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So far, Rockstar Games has been rather tight-lipped about its upcoming addition to the Grand Theft Auto series with GTA 6. However, that could be changing soon, based on recent speculation and potential leaks from YouTuber SanInPlay, who previously correctly predicted information about GTA 6’s female protagonist.
In September, GTA 6 gameplay footage leaked online, sending the internet into a frenzy over what was not previously known. That footage quickly spread, being torn down by Rockstar and then popping back up on another site just as quickly. At that time, we expected that Rockstar might leverage the new found excitement about GTA 6, and announce the game properly or even drop a trailer. However, this was not to be, as Rockstar remained silently plugging away.
SanInPlay twitter trailer content leak
As we go into 2023, we expect some GTA 6 news to come out, and we might get it sooner rather than later. YouTuber SanInPlay originally reported that one of the playable protagonists of GTA 6 would be a Latina named Lucia, over a month before we had any information from the leaks. More recently, SanInPlay has claimed that there might be a trailer with a few specific beats, including planes passing overhead, dogs playing, and Lucia in prison exercising, among other details.
SanInPlay twitter Lucia content leak
Of course, this could all be proven wrong by Rockstar in the coming weeks, though prior leaks would suggest otherwise. However, Rockstar could also recut and tweak their trailer if they have one waiting in the wings, should they want to discredit SanInPlay, so future leaks get less coverage. Either way, we will have to wait and see what happens in the coming weeks, because if there is speculation such as this, something of real substance might be coming soon. Where there's smoke there's fire most times, as they say.

I have no personal frame of reference for this opinion, but I imagine being a drug runner for the Mexican cartel (or any cartel) is loads more fun in a video game setting than in real life. The latter pays more I'm sure, but the stress, risk to life and limb, and persistent threat of jail time have me convinced to stick with legal employment. Not so for some GTA Online gamers who thought it a good idea to become meth mules.
It sounds wild (because it is), but apparently drug cartels sometimes use online multiplayer video games as a source for new blood. Back in October of last year, for example, Mexico's assistant public safety secretary, Ricardo Mejía, said a cartel recruiter purchased bus tickets for three teenagers between 11 and 14 years old.
The recruiter found the teens on Garena Free Fire, a popular online game, and offered them each $200 per week to serve as lookouts for the cartel. Authorities detained the teens before they boarded the bus, but Mejía told ABC News that other cartels have also recruited drug mules and lookouts through video games, including Call of Duty, Gears of War, and Grand Theft Auto V.
Now three months later, Forbes says it discovered that US officials have evidence showing GTA Online is also used as a recruitment tool for drug cartels.
It's not clear how long this has allegedly been going on, but according to the site, border agents stopped and inspected a Jeep Cherokee in Arizona last November and found almost 60 kilograms of methamphetamine. The driver, Alyssa Navarro, said a man named George first contacted her in GTA Online, through which they got to know each other over time.
Those in-game chats later pivoted over to Snapchat, where George raised the idea of being a runner, albeit for electronics to be sold in Mexico. Navarro claims she was offered up to $2,000 per trip, depending on the size of the load.
The only problem for Navarro is that the cartel allegedly hid meth in the Jeep's fuel tank. Authorities have charged Navarro with conspiracy to import and sell meth, and also possession, charges for which she has pleaded not guilty.
It remains to be seen how that case will turn out. Suffice to say, though, if someone online propositions you for an offer that seems too good to be true—or is outright illegal—it's best to politely decline.

Women are a punishment for men.
The strangest strings of words ever said to me over a long-distance call by my very old chauvinistic grandfather from the East. He called me on a whim because he had premonition dreams of me, a woman, becoming something horrendous. What was he afraid of me becoming? I still don't know. Hopefully a monster in his mind.
My grandfather was a drunk that often got himself into fights that landed him in prison temporarily and a massive abuser to my grandmother who he robbed from. Since she was his wife, he could take the money as he wished and drink his care away as his kids starved. There was no contraception for women in the east for a very long time, no sexual awareness, and little punishment for marital rape. Which is why my grandmother had five kids by herself in the middle of a vast rainforest with no hospital care. He was one of the very few men her age in a village among an estimated 120. It was an arranged marriage, the method in which the majority of history traded women off like cattle with no will of their own. Not hypergamy. How could such a man hate his wife so much? The wife that worked 18-hour days under a hot sun with feet swimming in the muddy waters of a rice field to provide for 5 kids by herself. She raised all 5 by herself while he was in prison. She got all of them married to better-behaved men with jobs. That was only 70 years ago. And he still hates her so much after all these years as he rots away in a cell of his own making. He didn't go to prison for beating my grandmother, he went to jail because he punched a high priest at a temple. Apparently, that lands you in jail for a lot longer than beating your own wife.
That call was my first encounter with my grandfather and my last.
When people say I want to return to "traditionalism" or I want to return to when men were men and women were women. What time is that? During the first conception of the nuclear family in 1925?
In 1925 Stalin was General Secretary of the state and in the midst of purging his rivals and oppressors. During that same era Benito Mussolini was pulling off a coup d’etat in which he ended Italian democracy in favor of a personal dictatorship. In China The Republic of China Military Academy was created in order to fight off numerous fiefdoms ruled by regional warlords. Exactly what during the 1920's was the "tradition" in which men want to return to?
Almost always, it's the traditional male-over-female structure in which men have all the power. Though some would like fascism to come back which would make a solid second to this.
The "cold hard truth that no one will tell you" that men keep spouting is almost always to promote a culture of Maschismo. What has always been should always be; this deep-rooted belief in the idea that a man's responsibility is to provide for, protect, and defend his family. The natural fallacy at play. However, these strict confines are the very things that destroy them. What happens when a man cannot live up to these strict expectations of a man? He must show his dominance in other ways. We see it in the news all the time; a husband jailed for beating his wife, father murders wife and kids before killing himself, and my personal favourite, a boyfriend kills her girlfriend out of love. There's always so much sympathy for these "family men". There's always so much "love" involved in taking a shotgun and aiming it at the heads of your wife and children.
"If I had a woman, I would never do that" - said every "nice" guy ever.
Why is there so much deeply ingrained hatred in men for women? It's been written deep into every culture around the world throughout history that women are subservient to men.

Men belonged to higher social classes, most women throughout history have been enslaved by men. Until recent times, women throughout Europe, the Middle East, and Asia were unable to have any influence over the politics, religion or culture. They couldn’t own property or inherit land and wealth, and they were frequently treated as mere property themselves. In some countries they could be confiscated by money lenders or tax collectors to help settle debts; in ancient Assyria, the punishment for rape was the handing over of the rapist’s wife to the husband of his victim, to use as he desired. Most gruesomely of all, some cultures practiced what anthropologists have called ritual widow murder (or ritual widow suicide) when women would be killed (or kill themselves) shortly after the deaths of their husbands. This was common throughout India and China until the twentieth century, and there are still occasional cases nowadays.
Even in the so-called enlightened society of ancient Greece — where the concept of democracy supposedly originated — women had no property or political rights and were forbidden to leave their homes after dark. Similarly, in ancient Rome, women unable to take part in social events (except as employed "escort girls"), and they were only allowed to leave their homes with their husband or a male relative. - Psych

Patriarchy is a social system in which positions of dominance and privilege are primarily held by men. It is used, both as a technical anthropological term for families or clans controlled by the father or eldest male or group of males and in feminist theory where it is used to describe broad social structures in which men dominate over women and children...and other men in a ranking system that conveniently puts the rich at the top.
Men commonly respond to this system by turning themselves into resource machines that women would be a fool to leave (alpha chad). Or rejecting women altogether because they cannot provide that which the system says a man ought to.
Women commonly respond to this system by over-appealing to the feminine gender norm in order to be seen as one of the "good women". Or rejecting it altogether in order to pave a different way of life.
The entire manosphere came out of a dichotomous hatred for women but a great sexual desire to obtain them. Because how does a boy navigate the world if the idea of a "man" now has no direct path? How does a boy navigate a world that tells him to cultivate himself into an individual rather than a gender role? It is much easier to follow the doctrines of traditional masculinity than to actually assess what kind of person you are and figure out what kind of person would best fit with who you are inside. Then they have the gall to cite Marcus Aurelius or Aristotle as the peak of the male ideal when these men were the culmination of years of philosophical and individual growth. They are the peak of individual cultivation, a state of enlightenment beyond the male ideal.
This stronghold of traditional masculinity is written in every religion, in every culture, in every ethnicity around the world. It gives men power to dismiss bad behaviors as them just being men, extend charity to the heinous crimes of men, and center the news on their problems; there are more sexless men today than ever.
Than ever? In comparison to what time period? We have no data of how much people had sex throughout history. Who is to say once a year is too little and once a month is too much? There is no such comparison to be made because we don't have data that extends that far.
The "cold hard truth that no one will tell you" that men spit out online that "men and women are different" are in fact ideas as old as time. "No one will tell you" this fact because everyone already knows it. They live it every day. It's baked into our history books where only men were allowed in the public sphere of work and politics and only men were written down as conquerors and winners. And if they were to extend the writing of that history book to women, they would belong to a hierarchy in which a woman could usurp them. It would hurt so much to be beneath a lowly woman only fit for breeding.
There are individual men that love women; their mothers, sisters, wives, and daughters.
They are not the majority.
At the deliverance of divorce papers or breaking down of expectations around sex, a "good man" will take to a gun or fists to assert that such things should not and will not happen to them. They deserve a woman. They deserve sex. They deserve paternity.
Are these the "traditional roles" that men want to go back to? A place in which a woman can be put in her place by a fist?
When women were women, they lived horrible lives to take care of children because there was no contraception and they were confined to the home and field work nearby. When men were men, they were sent to the mines where all they did was work.
The rich benefit from keeping everyone else in these positions to stabilize society as they live completely opposite lives. The "traditional life" was a product of middle-class abundance. And it only benefits those that already have. Not those that live in poverty.
As we go into the future and traditional masculinity becomes but a vestigial tail, I hope too that traditional feminity becomes but a shadow of its former self. There will be no need for either. Anyone can play the roles that they wish. Housekeeping will not be a woman's job and money-making will not be a man's job.
If women are a punishment for men, as my grandfather would say, and the world would be better off without them. Then everywhere around the world should be full of blood, war, famine, and fire. As men like Putin, Mussolini, and Hitler would have wanted. In the absence of women, the most power-hungry men would be the ones luring other men with their worldly wiles.

