#but is weapon design itself intersting? | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

w-40-k · 1 month ago

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Guardian Games (you reckon they say 'good game' once it is concluded), rolls nicely of the tounge. Teamwork is encouraged and if enough positions are open (the alt!caretakers are also on rotation, can't let those skills get rusty if there stuck on the sidelines all the time) on occasion it has been known, that multiple participants have been accepted into the guard at the same time.

Some of them that would notice the shift and go along, would pherhaps be the ones that also treat the codex as a guide as oposed to strict rules. Even if they disapprove, there's unfortunately just not a whole lot they could do about it.

Re: the armor; I'd say keep the extra weapons. They are tools that would aide Guilliman in a potential escape.

However; if, despite the sons best efforts, a foe manages to take advantage of that, the sons wouldn't be able live with themselves. (The man who sleeps with a knife under his pillow is a fool every night but one)

The information he receives from his network allows him to give the sons more well educated answers (he picks up information alot differently from the sons) in turn. 'If all you've got is a hammer, problems tend to look like nails' to quote Captain Roubute Surcouf in regards to astartes.

I propose we lean on the roman influence and he dedicates some of his spare time developing civilian inferstructure. Also, since roman houses/manors tended to have an inner courtyard, he takes up gardening (fun twist on his farm dream). He would probably get to revising the codex alot quicker too.

Also alot of *research*. For example, he would have a vested interst in knowing how the Gamit became this severe (also if there is actually any Slaneshi influence involved in this). As for the collar, it's been over ten millennia. Actual reliable Information on that period is hard to get. Unless you are Cawl, who was around back then and is also the guy he tasked to improve upon the emperor's original astates design.

(Sad, introspective moment for Guilliman when he figures out Thiel commissioning the collar. Fun cocktail of emotions for sure.)

I was thinking on how the Gamit might manifest itself. Say it is tied to/affects their Catalepsean Node.

The wiki describes it's function as:

"When deprived of sleep for a long period of time, the Catalepsean Node "cuts in" upon detecting a rise in the Astartes' stress and fatigue hormones.

This allows the Astartes to consciously "switch off" sections of the brain sequentially, while remaining awake and alert. This ability comes at a price, as prolonged use of this ability can be hazardous, possibly inducing hallucinations or even psychosis."

Essentially, the Gamit puts them into permanent crisis mode and they are too keyed up to actually sleep (the box that says 'sleep' is unticked).

To the point that they will *continue* to run themselves into the ground until they die of sleep deprivation (or the crisis is resolved; whatever comes first).

The longest instance of a regular Astartes staying awake is usually credited at around two weeks.

However, the chapter holds records of an UM afflicted by the Gamit, who was recorded to have been awake for thirty terran standard days, before collapsing dead to the ground due to exteme sleep deprivation.

The body during that time uses up every last resource it has available. Thus it is practice to, forcefully if nessecary, sedate astartes afflicted with the Gamit after at most fifteen days of being awake.

Further, once Guilliman is aware of this, I imagine a scenario where one of the sons is afflicted by the Gamit in close proximity to Guilliman and he manages to talk them down.

'Son, the crisis is over, I am safe, your brothers can handle the rest. You can *stop*'

The son in question, is at that point pretty much delusional with sleep deprivation, paranoid and terrified out of their mind.

He hears his father's calm words, his father's heavy, warm hand on their shoulder and able to hear the rhythmic, calm twin beat of his father's harts promptly goes limp like a puppet with it's strings cut and Guilliman has to quickly reach out and hold him up lest the son falls to the floor.

Guilliman for a moment is worried he has just lost another son to the Gamit -this accursed thing stemming from his actions hunting his sons- before he hears the sons quiet but shallow breathing. The heartbeat is also slower then he'd prefer or is healthy

But the son cradled in his arms is very much *alive* and for the moment that is all he cares about.

They have a fever and are essentially comatose until their body catches up on the missing sleep. And a new doctrine get put in place; sons high on the Gamit are mandated to spent some time with dad. Of course this only works when Guilliman is in close enough proximity to actually help.

Conditions for this to work are;

- Primarch safe

- Out of combat zone

- Primarch in close proximity (bonus points if they can hear his heartbeat)

Got an angsty idea:

-In Short-

Yandere ultramarines binding/caging/disabling Guilliman at all costs for his own safety. Even if they must hurt him, even break him to do it. No more fulgrim/mortarion incidents.

-In Long-

Basically, what if after witnessing his reckless personal behavior towards personally fighting his brothers and his "death" at the hands of fulgrim as well as his LITERAL death at the hands of Mortarion (regardless of the fact he was brought back, he fucking DIED), the Ultrabois just fucking go full Yandere and try to keep him out of battle and under watch as much as they possibly can to ensure his absolute safety from ANY harm, even himself? And what if this desire, this NEED to keep their primarch, their FATHER, safe went to the extreme as he inevitably tried to get back to business, including personally fighting? He's a primarch after all, weapon first, human second, and his duty is to guide and safeguard the Imperium...

My brain basically had an idea of a gilded bird-caged and bound Guilliman and spun a background around it. Some mental images even include a blindfold and gag for the Ultrabois benefit cuz you know Guilliman's words are some of his best weapons (best way to talk them out of it- to a point).

Very OOC, I know, but with the way the Ultrabois were willing to die in droves to get him away from fulgrim as he was dying AND to protect his stasis before his revival, it seems it could very easily become a possibility via Slaaneshi influence, Lord of Excess and all...

GOD I wish I could draw bodies or write 😭

#warhammer 40k #roboute guilliman #Ultramarines #Storge Mania #m

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gaijinhunter · 5 years ago

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Monster Hunter Rise: 2nd Trailer and news blowout

Hey guys this is Gaijinhunter. I am uploading this as a text post since I caught a cold and have been unable to edit a video.

There was a huge second wave of news for Monster Hunter Rise with the reveal of the 2nd trailer the other day during the Game Awards 2020 show. Keep in mind the actual full length trailer is much longer and better than the shorter edit they showed during the show so makes sure you watch it. It showcased a second map, 2 new monsters, several returning monsters, and more. They also updated their official website with a ton of information so instead of doing a trailer reaction or breakdown, I am going to give you all the info they shared but split up by category, trying to focus only on the new stuff.

New Map

Director Ichinose hinted in an interview that one of the new maps would be nostalgic and boy he wasn't kidding. The Flooded Forest from Third Generation has been massively remade and is back in MH rise. Of course given this game’s focus is verticality, there is no underwater combat sections but they really nailed it from what I can see. One of the most iconic parts of the forest was the ruins in the backgrounds, and now you can scale up it using the wirebug. How cool is that.

With the new map we also got the reveal of 2 new monsters.

First up is the mermaid wyvern, the Somnacanth. This marks the much hyped return of the leviathan class of monsters which were missing in world and iceborne. This Monster looks so wild. It has a special breath that will put you to sleep, is super aggressive, and has this crazy taiko drum like chest in which it will grab oysters and other things and bust them against it to break them open and buff itself. The Japanese name is quite a mouthful and is called Isonemikuni. This is the monster that Ichinose teased with his cute drawing on twitter.

Next up is the tengu beast, Bishaten. This monster is really unique, it looks like a mix of a monkey, bat, and bird. It has a huge and powerful tail it uses for massive mobility and it will chuck various fruits at you as well. One of the most iconic fruits it throws are persimmons, which are very Japanese and if you haven’t had them before, they are kind of an acquired taste. It’s Japanese name is Bishutendo.

For returning monsters we have a few. First is our favorite sponge, the Royal Ludroth. This is a fan favorite and a great early to mid game monster. It has one of the best move sets in my opinion, very telegraphed but it can still catch you off guard even if you are super used to it. Strategically figuring gout where to stand in order to cut off its tail or break the sponge has always been really fun and intersting so I’m delighted to see this monster return, also look at that texture of the sponge!

Then we got the return of the Great Wroggi, the anti-poison skill tutorial monster. This thing really messed me up back in MH3G until I spent the time to get the materials to craft anti-posion decorations and even then, like the Great Izuchi, it fights really well with its sidekick small wroggis and I cant wait to see the improved cooperative AI that they are making for the Great Izuchi applied to this monster as well. It’s armor also spots a really cool Crocodile Dundee hat and look in the trailer and you can see the palico armor as well. So cool.

Finally, we got a small scene that appears to show a snow map and a group of baggi getting hit by a Khezu lightening shot. Does this mean the Great Baggi will return? Not sure. But that scream 100% is a Khezu, and I cannot wait to see how it looks with higher resolution texturing, I bet it will be creepy as heck. So while not technically confirmed, I’d say it’s safe to say Khezu is returning in some form. The balance of all these monsters is so great, I love the selection so far.

As far as other returning monsters that might return, I think we all expect nargacuga and zinogre. These are flagship monsters from games directed by Ichinose and he even tweeted his palamute and palico both named after these two monsters. Especially given the Japanese aesthetic, I think it’s pretty much guaranteed they are returning. Then I think mizutsune is also highly likely given its Japanese design, the fox theme, the kimono armor. Plus the model for it doesn't look that far off from the new Somnacanth. Anyway I have super hyped.

Interaction with animals and endemic life

One of the huge features of Monster Hunter Rise is the focus on wild life and animals to buff your hunter or be used as tools during a hunt.

There are 4 major types of Endemic Life: Temp Buffer, Permabuffer, Hunting Helper, and environmental.

For Permabuffer, we got a new render of the Spiribirds, which will buff your hunter if you move near one, and the effects depend on the color of the pollen it is carrying. Green increases your max Health, Orange increases your defense, red increases your attack power, and yellow increases your max stamina. There is even a special rainbow colored one, which I assume will buff all 4.

