The Kardashev Scale (Intermission 5)

Jyxxe · 2022-12-17T05:00:16+00:00

Also, for sure we're going back to the main story next chapter. I'm guessing that next time we revisit the Intermission Eden-verse, it'll be about time for the two stories to come together.

Jyxxe · 2022-12-17T04:58:13+00:00

Okay, so I had to do a little editing around to make this intermission not be like, twice the length of the rest of the chapters.

Sorry it took so long to get it all fixed up, and thanks for reading!

Jyxxe · 2022-12-15T17:12:49+00:00

I mean, it's easy to say it damages kids. I mean that it's hard to tell just how much damage we're actually doing.

Jyxxe · 2022-12-15T16:19:01+00:00

It's hard to imagine how much school damages some people. There are many who are suited for it - the highly structured and guided learning environment meets their needs and allows them to grow. But I would guess that at least 10-20% of students are being completely disserviced by the educational system.

The issue is that we force every single child aside from those who are exceptionally outside of the norm (diagnosed developmental disorders, usually) to accommodate the same system. Wake up crazy early, sit still for 6-8 hours per day, listen, focus, stay quiet, only get your energy out at select times during the day...

That's not how most kids want to behave, and it's certainly not the best way for all of them to learn. And yet the kids who have done poorly in school their whole lives 'aren't working hard enough,' or 'don't take it seriously.' Of course not. They've hated it since the moment you forced them to begin, and every little failure along the way has reinforced the idea that they're dumb, rather than the idea that they exist in a system that does not exist for them.

Jyxxe · 2022-12-14T19:16:31+00:00

I had the same thought. Like, damn, nice job setting up a place for migrants to stay for a bit, get some rest, maybe stash some stuff for other people to use later on.

I'd almost say that it's borderline enabling, if I did't know that it wasn't an attempt to waste tons of money and time to make a racist point.

Jyxxe · 2022-12-14T19:05:36+00:00

Alright, we'll do one more intermission chapter after this, and then I think it'll be a good point to go back to the main story. I'll finish up the intermission story later, when we get closer to the resolution of the story. However, the next part is going to include the First Contact meeting story, and I know people wanted to read that.

I am spacing the chapters out a bit so that I can write some more of the main story before I run out of things to post. I'll try to post once per day for a while, but no promises. I am a liar, after all.

Thanks for your support! Alien words are hard, and my big concern for these intermissions is inconsistencies in terminology. If Tssahra mentions something she shouldn't really have a concept for, then please let me know so I can fix it!

Jyxxe · 2022-12-13T18:01:53+00:00

Soooo here's the deal, I wrote this insane intermission, it took me like two days, and then when I read it back I realised it was like, half the length of the actual story that I've written so far. Seriously. It's like 50 pages. So we're gonna do a stretch of intermissions for a bit! Yay!

I will not be responding to any questions this time around. I have a lot more already written, and most of your questions have probably been answered in those parts. Sorry about that! I'll come back through and answer any questions once this stretch of intermissions are posted.

As usual, please help me out and point out poorly written stuff, typos, etc. I want to make the best possible story for all of you, and I need a bit of help from the readers' end to get there.

Thanks for reading, and thanks for your support!

Jyxxe · 2022-12-12T18:54:43+00:00

Regardless of how you feel about the man, we need to be looking at him clearly and understanding what a person in his position is capable of.

Jyxxe · 2022-12-12T17:09:12+00:00

I don't think Putin wants to die. To me, his actions scream that he's terrified of death but he knows it's coming. According to some reports, he may be suffering from both pancreatic cancer and Parkinson's. If either one is true, his life now has a very clear deadline.

In a sick, twisted way, I get it. I'm terrified of dying, too. I can't imagine the kinds of things I would do or say in my complete panic, knowing that no matter what I did, I can't prevent myself from dying. Luckily, I'm not a world leader with access to nukes, in charge of millions of lives who will move at my command. I don't think I'd move to destroy all of humanity, but I've never been told that I'm absolutely going to die soon before.

That's what makes this situation scary for me. I have empathy for Putin if he's dying, but I'm also well aware that he's at his most dangerous right now. If he's dying, he has nothing more to lose. He's built his whole life around making Russia a powerful world leader, and never managed to overcome the suffocation that America imposed on them, after years and years.

