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Book Review: 36 Streets by T.R. Napper
2023.03.28 18:28 DPVaughan Book Review: 36 Streets by T.R. Napper
 | submitted by DPVaughan to DPVaughan [link] [comments] https://preview.redd.it/bhmq5dovaiqa1.jpg?width=1000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d9f9b04e8479f27021cb75124d60b3d8b63d828a Today I’ll be reviewing the 2022 cyberpunk book 36 Streets by T.R. Napper. DISCLAIMER: In the interest of full disclosure, the author of this book and I are both part of the same writer's guild, and I attended his book launch for 36 Streets last year. The author, T.R. Napper is an Australian man who's had an interesting career prior to becoming an author: he was a diplomat and aid worker who delivered humanitarian programs in Southeast Asia, East Asia and Mongolia. But specifically relevant to this book, which is set in Vietnam, he lived in Hanoi for three years. He's won several awards, has had his works published in science fiction and speculative fiction magazines and received a creative writing doctorate with the thesis: Noir, Cyberpunk and Asian Modernity, all themes explored in this book. If you'd like to know more, his website is http://nappertime.com/ . 36 Streets is the debut novel of T.R. Napper. The book is an adult cyberpunk novel set in a dystopian future where Vietnam, or the north of it at least, has fallen under Chinese military rule. The eponymous 36 Streets is another name for the Old Quarter of Hanoi, where the Chinese authorities generally stay out and allow a Vietnamese crime gang to maintain order. The story deals heavily with the concept of memory, and the reliability or otherwise of it, in a world with ubiquitous neutral interfaces and hyperrealistic virtual reality. The protagonist is Lin Thi Vun, a young woman who was born in Vietnam but grew up in Australia. Even though she speaks the language of her country of birth, her English is more natural and she doesn't trust her own Vietnamese language expertise and hasn't mastered a local accent. She feels self-conscious and like an outsider: she never felt truly Australian, but she doesn't really feel Vietnamese either. She's caught between worlds. Lin has worked her way up through the ranks of the criminal organisation that runs the 36 Streets, and spends her downtime getting drunk, high and picking up bar girls. She struggles with the murky morality of some of the jobs she has to do, not so much the breaking of kneecaps types of things, but like the job we see her doing in the opening chapter, of catching a member of the resistance against the Chinese occupation and handing him over to the Chinese authorities for the bounty which doesn't sit right with her. The main thrust of the story kicks off when Lin is tasked by her boss to act as a private investigator and meet with a wealthy foreign businessman, the Englishman Herbert Molayson, who doesn't trust the official story of what happened to his two friends and business partners: one whose death was explained away too conveniently by the authorities for him to trust, and one who's gone missing and who no one can find any trace of. Lin chasing down leads and pulling on this thread, like an old-school hard-drinking noir detective, is what gets her involved in a conspiracy involving the regime and mega-corporations, a conspiracy that even learning about can lead to deadly consequences. This book was great. Especially once the main private eye mystery arc began, I was hooked. I really can't understate how much I enjoyed the private investigation aspects of this story. I really enjoyed the pompous but shrewd Englishman Herbert Molayson who commissioned Lin to find his friend. However, I enjoyed the much rougher Hermann Hebb even more by comparison. Lin herself is an enjoyable protagonist to spend time with, although I'd be terrified to meet her in person. She's a flawed character who pushes people away and engages in self-destructive behaviour (like smoking, getting routinely blackout drunk and her addiction to the drug ice-seven), but when threatened doesn't back down or go down without a hell of a fight, even if she's outgunned. One thing I particularly enjoyed was that the first act we see her take, stunning and capturing a resistance member for a bounty, she almost completely screws up. She catches him, alright, but her nerves are on-edge because of her ice-seven addiction and instead of taking him down cleanly she misfires her stun gun and has to engage in hand-to-hand combat to get the job done, getting seriously injured in the process. Having been to Vietnam on holiday, I could almost feel and smell the air of the streets as depicted by Napper in the book. It's probably a setting that is underexplored in English-language literature, especially in the cyberpunk genre. Other things I appreciated was that Lin, quite realistically, doesn't even start the book carrying a firearm: she's dangerous enough with a knife and stun gun. The technology of the world feels very feasible, like it's just out of reach of today's technological capabilities. The depiction of cybernetics are awesome (with a lot of information given via on-retinal display, for example). Little touches in the details show that this is a future where climate change has bitten in, with frequent mentions of vat-grown beef (as opposed to from cows on farmland), faux-wood tables and flexiscreens. While the story overwhelmingly takes place within Vietnam, occasionally there are peeks and hints of just how dystopian the outside world has become: a mention of the "former" United States of America, Australia's gone full xenophobia like it's full of One Nation voters, Britain's described as "a despotic island off the coast of Europe", Pakistan appears to be a theocracy now, and so on. I haven't mentioned the virtual reality game that the investigation centres around, a re-creation of the Vietnam War from the perspective of an American soldier, and where the player always loses by being brutally killed) because that's best left to be explored in the book itself. Pulling back from the details to a more meta perspective, the chapters were refreshingly short, which gave the book a quick pace. I never realised how much I love short chapters until I read this book. There was a flashback that the author held back until its reveal was perfectly timed in the plot. The violence is gritty and visceral, and the author is not shy about killing off named characters in the most brutal ways possible. For example, there's an antagonist with a BROADSWORD who is so violent and effective that it's terrifying any time he makes an appearance. The ending of the book felt very satisfying, and Lin makes a decision I didn't expect her to at the end. Would I recommend this book? Of course! In fact, on Reddit alone I've recommended the book around 20 times. Well, once I’ve posted this review everywhere, it’ll be closer to 30 or 40 times. I recommend this book to anyone looking for any combination of the following elements:
And one final thought to leave on: As I neared the end of the book, I became painfully aware that I was going to miss Lin checking the time or reading messages via her on-retinal display when I moved onto other books. Especially given I normally read fantasy books, I knew I was really going to miss those little touches. I think that when I’m pre-emptively realising I’m going to miss an aspect of a book once I’ve finished reading it … well, that tells me I enjoyed it quite a bit. Easily one of the best books I’ve read in years. Oh, and it has a glowing endorsement from Richard Morgan (author of Altered Carbon) on the front cover, in case that’s something you might find interesting. |
2023.03.28 07:11 Blueridge9342 Attention natives: any ideas for a new location for our community? Denver is now a fascist state
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2023.03.28 03:22 kindsquash572 Heads up: Spotted on 22nd and Blake
| | submitted by kindsquash572 to Denver [link] [comments] |
2023.03.27 21:05 Wutbot1 Wutbot on "Brooklyn, Store": [r/evilbuildings] Korvette’s original Brooklyn location at 485 Fulton Street, opened in 1957 in a former Oppenheim-Collins department store. Picture from an early 1970s original slide courtesy of the Pleasant Family Shopping collection.
 | submitted by Wutbot1 to WutbotPosts [link] [comments] |
2023.03.27 09:42 Sinpleton025 [Rifts of War] - Chapter 4
13th of May, 2070
White House, Washington DC
It has been a week since the attack and president Arthur McShane is still trying to wrap his head around it. He had been elected a year ago at the age of forty-one and never expected something like this. How could he? Sure, threats existed. There is still unrest within the world and the remnants of True salvation are yet to be caught. But a portal opening to a different dimension and things only found in fantasy books coming out of them and attacking? Never in a million years.
Extradimensional threats weren't something they considered facing, but they had no choice. Right now, Arthur was in a meeting room with the secretary of defense, John O'Brian, CIA special agents Amanda Collins and Allan Kurk, and several other personnel. Amanda has prepared a presentation of everything they had learned so far.
"Before we begin.", Arthur said, "I need to know. How many have we lost?"
"Mister President we are still counting the cost.", John said, "We will know for sure-"
"Don't sugarcoat it, John. I need to know, give me an estimate."
Letting out a sigh, John replied, "There was a game in progress. And the streets were busy. We estimate the death toll to be in the thousands. California has suffered less, but an unknown amount of people have been taken captive."
"So now we have people on the other side. God knows what's happening out there. The whole world has seen what happened here. They're scared and they look to us for an answer. I got a call from the Russian president Dmitri Vukov that I should just destroy the portal. I wish I knew how. How do you propose we fix this?"
"I... I don't know, sir."
Arthur rubbed his eyes and let out a tiring sigh, "Well tell me something useful then."
To that, Amanda stood up, "Mister President, in the past seven days we have gathered a substantial amount of information regarding the rift, as the elves call it."
"Woah woah, slow down. Rift? Elves?"
"Yes, sir.", she turned the large screen on, showing the portal, "They call it the rift, a sort of portal which connects our worlds. And this is them.", the screen changes to several photos of blue-skinned people, "They call themselves the High Elves from the Empire of Light. In appearance, they are humanoid with a few distinct features such as light-blue skin and pointy ears. Apparently, they rule the world on the other side and subjugate all who oppose them."
"So why did they attack us?", asked John.
"We are still trying to figure that out.", Amanda changes the photos and shows the various other races.
"Jesus Christ, what the hell is this?", Arthur asked.
"Apart from the elves, the second largest force in their army is the dwarves. Traditionally, they are short, bulky and these have Napoleonic era weaponry, muskets, and cannons."
"I've heard reports that some members of the police force have been captured along with their weapons.", Arthur said.
"I wouldn't worry about that Mister President.", John said, "Them having muskets proves that they don't possess the technology to produce automatic firearms, which also means they don't have the tools to recreate ours."
"I guess that's reassuring.", Arthur said, "Continue Amanda."
"The third force is people who call themselves the Rosians. They are the closest natives we have to humans on the other side. Apart from their pink skin, they look nearly identical to us. They are vassals of the Empire and are forced to fight for them."
"We might be able to use that.", said John.
"Yes well, they aren't the only ones forced to fight. The other intelligent forms of life are Lepians, rabbit people, Feelians, cat people, Leonoids, lion people, and Welfen, wolf people. They were enslaved by the elves and have been forced to do menial labor and fight for them ever since. I suggest we turn them to our side first. But we won't be able to get these things on our side.". The screen flashed again and photos of grotesque creatures appeared.
"Fucking hell.", Arthur said.
"Indeed. These are known as the ferals. Very aggressive and animalistic creatures were bred by the elves and sent into battle as cannon fodder. The green ones are the orcs, the pig-looking ones are the swine and the bigger and uglier ones are the ogres and trolls. My advice is to shoot first and ask questions never. There's no peace or sense with these things."
"Noted.", Arthur said, "What of their governmental structure?"
"All of them function in an aristocratic way, the difference being that the Rosians and dwarves have kingdoms with kings while the elves function like an empire with an emperor. The current emperor is Canus Marius Agorix, the thirteenth emperor. He has full control over the entire empire and is worshiped by his subjects and soldiers like a deity. Still, there is the imperial senate with one hundred senators who can influence his decision"
"Unsurprising.", John said,
"Right. We don't have much information at the moment. Most of what we already know has been given to us by prince Bodin Zorgen of the kingdom of Alston."
"You have him?", Arthur asked.
"Yes.", Allan said, "We are keeping him in an undisclosed prison. We started interrogating him yesterday and after a single electric shock, he sang like a bee. Turns out the Rosians hate the elves, especially him."
"Care to elaborate?", Arthur asked.
"Twenty-five cycles, which is twenty-five years in their world, the Rosian kingdoms and duchies organized a full-scale revolt against the elven empire. For about three years they've been doing well, but eventually, they got beaten and beaten badly. The empire took more of their land, introduced higher taxes, and killed the kings and dukes that rebelled. The king of Alston was his grandfather and while he wasn't there he heard the story from his father and now holds a grudge against the elves."
"So why does he fight for them?", John asked.
"He said that disobeying a direct imperial order is instant death and he couldn't allow more harm to come to his home and family. Quite admirable if you ask me."
"Yes. So how did he fight?"
"The vassal Rosians gave twenty thousand men to the empire's united invasion force and he volunteered to lead them along with the Iaw, son of the duke of Zirith and a captain of the Opherin army. Law is dead and the captain escaped with a dozen captives. Still, Bodin claims he never wanted to attack us and tried his best not to kill any innocent people."
"This proves your point, John.", Arthur said, "Our enemy's ally can be our ally."
"Seems like the empire isn't as united as they claim.", John said, "What about the elves?"
"We've interrogated several.", Allen said, "One of their captains, a guy named Zorgin, but with an, 'I', was a tough nut to crack. But the rest screamed like babies after we removed a fingernail or two."
"What did you find out?", Arthur asked.
"Well, you're not gonna like it. Turns out this Empire holds more than half of their continent of North Altia."
"Are there any other continents?", Arthur asked.
"Yes, South Altia and Kaplios, but the details are unknown. North Altia is their place of origin and it's where their capital Elyana is located. The place they attacked us from is in the southeast near the border with Alston on the Galdush fields."
"What is the status of their army?", John asked.
"Their army functions similarly to how an ancient army would, mostly resembling Ancient Rome.", Amanda said, "Their army numbers a total of one million split into twenty armies of fifty thousand, each controlled by a general."
This came as a surprise. "That's a lot of people."
"It is. This isn't counting the auxiliary and the vassal kingdoms. Their numbers are unknown but seeing how strict the empire is and how much they control it is likely they have nowhere near the numbers to rival the elves, even combined."
"And their navy?", Arthur asked.
"Their navy numbers in one thousand ships of various sizes. Much like the army, it's split into ten fleets each operated by an admiral."
"I'm surprised they just told you everything. Even with torture, this is their military information."
"They don't seem to mind.", Allen said, "They say that we've only faced a fraction of their full power and soon the full might of the empire will be thrown at us. I swear, their horse is so high it might as well be a giraffe."
The people in the room chuckled at that. Clearly, these people have quite a massive superiority complex.
"How many have they sent in the invasion?", John asked.
"On the ground?", Allen replied, "About a hundred thousand. Half of those were the elf's fourth army led by general Ylindar Glynra, who is confirmed dead. By sea, they sent their seventh fleet under admiral Lothar Tanros, who is also dead. But their officers proved more than enough to learn about their structure. All in all, we destroyed five percent of all their ground forces and a tenth of their navy in one day. Something I doubt they've seen before."
"If these people are as full of themselves as you say they are then they will be back.", Arthur said, "And we have to prepare."
"Already on it Mister President.", John said, "The coast guard is patrolling the rift in the sea and the National Guard has a perimeter around the rift in Lumberton. Nothing will get in or out without us knowing."
"And the other side?"
"We've sent drones to scout the area. The air is breathable and the composition of the soil is identical to ours. No enemies have been spotted yet. There could be an enemy encampment hidden within in the vicinity but we don't know."
"So they assumed that the invasion would be a success. We'll have to act quickly before they realize otherwise. Get in touch with the army forces in and near North Carolina as well as the navy on the west coast. I want an expedition force ready as soon as possible."
"Yes, Mister President. But you should focus on-"
"I know John, I know. Addressing the nation. This is a real pain."
---
The next day
Undisclosed location
Bodin's time in the human prison wasn't bad. The bed was comfortable, the food was nice and he wasn't tortured. All he had to do was answer questions and no harm would come to him or his surviving soldiers. He was glad that at least a part of his army had survived. From what the prison keeper, or warden as he called himself, all Rosians are receiving better treatment than the elves as they chose to cooperate rather than insult. Good. Those bastards deserve that and more. If those find out that Bodin was giving information to the humans, he would be branded a traitor and killed. But it's worth it in his mind if it meant the end of the empire.
Right now he was praying to the spirits. He had heard that spirit magic doesn't work in this world but it was all he could do. Perhaps his prayers could somehow reach his world through the rift.
"Vita. Heavenly spirit of life. Grant me the strength in my heart to live on in your name, so that I may prevent the death of my people. Morto. Heavenly spirit of death. Bring destruction to my enemies, my true enemies. Pofectia. Spirit of joy. Grant me peace of mind so my heart stays true to my path and doesn't falter to fear. Negatis. Spirit of rage and hatred. Grant me the strength of a burning storm so that I may deliver punishment to those of cold hearts. Elendi. Spirit of the earth, water, and air. Watch over my people, my family, and my kingdom. Do not let them suffer a faith undeserving."
With that, he got up to his feet and as soon as he did, three knocks came from the door behind him. "Prince.", spoke the person on the other side, "It's time. You know the drill."
"I am unsure what a drill has to do with this.", Bodin said, "But I do know what to do."
The man on the other side opened two small windows in the door and Bodin let his hands out one. As the man chained his wrists and ankles he chuckled, "I'll have to teach you some slang later.". He opened the door and two guards in black armor led Bodin through the halls.
Bodin walked through these halls twice before, but they amazed them every time. They were pearl white and pristine. The prison was like a maze of identical hallways and walls. It was a miracle these people knew where to go. Clearly, this nation had builders of great magnitude. All the more reason why the invasion was a bad idea. After some time they reached a familiar door. Bodin entered and saw his interrogator, Charles Polanski. He said he was from an organization called the Central Intelligence Agency or CIA for short. The way he explained it sounded much like the Inquisition of the empire.
"Ah, prince Bodin.", Charles said, "Please take a seat. I apologize for the chains but rules are rules."
"I understand Sir Polanski. No need for apologies."
"I told you, I'm an agent, not a sir."
"Right. Forgive me."
"No worries. You've been of great help to us, prince. We appreciate that. But today is a very special and important day."
"How so, agent?"
"Because today our president is deciding what we are going to do about this rift problem."
Bodin's heart stopped for a second. This was it. This was the day the leader of the humans will decide the fate of North Altia and possibly the rest of the world.
"You do remember what a president is?", Charles asked.
"Yes. He is like your king, but he does not have full power and his decisions are put to a vote."
Charles chuckled, "Pretty good. You're a fast learner."
Bodin smiled at that, "That is what my father says as well. In truth, your world is fascinating. I wish things were not the way they are."
"We all do. You wanna watch the speech?"
At this Bodin was stunned. "H-How?"
"Do you see that thing behind me?", Charles asked pointing at the mirror behind him.
"Yes. It is reflective glass. Where I come from it is rare and expensive, but it doesn't appear to be here."
"Good. This glass also doubles as a television screen. In short, that's a machine we use to watch what happens in the world. So no matter how far away something is we can always use this to see it. Think of it as a mirror to our world."
Bodin could just stare in awe. How could such a thing exist? It must be magic. But magic doesn't exist here, so how?
"I won't go into details.", Charles said as he got up and moved his chair out of the way, "Just know we can use it to watch the speech. It's about to start.". The glass changed colors and Bodin saw people moving.
"This is Frank Jensen reporting live from Washington DC.", spoke the man in the screen glass, "Today is the day President Arthur Cole will address the nation about the incident in Lumberton and San Diego. People wonder what the president will say. Some speculate that he will declare all-out war while others hope for potential peace. In any case, we will get our answer soon enough."
Soon after a man dressed in what Bodin assumed was the noble attire of this world stepped on a podium. His stance told Bodin everything. This was their leader.
"My fellow Americans.", he spoke, immediately grabbing everyone's attention, "On May 5th of this year, a tragedy struck our nation. We have prepared ourselves against every threat, domestic and abroad, but could have never prepared for this. An enemy that does not exist in our world, but in another one, appeared in the heart of our country. They opened a gateway and struck without warning, unprovoked. They sent their soldiers and monsters and immediately started slaughtering our people all in the name of their so-called light. They call themselves the High Elves and say that they fight for their empire. They declared us savages and swore to snuff us out of existence. But the American people will not fall so easily! Even though they were late, the police forces alongside the national and coast guard drove the enemy back and prevented them from causing further destruction. But the damage has already been done and our nation has been scarred. However, we will not keel over and wait for their next assault. Instead, we will bring the fight to them. Our forces will lead an expedition and we will introduce ourselves to this empire. This act of aggression shall not go unanswered!"
The people cheered and roared in approval, as to be expected. They want justice for their people. A part of Bodin was happy, the elves will finally get what they deserve. But on the other hand, what will this mean for his people and for the other vassals? He could only hope the humans will be merciful.
"There you have it.", said Charles, "We're going to war."
"While I find all of this very impressive, I do have some advice."
"And what would that be?"
"Do not seek peace with the elves. They opened these rifts because they claim they saw a vision of their world being destroyed by your hands."
"I see. I'll let my superiors know. But as for today's topic, nations. You saw our president, the leading figure of the United States of America. That is our nation."
This revelation shocked Bodin, "You mean your world is called America, and all the nations are united?"
Charles laughed at that, "No no no. Let me show you.".The screen turned into a map of the world, "You see this. This is the United States. We are a constitutional republic made up of fifty states. But there are many more nations out there. In total, the population of our world is slightly above seven billion."
Just when Bodin thought he heard everything, this came through his ears. A world of seven billion people? And the empire went to war against it?
"Now, the United States is one of the three superpowers along with Russia and China, the two of the largest countries. Honestly, you should consider yourself lucky the rifts opened here and not there. Cause if they did you probably wouldn't be alive right now.", Charles laughed a little bit and Bodin let out a nervous chuckle, "Now. There are two large blocks in this world. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO for short, are the blue countries, and the red ones are the Eastern Powers Alliance or EPA. We are all united however in the United Nations where we decide global destinies."
"So, will NATO attack the empire then?"
