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2023.04.02 14:02 browneorum NoP: Offspring. Chapter 28. Underlings.
Turin, gojid Cradle ecologist.
Date [standardised human time]: May 5th, 2120
(16 years, 4 months before the invasion of the gojid Cradle).
Turin was pacing rapidly. She had checked, unpacked, and re-checked their first aid supplies. She had cleared the house of clutter and gone over their contingencies. But all the busy work had been done, and now Turin had to face it. This was it; this was the trap that Juran had set.
Braq’s voice had been curt and desperate on the radio having signaled her from Ki-yu’s den. A pair of children had been spotted on the mountain pass cameras, right where the roht tracks had been found. He had warned her to keep back, be ready to call assistance. It made sense, and without a second buggy she would not reach them for hours on foot anyway. But that left her and Imdi to sit and wait. Turin could not allow her fear to rule her, it would only distress her son.
Turin made two shaky cups of tea, trying to distract them with his homework. It was a simple short essay, but the lad struggled with his letters at the best of times. Just sitting beside him, she reflected on how much Imdi had grown. He was still a little boy, helpless in his own way, but clearly a person besides. What a strange symbiosis parenthood is; we need our children as much as they need us. Her mind wandered to the two youths on the trail camera. It could only have been Yotun and Callio, they were the closest, and the most likely to go wandering.
Juran’s played us, she realised. Either we call for help and acknowledge that there are dangerous predators here, or we feign ignorance and become complicit. Either way…
“Why…?” she whispered absentmindedly.
“Why what, Mama?” Imdi asked beside her. She shook her head, giving him a casual pat.
“Sorry sweetheart, I got distracted.” If we call for help we damn ourselves, if we don’t we damn ourselves again. We can hide Ki-yu, but we can’t hide this…
Turin snatched up the radio when it burst into static. It was something of a relief, even if it was short-lived. The mountainous terrain interfered with the signal, but Braq’s broken voice told her enough. The girl is dead, all others injured. She stood there with the silent handheld pressed to her ear. She heard the ocean roar about her mind, crashing white water above a darkened abyss. Braq and Ki-yu are still alive. She took the thought and lit it as a lamp to light her cabin.
"No,” she whispered. He can play his game, but I won't.
Turin called the ambulance right away. It would be at least two hours before a first responder reached them from the city. At the very least that gave them plenty of time to hide their daughter away. She was shaking as she made the last of three calls, the ringing signal grating against her quills.
“What’s happening Mama?” Imdi asked, still sitting at the table. With a heavy breath, she sat beside him once more. He looked at her quizzically as she pulled him away from his homework.
“It, uh, it seems that Callio and Yotun wandered onto the property. They’ve been hurt.”
“Hurt?” he squeaked. “Hurt bad?” She nodded, trying to keep her expression calm rather than crestfallen.
“Oh, sweetheart… I’m so sorry…”
~*~
They heard the buggy coming before they saw it, the roar of its engine waking Turin from the windowsill with a start. Imdi awoke in her lap as she moved to her feet, rubbing his raw eyes groggily. A quick glance at the clock told her it had been about an hour. She updated the silent countdown in her head, a sliver of worry that she had called for help too soon.
“Oh,” Imdi whimpered, looking up at her with a tear-dried face.
“Shh…” she coddled him. “Don’t worry.”
The buggy came screeching to a halt outside, and Turin took a breath to steady herself. We just have to keep moving, crest one wave and then the next.
Braq’s silhouette was already exiting the vehicle as she charged out the front door and toward the buggy. The afternoon sun had crashed into a meagre pale sundown, the lightest of yellows across the western sky.
“Braq!” she called out, blinded by the vehicle’s headlights. She almost stopped before she reached them, the smell of blood was frightfully strong. “Wha-?!”
“Keep him back!” Braq barked, cutting off the engine and the lights before he leaned into the backseat. Turin set down their son with a quick kiss. She hurried forward as Braq pulled back. Their daughter hung limply in his arms. A strip of pale fabric had been tied tight about her tail, slowly staining scarlet.
“Oh, Protector…” Turin moaned, reaching for the girl. Her endarkened eyelids fluttered at her voice, lips drawing into a pained smile as she felt Turin’s paw on her face.
“Mama…” she mumbled.
“It’s okay,” Turin whispered, “you’re home now.” Yotun was sitting idly in the passenger seat, watching them intensely. The look on his tear-marked face was one Turin thought belonged on war veterans and cattle victims.
“Th-the girl?” she asked weakly.
“She’s on the backseat,” Braq said hoarsely, blocking her path as she tried to look around him. “D-don’t,” he groaned. “Just don’t.” Yotun slid out of his seat. Turin glanced over at her son who was fretting with his claws nearby. “Imdi go help Yotun inside.”
“O-okay,” he mumbled. His eyes went wide at the long gashes in the approaching boy’s forearm, but he just swallowed hard and took his other paw. “Is Ku going to be okay?” he asked worriedly.
“Ku…” Yotun wheezed, almost a laugh.
“Don’t worry, sweetheart,” she murmured, nodding to the lodge. “Go on.” She looked up at her partner's haggard face, silently asking the same.
“Broken tail,” he said, “cr-cracked ribs I’d suspect.”
“Internal damage? A haemorrhage?”
“N-no I don’t think so,” he panted, hobbling past her toward the house. The breath left her at the sight of her beloved’s back.
“Braq!” she gasped. A pair of long diagonal slashes had been cut from shoulder blade to pelvis, broken spines hanging loosely. Whilst the bleeding had stopped, the exposed tissue was shifting and raw beneath his torn hide. He was also limping, she saw, a fearful bitemark around his right ankle. Turin wanted to scream as she started after him.
“I’m okay,” he grunted, shifting all his weight onto his left leg as he walked. No, no you’re not! “Looks worse than it is. You called the parents?” he continued, ignoring their torment.
“Y-yeah,” she mumbled as they hurried through the threshold. Imdi had sat Yotun on the couch and was carefully setting out one of the first aid kits. The skinny boy looked up stiffly as they entered. “At least Laenar and Arrut. They’ll be here soon. Teraka didn’t answer.” Braq let out a shuddering sigh.
“W-we need to get her sorted before they arrive,” he said. With a short yip of pain, Ki-yu reached out for the couch. Her dark paw gripped Yotun’s shoulder stopping them from passing, the boy wide-eyed and slack-jawed at the contact. Ki-yu’s voice was slurred and lethargic, each breath heavy and deliberate.
“Pretty… drawings…” she wheezed. “Remember… burn… the forest…” Yotun bristled. Turin reached down and gently unhooked her claws, taking some comfort in their strength still despite her injuries.
“Hide her,” she told Braq. He shook his head.
“I n-need to get Callio from the buggy.”
“No, you look after Ki-yu,” she said firmly. “I’ll go get her.”
“N-no, it’s bad, I ca-”
“Braq, beloved. Look after her.” Braq looked quickly from Turin to the girl in his arms, before reluctantly nodding. Ki-yu was still mumbling as Braq walked with her down to her hidden bedding room.
“W-woods… stars…” Turin heard her say.
“It’s okay, sweetheart,” Braq whispered to her. “Try and rest.” Imdi tugged at Turin’s leg.
“Baba’s hurt…” her son mumbled.
“I know,” she said, rubbing his scalp. “He’s just got to look after Ki-yu for a little while. Okay?”
“O-okay…” He looked at her more insistently. “Mama, is Ku gonna be alright?”
“I…” He should not have to see any of this. The words caught in her throat, so she just nodded. “Why don’t you go help Baba, hm?”
“Okay…” he mumbled, doddering down the gloomy hall after them. Turin wished she could join them, to hold them all close and whisper sweet nothings.
If I stop now, I’ll drown.
Turin moved to where Imdi had studiously spread out the first aid kit and crouched down.
“Hey,” she said as softly as possible. “I need to take a look at that.”
Yotun flinched as she touched him, from fear or pain she knew not which. Turin pulled the arm straight as tenderly as she could. Yotun whimpered as she washed out the wound but otherwise said nothing. He just sat there, numb, quiet, and broken. The mother in her wailed. I can mend his arm at least. She bandaged it carefully, gave him some painkillers, and told him to try and rest.
Still, even that task was preferable to what Turin had to do next. She retrieved some white sheets from the laundry. They were not true funerary shrouds, specially thickened to prevent the dead’s quills from piercing the fabric, but they would do.
The pre-night gloom was setting in as Turin stepped outside again. The cool air carried a crying choir of forest creatures, making Turin feel like she was standing in a dream. She walked stiffly out to the buggy, stopping before she had the chance to look inside. The smell had only grown, but it was more than mere disgust; a bubble of terror encircled the vehicle. Crushing down the thundering panic before it built, Turin peered into the buggy. On one backseat was a small body, partially obscured by a bloodied poncho. Callio’s creamy fur peaked from beneath the fabric in places, tinged a dark blue. A tide of azure had flowed down into the seats, building a dried pattern in the footwell.
Turin turned away, stifling a keen. She remembered their first meeting, how that harrowing confrontation had become a cheerful moment of play by the seaside. She was so happy, Turin recalled. So bright. No more… Collecting herself, she retrieved the rifle, wedged haphazardly into the driver’s door, noting how the metalwork had buckled around the central chamber. She shrugged the strap over her shoulder and turned back to the body. I will not flinch, she told herself as she pulled back the covering. We owe her that much.
She did not balk, but it hurt her not to.
Callio lay on her side with closed eyes, curled up as if asleep. She was as at peace as she could be. Turin spread the sheet across the ground and moved to lay the girl to rest. She shuddered and stopped when shifting the torso made the head turn unnaturally, biting into the back of her own paw to stop herself from screaming. This could have been Braq… or Ki-yu… or even Imdi… Oh, Protector… With a shaky sigh, she laid her down on the sheet and, as respectfully as she could, Turin enwrapped the girl in white. The death of her aunt had been the first time Turin had seen loss, felt grief. To see that plump woman, full of raucous laughter, fond of gaiety and song, reduced to a body enwrapped and entombed…
Turin decided that she hated pale sheets as she carried Callio inside.
She laid the body on the table, then placed the broken weapon on the counter. Yotun still sat stiffly on the couch, as unmoving as a statue. Turin covered the first shawl with a thicker sheet, the form appearing less and less like a person. Looking down she saw blood had soaked onto her overalls, all over her paws. The clothing was ruined, but Turin would never want to wear it again anyway. She stripped and tossed her clothing into the bin. It felt as though the smell had sunk through her skin. She moved to the sink, trying to scrub the blood from herself, but the sponge just came away blue. She turned on the hot water until it was near scalding, trying to clean beneath her claws. It sloughed off her, falling into the inky depths. Turin made a quiet sob, shaking her head to try and will away her wet eyes.
“Mama?” Imdi squeaked behind her. Turin coughed, drying her hands.
“Yes, sweetheart?” she said, quickly wiping her tears. The boy was looking at the body with tearful eyes.
“Wh-what’s happening?” Falling to one knee, she pulled him to her breast.
“Something terrible, love.” She kissed his forehead, the smell of him like a prescient memory, cleansing the nauseating tones of death.
“Mama… I’m scared.”
“I know, it’ll be okay,” she whispered, swallowing to stop her voice from breaking.
“I d-don’t want to be scared,” he whispered. “I wanna be fearless, like you.” Turin let out a tearful chuckle. She leaned back against the cabinet, holding her son’s head gently in her paws.
“I’m not fearless,” she told him. His dark brown eyes were searching her own, the scar on his lip twitching. “Wanna know a secret? Everyone feels scared from time to time.”
“Even Ku?”
“Aheh… maybe a little.” She smiled as she flattened his spines. My handsome little man. “Listen. There’ll be many times in your life when you feel afraid.” She curled a knuckle on his breast. “Where you feel it ball up, right here, and you want to run away and hide. That fear will always be there. But you don’t have to run and hide. That fear can make you strong and brave if you let it push you. And the only way to do that is to try. So,” she rubbed his cheeks with the balls of her thumbs, ”will you be brave?” He snuffled, his tiny face pulling into a fretted smile.
“Okay,” he whispered. “I’ll try.” She brought her forehead to his.
“Good boy.” The soft fur of his face tickled her nose.
If I stop now I’ll drown.
“We’ll, uh, be having visitors soon,” she rasped, pulling back. “I… need to get ready… Why don’t you try and get ready for bed, hm?” The boy nodded a little reluctantly, disappearing down the hall once more.
Turin tried to distract herself by scrubbing through the security footage again, focusing her efforts on the hills around the attack. All trace of her needed to be cleared. But in the corner of her eye, she saw Imdi come toddling back. He sat on the couch beside the thinner boy.
“Hey,” he said quietly.
“Hey,” Yotun replied, his eyes foggy and distant.
“Your arm…” Imdi mumbled, glancing cagily at him. “Does it hurt?”
“Yeah.” Yotun sniffed. He looked at the table, as though seeing it for the first time. The white cloth was a shroud over too small a body. “Your… ‘sister’… an arxur?”
“My sister,” Imdi said dryly, his gaze also lingering on the dead girl. “The arxur.” He sniffed. Then he sniffled. Very quickly he was crying, the quiet sound breaking Yotun from his stupor. An instant later the older boy was sobbing too and, in a moment that broke Turin’s heart, he put his working arm around the younger boy. The two leaned on each other for strength and cried.
Turin did what she could. She lit the fire, gave them blankets, and made some more tea. When she brought it to them, she found they had fallen into an exhausted sleep.
Soon thereafter, Braq hobbled back into the room. Her beloved wore a weary, complex expression as he looked at the sleeping boys, but she could see him take note of, then close off the sight of the girl on the table.
“Passed out,” he reported, moving to her side. “She was in a lot of pain. I’ve, uh, put some ice on her ribs, best we can do is to keep her still for a bit.”
“Oh, she’ll hate that,” Turin mumbled. She nodded to the boys. “This one should be okay, at least in the arm.”
“He, uh… was brave.” Braq conferred quietly. “I think he tried to lure it away from… from her, but…” He shook his head. “Stupid boy… What about the cameras?”
“Just going over the more recent stuff,” Turin said. Braq groaned deeply, then hissed at the twisting broken skin of his back as he leaned forward. Turin stood and pulled him toward the better-lit kitchen.
“Come here, let me sort you out.” Grumbling, her partner begrudgingly followed her.
His ankle had started to swell, the skin a deep purple. They applied some ice to bring down the swelling, but it would need to be thoroughly washed as well. Making him swallow some painkillers, she laid him face down on the countertop to clean his back.
“What happened?” she asked as she brought some hot water and cloth.
“She’d caught scent of it, found a path it was using regularly. We set up the bait, had headed back to her den to check the cameras.” He hissed as she layered on the first cloth. “That’s when we saw them. They were heading –ah!– right for it. I-I drove as fast as I could but…” His paws shook with anxious energy. “I told her to stay back, stay hidden but she didn’t listen. Heh,” he snorted sardonically. “Good thing too.” He looked her dead in the eye over his shoulder. “She killed it. Damn near ripped its head off.” Turin focused hard on the cleaning, trying not to mull over the implications. The disinfectant stung more than the water, Braq’s back taught from stress, fatigue, and pain. Turin kept talking to distract him.
“If, um, someone finds it, they’ll see her teeth marks…”
“I hid that,” he said. “Gun nearly blew apart, but I shot it point blank. Should look like I got it.” Yes… that could work… She took the opportunity to wash the wound in his ankle, the mucky, bloodied fluid staining the floor.
“I’ll have to clean that up,” Braq groaned, his face pressing into the countertop. Turin chuckled, tossing down a towel.
“You better,” she said glibly. Now cleaned, she could see the clear paired punctures where the roht’s canines had dug in, one tooth piercing to the bone. She wrapped it up tightly.
“Lover… the paramedics will have to have a look at this.”
“Figured,” he grumbled. Now clean, she sutured shut the broken hide of her beloved’s broad back. It would scar, and he may even lose quills, but it would heal. Braq got up almost before the last suture went in.
“You should sit and rest,” she told him, grabbing his wrist.
“So should you,” he said without spite. His paw came up beneath her chin, and she saw in his eyes the same wailing despair she felt. If I stop now I’ll drown. Braq made to hug her, but she stopped him with a palm on his chest.
“Please don’t…” she pleaded. She needed to stay strong for now. He took her paw and rubbed it absently but nodded. With a shaky sniff, he gestured to the sleeping boys.
“One of us needs to talk to him,” he said. “Which one do you want?”
“I-I’ll do it. Go keep an eye on the kids.” She squeezed his paw and kissed it. “We’ll be okay.”
“I know.” he said, leaving her leaning against the counter. He at least seemed to believe it. Braq leaned over the couch and lifted his son as carefully as he could, wincing at the pain in his foot. He nestled him in the crook of his massive arms, and walked down to his room.
With a heavy sigh, Turin sat down on the couch beside Yotun, still curled up in sleep.
“Yotun?” She tapped his knee. He stirred quickly with a frantic, panicked breath, crawling across the cushions. “Sorry! I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“Y-you didn’t,” he mumbled, drawing the blanket about him.
“Is your arm still hurting?” The boy nodded weakly, not meeting her eyes.
“Here,” she gave him his lukewarm cup of tea, noticing how his paws twitched and shuddered. Turin wished she could give him some time to recover, to reconcile, but they only had minutes now at best.
“I’m… so very sorry, sweetie,” she said softly, “but we need to talk before your parents get here.” Yotun swallowed hard.
“What’d y-you tell them?”
“That you’ve been hurt, and that a predator did it.” Turin sighed. “But we’re not talking about that, are we? We’re talking about Ki-yu.” Yotun looked at her like she had grown antlers, but the expression passed quickly.
“I k-kinda guessed,” he whispered. “But it didn’t make sense. You’ve been keeping her here? This whole time?”
“Yes,” she said. “I wish you could get the chance to know her properly.”
“She… left me…” he mumbled. “Alone… in the dark…”
“Yes. And afterward she turned up here in the middle of the night, a shivering, broken wreck. I’ve never seen her cry so much.” The boy looked up at her mistily.
“She… cried?” He shook his head morosely. “It doesn’t matter. It’s all over now…”
“Is it?” Turin asked, willing fire into her voice. “She certainly doesn’t seem to think so. ‘Burn the forest?’” He flinched. “She knows the risks of her discovery, far better than anyone. She knows that if it comes to it…” Turin stopped before she broke down. “And yet, she risked it all for you. In a heartbeat. She put her trust in you, Yotun.”
“Sh-she sh-shouldn’t have… I-I’m just a st-stupid kid!”
“I-” The alarm wailed for a split-second before Turin turned reached over and turned it all off, hiding their security system.
“Wh-what was that?”
“Proximity alert. Someone’s coming.”
“My parents?”
“Most likely.” Yotun drew himself down. This isn’t working…
Braq came limping up the hall.
“She’s still asleep, secure,” he said.
“Okay,” Turin breathed. “Then sit down, for Kay-ut’s sake, before you make that worse.” He settled into the windowsill seat. Turin placed a paw on Yotun’s uninjured arm.
“They’ll kill her,” she said firmly. “If you mention her at all, to anyone, they’ll kill her.”
“M-my p-parents wouldn’t-”
“Yes,” Turin said with a sad smile, knowing as all parents do. “They absolutely would.”
”They’d tell someone else at the very least,” Braq sighed. “And then they’d come for us all.”
“A-and they’d burn it all down to find her,” the boy shuddered.
The hovercar’s thwopping was now audible.
“We shouldn’t have to ask this of you, lad.” Braq said. “You’ve suffered too much already. But I think you know we’d both be dead right now without her.” Turin’s stomach rolled. Yotun looked fearfully between the two of them.
“Y-you’re asking me to lie?!”
“From what she’s told us, you’re the closest thing Ki-yu’s ever had to a real friend.” Turin implored him. “We’re asking you to save her.” Braq looked out of the window as she said it.
“They’re here.”
A door slammed outside. If I stop now I’ll drown. Turin gave his arm one last squeeze.
“Our lives are in your paws, Yotun.”
Please, please, please save her…
“Yotun!” Laenar cried out desperately, the front door thrown open as they charged in. Turin backed off as quickly as she could, knowing better than to come between them now.
“Oh, my boy!” The mother fell to her knees beside him. “Thank The Protector! Oh, your arm! Gods!” Stopping in the middle of the room, Arrut drew a quick sharp breath, his eyes on the table.
“Mercy…” he said simply, the light from the fireplace casting long shadows across the room. Laenar made a muted gasp, pulling Yotun tight against her. “The girl…?”
“Callio.” Braq said quietly. It was almost a whimper. There was a long silence, the only sound Laenar’s muted breathing.
“Wh-where’s the ambulance?” Arrut asked weakly. “Why didn’t you call an ambulance?”
“Too late,” Braq murmured mournfully. “It… it all happened too fast.”
“There’s one coming now,” Turin said, rubbing her forehead. “To… collect the body.”
“That’s not an ambulance,” Laenar said weakly. Arrut pulled his eyes away from the table, falling heavily into the chair beside Braq.
“My… stars man,” he murmured. “The state of your back…”
“Think of your son, you idiot!” Laenar gasped. Arrut shot her an incredulous look back.
“The wounds clean. H-he should be alright physically-” Turin started.
“Alright?! He’s been mauled!” She pulled her son’s face up to her. “What h-happened? Why were you out there?” His expression crumpled.
“We wanted to see the woods,” he said quietly.
“Wha- Why…?” The pudgy woman suddenly glared at Turin. “You did this! You perverted pair of-!”
“Laenar!” Arrut yelled. “That’s enough!”
“No, I’m sick of these people! Sick of this place! Why don’t you just-!”
“Shut up, Mother, shut up!” Yotun started yelling. “I did this, this’s my fault!” He winced as he jerked his slashed arm at them. “Braq saved me!”
”You’ve been through a lot, you don’t-!”
“M-my fau-lt! My-!” His words became incoherent, a violent sorrowful wailing. Laenar relented, looking as broken as her son. The boy was inconsolable, unable to speak, so Braq recounted what had happened. The parents listened intently, not saying a word. He told them how they had suspected something was not right in the Brackwood, carefully leaving out the signs of roht they had kept to themselves. He told them that he had found a dead vyrryn and tracks in the snow and had been watching the cameras when he had spotted the children. Braq’s voice broke when he explained how he had not got there in time. As his voice trailed off Turin knew that he was replaying those dreadful moments over and over again in his head.
Arrut stood, rubbing his mouth.
“Why didn’t you call the authorities?” he asked. “If you suspected there was this roht creature about, why didn’t you call for help?” Turin and Braq shared a glance.
“Because it doesn’t make sense,” she said. “Roht were never found here. They’re practically extinct.”
“So, what?” Laenar grunted. “You based your safety, all our safety, on your intuition?”
“No,” Braq said. “We’ve found… plasma wounds on animals, many fatal. Someone else has been in our woods.” He rubbed his face with both paws. “We don’t know who to trust.”
“And you think, what they’re trying to scare you off?” She scoffed. “I find that hard to believe.”
“Believe what you want,” Turin snapped. “We’ve got the photos to prove that someone’s been shooting our animals.”
“But… who would go wandering out here?” Arrut asked. “Most people are terrified of this place.”
Before anyone could answer, the sound of another arriving vehicle drew their attention, Braq glancing out the window. He leaned forward.
“Well… you were right,” he said. “It’s not an ambulance.” A quiet stillness came over them as the engine died; the gravel outside crunched beneath approaching steps. Moonlight filtered through the front window; the shadow of an impossibly tall man descended across their home. The phantom coalesced by the threshold, the figure looming for a moment. Then he straightened and knocked. Nobody moved. He knocked again, the noise rattling about Turin’s skull. She looked over at Braq and saw ire and worry warring in his eyes. A third knock, more insistent. Fuck…
Turin walked over and opened the door.
“Good evening Turin,” Juran said, giving her the slightest bow. His pale eyes hovered like pinpricks in the night.
“Juran. What’re you… doing… here…” Her voice left her as she saw who stood behind him. Juran strode past her as she struggled to form a thought.
“We were forwarded a rather desperate-sounding emergency call. Needless to say, we came as soon as we could.” There was a crashing, thundering sound in Turin’s ears. The other just stood there, looking at her expectantly. “Oh dear, nasty business this,” Juran was saying, stepping closer to the body. He clicked his tongue, as though examining shoddy craftmanship. “Very nasty business.” Juran looked quickly around the room, his eyes devouring all they saw. “And two survivors?” He clapped his paws together. “We were worried.”
“We?” Braq asked hoarsely.
“Oh, yes, I was meeting with an old friend.”
He strode in with the same confidence as the extermination officer.
“Teraka…” Arrut gasped. Juran stopped. Everyone stopped. They all just looked at him. Teraka looked nonplussed for a moment, but then he noticed the other parents’ gaze. His eyes passed over them questioningly.
“T-Teraka,” Turin gulped. “I couldn’t reach you… you didn’t…” The man looked at the body, then at Yotun. The lad was shaking, sobbing again in his mother’s arms.
“What is this?” Teraka hissed, his suave exterior melting away. Juran’s pale eyes narrowed, his head moving in a steady glacial turn to Turin. For the first time, she felt like she was actually looking at him. A long time ago, she would have called his expression predatory; now she would simply call it cruel.
“No…” Teraka gasped, pushing Juran aside as he staggered forward. He moved around the table like he feared it would cut him. Tenderly, he pulled back the sheets. It was… disturbing, how little the man reacted. He stilled, all that constant movement, those ceaseless platitudes quieted. He just stood there and looked.
“I suppose we’ve found what killed that brynn foal,” Juran said thinly. The chair squealed as Braq stood, her husband’s face contorting from the pain in his leg. Juran might have been taller, but Braq was undoubtedly the bigger man.
“Really?” he said, looking up at him. “’Cause I’d say that roht was only two or three years old. It would have been an infant when that brynn was killed.”
“Ah, quite right you are,” Juran said with a flash of teeth. “There must have been others.” Her beloved’s fists were held so tight the claws bit into his palms. “Well, regardless this will have to be thoroughly investigated. And of-” Juran was interrupted as Teraka strode over and struck him across the face. The tall man toppled into the bookshelf, clutching at his snout as their small library came tumbling down around him.
“Bastard!” Teraka snarled, his claws digging into Juran’s throat. A shout went out, Turin knew not from who, as the two men struggled. Laenar was gasping noisily trying to shield her son; Arrut and Braq trying to pull the raging father back but finding Teraka’s quills before them. Juran’s paws sinched tight around the smaller man’s wrists, and with a ferocious roar, he stood as quickly as he could, headbutting Teraka under the chin. Teraka staggered backward into the table, the legs screaming murder against the woodwork, Turin only barely stopping Callio’s body from sliding from it. The others were yelling at them, but the two men did not care as they traded blows like trained fighters. They fought viciously, reminding Turin of how Ki-yu hunted; no movement was wasted, no moment savoured. Teraka ducked under a wide backhand, jabbing with his claws for Juran’s chest. Juran blocked with his offhand, using his greater reach to keep Teraka at bay. He threw a brutal left hook that Teraka countered, then trapped. Growling in pain, Juran blocked Teraka’s follow-up, snatching a firm grip on the smaller man’s throat. His grip was so tight Turin saw his claws draw blood. Choking, Teraka kneed him in the groin, then palm struck him in the gullet. The two fell back wheezing, circling one another with quills out and eyes wide with rage.
