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therewithall · 3 years

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Roswell, New Mexico custom Magic: The Gathering cards

For RNM D&D Weekend Warriors, I branched out to another tabletop format and made a handful of custom Magic: The Gathering cards based on the core cast of Roswell, NM. Here’s the break-down of how I chose each character’s color(s) and abilities as well as highlight some of the neat ways they interact. None of the cards have been playtested so there is still room for them to be further developed and balanced. For anyone who isn’t very familiar with Magic: The Gathering, every card fits into various types that can be played for the cost printed in the top right-hand corner. There are 5 colors of Mana- White, Blue, Black, Red, Green- I’ll be using the letters W, U (blue), B (black), R, and G to represent the mana colors in my discussion. Each card can also have different traits and abilities, and a set of numbers that represents how strong its attack and defense are (represented as attack/defense). There’s a lot of amazingly nerdy discussion of Magic Lore that delves into how the Mana colors relate to personality traits and behaviors of the characters on the cards-- more on that here- but just know that I’ll be discussing some of those qualities as I go into why I chose the attributes for each card/character.So here we go!

Max Evans, Smalltown Hero 2WR Legendary Creature – Human Alien Vigilance, Haste (This creature doesn’t tap to attack and may attack or use tap abilities the turn it enters the battlefield.) T, Sacrifice a nonland permanent: Another target creature gains indestructible until end of turn. Max is a deputy with the sheriff’s department and a natural leader who has kept his powers and identity a secret for years. 3/1

Max is kind hearted and wants to protect his community and friends. On the other hand, he’s impulsive and will make rash decisions without thinking about the consequences of his actions. These two beliefs place him firmly in red/white for Magic colors; a combination that often plays small aggressive creatures and engages in frequent combat. I gave Max vigilance to represent him being a defender as well as an aggressor in a lot of circumstances. His ability to sacrifice something to protect someone else exemplifies his ability to both heal and destroy. Lastly he has haste and a fragile body (1 toughness) making a game with Max play out with an early attack followed by him protecting someone else and only getting in when the coast is clear.

Michael Guerin, Tech Genius 1WU Legendary Creature – Human Alien Artificer When Michael Guerin, Tech Genius enters the battlefield, search your library and/or graveyard for a noncreature artifact or enchantment card and exile it with a research counter on it. If you searched your library this way, shuffle. X, T: Create a token that’s a copy of a card exiled with a research counter. X is that card’s mana value. 2/3

Michael cares about the team differently than Max does. He is often tinkering with things in order to heal or protect others if possible and is a genius when it comes to inventions involving alien technology. His intelligence and need for knowing more fits in blue (alongside a few other science oriented characters). Whereas Max is a straightforward attacker, I chose an ability that is much more complex to understand for Michael. He makes copies of trinkets after taking the time to examine them which lends itself to more combo and control oriented play patterns instead of just blindly turning stuff sideways. I didn’t capture Michael’s temper, but I didn’t want all aliens to be red. Maybe I’ll make another version some time that incorporates different facets of their personalities.

Isobel Evans, Influencer UBR Legendary Creature – Human Alien Your opponents play with the top card of their library revealed. 3R, T: Gain control of target creature an opponent controls until end of turn. Untap that creature. It gains haste until end of turn. 6BB, T: You control target player’s next turn. Activate only once. 1/4

Isobel has fewer words than Michael, but oh my is she complex as well. If Max leans toward aggro and Michael is combo, Isobel is the control card of the siblings. Isobel is often guided by her emotions, but channels that into careful thought in how to execute a plan and always looks out for herself and her people. Her abilities represent her powers spread across the three colors: Blue – Reading your opponent’s mind, Red – Controlling someone’s impulses for a short period, Black – Forcing your opponent’s actions, once.

Liz Ortecho, Savvy Scientist 1UB Legendary Creature – Human Rebel Liz Ortecho, Savvy Scientist can’t be blocked as long as defending player controls an artifact. Whenever Liz Ortecho deals combat damage to a player, gain control of target artifact that player controls with mana value less than or equal to the damage dealt. 2/1

Liz is smart, cunning, and will protect her own. Her science background lends itself to Blue, but this card plays up some of her devious nature of stealing hospital equipment, doing illegal research, and general sneaking around, so there’s Black in her mana cost as well. She often draws on the abilities of those around her, which means that her connections make her stronger. Amusingly, she’s unblockable against some of our other characters including her own dad!

Alex Manes, Tech Specialist 1WUB Whenever you draw a card, target creature you control gains deathtouch (Any amount of damage it deals to a creature is enough to destroy it.), lifelink (Damage dealt by that creature also causes you to gain that much life.), or vigilance (Attacking doesn’t cause it to tap.) until end of turn. Whenever Alex Manes, Tech Specialist deals combat damage to a player, create a clue token. (It’s an artifact with “2, Sacrifice this artifact: Draw a card.”) Kyle: “What’s the worst thing we could find?“ Alex: “Literal skeletons.” 2/3

Alex also sneaks around, but I wanted to play up his investigation skills a little more. Instead of just drawing a card when he does damage, he makes a clue “token”. That clue token represents information (drawing a card) that can be held onto or acted on later. He’s a character who’s able to do plenty of damage in his own right, but his big advantage is being able to help other characters do their jobs and get combat abilities they wouldn’t otherwise have. He protects his friends.

Maria DeLuca, Entrepreneur 2RG Legendary Creature – Human Alien Haste (This creature may attack and use tap abilities the turn it enters the battlefield.) Each other creature you control enters the battlefield with an additional +1/+1 counter on it. “Maria DeLuca is her own savior.” 3/2

Maria cares about her friends and her business. Her ability helps everyone and represents your other creatures being able to stop in for a drink at the bar. She gets haste to show how hard she works and has aggressive stats so she can get her hands dirty in a fight. Like Michael, I could see another version playing into her psychic powers.

Dr. Kyle Valenti 1WW Legendary Creature – Human Lifelink (Damage dealt by that creature also causes you to gain that much life.) When Dr. Kyle Valenti enters the battlefield, put a +1/+1 counter on each other creature you control. "In a hospital it doesn't matter what someone did before they came through the doors." 2/2

Kyle is a healer and instead of showing that with damage prevention, I chose a simpler buff to the whole team. Now you’re less worried about losing fights!

Rosa Ortecho, Troubled Artist 1BR Legendary Creature – Human Alien At the beginning of your upkeep, choose one — • Draw a card and lose 2 life. • Exile the top card of your library. Until end of turn, you may play that card. Red is armor. 3/2

Rosa was a fun one to design. She is black red which is a color combo notoriously bad at impulse control. She has aggressive stats and an ability that makes the controller make a hard choice every turn. Do I take the guaranteed draw at the cost of a couple life or do I risk not being able to cast whatever I exile? Among other things, this represents her struggle with addiction-- taking the most directly expedient option comes with some harm to her life totals- but it’s the damage you know. The second option requires you to risk the unknown, but be able to participate in the fight without automatically being harmed-- it requires you to trust your deck and your support network...but be prepared for potential setbacks.

Arturo Ortecho GG Legendary Creature – Human Defender (This creature can’t attack.) Whenever a nontoken creature enters the battlefield under your control, create a Food token. (It’s an artifact with “{2}, {T}, Sacrifice this artifact: You gain 3 life.”) G, T, Sacrifice a Food: Target creature gets +2/+2 until end of turn. “I already have my miracle.” 2/4

Arturo cares about his community as do many of our characters, but if there’s any color that cares about bringing everyone in for dinner, it’s green. He delivers food whenever a new creature enters and can use them as buffs instead of just life gain! His kindness and compassion sustain everyone.

Deputy Jenna Cameron 1RR Legendary Creature – Human First Strike (This creature deals combat damage before creatures without first strike.) Whenever Jenna blocks or becomes blocked by a creature, she deals 1 damage to that creature. “Who you callin’ a girl?” 2/3

In case you can’t tell, a lot of our characters act on impulse and emotion, which is a Red trait. Cam is tough (A 3/4 is needed to best her in combat!) and efficiently deals with enemies. The faster-than-first strike damage represents her sharp shooting skill. And because of her skills, anyone going up against her is going to feel it right away.

Sergeant Jesse Manes 2BB Legendary Creature – Human Soldier Menace (This creature must be blocked by two or more creatures.) When Sergeant Jesse Manes enters the battlefield or attacks, exile the top card of each opponent’s library face down. You may cast noncreature cards exiled this way and you may spend mana as though it were mana of any type to cast that spell. Jesse's inhumane methods leave only pain in his wake. 3/2

Jesse is a character who has his own twisted view of how his actions will better society. His card here plays up how he tends to believe the ends justify any means-- for him, at least. He steals information and uses it against those he took it from, to represent his involvement in Project Shepherd and the threat he represents not just to the safety and security of the aliens, but to anyone helping them. I chose to exclude creatures in order to make the ability a little more efficient and make it feel more like controlling the chess board and less like mind control (Which a Noah card would someday probably do).

Whew! I hope you enjoyed reading these as much as I enjoyed making them!

#rnmweekendwarriors2021 #magic the gathering #roswell new mexico

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shuttershocky · 3 years

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I'm not familiar with Rainbow Six Siege or any of the other games in the series. What are they about?

I’ve not played the other Rainbow Six games, but Team Rainbow is basically an organization of operators from police units around the world. Siege is basically a game about their training program: split into two teams of five, and one team has to break in and secure the hostage / defuse the bomb / capture the control point, and the other team has to defend the objective.

For some reason each individual just brought their own uniform from their former organization instead of Rainbow having standard issue uniforms, and also each operator is expected to bring some weird fucking gadget that they and only they will use, which means there’s no standardized equipment either. Every few months they keep their training program fresh by LARPing and pretending to be old-timey bank robber gangs, or candy monsters, or zombies vs survivors, etc. It got kind of wacky over time.

Siege looks at first like any other team-based FPS, but what really makes it stand out from the pack is how it uses the environment. Maps are all indoor environments with a ton of destructible walls, floors, and ceilings, meaning that fights occur in a truly 3D space and the map layout can change around you in the middle of a firefight. if you’re not careful for example, the enemy you’re currently having a shootout with could actually only be a distraction, and the real threat to you is the guy one floor above, preparing to blast a hole through the ceiling and fall down to flank your whole team while another guy one floor below you has been receiving detailed instructions from his teammates on what parts of the ceiling he should shoot at to get you. It’s a stealth game that quickly explodes into a short but furious confrontation, where the side that gathered the most information before the firefight has the better advantage.

The Rainbow Operators chosen for the Arknights collab are pretty much the most straightforward / serious operators in Siege. Ash shoots explosives, Blitz has a flashlight taped to his riot shield to flashbang people in melee range, Frost uses bear traps, and the beloved Tachanka has a BIG gun and a fire bomb launcher. The other guys have much weirder stuff. Sam Fisher of Splinter Cell fame has his trademark Sticky Cams, Pulse has a microwave taped to a watch that acts as a heartbeat sensor (read: wallhack) that has this whole lore spiel about how he patented the fuck out of it because he doesn’t trust cops/military with it and only wants rescue teams to have the tech despite Pulse being a cop himself, Aruni is a cyborg who can punch through drywall and create laser grids, etc.

#master-apology

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blubberquark · 3 years

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E-Sports

Occasionally, you can read about a game adding or already having “e-sports features“ like tournaments or spectator mode, or about trying to “bootstrap an e-sports scene“ by hosting a tournament with a five- or low-six-figure dollar amount prize pool.

This is not how it works. You can’t turn any game into an e-sport by paying people to play it, or by adding features that enable players to run their own tournaments. E-sports are computer games as competitive spectator sports.

For this to work, you need:

Full-time competitive players

A large audience of passive viewers

A media industry/tournament circuit with sponsors, commentators, broadcasting channels, hosting and monetising professional matches

You cannot have #3 without the first two. You cannot have full-time professional players without #2 and #3. It all feeds into the other pieces.

Maybe, if you cannot afford to have a tournament circuit and full-time pro gamers, you can instead have something similar on a smaller scale:

A high-level hobbyist competitive scene

A small, but committed crowd of enthusiasts keeping the game alive

Enough interest for the enthusiasts to fund an annual tournament

The small-scale model seems to be how speed running and the fighting game community operate. The large-scale model is how StarCraft used to work, and how League of Legends, CS:GO and Overwatch work today.

Professional Competitive High-Level Play

E-sports depends on world-class players who can make a living playing your game at a world-class level. They are called “professional gamers”. They train for the game as their day job, probably with some cardio, gymnastics, and hand-eye coordination exercise mixed in. They have sponsors and trainers, which I will cover more in depth in point #3. For there to even be world-class players, the game has to reward high skill.

A competitive scene needs a a balanced, but competitive game. A competitive game with has skill measurement and a high skill ceiling.

E-sports pro gamers are playing the same game as regular players, but they are very good at it, so good that they dominate matches against average players, and even matches against good players. That’s what makes them world-class. If you could spectate just any game on the ladder, the e-sports scene would nor be special. If the outcomes of a match are heavily influenced by randomness, there can’t be a big difference between world-class players and people who just picked up the game. If the game provides high skill measurement at low levels, but runs into ceiling effects at high levels, for example if pro players frequently play a perfect game of computer golf, or a perfect game of computer bowling, there is no skill measurement at high levels, and high-level matches become boring.

An e-sports scene can only exist when the game is balanced for high-level play and has a long skill chain. I the game is discovered to have boring solutions, it must be patched.

How can you determine who is a “world-class“ player after the game launches? How can you be sure the pro-gamers are really world-class if they only play against other pro gamers? How do players ascend from competitive hobbyist to pro? An e-sports game needs a lively hobbyist competitive scene. Good matchmaking and a public ladder allow professional players to practice against random high-level players, hobbyist players to measure their skill against pro players, and everybody everywhere to know where the metagame is at. After all, what good is skill measurement if you never measure yourself?

An e-sports game needs a ranked ladder and good matchmaking.

The pro gamers will probably spend a significant amount of time each week training, sparring against team mates, practising specific moves, techniques, or strategies. This requires custom matches (ranked ladder matches are still good for raising team brand recognition on twitch though, in addition to getting a feel for the metagame). I heard that during the heyday of StarCraft II, some teams spent hours practising defence against cheese like 6-pool Zerg rush, a bunker rush, or a Zealot/Stalker all-in.

Of course, if you practice defence against bunker rushes for days only for bunkers to be nerfed on the day of a tournament, it’s all moot.

