hang of traveling/exploring without rushing around.
Walked: 27728 steps / 12.9 miles
Wednesday, May 31 - Kyoto (Nishiki Market / Department Store food floors / Kiyomizu-dera) * 7:30am - Shinkansen from Tokyo to Kyoto * 10:15am - Walked to hostel and suitcase wheels ripped off on the way there (still left it there for storage). Original plan was to wander Nishiki Market and the food floors for Takashimaya Department Store and Fujii Daimaru, which I did for a bit. Then got a new suitcase at the large tax free store a block down, and walked back to the hostel to put my suitcase there. * 3pm - Check in with a new suitcase and head to Kiyomizudera. Three hours was more than enough time for me to wander around Sannenzaka, Ninnenzaka, and Kiyomizu-dera. I’m also not someone that is great at lingering to stop and smell the roses, though. * 6:30pm - Try to line up for Menya Inoichi. The line was already closed for dinner, so I stopped by Nakau for some fast gyudon/tonkatsu instead.
Reflections
Have backup plans for your meals, list out some ideas in the area but expect some of those to be derailed.
You might need an eye mask even if you splurge on a private room in a hostel. The blinds were paper thin here so I woke up at like 4-5am.
Walked: 26290 steps / 12.2 miles
Thursday, June 1 - Kyoto (Arashiyama / Ginkakuji / Philosopher’s Path / Eikan-do / Nanzenji / Gion) This was the day I was prepared to walk the most because of the itinerary. It ended up being pretty packed, but I think it worked out decently well. Both of these things would’ve been better off unrushed as maybe 2/3 of a full day, so I would’ve split this up into 2 days if I could have.

7am - Breakfast at a convenience store, then taxi to Otagi Nenbutsuji at 7:30am (opens at 8). It isn’t the cheapest option, but there also isn’t a great alternative. It was pretty empty and a great place to start the day.
9am - Walked to Adashino Nenbutsuji, which was also fairly empty but had a beautiful bamboo area that honestly was basically as good as the Arashiyama grove for pictures.
10am - Walked to Tenryuji, which included the Saga-Toriimoto Preserved Street along the way, then did the Arashiyama Walking Tour from Inside Kyoto, which was a great way to see a little bit of everything (https://www.insidekyoto.com/arashiyama-bamboo-grove-guide-walking-tour).
12:30pm - Walking tour led me to Togetsukyo Bridge, where I could easily bus over to the Ginkakuji area.
1:30pm - Grabbed lunch at Fu-ka, which was a small restaurant run by some very sweet people. The omurice there was amazing, and I would definitely love to go there again someday.
2pm - Ginkakuji -> Philosopher’s Path -> Eikan-do -> Nanzenji -> Gion. I was definitely not prepared for how much stuff there was to do at Nanzenji in particular! I definitely could’ve spent 2-3 hours there even rushing around. I ended up not being able to check out the inside of Nanzen-in and the big gate because I ran out of time. Upstairs from the Nanzenji arches there is a great walk to leave Nanzenji when you’re all done (Nanzenji Suirokaku). It takes you past a power station, and then down some abandoned railroad tracks.
5:30pm - Went to check out Gion and Pontocho. I couldn’t figure out what to eat for dinner, so I thought I’d give Menya Inoichi another shot. It was pretty early but the line was closed again. There was an amazing fried chicken place nearby called Loco Chicken (would definitely recommend too!)
7pm - Checked out Yasaka Shrine and Gion again now that the sun was down. It was nice but admittedly underwhelming after all the amazing temples I had seen. I was originally going to go to an izakaya for the night or experience some nightlife, but I was pretty tired and decided to call it a night.

Reflections
Even if you’re a rusher like I am, Nanzenji especially can take some time. Otagi Nenbutsuji and Adashino Nenbutsuji are a little out of the way, but definitely worth it. The preserved street isn’t all that exciting, but it is along the way from Adashino Nenbutsuji to Tenryuji.
Menya Inoichi apparently closes pretty damn early wtf, possibly due to running out of their limited supply of wagyu. Loco Chicken was suuuuper good though. I guess there see a lot of great food options and planning meals in advance should only be if there’s a restaurant I really want to stop by (e.g. Fu-ka).
Walked: 33577 steps / 16.4 miles
Friday, June 2 - Kyoto / Nara / Osaka

7am - Got up to go to Fushimi Inari Taisha. We were on the edge of a typhoon (apparently the landslide zones of Kizugawa were being evacuated?) so it was pouring rain, which meant it was really empty on the actual walk to the summit.
10am - Kintetsu train to Nara Park. It was pouring there too, but the deer were still out and about to get their food from visitors. I was a little tired at this point since my feet were soaked through, so I went to check out Todaiji and only took a brief walk around Nara Park before heading to my hostel in Osaka, so I could get my shoes washed and dried at a nearby laundromat.
8pm - I did an Airbnb bar crawl (https://www.airbnb.com/experiences/4388157) in the Dotonburi area which was awesome as a solo traveler because I got the chance to meet other people much more easily and check out some local spots I realistically wouldn’t have gone to (or at least navigated easily). The guide was fantastic and fun, and it was a really nice way to get an introduction to Osaka nightlife. I would definitely recommend doing this on your first night if you want to spend some time in Dotonburi! You can find the listing for that one here: . One of the places we stopped by was called the Misono building, which had a bunch of interesting and quirky bars.

Walked: 27023 steps / 12.4 mi
Saturday, June 3 - Osaka (shopping streets and Dotonburi)

10am - Took a look around Denden Town and all the different streets in Osaka near Dotonburi (Kuromon Ichiba, Hozenji Yokocho, Ebisu Bashi-Suji, Shinsaibashisuji). I also stopped by the Ebisu Tower Ferris Wheel, which was nice but also not something I’d consider a must-do activity. I imagine it might be even cooler at night when the lights are all on.
6pm - I did another izakaya crawl here, and it was AMAZING (https://www.airbnb.com/experiences/1018635)! The guide, Taka, has lived all around the world and has some incredible stories to tell about his life. He worked on farms in remote places in Australia, for instance, that even the Aussie guests were astounded to hear about. The vibe was definitely a lot more chill and not super conservative, if that makes any sense. It was the kind of environment where all the guests felt comfortable asking him how to swear in Japanese after the first round of drinks. If you’re not super uptight about stuff and want the feeling of local nightlife with some friends, this is a must-do in my opinion! Taka was such a cool guy and this was an unforgettable once-in-a-lifetime experience. We stopped by to do some karaoke at the end, which I felt was mandatory since we were at its birthplace.

Reflections
Taka brought us to one of the streets that I completely missed in my research, which was Tenshinbashi-sushi. It’s supposedly the longest shopping arcade in all of Japan, at 2.6km long. Definitely something to check out!
Walked: 25782 / 11.8 miles
Sunday, June 4 - Osaka (Shinsekai, Abeno Harukas)

10:30am - Was starting to get pretty tired by this point so I slept in again, and got to Shinsekai around 10:30. I realized how much I loved the vibe of Osaka, which seemed much more laidback than the other big cities. I remember there was an adorable off leash puppy walking around one of the shopping streets, and a bunch of old people pulled out their phones and started chasing it down to take cute pictures. I might be totally off the mark from my few days’ impression of other big cities, but that just felt kind of unique to me.
11:15am - Lined up outside Okonomiyaki Chitose so I could get food there when they opened. Fantastic okonomiyaki, and the owner and staff were super great as well. They chatted with me a bit and joked around with each other while making the food in front of us. Great experience.
1pm - Went to Tsutenkaku to look around and check out the viewing area. It also had this big slide that you could pay to go down, which was quite fun too.
2:30pm - Walked over to Abeno Harukas to check out the observatory here. The view was fantastic and they also had a fun little VR bungee jump station where they put you on a tilt table and simulate a jump from the observatory area. Didn’t have time to check out the helipad because I had a timed ticket for the aquarium (which didn’t end up being necessary, it wasn’t super busy at this time).
4:30pm - Osaka Aquarium! I honestly considered skipping this and I don’t think it was absolutely unmissable, but it was a fun time. I really tried to take my time here but it only took 2 hours.
6:30pm - Grabbed dinner at nearby Tempozan Marketplace, then went on the Tempozan Ferris Wheel (waited for one of the clear bottom carriages). Another fun activity that I wouldn’t categorize as a must-do, but definitely worth it if you’re in the area.

Walked: 20954 / 9.6 miles
Monday, June 5 - Hakone This is the part of the trip that I embarrassingly botched, but considering I had less than 2 weeks to plan the whole thing while working full time, I’m trying not to give myself too much shit for it.