Via their website, Capcom announced a new item called the Petalace, a bracelet made of a plant called a Sending Sprig that each hunter has equipped. This is what collects the pollen from the birds and buffs your hunter. There is a variety of Petalaces in the game and some may increase the amount in which an attack boost is applied from a single Spiribird, raise the max value that health can be boosted, and more. Here in the screen shot we can see the caps for each and the amount gained for each buff. Just a quick note but this is not going to be replacing charms as we know that they are giving away a talisman for pre-order.

For Temp Buffer creatures, they revealed the name of the Clothfly, a butterfly that will temporarily increase your defense once you interact with it and cause it to generate a cloud of dust. In previous videos we have seen Peepers that reduce stamina usage, birds that raise your base stats, and a dragonfly that boosts your affinity and I had calculated it out to being applied for 90 seconds but we’ll have to wait for hte final game to see if that depends on the effect or if they change it, but it sounds about right.

For Hunting Helper creatures, we got an adorable new render of the Stinkmink. You can carry up to 5 Hunting Helpers and use them like items. The Stinkmink can be used to cover yourself in a special pheromone that will attract large monsters to you, even allowing you to lure one monster toward another to cause a turf war. I personally can think of other applications like luring a monster toward a trap and stuff like that.

And for environmental endemic life, they didn't show it in the trailer but there are also wildlife that can be used like environmental traps. For example, use raw meat and the giganha fish will go crazy, damaging anything nearby be it a hunter or monster. I can’t wait to see someone hunt a Great Wroggi using only raw meat. I love that we finally will have more use for this item.

NPCs

In the new trailer we got to hear several of the NPC villagers talking and on the website they go into a lot more details. They have quite the star-studded cast in Japanese and the English voice actors are also very interesting picks. This really marks the first time in Monster Hunter that the main cast of villagers will all be called by name and speak, which I think adds a lot of personality to the game.

First we have Fugen the village elder of Kamura and skilled long sword user.

Then we have Hinoa the Quest Maiden, a cheerful and optimistic girl who serves as the quest giver in the village while her twin sister runs the gathering hub. While not announced in any other language, the French and Italian language sites for the game list her sister’s name as Minoto. Hinoa’s name is Hinoe in Japnaese and for the rest of the cast their names are identical between the two languages.

One thing I am excited for is that they said that one of the ways they will help communicate the uniqueness of Kamura is through songs and they shared a sample of one of them in the full trailer. This one is sung by Izumi Kato. If you remember back in Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate they featured songs by the wyverian Diva, and I am so happy they decided to do songs again, they add so much richness to the world and are just lovely to listen to.

Next up is Yomogi, our village chef. In this game you will eat meals at her Tea Shop, where her speciality is the Bunny Dango she makes along with the help of some palicoes. I love that we’ve seen her in past videos with a heavy bowgun, so the idea that all the villagers are active participants in the story is great.

Then we have Hamon the blacksmith. He used to hunt alongside Fugen back in the day but now creates weapons for the hunters of the village. His grandson also appears in the game and is a kind-hearted youth that loves your hunting companions.

Next is Kagero the merchant. Despite his mysterious appearance he is actually very warm and kind. If there is a sale going on, not only can you buy most items for half off, but you can also participate in a lottery where you spin a wheel and it dispenses a colored ball. Get a rare color ball to win a rare prize. You can do it once per sale, but you can also scan an amiibo to spin two more times, but only once per day per amiibo you own.

Finally we have Komitsu the sweet-tooth, she sells candy apples in town. What these do is still not yet revealed.

Companions

We got an adorable render for the Cohoot, the pet owl that shows the positions of monsters on your map. You can interact with it in the town and even dress them up in fancy outfits.

Kamura Village

We got gameplay showing that the entire village is open to the 4 person multiplayer session and you can even ride around on your palamute and use your wirebug while in the village to zip around and have fun. There is still a gathering hall but the ability to see each other in the village as well as jump around and really explore it is a lovely change they are making.

Story wise we got more info about the Rampage, both a story mechanic and new quest type. For some reason the monsters will sometimes gang up and attack the village all at once and no one knows why. They call this a Rampage. There was a really bad rampage 50 years ago that nearly destroyed the village and in response the town has created a Stronghold to stop further invasions. This looks like a new quest type with multiple monsters all at once, and a slew of different artillery options at your disposal. I could see this as being a really fun type of quest to do online with other players.

And of course the most exciting news was that there will be a demo in January with more details to come later. That is far earlier than I expected and I now have to finish up my back catalogue of games in like the next month.

And that about wraps it up. Cpacom said that they will be sharing weapon preview videos for all 14 types very soon and if they do the way they used to do it, we’ll get one new video a day for 2 weeks. I hope you enjoyed this recap of the news and please let me know down in comments what you thought about the second trailer. And until next time, happy hunting.

#MHRise

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mirrorballls · 4 years ago

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* lili reinhart, female + she/her | you know evan cahill, right? they’re twenty-four, and they’ve lived in irving for, like, their whole life? well, their spotify wrapped says they listened to whatta bitch by the regrettes like, a million times this year, which makes sense ‘cause they’ve got that whole heirloom leather jacket, worn down soft and cracked at the elbows, hard, biting scoff that comes from deep in the chest, and driving home in the dead of the night, having to deny the call of the nearest interstate exit thing going on. i just checked and their birthday is june 24, so they’re a cancer, which is unsurprising, all things considered.

hi.

hehe ooc intro first. my name is liz (she/they, 23, est) and i’m just simply cheesed to meet you.... i’m playing three muses after a hiatus so please forgive me when these are all unintelligible drivel. i would love to plot with everyone after i force myself to finish these. i have a little Pinterest especially for this group here and if it tickles your fancy i would love to make plot at auld liz syne#2288 on discord.com :D without further ado here’s queen bitch.... gorgest baby who can do no wrong and Him coming soon.

basics.

full name: evangeline rae cahill. answers exclusively to evan. birthday: june 24, 1996. big three: cancer sun, capricorn moon, aries rising. sexuality: bisexual. occupation: bartender. student (nursing). neighborhood: grew up in lilac ridge, now has an apartment in delphinus heights.

bio.

evan’s parents got married as if to prove a point. they were young and barely knew each other, but they thought they’d be the perfect match, a classic opposites attract. her father was a business student and her mother was studying holistic healing when they met in charlotte. he got her to take her life seriously and she got him to let loose. they moved to irving together after three months of dating because with them, everything always had to be hard and fast (they’re where evan learned it). it felt like a nice middle ground for them and it wasn’t long before they got married and had evan, before her father got involved in local business, before her mother took up a handful of odd jobs to pass the time ---- and something of an affair.

her parents divorce was messy. she was barely three at the time, so she doesn’t remember the moment itself, but the aftershocks of it have rang through her entire life. her father didn’t take the news well, her mother claimed it was all his fault for ignoring her for work anyway, and evan became a casualty of the whole thing. even now, twenty some-odd years later, they can barely stand each other and evan’s always been acutely aware of it. on the one hand, their open vitriol towards one another always made sure she knew she wasn’t the cause of their misery. but it did often times make her wonder if she was just a symptom of it, some reminder of the other person and the fact that they would never truly be able to shake one another.

she grew up living full time with her mother and step-father (her former lover, who she’d surprisingly go on to be married to til this day) and splitting time with her father, who’d go on to remarry and start a new family when she was ten. her home with her mother and step-father and their motley crew began to feel like the family she would willingly claim, as her father made less time for her and she began to feel less at home with his picture perfect family. her real home was messy and chaotic, but it’s where she felt she belonged.

because at her home, in lilac ridge, things weren’t normal, but they were never boring. her mother remained a free spirit and her step-dad much better matched that about her. things got volatile from time to time, but somehow, they always pulled it together. evan almost thought it was cute, in a kind of messed up way.

but regardless of how she felt about her family, there was something about it that set her aside. word travels fast in a town like irving, and while it never brought her ill in lilac ridge, her mother’s reputation and affair didn’t do her much well with her father’s new suburban friends, or the children of the more gossipy pta parents. it made her feel like something of an outsider: not only was she a bit of a weird kid, but her family’s drama was on display for the whole town to give their point of view on. but rather than shrink away from the judgement, she decided to lean into it. if half the town was ready to believe she was the rowdy daughter of this family so far gone, she’d show them just how much that she could be. because sometimes it’s easier embrace what they want you to be than try and rage against it. if you can convince yourself that reputation is all of your doing, in your control, it’s not a weapon that can be used against you anymore. it’s one you can harness to raise a little hell.

so evan made herself an outsider in middle and high school, by design. her plan had worked, she’d gone from weird girl who cared about people understanding her to fully written off and free to live her life as she wanted. it was lonely, but she convinced herself it was freeing. she spent a lot of time reading, heckling her classmates, starting her fair share of fights, and really digging deep into music. it started with rifling through the old vinyls her mom and step-dad had stowed away, then progressed to scribbled lyrics in the margins of her notes, to really and truly getting invested in writing and performing. she burned through her fair share of bands back in the day, because she knows what sound she wants and believes in it so strongly and is literally unwilling to compromise because something inside of her is broken. but music really was the thing that got her through being irving’s little lone wolf.

she had big plans her senior year. she was going to move to nashville, get close to music, and make it big, obviously. she was gonna make it solo and submit herself to stand among the greats: the pattis and nicos and sister rosettas. she was gonna shake whatever preconceived notions irving had for her, even if they were ones she had come to embrace, and get to make a life for herself that wasn’t tainted by her mother’s actions.

but life gets in the way. after she graduated, she worked some odd jobs before she settled into bartending for a quick buck while she tried to get her music career off the ground, but it never clicked like she wanted it to. and she knows that giving up after a few years at it isn’t the way to make it work, but she had bills to pay and a real life to start living. so she decided to go back to school and get a degree in nursing, something she’s genuinely proud of, but it doesn’t keep it from feel like settling. she tries to balance it all: music, school, work, being a menace to the kind folk of irving, but she feels like she’s losing her edge, losing what makes her feel like herself, and always served as a protective shell.

plotting ideas.

step-siblings via her dad!

enemies!

ex band mates, from all the bands she was apart of before being a mean control freak about the music they played got her ass kicked out!

other rowdy girls that she does actually like!

frequent patrons of fannie’s!

hookups!

maybe an almost relationship, from when she let herself not be hateful for 20 minutes and then changed her mind.

maybe someone she dated way too intensely for a little bit, in a way only weird kids can, but since they’ve broken up they’ve kept a decent friendship.

anything literally anything!