“You’ve taken everything from me!” Teraka howled. Juran glared at him with his pale eyes, blood flowing down from his snout. “My job! My decency! My daughter!”
“You knew the cost!” he spat back. “It’s you who’ve betrayed my trust. I thought better of you…”
Surging in, Braq gripped Teraka’s left arm, trying to twist it around his back before the fight could resume. But the enraged father kicked the other man’s weakened leg out from under him, dropping him unceremoniously to the floor. With a bellowing cry, Arrut tackled Juran around the middle, the two crashing into the kitchen tiles. Teraka moved to make after them, but Braq took the opportunity to swipe out Teraka’s legs from the floor, evening the score. Growling like an animal, Braq pinned him on his back. Wrestling free of Arrut, Juran rose forward with murderous intent in his pale eyes. Fuck this! Turin snatched up the rifle where it still lay on the counter.
“Hey!” she snarled, the sound of her ratcheting the lever stalling the melee. The weapon had been damaged by the roht; Turin doubted it would fire at all, but the threat was sufficient. “I will not have any more blood spilled in my house!” Teraka struggled in Braq’s grapple.
“There is more at stake than this little shack!” the man hissed.
“Mind your words, Teraka,” Juran’s voice was as thin and sharp as a needle. “Or the cost will be far greater than one little girl.”
“Enough!” Turin roared. “Juran, we’ll cooperate with whatever investigation you deem necessary,” she barked, hiding the fearful lie behind the fire in her voice. “But for now, you’re leaving. I suggest you get that nose looked at.” There was a long and painful silence. The tall man regained his posture, wiping his nose.
“Thank you,” he said with a sickly-sweet smile. There was blood in his teeth. “My apologies for the disturbance, that was most unprofessional. I’ll be in touch.” With one last icy look at them all, he strode out into the night. Teraka struggled beneath Braq as his car shot up into the sky.
“Why’d you do that?!” he spat when he finally released him. “Why’d you do that, wh-why?!” And then he was crying, a pitiful, ruined wailing as he almost fell over the body of his little girl. They could not pull him away; he just kept crying. He was crying when Yotun left with his parents, and he was still crying when the ambulance finally arrived to take her away.
~*~
Ki-yu’s breathing had steadied, ice and a pillow across her chest seeming to help her sleep. Arxur were strong, and the bone had not shifted. The tail required more work —a splint and sutures— but the girl had slept through their treatment. With enough time, they were confident she would suffer no more than a new scar.
Turin's paw brushed across Ki-yu’s sheets, bloodied a fiery crimson. The mother swallowed a sob as she thought of Callio again. Ki-yu made a groaning sound, shifting slightly as her dark eyes flickered open. She peered up at Turin curiously, and for a second she almost seemed bemused. But then she felt her ribs, the ache making her whine.
“Hey,” Turin cooed, feeling the warmth of her scalp. “How do you feel?”
“Thirsty,” she rasped. Turin reached back for the cup of water she had brought.
“Here,” she whispered, bringing it to her scaly lips. “We’ll get you something to eat tomorrow.” Ki-yu gulped it down, then coughed slightly.
“I’ll be okay-”
“No, you’ll eat tomorrow,” Turin said, looking at her sharply. Ki-yu rattled a small huff but nodded.
“Wh-what happened?” she asked. “I thought I heard shouting…” Turin rubbed her paws on her knees.
“Teraka… I don’t think anyone would ever take that well…” Ki-yu scrunched up her face. A moment later recollection returned.
“Oh… I-” She started panting quickly, snorting out wet sobs. The girl dropped her head heavily onto her pillow, wet tears welling in her eyes. Snuffling, she started beating her snout against her bedding.
“Hey… sweetheart…” Turin purred, rubbing her shoulder. “Talk to me…” Ki-yu swallowed, a sound that was almost an Umph!
“I-I w-wasn’t f-fast enough, wa-sn’t good enough-!” The mother pushed her way onto the bed, laying her head on the damp pillow as she pulled her as tightly against her as she could.
“Shhh… You were superb.”
“B-but she-!” Ki-yu sniffled against her.
“You gave her a fighting chance, sweetie. You couldn’t have done any more.” Ki-yu was silent for a short moment, snuggling against her fuzzy chest. Turin hoped it gave the girl the same comfort as her.
“Yotun?”
“He’s gone home with his parents. So far, he hasn’t told them about you at all.”
“Wh-what happens now?” she asked weakly.
“We’ll sort that out,” Turin sighed. “Don’t you worry.” Turin sat up as a tiny figure draped in a long blanket waddled through the doorframe.
“Hey Ku,” Imdi squeaked.
“Hey dingus,” Ki-yu sniffled, making the little boy smile meekly.
“How’re you feeling?” he asked.
“Better,” she said, stretching out as she kept her eyes on the little gojid. “How about you?”
“Okay,” he mumbled, looking at her abashedly. “I, uh, just wanted to say i-it’s okay if you feel scared. I f-feel scared too, but…” He fidgeted with his claws. My brave little man. Ki-yu made a tired keen.
“Wanna stay here tonight?” she asked. He nodded fervently. Ki-yu smiled, spreading out the bedsheets. Imdi wriggled in beside her, the girl wrapping her long arms around him as she brushed down his spines.
“How about a song?” Ki-yu said with a wry smile. Turin sighed out a tired laugh.
“What do you think, Imdi?” she asked.
“All-mother’s prayer?” he replied. Turin always liked that one. It made her smile.
“Okay,” she said. “Just the one. Close your eyes.” The children settled in snugly, Turin singing as sweetly as she could.
“Kay-ut, All-mother, hear my prayer.
Hush, keep it quiet, simple, and fair.
Ki-ra hold your notes, Ki-yu stop your games.
And listen to children in their bedding frames.
A prayer for mummy, I know that’s right.
We played in the tunnels by candlelight.
The soft was clay, and the hard was rock.
Oh, All-mother save daddy, I almost forgot!
A wish for my sister whom I know the best.
I tell her I love her, and she gets the rest.
One more for brother, he lay next to me.
I’ve never adored another like he.
Oh, thank you Kay-ut for a lovely day.
For lighting your pyre to show me the way.
I’m forgetting someone, now who could that be?
Oh, of course! How silly! All-mother bless me.”
Her children were fast asleep as she finished the melody. Their peaceful stillness caused an ache in her heart.
“Goodnight sweethearts,” she whispered as she kissed their foreheads. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” She rose and shut the door as quietly as she could.
Her beloved was sitting in bed with a wan expression. The paramedics had given both Braq and Yotun a once over and thoroughly chastised the man for staying on his feet. Her husband had denied being taken to hospital immediately, so had been ordered to remain bedridden until he would be collected in the morning.
“Can’t you sleep?” Turin said softly, Braq shaking his head stiffly. “No,” she said breathily. “I don’t think I can either. Th-the kids seem a little better. They help each other, I guess.”
“It’s Yotun I’d worry about,” Braq said numbly. “The lad… he’s been through a lot.” He drew in a deep breath. “And Teraka, thinking about it. No telling what he’ll do now. Goddess… that poor girl…” Turin scrubbed her paws in the basin, then threw some water on her face.
“What do you suppose he meant? ‘There’s more at stake than this little shack?’” Braq just shrugged absently. “I’ve been thinking, mutilating the roht was the right decision, but we also need to go over the house again.” She started pacing. “We should be as truthful as we can, go public with everything except Ki-yu. We knew there was something in the woods but couldn’t be sure. We also knew that Juran and Teraka had been killing our animals, we got some photos of their kills. We can use all that to make a case, bring it to the inquest.”
“Turin.” Braq mumbled.
“We’ll have to hide her as soon as possible, somewhere more remote,” she continued. “Deeper into the woods perhaps? Or find a den far across the valleys. But she can’t be too far removed so that we can keep an eye on her. She needs to be fed, so we’ll have to go stash her something…”
“Turin.”
“I think we should assume from now on that all our actions are being monitored, so that way-”
“Beloved…” Braq’s rough paw caught her wrist. He looked up at her earnestly. “It’s okay… you can stop now.”
“I…” The water flows in around her. “Every moment counts, we’ve got-“
“Tomorrow,” he said. “We’ll start early. But… please… you need to stop.” Turin shook her head.
“N-no, I- if I stop-!” Braq’s eyes grew teary, and she felt her fear ball in her chest. She hugged his head close where she stood, her lover's tears wetting her navel. “I-I-” Braq lovingly pulled her down into a tight hug. She felt castaway; her boat beached on some forgotten shore.
“Oh stars, Braq…” she whispered, exhausted as the surf crashed about her mind. “I’m s-so scared…”
“It’ll be okay,” he said. “It’ll be okay.”
Together, on that little island, they sobbed themselves to sleep.
---
“Men at some times are makers of their fates:
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,
But in ourselves, that we are underlings.”
– Cassius, in Julius Caesar, Act I Scene 2. Written by W. Shakespeare, 1599.
[Cover] - René Magritte
Links in comment.
submitted by browneorum to HFY [link] [comments]
Date [standardised human time]: May 5th, 2120
(16 years, 4 months before the invasion of the gojid Cradle).
Turin was pacing rapidly. She had checked, unpacked, and re-checked their first aid supplies. She had cleared the house of clutter and gone over their contingencies. But all the busy work had been done, and now Turin had to face it. This was it; this was the trap that Juran had set.
Braq’s voice had been curt and desperate on the radio having signaled her from Ki-yu’s den. A pair of children had been spotted on the mountain pass cameras, right where the roht tracks had been found. He had warned her to keep back, be ready to call assistance. It made sense, and without a second buggy she would not reach them for hours on foot anyway. But that left her and Imdi to sit and wait. Turin could not allow her fear to rule her, it would only distress her son.
Turin made two shaky cups of tea, trying to distract them with his homework. It was a simple short essay, but the lad struggled with his letters at the best of times. Just sitting beside him, she reflected on how much Imdi had grown. He was still a little boy, helpless in his own way, but clearly a person besides. What a strange symbiosis parenthood is; we need our children as much as they need us. Her mind wandered to the two youths on the trail camera. It could only have been Yotun and Callio, they were the closest, and the most likely to go wandering.
Juran’s played us, she realised. Either we call for help and acknowledge that there are dangerous predators here, or we feign ignorance and become complicit. Either way…
“Why…?” she whispered absentmindedly.
“Why what, Mama?” Imdi asked beside her. She shook her head, giving him a casual pat.
“Sorry sweetheart, I got distracted.” If we call for help we damn ourselves, if we don’t we damn ourselves again. We can hide Ki-yu, but we can’t hide this…
Turin snatched up the radio when it burst into static. It was something of a relief, even if it was short-lived. The mountainous terrain interfered with the signal, but Braq’s broken voice told her enough. The girl is dead, all others injured. She stood there with the silent handheld pressed to her ear. She heard the ocean roar about her mind, crashing white water above a darkened abyss. Braq and Ki-yu are still alive. She took the thought and lit it as a lamp to light her cabin.
"No,” she whispered. He can play his game, but I won't.
Turin called the ambulance right away. It would be at least two hours before a first responder reached them from the city. At the very least that gave them plenty of time to hide their daughter away. She was shaking as she made the last of three calls, the ringing signal grating against her quills.
“What’s happening Mama?” Imdi asked, still sitting at the table. With a heavy breath, she sat beside him once more. He looked at her quizzically as she pulled him away from his homework.
“It, uh, it seems that Callio and Yotun wandered onto the property. They’ve been hurt.”
“Hurt?” he squeaked. “Hurt bad?” She nodded, trying to keep her expression calm rather than crestfallen.
“Oh, sweetheart… I’m so sorry…”
~*~
They heard the buggy coming before they saw it, the roar of its engine waking Turin from the windowsill with a start. Imdi awoke in her lap as she moved to her feet, rubbing his raw eyes groggily. A quick glance at the clock told her it had been about an hour. She updated the silent countdown in her head, a sliver of worry that she had called for help too soon.
“Oh,” Imdi whimpered, looking up at her with a tear-dried face.
“Shh…” she coddled him. “Don’t worry.”
The buggy came screeching to a halt outside, and Turin took a breath to steady herself. We just have to keep moving, crest one wave and then the next.
Braq’s silhouette was already exiting the vehicle as she charged out the front door and toward the buggy. The afternoon sun had crashed into a meagre pale sundown, the lightest of yellows across the western sky.
“Braq!” she called out, blinded by the vehicle’s headlights. She almost stopped before she reached them, the smell of blood was frightfully strong. “Wha-?!”
“Keep him back!” Braq barked, cutting off the engine and the lights before he leaned into the backseat. Turin set down their son with a quick kiss. She hurried forward as Braq pulled back. Their daughter hung limply in his arms. A strip of pale fabric had been tied tight about her tail, slowly staining scarlet.
“Oh, Protector…” Turin moaned, reaching for the girl. Her endarkened eyelids fluttered at her voice, lips drawing into a pained smile as she felt Turin’s paw on her face.
“Mama…” she mumbled.
“It’s okay,” Turin whispered, “you’re home now.” Yotun was sitting idly in the passenger seat, watching them intensely. The look on his tear-marked face was one Turin thought belonged on war veterans and cattle victims.
“Th-the girl?” she asked weakly.
“She’s on the backseat,” Braq said hoarsely, blocking her path as she tried to look around him. “D-don’t,” he groaned. “Just don’t.” Yotun slid out of his seat. Turin glanced over at her son who was fretting with his claws nearby. “Imdi go help Yotun inside.”
“O-okay,” he mumbled. His eyes went wide at the long gashes in the approaching boy’s forearm, but he just swallowed hard and took his other paw. “Is Ku going to be okay?” he asked worriedly.
“Ku…” Yotun wheezed, almost a laugh.
“Don’t worry, sweetheart,” she murmured, nodding to the lodge. “Go on.” She looked up at her partner's haggard face, silently asking the same.
“Broken tail,” he said, “cr-cracked ribs I’d suspect.”
“Internal damage? A haemorrhage?”
“N-no I don’t think so,” he panted, hobbling past her toward the house. The breath left her at the sight of her beloved’s back.
“Braq!” she gasped. A pair of long diagonal slashes had been cut from shoulder blade to pelvis, broken spines hanging loosely. Whilst the bleeding had stopped, the exposed tissue was shifting and raw beneath his torn hide. He was also limping, she saw, a fearful bitemark around his right ankle. Turin wanted to scream as she started after him.
“I’m okay,” he grunted, shifting all his weight onto his left leg as he walked. No, no you’re not! “Looks worse than it is. You called the parents?” he continued, ignoring their torment.
“Y-yeah,” she mumbled as they hurried through the threshold. Imdi had sat Yotun on the couch and was carefully setting out one of the first aid kits. The skinny boy looked up stiffly as they entered. “At least Laenar and Arrut. They’ll be here soon. Teraka didn’t answer.” Braq let out a shuddering sigh.
“W-we need to get her sorted before they arrive,” he said. With a short yip of pain, Ki-yu reached out for the couch. Her dark paw gripped Yotun’s shoulder stopping them from passing, the boy wide-eyed and slack-jawed at the contact. Ki-yu’s voice was slurred and lethargic, each breath heavy and deliberate.
“Pretty… drawings…” she wheezed. “Remember… burn… the forest…” Yotun bristled. Turin reached down and gently unhooked her claws, taking some comfort in their strength still despite her injuries.
“Hide her,” she told Braq. He shook his head.
“I n-need to get Callio from the buggy.”
“No, you look after Ki-yu,” she said firmly. “I’ll go get her.”
“N-no, it’s bad, I ca-”
“Braq, beloved. Look after her.” Braq looked quickly from Turin to the girl in his arms, before reluctantly nodding. Ki-yu was still mumbling as Braq walked with her down to her hidden bedding room.
“W-woods… stars…” Turin heard her say.
“It’s okay, sweetheart,” Braq whispered to her. “Try and rest.” Imdi tugged at Turin’s leg.
“Baba’s hurt…” her son mumbled.
“I know,” she said, rubbing his scalp. “He’s just got to look after Ki-yu for a little while. Okay?”
“O-okay…” He looked at her more insistently. “Mama, is Ku gonna be alright?”
“I…” He should not have to see any of this. The words caught in her throat, so she just nodded. “Why don’t you go help Baba, hm?”
“Okay…” he mumbled, doddering down the gloomy hall after them. Turin wished she could join them, to hold them all close and whisper sweet nothings.
If I stop now, I’ll drown.
Turin moved to where Imdi had studiously spread out the first aid kit and crouched down.
“Hey,” she said as softly as possible. “I need to take a look at that.”
Yotun flinched as she touched him, from fear or pain she knew not which. Turin pulled the arm straight as tenderly as she could. Yotun whimpered as she washed out the wound but otherwise said nothing. He just sat there, numb, quiet, and broken. The mother in her wailed. I can mend his arm at least. She bandaged it carefully, gave him some painkillers, and told him to try and rest.
Still, even that task was preferable to what Turin had to do next. She retrieved some white sheets from the laundry. They were not true funerary shrouds, specially thickened to prevent the dead’s quills from piercing the fabric, but they would do.
The pre-night gloom was setting in as Turin stepped outside again. The cool air carried a crying choir of forest creatures, making Turin feel like she was standing in a dream. She walked stiffly out to the buggy, stopping before she had the chance to look inside. The smell had only grown, but it was more than mere disgust; a bubble of terror encircled the vehicle. Crushing down the thundering panic before it built, Turin peered into the buggy. On one backseat was a small body, partially obscured by a bloodied poncho. Callio’s creamy fur peaked from beneath the fabric in places, tinged a dark blue. A tide of azure had flowed down into the seats, building a dried pattern in the footwell.
Turin turned away, stifling a keen. She remembered their first meeting, how that harrowing confrontation had become a cheerful moment of play by the seaside. She was so happy, Turin recalled. So bright. No more… Collecting herself, she retrieved the rifle, wedged haphazardly into the driver’s door, noting how the metalwork had buckled around the central chamber. She shrugged the strap over her shoulder and turned back to the body. I will not flinch, she told herself as she pulled back the covering. We owe her that much.
She did not balk, but it hurt her not to.
Callio lay on her side with closed eyes, curled up as if asleep. She was as at peace as she could be. Turin spread the sheet across the ground and moved to lay the girl to rest. She shuddered and stopped when shifting the torso made the head turn unnaturally, biting into the back of her own paw to stop herself from screaming. This could have been Braq… or Ki-yu… or even Imdi… Oh, Protector… With a shaky sigh, she laid her down on the sheet and, as respectfully as she could, Turin enwrapped the girl in white. The death of her aunt had been the first time Turin had seen loss, felt grief. To see that plump woman, full of raucous laughter, fond of gaiety and song, reduced to a body enwrapped and entombed…
Turin decided that she hated pale sheets as she carried Callio inside.
She laid the body on the table, then placed the broken weapon on the counter. Yotun still sat stiffly on the couch, as unmoving as a statue. Turin covered the first shawl with a thicker sheet, the form appearing less and less like a person. Looking down she saw blood had soaked onto her overalls, all over her paws. The clothing was ruined, but Turin would never want to wear it again anyway. She stripped and tossed her clothing into the bin. It felt as though the smell had sunk through her skin. She moved to the sink, trying to scrub the blood from herself, but the sponge just came away blue. She turned on the hot water until it was near scalding, trying to clean beneath her claws. It sloughed off her, falling into the inky depths. Turin made a quiet sob, shaking her head to try and will away her wet eyes.
“Mama?” Imdi squeaked behind her. Turin coughed, drying her hands.
“Yes, sweetheart?” she said, quickly wiping her tears. The boy was looking at the body with tearful eyes.
“Wh-what’s happening?” Falling to one knee, she pulled him to her breast.
“Something terrible, love.” She kissed his forehead, the smell of him like a prescient memory, cleansing the nauseating tones of death.
“Mama… I’m scared.”
“I know, it’ll be okay,” she whispered, swallowing to stop her voice from breaking.
“I d-don’t want to be scared,” he whispered. “I wanna be fearless, like you.” Turin let out a tearful chuckle. She leaned back against the cabinet, holding her son’s head gently in her paws.
“I’m not fearless,” she told him. His dark brown eyes were searching her own, the scar on his lip twitching. “Wanna know a secret? Everyone feels scared from time to time.”
“Even Ku?”
“Aheh… maybe a little.” She smiled as she flattened his spines. My handsome little man. “Listen. There’ll be many times in your life when you feel afraid.” She curled a knuckle on his breast. “Where you feel it ball up, right here, and you want to run away and hide. That fear will always be there. But you don’t have to run and hide. That fear can make you strong and brave if you let it push you. And the only way to do that is to try. So,” she rubbed his cheeks with the balls of her thumbs, ”will you be brave?” He snuffled, his tiny face pulling into a fretted smile.
“Okay,” he whispered. “I’ll try.” She brought her forehead to his.
“Good boy.” The soft fur of his face tickled her nose.
If I stop now I’ll drown.
“We’ll, uh, be having visitors soon,” she rasped, pulling back. “I… need to get ready… Why don’t you try and get ready for bed, hm?” The boy nodded a little reluctantly, disappearing down the hall once more.
Turin tried to distract herself by scrubbing through the security footage again, focusing her efforts on the hills around the attack. All trace of her needed to be cleared. But in the corner of her eye, she saw Imdi come toddling back. He sat on the couch beside the thinner boy.
“Hey,” he said quietly.
“Hey,” Yotun replied, his eyes foggy and distant.
“Your arm…” Imdi mumbled, glancing cagily at him. “Does it hurt?”
“Yeah.” Yotun sniffed. He looked at the table, as though seeing it for the first time. The white cloth was a shroud over too small a body. “Your… ‘sister’… an arxur?”
“My sister,” Imdi said dryly, his gaze also lingering on the dead girl. “The arxur.” He sniffed. Then he sniffled. Very quickly he was crying, the quiet sound breaking Yotun from his stupor. An instant later the older boy was sobbing too and, in a moment that broke Turin’s heart, he put his working arm around the younger boy. The two leaned on each other for strength and cried.
Turin did what she could. She lit the fire, gave them blankets, and made some more tea. When she brought it to them, she found they had fallen into an exhausted sleep.
Soon thereafter, Braq hobbled back into the room. Her beloved wore a weary, complex expression as he looked at the sleeping boys, but she could see him take note of, then close off the sight of the girl on the table.
“Passed out,” he reported, moving to her side. “She was in a lot of pain. I’ve, uh, put some ice on her ribs, best we can do is to keep her still for a bit.”
“Oh, she’ll hate that,” Turin mumbled. She nodded to the boys. “This one should be okay, at least in the arm.”
“He, uh… was brave.” Braq conferred quietly. “I think he tried to lure it away from… from her, but…” He shook his head. “Stupid boy… What about the cameras?”
“Just going over the more recent stuff,” Turin said. Braq groaned deeply, then hissed at the twisting broken skin of his back as he leaned forward. Turin stood and pulled him toward the better-lit kitchen.
“Come here, let me sort you out.” Grumbling, her partner begrudgingly followed her.
His ankle had started to swell, the skin a deep purple. They applied some ice to bring down the swelling, but it would need to be thoroughly washed as well. Making him swallow some painkillers, she laid him face down on the countertop to clean his back.
“What happened?” she asked as she brought some hot water and cloth.
“She’d caught scent of it, found a path it was using regularly. We set up the bait, had headed back to her den to check the cameras.” He hissed as she layered on the first cloth. “That’s when we saw them. They were heading –ah!– right for it. I-I drove as fast as I could but…” His paws shook with anxious energy. “I told her to stay back, stay hidden but she didn’t listen. Heh,” he snorted sardonically. “Good thing too.” He looked her dead in the eye over his shoulder. “She killed it. Damn near ripped its head off.” Turin focused hard on the cleaning, trying not to mull over the implications. The disinfectant stung more than the water, Braq’s back taught from stress, fatigue, and pain. Turin kept talking to distract him.
“If, um, someone finds it, they’ll see her teeth marks…”
“I hid that,” he said. “Gun nearly blew apart, but I shot it point blank. Should look like I got it.” Yes… that could work… She took the opportunity to wash the wound in his ankle, the mucky, bloodied fluid staining the floor.
“I’ll have to clean that up,” Braq groaned, his face pressing into the countertop. Turin chuckled, tossing down a towel.
“You better,” she said glibly. Now cleaned, she could see the clear paired punctures where the roht’s canines had dug in, one tooth piercing to the bone. She wrapped it up tightly.
“Lover… the paramedics will have to have a look at this.”
“Figured,” he grumbled. Now clean, she sutured shut the broken hide of her beloved’s broad back. It would scar, and he may even lose quills, but it would heal. Braq got up almost before the last suture went in.
“You should sit and rest,” she told him, grabbing his wrist.
“So should you,” he said without spite. His paw came up beneath her chin, and she saw in his eyes the same wailing despair she felt. If I stop now I’ll drown. Braq made to hug her, but she stopped him with a palm on his chest.
“Please don’t…” she pleaded. She needed to stay strong for now. He took her paw and rubbed it absently but nodded. With a shaky sniff, he gestured to the sleeping boys.
“One of us needs to talk to him,” he said. “Which one do you want?”
“I-I’ll do it. Go keep an eye on the kids.” She squeezed his paw and kissed it. “We’ll be okay.”
“I know.” he said, leaving her leaning against the counter. He at least seemed to believe it. Braq leaned over the couch and lifted his son as carefully as he could, wincing at the pain in his foot. He nestled him in the crook of his massive arms, and walked down to his room.
With a heavy sigh, Turin sat down on the couch beside Yotun, still curled up in sleep.
“Yotun?” She tapped his knee. He stirred quickly with a frantic, panicked breath, crawling across the cushions. “Sorry! I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“Y-you didn’t,” he mumbled, drawing the blanket about him.
“Is your arm still hurting?” The boy nodded weakly, not meeting her eyes.
“Here,” she gave him his lukewarm cup of tea, noticing how his paws twitched and shuddered. Turin wished she could give him some time to recover, to reconcile, but they only had minutes now at best.
“I’m… so very sorry, sweetie,” she said softly, “but we need to talk before your parents get here.” Yotun swallowed hard.
“What’d y-you tell them?”
“That you’ve been hurt, and that a predator did it.” Turin sighed. “But we’re not talking about that, are we? We’re talking about Ki-yu.” Yotun looked at her like she had grown antlers, but the expression passed quickly.