"Not yet. First, we'll assess the situation for ourselves and then decide."
"I just told you! You cannot blindly go in and seek peace! They consider you as their greatest enemy!". A guard pulled him back to his chair and Charles gestured for him to back off. "I... I apologize."
"It's fine. But this is how we do things. The reason I'm not worried is that this already happened."
"It... It did?"
"Yes. One hundred and twenty-eight years ago, a nation attacked us without warning just like you did. They struck fast and hard. We lost much that day. But then they left without attacking further, thinking we would just keel over. And do you know what we did in response?"
Bodin was scared to ask, but did anyway, "What did you do?"
The screen changed again. It showed a large city with many great towers. The weather was clear and the land was peaceful. But then something dropped from the air. Some kind of large egg. And as soon as this egg hit the ground, the whole city was engulfed in a ring of fire. The towers crumbled, the people died by the thousands and afterward all that was left was a crater in the ground and a cloud in the shape of a mushroom in the sky.
Bodin shuddered to imagine something like that happening to his home city. Everyone and everything would die instantly. "W-What was that?", he asked shakily.
"That was an atomic bomb capable of destroying an entire city with everything and everyone in it. Now, do you see why we seek peace? We don't want to use this weapon, but we will if we have to. Now, let's talk more about your nations."
---
Meanwhile
DARPA research facility, Richmond, Virginia
Doctor Penelope Connors, research log 1, designation: North Altian biology. Specimens have been designated under the letter R. Begin.
Specimen R-01:High Elf. Humanoid in appearance with several distinct features. Skin color light blue, ears pointy, and hair blond or silver across all specimens. Silver hair appears to be a sign of seniority. The internal structure is remarkably similar. The heart is in the center of the chest as opposed to the left side, the liver is smaller. Blood cells are in a shade of cobalt blue. No sign of enhanced muscular or skin density. Threat level normal unless in higher numbers or in close combat. Magic is an unknown factor.
Specimen R-02:Rosian. Very much resembles a human. The only distinct feature is the pink skin. Threat level same as High Elf.
Specimen R-03:Dwarf. Body height is shorter than that of a human, an average of five feet, but has a more stocky structure. Bone and skin density is higher than a human's. Able to use Napoleonic-era weaponry. Threat level normal to high. Direct positioning should be avoided due to more advanced weapons.
Specimen R-04:Lepian. Appearance humanoid with distinct animal features of rabbits such as long ears on the top of the head, visibly different legs with denser musculature, and a tail. Hearing and running speeds are likely higher than a human's. No males were found suggesting a female-dominated group. A possible threat if not watched out for.
Specimen R-05:Feelian. Appearance humanoid with distinct animal features of cats such as cat-like ears, whiskers next to the nose, a tail, retractable claws, and cat-like eyes. Hearing, smell, and speed are likely higher than a human's. No males were found suggesting a female-dominated group. A possible threat if not watched out for.
Specimen R-06:Leanoid. Appearance humanoid with distinct animal features of lions. No females were found and a great resemblance to Feelians suggests a symbiotic relationship. Muscular density, jaw strength, reflexes, hearing, and smell are higher than a human's. A large threat in close quarters.
Specimen R-07:Welfen. Appearance humanoid with distinct animal features of wolves. Muscular density, jaw strength, reflexes, hearing, and smell are higher than a human's. A large threat in close quarters.
Specimen R-08:Ferral orc. Appearance humanoid with several distinct features. A larger frame and higher muscular and bone density, pointy ears, and green skin. Ironically more animalistic than the animal-like people with a basic level of intelligence and aggressive nature. Higher skin density requires the use of 6.8mm. A large threat in close quarters.
Specimen R-09:Swine. Appearance humanoid with distinct animal features of pigs. Height between a human and a dwarf. Feral level intelligence. A threat in close quarters.
Specimen R-10:Ogre. Appearance humanoid. A much larger frame than a human's. Feral level intelligence. Strong enough to knock over cars. Higher skin density requires the use of a larger caliber. Soldiers should be advised to aim for weak spots such as the head, chest, and joints.
Specimen R-11:Troll. Appearance humanoid. Larger frame than an ogre and greater strength with lesser speed and maneuverability. Feral level intelligence. Higher skin and muscle density require the use of larger caliber weapons and explosives. Soldiers should be advised to aim for weak spots such as the head, chest, and joints.
Specimen R-12:Wyvern. Appearance dragon-like. Measures between nine and fifteen meters in length from head to tail. Bones are hollow and have only two legs, much like birds. Teeth are sharp enough to pierce aluminum. Scales strong enough to reflect anything short of a fifty caliber, which also might not damage the denser part of the body. Soldiers were advised to carry anti-air weaponry.
Further research is required upon reaching the other side of the rift.
End of chapter 4
---
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White House, Washington DC
It has been a week since the attack and president Arthur McShane is still trying to wrap his head around it. He had been elected a year ago at the age of forty-one and never expected something like this. How could he? Sure, threats existed. There is still unrest within the world and the remnants of True salvation are yet to be caught. But a portal opening to a different dimension and things only found in fantasy books coming out of them and attacking? Never in a million years.
Extradimensional threats weren't something they considered facing, but they had no choice. Right now, Arthur was in a meeting room with the secretary of defense, John O'Brian, CIA special agents Amanda Collins and Allan Kurk, and several other personnel. Amanda has prepared a presentation of everything they had learned so far.
"Before we begin.", Arthur said, "I need to know. How many have we lost?"
"Mister President we are still counting the cost.", John said, "We will know for sure-"
"Don't sugarcoat it, John. I need to know, give me an estimate."
Letting out a sigh, John replied, "There was a game in progress. And the streets were busy. We estimate the death toll to be in the thousands. California has suffered less, but an unknown amount of people have been taken captive."
"So now we have people on the other side. God knows what's happening out there. The whole world has seen what happened here. They're scared and they look to us for an answer. I got a call from the Russian president Dmitri Vukov that I should just destroy the portal. I wish I knew how. How do you propose we fix this?"
"I... I don't know, sir."
Arthur rubbed his eyes and let out a tiring sigh, "Well tell me something useful then."
To that, Amanda stood up, "Mister President, in the past seven days we have gathered a substantial amount of information regarding the rift, as the elves call it."
"Woah woah, slow down. Rift? Elves?"
"Yes, sir.", she turned the large screen on, showing the portal, "They call it the rift, a sort of portal which connects our worlds. And this is them.", the screen changes to several photos of blue-skinned people, "They call themselves the High Elves from the Empire of Light. In appearance, they are humanoid with a few distinct features such as light-blue skin and pointy ears. Apparently, they rule the world on the other side and subjugate all who oppose them."
"So why did they attack us?", asked John.
"We are still trying to figure that out.", Amanda changes the photos and shows the various other races.
"Jesus Christ, what the hell is this?", Arthur asked.
"Apart from the elves, the second largest force in their army is the dwarves. Traditionally, they are short, bulky and these have Napoleonic era weaponry, muskets, and cannons."
"I've heard reports that some members of the police force have been captured along with their weapons.", Arthur said.
"I wouldn't worry about that Mister President.", John said, "Them having muskets proves that they don't possess the technology to produce automatic firearms, which also means they don't have the tools to recreate ours."
"I guess that's reassuring.", Arthur said, "Continue Amanda."
"The third force is people who call themselves the Rosians. They are the closest natives we have to humans on the other side. Apart from their pink skin, they look nearly identical to us. They are vassals of the Empire and are forced to fight for them."
"We might be able to use that.", said John.
"Yes well, they aren't the only ones forced to fight. The other intelligent forms of life are Lepians, rabbit people, Feelians, cat people, Leonoids, lion people, and Welfen, wolf people. They were enslaved by the elves and have been forced to do menial labor and fight for them ever since. I suggest we turn them to our side first. But we won't be able to get these things on our side.". The screen flashed again and photos of grotesque creatures appeared.
"Fucking hell.", Arthur said.
"Indeed. These are known as the ferals. Very aggressive and animalistic creatures were bred by the elves and sent into battle as cannon fodder. The green ones are the orcs, the pig-looking ones are the swine and the bigger and uglier ones are the ogres and trolls. My advice is to shoot first and ask questions never. There's no peace or sense with these things."
"Noted.", Arthur said, "What of their governmental structure?"
"All of them function in an aristocratic way, the difference being that the Rosians and dwarves have kingdoms with kings while the elves function like an empire with an emperor. The current emperor is Canus Marius Agorix, the thirteenth emperor. He has full control over the entire empire and is worshiped by his subjects and soldiers like a deity. Still, there is the imperial senate with one hundred senators who can influence his decision"
"Unsurprising.", John said,
"Right. We don't have much information at the moment. Most of what we already know has been given to us by prince Bodin Zorgen of the kingdom of Alston."
"You have him?", Arthur asked.
"Yes.", Allan said, "We are keeping him in an undisclosed prison. We started interrogating him yesterday and after a single electric shock, he sang like a bee. Turns out the Rosians hate the elves, especially him."
"Care to elaborate?", Arthur asked.
"Twenty-five cycles, which is twenty-five years in their world, the Rosian kingdoms and duchies organized a full-scale revolt against the elven empire. For about three years they've been doing well, but eventually, they got beaten and beaten badly. The empire took more of their land, introduced higher taxes, and killed the kings and dukes that rebelled. The king of Alston was his grandfather and while he wasn't there he heard the story from his father and now holds a grudge against the elves."
"So why does he fight for them?", John asked.
"He said that disobeying a direct imperial order is instant death and he couldn't allow more harm to come to his home and family. Quite admirable if you ask me."
"Yes. So how did he fight?"
"The vassal Rosians gave twenty thousand men to the empire's united invasion force and he volunteered to lead them along with the Iaw, son of the duke of Zirith and a captain of the Opherin army. Law is dead and the captain escaped with a dozen captives. Still, Bodin claims he never wanted to attack us and tried his best not to kill any innocent people."
"This proves your point, John.", Arthur said, "Our enemy's ally can be our ally."
"Seems like the empire isn't as united as they claim.", John said, "What about the elves?"
"We've interrogated several.", Allen said, "One of their captains, a guy named Zorgin, but with an, 'I', was a tough nut to crack. But the rest screamed like babies after we removed a fingernail or two."
"What did you find out?", Arthur asked.
"Well, you're not gonna like it. Turns out this Empire holds more than half of their continent of North Altia."
"Are there any other continents?", Arthur asked.
"Yes, South Altia and Kaplios, but the details are unknown. North Altia is their place of origin and it's where their capital Elyana is located. The place they attacked us from is in the southeast near the border with Alston on the Galdush fields."
"What is the status of their army?", John asked.
"Their army functions similarly to how an ancient army would, mostly resembling Ancient Rome.", Amanda said, "Their army numbers a total of one million split into twenty armies of fifty thousand, each controlled by a general."
This came as a surprise. "That's a lot of people."
"It is. This isn't counting the auxiliary and the vassal kingdoms. Their numbers are unknown but seeing how strict the empire is and how much they control it is likely they have nowhere near the numbers to rival the elves, even combined."
"And their navy?", Arthur asked.
"Their navy numbers in one thousand ships of various sizes. Much like the army, it's split into ten fleets each operated by an admiral."
"I'm surprised they just told you everything. Even with torture, this is their military information."
"They don't seem to mind.", Allen said, "They say that we've only faced a fraction of their full power and soon the full might of the empire will be thrown at us. I swear, their horse is so high it might as well be a giraffe."
The people in the room chuckled at that. Clearly, these people have quite a massive superiority complex.
"How many have they sent in the invasion?", John asked.
"On the ground?", Allen replied, "About a hundred thousand. Half of those were the elf's fourth army led by general Ylindar Glynra, who is confirmed dead. By sea, they sent their seventh fleet under admiral Lothar Tanros, who is also dead. But their officers proved more than enough to learn about their structure. All in all, we destroyed five percent of all their ground forces and a tenth of their navy in one day. Something I doubt they've seen before."
"If these people are as full of themselves as you say they are then they will be back.", Arthur said, "And we have to prepare."
"Already on it Mister President.", John said, "The coast guard is patrolling the rift in the sea and the National Guard has a perimeter around the rift in Lumberton. Nothing will get in or out without us knowing."
"And the other side?"
"We've sent drones to scout the area. The air is breathable and the composition of the soil is identical to ours. No enemies have been spotted yet. There could be an enemy encampment hidden within in the vicinity but we don't know."
"So they assumed that the invasion would be a success. We'll have to act quickly before they realize otherwise. Get in touch with the army forces in and near North Carolina as well as the navy on the west coast. I want an expedition force ready as soon as possible."
"Yes, Mister President. But you should focus on-"
"I know John, I know. Addressing the nation. This is a real pain."
---
The next day
Undisclosed location
Bodin's time in the human prison wasn't bad. The bed was comfortable, the food was nice and he wasn't tortured. All he had to do was answer questions and no harm would come to him or his surviving soldiers. He was glad that at least a part of his army had survived. From what the prison keeper, or warden as he called himself, all Rosians are receiving better treatment than the elves as they chose to cooperate rather than insult. Good. Those bastards deserve that and more. If those find out that Bodin was giving information to the humans, he would be branded a traitor and killed. But it's worth it in his mind if it meant the end of the empire.
Right now he was praying to the spirits. He had heard that spirit magic doesn't work in this world but it was all he could do. Perhaps his prayers could somehow reach his world through the rift.
"Vita. Heavenly spirit of life. Grant me the strength in my heart to live on in your name, so that I may prevent the death of my people. Morto. Heavenly spirit of death. Bring destruction to my enemies, my true enemies. Pofectia. Spirit of joy. Grant me peace of mind so my heart stays true to my path and doesn't falter to fear. Negatis. Spirit of rage and hatred. Grant me the strength of a burning storm so that I may deliver punishment to those of cold hearts. Elendi. Spirit of the earth, water, and air. Watch over my people, my family, and my kingdom. Do not let them suffer a faith undeserving."
With that, he got up to his feet and as soon as he did, three knocks came from the door behind him. "Prince.", spoke the person on the other side, "It's time. You know the drill."
"I am unsure what a drill has to do with this.", Bodin said, "But I do know what to do."
The man on the other side opened two small windows in the door and Bodin let his hands out one. As the man chained his wrists and ankles he chuckled, "I'll have to teach you some slang later.". He opened the door and two guards in black armor led Bodin through the halls.
Bodin walked through these halls twice before, but they amazed them every time. They were pearl white and pristine. The prison was like a maze of identical hallways and walls. It was a miracle these people knew where to go. Clearly, this nation had builders of great magnitude. All the more reason why the invasion was a bad idea. After some time they reached a familiar door. Bodin entered and saw his interrogator, Charles Polanski. He said he was from an organization called the Central Intelligence Agency or CIA for short. The way he explained it sounded much like the Inquisition of the empire.
"Ah, prince Bodin.", Charles said, "Please take a seat. I apologize for the chains but rules are rules."
"I understand Sir Polanski. No need for apologies."
"I told you, I'm an agent, not a sir."
"Right. Forgive me."
"No worries. You've been of great help to us, prince. We appreciate that. But today is a very special and important day."
"How so, agent?"
"Because today our president is deciding what we are going to do about this rift problem."
Bodin's heart stopped for a second. This was it. This was the day the leader of the humans will decide the fate of North Altia and possibly the rest of the world.
"You do remember what a president is?", Charles asked.
"Yes. He is like your king, but he does not have full power and his decisions are put to a vote."
Charles chuckled, "Pretty good. You're a fast learner."
Bodin smiled at that, "That is what my father says as well. In truth, your world is fascinating. I wish things were not the way they are."
"We all do. You wanna watch the speech?"
At this Bodin was stunned. "H-How?"
"Do you see that thing behind me?", Charles asked pointing at the mirror behind him.
"Yes. It is reflective glass. Where I come from it is rare and expensive, but it doesn't appear to be here."
"Good. This glass also doubles as a television screen. In short, that's a machine we use to watch what happens in the world. So no matter how far away something is we can always use this to see it. Think of it as a mirror to our world."
Bodin could just stare in awe. How could such a thing exist? It must be magic. But magic doesn't exist here, so how?
"I won't go into details.", Charles said as he got up and moved his chair out of the way, "Just know we can use it to watch the speech. It's about to start.". The glass changed colors and Bodin saw people moving.
"This is Frank Jensen reporting live from Washington DC.", spoke the man in the screen glass, "Today is the day President Arthur Cole will address the nation about the incident in Lumberton and San Diego. People wonder what the president will say. Some speculate that he will declare all-out war while others hope for potential peace. In any case, we will get our answer soon enough."
Soon after a man dressed in what Bodin assumed was the noble attire of this world stepped on a podium. His stance told Bodin everything. This was their leader.
"My fellow Americans.", he spoke, immediately grabbing everyone's attention, "On May 5th of this year, a tragedy struck our nation. We have prepared ourselves against every threat, domestic and abroad, but could have never prepared for this. An enemy that does not exist in our world, but in another one, appeared in the heart of our country. They opened a gateway and struck without warning, unprovoked. They sent their soldiers and monsters and immediately started slaughtering our people all in the name of their so-called light. They call themselves the High Elves and say that they fight for their empire. They declared us savages and swore to snuff us out of existence. But the American people will not fall so easily! Even though they were late, the police forces alongside the national and coast guard drove the enemy back and prevented them from causing further destruction. But the damage has already been done and our nation has been scarred. However, we will not keel over and wait for their next assault. Instead, we will bring the fight to them. Our forces will lead an expedition and we will introduce ourselves to this empire. This act of aggression shall not go unanswered!"
The people cheered and roared in approval, as to be expected. They want justice for their people. A part of Bodin was happy, the elves will finally get what they deserve. But on the other hand, what will this mean for his people and for the other vassals? He could only hope the humans will be merciful.
"There you have it.", said Charles, "We're going to war."
"While I find all of this very impressive, I do have some advice."
"And what would that be?"
"Do not seek peace with the elves. They opened these rifts because they claim they saw a vision of their world being destroyed by your hands."
"I see. I'll let my superiors know. But as for today's topic, nations. You saw our president, the leading figure of the United States of America. That is our nation."
This revelation shocked Bodin, "You mean your world is called America, and all the nations are united?"
Charles laughed at that, "No no no. Let me show you.".The screen turned into a map of the world, "You see this. This is the United States. We are a constitutional republic made up of fifty states. But there are many more nations out there. In total, the population of our world is slightly above seven billion."
Just when Bodin thought he heard everything, this came through his ears. A world of seven billion people? And the empire went to war against it?
"Now, the United States is one of the three superpowers along with Russia and China, the two of the largest countries. Honestly, you should consider yourself lucky the rifts opened here and not there. Cause if they did you probably wouldn't be alive right now.", Charles laughed a little bit and Bodin let out a nervous chuckle, "Now. There are two large blocks in this world. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO for short, are the blue countries, and the red ones are the Eastern Powers Alliance or EPA. We are all united however in the United Nations where we decide global destinies."
"So, will NATO attack the empire then?"
"Not yet. First, we'll assess the situation for ourselves and then decide."
"I just told you! You cannot blindly go in and seek peace! They consider you as their greatest enemy!". A guard pulled him back to his chair and Charles gestured for him to back off. "I... I apologize."
"It's fine. But this is how we do things. The reason I'm not worried is that this already happened."
"It... It did?"
"Yes. One hundred and twenty-eight years ago, a nation attacked us without warning just like you did. They struck fast and hard. We lost much that day. But then they left without attacking further, thinking we would just keel over. And do you know what we did in response?"
Bodin was scared to ask, but did anyway, "What did you do?"
The screen changed again. It showed a large city with many great towers. The weather was clear and the land was peaceful. But then something dropped from the air. Some kind of large egg. And as soon as this egg hit the ground, the whole city was engulfed in a ring of fire. The towers crumbled, the people died by the thousands and afterward all that was left was a crater in the ground and a cloud in the shape of a mushroom in the sky.
Bodin shuddered to imagine something like that happening to his home city. Everyone and everything would die instantly. "W-What was that?", he asked shakily.
"That was an atomic bomb capable of destroying an entire city with everything and everyone in it. Now, do you see why we seek peace? We don't want to use this weapon, but we will if we have to. Now, let's talk more about your nations."
---
Meanwhile
DARPA research facility, Richmond, Virginia
Doctor Penelope Connors, research log 1, designation: North Altian biology. Specimens have been designated under the letter R. Begin.
Specimen R-01:High Elf. Humanoid in appearance with several distinct features. Skin color light blue, ears pointy, and hair blond or silver across all specimens. Silver hair appears to be a sign of seniority. The internal structure is remarkably similar. The heart is in the center of the chest as opposed to the left side, the liver is smaller. Blood cells are in a shade of cobalt blue. No sign of enhanced muscular or skin density. Threat level normal unless in higher numbers or in close combat. Magic is an unknown factor.
Specimen R-02:Rosian. Very much resembles a human. The only distinct feature is the pink skin. Threat level same as High Elf.
Specimen R-03:Dwarf. Body height is shorter than that of a human, an average of five feet, but has a more stocky structure. Bone and skin density is higher than a human's. Able to use Napoleonic-era weaponry. Threat level normal to high. Direct positioning should be avoided due to more advanced weapons.