#irvingintro #im going to finish my other bios b4 messaging anyone back i promise im not just a b*tch #just gotta rip off the bandaid and post...........

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jacktrammell · 3 years ago

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The Book of Knowledge

This is the first chapter of a new manuscript I am working on. If you like it and want more I will post Chapter 2 later...

The Book of Answers – A Novel

By Jack Trammell

Chapter 1

The aliens were easily defeated. In fact, it seems cliché writing about it now and bothering to describe it. They came in peace, were susceptible to human guile (and bacteria), and when war came about their weapons were designed for an alien anatomy and had no effect on humans, and when they were dead their remains decomposed so quickly in the oxygen-laden atmosphere that no one had thought to try and preserve any. Now it was almost as if it hadn’t happened it all.

It was the humans that were not so easily defeated. After the Russo-Sino Pact of 2043, the center of power had irrevocably turned to the East and combined with the remnants of America’s nuclear defeat at the hands of terrorists, a strange kind of postmodern dual monarchy arose with the Premier of China and the President of Russia wielding absolute power with totalitarian regimes to back them. Europe was still clinging to a fragile and facile alliance that exists to this day but feels as if it could collapse at any moment (or immediately upon Germany removing itself). But the “Pact Powers” in fact go wherever they want to, and do whatever they want to. The parts of the earth they have no care about would be easily within their grasp should they so choose.

The Western Hemisphere—especially North America—returned to the middle ages. The wealthiest Americans migrated to a gloomy European mainland, where they prayed that their fragile fortunes (based on an unstable unified currency) would sustain them until they died, careless of coming generations. Those without means remained, stagnant, and returned to the simple ways of survival, using everything in the wrecked infrastructure from interstate highway medians to grow strips of grain to collapsing baseball stadiums for disorganized anarchist forums.

If any of this sounds strange to you, it shouldn’t. The writing was on the wall in 2016.

“Aaron! Get over here!”

Aaron turned around but kept his eyes looking forward. He held what some would recognize as an antique AR-15 semi-automatic rifle which he had intentionally left unmodified. Ammo was so precious only a fool would have a fully automatic rifle. The black metal on the barrel and stock was mottled with bright scratches and an occasional dent. If guns could tell stories, this one would no doubt compose a long novel.

“They’re still in front of us—be quieter!” he said.

His companion was younger, perhaps fifteen if such things as years counted any more, and did not carry any firearm but an edged knife that appeared to be home-made from some kind of ancient wood-working tool, like a file or rasp. He seemed nervous, and his wild curly hairy gave him the appearance of a feral human.

“Aaron!”

“Hush, Ki!”

Aaron moved further into the brush and raised his rifle, deliberately squinting one eye and gazing down the open sites. “Damn coyotes,” he said to himself, “you are never gonna take one of my chickens again.” He placed his finger on the trigger and started to pull gently, when suddenly there was a strange smell—a mixture of sulfur and hide. And just as he pulled the trigger, pandemonium broke out.

He was tumbling. He heard Ki screaming. There were sharp fangs and claws. The AR-15 was gone. More tumbling and grunting and growling. And a dark, musky odor.

Finally he was able to grab his opponent by the throat and push upward and a pair of red eyes bored straight into him. A snarling, frothing mouth revealed fangs the size of fingers. In the moment’s flash he saw Ki coming from behind with his crude knife.

“No!” Aaron tried to scream. “No, Ki!”

But it was too late. Ki jumped on the wolf’s back and before Aaron could react, Ki was plunging the knife over and over again into the side of the wolf’s thick neck. Blood, fur, and humans were in a confused, bloody jumble. Finally, with a convulsive shudder, the wolf started to go limp. An audible sigh of death came from within its throat like a strange growling groan.

For a few minutes they both lay still, panting, in small pools of blood.

“You okay?” Aaron asked, slowly coming up on his knees, his hands trembling in spite of himself. He was the strong one; he protected Ki; wolves didn’t take him out.

Ki smiled. “I get the fangs. You can have the tail.”

Ki was short for Malachi. Malachi had been mostly anonymous in the Bible, prophesying about his time and place, but also foretelling the savior. Ki was the normally soft-spoken younger brother who never questioned his older brother’s authority, but also was not fearful of becoming involved in things. He didn’t share his opinions unless asked to, although people in the family increasingly did ask him to.

Aaron over-protected Ki. There was nothing else he felt he could do. This life was too hard and too short not to look out for the kin who were weaker through no fault of their own. None-the-less, even this attack—paired with other events recently—to show that their roles were shifting, and that he couldn’t protect Ki from things he couldn’t defeat himself.

“I don’t have to Google frontier recipes for wolf meat to know what to do with it.” Mother scolded Ki openly, as she would anyone. “Predator been eating predator for many an eon, and you can Google that word, too. You take care of the hide.”

Ki obediently left to separate the hide from the meat. Aaron lingered only a moment.

“Ma,” he said, hesitating. “I missed the wolf.”

“What do you mean? I see a dead wolf out there on the table.”

He looked down. “I mean it came up behind me and I didn’t smell it, hear it, see it—I might be dead if not for Ki.”

She set her knife—another home-made utensil—down on a well-worn white oak slab cutting board and wiped her hands on a calico apron. “I know you can’t protect him forever. Hell, the militia will probably get him pretty soon if they see what he is. But he’s growing up. He is grown up. Be grateful he was there with you.”

Aaron’s gaze remained downward. “Yes, Ma’am.”

No one was sure how Google continued to function on the web since Mountainview, California had been an inadvertent casualty of the war. One of the Russian missiles had missed its mark. Or maybe it was on purpose. None-the-less, people continued to rely on it, even without knowing a damn thing about who controlled it or made its algorithms function post-war. The rumor was that it wasn’t even humans that controlled it anymore; that it was just sort of running automatically on backup systems and generators hid in other places. Perhaps some sort of thing like AI.

No one was sorry that Facebook and Twitter and such had gone away. On the contrary, after the war people didn’t want to connect with people on the other side of the globe. They wanted to do everything possible to avoid them, and not arouse their attention. Whether you DM’d your neighbor next door, or someone thousands of miles away, the Chinese hackers were always watching. Social media was physical death if you weren’t careful.

Aaron thought a lot about these things, meaning that he wanted to know why social media had been such a big deal before, and why America had been so great before, but now there were only small bands of rebels hiding from Russian and Chinese satellites. He wanted to know why his uncle George kept going to Morehead City, North Carolina (Uncle George claimed that it was because a secret railroad and ocean port formerly run by the government were in operation there now under the control of rebels), but never came home with anything; he wanted to know why his father had left home with a local militia to fight some invaders from central America who thought it was better here (imagine that!) and never come back. That was who he was—he wanted to know things.

Ki, on the other hand, he just wanted to “do.” Give him a task and he was on it. Give him a tool and he would figure out how to use it. History was lost on him.

Aaron busied himself checking the settlement alarms. They had to be checked every night before dark, even though it was a foregone conclusion that a big white-tail buck, a raccoon, or someone would set one off in the middle of the night. He also checked the solar chargers. Since the war they were nothing short of pure gold—people could and would kill over them. The IR sensors were cannibalized from old television remotes.

Aaron had Googled about electric cars, but he had never seen one in operating condition. Distilling was also big business to run ramshackle but functional combustion vehicles. That was the main thing for long trips. His Uncle Werner had an old Ford 150 that still somehow ran.

Occasionally, they all three went to Cumberland, Maryland, which was the new, unofficial frontier capital. A city that had once had the potential to be the new Pittsburgh, instead became an early 21st century corpse of a city, with the infrastructure of a place much bigger, but the heart and soul of small town in Appalachia. The opioid epidemic destroyed what was left. The trains and steel mills were gone. Then the war came.

Ironically, it was because it was geographically secluded from the major cities on the East Coast, and because it had that hardened infrastructure (outdated as it was), that it became the ideal place for people to quietly congregate and organize, while Chinese and Russian satellites still showed it as what it had always been before. The trees and mountains did not talk. They were careful not repair main roads; there were blackouts at night. Aaron liked some of the old brick buildings, some of which were up to ten stories high, with rusting fire escapes on their sides. He often wondered what it would have been like to live there one-hundred years or more ago in its heyday.

“Aaron! It’s time to eat!”

“Instead of taking away our guns, they took away our government, and look at how great that turned out!”

Uncle Werner stood with one foot up on a cedar stump and surveyed the motley gathering. Unlike his more fragile sister (Ki’s and Aaron’s mother), he was a lumberjack of a man in his early fifties with a shock of thick black hair that looked as wild as the New River. It sometimes looked like his buttons on his plaid shirt were going to pop and fly off like bullets. It was his week to address the neighborhood council, and informal news gathering session that was a highlight of an otherwise hard but sometimes boring life.

“I’d rather have a government!” he continued.

“We’re here for news!” a heckler in the background shouted. “Not political speeches!”

“Well the news in Squirrel Hollow is the same as last week. Jerusalem artichokes, wild carrots, only this week the stew had wolf meat.”

A little cheer went up amongst a few people. Killing a wolf was an all-too common occurrence; eating it was an ancient symbolic gesture of dominance.

“And I don’t know about all of you, but we are running short on salt again. And the last time we went to Big Bone Lick there were well-armed outsiders. I plan to go to Cumberland this time.”