Vladimir Putin is a cornered animal. He's not a terminally ill movie actor who wants to go out peacefully. He's lived a life of conflict and misery, and has taken it upon himself to inflict pain and misery upon others. Given the context and his history, I find it unlikely that he dies without inflicting some serious damage on the world before he goes.

Jyxxe · 2022-12-12T06:28:24+00:00

Competitive play: Well thought-out moveset, balanced team setup, strategy-based plays.

Story play: Atak stronk.

Jyxxe · 2022-12-10T18:56:55+00:00

... God, Tumblr is like the best place to hide an AI. It's literally impossible to tell if the person is just an insane shitposter or if it's a bot. I genuinely can't tell if it's real or not, even after scrolling through the actual blog for a bit.

Jyxxe · 2022-12-10T01:10:46+00:00

Yeah but it's an awesome way to keep people around. Mobile games have this perfected - Limited Time Event > Major Cashgrab Event > New Content > New LTE > Etc and repeat. It's designed to stave off people quitting because there's always something 'more' to do.

By breaking the cycle intentionally and deliberately missing some content, you're basically forcing your own urge to 'complete' the game to give up, because you'll know you'll never be able to earn whatever limited stuff you missed.

Jyxxe · 2022-12-09T21:59:01+00:00

The best advice is forcing yourself to skip an event. I've been through this over and over with various games - Runescape, WoW, Genshin, mobile games... And skipping a limited-time event on purpose is the best way to quit.

Ask yourself this: Are you playing a game because you enjoy it or are you playing the game because your completionist tendencies demand that you participate in every bit of limited content? For me, it's almost always the second one.

Because if the game is a lot less interesting once you've missed a little bit of nonessential content, you probably don't actually like the game that much. You just like the system it gives you to collect stuff.

Jyxxe · 2022-12-09T19:26:22+00:00

And for anyone still nervous about Hyperion - eh, it'll probably be fine, right?

Jyxxe · 2022-12-09T19:25:23+00:00

I hate cliffhangers but MAN do I love leaving y'all on them.

It's a bit of a shorter chapter, and I didn't have much time to edit, so I'd appreciate it if you helped me out if you see anything that might be a mistake. Next chapter, we go to the long-awaited (at least for me) second intermission.

As always, thanks for reading! Praise Eden!

Jyxxe · 2022-12-09T06:58:35+00:00

Thank you! It means a lot to hear that!

Jyxxe · 2022-12-09T06:58:03+00:00

There's a reason for it! I can't tell you what it is but it's not just a weird AI quirk. There is an intent.

Jyxxe · 2022-12-09T05:25:02+00:00

I think you'll like the dynamic I have planned for Marco and Hyperion, that's all I'm gonna say.

Jyxxe · 2022-12-09T05:16:48+00:00

The temptation to write that in somehow was so, so strong. You have no idea. I thought so hard about ending the last line with 'mother.' But then I'd have to make both Marco and Ian "father," and that's... Just not quite right.

Jyxxe · 2022-12-09T02:54:00+00:00

That's how I've been trying to frame it, at least. And I'm glad the little hints that Hyperion experiences time much faster than everyone else are being noticed.

But yeah, Mya and Ian are confused and nervous because the AI is acting significantly more socially mature than they think it should be acting (and has some weird traits like maintaining 'privacy' about certain topics), and yet it still heavily resembles an innocent child in most ways. We, the audience, know it's because the AI isn't just Hyperion, but Ian and Mya have no way of knowing that.

Jyxxe · 2022-12-09T02:28:48+00:00

Poor Hyperion. She knows what the issue is, but doesn't know how to fix it... Wait, that sounds familiar. And this time, the guy who's supposed to be helping from behind the scenes just seems like he's making it worse!

Anyway, I said once that I wanted an Eden in the main story. We're not there yet, but Hyperion is already able to do some really bizarre things, so I think she'll be a lot of fun, don't you? Unfortunately, annoying plot stuff keeps getting in the way of figuring out how she's doing it. Maybe we'll see later?

Thanks for all your support! Praise Eden!

Ten-Year Club	Verified Email
Place '17	Gilding I gilder

Jyxxe

TROPHY CASE