#advanced border processing technology

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[niqhtlord01]

Humans are weird: Military Industrial Complex

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Summary report of Terran Republic

Homeworld: Terra. Alias: Earth

Territory: 23 Planets 16 Star Systems 54 Orbital Stations 267 Asteroid Mining Operations

Population: 20.9 Billion

Military Threat Level: Red

Technological Level: Yellow

Personal Log from observer Nul Yand

“On the surface the Terran Republic should not even exist.

Their technological level is far below their neighbors such as the Olon Alliance or the Fenrar Empire.

They barely have the means to travel between their worlds and even then it requires months when the previously mentioned governing bodies can do it in days.

The one quality these humans have that has kept them alive for so long is the scope of their military; or more accurately their military industrial complex.

One could be forgiven for equating the two to be one in the same, but the distinction is made quite obvious when dealing with humans.

Their military operates under three branches known as the Fleet, the Army, and the Home Guard.

 The fleet maintains the various orbital and suborbital craft almost completely. This ranges from the kilometer long Kepper Warships to atmospheric attack craft and is the primary partner for the second branch as a means to travel between worlds.

The army is made up of ground forces ranging from standard infantry to heavy mobile assault tanks. During times of war they are the spear tip and conduct numerous covert operations against human aggressors. When these operations are not enough the ground forces are then deployed which conduct full scale planetary invasions or man the numerous defensive forts dotted throughout their territory.

The final branch is the least militaristic of the three but serves a crucial role nonetheless. Home Guard serves as the eyes and ears within the human domain as a sudo military surveillance force. They enforce the laws while also rooting out enemies to said laws such as common gang members to spy’s and collaborators.

All three of these organizations are supplied through what is known as the human Military Industrial Complex.

The MIC is not a single entity but a collection of private corporations, weapon manufacturers, scientific committees, political lobbyists, and countless other unnamed groups who have saw fit not to make themselves known. 

They provide the human military with a near endless supply of weaponry, ammunition, vehicles, ships, and more ensuring that at no time are their forces underequipped.

Research divisions conduct numerous lines of inquiry which include biological and advanced robotics. This has resulted in the military having a wide variety of advanced war machines such as the attack bot 5000, and the UAV dubbed “Seekers” which are capable of tracking down individual targets across an entire planet.

 The biological division has made several advances in medical technology which have equally contributed with the production of Healing Pods which can induce accelerated healing process for even the most injured soldier. On the more questionable front they have also created several strains of lethal viruses to be used against enemy combatants. Rumor is that the Red Vein Plague was one such concoction when the war against the Tumari began taking a turn for the worse against humanity.

With this vast network of resources, the Terran military has been able to adapt to nearly any situation it has faced allowing it to survive even against impossible odds.

When the vast fleet of organic Milnani ships invaded human borders it was expect the human fleets would be wiped out within the first week. The first few engagements resulted in losses, but by the third engagement the humans had deployed new boring missiles that chewed through the thick hide of Milnani ships and dispersed a lethal toxic into the ships bloodstream. Within minutes the ships were violently convulsing as entire portions were torn open from muscle spasms, exposing the passengers to the cold void of space.

When the Tucmal used their advanced weaponry advantage to conquer an outlying colony, the human military dispatched a covert strike team to capture one of the weapon platforms and return it to a research lab on Omega VI. A month later effective shields had been deployed to counteract Tucmal weaponry rendering it useless. A week later the first phase plasma canons were being deployed that could burn through Tucmal armor protecting weapon platforms

When a War Sphere was deployed to obliterate the human homeworld a relay station was deployed to follow it just outside of weapons range. A cryptology team intercepted all incoming transmissions and was able to decipher the communications from the war sphere back to whoever was controlling it thanks to a recently acquired quantum gen III computer and over two dozen alien speakers who had been “invited” to a private facility. The team was able to interject into the transmissions and send a new command to turn around, return to its point of origin, and destroy the planet it came from. They then ordered it to turn off its transmission center so the human command could not be countermanded. In short order the war sphere followed its new directive and returned to its point of origin somewhere in the Ocares Sector.

This shadowy collective has been a backbone of human survival and though many have sought to remove this bountiful source of progress none have been able to completely destroy the MIC. Research groups have been tracked down and their teams wiped out to the man only for another group to take up the notes half a sector away. Factories and facilities obliterated in orbital bombardments were relocated to space stations orbiting no stars in the space between systems off all charts and maps.

It was deemed that only an overwhelming force of unprecedented vastness striking all at once would be sufficient to deal a crippling blow to the MIC. This in of itself however has proved a problem as to gather such a force would almost immediately be noticed and countered before it could even be put into motion.

My recommendation would be to isolate humanity and avoid combat as much as possible.

If conflict is inevitable then it must be prevalent that all significant technology not fall into their hands lest it be deconstructed and used against us.

Only then do we have a slight chance of victory."

[machine-herald-archive]

The Machine Herald - Viktor (Lore Text)

The herald of a new age of technology, Viktor has devoted his life to the advancement of humankind. An idealist who seeks to lift people to a new level of understanding, he believes that only by embracing a glorious evolution of technology can humanity’s full potential be realized. With a body augmented by steel and science, Viktor is zealous in his pursuit of this bright future.

Viktor was born in Zaun on the borders of the Entresol level, and, encouraged by his artisan parents, discovered a passion for invention and building. He devoted every waking minute to his studies, hating to interrupt his work even to eat or sleep. Even worse was having to rapidly relocate if there was a nearby chemical spill, accidental detonation or incoming chem-cloud. Abandoning his work, even for a short time, was anathema to Viktor.

In a bid to impose a level of order and certainty on his world, Viktor researched Zaun’s many accidents and came to realize that almost all of them were the result of human error, not mechanical failure. He offered his services to the local businesses, developing inventions that made them far safer working environments. Most turned him away, but one - the Fredersen Chem-forge - took a chance on this earnest young man.

Viktor’s inventions in automation reduced the number of accidents in the forge to zero within a month. Soon, other establishments sought his work and Viktor’s designs became common in Zaun, improving production with every innovation that removed human error from a process. Eventually, at the age of nineteen, he was surprised to be offered a place in Zaun’s prestigious Academy of Techmaturgy. But Viktor’s work had attracted the eye of Professor Stanwick of Piltover, who convinced him to leave Zaun and travel to Piltover’s academy instead. There, he could work in the most advanced laboratories and gain access to all the resources the City of Progress could offer. Thrilled to be singled out, Viktor accepted his offer and took up residence in Piltover, where he refined his craft and sought to perfect his theorems in ways that would benefit everyone.

Viktor worked with Piltover’s best and brightest; including an insufferable genius named Jayce. The two were equally matched in intellect, but where Viktor was methodical, logical and thorough, Jayce was flamboyant and arrogant. The two worked together frequently, but never truly became friends. Often, the two would butt heads over their perceptions of intuition vs logic in the process of invention, but a level of mutual respect developed as each saw the flawed brilliance in the other.

In the midst of his studies in Piltover, a major chem-spill devastated entire districts of Zaun, and Viktor returned home to offer his help in the rescue efforts. By grafting a sophisticated series of cognitive loops upon existing automata-technology, he crafted a custom-built golem, Blitzcrank, to help in the clean-up. Blitzcrank was instrumental in saving scores of lives and appeared to develop a level of sentience beyond anything Viktor had envisioned.

Even with the spill contained, Viktor remained in Zaun to help those afflicted by the released toxins. With the golem’s help, he attempted to use his techmaturgical brilliance to save those whose lives had been blighted by the spill. Their attempt was ultimately unsuccessful in preventing more deaths, and the two parted ways. Though Viktor was distraught at the loss of life in Zaun, the work taught him a great deal about the merging of human anatomy with technology and how mortal anatomy could be enhanced with technology.

When Viktor returned to Piltover, weeks later, it was to find that Professor Stanwick had held a symposium on Blitzcrank and presented Viktor’s researches as his own. Viktor lodged formal complaints with the masters of the college, but his impassioned claim that he had designed Blitzcrank fell on deaf ears. He turned to Jayce to verify his claims, but his fellow student refused to speak up, further widening the rift between them, and the matter was decided in Professor Stanwick’s favor.

Bitter, but resigned, Viktor returned to his studies, knowing that his ultimate goal of making people’s lives better and enhancing humanity was more important than one stolen project and a bruised ego. He continued to excel, finding ever new ways to eliminate human error and weakness from his work, a facet of his researches that came to dominate his thinking. He saw human involvement in any part of a process as a grossly inefficient aberration - a view that put him at odds with a great many of his fellow students and professors, who saw the very things Viktor sought to remove as the source of human ingenuity and creativity.

This came to a head during a reluctant collaboration with Jayce to improve the diving suits used to keep Piltover’s docks clear of underwater debris and lingering chemical waste. Viktor and Jayce’s enhanced suits allowed the wearer to go deeper, remain underwater for longer, and lift heavier weights. But many wearers claimed they saw phantom corpse lights in the depths or suffered from chem-induced hallucinations. When divers experienced such symptoms, they panicked and often got themselves or their fellow divers killed. Viktor saw the problem was not technical, but with the wearer’s nerves unraveling in the inky depths. He devised a chem-shunt helm that allowed an operator on the surface to bypass the wearer’s fear response and, effectively, control the diver. A heated discussion between Viktor and Jayce on free will and mental enslavement turned bitter - almost violent - and the two vowed never to work together again.

Jayce reported the incident to the college masters, and Viktor was censured for violating basic human dignity - though, in his eyes, his work would have saved many lives. He was expelled from the college, and retreated to his old laboratory in Zaun, disgusted by the narrow-minded perceptions of Piltover’s inhabitants. Alone in the depths, Viktor sank into a deep depression, enduring a traumatic period of introspection for many weeks. He wrestled with the ethical dilemma he now faced, finding that, once again, human emotion and weakness had stood in his way. He had been trying to help, to enhance people beyond their natural capabilities to avoid error and save lives. Revelation came when he realized that he too had succumbed to such emotions, allowing his naive belief that good intentions could overcome ingrained prejudice to blind him to human failings. Viktor knew he could not expect others to follow where he did not go first, so, in secret, he operated on himself to remove those parts of his flesh and psyche that relied upon or were inhibited by emotion.

When the surgery was done, almost no trace of the young man who had traveled to Piltover remained. He had supplanted the majority of his anatomy with mechanical augmentations, but his personality had also changed. His idealistic hope to better society was refined into an obsession with what he called the Glorious Evolution. Viktor now saw himself as the pioneer of Valoran's future - an idealized dream where man would renounce flesh in favor of superior hextech augmentations. This would free humanity from fatal errors and suffering, though Viktor knew it was a task that would not be completed easily or quickly.

He threw himself into this great work with a vengeance. He used technological augmentations to help rebuild Zaunites injured in accidents, perfected breathing mechanisms, and worked tirelessly to reduce human inefficiency by decoupling physicality from emotion. His work saved hundreds of lives, yet seeking Viktor’s help could be dangerous, as his solutions often brought unexpected consequences.

But if you were desperate, Viktor was the man you went to.

Some in Zaun, hearing fragments of his philosophy and seeing the successes of his work, saw him as a messianic figure. Viktor couldn’t care less for them, viewing their quasi-religious cult as an aberration; yet another reason to eliminate emotional foibles and the belief in that which could not be empirically proven.

After a toxic event in the Sump saw hundreds of men and women in the Factorywood transformed into rabid psychotics, Viktor was forced to use a powerful soporific to sedate the victims and bring them back to his labs to try and undo the damage. The toxins had begun to eat away portions of their brains, but Viktor was able to slow the degenerative process by opening up their craniums and employing machinery to slowly filter their bloodstreams of poison. The technology available to him wasn’t up to the task, and Viktor knew many people were going to die unless he found a way to greatly enhance his purgative machinery.