Ki, Aaron, and their mother were in the crowd. Aaron listened obediently as other neighbors recited their news and needs, but Ki’s mind was adrift. He wanted to go to Cumberland with Uncle Werner. His mother would probably say it was too dangerous. But hadn’t he just killed the most dangerous animal around?

#4thbranch #TCXroads #BOknow

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ericfruits · 7 years ago

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The odds on a conflict between the great powers

DESPITE THE EXTRAORDINARY decline in interstate wars over the past 70 years, many foreign-policy experts believe that the world is entering a new era in which they are becoming all too possible again. But there is a big difference between regional wars that might be triggered by the actions of a rogue state, such as North Korea or Iran, and those between great powers, which remain much less likely. Still, increased competition between America, Russia and China poses threats to the international order and does have a military dimension.

This special report will concentrate on what could lead to a future conflict between big powers rather than consider the threat of a war on the Korean peninsula, which is firmly in the present. A war to stop Iran acquiring nuclear weapons seems a more speculative prospect for now, but could become more likely a few years hence. Either would be terrible, but its destructive capacity would pale in comparison with full-blown conflict between the West and Russia or China, even if that did not escalate to a nuclear exchange.

The main reason why great-power warfare has become somewhat more plausible than at any time since the height of the cold war is that both Russia and China are dissatisfied powers determined to change the terms of a Western-devised, American-policed international order which they believe does not serve their legitimate interests. In the past decade both have invested heavily in modernising their armed forces in ways that exploit Western political and technical vulnerabilities and thwart America’s ability to project power in what they see as their spheres of influence. Both have shown themselves prepared to impose their will on neighbours by force. Both countries’ leaders are giving voice to popular yearning for renewed national power and international respect, and both are reaping the domestic political benefits. Where they differ is that Russia, demographically and economically, is a declining power with an opportunistic leadership, whereas China is clearly a rising one that has time on its side and sees itself as at least the equal of America, if not eventually its superior.

Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, wants to regain at least some of the prestige and clout his country lost after the collapse of the Soviet Union, an event he has described as the “greatest geopolitical tragedy of the [20th] century”. He believes that in the 1990s the West rejected making Russia an equal partner, and that the European Union’s and NATO’s eastward expansion jeopardised Russia’s external and internal security. In a statement on national-security strategy at the end of 2015 the Russian government designated NATO as the greatest threat it faced. It believes that the West actively tries to bring about “colour revolutions” of the sort seen in Ukraine, both in Russia’s “near abroad” and in Russia itself.

Russia’s armed forces, although no match for America’s, are undergoing substantial modernisation, carry out frequent large-scale exercises and are capable of conducting high-intensity warfare at short notice across a narrow front against NATO forces. Russian military aircraft often probe European air defences and buzz NATO warships in the Baltic and the Black Sea, risking an incident that could rapidly get out of control.

War games carried out by the RAND Corporation, a think-tank, in 2015 concluded that in the face of a Russian attack “as currently postured, NATO cannot successfully defend the territory of its most exposed members”. NATO has since slightly beefed up its presence in the Baltic states and Poland, but probably not enough to change the RAND report’s conclusion that it would take Russian forces 60 hours at most to fight their way to the capital of Latvia or Estonia.

If that were to happen, NATO’s political leaders would have to choose between three bad options: launch a bloody counter-offensive fraught with the risk of escalation; exacerbate the conflict itself by threatening targets in Russia; or concede defeat, with disastrous consequences for the alliance. Domestic support for the first and second options would be fragile (in Britain and Germany a Pew survey last year found only minority backing for NATO’s Article 5 commitment to mutual defence if Russia were to attack a neighbouring alliance member, see chart). And Mr Putin’s doctrine of “escalate to de-escalate” would almost certainly bring the threat, and possibly even the use, of Russian tactical nuclear weapons to encourage NATO to throw in the towel. Mr Putin reckons, probably correctly, that he has a much higher tolerance for risk than his Western counterparts.

The probability of such a direct test of NATO members’ Article 5 promise is low. But Mr Putin has shown in Georgia, Ukraine and Syria that he is an opportunist prepared to roll the dice when he is feeling desperate or lucky. A second-term Trump administration, shorn of generals committed to NATO and with a more populist Republican party in Congress, might well tempt him, especially if low energy prices and a weak economy were creating mounting problems at home.

Some suggest that America and China are destined to go to war, falling into the “Thucydides trap” as encountered in antiquity by Sparta and Athens. In essence, the established power feels threatened by the rising power, which in turn feels resentful and frustrated. Graham Allison, the author of a popular book expounding this thesis, believes that “war between the US and China in the decades ahead is not just possible, but much more likely than currently recognised.”

Mr Allison’s prognosis, based on an analysis of past conflicts between incumbent powers and thrusting newcomers, may be too deterministic. Although China and America do not have anything like the shared international agenda that America had with Britain when the roles were reversed, they are bound together by a web of economic interests. Strategic patience and taking the long view comes naturally to Chinese leaders, and successive American presidents (except perhaps the current one) have tried hard to show that far from wanting to keep China in its box, they wish to see it playing a full and responsible part in the international system. The previous contests for hegemony cited by Mr Allison were not conducted under the shadow of nuclear weapons, which for all their risks remain the ultimate disincentive for great powers to wage war against each other.

Moreover, says Jonathan Eyal of RUSI, a defence think-tank, demographic factors and changing social attitudes in China suggest that there would be little popular appetite for conflict with America, despite the sometimes nationalistic posturing of state media. Like other developed countries, the country has very low birth rates, fast-decreasing levels of violence and large middle classes who define success by tapping the latest smartphone or putting down a deposit on a new car. In a culture of coddling children prompted by the one-child policy, Chinese parents would probably be extremely reluctant to send their precious “snowflakes” off to war.

No coffins, please

Even in Russia, where Mr Putin has encouraged a revival of a more macho culture, he wants to avoid casualties as far as possible. In his view, the thousands of coffins returning from Afghanistan in the 1980s were partly to blame for the collapse of the Soviet Union, so he has gone to extraordinary lengths both to minimise and conceal the deaths of any conscripted troops in Ukraine. In Syria, he has used private military contractors wherever possible.

The risk that the West will run into a major conflict with China is lower than with Russia, but it is not negligible and may be growing. China resents the American naval presence in the western Pacific, and particularly the “freedom of navigation” operations that the US Seventh Fleet conducts in the South China Sea to demonstrate that America will not accept any Chinese claims or actions in the region that threaten its core national interests or those of its allies.

For its part, China is planning to develop its A2/AD capabilities, especially long-range anti-ship missiles and a powerful navy equipped with state-of-the-art surface vessels and a large submarine force. The idea is first to push the US Navy beyond the “first island chain” and ultimately make it too dangerous for it to operate within the “second island chain” (see map). Neither move is imminent, but China has already made a lot of progress. If there were a new crisis over Taiwan, America would no longer send an aircraft-carrier battle group through the Taiwan Strait to show its resolve, as it did in 1996.

How such tensions will play out depends partly on America’s allies. If Japan’s recently re-elected prime minister, Shinzo Abe, succeeds in his ambition to change the country’s pacifist constitution, the Japanese navy is likely to increase its capabilities and more explicitly train to fight alongside its American counterpart. At the same time other, weaker allies such as Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia may conclude that bowing to Chinese military and economic power is a safer bet than hoping for a declining America to fight their corner.

The greatest danger lies in miscalculation through a failure to understand an adversary’s intentions, leading to an unplanned escalation that runs out of control. Competition in the “grey zone” between peace and war requires constant calibration that could all too easily be lost in the heat of the moment.

This article appeared in the Special report section of the print edition under the headline "Pride and prejudice"

Special report: Why nuclear stability is under threatMore in this special report:

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michaeljames1221 · 5 years ago

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Transportation And Use Requirements With Title 2 Firearms

Notwithstanding any other provision of any law or any rule or regulation of a State or any political subdivision thereof, any person who is not otherwise prohibited by this chapter from transporting, shipping, or receiving a firearm shall be entitled to transport a firearm for any lawful purpose from any place where he may lawfully possess and carry such firearm to any other place where he may lawfully possess and carry such firearm if, during such transportation the firearm is unloaded, and neither the firearm nor any ammunition being transported is readily accessible or is directly accessible from the passenger compartment of such transporting vehicle: Provided, That in the case of a vehicle without a compartment separate from the driver’s compartment the firearm or ammunition shall be contained in a locked container other than the glove compartment or console.

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Application to Transport NFA Firearms

ATF has recently updated their forms and now requires notification when you move within a state for any NFA Firearm. This can be done using the 5320.20 form which is described on this page. While the document states that it is not necessary when moving across state lines for a suppressor, it is now required by the instructions on the Form 4. Regardless of how you feel, we would recommend that you complete a Form 20 for any move even if across the street. The ATF requires prior authorization after a written request to transport any destructive device, machine gun, short-barreled rifle, or short-barreled shotgun under Section 922(a), The ATF does not require this prior authorization for a suppressor.

While the prior authorization from the ATF is not required, we do still recommend obtaining an approved Form 20 from the ATF for Suppressors before crossing state lines. We feel that it is better to have a document from the federal government stating it is legal to be in possession of the item in another state than is listed on your Form 4 or Form 1 which was used to acquire the item. Title 18 U.S.C. While the ATF use to accept a letter, ATF stopped accepting letters and is requiring this form to be filled out and it needs to be submitted in duplicate. Once the ATF approves the transportation, they will return a Form 20 to the registered owner. The approval authorizes the registered owner to transport the designated firearm(s) only during the time period specified in item 3 on the form. The authorization does not carry or import relief from any statutory or regulatory provisions relating to firearms other than 27 cfr 478.28. Prior authorization should only be requested to a state where the items are legal to possess. A mistaken authorization to transport an item to a state does not mean it is legal to do so and while there may be an argument against federal prosecution, it should not be relied upon to protect you from state prosecution. If a contract or common carrier is used to transport the firearm(s) a copy of ATF Form 5320.20 shall be furnished to the carrier and shall be in possession of the carrier for the duration of the transportation. This will meet the requirements of sections 922(e) and (f) of the Gun Control Act of 1968. This form is in a PDF format that permits you to type your information. If you have questions about the form 20, you can call Ascent Law, your Gun Trust Lawyer (801) 676-5506.

