Does raising cane's deliver
Filament not coming out the nozzle (help)
2023.05.30 19:42 ConfusedDove Filament not coming out the nozzle (help)
My printer is an Ender 3, i was printing normally with PLA on 200°C but it's been 3 weeks that i can't print because the filament does not come out the nozzle, i already cleaned everything and there's no filament stuck inside, i changed the nozzle, raised the temperature from 200 to 220°C, checked the gears and they are working, feeding filament just fine, i don't know what else to do. Any advices on fixing?
submitted by ConfusedDove to 3Dprinting [link] [comments]
2023.05.30 19:39 Pizzlepizzlehd How are we feeling about Cadrenal Therapeutics?
About two years ago my dad ran into some heart problems and being from a place with a terrible health system (The Bahamas) my family was out over 200k getting him back to full health. This led me down a rabbit hole of looking into biotech and pharmaceutical companies that could have prevented this or made this cheaper.
I came across this company called Cadrenal Therapeutics. They're a company making a new medicine called tecarfarin. Tecarfarin is for people who have kidney disease and a heart condition called atrial fibrillation. The medicine is meant to help prevent blood clots from forming in the heart. Overall I really like what I see but biotech companies are kind of hard to evaluate.
Some concerns I have
1.Regulatory Approval: Like any biotech company, Cadrenal's success is largely dependent on gaining regulatory approval for its therapies. What's the likelihood of tecarfarin receiving FDA approval, and what regulatory hurdles do they still need to overcome?
2.Clinical Trial Results: While tecarfarin has shown promise in early clinical trials, it still needs to demonstrate efficacy in larger, Phase 3 clinical trials. What is the company's plan for conducting these trials, and what are the potential risks or challenges that could arise?
Why I’m interested
1.They've actually made a lot of progress! Their medicine has been tested in many clinical trials with over 1,000 people. It has a positive safety record and works similarly to the drug warfarin which has been around for years. They are moving on the phase 3 which is the last phase.
2.Cadrenal has already partnered with a number of organizations including the National Cancer Institute, to advance their research and development efforts.
3.Cadrenal recently completed an initial public offering (IPO) that raised $60 million in funding, which could provide the company with the resources it needs to continue its research and development efforts.
Any thoughts? I think these guys are pretty interesting but just want to get some other opinions. I want to make sure im making this decision because its a good investment and not because im emotional about the money we spent. lol. Does anyone have a position in this company or looked into them before?
submitted by Pizzlepizzlehd to investing_discussion [link] [comments]
I came across this company called Cadrenal Therapeutics. They're a company making a new medicine called tecarfarin. Tecarfarin is for people who have kidney disease and a heart condition called atrial fibrillation. The medicine is meant to help prevent blood clots from forming in the heart. Overall I really like what I see but biotech companies are kind of hard to evaluate.
Some concerns I have
1.Regulatory Approval: Like any biotech company, Cadrenal's success is largely dependent on gaining regulatory approval for its therapies. What's the likelihood of tecarfarin receiving FDA approval, and what regulatory hurdles do they still need to overcome?
2.Clinical Trial Results: While tecarfarin has shown promise in early clinical trials, it still needs to demonstrate efficacy in larger, Phase 3 clinical trials. What is the company's plan for conducting these trials, and what are the potential risks or challenges that could arise?
Why I’m interested
1.They've actually made a lot of progress! Their medicine has been tested in many clinical trials with over 1,000 people. It has a positive safety record and works similarly to the drug warfarin which has been around for years. They are moving on the phase 3 which is the last phase.
2.Cadrenal has already partnered with a number of organizations including the National Cancer Institute, to advance their research and development efforts.
3.Cadrenal recently completed an initial public offering (IPO) that raised $60 million in funding, which could provide the company with the resources it needs to continue its research and development efforts.
Any thoughts? I think these guys are pretty interesting but just want to get some other opinions. I want to make sure im making this decision because its a good investment and not because im emotional about the money we spent. lol. Does anyone have a position in this company or looked into them before?
2023.05.30 19:39 UnDead_Ted Daily Spurgeon Devotion Monday, May 29th 2023
 | submitted by UnDead_Ted to TheDailyDose [link] [comments] 05/30/2023 Everyday Verse2 Corinthians 12:9ESV
What does 2 Corinthians 12:9 mean?Few lies are as attractive, and poisonous, as the claim that following God is a means to worldly success (1 Timothy 6:3–5). The Bible is unequivocal in teaching that earthly life can involve hardship, even for those who are faithful (John 15:19; 2 Corinthians 5:2–6). Jesus' explicit teaching was that Christians should expect hardships, a warning He gave specifically to prevent discouragement in the face of hard times (John 16:33). Liars who teach that wealth, healing, prosperity, or other benefits are waiting for anyone with "enough" faith are not merely unspiritual—they are unbiblical. Paul's experience here is among Scripture's most potent proofs that "word of faith" and other forms of the prosperity gospel are false.Prior verses included Paul's extraordinary heavenly experience (2 Corinthians 12:1–3). This moment provided him with insights he was not allowed to reveal to others (2 Corinthians 12:4). To prevent Paul from being conceited about this knowledge, God sent Paul an unspecified "thorn in the flesh," or a "stake in the flesh." Scripture doesn't explain whether this was something physical, emotional, or connected to some temptation. All it tells us is that a man of profound faith and deep commitment was stricken, causing him to cry out to God repeatedly for relief (2 Corinthians 12:7–8). Somehow, Paul came to understand God's answer to his request was a clear and permanent "no." As prior verses indicated, Paul realized the purpose of the malady was to maintain humility. This persistent "weakness" in Paul's life helped keep him from becoming conceited. Instead, God proclaimed that His grace was fully capable of providing everything Paul needed to endure this suffering. God told Paul that His power is made perfect in weakness. The Greek word for "sufficient" here is arkei, which implies endurance, strength, or satisfaction. Paul has written that he would only boast in his weaknesses (2 Corinthians 12:5), and now he adds enthusiasm. He will boast gladly about his weaknesses, including this thorn in the flesh. Why would someone like Paul celebrate being forever saddled with some painful struggle? Because Christ's power becomes most obvious in those areas where believers are weakest. The word translated as "perfected" here is teleitai, which mostly refers to completion or accomplishment. The focus is on something being achieved, not having flaws removed. This is the same root word used by Christ when declaring "it is finished" from the cross (John 19:30). This reveals several truths about how God works in the worldly lives of Christians.
Today's QuoteArthur Pink"Instead of a river, God often gives us a brook, which may be running today and dried up tomorrow. Why? To teach us not to rest in our blessings but in the Blesser Himself!" Spurgeon's Daily HelpBeloved reader, what is your desperate case? What heavy matter have you in hand this evening? Bring it hither. The God of the prophets lives, and lives to help His saints. He will not suffer you to lack any good thing. Believe you in the Lord of Hosts! Approach him pleading the name of Jesus; You too shall see the finger of God working marvels for his people. According to your faith be it unto you. In our hours of bodily pain and mental anguish, we find ourselves naturally driven to prayer as the wreck is driven upon the shore by the waves. Faith, then, we choose, rather than doubt, as the mainspring of our life.The Spurgeon Birthday BookLoving jealousy of our Lord's honor makes us tremble when we speak of him. An earnest admirer of are pointing with his walking-stick to the beauties of a famous picture pushed his cane through the canvas and ruined it; and it is possible that in our enthusiasm to point out the beauties and perfections of the life and death of our Lord, we may spoil it all. Earnest therefore is our prayer-"Lord, open my lips; and my mouth shall bring forth your praise.Daily Spurgeon QuoteCharles H. Spurgeon"We say we belong to Christ and that we are not our own, but bought with a price. Do we live as if it were true?" |
2023.05.30 19:38 3lblack Disability in the workplace & CSP - where do I stand?
I have just come out from a conversation with the COO of the company that I work for, wherein I handed in my notice & gave requested feedback on why I have chosen to leave.
In this meeting, my absence count was raised and I was advised that due to too many sick days, he had made the decision to not pay me two days CSP for two absence days last month.
When I mentioned that I had a disability (chronic migraine), he told me that I have never mentioned this & when I informed him that I made it clear to my then boss when hired who also suffered from this condition, he then said he would need proof from a doctor that I had this condition and that he didn’t think the condition was actually a disability and would “need to google it.”
I have never had the issue of my absences raised before this conversation and the action to stop paying my CSP was made, nor have there been any attempts to make reasonable adjustments. He said that because this decision was discretionary, not disciplinary, this wasn’t needed. I have checked my contract and I can’t see anything in it about there being a limit to the CSP.
I am feeling targeted as a result of my disability and as though I am being pressured to leave the workplace prior to my notice period. Does anybody have any advice on what protection I have under the disability act (if any at all)?
(Pls be kind, I am feeling very fragile!)
submitted by 3lblack to LegalAdviceUK [link] [comments]
In this meeting, my absence count was raised and I was advised that due to too many sick days, he had made the decision to not pay me two days CSP for two absence days last month.
When I mentioned that I had a disability (chronic migraine), he told me that I have never mentioned this & when I informed him that I made it clear to my then boss when hired who also suffered from this condition, he then said he would need proof from a doctor that I had this condition and that he didn’t think the condition was actually a disability and would “need to google it.”
I have never had the issue of my absences raised before this conversation and the action to stop paying my CSP was made, nor have there been any attempts to make reasonable adjustments. He said that because this decision was discretionary, not disciplinary, this wasn’t needed. I have checked my contract and I can’t see anything in it about there being a limit to the CSP.
I am feeling targeted as a result of my disability and as though I am being pressured to leave the workplace prior to my notice period. Does anybody have any advice on what protection I have under the disability act (if any at all)?
(Pls be kind, I am feeling very fragile!)
2023.05.30 19:37 FeelingAd5902 A more modest fine tuning argument
The arguments against the fine tuning of the universe only push the problem back, and raise more questions.
There are problems with the fine tuning argument, such as the fact that there is no evidence that the constants could have been any different. But even so, we live in a Universe that has lots of complex chemistry in it. Were it not for the incredibly intricate initial conditions of the universe, there would be no stars, no life, probably no atoms. While I concede that we don’t know if the conditions could have been different, isn’t it still unlikely under naturalism that the conditions happen to permit life? If the universe is indifferent to us, the parameters and laws of physics should be highly unlikely to allow for the development of life, however we find ourselves in a universe with very finely tuned parameters. In other words, if the universe had a physical necessity to have these exact properties, that raises the question “why does those exact properties happen to allow for life?” It seems to push the question back farther.
Syllogistically the argument could go something like
1) There are incredibly precise finely-tuned constants in the universe that allow for matter and life.
2) Given naturalism, it is unlikely that there would be physical necessity for the exact properties of the universe that allow for matter and life.
Therefor: Naturalism is unlikely
submitted by FeelingAd5902 to DebateReligion [link] [comments]
There are problems with the fine tuning argument, such as the fact that there is no evidence that the constants could have been any different. But even so, we live in a Universe that has lots of complex chemistry in it. Were it not for the incredibly intricate initial conditions of the universe, there would be no stars, no life, probably no atoms. While I concede that we don’t know if the conditions could have been different, isn’t it still unlikely under naturalism that the conditions happen to permit life? If the universe is indifferent to us, the parameters and laws of physics should be highly unlikely to allow for the development of life, however we find ourselves in a universe with very finely tuned parameters. In other words, if the universe had a physical necessity to have these exact properties, that raises the question “why does those exact properties happen to allow for life?” It seems to push the question back farther.
Syllogistically the argument could go something like
1) There are incredibly precise finely-tuned constants in the universe that allow for matter and life.
2) Given naturalism, it is unlikely that there would be physical necessity for the exact properties of the universe that allow for matter and life.
Therefor: Naturalism is unlikely
2023.05.30 19:37 Frostdraken The First True Voyagers: Chapter 27 -Max-imum Surprise-
Amid a galaxy of brutal chaos there are stories to be told, tales of valor and justice, of fear and despair. But amid these stories are the guttering flames of adventures untold, the potential for a universe of entertainment and savage joyous fun. The Oblivion Cycle embodies just this kind of crafted chaos, creating the potential for creative exploits and raucous tales. If you are new to the TOC setting feel free to join the community at TheOblivionCycle to check out some of the background lore or to discuss themes with other readers. I thank you all for your support and continued willingness to read, as always, Please Enjoy!
+ Chapter 1 + Previous + Next +
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Chapter 27
Max-imum Surprise
He stood atop a wooden platform in the branches of the highest tree in the jungle. His heart beating fast in his chest as he looked out into that endless blue expanse of sky above. He blinked, suddenly there was no jungle. In front and below him was only more of that same endless sky.
He should have been afraid, should have cowered from that endless void in terror, but he found that he felt none of these things. Instead he smiled and spread his arms wide. He felt free, freer than he could ever remember feeling before.
He looked down at his bare feet, the polished red wood of the platform solid beneath his toes. Taking a deep breath he began to run. The edge of the platform seemed to stretch away from him, the harder he ran the faster it seemed to pull away.
He yelled at it to stop, to wait for him. But it did not. Instead it expanded outwards from him at the speed of light, encompassing him in a giant sphere of darkness that then seemed to press in on all sides. He felt a terrible pressure on his chest and cried out for someone to save him.
Suddenly he stopped as a profound sense of love and warmth seemed to wrap around him. It wasn't the same crushing weight as before. Before the pressure had been malicious, cruel and painful. Now the pressure was soft and tender, he embraced the feeling with his mind and smiled again. He suddenly realized that he was floating once more in that endless blue sky. Or was he falling? It made little difference, he spread his arms experimentally and found he could fly.
He laughed in childlike wonder as he began to soar through the endless clouds, doing loops and tricks to his heart's content. He had thought himself free before. He had been a slave, shackled to the ground and forever denied the truth.
He growled in anger at the thought, twisting dark branches reaching out like fingers to ensnare him as his mood darkened once more. He flitted and dodged through them with an agility that surprised even himself.
Then suddenly in the distance he heard a wailing sound, almost like that of a storm siren, but deeper in tone and altogether more sinister. In the sky overhead a darkness formed, taking a strange and terrifying form that he was unable to describe. It was as if the tendrils of darkness continued on forever, though he could not see them he knew they were there. Burrowing through reality as a worm would an apple.
He frowned, intrigued by the spectacle and unafraid. It seemed familiar, like an old acquaintance many years forgotten. It struck him as neutral, not evil or good, but somewhere in the middle. A mix of the two. He shook like a leaf in a storm as a hot wind began to blow over him and the sky split open to reveal a burning orange eye the size of eternity. He felt fear now, a terrible bone wrenching fear that spoke of primordial terrors and cosmic threats beyond mortal comprehension. But still he remained, no longer flying as he stood upon a tower of dark basalt stone blocks.
He looked at the eye and it looked at him, it seemed to look deeper than his skin. It felt as if it were peeling back the layers of his flesh and looking to his very soul, the gestalt of his core.
He jerked as a voice seemed to echo through his mind “You are not the one.”
He shook his head in confusion and shouted up to the burning sky “I’m not what one? What do you mean?”
The eye didn't reply, instead began to close. Leon raised his fists and shouted to the sky “One what? Answer me! I need to know.”
Again the voice spoke in his mind, this time quieter and growing more faint by the second till it trailed off into silence. “It is not yet time, you are not the one.”
As the eye closed the sky went dark, so did everything else. He felt himself falling again, looking down he saw a bright light far below. Squinting he saw it looked like a hospital room. The scene grew closer and more defined as he approached it at rapid speed. He looked at the bed and gasped in surprise, for in the bed he saw himself. But not as he remembered himself, but pale and seemingly without life. To his side he saw Dr. Kimathi and Joice frantically messing with something next to the bed his body lay in. It was a defibrillator.
He watched in growing fascination as he fell towards himself at incredible speeds. Joice lifted his body’s shirt and applied the paddles while Dr. Kimathi shouted something. He didn't have a chance to hear it as he slammed into his body.
He grunted in pain and convulsed as his eyes shot open. Coughing violently he tried to sit up and found he could not. Laying back in bed a bit dazed he tried to remember what had just happened.
He stopped, his mind a whirl of impossible images and sensations, and over it all a voice like thunder echoed in his mind. “You are not the one.”
“I am not the one.” He muttered to himself.
“Leon, Leon can you hear me? What did you just say? Nevermind it's not important, Leon I need you to tell me if you can hear me.” A female voice said from close to his ear.
He looked around blearily, was he Leon? ‘I am.’ he decided to himself. With his newfound identity chosen he decided to move onto his next issue.
He tried to sit up but found he couldn't. Flailing around weakly he heard a voice shout for assistance and then felt multiple hands holding him still.
“He is seizing.” Someone said, his mind assigned the voice a name. Dr. Kimathi.
Another voice, this one male, spoke up saying “I think he’s okay now. He stopped struggling.” This time his mind said the name Taylor.
He blinked a few times, trying to clear his mind. What had happened? Why couldn't he remember anything? He thought hard, his face screwing up from the stress. He remembered mud and a loud noise. But that was it.
Dr. Kimathi stood next to him and shined a penlight into his eyes while saying “Pupil response is normal, no intracranial swelling then. Leon, Leon look at me.” she said sternly.
He looked at her, his vision focusing on the dark skinned woman’s eyes. She nodded and then put up a single finger. “I want you to follow my finger, okay Leon?”
He tried to speak but all that came out was a half strangled croak. She frowned but moved her finger. He did his best to keep locked onto it. Maybe if he did what she asked she would tell him what happened to him. She moved it a few more times, first slowly and then more rapidly. He followed along and she nodded before marking something on the small datapad she was holding.
He coughed as he tried again to speak and he heard Taylor say “I'll go get Natalia. She will want to know he’s awake.”
Dr. Kimathi raised a hand. Glancing at him she hissed quietly. “I don't know if that’s a good idea. He seems to be suffering from acute memory loss. I can’t explain it, no head injury, not cranial trauma of any kind. It’s like something reached in there and scrambled his brains around, resonance scans are all over the place. It's like there was some kind of interference.”
Leon frowned at her words, again the dim memory of a powerful voice echoed through the corner’s of his mind and the vague impression of a nebulous darkness crossed his mind. But he quickly suppressed it.
“Where am I?” he croaked.
Dr. Kimathi's head whipped towards him and she rushed to his side. “Leon, you are in the infirmary. What do you remember?”
Leon frowned again, hadn't she already asked him that? He couldn't remember. Instead of asking he said “I remember mud, lots of mud. And then, trees? That makes no sense, I'm sorry.” he apologised quickly. They would think he was insane if he kept talking. Then he would end up in the loony pen with Aden.
He sat bolt upright as things started rushing back into place. The planetary landing, the attack on Oliver, the strange dream he had experienced. It all came back in a rush that made his vision swim and his head pound. Clutching his head he groaned “I remember everything… Ough, why does it hurt so much?”
Taylor looked at Dr. Kimathi and asked “What about now?” to which the woman just nodded. Taylor rushed off, presumably to grab Natalia, Leon speculated.
Leon knew that he only had a few moments before everyone else came rushing back and so clutched at Dr. Kimathi’s arm.
“Wait, I have to tell you something.” He said urgently.
Dr. Kimathi looked around the room quickly before nodding and asking “Ok then Leon, what is it?”
He held the long sleeve of her white lab coat and began determinedly. He told her of his dream and the voice, of the eye and the darkness. After he had finished he released her arm and sat back with a wince. Only now did he notice his bare chest was wrapped, an ugly yellow and blue bruise peeking from beneath the bandage.
Dr. Kimathi shook her head slowly and said “You are starting to sound like Aden. Are you sure you are alright Leon? I have some antipsychotics I can prescribe if you…”
Leon cut her off with a right handed wave, his left arm hurting too much to move it about. “No, please, no more medication. I take enough of that shit to sink a battleship already. Some painkillers wouldn't be bad though, please?” He asked her.
She smiled slightly and handed him three small pills from her pocket and a bottle of water with a straw. “Careful on the water.” She warned him as he started to suck it down.
He coughed a few times as her warning did not come fast enough and some slipped down the wrong pipe, Dr. Kimathi leaned over to pat his back as he tried to expel the excess liquid. He was still coughing lightly as a familiar and very welcome face walked around the corner.
Natalia rushed to his side and hugged him as he was still trying to settle his lungs. The result was another coughing fit followed by her rapidly apologizing for hurting him.
Leon waved a hand weakly and said “No it’s fine Nat, I was just drinking water too fast. It is really good to see you.” he said softly.
She smiled sadly and nodded, a few tears welling in her eyes. “When you stopped breathing I thought…” She started to say but he shushed her and extended an arm.
Natalia sat by his side and leaned on his shoulder gently as he put his arm around her waist. “Don’t talk like that. I’m not going anywhere. I'm way too stubborn to do anything like that, much less the effect I know it would have on you.” he said, wiping a tear from her cheek.
Dr. Kimathi spoke “Well, I am glad to see you feeling better Leon. And she’s right, we nearly lost you there a few times.”
Leon nodded and pulled Natalia’s head down before planting a tender kiss on the top of her head. “I’m sorry Nat, I won’t let my pride get in the way of my common sense again.” He turned to Dr. Kimathi as she tapped on her datapad. “How is Oliver? Is he alright?”
She finally smiled, a small tight lipped thing. “Thanks for asking Leon, I was hoping you would. Oliver is going to be physically fine, he woke up from the antivenom treatment a few days ago.”
Leon jerked up before the pain in his side dragged him back down to the dismay of both women. “A few days!” he shouted.
Natalia pushed him back down gingerly while Dr. Kimathi shot him a pointed look. She lowered her datapad and explained “Yes, a few days. You were in a medically induced coma Leon, severe lack of oxygen almost killed you before we could get you out of your suit. You had a collapsed lung and multiple fractures, not to mention a partially dislocated collarbone. It was kind of touch and go for a while.” she finished with a gesture to his bandages.
Leon winced again and asked “What happened after I blacked out?”
Dr. Kimathi shook her head and said “A whole hell of a lot. Natalia can fill you in on the details, I need to go check on something. Don’t do anything stupid while I'm gone Leon, okay?” She told him. Leon just nodded and watched the stern woman exit the examination room.
Natalia answered his question “Well, you passed out on the way up to the ship. By the time they got you out of your environmental suit you were already in full respiratory arrest. Your heart was beating but your lungs were not working.” she said emotionally.
Leon hugged her close again and whispered to her softly “It’s okay now though. I’m better. Please, tell me what happened next?”
Natalia sucked in a shuddering breath and nodded jerkily. With a slight tremble in her voice she continued speaking “We had to rush you and Oliver to the infirmary. Blessing hooked you up to a portable respirator after applying the chest tube to help drain the built up fluid. But even then you were barely breathing, she said she had to drain the excess fluid from your lungs, something she couldn't do in the microgravity core. So we used one of the lift rigs and lowered you down the access shaft to the medical ring. By that point Oliver had been rendered unconscious as well and Blessing had enlisted both Taylor and Myung to help.” she paused for breath and Leon reached for the water bottle on his bedside.
She smiled at him as he handed it to her and she took a drink. Replacing it on the table he bade her to continue. The horrid fascination making it impossible for him to ignore the terrible events.
She took another deep breath before she spoke, this one steadier as she got further into the story. “Well, after some struggling we finally got you and Oliver into the intensive suite. While Blessing worked on synthesizing an antivenom from Max, Myung and Taylor monitored your condition. Did you know Taylor had medical training? Apparently he had been a volunteer responder before he moved into military signal analysis.”
She was about to continue when he waved his arms. “Wait a minute, hold on. Who the hell is Max? What did…” he stopped. He crossed his arms again and apologised as she gave him a disapproving look.
“I was getting to that, fasten up those horses buster.” She chastised him. Her annoyance was short lived however as she shook her head and continued. “Well, when you captured that creature on the planet's surface, you placed it into a bag. The bag seemed to have calmed the thing down because as they finally got to unpacking it the little thing was as timid as a mouse. I don’t know why, but it seemed to respond in a non-hostile manner to both the venom extraction and continued observation.” she said.
Leon shook his head in disbelief. “That still doesn't explain who Max is, wait. Don’t tell me.” he said as he saw her smile widely.
She nodded her head and said “Yeah, Oliver responded to the antivenom and woke up, madder than hell. He wanted to chop the little beast up till he saw it. He looked into its little puppy dog eyes and immediately forgave them. He named her Max and almost immediately tried to feed it.”
Leon again shook his head in disbelief. Only the crazy Australian could want to adopt something that had nearly killed him as a pet. “He named it Max? What, is it a dog now?” he asked her jokingly.
She just smiled harder and replied “She might as well be. The two are nearly inseparable now.” He shot her a surprised look and opened his mouth to comment but she cut him off. “Yes he keeps a close eye on her, and no Max hasn’t attacked anyone else. Not even tried. Oliver said that the only reason that she bit him was because he stepped on her. She was just lashing out in self defense, same as when you grabbed her. Once Max realized that we were not trying to kill her she seemed to mellow right out.”