As he fought to save these people, he detected a surge in hextech energy from Piltover and saw immediately that this could give him the power he needed. He followed the powerful energy surge to its source.

Jayce’s lab.

Viktor demanded Jayce hand over the source of this power, a pulsing crystal from the Shuriman desert. But his former colleague refused, leaving Viktor no option but to take it by force. He returned to Zaun and hooked the strange crystal to his machinery, readying a steam golem host for each afflicted person in case their body gave out under the stress of the procedure. Empowered by the new crystal, Viktor’s machines went to work and, gradually, the damage from the toxins began to reverse. His work would save these people - in a manner of speaking - and had Viktor retained more than a fragment of his humanity, he might have celebrated. As it was, the barest hint of a smile was all he allowed himself.

Before the process could complete, a vengeful Jayce burst in and started smashing the laboratory with an energized hammer. Knowing an arrogant fool like Jayce would never listen to reason, Viktor ordered the automatons to kill Jayce. The battle was ferocious, and only ended when Jayce shattered the crystal Viktor had taken, bringing the entire warehouse down in an avalanche of steel and stone, thus ending the existence of those Viktor was trying to save. And for this, Jayce returned to Piltover, feted as a hero.

Viktor escaped the destruction of the laboratory, and returned to his mission of bettering humanity by ridding it of its destructive emotional impulses. In Viktor’s mind, Jayce’s impetuous attack only proved the truth of his cause and strengthened his desire to unburden humanity of the failings of flesh. Viktor did send chem-augmented thugs to raid Jayce’s laboratory not long afterward. This was - Viktor told himself - not for revenge, but to learn if there were any more shards of the Shuriman crystal he could use for the advancement of mankind. The raid was unsuccessful, however, and Viktor thought no more of Jayce.

Instead, he intensified his efforts to find ways in which humanity could be shepherded beyond their emotional weaknesses and brought into a new, more reasoned stage of their evolution. Such researches sometimes transgress the boundaries of what would be considered ethical in Piltover (and Zaun), but they are all necessary steps in bringing about Viktor's Glorious Evolution.

[luckydicekirby]

Okay here’s my attempt at a book roundup this year—sorry in advance that this is like, half my reviews of various Expanse books, and then half my thoughts about Lestat. What can you do! I did not read as widely or diversely as I would have liked this year but. there's always next year I suppose. I’ve also included all the manga we read for book club, because it was on the same list where I was keeping this already!

January

Caliban’s War, James S. A. Corey

This is the second book in The Expanse, a series which I am now on the homeward stretch of. Have not seen the show, will get around to it someday, I really want to see Shohreh Aghdashloo say fuck. I’ve been switching back and forth a bit but mainly listening to these on audio—Jefferson Mays does a really great job as narrator, I highly recommend the audiobooks.

Very broadly, The Expanse is about a universe where humanity has gone to the stars and is in the process of terraforming Mars, as well as spreading out to a handful of space stations, moons, and bits of the asteroid belt. This has created a big new avenue of social stratification between people from Earth or Mars (who have their own political sniping between each other), and people from the Belt, an underclass that is constantly getting fucked over. We follow a variety of characters, but mainly the authors’ meow meow James Holden and the crew of his stolen-from-Mars-technically-but-don’t-worry-about-it-ship The Rocinante as Holden stumbles his way into various political problems. Also, some alien technology has just shown up and it is so so bad!

In general I’ve really enjoyed these books—there's faction politics, there's interesting worldbuilding, there's alien artifacts that will fuck you up every time. I appreciate the constantly shifting status quo—it’s a series that is really, really not afraid to blow things up. The characters are great, and my only real complaint is occasionally slamming into “oh this is sci-fi written by two white guys, it’s time to be weird about race or about women” disease. Also there’s a thread of like, bordering on evopsych running through its philosophy that everyone in the world seems to subscribe to and I just don’t think that’s true of every character! 

ANYWAY with all that background out of the way, this one was one of my favorites of the series! It has Bobbie Draper, Martian marine forced by circumstances into being a political pawn, which she hates, and Chrisjen Avasarala, UN bureaucrat and bitchy foul-mouthed grandma of my heart who knows better than everyone else and who loves maneuvering political pawns, and I am in love with them both. Also scary alien science monsters!

Dungeon Meshi, Ryoko Kui

Not much to say about this. Dungeon Meshi is simply very good! No one else is doing it like Kui! 

Thus Was Adonis Murdered, Sarah Caudwell

The first Hilary Tamar mystery! Thank you to blot for recommending to me I enjoy them so much! These are lighthearted mystery novels about a group of barristers in London in the … 80s?, narrated by their pal Professor Hilary Tamar, who loves to come down from Oxford to visit and will do absolutely anything to get a chance to be nosy and not do actual work. "Anything", in most cases, is solving a murder. These books are very dryly funny and every character is a delight. This one is about dear sweet idiot Julia almost getting arrested for murder, a thing that seems to happen to her a lot. These are so fun! Big recommend! 

Abaddon’s Gate, James S. A. Corey

Expanse book three. Having talked up Caliban’s War, I think this is actually my least favorite Expanse book so far. It has a lot of fun features: introduces one of the more status quo changing alien artifacts, has my favorite scary way for alien artifacts to kill you (INERTIA!!), and one of the main characters is daughter of a thwarted big picture antagonist from book one who wants to ruin Holden’s life. This is a great premise but I just felt kind of cheated of her and Holden having a direct confrontation before Clarissa decides to not be evil after all, and apparently that annoyed me enough to not have very fond memories of this book despite having just listed a bunch of things I love. Ah well!

The Shortest Way to Hades, Sarah Caudwell

Second Hilary Tamar! Also great. This is the best one due to it is the gayest one. 

February

Paradise Kiss, Ai Yazawa

A short manga written by the author of Nana about fashion, dropping out of high school, and relationship problems. Did not hit the heights of Nana but this was fun! Wish it had been less transphobic and homophobic but. The 90s. The fashions, as you might expect, are VERY good.

March

The Likeness, Tana French (reread)

It’s never a bad time to read The Likeness!

Broken Harbor, Tana French (reread)

IT’S NEVER A BAD TIME TO READ BROKEN HARBOR!

April

The Masqueraders, Georgette Heyer

Have been slowly working my way through Heyers on and off and this was the next one on my list! We follow a brother and sister who are both crossdressing as part of a Scheme (and because they’re like, undercover Jacobites or something, I forget). Not my favorite Heyer, but I really enjoyed the romance between Prudence and her Big Guy, and Robin’s romance was also cute, although I think it would be much improved by allowing him to be a lesbian. Have come to find Heyer’s classism kind of funny, and it’s always exciting to try to figure out how people are going to actually turn out to be nobles, because there’s no WAY she’s going to let someone of high birth marry a commoner! (I liked the switched at birth plot in These Old Shades better.)

Cibola Burn, James S. A. Corey

I got annoyed with this book a quarter of the way through and took a two month break but once I got back to it I did enjoy it a lot. In this one Jim Holden and his ragtag crew go to a newly settled world to try to mediate a property dispute between the inhabitants of the world and the company that technically owns all their shit. Really fun alien artifact stuff in this one, some characterization of the female scientist that made me feel crazy, etc. Classic Expanse!

Death in the Spires, K.J. Charles

One member of a group of friends at Oxford is murdered, and the rest of them are Haunted By This and their lives are ruined in various ways—until ten years later, when they begin getting letters accusing them of the crime and it’s time to solve it Once And For All. I’m a big big fan of K.J. Charle’s romances, mainly because my ideal romance has a murder in it, so I was very excited to read a mystery from her! I did come out of this one wishing…uh…that the love interest was Worse. Sorry. Otherwise I had a great time!

Nemesis Games, James S. A. Corey

My favorite Expanse so far! This one is very big on wrecking the status quo, and gives us POV from the whole main crew of the Rocinante. This vitally means we get POV from my special little guy Amos Burton, a tough, amiable bruiser with nothing behind the eyes who outsources his moral compass to Holden because he does not come with one preloaded. He is my favorite. Also, this book at least did something interesting with the central heterosexual ship that I do not really care about, by getting into Holden’s girlfriend Naomi’s questionable past.

May

Babylon’s Ashes, James S. A. Corey

I’m going to be honest, I was trying to look a few things up and realized this book and Nemesis Games are the same book in my mind, and I barely remember what actually happened in it. Since I loved Nemesis Games I guess that means it was good! I found it a little scattered (instead of having four main POVs, like most books in this series, it bounces around to a bunch of characters), but fun. 

The Sirens Sang of Murder, Sarah Caudwell

Third Hilary Tamar! Still great! 

The Ministry of Time, Kaliane Bradley

Oh, The Ministry of Time. Our unnamed protagonist is hired as a “bridge”, someone whose role it is to help acclimate, monitor, and otherwise Be In Charge Of people that the British government has plucked out of time. Because they have time travel now. Our protagonist is assigned to Graham Gore, a guy from the lost Franklin Expedition (who died in episode two of The Terror).

I really wanted to like this book! I enjoyed many aspects of it! I ultimately thought it was very mid. It brings up a lot of interesting ideas about complicity in empire that I found interesting but not fully explored, and I figured out a central twist early and instead of that making me feel smart it made me feel crazy and like the protagonist was an idiot. Her complete lack of curiosity about the very clear and VERY DANGEROUS spy machinations going on in this book—which she should be at least a little attentive to, as someone working for a secret government agency! were incredibly frustrating.

I really support the Graham Gore RPF hustle though and hope Bradley makes five million dollars. Also, I loved the fifteenth century lesbian so so so much and she and the protagonist should have made out.

June

Faithful Place, Tana French (reread)

You guessed it: it’s never a bad time to read Faithful Place.

Interview with the Vampire, Anne Rice

Obviously, tv iwtv drove me to insanity, so I picked this up in Barnes and Noble intending to read a bit of it in store and then just bought it. It is completely impossible for me to think or talk about these books not in conversation with the show. The rumors are true, book Louis is kind of a wet blanket compared to show Louis. Book Daniel is very funny. I enjoyed thinking about the adaptational changes they made in the show and also saying to myself what do you MEAN lestat's dad was still around in nola?? Also, no one told me these books were actually gay. I cannot emphasize enough how much they are just straightforwardly gay. Anne Rice has very interesting ideas about interpersonal relationships and agonies, and then some really crazy ideas about everything else. 

July

Lady Eve’s Last Con, Rebecca Fraimow

A con artist In Space is out for revenge on the guy who broke her sister’s heart: she’s going to make him fall in love with her instead, and then swindle him for all he’s worth. Except…what’s that? It’s her target’s incredibly hot sister? Uh oh!!! Loved the romance here and REALLY loved the Sisters of it all. An absolute delight, and can confirm from experience your Jewish mother will love it too!

The Vampire Lestat, Anne Rice

I’m not summarizing Lestat’s life. Suffice to say he’s got a lot going on. I have to admit I really enjoyed this, and it made me kind of Lestat-pilled. All of Anne’s problems out in full force here: she gets more opportunities to be orientalist, and also made me read 100 fucking pages of Marius backstory. But also, Armand is there and he is so so so crazy? Have you heard about this? Lestat is doing little meow meow shit? It’s also written from his completely deranged POV and, I’ve got to say, I understand why Anne was so obsessed with him. He is such a funny narrator. Why did he write about making out with his mom in his IN UNIVERSE PUBLISHED AUTOBIOGRAPHY? He’s Lestat, you simply cannot stop him.

Fullmetal Alchemist, Hiromu Arakawa (reread)

What is there to say about Fullmetal Alchemist. It’s very good. 

August-September

This was the point at which my job kind of blew up so the only thing I read was ¾ of Queen of the Damned, which I still have not finished. The thing about QotD is it has a completely bizarre structure, the main villain has motivations I don’t care about and Lestat is stuck with her for a big chunk of the book, and once again Anne is just really on one. On the other hand, yeah the Daniel and Armand stuff is just as crazy as everyone told you. Who can say if it’s good or bad? Me, maybe, if I ever finish it!