Grand Theft Auto V is one of the most profitable entertainment franchises in the history of games. It came along as a return to form after what many fans would argue was a misstep with the more gritty and realistic GTA 4. Originally released back in 2013 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3—yes, it spans three console generations—developer Rockstar has supported the game's online mode with continual updates adding new content, new areas, and even all-new mechanics.
GTA V was such a runaway success—and GTA The Trilogy: Definitive Edition was such a dumpster fire—that Rockstar gave up working on a Red Dead Redemption 2 DLC, and has now reportedly abandoned plans to remaster more of its beloved older titles to instead focus on both further GTA Online content as well as the development of GTA 6.
gtaonline fukaru
Naturally, expectations for GTA 6 are incredibly high, and given the advanced age of GTA V, fans are chomping at the bit for any bit of news. That's why there's so much buzz around a report at Bloomberg that focuses on Rockstar's new corporate culture. Company co-founder Dan Houser left Rockstar in 2020, and ever since then the development house has been trying to reshape a corporate culture that the report refers to as being "like a frat house".
Given the nature and tone of the humor in the Grand Theft Auto series, it's really not surprising to hear that the atmosphere inside Rockstar was juvenile and chauvinistic. The report remarks that the workplace culture at Rockstar was "full of drinking, brawling, and excursions to strip clubs." That may sound like a good time to some, but it's admittedly not very professional.
gta1 katie Katie from the OG Grand Theft Auto (1997) on PC (left) and Game Boy Color (right).
As part of the report, author Jason Schreier casually reveals that GTA 6 will have at least two playable protagonists, and that one of them will be a Latina woman. This technically isn't the first playable woman nor even the first playable Hispanic woman in the GTA series; the very first GTA game featured a Latina named "Katie" as one of its eight playable characters.
Still, very few of the series' modern fans even remember the old DOS-based Grand Theft Auto, so we can forgive everyone for forgetting about poor Katie. Regardless, the new girl will apparently be part of a Bonnie-and-Clyde-like crime duo, calling to mind the partnership between Claude and Catalina in the beginning of Grand Theft Auto III. Hopefully the partnership between the new player characters in GTA 6 doesn't end the same way that one did.
Comments1Comments Support Independent Tech Journalism, Become A Patron! Tags: Grand Theft Auto, Rockstar Games, GTA V, GTA, gta 6 exp-player-logo
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KOwen 29 July, 2022
Release the PC version at the same time as the consoles please!
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So far, Rockstar Games has been rather tight-lipped about its upcoming addition to the Grand Theft Auto series with GTA 6. However, that could be changing soon, based on recent speculation and potential leaks from YouTuber SanInPlay, who previously correctly predicted information about GTA 6’s female protagonist.
In September, GTA 6 gameplay footage leaked online, sending the internet into a frenzy over what was not previously known. That footage quickly spread, being torn down by Rockstar and then popping back up on another site just as quickly. At that time, we expected that Rockstar might leverage the new found excitement about GTA 6, and announce the game properly or even drop a trailer. However, this was not to be, as Rockstar remained silently plugging away.
SanInPlay twitter trailer content leak
As we go into 2023, we expect some GTA 6 news to come out, and we might get it sooner rather than later. YouTuber SanInPlay originally reported that one of the playable protagonists of GTA 6 would be a Latina named Lucia, over a month before we had any information from the leaks. More recently, SanInPlay has claimed that there might be a trailer with a few specific beats, including planes passing overhead, dogs playing, and Lucia in prison exercising, among other details.
SanInPlay twitter Lucia content leak
Of course, this could all be proven wrong by Rockstar in the coming weeks, though prior leaks would suggest otherwise. However, Rockstar could also recut and tweak their trailer if they have one waiting in the wings, should they want to discredit SanInPlay, so future leaks get less coverage. Either way, we will have to wait and see what happens in the coming weeks, because if there is speculation such as this, something of real substance might be coming soon. Where there's smoke there's fire most times, as they say.

I have no personal frame of reference for this opinion, but I imagine being a drug runner for the Mexican cartel (or any cartel) is loads more fun in a video game setting than in real life. The latter pays more I'm sure, but the stress, risk to life and limb, and persistent threat of jail time have me convinced to stick with legal employment. Not so for some GTA Online gamers who thought it a good idea to become meth mules.
It sounds wild (because it is), but apparently drug cartels sometimes use online multiplayer video games as a source for new blood. Back in October of last year, for example, Mexico's assistant public safety secretary, Ricardo Mejía, said a cartel recruiter purchased bus tickets for three teenagers between 11 and 14 years old.
The recruiter found the teens on Garena Free Fire, a popular online game, and offered them each $200 per week to serve as lookouts for the cartel. Authorities detained the teens before they boarded the bus, but Mejía told ABC News that other cartels have also recruited drug mules and lookouts through video games, including Call of Duty, Gears of War, and Grand Theft Auto V.
Now three months later, Forbes says it discovered that US officials have evidence showing GTA Online is also used as a recruitment tool for drug cartels.
It's not clear how long this has allegedly been going on, but according to the site, border agents stopped and inspected a Jeep Cherokee in Arizona last November and found almost 60 kilograms of methamphetamine. The driver, Alyssa Navarro, said a man named George first contacted her in GTA Online, through which they got to know each other over time.
Those in-game chats later pivoted over to Snapchat, where George raised the idea of being a runner, albeit for electronics to be sold in Mexico. Navarro claims she was offered up to $2,000 per trip, depending on the size of the load.
The only problem for Navarro is that the cartel allegedly hid meth in the Jeep's fuel tank. Authorities have charged Navarro with conspiracy to import and sell meth, and also possession, charges for which she has pleaded not guilty.
It remains to be seen how that case will turn out. Suffice to say, though, if someone online propositions you for an offer that seems too good to be true—or is outright illegal—it's best to politely decline.

