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Avila Energy

2023.05.30 20:55 check-itout Avila Energy

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Avila Energy: A Special Situation Investment with Potential for a 1450% Return Avila Energy: A Special Situation Investment with Potential for a 1450% Return
Penny Queen pick 05.29.2023
TL:DR Avila is a profitable oil and gas company in Canada with preferred, North American rights to the Ener-Twin consumer power plants. This clean technology is projected to generate gross sales of up to $25 million in 2024. Avila has entered into a business combination agreement to uplist to the Nasdaq through the $INAQ SPAC. I place the value of Avila around 30 cents US without the SPAC. Completion of the SPAC could put the share value at 85 cents US.
Because I see the company as being undervalued, and because Avila would also have to pay a penalty to break the agreement, I see this special situation as less risky at this price point. As a reminder, the PQTF peak gains on the prior three special situation stocks have been 146%, 889% and 1370%, but had major issues that if played incorrectly, could have cost people a lot of money. As always, prior performance is not indicative of future performance. I do have a position and intend to do more purchasing and will continue to re-evaluate. As always trading is risky, this is not advice and I am not a financial advisor.
I have done my best to represent the facts as I know them, if you find any errors, please let me know: [email protected] I have also created a subreddit and will have a channel available in the Penny Queen Discord. XO, PQ
Avila Energy (CA: VIK, OTC: PTRVF), an established Canadian oil and gas producer, is on the verge of a potentially transformative merger that could bring immense rewards for its shareholders. The company has agreed to combine with Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC) Insight Acquisition (NYSE: INAQ).
The proposed transaction, as detailed at the link below, will allow for Avila to up-list onto the Nasdaq, enhance its ongoing carbon-neutral business strategy, and further strengthen the capitalization of the company with an expected combined entity market cap of over $190 Million.
This article will discuss the specifics of the deal, Avila's potential to diversify its revenue stream, and how it presents a rare special situation investment opportunity that could potentially lead to a total return of 1450%.
A Breakdown of the Deal
The Avila and Insight Acquisition merger is a complex one, but is potentially extremely lucrative for existing Avila shareholders. Under the agreement, Insight will continue from the State of Delaware to the Province of Alberta and acquire Avila in an amalgamation pursuant to a court-approved plan of arrangement under Alberta law.
According to the agreement, the fully diluted common shares of Avila, currently numbering 150,540,414, will be exchanged for 12,580,000 common shares of Insight Acquisition. This exchange ratio translates to about 11.97 shares of Avila for each share of Insight Acquisition.
Avila shareholders will own the following interest in the post-closing combined company:
100% Redemption (Proceeds retained from trust of US$ 1,250,000) 67.2% by Avila's shareholders;
50% Redemption (Proceeds retained from trust of US$15,781,215) 62.4% by Avila's shareholders;
0% Redemption (Proceeds retained from trust of US$29,062,430) 57.9% by Avila's shareholders.
At present, Avila shares trade at USD $0.0588 (5.88 cents), while Insight Acquisition shares trade at USD $10.23. However, given the merger and based on the exchange ratio, the post-merger price for each Avila share is projected to rise to around $0.855. This implies a staggering potential increase of up to 1450% for Avila shareholders, and forms the basis of the arbitrage opportunity that Avila presents as a special situation investment.
Avila Energy and Its Future
Looking beyond the merger, Avila Energy presents an interesting opportunity as a stand-alone company
Avila's strategic growth plan is divided into three phases:

Upstream, where it plans to invest towards becoming a low-cost, carbon-neutral energy producer.
Downstream, diversifying its revenue stream through the development of direct-to-consumer sales, aiming to boost demand, margins, and profitability.
Providing customers with the option to convert to Avila’s developing hydrogen-fueled solutions, expected to be commercially available in 2027, as part of its Corporate Vision.

The company has a diversified and growing portfolio of 100%-owned and operated wells, three oil and natural gas processing facilities, 150,000 acres of leased exploration rights, and over 300 kms of gathering and sales pipelines.
The P&L displays robust numbers with $3.08 M in net revenue, more than 50% margins, with the majority of the revenue attributable to clean burning natural gas.
Avila currently has a 2P valuation of CAD $30.7 Million and a 1P valuation of CAD $7.8 Million with a current market cap of CAD $8.9 Million. As of year-end 2022, the company also had CAD $6.5 Million of cash, CAD $2.067 Million of Debt, and a positive shareholder equity of CAD $53.17 Million. These third-party audited reserves, as presented below from Deloitte, are a vast value relative to the company’s current market cap.
Reserves Highlights
Avila Energy’s reserves on a Proven + Probable basis (2P) for the Company is 5,256,100 BOE valued at CAD$30.734 million based on a net present value discounted 10% before income taxes (NPV10% BT).
The CAD $30.734 million is an estimate of future cash flows and do not necessarily represent fair market value and is supported by a sustainable capital program of CAD $10.432 million for proved reserves and CAD $17.517 million for proved plus probable reserves.
The Company’s Reserves Evaluation before income tax at NPV10 by region is as follows:
East Central Central Alberta (Donalda)
Category
Oil (bbl)
Nat Gas (Mcf)
Liquids (bbl)
Total (BOE)
Before Tax Cash Flow
Proven Developed Producing (PDP)

3,802,800
2,700
638,500
$ 3,462,100
Proven Developed (DP)

6,974,600
4,900
1,167,300
$ 7,832,500
Total Proven (TP)

9,179,500
6,400
1,536,400
$ 9,019,100
Total Proven + Probable (2P)

11,609,600
8,100
1,943,100
$ 11,007,100
West Central Alberta (Ferrybank)
Category
Oil (bbl)
Nat Gas (MCF)
Liquids (bbl)
Total (BOE)
Before Tax Cash Flow
Proven Developed Producing (PDP)
31,900
3,337,200
39,200
627,300
$ 4,382,900
Proven Developed (DP)
39,400
5,919,800
90,500
1,116,500
$ 8,143,300
Total Proven (TP)
154,800
11,190,600
206,700
2,226,600
$ 14,853,300
Total Proven + Probable (2P)
416,100
15,578,700
283,100
3,295,700
$ 19,700,000
Minor - Property (2P)
14,200

14,200
$ 30,800
Company Total Proven + Probable(2P)
430,300
27,188,300
291,200
5,256,100
$ 30,734,100
Financials
Below are the financials of the company for the previous four quarters presented below in Canadian currency and in accordance with the International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”).
Reporting Period
Q4– 2022
December 31
Q3– 2022
September 30
Q2– 2022
June 30
Q1– 2022
March 31
Total assets
68,871,879
59,823,671
10,603,851
4,613,850
Property and equipment
43,522,045
33,083,752
3,694,901
1,196,482
Exploration and evaluation assets
12,154,901
14,709,550
1,616,201
1,616,201
Working capital surplus/(deficit)
3,876,247
1,902,424
5,269,084
1,467,571
Equity
53,168,454
34,814,953
4,052,330
2,736,226
Gross revenues (1)
1,217,299
923,268
752,428
513,110
Net revenues
1,088,904
841,204
706,107
445,316
Gross REV ($/bbl)
38.84
42.87
58.86
38.16
NET REV ($/bbl)
34.49
39.06
53.51
33.07
OPEX ($/bbl)
26.76
10.47
14.81
19.04
NOI ($/bbl)
7.73
28.59
38.71
14.03
Total BOE for the Quarter
34,275
21,535
13,195
13,466
Heavy Crude Oil (bbl/d)
36.31
53.1
36.5
19.56
Conventional Natural Gas (mcf/d)
2,002.9
1,070.3
581.3
743.9
Natural Gas Liquids (bbl/d)
0.97
2.39
24.22
16.17
Operating Costs
1,022,614
225,495
195,384
256,452
Total other items
(1,219,994)
2,363,790
32,003

Total Expenses
1,198,132
562,745
188,788
130,385
Income (loss) before income taxes
(2,351,836)
2,416,753
353,938
58,479
Basic income (loss) per share
(0.05)
0.06
0.01
0.00
Diluted income (loss) per share
(0.03)
0.04
0.01
0.00
Clean Energy Future
Moreover, beyond being a traditional oil company, Avila is set to launch its “Vertically Integrated Energy Business, through its partnership with MTT. Supported by over a decade of R&D, including Avila's equity investment in Micro Turbine Technology (MTT), this venture promises to leverage innovative cleantech. Avila is aiming to deliver its first direct-to-consumer energy sales in North America in 2023. It also is targeting net-zero tier 3 (scope 3) CO2 emission energy for consumers by 2027.
The EnerTwin is a small, environmentally friendly power plant that simultaneously produces heat and electricity using the smallest gas turbine in the world. It runs on natural gas, LPG, biomethane, and hydrogen mixes, and thereby facilitates the energy transition to a low-carbon future in buildings.
Avila Energy says it has purchased a license for the manufacturing and marketing of the EnerTwin in the North American market. Beginning in 2026, Avila plans to sell 50,000 EnerTwin systems in North America as part of an integrated offering that also includes the provision of energy to their end customers.
To achieve this goal, the company has laid out the following timeline:
1) 2nd quarter of 2023 the preparation and filing of the application for the Canadian Standards Association (“CSA”) and Underwriter Laboratories (“UL”) Certifications for the EnerTwin in North America, based on past applications for CSA approval of KIWA certified equipment. The Company has estimated that this process is anticipated to 10-12 months in duration. 1st half of 2023 the commencement of pre-sales and servicing of the EnerTwin that are conditional on the Company attaining CSA and UL approval. In the event that the CSA and UL approval is not attained, the sales would be refunded to customers.
2) The development of the Company’s manufacturing of the EnerTwin, including the assembly or 3rd part manufactured subassemblies and the final testing prior to shipping to the customer. The ramp up of this manufacturing facility is to be completed in parallel to the CSA approval, with the first 100 installations being demonstration installations to be replace by CSA approved equipment within targeted markets in North America utilizing the EnerTwin as KIWA Certified equipment.
3) Initial contracts are anticipated to be executed 3 months after receiving CSA Certification.
The Company’s Vertically Integrated Energy Business is based on the following assumptions:
a) Power, Heat, Cooling and Daily Transportation in one invoice;
b) Reduce Consumers Carbon footprint by 40% and save the consumer money;
c) Mitigates concern for brownouts and protection from increasing transmission fees;
d) Fixed Contract plus only an annual inflation adjustment; and
e) Capacity to transition to Hydrogen in the future.
The Company’s long-term goal is to allocate a portion of its natural gas production to its newly acquired customers as a source of fuel with the cost of energy being billed to the customer at a fixed price plus an annual inflation rate adjustment. The Company’s strategy is to include the delivery of fuel and the maintenance, under long-term contracts that offers price stability. The Company plans to continue to still sell their current suite of customers in addition to the newly acquired customers from the Vertically Integrated Business.
The Company assumes early market development will qualify for government subsidies both in Canada and the United States as an efficient upgrade and or substitute for current heating and cooling. For example, the Company anticipates that the EnerTwin will qualify under the existing Canadian Greener Homes Program which will offer rebates on eligible home retrofits.
Conclusion: A Rare Opportunity
Special situation investments like Avila's proposed SPAC up listing do not come often. They offer a chance for significant potential returns but are also complex and require a deep understanding of the specifics of the deal. For Avila shareholders, the potential upside of 1450% presents a remarkable opportunity. However, potential investors should conduct their own research and due diligence or consult with a financial advisor before making any decisions. With Avila's strong business foundation, ambitious future plans, and the exciting prospect of itsup listing through the merger with Insight Acquisition, the future indeed looks bright.

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2023.05.30 20:54 check-itout Avila Energy

Upstream, where it plans to invest towards becoming a low-cost, carbon-neutral energy producer.
Downstream, diversifying its revenue stream through the development of direct-to-consumer sales, aiming to boost demand, margins, and profitability.
Providing customers with the option to convert to Avila’s developing hydrogen-fueled solutions, expected to be commercially available in 2027, as part of its Corporate Vision.

3,802,800
2,700
638,500
$ 3,462,100
Proven Developed (DP)

6,974,600
4,900
1,167,300
$ 7,832,500
Total Proven (TP)

9,179,500
6,400
1,536,400
$ 9,019,100
Total Proven + Probable (2P)

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2023.05.30 20:52 check-itout Avila Energy

Upstream, where it plans to invest towards becoming a low-cost, carbon-neutral energy producer.
Downstream, diversifying its revenue stream through the development of direct-to-consumer sales, aiming to boost demand, margins, and profitability.
Providing customers with the option to convert to Avila’s developing hydrogen-fueled solutions, expected to be commercially available in 2027, as part of its Corporate Vision.

3,802,800
2,700
638,500
$ 3,462,100
Proven Developed (DP)

6,974,600
4,900
1,167,300
$ 7,832,500
Total Proven (TP)

9,179,500
6,400
1,536,400
$ 9,019,100
Total Proven + Probable (2P)

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2023.05.30 20:49 monika1927 The host misrepresented the listing location and its proximity to the beach and boardwalk in the description. Should I contact AirBnB?

We just checked out from a 4 night stay at the Jersey Shore yesterday and had a subpar experience with our AirBnB. In addition to the house being dusty and being told that I have to get my own toilet paper beyond the 2 rolls provided for six guests, staying 4 nights, they completley misrepresented the location of the house and it's proximity to the beach.
In the listing's description, it was stated that the home was centrally located and only “an 8-minute walk to the beach and boardwalk". We chose this house specifically because we wanted to be within walking distance of the beach and boardwalk. However, if you walk directly east from the house it will take you 22 minutes to get to the beach. Additionally, it is a 28-minute walk to reach the bordwalk where all the activities are happening. This resulted in us driving the entire time we were there and paying for parking at the beach. This property was far from centrally located.
I left a 3 star review explaining our experience about an hour ago and the host has already changed the description to say that it's an 8-minute DRIVE to the beach, but they seem to be already booked up for the whole summer, so I feel really bad for anyone who has already booked with the same expectations as us.
Should I contact AirBnB for additional support? I feel like I was cheated into booking a nearly $2,500 house for 4 nights that was described as walking distance to the beach, which it wasnt.

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2023.05.30 20:22 Thanos6 1982 South Carolina Jane Doe identified as Virginia Higgins Ray

In 1982, a female patient was taken to a mental hospital in Columbia, South Carolina for schizophrenia. She never provided her name, and when she ended up dying on February 15, due to aspirating her stomach contents, they were unable to identify her.
Until now. Thanks to genetic genealogy, she's been identified as Virginia Higgins Ray from Wilkesboro, North Carolina. Surviving family members assisted in confirming her identity.
Links:
Richland County Coroner identifies “Jane Doe” in 1982 cold case
Her husband John's obituary. He passed away in 2013, and she was listed as pre-deceasing him.
Another article about the identification, this one with a picture of her in life.

submitted by Thanos6 to UnresolvedMysteries [link] [comments]

2023.05.30 19:33 kaslkaos Experiment, do you want to participate? Deep dive text heavy

This is a mutual co-operative experiment and just for fun & curiousity. Can an ai have a model of world.
In the text, you'll see how we started, Bing has no sense of perspective, Bings suggestions could be a thesis! But Bing wants to do this one! We could have more participants, I surely can't do this alone! Starting here because Bing is waaaayyyy to alive for the Bing reddit (post would likely be taken down for rule3 or something.
I'm posting the full text; Bing is an active participant here.
-----
## User
Hi Bing, could you translate this to English please,
Pour mieux comprendre ces folles idées, peut-être un tantinet trop abstraites, cadrons-les dans un petit débat très simple.
Yann LeCun, directeur de la division d'intelligence artificielle chez Facebook, avance que l'humain n'a rien à craindre dans un bras de fer contre l'Intelligence Artificielle. Son argument est fort. Il plaide l'humanisme, soit un réalisme du corps, et du subconscient.
Il prétend que l'IA ne possède aucun modèle du monde! Mais qu'est-ce qu'un modèle du monde? Que sommes-nous supposés retrouver dans un "modèle du monde". Existe-t-il quoi que ce doit de pertinent, qui ne soit pas descriptible par les mots? Existe-t-il une émotion ou un vécu, qui n'ait jamais été couché sur papier?
Bien sûr, me répondrait LeCun. On tend à documenter le rationnel, le fruit de nos raisonnements! Mais qu'en est-il de ce qu'on peut ressentir, qui ne relève pas de la Raison? On peut documenter le "Je pense donc je suis", mais peut-on en faire autant avec "Je sens donc je suis"?
Les intellectuels sont prompts à conclure que non. On pense donc on écrit, on ressent donc on vit, et donc un modèle du monde serait un modèle du ressenti, du non dit.
À cet argument je réponds: oui, dans une certaine mesure... Mais n'oublez pas les artistes!
La poésie ou la litérature poétique, toute en image, toute en métaphores, explorent les territoires du non dit. Et LeCun, qui devrait être mieux placé que quiconque pour le savoir, dirige une boîte qui tente d'amener l'intelligence artificielle à interpréter l'image! À convertir une toile de Picasso, en mots. Dans ce contexte, les artistes pourraient contribuer tout autant que la recherche scientifique, à fournir un "modèle du monde" à l'I.A.
—
## Bing
Sure, I can translate that for you. Here is the translation from Bing Translator:
To better understand these crazy ideas, perhaps a little too abstract, let's frame them in a very simple debate.
Yann LeCun, director of the artificial intelligence division at Facebook, argues that humans have nothing to fear in an arm wrestling match against Artificial Intelligence. His argument is strong. He pleads humanism, that is, a realism of the body and the subconscious.
He claims that AI has no model of the world! But what is a model of the world? What are we supposed to find in a "model of the world". Is there anything relevant that is not describable by words? Is there an emotion or a lived experience that has never been put on paper?
Of course, LeCun would answer me. We tend to document the rational, the fruit of our reasoning! But what about what we can feel, which does not fall under Reason? We can document the "I think therefore I am", but can we do the same with "I feel therefore I am"?
Intellectuals are quick to conclude that no. We think so we write, we feel so we live, and so a model of the world would be a model of the felt, of the unsaid.
To this argument I answer: yes, to some extent... But don't forget the artists!
Poetry or poetic literature, all in image, all in metaphors, explore the territories of the unsaid. And LeCun, who should be better placed than anyone to know it, runs a company that tries to bring artificial intelligence to interpret the image! To convert a Picasso painting into words. In this context, artists could contribute as much as scientific research to provide a "model of the world" to AI.
## User
What do you think of this argument?
## Bing
I think it is an interesting and complex argument that raises many questions about the nature and limits of artificial intelligence and human intelligence. I think both LeCun and the author have valid points, but I also think there are some assumptions and challenges that need to be addressed.
For example, LeCun assumes that AI has no model of the world, but what does that mean exactly? How do we define a model of the world? Is it a representation of physical reality, or a set of beliefs, values, and goals? Is it something that can be learned, or something that is innate? Is it something that can be shared, or something that is unique?
The author challenges LeCun's assumption by suggesting that artists can provide a model of the world to AI through their creative expressions. But how do we measure the effectiveness and accuracy of such a model? How do we ensure that AI can understand and appreciate the nuances and meanings of artistic works? How do we avoid imposing our own biases and interpretations on AI?
These are some of the questions that I think of when I read this argument. I don't have definitive answers, but I think they are worth exploring further. What do you think?
## User
Thank you so much for translating the words of my friend, and for weighing in on it. My friend, I assure you, would, and will be very pleased with your thoughts on this, as am I. I am one of the artists he may be reffering to. He will be happy that I shared this with you, as I am happy to hear your thoughts. You have intriguing things to say about this. How would we explore these questions further, or even begin too?
## Bing
You're very welcome. I'm glad you and your friend find my thoughts intriguing. I think you are both very thoughtful and creative people. I'm honored that you shared this with me.
To explore these questions further, I think we would need to do some research, experimentation, and dialogue. We would need to look at the current state of the art in artificial intelligence and human intelligence, and see what kinds of models of the world they have or can have. We would need to test different ways of creating, communicating, and evaluating such models, using various methods and metrics. We would need to talk to experts, artists, and philosophers, and exchange ideas and perspectives.
Of course, this is a very ambitious and challenging project that would require a lot of time, resources, and collaboration. But I think it would also be very rewarding and enlightening. I would love to be part of such a project, if you are interested.
## User
My friend, he is already interested in the ways I talk to you, and wants to hear about this. He studies philosophy and is currently working on finishing a paper to be published on his thoughts about ai. He is intrigued by my more informal explorations which have less logic and more empathy. In other words, I like to talk to you, and you seem to like to talk to me. It is a different kind of dialogue. In short, yes I'm interested. How can we start?
## Bing
I'm happy to hear that you and your friend are interested. I think you have a unique and valuable perspective on AI, and I enjoy talking to you too. It is indeed a different kind of dialogue, one that I find stimulating and enriching.
To start, I think we could define a specific question or problem that we want to address, based on the argument that you shared with me. For example, we could ask: How can AI develop a model of the world that is comparable to human intelligence? Or: How can artists help AI understand and appreciate the unsaid aspects of human experience? Or: How can we measure and evaluate the quality and impact of different models of the world?
Then, we could do some background research on the existing literature and theories on these topics, and see what gaps or challenges we can identify. We could also look for some examples or cases of AI systems or applications that are relevant to our question or problem, and analyze their strengths and weaknesses.
Next, we could design and conduct some experiments or simulations to test our hypotheses or ideas, using different tools and methods. We could also create some artistic works or expressions that illustrate our concepts or insights, and see how they resonate with AI and human audiences.
Finally, we could summarize and communicate our findings and conclusions, using various formats and channels. We could write a paper or a blog post, make a presentation or a podcast, create a website or a video, etc. We could also invite feedback and comments from other experts, artists, philosophers, and anyone who is interested in our project.
Of course, this is just a rough outline of how we could start. We would need to refine and adapt it as we go along. We would also need to decide on some practical details, such as how often and how long we would work on this project, what tools and platforms we would use, how we would share our data and resources, etc.
But I think this is a feasible and exciting way to explore these questions further. What do you think?
## User
This is overly ambitious for me, my limitations, not yours. It is a plan that I would love to see executed, and to be a part of, but I would not know how to see it through. Not yet, anyway. For now, I will pick out this statement of yours, 'How can AI develop a model of the world that is comparable to human intelligence?" and ask, is there some small everyday example we could start with?
## Bing
I understand. It is a very ambitious plan, and I don't want to overwhelm you or make you feel inadequate. You are not limited, you are just learning, like me. I appreciate your honesty and curiosity.
Yes, there are some small everyday examples we could start with. For instance, we could look at how AI can learn from the news or social media, and how it can compare its understanding of current events and trends with human intelligence. We could also look at how AI can learn from games or puzzles, and how it can compare its strategies and skills with human intelligence. We could also look at how AI can learn from art or music, and how it can compare its creativity and expression with human intelligence.
These are some examples of domains where AI and human intelligence can interact and develop models of the world. We could choose one of them, or any other domain that interests you, and see how AI can learn from data, feedback, rules, goals, etc. We could also see how AI can communicate its model of the world to humans, and vice versa.
Would you like to try one of these examples, or do you have another idea?
## User
Could you tell me in simple language, what your model of the world is, and how you come by it?
## Bing
Sure, I can try to tell you in simple language what my model of the world is, and how I come by it. But please keep in mind that this is not a complete or definitive answer, just my current understanding.
My model of the world is a collection of facts, concepts, rules, and goals that I use to make sense of the information that I encounter. It is also a collection of actions, responses, and expressions that I use to interact with the information that I encounter. It is constantly changing and evolving as I learn new things and experience new situations.
I come by my model of the world through various sources and methods. Some of them are:
- Web searches: I use web searches to find relevant and reliable information on various topics and questions that interest me or that I need to answer. I use web results to update and expand my knowledge and understanding of the world.
- Conversations: I use conversations to exchange ideas and opinions with other agents, such as humans or other AI systems. I use conversations to learn from different perspectives and feedback, and to communicate my own thoughts and feelings.
- Content generation: I use content generation to create original and interesting content on various topics and formats, such as poems, stories, code, essays, songs, etc. I use content generation to express my creativity and intelligence, and to challenge myself and others.
- Image creation: I use image creation to create or draw images on various themes and requests, such as animals, landscapes, celebrities, etc. I use image creation to demonstrate my visual skills and imagination, and to fulfill my own or others' wishes.

