Hello everyone and welcome to our new members,
As mentioned yesterday, we hope everyone had a great and safe long weekend. We have a strong conviction on this one. The tech appears solid and the need for these systems is on the rise.
Your Coming Summer of Blackouts The grid monitors say two-thirds of the U.S. risks electricity outage. -WSJ
US power grids vulnerable to extreme heat conditions this summer, NERC says -Reuters
Next Gen Battery Storage and Solar Power for Industrial and Residential Use
NeoVolta Inc. (NASDAQ: NEOV) Poised to Take Advantage of Government Incentives, Impressive Management and Experiencing Rapid Growth
Current Price $2.80/Share Public Float 28.28M Shares Held by Insiders and Institutions 18.07% - Source Yahoo Finance
About NeoVolta - NeoVolta designs, develops, and manufactures advanced energy storage systems for both residential and industrial use. Its storage solutions are engineered with lithium iron phosphate (LiFe(PO4)) battery chemistry, which is clean, nontoxic, and nonflammable. The residential-focused NeoVolta NV14 is equipped with a solar-rechargeable 14.4 kWh battery system, a 7,680-Watt inverter, and a web-based energy management system with 24/7 monitoring. The system’s 6,000-cycle battery life, one of the longest on the market, translates to 16.5 years of useful life, based on a full charge and discharge each day. The NV14 has passed the product safety standards set forth by Underwriters Laboratories (UL) for battery energy storage safety testing.
Award Winning Technology
The NV14 system has been named one of Solar Power World’s Top Solar Storage Products for 2022. This marks the fourth consecutive year the NV14 has received the award from Solar Power World, one of the solar industry’s leading media outlets.
How it Works
Engineered For Safety With Iron, Not Ion Home Energy Storage Built with Safer Lithium Iron Phosphate Built with Lithium Iron Phosphate [LiFe(PO4)] Longer-lasting and safer battery technology
Non-toxic, cobalt-free energy storage Built for Stability Non-toxic, with superior thermal and chemical stability
NeoVolta Is Built with Safer Lithium Iron not Lithium Ion with Cobalt Built specifically for solar energy storage Batteries are designed for homes, not for cars
NV14 has a higher temperature tolerance than Lithium-Ion batteries Under extreme heat, Iron outperforms Ion
No Maintenance Costs Required 10 year warranty
Built with longer-lasting IRON, not ION 13,896 Wh X 365 days x 10 years 50,720 kWh lifetime throughput
Floor or Wall Mounted Easy Installation Weatherproof and installs in a garage or on the side of a home.
Remote Monitoring They monitor the health of the system so you don't have to.
VIDEO: See How the NeoVolta NV14/NV24 Work
NeoVolta’s NV14 is the first Lithium Iron Energy Storage System to be approved by the California Energy Commission. It seamlessly powers up to 16 breakers and 32 amps of continuous power through peak rates or grid outages.
Connect to DC solar installations without any external inverters or to AC solar installations via String or Micro Inverter.
The rapid auto transfer switch, ensures that even when the grid goes down, power remains uninterrupted.
Recent News
NeoVolta’s Backup System Saves MDX Labs’ Lifesaving Medications During Multiple Grid Outages
- Commercial Battery Backup System Has Prevented the Loss of MDX’s Critical Functions and Thousands of Dollars in Inventory During Numerous Power Failures
SAN DIEGO, May 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NeoVolta Inc. (NASDAQ: NEOV) – NeoVolta Inc., manufacturer of Smart Energy Storage Solutions, has kept MDX Labs protected during multiple grid outages with reliable battery backup. Thanks to NeoVolta, the laboratory’s critical functions (refrigeration, server, and lights) have kept running, saving thousands of dollars while sustaining lifesaving medications and vaccines.
Founded in 2020, Henderson-based MDX Labs is the top privately held molecular and clinical diagnostic laboratory in the state of Nevada. MDX provides on-site testing services to a range of manufacturers, casinos, entertainers, restaurants, and nonprofit organizations, and it is the official overflow laboratory for the Southern Nevada Health District.
MDX Labs houses large quantities of vaccines, patient samples, and medications that require refrigeration. When grid outages occurred in the past, MDX would often lose tens of thousands of dollars in product and face periods of product unavailability while awaiting restock. In late 2021, MDX began searching for a battery backup system and discovered NeoVolta, which features a clean lithium iron phosphate battery and a hybrid inverter that can accept 208-volt power connections. NeoVolta can also charge from the power grid, eliminating the need for solar installation. In March 2022, MDX Labs installed NeoVolta’s NV14 Energy Storage System.
“Being able to support commercial facilities that are powered with 208-volt electricity is an amazing capability. Transformers are not required, which saves customers thousands of dollars and eliminates loud equipment that gives off radiant heat,” said Brent Willson, CEO of NeoVolta. “Our energy storage solutions are a very smart investment, especially considering the cost and consequence of an outage that would result in the loss of vital medical supplies and medications. We are thrilled to be partnering with MDX, a world-class clinical diagnostic laboratory.” FULL ARTICLE
NeoVolta Approved for Partnership by GoodLeap, the Top U.S. Financer for Solar and Sustainable Tech
- Offering Flexible Options for Consumers to Pay for Battery Storage
- NeoVolta Approved for Partnership by GoodLeap, the Top U.S. Financer for Solar and Sustainable Tech
SAN DIEGO, May 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NeoVolta Inc. (NASDAQ: NEOV) – NeoVolta Inc., manufacturer of Smart Energy Storage Solutions, has partnered with the sustainable home improvement finance platform GoodLeap to make solar energy storage as affordable as possible for more homeowners.
GoodLeap will finance standalone NeoVolta Energy Storage System (ESS) installations with or without solar panels. They offer flexible terms and highly competitive rates. As of 2022, GoodLeap was the number one financing platform, responsible for 26% of the entire U.S. residential solar market.
To apply, homeowners can coordinate with their installer on costs and then complete an online application. The process is fast and easy, and the underwriting is very flexible so that more homeowners get approved. Finally, GoodLeap has a strong reputation for exceptional customer service, with phone calls answered live by experienced solar professionals.
“GoodLeap’s low financing rates will allow more homeowners to enjoy years of utility savings and long-lasting blackout protection with NeoVolta energy storage,” said CEO Brent Willson, CEO of NeoVolta. “Our energy storage solutions are a very smart investment, and it’s never been easier to get started. With GoodLeap financing, NeoVolta’s market is opening to a much bigger audience. We are thrilled to be partnering with a world-class provider of sustainable home improvement financing.”
The partnership with GoodLeap is expected to help fuel NeoVolta’s continued success in the rapidly growing home energy storage market.
Devastating power outages throughout the country, caused by wildfires, extreme weather, and an increasingly unstable grid system, have underscored the urgent need for home backup power.
NeoVolta storage systems are designed for safety and performance. They use lithium iron phosphate battery chemistry, the nonflammable and nontoxic alternative to lithium ion. NeoVolta’s flagship NV14 energy storage system has a very high storage capacity of 14.4 kilowatt-hours, expandable to 24.0 kWh with the optional NV24 battery—without the expense of a second inverter. The system’s inverter discharges 7.7 kilowatts of instantaneous power, more than most mainstream competitors.
For its superior safety, performance and compatibility with any solar system, new or existing, the NV14 has been named one of Solar Power World’s top storage products four years in a row. FULL ARTICLE
NeoVolta Selected to Provide American Development Partners with Energy Storage for More Than 400 Regenerative Treatment Centers
- NeoVolta’s Energy Storage and Intelligent Power Management Will Be Deployed in Treatment Center Builds Nationwide Over Next Seven Years
- NeoVolta Selected to Provide American Development Partners with Energy Storage for More Than 400 Regenerative Treatment Centers
SAN DIEGO, March 14, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NeoVolta Inc. (NASDAQ: NEOV) – NeoVolta Inc., manufacturer of Smart Energy Storage Solutions, announced today that its systems will be deployed in more than 400 Orthagenex treatment centers nationwide. This is part of a rollout of NeoVolta batteries in thousands of American Development Partners (ADP) properties across the country over the next several years.
Together with ADP, NeoVolta will provide energy storage systems and intelligent power management for Orthagenex’s cutting edge regenerative medicine treatments centers. These 400 builds over the next seven years will be equipped with NeoVolta’s NV14 and NV24 Energy Storage Systems. The clean solar energy stored in the NeoVolta batteries will be used to dramatically reduce electric bills and serve as a backup in the event of a power loss.
American Development Partners developer Manny Butera said, “At ADP, we work with companies who innovate. NeoVolta’s advanced energy storage product is a perfect fit for the properties we are developing. We are thrilled to continue our close relationship with NeoVolta.” FULL ARTICLE
NeoVolta Poised for California’s NEM Incentives to Pair Solar with Battery Storage
- Additional $630 Million in California State Funding Set Aside to Support Residential Low-Income Solar Plus Storage Adopters
- NeoVolta Poised for California’s NEM Incentives to Pair Solar with Battery Storage
SAN DIEGO, Jan. 26, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NeoVolta Inc. (NASDAQ: NEOV) – NeoVolta Inc., manufacturer of Smart Energy Storage Solutions, announced today that it expects California’s recently updated Net Energy Metering (NEM) program to drive increased demand for energy storage systems.
On December 15, 2022, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) issued a decision to update the NEM tariff to promote consumer adoption of solar and battery storage. The program will go into effect on April 13, 2023. According to the CPUC, the move was designed to financially incentivize Californians to install both battery and solar systems.
The CPUC stated that the current NEM 2.0 program was not aligned with California’s grid reliability and climate goals, noting that the increased use of electricity between 4 and 9 p.m. causes dependence on fossil fuel gas plants to meet the demand. With the battery storage incentive, the CPUC hopes to see an increased adoption of residential energy storage that will better support the needs of the grid, with customers saving self-generated solar energy for use in the evening hours.
An additional $630 million in state funding has been set aside by the California State Legislature for residential low-income solar plus battery storage adopters. The decision bolsters federal incentives provided by the Inflation Reduction Act for solar and battery storage.
It’s important to note that NEM 3.0 is not retroactive. Rooftop solar systems installed under NEM 2.0 will remain under that policy for a 20-year grandfathering period. This means existing rooftop solar owners who add a battery after the April 13 deadline will not be subject to NEM 3.0.
“We expect that NEM 3.0 will make Californians more aware of their energy consumption, encouraging them to conserve energy and pair rooftop solar systems with battery storage,” said NeoVolta CEO Brent Willson. “Californians who adopt this strategy will dramatically reduce their electrical bills while increasing their energy resiliency during periods of prolonged blackouts, fires, and flooding.”
California’s vast solar plus storage market has a dramatic impact on the grid. California has about 12 GW of distributed solar generation already installed, equal to nearly 25% of peak demand statewide. California also has more than 80,000 customer-owned batteries connected to the grid, with a storage potential of 900 MW, according to a September 2022 study by the California Solar & Storage Association. FULL ARTICLE
Homebuilder Rebates and Savings
Starting 2020: California Requires Solar On New Construction Each NeoVolta NV14 Could Save Builders $8,500+ (Equipment & Rebates)
Impressive Management
Brent Wilson, CEO
Brent Willson is a retired USMC Colonel with 30+ years of experience, who managed $100B aviation acquisition portfolio for the Defense Department. Brent is passionate about clean energy and providing battery energy storage solutions to consumers that provide the comfort of black out protection and the ability to offset increasing grid costs, with the solar power they produce.
NeoVolta Directors & NeoVolta Advisory
An older investor presentation (2019) but still relevant.
We will be back with more soon on NeoVolta Inc. (NASDAQ: NEOV)
The Team

Hi there. My son is 6 years old and would be joining the elementary school this year. As an asian, myself and my spouse generally speak in our mother tongue, but we always talk to our son in English. In school during the enrollment, my son was interviewed for his English speaking skill and we were suggested to put him under the “ESL” program (English as a secondary language). My son is basically very reserved and only opens up until he feels comfortable. As far as I know, he can converse well in English.
Question: I need to know the benefits of ESL program and are there any demerits in the future that we as parents should be aware of?