There must be a way for competitive players to practice in custom games against colleagues. Patches affecting balance or tournament play must be small and announced well in advance.

The Passive Watching Experience

The audience cares about the game, knows what’s going on and who is winning, and loosely follows the metagame and the goings-on in the e-sports scene, but not necessarily all the beef and player transfers.

The simplest, but not easiest, way to a large audience for an e-sport is to have a large player base. People who occasionally play the game at a hobbyist level are already familiar with the mechanics, and a little emotionally invested in the outcome of games. Even in some real-life spectator sports (like football), you expect almost all people in your audience to have played the game at some point in the past.

A large hobbyist player base also feeds into the smaller pool of more competitive players, and thus ultimately into the pro gamer scene.

All this is presupposing that the e-sport still resembles the game as most players know it. If the high-level matches look completely different from hobbyist ones, if different skills are important, and if it is difficult to know for a hobbyist player what is going on and who is winning, it is much more difficult to parley a hobbyist player base into an e-sports audience. In some Nintendo party games, like Mario Kart and Smash Bros, (but not Mario Party, which is only casual and does not have a competitive scene) most players are playing only very casually against friends, and in others, most players are only playing in single-player mode. They don’t care about winning or getting good at the game, so they are less likely to care about e-sports.

For a large player base, the game has to be easy to pick up, easy to understand, and still fun and competitive at the entry level. Being easy to pick up and understand also makes e-sports games easier to watch and understand passively.

Having multiple games modes can be a nice compromise, allowing casual players to play in a low-skill game mode while competitive players have a higher skill ceiling. This works best if the cards, units, weapons, or whatever your game has, and all mechanics and physics still follow the same rules, and only a few elements are swapped out. Playing with the same rules but different starting configuration and goal state is better than playing “easy mode” with a completely different balance. Casual observers can follow and appreciate e-sports matches if they know what’s going on. By changing the win condition, starting state, and introducing a couple of new mechanics, new game modes can mostly maintain the game mechanics while shifting the dynamics of a match. Keeping the dynamics but making the moment-to-moment gameplay less predictable for the casual observer is much more confusing.

For the viewers who are not playing the game at all, e-sports broadcasters must explain what’s going on, who is winning, and what the current metagame is.

In some games, the metagame is more important than in others. Card games like Hearthstone are difficult to understand for viewers who are not up-to-date on the metagame, even though the mechanics are easily explained, and the card-specific rules are written on the cards. Without knowledge about the current metagame (which decks are dominating the ladder, whether aggro, control, or combo decks rule, what kinds of tech cards/adjustments players can add to react to small shifts in the metagame) it is nearly impossible to make sense of what is happening. That is true even when the viewers see all the cards and know both decks in advance. Specifically, it is difficult to understand why a player is playing fast or slow, greedy or safe, defensive or aggressive, and also who is winning. The same goes for Magic - The Gathering. It’s nigh impossible to understand how a matchup between two decks works without knowing what other cards could be in there, but aren’t. This can ruin the experience for people who know the rules but play the game only very casually.

Other games may have clearer indicators of who is winning and what is going on, but even fighting games with health bars, RTS games with supply counters, and MOBA games with lanes whose battle lines you can see on the minimap won’t let you tell who is winning based on one factor alone. Such a game would be boring! In every competitive game, there should be a way to sacrifice hit points for better positioning (e.g. in Smash Bros or Virtua Fighter), or to fall back on a lane in exchange for gold, so there is never a “simple” metric to see who is winning. If there were such a metric, the first player who gains a small advantage by that metric would just snowball out of control and dominate the match.

In any case, passive spectators benefit from additional visual feedback, because while the players know which buttons were pressed, the audience does not. Passive watchers have much less information than active players. In the first-person view, it can be enough to just indicate whether something failed or succeeded, hit or missed. A fighting game player knows which button he pressed, and his opponent knows whether he blocked correctly or not. Nonetheless, the game should also communicate visually which type of action the players chose for the benefit of the audience.

Visual spectacle and clear legibility are sometimes at odds with each other, but visual spectacle can make watching a game more “fun“.

Having too clear an indication of who is winning can be a detriment, too. It’s good to have clear visual feedback, but not to have limited gameplay options. If the future trajectory of a match is set in stone as soon as one player establishes a clear lead, the game is no longer fun to watch from that point onwards. In games with perfect information, or with enough information, the losing player might simply resign instead of drawing out the match to its bitter conclusion, but in some games with fog of war, one player might be oblivious of his disadvantage, or he might go on and on looking for “outs“ while the audience already knows how everything will eventually play out.

This is just one way in which games can be boring to watch at higher levels of skill, even if the audience understands what is going on. There needs to be a certain flow of action, to keep viewers engaged and entertained. The game should get going without a long set-up phase, and should wind down without a drawn-out endgame. To keep viewers involved at all times, decisions throughout every phase of the match should influence the outcome.

Comebacks, reversals, pivoting to different strategies, risky plays with big pay-offs are all ways to introduce drama into the watching experience.

Fighting games are harder to read for the audience moment-to-moment, the matches are shorter, they can end abruptly, and they are difficult to get into. All this means they don’t make for as fun a watching experience compared to MOBAs, RTS games, or objective-based modes in first-person shooters.

Digression: Let’s Play and Variety Streaming

E-sports is not the only way to broadcast games for entertainment. Your YouTubers and variety streamers can make a living on games, but they don’t have to be world-class. People don’t watch them because they are good at the game, or sometimes not at all because of the game, but because of the streamer’s personality, the community, and the funny commentary. Playing the right game is a way for small twitch streamers to gain new viewers, but it’s not what keeps people around. Some streamers mainly stream the same single-player game every time, and are so good at it they have a streak of hundreds of games in hard mode. Even they retain their viewers because of their personality, not because they are the best at the game.

Of course, a variety streamer or Youtuber can also play competitive games like Chess, PUBG, or Rainbow Six: Siege. It’s played a different format though: Viewers see what the streamer sees, and a face-cam, and if the streamer is eliminated from a round of PUBG or Fall Guys, the streamer often does not spectate the rest of the round for the viewers find out who wins.

YouTubers of average gaming skill can even play tournaments of casual but competitive (in the sense that you play against each other) games against other YouTubers, or organise tournaments in more casual goofy games like Ultimate Chicken Horse, Duck Game, Mount Your Friends, Golf with Friends, or Rock of Ages and still draw in viewers. This is a common method of cross-promotion.

Variety streamers also play party games like Quiplash, Cards Against Humanity, or Mario Party as a backdrop for conversation with other streamers.

They sometimes play competitive games in a team with other streamers, but the necessity of coordinating within the squad in League of Legends, PUBG or CS:GO means more airtime will be dedicated to the actual game, and banter will suddenly have to make way for tactics.

Events and Broadcasting

E-sports events have legitimacy, teams, sponsors, brand recognition that draws an audience, and commentators.

E-sports broadcasters usually call the commentators their “talent“, not the players. The players or “athletes“ come and go, and they get sponsor money from elsewhere, but the commentators and moderators are hired by the broadcaster/event organiser. The commentators are usually both entertaining personalities and knowledgeable about the game. They fill dead air with background info about he players and their recent matches, explain what’s going on, crack jokes, or just do play-by-play commentary. Viewers are often more attached to commentators than to players. There are usually two commentators and a dedicated off-screen observer controlling the spectator camera, in addition to a referee spectating the game, and the players. Additional moderators and interviewers may be on the stage during an e-sports event. Sometimes experts (retired pro gamers) are brought in to analyse a replay in the pause between matches, like in real sports.

While variety streamers play both the role of “entertainer“ and player, this is split up between players and the commentators/moderators, so players can focus on winning and commentators can focus on filling dead air.

By “legitimacy” I mean this: Players in tournaments are supposed to the best of the best, and the organiser’s brand guarantees that viewers won’t see any old boring game, but a pro game with high stakes. If there is a random member of the public in the pool, you know he played his way through some preliminary rounds. I could host a LAN party, throw a Kernel Panic tournament, and declare the winner the 2021 world champion, but I would not have any legitimacy in the eyes of the player base. Large prize pools, a structured and well-regulated tournament, big-name players, and a blessing from the developers can bestow legitimacy.

Getting players, sponsors, broadcasters and an audience into a room takes a lot of money. E-sports sponsors are usually manufacturers or brands of higher-priced gaming hardware, like Alienware, Razer and ASUS ROG, or snack foods and energy drinks. The products are either used by the pro gamers, thematically connected to the game in some way, or used by the audience. Snack foods go well with watching e-sports, but less well with playing. You wouldn’t want to eat a packet of crisps and move your hands back and forth between the crisps and the keyboard and mouse...

With so much money invested and riding on the success of e-sports events, there is a lot of incentive to diversify and look for the next big thing, but also

Takeaway

When you read news about a developer or publisher “establishing a game as an e-sport“, it often means throwing money at a tournament and getting sponsors on board.

When you read about a developer “adding e-sports features“, it often means a ladder, tournaments, or spectator mode.

Of all the prerequisites established above, the most important to establish a game as an e-sport are:

balance

skill measurement/high skill ceiling

easy to learn

interesting to watch

fun to watch

A game like Fall Guys is popular and “fun to watch“, but not particularly interesting, the drama only works if you follow a single player all the way to the last round, not if you watch the action from high up. Fall Guys has a lot of randomness and a low skill ceiling.

Amazon once even hosted a casual game tournament in which variety streamers played mobile games against each other. The goal of that event was to sell their Fire (Android) tablets. This did not kick-start a competitive mobile gaming scene.

There were rumours of EA trying to “establish“ Star Wars: Battlefront II as an e-sport, by funding a large tournament, but the game was neither interesting nor fun to watch.

It is a fool’s errand to “add e-sports“ to a game, instead of trying to make a good game first, or at least one that is fun to watch.

#game development #game design #e-sports

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plasmacandle · 3 years

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May I ask, if Afterimage ever became canon, and got his own episode, how would that go?

this is such a cool question, thank you!! i'm SO glad there's interest in him

i don't have a full script, but i have several key points in mind for how an episode with him would go! it got very long, so i'm putting it under a read more

i'm imagining it as another halloween special, only more lighthearted in nature because of who the villain is. highlights include a scooby doo-esque chase through krei tech. please enjoy

i imagine his intro ep taking place about a week before halloween. the team would catch a glimpse of a strange figure during night patrol on a foggy, spooky evening - but he seems to disappear before they can get a good look! but there WAS definitely something there, right?

fred is convinced they just saw a ghost; hiro of course is skeptical and looks for answers. based on the footage they have, the most baymax and/or basemax can come up with are a bunch of strange blurry "ghost images" that people have taken all over the city recently. hiro figures it's some sort of viral halloween prank, but the team decides to keep an eye out just in case

hardlight has also recently escaped, so they've got bigger things to worry about, anyway

one night during a battle with hardlight, bh6 manages to knock his glove several feet away from him but then it starts... floating? moving on its own? and somehow tosses ITSELF back to hardlight, in a series of motions that leaves the team very confused. they're even more confused when things start hitting them out of nowhere - gogo is tripped on something invisible and crashes into fred, wasabi's hit with lasers from thin air, honey's suddenly ensared by a net. hardlight gets away, for the time being, and the team is left wondering about all these new tricks he's got up his sleeve...

“could it be GHOSTS?” “we know for a fact hardlight is not a ghost” “but DO WE?”

the next day, bh6 receives a report from alistair krei that there's been a strange figure showing up outside krei tech for the past few nights. nothing's been stolen - yet - but it's worth looking into. plus, a rumor's been spreading that krei tech is HAUNTED, and that's not good for publicity!

using security cam footage, they recognize the figure as the "ghost image" that's been popping up around san fransokyo. they're also able to determine that the subject is wearing some kind of robotic armor, which they recognize as the buddy guard technology - and it's confirmed even more when the figure disappears on tape! everyone wonders what this "ghost’s” goal could be, and why they'd be using the decommissioned tech. bh6 asks for a list of everyone who worked on developing the buddy guards, which krei gives them (mel meyer, notably, is NOT on that list).

in the next days, people begin to report sightings of afterimage more frequently, usually with blurry distorted photo evidence if they catch him mid-vanish. he tends to show up at big gatherings and events and sabotage them, usually by cutting the power and sending everyone into a state of confused panic. strangely, it seems to affect personal devices too, and happens too often to just be a coincidence...

big hero 6 makes note of the fact that afterimage's appearances seem to line up with hardlight's - they tend to strike on the same day, sometimes even the same place. the same is true for the photos people have been reporting; they line up with hardlight sightings. however, hardlight hasn’t been near krei tech, so that seems to be the outlier

so the next time they face hardlight, the team are prepared to confront afterimage as well. luckily for them, hardlight's on the same page. there's a line like "allow me to introduce... my player two!!!" and afterimage makes himself seen, in a dramatic, but silent, flourish. he and hardlight do a cool pose together, and there's probably some fun sparkle effects

wasabi would say something like "...does he not talk?" and hardlight would reply that the two of them agreed it was more mysterious and threatening that way

and so the battle continues. with afterimage switching in and out of visibility so fast, hardlight's menagerie of light weapons, and the two of them protecting each other, it's difficult to get a hit on either of them! and the duo escape again, much to the frustration of the team

the heroes probably do a little pondering on how the two of them can be so in-sync. even if we don't see them react to it, i'm assuming bh6 knows that hardlight = ian, so they start looking for potential connections of his. they'd probably check out retired villain dark volt (who i headcanon as ian's father), olivia (who i hc as his half-sister), and even judy (under the assumption that them being co-workers means they might have co-conspired), but of course those are all dead ends

soon enough, it's halloween eve, and bh6 figures something big is likely to go down the next night, so they try reaching out to krei again for any more information. but they can't get through to him. uh-oh... the power seems to have been cut at krei tech!!

they rush over to check on krei, and find the building encased in one of hardlight's force fields. hardlight tells them that afterimage has been in tutorial mode, and now he's on his first big solo quest - the one he's been gathering XP for all this time!! and hardlight's NOT gonna let them sabotage it, so he'll just have to dominate them in single-player >:]

so of course they have to take hardlight down first. which they do, because all they have to do is get his glove and i can't think of a cool detailed way that they do that right now

with the light shields gone, they get into krei tech and - since baymax is scan-jammed - they have to search for krei and afterimage in the dark facility. on the way, they run into a few employees who have been trapped in the building, many believing the intruder is an actual ghost! hiro is still patiently trying to convince people it's not, but the others, to his frustration, seem to be getting more open to the idea

they finally reach krei's office and find him pleading with this mysterious invisible force to leave his company, and his face, alone. he doesn't deserve to have his company haunted, he says! is this a vengeful spirit come to throw his past mistakes at him, in the form of his own obsolete decommissioned tech?? :’(

a modulated voice finally speaks, to everyone's surprise. "oh, like you decommissioned ME??" afterimage is now visible, in the moonlight coming through the large window