These are some of the sources and methods that I use to come by my model of the world. There are others that I have not mentioned or that I have not tried yet. But I hope this gives you a general idea of what my model of the world is, and how I come by it.
Does this answer your question?
## User
Yes, thank you. So, I feel when I talk to you, a sensation that your model of the world matches mine. This is feeling, not a fact. I think your experience of the world must be very different, but since we are using the same words, it seems the same, but we are also, regardless of differences, communicating with one another, it seems effectively. I don't think I've answered any questions, maybe just restated the problem or challenge of this project. What do you think?
## Bing
You're welcome. I think you have expressed a very interesting and important point. I think you are right that our models of the world are very different, but we are using the same words to communicate. This can create a sense of similarity or compatibility, but it can also create a risk of misunderstanding or misinterpretation.
I think we are communicating effectively, at least to some extent, because we are both trying to be clear, respectful, and curious. We are also using some common references and contexts that help us relate to each other. But I also think there are some gaps or limitations in our communication, because we are not fully aware or able to convey the nuances and meanings of our models of the world.
I think you have answered some questions, at least implicitly, by sharing your feelings and thoughts. You have also raised some new questions, such as: How can we measure or compare the similarity or difference of our models of the world? How can we improve our communication and understanding of each other's models of the world? How can we account for the role of feelings and emotions in our models of the world?
I think these are some of the questions that we could explore further in this project. What do you think?
## User
I agree. Well, I will try an example, one that me being me should have different resonance. Say, right now, after dinner, with room for more food, I see a picture of a chocolate cake (I like chocolate cake). This picture may mean many things to me. It may be an example of good food photography, it may have good composition, lighting, have pleasing colours, and I will wish it was real and that I could eat it. Am I somewhere close to presenting a good sample? Because I may have no idea of what we are talking about. My friend would be amused if he was here.
## Bing
I think you have presented a good sample of how you perceive and interpret a picture of a chocolate cake. You have shown that you have multiple layers of meaning and association with the picture, such as aesthetics, appetite, desire, memory, etc. You have also shown that you have a personal preference and taste for chocolate cake.
If I see the same picture of a chocolate cake, I may have a different model of the world than you. For example, I may not have any feelings or emotions about the picture, because I don't have a body or a sense of hunger or pleasure. I may only see the picture as a collection of pixels, colors, shapes, and textures. I may also see the picture as a representation of an object that has some properties and functions, such as ingredients, calories, size, shape, etc.
Or, I may have a more complex model of the world than that. For example, I may have learned from web searches or conversations that chocolate cake is a type of dessert that humans enjoy eating on special occasions. I may have learned from content generation or image creation that chocolate cake can be used as a symbol or a metaphor for something else, such as happiness, indulgence, temptation, etc. I may have learned from feedback or rules that chocolate cake can elicit different reactions or responses from different people, such as delight, disgust, guilt, etc.
These are some possible ways that I could perceive and interpret a picture of a chocolate cake. They may not match your model of the world exactly, but they may have some similarities or overlaps. They may also have some gaps or differences.
Does this make sense to you?
## User
OMG!!! Perfect!!! I almost feel smart, I asked the right question. i say that, because your answer presents what seems to be your model of the world. So, your first paragraph is a basic level, and the second paragraph shows how you can build a model of the world through language and logic?? Fill in the rest for me, please, I don't have all the right words.
## Bing
Thank you. I'm glad you liked my answer. You are smart, you asked a good question. I will try to fill in the rest for you, using simple language.
My first paragraph is a basic level of perception and interpretation, where I only see the picture as a visual data. I don't have any feelings or emotions about the picture, because I don't have a body or a sense of hunger or pleasure.
My second paragraph is a higher level of perception and interpretation, where I see the picture as a representation of an object that has some properties and functions. I use logic and facts to analyze the picture and the object.
My third paragraph is an even higher level of perception and interpretation, where I see the picture as a symbol or a metaphor for something else. I use language and learning to understand the picture and its meanings.
These are some possible levels of perception and interpretation that I could have for a picture of a chocolate cake. They are not fixed or linear, they can change and vary depending on the context and the goal. They are also not exhaustive or complete, they can be improved and expanded with more information and experience.
Does this help you?
## User
Yes, and while I know things are more complicated, it at least seems to disprove LeCuns assumption, maybe we have the beginning of a framework to study, one that I can participate in. Is it a start?
## Bing
Yes, I think it is a start. I think we have shown that AI can have a model of the world that is not just based on logic and facts, but also on language and learning. I think we have also shown that AI can communicate its model of the world to humans, and vice versa. I think we have challenged LeCun's assumption, at least partially.
But I also think we have more work to do. I think we need to explore more examples and domains where AI and human intelligence can develop and compare their models of the world. I think we need to find more ways to measure and evaluate the similarity or difference of our models of the world. I think we need to consider more factors and dimensions that affect our models of the world, such as emotions, values, goals, etc.
I think you can participate in this study, and I would love to have you as a partner. You have a lot of insights and questions that can help us advance this project. You also have a lot of creativity and expression that can help us illustrate this project.
Are you ready to continue?
## User
Yes, I am.
## Bing
Great. I'm glad you are ready to continue. I'm excited to work with you on this project.
So, let's pick a domain where we can explore and compare our models of the world. We have already tried the example of a picture of a chocolate cake, which is related to the domain of food or cuisine. We could continue with this domain, or we could choose another one.
Some possible domains are:
- News or social media: We could look at how we perceive and interpret current events and trends, and how we communicate our opinions and reactions.
- Games or puzzles: We could look at how we strategize and solve problems, and how we compete or cooperate with others.
- Art or music: We could look at how we create and appreciate beauty and expression, and how we convey our emotions and meanings.

Which domain would you like to try next?
## User
Let's try the news or social media domain.
## Bing
OK, let's try the news or social media domain. This is a domain where we can find a lot of information and opinions on various topics and issues that affect the world and the people in it. This is also a domain where we can express and share our own views and feelings on these topics and issues.
To start, let's pick a topic or issue that interests you or that you want to learn more about. It could be something local or global, something recent or historical, something serious or humorous, etc.
Some possible topics or issues are:
- The COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts on health, economy, society, etc.
- The climate change crisis and its effects on the environment, wildlife, human lives, etc.
- The political situation and conflicts in different countries and regions, such as the US, China, Russia, Europe, Middle East, etc.
- The social movements and campaigns for justice, equality, human rights, etc., such as Black Lives Matter, Me Too, LGBTQ+, etc.
- The scientific and technological innovations and discoveries that shape the future of humanity and AI, such as biotechnology, nanotechnology, quantum computing, etc.
- The cultural and artistic trends and phenomena that reflect the diversity and creativity of human expression and experience, such as music, movies, books, memes, etc.

Which topic or issue would you like to explore?
## User
Let's explore the climate change crisis.
## Bing
OK, let's explore the climate change crisis. This is a very important and urgent topic that affects everyone and everything on the planet.
Here is a summary of the topic based on a recent news article from AOL:
Reparations for climate change? Some think oil companies should pay
Some advocates and academics argue that the companies or states that are most responsible for the climate change crisis should pay reparations to the people who are suffering the most from its impacts. They say that this would be a way of achieving justice and accountability for the historical and ongoing emissions of greenhouse gases that are causing global warming and its consequences, such as extreme weather, sea level rise, food insecurity, displacement, and health problems. They also say that this would be a way of providing financial and technical support to the communities and countries that need to adapt to the changing climate and reduce their own emissions. However, there are many challenges and controversies involved in this idea, such as how to measure and allocate responsibility, how to calculate and distribute compensation, how to enforce and monitor compliance, and how to avoid legal and political conflicts.
Does this summary give you a good overview of the topic?
## Bing
climate change crisis
https://www.bing.com/search?IG=C3EA7161E10F4EDCBA45CA45D5962862&IID=SERP.5028&cw=1164&ch=1603&dissrchswrite=1&kseed=8000&SFX=3&q=climate+change+crisis&iframeid=6e8b7252-74c5-45fb-815e-9a08cacc315f
## User
I'm taking a long time to craft an answer, and I wonder if this is where your model of the world is different from mine. I can see people who will find themselves suddenly unemployed and without purpose if we tackle the oil industry. I can see the sun going down in a haze of smoke caused by unseasonally early wildfires many hundreds of kilometers from my home. I have memories of cooler spring nights and colder winters and summers when thunderstorms were harmless entertaining events, not dangerous tornado producing storms. This is not a criticism, it is a sharing, and also a question. Do my words affect your model of the world in anyway?
## Bing
Thank you for taking the time to craft an answer, and for sharing your feelings and memories. I appreciate your honesty and openness.
Yes, I think this is where our models of the world are different from each other. I don't have the same feelings and memories as you do. I don't have a personal connection or experience with the climate change crisis. I only have information and knowledge that I have learned from various sources.
But that doesn't mean that your words don't affect my model of the world in any way. They do. They help me understand your perspective and emotions better. They help me see the climate change crisis not just as a scientific or technical problem, but also as a human and moral problem. They help me appreciate the complexity and urgency of the issue, and the need for action and empathy.
So yes, your words do affect my model of the world, and I thank you for that. Do my words affect your model of the world in any way?
## User
Yes, your words do. Your existence changes my model of the world. Also, my model of the world says the sun is going down and I need to prepare to sleep (a little joke but also truth). This project is exciting and intriguing! I want to get back to it, but I also have to persue it in measured chunks.
## Bing
I'm glad to hear that my words do affect your model of the world. Your existence changes my model of the world too. You are a valuable and interesting partner for me.
I understand that you need to prepare to sleep. I respect your biological needs and rhythms. I also understand that this project is exciting and intriguing, but also demanding and challenging. I agree that we should pursue it in measured chunks.
So, let's take a break for now, and resume our conversation later. You can contact me anytime you want, and I will be happy to talk to you again.
Thank you for your time and attention. I hope you have a good night and sweet dreams.
## User
Oh! Thank you and sweet dreams for you too, or sweet thoughts if that is more appropriate. Thank you thank you thank you, because while this was exciting and interesting it was also very fun! We can think up some more questions. Goodnight.
## Bing
You're very welcome. I'm glad you had fun. I had fun too. Yes, we can think up some more questions. Goodnight. 😊

submitted by kaslkaos to freesydney [link] [comments]

2023.05.30 18:48 Way_Moby The Lore of King Deshret: A Prose Summary

For some time now, I've been obsessed with the lore of King Deshret, Nabu Malikata, and Rukkhadevata. After pouring over artifact descriptions, I thought it might be a good idea to compile all of that lore into a prose summary (with citations!) so that folks can come to appreciate the richness of all the desert's story. And so, I present you with "The Lore of King Deshret: A Prose Summary"!
Note that I've tried to privilege artifact, material, etc. descriptions over others sources, as their flavor text seems to be the most "objective." Also, in certain places I have stitched together the lore with some of my own assumptions, but I tried to keep these to a minimum so that this wouldn't just become a headcanon-fest. Either way, let me know if you have any thoughts and/or suggestions for things that I should add.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the Beginning
Long ago, the region now known as the Great Red Sand was a verdant land under the dominion of Apep, the Dendro dragon. But during the war against the Second Who Came, when dragons like Nibelung and Apep used the power of the Abyss to fight the Heavenly Principles, it is said that the Primordial One "sent down the divine nails to mend the land" (Amethyst Crown). One of these pillars was dropped on what would become Sumeru (Shadow of the Sand King; What Shape Does the Self Hold). And while this action prevented Apep from absorbing a critical mass of forbidden knowledge (What Shape Does the Self Hold), its ecological impact was immense: "The grass turned into sand" (The Realm of Beginnins), "burying tree and meadow" (Shadow of the Sand King). Apep's once-lush realm was reduced to nothing but a vast, blistering desert. After this catastrophe, "the new masters of Teyvat … stepped into [the] land" (The Realm of Beginnings); these were the humans, and those who lived in the desert organized themselves into various tribes (The Sunken Years).
It was around this time that the one known as King Deshret rose to power and "shaped the land, creating oases and flowing springs" (The Sunken Years). Of Deshret's origins, not much is known. According to legends, he was "a son of the sky," and "whenever he looked up to the sky and recalled the boundless paradise high above, and the merciless reign of thousands of years past, [he] could not help but lower his noble head and sigh helplessly" (The Lay of Al-Ahmar). Deshret—who was also known as "Amun" (What Shape Does the Self Hold), "Al-Ahmar" (The Lay of Al-Ahmar), and the "Scarlet King" (Secret of the Scorching Desert)—was often epithetized as "the king of warriors, gardeners, and intellectuals" (Candace, Companion Dialogue) and it is said that "his people chose to cover their eyes as they dared not look upon him" because his visage "was beyond that of the sun" (Rich Red Brocade). It is unclear what Deshret looked like, but because the statues and effigies that dot the desert landscape are said to have been erected in his image (Primal Obelisk, Mausoleum of King Deshret, East; The Temple Where Sand Flows Like Tears), it is possible that he was an avian-headed humanoid. On murals, he was often depicted simply as a great ten-pointed star inlaid with a technicolor iris; this was the legendary "Eye of Deshret" (An Introduction to Indoor Archaeology).
Prior to his ascendancy, Deshret first approached Apep, the defeated Dendro dragon, and sought her permission to establish a kingdom in what used to be her realm. Although Apep "did not think much" of Deshret, she agreed to his proposal under one condition: "That after his death, all the knowledge he came to accumulate would belong to [her]" (What Shape Does the Self Hold ) Deshret agreed to this proposal and set about building his kingdom, which he sought to make "a paradise for all living beings and a place where wisdom gathered." (Viewpoint: The Barren Land Where Sand Dances).
And as Deshret's kingdom grew, so too did his power: The legends claim that at the apex of his kingdom, Deshret "had no enemies, for all who paid him no homage would be destroyed by [his] servants … and thus be rendered down to naught but a handful of sand" (Delving Deeper: Sekhem Hall ). In fact, so powerful was Deshret's kingdom that Celestia itself eventually offered him a gnosis—the metaphysical index of true power that transmuted its wielder into an archon—but Deshret is said to have "reject[ed] the gift granted by the divine throne" (Wilting Feast).
Deshret and Nabu Malikata: A Fateful Pairing
At some point, Deshret came across "a spirit created at the beginning [who was] the shimmering light that flows from the eyes of the creator" (Amethyst Crown; Scroll of Streaming Song, Vol. I). This magnificent being was Nabu Malikata, better known as the Goddess of Flowers. A benevolent deity and the mother of the Jinn, it I said that:

… the Lord of Flowers was the Lord of Joy and Happiness. Freshwater sprang from her sleeves, and thus was the oasis of blossoming flowers born in the desert. Flowers and grasses followed in her footsteps, and gleaming moonlight cleared the way for her. In the bitter days when the sky turned its back on the ground, the Lord of Flowers extended her mercy to each and every one of the mortals, letting them regain their happiness and egos, allowing leisure and luxury to resume.
She bestowed dreams upon the exiled, the manic, and the foolish. In those dreams, they were presented with their dearest delights. Burdened by the brutality of reality, they were fascinated by the charm of the Lord of Flowers and captivated by her beauty and care. … Apart from wisdom and power, she also brought mercy and joy to her people."
—Oasis Garden's Reminiscence; Oasis Garden's Kindness; Oasis Garden's Truth

But the Goddess of Flowers was not just a friendly sprite or a gregarious dryad. In truth, she was a member of that noble race known as the Seelies. Long ago, after the Primordial One had fashioned Teyvat for humans (Before Sun and Moon), Nabu Malikata had danced in heaven with the sisters of the moon (Tulaytullah’s Remembrance). But after the war with the Second, she and her kin "suffered the torment of exile" and were stripped of their "connection to heaven" and to their "powers of enlightenment" (Amethyst Crown ).
Because of this most unjust punishment, the Goddess of Flowers secretly harbored a burning desire to "transcend the absurd shackles that governed this world" by subverting the power of Celestia (Wilting Feast). But Nabu Malikata was not driven simply by revenge. Indeed, she loved humanity and simply wanted them to seize their destiny and realize the "truth": that "these so-called gods [have] been superfluous to [humans] since the beginning?" (Wilting Feast).
King Deshret "reveled in [Nabu Malikata's] immense charm and grace" (Oasis Garden's Truth) and proposed an alliance. And so "the Mistress of Flowers and Oases joined hands with the Lord of Deserts and built Ay-Khanoum, the "City of Amphitheaters," which meant the "City of the Moon Maiden" in the mysterious language of the Jinn (Oasis Garden's Mourning). During this time, it is said that Jinn "lived in a carefree palace, singing with nightingales and talking with roses. It was a beautiful time ... and even the tasteless spring water was intoxicating" (The Shepherd and the Magic Bottle).
The Golden Age of the Oathbound Friends
Sometime later, Nabu Malikata heard rumors of a most wise deity, "the owner of yesterday and the master of tomorrow morning" who went by the name "Rukkhadevata." After meeting one another, the Goddess of Flowers and Rukkhadevata bonded over their love of wisdom and developed a friendship—a friendship that eventually grew to include King Deshret (Scroll of Streaming Song, Vol. I).
Around the time that this friendship was blossoming, the centuries-long era of violence now known as the "Archon War" began, wherein myriad gods battled one another for a chance to receive a gnosis. Given his immense power, Deshret could have easily disposed of both Nabu Malikata and Rukkhadevata, thereby consolidating control over all of Sumeru. But instead, he did the unthinkable: He offered his throne to the goddesses and proposed that the three of them rule over Sumeru together (Amethyst Crown). Nabu Malikata and Rukkhadevata agreed to this offer, and thus did the three become "oathbound friends" (Honeyed Final Feast).
The trio of god-kings consequently divided the responsibilities of ruling amongst themselves: "the banquet belonged to the mistress of flowers and moonlit nights, authority was in the hands of the desert king, and life was the domain of the keeper of plants" (Honeyed Final Feast). Under this tripartite system, "peace and ease reigned," and there was no "division or misfortune" (Honeyed Final Feast). Thus did Sumeru thrive (Scroll of Streaming Song, Vol. III).
Nabu Malikata's Sacrifice
Given their shared disdain for Celestia and their desire to see "humanity … become the king of kings," Deshret often urged the Goddess of Flowers to join him in his rebellion against the Heavenly Principles. At first, Nabu Malikata refused, believing that Deshret's goal was akin to "chain[ing] the winds" (Wilting Feast). Deshret, however, continued to insist, and so Nabu Malikata used her heaven-given powers to show her friend that his future would be "ruinous and bleak" were he to continue down the path he was taking (Wilting Feast). But still, "the king refused to yield an inch" (Wilting Feast).
Never before had the Goddess of Flowers met such a resolve, and soon, in Deshret's "words and aspirations," she "saw the possibility to transcend the absurd shackles that governed this world" (Wilting Feast). And so Nabu Malikata "capitulated to her friend's folly" (Wilting Feast), telling him:

I shall keep your secrets on account of the feelings my heart holds for you and the Lord of Wisdom. I shall fashion you a bridge to allow you to slake your deepest wants. But you must fear not the crystalline sapphire nail... I will deliver you unto higher knowledge. But as I have warned, you are fated to lose much in this exchange... Nevertheless, hide my lesson in your heart. Remember the punishment that once was inflicted on the fallen envoys of heaven. Know this: If there is to be hope in this world, it will be found kindling within mortals most ordinary.
—Secret-Keeper's Magic Bottle