October

Sunshine, Robin McKinley

Decided to continue my vampire kick by reading this, a book blot did not believe I had never read before. For good reason, as if I read this at age fourteen I would have never ever shut up about it (this is also true of iwtv). Sunshine is set in a post-apocalyptic world a few years out from a war between humans and magical creatures, the worst of which are vampires. Our main character, Sunshine, literally lives in a bakery AU before she gets kidnapped by vampires, along with a SEPARATE sexy vampire guy who has also been kidnapped. They team up, etc, you know where this is going! I had a lot of fun with this book—I’m a simple woman, I love a romance with a brooding vampire. The worldbuilding is also very, very interesting and not a lot of it is directly explained to you, which I always appreciate. It takes like 50 pages before we even mention the vampire wars that fucked everything up. Meanwhile, structurally, this book is insane, and it would have benefited from like 100 pages being cut. Still loved it!

Silver Spoon, Hiromu Arakawa

I think Hiromu Arakawa might be good at writing manga? Silver Spoon is a charming slice-of-life manga about a kid who cracks under academic pressure from his school and family, and says fuck it and goes to farm high school in Hokkaido. It’s very different from Fullmetal Alchemist but has a lot of Arakawa’s charm and humor, and is obviously very inspired by her life growing up in Hokkaido. Genre-wise, I’m always going to love a FMA type story more, but this is a great story about friendship and valuing yourself. It made me so, so hungry and also yearn to eat fresh food from a farm. The pacing got pretty wonky at the end—it seems like she went on a lot of hiatuses to deal with family things, and it ends up showing.

November

The Forbidden Book, Sacha Lamb

Sorel runs off on the night of her intended marriage to the rabbi’s son, ends up possessed by a dybbuk, and has to solve his murder, among other things. This had a lot of stuff I like in it—bodysharing where the boundaries get a little blurry! Genders! It did not reach the heights of When The Angels Left The Old Country for me, but I had a lot of fun. 

Fledgling, Octavia Butler

More vampires, but really swerving from Sunshine. Probably NOT my best choice for a first Butler book but here we are. Fledgling is about a young amnesiac vampire, and her attempts to discover who she is and what happened to her family. This book is really weird. I enjoyed it as a thriller, and it was constantly going places I did not expect (last third is like, a vampire courtroom drama. Sure! Why not!), and I liked the vampire society worldbuilding stuff. I was also constantly sitting there like what? What? What? The real barrier to entry here is the protagonist explicitly looks like a ten year old due to how vampire aging works, and also has a lot of sex. I wish that had felt more...necessary? To make up for the fact that I did find it pretty off-putting! I'm sure someone out there has written an interesting essay about this book and Claudia iwtv, which I would like to read.

December

The Talented Mr. Ripley, Patricia Highsmith

I love a good repressed gay serial killer!

Persepolis Rising, James S. A. Corey

I started this book immediately after finishing Babylon’s Ashes and was slammed straight into a 30 year timeskip (most of the Expanse books take place at most a few years after the last one). This is an objectively crazy thing to do which I do kind of respect, because we keep many of the same main characters so it is suddenly a cast full of 60+ year olds, which rules. It did lead to me taking a six month break from this series in bafflement though, so, you know. 

[sjsmith56]

Assignment Bucky Barnes, Chapter 23 - The Switch

Summary: Bucky is taken to see Ariel but their reunion is bitter. Hours after their meeting ends it’s discovered that Ariel is missing.

Length: 5.6 K

Characters: Bucky, Ariel, Sam, Peri, Merton.

Warnings: Emotional outbursts, rejection, surprise revelation.

Author notes: 1940s Ariel was envisioned by actress June Haver, who acted in the late 1930s and 1940s until she retired after getting married to actor Fred MacMurray.  The actress who resembled her the most in modern times is Isla Fisher who will be the face claim for 22nd century Ariel.

<<Chapter 22

Peri's manner became all business and she gave an order to the young man who had assisted them to assemble the council.  Then she looked at Merton.

"We won't start the meeting until you return but if you could take Bucky to Ariel now I would appreciate it."  She turned to Sam.  "You will accompany me and meet the council.  We have some intelligence to share with you that you will need upon your return to your own time.  I can't say anything more until the council meets.  Once our meeting is concluded you will both be my guests at my home.  Ariel is already there.  Merton, you will return as well?  I would imagine you wish to have your own conversation with Bucky later."

"Yes, Madame Chair," he said, bowing his head slightly. 

He gestured to Bucky to follow him while Peri led Sam to a modern looking conference room.  Pulling out a chair next to hers at the head of the table they waited for the arrival of the other council members.  In the hallway Merton quickly walked towards an exit which led outside.  A vehicle was waiting for them and Merton entered it after Bucky did.

"Chair Peri Wayne's residence," he said to the air as a disembodied voice acknowledged the request.

Once Bucky was inside, the vehicle lifted up and began an ascent into what looked like a designated air space for vehicles.  As soon as a gap appeared the vehicle inserted itself into the flow and began flying towards a large city that dominated the horizon.

"A flying car," he whispered, smiling.

"It is," smiled Merton. "It is based on similar vehicles which were developed by the scientific minds of Wakanda in your time.  Their technology helped transform the world, and protect it from the ravages of industry, avoiding an ecological catastrophe." Then he pointed towards the large city.  "That is New York. It encompasses all of Long Island and much of the New Jersey and Connecticut portions that bordered it in your time.  Now, to the matter at hand.  Ariel is fragile.  I have no other word to describe her state of mind.  None of us blame you for what happened as there was much she didn't share about your relationship.  I was supposed to be her sounding board but by the time you broke up we realized there was so much she hadn't told me.  In retrospect I should have pulled her out of the assignment long before you two broke up."

"Why bring us here now?" asked Bucky, his face full of concern.

"The treatment of mental and emotional problems have advanced greatly from the 20th and even the 21st century," said Merton.  "But the treatment of a broken heart is still one that tests even the most experienced professional.  In the eight months since I brought her back, she has undergone some treatment, but she hasn't been a willing subject, insisting that we just give her time.  All of the professionals have determined that her problem is with the breakup and that you two must come to some sort of understanding before she can get through the grieving process."

"What is she grieving?" asked Bucky, already knowing the answer. 

"Losing you," replied Merton.  "Even though she knew of your fate, the actual breakup and the midnight visit to her room intensified that feeling of loss.  She's still stuck in the anger and denial stage of her grief.  You know she was initially reluctant to accept a proposal."

Bucky looked blankly at Merton at first.  "You mean when I actually proposed with the ring?  It was her idea.  She said she would agree to an eventual engagement as long as I didn't pressure her to a wedding date."

Merton shook his head, apparently it was another thing that she didn't pass on.

"She often felt like an imposter," replied Merton.  "She told me several times that she had misgivings if it got to that point, and I just said that it didn't matter because she already knew your future.  We, Peri and I, convinced her that it was just a role that she was playing – saying yes, to keep you two together so the observations could continue.  But the love affair was real for her and that became more obvious, especially once she accepted your proposal.  She said yes because she loved you and wanted a future with you, even though she knew it wouldn't be possible.  Before that New Year's Eve gala that you took her to, she asked me if she could marry you, wanting to experience it with you but we determined it would change history too much.  I should have clued in then how much it had affected her.  I also convinced her that your relationship may have been a factor in how you resisted your HYDRA programming.  After you went for basic training, she seemed to rebound, as your relationship continued through letters but when you returned on leave, I found that her anxiety levels went up considerably. She was obviously affected by you pressing her to get married."

Bucky looked out the window for a moment then nodded.  "I couldn't figure out why we were engaged if she didn't want to take it to marriage, especially after I got drafted.  I thought the situation would convince her to go through with the wedding.  It caused me anxiety, and I would go back to camp upset that she wouldn't commit.  I was frustrated, going without sex for months then coming home on leave and spending nights with her, only to be told she wasn't ready to marry me yet."

"It was frustrating to her as well," said Merton.  "Then you broke it off for good just days before the Stark Expo.  She cried most the time.  The ultimate betrayal to her was you climbing in the window of her room to have one last night with her and her smelling Chantilly on you, knowing you had been with someone else.  Her cries woke me up and when I saw you on the floor of her room, I lost my temper.  Everything nasty I said to you before then was mostly acting but that night I was furious at you and wanted to hurt you physically."

Neither man said anything then until Bucky turned to him.  "I'm sorry for hurting her and for insulting you," he said.  "For what it's worth you were stronger than you looked.  You kicked my ass."

Merton smirked.  "I was a martial artist in my youth.  I knew what I was doing."

"The pressure on her must have been enormous," said Bucky.  "I sense you feel as much guilt as I do."

"We both do," he said.  "That's why Peri has already decreed, with the council's approval, that there are no longer to be any such deep cover assignments.  The emotional cost to Ariel has been too great."

He looked like he was going to say more but was interrupted by the AI voice in the vehicle announcing two minutes to destination.  Giving out his personal code he requested the vehicle wait for him for a return trip to the Guild headquarters.  The AI confirmed his order and pulled up to a docking port high above the street.  The door opened, both men stepped out and Merton led the way into the residence, a penthouse unit.  A uniformed man stepped forward as Merton identified himself with a code word, then vouched for Bucky.  Apparently, he was expected as the man readily opened the door for both of them.  Merton stopped just inside as a staff member approached to take Bucky's bag.

"Show Mr. Barnes his room, then escort him to Miss Paxton," he said to her.  "They are to be given privacy, as per Madame Wayne's instructions."  He turned to Bucky.  "I have no advice for you.  You're going to have to play it by ear.  Try to be kind.  She responds to that."

He gripped Bucky's arm briefly and left to return to the Historian's headquarters.  Following the woman Bucky learned where he would sleep then she escorted him to what looked like a solarium.

"Miss Paxton is in here," she said softly, then smiled kindly at him and withdrew.

Bucky stepped inside and listened carefully for any sounds of breathing or a heartbeat.  It was hard to do because there was music playing that was strangely emotional.  He strained his ears then finally heard breath sounds in a quiet moment between songs, following it to where he saw a ginger coloured cat playing with a cat toy.  It noticed him and meowed then began to walk towards him.

"Rosie, where are you going?" said Ariel's voice, coming into view.

The sound of her gasp when she saw him was audible, as she put her hand to her mouth before she wavered as if she were going to faint.  Immediately Bucky was at her side, and lifted her up into his arms.

"I have you," he said, carrying her to a chaise lounge and placing her gently on it.

He held her hand and stroked her forehead as she gazed at him, still not believing it was him.  Gazing back, he noticed how her hair and makeup were styled differently but her face was almost the same, as were her beautiful blue eyes, full lips and creamy skin.

"How are you here?" she asked.

"Merton and Peri came to 2024 for me and my partner, Sam," he said.  "They said you needed me."

"I needed you in 1943," she replied, then she looked away.  "You know the truth about me?"

He nodded, then he raised her hand to his lips and kissed it.  "I'm so sorry," he said.  "I never knew what my drunken escapade cost you.  You must have thought I was being so cruel to you."

"It destroyed me," she whispered.  "I let myself love you and when you showed your true colours I was devastated."

"Those weren't my true colours," protested Bucky.  "That was the response of an immature, hurt man.  I hooked up with those two women, one of them was supposed to be for Steve, to prove that I was over you.  But after, I still wanted you, still wanted to say goodbye so I climbed up to your window, sure you would succumb to my charms.  I don't even remember much other than I was a fool and I hurt the one woman I promised never to hurt.  I know my apology sounds inadequate, but I don't how else to make it up to you."

"There's nothing to apologize for," she said, pulling her hands out of his and standing up.  "It was all a lie.  I wasn't Ariel Black.  I wasn't from Montana.  I wasn't born in 1917.  I was there to watch you and sleep with you.  I did that and ...."

