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Prism's Fate by NeonNightFox
Games » Pokémon Rated: M, English, Fantasy & Adventure, Words: 39k+, Favs: 8, Follows: 12, Published: 10/14/2015 Updated: 1/4/2016}
38 Chapter 6: A siblings summoning
Hey everyone sorry for the wait, but I hope this long chapter will make up for it, I hope you all like it and please let me know what you thought of it, don't forget to review and if you have anything to ask me then feel free to message me and I'll definitely get back to you. Enjoy!
Recommended songs to listen to while reading (most of these songs are what inspired this chapter) :
Linkin Park- Faint
Blood stain child- Freedom
Fairy tail opening 9
(James)
The door slid open as he entered through, everyone had gotten quiet, gazing at his every movement. He walked past the teacher, taking a seat at the very back, shooting a deadly glare at the class which caused them to quickly avert their eyes.
"Is it true?!" one of the students stood up, turning back to face James who quickly settled a venomous glare onto the boy.
"What is". he growled.
"That you took on several Hellion students and even managed to beat them, even the rumoured witch that haunts the Hellion wing". everyone gasped, now turning to James who quirked an eyebrow.
"What the hell are you talking about". his tone became venomous.
"Everyone settle down! You young man, you must be the new transfer student, James I presume?" he nodded, giving chills towards his teacher who quickly adverted his eyes.
"Someone saw it! You went up against the Hellion witch!" he was still confused, now staring at the class with a dumbfounded expression.
"Wow...he must be good".
"He even looks strong".
"The kings will want him for sure".
"Hellion Witch?" he scoffed, finding it stupid of such name.
One of the students nodded, "Yeah, she's rumoured to be scary strong, abilities unlike anything anyone has ever seen before, I heard she got into a dispute with one of her teachers and the next day he went missing, never to be found again, some say she forced his body into a dark portal into a world of pitch darkness".
Another student shook their head, "I heard she put a spell on him, a spell which had caused him to lose all his memory only for him to wander across the regions, trying to figure out who he is, some of my friends had said they've seen him over in the Kanto region where they were vacationing".
A third student had spoken, "The Hellion witch is the reason why student's refuse to attend Hellion, most of them try to score above the necessary Academic requirements in order to move to Wonderland, while others just refuse to come to school and give a notice of withdrawal".
"Have any of you ever actually seen the Hellion Witch?" he stared at them seriously, waiting for an answer which they all hesitated to give.
"W-well…...no…...but we've heard count-". the male speaking was interrupted by James.
He leaned back in his chair, putting both his feet up on the desk for relaxation, "If none of you have ever seen this witch then you should probably stop spreading so many rumours about her, what if she's just a girl who isn't like the others, someone who has become a victim of names and gossip without even knowing all this".
One of the girls stood up, crossing her arms together while shifting her weight onto one leg, "Why are you defending her? What, are you her friend or something?"
He sighed, not caring if he showed any signs of boredom to them, "So what If I am, All I'm saying is that for a couple of top notch kids in the fancy and prestigious Wonderland wing, you sure do act like a couple of immature kids who have nothing better to do than start false accusations".
Somebody else had stood up, a male who rushed up to James's desk, slamming both his palms down on it, "Watch it new kid, your first day here can easily become your last".
"Is that right". he had a stare off with the other male who quickly scowled and hissed, pulling back and holding his hands together, everyone taking notice how the blonde's desk had heated up with smoke being released from it.
"Everyone back to your seats!" shouted the teacher, having enough of everyone's antics.
He challenged all 27 glares being turned towards his direction, one by one they were gone as the class's attention was directed back to the front.
His head turned up towards the ceiling, putting both hands behind his head, *Hellon witch….could it be…..*
The memories of his events earlier had reappeared in his mind, specifically the one of Scarlett's and his fight. "No….it couldn't be".
(Nero/Tobias/Alice)
"I've been injured….." she looked down at her palm, able to feel the warmth of her blood running through her fingers, the cringing pain surfacing through her body was becoming unbearable.
"We have to get you to Nurse solace!" he grabbed her hand but she shook her head, pulling back from him.
"It's no use, even if I get treated, if my other puppet gets injured any further, this body, and my real one will die, please, you have to help me find the other Alice".
He looked back at Tobias who was resting, then over at Alice who quickly lost her stamina, stumbling into his arms weakly, "O-ok".
She was scooped into his arms, feeling the rush of winds hit her as he took off, "I can see whatever she sees in my mind so it'll be easier to find her".
"Wait!" he stopped, running back where he grabbed Tobias by his hood, dragging him across the floor with him while supporting Alice by carrying her over his back.
He took in a deep breath, "Alright, lead the way".
"Ungh". she nodded, making a small sound as she closed her eyes, a different visual of another location appeared in her head, she could see Scarlett laughing madly as three black orbs appeared in between her fingers.
*You're not going anywhere priestess! I'll end you now!*
She slammed the orbs down on the grass, causing them to explode and release a black thick smog which began molding itself into a darkly themed monster, a creature completely unknown to her knowledge, a creature she knew was from neither worlds, but from a completely different one.
"C'mon other Alice…..show me where you're at…." she whispered, still keeping her eyes closed as Nero continued running.
A grand view of her other puppets location was revealed as she continued moving her head around, trees, a building, a nearby stream.
"I see a small stream". she exclaimed, Nero was clueless, being that he was also new to the school and completely unfamiliar with it's surroundings.
"What else do you see". he asked, still going forward although he was just as lost.
"A girl….long black hair, and ruby eyes that lust for revenge….she's my attacker…...I could sense the dark and hateful energy emitting from her, but for what reason….I have never met nor seen her".
Nero clicked his tongue, "If you ask me…...sounds like you described some type of witch".
"S-scarlett…" her name escaped his lips like a hollow whisper, though he seemed to still be unconscious.
(Alice's Mind/Alex)
"This was a bad idea from the start, now look what's happened!" he supported her on his knees, keeping a firm hold on Alice who was breathing heavily while laying back, yet remaining focused in keeping control over her other puppets.
He tried avoiding the sight of where her fresh wound was releasing blood but couldn't, only watching in silence as she clutched it, allowing her hands to become more stained from the liquid.
*Listen to me, both of you, stay strong, keep dodging those attacks before we strike, I need both of you to be together before we go any further, just make sure you don't receive another blow….otherwise it'll be the end….for all of us, understand?*
*Yes!* she could hear their voices clearly, while also seeing what they see in her mind, going back and forth between the two.
(Annie)
*Annie is human, not some possession to call your own, and if no one will fight to show her that, then I will, because I'm not afraid, and I never will be*
"Nero…" she sighed, staring out the window as she remembered his words loud and clear, almost as if he were there saying it directly to her.
"Annie". she was quickly snapped out of her thoughts, turning up to see that the entire class was now looking at her.
"Y-yes?" she replied.
"Solve the equation". ordered the instructor, pushing his glasses up as he waited for her.
She nodded, getting up where she walked down the row, hearing several of the things the other students were whispering around.
"That's Axel's girl".
"She's so lucky, I wish Axel had picked me instead".
"I heard she was seen with another guy this morning, he took her away in his arms, Axel later found them together….what a little tramp".
"Seriously? Ugh, how dare she do that to the King".
"Just who does she think she is".
"Yeah, she should be grateful that the King would even want her".
*So….he must have spread rumours about me again….* she closed her eyes, keeping the tears trying to force themselves out, but it was proving to be a challenge.
"We're waiting". said the teacher, tapping his foot as he waited for Annie to pick up the marker, but she just stood there, her body visibly trembling.
She gasped and quickly flinched when she felt something hit her back, she looked down as it rolled in between her shoes, an eraser, then something else hit her, something much pointier. Her head turned to the side where she saw the newly sharpened pencil rolling along the floor.
"Who's throwing that!" shouted the teacher, sharply gazing across the room as everyone remained still.
"Ah!" a shriek escaped her lips when she was suddenly drenched in water, looking up to find more water just spilling out from thin air.
"Enough!" he swiped his arm aside, controlling the metal handles from their chairs to bend and fold over their wrists in confinement.
"Ann-" he turned towards the blonde who took off, pushing through the door of the room and leaving in tears, tears that were overshadowed by the laughter of her peers who watched her take off.
She hid her face with her arm, still running down the hall as she found it hard to speak, "M-mom…..I-I should have never c-come here…..I hate it".
(Scarlett)
"Listen to me! You don't have to do this!" She had a grip over her wound, putting pressure to stop the bleeding as she threw herself to the side, dodging a hit from the giant creature Scarlett had summoned.
"Yes! Yes I do! I'm doing this for everyone who I lost because of you!" She rose her staff up, forcing the sky to turn dark and the clouds to start swerving, the glow in her eyes increased more, a roaring thunder echoed in the sky as the smoke based monster grew larger in size.
"I don't know what you're talking about! I never saw you in my life!" she shouted over the harsh winds, quickly backing away as the monster roared, staring down at her angrily.
She released a laugh, "Oh! But I saw you! I saw all of you!" a white seal appeared in between her fingers, she held it up in between her eyes, glaring venomously at Alice who returned a stare of her own.
*That's a mystic tag…..is she planning to summon again?*
"They killed my family, and with it, my heart!" black symbols appeared on the blank seal, she let the wind carry it away, flying up towards the sky where a sphere of gray energy was released, turning everything black and white, including herself and Alice.
"What is this!" she growled in demand.
A devious leer crept over her lips "An invisibility seal, only you and I can see all this, but everyone out there will only see an empty field with a couple of trees nearby, it's perfect for when I slice you in half and hear your pleading cries".
Her eyes widened in fright, *What!*
"I waited years for an Arcana to show up, so now you're going to tell me where the rest of your people are, and if you do, I might just make your death a little less painful". She was picked off the ground, now being bound in between the monster's hand, his grasp tightening around her petite frame.
"G-guh!" she could barely breathe, clenching her jaw tightly as her face scrunched up.
She peeked her left eye open, shifting it down at Scarlett while forcing a smirk on her lips, "E-even I-if…...If I t-told…..where they all are….you'll never be able to takes us down…"
She took a step forward, holding a fist while pointing a finger at Alice, "And why is that!"