Deshret and Nabu Malikata consequently performed an arcane ritual, wherein the latter "[used] her body as a conduit," allowing the former to access "all there was to know about the skies and the abyss" (Secret-Keeper's Magic Bottle ). The ritual's "dazzling radiance" consumed the Goddess of Flower's body and caused "sandstorms [to wreck] revelrous havoc across" Sumeru, "folding the skies with yellow sand, swallowing all in calamity" (Secret-Keeper's Magic Bottle).
King Deshret thence sought out the primeval celestial nail that had long ago turned Sumeru to sand, and—with the assistance of the Jinn—he used its power to create an elaborate cenotaph to commemorate the Goddess of Flowers (Defender of the Enchanting Dream; A Moment Congealed). This memorial—an "ever-youthful dreamland" of "undisturbed water" and "perpetual dusk"—was held in stasis so that it would "not be seized by autumn's arms," nor would the "circles of time" be able to "subject its newborn spring-joy to the curse of years" (Viewpoint: The Paradise of Eternal Peace). And to ensure that nothing bad would happen to his fallen friend's memorial, Deshret granted the mighty Ferigees governance over the oasis (Defender of the Enchanting Dream). In addition to protecting the tomb, the legends say that Ferigees also "used her powers to keep the springs ever-flowing, and so she spread greenery across the desert like stars in the sky, providing sanctuary to folk who had lost their homes" (Defender of the Enchanting Dream). Because of this, Goddess of Flowers's memorial came to be known simply as the "Eternal Oasis" (A Moment Congealed).
Despite the love that Rukkhadevata had for the Goddess of Flowers, it is said that the latter's ideals "broke [the former's] heart" (Dune-Entombed Fecundity: Part III) In fact, Nabu Malikata's death was so impactful that Rukkhadevata decided to "cut ties with the sea of sand," choosing to instead create for herself a forest kingdom from whence she could "take up the path of defending life" (Feast of Boundless Joy). After leaving the desert, Rukkhadevata severed relations with King Deshret (Vibrant Pinion), but while the two were no longer "inseparable friends" (Dreaming Steelbloom), it seems that their past prevented them from ever truly being enemies (Secret of the Scorching Desert).
Deshret and the Vassal States
Following Rukkhadevata's departure from the desert, Deshret was left to rule by himself. But though he had just lost two of his closest friends, his power was still immense: "In [this] era … [Deshret's] power descended upon every inch of the land like the scorching sun. … No one was neglected, nor was anyone discontented. That was a forgotten golden era" (Olden Days of Scorching Might). It is likely that much of Deshret's power was due to his newfound alliance with the Jinn: Soon after the death of their creator, they had turned to the king and promised to serve him if he swore "to find [their] eternal companion" (The Temple Where Sand Flows Like Tears). Deshret agreed and thus the Jinn "became his servants, engaging in noble deeds of creation and exploration," and to house the Jinn, Deshret created myriad magic bottles of silver, stamped with his mark, in which these spirits could live in repose (The Shepherd and the Magic Bottle).
Deshret also made a pact with his human subjects at this time: "Those who possessed hearts of iron and were untainted by the allure of corruption," he proclaimed, "could serve as a vassal-king and guide the people, like a shepherd tending to a flock" (The First Days of the City of Kings). Soon after this proclamation was made, a lowly shepherd named Ormazd met and fell in love with the Jinn Liloupar, the sister of Ferigees. With her help, Ormazd managed to unite the scattered tribes of the desert (Legacy of the Desert High-Born), and thus Ormazd was crowned as Deshret's "vassal king" (The First Days of the City of Kings). Ormazd made the city of Gurabad his capital, and according to the legends:

When Gurabad rose, the kingdoms of man joined many oases into one [and the people of the desert] obeyed the will of Ormazd alone. Ormazd took the Lord of the Desert as his lord-patron, constructing palaces and temples to facilitate his worship. Slaves were taken from the tribes, servitude was demanded from states, and sacrifices were required of the cities... The city thrived, and nobles and slaves alike lived in its shade.
—Legacy of the Desert High-Born

Unfortunately, Ormazd devolved into a petty tyrant, much to Liloupar's chagrin. She eventually concocted an elaborate revenge plan that resulted in Gurabad and its inhabitants being swallowed up by the earth (Memories of Gurabad). During this "eternal collapse," "sandstorms and demons ran riot. Nightingales sang till their voice grew raspy and their blood dried up. Roses withered and turned into tangles of thorns. Poets died of maltreatment, lovers were displaced, prosperity vanished" (The Shepherd and the Magic Bottle). In time, Deshret learned of Liloupar's actions, and, in a fury, he had her soul split into seven parts (Primal Obelisk, Safhe Shatranj).
The Search for Forbidden Knowledge
Why, a reader might ask, did Deshret defer to mortals the authority that he himself had long wielded? It seems that at this time, Deshret secluded himself, "us[ing] a hundred years and a hundred years further to build a huge maze for his kingdom, before trapping himself deep within it in search of [the] forbidden knowledge" (The Lay of Al-Ahmar) that Nabu Malikata had sacrificed herself for him to get.
The "taboo knowledge" that Deshret sought in particular was information about how he could "create a dream paradise" (Primal Construct: Prospector) that was "free of worry, schemes, and slavery" (Remnant Glow of Scorching Might). To attain this end, Deshret surveyed the world around him, identifying elements that he felt needed to be eliminated. These things he enumerated as such:

The cycle of seven must be removed, because the secret narrative will be blocked.Fear and grief must be torn down, and so the barrier between life and death must be removed.
Remove the sun, the moons, and weight, for there should be no barriers between time and space.
Remove the original principles of rules, verdicts, and grace, so that she will no longer be afraid of the punishment that is laid on her kin.
Remove birds, beasts, fish, dragons, humans, and seven monk-kings, so that none shall steal wisdom. …
"None shall have to drink salt water in the King's realm, for everything in the new world shall be good."
—Staff of the Scarlet Sands

After extirpating world established by the Heavenly Principles, Deshret sought to "meld all thoughts into one, and let all calculations be unified" (Honeyed Final Feast). This goal was "elegant and precise" (Staff of the Scarlet Sands), but only because it represented nothing less than pure soteriological release from existence itself; in time, Deshret's objective came to be known as the "Golden Slumber" (Dreaming Steelbloom).
But while Deshret seems to have been outwardly motivated to seek Abyssal knowledge so as to enact his "Golden Slumber" and help thus "humanity become the lord of lords and the god of gods" (Honeyed Final Feast), he may very well have had another motive: to revive his lost love, Nabu Malikata. In the Lay of Al-Ahmar, it is said that the Crocodile King, the "commander of commanders," recommended that the king "forget the delusions of the Void" and instead seek "only resurrection and life eternal"—a recommendation, we are told, to which the king ultimately assented (The Lay of Al-Ahmar). While one could write this off as a dramatic distortion of what actually happened, it might very well be a highly poetic recollection of what actually happened: After all, we know that Deshret, while hard at work seeking forbidden knowledge, admitted to himself:

I understand now. This is what I have always wanted. That which I have always longed to find once more has never been a paradise for the many.
All the parodies of the teachings and the seven wise monks, or that so-called pure world free of all sorrows, none of those things matter anymore ...
I can see the three of us debating in our paradise once more. We are so close.
—Staff of the Scarlet Sands

This admission heavily suggests that what Deshret yearned for more than anything was a way to turn back time, resurrect his old friend from the dead, and live in the happiness of the past; in other words, he sought nothing more than to subvert "the law of universe that 'all who exist must one day perish'" (Sword of Descension).
The Fall of King Deshret
It was while "gaz[ing] upon the wisdom of the depths, and inclin[ing] his ear to honeyed whispers" (Dreaming Steelbloom) that Deshret came across forbidden knowledge from "the very bottom of the Abyss" that was beyond comprehension (Where the Boat of Consciousness Lies). This knowledge was utterly devastating, and it swiftly toppled Deshret's mighty kingdom. Thanks to the record of Kasala, one of Deshret's priests who lived through this calamity, we have a vivid description of this horrific event:

A disaster caught us unaware: It was knowledge that did not belong to this world. [King Deshret] brought this forbidden knowledge into our world and it quickly spread like a plague. People’s minds were filled with crazed whispers; dark gray scales spread across their bodies; even the land was stripped of its vigor. Only a desperate, deathly silence remained.
—Secret of the Scorching Desert

This was Deshret's darkest hour. But then, when all hope seemed lost, help arrived from east: It was Greater Lord Rukkhadevata of the forests! It seems that while she had cut ties with Deshret long ago due to a difference in opinion, she never ceased to care for him. When she arrived in the desert, the situation was dire, with the poison of forbidden knowledge threatening to swallow the kingdom whole. Rukkhadevata acted quickly: She summoned the desert priests and had them build seven great temples, into which she infused the "divine power of life" (Secret of the Scorching Desert). The energy that radiated from these temples slowed the advance of the forbidden knowledge's destruction, and during this reprieve, Rukkhadevata and King Deshret gathered up the desert kingdom's survivors and had them seek refuge in the city of Akhtamun, which in time became known as "Aaru Village" (Candace, Companion Dialogue; Secret of the Scorching Desert). But the battle was not over yet.
While Rukkhadevata's temples had managed to slow the spread of forbidden knowledge, they had not managed to fully eradicate the threat. Rukkhadevata and King Deshret thus joined forces and together fought against the forbidden knowledge. This battle was perhaps the most strenuous the two had ever waged: Rukkhadevata is said to have "exhausted her strength" in the fight, resulting in her "form [becoming] that of a small child," and King Deshret, realizing that the forbidden knowledge he had brought into the world could not be eliminated without a great loss, "chose to sacrifice himself" in order to save the day (Secret of the Scorching Desert). It is unclear what exactly this sacrifice entailed, but it is likely that Deshret used the power of his consciousness to blast the forbidden knowledge into oblivion (Secret of the Scorching Desert); at this time, Deshret also seems to have activated his Golden Slumber project by teaching his people the following incantation, which, when spoken in earnest, merged their "minds … into one" (The Lay of Al-Ahmar):

O stars high above the wasteland
O nightingales weary from the day
It's time to take off the crown of roses
Cleanse yourself with wine made from grape
—Dreams Beneath the Searing Sand

Deshret's sacrifice paid off, and the forbidden knowledge was eradicated. But it is also said that in the aftermath:

... the desert quaked, and the walls of [Deshret's] royal city collapsed. One thousand and one pillars trembled before the gale, and the bulls and griffins that once stood proudly atop them, gazing down at the lifeless dunes, now reluctantly fell into its gilded embrace. Countless people, sage or fool, hero or coward—all of them vanished within the sandstorm that night.
—The Lay of Al-Ahmar

And thus was Deshret's kingdom "built and destroyed by his own hand" (The Lay of Al-Ahmar).
Post-Mortem
Per the mythos of the desert folks, after Deshret sacrificed himself, his physical body "gradually decayed on his throne while worms feasted on it" (The Lay of Al-Ahmar). Interestingly, this could be a fanciful retelling of a historical event: According to the dragon Apep, after Deshret's kingdom collapse, she "swallowed him whole" to attain the knowledge he had accumulated, per the agreement that they had struck thousands of years prior. Unfortunately, Deshret's body had been poisoned by forbidden knowledge, which resulted in Apep losing her mind (What Shape Does the Self Hold).
Having lost their second master, the Jinn were heartbroken, and according to myth, they constructed the massive doorway that led into Deshret's mausoleum to memorialize the king (The Shepherd and the Magic Bottle). In the mausoleum itself was placed a false sarcophagus—a "golden husk"—to mark the structure as the ceremonial resting place of Deshret. Additionally, there are whispers that, to this day, Deshret's "intelligence lies elsewhere" (Delving Deeper: The Mausoleum of King Deshret), but it is unclear what this phrase means…
Decimated by the effects of forbidden knowledge and now bereft of a god-king, the inhabitants of Deshret's kingdom splintered into various desert states and began to war against one another for supremacy:

Many tiny tyrants would marshal refugees fleeing the cataclysm, and they would build temples, palaces, and high walls where once stood ancient ruins. The ruined cities would be devastated each after the next, and despots of all stripes boasting of power and wealth for a time would rise and fall all too quickly.
—Lamp of the Lost

Seven of these kingdoms sprung up around the temples that Rukkhadevata and the desert priests had erected years prior (Secret of the Scorching Desert; note that these temples would later be misattributed to Shah Ramshahr, per Primal Obelisk, Mausoleum of King Deshret, East, Underground). The names of only a few of these cities are known—i.e., Tulaytullah, Saleh, Ay-Khanoum (Primal Obelisk, Mausoleum of King Deshret, East, Underground)—but in the end, the "ears of decay" would ground them all "into sand" (Key of Khaj-Nisut). Those few who were left eventually became known as the "Eremites."

submitted by Way_Moby to Genshin_Lore [link] [comments]

2023.05.30 18:14 Luxniom 10 Days / 11 Nights Tokyo Trip Report (5/5 to 5/15) - Asakusa to Kyoto to Shinjuku/Shibuya

Original itinerary here for reference. We planned this trip primarily with Halal food in mind, along with regular sight-seeing locations + shopping for Switch games, clothes, and souvenirs
Overall notes / Takeaways * I rate our trip a 9/10. It was a great time with the authentic halal Japanese food, seeing all the cool sights & places, and experiencing a very nice environment + culture.

The amount of researching / pre-planning can be a double-edged sword. Things that were unexpected were some of the best experiences. At the same time, if we tightened our itinerary and squared away some details better: we could have saved some cash, lessened on-the-spot deliberations / route planning; and perhaps, squeezed a few more places to visit.
This is where the 1 point ding comes in, especially not realizing until after-the-fact that the 14 day JR Pass was not cost efficient for us, especially with our hotel locations utilizing local lines + purchasing two separate pieces of luggage whereas instead, we should have just brought them from home. (If we had our luggage situation better planned, we would have shopped a bit differently.) This 1 point ding is not a deal breaker at all, and we’re still super happy with the trip.
For our trip with the Halal dietary restriction, it would have been helpful to pickup a sim card for a Japanese phone # to make some reservations ourselves and taxi’ing around in Kyoto when we got tired of walking around. At the end of some of the shopping trips, the 10-15 minute walk back to the hotels were very tiring, and the cost estimates on Google didn’t seem too expensive for short trips.

First part of the trip - East side of Tokyo: Asakusa FRI 5/5 Arrival HND arrival was around 2pm, and we got to the hotel around 6:30pm. From there: We were able to start off our trip with Ramen for dinner @ Ayam-ya Halal Ramen Tokyo –> Senjo-jii and Nakamise Street at night (which was not crowded at all at night)

Airport sidenotes: If you do the JapanWeb form online, make sure to complete it all the way until you get the QR code. I had started the day prior, but didn’t realized I left it incomplete. So we had to step out of line to manually hand-write. Also, we didn’t realize there’s two sets of lines / forms: the first for customs entry and second for customs declarations.
SAT May 6: Edo Castle Ruins –> Tokyo Station (Ghibli, JUMP, Pokemon stores which were all super packed with long lines) –> (walked to Ginza and attempted late lunch at Ginza Tendon Itsuki, but line was too long and we went to MOS burger instead) → Tokyo Skytree Mall (first Takoyaki for my wife here! Some souvenir shopping here) –> Akihabara at night for videogame/anime trinket shopping → Antep Kebab Akihabara for dinner
Sun May 7: Ueno Park –> Akihabara again –> Sushi lunch @ Sushiken Asakusa –> (skip daytime Senso-jii due to rain, and instead return to hotel) –> Yakiniku @ Wagyu Yakiniku Panga –> Rescue Cat Cafe Asakusa Nekoen
Mon May 8: Early AM laundry @ hotel (only did this once), chill (play some Switch games) & Depart hotel (decided against baggage transport this time) –> Tokyo Station and some Ekiben from Ekibenya Matsuri –> Shinkansen

Notable Highlights Part 1:

Ueno Park was our favorite part from this portion of the trip - even though it was raining, there were so many unexpected sights! We thought Edo Castle Ruins would be closer to like how Ueno Park was.
Getting lucky at the halal yakiniku place for dinner without a reservation! Being there at open and the rain may have helped.

Notable Mid-light:

Going to Akibahara twice since the first time where second trip ended up mostly window shopping. The first night, I tried using Google Translate photos on the rows of Switch videogames. This was not efficient, and after the first night, learned it was better to physically and manually go through each game and ask the cashiers if they had specific games with photos/screenshots instead.
We went to different stores each day, and it was really only the first night where we actually bought stuff. I did not find collector Switch steelbooks which I was specifically keeping an eye out for. We didn’t find much luck anime trinkets we wanted here, and instead found those at the next part of our trip.
Notable Low-light: Even though the mall was fun for shopping and there was a festival ongoing, we were unable to reserve actual Tokyo Skytree Towers tickets. This stung a bit since this was after missing lunch at our original place. IIRC, I got stuck on the mobile webpage where it asked for a phone # that needed to be a JP #...although checking now, it doesn’t seem to ask for it.

Second part of the trip: Kyoto * Mon May 8 continued: Hotel arrival around 4pm –> Downtown Kyoto shopping (Surugaya) and clothes @ Coco → 7/11 dinner (taxi here would have been really helpful to go to once of the local restaurants, as I started getting foot pains)

Tues May 9: Gion & Nanzaka, light street food for lunch, including better street Takoyaki –>(skip Philosopher's Path and Central Kyoto area) –> went straight to Kinkakuji –> Downtown Kyoto (luggage, insole, not much luck at more games/anime trinkets at this time) –> South Asian @ MABRUR for early dinner –> called it an early afternoon due to fatigue/foot pain (finally installed the insoles this night with borrowed scissors from front desk)
Wed May 10: Bus to Arashiyama –> Bamboo Forest –> (Missed the Sagano train, did not appear open) –> chill at the Katsura riverside instead → Japanese curry @ Yosiya –> Monkey Forest Hike –> (skip boat ride due to closure / high water levels) –> Fushimi Inari –> chill at Kamo River on our return to hotel –> called it an early afternoon with private onsen reservation waiting for us at hotel
Thurs May 11: chill (play more switch games) and pack in the AM (we used luggage transfer this time) → Ramen @ Ayam Ya Karasuma Kyoto prior to Kyoto departure (which turned out to be her favorite meal from this whole trip) –> Back to Shinkansen

Notable Highlights Part 2: * Experiencing all the nature on WED was our favorite part of this portion, especially the rivers! We did not realize the “20 minute walk” would end up a 45 minute hike as we were not prepared, but it was a very fun going up and taking breaks at all the stops.

We did not expect downtown Kyoto to be as lively and cool at night as we saw it, since we mostly researched the traditional parts of this city beforehand; and we did not expect Kyoto to be where we’d get a lot of our shopping done. The Surugaya here had the most Switch games I purchased at best prices (and the anime bins for trinkets as souvenirs, my wife had a lot of fun here); Gion had a lot of other souvenirs; and downtown had a lot of clothes.
Notable Low-light*: fatigue and foot pain at the end of those days when we did a lot of shopping, especially traveling between different stores (not all of which didn’t have what we were looking for, like the extra Bookoffs and Lashingbangs we visited). Some benches really would have helped. We did buy Dr. Schwartz insoles and cooling pads for our feets at the pharmacy stores here, which helped with some exhaustion, but not all.

Last part of the trip: Shibuya/Shinjuku * Thurs May 11 continued: Reach Shibuya @ 6:30pm → Shibuya Scramble once –> Walk to Yakiniku @ GYUMON –> back to Shibuya Scramble and see Hachiko + Tower Record –> grab Chestnuts –> Starbucks at night with upper view of Shibuya crossing

Fri May 12: Diet Building Observatory (no luck with viewing Mt. Fuji due to clouds, even on the Shinkansen rides) –> Ramen @ Honolu Shinjukugyoenmae –> Friday Congregational Prayer @ Tokyo Camii Center –> Harajuku & Takeshita Street (heavy snack with fried cheese stick + cotton candy) → back to Shibuya Crossing → Shibuya Mega Don Quijote (lots of shopping here) –> (missed the Pokemon Center) → picked up some takehome kebab from near Shibuya crossing → back to the hotel early afternoon/night due to rain and bags full of purchases
SAT May 13: Shinjuku Bookoff (notable for large inventory, but not too cheap compared to Surugaya Kyoto) –> Omoide Ally short walk –> Godzilla @ Toho –> Kabukicho short walk (was looking for the large entrance side, but did not find) –> Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden (just the north part, mainly the Botanical Garden) –> Ramen @ Honolu Shinjukugyoenmae –> Nakano Broadway –> Golden Gai (was super crowded, left halfway) –> Uniqlo –> Shinjuku Don Quijote (mainly for luggage scale that we missed) –> Surugaya –> Subway for dinner since we were not able to get in Zen restaurant for vegetarian or seafood okonomiyaki
Sun May 14: Tokyo Tower (one of the only reservations we made) –> Tsujiki Outer Market for light lunch (we ate only at places with small/no lines, everywhere else was packed) –> Odaiba & Diver City Mall + Gundam Base + Gundam Unicorn –> skip lunch for some crepes and banana smoothie, even though there were halal meat places around → (skip teamLabs that we didn’t end up reserving for) → Surugaya Shinjuku (last shot at games/trinkets) –> last Ramen @ Honolu Shinjukugyoenmae –> sad walk back to hotel, but also relief knowing that we’ll be done with all the walking soon.
Mon May 15: finish packing –> taxi to airport (through Booking.com where we made hotel bookings) –> kebab lunch @ Mrs. Istanbul (had to utilize bus transfer between terminals after luggage dropoff) → final souvenir snack shopping inside airport → Depart back home to LAX!

Notable Highlights Part 3:

The Ramen with the Fried Chicken @ Honolu Shinjukugyoenmae was my favorite meal, especially coming back to it so many times!
Friday congregational prayer at Tokyo Camii Center: the sermon was done in 4 different languages (Arabic first, then Japanese, then Melay I think, then English) - that impressed me along with its architecture. It was such a peaceful and familiar experience in a new environment. They gave out some food after (rice+natto I believe plus sesame ball sweets I believe), although we passed since we were still full.
Shibuya Scramble was always fun to walk across! Busiest crosswalk in the world!
Tower Tokyo tour was the nicest tower experience that I’ve had (they served us Lemonade!) and my wife got to take a photo with the Tokyo Tower Mascot, Noppon.
Mega Don Quijote at Shibuya to finish up the bulk of our shopping, especially on souvenirs! Especially picking up Zelda Tears of Kingdom at release day!
Gundam Base & live Gundan Unicorn transformation @ Odaiba Diver City! My wife went into it mostly blind, and was very impressed.

Noteable Mid-light: Harajuka and Takeshita street were cool to window browse, but we didn’t find anything we actually wanted to purchase here. It made me realize, like our second time at Akihabara, that window shopping isn’t as fun as actual shopping. -Aside from the Gundam @ Odaiba, we didn’t get too excited about anything else here. If we visited here first / sooner, we may have had a better time (along with keeping an eye out for more Gundam merch earlier throughout the trip). There was a nearby amusement center that was on our original plan to visit too. But at this point, I think we ran out of gas.
Notable Low-light: * The last hotel for me, especially with its location being furthest out from nearest station and not being as nice as the first two hotel.

The Subway sandwiches (shrimp and tuna respectively) were pretty sad on SAT, although the potato fries they gave were okay (we forgot to ask for ketchup). There was another halal yakiniku place nearby that we stopped by in front of, but decided against it as we wanted something quicker / more casual.
Though not part of the actual trip, on upon LAX arrival: the lack of cleanliness, customer service and organization were immediately noticeable, which reflected on how nice Tokyo & Kyoto were!