“I k-kinda guessed,” he whispered. “But it didn’t make sense. You’ve been keeping her here? This whole time?”
“Yes,” she said. “I wish you could get the chance to know her properly.”
“She… left me…” he mumbled. “Alone… in the dark…”
“Yes. And afterward she turned up here in the middle of the night, a shivering, broken wreck. I’ve never seen her cry so much.” The boy looked up at her mistily.
“She… cried?” He shook his head morosely. “It doesn’t matter. It’s all over now…”
“Is it?” Turin asked, willing fire into her voice. “She certainly doesn’t seem to think so. ‘Burn the forest?’” He flinched. “She knows the risks of her discovery, far better than anyone. She knows that if it comes to it…” Turin stopped before she broke down. “And yet, she risked it all for you. In a heartbeat. She put her trust in you, Yotun.”
“Sh-she sh-shouldn’t have… I-I’m just a st-stupid kid!”
“I-” The alarm wailed for a split-second before Turin turned reached over and turned it all off, hiding their security system.
“Wh-what was that?”
“Proximity alert. Someone’s coming.”
“My parents?”
“Most likely.” Yotun drew himself down. This isn’t working…
Braq came limping up the hall.
“She’s still asleep, secure,” he said.
“Okay,” Turin breathed. “Then sit down, for Kay-ut’s sake, before you make that worse.” He settled into the windowsill seat. Turin placed a paw on Yotun’s uninjured arm.
“They’ll kill her,” she said firmly. “If you mention her at all, to anyone, they’ll kill her.”
“M-my p-parents wouldn’t-”
“Yes,” Turin said with a sad smile, knowing as all parents do. “They absolutely would.”
”They’d tell someone else at the very least,” Braq sighed. “And then they’d come for us all.”
“A-and they’d burn it all down to find her,” the boy shuddered.
The hovercar’s thwopping was now audible.
“We shouldn’t have to ask this of you, lad.” Braq said. “You’ve suffered too much already. But I think you know we’d both be dead right now without her.” Turin’s stomach rolled. Yotun looked fearfully between the two of them.
“Y-you’re asking me to lie?!”
“From what she’s told us, you’re the closest thing Ki-yu’s ever had to a real friend.” Turin implored him. “We’re asking you to save her.” Braq looked out of the window as she said it.
“They’re here.”
A door slammed outside. If I stop now I’ll drown. Turin gave his arm one last squeeze.
“Our lives are in your paws, Yotun.”
Please, please, please save her…
“Yotun!” Laenar cried out desperately, the front door thrown open as they charged in. Turin backed off as quickly as she could, knowing better than to come between them now.
“Oh, my boy!” The mother fell to her knees beside him. “Thank The Protector! Oh, your arm! Gods!” Stopping in the middle of the room, Arrut drew a quick sharp breath, his eyes on the table.
“Mercy…” he said simply, the light from the fireplace casting long shadows across the room. Laenar made a muted gasp, pulling Yotun tight against her. “The girl…?”
“Callio.” Braq said quietly. It was almost a whimper. There was a long silence, the only sound Laenar’s muted breathing.
“Wh-where’s the ambulance?” Arrut asked weakly. “Why didn’t you call an ambulance?”
“Too late,” Braq murmured mournfully. “It… it all happened too fast.”
“There’s one coming now,” Turin said, rubbing her forehead. “To… collect the body.”
“That’s not an ambulance,” Laenar said weakly. Arrut pulled his eyes away from the table, falling heavily into the chair beside Braq.
“My… stars man,” he murmured. “The state of your back…”
“Think of your son, you idiot!” Laenar gasped. Arrut shot her an incredulous look back.
“The wounds clean. H-he should be alright physically-” Turin started.
“Alright?! He’s been mauled!” She pulled her son’s face up to her. “What h-happened? Why were you out there?” His expression crumpled.
“We wanted to see the woods,” he said quietly.
“Wha- Why…?” The pudgy woman suddenly glared at Turin. “You did this! You perverted pair of-!”
“Laenar!” Arrut yelled. “That’s enough!”
“No, I’m sick of these people! Sick of this place! Why don’t you just-!”
“Shut up, Mother, shut up!” Yotun started yelling. “I did this, this’s my fault!” He winced as he jerked his slashed arm at them. “Braq saved me!”
”You’ve been through a lot, you don’t-!”
“M-my fau-lt! My-!” His words became incoherent, a violent sorrowful wailing. Laenar relented, looking as broken as her son. The boy was inconsolable, unable to speak, so Braq recounted what had happened. The parents listened intently, not saying a word. He told them how they had suspected something was not right in the Brackwood, carefully leaving out the signs of roht they had kept to themselves. He told them that he had found a dead vyrryn and tracks in the snow and had been watching the cameras when he had spotted the children. Braq’s voice broke when he explained how he had not got there in time. As his voice trailed off Turin knew that he was replaying those dreadful moments over and over again in his head.
Arrut stood, rubbing his mouth.
“Why didn’t you call the authorities?” he asked. “If you suspected there was this roht creature about, why didn’t you call for help?” Turin and Braq shared a glance.
“Because it doesn’t make sense,” she said. “Roht were never found here. They’re practically extinct.”
“So, what?” Laenar grunted. “You based your safety, all our safety, on your intuition?”
“No,” Braq said. “We’ve found… plasma wounds on animals, many fatal. Someone else has been in our woods.” He rubbed his face with both paws. “We don’t know who to trust.”
“And you think, what they’re trying to scare you off?” She scoffed. “I find that hard to believe.”
“Believe what you want,” Turin snapped. “We’ve got the photos to prove that someone’s been shooting our animals.”
“But… who would go wandering out here?” Arrut asked. “Most people are terrified of this place.”
Before anyone could answer, the sound of another arriving vehicle drew their attention, Braq glancing out the window. He leaned forward.
“Well… you were right,” he said. “It’s not an ambulance.” A quiet stillness came over them as the engine died; the gravel outside crunched beneath approaching steps. Moonlight filtered through the front window; the shadow of an impossibly tall man descended across their home. The phantom coalesced by the threshold, the figure looming for a moment. Then he straightened and knocked. Nobody moved. He knocked again, the noise rattling about Turin’s skull. She looked over at Braq and saw ire and worry warring in his eyes. A third knock, more insistent. Fuck…
Turin walked over and opened the door.
“Good evening Turin,” Juran said, giving her the slightest bow. His pale eyes hovered like pinpricks in the night.
“Juran. What’re you… doing… here…” Her voice left her as she saw who stood behind him. Juran strode past her as she struggled to form a thought.
“We were forwarded a rather desperate-sounding emergency call. Needless to say, we came as soon as we could.” There was a crashing, thundering sound in Turin’s ears. The other just stood there, looking at her expectantly. “Oh dear, nasty business this,” Juran was saying, stepping closer to the body. He clicked his tongue, as though examining shoddy craftmanship. “Very nasty business.” Juran looked quickly around the room, his eyes devouring all they saw. “And two survivors?” He clapped his paws together. “We were worried.”
“We?” Braq asked hoarsely.
“Oh, yes, I was meeting with an old friend.”
He strode in with the same confidence as the extermination officer.
“Teraka…” Arrut gasped. Juran stopped. Everyone stopped. They all just looked at him. Teraka looked nonplussed for a moment, but then he noticed the other parents’ gaze. His eyes passed over them questioningly.
“T-Teraka,” Turin gulped. “I couldn’t reach you… you didn’t…” The man looked at the body, then at Yotun. The lad was shaking, sobbing again in his mother’s arms.
“What is this?” Teraka hissed, his suave exterior melting away. Juran’s pale eyes narrowed, his head moving in a steady glacial turn to Turin. For the first time, she felt like she was actually looking at him. A long time ago, she would have called his expression predatory; now she would simply call it cruel.
“No…” Teraka gasped, pushing Juran aside as he staggered forward. He moved around the table like he feared it would cut him. Tenderly, he pulled back the sheets. It was… disturbing, how little the man reacted. He stilled, all that constant movement, those ceaseless platitudes quieted. He just stood there and looked.
“I suppose we’ve found what killed that brynn foal,” Juran said thinly. The chair squealed as Braq stood, her husband’s face contorting from the pain in his leg. Juran might have been taller, but Braq was undoubtedly the bigger man.
“Really?” he said, looking up at him. “’Cause I’d say that roht was only two or three years old. It would have been an infant when that brynn was killed.”
“Ah, quite right you are,” Juran said with a flash of teeth. “There must have been others.” Her beloved’s fists were held so tight the claws bit into his palms. “Well, regardless this will have to be thoroughly investigated. And of-” Juran was interrupted as Teraka strode over and struck him across the face. The tall man toppled into the bookshelf, clutching at his snout as their small library came tumbling down around him.
“Bastard!” Teraka snarled, his claws digging into Juran’s throat. A shout went out, Turin knew not from who, as the two men struggled. Laenar was gasping noisily trying to shield her son; Arrut and Braq trying to pull the raging father back but finding Teraka’s quills before them. Juran’s paws sinched tight around the smaller man’s wrists, and with a ferocious roar, he stood as quickly as he could, headbutting Teraka under the chin. Teraka staggered backward into the table, the legs screaming murder against the woodwork, Turin only barely stopping Callio’s body from sliding from it. The others were yelling at them, but the two men did not care as they traded blows like trained fighters. They fought viciously, reminding Turin of how Ki-yu hunted; no movement was wasted, no moment savoured. Teraka ducked under a wide backhand, jabbing with his claws for Juran’s chest. Juran blocked with his offhand, using his greater reach to keep Teraka at bay. He threw a brutal left hook that Teraka countered, then trapped. Growling in pain, Juran blocked Teraka’s follow-up, snatching a firm grip on the smaller man’s throat. His grip was so tight Turin saw his claws draw blood. Choking, Teraka kneed him in the groin, then palm struck him in the gullet. The two fell back wheezing, circling one another with quills out and eyes wide with rage.
“You’ve taken everything from me!” Teraka howled. Juran glared at him with his pale eyes, blood flowing down from his snout. “My job! My decency! My daughter!”
“You knew the cost!” he spat back. “It’s you who’ve betrayed my trust. I thought better of you…”
Surging in, Braq gripped Teraka’s left arm, trying to twist it around his back before the fight could resume. But the enraged father kicked the other man’s weakened leg out from under him, dropping him unceremoniously to the floor. With a bellowing cry, Arrut tackled Juran around the middle, the two crashing into the kitchen tiles. Teraka moved to make after them, but Braq took the opportunity to swipe out Teraka’s legs from the floor, evening the score. Growling like an animal, Braq pinned him on his back. Wrestling free of Arrut, Juran rose forward with murderous intent in his pale eyes. Fuck this! Turin snatched up the rifle where it still lay on the counter.
“Hey!” she snarled, the sound of her ratcheting the lever stalling the melee. The weapon had been damaged by the roht; Turin doubted it would fire at all, but the threat was sufficient. “I will not have any more blood spilled in my house!” Teraka struggled in Braq’s grapple.
“There is more at stake than this little shack!” the man hissed.
“Mind your words, Teraka,” Juran’s voice was as thin and sharp as a needle. “Or the cost will be far greater than one little girl.”
“Enough!” Turin roared. “Juran, we’ll cooperate with whatever investigation you deem necessary,” she barked, hiding the fearful lie behind the fire in her voice. “But for now, you’re leaving. I suggest you get that nose looked at.” There was a long and painful silence. The tall man regained his posture, wiping his nose.
“Thank you,” he said with a sickly-sweet smile. There was blood in his teeth. “My apologies for the disturbance, that was most unprofessional. I’ll be in touch.” With one last icy look at them all, he strode out into the night. Teraka struggled beneath Braq as his car shot up into the sky.
“Why’d you do that?!” he spat when he finally released him. “Why’d you do that, wh-why?!” And then he was crying, a pitiful, ruined wailing as he almost fell over the body of his little girl. They could not pull him away; he just kept crying. He was crying when Yotun left with his parents, and he was still crying when the ambulance finally arrived to take her away.
~*~
Ki-yu’s breathing had steadied, ice and a pillow across her chest seeming to help her sleep. Arxur were strong, and the bone had not shifted. The tail required more work —a splint and sutures— but the girl had slept through their treatment. With enough time, they were confident she would suffer no more than a new scar.
Turin's paw brushed across Ki-yu’s sheets, bloodied a fiery crimson. The mother swallowed a sob as she thought of Callio again. Ki-yu made a groaning sound, shifting slightly as her dark eyes flickered open. She peered up at Turin curiously, and for a second she almost seemed bemused. But then she felt her ribs, the ache making her whine.
“Hey,” Turin cooed, feeling the warmth of her scalp. “How do you feel?”
“Thirsty,” she rasped. Turin reached back for the cup of water she had brought.
“Here,” she whispered, bringing it to her scaly lips. “We’ll get you something to eat tomorrow.” Ki-yu gulped it down, then coughed slightly.
“I’ll be okay-”
“No, you’ll eat tomorrow,” Turin said, looking at her sharply. Ki-yu rattled a small huff but nodded.
“Wh-what happened?” she asked. “I thought I heard shouting…” Turin rubbed her paws on her knees.
“Teraka… I don’t think anyone would ever take that well…” Ki-yu scrunched up her face. A moment later recollection returned.
“Oh… I-” She started panting quickly, snorting out wet sobs. The girl dropped her head heavily onto her pillow, wet tears welling in her eyes. Snuffling, she started beating her snout against her bedding.
“Hey… sweetheart…” Turin purred, rubbing her shoulder. “Talk to me…” Ki-yu swallowed, a sound that was almost an Umph!
“I-I w-wasn’t f-fast enough, wa-sn’t good enough-!” The mother pushed her way onto the bed, laying her head on the damp pillow as she pulled her as tightly against her as she could.
“Shhh… You were superb.”
“B-but she-!” Ki-yu sniffled against her.
“You gave her a fighting chance, sweetie. You couldn’t have done any more.” Ki-yu was silent for a short moment, snuggling against her fuzzy chest. Turin hoped it gave the girl the same comfort as her.
“Yotun?”
“He’s gone home with his parents. So far, he hasn’t told them about you at all.”
“Wh-what happens now?” she asked weakly.
“We’ll sort that out,” Turin sighed. “Don’t you worry.” Turin sat up as a tiny figure draped in a long blanket waddled through the doorframe.
“Hey Ku,” Imdi squeaked.
“Hey dingus,” Ki-yu sniffled, making the little boy smile meekly.
“How’re you feeling?” he asked.
“Better,” she said, stretching out as she kept her eyes on the little gojid. “How about you?”
“Okay,” he mumbled, looking at her abashedly. “I, uh, just wanted to say i-it’s okay if you feel scared. I f-feel scared too, but…” He fidgeted with his claws. My brave little man. Ki-yu made a tired keen.
“Wanna stay here tonight?” she asked. He nodded fervently. Ki-yu smiled, spreading out the bedsheets. Imdi wriggled in beside her, the girl wrapping her long arms around him as she brushed down his spines.
“How about a song?” Ki-yu said with a wry smile. Turin sighed out a tired laugh.
“What do you think, Imdi?” she asked.
“All-mother’s prayer?” he replied. Turin always liked that one. It made her smile.
“Okay,” she said. “Just the one. Close your eyes.” The children settled in snugly, Turin singing as sweetly as she could.
“Kay-ut, All-mother, hear my prayer.
Hush, keep it quiet, simple, and fair.
Ki-ra hold your notes, Ki-yu stop your games.
And listen to children in their bedding frames.
A prayer for mummy, I know that’s right.
We played in the tunnels by candlelight.
The soft was clay, and the hard was rock.
Oh, All-mother save daddy, I almost forgot!
A wish for my sister whom I know the best.
I tell her I love her, and she gets the rest.
One more for brother, he lay next to me.
I’ve never adored another like he.
Oh, thank you Kay-ut for a lovely day.
For lighting your pyre to show me the way.
I’m forgetting someone, now who could that be?
Oh, of course! How silly! All-mother bless me.”
Her children were fast asleep as she finished the melody. Their peaceful stillness caused an ache in her heart.
“Goodnight sweethearts,” she whispered as she kissed their foreheads. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” She rose and shut the door as quietly as she could.
Her beloved was sitting in bed with a wan expression. The paramedics had given both Braq and Yotun a once over and thoroughly chastised the man for staying on his feet. Her husband had denied being taken to hospital immediately, so had been ordered to remain bedridden until he would be collected in the morning.
“Can’t you sleep?” Turin said softly, Braq shaking his head stiffly. “No,” she said breathily. “I don’t think I can either. Th-the kids seem a little better. They help each other, I guess.”
“It’s Yotun I’d worry about,” Braq said numbly. “The lad… he’s been through a lot.” He drew in a deep breath. “And Teraka, thinking about it. No telling what he’ll do now. Goddess… that poor girl…” Turin scrubbed her paws in the basin, then threw some water on her face.
“What do you suppose he meant? ‘There’s more at stake than this little shack?’” Braq just shrugged absently. “I’ve been thinking, mutilating the roht was the right decision, but we also need to go over the house again.” She started pacing. “We should be as truthful as we can, go public with everything except Ki-yu. We knew there was something in the woods but couldn’t be sure. We also knew that Juran and Teraka had been killing our animals, we got some photos of their kills. We can use all that to make a case, bring it to the inquest.”
“Turin.” Braq mumbled.
“We’ll have to hide her as soon as possible, somewhere more remote,” she continued. “Deeper into the woods perhaps? Or find a den far across the valleys. But she can’t be too far removed so that we can keep an eye on her. She needs to be fed, so we’ll have to go stash her something…”
“Turin.”
“I think we should assume from now on that all our actions are being monitored, so that way-”
“Beloved…” Braq’s rough paw caught her wrist. He looked up at her earnestly. “It’s okay… you can stop now.”
“I…” The water flows in around her. “Every moment counts, we’ve got-“
“Tomorrow,” he said. “We’ll start early. But… please… you need to stop.” Turin shook her head.
“N-no, I- if I stop-!” Braq’s eyes grew teary, and she felt her fear ball in her chest. She hugged his head close where she stood, her lover's tears wetting her navel. “I-I-” Braq lovingly pulled her down into a tight hug. She felt castaway; her boat beached on some forgotten shore.
“Oh stars, Braq…” she whispered, exhausted as the surf crashed about her mind. “I’m s-so scared…”
“It’ll be okay,” he said. “It’ll be okay.”
Together, on that little island, they sobbed themselves to sleep.
---
“Men at some times are makers of their fates:
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,
But in ourselves, that we are underlings.”
– Cassius, in Julius Caesar, Act I Scene 2. Written by W. Shakespeare, 1599.
[Cover] - René Magritte
Links in comment.
2023.04.02 14:00 Extension-Flower-618 UPC Dentons Series: Chapter 2 - The role of UPC’s central division and of its third seat in Milan (in Italian)
UPC Dentons Series: Chapter 2 - The role of UPC’s central division and of its third seat in Milan (in Italian) - https://insights.advocates.ke/upc-dentons-series-chapter-2-the-role-of-upcs-central-division-and-of-its-third-seat-in-milan-in-italian/
submitted by Extension-Flower-618 to KenyanLaw [link] [comments]
law #lawyer #legal #legalnews #Kenya
2023.04.02 14:00 Blooper_Bot Tailgate Party - Sunday, April 02
Braves @ Nationals - 01:35 PM EDT
Game Status: Scheduled
Links & Info
- Venue: Nationals Park
- TV: National: MLBN, Braves: Bally Sports South, Nationals: MASN
- Radio: Braves: 680 AM/93.7 FM The Fan, Nationals: WJFK 106.7 The Fan
- MLB Gameday
- Statcast Game Preview
| Probable Pitcher (Season Stats) | Report | |
|---|---|---|
| Braves | Jared Shuster (0-0, -.-- ERA, 0.0 IP) | No report posted. |
| Nationals | MacKenzie Gore (0-0, -.-- ERA, 0.0 IP) | No report posted. |
| NLE Rank | Team | W | L | GB (E#) | WC Rank | WC GB (E#) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Atlanta Braves | 2 | 0 | - (-) | - | - (-) |
| 2 | New York Mets | 2 | 1 | 0.5 (160) | 3 | +0.5 (-) |
| 3 | Miami Marlins | 1 | 2 | 1.5 (159) | 11 | 0.5 (159) |
| 4 | Philadelphia Phillies | 0 | 2 | 2.0 (159) | 13 | 1.0 (159) |
| 5 | Washington Nationals | 0 | 2 | 2.0 (159) | 14 | 1.0 (159) |
Division Scoreboard
NYM @ MIA 01:40 PM EDTPHI @ TEX 07:08 PM EDT
Posted: 04/02/2023 08:00:01 AM EDT, Update Interval: 5 Minutes
2023.04.02 13:56 PokeMasterSales Comcast Business Internet - If you're looking for a deal on Comcast Business services
Hello All,
If you guys are not currently a Comcast Business customer (Small/Medium Businesses only) please reach out and I can help you connect with my wife who works at Comcast and can get you a good deal on internet/tv/phone services for your business. PM me if you are interested in finding out more information about this. This will only work for those in the Comcast central division footprint as she can only help with customers in the Centra Division which includes FL,GA,IL,TN,KY and possibly a few more.
submitted by PokeMasterSales to sysadmin [link] [comments]
If you guys are not currently a Comcast Business customer (Small/Medium Businesses only) please reach out and I can help you connect with my wife who works at Comcast and can get you a good deal on internet/tv/phone services for your business. PM me if you are interested in finding out more information about this. This will only work for those in the Comcast central division footprint as she can only help with customers in the Centra Division which includes FL,GA,IL,TN,KY and possibly a few more.
2023.04.02 13:50 Jaracgos r/WorldPolitics is no more; History of r/Anime_Titties
screenshot
A legend about how one user, with a single post, forever changed the landscape of geopolitical discussion on Reddit.
It is our creation mythos, if you will.
Wednesday, May 6th, 2020 –
“Straight up anime titties hentai. Your move mods, let's see if you have the balls to remove my post.”
was submitted by u/TheLoIiLicker69.
This post and it being later pinned is ground zero for everything that happened to WorldPolitics and started the first wave of off-topic shitposts: Hentai and Waifu- not e-thots, not Warhammer 40K.
Here are his motivations as he put them:
Thursday, May 7th 2020 –
In exasperation from the influx of porn and hentai shitposts, the moderators set /worldpolitics to private. This was only a temporary action but when the subreddit opened back up it had seen a substantial moderator exodus and a few newcomers.
New WorldPolitics moderator u/FreeSpeechWarrior had this to say on another subreddit, WatchRedditDie:
I have been able to substantiate this through off-site interviews with u/TheLoIiLicker69, a comment on a selfpost, and through the collaboration of fellow journalists mentioned below.
Discord Quote:
Thursday, May 7th 2020 –
“I'm the former mod of worldpolitics that made it a hentai sub before I was booted, AMA”
was submitted by u/ilvisar.
This was an AMA posted to casualiama in which a booted moderator, using an alternate account, answered users questions on the events happening on his former subreddit.
Thursday, May 7th 2020 –
“Rate limiting is in effect”
was submitted by mod u/IAmAnAnonymousCoward.
It limited submissions to two posts per hour to try and cut down on spamming. The limit was later lifted and the post edited to reflect, but I am unsure exactly when the edit was made and the limitation removed.
Thursday, May 7th 2020 -
Anime_Titties was chartered by u/M1chaelSc4rn, with u/TheLoIiLicker69 as a moderator, to be the new home for discussing world politics. Its governing rules were set in place on his post titled “What is and isn't allowed regarding posts related to the U.S”.
Note from the Author:
Thursday, May 7th 2020 –
“The Chronical of worldpolitics anime_titties and PearlsOfAnimeTitties"
was written by u/TheAmazingKyla on /PearlsOfAnimeTitties, a tangential subreddit focusing on meta discussion of /anime_titties. This post served as explanation to the formation of the newfound home for global political discussion.
Here are the insightful words:
Friday, May 8th 2020 –
“Petition to make this our new subreddit header.”
was submitted by u/JeantheDragon.
Moderator u/IAmAnAnonymousCoward approved and granted the change that day. It has been speculated that this new banner being seen on “Popular Subreddits” lists as well as user submitted untagged NSFW content hitting /all is what caused the subreddit-wide NSFW label. The banner was temporarily removed but, once the subreddit no longer appeared in lists that it would be shown, it was eventually restored.
It is between these two dates, May 7th and 9th, that the first evolution of the sub occurred after its initial transformation. The change was graceful but there was a steady influx of OnlyFans content creators from GoneWild and a steady decline of 2D imagery hitting /hot. It was at this point that I focused my attention on user moderating /new with the help of several other users, downvoting others trying to get the subreddit back on politics and away from what they assumed to be only a temporary halt to normal operations. We intended to make sure that was not the case through the raw power of shitposting random content and nuking anything remotely political.
This back and forth continued for days, we were barely hanging on but us few were dedicated. This was our crusade.
I am unable to find nexus point, the initial post submission, of an OnlyFans advertisement.
Friday, May 8th 2020 -
“Join me in my crusade, brothers!”
was submitted by u/senior_cynic to GrimDank, a Warhammer 40K-centric meme subreddit. This is the first instance I can find of a call to action from the 40K community.
u/senior_cynic had this to say when asked for comment through private messages:
Saturday, May 9th 2020 –
“What happened?”
post made by mod u/IAmAnAnonymousCoward.
Post was made sticky post on submission but was removed from sticky sometime around May 15th.
Thursday, May 14th 2020 –
“No more promising rewards via PM, we're considering it spam”
was submitted by mod u/IAmAnAnonymousCoward.
This post outlined rules for the OnlyFans E-thots to follow such as not advertising their off-site content in post titles, comments, or direct messages with other users. It was these rules that broke the first evolution and allowed for the transition to phase three.
It took the Warhammer community several days to assert their dominance and gain control of the sub. Their crusade was hard fought, but with the help of the new rules and regulations set in place by the moderators driving out the heretical content they were able to establish dominion. Again, there was no single post that drove this transition outside of the initial calls to arms in GrimDank and other 40K communities.
Note from the author:
No king rules forever. No king rules without its due resistance, in due time.
Saturday, May 16th 2020 –
“Oh? This is a Warhammer Sub now? Well, if you say so~”
was submitted by u/PyrrhaRose.
PyrrhaRose is a special user on WorldPolitics. She didn't necessarily come for factions or rivalries or crusades. She was always here for the lewds. Upon seeing the complete decimation of her beloved sanctum of lust at the hands of the Grimdank Imperium, this ambiguous spectator became one of the strongest individual powerhouses on the subreddit. She is a lone juggernaut.