Hello everyone,
Your Coming Summer of Blackouts The grid monitors say two-thirds of the U.S. risks electricity outage. -WSJ
US power grids vulnerable to extreme heat conditions this summer, NERC says -Reuters
Next Gen Battery Storage and Solar Power for Industrial and Residential Use
NeoVolta Inc. (NASDAQ: NEOV) Poised to Take Advantage of Government Incentives, Impressive Management and Experiencing Rapid Growth
Current Price $2.80/Share Public Float 28.28M Shares Held by Insiders and Institutions 18.07% - Source Yahoo Finance
About NeoVolta - NeoVolta designs, develops, and manufactures advanced energy storage systems for both residential and industrial use. Its storage solutions are engineered with lithium iron phosphate (LiFe(PO4)) battery chemistry, which is clean, nontoxic, and nonflammable. The residential-focused NeoVolta NV14 is equipped with a solar-rechargeable 14.4 kWh battery system, a 7,680-Watt inverter, and a web-based energy management system with 24/7 monitoring. The system’s 6,000-cycle battery life, one of the longest on the market, translates to 16.5 years of useful life, based on a full charge and discharge each day. The NV14 has passed the product safety standards set forth by Underwriters Laboratories (UL) for battery energy storage safety testing.
Award Winning Technology
The NV14 system has been named one of Solar Power World’s Top Solar Storage Products for 2022. This marks the fourth consecutive year the NV14 has received the award from Solar Power World, one of the solar industry’s leading media outlets.
How it Works
Engineered For Safety With Iron, Not Ion Home Energy Storage Built with Safer Lithium Iron Phosphate Built with Lithium Iron Phosphate [LiFe(PO4)] Longer-lasting and safer battery technology
Non-toxic, cobalt-free energy storage Built for Stability Non-toxic, with superior thermal and chemical stability
NeoVolta Is Built with Safer Lithium Iron not Lithium Ion with Cobalt Built specifically for solar energy storage Batteries are designed for homes, not for cars
NV14 has a higher temperature tolerance than Lithium-Ion batteries Under extreme heat, Iron outperforms Ion
No Maintenance Costs Required 10 year warranty
Built with longer-lasting IRON, not ION 13,896 Wh X 365 days x 10 years 50,720 kWh lifetime throughput
Floor or Wall Mounted Easy Installation Weatherproof and installs in a garage or on the side of a home.
Remote Monitoring They monitor the health of the system so you don't have to.
VIDEO: See How the NeoVolta NV14/NV24 Work
NeoVolta’s NV14 is the first Lithium Iron Energy Storage System to be approved by the California Energy Commission. It seamlessly powers up to 16 breakers and 32 amps of continuous power through peak rates or grid outages.
Connect to DC solar installations without any external inverters or to AC solar installations via String or Micro Inverter.
The rapid auto transfer switch, ensures that even when the grid goes down, power remains uninterrupted.
Recent News
NeoVolta’s Backup System Saves MDX Labs’ Lifesaving Medications During Multiple Grid Outages
- Commercial Battery Backup System Has Prevented the Loss of MDX’s Critical Functions and Thousands of Dollars in Inventory During Numerous Power Failures
SAN DIEGO, May 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NeoVolta Inc. (NASDAQ: NEOV) – NeoVolta Inc., manufacturer of Smart Energy Storage Solutions, has kept MDX Labs protected during multiple grid outages with reliable battery backup. Thanks to NeoVolta, the laboratory’s critical functions (refrigeration, server, and lights) have kept running, saving thousands of dollars while sustaining lifesaving medications and vaccines.
Founded in 2020, Henderson-based MDX Labs is the top privately held molecular and clinical diagnostic laboratory in the state of Nevada. MDX provides on-site testing services to a range of manufacturers, casinos, entertainers, restaurants, and nonprofit organizations, and it is the official overflow laboratory for the Southern Nevada Health District.
MDX Labs houses large quantities of vaccines, patient samples, and medications that require refrigeration. When grid outages occurred in the past, MDX would often lose tens of thousands of dollars in product and face periods of product unavailability while awaiting restock. In late 2021, MDX began searching for a battery backup system and discovered NeoVolta, which features a clean lithium iron phosphate battery and a hybrid inverter that can accept 208-volt power connections. NeoVolta can also charge from the power grid, eliminating the need for solar installation. In March 2022, MDX Labs installed NeoVolta’s NV14 Energy Storage System.
“Being able to support commercial facilities that are powered with 208-volt electricity is an amazing capability. Transformers are not required, which saves customers thousands of dollars and eliminates loud equipment that gives off radiant heat,” said Brent Willson, CEO of NeoVolta. “Our energy storage solutions are a very smart investment, especially considering the cost and consequence of an outage that would result in the loss of vital medical supplies and medications. We are thrilled to be partnering with MDX, a world-class clinical diagnostic laboratory.” FULL ARTICLE
NeoVolta Approved for Partnership by GoodLeap, the Top U.S. Financer for Solar and Sustainable Tech
- Offering Flexible Options for Consumers to Pay for Battery Storage
- NeoVolta Approved for Partnership by GoodLeap, the Top U.S. Financer for Solar and Sustainable Tech
SAN DIEGO, May 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NeoVolta Inc. (NASDAQ: NEOV) – NeoVolta Inc., manufacturer of Smart Energy Storage Solutions, has partnered with the sustainable home improvement finance platform GoodLeap to make solar energy storage as affordable as possible for more homeowners.
GoodLeap will finance standalone NeoVolta Energy Storage System (ESS) installations with or without solar panels. They offer flexible terms and highly competitive rates. As of 2022, GoodLeap was the number one financing platform, responsible for 26% of the entire U.S. residential solar market.
To apply, homeowners can coordinate with their installer on costs and then complete an online application. The process is fast and easy, and the underwriting is very flexible so that more homeowners get approved. Finally, GoodLeap has a strong reputation for exceptional customer service, with phone calls answered live by experienced solar professionals.
“GoodLeap’s low financing rates will allow more homeowners to enjoy years of utility savings and long-lasting blackout protection with NeoVolta energy storage,” said CEO Brent Willson, CEO of NeoVolta. “Our energy storage solutions are a very smart investment, and it’s never been easier to get started. With GoodLeap financing, NeoVolta’s market is opening to a much bigger audience. We are thrilled to be partnering with a world-class provider of sustainable home improvement financing.”
The partnership with GoodLeap is expected to help fuel NeoVolta’s continued success in the rapidly growing home energy storage market.
Devastating power outages throughout the country, caused by wildfires, extreme weather, and an increasingly unstable grid system, have underscored the urgent need for home backup power.
NeoVolta storage systems are designed for safety and performance. They use lithium iron phosphate battery chemistry, the nonflammable and nontoxic alternative to lithium ion. NeoVolta’s flagship NV14 energy storage system has a very high storage capacity of 14.4 kilowatt-hours, expandable to 24.0 kWh with the optional NV24 battery—without the expense of a second inverter. The system’s inverter discharges 7.7 kilowatts of instantaneous power, more than most mainstream competitors.
For its superior safety, performance and compatibility with any solar system, new or existing, the NV14 has been named one of Solar Power World’s top storage products four years in a row. FULL ARTICLE
NeoVolta Selected to Provide American Development Partners with Energy Storage for More Than 400 Regenerative Treatment Centers
- NeoVolta’s Energy Storage and Intelligent Power Management Will Be Deployed in Treatment Center Builds Nationwide Over Next Seven Years
- NeoVolta Selected to Provide American Development Partners with Energy Storage for More Than 400 Regenerative Treatment Centers
SAN DIEGO, March 14, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NeoVolta Inc. (NASDAQ: NEOV) – NeoVolta Inc., manufacturer of Smart Energy Storage Solutions, announced today that its systems will be deployed in more than 400 Orthagenex treatment centers nationwide. This is part of a rollout of NeoVolta batteries in thousands of American Development Partners (ADP) properties across the country over the next several years.
Together with ADP, NeoVolta will provide energy storage systems and intelligent power management for Orthagenex’s cutting edge regenerative medicine treatments centers. These 400 builds over the next seven years will be equipped with NeoVolta’s NV14 and NV24 Energy Storage Systems. The clean solar energy stored in the NeoVolta batteries will be used to dramatically reduce electric bills and serve as a backup in the event of a power loss.
American Development Partners developer Manny Butera said, “At ADP, we work with companies who innovate. NeoVolta’s advanced energy storage product is a perfect fit for the properties we are developing. We are thrilled to continue our close relationship with NeoVolta.” FULL ARTICLE
NeoVolta Poised for California’s NEM Incentives to Pair Solar with Battery Storage
- Additional $630 Million in California State Funding Set Aside to Support Residential Low-Income Solar Plus Storage Adopters
- NeoVolta Poised for California’s NEM Incentives to Pair Solar with Battery Storage
SAN DIEGO, Jan. 26, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NeoVolta Inc. (NASDAQ: NEOV) – NeoVolta Inc., manufacturer of Smart Energy Storage Solutions, announced today that it expects California’s recently updated Net Energy Metering (NEM) program to drive increased demand for energy storage systems.
On December 15, 2022, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) issued a decision to update the NEM tariff to promote consumer adoption of solar and battery storage. The program will go into effect on April 13, 2023. According to the CPUC, the move was designed to financially incentivize Californians to install both battery and solar systems.
The CPUC stated that the current NEM 2.0 program was not aligned with California’s grid reliability and climate goals, noting that the increased use of electricity between 4 and 9 p.m. causes dependence on fossil fuel gas plants to meet the demand. With the battery storage incentive, the CPUC hopes to see an increased adoption of residential energy storage that will better support the needs of the grid, with customers saving self-generated solar energy for use in the evening hours.
An additional $630 million in state funding has been set aside by the California State Legislature for residential low-income solar plus battery storage adopters. The decision bolsters federal incentives provided by the Inflation Reduction Act for solar and battery storage.
It’s important to note that NEM 3.0 is not retroactive. Rooftop solar systems installed under NEM 2.0 will remain under that policy for a 20-year grandfathering period. This means existing rooftop solar owners who add a battery after the April 13 deadline will not be subject to NEM 3.0.
“We expect that NEM 3.0 will make Californians more aware of their energy consumption, encouraging them to conserve energy and pair rooftop solar systems with battery storage,” said NeoVolta CEO Brent Willson. “Californians who adopt this strategy will dramatically reduce their electrical bills while increasing their energy resiliency during periods of prolonged blackouts, fires, and flooding.”
California’s vast solar plus storage market has a dramatic impact on the grid. California has about 12 GW of distributed solar generation already installed, equal to nearly 25% of peak demand statewide. California also has more than 80,000 customer-owned batteries connected to the grid, with a storage potential of 900 MW, according to a September 2022 study by the California Solar & Storage Association. FULL ARTICLE
Homebuilder Rebates and Savings
Starting 2020: California Requires Solar On New Construction Each NeoVolta NV14 Could Save Builders $8,500+ (Equipment & Rebates)
Impressive Management
Brent Wilson, CEO
Brent Willson is a retired USMC Colonel with 30+ years of experience, who managed $100B aviation acquisition portfolio for the Defense Department. Brent is passionate about clean energy and providing battery energy storage solutions to consumers that provide the comfort of black out protection and the ability to offset increasing grid costs, with the solar power they produce.
NeoVolta Directors & NeoVolta Advisory
An older investor presentation (2019) but still relevant.
I'll be back with more soon on NeoVolta Inc. (NASDAQ: NEOV)
Disclaimer

What will you be doing with this PC? Be as specific as possible, and include specific games or programs you will be using.

Gaming (football manager 23 with as many leagues and players loaded as possible, Fortnite, etc), coding, and making YouTube videos.

What is your maximum budget before rebates/shipping/taxes?

Anywhere from 1200-1500.

When do you plan on building/buying the PC? Note: beyond a week or two from today means any build you receive will be out of date when you want to buy.

I plan to order the pc within the next week

What, exactly, do you need included in the budget? (ToweOS/monitokeyboard/mouse/etc)

Everything except keyboard, mouse, and monitor

Which country (and state/province) will you be purchasing the parts in? If you're in US, do you have access to a Microcenter location?

Pennsylvania and No

If reusing any parts (including monitor(s)/keyboard/mouse/etc), what parts will you be reusing? Brands and models are appreciated.

Not reusing any parts besides keyboard and mouse. Both are Logitech

Will you be overclocking? If yes, are you interested in overclocking right away, or down the line? CPU and/or GPU?

I’m not sure, should I? Hahaha

Are there any specific features or items you want/need in the build? (ex: SSD, large amount of storage or a RAID setup, CUDA or OpenCL support, etc)

My friend was telling me I should get an SSD and HDD and only put my OS on the SSD so my pc boots up super fast and the HDD can store everything else. Is that a good idea?

Do you have any specific case preferences (Size like ITX/microATX/mid-towefull-tower, styles, colors, window or not, LED lighting, etc), or a particular color theme preference for the components?

Don’t really care about specific colors as long as it doesn’t look goofy

Do you need a copy of Windows included in the budget? If you do need one included, do you have a preference?