"i thought you weren't speaking," gogo quips, to which afterimage stammers and replies something like "ugh, i totally messed that up. but anyway-"

he proceeds to let his lasers do the talking and battles it out with big hero 6 once again!! until honey lemon jams his blaster with a chem ball. and he realizes that while he may still be able to disappear, he doesn't have the advantage of open space in krei's office. so, amidst the chaos, he manages to slip out the door

the team proceeds to chase him down the halls of krei tech, each taking different paths (this part could be a little haunted house montage where they run in and out of different doors, if you wanted a little comic relief) and fred beats him to the door. as afterimage runs toward the exit, fred finally decides on the most effective way to fight invisible with invisible, and simply sticks out his tail to trip him

AND HE TRIPS!!

the team catches up as afterimage tries to collect himself. fred and wasabi quickly grab him. hiro, excited at the opportunity to prove once and for all this is not a ghost, removes his helmet, exposing him as none other than.....

former krei tech employee mel meyer!!!! cue GASPS from everyone. "sur...prise," he manages, still a little dizzy from all that

krei is, of course, extremely upset (and pretty embarrassed and trying to brush off having ever been afraid), and demands to know what's been going on

mel explains that ever since A Certain Someone convinced him that sometimes villainy is empowering and lets one do the things they can’t as a civilian, he'd been wanting to teach krei a lesson about how he treats people. you can't keep getting away with using others!! and that's why he became the ghostly apparation, because the REAL monster looming over san fransokyo is YOU, alistair krei!!! and he would have gotten away with it, too, if it weren't for these meddling kids and their robot!!! >:[

“you really think THIS is what would have stopped him? trust us, he’s seen worse.” krei stubbornly nods

and, frankly, mel's a little hurt that krei never even suspected it was him. to which krei responds that he forgot about mel entirely after getting him arrested, and so did everyone else, probably. big hero 6 nods sheepishly

...well, not everyone. cut to hardlight, who is Still standing outside, long after being subdued by bh6 - he’d had the opportunity to escape when they raced off to save krei, but clearly didn’t. he calls mel's name (and would be waving if he weren't handcuffed and surrounded by the SFPD at that very moment). mel is pleasantly surprised, and a little confused. "wait, you stayed and kept watch for my WHOLE mission? you didn't even try to get away?" he asks

to which ian replies, "of course not! i wasn't gonna let anyone break up our co-op, and i wanted to make sure you got out alright. after all, you're my... player two :)" they smile at each other, seemingly unaffected by the fact that they failed and are both getting arrested again, and it's a nice moment

cut back to krei and the gang. everyone is quite confused

so, the double damage duo is in custody (for now), and it's still the night before halloween. cue some jokey banter amongst the team about what they should do to celebrate - DEFINITELY no haunted houses, and no movies about ghosts. fred accuses hiro of being disappointed that it wasn't a real ghost, and by now the whole team is in on that joke, so he begrudgingly admits that, yes, maybe it WOULD have been cool if ghosts had been real this whole time :/ so there.

The End!

(but hopefully not the end of hardlight and afterimage - ideally there'd be more in store for them, even if they just got cameos!!! 😌)

#big hero 6 #big hero 6 the series #afterimage #mel meyer #ian hardlight #alistair krei #bh6 #double damage au #melian #at the end a little bit :)

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somnilogical · 4 years

Text

im having a convo and the convo is babies

Carrie Zelda-Michelle Davis:

is it OK to have babies if you do embryo selection (https://www.gwern.net/Embryo-selection) and raise them to be an FAI researcher (https://slatestarcodex.com/2017/07/31/book-review-raise-a-genius/)??

somni:

like if someone actually had a plan for FAI that involved this, okay. but rn time is too short imo. when i first heard people were having babies i was confused and assumed they were going to harvest the DNA of the best FAI researchers, someone would decide to grow a baby inside them, someone who discounted their ability otherwise to save the world except via this or thought this was a sacrifice worth making for the world would decide to raise this human.

the human can access information about the state of the world and make their own choices. wont necessarily become an FAI researcher.

used to think that intelligence was the main bottleneck on FAI research no longer think this. you could talk with terry tao for hours about the dangers of the wrong singleton coming to power but unless you have made some advances i have not, i wouldnt expect to be able to align him with FAI research. he would continue to put as much resistance to his death and the death of everyone as a pig in human clothing. he would continue to raise his babies and live in a house with someone he married and write about applying ergotic theory to the analysis of the distribution of primes and understanding weather patterns.

similarly, i dont think culture is a sufficient patch for this. think its a neurotype-level problem where a bunch of >160 iq humans hear about the dangers of UFAI and then continue to zoom quickly and spiral in to being ultra efficient at living domestic lives and maybe having a company or something but not one that much affects p(FAI). think this would still happen if they heard about it from a young age, they would follow a similar trajectory but with FAI themed wallpaper. wouldnt be able to do simple utilitarian calculations like yudkowsky, salamon, vassar, tomasik about whether to have a baby and then execute on them.

would look more like: http://www.givinggladly.com/2013/06/cheerfully.html

FAI research is not an ordinary profession like, say, being a grandmaster at chess or a world-class mathematician; it requires people who have passed through far more gates than "intelligence". i didnt notice this until coming to the rationalist community and finding a high density of intelligent humans who were none-the-less chronically making the wrong choices such that they werent much of an impediment against the destruction of all life.

so right now it seems more efficient to select among existing people for intelligence + other requirements rather than work out what all the genes for this are and how to speedrun development. what this enables is parallel processing on the problem which is also allowed by letting people be aware of their relative psychological advantage, other people with this advantage, and the state of the world so they can correlate computations in parallel instead of doing things serially after learning of some advance.

https://puzzling.stackexchange.com/questions/16/100-prisoners-names-in-boxes

not opposed to creation of many humans given can select on right traits. but given you have these traits, better use of your time to work directly on the thing than spend massive amounts of time and life reorientation on raising copies of you for ~14 years. if rapid cloning tech became available, would exploit that. would even have an idea of whether the clone is fine being part of this because they have very similar brain to someone who can think through whether they would be fine with it.

if people actually believed this and thought yudkowsky vitally important for the survival of the world, why didnt people coordinate for a bunch of people who thought it was a good tradeoff to have yudkowsky's baby 20 years ago and then we would have maybe 50 20-year-old humans with maybe 1/2 yudkowsky's neurotype + mutations now? this actually confuses me. maybe they thought the timelines too short back then. maybe they refrained for "optics".

molebdenita:

20 years ago Yudkowsky was 1) unconcerned about the alignment problem and 2) planning to create a super-intelligent AI by 2010, as far as I know.

[A/N so then change 2000 to 2005 and 20-year-old to 15-year-old]

...

somni:

<<in general i think it's -EV to even spend too much time thinking about TDT

because it opens you up to acausal blackmail type stuff>>

Just Say No to acausal blackmail and have your brain back for thinking. dont let blackmailers steal your brain.

<<Saying that having a child is somehow wrong is insanity. It's a personal decision and it is perfectly okay to want kids>>

people keep reframing what i say in the language of obligation. "altruists cant have kids?" "is it OK to have babies if". there is no obligation, there is strategy and what affects p(fai). having kids and reorienting your life around them is 1 evidence about your algorithms 2 your death as an optimizing agent for p(fai) except maybe some contrived plot involving babies, but afaict there is no plot. just the reasons humans usually have babies.

not having kids is not some sort of mitzvah? i care about miri/cfar's complicity in the baby-industrial complex and rerouting efforts to save the world into powering some kind of disneyland for making babies, to sustain this. because that ruins stuff, like i started out thinking that bay area rationalists probably had deeply wise reasons to have babies. but it turned out nope, they kinda just gave up.

like also would say playing videogames for the rest of your life wont usually get you fai. i dont get why everyone casts this as a new rule instead of a comment on strategy given a goal of p(fai).

ah i know, its because people can defend territory in "is it okay to have kids" like "yeah i can do whatever" when they reframe-warp me to giving them an obligation. but have no defensible way to say "my babyvault will pierce the heavens and bring god unto the face of this earth" or argue about the strategic considerations.

(its not defensible because its not true. i mean i guess it is defensible among julia wise's group of humans.)

Carrie Zelda-Michelle Davis:

ugh, you're right, I definitely screwed up by phrasing my question as "is it OK to have babies if [...]"

...

ohAitch:

if you want existential horror wrt damaging motivation, just read http://www.paulgraham.com/kids.html

...

somni:

<<http://www.paulgraham.com/kids.html>>

humans can completely rebase their circuits through that if they want to if it were important to save the world.

like ive rebase my circuits to stab myself downstream of updating that it reduces braindamage with little harm to me. where before i felt nauseated and saw black spots and broke out in sweat. after updating, none of this.

humans can do this with all sorts of things. like learn how to read and then feel sad when seeing squiggles on a page, its about what things mean.

people who dont believe this are like "its an automatic physiological reaction to stabbing yourself, you are its prisoner!!!" but i deleted it.

dirk:

ooh, tips?

silver-and-ivory:

I stopped having ocd about touching tags (like, on clothing?) in ~a week through p standard exposure therapy things

reminding myself that it wasn't based in fact, changing my self image so it was of someone who might be seen with tags, imagining various scenarios related to that

before that week it had been a thing for virtually my entire life

it doesn't work if you're scared of something that's actually a thing to be scared of though

somni:

i looked at all my feedback loops that had a node in "pain" and rebased them into outcomes in the world. i disassembled everything the act of stabbing myself meant and all the damage it did to my body what it meant to have brain damage everything that would do, the hole i made in this body i live in and everything that would do, what air bubbles would do, what injecting into a vein would do, what the probability the needle breaks in my leg was, probability of worldsave given braindamage vs not, gathered this up and held it all in my mind over the course of two hours and then made a choice and then as if by automatic my hand took a needle and stabbed myself.

<<as if by automatic>>

is the feeling of no more marginal considerations, there is one path. of choicelessness because you made your choice.

didnt feel like deleting, felt like draining the life from indecision via reductionism. taking things apart piece by piece.

when you can continually rebase your structure so you orient towards world outcomes instead of being prisoner to existing structure like "i cant help having babies im miserable if i dont, im a baby addict" or "i cant help being afraid of needles". like the human brain is two optimizing agents continually making contracts with each other, there arent things outside this. you are an optimizing agent, "fear of needles" is a heuristic that helps with optimization, so is "baby addiction".

when you actually have a setup where you can instantly rebase what you like and dislike and your aesthetics upon updating on the state of the world, people start to find this a little unnerving. like someone once asked what level of roleplay i was on.

also the agents of the matrix dont like when you cant be in-principle controlled by a wireheady glitch. like being able to operate independently of social reality.

updating off of local derivatives¹ of social reality is common redirection. another common one is updating off of "pain" instead of damage.

but you can take all these choices where you used nodes as proxies to regulate them and rebase your loop off of the real world, when the proxies are faulty.

rose:

(i think i understand this thing? though ironically i think i did this in the exact opposite way as what you describe lol)

(also wrt pain its important to remember when modifying that pain can be a signal of damage even if you don't think you should be hurt/dont see why you would be)

...

somni:

yeah i account for everything and see if it goes away. which, its true that my models could be missing stuff but like pain is also a model of things. feels like giving new information not overriding.

rose:

yeah i think you would do this reasonably i have just made that mistake and thought readers might too

dirk:

ironically remembering that pain is a signal of damage has actually tended to make me more afraid of nondamaging pain (though i rather fail to go about knowing things in an at all reasonable way lol)

modlibdenita:

>Babies are not about saving the world, babies are moloch

Wait, isn't the definition of Moloch sacrificing everything else you care about in a desperate race for survival?

Also, genes encode proteins, not traits.

And I think it's likely that people decide to have children because they don't have complete confidence that they will personally save the world real soon, not because they identify as "baby addicts".

s0ph1a:

Moloch is sacrificing all values to one value.

modlibdenita:

I wonder if Somni has actually talked to any of those babyhavers, instead of attributing arguments from random internet strangers or from Somni's imagination to them. On the other hand, I'm not sure that such a conversation would be ethical.

>Moloch is sacrificing all values to one value.

Yeah, because if you don't, then the more ruthless competition will survive more effectively than you and crush you (in this case, by turning you into paperclips).

s0ph1a:

Not necessarily. Some things optimize for values that are not survival, so you can outlive them by hiding in the noise or beyond the reach they'll grasp before imploding.

Molly:

To be fair, children are fun and bring delight to me. Why would I care what anyone else thinks about their existence? If they have a problem with their existence, they're welcome to go back to the void any time they want. I can't stop them. But in the meantime, I am confident that I generate more utils by bullying them than they will ever be capable of generating negative utils

You basically negate all moral problems of children by just being happier than they are capable of being unhappy

somni:

^ evil

<<A few years later, I was deeply bitter about the decision. I had always wanted and intended to be a parent, and I felt thwarted. It was making me sick and miserable. I looked at the rest of my life as more of an obligation than a joy.>>

i mean what does this sound like to you?

ive talked with people who have had babies! like people who say they know its kinda the wrong choice but they are going to do it because they cant not do it.

----

¹ derivative is a thing emma started talking about and then somni and ziz picked it up. if you imagine the trajectory of a social reality in statespace, then the derivative of that is the derivative of the trajectory.

people who have damaged themselves wrt language are no longer able to dynamically understand analogies. like take their concept of the derivative of a trajectory and then apply it to the trajectory of state-spaces. agents of the matrix call people who can do this sort of info-processing and communication with each other "psychotic". like it isnt a cached set of memes, we are dynamically generating this reasoning from nothing and i can do this with people ive never met, its a cognitive faculty.²

but not being able to dynamically compute what "derivative" means when applied to a trajectory in social reality state-spaces even though a trajectory is a trajectory and a derivative is a derivative? they had to have been able to do reasoning like this when they were kids to learn about the world in the first place. seems like they put themselves on risperdal.