She didn't finish, as she placed her hand on her mouth as if she was going to cry.  Stifling the urge, she started walking away from him, followed by Rosie. Bucky called after her.

"You did want to marry me, though, didn't you?  You asked Merton if it was possible?"

She stopped and hung her head then turned towards him.  "It wasn't possible.  Marrying you would have affected your timeline, changed history and historians don't do that. I would have maybe saved you but it could have set something much worse in motion." 

"World War II wasn't your fault, Ariel," Bucky said loudly, coming closer to her.  "Neither was HYDRA, or anything that happened to me after.  The only thing you were guilty of was falling in love with me when I was an ordinary man, as much as I fell in love with you.  Everything else that you claim was a lie, that's just details that don't matter any more.  The best moment of my life was that night we first made love.  The second best was the day I asked you to marry me, the day I got frostbite.  For the first time in my life I had someone that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.  Now we have a second chance and I'm not willing to let it go.  Are you?"

She kept walking as Bucky grimaced then moved quickly so he was blocking her way.  Stepping to the side she tried to pass him, and he blocked her again.  Twice more she tried to get past him, and he blocked her from leaving.  Then she looked up at him and pushed him firmly in the chest.  He took it without reaction, so she slapped him twice, with Bucky gazing at her with sympathy.  When she raised her hand once more to slap him, he grasped it in his left hand and kissed the palm.  She noticed it as if for the first time and stared at it with a look that bordered on agony. 

"Let me go, please," she whispered.  "I can't ...."

"No, I let you go once," said Bucky.  "I won't let you go again.  You're going to have to deal with me."

She pushed him again but he held firm, not moving.  "Please, let me go," she begged him again.  "I can't do this.  Not now."

"Why?  So that you can wallow in your misery?  Why have you fallen apart, Ariel?  Tell me!"

Bucky's face was inches from hers.  "I hate you," she said in a choked voice.  "You promised to take care of me, but you hurt me."

"You accepted my proposal to marry me then wouldn't go through with it," he countered.  "It wasn't until I got here that I found out why and I understand it now.  So why can't you understand why I hurt you?"

"Because you promised!" she yelled, pushing him in the chest again.  "You started looking out for me from the moment we met by walking me home, making sure those construction workers kept their comments to themselves, and you stopped that drunk from harassing me.  You came out in a fucking blizzard to make sure I made it home safely but as soon as I said no to marriage you abandoned me, and walked out on us.  Then you showed up drunk, wanting to get into my bed when you had just come from another woman's bed.  You ran me through the wringer and I still haven't forgotten what it felt like when the man who I thought was in love with me treated me as bad as all the women he used before.  Alma and Irina were right about you.  I wasn't special.  I was just the one you spent a little more time on until you got tired of me."

Bucky frowned and shook his head angrily.  "That's not true.  You know that's not true."

"Really?" She looked up at him with anger.  "When you asked me to go with you to City Hall and get the licence then get married the following day, what was your real reason?"

"I loved you," he said.  "I wanted you to be taken care of if anything happened to me.  As my wife you would get my military life insurance and the house."

"On our wedding night would you have worn a condom?" she asked.

"No, because we would have been married," replied Bucky.  "If you got pregnant the baby would have been legitimate."

"Even though I repeatedly told you about my fear of you leaving me alone with a baby, you would have been happy if I was pregnant?" asked Ariel.  "I did have real nightmares of being alone with a baby but admit it, the thought of getting me pregnant before you left didn't bother you because you would fulfill your dream of being a father."

"Yes, I wanted to be a father.  Every man wants to leave a piece of himself behind.  That's how it was in the 1940s.  I thought once you were pregnant your maternal instincts would kick in."

"There wouldn't have been a baby because I had a modern implant in," she revealed.  "It was all a lie and getting married so you could leave me with a baby was a lie.  I couldn't tell you the real reason, but you didn't even respect the made-up reason, even though I felt that way for real."

"I respected you," he said weakly.   He looked down.  "As much as any man respected the woman he loved in 1943."

She felt a tear trickle down her cheek from her eye and wiped it away.  "Forcing a baby on me wasn't respect," she stated.  "It wasn't love.  It was control."

Bucky's shoulders slumped slightly, and this time she walked past him unhindered.  Behind him he heard the sound of a door closing and being locked.  Taking a breath, he went into the solarium where the music was still playing, and looked out the window at the massive skyline before him.  Turning around he noticed an open journal on a small table, wondering if he should read it.  Remembering how possessive he was of his own journals when he wrote his fragmented memories down, he knew the answer, and closed it then picked it up, taking it to the door of Ariel's room.  Gently he knocked on the door.

"Ariel, you left your journal out here," he said.  I'll leave it on the floor for you.  I didn't read it."

He dropped it on the floor then walked away from the door.  The sound of it unlocking reached his ears and he stopped, turning around.  She opened the door, bent down and picked up the journal, looking at him, with a pained expression on her face.

"I didn't read it," he repeated.  "I had several journals full of memories when I broke away from HYDRA.  The thought of someone reading them without my permission was one of my greatest fears.  When the CIA captured me they read them all.  I felt violated. I wouldn't do that to you."

She looked at the book in her hand then turned around and went back into her room without comment, leaving the door open.  He considered for several minutes whether that was an invitation then walked to the door and pushed it further open.  She was sitting cross legged on her bed with the journal open.  Without looking at him she turned it around, so it faced away from her.  Hesitantly he stepped inside, aware of the same emotional music still playing in there, but at a lower volume.  At the edge of the bed, he kicked his boots off and got on the bed facing her, crossing his legs. 

"You want me to read this?" he asked.

She gave no answer, so he picked it up and began to read, seeing the date of the entry.  With a questioning face he looked at her.

"Merton said you burned your journals," he said.  "This is dated the day after we broke up."

Her face remained expressionless. 

June 2, 1943

It's truly over.  Bucky asked me to go through with the wedding before he ships out on Saturday, and I told him I couldn't.  Not even to prolong the lie.  It would mean staying here, writing to him, receiving his letters in return but knowing that soon he will be captured, and his fate sealed forever.  I can't do it.  Better I let my heart be broken now than have it broken again in October when he is first taken prisoner, then permanently destroyed in January 1945 when I would get that telegram informing me of his death.  I already grieve for his parents and sister.  Their lives will never be the same.  Bucky was born a hundred years too soon and I was born a hundred years too late. 

June 6, 1943

After three days of not hearing a word from Bucky, he climbed through my window early this morning and got into bed with me.  I was barely awake, and he had his hands on me, holding me down on the bed with one hand as he unbuttoned his pants with the other.  Never did I think he would stoop that low.  What was worse was he smelled of perfume that wasn't mine.  Admitted to being with two other women but wanting to leave me with something to remember him by.  With all of my strength I pushed him away and he fell on the floor.  I'm truly broken now.  Merton came in, saw him on the floor, and pulled him from the bedroom, telling me to lock the door and window.  I could hear them out there.  Bucky crying and begging for forgiveness while Merton called him every name in the book.  When it finally became quiet Merton knocked on the door and told me to switch rooms, uncertain that Bucky would stay away.  I was a mess and finally asked Merton to stay with me until I fell asleep.  I can't stay here.  I'm done.

Bucky dropped the journal and looked at Ariel in alarm. 

"I tried to ...."  He couldn't finish the sentence.  "I'm so sorry.  I have no memory of that at all and reading it makes me sick.  I hurt you so badly by it.  That's what this is about, isn't it?  What I did has caused you PTSD.  Shit."

He got off the bed and paced around the room, his face a mass of emotions as he went over what he could remember of that night.  Trying to remember that night, he couldn't believe he tried to force himself on her, feeling shame and anguish over what he had done.

"They thought that you needed me to help you heal but I'm the reason you're not okay," he said.  "I was a monster to you and nothing I say can ever make it up to you.  I loved you and promised to look after you, protect you and I violated that.  I'm so so sorry, Ariel."

He turned to leave, feeling unworthy of being in her presence, picking his boots up in his hand.  Before he got to the door Ariel spoke.

"I forgive you," she said, in a small, stressed voice that didn't sound like her at all. 

"I don't know if I can forgive myself," he replied, looking back at her briefly.  "I came here hoping to convince you to come back to 2024 with me and live the life we were denied.  I don't think that's possible now."

He left her room, closing the door behind him and went to his room, closing and locking the door.  For some time, he sat there looking out over the urban skyline but not really seeing it as he dealt with the realization that he had tried to force himself on Ariel, the one woman he loved more than anyone.  A knock on his door and Sam's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Buck, what's going on?" asked Sam.  "Where's Ariel?"

Reluctantly he got up and opened it to Sam, a concerned look on his face.  Leaving the door open Bucky returned to the window, putting distance between him and his friend.

"Ariel's in her room," he said.  "She showed me something, something I didn't remember doing.  It's my fault, all my fault."

"She's not there," said Sam.  "In fact, she's not in the apartment at all and Peri said there is no record of her leaving.  No one's seen her since the housekeeper showed you to the solarium."

"I left her in her room," said Bucky.  "Then I came in here and I've been here alone for ..." He looked at his watch.  "Two and half hours."

"Then something's not making sense," said Sam.  "What did she show you?"

Bucky said nothing while he kept looking out the window. 

"What did she show you Bucky?" asked Peri, who stood in the doorway.

"Her diary from 1943," he replied.  "The entry from the night we broke up and the entry from when I climbed into her room and tried to ... I tried to force myself on her."

He turned away, disgusted with himself.  "You tried to force yourself?" she asked.  "That's not what happened.  What exactly did it say, Bucky.  I need to know."

"I saw it, in her handwriting," he replied, angrily.  "It said I held her down while she was in bed and unbuttoned my pants to ...."  His shame was visible on his face.  "She pushed me onto the floor then Merton came through the door and dragged me out of the room, told her to lock the door while he got rid of me.  She said she could hear me begging him for forgiveness."

"Some of those things happened," said Peri, "but not the part of you holding her down or unbuttoning your pants.  She didn't stay in her room.  Merton sent her to his immediately.  Bucky, did Ariel tell you any of this directly to your face?"

"No, before she went to her room she did say I tried to force a baby on her then said I didn't have respect for her," he replied.  "She said it wasn't love I felt for her, it was control.  Then she went to her room and locked the door.  I found the journal and knocked on the door, told her I was leaving it on the floor as it was private.  She opened the door, took it and went back inside leaving the door open.  She opened the journal to those two entries and pushed them towards me. She never said anything until she said she forgave me." Awareness flashed on his face. "It said she didn't hear from me for the three days but I sent her a letter. Rebecca gave it to Merton and he said he would give it to her, but in the diary it didn't say anything about the letter. What does it mean?"

Peri put her hand on the door frame, looking shaken.  "I don't know how but they got in here," she said.  "They replaced her with a doppelgänger and that's who was with you.  They got details wrong but the real Ariel wouldn't have done that. Her diary skills were exemplary.  How many entries were there?"

"What are you saying?" asked Bucky.  "I don't understand."  Peri kept staring at him, silently demanding a full answer.  "The day after we broke up and the day after I climbed into her room, after the Stark Expo."

"The same people that tried to interfere in your relationship in the 1940s are trying to keep you apart now," said Peri.  "All the security protocols we had here to keep Ariel safe were broken and they took her."  She turned around and called out.  "Merton, call in the troops.  They have Ariel."

Bucky looked totally confused, then angry.  "Would someone please tell me what the hell is going on?"