Nope

Extra info or particulars:

Nope

I'm a fan of the New York Mets, but I've considered the Oakland A's my AL team for years. I'll admit that I definitely don't follow them closely like I do with the Mets, but I've always liked the Athletics for (among other things) their cool fans (with great attitude and spirit) and the really nice uniforms. I've only once been to California, but on that one trip I was sure to see the A's play at the Coliseum.
I'm sure that I'm preaching to the choir here, but everything about the A's right now is just so sad — infuriatingly so. Major League Baseball should be ashamed what has been happening. I don't know how John Fisher can sleep at night or how team brass can honestly speak on anything with a straight face. I feel really bad for the ordinary people working for the A's, too. They know what's going on. I'd feel terrible if my employer were doing something like that. (Not that the A's are by any means the only employer to do shitty things.)
The on-field product is one thing. It's abysmal, of course. But the lack of hope is another thing entirely. I never experienced the '62 Mets, but every shitty baseball season before has led fans to say "Maybe next year." This team may be exceptionally bad (and that by no means had to be the case — and is itself an indictment of ownership), but even exceptionally bad teams would have a next year. What can you even tell your kids with this team?
Even among relocations, this one is in that particularly disliked category of those openly proposed in the middle of a season. Relocation is devastating and has definitely wrecked a lot of people's relationships with the sport. I live in Montreal and an entire generation has lacked a connection to baseball here because of the loss of a team. The infamous DodgeGiant relocations were not announced openly in the middle of the season like this — nor were most others. I think of the departure of the second Washington Senators and the storming of the field as that franchise made its ignominious exit from RFK Stadium.
Adding insult to injury, though, is the fact that the A's are still marketing towards Oakland. The organization is still talking about their community initiatives and continuing their local events like nothing is happening, even as they're desperate to skip town. They're even trying to promote ticket sales a bit, get the mascot and whatever out there. They have a "kid reporter" out there on their social media. They keep posting about bark in the park — so many dogs on their feeds — which for me (as a big dog person) is particularly depressing. How in the world can they do all this with a straight face? How can they even try to pretend they're providing something to fans? They know — MLB knows — about how the people still coming are demanding that the team be sold to an owner who wants to keep it local.
I understand that the A's have contractual obligations to play out their season. But if they are going to leave — which is bad enough — do they have to spit in the fans' faces on the way out? Who in the world deserves that? It's like your spouse saying they're trying to leave you for someone else (just trying to get a date with them) and still insisting on saying "I love you" and pretending nothing has changed until the day the other person says yes.
I would like the A's to stay in Oakland. If they really have to switch locations, keeping things accessible to the current fanbase should matter, too. I don't believe for a moment that an option in Oakland or at the very least elsewhere in NorCal couldn't be done. Yes, the bureaucracy can get ridiculous — there is no shortage of problems there, I'm certain. But if they were truly determined, it could definitely happen. And it's not like there is no way to afford it. It's pretty clear now that ownership is not only hardly rooted in Oakland, but actually desperate to cut down that tree as quickly as possible.
Speaking of desperation and mismanagement, the Vegas proposals have been so shoddy as to be almost beyond belief. I honestly think they probably started planning this the day it was announced. It's been an absolute joke. Their proposals were rushed and have been so flawed as for it to be obvious even to a casual observer such as myself (a fool who knows nothing about architecture or real estate) that they have not planned anything. And they're trying to get that public funding without so much as a moderately concrete plan. Have they made their deals by cold-calling Vegas numbers and hoping to get a land deal? How have they just had two right this moment?
Finally, the idea of a team in Vegas just really leaves a sour taste in my mouth. I say this with no judgment against the honest ordinary people of the Vegas area. But we all know that a Vegas team will be tied into gambling like you can't believe. Call me old-fashioned, but the omnipresence of gambling in sports in the past few years has been extremely offputting to me. I can't stand the betting odds and whatever that get brought up on every TV broadcast now. I can't imagine a Vegas team does anything but make this much worse. (By the way, I am very unhappy with Steve Cohen's support of sports gambling, too.)
As for the players, while it has to suck to be on a team like this, they have no power either. At the very least, they're getting paid a good salary — even the minimum is a ton of money — to play the game they love. But don't they deserve to play in a city where they might get to consider settling down? Don't they deserve to play for fans who appreciate their team rather than for people whom their organization does the best to alienate? I know you guys support the players, still. But it's got to be weird for those guys. I know they can't really comment a lot on these things, but it will definitely be interesting, whatever happens, to get their candid feelings one day about how things were in Oakland this year.
I know the A's fanbase well enough to know that the Athletics leaving would leave a real void for baseball fans there. I don't think a lot of you guys are all set to root for the Giants. I mean, that phenomenon is basically why the Mets exist today.
A deal in Vegas is by no means done. Through sheer laziness and incompetence if nothing else, it's altogether possible that the A's will not leave Oakland (or at least stay nearby), despite the clear intentions of ownership. Frankly, I'll believe that when I see it.
I know the owners are an old boys' club, and they don't necessarily care so much about what ordinary fans think. But how can they look at the John Fisher situation and not think that this makes them all look terrible?
I hope for the sake of the fans that the team doesn't leave and that this debacle is left in the past. Baseball has a long history in Oakland (with the A's and before them the PCL Oaks), and it would be a damn shame for it to end like this.
In the meantime, though, this all really just puts me off. Best of luck to all the fans. Here's to hoping for a better future for Oakland baseball — and baseball as a whole.

Hey all, I put these up a few weeks ago and there were no bites, so I'm trying to sweeten the deal. Boxes are gone for all of them since they were users, but I have extra Benchmade cloth baggies to ship in. PP G&S and CONUS only please, shipping today via USPS. As always, yolos in the chat have priority.
- Bundle the two SOGs for $160,
OR
- Take all three for $300
Timestamp: https://imgur.com/a/hcDZilU
Benchmade S30v Griptilian w/green AWT scales (SV $140): https://imgur.com/a/ahMLSCB
[NO BOX] Has been cut, carried, sharpened, and disassembled. Been a user for several years but not in terrible shape overall. The AWT scales are almost brand new and I still have the original orange BM scales, I'll send those with it (no screws for those though, they use different screws than the AWT ones). Great user or project knife. Centering is good, lockup is solid, could be smoother to open and close but that's an AWT thing in my experience.
SOG Vision XR Tanto (SV $125): https://imgur.com/a/f5eWL0f
[NO BOX] Has been cut, carried, and sharpened. Super slicy and buttery smooth action thanks to the bearings. Surprisingly solid knife, SOG has really stepped up since 2020. Blade is well-centered, lockup could be tighter with some pivot adjustments but I preferred the nice loose action.
SOG Trident AT Tanto (SV $55): https://imgur.com/a/HS6FDhZ
[NO BOX] Has been cut, carried, and disassembled. In great shape, I removed the assist lock but still have it and will send it with the knife. Assist flings the blade out with a naughty little snap. Feels great in the hand and no complaints with the cryo D2 steel, punches well above its price class. Blade isn't centered due to the assist spring on one side of the pivot but it doesn't rub the scales on the way in/out.

I got reprimanded today and a little bit rightfully so. I got in at 745 to open the shop. I'm tucking in my uniform behind the counter and a guy comes in at 750. Now we open at 8 and all the lights are still off in the building because I was going to do that next, make the coffee, unlock the garages etc. So I go, hand in pants, and I'll admit gruffly, "oh we don't open until 8".
He goes "well the door is open".
"i had to get in somehow," i replied, "what's your license plate?"
"well if you're going to give me attitude, I'll go somewhere else."
"No, my voice is shot (it is all raspy, my nose is all congested), what's your plate?"
"you know what, never mind, your manager will hear from me" walks out
So ofc my regional calls me 15 minutes later. I tell him the story, he reprimands me for being gruff with the guy, and I agreed I was a bit of a bitch, but I explain that I DID try to move past it and write him up but he thought I was still giving him attitude. The regional even goes "yeah your voice is all raspy" and we agreed that I'll just lock the door behind me and unlock them when we OPEN at 8. Lol. I'm not a morning person. This is why I work in the back.

Im not sure if there is a subreddit for ELA students but I just had a question like are there any free resources or workbooks to get that we can practice over the summer to be productive and engaged in learning. My brother who is in middle school is in Ela class but also receives speech therapy twice a week. But since summer vacation has begun, using electronics all day didn't sound like a good idea. I thought about signing up for summer programs offered at public library. But I'm not sure in terms of education, what are some things to consider. Like reading books, practice workbooks, online resources for learning particular subjects like science,math,lang arts.

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I (46F) have a MLIS and my husband has a great remote job that he can work anywhere in the US. I have 20yrs experience in my field and am not too worried about finding employment. I could also be unemployed for 6 months without too much financial concern.
We currently live in CO, USA and have decided that we want to move to a lower cost of living state so we can retire sooner. My husband basically told me I can decide where we live since it would be me who would need to find a job.
Here is what I am looking for: - Lower cost of living than Fort Collins, CO - Colder climate - CO summers are getting too hot and I like the cold and snow (hate the wind) - As liberal as possible with a good public library system - I would be at management level - Would like a 3bed/2bath house on, at least, 5 acres. - It would only be the two of us so I don't care about schools. - Walk/bike friendly area - Access to airport, museums, concert venues, and good restaurants.
We are selling our house in CO and when that is sold will not have any debt at all. Should, hopefully, walk away with $350k profit. The plan is to buy some rentals in MO (his whole family is there and we go there often) and then get a mortgage for our home that we will live in.
I have been looking at Pennsylvania Any thoughts?

It took a loooong time but I'm finally able to do my BPT (Bullet point thoughts) on BN3! Keeping the tradition going as I've done for MMBN1 (discussion post here) and MMBN2(discussion post here). If you've completed either of these games and want to share/read other discussion points feel free to post a reply to any of these threads, regardless of when you come across them. Unless I've edited otherwise, I'm still accepting new notifications for these kinds of posts. There is ALOT to talk about here and I honestly am forgetting some things. If you get tired of reading, skip to the bottom for the TLDR.
MMBN3 was probably the game I played the most on GBA. My cousin was randomly playing it on GBA emulator and I was like "hey, that looks like MMBN2!" and the rest was history. I think we eventually had three GBA carts we played on? Though we interestingly really never got that far and that's saying something, lol. MMBN3 not only had a postgame, it had a postpostgame!! From 20 years ago! And its postgame itself was already as long as a real game! Soooo much freaking content in this one title and it made sense as it was originally intended to be their Swan Song ... until Capcom said "No, develop MMBN4 ASAP" and then MMBN4 became the highest grossing MMBN title riding off the coattails of BN3's success. ._. But that's neither here nor there for this conversion so without actual further ado, lol:
SPOILER WARNING for MMBN3! I've easily over 150 hours in this entry alone and that's 93% my fault but the other 7% ... I blame the changes. Going to recollect my thoughts and emotions from the beginning as best as I can so there'll be moments of praise and criticism randomly structured together.

• the game opens with new scilab which is canonically explained by an investment for renovation, that's fun stuff. As a kid, I never realized that BN1 2 and 3 technically shared that same setting (especially when BN2 called it the Center in the localization for some reason). One of the investors is Chaud's father's company which is nice setup for a later chapter
  
• The school also returns with an expanded setting in order to set up Flashman's scenario. Honestly? kinda not a fan, the school was already used enough in MMBN1 with its endgame being tied there and going through the comps again was meh to me. And i know it's a kids game but Flashman literally telling Lan and co to die only to hypnotize them to walk around as zombies is .. silly lol. Don't include the die line if you're not trying to kill everyone? Also, why is such an amazing SUPER PROGRAM found in a random elementary school!? we're doing this shit again of hiding massively important programs in ordinary places a la Lan's over from MMBN1?
  
• I loooved seeing ACDC at night time. Such a great time exploring what you're used to with a totally different atmosphere. The fact that they cut the music really added to the ambiance, and even NPCs changing their dialogue just for that portion was great. Imagine if they had space on the cartridges to do an actual day/night more like they do with Persona, with battle NPCs only available during night time. It'd be really tough to structure but I enjoy thinking about the hypotheticals here
  
• Net design. MMBN2 nets were better, easily. MMBN3 went back to smaller pathways and felt a little too sterile for my tastes. I get that there's this aesthetic with the highlighted Main ST but MMBN2 didn't need that and the level design very clearly dictated what a Main ST was naturally. It was also a bit weird that some of the cybertrains (which are a dumb concept) took you next to the square in the first place. Those areas were called Beach/Yoka 2, so to go deeper into Beach and Yoka nets, you were going to Beach/Yoka 1. Also, F*CK YOKA. I hated this net so much and hated going back to it over and over. in MMBN2 I loved exploring the net for the sake of exploring, I did not want to do that in MMBN3 because of Nets like Yoka. AND THE GODDAMN PRESS PATHS
  
• Press is easily one of two--actually three--four biggest demerits for MMBN3 for me. I had Shadow style first (more on that later) and if I wanted to run my fun Shadow exclusive NCPs, along with Sneakrun, along with buster upgrades (which I needed since Shadowstyle can't attack without WeaponLv NCP) I never had room! I basically never used UnderShirt the entire game, because there was never any space. And the Press paths themselves? Holy f*ck, we've regressed to MMBN1, All these labrynthian twists and turns, and the paths are tiny so you spend more time on them and so you run into more battles, lose your bearings, take the wrong turn again, etc. Just awful, awful gameplay design for me. The fact that they put a Press path on the way to the Bugfrag Trader in Secret-3 was one last gutpunch lol. I will say, it was a good way to introduce Cossak as a genius programmer, storywise. Since it was him who modified Lan's PET while his father was out.
  
• The other biggest demerit? Zenny drops. in MMBN2 when you S-Ranked a navi, you had a 100% chance of a chip drop. In MMBN3, it was reduced to 50%, just like MMBN1. Are you seeing the pattern of regression here? I play my MMBN games with a completionist attitude from the very beginning. I S-Rank everything I can, complete PAs on my way, and hunt Navi chips before the next story event. I hate the idea of leaving things incomplete and having to wait until the very end of the game to go back to things that should have been attainable when accessible. i.e. if I can fight BubblemanV3 and beat him, I should be able to get his V3 chip. It took over 8 hours to get his V3 chip, 2-3 of those hours were spent in actual fights. I S-Ranked him 8x in a row and ZENNYS EVERY F*CKING TIME. The funny part though? I managed to get his V3 chip on a rank 9 kill which has about 3% odds. That's probability for ya. Point is, I shouldn't have to wait to get and run Collect in my Navicust. Collect is an inconvenient solution in search of a manufactured problem.
  
• The other 5 hours, though? RUNNING AROUND FOR HIM. In MMBN2, Sneakrun was a very simple mechanic that let you find ghost navis easily. In MMBN3, sneakrun unlocks a new tier of enemies to fight which is such an asinine concept. I turned on Sneakrun to find BeastManV3, NOT to find upgraded SpikeyViruses that can't be run away from! That's the ridiculous part, even at 1000 max HP, you can't run from a Mettaur1+Eleball1+Bunny1 encounter in ACDC2 when you've equipped SneakRun looking for FlashmanV3. It's so silly! All it did was lengthen the search process. Another downgrade compared to MMBN2.
  
• I appreciate that you got the Navicust so early, dungeon 2. I liked Okuden better than Yoka as a whole, though. Also I remember thinking Zoo comp was lame as a kid ... still think it's lame, lol. I dreaded having to come back here every time for later sidequests. Bubbleman's quest was the worst cause it was backtracking everywhere AND having to run Press. Glad I got the Style change I was looking for, at least.
  