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Things you need: • The Full Name should be the name of your Trust. • Select YES if this is a temporary transportation across state lines and NO if the items will not be returned. • You can select a date range of up to 1 year. For example Jan 1, 2015 to Dec 31, 2015 • Reason for Transfer: Change of Address or Local shooting event, hunting… ( If moving to NC see this link) • Should be the current location of the items • Should be the location you are travelling to. • This should be how the items will be transported. • Will be signed by the Trustee submitting the Application. • Is the date you are signing the request.

Interstate Transportation Of Firearms

Federal law does not restrict individuals from transporting legally acquired firearms across state lines for lawful purposes except those explicitly prohibited by federal law to include convicted felons; persons under indictment for felonies; adjudicated “mental defectives” or those who have been involuntarily committed to mental institutions; illegal drug users; illegal aliens and most non-immigrant aliens; dishonorably discharged veterans; those who have renounced their U.S. citizenship; fugitives from justice; persons convicted of misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence; and persons subject to certain domestic violence restraining orders. Therefore, no federal permit is required (or available) for the interstate transportation of firearms. Many states and localities have laws governing the transportation of firearms. Travelers must be aware of these laws and comply with legal requirements in each jurisdiction. There is no uniform state transportation procedure for firearms. If in doubt, a traveler should carry firearms unloaded, locked in a case, and stored in an area (such as a trunk or attached toolbox) where they are inaccessible from a vehicle’s passenger compartment and not visible from outside the vehicle. Any ammunition should be stored in a separate locked container. Title 18 Part 1 Chapter 44 s926A.

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Federal Law On Transportation Of Firearms

A provision of the federal law known as the Firearms Owners’ Protection Act, or FOPA, protects those who are transporting firearms for lawful purposes from local restrictions which would otherwise prohibit passage. Under FOPA, notwithstanding any state or local law, a person is entitled to transport a firearm from any place where he or she may lawfully possess and carry such firearm to any other place where he or she may lawfully possess and carry it, if the firearm is unloaded and locked out of reach. In vehicles without a trunk, the unloaded firearm must be in a locked container other than the glove compartment or console. Ammunition that is either locked out of reach in the trunk or in a locked container other than the glove compartment or console is also covered. Travelers should be aware that some state and local governments treat this federal provision as an “affirmative defense” that may only be raised after an arrest. All travelers in areas with restrictive laws would be well advised to have copies of any applicable firearm licenses or permits, as well as copies or printouts from the relevant jurisdictions’ official publications or websites documenting pertinent provisions of law (including FOPA itself) or reciprocity information. In the event of an unexpected or extended delay, travelers should make every effort not to handle any luggage containing firearms unnecessarily and to secure it in a location where they do not have ready access to it.

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Carrying On Or About The Person

As soon as any firearm is carried on or about the person, or placed loaded or readily accessible in a vehicle, state and local laws regarding the carrying of firearms apply. If you seek to carry or transport firearms in such a manner, it is advisable that you determine what the law is by contacting the Attorney General’s office in each state through which you may travel or by reviewing the law. You may also wish to determine whether the state issues any necessary permits to non-residents and how to obtain one, if available. While many states require permits to carry usable, loaded firearms on or about one’s person, some will not issue such permits to non-residents.

Transportation By Motor Vehicle

In most states, firearms may be transported legally if they are unloaded, cased, and locked in the automobile trunk or otherwise inaccessible to the driver or any passenger. The exceptions to this rule apply mainly to transportation of handguns and so-called “assault weapons.” The myriad and conflicting legal requirements for firearm transportation through the states make caution the key for travelers of which you must consult local law.

If you travel with a trailer or camper that is hauled by an automobile, it is advisable to transport the firearms unloaded, cased and locked in the trunk of the car. If your vehicle is of the type in which driving and living spaces are not separated, the problem becomes one of access. If the firearm is carried on or about the person, or placed in the camper where it is readily accessible to the driver or any passenger, state and local laws regarding concealed carrying of firearms may apply. It is recommended, therefore, that the firearm be transported unloaded, cased, and placed in a locked rear compartment of the camper or mobile home, where it is inaccessible to the driver or any passenger. Generally, a mobile home is considered a home if it is not attached to a towing vehicle, and is permanently attached to utilities, placed on blocks, or otherwise parked in such a manner that it cannot immediately be started up and used as a vehicle. Once you reach your destination, state and local law will govern the ownership, possession, and transportation of your firearms.

Firearms Aboard Commercial Aircraft

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The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has established specific requirements for transporting firearms and ammunition in checked baggage on commercial aircraft, including the following: All firearms or ammunition must be checked with the air carrier as luggage or inside checked luggage. Firearms, firearms parts, and ammunition are prohibited from carry-on baggage. Firearm parts include barrels, magazines, frames, and other internal parts of a firearm. Gun owners are strongly encouraged to double-check all baggage, even when not travelling with firearms. This is particularly important if bags also serve as range bags or are used to transport firearms and/or ammunition at other times. Inadvertently leaving ammunition or a firearm in a carry-on bag will result in serious delays at security points and potential civil or criminal penalties. All firearms and/or ammunition must be declared orally or in writing in accordance with the air carrier’s procedures. Civil and criminal penalties may be applied for failure to declare a firearm in checked baggage. All firearms must be unloaded. The firearm must be carried in a hard-sided container. The container must be locked and only the passenger may retain the key or combination. All checked baggage is subject to inspection. If during the inspection process it is necessary to open the container, the air carrier is required to locate the passenger and the passenger must unlock the container for further inspection. The firearm may not be transported if the passenger cannot be located to unlock the container. If you are travelling with a firearm, pay close attention to airport pages and announcements. If requested, provide the cooperation necessary to inspect your firearm. Ammunition is prohibited from carry-on luggage. Ammunition must be transported in the manufacturer’s packaging or other packaging suitable for transport. Consult your air carrier to determine quantity limitations and whether the ammunition must be packed separately from the firearm. Because the level of training among airline personnel varies widely, passengers would be well advised to bring printed copies of firearms rules from both TSA and the particular airline being used.

For further information, visit http://www.tsa.gov/traveler-information/firearms-and-ammunition Finally, the United States Department of Justice has issued a written opinion that federal law protects airline travelers with firearms, assuming: (1) the person is traveling from somewhere he or she may lawfully possess and carry a firearm; (2) en route to the airport the firearm is unloaded and inaccessible from the passenger compartment of the person’s vehicle; (3) the person transports the firearm directly from his vehicle to the airline check-in desk without any interruption in the transportation, and the firearm is carried to the check-in desk unloaded and in a locked container. Otherwise, travelers should strictly comply with FOPA and with airline and TSA policies regarding firearms transportation, avoid any unnecessary deviations on the way to checking in their baggage, be well acquainted with the firearms laws of the jurisdictions between which they are travelling, have any necessary permits or licenses ready for inspection, and have copies of relevant provisions of current law or reciprocity information printed from official sources. Special advisory for New York & New Jersey airports: Despite federal law that protects travelers, authorities at JFK, La Guardia, Newark, and Albany airports have been known to enforce state and local firearm laws against airline travelers who are passing through their jurisdictions. In some cases, even persons travelling in full compliance with federal law have been arrested or threatened with arrest. FOPA’s protections have been substantially narrowed by court decisions in certain parts of the country, particularly in the Northeast. Persons travelling through New York and New Jersey airports may want to consider shipping their firearms to their final destinations rather than bringing them through airports in these jurisdictions.

National And State Parks And Wildlife Refuges

A person may possess an operational firearm in a national park or wildlife refuge if the individual is in legal possession of the firearm and if possession of the firearm is in compliance with the laws of the state in which the park or refuge is located. Rules in various state park systems vary, so always inquire first. A separate federal law, however, continues to ban the possession of firearms in “federal facilities,” including those within national parks and wildlife refuges. The National Park Service interprets this provision broadly to prohibit firearms not only in buildings (such as visitor centers, ranger stations, and administrative offices) but also in other areas that are regularly staffed by federal employees (such as developed caves and gated outdoor performance areas). National Park Service officials have indicated that all prohibited locations will be posted with signs.

While FOPA applies in every United States jurisdiction, experience has shown that some jurisdictions provide particular challenges to those transporting firearms. Knowing the local laws of such places is particularly important and may make travelling through them easier. The following states are known to have especially strict and complicated gun control laws and travelers should consult the state laws directly, along with local law enforcement and states’ attorneys general resources for detailed information.

Gun Attorney Free Consultation

When you need legal help with gun law in Utah, please call Ascent Law LLC for your free consultation (801) 676-5506. We want to help you.