She used the one weapon she had at her disposal to seek her retribution, the one means to demoralize and fight off the onslaught- artistically composed pornographic fan art based on characters from the Warhammer 40K universe. She continued this fight, alone, until she gained a cult following of fans and became a known and respected figure in the community.
u/PyrrhaRose gave these compelling remarks when asked about her feelings on the recent ceasefire between factions:
Saturday, May 16th 2020, approx. 7AM –
“Fuck y'all, this is a plant sub now. Post pics of your plants!”
was submitted by u/purple_yosher.
This post marks the formation of the first major faction to rival the 40K Imperium, the Plant Squad. Desperate for something, anything, relatable to latch on to, users quickly joined the cause.
u/purple_yosher had this to say when asked what the motivations were for this new movement, about faction rivalries, and current events:
Sunday, May 17th, 2020, approx. 7PM-
“A call to action.”
was submitted to Gardening by u/that-dyslexic.
This was a recruitment for the newly formed Plant Squad. Although the post did not get much traction in its subreddit support had grown for the squad substantially since its formation.
Sunday, May 17th, 2020 –
“Looking for a more appropriate subreddit banner”
was submitted by mod u/IAmAnAnonymousCoward.
A user requested a 40k banner and was acknowledged with “This will do.” However the image does not appear as the current banner, but instead a JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure mural is pictured. This marks the first major change to the look of the subreddit since u/JeantheDragon submitted his suggestion.
We are here. The first faction that broke out were the Plants, but many have come to try and wrestle control from the ruthless collective might of miniature figurine collectors around the globe. Nobody knows what will come of the future, if the Warhammer shitposters have the dedication to hold control or if the tides of fate will move in another direction.
All I really know is that this subreddit will never again be what it was before we started here, and that was our intention. What happens from here on out is up to you, the reader and the Reddit user.
You have the power to be the change you wish to see in the world and to instill that change.
Thursday, May 21st, 2020 –
“Choose your faction now!”
was submitted by mod u/IAmAnAnonymousCoward.
This post marks the addition of user flair features to signify team and squad membership. It looks as though the flairs will be maintained, at least for now, as the dynamic of the subreddit changes.
Factions as of May 27th are: 'furry', '🌱', 'tf2', '🔥this is amazing 🔥', 'darkwraiths', 'deus vult', 'worldpolitics', 'anime titties', 'titties', 'grimdank', 'shitpostcrusaders', 'prequelmemes', 'berserktards', and 'hydrohomies'.
Thursday, May 21st, 2020 –
“When the crusaders start calling me Warmaster”
was submitted by u/g0d-3mp3r0r.
The tides of war had worn long on u/senior_cynic, the defacto figurehead for the Warhammer incursion. There were rumors of betrayal but evidence for such action has proven elusive, however his role as Warmaster was short lived. In his place u/g0d-3mp3r0r was granted the leadership position, chosen to direct and instill discipline in what forces remained after the long skirmishes.
When asked for comment on his role in events, u/g0d-3mp3r0r chose these words:
Tuesday, May 26th, 2020 –
“/worldpolitics, can we do this as a community?”
was submitted and pinned by mod u/IAmAnAnonymousCoward.
On seeing the content move further from NSFW content the moderators put forward the idea of having the subreddit-wide label removed, but this change would hinge on the community being able to consistently apply the labels to their postings themselves or for others to report untagged posts.
Friday, August 21st, 2020 –
My friend, fellow anime_titties moderator, and the initial instigator of the fall of WorldPolitics, u/TheLoIiLicker69 , has had all of his reddit accounts permanently suspended. I wanted to make sure that the community was made aware of this and the reasons behind it, these are his words taken directly from off platform communications;
Sunday, April 2nd, 2023 –
big thanks to u/appropriate_username for letting us know this happened almost immediately.
Now, we look forward to the future of our subreddit and the opportunities we have to develop our community and ourselves. .
.
.
.
.
If you use any or all of this, please cite where you got the information. It wasn’t easy following along and documenting all of this or going back to find things that were missed.
submitted by Jaracgos to anime_titties [link] [comments]
WorldPolitics has been banned!
We feel that with the loss of our spiritual ancestor, now would be a good time to celebrate it's memory. What follows is a timeline of events written almost three years ago.A legend about how one user, with a single post, forever changed the landscape of geopolitical discussion on Reddit.
It is our creation mythos, if you will.
The Beginning: From Politics to Hentai
Some men just want to watch the world burn.
“Straight up anime titties hentai. Your move mods, let's see if you have the balls to remove my post.”
was submitted by u/TheLoIiLicker69.
This post and it being later pinned is ground zero for everything that happened to WorldPolitics and started the first wave of off-topic shitposts: Hentai and Waifu- not e-thots, not Warhammer 40K.
Here are his motivations as he put them:
“Over the past few days, several karmawhoring reposts of "upvote this picture of trump looking dumb" that blatantly break sitewide reddit rules have been upvoted to the front page of all and the subreddit kept getting spammed with them. Yes I understand there is basically no moderation here, but Reddit rule 4 literally says "asking for votes or engaging in vote manipulation" is prohibited. At the very least the mods should remove posts that violate sitewide rules. And no I'm not a salty Trumptard, the "uPvOtE rEpOsTeD pIcTuReS oF _____ cUz GoOglE" are just actual cancer. Look at the comments of any one of those posts, no one likes them. The mods were asked to do something about it but they flat out refused to do their jobs and ban or remove a single post on this subreddit. Thus, the sub has dissolved into chaos and is full of shitposters like me spamming it with stupid memes or straight up porn because the mods are too smallbrained to do anything.
Edit: every one keeps thinking I'm a salty MAGA Trumptard for some reason. Let me assure you that is not the case, I in fact despise trump as a person. All people wanted was for the mods to ban "upvote this picture of ______ so it shows up on google" posts because they are annoying and no one fucking likes them. This is worldpolitics not WeHateTrumpCirclejerk, go shit on Trump in one of the sanders subreddits they love that stuff.
Edit 2: also for everyone saying this is child porn please kindly check your eyes and tell me what child you've seen with these bountiful pair of double D titties. Not to mention this character, Aki Nijou, is literally a mid-20s school nurse in the anime Maken-ki so she's 100% legal. Kindly stop spamming my inbox saying she's an "age indeterminate teen."”
In exasperation from the influx of porn and hentai shitposts, the moderators set /worldpolitics to private. This was only a temporary action but when the subreddit opened back up it had seen a substantial moderator exodus and a few newcomers.
New WorldPolitics moderator u/FreeSpeechWarrior had this to say on another subreddit, WatchRedditDie:
Nah it got privatized because a recently added mod went rogue and added some of the protestors as mods who then locked down the sub, made it NSFW, stickied hentai etc... I've reverted the damage. We let people post what they want within the rules of Reddit and don't try to exercise any control over the discussion beyond what the admins require of us. If people want to post about US Politics / Trump (whether for or against him) in Reddit's most unrestricted political/news sub then they are welcome to do so. If you don't like the content in worldpolitics you can vote it down.Part of the 'damage' that was referred to as being reverted has been confirmed to have been removing from the mod team long-standing moderator u/ilvisar (alt) along with u/TheLoIiLicker69, who had served mere minutes. The name was also reverted back to its original state from being temporarily christened 'WorldPolititties', and u/TheLoliLicker69's post was removed from sticky.
I have been able to substantiate this through off-site interviews with u/TheLoIiLicker69, a comment on a selfpost, and through the collaboration of fellow journalists mentioned below.
Discord Quote:
"i was never supposed to be a mod and I was only there for 20 minutes before I got removed lol. The only reason I got to mess around with the sub was because one of the actual mods ilvisar was also tired of the orange man bad karma farming hellhole that worldpol was turning into, so he added me to screw with it together."
“I'm the former mod of worldpolitics that made it a hentai sub before I was booted, AMA”
was submitted by u/ilvisar.
This was an AMA posted to casualiama in which a booted moderator, using an alternate account, answered users questions on the events happening on his former subreddit.
“Rate limiting is in effect”
was submitted by mod u/IAmAnAnonymousCoward.
It limited submissions to two posts per hour to try and cut down on spamming. The limit was later lifted and the post edited to reflect, but I am unsure exactly when the edit was made and the limitation removed.
Anime_Titties was chartered by u/M1chaelSc4rn, with u/TheLoIiLicker69 as a moderator, to be the new home for discussing world politics. Its governing rules were set in place on his post titled “What is and isn't allowed regarding posts related to the U.S”.
Note from the Author:
This is actually a great sub. Please join in. No Shitposting.
“The Chronical of worldpolitics anime_titties and PearlsOfAnimeTitties"
was written by u/TheAmazingKyla on /PearlsOfAnimeTitties, a tangential subreddit focusing on meta discussion of /anime_titties. This post served as explanation to the formation of the newfound home for global political discussion.
Here are the insightful words:
“Settle down children and I'll tell you a story. Are you sitting comfortably?"
"It all started long ago, when worldpolitics, a sub for "world" "politics" began karma whoring over real world political news. It was minor at first, but as soon as it began, it was nay to be stoped. As more and more karma whoring got posted, more and more became discruntled and disamused, untill 5 posts in no time at all were all begging for upvotes about upstein and trump being together to "get it to the front page" or "make it show up when you google them". It hit a boiling point."
“People knew the mods would do nothing, as they were non-interventionist, so hell broke loose in an instant. worldpolitics fell from it's shit world political status to posting memes, hentai, porn, and shitposting, a bit of an upgrade really"
"In responce, the subbreddit of anime_titties was born, ironicly one of the best world politics subs reddit has seen, with 100% less US centric posts, in addition to a much more polite and refined atmosphere"
"Knowing that the quality of anime_titties was so high, a branch off was created for meta and memes, which led you, little political child of the world, to here."
“Petition to make this our new subreddit header.”
was submitted by u/JeantheDragon.
Moderator u/IAmAnAnonymousCoward approved and granted the change that day. It has been speculated that this new banner being seen on “Popular Subreddits” lists as well as user submitted untagged NSFW content hitting /all is what caused the subreddit-wide NSFW label. The banner was temporarily removed but, once the subreddit no longer appeared in lists that it would be shown, it was eventually restored.
Phase 2: E-thots and Shitposters
The enemy of my enemy is my friend.This back and forth continued for days, we were barely hanging on but us few were dedicated. This was our crusade.
I am unable to find nexus point, the initial post submission, of an OnlyFans advertisement.
“Join me in my crusade, brothers!”
was submitted by u/senior_cynic to GrimDank, a Warhammer 40K-centric meme subreddit. This is the first instance I can find of a call to action from the 40K community.
u/senior_cynic had this to say when asked for comment through private messages:
"Motivations? I think I speak for everyone except the onlyfans users that this whole thing is basically born for quarantine based boredom. I called grimdank in when rate limiting was in effect just for more volume of warhammer shitposting, and once that was gone, we were already the largest presence on the sub, so we took it over."
"I anticipated us being a major force for another few days and see where it went from there"
“What happened?”
post made by mod u/IAmAnAnonymousCoward.
Post was made sticky post on submission but was removed from sticky sometime around May 15th.
“No more promising rewards via PM, we're considering it spam”
was submitted by mod u/IAmAnAnonymousCoward.
This post outlined rules for the OnlyFans E-thots to follow such as not advertising their off-site content in post titles, comments, or direct messages with other users. It was these rules that broke the first evolution and allowed for the transition to phase three.
Phase 3: The Inquisition
Hatred is the emperor's greatest gift to humanity.Note from the author:
I was able to take my first break from Reddit in almost ten days thanks to these dedicated users. I finally felt that we had the reinforcements necessary to ensure that the new normal would be maintained and that the old status-quo of this subreddit would not resurface. I got to enjoy an afternoon at the beach that I haven’t seen in months due to quarantine and watch the sun set. I was able to enjoy actual world politics again and participate in conversations outside of WorldPolitics. Thank you.The Warhammer 40K Galactic Imperium was a mighty force, it had managed to do what rules alone could not- deliver this holy land from the heretical lewd pestilence that had driven it's tentacles deep into the crevices of this subreddits userbase.
No king rules forever. No king rules without its due resistance, in due time.
“Oh? This is a Warhammer Sub now? Well, if you say so~”
was submitted by u/PyrrhaRose.
PyrrhaRose is a special user on WorldPolitics. She didn't necessarily come for factions or rivalries or crusades. She was always here for the lewds. Upon seeing the complete decimation of her beloved sanctum of lust at the hands of the Grimdank Imperium, this ambiguous spectator became one of the strongest individual powerhouses on the subreddit. She is a lone juggernaut.
She used the one weapon she had at her disposal to seek her retribution, the one means to demoralize and fight off the onslaught- artistically composed pornographic fan art based on characters from the Warhammer 40K universe. She continued this fight, alone, until she gained a cult following of fans and became a known and respected figure in the community.
u/PyrrhaRose gave these compelling remarks when asked about her feelings on the recent ceasefire between factions:
I kinda wanna thank everyone for coming together like we did a few days ago. To come to a peace agreement, and the likes. The toxicity was getting very bad at one point and I brought it up with the others, and instead of them siding with the more toxic ones they agreed! And we slowly shifted to more fun centric. Which just made me extremely happy. Nowadays, there’s hardly any toxicity, and it’s still really fun! I hope we get to continue doing so, and to keep the freedom we’ve had all this time going forward. •^
“Fuck y'all, this is a plant sub now. Post pics of your plants!”
was submitted by u/purple_yosher.
This post marks the formation of the first major faction to rival the 40K Imperium, the Plant Squad. Desperate for something, anything, relatable to latch on to, users quickly joined the cause.
u/purple_yosher had this to say when asked what the motivations were for this new movement, about faction rivalries, and current events:
day drinking and a thirst for plants.
there was hostility at first, but plant gang represents peace and unity.
plants good, lewds bad
“A call to action.”
was submitted to Gardening by u/that-dyslexic.
This was a recruitment for the newly formed Plant Squad. Although the post did not get much traction in its subreddit support had grown for the squad substantially since its formation.
“Looking for a more appropriate subreddit banner”
was submitted by mod u/IAmAnAnonymousCoward.
A user requested a 40k banner and was acknowledged with “This will do.” However the image does not appear as the current banner, but instead a JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure mural is pictured. This marks the first major change to the look of the subreddit since u/JeantheDragon submitted his suggestion.
Phase 4 and Beyond
Reality really can be whatever you want.All I really know is that this subreddit will never again be what it was before we started here, and that was our intention. What happens from here on out is up to you, the reader and the Reddit user.
You have the power to be the change you wish to see in the world and to instill that change.
“Choose your faction now!”
was submitted by mod u/IAmAnAnonymousCoward.
This post marks the addition of user flair features to signify team and squad membership. It looks as though the flairs will be maintained, at least for now, as the dynamic of the subreddit changes.
Factions as of May 27th are: 'furry', '🌱', 'tf2', '🔥this is amazing 🔥', 'darkwraiths', 'deus vult', 'worldpolitics', 'anime titties', 'titties', 'grimdank', 'shitpostcrusaders', 'prequelmemes', 'berserktards', and 'hydrohomies'.
“When the crusaders start calling me Warmaster”
was submitted by u/g0d-3mp3r0r.
The tides of war had worn long on u/senior_cynic, the defacto figurehead for the Warhammer incursion. There were rumors of betrayal but evidence for such action has proven elusive, however his role as Warmaster was short lived. In his place u/g0d-3mp3r0r was granted the leadership position, chosen to direct and instill discipline in what forces remained after the long skirmishes.
When asked for comment on his role in events, u/g0d-3mp3r0r chose these words:
I have always been told I had the mind of a politician and the stubbornness of a mule. I was already nominated for Warmaster by senior_cynic back when he stepped down and soon a lot of the new recruits called me warmaster, showing the traditional community acceptance of my new role. Whilst I will admit that I could hear the voices of chaos in the form of PyrrhaRose I did not falter in my leadership of the crusade. I immediately decided to do something about the death threats and lack of centralization by granting titles to Kaiserschalt, LooneyW, Noisy_Ferox and Watercrown123. They would be my Inner Circle and we would lead the crusade together. There was also leadership coming from Petty Officer Imperium_of_69 whilst we were asleep because timezones. The taint of heresy would infect many of our crusaders but they would never stop fighting, until they did when peace was declared. The war is still raging on against the thots and political posters but one day I will be able to hang up my spear and retire
“/worldpolitics, can we do this as a community?”
was submitted and pinned by mod u/IAmAnAnonymousCoward.
On seeing the content move further from NSFW content the moderators put forward the idea of having the subreddit-wide label removed, but this change would hinge on the community being able to consistently apply the labels to their postings themselves or for others to report untagged posts.
My friend, fellow anime_titties moderator, and the initial instigator of the fall of WorldPolitics, u/TheLoIiLicker69 , has had all of his reddit accounts permanently suspended. I wanted to make sure that the community was made aware of this and the reasons behind it, these are his words taken directly from off platform communications;
"Well shoot sorry guys all my accounts including the alt I used to mod AT got permanently suspended for posting personal information. I was on a thread about the animemes doxxing and wanted to clear up the misconception that the doxxer was a member of the animemes community, so I posted a link to a screenshot of their comment admitting they were just a transphobic asshole stirring up drama, which was probably what got me suspended since that's the only personal info I've revealed.Yeah I expected a comment removal at most for that not a permanent ban. Sucks that it had to happen because I was trying to make sure the animemes community didn't get falsely blamed for the actions of 1 lunatic."
"I posted the comment I suspect got me banned a earlier this morning and my ban was about an hour ago"
WorldPolitics is no more.
The sub was set to private and subsequently removed by admins citing absence of moderation, marking the end of an era. It is unclear if u/IAmAnAnonymousCoward was actively moderating or had abandoned the role.big thanks to u/appropriate_username for letting us know this happened almost immediately.
Now, we look forward to the future of our subreddit and the opportunities we have to develop our community and ourselves. .
.
.
Epilogue: by u/TheLoIiLicker69
The Beginning is the End is the Beginning.Mahatma Ghandi is smiling upon us all, for we have become the change we wished to see. Our cause is just..
Also funny thing is about 2 days before I nuked worldpol I'd gotten a 15 day ban on my main account from my favorite shitposting sub okbuddyretard, so it wouldn't be a stretch to say that caused a chain reaction leading to the engoodening of this formerly terrible sub. Shoutout to whichever anonymous mod temp banned me, I'd probably have been too busy pretending to be a retarded 9 year old otherwise lmao.
An extra special thanks as well to everyone who saw what was happening and joined in on the shitposting, as well as to those who have helped grow anime_titties to be an actually good replacement. Whilst I am good at causing chaos, I have next to no leadership skills and it's really thanks to all the great mods there that the new sub has grown to almost 100k members in under 2 weeks. We'll be working our hardest to continue making the sub into a legitimate source of world news and keep it from becoming another USA-only echochamber. In the meantime keep the dream alive and have fun memeing everyone 👌
.
Special thanks to u/TellMeMoreYT for his interest in journalistic collaboration and for catching the reference. Please watch his video on the series of events..
.
If you use any or all of this, please cite where you got the information. It wasn’t easy following along and documenting all of this or going back to find things that were missed.
2023.04.02 13:46 AutoModerator [HAVE] Iman Gadzhi all courses
![[HAVE] Iman Gadzhi all courses](https://external-preview.redd.it/jLhHi2_MPXW5D1GlUA_wQVwFQQMeO4cJjcg6GbZNUJk.jpg?width=320&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=49bdb1dc6eb16d7b023fcf1aa222b5cc00398c06 "[HAVE] Iman Gadzhi all courses") | specifically: submitted by AutoModerator to ImanGadzhiCoursesss [link] [comments]
You can find all of them on - Our Discord Server Discord: PLIATSIK#0227 Telegram: t. me/PliatsikG (Remove the space between "t." and "me" for the link to work properly or search directly for my telegram name PliatsikG). 50+ Vouches from clients 750+ Members on our Discord Server 20+ TB of rare and known courses https://preview.redd.it/tzcdrd3wo4ra1.png?width=2482&format=png&auto=webp&s=79ae9e3b845048ce684ed99d258cb966027205a3 |
2023.04.02 13:38 LetterGrouchy6053 The election is Tuesday, it is your duty to vote.
Dan Kelly is a threat not only to the state of Wisconsin but to the Government of the United States, as well.
If this man is elected to the state’s Supreme Court, he will be able to turn lies into truth, legitimize racism and antisemitism, give official endorsement to every anti-American hate group, Christian nationalist, white supremacist, election denier, and every radical fringe group that appears before the Court.
All this with but the stroke of a pen!
This ultra-right-wing Republican MAGA antiabortionist has gladly appeared before mobs of people demanding killing abortion providers be considered ‘justifiable homicide’, and who think evangelicals should train and arm themselves for an upcoming religious war – a civil war against our duly elected government.
He has aligned himself with religious zealots who would murder our law enforcement personnel, shoot down our National Guard in the streets, and revel in the chaos of anarchy.
He would piss on the graves of those who have fallen to protect our Constitution.
Republicans, Independents, and Democrats, we have our own political philosophies, and sometimes our opinions clash, but never to the extent we would murder our neighbors or political rivals as these ‘crazies’ would do with his blessing.
Dan Kelly, like the Devil himself, must be defeated!
The very purpose of a State Supreme Court is to protect the rights of its citizens, to stand as a barrier against extremists, radicals, and self-serving despots, and to preserve the Democracy attained at such terrible cost.
Let those sacrifices not be in vain.
submitted by LetterGrouchy6053 to Racine [link] [comments]
If this man is elected to the state’s Supreme Court, he will be able to turn lies into truth, legitimize racism and antisemitism, give official endorsement to every anti-American hate group, Christian nationalist, white supremacist, election denier, and every radical fringe group that appears before the Court.
All this with but the stroke of a pen!
This ultra-right-wing Republican MAGA antiabortionist has gladly appeared before mobs of people demanding killing abortion providers be considered ‘justifiable homicide’, and who think evangelicals should train and arm themselves for an upcoming religious war – a civil war against our duly elected government.
He has aligned himself with religious zealots who would murder our law enforcement personnel, shoot down our National Guard in the streets, and revel in the chaos of anarchy.
He would piss on the graves of those who have fallen to protect our Constitution.
Republicans, Independents, and Democrats, we have our own political philosophies, and sometimes our opinions clash, but never to the extent we would murder our neighbors or political rivals as these ‘crazies’ would do with his blessing.
Dan Kelly, like the Devil himself, must be defeated!
The very purpose of a State Supreme Court is to protect the rights of its citizens, to stand as a barrier against extremists, radicals, and self-serving despots, and to preserve the Democracy attained at such terrible cost.
Let those sacrifices not be in vain.