Kolshian Homeworld ‘Aafa’, 8th September 2136
Rushing through the corridors of the governance hall, Cilany desperately attempted to keep hold of her data slate. This would be the story of a lifetime! She had originally come to Aafa to report on the planned attack on Earth, once news broke that the humans had survived. That the conquering beasts had superior weaponry, and had clearly amassed a significant fleet, was enough to upset the Federations’ pre-existing plans. Cilany had bluffed her way onto a diplomatic courier in the hopes of getting a front row seat to the summit of Federation leadership.
The news had come mid-flight that the humans had struck Gojid space, along with claims of several races fighting alongside the predators. There was even mention of some ‘Inter-Species Union’. Last Cilany had heard, the Cradle itself was under attack, this latest update coming just as her ship arrived in the Aafa system. She had immediately found an itinerary for the upcoming meetings, and waited for the discussions to begin.
All of her plans, and those of everyone on Aafa, had been turned upside down by the arrival of a human vessel in the system. Appearing two light-hours from Aafa, it had approached in a manner designed to let the Kolshians know it was there. When challenged by the defence fleet, a transmission had come from the gigantic tree-like vessel, broadcast across all channels. It showed a prey creature with dark grey-blue flesh and a short, crushing beak. Nodules and spines of bone protruded from its skin, and it seemed to be comprised of nothing but muscle. Flanking it were a pink-furred creature with a long snout, and a Mazic-like creature with two trunks. Standing a little to the left of the spined creature was Governor Tarva of the Venlil. This had shocked Cilany, as she had assumed that the leader of a conquered species would have either been executed (likely being eaten alive) or enslaved. Most shocking of all, the three unknown species were taller than the woolly leader. The blue-grey beast had spoken, their voice deep and rumbling with occasional hoots.
“Greetings, people of the Federation. I am Clan Lord Ulcalna Zhor-Latt, ambassador of the Covenant of Zhulrin. We are here as diplomatic representatives of the Inter-Species Union, on a mission of peace. We know that there is a summit taking place on this world, in which you plan to make war upon one of our member states, the Federation of Human Systems. It is our intention to find a peaceful alternative. We have brought with us an ambassador of the humans, who will explain to you exactly how this conflict can be avoided. You may attempt to prevent the discharge of our duties, but we will be heard. This is your one and only chance at peace.”
And that was that. The implicit threat conveyed by the mighty warship had prevented the Kolshian forces from engaging, while the apparent prey creature with long pink fur had continued the declaration. This ‘Ambassador Voronsk of the Rishtaln’ had explained that the assembled representatives of the ‘ISU’ would meet with the Federation Council. One would give a speech explaining who they were, the human ambassador would give an account of what was happening in Gojid space, and then they would return to their ship within half an hour. Cilany had heard that the assembled leaders had argued over whether to allow the human to speak, with many siding with Jerulim of the Krakotl and demanding that they blow the human ship out of the sky.
Then the Zurulian representative had pointed out the unpleasant truth: if the humans and their ‘allies’ were denied access, they would likely just bomb Aafa. If their representatives were killed, they would bomb Aafa. If the ‘diplomats’ were allowed to land and they attacked Federation citizens, it would destroy any attempt by the predators to deceive them. And besides, if they let the human talk, there was the possibility of gaining vital information about their plans.
So now, Cilany was rushing to the council chamber to get first-hand footage and live notes of the first act of predatory diplomacy in Federation history. From what she had picked up on the way, the diplomatic entourage had caused quite the stir when they exited their shuttle, though why was not clear. Panting, Cilany arrived at the door to the chamber. The area around the speakers’ podium was filled with Kolshian soldiers, nervously brandishing their weapons. Seating herself in the public gallery, along with maybe six other journalists brave enough to be in the same room as a predator. Surprisingly enough, there were many more ambassadors in the chamber than she would have thought. Cilany had just turned her pad on when the doors to the main podium opened. Into the room strode a veritable menagerie of new species. And at least four were predators.
The first into the room were two large reptilian bipeds, towering over the assembled guards much as the Arxur would. Their bodies were lined with blades, and their taloned digits clutched at their waists, as if reaching for weapons that were not there. They moved to the sides, taking up positions to the left and right of the speakers’ podium. From the position of their eyes, Cilany could see they were prey. The way they had placed themselves suggested they were guards, but why would the humans use prey as security?
Following behind came the rest of the ‘ISU’ representatives. On the left were the three creatures from the original message, and this time Cilany could see the entirety of their bodies. The Rishtaln moved with a sort of loping grace, and Cilany could almost imagine this pink prey creature sinking those wide spatulate nails into the flesh of an attacking predator. There was just something… menacing about how they moved. The grey creature who had identified themselves as ‘Clan Lord Ulcalna’ was larger in person than she had previously thought, their head easily level with that of an Arxur. The bony spines running along their back rose upon entering the chamber, some sort of threat display? Cilany could not think why a prey creature would feel the need to threaten fellow prey. And those arms… they looked capable of breaking a Mazic in half.
Perhaps the most horrifying was the quadruped with the twin trunks. They were surrounded by three bipedal creatures the size of a Venlil, with rust-red feathers and hooked beaks, their forward eyes betraying their predatory nature. Strangely, the beasts seemed to be holding data slates in their clawed hands. The four-legged prey showed no signs of fear or hesitation, seeming almost to swagger as the ambassadors entered the chamber. And the feathered beasts were not the only shocking sight. To the right of the party, a tall predator with purple-grey fur spotted with black and a short muzzle walked in front of a bright yellow creature that reminded Cilany of a Kolshian, save for its pot-belly and four large tentacles where the Kolshians had only two. Bringing up the rear was a tan biped whose long tail ended in a mass of long spines. If the position of its eyes did not make its diet clear, the two long fangs protruding from its lips did.
These seven species surrounded four central figures. Tarva was immediately recognisable, walking right next to the dark-skinned human. How could she be that close to a predator and not be whimpering in terror? The human ‘ambassador’ was tall, with some sort of form-fitting garment obscuring most of its near-black skin. A cloak with what looked like a stylised star-chart printed on it flowed from its back as its binocular eyes swept over the assembled dignitaries. On its left, a blue-furred quadruped with a long, bladed tail followed, their twin stalk eyes mimicking the humans’ predatory gaze. On their right was the tallest biped Cilany had ever seen, standing at least eight feet tall at the shoulder, with its long, branching antlers reaching even higher. Four yellow eyes, two side-mounted, two front-facing, took in the entire chamber as the green-furred creature marched forward. Four long arms extended from its torso, holding claws more terrible than even those of the Arxur. Cilany could only stare in shock at the advancing party. How could the humans have allies, and how were the prey creatures not terrified?
The ‘diplomatic party’ arranged themselves around the podium, as Clan Lord Ulcalna climbed the steps up to where the microphone stood. The spiked blue-grey biped looked out at the crowd of fearful and confused prey, cleared their throat, and then spoke.
“Greetings, representatives of the Galactic Federation. I am Clan Lord Ulcalna Zhor-Latt, representative of Clan Suraln, and ambassador of the Covenant of Zhulrin to the Inter-Species Union. With me are Ambassador Ansur-Telen-Noran of the Andalite Electorate, Visser 19 of the Yeerk Republican Committee, Emissary Elone of the Nimthyl Command, Ambassador Voronsk of the Rishtalishk Congress, Designate Harri Walln of the Manper Imperium, Speaker Zon-Das-Rop of the United Kelvar Sapients and his aides, councillor Roshanat of the Leeran Shoal, and Captain Williams of the FHS. First contact between our two interstellar coalitions has led to bloodshed, and it is our hope that by explaining who we are and where we come from, we may prevent further death”.
Cilany began taking notes as the Federation ambassadors looked on in trepidation. One new predator species they could understand, but one with the support of several other species was unimaginable. Even if the new prey species were slaves or thralls, it still gave the humans greater resources and numbers than previously thought. And it certainly does not explain the other predators…
“The Inter-Species Union is an intergovernmental organisation consisting of nineteen full members and seven associate members. There are also twenty-three species with whom we have close diplomatic ties, and thirteen species within our combined territory whom we have no formal contact.”
As the ‘Clan Lord’ inserted a data-storage of some kind into the view screen, Cilany considered what the Federation had just learned. There was another multi-species body in the galaxy, smaller but still highly advanced, if the reports from Gojid space were anything to go by. Most worrying of all, it included several predatory species. While the flesh eaters likely dominated their prey members, the sharing of power between them had… concerning implications.
An image appeared on the screen and Cilany’s heart stopped. There were at least twenty different species in the image, which appeared to be some sort of social gathering or reception. At least six were obvious predators, and there were some, such as a long insectoid with four stalk-eyes, which gave Cilany a sinking feeling in her stomach.
“The Union was formed approximately one-hundred and thirty years ago, with five founding members: the Andalites, humans, Yeerks, Hork-Bajir, and Taxxons. My own species joined fifteen years later, the ninth to do so. It was envisioned as a peace-keeping force, as well as a platform for inter-species cooperation. Through the trade of resources and technology, members enjoy security and comfort, with the assistance of other species in the improvement of their infrastructure and completion of large projects. To say nothing of cultural enrichment and the exchange of luxury goods.”
Now that got Cilanys’ attention. The humans were not only members of a multi-species alliance, but were founding members? How had that happened, given the anti-social tendencies of predators? And why had prey creatures allied with them in the first place? Clearly, they were tainted by their proximity to the flesh eaters, especially given the ‘cultural exchange’. The image changed, showing a map of the galaxy. Cilany stared at the two coloured masses filling the majority of the image. One she recognised as Federation space. The other, about one third the size, touched what she could only assume was Venlil space. This group of predators and their thralls control a significant territory. Striking Earth won’t be enough, the Federation will need to actually go to war with a force equal to a third of itself. And if we need to contend with the Arxur as well…
“Through the efforts of Expeditionary Corps, the ISU have explored and colonised a significant volume of the galaxy, especially given the relatively short time it has existed. But there are dangers in this galaxy, and so each and every member is pledged to support and aid their fellows in a time of war or other crisis. This has allowed for a period of peace that has been more or less interrupted for over a century. In addition to keeping the peace, the Union has dedicated itself to spread life through out its territory. It is thus that we come to the pride of the ISU: its Terraforming Initiative.”
The screen changed once again, displaying two images side by side. One was of a rocky, inhospitable planet, the sort that every system had. The other was of a green and brown world spotted with blue, clearly life-supporting. Cilany looked closer. The stars in the background were the same, and the landmasses of the habitable planet matched formations and high points on the barren one. Did this mean…? Blessed divines!
“The exchange of technologies between member states includes technologies for environmental modification and atmospheric synthesis. The same energies that power our ships and weaponry can be turned towards generating magnetospheres, and other requirements for a world to support life. Through the introduction of specific plant and animal species, we can create ecosystems that maintain what technology began. Thus, every system held by the Union contains at least one inhabited planet with a population of ten million or more.”
Gasps filled the chamber. Cilany herself could think well enough to continue her notes. The ISU modified planets to make them habitable. Such a thing was beyond the Federations’ capabilities. They could maintain their worlds, but it required significant investment, used only for homeworlds and major colonies. And if every one of the Union’s systems was habitable… then their population and industry must be much higher than anyone had thought.
“And with that introduction, I bring us all back to the reason we are here: the recent conflict between the Gojid Union and ourselves. I leave it to the human ambassador to give an account of how this happened, and to lead the efforts in finding a peaceful solution.”
With that, Ulcalna turned and strode from the podium as the human walked up to it, along with Governor Tarva. The predator reached down to adjust the microphone, looked up at the shocked Federation ambassadors, and then spoke.
“I am Noah Williams, designated ambassador of the Federation of Humans Systems. And I come in the hopes of preventing an escalation in the hostilities that have arisen in recent weeks.”
The human paused, as if to consider its words, then continued.
“For eons, humanity looked up at the stars with wonder and hope, creating a thousand thousand different stories and mythologies to explain the majesty of the night sky. As we advanced and learned of the nature of the cosmos, we wondered what the worlds orbiting those distant points of light were like. Was there life out there, were there people on those worlds, were there others like us? Much as we had gazed at the horizon in earlier times, and wondered what peoples and new lands were out there, what adventures awaited us. And then we actually met intelligent life”. The human slowly spread their arms wide, encompassing the nine bizarre species that had accompanied them. Cilany typed frantically, taking down every impression and thought that popped into her head. Here it came, the humans’ boasting of how prey were inferior and needed their guiding hand.
“And despite any physical differences, such as diet and appearance, not to mention cultural values, we found friends. Some species were more aggressive than others, some terrifying, heck, the Yeerks tried to enslave us before we even had interstellar travel.” The human gestured at the massive antlered biped. Cilany took note of that, as everyone else stared in shock. So, the four-eyed creature was a predator after all. But if they had tried to enslave humanity pre-spaceflight, how had the humans won? Suddenly, it hit her. Friends. The human had referred to these other species, including the prey, as friends. Not allies, for that was a relationship of convenience, but friends. Including a species that had tried to enslave them. What in the name of sanity is going on?
“Even through all of that, we helped to form a community of star-faring races, all working together to nurture life in this galaxy and work for the mutual benefit of all. Through the exchange of technology and knowledge, all species thrived. The galactic peace was upheld, the common defence assured, and worlds that had been nothing but barren rock were turned into lush gardens. Imagine our shock, when we came to this region of space, and found a full-blown war in progress.” The human looked straight at Chief Nikonus. It occurred to Cilany that Governor Tarva had likely told the humans who the influential members of the council were. But why look at the unofficial leader of the Federation with… distain?
“A war in which a species of carnivorous reptilians was committing genocide against every other species in the area, even going so far as to keep those species as livestock, like something out of a bad novel. And what is more, the local species were unlikely to accept our aid, simply because of our diet.” That stopped Cilany cold. Had the human really just suggested they would have… helped the Federation? Why? What was more, the human seemed to think of their predatory nature as irrelevant to how species interacted. She immediately began typing. Could it be that the humans thought of the Arxur as a bigger threat than the Federation…?
“But, we thought, no matter. We had established calm, cordial relations with the Venlil, and begun introducing technologies and ways of thinking that would enable them to better assimilate into the wider galactic community. We even began repairing the damage they had done to their ecosystems.” Now that was shocking. Had the humans really shared their powerful technology with the Venlil? The way the human had spoken, it was almost as if they expected that Tarva would discard her peoples’ long history with the Federation to join a group of predators and their ‘allies’. And what was that bit about damaged ecosystems?
“Then suddenly, we discovered that there was a species of warlike brutes, known as the Gojid, right on our doorstep. That the local coalition of species had, apparently, taken one look at our pre-Space Age world and decided to commit genocide, in violation of all civilised standards of behaviour. And the way we found this out is particularly telling.” Cilany saw many of the representatives bristle at the blatant hypocrisy of the predator. For her own part, she was confused. The human had decried warfare and genocide as evil. Yet almost two hundred years ago, they had committed such acts. And given how the human referred to the Gojid as ‘warlike brutes’, and doesn’t seem to empathise with our fear, is it possible that they intend to exterminate them?
“During an Arxur attack on one of the Venlil border stations, a human soldier on secondment to the Venlil garrison, along with his Venlil partner, were separated from the rest of the defending force. They were taken aboard a Gojid ship, and subjected to treatment that violates every code of military ethics held sacred in civilised space. And before you start claiming that I have no proof, Andalite mind-transcription tech really is a marvel.”
The human inserted its own device into the screen and a video appeared. It showed a cage of some sort, and there, standing in the foreground, was Sovlin. A four fingered hand was visible to the right-side and Cilany realised something. This was the view through the eyes of a human.
“Please, I keep telling you, my people came to Venlil Prime in peace! We’re helping them, giving them technology to repair their world, improving their defences. Our allies…”
Sovlin lashed out with a clawed paw and there was a cry of pain. The view abruptly moved.
“Predator lies! You monstrous flesh eaters have enslaved the Venlil! They are now your cattle, and if you think that I will permit your species to blight my people, you truly are insane!”
The image shifted again, suggesting the passage of time. The human seemed to be looking at the floor of its cage.
“Please. I need to eat. Surely there’s something, anything, you can feed me…”
A shock baton appeared momentarily on the screen and there was a horrifying scream.
“Disgusting predator. As if I would feed your degenerate appetite. What kind of beast do you take me for?”
The image cut out. The human ambassador stared up at the horrified Federation members.
“We have more than seven days of similar memories. Beatings. Torture. Starvation. An attempt to rape the Venlil Slaneks’ mind with the Gojids’ hateful ideology. That this Captain Sovlin refused to even feed his prisoner demonstrates the utter depravity of the Gojid military. That Prime Minister Piri did not turn him over to us immediately, or even send a message deploring his actions, but instead began mustering her fleet shows that this taint extends to the entire Gojid culture. It also says something about those species they associate with. Can you truly blame us for punishing the kind of behaviour that would have earned Sovlin the death penalty anywhere in ISU space?”
She saw shock sweep the chamber. The human had just hinted that their species followed some sort of ethical code, defying every piece of evidence on their psychology. Where was this code when they were gassing children? And how could Sovlin have fed his prisoner? There was no flesh aboard their ships, other than the crew. Did the humans expect Sovlin to butcher members of his own crew? Her heart stopped. No one had heard from Sovlin since the war began, if the humans captured him…. Be safe, old friend.
Cilany could see the Ambassador Jerulim was on the verge of exploding in rage at the predators’ words. Chief Nikonus clearly saw it to, as he immediately interjected. “Surely, ambassador, you understand our reluctance to tolerate a predator species on our border, especially given the inherently violent nature of such sapients.” The human ambassador fixed Nikonus with their piercing gaze, causing the Kolshian leader to stop.
“We appreciate that the Arxur have been terrorising you for over a century, but that does not excuse attempting to exterminate every species of carnivorous sapients you find, Chief Nikonus. Not to mention the ecocidal campaign the Gojid Union has been waging since before the Arxur were even an issue”. That last part caught Cilany, and everyone else, off guard. Are they talking about exterminators? But that’s a key aspect of any civilisation. Jerulim finally could not contain himself.
“You dare act as if you are sapient? You are predators, festering tumours of death and pain! No predator is capable of higher intelligence, and the idea that they have any place in the universe is obscene!” Clan Lord Ulcalna snorted in a way that reminded Cilany of a roar, silencing the Krakotl. The human, no longer being heckled, turned to the avian, a fearsome look upon their savage features.
“Ambassador, the disproportionate number of herbivorous sapients in this area of space does not change the fact that the Federation has no right to decide who is and is not considered sapient. And I find it disheartening that the Gojids’ perverse anti-predator ideology has tainted more species.” Disproportionate number…? The implications of that statement occurred to Cilany at roughly the same moment as they did the Farsul Ambassador. High Elder Darq stood, and mustering her courage, asked the same question as Cilany. “W-w-what do you mean, disproportionate?”
The look on the humans’ face was almost…amused. “Ambassador, to the best of my knowledge, approximately three-quarters of all know sapient species consume meat in some form. Of those, about one third eat nothing but meat”. The entire chamber went silent with shock. Surely that was not possible, predators could not make the majority of sapient races. Darq could only splutter at that, and Cilany did not blame her. The Farsul responded. “Then why is the universe not filled with rampaging predators, endlessly hunting for prey? Why are there not a hundred warring races fighting over our worlds, as we cower in fear?”
The human looked at Darq with what Cilany could only call derision. “Because, Ambassador, contrary to your interpretation of the facts, predators are not innately warlike. Despite what the amateurs you call ‘scientists’ may think, violence on the scale you witnessed during your ‘observation’ of Earth is not humanity’s natural state. To put it bluntly, that six-year conflict, which we call World War Two, was the single largest war in our history, and the worst thing we have ever done to ourselves.”
The human swept their predatory gaze across the chamber. “By the standards of human scholarship, the volume of data collected and the degree of actual analysis is inadequate. In a conflict that lasted six years, you have data from maybe a month, if that. There was no attempt to consider an alternative viewpoint, no attempt to even discover what the war was about. You criticise us for killing millions of our own kind, and then treat murdering billions of innocent people as some sort of moral right”.
From her vantage point, Cilany could see Nikonus rallying after the humans’ dismissal of Federation culture. “You speak of civilisation and morality, yet your government refers to itself as collection of smaller entities. It is clear that you are not unified as a species, and as recent events show, you have not yet put aside your warmongering ways.” Cilany agreed with the Kolshians’ words. Still, there was something in the humans’ statement about ‘insufficient analysis’. The way they had spoken of this ‘World War Two’, definitely suggested a more complex narrative than Federation scholars had thought.
Below, the human was issuing a rebuttal of Nikonus’ accusations. “My species is united, Chief Nikonus. However, our history has taught us that the more people a government attempts to control, the greater the strain on that government, causing instability. One must also consider the imperialistic sentiments such large states tend to provoke. Thus, every human colony is in effect a separate polity in itself, being effectively autonomous save for three areas of government: the military, major laws, and colonisation efforts. Each colony elects its’ own ruling body, and that group provides a representative to the Conclave, the ruling body of the FHS Government.”
The human pressed a few buttons on the podium and another video appeared. It seemed to show a view of inter-planetary space with several orbital stations. There were cylindrical structures with some form of outer framework of girders, about five of them, dominating the foreground. For some reason, the inner cylinder seemed to be revolving inside the frame. The backdrop was taken up by what looked to be a large ring of some sort, canted at an angle, the inner edge a blurry mix of blue, green and white. Cilany thought that it may have been spinning, but why… A ship appeared, flying away from the camera towards one of the cylinders. Cilany held her breath. If the ship was about the size of a cruiser, as it likely was given the lack of visible viewports, then those cylinders were more than twenty times the size of any Federation station, save for asteroid bases. And that ring… it was much larger that the cylinders…
“Even with our terraforming technology, ambassadors, there is only so much habitable space a solar system can have. Not to mention the fact that our colonists need somewhere to live while the process is carried out. Thus, for every citizen living on a planet, there are at least three who call one of our space-habitats home. What this means ambassadors, is that even our smallest colonies have populations of nine billion or more. The Sol system, for example, has enough space habitats to house eleven times the population of Earth. Given the administrative strain such populations present, you can understand why we… decentralise our government.”
The sheer scale of the industry needed to create such things, Cilany could not believe it. If this was real, then the humans not only had a higher population than even the most pessimistic projections, but they could turn that construction industry to building warships. Which meant… they’d be able to replace losses faster than the Federation every could.
President Cupo of the Mazic signalled that he wished to speak. Quickly taking a photo of the tan quadruped, Cilany considered the positive optics of someone other than the three founding species speaking. Whatever Cupo said, it helped to signal Federation unity. “So, human, your people are still divided into factions. Are your…allies similarly disunified?” Now that, Cilany thought, was a good question. Surely, if a species was not united within itself, its’ bonds with other species would be fragile. This could allow the Federation to fracture the ISU, if they applied the right pressure.
The human shook their head, possibly signalling negation. “Every species is different, ambassador, and thus each member of the ISU maintains a different form of government. The Andalites, for example, appoint a Prince or Governor to oversee each of their colonies, reporting directly to the Electorate.” They gestured to the blue creature with the bladed tail. “The Andalites were spacefaring more than a thousand years ago. It was they who held the Yeerks at bay, and in many ways were our first alien allies. Also, on a ship-to-ship basis, their military is arguably the most powerful in the Union. It’s their environmental tech and hyperstrong meta-materials, above all else, that allow Union orbital habitats to be as large as they are.”
Many were taken aback by this, Cilany included. Elder Darq spoke out, clearly intrigued by this social dynamic. The alliance between humans and Andalites flew in the face of all accepted scientific understanding of how predators and prey interacted. “But why ally with them in the first place? I would think that your urge to control and dominate would lead you to integrate them into your structure, in a subservient role”. Cilany found herself disagreeing with that sentiment. The human had spoken of a community of species, and had suggested that the conquering practices of their past were considered immoral by the current leadership. Could it be, she thought, that the humans have put their baser urges behind them?
The human seemed almost offended by Darqs’ words. “Because, Ambassador Darq, we are not conquerors. And attempting to rule them would be pointless, because they are not the same species of us. Their psychology and biological imperatives are very different. What is necessary for one species could even be harmful for another. We have found that interfering in the development and culture of other species, trying to shape them into something they are not, always leads to instability and bloodshed. Every species has the right to self-determination. Those thirteen species with whom we have no contact are not advanced enough to interact with without causing massive societal disruption. Ultimately, every species must develop its’ own way of doing things. We can supply guidance and technology, but direct intervention in the affairs of another species is wrong.”
It was then that Jerulim let loose yet another of his outbursts. “You decry direct intervention as immoral, but what are you doing to the Gojid?! Are you not occupying their worlds, are you not even now butchering them, and using other prey species to do it?” The Krakotl spread his wings, as if daring the human to contradict him. “All of this is beside the point! All this discussion of human politics and history is meaningless! What matters is that these predators have attacked a member of the Federation, without provocation, and are even now slaughtering the Gojid as they do their own people!”
The human sighed, looking around at the Federation ambassadors, while their fellow diplomats gave the Krakotl what could only be looks of disapproval. Cilany had just finished taking note of Jerulims’ hysterical speech, when the human gave their reply. “We have only acted in defence of ourselves and the preservation of galactic order, and even then, we have used the minimum degree of force necessary. The Gojid plotted to attack us, we simply struck first”. Jerulim was not done. Cilany started wondering exactly how he had become an ambassador in the first place. “If that was the case, you would have simply struck the military bases. But no, you invaded their colonies and their homeworld. You have not risen above the conquering ways of your past”.
Cilany could see that the human was growing more and more agitated. Is it going to attack? “If that is the case, then why have we not eradicated the Gojid? It really would not have been all that difficult, given the forces we can bring to bear”. Jerulim sneered. “I would think that was obvious. You want to take cattle, to feed your aberrant appetites, to gain new tastes of flesh. The other prey species you have met are too strong for you to conquer, so you thought you could take the Gojid as livestock!”
There was a long pause. Then the human looked straight at Jerulim. Now that is a sign of predatory dominance if I ever saw one, Cilany thought. “I see. You are assuming that we are like the Arxur. Well, let me explain something to you, primitive. The eating of fellow sapients is one of the greatest taboos in human culture, going back to before our first cities. Even the token data you collected during the darkest time in our history should show you that. And on that subject, I find the Federations’ condemning humanity over a single pre-space conflict to be hypocritical. All species go through such times before developing interstellar travel. Only those uplifted before such a stage in their development continue such behaviour, as they have not had the opportunity to learn from their mistakes.”
Again, the human had returned to the subject of this World War. Clearly, it had been a complicated situation, with nuances which the humans believed had not been appreciated by the Federation. Still, what could possibly lead them to think all species committed such horrors, or that uplifts are more likely to do so?
“As for ‘new tastes’, Earth is one of the most biologically diverse planets in known space. We have enough variety from her alone, not to mention the foods available through interstellar trade. Those members of the ISU who are herbivores, ‘prey’ as you so crudely put it, do not share your unreasoning fear of predators, and so have no problem with us feeding off animals they do not utilise. So, if we did decide to utterly destroy the Gojid, there would be no need to take prisoners or round up the civilians. We would not even need to deploy troops to the surface. We could simply atomise their cities from orbit, unleash bioweapons, or just, well, blow up the planet”.
Cilany heard the gasps of every ambassador in the chamber. Blow up a planet? The power required for such a thing, an entire glassing fleet didn’t have that much firepower. Nikonus broke the stunned silence. “That joke is not funny, ambassador. To suggest annihilating an entire habitable planet…” The humans’ gaze shifted. “On the contrary, Chief Nikonus, I am not joking. Or lying. The primary weapons of the most powerful warships we have, fired at full power, could crack the crust of the Cradle like glass, and that is if the atmosphere didn’t simply ignite.”
There was a stunned silence at that. Cilany quickly began taking down her thoughts at these unpleasant revelations. The humans have either overcome their base hungers or otherwise have discarded us as cattle for practical reasons. This means they have no need to take captives, save out of some form of rudimentary compassion… Their prey allies lack any instinctual fear of predators, suggesting high aggression: possible similarities in culture allowing humans to overlook their diet… Human weapons not being used at full power, implying that they do indeed exhibit restraint: why do so if the Gojid wanted to exterminate them…? The human looked around the chamber. They seemed exasperated, as if there was something the Federation did not understand.
“What I do not understand, ambassadors, is why you expect the Gojid to receive special treatment. Regardless of what ecological role their pre-sapient ancestors had, all space-faring species must be held to the same standards. And quite frankly, their behaviour illustrates why uplifting species, as the Gojid likely were, is wrong. Giving a culture that is still going through its savage phase advanced technology, before it has had the opportunity to work through its aggression as we did, can only lead to destruction. From our perspective, the situation is fairly simple: The Gojid attempted to exterminate a sentient species. Thus, they must be disciplined. The fact that we were the species they attempted to murder doesn’t really affect matters, other than shortening the debate over what to do about it.”
Cilany saw Nikonus stand once more, the Kolshian clearly agitated. That was understandable, the human had been hurling criticism at the guiding tenants of civilised life for the entire meeting. “What do you mean, it shortened the debate, ambassador? Surely the mere presence of an… aggressive species would demand prompt action.”
Once again, the human appeared exasperated. “What I mean, Chief Nikonus, is that usually there would be an extended period of discussion within the Conclave, and of course the leaders of the wider ISU. Arguments would be put forward for and against military intervention, the chances of establishing peaceful diplomatic relations with the government in question, whether there is a danger of falling into the trap of imperialism. No one wants a war if it can be avoided. But the Gojid’s savagery made everything much simpler. They made their murderous intentions clear, and Captain Sovlin’s actions demonstrated that any diplomats sent to seek a peaceful solution would be tortured to death. Which really only left one option: render the uncivilised brutes incapable of harming anyone. Our allies offered us military aid, thus allowing us to maintain our pre-existing commitments in other sectors of space, and here we are”.
Cilany paused to consider that. The humans would not have attacked the Gojid if they had not felt threatened. For a species as aggressive as them, there was only really one response to the apparent threat: eliminate that threat. Really, it was a sign of their restraint that they had not glassed the Cradle out of hand. That was when she heard it.
“Bullshit!”