Specimen R-04:Lepian. Appearance humanoid with distinct animal features of rabbits such as long ears on the top of the head, visibly different legs with denser musculature, and a tail. Hearing and running speeds are likely higher than a human's. No males were found suggesting a female-dominated group. A possible threat if not watched out for.
Specimen R-05:Feelian. Appearance humanoid with distinct animal features of cats such as cat-like ears, whiskers next to the nose, a tail, retractable claws, and cat-like eyes. Hearing, smell, and speed are likely higher than a human's. No males were found suggesting a female-dominated group. A possible threat if not watched out for.
Specimen R-06:Leanoid. Appearance humanoid with distinct animal features of lions. No females were found and a great resemblance to Feelians suggests a symbiotic relationship. Muscular density, jaw strength, reflexes, hearing, and smell are higher than a human's. A large threat in close quarters.
Specimen R-07:Welfen. Appearance humanoid with distinct animal features of wolves. Muscular density, jaw strength, reflexes, hearing, and smell are higher than a human's. A large threat in close quarters.
Specimen R-08:Ferral orc. Appearance humanoid with several distinct features. A larger frame and higher muscular and bone density, pointy ears, and green skin. Ironically more animalistic than the animal-like people with a basic level of intelligence and aggressive nature. Higher skin density requires the use of 6.8mm. A large threat in close quarters.
Specimen R-09:Swine. Appearance humanoid with distinct animal features of pigs. Height between a human and a dwarf. Feral level intelligence. A threat in close quarters.
Specimen R-10:Ogre. Appearance humanoid. A much larger frame than a human's. Feral level intelligence. Strong enough to knock over cars. Higher skin density requires the use of a larger caliber. Soldiers should be advised to aim for weak spots such as the head, chest, and joints.
Specimen R-11:Troll. Appearance humanoid. Larger frame than an ogre and greater strength with lesser speed and maneuverability. Feral level intelligence. Higher skin and muscle density require the use of larger caliber weapons and explosives. Soldiers should be advised to aim for weak spots such as the head, chest, and joints.
Specimen R-12:Wyvern. Appearance dragon-like. Measures between nine and fifteen meters in length from head to tail. Bones are hollow and have only two legs, much like birds. Teeth are sharp enough to pierce aluminum. Scales strong enough to reflect anything short of a fifty caliber, which also might not damage the denser part of the body. Soldiers were advised to carry anti-air weaponry.
Further research is required upon reaching the other side of the rift.
End of chapter 4
---
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2023.03.27 09:31 Sinpleton025 Rifts of War - Chapter 4
13th of May, 2070
White House, Washington DC
It has been a week since the attack and president Arthur McShane is still trying to wrap his head around it. He had been elected a year ago at the age of forty-one and never expected something like this. How could he? Sure, threats existed. There is still unrest within the world and the remnants of True salvation are yet to be caught. But a portal opening to a different dimension and things only found in fantasy books coming out of them and attacking? Never in a million years.
Extradimensional threats weren't something they considered facing, but they had no choice. Right now, Arthur was in a meeting room with the secretary of defense, John O'Brian, CIA special agents Amanda Collins and Allan Kurk, and several other personnel. Amanda has prepared a presentation of everything they had learned so far.
"Before we begin.", Arthur said, "I need to know. How many have we lost?"
"Mister President we are still counting the cost.", John said, "We will know for sure-"
"Don't sugarcoat it, John. I need to know, give me an estimate."
Letting out a sigh, John replied, "There was a game in progress. And the streets were busy. We estimate the death toll to be in the thousands. California has suffered less, but an unknown amount of people have been taken captive."
"So now we have people on the other side. God knows what's happening out there. The whole world has seen what happened here. They're scared and they look to us for an answer. I got a call from the Russian president Dmitri Vukov that I should just destroy the portal. I wish I knew how. How do you propose we fix this?"
"I... I don't know, sir."
Arthur rubbed his eyes and let out a tiring sigh, "Well tell me something useful then."
To that, Amanda stood up, "Mister President, in the past seven days we have gathered a substantial amount of information regarding the rift, as the elves call it."
"Woah woah, slow down. Rift? Elves?"
"Yes, sir.", she turned the large screen on, showing the portal, "They call it the rift, a sort of portal which connects our worlds. And this is them.", the screen changes to several photos of blue-skinned people, "They call themselves the High Elves from the Empire of Light. In appearance, they are humanoid with a few distinct features such as light-blue skin and pointy ears. Apparently, they rule the world on the other side and subjugate all who oppose them."
"So why did they attack us?", asked John.
"We are still trying to figure that out.", Amanda changes the photos and shows the various other races.
"Jesus Christ, what the hell is this?", Arthur asked.
"Apart from the elves, the second largest force in their army is the dwarves. Traditionally, they are short, bulky and these have Napoleonic era weaponry, muskets, and cannons."
"I've heard reports that some members of the police force have been captured along with their weapons.", Arthur said.
"I wouldn't worry about that Mister President.", John said, "Them having muskets proves that they don't possess the technology to produce automatic firearms, which also means they don't have the tools to recreate ours."
"I guess that's reassuring.", Arthur said, "Continue Amanda."
"The third force is people who call themselves the Rosians. They are the closest natives we have to humans on the other side. Apart from their pink skin, they look nearly identical to us. They are vassals of the Empire and are forced to fight for them."
"We might be able to use that.", said John.
"Yes well, they aren't the only ones forced to fight. The other intelligent forms of life are Lepians, rabbit people, Feelians, cat people, Leonoids, lion people, and Welfen, wolf people. They were enslaved by the elves and have been forced to do menial labor and fight for them ever since. I suggest we turn them to our side first. But we won't be able to get these things on our side.". The screen flashed again and photos of grotesque creatures appeared.
"Fucking hell.", Arthur said.
"Indeed. These are known as the ferals. Very aggressive and animalistic creatures were bred by the elves and sent into battle as cannon fodder. The green ones are the orcs, the pig-looking ones are the swine and the bigger and uglier ones are the ogres and trolls. My advice is to shoot first and ask questions never. There's no peace or sense with these things."
"Noted.", Arthur said, "What of their governmental structure?"
"All of them function in an aristocratic way, the difference being that the Rosians and dwarves have kingdoms with kings while the elves function like an empire with an emperor. The current emperor is Canus Marius Agorix, the thirteenth emperor. He has full control over the entire empire and is worshiped by his subjects and soldiers like a deity. Still, there is the imperial senate with one hundred senators who can influence his decision"
"Unsurprising.", John said,
"Right. We don't have much information at the moment. Most of what we already know has been given to us by prince Bodin Zorgen of the kingdom of Alston."
"You have him?", Arthur asked.
"Yes.", Allan said, "We are keeping him in an undisclosed prison. We started interrogating him yesterday and after a single electric shock, he sang like a bee. Turns out the Rosians hate the elves, especially him."
"Care to elaborate?", Arthur asked.
"Twenty-five cycles, which is twenty-five years in their world, the Rosian kingdoms and duchies organized a full-scale revolt against the elven empire. For about three years they've been doing well, but eventually, they got beaten and beaten badly. The empire took more of their land, introduced higher taxes, and killed the kings and dukes that rebelled. The king of Alston was his grandfather and while he wasn't there he heard the story from his father and now holds a grudge against the elves."
"So why does he fight for them?", John asked.
"He said that disobeying a direct imperial order is instant death and he couldn't allow more harm to come to his home and family. Quite admirable if you ask me."
"Yes. So how did he fight?"
"The vassal Rosians gave twenty thousand men to the empire's united invasion force and he volunteered to lead them along with the Iaw, son of the duke of Zirith and a captain of the Opherin army. Law is dead and the captain escaped with a dozen captives. Still, Bodin claims he never wanted to attack us and tried his best not to kill any innocent people."
"This proves your point, John.", Arthur said, "Our enemy's ally can be our ally."
"Seems like the empire isn't as united as they claim.", John said, "What about the elves?"
"We've interrogated several.", Allen said, "One of their captains, a guy named Zorgin, but with an, 'I', was a tough nut to crack. But the rest screamed like babies after we removed a fingernail or two."
"What did you find out?", Arthur asked.
"Well, you're not gonna like it. Turns out this Empire holds more than half of their continent of North Altia."
"Are there any other continents?", Arthur asked.
"Yes, South Altia and Kaplios, but the details are unknown. North Altia is their place of origin and it's where their capital Elyana is located. The place they attacked us from is in the southeast near the border with Alston on the Galdush fields."
"What is the status of their army?", John asked.
"Their army functions similarly to how an ancient army would, mostly resembling Ancient Rome.", Amanda said, "Their army numbers a total of one million split into twenty armies of fifty thousand, each controlled by a general."
This came as a surprise. "That's a lot of people."
"It is. This isn't counting the auxiliary and the vassal kingdoms. Their numbers are unknown but seeing how strict the empire is and how much they control it is likely they have nowhere near the numbers to rival the elves, even combined."
"And their navy?", Arthur asked.
"Their navy numbers in one thousand ships of various sizes. Much like the army, it's split into ten fleets each operated by an admiral."
"I'm surprised they just told you everything. Even with torture, this is their military information."
"They don't seem to mind.", Allen said, "They say that we've only faced a fraction of their full power and soon the full might of the empire will be thrown at us. I swear, their horse is so high it might as well be a giraffe."
The people in the room chuckled at that. Clearly, these people have quite a massive superiority complex.
"How many have they sent in the invasion?", John asked.
"On the ground?", Allen replied, "About a hundred thousand. Half of those were the elf's fourth army led by general Ylindar Glynra, who is confirmed dead. By sea, they sent their seventh fleet under admiral Lothar Tanros, who is also dead. But their officers proved more than enough to learn about their structure. All in all, we destroyed five percent of all their ground forces and a tenth of their navy in one day. Something I doubt they've seen before."
"If these people are as full of themselves as you say they are then they will be back.", Arthur said, "And we have to prepare."
"Already on it Mister President.", John said, "The coast guard is patrolling the rift in the sea and the National Guard has a perimeter around the rift in Lumberton. Nothing will get in or out without us knowing."
"And the other side?"
"We've sent drones to scout the area. The air is breathable and the composition of the soil is identical to ours. No enemies have been spotted yet. There could be an enemy encampment hidden within in the vicinity but we don't know."
"So they assumed that the invasion would be a success. We'll have to act quickly before they realize otherwise. Get in touch with the army forces in and near North Carolina as well as the navy on the west coast. I want an expedition force ready as soon as possible."
"Yes, Mister President. But you should focus on-"
"I know John, I know. Addressing the nation. This is a real pain."
---
The next day
Undisclosed location
Bodin's time in the human prison wasn't bad. The bed was comfortable, the food was nice and he wasn't tortured. All he had to do was answer questions and no harm would come to him or his surviving soldiers. He was glad that at least a part of his army had survived. From what the prison keeper, or warden as he called himself, all Rosians are receiving better treatment than the elves as they chose to cooperate rather than insult. Good. Those bastards deserve that and more. If those find out that Bodin was giving information to the humans, he would be branded a traitor and killed. But it's worth it in his mind if it meant the end of the empire.
Right now he was praying to the spirits. He had heard that spirit magic doesn't work in this world but it was all he could do. Perhaps his prayers could somehow reach his world through the rift.
"Vita. Heavenly spirit of life. Grant me the strength in my heart to live on in your name, so that I may prevent the death of my people. Morto. Heavenly spirit of death. Bring destruction to my enemies, my true enemies. Pofectia. Spirit of joy. Grant me peace of mind so my heart stays true to my path and doesn't falter to fear. Negatis. Spirit of rage and hatred. Grant me the strength of a burning storm so that I may deliver punishment to those of cold hearts. Elendi. Spirit of the earth, water, and air. Watch over my people, my family, and my kingdom. Do not let them suffer a faith undeserving."
With that, he got up to his feet and as soon as he did, three knocks came from the door behind him. "Prince.", spoke the person on the other side, "It's time. You know the drill."
"I am unsure what a drill has to do with this.", Bodin said, "But I do know what to do."
The man on the other side opened two small windows in the door and Bodin let his hands out one. As the man chained his wrists and ankles he chuckled, "I'll have to teach you some slang later.". He opened the door and two guards in black armor led Bodin through the halls.
Bodin walked through these halls twice before, but they amazed them every time. They were pearl white and pristine. The prison was like a maze of identical hallways and walls. It was a miracle these people knew where to go. Clearly, this nation had builders of great magnitude. All the more reason why the invasion was a bad idea. After some time they reached a familiar door. Bodin entered and saw his interrogator, Charles Polanski. He said he was from an organization called the Central Intelligence Agency or CIA for short. The way he explained it sounded much like the Inquisition of the empire.
"Ah, prince Bodin.", Charles said, "Please take a seat. I apologize for the chains but rules are rules."
"I understand Sir Polanski. No need for apologies."
"I told you, I'm an agent, not a sir."
"Right. Forgive me."
"No worries. You've been of great help to us, prince. We appreciate that. But today is a very special and important day."
"How so, agent?"
"Because today our president is deciding what we are going to do about this rift problem."
Bodin's heart stopped for a second. This was it. This was the day the leader of the humans will decide the fate of North Altia and possibly the rest of the world.
"You do remember what a president is?", Charles asked.
"Yes. He is like your king, but he does not have full power and his decisions are put to a vote."
Charles chuckled, "Pretty good. You're a fast learner."
Bodin smiled at that, "That is what my father says as well. In truth, your world is fascinating. I wish things were not the way they are."
"We all do. You wanna watch the speech?"
At this Bodin was stunned. "H-How?"
"Do you see that thing behind me?", Charles asked pointing at the mirror behind him.
"Yes. It is reflective glass. Where I come from it is rare and expensive, but it doesn't appear to be here."
"Good. This glass also doubles as a television screen. In short, that's a machine we use to watch what happens in the world. So no matter how far away something is we can always use this to see it. Think of it as a mirror to our world."
Bodin could just stare in awe. How could such a thing exist? It must be magic. But magic doesn't exist here, so how?
"I won't go into details.", Charles said as he got up and moved his chair out of the way, "Just know we can use it to watch the speech. It's about to start.". The glass changed colors and Bodin saw people moving.
"This is Frank Jensen reporting live from Washington DC.", spoke the man in the screen glass, "Today is the day President Arthur Cole will address the nation about the incident in Lumberton and San Diego. People wonder what the president will say. Some speculate that he will declare all-out war while others hope for potential peace. In any case, we will get our answer soon enough."
Soon after a man dressed in what Bodin assumed was the noble attire of this world stepped on a podium. His stance told Bodin everything. This was their leader.
"My fellow Americans.", he spoke, immediately grabbing everyone's attention, "On May 5th of this year, a tragedy struck our nation. We have prepared ourselves against every threat, domestic and abroad, but could have never prepared for this. An enemy that does not exist in our world, but in another one, appeared in the heart of our country. They opened a gateway and struck without warning, unprovoked. They sent their soldiers and monsters and immediately started slaughtering our people all in the name of their so-called light. They call themselves the High Elves and say that they fight for their empire. They declared us savages and swore to snuff us out of existence. But the American people will not fall so easily! Even though they were late, the police forces alongside the national and coast guard drove the enemy back and prevented them from causing further destruction. But the damage has already been done and our nation has been scarred. However, we will not keel over and wait for their next assault. Instead, we will bring the fight to them. Our forces will lead an expedition and we will introduce ourselves to this empire. This act of aggression shall not go unanswered!"
The people cheered and roared in approval, as to be expected. They want justice for their people. A part of Bodin was happy, the elves will finally get what they deserve. But on the other hand, what will this mean for his people and for the other vassals? He could only hope the humans will be merciful.
"There you have it.", said Charles, "We're going to war."
"While I find all of this very impressive, I do have some advice."
"And what would that be?"
"Do not seek peace with the elves. They opened these rifts because they claim they saw a vision of their world being destroyed by your hands."
"I see. I'll let my superiors know. But as for today's topic, nations. You saw our president, the leading figure of the United States of America. That is our nation."
This revelation shocked Bodin, "You mean your world is called America, and all the nations are united?"
Charles laughed at that, "No no no. Let me show you.".The screen turned into a map of the world, "You see this. This is the United States. We are a constitutional republic made up of fifty states. But there are many more nations out there. In total, the population of our world is slightly above seven billion."
Just when Bodin thought he heard everything, this came through his ears. A world of seven billion people? And the empire went to war against it?
"Now, the United States is one of the three superpowers along with Russia and China, the two of the largest countries. Honestly, you should consider yourself lucky the rifts opened here and not there. Cause if they did you probably wouldn't be alive right now.", Charles laughed a little bit and Bodin let out a nervous chuckle, "Now. There are two large blocks in this world. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO for short, are the blue countries, and the red ones are the Eastern Powers Alliance or EPA. We are all united however in the United Nations where we decide global destinies."
"So, will NATO attack the empire then?"
"Not yet. First, we'll assess the situation for ourselves and then decide."
"I just told you! You cannot blindly go in and seek peace! They consider you as their greatest enemy!". A guard pulled him back to his chair and Charles gestured for him to back off. "I... I apologize."
"It's fine. But this is how we do things. The reason I'm not worried is that this already happened."
"It... It did?"
"Yes. One hundred and twenty-eight years ago, a nation attacked us without warning just like you did. They struck fast and hard. We lost much that day. But then they left without attacking further, thinking we would just keel over. And do you know what we did in response?"
Bodin was scared to ask, but did anyway, "What did you do?"
The screen changed again. It showed a large city with many great towers. The weather was clear and the land was peaceful. But then something dropped from the air. Some kind of large egg. And as soon as this egg hit the ground, the whole city was engulfed in a ring of fire. The towers crumbled, the people died by the thousands and afterward all that was left was a crater in the ground and a cloud in the shape of a mushroom in the sky.
Bodin shuddered to imagine something like that happening to his home city. Everyone and everything would die instantly. "W-What was that?", he asked shakily.
"That was an atomic bomb capable of destroying an entire city with everything and everyone in it. Now, do you see why we seek peace? We don't want to use this weapon, but we will if we have to. Now, let's talk more about your nations."
---
Meanwhile
DARPA research facility, Richmond, Virginia
Doctor Penelope Connors, research log 1, designation: North Altian biology. Specimens have been designated under the letter R. Begin.
Specimen R-01:High Elf. Humanoid in appearance with several distinct features. Skin color light blue, ears pointy, and hair blond or silver across all specimens. Silver hair appears to be a sign of seniority. The internal structure is remarkably similar. The heart is in the center of the chest as opposed to the left side, the liver is smaller. Blood cells are in a shade of cobalt blue. No sign of enhanced muscular or skin density. Threat level normal unless in higher numbers or in close combat. Magic is an unknown factor.
Specimen R-02:Rosian. Very much resembles a human. The only distinct feature is the pink skin. Threat level same as High Elf.
Specimen R-03:Dwarf. Body height is shorter than that of a human, an average of five feet, but has a more stocky structure. Bone and skin density is higher than a human's. Able to use Napoleonic-era weaponry. Threat level normal to high. Direct positioning should be avoided due to more advanced weapons.
Specimen R-04:Lepian. Appearance humanoid with distinct animal features of rabbits such as long ears on the top of the head, visibly different legs with denser musculature, and a tail. Hearing and running speeds are likely higher than a human's. No males were found suggesting a female-dominated group. A possible threat if not watched out for.
Specimen R-05:Feelian. Appearance humanoid with distinct animal features of cats such as cat-like ears, whiskers next to the nose, a tail, retractable claws, and cat-like eyes. Hearing, smell, and speed are likely higher than a human's. No males were found suggesting a female-dominated group. A possible threat if not watched out for.
Specimen R-06:Leanoid. Appearance humanoid with distinct animal features of lions. No females were found and a great resemblance to Feelians suggests a symbiotic relationship. Muscular density, jaw strength, reflexes, hearing, and smell are higher than a human's. A large threat in close quarters.
Specimen R-07:Welfen. Appearance humanoid with distinct animal features of wolves. Muscular density, jaw strength, reflexes, hearing, and smell are higher than a human's. A large threat in close quarters.
Specimen R-08:Ferral orc. Appearance humanoid with several distinct features. A larger frame and higher muscular and bone density, pointy ears, and green skin. Ironically more animalistic than the animal-like people with a basic level of intelligence and aggressive nature. Higher skin density requires the use of 6.8mm. A large threat in close quarters.
Specimen R-09:Swine. Appearance humanoid with distinct animal features of pigs. Height between a human and a dwarf. Feral level intelligence. A threat in close quarters.
Specimen R-10:Ogre. Appearance humanoid. A much larger frame than a human's. Feral level intelligence. Strong enough to knock over cars. Higher skin density requires the use of a larger caliber. Soldiers should be advised to aim for weak spots such as the head, chest, and joints.
Specimen R-11:Troll. Appearance humanoid. Larger frame than an ogre and greater strength with lesser speed and maneuverability. Feral level intelligence. Higher skin and muscle density require the use of larger caliber weapons and explosives. Soldiers should be advised to aim for weak spots such as the head, chest, and joints.
Specimen R-12:Wyvern. Appearance dragon-like. Measures between nine and fifteen meters in length from head to tail. Bones are hollow and have only two legs, much like birds. Teeth are sharp enough to pierce aluminum. Scales strong enough to reflect anything short of a fifty caliber, which also might not damage the denser part of the body. Soldiers were advised to carry anti-air weaponry.