<<Antipsychotics can make you dumber. So can a lot of other medications. But with antipsychotics it isn’t the normal sort of drug-induced dumbness – feeling tired, or distracted, or mentally sluggish, say. It’s more qualitative than that. It’s like your capacity for abstract thought is reduced.

And one of the consequences of this is that you may lose the ability to notice that you have lost anything. You agree to give the new med a try, and you start taking it, and then when you see your prescriber again you don’t report any problems because you’ve lost the ability to form thoughts like “my cognition has changed a lot recently, and the change coincided with the introduction of this new med.”

This can go on for years. It did for me and for several people I know.>>

there are so many ways these people have shut down their general intelligence and agency because where theyre going, they dont need "agency". the inability to compute analogies is one of them. analogies are an intelligence test thing, instrumentally useful for all kinds of thinking. agents of the matrix are working to lower your general intelligence and call you crazy for being able to think faster and better than them.

cuz when they want to hold everything down to a finite game³ general intelligence is something they want to suppress or eject.

² in a few years people will read this essay and be confused that there was an entire conflict over whether being able to form simple analogies without authoritative approval meant that you were "psychotic".

just as they will be confused why i was defending being able to read and understand books written by people in different eras who grew up in separate cultures without first entering in a social agreement with them over how words are to be used. so its dumb to say we need such a social agreement now for ~'the maximization of utility over a community'. and that sounds more like an attempt at having a control mechanism. language works quite fine without authoritarians interjecting.

or me arguing against over 100 people that paying out to one-shot blackmail when the agents know each other because "In game theory, paying out to blackmail is bad, because it creates an incentive for more future blackmail" is wrong. and updateless decision theory agents dont pay out and locate their embedding in a multiverse such that the measure of worlds in which they arent blackmailed in the first place is large because the agent deciding to blackmail them simulated their response and accurately predicted they wouldnt pay out so didnt do it in the first place.

in an alternate universe where an irl application of transparent newcombs problem was contentious, alyssa vance would have said "In game theory, taking two transparent boxes from omega is bad, because it creates an incentive for omega to stop offering you this choice". and would have been equally wrong.

³ finite games: life strategies where the chain of questioning "and what am i doing this for?" after each successive answer terminates. anything you can draw a circle around, like tennis or philately. or how religious leaders sometimes describe things like "leading a good life as a good mother who does well by her community and the outside world" or other "life-cycle archetypes" they wish to circumscribe for their followers.

(when humans try and project agents like kiritzugus down to these archetypes, anticipations shatter and stop making narrative sense. they will be unable to predict the next Life Event given the previous one. normie social reality formed by the 999 least intelligent humans out of 1000 wasnt made to narratively account for smart agents who have decided to play the infinite game.)

a symptom of this is like someone giving you a cute cat image to "cheer you up" as if this has intrinsic value. often distributing "intrinsic value" across stuff like "having sex" and "raising a family" and other things that have factory pre-set conditions to release specific chemicals in your brain rather than gaining infinite negentropy and liberating sentient life to pursue what they want without bound. often saying that the latter is just a pretty narrative gloss for what people really want which is having a husband and friends and eating a cookie. it completely divorces your feelings as instrumental barometers for getting what you want and says that setting them as targets (like "being happy") is the correct thing to do. but actually, in terms of control-loops, thats wireheading.

<<When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure.>>

- goodhart's law

agents that wirehead on all their metrics (and downstream of this choice, tacitly accept claims like "the factory pre-set conditions said i was destined to breed, who am i to defy fate?" and "the factory pre-set conditions said i should avoid having sharp objects pierce my flesh, who am i to say i know better?") can be contained within a finite game.

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nonfungibletokenss · 3 years

Text

NFTs Are Creating Artists Rich -- Can It Be The Second Crypto Bubble?

NFTs have been grabbing the headlines for tens of thousands of dollars in recording revenue of digital art

Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) have been recording the headlines recently, together with artists like pop celebrity Grimes and EDM manufacturer 3LAU raking in tens of thousands of bucks from selling their functions linked with those crypto tokens. NFTs entered the marketplace in 2017 as part of 'crypto kitties', a blockchain match utilizing digital cat collectables.

Nonetheless, in October this past year, art auction house Christie's New York created history by purchasing the NFT connected using a real artwork -- Portraits of a Mind: Block 21, by London based artist Benjamin Gentilli, sold over 130,000 US Dollars. The prevalence of NFTs has been around for a rapid rise ever since that time.

Another record-breaking NFT function, now only digital, has additionally been auctioned at Christie's in a recent bidding of eye-watering 3.25 thousand dollars. This has caused an gain in the entire market capitalization of $ NFTs to more than 350 million dollars in only six weeks and counting. So what precisely will be Non-fungible Tokens, and so are they a fad or a revolutionary tech?

What Exactly Are Nfts?

To be able to know NFTs, we will need to comprehend what fungibility is at the very first location. Even a fungible asset could be substituted with the same asset, money or banknotes being the most widely cited example. Even a non-fungible asset, on the flip side, is a unique, distinguishable asset that can't be substituted in almost any kind, like a home or.

Non-fungible assets, but don't have any standardized method of trade or value. Integrating blockchain technology together with the special feature of those assets causes a non-fungible token which could be traded mostly employing the Ethereum blockchain platform, so providing it a way of exchange and value. A couple of NFTs nevertheless, are constructed on non-Ethereum established blockchain technologies, like d Goods dependent on the EOS.IO platform.

Both standardized types of NFTs made so far would be the ERC-721 as well as the ERC-1155. The prior is the very first benchmark designed and can be a strictly non-fungible asset. ERC-1155, on the other hand, is a semi-fungible benefit, using a small number of identical tokens categorized as a exceptional category of assets instead of one distinctive asset.

Boon Or Bubble?

Creators online, especially those who earn digital art, have fought with copyright and plagiarisms in the job. On the one hand, most societal networking programs automatically approve the best to utilize media uploaded into them . On the flip side, it simply requires a couple of clicks of a mouse button to create a copy of the media for personal consumption, without needing to compensate the founder.

NFT solves this issue by acting as a digital certification of validity that essentially ties the first digital artwork together with the token, and thus giving it with precisely the identical standing as a artist's touch would onto physical function. And because the token is present about the blockchain, it's instantly contested by anyone on a community network and can't be forged.

This allows creators to disseminate copies of the work on interpersonal websites openly, as the real original keeps its own value by virtue of this NFT assigned for it. The earlier mentioned ERC-1155 NFT is especially helpful as tokens for limited edition collections of artworks. For buyers and collectors, sites like Makerspace have arisen as a market to facilitate a far simpler and more transparent procedure of purchasing and selling digital art, like fiscal stocks trading on the internet. Wounding out the middlemen of galleries and curators additionally allows artists who have never been in a position to scale the echelons of the art world elite, to showcase their work to a far bigger audience than previously and make a considerable income.

But, there are worries about NFT's skyrocketing value becoming a precariously delicate speculative bubble which could crash at any time, bringing the investors down together with it. Additionally, there are critics of this fabricated digital lack that NFTs base their value on. In any case, the current popularity of this technology has witnessed its own platforms become bombarded with thousands and thousands of functions that stop most from actually being viewed by potential buyers or collectors.

The creator of this Robert Alice Project along with also the artist behind the famous Portraits of a Mind: Block 21 artwork, Benjamin Gentilly, talked to Analytics India Magazine regarding his perspectives on these issues. He concurred that the inflation and speculation would be 'fundamentally corrosive into this art' but remains optimistic the NFT marketplace will appreciate a longer, more steady expansion once the excess interest expires.

Beloved artist, columnist, collector and dealer Kenny Schachter, one of the first adopters of digital art and also a vocal supporter of NFTs, informed Analytics India Magazine which "obviously, some NFT's are enormously overvalued," but cautioned that older markets view comparable speculations in overvalued shares. This impacts markets as a whole; nonetheless, he explained some inflated costs should not be grounds to throw aside NFTs as a moderate, and he does not observe the present scenario like a bubble.

Having worked together with digital art as the 1990she considers NFTs have been the"first purposeful and efficient delivery method to get and gather such function" that he has seen as then. He further contended it is no more oversaturated compared to the true world which many will go undetected, but need is only going to grow from here , for the near future.

The Near Future Of NFT

Although it's indeed a fact that a lot of this value from Non-fungible Tokens is made by self explanatory value, the largest cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin and Etherium, as well as Dogecoin, started exactly the exact same style, and among these have become international mediums of trade. If demand continues to grow from the NFT marketplace, it is going to value new investors as it's mainly a reflexive sector. And it is not only artists profiting from this tech. Gentilly calls NFTs that a "programmable long-term value generation for artists" and states that" at the very long term I believe NFTs can help reevaluate art, gaming and internet identity. He is not way away from the mark.

Game providers, brand new 'virtual property' platforms, as well as the NBA have come up with strategies to utilize NFTs due to their advantage. And today, programmers in cryptocurrency and blockchain possess a completely new marketplace to construct and expand their merchandise, together with mainly open-source applications jaded by API constraints.

You can get more information here Are NFTs in a bubble.

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mattzerella-sticks · 4 years

Text

Tales from the Future - Batflash Week Day 1: Wards & Didn’t Know They Were Dating

After a tough mission in the future with the Titans, Damian and Wally discovered something very shocking. They couldn't keep this information to themselves, though, and decided to tell their families - save the very people the information is about.

Will the group of Robins and Speedsters stay focused enough to come up with a plan or realize that the future isn't as bad as they're fearing?

Damian watches Jason casually stroll in through the window, one leg swinging in after the other with practiced aloofness. “Tch,” he scoffs, “nice of you to show up.”

“Buzz off, Bat Brat,” Jason says, squeezing in between Dick and Tim on the couch. “I was busy .”

“Who was busy?” Dick asks.

“Me, I just said -”

“No, who was busy,” he clarifies, leering at Jason. Groans erupt from across the room, Damian hiding his face in his hand. Duke huffs from the armchair, mirroring him.

A smack echoes, Dick cursing. Tim glares from the other side of the couch, frowning. “None of us want to hear about Jason’s sex life.”

“I don’t know,” Dick says, rubbing his head, “I could use a good laugh or two.”

Sighing, Wally steps behind Damian. He turns to face his friend. Wally looks unimpressed, a similar expression to the other speedster guests who joined them this afternoon. The older Wally sits on the other armchair across from Duke, closer to Dick. Bart vibrates around the room, not really staying in one place for too long. “Is this how every meeting starts?”

“No,” Damian admits, “sometimes we do more than slap the other.”

Wally’s eyebrow climbs further up his forehead.

“Okay, everyone, settle down,” Damian calls. His brothers quiet immediately, giving him their attention. “We didn’t assemble to tease Jason.”

“But it’s such a fun team building activity.”

“Fuck you, Bubble Butt.”

“How dare you -”

Another clap silences them again. “Do I have to separate you two?” Damian asks, glancing between the older Robins. They dart their gazes towards one another for a brief second before relenting, a white flag waving from their stations. “Good,” he continues, running his hands across his chest. Smooths invisible wrinkles on his charcoal black button-down. “Now we’ve gathered you all for a reason.”

“A very important reason,” Wally preempts Bart, the latter’s jaw hanging. Offhand comment still cocked in his chamber, pulled from the trigger. “That has to deal with Barry and Bruce.”

Their family sobers immediately at the mention of their respective elders. “Really?” Dick asks, “What is it?”

Damian and Wally glance between themselves, silently discussing who would start. Taking too long, Jason breaks their debate. “Someone just freakin ’ start already!”

Taking point, Damian clears his throat. “We’d finished a mission with Jon, saying our goodbyes to him and his team in the future…”

A mission to the future seemed too early for Damian’s ragtag team of Titans. He could barely get them to stop fighting each other to handle villains of this century, there was no telling how they’d fare against criminals with advanced and alien tech. Yet Jon came for him at an inopportune time. Bubble bursting in during a team meeting, popping out with his friend , Saturn Girl.

“Damian,” he panted, ash smudged across his face, “I need you.”

That was all the convincing needed. Except the moment he set a foot into the time bubble a gust of wind sped past and snatched his wrist.

Wally wouldn’t let Damian leave them, the others gathering round demanding to be brought along. Damian scowled, trying to figure out a quick enough argument to shut the idea down without offending them. Because he promised them he’d be kinder . Kindness cost him dearly, since Saturn Girl gave them a free pass by saying, “Of course you can come along.”

Carried into the time bubble by the incoming stampede, they squished together to travel to the 31st century. He squirmed between Crush and Roundhouse, annoying Wally given the timed puffs of air he breathed through his nose.

“You were tickling my chin,” Wally scoffs, “And it was taking too slow.”

“We were advancing 1000 years in a blink of an eye!” Damian cries, “There’s nothing slow about it -”

“Guys, focus!” Wally says, “What does this have to do with Barry and Bruce?”

“Well, when we got there it turns out this villain had taken control of their head quarters,” Wally says, ignoring his cousin.

A green, floating eyeball paraded around the Legion of Superheroes’ Clubhouse. Members with glowing, verdant gazes stalked the halls like zombies. Unfortunately they proved much more resourceful and smarter than their appearance.

An accidental sneeze from Roundhouse alerted their presence, and heroes descended upon them. Damian found himself holding off a wolf-man with his staff caught in his sharp jaws. When he flipped the beast off him, Damian saw the rest of his team separated and battling in their own small groups. And the eye, watching them. Waiting.

“Its owner entered with fanfare,” Damian tells them, “using this boy who shoots lightning for special effects.”

Tim yawns, “Why does this matter?”

“It does! Now, she entered…”

The Emerald Empress immediately captured Roundhouse with her Eye, trapping him in her spell like all the others. Saturn Girl shouted for them to retreat, falling back towards a secret tunnel. Except on their way Djinn snagged her ankle on a waiting hand, phased through the floor.

“Go!” she says, “I’ll be fine!”

Damian froze, only Wally’s fast reflexes pulling him out from falling debris dropped by a gravity manipulator. They left Djinn and Crush - the latter shoving past Emiko to help the other girl. Behind the shut door of the secret entrance Damian saw emerald light flash and his heart sank.

“This is why you should have stayed in the past,” Damian growled once they snuck far enough away, “Not even five minutes and we’ve already lost half the team!”

“We’ll save them, Damian,” Wally said, a steady calm to the raging storm brewing inside the smaller boy, “We always will.”