So far, Rockstar Games has been rather tight-lipped about its upcoming addition to the Grand Theft Auto series with GTA 6. However, that could be changing soon, based on recent speculation and potential leaks from YouTuber SanInPlay, who previously correctly predicted information about GTA 6’s female protagonist.
In September, GTA 6 gameplay footage leaked online, sending the internet into a frenzy over what was not previously known. That footage quickly spread, being torn down by Rockstar and then popping back up on another site just as quickly. At that time, we expected that Rockstar might leverage the new found excitement about GTA 6, and announce the game properly or even drop a trailer. However, this was not to be, as Rockstar remained silently plugging away.
SanInPlay twitter trailer content leak
As we go into 2023, we expect some GTA 6 news to come out, and we might get it sooner rather than later. YouTuber SanInPlay originally reported that one of the playable protagonists of GTA 6 would be a Latina named Lucia, over a month before we had any information from the leaks. More recently, SanInPlay has claimed that there might be a trailer with a few specific beats, including planes passing overhead, dogs playing, and Lucia in prison exercising, among other details.
SanInPlay twitter Lucia content leak
Of course, this could all be proven wrong by Rockstar in the coming weeks, though prior leaks would suggest otherwise. However, Rockstar could also recut and tweak their trailer if they have one waiting in the wings, should they want to discredit SanInPlay, so future leaks get less coverage. Either way, we will have to wait and see what happens in the coming weeks, because if there is speculation such as this, something of real substance might be coming soon. Where there's smoke there's fire most times, as they say.