Further research is required upon reaching the other side of the rift.
End of chapter 4
---
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White House, Washington DC
It has been a week since the attack and president Arthur McShane is still trying to wrap his head around it. He had been elected a year ago at the age of forty-one and never expected something like this. How could he? Sure, threats existed. There is still unrest within the world and the remnants of True salvation are yet to be caught. But a portal opening to a different dimension and things only found in fantasy books coming out of them and attacking? Never in a million years.
Extradimensional threats weren't something they considered facing, but they had no choice. Right now, Arthur was in a meeting room with the secretary of defense, John O'Brian, CIA special agents Amanda Collins and Allan Kurk, and several other personnel. Amanda has prepared a presentation of everything they had learned so far.
"Before we begin.", Arthur said, "I need to know. How many have we lost?"
"Mister President we are still counting the cost.", John said, "We will know for sure-"
"Don't sugarcoat it, John. I need to know, give me an estimate."
Letting out a sigh, John replied, "There was a game in progress. And the streets were busy. We estimate the death toll to be in the thousands. California has suffered less, but an unknown amount of people have been taken captive."
"So now we have people on the other side. God knows what's happening out there. The whole world has seen what happened here. They're scared and they look to us for an answer. I got a call from the Russian president Dmitri Vukov that I should just destroy the portal. I wish I knew how. How do you propose we fix this?"
"I... I don't know, sir."
Arthur rubbed his eyes and let out a tiring sigh, "Well tell me something useful then."
To that, Amanda stood up, "Mister President, in the past seven days we have gathered a substantial amount of information regarding the rift, as the elves call it."
"Woah woah, slow down. Rift? Elves?"
"Yes, sir.", she turned the large screen on, showing the portal, "They call it the rift, a sort of portal which connects our worlds. And this is them.", the screen changes to several photos of blue-skinned people, "They call themselves the High Elves from the Empire of Light. In appearance, they are humanoid with a few distinct features such as light-blue skin and pointy ears. Apparently, they rule the world on the other side and subjugate all who oppose them."
"So why did they attack us?", asked John.
"We are still trying to figure that out.", Amanda changes the photos and shows the various other races.
"Jesus Christ, what the hell is this?", Arthur asked.
"Apart from the elves, the second largest force in their army is the dwarves. Traditionally, they are short, bulky and these have Napoleonic era weaponry, muskets, and cannons."
"I've heard reports that some members of the police force have been captured along with their weapons.", Arthur said.
"I wouldn't worry about that Mister President.", John said, "Them having muskets proves that they don't possess the technology to produce automatic firearms, which also means they don't have the tools to recreate ours."
"I guess that's reassuring.", Arthur said, "Continue Amanda."
"The third force is people who call themselves the Rosians. They are the closest natives we have to humans on the other side. Apart from their pink skin, they look nearly identical to us. They are vassals of the Empire and are forced to fight for them."
"We might be able to use that.", said John.
"Yes well, they aren't the only ones forced to fight. The other intelligent forms of life are Lepians, rabbit people, Feelians, cat people, Leonoids, lion people, and Welfen, wolf people. They were enslaved by the elves and have been forced to do menial labor and fight for them ever since. I suggest we turn them to our side first. But we won't be able to get these things on our side.". The screen flashed again and photos of grotesque creatures appeared.
"Fucking hell.", Arthur said.
"Indeed. These are known as the ferals. Very aggressive and animalistic creatures were bred by the elves and sent into battle as cannon fodder. The green ones are the orcs, the pig-looking ones are the swine and the bigger and uglier ones are the ogres and trolls. My advice is to shoot first and ask questions never. There's no peace or sense with these things."
"Noted.", Arthur said, "What of their governmental structure?"
"All of them function in an aristocratic way, the difference being that the Rosians and dwarves have kingdoms with kings while the elves function like an empire with an emperor. The current emperor is Canus Marius Agorix, the thirteenth emperor. He has full control over the entire empire and is worshiped by his subjects and soldiers like a deity. Still, there is the imperial senate with one hundred senators who can influence his decision"
"Unsurprising.", John said,
"Right. We don't have much information at the moment. Most of what we already know has been given to us by prince Bodin Zorgen of the kingdom of Alston."
"You have him?", Arthur asked.
"Yes.", Allan said, "We are keeping him in an undisclosed prison. We started interrogating him yesterday and after a single electric shock, he sang like a bee. Turns out the Rosians hate the elves, especially him."
"Care to elaborate?", Arthur asked.
"Twenty-five cycles, which is twenty-five years in their world, the Rosian kingdoms and duchies organized a full-scale revolt against the elven empire. For about three years they've been doing well, but eventually, they got beaten and beaten badly. The empire took more of their land, introduced higher taxes, and killed the kings and dukes that rebelled. The king of Alston was his grandfather and while he wasn't there he heard the story from his father and now holds a grudge against the elves."
"So why does he fight for them?", John asked.
"He said that disobeying a direct imperial order is instant death and he couldn't allow more harm to come to his home and family. Quite admirable if you ask me."
"Yes. So how did he fight?"
"The vassal Rosians gave twenty thousand men to the empire's united invasion force and he volunteered to lead them along with the Iaw, son of the duke of Zirith and a captain of the Opherin army. Law is dead and the captain escaped with a dozen captives. Still, Bodin claims he never wanted to attack us and tried his best not to kill any innocent people."
"This proves your point, John.", Arthur said, "Our enemy's ally can be our ally."
"Seems like the empire isn't as united as they claim.", John said, "What about the elves?"
"We've interrogated several.", Allen said, "One of their captains, a guy named Zorgin, but with an, 'I', was a tough nut to crack. But the rest screamed like babies after we removed a fingernail or two."
"What did you find out?", Arthur asked.
"Well, you're not gonna like it. Turns out this Empire holds more than half of their continent of North Altia."
"Are there any other continents?", Arthur asked.
"Yes, South Altia and Kaplios, but the details are unknown. North Altia is their place of origin and it's where their capital Elyana is located. The place they attacked us from is in the southeast near the border with Alston on the Galdush fields."
"What is the status of their army?", John asked.
"Their army functions similarly to how an ancient army would, mostly resembling Ancient Rome.", Amanda said, "Their army numbers a total of one million split into twenty armies of fifty thousand, each controlled by a general."
This came as a surprise. "That's a lot of people."
"It is. This isn't counting the auxiliary and the vassal kingdoms. Their numbers are unknown but seeing how strict the empire is and how much they control it is likely they have nowhere near the numbers to rival the elves, even combined."
"And their navy?", Arthur asked.
"Their navy numbers in one thousand ships of various sizes. Much like the army, it's split into ten fleets each operated by an admiral."
"I'm surprised they just told you everything. Even with torture, this is their military information."
"They don't seem to mind.", Allen said, "They say that we've only faced a fraction of their full power and soon the full might of the empire will be thrown at us. I swear, their horse is so high it might as well be a giraffe."
The people in the room chuckled at that. Clearly, these people have quite a massive superiority complex.
"How many have they sent in the invasion?", John asked.
"On the ground?", Allen replied, "About a hundred thousand. Half of those were the elf's fourth army led by general Ylindar Glynra, who is confirmed dead. By sea, they sent their seventh fleet under admiral Lothar Tanros, who is also dead. But their officers proved more than enough to learn about their structure. All in all, we destroyed five percent of all their ground forces and a tenth of their navy in one day. Something I doubt they've seen before."
"If these people are as full of themselves as you say they are then they will be back.", Arthur said, "And we have to prepare."
"Already on it Mister President.", John said, "The coast guard is patrolling the rift in the sea and the National Guard has a perimeter around the rift in Lumberton. Nothing will get in or out without us knowing."
"And the other side?"
"We've sent drones to scout the area. The air is breathable and the composition of the soil is identical to ours. No enemies have been spotted yet. There could be an enemy encampment hidden within in the vicinity but we don't know."
"So they assumed that the invasion would be a success. We'll have to act quickly before they realize otherwise. Get in touch with the army forces in and near North Carolina as well as the navy on the west coast. I want an expedition force ready as soon as possible."
"Yes, Mister President. But you should focus on-"
"I know John, I know. Addressing the nation. This is a real pain."
---
The next day
Undisclosed location
Bodin's time in the human prison wasn't bad. The bed was comfortable, the food was nice and he wasn't tortured. All he had to do was answer questions and no harm would come to him or his surviving soldiers. He was glad that at least a part of his army had survived. From what the prison keeper, or warden as he called himself, all Rosians are receiving better treatment than the elves as they chose to cooperate rather than insult. Good. Those bastards deserve that and more. If those find out that Bodin was giving information to the humans, he would be branded a traitor and killed. But it's worth it in his mind if it meant the end of the empire.
Right now he was praying to the spirits. He had heard that spirit magic doesn't work in this world but it was all he could do. Perhaps his prayers could somehow reach his world through the rift.
"Vita. Heavenly spirit of life. Grant me the strength in my heart to live on in your name, so that I may prevent the death of my people. Morto. Heavenly spirit of death. Bring destruction to my enemies, my true enemies. Pofectia. Spirit of joy. Grant me peace of mind so my heart stays true to my path and doesn't falter to fear. Negatis. Spirit of rage and hatred. Grant me the strength of a burning storm so that I may deliver punishment to those of cold hearts. Elendi. Spirit of the earth, water, and air. Watch over my people, my family, and my kingdom. Do not let them suffer a faith undeserving."
With that, he got up to his feet and as soon as he did, three knocks came from the door behind him. "Prince.", spoke the person on the other side, "It's time. You know the drill."
"I am unsure what a drill has to do with this.", Bodin said, "But I do know what to do."
The man on the other side opened two small windows in the door and Bodin let his hands out one. As the man chained his wrists and ankles he chuckled, "I'll have to teach you some slang later.". He opened the door and two guards in black armor led Bodin through the halls.
Bodin walked through these halls twice before, but they amazed them every time. They were pearl white and pristine. The prison was like a maze of identical hallways and walls. It was a miracle these people knew where to go. Clearly, this nation had builders of great magnitude. All the more reason why the invasion was a bad idea. After some time they reached a familiar door. Bodin entered and saw his interrogator, Charles Polanski. He said he was from an organization called the Central Intelligence Agency or CIA for short. The way he explained it sounded much like the Inquisition of the empire.
"Ah, prince Bodin.", Charles said, "Please take a seat. I apologize for the chains but rules are rules."
"I understand Sir Polanski. No need for apologies."
"I told you, I'm an agent, not a sir."
"Right. Forgive me."
"No worries. You've been of great help to us, prince. We appreciate that. But today is a very special and important day."
"How so, agent?"
"Because today our president is deciding what we are going to do about this rift problem."
Bodin's heart stopped for a second. This was it. This was the day the leader of the humans will decide the fate of North Altia and possibly the rest of the world.
"You do remember what a president is?", Charles asked.
"Yes. He is like your king, but he does not have full power and his decisions are put to a vote."
Charles chuckled, "Pretty good. You're a fast learner."
Bodin smiled at that, "That is what my father says as well. In truth, your world is fascinating. I wish things were not the way they are."
"We all do. You wanna watch the speech?"
At this Bodin was stunned. "H-How?"
"Do you see that thing behind me?", Charles asked pointing at the mirror behind him.
"Yes. It is reflective glass. Where I come from it is rare and expensive, but it doesn't appear to be here."
"Good. This glass also doubles as a television screen. In short, that's a machine we use to watch what happens in the world. So no matter how far away something is we can always use this to see it. Think of it as a mirror to our world."
Bodin could just stare in awe. How could such a thing exist? It must be magic. But magic doesn't exist here, so how?
"I won't go into details.", Charles said as he got up and moved his chair out of the way, "Just know we can use it to watch the speech. It's about to start.". The glass changed colors and Bodin saw people moving.
"This is Frank Jensen reporting live from Washington DC.", spoke the man in the screen glass, "Today is the day President Arthur Cole will address the nation about the incident in Lumberton and San Diego. People wonder what the president will say. Some speculate that he will declare all-out war while others hope for potential peace. In any case, we will get our answer soon enough."
Soon after a man dressed in what Bodin assumed was the noble attire of this world stepped on a podium. His stance told Bodin everything. This was their leader.
"My fellow Americans.", he spoke, immediately grabbing everyone's attention, "On May 5th of this year, a tragedy struck our nation. We have prepared ourselves against every threat, domestic and abroad, but could have never prepared for this. An enemy that does not exist in our world, but in another one, appeared in the heart of our country. They opened a gateway and struck without warning, unprovoked. They sent their soldiers and monsters and immediately started slaughtering our people all in the name of their so-called light. They call themselves the High Elves and say that they fight for their empire. They declared us savages and swore to snuff us out of existence. But the American people will not fall so easily! Even though they were late, the police forces alongside the national and coast guard drove the enemy back and prevented them from causing further destruction. But the damage has already been done and our nation has been scarred. However, we will not keel over and wait for their next assault. Instead, we will bring the fight to them. Our forces will lead an expedition and we will introduce ourselves to this empire. This act of aggression shall not go unanswered!"
The people cheered and roared in approval, as to be expected. They want justice for their people. A part of Bodin was happy, the elves will finally get what they deserve. But on the other hand, what will this mean for his people and for the other vassals? He could only hope the humans will be merciful.
"There you have it.", said Charles, "We're going to war."
"While I find all of this very impressive, I do have some advice."
"And what would that be?"
"Do not seek peace with the elves. They opened these rifts because they claim they saw a vision of their world being destroyed by your hands."
"I see. I'll let my superiors know. But as for today's topic, nations. You saw our president, the leading figure of the United States of America. That is our nation."
This revelation shocked Bodin, "You mean your world is called America, and all the nations are united?"
Charles laughed at that, "No no no. Let me show you.".The screen turned into a map of the world, "You see this. This is the United States. We are a constitutional republic made up of fifty states. But there are many more nations out there. In total, the population of our world is slightly above seven billion."
Just when Bodin thought he heard everything, this came through his ears. A world of seven billion people? And the empire went to war against it?
"Now, the United States is one of the three superpowers along with Russia and China, the two of the largest countries. Honestly, you should consider yourself lucky the rifts opened here and not there. Cause if they did you probably wouldn't be alive right now.", Charles laughed a little bit and Bodin let out a nervous chuckle, "Now. There are two large blocks in this world. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO for short, are the blue countries, and the red ones are the Eastern Powers Alliance or EPA. We are all united however in the United Nations where we decide global destinies."
"So, will NATO attack the empire then?"
"Not yet. First, we'll assess the situation for ourselves and then decide."
"I just told you! You cannot blindly go in and seek peace! They consider you as their greatest enemy!". A guard pulled him back to his chair and Charles gestured for him to back off. "I... I apologize."
"It's fine. But this is how we do things. The reason I'm not worried is that this already happened."
"It... It did?"
"Yes. One hundred and twenty-eight years ago, a nation attacked us without warning just like you did. They struck fast and hard. We lost much that day. But then they left without attacking further, thinking we would just keel over. And do you know what we did in response?"
Bodin was scared to ask, but did anyway, "What did you do?"
The screen changed again. It showed a large city with many great towers. The weather was clear and the land was peaceful. But then something dropped from the air. Some kind of large egg. And as soon as this egg hit the ground, the whole city was engulfed in a ring of fire. The towers crumbled, the people died by the thousands and afterward all that was left was a crater in the ground and a cloud in the shape of a mushroom in the sky.
Bodin shuddered to imagine something like that happening to his home city. Everyone and everything would die instantly. "W-What was that?", he asked shakily.
"That was an atomic bomb capable of destroying an entire city with everything and everyone in it. Now, do you see why we seek peace? We don't want to use this weapon, but we will if we have to. Now, let's talk more about your nations."
---
Meanwhile
DARPA research facility, Richmond, Virginia
Doctor Penelope Connors, research log 1, designation: North Altian biology. Specimens have been designated under the letter R. Begin.
Specimen R-01:High Elf. Humanoid in appearance with several distinct features. Skin color light blue, ears pointy, and hair blond or silver across all specimens. Silver hair appears to be a sign of seniority. The internal structure is remarkably similar. The heart is in the center of the chest as opposed to the left side, the liver is smaller. Blood cells are in a shade of cobalt blue. No sign of enhanced muscular or skin density. Threat level normal unless in higher numbers or in close combat. Magic is an unknown factor.
Specimen R-02:Rosian. Very much resembles a human. The only distinct feature is the pink skin. Threat level same as High Elf.
Specimen R-03:Dwarf. Body height is shorter than that of a human, an average of five feet, but has a more stocky structure. Bone and skin density is higher than a human's. Able to use Napoleonic-era weaponry. Threat level normal to high. Direct positioning should be avoided due to more advanced weapons.
Specimen R-04:Lepian. Appearance humanoid with distinct animal features of rabbits such as long ears on the top of the head, visibly different legs with denser musculature, and a tail. Hearing and running speeds are likely higher than a human's. No males were found suggesting a female-dominated group. A possible threat if not watched out for.
Specimen R-05:Feelian. Appearance humanoid with distinct animal features of cats such as cat-like ears, whiskers next to the nose, a tail, retractable claws, and cat-like eyes. Hearing, smell, and speed are likely higher than a human's. No males were found suggesting a female-dominated group. A possible threat if not watched out for.
Specimen R-06:Leanoid. Appearance humanoid with distinct animal features of lions. No females were found and a great resemblance to Feelians suggests a symbiotic relationship. Muscular density, jaw strength, reflexes, hearing, and smell are higher than a human's. A large threat in close quarters.
Specimen R-07:Welfen. Appearance humanoid with distinct animal features of wolves. Muscular density, jaw strength, reflexes, hearing, and smell are higher than a human's. A large threat in close quarters.
Specimen R-08:Ferral orc. Appearance humanoid with several distinct features. A larger frame and higher muscular and bone density, pointy ears, and green skin. Ironically more animalistic than the animal-like people with a basic level of intelligence and aggressive nature. Higher skin density requires the use of 6.8mm. A large threat in close quarters.
Specimen R-09:Swine. Appearance humanoid with distinct animal features of pigs. Height between a human and a dwarf. Feral level intelligence. A threat in close quarters.
Specimen R-10:Ogre. Appearance humanoid. A much larger frame than a human's. Feral level intelligence. Strong enough to knock over cars. Higher skin density requires the use of a larger caliber. Soldiers should be advised to aim for weak spots such as the head, chest, and joints.
Specimen R-11:Troll. Appearance humanoid. Larger frame than an ogre and greater strength with lesser speed and maneuverability. Feral level intelligence. Higher skin and muscle density require the use of larger caliber weapons and explosives. Soldiers should be advised to aim for weak spots such as the head, chest, and joints.
Specimen R-12:Wyvern. Appearance dragon-like. Measures between nine and fifteen meters in length from head to tail. Bones are hollow and have only two legs, much like birds. Teeth are sharp enough to pierce aluminum. Scales strong enough to reflect anything short of a fifty caliber, which also might not damage the denser part of the body. Soldiers were advised to carry anti-air weaponry.
Further research is required upon reaching the other side of the rift.
End of chapter 4
---
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2023.03.27 04:23 MedDN0 31 [M4F] DMV/US Lets hold hands as we explore the cultures of the world
Good evening! Like many others on a Sunday night here I am scrolling through reddit wondering where my future partner is. Rather than wait for her to come to me, I thought I'd make a post.
Physically:
I am 31, living on the east cost (obviously). I know physical attraction is important - I am 5'7", Southeast Asian, more musculadad bod type physique. I work quite random hours in healthcare so it can be difficult to maintain a regular gym schedule.
About me:
As mentioned above, I work in healthcare in a fairly high stress environment so when I am home I usually just want to laze about to recharge. Despite being an introvert (ISFJ/ISTJ) my work requires a lot of social interactions which leaves me quite drained. I tend to be more of a homebody but do enjoy time out with my partner, less inclined to go to big social gatherings/bars/clubs.
Some of my hobbies include but are not limited to: Trying various restaurants, weight lifting, PC building, video games, and binging shows (anime/TV - definitely recommend TLOU).
Personality wise I am a good listener, considerate, patient, intelligent, open minded.
I enjoy various types of music such as Kpop, RnB, instrumental pieces, Rap/Hiphop, Jpop, etc. Unfortunately, I am not a big fan of country or metal music.
I am open to children, although I think the decision is ultimately up to the woman to decide since she does nearly 100% of the work in childbearing.
Looking for:
I am looking for my future partner, preferably someone between the age of 24-31 (some flexibility on this). Someone who's hand I can hold as we walk through the various food markets of the world. You eating two bites and me having to finish the rest of all the street side skewer we bought after just downing a meal less than 2 hours ago. Trying snacks and drinks from around the world before falling asleep while cuddling. I'm looking forward to traveling to Japan, South Korea, Thailand, and Iceland to name a few.
While I am not looking for someone with any particular interests or hobbies, sharing some common interests would be nice. Video games are a large part of my life since I was young so it would be nice to share that passion with someone else.
I am looking for someone who is emotionally mature and able to communicate what they feel. I am the type of person who wants to understand your joy, happiness, frustration, anger, disappointment in hopes that I can either recreate it or fix what might be causing it.
Open to a LDR with the right person, but there needs to be plans for relocating sooner rather than later.