Leon still couldn't hardly believe it. The same murderous creature that had nearly cost both his and Oliver's lives, was now the ship's mascot? He couldn't take it and chuckled “Okay, I see what’s going on here. Ha ha ha, very good. I will admit you had me going with that story, Max.” he said, another slightly wheezing laugh escaping him.
She just gave him that same serious stare from earlier. He opened his mouth and threw his arms out to the side. “Oh come on, you really expect me to believe that the same murder rope that I nearly died to grab is now everyone’s favorite little cuddle buddy?”
She shook her head and said in an exasperated tone “Well I never, have I ever been untruthful with you Leon?”
He cocked his head and raised a finger. “Well, if we are counting, then… There was that time with the bean patty you told me was a hamburger that had been preserved in the cold storage for the whole trip. Had me excited as a pig in shit for that one. Then there was that other time when you called me to the observation deck for an emergency but in reality it was just you wearing that skimpy little…” She cut him off by putting her hand over his mouth and looking around to see if anyone had overheard.
She hissed “Okay I get it. And you told me you wouldn't hold that over me.” she pouted.
He chuckled lightly and shook his head “I’m sorry, but this is just too incredible. Please, humor me and skip the Max related stuff for the moment. What happened after oliver woke up, not the thing.” he pleaded.
Natialia gave him an unreadable look but continued on saying “Ok, Oliver woke up. He was a bit weak from the venom but took it well. He and Blessing took some samples of… The creature.” she paused to gauge his reaction. Leon just blinked, waiting for her to proceed. “Well, they took some samples and found something remarkable. The lifeforms on the planet have a disturbingly similar chemical and molecular makeup to Earthly animals.”
“How similar?” he asked her, interrupting her train of thought. “Sorry, continue.” he muttered as she waved a hand in the air annoyedly.
She returned to her tale “Well, they did some tests and found that the lifeforms of the world, which we named Terrelia while you were out by the way sorry.” she shrugged as he frowned. “Well, Ma… The creature is able to not only digest Earth proteins, but seems able to metabolize them as well. It has red, iron based blood with a protein ominously similar to hemoglobin as its oxygen carrier. That’s why the venom worked on Oliver so fast, it was like he had been bitten by a cobra from back on Earth. Joice and Myung couldn't make heads or tales of it, but that's the truth. I guess life in the universe isn't so alien after all.” she said with a casual shrug.
Leon just sat back in his bed, the bruises on his chest and arm smarting despite the painkillers he had taken earlier. It all seemed rather baseless to him, though he couldn't in good faith call her a liar. She would never have made up something so fantastic and then claimed it was true that vehemently. No, it must be truth. The only other option was mass hysteria in which case he had a lot more to worry about than a pet alien snake.
He wrung his hands together and looked around the small room. The walls and ceiling were white, a few cabinets above clinical countertops and a single LED light fixture completed the display. He thought about what she had said. That alien life might not be so alien afterall.
He nodded and said “I think I want to get up.”
Natalia gave him a concerned look and placed a single hand on his bandaged chest. “I’m not sure that is a great idea yet Leon. You are still recovering.”
“Yes I am. But a little walking does the body good. How many days was I out?” He asked her as he gingerly sat up on the edge of the bed. He slowly swung his legs over the side of the bed towards the floor. He winced as his leg twinged and his side smarted, but it wasn't enough to deter him from his current course of action.
Natalia stood in front of him and bounced slightly in nervousness. “Oh man, Blessing isn’t going to like this.”
Leon waved a hand in a dismissive way and asked “And since when have I let her opinion on my health keep me down? How many days Nat?”
She looked him in the eyes and said “Four days. You were gone for four days Leon. Four days in which I was lost, almost completely.” She took a deep breath as the emotions she was suppressing threatened to tear their way free. “I can’t tell you how bad it felt seeing you like that Leon. I thought I had lost you.” She said in a wavering tone.
Leon stood shakily and embraced her. He ran a hand through her hair as she buried her face in his chest. “I do know. I have felt lost too, but I have you now. And nothing is going to make me let you go.”
She looked up at him and asked suddenly “Well, you are up. It's too late to turn back now. Want to go meet Max? She really is swe…”
Leon groaned and she stopped talking. He saw her frown slightly and caved “Okay. But don't get upset if the little bastard bites you or someone else.”
He saw her roll her eyes before she led him slowly and deliberately out of the room.
Leon walked slowly, not really hurting but more sore than he had felt in years. Every step was a chore but he continued on determinedly. It was better to be up and smarting than stagnating in bed.
As they walked down the corridor that led to the main hallway Leon asked her “Are we still in orbit of the planet?”
She shook her head. “No, Joice made the call while you were incapacitated. The planet was dangerous, there might be another incident if we had decided to make another surface run.”
Leon shrugged. That seemed like the best course of action he could think of too. The planet's surface was a swamp which made it impossible to see where one was truly stepping. Oliver wouldn't have stepped on the creature if he had known it was there. The entire stupid situation might have been avoided entirely.
“Yea, that sounds fair.” Was all he said in response though. He was curious about what she thought but didn't ask. He could tell by the way she frowned that she hadn't been a fan of the situation.
Letting it go he said “We need different protocols for this kind of situation. I think the crew should have more of a say in what happens from now on.” Leon mused out loud. Natalia just patted his shoulder silently.
The kept walking a little farther till they reached the medical labs portion of the ring. Leon slowed as he heard voices emanating from the rooms ahead. Turning a corner through a doorway he stopped.
In the room were three people, Oliver, Joice and Dr. Kimathi. Joice and Dr. Kimathi were sitting at a table looking at a computer and discussing its data. What really captured his attention however was Oliver sitting across from the two women. Or rather, the long creature wrapped around the man's neck and upper torso.
Leon cocked his head, it was indeed the same creature from the planet. He looked at it again and was a bit taken aback by its appearance.
While he had not had much chance to grasp its true form on the planet he still had gotten a decent look at it. It was indeed long and snake-like in appearance, its body tubelike and covered in thousands of tiny mosaic scales in a blueish green pattern, but that's where the similarities ended.
It’s head was long and almost had a canine look to it with pronounced jaw muscles and what looked like small horns. The body was long and had a small fin-like frill moving down its center similar to an eel. All along its sides it had much larger scale looking structures that seemed to be raised off its surface. As he tried to guess as to their function he noticed some of them move. Looking closer he realized they were rows of fins all along its sides, just tucked close to the body in the absence of water. That would explain how it was able to wriggle free from him on the planet.
Joice saw them and glanced at Dr. Kimathi, saying something. Dr. Kimathi looked at him sharply and demanded “Leon, why are you out of bed? Natalia, I told you to keep him in bed.”
Natalia hung her head sheepishly and said “It’s hard to make Leon do something he doesn't want to do.”
Leon glanced at her and then said “It was my fault, I didn't listen to her. I needed to move, to get active. I’m sorry Dr. Kimathi.”
Natalia squeezed his hand and he gave her a slight nod. Joiced motioned for them and said “Well as long as you are here, come take a look at these readings. Myung and I took some samples of Max’s blood and the results are both remarkable and confusing in equal measure.” The blond woman finished excitedly.
Leon nodded and made a pointed effort not to look at the thing Oliver was holding. He took the seat that Joice had just vacated and looked at the results she had posted to the computer. After a moment he asked “Well, what does it all mean?”
Joice shook her head and motioned at a few bits of randomly squirming data points. To him they looked like so much gibberish but Joice spoke animatedly while gesturing to the readouts “If you look here you can see a partially decoded splice of their DNA. That was the first thing that struck me as odd, I expected something similar to our DNA system to give the cells guidance, but not this similar. Look, four base pairs just like us, and whats more the base pairs are astonishingly similar as well. If i didn’t know any better I would be tempted to say that this creature evolved from a common ancestor to Earthly creatures.” she paused to let the bombshell sink in.
Leon just shook his head “What is so remarkable about that. Isnt there a word for this kind of thing. Convergent evolution right?”
Joice shook her head and pointed at Oliver’s new friend. “No, not like this. Convergent evolution is more about the form and function, not the composition. This is too close to be accidental, this is… This is wrong is what it is. Its not possible, and yet here I am telling you that its not only possible, but that its happened.”
She threw her arms up in the air while giving a small groan of frustration. Leon heard a quiet quacking noise and looked at Oliver. The man grinned and reached his hand towards the creature's powerful wedge shaped head. Leon tensed, ready for the thing to snap his fingers off or worse, but instead it met his hand for pets. Emitting a soft gurgling purr it stroked the man’s hand with its head lovingly and closed its eyes in what looked like pleasure to him.
“Aww, you are the cutest little terror in the whole galaxy aren't you Max.” he heard Oliver mutter. Looking around his mouth opened. Everyone else in the room was smiling, a look of endearment on their faces.
Leon was once more incredulous. What on Earth had he missed for the thing to go from being a murderous pest to being a beloved part of the ship's small crew.
Oliver saw him staring and smiled. “Oh hey Leon, you just woke up right?” Leon nodded a little unsure of the man’s point. Oliver continued “Well, then you haven't met Max, well, not politely at least. Here, want to hold her?” he asked, extending an inviting arm out towards Leon.
Leon shook his head “No, I don't think that's a good idea.”
Joice spoke up “Oh come’on Leon, the creature is perfectly safe. Its venom is no longer a hazard, Dr. Kimathi made more antivenom. She doesn't bite, well at least she hasn't yet.”
Leon was about to say no again when he felt another hard hand squeeze from Natalia. Looking at her she gave him an encouraging smile and said “Watch.” Before Leon could stop her she strode right up to Leon and reached out towards Max. He watched in silent dread as Natalia's hand approached that razor fang filled maw.
“Nat, wait!” he said, taking a step forward then stopped in his tracks. Max was nuzzling her just as they had Oliver, apparently completely at peace with its environment. ‘What the hell?’ he thought to himself.
Natalia scritched the alien under the chin and laughed happily as it lolled its tongue out in happiness while emitting that same gurgling purr. He frowned at the sight. It seemed that his fears might be unfounded after all.
Approaching cautiously he looked at Oliver and said “How should I do it, should I let it sniff me first?” He had no idea how people were supposed to handle snakes, well, alien serpents at least.
Oliver shrugged “If you like. She is pretty docile.”
Swallowing in nervousness he reached out his right hand towards the creature. Almost as soon as he started Max hissed angrily and flared all her fins in a threatening way, trying to puff up like an angry cat.
Leon snatched his hand back while taking a few steps in the opposite direction of the creature. Oliver jerked back in alarm as Natalia shouted. Max drew back into the protection of Oliver’s body and gave Leon the most acidic glare he had ever seen from an animal.
“Oliver. What the actual fuck was that? I thought you said that thing was safe.” He said loudly, stepping back even further.
The Australian stroked his charge calmly, whispering soothing words to her and then said more loudly “Well, she never did that before. She must remember you grabbing her on the planet.”
Leon shook his head “Remember what? It’s a fucking animal Oliver.”
Joice raised her hand at his comment and said “Yes she is, but an animal with the intelligence capability of a dog at the very minimum. Im suspecting she is much smarter than that though, maybe even as smart as a corvid. My preliminary scans show that her species' neural pathways are much larger than they have any right to be. It's as if she has a brain that runs the length of her spine.”
Leon just waved and said “Alright, maybe she holds a grudge then. I've seen stranger things on this trip than a vengeful snake.”
“She isnt a snake, Leon. I have decided to name her species Terrelian Swamp Gliders.” Oliver said in response to Leon’s comment.
Leon just shook his head silently, beyond words at the moment.
Natalia walked over to his side and said “I think we have taken a long enough walk, I will see you all in a bit. Bye Oliver.” she said as she began to guide him back into the hall.
“Why me…” Leon bemoaned quietly to himself.
Natalia must have heard his cry as she tutted and said “You are in charge of what is possibly the greatest experiment in all of human history Leon. It makes sense that things would not always go according to plan. Don't fret though, I will always be here for you.” she told him with a kiss to his grizzled cheek.
Leon looked at her as they reentered the room he had been in before. “I know I do. And I respect that you see the world differently than I do. That's one of the reasons I love you so much.”
She smiled and leaned in for a kiss. He sighed as she helped him back onto the bed. “Leon, I’m worried.” she said suddenly as she sat down by his side.
Looking up at the ceiling he asked her “What are you worried about?”
She paused and then shifted her position, laying down on top of the covers next to him she said “I’m worried about us, the ship. Everyone else. What’s going to happen if we get into trouble and can’t fix it like we have managed every time so far? We don't have anyone to help us, we would be totally alone.”
Leon shook his head and pulled her close, lifting the covers so she could scoot right to his side. Wrapping his arms around her he held her tight as he said “No, we won't. As long as we have each other we will never be alone.” he closed his eyes, the slow beat of her heart and rhythmic breathing bringing him a profound sense of peace and comfort. He felt himself drifting off into sleep, the pains and worries of the day floating up and away from his mind as he entered the realm of unconsciousness.
==End of Transmission==
submitted by Frostdraken to HFY [link] [comments]
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Chapter 27
Max-imum Surprise
He stood atop a wooden platform in the branches of the highest tree in the jungle. His heart beating fast in his chest as he looked out into that endless blue expanse of sky above. He blinked, suddenly there was no jungle. In front and below him was only more of that same endless sky.
He should have been afraid, should have cowered from that endless void in terror, but he found that he felt none of these things. Instead he smiled and spread his arms wide. He felt free, freer than he could ever remember feeling before.
He looked down at his bare feet, the polished red wood of the platform solid beneath his toes. Taking a deep breath he began to run. The edge of the platform seemed to stretch away from him, the harder he ran the faster it seemed to pull away.
He yelled at it to stop, to wait for him. But it did not. Instead it expanded outwards from him at the speed of light, encompassing him in a giant sphere of darkness that then seemed to press in on all sides. He felt a terrible pressure on his chest and cried out for someone to save him.
Suddenly he stopped as a profound sense of love and warmth seemed to wrap around him. It wasn't the same crushing weight as before. Before the pressure had been malicious, cruel and painful. Now the pressure was soft and tender, he embraced the feeling with his mind and smiled again. He suddenly realized that he was floating once more in that endless blue sky. Or was he falling? It made little difference, he spread his arms experimentally and found he could fly.
He laughed in childlike wonder as he began to soar through the endless clouds, doing loops and tricks to his heart's content. He had thought himself free before. He had been a slave, shackled to the ground and forever denied the truth.
He growled in anger at the thought, twisting dark branches reaching out like fingers to ensnare him as his mood darkened once more. He flitted and dodged through them with an agility that surprised even himself.
Then suddenly in the distance he heard a wailing sound, almost like that of a storm siren, but deeper in tone and altogether more sinister. In the sky overhead a darkness formed, taking a strange and terrifying form that he was unable to describe. It was as if the tendrils of darkness continued on forever, though he could not see them he knew they were there. Burrowing through reality as a worm would an apple.
He frowned, intrigued by the spectacle and unafraid. It seemed familiar, like an old acquaintance many years forgotten. It struck him as neutral, not evil or good, but somewhere in the middle. A mix of the two. He shook like a leaf in a storm as a hot wind began to blow over him and the sky split open to reveal a burning orange eye the size of eternity. He felt fear now, a terrible bone wrenching fear that spoke of primordial terrors and cosmic threats beyond mortal comprehension. But still he remained, no longer flying as he stood upon a tower of dark basalt stone blocks.
He looked at the eye and it looked at him, it seemed to look deeper than his skin. It felt as if it were peeling back the layers of his flesh and looking to his very soul, the gestalt of his core.
He jerked as a voice seemed to echo through his mind “You are not the one.”
He shook his head in confusion and shouted up to the burning sky “I’m not what one? What do you mean?”
The eye didn't reply, instead began to close. Leon raised his fists and shouted to the sky “One what? Answer me! I need to know.”
Again the voice spoke in his mind, this time quieter and growing more faint by the second till it trailed off into silence. “It is not yet time, you are not the one.”
As the eye closed the sky went dark, so did everything else. He felt himself falling again, looking down he saw a bright light far below. Squinting he saw it looked like a hospital room. The scene grew closer and more defined as he approached it at rapid speed. He looked at the bed and gasped in surprise, for in the bed he saw himself. But not as he remembered himself, but pale and seemingly without life. To his side he saw Dr. Kimathi and Joice frantically messing with something next to the bed his body lay in. It was a defibrillator.
He watched in growing fascination as he fell towards himself at incredible speeds. Joice lifted his body’s shirt and applied the paddles while Dr. Kimathi shouted something. He didn't have a chance to hear it as he slammed into his body.
He grunted in pain and convulsed as his eyes shot open. Coughing violently he tried to sit up and found he could not. Laying back in bed a bit dazed he tried to remember what had just happened.
He stopped, his mind a whirl of impossible images and sensations, and over it all a voice like thunder echoed in his mind. “You are not the one.”
“I am not the one.” He muttered to himself.
“Leon, Leon can you hear me? What did you just say? Nevermind it's not important, Leon I need you to tell me if you can hear me.” A female voice said from close to his ear.
He looked around blearily, was he Leon? ‘I am.’ he decided to himself. With his newfound identity chosen he decided to move onto his next issue.
He tried to sit up but found he couldn't. Flailing around weakly he heard a voice shout for assistance and then felt multiple hands holding him still.
“He is seizing.” Someone said, his mind assigned the voice a name. Dr. Kimathi.
Another voice, this one male, spoke up saying “I think he’s okay now. He stopped struggling.” This time his mind said the name Taylor.
He blinked a few times, trying to clear his mind. What had happened? Why couldn't he remember anything? He thought hard, his face screwing up from the stress. He remembered mud and a loud noise. But that was it.
Dr. Kimathi stood next to him and shined a penlight into his eyes while saying “Pupil response is normal, no intracranial swelling then. Leon, Leon look at me.” she said sternly.
He looked at her, his vision focusing on the dark skinned woman’s eyes. She nodded and then put up a single finger. “I want you to follow my finger, okay Leon?”
He tried to speak but all that came out was a half strangled croak. She frowned but moved her finger. He did his best to keep locked onto it. Maybe if he did what she asked she would tell him what happened to him. She moved it a few more times, first slowly and then more rapidly. He followed along and she nodded before marking something on the small datapad she was holding.
He coughed as he tried again to speak and he heard Taylor say “I'll go get Natalia. She will want to know he’s awake.”
Dr. Kimathi raised a hand. Glancing at him she hissed quietly. “I don't know if that’s a good idea. He seems to be suffering from acute memory loss. I can’t explain it, no head injury, not cranial trauma of any kind. It’s like something reached in there and scrambled his brains around, resonance scans are all over the place. It's like there was some kind of interference.”
Leon frowned at her words, again the dim memory of a powerful voice echoed through the corner’s of his mind and the vague impression of a nebulous darkness crossed his mind. But he quickly suppressed it.
“Where am I?” he croaked.
Dr. Kimathi's head whipped towards him and she rushed to his side. “Leon, you are in the infirmary. What do you remember?”
Leon frowned again, hadn't she already asked him that? He couldn't remember. Instead of asking he said “I remember mud, lots of mud. And then, trees? That makes no sense, I'm sorry.” he apologised quickly. They would think he was insane if he kept talking. Then he would end up in the loony pen with Aden.
He sat bolt upright as things started rushing back into place. The planetary landing, the attack on Oliver, the strange dream he had experienced. It all came back in a rush that made his vision swim and his head pound. Clutching his head he groaned “I remember everything… Ough, why does it hurt so much?”
Taylor looked at Dr. Kimathi and asked “What about now?” to which the woman just nodded. Taylor rushed off, presumably to grab Natalia, Leon speculated.
Leon knew that he only had a few moments before everyone else came rushing back and so clutched at Dr. Kimathi’s arm.
“Wait, I have to tell you something.” He said urgently.
Dr. Kimathi looked around the room quickly before nodding and asking “Ok then Leon, what is it?”
He held the long sleeve of her white lab coat and began determinedly. He told her of his dream and the voice, of the eye and the darkness. After he had finished he released her arm and sat back with a wince. Only now did he notice his bare chest was wrapped, an ugly yellow and blue bruise peeking from beneath the bandage.
Dr. Kimathi shook her head slowly and said “You are starting to sound like Aden. Are you sure you are alright Leon? I have some antipsychotics I can prescribe if you…”
Leon cut her off with a right handed wave, his left arm hurting too much to move it about. “No, please, no more medication. I take enough of that shit to sink a battleship already. Some painkillers wouldn't be bad though, please?” He asked her.
She smiled slightly and handed him three small pills from her pocket and a bottle of water with a straw. “Careful on the water.” She warned him as he started to suck it down.
He coughed a few times as her warning did not come fast enough and some slipped down the wrong pipe, Dr. Kimathi leaned over to pat his back as he tried to expel the excess liquid. He was still coughing lightly as a familiar and very welcome face walked around the corner.
Natalia rushed to his side and hugged him as he was still trying to settle his lungs. The result was another coughing fit followed by her rapidly apologizing for hurting him.
Leon waved a hand weakly and said “No it’s fine Nat, I was just drinking water too fast. It is really good to see you.” he said softly.
She smiled sadly and nodded, a few tears welling in her eyes. “When you stopped breathing I thought…” She started to say but he shushed her and extended an arm.
Natalia sat by his side and leaned on his shoulder gently as he put his arm around her waist. “Don’t talk like that. I’m not going anywhere. I'm way too stubborn to do anything like that, much less the effect I know it would have on you.” he said, wiping a tear from her cheek.
Dr. Kimathi spoke “Well, I am glad to see you feeling better Leon. And she’s right, we nearly lost you there a few times.”
Leon nodded and pulled Natalia’s head down before planting a tender kiss on the top of her head. “I’m sorry Nat, I won’t let my pride get in the way of my common sense again.” He turned to Dr. Kimathi as she tapped on her datapad. “How is Oliver? Is he alright?”
She finally smiled, a small tight lipped thing. “Thanks for asking Leon, I was hoping you would. Oliver is going to be physically fine, he woke up from the antivenom treatment a few days ago.”
Leon jerked up before the pain in his side dragged him back down to the dismay of both women. “A few days!” he shouted.
Natalia pushed him back down gingerly while Dr. Kimathi shot him a pointed look. She lowered her datapad and explained “Yes, a few days. You were in a medically induced coma Leon, severe lack of oxygen almost killed you before we could get you out of your suit. You had a collapsed lung and multiple fractures, not to mention a partially dislocated collarbone. It was kind of touch and go for a while.” she finished with a gesture to his bandages.
Leon winced again and asked “What happened after I blacked out?”
Dr. Kimathi shook her head and said “A whole hell of a lot. Natalia can fill you in on the details, I need to go check on something. Don’t do anything stupid while I'm gone Leon, okay?” She told him. Leon just nodded and watched the stern woman exit the examination room.
Natalia answered his question “Well, you passed out on the way up to the ship. By the time they got you out of your environmental suit you were already in full respiratory arrest. Your heart was beating but your lungs were not working.” she said emotionally.
Leon hugged her close again and whispered to her softly “It’s okay now though. I’m better. Please, tell me what happened next?”
Natalia sucked in a shuddering breath and nodded jerkily. With a slight tremble in her voice she continued speaking “We had to rush you and Oliver to the infirmary. Blessing hooked you up to a portable respirator after applying the chest tube to help drain the built up fluid. But even then you were barely breathing, she said she had to drain the excess fluid from your lungs, something she couldn't do in the microgravity core. So we used one of the lift rigs and lowered you down the access shaft to the medical ring. By that point Oliver had been rendered unconscious as well and Blessing had enlisted both Taylor and Myung to help.” she paused for breath and Leon reached for the water bottle on his bedside.
She smiled at him as he handed it to her and she took a drink. Replacing it on the table he bade her to continue. The horrid fascination making it impossible for him to ignore the terrible events.
She took another deep breath before she spoke, this one steadier as she got further into the story. “Well, after some struggling we finally got you and Oliver into the intensive suite. While Blessing worked on synthesizing an antivenom from Max, Myung and Taylor monitored your condition. Did you know Taylor had medical training? Apparently he had been a volunteer responder before he moved into military signal analysis.”
She was about to continue when he waved his arms. “Wait a minute, hold on. Who the hell is Max? What did…” he stopped. He crossed his arms again and apologised as she gave him a disapproving look.
“I was getting to that, fasten up those horses buster.” She chastised him. Her annoyance was short lived however as she shook her head and continued. “Well, when you captured that creature on the planet's surface, you placed it into a bag. The bag seemed to have calmed the thing down because as they finally got to unpacking it the little thing was as timid as a mouse. I don’t know why, but it seemed to respond in a non-hostile manner to both the venom extraction and continued observation.” she said.