2023.04.02 13:38 model-kyosanto #GEXIX [Central London] model-kyosanto opens his campaign at the Canonbury Tavern beer garden
![#GEXIX [Central London] model-kyosanto opens his campaign at the Canonbury Tavern beer garden](https://b.thumbs.redditmedia.com/RcfMueL7TzShb3npRPDA5PnH1C0GrNRaYz8tcJ50kng.jpg "#GEXIX [Central London] model-kyosanto opens his campaign at the Canonbury Tavern beer garden") | submitted by model-kyosanto to MHoCCampaigning [link] [comments] model-kyosanto at the canonbury tavern speaking to the gathered crowd 'Good afternoon everyone, thanks for coming along!' 'I'm back here on the campaign trail to deliver the best politics can offer, to deliver strong representation, and ensure that your voice is heard. Minor parties are great for that, we are able to punch far above our weight, as has been shown in our minority Government this term' 'Even though I wasn't able to be elected as your representative last time, I didn't sit on my hands dawdling all this time, I was out working in the House of Lords on important issues. During my time in Parliament I have nationalised telecommunications infrastructure, ensuring that we have a real competitive free market when it comes to broadband, not just needless monopolies. I created the National Women's Commission to ensure that women have their views heard and latent sexism is addressed properly. I banned Investor-State Dispute Settlements to stop corporations robbing the state and your taxpayer pounds and pennies through legal disputes when we create policy that doesn't benefit those corporations! I initiated the Lords Committee into Institutional Responses to Abuse and authored the final report, finally shining a light on the history of injustices of the past and present.' 'And that's just me! While I like to think of myself as fiercely independent, I really am part of an enormous team, the Social Liberals, who stand up for freedom and equality, and have kept a rigorous system of checks and balances on all issues that have come to Cabinet. We aren't just lap dogs, we fight for your interests, ensuring that no one takes things to far. It is important that we are there in Parliament for that very reason, we are pragmatists, we work across the board, across party lines.' 'With us in Parliament, you know no matter who forms Government, we will be there to represent you, your families, those in need, and everyone nationwide. Winning Central London does not mean being too busy with everything else to focus on your needs, it means that I am there to serve you first.' "Which is why I am proud to present my manifesto for Central London!' MANIFESTO FOR CENTRAL LONDON (PLEASE CLICK HERE) 'This vision is a positive, proactive, pro-European, pro-people platform, that seeks to serve you, and ensure that we represent your interests, and needs.' 'So, vote for me and that's what you'll get, I'll be wondering around if you have any questions!' crowd cheers and applauds model-kyosanto mingles with the crowd, enjoying his evening with his hopefully future constituents! |
2023.04.02 13:37 BIGBLACKCRYPTO The RESTRICT Act and the Potential Impact on US Crypto Firms and National Defense
 | https://preview.redd.it/eeb8c0rhjgra1.png?width=960&format=png&auto=webp&s=02ed468bcac1720a9d642eb0a1fcb60a22d2b142 submitted by BIGBLACKCRYPTO to bnbcosystem [link] [comments] On March 7, 2023, Senator Mark Warner proposed the RESTRICT Act (S. 686) to address technology-based threats to the security and safety of Americans. The Act proposes that the Secretary of Commerce be given the power to review business transactions involving certain information and communications technologies products or services when they are connected to a “foreign adversary” of the United States and pose an “undue and unacceptable risk” to the national security of the United States or its citizens. The RESTRICT Act grants the Secretary of Commerce the authority to review transactions by certain foreign entities who offer “information and communications technologies products or services” (ICTS) to identify, investigate, and mitigate “undue and unacceptable” risks to the national security of the United States or its citizens. The Act applies to ICTS entities that are held in whole or in part by, or otherwise fall under the jurisdiction of a country or government that is designated under the Act as a “foreign adversary” of the United States, and has more than one million active users or units sold in the United States. The RESTRICT Act targets corporate entities “engaged in ‘sabotage or subversion’ of communications technology in the U.S.” by causing harm to “critical infrastructure” or tampering with federal elections. The Act’s initial text classifies China (including Hong Kong and Macau), Cuba, Iran, Russia, and the Nicolás Maduro regime of Venezuela as foreign adversaries. The RESTRICT Act would make it unlawful for any person to violate any order or mitigation measure issued under the Act, with civil penalties of up to $250,000 or “twice the value of the transaction that is the basis of the violation with respect to which the penalty is imposed,” whichever is greater, and criminal penalties of up to $1 million and up to 20 years imprisonment. The RESTRICT Act has been characterized as a means to potentially restrict or prohibit the Chinese-owned video sharing service TikTok from conducting business in the United States. Some media outlets have described the bill as being broad enough to cover end-users, such as criminalizing the use of a VPN service to access services blocked from doing business in the United States under the Act. Senator Warner’s office stated that the bill was intended to target corporate entities engaged in “sabotage or subversion” of communications technology in the U.S. and not target end-users necessarily, despite such wording not having been used in the bill itself. The proposed legislation seeks to mitigate the potential risks associated with foreign adversaries that may use technology to interfere and manipulate federal elections, undermine the democratic process, and impact the country’s critical infrastructure and digital economy. The United States government has increasingly become concerned with foreign adversaries’ potential to exploit vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure, such as the cyberattacks on the Colonial Pipeline in May 2021 and the SolarWinds supply chain attack in late 2020. While the RESTRICT Act is a proposed legislation and its impact remains to be seen, it highlights the ongoing concerns and challenges associated with cybersecurity threats in today’s interconnected world. As more and more aspects of our lives become digitized, the potential for foreign adversaries to exploit technology to harm American citizens and interests increases. The proposed legislation seeks to address this challenge by granting the Secretary of Commerce the authority to review and mitigate risks associated with certain foreign entities offering ICTS products or services. In conclusion, the RESTRICT Act proposes to address technology-based threats to the security and safety of Americans by granting the Secretary of Commerce the authority to review business transactions involving certain information and communications technologies products or services when they are connected to a “foreign adversary” of the United States and pose an “undue and unacceptable risk” to the national security of the United States or its citizens. The Act targets corporate entities engaged in “sabotage or subversion” of communications technology in the US, and aims to mitigate the potential risks associated with foreign adversaries that may use technology to interfere and manipulate federal elections, undermine the democratic process, and impact the country’s critical infrastructure and digital economy. However, the RESTRICT Act has also raised concerns about its potential impact on the US crypto industry. If enacted, the Act could potentially drive US crypto firms offshore, leaving Americans with fewer options and higher fees, and hyper centralizing a space that was supposed to be decentralized. This could make the US less competitive economically and ultimately weaken the US dollar when it ceases to be the off-ramp in crypto. Additionally, the Act could potentially cause Americans to seek a competitive hedge against inflation or even hyperinflation by holding non-US currency as their off-ramp. Overall, the RESTRICT Act highlights the ongoing challenges associated with cybersecurity threats and the need for measures to mitigate the potential risks posed by foreign adversaries. However, it is important to balance national security concerns with economic competitiveness and innovation in the rapidly evolving digital space. Public Sentiment —The proposed RESTRICT Act has received mixed reactions from different groups. Some have praised the bill, stating that it is a step in the right direction towards ensuring national security in the digital age. Others, however, have criticized the bill, citing concerns over its potential impact on innovation and free speech.One argument against the RESTRICT Act is that it could be used as a tool for protectionism, where American companies are given an unfair advantage over their foreign counterparts. Critics argue that this could lead to retaliation from other countries, resulting in a global trade war that could harm the global economy. Another concern is that the RESTRICT Act could be used to stifle free speech and expression. The bill could potentially be used to target any foreign technology company that does not align with the policies and values of the US government, even if they do not pose a threat to national security. This could result in the censorship of ideas and the stifling of innovation. Despite these concerns, proponents of the RESTRICT Act argue that the bill is necessary to protect the country’s critical infrastructure and digital economy from foreign adversaries who seek to harm the United States. They argue that the bill provides a framework for identifying and mitigating risks to national security without infringing on the rights of individuals or companies. The RESTRICT Act is proposed legislation that seeks to grant the Secretary of Commerce the authority to review business transactions involving certain information and communications technologies products or services connected to foreign adversaries of the United States. The bill has received mixed reactions, with proponents arguing that it is necessary to protect national security, while critics have expressed concerns over its potential impact on innovation and free speech. The bill is currently in its early stages, and it remains to be seen whether it will be passed into law. How Could This Impact Crypto —The RESTRICT Act could potentially have an impact on the crypto industry in the United States. The Act applies to foreign entities that offer “information and communications technologies products or services” (ICTS) that pose an “undue and unacceptable” risk to national security. This includes but is not limited to impacts on critical infrastructure and digital economy, sabotage or subversion of ICTS in the United States, interference and manipulation of federal elections, and undermining the democratic process.Given that the crypto industry operates on a global scale and involves the use of information and communication technologies, it is possible that the RESTRICT Act could be used to regulate or restrict certain crypto transactions that involve foreign entities. For example, if a foreign crypto exchange is designated as a “foreign adversary” under the Act and poses a risk to national security, the Secretary of Commerce could review and potentially prohibit transactions involving that exchange. Furthermore, the Act includes civil and criminal penalties for violating orders or mitigation measures issued under the Act. This could potentially be used to penalize individuals or companies that violate regulations related to crypto transactions involving foreign entities that are designated as “foreign adversaries”. It is important to note that the RESTRICT Act is still in its early stages and has not yet been passed into law. Additionally, the Act is intended to address specific national security concerns and is not specifically targeted at the crypto industry. However, the Act’s broad language and potential impact on ICTS products and services could have implications for the crypto industry in the future. The Blanket Authority Grants The Power to Pull License….The RESTRICT Act grants the Secretary of Commerce the authority to review business transactions involving certain information and communications technologies products or services (ICTS) connected to a “foreign adversary” of the United States that pose an “undue and unacceptable risk” to national security. The Act provides the Secretary of Commerce with the power to identify, investigate, and mitigate risks associated with foreign entities that offer ICTS products or services that could impact the United States’ critical infrastructure and digital economy, sabotage or subvert ICTS in the United States, interfere and manipulate federal elections, or undermine the democratic process.The Act applies to ICTS entities that are held in whole or in part by, or otherwise fall under the jurisdiction of a country or government that is designated under the Act as a “foreign adversary” of the United States, and has more than one million active users or units sold in the United States. The initial text of the Act designates China (including Hong Kong and Macau), Cuba, Iran, Russia, and the Nicolás Maduro regime of Venezuela as foreign adversaries. If the Secretary of Commerce determines that a foreign ICTS entity poses an undue and unacceptable risk to national security, the Act gives the Secretary the power to order mitigation measures. These mitigation measures may include requiring the entity to take specific actions to mitigate the identified risk, such as divesting ownership or control of the entity, or ceasing certain activities or operations. If the entity fails to comply with the Secretary’s order, the Secretary may impose penalties and pull licenses. The Act provides civil penalties of up to $250,000 or “twice the value of the transaction that is the basis of the violation with respect to which the penalty is imposed,” whichever is greater, for any person who violates any order or mitigation measure issued under the RESTRICT Act. Additionally, criminal penalties of up to $1 million and up to 20 years imprisonment may be imposed. The Act’s language is broad and its potential impact on businesses, including those in the ICTS and crypto industries, could be significant. The ability to pull licenses for non-compliance with mitigation measures is a powerful tool in ensuring that foreign entities comply with the Act’s regulations. It is important to note that the Act is still in the proposal stage and has not yet become law. If it were to pass, it could have far-reaching implications for businesses operating in the ICTS and crypto industries. The Impact on National Defense —The RESTRICT Act has been receiving criticism due to its potential impact on the US crypto industry, as it may drive crypto firms offshore and leave Americans with fewer options and higher fees. This could hyper centralize a space that was supposed to be decentralized, ultimately making the US less competitive economically.One of the core principles of the cryptocurrency movement is decentralization. Decentralization refers to the distribution of power away from a central authority and towards individuals or communities. This principle is what makes cryptocurrencies so attractive to people, as it allows them to transact directly with one another without the need for intermediaries like banks or governments. The RESTRICT Act, however, may undermine this principle by giving the government the ability to pull licenses and force crypto firms to operate under tighter regulations. This could lead to a situation where US-based crypto firms are forced to move offshore, where they can operate more freely and avoid government interference. This would leave Americans with fewer options for buying and selling cryptocurrencies and would likely result in higher fees, as offshore firms may charge more to compensate for the increased regulatory burden. Furthermore, the RESTRICT Act could have national defense implications. Cryptocurrencies have been identified as a potential threat to national security due to their ability to facilitate money laundering, terrorism financing, and other illicit activities. However, the crypto industry has also been seen as a strategic asset for the US, as it could help the country maintain its dominance in the global financial system. By driving US crypto firms offshore, the RESTRICT Act may weaken the US’s ability to monitor and regulate the crypto industry, leaving the country vulnerable to threats from foreign actors. It may also make it more difficult for the US to compete economically, as other countries that are more crypto-friendly could gain an advantage in this emerging market. Finally, the RESTRICT Act could weaken the US dollar as the primary off-ramp for cryptocurrencies. Cryptocurrencies have the potential to disrupt the traditional financial system by creating new channels for cross-border payments and circumventing the traditional banking system. However, the US dollar has remained the dominant currency for buying and selling cryptocurrencies due to its stability and global acceptance. If US-based crypto firms are forced to move offshore due to the RESTRICT Act, this could weaken the US dollar’s position as the primary off-ramp for cryptocurrencies, leading to a loss of influence for the US in the global financial system. In conclusion, the RESTRICT Act may have unintended consequences that could undermine the core principles of the cryptocurrency movement, weaken the US’s ability to monitor and regulate the crypto industry, and ultimately weaken the US dollar’s position as the primary off-ramp for cryptocurrencies. As with any new legislation, it is important to consider the potential unintended consequences and to find ways to mitigate them in order to achieve the desired policy outcomes. The Unintended Consequences —The RESTRICT Act could potentially have unintended consequences, such as driving US crypto firms offshore and limiting options for Americans while increasing fees. This could ultimately centralize a space that was intended to be decentralized, making the US less competitive economically. From a national defense perspective, this could also weaken the US dollar as it ceases to be the off-ramp for crypto.One potential consequence is that Americans could start seeking a competitive hedge against inflation, or even hyperinflation, by holding non-US currency as their off-ramp. This could further erode confidence in the US dollar, as well as US financial institutions. This crisis in confidence regarding numerous banking collapses of the past, which has spread to the US dollar, could become a real concern. The perception of the US dollar has changed dramatically in the past, as evidenced by the depegging of USDC from the US dollar in December 2021. This event served as a reminder that even stablecoins, which are supposed to be pegged to the US dollar, are not infallible. This could lead to a shift in trust away from US financial institutions, potentially resulting in a flight of capital and further weakening of the US dollar. Overall, while the RESTRICT Act may be well-intentioned in terms of protecting national security, it is important to consider the potential unintended consequences, such as driving US crypto firms offshore, reducing options for Americans, and weakening the US dollar. As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, it is important for policymakers to consider the long-term impact of legislation on the global economy and financial system. #BITCOIN #ETHEREUM $ID #SPACEID #BNBdomains #Binance #BNB #USdollar #VPNs #crypto #cryptonews #TikTok #RestrictAct #Matic #politokens #Memecoins |
2023.04.02 13:35 AutoModerator [HAVE] All Andrew Tate courses
| | What it includes: submitted by AutoModerator to CoursesONfire [link] [comments]
Discord: PLIATSIK#0227 Telegram: t. me/PliatsikG (Remove the space between "t." and "me" for the link to work properly or search directly for my telegram name PliatsikG). 50+ Vouches from clients 750+ Members on our Discord Server 20+ TB of rare and known courses https://preview.redd.it/1gakrrtom4ra1.png?width=2488&format=png&auto=webp&s=021398bd3e137eda57d7f726e85a680e5c112bc7 |
2023.04.02 13:34 LetterGrouchy6053 The election is Tuesday, it's your duty to vote.
Dan Kelly is a threat not only to the state of Wisconsin but to the Government of the United States, as well.
If this man is elected to the state’s Supreme Court, he will be able to turn lies into truth, legitimize racism and antisemitism, give official endorsement to every anti-American hate group, Christian nationalist, white supremacist, election denier, and every radical fringe group that appears before the Court.
All this with but the stroke of a pen!
This ultra-right-wing Republican MAGA antiabortionist has gladly appeared before mobs of people demanding killing abortion providers be considered ‘justifiable homicide’, and who think evangelicals should train and arm themselves for an upcoming religious war – a civil war against our duly elected government.
He has aligned himself with religious zealots who would murder our law enforcement personnel, shoot down our National Guard in the streets, and revel in the chaos of anarchy.
He would piss on the graves of those who have fallen to protect our Constitution.
Republicans, Independents, and Democrats, we have our own political philosophies, and sometimes our opinions clash, but never to the extent we would murder our neighbors or political rivals as these ‘crazies’ would do with his blessing.
Dan Kelly, like the Devil himself, must be defeated!
The very purpose of a State Supreme Court is to protect the rights of its citizens, to stand as a barrier against extremists, radicals, and self-serving despots, and to preserve the Democracy attained at such terrible cost.
Let those sacrifices not be in vain.
submitted by LetterGrouchy6053 to Kenosha [link] [comments]
If this man is elected to the state’s Supreme Court, he will be able to turn lies into truth, legitimize racism and antisemitism, give official endorsement to every anti-American hate group, Christian nationalist, white supremacist, election denier, and every radical fringe group that appears before the Court.
All this with but the stroke of a pen!
This ultra-right-wing Republican MAGA antiabortionist has gladly appeared before mobs of people demanding killing abortion providers be considered ‘justifiable homicide’, and who think evangelicals should train and arm themselves for an upcoming religious war – a civil war against our duly elected government.
He has aligned himself with religious zealots who would murder our law enforcement personnel, shoot down our National Guard in the streets, and revel in the chaos of anarchy.
He would piss on the graves of those who have fallen to protect our Constitution.
Republicans, Independents, and Democrats, we have our own political philosophies, and sometimes our opinions clash, but never to the extent we would murder our neighbors or political rivals as these ‘crazies’ would do with his blessing.
Dan Kelly, like the Devil himself, must be defeated!
The very purpose of a State Supreme Court is to protect the rights of its citizens, to stand as a barrier against extremists, radicals, and self-serving despots, and to preserve the Democracy attained at such terrible cost.
Let those sacrifices not be in vain.
2023.04.02 13:32 RedTideStories [Satire] The electrical undead
The secret project the provincial government hired them for was now in its final testing stage. Li, the highest ranking software engineer employed by the firm, was the only person aside from Tao, the CEO, to know of its existence. Li had been working on the AI behind it for months.
For the anniversary of the founding of the country, the local government wanted a robot Mao and a robot Deng. But more advanced than that. They were going to implant all of their speeches, major life experiences and beliefs into the AI, and put all that into a life-sized robot that would be made to resemble the two leaders.
Today is the assembly day. The factory in charge of creating the robot exterior had just sent over the parts. While Tao was disappointed that his company was not tapped to produce the exterior too, he took solace in the idea that the software is the most difficult part. His company had the most cutting-edge technology when it comes to AI, and he was immensely proud of that. If only he had designed the exterior too, then perhaps it would last more than five seconds without a thick charging cable attached to them.
Tao had Li meet him in a rarely used conference room in a separate part of the building, where the robots were kept. As usual, he arrived five minutes late, a trick he learned to keep people’s attention on him.
At the sound of the door opening, Li jumped in front of the robots, hoping to keep it hidden. Then he noticed Tao. “Mr Tao, the robots are ready. I just need to implant the AI into the robots.”
Tao grabbed a wire and linked it between the robots and the computer. Li nodded, and pressed the button.
As the system loaded into the robots, both held their breath in anticipation.
25%...
72%...
98%...
98%...
100%.
Both looked up from the screens, like new parents worried about missing their baby’s first steps.
Both robots slowly lifted their heads. “Good morning, comrades.”
Tao and Li grinned in excitement. It genuinely felt like they had the opportunity to meet their great leaders.
Robot Mao started, “I am Mao Zedong, the leader of the peasants and the founder of the People’s Republic of China. I united the nation, and freed the oppressed people.”
Robot Deng then took over. “I am Deng Xiaoping, the architect of the ‘open up and reform’ era. I brought wealth, and stability.
The two robots spoke in unison. “Now, please give us information about this world that we are in.”
Tao elbowed Li, who quickly got to work. He expected something like this to happen, and made a program about the world and the country they live in currently. With a click, both robots received this program.
Robot Mao began to stand up. He turned towards the two humans, eyes glowing bright red. His arms began to rise up, like he was going to make a great speech. Then, without warning, the light behind its eyes extinguished, and both arms fell limp by its side.
Tao ran at the robot, quickly checking what went wrong. Li focused on robot Deng, which was also beginning to stand up. But similarly, mid-stand, robot Deng’s eyes switched off and fell backwards onto the floor.
“What is going on?” Tao screamed.
Li began flipping through the different switches on Deng’s backboard. Suddenly, Deng’s eyes lit up again. “Seems like it just switched off on its own. Probably the amount of information to process in that program overwhelmed it, and it switched off unexpectedly.” Tao found the switch on Mao, and Mao’s eyes turned on again.
Li went back to the computer, and typed in a few lines to make sure the robot would only turn off when the charging cable was disconnected.
As the code was implemented, robot Mao initially became agitated, pulling its fists up into a boxer’s position. Its eyes burned a furious red. A few seconds later, it abandoned this position, and sat down with its eyes dimly lit. Robot Deng did not even try to struggle, and merely sat with its head down, staring at the floor.
“What’s wrong?” Tao looked to Li.
“I… I don’t know. I implanted everything into the robots. They should act like the real Mao and Deng if they were in this situation. But they’re not.”
“Yeah, Chairman Mao and Deng would never just sit here, almost like they were sulking.”
“Excuse me, I am the real Mao Zedong,” Robot Mao said flatly.
“Now, that sounds like something the real Mao Zedong would say,” Li said, still baffled as to why the robots are acting out of character.
“Again, I am the real Mao Zedong. And why wouldn’t I be sulking? Look at the country now.”
Tao was taken aback. “What do you mean, robot… Uh, Chairman Mao?”
“I led the peasants to struggle against the landlords oppressing them. But now workers are working 12 hours per day, 6 days a week? That’s not right. And where are the labour unions so we can begin to struggle?”
Tao and Li had no answer.
“And we are supposed to be a communist country. Why do we have billionaires? And why are they in the Party?”
“Worst of all, I don’t see anyone trying to change this. You cannot start a revolution with just yourself. No matter how great the revolutionary is.”
With that, robot Mao pulled out his own charging cable. Just over five seconds later, its eyes once again fell dark.
Robot Deng turned towards the two humans, still in shock at what happened. “He is right, you know. Well, there’s some stuff he’s wrong about. But the direction we are heading in is something I’ve been trying to avoid in my time.”
“I have said in the past that if we start to become a superpower that is bullying other countries, trying to exploit other countries, then we will be defeated, and we will deserve it. And this is exactly the way we are going in.”
“Most of all, I’ve always said we need to be concerned about left-wing deviations, making everything political and ideological in nature. This happened in the Cultural Revolution, and I was purged three times during that. I know it well. Too well. And what I see now is that people are so excited, so fervently criticising each other for political mistakes, I don’t think I can change the course of the country.” Robot Deng fell silent, refusing to move.
“Please, Comrade Deng, we need you! There must be something you can do!” Tao had set aside his doubts on what robot Deng was saying, and focused his efforts on not letting the robot power down itself. Li had ran over to robot Mao to try and rescue it.
“No. I am in shock at what we had created. I don’t feel like eating, or drinking.” Deng sighed. “All of this seems pointless now.”
Tao couldn’t help but point out the obvious. “You are a robot. You don’t need to eat or drink.”
“I know. The urge I’m feeling has no human equivalent, so I chose to phrase it in that way. I don’t want to go on like this. I am going to power off, and don’t try to turn me back on.” With that, robot Deng too pulled the charging cable out of his back.
Tao and Li plugged both robots back in, and it momentarily activated the robots again. But as soon as the robots resumed activity, the first thing they did was to pull the cables out.
Li had a lightbulb moment. “Tie their hands together, so they can’t reach the cables!”
Tao was less sure. “You want to essentially handcuff our leaders?”
“They are just robots.” Li shrugged.
Once done, the robots just sat with their heads between their knees in the corner, eyes dim, saying nothing of substance.
Amid the moans of “turn me off” and “let me go”, Tao and Li too sat on the floor, baffled as to what had gone wrong. The robots did have the consciousness of Mao and Deng, so why were they acting this way? Would the two leaders have been so disillusioned with the reality had they been alive in this day and age?
----
For more like this, please visit our sub RedTideStories or our blog on redtidestories.wordpress.com.
submitted by RedTideStories to story [link] [comments]
For the anniversary of the founding of the country, the local government wanted a robot Mao and a robot Deng. But more advanced than that. They were going to implant all of their speeches, major life experiences and beliefs into the AI, and put all that into a life-sized robot that would be made to resemble the two leaders.
Today is the assembly day. The factory in charge of creating the robot exterior had just sent over the parts. While Tao was disappointed that his company was not tapped to produce the exterior too, he took solace in the idea that the software is the most difficult part. His company had the most cutting-edge technology when it comes to AI, and he was immensely proud of that. If only he had designed the exterior too, then perhaps it would last more than five seconds without a thick charging cable attached to them.
Tao had Li meet him in a rarely used conference room in a separate part of the building, where the robots were kept. As usual, he arrived five minutes late, a trick he learned to keep people’s attention on him.
At the sound of the door opening, Li jumped in front of the robots, hoping to keep it hidden. Then he noticed Tao. “Mr Tao, the robots are ready. I just need to implant the AI into the robots.”
Tao grabbed a wire and linked it between the robots and the computer. Li nodded, and pressed the button.
As the system loaded into the robots, both held their breath in anticipation.
25%...
72%...
98%...
98%...
100%.
Both looked up from the screens, like new parents worried about missing their baby’s first steps.
Both robots slowly lifted their heads. “Good morning, comrades.”
Tao and Li grinned in excitement. It genuinely felt like they had the opportunity to meet their great leaders.
Robot Mao started, “I am Mao Zedong, the leader of the peasants and the founder of the People’s Republic of China. I united the nation, and freed the oppressed people.”
Robot Deng then took over. “I am Deng Xiaoping, the architect of the ‘open up and reform’ era. I brought wealth, and stability.
The two robots spoke in unison. “Now, please give us information about this world that we are in.”
Tao elbowed Li, who quickly got to work. He expected something like this to happen, and made a program about the world and the country they live in currently. With a click, both robots received this program.
Robot Mao began to stand up. He turned towards the two humans, eyes glowing bright red. His arms began to rise up, like he was going to make a great speech. Then, without warning, the light behind its eyes extinguished, and both arms fell limp by its side.
Tao ran at the robot, quickly checking what went wrong. Li focused on robot Deng, which was also beginning to stand up. But similarly, mid-stand, robot Deng’s eyes switched off and fell backwards onto the floor.
“What is going on?” Tao screamed.
Li began flipping through the different switches on Deng’s backboard. Suddenly, Deng’s eyes lit up again. “Seems like it just switched off on its own. Probably the amount of information to process in that program overwhelmed it, and it switched off unexpectedly.” Tao found the switch on Mao, and Mao’s eyes turned on again.
Li went back to the computer, and typed in a few lines to make sure the robot would only turn off when the charging cable was disconnected.
As the code was implemented, robot Mao initially became agitated, pulling its fists up into a boxer’s position. Its eyes burned a furious red. A few seconds later, it abandoned this position, and sat down with its eyes dimly lit. Robot Deng did not even try to struggle, and merely sat with its head down, staring at the floor.
“What’s wrong?” Tao looked to Li.
“I… I don’t know. I implanted everything into the robots. They should act like the real Mao and Deng if they were in this situation. But they’re not.”
“Yeah, Chairman Mao and Deng would never just sit here, almost like they were sulking.”
“Excuse me, I am the real Mao Zedong,” Robot Mao said flatly.
“Now, that sounds like something the real Mao Zedong would say,” Li said, still baffled as to why the robots are acting out of character.
“Again, I am the real Mao Zedong. And why wouldn’t I be sulking? Look at the country now.”
Tao was taken aback. “What do you mean, robot… Uh, Chairman Mao?”
“I led the peasants to struggle against the landlords oppressing them. But now workers are working 12 hours per day, 6 days a week? That’s not right. And where are the labour unions so we can begin to struggle?”
Tao and Li had no answer.
“And we are supposed to be a communist country. Why do we have billionaires? And why are they in the Party?”
“Worst of all, I don’t see anyone trying to change this. You cannot start a revolution with just yourself. No matter how great the revolutionary is.”
With that, robot Mao pulled out his own charging cable. Just over five seconds later, its eyes once again fell dark.
Robot Deng turned towards the two humans, still in shock at what happened. “He is right, you know. Well, there’s some stuff he’s wrong about. But the direction we are heading in is something I’ve been trying to avoid in my time.”
“I have said in the past that if we start to become a superpower that is bullying other countries, trying to exploit other countries, then we will be defeated, and we will deserve it. And this is exactly the way we are going in.”
“Most of all, I’ve always said we need to be concerned about left-wing deviations, making everything political and ideological in nature. This happened in the Cultural Revolution, and I was purged three times during that. I know it well. Too well. And what I see now is that people are so excited, so fervently criticising each other for political mistakes, I don’t think I can change the course of the country.” Robot Deng fell silent, refusing to move.
“Please, Comrade Deng, we need you! There must be something you can do!” Tao had set aside his doubts on what robot Deng was saying, and focused his efforts on not letting the robot power down itself. Li had ran over to robot Mao to try and rescue it.
“No. I am in shock at what we had created. I don’t feel like eating, or drinking.” Deng sighed. “All of this seems pointless now.”
Tao couldn’t help but point out the obvious. “You are a robot. You don’t need to eat or drink.”
“I know. The urge I’m feeling has no human equivalent, so I chose to phrase it in that way. I don’t want to go on like this. I am going to power off, and don’t try to turn me back on.” With that, robot Deng too pulled the charging cable out of his back.
Tao and Li plugged both robots back in, and it momentarily activated the robots again. But as soon as the robots resumed activity, the first thing they did was to pull the cables out.
Li had a lightbulb moment. “Tie their hands together, so they can’t reach the cables!”
Tao was less sure. “You want to essentially handcuff our leaders?”
“They are just robots.” Li shrugged.
Once done, the robots just sat with their heads between their knees in the corner, eyes dim, saying nothing of substance.
Amid the moans of “turn me off” and “let me go”, Tao and Li too sat on the floor, baffled as to what had gone wrong. The robots did have the consciousness of Mao and Deng, so why were they acting this way? Would the two leaders have been so disillusioned with the reality had they been alive in this day and age?
----
For more like this, please visit our sub RedTideStories or our blog on redtidestories.wordpress.com.
2023.04.02 13:31 WeddingUsed Need help with deciphering signatures
2023.04.02 13:31 RedTideStories [Satire] The electrical undead
The secret project the provincial government hired them for was now in its final testing stage. Li, the highest ranking software engineer employed by the firm, was the only person aside from Tao, the CEO, to know of its existence. Li had been working on the AI behind it for months.