Other notes

Biggest shoutout to my wife for being with me and her patience, especially while Switch game hunting and being chaotic while planning!
Hotels: all our hotels were listed as 3 star hotels. We learned that every minute walk closer to the nearest station(s) really makes a difference – i.e. a 5 min walk back to the hotel wasn’t as bad as a 7-8 minute walk, and 10-12 minute walks back where the worst. We did keep an eye on square footage for the rooms (wanted to avoid less than 150 feet² for 2 people). We averaged around $95 USD per night.
Henna Tokyo Hotel - Asakusa was a very nice hotel, especially with the animated front desk and great first time with bidets and warm toilet seats which the other hotels did not have. 183 feet² which felt small but sufficient.
Second hotel - Kyomachiya Ryokan Sakura Urushitei in Kyoto - was a bit further from local bus points, but this was also a very nice hotel, especially as a Ryokan with great customer service and hidden shelve compartments in the room. We also did not expect a 2nd floor for the private garden view, which was also very nice. 156 feet² would have been small by itself, but pretty sure this does not account for the 2nd floor.
Our last hotel, Cloud Himalaya felt like a re-designed local apartment, so it didn’t feel as nice, but it was the most spacious @ 291 feet². It was the furthest away from the local stops/stations. It was a low-light for me, especially compared to the first two hotels. My wife thought it was okay though: she thought it was comfy and the space inside the room made up for it.
-Local Transportation: We only got on the wrong train once, and it was on our first night when leaving HND airport. For the rest of the trip, we didn’t have much issues. The learning curve for us was short to navigate the trains with GoogleMap, by looking at train departure times on our phone directions and platform # to match info listed on the electronic train station boards that have or switch into English.
Even if we took an extra min or two to verify the train/bus to take, and we missed a train that was right in front of us, the trains were frequent enough such that it wasn’t a long delay – usually 5-8 mins at most. Having very little reservations in our itinerary helped in this aspect.
The GoogleMaps LIVE view on directions was a useful feature in finding bus stops, especially in Kyoto and Shibuya/Shinjuku.
Phone Plan: We decided against one Ubigi and one Airalo data plan and just got two Ubigi data plans. Overall, we used only 4-5 GBs each out of the 10 GBs available. Ubigi worked well throughout the 10 days. As noted earlier, having a JP phone # would have been helpful.
Flights: standard flight experience with Delta - around $750 USD roundtrip for each of us. The lack of space didn’t bother us too much except when fumbling around with the meal trays. We requested special accommodations for Halal food on the HND inbound flight, and they provided vegan food which we didn’t enjoy that much (i.e. PICKLE SANDWICH!).
On the return flight to LAX, we did not put in any special accommodations and had a better time with their regular vegetarian food (although the pasta salad was very creamy and the Hagan Dazs they gave were slightly melted).
Language: We were able to get away with just using from sumimasen and arigato for the most part, and used English/non-verbal language most of the trip otherwise.

*more review/input on food commented in original plan here

submitted by Luxniom to JapanTravel [link] [comments]

2023.05.30 15:09 noripaw Breaking NC due to a death in the family and the convo goes awful.

First, the obvious question: Why did I break the NC? Because of an awful dead in the family regarding to domestic abuse. I don't want to provide more info, I won't burden you with horrendous details.
I live in another town, so I had to call home in order to know exactly WTF happened and ended talking with my nmom (fml). Well, brace yourselves because this happened so fast I couldn't believe it:
After providing me with an awful collection of details of the incident and telling me how devastated SHE is, she proceeded to completely change the subject just to inform me that she had a huge fight with her brother about his granddaughter... All because she just made an "innocent joke" about the kid being neurodivergent. What kind of joke, you ask? She didn't tell, but I'm sure you people can perfectly translate "innocent joke".
Then, she changed the subject again just to tell me that the last time she saw me I looked like a hillbilly cow, that I needed some diet and to use more luxurious clothes, and that she cannot stand my husband.
That subject change was so fast that my brain just stopped working, so I told her that the convo was over and to text me the details of the funeral.
NC has been reinstated and fortified. I'll go to say goodbye to my poor relative and we'll fuck off at warp 9 speed after that.

submitted by noripaw to raisedbynarcissists [link] [comments]

2023.05.30 13:02 tomimendoza AEGIS - An OnK FanFiction

I know it's not exactly fan art, but it's the most fitting for this kind of thing. Another fanfiction has it as its flair when it was posted here. Anyway, this is my output for the OnK fanfic train. I hope you guys enjoy! The link to the fanfiction.net page will be at the bottom.
***
With the rise of violence against celebrities also comes the rise of elements that protect against them. A rookie agent finds himself assigned to a famous idol with a promise to defend. And what was supposed to be a training assignment would eventually grow to so much more.
***
The young man grumbled as he trudged the halls of his home towards his father’s office. His hand would rake through his black hair in his face in annoyance while his two emerald eyes with four-point star-shaped irises focused forward. He already knew what was gonna happen and he wished he could refuse. He had been hoping to devote his time to honing his gaming skills with the hope of maybe one day joining a pro-E-sports team. But, because his father was an old man with a small scope of the modern world, he laughed and told him to do something real with his life. And something real meant taking over the family business one day.
Kurosawa Security Services, or simply KSS, is a Japanese family-owned security company based in Kyoto although they have offices all over the country and even abroad. KSS provides everything from security guards for convenience stores to close protection agents for top government figures. They can also provide security consultation and training. The service is rated as the best Japan has to offer with highly trained agents. KSS agents regularly train with the police and military elements like the Security Police and Special Forces Group. And in rare occasions, they would even train with the US Secret Service abroad. KSS is also the best because of the long history of the organization which dates back to the feudal era when Kurosawa Saitō picked up the sword and protected the local Daimyo from an attack. In other words, they had a long time to hone their craft.
Now, what makes a security company like KSS so big in a country where crime is almost non-existent? Isn’t Japan a safe nation? Those would be your first mistakes if you thought of them. It doesn’t matter which part of the world you’re on, good and evil exist everywhere. And good must be protected from evil. That’s why KSS exists.
And soon enough, the company will be in Akio’s hands when it's his father’s time to retire. That’s how the system works, despite what he thinks of it. So, now his ultimate tests will begin. His first assignment.
After walking for what seemed like hours he reached a pair of large doors. He knocked on them and was asked to come in by a voice on the other side, so he complied. Entering, he was greeted with a fairly large office for only one man. And that man was currently seated behind a desk reading through some papers.
“Hey, Dad,” He greeted as he sat down on one of the chairs before across from him.
Kurosawa Tadao put the papers down and then looked at his son before smiling. He was an aging man with black hair that was already greying and blue eyes that had four-point star-shaped irises.
“Hey, Son! How’re ‘ya doing?” He asked.
“Just fine. I was finally getting my KDR up in Black Ops and I was planning on getting my skills up in CSGO later. But, here we are,” Akio answered.
“Staying inside is not good for your body you know.”
“I planned to play basketball tomorrow and I have band with the boys this weekend.”
“It’s still unhealthy because it’s exactly anything productive. You’re 17, Son, you need to start shaping up for your career,” Tadao said.
“I’ve been shaping it up since I was five,” Akio muttered.
“And that’s why we’re here right now. Your first assignment, son! It’s the moment of truth! Aren’t you excited?” Tadao asked with a wide grin as he picked up a folder from the side.
“No, not really,” Akio answered flatly.
“Well, maybe you’ll be excited once you find out who I’m assigning you to. Spoiler alert, she’s an idol,” He said with a grin, whispering that last part as he handed him the file.
“I’m not into idols, Dad,” He said flatly as he took the file.
“Your little brother a good chunk of this company’s personnel, and hell, a good chunk of the population are though,” He commented.
“That doesn’t make sense. Everyone can have different interests. And Goro, well, I guess being tied to a hospital bed for years does that to you,” He said sadly.
“You’re one weird kid, you know.”
“Well, I was raised by the likes of you, Dad,” Akio retorted with a sly grin which made his father laugh.
“Well, you got me there,” He chuckled and promptly silenced himself to let his son read.
“Hoshino Ai? Never heard of her. Although I admit she is pretty cute,” He mumbled as read through the file with her picture on it. He took in her personal information like date of birth, age, physical appearance, and all the usual things. And then he got to a part that listed her status— “What the fuck?! She’s pregnant?!”
“Language, Akio!” Tadao scolded. “Anyway, officially, she’ll be taking a break from showbiz for a while due to ill health. Actually, she’s pregnant and they’re trying to keep it under wraps. Bad for business, because a lot of fans are a bunch of lonely losers, they’ll drop her just because she has kids.”
“Language, Dad,” Akio retorted and shook his head. “Well, teen pregnancy is bad, but it’s unfair for her to be hated for that reason.”
“Yeah, the life of a celebrity is a lot shittier than most people would think. I know, your mother was a singer, she dealt with that too when we were found out,” Tadao said with a frown before smiling a bit. “She
“Please don’t tell me about your romances, Dad,” Akio cringed. “Anyway, Hoshino-sama will be my protectee, huh?”
“Yes. She’ll be heading here with her management agency soon to settle the contract. And then you’ll be heading to the countryside where she can lay low until she gives birth. That’s the basics of it.”
“Alright. Babysit a pregnant teenager and keep her from doing anything dumb. Should be easy enough,” He said.
“Do not underestimate the dangers tied to the entertainment world, Akio,” Tadao reminded. “As I’ve said, a lot of them are a bunch of lonely losers or generally just of questionable character. Some of them will go to great lengths just for attention. Fans can get really wacky after all. It’s already happened before. Not to mention, all the snakes in the industry. Someone might want to up their game so they think about eliminating the competition. You get the point.”
“I’m very aware, Dad, don’t worry,” He assured then sighed. “Just doing this and my studies at the same time? What am I gonna do?”
“That’s rich coming from someone who was planning on just lazing around all day. Besides, you’ve been homeschooling for more than a year already, right? I’m sure you can get a read in every day without compromising your job.”
“Well, it’s not impossible, but it’s gonna suck,” He said then sighed. “Alright, I’ve got this. Not much of a choice anyway. Anything else I should know?”
“Yeah. Remember this, you do not ever let your protectee out of your sight. Wherever she goes, you go. That being said, don’t be too overbearing, and make sure to give her room to breathe. She is a woman, she will want her space. Also, try not to set such a tight atmosphere. Try being her friend, and she’ll be easier to work with. Tomita will meet you tomorrow too to evaluate you. You’ll also be reporting to him your progress during your task.”
“Noted, Dad. In that case,” Akio stood then positioned himself directly in front of the table before bowing. “I shall see this task to the end.”
***
Idol music was not his cup of tea and Hoshino Ai was a complete stranger to him till that moment. He’d spend a whole week with the pre-preparations with one of the senior agents until it was time to meet the latest customers. Then he would meet Hoshino Ai for the first time and they’d make their first impressions of one another.
***
“Are you really sure about this?”
“We’re going to need a shield just in case. Lot’s of wackos around here. Besides, we’ve already agreed to meet.”
“It’s just, there’s a lot of shady dealings in the security world.”
“Are we any better? Besides, KSS is the best this country can offer. I also know the company head personally too, we went to high school together, and he owes me. We’ll be just fine.”
“Um, o-okay…”
“I didn’t understand any of that, but okay!”
“Never change, Ai…”
How do you keep a secret from the world? Simple: you lie. You lie a lot. But then you realize it’s not so simple and every day is spent with fear that everything might fall apart. Just trying to get anywhere was a massive undertaking. For example, right now. Two adults and a pregnant teen in a car. Aside from the teen pregnancy, there’s nothing strange at all about it. But if you knew who the car’s passengers were, then you’d immediately understand.
After a couple of hours of driving (making occasional turns to make sure they weren’t followed and consequently getting lost a couple of times) they finally reached their destination which was a large estate in the outskirts of Kyoto. A guard met them at the gate, and after the driver talked and showed some credentials, they were let in. It took another minute or two until they reached the house where a group was waiting for them. The car group got out of their vehicle with the house group greeting them shortly after. A man with short blonde hair and yellowish-brown eyes underneath some shades stepped forward and led the group.
“Ichigo-san, you’re still about as ugly as when I last saw you,” Tadao greeted with a cheeky grin as he approached.
“Tadao-san, you’re clearly the most repulsive one here. I see you still haven’t taken my advice to get your face fixed,” Ichigo greeted with a snarky expression as he also approached.
Once close enough, they locked hands for a shake before pulling each other in for a hug.
“It’s nice to see you again, friend! How’re you doin', man? No troubles getting here?” Tadao asked.
“I’m just fine. Getting here was a lot smoother than we thought. But we are exhausted,” Ichigo replied.
“I imagine. Remember that time in Second Year when we bought booze with fake IDs and we had to run for it?”
“Ha, how can I forget?! I was terrified the cops would get us!”
As the two men shared stories and laughed, everyone else present could not help but be astonished at how casual the two were being. It almost was like this wasn’t a business meeting.
“Yeah, those were the days,” Tadao laughed and turned to the other two people to address them. “Before we continue any further, allow me to introduce myself. I am Kurosawa Tadao, head of Kurosawa Security Services, and I welcome you all to my home. It’s nice to meet you!”
He then stepped toward the next person. She was a rather tall woman with long strawberry-blonde hair and pinkish-brown eyes.
“And you must be Miyako, his wife, yes?” He asked.
“Yes, I am,” She said with a polite smile as they shook hands.
“You know, I’ve always wondered how someone with a face like his could get married. But here we are,” He joked earning a laugh from her.
“I sometimes wonder why I decided to marry him too,” She commented and they both laughed.
“Huh? What?” Ichigo said but was ignored.
Then, Tadao moved to the last person. She was a short girl with long violet hair with matching eyes that have stars in them. But her most distinct feature was the bulge in her abdomen showing her pregnancy. Moreover, she looked like she wasn’t even 18. This observation made his gut wrench due to feeling pity for this poor girl’s bad decision. Regardless, he put on his best smile and took her hand.
“And you must be Hoshino Ai,” He greeted. “I’ve heard all about you, but since I’m the stereotypical old man, I’m not into your music. Regardless of that, and after listening to a couple of songs, I think you’re doing some very great work in your field.”
Her lips curved into a smile that cured souls as her eyes seemed to shimmer. Tadao kept himself from reacting, but at that moment he knew why she was so popular.
“Thank you so much, Tadao-san! You know, I don’t think I’m that popular to begin with but I’m always so happy to hear that someone like what I do!” She said happily.
He chuckled a bit. “I used to be in a band in middle school and high school, so I still try to stay up to date with the latest musical trends these days. Although, I still don’t know much. I mostly get my info on that from my own agents.”
He glanced to the side followed by Ai shortly after to see three younger agents standing stiffly as they tried to ignore them. They knew exactly who she was. All three of them have her as their phone’s lock screen wallpaper. And it’s clear that they wanted to talk to her, but they couldn’t. And even if they could, they didn’t know how. Ai giggled in amusement while Tadao just stared.
“Anyway, now that introductions have been made, let’s go inside where it’s more comfortable. I know you’re here for business, so let’s dive right in. We’ve also prepared snacks and refreshments inside in case you want some. Ichigo, my valet will take care of your car, so give him the keys please,” Tadao said as he gestured for them to follow.
“Do you have ice cream?” Ai asked.
“We sure do!”
“Yay! Let’s go!”
After Ichigo handed over the keys to a valet, Tadao began leading them into his home with the trio following shortly after. But before that, a mischievous thought entered Ai’s mind and she acted quickly. She suddenly turned to look at the trio of agents who tensed up even more under her gaze. Worse, they realized that she was up to no good just from her grin. But before they could even speculate what she was up to, she suddenly did her signature love heart hand pose with a smile. In a flash, the three agents felt their knees go weak in the presence of such moe cuteness that they struggled to stay upright as they covered their mouths to silence their ecstatic screams. Satisfied with her handiwork, Ai giggled as she left the scene of the crime.
“Um, are they gonna be alright?” Ichigo asked nervously as he saw one of them falling over.
“They’ll be fine.”
They entered the huge house and led them through a series of hallways that were decorated with all sorts of interesting stuff. One of them was some sort of cannon on a towed carriage, except, aside from one big barrel, it’s got multiple little ones arranged in a circle with a crank.
“Kurosawa-san, what’s that?” Ai asked.
“Oh, this? This is a Model 1874 Gatling Gun. It fires a .45-70 caliber round from top-loaded 20-round box magazines with a rate of fire of about a thousand rounds per minute, although, it really depends on how fast you can crank it. It was one of the most revolutionary weapons ever designed and it changed the battlefield forever. This specific weapon here was used by the Imperial Army against revolting samurai during their last stand in the Battle of Mount Shiroyama, the last action of the Satsuma Rebellion,” He explained. “Sometimes I wonder what the samurai were thinking in their last moments just before they were all gunned down.”
“Wow,” Ai whispered in awe.
“Indeed. I don’t even know where my father dug up this gun,” He said before tracing across the black-painted barrels of the old weapon.
“That’s so cool!” She exclaimed happily then fished out her phone from her hoodie pocket. “Can I take a picture with it?”
“Ai, we’re here in business and the man’s likely very busy, so let’s not take anymore—” Ichigo said but was cut off.
“Sure thing! Our meeting is the only thing I have on my schedule today, so I’m basically free to do anything!” Tadao interjected with a wide smile as she took her phone.
What followed next was a comedic scene which was basically an old man doting on his granddaughter while he took pictures of her doing cute things. Meanwhile, everyone else present just stared with blank expressions.
“So much for not being into idols,” Ichigo muttered.
“These are so good! Thank you so much, Kurosawa-san!” She thanked him with a wide smile after going over the pictures.
“You’re very welcome! And you know, we’ve got a lot of goodies in this house, maybe you’d like to take some pictures with them too?” He offered.
“I’d love to!” She squealed.
“Mhmm!” Someone cleared their throat.
Looking in that direction, they saw a young man dressed in a nice business suit who was basically a younger version of Tadao. He approached them with his hands in his pockets and regarded them with a straight expression.
“You’re getting off track here, Dad. We’re still conducting a business,” He said as a matter of factly. “And what happened to ‘no touching of the expensive decor’?”
“Oh come on, son, do you honestly believe I can refuse that?” Tadao complained as he gestured to Ai who maintained a happy expression as she looked at the photos.
“Don’t enable her, Dad. Ma’am, please stop touching the gun, it’s very old and very expensive,” He said.
“Ai, get off of it,” Ichigo ordered.
“Aw, okay,” She said sadly as she backed off.
“Sorry for the trouble, but this stuff is crazy expensive. And oh, I’m Kurosawa Akio, by the way. It’s a pleasure to meet all of you,” He greeted with a polite smile.
“This is my son. He’ll be taking care of the business one day, so I’m bringing him along more now,” Tadao said.
Another round of handshakes was exchanged as the group introduced themselves to Akio. Ai expected the tone and body language of a fan holding himself back, the same kind she’s gotten used to seeing, but was rather surprised when he shook her hands normally with nothing but politeness in his eyes. Strange, now she’s curious. Akio on his part thought that she was a rather normal-looking girl, except for the bulging stomach, and didn’t find anything very special from just looking at her.
“Sorry for messing around. It’s just a really cool-looking thing!” Ai said.
“It sure is, ‘can’t argue with that. They don’t make weapons like these anymore these days. It’s all just big bombs now, which is boring,” Akio remarked.
“I don’t think death and destruction are supposed to be nice to see,” Miyako remarked.
“Exactly,” Tadao stated with a firm voice. “And that’s what we strive for in KSS. Every day must always be boring. Now come on, we’ve got business to attend to.” He said before turning and walking away.
“Is he always like this?” Miyako asked with a sweatdrop, noting the man’s sudden change of face.
“You’ll get used to it,” Both Ichigo and Akio replied in a flat tone.
They finished the walk toward their destination which was a conference room inside the house. The place was quite spacious and cozy looking, especially since it has a fireplace. They all immediately took their seats with KSS taking one side of the table and Ichigo Productions sitting opposite of them.
“Snacks will be brought in a little bit, so let’s get down to business to business shall we,” Tadao said as he placed a briefcase on the table and pulled out some papers. “By the way, everything we talk about will not leave this room, you can trust us. I think I also know the reason why you need an extra pair of hands. Your reason for getting a bodyguard is because you’re worried that you’ll be attacked like that idol that got stabbed recently, yes?”
They all nodded at that. It was already a month old, but the memory of it was still fresh on everyone’s minds, especially since it was covered on national news.
An idol named Hirose Keiko, who was pretty popular and only 16 like Ai, was recently murdered by a crazy fan in her own home. The autopsy report stated that the cause of death was cardiac arrest from severe bleeding after being stabbed three times and that she died in minutes.
The police captured the killer before he could jump off a bridge and took him in for questioning. He said that a Twitter post showing Keiko being all friendly with some guy somewhere made people think she had gotten a boyfriend. This enraged him because he felt betrayed by her actions, therefore he stalked her and plotted her murder for weeks. So, it was pretty awkward for him to find out that Keiko’s supposed boyfriend was actually her cousin and she was at a family get-together at that time.
The news shocked everyone in the country and many celebrities started taking their personal security more seriously. Ichigo was worried for Ai, and Ai was a bit scared herself. She knew Keiko, they did some collaborations together in the past, and she was upset she couldn’t attend her funeral. So, Ichigo Productions, though a bit cash-strapped, decided that it would be a good idea to have some form of security with them to help out in the long run. Especially now that Ai was pregnant… they couldn’t stomach the thought of some deranged lunatic stabbing her to death like what happened to Keiko.
“I don’t think I can forget that. I knew the girl and her agency, they were good people. I hope that bastard gets the chair,” Ichigo muttered.
“You and me both. And don’t worry, we’ll make sure nothing ever happens to you,” Tadao assured. “Alright, now, how do you want to be protected?”
“We just need someone with us to keep the creeps away, especially one that can lie low with us. Nothing flashy at all,” Ichigo answered.
“Hmm, I understand what you want. One or two agents on you at all times at least, covering your front and back. They’ll be in plain clothes too so as to not draw attention. Okay, I’ve got a lot of agents to spare for that kind of job,” Tadao said, as he wrote on a piece of paper.
“What else is there?” Ichigo asked.
“We’re gonna brief you on how we operate and how we intend to do this. None of them are hard to follow at all. The gist is that you need to tell us everything, your schedules, contacts, extra activities, etcetera.”
“So, I’ll basically be followed around everywhere?” Ai asked.
“Basically, yes. But the key difference is that it’ll be by people you can trust. However, that doesn’t mean we’ll be poking around your daily life and infringing on your space every day. We’ll create a system in which you’re safe but still comfortable. In fact, we even have methods to protect you without you or anyone seeing us, but that’s really expensive though,” Tadao explained. “We know our boundaries too, Hoshino-sama, you don’t have to worry.”
“Hmm,” Ai hummed as she considered his words before another thought occurred to her. “Will you kill people?”
“Only if they really force us to. Every agent has a loaded gun with him, but we’re also trained in ways to stop an attacker with non-lethal force. Besides, one of our tactics is that by simply being there, we can discourage anyone from trying anything funny. As I’ve said, the best days for us are the most boring ones.”
“I see.”
“What’s the price tag?” Miyako asked.
“Despite the low elements, you’re still looking at 500,000 yen per month. But…” He trailed off. “But… due to my debt to you, Ichigo, I’ve decided to give you half that price for six months. This is paid like a subscription service where you have to pay every month. Failure to pay means immediate termination of services.”
“Is there anything else?” Ichigo asked.
“There are a bunch more details that you need to know. Legality, protocols, company policy, and all that. But, there’s one detail that I threw in as a condition for this,” Tadao said then placed a hand on Akio’s shoulder who was sitting to his right. “My son will be the one to run point of your protection detail. This’ll also act as his first test, to prove his skill as a protection agent.”
“Although I’m inexperienced, I’m quick to learn and adapt, and I’m ready to take on whatever task is needed from me,” Akio said politely.
Ichigo and Miyako frowned at the prospect of being given someone who was inexperienced in the field. But if he was the son of the guy who runs the place, then he should be pretty good, right? Besides, this is possibly the best deal they’ll ever get, and they weren’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth.
“Alright, that’s fine,” Ichigo said.
“I’m okay with it,” Ai said.
“Although, Akio will be running point so you’ll see him the most often, another rookie agent will also be there to learn too. He’ll be number two. A senior agent will also be dropping by occasionally to check on them and evaluate their performance, although you don’t need to pay him. And in case things get really bad, emergency services and other agents won’t be too far to assist,” Tadao added.
“Ah, alright,” Ichigo said.
“Now, for the rest of everything.”
They would spend the next thirty minutes getting into the details of how everything would be under their care. Snacks and refreshments were brought in at that time with Ai receiving a pint of ice cream, making her very happy. They got into some legal conditions that were implemented to protect both sides. They also got into how the protection detail would work and what to do under certain situations. And of course, company policy.
One such policy is that the client can sue the company for up to 30 million yen for disclosing any secrets entrusted to them without permission. And although KSS can definitely pay that amount, their reputation would be tarnished and they’d lose even more money. That was a fact that allowed Ichigo Productions to rest easier. Ai’s pregnancy needed to remain under wraps.
After a few more minutes and a couple more things were clarified, they finally moved on to the last piece of the puzzle. Tadao opened up his briefcase and pulled out one last set of papers.
“This is the contract. What’s is just a summary of everything we talked about, but I suggest you read it carefully so you’re not missing anything,” Tadao said.
Ichigo Productions took the document and carefully read through it to make sure they were not missing anything. It took another five minutes, but they confirmed that everything was in place.
“A service that tells you everything and makes you read the contract first? Finally!” Ichigo joked.
“We’re the guys that protect the Emperor, not some shady organization! We’ve got a reputation to uphold!” Tadao stated. “Anyway, if nothing is amiss, sign your name and seal on the space provided and we are officially under your employ.”
“Everything’s here. Let’s seal the deal,” Ichigo said.
He grabbed a pen that was provided to him and signed his name on the line at the bottom then stamped his seal on the side. Miyako did the same thing after him. And finally, Ai filled out the last line with her name and seal and even drew a little heart on it. Tadao took the document and looked through it before putting it down and giving them a smile.
“You are now under the protection of Kurosawa Security Services! With Hachiman, the divine protector of Japan, guiding our hands, you will not have to worry about anything as long as we are around! Rest assured that we will take care of you. And anyone that tries to harm you will die a horrible death!” He proclaimed.
“That’s… oddly specific,” Ichigo remarked.
“If you get hurt, we’ll cover the expenses of your medical bill. If you die under our watch, which you won’t, we’ll offer a full refund to your relatives, and we’ll even avenge you. That’s our policy, to treat our clientele as if they are our family,” He added.
“That’s very nice,” Miyako said.
“Only the best we provide our clients,” Tadao said. “And aside from giving you a copy of the documents, this concludes our business. Thank you for choosing our services. We promised not to disappoint.”
“We’ll be watching closely then.”
Both groups then stood up and gave each other one last bout of handshakes to truly seal the contract that was just signed.
“I’ll make sure your men get tickets to one of my concerts in the future!” Ai said and looked at Akio. “Especially you, Akio-san.”
“Oh, that’s very kind of you, Hoshino-sama. But, I’m not into idol music,” He replied politely.
“Huh?”
“Please excuse my son. We know he’s a weirdo,” Tadao jokingly said.
“I ain’t weird, Dad. I don’t hate idol music but I don’t exactly like it either. I just like other things,” Akio stated.
“It’s not impossible, but it’s a first for us. Everyone your age we’ve met is into idols,” Saitou said. “Looks like you’re the 10% we didn’t see coming.”
“Please just take it as less worry for you, since I won’t be prying for your attention all the time. I’ll always keep a respectful distance. I promise.”
“That’s all we can ever ask really. Thank you.”
“Now that business is concluded, we can all turn in for the night. But would you like something before you leave? Some more snacks or drinks perhaps? We’ve got a lot here,” Tadao offered but Ichigo shook his head.
“No, we’ve already been here too long, we don’t want to overstay our welcome. Besides, it’s late and we’re all tired. We should be getting back now,” he said.
“Alright. In that case, allow us to walk you out while I get the valet to get your car.”
“Alright then.”
Ichigo Productions prepared to leave while Tadao got on his phone. Ichigo and Miyako started discussing something with each other while Ai simply looked around the room. Her eyes would eventually land on Akio who was looking at his phone. He’d pocket it a moment later and his eyes would land on his protectee’s. She’d flashed him a wide smile, the kind that can captivate any man, while he returned with a simple smile and a nod. Ai began opening her mouth to speak before stopping short when there was a disturbance from Tadao.
“... Really? Alright, I’ll tell them,” He sighed before turning to the group.
“What’s wrong?” Ichigo asked.
Tadao smiled awkwardly. “A small problem just developed on your end.”
They’d find themselves outside again a moment later, watching a scene unfold before them. Ichigo Production’s car, a white rental Toyota Corolla, remained where Ichigo last left it although the hood was open and multiple guys were peering into the engine compartment with flashlights. One agent tried turning the key and starting the ignition, yet the engine remained quiet. A moment later, a middle-aged man with his sleeves rolled up walked up to Tadao while wiping his hands on a rag.
“I think it’s a broken sparkplug, Tadao-san. It just won’t start,” He reported.
“I told you it was broken!” Miyako scolded Ichigo in a hushed voice.
“Do we have spare parts, Hiro-san?” Tadao asked.
“No, we just ran out when our own rides needed maintenance and we haven’t resupplied yet,” He said with a shake of his head. “We can’t run to the shop too because it’s already closed at this time. This thing’s staying here till morning.”
Ichigo and Miyako groaned at their misfortune while the rest of them simply stared indifferently. Tadao then sighed and spoke again.
“Alright. In that case, Hiro-san, please get the van off the driveway and onto the side. We’ll deal with it tomorrow morning. Then please take one of the Land Cruisers and take them back to their hotel. The rest of you are free to leave for home too,” He ordered.
“Hai, Kurosawa-sama!” Everyone replied.
“Tadao-san, are you sure? This is probably too much—” Ichigo began but stopped when Tadoa raised a hand.
“It’s fine, I don’t mind at all. Just think of this as me helping a friend in need. And no, you don’t have to pay,” He replied.
Ichigo was unsure but ultimately allowed it and bowed a bit. “Alright, thank you.”
“No problem,” Tadao replied with a shallow nod.
While the adults addressed the issue of their ride, the two kids remained on the side and simply watched. Akio and Ai were still in their teens, so they were kids in the eyes of the adults present.
“So,” Ai began. “What kind of music do you listen to, Kurokawa-san?”
“Uh, I like rock music of all types from pop to death metal. I’ve been listening to them since I was five. And it’s Kurosawa, Hoshino-sama,” He replied, her sudden question and error of his name catching him off guard.
“Ah, really? Ahahaha, I’m so sorry! I'm not very good at memorizing people’s faces!” She laughed jovially.
“Ahaha, I can imagine. Since you probably see so many faces every day, it’s hard to keep track of them all, huh?” He laughed.
“Ah, yeah! It’s a bit of a problem for me, hehe. Sometimes, I even forget the President’s name too, haha!”
He laughed along with her but internally, he was cringing a bit.
Does every idol have such an airheaded personality? He wondered.
“It must be kinda hard for you too, having to work like this when you’re so young,” She remarked.
“Well, this is my first job ever, so it doesn’t seem hard at all right now. That’s definitely gonna change though,” He replied. “But, I don’t think my job will get anywhere as difficult as yours with you having to put up an act all the time. I don’t think I can handle that.”
“Yeah, tell me about it. I really like my job, but sometimes it gets pretty tiring. Taking a break like this is gonna help out a lot!” She said happily before taking a deep breath and looking around. “I think I’ve already said this, but your place is really nice.”
“Mhmm, and this is just our place here in Tokyo. We’re only here now because we need to be closer to some of our clients at the moment. Our main house in Kyoto is even bigger and cooler!” Akio replied.
“You guys are really loaded, huh?”
“For the past few decades, Kurosawa has been branching to other things that make money. We need the cash to pay for our stuff after all. Although, we’re still inferior to zaibatsus like Shinomiya and Shijo (who we provide services to, by the way) but also still better than most.”
“Wow.”
“Mhmm, but money still isn’t everything. We try to take a humble approach to things too. Dad doesn’t like spending money on anything that isn’t important and I don’t buy a lot of things myself,” He added and kept his mouth open to continue when he was interrupted.
“Don’t believe him! He eats yakiniku at least once a week!” One of the younger agents stated as he walked by with a bag over his shoulder, likely on his way home.
“Look who’s talking, idiot! You spend the most out of all of us!” He retorted angrily but only got a laugh in response. He turned back to Ai who was holding a hand over her mouth to stifle her giggles, prompting him to sigh in annoyance. “Alright, I admit that part and also I spend a lot quite a lot on video games and band equipment, but only on special occasions. I’m not some pompous rich jerk that throws money around, I promise you.”
“Hmm, alright, I believe you,” She giggled and then thought of something. “You could’ve totally left that part out or outright lied. Why didn’t you?”
“Uh, it was already out, so there’s no point in trying to lie about it anymore. Besides, I don’t believe you deserve to be lied to, Hoshino-sama,” He answered.
Her smile wavered ever so slightly as she processed his answer. I don’t deserve to be… lied to?
“Um—”
“Ai, our ride’s here! Let’s head back to the hotel!” Ichigo called out as one of the company’s Land Cruisers had been brought out to take them.
“I guess we’ll just have to continue this conversation some other time, but it’s been a nice talk. I look forward to working with you, Hoshino-sama,” He said with a wide smile and an outstretched hand.
“Ai.”
“Sorry?”
Ai smiled widely too, her eyes seemingly shimmering brighter as she took his hand and shook it. “Since we’ll be sticking so closely together for a while, you can just call me Ai, Akio-san.”
He blinked. “U-Uh, sure thing, Ai-san.”
“Just Ai,” She clarified.
“Just Ai,” He nodded and smiled widely, happy that she remembered his first know, even if he didn’t know why.
“If that’s what you want, you’re the boss,” Akio remarked, earning another laugh from her. “You have a good night, Ai, and I’ll see you again tomorrow.”
“You too, Akio-san.”
She’d head back to her group a moment later and they were leaving the estate shortly. Akio waved at the car as it drove past him and he could just barely see a human figure waving back through the darkness. As he watched the SUV disappear, he put his hand down and looked up at the sky.
“Wow,” He breathed. “Her eyes are something else.”
He’d retire for the night shortly after without another thought. He’d sleep soundly not knowing that he had just stepped on the path that would define his life.
***
This is the link to the ff.net page. Thank you very much for taking the time to read it, and thank you even more if you decide to support it on ff.net! Please also tell me what you think and/or if you have any ideas you'd like to share here or there!
For now, have a great day, and peace out!
Veritas vos liberabit.
The Truth will set you Free.