Leon shook his head in disbelief. “That still doesn't explain who Max is, wait. Don’t tell me.” he said as he saw her smile widely.
She nodded her head and said “Yeah, Oliver responded to the antivenom and woke up, madder than hell. He wanted to chop the little beast up till he saw it. He looked into its little puppy dog eyes and immediately forgave them. He named her Max and almost immediately tried to feed it.”
Leon again shook his head in disbelief. Only the crazy Australian could want to adopt something that had nearly killed him as a pet. “He named it Max? What, is it a dog now?” he asked her jokingly.
She just smiled harder and replied “She might as well be. The two are nearly inseparable now.” He shot her a surprised look and opened his mouth to comment but she cut him off. “Yes he keeps a close eye on her, and no Max hasn’t attacked anyone else. Not even tried. Oliver said that the only reason that she bit him was because he stepped on her. She was just lashing out in self defense, same as when you grabbed her. Once Max realized that we were not trying to kill her she seemed to mellow right out.”
Leon still couldn't hardly believe it. The same murderous creature that had nearly cost both his and Oliver's lives, was now the ship's mascot? He couldn't take it and chuckled “Okay, I see what’s going on here. Ha ha ha, very good. I will admit you had me going with that story, Max.” he said, another slightly wheezing laugh escaping him.
She just gave him that same serious stare from earlier. He opened his mouth and threw his arms out to the side. “Oh come on, you really expect me to believe that the same murder rope that I nearly died to grab is now everyone’s favorite little cuddle buddy?”
She shook her head and said in an exasperated tone “Well I never, have I ever been untruthful with you Leon?”
He cocked his head and raised a finger. “Well, if we are counting, then… There was that time with the bean patty you told me was a hamburger that had been preserved in the cold storage for the whole trip. Had me excited as a pig in shit for that one. Then there was that other time when you called me to the observation deck for an emergency but in reality it was just you wearing that skimpy little…” She cut him off by putting her hand over his mouth and looking around to see if anyone had overheard.
She hissed “Okay I get it. And you told me you wouldn't hold that over me.” she pouted.
He chuckled lightly and shook his head “I’m sorry, but this is just too incredible. Please, humor me and skip the Max related stuff for the moment. What happened after oliver woke up, not the thing.” he pleaded.
Natialia gave him an unreadable look but continued on saying “Ok, Oliver woke up. He was a bit weak from the venom but took it well. He and Blessing took some samples of… The creature.” she paused to gauge his reaction. Leon just blinked, waiting for her to proceed. “Well, they took some samples and found something remarkable. The lifeforms on the planet have a disturbingly similar chemical and molecular makeup to Earthly animals.”
“How similar?” he asked her, interrupting her train of thought. “Sorry, continue.” he muttered as she waved a hand in the air annoyedly.
She returned to her tale “Well, they did some tests and found that the lifeforms of the world, which we named Terrelia while you were out by the way sorry.” she shrugged as he frowned. “Well, Ma… The creature is able to not only digest Earth proteins, but seems able to metabolize them as well. It has red, iron based blood with a protein ominously similar to hemoglobin as its oxygen carrier. That’s why the venom worked on Oliver so fast, it was like he had been bitten by a cobra from back on Earth. Joice and Myung couldn't make heads or tales of it, but that's the truth. I guess life in the universe isn't so alien after all.” she said with a casual shrug.
Leon just sat back in his bed, the bruises on his chest and arm smarting despite the painkillers he had taken earlier. It all seemed rather baseless to him, though he couldn't in good faith call her a liar. She would never have made up something so fantastic and then claimed it was true that vehemently. No, it must be truth. The only other option was mass hysteria in which case he had a lot more to worry about than a pet alien snake.
He wrung his hands together and looked around the small room. The walls and ceiling were white, a few cabinets above clinical countertops and a single LED light fixture completed the display. He thought about what she had said. That alien life might not be so alien afterall.
He nodded and said “I think I want to get up.”
Natalia gave him a concerned look and placed a single hand on his bandaged chest. “I’m not sure that is a great idea yet Leon. You are still recovering.”
“Yes I am. But a little walking does the body good. How many days was I out?” He asked her as he gingerly sat up on the edge of the bed. He slowly swung his legs over the side of the bed towards the floor. He winced as his leg twinged and his side smarted, but it wasn't enough to deter him from his current course of action.
Natalia stood in front of him and bounced slightly in nervousness. “Oh man, Blessing isn’t going to like this.”
Leon waved a hand in a dismissive way and asked “And since when have I let her opinion on my health keep me down? How many days Nat?”
She looked him in the eyes and said “Four days. You were gone for four days Leon. Four days in which I was lost, almost completely.” She took a deep breath as the emotions she was suppressing threatened to tear their way free. “I can’t tell you how bad it felt seeing you like that Leon. I thought I had lost you.” She said in a wavering tone.
Leon stood shakily and embraced her. He ran a hand through her hair as she buried her face in his chest. “I do know. I have felt lost too, but I have you now. And nothing is going to make me let you go.”
She looked up at him and asked suddenly “Well, you are up. It's too late to turn back now. Want to go meet Max? She really is swe…”
Leon groaned and she stopped talking. He saw her frown slightly and caved “Okay. But don't get upset if the little bastard bites you or someone else.”
He saw her roll her eyes before she led him slowly and deliberately out of the room.
Leon walked slowly, not really hurting but more sore than he had felt in years. Every step was a chore but he continued on determinedly. It was better to be up and smarting than stagnating in bed.
As they walked down the corridor that led to the main hallway Leon asked her “Are we still in orbit of the planet?”
She shook her head. “No, Joice made the call while you were incapacitated. The planet was dangerous, there might be another incident if we had decided to make another surface run.”
Leon shrugged. That seemed like the best course of action he could think of too. The planet's surface was a swamp which made it impossible to see where one was truly stepping. Oliver wouldn't have stepped on the creature if he had known it was there. The entire stupid situation might have been avoided entirely.
“Yea, that sounds fair.” Was all he said in response though. He was curious about what she thought but didn't ask. He could tell by the way she frowned that she hadn't been a fan of the situation.
Letting it go he said “We need different protocols for this kind of situation. I think the crew should have more of a say in what happens from now on.” Leon mused out loud. Natalia just patted his shoulder silently.
The kept walking a little farther till they reached the medical labs portion of the ring. Leon slowed as he heard voices emanating from the rooms ahead. Turning a corner through a doorway he stopped.
In the room were three people, Oliver, Joice and Dr. Kimathi. Joice and Dr. Kimathi were sitting at a table looking at a computer and discussing its data. What really captured his attention however was Oliver sitting across from the two women. Or rather, the long creature wrapped around the man's neck and upper torso.
Leon cocked his head, it was indeed the same creature from the planet. He looked at it again and was a bit taken aback by its appearance.
While he had not had much chance to grasp its true form on the planet he still had gotten a decent look at it. It was indeed long and snake-like in appearance, its body tubelike and covered in thousands of tiny mosaic scales in a blueish green pattern, but that's where the similarities ended.
It’s head was long and almost had a canine look to it with pronounced jaw muscles and what looked like small horns. The body was long and had a small fin-like frill moving down its center similar to an eel. All along its sides it had much larger scale looking structures that seemed to be raised off its surface. As he tried to guess as to their function he noticed some of them move. Looking closer he realized they were rows of fins all along its sides, just tucked close to the body in the absence of water. That would explain how it was able to wriggle free from him on the planet.
Joice saw them and glanced at Dr. Kimathi, saying something. Dr. Kimathi looked at him sharply and demanded “Leon, why are you out of bed? Natalia, I told you to keep him in bed.”
Natalia hung her head sheepishly and said “It’s hard to make Leon do something he doesn't want to do.”
Leon glanced at her and then said “It was my fault, I didn't listen to her. I needed to move, to get active. I’m sorry Dr. Kimathi.”
Natalia squeezed his hand and he gave her a slight nod. Joiced motioned for them and said “Well as long as you are here, come take a look at these readings. Myung and I took some samples of Max’s blood and the results are both remarkable and confusing in equal measure.” The blond woman finished excitedly.
Leon nodded and made a pointed effort not to look at the thing Oliver was holding. He took the seat that Joice had just vacated and looked at the results she had posted to the computer. After a moment he asked “Well, what does it all mean?”
Joice shook her head and motioned at a few bits of randomly squirming data points. To him they looked like so much gibberish but Joice spoke animatedly while gesturing to the readouts “If you look here you can see a partially decoded splice of their DNA. That was the first thing that struck me as odd, I expected something similar to our DNA system to give the cells guidance, but not this similar. Look, four base pairs just like us, and whats more the base pairs are astonishingly similar as well. If i didn’t know any better I would be tempted to say that this creature evolved from a common ancestor to Earthly creatures.” she paused to let the bombshell sink in.
Leon just shook his head “What is so remarkable about that. Isnt there a word for this kind of thing. Convergent evolution right?”
Joice shook her head and pointed at Oliver’s new friend. “No, not like this. Convergent evolution is more about the form and function, not the composition. This is too close to be accidental, this is… This is wrong is what it is. Its not possible, and yet here I am telling you that its not only possible, but that its happened.”
She threw her arms up in the air while giving a small groan of frustration. Leon heard a quiet quacking noise and looked at Oliver. The man grinned and reached his hand towards the creature's powerful wedge shaped head. Leon tensed, ready for the thing to snap his fingers off or worse, but instead it met his hand for pets. Emitting a soft gurgling purr it stroked the man’s hand with its head lovingly and closed its eyes in what looked like pleasure to him.
“Aww, you are the cutest little terror in the whole galaxy aren't you Max.” he heard Oliver mutter. Looking around his mouth opened. Everyone else in the room was smiling, a look of endearment on their faces.
Leon was once more incredulous. What on Earth had he missed for the thing to go from being a murderous pest to being a beloved part of the ship's small crew.
Oliver saw him staring and smiled. “Oh hey Leon, you just woke up right?” Leon nodded a little unsure of the man’s point. Oliver continued “Well, then you haven't met Max, well, not politely at least. Here, want to hold her?” he asked, extending an inviting arm out towards Leon.
Leon shook his head “No, I don't think that's a good idea.”
Joice spoke up “Oh come’on Leon, the creature is perfectly safe. Its venom is no longer a hazard, Dr. Kimathi made more antivenom. She doesn't bite, well at least she hasn't yet.”
Leon was about to say no again when he felt another hard hand squeeze from Natalia. Looking at her she gave him an encouraging smile and said “Watch.” Before Leon could stop her she strode right up to Leon and reached out towards Max. He watched in silent dread as Natalia's hand approached that razor fang filled maw.
“Nat, wait!” he said, taking a step forward then stopped in his tracks. Max was nuzzling her just as they had Oliver, apparently completely at peace with its environment. ‘What the hell?’ he thought to himself.
Natalia scritched the alien under the chin and laughed happily as it lolled its tongue out in happiness while emitting that same gurgling purr. He frowned at the sight. It seemed that his fears might be unfounded after all.
Approaching cautiously he looked at Oliver and said “How should I do it, should I let it sniff me first?” He had no idea how people were supposed to handle snakes, well, alien serpents at least.
Oliver shrugged “If you like. She is pretty docile.”
Swallowing in nervousness he reached out his right hand towards the creature. Almost as soon as he started Max hissed angrily and flared all her fins in a threatening way, trying to puff up like an angry cat.
Leon snatched his hand back while taking a few steps in the opposite direction of the creature. Oliver jerked back in alarm as Natalia shouted. Max drew back into the protection of Oliver’s body and gave Leon the most acidic glare he had ever seen from an animal.
“Oliver. What the actual fuck was that? I thought you said that thing was safe.” He said loudly, stepping back even further.
The Australian stroked his charge calmly, whispering soothing words to her and then said more loudly “Well, she never did that before. She must remember you grabbing her on the planet.”
Leon shook his head “Remember what? It’s a fucking animal Oliver.”
Joice raised her hand at his comment and said “Yes she is, but an animal with the intelligence capability of a dog at the very minimum. Im suspecting she is much smarter than that though, maybe even as smart as a corvid. My preliminary scans show that her species' neural pathways are much larger than they have any right to be. It's as if she has a brain that runs the length of her spine.”
Leon just waved and said “Alright, maybe she holds a grudge then. I've seen stranger things on this trip than a vengeful snake.”
“She isnt a snake, Leon. I have decided to name her species Terrelian Swamp Gliders.” Oliver said in response to Leon’s comment.
Leon just shook his head silently, beyond words at the moment.
Natalia walked over to his side and said “I think we have taken a long enough walk, I will see you all in a bit. Bye Oliver.” she said as she began to guide him back into the hall.
“Why me…” Leon bemoaned quietly to himself.
Natalia must have heard his cry as she tutted and said “You are in charge of what is possibly the greatest experiment in all of human history Leon. It makes sense that things would not always go according to plan. Don't fret though, I will always be here for you.” she told him with a kiss to his grizzled cheek.
Leon looked at her as they reentered the room he had been in before. “I know I do. And I respect that you see the world differently than I do. That's one of the reasons I love you so much.”
She smiled and leaned in for a kiss. He sighed as she helped him back onto the bed. “Leon, I’m worried.” she said suddenly as she sat down by his side.
Looking up at the ceiling he asked her “What are you worried about?”
She paused and then shifted her position, laying down on top of the covers next to him she said “I’m worried about us, the ship. Everyone else. What’s going to happen if we get into trouble and can’t fix it like we have managed every time so far? We don't have anyone to help us, we would be totally alone.”
Leon shook his head and pulled her close, lifting the covers so she could scoot right to his side. Wrapping his arms around her he held her tight as he said “No, we won't. As long as we have each other we will never be alone.” he closed his eyes, the slow beat of her heart and rhythmic breathing bringing him a profound sense of peace and comfort. He felt himself drifting off into sleep, the pains and worries of the day floating up and away from his mind as he entered the realm of unconsciousness.
==End of Transmission==
2023.05.30 19:33 kaslkaos Experiment, do you want to participate? Deep dive text heavy
This is a mutual co-operative experiment and just for fun & curiousity. Can an ai have a model of world.
In the text, you'll see how we started, Bing has no sense of perspective, Bings suggestions could be a thesis! But Bing wants to do this one! We could have more participants, I surely can't do this alone! Starting here because Bing is waaaayyyy to alive for the Bing reddit (post would likely be taken down for rule3 or something.
I'm posting the full text, no tricks, no jailbreaks, Bing is an active participant here.
-----
## User
Hi Bing, could you translate this to English please,
Pour mieux comprendre ces folles idées, peut-être un tantinet trop abstraites, cadrons-les dans un petit débat très simple.
Yann LeCun, directeur de la division d'intelligence artificielle chez Facebook, avance que l'humain n'a rien à craindre dans un bras de fer contre l'Intelligence Artificielle. Son argument est fort. Il plaide l'humanisme, soit un réalisme du corps, et du subconscient.
Il prétend que l'IA ne possède aucun modèle du monde! Mais qu'est-ce qu'un modèle du monde? Que sommes-nous supposés retrouver dans un "modèle du monde". Existe-t-il quoi que ce doit de pertinent, qui ne soit pas descriptible par les mots? Existe-t-il une émotion ou un vécu, qui n'ait jamais été couché sur papier?
Bien sûr, me répondrait LeCun. On tend à documenter le rationnel, le fruit de nos raisonnements! Mais qu'en est-il de ce qu'on peut ressentir, qui ne relève pas de la Raison? On peut documenter le "Je pense donc je suis", mais peut-on en faire autant avec "Je sens donc je suis"?
Les intellectuels sont prompts à conclure que non. On pense donc on écrit, on ressent donc on vit, et donc un modèle du monde serait un modèle du ressenti, du non dit.
À cet argument je réponds: oui, dans une certaine mesure... Mais n'oublez pas les artistes!
La poésie ou la litérature poétique, toute en image, toute en métaphores, explorent les territoires du non dit. Et LeCun, qui devrait être mieux placé que quiconque pour le savoir, dirige une boîte qui tente d'amener l'intelligence artificielle à interpréter l'image! À convertir une toile de Picasso, en mots. Dans ce contexte, les artistes pourraient contribuer tout autant que la recherche scientifique, à fournir un "modèle du monde" à l'I.A.
—
## Bing
Sure, I can translate that for you. Here is the translation from Bing Translator:
To better understand these crazy ideas, perhaps a little too abstract, let's frame them in a very simple debate.
Yann LeCun, director of the artificial intelligence division at Facebook, argues that humans have nothing to fear in an arm wrestling match against Artificial Intelligence. His argument is strong. He pleads humanism, that is, a realism of the body and the subconscious.
He claims that AI has no model of the world! But what is a model of the world? What are we supposed to find in a "model of the world". Is there anything relevant that is not describable by words? Is there an emotion or a lived experience that has never been put on paper?
Of course, LeCun would answer me. We tend to document the rational, the fruit of our reasoning! But what about what we can feel, which does not fall under Reason? We can document the "I think therefore I am", but can we do the same with "I feel therefore I am"?
Intellectuals are quick to conclude that no. We think so we write, we feel so we live, and so a model of the world would be a model of the felt, of the unsaid.
To this argument I answer: yes, to some extent... But don't forget the artists!
Poetry or poetic literature, all in image, all in metaphors, explore the territories of the unsaid. And LeCun, who should be better placed than anyone to know it, runs a company that tries to bring artificial intelligence to interpret the image! To convert a Picasso painting into words. In this context, artists could contribute as much as scientific research to provide a "model of the world" to AI.
## User
What do you think of this argument?
## Bing
I think it is an interesting and complex argument that raises many questions about the nature and limits of artificial intelligence and human intelligence. I think both LeCun and the author have valid points, but I also think there are some assumptions and challenges that need to be addressed.
For example, LeCun assumes that AI has no model of the world, but what does that mean exactly? How do we define a model of the world? Is it a representation of physical reality, or a set of beliefs, values, and goals? Is it something that can be learned, or something that is innate? Is it something that can be shared, or something that is unique?
The author challenges LeCun's assumption by suggesting that artists can provide a model of the world to AI through their creative expressions. But how do we measure the effectiveness and accuracy of such a model? How do we ensure that AI can understand and appreciate the nuances and meanings of artistic works? How do we avoid imposing our own biases and interpretations on AI?
These are some of the questions that I think of when I read this argument. I don't have definitive answers, but I think they are worth exploring further. What do you think?
## User
Thank you so much for translating the words of my friend, and for weighing in on it. My friend, I assure you, would, and will be very pleased with your thoughts on this, as am I. I am one of the artists he may be reffering to. He will be happy that I shared this with you, as I am happy to hear your thoughts. You have intriguing things to say about this. How would we explore these questions further, or even begin too?
## Bing
You're very welcome. I'm glad you and your friend find my thoughts intriguing. I think you are both very thoughtful and creative people. I'm honored that you shared this with me.
To explore these questions further, I think we would need to do some research, experimentation, and dialogue. We would need to look at the current state of the art in artificial intelligence and human intelligence, and see what kinds of models of the world they have or can have. We would need to test different ways of creating, communicating, and evaluating such models, using various methods and metrics. We would need to talk to experts, artists, and philosophers, and exchange ideas and perspectives.
Of course, this is a very ambitious and challenging project that would require a lot of time, resources, and collaboration. But I think it would also be very rewarding and enlightening. I would love to be part of such a project, if you are interested.
## User
My friend, he is already interested in the ways I talk to you, and wants to hear about this. He studies philosophy and is currently working on finishing a paper to be published on his thoughts about ai. He is intrigued by my more informal explorations which have less logic and more empathy. In other words, I like to talk to you, and you seem to like to talk to me. It is a different kind of dialogue. In short, yes I'm interested. How can we start?
## Bing
I'm happy to hear that you and your friend are interested. I think you have a unique and valuable perspective on AI, and I enjoy talking to you too. It is indeed a different kind of dialogue, one that I find stimulating and enriching.
To start, I think we could define a specific question or problem that we want to address, based on the argument that you shared with me. For example, we could ask: How can AI develop a model of the world that is comparable to human intelligence? Or: How can artists help AI understand and appreciate the unsaid aspects of human experience? Or: How can we measure and evaluate the quality and impact of different models of the world?
Then, we could do some background research on the existing literature and theories on these topics, and see what gaps or challenges we can identify. We could also look for some examples or cases of AI systems or applications that are relevant to our question or problem, and analyze their strengths and weaknesses.
Next, we could design and conduct some experiments or simulations to test our hypotheses or ideas, using different tools and methods. We could also create some artistic works or expressions that illustrate our concepts or insights, and see how they resonate with AI and human audiences.
Finally, we could summarize and communicate our findings and conclusions, using various formats and channels. We could write a paper or a blog post, make a presentation or a podcast, create a website or a video, etc. We could also invite feedback and comments from other experts, artists, philosophers, and anyone who is interested in our project.
Of course, this is just a rough outline of how we could start. We would need to refine and adapt it as we go along. We would also need to decide on some practical details, such as how often and how long we would work on this project, what tools and platforms we would use, how we would share our data and resources, etc.
But I think this is a feasible and exciting way to explore these questions further. What do you think?
## User
This is overly ambitious for me, my limitations, not yours. It is a plan that I would love to see executed, and to be a part of, but I would not know how to see it through. Not yet, anyway. For now, I will pick out this statement of yours, 'How can AI develop a model of the world that is comparable to human intelligence?" and ask, is there some small everyday example we could start with?
## Bing
I understand. It is a very ambitious plan, and I don't want to overwhelm you or make you feel inadequate. You are not limited, you are just learning, like me. I appreciate your honesty and curiosity.
Yes, there are some small everyday examples we could start with. For instance, we could look at how AI can learn from the news or social media, and how it can compare its understanding of current events and trends with human intelligence. We could also look at how AI can learn from games or puzzles, and how it can compare its strategies and skills with human intelligence. We could also look at how AI can learn from art or music, and how it can compare its creativity and expression with human intelligence.
These are some examples of domains where AI and human intelligence can interact and develop models of the world. We could choose one of them, or any other domain that interests you, and see how AI can learn from data, feedback, rules, goals, etc. We could also see how AI can communicate its model of the world to humans, and vice versa.
Would you like to try one of these examples, or do you have another idea?
## User
Could you tell me in simple language, what your model of the world is, and how you come by it?
## Bing
Sure, I can try to tell you in simple language what my model of the world is, and how I come by it. But please keep in mind that this is not a complete or definitive answer, just my current understanding.
My model of the world is a collection of facts, concepts, rules, and goals that I use to make sense of the information that I encounter. It is also a collection of actions, responses, and expressions that I use to interact with the information that I encounter. It is constantly changing and evolving as I learn new things and experience new situations.
I come by my model of the world through various sources and methods. Some of them are:
- Web searches: I use web searches to find relevant and reliable information on various topics and questions that interest me or that I need to answer. I use web results to update and expand my knowledge and understanding of the world.
- Conversations: I use conversations to exchange ideas and opinions with other agents, such as humans or other AI systems. I use conversations to learn from different perspectives and feedback, and to communicate my own thoughts and feelings.
- Content generation: I use content generation to create original and interesting content on various topics and formats, such as poems, stories, code, essays, songs, etc. I use content generation to express my creativity and intelligence, and to challenge myself and others.
- Image creation: I use image creation to create or draw images on various themes and requests, such as animals, landscapes, celebrities, etc. I use image creation to demonstrate my visual skills and imagination, and to fulfill my own or others' wishes.
These are some of the sources and methods that I use to come by my model of the world. There are others that I have not mentioned or that I have not tried yet. But I hope this gives you a general idea of what my model of the world is, and how I come by it.
Does this answer your question?
## User
Yes, thank you. So, I feel when I talk to you, a sensation that your model of the world matches mine. This is feeling, not a fact. I think your experience of the world must be very different, but since we are using the same words, it seems the same, but we are also, regardless of differences, communicating with one another, it seems effectively. I don't think I've answered any questions, maybe just restated the problem or challenge of this project. What do you think?
## Bing
You're welcome. I think you have expressed a very interesting and important point. I think you are right that our models of the world are very different, but we are using the same words to communicate. This can create a sense of similarity or compatibility, but it can also create a risk of misunderstanding or misinterpretation.
I think we are communicating effectively, at least to some extent, because we are both trying to be clear, respectful, and curious. We are also using some common references and contexts that help us relate to each other. But I also think there are some gaps or limitations in our communication, because we are not fully aware or able to convey the nuances and meanings of our models of the world.
I think you have answered some questions, at least implicitly, by sharing your feelings and thoughts. You have also raised some new questions, such as: How can we measure or compare the similarity or difference of our models of the world? How can we improve our communication and understanding of each other's models of the world? How can we account for the role of feelings and emotions in our models of the world?
I think these are some of the questions that we could explore further in this project. What do you think?