10:30am - Arrive at Odawara Station and leave luggage in locker there (packed a day bag). Transfer to the train that will eventually take me to Gora Station
12pm - Gora Station. Grab a quick lunch at some random cafe and walk over to the Open Air Museum.
2pm - Realized I spent too long at the museum and rush to continue the loop. Spend about 30-45 minutes at Owakudani.
3:50pm - End up waiting at Togendai until 4:25pm for the next pirate ship.
4:50pm - Arrive at Motohakone and decide I’ll do the quick walk to Hakonemachi and catch a cab to my ryokan (checkin before 6 if I want to make it in time for dinner). My big mistake here was not noticing that the taxi stand was empty already by this time.
5:10pm - Realize I’ve screwed myself at Hakonemachi and decide to take the Tozan Bus to another major stop to get a taxi. Yunnessen seemed like a good bet but the taxi stand was once again totally empty. Ended up wandering around for about 20 minutes and managed to flag a stray taxi.
6pm - Check in and realize my dumb ass accidentally booked without the dinner option and that I could’ve taken the long way to the ryokan after all.
7pm - Stop by a nearby kaiseki place for dinner. They seemed a bit wary about having me eat there and really emphasized that this was a set menu that took a long time (probably had bad experiences with tourists in the past?).
8pm - Get cleaned up and head to the onsen before bed

Walked: 17975 / 8.2 miles
Reflections If you really want to stay in Hakone for only one night and one day, I would recommend checking into your hotel/ryokan the night before and relaxing there, which gives you the next full day for exploring the city. YMMV of course since I did get to Hakone in the late morning, but I think doing the loop then ryokan will inevitably feel like it’s cutting into ryokan time.
Even though the Hakone transportation system is great, things like the Tozan Bus line can have long lines and alternative/workaround routes like in the big cities don’t really exist. Tight schedules are tough to stick to, and I nearly got stranded because I stood at one of the taxi stops around 5pm and it became clear that no one was going to be coming by.
Booking.com has a lot of ryokans listed as minimum 2 people (I just bit the bullet and decided to splurge), but the staff at Senkyoro were confused about why I paid for 2 instead of 1. Could be good to try to check with the ryokan directly in case you can save some money when booking.
Tuesday, June 6 - Tokyo (Shinjuku, Shibuya)

6:30am - Leave for Odawara Station because I had to meet with a relative in the morning (like I said, definitely could’ve scheduled this better). Definitely misplanned this leg of the trip, and didn’t maximize my time in Hakone at all.
10:30am - After dropping off luggage at Asakusa Station locker near my hostel, met up at Shinjuku Gyoen, then walked around and grabbed lunch at Omoide Yokocho. Also stopped by Kabukicho and Golden Gai just to look around.
1:30pm - Originally planned to spend more time at Shinjuku and go to Shibuya the following day but I realized I didn’t have anything left to do. Walked to Shibuya and checked out the Hachiko Statue and Harajuku. Stopped by Iyoshi Cola. Shibuya Sky tickets were sold out so I had to come back the following day for my original reservation.
5pm - Hang out at Grandfather’s before dinner. Great place for people interested in listening bars!
6pm - Head back to my hostel (K’s House Tokyo Oasis) to check in, then swing over to Sensoji and Nakamise-dori to check out at night.
7:30pm - Grab dinner at Yoshikami, a Japanese style Western restaurant. Had a really good beef stew and cream corn potage. Went here in passing but would definitely recommend stopping by if you’re in the area.

Walked: 27632 / 12.8 miles
Wednesday, June 7 - Tokyo (Shibuya Sky, Akihabara, Bar Martha/Track) I spent a good chunk of my life in Shanghai, China, so I think the appeal of the big city stuff was a little lost on me (not a huge big city guy). In hindsight, I definitely didn’t need to allocate this many days for Tokyo. I definitely should’ve gone further to other areas for day trips that were recommended on the Discord, like Shimokitazawa, Jiyuugaoka, Koenji, Kamakura/Enoshima, Honmonji Ikegami, Yokohama, Nikko, or Fujikamaguchiko.

10am - Slept in and explored Nakamise-dori a bit after. Grabbed an early lunch and headed over to Shibuya for my Shibuya Sky reservation.
12:40pm - Shibuya Sky for a little over an hour. I wouldn’t consider a must-do, but it’s definitely a nice spot to get a good view of the city. Pretty similar vibe to Abeno Harukas (Harukas 300).
2pm - Headed to Akihabara to mess around for a little more and get some gifts for friends. Checked out all the different arcades and peeked at some rhythm gamers in their element.
6pm - Headed to Ebisu to grab dinner. Found a Japanese style Italian restaurant called “Uncle Tom” (Google translated name), used Google Lens to translate the photos of the menu and just pointed and ordered.
7pm - Stopped by Bar Martha, which was one of my personal must-sees. Some of the reviews online were pretty scathing, and I’m not sure if the staff have just mellowed out in recent years or the reviewers lacked self-awareness, but it was a great experience. You’re not allowed to talk too loudly or otherwise be disruptive (or take photos), but that’s really just your typical listening bar. The Tannoys sounded fantastic!
8pm - Went to Bar Track to check it out as well. A little bit more laidback than Bar Martha but with the same rules. Also a great spot.

Walked: 21181 steps / 10.3 miles
Thursday, June 8 - Tokyo

10am - Stopped by Tsukiji Outer Market to check it out. There was a fruit stall that sold a cup of Shine muscat grapes for about 2000 yen (super expensive but worth it just to try - they really were pretty amazing). Ended up meeting up with someone on the Discord for lunch, and we wandered Ginza for the Uniqlo and Muji flagship stores.
3pm - Split up with Discord buddy because he wanted to head to Shibuya but I had dinner reservations at 5pm. Wandered around a bit more and checked out Kabukiza and then went to Mantensushi Hibiya for 5pm omakase.
7pm - Went to Ginza Music Bar. A little difficult to find but very much worth the visit. It was relatively empty but it was a fantastic spot to round out my listening bar visits. It had a little more of a typical bar-like atmosphere but the music and sound system were just as amazing.
8pm - Head back to hostel to pack. Grabbed some last second ramen at Asakusashoten on the way back. Needed to be a little more intentional about cash usage here because I wanted to use it all up before leaving. After factoring in my subway and Skyliner costs, I ended up with 210 yen in my pocket and 7 yen in my Welcome Suica (I really should’ve just gotten a regular one) the next morning before my flight, and spent 200 yen at one of the massage chairs in Narita.

Walked: 19530 / 8.9 miles
Thursday, June 9 - Flight out from Tokyo

submitted by kolonalpanic to JapanTravel [link] [comments]

2023.06.09 05:35 UnholyDemigod I roleplayed my last Rome 2 game. Here is the story