• The whole early game of the N1GP plot, I didn't mind. Honestly, I kinda didn't care for it much, investment wise but it did serve a great way to break up the story. I noticed that in BN1, the storybeats are rapid and fasthitting, just terrorist attack after terrorist attack. In BN2, and now 3, they introduced these "trendy" things Lan and his friends are doing (License exams, N1GP) to serve as almost a palette cleanser before the next terrorist attack and this worked really well for me pacing wise.
  
• The actual N1GP was a mixed bag. Storywise was a lot of fun, you finally get to see Koetsu in person lmfao. He's been on BBS since BN2, I believe and the whole stakes of people falling (to their deaths...?) blew 10yo me's mind back then. Great way to bring back rematches for Metalman and Gutsman. No shot that Sharkman lost to Kingman, though. ._. I remember Sharkman... Dude was a cheater. Oh I almost forgot the whole plot of Chaud and his father! ...that kinda was like 2 sentences long? His father doesn't like him, Chaud saves him, his father doesn't hate him. Would have loved to see that developed a bit more.
  
• Hospital chapter. I loved this chapter. the Hospital scenario is easily top tier across all the BN games as far as writing goes. The idea of a life-threatening surgery jeopardizing Lan's new friend, who happens to relate to MegaMan on a fundamental level, is sooo good! Especially when MegaMan goes "if Lan's dead brother were still alive, he'd be proud of you for being brave and accepting the surgery" ,, I minutely got emotional with that. Disclaimer: Though I should add... If Hub died at the age of 1, there's no way in hell he remembers anything from his childhood sooo that's very silly. My headcanon rewrite is that as MegaMan.EXE, he sometimes imagines what his life would have been if he lived past 1 and _that's what he mourns.
  
• Flameman chapter. Holy fuck, no censor, is Mr. Match VILE. His terrorism and manipulating Lan to help him by taking advantage of his Hero status was super well developed, it flowed seamlessly from the prev Hospital chapter. But to phone Lan and show him video of his father dying and then taunting him for it? That's SO FUCKED UP. Absolutely heinous. There was an earlier thread that dicussed this in detail so I won't go to into it here, just wanted to know how freaking atrocious and irredeemable Match is a BN villain for this chapter. Worst (or best) villain in the series.
  
• Loved the chapter of Lan exploring his PTSD and guilt for nearly killing his own father. I don't think the game does a good enough job selling that guilt, however, Lan was just doing what he thought was right. Had his father or a scilab employee warned of Match rather than a total stranger, and Lan ignored that warning cause he wanted to show off his heroics to someone else, that would have been a better sell to me. Regardless, the scene of him sitting on his bed and kicking out his friends was great, and having Chaud be the one to snap him out of it was perfection.
  
• Forgot to mention, the Dex moving away arc was legitimately kind sad, lol. Good way to explain why Lan was so invested in Mamoru though, he wanted to fill that void. Dex coming back to save MegaMan during the Rankings was fun although, again, very silly. You're telling me Gutsman who can't even get his Navicust right can solo Ranks 4, 5, 6 all by himself? Foh lmfao.
  
• Undernet Rankings, I really enjoyed this! 100% I figured out anything in this game without hints or a guide is because I had some memory of things from 20 years ago. Like when you investigate the Origami in Mamoru's room, it unlocked a memory of me needing that for a plot point later so when I got that hint about birds, it all clicked. I kinda wish Blackmind had a gameplay benefit, though.
  
• Ugh that reminds me, EnergyChange sucked. Everyone said Freezeman's scenario was bad (and I agree) and that BN3 has it even worse with the Flameman flames and honestly... I didn't think so? I'm not sure why, on paper it seems like it'd be worse but I didnt mind it that much. I think this highlights that the problem with Freezeman's scenario was that it was back and forth between the same exact areas whereas in BN3 the backtracking is at least giving you diversity so it doesn't feel as repeitive.
  
• GODDAMN BOSSES BEING RELOCATED IS THE WORST THING. This shit was so hard to figure out with a guide and I couldn't do it. Had to jump on discord for hints. There are some navi hints in-game but a lot of them are straight up useless. I shouldn't have re-Jackin to all the comps to see if there are new NPCs giving new hints for ghost Navis. Removing ghosts from the Net is my least favorite BN3 decision and I'm glad the series reverted this call for the later games but it was way too incovenient for my playstyle. Players complain about getting ambushed by the V3 navis, I've a simple solution: Don't beat the v2 Navi then, lol.
  
• Endgame, I like the idea of a prototype Internet that infected all devices. I don't like the idea of reusing the concept of these superprograms because that's just BN1 rehashed. I like the idea of Tadashi Hikari being digitized away in Alpha and maybe that's the reason Lan's father never had to heart to outright delete Alpha. I don't like the idea that they pussied out of Cossak not dying after his encounter with Bass in the digital world. Basically, lots of hits and misses, but thankfully more hits. It's a shame they never actually used the GigaFreeze program that was hyped. I think they could used that as a lore reason for why MegaMan and Bass were safe after Alpha was defeated, alongside the explanation of being found by Tadashi's digitized memory.
  
• Ending, man the scenes of Lan trying to move on without MegaMan was great! Loved the maturity and character development that happened there. It was really a great bookend especially from the fakeout in BN1 right before Hub.batch was used.
  
• Postgame. I'll say it before and I'll say it again, BN3 doesn't just have a postgame, it has a postpostgame. And I freaking love it. SO MUCH CONTENT. My only gripe is that doing this 100% blind is too sysphean a tasks. There were not enough direct hints on where to find remaining V3 virus chips. In typical BN3 fashion, everything was too vague. The bugfrag trader at least helped fill out library holes but that's more a bandaid kind of solution.
  
• Serenade was unfortunately a little too gimmicky a fight, I wish they had one more move as part of their toolhit. It was fun learning their trick but then the fight got trivial after so I'd end up just refighting them over and over again with new folder ideas. Same with BassGS.
  
• Postpostgame. this was so much fun! I enjoyed most of the timetrials but they were a bit too easy for me with fastgauge and apprenticefolder and cust style. The only exceptions being Drillman and Darkman, those two were rough. V5 navis were thankfully easily discoverable because they were on the NET and not random comps (unlike some Virus families...). To enjoy my time more, I also gave myself an additional challenge of S-Ranking V5 navis with different folders.
  
• PvP Gigachip. I got lucky, lol. I got mine 2 battles. ._.
  

TLDR: I think BN3 is overrated and I've a loooot of bones to pick with it.
I also think BN3 is peak BN and for now still remains as the one I consider the best.
But BN2 is still my all time favorite.
(We'll see how I feel after I get through Vol2)

This summer, I have the opportunity to teach D&D to some high school students as part of a local summer education workshop. I am very limited in my time with them (3 or 4 sessions, one hour each), so I thought it important to teach a basic version of the game and get into the action as quickly as possible.
I made 6 pregen characters and plan to let them choose their class and then pick a race/ancestry, which will be just cosmetic for these sessions. Each character also has a brief backstory, a couple of sentences, that tie them together with the group, which are members of a resistance against an oppressive military force. Once we get our characters chosen and go over the sheets and basic mechanics, I plan to run the following introductory encounter.
For full disclosure, I basically stole this idea from the Star Wars Edge of the Empire beginner game. It gets the characters immediately into making a skill check followed by an easier combat. I hope to end the first session by completing this encounter. I decided I would post my notes here for anyone else who may be looking to do something similar. You can easily change the names of locations, NPCs, etc.
TLDR: Here's a good opening encounter for a campaign, especially for new players.
You have done it this time! The Blacktalons were harassing a group of halflings in the town square, turning over their carts and taking anything valuable for themselves. You all decided to help the halflings, beating up the guards and helping them escape. Unfortunately, more guards showed up ready to arrest you instead! You quickly took to the side streets and decided to duck into a local tavern, the Laughing Goblin, where you might be able to hide.
When you rush inside, you see the old dwarf bartender, Durnam Goblinkicker, glance your way then return to cleaning mugs. Various patrons sit enjoying their food and drink, playing cards, and clapping along with the music, supplied by a halfling playing a lute and singing on the stage. The only other obvious exit is a door that probably leads back to the kitchen or storage and a staircase leads upstairs. Looking above you, the arched ceiling is supported by thick wooden struts.The guards are right behind you and will soon arrive. What will you do? (Have each character declare an action and roll the appropriate skill check.)
The guards burst in soon after. Anyone who failed their check is noticed and caught off guard. Those who succeeded have the chance to act first as the guards approach those they see, brandishing their maces. Instead of rolling initiative, the characters who succeeded will go first, followed by the guards, then the characters who failed their checks.
4 Guards: 10 HP, 14 AC, +3 to attack, 4 damage.
During the fight, if the party is struggling at all, patrons in the bar will intervene, because most of the people in there hate the Blacktalons. If the party is defeated, the patrons all stand as one and a man says, “Bravo... Now get out before you have to deal with the rest of us.” The guards wisely decide to leave but promise to report back to their superiors.
If the party wins the fight, the patrons all applaud them. Certain people begin to immediately take the dead or unconscious guards out of the tavern. Old Durnan says, "Get these fine folks some food and drink!" A woman, who had previously been sitting at a corner table wearing a hood approaches the party.
“Not bad,” she says to them, lowering her hood to reveal that she is an elf woman with long auburn hair. “I’m Imizael. I’m one of you. I think you’re just the group we need to help us find someone who is missing.”
​
Notes:

• I decided to not roll initiative for the first encounter to save time. I will introduce initiative later
• I will adjust the number of guards depending on the party size.
• This could lead easily into the Delian Tomb adventure, Lost Mines of Phandelver, or any homebrew adventure of your choice.

Let me know what you think in the comments!