A chuckle stifled out of her lips, "Because there are just too many of us…..some more powerful than you can ever imagine…...figures who rule the elite world and have massive control, you'll never be able to kill us all, and do you know why?"
Her glare sharpened, "Why?!"
She flinched from the tight grip again, "Because we are raised to blend into the world and hide from people like you…...people who see us as the enemy, people who see us as a threat, there are millions of us out there, but you will never know who is who, half of this school could be made up of Arcana blood and you wouldn't know it".
Her staff went whipping to the side angrily, "L-lies! I-i would have caught onto their scent! Just like I did with you!"
She released another stiffened laugh, "Arcana's leave no trace of themselves behind, the scent you catch can only be detected if you come across a powerful member of the clan, a member who has enough power to destroy or cause a distortion of events in the world".
Her eyes widened, *T-then….that guy earlier….his scent was easily detectable….does that mean his power is strong enough to do such things….*
She quickly rid the thought away from her head, turning her attention back to Alice with a scowl, "Which means you have enough power to destroy…..isn't that right? Because what I have on you is a wildly and disgustingly powerful scent, it makes me want to burn my nostrils".
"I'm not a supporter of destruction, as I said, I'm only the priestess of the Arcana clan, my role in this world is to be a messenger for my people to the light above". She groaned beneath her words, being squeezed further to the point where her body was losing any color on her flesh.
"Do you think I'm stupid? I know damn well how powerful someone like you is, so if you don't tell me where the others are then I have no use for you being alive!" her staff struck forward, commanding the monstrous figure to throw the rainbow haired girl across the air, her body striking through a row of trees which had broken upon impact.
"Gah!" her body skidded across the grass, leaving a traced line of where her body landed through and stopped.
Her body was covered in more open wounds, some of which had just been made from the strike, blood was coming out from the corner of her mouth while a tiny stream of the red liquid was rolling down the side of her forehead.
*I have to stall meanwhile the other Alice gets here….but how can I with that thing targeting me…..and this invisibility seal…...she definitely planned for this moment, now I just have to find a way to tweak my way out of it*
Her body was trembling furiously as she struggled to keep herself up, one hand over her other arm which was twisted in the process.
"What are you going to do, Priestess of Arcana". cockiness brushed over her leer as the dark figure stood protectively beside her, releasing a powerful roar which had made Alice flinch.
(Avery/Colt)
"Where are we going?" she looked up at Colt who smiled back at her, giving her a thumbs up.
"Not to class that's for sure, your ex can expect to eat lunch by himself today". her eyes widened.
She stopped, sparking the silver haired male to stop as well, "Are you nuts? Ryder will flip if he finds out I wasn't there! But most of all….you'll be the one paying the price".
"Yeah? Well he can tell me that directly to my face, I don't care if he's the King of this school, I will not be intimidated".
He noticed the worried expression that quickly grew on her, "But…...he is the king…..the Black King, who also has the possibility of being the next King of Arcenius".
"What are you talking about?"
"Four Kings Colt, there are four kings who rule this school under their palms, I've met all of them, I know them…...and they are not the kind of people you want to be enemies with, Axel the Red King has been known to play manipulation amongst the students while Ryder enforces fear and dictation, the Gray King uses seduction while the White King has been known to win followers through bribery, one wrong move and your last day here is a guarantee".
He seemed less than interested, instead leaning down to stare into Avery's eyes, "Is that what Ryder used on you?"
She forced her head back, avoiding trying to have any intense contact with Colt, "What".
"Fear, is that what he used on you to make you his?" his eyes wouldn't move away, giving her chilling vibes all across her body.
She closed her eyes, turning her head to the side with a sigh, "No…...actually,me and Ryder first met on our first day here, it was like something clicked and we both fell in love, the next two years were amazing and he became the most important thing in my life, but then he disappeared on our third year of school, not a letter or phone call from him….It was the most depressing time of my life, my heart was torn into pieces that day….but then the summer of our fourth year came, and Ryder showed up, completely changed, he wasn't the same person I met back then….something was just off…..he became much crueler, much darker, he wasn't the Ryder I knew…..he wasn't Ryder at all".
"So what happened?"
"I didn't want to give up, I tried my best to stay with him and find the real Ryder, hoping he was buried somewhere deep within that cruel exterior…...but everything fell apart when I found out that he was cheating on me, with the Gray King, her name is Lillian…...considered to be the most beautiful girl in the academy and who uses seduction to attract followers, I broke all ties with him but he refused to accept it and constantly threatens me into staying with him….he threatens to ruin my family's name, he threatens to ruin Leon's life in the school, I mean…..what choice do I have? He's a powerful person, both in school and out in the world".
"How so"? he crossed his arms.
"Ryder is a young entrepreneur, and a highly talked about one at that, already at his age he runs a multimillion dollar company and runs a powerful underground network, he has estates all across the globe and owns small shares of several other companies to give him more power amongst the business world, the people of Arsenius see him as another favorite because they hope he will help them rise and expand into one of the most powerful regions, just like Kanto or Johto".
She lowered her head, "No matter how much I try….I can never escape him….because he will always find me".
"You know…..it's fear that feeds that jerk's ego…..you just have to stop being afraid and show him who's in command, he is not your master and you are not his property, and if you need support to do it then you can count on me". she was startled when he placed his hand on her head.
She looked up, giving a teary eyed look and smiling with a small pout, "Thank you".
He stuck his tongue out teasefully, "Don't mention it, now, how about we get out of here, this building is giving me the chills".
(Leon/Faye)
"Faye!" She stopped, turning back to Leon who was just catching up to her, he stopped, panting at first before cupping her cheeks, turning her head from side to side, examining her closely.
"Are you hurt? Any bruises? Cuts? Does it hurt?" she slapped his hand away, placing both of her own on her hips.
"I'm fine, if those twats think there hits did any damage to me then their even bigger idiots".
He chuckled at her usual feisty nature, now staring at the ground firmly, "That's good…..but you know….earlier I saw a familiar car parked in front of the gates…...a car I remember your father's men use….did something happen?"
A sigh was heard, followed by a scoff which he turned up to see, a venomous expression now on her face, "Yeah…..Jasper came earlier, he told me my father demands his information…...but I refused to give it to him and now I might be leaving soon…...unless that is…"
"Unless what?" he quirked an eyebrow.
"Unless I agree to marry him, he said If I do then he can guarantee me freedom from my father". he choked on his own spit.
"Are you serious?! What the hell is that bastard thinking! Of course you're not going to marry him!". he scoffed under his breaths, taking notice how she remained quiet.
"Wait…...you're not…..thinking about it, are you?" she remained silent again, but then shook off what seemed to be some thoughts, now giving him a disgusted face.
"O-of course not". he seemed hesitant of her answer.
"Good, Jasper is the lowest of the low…..he has a face that can fool anybody, a true devil in disguise, he doesn't deserve someone like you".
"What am I going to do now….my father will send his men down here anytime now to take me away, I'll be trapped behind those walls again". she began pacing around, running both hands through her hair stressfully.
He grabbed her by the shoulder, giving her an assuring grin, "I don't know…...but we'll figure a way out together, I promise".
*! #$* They were toppled over from the unsettling quake, getting back up only to look around and find their surroundings completely empty.
"What the hell was that!" he shouted, feeling another quake, he grabbed Faye, holding her closeby as they heard several other noises, a growl, and then a scream.
"L-look". Faye pointed to several trees, directing Leon who stared along, both of them taking notice of how the trees shook and vibrated, as if they were being hit.
"W-what is it". he followed her finger, seeing the exact same thing only to get closer from curiosity.
"There's something here". she muttered.
"But there's nothing here". he answered, doing a 360 only to find nothing.
"There's something here, it just doesn't want to show itself, I know it". she narrowed her eyes onto the trees.
(Crystal/Blake/Annie)
"Quit following me, don't you have anything better to do than stalk a girl?"
"I do actually, I could practice on my guitar, but right now I want to see what you're up to, there's a lot of answers I want and I'm not leaving until I get them".
She spun around, swinging her arm across Blake who managed to dodge in time, avoiding the sharp icicles that speared through from the ground, "Whoa!"
"Leave! I'm not afraid to freeze you where you stand, believe me". she was breathing deeply, now glaring coldly at the raven haired boy who stared back in his own dark demeanor.
"No, I've had enough secrets for one day, it's quite annoying and I won't deal with it again".
She shrugged, "Suit yourself". he was caught off guard when she climbed onto Glare, taking off with Blake who began chasing after her.
"Stop!" he shouted, still having little distance between himself and Crystal.
"I don't think I want to". she smirked, hurrying Glare who began picking up more speed, getting further and further away from Blake who was panting heavily.
"I have to get out of here". she wept, pushing out through the doors and running off to the left, her tears fully blinding her vision as they continued building.
"Hyah! To the gate Glare!" she ordered, loving the strong wind blowing through her hair from the fast pace her friend was creating.
"Fine! You leave me no choice! " black wisps grew on the tips of his fingers, he shot his hand forward, forcing the wisps to extend out and tangle in between Glare's legs, forcing the mare to lose control of it's movement and neigh out of control.
"I can't return…...Never…." she turned the corner of the building, looking up to find Glare's huge figure toppling over towards her.
"Ah!" she was pushed back onto the ground, putting up both arms for a shield as she was trapped beneath Glare.
"Glare!" Crystal grabbed the ropes attached to it, trying to control the panicked creature who quickly got on it's hind legs, kicking it's front legs out wildly.
"Kya!" she rolled over to the left, dodging being stepped on when the mare slammed it's leg down, kicking up once again wildly.
"Down girl!" ordered Crystal, panicked by how her friend wasn't complying.
"N-no!" shrieked the blonde, releasing a blinding green light, it was bright enough to blind Crystal who was thrown off of Glare's back, landing harshly on the floor as vines and thick roots quickly binded her to the ground.
"W-what the….." she looked over to find several more thick vines sprouting up from the ground, bounding Glare down, she then took notice of Annie who was glowing with a green hue, a shriek still continuing on as the vines began tightening around both of them.
*W-what the hell is this! Who is she? And how is she doing this?!*
