DIA AGENTS FACE SCRUTINY, CONFUSION OVER POLICY

By: Porter

In the first week since the DIA issued an order that reimposed criminal charges on over a hundred criminals, there has been a lot of scrutiny and confusion over the implementation of this order.

Last Thursday, Detective Investigation Agency chief Sylveran D. Angelus issued the order that many critics have called controversial. The order essentially put back criminal charges on those who had their charges dropped under the former chief detective Tsukanai Daiki. While it was not revealed as to why charges were dropped in the first place, the current DIA administration is calling it a mistake.

“These are DANGEROUS people who should have NEVER been let off so easily,” the official DIA account on LiminalSpaces said on Saturday. Additionally, the DIA stated that this policy is “common sense” and for the better good.

In the same post, the DIA confirmed that it had begun to arrest those who are affected by the order. While the numbers are not known, it’s estimated that about a quarter of those affected have been arrested. These mostly include individuals who are not within the DPF.

However, DIA agents have faced scrutiny from the public, as well as confusion upon making these arrests. Some agents have come to realise that many of these individuals have long reincorporated themselves into society— some with well established careers and even with families and children.

There has also been hesitation among agents who are unsure what to do in such scenarios. Facing public backlash and confusion over how this policy should be implemented, some have opted to hold off on the arrests while others have gone forth nonetheless.

“I saw an agent come and arrest one of my neighbors which I thought was odd because he was a really cool guy,” Franklin, a resident in the U.S. enclave said, “He has two kids and a wife with a decent job too. To see him be arrested in front of his kids is so awful. Why’d they think this was a good idea?”

“There was almost an altercation between one of my employees and two DIA agents who stopped by my restaurant presenting a warrant for his arrest,” Liliana, a coffee shop owner in the Mexican enclave said, “It didn’t escalate too bad, but they did end up taking him in handcuffs afterwards. He’s a great worker who loved this job and I don’t know why they’d take that from him.”

“Some agents stopped by here but left emptyhanded because they weren’t sure what to do,” Berkeley, a resident at the Apartments told me, “From what I know, she just had a kid about two years ago, but she is a single mother. Agents were not sure what to do considering the child would have been left alone. They told her they’d look into it but I haven’t heard anything since. It’s not good what’s going on.”

The policy is also affecting individuals in the DPF who had a grace period of seven days since the order was signed. That grace period has come to an end today and many DPF agents have opted to surrender voluntarily, some using the CrimeIn app.

“Yes, we’ve had agents who decided to self-report themselves to make things easy and hope the chief detective can lessen the charges,” DDCP chief Ophelia said, “Some of these agents include some important positions that make the DDCP run smoothly. Without anyone in those positions, we may look at issues impeding our work here.”

“Some agents have gone ahead and turned themselves in,” DFCU chief Vivienne said, “I tried to speak to Sylveran to no avail. They are all important and wonderful workers, but their positions are now empty.”

“We have about a dozen team members who are affected by this order, including Eliazar, our Head Instructor,” ROTU Leader Finnegan told me, “Eli chose to turn himself in after my failed attempts to persuade chief Sylveran. I will be looking after his son, but it’s uncertain what will happen from here.”

The DIA says that it will continue to search for individuals who remain “on the loose” and evading arrest. Those on the run still have the option to turn themselves in voluntarily on the CrimeIn app. This is a breaking and developing story. Stick with the Subliminal Tribune for the latest information as it develops.

SIX MONTHS SINCE OPERATION BLACKOUT

By: Editorial Staff

It’s officially been six months since the events of Operation Blackout.

Six months ago, on November 29, 2024, the Dimension Protection Force took part in what’s been called as its biggest operation in modern history. This operation took part following a massive, unnatural snow storm that was unprecedented. The storm itself, since officially named Winter Storm Genesis, resulted in many unprecedented events as well.

One of the events that occurred as a result of the snow storm was the mass influx of refugees into the District from the rural dream world. Ultimately, the rural dream world saw the biggest impact from Winter Storm Genesis. This resulted in a mass record number of residents seeking refuge from detrimental weather conditions. In doing so, the District welcomed them with open arms and many were able to find a temporary home. It’s in our values to help each other out in times of need.

Despite the official recovery efforts having ceased, there is still a non-physical recovery that is ongoing. It is true that many of us still feel exhausted, anxious, and frightened from the events of November. The road to recovery was never going to be easy and while the events remain fresh in our heads, we are tasked to move forward anyway. If there were bad things that came out of us from this experience, there were also good things too.