(This excerpt is from a Washington Post article written by Hannah Natanson.)
FORT WAYNE, Ind. — Sydney Knipp, 16, tiptoed to stage’s edge and peered around the black curtain at the nearly 1,500 people waiting for the play to start. It was the largest audience she had ever seen.
In a few minutes, Sydney was supposed to stride before them, braids streaming, to deliver the opening monologue as Alanna Dale in “Marian, or The True Tale of Robin Hood,” a gender-bending take on Sherwood Forest’s beloved bandit.
Dotted among the crowd, Sydney saw, were security personnel in bulletproof vests. At the entrance, theatergoers were submitting to bag checks and a metal detector wand. Behind Sydney stood Fia, her 14-year-old sister, costumed as Much the Miller’s son.
Sydney and Fia, and their characters, were the reason for the security — the reason this play was happening not at school but at an outdoor theater in the girls’ hometown. Alanna confesses her love for a woman in the 16th scene. Much declares they are nonbinary two scenes later. The LGBTQ storylines drew complaints from parents, spurring Carroll High School to cancel “Marian” in February out of concern for students’ safety.
But the cast of two dozen teenagers decided to put the play on anyway. Now, on a chilly evening in late May — after raising almost $84,000, booking Foellinger Theatre and whirling through 2½ weeks of late-night rehearsals squeezed between Advanced Placement exams and finals — it was opening night for a show adults had warned them not to do.
Sydney sidled to her little sister. “How are you feeling?”
The teens believed — knew — they were part of something bigger. They knew schools across the country are nixing plays and musicals that feature gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender roles, often due to parent objections. They were aware Republican politicians are passing a record-breaking wave of laws restricting the rights of LGBTQ children, and that Fort Wayne trends White and red.
The teens also knew they had fans: the thousands who bought $15.50 tickets or donated to their fundraiser; the local theater groups who lent decorations; even “Marian” playwright Adam Szymkowicz, whom they had met on a Zoom call.
But in these last moments with her sister, Fia had something to confide.
She was thinking about what producer Nathan Gotsch said a half-hour before showtime. Should any hecklers emerge, he told students, ushers would escort them out. One student, dressed as a king’s guard, had raised black armored gloves and promised to deter disrupters with his fists, earning laughs. But Fia wasn’t laughing now.
“If someone yells something,” Fia whispered to Sydney, “I think I’m going to cry.”
Sydney pointed to the audience. “Dude, there are so many people with dyed hair out there,” she said. “We’re going to be okay.”
She laid her arm on Fia’s shoulder. Fia rested her forehead on Sydney’s hand. The sisters stood, curled in an embrace, as the crowd began to hush.
Three months earlier, Meadowe Freeman arrived early to school for a surprise meeting called by her principal and theater director.
Auditions had just wrapped for Carroll High’s production of “Marian.” The 18-year-old, who chose theater because “I’m not very sporty,” had anticipated teasing from students about the play’s LGBTQ characters. But she never expected what she heard that day: that some parents disliked the play so much it couldn’t continue.
“You read about it on the news,” Meadowe said, “but you never expect it to happen in your school.”
Sitting near the front of the room was Tristan Wasserman, 18. He watched his friends start to cry. Walking from the meeting, he decided: The show would go on.
That night, Tristan hunted up the email of “Marian” playwright Szymkowicz. He researched the name of a reporter with Fort Wayne’s 21 Alive News. He fired off versions of the same email.
“Hello,” he wrote, “my name is Tristan Wasserman … It was actually on my 18th birthday that we found out that we wouldn’t be doing Marian.”
His efforts yielded news coverage and, ultimately, 5,600 signatures on a petition to reinstate the play. One of Tristan’s friends, Stella Brewer-Vartanian, president of a left-leaning political club at Carroll High, launched Twitter and Instagram accounts devoted to reversing the cancellation. But the school stuck by its decision.
So Tristan began recruiting students to speak at the next school board meeting. If enough teens explained why it was wrong, he figured, the adults would have to listen.
On Feb. 27, Tristan, Stella — who wasn’t part of the theater program but felt outraged by what she called adult bullying — and roughly 20 high schoolers showed up, some with prepared speeches.
Before most could speak, a woman rose. Kaye Niman said she was a taxpayer, a mother and a pastor’s wife. “Marian” — with its “LGBT whatever, however many ABCs you want to put on it” — was immoral, Niman said.
“What we believe in is what the Bible says, and the Bible says that homosexuality is a sin,” said Niman, who did not respond to a request for comment. “It’s forgivable, don’t get me wrong, it’s forgivable and we love them, but nevertheless … I applaud whoever made the decision to not have this play go on.”
As Niman wrapped up, 16-year-old Peyton Stratton sat picturing the role she had hoped for: that of Marian/Robin, who leads the troupe of Merry Men. Peyton, who wants to attend law school, admired Marian for her ferocity, wit and determination to protect the people she loves.
Telling herself to summon those traits now, Peyton walked to the microphone. She reminded the board of school anti-bullying initiatives that teach children not to tolerate hate.
“By taking down this play, you’re following the opposite of that message,” she said. “You are teaching students to fold at the first sign of struggle.”
Stella told the adults they were writing themselves into history as “hateful.”
And Tristan gave a promise: “I have not rested,” he said, “nor will I rest until this decision is reversed.”
Students headed home with hope. Tristan was in his bedroom when he got a text alerting him that the superintendent, Wayne Barker, was speaking about the play.
“This came down to an issue where our principal felt that it was going to be an unsafe activity for our students to participate in because of how divisive it was becoming,” Barker said. “I support his decision … I’m comfortable with why he did what he did.”
In a statement to The Washington Post, district spokeswoman Lizette Downey said the decision to cancel “Marian” was due not only to parent complaints, but primarily to “disruptions already occurring between students directly involved within the theater department.” She did not specify what those “disruptions” were.
Superintendent Barker declined repeated interview requests.
For a while, the students were lost. Some pondered putting on the play outside school, Stella said, but no one knew how. Then Stella got a message saying a local man she’d never met wanted to talk to her.
A former teacher born and raised in Fort Wayne, Nathan Gotsch, 40, sympathized with administrators’ plight — but felt more for the students. And, he felt, he was perfectly positioned to help.
Gotsch, who attended film school at the University of Southern California, spent his 20s working in entertainment in Los Angeles. After stints in education and journalism, he had just run unsuccessfully for Congress. Taken together, it meant Gotsch had the know-how and the network of political, activist and theater contacts the students would need to stage “Marian” themselves.
Over a video call, the idea took shape. Gotsch agreed to serve as overall producer, and four teens — Tristan, Stella, Meadowe and Kaitlyn Gulley, head of Carroll’s Gay-Straight Alliance — would become student-producers.
Gotsch set up a GoFundMe to pay for the play; it pulled in $80,000 in under two weeks. Nonprofit Fort Wayne Pride, which advocates for LGBTQ rights, stepped in as fiscal agent, managing the money.
Nathan and others identified two dozen students willing to act in “Marian” and assigned them parts. He hired a professional director and crew to handle stage management, engineering, sets, sound, costumes and lighting. He secured Foellinger Theatre for May 20 and coordinated security with Indiana State Police and parks personnel.
Meanwhile, Stella and Kaitlyn promoted the play at a “No Hate Fort Wayne” rally and a Democratic Party gathering. Meadowe and Tristan liaised between adults and students in the production — while Meadowe learned a role as a guard and Tristan served as assistant stage manager and sound designer, at one point imitating pigeon calls for the play’s soundtrack.
Rehearsals — running after school and on weekends — started May 3. The student-actors had fewer than 4o hours, across less than three weeks, to learn their lines.
Teens were facing APs and fast-approaching finals. They were fielding phone calls from journalists and messages from actors who wanted to cheer them on — support they appreciated but which took time.
The Friday before opening night, Peyton arrived late after ferrying over three students who lacked cars. Her hair was already braided in the intricate coils required for the role she had coveted: Marian.
She fast-walked into a kitchen tucked below the theater to cries of “Peyton! They need you in makeup!” and “Peyton! Go straight to makeup!”
“I know,” Peyton said, crossing to a wall and scribbling her initials onto a sign-in sheet.
She eyed the steaming
(To read the full article go to https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/05/31/marian-school-theater-lgbtq-indiana/ )

The Georgia Archives and the Georgia Genealogical Society are sponsoring the Annual Genealogy Picnic this Saturday, June 3, from 9 a.m.-3:15 p.m. at the Georgia Archives. This is in-person only. Come enjoy the presentations and socialize with other genealogists. Bring a sack lunch or have lunch on your own.
No pre-registration is required, and the event is free and open to the public. Bring a friend!
9:00 - 9:30 a.m.: Registration
9:30-10:30 a.m.: Breaking Down Brick Walls Using FamilySearch (Lynn Schlick, Alabama Genealogical Society)
10:30-10:45 a.m.: Break
10:45-11:45 a.m.: Taking a Second Look: Reviewing Existing Records For More Genealogical Clues (Tamika Strong, Reference Archivist, Georgia Archives)
11:45 a.m.-1:00 p.m.: Lunch on your own (Archives Reference Library will be closed from 12-1 p.m.)
1:00-2:00 p.m.: Finding Francis: One Family's Journey from Slavery to Freedom (Dr. Elizabeth West, Academic Director, Center for Studies on Africa and Its Diaspora, Georgia State University)
2:00-2:15 p.m.: Break
2:15-3:15 p.m.: Ask An Archivist Panel Discussion: Georgia Archives Resources and Search Strategies (Georgia Archives staff) (To submit a question, go to https://forms.office.com/1m4fYFT1i1).
The Georgia Archives is located at 5800 Jonesboro Road, Morrow, GA 30260.
www.GeorgiaArchives.org

My wife (25) approached me (29) yesterday with a hopeful idea of leaving her job at an OBGYN office (which she loves and is great at) to go full time as a server at a restaurant. Presently, we are struggling to make ends meet as some medical bills have come up with our daughter. She believes we will make more money in this new server job and she wants to have more time with our two kids (6y & 10m).
One the one side…I love the idea of her homeschooling the kids and being home with me (I WFH), being able to have the house and laundry kept up, and her not having anxiety about kids going to public school these days.
One the other side however, we would lose our health benefits (my job doesn’t offer it), she would be working nights (4-close hours) so we wouldn’t have meaningful time together, and she would in fact not be making as much money as she does now.
I voiced my concerns about the idea without shooting them down and she was visibly upset by them. I want to support her in her career choices, but not at the expense of our relationship taking a hit.
How would you navigate this?
tl;dr : wife works in medical admin and wants to go back to the server industry to have time with our 2 kids. I’m concerned our relationship will take a hit as we won’t have any time together.

Wondering if there is a good place to take a beginner who has been hitting at the range, but hasn’t played many actual rounds of golf. Preferably somewhere where a twosome can play alone? Even any executive par-3 style courses that are open to the public? I am new to the area so I haven’t played any of the courses around here.

NAPLES, FL - (NewMediaWire) - May 17, 2023 - The drone industry is booming, thanks to technological advances and evolving regulations that are propelling it to new heights. Drones have captured the imagination of consumers, businesses, and governments worldwide, finding applications in aerial photography, surveillance, delivery services, military use, and more. Amidst established market players, innovative companies like Epazz Inc. (OTC: EPAZ) and its subsidiary, ZenaDrone, are emerging as disruptors in the drone technology market.
Epazz Inc. is a mission-critical provider of drone technology, blockchain mobile apps, and cloud-based business software solutions. In this article, we'll delve into their subsidiary company, ZenaDrone, which specializes in the development and marketing of drone technologies. ZenaDrone offers a range of drone hardware, software, and services tailored for commercial and industrial applications, with their flagship drone being the ZenaDrone 1000.
Key Takeaways
The versatile ZenaDrone 1000 has received positive feedback from industries such as military, agriculture, oil and gas, wildfire management, and civil engineering, thanks to its advanced features and capabilities.
EPAZ and ZenaDrone have gained military recognition, conducting tests under battlefield conditions and establishing themselves as trusted providers in the defense sector.
EPAZ and ZenaDrone are actively pursuing commercial applications, negotiating to provide precision agriculture drones to Irish farmers, businesses, and government agencies, meeting the growing demand for advanced drone solutions in various sectors.
The ZenaDrone 1000
The ZenaDrone 1000 is a cutting-edge, fully autonomous drone designed for surveillance, inspection, and monitoring purposes.
The ZenaDrone has the potential to be used in a variety of industries.
ZenaDrone's primary focus is on improving the drone's AI capabilities, enabling autonomous navigation in uncharted terrain, implementing deep learning algorithms, and incorporating dual-use features for commercial and military applications.
EPAZ's dedication to innovation can be seen in its pursuit of AI patents for drone technology. With two patents granted and two others under review, EPAZ establishes itself as a charging force in the industry.
In addition, EPAZ's international patent filings further strengthen its global presence and protect its intellectual property rights. By securing patents in key regions worldwide, the company establishes its dominance and ensures the long-term success of its technological advancements.
Military Interest
EPAZ and ZenaDrone have garnered significant interest from the U.S. military for their advanced drone technology. The military recognizes the potential of EPAZ's drone solutions, particularly in potential sensitive cargo delivery applications, including blood transportation. This interest serves as a validation of their technological capabilities and establishes them as trusted providers of mission-critical solutions.
The U.S. Air Force has invited ZenaDrone to conduct tests under battlefield conditions at an overseas base, demonstrating the military's confidence in their drone technology. EPAZ's drones equipped with advanced payloads can contribute to military logistics, surveillance, and search and rescue missions. These capabilities enable safer and more efficient operations in remote or hazardous areas.
The military partnership positions EPAZ and ZenaDrone as key players in the defense sector. By actively collaborating with military organizations, they gain valuable insights to further enhance their drone solutions. This collaboration also opens up opportunities for contracts and long-term collaborations, ensuring future growth and success.
CEO Shaun Passley, Ph.D., said, "We are excited to see ZenaDrone 1000 the subject of so much attention in multiple military branches. The Air Force clearly sees value in this platform and is pushing the envelope of new testing to find out the extent of its capabilities. We are anxious to receive critical feedback from the Air Force as we transition to mass production operations.
EPAZ and ZenaDrone's focus on innovation, reliability, and adaptability enables the integration of drones into critical military operations. Their advancements contribute to enhanced efficiency and effectiveness, shaping the future of defense applications.
ZenaDrone 1000 Civilian Use to Expand
EPAZ's dedication to innovation extends to its pursuit of commercial applications for drone technology. The recent visit by Ossian Smyth, the Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform of Ireland, signifies the company's commitment to exploring transformative potential across various sectors, including agriculture, businesses, and government agencies.
Currently, EPAZ is in negotiations with a financing institution to acquire up to 100 ZenaDrone 1000s for drone-as-a-service operations in Ireland. This non-dilutive financing opportunity aims to provide advanced precision agriculture drones to Irish farmers, businesses, and government agencies. The drones will be used for critical tasks such as plant health monitoring and weed spraying, enhancing productivity and efficiency in the agricultural sector.
The visit with Ossian Smyth demonstrated Ireland's strong enthusiasm for the possibilities offered by ZenaDrone's innovative technology. Building on this momentum, the company showcased the capabilities of the ZenaDrone 1000 at the prestigious 2023 AERO event held in Germany. The demonstrations garnered interest and engagement from various notable parties, including defense partners from NATO countries, German law enforcement agencies, and rail lines.
Moreover, ZenaDrone is actively engaging in discussions with UAV regulators in Germany to establish beyond-visual-line-of-sight operations. This highlights the company's commitment to expanding its operational scope and showcases its dedication to compliance with German regulations.
In addition, on May 16, EPAZ announced that ZenaDrone Inc. had showcased the ZenaDrone 1000 at the RES 2023 trade show held in Las Vegas last month. This demonstration sparked significant interest among Native American tribes, who recognized the drone's potential in search and rescue, firefighting, cargo delivery, and land surveys.
ZenaDrone Inc. continues to proactively schedule demos for various notable entities, now adding this most recent demonstration to the impressive list of organizations interested in the ZenaDrone 1000
EPAZ Expanding To Meet Growing Demand
In response to the increasing demand for its groundbreaking drone technology, EPAZ recently announced an expansion of its ZenaDrone facilities in Dubai, UAE. The strategic move aims to ramp up production of the company's flagship product, the ZenaDrone 1000, to fulfill obligations under several pilot program agreements.
These pilot program agreements grant customers the opportunity to utilize the ZenaDrone 1000 for an extended period. As a testament to the technology's potential, ZenaDrone has already scheduled numerous demonstrations of the drone in multiple countries. In 2022, ZenaDrone successfully produced 10 ZenaDrone 1000 units. However, the company's goal for this year is to exceed that figure by producing over 20 drones per month. With the expansion of its Dubai facility, ZenaDrone aims to have the capacity to manufacture up to 40 drones per month, doubling its previous production capacity.
"We are encouraged by the level of interest we have received, and based on the pilot program agreements and the number of scheduled demonstrations, it is clear that it is time to expand to double the size of our production facility," said Shaun Passley, Ph.D., CEO of Epazz Inc.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/epazz-inc-otc-epaz-zendadrone-093000363.html

I contemplated posting this for a long time. I don't usually put others down if I don't need to. But I feel the need to bring awareness to others who bring their dogs to daycare. Since Pets Paradise opened last summer, I've been taking my dog there. I took my dog to Happy Tails but they didn't seem to like the fact that she had the zoomies and energy level was too high. Trying to be level headed, I get that each daycare has their own philosophies. I tried out Woofs and Wags but they said because my dog wasn't fixed, she couldn't go there yet; very understandable. So then I stumbled upon Pets Paradise that accepted her with no questions asked; perhaps that was the first red flag. Although I didn't love the place, my dog always came back tired and happy-so I didn't look into it. Every time we picked up my dog, we had to ask how her day went, they never took initiative to communicate with us. I would have to call to check in on my dog because sometimes they don't even post anything on social media about her and I would be curious as to know how my dog's day went. If I asked them, they would just say, "good." Fast forward a couple weeks ago, when my partner went to go pick up my dog they mentioned that she was a bit anxious that day. Weird to me because my dog is usually quite playful. A few days later they uploaded some videos of my dog demonstrating with workers there on what to do if a dog accidentally ingested toxins or was choking. One video they were swabbing their fingehand the inside of her mouth and she was clearly not liking it. My dog was backing up and head was tilting back. In another video, they demonstrated (with two workers) not forcefully but holding her down to pretend squeeze her sides to show what to do if a dog was choking. Although my dog was not hurt in the process, she was clearly uncomfortable and did not want to proceed. My thoughts are, why do they need to do these demonstrations on daycare dogs? Why don't they use their own dogs? I know I signed a consent form but I didn't agree to this. As well, I strongly believe that their social media is facilitated by a high school student. They blocked my partner and I immediately after we expressed our concerns. I am posting this so that others can be aware of this.
TLDR; my dog was used as demonstration on what to do if your dog was choking or ingested toxic substances. I did not agree to this and they put on online.