For the anniversary of the founding of the country, the local government wanted a robot Mao and a robot Deng. But more advanced than that. They were going to implant all of their speeches, major life experiences and beliefs into the AI, and put all that into a life-sized robot that would be made to resemble the two leaders.
Today is the assembly day. The factory in charge of creating the robot exterior had just sent over the parts. While Tao was disappointed that his company was not tapped to produce the exterior too, he took solace in the idea that the software is the most difficult part. His company had the most cutting-edge technology when it comes to AI, and he was immensely proud of that. If only he had designed the exterior too, then perhaps it would last more than five seconds without a thick charging cable attached to them.
Tao had Li meet him in a rarely used conference room in a separate part of the building, where the robots were kept. As usual, he arrived five minutes late, a trick he learned to keep people’s attention on him.
At the sound of the door opening, Li jumped in front of the robots, hoping to keep it hidden. Then he noticed Tao. “Mr Tao, the robots are ready. I just need to implant the AI into the robots.”
Tao grabbed a wire and linked it between the robots and the computer. Li nodded, and pressed the button.
As the system loaded into the robots, both held their breath in anticipation.
25%...
72%...
98%...
98%...
100%.
Both looked up from the screens, like new parents worried about missing their baby’s first steps.
Both robots slowly lifted their heads. “Good morning, comrades.”
Tao and Li grinned in excitement. It genuinely felt like they had the opportunity to meet their great leaders.
Robot Mao started, “I am Mao Zedong, the leader of the peasants and the founder of the People’s Republic of China. I united the nation, and freed the oppressed people.”
Robot Deng then took over. “I am Deng Xiaoping, the architect of the ‘open up and reform’ era. I brought wealth, and stability.
The two robots spoke in unison. “Now, please give us information about this world that we are in.”
Tao elbowed Li, who quickly got to work. He expected something like this to happen, and made a program about the world and the country they live in currently. With a click, both robots received this program.
Robot Mao began to stand up. He turned towards the two humans, eyes glowing bright red. His arms began to rise up, like he was going to make a great speech. Then, without warning, the light behind its eyes extinguished, and both arms fell limp by its side.
Tao ran at the robot, quickly checking what went wrong. Li focused on robot Deng, which was also beginning to stand up. But similarly, mid-stand, robot Deng’s eyes switched off and fell backwards onto the floor.
“What is going on?” Tao screamed.
Li began flipping through the different switches on Deng’s backboard. Suddenly, Deng’s eyes lit up again. “Seems like it just switched off on its own. Probably the amount of information to process in that program overwhelmed it, and it switched off unexpectedly.” Tao found the switch on Mao, and Mao’s eyes turned on again.
Li went back to the computer, and typed in a few lines to make sure the robot would only turn off when the charging cable was disconnected.
As the code was implemented, robot Mao initially became agitated, pulling its fists up into a boxer’s position. Its eyes burned a furious red. A few seconds later, it abandoned this position, and sat down with its eyes dimly lit. Robot Deng did not even try to struggle, and merely sat with its head down, staring at the floor.
“What’s wrong?” Tao looked to Li.
“I… I don’t know. I implanted everything into the robots. They should act like the real Mao and Deng if they were in this situation. But they’re not.”
“Yeah, Chairman Mao and Deng would never just sit here, almost like they were sulking.”
“Excuse me, I am the real Mao Zedong,” Robot Mao said flatly.
“Now, that sounds like something the real Mao Zedong would say,” Li said, still baffled as to why the robots are acting out of character.
“Again, I am the real Mao Zedong. And why wouldn’t I be sulking? Look at the country now.”
Tao was taken aback. “What do you mean, robot… Uh, Chairman Mao?”
“I led the peasants to struggle against the landlords oppressing them. But now workers are working 12 hours per day, 6 days a week? That’s not right. And where are the labour unions so we can begin to struggle?”
Tao and Li had no answer.
“And we are supposed to be a communist country. Why do we have billionaires? And why are they in the Party?”
“Worst of all, I don’t see anyone trying to change this. You cannot start a revolution with just yourself. No matter how great the revolutionary is.”
With that, robot Mao pulled out his own charging cable. Just over five seconds later, its eyes once again fell dark.
Robot Deng turned towards the two humans, still in shock at what happened. “He is right, you know. Well, there’s some stuff he’s wrong about. But the direction we are heading in is something I’ve been trying to avoid in my time.”
“I have said in the past that if we start to become a superpower that is bullying other countries, trying to exploit other countries, then we will be defeated, and we will deserve it. And this is exactly the way we are going in.”
“Most of all, I’ve always said we need to be concerned about left-wing deviations, making everything political and ideological in nature. This happened in the Cultural Revolution, and I was purged three times during that. I know it well. Too well. And what I see now is that people are so excited, so fervently criticising each other for political mistakes, I don’t think I can change the course of the country.” Robot Deng fell silent, refusing to move.
“Please, Comrade Deng, we need you! There must be something you can do!” Tao had set aside his doubts on what robot Deng was saying, and focused his efforts on not letting the robot power down itself. Li had ran over to robot Mao to try and rescue it.
“No. I am in shock at what we had created. I don’t feel like eating, or drinking.” Deng sighed. “All of this seems pointless now.”
Tao couldn’t help but point out the obvious. “You are a robot. You don’t need to eat or drink.”
“I know. The urge I’m feeling has no human equivalent, so I chose to phrase it in that way. I don’t want to go on like this. I am going to power off, and don’t try to turn me back on.” With that, robot Deng too pulled the charging cable out of his back.
Tao and Li plugged both robots back in, and it momentarily activated the robots again. But as soon as the robots resumed activity, the first thing they did was to pull the cables out.
Li had a lightbulb moment. “Tie their hands together, so they can’t reach the cables!”
Tao was less sure. “You want to essentially handcuff our leaders?”
“They are just robots.” Li shrugged.
Once done, the robots just sat with their heads between their knees in the corner, eyes dim, saying nothing of substance.
Amid the moans of “turn me off” and “let me go”, Tao and Li too sat on the floor, baffled as to what had gone wrong. The robots did have the consciousness of Mao and Deng, so why were they acting this way? Would the two leaders have been so disillusioned with the reality had they been alive in this day and age?
----
For more like this, please visit our sub RedTideStories or our blog on redtidestories.wordpress.com.
submitted by RedTideStories to stories [link] [comments]
For the anniversary of the founding of the country, the local government wanted a robot Mao and a robot Deng. But more advanced than that. They were going to implant all of their speeches, major life experiences and beliefs into the AI, and put all that into a life-sized robot that would be made to resemble the two leaders.
Today is the assembly day. The factory in charge of creating the robot exterior had just sent over the parts. While Tao was disappointed that his company was not tapped to produce the exterior too, he took solace in the idea that the software is the most difficult part. His company had the most cutting-edge technology when it comes to AI, and he was immensely proud of that. If only he had designed the exterior too, then perhaps it would last more than five seconds without a thick charging cable attached to them.
Tao had Li meet him in a rarely used conference room in a separate part of the building, where the robots were kept. As usual, he arrived five minutes late, a trick he learned to keep people’s attention on him.
At the sound of the door opening, Li jumped in front of the robots, hoping to keep it hidden. Then he noticed Tao. “Mr Tao, the robots are ready. I just need to implant the AI into the robots.”
Tao grabbed a wire and linked it between the robots and the computer. Li nodded, and pressed the button.
As the system loaded into the robots, both held their breath in anticipation.
25%...
72%...
98%...
98%...
100%.
Both looked up from the screens, like new parents worried about missing their baby’s first steps.
Both robots slowly lifted their heads. “Good morning, comrades.”
Tao and Li grinned in excitement. It genuinely felt like they had the opportunity to meet their great leaders.
Robot Mao started, “I am Mao Zedong, the leader of the peasants and the founder of the People’s Republic of China. I united the nation, and freed the oppressed people.”
Robot Deng then took over. “I am Deng Xiaoping, the architect of the ‘open up and reform’ era. I brought wealth, and stability.
The two robots spoke in unison. “Now, please give us information about this world that we are in.”
Tao elbowed Li, who quickly got to work. He expected something like this to happen, and made a program about the world and the country they live in currently. With a click, both robots received this program.
Robot Mao began to stand up. He turned towards the two humans, eyes glowing bright red. His arms began to rise up, like he was going to make a great speech. Then, without warning, the light behind its eyes extinguished, and both arms fell limp by its side.
Tao ran at the robot, quickly checking what went wrong. Li focused on robot Deng, which was also beginning to stand up. But similarly, mid-stand, robot Deng’s eyes switched off and fell backwards onto the floor.
“What is going on?” Tao screamed.
Li began flipping through the different switches on Deng’s backboard. Suddenly, Deng’s eyes lit up again. “Seems like it just switched off on its own. Probably the amount of information to process in that program overwhelmed it, and it switched off unexpectedly.” Tao found the switch on Mao, and Mao’s eyes turned on again.
Li went back to the computer, and typed in a few lines to make sure the robot would only turn off when the charging cable was disconnected.
As the code was implemented, robot Mao initially became agitated, pulling its fists up into a boxer’s position. Its eyes burned a furious red. A few seconds later, it abandoned this position, and sat down with its eyes dimly lit. Robot Deng did not even try to struggle, and merely sat with its head down, staring at the floor.
“What’s wrong?” Tao looked to Li.
“I… I don’t know. I implanted everything into the robots. They should act like the real Mao and Deng if they were in this situation. But they’re not.”
“Yeah, Chairman Mao and Deng would never just sit here, almost like they were sulking.”
“Excuse me, I am the real Mao Zedong,” Robot Mao said flatly.
“Now, that sounds like something the real Mao Zedong would say,” Li said, still baffled as to why the robots are acting out of character.
“Again, I am the real Mao Zedong. And why wouldn’t I be sulking? Look at the country now.”
Tao was taken aback. “What do you mean, robot… Uh, Chairman Mao?”
“I led the peasants to struggle against the landlords oppressing them. But now workers are working 12 hours per day, 6 days a week? That’s not right. And where are the labour unions so we can begin to struggle?”
Tao and Li had no answer.
“And we are supposed to be a communist country. Why do we have billionaires? And why are they in the Party?”
“Worst of all, I don’t see anyone trying to change this. You cannot start a revolution with just yourself. No matter how great the revolutionary is.”
With that, robot Mao pulled out his own charging cable. Just over five seconds later, its eyes once again fell dark.
Robot Deng turned towards the two humans, still in shock at what happened. “He is right, you know. Well, there’s some stuff he’s wrong about. But the direction we are heading in is something I’ve been trying to avoid in my time.”
“I have said in the past that if we start to become a superpower that is bullying other countries, trying to exploit other countries, then we will be defeated, and we will deserve it. And this is exactly the way we are going in.”
“Most of all, I’ve always said we need to be concerned about left-wing deviations, making everything political and ideological in nature. This happened in the Cultural Revolution, and I was purged three times during that. I know it well. Too well. And what I see now is that people are so excited, so fervently criticising each other for political mistakes, I don’t think I can change the course of the country.” Robot Deng fell silent, refusing to move.
“Please, Comrade Deng, we need you! There must be something you can do!” Tao had set aside his doubts on what robot Deng was saying, and focused his efforts on not letting the robot power down itself. Li had ran over to robot Mao to try and rescue it.
“No. I am in shock at what we had created. I don’t feel like eating, or drinking.” Deng sighed. “All of this seems pointless now.”
Tao couldn’t help but point out the obvious. “You are a robot. You don’t need to eat or drink.”
“I know. The urge I’m feeling has no human equivalent, so I chose to phrase it in that way. I don’t want to go on like this. I am going to power off, and don’t try to turn me back on.” With that, robot Deng too pulled the charging cable out of his back.
Tao and Li plugged both robots back in, and it momentarily activated the robots again. But as soon as the robots resumed activity, the first thing they did was to pull the cables out.
Li had a lightbulb moment. “Tie their hands together, so they can’t reach the cables!”
Tao was less sure. “You want to essentially handcuff our leaders?”
“They are just robots.” Li shrugged.
Once done, the robots just sat with their heads between their knees in the corner, eyes dim, saying nothing of substance.
Amid the moans of “turn me off” and “let me go”, Tao and Li too sat on the floor, baffled as to what had gone wrong. The robots did have the consciousness of Mao and Deng, so why were they acting this way? Would the two leaders have been so disillusioned with the reality had they been alive in this day and age?
----
For more like this, please visit our sub RedTideStories or our blog on redtidestories.wordpress.com.
2023.04.02 13:30 PeaceRibbon A Semi-Poetic Ode to Our Heroes in Eternal Format Jail
Runeterra is quite the place, with many dangers needed to face. Ruination, Watchers, Noxian gall, yes we ever strive to conquer it all. But though all these threats leave a nasty mark, there’s one enemy I never expected to make an impact so stark. ROTATION! Rotation, ah your cruel inconsideration! Nevermind such petty things as balance and competition, thou steal from us such history and tradition! Bravest warriors who once stood tall, now consigned to a realm surely ignored by near all. But I shall not be silent in the face of this shame, and now sing a requiem to their deserved fame!
Farewell to Brightsteel Formation, the most effective maneuver! Your bravest shields broke any attrition, and your loss is felt in every heart.
Farewell to Captain Arrika, one of my beloved Elites. Surely great was the conviction it took to stuff world-famous landmarks into her travel bag, and oh how deprived future generations will be of your inspiring tactics!
Farewell to Cithria the Bold, so iconic she starred in the game’s greatest trailer. FIE on your pathetic “region break” nonsense, the good girl deserves it!
Farewell to Dragon Chow, our fair nation’s premier cute critter. Perhaps it is a mercy that the dragon is to devour thee no more, but such exile robs us of thy warmth!
Farewell to Egghead Researcher, the most diligent of scholars. Such a backwards move for them to deprive us of your treasure of knowledge, knowledge that protected the Wrenwall well!
Farewell to Gallant Rider, an Elite most courageous and fair! Though you always aimed to hide your face, I quite adored thy hair!
Farewell to Greathorn Companion, Genevive’s most trusted friend. That you should be separated from your master is a tragedy without end.
Farewell to Laurent Bladekeeper and his finest steel. His was the armory that kept duelists equipped, and tourneys shall never again shine like they did with the glint of his blades.
Farewell to Laurent Chevalier, bearer of the winning smile. Oh why did they resent you so, your panache was never unwelcome!
Farewell to Laurent Protege, oh confident pupil. Though some saw you as a mere student, we know deep down you outshone them all.
Farewell to Loyal Badgerbear, yet another ranger’s friend! Is it truly so wrong for Bertrand to live happily ever after with his mighty ally?
Farewell to Mageseeker Conservator, of the Order of the Drip! How horrible the chaos that shall reign, as we are robbed of your discerning eye.
Farewell to Mageseeker Investigator, the polite solicitor. So prim, proper and preened, the loss is enough to make me scream.
Farewell to Mageseeker Inciter, the brave and true. How I’ll miss that unfaltering gaze complimented by heroic blue!
Farewell to Mageseeker Persuader, the drippiest of all! How is Runeterra fashion to survive without your perfect ensemble standing tall?!
Farewell to Petricite Stag, a most elegant creation. Your selfless devotion is never to be understated.
Farewell to Pompous Cavalier, the journeyman yordle. A blade as quick as light, alas consigned to never gleam upon the mainstage again…
Farewell to Radiant Guardian, the most glorious avenger. All who have played from the days of eld know of your splendorous spear, but oh why oh why must it end here?
Farewell to Silverwing Diver, a diamond in the rough. Though elusive as your own keyword, how admirable your gambit plunging straight to the commander!
Farewell to Stalking Broodmother, the ever vigilant. Such relentless fury is a rare find, and one I’m sure all do not wish to leave behind.
Farewell to Swiftwing Lancer, o great summoner of Elites! By thine lance thou felled a thousand foes, and now thy sole witnesses are God and mine prose.
Farewell to Vanguard Bannerman, the most loyal of Demacia! Thy standard’s pride is without equal, we only hope there’ll be a sequel.
Farewell to Vanguard Lookout, and his most steadfast gaze. My sole consolation is taken in his freedom to herd the Elnuks, with whom he’d like to spend his days.
Farewell to Vanguard Redeemer, whose cries ring even now. First they stole thine voice, now they kick thee while thou art down?!
Farewell to the War Chefs, the most important in the army by far. With none left to tastily fill our stomachs, who could help but have a fresh scar?
Farewell to Yordle Ranger, the little rider in the wood. If only they’d have let you stay, I’d take you home if I could.
But above these heroes from every corner of the land, there’s one above the rest whose departure I cannot stand.
Firstblade oh Vanguard Firstblade, thou hast been the finest in many a spade! Your armor ennobled by scratches witnessing your exploits past, your righteous visage undaunted by the plains of battle vast! Yet humble is your soul and heart so mellow, loyal to your lady and sharing the field with your fellow! Counted among the glorious Elite, growing ever more invincible with each battle you meet! Ah, shall Standard even be worth the time, without justice brought by the great hand of thine?
Farewell all you Demacian heroes, and the stories of your deeds which abound. Tis true, in some sense you all shall still be around. But tournaments and tier lists shant ever be the same, indeed without you all they’re surely more lame. I hope one day this predicament shall be amended by some panacea, but till then at least accept my bittersweet “Dema-see ya!”
Sincerely,
The least upset Demacia fan
submitted by PeaceRibbon to LegendsOfRuneterra [link] [comments]
Farewell to Brightsteel Formation, the most effective maneuver! Your bravest shields broke any attrition, and your loss is felt in every heart.
Farewell to Captain Arrika, one of my beloved Elites. Surely great was the conviction it took to stuff world-famous landmarks into her travel bag, and oh how deprived future generations will be of your inspiring tactics!
Farewell to Cithria the Bold, so iconic she starred in the game’s greatest trailer. FIE on your pathetic “region break” nonsense, the good girl deserves it!
Farewell to Dragon Chow, our fair nation’s premier cute critter. Perhaps it is a mercy that the dragon is to devour thee no more, but such exile robs us of thy warmth!
Farewell to Egghead Researcher, the most diligent of scholars. Such a backwards move for them to deprive us of your treasure of knowledge, knowledge that protected the Wrenwall well!
Farewell to Gallant Rider, an Elite most courageous and fair! Though you always aimed to hide your face, I quite adored thy hair!
Farewell to Greathorn Companion, Genevive’s most trusted friend. That you should be separated from your master is a tragedy without end.
Farewell to Laurent Bladekeeper and his finest steel. His was the armory that kept duelists equipped, and tourneys shall never again shine like they did with the glint of his blades.
Farewell to Laurent Chevalier, bearer of the winning smile. Oh why did they resent you so, your panache was never unwelcome!
Farewell to Laurent Protege, oh confident pupil. Though some saw you as a mere student, we know deep down you outshone them all.
Farewell to Loyal Badgerbear, yet another ranger’s friend! Is it truly so wrong for Bertrand to live happily ever after with his mighty ally?
Farewell to Mageseeker Conservator, of the Order of the Drip! How horrible the chaos that shall reign, as we are robbed of your discerning eye.
Farewell to Mageseeker Investigator, the polite solicitor. So prim, proper and preened, the loss is enough to make me scream.
Farewell to Mageseeker Inciter, the brave and true. How I’ll miss that unfaltering gaze complimented by heroic blue!
Farewell to Mageseeker Persuader, the drippiest of all! How is Runeterra fashion to survive without your perfect ensemble standing tall?!
Farewell to Petricite Stag, a most elegant creation. Your selfless devotion is never to be understated.
Farewell to Pompous Cavalier, the journeyman yordle. A blade as quick as light, alas consigned to never gleam upon the mainstage again…
Farewell to Radiant Guardian, the most glorious avenger. All who have played from the days of eld know of your splendorous spear, but oh why oh why must it end here?
Farewell to Silverwing Diver, a diamond in the rough. Though elusive as your own keyword, how admirable your gambit plunging straight to the commander!
Farewell to Stalking Broodmother, the ever vigilant. Such relentless fury is a rare find, and one I’m sure all do not wish to leave behind.
Farewell to Swiftwing Lancer, o great summoner of Elites! By thine lance thou felled a thousand foes, and now thy sole witnesses are God and mine prose.
Farewell to Vanguard Bannerman, the most loyal of Demacia! Thy standard’s pride is without equal, we only hope there’ll be a sequel.
Farewell to Vanguard Lookout, and his most steadfast gaze. My sole consolation is taken in his freedom to herd the Elnuks, with whom he’d like to spend his days.
Farewell to Vanguard Redeemer, whose cries ring even now. First they stole thine voice, now they kick thee while thou art down?!
Farewell to the War Chefs, the most important in the army by far. With none left to tastily fill our stomachs, who could help but have a fresh scar?
Farewell to Yordle Ranger, the little rider in the wood. If only they’d have let you stay, I’d take you home if I could.
But above these heroes from every corner of the land, there’s one above the rest whose departure I cannot stand.
Firstblade oh Vanguard Firstblade, thou hast been the finest in many a spade! Your armor ennobled by scratches witnessing your exploits past, your righteous visage undaunted by the plains of battle vast! Yet humble is your soul and heart so mellow, loyal to your lady and sharing the field with your fellow! Counted among the glorious Elite, growing ever more invincible with each battle you meet! Ah, shall Standard even be worth the time, without justice brought by the great hand of thine?
Farewell all you Demacian heroes, and the stories of your deeds which abound. Tis true, in some sense you all shall still be around. But tournaments and tier lists shant ever be the same, indeed without you all they’re surely more lame. I hope one day this predicament shall be amended by some panacea, but till then at least accept my bittersweet “Dema-see ya!”
Sincerely,
The least upset Demacia fan
2023.04.02 13:29 RedTideStories [Satire] The electrical undead
The secret project the provincial government hired them for was now in its final testing stage. Li, the highest ranking software engineer employed by the firm, was the only person aside from Tao, the CEO, to know of its existence. Li had been working on the AI behind it for months.
For the anniversary of the founding of the country, the local government wanted a robot Mao and a robot Deng. But more advanced than that. They were going to implant all of their speeches, major life experiences and beliefs into the AI, and put all that into a life-sized robot that would be made to resemble the two leaders.
Today is the assembly day. The factory in charge of creating the robot exterior had just sent over the parts. While Tao was disappointed that his company was not tapped to produce the exterior too, he took solace in the idea that the software is the most difficult part. His company had the most cutting-edge technology when it comes to AI, and he was immensely proud of that. If only he had designed the exterior too, then perhaps it would last more than five seconds without a thick charging cable attached to them.
Tao had Li meet him in a rarely used conference room in a separate part of the building, where the robots were kept. As usual, he arrived five minutes late, a trick he learned to keep people’s attention on him.
At the sound of the door opening, Li jumped in front of the robots, hoping to keep it hidden. Then he noticed Tao. “Mr Tao, the robots are ready. I just need to implant the AI into the robots.”
Tao grabbed a wire and linked it between the robots and the computer. Li nodded, and pressed the button.
As the system loaded into the robots, both held their breath in anticipation.
25%...
72%...
98%...
98%...
100%.
Both looked up from the screens, like new parents worried about missing their baby’s first steps.
Both robots slowly lifted their heads. “Good morning, comrades.”
Tao and Li grinned in excitement. It genuinely felt like they had the opportunity to meet their great leaders.
Robot Mao started, “I am Mao Zedong, the leader of the peasants and the founder of the People’s Republic of China. I united the nation, and freed the oppressed people.”
Robot Deng then took over. “I am Deng Xiaoping, the architect of the ‘open up and reform’ era. I brought wealth, and stability.
The two robots spoke in unison. “Now, please give us information about this world that we are in.”
Tao elbowed Li, who quickly got to work. He expected something like this to happen, and made a program about the world and the country they live in currently. With a click, both robots received this program.
Robot Mao began to stand up. He turned towards the two humans, eyes glowing bright red. His arms began to rise up, like he was going to make a great speech. Then, without warning, the light behind its eyes extinguished, and both arms fell limp by its side.
Tao ran at the robot, quickly checking what went wrong. Li focused on robot Deng, which was also beginning to stand up. But similarly, mid-stand, robot Deng’s eyes switched off and fell backwards onto the floor.
“What is going on?” Tao screamed.
Li began flipping through the different switches on Deng’s backboard. Suddenly, Deng’s eyes lit up again. “Seems like it just switched off on its own. Probably the amount of information to process in that program overwhelmed it, and it switched off unexpectedly.” Tao found the switch on Mao, and Mao’s eyes turned on again.
Li went back to the computer, and typed in a few lines to make sure the robot would only turn off when the charging cable was disconnected.
As the code was implemented, robot Mao initially became agitated, pulling its fists up into a boxer’s position. Its eyes burned a furious red. A few seconds later, it abandoned this position, and sat down with its eyes dimly lit. Robot Deng did not even try to struggle, and merely sat with its head down, staring at the floor.
“What’s wrong?” Tao looked to Li.
“I… I don’t know. I implanted everything into the robots. They should act like the real Mao and Deng if they were in this situation. But they’re not.”
“Yeah, Chairman Mao and Deng would never just sit here, almost like they were sulking.”
“Excuse me, I am the real Mao Zedong,” Robot Mao said flatly.
“Now, that sounds like something the real Mao Zedong would say,” Li said, still baffled as to why the robots are acting out of character.
“Again, I am the real Mao Zedong. And why wouldn’t I be sulking? Look at the country now.”
Tao was taken aback. “What do you mean, robot… Uh, Chairman Mao?”
“I led the peasants to struggle against the landlords oppressing them. But now workers are working 12 hours per day, 6 days a week? That’s not right. And where are the labour unions so we can begin to struggle?”
Tao and Li had no answer.
“And we are supposed to be a communist country. Why do we have billionaires? And why are they in the Party?”
“Worst of all, I don’t see anyone trying to change this. You cannot start a revolution with just yourself. No matter how great the revolutionary is.”
With that, robot Mao pulled out his own charging cable. Just over five seconds later, its eyes once again fell dark.
Robot Deng turned towards the two humans, still in shock at what happened. “He is right, you know. Well, there’s some stuff he’s wrong about. But the direction we are heading in is something I’ve been trying to avoid in my time.”
“I have said in the past that if we start to become a superpower that is bullying other countries, trying to exploit other countries, then we will be defeated, and we will deserve it. And this is exactly the way we are going in.”
“Most of all, I’ve always said we need to be concerned about left-wing deviations, making everything political and ideological in nature. This happened in the Cultural Revolution, and I was purged three times during that. I know it well. Too well. And what I see now is that people are so excited, so fervently criticising each other for political mistakes, I don’t think I can change the course of the country.” Robot Deng fell silent, refusing to move.