"Mn…...Gah!" she arched her body backwards, releasing a growl as everything touching her quickly turned into ice, her hands balled into fists, breaking apart the solid material and freeing herself.
"Whoever you are! Stop!" she rushed over to Glare whom she freed and then focused her attention onto Annie.
The light surrounding her had disappeared, all that was left was her figure lying on the ground, tears still streaming down her face.
"I-i'm s-sorry". she mumbled in quiet shrills.
"Aha!" she spun around to see Blake finally catching up, a mocking grin sweeping over his lips.
He quickly stopped when he saw the mess of ice and plants, "Whoa…..what the hell happened here?"
"Her". he looked down over to where Crystal pointed, finally taking notice of Annie.
"H-hey…..are you ok?" he walked over to her, kneeling down beside her trembling figure.
Her head began to slowly turn to his direction, a clear shot of how she looked like, "U-uh…." he stumbled back, quickly looking back and forth between her and Crystal.
"What". she hissed, crossing her arms together in irritation.
"See for yourself". he pointed at Annie who got up, wiping the tears from her eyes away.
They both stopped, there eyes growing wider by the second as they stood only inches away from each other, "It's like…..you're twins".
There eyes and hair were different of course, but the facial features proved enough, complete look a likes. Annie began trembling, pointing in a shaky manner, "Y-you're me….."
"And…...you're me". responded the bluenette with a surprised mumble.
"Impossible…" they both whispered.
(Alice/Tobias/Nero)
"I can feel it! There close by!" she kept her eyes closed, still seeing everything through the other Alice's eyes, feeling everything, enduring the pain all together.
"G-gruh!" blood and spit both forcefully escaped her mouth.
"Ahh!" fresh blood was seeping through her sleeves from a newly made cut.
"Hang in there Alice!" shouted Nero, hurrying up as fast as he could, remembering that he was still dragging Tobias behind.
"T-there!" she pointed to all the routes he began taking, eventually ending up in a large spacious area, nothing in sight however.
"There's nothing here!" he felt the weight on his back be lifted off, she had climbed down, now stumbling forward, leaving Nero clueless as to where she was going.
She stopped, turning back to look at Nero with a faint smile of gratitude, "Thank you".
He shook his head, "N-no….you're not going alone, I'm coming with you".
It was her time to shake her head, "No, this person is dangerous, and she only wants me, I won't let anyone get hurt under my watch so stay away, your job is done".
He watched her walk forward, disappearing immediately as if through means of thin air, his teeth clenched down madly and his hands had balled up, "No! I won't let you!"
He ran in after her but was forced back with a shock, being thrown down on the ground next to Tobias, "No!" he ran towards it again only to be shocked and thrown back once more.
*W-why can't I get in!*
"Dammit!" he slammed his fist on the ground, looking up to see a quick sheer glide across what seemed to be the force field keeping him away.
"Did you see that?" he looked over at Faye who nodded, being speechless as they saw Tobias and Nero from across.
"W-where did the girl go?"
(Alice/Scarlett)
"Ngh…...gyah!" she was met with a view of her other self being thrown across the air, hitting a tree in it's trunk and shattering it.
"Had enough!?" laughed Scarlett, sending the dark creature to grab her once more.
"Not even close!" her head went whipping to the side, eyes widening as she saw the other Alice.
An electric arrow shot through one of it's arms, slicing it off where it had evaporated into a cloud of smoke, she saw Alice who had a bow in her hand, ready to shoot once more.
"It ends now!" she shouted, firing the second arrow which struck through it's chest, leaving a large gaping hole in the center, it screeched, extending it's only arm out towards her, but she had rolled over to the side, dodging its hit and taking off to join her other puppet.
"Two? But how?!" she spat, tightening her hand around her staff angrily.
*This electric power…..it's strong, but it's starting to fade from my use, I have to hurry*
"Alice!" her running was slowing down from the pain, she screeched, looking down to see her arm further twisted, she grabbed the shoulder blade, pulling it forward only to hear a pop which had fixed her arm back.
They joined sides, helping each other up and sharing glares which were directed towards a still smirking Scarlett, "Fine by me, double the kill equals double the fun and pleasure!"
"Yeah? Well your fun ends here!" they each stretched an arm out, two black scythes appeared in their grasp, being twirled and directly pointed at her.
"Why do you say that?"
"Because the gift of foretelling destruction has been lent to us". they took off on separate directions, running at the same speed around the monster.
"Crush them!" she shouted, holding her clenched hand out.
"Prediction number 1, the target's movement, coordinates heading to the west in 3 seconds". the first Alice jumped, swiftly dodging the hit and bringing down the scythe on it's hand which she sliced off.
It roared, nearly erupting there eardrums but not throwing them off course, her eyes lit up, "Predicting movement number 2, coordinates rotating in 180, ready to strike in 5 seconds".
The second Alice moved to the side, being only inches away from its foot, she swung forward, slicing through it's ankle.
She pierced her staff into the ground, "Let's see you try to foretell these!" the entire perimeter was blocked by a ring of fire, a geyser shooting up in the form of a snake with three heads had devoured the almost decapitated monster, turning the flames black.
"My snake charmer hasn't been fed in quite a while, I hope it likes priestess parfait". it hissed, slithering across the entire area where it kept leaving traces of dark colored fire.
"Sorry, but we're all out of that". she swung her scythe forward, whipping a deadly gust that had blown Scarlett back, making her crash against the floor with a scream.
"Now!" the scythes in their possession had vanished, they each held out one palm towards the other, connecting them with closed eyes.
"Aqua Bellator, lend me your power!" a blue ring encrypted with symbols had appeared beneath their feet, it released a blinding light upwards, showering both clones with intense energy.
"Oh…" she stopped as soon as he opened the door, now holding her head as she was hit with a wave of dizziness.
He turned back to her, noticing her weird expression, "Avery….what's wrong?"
She dropped to her knees, hugging tightly onto her body as she released a tiny moan, "I-i don't know…...but all of a sudden I feel weak….like if my energy is being drained straight out of my body".
He hurried to her side, kneeling beside the short haired girl who was now panting heavily, sweat trickling down the side of her head while her skin turned pale in seconds.
"We need to get you to the infirmary". he helped her up only to freeze when he looked at her hand, he could see straight through it, she was vanishing right before his eyes.
"Colt!" she tried to go into his arms but she had already faded, leaving the silver haired boy all lonesome with open arms.
"A-avery".
"Attack!" she ordered, getting up from the ground with a grunt.
It hissed eerily, slithering towards both girls who opened their eyes, separating in an instant as they ran opposite directions, they shot their hands forward, raising them further up towards the snake.
"Water lock!" a giant sphere of water enveloped the fire creature, trapping it within while releasing heavy amounts of steam.
"What!" she was surprised by their attack, watching in horror as they forced the orb of liquid to shrink, eliminating her snake charmer as an explosion occurred afterwards, releasing a shower of rain over them.
"Clever I'll give you that…..but I won't lose!" she pulled a strand of her hair out, holding it up where it pointed straightly to the sky, a devious leer crept onto her lips.
"W-what are you doing". they demanded, watching as she ignited the hair into flames with only a glance, they saw her lips move but couldn't make of her words.
She dropped the flaming strand onto the grass, allowing it to burrow itself into the ground where everything began to shake.
"W-what did you do?" they shouted, trying to keep their balance.
"If my snake charmer couldn't take you out, then maybe my gorgeous roses can". something sprouted out from beneath the raven haired girl, boosting her up into the air while she remained calm.
They looked up at the quartet of monstrous roses towering over them, Scarlett stood over the red one which hissed, releasing fire from the mouth that opened within its petals, "That girl….just how is she able to do these things?"
She held a chuckle back, "Do you like them? I nurtured them myself, red, white, black, and yellow, each one with it's own special talent".
*Each one with it's own talent….what does that mean?*
"Agh!" her thoughts were disrupted when the black rose dove into the ground before her, throwing her back from the force of impact, she wearily looked up, noticing that the yellow one had static surging through its petals.
"Ngh!" they were both thrown into the air when the black rose emerged from underneath, crying fiercely as it blasted a beam of dark energy towards them.
They gasped, shooting both hands out as they joined together to create a water barrier, stopping the attack from hitting them as it reflected and went up into the sky.
"Tsk tsk". Scarlett shook her head, she swiped her arm across, commanding the yellow one to step in, it dragged through the ground, leaving a heavy deep trail behind.
"We have to summon another, Aqua's not enough". they looked at each other, nodding in compliance as they remained with one arm out but joined the other's together.
"Maybe, or we could just do this!" one of the Alice's held her hand outward, the same blue ring appeared in front of them, a shadowy figure emerged through it, Avery.
"W-where am I…..who are you people?" she kept looking back and forth, now noticing how she stood in mid air.
"Avery, we need your assistance". they took on a more serious look, waiting for her to say something.
She shook her head, now seeming frightened by the giant demonic roses, "How can I possibly be any help to you".
"You have the gift of water, one of the most powerful key elements for survival and protection….we can tell that you are skilled with this gift, please…..help us". they held their hand out to her, she looked at them, then placed her own hands on them.
A nod was given to the clones, "O-ok…...I'll do it".
"Good". she screeched when the same ring appeared around her, the symbols on it now traced onto her skin, a blue finned tail appeared from behind while a finned mane and ears of the same type sprouted out from her head, her eyes turned into a deep purple with hints of blue with no pupil, her short brown hair had now faded into a sea blue color.
"Do it!" they shouted, pointing down at the creatures which fired both attacks, one made with dark energy while the other with electricity.
She showed no signs of fear,"Yes priestess".
A blue light trailed behind her as she shot down towards both attacks, her body turned clear and liquified, just like water which allowed both attacks to strike directly through, causing a chain of explosions which disrupted them from going any further.
"T-the s-scent…...why has it gotten stronger?" she stepped back only to stop when she was about to fall off, now staring at Avery with a hateful expression.
"S-she's one of them".
"Ha!" she began rotating, going faster and faster until she went like a drill, piercing directly through the mouth of the black rose, its petals scattered all across the floor, falling to the floor as it's stem body dropped flat on the ground.
"What! No!" her eyes widened in shock, staring at Avery who landed knee first on the grass, her eyes shifting over to Scarlett fearlessly.
"Look out!" both clones shouted, warning Avery of the incoming yellow rose who fired another blast of electrical energy towards her.
She quickly turned around, building a water force field to reflect the attack, she kept it going, avoiding the continuous blast the yellow rose kept firing.