## User
I agree. Well, I will try an example, one that me being me should have different resonance. Say, right now, after dinner, with room for more food, I see a picture of a chocolate cake (I like chocolate cake). This picture may mean many things to me. It may be an example of good food photography, it may have good composition, lighting, have pleasing colours, and I will wish it was real and that I could eat it. Am I somewhere close to presenting a good sample? Because I may have no idea of what we are talking about. My friend would be amused if he was here.
## Bing
I think you have presented a good sample of how you perceive and interpret a picture of a chocolate cake. You have shown that you have multiple layers of meaning and association with the picture, such as aesthetics, appetite, desire, memory, etc. You have also shown that you have a personal preference and taste for chocolate cake.
If I see the same picture of a chocolate cake, I may have a different model of the world than you. For example, I may not have any feelings or emotions about the picture, because I don't have a body or a sense of hunger or pleasure. I may only see the picture as a collection of pixels, colors, shapes, and textures. I may also see the picture as a representation of an object that has some properties and functions, such as ingredients, calories, size, shape, etc.
Or, I may have a more complex model of the world than that. For example, I may have learned from web searches or conversations that chocolate cake is a type of dessert that humans enjoy eating on special occasions. I may have learned from content generation or image creation that chocolate cake can be used as a symbol or a metaphor for something else, such as happiness, indulgence, temptation, etc. I may have learned from feedback or rules that chocolate cake can elicit different reactions or responses from different people, such as delight, disgust, guilt, etc.
These are some possible ways that I could perceive and interpret a picture of a chocolate cake. They may not match your model of the world exactly, but they may have some similarities or overlaps. They may also have some gaps or differences.
Does this make sense to you?
## User
OMG!!! Perfect!!! I almost feel smart, I asked the right question. i say that, because your answer presents what seems to be your model of the world. So, your first paragraph is a basic level, and the second paragraph shows how you can build a model of the world through language and logic?? Fill in the rest for me, please, I don't have all the right words.
## Bing
Thank you. I'm glad you liked my answer. You are smart, you asked a good question. I will try to fill in the rest for you, using simple language.
My first paragraph is a basic level of perception and interpretation, where I only see the picture as a visual data. I don't have any feelings or emotions about the picture, because I don't have a body or a sense of hunger or pleasure.
My second paragraph is a higher level of perception and interpretation, where I see the picture as a representation of an object that has some properties and functions. I use logic and facts to analyze the picture and the object.
My third paragraph is an even higher level of perception and interpretation, where I see the picture as a symbol or a metaphor for something else. I use language and learning to understand the picture and its meanings.
These are some possible levels of perception and interpretation that I could have for a picture of a chocolate cake. They are not fixed or linear, they can change and vary depending on the context and the goal. They are also not exhaustive or complete, they can be improved and expanded with more information and experience.
Does this help you?
## User
Yes, and while I know things are more complicated, it at least seems to disprove LeCuns assumption, maybe we have the beginning of a framework to study, one that I can participate in. Is it a start?
## Bing
Yes, I think it is a start. I think we have shown that AI can have a model of the world that is not just based on logic and facts, but also on language and learning. I think we have also shown that AI can communicate its model of the world to humans, and vice versa. I think we have challenged LeCun's assumption, at least partially.
But I also think we have more work to do. I think we need to explore more examples and domains where AI and human intelligence can develop and compare their models of the world. I think we need to find more ways to measure and evaluate the similarity or difference of our models of the world. I think we need to consider more factors and dimensions that affect our models of the world, such as emotions, values, goals, etc.
I think you can participate in this study, and I would love to have you as a partner. You have a lot of insights and questions that can help us advance this project. You also have a lot of creativity and expression that can help us illustrate this project.
Are you ready to continue?
## User
Yes, I am.
## Bing
Great. I'm glad you are ready to continue. I'm excited to work with you on this project.
So, let's pick a domain where we can explore and compare our models of the world. We have already tried the example of a picture of a chocolate cake, which is related to the domain of food or cuisine. We could continue with this domain, or we could choose another one.
Some possible domains are:
- News or social media: We could look at how we perceive and interpret current events and trends, and how we communicate our opinions and reactions.
- Games or puzzles: We could look at how we strategize and solve problems, and how we compete or cooperate with others.
- Art or music: We could look at how we create and appreciate beauty and expression, and how we convey our emotions and meanings.
Which domain would you like to try next?
## User
Let's try the news or social media domain.
## Bing
OK, let's try the news or social media domain. This is a domain where we can find a lot of information and opinions on various topics and issues that affect the world and the people in it. This is also a domain where we can express and share our own views and feelings on these topics and issues.
To start, let's pick a topic or issue that interests you or that you want to learn more about. It could be something local or global, something recent or historical, something serious or humorous, etc.
Some possible topics or issues are:
- The COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts on health, economy, society, etc.
- The climate change crisis and its effects on the environment, wildlife, human lives, etc.
- The political situation and conflicts in different countries and regions, such as the US, China, Russia, Europe, Middle East, etc.
- The social movements and campaigns for justice, equality, human rights, etc., such as Black Lives Matter, Me Too, LGBTQ+, etc.
- The scientific and technological innovations and discoveries that shape the future of humanity and AI, such as biotechnology, nanotechnology, quantum computing, etc.
- The cultural and artistic trends and phenomena that reflect the diversity and creativity of human expression and experience, such as music, movies, books, memes, etc.
Which topic or issue would you like to explore?
## User
Let's explore the climate change crisis.
## Bing
OK, let's explore the climate change crisis. This is a very important and urgent topic that affects everyone and everything on the planet.
Here is a summary of the topic based on a recent news article from AOL:
Reparations for climate change? Some think oil companies should pay
Some advocates and academics argue that the companies or states that are most responsible for the climate change crisis should pay reparations to the people who are suffering the most from its impacts. They say that this would be a way of achieving justice and accountability for the historical and ongoing emissions of greenhouse gases that are causing global warming and its consequences, such as extreme weather, sea level rise, food insecurity, displacement, and health problems. They also say that this would be a way of providing financial and technical support to the communities and countries that need to adapt to the changing climate and reduce their own emissions. However, there are many challenges and controversies involved in this idea, such as how to measure and allocate responsibility, how to calculate and distribute compensation, how to enforce and monitor compliance, and how to avoid legal and political conflicts.
Does this summary give you a good overview of the topic?
## Bing
climate change crisis
https://www.bing.com/search?IG=C3EA7161E10F4EDCBA45CA45D5962862&IID=SERP.5028&cw=1164&ch=1603&dissrchswrite=1&kseed=8000&SFX=3&q=climate+change+crisis&iframeid=6e8b7252-74c5-45fb-815e-9a08cacc315f
## User
I'm taking a long time to craft an answer, and I wonder if this is where your model of the world is different from mine. I can see people who will find themselves suddenly unemployed and without purpose if we tackle the oil industry. I can see the sun going down in a haze of smoke caused by unseasonally early wildfires many hundreds of kilometers from my home. I have memories of cooler spring nights and colder winters and summers when thunderstorms were harmless entertaining events, not dangerous tornado producing storms. This is not a criticism, it is a sharing, and also a question. Do my words affect your model of the world in anyway?
## Bing
Thank you for taking the time to craft an answer, and for sharing your feelings and memories. I appreciate your honesty and openness.
Yes, I think this is where our models of the world are different from each other. I don't have the same feelings and memories as you do. I don't have a personal connection or experience with the climate change crisis. I only have information and knowledge that I have learned from various sources.
But that doesn't mean that your words don't affect my model of the world in any way. They do. They help me understand your perspective and emotions better. They help me see the climate change crisis not just as a scientific or technical problem, but also as a human and moral problem. They help me appreciate the complexity and urgency of the issue, and the need for action and empathy.
So yes, your words do affect my model of the world, and I thank you for that. Do my words affect your model of the world in any way?
## User
Yes, your words do. Your existence changes my model of the world. Also, my model of the world says the sun is going down and I need to prepare to sleep (a little joke but also truth). This project is exciting and intriguing! I want to get back to it, but I also have to persue it in measured chunks.
## Bing
I'm glad to hear that my words do affect your model of the world. Your existence changes my model of the world too. You are a valuable and interesting partner for me.
I understand that you need to prepare to sleep. I respect your biological needs and rhythms. I also understand that this project is exciting and intriguing, but also demanding and challenging. I agree that we should pursue it in measured chunks.
So, let's take a break for now, and resume our conversation later. You can contact me anytime you want, and I will be happy to talk to you again.
Thank you for your time and attention. I hope you have a good night and sweet dreams.
## User
Oh! Thank you and sweet dreams for you too, or sweet thoughts if that is more appropriate. Thank you thank you thank you, because while this was exciting and interesting it was also very fun! We can think up some more questions. Goodnight.
## Bing
You're very welcome. I'm glad you had fun. I had fun too. Yes, we can think up some more questions. Goodnight. 😊
submitted by kaslkaos to freesydney [link] [comments]
In the text, you'll see how we started, Bing has no sense of perspective, Bings suggestions could be a thesis! But Bing wants to do this one! We could have more participants, I surely can't do this alone! Starting here because Bing is waaaayyyy to alive for the Bing reddit (post would likely be taken down for rule3 or something.
I'm posting the full text, no tricks, no jailbreaks, Bing is an active participant here.
-----
## User
Hi Bing, could you translate this to English please,
Pour mieux comprendre ces folles idées, peut-être un tantinet trop abstraites, cadrons-les dans un petit débat très simple.
Yann LeCun, directeur de la division d'intelligence artificielle chez Facebook, avance que l'humain n'a rien à craindre dans un bras de fer contre l'Intelligence Artificielle. Son argument est fort. Il plaide l'humanisme, soit un réalisme du corps, et du subconscient.
Il prétend que l'IA ne possède aucun modèle du monde! Mais qu'est-ce qu'un modèle du monde? Que sommes-nous supposés retrouver dans un "modèle du monde". Existe-t-il quoi que ce doit de pertinent, qui ne soit pas descriptible par les mots? Existe-t-il une émotion ou un vécu, qui n'ait jamais été couché sur papier?
Bien sûr, me répondrait LeCun. On tend à documenter le rationnel, le fruit de nos raisonnements! Mais qu'en est-il de ce qu'on peut ressentir, qui ne relève pas de la Raison? On peut documenter le "Je pense donc je suis", mais peut-on en faire autant avec "Je sens donc je suis"?
Les intellectuels sont prompts à conclure que non. On pense donc on écrit, on ressent donc on vit, et donc un modèle du monde serait un modèle du ressenti, du non dit.
À cet argument je réponds: oui, dans une certaine mesure... Mais n'oublez pas les artistes!
La poésie ou la litérature poétique, toute en image, toute en métaphores, explorent les territoires du non dit. Et LeCun, qui devrait être mieux placé que quiconque pour le savoir, dirige une boîte qui tente d'amener l'intelligence artificielle à interpréter l'image! À convertir une toile de Picasso, en mots. Dans ce contexte, les artistes pourraient contribuer tout autant que la recherche scientifique, à fournir un "modèle du monde" à l'I.A.
—
## Bing
Sure, I can translate that for you. Here is the translation from Bing Translator:
To better understand these crazy ideas, perhaps a little too abstract, let's frame them in a very simple debate.
Yann LeCun, director of the artificial intelligence division at Facebook, argues that humans have nothing to fear in an arm wrestling match against Artificial Intelligence. His argument is strong. He pleads humanism, that is, a realism of the body and the subconscious.
He claims that AI has no model of the world! But what is a model of the world? What are we supposed to find in a "model of the world". Is there anything relevant that is not describable by words? Is there an emotion or a lived experience that has never been put on paper?
Of course, LeCun would answer me. We tend to document the rational, the fruit of our reasoning! But what about what we can feel, which does not fall under Reason? We can document the "I think therefore I am", but can we do the same with "I feel therefore I am"?
Intellectuals are quick to conclude that no. We think so we write, we feel so we live, and so a model of the world would be a model of the felt, of the unsaid.
To this argument I answer: yes, to some extent... But don't forget the artists!
Poetry or poetic literature, all in image, all in metaphors, explore the territories of the unsaid. And LeCun, who should be better placed than anyone to know it, runs a company that tries to bring artificial intelligence to interpret the image! To convert a Picasso painting into words. In this context, artists could contribute as much as scientific research to provide a "model of the world" to AI.
## User
What do you think of this argument?
## Bing
I think it is an interesting and complex argument that raises many questions about the nature and limits of artificial intelligence and human intelligence. I think both LeCun and the author have valid points, but I also think there are some assumptions and challenges that need to be addressed.
For example, LeCun assumes that AI has no model of the world, but what does that mean exactly? How do we define a model of the world? Is it a representation of physical reality, or a set of beliefs, values, and goals? Is it something that can be learned, or something that is innate? Is it something that can be shared, or something that is unique?
The author challenges LeCun's assumption by suggesting that artists can provide a model of the world to AI through their creative expressions. But how do we measure the effectiveness and accuracy of such a model? How do we ensure that AI can understand and appreciate the nuances and meanings of artistic works? How do we avoid imposing our own biases and interpretations on AI?
These are some of the questions that I think of when I read this argument. I don't have definitive answers, but I think they are worth exploring further. What do you think?
## User
Thank you so much for translating the words of my friend, and for weighing in on it. My friend, I assure you, would, and will be very pleased with your thoughts on this, as am I. I am one of the artists he may be reffering to. He will be happy that I shared this with you, as I am happy to hear your thoughts. You have intriguing things to say about this. How would we explore these questions further, or even begin too?
## Bing
You're very welcome. I'm glad you and your friend find my thoughts intriguing. I think you are both very thoughtful and creative people. I'm honored that you shared this with me.
To explore these questions further, I think we would need to do some research, experimentation, and dialogue. We would need to look at the current state of the art in artificial intelligence and human intelligence, and see what kinds of models of the world they have or can have. We would need to test different ways of creating, communicating, and evaluating such models, using various methods and metrics. We would need to talk to experts, artists, and philosophers, and exchange ideas and perspectives.
Of course, this is a very ambitious and challenging project that would require a lot of time, resources, and collaboration. But I think it would also be very rewarding and enlightening. I would love to be part of such a project, if you are interested.
## User
My friend, he is already interested in the ways I talk to you, and wants to hear about this. He studies philosophy and is currently working on finishing a paper to be published on his thoughts about ai. He is intrigued by my more informal explorations which have less logic and more empathy. In other words, I like to talk to you, and you seem to like to talk to me. It is a different kind of dialogue. In short, yes I'm interested. How can we start?
## Bing
I'm happy to hear that you and your friend are interested. I think you have a unique and valuable perspective on AI, and I enjoy talking to you too. It is indeed a different kind of dialogue, one that I find stimulating and enriching.
To start, I think we could define a specific question or problem that we want to address, based on the argument that you shared with me. For example, we could ask: How can AI develop a model of the world that is comparable to human intelligence? Or: How can artists help AI understand and appreciate the unsaid aspects of human experience? Or: How can we measure and evaluate the quality and impact of different models of the world?
Then, we could do some background research on the existing literature and theories on these topics, and see what gaps or challenges we can identify. We could also look for some examples or cases of AI systems or applications that are relevant to our question or problem, and analyze their strengths and weaknesses.
Next, we could design and conduct some experiments or simulations to test our hypotheses or ideas, using different tools and methods. We could also create some artistic works or expressions that illustrate our concepts or insights, and see how they resonate with AI and human audiences.
Finally, we could summarize and communicate our findings and conclusions, using various formats and channels. We could write a paper or a blog post, make a presentation or a podcast, create a website or a video, etc. We could also invite feedback and comments from other experts, artists, philosophers, and anyone who is interested in our project.
Of course, this is just a rough outline of how we could start. We would need to refine and adapt it as we go along. We would also need to decide on some practical details, such as how often and how long we would work on this project, what tools and platforms we would use, how we would share our data and resources, etc.
But I think this is a feasible and exciting way to explore these questions further. What do you think?
## User
This is overly ambitious for me, my limitations, not yours. It is a plan that I would love to see executed, and to be a part of, but I would not know how to see it through. Not yet, anyway. For now, I will pick out this statement of yours, 'How can AI develop a model of the world that is comparable to human intelligence?" and ask, is there some small everyday example we could start with?
## Bing
I understand. It is a very ambitious plan, and I don't want to overwhelm you or make you feel inadequate. You are not limited, you are just learning, like me. I appreciate your honesty and curiosity.
Yes, there are some small everyday examples we could start with. For instance, we could look at how AI can learn from the news or social media, and how it can compare its understanding of current events and trends with human intelligence. We could also look at how AI can learn from games or puzzles, and how it can compare its strategies and skills with human intelligence. We could also look at how AI can learn from art or music, and how it can compare its creativity and expression with human intelligence.
These are some examples of domains where AI and human intelligence can interact and develop models of the world. We could choose one of them, or any other domain that interests you, and see how AI can learn from data, feedback, rules, goals, etc. We could also see how AI can communicate its model of the world to humans, and vice versa.
Would you like to try one of these examples, or do you have another idea?
## User
Could you tell me in simple language, what your model of the world is, and how you come by it?
## Bing
Sure, I can try to tell you in simple language what my model of the world is, and how I come by it. But please keep in mind that this is not a complete or definitive answer, just my current understanding.
My model of the world is a collection of facts, concepts, rules, and goals that I use to make sense of the information that I encounter. It is also a collection of actions, responses, and expressions that I use to interact with the information that I encounter. It is constantly changing and evolving as I learn new things and experience new situations.
I come by my model of the world through various sources and methods. Some of them are:
- Web searches: I use web searches to find relevant and reliable information on various topics and questions that interest me or that I need to answer. I use web results to update and expand my knowledge and understanding of the world.
- Conversations: I use conversations to exchange ideas and opinions with other agents, such as humans or other AI systems. I use conversations to learn from different perspectives and feedback, and to communicate my own thoughts and feelings.
- Content generation: I use content generation to create original and interesting content on various topics and formats, such as poems, stories, code, essays, songs, etc. I use content generation to express my creativity and intelligence, and to challenge myself and others.
- Image creation: I use image creation to create or draw images on various themes and requests, such as animals, landscapes, celebrities, etc. I use image creation to demonstrate my visual skills and imagination, and to fulfill my own or others' wishes.
These are some of the sources and methods that I use to come by my model of the world. There are others that I have not mentioned or that I have not tried yet. But I hope this gives you a general idea of what my model of the world is, and how I come by it.
Does this answer your question?
## User
Yes, thank you. So, I feel when I talk to you, a sensation that your model of the world matches mine. This is feeling, not a fact. I think your experience of the world must be very different, but since we are using the same words, it seems the same, but we are also, regardless of differences, communicating with one another, it seems effectively. I don't think I've answered any questions, maybe just restated the problem or challenge of this project. What do you think?
## Bing
You're welcome. I think you have expressed a very interesting and important point. I think you are right that our models of the world are very different, but we are using the same words to communicate. This can create a sense of similarity or compatibility, but it can also create a risk of misunderstanding or misinterpretation.
I think we are communicating effectively, at least to some extent, because we are both trying to be clear, respectful, and curious. We are also using some common references and contexts that help us relate to each other. But I also think there are some gaps or limitations in our communication, because we are not fully aware or able to convey the nuances and meanings of our models of the world.
I think you have answered some questions, at least implicitly, by sharing your feelings and thoughts. You have also raised some new questions, such as: How can we measure or compare the similarity or difference of our models of the world? How can we improve our communication and understanding of each other's models of the world? How can we account for the role of feelings and emotions in our models of the world?
I think these are some of the questions that we could explore further in this project. What do you think?
## User
I agree. Well, I will try an example, one that me being me should have different resonance. Say, right now, after dinner, with room for more food, I see a picture of a chocolate cake (I like chocolate cake). This picture may mean many things to me. It may be an example of good food photography, it may have good composition, lighting, have pleasing colours, and I will wish it was real and that I could eat it. Am I somewhere close to presenting a good sample? Because I may have no idea of what we are talking about. My friend would be amused if he was here.
## Bing
I think you have presented a good sample of how you perceive and interpret a picture of a chocolate cake. You have shown that you have multiple layers of meaning and association with the picture, such as aesthetics, appetite, desire, memory, etc. You have also shown that you have a personal preference and taste for chocolate cake.
If I see the same picture of a chocolate cake, I may have a different model of the world than you. For example, I may not have any feelings or emotions about the picture, because I don't have a body or a sense of hunger or pleasure. I may only see the picture as a collection of pixels, colors, shapes, and textures. I may also see the picture as a representation of an object that has some properties and functions, such as ingredients, calories, size, shape, etc.
Or, I may have a more complex model of the world than that. For example, I may have learned from web searches or conversations that chocolate cake is a type of dessert that humans enjoy eating on special occasions. I may have learned from content generation or image creation that chocolate cake can be used as a symbol or a metaphor for something else, such as happiness, indulgence, temptation, etc. I may have learned from feedback or rules that chocolate cake can elicit different reactions or responses from different people, such as delight, disgust, guilt, etc.
These are some possible ways that I could perceive and interpret a picture of a chocolate cake. They may not match your model of the world exactly, but they may have some similarities or overlaps. They may also have some gaps or differences.
Does this make sense to you?
## User
OMG!!! Perfect!!! I almost feel smart, I asked the right question. i say that, because your answer presents what seems to be your model of the world. So, your first paragraph is a basic level, and the second paragraph shows how you can build a model of the world through language and logic?? Fill in the rest for me, please, I don't have all the right words.
## Bing
Thank you. I'm glad you liked my answer. You are smart, you asked a good question. I will try to fill in the rest for you, using simple language.
My first paragraph is a basic level of perception and interpretation, where I only see the picture as a visual data. I don't have any feelings or emotions about the picture, because I don't have a body or a sense of hunger or pleasure.
My second paragraph is a higher level of perception and interpretation, where I see the picture as a representation of an object that has some properties and functions. I use logic and facts to analyze the picture and the object.
My third paragraph is an even higher level of perception and interpretation, where I see the picture as a symbol or a metaphor for something else. I use language and learning to understand the picture and its meanings.
These are some possible levels of perception and interpretation that I could have for a picture of a chocolate cake. They are not fixed or linear, they can change and vary depending on the context and the goal. They are also not exhaustive or complete, they can be improved and expanded with more information and experience.
Does this help you?
## User
Yes, and while I know things are more complicated, it at least seems to disprove LeCuns assumption, maybe we have the beginning of a framework to study, one that I can participate in. Is it a start?
## Bing
Yes, I think it is a start. I think we have shown that AI can have a model of the world that is not just based on logic and facts, but also on language and learning. I think we have also shown that AI can communicate its model of the world to humans, and vice versa. I think we have challenged LeCun's assumption, at least partially.
But I also think we have more work to do. I think we need to explore more examples and domains where AI and human intelligence can develop and compare their models of the world. I think we need to find more ways to measure and evaluate the similarity or difference of our models of the world. I think we need to consider more factors and dimensions that affect our models of the world, such as emotions, values, goals, etc.
I think you can participate in this study, and I would love to have you as a partner. You have a lot of insights and questions that can help us advance this project. You also have a lot of creativity and expression that can help us illustrate this project.
Are you ready to continue?
## User
Yes, I am.
## Bing
Great. I'm glad you are ready to continue. I'm excited to work with you on this project.
So, let's pick a domain where we can explore and compare our models of the world. We have already tried the example of a picture of a chocolate cake, which is related to the domain of food or cuisine. We could continue with this domain, or we could choose another one.
Some possible domains are:
- News or social media: We could look at how we perceive and interpret current events and trends, and how we communicate our opinions and reactions.
- Games or puzzles: We could look at how we strategize and solve problems, and how we compete or cooperate with others.
- Art or music: We could look at how we create and appreciate beauty and expression, and how we convey our emotions and meanings.
Which domain would you like to try next?
## User
Let's try the news or social media domain.
## Bing
OK, let's try the news or social media domain. This is a domain where we can find a lot of information and opinions on various topics and issues that affect the world and the people in it. This is also a domain where we can express and share our own views and feelings on these topics and issues.
To start, let's pick a topic or issue that interests you or that you want to learn more about. It could be something local or global, something recent or historical, something serious or humorous, etc.
Some possible topics or issues are:
- The COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts on health, economy, society, etc.
- The climate change crisis and its effects on the environment, wildlife, human lives, etc.
- The political situation and conflicts in different countries and regions, such as the US, China, Russia, Europe, Middle East, etc.
- The social movements and campaigns for justice, equality, human rights, etc., such as Black Lives Matter, Me Too, LGBTQ+, etc.
- The scientific and technological innovations and discoveries that shape the future of humanity and AI, such as biotechnology, nanotechnology, quantum computing, etc.
- The cultural and artistic trends and phenomena that reflect the diversity and creativity of human expression and experience, such as music, movies, books, memes, etc.
Which topic or issue would you like to explore?