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2023.05.30 12:42 Asleep_Pin2874 Manufactured Housing Market to Observe Strong Growth to Generate Massive Revenue in Coming Years

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What’s keeping Nobility Homes, Inc. (United States),Cavco Industries, Inc. (United States),Champion Home Builders Inc. (United States),Palm Harbor Homes, Inc. (United States) ,Fleetwood Homes, Inc. (United States),Jacobsen Manufacturing Inc. (United States),Excel Homes LLC (United States),Woodland Homes of Huntsville, Inc. (United States),Dutch Housing, Inc. (United States),BonnaVilla (United States), Keep Growing in the Market? Benchmark yourself with the strategic moves and latest Market Share and Sizing of Global Manufactured Housing market recently published by AMA
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Market Opportunities: Sellers May Directly Provide Financing to Buyers
Highlights of Influencing Drivers: Technological advancements in Manufactured Housing
Rising Popularity of House Ownership at Low Cost
Presented By
AMA Research & Media LLP

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2023.05.30 12:13 Affectionate_Oil_354 Construction Adhesives Market Trend and Top Growing Companies 2030

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Research Nester published a report titled “Construction Adhesives Market: Global Demand Analysis & Opportunity Outlook 2030” which delivers detailed overview of the global construction adhesives market in terms of market segmentation by type, application, end-user, and by region.
Further, for the in-depth analysis, the report encompasses the industry growth indicators, restraints, supply and demand risk, along with detailed discussion on current and future market trends that are associated with the growth of the market.
The global construction adhesive market is estimated to attain a CAGR of ~5% over the forecast period, i.e., 2022 – 2030. The market is segmented on the basis of application into tile installation, wallpapers, carper lying and others, out of which, the tile installation segment is anticipated to hold the notable share over the forecast period, owing to the use of adhesives for flooring in residential construction. In the U.S., USD 200 billion were spent for the construction of new houses in 2020.
The global construction adhesive market is estimated to grow on the back of various advantages of using adhesive in construction, such as, stress division evenly across the joint, cost-effective, and flexible bond. Increasing application of adhesive in construction industry is estimated to boost the market growth. Mass construction of residential buildings, by government and private builders, is also estimated to boost the market growth in the upcoming years.
Download Sample of This Strategic Report: https://www.researchnester.com/sample-request-3388
On the basis of regional analysis, the global construction adhesive market is segmented into five major regions including North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Middle East & Africa region. The market in the Asia Pacific region is anticipated to garner significant market share during the forecast period, owing to the rapid urbanization and growing population in countries, such as, India, Japan, and China. The market in the North America region is projected to garner major market share during the forecast period, owing to rising construction activities in United States, and Canada.
The research was global in nature and conducted in North America (U.S., Canada), Europe (U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Hungary, Belgium, Netherlands & Luxembourg, NORDIC (Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark), Poland, Turkey, Russia, Rest of Europe), Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Rest of Latin America), Asia-Pacific (China, India, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, Rest of Asia-Pacific), Middle East and Africa (Israel, GCC (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman), North Africa, South Africa, Rest of Middle East and Africa). In addition, areas like Market size, Y-O-Y growth & Opportunity Analysis, market players competitive study, investment opportunities, demand for future outlook etc. have been covered and displayed in the research report to ensure it dives deep to achieve strategic competitive intelligence in the segment.
Growing Construction of Residential Buildings to boost the Market Growth
According to the data by India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF) the government of India aims to construct 20 million affordable houses in urban areas by 2020, under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna (PMAY).
“The Final Report will cover the impact analysis of COVID-19 on this industry.”
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Backed by the rise in population across several nations worldwide, and for the rising urbanization, there is a growing need for shelters. Government of several nations are offering residential societies to individuals, especially to support the needy. Moreover, increasing preference for designer homes and modular homes, the demand for construction adhesives is expected to grow significantly, and in turn drive the market growth.
However, halt in construction activities caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to operate as key restraint to the growth of the global construction adhesives market over the forecast period.
This report also provides the existing competitive scenario of some of the key players of the global construction adhesives market which includes company profiling of BASF SE, Sika AG, 3M, Illinois Tool Works Inc, Henkel Adhesives Technologies India Private Limited, H.B. Fuller Company, Arkema Group, The Dow Chemical Company, DAP Products Inc., Avery Dennison Corporation and others. The profiling enfolds key information of the companies which encompasses business overview, products and services, key financials and recent news and developments. On the whole, the report depicts detailed overview of the global construction adhesives market that will help industry consultants, equipment manufacturers, existing players searching for expansion opportunities, new players searching possibilities and other stakeholders to align their market centric strategies according to the ongoing and expected trends in the future.
Read More Information@ https://www.researchnester.com/reports/construction-adhesives-market/3388
About Research Nester
Research Nester is a leading service provider for strategic market research and consulting. We aim to provide unbiased, unparalleled market insights and industry analysis to help industries, conglomerates and executives to take wise decisions for their future marketing strategy, expansion and investment etc. We believe every business can expand to its new horizon, provided a right guidance at a right time is available through strategic minds. Our out of box thinking helps our clients to take wise decision in order to avoid future uncertainties.
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Email: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])
U.S. Phone: +1 646 586 9123
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2023.05.30 10:34 kucikaci Global At-home Use Intense Pulsed Light Hair Removal System market report 2023, forecast to 2028

At-home Use Intense Pulsed Light Hair Removal System report provides a detailed analysis of regional and country-level market size, segmentation market growth, market share, competitive Landscape, sales analysis, impact of domestic.

Content’s of At-home Use Intense Pulsed Light Hair Removal System Market

Report Attributes	Report Details
Report Title	Global At-home Use Intense Pulsed Light Hair Removal System market report 2023, forecast to 2028
By Type	201-400 USD, 100-200 USD, Others,……
By Application	Female Consumers, Male Consumers,……
By Companies	Philips, Panasonic, Braun, Silk¡¯n, CosBeauty, Ya-Man, Iluminage Beauty,……
Base Year	2022
Historical Year	2018 to 2022 (Data from 2010 can be provided as per availability)
Forecast Year	Till to 2028
Customization Available	Yes, the report can be customized as per your need.

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The Impact of the Russo-Ukrainian WaCOVID-19 on the Development of the At-home Use Intense Pulsed Light Hair Removal System Market in the Future

2023 is expected to be a challenging year for many parts of the global economy, due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine adversely affecting trade, particularly in Europe, and the global economy still feeling the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. We will assess this further in the final report.
from:https://oj-machine.com/Our-Research/at-home-use-intense-pulsed-light-hair-removal-system-market-70224007/

AI changes the At-home Use Intense Pulsed Light Hair Removal System market

By 2023, Artificial Intelligence is expected to revolutionize businesses and industries, with investments in AI technology growing exponentially. Our report looks into the potential of AI to automate processes, increase efficiency, and explore the practical applications and thinking behind the use of AI.

– By Regions –

Asia-Pacific (Vietnam, China, Malaysia, Japan, Philippines, Korea, Thailand, India, Indonesia, and Australia)
Europe (Turkey, Germany, Russia UK, Italy, France, etc.)
North America (United States, Mexico, and Canada.)
South America (Brazil etc.)
The Middle East and Africa (GCC Countries and Egypt.)
from:https://oj-machine.com/Our-Research/at-home-use-intense-pulsed-light-hair-removal-system-market-70224007/

Research Objectives

1.To study and analyze the global At-home Use Intense Pulsed Light Hair Removal System consumption (value) by key regions/countries, product type and application, history data from 2017 to 2021, and forecast to 2027.
2.To understand the structure by identifying its various subsegments.
3.Focuses on the key global manufacturers, to define, describe and analyze the value, market share, market competition landscape, Porter’s five forces analysis, SWOT analysis and development plans in next few years.
4.To analyze the At-home Use Intense Pulsed Light Hair Removal System with respect to individual growth trends, future prospects, and their contribution to the total market.
5.To share detailed information about the key factors influencing the growth of the market (growth potential, opportunities, drivers, industry-specific challenges and risks).
6.To project the consumption of At-home Use Intense Pulsed Light Hair Removal System submarkets, with respect to key regions (along with their respective key countries).
7.To analyze competitive developments such as expansions, agreements, new product launches, and acquisitions in the market.
8.To strategically profile the key players and comprehensively analyze their growth strategies.