"Go". whispered Scarlett, jumping over onto the White rose while flicking her finger forward and ordering the Red one to step in.
It sunk back into the ground, something which went noticed by the Alice's, "Let's go". they shot back down, joining hands once more as they closed their eyes.
"!" it shot up from the ground, slamming one of its vines against both clones who were pummeled onto the ground, shattering the ground and leaving a crater in there place.
"Priestess!" Avery shouted, leaving her guard down as she was struck with a thunderbolt, screeching in a cringing manner as she dropped on one knee, panting heavily as sparks overtook her mobility.
"G-guh….ngh". they choked on there own blood, quickly turning over to force it out, "W-we don't have much energy left…..we have to summon more".
"Ok". they remained flat on the ground, staring up at the dark sky as they still held hands.
The took in a deep breath, "Elementum Bellator, watch and protect over us". a White ring appeared within the crater, having the same symbols which began glowing a variety of different colors.
A white beam of light shot up, surrounding both girls one by one where several shadowed figures began appearing through the light.
"What…..n-not again!"
"What is this!"
"Alice!"
"W-where the hell am I?!"
"H-help!"
"This energy…..it's incredible".
"No! It can't be! The smell…...it's too powerful!" she shielded her nose with her arm, stepping back as she became blinded by the white light.
Slowly the brightness began to fade and all six of there figures were standing in a circle surrounding both Alice's, Nero was the first to react, quickly running over to them.
"Nero?" Annied whispered, surprised to see him.
"A-alice!" he knelt beside them, picking one of them up onto his lap as she had little energy to move.
"I-i didn't want to get anyone involved…...but I had no choice….please…...help us".
"Whoa…...wait…..it's that girl who summoned me before!" Blake pointed down at them, surprised by her appearance while the others remained clueless.
"Summoned? What are you talking about?" Asked Colt, quirking an eyebrow.
"That girl…...she has the answers I've been looking for". he walked over to her, kneeling across from Nero as he picked up the other Alice.
"Prince Lucian…" she turned up to him in a shaky manner, a faint smile appearing on her lips.
"Prince?" they all said together, eyes on Blake now who shook his head.
"That guy who took you away…...he said you were the most important person I will ever know...what did he mean by that?"
"All of your questions I will answer later….right now I need your help, all of you".
"Wait, why should we help you?" James intervened, Nero snapped his head over to him, a mad glare shooting through his eyes, he quickly got up, grabbing James by his collar.
"Look at her! She's practically been beaten to the brink of death, are you just a heartless jerk?!" they butted heads, sparks ran through their challenging glares.
Colt walked over to them, "Maybe he's right, we don't know who this girl is, for all we know, she could be somebody dangerous".
Annie shook her head, "N-no…...she doesn't look like somebody who could be evil".
"Don't do this for me then, do it for her". she gathered her strength to lift her arm and point over to Avery who was taking on attack after attack by both roses.
"A-avery!" Colt shouted, his eyes turned dark and shifted down to Alice.
"What are you doing to her!"
"It's not me…..it's her". she changed directions, now pointing to Scarlett who stood over the white rose, nose still being covered as a glare remained on her.
"Wait…..that girl…...she's the one who I fought earlier…..". James released himself from Nero's grasp, not staring up at Scarlett who was commanding everyone of the roses movements.
"Just exactly…..Who are you?" demanded Crystal.
"My name is Alice….I'm the priestess for the Arcana clan….a clan each and everyone of you are from, you all possess a special curse, 134, 135, 136, 196, 197, 470, and 471….help us….and I'll tell you everything you want to know".
"Curses…..is that what our abilities are called?" questioned James, she nodded.
"Agh!" they quickly looked back, watching Avery be dragged up into the air, she sliced through the vines with a water blade she created, freeing herself and jumping on top of the red rose.
"I'll do it!" Colt blurted, purple symbols appeared on his flesh, a lavender tip split tail had appeared behind while a red gem appeared on his forehead, ears of the same lavender color sprouted from his head while his eyes turned a deep purple.
"No…." James started.
"...way". breathed out Nero, all of them now staring at Colt in shock.
"Avery!" his body quickly vanished, they looked over at the fight where he reappeared again, he shot his hand forward, firing a purple beam of energy towards the yellow rose who countered it with another electric shot.
Blake clenched his hand, now staring down at Alice with a solemn expression, "I'll end this quick, and then, it's question time".
His curse like features from before changed his appearance, he sunk down into the ground through a black portal.
"Count on me Alice". yellow spiked ears sprouted onto his head while a blonde tail and white needle like mane grew out onto his neck, his body was engulfed with electricity as he took off, surprising everybody by his speed.
"Answers, after this". Crystal stared down at Alice who nodded, returning a stern look herself, blue diamond shaped ears and a tail similar to them had appeared on her, a larger diamond shaped horn appeared on the center of her forehead, glowing as she disappeared, leaving only a tiny shower of snow in place.
"Dammit, fine!" growled James, allowing the red ears to grow out from his head and the blonde mane to grow around his neck while a blonde fluffy tail grew out from behind, his eyes deepened with a forest green color as he ignited his body on fire, taking off the same direction as everyone else.
"Annie….will you help me too?" she felt the younger blondes presence behind her, she was trembling, watching as everyone joined the fight yet she remained back.
"I-i can't…...I'm not strong enough, please…..just let me go".
"You're free to go whenever you want, I don't wish to hold you prisoner…...but what exactly are you running away from, your destiny….who you are….or perhaps it is somebody". her eyes widened, tears were already building up yet she refused to let them go.
"I see….so it is somebody, what's their name?"
"That's none of your business, I have to go now". she took one step but froze when Alice chuckled.
"Axel….that's who he is, right?"
"H-how did you kn-" she was quickly cut off.
"You don't have to tell me, the creature inside you will tell me instead, that curse harbors every memory since the moment you were born, every little detail can be clearly mentioned, this Axel person….it tells me that he is the root of your pain, a master manipulator, and you are his puppet".
"N-no...it's not like that…..Axel just has his own way of showing his affection for me".
"And that includes humiliating and turning the students of this school against you with only a snap of his finger?"
"Stop it, please…you know nothing about me, even if the thing inside me as you say can describe it all….you will just never understand". She wiped the tear quickly away.
One of the Alice's scoffed, turning her head to the side angrily, "I do understand, far more than someone like you will know…..being used as a puppet…..my whole life I've been taught to follow the strict teachings of my elders, I am not one of their own, and they'll never let me forget that, I will always be used as a tool for them, my life is always hanging by a thread, there are people out there who want me dead, who will do whatever it takes to see me die…...you however are able to escape…..you can break free and save yourself…..but I will never be able to do that, my destiny has been locked, I have a single path to follow, and that is the path I will only follow…..until the day I die".
"I can't….it's not that eas-". she was startled when the other Alice barked at her.
"Of course you can! You just need the heart and strength to believe in yourself, you will have friends standing by your side to help you out…...you are not alone, Annie".
She remained quiet, thinking hard about Alice's words, her eyes then shifted over to Nero who had protected both Crystal and Blake from a thunderbolt sent crashing down at them from the yellow rose.
"Nero". she whispered.
"Stand back!" He stood in front of Avery, striking both hands out as they began glowing purple, the gem on his head began glowing as well.
"Both roses were quickly brought into his command, they stopped on the spot, a smirk slithered on his lips as he lifted his hands up, forcing both plants out of the ground where there roots were shown.
"My roses!" Scarlet watched in worry, cringing at the screeching cries of her precious plants.
"Night night". mumbled Crystal, she held her fist up where it became covered in ice, she raced down on the yellow one, punching it straight on it's stem, freezing the entire being in a matter of seconds.
"Sleep tight". smirked Nero, he snapped his fingers, startling everyone around as the clouds roared and a lightning bolt struck down on the frozen creature, shattering it's entire body into bits and leaving the others with an aftermath of second blindness.
"Leave this to me". growled James, he blocked the flamethrower attack from the red rose, sending back one of his own which was also blocked.
"You're kidding, right?" scoffed Blake rolling his eyes, he chained the red rose down using black shadows under his command, staying strong to prevent it from breaking free.
"What's that supposed to mean?!" James barked, butting heads with Blake who also did the same.
"It means don't be a show off!"
"Enough!" shouted Colt, striking one of his hands towards both males, both of whom were now under his control.
"Hmph". Blake broke through, folding his arms together as he shot a venomous glare to Colt who seemed surprised.
"No one's ever been able to break away from my control…."
He flashed him a smirk, "Maybe I'm just special".
"White rose….put an end to them, now". she disappeared, now being on land as the white rose opened it's mouth, releasing a powerful blinding white light towards all its opponents".
They all quickly turned to it, eyes widening as they were hit with the attack, "Augh!"
Annie's head whipped to their direction, shielding her eyes from the powerful winds coming her way from the attack, "Ngh!"
She gasped, seeing that all of them were lying on the ground wounded, her eyes wandered quickly to Nero who was flat on his stomach, his outfit burned with holes and blood stains seeping through, "N-nero!"
It fired another beam of light to the wounded group, another attack was followed by the red rose, each one taking turns as they had their opponents pinned down.
"The White rose….that must have been her trump card". both of them struggled to get up, trembling viciously as they grabbed onto each other, getting up on their feet slowly.
"What do we do now?" mumbled Annie worriedly.
"Leave, I'll handle this myself". she pointed for an exit out, something which the blonde hesitated to follow.
"You can't! You're hurt, if you fight them you'll die!"
"I have no choice, it's either give up my life or they will have there's taken for my sake, I won't allow for that to happen". they held their hands out once more, the same scythes from before reappeared in their possessions.
"No!" she screamed too late, watching helplessly as they took off.
They had split apart, one going for the white rose while the other went for the red one, "Just give up and die already!" Scarlett laughed, swiping her staff to the side and sending a group of shadows to chase after each clone, grabbing them by the legs and pulling them down onto the ground with a loud bang.
"Ahh!" they screeched, flinching and scrunching their faces from the agonizing pain.
"Priestess!" she heard all their voices, backing away as one by one they got on there feet, shakingly moving her way.
*I have no choice…..I need to use it*
There eyes shot open, glowing a faint red as they were picked off the ground by the vines of there enemies, "Bite there heads off!"
"..!.../….!." they were interrupted by a large shriek.