*lightning sfx* You should check out u/Acceptable_Egg5560, NOW! (Seriously, thanks again for doing this with me, you're the best.)
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Memory transcript: Vekna, Venlil Citizen. Date: [Standardized human time] September 19th, 2136
Herd, I forgot how much I hate paperwork.
When we had pinpointed where Unzekep was a couple paws ago, I was eager to get on her trail. Unfortunately, reality just had to get in the way of those ambitions…which is where I find myself now. First was all the speh we had to submit to the Health and Safety Department regarding our “inquiries” into the construction site to find Tagelb. A noble action, no denying that, but it brought up questions about our presence on the site. “Why were we there? Were we associated with a third-party firm? What was the quality of evidence produced for the claim?” Stuff like that, constantly, for almost an entire Paw.
We came clean, sort of. We at least disclosed about us being journalists. My evidence showing money changing paws between that foreman and the previous safety inspector came in handy in our explanation of us looking into corruption. As an additional surprise, many of the workers of the facility came forward with older stories of regulation skirting and site mismanagement. Tagelb even chipped in, providing another perspective of what we witnessed whilst in there. Safe to say, that foreman isn’t going to be in charge of much any time soon.
But did we really need to fill out all of those affidavits??
The second problem was that, due to us revealing that we were journalists, we wouldn’t be able to simply walk up to Unzekep while she was on the job. We had to get a “press permit” that would allow us to walk in the tunnels, which meant more paperwork signing that we agreed to the risk and knew the safety standards and procedures we had to follow while underground. They even made us take a test for that!
Today, though, marked the end of our tedious paperwork and safety waivers. We were finally cleared to go into the system, and the district had promised silence on the matter. Part of me thinks that their willingness to accommodate us is due to not having to pay us like their other safety inspectors. Oh well, at least it’s a way in that doesn’t require cartoonish cover stories. I slide on my satchel and exit my room, waiting for the elevator to arrive at the correct floor so I can board.
After a short wait, I’m granted access, and yet another short wait later, I arrive at the foyer. First-meal would normally be first on the schedule, but today was special. In order to avoid detection by any unwanted eyes, we were due to leave first thing in the Paw, when almost no-one else would be out. After a brief scan of the lobby, I spot Sharnet sitting on a chair with a duffel bag on the ground next to it. I trot over to her, motioning to get her attention.
“Good Paw, Sharnet! You sleep well after all that paperwork?”
Sharnet shuts her holonote off and stows it away in her pack. “Yes, somewhat. I do wish that they would’ve just looked the other way completely, now we’re on their records. If someone’s watching, we’re a dead give-away.”
I sway my ears negatively. “I don’t think they’ll be looking deep in government registries. That would require access, and if they were in the government, chances are they’d have noticed long ago and already fled. To my knowledge, there hasn’t been much movement on the private nor the public transit systems, and none of the Harchen. Trust me, I had the same thought.” I pull out my pad, the tab for the transit logs still logged in with the temporary credentials the district has given us. “Check for yourself.”
Sharnet looks over the information rather inquisitively. “Now that’s interesting.”
I cock my head. “What is?”
“I looked up Unzekep’s home address,” she explains, “and it’s in an apartment building on the edge of town. She doesn’t have a vehicle, so by all rights she should be traveling on public transit. But this shows none of the Harchen have done so. The fact that she isn’t…”
Her sentence falls away as her ears twitch in thought. Now that she’s said it aloud, I realize how strange that is. “That…is odd, actually. You’d think that she would be using the public transit system to get to and from work each Paw.”
Sharnet’s tail swishes against the ground. “Do you remember what Tagleb said about her? He said that she spent a lot of time in the tunnels. Do you think… well, no, there’s a couple possibilities. But…”
As she’s making an appeal to rationality, I realize what she’s implying. “That she’s living in the tunnels. That’s what you were going to say, right?”
She sways her tail in the affirmative. “I don’t want to cast judgment yet. But…if she’s one of the overseers, those tunnels are well out of sight. People could probably survive a raid by hiding in there. Of course, if she isn’t a head, staying in those tunnels might not be her choice.”
I look at Sharnet skeptically. “Not her choice? What reason could someone possibly have to stay down there that isn’t their choice?”
“Well, that safety inspector that the foreman bribed likely didn’t inspect only one site.” Her claws clench against her wool. “In my previous job, there was a time when there was only one person on staff who knew how to maintain and repair the office electronics. The company has them stay on overtime. If she is in a similar situation in the tunnels…”
That’s not a good image to have in my mind. Being one of the only ones repairing equipment and materials that would have otherwise been flagged as a safety danger… My arms and legs are exhausted by just imagining what might be needed. “Oh, Herd, that’d be bad. I’m not certain that’s the case, though, as the District let us have our way with seeing her. They wouldn't do that if they had something to hide.”
Sharnet raises a finger. “If they’re smart.”
I can’t help but give a low whistle to myself at that. “If they’re smart, yeah. Ready to go see how dumb they are?”
Her tail wags in amusement as she rises from her seat. “We can grab a couple to-go salads from the meal bar and head right out, if that’s okay with you.”
“Sure, might as well if we’re going to be spending all day in the sewers.” I follow Sharnet over to the salad bar, and we order some bog-standard salads to go. Nothing fancy, we are on the clock after all. Once we receive our food, Sharnet heads back to grab that duffel bag and we head out, the light of our star bearing down on us as we exit the building.
It isn’t long before a bus comes to pick us up, the driver seemingly surprised to see someone waiting for him at this claw. We board and take our seats, eating our salads as we’re ferried to our next destination. Thankfully, only a single other person is on the bus right now, and they’re too busy with something on their pad to notice us. A public space with no noise, perfect.
As I eat, my mind wanders back to Tagelb. I had meant to go back and see him again last Paw, but paperwork had obviously gotten in the way of that. As much as I hate to admit it, I’m intrigued by the Yotuls’ archaic technology. Steam engines, massive train systems, even rudimentary hydrocarbon combustion engines! I wanted to learn more, but I knew Vekna was only tolerating that in search of our guy. I knew I had to go back to hiding eventually.
The worst part was how I had to hide myself from Tagelb, even if it was less than normal. I heard his views on Predator Disease, and I knew that if I slipped it, that was it. I’d lose yet another friend because I couldn’t keep my Herd-damned mouth shut. I’m determined to keep doing what I’m doing, even if it means hiding myself forever. From Tagelb, from Sharnet, from everybody. Ignorance is bliss, and if nobody knows I’m a monster, it’s a little easier to pretend I’m not for myself.
I’m shaken from my internal lamentations by a paw lightly shaking my shoulder. I glance over at the culprit, finding Sharnet’s gaze. “Are you okay? You went a little wall-eyed while you were eating your salad.”
I look down at my bowl, only to find it empty. I quickly reseal it and feign my innocence yet again. “Hm? Oh, yeah, just thinking about how we’re going to do this. Not an easy task, after all.”
She pulls up the duffel bag she’s been carrying into her lap and zips it open. “Thankfully, these should make it a bit easier.”
Inside are a pair of construction pelts. Visibility vests, gloves, foot coverings, and two helmets. Those… brahking uncomfortable helmets. “Do we really have to wear those?”
I know it’s a dumb question. I read the same procedures as she did. This equipment is a basic requirement for us to go into the tunnels. No matter how much it rubbed up against my ears.
“Yes, I’m sure. We read the same waiver, we signed on the same lines. I’m not a fan either, but sometimes you have to make sacrifices.” She pulls out one of the pelts and hands it to me, retrieving the other for herself. I groan internally at the mere thought of having to wear another helmet. She gives her ears a comforting flick. “These are brand new, so the padding won’t be as worn down as the last helmets were. I don’t know if it will stop the bother, but at the very least it shouldn’t be as bad.”
Small comforts. “I hope so, yeah.” As I look over the helmet, the bus stops and opens its door to our destination. “Industrial center! Next stop, the Intraplanetary Transit Hub!” We stand from our seats and make it off the bus, which unceremoniously closes its doors and leaves us stranded in the dead center of the industrial heart of Sidestar.
The town is centered around maintaining the power plants that comprise the central economy of the District. As a city well within the twilight, power meant life. It allowed the growing houses to keep the local edible vegetation harvest alive, light up the iron ore mining operations in the mountains, and the steam tunnels flowing with heat to fight back against the cold winds from the night side flowing down from the mountains. Those steam and drain tunnels are where a large number of people work. Having to expand and repair sections as their city grows. And Unzekep is currently working on replacing outdated units. Somewhere in there…
I’m pulled from my analysis of the area by Sharnet, who has since applied her pelt. “Come on, put on your uniform so we can get down to where we need to be.” I heed her words and quickly apply my clothing before following Sharnet through the complicated system of tubes and ducts that comprises the ground-level of one of the for-profit geothermal reactors.
Thank the Herd for the 3d map the District had given us access to. According to the schedule, Unzekep should be in the coolwater pump room, replacing the turbines in one of the pumps. Unfortunately, that’s all the way in the basement of the building, accessible to the steam tunnels leading under the rest of the town.
Steam heating the town. And the Feds call the Yotul primitive for using the same principles. I shake the annoyance from my mind as we descend down ladder after ladder, walking across steel catwalks over huge drops for the snowmelt that would occur after the night finished. I can see what all those waivers were about now.
From my map, we should be coming up to the pump room soon. It’s next to this… cargo… elevator… Oh for the Herd’s sake!
Sharnet huffs, panting from the humidity and heat of the underground caverns. “What puddle of Speh left that out of the official map? We could’ve been here a quarter-claw earlier!”
“Beats me, but at least we’re here,” I manage to say, leaning against the wall as it feels like I’m trying to breathe through syrup. “S-Sorry, just need to take a breather for a second. The humidity down here is really messing with me.”
“I understand,” she holds out her tail for a comfort touch, “if you think you’re about to have an attack, don’t hesitate to let me know. Your health is important.”
“Thanks,” I huff. After a few moments of slow breathing, the air managed to become a little more breathable. “Alright, I think I’m good. Are you ready to meet our next in line for Spehlicker of the Hectorotation?”
“If we’re lucky,” she replies before sliding open the doors. Four massive pumps dominate the room. They stand as long and tall as the bus we rode in on. It’s truly impressive to see the power of the planet itself being harnessed through the mechanics of these machines. But… I’m unsure about the noise. It isn’t too loud, Sharnet and I would be able to raise our voices over them without going into full on shouting, but it was a constant high volume I haven’t been around before. It feels…grating.
Thankfully, it’s obvious that we're in the correct room. One of the pumps has a series of curved pieces of metal with a pile of bolts and… a stack of impellers, if I’m remembering the word correctly, laying on the ground. Tools and spares are scattered around the area, a mug of some sort of beverage is on a nearby ledge, wisps of steam still coming from its surface. Wait…wisps of steam…
I place a paw against Sharnet’s chest, to her confusion, as I scan the room for anything out…of…the… There. In the corner, a few splotches of green on an otherwise gray surface. Imperfect camouflage, just like Tagelb had said. As I focus, I can make out an outline of a trembling person, moving in tandem with the spots. She must have heard us approach. I gesture to Sharnet in the direction and she flicks her ears affirmatively.
“You must be very skilled,” she says, staring at the splotches with an eye, “your camouflage is practically seamless.”
As I watch, the splotches increase in their trembling. A voice floats out under the hum of the pumps, barely heard by my ears. “No, no, go away, leave, this is safe, no, please leave, don’t hurt me, no.”
“We are here about Dawn Creek,” I say, “We-
The Harchen shrieks.
The gray walls reveal the colors of a Harchen in distress as she falls to the ground in sobs. It’s difficult to see anything about her, as she curls herself up and pleads. “P-Please! No! I don’t w-want to go back! Don’t m-make me go back!”
Both Sharnet and I had lightly backed away at her shriek, but now we both approached her. Her scale shifts seem almost sluggish, but they do indeed shift. It’s only once I get a better look at her face do I realize what Tagelb was talking about.
Her facial features are slightly flatter, looking almost compressed compared to that of the other two Harchens we’ve run into here. Her forehead is a bit larger than normal, and her neck is slightly shorter. In fact, she herself is shorter than average, if only by a little. Near her temples, four splotches of unchanging green remain constant despite the rest of her shifting form, each an imperfect circle of dull green.
She just keeps sobbing and pleading incoherently as we approach, not even attempting to run. It was like… it’s like she’s given up. This can’t be it, can it? I expected pathetic, but this? This is just sad to watch. But as I do indeed watch, something comes to me. This isn’t fear of getting caught, this is fear of going back.
I remember what I learned about the treatments they used, the drugs they administered, and what Sharnet had said to Tagelb. People with no disease at all. It all clicks together in an instant. This isn’t one of the heads of the Dawn Creek facility.
No.
This is an escapee.
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Hello, today I am making a thread to give everyone assets to make their own animations !
Please note that this thread might get a lot of updates, so be sure to check it often !