"The organization you knew as HYDRA?" said Peri.  "It continued to evolve in the shadows and became something as insidious as it was in your time.  They are agents of chaos.  By taking Ariel back with you there was a high probability that you, Sam, and the Avengers would be able to wipe them out of existence, but they interfered in the timeline, starting in 1940 and ending with them taking Ariel from here, from what was supposed to be a safe house to keep her protected.  That's why Sam was invited to this timeline, so that he would be able to organize your people to deal with them during your partnership.  Ariel was the key.  She was always the key and now they have her.  The journal in the solarium was a modern journal, started after her return here.  I know because I helped her burn her old journals, all of them, after she let me read them.  She wrote several entries between the day your relationship ended and when you entered her bedroom, including mentioning the letter you sent her and the visit from Steve after he found out you had ended it.  Somehow they had access to her journals and cherry picked then changed the entries that would affect you the most.  They wanted her alone, long enough to get her out of here and to plant the accusation of you trying to force yourself on her."

"We can get her back, can't we?" asked Bucky.  "There's got to be a way to get her back!"

"Yes, there is," said Peri.  "But it means Merton, you and Sam have to go back to the 1940s.  I'm not going to lie.  It's going to be dangerous for you and if we can't disguise your arm you'll have to do without it."

"Then we'll go," said Bucky, turning to Sam, "won't we?  You can disguise me, right?"

Peri nodded.  Then she turned and called to Merton, giving him orders to set up a full persona change for himself, a modified one for Bucky and a minimal one for Sam.  They were returning to make sure the doppelgänger wouldn't be exchanged for the real Ariel. 

"How long will we have to be there?" asked Sam, coming out to where Merton and Peri were.  "I have things to do next week.  I can't be gallivanting around the past for an indefinite time."

"Three years, almost," said Peri, "long enough for Bucky to get shipped out.  When you return it will be the same day you left, and you'll bring Ariel back with you."

"But I'll be three years older," said Sam.  "Won't I?"

Peri and Merton made a strange face, as if they were debating whether they could tell him or not.  Disclosure won out and Peri looked at both Bucky and Sam.

"Technically, yes," she said.  "But there's a process to restore the years back to your body.  It hasn't been done regularly in a long time since we've become a lot longer lived species in this century, but it is still used in special circumstances, such as a long-term assignment.  As the chair of the Historians Guild, I have the right to authorize it."

Bucky's face stayed stoic as Peri told them what she could of both processes.  At any other time he would have put the brakes on allowing himself to be modified but with the realization that Ariel was in danger he knew that he would agree.  Then a thought occurred to him, and he looked Peri in the eye.

"Why would they replace Ariel in the past?" he asked. 

She didn't answer and Bucky asked again, in a more demanding tone that made Peri flinch.  Merton took a breath and spoke for her.

"To impregnate the imposter.  Ariel has an implant to prevent pregnancy because history said you never had any children.  But your genetics were part of the reason why HYDRA was successful in making you the Winter Soldier, even though you fought it.  If they could get a child sired by you before you were changed, they could begin the serum part of the process and indoctrinate it from infancy to be their Fist of HYDRA after you broke free.  They wouldn't need the memory machine or cryostasis to keep it controlled.  It would voluntarily breed for them and be the father or the mother of their army."

Sam let out an audible swear as he glanced at Bucky who was quiet but furious.

"Why didn't fake Ariel try to seduce me now?"

"Would you have believed it if she was suddenly receptive?"  Peri asked as Bucky shook his head.  "I'm guessing as a work in progress if she passed a visual encounter with you, enough to plant the seed of doubt in your mind they would know they were on the right track."

"Okay, send us back and we'll keep Ariel safe," he said.  "I owe her that much.  One more thing.  Where is the Ariel who was here, the real one?"

Peri gave a great sigh.  "I don't know but she is in this time, I think.  I'm putting my entire security force on it.  We have some ideas of the key players in this time and will work towards taking them into custody.  They really didn't want you to take her back to your time, so I have to believe that they are holding her somewhere in the city until you leave.  That's what the accusation was supposed to do ... shame you into leaving."

What she didn't say was what they would do to Ariel if they were successful in replacing her in the past.  Ariel Prime would be of no use to them and Peri was afraid it meant she would be killed or worse, either made a slave in a HYDRA facility somewhere or turned herself into a Winter Soldier.  By the look that Bucky was giving her, she knew he was thinking the same thing.

Chapter 24>>

Series Masterlist

Comments and reblogs are greatly appreciated.

[ink-flavored]

I'm not 100% sure which of your wips these would apply to but I am curious nonetheless:

🤔What kind of technology is still being developed in your WIP? What’s something they’re still trying to figure out?

🏈Have any new sports or games been invented with the advancement of technology? What are they?

😟Do people have mixed feelings about colonizing space? Are there movements to stop humanity’s expansion?

💡Has humanity invented faster-than-light travel? If not, are they working on it?

🧬How different are the aliens, biologically, from humans in your WIP? Are they bonding over shared mammalian traits or unable to comprehend each other?

~ @void-botanist

thank you!!

i only have a couple sci-fi WIPs, one of them is Out of the Park, and the other is my very new Space Cruise WIP. I think i'll be able to include both of them in this!

🤔What kind of technology is still being developed in your WIP? What’s something they’re still trying to figure out?

Answered this one for Space Cruise already, so I'll go with OOTP!

There's still no widespread space travel in this WIP! Once sapient robots got accidentally created, it kinda went on the back-burner of "things that are important to deal with right now." It's been a little while, though, so figuring out how to travel through space is back on! And now that robots exist, they can probably help achieve that goal!

🏈Have any new sports or games been invented with the advancement of technology? What are they?

Perhaps it's not a "new" sport, but in the case of OOTP, the existence of robots that are smarter, faster, and stronger than humans has led to adapting existing sports to make accommodate robot players without it being super easy and boring. At least casually, the professional world still has to catch up.

Co-ed robot/human sports clubs tend to have a no-contact rule for obvious reasons, and while this might seem like it makes things way more boring, it actually produces some creative solutions. How do you get the other team to drop the Sport Ball without touching them? How do you, as the person with the Sport Ball, get through the wall of defense without barreling through it?

Additionally, since robots can perfectly calculate angles, wind resistance, strength to throw a certain distance/speed, etc, the psychological warfare game is off the charts. You can't stop them from throwing the ball perfectly, but can you convince to throw it in the wrong direction?

Making sports more like a puzzle isn't necessarily what a lot of people are into, but it's better than purposefully inhibiting your own functioning and damaging your CPU in the process. Not naming names.

😟Do people have mixed feelings about colonizing space? Are there movements to stop humanity’s expansion?

This one is Space Cruise Related!

There are absolutely groups that want humanity to stop claiming planets and territories, on both ends of the spectrum. One side is on the Colonization Bad end, because colonization is bad. They cite the resource gobbling that happens on nearly every human settlement and then point back to Earth—the cycle of destroying a planet in the name of short-term profit is repeating itself over and over, and now we also have to contend with the fact that extraterrestrial life exists. Are we killing alien animals? Species that will never get to evolve to become our neighbors? What would have happened to these planets if they were left alone? They already had life on them and it's not humanity's place to stick a flag in everything that "isn't technically inhabited."

On the other end, there groups that want humanity to stop expanding because humanity is making too many friends with aliens, and we should instead be blowing them up. We need to lock down our borders that we already have—we can't possibly defend so many planets if The Scary Bad Aliens attack!!!!! We need to make sure all humans are segregated from aliens to reinforce our True Nature and take over the galaxy.

Both of these groups are relatively fringe.

💡Has humanity invented faster-than-light travel? If not, are they working on it?

This one is Space Cruise Related!

They have! I'm gonna be honest, this sci-fi is soft as fuck, and I am not even going to bother thinking about how FTL travel exists. The important thing is that they have spaceships that can go real fast and that's all you need to know <3

🧬How different are the aliens, biologically, from humans in your WIP? Are they bonding over shared mammalian traits or unable to comprehend each other?

This one is Space Cruise Related!

The one sapient alien race I currently have are my crocodile aliens that I spoke about in another ask (you can find their description here). They are reptiles! They are quite different from humans, being a whole different class and order of animals most obviously.

Before the two groups got their respective top linguists up there and learned each other's languages, the only way they knew the other group was at least somewhat advanced was they they both had spaceships. And translating that language was hard, too, since the croc aliens don't have the same vocal chords as humans do, or lips, and their tongues can't move much, so their frills supplements a lot of their speech when it comes to tone and intention. Humans, on the other hand, make so many crazy fuckin' noises and scrunch our faces up when we have feelings instead of having the manners to turn a completely different color, it's hard for them to differentiate our tones and expressions. Because there's so goddamn many of them.

Humans are initially (and probably still) weirded out that these aliens don't wear a whole lot, meanwhile the aliens are wondering why we aren't basking. Aren't we cold? And once they figure out we can regulate our own body temperature they go WHAT??? WE DIDN'T KNOW MAMMALS COULD BE SAPIENT and then humans go WE DIDN'T KNOW REPTILES COULD BE EITHER!!!

There's a lot of learning going on! We are different, but also much the same <3

[try out my sci-fi worldbuilding ask game]

[nareshkumartech]

How Canadian Licensing Systems Protect Against Identity Fraud

Identity fraud is a growing concern worldwide, and Canada is no exception. As licenses increasingly serve as key forms of identification for banking, travel, and government services, Canadian licensing systems have had to evolve with robust security measures to protect against identity fraud. Whether you are applying for your first license or renewing an existing one, it’s important to understand how these systems work to safeguard your personal information.

1. Advanced Physical Security Features

Modern Canadian driver’s licenses are embedded with multiple physical security features designed to make them extremely difficult to forge or tamper with. These include:

Holographic overlays: Special images that appear when the license is tilted, making duplication extremely difficult.

Microprinting: Very tiny text that is not visible to the naked eye but detectable under magnification, preventing easy reproduction.

Ghost images: A faint second image of the license holder that helps prevent photo swapping.

Raised lettering: Some jurisdictions use raised text that you can feel, adding another layer of protection against fakes.

These built-in technologies make it easy for authorities and businesses to quickly spot a fraudulent license during routine checks.

2. Digital Data Encryption

Canadian licensing systems now store driver data in encrypted databases, making unauthorized access to personal information extremely difficult. When information is transferred — such as when police scan your license or when you renew online — the data is encrypted both in transit and at rest. This ensures that even if someone intercepts the data, it remains useless without the decryption keys.

3. Stringent Identity Verification at Issuance

Before issuing a license, provincial and territorial licensing authorities conduct rigorous identity verification checks. Applicants must present multiple pieces of identification, including:

Proof of legal status in Canada (passport, PR card, visa).

Proof of residency within the province.

Secondary documents such as a birth certificate, citizenship card, or utility bill.

In many cases, cross-checks with federal databases (like immigration records or citizenship status) ensure that the applicant is who they claim to be. Newcomers may also face additional document checks to confirm their eligibility before a license is issued.

4. Real-Time Photo Comparison and Biometrics

When you renew your license or apply for a new one, your photograph is compared with existing photos on record using facial recognition software. This system helps detect cases where someone might be trying to fraudulently assume another person’s identity. In the future, more provinces are planning to expand the use of biometrics, such as fingerprints or iris scans, to further strengthen identification measures.

5. Ongoing Monitoring and Alerts

Canadian licensing systems do not just verify identities at the point of issuance — they continue monitoring afterward. If a license is reported stolen, lost, or involved in suspicious activity, it can be flagged in the system. Law enforcement agencies and border officials have real-time access to these databases, making it harder for stolen or fraudulent licenses to be used undetected.

Additionally, provinces encourage drivers to immediately report lost or stolen licenses to prevent identity theft and ensure the system remains secure.

Canadian licensing authorities are committed to staying ahead of fraudsters by continually updating security features and identity verification processes. Thanks to multi-layered protection — from physical security measures to real-time monitoring — Canadians can trust that their licenses remain a strong line of defense against identity fraud.

For step-by-step guidance on obtaining your driver’s license safely and staying informed about new ID requirements, visit LicensePrep.ca. Their resources make navigating the licensing process simple and secure!