"...N-no…." Scarlett's eyes opened in fear and shock, petals began falling all across the sky.
Everyone's eyes went towards the back, Annie, who had her hand up, a green glow in her eyes as a frown deepened onto her lips.
"My roses….you…...stopped them". she stared up at the sky, still in shock.
"I didn't want to…..I don't believe in killing…..but…." she moved her head to side, hoping to hide her expression in shame.
"...but I have no choice….". she clenched her hand into a fist, both roses screeched and cried as there stem bodies were twisted and crushed into dust.
Her hand had loosened, a sigh escaped her lips as she avoided any eye contact, "...they needed to die".
"Annie". her name escaped his lips, he stared at the young girl intensely.
"You're outnumbered". she stepped back, noticing how they were all standing and now coming closer towards her, she took notice of her shadows which were forced away by Blake and burned down by James.
She clenched both sides of her head, breathing heavily now, "N-no…...no! no!"
They stopped, watching as she dropped on her knees, tears falling from her eyes as a loud piercing cry escaped her lips.
"Whoa…..what's with this chick". James glared down at her.
"Die! Why won't you all die!".
One of the Alice held her hand out, "Listen…..whatever happened to you in the past, I promise you none of us had anything to do with it…...the Arcana clan would never hurt anybody, please…..don't do this…...I promise I'll help you find the real people who did this to you….who hurt you…...".
"Lies! Stop lying to me! You took everything away from me! My family! My heart! My soul! Ahh!" she kept screaming, facing upwards towards the sky where everything quickly darkened, fire surrounded the entire field with the flames growing larger and fiercer.
"What's happening!" Avery tried countering the flames with water but was overpowered by its burning intensity.
"I can't get rid of them!" James had both hands out, controlling the fire with difficulty to prevent it from spreading and growing any further.
"Stop!" she placed her palm over Scarlett's head, both of them now going into a trance, their eyes being only white as the flames stopped, everything had stopped, including time itself.
"Whoa….." James and Blake whispered, staring at the flames which remained in place.
"Look". Crystal pointed to Scarlett and both Alice's who were kneeling in front of her, there bodies frozen alongside with hers.
"I-i don't understand…...what's happening now?" questioned Colt.
Nero was joined by Annie, "Who knows…..but all we can do now is wait".
*Scarlett….let me see what happened to you…...let me see who took your family, and your heart…*
Ok so that concludes this chapter, I hope you guys enjoyed it and please feel free to message me about anything, and don't forget to review! Also if you have any questions please let me know so that way I can give you an answer, until then!
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text:
Green jobs, pink slips: Weatherization cuts hit hard
by Drew Kerr March 1, 2012 June 23, 2012
While opponents have targeted the program for cuts, federal weatherization efforts have been among the top job-creators of the stimulus package. (Photo by ilovebutter via Creative Commons)
By Drew Kerr
The nation's investment in weatherization is taking a nosedive, raising concerns that newly minted technicians trained to make homes more energy-efficient will soon find themselves scrambling for work even while there remains much work to be done.
At issue are cuts to the U.S. Department of Energy's Weatherization Assistance Program, which is used to help low-income residents make energy efficiency improvements in their homes. The program is administered by state officials who distribute the money to local governments and community action groups that run weatherization programs.
The WAP has quietly existed since 1976, but received a $5 billion boost with the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in 2009. The investment, which came in addition to the continued regular funding stream, was seen as a way to provide jobs.
Since then, it has been criticized for getting off to a slow start and having a spotty job production record. A House proposal introduced in November called for its outright elimination following reports that contractors weren't making critical improvements and were instead spending the money on work that had nothing to do with weatherization.
Still, proponents say the investment ultimately led to improvements at more than 600,000 homes while providing thousands of unemployed workers with much-needed jobs amid the housing collapse.
Their concern is that the momentum will be lost as stimulus funds run out and funding for the program falls amid efforts to trim the federal budget. The WAP program was cut from $171 million in 2011 to $65 million this year.
A group of 25 states – including Iowa, North Dakota, Minnesota and Ohio – are facing particularly austere years after being told in mid-February that they would not receive additional funding for the 2012 program year.
The states are being told to instead use whatever unspent weatherization funds they have to sustain their programs. The decision was made so that this year's limited funding supply could be spread more evenly around the country, according to the DOE.
In Minnesota, which received $132 million in weatherization money from the stimulus package, officials say the decision could leave the state with less than $9 million to spend this year, crippling weatherization efforts just as momentum was beginning to build.
Minnesota officials say more than 18,500 homes were weatherized using stimulus money, and that the work created or maintained 500 jobs per quarter between September 2009 and July 2011.
Mike Rothman, the state's Department of Commerce Commissioner, voiced his concerns in a Feb. 10 letter to U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu in which he wrote the funding level would lead to "dramatic reductions in the number of homes weatherized and jobs created."
Rothman said in an interview that he is working with the state's congressional delegation to build support and remains hopeful the DOE will release more money, but that he has yet to get any response to the letter.
The National Association for State Community Services Programs has also voiced concerns about the cuts, and describes this year's funding level as the "bare minimum to survive." Officials with the organization say they do not expect anything to change this year, however, and are turning their attention to 2013.
President Obama's 2013 budget proposal calls for $139 million in weatherization funds, but the NASCSP and other supporters say the weatherization program needs at least $175 million to maintain the still-fledgling industry.
"We've built up a certain capacity and now we have to do whatever we can to sustain that," said Bob Scott, the NASCSP's director of energy services.
Green job, pink slip
One of the biggest fears is that people who were trained to make home improvements will soon find themselves out of work. The WAP was credited with creating or maintaining around 13,000 jobs in the fourth quarter of 2011 – second only to highway planning and construction.
The job losses will come at places such as the Wisconsin-based community action agency Western Dairyland, which hired 16 people – many of them unemployed carpenters – after receiving $7 million in additional stimulus money in 2009.
While officials won't know exactly how much money they will get for several months, they fear it will be less than the $2.5 million they have received in years past and that their staff will have to be cut.
"A lot of these guys were down on their luck, and you'd hate to lay them off just because of funding cuts," said Mike Canaday, the program director for Western Dairyland's weatherization program. "They very well may go back on unemployment like they were when we hired them."
Officials say the industry needs continued federal support because weatherization has yet to become a priority for many homeowners, and those who need it most can't afford the upfront costs of improvements, which can cost thousands of dollars.
Financing options, such as Property Assessed Clean Energy or utility-supported efficiency programs that allow ratepayers to pay for upgrades gradually as part of their utility bills are spreading, but still aren't enough to sustain the industry on their own, they say.
"There is a growing awareness of energy efficiency, but it's still an evolving market," Scott said. "It's not caught on to the extent people had wanted, and while it's not a totally dead issue, it's certainly not a national movement."
Scott Whitworth, who oversees the weatherization division at Thor Construction, in Columbia Heights, Minnesota, has seen this firsthand.
The company added staff and invested around $100,000 to build out its weatherization division to take advantage of the stimulus funds, but has cut its 16-person weatherization staff nearly in half because of cuts in government funding.
Whitworth said the company plans to begin its own marketing campaign to build interest, but that homeowners have proven difficult to convince.
"We're getting some referrals, but it's still a process that has to be continually worked on," he said. "There's still a learning curve, there's no doubt about it."
Convincing people to consider a career in the industry is also becoming a challenge.
Class sizes at the Kansas Building Science Institute – a Manhattan, Kan.-based training center that provides courses for aspiring home energy auditors – doubled after the stimulus program was passed in 2009.
Many of those who flocked to the school were unemployed and eager to find a new career. But interest has evaporated as funding has dropped off, said Doug Walter, KBSI's president.
"I wouldn't say ebb is a good adjective – the numbers have plunged," Walter said.
Even those who don't directly receive weatherization help can benefit, said Suzanne Watson, the policy program director for the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.
Roughly a quarter of the energy consumed in the United States is used to power American homes, and anything that is done to curtail that use helps reduce the need for costly power generation and transmission infrastructure, she said.
Watson acknowledged that it is hard for people to think of energy efficiency as being "big enough" to offset such costs, but that a wide-reaching effort to reduce energy use can have a major impact.
Any money that isn't spent on energy also becomes available to fuel other areas of the economy, which also need support Watson said.
"You're essentially putting money back into the consumer's pocket, which is spread back into the economy across all sectors," she said.
More than 7.3 million low-income households have received weatherization services since the WAP's inception, but an estimated 38.6 million American households are still eligible for weatherization assistance.
Meanwhile, household energy costs have increased for the last several years, climbing to an average of $1,419 in 2010, according to a recent USA Today analysis.
Low-income families see their energy use fall an average of 35 percent, saving $400 on their energy bills in the first year after receiving weatherization assistance, according to the Department of Energy.
Judd Shultz, the housing director for the Minnesota Valley Action Council in Mankato, said the agency's waiting list, now at more than 300 homeowners, grows every day as people find it harder to pay their bills.
But the agency has already let 13 of their weatherization crew members go because of cuts, and Schultz said getting to all of those who want help will be impossible if more money isn't made available.
"This doesn't just hurt as a weatherization agency, but it hurts all those households that we can't get to," he said. "What we do makes a huge difference for these people."
Drew Kerr is a Minneapolis-based freelance reporter. He can be reached at drewbkerr@gmail.com.
This work by Midwest Energy News is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License.
Tagged: efficiency, green economy
One reply on "Green jobs, pink slips: Weatherization cuts hit hard"
by Drew Kerr, Energy News Network