Rome 2 - Divide et Impera mod roleplay run
The year is 475 Ab urbe condita, and Res publica Romana is the growing power on the Italian peninsula. Not 10 years after the end of the Samnite Wars, we at still engaged with the Etruscans to our north, while Epirus at our south tests our resolve by encroaching on our borders. We must deal with these outsiders if we are to achieve our destiny. There is a dream that is Rome. It shall be realised.
476 AUC: Legio II Equestris, under command of newly appointed Legatus Lucius Julius Libo, finalises defeat of Etrutria. Shortly after, Pyrrhus of Epirus, after years of minor border skirmishes in southern Italia, invades and occupies as far inland as Cosentia. Legio II is redeployed to assist Legio I Italia. 478 AUC: after several battles ending in Roman victory, Pyrrhus is expelled from Italia. Despite heavy losses from the campaign, Legio II completes conquest of southern Italia 479 AUC: the Senate orders Legio II to northern Italy, to subdue the tribes in Cisalpine Gaul and to bring them into the Republic 480 AUC: cautious of Rome's rapidly growing role as a Mediterranean superpower, Carthage breaks diplomatic treaties and declares war on Rome. The Punic War has begun. Legio I is tasked with defending southern Italia. Legio III Gemina raised with intention of crossing Mare Tyrrhenum and invading Corsica et Sardinia 482 AUC: after far more losses than were expected, the tribes of the Po Valley have been subdued. All the land from the Alps to the sea now fall under Roman rule. Lucius Julius Libo and Legio II will occupy the area until it is assured there is no threat of rebellion 484 AUC: in the wake of years spent fighting Carthage, our military training and equipment has evolved. We have utilised tactics from our current and former enemies, while improving our strengths and casting aside our weaknesses. Years of war has turned us into a master of violence, and we will visit this violence upon all who would threaten Rome 485 AUC: years spent besieging the port of Karalis has borne fruit - the city is now ours, and with it, the province of Corsica et Sardinia. With Legio I and Legio II in Sikelia driving out the Carthaginian forces, Mare Tyrrhenum lies solely under Roman control. In 5 years of war we have driven Carthage out of Mare Nostrum and back to Africa. Plans are already being drawn up to invade 486 AUC: our invasion of Africa has paid off. Legio I Italica immediately marched onto Qart Hadasht, to strike at their power base and cut the head from the snake. After making camp in order to lay siege, the city's defenders sallied out and attacked. Despite devastating losses, we were victorious. The survivors retreated behind the city walls, but Legio II soon arrived to reinforce the siege, and our men stormed the walls. What warriors were left were no match, and the City of Carthage is ours. Legio III will soon make landfall to push west. Legio IV Minervia has been raised in Roma, where they will make for Massalia, to visit revenge for their betrayal of us during the siege of Medhlan 487 AUC: Legio IV Minervia has successfully besieged Massalia. After successive field battles, Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio marched on the city walls and began construction of siege equipment. Massalian allies attempted to aid them, but they too were defeated, following by the occupation of the city. Let all who know, to betray Rome is to condemn your civilisation 488 AUC: the province of Africa has been fully conquered by Legio II Equestris. The lands that brought Carthage their immense wealth will now swell our coffers instead. Despite the conquest being his doing, the Senate has appointed a Junian governor, instead of a fellow Julian. Suspecting bribery, Lucius Julius Libo begins to lose faith in the Republic he serves 490 AUC: Lucius Julius Libo has given up command of Legio II Equestris and returned to Roma. Petitioning the Senate to allow him to raise a new legion for the purpose of invasion of Gaul was met with success. The politicians of Rome are now so corrupt that an unjustified war can easily be put into motion. All it took was the lie that the Gauls bordering our new lands in Massalia were hostile, and that the lands to the north were fertile and rich with resources. The senate is too blind to see that with every battle won, Libo's influence in Roman politics grows 492 AUC: a Gallic tribe calling themselves the Arverni have attacked some of our scouts, and announced their intention to rid their forests of our presence. It seems that Libo's persuasions to the Senate were not without truth. A little more more leaning about the dangers of the Gauls uniting against, and the Senate has named him Dictator until the Arverni are dealt with. Lucius Julius Libo is now the most powerful man in Rome 493 AUC: Libo dispatches loyal senators to the African provinces under the guise of resolving financial troubles, while in reality, shifting loyalty from the Senate to himself. He already had the loyalty of the soldiers, now he is aiming for the people. 494 AUC: Carthage has been expelled from the African continent, after a successful siege of Tingis by Legio III Gemina. Upon arrival of the news in Rome, Lucius Julius Libo was recalled to Rome from Gaul to relinquish his powers as dictator. Despite the Gallic War still ongoing, the Senate was growing uneasy at Libo’s rapidly growing popularity, and used a weakened Carthage as justification to end his tenure. 495 AUC: Lucius Julius Libo returned to Roma, and was met with crowds of people, protesting against the demands of the Senate. In his service to Rome, Libo had saved the Republic numerous times, and Rome was still facing external threats. The crowd proclaimed Libo to be imperator, an act only previously done by a commander’s legion, but it was enough. The Senate agreed to grant him imperium perpetuum in return for relinquishing his role as dictator, to which Libo agreed. This everlasting power would grant him the ability to overrule the Senate with vetos, even consuls, and as such, historians consider this to be the first day of the Roman Empire. For the first time in 250 years, Rome was ruled by one man - Lucius Julius Libo Imperator. 497 AUC: Since the day Libo Imperator was granted everlasting imperium, he had taken great strides to improve the overall morale of the citizens of Rome by organising games and granting grain doles to the poorer members of society. Attending Senate meetings, he made sure to veto every bill that was put through without his prior knowledge. He prevented a list of enemies by compromising on many issues and joining their vote on bills he supported. He gained significant public support by making promises to rid the Republic (as the people of Rome still believed it to be) of political corruption, and then by delivering on this promise in steps, by exposing guilty senators. The size of the Senate began to shrink as he put through bills under the justification that that smaller it was, the less corruption there could be. Within 2 years it went from 370 senators to less than 100. His power continued to grow, but the people were happy. 498 AUC: Legio II Equestris, now under command of Gnaeus Julius Agrippa, has captured the last remaining stronghold of the Edetani, the final ally of the Carthaginians. With nobody to assist them, the end of the war is on the horizon. In capturing the city, the eastern coast of Iberia is entirely ours, completely enveloping the coastline of the western half of Mare Nostrum. Libo Imperator has grown bolder in his power, now requiring all bills passed to be finalised with his seal, and the words Imperium Romanum 499 AUC: with our legions pushed to their breaking point, and replacement recruits becoming more difficult to come by, Libo Imperator initiates a series of reforms, aimed at swelling the numbers with ease by removing the property requirements to join. Now, all who hold Roman citizenship will be eligible to serve her. With the state also supplying equipment, there is now uniformity amongst the legions. Gone are the old classifications, and replaced with general legionaries. Already we are seeing a large surge in recruitment across the Roman world, primarily from the lower classes looking for their chance at glory. 500 AUC: after 20 long years, the Punic War is over. Legio I besieged the city of Kartuba, awaiting reinforcements from Legio III, but the Carthaginians sallied out in an attempt to prevent being surrounded. After a decisive defeat in the field, there was no standing force left to defend to city, and our forces swept through, enslaving what civilians weren’t dead by the end of the day. As news of the victory spreads throughout Rome, a wave of nationalism follows it, with the people wanting to continue the expansion of our borders. Any nation that isn’t Rome is a potential enemy, and the senate, under the demands of Libo Imperator, fans the flames of this idea. Rome is about to embark of a series of conquests not seen since Alexander. Lucius Cornelius Scipio has been appointed commander of the Iberian forces, with the Legatus of each legion reporting to him. Quintus Trebellius Strabo will lead the conquest of Gaul, while Libo Imperator himself will take several legions into Germania. 502 AUC: Legio V Rapax sails across Mare Adriaticum to make landfall in Apollonia. Decades have passed since we pushed Epirus out of Italia, but inability to bring the war to them forced a peace between us. A peace that is now over. After many battles, Cornelius Scipio has conquered Iberia in its entirety. Rome now stretches all the way to Mare Tenebrosum. Upon their return to Rome, Scipio and his fellow Legates will be honoured with a Triumph. 503 AUC: Epirus is destroyed, their pitiful excuse for a kingdom overrun by Roman sword. Legio V Rapax will oversee the Latinisation of the local government, then move east, to bring the Greeks into our territory. 504 AUC: Athenai has taken offence to our presence in Greece and has captured Apollonia, seemingly hoping to cut us off from invading further into their homeland. It will not work. Julius Agrippa, well rested after his group Triumph, will sail his legion across Mare Adriaticum to assist Legio V. In Gaul, a final battle on the banks of the Rhine marked the pacification of the region. Gaul is ours. The legions will rest, then move onto Germania. 505 AUC: Julius Agrippa, keen to retake Apollonia, failed to scout the surrounding lands before moving onto the town, and was caught by an enormous Athenian army. Luckily, Legio V arrived in time. The largest battle in Rome’s history was fought on the outskirts of the town, and although we were victorious, thousands of Romans paid the price. Junius Brutus has made landfall with Legio II Equestris to assist the conquest of Greece. 506 AUC: Libo Imperator has ordered our legions out of Germania. Although we have subdued many of the tribes there, the longer we stay, the more nature takes its toll. We have now lost more men to the cold than to the enemy. A summer in Germania is only slightly warmer than a winter in Italia. Trade agreements with the bordering tribes, while being of little value to us, will ensure a secure border. The legions are to move to Dacia, and bring civilisation to the barbarians within. The Spartans, long past their glory, and not stupid enough to mistake the intent of our legions marching through their lands, have bent the knee before they even pointed a spear. We agreed, on the terms they would join our war against Athenai. 507 AUC: with Sparta capturing the city of Athens, and Legio II Equestris taking Pella, Greece has been conquered. To the north, Thrake and Dacia are now both ours. Rome now stretches from Oceanus to Pontus Euxinus. Over the last 30 years, Lucius Julius Libo Imperator has risen from Legatus to sole ruler of Imperium Romanum, and grown our empire to half the size of that of Alexander’s. With little to conquer without sailing to Asia, he has elected to end his conquests and focus on administering the empire he has grown. Roma Invicta.
Turn: 134 Factions destroyed: 39 Total income: 9.5M Total battles fought: 228 Fought personally: 113 Land battles: 82 Settlement battles: 78 Siege battles: 39 Total victories: 215 Total defeats: 13 (all were undefended regions with no garrison) Heroic victories 49

submitted by UnholyDemigod to totalwar [link] [comments]

2023.06.09 04:40 clingklop A mega-list of the episodes Shaffir recommended to listen to in the last episode

So this is a list of the podcast episodes Shaffir listened as ones he particularly liked as he is now ending the show.
There's also direct links to 0-200 as a comment below Enjoi.
First 100:

37: The Nuthouse (Brody Stevens):

"Steven Brody Stevens stopped by Skeptic Tank Studios (my apartment) to share the details of his 17 day stay in the psyche ward at UCLA. It took us, like, 30 minutes to get into the topic, but eventually we did. We diverged a lot into a really cool discussion about perspective on life and how you can fall into a negative and self sabotaging way of thinking about things."

40: Prostitutti Frutti (Miss X):

An upscale prostitute came to the Skeptic Tank to share with us about her job. It was one of the most interesting conversations I've had in a very long time. She was open and honest and very friendly. I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I did.

50: Buddhism (Duncan Trussell):

Duncan Trussell and I shared a ride out to Brea, CA to do shows at the Brea Improv. Duncan has always been into Buddhism and I figured what better time to talk about modern Buddhism than on a ride to the Inland Empire. It was a really interesting talk and it completely enlightened me to the humongous differences between that and the Judeo-Christian religions in regards to daily life. Enjoy.

73: Love Scam (Sarah Tiana):

Sarah Tiana met me at the Comedy Store to talk about her crazy experience with love in the Middle East. It's sort of a sad story. We're comics, so it was still funny, but it was still really sad at the same time. So it averages out to sort of sad.

80: Chester the Molester (Dale Dudley):

"Dale Dudley came over to my hotel room in Austin, TX to shoot the shit and talk about his childhood molestation. It's way more fun than the subject matter. This is a really good, honest, and funny podcast. It's exactly what I envisioned when I started the Skeptic Tank."

79a: We Are Anonymous (Luke Harder, Star_Fawkes):

Luke Harder and Star_Fawkes met me at the Comedy Store to talk about Anonymous. It was a really enlightening conversation. I think we all got the wrong idea about these guys. This is one to spread around.

79b: We Are Anonymous:

@Anonyphant and @Star_Fawkes came back to the Comedy Store to finish off our conversation about Anonymous. It was a really interesting and enlightening conversations and one of my favorite podcasts I've done. They're not out to get us, you guys. They're here to help us. They are us. We are Anonymous.

92: Caddyshack (Greg Fitzsimmons, Steve Simeone, Greg's hyper dog):

Greg Fitzsimmons had me over to his garage to tell me about his days as a caddy. I had no idea any other comedian had ever worked on a golf course. It's a strange community and it was an enexpected treat to be able to talk about it.

99: Scrappy Doo w Greg Fitzsimmons:

Greg Fitzsimmons had me over to his garage to tell me how much he loves to fight. Not organized fights. Just fights. Just regular, two dudes don't know each other and then one is punching the other, fights. It's a pretty fun podcast. What he does in the car is hard for me to wrap my head around.

95: Childless (Dom Irrera):

Dom Irrera met me at the Laugh Factory to talk about not having children. Dom is one of the only guys I know who has gone through most of his life while avoiding parenthood and we talked all about what that's like. It was a great podcast with an amazing comedian. Twitter him at @DomIrrera.