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from Michael Anderson https://www.ascentlawfirm.com/transportation-and-use-requirements-with-title-2-firearms/

from Criminal Defense Lawyer West Jordan Utah https://criminaldefenselawyerwestjordanutah.wordpress.com/2020/05/15/transportation-and-use-requirements-with-title-2-firearms/

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coming-from-hell · 5 years ago

Text

Transportation And Use Requirements With Title 2 Firearms

youtube

Application to Transport NFA Firearms

youtube

Interstate Transportation Of Firearms

youtube

Federal Law On Transportation Of Firearms

youtube

Carrying On Or About The Person

Transportation By Motor Vehicle

Firearms Aboard Commercial Aircraft

youtube

For further information, visit www.tsa.gov/traveler-information/firearms-and-ammunition Finally, the United States Department of Justice has issued a written opinion that federal law protects airline travelers with firearms, assuming: (1) the person is traveling from somewhere he or she may lawfully possess and carry a firearm; (2) en route to the airport the firearm is unloaded and inaccessible from the passenger compartment of the person’s vehicle; (3) the person transports the firearm directly from his vehicle to the airline check-in desk without any interruption in the transportation, and the firearm is carried to the check-in desk unloaded and in a locked container. Otherwise, travelers should strictly comply with FOPA and with airline and TSA policies regarding firearms transportation, avoid any unnecessary deviations on the way to checking in their baggage, be well acquainted with the firearms laws of the jurisdictions between which they are travelling, have any necessary permits or licenses ready for inspection, and have copies of relevant provisions of current law or reciprocity information printed from official sources. Special advisory for New York & New Jersey airports: Despite federal law that protects travelers, authorities at JFK, La Guardia, Newark, and Albany airports have been known to enforce state and local firearm laws against airline travelers who are passing through their jurisdictions. In some cases, even persons travelling in full compliance with federal law have been arrested or threatened with arrest. FOPA’s protections have been substantially narrowed by court decisions in certain parts of the country, particularly in the Northeast. Persons travelling through New York and New Jersey airports may want to consider shipping their firearms to their final destinations rather than bringing them through airports in these jurisdictions.

National And State Parks And Wildlife Refuges

Gun Attorney Free Consultation

When you need legal help with gun law in Utah, please call Ascent Law LLC for your free consultation (801) 676-5506. We want to help you.

Ascent Law LLC 8833 S. Redwood Road, Suite C West Jordan, Utah 84088 United States Telephone: (801) 676-5506

Ascent Law LLC

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Recent Posts

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Source: https://www.ascentlawfirm.com/transportation-and-use-requirements-with-title-2-firearms/

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gonnagoandrunwiththehorses · 5 years ago

Text

Transportation And Use Requirements With Title 2 Firearms

youtube

Application to Transport NFA Firearms

youtube

Interstate Transportation Of Firearms

youtube

Federal Law On Transportation Of Firearms

youtube

Carrying On Or About The Person

Transportation By Motor Vehicle

Firearms Aboard Commercial Aircraft

youtube

National And State Parks And Wildlife Refuges

Gun Attorney Free Consultation

When you need legal help with gun law in Utah, please call Ascent Law LLC for your free consultation (801) 676-5506. We want to help you.

Ascent Law LLC 8833 S. Redwood Road, Suite C West Jordan, Utah 84088 United States Telephone: (801) 676-5506

Ascent Law LLC

4.9 stars – based on 67 reviews

Recent Posts

Criminal vs. Civil Penalties For Firearms Injuries

Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Compared To Other Debt Solutions

Fourth Amendment Lawyer

Utah Visitation And Domestic Violence

ATV Accident Lawyer South Salt Lake Utah

Is Legal Separation Recognized In Utah?

Source: https://www.ascentlawfirm.com/transportation-and-use-requirements-with-title-2-firearms/

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divorcelawyergunnisonutah · 5 years ago

Text

Transportation And Use Requirements With Title 2 Firearms

youtube

Application to Transport NFA Firearms

youtube

Interstate Transportation Of Firearms

youtube

Federal Law On Transportation Of Firearms

youtube

Carrying On Or About The Person

Transportation By Motor Vehicle

Firearms Aboard Commercial Aircraft

youtube

National And State Parks And Wildlife Refuges

Gun Attorney Free Consultation

When you need legal help with gun law in Utah, please call Ascent Law LLC for your free consultation (801) 676-5506. We want to help you.

Ascent Law LLC 8833 S. Redwood Road, Suite C West Jordan, Utah 84088 United States Telephone: (801) 676-5506

Ascent Law LLC

4.9 stars – based on 67 reviews

Recent Posts

Criminal vs. Civil Penalties For Firearms Injuries

Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Compared To Other Debt Solutions

Fourth Amendment Lawyer

Utah Visitation And Domestic Violence

ATV Accident Lawyer South Salt Lake Utah

Is Legal Separation Recognized In Utah?

from Michael Anderson https://www.ascentlawfirm.com/transportation-and-use-requirements-with-title-2-firearms/

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mayarosa47 · 5 years ago

Text

Transportation And Use Requirements With Title 2 Firearms

Application to Transport NFA Firearms

Interstate Transportation Of Firearms

Federal Law On Transportation Of Firearms

Carrying On Or About The Person

Transportation By Motor Vehicle

Firearms Aboard Commercial Aircraft

National And State Parks And Wildlife Refuges

Gun Attorney Free Consultation

When you need legal help with gun law in Utah, please call Ascent Law LLC for your free consultation (801) 676-5506. We want to help you.

Ascent Law LLC 8833 S. Redwood Road, Suite C West Jordan, Utah 84088 United States Telephone: (801) 676-5506

Ascent Law LLC

4.9 stars – based on 67 reviews

Recent Posts

Criminal vs. Civil Penalties For Firearms Injuries

Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Compared To Other Debt Solutions

Fourth Amendment Lawyer

Utah Visitation And Domestic Violence

ATV Accident Lawyer South Salt Lake Utah

Is Legal Separation Recognized In Utah?

from https://www.ascentlawfirm.com/transportation-and-use-requirements-with-title-2-firearms/

from Criminal Defense Lawyer West Jordan Utah - Blog http://criminaldefenselawyerwestjordanutah.weebly.com/blog/transportation-and-use-requirements-with-title-2-firearms

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melissawalker01 · 5 years ago

Text

Transportation And Use Requirements With Title 2 Firearms

youtube

Application to Transport NFA Firearms

youtube

Interstate Transportation Of Firearms

youtube

Federal Law On Transportation Of Firearms

youtube

Carrying On Or About The Person

Transportation By Motor Vehicle

Firearms Aboard Commercial Aircraft

youtube

National And State Parks And Wildlife Refuges

Gun Attorney Free Consultation

When you need legal help with gun law in Utah, please call Ascent Law LLC for your free consultation (801) 676-5506. We want to help you.

Ascent Law LLC 8833 S. Redwood Road, Suite C West Jordan, Utah 84088 United States Telephone: (801) 676-5506

Ascent Law LLC

4.9 stars – based on 67 reviews

Recent Posts

Criminal vs. Civil Penalties For Firearms Injuries

Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Compared To Other Debt Solutions

Fourth Amendment Lawyer

Utah Visitation And Domestic Violence

ATV Accident Lawyer South Salt Lake Utah

Is Legal Separation Recognized In Utah?

from Michael Anderson https://www.ascentlawfirm.com/transportation-and-use-requirements-with-title-2-firearms/ from Divorce Lawyer Nelson Farms Utah https://divorcelawyernelsonfarmsutah.tumblr.com/post/618147923365134336

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fuckmaga · 6 years ago

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18 U.S.C. 245 - Federally protected activities

(a)(1) Nothing in this section shall be construed as indicating an intent on the part of Congress to prevent any State, any possession or Commonwealth of the United States, or the District of Columbia, from exercising jurisdiction over any offense over which it would have jurisdiction in the absence of this section, nor shall anything in this section be construed as depriving State and local law enforcement authorities of responsibility for prosecuting acts that may be violations of this section and that are violations of State and local law. No prosecution of any offense described in this section shall be undertaken by the United States except upon the certification in writing of the Attorney General, the Deputy Attorney General, the Associate Attorney General, or any Assistant Attorney General specially designated by the Attorney General that in his judgment a prosecution by the United States is in the public interest and necessary to secure substantial justice, which function of certification may not be delegated.

(2) Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to limit the authority of Federal officers, or a Federal grand jury, to investigate possible violations of this section.

(b) Whoever, whether or not acting under color of law, by force or threat of force willfully injures, intimidates or interferes with, or attempts to injure, intimidate or interfere with—

(1) any person because he is or has been, or in order to intimidate such person or any other person or any class of persons from—

(A) voting or qualifying to vote, qualifying or campaigning as a candidate for elective office, or qualifying or acting as a poll watcher, or any legally authorized election official, in any primary, special, or general election;

(B) participating in or enjoying any benefit, service, privilege, program, facility, or activity provided or administered by the United States;

(D) serving, or attending upon any court in connection with possible service, as a grand or petit juror in any court of the United States;

(E) participating in or enjoying the benefits of any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance; or

(2) any person because of his race, color, religion or national origin and because he is or has been—

(A) enrolling in or attending any public school or public college;

(B) participating in or enjoying any benefit, service, privilege, program, facility or activity provided or administered by any State or subdivision thereof;

(C) applying for or enjoying employment, or any perquisite thereof, by any private employer or any agency of any State or subdivision thereof, or joining or using the services or advantages of any labor organization, hiring hall, or employment agency;

(D) serving, or attending upon any court of any State in connection with possible service, as a grand or petit juror;

(E) traveling in or using any facility of interstate commerce, or using any vehicle, terminal, or facility of any common carrier by motor, rail, water, or air;

(F) enjoying the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations of any inn, hotel, motel, or other establishment which provides lodging to transient guests, or of any restaurant, cafeteria, lunchroom, lunch counter, soda fountain, or other facility which serves the public and which is principally engaged in selling food or beverages for consumption on the premises, or of any gasoline station, or of any motion picture house, theater, concert hall, sports arena, stadium, or any other place of exhibition or entertainment which serves the public, or of any other establishment which serves the public and (i) which is located within the premises of any of the aforesaid establishments or within the premises of which is physically located any of the aforesaid establishments, and (ii) which holds itself out as serving patrons of such establishments; or

(3) during or incident to a riot or civil disorder, any person engaged in a business in commerce or affecting commerce, including, but not limited to, any person engaged in a business which sells or offers for sale to interstate travelers a substantial portion of the articles, commodities, or services which it sells or where a substantial portion of the articles or commodities which it sells or offers for sale have moved in commerce; or