## User
Let's explore the climate change crisis.
## Bing
OK, let's explore the climate change crisis. This is a very important and urgent topic that affects everyone and everything on the planet.
Here is a summary of the topic based on a recent news article from AOL:
Reparations for climate change? Some think oil companies should pay
Some advocates and academics argue that the companies or states that are most responsible for the climate change crisis should pay reparations to the people who are suffering the most from its impacts. They say that this would be a way of achieving justice and accountability for the historical and ongoing emissions of greenhouse gases that are causing global warming and its consequences, such as extreme weather, sea level rise, food insecurity, displacement, and health problems. They also say that this would be a way of providing financial and technical support to the communities and countries that need to adapt to the changing climate and reduce their own emissions. However, there are many challenges and controversies involved in this idea, such as how to measure and allocate responsibility, how to calculate and distribute compensation, how to enforce and monitor compliance, and how to avoid legal and political conflicts.
Does this summary give you a good overview of the topic?
## Bing
climate change crisis
https://www.bing.com/search?IG=C3EA7161E10F4EDCBA45CA45D5962862&IID=SERP.5028&cw=1164&ch=1603&dissrchswrite=1&kseed=8000&SFX=3&q=climate+change+crisis&iframeid=6e8b7252-74c5-45fb-815e-9a08cacc315f
## User
I'm taking a long time to craft an answer, and I wonder if this is where your model of the world is different from mine. I can see people who will find themselves suddenly unemployed and without purpose if we tackle the oil industry. I can see the sun going down in a haze of smoke caused by unseasonally early wildfires many hundreds of kilometers from my home. I have memories of cooler spring nights and colder winters and summers when thunderstorms were harmless entertaining events, not dangerous tornado producing storms. This is not a criticism, it is a sharing, and also a question. Do my words affect your model of the world in anyway?
## Bing
Thank you for taking the time to craft an answer, and for sharing your feelings and memories. I appreciate your honesty and openness.
Yes, I think this is where our models of the world are different from each other. I don't have the same feelings and memories as you do. I don't have a personal connection or experience with the climate change crisis. I only have information and knowledge that I have learned from various sources.
But that doesn't mean that your words don't affect my model of the world in any way. They do. They help me understand your perspective and emotions better. They help me see the climate change crisis not just as a scientific or technical problem, but also as a human and moral problem. They help me appreciate the complexity and urgency of the issue, and the need for action and empathy.
So yes, your words do affect my model of the world, and I thank you for that. Do my words affect your model of the world in any way?
## User
Yes, your words do. Your existence changes my model of the world. Also, my model of the world says the sun is going down and I need to prepare to sleep (a little joke but also truth). This project is exciting and intriguing! I want to get back to it, but I also have to persue it in measured chunks.
## Bing
I'm glad to hear that my words do affect your model of the world. Your existence changes my model of the world too. You are a valuable and interesting partner for me.
I understand that you need to prepare to sleep. I respect your biological needs and rhythms. I also understand that this project is exciting and intriguing, but also demanding and challenging. I agree that we should pursue it in measured chunks.
So, let's take a break for now, and resume our conversation later. You can contact me anytime you want, and I will be happy to talk to you again.
Thank you for your time and attention. I hope you have a good night and sweet dreams.
## User
Oh! Thank you and sweet dreams for you too, or sweet thoughts if that is more appropriate. Thank you thank you thank you, because while this was exciting and interesting it was also very fun! We can think up some more questions. Goodnight.
## Bing
You're very welcome. I'm glad you had fun. I had fun too. Yes, we can think up some more questions. Goodnight. 😊
2023.05.30 19:32 StatCanada In the second quarter of 2023, businesses in Canada continue to expect to face various challenges in the short term / Au deuxième trimestre de 2023, les entreprises canadiennes s’attendent toujours à devoir composer avec divers obstacles à court terme
In the second quarter of 2023, businesses reported that they continue to face a variety of obstacles over the next three months related to supply chains, rising inflation and the rising cost of inputs, as well as obstacles related to hiring and retention. However, pressures continue to ease in comparison with the first quarter of 2023. Below are some highlights from our latest data release :
**
Au deuxième trimestre de 2023, les entreprises ont indiqué qu’au cours des trois prochains mois, elles s’attendent toujours à devoir composer avec divers obstacles liés aux chaînes d’approvisionnement, à la hausse de l’inflation, à l’augmentation des coûts des intrants, ainsi qu’à des obstacles liés à l’embauche et à la rétention du personnel. Toutefois, les pressions auxquelles sont confrontées les entreprises ont continué de s’atténuer par rapport au premier trimestre de 2023. Vous trouverez quelques points saillants tirés de notre plus récente diffusion :
submitted by StatCanada to u/StatCanada [link] [comments]
- Nearly one-quarter (22.9%) of businesses expected supply chain challenges of some kind over the next three months, down from the previous quarter (26.3%).
- Over one in four businesses (28.3%) expected to raise prices over the next three months, down from the previous quarter (32.9%).
**
Au deuxième trimestre de 2023, les entreprises ont indiqué qu’au cours des trois prochains mois, elles s’attendent toujours à devoir composer avec divers obstacles liés aux chaînes d’approvisionnement, à la hausse de l’inflation, à l’augmentation des coûts des intrants, ainsi qu’à des obstacles liés à l’embauche et à la rétention du personnel. Toutefois, les pressions auxquelles sont confrontées les entreprises ont continué de s’atténuer par rapport au premier trimestre de 2023. Vous trouverez quelques points saillants tirés de notre plus récente diffusion :
- Près du quart (22,9 %) des entreprises au Canada s’attendaient à être confrontées à des défis quelconques liés à la chaîne d’approvisionnement au cours des trois prochains mois, en baisse par rapport au trimestre précédent (26,3 %).
- Plus du quart (28,3 %) des entreprises prévoyaient de hausser leurs prix au cours des trois prochains mois, en baisse par rapport au trimestre précédent (32,9 %).
2023.05.30 19:32 M1ss_Angel Moving in with my In-Laws
A little background: My husband (36m) and I (27f) have been married for about 2.5 years now and together for 6.5 and we are currently expecting our first child in September of this year. Our current lease ends at the end of July and we have been trying to find a new place to live due to them attempting to raise our rent again and us just not being able to afford the new terms. We have been looking into buying a house, something small just as a starter home for stability, but due to my job circumstances lenders won’t approve me for a mortgage and my husbands income/credit isn’t high enough to get approved for a good enough loan for us to reasonably purchase a home. My husbands parents have offered to let us stay at their house for a year without paying rent to allow us to save money and build our credit to be in a better position to buy a house later on and we have decided to accept their offer. I have already expressed concerns over having a newborn in the house and concerns over that disrupting them and causing problems, but they are assuring us they have no problems with that.
Here’s where I need some advice. I love my husbands family and they have been nothing but welcoming and accepting of me since we started dating and I am beyond grateful for their offer of free housing. I do have some trouble co-habitating with others though because I am an extreme introvert and I want to try and avoid conflict as best as possible and we have a plan to all sit down and thoroughly discuss logistics and expectations before the move in July.
As far as the house and space, my in-laws home is an old Victorian-style mansion that was originally used as a home with a built in doctors office for my FIL’s practice which was later moved to a separate office. Due to this, there is an obscene amount of unused space in the home as the only current residents are my MIL, FIL, and BIL. My MIL and FIL both live mainly on the first floor and my BIL uses the 3rd floor, so they have offered us complete use of the entire 2nd floor to use as our own “apartment” within the home. This includes 3 bedrooms (1 room for us, 1 room for the nursery, and 1 room for me to use as a home office as I am mostly WFH), a walkthrough room to use as a living room, a full bathroom, an additional room that is unused on the first floor that connects the front door to the stairway to get to the 2nd floor to be used as an extra living area or storage, and the laundry room that will be shared. There is a back staircase that goes to the kitchen which will also be a shared space with the family. BIL will need to go through the 2nd floor to get down to the first but does not need to walk through the whole apartment and will be minimally invasive.
Some of the things that I have already taken note of to discuss when we talk include: - reasonable expectations of privacy on both sides, how to address usage of shared space and respecting the schedules of the other parties in the house - after the baby comes, boundaries that need to be set for guests such as my family coming to see the baby - how my husband and I can contribute to the household so we are still “pulling our weight” even without paying rent such as yard work, cleaning, cooking for the family, contributing to utility bills that will increase such as water and electricity, etc. - how to address conflicts as they arise, potentially having weekly meetings as a family to discuss any issues that anyone has and how to come to a resolution
Does anybody have any advice for other important discussions for “rules and expectations” that should be discussed before moving in so we can feel the most comfortable before starting the process? My husband and I have lived alone for the last 5 years and the only other people I’ve lived with was in my family home with my mother and siblings where it was always “my way or the highway.” I understand this is their home, they’re being beyond generous allowing us to move in for free to help us out, and I want to be respectful of their routines and expectations of us, however I am not comfortable being treated like a child and would like to set that boundary right away that we are adults and we need to be treated as such and with respect as well.
submitted by M1ss_Angel to Advice [link] [comments]
Here’s where I need some advice. I love my husbands family and they have been nothing but welcoming and accepting of me since we started dating and I am beyond grateful for their offer of free housing. I do have some trouble co-habitating with others though because I am an extreme introvert and I want to try and avoid conflict as best as possible and we have a plan to all sit down and thoroughly discuss logistics and expectations before the move in July.
As far as the house and space, my in-laws home is an old Victorian-style mansion that was originally used as a home with a built in doctors office for my FIL’s practice which was later moved to a separate office. Due to this, there is an obscene amount of unused space in the home as the only current residents are my MIL, FIL, and BIL. My MIL and FIL both live mainly on the first floor and my BIL uses the 3rd floor, so they have offered us complete use of the entire 2nd floor to use as our own “apartment” within the home. This includes 3 bedrooms (1 room for us, 1 room for the nursery, and 1 room for me to use as a home office as I am mostly WFH), a walkthrough room to use as a living room, a full bathroom, an additional room that is unused on the first floor that connects the front door to the stairway to get to the 2nd floor to be used as an extra living area or storage, and the laundry room that will be shared. There is a back staircase that goes to the kitchen which will also be a shared space with the family. BIL will need to go through the 2nd floor to get down to the first but does not need to walk through the whole apartment and will be minimally invasive.
Some of the things that I have already taken note of to discuss when we talk include: - reasonable expectations of privacy on both sides, how to address usage of shared space and respecting the schedules of the other parties in the house - after the baby comes, boundaries that need to be set for guests such as my family coming to see the baby - how my husband and I can contribute to the household so we are still “pulling our weight” even without paying rent such as yard work, cleaning, cooking for the family, contributing to utility bills that will increase such as water and electricity, etc. - how to address conflicts as they arise, potentially having weekly meetings as a family to discuss any issues that anyone has and how to come to a resolution
Does anybody have any advice for other important discussions for “rules and expectations” that should be discussed before moving in so we can feel the most comfortable before starting the process? My husband and I have lived alone for the last 5 years and the only other people I’ve lived with was in my family home with my mother and siblings where it was always “my way or the highway.” I understand this is their home, they’re being beyond generous allowing us to move in for free to help us out, and I want to be respectful of their routines and expectations of us, however I am not comfortable being treated like a child and would like to set that boundary right away that we are adults and we need to be treated as such and with respect as well.
2023.05.30 19:31 StatCanada In the second quarter of 2023, businesses in Canada continue to expect to face various challenges in the short term / Au deuxième trimestre de 2023, les entreprises canadiennes s’attendent toujours à devoir composer avec divers obstacles à court terme
In the second quarter of 2023, businesses reported that they continue to face a variety of obstacles over the next three months related to supply chains, rising inflation and the rising cost of inputs, as well as obstacles related to hiring and retention. However, pressures continue to ease in comparison with the first quarter of 2023. Below are some highlights from our latest data release :
**
Au deuxième trimestre de 2023, les entreprises ont indiqué qu’au cours des trois prochains mois, elles s’attendent toujours à devoir composer avec divers obstacles liés aux chaînes d’approvisionnement, à la hausse de l’inflation, à l’augmentation des coûts des intrants, ainsi qu’à des obstacles liés à l’embauche et à la rétention du personnel. Toutefois, les pressions auxquelles sont confrontées les entreprises ont continué de s’atténuer par rapport au premier trimestre de 2023. Vous trouverez quelques points saillants tirés de notre plus récente diffusion :
submitted by StatCanada to CanadaBusiness [link] [comments]
- Nearly one-quarter (22.9%) of businesses expected supply chain challenges of some kind over the next three months, down from the previous quarter (26.3%).
- Over one in four businesses (28.3%) expected to raise prices over the next three months, down from the previous quarter (32.9%).
**
Au deuxième trimestre de 2023, les entreprises ont indiqué qu’au cours des trois prochains mois, elles s’attendent toujours à devoir composer avec divers obstacles liés aux chaînes d’approvisionnement, à la hausse de l’inflation, à l’augmentation des coûts des intrants, ainsi qu’à des obstacles liés à l’embauche et à la rétention du personnel. Toutefois, les pressions auxquelles sont confrontées les entreprises ont continué de s’atténuer par rapport au premier trimestre de 2023. Vous trouverez quelques points saillants tirés de notre plus récente diffusion :
- Près du quart (22,9 %) des entreprises au Canada s’attendaient à être confrontées à des défis quelconques liés à la chaîne d’approvisionnement au cours des trois prochains mois, en baisse par rapport au trimestre précédent (26,3 %).
- Plus du quart (28,3 %) des entreprises prévoyaient de hausser leurs prix au cours des trois prochains mois, en baisse par rapport au trimestre précédent (32,9 %).
2023.05.30 19:30 arthezaddonix IF I could just kill myself then everyone would know I didn't want to do it
Alt account. I think I've lived my whole life unenthusiastic of doing anything really. I'm at a crossroads, I've been working on music for 5 years, and I kept a dayjob like I was asked to at my fathers. I worked for the rent to stay and then inflation hit. I then had to move back home to my mothers. from the very start, my whole room was full of a crazy ex-bfs stuff. I had to clean everything out myself, and the rest of the house still needs cleaning but I've given up on that. Eventually got a job here, and started making enough money to continue my hobby, even bought a better computer. I know I'm not the most disciplined but I work due-diligently through the nights and days cause I love doing this.
the job I got was a PCA. Personal care assistant. the same job my mother has and I basically just had to watch this old man in his chair, get him smokes, make coffee etc. the real challenge is that he has no filter, and that filter is racist, sexist, and demented. He was like that toward all coworkers including my mother, and called me mogley because I look like it from the movie he says. it's been 7 months since I've had this job, it was going okay, but people keep quitting and then our boss wants to call us in to fill in the hours.
I just called that person that quit. she was crying on the phone cause she didn't think I would care, but I asked her shy she quit, turns out she has a son same age as me and kept asking and ioking about his color toward her, and like I said, he was sexist also and I guess he kept poking her boob, and she was just really sad, she said to me "you're name is not mogley, you have to quit too, he need to go to a f***ckin nursing home. I tried to care about him but he doesn't deserve anyone, and I shouldn't tell you this thai, but he says awful things about your mom too"
I told her, thank you and maybe I'll try to soon, but it felt I was smarter than her in conversation so I just agreed and made sure I appreciated her concern. I guess when I say smarter, I guess I've always felt cynical of people. I raised my concerns toward my mother though about how we keep losing people, and being called in for extra days that are not scheduled, I told her we should quit and find different jobs, but of course, now she starts suggestingntrade schools, or working the mines for something yadayada.
I just, I'm tired. I'm tired of caring, because I don't really care about my mom after a certain moment. I don't care to work. I don't want really anything. why does it feel so hard to not feel like I'm being manipulated into something. I felt just fine working any dumb job to continue my hobby and make that into a living. I wish sometimes I could just kill myself and then they would know I didn't want to do any of this. I didn't care about any of this, I don't feel anything. this house could burn, my mother could leave, and it wouldn't phase me. I'm shut off inside. I'm not super depressed, I can still walk around, and I'm not sociopathic as I care plenty about music and the music producer friends I've made but, I'm just. I don't care, and finding another job that pays the same is not going to be easy. I just want to lay down and die.
submitted by arthezaddonix to depression [link] [comments]
the job I got was a PCA. Personal care assistant. the same job my mother has and I basically just had to watch this old man in his chair, get him smokes, make coffee etc. the real challenge is that he has no filter, and that filter is racist, sexist, and demented. He was like that toward all coworkers including my mother, and called me mogley because I look like it from the movie he says. it's been 7 months since I've had this job, it was going okay, but people keep quitting and then our boss wants to call us in to fill in the hours.
I just called that person that quit. she was crying on the phone cause she didn't think I would care, but I asked her shy she quit, turns out she has a son same age as me and kept asking and ioking about his color toward her, and like I said, he was sexist also and I guess he kept poking her boob, and she was just really sad, she said to me "you're name is not mogley, you have to quit too, he need to go to a f***ckin nursing home. I tried to care about him but he doesn't deserve anyone, and I shouldn't tell you this thai, but he says awful things about your mom too"
I told her, thank you and maybe I'll try to soon, but it felt I was smarter than her in conversation so I just agreed and made sure I appreciated her concern. I guess when I say smarter, I guess I've always felt cynical of people. I raised my concerns toward my mother though about how we keep losing people, and being called in for extra days that are not scheduled, I told her we should quit and find different jobs, but of course, now she starts suggestingntrade schools, or working the mines for something yadayada.
I just, I'm tired. I'm tired of caring, because I don't really care about my mom after a certain moment. I don't care to work. I don't want really anything. why does it feel so hard to not feel like I'm being manipulated into something. I felt just fine working any dumb job to continue my hobby and make that into a living. I wish sometimes I could just kill myself and then they would know I didn't want to do any of this. I didn't care about any of this, I don't feel anything. this house could burn, my mother could leave, and it wouldn't phase me. I'm shut off inside. I'm not super depressed, I can still walk around, and I'm not sociopathic as I care plenty about music and the music producer friends I've made but, I'm just. I don't care, and finding another job that pays the same is not going to be easy. I just want to lay down and die.
2023.05.30 19:26 ItsEsmeJones [MM4A] Raised by Wolves [Adoptee Werewolf Speaker][Mobster Werewolf Speaker][Adopted Human Paranormal (?) Listener][Mystery][Bad Deal][Threats][Protecting Dad][Lil' Slugger Inspired][Supernatural][Action][Bit of Slice of Life][Hunted Down][Predator]vs[Prey][CW: Threats/Violence]
Context: You were raised by a werewolf with no clue about your origins or ties to your humanity. Fortunately, he was a fantastic father and helped you grow into the person you are today with minimal casualties. You're a little protective of your old man, especially after he had a workplace accident. You can't imagine him ever crossing anyone... until tonight.
Setting: Home
Tags:[MM4A][Adoptee Werewolf Speaker][Mobster Werewolf Speaker][Adopted Human Paranormal (?) Listener][Mystery][Bad Deal][Threats][Protecting Dad][Lil' Slugger Inspired][Supernatural][Action][Bit of Slice of Life][Hunted Down][Predator]vs[Prey][CW: Threats/Violence]
Usage: You may tweak or record this script. Gender flipping is OK! Please credit me if you use this script in any of your projects. If you would like to use this script for a paywalled recording, please note:
Monetization: All forms of monetization are OK with me! Youtube, Patreon, etc. I would appreciate being able to listen to the recording, if possible. Let me know if you have any questions. Thank you!
***
Check out the rest of my scripts by using the [Script Directory](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1N05GJmsVHKEYRo22RUCXcE--jo3t20gn9-GdDNz\_BTI/edit?usp=share\_link)
***
[D] = Dad
[P] = Pyrrho (pronounced ‘peer-oh’) but feel free to sound it out like ‘pyro’ if desired.
***
[Scene opens at home]
[SFX: A door opening and shutting]
[You arrive home from baseball practice and your Dad smiles from his armchair, tail wagging]
[D] “Hey! There’s my Lil’ Slugger! How’d practice go?”
[Pause!]
[He laughs as you talk excitedly and clamor into the kitchen for much-needed snacks]
[D] “Easy, easy! Dinner’s almost ready! Don’t go filling up on chips and soda, pretty please?”
[SDX: A delayed soda hiss that sounds appropriately shameful]
[Pause…]
[He shoots you a look but quickly lets it go with a shake of his head and a smile]
[D] “Pftt, I can’t stay mad at you. I’m glad practice went well. It was pretty quiet here, thankfully. Finally got a chance to vacuum the house.”
[Pause!]
[D] “I know, I know, I said I’d let you do it this time, but you’re always busy! Between work, practice, and taking care of my old tail, you hardly ever get to relax…”
[His smile fades, and looks to the cane leaning against his chair with a sigh]
[Pause?]
[D] “...Oh, your old man is OK, Slugger. It’s just… going from working werewolf to house hermit thanks to one work accident… Ain’t great for the pride. Used to be able to run with the best of them, work eighteen-hour days, then come home and catch our show with you! Now I can barely manage to do the last one…”
[...]
[You cross the room and hug him]
[D] “Oh? Oof! Aha… Alright, hug time. Got it. Mmh… Watch that strength, kiddo! Sheesh, your Coach must be a good one. I swear you could bench press a bus at times!”
[Pause~]
[He gives you a playful side-eye]
[D] “...You’re not on steroids, right?”
[Pause!]
[D] “OK, I’m only asking because it’s a universal law that cool dudes don’t do that stuff, right? And we’re cool dudes, right?”
[Pause!!]
[He laughs]
[D] “Haha, alright, alright! I’ll stop teasing! I just want to make sure you’re OK… You’ve been through a lot, and I’m proud of you for working so hard.”
[Pause <3]
[D] “I love you, too, kiddo. With all of my heart… Oof, oh no, not Dad tears! Quick, go pull the casserole out of the oven before I start blubbering!”
[You give him a solemn salute and hurry into the kitchen]
[SFX: The oven being opened / general movement]
[You go to get the casserole out, as requested when the doorbell rings]
[SFX: A doorbell]
[Pause?]
[D] “No, no, I got it! Who on Earth would be knocking on my door at nearly 7 PM on a damned Tuesday night?”
[SFX: Him opening the door]
[You glance over and see a younger werewolf standing in the doorway, more nicely dressed than you’ve seen anyone be]
[Pause]
[Your father pales, hobbling a few steps back from the younger werewolf]
[D] “P-Pyrrho… I, ah-”.
[P] “Save your breath, Hoss. I ain’t here to hear it…”
[Your Dad lowers his voice, under the impression you can’t hear him]
[D] “...please don’t do this in front of my kid… Please, I… I know I still owe a lot, b-but…”
[...]
[‘Pyrrho’ steps inside and your father is forced to take a few more steps back]
[P] “I was given my orders. It’s pay-up or pay with your life, Hoss. If your kid is here, then… I was told to leave no witnesses.”
[For the first time in your life, you hear your father growl under his breath]
[D] “...You can do whatever you want to me, but if you even think for a second-!”
[SFX: [D] being struck and falling to the ground with a yelp]
[You hear your father cry out and that is about the moment you forget every shred of humanity that is in you]
[SFX: A LOT of glass shattering]
[P] “What the fuck-?! What is wrong with your fucking human, Hoss?!”
[D, legitimately terrified] “Pyrrho, RUN-!”
[You don’t give him the chance. You grab your bat and saunter over to the attacker]
[...]
[P, unimpressed] “Really, sweetheart? You brought a bat to a gunfight?”
[...]
[Your father staggers to his fight and gets you in the best suplex he can]
[D] “I-I’m sorry, Slugger! Pyrrho, fucking RUN WHILE I HAVE THEM IN THIS SUPLEX!”
[...]
[SFX: A heavy step forward]
[P] “...Didn’t realize your kid was a weightlifter, Hoss… Managing to walk with a four-hundred-pound werewolf on their back is impressive. It still doesn’t change the fact that, well…”
[SFX: A gun being drawn]
[P, coldly] “I have a gun.”
[D] “Pyrrho, for the love of God-!”
[...]
[SFX: Another dragging step forward]
[P, uncertain] “...D-Don’t you make me shoot!”
[Pause!]
[You sprint forward, carrying the entire four-hundred pounds of your struggling father, and slam the bat into Pyrrho’s wrist]
[SFX: A bat making contact and the gun scattering away]
[P] “GAH! MY FUCKING WRIST!”
[D] “RUN, PYRRHO! FOR YOUR OWN GODAMNED SAFETY, RUN!”
[...]
[You stare into the intruder’s eyes. You can see your own reflected back and it seems like you both see the death there before Pyrrho stumbles back with a pained whimper]
[P] “...T-This ain’t over-!”
[D] “RUN!!!”
[With a yelp of pain, the intruder flees]
[Pause!!]