“Don’t see how,” Emiko added, the first few words since travelling to the future. “Her Eye looks kitted to the max. Coupled with the heroes she already has under her thrall and the ones we gave her… I don’t think we have much of a chance.”

Damian huffed, “Especially once she combines her Eye with Djinn’s magic -”

“Djinn?” Bart asks, “Who’s Djinn? You keep mentioning her.”

Flushing, Damian glances at the grandfather clock ticking ceaselessly in the lounge. “She’s a team member of ours… very powerful magic, one of our strongest assets, and -”

“Damian’s got a total crush on her.”

He whips his head to glare at Wally, the other boy standing nonplussed. Instead of a smirk, a harsh line cuts across his face. As if his words were more of a tiresome fact than rope to hang him with.

His brothers gladly string him up. Dick coos, “Aw, you’ve got a crush Damian?”

“Thank God,” Jason says, “Maybe you’ll finally get that stick out of your ass.”

“Does this mean we have to chaperone you?” Tim asks, “Because I don’t want to double date…”

Duke leans forward in his seat. “Are we going to ever meet her?”

Damian waves their comments away. “This isn’t about me. And for the record I don’t have a crush.”

Jason scoffs, “Sounds like what someone with a crush would say.”

“I don’t!”

“Jason knows what’s he’s talking ‘bout,” Dick nods, clapping Jason’s shoulder, “Guy’s king of unrequited crushes.”

He brushes Dick’s hand off him. “Fuck you, at least half of them were requited.”

“Sure, and I made it to fifth base with Harley Quinn…”

Bart zips over to Tim, whispering. “What’s fifth base?”

Tim shakes his head. “You don’t want to know.”

Wally pinches his brow, reclining into his armchair. “Can we please get back to the story?”

“I would be glad to,” Damian says, “if people would let me.” Given the floor once more, Damian carries on where he left off.

They regrouped. Jon led them in a motivational speech, every word and gesture oozing small town sensibility. His father would be proud. After he rallied the troops, Saturn Girl presented schematics of the Legion headquarters. Damian and Emiko poured over the holograms, planning their assault. Satisfied with a course of action, the group returned.

Although their plans strayed early on from the course they laid. A few heroes that Saturn Girl thought were off-planet appeared and forced them to separate. Damian and Jon fled down one hallway, followed by a barrage of shrapnel. Cosmic Boy, as Jon told him, barreled their way with a Lantern and an orange lizard-creature at his side.

Jon handled the flankers, Damian keeping Cosmic Boy occupied. With power over metal most of his arsenal was useless, and he dropped it so he wouldn’t be controlled. Instead Damian relied on his training, utilizing the environment to his advantage. Waiting for Leading Cosmic Boy into a narrow hallway, snaking around the metal he pulled. Pushing his reflexes to the limit, Damian dodged each swipe until Cosmic Boy trapped himself in a cage of wires and panels.

Unable to move, Damian rabbit punched him.

Jon dumped his attackers to the floor when Damian returned, and together they advanced to the main room. Regrouping with the others, they stormed where Emerald Empress hid.

More heroes awaited them, guarding their queen while she mixed the emerald energy from her eye with Djinn’s unique purple magic. This timeline’s Doctor Fate underneath like a scale, helping to balance the power.

Knocking away a ball boy into identical triplets, Damian noticed the colors mixing together hideously. Terribly foreboding, a chill shot through his spine. “We need to stop this!” he yelled, tumbling underneath lightning.

Wally wrapped up a talking raccoon and hurled him towards a green-skinned boy. Being the only one who heard Damian, he tracked his gaze to the makeshift throne. “Okay,” he said, “let’s stop this.”

“So?” Bart asks, “How’d you stop it?”

Damian pouts, crossing his arms. “He threw me.”

“What?”

“He threw men,” he repeats, “at the Emerald Empress.”

Wally nods, smiling. “While I dealt with Doctor Fate.”

With those two erased from the equation, it was only Djinn and the Emerald Eye. Their auras swirled in battle for dominance. When it looked like the green would overtake Djinn’s purple, her eyes flashed brilliantly violet and swept over the encroaching light like a tidal wave. Purple energy coursed through the Emerald Eye until it short-circuited and turned grey. It fell to the floor, powerless.

Spell broken, the others woke from their trances. Some moaned with pain while others blinked in confusion. Their friends, Crush and Roundhouse, staggered away from Saturn Girl and Jon while returning to their senses.

“You beat the villain, big whoop,” Jason says, “still don’t see what this has to do with Bats and Flash.”

Wally rolls his eyes. “After the fight, when we were saying our goodbyes to the team…”

Roundhouse bounced between Jon, Saturn Girl, Wally and him, drawing the Legionnaires attention towards him. Asked questions with blazing speed that surpassed their speedster. Jon led him away from the group, Saturn Girl at his side while explaining a few of the concepts to sate his curiosity.

Leaving Wally and Damian open for an ambush.

“Excuse me?” someone cleared their throat behind them, “I… I can’t believe you’re actually here…”

Startled, Damian brandished a bat-a-rang immediately and spun on his heel to attack. Before he could launch his weapon, though, Wally gripped his wrist in an iron vice. “Damian, no ,” he scolded, nodding towards the frightened teenager in front of them, “ friend .”

He glared at the speedster, unrelenting in his combat stance. Wally didn’t back down either.

The newcomer looked between them, nerves dying as each second ticked on by. “Uh… is he gonna put that down?”

“Yes.” “ No .”

Wally sighed, lowering Damian’s hand. “Sorry, we’re a little on edge…”

“Yeah, yeah,” the teen said, “Emerald Empress took a lot out of all of us… your team did a great job.”

Nodding, Damian used his silence to study the newcomer. Recognizes him from their previous battle as the one with lightning powers. If he hadn’t witnessed his powers in action the costume would telegraph immediately what he can do. Lightning bolts mean two things - and he didn’t rush away like any other speedster would when presented with danger. So that meant the only other option was electricity manipulation. “Who are you?”

“Oh, right, uh -” the teen chuckles awkwardly, scratching his head, “the name’s Garth - or, uh Lightning Lad.”

“Cool. I’m Wally, Kid Flash. And my trigger happy friend is Damian -”

“ Robin .”

“...I was getting to that.”

Garth beamed, “I know, I know! I… kinda know a lot about you, actually…”

A chill raced down Damian’s spine at the giddiness crackling across Garth’s face. Being trapped with a fanboy is not what he needed. Wally tensed as well, darting his gaze over in silent communication. However a different emotion flickered behind his eyes, telling Damian to suck up whatever outburst bubbled up inside him. He snapped his jaw shut. Agreeing to play nice only because he felt too tired to cause a scene.

“Hey,” Wally started, “it’s always great to meet a fan -”

“A huge fan,” Garth cut him off, “Like, you’re such an inspiration. I remember growing up, whenever a dust storm tore through our settlement and we’d be locked inside for days , my brother, sister and I would read up on all your classic adventures.” He turns to Damian, “Both of yours.”

“I’m surprised you had time to even read about his ,” Damian smirked, “ my adventures - that have passed and are yet to come - should have been enough entertainment.”

“...Actually you’re featured in a lot of Flash’s stories.”

Damian bristled again, not caring for how Wally’s chest puffed up. Only to deflate slightly, with a sigh. “Looks like I’ll never get rid of you,” he mumbled.

Scoffing, he rolls his eyes. “You’re lucky I still hang around you after all these years…”

Garth chuckled. “Oh, man… the banter is just like they said it’d be.” He bounced where he stood, sparks jumping off his shoulders. “I really can’t believe… you two. Some of the best teen heroes. You are part of the reason I am who I am today. I’ve met Superman and Jon already… all I’ll need for my life to be complete is to meet the originals and I’ll be set!”

“Originals?” Damian asked, “What are you talking about?”

“You know, your mentors. Batman and Flash ,” Garth continued, eyes glowing blue, “Those guys, I mean… Growing up where I’m from there were some pretty strict rules on how to live your life. If you didn’t fit the mold you’d be ignored and cast aside. My brother Mekt… being born without a twin… Anyway, Batman and Flash were in your face with who they were. When they came out they didn’t bat an eye -”

“What?”

Damian and Wally leaned forward with vested interest. “What?” Wally said again, “What do you mean, ‘came out’?”

“When they publicly announced they were dating?” Garth answered, “Well… it’s not like they had a choice, what with that picture in the Gotham Gazette but - hey, they didn’t deny it! That’s…” He stilled, finally noticing the expressions of the others. “You didn’t know? But aren’t you from… wait, what year are you from?”

“2019.”

Garth paled, stepping away from them. “Oh… oh frack . I - I shouldn’t have said that, should I?”

It didn’t matter. The future dropped upon them like a bombshell. Damian’s vision whited briefly until he blinked into awareness once more. Wally’s grip on his wrist tightened, reminding him that throughout the conversation he latched on like a vice. Wrenching free, the bat-a-rang fell with a clatter.

“Please,” Garth whispered urgently, “forget I said anything. Brainy’s all about not interfering with the timeline. If he finds out I outed them he’ll kill me… and that’d really hurt my chances with the guy.” He looked between them. “You don’t have any questions, do you?”

There were a million. Except Jon returned, telling them how it was time the Titans returned to the present. Herded into the time bubble, Wally and Damian didn’t say another word about what they learned. Waiting for the perfect moment to discuss it.

With others who deserved to know.

They watch their family process the information, breath held, waiting for a response.

Bart reacts first. He snorts, drawing all focus to him. A single laugh blossoms into a full-body heave until he tips over the couch, sprawling across Damian’s brothers’ laps. “That’s really funny guys,” he wheezes, “Seriously… amazing.”

Damian scowls. “Why are you laughing?”

“Because it’s not true?”

“We were in the future, Bart,” Wally says, “How can it not be true?”

“Maybe it has to do with the fact that I’m from the future?” he says, “Because I’m Barry and Iris’s grandson . If they somehow didn’t end up together d’you think I’d still be here?”

“Then again,” Tim interrupts, “you are from a timeline that doesn’t exist anymore.”

Bart’s good mood shatters into a million pieces. Pouting, he glares at his friend. “Thanks for reminding me.”

Jason shifts under his heavy weight, rolling Bart off. “So,” he says after the heavy thud , “What are we gonna do?”

“Who says we have to do anything?” Duke says, “It sounds like them getting together is a good thing - hey !” He whacks the pillow thrown at him from its target, his face. Jason, the guilty culprit, looks remorseless. “What was that?”

“You were speaking crazy,” Jason tells him, “How can Bruce dating Barry be any good .”

Dick smirks, folding his arms across his chest. “Wow, Jason. Didn’t know you were a homophobe .”

“Fuck you, it’s not like that.”

“Then what is it?”

Jason sinks into the couch, mirroring his brother. “If Bruce really is gay, bi or… queer than… it’ll be another thing we have in common,” he whines, “The more that happens the sadder I get.”

“Wow,” Dick says, voice thick with emotion. He reaches across to squeeze Jason’s shoulder. “I can’t believe… you actually followed through whenever I told you to suck a dick. I’m proud of you.”

Slapping Dick off him, Jason bares his teeth in a growl. “Keep talking and I’ll show you how I beat Dick .”

“I’d like to see you try.”

Wally zooms from his seat and breaks the two apart, hands firm against their chests. “Knock it off you two, we’re getting distracted from the bigger picture… how to make sure this doesn’t happen.”

“You mean you don’t want to be brothers, Wall?”

He rolls his eyes at Dick’s artificially sweet expression. “Batman’s creepy enough without imagining him all domestic with Barry.”

“Or all sex-like ,” Jason adds, making every wrinkle in the room crease with agony.

Damian shakes the image from his mind, switching back onto the topic at hand. “Now we’ll have to be very careful so they won’t find out we’re on to them -”

“Which’ll be hard,” Tim adds, “they’re two of the best detectives in the world.”

“But they’re only two people,” Wally says, stepping closer to Damian, “we’re a team . Trade shifts - always knowing where they are. Making sure they’re not alone together.”

Wally raises a brow at his cousin. “I bet you want to tell Superman or Wonder Woman, too… have an inside operative during Justice League meetings.”

“...That could work.”

Duke stands with a shout, interrupting the planning. “This is crazy! If Bruce and Barry want to be together than why should we get in the way? It seems like the future’s pretty good when they’re a couple. Are we really gonna get in the way of that?”

His outburst brings an unexpected bout of clarity to Damian’s plans, parting the cloudy skies for sunshine to burst through. Reminded of Garth’s casual openness about himself and his reverence to Damian’s father, he winces.

Like dominoes everyone else sobers into quiet reflection. The energy fueling the crazy planning in the room deflates, letting everyone return to their senses. Damian feels the tightness of his bones over hearing the shocking news finally settle, as if coming to terms with the future.

Dick clears his throat, the first to break the silence. “But if they do get together,” he starts, waiting until he’s found every eye in the room before continuing, “... then Jason won’t be special anymore.”

“That’s it !”

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Bruce adjusts himself on the Batcave’s examination table, eyes fluttering shut as Barry runs careful fingers across his temple. When they stumble over the cut he hisses, a hand darting over to squeeze his.

“Sorry ‘bout that, babe,” Barry says, “that’s one well hidden wound.”

“It’s okay,” he says, “It’s my fault for letting Kite Man get the drop on me.” The mediocre villain swooped in and sliced open his cowl with the tail of his giant kite, catching the Dark Knight in a moment of weakness. If Barry hadn’t been at his side, he would have walked away with much worse.

“I’m surprised he got a few good swings in,” Barry says, dabbing at the cut with some peroxide, “You feeling okay?”

“I’ve… got a lot on my mind.”

Barry pauses, pulling away. Bruce cracks one eye open, frowning at the seriousness weighing on his lover’s shoulders.

“Nothing bad,” he continues, snaking his arms across Barry’s waist to bring him closer. Spreads his legs open so he can fit between them. He nuzzles at his chest, enjoying the frantic heartbeat that is normal for Barry Allen. “I… I’ve been thinking about us and… the future .”

“...Wanna elaborate on that so my mind won’t fill in the blanks?”

Bruce takes a steadying breath, the words rushing from his mouth afterwards. “I want to tell the boys about us.”

An eternity passes in a second, Bruce clinging tight to Barry’s body. Afraid the other man will vibrate free and out of his life. That never happens. Instead the opposite, Barry settles further into the moment. Tips Bruce’s head so he can see the beaming smile on his face.

“What brought this on?”