(4) any person because he is or has been, or in order to intimidate such person or any other person or any class of persons from—

(A) participating, without discrimination on account of race, color, religion or national origin, in any of the benefits or activities described in subparagraphs (1)(A) through (1)(E) or subparagraphs (2)(A) through (2)(F); or

(B) affording another person or class of persons opportunity or protection to so participate; or

(5) any citizen because he is or has been, or in order to intimidate such citizen or any other citizen from lawfully aiding or encouraging other persons to participate, without discrimination on account of race, color, religion or national origin, in any of the benefits or activities described in subparagraphs (1)(A) through (1)(E) or subparagraphs (2)(A) through (2)(F), or participating lawfully in speech or peaceful assembly opposing any denial of the opportunity to so participate—

shall be fined under this title, or imprisoned not more than one year, or both; and if bodily injury results from the acts committed in violation of this section or if such acts include the use, attempted use, or threatened use of a dangerous weapon, explosives, or fire shall be fined under this title, or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and if death results from the acts committed in violation of this section or if such acts include kidnapping or an attempt to kidnap, aggravated sexual abuse or an attempt to commit aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to kill, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned for any term of years or for life, or both, or may be sentenced to death. As used in this section, the term “participating lawfully in speech or peaceful assembly” shall not mean the aiding, abetting, or inciting of other persons to riot or to commit any act of physical violence upon any individual or against any real or personal property in furtherance of a riot. Nothing in subparagraph (2)(F) or (4)(A) of this subsection shall apply to the proprietor of any establishment which provides lodging to transient guests, or to any employee acting on behalf of such proprietor, with respect to the enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations of such establishment if such establishment is located within a building which contains not more than five rooms for rent or hire and which is actually occupied by the proprietor as his residence.

(c) Nothing in this section shall be construed so as to deter any law enforcement officer from lawfully carrying out the duties of his office; and no law enforcement officer shall be considered to be in violation of this section for lawfully carrying out the duties of his office or lawfully enforcing ordinances and laws of the United States, the District of Columbia, any of the several States, or any political subdivision of a State. For purposes of the preceding sentence, the term “law enforcement officer” means any officer of the United States, the District of Columbia, a State, or political subdivision of a State, who is empowered by law to conduct investigations of, or make arrests because of, offenses against the United States, the District of Columbia, a State, or a political subdivision of a State.

(d) For purposes of this section, the term “State” includes a State of the United States, the District of Columbia, and any commonwealth, territory, or possession of the United States.

GPO

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shirlleycoyle · 6 years ago

Text

The Training Commission

After the end of a second ultraviolent American civil war, after we’ve placed the state under the guidance of automated systems—well, there’s inevitably going to be a Smithsonian exhibit. Ingrid Burrington and Brendan Byrne’s brilliant new speculative fiction newsletter—which received support from the Mozilla Foundation, and which we’re thrilled to share the first installment here today—collects the dispatches of an architecture critic with personal ties to the bloody conflict who is assigned to review the museum’s new Reconciliation Wing.

The authors explain: “The Training Commission is a speculative fiction newsletter about the compromises and consequences of applying technological solutionism to collective trauma. The USA, still reeling from a civil war colloquially referred to as the Shitstorm, has adopted an algorithmic society to free the nation from the pain of governing itself.” It’s also a hell of a story. There will be six installments in all, arriving weekly—subscribe here to receive the next five direct, as they say, to your inbox. Enjoy. -the ed

From: Aoife T <[email protected]> Subject: re: This is a bad idea Date: May 11, 2038 3:49 PM EDT To: Ellen Leavitt <[email protected]>

I understand why you think that would work, Ellen, but aside from generally having no interest in putting my personal life on display like that, I really don’t think me writing a tearjerker op-ed about a traumatizing exhibition display is going to get the Smithsonian to change their minds so much as convince them that the controversy will draw crowds. I’d rather deal with them through backchannels with my mom and sister on board, try to make this all go away quietly before the museum opens.

Thanks for the Kilfe token, I just saw it come through on the ledger. I’ll be running the runnable parts of the draft in my newsletter, I guess. Sorry again to let you down on this. I might have a beat on something interesting soon–too early to say but it means I think I’ll be down in DC for at least another week.

From: Aoife T <[email protected]> Subject: Some Things Don’t Belong In A Museum Date: May 12, 2038 4:30:58 PM EDT To: [email protected]

Apologies that it’s been a while since the last one of these. I’ve been busy, not successful busy, mostly pitching pieces in my new/old specialty. You’d think a contemporary moment so focused on rebuilding America would give some kind of shit about architecture, but uhm, nope.

What follows began as a review of the new Reconciliation Wing of the Smithsonian which a Very Kind Editor cherry-picked me for. It’s good to get paid to visit my hometown because, as my regular readers know, I will otherwise avoid the District like the sweaty American bog it is. I was apparently desperate enough for work to imagine the Reconciliation Wing might not feature an intersection with my own personal history, which, of course, was deeply delusional, and I took myself out of the game in a semi-dramatic fashion. Suffice to say, currently I’m fine but couldn’t really file something this incomplete so I’m sharing what parts of it could be salvaged here.

As seen from the National Mall ferry, the finally-completed Reconciliation Wing of the Smithsonian American History Museum is a major architectural interruption in the capitol’s low-lying landscape of retrofitted and elevated 20th-century buildings–which is ironic, considering how much attention went to making it seamlessly connect to the natural systems of the Anacostia canals. The first new construction project on the Mall since the creation of the DC canal system, the Reconciliation Wing has been subject of curiosity not only as an opening move in historicizing the National Shitstorm (ahem, The Interstate Conflict) but also as a formal progression in post-Capitol architecture. (Unless, of course, you believe that the bare-chested, perpetually shouting hologram of Alex Jones in the rear sculpture garden of the Newseum cannot be topped.)

The wing’s designer, Kay Mangakāhia, was a controversial selection from the Smithsonian and Ashburn Institute’s open call for submissions. An intern at Bjarke Ingels Group at the time, Mangakāhia was notable not only for her age (at twenty-two, she was barely ten at the time the Ashburn Accords were even signed) but her permaculture-infused proposal. The mycelium buttresses and living fungal structures of the Reconciliation Wing are now in high demand, but it took Mangakāhia’s persistence and the algorithm’s faith in her design to reach this plateau. The thriving structure’s delicate complexity and environmental pragmatism reflect the oft-quoted line from Mangakāhia’s original proposal: “survival without poetics is a carceral existence.”

One can’t say such an attitude pervades the exhibits in the Reconciliation Wing. Upon entry, a flickering series of Extremely Relatable Human Faces projected on black plinths greet visitors. The visages display a fairly narrow scale of emotions between Makes You Think and Slight but Telling Emotional Pain but somehow they manage to be all very specific. No context is provided. Given the purpose of the wing, one might suspect that these are some of the IRL victims of what the museum seems to have decided we’re calling “The First Algorithmic Society.”

Only upon arriving at a small, dim aperture is context provided: the portraits are all visuals generated by AIs developed pre-Shitstorm, let loose to slither upstream into visitors’ phones. They cull contact info, pictures, bank account etc. and put together a monstermash of the type of person you’re most likely to have an empathetic reaction to, then plugged said persona into the the loop, along with the last fifty or so visitors’.

This led to the other journalists in attendance performing variations on the exhausted sigh, since recent years have seen around half a dozen gallery shows in NYC using some version of this shock tactic (though, to be fair, rarely with the technical success of the Reconciliation Wing). While this installation is no doubt supposed to primarily remind visitors of the prevailing ease with which corporations accessed our pocket technological unconsciousnesses pre-Ashburn, it also serves the dual purpose of showing how vulnerable Palantir’s National Firewall is to even ridiculously outdated tech. Hence why the feds keeps running that Don’t Bring Your Phone to China/Don’t Actually Go to China Ever awareness campaign. (It shouldn’t surprise you that Vera’s written about this. Read her shit!)

Next is a long, narrow room skirted on the left by an unbroken screen which features a 1990s techno-thriller code waterfall with, again, no context. On the right runs a series of pictures, videos and artifacts designed to shock viewers into clubsterbomb memories–the remnants of a Google bus retrofitted and weaponized into a battering ram, that famous photo of the National Guard standing down at one of the many early BLM standoffs (everyone remembers the photo, never the standoff), a yellowing final print edition of the Washington Post.

To be fair, the Smithsonian’s only getting a fraction of the archival materials collected by the Ashburn Institute as part of the truth and reconciliation process. (This controversy–the splintering of the archive and intra-federal agency squabbles over it–does not get a mention in the exhibition.) Of course they went with the most bombastic acquisitions. But for all the attempted sensory overload, the wall text and captions are jarringly milquetoast, acquiescing to the kind of both-sides-ism that heavily aided the collapse of consensus truths in the first place. I wondered what kind of exhibit might have emerged had the Smithsonian received the full archives of the Training Commission–side note, has anyone ever actually referred to it as the Ashburn Truth and Reconciliation Council For A New American Consensus outside of official documents? Even Darcy Lawson called it the TC in her fucking victory lap TED Talk last year. When the director of the Ashburn Institute has embraced a term originally coined and deployed by critics of the project it seems like it might be time to drop the formalities.

Presumably, the TC is at least acknowledged in the exhibition. Considering that it enabled UBI, closed (almost) every prison in the country, and effectively automated the office of the Presidency out of existence, it would have to be. But I didn’t get that far.

(Here endeth the non-article.)

As longtime readers already know, I write about architecture and design here, not my brother. In fact, I don’t write about him at all. I have no interest in following in Ciarnán Whelan’s investigative reporter footsteps or reflecting on what happened to him in any public setting. I’m hoping that by the time the Reconciliation Wing opens to the public, a particularly distasteful section of the exhibition will be revised or altogether removed. But to include something so graphic with so little warning, with such a manipulative experience design, and with the gall to strategically place tissue boxes around the space as though that’s an act of mercy? It’s cheap and insulting. It doesn’t deserve to be written about. So I didn’t write about it.