Misc:
Thank you for taking the time to read through my rather long post! I hope to hear from you. Feel free to DM me or send a chat. I would prefer to exchange pictures soon after interacting so we can get the physical attraction aspect out of the way and not waste each other's time.
submitted by MedDN0 to r4r [link] [comments]
Physically:
I am 31, living on the east cost (obviously). I know physical attraction is important - I am 5'7", Southeast Asian, more musculadad bod type physique. I work quite random hours in healthcare so it can be difficult to maintain a regular gym schedule.
About me:
As mentioned above, I work in healthcare in a fairly high stress environment so when I am home I usually just want to laze about to recharge. Despite being an introvert (ISFJ/ISTJ) my work requires a lot of social interactions which leaves me quite drained. I tend to be more of a homebody but do enjoy time out with my partner, less inclined to go to big social gatherings/bars/clubs.
Some of my hobbies include but are not limited to: Trying various restaurants, weight lifting, PC building, video games, and binging shows (anime/TV - definitely recommend TLOU).
Personality wise I am a good listener, considerate, patient, intelligent, open minded.
I enjoy various types of music such as Kpop, RnB, instrumental pieces, Rap/Hiphop, Jpop, etc. Unfortunately, I am not a big fan of country or metal music.
I am open to children, although I think the decision is ultimately up to the woman to decide since she does nearly 100% of the work in childbearing.
Looking for:
I am looking for my future partner, preferably someone between the age of 24-31 (some flexibility on this). Someone who's hand I can hold as we walk through the various food markets of the world. You eating two bites and me having to finish the rest of all the street side skewer we bought after just downing a meal less than 2 hours ago. Trying snacks and drinks from around the world before falling asleep while cuddling. I'm looking forward to traveling to Japan, South Korea, Thailand, and Iceland to name a few.
While I am not looking for someone with any particular interests or hobbies, sharing some common interests would be nice. Video games are a large part of my life since I was young so it would be nice to share that passion with someone else.
I am looking for someone who is emotionally mature and able to communicate what they feel. I am the type of person who wants to understand your joy, happiness, frustration, anger, disappointment in hopes that I can either recreate it or fix what might be causing it.
Open to a LDR with the right person, but there needs to be plans for relocating sooner rather than later.
Misc:
Thank you for taking the time to read through my rather long post! I hope to hear from you. Feel free to DM me or send a chat. I would prefer to exchange pictures soon after interacting so we can get the physical attraction aspect out of the way and not waste each other's time.
2023.03.27 00:08 would-prefer-not-to Korvette’s original Brooklyn location at 485 Fulton Street, opened in 1957 in a former Oppenheim-Collins department store. Picture from an early 1970s original slide courtesy of the Pleasant Family Shopping collection.
| | submitted by would-prefer-not-to to evilbuildings [link] [comments] |
2023.03.26 18:00 friendofEmerald Secrets of the Scream
The night JonBenet died she was abused, a violent blow cracked her skull from ear to ear, and eventually she was strangled to death with a garrote made from Patsy’s paintbrush. At some point a protracted ransom note was composed from the family’s own stocks of pen and paper. In spite of all this mayhem going on around them the three family members who survived that night insist they noticed nothing unusual at all. Such denial is a continuation of the situation described in A Troubled Child, https://www.reddit.com/JonBenetRamsey/comments/zor6w0/a_troubled_child/ where family members claimed they noticed nothing unusual in JonBenet’s behavior toward the end.
Yet it was not always so.
Over the years Burke has repeatedly denied hearing anything the night of the crime. However, in his original interview with Detective Patterson the day JonBenet was found dead (conducted without the permission of the parents) Burke told a different story. Paula Woodward wrote in her 2016 book: “A separate BPD report stated that, According to Burke, he woke up at about 11:30 [p.m. on December 25, 1996] because he heard the water heater squeaking a little. Did not hear any screams.” (From Paula Woodward’s book We Have Your Daughter page 318) Paula’s report was partially collaborated by James Kolar in his book Foreign Faction, which related some of what Burke said in his interview conducted with Detective Patterson: “The only noise he reported hearing after going to bed was the ‘squeaking water heater.’ He did not hear any ‘scream, cry, yell or any raised voices’ during the night.” Burke’s report of hearing the water heater hardly seems pertinent to the case. Hence it has not received much attention. Still, Burke’s report raises some puzzling questions. In my experience it is extremely rare to be awakened by any kind of noise while sleeping at night (at least if you don’t have a baby), and I would expect this to be true for the residents of 15th street as well. Why would such an unusual event happen the very night of the crime? And it was unusual. There are instances of Burke or JonBenet leaving their rooms due to unpleasant temperatures, but I am not aware of any reports that noise from the water heater was a problem. Here is straydog77 quoting Burke about his sleeping habits:
“Burke on his memories during the night DS: Is there anything about that night -- if you can remember hearing anything during the night? [...] BR: I don’t remember hearing anything. Because I was sleeping, you know. [...] BR: I always sleep real deeply and can never hear anything. [CBS groups these answers together but we don’t know if he actually said them all together]” (From straydog77’s post “Burke Ramsey's 1998 Interview”)
This exchange implies the water heater rarely, if ever, made a noise loud enough to wake Burke. Maybe it did erupt coincidently the night of the crime, but coincidences raise questions. Is it possible Burke’s noise was not the water heater at all but rather something connected to the crime? Or should we take an attitude of “Burke knows best”, so to speak? Well, witnesses to an unexpected crime commonly misinterpret their observations by expressing them in terms of ordinary phenomenon. A recent example is “D.M.”, a witness to the quadruple murders in Moscow, Idaho. One of the first victims was Kaylee Goncalves. From the probable cause affidavit: “the occupants of the King Road Residence were at home by 2:00 a-m. and asleep or at least in their rooms by approximately 4:00 a.m. D.M. stated she originally went to sleep in her bedroom on the southeast side of the second floor. D.M. stated she was awoken at approximately 4:00 a-m. by what she stated sounded like Goncalves playing with her dog in one of the upstairs bedrooms, which were located on the third floor.” The parallels between this situation and that of Burke are obvious. Judging by their handling of the Ramsey case I am convinced Boulder police, if they were investigating the Moscow murders, would believe to the present day that D.M. really was awakened by Goncalves playing with her dog. But the author of the probable cause affidavit evidently thought otherwise. So maybe the water heater had nothing to do with the sound Burke heard. Then what might it have been? Whatever it was it must have been loud enough to wake Burke. The opening of the Bonita Papers suggests a possibility:
“Melody Stanton awake abruptly from a deep sleep - the prior stillness of the Boulder night has been pierced by the harrowing scream of a child. She assumed it was somewhere between midnight and 2:00 a.m., but didn’t look at the alarm clock. The scream lasted three to five seconds and stopped as abruptly as it started. Melody momentarily wondered what to do, but thought that surely the parents would hear and come to the child’s rescue. Although still bothered by the scream and the thought that a child had been injured, Melody eventually went back to sleep.”
Melody Stanton’s report of a scream has always been considered problematic by most investigators of the Ramsey case. This is due to Melody’s own wavering statements and the lack of any supporting evidence of a scream. If the scream was as loud as she asserts how come no one else reported hearing it? So over time the scream has fallen into disrepute and assumed quasi-legendary status. But Burke’s noise suggests there may be more evidence for a scream than at first appears. Let’s look into this a little more deeply. Does Burke’s description of the sound bear any resemblance to a scream? Here is a link to water radiator noises (Burke said his noise was due to the water heater, but he may not have distinguished the water heater in the basement from water radiators on the floors above): https://www.timeout.com/newyork/blog/what-different-annoying-radiator-noises-mean-and-how-to-fix-them-120115And here is a link to a scream entitled “Cat Watching Horror Movie” https://www.google.com/search?q=cat+watching+a+horror+movie&oq=&aqs=chrome.2.69i59i450l8.1383770815j0j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 Comparing the two it seems to me the scream could be interpreted as a mechanical noise insofar as it is a more or less steady sound without words. But what stands out the most for me is the squeaky quality of the scream, which is how Burke described the water heater noise. So Burke’s noise has these properties in common with screams: Words absent Squeaky quality Loud enough to wake someone Other evidence also points to a scream as the true identity of Burke’s noise. We have already noted the coincidence of the water heater erupting on the night of the crime. But Burke was more specific than this – according to him the noise occurred “about 11:30pm”. How does this fit into the chronology of the crime? Here is a link to straydog77’s representation of the timeline according to official estimates: https://www.reddit.com/JonBenetRamsey/comments/f447td/rough_sequence_of_events_based_on_official/The headstrike that felled JonBenet probably occurred between 11pm and 12:15am. Burke’s figure is right in the middle of this interval. In other words Burke heard the sound about the same time JonBenet was being violently struck down. It’s as if the water heater fancied itself a security alarm and went off to warn Burke of the danger. Is such a coincidence possible? Sure it is. But it’s not very likely. On the other hand it’s natural for the sound Burke heard to occur around 11:30pm if it was really JonBenet screaming. For the scream must occur before the headstrike knocks her unconscious. Yet she probably had no reason to scream until just before the headstrike. So the scream probably occurred only moments before the head strike (most believe she was struck to silence her) and so it too occurred about 11:30pm. Thus Burke’s figure of 11:30pm favors a scream from JonBenet as the real identity of the sound rather than an eruption from the water heater. It should be noted that Melody “assumed” the scream occurred between midnight and 2am, a half-hour off Burke’s figure. However, I don’t see this disagreement as a problem since Melody didn’t look at her clock. For a guess to come within half an hour of the correct time isn’t bad. The bottom line? A water heater (or radiator) sounding off remains a possible origin of Burke’s noise. But the totality of the evidence favors the hypothesis that what actually woke Burke that night was the sound of his sister screaming.
Did anyone else hear a scream? According to Melody “surely the parents would hear”. Of course the parents claim ignorance of any scream, but as noted above they also claim ignorance of JonBenet’s other signs of distress as detailed in A Troubled Child. So maybe the parents statements should be scrutinized for any indications they heard a scream. Consider this passage from Patsy’s interview with law enforcement in 1998:
TOM HANEY: Okay. Do your symptoms include 13 anything like nightmares? 14 PATSY RAMSEY: I had those. 15 TOM HANEY: About? 16 PATSY RAMSEY: Uh-huh, I have flashbacks of 17 seeing my daughter lying down on the floor in our 18 living room, and I have flashbacks of hearing 19 JonBenet scream. I have nightmares where I am, 20 you know, searching, searching, searching trying 21 to find somebody, and trying to find who did this. 22 TOM HANEY: Is there something that brings 23 these on? 24 PATSY RAMSEY: No, not necessarily.
In this exchange Haney is talking about nightmares, but Patsy on her own accord introduces flashbacks, including a flashback of hearing JonBenet scream. Is she describing actual memories? Both of these purported flashbacks describe experiences that might readily lead to flashbacks if they occurred on the night of the crime. On the other hand the experiences she labels nightmares are not as likely to be something that would happen that night. So the content of her experiences is consistent with the labels she assigns to them. Of course it’s still possible she simply made an error and used “flashback” when she meant “nightmare”. But there is no hint in any of her statements that such an error occurred, so interpreting her statements as they stand has an edge in credibility. Law enforcement routinely uses such material in prosecutions and there is no reason this situation should be treated any differently. Many criminal investigations would flounder if suspects were allowed to redact statements to their liking. So Patsy’s flashbacks are legitimate evidence for the reality of the scream.
Patsy’s first flashback seems to have a connection with Burke’s noise. The experience of seeing JonBenet lying on the floor probably occurred just after JonBenet was struck down and therefore was close behind the scream. Hence JonBenet may still have been at or near the spot where she gave voice to the scream. This suggests she screamed in the living room. The intriguing thing here is that Burke’s bedroom on the second floor is directly above the living room. Apparently the scream originated directly underneath Burke’s bedroom! No wonder he was jolted awake. Traditionally the scream has been relegated to the margins of the Ramsey case. But Patsy’s flashbacks and Burke’s noise bring the legend of the scream to life. It’s much more credible than commonly realized. To haunt Patsy with flashbacks and jolt Burke awake (not to mention rousing Melody) that scream must have been a humdinger that reverberated through every room and hallway in the house on 15th street.
Is the scream related to any other aspect of the crime? Well, if JonBenet screamed as portrayed above there is no doubt her distress was caused by someone. In these circumstances it’s very likely she would try to flee, and that could easily lead to a struggle if that someone sought to restrain her. Thus evidence of a struggle (or the lack thereof) is pertinent to the question of whether JonBenet screamed or not. Are there signs of a struggle? The autopsy report lists a variety of injuries she sustained, the most important being the blow to the head, strangulation, and their side effects. Frequently lost in the hubbub surrounding these injuries are marks with their own distinct character that could be the side effects of a struggle. The autopsy report describes some of these marks as follows: 1 “Located just below the right ear….. is a 3/8 x 1/2 inch area of rust colored abrasion.” 2 “on the lower left neck…… a roughly triangular, parchment-like rust colored abrasion which measures 1.5 inches in length with a maximum width of 0.75 inches.” 3 “Located on the right side of the chin is a three-sixteenths by one-eighth of an inch area of superficial abrasion.” 4 “On….. the right shoulder is a poorly demarcated, very superficial focus of abrasion/contusion which is pale purple in color and measures up to three-quarters by one-half inch in maximum dimension.” 5 “On…. the left lower leg, approximately 4 inches above the heel are two small scratch-like abrasions which are dried and rust colored. They measure one-sixteenth by less than one-sixteenth of an inch and one-eighth by less than one-sixteenth of an inch respectively.” This tally of minor abrasions offers solid evidence JonBenet struggled with the person who struck her down. The evidence of a struggle implies both struggle and scream are real – they are two sides of the same coin.
What are the consequences of the scream? Well, it doesn’t solve the Ramsey case, but it does limit the possible solutions. All three surviving Ramseys – Burke, Patsy, and John – could have been the one to strike JonBenet down. Or a hypothetical intruder could have done it, which might account for the foreign DNA and other IDI evidence. But regardless of who struck JonBenet down only the parents are in a position to mount a second assault on her. With the scream ringing in their ears most intruders would turn tail and head for the hills. Not only that, but if Patsy wasn’t already at the crime scene she would have come running. With her daughter comatose on the floor before her Patsy is not about to retire for the night and deal with the situation in the morning. Since she’s awake and aware of what happened it’s almost impossible for Burke or intruders to carry on undisturbed during the time leading up to and including the strangulation. Now if Burke delivered the head strike Patsy surely knew it and may have provided him with the water heater story as part of the cover-up. For Patsy may have reasoned that if police learn of the scream then Burke’s story made the family more credible than if they try to deny the scream (i.e. loud noise) altogether. Also, it has long been known Patsy’s jacket fibers were intertwined with the garrote. This fact implies she was involved in the strangulation itself and not simply someone who covered it up after the fact. The scream backs up the fibers with additional evidence Patsy was involved in the strangulation (perhaps reluctantly). John is probably the only one besides Patsy who could have participated in the murder at this late stage. It’s fair to conclude Patsy (or Patsy & John together) pulled that cord and ended the life of JonBenet. Not even an intruder responsible for the abuse and headstrike can change that.
submitted by friendofEmerald to JonBenetRamsey [link] [comments]
Yet it was not always so.
Over the years Burke has repeatedly denied hearing anything the night of the crime. However, in his original interview with Detective Patterson the day JonBenet was found dead (conducted without the permission of the parents) Burke told a different story. Paula Woodward wrote in her 2016 book: “A separate BPD report stated that, According to Burke, he woke up at about 11:30 [p.m. on December 25, 1996] because he heard the water heater squeaking a little. Did not hear any screams.” (From Paula Woodward’s book We Have Your Daughter page 318) Paula’s report was partially collaborated by James Kolar in his book Foreign Faction, which related some of what Burke said in his interview conducted with Detective Patterson: “The only noise he reported hearing after going to bed was the ‘squeaking water heater.’ He did not hear any ‘scream, cry, yell or any raised voices’ during the night.” Burke’s report of hearing the water heater hardly seems pertinent to the case. Hence it has not received much attention. Still, Burke’s report raises some puzzling questions. In my experience it is extremely rare to be awakened by any kind of noise while sleeping at night (at least if you don’t have a baby), and I would expect this to be true for the residents of 15th street as well. Why would such an unusual event happen the very night of the crime? And it was unusual. There are instances of Burke or JonBenet leaving their rooms due to unpleasant temperatures, but I am not aware of any reports that noise from the water heater was a problem. Here is straydog77 quoting Burke about his sleeping habits:
“Burke on his memories during the night DS: Is there anything about that night -- if you can remember hearing anything during the night? [...] BR: I don’t remember hearing anything. Because I was sleeping, you know. [...] BR: I always sleep real deeply and can never hear anything. [CBS groups these answers together but we don’t know if he actually said them all together]” (From straydog77’s post “Burke Ramsey's 1998 Interview”)
This exchange implies the water heater rarely, if ever, made a noise loud enough to wake Burke. Maybe it did erupt coincidently the night of the crime, but coincidences raise questions. Is it possible Burke’s noise was not the water heater at all but rather something connected to the crime? Or should we take an attitude of “Burke knows best”, so to speak? Well, witnesses to an unexpected crime commonly misinterpret their observations by expressing them in terms of ordinary phenomenon. A recent example is “D.M.”, a witness to the quadruple murders in Moscow, Idaho. One of the first victims was Kaylee Goncalves. From the probable cause affidavit: “the occupants of the King Road Residence were at home by 2:00 a-m. and asleep or at least in their rooms by approximately 4:00 a.m. D.M. stated she originally went to sleep in her bedroom on the southeast side of the second floor. D.M. stated she was awoken at approximately 4:00 a-m. by what she stated sounded like Goncalves playing with her dog in one of the upstairs bedrooms, which were located on the third floor.” The parallels between this situation and that of Burke are obvious. Judging by their handling of the Ramsey case I am convinced Boulder police, if they were investigating the Moscow murders, would believe to the present day that D.M. really was awakened by Goncalves playing with her dog. But the author of the probable cause affidavit evidently thought otherwise. So maybe the water heater had nothing to do with the sound Burke heard. Then what might it have been? Whatever it was it must have been loud enough to wake Burke. The opening of the Bonita Papers suggests a possibility:
“Melody Stanton awake abruptly from a deep sleep - the prior stillness of the Boulder night has been pierced by the harrowing scream of a child. She assumed it was somewhere between midnight and 2:00 a.m., but didn’t look at the alarm clock. The scream lasted three to five seconds and stopped as abruptly as it started. Melody momentarily wondered what to do, but thought that surely the parents would hear and come to the child’s rescue. Although still bothered by the scream and the thought that a child had been injured, Melody eventually went back to sleep.”
Melody Stanton’s report of a scream has always been considered problematic by most investigators of the Ramsey case. This is due to Melody’s own wavering statements and the lack of any supporting evidence of a scream. If the scream was as loud as she asserts how come no one else reported hearing it? So over time the scream has fallen into disrepute and assumed quasi-legendary status. But Burke’s noise suggests there may be more evidence for a scream than at first appears. Let’s look into this a little more deeply. Does Burke’s description of the sound bear any resemblance to a scream? Here is a link to water radiator noises (Burke said his noise was due to the water heater, but he may not have distinguished the water heater in the basement from water radiators on the floors above): https://www.timeout.com/newyork/blog/what-different-annoying-radiator-noises-mean-and-how-to-fix-them-120115And here is a link to a scream entitled “Cat Watching Horror Movie” https://www.google.com/search?q=cat+watching+a+horror+movie&oq=&aqs=chrome.2.69i59i450l8.1383770815j0j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 Comparing the two it seems to me the scream could be interpreted as a mechanical noise insofar as it is a more or less steady sound without words. But what stands out the most for me is the squeaky quality of the scream, which is how Burke described the water heater noise. So Burke’s noise has these properties in common with screams: Words absent Squeaky quality Loud enough to wake someone Other evidence also points to a scream as the true identity of Burke’s noise. We have already noted the coincidence of the water heater erupting on the night of the crime. But Burke was more specific than this – according to him the noise occurred “about 11:30pm”. How does this fit into the chronology of the crime? Here is a link to straydog77’s representation of the timeline according to official estimates: https://www.reddit.com/JonBenetRamsey/comments/f447td/rough_sequence_of_events_based_on_official/The headstrike that felled JonBenet probably occurred between 11pm and 12:15am. Burke’s figure is right in the middle of this interval. In other words Burke heard the sound about the same time JonBenet was being violently struck down. It’s as if the water heater fancied itself a security alarm and went off to warn Burke of the danger. Is such a coincidence possible? Sure it is. But it’s not very likely. On the other hand it’s natural for the sound Burke heard to occur around 11:30pm if it was really JonBenet screaming. For the scream must occur before the headstrike knocks her unconscious. Yet she probably had no reason to scream until just before the headstrike. So the scream probably occurred only moments before the head strike (most believe she was struck to silence her) and so it too occurred about 11:30pm. Thus Burke’s figure of 11:30pm favors a scream from JonBenet as the real identity of the sound rather than an eruption from the water heater. It should be noted that Melody “assumed” the scream occurred between midnight and 2am, a half-hour off Burke’s figure. However, I don’t see this disagreement as a problem since Melody didn’t look at her clock. For a guess to come within half an hour of the correct time isn’t bad. The bottom line? A water heater (or radiator) sounding off remains a possible origin of Burke’s noise. But the totality of the evidence favors the hypothesis that what actually woke Burke that night was the sound of his sister screaming.
