SEASON TRANSITIONS FROM SUMMER TO AUTUMN

By: Arial

Summer has bid its farewell and we are now into autumn.

The seasonal transition is here and the dream world has officially made it into the autumn season. Noticeably, tree foliage looks different with its hues of red, orange and yellow. There are also tree leaves scattered on the ground from the trees themselves all across the dream world.

The weather itself has generally also changed following the transition of the season. From a hot July to a warm and cooling August, September entered with a generally cool and crisp feeling. The Dimension Weather Prediction Service has stated that they expect this autumn season to be “Near-Above Average” noting that while the dream world will get cooler, some areas may be cooler than others when compared to other years on average.

“You definitely feel it if you walk outside! The temperatures feel cooler than they were in August and it’s looking really pretty out there!” DWPS senior meteorologist Cirrus told the Tribune, “I think a lot of people love autumn and you can see why too. Some areas may actually be cooler than others but this shouldn’t be a widespread observation.”

Farmer Cal’s famous patch of pumpkins has also returned in time for the season. Visitors across the dream world have made their way to see and take some of his pumpkins, as well as other goodies such as corn, apples, and his homemade pies. Like last year, the Dimension Disease Control and Protection agency personally inspected these pies and confirmed their validity as being safe to eat.

The autumn season will run now until November 30. For the latest forecasts this season, visit the DWPS website or your local forecasting office for additional information.

NEW INFORMATION EMERGES IN FRANCIS TRIAL

By: Porter

Francis Robert P. Jackson’s trial is ongoing, though new information has emerged in the past few days.

The Dimension Protection Force has been releasing bits and pieces of information about the trial. These bits and pieces include some information about Jackson’s introduction of NEAP-1 — the artificially created parasite that spread across the dream world in October 2022. In a laboratory he built in his underground lair, Jackson was able to genetically engineer the already existing Cucur-worm to be infused with epinephrine and later reproduced and snuck into mass productions of pumpkin pies; a Cucur-worm is a parasite that can inhabit gourds such as squash or pumpkin. He would later dye his hair black and change his physical attire to trick Farmer Cal of the Patch dimension to distribute these “very delicious” pies unbeknownst to him that they were tampered with.

Jackson also kept tabs on various residents of the dream world, particularly notable figures such as DPF officials, through carefully installing dozens of hidden cameras across the dream world. The system, which he dubbed as the Jackson Advanced Mass Surveillance System, was equipped with its own artificial intelligence software which he simply called “Adam.” “Adam” was programmed to automatically flag and record facial recognition data of dream world residents and later stored in a database for future reference. Jackson explained that it was through “Adam” that he was able to carefully skirt around in the shadows and how he would eventually kidnap Rescue Operations Team Unit Leader Finnegan just before the events of Operation Blackout. Jackson later confirmed that, although he no longer has access to the JAMSS system or “Adam” itself, both software programs are technically still usable and can be reprogrammed if needed so.

The DPF seemingly expressed some interest in acquiring JAMSS and “Adam” albeit their unfortunate origins. However, it would require further discussions among top DPF officials and approval amongst themselves. Jackson explained that the AI software is capable of much more than just recording facial recognition data and can be reprogrammed and rewritten to perform other tasks that could benefit the agency and even the dream world, though he warned that he wasn’t sure what the long-term effects of using the AI could have upon dream worldian society should it be implemented either privately within the DPF or as a public tool.

Jackson’s trial will continue on for several more weeks. While little information trickles out, the DPF confirmed that IAA chief Kamaria and former DIA chief Daiki are still testifying before the Council of the dream world. More information about the trial is set to come in the coming weeks. This is a developing story. Stick with the Tribune for the latest information as it happens.

Q/A: Ask Nate

Dear Nate, what is the Patch dimension like?

By: P. Kin

Hello P! Wow, you’re in for a treat, actually. The Patch dimension is back just in time for the start of autumn and people are already there visiting!

The dimension itself is very cool! Step in and you’ll immediately feel the crisp, autumn air. The sky is an orange sunset hue, trees have their autumn foliage ready, and of course: pumpkins! If you’re lucky enough, you might meet the keeper of the patch, Cal. Cal’s been running his farm for several decades now and it’s always a big hit! Cal himself is quite reserved though; there are rare occasions you’ll bump into him, but he’s mostly out guarding his most prized possession. 

Cal has kept the biggest pumpkin of the patch to himself, and for reasons too! Many can pick pumpkins to take with them, but the biggest one is always for him and him only. There are stories of people wanting to steal it, so he’s definitely guarding it. Although, in recent years, he’s been more fond of people entering his maze and he’s even appearly publicly more and more! It’s always good to see someone come out of their shell—wait— are pumpkins a kind of shell? Maybe their seeds? Huh, I’ll have to ask Lucid.

There are also strange stories of the patch itself. For some weird reason, the patch seems to “come alive” during October. I can’t verify if the patch is cursed, or has some sort of weird anomaly to it, but visiting it around Halloween is a different experience. Overall, the dimension is safe and nice to visit! If you plan to visit, be sure to pick up a pumpkin or two. It’ll make Cal pretty happy!