@everyone Link to the DMCA takedown from Nexon https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Y2PJx5am6k3quSuXWe6cw-MuOvAPn4hl/view
Link to our response to Exhibit D of "identical" file names https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1hzJwYlZjj8VT39dEErQBX_4DGt-gZ0MnlSI_keyXO4I/edit#gid=0
Coming soon - Since this issue is newsworthy in Korea we will be preparing the response in Korean. - Response from our concept artist about the copyrighted character design. - Videos showing key milestone builds from our first playtest builds until the more recent playtests. - Git logs and file lists for the first year of development.
We are IRONMACE Co., Ltd. (“Ironmace”), a South Korean independent video game developer known for developing the PC game Dark and Darker. This letter is intended to address the serious allegations of Copyright Infringement and Misappropriation of Trade Secrets that have been levied against us in the recent DMCA “Takedown Notice” from NEXON Korea Corporation (“Nexon”).
Nexon states that according to their investigation, “Dark and Darker appears to have been built and developed using trades secrets and copyrighted information, copied and stolen from Nexon.” We would like to show that these allegations are baseless. No copyrighted materials or misappropriated trade secrets from Nexon were used by IRONMACE.
In the takedown notice, Nexon lists their registered copyrights pertaining to the P3 Project which were registered just last month, more than 6 months after Dark and Darker was revealed to the public, as the subject of the alleged infringement.
The first point of contention appears, where they accuse one of our members of acquiring and transferring key assets to his personal server “without authorization”, resulting in an unlawful transfer. Here is our response to this claim:
Due to a mandatory remote work policy implemented by Nexon in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the accused member received multiple written authorizations from executive members at Nexon from 2020 to 2021, allowing him to utilize an external personal server to improve the performance of his team (e.g., version control, build machine, and dedicated server). After utilizing the personal servers for almost a year, the accused member asked the leadership if it was ok to continue using his personal servers. The leaders told him to refrain from using the personal servers. The accused member agreed to takedown the servers as long as he could maintain the performance of his team by having his programming team come to the office bypassing the companywide remote work policy.
The accused member initiated the takedown of the personal servers but, due to the uncertainty of sporadic Covid waves, taking down the server in a quick and exhaustive manner was not a high priority. As a result, some automated scripts related to the build machine were left running on his personal server at this time. When the buildings next to his office were shut down due to confirmed covid cases he took a risk and fully set up his personal servers to aid in development. Since all company machines were monitored using a companywide endpoint solution, the existence and usage of his personal servers, ones that were subject of approvals and re-approvals, must be reasonably known to Nexon over this multi-month period of development. Not a single warning was received from that security team so it was easy to construe it as acknowledgement that his actions were acceptable, otherwise it would mean that Nexon would be failing at taking reasonable measures to maintain the confidentiality of their assets.
The accused member decided to leave Nexon in June 2021 due to a breakdown of trust with one of his superiors and due to the uncertain atmosphere at the company. His prior project was unceremoniously canceled after a well-received milestone presentation in 2020 and numerous other projects around him were also cancelled during this time.
Having worked closely with his development team, he informed them about his plans to leave Nexon. He made it clear that the reason for leaving was due to the uncertain atmosphere fostered at the company. He also stated that he’d welcome the team’s talents for his next endeavor. He made it clear that he’d likely pursue a project in the same genre as P3 Project, but explicitly clarified that any development would be made completely from scratch. This fact has been noted, in witness testimony collected by the police, investigating a separate personal lawsuit filed against the accused member, by Nexon.
Shortly after Nexon's leadership became aware of the accused member's plans to leave the company, instead of trying to resolve it a professional manner, they abruptly sent the Internal Audit team and accused him of stealing files, despite having observed his personal server being used without notice for several month. Due to harassment and the lack of respect from the company and after consulting with his lawyers, he concluded that his private information on his private servers was not subject to any record so he deleted his information to ensure his privacy.
He was fired based on these unproven claims and subsequently sued by the company a month later, with liens placed on his home and other assets. His personal lawsuit is still ongoing, and the claims of stealing or misappropriating these files have not been substantiated. He has been fully cooperative with the investigation from the police and has been the target of multiple search warrants. Ironmace has also been the subject of multiple search warrants during this investigation and has been as accommodating as possible to speed up this process and prove no wrongdoing. The fact that nine of the twenty-plus P3 Project team members voluntarily left Nexon, out of their own free will to join Ironmace - despite the inherent risks of joining a startup - shows the trust that the accused member instills in his peers.
As a secondary contention, the takedown notice submitted by Nexon then alleges that the founder of Ironmace, Terence Park, knew that the accused member used stolen trade secrets and copyrighted material to develop Dark and Darker to knowingly benefit oneself and Ironmace, basing this claim purely on past association and without offering any proof. Here is our response to this claim:
The founder of the company has no knowledge that any stolen trade secrets or copyrighted material were ever used to develop Dark and Darker. In fact, the founder has on multiple occasions told members of his team that they must be extra diligent in ensuring that everything is done by the books in order to uphold the vision and branding of the company.
The takedown notice then states that Nexon’s P3 Game has never been disclosed to a third party during this period in an attempt to strengthen their claims that the only way to come up with a similar idea was to have stolen it. However, this claim can be clearly proven false. Nexon disclosed P3 in a media showcase in August 2021 to members of the gaming media who then wrote about it in multiple blogs and articles as shown below: 1. https://www.gematsu.com/2021/08/nexon-showcases-12-new-games-project-magnum-project-hp-mabinogi-mobile-more 2. https://pdf.irpocket.com/C3659/GbYe/dYzj/ICN2.pdf 3. https://www.donga.com/news/It/article/all/20210805/108384593/1
The takedown notice then states that no other games had the same “concept, genre, and plot” as the P3 Game even though none of the contents of these categories are original and other games like Expedition Agartha have all three that are similar.
The notice then states that within a mere ten months of forming Ironmace, its demo/test version of Dark and Darker became publicly available in August 2022. The notice states that “it is impossible for Ironmace to have developed Dark and Darker in such a short timeframe without using Nexon’s trade secrets and confidential information”, again without offering any proof. Here is our response to this claim:
Just because it may be difficult for a large bureaucratic company such as Nexon, to develop games in such a short time frame does not mean it is impossible for another studio big, small, new or old, to develop games quickly.
Firstly, Ironmace started with a larger team at the beginning of development. Secondly, the starting team composition was better set for quick development with a heavy focus on programming. Thirdly, the P3 Project team did not have a server programmer while Ironmace made sure to have one from the very start due to the importance of building a stable server architecture.
Fortunately, we have evidence we will be releasing soon that shows exactly how we built our game so quickly and efficiently. Firstly, we rely on utilizing as many store-bought assets as possible for use as 3D game objects, as that comprises the bulk of the cost and time in game development. We will soon release a list of the store-bought assets that were used in the development of Dark and Darker to show how almost all 3D assets were purchased from the Unreal Marketplace. We also have numerous videos providing evidence of key milestone builds from our early internal playtests up until our most recent tests showing our progress and how we built the game from the ground up that we will soon start to post online. For the more technically minded, we will also soon share the logs and file lists from our git version control repository from the very first push up until when we added our in-house anti-cheat implementation (about a years’ worth of development logs) so other developers can easily see the progression of our game and how unlikely it is to sneak in stolen code and assets. Since key members of Ironmace were also on the development team of the P3 Project and know how quickly and haphazardly the P3 Project was built, if anything, using assets, design, and code built for that project would have been a hinderance rather than a benefit to the development of Dark and Darker.
The notice then states that Nexon conducted a comparative analysis of Dark and Darker and the P3 Game. They state that they found over 2,338 resources with identical file names between the two games proving that “the number of identical file names is too substantial for mere coincidence.” Here is our response to this claim:
They were kind enough to list all the identical files names after removing the ones that are similar due to the usage of the same engine and appended it to Exhibit D of their takedown claim. Of the remaining 1032 resources listed in Exhibit D with identical names, 950 are due to being identical store-bought assets and plug-ins for the Unreal Engine. The remaining 82 identical resource files (actually 41 resources because the file names are duplicates with variations in the extension names) can be easily explained due to recommended file-naming conventions and general conceptual names that would be similar in a typical First-Person Fantasy game. We would welcome and be happy to do a comparative analysis of the actual content of these identically named files through a 3rd party auditor, if Nexon agrees to provide their files. We have provided a list of sources for all the “identical” resources listed by Nexon.
The notice then states the similarities in the character design and other setting and structural designs of the two games. Our response is that both games rely on very traditional classic fantasy tropes, none of which are original and can be found in numerous other fantasy games, including the listed character classes and the torch mechanics. Both games being in the same genre of a classic fantasy dungeon crawler can explain these similarities.
The notice then states that “Even if, as Ironmace has argued in media statements, the graphic assets (including character designs) were purchased from the “Unreal Marketplace,” it does not explain the numerous specific aspects of the character in Dark and Darker characters that are different from that of the graphic assets available for purchase on Unreal Marketplace, but are identical to the aspects of the character found in the P3 Game.” Here is our response to this claim:
For clarity, much of the 3D graphic assets were purchased from the “Unreal Marketplace,” but many 2D graphic elements including character concept art and UI were created in-house. The character concept artworks are based on very traditional fantasy subject matter and tropes which explains their similarities. Furthermore, the character concept artwork for both games were created by the same individual explaining the similarities in style. We will soon link a separate document from our concept artist explaining the core differences in the artwork and why our artwork is not an infringement of the characters in P3 game. The document will display other concept artwork found through a google image search for the same subject matter showing the similarities due to the common fantasy tropes.
The notice then states that the level and extent of the two games’ key concepts, genre, and storyline “make it clear that Ironmace must have used Nexon’s trade secrets to create Dark and Darker.” Again, both the concepts and storyline are purposely traditional and generic and can be found in many fantasy games including pen and paper RPGs, which was one of the main inspirations for Dark and Darker. The premise of adventurers delving into dungeons full of monsters and treasures in their quest to seek riches, is so generic and common that it can be broadly be applied to numerous other fantasy games. Just for fun we asked ChatGPT to come up with a description for a generic PvP Dungeon Crawling game that created an eerily similar game description below:
Content from ChatGPT