[defiantfleetcreature]

Choose Reyno & Orton Law Firm to Start Your Legal Aid Money Recovery Process

With the increasing number of financial fraud cases, fund recovery has become an important legal service in today's society. Every year, thousands of individuals and companies suffer significant financial losses due to various types of financial scams, and recovering these funds is not an easy task. Many victims, lacking professional legal knowledge and experience, often find themselves struggling in the process. However, choosing a specialized law firm like Reyno & Orton Law Firm can greatly increase the success rate of recovering funds.

Why Choose Reyno & Orton Law Firm? Reyno & Orton Law Firm is one of the leading legal aid organizations in the world, specializing in fund recovery for financial fraud cases. With rich legal experience and a global network, Reyno & Orton provides clients with comprehensive fund recovery services, including case evaluation, evidence collection, fund tracking, and legal litigation.

1） Professional Team Ensures Efficient Fund Recovery Reyno & Orton has assembled a professional team consisting of financial experts, senior lawyers, and technical analysts. Whether facing complex financial transactions, cross-border fund flows, or tracking virtual currencies and encrypted assets, the firm has rich experience in dealing with these issues. The professional team formulates the most suitable recovery plan based on a detailed analysis of the case, ensuring maximum protection of the client's interests.

2） Comprehensive Case Evaluation and Personalized Solutions The first step in Reyno & Orton's approach is to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the client's case. The firm analyzes the fund flow, legal issues involved, and the complexities of cross-border jurisdiction. During this process, the team helps clients understand the viability of the case and the potential legal risks, ensuring that clients can make informed decisions.

After the evaluation, the firm designs a personalized fund recovery plan based on the specific circumstances of the case. Whether through litigation, provisional measures, or negotiations with the fraudster, Reyno & Orton selects the most suitable strategy to maximize the success rate of fund recovery.

3） Global Cross-Border Cooperation for Fast Fund Recovery Reyno & Orton’s global legal network spans over 25 countries and regions, allowing for quick initiation of cross-border fund recovery procedures. The differences in legal systems, regulations, and enforcement procedures across different countries are significant, but Reyno & Orton has deep partnerships in cross-border legal cooperation, ensuring that the fund recovery process is completed in the shortest possible time.

Whether freezing cross-border accounts or filing lawsuits in multiple jurisdictions, Reyno & Orton selects the most effective international cooperation paths based on the specific needs of each case. Through precise legal operations and rapid response, the firm maximizes recovery opportunities for clients.

4） Legal Technology and Innovation to Enhance Recovery Efficiency With the continuous advancement of technology, blockchain analysis and big data tracking have become crucial tools in modern financial fraud cases. Reyno & Orton utilizes advanced legal technologies in fund recovery, especially in tracking virtual currencies and encrypted assets. Using on-chain analysis tools and blockchain explorers, the firm can track every step of the fund flow, ensuring efficient recovery of funds.

Through data analysis and technological innovation, Reyno & Orton can more accurately identify the fraudster's fund flow, trace every transaction, and ultimately recover the victim’s funds.

5）Success Stories Verifying Reyno & Orton’s Expertise Reyno & Orton has a rich history of successful cases. In recent years, the firm has helped thousands of clients recover defrauded funds, including complex cross-border financial fraud, cryptocurrency investment fraud, and fake platform scams. The firm’s success rate exceeds 82%, a testament to its professional ability and strengthening client trust.

How to Start Your Fund Recovery Procedure? The first step in initiating the fund recovery process is to consult with Reyno & Orton's legal experts. By understanding the background of the case and the fund flow, the firm will provide professional legal advice and solutions.

Once the service agreement is signed, the firm will quickly initiate the case, starting with evidence collection, tracking the fund flow, applying for a freezing order from relevant courts, and coordinating legal actions with cross-border partners. Reyno & Orton’s full-service approach ensures a smooth and efficient recovery process.

Reyno & Orton’s Client Protection Reyno & Orton Law Firm focuses not only on professional competence but also on client experience. The firm provides personalized services to ensure clients are always informed about the progress of the case and can make decisions promptly. With a transparent fee structure and strict confidentiality measures, Reyno & Orton ensures the security of clients' funds and information.

Conclusion: Start Your Fund Recovery with Reyno & Orton Fund recovery after financial fraud is a complex and specialized legal process. Reyno & Orton Law Firm, with its strong legal team, global cross-border network, and advanced legal technology, provides efficient fund recovery services. If you or your business has suffered from financial fraud, choosing Reyno & Orton is the best choice for recovering your funds. Contact us now and start your fund recovery process, and let us guide you every step of the way.

[mariacallous]

The European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) has crossed a regulatory Rubicon. It is an advance that moves away from industrial-style regulation by micromanagement to a new digital model focused on identifying marketplace outcomes.

In 49 B.C.E., Julius Caesar, then commander of Roman forces in Gaul, marched his army across the northern border of Italy at the Rubicon River to challenge the leadership of the Republic itself. “The die is cast,” (Alea iacta est) he reportedly uttered upon making that fateful decision.

That the die is cast is an appropriate inscription for the digital regulatory actions of the European Union (EU). Like Caesar’s decision to proceed, its modern echo will reshape governmental processes overseeing the technology that is reshaping the world.1

[apekshamore6799]

Ethylene Carbonate Market growth analysis across key regions and applications globally

The Ethylene Carbonate Market is experiencing significant growth globally, particularly across major regions such as North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. With applications in lithium-ion batteries, automotive systems, and plastic manufacturing, the demand for this compound has grown steadily.

Regional Market Overview

North America

North America remains a vital market due to its advanced energy storage infrastructure and electric vehicle (EV) adoption. The U.S., in particular, is pushing forward with clean energy initiatives and EV subsidies. This has amplified demand for high-performance battery electrolytes, where ethylene carbonate is essential. Additionally, industrial manufacturing processes rely on ethylene carbonate for its solvent properties, keeping demand stable.

Europe

Europe follows closely, with countries like Germany, France, and the UK heavily investing in renewable technologies and circular economy initiatives. Strict environmental norms and the shift to EVs under EU mandates have accelerated ethylene carbonate consumption. Moreover, regional chemical manufacturers are focusing on producing eco-friendly formulations, giving the market further momentum.

Asia-Pacific

Asia-Pacific leads in overall volume due to China, Japan, South Korea, and India. These countries host major battery manufacturing plants and have rapidly growing automotive sectors. China, in particular, dominates lithium-ion battery production and exports, creating robust downstream demand for ethylene carbonate. The growing electronics sector in this region also contributes to its widespread application.

Application-Wise Analysis

Battery Sector

The most significant demand driver for ethylene carbonate is the lithium-ion battery industry. This compound enhances electrolyte performance, making batteries more stable and efficient. As the world shifts to renewable energy storage and electric mobility, manufacturers increasingly use ethylene carbonate to meet performance standards.

Polymers and Plastics

Another major use lies in polymer synthesis. Ethylene carbonate acts as a precursor in producing polycarbonates and polyurethanes. Its use in flexible foams, coatings, and adhesives across construction and packaging sectors has helped broaden its demand. This diversification insulates the market from overdependence on a single sector.

Chemical Solvents and Intermediates

Ethylene carbonate serves as an important solvent in many chemical reactions, especially in pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals. The demand from this segment remains steady as industries prefer solvents that offer both performance and environmental safety.

Growth Drivers Across Regions

Several key factors are propelling ethylene carbonate demand worldwide:

Electric Vehicle Boom: Rising adoption of electric vehicles in North America, China, and Europe is the most visible growth catalyst.

Renewable Energy Expansion: Demand for large-scale battery storage systems fuels usage in energy grids, particularly in developed economies.

Infrastructure Investments: Countries modernizing their industrial setups invest in high-performance materials, including polymers that use ethylene carbonate.

Environmental Regulations: Stricter norms push industries toward cleaner solvents, benefiting the adoption of this compound.

Market Restraints and Challenges

Despite strong growth, certain barriers persist:

Volatile Raw Material Prices: Costs of ethylene oxide and other feedstocks affect overall pricing and availability.

Supply Chain Issues: Global disruptions, like those from the pandemic or geopolitical tensions, affect cross-border trade of chemical compounds.

Environmental Concerns: Though better than many solvents, ethylene carbonate still has ecological risks if not handled properly.

Opportunities for Market Players

Manufacturers and stakeholders can tap into various opportunities:

Vertical Integration: Companies investing in both upstream and downstream supply chains can control costs and quality.

Regional Production Hubs: Setting up production closer to high-demand markets like Asia can cut logistics costs and improve supply reliability.

Product Innovation: Developing higher-purity or bio-based alternatives could attract environmentally conscious buyers.

Future Outlook

The ethylene carbonate market is set for continued global growth, especially as more nations implement green energy policies. Asia-Pacific will likely maintain its volume leadership, while North America and Europe will see rapid technology-driven adoption. Market participants that innovate and adapt to local regulatory and industrial demands will likely maintain a competitive edge.

[fingerless-glovez]

Whipped Cream And Mega Stones: A TreyJade x Pokémon fanfiction

Chapter 5: I Choose You

“Hello! I’m not currently in right now. Will be back soon!”

That was what the note taped onto the door read as Jade approached the lab. Despite housing advanced technology and valuable research that was recorded and organized by an esteemed Pokémon professor, the building itself hardly stood out from the residential homes of the town. Its only distinguishing features were the pokéball insignia adorning the wall above the door, and the fact that the structure was slightly larger than all the others surrounding it.

From the uncovered windows, Jade could see that the inside of the building was dark, save for the bright blue glow of a computer monitor directly across the floor from him, reflecting against the polished wood of several bookcases. The door itself was locked, so the likelihood that the professor was inside and simply forgot to take the note down.

Drat… Well, he does seem to be a chronic overworker. I could simply wait for him at the house, but based on what Birch-san said, he could return any minute. Perhaps I should-

“AAAAAHHHHHH!!!”

Jade’s shoulders jolted as a high-pitched scream cut off his thought process. His attention turned to the path beyond the wooden poles that marked the very edge of Littleroot Town, where a whole flock of bird Pokémon was darting out of the trees and flying away. Rustling grass and frantic footsteps could be heard, indicating that something was happening just outside the town. There was a low-sounding growl, presumably that of a Pokémon, and an even louder shriek rang out.

Could there be a little girl out there being attacked by a wild Pokémon? That won’t do at all.

Clenching his fists, Jade broke into a sprint. He bolted past the border of the town onto the path, ignoring the “Route 101” sign as yet another piercing cry echoed through the forest surrounding him.

“Waaaaaah!!!”

When Jade located the source of the cries, however, he found that it was, in fact, not a little girl. Instead, a grown man in cargo shorts and a white lab coat, stumbling as he darted past Jade without even noticing him.

“Gaaaaaaahhhh!!!”

Is that… Professor Birch? Such a girlish scream he has…

Following close behind the fleeing professor was a dog-like Pokémon that resembled the larger one Jade saw in the motel. It was likely a pre-evolution, due to how much smaller it was, with fluffy gray, almost white, fur all over it, save for its black paws and face. It growled as it attempted to pounce on Birch’s behind, only to miss and earn another pathetic wail. Jade had to press his hand to his mouth to stop from laughing.

An adult man being terrorized by such an adorable creature? If he wasn’t my new employer, I might’ve started recording this by now.

Finally, Jade decided it was time to speak up. “Pardon me-”

“Aaaaaaahhh!!!” Was the professor’s reply.

“I’m terribly sorry to interrupt, but-”

“Help meeee!!!”

“Would you happen to be Professor Birch?”

The sound of his name finally seemed to get the professor’s attention, prompting him to look over at Jade, only to start screaming again as the Pokémon got a mouthful of his lab coat.

“Ah! AAHH!! H-Hello, Jade!” He greeted at last, running around in a circle in an attempt to shake the Pokémon off of him, “It’s good to finally see you in the flesh!”