100: Deliverance (Ryan O'Neill, Jeff Danis, George Saint Pierre, Nate Diaz, Ari Shaffir):

Jeff Danis and Ryan O'Neill came by my apartment to talk about their jobs as grocery delivery drivers. Oh my god, there were so many hilarious stories. They're both comedians from the Comedy Store and their job is so ridiculous. For delivery drivers, there's a shocking amount of talk about nipples and Down syndrome.

104: The Art of War with Greg Jackson and Kevin Christy:

Greg Jackson of Greg Jackson's MMA met me in a hotel room in Vegas a few hours before UFC 156. Greg has always asked me about standup comedy and how comics will handle different situations. After some time he told me why he was so interested. He sees similarities between all art forms. He tries to find universal truths that apply to many art forms so he can apply that knowledge to MMA fight theory. It's really fascinating stuff. We've been talking about this stuff for years now and it's so interesting to me. If, like me, you thought everyone associated with cage fighting were meatheads, you're about to get a beautiful reminder of how people from all walks of life can offer you growth and knowlege.

105: Going Blind (Tom Segura):

Tom Segura invited me to go to his new Barbie Malibu Beach House so we could talk about masturbating. Just two best bro dudes intimately talking about making their penises shoot out loads of semen. And then somewhere at the end we talked about drunk driving. I don't think we ever talked about masturbating while drunk driving but we should have at least brought it up, huh?

115: Heroin - Down In A Hole (Donovan Pee):

Donovan Pee met me in my hotel room in Vancouver to talk about Heroin. Donovan was a heavy heroin user and lived on the streets of one of the most drug addicted blocks in North America. He was involved with the drug for decades and has only recently gotten away from it. It's a fascinating look at the life and exactly the kind of thing I like for this podcast.

113: Lefty Liberty (Jimmy Dore):

Jimmy Dore came by my slop haven of an apartment to tell me the truth about politics. I've never been very political, but lately I've started to become increasingly angrier about how little representation the average citizen has. Jimmy was always into the leftist side of things and he did a great job of explaining the problems with how things are run. And Mat Edgar joins me for the intro and outro to talk about Shroomfest and to share a few extra stealing stories that he forgot to mention on "Klepto."

120: Shroomfest 2013 w Tony Hinchcliffe, Mat Edgar, Pete Cornacchione:

Tony Hinchcliffe, Mat Edgar, Pete Cornacchione, and I spent Shroomfest together this year. We drove out to Joshua Tree, ate some shrooms, and wandered out into the wilderness. And then we had, what I believe, is probably the first podcast recorded at Joshua Tree National Park.

122: Exspecially Cutting:@JustyDodge

Justy Dodge came over to my New York apartment on the hottest day of the summer. We talked about her various mental disorders but centered on cutting. Justy is a New York based standup who spent her teens in and out of rehab for self mutilation. It was a great conversation despite a couple of her white trash words slipping out.

123: You Know What Dad (Robert Kelly):

Robert Kelly invited me over to his beautiful Manhattan apartment so we could talk about becoming a father. He had his first son 45 days ago and we had a nice discussion about what it was like. It was nice for me to hear how a former degenerate like Robert could transform himself into the type of dad that won't get child services called on him.

124: Rape & Eggs (Kathleen McGee):

Kathleen McGee invited me over to the apartment she was staying in while we were in Winnipeg together and we talked about her rape. It's about as lighthearted a conversation as possible considering the subject matter. This is kind of what this podcast is all about. Stark, realistic views of the world told in funny ways. Enjoy.

133: Fuck the Government (Dave Smith):

Dave Smith came over to my apartment so we could talk about this growing disillusionment I'm experiencing with our federal government. Dave is a devout libertarian and he knows a lot more of the facts than I do, so we discussed a lot of where we've gone wrong and where our politicians and generals have betrayed the will of its people. Listen to it now, because when the revolution comes, downloading podcasts won't be easy.

134: Maniac (John F. O'Donnell):

John F O'Donnell met me in Bushwick to talk about his manic depressive disorder. He's gone off the deep end a few times in his life and we got into it all. How it started, what happens, how it's affected him. It was a fun podcast that only got interrupted a couple times by a gang of 8 year old handball punks.

141: Happiness (@SteveSimeone) by AriShaffir:

Steve Simeone invited me over to his place while I was in LA and we talked about happiness. It started off being a conversation about being broke, but it quickly shifted as it became evident that Steve's poverty level was no longer the main influence on his mood. We talked about girls, and about family, and about giganitic boobs. But at its base, it's just a couple of buddies hanging out.

142: Gender Bender (Lauren Hennessy):

Lauren Hennessy came over to my NY apartment to tell me about what it's like to be a he/she. Lauren is a boy trapped in a girl's body. He's been that way since he was born. And you think you had it tough. Don't worry, this didn't get too serious or sad. Just two dudes talking about one of the dude's vaginas.

151: Ass Burger (@AutisticThunder):

Josh Meyrowitz came over to my LA apartment to talk to Mat Edgar and me about asperger's syndrome. I've been hearing about it ever since I was little but I've never met anyone with it until Josh. He's a little different than they way it's usually portrayed on TV. Maybe that's the comic side of him. Anyway, fun conversations on an interesting condition.

152: The Streetz, USA (Doc Willis):

Doc Willis met me at the Comedy Store to talk about his days slinging rock on the streets of Detroit. That's right, when Doc was 14 (What? 14? Yes, 14) he was in a gang and sold drugs to make a living. We go into who his customers were, all the violence, what makes someone hard, and much, much more. It's a really good episode. Enjoy.

157: Divorce, of Course:

"Jacob Sirof and Sherry Sirof (nee East) each had me over to their places of residence to talk about the divorce that they're going through right now. First I went to Moshe Kasher's old place where Jacob is staying. Then a week later I went to their old apartment to talk to Sherry about the same topic. It's an interesting view into two sides of a disolution of the bond of marriage."

159: Thrilled (@TomSegura):

"Tom Segura had me over to his palatial beach house to do an in depth analysis of his first album, Thrilled. It was a hilarious album and I'm glad he was able to give an inside look at how the bits came to be, his delivery style, and the problems he has looking back at the album. We treat it kind of academically. It's something I'd like to see a lot more comics do in the future and I'm so happy Tom was willing to do it here. The standup will be hilarious and the analysis will be instructive."

169: Blacklanta with Big Jay Oakerson and Ms. Pat:

Ms. Pat joined me in a park in Brooklyn (maybe Park Slope? No, that seems wrong) to tell me about what it was like growing up in the hood in Atlanta. Spoiler alert: It was way different than how I grew up in the suburbs of Maryland. It's a story of teen pregnancies, gunshot wounds, and Jimmy Carter..

170: HIV for Victory w Jeff Scott:

"Jeff Scott had me over to his West Hollywood apartment to tell me the story of his HIV. How he got it, how he's managed to live with it for 30 years, how it's affected his life, how he's been treated by others, and about the friends he's lost. It's one of the most interesting podcasts I've done. You should share it with everybody."

173: Beijingaling (@DesBishop, @ComicDaveSmith):

Des Bishop met me in a park in Beijing to tell me all about China. Des is a comic from Ireland by way of New York and he moved to Beijing a couple of years ago to learn Mandarin to try to do standup for Chinese people. He came as an outsider and after almost 2 years there, he's made quite a few observations about the country and about Beijing in particular. What a cool thing about podcasts that I can record these with minimal effort on the other side of the planet. Dave Smith joins me for the intro and outro.

183: Popo (@MarkDemayo):

Mark Demayo came over to my apartment this week. We drank some beers and talked about his 20 years as a policeman in New York. It was a fun, open conversation. I asked him a ton of questions about what being a cop is like and Mark answered everything. Fun podcast.

197: Injection Protection (Morgan Black):

Morgan Black met me in my hotel room in Vancouver to talk about his job at Insite. Insite is the safe injection place on Hastings Street in Vancouver. It's a place in heroin alley where junkies can go to get clean needles and they can use those needls to shoot up in a place that's supervised by people like Morgan. He watches over them to make sure they don't overdose. If they begin to, it's up to him to try and save them. He's seen a lot since he's been there and he shares it here.

203: Prison Rules (Ali Siddiq)

Ali Siddiq met me at the Comedy Store to talk about prison. I always knew prison life was hard, but damn. I didn't know about all of this. Ali spent 6 years locked away with some of the most violent criminals in Texas. This is a great episode and really fun and interesting.

216: Tenement (Nick Mullen):

"Nick Mullen met me at my in New York to talk about his illegal living situation. Nick is a funny young comic who literally lives in tenement housing. We talked all about it and got into some existential stuff about comedy. And we took a fun walk around the Bowery to see his garbage neighborhood full of chuds."

219: Khob Khun Krap with Pete C:

"Pete Cornacchione and I sat down outside the airport in Chiang Mai, Thailand to talk about all the things we saw out there. We did so much that we couldn't even fit it into one episode. So we just talked about mainland Thailand. Phuket, Bangkok, and Chiang Mai. Man, did we do a crapload of stuff. Join us on our podcast..."

223: Palsy with Davey Wester:

Davey Wester trekked his way across Manhattan to my apartment to talk to me about his cerebral palsy. Davey is a Comedy Store comic from way back. We've had a couple CP comics there over the years and this is actually the first time I really talked to any of them about the condition. Surprisingly fun discussion based on the topic. And some good Gallagher stuff. Ian Edwards and Zara Mizrahi join me from Bonnaroo for the introduction.

224: Take Me Out To The Ball Game (@PaulMorrissey):

Paul Morrissey and I went to a Yankee game to talk about baseball. We got seats right behind the visitor's bullpen and we did a podcast from right there. We started on the walk to the subway, continued on the train a little, got lost some, got inside, met some Jews, had a dog, met some more people, and watched some more baseball. It was a great day.