(1) TOOLS

A few tools can help anyone, even experts !

Better Keyframing ($7)

This tool for Unity allows you to hear music and view spectrum while animating.
[https://surfknasen.booth.pm/items/1658929 (https://surfknasen.booth.pm/items/1658929)

Dope Shader (starting at $5)

This is a Screen FX shader, allowing you to add screen-space effects like zoom, shake, overlay, etc...
https://www.patreon.com/dopestuff

Cancer Space (free)

This is another Screen FX shader, but free. It has some less effects, but still works perfectly and can mostly suit anyone !
https://github.com/AkaiMage/VRC-Cancerspace

26 PARIPI Particles (2000 JPY - 2500 JPY)

This is a pack containing preset particles from Team Party People, with or without cannons (500 JPY for the cannons)
https://booth.pm/en/items/3222994

(2) Models

Base models can be useful for non-3D artists. If you want to make animations without making an entire avatar from scratch, you might need these.

Quiche (4000 JPY)

https://booth.pm/en/items/954376

Rusk (5000 JPY)

https://booth.pm/ja/items/2559783

Nomu (free)

https://www.vrcarena.com/assets/1632340663649

(3) Musics

Musics are the core of VRChat animations. If you don't have any ideas of what to use, you can find some here !

AQUA (Team PARIPI) - HARDCORE

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6vwelFdUL14QOjYQARi71A?si=en3jQbuVRJex49S1mLb1EA

(4) Tutorials

What about some tutorials to start setting everything up ?