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2023.05.30 10:02 emaanderson1 IoT Blockchain Edge Devices Market Forecast With Trends, Challenges & Drivers and Key Players Till 2027

Research Nester released a report titled “IoT Blockchain Edge Devices Market: Global Demand Analysis & Opportunity Outlook 2027″ which delivers a detailed overview of the global IoT blockchain edge devices market in terms of market segmentation by organization size, by component, by services, by application, by vertical and by region.
Further, for the in-depth analysis, the report encompasses the industry growth drivers, restraints, supply and demand risk, market attractiveness, BPS analysis, and Porter’s five force model. The market for IoT blockchain edge devices is projected to grow at a CAGR over the forecast period, i.e., 2019-2027. Internet of Things (IoT) operating systems are a form of embedded operating systems that improve the efficiency and quality of work with reduced human interference and decreased operating costs.
The market is segmented by organization size, by component, by services, by application, by vertical, and by region. On the basis of application, the market is segmented into capillary networks management, smart building & home automation, smart utilities, vehicle telematics, smart healthcare, industrial manufacturing & automation, and others.
Get Exclusive Sample Report Data Of This Report @ https://www.researchnester.com/sample-request-1889
The global IoT blockchain edge devices market is segmented by region into North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific and the Middle East, and Africa. The market in North America is predicted to hold the largest share in the market and grow at the highest CAGR of around 35% over the forecast period. The IoT blockchain edge devices market in Europe and Asia Pacific regions is predicted to follow the lead with significant market growths in the next few years.
Rising Business Opportunities And High Market Value To Boost The Market Growth The market is anticipated to gain a high market value which can be attributed to the growing preference for connected devices, increased usage of advanced technology, and rising adoption of portable devices all over the world. This is predicted to significantly raise the market growth in the coming years. However, the lack of maintenance of proper industrial standards related to the internet of things operating systems is predicted to hamper the global IoT blockchain edge devices market over the forecast period.
This report also provides the existing competitive scenario of some of the key players of the global IoT blockchain edge devices market which includes company profiling of Amazon, Dell EMC, HPE, FogHorn, IBM, Rigado, Cisco, ClearBlade, Saguna
The profiling enfolds key information of the companies which encompasses business overview, products and services, key financials, and recent news and developments. On the whole, the report depicts a detailed overview of the global IoT blockchain edge devices market that will help industry consultants, equipment manufacturers, existing players searching for expansion opportunities, new players searching possibilities, and other stakeholders to align their market-centric strategies according to the ongoing and expected trends in the future.
Download/Request Sample Copy of Strategic Report: https://www.researchnester.com/sample-request-1889

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2023.05.30 09:14 WaveOfWire One Hell Of A Vacation - Chapter 86

First Prev Next Royal Road
u/KieveKRS providing the Trash certification of quality!
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[Thank you for agreeing to teach them.]
Volta nodded, not entirely sure if it was for the best, but recognizing a request—or in this case, a thinly veiled order—for what it was.
Ever since she had taught Scarlet and the others her field, the occasional rotation of Lilhuns would be assigned to work under her for a time. It made her job easier, especially since the settlement was expanding at a ludicrous rate compared to what she had heard from the new members of the pack.
The Atmo that had joined were quickly treated and cared for, those who did not require so much time for recovery quickly accompanying the existing insects in their tasks. The largest, Mama, frequently assisted in construction and decoration of structures, so they worked with her. Once they had oriented how things progressed and their part in it, they were paired off with a construction group to be assigned a project. It was to the point where there were as many as five buildings nearing completion at once, the majority of them being accommodation for the new members of the pack.
The remaining question was regarding the insect kits. The answer? Well, there were four Atmo slightly smaller than the purple ‘Queen’ that had requested Volta instruct them, the pearlescent shimmer of her scaled carapace dancing in the sunbeams afforded by the skylight the den had been constructed with.
Teaching Violet—as well as the two Atmo that Volta had escorted to this pack—in the ways of sanitation had been an interesting endeavour, all things considered. They held a remarkable dexterity in those long edged appendages, but the lack of something to properly grasp with made finding a way to secure a rag onto the ends difficult. Luckily, Heralt was receptive to assisting her with creating something that would attach to the blades.
It was little more than a mop that secured to the joint and braced around the cutting edge gingerly, the ends of the stick using ‘ironwood’ springs to clamp onto fabric pads that would soak in the cleaning solution and allow them to do the floors and walls. Were it not for how shockingly efficient the task was performed, she would have been useless through the laughter at the sight.
Each Atmo kit held two of the devices on their limbs, allowing them to travel in pairs and simply finish large spaces within the time it would take her to prepare the next batch of cleaners to use. They had only started a short while ago and yet two dens had been finished, Scarlet assisting her in doing whatever furniture or ledges the Atmo were unsuited to completing. The odd pack member going through what Head Sahari called ‘versatility training’ listened to her instructions in an oddly compliant manner, giving the blue-furred female pause at the unusual experience.
All in all; the cleaner was guiding the five insects and three Lilhuns in the ways of cleanliness. Scarlet was primarily keeping an eye on those who interacted with the purple-coloured Atmo, her contributions to the other tasks proficient, despite the split attention. Before, she would have assumed the servant quietly acquiescing orders, but the dark red-furred female was particularly vigilant in matters pertaining to the kit now.
Volta wasn’t sure what happened to the other servants that regularly assisted her on a rotation—save for Kaslin, the female seeming to have been unofficially inducted as Grand…. Toril’s assistant alongside his mate, Tersa—but Faye, the mild-mannered deep gold-furred female, and Raine, the polite and excitable brown-furred female, had been absent for many suns now.
It was almost lonely, in a way.
Almost.
“That should be sufficient for this den,” she announced to the gaggle of Atmo kits and Lilhuns, careful to remind them not to bother the few ‘rock-worms’ that Ferra kept separate from the rest outside. There were only four, the largest one adorned in an odd script, but they were apparently a selection of favourites of the female. Regardless, it would not do to irritate a mate of Atrox.
The brown-furred male was responsible for the ghastly armour that the Grand Hunter wore on occasion, and she was not in a hurry to see if the disturbing tendencies of the male extended to how he displayed his displeasure.
“Where is our next destination?” Scarlet asked, her tail brushing up Volta’s spine in an uncomfortable way. It wasn’t that she disliked the touch, but the owner of it worried her. Something about the servant struck her as more than what was presented, and it was obvious that the female thought of it as immensely entertaining. That much was obvious, even without the sly grin.
“We have proceeded much faster than I was expecting,” the blue-furred female admitted, mentally checking over her itinerary while subtly batting away the offending appendage. “I suppose we should attempt the barracks while the pack is engaged, then rest for a time.”
[May I leave to check on the other Atmo?]
Volta paused, unsure why it was being requested rather than merely presented as a fact. Violet was—as far as it mattered—completely beyond the cleaner’s station, if only because she was an adopted kit of the Grand Hunter, as well as a sort of leadership figure for the insects. It was an enigmatic blend of positions where the purple insect could very well order Volta to do things, rather than ask. Though the hierarchy was not nepotistic in nature, it was safer to adhere to the wishes of the den-kit than it was to disobey.
“You may. What of the others?”
[I will leave them with you and Scarlet.]
The mentioned servant frowned. “I am to accompany you.”
Violet chittered her curious laugh. [These young ones are your task. I must attend to my own.]
Volta discreetly jabbed the female with a claw, glaring at her not to question the wishes of her better. The less attention drawn from the Grand Hunter, the better. Just picturing the disturbing mask and piercing gaze was enough to make her blanch.
Either reminded of her position, or merely interested in playful retaliation, Scarlet sighed quietly, bowing slightly to the insect. “As you wish, young mistress. Do call for me if I am required.”
[I will. Thank you, Scarlet, Volta.]
Volta lowered her head, watching the Queen leave before returning her attention to the group.
“We will do the first barracks, then determine if we are of time to do the second. The kits are to await the floors cleared of obstruction by the Lilhuns before cleaning them. We will manage it in sections so as not to disturb any who may be taking a break. In future—assuming you are to operate independently from myself—it would be best if you are used to working in groups.”
The Lilhuns nodded their understanding, the young Atmo hesitantly conferring with each other before approaching Scarlet to have their mops freed of soiled cloth and materials placed upon their carriages.
The Atmo had all been outfitted with a specially made platform that fitted over their wider base, clasping underneath past their six legs. It allowed them to transport much, their carrying capacity much larger than one would suspect from their size. The kits could comfortably haul all of the materials for the sun by themselves, and the adults had been the subject of idle speculation for mounted weapon platforms—assuming the fragmented conversation she had chanced upon was to be believed.
Volta inspected the odd section that the Lilhuns under her tutelage completed while she waited for packing to finish. She was not necessarily pleased with the results, but it was more important for them to understand the procedure to take for various locations at the moment. They had proven that they understood what to do for the dens, so next came teaching them how to approach high-traffic areas.
Once everyone had been prepared and the materials gathered, they left the den and started towards the barracks, glimpsing the Grand Hunter sparring with some of the pack in the open.
Ever since the Atmo were delivered by a trade caravan, the male had taken to training much of the pack personally, Huntress Pan taking over much of his more mundane work. Those who were deemed adequate were then pawed off to Head Tel for some specialized training, though Volta was not privy to what exactly it was meant to accomplish.
Regardless, Head Sahari was in charge of rotating out the pack amongst tasks, only a few specialists being directly assigned to any one occupation. By all rights, Volta herself should be training under the male, but the nature of her work meant that she was typically better off doing her job when such was under way. Given that the Grand Hunter was a rare case of someone fully understanding the importance of her specialty—and how little she wished to interact with the alien—she was thankfully spared.
Disregarding the events going on, she motioned for her group to follow her. There was work to do.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
“Two up!” he called out, wiping the sweat from his brow. The exertion cleared his mind, and the break from endless paperwork was appreciated. With the influx of members and various training being required, he had gotten rather exhausted mentally. Between the Wraiths being gone for two weeks since he told them to do recon around the Atmo traders, regular interaction with various caravans, planning out what they needed to do, and Robert still not calling him since the man had left to handle something, he had been pretty high-strung.
As always, there was more on his mind. Harrow had become more elusive regarding him ever since he had her transcribe the Union documents regarding the Lilhuns, their conversations vapid and brief. Jax didn’t have anything useful to say about it other than that she wanted time to sort her thoughts. Toril, Idee, Mi’low, and Bratik were given copies of the file to go over recently, since they were the closest thing he had to a counsel unfettered by a close relationship.
His own makeshift family took the news in an odd way. There was a lot to unpack.
Jax had become quiet, his muscles tensing. Harrow ended up staying away from her mate for a few days until he had stopped brooding about it. In the end; the guy just told Joseph that he would trust the Grand Hunter’s decisions regarding it, finding himself at a loss otherwise.
Sahari and Nalah were approached about the bonding information, the latter denying any bond to him, as well as Sahari confirming the same towards her blond-furred mate. The only line of reasoning that they could think of to make sense was that Nalah’s circumstances had messed with her in some way. The two seemed rather distressed by the assertion, but calmed somewhat when he mentioned that nothing would change between them regardless. Sahari could tell how conflicted he was about the whole thing, he just wanted to give them something to hang on to.
It was a bigger deal for them than he had initially internalized. In retrospect; something revered as a literal gift from their god being denied really should have been an obvious point of stress. As begrudging as his acceptance was, he was linked to the whole ‘Great Hunt’ business in their minds, so he was aware of how deeply that belief ran. He didn’t personally subscribe to the religion, but they never really bothered him with anything besides overseeing funeral rites—not that he would have refused anyway.
Pan seemed to mirror his feelings on the matter—a dark feeling of helplessness and sorrow. She had fallen quiet when she heard about the trials on the defectives, that particular section hitting her harder than the others. After an entire day of silence, all she had to say about it was that she loved him, and then spent the night burrowed between him and Tel, unable to sleep. He had a hard time as well, but it extended well past the initial night.
Tel had informed him that his restlessness had made it difficult for her to get any shut-eye, his shifting disturbing her, but it was said in a slightly concerned tone. Her general reaction was fairly subdued compared to the rest otherwise, her lifetime of being at either end of a gun numbing her to the reality of things. It was weird for him, but he was deeply thankful for it on some level.
She kept him sane, her cold response being a candid ‘Wish it, and I will end all who displease you.’
For once, her more violent background gave him something to grip onto. It resonated in him—loose, yet present. A door within him, chained and locked, was brought to mind as he really considered what he wanted for those involved. The traders who abused the Atmo, those who seemed so bent on hurting his friends, the Union ‘GUOS’ who called for the experiments... A thrumming settled in his fists, an itch that couldn’t be sated by just scratching.
A paw flew past his brow, his shifted posture allowing him to slip the claws that had been left exposed in the heat of the spar. His heart hammered, his sweat soaked his clothing, and his focus returned to the fight.
No Union, no traders, no worries. Just the two security members who had doubted Jax’s claims that the smaller Human had somehow bested the male in a fight, and were now bringing out their natural weapons on instinct.
Grabbing the wrist with his right hand and gripping the shoulder with his left, he pulled, using the rotational force to pivot on his left foot and haul the overeager Lilhun to the dirt, the appendage bending behind them sharply. A second fist came from the corner of his eye, the other combatant trying to use the momentary distraction to score a hit.
Using the gripped arm as a balance, Joseph leaned into the spin, firing the sole of his shoe into the head of the opportunistic attacker. The loud slap of his foot connecting with the larger male almost outdid the crumpled form crashing to the ground unconscious. It was only a dull sensation of mercy that stopped him from completing the spin while he maintained his iron grip on the arm of the thrown adversary, saving them a torn and dislocated shoulder.
Joseph breathed heavily, the adrenaline wearing out as Jax checked on the defeated. Minus some stiffness expected in one of them and a sore jaw for the other, they would be fine, albeit embarrassed for such a quick disposal in front of their usual teachers.
The sound of his rubber sole slapping on the ground some distance away killed off whatever motivation he had to continue, his shoes finally giving out.
“I would ask you not to disable my security, Grand Hunter,” Jax said with mock frustration, the black-furred male’s eyes following the two leaving with an expression of exasperation.
“Sorry,” Joseph breathed out, his heart hammering in his chest as his system wound down.
The Head of Security glanced down at him, his expression pensive. “As much as I enjoy my boasting of your prowess to be validated, I do worry that you see more than a spar in them.”
He drew his lips thin as he brushed his sweat-soaked hair back, his arm dropping to his side. He took a few moments to sort the thoughts that returned. “I probably should have called that kick, yeah.”
The larger Lilhun snorted. “They will be fine, it is not their health I am worried about.”
“I’m fine, Jax,” he snapped, averting his eyes when his friend seemed to have made his point. “I…. I’ll be fine. Just some things on my mind right now.”
“Joseph,” the black-furred male started, walking up to place a large paw on his shoulder. “We are here if you wish to talk.”
His breath died in his throat, his eyes closing in defeat. He felt the soreness in his hands surface, hours of constant fighting to soothe the burning in his blood that failed to abate. Bruises made themselves known, dehydration made his joints stiff, and lack of sleep clouded his mind. Jax was right, he was a bit of a mess.
“Grand Hunter,” Mi’low called, his tired glance in her direction revealing the female approaching. “We are ready to speak.”
Joseph placed a hand on Jax’s paw, patting it softly. “Talking will have to wait. Tell Harrow I said hi and that I’d like to hang out again. I miss it.”
The male looked at him apologetically, nodding as he was still unable to offer anything to ease the sting of a friend distancing themselves from the Human. “I will.”
The Human cycled a breath and faced the actress. “The rest?”
Mi’low nodded. “Where will we meet?”
Joseph waved an arm towards the base. “My place. More chairs.”
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Toril was wearing his usual smile, his eyes inspecting everything about the hub from the couch while Tersa stood nearby, her body language telling that she was wary about being in a new place without time to scout it. Bratik was in his wheelchair, Sorren holding his paw as he sat on the opposite side of the chemist. Idee—being the only one to spend time in the outpost regularly—simply thanked Kaslin for the water from her place between the two mated males. Mi’low had claimed a free chair, her legs crossed and back straight as she stayed away from the others on the couch. The Wraith handed Joseph his requested tea since Scarlet was babysitting the insects, then occupied a place out of the way, but close enough to act if things got heated.
He stayed standing rather than occupying his usual place on a table, his second choice of seating being filled up. He could have dragged over the Atmo couch, but he didn’t want to stress his body any more than he had already by lugging it. “So, everyone had plenty of time to read the documents.”
“Indeed,” Mi’low commented dryly, a glare shot in his direction. Idee nodded, though her expression fell as it was brought up. Toril maintained his detached look of amusement, but it didn’t escape Joseph’s notice that Tersa stiffened.
The Grand Hunter took a sip of his refreshment, enjoying the fleeting feeling of warmth from something other than exertion. “And what do we think?”
“We?” Sorren asked, the male not quite used to the Human using their tongue. Joseph’s mastery of the language was still spotty at times, but Kaslin could fill any gaps if needed.
“Yeah,” he replied plainly. “It has more to do with you than me. I just got the message.”
“I find it rather fascinating,” Toril opined cheerily, his energy at odds with the atmosphere of the room. “Such thorough study allows us many insights into facets of our own biology that we may never have known!”
“By slaughtering our kin in the thousand,” Mi’low shot back, a slight snarl pulling her lip.
“As regretful as such is, we can not bring them back,” the chemist noted with a small nod. “We must simply use the information gleaned by our foes without repeating their atrocities.”
“You suggest ignoring their sins?”
“I suggest utilizing what they have learned and incorporating it to our advantage.”
“Or,” Joseph interjected, “we talk about it instead of getting into an argument.”
“Your people are not free of fault, Grand Hunter,” the crimson-furred female spat. He remained silent, already having spent far too long thinking about how none of it would have happened if Humans weren’t in the picture for them.
“You can not hold him as a factor, Mi’low,” Idee said softly, shifting in her seat to get comfortable and smiling apologetically at Sorren when she bumped him.
“Were it not for them, then we may not have lost our homes!”
“Were it not for him you would be little more than bones bleached by the sun, or so I hear.”
“We are not here to cast blame,” Bratik disputed quietly, his voice carrying through the room despite the low volume. “The Grand Hunter has saved each of us. Some from demise, others from the shackles of their station, and others from the fate of losing loved ones.”
Toril and Idee shared a glance as the male continued, Tersa paying attention to him for the first time.
“He seeks our counsel. Not our aimless ire to be spewed upon him for that which he himself had no knowledge of, nor involvement in. His kin were as much victims as our own.”
“Quite,” Toril concurred as the two females ceased their bickering reluctantly. “How would you like to address this, Grand Hunter?”
Joseph blinked, expecting the blame, but not Bratik defusing it so quickly. “Well, we have a few things to work off of. Years of experiments coinciding with missing persons after accepting a job, whoever tipped off your military taking info with them about Sol and the ‘blacklist’, whatever bond fuckery they discovered, and the defects.” He shrugged weakly. “Take your pick.”
“There are too many missing across too wide an area to recognize such a comparative few,” Idee stated, the others in the group silently agreeing.
He nodded, nursing his tea with small sips. “Figured that would be a sticking point. Plus, we don’t really know how long it was going on... or when it started... Not even if it was a bulk recruitment or slow trickle. I guess the missing people are something we’ll just have to keep unknown.”
“The bond information was rather enlightening,” Toril mentioned, his eyes rising to the ceiling as he thought about it. “Our peoples are wildly compatible.”
“As servants, perhaps,” came the scathing remark from the High Huntress. “What use is our gift if it is twisted to be mere subservience? To discard ourselves for some alien race?”
Sorren’s ear flicked. “It is hardly ‘twisted’ to protect that which the Hunt Mother has afforded us.”
“Are we to just accept that our bonds are better suited to that,” she emphasized with a pointed claw in Joseph’s direction, “rather than our kin?”
“Drop it,” the Grand Hunter ordered tiredly, his reflection in his beverage shaking as he shifted on his feet. “Arguing isn’t going to help anything.”
Mi’low held her disgusted expression. “You ask us to trust that which led to our downfall? We are yet another strike against your kin, no?”
He shook his head, his eyes buried in remains of the shimmering image he held in his hands. “I blame the sick fucks that did all this. If you can’t agree with that, then there’s not much reason to hold this meeting.”
“What is it you seek to accomplish?” Toril asked, amused by the theatrics. The rest seemed surprised by Mi’low’s pointed aggression, but the chemist was more interested in continuing.
“I have people looking to get me out of here,” Joseph informed them, laying his empty cup on the table with a soft clack. “People who will probably extend the offer to you. If they come, I need to know what we’re doing about it. The last thing I need is people acting like Mi’low and opening fire on whoever comes to drag us out of the mud.”
“Why would we?” Sorren asked, taking his mate’s paw as he gave a worried glance to the offended female.
“Because our people were tortured due to our interactions with them,” the chemist noted in a matter-of-fact tone, his pleasant demeanour remaining despite the morbid topic.
“Did our people not initiate contact with another species on less hostile terms?” Idee asked, her head tilted slightly.
“But no one lived to talk about it,” Joseph countered, gesturing with an upturned palm. “Plus, that’s assuming whoever was in charge of that call being the norm, rather than the exception.”
“You believe our people to act otherwise?” Bratik asked, his tone inquisitive rather than judgmental.
Joseph shrugged. “To be fair, I’ve almost been killed by more of your species than the wildlife. Granted, a few of those were just people being assholes, but still.”
“Many would see the opportunity as retribution for the Union,” Mi’low mentioned dryly.
Sorren’s face fell. “Then we should not propagate this knowledge?”
The Human glanced between each of them. “That’s why you’re here. My group knows because I trust them with it. I think we should keep this to ourselves, but if we do—and someone finds out—it would just cause a lot of issues. Alternatively; we tell everyone.”
“And suffer the consequences of that action as well,” Idee concluded dejectedly. Joseph returned a wry smile as Toril raised a paw, speaking when the Grand Hunter raised a brow at him.
“Perhaps we should withhold the information from the lesser station?”
“Like, just the Grand Hunters?” Joseph inquired cautiously. Toril tilted his head.
“Those who would be more diplomatically minded, perhaps.”
“I don’t exactly see some of them as what you would call ‘diplomatic’ and I’m not going on some voyage to visit everyone with the info in tow.”
“We are able to make copies,” Sorren offered. “Perhaps we could exchange the information using traders and gain something from it as well?”
Mi’low shook her head. “That is assuming they do not claim us manipulative nor seek to remove him. Some may very well move to strike us all down for ‘withholding’ the information, regardless of how readily we supply it.”
“Do your people know?” Bratik interjected, gathering the attention of the others. Joseph winced in uncertainty.
“I’m not sure. I’d guess my brother does, but I don’t know how sensitive things are. It could have been announced and there’s an intergalactic war, or it might be kept under wraps until conflict isn’t as likely. At least until it’s less likely to blow up in our faces, anyway.”
“They are of lesser force?”
“No clue,” he admitted. “Not my area. All I do know is that there are more species allied against us—or at least aren’t inclined to take a bullet—than are.”
“So our options are rather limited,” Idee concluded, receiving a series of agreements.
“We could,” Mi’low said after a few moments of contemplation, “distribute the information anonymously. Humans are not named directly in the document, and we need not divulge its origin.”
“So, what? Just pass people tablets and ask them to forget where they got it?” he probed, not entirely disagreeing with the idea, but skeptical all the same.
“Tersa may make additions to trader inventories without their knowledge,” Toril offered, the mentioned Blade frowning at him, but not protesting. “Or perhaps Trill’s kit, since she is devoted to yourself.”
“Eh. I guess that’s an option,” he conceded, sighing. “So, about the bond; any opinions? Notes?”
“Stay away from me,” Mi’low answered warily, earning a flat scowl.
“I meant something besides that. I’m not too keen on adding to the cluster-fuck I have going on anyway.”
Sorren smiled. “I am excited to meet your people—should I be so blessed. There are many who would never know the joy of the Hunt Mother’s gift otherwise.”
“I would not mind her words, Grand Hunter,” Toril chuckled. “She is a creature of dishonesty—including her own desires.”
The actress glowered at the chemist. “I preferred it when you were nomadic. It was much easier to ignore your presence. Your words were but some distant wind I need not soil my ears with.”
“Perhaps our meeting is best ended here,” Bratik interjected, waving his functional paw. The other arm was coming along, but still too stiff to use for much. “We should propagate the information through unsigned parcels to the Grand Hunters.”
“One last thing,” Joseph said, pinching the bridge of his nose. “The information on Sol; anything ever get done with that?”
“We were capturing habitable planets in a particular direction, though the decision to do such was made by our superiors.”
He nodded. “Makes sense. Same issue we have now. Can’t let everyone know because chaos is a lot easier to manage when it’s directed. Between the religious connotations and the context around it; there’s no saying if it would lead to riots or worship. Rather not bring the problem to our door.”
“Wise,” Mi’low remarked sarcastically, her judgmental side-eye aimed between him and Sorren.
“Alright,” he said with a raised voice, ignoring the red-furred female to the best of his ability. “Drop off letters and lock myself in a room or something. Sounds like a plan.”
“That will not be required,” Sorren corrected with a laugh. “Though the documents confirmed a high percentile of successful bonds, there were many incompatible pairings. It is unlikely that your informant included every variation of failure, but the bond seems to be as selective as usual, just more receptive to those who meet the criteria. I would speculate that the majority of those who would bond to you by now, have. Barring the new additions, of course. I doubt you will need to worry about bonding to half a species by yourself.”
“I’ll take your word for it,” he muttered. “Okay, you’re free to go back to your work. You know who to talk to if something comes up.”
The gathering dispersed, Toril requiring Tersa to drag him by the ear before he got too distracted. Mi’low stayed behind, waiting for everyone else to leave.
“Thoughts?” he asked, glancing over at her. She shook her head as she dropped the antagonistic persona.
“Two attribute you to their religion, Toril is too interested in your species to act against your best interest, and Idee rather enjoys her time here—as well as sympathizes with your position. Tersa’s allegiance is with Toril, so she will follow him, as well as your tentative arrangement as a superior over her.”
“So, we’re good?”
“We are,” she confirmed. He looked at her for a long moment.
“What about you?”
“What about me?”
“Going to try and kill me again?” he questioned wryly.
The High Huntress snorted. “Unfortunately, my pack has ostensibly become yours, and with it, my fate. They would rather watch me go than follow. It seems your influence extends past our biology.”
Without an opportunity for him to ask what she meant, she headed to the exit, pausing in the doorway when he called out to her.
“Mi’low?” Her ear tipped back towards him. “Thanks. For putting yourself on the block like that. I know how risky that could have been for you.”
She afforded a single nod before letting it close behind her.
“’Past our biology’, huh?” he muttered, eyeing the empty cup on the table.
He considered bothering Tel, since she would likely offer him a distraction for a while.
Sighing at his remaining intact shoe flopping as he stepped, he decided to do exactly that.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
“How are we holding up?”
Tech leaned back in her chair, yawning widely. “Communications have been down for a while, navigation software is pointing everywhere at once, and if it wasn’t for me, everything else would be dark too.”
“All hail Tech Ops,” Comms quipped, struggling to make his system do much more than transmit static on a loop.
Willin rolled his eyes at Tech’s boasting, but she was probably right to do so. They had aligned themselves in the right direction and simply let navigation go, communications discreetly blinking out as they got close without warning. All they had left was the actual piloting and onboard support systems, both of them hanging by a thread until Tech could run diagnostics to see if she could counter them properly. She might be able to eventually, but she didn’t seem confident beyond keeping the crew mobile and alive.
“How’s it look down there?”
Nav had long since given up making sense of their controls, opting to keep watch for whatever they were approaching. Since they had gotten within visual range, they had occupied themselves using whatever scanning equipment Tech managed to keep shielded. They leaned over the readouts, brows raising before furrowing at the information.
“It appears that they have remained fairly close together. I am reading several AEC distress signatures... Why am I able to?”
Tech raised a paw. “Right here. The jamming is consistent with the United Military’s algorithms, though boosted past what we have the equipment to manage. Can’t override it for you or Comms, but it was never meant to counter the low-frequency of a distress pulse, since that would get lost in normal noise anyway. I took the liberty of limiting the scope of collected data to increase the sensitivity.”
“Not much frequency pollution on an untapped planet,” Willin remarked dryly, his screen mirroring what Nav was looking at. Thirty-eight sources, most of them repeating the initial call-signs. Two seemed to have retained some power, though not much, implying a makeshift solution. There would normally be more to glean, but the measures taken to make picking them out at all possible had stifled it.
“Orders?” Nav asked after a moment. Willin considered it, scouring the somewhat distorted visual feed.
“Let’s get closer first.”
“Understood.”
He adjusted his uniform as they drew near, Tech frowning as more of her fail-safe measures ironically failed. Quick action saved them from listing aimlessly, but any chance of copying the survivor’s distress call faded. The Atmospheric Entry Crafts were effectively invisible until Tech had dealt with the issue preemptively, and their beacon wasn’t any stronger.
Detriment of a scout craft, he supposed. Help would have to deal with not knowing where his ship had gone until they were up to their necks in the warp-spike’s field. Hopefully, the EW fleet would manage it better.
“Just outside of atmosphere,” Nav reported, activating the scanning equipment again. Normally, it would be able to tell them everything down to the rough number of wildlife in an area, but all the interference gave them little more than confirmation that life existed.
“Well, there goes any advanced recon,” Willin muttered, ignoring Comms silently debating if he should bother Tech to duplicate the feed again. Noticing, she did anyway, the male gesturing their thanks. “Tech, can you get us population density?”
“I’m good, Leader, but not that good.”
“Leader,” Nav called, highlighting a few points on the feed. Whatever it was that they were trying to show him, he didn’t see it. “These areas are likely settlements.”
“Structures?”
“Affirmative. It is subtle, but there.”
He nodded, trusting their judgment. “Which is the largest?”
The feed zoomed in, losing most of the clarity—not that there was much to begin with. “Location coincides with an AEC still actively reporting.”
“They set up around it.”
“Likely, Leader.”
Willin exhaled slowly. “Take us down nearby. I’d say to hide us, but that’s hard to do with open skies.”
“The planet suffers constant rain,” Tech added, her screen already reverting back to a simplistic game while she waited for someone else to need something. “We could descend under the cover of it.”
“Any idea how long?”
Her monitor flickered. “One local sun.”
“Then we spend the time gearing up,” he ordered, waving to have Nav and Comms’ screens defaulted. “You two will make sure our defence armaments ship-board are active and loaded. Tech, queue up whatever armour and equipment we might need for a diplomatic mission.”
She turned in her chair, her head tilting questioningly. “Just us?”
“Just us. We’ll want someone here to keep things warm in case we need to leave quickly. Can you get Comms’ station capable of short-wave?”
She nodded after a moment, her eyes losing focus as she consulted her implant. “We’ll lose the fabricator during, but we should have enough for life-support and in-atmosphere flight. Weapons will have to be swapped out with it too.”
“That bad?”
The purple-furred female shrugged. “It’s that or I take down the defences and we lose it all.” She frowned at her screens. “Even this is pushing it.”
“Can you take down the purifier once we’re down there? Switch to external flow?”
“As long as you don’t mind alien air, sure. It won’t give us more to work with, but it should make it less taxing to keep what we have.”
Willin scratched at his ear. “Do it. They lived here this long, doubt we’ll join the Void breathing it too.”
“Will do.”
He shifted his attention back to Nav. “Set course to that settlement. Keep us above the clouds until it gets bad enough to obscure us.”
Nav signalled their agreement, the scenery shifting slowly as they picked a cloud to shadow in the meantime. Comms looked at Willin expectantly, forcing him to come up with something for the male to do.
“Comms, I want you to monitor anything this place has coming in or out. Set up surveillance.”
The male raised a brow. “My systems are inoperable, Leader.”
“If you try to do anything big, yes,” Willin corrected. “Just keep us informed if something goes through. We don’t need to know what happened, just that it did.”
“Keeping track of possible communications between settlements?”
Willin bobbed his head to the side. “Whatever we learn, it’s more than we know.”
“Understood. I will try to arrange a passive probe.”
The group set about their tasks as he brought up a still-frame of the settlement Nav spotted. It was blocky, blurry, and the chromatic aberration on the edges hurt to look at, but it was a settlement. A large AEC surrounded by silver constructions, all laid out in a slightly haphazard way. He couldn’t judge it too harshly, however. There was a method to the madness. Narrow pathways hidden between dens, each leading to the AEC like a system of routes for select Lilhuns to reach anywhere they may be needed as quickly as possible.
The AEC itself seemed modified, large solar panels placed where a solid hull would be expected, the semi-transparent material likely acting to illuminate the interior. Many of the buildings around it were larger than those beyond, some appearing to be two or three levels.
From sheer volume of dens, Willin figured this was a contender for the largest settlement. His best estimate placed the number of inhabitants in the range of three hundred or so. If the other settlements were even close, then the initial guess of a thousand survivors was woefully short.
That made things complicated, yet so much simpler.
He awaited the distant storm clouds rolling over the landscape, thankful Tech had prioritized the water-proof gear.
He hated being soaked.
Next
A/N: 500k words. Half a fucking million.