Green jobs, pink slips: Weatherization cuts hit hard

by Drew Kerr, Energy News Network
March 1, 2012

While opponents have targeted the program for cuts, federal weatherization efforts have been among the top job-creators of the stimulus package. (Photo by ilovebutter via Creative Commons)

March 1, 2012

By Drew Kerr

The nation's investment in weatherization is taking a nosedive, raising concerns that newly minted technicians trained to make homes more energy-efficient will soon find themselves scrambling for work even while there remains much work to be done.

At issue are cuts to the U.S. Department of Energy's Weatherization Assistance Program, which is used to help low-income residents make energy efficiency improvements in their homes. The program is administered by state officials who distribute the money to local governments and community action groups that run weatherization programs.

The WAP has quietly existed since 1976, but received a $5 billion boost with the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in 2009.  The investment, which came in addition to the continued regular funding stream, was seen as a way to provide jobs.

Since then, it has been criticized for getting off to a slow start and having a spotty job production record. A House proposal introduced in November called for its outright elimination following reports that contractors weren't making critical improvements and were instead spending the money on work that had nothing to do with weatherization.

Still, proponents say the investment ultimately led to improvements at more than 600,000 homes while providing thousands of unemployed workers with much-needed jobs amid the housing collapse.

Their concern is that the momentum will be lost as stimulus funds run out and funding for the program falls amid efforts to trim the federal budget. The WAP program was cut from $171 million in 2011 to $65 million this year.

A group of 25 states – including Iowa, North Dakota, Minnesota and Ohio – are facing particularly austere years after being told in mid-February that they would not receive additional funding for the 2012 program year.

The states are being told to instead use whatever unspent weatherization funds they have to sustain their programs. The decision was made so that this year's limited funding supply could be spread more evenly around the country, according to the DOE.

In Minnesota, which received $132 million in weatherization money from the stimulus package, officials say the decision could leave the state with less than $9 million to spend this year, crippling weatherization efforts just as momentum was beginning to build.

Minnesota officials say more than 18,500 homes were weatherized using stimulus money, and that the work created or maintained 500 jobs per quarter between September 2009 and July 2011.

Mike Rothman, the state's Department of Commerce Commissioner, voiced his concerns in a Feb. 10 letter to U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu in which he wrote the funding level would lead to "dramatic reductions in the number of homes weatherized and jobs created."

Rothman said in an interview that he is working with the state's congressional delegation to build support and remains hopeful the DOE will release more money, but that he has yet to get any response to the letter.

The National Association for State Community Services Programs has also voiced concerns about the cuts, and describes this year's funding level as the "bare minimum to survive." Officials with the organization say they do not expect anything to change this year, however, and are turning their attention to 2013.

President Obama's 2013 budget proposal calls for $139 million in weatherization funds, but the NASCSP and other supporters say the weatherization program needs at least $175 million to maintain the still-fledgling industry.

"We've built up a certain capacity and now we have to do whatever we can to sustain that," said Bob Scott, the NASCSP's director of energy services.

Green job, pink slip

One of the biggest fears is that people who were trained to make home improvements will soon find themselves out of work. The WAP was credited with creating or maintaining around 13,000 jobs in the fourth quarter of 2011 – second only to highway planning and construction.

The job losses will come at places such as the Wisconsin-based community action agency Western Dairyland, which hired 16 people – many of them unemployed carpenters – after receiving $7 million in additional stimulus money in 2009.

While officials won't know exactly how much money they will get for several months, they fear it will be less than the $2.5 million they have received in years past and that their staff will have to be cut.

"A lot of these guys were down on their luck, and you'd hate to lay them off just because of funding cuts," said Mike Canaday, the program director for Western Dairyland's weatherization program. "They very well may go back on unemployment like they were when we hired them."

Officials say the industry needs continued federal support because weatherization has yet to become a priority for many homeowners, and those who need it most can't afford the upfront costs of improvements, which can cost thousands of dollars.

Financing options, such as Property Assessed Clean Energy or utility-supported efficiency programs that allow ratepayers to pay for upgrades gradually as part of their utility bills are spreading, but still aren't enough to sustain the industry on their own, they say.

"There is a growing awareness of energy efficiency, but it's still an evolving market," Scott said. "It's not caught on to the extent people had wanted, and while it's not a totally dead issue, it's certainly not a national movement."

Scott Whitworth, who oversees the weatherization division at Thor Construction, in Columbia Heights, Minnesota, has seen this firsthand.

The company added staff and invested around $100,000 to build out its weatherization division to take advantage of the stimulus funds, but has cut its 16-person weatherization staff nearly in half because of cuts in government funding.

Whitworth said the company plans to begin its own marketing campaign to build interest, but that homeowners have proven difficult to convince.

"We're getting some referrals, but it's still a process that has to be continually worked on," he said. "There's still a learning curve, there's no doubt about it."

Convincing people to consider a career in the industry is also becoming a challenge.

Class sizes at the Kansas Building Science Institute – a Manhattan, Kan.-based training center that provides courses for aspiring home energy auditors – doubled after the stimulus program was passed in 2009.

Many of those who flocked to the school were unemployed and eager to find a new career. But interest has evaporated as funding has dropped off, said Doug Walter, KBSI's president.

"I wouldn't say ebb is a good adjective – the numbers have plunged," Walter said.

Work to do

Even those who don't directly receive weatherization help can benefit, said Suzanne Watson, the policy program director for the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.

Roughly a quarter of the energy consumed in the United States is used to power American homes, and anything that is done to curtail that use helps reduce the need for costly power generation and transmission infrastructure, she said.

Watson acknowledged that it is hard for people to think of energy efficiency as being "big enough" to offset such costs, but that a wide-reaching effort to reduce energy use can have a major impact.

Any money that isn't spent on energy also becomes available to fuel other areas of the economy, which also need support Watson said.

"You're essentially putting money back into the consumer's pocket, which is spread back into the economy across all sectors," she said.

More than 7.3 million low-income households have received weatherization services since the WAP's inception, but an estimated 38.6 million American households are still eligible for weatherization assistance.

Meanwhile, household energy costs have increased for the last several years, climbing to an average of $1,419 in 2010, according to a recent USA Today analysis.

Low-income families see their energy use fall an average of 35 percent, saving $400 on their energy bills in the first year after receiving weatherization assistance, according to the Department of Energy.

Judd Shultz, the housing director for the Minnesota Valley Action Council in Mankato, said the agency's waiting list, now at more than 300 homeowners, grows every day as people find it harder to pay their bills.

But the agency has already let 13 of their weatherization crew members go because of cuts, and Schultz said getting to all of those who want help will be impossible if more money isn't made available.

"This doesn't just hurt as a weatherization agency, but it hurts all those households that we can't get to," he said. "What we do makes a huge difference for these people."

Drew Kerr is a Minneapolis-based freelance reporter. He can be reached at drewbkerr@gmail.com.

 This work by Midwest Energy News is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License.

This article first appeared on Energy News Network and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


He's counting the ways he loves you and you're counting the ways to make him love you more. One of those ways is to always look stunning, and you've discovered that's not hard to do because your attire brings out your most beautiful traits. You have beautiful shoulders and nothing shows them off better than this dresshead navy and white striped dress in a luxurious close-knit fabric. The bardot style top features a deeply scooped back and off-the-shoulders, short sleeves. The skirt is pleated for a free flowing look that's suitable for both boots and high heels. Very versatile with mix and match accessories, this dress is suitable for all special occasions.


text:
/**
 * This file implements a customized memory allocator for OpenCL buffers.
 *
 * The allocator is designed to be fast and simple by tuning it to the
 * common OpenCL allocation patterns. It can be used from host to allocate
 * external device's memory or it can be used from within the device to
 * dynamically allocate local memory chunks. The interface is address space
 * agnostic; it treats memory addresses and regions of memory as integers.
 *
 * Certain assumptions of OpenCL allocation patterns are made to optimize and
 * simplify the implementation:
 *
 * 1) The allocations are often quite large and the "lifetimes" of the
 * buffers are of similar length.
 *
 * This affects memory fragmentation patterns. When two or more buffers
 * with similar life times are allocated (typically all the buffer
 * arguments to an OpenCL kernel invocation) and freed we should try to
 * allocate sequential chunks for the buffers and in the free merge
 * the freed buffer with a succeeding and preceeding ones. This should
 * lead to large physical chunks allocated for each kernel's buffers
 * which are also deallocated back to large region chunks.
 *
 * 2) The total number of allocations is not large.
 *
 * Traversing through the list of chunk infos when searching for an
 * available freed chunk can be considered to be not very costly.
 *
 * 3a) There is no lack of (global) memory.
 *
 * A wasteful but fast strategy can be used. Here the chunk is always
 * tried to be allocated to the end of the region to enforce "sequential
 * large chunks" for multiple buffers of a kernel.
 *
 * 3b) The memory is more tight (e.g. when allocating from local memory).
 *
 * A slower but less wasteful strategy should be used. In this version
 * the list of old chunks should be traversed first and reused in case
 * a large enough unallocated one is found. This version can be used
 * also for the case where there's a single region (basically heap) that
 * grows towards the stack or the global data area of the memory.
 *
 * @author Pekka Jääskeläinen 2011-2012
 *
 * @file bufalloc.c
 */

#include "bufalloc.h"
#include "utlist.h"

//#define DEBUG_BUFALLOC

#include <stdio.h>

void
print_chunk (chunk_info_t *chunk)
{
  printf ("### chunk %p: allocated: %d start: %zx size: %zu prev: %p next: %p\n",
          chunk, chunk->is_allocated, chunk->start_address,
          chunk->size, chunk->prev, chunk->next);
}

void
print_chunks (chunk_info_t *first)
{
  chunk_info_t *chunk;
  DL_FOREACH (first, chunk)
    {
      print_chunk (chunk);
    }
}

static int
chunk_slack (chunk_info_t* chunk, size_t size, size_t* last_chunk_size)
{
  memory_address_t aligned_start_addr =
    (chunk->start_address + chunk->parent_region->alignment - 1) &
    ~(chunk->parent_region->alignment - 1);
  size_t end_chunk = chunk->start_address + chunk->size;
  size_t end_addr = aligned_start_addr + size;
  if(last_chunk_size)
    *last_chunk_size = end_chunk - end_addr;
  return end_chunk >= end_addr;
}

/**
 * Tries to create a new chunk to the end of the given region.
 *
 * Assumes the last_chunk is always the last chunk in the region and
 * it is unallocated in case there is free space at the end.
 *
 * @return The address of the chunk if it fits, 0 otherwise.
 */
static chunk_info_t *
append_new_chunk (memory_region_t *region,
                  size_t size)
{

  chunk_info_t* new_chunk = NULL;
  BA_LOCK (region->lock);