Did anyone else hear a scream? According to Melody “surely the parents would hear”. Of course the parents claim ignorance of any scream, but as noted above they also claim ignorance of JonBenet’s other signs of distress as detailed in A Troubled Child. So maybe the parents statements should be scrutinized for any indications they heard a scream. Consider this passage from Patsy’s interview with law enforcement in 1998:
TOM HANEY: Okay. Do your symptoms include 13 anything like nightmares? 14 PATSY RAMSEY: I had those. 15 TOM HANEY: About? 16 PATSY RAMSEY: Uh-huh, I have flashbacks of 17 seeing my daughter lying down on the floor in our 18 living room, and I have flashbacks of hearing 19 JonBenet scream. I have nightmares where I am, 20 you know, searching, searching, searching trying 21 to find somebody, and trying to find who did this. 22 TOM HANEY: Is there something that brings 23 these on? 24 PATSY RAMSEY: No, not necessarily.
In this exchange Haney is talking about nightmares, but Patsy on her own accord introduces flashbacks, including a flashback of hearing JonBenet scream. Is she describing actual memories? Both of these purported flashbacks describe experiences that might readily lead to flashbacks if they occurred on the night of the crime. On the other hand the experiences she labels nightmares are not as likely to be something that would happen that night. So the content of her experiences is consistent with the labels she assigns to them. Of course it’s still possible she simply made an error and used “flashback” when she meant “nightmare”. But there is no hint in any of her statements that such an error occurred, so interpreting her statements as they stand has an edge in credibility. Law enforcement routinely uses such material in prosecutions and there is no reason this situation should be treated any differently. Many criminal investigations would flounder if suspects were allowed to redact statements to their liking. So Patsy’s flashbacks are legitimate evidence for the reality of the scream.
Patsy’s first flashback seems to have a connection with Burke’s noise. The experience of seeing JonBenet lying on the floor probably occurred just after JonBenet was struck down and therefore was close behind the scream. Hence JonBenet may still have been at or near the spot where she gave voice to the scream. This suggests she screamed in the living room. The intriguing thing here is that Burke’s bedroom on the second floor is directly above the living room. Apparently the scream originated directly underneath Burke’s bedroom! No wonder he was jolted awake. Traditionally the scream has been relegated to the margins of the Ramsey case. But Patsy’s flashbacks and Burke’s noise bring the legend of the scream to life. It’s much more credible than commonly realized. To haunt Patsy with flashbacks and jolt Burke awake (not to mention rousing Melody) that scream must have been a humdinger that reverberated through every room and hallway in the house on 15th street.
Is the scream related to any other aspect of the crime? Well, if JonBenet screamed as portrayed above there is no doubt her distress was caused by someone. In these circumstances it’s very likely she would try to flee, and that could easily lead to a struggle if that someone sought to restrain her. Thus evidence of a struggle (or the lack thereof) is pertinent to the question of whether JonBenet screamed or not. Are there signs of a struggle? The autopsy report lists a variety of injuries she sustained, the most important being the blow to the head, strangulation, and their side effects. Frequently lost in the hubbub surrounding these injuries are marks with their own distinct character that could be the side effects of a struggle. The autopsy report describes some of these marks as follows: 1 “Located just below the right ear….. is a 3/8 x 1/2 inch area of rust colored abrasion.” 2 “on the lower left neck…… a roughly triangular, parchment-like rust colored abrasion which measures 1.5 inches in length with a maximum width of 0.75 inches.” 3 “Located on the right side of the chin is a three-sixteenths by one-eighth of an inch area of superficial abrasion.” 4 “On….. the right shoulder is a poorly demarcated, very superficial focus of abrasion/contusion which is pale purple in color and measures up to three-quarters by one-half inch in maximum dimension.” 5 “On…. the left lower leg, approximately 4 inches above the heel are two small scratch-like abrasions which are dried and rust colored. They measure one-sixteenth by less than one-sixteenth of an inch and one-eighth by less than one-sixteenth of an inch respectively.” This tally of minor abrasions offers solid evidence JonBenet struggled with the person who struck her down. The evidence of a struggle implies both struggle and scream are real – they are two sides of the same coin.
What are the consequences of the scream? Well, it doesn’t solve the Ramsey case, but it does limit the possible solutions. All three surviving Ramseys – Burke, Patsy, and John – could have been the one to strike JonBenet down. Or a hypothetical intruder could have done it, which might account for the foreign DNA and other IDI evidence. But regardless of who struck JonBenet down only the parents are in a position to mount a second assault on her. With the scream ringing in their ears most intruders would turn tail and head for the hills. Not only that, but if Patsy wasn’t already at the crime scene she would have come running. With her daughter comatose on the floor before her Patsy is not about to retire for the night and deal with the situation in the morning. Since she’s awake and aware of what happened it’s almost impossible for Burke or intruders to carry on undisturbed during the time leading up to and including the strangulation. Now if Burke delivered the head strike Patsy surely knew it and may have provided him with the water heater story as part of the cover-up. For Patsy may have reasoned that if police learn of the scream then Burke’s story made the family more credible than if they try to deny the scream (i.e. loud noise) altogether. Also, it has long been known Patsy’s jacket fibers were intertwined with the garrote. This fact implies she was involved in the strangulation itself and not simply someone who covered it up after the fact. The scream backs up the fibers with additional evidence Patsy was involved in the strangulation (perhaps reluctantly). John is probably the only one besides Patsy who could have participated in the murder at this late stage. It’s fair to conclude Patsy (or Patsy & John together) pulled that cord and ended the life of JonBenet. Not even an intruder responsible for the abuse and headstrike can change that.
2023.03.26 16:18 phantorgasmic Making sense of the initial sightings of the Elantra on WSU campus cameras on 11/13, prior to the murders.
“A review of that video indicated that at approximately 2:44 a.m. on November 13,2022, a white sedan, which was consistent with the description of the White Elantra known as Suspect Vehicle 1, was observed on WSU surveillance cameras travelling north on southeast Nevada Street at northeast Stadium Way. At approximately 2:53 a.m., a white sedan, which is consistent with the description of the White Elantra known as Suspect Vehicle 1, was observed traveling southeast on Nevada Street in Pullman, WA towards SR 270. SR 270 connects Pullman, Washington to Moscow, Idaho.”When they refer to SE Nevada Street and Nevada Street, are they referring to the same street? I assume they are, since there is no “Nevada St” in Pullman, only a SE Nevada Street. So then I’m curious… what could the driver of the white sedan possibly have been doing from 2:44am until 2:53 when it was spotted on [SE] Nevada St the second time?
I also have a question regarding that second sighting on SE Nevada St:
”At approximately 2:53am … Suspect Vehicle 1, was observed traveling southeast on Nevada Street in Pullman, WA towards SR 270.”SE Nevada St runs practically parallel to SR-270. How were they able to determine that a vehicle that was traveling on one road was heading “toward” a street that runs parallel to it?
Wouldn’t it mean that in this particular footage of the vehicle, the vehicle must have been observed turning
Regardless, even if the camera footage captured at Nevada St did in fact show Suspect Vehicle 1 turning off of Nevada and onto Stadium Way (toward SR-270, as the PCA suggests), then wouldn’t the WHE have been captured on the footage on any of the multiple cameras that are posted at the intersection of SR-270?
Can any locals in or around Pullman, WA on or before 11/13/2022 possibly shed some light on if, maybe, this intersection was under some kind of construction at the time of the murders? Or provide some other explanation that could account for why the cameras wouldn’t have captured footage of the WHE that night? Like, are these cameras at this intersection (NE Stadium Way and Main St AKA SR-270) merely red light cameras, and thus are not constantly recording?
Also sincere thanks in advance to anyone that can help me to make sense of this passage.
TL;DR: A passage of the PCA, which I’ve included at the beginning of this post, has piqued my interest. I have a question or two that perhaps some locals to the Pullman area could answer for me? I’d also like to get other members thoughts on what they think BK (the alleged driver of the vehicle) was doing and/or where he had gone between the first and second time he was spotted driving on SE Nevada St, first at 2:44am and again at 2:53am (a 9 minute window between sightings).
P.S.: I wasn’t sure whether to tag this post with the Question flair or the Discussion flair, sorry if I picked the incorrect one. :/
2023.03.26 15:54 BaltimoreJacks Mid-Atlantic USA South Wales Derby viewing
For the 2nd year running, the BMore Jacks are heading to Mumbles' twin city, Havre de Grace, MD for the South Wales Derby. Havre de Grace is centrally located between the likes of Baltimore, Philadelphia, Wilmington, and Lancaster PA. So Philly Jacks, Southeast PA Jacks, Eastern MD Jacks, Delaware Jacks, South Jersey Jacks, DC Jacks, join us on the waterfront!
Sat., April 1 at 10:00 AM
Market Street Brewery, 203 Market St, Havre De Grace, MD
https://preview.redd.it/s8a27qzq93qa1.png?width=555&format=png&auto=webp&s=26f94d5870bf942dc3745e4443c9014f227bcd0b
submitted by BaltimoreJacks to swanseacity [link] [comments]
Sat., April 1 at 10:00 AM
Market Street Brewery, 203 Market St, Havre De Grace, MD
https://preview.redd.it/s8a27qzq93qa1.png?width=555&format=png&auto=webp&s=26f94d5870bf942dc3745e4443c9014f227bcd0b
2023.03.26 14:25 AxlCobainVedder Korvette’s original Brooklyn location at 485 Fulton Street, opened in 1957 in a former Oppenheim-Collins department store. Picture from an early 1970s original slide courtesy of the Pleasant Family Shopping collection.
| | submitted by AxlCobainVedder to newyorkcity [link] [comments] |
2023.03.26 14:15 AxlCobainVedder Korvette’s original Brooklyn location at 485 Fulton Street, opened in 1957 in a former Oppenheim-Collins department store. Picture from an early 1970s original slide courtesy of the Pleasant Family Shopping collection.
 | submitted by AxlCobainVedder to Brooklyn [link] [comments] |
2023.03.26 06:00 Particular_Barber849 Sega vs Cartoon Network - the final set (Update 2)
The final set for Sega Vs Cartoon Network:
Fighters Pass Vol 2.
1001: Reimu Hakurei (Touhou Project) (Guests) [Sega]
1002: Max Goof (Guests) [CN]
1003: Asuna (Sword art Online) (Guests) [Sega]
1004: Medaka Kurokami (Medaka Box) (Guests) [CN]
1005: Isaac (Golden Sun) (Guests) [Sega]
1006: Kuzco (Emperor's New Groove) (Guests) [CN]
1007: Teiris (Dragon Force) [Sega]
1008: ???? [CN]
1009: Rodin (Bayonetta) [Sega]
1010: ???? [CN]
1011: Cendrillion (Wonderland Wars/League of Wonderland) [Sega]
1012: ???? [CN]
1013: Prince Ali (The Story of ThoBeyond Oasis) [Sega]
1014: ???? [CN]
1015: Kelly (Gunvalkyrie) [Sega]
1016: ???? [CN]
1017: Estel Aguirre (Streets of Rage 4) [Sega]
1018: Reboot Gwen (Ben 10 Reboot) [CN]
1019: Twinbee (Guests) [Sega]
1020: Po (Kung Fu Panda) (Guests) [CN]
Final
Sega Vs Cartoon Network Ultimate Episode Final:
1021: ???? [Sega]
1022: ???? [CN]
1023: ???? [Sega]
1024: ???? [CN]
1025: Shulk (Guests) [Sega]
1026: Wall-E & EVE (Guests) [CN]
1027: Sol Badguy (Guilty Gear)
1028: Leouch (Code Geass)
1029: The Heavy (Team Fortress 2)
1030: Jotaro Kujo (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure)
1031: ???? [Sega]
1032: ???? [CN]
1033: ???? [Sega]
1034: ???? [CN]
1035: ???? [Sega]
1036: ???? [CN]
1037: Valkyrie (Guests) [Sega]
1038: Kitty & Dudley (Guests) [CN]
1039: Jibanyan (Yo Kai Watch)
1040: Carly Shay (iCarly) (Guests) [CN]
submitted by Particular_Barber849 to segavscartoonnetwork [link] [comments]
Fighters Pass Vol 2.
- Ichiban Kasuga (Yakuza) (Sega)
- Lucy Mann (Ben 10)
- Mr. Hang-On (Sega) [Newcomer]
- Johnny Test & Dukey (CN) [Newcomer]
- Cyrille (Shining Force EXA) (Sega)
- Princess Morbucks (Powerpuff Girls) (CN)
- Mieu (Phantasy Star) (Sega)
- Carl Chryniszzswics (Johnny Bravo) (CN)
- Load Ran (Twinkle Star Sprites) (Sega Guests)
- Deku (My Hero Academia) (CN Guests)
- Whisper the Wolf (Sega)
- Zombozo (Ben 10) (CN)
- Cube (Jet Set Radio) (Sega)
- Zak Saturday (The Secret Saturdays) (CN)
- Classic Eggman (Sega)
- Death (Regular Show) (CN)
- Ayame Fujieda (Sakura Wars) (Sega)
- Clay Bailey (Xiaolin Showdown) (CN)
- Marth (Fire Emblem) (Sega Guests)
- Miraculous Ladybug (CN Guests)
- Captain Onishima (Jet Set Radio) (Sega)
- Octus (Sym-Bionic Titan) (CN)
- Janken the Great (Alex Kidd) (Sega)
- Katz (Courage the Cowardly Dog) (CN)
- Shadow Yamoto (Eternal Champions) (Sega)
- Elmyra Duff (Tiny Toon) (CN)
- Ethan Waber (Phantasy Star Online) (Sega)
- Marucho Marukura (CN)
- Hero (Dragon Quest) (Sega Guests)
- Ezra (Star Wars Rebels) (CN Guests)
- Erena Mikado (Original character from Sega)
- ???? (Original character from CN)
- Yumiko Ashihara (Original character from Sega)
- ???? (Original character from CN)
- Gamma Surugi (Original character from Sega)
- ???? (Original character from CN)
- Katsu Tanaka (Original character from Sega)
- ???? (Original character from CN)
- Shiro Takashi (Original character from Sega)
- ???? (Original character from CN)
- Sakumi Minami (Original character from Sega)
- ???? (Original character from CN)
- Yuutsuke Naoto (Original character from Sega)
- ???? (Original character from CN)
- Kaori Kinetto (Original character from Sega)
- ???? (Original character from CN)
- Akio Kishaba (Original character from Sega)
- ???? (Original character from CN)
- Princess Hanae (Original character from Sega)
- ???? (Original character from CN)
- Jin Chuzura (Original character from Sega)
- ???? (Original character from CN)
- Masumi Kakuma (Original character from Sega)
- ???? (Original character from CN)
- Tame Henxendo & Tsuya Kojima (Original character from Sega)
- Montana Max (Tiny Toon) (CN)
- Antoine D'Coolette (Sega)
- Kenny Tennyson (Ben 10) (CN)
- Mina Mongoose (Sega)
- Devlin Levin (Ben 10) (CN)
- Nicole the Lynx (Sega)
- Kai Green (Ben 10) (CN)
- GonGon (Super Monkey Ball (Sega)
- Robotgirl (Robotboy) (CN)
- Baby (Super Monkey Ball (Sega)
- Doc Saturday (The Secret Saturdays) (CN)
- Akihiko Sanada (Persona 3) (Sega)
- Fiskerton Saturday (The Secret Saturdays) (CN)
- Fuuka Yamagishi (Persona 3) (Sega)
- Mung Daal (Chowder) (CN)
- Aigis (Persona 3) (Sega)
- Speedy (Teen Titans) (CN)
- Ken Amada (Persona 3) (Sega)
- Blossom Z (Powerpuff Girls Z) (CN)
- Movie Sonic
- Bubble Z (Powerpuff Girls Z) (CN)
- Movie Tails
- Buttercup Z (Powerpuff Girls Z) (CN)
- Movie Knuckles
- The Kanker Sisters (Ed, Edd n Eddy) (CN)
- Andy Bogard (Guests) (Sega)
- Vegeta (Guests) (CN)
- Joe Higashi (Guests) (Sega)
- Bulma (Guests) (CN)
- Mai Shiranui (Guests) (Sega)
- Sasuke Uchiha (Guests) (CN)
- Lucina (Guests) (Sega)
- Danny Phantom (Guests) (CN)
- Tracer (Guests) (Sega)
- Belle (Guests) (CN)
- Captain Falcon (Guests) (Sega)
- Simba (Guests) (CN)
- Ness (Guests) (Sega)
- Black Adam (Guests) (CN)
- Sig (Puyo Puyo) (Sega)
- Toodles Galore & Cherie Mouse (Tom & Jerry) (CN)
- Cosmo the Seedrian (Sonic X) (Sega)
- Madelyn Dinkley (Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo) (CN)
- Ryo Sakazaki (Guests) (Sega)
- Lincoln Loud (Guests) (CN)
- Fortnite (Guests) (Sega)
- Yugi Muto (Guests) [CN]
- Bin (Dynamite Dux) (Sega) [Newcomer]
- Sheep (Sheep in the Big City) (CN) [Newcomer]
- DJ Professor K (Jet Set Radio) (Sega)
- Captain Nemesis (Ben 10: Ultimate Alien) (CN)
- Nina Williams (Tekken) (Guests) [Sega]
- Meliodas (Guests) (CN)
- Tanjiro Kamado (Guests) (Sega)
- Lori Loud (Guests) (CN)
- Evila (Space Channel 5) (Sega)
- Banana Joe (The Amazing World of Gumball) (CN)
- Raffine (Puyo Puyo) (Sega)
- Alice May (Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated) (CN)
- Justin Beaver (Sonic Boom) (Sega)
- Kelsey Bern (Craig of the Creek) (CN)
- Jin Kazama (Guests) (Sega)
- Black Canary (DC) (Guests) [CN]
- Arthur (Guests) [Sega] (Sega)
- Chateau Dankworth (Guests) (CN)
- Ally (Puyo Puyo) (Sega)
- Droopy (Tom & Jerry) (CN)
- Ecco (Ecco the Dolphin) (Sega) [Newcomer]
- Pibby (CN) [Newcomer]
- Bug! (BUG!) (Sega) [Newcomer]
- Yogi Bear (CN) [Newcomer]
- Cody (Final Fight) (Guests) (Sega)
- Yuji Itadori (Guests) (CN)
- Solid Snake (Guests) (Sega)
- Aladdin (Guests) (CN)
- Kei Nishioka (Original character from Sega)
- ???? (Original character from CN)
- Minako Yoshinaga (Original character from Sega)
- ???? (Original character from CN)
- Seiko Takumi (Original character from Sega)
- ???? (Original character from CN)
- Himeko Yumehara (Original character from Sega)
- ???? (Original character from CN)
- Toyo Nao (Original character from Sega)
- ???? (Original character from CN)
- Ashihei Hayashi (Original character from Sega)
- ???? (Original character from CN)
- Max Taylor & Chomp (Dinosaur King) (Sega) [Newcomer]
- Moxy (The Moxy Show) (CN) [Newcomer]
- Vashyron (Sega)
- Runo Misaki (CN)
- Shinjiro Aragaki (Persona 3) (Sega)
- Furrball (Tiny Toon) (CN)
- Kotone Shiomi (Persona 3: PSP) (Sega)
- Shy Ninja (OK K.O.) (CN)
- EggRobo (Sega)
- J.P. Mercer (Craig of the Creek) (CN)
- Lara Croft (Guests) [Sega]
- Kung Lao (Guests) [CN]
- Toad (Guests) [Sega]
- Harry Potter (Guests) [CN]
- Yoshi (Guests) [Sega]
- Gon Freecss (Guests) [CN]
- Coco Bandicoot (Guests) [Sega]
- He-Man (Guests) [CN]
- Daisuke Nakahara (Original character from Sega)
- ???? (Original character from CN)
- Keito Sugahara (Original character from Sega)
- ???? (Original character from CN)
- Tohru Adachi (Persona 4) (Sega)
- Shun Kazami [CN]
- Nurse Valentine (Guests) [Sega]
- Cure Black & Cure White (Pretty Cure) (Guests) [CN]
- Wario (Guests) [Sega]
- The Joker (DC) (Guests) [CN]
- Shion (Wonder Boy)
- Otto Osworth (Time Squad)
- Pichu (Guests) [Sega]
- Jasmine (Aladdin) (Guests) [CN]
- Lucas (Earthbound) (Guests) [Sega]
- Mertle Edmonds (Stitch) (Guests) [CN]
- Donkey Kong (Guests) [Sega]
- Jessica Rabbit (Guests) [CN]
- Jill Valentine (Guests) [Sega]
- Anya Forger with his parents (Guests) [CN]
- Leo (Anarchy Reigns) [Sega] [Newcomer]
- Sunny Bridges (Class of 3000) [CN] [Newcomer]
- Uryu Ishida (Bleach) (Guests) [Sega]
- Timon & Pumba (The Lion King) (Guests) [CN]
- Princess Zelda (Guests) [Sega]
- Jazz Fenton & Sam Manson (Guests) [CN]
- 2B (Guests) [Sega]
- Patrick Star (Guests) [CN]
- Dante (Guests) [Sega]
- Poison Ivy (DC) (Guests) [CN]
- Xiuying Hong (Shenmue)
- Jinx (Teen Titans)
- Waruyama (Pulseman) (Sega)
- Reboot Ben (Ben 10 Reboot)
- Inkling (Guests) [Sega]
- Bart Simpson (Guests) [CN]
- Paul Phoenix (Tekken) (Guests) [Sega]
- Dipper & Mabel (Guests) [CN]
- Sakura Kasugano (Guests) [Sega]
- Harley Quinn (Guests) [CN]
- Junko Murakami (Original character from Sega)
- ???? (Original character from CN)
- Sara Omigawa (Original character from Sega)
- ???? (Original character from CN)
- Chiemi Nagano (Original character from Sega)
- ???? (Original character from CN)
- Akina Tsuru (Original character from Sega)
- ???? (Original character from CN)
- Sticks the Badger (Sonic Boom) [Sega]
- Devil Dog (Tom & Jerry)
- Takayuki Yagami (Judgment)
- Blaine (Totally Spies)
- Kanami Mashita (Persona 4: Dancing All Night)
- Emily Ramirez (Close Enough)
- Orbot & Cubot (Sonic)
- Larry 3000 (Time Squad)
- Proto Man (Guests) [Sega]
- Spoiler (DC) (Guests) [CN]
- Neku Sakuraba (The World Ends With You) (Guests) [Sega]
- Minnie Mouse (Guests) [CN]
- Yuri Sakazaki (Guests) [Sega]
- Daisy Duck (Guests) [CN]
- Waluigi (Guests) [Sega]
- Rías Gremory (Guests) [CN]
- Kasuto Tatsumi (Original character from Sega)