Certainly! Here's a generic game description for a PvP dungeon crawling game: In this PvP dungeon crawling game, players compete against each other in a dangerous and mysterious dungeon filled with traps, puzzles, and monsters.
Players choose their characters from a variety of classes, each with unique abilities and playstyles. They must navigate through the dungeon, fight off waves of monsters, and solve puzzles to progress deeper into the dungeon.
However, in addition to battling monsters, players must also face off against each other in intense PvP combat. They can attack other players to steal their loot or gain an advantage, but they must also be careful not to get caught off guard by enemy players.
Along the way, players will collect loot, weapons, and magical items that will help them in their quest. They can also trade items with other players or buy and sell items from NPC shops.
The gameplay involves strategic decision-making, as players must decide when to attack other players and when to focus on advancing through the dungeon. They must also manage their resources carefully, as they have a limited supply of weapons, spells, and health.
The ultimate goal of the game is to reach the deepest level of the dungeon and defeat the final boss, all while outsmarting and defeating other players. This game offers an exciting and competitive experience for players who enjoy both PvE and PvP gameplay.

Finally, the shared characteristics of the two games that the notice points out in exhibit E are again easily explained by conventions found commonly in the shared game genres and are found in many other similar games.
Given the information presented, it is difficult to believe that Nexon, in good faith, could reasonably believe that Ironmace has infringed on the copyrights for their P3 project. They also provide no actual evidence that Ironmace misappropriated Nexon’s trade secret information in the creation of Dark and Darker, but instead base it on circumstantial claims. Finally, they accuse Ironmace of a flagrant breach of Valve’s SSA and SOCR, restricting our ability to provide our game to players on the largest mainstream PC game platform and severely obstructing our ability to do business. Ironmace requests that Nexon renounce their baseless claims. If they would like to compete on merit, we welcome Nexon to promptly accommodate the comparison of source code, custom assets, and design documents with the police to quickly and decisively put an end to this matter.