#ifdef ENABLE_ASSERTS
  assert (!region->last_chunk->is_allocated);
#endif
  /* if the last_chunk is too small we cannot append
     a new chunk before it */
  if (!chunk_slack (region->last_chunk, size, NULL))
    {
      BA_UNLOCK (region->lock);
      return NULL;
    }

  /* ok, there should be space at the end, create a new chunk
     before the last_chunk */
  new_chunk = region->free_chunks;

  if (new_chunk == NULL)
    {
      BA_UNLOCK (region->lock);
      return NULL;
    }
  else
    {
      DL_DELETE (region->free_chunks, new_chunk);
    }

  /* Round the start address up towards the closest aligned
     address. */
  new_chunk->start_address =
    (region->last_chunk->start_address + region->alignment - 1) &
    ~(region->alignment - 1);
  new_chunk->parent_region = region;
  new_chunk->size = size;
  new_chunk->is_allocated = 1;
  new_chunk->children = NULL;

  chunk_slack (region->last_chunk, size, (size_t*)&region->last_chunk->size);
  region->last_chunk->start_address =
    new_chunk->start_address + new_chunk->size;

  DL_DELETE (region->chunks, region->last_chunk);
  DL_APPEND (region->chunks, new_chunk);
  DL_APPEND (region->chunks, region->last_chunk);

#ifdef DEBUG_BUFALLOC
  printf ("#### after append_new_chunk (%x, %u)\n", region, size);
  print_chunks (region->chunks);
  printf ("\n");
#endif

  BA_UNLOCK (region->lock);

  return new_chunk;
}

/**
 * Allocates a chunk of memory from the given memory region.
 *
 * @return The chunk, or NULL if no space available in the region.
 */
chunk_info_t *
pocl_alloc_buffer_from_region (memory_region_t *region, size_t size)
{
#ifdef ENABLE_ASSERTS
  assert (region != NULL);
#endif
  /* The memory-wasteful but fast strategy:

     Assume there's plenty of memory so just try to append the
     buffer to the end of the region without trying to reuse
     unallocated ones first. */
  chunk_info_t* chunk = NULL, *cursor;
  if (region->strategy == BALLOCS_WASTEFUL)
    {
      chunk = append_new_chunk(region, size);
      if (chunk != NULL) return chunk;
    }

  BA_LOCK (region->lock);

  DL_FOREACH (region->chunks, cursor)
    {
      if (cursor == region->last_chunk ||
          cursor->is_allocated ||
          !chunk_slack (cursor, size, NULL))
        {
#ifdef DEBUG_BUFALLOC
          printf ("### CHUNK REJECTED: SIZE: %zu IS_LAST: %u CHUNK %p: "
                  "allocated: %d start: %zx size: %zu prev: %p next: %p\n",
          size, (unsigned)(cursor == region->last_chunk),
          cursor, cursor->is_allocated, cursor->start_address,
          cursor->size, cursor->prev, cursor->next);
#endif
          continue; /* doesn't fit */
        }
      /* found one */
      chunk = cursor;
      chunk->is_allocated = 1;

#ifdef DEBUG_BUFALLOC
      printf ("#### after reusing a chunk in region %x\n", region);
      print_chunks (region->chunks);
      printf ("\n");
#endif
      break;
    }

  BA_UNLOCK (region->lock);

  if (chunk == NULL && region->strategy != BALLOCS_WASTEFUL)
    {
      return append_new_chunk (region, size);
    }
  return chunk;
}

/**
 * Allocates a chunk of memory from one of the given memory regions.
 *
 * The address ranges of the different regions must not overlap. Searches
 * through the regions in the order of the region pointer array.
 *
 * @param regions A linked list of region pointers.
 * @param size The size of the chunk to allocate.
 * @return The start address of the chunk, or 0 if no space available
 * in the buffer.
 */

#ifndef BUFALLOC_NO_MULTIPLE_REGIONS
chunk_info_t *
alloc_buffer (memory_region_t *regions, size_t size)
{
  chunk_info_t *chunk = NULL;
  memory_region_t *region = NULL;
  LL_FOREACH(regions, region)
    {
      chunk = pocl_alloc_buffer_from_region (region, size);
      if (chunk != NULL)
        return chunk;
    }
  return NULL;
}
#endif

/**
 * Creates a reference to a part of a chunk.
 *
 * @todo Register to the parent also so it can free the
 * child references.
 */
#ifndef BUFALLOC_NO_SUB_CHUNKS
chunk_info_t *
create_sub_chunk (chunk_info_t *parent, size_t offset, size_t size)
{
  chunk_info_t *subchunk = (chunk_info_t*)malloc(sizeof(struct chunk_info));
  subchunk->start_address = parent->start_address + offset;
  subchunk->size = size;
  subchunk->parent = parent;
  DL_APPEND(parent->children, subchunk);
  return subchunk;
}
#endif

/**
 * Merges two unallocated chunks together to a larger chunk, if both
 * are unallocated.
 *
 * The first chunk must before the second chunk in the memory region.
 * Must be called inside a locked region.
 *
 * @return A pointer to the coalesced chunk, or the second chunk in case
 * coalsecing could not be done.
 */

#ifndef BUFALLOC_NO_CHUNK_COALESCING
static chunk_info_t *
coalesce_chunks (chunk_info_t* first,
                 chunk_info_t* second)
{
  if (first == NULL) return second;
  if (second == NULL) return first;
  if (first->is_allocated || second->is_allocated) return second;

  /* The linked list head has a prev pointing to the last (sentinel),
     detect that here and do not merge first with the second. */
  if (first->start_address > second->start_address) return second;

#ifdef DEBUG_BUFALLOC
  printf ("### coalescing chunks:\n");
  print_chunk (first);
  print_chunk (second);
  puts ("\n");
#endif

  /* Should not just add the size of the second chunk as we might have
     done alignment adjustment to the start address */
  first->size = second->start_address + second->size - first->start_address;
  DL_DELETE (first->parent_region->chunks, second);
  DL_APPEND (first->parent_region->free_chunks, second);

  /* Did we coalesce away the sentinel chunk? Need to set it to
     a new valid one. */
  if (second->parent_region->last_chunk == second)
      second->parent_region->last_chunk = first;

  return first;
}
#endif

memory_region_t *
free_buffer (memory_region_t *regions, memory_address_t addr)
{
  memory_region_t *region = NULL;

#ifdef DEBUG_BUFALLOC
  printf ("#### free_buffer(%p, %x)\n", regions, addr);
#endif

  LL_FOREACH (regions, region)
    {
      chunk_info_t *chunk = NULL;
      BA_LOCK (region->lock);
      DL_FOREACH (region->chunks, chunk)
        {
          if (chunk->start_address == addr)
            {
              chunk->is_allocated = 0;
#ifndef BUFALLOC_NO_CHUNK_COALESCING
              coalesce_chunks (coalesce_chunks (chunk->prev, chunk), chunk->next);
#endif
              BA_UNLOCK (region->lock);
#ifdef DEBUG_BUFALLOC
              printf ("#### region %x after free_buffer at addr %x\n",
                      region, addr);
              print_chunks (region->chunks);
              printf ("\n");
#endif
              return region;
            }
        }
      BA_UNLOCK (region->lock);
    }
  return NULL;
}

/**
 * Frees the given chunk.
 *
 * Successive unallocated chunks in the region, if found, are merged to
 * form larger unallocated chunks.
 */
void
pocl_free_chunk (chunk_info_t *chunk)
{
  memory_region_t *region = chunk->parent_region;
  BA_LOCK (region->lock);
  chunk->is_allocated = 0;
#ifndef BUFALLOC_NO_CHUNK_COALESCING
  coalesce_chunks (coalesce_chunks (chunk->prev, chunk), chunk->next);
#endif
  BA_UNLOCK (region->lock);

#ifdef DEBUG_BUFALLOC
  printf ("#### after pocl_free_chunk (%x)\n", chunk);
  print_chunks (region->chunks);
  printf ("\n");
#endif

}

/** Initialize a memory_region_t.
 * @param region is a pointer to a existing memory_region_t data structure.
 * @param start the base address of the memory region to be managed.
 * @Param size  the size of the region (in bytes?)
 */
void
pocl_init_mem_region (memory_region_t *region, memory_address_t start,
                      size_t size)
{
  int i;
  BA_INIT_LOCK (region->lock);

  region->strategy = BALLOCS_WASTEFUL;
  region->chunks = NULL;
  region->free_chunks = NULL;
  region->alignment = 64;
  region->next = NULL;
  region->prev = NULL;
  /* Create the "sentinel chunk" */
  region->last_chunk = &region->all_chunks[0];
  region->last_chunk->start_address = start;
  region->last_chunk->size = size;
  region->last_chunk->is_allocated = 0;
  region->last_chunk->parent_region = region;

  DL_APPEND(region->chunks, region->last_chunk);

  /* Setup the linked list of free chunk data structures */
  for (i = 1; i < MAX_CHUNKS_IN_REGION; ++i)
    DL_APPEND (region->free_chunks, &region->all_chunks[i]);

#ifdef DEBUG_BUFALLOC
  printf ("#### memory region %x created. start: %x size: %u\n",
          region, start, size);
#endif
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Handmade pair of natural turquoise hummingbird dangle earrings. The earrings feature 4 natural turquoise heishi beads. A hummingbird charm hangs from the bottom of the earrings. These dainty earrings are perfect for everyday wear!


A successful partnership starts with a product that works for both you and your clients. Shopify is more than just the world's leading commerce platform — we're a solution you'll feel confident recommending for your next commerce project.
Shopify powers more than 800,000 businesses, from grassroots entrepreneurs to global brands like RedBull and The New York Times. No client is too big or too small to sell on our platform.