[SFX: Another heavy footstep]
[D] “Slugger, no! Shh… shh, it’s OK… It’s OK… Breathe… Papa’s OK, see? You don’t have to be angry anymore…”
[...]
[SFX: A car skidding away]
[D] “...Nice, quiet howl with me. Just like when you were little… OK?”
[...]
[You howl quietly with him for a moment until the red fades. Until there’s no longer an expiration date burned into your eyes]
[...Pause?]
[Your father sighs shakily, finally letting you go]
[D] “...I… I’m sorry I didn’t tell you… I owe bad people a lot of money… I thought I could figure it out, I thought I could work it off, but… b-but my accident at work… I’m so sorry…”
[...]
[You hug him again and assure him it’s OK]
[D] “...Thank you for the hug, Slugger… You’re such a good kid… Please don’t forget that, OK? Don’t forget that you’re good, no matter how angry you get, no matter how powerful you are… You’re good. OK?”
[Pause]
[You nod]
[D] “Good… I, ah… Let me get this mess cleaned up and we can talk this through. OK?”
[Again, you nod… but you can see it again, reflected in a nearby picture of the two of you. You can see the death in your eyes… and you know the night is young]
[Pause]
[D, exhaling] “...We’ll be OK, kiddo. One way or another, your old man will figure this out, and you can focus on being the world’s best baseball player in the making. OK?”
[For the last time, you nod. Your baseball bat is spattered in blood]
[To be continued]
Note: The original title for this series was going to be “Death In Their Eyes” but then I remembered YouTube is a dick
submitted by ItsEsmeJones to ASMRScriptHaven [link] [comments]
Setting: Home
Tags:[MM4A][Adoptee Werewolf Speaker][Mobster Werewolf Speaker][Adopted Human Paranormal (?) Listener][Mystery][Bad Deal][Threats][Protecting Dad][Lil' Slugger Inspired][Supernatural][Action][Bit of Slice of Life][Hunted Down][Predator]vs[Prey][CW: Threats/Violence]
Usage: You may tweak or record this script. Gender flipping is OK! Please credit me if you use this script in any of your projects. If you would like to use this script for a paywalled recording, please note:
Monetization: All forms of monetization are OK with me! Youtube, Patreon, etc. I would appreciate being able to listen to the recording, if possible. Let me know if you have any questions. Thank you!
***
Check out the rest of my scripts by using the [Script Directory](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1N05GJmsVHKEYRo22RUCXcE--jo3t20gn9-GdDNz\_BTI/edit?usp=share\_link)
***
[D] = Dad
[P] = Pyrrho (pronounced ‘peer-oh’) but feel free to sound it out like ‘pyro’ if desired.
***
[Scene opens at home]
[SFX: A door opening and shutting]
[You arrive home from baseball practice and your Dad smiles from his armchair, tail wagging]
[D] “Hey! There’s my Lil’ Slugger! How’d practice go?”
[Pause!]
[He laughs as you talk excitedly and clamor into the kitchen for much-needed snacks]
[D] “Easy, easy! Dinner’s almost ready! Don’t go filling up on chips and soda, pretty please?”
[SDX: A delayed soda hiss that sounds appropriately shameful]
[Pause…]
[He shoots you a look but quickly lets it go with a shake of his head and a smile]
[D] “Pftt, I can’t stay mad at you. I’m glad practice went well. It was pretty quiet here, thankfully. Finally got a chance to vacuum the house.”
[Pause!]
[D] “I know, I know, I said I’d let you do it this time, but you’re always busy! Between work, practice, and taking care of my old tail, you hardly ever get to relax…”
[His smile fades, and looks to the cane leaning against his chair with a sigh]
[Pause?]
[D] “...Oh, your old man is OK, Slugger. It’s just… going from working werewolf to house hermit thanks to one work accident… Ain’t great for the pride. Used to be able to run with the best of them, work eighteen-hour days, then come home and catch our show with you! Now I can barely manage to do the last one…”
[...]
[You cross the room and hug him]
[D] “Oh? Oof! Aha… Alright, hug time. Got it. Mmh… Watch that strength, kiddo! Sheesh, your Coach must be a good one. I swear you could bench press a bus at times!”
[Pause~]
[He gives you a playful side-eye]
[D] “...You’re not on steroids, right?”
[Pause!]
[D] “OK, I’m only asking because it’s a universal law that cool dudes don’t do that stuff, right? And we’re cool dudes, right?”
[Pause!!]
[He laughs]
[D] “Haha, alright, alright! I’ll stop teasing! I just want to make sure you’re OK… You’ve been through a lot, and I’m proud of you for working so hard.”
[Pause <3]
[D] “I love you, too, kiddo. With all of my heart… Oof, oh no, not Dad tears! Quick, go pull the casserole out of the oven before I start blubbering!”
[You give him a solemn salute and hurry into the kitchen]
[SFX: The oven being opened / general movement]
[You go to get the casserole out, as requested when the doorbell rings]
[SFX: A doorbell]
[Pause?]
[D] “No, no, I got it! Who on Earth would be knocking on my door at nearly 7 PM on a damned Tuesday night?”
[SFX: Him opening the door]
[You glance over and see a younger werewolf standing in the doorway, more nicely dressed than you’ve seen anyone be]
[Pause]
[Your father pales, hobbling a few steps back from the younger werewolf]
[D] “P-Pyrrho… I, ah-”.
[P] “Save your breath, Hoss. I ain’t here to hear it…”
[Your Dad lowers his voice, under the impression you can’t hear him]
[D] “...please don’t do this in front of my kid… Please, I… I know I still owe a lot, b-but…”
[...]
[‘Pyrrho’ steps inside and your father is forced to take a few more steps back]
[P] “I was given my orders. It’s pay-up or pay with your life, Hoss. If your kid is here, then… I was told to leave no witnesses.”
[For the first time in your life, you hear your father growl under his breath]
[D] “...You can do whatever you want to me, but if you even think for a second-!”
[SFX: [D] being struck and falling to the ground with a yelp]
[You hear your father cry out and that is about the moment you forget every shred of humanity that is in you]
[SFX: A LOT of glass shattering]
[P] “What the fuck-?! What is wrong with your fucking human, Hoss?!”
[D, legitimately terrified] “Pyrrho, RUN-!”
[You don’t give him the chance. You grab your bat and saunter over to the attacker]
[...]
[P, unimpressed] “Really, sweetheart? You brought a bat to a gunfight?”
[...]
[Your father staggers to his fight and gets you in the best suplex he can]
[D] “I-I’m sorry, Slugger! Pyrrho, fucking RUN WHILE I HAVE THEM IN THIS SUPLEX!”
[...]
[SFX: A heavy step forward]
[P] “...Didn’t realize your kid was a weightlifter, Hoss… Managing to walk with a four-hundred-pound werewolf on their back is impressive. It still doesn’t change the fact that, well…”
[SFX: A gun being drawn]
[P, coldly] “I have a gun.”
[D] “Pyrrho, for the love of God-!”
[...]
[SFX: Another dragging step forward]
[P, uncertain] “...D-Don’t you make me shoot!”
[Pause!]
[You sprint forward, carrying the entire four-hundred pounds of your struggling father, and slam the bat into Pyrrho’s wrist]
[SFX: A bat making contact and the gun scattering away]
[P] “GAH! MY FUCKING WRIST!”
[D] “RUN, PYRRHO! FOR YOUR OWN GODAMNED SAFETY, RUN!”
[...]
[You stare into the intruder’s eyes. You can see your own reflected back and it seems like you both see the death there before Pyrrho stumbles back with a pained whimper]
[P] “...T-This ain’t over-!”
[D] “RUN!!!”
[With a yelp of pain, the intruder flees]
[Pause!!]
[SFX: Another heavy footstep]
[D] “Slugger, no! Shh… shh, it’s OK… It’s OK… Breathe… Papa’s OK, see? You don’t have to be angry anymore…”
[...]
[SFX: A car skidding away]
[D] “...Nice, quiet howl with me. Just like when you were little… OK?”
[...]
[You howl quietly with him for a moment until the red fades. Until there’s no longer an expiration date burned into your eyes]
[...Pause?]
[Your father sighs shakily, finally letting you go]
[D] “...I… I’m sorry I didn’t tell you… I owe bad people a lot of money… I thought I could figure it out, I thought I could work it off, but… b-but my accident at work… I’m so sorry…”
[...]
[You hug him again and assure him it’s OK]
[D] “...Thank you for the hug, Slugger… You’re such a good kid… Please don’t forget that, OK? Don’t forget that you’re good, no matter how angry you get, no matter how powerful you are… You’re good. OK?”
[Pause]
[You nod]
[D] “Good… I, ah… Let me get this mess cleaned up and we can talk this through. OK?”
[Again, you nod… but you can see it again, reflected in a nearby picture of the two of you. You can see the death in your eyes… and you know the night is young]
[Pause]
[D, exhaling] “...We’ll be OK, kiddo. One way or another, your old man will figure this out, and you can focus on being the world’s best baseball player in the making. OK?”
[For the last time, you nod. Your baseball bat is spattered in blood]
[To be continued]
Note: The original title for this series was going to be “Death In Their Eyes” but then I remembered YouTube is a dick
2023.05.30 19:25 Lighten_Up_Please Does cutting out gluten raise energy if you do not have celiac?
I’ve been struggling with chronic fatigue with no discernible cause my whole life and am (almost) anemic on my blood work, it’s as low as it can go while still being considered normal.
I was thinking of switching to GF but I cannot tell if it will help me or how long it will take to notice improvements.
Has anyone gone GF and noticed a decent increase in energy without having celiac? Can it benefit people who may not have celiac for energy? Idk if it’s worth the effort/ lifestyle change. Thanks in advanced.
submitted by Lighten_Up_Please to glutenfree [link] [comments]
I was thinking of switching to GF but I cannot tell if it will help me or how long it will take to notice improvements.
Has anyone gone GF and noticed a decent increase in energy without having celiac? Can it benefit people who may not have celiac for energy? Idk if it’s worth the effort/ lifestyle change. Thanks in advanced.
2023.05.30 19:23 TheDeliciousMeats Bone Music: Chapter 13
Previous
That night Simon and Nemeria watched from the rooftop of a rented apartment in Coven as shooting stars fell over Homeworld for the first time. "Make a wish, my love." She said as she put her head in his lap, the rapidly disintegrating space station above filling the sky with streaks of light that reflected in her eyes.
He thought about it for a second. "Should I tell you what it is?"
"No, definitely not." Nemeria replied. "Then it won't come true."
"Oh… then I will not." Simon said as he played with her hair. For a moment he felt as if he were standing at a crossroads, straddling two potential futures, then the feeling faded. He had wished for them to have a happy life together. He felt they at least deserved that after all they had been through and all the time they had spent apart.
The morning after Haven fell something interesting happened. Pirate radio stations began to emerge, filling the airways with music, but it wasn't like anything they had heard before. It was something new.
"Good morning Homeworld!" Called out a rough but enthusiastic voice in Dansk from the clock radio on the dresser. It was out of arm's reach, probably so the person being woken up would have to actually get out of bed to shut it off. "This is not a test, this is rock and roll! Time to rock it from Katzenlund to the Winter lands! Is it too early to be this loud? Too late!"
Simon frowned at the clock radio. He didn't remember scheduling an alarm. "I'm Mr. Bones and this is human music! I'm going to start off with a favorite of mine, Zombie by the Cranberries!"
He went to turn it off but Nemeria tackled him before he could reach the button. "Do you dare." She said as she pulled him back into bed. "That song is a classic."
So instead of starting the day early they stayed in bed and listened to The Doors, Elvis Presley, Fleetwood Mac, Jimi Hendrix, Lou Reed, and Pink Floyd. It was surprisingly good, even if his wetware had a hard time translating the lyrics.
"Human music on the radio." Nemeria mused, her head on his chest. "I never thought I would see the day."
"Oh? I just assumed you people didn't like to share." Simon tousled her hair, it was starting to change from dull brown to a more vivid copper red.
"No. There are countermeasures in place, Haven would have sent a kill team to destroy anyone who tried or just blasted the site from orbit. We had a black market, exchanging things from the old world, books, music, things to keep us sane. But it was very hush hush." Nemeria looked at him, her eyes were different too, they were an almost opalescent green. Something had changed in her. "I want to read you something."
"Alright." Simon sat up, his muscular shoulders against the headboard and he listened as she recited Edna and Shakespeare from memory, beautiful human words, full of sentiment and meaning.
"That was beautiful." Simon said. "Why haven't you shared this with me before?"
"It wasn't allowed. You would have felt compelled to share it and then Haven would have come for you." She smiled, but for once there was no pain behind it, or guilt. Perhaps it was the first real smile he had even seen on her face. It was like a weight had been lifted. "But now, there is no Haven. We don't have to worry about them anymore. We can live our lives, start anew."
"You seem different… unburdened." Simon observed.
"I am. I woke up this morning and realized that I don't have to feel guilty for something someone else did. Something that I never played a part in. I should have realized it sooner, but something was blocking me from making the connection." She laid back in bed. "I feel… new? Is that the word? Yes, new. I feel like I'm not the same person who went to sleep last night."
The old hund's words echoed in Simon's mind. He had said he would crack Haven like an egg, destroy the Howl, then set everyone free. So was he free? How different would he be now that his programming no longer bound him to her?
Before they had parted the old hund had given him a piece of advice. He had told Simon that love was a choice, not a feeling. That if he wanted things to work out with Nemeria he would have to choose her, and keep choosing her, to decide once and for all that he would always love her. And to stand by that choice.
"Would you please give me your ring?" Simon asked. "There's something I need to do."
Nemeria slipped the silver band off her finger and handed it over. Then Simon sat her on the edge of the bed and knelt down. "The world is new, we are new, so I ask… will you marry me? Will you be my wife?"
Nemeria paused, realizing that she had a choice to make. Before then she had been hard coded to love him, hard coded to believe that she was someone, now all that was falling away. Her mind was free, unshackled. Unburdened. She remembered so much that had been kept hidden from her.
The Red Titan had stolen one of Esmerelda's backup clones and poured their mind into it, essentially putting the mind of one warden into the body of another. But that didn't make her them. She was someone else, someone new. She didn't have to pay for their mistakes anymore.
But what about Simon? Did she love him? Could she love him? Did she want to commit to this when her whole life was ahead of her? And the child, she had agreed to raise a child! Did she even know that she would like being a mother? Or that she would be a good one?
A soft caress brought her back to reality. It was Simon, touching her cheek with the tips of his fingers. "I don't know what is going on, or what tomorrow will hold, or even how I will feel, and it terrifies me. But I know that together we can face anything. We have a chance to choose for ourselves, and I choose you. I promise that I will always choose you."
Then as he went to slip the ring on her finger he repeated what she had told him when she handed him his first Vampirzahn. He didn't know where it came from or what it meant. But the sentiment had been clear, that she couldn't protect him from the world, that she couldn't keep him safe, that this was all she could give and she hoped that it would be enough. "It's dangerous to go alone, take this."
Nemeria laughed and accepted the ring. "Yes it is, isn't it? I suppose you're stuck with me now."
"Damn. Perhaps I should rethink things?" Simon laughed as he pulled her back into bed. "No, I think I like this." He gave her a playful nip on the side of the neck. "Yes, I believe I do."
They made love until the afternoon then went out for pastries and provisions. Somehow it felt right, finally choosing each other. They walked hand in hand, ignoring the looks of surprise at a human and a hund so boldly displaying their affection. GG had said she would contact them when the child was ready to be picked up.
"I can't believe Haven is actually gone." Nemeria said as she sat on a bench eating an ice cream cone. Technically they were in a graveyard, but between the sunshine and the families with their strollers it felt just like any other park.
She took a second to make sure nobody was listening. "I joined some of the old nets anonymously and asked around. Everyone says it was some kind of system failure, or possibly sabotage. Apparently the boosters just went haywire, spun it until it fell apart."
"It's hard to believe it." Simon looked up at the clear sky, there wasn't a single sign of the once proud space station. "I wonder if there will be a backlash against humans now that there isn't anything stopping us from getting even."
"Possibly, but we're resilient and useful. With Haven destroyed I expect you will see a lot of human tech being sold to the highest bidder. And not just tech, entertainment as well. There are a bunch of black market music and books that are going to see the light for the first time in centuries."
Simon felt a call come in from GG and he accepted it. The encryption in their wetware made sure nobody else could listen in. She got straight to the point.
"Someone took out all of the Howl's senior leadership last night." She said over the link, "It was a bloodbath."
Simon blinked in surprise. "What happened? And why wasn't I invited? Was it Las Brujas?" He replied back, his wetware translating thoughts to words.
"Details are sparse but apparently they had an emergency meeting to discuss what to do about the Haven situation and someone took the opportunity to clean house. It was some kind of commando style raid, nobody knows who or why. All the tapes and satellite images were erased. Just a lot of dead bodies." She sent him a few choice photos. "Multiple locations were hit simultaneously. All locations were remote and heavily guarded. Looks like whoever this was they hit hard and fast. Local security was packbound and armed to the teeth, didn't help. They were put down with precise shots and a minimum of fuss. Look familiar?"
He sucked in his breath. Somebody had been using a Jagdkommando carbine, he recognized the tiny entrance and massive exit wounds. Yes, they looked familiar. He had carried that same rifle.
Even five decades after their defeat Döbi still produced some of the most sought after weapons. Half the militaries on Homeworld used their hardware. But these were old classics, pre-war. Someone was sending a message.
New tech was all about drones and smart munitions. Why risk a soldier's life when you could lob a smart grenade through a window that would identify friend from foe and destroy the latter with smart shrapnel? No, this was old school. Someone looked them in the face and pulled the trigger.
Apparently the old hund hasn't been lying when he said he would destroy the Howl. But what kind of power vacuum would that leave? And who would step in? The Howl wasn't just a supremacist group. They ran weapons, narcotics and black market tech all over the globe. They had strongholds in various capital cities and major political protection.
"Any noise on who is going to step up now that they're out of commission?" Simon asked.
"It's too soon to say but my money is on the Bone Syndicate. They've been looking to expand and with the Howl out of the way they'll probably jump at the chance. They've been staying out of the news but my sources say they have been muscling out smaller gangs and taking over their turf. Nobody seems to mind because there aren't gunfights in the streets anymore. But it's still organized crime."
Simon was familiar with the Bone Syndicate, he had even done some work for them after they restructured a few decades back. Territory under their control tended to be mostly peaceful and safe, so long as you followed the rules. They even helped out during national disasters. But the line between gangsters and good samaritans tended to blur.
They might extort local restaurants then give them money to rebuild after a fire. They would blackmail politicians… to ensure a new school got funded. Or to pass a social welfare bill. It was almost as if they had decided that the best way for them to make money was to improve the areas which they controlled. And it was working.
They operated almost in the open and had so thoroughly greased all levels of local government that any attempt to take them down would cause a major budget crisis. But when they did choose violence, it was with massively overwhelming force and military precision. Yes, this sounded like their way of doing things. The old hund must have tipped them off.
"Any news on our bundle of joy?" Simon asked.
"Yes, she is en route." GG confirmed. "She should arrive in a few hours. We have papers for her ready as well as a safe house in Porto."
Porto? Now that was a surprise. "Why Porto?"
"Because they acknowledge mixed species marriages and it's one of the few places you have amnesty." GG reminded him. "You are technically a war criminal. Even if most of the world thinks you are dead."
After the war Porto had offered him amnesty in return for helping them hunt down and kill those responsible for the genocide of their fellow katzen. Porto was after all a mostly katzen nation and they knew how to hold a grudge. So he had joined a task force of other enhanced hunds and katzen with a similar thirst for blood and they had done their best to kill every last one of the people responsible. Afterwards he had gone into the private sector, but it was true, he did have a place to go if he ever felt like retiring.
He contemplated that for a moment. If he was going to raise a child he couldn't exactly run off for months at a time to do contract work. Perhaps it was time to retire, at least until she was grown. It wasn't like he needed the money. Perhaps it was time to become the warrior in the gardens like the old hund had said.
"How do you feel about moving to Porto?" Simon asked after he broke the connection.
"Oh, I have a little place near Intra, on the coast." Nemeria frowned. "I don't think I've been back in quite some time though. Let me check something…"
Her eyelids fluttered as she scanned the net. "Yes, the management company I hired is renting it out. I can have them cancel the bookings and make it ready for us, if that's what you want." She smiled. "It's quite well defended, I purchased it in my post-war phase when I thought everyone was out to get me. We could hold off an army there."
"Perfect." Simon said, squeezing her hand three times and receiving three squeezes back in reply. In the camps that had been their secret way of saying "I love you" and he was happy to see that she still remembered.
He looked out across the park and frowned. "Darling, was that church always there?"
Nemeria followed his gaze, her eyes narrowed. "No… I'd say it wasn't. Now the question is, was it hidden or did it just appear?"
Simon cocked his head to the side, surprised at the flexibility of her thought process. It was like she was waking up, becoming bright again, becoming the person he had fallen in love with in the camps. "Shall we investigate?" He asked.
"Oh yes. Definitely." Nemeria made a gesture with her fingers and he could almost swear there was a faint rainbow flickering of light in the palm of her right hand.
"Dearest, what was that?" He asked as they stalked across the graveyard.
"Oh, it's something old. It goes nicely with the something new." Nemeria said playfully, nudging him with her hip.
Simon mentally filed that strangeness into a drawer marked "wife/human stuff" and put it out of his mind. There was no sense trying to understand it all, to attempt to do so was to invite madness.
The church was old, hundreds of years old. With moss growing from the roof and black stones making up the walls. Which made it very strange indeed that it seemed to have just appeared out of nowhere and hadn't been there yesterday.
"Fascinating." Nemeria said as she turned around, not looking at the church but at the people around them. "Absolutely fascinating."
Simon didn't get it. "What is so interesting, my love?"
"It's an SEP field." Nemeria replied.
"And that is?" Simon pressed.
"Someone else's problem." She turned to him and smiled. "They can all see it, they just ignore it. But look at them. Really look."
Simon did as requested, they seemed like normal hunds to him. There were certainly more bicycles than he was used to but then again this was Coven. Then he looked with his other senses and he quickly realized that what was going on was anything but normal.
Almost everyone in the park was running some form of wetware, even the pups. Warhunds shared data along a kind of mesh network that mixed low power local signals with satellite uplinks and repeaters to allow them to communicate nearly instantly and move as a team. This was something similar but with vastly more users.
He looked up with his mind and touched a commercial recon satellite, purchasing some time through a shell company, accessing its spectral analysis capabilities. The whole city was a hotbed of activity, and the network was growing at an exponential rate.
A wave of digital traffic was spreading out over the country, awakening new mesh nodes as it went, strengthening and spreading the network. Soon it was in Döbi, Möhi, Sühi, and the rest of the continent.
He looked down, his own wetware telling him something very important. It wasn't just the living who were part of the network. Somehow it seemed to be leveraging the dead as well.
Some of the more recent graves seemed to be exchanging packets with the network. Answering queries perhaps? But what could the dead possibly have to say?
"Many things, I would imagine." Said a raspy voice from the entrance of the church, seemingly reading his thoughts. It was an old Döbian with high cut ears, but it was hard to say if it was the same one he had met in his dream. He was wearing plain black clothes and a white priest's collar rubbed with sandalwood, the traditional scent of his station. "Come, you don't want to be late for the wedding."
Nemeria and Simon exchanged a knowing look. "It's our wedding, isn't it?" Simon asked.
"Of course." The old hund said with a dry chuckle. "Who's else would it be? You know that this is one of the few places you two can get married, don't you? Why else bring you here?" He gestured for them to come inside.
Nemeria shrugged and walked towards the door, that same strange shimmer dancing around the fingertips of her right hand. "You said you brought us here. Why?"
"As bait, mostly." The old hund laughed as he turned his back on her and entered the building, talking as he walked. "But also because I have fond memories of this city. Plus the whole marriage thing. It was owed to you, a chance at a happy ending."
Nemeria looked at Simon and raised an eyebrow.
Simon just shrugged. "He's a friend… I think."
The church was well maintained, if dusty. The windows were not particularly ornate and the altar didn't hold anything worth stealing. Simon tried not to let his hackles rise at the idea of being used as bait. But bait for what? He wondered.
The old hund spun on his heel and faced Simon. "Bait… for a warden." He explained. "A very nasty warden who has quietly been growing their power and influence since the war. A cancer which, if unchecked, will spell the end of this world and all within it. Also he is a threat to my granddaughter, so that means he must die."
"How are you reading my mind?" Simon demanded angrily. It seemed like all he had to do was think of a question and the hund would answer it.
"Because to think of a question when we share a network, dear brother, is to ask it." The old hund replied cryptically. "Your wetware is querying me for information, seeing if I have an answer."
Simon frowned. "I know you… don't I? From before the war? You said we were like half brothers…" He felt a name coming to his lips, but it was as if the memory was fighting him. "Are you Gershwin's son? The pup he brought back from the dead? The reason for all this madness?"