A sleeping angel statue was in the cornfield next to my house.
There was not only one but many, at least four others lain out in different surrounding farmlands. They had all appeared after the last tornado had dissipated. I had seen such things in churches and cemeteries, but never in our rural plains.
Places flattened after the disaster. The pharmacy and hardware store ended up as rubble.
The stone figures had intricate wings spread and their eyes closed in deep slumber. They seemed to be in pristine condition as if they had camped out and found a new place to call home. Their granite flesh did not have any smudge marks from the swirling detritus of days prior.
No one seemed to bother in wanting to know why they had shown up.
The only other person who seemed to care except for me was a girl who sat one desk removed in the same row in history class. Her name was Shauna Nolan.
Her red hair seemed to change different shades daily. I always wondered if she liked me, but I could never summon the bravery to ask.
All I knew about her were family details. Her Dad was an Alaskan fisherman. Her mother was a retired paralegal who had become a full-time housewife. Everything else about her was a grand mystery in my psyche, which made me even more interested in her.
“I don’t know why they’re here,” Shauna said. "Nobody's thinking about them. How is it not in the news? No one else finds it weird?”
The girl she spoke to seemed far more interested in filing her nails than the discussion.
“I do,” I said as she turned around to face me. “One is only a few hundred feet from my front door.”
“Have you touched them?” Shauna asked. “They’re warm. Mr. Shea, who runs the flea market, found one among his horses. I’ve heard rumors he tried to have it removed. Even with as wealthy as he is, he hasn’t had any luck getting it off his property.”
The teacher shushed us with a smack of his ruler on the board. We pretended to pay attention.
I caught up with her in the hallway after the bell rang.
“We should try to figure out how many there are around town,“ I said. “It might be good to find out if any are different from the others, or to see if there’s anything they have in common.”
“It could be an artist trying to show off their work,” she said with a shrug.
“As you said, no one else seems to find it strange how this happened besides us. Let’s check them out. Together.”
She stared at me with a blank expression for a second before she gave me a wry smile.
“Fine,” she said she turned around and proceeded to head past a row of lockers. “It’s been a while since I’ve taken a long walk anyways. Meet me outside of the machine factory at four tomorrow.”
*
Our dinner table was silent. My father cut into his steak. His grubby, diesel-stained fingers clutched the silverware. He had taken his uniform off. His undershirt still carried the smell of Armor All, mixed with his first lager of the evening.
Mother kept her head down as she ate. I picked the potato salad on the side of my plate without much of an appetite.
The TV was on in the living room with the volume turned down. The local news anchor reported on a robbery homicide. The crime had occurred at a Walgreens in Waterloo. It flashed to a local used car commercial. The salesman was a well-known con artist by the name of Hollohan. He looked like Abraham Lincoln if he had a flat-top haircut and wider eyes.
“Did anyone see the angels?” I asked.
“Agent provocateurs placed those damn religious pieces,“ my father said. He downed his piece of meat with a long swig of beer. “Damn government using diversion tactics to keep our eyes off of where they should be. Their eyes have to be cameras. Surveillance equipment is put there to see how many guns the locals are buying downtown. The fat cats at the top are more afraid of an uprising than we are of gas prices. Or it's all China."
He shook his head and closed his eyes before he took another sip: “I scare myself with how right I am sometimes.”
“It could be a college art show,” Mom said with a soft voice. “Young ones trying to get a bit of attention with their creativity. I’ve read about how those 3D printers are getting better all the time. Or he or she's an aspiring sculptor trying to get their name out there.”
“I didn’t ask for a differing opinion,” Dad said with a leering stare.
“I’m going to check all of them out tomorrow,” I said.
Silence ensued and the air grew thick. My old man looked at me with an impetuous glance. It was the type of expression I had seen countless times.
“You will not do that,” he said. “No son of mine is going to have a mark of the beast placed under his skin because he went too close to an enemy spy drone. That’s what they want, and I refuse to give our freedom to them. Do you understand, boy?”
“Fine,” I lied as I finished my meal.
Later in the night, he passed out on his recliner.
I stole a bag of screwdrivers and a multi-tool off of his work belt and buried them in the backyard out of spite. I did steal his Smith & Wesson blade. I placed it in my pocket with a sense of triumph.
*
Shauna and I met each other in the parking lot of the decrepit factory. The place had been a source of economic survival and despair in equal measures since the dust bowl.
She retrieved the tablet from her backpack, turned it on, and showed me the screen. It was a map of our region. The image had four different photo-shopped pinpoints at various sections of town.
“Have you eaten?” Shauna asked me with a serious gaze. “You should have something on your stomach before we begin. I have a feeling there are many more of them if the rumors of their whereabouts are true.”
“I’m good,” I said.
“Perfect. I also have electrolyte packets and crackers if you start to feel weak. Not a lot of boys around here who eat fast food every day can keep up with me on hikes like this.”
“Are you saying I’m fat?”
“You’re not, only that you’re far from my level. Let’s go.”
Throughout the rest of the evening, we found five more angel statues.
One was by a fountain that sat across from the hospital.
The second was behind the eye doctor’s office hidden by red oaks.
The third was near a blood donation center on the outskirts.
The fourth was two miles adjacent to the truck stop.
We ran our hands along each one and tried to determine if there were any anomalies within the build of each bust. We could not find any.
“We didn’t check by the railroad,” Shauna said.
We went there along a bike path covered in pollen. We came to another cornfield.
We strolled alongside it until we noticed a carved-out pathway. I suspected hoaxers of having attached boards to their feet to design it. Forming artificial crop circles was their favorite way to laugh at the media.
We came to an unspoken agreement to follow it. The width of the man-made trail was proportionate in its dimensions to the angels. By then the sun was lowering and the stars were making themselves known in the wide sky.
The maze zig-zagged. The rustling noises we made echoed in the stillness. We came to the end of the trail.
It led to a greater opening. A propped-up torch on a stone pillar illuminated everything within the clearing.
There were also a dozen or so people there, and they all wore brown cloaks. We were so silent that none of them noticed us. Shauna grabbed me by the arm and pushed me backward. We ducked for cover between stovers.
“Did you see that?” she asked.
I shook my head and she told me to get a better look. I inched out and gazed at the center of the space where the fire blazed. I could not believe what was happening as my body became paralyzed with fear.
The fifth angel statue was there, but its head was beneath an old Medieval-style guillotine. Its blade shimmered.
I recognized the man who held the raising rope.
It was Hollohan, the dullest used car salesman in the entire county, or so I thought. Pinned to the chest of his robe was a silver piece, and it glinted under the moonlight with the maiden. I squinted at it to make sure it was not a skull and crossbones. It was a clock with a hand at the top center. I still had an uneasy sensation in my stomach.
He let go of the cord and the blade dropped. The angel’s head tumbled.
Shauna muffled a scream at what she saw. A pool of black blood oozed from the opened neck.
Someone grabbed my hands and yanked them behind my back. I struggled and attempted to flee, but they threw me to the ground. I looked over and watched as Shauna yelled in terror.
Burly men placed zip ties on both of us and paraded us to the center of their gathering’s strange spectacle. Their uniforms reeked up close of sawdust, sweat, and fresh dewy grass.
Hollohan walked up to Shauna and kept his face only a millimeter away from her eyes. “Do you know who we are?” He stood and approached me after. “Did you two know whose ceremony you were interrupting?”
“No,” I said. “We didn’t do it on purpose, I swear.”
“My children were busy tending to a most significant ritual,” he said.
I wanted to tell him his followers did not look like anything but grown adults to me, but I chose to bite my tongue.
“We are the Ten Midnights. See, plebeians like you don’t know what we do. There are ten heavenly bodies. They look to the average person like a planet, within your sphere of existence. The tenth is not visible. In sacred cosmology, this is often labeled the Counter-earth. The average human eye cannot perceive it. It is full of monsters that we must kill at any cost. You two can be recruits, but only in return for a promise of silence. What you have seen here today must remain secret. We meet with one another ten times every month. We do this to control the beasts. Are you interested in helping us?”
I looked over at Shauna again. It was an effort to see if we should play along with such absurdity for the sake of survival.
“Yes,” Shauna answered. “We will, but please don’t hurt us.”
“Great,” he said with a cackle. “There are ten steps to killing the evil ones sent here from the different reality."
“So the angels are monsters?” I asked.
“Definitely. Though they have not done anything to harm us, they require killing. Our slayings must happen at midnight.”
“Okay,” I said, even though I contemplated how high he may have been at that moment. “Now that we’re briefed, can you take us out of these zip-ties?”
“Not yet,” he said as he walked over to Shauna and grabbed her hair. “First we need to make both of you a part of our group. The only way to do that is to make you feel the same pain we did when we joined.”
I plucked my fingers with the limited mobility I had into my back pocket and retrieved a knife.
I cut the ties and lunged at Hollohan. I grabbed him by the lapels and took him down with a foot sweep. As the men behind me rushed towards me, I cut Hollohan’s left cheek and stood with the blade at the ready.
They cowered. Due to the lack of pockets on their cloaks, it occurred to me they had only one weapon. It was the French beheading device.
“Anyone close to me will get it,” I said, feeling for a second like my Uncle who used to tell me about his time in the military.
I crouched and cut Shauna’s binding.
“Get them you damn weaklings,” Hollohan yelled as he stood.
Shauna kicked Hollohan’s knee and then landed another flat foot against the stone pillar. It moved and the torch collapsed.
The fallen dried cornstalks laid out by the wind all over the perimeter of the dirt circle went up in flames. I grabbed Shauna’s hand and we sprinted as one of the cult members yelled an agonized cry as the fire engulfed him.
We never returned to that area again.
*
A few weeks later, Shauna and I went to her room and played video games.
“You haven’t told anyone about what we went through,” Shauna said. “Right?”
“No,” I said.
I always heard about politicians within the community being in nefarious groups. We did not want to ruffle the feathers of anyone who could control the narrative.
“Do you think the angel got destroyed in the blaze?” I asked. “The fire spread fast. If the blood we saw draining from it could have been gasoline. Hollohan planned on killing everyone there that night. Crazy as he was, it wouldn’t surprise me.”
“The angels vanished,” she said. “No one's seen them since we left that field.”