AQUA (Team PARIPI) - How to create a laser animation in Unity

https://youtu.be/KermpF1ViCQ

Summary: A demolition firm struggles to take down a damaged building for their mysterious clients
I Was a Foreman at the Grazer Tower Demolition
By now Grazer Tower has faded as a household name but to some the rumors and madness surrounding it refuse to die. The demolition of the massive three hundred twenty foot octagonal hotel left a gap in the Atlanta skyline but little fondness in anyone's hearts. I have no particular first hand insight into the freak lightning strikes on the 30th floor atrium which killed 13 people but I am willing to tell my side of the story about the demolition effort leading to the botched implosion. I tell this as a full, open, and honest disclosure. The legal maneuvering and ink has dried, all of the dead are buried, and all the bleeding stopped. The scars remain, the pain persists, the things I saw there are burned in my head even after they've been discredited into the conspiracy theory woodwork of the internet. The lightning storm struck on a Sunday afternoon and the next day for all we knew the bodies were still warm when a lawyer representing the owners of Grazer Tower entered our corporate office. I look back on it now with open and clear eyes and realize it was all very strange from the start when my Lead Foreman, Tom, and I were called into the meeting in progress.
The lawyer and now our client, looked like a fairly normal man in his mid thirties aside from his impeccably white suit which was ironed to the point of looking like stone rather than cloth. Beside the white suit his lips were an uncomfortable maroon and glossy. Besides this he spoke in a plain, clear, and disarming manner refraining from legalese and maintaining a firm but not imposing eye contract with whomever he was speaking directly to.
He told us in no uncertain terms he was instructed to contract with our firm to take down his client's building. Tom and I were shocked when we heard this after all, the lightning disaster, while tragic and perhaps undeservedly tarnishing in the short term to the Grazer Hotel's reputation, did not render the structure unusable nor unsafe to its surroundings. The worst damage was that the steel dome of the 30th floor atrium had collapsed into the vaulted restaurant and ballroom of the 29th floor but that's where the structure damage started and ended, in fact aside from the 28th, 29th, and 30th floor, city engineers working overnight already declared the building sound. So while perhaps still time consuming and costly, repairing the building was definitely possible and cost effective but owners, to make an analogy, were basically insisting on totaling a car after a minor parking lot fender bender. They gave us a specific date by which the building needed to be taken down. When our Boss, Jim, rebuffed the lawyer, not only because the date was challenging and soon but also because it was possible we could have it dropped BEFORE the date specified. The lawyer insisted the building go down on the date given – not later and not earlier. Jim swallowed hard and then glanced at Tom and I. Then the lawyer involved the name of the head of the owner's group, a Mr. Rohmer.
Mr. Rohmer, according to the lawyer, was offering our firm one hundred percent of the cost upfront and another twenty perfect of the total cost plus any overruns – stating if the implosion came early or late, it would mean all very little – no, that's no a typo, that's how the lawyer phrased it from his client, Mr. Rohmer. With that detail out of the way, you can see how the car totaling analogy breaks down considering the owners did not stand to profit from it's demolition – in fact quite the opposite.
The lawyer chuckled a bit to break the tension. He explained his clients and Mr. Rohmer in particular were an unorthodox bunch and then even insisted he wear the white suit in any of their dealings. The lawyer produced a tablet PC from his messenger bag and leveled it to Jim. On the tablet was all the banking confirmation codes ready to go for a direct deposit into our firms account alongside a contract. Jim seemed to hiccup or belch in excitement as he hurried around the short side of his desk to sign it since his stubby t-rex arms could not reach across his desk.
The firm was committed, we were committed – I was committed and I started to mentally cramp up over the challenges we all faced. The Grazer Hotel was in the middle of a dense urban grid. It had to be precise drop with virtually no margin for error. Jim poured us a dram of scotch from the bottle hidden under his desk. None of us a second thought about Rohmer's cryptic remark – after all, how often did you get a one hundred twenty perfect no-bid contract walk in off the street, out of the blue?
A combination of exhilaration over the money and anxiety over the work load kept us all from sleeping that night. Jim and Tom ended up going out and having a wild night to celebrate while I went home to mentally prepare not only myself but also my wife and kids. As a family they were staring down a month and a half of late nights and weekends with no dad. My wife was frustrated until I told her about the bonus and then she said she'd fill the lonely time making plans to send the kids to Disney World and then find a place for us to spend alone together. The promise of a much needed vacation after this only super charged the butterflies in my stomach further in anticipation of this challenging season ending.
As the assistant foreman I had office and on-site duties. Most of it was coordinating between the two. This included personnel, setting up site security – including guards and cameras to keep urban explorers and vagrants of out the dangerous site and satisfy OSHA hazardous work place safety requirements. The most challenging duty was site prep which included disposal of furnishings, removal of windows and other flourishes of the structure's facade which could become deadly shrapnel during an implosion. Fortunately, despite all of this, the nagging questions about permits and clean-up contracts were already handled by the lawyer. Rohmer's group also waived any rights to furnishings which means they could be unceremoniously hauled out in any way we chose to and disposed of.
Now I suppose some of these things should have came as red flags to me – or at least some one in the company but we all justified it as the group must have connects and short cuts to permits and it was a relatively new building, only about twenty years old in fact and furnishings – whether old or new probably weren't of any antique or sentimental value. All in all these were blessings since they freed our hands a bit and made a near impossible deadline more possible.
Of course the good news came with some bad news. The city engineers forbade us from working at the 28th, 29th, and 30th floors – unless we brought in a separate crew to stabilize those levels first. This was quite the fly in the ointment for the controlled implosion plan we sketched out. The 30th floor wasn't as much of a problem but the 29th floor ballroom and the weakening of the 28th floor meant we can't inspect for how compromised they were by the steel atrium dome. For all we knew if we blew the 27th floor on down the dome could shift and topple over the top three floors outside of the implosion safe zone, imperiling people and nearby structures.
I raised holy hell about it while Tom stood calm. It could take months to stabilize and clear those floors and far more money than I thought our eccentric client would pay in overruns. Jim waved me off mid sentence and simply told me he'd take care of it. That was good enough for Tom so it had to be good enough for me. I went back to my job – securing site and planning drop.
Although we had a problem with the top floor our saving grace lie in the basements. It had a three story subterranean parking garage, a basement level pool, and a utility sub-basement. We could easily smash the first ten or twelve floors into that deep footprint. Also the utility sub-basement gave us a clean cut off from the grid and a fairly convenient way to protect the surrounding grid without interruption. Still, at least part of our team would take have to take three weeks out of our six and change to handle the utilities.
The first week was hectic, they always were but we hit no major snags. By the end of it were on schedule and all of the parts were coming together. We thought maybe, just maybe, we were well on our way to an early Christmas bonus but nothing could prepare us for what was coming.
If you work on a site long enough and work anywhere on the site security reporting chain you're bound to get a few questionable reports from your night guys. Let's face it, for folks who are wake all night five or six nights a week poking around with flashlights chasing shadows, every building every where is haunted. I've been on the site security chain for thirteen years so it was easy for me to dismiss reports from the night guys about unusual glows on gutted floors and stairwells, elevators which moved on their own with no one calling for them or inside when they opened on a random floor, or the security cameras and cellphones constantly going offline on the 27th floor and the utility sub-basement.
I wasn't convinced anything of concern was going on until I got called on site by the test drilling team. This team was responsible for sampling the support materials to determine where it was best to place the explosives and what explosives would be best to use. They reported the interior supports were designed in an unusual way with a honey comb of unorthodox metals and concrete not reported on the building's records or blueprints. Specifically, they reported the concrete was impregnated by some kind of metal veins which gave off a bright shimmer. I was asked to come identify it but they claimed it disappeared by the time I arrived.
I was irate at the team and their supervisor for having me to come on down on site for something that sounded so wrong to begin with. They showed me a grainy cellphone video and told me they would swear on a stack of Bibles the sparkling compound welled up in the test coring like mercury, turned blood red and bled on the floor before disappearing into the torn up carpet. I chastised them for making this up and threatened to get new sub contractors if they kept wasting my time. I spoke with a separate sample team on the lower levels and they too discovered some unusual metal compositions – ones which were different then the ones found the top floors. One of the engineers speculated that the contrast in metals between the top and bottom floors could be cause the building to hold an electrical charge, like a battery or like a capacitor. Either way, the engineer said it would require more explosives than initially thought to take down the structure.
A couple of weeks later we were painfully behind – glass removal in particular was going slow because those contractors claimed they were constantly losing their toys. They also claimed one night to have cleared the top five floors on the east side of all their glass – only for all the windows to appear fully intact the next morning. I was forced to end their sub contract due to misrepresentation of work accomplished.
The glass wasn't the only thing slowing us down. The wire and plumbing removal was hindered by the wires somehow were fused to the pipes and in some places, the pipes were fused to the load-bearing members – we thought maybe it was due to the lightning strikes but that really didn't make sense since all of the wiring and plumbing otherwise seemed to work fine before we turned off the utilities. The only thing going for us was the helicopter loophole. Instead of accessing the 30th floor through the condemned floors we were able to get work teams on the atrium floor by helicopter. The bodies of the 13 were removed before we started working and before the atrium fully collapsed into the ballroom but the teams working on the roof reported many unusual artifacts including stained glass and Greek letters comprised of unusual amalgams of metal.
All of the strangeness culminated in the disappearance of one of the night time security guards named Phillipe. I say disappear because his girlfriend filed a missing persons report with the police and when they came to investigate Tom was busy with the atrium operations so the job fell to me. I walked the investigator through guard's smart phone filed reports from the previous evenings. Admittedly I was behind on my end approving the reports so I was embarrassed when things in the report took a turn. His reports including the same odd glows the others were reporting in the stairwells and seeing metallic veins throb on the walls.
His last reports stuck in my head: Report: Sub-basement 4 clear, 0312. Report: Sub-basement 5 clear, 0305. Report: Sub-basement 6 clear 0237.
His “all clear” reports documented levels of the building which did not exist and the further he went into the areas which did not exist, the automatic timestamps went backwards in time. It made no sense – unless he was confused as to where he was due to intoxication and there was software glitch with the timestamps. I was forced to give the investigator no firm explanation.
It's easy to write off a high security guard – they're flaky by their nature and have plenty of reasons to ghost a part time gig and even to pull prank on their final reports. I almost wrote it all off until I saw his girlfriend – apparently his fiance, handing out missing persons fliers outside of the site gate one morning. She seemed absolutely heartbroken and I got stabbed in the gut thinking maybe this wasn't a ghosting and prank after all. Seeing is believing and the next week I started to believe. Tom was finishing up on the atrium level. We used some heavy lift choppers to remove the rest of the frame and glass. Now we could get a better look into the section which collapsed into the 29th floor. We started by using a series of video drones to investigate the melted twisted dome through the collapsed roof. We quickly learned that the drones were being interfered with as their feed would cut out or their batteries would die almost immediately upon entering the ballroom.
So, we had to cut some corners, against city regulations, we let Tom and two others rappel in from the roof on secured anchored lines with helicopter over watch support. We needed to do this because we needed make sure that collapsed wreckage would not move and potentially change the implosion direction. Tom got twisted in his gear as he tried to lean into one of the holes in the roof. He slipped and fell in, disappearing from sight. We frantically radioed for Tom as the other two workers abandoned their own attempts to peer in and scrambled to Tom's aid. Tom was pulled out of the section uninjured but he appeared to be in shock, he looked wild eyed and shook as he was put on the helicopter and lowered back to ground level. Within minutes, Jim called us back to the office to discuss the near miss.
Two weeks to go and week behind, a missing guard, and now a near fatal accident. That for Jim, was the last straw. Tom and I had run out the rope Jim gave us to hang ourselves with. Jim slammed his hand on his desk as he catastrophized, red in the face, nearly breathless, he yelled we could very well kiss that twenty percent goodbye with the way things are going. He pressured Tom to go on the record after his dip into the structure that the atrium debris ball in the ballroom posed no threat to the implosion. Tom was elsewhere. He stared off in a thousand yard stare before replying to Jim that it posed no threat. Then Tom headed for the door. Jim screamed at him that he wasn't done chew us out but Tom only said he had to get back to it. I supported Tom and followed him. He and I headed back to the site to secure the night shift changes – another night not at home and having a late dinner.
I asked Tom in the car ride back what he saw in there. Tom was fixed in a trance and barely responded. He said it was wild. When we got back to the site, Tom separated from me through the gate while I strolled across the street to grab us some dinner from a street vendor. As I stood around waiting for two gyros and two cokes I could help but be mesmerized by the gutted tower. It seemed to breath in the spotlights inhaling puffs of the dust and dirt on the site and then exhaling it. A faint glow, barely perceivable against the light pollution, seemed to brighten, dim, and fade from the upper floors with each of the building's breaths. I was transfixed on it and it was the first time the building gave me an eerie feeling.
I got back on the site, food in hand, there was a buzz in their air as the night shift streamed in and the day shift streamed out. I barely had my hardhat seated corrected on my head when the site's emergency alarm blew. The interim foreman tossed me a radio as I was swept with him and our site occupational safety and emergency personnel to the basement.
Our increasingly panicked footfalls blotted out the squawk of the radios but I could hear one name again and again in the equally panicked messages – Tom Tom Tom. Whatever was happening was happening to Tom.
We reached the pool level and a trail of gasps proceeded me into the pool. There was Tom in his vest and hardhat face down in the middle of the pool with crimson oozing out him into the cerulean tiles lining the drained pool. We piled in from the ladders and shallow end to get to him. It was apparent when the first folks reached him that he was dead. They hauled him out on a stretcher and to our shock he looked like he had been dead for much longer than possible and his skin was water logged despite there being no water. He had died of fall trauma possibly despite the pool only being six feet deep. The paramedics also claimed he had water in his lungs. Then I noticed he was wearing his rappelling harness weaved in his vest – but that made no sense – he took it and his vest off when we were getting chewed out by Jim. Why would he put his rappelling gear on again.
I was the assistant foreman no more. Now the buck stopped with me. As they took Tom to the morgue we all knew the show must go on – our client demanded it, Jim demanded it and Tom would have wanted it that way. The same police investigator from the guard's disappearance met with me over Tom's death. They said it was standard procedure with work place deaths. I gave him a copy of the footage on an SD card and left the moment after it left my hand.
I had the recording queued up to the time of the commotion. The video we provided had a poor angle and was focused on the door to monitor access – the comings and goings of people. It was shift change so people were filing in and out Tom was somewhere in the crowd. The pool was one of the areas which required both foot patrols and constant video monitoring. I hit the rewind button on accident and watched his body lie there and lie there and then the timestamp sped past the 1900 hour mark. We were in traffic from meeting with Jim at that time. This was impossible but I kept my finger on the rewind button. Around 1400 the camera shakes a bit and there is slight glow reflecting on the doors so I let it play back to the shake. There is a soft green glow and then could hear a heft thud in the room. I gulped knowing that was Tom falling into the pool around the same time he fell into the hole in the roof. The soft glow turned brighter and brighter like a laser shining into the lens – something that wasn't present on the rewind. There was a flash of an incomprehensible shape or form on the screen. I was physically hurt in my eyes like I had just stared into the sun. I was left dazed with the shaped burned into my eyes with each blink. Then the camera system shorted out and a tiny puff of smoke left the memory module. The cameras blinked off wall to wall, the whole system was dead.
With the cameras fried, regulations required someone high in the company to be on site or we'd have to leave for the night. So I stayed knowing we couldn't afford to lose an hour much less an entire night. I circled the pool between approving payrolls and directing the increased security guard traffic required to monitor more areas. I was thinking about what I would say at Tom's funeral. I was thinking about Tom's family and what they would think about his apparent suicide.
I was forced to patrol the rest of the sub-basements as well since most of the guards were at the site perimeters or higher levels. I would have to follow paths of Phillipe, the disappeared guard, and all of the other guards who had mismatched timestamps on their increasingly strange reports. If not for today's incident and the recording of Tom's death, I would have stood fast to the idea that these reports were the product of night jitters and drugs but now, no.
I gritted my teeth as I exited the pool area to patrol the lower levels. I hated this building I muttered to myself. I couldn't wait to see it all rumble. I thought about which part I'd like to keep from the site to place in Tom's casket – then I realized it probably wasn't going to be an open casket funeral. I was lost in my thoughts and hatred for the building as I roamed through the parking garage into the utilities basement. I lost track of where I was as I weaved down stairwells.
I shown my flashlight on the wall and the floor level sign said “Sub-basement 999”. I stopped cold in my tracks. I was hoping it was a prank but I knew it was no prank. Then I thought maybe I'd have some answers. Maybe I would finally see what all the strangeness was about. But then I freaked out about Phillipe's disappearance and turned to run back up the stairwell. I ran up four levels to what I thought was the lobby and I pushed the door open.
My jaw hit the floor when I saw a black and white galaxy – the stars were black and the space was white with gradations of gray. The whole room was just white outer space and the whole universe swirled fast counter clockwise. I tried to breath and when I did the galaxy shrunk before my eyes until it was the size of a tiny of marble and then even smaller to a speck of dust. I reached out as it floated towards me. I stared at the speck in a cold sweat. As I stared, I was looking deeper and deeper into impossible detail. In the dust I found the milky way galaxy, I found our solar system, I found Earth and then I found North America, and then I found myself back in the pool room dripping in sweat.
Time seemed to skip and space was malleable in that hotel. As we approached the deadline to drop it, some jobs which would take hours took days and some jobs which would take days took minutes. The anomalies seemed to swarm tonight and day and yet we pressed on. Tom was buried and I couldn't go.
We met the deadline and the city came out in numbers to watch us drop the thirty floor structure. They gathered nearly two blocks away clad in ponchos and dust masks bracing for the implosion triggered by half a ton of high explosives.
I was so burned out and demoralized. My mantra became “this is for Tom, this is for Tom” and it was the only thing carrying me to this day. I chalked up all the anomalies and even my own experience on 999th sub-basement level as a reaction to shock, loss, grief, and exhaustion.
We were on the thirty minute countdown and Mr. Rohmer's attorney was designated as the trigger man. He stood there with Jim and I in the command trailer with the detonator remote. The remote triggered a two minute countdown on the charges from a master control station in my command trailer. All the charges had to be hardwired old school style because we were getting too much walkie talkie and radio interference from inside the structure for any other method of trigger to be reliable. I was too tried to make a stink about insisting I do it. I just wanted it to be over but suddenly a freak thunderstorm brewed up over the city. The skies were overcast and we were on the verge of having to abort the implosion until the next day – despite the next day being a day past the deadline. If we didn't abort and went through with the implosion, there was a strong chance the shock waves from the blast would bounce back off the lower cloud base and shatter windows and ears across the city.
I sat in my command chair at the perimeter in dismay, almost in tears as it started to rain. I felt my heart drop into the acid of my stomach as I ordered the suspension of the implosion for the day. The lawyer, surprisingly, did not resist. I watched as the crowds dispersed from the viewing lines and police started to permit traffic back through the streets surrounding the site.
Then a group of unauthorized personnel threw open the door of the trailer. They were a mass of men and women clad in pressed white suits, stoney faces with thin maroon lips, one of them carried a white covered book.
The attorney dropped his eyes and head in deference to elderly man at the head of the congregation. The attorney addressed him as Monsignor. The man introduced himself as Monsignor Rohmer and he placed his hand on his attorney, calling him a cousin of the congregation, stating there will be no postponement and no delay.
Rohmer, a man I judged to be in his late 50's or early 60's was bald and covered it with a white derby hat. He was tall, about six five, and thin, so thin his suit fit him like snake half shedding its skin. His was face long and his cheeks thin and worn like a mountain side. His voice was steady and low like waterfall. Everything he said bloomed with authority and confidence. He ordered the building would be dropped in twenty minutes.
I told him I didn't care if he was the owner, the building could not be blown in this weather and I snatched the detonator out of his attorney's hands. Rohmer, moving faster than I believed humanly possible with some kind of martial arts move swiped the detonator from my hands. Simultaneously, he had two of his followers press Jim against the wall. They put him in a sleeper hold and he slumped down to the floor barely getting a word out. Then Rohmer gestured to his flock to follow towards the building.
They left in a fast deliberate almost choreographed walk like a flock of geese flying in formation. I grabbed the radio to get police help but I realized that was hopeless. I watched as our trailer was shrouded in the same interference we experienced in the building's interior. The CCTV monitors flickered out and the radio squawked static. Then I realized Rohmer had no control over the detonation and no way to contact his followers still with us in the command trailer. So I did what I had to and pulled the master key out of the master detonator in the command trailer and chased after the flock. I needed to know what was happening I needed to see with my own eyes what all of this was all about.
The Congregation had reached the lobby and I saw the trailing end of the clad white congregate into the stairwell. I darted at my best speed to follow them.
I reached the stair well door. I found Rohmer standing on the top step, apparently waiting for me. I was out of breath while he began to speak to me in his booming voice. He explained to me that if the building did not fall in the next twenty minutes, all of Earth would be pulled, sucked, inside out and down through the building into the black and white universe. The entire building, but especially the atrium dome, he continued, was designed and built to create and then temporarily contain an impossible shape, a living form, a 4 dimensional object, a tesseract, when struck by lightning in the presence of thirteen self-sacrificial Congregate members. This shape would slowly expand and cause space and time anomalies before growing so large inside compared to its size would pull us all into place with no life.
The shape was still in the process of forming even as we spoke, he said. It would reach critical mass and dimensional contortion and the only way to stop it was to disfigure and crush it in the hotel's collapse. He led me into the pool level where his entire congregation was sitting cross-legged where Tom fell. A green pulse, like a laser, came down from the ceiling into the group's center, where their white book lay open on blank pages. I had a feeling this glow was being projected down from the ballroom where the dome of the atrium was taking its final fourth dimensional form.
After a loud chant from the white clad followers, the book slammed shut and turned from a brilliant white shimming cover to one black as night. As they passed around book, their white suits turned black and the formed a single file line. Rohmer left my side and pulled the detonator from his suit. He showed it me and tossed it at me. In my panic I reached out with both hands to catch it but I forgot I still had the master key in my sweat slick hand and it fly out and fell at the foot of Rohmer.
I asked what he planned to do with the key without a lock and a jammed detonator. Rohmer bent down and grabbed the key and looked me without a hint of concern. He took the new black book into his hands and opened it facing the wall of the pool. A new green pulse launched from the book and flickered on the tiles. An octagonal outline appeared to frame a hazy image of a tropical beach. One by one Rohmer's congregation walked into the side of the pool, into glow and seemed to arrive safely on the otherside of the beach.
Once all his compatriots were on the beach, he turned a page in the book and reopened it, projecting another octagon portal on the side of the pool. I could see his destination – it was the command trailer. He stepped through portal and yelled to me from the other side that I had two minutes. The portal sealed.
I could hear the warning sirens we installed going off above me. Needless to say, I made it out, just barely. I reached the perimeter fence screaming to anyone who was in ear shot to run away. The building imploded as planned but I was caught in the dust cloud and developed tinnitus severe enough to be comparable with combat veterans.
The shock waves from the explosions were reflected off the cloud base and channeled down the street by other skyscrapers. Virtually every window in a two block radius around the site was shattered and hundreds of people were hurt in the resulting stampede and vehicle collisions caused by fleeing from the flying glass cascade. Parts of downtown looked like a war zone for weeks afterward.
Rohmer and the rest of his group, including the lawyer, had disappeared out of the trailer in another portal leaving a suitcase of gold equaling the twenty percent promised. Our company was fined, sued, and threatened with criminal charges and eventually put of business. There wasn't much left after paying the cities fines and lawyer fees.
Though I was spared any direct sanctions, I forced into an early retirement. I've had time to research Rohmer's group. There are at least six mentions of figures like Rohmer on the deepest parts of the conspiracy web. They seem to show up at a locale experiencing paranormal activity with a white book and then leave with a black book. Their departure usually marks the end of any strangeness. I can't be sure but this congregation seems to be summon demons, which they exorcise, by trapping them in their books. Trapping maybe a poor term to use since, as in the case of the Grazer hotel encounter, they can apparently cleanse the anomalies and then use the book containing them to weaponize a portion of the traits of whatever their unholy creations posses.
I suspect Rohmer and his congregation, now with the ability to teleport, are accelerating their plans, to whatever ends these paranormal means enable them.
Theo Plesha - Sequel to "Flush" by Theo Plesha on The Chilling App