227: The Herp (@JoeListComedy):

"Joe List met me in Central Park on a beautiful summer day to have a wonderful talk about herpes. Joe's got it. He's open about it. And he answered everything you wanted to know abou tit. If you already have it, you'll relate. If you are going to get it soon, this will help you when you get unlucky. If you never get it. Congrats. Let's bone."

235: First Responder; A 9/11 Story (Cris Italia):

9/11 was a terrible day in American history. This is one story of the many stories of that day. Cris Italia was a volunteer EMT and was around the corner when the first plane hit. By the time the second plane hit, he was already at ground zero, helping. It's a heartbreaking story of what happened to one man the day America stopped being invincible.

256: Take a Hike (@TheoVon):

Theo Von met me at a secret hike in LA to do a walking podcast about hiking. Theo's a hilarious comic but he's also hiked Mount Kilimanjaro. I climb hills, bro. Hills. He climbed a giant mountain. It was a fun talk and it really puts you in the place where we were. I love these "on-location" podcasts.

257: Money For Nothing (2 anonymous defense contractors):

"Two US Army defense contractors met me in a secret location in America to discuss what it's like to go work for the government on foreign soils. They both work as contractors in stations all over the world and they gave a first hand account of how much waste goes into our imperialism. It was an interesting look into the life of a hired grunt in the middle of a war zone."

262 Cleavage Day @Gary Vider:

"Gary Vider met me in Central Park to walk around and gawk at women for Cleavage Day. Cleavage Day is the first weekend day over 70 degrees in New York. It takes place in every city that has a real winter. It's that magical day when all the skin comes out of hiding. Women are showing cleavage and legs and stomach left and right. It's just a magical time to be a heterosexual man or a homosexual woman. So come join us on our bosomy adventure in New York."

265: Knife Hits in Alaska (@DanSoder):

"Dan Soder came over to my place to tell me all about the summer he spent working in a cannery in Alaska. The people he worked with were straight deigns without even realizing it. This might be the best summer job of all time."

270: NY Pizza Party (@NotAlexis):

Alexis Guerreros took me on a pizza tour of New York. He's a standup comic but he runs these tours for extra cash and he took me on one, showing me his favorite of 3 different styles of pizza. Pizza and New York have a storied connection and Alexis explained how that all came up, the deal with 1 dollar slices, and even where pizza originated. It's an on location style podcast through the streets of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Join us for a delicious slice. "

276: "Running" Of The Bulls (@KaiHumphries, @MiloComedy, @Daniel_Sloss):

Kai Humphries, Milo McCabe, and Daniel Sloss met me at the Abattoir comedian's bar in Edinburgh, Scotland to tell me their harrowing tale of cheating death at the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain. This was a super fun story! You gotta go to arithegreat.com for this one to look at the pictures. They're CRAZY. Guest appearances by random comedy people trying to distract us with booze."

277: Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost (@HenryRollins):

Henry Rollins met me in a hotel cafe in Edinburgh, Scotland to talk about travel. Henry goes all over the globe. He really likes to get off the beaten path and explore new places. I thought I liked seeing things, but Rollins takes it to a whole new level. He goes places I've never even heard of, met people I didn't know existed, done things I'd be too scared to do. It was such a fun conversation and it filled me with wanderlust.

281: The Reyk (@AriEldjarn):

Ari Eldjarn and I drove around in Iceland and did a podcast about that beautiful country while we did. Ari is a comedian in Reykjavik. One of the first comedians, to be more precise. He and I hung out for 3 days while I was there and so we got on the mics in his car and I just asked him questions about his country for a while. It's one of those road trip episodes I do sometimes. So, come sit in the back, don't interrupt us, and eavesdrop on our conversation.

282: Aunt Flo (@Aiapalucci, @Stollemcache, @AmberSmelson):

Amber Nelson, Sarah Tollemache, and Adrian Iapalucci came to my apartment to tell me about periods. And I mean all about it. About the blood flow, about PMS, about cramps, about period diarrhea, all of it. It's for sure gonna make some dudes feel uncomfortable, but it was really interesting to me. But I eat my own boogers, so maybe I'm not the best judge of what's too much. Either way, it was a really funny conversation with three comics on the subject of menses.

284: #BertIsFat (@BertKreischer):

Bert Kreischer came to my apartment while he was in New York and we talked about who was fatter; him or Tom Segura. Bert made some solid cases for his side of things but most of those cases were made with a full chicken wing in between his two front teeth, so grain of salt I guess.

288: Death of a Salesman (@TimJDillon):

Tim Dillon came to my apartment to tell me about his former life in sales. He's sold everything. From mortgages to office equipment to a history of New York. Tim has hilarious stories about all of it. Fun, fun, fun podcast.

289 Tales of a Teenage Bedwetter w Mark Normand:

Mark Normand invited me to his brand new apartment to do a podcast about bedwetting. Mark and I were both very late bedwetters. So we got together and talked about what it's like to be 14 and still pissing on yourself every night. All the plastic sheets, the fear of sleepovers, what our moms had to go through. God, it was embarrassing.

290 Cave Man with John Spies:

John Spies sat down with me on the deck of the Cave Lodge in Soppong to tell me all about cave exploration and the unique life that he's built in northern Thailand. The man has lived an amazing life. And this pit stop on his way from Australia to Europe has now lasted over a quarter century.

292: Cleavage Day 2017 with Legion of Skanks:

The entire Legion of Skanks came with me on an ogling walk around Manhattan during my 2nd favorite* holiday of the year, Cleavange Day. Dave Smith, Luis J Gomez, Big Jay Oakerson and I walked as a group around the city, enjoying the rewards of the first warm day of the year. It was such a fun day! So join us on a wonderful adventure.

294 Je Zu Tin Ba De w Ryan Nanni and William Childress:

"William Childress (skip to 53:30) had me over to his homestay in Siem Reap, Cambodia to talk about Myanmar. He lived there for years. And it was the first place I went on my travels this year. So I finished seeing a temple near Angkor Wat and went to visit him so we could talk about one of my favorite countries in the world. Myanmar is amazing. See it before it gets ruined by globalism. Also, I went kind of nuts on the intro and outro. And then stay tuned after the outro because I also included a conversation I had with a 17 year old Burmese girl I met out there at a restaurant outside Inle Lake. This might be my fullest podcast ever."

298 Vagabonder w Rolf Potts:

Rolf Potts met me in Tompkins Square Park to talk to me about travel. Rolf wrote one of my favorite books of all time called Vagabonding. It's all about long term travel. It influenced the hell out of me. And I was so stoked to be able to talk about getting out there in the world with such a well worn traveler like him.

320: Take My Wife Please - Aubrey Marcus:

"Aubrey Marcus came over to my apartment and we had a really in depth discussion about open relationships. Aubrey is the most honest person I've ever met on the subject. He has truly looked inwards and examined all the angles. It's a really great discussion on the topic."

321: Let My People Go:

"Ari Shaffir comes to my apartment to tell you about Passover. All of it. Not just what you're supposed to do, but also where the holiday comes from, all the laws, the seder, what matzah tastes like. Everything. It's probably the best I've ever been in terms of not interrupting the guest. I still managed to do it a few times, but way less than normal."

323: Mitzi:

Mitzi Shore came into my life in my first 3 months of standup. I spent the next 10 years getting close with the owner of the Comedy Store. She passed away earlier this month. And I took the opportunity to share, but really to relive all the things I learned from her and all the times we had, good and terrible. She was a massive part of my development as a comedian. The most important part, really. So it's really unsettling having her gone for good. Join me as I come to terms with what Mitzi meant to me.

347: Hot tub time machine (@BertKreischer, @SteveRannazzisi, @DanishAndOneill, @MarkNorm):

Bert Kreischer, Steve Rannazzisi, Ryan O'Neill and I sat in a hot tub in Park City and talked about the past. It was the first night of a week of skiing and storytelling shows and oh what fun it was. Mark Normand joined us a couple days later and after we all got home, he and I did the intro from the Comedy Cellar in NY. It was a fun podcast and probably the least clothed 4 way podcast I've ever done. Just sitting in a jacuzzi in Utah, talking shit.

353: Modern Hippie (@Tim Ferriss):

"Tim Ferriss met me in Austin to talk about travel and art and nature and love. He's a hippie. He's what the new version of a hippie is."

361: Spange (Tall Boy):

A homeless non-binary person let me sit with her and talk about what it's like to live on the street and beg for change. Spange is a homeless term that means spare change. I think it's a verb. Anyway, that's what Tall Boy does. Spange for food money. It was interesting to hear some actual humanity from people we often see as invisible.

365: The Revolution w Adbuster Editor in Chief Kalle Lasn:

"Adbusters Editor in Chief, Kalle Lasn met me in his office at the magazine to talk to me about the revolution. I see it going down only with violence but he is far more hopeful about the ways in which we're going to change the systems in place. He's a brilliant man and it was such a treat to get to sit down with him and hear him say out loud some of the ideas he's been putting forth in Adbusters."

369: The Podfather - Brian Redban:

Brian Redban took me into his new podcast studio to talk about the early days of the podcast scene in Los Angeles. When everything was guerrilla. When it was fresh and new and nobody knew what it was gonna turn into. It was such a crazy time and Redban was right there helping form the scene. From the Joe Rogan podcast, to mine, to Segura's, and lots more, he helped build the scene from the ground up. We talked about what it was like, what podcasts have turned into, and where it's going now...

370: Troll (Milo Yiannopoulos):

Milo Yiannopoulos came over to my apartment to have one of my favorite talks ever on this podcast. It's a talk about trolling. Milo is one of the best in the world at it. This is gonna take you a week to listen to. The intro goes for 57 minutes alone. You can skip it if you want, but it's 53 minutes of content that you'll be missing about my own start in trolling. Trolls are the most maligned and misunderstood of all the world's artist. And I don't use the term "artist" lightly. Trolling is an art form. I've been looking forward to this episode for months now. And you're going to love it or ABSOLUTELY HATE IT. I hope you're the former. But if you're the latter, then we got you. You've been trolled. pWn3d.