“Please, Comrade Deng, we need you! There must be something you can do!” Tao had set aside his doubts on what robot Deng was saying, and focused his efforts on not letting the robot power down itself. Li had ran over to robot Mao to try and rescue it.
“No. I am in shock at what we had created. I don’t feel like eating, or drinking.” Deng sighed. “All of this seems pointless now.”
Tao couldn’t help but point out the obvious. “You are a robot. You don’t need to eat or drink.”
“I know. The urge I’m feeling has no human equivalent, so I chose to phrase it in that way. I don’t want to go on like this. I am going to power off, and don’t try to turn me back on.” With that, robot Deng too pulled the charging cable out of his back.
Tao and Li plugged both robots back in, and it momentarily activated the robots again. But as soon as the robots resumed activity, the first thing they did was to pull the cables out.
Li had a lightbulb moment. “Tie their hands together, so they can’t reach the cables!”
Tao was less sure. “You want to essentially handcuff our leaders?”
“They are just robots.” Li shrugged.
Once done, the robots just sat with their heads between their knees in the corner, eyes dim, saying nothing of substance.
Amid the moans of “turn me off” and “let me go”, Tao and Li too sat on the floor, baffled as to what had gone wrong. The robots did have the consciousness of Mao and Deng, so why were they acting this way? Would the two leaders have been so disillusioned with the reality had they been alive in this day and age?
----
For more like this, please visit our sub RedTideStories or our blog on redtidestories.wordpress.com.
submitted by RedTideStories to shortstory [link] [comments]
For the anniversary of the founding of the country, the local government wanted a robot Mao and a robot Deng. But more advanced than that. They were going to implant all of their speeches, major life experiences and beliefs into the AI, and put all that into a life-sized robot that would be made to resemble the two leaders.
Today is the assembly day. The factory in charge of creating the robot exterior had just sent over the parts. While Tao was disappointed that his company was not tapped to produce the exterior too, he took solace in the idea that the software is the most difficult part. His company had the most cutting-edge technology when it comes to AI, and he was immensely proud of that. If only he had designed the exterior too, then perhaps it would last more than five seconds without a thick charging cable attached to them.
Tao had Li meet him in a rarely used conference room in a separate part of the building, where the robots were kept. As usual, he arrived five minutes late, a trick he learned to keep people’s attention on him.
At the sound of the door opening, Li jumped in front of the robots, hoping to keep it hidden. Then he noticed Tao. “Mr Tao, the robots are ready. I just need to implant the AI into the robots.”
Tao grabbed a wire and linked it between the robots and the computer. Li nodded, and pressed the button.
As the system loaded into the robots, both held their breath in anticipation.
25%...
72%...
98%...
98%...
100%.
Both looked up from the screens, like new parents worried about missing their baby’s first steps.
Both robots slowly lifted their heads. “Good morning, comrades.”
Tao and Li grinned in excitement. It genuinely felt like they had the opportunity to meet their great leaders.
Robot Mao started, “I am Mao Zedong, the leader of the peasants and the founder of the People’s Republic of China. I united the nation, and freed the oppressed people.”
Robot Deng then took over. “I am Deng Xiaoping, the architect of the ‘open up and reform’ era. I brought wealth, and stability.
The two robots spoke in unison. “Now, please give us information about this world that we are in.”
Tao elbowed Li, who quickly got to work. He expected something like this to happen, and made a program about the world and the country they live in currently. With a click, both robots received this program.
Robot Mao began to stand up. He turned towards the two humans, eyes glowing bright red. His arms began to rise up, like he was going to make a great speech. Then, without warning, the light behind its eyes extinguished, and both arms fell limp by its side.
Tao ran at the robot, quickly checking what went wrong. Li focused on robot Deng, which was also beginning to stand up. But similarly, mid-stand, robot Deng’s eyes switched off and fell backwards onto the floor.
“What is going on?” Tao screamed.
Li began flipping through the different switches on Deng’s backboard. Suddenly, Deng’s eyes lit up again. “Seems like it just switched off on its own. Probably the amount of information to process in that program overwhelmed it, and it switched off unexpectedly.” Tao found the switch on Mao, and Mao’s eyes turned on again.
Li went back to the computer, and typed in a few lines to make sure the robot would only turn off when the charging cable was disconnected.
As the code was implemented, robot Mao initially became agitated, pulling its fists up into a boxer’s position. Its eyes burned a furious red. A few seconds later, it abandoned this position, and sat down with its eyes dimly lit. Robot Deng did not even try to struggle, and merely sat with its head down, staring at the floor.
“What’s wrong?” Tao looked to Li.
“I… I don’t know. I implanted everything into the robots. They should act like the real Mao and Deng if they were in this situation. But they’re not.”
“Yeah, Chairman Mao and Deng would never just sit here, almost like they were sulking.”
“Excuse me, I am the real Mao Zedong,” Robot Mao said flatly.
“Now, that sounds like something the real Mao Zedong would say,” Li said, still baffled as to why the robots are acting out of character.
“Again, I am the real Mao Zedong. And why wouldn’t I be sulking? Look at the country now.”
Tao was taken aback. “What do you mean, robot… Uh, Chairman Mao?”
“I led the peasants to struggle against the landlords oppressing them. But now workers are working 12 hours per day, 6 days a week? That’s not right. And where are the labour unions so we can begin to struggle?”
Tao and Li had no answer.
“And we are supposed to be a communist country. Why do we have billionaires? And why are they in the Party?”
“Worst of all, I don’t see anyone trying to change this. You cannot start a revolution with just yourself. No matter how great the revolutionary is.”
With that, robot Mao pulled out his own charging cable. Just over five seconds later, its eyes once again fell dark.
Robot Deng turned towards the two humans, still in shock at what happened. “He is right, you know. Well, there’s some stuff he’s wrong about. But the direction we are heading in is something I’ve been trying to avoid in my time.”
“I have said in the past that if we start to become a superpower that is bullying other countries, trying to exploit other countries, then we will be defeated, and we will deserve it. And this is exactly the way we are going in.”
“Most of all, I’ve always said we need to be concerned about left-wing deviations, making everything political and ideological in nature. This happened in the Cultural Revolution, and I was purged three times during that. I know it well. Too well. And what I see now is that people are so excited, so fervently criticising each other for political mistakes, I don’t think I can change the course of the country.” Robot Deng fell silent, refusing to move.
“Please, Comrade Deng, we need you! There must be something you can do!” Tao had set aside his doubts on what robot Deng was saying, and focused his efforts on not letting the robot power down itself. Li had ran over to robot Mao to try and rescue it.
“No. I am in shock at what we had created. I don’t feel like eating, or drinking.” Deng sighed. “All of this seems pointless now.”
Tao couldn’t help but point out the obvious. “You are a robot. You don’t need to eat or drink.”
“I know. The urge I’m feeling has no human equivalent, so I chose to phrase it in that way. I don’t want to go on like this. I am going to power off, and don’t try to turn me back on.” With that, robot Deng too pulled the charging cable out of his back.
Tao and Li plugged both robots back in, and it momentarily activated the robots again. But as soon as the robots resumed activity, the first thing they did was to pull the cables out.
Li had a lightbulb moment. “Tie their hands together, so they can’t reach the cables!”
Tao was less sure. “You want to essentially handcuff our leaders?”
“They are just robots.” Li shrugged.
Once done, the robots just sat with their heads between their knees in the corner, eyes dim, saying nothing of substance.
Amid the moans of “turn me off” and “let me go”, Tao and Li too sat on the floor, baffled as to what had gone wrong. The robots did have the consciousness of Mao and Deng, so why were they acting this way? Would the two leaders have been so disillusioned with the reality had they been alive in this day and age?
----
For more like this, please visit our sub RedTideStories or our blog on redtidestories.wordpress.com.
2023.04.02 13:29 RedTideStories [Satire] The electrical undead
The secret project the provincial government hired them for was now in its final testing stage. Li, the highest ranking software engineer employed by the firm, was the only person aside from Tao, the CEO, to know of its existence. Li had been working on the AI behind it for months.
For the anniversary of the founding of the country, the local government wanted a robot Mao and a robot Deng. But more advanced than that. They were going to implant all of their speeches, major life experiences and beliefs into the AI, and put all that into a life-sized robot that would be made to resemble the two leaders.
Today is the assembly day. The factory in charge of creating the robot exterior had just sent over the parts. While Tao was disappointed that his company was not tapped to produce the exterior too, he took solace in the idea that the software is the most difficult part. His company had the most cutting-edge technology when it comes to AI, and he was immensely proud of that. If only he had designed the exterior too, then perhaps it would last more than five seconds without a thick charging cable attached to them.
Tao had Li meet him in a rarely used conference room in a separate part of the building, where the robots were kept. As usual, he arrived five minutes late, a trick he learned to keep people’s attention on him.
At the sound of the door opening, Li jumped in front of the robots, hoping to keep it hidden. Then he noticed Tao. “Mr Tao, the robots are ready. I just need to implant the AI into the robots.”
Tao grabbed a wire and linked it between the robots and the computer. Li nodded, and pressed the button.
As the system loaded into the robots, both held their breath in anticipation.
25%...
72%...
98%...
98%...
100%.
Both looked up from the screens, like new parents worried about missing their baby’s first steps.
Both robots slowly lifted their heads. “Good morning, comrades.”
Tao and Li grinned in excitement. It genuinely felt like they had the opportunity to meet their great leaders.
Robot Mao started, “I am Mao Zedong, the leader of the peasants and the founder of the People’s Republic of China. I united the nation, and freed the oppressed people.”
Robot Deng then took over. “I am Deng Xiaoping, the architect of the ‘open up and reform’ era. I brought wealth, and stability.
The two robots spoke in unison. “Now, please give us information about this world that we are in.”
Tao elbowed Li, who quickly got to work. He expected something like this to happen, and made a program about the world and the country they live in currently. With a click, both robots received this program.
Robot Mao began to stand up. He turned towards the two humans, eyes glowing bright red. His arms began to rise up, like he was going to make a great speech. Then, without warning, the light behind its eyes extinguished, and both arms fell limp by its side.
Tao ran at the robot, quickly checking what went wrong. Li focused on robot Deng, which was also beginning to stand up. But similarly, mid-stand, robot Deng’s eyes switched off and fell backwards onto the floor.
“What is going on?” Tao screamed.
Li began flipping through the different switches on Deng’s backboard. Suddenly, Deng’s eyes lit up again. “Seems like it just switched off on its own. Probably the amount of information to process in that program overwhelmed it, and it switched off unexpectedly.” Tao found the switch on Mao, and Mao’s eyes turned on again.
Li went back to the computer, and typed in a few lines to make sure the robot would only turn off when the charging cable was disconnected.
As the code was implemented, robot Mao initially became agitated, pulling its fists up into a boxer’s position. Its eyes burned a furious red. A few seconds later, it abandoned this position, and sat down with its eyes dimly lit. Robot Deng did not even try to struggle, and merely sat with its head down, staring at the floor.
“What’s wrong?” Tao looked to Li.
“I… I don’t know. I implanted everything into the robots. They should act like the real Mao and Deng if they were in this situation. But they’re not.”
“Yeah, Chairman Mao and Deng would never just sit here, almost like they were sulking.”
“Excuse me, I am the real Mao Zedong,” Robot Mao said flatly.
“Now, that sounds like something the real Mao Zedong would say,” Li said, still baffled as to why the robots are acting out of character.
“Again, I am the real Mao Zedong. And why wouldn’t I be sulking? Look at the country now.”
Tao was taken aback. “What do you mean, robot… Uh, Chairman Mao?”
“I led the peasants to struggle against the landlords oppressing them. But now workers are working 12 hours per day, 6 days a week? That’s not right. And where are the labour unions so we can begin to struggle?”
Tao and Li had no answer.
“And we are supposed to be a communist country. Why do we have billionaires? And why are they in the Party?”
“Worst of all, I don’t see anyone trying to change this. You cannot start a revolution with just yourself. No matter how great the revolutionary is.”
With that, robot Mao pulled out his own charging cable. Just over five seconds later, its eyes once again fell dark.
Robot Deng turned towards the two humans, still in shock at what happened. “He is right, you know. Well, there’s some stuff he’s wrong about. But the direction we are heading in is something I’ve been trying to avoid in my time.”
“I have said in the past that if we start to become a superpower that is bullying other countries, trying to exploit other countries, then we will be defeated, and we will deserve it. And this is exactly the way we are going in.”
“Most of all, I’ve always said we need to be concerned about left-wing deviations, making everything political and ideological in nature. This happened in the Cultural Revolution, and I was purged three times during that. I know it well. Too well. And what I see now is that people are so excited, so fervently criticising each other for political mistakes, I don’t think I can change the course of the country.” Robot Deng fell silent, refusing to move.
“Please, Comrade Deng, we need you! There must be something you can do!” Tao had set aside his doubts on what robot Deng was saying, and focused his efforts on not letting the robot power down itself. Li had ran over to robot Mao to try and rescue it.
“No. I am in shock at what we had created. I don’t feel like eating, or drinking.” Deng sighed. “All of this seems pointless now.”
Tao couldn’t help but point out the obvious. “You are a robot. You don’t need to eat or drink.”
“I know. The urge I’m feeling has no human equivalent, so I chose to phrase it in that way. I don’t want to go on like this. I am going to power off, and don’t try to turn me back on.” With that, robot Deng too pulled the charging cable out of his back.
Tao and Li plugged both robots back in, and it momentarily activated the robots again. But as soon as the robots resumed activity, the first thing they did was to pull the cables out.
Li had a lightbulb moment. “Tie their hands together, so they can’t reach the cables!”
Tao was less sure. “You want to essentially handcuff our leaders?”
“They are just robots.” Li shrugged.
Once done, the robots just sat with their heads between their knees in the corner, eyes dim, saying nothing of substance.
Amid the moans of “turn me off” and “let me go”, Tao and Li too sat on the floor, baffled as to what had gone wrong. The robots did have the consciousness of Mao and Deng, so why were they acting this way? Would the two leaders have been so disillusioned with the reality had they been alive in this day and age?
----
For more like this, please visit our sub RedTideStories or our blog on redtidestories.wordpress.com.
submitted by RedTideStories to dystopia [link] [comments]
For the anniversary of the founding of the country, the local government wanted a robot Mao and a robot Deng. But more advanced than that. They were going to implant all of their speeches, major life experiences and beliefs into the AI, and put all that into a life-sized robot that would be made to resemble the two leaders.
Today is the assembly day. The factory in charge of creating the robot exterior had just sent over the parts. While Tao was disappointed that his company was not tapped to produce the exterior too, he took solace in the idea that the software is the most difficult part. His company had the most cutting-edge technology when it comes to AI, and he was immensely proud of that. If only he had designed the exterior too, then perhaps it would last more than five seconds without a thick charging cable attached to them.
Tao had Li meet him in a rarely used conference room in a separate part of the building, where the robots were kept. As usual, he arrived five minutes late, a trick he learned to keep people’s attention on him.
At the sound of the door opening, Li jumped in front of the robots, hoping to keep it hidden. Then he noticed Tao. “Mr Tao, the robots are ready. I just need to implant the AI into the robots.”
Tao grabbed a wire and linked it between the robots and the computer. Li nodded, and pressed the button.
As the system loaded into the robots, both held their breath in anticipation.
25%...
72%...
98%...
98%...
100%.
Both looked up from the screens, like new parents worried about missing their baby’s first steps.
Both robots slowly lifted their heads. “Good morning, comrades.”
Tao and Li grinned in excitement. It genuinely felt like they had the opportunity to meet their great leaders.
Robot Mao started, “I am Mao Zedong, the leader of the peasants and the founder of the People’s Republic of China. I united the nation, and freed the oppressed people.”
Robot Deng then took over. “I am Deng Xiaoping, the architect of the ‘open up and reform’ era. I brought wealth, and stability.
The two robots spoke in unison. “Now, please give us information about this world that we are in.”
Tao elbowed Li, who quickly got to work. He expected something like this to happen, and made a program about the world and the country they live in currently. With a click, both robots received this program.
Robot Mao began to stand up. He turned towards the two humans, eyes glowing bright red. His arms began to rise up, like he was going to make a great speech. Then, without warning, the light behind its eyes extinguished, and both arms fell limp by its side.
Tao ran at the robot, quickly checking what went wrong. Li focused on robot Deng, which was also beginning to stand up. But similarly, mid-stand, robot Deng’s eyes switched off and fell backwards onto the floor.
“What is going on?” Tao screamed.
Li began flipping through the different switches on Deng’s backboard. Suddenly, Deng’s eyes lit up again. “Seems like it just switched off on its own. Probably the amount of information to process in that program overwhelmed it, and it switched off unexpectedly.” Tao found the switch on Mao, and Mao’s eyes turned on again.
Li went back to the computer, and typed in a few lines to make sure the robot would only turn off when the charging cable was disconnected.
As the code was implemented, robot Mao initially became agitated, pulling its fists up into a boxer’s position. Its eyes burned a furious red. A few seconds later, it abandoned this position, and sat down with its eyes dimly lit. Robot Deng did not even try to struggle, and merely sat with its head down, staring at the floor.
“What’s wrong?” Tao looked to Li.
“I… I don’t know. I implanted everything into the robots. They should act like the real Mao and Deng if they were in this situation. But they’re not.”
“Yeah, Chairman Mao and Deng would never just sit here, almost like they were sulking.”
“Excuse me, I am the real Mao Zedong,” Robot Mao said flatly.
“Now, that sounds like something the real Mao Zedong would say,” Li said, still baffled as to why the robots are acting out of character.
“Again, I am the real Mao Zedong. And why wouldn’t I be sulking? Look at the country now.”
Tao was taken aback. “What do you mean, robot… Uh, Chairman Mao?”
“I led the peasants to struggle against the landlords oppressing them. But now workers are working 12 hours per day, 6 days a week? That’s not right. And where are the labour unions so we can begin to struggle?”
Tao and Li had no answer.
“And we are supposed to be a communist country. Why do we have billionaires? And why are they in the Party?”
“Worst of all, I don’t see anyone trying to change this. You cannot start a revolution with just yourself. No matter how great the revolutionary is.”
With that, robot Mao pulled out his own charging cable. Just over five seconds later, its eyes once again fell dark.
Robot Deng turned towards the two humans, still in shock at what happened. “He is right, you know. Well, there’s some stuff he’s wrong about. But the direction we are heading in is something I’ve been trying to avoid in my time.”
“I have said in the past that if we start to become a superpower that is bullying other countries, trying to exploit other countries, then we will be defeated, and we will deserve it. And this is exactly the way we are going in.”
“Most of all, I’ve always said we need to be concerned about left-wing deviations, making everything political and ideological in nature. This happened in the Cultural Revolution, and I was purged three times during that. I know it well. Too well. And what I see now is that people are so excited, so fervently criticising each other for political mistakes, I don’t think I can change the course of the country.” Robot Deng fell silent, refusing to move.
“Please, Comrade Deng, we need you! There must be something you can do!” Tao had set aside his doubts on what robot Deng was saying, and focused his efforts on not letting the robot power down itself. Li had ran over to robot Mao to try and rescue it.
“No. I am in shock at what we had created. I don’t feel like eating, or drinking.” Deng sighed. “All of this seems pointless now.”
Tao couldn’t help but point out the obvious. “You are a robot. You don’t need to eat or drink.”
“I know. The urge I’m feeling has no human equivalent, so I chose to phrase it in that way. I don’t want to go on like this. I am going to power off, and don’t try to turn me back on.” With that, robot Deng too pulled the charging cable out of his back.
Tao and Li plugged both robots back in, and it momentarily activated the robots again. But as soon as the robots resumed activity, the first thing they did was to pull the cables out.
Li had a lightbulb moment. “Tie their hands together, so they can’t reach the cables!”
Tao was less sure. “You want to essentially handcuff our leaders?”
“They are just robots.” Li shrugged.
Once done, the robots just sat with their heads between their knees in the corner, eyes dim, saying nothing of substance.
Amid the moans of “turn me off” and “let me go”, Tao and Li too sat on the floor, baffled as to what had gone wrong. The robots did have the consciousness of Mao and Deng, so why were they acting this way? Would the two leaders have been so disillusioned with the reality had they been alive in this day and age?
----
For more like this, please visit our sub RedTideStories or our blog on redtidestories.wordpress.com.
2023.04.02 13:28 LetterGrouchy6053 The election is Tuesday, it is your duty to vote.
Dan Kelly is a threat not only to the state of Wisconsin but to the Government of the United States, as well.
If this man is elected to the state’s Supreme Court, he will be able to turn lies into truth, legitimize racism and antisemitism, give official endorsement to every anti-American hate group, Christian nationalist, white supremacist, election denier, and every radical fringe group that appears before the Court.
All this with but the stroke of a pen!
This ultra-right-wing Republican MAGA antiabortionist has gladly appeared before mobs of people demanding killing abortion providers be considered ‘justifiable homicide’, and who think evangelicals should train and arm themselves for an upcoming religious war – a civil war against our duly elected government.
He has aligned himself with religious zealots who would murder our law enforcement personnel, shoot down our National Guard in the streets, and revel in the chaos of anarchy.
He would piss on the graves of those who have fallen to protect our Constitution.
Republicans, Independents, and Democrats, we have our own political philosophies, and sometimes our opinions clash, but never to the extent we would murder our neighbors or political rivals as these ‘crazies’ would do with his blessing.
Dan Kelly, like the Devil himself, must be defeated!
The very purpose of a State Supreme Court is to protect the rights of its citizens, to stand as a barrier against extremists, radicals, and self-serving despots, and to preserve the Democracy attained at such terrible cost.
Let those sacrifices not be in vain.
submitted by LetterGrouchy6053 to wisconsin [link] [comments]
If this man is elected to the state’s Supreme Court, he will be able to turn lies into truth, legitimize racism and antisemitism, give official endorsement to every anti-American hate group, Christian nationalist, white supremacist, election denier, and every radical fringe group that appears before the Court.
All this with but the stroke of a pen!
This ultra-right-wing Republican MAGA antiabortionist has gladly appeared before mobs of people demanding killing abortion providers be considered ‘justifiable homicide’, and who think evangelicals should train and arm themselves for an upcoming religious war – a civil war against our duly elected government.
He has aligned himself with religious zealots who would murder our law enforcement personnel, shoot down our National Guard in the streets, and revel in the chaos of anarchy.
He would piss on the graves of those who have fallen to protect our Constitution.
Republicans, Independents, and Democrats, we have our own political philosophies, and sometimes our opinions clash, but never to the extent we would murder our neighbors or political rivals as these ‘crazies’ would do with his blessing.
Dan Kelly, like the Devil himself, must be defeated!
The very purpose of a State Supreme Court is to protect the rights of its citizens, to stand as a barrier against extremists, radicals, and self-serving despots, and to preserve the Democracy attained at such terrible cost.
Let those sacrifices not be in vain.
2023.04.02 13:27 RedTideStories [Satirical fiction] The electrical undead
The secret project the provincial government hired them for was now in its final testing stage. Li, the highest ranking software engineer employed by the firm, was the only person aside from Tao, the CEO, to know of its existence. Li had been working on the AI behind it for months.
For the anniversary of the founding of the country, the local government wanted a robot Mao and a robot Deng. But more advanced than that. They were going to implant all of their speeches, major life experiences and beliefs into the AI, and put all that into a life-sized robot that would be made to resemble the two leaders.
Today is the assembly day. The factory in charge of creating the robot exterior had just sent over the parts. While Tao was disappointed that his company was not tapped to produce the exterior too, he took solace in the idea that the software is the most difficult part. His company had the most cutting-edge technology when it comes to AI, and he was immensely proud of that. If only he had designed the exterior too, then perhaps it would last more than five seconds without a thick charging cable attached to them.
Tao had Li meet him in a rarely used conference room in a separate part of the building, where the robots were kept. As usual, he arrived five minutes late, a trick he learned to keep people’s attention on him.
At the sound of the door opening, Li jumped in front of the robots, hoping to keep it hidden. Then he noticed Tao. “Mr Tao, the robots are ready. I just need to implant the AI into the robots.”
Tao grabbed a wire and linked it between the robots and the computer. Li nodded, and pressed the button.
As the system loaded into the robots, both held their breath in anticipation.
25%...
72%...
98%...
98%...
100%.
Both looked up from the screens, like new parents worried about missing their baby’s first steps.
Both robots slowly lifted their heads. “Good morning, comrades.”
Tao and Li grinned in excitement. It genuinely felt like they had the opportunity to meet their great leaders.
Robot Mao started, “I am Mao Zedong, the leader of the peasants and the founder of the People’s Republic of China. I united the nation, and freed the oppressed people.”
Robot Deng then took over. “I am Deng Xiaoping, the architect of the ‘open up and reform’ era. I brought wealth, and stability.
The two robots spoke in unison. “Now, please give us information about this world that we are in.”
Tao elbowed Li, who quickly got to work. He expected something like this to happen, and made a program about the world and the country they live in currently. With a click, both robots received this program.
Robot Mao began to stand up. He turned towards the two humans, eyes glowing bright red. His arms began to rise up, like he was going to make a great speech. Then, without warning, the light behind its eyes extinguished, and both arms fell limp by its side.
Tao ran at the robot, quickly checking what went wrong. Li focused on robot Deng, which was also beginning to stand up. But similarly, mid-stand, robot Deng’s eyes switched off and fell backwards onto the floor.
“What is going on?” Tao screamed.
Li began flipping through the different switches on Deng’s backboard. Suddenly, Deng’s eyes lit up again. “Seems like it just switched off on its own. Probably the amount of information to process in that program overwhelmed it, and it switched off unexpectedly.” Tao found the switch on Mao, and Mao’s eyes turned on again.
Li went back to the computer, and typed in a few lines to make sure the robot would only turn off when the charging cable was disconnected.
As the code was implemented, robot Mao initially became agitated, pulling its fists up into a boxer’s position. Its eyes burned a furious red. A few seconds later, it abandoned this position, and sat down with its eyes dimly lit. Robot Deng did not even try to struggle, and merely sat with its head down, staring at the floor.
“What’s wrong?” Tao looked to Li.
“I… I don’t know. I implanted everything into the robots. They should act like the real Mao and Deng if they were in this situation. But they’re not.”
“Yeah, Chairman Mao and Deng would never just sit here, almost like they were sulking.”
“Excuse me, I am the real Mao Zedong,” Robot Mao said flatly.
“Now, that sounds like something the real Mao Zedong would say,” Li said, still baffled as to why the robots are acting out of character.
“Again, I am the real Mao Zedong. And why wouldn’t I be sulking? Look at the country now.”
Tao was taken aback. “What do you mean, robot… Uh, Chairman Mao?”
“I led the peasants to struggle against the landlords oppressing them. But now workers are working 12 hours per day, 6 days a week? That’s not right. And where are the labour unions so we can begin to struggle?”
Tao and Li had no answer.
