VALENTINE’S LEAVES RESIDENTS FEELING THE LOVE

By: Roman

It’s almost Valentine’s Day!

With the near approach of the lovely holiday, residents around the dream world have been feeling the love. With heartfelt gestures and decorations galore, it’s no wonder people are feeling extra kind as Valentine’s Day approaches.

Sales of flowers, sweet goodies, cards and balloons are quite popular during this time of year. Florist shops, bakeries and retail stores have seen an increase in customers ordering bouquets of flowers, cookies, chocolates, cakes, cards, balloons and stuffed animals that will be sent around the dream world. The postal service reports that they’re also seeing an increase in its service usage.

“We’re still seeing a lot of people send cards, stuffed animals and general ‘love’ letters to areas all across the dream world,” Dimension Postal Delivery Service chief Kaige told me, “People really like to send things by mail, and yes, it includes plushies and cards.”

Chief Kaige told me that those sending last minute postal material need to know that their mail and packages may arrive after February 14 at this point.

“You kind of have to guesstimate how long your packages and letters will take to be delivered to the address you have posted with it,” chief Kaige explained, “Typically, deliveries within the District can be quick with at least 1-3 days for them to arrive but those in the rural dream world can take longer. Sometimes it might take up to a week or two.”

Mail services aside, some residents are visiting the famed McSweetie’s, the famous 1950s style restaurant stand, which returned earlier this week.

“I always loved coming here to drink their famous shakes!” one visitor told me, “They are worth the trek and the wait. They’re so good! I might order two more.”

“I wish McSweetie’s was here year-round because of their delicious menu,” another resident told me, “But you know, since it’s here, I just have to make the best of this visit!”

Overall, the dream world is looking quite sweet and pink for Valentine’s Day. This Saturday marks the official day of observation for it! To all of our readers, we love you and hope you have a lovely and happy Valentine’s Day!

DIA SET TO INITIATE LARGE INVESTIGATION INTO POSSIBLE LUCID TIES, MEMO SAYS

By: Porter

Something seems to be happening with the Dimension Investigation Agency.

According to a memo shared with the Tribune by an anonymous employee, the DIA is preparing to initiate an investigation into Lucid’s possible ties. Lucid, who has long been on the run since 1936, has been the subject of controversy in recent months after previously having his charges dropped briefly before being reimposed. The DIA under chief detective Sylveran has been stern and fixated on finding Lucid but has had little success aside from finding his home back in October.

Now, it appears that they will be trying a new method.

Reportedly, the investigation branch of the Dimension Protection Force is looking to launch a rather “large and extensive” investigation that will attempt to look into those with possible ties to Lucid. The idea, according to this memo, is to look into Lucid’s past and pinpoint individuals who may have had some sort of relevance into Lucid’s life, trial and subsequent persecution. These individuals will be subject to interrogation and extensive searching, but a few problems arise.

First, all of Lucid’s documents were previously destroyed following the end of his trial in 1930. This means there is technically no physical record of Lucid that exists to which at one point he was deemed as practically non-existent. Attempting to connect Lucid to people in the dream world who had ties with him would require speculation and word of mouth which can be unreliable.

Second, the idea reaches into the murky waters of personal privacy. In such cases, the DIA (and any other relevant agency) can overstep into personal private life only if there is probable cause that a person may have information that hinders the safety and security of the dream world in some way. 

The detective agency has an upper-hand in the 21st century, however. In the past, tracking down connections to suspects and fugitives was all by the “old fashioned way” of physical documents, papers, and anything physical that could be traced. But times have changed with new technology such as smartphones, laptops, and the overall internet and this has made it easier to track and monitor people if there is probable cause.

None of this is set in stone though yet and will require final approval from the chief detective at the end of the day. This is a developing story. Stay with the Tribune for the latest information as it happens.

Q/A: Ask Nate

Dear Nate, why are there no rules for visiting the Void?

By: Raul Brayker 

Hi Raul! You’ve probably noticed that there are no rules prohibiting anyone from visiting the Void, which is different from the rule prohibiting anyone from visiting the real world. There’s a reason for that! To understand the Void, we have to look at the past. 

At one point in ancient history, a curious group of individuals would work on strange sorts of magic that others found intriguing. These same individuals would eventually end up finding the Void, but it was by accident! Upon entering the Void, they noticed that their magic no longer worked, and they were met with pitch blackness- literal nothingness, hence the name given for this world, void of life, water, and resources. 

Eventually, a group in the dream world noticed their absence and managed to save them from the Void. When they came back, they told their stories of their encounter in this new world and documented it for future generations to learn about. This is why nowadays, we know that the Void is literally a vast empty plane of complete nothingness. So why no rules? 

That’s the reason why! Since the Void consists of practically nothing, it’s not really of any interest for anyone in the dream world to go visit it. Like, what’s the point of going if it’s just complete blackness for miles upon miles? Plus, the Void makes your own powers null and useless; it’s not known why things like your own powers, electricity and other gadgets stop working here, but it’s also why it is not a good idea to go down there to visit. 

If you get trapped in the Void, you’re practically helpless! If you have no powers, no electricity, no food, no water, and no place to shelter under, it isn’t the most pleasant experience here. Getting trapped in the real world is different, since at least you have electricity and other things to survive, but this is the one place a rule is set in place to not go. So while no rule officially exists for the Void, it’s just common knowledge to avoid it all together. 

I wouldn’t be surprised if a rule gets placed on it one of these days though! But I doubt it, since the Void is much harder to get to than the real world is. I wonder if anyone’s been there recently since that documented ancient report I told you about?