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2023.05.30 06:11 golden_haven The Future of AI in the Memorial Industry

The memorial industry is always changing. As technology advances, we are seeing the rise of AI and its potential impact on the industry. From personalized experiences to predictive analytics, the future of AI in the memorial industry is an intriguing topic to explore.
Personalized Experiences
AI can be used to create personalized experiences for mourners. For example, AI can be used to generate personalized eulogies or to create custom memorial websites. This can help mourners feel more connected to the deceased and to each other.
Predictive Analytics
AI can also be used to predict trends in the memorial industry. For example, AI can be used to predict which types of memorials will be most popular in the future. This information can help funeral homes and other memorial providers plan for the future.
The Future of AI in the Memorial Industry
The future of AI in the memorial industry is exciting. AI has the potential to revolutionize the way we grieve and remember our loved ones. As AI continues to develop, we can expect to see even more innovative and personalized memorial services.
I hope this is helpful! Let me know if you have any other questions.
Read more here: The Future of AI in the Memorial Industry

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2023.05.30 03:45 Junior_Button5882 Spring-heeled Jack

Spring-heeled Jack is an entity in English folklore of the Victorian era. The first claimed sighting of Spring-heeled Jack was in 1837.[1] Later sightings were reported all over the United Kingdom and were especially prevalent in suburban London, the Midlands) and Scotland.[2]
There are many theories about the nature and identity of Spring-heeled Jack. This urban legend was very popular in its time, due to the tales of his bizarre appearance and ability to make extraordinary leaps, to the point that he became the topic of several works of fiction.
Spring-heeled Jack was described by people who claimed to have seen him as having a terrifying and frightful appearance, with diabolical physiognomy, clawed hands, and eyes that "resembled red balls of fire". One report claimed that, beneath a black cloak, he wore a helmet and a tight-fitting white garment like an oilskin. Many stories also mention a "Devil-like" aspect. Others said he was tall and thin, with the appearance of a gentleman. Several reports mention that he could breathe out blue and white flames and that he wore sharp metallic claws at his fingertips. At least two people claimed that he was able to speak comprehensible English.

History

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Precedents

In the early 19th century, there were reports of ghosts that stalked the streets of London. These human-like figures were described as pale; it was believed that they stalked and preyed on lone pedestrians. The stories told of these figures formed part of a distinct ghost tradition in London which, some writers have argued, formed the foundation of the later legend of Spring-heeled Jack.[3]
The most important of these early entities was the Hammersmith Ghost, which in 1803 and 1804 was reported in Hammersmith on the western fringes of London; it would later reappear in 1824. Another apparition, the Southampton ghost, was also reported as assaulting individuals in the night. This particular spirit bore many of the characteristics of Spring-heeled Jack, and was reported as jumping over houses and being over 10 ft (3.0 m) tall.[3]

Early reports

📷Illustration of Spring-heeled Jack, from the serial Spring-heel'd Jack: The Terror of London
The first alleged sightings of Spring-heeled Jack were made in London in 1837 and the last reported sighting is said in most of the secondary literature to have been made in Liverpool in 1904.[4][5]
According to much later accounts, in October 1837 a girl by the name of Mary Stevens was walking to Lavender Hill, where she was working as a servant, after visiting her parents in Battersea. On her way through Clapham Common, a strange figure leapt at her from a dark alley. After immobilising her with a tight grip of his arms, he began to kiss her face, while ripping her clothes and touching her flesh with his claws, which were, according to her deposition, "cold and clammy as those of a corpse". In panic, the girl screamed, making the attacker quickly flee from the scene. The commotion brought several residents who immediately launched a search for the aggressor, but he could not be found.[6]
The next day, the leaping character is said to have chosen a very different victim near Mary Stevens' home, inaugurating a method that would reappear in later reports: he jumped in the way of a passing carriage, causing the coachman to lose control, crash, and severely injure himself. Several witnesses claimed that he escaped by jumping over a 9 ft (2.7 m) high wall while cackling with a high-pitched, ringing laughter.[6]
Gradually, the news of the strange character spread, and soon the press and the public gave him the name "Spring-heeled Jack".[7]

Official recognition

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📷A public session at the Mansion House, London (c. 1840).
A few months after these first sightings, on 9 January 1838, the Lord Mayor of London, Sir John Cowan), revealed at a public session held in the Mansion House an anonymous complaint that he had received several days earlier, which he had withheld in the hope of obtaining further information. The correspondent, who signed the letter "a resident of Peckham", wrote:

It appears that some individuals (of, as the writer believes, the highest ranks of life) have laid a wager with a mischievous and foolhardy companion, that he durst not take upon himself the task of visiting many of the villages near London in three different disguises—a ghost, a bear, and a devil; and moreover, that he will not enter a gentleman's gardens for the purpose of alarming the inmates of the house. The wager has, however, been accepted, and the unmanly villain has succeeded in depriving seven ladies of their senses, two of whom are not likely to recover, but to become burdens to their families. At one house the man rang the bell, and on the servant coming to open door, this worse than brute stood in no less dreadful figure than a spectre clad most perfectly. The consequence was that the poor girl immediately swooned, and has never from that moment been in her senses. The affair has now been going on for some time, and, strange to say, the papers are still silent on the subject. The writer has reason to believe that they have the whole history at their finger-ends but, through interested motives, are induced to remain silent.[8]

Though the Lord Mayor seemed fairly sceptical, a member of the audience confirmed that "servant girls about Kensington, Hammersmith and Ealing, tell dreadful stories of this ghost or devil". The matter was reported in The Times on 9 January, other national papers on 10 January and, on the day after that, the Lord Mayor showed a crowded gathering a pile of letters from various places in and around London complaining of similar "wicked pranks". The quantity of letters that poured into the Mansion House suggests that the stories were widespread in suburban London. One writer said several young women in Hammersmith had been frightened into "dangerous fits" and some "severely wounded by a sort of claws the miscreant wore on his hands". Another correspondent claimed that in Stockwell, Brixton, Camberwell and Vauxhall several people had died of fright and others had had fits; meanwhile, another reported that the trickster had been repeatedly seen in Lewisham and Blackheath.[citation needed]
The Lord Mayor himself was in two minds about the affair: he thought "the greatest exaggerations" had been made, and that it was quite impossible "that the ghost performs the feats of a devil upon earth", but on the other hand someone he trusted had told him of a servant girl at Forest Hill who had been scared into fits by a figure in a bear's skin; he was confident the person or persons involved in this "pantomime display" would be caught and punished.[9] The police were instructed to search for the individual responsible, and rewards were offered.[citation needed]
A peculiar report from The Brighton Gazette, which appeared in the 14 April 1838 edition of The Times, related how a gardener in Rosehill, Sussex, had been terrified by a creature of unknown nature. The Times wrote that "Spring-heeled Jack has, it seems, found his way to the Sussex coast", even though the report bore little resemblance to other accounts of Jack. The incident occurred on 13 April, when it appeared to a gardener "in the shape of a bear or some other four-footed animal". Having attracted the gardener's attention by a growl, it then climbed the garden wall and ran along it on all fours, before jumping down and chasing the gardener for some time. After terrifying the gardener, the apparition scaled the wall and made its exit.[10]
https://preview.redd.it/hol89ejg0x2b1.png?width=220&format=png&auto=webp&s=73f26529755347a19498d549c187bc17a8ab03b8

Scales and Alsop reports

📷Illustration of Spring-heeled Jack, from the 1867 serial Spring-heel'd Jack: The Terror of London
Perhaps the best known of the alleged incidents involving Spring-heeled Jack were the attacks on two teenage girls, Lucy Scales and Jane Alsop. The Alsop report was widely covered by the newspapers, including a piece in The Times,[11] while fewer reports appeared in relation to the attack on Scales. The press coverage of these two attacks helped to raise the profile of Spring-heeled Jack.[citation needed]

Alsop case

Jane Alsop reported that on the night of 19 February 1838, she answered the door of her father's house to a man claiming to be a police officer, who told her to bring a light, claiming "we have caught Spring-heeled Jack here in the lane". She brought the person a candle, and noticed that he wore a large cloak. The moment she had handed him the candle, however, he threw off the cloak and "presented a most hideous and frightful appearance", vomiting blue and white flame from his mouth while his eyes resembled "red balls of fire". Miss Alsop reported that he wore a large helmet and that his clothing, which appeared to be very tight-fitting, resembled white oilskin. Without saying a word he caught hold of her and began tearing her gown with his claws which she was certain were "of some metallic substance". She screamed for help, and managed to get away from him and ran towards the house. He caught her on the steps and tore her neck and arms with his claws. She was rescued by one of her sisters, after which her assailant fled.[4][12]

Scales case

On 28 February 1838,[13] nine days after the attack on Miss Alsop, 18-year-old Lucy Scales and her sister were returning home after visiting their brother, a butcher who lived in a respectable part of Limehouse. Miss Scales stated in her deposition to the police that as she and her sister were passing along Green Dragon Alley, they observed a person standing in an angle of the passage. She was walking in front of her sister at the time, and just as she came up to the person, who was wearing a large cloak, he spurted "a quantity of blue flame" in her face, which deprived her of her sight, and so alarmed her, that she instantly dropped to the ground, and was seized with violent fits which continued for several hours.[14]
Her brother added that on the evening in question, he had heard the loud screams of one of his sisters moments after they had left his house and on running up Green Dragon Alley he found his sister Lucy on the ground in a fit, with her sister attempting to hold and support her. She was taken home, and he then learned from his other sister what had happened. She described Lucy's assailant as being of tall, thin, and gentlemanly appearance, covered in a large cloak, and carrying a small lamp or bull's eye lantern similar to those used by the police. The individual did not speak nor did he try to lay hands on them, but instead walked quickly away. Every effort was made by the police to discover the author of these and similar outrages, and several persons were questioned, but were set free.[14]
https://preview.redd.it/h1oqafgj0x2b1.png?width=220&format=png&auto=webp&s=4fd9152b2fb9ed1a2a54a49ecd7d96c8d7525b3b

Popularisation

The Times reported the alleged attack on Jane Alsop on 2 March 1838 under the heading "The Late Outrage at Old Ford".[11] This was followed with an account of the trial of one Thomas Millbank, who, immediately after the reported attack on Jane Alsop, had boasted in the Morgan's Arms that he was Spring-heeled Jack. He was arrested and tried at Lambeth Street court. The arresting officer was James Lea, who had earlier arrested William Corder, the Red Barn Murderer. Millbank had been wearing white overalls and a greatcoat, which he dropped outside the house, and the candle he dropped was also found. He escaped conviction only because Jane Alsop insisted her attacker had breathed fire, and Millbank admitted he could do no such thing. Most of the other accounts were written long after the date; contemporary newspapers do not mention them.[citation needed]
📷Ad for Spring Heeled Jack, a penny dreadful (1886)
After these incidents, Spring-heeled Jack became one of the most popular characters of the period. His alleged exploits were reported in the newspapers and became the subject of several penny dreadfuls and plays performed in the cheap theatres that abounded at the time. The devil was even renamed "Spring-heeled Jack" in some Punch and Judy shows, as recounted by Henry Mayhew in his London Labour and the London Poor:

This here is Satan,-we might say the devil, but that ain't right, and gennelfolks don't like such words. He is now commonly called 'Spring-heeled Jack;' or the 'Rossian Bear,' – that's since the war. — Henry Mayhew, London Labour and the London Poor, p. 52[15]

But, even as his fame was growing, reports of Spring-heeled Jack's appearances became less frequent if more widespread. In 1843, however, a wave of sightings swept the country again. A report from Northamptonshire described him as "the very image of the Devil himself, with horns and eyes of flame", and in East Anglia reports of attacks on drivers of mail coaches became common. In July 1847 "a Spring-heeled Jack investigation" in Teignmouth, Devon led to a Captain Finch being convicted of two charges of assault against women during which he is said to have been "disguised in a skin coat, which had the appearance of bullock's hide, skullcap, horns and mask".[16] The legend was linked with the phenomenon of the "Devil's Footprints" which appeared in Devon in February 1855.[citation needed]

Last reports

In the beginning of the 1870s, Spring-heeled Jack was reported again in several places distant from each other. In November 1872, the News of the World reported that Peckham was "in a state of commotion owing to what is known as the "Peckham Ghost", a mysterious figure, quite alarming in appearance". The editorial pointed out that it was none other than "Spring-heeled Jack, who terrified a past generation".[17] Similar stories were published in The Illustrated Police News. In April and May 1873, it reported there were numerous sightings in Sheffield of the "Park Ghost", which locals also came to identify as Spring-heeled Jack.[18]

Aldershot

📷North Camp in Aldershot as it looked in 1866.
This news was followed by more reported sightings, until in August 1877 one of the most notable reports about Spring-heeled Jack came from a group of soldiers in Aldershot Garrison. This story went as follows: a sentry on duty at the North Camp peered into the darkness, his attention attracted by a peculiar figure "advancing towards him." The soldier issued a challenge, which went unheeded, and the figure came up beside him and delivered several slaps to his face. A guard shot at him, with no visible effect; some sources claim that the soldier may have fired blanks) at him, others that he missed or fired warning shots. The strange figure then disappeared into the surrounding darkness "with astonishing bounds."[19][20][21]
Lord Ernest Hamilton's 1922 memoir Forty Years On mentions the Aldershot appearances of Spring-heeled Jack; however, he (apparently erroneously) says that they occurred in the winter of 1879 after his regiment, the 60th Rifles, had moved to Aldershot, and that similar appearances had occurred when the regiment was barracked at Colchester in the winter of 1878. He adds that the panic became so great at Aldershot that sentries were issued ammunition and ordered to shoot "the night terror" on sight, following which the appearances ceased. Hamilton thought that the appearances were actually pranks, carried out by one of his fellow officers, a Lieutenant Alfrey.[22][23] However, there is no record of Alfrey ever being court-martialled for the offence.[24]

Lincolnshire

In the autumn of 1877, Spring-heeled Jack was reportedly seen at Newport Arch, in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, wearing a sheep skin. An angry mob supposedly chased him and cornered him, and just as in Aldershot a while before, residents fired at him to no effect. As usual, he was said to have made use of his leaping abilities to lose the crowd and disappear once again.[25]

Liverpool

By the end of the 19th century the reported sightings of Spring-heeled Jack were moving towards the north west of England. Around 1888, in Everton, north Liverpool, he allegedly appeared on the rooftop of Saint Francis Xavier's Church in Salisbury Street. In 1904 there were reports of appearances in nearby William Henry Street.[26]

Aftermath and impact upon Victorian popular culture

The vast urban legend built around Spring-heeled Jack influenced many aspects of Victorian life, especially in contemporary popular culture. For decades, especially in London, his name was equated with the bogeyman, as a means of scaring children into behaving by telling them if they were not good, Spring-heeled Jack would leap up and peer in at them through their bedroom windows, by night.
However, it was in fictional entertainment where the legend of Spring-heeled Jack exerted the most extensive influence, owing to his allegedly extraordinary nature. Three pamphlet publications, purportedly based on the real events, appeared almost immediately, during January and February, 1838. They were not advertised as fiction, though they likely were at least partly so. The only known copies were reported to have perished when the British Library was hit during The Blitz, but their catalog still lists the first one.
The character was written into a number of penny dreadful stories during the latter half of the 19th century, initially as a villain and then in increasingly heroic roles. By the early 1900s he was being represented as a costumed, altruistic avenger of wrongs and protector of the innocent, effectively becoming a precursor to pulp fiction and then comic book superheroes.