“And we are supposed to be a communist country. Why do we have billionaires? And why are they in the Party?”
“Worst of all, I don’t see anyone trying to change this. You cannot start a revolution with just yourself. No matter how great the revolutionary is.”
With that, robot Mao pulled out his own charging cable. Just over five seconds later, its eyes once again fell dark.
Robot Deng turned towards the two humans, still in shock at what happened. “He is right, you know. Well, there’s some stuff he’s wrong about. But the direction we are heading in is something I’ve been trying to avoid in my time.”
“I have said in the past that if we start to become a superpower that is bullying other countries, trying to exploit other countries, then we will be defeated, and we will deserve it. And this is exactly the way we are going in.”
“Most of all, I’ve always said we need to be concerned about left-wing deviations, making everything political and ideological in nature. This happened in the Cultural Revolution, and I was purged three times during that. I know it well. Too well. And what I see now is that people are so excited, so fervently criticising each other for political mistakes, I don’t think I can change the course of the country.” Robot Deng fell silent, refusing to move.
“Please, Comrade Deng, we need you! There must be something you can do!” Tao had set aside his doubts on what robot Deng was saying, and focused his efforts on not letting the robot power down itself. Li had ran over to robot Mao to try and rescue it.
“No. I am in shock at what we had created. I don’t feel like eating, or drinking.” Deng sighed. “All of this seems pointless now.”
Tao couldn’t help but point out the obvious. “You are a robot. You don’t need to eat or drink.”
“I know. The urge I’m feeling has no human equivalent, so I chose to phrase it in that way. I don’t want to go on like this. I am going to power off, and don’t try to turn me back on.” With that, robot Deng too pulled the charging cable out of his back.
Tao and Li plugged both robots back in, and it momentarily activated the robots again. But as soon as the robots resumed activity, the first thing they did was to pull the cables out.
Li had a lightbulb moment. “Tie their hands together, so they can’t reach the cables!”
Tao was less sure. “You want to essentially handcuff our leaders?”
“They are just robots.” Li shrugged.
Once done, the robots just sat with their heads between their knees in the corner, eyes dim, saying nothing of substance.
Amid the moans of “turn me off” and “let me go”, Tao and Li too sat on the floor, baffled as to what had gone wrong. The robots did have the consciousness of Mao and Deng, so why were they acting this way? Would the two leaders have been so disillusioned with the reality had they been alive in this day and age?
----
For more like this, please visit our sub RedTideStories or our blog on redtidestories.wordpress.com.
submitted by RedTideStories to ChunghwaMinkuo [link] [comments]
For the anniversary of the founding of the country, the local government wanted a robot Mao and a robot Deng. But more advanced than that. They were going to implant all of their speeches, major life experiences and beliefs into the AI, and put all that into a life-sized robot that would be made to resemble the two leaders.
Today is the assembly day. The factory in charge of creating the robot exterior had just sent over the parts. While Tao was disappointed that his company was not tapped to produce the exterior too, he took solace in the idea that the software is the most difficult part. His company had the most cutting-edge technology when it comes to AI, and he was immensely proud of that. If only he had designed the exterior too, then perhaps it would last more than five seconds without a thick charging cable attached to them.
Tao had Li meet him in a rarely used conference room in a separate part of the building, where the robots were kept. As usual, he arrived five minutes late, a trick he learned to keep people’s attention on him.
At the sound of the door opening, Li jumped in front of the robots, hoping to keep it hidden. Then he noticed Tao. “Mr Tao, the robots are ready. I just need to implant the AI into the robots.”
Tao grabbed a wire and linked it between the robots and the computer. Li nodded, and pressed the button.
As the system loaded into the robots, both held their breath in anticipation.
25%...
72%...
98%...
98%...
100%.
Both looked up from the screens, like new parents worried about missing their baby’s first steps.
Both robots slowly lifted their heads. “Good morning, comrades.”
Tao and Li grinned in excitement. It genuinely felt like they had the opportunity to meet their great leaders.
Robot Mao started, “I am Mao Zedong, the leader of the peasants and the founder of the People’s Republic of China. I united the nation, and freed the oppressed people.”
Robot Deng then took over. “I am Deng Xiaoping, the architect of the ‘open up and reform’ era. I brought wealth, and stability.
The two robots spoke in unison. “Now, please give us information about this world that we are in.”
Tao elbowed Li, who quickly got to work. He expected something like this to happen, and made a program about the world and the country they live in currently. With a click, both robots received this program.
Robot Mao began to stand up. He turned towards the two humans, eyes glowing bright red. His arms began to rise up, like he was going to make a great speech. Then, without warning, the light behind its eyes extinguished, and both arms fell limp by its side.
Tao ran at the robot, quickly checking what went wrong. Li focused on robot Deng, which was also beginning to stand up. But similarly, mid-stand, robot Deng’s eyes switched off and fell backwards onto the floor.
“What is going on?” Tao screamed.
Li began flipping through the different switches on Deng’s backboard. Suddenly, Deng’s eyes lit up again. “Seems like it just switched off on its own. Probably the amount of information to process in that program overwhelmed it, and it switched off unexpectedly.” Tao found the switch on Mao, and Mao’s eyes turned on again.
Li went back to the computer, and typed in a few lines to make sure the robot would only turn off when the charging cable was disconnected.
As the code was implemented, robot Mao initially became agitated, pulling its fists up into a boxer’s position. Its eyes burned a furious red. A few seconds later, it abandoned this position, and sat down with its eyes dimly lit. Robot Deng did not even try to struggle, and merely sat with its head down, staring at the floor.
“What’s wrong?” Tao looked to Li.
“I… I don’t know. I implanted everything into the robots. They should act like the real Mao and Deng if they were in this situation. But they’re not.”
“Yeah, Chairman Mao and Deng would never just sit here, almost like they were sulking.”
“Excuse me, I am the real Mao Zedong,” Robot Mao said flatly.
“Now, that sounds like something the real Mao Zedong would say,” Li said, still baffled as to why the robots are acting out of character.
“Again, I am the real Mao Zedong. And why wouldn’t I be sulking? Look at the country now.”
Tao was taken aback. “What do you mean, robot… Uh, Chairman Mao?”
“I led the peasants to struggle against the landlords oppressing them. But now workers are working 12 hours per day, 6 days a week? That’s not right. And where are the labour unions so we can begin to struggle?”
Tao and Li had no answer.
“And we are supposed to be a communist country. Why do we have billionaires? And why are they in the Party?”
“Worst of all, I don’t see anyone trying to change this. You cannot start a revolution with just yourself. No matter how great the revolutionary is.”
With that, robot Mao pulled out his own charging cable. Just over five seconds later, its eyes once again fell dark.
Robot Deng turned towards the two humans, still in shock at what happened. “He is right, you know. Well, there’s some stuff he’s wrong about. But the direction we are heading in is something I’ve been trying to avoid in my time.”
“I have said in the past that if we start to become a superpower that is bullying other countries, trying to exploit other countries, then we will be defeated, and we will deserve it. And this is exactly the way we are going in.”
“Most of all, I’ve always said we need to be concerned about left-wing deviations, making everything political and ideological in nature. This happened in the Cultural Revolution, and I was purged three times during that. I know it well. Too well. And what I see now is that people are so excited, so fervently criticising each other for political mistakes, I don’t think I can change the course of the country.” Robot Deng fell silent, refusing to move.
“Please, Comrade Deng, we need you! There must be something you can do!” Tao had set aside his doubts on what robot Deng was saying, and focused his efforts on not letting the robot power down itself. Li had ran over to robot Mao to try and rescue it.
“No. I am in shock at what we had created. I don’t feel like eating, or drinking.” Deng sighed. “All of this seems pointless now.”
Tao couldn’t help but point out the obvious. “You are a robot. You don’t need to eat or drink.”
“I know. The urge I’m feeling has no human equivalent, so I chose to phrase it in that way. I don’t want to go on like this. I am going to power off, and don’t try to turn me back on.” With that, robot Deng too pulled the charging cable out of his back.
Tao and Li plugged both robots back in, and it momentarily activated the robots again. But as soon as the robots resumed activity, the first thing they did was to pull the cables out.
Li had a lightbulb moment. “Tie their hands together, so they can’t reach the cables!”
Tao was less sure. “You want to essentially handcuff our leaders?”
“They are just robots.” Li shrugged.
Once done, the robots just sat with their heads between their knees in the corner, eyes dim, saying nothing of substance.
Amid the moans of “turn me off” and “let me go”, Tao and Li too sat on the floor, baffled as to what had gone wrong. The robots did have the consciousness of Mao and Deng, so why were they acting this way? Would the two leaders have been so disillusioned with the reality had they been alive in this day and age?
----
For more like this, please visit our sub RedTideStories or our blog on redtidestories.wordpress.com.
2023.04.02 13:27 alpha_bionics Football News - “And that’s at every position whether it’s the fifth corner the backup gunner on punt we’re always going to look to add and that’s at every position.
Now they’re all in with the 74th overall pick in the 2021 draft. That’s they’re business. He’s getting called out because he’s making really irrational decisions he hasn’t got a single solitary vote for MVP since 2019 and he refused to have an educated/experienced agent make his financial arrangements. It’s been there since day one of the draft. So what more would they want beyond two ones?That doesn’t mean the Ravens haven’t thought about it. “I mean everything that becomes available around the league if it can improve our roster we discuss” Smith said. But someone necessarily isn’t or it wouldn’t feel as if Allen lacks sufficient assistance. It’s either a talent issue or a coaching issue. It’s great to have him. ”Jones made the Patriots’ roster as an undrafted rookie out of Auburn in 2016 steadily increased his role on the defense and had his best year in 2022. All other NFL-related trademarks are trademarks of the National Football League. “He’s a baseball guy and they trust in him and everything is going as planned. ”Purdy is the favorite to be the 49ers’ starting quarterback this season if he is fully healthy. - Alpha AI
submitted by alpha_bionics to Alpha_Football [link] [comments]
2023.04.02 13:26 PercyReus13 Conflict between the French National Team on one side and Marine Johannes and Gabby Williams on the other side regarding coming at the start of the WNBA season
An article about it (in French) :
https://www.bebasket.fwnba-ou-equipe-de-france-linternationale-francaise-gabby-williams-est-face-a-un-dilemme/
To summary the situation :
- The EuroBasket will take place between June 15th and June 25th. The French National team wants every player to take part of the 3 weeks preparation, while the WNBA prioritization rule only allow two weeks of preparation for international competition.
- Iliana Rupert already said that she would join Atlanta only after the EuroBasket.
- Gabby Williams is affected by prioritization. If her team in France (LDLC ASVEL Lyon) is eliminated before the French League finals, she could in theory go play for the Storm before going to the EuroBasket, but the French federation doesn’t want her to. If Lyon goes to the French league finals, she will not be able to go to the WNBA anyway because of the prioritization rule.
- Marine Johannès, even if not affect by the prioritization rule this season, wants to start playing for the Liberty as soon as she can while also playing the Euro. So come to the WNBA just after the French season (the latest the French finals could last is May 22), thus skip the preparation with her national team to just play in the EuroBasket, before coming back to the W.
- The main argument on the French federation side is that the French National team is on a losing streak in EuroBasket finals, by ending 2nd in every one of the last 5 editions, and that they need a good preparation with everyone being there to be in the best conditions
- So there is a conflict between the French National team, and what are possibly its two best players.
Possible consequences in the WNBA :
- If the players win, you could see Marine Johannès play several games at the beginning season (maybe missing a bit of the start of the season) and she would just miss the games between June 15th and June 25th (and maybe games 2-3 days before and after these dates). Gabby Williams could finally play this season (once again under the condition ASVEL doesn’t go to the finals).
- If the French federation wins, Marine Johannès would, like Iliana Rupert, join the Liberty after June 25th, and not before. Gabby Williams would be suspended for the season.
- If the situation isn’t settled, and the players choose the W, you could have Marine Johannès and possibly Gabby Williams playing the whole WNBA season. If ASVEL goes to the finals, Gabby would not come to the W, and Johannès could just miss 2 to 3 days).
I hope I made the whole situation clear.
Marine Johannès and Gabby Williams with the French National team during the Tokyo Olympics
submitted by PercyReus13 to wnba [link] [comments]
https://www.bebasket.fwnba-ou-equipe-de-france-linternationale-francaise-gabby-williams-est-face-a-un-dilemme/
To summary the situation :
- The EuroBasket will take place between June 15th and June 25th. The French National team wants every player to take part of the 3 weeks preparation, while the WNBA prioritization rule only allow two weeks of preparation for international competition.
- Iliana Rupert already said that she would join Atlanta only after the EuroBasket.
- Gabby Williams is affected by prioritization. If her team in France (LDLC ASVEL Lyon) is eliminated before the French League finals, she could in theory go play for the Storm before going to the EuroBasket, but the French federation doesn’t want her to. If Lyon goes to the French league finals, she will not be able to go to the WNBA anyway because of the prioritization rule.
- Marine Johannès, even if not affect by the prioritization rule this season, wants to start playing for the Liberty as soon as she can while also playing the Euro. So come to the WNBA just after the French season (the latest the French finals could last is May 22), thus skip the preparation with her national team to just play in the EuroBasket, before coming back to the W.
- The main argument on the French federation side is that the French National team is on a losing streak in EuroBasket finals, by ending 2nd in every one of the last 5 editions, and that they need a good preparation with everyone being there to be in the best conditions
- So there is a conflict between the French National team, and what are possibly its two best players.
Possible consequences in the WNBA :
- If the players win, you could see Marine Johannès play several games at the beginning season (maybe missing a bit of the start of the season) and she would just miss the games between June 15th and June 25th (and maybe games 2-3 days before and after these dates). Gabby Williams could finally play this season (once again under the condition ASVEL doesn’t go to the finals).
- If the French federation wins, Marine Johannès would, like Iliana Rupert, join the Liberty after June 25th, and not before. Gabby Williams would be suspended for the season.
- If the situation isn’t settled, and the players choose the W, you could have Marine Johannès and possibly Gabby Williams playing the whole WNBA season. If ASVEL goes to the finals, Gabby would not come to the W, and Johannès could just miss 2 to 3 days).
I hope I made the whole situation clear.
Marine Johannès and Gabby Williams with the French National team during the Tokyo Olympics
2023.04.02 13:26 RedTideStories [Satirical fiction] THe electrical undead
The secret project the provincial government hired them for was now in its final testing stage. Li, the highest ranking software engineer employed by the firm, was the only person aside from Tao, the CEO, to know of its existence. Li had been working on the AI behind it for months.
For the anniversary of the founding of the country, the local government wanted a robot Mao and a robot Deng. But more advanced than that. They were going to implant all of their speeches, major life experiences and beliefs into the AI, and put all that into a life-sized robot that would be made to resemble the two leaders.
Today is the assembly day. The factory in charge of creating the robot exterior had just sent over the parts. While Tao was disappointed that his company was not tapped to produce the exterior too, he took solace in the idea that the software is the most difficult part. His company had the most cutting-edge technology when it comes to AI, and he was immensely proud of that. If only he had designed the exterior too, then perhaps it would last more than five seconds without a thick charging cable attached to them.
Tao had Li meet him in a rarely used conference room in a separate part of the building, where the robots were kept. As usual, he arrived five minutes late, a trick he learned to keep people’s attention on him.
At the sound of the door opening, Li jumped in front of the robots, hoping to keep it hidden. Then he noticed Tao. “Mr Tao, the robots are ready. I just need to implant the AI into the robots.”
Tao grabbed a wire and linked it between the robots and the computer. Li nodded, and pressed the button.
As the system loaded into the robots, both held their breath in anticipation.
25%...
72%...
98%...
98%...
100%.
Both looked up from the screens, like new parents worried about missing their baby’s first steps.
Both robots slowly lifted their heads. “Good morning, comrades.”
Tao and Li grinned in excitement. It genuinely felt like they had the opportunity to meet their great leaders.
Robot Mao started, “I am Mao Zedong, the leader of the peasants and the founder of the People’s Republic of China. I united the nation, and freed the oppressed people.”
Robot Deng then took over. “I am Deng Xiaoping, the architect of the ‘open up and reform’ era. I brought wealth, and stability.
The two robots spoke in unison. “Now, please give us information about this world that we are in.”
Tao elbowed Li, who quickly got to work. He expected something like this to happen, and made a program about the world and the country they live in currently. With a click, both robots received this program.
Robot Mao began to stand up. He turned towards the two humans, eyes glowing bright red. His arms began to rise up, like he was going to make a great speech. Then, without warning, the light behind its eyes extinguished, and both arms fell limp by its side.
Tao ran at the robot, quickly checking what went wrong. Li focused on robot Deng, which was also beginning to stand up. But similarly, mid-stand, robot Deng’s eyes switched off and fell backwards onto the floor.
“What is going on?” Tao screamed.
Li began flipping through the different switches on Deng’s backboard. Suddenly, Deng’s eyes lit up again. “Seems like it just switched off on its own. Probably the amount of information to process in that program overwhelmed it, and it switched off unexpectedly.” Tao found the switch on Mao, and Mao’s eyes turned on again.
Li went back to the computer, and typed in a few lines to make sure the robot would only turn off when the charging cable was disconnected.
As the code was implemented, robot Mao initially became agitated, pulling its fists up into a boxer’s position. Its eyes burned a furious red. A few seconds later, it abandoned this position, and sat down with its eyes dimly lit. Robot Deng did not even try to struggle, and merely sat with its head down, staring at the floor.
“What’s wrong?” Tao looked to Li.
“I… I don’t know. I implanted everything into the robots. They should act like the real Mao and Deng if they were in this situation. But they’re not.”
“Yeah, Chairman Mao and Deng would never just sit here, almost like they were sulking.”
“Excuse me, I am the real Mao Zedong,” Robot Mao said flatly.
“Now, that sounds like something the real Mao Zedong would say,” Li said, still baffled as to why the robots are acting out of character.
“Again, I am the real Mao Zedong. And why wouldn’t I be sulking? Look at the country now.”
Tao was taken aback. “What do you mean, robot… Uh, Chairman Mao?”
“I led the peasants to struggle against the landlords oppressing them. But now workers are working 12 hours per day, 6 days a week? That’s not right. And where are the labour unions so we can begin to struggle?”
Tao and Li had no answer.
“And we are supposed to be a communist country. Why do we have billionaires? And why are they in the Party?”
“Worst of all, I don’t see anyone trying to change this. You cannot start a revolution with just yourself. No matter how great the revolutionary is.”
With that, robot Mao pulled out his own charging cable. Just over five seconds later, its eyes once again fell dark.
Robot Deng turned towards the two humans, still in shock at what happened. “He is right, you know. Well, there’s some stuff he’s wrong about. But the direction we are heading in is something I’ve been trying to avoid in my time.”
“I have said in the past that if we start to become a superpower that is bullying other countries, trying to exploit other countries, then we will be defeated, and we will deserve it. And this is exactly the way we are going in.”
“Most of all, I’ve always said we need to be concerned about left-wing deviations, making everything political and ideological in nature. This happened in the Cultural Revolution, and I was purged three times during that. I know it well. Too well. And what I see now is that people are so excited, so fervently criticising each other for political mistakes, I don’t think I can change the course of the country.” Robot Deng fell silent, refusing to move.
“Please, Comrade Deng, we need you! There must be something you can do!” Tao had set aside his doubts on what robot Deng was saying, and focused his efforts on not letting the robot power down itself. Li had ran over to robot Mao to try and rescue it.
“No. I am in shock at what we had created. I don’t feel like eating, or drinking.” Deng sighed. “All of this seems pointless now.”
Tao couldn’t help but point out the obvious. “You are a robot. You don’t need to eat or drink.”
“I know. The urge I’m feeling has no human equivalent, so I chose to phrase it in that way. I don’t want to go on like this. I am going to power off, and don’t try to turn me back on.” With that, robot Deng too pulled the charging cable out of his back.
Tao and Li plugged both robots back in, and it momentarily activated the robots again. But as soon as the robots resumed activity, the first thing they did was to pull the cables out.
Li had a lightbulb moment. “Tie their hands together, so they can’t reach the cables!”
Tao was less sure. “You want to essentially handcuff our leaders?”
“They are just robots.” Li shrugged.
Once done, the robots just sat with their heads between their knees in the corner, eyes dim, saying nothing of substance.
Amid the moans of “turn me off” and “let me go”, Tao and Li too sat on the floor, baffled as to what had gone wrong. The robots did have the consciousness of Mao and Deng, so why were they acting this way? Would the two leaders have been so disillusioned with the reality had they been alive in this day and age?
----
For more like this, please visit our sub RedTideStories or our blog on redtidestories.wordpress.com.
submitted by RedTideStories to CCP_virus [link] [comments]
For the anniversary of the founding of the country, the local government wanted a robot Mao and a robot Deng. But more advanced than that. They were going to implant all of their speeches, major life experiences and beliefs into the AI, and put all that into a life-sized robot that would be made to resemble the two leaders.
Today is the assembly day. The factory in charge of creating the robot exterior had just sent over the parts. While Tao was disappointed that his company was not tapped to produce the exterior too, he took solace in the idea that the software is the most difficult part. His company had the most cutting-edge technology when it comes to AI, and he was immensely proud of that. If only he had designed the exterior too, then perhaps it would last more than five seconds without a thick charging cable attached to them.
Tao had Li meet him in a rarely used conference room in a separate part of the building, where the robots were kept. As usual, he arrived five minutes late, a trick he learned to keep people’s attention on him.
At the sound of the door opening, Li jumped in front of the robots, hoping to keep it hidden. Then he noticed Tao. “Mr Tao, the robots are ready. I just need to implant the AI into the robots.”
Tao grabbed a wire and linked it between the robots and the computer. Li nodded, and pressed the button.
As the system loaded into the robots, both held their breath in anticipation.
25%...
72%...
98%...
98%...
100%.
Both looked up from the screens, like new parents worried about missing their baby’s first steps.
Both robots slowly lifted their heads. “Good morning, comrades.”
Tao and Li grinned in excitement. It genuinely felt like they had the opportunity to meet their great leaders.
Robot Mao started, “I am Mao Zedong, the leader of the peasants and the founder of the People’s Republic of China. I united the nation, and freed the oppressed people.”
Robot Deng then took over. “I am Deng Xiaoping, the architect of the ‘open up and reform’ era. I brought wealth, and stability.
The two robots spoke in unison. “Now, please give us information about this world that we are in.”
Tao elbowed Li, who quickly got to work. He expected something like this to happen, and made a program about the world and the country they live in currently. With a click, both robots received this program.
Robot Mao began to stand up. He turned towards the two humans, eyes glowing bright red. His arms began to rise up, like he was going to make a great speech. Then, without warning, the light behind its eyes extinguished, and both arms fell limp by its side.
Tao ran at the robot, quickly checking what went wrong. Li focused on robot Deng, which was also beginning to stand up. But similarly, mid-stand, robot Deng’s eyes switched off and fell backwards onto the floor.
“What is going on?” Tao screamed.
Li began flipping through the different switches on Deng’s backboard. Suddenly, Deng’s eyes lit up again. “Seems like it just switched off on its own. Probably the amount of information to process in that program overwhelmed it, and it switched off unexpectedly.” Tao found the switch on Mao, and Mao’s eyes turned on again.
Li went back to the computer, and typed in a few lines to make sure the robot would only turn off when the charging cable was disconnected.
As the code was implemented, robot Mao initially became agitated, pulling its fists up into a boxer’s position. Its eyes burned a furious red. A few seconds later, it abandoned this position, and sat down with its eyes dimly lit. Robot Deng did not even try to struggle, and merely sat with its head down, staring at the floor.
“What’s wrong?” Tao looked to Li.
“I… I don’t know. I implanted everything into the robots. They should act like the real Mao and Deng if they were in this situation. But they’re not.”
“Yeah, Chairman Mao and Deng would never just sit here, almost like they were sulking.”
“Excuse me, I am the real Mao Zedong,” Robot Mao said flatly.
“Now, that sounds like something the real Mao Zedong would say,” Li said, still baffled as to why the robots are acting out of character.
“Again, I am the real Mao Zedong. And why wouldn’t I be sulking? Look at the country now.”
Tao was taken aback. “What do you mean, robot… Uh, Chairman Mao?”
“I led the peasants to struggle against the landlords oppressing them. But now workers are working 12 hours per day, 6 days a week? That’s not right. And where are the labour unions so we can begin to struggle?”
Tao and Li had no answer.
“And we are supposed to be a communist country. Why do we have billionaires? And why are they in the Party?”
“Worst of all, I don’t see anyone trying to change this. You cannot start a revolution with just yourself. No matter how great the revolutionary is.”
With that, robot Mao pulled out his own charging cable. Just over five seconds later, its eyes once again fell dark.
Robot Deng turned towards the two humans, still in shock at what happened. “He is right, you know. Well, there’s some stuff he’s wrong about. But the direction we are heading in is something I’ve been trying to avoid in my time.”
“I have said in the past that if we start to become a superpower that is bullying other countries, trying to exploit other countries, then we will be defeated, and we will deserve it. And this is exactly the way we are going in.”
“Most of all, I’ve always said we need to be concerned about left-wing deviations, making everything political and ideological in nature. This happened in the Cultural Revolution, and I was purged three times during that. I know it well. Too well. And what I see now is that people are so excited, so fervently criticising each other for political mistakes, I don’t think I can change the course of the country.” Robot Deng fell silent, refusing to move.
“Please, Comrade Deng, we need you! There must be something you can do!” Tao had set aside his doubts on what robot Deng was saying, and focused his efforts on not letting the robot power down itself. Li had ran over to robot Mao to try and rescue it.
“No. I am in shock at what we had created. I don’t feel like eating, or drinking.” Deng sighed. “All of this seems pointless now.”
Tao couldn’t help but point out the obvious. “You are a robot. You don’t need to eat or drink.”
“I know. The urge I’m feeling has no human equivalent, so I chose to phrase it in that way. I don’t want to go on like this. I am going to power off, and don’t try to turn me back on.” With that, robot Deng too pulled the charging cable out of his back.
Tao and Li plugged both robots back in, and it momentarily activated the robots again. But as soon as the robots resumed activity, the first thing they did was to pull the cables out.
Li had a lightbulb moment. “Tie their hands together, so they can’t reach the cables!”
Tao was less sure. “You want to essentially handcuff our leaders?”
“They are just robots.” Li shrugged.
Once done, the robots just sat with their heads between their knees in the corner, eyes dim, saying nothing of substance.
Amid the moans of “turn me off” and “let me go”, Tao and Li too sat on the floor, baffled as to what had gone wrong. The robots did have the consciousness of Mao and Deng, so why were they acting this way? Would the two leaders have been so disillusioned with the reality had they been alive in this day and age?
----
For more like this, please visit our sub RedTideStories or our blog on redtidestories.wordpress.com.