- Charly Dinkley (Original character from CN)
- Rizue Riyeko (Original character from Sega)
- Ava Rogers (Original character from CN)
- Ayame Yoshida (Original character from Sega)
- Luna Storm (Original character from CN)
- Maria Tachibana (Sakura Wars) (Sega)
- Muriel Bagge
- Itsuki Tachibana & Rina Izumi (Phantasy Star) "like Pyra & Mythra"
- Puggsy (Tom & Jerry: the Movie)
- Kanao Tsuyuri (Guests) [Sega]
- Nobara Kugisaki (Guests) [CN]
- Synbios (Shining Force) [Sega]
- Chad Dickson (KND) [CN]
- Amiga (Samba de Amigo) [Sega]
- Vambre Warrior [CN]
- Lucario (Guests) [Sega]
- Ariel (Guests) [CN]
- Astro Boy (Guests) [Sega] (like Astro Boy: Omega Factor, Astro Boy 2002 & Astro Boy: the Video Game 2009)
- April O'Neil (TMNT) (Guests) [CN]
- Orta (Panzer Dragoon) [Sega]
- Julie Makimoto (Bakugan) [CN]
- Surge the Tenrec (Sonic IDW) [Sega]
- Cree Lincoln (KND) [CN]
- Trevor Belmont/Sypha Belnades (Guests) [Sega] (like Pyra & Mythra)
- Takemichi (Guests) [CN]
- Marina (Mischief Makers) (Guests) [Sega]
- Nami (Guests) [CN]
- Ramaya (Arabian Fight) [Sega]
- Skunk (Shunk Fu!) [CN]
- Juri Han (Guests) [Sega]
- Merlin (Guests) [CN]
- Spyro the Dragon (Guests) [Sega]
- Hinata Tachibana (Guests) [CN]
- Sukapon (Joy-Mech Fight) (Guests) [Sega]
- Jade (Guests) [CN]
- Reimi Shingeru (Original character from Sega)
- ???? (Original character from CN)
- Katsuro Hiroshi & Hisano Nonaka (Original character from Sega)
- ???? (Original character from CN)
- Abigail Matsui (Original character from Sega)
- Eliza (Craig of the Creek)
- Manami Kishi (Original character from Sega)
- Bad Ben (Ben 10: Omniverse)
- Miki Nonaka (Original character from Sega)
- Red X (Teen Titans) [CN]
- Moigle and Hoigle (Floigan Bros.) (First-Party) [Sega]
- Mike, Lu & Og (First-Party) [CN]
- Princess Kurumi (Ninja Princess) (First-Party) [Sega]
- Oscar Peltzer (Summer Camp Island) (First-Party) [CN]
- Kyrie Illunis (Sands of Destruction) (First-Party) [Sega]
- Wirt & Greg (Over the Garden Wall) (First-Party) [CN]
- X (Mega Man X) (Guests) [Sega]
- Tarzan (Guests) [CN]
- Zero (Mega Man X) (Guests) [Sega]
- Jane Porter (Guests) [CN]
- Poison (Guests) [Sega]
- Catwoman (Guests) [CN]
- Min Min (ARMS) (Guests) [Sega]
- Psylocke (Guests) [CN]
- Sheik (Guests) [Sega]
- Captain Marvel (Guests) [CN]
- M. Bison (Guests) [Sega]
- Mr. Incredible (Guests) [CN]
- Geese Howard (Guests) [Sega]
- Shazam (Guests) [CN]
- Bowser (Guests) [Sega]
- Pete (Guests) [CN]
- Kids Stars (Future) (Original character from Sega)
- Jennifer Tennyson (Original Character: Future Daughter of Ben Tennyson) (Original character from CN)
- Kids Revo (Original character from Sega)
- Dark Velma (Original character from CN)
- Jigglypuff (Pokemon) (Guests) [Sega]
- Mulan (Guests) [CN]
- Tifa (Final Fantasy) (Guests) [Sega]
- Hercules (Disney) (Guests) [CN]
- Asuka (Senran Kagura) (Guests) [Sega]
- Madame 44/John Tane (DC) (Guests) [CN]
- Masami (Games No Kanzume) (First-Party) [Sega]
- Wyatt Black (Level Up) (First-Party) [CN]
- Lip (Panel de Pon) (Guests) [Sega]
- Hiro & Baymax (Big Hero 6) (Guests) [CN]
- Kirito (Sword art Online) (Guests) [Sega] "like Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax"
- Strawberry Shortcake (Guests) [CN]
- Quote (Cave Story) (Guests) [Sega]
- Peter Pan (Guests) [CN]
- Yukino Mayuzumi (Persona 1) (First-Party) [Sega]
- Shirley the Loon (Tiny Toon) (First-Party) [CN]
- Palutena (Kid Icarus) (Guests) [Sega]
- Megara (Disney) (Guests) [CN]
- Meta Knight (Guests) [Sega]
- Rapunzel (Guests) [CN]
- Kasumi (Dead or Alive) (Guests) [Sega]
- Inuyasha (Guests) [CN]
- Wonder Momo (Guests) [Sega]
- Light Yagami (Guests) [CN]
- Sonia Blanche (First-Party) [Sega]
- Tara (Tom & Jerry) (First-Party) [CN]
- Hyde Kido (Undernight in Birth) [Sega]
- Jan & Dean (Monster Beach) [CN]
- Falco Lombardi (Guests) [Sega]
- Jack Frost (Guests) (CN)
- Yooka & Laylee (Banjo-Kazooie/Yooka-Laylee) (Guests) [Sega]
- Ochako Uraraka (Guests) [CN]
- Ashe (Guests) [Sega]
- Bloom (Winx) (Guests) [CN]
1001: Reimu Hakurei (Touhou Project) (Guests) [Sega]
1002: Max Goof (Guests) [CN]
1003: Asuna (Sword art Online) (Guests) [Sega]
1004: Medaka Kurokami (Medaka Box) (Guests) [CN]
1005: Isaac (Golden Sun) (Guests) [Sega]
1006: Kuzco (Emperor's New Groove) (Guests) [CN]
1007: Teiris (Dragon Force) [Sega]
1008: ???? [CN]
1009: Rodin (Bayonetta) [Sega]
1010: ???? [CN]
1011: Cendrillion (Wonderland Wars/League of Wonderland) [Sega]
1012: ???? [CN]
1013: Prince Ali (The Story of ThoBeyond Oasis) [Sega]
1014: ???? [CN]
1015: Kelly (Gunvalkyrie) [Sega]
1016: ???? [CN]
1017: Estel Aguirre (Streets of Rage 4) [Sega]
1018: Reboot Gwen (Ben 10 Reboot) [CN]
1019: Twinbee (Guests) [Sega]
1020: Po (Kung Fu Panda) (Guests) [CN]
Final
Sega Vs Cartoon Network Ultimate Episode Final:
1021: ???? [Sega]
1022: ???? [CN]
1023: ???? [Sega]
1024: ???? [CN]
1025: Shulk (Guests) [Sega]
1026: Wall-E & EVE (Guests) [CN]
1027: Sol Badguy (Guilty Gear)
1028: Leouch (Code Geass)
1029: The Heavy (Team Fortress 2)
1030: Jotaro Kujo (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure)
1031: ???? [Sega]
1032: ???? [CN]
1033: ???? [Sega]
1034: ???? [CN]
1035: ???? [Sega]
1036: ???? [CN]
1037: Valkyrie (Guests) [Sega]
1038: Kitty & Dudley (Guests) [CN]
1039: Jibanyan (Yo Kai Watch)
1040: Carly Shay (iCarly) (Guests) [CN]
2023.03.25 19:05 Last-Pineapple-2863 Crazy asl
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2023.03.25 18:06 Icutyourbrakes Found in back yard in Southeast Virginia. There is a retention pond behind the house across the street
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2023.03.25 17:59 rybear1983 2017 Octane or Gunner?
So I'm between an Octane with 8000 miles, and a Gunner with 3600 on it. I'm in Florida, ride a couple hundred miles a week on a Harley Street 750 the last few months. My riding is generally around my moderately sized town, but I also like to enjoy about 70 miles of the worst interstate in the southeast back and forth to Orlando. The Street has zero wind buffering, and it's working way too hard at highway speeds. I like that I never worry about overheating in the liquid cooled bike, and don't know how well the air cooled Gunner would do in stop and go traffic. Neither bike has ABS either. I was originally looking at a Scout, but the octane has everything I want from the scout for half the price, and I don't worry too much about aftermarket upgrades. I just learned about the gunner after riding a Chief and loving the big torque monster V twin. If you guys had to pick one up, which would you suggest? It would he nice to have more than the octane hundred mile range, and also nice to have the muscle of the little rocket of a bike. Thoughts?
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2023.03.25 11:55 plainenglish2 “Mr. Sunshine” (historical and cultural backgrounders for international viewers)
 | submitted by plainenglish2 to KDRAMA [link] [comments] https://preview.redd.it/nqqzlwsquupa1.jpg?width=450&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0fe1d516db52f58be33b48233abaf3e422984c5d Index: Introduction (Eugene’s music box, Greensleeves, What Child Is This, Genshin Impact’s Dawn Winery theme); A. Ep. 1: Battle of Gangwha Island; The Joseon general’s flag (“Sujagi”) during the Battle of Gangwha Island; B. Ep. 2: “Operation Fox Hunt” (Eulmi Incident; assassination of Queen Min); Battle of El Caney; Ep. 2 introduces us to (1) King Gojong’s fondness for coffee; (2) “Glory Hotel” which will become the setting for numerous scenes in later episodes; (3) the advent of electricity in Joseon; and (4) street cars in the latter part of the Joseon Dynasty; C. Ep. 3: “The Baby Riots of 1888”; Dong-mae and the “baekchong” (the most despised group of people during the Joseon Dynasty); D. Ep. 4: Ae-shin enrolls in the English school; How Joseon Koreans learned English; E. Ep. 7: “Patbingsu” (literally “red beans shaved ice”), a popular Korean shaved ice dessert with sweet toppings; F. Ep. 9: Eugene’s confession to Ae-shin; slavery during the Joseon Dynasty; Three major events happened in Korea in 1894; G. Ep. 13: How American missionaries helped King Gojong; the controversial Horace Allen Newton, the American medical missionary who became US ambassador to Joseon Korea; H. Ep. 18: The most-talked about scene of “Mr. Sunshine” when Dong-mae cuts off Ae-shin’s hair; the Confucian prohibition against cutting off a person’s hair during the Joseon Dynasty; I. Ep. 22: “Battle of Namdaemun” (1907); Eugene meets Ahn Changho (aka An Chang-ho), a Korean independence activist and one of the early leaders of the Korean-American immigrant community in the United States; J. Ep. 24: Frederick Arthur McKenzie, the journalist who interviewed the Righteous Army; K. Miscellaneous: Are Eugene, Lee Wan-ik, Ae-shin, Dong-mae, and Kudo Hina fictional characters, or are they based on historical figures? (The Korea Herald and Korea JoongAng Daily); Treaties and agreements mentioned in this drama; Black Dragon Society (referred to in later episodes of the drama as “Musin Society”); Ae-shin’s headdresses; Why did Dong-mae have paintings of plum blossoms on his scabbards? Introduction (Eugene’s music box, Greensleeves, What Child Is This, Genshin Impact’s Dawn Winery theme) Ep. 18 of “Mr. Sunshine” had just been aired when I decided to catch up before the series ended. I did catch up, bingeing Eps. 1-18 in just a little over a week. Besides the emotional impact of Yoo-jin’s escape from Joseon, what resonated with me most in Ep. 1 are the scenes with the music box because I’ve always been fascinated with music boxes. When I heard the tune from the music box in Ep. 1, what came to my mind was the Christmas song “What Child Is This.” It was only later on that I found out that the tune was actually “Greensleeves.” Several months ago, Band-Maid (an all female Japanese band) released their rock version of the “Dawn Winery” theme from the popular online game Genshin Impact. Almost immediately, people began debating whether the “Dawn Winery” theme was inspired (copied?) from Greensleeves or the Christmas song “What Child Is This.” Questions for those of you who are knowledgeable in music: Were “What Child Is This” and the “Dawn Winery” theme from Genshin Impact inspired (copied?) from Greensleeves? Or did these three songs just happen to have some similar notes or chords, and are actually different from each other? A. Ep. 1: Battle of Gangwha Island; The Joseon general’s flag (“Sujagi”) during the Battle of Gangwha Island A-1. Battle of Gangwha Island: “The Battle of Ganghwa was fought during the conflict between Joseon and the United States in 1871. In May, an expedition of five Asiatic Squadron warships set sail from Japan to Korea in order to establish trade relations, ensure the safety of shipwrecked sailors, and to find out what happened to the crew of the SS General Sherman. When American forces arrived in Korea, the originally peaceful mission turned into a battle when guns from a Korean fort suddenly opened fire on the Americans. The battle to capture Ganghwa Island’s forts was the largest engagement of the conflict.” Battle of Ganghwa (Ep. 1 , “Mr. Sunshine”) Koreans who died in fighting in Gwanseong Garrison; Albumen silver print by Felice Beato (New World Encyclopedia) A-2. The Joseon general’s flag (“Sujagi”) during the Battle of Gangwha Island “After 136 years, the rank flag of General Eo Jae-yeon (1823-1871) was returned to the South Korean Cultural Heritage Administration. The flag is on loan from the U.S. Naval Academy Museum, which has had possession. The flag was captured as a war trophy in 1871, when the U.S. Expedition to Korea captured the flag in 1871 when American troops seized Ganghwa Island. Read also “General’s Flag Returns Home From US” (The Korea Times, 2007). Battle of Gangwha Island (Ep. 1, “Mr. Sunshine”) “Sujagi” captured as war trophy by US troops https://preview.redd.it/btiohmt4wupa1.jpg?width=450&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7a8eb2bdc8efd48ae80a6bf5c7b1b4dc20c21dd3 B. Ep. 2: “Operation Fox Hunt” (Eulmi Incident; assassination of Queen Min); Battle of El Caney; Ep. 2 introduces us to (1) King Gojong’s fondness for coffee; (2) “Glory Hotel” which will become the setting for numerous scenes in later episodes; (3) the advent of electricity in Joseon; and (4) street cars in the latter part of the Joseon Dynasty B-1. In Ep. 2, Ae-shin’s grandfather warns her about what happened to the late Queen Min. In Ep. 4, Lord Ito Hirobumi mentions to Lee Wan-ik the phrase “Operation Fox Hunt.” Otherwise referred to as the “Eulmi Incident,” this refers to the assassination of King Gojong’s wife, Queen Min (formally “Empress Myeongseong”) on October 8, 1895, by a band of about 50 Japanese swordsmen. From Wikipedia: “The government of Meiji Japan considered Empress Myeongseong an obstacle to its overseas expansion. Efforts to remove her from the political arena, orchestrated through failed rebellions prompted by the father of King Gojong, the Heungseon Daewongun (an influential regent working with the Japanese), compelled her to take a harsher stand against Japanese influence.” B-2. The Spanish-American War erupts, and Eugene and Major Kyle Moore are thrown into the fierce battle of El Caney. The Battle of El Caney was fought on July 1, 1898, during the Spanish-American War. 600 Spanish soldiers held for twelve hours, until they ran out of ammunition, against Henry W. Lawton’s 5th US Division, made up of 6,899 men. This action temporarily delayed the American advance on the San Juan Hills, as had been requested of General William Rufus Shafter. Nevertheless, American forces advanced on San Juan Hill the same day. Though encountering spirited resistance similar to El Caney, the Americans were ultimately victorious, culminating in the capitulation of the Spanish garrison. Battle of El Caney (Ep. 2, “Mr. Sunshine”) The capture of El Caney (Christy) B-3. Ep. 2 introduces us to (1) King Gojong’s fondness for coffee; (2) “Glory Hotel” which will become the setting for numerous scenes in later episodes; (3) the advent of electricity in Joseon; and (4) street cars in the latter part of the Joseon Dynasty (1) King Gojong’s fondness for coffee Coffee is frequently mentioned throughout this drama. In history, King Gojong did have a fondness for coffee. Most sources say that he came to know about coffee during his 1896 stay at the Russian embassy. But historian Robert D. Neff proves in “Koreans, coffee and the king’s court” (Jeju Weekly) that coffee was known and served in Joseon’s royal court even before 1896. King Gojong’s fondness for coffee provided the means for an assassination attempt against him and the Crown Prince. This is the historical basis for the 2012 movie “Gabi” aka “Russian Coffee” starring Park Hee-soon (as King Gojong), Kim So-yeon, and Joo Jin-mo (he played the role of Wang Yu in “Empress Ki”). (2) “Glory Hotel” is the setting for numerous scenes in Ep. 2 and later episodes. In the article “Korea’s first foreign hotels in 1880s Jemulpo” by Robert Neff (The Korea Times) , historian and longtime Seoul resident Robert Neff describes several famous hotels during the 1880s, namely, “Hotel de Corea” (aka “Steinbeck’s Hotel”), “Harry’s Hotel,” “Sea View Hotel,” and “Daibuts Hotel.” (3) From “Electricity Sends Sparks Flying in Joseon Korea” by Robert Neff: “When electricity was first introduced, many superstitious people believed that the electricity angered the spirits and blamed all their misfortunes, including droughts and famines, upon this Western introduction. As time passed electricity became more accepted and was used to illuminate not only the palace and Western homes but also the streets of Seoul. However, superstitions did not die easily.” (4) Street cars are a recurring sight in this drama; they first appear in Ep. 2 when a street car passes between Ae-shin and Eugene. Other examples: in Ep. 11, Ae-shin, Hee-sung, and Gu Dong-mae meet on a street car; in Ep. 22, from a street car, Kudo Hina shoots at the Japanese soldiers during the “Battle of Nandaemun.” From “History: The Introduction of Street Cars” by Robert Neff : “One of the earliest modernizations to Seoul was the introduction of streetcars in 1899 by an American company. It was heralded by many people as a symbol of modernization and prosperity. But not all viewed the streetcars with anticipation and delight. Korea was suffering from a severe drought and many superstitious people thought that the streetcars were to be blamed.” In his article, Neff also narrates how Koreans rioted after a child was run over by a street car, and the street car service was suspended for several weeks when the Japanese drivers refused to go back to work. The problem was solved when the company that owned the street cars hired Americans known as the “California House” — “a rough group of cow punchers, gamblers, bartenders and even a professional gunslinger who later got into trouble for shooting the topknots off of Korean pedestrians.” https://preview.redd.it/0ncwrfjwxupa1.jpg?width=450&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cc6864e2ee7c702553d5f3594313218726d892e5 C. Ep. 3: “The Baby Riots of 1888”; Dong-mae and the “baekchong” (the most despised group of people during the Joseon Dynasty) C-1. After Ae-shin’s altercation with the rowdy Japanese sergeant, she and her servants see American soldiers boarding the train; her servant Haman says that Americans eat people. She’s referring to a historical incident known as “The Baby Riots of 1888.” From “The Baby Riots of 1888” (Wikipedia citing “Korea Through Western Eyes” by Robert D. Neff, 2009): “The Baby Riots of 1888 took place in the summer of 1888 in Joseon Korea. Rumours circulated that foreigners in Seoul were kidnapping young Korean infants and children, gouging out their eyes for use as camera lenses, grinding their internal organs for use in medicine, and eating them. These rumours implicated both the western powers that were present in Korea at the time, as well as the Japanese. These riots saw Koreans gathering outside hospitals, schools and churches run by foreigners to rail against the ‘baby-snatchers’ inside. Many in the foreign community were alarmed by the ferocity of the riots and made preparations to leave Korea, and diplomatic representatives of the foreign legations pressed the Joseon government to repudiate the rumours, which they did reluctantly.” C-2. Dong-mae and the “baekchong” (the most despised group of people during the Joseon Dynasty) Ep. 3 provides Dong-mae’s back story of his parents being “baekchong” (alternative spelling “paekchong”) and how he returned to Joseon as the feared leader of Japanese gangsters. For more information about the “baekchong,” please read my discussion titled Origins of the “baekchong” (the most despised people during the Joseon Dynasty); dramas where a lead character is a baekchong). D. Ep. 4: Ae-shin enrolls in the English school; How Joseon Koreans learned English Historian Robert D. Neff in “Learning English in the 1880s, A glimpse into the history of learning English in Korea” tells us how Koreans first came to learn English: “In 1882—just prior to Korea opening to the West—Koreans who desired to learn English had to travel to Japan.” From “Impact of English on late Joseon” (The Korea Times): King Gojong, the 26th king of Joseon, was the first to establish a school for English. A palace school named “Yugyoung Gongwon” (royal English school) was established in 1883 with an American missionary, Homer B. Hulbert, and three other missionaries. E. Ep. 7: “Patbingsu” (literally “red beans shaved ice”), a popular Korean shaved ice dessert with sweet toppings On their way to the English school, Ae-shin and her servant stop by at the French bakery and order some “bingsu.” From Wikipedia: The early forms of “patbingsu” consisted of shaved ice and two or three ingredients, typically red bean paste, “tteok,” and ground nut powder. The earliest forms of “patbingsu” existed during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). Government records show officials sharing crushed ice topped with various fruits. F. Ep. 9: Eugene’s confession to Ae-shin; slavery during the Joseon Dynasty; Three major events happened in Korea in 1894 F-1. Ep. 9: Eugene’s confession to Ae-shin; slavery during the Joseon Dynasty From “Jejoongwon, Part 1: The History”: During the Joseon Dynasty, society was divided into four castes, with the “yangban” (nobles) as the highest caste. The lowest caste was “chonmin” that consisted of slaves, convicts, shamans, entertainers (such as gisaengs and storytellers), and butchers. From “Korea, The Politics of the