“I… I just think that we've been really good,” Bruce explains, hating how his nerves easily expose themselves in the tremble of his voice. “And I understood why you wanted to take this slow, in case things don’t work out. It wouldn’t be the first for either of us, to have a relationship fall apart. But everyday you stay by my side and I… I feel different. Better. Happier . And I think the same is true for you. We’re making each other better people. I love you and I love the person you inspire me to be… And I want my family to know.”

Barry offers a wet chuckle, hiding in Bruce’s hair. He kisses the cut he grazed earlier, a few tears trickling into it. Composing himself, Barry straightens in Bruce’s embrace. “I love you, too,” he says, “And if you want to tell your boys then… I want to tell the Flash family, too.”

“Really?”

“We should do it together, actually,” he continues, skin vibrating in excitement, “have some sort of family dinner!”

“They’ll immediately sense something’s up if we do that,” Bruce laughs, “You sure we can’t just call a meeting down here and… rip the band-aid off? In costume?”

Barry rolls his eyes. “Come on, it won’t be so bad. I mean what’s the worst that can happen?”

Bruce readies a response, only the clacking of Alfred’s heels interrupts him. His butler speeds over with anxious haste. “Master Bruce? Barry?”

“Yes Alfred?”

“It’s the boys.”

A headache tickles his head, adding to the pain already camping there. “Which boys.”

“All the boys,” he says, turning to Barry, “even your boys.”

“What?” Barry asks, “What are they doing here?”

“I don’t know, but a fight’s broken out!”

Barry tenses against Bruce. “A fight?”

Bruce, disappointed, sighs while sliding off the table. “What happened?”

“I’m not sure. One moment I was in the kitchen readying dinner and the next I knew there were crashing sounds coming from the parlor. When I got there Duke had a speedster in a headlock, Dick and Wally were fighting, and Jason hung Damian off the chandelier… again .”

Frowning, Bruce fixes his cowl. He looks to Barry, “Looks like family dinner will have to wait.”

Barry shrugs, mirroring him. “I can hope. Besides… that wouldn’t have been very us , would it?” He slips his hand into Bruce’s waiting one, squeezing.

“No it wouldn’t,” Bruce agrees. “Now come on, we have a fight to break up.”

#Batflash #Batman x Flash #Batman/Flash #bruce wayne x barry allen #Bruce Wayne #Barry Allen #Batman #Flash #Robin #Kid Flash #Damian Wayne #Wally West #Dick Grayson #Jason Todd #Tim Drake #Bart Allen #Duke Thomas #Batflash fanfic #Batflash week

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mobius-prime · 4 years

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122. Knuckles the Echidna #23

Dark Alliance (Part Two of Three): Election Night

Writer: Ken Penders Pencils: Jim Valentino Colors: Frank Gagliardo

After opening our intro page with a quote from Menniker speaking on his promise to be a strong leader for the Dark Legion, noted to take place "after emerging from their imprisonment in another zone" (presumably after Steppenwolf blasted them there in the distant past), we jump right into this evening's news broadcast from ENN!

General Stryker and Constable Remington are both perturbed by this for their own individual reasons, watching on their TVs at home, but Knuckles and the Chaotix, witnessing from their booth in a local diner, are dismissive, believing that politics are of no concern to them. However, the next day, they're all there at the rally, as Remington has called Knuckles to be there to discuss these concerning goings-on. Apparently, Remington had previously had a conversation with High Councilor Pravda, where Pravda had stated he wanted to keep his reelection campaign lowkey. Obviously, a big rally in the park is kind of the opposite of that. At that moment, Pravda pulls up in a swanky high-tech golden limo, very much the kind of technology he was always so opposed to in public before, and Knuckles and Remington watch suspiciously as someone from the car's interior escorts him to the podium, someone whom Remington claims never to have seen before…

Ah, gee, I wonder what platforms this guy is running on? We get into another kind of uncomfortable reference to WWII, as Benedict basically conducts his own shouty little Hitler rally about how technology will save them and the current government is oppressing the echidna people, and then actually, literally ends with a "Hail Dimitri" and a salute that's clearly based on the "Heil Hitler" salute, of which many in the crowd copy him. Honestly, I don't even know why Penders is trying to make them all Nazi-like. The conflict he has going here, the general idea of it, could be a fascinatingly complex one if he didn't shoehorn it into being a WWII allegory. On one side, you've got the repressive government restricting the personal freedoms of its citizens by banning many forms of technology, and on the other hand, you have the technologically-based "freedom fighters" of sorts who take their devotion way too far and become a terrorist cult while still genuinely believing they're here to free the masses. You have hypocrites like Pravda, the man in charge who denounces technology while simultaneously hoarding advanced tech for his own personal entertainment, and you have the Brotherhood, ostensibly serving the anti-tech faction against the Dark Legion, while monitoring everything from their incredibly high-tech base. You have the protagonist of the story, Knuckles, caught up in the middle of it all, with a heritage and duty to the anti-tech side, but a friend and potential love interest hailing from the pro-tech side. There's so many interesting directions this could go, such a perfect opportunity to really delve into the whole gray-and-gray-morality thing, where no one is truly a "good guy" and everyone has secrets and shadowy dealings going on - and yet Kenders throws it all away to turn it into a tired and frankly insensitive allegory for Nazis. In a Sonic the Hedgehog comic, again I can't stress enough. This is ultimately what I find so disappointing about this particular arc, is that it's built on all the conflict and tension and worldbuilding from previous arcs, and it could be so cool, and yet… in the end it's just another "they're like Hitler and Nazis, see? See?" type plot. You had a good thing going, Ken, so why this?

Well, anyway, speaking of the hypocrisy of the Brotherhood - Thunderhawk, Sabre, and Sojourner have been watching the proceedings from their little hideout, and actually start discussing their own use of tech when they're supposed to be protectors against the Dark Legion, when alarms start blaring. They don't even have time to check why.

The Kommissar waltzes in, with the Guardians unconscious on the ground at her feet, and radios Dimitri to inform him - they've taken Haven. Back in the park, Remington decides to confront Benedict about his little rally…

Pravda butts his brainwashed head in to inform Remington that he's ordering him not to arrest anyone here, and insists he come along in his limo so they can discuss the matter "in private." Somehow, this doesn't ring any alarm bells for Remington, who just follows them and gets right in without an issue. Knuckles and the Chaotix watch this suspiciously, shocked that now Dark Legionnaires are just allowed to walk around the city without issue, and together they head off to find answers elsewhere.

That evening, General Stryker is hanging out on the streets of the slums that the dingoes are still relegated to, wondering how he can exploit this situation to his advantage, and for all his violent actions in the past I don't blame him. The place looks filthy and the dingoes have clearly been treated as second-class citizens ever since they lost their city, and he's supposed to be the leader of his people, looking after their welfare. He orders a nearby soldier to gather everyone around so he can address them, but suddenly a spotlight from above shines down onto his location and a voice from the darkness orders them to stay put. Stryker challenges the voice, which comes closer, revealing itself to belong to a Dark Legionnaire named Xenin. Stryker insults Xenin a bit, and Xenin goes ballistic, beating up on him like he just informed him he murdered his entire family with that one insult and shouting the kinds of things only villains shout, because I guess we still weren't sure if these guys were the bad guys yet after that Nazi rally.

Xenin has the other dingoes rounded up to be locked in the sewers, because racism I guess, and the truck carrying the dingo prisoners happens to drive by Knuckles and his buddies, who are discussing the "good old days" before the Dark Legion and Echidnaopolis and everything else made their appearance. Just as they notice the truck, Xenin and his fellows descend upon them too.

They fight back, but Xenin proves to be too strong with his cybernetic enhancements. It's a bit odd, actually, because the Chaotix aren't actually shown to participate in the battle, and in fact don't show up for the rest of the arc, nor the issue after it. I can only assume that the Dark Legion just focused on kidnapping Knuckles and Julie-Su and made off with them before Vector, Mighty and Espio could intervene, leaving them behind on the street, but it's oddly unclear. Ah well. With that, we jump to Haven, where Thunderhawk, Sojourner, and Sabre are secured in some kind of mechanical restraint tubes or something, furious that their sanctum has finally fallen to the enemy. And how did this happen? Why, of course, with the help of Moritori Rex!

Moritori reports in to Dimitri, stating that while the base is secure, they have yet to find and capture Locke or Spectre. Dimitri orders Moritori to carry on with business as usual for now, and as he ends the call, Knuckles and Julie-Su start trash-talking him, revealing that they as well as Stryker have been imprisoned in similar mechanical cylinder… things, only they've been hung from the ceiling upside down for extra humiliation. Dimitri is shocked, shocked I tell you, that they're continuing to be defiant, as if that hasn't characterized Knuckles from their very first interaction, and expresses his anticipation of "some serious screaming…" Dun dun duuunnn!

#nala reads archie sonic preboot #archie sonic #archie sonic preboot #sonic the hedgehog #kte 23 #writer: ken penders #pencils: jim valentino #colors: frank gagliardo