372: ‘Roid Range (Mike Cannon):

Mike Cannon met me at Gas Digital to tell me about his old days as a total meathead who legit took steroids. I'm not even kidding. You can't believe how much of an idiot this guy was. He's normal now, but he was a juice head moron back in the day. We also talked a lot about our mutual love for underground back room poker games

405: War Stories (Jake Hanrahan):

Jake Hanrahan talked to me about conflict reporting. He goes to war zones and tries to bring back word of what's actually going on in these areas. It's crazy. He brings back tons of footage. Look at PopularFront.co and you'll see what I'm talking about. He's not even welcome in a lot of these places. Once they put him in a Turkish prison! Really interesting stuff in this one. You gotta excuse the sound a little...

407: Obsessive compulsive with Eli Sears:

Eli Sairs came over to talk to me about his OCD. He's got it bad. And it's all wrapped up with Jesus, too, which makes it even harder to deal with. The levels this guy has to go through just to make through basic life stuff is astounding. I bet he eats box really thoroughly, though. Didn't ask him about that. I wish I had.

408: The Lady With A Giant Hog (Margo Reiss @Margo_A_GoGo):

Margo Reiss came over and let me ask her all about transsexuality. I mean, super cool about it. Let me just ask anything I didn't understand and she explained what it was like to me. We got into why to chop it off or not, the bar scene, Katelyn Jenner, how hard we like to fuck, some history, and a bunch more. God, I wish you could talk to people in real life this way. We'd be so much better off as a society.

415: Baby Skeletons w/ Adrienne Iapalucci:

"We’re trying something different this week. I, Ari Shaffir, am bringing you an entire album of one of my favorite comedians in the world. For free."

438: Six Months Of Hating Men with Annie Lederman:

Annie Lederman tells me about her time as a man-hater. Annie has come out of it since then but she recounts the way she got caught up in a world of despising an entire gender and how she was able to extricate herself from that way of thinking.

and he includes the final episode

519: Talk Talk with Ron Bennington

"Ron Bennington joins me on today's episode to talk about interview style and his series Unmasked. Ron is someone whose style of interviewing I've always admired, it seemed fitting to have him on this episode."

submitted by clingklop to AriShaffir [link] [comments]

2023.06.09 04:17 DuncanStudios2000 Bro, giys I found an old story of my favorite character I made back on 2018...

Tell me if you think it's canon worthy, compared to my new version...
THEDARKLORD2000's avatar THEDARKLORD2000 Jul 7, 2022 Premium Galleries T LITERATURE The Origin of The Silver Bandit Deviation Actions
Literature Text Name - The Silver Bandit
Real Name - Aliza Yashnikov
Age - 26
Height - 5'6"
Weight - 115 lb
Eye Color - Green
Hair Color - Silver
Occupation - Owns Silver Sword ind. , and is a trained surgical assistant
Allies - The Vengeance, Silver Sword, Heather Raven, Meghan Taylor, The Dutchess and Phillip Edwin
Foes - The Defenders of Earth, Roger Crilly, A.U.S.S.I, and The Assassin's Organization
Powers - highly trained assassin, martial artist, markswoman, swordswoman, Olympic-level gymnast, also has super strength (up to 12 tons), heightened senses including; foresight, pre-cognition, combat empowerment, and durability, also has probability manipulation, as well as longevity.
Origin Story - At just the age of 9 her father shot her mother and used her to get away, after that incident she wandered southern Russia eventually being captured by war trafficker's, after a few months she managed to escape and continued to wander around eventually coming across France who in which a police officer found her and put her in a foster home.
She stayed with a kind and loving family for almost 3 years until one day they were walking down a street and her foster parents were assassinated, she ran from the scene being chased by the assassinators coming up to a dock and boarded a cargo ship, she got on just as it was leaving escaping her assailants.
She ventured off hiding in a cargo crate, ending up in New York City, she lived on the street for a long while until a young man found her, he gave her his sandwich and revealed himself to be Roger Crilly, He brought her to his building and gave her a room to stay in.
After a few months she grew to trust him, and he offered her a way to get back at the people that hurt her, she of course reluctantly agreed, he took her to a room where a man named Dr Wilson was, they gave her a special serum that made her super strong and she began training under Roger's wing.
One day she was tested by having to kill an unknown man, at first she resisted but she ended up killing the man anyway, Roger knew she was ready, he gave her a job to go and kill his older brother Charlie, who was in a hospital in LA do to a cancer in his brain, she went off with Roger's other brother Jett and poisoned Charlie.
Aliza came back victorious earning her right as an official Assassin member, eventually she met another assassin named Reed Smith, whom she fell in love with, one day she found out she was pregnant and tried to hide it from Roger, who ended up finding out anyway.
He attempted to kill the child before it was born but Aliza fought back, and ended up on the run, she came up to Reed who reveled that he was indeed a clone of the original who died several years ago because of treason, she fought him vigorously, but Jett ended the fight by shooting the clone through the skull.
Jett helped Aliza hide from his younger brother, Jett eventually reveled that the man she had shot long ago was in fact her father, he helped her find a safe place to live which was in LA where she started a new life under the name Alisha Young and became an assistant surgical nurse to Aaron Thompson.
After a few years she reveled to Aaron (who was the Vengeance) that she was the Silver Bandit, to in which he of course thought that was the coolest thing he ever heard, they helped each other on missions every now and then.
While she was acting as a nurse, she started a new company where refuge assassin's could stay and help people who needed it most, she ended up being one of the many heroes who died due to the actions of the Dark Lord, but was eventually ( along with everyone else) revived a couple decades later, when she came back she found out her son was an adult and older than her in fact, and was carrying her name as the Silver Bandit.
He of course willingly gave her, her title back and named himself the Black Mamba, she continued to work as a vigilante sometimes helping the main heroes and even ended up helping Charlette Swiftly ( Charlie's granddaughter) fight Charlie and his team, after the fight ceased with Charlie in a coma, she went back to fight crime off the streets and ultimately gave up her life fighting the Dark Redeemers.

submitted by DuncanStudios2000 to KeepWriting [link] [comments]

2023.06.09 03:12 Tillerfen Is Canned Chicken Breast High in Histamine?

I completely cannot tolerate canned fish but was wondering if canned chicken breast is also high in histamine. it's the sams club natural member mark chunk chicken breast with no preservatives.

submitted by Tillerfen to HistamineIntolerance [link] [comments]

2023.06.09 02:11 totalstatemachine Detailed trapper guide

Much like many others who saw the developer Q&A from yesterday, I was disappointed when they announced no significant changes coming for their poster boy killer, the trapper. The trapper is an outdated killer and I question the logic of leaving him untouched simply based on kill rate and accessibility for newer players.
However, despite popular opinion here and elsewhere, I believe the trapper is still a very viable killer provided you know how to play him. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve seen people claim you need to go full on basement trapper to have a decent result, you cannot win vs good survivors with the trapper, etc etc….none of which I find to be true.
Before we go any further though, you might be asking, who am I and why should you listen to me? Well, I’ve been a trapper main for many years and my win rate tracks north of 70% last I checked. I have played trapper against survivors of all skill levels, including members of competitive teams and I am ranked just outside the top fifty in the world in trap catches. I make no claims to being the ‘best’ trapper player nor would I ever do so – I simply have confidence in my ability to play this killer with a reasonable amount of success.
Without further ado, let’s get started!

Builds

Making a good perk build for the trapper is relatively simple – unless you’re going for a more ‘fun’ build, you need perks that will address his shortcomings.
That’s why my first pick is the longtime trapper standard, Corrupt Intervention. Corrupt gives us time at the start to set traps without having to worry about gens popping left and right. Even if you get a down relatively early and the perk expires, you still got value for having some time to set up traps and denying survivors from spawning in on gens.
Trapper could also use some help chase wise, as at the end of the day he is primarily an m1 killer and there will be times when your traps don’t work as well as they would like. Therefore, my second pick is Save the Best for Last. Trapper has no m2 attack to conserve stacks, but we can gain additional stacks by hitting survivors out of traps they step in and if the obsession steps in one, we can simply lift them out and lose no stacks at all. This perk gives him some much-needed lethality and provides us with something to lean on when we’re forced to play machete boy.
Trapper also needs some more active slowdown, as his best time is in the mid or late game and it’s extremely helpful to slow the game down. That’s why I finished my build with Pop Goes the Weasel and Jolt. Jolt is a very good trapper perk and pairs well with our chase perk, STBFL – if a survivor steps in a trap, we can hit them out to both get a stack of STBFL and proc Jolt, and since your traps will usually be near areas with generators (more on this later), we can more consistently get value from this than other killers. Pop Goes the Weasel is certainly not the perk it once was but having run it for some time I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the value provided. It works best on gens with fair bit of progress, but coming across such well progressed gens as trapper is rather common (unfortunately). It is also getting a solid buff to bring the regression up to 30% of current, which is nice.