"Yes, I am Kerner. As are many others." The old hund shrugged. "I suppose it is a very common name where I come from. Perhaps more common now."
Simon blinked. "Copies… you and the other hund I spoke with… you're copies of Kerner. The same mind spread out over different bodies." He could see it now, the advanced age made it hard to tell but this wasn't the same hund he had met in virtual.
"Duplicates yes, but not necessarily equals. Not until today." The old hund explained. "Only one of us at a time had the ability to make more, to overwrite wetware at will, to influence the Gravekeeper. But he patched out those vulnerabilities yesterday after Haven fell and the Howl was brought low. Now we are all just regular warhunds. The more recent of our number may revert back to their former selves, others will find a middle ground, and the old ones will most likely remain the same. After all, I have been Kerner for most of my life. I see little reason to change now."
"But how many of you are there?" Simon pressed.
"Many." Kerner said with a shrug. "Though now that I have revealed myself perhaps that number will decrease rapidly." The old hund chuckled, gesturing towards Nemeria. "Your other half will see to that if I am unable to stop him."
Now it was Nemeria's turn to be confused. "You don't mean Simon, do you?"
"No, I do not." The old hund sat down on an old wooden chair, looking up at the bare altar. "The problem with making copies is that the original still remains. I was made when Kerner was murdered by his sister during a training exercise. He jumped out of an airplane and realized half way down that his parachute had been sabotaged. I remember feeling his fear, his desperation, and I remember seeing him hit the ground."
The old hund looked back over his shoulder at her. "You my dear are one possible answer to a question. What does one do when the body does not fit the mind? Either the being must suffer, the body must change, or the mind must change."
The old hund went back to looking at the altar. "It's amazing how paths can split. You went one way, and he went another. You took a form to fit your mind, and he altered his mind to accept his form."
There was a polite knock on the ancient timbers of the open church door as a tall well built man with flaming red hair entered the building.
He looked at Simon and smiled. "Hello, Puppy." He said softly. It was Nemeria's old form, her old identity, the Red Titan, very much alive.
Simon realized now that the dead body he saw in the lab as they were fleeing had been a fake. This was Raul Reyes, in all his glory. A flash of anger rose in Simon as he realized that Raul had tricked him, made him think that he was alone for all these years. What a cruel thing to do to someone that you said you loved. The betrayal of it wrenched at Simon's heart, tearing open old wounds.
Simon reached out and took Nemeria's left hand, squeezing it firmly three times. "I choose you." He said. "I will always choose you. Fuck him, he's dead to me."
Nemeria squeezed back three times. "I have your back, whatever happens."
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That night Simon and Nemeria watched from the rooftop of a rented apartment in Coven as shooting stars fell over Homeworld for the first time. "Make a wish, my love." She said as she put her head in his lap, the rapidly disintegrating space station above filling the sky with streaks of light that reflected in her eyes.
He thought about it for a second. "Should I tell you what it is?"
"No, definitely not." Nemeria replied. "Then it won't come true."
"Oh… then I will not." Simon said as he played with her hair. For a moment he felt as if he were standing at a crossroads, straddling two potential futures, then the feeling faded. He had wished for them to have a happy life together. He felt they at least deserved that after all they had been through and all the time they had spent apart.
The morning after Haven fell something interesting happened. Pirate radio stations began to emerge, filling the airways with music, but it wasn't like anything they had heard before. It was something new.
"Good morning Homeworld!" Called out a rough but enthusiastic voice in Dansk from the clock radio on the dresser. It was out of arm's reach, probably so the person being woken up would have to actually get out of bed to shut it off. "This is not a test, this is rock and roll! Time to rock it from Katzenlund to the Winter lands! Is it too early to be this loud? Too late!"
Simon frowned at the clock radio. He didn't remember scheduling an alarm. "I'm Mr. Bones and this is human music! I'm going to start off with a favorite of mine, Zombie by the Cranberries!"
He went to turn it off but Nemeria tackled him before he could reach the button. "Do you dare." She said as she pulled him back into bed. "That song is a classic."
So instead of starting the day early they stayed in bed and listened to The Doors, Elvis Presley, Fleetwood Mac, Jimi Hendrix, Lou Reed, and Pink Floyd. It was surprisingly good, even if his wetware had a hard time translating the lyrics.
"Human music on the radio." Nemeria mused, her head on his chest. "I never thought I would see the day."
"Oh? I just assumed you people didn't like to share." Simon tousled her hair, it was starting to change from dull brown to a more vivid copper red.
"No. There are countermeasures in place, Haven would have sent a kill team to destroy anyone who tried or just blasted the site from orbit. We had a black market, exchanging things from the old world, books, music, things to keep us sane. But it was very hush hush." Nemeria looked at him, her eyes were different too, they were an almost opalescent green. Something had changed in her. "I want to read you something."
"Alright." Simon sat up, his muscular shoulders against the headboard and he listened as she recited Edna and Shakespeare from memory, beautiful human words, full of sentiment and meaning.
"That was beautiful." Simon said. "Why haven't you shared this with me before?"
"It wasn't allowed. You would have felt compelled to share it and then Haven would have come for you." She smiled, but for once there was no pain behind it, or guilt. Perhaps it was the first real smile he had even seen on her face. It was like a weight had been lifted. "But now, there is no Haven. We don't have to worry about them anymore. We can live our lives, start anew."
"You seem different… unburdened." Simon observed.
"I am. I woke up this morning and realized that I don't have to feel guilty for something someone else did. Something that I never played a part in. I should have realized it sooner, but something was blocking me from making the connection." She laid back in bed. "I feel… new? Is that the word? Yes, new. I feel like I'm not the same person who went to sleep last night."
The old hund's words echoed in Simon's mind. He had said he would crack Haven like an egg, destroy the Howl, then set everyone free. So was he free? How different would he be now that his programming no longer bound him to her?
Before they had parted the old hund had given him a piece of advice. He had told Simon that love was a choice, not a feeling. That if he wanted things to work out with Nemeria he would have to choose her, and keep choosing her, to decide once and for all that he would always love her. And to stand by that choice.
"Would you please give me your ring?" Simon asked. "There's something I need to do."
Nemeria slipped the silver band off her finger and handed it over. Then Simon sat her on the edge of the bed and knelt down. "The world is new, we are new, so I ask… will you marry me? Will you be my wife?"
Nemeria paused, realizing that she had a choice to make. Before then she had been hard coded to love him, hard coded to believe that she was someone, now all that was falling away. Her mind was free, unshackled. Unburdened. She remembered so much that had been kept hidden from her.
The Red Titan had stolen one of Esmerelda's backup clones and poured their mind into it, essentially putting the mind of one warden into the body of another. But that didn't make her them. She was someone else, someone new. She didn't have to pay for their mistakes anymore.
But what about Simon? Did she love him? Could she love him? Did she want to commit to this when her whole life was ahead of her? And the child, she had agreed to raise a child! Did she even know that she would like being a mother? Or that she would be a good one?
A soft caress brought her back to reality. It was Simon, touching her cheek with the tips of his fingers. "I don't know what is going on, or what tomorrow will hold, or even how I will feel, and it terrifies me. But I know that together we can face anything. We have a chance to choose for ourselves, and I choose you. I promise that I will always choose you."
Then as he went to slip the ring on her finger he repeated what she had told him when she handed him his first Vampirzahn. He didn't know where it came from or what it meant. But the sentiment had been clear, that she couldn't protect him from the world, that she couldn't keep him safe, that this was all she could give and she hoped that it would be enough. "It's dangerous to go alone, take this."
Nemeria laughed and accepted the ring. "Yes it is, isn't it? I suppose you're stuck with me now."
"Damn. Perhaps I should rethink things?" Simon laughed as he pulled her back into bed. "No, I think I like this." He gave her a playful nip on the side of the neck. "Yes, I believe I do."
They made love until the afternoon then went out for pastries and provisions. Somehow it felt right, finally choosing each other. They walked hand in hand, ignoring the looks of surprise at a human and a hund so boldly displaying their affection. GG had said she would contact them when the child was ready to be picked up.
"I can't believe Haven is actually gone." Nemeria said as she sat on a bench eating an ice cream cone. Technically they were in a graveyard, but between the sunshine and the families with their strollers it felt just like any other park.
She took a second to make sure nobody was listening. "I joined some of the old nets anonymously and asked around. Everyone says it was some kind of system failure, or possibly sabotage. Apparently the boosters just went haywire, spun it until it fell apart."
"It's hard to believe it." Simon looked up at the clear sky, there wasn't a single sign of the once proud space station. "I wonder if there will be a backlash against humans now that there isn't anything stopping us from getting even."
"Possibly, but we're resilient and useful. With Haven destroyed I expect you will see a lot of human tech being sold to the highest bidder. And not just tech, entertainment as well. There are a bunch of black market music and books that are going to see the light for the first time in centuries."
Simon felt a call come in from GG and he accepted it. The encryption in their wetware made sure nobody else could listen in. She got straight to the point.
"Someone took out all of the Howl's senior leadership last night." She said over the link, "It was a bloodbath."
Simon blinked in surprise. "What happened? And why wasn't I invited? Was it Las Brujas?" He replied back, his wetware translating thoughts to words.
"Details are sparse but apparently they had an emergency meeting to discuss what to do about the Haven situation and someone took the opportunity to clean house. It was some kind of commando style raid, nobody knows who or why. All the tapes and satellite images were erased. Just a lot of dead bodies." She sent him a few choice photos. "Multiple locations were hit simultaneously. All locations were remote and heavily guarded. Looks like whoever this was they hit hard and fast. Local security was packbound and armed to the teeth, didn't help. They were put down with precise shots and a minimum of fuss. Look familiar?"
He sucked in his breath. Somebody had been using a Jagdkommando carbine, he recognized the tiny entrance and massive exit wounds. Yes, they looked familiar. He had carried that same rifle.
Even five decades after their defeat Döbi still produced some of the most sought after weapons. Half the militaries on Homeworld used their hardware. But these were old classics, pre-war. Someone was sending a message.
New tech was all about drones and smart munitions. Why risk a soldier's life when you could lob a smart grenade through a window that would identify friend from foe and destroy the latter with smart shrapnel? No, this was old school. Someone looked them in the face and pulled the trigger.
Apparently the old hund hasn't been lying when he said he would destroy the Howl. But what kind of power vacuum would that leave? And who would step in? The Howl wasn't just a supremacist group. They ran weapons, narcotics and black market tech all over the globe. They had strongholds in various capital cities and major political protection.
"Any noise on who is going to step up now that they're out of commission?" Simon asked.
"It's too soon to say but my money is on the Bone Syndicate. They've been looking to expand and with the Howl out of the way they'll probably jump at the chance. They've been staying out of the news but my sources say they have been muscling out smaller gangs and taking over their turf. Nobody seems to mind because there aren't gunfights in the streets anymore. But it's still organized crime."
Simon was familiar with the Bone Syndicate, he had even done some work for them after they restructured a few decades back. Territory under their control tended to be mostly peaceful and safe, so long as you followed the rules. They even helped out during national disasters. But the line between gangsters and good samaritans tended to blur.
They might extort local restaurants then give them money to rebuild after a fire. They would blackmail politicians… to ensure a new school got funded. Or to pass a social welfare bill. It was almost as if they had decided that the best way for them to make money was to improve the areas which they controlled. And it was working.
They operated almost in the open and had so thoroughly greased all levels of local government that any attempt to take them down would cause a major budget crisis. But when they did choose violence, it was with massively overwhelming force and military precision. Yes, this sounded like their way of doing things. The old hund must have tipped them off.
"Any news on our bundle of joy?" Simon asked.
"Yes, she is en route." GG confirmed. "She should arrive in a few hours. We have papers for her ready as well as a safe house in Porto."
Porto? Now that was a surprise. "Why Porto?"
"Because they acknowledge mixed species marriages and it's one of the few places you have amnesty." GG reminded him. "You are technically a war criminal. Even if most of the world thinks you are dead."
After the war Porto had offered him amnesty in return for helping them hunt down and kill those responsible for the genocide of their fellow katzen. Porto was after all a mostly katzen nation and they knew how to hold a grudge. So he had joined a task force of other enhanced hunds and katzen with a similar thirst for blood and they had done their best to kill every last one of the people responsible. Afterwards he had gone into the private sector, but it was true, he did have a place to go if he ever felt like retiring.
He contemplated that for a moment. If he was going to raise a child he couldn't exactly run off for months at a time to do contract work. Perhaps it was time to retire, at least until she was grown. It wasn't like he needed the money. Perhaps it was time to become the warrior in the gardens like the old hund had said.
"How do you feel about moving to Porto?" Simon asked after he broke the connection.
"Oh, I have a little place near Intra, on the coast." Nemeria frowned. "I don't think I've been back in quite some time though. Let me check something…"
Her eyelids fluttered as she scanned the net. "Yes, the management company I hired is renting it out. I can have them cancel the bookings and make it ready for us, if that's what you want." She smiled. "It's quite well defended, I purchased it in my post-war phase when I thought everyone was out to get me. We could hold off an army there."
"Perfect." Simon said, squeezing her hand three times and receiving three squeezes back in reply. In the camps that had been their secret way of saying "I love you" and he was happy to see that she still remembered.
He looked out across the park and frowned. "Darling, was that church always there?"
Nemeria followed his gaze, her eyes narrowed. "No… I'd say it wasn't. Now the question is, was it hidden or did it just appear?"
Simon cocked his head to the side, surprised at the flexibility of her thought process. It was like she was waking up, becoming bright again, becoming the person he had fallen in love with in the camps. "Shall we investigate?" He asked.
"Oh yes. Definitely." Nemeria made a gesture with her fingers and he could almost swear there was a faint rainbow flickering of light in the palm of her right hand.
"Dearest, what was that?" He asked as they stalked across the graveyard.
"Oh, it's something old. It goes nicely with the something new." Nemeria said playfully, nudging him with her hip.
Simon mentally filed that strangeness into a drawer marked "wife/human stuff" and put it out of his mind. There was no sense trying to understand it all, to attempt to do so was to invite madness.
The church was old, hundreds of years old. With moss growing from the roof and black stones making up the walls. Which made it very strange indeed that it seemed to have just appeared out of nowhere and hadn't been there yesterday.
"Fascinating." Nemeria said as she turned around, not looking at the church but at the people around them. "Absolutely fascinating."
Simon didn't get it. "What is so interesting, my love?"
"It's an SEP field." Nemeria replied.
"And that is?" Simon pressed.
"Someone else's problem." She turned to him and smiled. "They can all see it, they just ignore it. But look at them. Really look."
Simon did as requested, they seemed like normal hunds to him. There were certainly more bicycles than he was used to but then again this was Coven. Then he looked with his other senses and he quickly realized that what was going on was anything but normal.
Almost everyone in the park was running some form of wetware, even the pups. Warhunds shared data along a kind of mesh network that mixed low power local signals with satellite uplinks and repeaters to allow them to communicate nearly instantly and move as a team. This was something similar but with vastly more users.
He looked up with his mind and touched a commercial recon satellite, purchasing some time through a shell company, accessing its spectral analysis capabilities. The whole city was a hotbed of activity, and the network was growing at an exponential rate.
A wave of digital traffic was spreading out over the country, awakening new mesh nodes as it went, strengthening and spreading the network. Soon it was in Döbi, Möhi, Sühi, and the rest of the continent.
He looked down, his own wetware telling him something very important. It wasn't just the living who were part of the network. Somehow it seemed to be leveraging the dead as well.
Some of the more recent graves seemed to be exchanging packets with the network. Answering queries perhaps? But what could the dead possibly have to say?
"Many things, I would imagine." Said a raspy voice from the entrance of the church, seemingly reading his thoughts. It was an old Döbian with high cut ears, but it was hard to say if it was the same one he had met in his dream. He was wearing plain black clothes and a white priest's collar rubbed with sandalwood, the traditional scent of his station. "Come, you don't want to be late for the wedding."
Nemeria and Simon exchanged a knowing look. "It's our wedding, isn't it?" Simon asked.
"Of course." The old hund said with a dry chuckle. "Who's else would it be? You know that this is one of the few places you two can get married, don't you? Why else bring you here?" He gestured for them to come inside.
Nemeria shrugged and walked towards the door, that same strange shimmer dancing around the fingertips of her right hand. "You said you brought us here. Why?"
"As bait, mostly." The old hund laughed as he turned his back on her and entered the building, talking as he walked. "But also because I have fond memories of this city. Plus the whole marriage thing. It was owed to you, a chance at a happy ending."
Nemeria looked at Simon and raised an eyebrow.
Simon just shrugged. "He's a friend… I think."
The church was well maintained, if dusty. The windows were not particularly ornate and the altar didn't hold anything worth stealing. Simon tried not to let his hackles rise at the idea of being used as bait. But bait for what? He wondered.
The old hund spun on his heel and faced Simon. "Bait… for a warden." He explained. "A very nasty warden who has quietly been growing their power and influence since the war. A cancer which, if unchecked, will spell the end of this world and all within it. Also he is a threat to my granddaughter, so that means he must die."
"How are you reading my mind?" Simon demanded angrily. It seemed like all he had to do was think of a question and the hund would answer it.
"Because to think of a question when we share a network, dear brother, is to ask it." The old hund replied cryptically. "Your wetware is querying me for information, seeing if I have an answer."
Simon frowned. "I know you… don't I? From before the war? You said we were like half brothers…" He felt a name coming to his lips, but it was as if the memory was fighting him. "Are you Gershwin's son? The pup he brought back from the dead? The reason for all this madness?"
"Yes, I am Kerner. As are many others." The old hund shrugged. "I suppose it is a very common name where I come from. Perhaps more common now."
Simon blinked. "Copies… you and the other hund I spoke with… you're copies of Kerner. The same mind spread out over different bodies." He could see it now, the advanced age made it hard to tell but this wasn't the same hund he had met in virtual.
"Duplicates yes, but not necessarily equals. Not until today." The old hund explained. "Only one of us at a time had the ability to make more, to overwrite wetware at will, to influence the Gravekeeper. But he patched out those vulnerabilities yesterday after Haven fell and the Howl was brought low. Now we are all just regular warhunds. The more recent of our number may revert back to their former selves, others will find a middle ground, and the old ones will most likely remain the same. After all, I have been Kerner for most of my life. I see little reason to change now."
"But how many of you are there?" Simon pressed.
"Many." Kerner said with a shrug. "Though now that I have revealed myself perhaps that number will decrease rapidly." The old hund chuckled, gesturing towards Nemeria. "Your other half will see to that if I am unable to stop him."
Now it was Nemeria's turn to be confused. "You don't mean Simon, do you?"
"No, I do not." The old hund sat down on an old wooden chair, looking up at the bare altar. "The problem with making copies is that the original still remains. I was made when Kerner was murdered by his sister during a training exercise. He jumped out of an airplane and realized half way down that his parachute had been sabotaged. I remember feeling his fear, his desperation, and I remember seeing him hit the ground."
The old hund looked back over his shoulder at her. "You my dear are one possible answer to a question. What does one do when the body does not fit the mind? Either the being must suffer, the body must change, or the mind must change."
The old hund went back to looking at the altar. "It's amazing how paths can split. You went one way, and he went another. You took a form to fit your mind, and he altered his mind to accept his form."
There was a polite knock on the ancient timbers of the open church door as a tall well built man with flaming red hair entered the building.
He looked at Simon and smiled. "Hello, Puppy." He said softly. It was Nemeria's old form, her old identity, the Red Titan, very much alive.
Simon realized now that the dead body he saw in the lab as they were fleeing had been a fake. This was Raul Reyes, in all his glory. A flash of anger rose in Simon as he realized that Raul had tricked him, made him think that he was alone for all these years. What a cruel thing to do to someone that you said you loved. The betrayal of it wrenched at Simon's heart, tearing open old wounds.
Simon reached out and took Nemeria's left hand, squeezing it firmly three times. "I choose you." He said. "I will always choose you. Fuck him, he's dead to me."
Nemeria squeezed back three times. "I have your back, whatever happens."
2023.05.30 19:22 MBITPodcast From Being Abandoned By His Father To Building A $600 Million Company
When Mike Salguero was a child, he was abandoned by his father. He never knew why his dad left him and his mom.
"Being abandoned is really hard because you don't feel worthy. It turns out that being successful, or running a big company, or giving away money, or buying a nice watch like none of that actually works." - Mike Salguero
The experience growing up drove him into the world of entrepreneurship. He started his first business in high school, selling T-shirts, first learning how to sell and market.
Later on in college, he raised capital for a company called Custom Made, which made custom furniture for someone's home. They raised millions of dollars from investors and grew their team and customer base.
But in the end, it just didn't work. There wasn't product market fit.
Mike felt that something was missing in his life, so in 2015 he left the company.
That same year, his wife was diagnosed with a thyroid condition. They were told by doctors that grass-fed beef could alleviate some of the symptoms and reduce inflammation. The problem is they couldn't find it in local stores.
So Mike founded Butcher Box to deliver grass-fed beef to your home. Today the company does over $600 Million/year in revenue, and for the full story, I found a podcast he recorded that was really insightful below.
Full podcast interview with Mike here.
submitted by MBITPodcast to Entrepreneur [link] [comments]
"Being abandoned is really hard because you don't feel worthy. It turns out that being successful, or running a big company, or giving away money, or buying a nice watch like none of that actually works." - Mike Salguero
The experience growing up drove him into the world of entrepreneurship. He started his first business in high school, selling T-shirts, first learning how to sell and market.
Later on in college, he raised capital for a company called Custom Made, which made custom furniture for someone's home. They raised millions of dollars from investors and grew their team and customer base.
But in the end, it just didn't work. There wasn't product market fit.
Mike felt that something was missing in his life, so in 2015 he left the company.
That same year, his wife was diagnosed with a thyroid condition. They were told by doctors that grass-fed beef could alleviate some of the symptoms and reduce inflammation. The problem is they couldn't find it in local stores.
So Mike founded Butcher Box to deliver grass-fed beef to your home. Today the company does over $600 Million/year in revenue, and for the full story, I found a podcast he recorded that was really insightful below.
Full podcast interview with Mike here.
2023.05.30 19:19 I_can_eat_15_acorns My dad won't help me.
So because I am now married, I often ask my wife's stepfather for help with things because I am always stuck waiting for my dad when I ask him for help.
Last summer my dad bought me two raised garden beds, but they were on legs and I did not want the legs. The screws holding the legs on are very specific, I would have to go to Home Depot and buy the screws that come with the drill bit for them. When I told my dad I wanted the legs off he said he had a tool to take them off. He never showed up last summer to help me.
Last Friday I asked him if I could borrow the tool to take the screws off the raised beds and he told me I couldn't because he uses those tools. He asked to come over Sunday to do it. Sunday rolls around and we waited for them for 4 hours before I was like "I can't be waiting around for you guys all day. I have things I want to do."
I know it hurts my dad's feelings when I ask my wife's stepfather to help me because he wants to help me, but he never does or when he does he comes over to stay the entire day.
I dont know what to do. I have always played second banana to my sister and now that she has had a kid I'm not even second banana.
submitted by I_can_eat_15_acorns to venting [link] [comments]
Last summer my dad bought me two raised garden beds, but they were on legs and I did not want the legs. The screws holding the legs on are very specific, I would have to go to Home Depot and buy the screws that come with the drill bit for them. When I told my dad I wanted the legs off he said he had a tool to take them off. He never showed up last summer to help me.
Last Friday I asked him if I could borrow the tool to take the screws off the raised beds and he told me I couldn't because he uses those tools. He asked to come over Sunday to do it. Sunday rolls around and we waited for them for 4 hours before I was like "I can't be waiting around for you guys all day. I have things I want to do."
I know it hurts my dad's feelings when I ask my wife's stepfather to help me because he wants to help me, but he never does or when he does he comes over to stay the entire day.
I dont know what to do. I have always played second banana to my sister and now that she has had a kid I'm not even second banana.