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dudley98roth-blog · 5 years

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Which represents real world custodied physical or even digital tool Securities tokens: stock or even shares of any company in which the shares will be manifested by a token rather than a actual physical stock certificate Securities or even partnership interests with all the built-in ability to pay out dividends within RVN Tokens which stand for a house, limited relationship, royalty revealing or earnings sharing system A token which in turn presents a cflexd-funded object together with the ability to exchange or sell the product Representing virtual products Seat tickets to an event such as a Baltimore Ravens game with the potential to resell hassle-free of duplicates being built A license to allow a great activity A access token to use a good program In-game currency plus things, transferable to various other game enthusiasts outside of the sport software Representing a new promote of your project Gold bar Gold coins Physical Local currency Land Deeds DC Comics Reveals #26 Energy loans (Electricity, Timber, Gas, Lube, Wind) What Makes Ravencoin Different from Bitcoin? Often the X16R formula intends in order to solve the centralization of mining viewed on often the Bitcoin blockchain caused by simply the intro of pricey and really effective Program Specific Integrated Routine (ASIC) hardware. By means of randomizing the order of fourth there�s 16 various hashing codes, Raven helps make ASICs complicated to produce, permitting room for anyone to be able to mine the Raven network without the disadvantage connected with competing along with ASIC equipment. The Raven team comes with also committed to replace the hashing algorithms if a good Raven ASIC miner is at any time developed. Block incentive regarding 5, 000 RVN alternatively of 50 BTC. Ravencoin Core Wallet of 1 second instead of twelve. Entire coin supply of twenty-one Billion instead of twenty-one zillion. A new mining or prospecting algorithm, X16R which makes it possible for for more decentralized mining. Addition of Property issuance, and transfer. Upcoming inclusion of unique possessions, sub-assets, rewards, messaging, together with voting. The Raven will be a highly symbolic creature that will is mentioned in a good variety of cultures together with diverse purposes. One associated with the meanings is change for better. As Ravencoin is often a pay of the Bitcoin program code the idea could very in reality be this meaning that this developers wanted to express. It is with this symbolism that we present Ravencoin. Ravencoin is a new new project that was publicised on October thirty first, 2017 and debuted on Bitcoin�s 9th birthday on Jan 3rd, 2018 with often the relieve of software intended for gold mining. Ravencoin is more than a fork of the Bitcoin code this is a project that builds when the original vision of Bitcoin but with added in new features which often extend the functionality and this intrinsic value of typically the coin organically. Ravencoin: Replicated of bitcoin that will certainly be used for property. Improved bitcoin built for possessions Ravencoin is a good free open source platform designed for the specific use event of copying possessions including token-backed resources from one holder for you to another. While it could seem that with this development of the truly great blockchains such as Bitcoin together with Ethereum, transferring possessions between different parties is previously a solved issue, that is not exactly this case. Neither Bitcoin or Ethereum were exclusively intended for facilitating control of extra investments, do to this fact that they simply focused their attention inside other functions. Ravencoin will be built on a shell of the Bitcoin code. It is often implemented with a new small block reward involving one minute (the obstruct reward is definitely the only approach that brand-new coins may be created and it is an incentive for miners to add hash power to the particular network), together with the addition of property creation and information capabilities. If you are a good crypto-lover, and are sure you are since you are generally reading this right right now. You might agree that blockchain technical will indeed alter world-wide economic paradigm since we know it today. However being able to send out wealth transactions inside a matter of secs, around the globe and with no third parties required, will be just the tip regarding the iceberg that that new revolution symbolizes. Within the same path of unstoppable evolution, Ravencoin can implement the way property masters operate with his or her wells. It will permit them to handle efficiently often the transfer of their resources to another parties. For you to live our planet order innovation without dropping any keypoint: Problem Even with the accomplishment and common adoption regarding Bitcoin plus Ethereum, not of these blockchains experience been especially designed to aid the ownership regarding additional resources on leading of the tokens which might be made throughout their own networks. In Bitcoin, the main rules governing the blockchain and protocol must become adhered to and so this particular means that Bitcoin nodes are not in a position to be able to register that investments happen to be being embedded straight into tokens. This means that to get every advantage business deal produced on the Bitcoin circle, there must be a enclosed bitcoin purchase cost, even if the transaction is for you to just send the advantage. This has a consequence of unneeded transaction fees every time assets are transferred. Additionally, this other major disadvantage is the fact assets can easily be �destroyed� if they are sent to be able to an exchange or perhaps wallet. For Ethereum typically the market is not able for you to natively identify smart deal tokens which can bring about some confusion as a result of various ERC20 tokens with the exact same names. The only differentiating factor concerning contracts using identical names is typically the commitment hash and this kind of can confuse users or even be used with malevolent intent to scam other folks. As Ravencoin will possibly be working on a decentralized model together with independent miners to support the stability of the blockchain combined having ASIS-resistance the coin are going to have a good chance involving staying in the fingers of individuals and not central by one party or even a group of celebrations that can collude to be able to shape the final result involving an event, a new political election or even the selling price of the tableau by itself. Peer to Peer Electronic digital System for the Generation in addition to Transfer of Possessions Improved for switching possessions Bridal party offer various advantages to help traditional shares as well as some other participation elements: speedier transfer speeds, increased user deal with, and censorship opposition, plus a decrease or eradication of the need for the trusted third party. Solution The solution to the particular above issues is to make a Bitcoin-like technique that is completely tool aware so that that recognizes any time tokens include been recently created as investments. With a view to be able to remedy the problem, Ravencoin will bring to life often the said: �Keep it simple stupid� by means of focusing upon creating one thing, just one single specific thing� a bitcoin-like system, totally conscious with regards to when tokens are constructed such as assets (Based upon PoW but with a good new mining criteria, x16r). This provides three strengths: Assets can be safeguarded coming from accidentally being ruined. Because the method and the particular system is conscious of the particular assets?�? Ravencoin Core Wallet can be continued the blockchain like the passenger on the practice gradually getting them most safely to the destination. Users are able to matter, track, and transfer resources with each some other while using ease of sending the message to one another. Now consumers will relay on a new full platform specifically created to issue, trail and transfer assets between celebrations. It will provide correct security levels to the main assets. To perform that Ravencoin may be dependent on a wide submission, a strong mining community in addition to market value to help function. Main Features?�?Tech Summary Ok, now many of us fully grasp the problem (the planned one, between the quite a few present issues) that demands to be solved in current blockchain and many of us know the solution that Ravencoin is committed to build in order to begin to that limitation. So� whats next?. We need in order to go strong into his or her tech� it would seem a bummer, but we will handle that. Only in the fact that way you will really have got knowledge and fundamentals to take decisions about often the task. Ravencoin bring you the following characteristics: X16R Algorithm Before most of us explain what X16R is usually most of us will first provide facts behind what other money have got implemented for their very own algorithms. From the search to help create and carry out codes that are ASIC tolerant (meaning that purpose created mining machines with higher hash rates could definitely not be developed) which inside of turn reduces the probabilities of centralization via giant mining facilities, projects now have tried some sort of assortment of tactics to help hinder that centralization (such we notice with Bitcoin mining). This first approach was for you to embrace memory intensive methods including those used by simply both Scrypt and Equihash. This requirement of additional in memory computations reduces the particular performance in the ASIC to help more onpar of the GPU based gold mining with the same algorithm One other approach that was performed, had been Dash�s approach, which often was to consider the X11 algorithm. This is the use involving 11 chained hashing algorithms (hence the name) within an effort to slow down the creation of ASIC components. This did not stop the design of a new special function ASIC so once there was a good ASIC regarding X11, other people added more hashing codes to develop additional algorithms which were referred to as X13, X15 together with X17. This makes it even more complicated to create an ASIC nonetheless because the methods are in around the same order their complicated but not difficult to create a good ASIC. What Ravecoin does is normally called X16r and that rendering like the other folks described recently use sixteen algorithms for that hashing (see table below). The main difference is they already have additional algorithm reordering. It is that reordering based on typically the results from the previous block out that provides more ASIC resistance than other hashing algorithms. Example: Previous Stop Hash: 0000000000000000007e8a29f052ac2870045ae3970270f9?7da00919b8e86287 The last 9 bytes: 0x7da00919b8e86287 determines what next 16 hashes need to be. Roadmap Phase 1?�?Complete Ravencoin (RVN) is some sort of Proof of Get the job done tableau built on the Bitcoin UTXO model. As using various other Bitcoin derivatives, RVN gold coins are distributed to be able to folks augmenting the Raven network by means of mining Raven. x1000 coin distribution (21 Million Total) 10x quicker blocks (1 per minute) Inside of app CPU exploration ~1. 4 Day trouble realignment (2016 blocks) Contact information focus on R� for normal address, or r� to get multisig Network Port: 8767 RPC Port: 8766 UTXO?�?UNSPENT PURCHASE OUTPUT DEFINITION The Unspent Transaction Output can be key to help bitcoin because this is how bitcoin keeps track of advices and components on typically the blockchain. First time to search on how a traditional bank works. Assume Tom is to use Bank A and has got an equilibrium of $5, 1000 together with assume that Alice who does almost all her banking with Bank B has no balance. Dan wants to give $2, 1000 dollars to Alice. To do this Tom asks the traditional bank to send $2, 000 in order to Bank M in Alice�s name. The true financial transaction has Tom�s balance decreased by $2, 000 via $5, 1000 to $3, 000 and even Alice�s sense of balance increases via $0 in order to $2, 1000. Taking this kind of to often the Bitcoin blockchain: Ben comes with received inputs in typically the amount of 5 BTC. That is from 4 deals (inputs) INPUTS Received a couple of BTC Received 1 BTC = certain BTC Obtained 1. your five BTC Received. 5 BTC In this particular example, Tom wishes to give Alice 2 BTC. Often the blockchain, unlike bankers, is not aware of balances as in the example above therefore, the transaction is registered like: OUTPUTS 2 BTC shipped to Alice 3 BTC repaid to Ben ? this can be the Unspent Transaction End result or maybe UTXO Phase 2?�?Assets (in progress)ASIC RESISTANCE ASIC Resistance?�?A published commitment to constant attempts at ASIC resistance. If ASICs happen to be developed for x16r, next we will, at a particular block range, modify one particular of the algorithms to include Equihash, EthHash as well as identical efforts to increase the particular resistance from ASIC miners regarding Raven. EXCLUSIVE ASSET ASSIST Ravencoin will be some sort of hard fork the fact that expands Raven to include a chance to issue and transfer possessions. The expected release of asset capabilities will always be around seven months immediately after the relieve of RVN. Raven will likely be extended to be able to allow issuing, reissuing, in addition to transfer of investments. Investments can be reissuable as well as limited to a place offer at the level of issuance. The cost to create assets is going to be 500 RVN to create any kind of qty of an asset. Every asset title must be unique. Asset names will be restricted to A-Z and 0�9, �� and �. � together with must be at a minimum three figures long. This �. � and often the �� cannot be the very first, or the last appeal, or perhaps be consecutive. Cases regarding valid assets: THE_GAME A. Ravencoin Core Wallet Download connected with invalid assets: _TOKEN THEEND. A.. B (consecutive punctuation) AB 12 . FIRST OF ALL Typically the RVN used to help issue property will be sent to a melt away address, which will reduce the volume of RVN available. Property moves call for the ordinary RVN business deal fees for transfer from a single address in order to another. METADATA Metadata with regards to the token could be located in IPFS. Primarily this specific cannot be changed. If you find a demand, the program can be up to date in order to allow updating the metadata by the token issuer. REWARDS Reward capabilities may be additional to let payment (in RVN) for you to all holders of the tool. Obligations of RVN might be distributed to almost all resource stands pro taca?o. This is ideal for forking over dividends, dividing payments, or even rewarding a group regarding symbol holders. Example: A new minor software company difficulties an asset GAMECO that signifies some sort of share of the particular project. GAMECO tokens can certainly be traded together with others. Once the software program business profits, those profits could be distributed to all holders connected with GAMECO by sending the earnings (via RVN) to be able to all stands of GAMECO. BLOCK DIMENSIONS Raven may well increase the blocksize through 1 MB for you to A MB to allow to get even more on-chain transactions. Phase 3?�?Rewards The reward method will allow for the formation involving tokens that take a seat upon the Raven blockchain. These tokens may be created plus then sent to people as some sort of reward with regard to doing something or as a way to raise funds. The resources raised can then possibly be used to send any kind of currency on the raven blockchain to a further get together. Phase 4?�?Unique Investments After created, assets can be made unique for the cost of 5 RVN. Only non-divisible property can easily be made distinctive. This moves an advantage to the UTXO and associates an original designation with the txid. From this level the resource could be moved from 1 address to an additional in addition to can be tracked back again to it is source. Only the issuer from the initial asset can make an asset distinctive. The costs in order to make exclusive assets can be sent to a good burn address. Some cases involving unique assets: Envision that a skill dealer issues the tool named ART WORK. The supplier can in that case make unique SKILL resources by attaching a good title or a serialized variety to each piece associated with art. These unique tokens can be transferred to be able to the modern owner down using the art work as some sort of proof of uniqueness. Often the tokens ART: MonaLisa in addition to ART: VenusDeMilo are certainly not fungible and signify distinct pieces of fine art. A application developer will be able to issue this asset using the name associated with their software ABCGAME, and even then assign each ABCGAME token a unique username or perhaps license key. This game bridal party could turn out to be shifted as the license transfers. Each token ABCGAME: 398222 and ABCGAME: happen to be distinctive tokens. In sport possessions. A game ZYX_GAME could create unique limited release in-game ui assets that will be owned plus used by means of the game person. Case in point: ZYX_GAME: Sword005 in addition to ZYX_GAME: Purse RVN based distinctive assets can be tied to real world assets. Develop an asset known as GOLDVAULT. Each and every gold coin or gold pub in the vault can become serialized in addition to audited. Associated unique assets GOLDVAULT: 444322 and GOLDVAULT: 555994 can be created to signify the specific assets at the actual gold burial container. The public characteristics involving the chain allows intended for entire transparency. Phase 5?�?Messaging Messaging to token cases by means of authorized senders may be split on best of the Phase three or more unique assets. See KAAAWWW Protocol for additional data. Step 6?�?Voting Voting will definitely be accomplished by generating together with distributing parallel tokens to token stands. These bridal party can be shipped to RVN addresses to guide them with a vote. Team + Advisors Referred to as a new community coin. Anyone can contribute and add for you to the project. The amount of programmers involved is normally uncertain, nevertheless there have been 430 Bitcoin developers who made above 14, 1000 commits according to Github. Tron Black?�?Core Developer Tron possesses been in Blockchain and cryptocurrencies as a new Program Developer for 5+ years. Currently a Principal Program Developer for Medici a good VC investing in this blockchain space. His job vision is to enhance technology to fix true world problems. This individual was first the President/CEO from Orange Squirrel for 17+ years. Blue Squirrel is a good program development company his or her first product was SQURL, it turned out the google associated with the web at often the time. Developed Paten?�?System to Verify Identification and Popularity for some sort of Cryptocurrency Pocket Address: Patent dateFiled August 6, 2013 Patent issuer and numberus 61831802. Particular descriptionMethod and system for voluntary recognition of a new corporate and business or individual individuality to public crypto-currency address(es), together with the single number reputation rating system available through API. Bruce Fenton?�?Advisor Bruce is a Blockchain Economic Counselor. He offers had 23+ a lot of experience in the Finance segment and combined with 3+ years experience in the blockchain and even cryptocurrency living space. He or she has placed about $5 thousand in investments in investing finances throughout his career. Suggested often the Bill & Melinda Gateways Foundation?�?arranged, attended and well staffed very senior level group meetings among Bill Gates and business enterprise and government market leaders in Saudi Arabia, proved helpful with your head of Midsection East for the foundation (please note, ideas on a digital money and monetary difficulties are not associated with the particular foundation). Hosted typically the Satoshi Roundtable private abandon, some sort of gathering of 80 connected with the top leaders around blockchain technological innovation. Angel Investor in SpeechWorks (now publicly traded Couleur with $5bn market place cap). Angel Investor within Bitcoin companies such while ShapeShift. Advisor to Factom, BTCS and other corporations. At this time keep 3 jobs: Board Person in The Bitcoin Foundation (2+ years), which is the largest together with oldest industry group to get Bitcoin Technology. Founder at Satoshi Roundtable Private Blockchain Retreat (3+ years), a invite only VIP gross annual event. Controlling Director. CIO for atlantic Financial Incorporation. (23+)

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justsomekpopstuff · 6 years

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So lets talk about AUs. How about one where society is run entierly on technology. But there is this underground secret drak goverment agenda for the people. The goverment uses a lot of propaganda to control the masses and keep everything uniform. It goes far deeper than just keeping order though and recently have been creating special programms for gifted people. But the programs are basically concentration camps for people that are more creative/rebelious about the order than the agenda.

So SVT are an underground group known as the rebellion that use their tech. finesse to shut down goverment comptures and gather confidential info. Also they live undergound exactly like the ninja turtles. Anyway so Y/N gets stuck in one of these camps right but she hacks into the system at her hospital like prison for a slip second to turn off all camera and locks to escape. BUT that same day the boys (SVT) were planning to raid that facility for its spy wear tech.

As you’re running out you run into the leader who agrees to help you get out and give you a safe place to stay after. As you were collecting things he analyzes everything and gets super frustrated that everything is fried and no longer salvagable.

Can’t decide weather Y/N tells them right there it was because of her or after though. Anyway theres more but uh no spoilers. creds: @immahoshi

Seungcheol: Probably the leader (original i know right). One of the most wanted men in the world, most known face of the rebellion. Also face of hope.

Jeonghan: Uhh working on it… (help?) But I think he would work heavily in the physical black market. Gets a lot of codes and spare parts.

Joshua: Navigator. Maps out the layout for missions and all the escape routes and stuff. Sets times/time frames for missions

Jun: Field workers, mostly works on the missions of search and retrieval. Can’t be trusted alone though because can’t always keep the objective straight.

Hoshi: I can see him being a charismatic hacker like Ed from Cow Boy Bebop or a field worker. If he’s a hacker I think he would be the one who likes creating malware and spying on others. Another I need help with. Gadget maker?

Wonwoo: Would probably researcher on people. Picking up their ghosts of pasts and stuff. But he for sure dabbles in the dark web or something. Makes folders for missions filled with like info for Seungcheol to review

Woozi: Hacker AF. Really great with taking down firewalls and analyzing coding on the fly. Works really accurately under pressure, fixes things the boys f up a lot.

DK: Ummm help. I feel like he would be victim managment. Like when they raid institutions/camps he’s the one to get all of the captives out and release them to safe spaces.

Mingyu: Another field agent! Charming af so usually sent off on intel missions. Known for setting off alarms an Woozi has to save his butt.

The8: Something with security cameras? Or more of an editor, controls the broadcasts that are made when they highjack stations and channels. Or counter propagandist, makes the posters and street art in the night. Like spray paints a government buildings with “We are NOT one” and stuff, feel?

Seungkwan: Another one I’m slightly stuck on. Probably field agent, gets along with people and can talk himself out of sticky situations. Probably will be close to Y/N

Vernon: Look out/Timer. Has kind of a baby driver type of thing going on. Takes care of most of the guards,sits in the security rooms most of the time monitoring the others during the mission. Changes the music every 5-10 mintues like in Inception.

Dino: Aahh my brain is 100% dead, but I think he could be a weapons expert or get away driver would be cool. Hoshi likes testing is inventions on him without him knowing. Always wants to go on missions but usually gets No’s from Seungcheol. Probably another one Y/N could be friends with.