A sleeping angel statue was in the cornfield next to my house.
There was not only one but many, at least four others lain out in different surrounding farmlands. They had all appeared after the last tornado had dissipated. I had seen such things in churches and cemeteries, but never in our rural plains.
Places flattened after the disaster. The pharmacy and hardware store ended up as rubble.
The stone figures had intricate wings spread and their eyes closed in deep slumber. They seemed to be in pristine condition as if they had camped out and found a new place to call home. Their granite flesh did not have any smudge marks from the swirling detritus of days prior.
No one seemed to bother in wanting to know why they had shown up.
The only other person who seemed to care except for me was a girl who sat one desk removed in the same row in history class. Her name was Shauna Nolan.
Her red hair seemed to change different shades daily. I always wondered if she liked me, but I could never summon the bravery to ask.
All I knew about her were family details. Her Dad was an Alaskan fisherman. Her mother was a retired paralegal who had become a full-time housewife. Everything else about her was a grand mystery in my psyche, which made me even more interested in her.
“I don’t know why they’re here,” Shauna said. "Nobody's thinking about them. How is it not in the news? No one else finds it weird?”
The girl she spoke to seemed far more interested in filing her nails than the discussion.
“I do,” I said as she turned around to face me. “One is only a few hundred feet from my front door.”
“Have you touched them?” Shauna asked. “They’re warm. Mr. Shea, who runs the flea market, found one among his horses. I’ve heard rumors he tried to have it removed. Even with as wealthy as he is, he hasn’t had any luck getting it off his property.”
The teacher shushed us with a smack of his ruler on the board. We pretended to pay attention.
I caught up with her in the hallway after the bell rang.
“We should try to figure out how many there are around town,“ I said. “It might be good to find out if any are different from the others, or to see if there’s anything they have in common.”
“It could be an artist trying to show off their work,” she said with a shrug.
“As you said, no one else seems to find it strange how this happened besides us. Let’s check them out. Together.”
She stared at me with a blank expression for a second before she gave me a wry smile.
“Fine,” she said she turned around and proceeded to head past a row of lockers. “It’s been a while since I’ve taken a long walk anyways. Meet me outside of the machine factory at four tomorrow.”
*
Our dinner table was silent. My father cut into his steak. His grubby, diesel-stained fingers clutched the silverware. He had taken his uniform off. His undershirt still carried the smell of Armor All, mixed with his first lager of the evening.
Mother kept her head down as she ate. I picked the potato salad on the side of my plate without much of an appetite.
The TV was on in the living room with the volume turned down. The local news anchor reported on a robbery homicide. The crime had occurred at a Walgreens in Waterloo. It flashed to a local used car commercial. The salesman was a well-known con artist by the name of Hollohan. He looked like Abraham Lincoln if he had a flat-top haircut and wider eyes.
“Did anyone see the angels?” I asked.
“Agent provocateurs placed those damn religious pieces,“ my father said. He downed his piece of meat with a long swig of beer. “Damn government using diversion tactics to keep our eyes off of where they should be. Their eyes have to be cameras. Surveillance equipment is put there to see how many guns the locals are buying downtown. The fat cats at the top are more afraid of an uprising than we are of gas prices. Or it's all China."
He shook his head and closed his eyes before he took another sip: “I scare myself with how right I am sometimes.”
“It could be a college art show,” Mom said with a soft voice. “Young ones trying to get a bit of attention with their creativity. I’ve read about how those 3D printers are getting better all the time. Or he or she's an aspiring sculptor trying to get their name out there.”
“I didn’t ask for a differing opinion,” Dad said with a leering stare.
“I’m going to check all of them out tomorrow,” I said.
Silence ensued and the air grew thick. My old man looked at me with an impetuous glance. It was the type of expression I had seen countless times.
“You will not do that,” he said. “No son of mine is going to have a mark of the beast placed under his skin because he went too close to an enemy spy drone. That’s what they want, and I refuse to give our freedom to them. Do you understand, boy?”
“Fine,” I lied as I finished my meal.
Later in the night, he passed out on his recliner.
I stole a bag of screwdrivers and a multi-tool off of his work belt and buried them in the backyard out of spite. I did steal his Smith & Wesson blade. I placed it in my pocket with a sense of triumph.
*
Shauna and I met each other in the parking lot of the decrepit factory. The place had been a source of economic survival and despair in equal measures since the dust bowl.
She retrieved the tablet from her backpack, turned it on, and showed me the screen. It was a map of our region. The image had four different photo-shopped pinpoints at various sections of town.
“Have you eaten?” Shauna asked me with a serious gaze. “You should have something on your stomach before we begin. I have a feeling there are many more of them if the rumors of their whereabouts are true.”
“I’m good,” I said.
“Perfect. I also have electrolyte packets and crackers if you start to feel weak. Not a lot of boys around here who eat fast food every day can keep up with me on hikes like this.”
“Are you saying I’m fat?”
“You’re not, only that you’re far from my level. Let’s go.”
Throughout the rest of the evening, we found five more angel statues.
One was by a fountain that sat across from the hospital.
The second was behind the eye doctor’s office hidden by red oaks.
The third was near a blood donation center on the outskirts.
The fourth was two miles adjacent to the truck stop.
We ran our hands along each one and tried to determine if there were any anomalies within the build of each bust. We could not find any.
“We didn’t check by the railroad,” Shauna said.
We went there along a bike path covered in pollen. We came to another cornfield.
We strolled alongside it until we noticed a carved-out pathway. I suspected hoaxers of having attached boards to their feet to design it. Forming artificial crop circles was their favorite way to laugh at the media.
We came to an unspoken agreement to follow it. The width of the man-made trail was proportionate in its dimensions to the angels. By then the sun was lowering and the stars were making themselves known in the wide sky.
The maze zig-zagged. The rustling noises we made echoed in the stillness. We came to the end of the trail.
It led to a greater opening. A propped-up torch on a stone pillar illuminated everything within the clearing.
There were also a dozen or so people there, and they all wore brown cloaks. We were so silent that none of them noticed us. Shauna grabbed me by the arm and pushed me backward. We ducked for cover between stovers.
“Did you see that?” she asked.
I shook my head and she told me to get a better look. I inched out and gazed at the center of the space where the fire blazed. I could not believe what was happening as my body became paralyzed with fear.
The fifth angel statue was there, but its head was beneath an old Medieval-style guillotine. Its blade shimmered.
I recognized the man who held the raising rope.
It was Hollohan, the dullest used car salesman in the entire county, or so I thought. Pinned to the chest of his robe was a silver piece, and it glinted under the moonlight with the maiden. I squinted at it to make sure it was not a skull and crossbones. It was a clock with a hand at the top center. I still had an uneasy sensation in my stomach.
He let go of the cord and the blade dropped. The angel’s head tumbled.
Shauna muffled a scream at what she saw. A pool of black blood oozed from the opened neck.
Someone grabbed my hands and yanked them behind my back. I struggled and attempted to flee, but they threw me to the ground. I looked over and watched as Shauna yelled in terror.
Burly men placed zip ties on both of us and paraded us to the center of their gathering’s strange spectacle. Their uniforms reeked up close of sawdust, sweat, and fresh dewy grass.
Hollohan walked up to Shauna and kept his face only a millimeter away from her eyes. “Do you know who we are?” He stood and approached me after. “Did you two know whose ceremony you were interrupting?”
“No,” I said. “We didn’t do it on purpose, I swear.”
“My children were busy tending to a most significant ritual,” he said.
I wanted to tell him his followers did not look like anything but grown adults to me, but I chose to bite my tongue.
“We are the Ten Midnights. See, plebeians like you don’t know what we do. There are ten heavenly bodies. They look to the average person like a planet, within your sphere of existence. The tenth is not visible. In sacred cosmology, this is often labeled the Counter-earth. The average human eye cannot perceive it. It is full of monsters that we must kill at any cost. You two can be recruits, but only in return for a promise of silence. What you have seen here today must remain secret. We meet with one another ten times every month. We do this to control the beasts. Are you interested in helping us?”
I looked over at Shauna again. It was an effort to see if we should play along with such absurdity for the sake of survival.
“Yes,” Shauna answered. “We will, but please don’t hurt us.”
“Great,” he said with a cackle. “There are ten steps to killing the evil ones sent here from the different reality."
“So the angels are monsters?” I asked.
“Definitely. Though they have not done anything to harm us, they require killing. Our slayings must happen at midnight.”
“Okay,” I said, even though I contemplated how high he may have been at that moment. “Now that we’re briefed, can you take us out of these zip-ties?”
“Not yet,” he said as he walked over to Shauna and grabbed her hair. “First we need to make both of you a part of our group. The only way to do that is to make you feel the same pain we did when we joined.”
I plucked my fingers with the limited mobility I had into my back pocket and retrieved a knife.
I cut the ties and lunged at Hollohan. I grabbed him by the lapels and took him down with a foot sweep. As the men behind me rushed towards me, I cut Hollohan’s left cheek and stood with the blade at the ready.
They cowered. Due to the lack of pockets on their cloaks, it occurred to me they had only one weapon. It was the French beheading device.
“Anyone close to me will get it,” I said, feeling for a second like my Uncle who used to tell me about his time in the military.
I crouched and cut Shauna’s binding.
“Get them you damn weaklings,” Hollohan yelled as he stood.
Shauna kicked Hollohan’s knee and then landed another flat foot against the stone pillar. It moved and the torch collapsed.
The fallen dried cornstalks laid out by the wind all over the perimeter of the dirt circle went up in flames. I grabbed Shauna’s hand and we sprinted as one of the cult members yelled an agonized cry as the fire engulfed him.
We never returned to that area again.
*
A few weeks later, Shauna and I went to her room and played video games.
“You haven’t told anyone about what we went through,” Shauna said. “Right?”
“No,” I said.
I always heard about politicians within the community being in nefarious groups. We did not want to ruffle the feathers of anyone who could control the narrative.
“Do you think the angel got destroyed in the blaze?” I asked. “The fire spread fast. If the blood we saw draining from it could have been gasoline. Hollohan planned on killing everyone there that night. Crazy as he was, it wouldn’t surprise me.”
“The angels vanished,” she said. “No one's seen them since we left that field.”

I have no personal frame of reference for this opinion, but I imagine being a drug runner for the Mexican cartel (or any cartel) is loads more fun in a video game setting than in real life. The latter pays more I'm sure, but the stress, risk to life and limb, and persistent threat of jail time have me convinced to stick with legal employment. Not so for some GTA Online gamers who thought it a good idea to become meth mules.
It sounds wild (because it is), but apparently drug cartels sometimes use online multiplayer video games as a source for new blood. Back in October of last year, for example, Mexico's assistant public safety secretary, Ricardo Mejía, said a cartel recruiter purchased bus tickets for three teenagers between 11 and 14 years old.
The recruiter found the teens on Garena Free Fire, a popular online game, and offered them each $200 per week to serve as lookouts for the cartel. Authorities detained the teens before they boarded the bus, but Mejía told ABC News that other cartels have also recruited drug mules and lookouts through video games, including Call of Duty, Gears of War, and Grand Theft Auto V.
Now three months later, Forbes says it discovered that US officials have evidence showing GTA Online is also used as a recruitment tool for drug cartels.
It's not clear how long this has allegedly been going on, but according to the site, border agents stopped and inspected a Jeep Cherokee in Arizona last November and found almost 60 kilograms of methamphetamine. The driver, Alyssa Navarro, said a man named George first contacted her in GTA Online, through which they got to know each other over time.
Those in-game chats later pivoted over to Snapchat, where George raised the idea of being a runner, albeit for electronics to be sold in Mexico. Navarro claims she was offered up to $2,000 per trip, depending on the size of the load.
The only problem for Navarro is that the cartel allegedly hid meth in the Jeep's fuel tank. Authorities have charged Navarro with conspiracy to import and sell meth, and also possession, charges for which she has pleaded not guilty.
It remains to be seen how that case will turn out. Suffice to say, though, if someone online propositions you for an offer that seems too good to be true—or is outright illegal—it's best to politely decline.

Call centre in England
Got a disciplinary hearing for Gross Misconduct
Hi guys so I work in a call centre so a few days ago I hung up on a customer as I just was not feeling well that day and the customer was starting to cause a fuss an complain.
I know I should have been better with my objection handling but yeah so they’ve investigated it and I’ve admitted and apologised and they’ve said the investigation is complete and have now said I will have a disciplinary hearing in the next two weeks.
I’ve worked here for just over a year and this is my first ever occurrence of a issue happening and a first disciplinary.
The notice period to quit is 1 week, so I need help in deciding whether I should quit asap or go to the hearing.
I mean I’ve struggled recently because I’m working this full time job and I’m trying complete my uni degree at the same time causing me to just be burnt out and also all the costs of paying for uni which I’m doing myself and other costs has had me stressed out which is why I just couldn’t take another complaint on that very call.
Could you please help with what option I should choose, as they already investigated and know that I have hung up on that call which would come under call avoidance which call centres say is gross misconduct that in itself is pathetic.
I have checked the policy and it states if the company is satisfied that GM has occurred the result will normally be summary dismissal.
It also does say “An employee will not normally be dismissed for a first conduct offence, other than in cases of gross misconduct” Which I’ve admitted to GM so I believe they will mot care what I have to say as I have hung up and put the company’s reputation on the line I will be dismissed.
So as in the investigation I’ve already admitted GM and apologised this will 100% be a dismissal right.
Is it just better to quit as I don’t want a dismissal or GM on my file and will rather find a new job. Plus I do not care about the money if they will pay or not, I just can’t risk having a GM on the reference if future employers ask this company.
I know they will not care for what I have to say plus the way my manager has been giving me news about this feels as if I am going to be fired.
Thanks to all who replied on my previous post but I just need different opinions or if anyone has gone through the same thing.
I have been told mixed things some to resign immediately and some to wait it out, to be honest waiting it out will just mean getting dismissed. I don’t think they will give me a second chance at all also what are the other options anyway if they don’t dismiss me what else would the opt to do.
Thanks in advance

I was driving on 885 and there was a liquid-carrying truck smoking wildly surrounded by fire trucks. I can't find any news on it, does anyone know anything about this? Worried I was exposed to toxic chemicals or something.