Addons

The trapper is a very addon dependent killer. Without them, we have two traps on hand, they arm somewhat slowly and can be disarmed with no real penalty to the survivors – and, oh yeah, this is without mentioning that you must go around collecting all of them. That’s why, in my opinion, our best addon choices are ones that make our traps more dangerous or allow us to progress through the map without having to constantly rearm traps in the process.
My personal favorite trapper addon is the Iridescent Stone. Iri stone mitigates one of trapper’s biggest weaknesses and allows us to ‘set and forget’. It is also a lifesaver on maps where hiding your traps is impractical and you’re forced to use them more for pallet or loop denial.
My second choice would be the Honing Stone. While this addon does little if we herd survivors into traps (we’re already there to grab/hit them, after all) you will have many situations when someone away from your location steps into a trap. In many scenarios, you will not be able to get there fast enough – after all, they could escape on their first attempt! Not with this they can’t. Anyone that frees themselves will go into the dying state, and even if they do call out for a teammate to assist them, that’s still taking another survivor off gens to assist their teammate. While not perfect, sometimes this addon can turn around games that were otherwise looking like a surefire loss.
So, you might be asking, why not the Trapper Sack? I completely understand those that wish to take it. Having all your traps on hand from the beginning is a gamechanger and makes certain maps where our trap spawn RNG is so punishing, like Borgo, much more manageable. It is a very powerful addon. The drawback of not being able to pick up your traps, however, can be considerable with my style of playing trapper, so I don't personally prefer it.

Gameplay

This is where the meat of this mini guide will be. Keep in mind this is just how I play trapper – others may have their own successful styles, and that’s to be expected!
Setup phase
As you spawn into the map, the best thing to do at the start is identify the side of the map with the most generators. It may seem like an obvious statement, but we don’t want to place traps where survivors have no reason to be. Once we’ve done that, we can start trapping up strategic loops and/or strong structures in this area. One mistake I see a lot of newer trappers make is overcommitting to this phase. Having one gen pop while you set up is normal, sometimes two. If a third gens pops by the time you’ve finished, however, you’ve left yourself with little room for error – your better hope your grand plan works. For this reason, I find it best to set around three reliable traps in the beginning. The rest you can set either during chase or after hooking survivors (not within their field of vision, of course – we don’t want our traps being called out immediately).
Trapping pallet loops
Traps placed in loops will often be your bread and butter. For a common pallet loop, I suggest trapping off to the side of the loop rather than placing a trap right in the path of the pallet, ideally within some foliage, if available, or the side facing away from an object like a generator or a hook. When that survivor comes to the loop, we can then herd them around the loop and into our trap. Survivors like to hug loops tightly, and we can take advantage of this. If you’re on a map like The Game, however, you will often have little choice but to drop your trap in the path of the pallet – hardly ideal, but even if they abandon the area rather than stepping into the trap, we can sandwich them into a hit and deny use of the pallet. It is very important that we don’t place the trap in the middle of the pallet, however, as survivors can then just drop the pallet directly over the trap and vault over. You must carefully place the trap at the ‘lip’ of the pallet not only to avoid this, but also to cover the path sufficiently so survivors can’t worm their way around the trap (argh, so frustrating!) when running the loop.

Trap placed on side of pallet loop
Trapping jungle gyms
There are a few ways we can attack the jungle gym. Often the front of the jungle gym will have a small patch of grass leading from the pallet side back to the open area towards the window, and we can catch survivors here. My personal favorite, however, is to trap the corner coming from the window vault going towards the pallet. Quite often, survivors will hug this loop after vaulting and step directly into the trap.

Jungle Gym front trap

Jungle gym corner trap
Trapping shack
The shack can be a strong structure to trap. There are many ways we can trap the shack, from placing the trap at the window, just before the pallet door or on the window side of shack within foliage. However, if the shack pallet is still up, I recommend simply placing the trap at the pallet door. This may seem too obvious, but many survivors, especially at higher levels of play, are quite wise to traps being placed on the side of shack and will avoid grass or foliage like the plague with plenty of room to still make the window even if you’re in chase. Using the trap at the pallet door gives them no choice but to deal with it, and it can prove especially strong assuming we’ve taken the iri stone addon.
Faking traps
Baiting the survivor into thinking we’re going to trap an untrapped pallet, for example, can be quite useful. If you’re chasing a survivor and they come across a rather strong pallet to play, start the trap setting process and cancel it after about one second. Quite often, survivors will bail rather than take a chance at being stuck at the loop, and we can chase them to a less favorable area. Addons such as the Trapper Gloves and Fastening Tools speed up our trap setting speed and make it more difficult for survivors to tell if we’re simply faking it or committing to setting the trap, and there will be occasions when a survivor gets overly confident, and the trap will be set before they abandon the loop.
Survivors downed within a pallet
Survivors going down inside a pallet or crawling underneath an undropped pallet is quite common in DBD. This makes most killers think twice about picking up lest they get a pallet dropped on their head. As a trapper, though, we have a trick up our sleeve. By trapping the most vulnerable side of the pallet, we can deny pallet saves or in our best case scenario, even catch a would-be rescuer unawares and into the waiting jaws of our trap!
Hidden/clipped traps
These are the sneakiest and sometimes most controversial traps. There are certain areas where traps will clip into or under the environment and make them essentially invisible. Finding locations for these is a lot of fun, but keep in mind that these could be patched out or erased when maps are redesigned, so enjoy them while you can.

Under wood pile on Pale Rose ship

Under floorboards at the shrine on Sanctum of Wrath
Hidden in the rubble pile stairway on Midwich
There are many more tips, tricks and analysis I could give, but this guide is meant to be an introduction into basic gameplay for the trapper. I am working on a more extensive guide that will cover every map in DBD, perk choices, alternate builds and so on, but this will take some time. I hope you enjoyed reading it, and I hope it inspires a few of you to pick up ol’ Evan for a couple games if nothing else. Happy trapping!

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2023.06.09 01:26 DazzlingMethod4074 La La Land 17+ New & Exp. Player Friendly Serious RP Hiring PD & EMS New Server LGBTQ+ Friendly

https://preview.redd.it/rotcf9vwov4b1.jpg?width=1440&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4435d454181f5460a373aa00630b9ca03f86cc4d
🌴🌇 Welcome to La La Land: A Thrilling Adventure in Los Angeles, California! 🌇🌴
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2023.06.09 00:39 Snoo_72851 My matchup predictions for the final war

With the final arc seemingly approaching, I felt it necessary to draw up my list of what I think the matchups for the climactic final battle will be. Once the ongoing sideplot with Blackbeard and Imu have finally ended, all that will be left will be the ongoing rivalry between the Straw Hat Crew and Cross Guild; note that I know I am throwing only the Straw Hats crew proper against the entire Cross Guild fleet officers here, but do keep in mind that while there are ten members in the leading crew of the Straw Hats Grand Fleet, the leading crews of Cross Guild (as a unit, as the Guild is led by the Buggy-Alvida alliance) could barely make the list as a whole.
Without further ado:

Luffy vs. Buggy: This one is not as obvious as it would seem. You might think, obviously Luffy has a longer and more storied rivalry with Alvida than he does with Buggy; shouldn't she be his final opponent? Well, I'd generally say yes, but there is a reason for Luffy to go for the less direct target that I'll explain a bit further down. Now, as far as sloppy seconds go, Buggy is a choice cut; regardless of the fact that he holds the same rank as Alvida within the alliance, he is the face of the organization, plus he was effectively the one opponent to ever manage to damage the Straw Hat; Oda foreshadowing that he is the only opponent to stand a true threat to our beloved crew?
Zoro vs. Cabaji: A more obvious, direct matchup. Cabaji is one of Buggy's strongest and most trusted underlings, not to mention the crew's most senior swordsman; he is, too, the first swordsman Zoro fought onscreen. He also posed much more trouble for Zoro than most other opponents ever did, almost outright killing him with his wicked techniques and sickass unicycle tricks. Will unabashed power defeat unopposed drip?
Nami vs. Alvida: As I said before, there's some explaining to do here. Nami is, as you might have noticed, a woman. She usually is made to fight the enemy crew's seniormost (and usually, only) female member. She fought Miss Doublefinger in Alabasta, Kalifa in Enies Lobby, Lola in Thriller Bark... It stands to reason this trend might continue in the final war. As for the matchup itself, it works; both women fight using blunt weapons (a staff and a club respectively), both have some control over friction (Nami can do some crazy magic with atmospheric friction, while Alvida can negate it completely with her DF), and both of them have incomparable rizz.
Usopp vs. Buggy Ball Attendant: No this is not racist shut up. The Buggy Ball Attendant is a small man with a big role; he is Cross Guild's seniormost artilleryman, and while his arsenal might be limited to a single projectile, it certainly packs a punch. While Usopp can call upon a much greater variety of attacks, none of them have been shown to be as destructive in scale as the Buggy Ball. I feel this matchup would be very balanced, especially if the Buggy Ball Attendant has gotten some new tricks since we last saw him fight. Who knows, maybe he can throw them with his bare hands, Garp style.
Sanji vs. Mohji: This one is a doozy. These two on the surface have no real combat chemistry; furthermore, Mohji has been shown to prefer letting his lion Richie do the fighting for him, which would seemingly mark him as a noncombatant. However, their similarities become more apparent after a little digging. His name ends with the suffix -ji, he is constantly fighting with the crew's swordsman for the position of second in command, and he loves food. Am I describing Sanji? Am I describing Mohji? I am describing both.
Chopper vs. Richie: Another obvious matchup. Crew mascot versus crew mascot. This one, however, presents an interesting idea: Up until now I've been treating these as one-on-ones, but as stated before, Mohji prefers to hang back and let Richie do the fighting. Could this one end up a 2v2?
Robin vs. Crocodile: This one is a grudge match. Baroque Works come back with a vengeance; could Miss All-Sunday in her prime defeat a rapidly descending Mister Zero? I will admit, however, this is a bit of a more relaxed match compared to the previously described duels between gods. As the crew's archeologist, Robin is by definition (though certainly not by deed) not even in a combat role, which is why I feel comfortable having her face off against one of the Guild's junior officers.
Franky vs. Galdino: And we pump the heat back up! Much like Sanji vs. Mohji, this matchup does not seem like it would have teeth narratively, but then you notice certain similarities. Franky is the crew's carpenter and engineer, and Galdino is certainly the closest thing to a craftsman among Cross Guild's senior officers. I will admit, however, that those carpenters who designed Buggy's utterly drip-tastic boat deserve some mention; who knows, maybe one of them will join Crocodile and Mihawk in the junior officers' kiddie table.
Brook vs. Mihawk: This one has the least drama yet, honestly. Cross Guild does not have musicians amidst its officers, senior or junior, so I had to take it to Brook's secondary role; he is the Straw Hats' backup swordsman, and so he can fight against (and likely defeat) Cross Guild's backup swordsman, Mihawk.
The Jinbei dilemma: Jinbei is kind of odd here. The only remaining matchups for him that I can think of are Daz Bones, Perona, and Ol D. Man. The issues there are obvious; Jinbei is almost tailor-made to fight DF users, and could easily overcome Daz's range limitation and Perona's physical frailty. On the other hand, Ol D. Man is Viceadmiral level, and might thus prove too powerful for the Straw Hats' helmsman. That said, who's to say Jinbei won't grow to that level by the time this titanic battle between the gods of this world comes to the fore? In fact, look at Ol D. Man in his appearances; he is always sweaty, teary-eyed, covered in water. Yes, I see it now; the matchup will be Jinbei vs. Ol D. Man.