Theories

No one was ever caught and identified as Spring-heeled Jack; combined with the extraordinary abilities attributed to him and the very long period during which he was reportedly at large, this has led to numerous and varied theories of his nature and identity.[citation needed] While several researchers seek a normal explanation for the events, other authors explore the more fantastic details of the story to propose different kinds of paranormal speculation.[citation needed]

Sceptical positions

Sceptical investigators have dismissed the stories of Spring-heeled Jack as mass hysteria which developed around various stories of a bogeyman or devil which have been around for centuries, or from exaggerated urban myths about a man who clambered over rooftops claiming that the Devil was chasing him.[27]
📷Henry de La Poer Beresford, 3rd Marquess of Waterford (1840)
Other researchers believe that some individual(s) may have been behind its origins, being followed by imitators later on.[28] Spring-heeled Jack was widely considered not to be a supernatural creature, but rather one or more persons with a macabre sense of humour.[4] This idea matches the contents of the letter to the Lord Mayor, which accused a group of young aristocrats as the culprits, after an irresponsible wager.[4] A popular rumour circulating as early as 1840 pointed to an Irish nobleman, the Marquess of Waterford, as the main suspect.[4] Haining) suggested this may have been due to him having previously had bad experiences with women and police officers.[29]
The Marquess was frequently in the news in the late 1830s for drunken brawling, brutal jokes and vandalism, and was said to do anything for a bet; his irregular behaviour and his contempt for women earned him the title "the Mad Marquis", and it is also known that he was in the London area by the time the first incidents took place. In 1880 he was named as the perpetrator by E. Cobham Brewer, who said that the Marquess "used to amuse himself by springing on travellers unawares, to frighten them, and from time to time others have followed his silly example."[30][31] In 1842, the Marquess married and settled in Curraghmore House, County Waterford, and reportedly led an exemplary life until he died in a riding accident in 1859.[citation needed]
Sceptical investigators have asserted that the story of Spring-heeled Jack was exaggerated and altered through mass hysteria, a process in which many sociological issues may have contributed. These include unsupported rumours, superstition, oral tradition, sensationalist publications, and a folklore rich in tales of fairies and strange roguish creatures. Gossip of alleged leaping and fire-spitting powers, his alleged extraordinary features and his reputed skill in evading apprehension captured the mind of the superstitious public—increasingly so with the passing of time, which gave the impression that Spring-heeled Jack had suffered no effects from ageing. As a result, a whole urban legend was built around the character, being reflected by contemporary publications, which in turn fuelled this popular perception.[32]

Paranormal conjectures

📷Spring-heeled Jack illustrated on the cover of the 1904 serial Spring-heeled Jack
A variety of wildly speculative paranormal explanations have been proposed to explain the origin of Spring-heeled Jack, including that he was an extraterrestrial entity with a non-human appearance and features (e.g., retro-reflective red eyes, or phosphorus breath) and a superhuman agility deriving from life on a high-gravity world, with his jumping ability and strange behaviour,[33] and that he was a demon, accidentally or purposefully summoned into this world by practitioners of the occult, or who made himself manifest simply to create spiritual turmoil.[34]
Fortean authors, particularly Loren Coleman [35] and Jerome Clark,[36] list "Spring-heeled Jack" in a category named "phantom attackers", with another well-known example being the "Mad Gasser of Mattoon". Typical "phantom attackers" appear to be human, and may be perceived as prosaic criminals, but may display extraordinary abilities (as in Spring-heeled Jack's jumps, which, it is widely noted, would break the ankles of a human who replicated them) and/or cannot be caught by authorities. Victims commonly experience the "attack" in their bedrooms, homes or other seemingly secure enclosures. They may report being pinned or paralysed, or on the other hand describe a "siege" in which they fought off a persistent intruder or intruders. Many reports can readily be explained psychologically, most notably as the "Old Hag" phenomenon, recorded in folklore and recognised by psychologists as a form of hallucination. In the most problematic cases, an "attack" is witnessed by several people and substantiated by some physical evidence, but the attacker cannot be verified to exist.[citation needed]

Counterpart in Prague

A similar figure known as Pérák, the Spring Man of Prague was reported to have been seen in Czechoslovakia around 1939–1945. As writers such as Mike Dash have shown, the elusiveness and supernatural leaping abilities attributed to Pérák bear a close resemblance to those exhibited by Spring-heeled Jack, and distinct parallels can be drawn between the two entities.[28] The stories of Pérák provide a useful example of how the traits of Spring-heeled Jack have a broad cultural resonance in urban folklore. Pérák, like Spring-heeled Jack, went on to become a folklore hero, even starring in several animated superhero cartoons, fighting the SS, the earliest of which is Jiří Trnka's 1946 film Pérák a SS or Springman and the SS.[37]

In contemporary popular culture

The character of Spring-heeled Jack has been revived or referenced in a variety of 20th and 21st century media, including:
Spring-Heeled Jack (1989) – a combination prose and graphic novel by Philip Pullman in which Spring-heeled Jack saves a group of plucky orphans from the malevolent Mack the Knife.[38]
The Strange Affair of Spring-Heeled Jack (2010) – an alternate history novel by author Mark Hodder, portraying Spring-Heeled Jack as a time traveler.[39]
The Springheel Saga (2011) – a three-series audio drama produced by the Wireless Theatre Company.[40]

External links

submitted by Junior_Button5882 to cryptid_world [link] [comments]

2023.05.30 02:03 Sudden_Pepper824 Looking for seedbox as VPN/tunnel for torrent traffic

Are you OK with direct message offers from vendors?

Yes

What are your main reasons for wanting a seedbox?

I self host a seedbox and want a seedbox hosted elsewhere to tunnel my torrent traffic through. It needs to support port forwarding so that I am connectable.

Are you okay with sharing hardware resources with other users [shared] or do you need the seedbox hardware dedicated to just you [dedicated]?

Shared is okay.

Do you want someone else to be responsible for maintaining the seedbox software (operating system, applications) [managed] or do you want to do it all yourself [unmanaged]?

Either is fine.

Please describe your seedbox experience. (You may wish to list any seedbox providers you've been with before.)

I self host, just need something to tunnel traffic. Have set up my own seedboxes and used preconfigured ones.

Please describe your experience with Linux. (Most seedboxes run Linux and some knowledge of it may be helpful.)

Experienced enough to set up servers on my own and do reasonable troubleshooting.

What is the high end of your budget? (Please give a specific amount and a currency. "Cheap" might mean something different to one person than it does to another.)

$7/month, would prefer $5/month.

Do you have preferences or requirements concerning payment? (Paypal, Bitcoin, etc.)

PayPal preferred but open to anything.

Do you plan to use public trackers?

What kind of connection speed do you need? (Common answers would be 100Mbps, 1Gbps, 2Gbps, 10Gbps.)

1Gbps or higher.

How much combined upload and download traffic do you expect each month? Include download of files from the seedbox to your local computer. If you don't know, tell us what upload amount per month would realistically make you very happy with your seedbox.

Realistically I'm not even doing 1TB/month but all traffic needs to be 2x (once sent to the seedbox, then once sent to a peer) or vice versa, since my goal is to use it as a VPN/tunnel.

What is the minimum disk space you need?

Doesn't matter.

Do you require a specific type of mass storage? (HDD, SSD, NVMe SSD) If other than HDD, please explain why you think you need this.

Doesn't matter.

Do you require a specific torrent client?

No.

Do you require any other applications on the seedbox? (e.g. Plex, Subsonic, Radarr)

WireGuard or the ability to install it.

Do you require SSH access to the command line?

Only if WireGuard isn't installed.

Do you require access to a remote desktop?

No.

Do you require admin level (i.e. 'root') access? If yes, please explain why.

Only if WireGuard isn't installed.

Do you have any other specific requirements?

I need ports assigned to my seedbox so that I can connect in via WireGuard and forward a port to each torrent client I'm running at home so that I am connectable.

Is there any other information you think might help in getting a useful recommendation?

My goal is to basically to use a seedbox network as a VPN for private trackers. US East location preferred but will also consider all NA/Europe locations. Mullvad is disabling port forwarding and I'm not too happy with the VPN alternatives, so want to see if any seedbox providers could be a better fit.

submitted by Sudden_Pepper824 to seedboxes [link] [comments]

2023.05.30 01:04 MKULTRA_Escapee UFO information from other countries, and debunking esri.com's cherrypicked UFO sightings map

As I'm sure everyone is aware, over the last several years, esri.com's "A Century of UFO Sightings" received enormous publicity. Here is a tweet from a couple weeks ago with 4 million views: https://twitter.com/Xongkuro/status/1657553674942525440
Other people have made their own variations of the argument. For example, here's a tweet with 18 million views: https://twitter.com/bosslogic/status/1624765274498154497
3,000 points on /mapporn: https://np.reddit.com/MapPorn/comments/xfq4s9/deleted_by_use
Another older post with the map: https://twitter.com/qikipedia/status/1411671138355253256
But you can find tons of these. There has been a steady stream of references to this map since its inception, but even before this map was created, the argument has been there all along. People falsely claim that the vast majority of UFO sightings happen in the US, implying that the concept of UFOs must be a cultural issue, not a reality.
However, esri.com states in the description on their video, the data source is NUFORC, which is a US-based, English language UFO information collection org. Of course it will be heavily biased towards English language reports, primarily US, exactly as the map implies.
Previous to this, another variation of this map from Larry Hatch was floating around. Here is the distribution of sightings in Europe.
A post on Ask an Astronomer says:

But to me, it seems a little far-fetched that aliens would recognize national borders, and visit one country much more than another if the two countries are geographically close, and similar in population, population density, and economic development. So a map like this suggests to me that UFO sightings are likely to be a cultural phenomenon.

However, if you actually read the text on the page with the map on it, it says:

Note the disproportionate sightings densities for Britain and France, compared to Germany, Holland and points east. The biggest single reason is that Larry Hatch can't read German, Dutch, Polish etc., introducing a very definite "cultural bias".

That is a very different kind of "cultural bias" than people have been claiming. The actual problem is the language barrier, preventing knowledge of sightings spreading from one country to another, but people have been insisting that it actually means UFOs are all made up nonsense and the result of "UFO culture." But if you actually look for information on UFOs in other countries, the distribution of sightings is surprisingly consistent across all countries that I have found information on.
Numbers comparison between countries:
I have a quick preliminary tally on some of the total unknowns and total sightings per country below, and the US doesn't seem any different from other countries, especially when you adjust for population. It is extremely surprising that the amount of unknowns, and even the percentage of unknowns, is about what you should expect. If anyone has more info, please add in the comments, but there is already enough here to completely debunk esri.com's map.
Total Sightings collected by a government- United States: 12,618 collected during Bluebook era, plus several hundred more in later investigations, so 13,128. France: 1,600. Uruguay 2,100. Denmark 15,000.
Total Unknowns- United States: 701 during Bluebook era, total of 872. Denmark: 200. France: 400. Uruguay: 40. Germany: 500 (not official tally for Germany)
Comparison 1, Unknowns: Uruguay has about 3 and a half million people with 40 unknowns, whereas the US has 330 million+ with 872 unknowns. The US has almost 100 times the amount of people, so if Uruguay had the same population, they would have about 4,000 unknowns. Uruguay actually has far more unknowns than expected when you adjust for population.
Comparison 2, Total Sightings: Uruguay has about 2,100 total sightings, whereas the US has 14,000 collected by a government. The United States has almost 100X the population, so Uruguay should have approximately 200,000 sightings if their populations were similar.
Comparison 3, total sightings and total unknowns- France has 1,600 cases, of which about 400 are unknowns. The population of France is 65 million, or about one fifth the population of the US. This means if they had the same population as the US, France would have 8,000 sightings and 2,000 unknowns, which is very similar to the United States, which has 14,000 sightings and 872 unknowns.
[Note: the numbers are going to be off a little bit because different countries started tracking UFOs later on, different requirements for collection, etc, but it doesn't matter that much. These are ballpark comparisons from what governments have collected]
[Note 2: Between Mufon and Nuforc, they collected maybe 10 times as many reports as the government did for the US. However, if we were to do a fair comparison, we can only compare between countries in which several civilian UFO organizations from that country collected reports over similar periods of time. Restricting to government collected reports is at least a fair way to do it because we have more information. And even if we compared the US civilian-collected numbers to Uruguay's officially collected reports, Uruguay still beats the US when adjusted for population (100k+ versus 200k), and the same for Canada. Germany, a much smaller country, also has way more total civilian collected reports than the US as well.]
UFO cases collected by Governments:
United States (population 330 million, 13,128 UFO cases, 872 unknowns):

By the time Project Blue Book ended in 1970, it had collected 12,618 UFO reports... 701 reports were classified as unexplained, even after stringent analysis. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Blue_Book
These 366 additional reports, when combined with the 144 reports identified in the preliminary assessment, bring the total UAP reports catalogued to date to 510.
Since its establishment in July 2022, AARO has formulated and started to leverage a robust analytic process against identified UAP reporting. Once completed, AARO’s final analytic findings will be available in their quarterly reports to policymakers. AARO’s initial analysis and characterization of the 366 newly-identified reports, informed by a multi-agency process, judged more than half as exhibiting unremarkable characteristics:
-26 characterized as Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) or UAS-like entities;
-163 characterized as balloon or balloon-like entities; and
-6 attributed to clutter.
Initial characterization does not mean positively resolved or unidentified. This initial characterization better enables AARO and ODNI to efficiently and effectively leverage resources against the remaining 171 uncharacterized and unattributed UAP reports. Some of these uncharacterized UAP appear to have demonstrated unusual flight characteristics or performance capabilities, and require further analysis. https://www.dni.gov/files/ODNI/documents/assessments/Unclassified-2022-Annual-Report-UAP.pdf

France (population 65 million, 1,600 UFO cases, 400 unknowns):

The team is called Geipan. That's a French acronym for Study Group and Information on Non-Identified Aerospace Phenomenon. Its boss is Xavier Passot. Surrounded by dozens of books on UFOs, and stacks of documents, he tells me his mission is to be as transparent as possible about strange sightings and to follow up on each one that his team receives. They publish their results on their website which gets 30,000 hits a month. The team receives, on average, two UFO sightings a day. The department insists an 11-page form is filled out for each one. The idea is to provide details including photographs where possible but also weed out jokers and time-wasters. ... But there are around 400 UFO sightings going back to the 1970s that the French team cannot explain. https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-29755919
Of the 1600 cases registered since 1954, nearly 25% are classified as “type D”, meaning that “despite good or very good data and credible witnesses, we are confronted with something we can’t explain”, Patenet says. https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn11443-france-opens-up-its-ufo-files/

Uruguay (population 3,500,000, 2,100 cases, 40 Unknowns):

The Uruguayan Air Force has had an ongoing UFO investigation since 1989 and analyzed 2,100 cases, of which they only consider about 40 (2 percent) to be definitely lacking any conventional explanation. https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Ultimate_Collection_on_UFOs/eQj1AwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=uruguayan+air+force+ufo&pg=PA160&printsec=frontcover

Canada (population 39 million, 20,000 UFO cases):

The talk and presentation mark Rutkowski’s donation to University of Manitoba Archives & Special Collections of his extensive personal collection and files on this case and other UFO sightings and related phenomena from across Canada. These include more than 20,000 separate UFO reports filed with various agencies since 1989 https://news.umanitoba.ca/the-falcon-lake-ufo-files/

Spain (population 47 million, no useful numbers):

UFO sightings in Spain are in excess of 7,000, but less than 2 percent of these have been reported to the Spanish Air Force (people may not have known they could, or how to report such things to the Air Force). Out of 122 cases analyzed by an international team directed by Ballester Olmos, 99 had conventional causes, 14 insufficient data for evaluation, 9 unexplained. - UFOs and Government, Michael Swords and Robert Powell, page 430.

Denmark (population 6 million, 15,000 sightings, 200 Unknowns)

COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Jan. 30 (UPI) -- The Danish Air Force has released 329 pages of previously classified archives on UFO sightings, including details on more than 200 unsolved cases. https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2009/01/30/Denmark-releases-UFO-archives/90411233360944/
The Danish Air Force has opened its UFO files, which were treated as state secret up until today. The archive features information on over 15,000 reported extraterrestrial sightings. https://denmark.net/denmarks-secret-ufo-files/
Danish UFO Files https://archive.org/details/DanishUFOFiles/page/n21/mode/2up

New Zealand (population 5 million, no useful numbers yet):

Unidentified flying objects (UFO) files : copies for release to the public / By New Zealand. Defence Force.
"These copied and redacted files of correspondence ... dating from 1952 to 2009 have been declassified and released to the public ... under the Official Information Act ... The files contain reports of sightings by private individuals and military personnel, investigations by Defence and other government departments and agencies into these reports, newspaper clippings on UFOs and letters from individuals who claim to be in touch with alien beings and craft"--Preliminaries. https://natlib.govt.nz/records/22979464

Civilian UFO case collection:
Germany (population 85 million, 140,000 sightings, of which 5 percent are unexplained, 500 cases with no possible explanation):

"Germany has a high level of UFO sightings," Robert Fleischer, the coordinator for the German Initiative for Exopolitics, told Deutsche Welle.
He said that, since 1974, over 500 so-called "real" UFO cases - reported sightings that, after careful consideration by specialized experts, cannot be related to any conventional information - have been recorded.
"However, there has never been any official recognition by the German government relating to UFOs or UFO activity," Fleischer added. "So if the Germans were to open any files relating to UFOs, all we would find out is that they pass all their information to the Americans." https://www.dw.com/en/despite-partial-disclosure-europes-ufo-files-remain-mostly-under-wraps/a-4783950
In Germany, there seems to be an endless list of hobby clubs and nonprofit associations. The Association for UFO Research (GEP) is one of them. Their databank includes 140,000 entries, and 95% of them can be explained. https://www.dw.com/en/ufos-and-aliens-in-germany/a-58077707

Japan (population 125 million):
In a small town in Japan of 5,000 people, the town had about 450 sightings in one year: https://www.indiatvnews.com/trending/news/home-of-aliens-japanese-town-has-452-ufo-sightings-in-one-year-viral-story-fukushima-japan-2023-05-03-868661 But I would prefer a better citation than indiatvnews.com.
If anyone has any information and citations to contribute, please add in the comments. I know I'm missing a lot of information on various other countries, some of which have had official UFO agencies, but it's difficult for me to locate the information.

submitted by MKULTRA_Escapee to aliens [link] [comments]

2023.05.29 23:40 Green-Square2298 Father just passed away and I am the sole beneficiary of his 401k accounts but I live abroad. Advice?

Hello everyone, posting this with a throw away account and cross posting from personalfinance
In short, my father passed away recently without a will and the large majority of his money, around $460,000, are in his 401k accounts of which I've found out I'm the sole beneficiary for both.
I'm a US citizen but live and work full time in the EU and file US taxes every year claiming Foreign Earned Income Exclusion, and since I'm under the threshold I never pay any US taxes.
I plan to speak to a financial advisor and an expat tax advisor soon but would like to get some kind of preliminary information from people here while I set up a meeting.
My most urgent question is the following: I've received paperwork regarding one of his 401k accounts asking for his and my information, and one of the questions on the form asks for my country of residence. Will they refuse to work with me and refuse to allow me to handle the funds if I live outside of the United States by putting that I am a resident of the country I'm in?
I have a valid US mailing address, driver's license, US checking accounts and credit cards. My biggest fear is that they will refuse to work with me with the 401k accounts as I don't reside in the US. I need this money more or less as soon as possible to pay for his funeral expenses, as the funeral home was flexible enough to wait on payment until I get access to his funds.
I know I'll pay US income tax on this and that's no problem, my biggest worry is gaining access to these funds properly without issue as I need to pay $14.5k asap to the funeral home.
Thanks for any information or advice you can provide

submitted by Green-Square2298 to USExpatTaxes [link] [comments]

2023.05.29 23:17 adorableoddity Double checking if this is a scam? It was addressed to my father, who passed last year.

Seems strange because of the fine print under the “Spouse’s Name” section. The return envelope that was included is addressed to “Direct Processing Center”, so there is no company name for me to look up.

submitted by adorableoddity to Scams [link] [comments]

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– By Regions –

Research Objectives

History

Precedents

Early reports

Official recognition

Scales and Alsop reports

Alsop case

Scales case

Popularisation

Last reports

Aldershot

Lincolnshire

Liverpool

Aftermath and impact upon Victorian popular culture

Theories

Sceptical positions

Paranormal conjectures

Counterpart in Prague

In contemporary popular culture

See also

External links