When our neighbors needed help, we gladly opened our doors to let them escape the brutal wintry conditions. A total blackout hit the rural dream world resulting in many areas going completely dark, cold, and left to freeze in the snow. The District remained firm, but we took in as many people as we could. This event could have been a lot worse, but when the world falls, we rise.

There is no imminent threat to the dream world, as far as we know, but we remain as vigilant as ever. We learned that our world is delicate and can be subjected to great harm. It might seem like a scary thought, but we should also remember that there are good people who are willing to help. Even if the world is tumbling down, there will be good people in it looking out for one another.

That is who we are: resilient and firm. In times of need, we help one another. We feed one another. We shelter one another. We protect one another. The road to recovery continues, but we made it through then, and we can make it through now. The bright future we dream of is indeed a possibility only if we dream of it together.

Operation Blackout showed the dream world has a heart— we have a heart— and so long as it beats, there will be a light within it that can take us to that bright future. It’s okay to still be anxious, scared, and exhausted, but this simply means that we are capable of feeling and feeling is what makes us people— good people. 

And the good people always win.

Q/A: Ask Nate

Dear Nate, are the stars and objects in the sky real?

By: Izzitt Reel

Hello Izzitt! So you’ve begun to question the objects in the sky, huh? Isn’t it cool that in some areas of the dream world we can see stars and other objects in the sky? Sometimes we’ll see the Moon, the Sun, or perhaps other curious things like auroras, comets, and maybe shooting stars! But this begs the question: is it all real?

Well, not exactly. Some things that appear in the sky are indeed real like the auroras that appear around the holiday season and most notably last summer. Those are a very real phenomenon that can manifest under the right circumstances. Celestial objects like the Moon and the Sun aren’t real though. Yes, they will appear in the sky in some parts of the dream world, but it’s not a physical object you can just go to. Strangely, they still emit the same energy as they would in the real world, so you could draw power from them if you’d had to!

The same applies to stars too. The stars you may see in the sky aren’t real, but they are very pretty to see! They twinkle and shine, but they’re not physically millions of millions kilometers away. Actually, if you were to fly up into the sky of the dream world, you’d likely be going up for a good amount of time. You may look like you’re reaching the Moon or the Sun, but it’s just an optical illusion! You’re never going to reach any object in the sky, though you may hit the upper limit of it.

That’s another story for another time though! It’s pretty to gaze up at the sky in the dream world, but apart from auroras and some other minor phenomenon, many objects are not real. I’d like to imagine that these look much cooler in the real world…I mean, in the real world, they’re real! I wonder how much it’d cost to go up into space in the real world? Do you think I’d be able to touch a star? Let’s ask Lucid next time…

Dear Nate, can the Council interfere and halt Sylveran’s order?

By: Haddy Knuff

Hiya Haddy! Oh boy, Sylveran really came in packing a punch. He’s published many different orders and policy changes, but if you’re like me, you’re probably wondering if anyone can step in to stop these orders. There’s a few areas where it can be halted, including the Council!

The Council of the dream world does have the right to halt any order that a chief issues. If they find something wrong with it or if it appears that the order stepped out of line with the established rules of the dream world, they may interfere and stop it. Now, sometimes the order is halted temporarily— a freeze— while the Council reviews it. Sometimes it’s halted indefinitely and the Council tells the chief to revise it, often giving citations for what parts to revise and rewrite. Whatever method they choose, they totally have the power to do so.

If the Council doesn’t bother doing anything about it (for whatever reason), the next person who has the same power is the director of the DPF! Director Ferekides has this power to freeze any order he deems should be freezed. He’ll have to look over the order itself and make comments to different parts that need revisions or he may leave a comment essentially saying that the order is null and void and to get things back to normal. It’s not a power he usually oftens, though, so if you’re counting on him or the Council to stop Sylveran, I’m not sure who to root for…

Though I know the director well! I don’t know if he’s currently looking over the order and trying to figure out what to do. I know there’s a lot of people who are upset and confused over it, so if the public outcry is loud enough, he’s bound to do something about it. I doubt Sylveran will reverse course and decide he made a mistake since, you know, he’s not the type to go back and admit he made a mistake. All I will say is that there is a possibility that Sylveran will get a power check at some point, but whether or not it’s with this order, we won’t know. I’m just glad I got transferred out of there! I wonder how M3-0W and chief Daiki are holding up…