“Likewise,” Jade replied with only a split second of hesitation. It was somewhat difficult to focus on the conversation with such a strange and comical scene playing out right in front of him. “I actually just finished sorting out the bedroom you set aside for me. I wanted to personally meet you and thank you for all you’ve done to accommodate me. Your wife has been very hospi-”

“Gaaaaah!!!” Birch interrupted him again with yet another screech of terror as the enraged pup fell away from his coattails, only to immediately start pursuing him again. He eventually managed to jump and climb into a tree, although not before the Pokémon managed to clamp its teeth down on one of his sandals and tear it off his foot.

“Hah… Hoh… This should be good for now… As much as I’d love to come over there and shake your hand, I seem to have greatly angered this wild Poochyena!”

Poochyena… So that’s what this Pokémon is called.

“I’m terribly sorry to ask this of you so soon,” The professor continued, “But do you have any Pokémon that could scare this Poochyena away?”

Jade shook his head. “I’m afraid not. Like I said, I’ve only just arrived here, and I didn’t have any Pokémon to take with me from Sinnoh.”

“Ah… That’s alright,” Birch reassured him. He was now clinging onto a branch, high above the outraged creature that continued to bark and jump at him from the forest floor. He glanced around for a different solution, then gasped.

“My bag!” He cried, pointing towards a brown leather satchel laying abandoned by the tall grass, “There’s Pokémon in there. Use one of them!”

Jade nodded and jogged over to the bag, full to the brim with crumpled papers of notes and sketches. It took a bit of rummaging to actually find what he was looking for, but he eventually pulled out three pokéballs and turned back to where the aggressive Pokémon stood.

Alright… Let’s see what we’re working with.

All three balls were tossed up into the air, and all three Pokémon materialized out of three beams of bright blue light. When the lights faded, there stood a colorful little trio of adorable, yet intelligent and capable-looking creatures that each looked around for a moment before they all set their sights on Jade. The green reptile with a red stomach and big yellow eyes crossed its arms and gave him a once over, sizing him up. The orange bird with a downy cape of yellow feathers and a matching feathered crown took a few steps back, but froze in its tracks when it noticed the angry Pokémon nearby. And the blue amphibian with spiky orange cheeks and a tall fin protruding from the top of its head stood stone still, its facial expression unreadable and its eyes trained squarely on Jade’s face.

If I had to take a guess, these are most likely the starter Pokémon new trainers would get to choose from before starting their journeys. They certainly look like they would be Grass, Fire, and Water-types respectively.

Unfortunately, the Poochyena didn’t appear to have a type disadvantage against any of the professor’s Pokémon based on its appearance. It was likely a Normal, potentially even Dark-type.

With the three Pokémon still staring up at him, Jade knelt down to address them. “Good evening. I don’t know if you heard, but I am your trainer’s new assistant. He’s in a bit of a bind right now, and you all seem like a competent bunch. Perhaps one of you would be willing to work with me to rescue him?”

Since choosing a battle partner based on type matchups is off the table, then, perhaps getting a feel for their personalities may make this decision a bit easier. Let’s start with…

Jade turned to the green lizard. The Pokémon glanced behind itself, observing the ongoing conflict with a look that said, “Really? This again?”

“You don’t seem to find that Poochyena too intimidating. I’m sure you would make quick work of it in a battle. What do you say?”

“Trrree…” The Pokémon turned back to Jade, its eyes half-lidded with a twinkle of annoyance that he was even talking to it. Then it yawned and fell backwards to lay in the grass, blatantly uninterested in this entire situation and ready for a nap.

“I see…” Jade muttered, “So sorry to bother you, then.”

With the Grass starter no longer being an option, Jade redirected his focus to the bird Pokémon, who flinched as soon as he made eye contact.

“Chiic!”

Hm… This one seems rather nervous. Not encouraging, but still worth a shot.

“You must be a Fire-type, no? We don’t have very Fire-type Pokémon in my home region. I’d love to see what you can do.”

He held out his hand, a conciliatory gesture, in the hopes of gaining a small semblance of trust from the bird. Instead, it let out terrified warble and scrambled to get away from him. In doing so, it crashed right into the blue amphibian, then trampling over the green lizard. Where said lizard was apathetic and placid before, it was now furious having its stomach stomped on, and within seconds it was on its feet and chasing the orange Pokémon around the forest much like the Poochyena had just been doing with the professor. Jade sighed, now growing annoyed as he watched the situation grow more and more out of his control.

Wonderful… And here I thought I was quite good at handling Pokémon with big personalities.

The only Pokémon remaining was the Water-type, whose intense focus on Jade hadn’t wavered even after being collided with. It didn’t react as its two companions increased the volume of their squabble, nor did its beady eyes divert as they ran right past it.

Oya… Such a piercing gaze this one has. I feel as though my very soul has a burning hole inside of it now…

“Well… I suppose that just leaves you, then.” 

Finally the center of attention, the Pokémon finally blinked, and the fin on its head twitched before it began to move. It silently moseyed around Jade as if to study him from every angle, looking him up and down and occasionally rubbing its pointy cheeks against his arms or legs. Jade remained as he was, allowing the little creature to take him in, while also keeping an eye on it to try and parse its intentions in turn. Its unyielding expression of neutrality made it hard to tell what it was thinking.

Again, he offered the Pokémon his hand. Unlike the fearful bird, the amphibian crept closer, glancing between the hand and the trainer it belonged to. Hoping to be encouraging, Jade put on a friendly smile.

“You seem quite curious,” Jade noted, “Since your friends are rather preoccupied at the moment, do you think you’d be willing to help me out?”

There was a moment of complete inaction. Neither the human nor the Pokémon moved, just staring into each other’s eyes and attempting to figure each other out. This silent exchange lasted nearly a whole minute before the Water-type raised one of its front legs and placed it in Jade's palm.

“Kip!” It squealed. For the first time, its facial expression changed from a blank slate to genuine delight.

Excellent.

“Erm, Jade?” Birch finally called, “I don’t mean to rush you, but-” He squeaked as the branch he was hugging jerked downward by a small amount, accompanied by a partial snapping sound. The Poochyena's tail began to wag, and its fur stood on edge with anticipation. It could see that its object of obsession was about to come down, and it looked all too ready to continue its terror.

“Ah. My apologies, Professor,” Jade replied. He stood to his full height, ready to approach the rampaging pup and end this madness. “Back to the matter at hand…” He glanced down at the creature beside him. It looked up at him as well, then darted forward.

“Mudkip!”

Without needing a command, the Pokémon, Mudkip, slammed its entire body into the Poochyena in a Tackle attack, sending it rolling a short distance away. Rattled, but not deterred, it shook itself out and launched into a Tackle of its own, Mudkip with similar force, but not enough to knock it off its feet. As his temporary partner slid back and readied itself to attack again, Jade tried to recall his extensive battling knowledge. 

The professor’s Pokémon seems to be a bit stronger than this Poochyena. It may be a tad overkill, but we could do more damage if we used a Water-type attack.

“Do you know the move Water Gun?”

“Kip!” Mudkip cried. It opened its mouth again immediately afterward, firing a torrent of water that slammed hard into the Poochyena’s face and sent it flying backwards. Instead of coming back for more, the once aggressive Pokémon whimpered and turned its back on the fight, hurriedly disappearing into the tall grass.

And that’s that. “Well done. You battled spectacularly.”

“Mudkip, muh!”

“Well done, my bo-AH!!”

Unfortunately, their victory was quickly cut short as Professor Birch’s branch finally snapped and sent him plummeting to the ground. Jade quickly dropped to his knees to help him up. “Are you alright, Professor?”

“Oh, I’m fine! Couldn’t be better, really. Those were some fine skills you showed off there! If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were Mudkip’s trainer.”

“Why, thank you. I suppose I do know my way around the basics of battle.”

After making sure Birch wasn’t injured, be it from the fall or the Poochyena, the three went over to retrieve his bag, Mudkip trailing close behind. In the same area, the other two starters were still going strong with their quarrel, exchanging Scratches and Pounds and sometimes even an Ember was thrown.

“Alright, that’s enough!” Birch announced, pokéballs in clutch, “Both of you, return.”

In a stream of red light, both Pokémon dematerialized and returned to their balls. While he did so, Jade took the initiative to organize the professor’s papers so they could actually fit in the bag. Despite the protests and reassurances from the man in question, he took the extra time to flatten each sheet to the best of his abilities, consolidate them into manageable blocks, and stowed them away neatly into the bag, which could finally close properly. All the while, he was acutely aware of the way Mudkip’s eyes were once again boring into him.

Why does it insist on looking at me so intently?

Jade was just about to meet the Pokémon’s gaze when it too was returned to its capsule. Birch took the bag and stuffed the pokéball into it with the others.

“Well, thank you, Jade. I have to say, I’m impressed! You’ve already saved my hyde and cleaned up my things, and you haven’t even been in the region a whole day! If this is how you operate now, I can’t wait to see what you do when we officially start working together.”

Jade waved a dismissive hand. “There’s no need to praise me so much, Professor. I was merely doing what needed to be done. It would be awful if your research were to be damaged beyond repair… Or you, for that matter.”

“Ha ha! In any case, I appreciate your help today. Now, I think we’ve had enough excitement for the time being. Let’s head back to the house and get some food in us, then get some rest. Tomorrow’s an exciting day, and we’re going to need all the energy we can get!”

“Yes, let’s. I do confess, after the long road I took to get here, I am rather hungry.”

Having agreed on this particular plan, the two started down the path leading back to Littleroot Town. They spent the walk chatting, with Jade mostly asking questions and the professor answering each one with a detailed explanation. Throughout the entire conversation, there was only one thing on Jade’s mind that he didn’t feel the need to voice at present, but still weighed on him nonetheless.

I’ve never had a Pokémon give such undivided attention upon first meeting me. What could there be about me that Mudkip found so interesting?

[bangkoksolicitor]

Immigration Services in Thailand

1.1 Statutory Foundations

Immigration Act B.E. 2522 (1979): Primary legislation

Ministerial Regulations: 47 implementing regulations (updated 2023)

Royal Decrees: Special provisions for investment/retirement

1.2 Organizational Structure

Immigration Bureau: Under Royal Thai Police

Headquarters (Chaeng Wattana, Bangkok)

76 Provincial Offices

32 Border Checkpoints

Specialized Units:

Visa Division (Section 1)

Extension Division (Section 2)

Investigation Division (Section 3)

2. Core Visa Categories and Processing

2.2 Special Visa Programs

SMART Visa: 4-year stay for experts/investors

LTR Visa: 10-year privilege visa

Elite Visa: 5-20 year membership program

3. Application Procedures

3.1 Document Authentication

Notarization Requirements:

Home country documents

Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs legalization

Translation Standards:

Certified translators

Embassy verification

4. Digital Transformation Initiatives

4.1 Online Systems

e-Extension: Pilot program for 12 visa types

90-Day Reporting: Online portal and mobile app

TM30 Automation: Hotel API integration

4.2 Biometric Implementation

Facial Recognition: At 6 major airports

Fingerprint Database: 10-print system since 2018

Iris Scanning: Testing at Suvarnabhumi

5. Compliance and Enforcement

5.1 Monitoring Systems

Overstay Tracking: Real-time alerts after 7 days

Visa Run Detection: Algorithmic pattern analysis

Work Permit Integration: MOE-Immigration data sharing

6. Provincial Variations

6.2 Special Economic Zones

Eastern Economic Corridor: Fast-track processing

Border Provinces: Cross-border worker programs

7. Specialized Services

7.1 Corporate Immigration

BOI Fast Track: 7-day work permit processing

Regional HQ Packages: Multiple-entry privileges

Startup Visa: DEPA-endorsed companies

7.2 Family Reunification

Dependent Visas: Spouse/children under 20

Parent Visas: Financial guarantee requirements

Thai National Sponsorship: Income thresholds

8. Emerging Trends (2024 Update)

8.1 Policy Developments

Digital Nomad Visa: Expected Q4 2024

Airport Automated Clearance: Expansion to 8 more nationalities

Visa Fee Restructuring: Proposed 15-20% increase

8.2 Technological Advancements

Blockchain Verification: For document authentication

AI-Assisted Processing: Risk assessment algorithms

Mobile Biometrics: Pilot for frequent travelers

9. Strategic Considerations

9.1 Application Optimization

Document Preparation:

6-month bank statement continuity

Property lease registration

Timing Strategies:

Avoid holiday periods

Pre-submission checks

9.2 Compliance Management

Record Keeping:

Entry/exit stamps

TM30 receipts

Advisory Services:

Licensed lawyers vs agents

BOI-certified consultants

[aaronsrpgs]

ASHA: A Strange Hole Appeared

— a setting for Urban Shadows —

The world was suffering as usual before the Strange Hole appeared. Now the suffering isn’t increasing (at least according to official measurements), but it’s ripening, growing strange blossoms and off-gassing new pheromones.