Vortex” (1968) by Gregory Henderson: The “despised people” (chonmin) consisted of private and public slaves, shamans, buffoons, traveling dancers, singers, Buddhist monks and nuns, and butchers. From “Nobi: Rescuing the Nation from Slavery” (The Korea Times): One of the interesting aspects of pre-modern Korean history is the existence of a huge number of slaves, perhaps averaging 30% or perhaps 40% of the population for the Chosŏn dynasty. F-2. Three major events happened in Korea in 1894 (The Korea Times): Slavery, hereditary social status, discrimination against widows and concubines, and many other forms of determining social privilege were legally abolished. G. Ep. 13: How American missionaries helped King Gojong; the controversial Horace Allen Newton, the American medical missionary who became US ambassador to Joseon Korea In Ep. 13, King Gojong and Minister Lee Jeong-mun use an American missionary as their intermediary. In previous episodes, we meet Horace Newton Allen, the American ambassador to Joseon Korea, where he’s presented as a weak administrator and a corrupt official who accepted a bribe from Lee Wan-ik (to stop Eugene’s investigation into missionary Joseph’s death). He’s referred to as being a doctor, but the drama (as far as I can recall) doesn’t mention him even once as a Presbyterian medical missionary. In fact, as part of his missionary activities, Allen founded Jejoongwon, which is now the ultramodern Severance Hospital. Severance Hospital ispart of Yonsei University, which is one of the top three universities in Korea. Top: Replica of Jejoongwon’s original structure; Bottom: Severance Hospital For a much-more favorable portrayal of Horace Newton Allen, watch the 2010 drama “Jejoongwon” starring Han Hye-jin (she played Sosuhno in “Jumong”). Although not a big hit, “Jejoongwon” is a favorite among knowledgeable and credible websites like Dramabeans, Thundie’s Prattle, The Talking Cupboard, Electric Ground, and Korean Historical Dramas. From “The Legacy of Horace Newton Allen” by Wi Jo Kang (Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa): The main enemy of Korean independence, as Allen rightly perceived, was the growth of Japanese power. Allen constantly warned his government that expanding Japanese power was the greatest threat to world peace. From “Providence and Politics: Horace N. Allen and the Early US-Korea Encounter, 1884-1894” by Andrea Yun Kwon (University of California, Berkeley): Few names are more recognizable to students of early American-Korean relations than that of Horace Newton Allen. And for good reason. During the twenty years the angular, bespectacled physician from Ohio lived in Chosŏn Korea, he supervised the kingdom’s first Western- style hospital and medical school, cultivated close ties with the monarch, helped secure gold mining and other concessions for American business, played a central role in Korean migration to Hawaii, and, for nearly a decade, served as the United States ambassador in Seoul. As historian Wayne Patterson summarizes, “In the one hundred years since Korea was opened to the West no foreigner became more involved in Korea’s affairs than Horace Allen.H. Ep. 18: The most-talked about scene of “Mr. Sunshine” when Dong-mae cuts off Ae-shin’s hair; the Confucian prohibition against cutting off a person’s hair during the Joseon Dynasty Perhaps the most-talked about scene of “Mr. Sunshine” is in Ep. 18 when Dong-mae cuts off Ae-shin’s hair, which is in the “daeng’gi meori” style of unmarried Joseon women. Finding out later on in Ep. 19 what Dong-mae did, Lord Go beats him repeatedly and warns him to stay away from Ae-shin or else be punished the way that butchers are punished under Joseon laws; Eugene goes to challenge him; and Hee-sung punches him repeatedly. Ae-shin, meanwhile, cries in shame as her grandfather comes to see her. Why did Ae-shin, Lord Go, Eugene, and Hee-sung react the way that they did? Simply stated, Confucianism, which is the foundation of the Joseon Dynasty, prohibited the cutting of a person’s hair because it is part of a person’s legacy from his or her parents. From Wikipedia: “The Classic of Filial Piety, also known by its Chinese name as the Xiaojing, is a Confucian classic treatise giving advice on filial piety: that is, how to behave towards a senior such as a father, an elder brother, or ruler.” The Classic of Filial Piety states: “Our bodies ― to every hair and bit of skin ― are received by us from our parents, and we must not presume to injure or wound them. This is the beginning of filial piety.” Ae-shin herself states in Ep. 19 (around the 4:41 mark) how she regarded her hair: “We all live in different worlds, and each cherishes different things. In my world, Joseon, my family, and my hair given by my parents are all dear to me.” Perhaps the clearest illustration for the implications of cutting off a person’s hair comes from Ep. 19 of the 2011 drama “The Princess’s Man” where Se-ryung cuts off her hair to signify that she is cutting off her ties with her father King Sejo, aka Grand Prince Suyang. https://i.redd.it/9otvuwb5yupa1.gif But the prohibition against cutting off a person’s hair also applied to Joseon men. It was said that Joseon men would rather die than have their topknot (“sangtu”) cut off; the topknot was their symbol of manhood, and in history, King Gojong’s first order to have the topknots cut off was rescinded. In Ep. 1, why did the young Yoo-jin cut off his hair? It’s to signify his complete break with Joseon as he has then decided to join the American military. In Episode 7 of the 2014 drama “The Joseon Gunman,” Park Yoon-kang cuts off his topknot to signify that he was cutting off his ties to Joseon and embracing his Japanese identity.) In the last part of Episode 17 and the start of Episode 18 of “Jejoongwon” (2010), Baek Do-yang cuts off his topknot to symbolize that he is cutting off his ties to his noble status. Upon reaching manhood or upon getting married, a Joseon nobleman or scholar pulled his hair to the top and tied it into a topknot called “sangtu.” A headband called “manggeon” was used to hold the hair in place. Joseon commoners and slaves also used a topknot called “minsangtu” but without a headband. For more information, surf to “A Guide to Joseon Hairstyles and Headgears” (The Talking Cupboard). I. Ep. 22: “Battle of Namdaemun” (1907); Eugene meets Ahn Changho (aka An Chang-ho), a Korean independence activist and one of the early leaders of the Korean-American immigrant community in the United States I-1. The last 15 minutes of Episode 22 depict the “Battle of Namdaemun” that took place on August 1, 1907 after the Joseon military was disbanded. From Wikipedia: “Namdaemun (South Great Gate), officially known as the Sungnyemun, Gate of Exalted Ceremonies, is one of the Eight Gates in the Fortress Wall of Seoul, South Korea, which surrounded the city in the Joseon dynasty. The gate is located in Jung-gu between Seoul Station and Seoul Plaza, with the historic 24-hour Namdaemun market next to the gate. Battle of Namdaemun (Wikipedia): “The 1st Battalion Commander Major Park Sung-hwan (1869-1907), wrote a note on a paper and committed suicide by shooting himself. The note said that he was against the disbandment of the armed forces. Battle of Namdaemun from French newspaper I-2. After he’s released from prison, Eugene meets Ahn Changho (aka An Chang-ho), a Joseon scholar who asked him for directions to Columbia University. From Wikipedia: Ahn Changho was a Korean independence activist and one of the early leaders of the Korean-American immigrant community in the United States. J. Ep. 24: Frederick Arthur McKenzie, the journalist who interviewed the Righteous Army Frederick Arthur McKenzie, the journalist who interviewed the Righteous Army in Ep. 24, is a historical character. For more information, read “McKenzie, journalist who delved into Korean justice” (The Korea Herald). His book “The Tragedy of Korea,” published in 1908, is freely available in various formats in the Project Gutenberg website. Excerpt from the Korea Herald article: “Frederick Arthur McKenzie is remembered by Koreans as a true, brave journalist whose reporting and writing during the early 20th century helped expose Koreans’ sufferings under the rule of Imperial Japan. His writings and photos remain precious records of Korea’s turbulent history. Top picture from “Mr. Sunshine”; bottom picture from Frederick Arthur McKenzie’s book K. Miscellaneous: Are Eugene, Lee Wan-ik, Ae-shin, Dong-mae, and Kudo Hina fictional characters or based on historical figures?; Treaties and agreements mentioned in this drama; Black Dragon Society (referred to in later episodes of the drama as “Musin Society”); Ae-shin’s headdresses; Why did Dong-mae have paintings of plum blossoms on his scabbards? K-1. Are Eugene, Lee Wan-ik, Ae-shin, Dong-mae, and Kudo Hina fictional characters, or are they based on historical figures? (The Korea Herald and Korea JoongAng Daily) From ‘Mr. Sunshine’ offers ray of hope with mesmerizing fantasy (The Korea Herald): Eugene Choi appears to be the product of wishful imagination inspired by US naval attache George Foulke, who spoke Korean, explored various parts of the country, and even understood the political intrigues between factions in Joseon’s court that were influenced by China and Japan at the time. The Korea Herald article also says that antagonist Lee Wan-ik is based on "Ye Wan-yong, a pro-Japanese minister of Korea who signed the Japan Korea Annexation Treaty which placed Korea under Japanese rule in 1910." Other sources such as Korea JoonAng Daily say that Ae-shin and Dong-mae are fictional characters (without mentioning Kudo Hina). Hina is depicted as a sophisticated woman who can speak Korean, Japanese, and English. She may have been inspired by an Austrian woman named “Hannah,” the sister-in-law of the owner of Steinbeck’s Hotel. Robert Neff in his article “Korea’s first foreign hotels in 1880s Jemulpo” by Robert Neff (The Korea Times) describes Hannah as a “very fascinating young lady, a most accomplished damsel, who could speak fluently every language under the sun — from Turkish and Arabic to Corean and Japanese.” K-2. Treaties and agreements mentioned in “Mr. Sunshine” Japan-Korea Treaty of 1904 K-3. Black Dragon Society (referred to in later episodes of the drama as “Musin Society”) Dong-mae is depicted as the leader of a Japanese gang operating in Joseon, which is affiliated with the Black Dragon Society (referred to in later episodes as “Musin Society”). From Wikipedia: The Black Dragon Society (“Kokuryūkai” or Amur River Society) was a prominent paramilitary, ultra-nationalist right-wing group in Japan. Note: "Bridal Mask" aka "Gaksital" is a 2012 drama starring Joo Won, Jin Se-yeon, and Shin Hyun-joon. Similar to "Mr. Sunshine," it’s set during the Japanese colonial rule in Korea. If "Mr. Sunshine" has its "Black Dragon Society" aka “Musin Society,” "Bridal Mask" has “Kishokai.” K-5. Ae-shin’s various headdresses “Jangot” (left); “Ayam” (right) On several occasions, Ae-shin wears a “jangot” (“changot”) to cover herself, like other noble women in Joseon as they went out in public. I discussed the “jangot” in my post about the historical and cultural backgrounders of "Mr. Queen." In Ep. 9 (end) and Ep. 10 (start), Ae-shin wears a traditional winter cap called “ayam”; it is also called “aegeom” which literally means “covering a forehead” in Korean. The “ayam” traditionally consist of a “mobu or” crown (open at the top) and a big ribbon (“deurim”). The tassel attached to the upper center of both front and back is mostly red in color and the strings connected from both sides are all flat braids. (Wikipedia) K-6. Why did Dong-mae have paintings of plum blossoms on his scabbards? A Japanese samurai carries two swords — the longer one, around 40 inches long, is called “katana,” while the shorter one, around 24 inches long, is called “wakizashi.” Dong-mae’s scabbards have paintings of plum blossoms. The name “Dong-mae” comes from “Dong” (winter) and “mae” (plum blossom). The meaning of his name (“the plum blossoms that bloom in winter”) may explain why plum blossoms are painted on his scabbards, as actor Yoo Yeon-seok explained in an interview. You can first glimpse these plums blossoms on his scabbards in Ep. 3 when he confronts the two Japanese men who were talking about molesting Ae-shin. We know from Ep. 15 that plum blossoms are the symbol of the Joseon monarchy. Could the plum blossoms on Dong-mae’s scabbards possibly symbolize that he has never given up on Joseon? I doubt that very much; Dong-mae belonged to the wretched “baekchong” sub-caste, and he had to escape to Japan after his parents were killed. Besides the plain meaning that the plum blossoms on Dong-mae’s scabbards represent his name, I believe that, based on several scenes from Eps. 6, 7, and 24, the plum blossoms represent Ae-shin or his love for Ae-shin. (1) In Ep. 24, starting at around the 30:47 mark, when Dong-mae looks at the plum blossoms, he remembers his tender moments with Ae-shin. (2) Starting at around the 1:51 mark of Ep. 6, Dong-mae confesses his love for Ae-shin. He tells Ae-shin that he became what he is (a samurai who’s working for the dreaded Musin Society) because it was the only way by which he could go back to Joseon and to her. Beginning at around the 3:52 mark of Ep. 6 mark, Dong-mae goes back home feeling dejected. He apologizes to Hotaru because he forgot the things that she wanted from the brush, ink, and paper store. Hotaru then writes “You’re an idiot” on Dong-mae’s right palm. (From Ep. 7 at around the 1:02:40 mark, we can deduce that Hotaru knows that Dong-mae was secretly watching Ae-shin every time that she went to the store.) As he walks away from Hotaru who slaps him lightly on the back, Dong-mae says, “That hurts.” We then see a close-up of the plum blossoms on one of his scabbards and, more significantly, a drop of water that trickles down, like a teardrop, from his scabbard. https://i.redd.it/m5wuda090vpa1.gif Joyce Landorf wrote many years ago a book titled "Tough and Tender; What Every Woman Wants in a Man." Tough and tender ... this perfectly describes who Dong-mae is; he’s a Japanese samurai/gangster who kills people in cold blood. But he’s also tender, with paintings of plum blossoms on his scabbards as symbols of his one true unrequited love, and whose heartache flows like a teardrop from his scabbard. https://preview.redd.it/0uw0vdr71vpa1.jpg?width=450&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7d9d044f39cd548bd3df18ac2e1bcfb102dff53a “Heartache flowing like a teardrop from his scabbard that’s painted with plum blossoms .... ” I love this sentimental stuff! Notes: (1) In digging up the historical and cultural backgrounders of the K-dramas that I watch, I rely on English language resources on the Internet. I don’t speak or read Korean, and so I can’t search through Naver. Those of you who read Korean or are more knowledgeable about Korean culture and history should correct whatever errors or omissions there may be in this discussion. (2) Some of the linked resources in this discussion are in PDF format. If you are using the latest version of Mozilla Firefox as your browser, it will give you the choice of viewing the PDF online instead of downloading it. (3) Other discussions that I have posted on the historical and cultural backgrounders of K-historical dramas: “Mr. Queen” (historical and cultural backgrounders for international viewers, with references to other K-dramas) “Hotel Del Luna” (some cultural backgrounders for international viewers) “The Princess’s Man” (award-winning 2011 drama starring Moon Chae-won and Park Si-hoo) “The Flower in Prison” (blockbuster 2016 drama starring Jin Se-yeon and Go-soo; 34 of its 51 episodes reached more than 20% viewership) “Jejoongwon” (2010 historical-medical drama starring Han Hye-jin, Yeon Jung-hoon, and Park Yong-woo; Dramabeans ranked this drama as number one in its review of 2010 dramas) “Haechi” (historical backgrounders) “Chinilpa” (mini history lesson from "Chicago Typewriter") Historical paintings depicted in "Saimdang, Light’s Diary" Historical backgrounders for “The Red Sleeve” (2021) and “Yi San” (2007) with parallels and differences between these dramas (4) This discussion is rather long and may be a bit boring for those of you who don’t like history. If you got tired reading this discussion, you can energize yourself by listening to Band-Maid’s performances during their 2022 USA tour. Band-Maid is an all-female Japanese band that mixes genres such as rock (hard, progressive, punk), metal, pop, jazz, and blues. Listen for example to “Freedom" (anthem; watch out for the drum solo); “Daydreaming" (power ballad; watch out for the lead guitar solo); “Wonderland” (rock-jazz-blues). |
2023.03.25 01:50 KottjornGoad Why isn't there more effort being put forth to ban sex tourism in Asian countries?
Alright, I get that many regions in Asia are still relatively poor, especially Southeast Asia with Thailand and The Philippines being hit particularly hard by this sexpat pandemic. But why don't the governments in these countries do anything about this growing problem. Are they that blinded by corruption that they can't see what's going on? Are local officials being bribed by White male foreigners to give their despicable actions a free pass as suggested by this article:
https://www.preda.org/2012/the-challenges-for-philippine-tourism-in-2012/
Surely, the local people in the Philippines are starting to get suspicious of these White males and their activities. Recently, I had a chat with some Filipino guys who live in the Philippines. They're absolutely sick and tired of these sexpats roaming the streets. They can't go out in public without bumping into some creepy middle-aged White guy trying to hook up with random, vulnerable Filipino girls who look like they're young enough to be their daughter (or granddaughter in certain cases).
These White sexpats always come up with that usual lame excuse of wanting to help out poor Filipino women by marrying them. But there are plenty of non-Asian countries that are much poorer than The Philippines. Most subsaharan African countries, for example, are below the poverty rate by any standards. If White men wanted to help out poverty-stricken women, why aren't White men coming in hordes to African countries to marry Black women so they can get them off of poverty?
White men going to Asian countries for the sole purpose of satisfying their Asian fetish will just continue to degrade our cultures, people, and way of life, unless people start to wake up and do something about it!
https://www.the-wellhouse.org/blog/2020/6/23/the-devastating-reality-of-sex-tourism
submitted by KottjornGoad to Expatshame [link] [comments]
https://www.preda.org/2012/the-challenges-for-philippine-tourism-in-2012/
Surely, the local people in the Philippines are starting to get suspicious of these White males and their activities. Recently, I had a chat with some Filipino guys who live in the Philippines. They're absolutely sick and tired of these sexpats roaming the streets. They can't go out in public without bumping into some creepy middle-aged White guy trying to hook up with random, vulnerable Filipino girls who look like they're young enough to be their daughter (or granddaughter in certain cases).
These White sexpats always come up with that usual lame excuse of wanting to help out poor Filipino women by marrying them. But there are plenty of non-Asian countries that are much poorer than The Philippines. Most subsaharan African countries, for example, are below the poverty rate by any standards. If White men wanted to help out poverty-stricken women, why aren't White men coming in hordes to African countries to marry Black women so they can get them off of poverty?
White men going to Asian countries for the sole purpose of satisfying their Asian fetish will just continue to degrade our cultures, people, and way of life, unless people start to wake up and do something about it!
https://www.the-wellhouse.org/blog/2020/6/23/the-devastating-reality-of-sex-tourism
2023.03.24 22:25 Sure_Wall_9107 Lucci refused to sign the subpoena to snitch on Thug in court 💯
 | submitted by Sure_Wall_9107 to Atlantology [link] [comments] |
2023.03.24 21:53 hehexdddddd8273 Acccording to police, Drippa was shot around Simple City, but died around 37th.
 | submitted by hehexdddddd8273 to TheCapitalLink [link] [comments] |
2023.03.24 18:22 throwawayaccountugbm It has begun
 | submitted by throwawayaccountugbm to swans [link] [comments] |