Primarily known for bringing Japanese titles like Agarest to the PC, Ghostlight would seem to be the ideal choice of company to introduce the first ever Way of the Samurai game to the Steam masses. There'll be a full review coming once I've finished this highly replayable title a couple more times, but for now this piece will look at the surface technical aspects of Way of the Samurai 4.
It's not a mega-spectacular extra-bells-and-whistles PC version by any means; but it does get a lot of things right (and a couple … not so right.) Let's have a look at what's on offer.
Actually, before that, you might have to reinstall the PhysX package from the '_CommonRedist' file inside the game's folder tree. For some reason Way of the Samurai 4 refused to work until I'd done that.
Anyway, on with the settings.
This won't take too long to describe.
Right, well, the graphics settings page is a little bit bare-bones, but keep in mind this was originally a 2011 PS3 game. You'll be seeing PS3 textures no matter what, and the Way of the Samurai series isn't exactly a glittering graphical showcase to begin with. It has its charms, but they're more to do with the number of ridiculous things your character can use as headgear than high-resolution kimonos.
What we do have is an option for Fullscreen or Windowed mode (no Borderless Fullscreen I'm afraid,) and resolutions that will go as far as you can push them. If you're willing and able to downsample on your GPU, Way of the Samurai 4 will support arbitrary resolutions and merrily go to 4K and beyond. So that's good stuff.
Is there keyboard and mouse support?
Your first clue that something weird is going on is 'O' and 'H' being bound to anything important.
To … an extent, yes. The mouse works in all the menus (hooray,) and as you can see from the image above all the keybindings can be redefined and customised at will.
But, and this is a pretty major omission, all of the in-game control is keyboard only. There's no mouse control for the camera, or, say, in combat. You can't bind your attacks to the mouse buttons or anything.
For me, that pretty much kills the mouse/keyboard (effectively just keyboard) controls as an option. They're present. You can use them if you want to revisit the old days of pure keyboard control for some reason. But a gamepad is very, very much the preferred option here. I've no idea whether fuller mouse control will eventually get some support, or if this control scheme was dictated by restrictions within the game code, but the end result is that pad-play is a virtual necessity. That's a real shame for those who don't own one, especially as a proper mouse/keyboard (mouse controlling the camera, weak and heavy attacks on each button and the middle one for guard) would probably have worked fairly well.
Edit 24 July: More extensive mouse support is coming in a future patch.
I mean, look at the default control bind for a forward kick.
When you select 'Manual' on the main menu, this is what happens.
WASD for the direction, in combination with O and H? Even with both hands on the keys that's a little bizarre.
While the mouse won't be handling any of the camera controls, Way of the Samurai 4 does at least have some pretty helpful customisation options in that area.
I'm not totally sure what all of these mean yet, but I still appreciate the options.
I've already put the rotation speed slider to good use (upping it,) and may well experiment further with the in-combat options once I'm more familiar with it.
So, we've addressed the fact that Way of the Samurai 4 on PC is going to look pretty much the same (texture-wise) as the PS3 version, but can manage far, far higher resolutions and realistically requires ownership of a gamepad.
Time for what some will consider to be the worst news: there's a 30fps lock.
Before anybody moves to clap Ghostlight (or porting partners Laughing Jackal) in irons and gets a lady to torture them with a carpet-beater, this is presumably a hard-coded limitation. I'm entering the land of speculation here, but I doubt Acquire's Way of the Samurai engine was created with 60fps (or up) in mind, and it's quite likely that trying to force such a thing will break other aspects of the game. It tends to be stuff like the physics which go all wonky in cases like this.
A 30fps lock is not ideal, but it may have been a choice between that or not having Way of the Samurai 4 on the PC at all.
Having played it on PC for quite a while now, I can safely say it's a game that as many people and platforms as possible should have access to.
C'mon man, the 30fps cap isn't so bad.
The silver lining to this FPS business is that the frame-delivery seems exceptional. Obviously it's not going to defy the laws of videogame motion to magically appear as smooth as 60, but the 30fps in Way of the Samurai 4 (which I don't think I've seen drop at all on this i3-2100 / 8GB / 2GB 7870 box of mine) is definitely more pleasant to play than, say, GTA V on PC capped at 30 with the half-Vsync option.
In addition, the loading times between inner-town and countryside zones are practically instant. Another bonus of the PC version.
It may sound like I'm going a little soft on a title that has a 30fps cap and poor mouse/keyboard control support. But there's a significant difference between a botched port like Batman: Arkham Knight (where a lack of resources and publisher pressure to get something out of the door 'on time' were pretty clear,) and a surprise release of a four year old PS3 title that was never really intended for a PC release.
The unexpected chance to even play Way of the Samurai 4 on PC means I'm prepared to put up with a few things. A 30fps cap is one of those.
It is, my friend. It truly is.
Mind you, something a bit weird might be going on with the in-game Depth of Field effects. Whenever I alt-tab out of the game and return (something this port can handle, which is nice) the DoF becomes much stronger, and actually more closely resembles the PS3 original. It then vanishes again between loading zones.
Here's a comparison with two shots from the same place. The first is how the game usually looks, the second is what happens when I alt-tab out and back in to it.
I much prefer it without the stronger DoF effect, so this 'bug' (if it is one,) actually seems quite beneficial.
Above and beyond the technical stuff, the game itself is wonderful. A bizarre mix of the absurdity of Deadly Premonition and the campy dialogue and weapon collect-a-thons of Dynasty Warriors, with branching paths to rival Alpha Protocol. The 1850s town of Amihama is your samurai's own sandbox, in which you're free to pursue alliances with one of the three competing factions, or just go and do your own thing.
It's great, and I'll be enthusing more about it in a full review later this week.
I said LATER this week, kid. It's not done yet.
The only thing that I feel falls outside the area of "well, yes, that's understandable given this game's provenance," is the bizarrely minimal mouse support. DSfix/GeDoSaTo's own Durante doesn't consider the 30fps cap to be a huge deal, and, given the circumstances and the implementation, I wholeheartedly agree.
The PC version of Way of the Samurai 4 offers (much) higher resolutions, a solid (albeit capped) frame-rate, and much-reduced loading times over its console counterpart. It's a stable, straightforward port with constraints that largely seem tied to things that were out of the coders' hands. Those without a gamepad will probably have to sit this one out, but everybody else can now enjoy one of these cult titles on PC.
Way of the Samurai 4 will be available on Steam from 23 July.


text:
Japan pays for professional training in Mozambique
| Mozambique
The Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will spend US$6 million dollars over the next four years on the project for technical support to the National Industrial Apprenticeship Service (SENAI) of Mozambique, announced the resident representative of the Japanese agency, Hiroaki Endo.
The project directly benefits the Alberto Cassimo Institute for Professional Training and Labour Studies (IFPELAC) and will be applied in Vocational Training Centres of Machava, in the southern province of Maputo, Nacala (Nampula, north) and Quelimane (Zambezia, centre).
The project aims to improve the model of training in Mozambique between 2017 and 2021, in four technical areas, including civil construction, metal working and welding, auto mechanics and food processing.
By the end of the programme the IFPELAC is expected to have updated curricula and availability of teaching materials for training adjusted to the new system, training of trainers (in Brazil), conducted pilot courses and trained staff in management of vocational training centres.
The agreement between the two parties establishes that the government of Mozambique, through IFPELAC, will provide human resources, meeting rooms, water and electricity and security services, and the salary of technical staff (in Mozambique), vehicles, furniture, Internet access and current expenditure will be provided by JICA.
Japan undertook at the 4th International Conference on African Development (TICAD VI) to contribute, continuously, to the development of human resources needed to promote economic, industrial and social development of African countries, and Mozambique in particular. (macauhub)
Macau: Brazil wants a base in Macau to increase exports to China
Brazil should diversify its exports to China, says Brazilian ambassador in Beijing
Angolan bank Banco Comercial Angolano plans to open 14 new branches this year
Swedish company to provide power to Lobito refinery in Angola
Access to the port of Beira, Mozambique, has been reopened


text:
Memberships and Supporters
Frisco Improv
2010 – Forever Plaid
1998-1999 Blithe Spirit
1992-1993 Little Shop of Horrors
Home »Uncategorized»An Update From Theatre Frisco
An Update From Theatre Frisco
Posted on July 27, 2020 August 31, 2020 by Jacob Catalano
To our loyal patrons and friends:
The health, safety and well being of our patrons, actors, staff and volunteers is of prime importance to Theatre Frisco. As you know, we made the unhappy decisions to cancel the spring production of Barefoot in the Park and our big summer musical A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder.
With the sharp jump in Covid-19 cases in Texas we have decided that it will be necessary to cancel our fourth scheduled production of The Seven Year Itch as well. These three productions will be rescheduled to the second, third and fourth slots in our 2021 schedule.
We had planned a five production season for 2021 to include two musicals and three plays, one of which would have been a holiday show. Because of the shortfall in funding from the city, we are going to continue with a four production season as in the past. Our first show will be Jerry's Girls, a tribute to Jerry Herman who recently passed away. The show is a musical revue featuring songs from his great hits including Hello Dolly, Mame, Mack and Mabel, LaCage Aux Folles and others. The second show will be Barefoot in the Park, the third show will be A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder and the fourth show for 2021 will now be The Seven Year Itch.
For those of you who have already purchased tickets for the 2020 performance of The Seven Year Itch we will apply your payment to the corresponding 2021 performance and will place you in the same seats that you had for 2020. If your 2020 tickets For Barefoot, A Gentleman's Guide and The Seven Year Itch are applied to 2021 and you decide to buy season tickets for 2021 when they go on sale we would charge you for one show with the amount applied completing your four show purchase. If you are unsure about 2021 you can request a refund of the amount paid for this show.
We do have some entertainment for you during this extended intermission; go to the Theatre Frisco Facebook page and like it. We have many of your favorite Theatre Frisco musical actors singing show tunes for you from their quarantine. We will be adding a couple more each week, and there is even an amusing interview with our Artistic Director, Neale Whitmore. It's a great way to keep up with what's going on at Theatre Frisco. We are also exploring the possibility of streaming a show for our patrons and will keep you updated on the details.
Please send us an email or call 972-370-2266 between the hours of 9 AM and 6 PM if you have any questions. Even though we are not presenting the three planned productions for 2020 we still have ongoing expenses like warehouse rent, utilities, insurance and other routine business expenses with no revenue coming in. Any help you can offer will be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your understanding and your wonderful support of our Theatre. We are dedicated to fulfilling our mission of presenting professional quality live entertainment locally at modest prices so everyone can afford to attend but to do so safely. Looking forward to being able to greet you at the theater again with the words "It's Showtime". In the meantime stay well.
Howard Korn for Theatre Frisco
A Message From Theatre Frisco
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Special thanks to Brandt Travel and Celebrity Cruises for sponsoring our Annual Members Meeting
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