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2023.06.08 23:02 FoodieLoverForver What are some lesser-known but highly recommended restaurants and food experiences in the United States?

There are many lesser-known but highly recommended restaurants and food experiences across the United States. Here are a few examples:
Holeman & Finch Public House (Atlanta, Georgia): This gastropub is known for its exceptional burgers, house-made charcuterie, and craft cocktails. The limited availability of their famous burgers at 10 p.m. each night creates a unique and highly sought-after dining experience.
Paseo Caribbean Food (Seattle, Washington): Paseo is a beloved local spot that serves up mouthwatering Caribbean sandwiches known as "Caribbean Roast." These sandwiches are filled with marinated, slow-roasted pork, chicken, or tofu, topped with flavorful condiments and served on freshly baked bread.
Cochon Butcher (New Orleans, Louisiana): Located next to its sister restaurant, Cochon, this sandwich shop offers a fantastic selection of house-made charcuterie, sausages, and deli-style sandwiches. Their Cochon Muffaletta, a twist on the classic New Orleans sandwich, is a must-try.
Sze Chuan Cuisine (Baltimore, Maryland): This family-owned Chinese restaurant in Baltimore's Chinatown serves authentic Sichuan cuisine. Known for its bold and fiery flavors, their dishes feature numbing Sichuan peppercorns and a variety of spices that make for an unforgettable culinary experience.
Zahav (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania): Zahav is an acclaimed modern Israeli restaurant that offers a unique dining experience featuring dishes that highlight the flavors and traditions of Israeli cuisine. Their tasting menus and family-style dining options allow guests to explore a variety of flavors and textures.
The Berghoff (Chicago, Illinois): The Berghoff is a historic German restaurant in downtown Chicago. Established in 1898, it offers classic German dishes such as sausages, schnitzel, and sauerbraten, along with a wide selection of beers brewed in-house.
Din Tai Fung (Various locations): While gaining popularity in recent years, Din Tai Fung remains a lesser-known gem for those new to the world of Taiwanese dumplings. Renowned for their delicate, handcrafted xiaolongbao (soup dumplings), Din Tai Fung offers an exceptional dining experience.
Remember, the culinary landscape is constantly evolving, and there are countless hidden gems and unique food experiences waiting to be discovered across the United States. It's always a good idea to explore local recommendations, food blogs, and review sites to uncover lesser-known but highly recommended restaurants and food experiences in the areas you plan to visit.

submitted by FoodieLoverForver to u/FoodieLoverForver [link] [comments]

2023.06.08 22:53 Murky_Plane_878 Is Iman Gadzhi Legit? Grow Your Agency, IAG Media Facts & What we can learn

Iman Gadzhi has been completely blowing up, you can't avoid the guy.
I’m in the digital marketing space and word kind of gets around. The question that always comes up is "is / was this guy legit?"
After all he has, what I would say is BY FAR the most massive course on not just ads, but creating an agency with "no experience"
That has made me feel an obligation to share some of the facts I've accumulated from others in the industry, and also empirically, to restore some balance as most of his course marketing seems targeted heavily towards not just beginners, but to un-informed minors and teenagers
I'm not here to moralize about those points. I saw another post on Iman, but thought it had a lot of opinions in it. So my hope is to simply put this information out there and help people parse what’s true, by sharing what I've heard, sticking close to as facts as possible.
Lastly, I could still be off about certain things, so forgive for for that -- and feel free to add below -- but anyway let's get into it!
1. Iman's Agency IAG Media
Controversially, Iman shut down his own agency I believe last year. Or rather, "gave it to his CMO to run"
What happened in reality, is just a few days after this announcement, the calendar was offline on his website. In other words, they immediately shut down for new business.
Where it gets interesting. My friend's agency actually had worked with IAG Media in the past and had the following to say (and this is 100% verified). I have not seen this info anywhere publicly...
And it's interesting because it's like, "does this guy teaching in a course know what he's doing?"
“Is his agency legit? Here’s the story”:
a. When this client was onboarded, IAG media promised to re-build the client's entire website and funnel, but they literally never did it.
b. They also promised to do some specific training, but it never happened either.
c. IAG created just one batch of ad creatives at the very beginning of the deal, these creatives did not perform, and they were never replaced.
d. The "new targeting" with the client's existing creatives also failed completely.
e. When these issues were brought up, IAG's "CMO" doubled down and said actually overall sales were up
f. When they canceled the contract after 3 months (spending $15k and making negative ROI on ad spend) Iman said on the call "this is such a small contract for us, we actually don't even need your business"
2. Iman Gadzhi's YouTube
Iman knows how to juice the algorithm on YouTube and had pretty unparalleled growth.
His comment section may seem like bots, but the truth seems to be that Iman pays for these comments by posting an instagram story saying he will give a random comment $x.
This is not to my knowledge against any terms of service, however it does obscure any negative comments.
His biggest scandal has generally been around his two big video series, "Digital Renaissance" and "The Great Reset"
Generally, these were just huge marketing funnels for his course. Even if he wasn't pitching it directly in every video, you are now on his marketing email list, getting retargeted, and in his funnel.
There was a controversy around his action of taking down the "Digital Renaissance" video series. While he claimed these videos were removed by YouTube, he got caught red handed and had to make a (since deleted) apology video.
Worth noting, there were some large claims made in these videos about history and current events, though no direct citations or sources on any of the claims.
3. Gents Croquet Club NFT
Not that we care about NFTs here, or are they related to agencies or ads, but many people who start in Imans funnel end up becoming interested in his other "items" so it's worth a mention.
At the peak of the NFT bubble, Iman started marketing for "Gents Croquet Club", a membership club like Andrew Tate's War room, except membership was bought and sold as an NFT.
There was a fixed number of issued, and a 1:1 call to "vet for quality" but by all intents and purposes this was a sales call with commission being paid per signup.
This capitalized simultaneously the NFT hype because it was explicitly sold as not just an extremely expensive mastermind group, but an "investment" that would retain its value.
And for a while, it did, shooting up from its original purchase price of $4,000 and hanging out at around $10,000 for quite some time.
But since, it's crashed down to $3,300 -- 70% from all time high -- and it was crashed by Iman himself.
Since the NFT platform OpenSea changed their terms of service Iman to pay less royalties on every NFT sale, GCC was changed to be open to the general public as a yearly subscription.
Meaning no more vetting, no more scarce supply, now anyone could join for a fee.
Upon this news, the price crashed, meaning every holder lost around $7000.
Perhaps people got enough value to justify, even losing a bit of money on this investment.
However, in a since deleted video, one member complained they were not delivering on their promised features either.
First that the concierge feature was just a highly marked up version of another service which already exists.
And second, that the only real event in the lifetime of GCC was a meetup in Cape Town.
Iman himself was only at this meetup for about an hour or less, then left to go to a safari on a private jet with some friends.
4. Lifestyle
Just a few additional bullet points on Iman's lifestyle claims. Not trying to ad hominem attack the guy, but since its in all of his marketing, it feels like fair game.
-- He grew up with "nothing"
Self-admittedly, he grew up in the Knightsbridge neighborhood of London, in the UK it's known as "posh" basically fancy, but not just that, arguably the most fancy district in the whole country. He also went to a high school that was $50,000 per year.
From a 50/50 source he had a personal driver, some sources say a Rolls Royce to go to school.
His parents went through a divorce, however regardless of how things went down financially (he often claims his step dad stopped paying his internet bills), the fact is, both Iman and his mom were both well-off enough to continue living in Knightsbridge, and going to this expensive school school (until he dropped out)
-- Don't Worry Young Man, He pays the girls for those trips
Factually have confirmed this one is 100% true, and just a funny one here, often Iman is posting Dan Bilzerian-style vacations with tons of women on his instagram.
People ask him a lot about this and he will nonchalantly say "they're just his friends" and downplay it.
He directly pays a company called "Tilted" tens of thousands of dollars to organize these trips for him, and invite all the girls. These are mostly poorer girls from Russia and Ukraine.
You can Google for "Tilted Official" and you will see this is true.
So draw your own conclusions from this. That’s all I’ve got. Hope it didn’t come across as a personal vendetta, however I feel some obligation to share.
What I will say in summary, is you may be in the course, or close to buying it. You might be annoying with Iman saying "SMMA is the easiest business model for teenagers" but this this is a hard, ever changing game to get into. 99% of these students will fail over a 5 year period when they realize, oh, It's not that hard to close a sales call eventually, the hard part is retention.
That's it!

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