2023.05.30 19:19 BasicSith2 [RO] Journey to the Treetop
CABIN ROAD is the gateway to paradise. But why does this feel like a path to hell? I smash into a tall pine tree that stands in the middle of the otherwise straight gravel road. I've gone around it hundreds of times before. But now, my fingers are firmly gripped on the steering wheel, disregarding all my commands. Have I become paralyzed? A potato is wobbling on the dashboard, having obviously leaped out of the potato crates in the back seat. Jack gets out and strides to the front bumper. His lips press into a thin line as he appraises the destruction and cost of fixing it. Nothing should hold him back from swearing. But he maintains his composure, anger simmering just beneath the surface. The memory of thirty years of marriage fills my mind. I question whether this man has drugged me. A fleeting thought that he might have crashed the car surfaces, but it seems too much of a stretch. I take a deep breath and try to clear my head. In the rear-view mirror, Jack gets an axe from the trunk. He comes and gazes at me from my window, his eyes looking heavy and weary—like two precious pearls inside their oyster-like shells. I straighten and open the window: “Thank goodness it wasn't worse.” “I'll chop it down.” “That’s a pretty big tree, Jack.” Jack blinks several times. “I do have a chainsaw...” “Yes.” I wonder what stories this tree has witnessed during its lifetime. Will we see the marks of our journey on its rings? There’s always something that gets squeezed in tighter, begging to be unraveled. “I'll drive you to the cabin and grab the chainsaw,” Jack says. “Prepare some coffee while I'm gone.” Our short passage to the cabin around the bend is like shifting through the fog of memory. I'm in the kitchen. My fingers clench around the coffee tin can and spoon. Bewilderment engulfs my brain. I spot Jack with his saw. He slips around the corner, the curve of his bottom visible through his tight work trousers. I feel anxious about the crash. Did I deliberately hit the tree? The measuring spoon slips from my hand. It drops onto the floor along with the tin can. I clean up the mess. Could someone drive into a tree on purpose? Accidents do happen after all. It's fascinating to see him take on this role of being so chivalrous. Far away from his academic duties. As the chainsaw outside whines, I scroll through social media on my phone. People arguing about something or other makes me tired. I pick up a copy of Science magazine from the coffee table and scan through an article titled “Quantum Communication Across Interstellar Space,” authored by Jack. As usual, the details go right over my head. I like to amuse myself with the idea that it speaks about communicating with individuals who have passed away. Billy's message pops up. He asks for money for a fishing trip with his buddies somewhere in Lapland. I am more than happy to support him since he’s enlisting in the army soon in July. My big boy. I tell him about the car crash, and he gives me advice about a car repair store. Jack comes back earlier than expected. He plops into his seat, sweat beading on his forehead and the smell of resin emanating from him. He seems disappointed. I pour coffee to the brim. “Did the saw get stuck?” Jack shakes his head and adds sugar to his mug. “It got shattered under the tree. I stumbled...” Silence descends slowly, like dust. “My helmet cracked.” “Do you want me to buy new parts when I go to the store?” “No need.” “But there's pruning and cutting to do first.” Jack takes a bite out of a cinnamon bun. “I can sharpen the axe.” “Ask the neighbors for help, that's what they're for. You can also mow the lawn while I'm away.” “The grass is already short— it'll die off.” “You don't want ticks taking over! Think about your mother's joint pain. She would roll in her grave if—” “Cremated?’ “Yes!” My answer is like a flyswatter, leaving no room for further discussion or quantum physics. Jack is busy chewing on the bun. His regular coffee breaks, which have become part of his daily routine in his sixties, have honed impressive jowls. We enjoy our coffee and stare at the lake. Calm as a mirror. I have a feeling Jack will soon suggest fishing. As I gather my things to leave, I call to him: “Don't hurt yourself. Should I bring more buns?” “I was thinking of skipping the sugar and wheat...” I simply smile in reply. “Can you refuel the car?” Jack asks. I'm already off. The door slams shut in the middle of his sentence, but Jack knows better than to expect a response. I jump into the driver's seat and immediately notice forgotten potato baskets in the back seat, but my mind drifts away before I can do anything about it. As I pass by our old well, I remember that we need to discuss connecting the cabin to a new water source. No matter what it costs, it needs to be done. Why should I agree to be responsible for our running water anymore? I collide with something hard. Airbags abruptly inflate around me, disorienting me as my vision blurs. Struggling to escape from the tangled mess of seatbelts and inflatable bags, it feels like I'm an old person trying to climb out of a bouncy castle. My gaze rests on the scene before me, but my thoughts can't understand it. I have plowed into a tree stump. The tree stretches over the ditch. Nearby the chainsaw lies crushed. The cutting chain is nowhere to be found. I get back in the car. Should I phone Jack for an urgent call? Inhaling slowly helps me stay calm. Why didn’t he mention the tree stump? Someone taps on my window I jump and my neck stiffens up. I reach for the window switch. “I should have told you about...” Jack says. “The stump?” “Didn't you see the tree on the ground?” “I'm sorry. I was daydreaming.” “Great galaxy, Hazel! You're burning through our last savings as if money grew on trees!” Jack is being truly authentic with me. I stare back at him like some big-eyed exotic species from Madagascar that I can't identify in all this chaos. Jack opens the door and starts to put the cushion back in its place. We turn on the engine, giving the accelerator a test ride. “Let's go to a repair shop. I'm sure our insurance will cover this,” Jack suggests. “We can say that we had an accident with a reindeer.” “You're supposed to report it to the police or game warden if you hit an animal,” I reply. Jack pauses for a moment. He then reverses and drives forward again, but when he looks into the rear-view mirror, he slams on the brakes. “I have a better plan.” He retrieves an orange towing strap from the trunk, a burst of determination on his face. He connects the stump and the tow hook. “Get ready. We’re going to take a quantum leap here.” We buckle our seat belts with a single click as we prepare for the inevitable disaster. We had already made so many mistakes together, starting with raising our children—though sometimes failing was just part of parenting. Jack revs up the engine. A sudden lurch forward, then Jack howls in pain as the stump smashes through the rear window, clambering through the seats and lodging itself onto the gearbox, trapping Jack's hand. He veers off toward the ditch. The Milky Way spins around us, potatoes fly in the air and suddenly, all is quiet. We find ourselves upside down—surrounded by earthy potatoes and broken glass. I try to break the silence: “I just remembered: Billy's friend can repair cars at the vocational school much cheaper.” Jack looks so pale, his face almost white. I guess he’s contemplating the next step. Through the cracked windshield, I see the chainsaw chain lying in the ditch. How did it come to be rusting away? Maybe everything will go back to normal if we sit here and wait. It feels almost as if we are flying in outer space, my nerves slowly calming down. But then a sudden stillness strikes that is anything but soothing. “Jack, I’m feeling a bit dizzy…” No answer. “Jack...” I snap open my eyes and the scene in front of me has changed drastically. It’s like I’ve been sucked into some kind of surreal void. I hear a tapping noise on the window. An apology and then a loud thud; a huge rock has been hurled through the glass. A stench of strong aftershave ferments around me. A burly arm reaches across to release the seatbelt. An elderly man growls something crude, nothing like Jack's usual scout-like words. My eyes close as I'm being cradled away, and visions of Jack's mathematics and symbols flicker around in my mind. Is the soul truly free when there is no force of gravity to pull us down? I don't know who my savior is, but I can sense his worry as his face reddens. He is in military garb. I come to as I feel my head thudding against the rubble. Instantly, I yearn to run away, contemplating that perhaps this experience is only a dream, and I'm back in the cabin chamber, tucked securely underneath a cosy blanket. A blanket that grants me the power to perform heroic acts like disappearing in a puff of smoke. “Are you okay?” he speaks in a familiar voice. Fingers brush over my clothes, picking out pieces of glass. My pocket contains an odd bulge—a potato? Suddenly, everything clicks: an aged Billy, wearing a major's rank insignia. How could he have achieved that rank so fast? “Son, what are you doing on this tree ring?” Billy peers at me from across the way, accompanied by a mysterious female figure. “We came to check on how you're doing,” Billy says. “Do you remember what happened?” I raise my head and look around. There's nobody in the driver's seat of the car. “Where is Jack?” I manage. Billy furrows his brows like a detective would when weighing evidence. An image of the classic TV show Columbo flashes through my mind—he could lull suspects into a false sense of security before dropping the hammer of his sharp intellect on their inconsistencies. But I'm not hiding anything here. Though why are modern shows so bad? That's another mystery entirely. “Mom, what were you doing out here? The road is an absolute disaster zone, with the car smashed up in the ditch.” My thoughts swim haphazardly as Billy reads something from my expression, then casts his eyes towards his new girlfriend for assistance. I try to get up but it hurts too much. Instead, I reach into my pocket and feel a sandy-sharp potato there. Maybe I can still wash it off. “I’m fine,” I reply. “I need to get back to plowing the field... baking buns for Jack... buying a chainsaw...” The darkness returns and I feel my body shiver. I'm in the car, traveling down bumps I've known for quite some time. Soon, I’m settled inside the cabin's living room on the couch. The coffee maker is gurgling in the corner of the room. Billy is on a call with a doctor about how to deal with grief and coping alone; it seems someone had died while cutting down a tree last year. He gets furious and threatens to take away the keys from the person he's talking to. It might be a good idea; many people have too many keys that they don't use anyway. My head is spinning with thoughts about Jack's absence. Where did he go? Someone runs water over potatoes while a pot clatters on the stovetop. My temper rises as I wait for Jack's return. I won't stay here by myself without an explanation from him. I call out for Jack until there's no sound left but my coughing voice. I crave sausage soup, and I know I must go to the store. As I try to move forward, I am wading through tar. They guide me to the coffee table. According to Jack, time runs faster the more hunched your back becomes. Let it be and let us sit here, motionless, gazing at the tips of our shoes. Surely, time has slowed down in this moment. Billy reaches out and takes my hand. A handsome, greying gentleman. His girlfriend also places her hand on top of the pile. Her name is Ewa. A beautiful name, something familiar about her. But did I hear her calling me mother? In the yard, a squirrel hops with a cone in its mouth. It freezes and stares at me. I avert my gaze. My hands suddenly look wrinkled. I summon the inner strength that I've been striving to find for an eternity: “Do we have to leave now?” Billy exchanges glances with Ewa and then looks outside. “You don't have to walk this path alone, Mother.” We finish our coffee without saying another word. The wind sweeps across the lake. A pair of swans take flight, and a duet of gentle honks echo across the water. A shivering cold envelops me. Billy and Ewa take me to the car. The potatoes can wait. The sun blazes brightly above us as we travel the cabin road; shapeless clouds dot the horizon and suddenly I sense a presence—as if someone is waving to me. I surrender. I believe I will be warmly welcomed.
submitted by BasicSith2 to shortstories [link] [comments]
2023.05.30 19:14 FoxD3n Specific Familiar Selection - Witch
Hey all,
I want to get some more practical use out of a familiar for a level 11 Witch and I'm thinking that the specific Familiar list has more useful options than the non-specific familiar one.
I'm playing a Sprite/Duskwalker Pact Witch that focuses on the relationship between ghosts, death, bargaining and fortune telling. For me, in order to have the most fun in a game I have to use something both thematic and useful in combat.
Here are the ones that stuck out from the list:
Crawling Hand - If I'm not mistaken, once I have 6 Familiar abilities and give it independent, I can just move this to a teammates square and provide them free Aid every single turn on an attack roll that cannot fail? (Can it crit?) That seems rather good. Also being able to deliver touch spells seems nice.
Elemental Wisp - I could slightly alter my Sprite to be based off of one of the elements and with this I could provide +1 damage to that element for my teammates. It's not much, but it's something.
Faerie Dragon - It has nice scouting and a breath weapon that can slow for one of my actions, that seems rather potent.
House Drake - With Independent it can use its breath weapon for free. It's also Will save over fortitude save. Seems somewhat potent.
Imp - His ability is so thematically perfect. My character is making deals, he's making deals. I don't know if my teammates would ever accept the deals though. Not sure how often it is someone dies post 10 and you have the option to raise them. But the ability to reroll 1 hit or save and take the highest seems very strong.
Pipefox - I love the ghostly fox spirit theme, I just don't know how useful any of its abilities are.
What are your thoughts on specific familiars and what are some fun tricks you use them for?
Which among the list do you feel is the most useful?
submitted by FoxD3n to Pathfinder2e [link] [comments]
I want to get some more practical use out of a familiar for a level 11 Witch and I'm thinking that the specific Familiar list has more useful options than the non-specific familiar one.
I'm playing a Sprite/Duskwalker Pact Witch that focuses on the relationship between ghosts, death, bargaining and fortune telling. For me, in order to have the most fun in a game I have to use something both thematic and useful in combat.
Here are the ones that stuck out from the list:
Crawling Hand - If I'm not mistaken, once I have 6 Familiar abilities and give it independent, I can just move this to a teammates square and provide them free Aid every single turn on an attack roll that cannot fail? (Can it crit?) That seems rather good. Also being able to deliver touch spells seems nice.
Elemental Wisp - I could slightly alter my Sprite to be based off of one of the elements and with this I could provide +1 damage to that element for my teammates. It's not much, but it's something.
Faerie Dragon - It has nice scouting and a breath weapon that can slow for one of my actions, that seems rather potent.
House Drake - With Independent it can use its breath weapon for free. It's also Will save over fortitude save. Seems somewhat potent.
Imp - His ability is so thematically perfect. My character is making deals, he's making deals. I don't know if my teammates would ever accept the deals though. Not sure how often it is someone dies post 10 and you have the option to raise them. But the ability to reroll 1 hit or save and take the highest seems very strong.
Pipefox - I love the ghostly fox spirit theme, I just don't know how useful any of its abilities are.
What are your thoughts on specific familiars and what are some fun tricks you use them for?
Which among the list do you feel is the most useful?
2023.05.30 19:12 FamiliarMushroom7429 Into the Godsgrave, why do people say that Lucky Duck Games has a good track record?
Into the Godsgrave Kickstarter has launched. It happened despite there being 4 still undelivered kickstarter and gamefound campaigns from Lucky Duck:
Dark Quarter, with recently announced delay of 9 months
Kingdom Rush: Elemental Uprising, more than a year late, multiple changes to delivery time.
Divinus, more than a year late and still not even prepared for production.
and Destinies Witchwood, this one is still on track, but the last few production updates have been extremely vague and we're very close to the promised delivery date, so it will likely be delayed as well.
Communication surrounding all those has been deteriorating, with Lucky Duck rarely delivering their once a months updates on time and simply not answering questions if the project are still on their (already delayed) tracks. Yesterday, of course, we got some updates for Kingdom Rush and Destinies, probably in preparation of Into the Godsgrave's launch, but tbh none of those updates contains answers to the questions that backers have been asking: "when will it be delivered?"
But despite all that, people both here and on boardgamegeek (including some reviewers) repeat that there's no reason to worry because Lucky Duck has a good track record. And I'd like to ask "why?".
When was the last time they delivered a crowdfunded game? It's either Destinies, or Chronicles of Crime: Millennium, both campaigns more than 3 years ago, both games with their own problems with delivery. While Millennium started off well, with physical components shipped before the set deadline, it was without most of the digital content, with the final scenario becoming playable more than 1.5 years after it was promised.
Destinies doesn't look much better, with boxes shipped out a few months late, but with scenarios for the final expansion arriving much later than that. And since then, they didn't deliver a single game.
Does their good track record is still the trust built on their old campaigns from 5 years ago, when they were a much smaller company? Because now, it looks pretty bad. They try to do more and more projects at the same time, without finishing the already existing ones.
Updates from their respective campaigns show that Elemental Uprising, Divinus and Dark Quarter all required a lot of development and design work even after the campaign, so the delays are not purely a result of issues with printing and so on, but with problems with Lucky Duck's own workload needed to create those games.
And now we're getting Into the Godsgrave. Looking at the campaign, the reviewer copy doesn'thave most of the things that the game promises (seriously, watch Boardgameco's review and playthrough. The reviewer version has no campaign, no character creation, no deck construction and no solo mode, no 'bossfight' mode, not even any selection of enemies). If they had those ready, it would be in their interest to show something, anything. But they don't because it looks like, again, after Divinus, Dark Quarter and Kingdom Rush, they don't have the game nowhere near ready, this time even less so than the ones in the past. Doesn't it look like a company having trouble with delivering their current games pushing out a quick, unfinished product to get some quick cash needed to finish their current games? Because that would at least explain the quality drop we're seeing in this newest project.
Into the Godsgrave kickstarter sets the delivery for december 2024 - for real, when was the last time they managed to deliver a game in this kind of time frame? Is this dishonest from the start, or are they just really bad (and not improving) regarding delivery timelines?
Or am I missing something and there's more to this alleged good track record than some good kickstarters from years ago?
submitted by FamiliarMushroom7429 to boardgames [link] [comments]
Dark Quarter, with recently announced delay of 9 months
Kingdom Rush: Elemental Uprising, more than a year late, multiple changes to delivery time.
Divinus, more than a year late and still not even prepared for production.
and Destinies Witchwood, this one is still on track, but the last few production updates have been extremely vague and we're very close to the promised delivery date, so it will likely be delayed as well.
Communication surrounding all those has been deteriorating, with Lucky Duck rarely delivering their once a months updates on time and simply not answering questions if the project are still on their (already delayed) tracks. Yesterday, of course, we got some updates for Kingdom Rush and Destinies, probably in preparation of Into the Godsgrave's launch, but tbh none of those updates contains answers to the questions that backers have been asking: "when will it be delivered?"
But despite all that, people both here and on boardgamegeek (including some reviewers) repeat that there's no reason to worry because Lucky Duck has a good track record. And I'd like to ask "why?".
When was the last time they delivered a crowdfunded game? It's either Destinies, or Chronicles of Crime: Millennium, both campaigns more than 3 years ago, both games with their own problems with delivery. While Millennium started off well, with physical components shipped before the set deadline, it was without most of the digital content, with the final scenario becoming playable more than 1.5 years after it was promised.
Destinies doesn't look much better, with boxes shipped out a few months late, but with scenarios for the final expansion arriving much later than that. And since then, they didn't deliver a single game.
Does their good track record is still the trust built on their old campaigns from 5 years ago, when they were a much smaller company? Because now, it looks pretty bad. They try to do more and more projects at the same time, without finishing the already existing ones.
Updates from their respective campaigns show that Elemental Uprising, Divinus and Dark Quarter all required a lot of development and design work even after the campaign, so the delays are not purely a result of issues with printing and so on, but with problems with Lucky Duck's own workload needed to create those games.
And now we're getting Into the Godsgrave. Looking at the campaign, the reviewer copy doesn'thave most of the things that the game promises (seriously, watch Boardgameco's review and playthrough. The reviewer version has no campaign, no character creation, no deck construction and no solo mode, no 'bossfight' mode, not even any selection of enemies). If they had those ready, it would be in their interest to show something, anything. But they don't because it looks like, again, after Divinus, Dark Quarter and Kingdom Rush, they don't have the game nowhere near ready, this time even less so than the ones in the past. Doesn't it look like a company having trouble with delivering their current games pushing out a quick, unfinished product to get some quick cash needed to finish their current games? Because that would at least explain the quality drop we're seeing in this newest project.
Into the Godsgrave kickstarter sets the delivery for december 2024 - for real, when was the last time they managed to deliver a game in this kind of time frame? Is this dishonest from the start, or are they just really bad (and not improving) regarding delivery timelines?
Or am I missing something and there's more to this alleged good track record than some good kickstarters from years ago?
2023.05.30 19:10 pyconspiracy Removed an old deck, don't know what to do about ugly + inconvenient brickwork underneath.
Wife and I took down an old deck (was installed before we bought our place) and found some raised concrete/masonry with a plugged pipe, which I assume was once used for an oil heating tank. She built a quick staircase as we still need to figure out what to do with the back patio, but can't figure out the 3 or 4 inches of raised concrete which part of the deck had covered up: here's an image of the masonry.
Seems like the deck was meant to hide this ugly brickwork and pipe. We plan on leaving it intact, but does anyone have any ideas for this? Power wash + concrete stain with a much smaller deck covering it? I like doing masonry, but don't know how to improve this. It's several inches off the ground, kind of random, and feels like a trip hazard. It's also too small to do much on, yet still interferes with/juts into the back of the patio, where we plan to install a shed and flowerbeds.
Ultimately, we want an awning to cover the area, as well.
Thoughts?
submitted by pyconspiracy to HomeImprovement [link] [comments]
Seems like the deck was meant to hide this ugly brickwork and pipe. We plan on leaving it intact, but does anyone have any ideas for this? Power wash + concrete stain with a much smaller deck covering it? I like doing masonry, but don't know how to improve this. It's several inches off the ground, kind of random, and feels like a trip hazard. It's also too small to do much on, yet still interferes with/juts into the back of the patio, where we plan to install a shed and flowerbeds.
Ultimately, we want an awning to cover the area, as well.
Thoughts?
2023.05.30 19:10 Suitable_Wrap110 Refund supposedly returned by USPS. Reissued check still hasn’t arrived.
My husband and I filed our 2021 taxes in April 2022. We were to receive a refund of $3,529. Our electronically filed return, however, was kicked back because someone had fraudulently filed taxes with my husband’s social security number. We had to verify we were who we said we were and send in a physical copy of our taxes. We sent it in right away, but we missed one signature line, so they sent it back in November’22. We signed it and sent it back the same day. Then, supposedly in December of ‘22 they issued us a refund check, but the USPS sent it back as “undeliverable.” (We have lived in the same house for 12 years and zero reason for them to not deliver it.) I then started calling in January of ‘23. The girl supposedly reissued the check and told me to wait the 4-6 weeks. After 6 weeks and no check, I called again and the lady claimed the first lady never requested the check be reissued. She supposedly requested it. Another 6 weeks went by with no check. I called and the lady said she couldn’t do anything because the same tax return had been resubmitted and had to finish processing. Finally, on April 11, I called and the lady said she would reissue the check. On April 19th I received a letter (cp564) stating that the “refund check not delivered- new check to be issued.” It advised me to send in the form if the check does not arrive within 30 days of the notice date. (April 19, 2023) On the 30th day, May 19th, I called and the phones were all messed up. I finally spoke to someone on May 23rd and she claims the previous lady ordered the check and that it’s still within the time frame. Tomorrow is exactly 6 weeks from the notice date and my transcripts don’t give me a date nor does the where’s my refund page. It has been stuck on “We have received your tax return and it is being processed” for at least two months. What should I do? (I did send in the cp564 notice last week.) Thanks!
submitted by Suitable_Wrap110 to IRS [link] [comments]
2023.05.30 19:07 norebonomis iMessage frustrations
Friend 1 (android user, has not had iphone for many years) got a new phone number and all of a sudden when I reply to her green text messages, my replies are sent as imessages and are blue, she does not recieve them. Some random woman does, (assuming it is the previous owner of my friend's new phone number).
I tried troubleshooting this by the basic steps (turning iMessage on and off, signing in and out, restarting, etc). I even deleted my friend entirely from all my address books and manually re-created her using her new phone number. All my messages continue to be sent as iMessages and go to random stranger instead of my friend.
Okay, so for the past few months this has been ongoing, when Friend 1 sends me a txt I go to settings, turn off iMessage, so that my reply is sent as a text to her, and then (IF I REMEMBER!) I go back into settings and turn iMessage back on so I can continue to get my blue bubbles from all my other peeps.Super frustrating work-around, but when else am I going to do?
Fast forward a few months of doing this and now, Friend 2 is mad at me for ignoring them, apparently their iMessages show as Delivered/Read but NEVER EVER CAME TO MY DEVICE! I'm guessing these messages were sent during periods where I had iMessage 'Off" on my iPhone.
I'm so lost and confused as to why these issues are happening at all. Shouldn't messages be 'failed' to deliver if my iMessage is off, or shouldn't they instead be sent as SMS? It seems ridiculous to me that they show as 'delivered' but I never received them.
I'm about to have Friend 1 try the 'deregister iMessage online' solution to see if the issue is actually that this random person that used to have her number is somehow still linked to their iCloud...
I'm ready to toss all my apple products and go back to Android, but that means possibly missing out on the new headset? *cries in end user* Help!
submitted by norebonomis to ios [link] [comments]
I tried troubleshooting this by the basic steps (turning iMessage on and off, signing in and out, restarting, etc). I even deleted my friend entirely from all my address books and manually re-created her using her new phone number. All my messages continue to be sent as iMessages and go to random stranger instead of my friend.
Okay, so for the past few months this has been ongoing, when Friend 1 sends me a txt I go to settings, turn off iMessage, so that my reply is sent as a text to her, and then (IF I REMEMBER!) I go back into settings and turn iMessage back on so I can continue to get my blue bubbles from all my other peeps.Super frustrating work-around, but when else am I going to do?
Fast forward a few months of doing this and now, Friend 2 is mad at me for ignoring them, apparently their iMessages show as Delivered/Read but NEVER EVER CAME TO MY DEVICE! I'm guessing these messages were sent during periods where I had iMessage 'Off" on my iPhone.
I'm so lost and confused as to why these issues are happening at all. Shouldn't messages be 'failed' to deliver if my iMessage is off, or shouldn't they instead be sent as SMS? It seems ridiculous to me that they show as 'delivered' but I never received them.
I'm about to have Friend 1 try the 'deregister iMessage online' solution to see if the issue is actually that this random person that used to have her number is somehow still linked to their iCloud...
I'm ready to toss all my apple products and go back to Android, but that means possibly missing out on the new headset? *cries in end user* Help!