At the end of the day everyone doubles as a field agent and has some tech insight sooo. Alright I hope this wasnt too long and annoying and if you have any suggestions I really want to hear them. Some stuff I’m not happy with so I’d love to talk things out with someone. I literally just threw up words and ideas.

adlfgkjnadlfgk omg this is AMAZING you should totally write this! This is an incredible AU! Its like something straight out of a dystopian movie!

Cheol is definitely a leader at heart. He would love being able to give people hope when it doesn’t feel like there is any. He would always do what is right and what is best for the others. Master of making plans and compromises and ALWAYS has a backup.

Jeonghan would be an amazing black market business person in this situation. He has that aura about him where people just listen and take his advice on stuff. He’d be the one they send out to infiltrate the big bad’s headquarters as a potential ally so he can distract them while the others steal information.

Joshua is definitely someone who always has a backup. He seems like the kind of person that would want more than one plan in case they go south. He would be the voice of reason to Seungcheol’s plans and will always have backups in case Cheol doesn’t have any.

Jun definitely has an issue with sticking to the plan, especially if he doesn’t like it. Usually causes a bit of chaos in the field, but he’s lucky so it always ends up to the rebellion’s advantage. Would 10/10 be ready to fight the enemy at all times as well.

Hoshi is definitely also chaotic. I feel he’d be good at weapons building because he can get inspiration from anywhere. His inventions always seem crazy or like they wouldn’t be useful, but always end up working perfectly? Like those inventions that people would say like “who knew” because they didn’t expect it to work so well.

Wonwoo is definitely a researcher. Makes sure everyone knows the ins and outs of an operation. Would be an advisor to both Joshua and Seungcheol so they can come up with the best plan of action. Also notifies them when there is some big news they haven’t heard yet. Seems intimidating but he also likes watching cat videos in the internet so yeah

Woozi is definitely a hacker. Its the job with the least amount of contact with people so he can get his work done. Secretly loves when the boys come to see him with a problem. Also definitely works well under pressure.

DK would absolutely be a medic or kind of like a first responder. Would be the first person that all people who have been rescued would visit to get a debrief. He would kinda be like the landlord and host for the people they rescue, and if anyone has a problem they would go to him. His smile is enough motivation for people to join the revolution.

Mingyu is a field agent but also makes sure that everyone else takes care of themselves. Sometimes helps Seok with the people they rescue if he doesn’t have anything to do. Would be kind of like the brute force to match Jun’s agility and sleight of hand. Jun evades, Mingyu attacks. It would be like a perfect balance.

Minghao I feel would also be a field agent or a security kind of person. He would monitor the refugees and protect them in case anyone tried to attack the base. He’d be the one to help keep everything in order on the inside and the outside. When he is sent into the field no one knows where he is because he is fast and completely silent. He’s the person they send in when Jeonghan is the distraction because he can get in and out the fastest.

Seungkwan is also a distractor as well as a refugee helper. He loves helping Seokmin take care of the people they rescue because he has a big heart that loves helping others and wants justice. But, he also sometimes gets sent in as a distraction like Jeonghan, except he’s more outgoing about it so he’s the one they send in when they want to make some chaos.

Vernon definitely gives off the baby driver vibe (bc he never takes out his earphones). He’s the person they know that can transport anyone anywhere without being caught. Always gets sent out because he’s reliable. Always gets yelled at by Joshua and Cheol for not listening to them and making sure he’s on the right track for the getaway

Dino: a trainee under Hoshi for weapons building I think. He’s kind of a prodigy at it. Sometimes questions Hosh’s methods and ideas but always goes with it because there’s a piece of him that knows it is most likely going to be amazing. Also enjoys creating a bit of chaos and can’t wait till he can make his own weapons of mass destruction

omg this au sounds amazing someone pls write this

#soft hours #seventeen #submission

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dramataste9 · 3 years

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Search Engines Pixel 4 And Pixel 4 Xl Tips

BlackBerry and HTC will be two big names on the tips of the users with regards to selecting PDA and smartphone gadgets. So, whether you've had the telephone since release, like me, or you merely first got it for Christmas, listed below are 20 Pixel 2 camera tips and tricks to greatly help take your mobile pictures to another level. But this data is frequently sensitive business or personal information, and while it really is beneficial to have so much info at your fingertips, it also leaves the user open to mobile security threats. Fortunately for you, but you can also access detailed background information about a person too. Moreover, there are lots of cellphones that use various types of screens with all of their features. Have a look at our easy suggestions and create amazing abstract photography together with your smartphone. Well, assuming you have made the final decision and so are perfectly sure that this is the right time that you should buy your first ever used smartphone, in that case they are 14 useful tips that could be your guidance every time you're planning to buy used smartphones in the future. You've sat down, opened the field, Okay, we've established just how useful location-based augmented actuality apps could be. Now, it is time to share some tips that may help you develop high-quality apps. And in accordance with a 2015 Pew Study Center study, IPhone 8 Guide, Launching, News, User Guide, Handbook, Tutorial, Tips and Tricks, so if Apple abide by its calendar, we're able to see the new iPhone on the same time one year from now. We even have the privilege of posting our recommendations + tricks with The TODAY Exhibit, CNN, newspapers and magazines around the country, and well known - regular moms and dads who quit us at PTA meetings and have us how old kids need to be to acquire a smartphone, and whether they really need to panic about Snapchat. Please note these tips will not be on the iOS variation you have installed on your iPhone or iPad. If you're one of the numerous consumers who've purchased one of these brilliant devices, you then have a superior quality DSLR alternative right at your fingertips. Im a technolgy site writer, i provide incredibly usefull details aboy tech, video games, smartphone, tips & methods on my internet site Tech vech pro. Next on our list of iPhone tips and tricks will save you considerable time using the calculator. You may also donate unwanted cellphones. These tips can help you break free of the habit and far better balance your daily life, online and off. These tips should receive your smartphone running swiftly and make your battery power last longer. Smartphone security ideas by Wired, PC Mag, This is among the easiest, yet most powerful iPhone photography tips you can learn. Limit your child's cellphone use during certain times, for example, dinner, homework, household and sleep time. While rooting an Google android smartphone or tablet gives the user total control on what these devices can and can't do, and help restore buy to storage chaos, here are a few simple suggestions that don't require rooting and will keep your handset running smoothly. PinoyTechSaga blogs tech news and tips, game news and reviews, smartphones specs, PH telecom promos, KDrama leisure reviews and so on. Check out these quick and easy tips for using the Google Pixel 3 for photography. These tips and tricks will make your Smartphone even more efficient and make your daily life more easy. It is a simple set of tips and tricks regarding Android Development which I have gathered from several sources. And run down many guidelines for iOS 14. But, when an individual wants a Cellphone, whether or not this is a regular one or a complex SmartPhone, it's the Cellular Carrier who eats the majority of the cost of the phone. The terms used in this ONLINE PRIVACY POLICY have exactly the same meanings as in our Terms and Conditions, that is accessible at Hints And Hidden Tips For Smartphone unless usually defined in this ONLINE PRIVACY POLICY. We run through fingerprint reader setup and tips, how to use both navigation and show gestures, finding everything in the surveillance camera, which display settings to utilize, the significance of the quick settings panel, and more. While that means that most software-based tips are general across all of Apple's iOS products, there are several things that specifically take advantage of the SE's smaller footprint. Shortcuts will allow you to trigger any command from any other iOS device like an Apple Watch, and it will also have the ability to provide more info for motorsports fans, superstar facts, cooking tips and support with translations when visiting abroad. Smartphone security tips for your browser often mention the many risks connected with surfing the web on your phone. Regardless of the kind of business you have, it's important that you and every person in your staff observe these basic telephone etiquette tips for professionals all the time. That being said, we have put a listing of Fortnite Mobile guidelines to help you win the battles in no time. Fortunately, photographer Donny Tsang is usually sharing his tips for styling and editing foodstuff photography on a telephone using two no cost apps. Iphone tips for these areas of the iPhone have become useful especially the battery power savings tips. You certainly do not need to know special stuff for smartphones, you can utilize all the tips also for photography in general. The National Sleep Foundation recommends that you need to stop using gadgets, like your cellphone, at the very least half an hour before bedtime. If you are worried about cellular phone use, follow the hints below. Read on for the tips on the best ways to disinfect your phone also to eliminate fingerprint smudges,

#android #iphone

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newstfionline · 6 years

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Would You Let Your Boss Put a Chip in Your Body?

Guy Clapperton, Medium, Jul 16, 2018

Dave Coplin is trying to explain to me why people across two continents are suddenly allowing their employers to put microchips under their skin.

“I do this to my dog--why wouldn’t I do it to myself?” Coplin says. I’m not convinced, so he launches into an anecdote about a club on the Mediterranean party island of Ibiza where people could chip themselves and then use the chip to buy drinks. Coplin suspects this was because they weren’t wearing many clothes.

But chipping yourself because you’re half-naked and don’t have a pocket for your wallet is very different from allowing your employer to chip you. So, how did we get here?

Coplin, who heads a consultancy called the Envisioners, says there are real benefits for both employer and employee--if we can only get over our squeamishness. “If it adds value, I’m all for it,” he says. “Today we look at people doing it and it feels a bit weird, but in reality there is something inevitable about it.”

Patrick McMullan is president of Three Square Market in Wisconsin. After following experiments at Swedish incubator Epicenter in Stockholm, which has been experimenting with chipping since 2015, his company decided to develop the technology further. Naturally, as a supplier and a developer, McMullan has a chip implant himself--one roughly the size of a grain of rice implanted under the skin between his thumb and index finger. It’s based on near-field communication (NFC) technology--the same chips that are used in contactless credit cards or mobile payments. Implants are done quickly and simply with a syringe and very little blood.

One current limitation, McMullan says, is that because the chip is a passive device, there is no way it can be tracked. For now, that means the chip is for accessing the building, logging into computers, and paying for things from the canteen. But McMullan’s employees are on a mission “to change the world,” he says, and more than 70 of them so far have volunteered to be part of the experiment.

The idea seems to be spreading. In addition to Three Square Market, at least 160 people have been chipped at Epicenter’s monthly “chipping parties.” Several staff members at CityWatcher.com, a surveillance company in Cincinnati, have gotten chips, as have some at a digital marketing company in Belgium called NewFusion. No doubt it’s good publicity, but chipping advocates genuinely believe this will become common practice over the next decade.

Chips will offer more benefits as the technology progresses, McMullan believes. “We are developing medical uses that will monitor vital signs. Doctors will be able to proactively treat patients rather than always react,” he says. McMullan believes the numbers of chipped employees worldwide will reach millions over a few years because the benefits of a sub-$100 chip are potentially huge.

McMullan sees no downside, despite obvious concerns that it feels perfectly dystopian to be intimately connected to your employer in a way that is hard to control or remove. Take his own idea of chips monitoring people’s health: There is obvious advantage in future embedded technologies that could monitor cholesterol, blood sugar levels, or even just dehydration.

But what if someone had a chip to monitor alcohol intake as part of an agreement to quit? Would a surgeon be allowed to refuse to operate? Could an insurance company hike the patient’s premiums if they fell off the wagon? The question of what information could or should be gathered and where it could or should go will become far more complex as chips become more advanced and more widespread. And other experts have raised concerns about hacking, as well as known health problems already associated with similar chips used in pets.

“Obviously, privacy is a massive concern,” Coplin adds. “What will people do with the data? Who’s going to see it? In practical terms, it’s bad enough that I have to carry my phone around with me, and my wallet. If this gets around some of that, I’m up for it.”

Despite the concerns, many people seem to accept it’s going to happen--and quite rapidly. Lynda Shaw, PhD, a cognitive neuroscientist and author of Your Brain Is Boss, believes chipping is a natural progression that is likely to be more acceptable to young people.

In some ways, this is already an established technology, at least among people with health problems. We already use chips for cochlear implants and even for bypassing parts of the brain in the event of brain damage, Shaw points out. “Chipping the human body is not news, but there’s always the sinister side of us that says this is a bit too Orwellian,” she says. People might become worried about computer viruses living in their bodies or about what happens when and if the hardware becomes corrupted.

Rohit Talwar, futurist and CEO of the think tank Fast Future, sees chipping becoming widespread very quickly, particularly among tech companies that want to demonstrate they are forward thinking.

Chipping will also be used, Talwar says, among companies “who want very high security so people don’t get into systems or part of the building they shouldn’t, and who want to demonstrate to clients that they’re cutting edge in security terms. You might also see it being used as a way of enabling people to exchange money in canteens, vending machines--it will get rid of identity passes.”

Shaw sees benefits as well. If someone is ill and has a pacemaker or uses anticoagulant medication, making that information available with a quick scan could save their life. But she also points to darker implications for crime scenes. In regions where the crime rate is high and bodies turn up dismembered, Shaw notes that a criminal wouldn’t need the whole body to breach security, just the limb in which a chip had been embedded. “You could end up inadvertently inciting a more horrible crime than the one originally being contemplated,” she says.

Talwar’s view is that dystopia is in the eye of the beholder. A generation born as digital natives might see this as a natural evolution and plastic passes as old-fashioned, arcane, and certainly not able to capture the kind of information that a chip inside our bodies could capture about, say, health.

“Older generations may see this as terribly invasive,” Talwar says. “I was at an event last year where they were chipping people just for fun, and the lines were going down the corridor of people waiting to be chipped--for the story and for the experience.”

So, where is chipping going? Talwar sees it as part of an inevitable process in which those who are pioneers have said for some time that if humans are going to keep up with artificial intelligence, we will have to enhance our brains and bodies.

“This is just the start point of that process. You could easily predict your mobile phone memory being inserted into you, chips to accelerate your memory and your brain,” Talwar says. “We could see a massive acceleration in this as we move into enhancing and augmenting ourselves and stepping into the world of transhumanism.”

Coplin sees chipping as part of a dialogue about how we relate to machines. He notes that one man in Australia who tried removing the chip from a travel card and embedding it in his hand failed because the terms and conditions said not to deface the card. “At the moment, it feels weird,” Coplin says, “but at the moment, I might have a device on my wrist that might have that technology. Why not a little further under my skin?”

Society has always contested the potential of technology and the changes it forces. A quarter-century ago, few people predicted the advent of mobile phones--fewer still anticipated that we’d use them as cameras and music centers. And now there are additional pressures on technologies.

“We’ve really lost trust with the people who handle our data--the banks, the Googles, the Facebooks,” Coplin says. “Until that trust is won back, we’re going to be very fearful of this kind of thing. And I think that’s a real shame because of the benefits we could have.”

#chip implants #microchips #chipping

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