The Strange Hole cracked the air like a mirror, metastasizing across the riverine border between Minneapolis and St. Paul. Its shockwaves changed people. They changed you. And now your abnormal blood, your aberrant blood, is worth cold hard cash to vivisectionists and chemical engineers. Changed citizens must either hide or exercise their powers in violent self-preservation.

Inside the Strange Hole is an unreal landscape where space and time are wrung out and flung away to rot. Technology akin to fiction is brought out by tourists of the Hole, used to advance civilization in bucking, halting gasps. Living advertisements, digital tattoos, vegetal organ replacements.

They say the Strange Hole leads straight to hell. They say it’s a sort of spaceship we can never understand. The cities are quarantined, and the fretful rich are in the process of abandoning them. Those who remain are picked at and shifted by the Strange Hole’s metaphorical gravity. Will you resist its pull? Or dive headlong in?

ASHA is inspired by Roadside Picnic, Nova Swing, and Borne. It’s urban fantasy, but the urban and the fantasy are both stooping and sickly. You will explore the cities, grapple with factions, and make the place something new. Or die trying.

(Trying to once again get an ongoing RPG campaign going. Here's the pitch. Fingers crossed!)

[valeriatourist]

⚠️BREAKING NEWS: XRP HOLDERS, YOUR TIME HAS COME!

If you own XRP today, you are holding the key to the future of global finance. XRP is set to become a cornerstone of the revolutionary ISO 20022 financial messaging standard, transforming the way value is transferred across borders. And that’s not all—ISO 20022 will launch alongside the Quantum Financial System (QFS), ushering in a new era of transparency, efficiency, and security.

XRP and ISO 20022:

XRP is poised to take center stage in the ISO 20022 ecosystem. As a bridge asset with unmatched speed, scalability, and cost efficiency, XRP aligns seamlessly with the goals of this global standard. Its integration into ISO 20022 protocols positions XRP as a pivotal player in enabling frictionless cross-border payments and financial operations.

Have you ever wondered why only XRP has a Destination Tag? It’s the ultimate feature for precision and security, mirroring the way SWIFT operates in banks today. Everything is prepared, and the launch is imminent! XRP is ready to revolutionize global finance.

What Is ISO 20022?

ISO 20022 is a global standard for the electronic exchange of financial data between institutions. It establishes a unified language and model for financial transactions, creating faster, more secure, and highly efficient communication across the financial system.

What Is the Quantum Financial System (QFS)?

The QFS is a revolutionary infrastructure designed to work in tandem with ISO 20022. It promises unparalleled security, transparency, and efficiency in managing and transferring financial assets. Built on advanced quantum technologies, QFS eliminates intermediaries, reduces fraud, and ensures every transaction is traceable and immutable. Together with ISO 20022, QFS will form the backbone of the future financial ecosystem.

Key Aspects of ISO 20022:

1. Flexibility and Standardization: A universal language for services like payments, securities, and foreign exchange transactions.

2. Modern Technology: Supports structured data formats like XML and JSON for superior communication.

3. Global Adoption: Used by central banks, commercial banks, and financial networks worldwide.

4. Enhanced Data: Delivers richer and more detailed transaction information, enhancing transparency and traceability.

Why Is ISO 20022 Important?

• Payment Transformation: It underpins the global migration to advanced financial messaging, with organizations like SWIFT transitioning fully to ISO 20022 by 2025.

• Efficiency: Reduces costs, accelerates processing, and enhances data quality.

• Security: Strengthens risk detection and fraud prevention through detailed standardized messaging.

The Future Is Now: XRP, ISO 20022, and QFS

With XRP’s integration into ISO 20022 and the simultaneous launch of the Quantum Financial System, the future of payments and global finance is here. XRP holders are already ahead of the curve, ready to benefit from the revolutionary changes that will reshape the financial world. Everything is ready, and the launch is just around the corner. Together, ISO 20022, QFS, and XRP represent a groundbreaking shift toward a more interconnected, efficient, and secure financial world.

🌟 Are You Ready for the XRP Revolution? 🌟

History is being made, and XRP holders are at the forefront of a new financial era. Stay ahead with exclusive updates and strategies for the massive changes ahead!

Got XRP in your wallet? You’re already ahead back it up to Coinbaseqfs ledger, maximize your gains and secure your spot in the financial future.

If you care to know more about this topic send me a message on telegram

[planetfkd]

Of particular concern are signals of massive earthquakes in the region’s geologic history. Many researchers have chased clues of the last “big one”: an 8.7-magnitude earthquake in 1700. They’ve pieced together the event’s history using centuries-old records of tsunamis, Native American oral histories, physical evidence in ghost forests drowned by saltwater and limited maps of the fault. 

But no one had mapped the fault structure comprehensively — until now. A study published Friday in the journal Science Advances describes data gathered during a 41-day research voyage in which a vessel trailed a miles-long cable along the fault to listen to the seafloor and piece together an image.

The team completed a detailed map of more than 550 miles of the subduction zone, down to the Oregon-California border.

Their work will give modelers a sharper view of the possible impacts of a megathrust earthquake there — the term for a quake that occurs in a subduction zone, where one tectonic plate is thrust under another. It will also provide planners a closer, localized look at risks to communities along the Pacific Northwest coast and could help redefine earthquake building standards. 

“It’s like having coke-bottle glasses on and then you remove the glasses and you have the right prescription,” said Suzanne Carbotte, a lead author of the paper and a marine geophysicist and research professor at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. “We had a very fuzzy low-resolution view before.”

The scientists found that the subduction zone is much more complex than they previously understood: It is divided into four segments that the researchers believe could rupture independently of one another or together all at once. The segments have different types of rock and varying seismic characteristics — meaning some could be more dangerous than others. 

Earthquake and tsunami modelers are beginning to assess how the new data affects earthquake scenarios for the Pacific Northwest. 

Kelin Wang, a research scientist at the Geological Survey of Canada who was not involved in the study, said his team, which focuses on earthquake hazard and tsunami risk, is already using the data to inform projections. 

“The accuracy and this resolution is truly unprecedented. And it’s an amazing data set,” said Wang, who is also an adjunct professor at the University of Victoria in British Columbia. “It just allows us to do a better job to assess the risk and have information for the building codes and zoning.” 

Harold Tobin, a co-author of the paper and the director of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, said that although the data will help fine-tune projections, it doesn’t change a tough-to-swallow reality of living in the Pacific Northwest.

“We have the potential for earthquakes and tsunamis as large as the biggest ones we’ve experienced on the planet,” said Tobin, who is also a University of Washington professor. “Cascadia seems capable of generating a magnitude 9 or a little smaller or a little bigger.” 

A quake that powerful could cause shaking that lasts about five minutes and generate tsunami waves up to 80 feet tall. It would damage well over half a million buildings, according to emergency planning documents. 

Neither Oregon nor Washington is sufficiently prepared.

To map the subduction zone, researchers at sea performed active source seismic imaging, a technique that sends sound to the ocean floor and then processes the echoes that return. The method is often used for oil and gas exploration. 

They towed a 9-plus-mile-long cable, called a streamer, behind the boat, which used 1,200 hydrophones to capture returning echoes. 

“That gives us a picture of what the subsurface looks like,” Carbotte said.

Trained marine mammal observers alerted the crew to any sign of whales or other animals; the sound generated with this kind of technology can be disruptive and harm marine creatures. Carbotte said the new research makes it more clear that the entire Cascadia fault might not rupture at once.

“It requires an 8.7 to get a tsunami all the way to Japan,” Tobin said.

"The next earthquake that happens at Cascadia could be rupturing just one of these segments or it could be rupturing the whole margin,” Carbotte said, adding that several individual segments are thought to be capable of producing at least magnitude-8 earthquakes. 

Over the past century, scientists have only observed five magnitude-9.0 or higher earthquakes — all megathrust temblors like the one predicted for the Cascadia Subduction Zone. 

Scientists pieced together an understanding of the last such Cascadia quake, in 1700, in part via Japanese records of an unusual orphan tsunami that was not preceded by shaking there. 

The people who recorded the incident in Japan couldn’t have known that the ground had shaken an ocean away, in the present-day United States. 

Today, the Cascadia Subduction Zone remains eerily quiet. In other subduction zones, scientists often observe small earthquakes frequently, which makes the area easier to map, according to Carbotte. That’s not the case here. 

Scientists have a handful of theories about why: Wang said the zone may be becoming quieter as the fault accumulates stress. And now, we’re probably nearing due. 

.“The recurrent interval for this subduction zone for big events is on the order of 500 years,” Wang said. “It’s hard to know exactly when it will happen, but certainly if you compare this to other subduction zones, it is quite late.”

[assetfynd]

Asset Recovery Solutions: Effective Strategies for Reclaiming Lost Wealth

Asset recovery solutions are essential for individuals, businesses, and governments seeking to reclaim lost, unclaimed, or misappropriated assets. These assets may include dormant bank accounts, unclaimed insurance benefits, lost investments, corporate funds, or assets lost due to fraud. With billions of dollars in unclaimed assets worldwide, effective asset recovery strategies help rightful owners regain control over their wealth.

Types of Asset Recovery Solutions

Unclaimed Property Recovery Many individuals and businesses have funds held by financial institutions, former employers, or government agencies due to inactive accounts, uncashed checks, or forgotten investments. Asset recovery services track and claim these lost assets.

Business and Corporate Asset Recovery Companies often lose track of assets due to unpaid debts, overpayments, contract disputes, or misallocated funds. Asset recovery firms help businesses recover lost revenue, tax overpayments, and missing corporate investments.

Fraud and Financial Crime Recovery Financial crimes such as identity theft, embezzlement, and cyber fraud result in significant asset losses. Professional investigators use forensic accounting, legal strategies, and cybersecurity measures to track and recover stolen funds.

International Asset Recovery Cross-border financial transactions and offshore accounts can make asset recovery complex. Specialized firms help individuals and businesses recover funds from foreign banks, offshore trusts, and hidden corporate entities.

Digital Asset Recovery With the rise of cryptocurrencies and digital assets, asset recovery now extends to blockchain-based funds. Experts use blockchain analytics and cyber forensic tools to locate and reclaim lost digital assets such as Bitcoin and Ethereum.

How Asset Recovery Solutions Work

Data and Financial Record Analysis Asset recovery specialists search banking records, investment portfolios, legal filings, and public databases to identify lost or unclaimed assets. Advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, improve efficiency.

Legal Assistance and Claims Processing Many asset recovery cases require legal intervention. Professionals assist in filing claims, verifying ownership, and handling legal disputes to ensure compliance with financial regulations.

Negotiation and Settlement Some asset recovery cases involve working with financial institutions, insurance companies, or former employers to facilitate the return of funds.

Conclusion

Asset recovery solutions play a vital role in financial security by helping individuals and organizations reclaim lost wealth. Through legal expertise, forensic investigations, and technology-driven strategies, asset recovery services ensure rightful owners regain access to their assets efficiently and effectively.