Thanks for subscribing (and reading). Depending on whether a piece an editor’s been sitting on for months ever lands I might have something old-new for you next week.

From: Aoife T <[email protected]> Subject: Deadtech from a Dead Guy Date: May 13, 2038 2:31:58 AM EDT To: Avi Huerta <[email protected]>

Avi,

Did you read my last stringr newsletter? I mean, probably not by now since it just went out like under twelve hours ago and you have a small excellent child. But I can’t sleep, and you’re the kind of person who might be able to help but you also probably should read that first for context. (And, as context for the context, most of what’s below is what I wrote in a fugue state before realizing that I couldn’t send it to my editor.)

So I knew the real reason I got a press pass to the Reconciliation Wing preview wasn’t my bylines so much as my real last name. The press tour minders were practically levitating with morbid curiosity when I arrived. I managed to ditch them, lingering and checking photo credits (nerd) by about halfway through the exhibit. This meant, thankfully, that there was no one around when I turned the corner into the section I had secretly hoped wouldn’t be included: the tragic death of renowned journalist Ciarnán Whelan while embedded with the Last Luddite Revolutionary Guard, declared here by the museum to be a “turning point” in the Interstate Conflict.

I mean, I was expecting some triggering bullshit, but I wasn’t expecting the audacity of how it was delivered. Instead of taking the larger-than-life screen approach with that portrait everyone loves to use of him or a slo-mo attempt to make a snuff film elegiac, I got a fucking push notification on my phone from the museum AI.

“Please be advised that the following content may be disturbing to some,” it read. It turned out that wasn’t a notice to give you a fucking choice, just a preamble before the video started to play and I was fucking thirteen years old again, staring at my palm and a video of my big dumb reporter brother using his “serious correspondent voice” I always made fun of, just outside a New Mexico Facebook data center embedded with the Ludds. People forget how long the broadcast ran before the too-good-for-a-minor-militia “DIY” quadcopter IED actually hit. (This was, of course, the video that was broadcast on Facebook Live, the one that people said Facebook tweaked the algo to downrank when their role in the attack became clear. It didn’t work. As the wall text accurately notes, most people, like me, saw it live.)

The wall displays telegraphed the rest of it, though mostly I’m just guessing from what I vaguely remember seeing spinning on the walls in front of me right before I blacked out mid-panic attack. 90% sure they have a shot of Faraday Fields under construction, which should amuse you; also seemed like they get into the conspiracy theory/ies, which probably won’t.

I woke up in a basement office of the old Smithsonian, somewhere far below the canals. A slouchy middle-aged guy with no hair on his head and a throwback 2010s beard was sitting by the door, scrolling through his phone. “Welcome back,” he said, gesturing toward an ancient percolator with the elan of a long-suffering mid-level bureaucrat. The coffee smelled about as appealing as Anacostia scumwater, but I was too tired to turn it down.

I asked if I’d been out long, a little thrown that the Smithsonian’s idea of first aid was depositing me in an office with some rando who I definitely hadn’t seen on the press tour.

“A little more than an hour. The tour’s over. If you want to see the rest of it I can take you around in a bit.” Eyes a little too steady on me, he took the smallest sip of coffee from a mug which read No Taxation Without Input/Output. “You’re a good writer. I subscribe to your Stringr.”

“No shit, thanks man. What’s your name?”

“I was surprised to hear you took this gig,” he added, “Considering.” My face must have done something because he ducked his head slightly and said, “Sorry. Just came out.”

“Nothing new. Half my subscribers are legacy leftovers. Pity’s a driving force in my economic security, if you wanna call it that.”

His face compressed into a porpoise’s little O. “That can’t be true.”

(It’s true, shut up Avi, it’s true.)

I sipped some of the coffee, letting him know via performative sigh that it was shit. “So what’s your deal, guy? You volunteer to babysit me while I’m unconscious to fanboi out here or is this like your actual job?”

Said guy did some seriously inscrutable facial muscle constrictions, which I studied as an example of how not to behave towards formerly unconscious people. Then he smiled suddenly and said, “I have to get back to work.” He raised his eyebrows, actually raised his eyebrows, and gestured at the door.

“Well,” I said, standing a little unsteadily, blowing on and sipping the rough coffee one last time. “Thanks for the hospitality, I guess.” I watched him watch my right hand replace the coffee cup. I was pissed at myself that it couldn’t stop trembling, and I was pissed at him for noticing it. “You know whoever designed that section on my brother?”

“No.”

“You know who approved it?”

He thought about that a second. “Yes.”

“Do me a favor and tell them it’s manipulative and crass? That no one fucking needs to relive that?”

He nodded once, looking down at his coffee. I left before he could put his foot in his mouth again. Outside, in a arcing, narrow corridor I turned to see the name on the door: John Temblaine Paulson.

Shockingly, my phone had already synched up with the Smithsonian’s wayfinding platform, which guided me up two separate elevators then shunted me out a service exit onto Mangakāhia’s rhizomatic terrace. I took about three steps before palming my juul out of my bag and putting it to my lips, automatically clicking the button and drawing in hard before realizing that I had clicked no button and was drawing around an object which was definitely not providing me with a long-overdue nicotine hit.

It was a USB stick. The kind you might use in, like, 2008. Dead tech, and it looked it: scarred light purple shell and a connector skewed so hard I doubted its operability.

Avi, you are well aware that I have a fairly disordered work/home/personal life, but you’ve known me long enough to know my bag is always ordered. And never have I put a USB stick in my bag. Never have I, as an adult, even used a USB stick, much less carried one on my person. So John Temblaine Paulson had, quite obviously, stuck it in there.

Recalling his idle phone-scrolling when I came to and the inscrutable creepy expressions, I concluded the guy probably filmed me passed out in his office chair as some weird sex thing, then put that video on the USB somehow and left in my bag to taunt me.

Which, as I type this, sounds kind of insane but I was also coming off a blackout induced by re-watching my brother’s livestreamed murder, so logical conclusions weren’t exactly in reach. Plus the only thing in my stomach at that point was that shit museum coffee.

As I returned to the museum entrance the elderly docent who’d processed my credentials two hours ago welcomed me with a smile that demonstrated she’d completely forgotten who I was. “Lemme tell you about the kind of people you got working here,” I spat. “John Temblaine Paulson, that weird old pervert, how could you just let him–”

“John?” said the docent.

“–scoop me up like I was a puppy or something like small and stupid and throw me over his shoulder like a sack of onions or whatever he did, maybe he used a handtruck–”

“Paulson?”

“–and just spirit me down to his little serial killer sanctum and video me while I was passed out in his shitty little Federal-ass stiff-ass chair–”

“Temblaine?”

“Yeah, don’t even try to tell me you don’t know him.”

“Of course I know him, dear. He’s in Iceland for the month.”

That set me back, my jaw going while my brain stopped, and, luckily, nothing more coming out of my mouth. The docent smiled at me like she was worried I might be about to stroke out. “There’s no one in his office then?” I mumbled.

“Oh, that should be locked,” said the docent, but she was catching up and looking all concerned. “Were you there? In Mr. Tembaline Paulson’s office? Did someone take you there?”

And here, embarrassed and out of it yet suddenly aware of my own behavior, I was saying things like I’m confused, I think, apologies, you don’t remember who I am do you? and backing out of the lobby. With the docent oozing concerned utterances in my general direction, I fled through Mangakāhia’s rhizomes and caught a ferry back to the sliver of shipping container I’d reserved on the Marion Barry Inlet (of course I didn’t tell my mom I was in town, fuck’s sake). Wrote the article, cut off the part marked HAZARD PERSONAL SHIT, sent the other chunk to Ellen, fell asleep for three hours, woke up, wrote Ellen an email saying the article was shit, and then she said no it wasn’t but yeah she couldn’t run it, and then spent the rest of the night listening to the arrhythmic thud of water against the container hull and hating myself.

I tried to clear my head this morning by heading up to Air and Space. I know, I know you fucking hate that place, but my childhood nostalgia still beats out my discomfort at imperialist propaganda. It’s one of the last places in this city where I can actually space out.

You’ll be shocked to hear this is directly related to Ciarnán taking me there routinely as a key part of Big Brother Babysitting. Specifically, the museum’s second floor, where an exposed platform lets you look down on various high points of colonialist engineering. There’s a glass partition that I’d press against, as if there was nothing between me and the immense sun-drenched lacuna beneath us, Ciarnán at the ready just in case the glass shattered under the stress of my little form.

For just a minute, fingers dragging the smudging glass, now knee-height, looking down at the overlit off-season emptiness, I felt like I just might fall, like I just might be pulled back.

When I returned to the world somewhere around the Drone Wing, my phone buzzed insistently with one of FBUS’ all-hands alerts. Automatically I obeyed and was rewarded with not-John Temblain Paulson’s face enclosed in a little blue box. “Ashburn Institute staffer found dead in Potomac.” As my eyes blurred the images and my upper back instinctively scrunched into a defensive hunch, my hand curled around the USB stick still shoved in my pocket, fingernail scouring it again and again as if that might reveal whatever was stored inside.

So: can I come visit? Whatever this guy wanted me to see was apparently important enough to fake his way into the Smithsonian, and if I hand the USB to the case workers I’ll probably never find out what’s on it. You, on the other hand, have an oracular way with the dead tech, and who knows, maybe it’ll have some fun dirt on our New Algorithmic Society we can send to a real journalist or whatever. I mean, it’s probably not real spooky ops shit. But if it is, it’ll at least be interesting, right?

The Training Commission syndicated from https://triviaqaweb.wordpress.com/feed/

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