CAL OPENS MYSTERIOUS MAZE UP TO PUBLIC

By: Roman

In a rather surprising announcement, Cal of the Patch announced that he is opening his mysterious maze of corn to the public.

Cal has long owned a maze of corn aside from his usual patch of pumpkins, but this maze has been strictly off limits to the public. However, Cal began to let a limited number of people into his maze last year. Even so, there were reports of ghostly apparitions within the maze by many of those who entered. It would later be confirmed that these were a part of the vast spirits sightings across the dream world last October.

This year, Cal has decided to fully open his maze to everyone, and there shouldn’t be any reports of spirits this year. With the maze now open to all, many curious travelers are coming to the Patch and venturing into the maze.

“I’ve always wanted to know what the whole maze is about,” one visitor said, “I’ve heard lots of stories about it, but I wonder how big it really is!”

“They said there’s some spooky stuff in the maze,” a visitor from the Hotel said, “I mean, ghosts were last year, but others have seen some other strange things. I wonder if it’s true…”

“Not to brag, but I’ve been in the maze already!” Dylan of the Apartments told me, “I went with Epsilon and I won’t spoil anything, but there’s a big surprise at the end of the maze!”

Some speculate what could lie at the end of the maze.

“Maybe there’s a hidden treasure at the end?” one visitor said, “Gold maybe?”

“I think there might be lots of popcorn at the end!” another maze goer said, “Delicious!”

Cal states that his maze will be open to the public so long as the autumn season is in full swing. Visitors are asked to travel in groups if traversing in the maze.

LIMINALSPACES MONITORS FEEDBACK REGARDING NEW FEATURE

By: Porter

Popular social media application, LiminalSpaces, has been monitoring feedback about a new feature it quietly introduced about a month ago.

The app introduced an automatic fact-checking system that attempts to provide context to potentially misleading claims made by users on the platform. Dubbed as “Reality Check,” this integration of the moderation system automatically flags posts that may contain information that could potentially spread among the general public and cause confusion.

The app recently acknowledged that they’ve been paying attention to user engagement and feedback regarding the feature. Since its implementation last month, the system has flagged around 200 posts for potentially misleading content. A majority of posts that have been flagged are relating to already debunked claims that the DPF is quietly preparing for a doomsday scenario that’s impending.

The rumour began to circulate a month ago on the platform and began to spread online and eventually in person. The DPF had to step in and clarify that these rumours were unfounded and simply not true. The Intelligence Affairs Agency in particular had asked LiminalSpaces to squash out these posts to avoid potential panic in the public.

“LiminalSpaces has implemented this feature to prevent people from sharing information that is not only false but could lead to actual unintended consequences,” a spokesperson for the platform told me, “We don’t want a rumour to spread like wildfire unchecked. We believe this feature has helped stop the spread, but perhaps deter users from sharing misleading claims.”

The IAA says that they’re investigating where this rumour began on the platform, or whether it even began on there. IAA chief Kamaria says the rumour could also have begun by word of mouth.

“We’re not sure where it began, but we’re tracking down posts from a month ago,” she said, “Then again, it could’ve also been word of mouth. We’re not preparing for any doomsday scenario. Everything’s fine.”

LiminalSpaces says that the feature will be tweaked based on user feedback, but is still so far reserved for the algorithm to detect.

“The algorithm is being tweaked by our developers to help detect actual misinformation rather than falsely flagging user posts that mean no harm,” the spokesperson told me, “It still isn’t perfect, but we’re constantly working on it.”

For the latest news from the platform, visit their website and check under the “Latest” tab. You can also email their support team for assistance on the platform.

Q/A: Ask Nate

Dear Nate, what do you think Francis has been up to?
By: Wehr Aboots

Hiya Wehr! Oh that Francis… He sure has made a name of himself, hasn’t he? And not in a good way! We were last aware of Francis back in late March, but it’s been like half a year since then…what gives?

I’m not sure what Francis could be up to. I mean, we haven’t gotten any reports or intelligence that he’s up to anything. Some of us in the IAA have speculated that he’s likely taking another “hiatus” from doing anything after that last attempt. From what we gathered, he tried to open a portal- again- but it ended up opening to Wonderland! The dream world and Wonderland almost collided, but thankfully, chief Daiki was there to seal it up and bring everything back to normal!

It’s possible that Francis felt defeated after that event and decided to temporarily stop any attempts he might’ve had planned. It’s just amazing to finally see a summer without incidents this year! We had a heat wave last year along with books being stolen and the year before that, we had an underwhelming summer but had to explore Wonderland for the first time! Francis has done so much to try and disrupt our world, but we always get back up and move forward!

I don’t think it’s safe to say that Francis is truly gone though. Yes, he’s still in the dream world somewhere, and he’s likely still up to no good. Summer may have been great, but there’s still a few more months of 2024 to get through. Maybe Halloween will be without incident this year? Let’s just keep looking at the bright side of things for now instead of the dark side. The light always feels safe, but let’s not let our guard down just yet!

Dear Nate, what is it about Lucid that you like?

By: Loov Lee

Hello Loov! Gosh, do you really want to know what it is about Lucid that I like? I mean, Lucid’s already an incredible person by everything he’s accomplished in the dream world. I think I should talk about the things I’ve seen firsthand…

You know, working at the DPF in my early days was a bit tough. Being the size that I am, I was often ridiculed behind my back and not seen to be of much help or assistance to others in the organization. When I got teamed up with Lucid, such things would continue, but I remember overhearing other coworkers talking to him wondering how he would “put up” with someone like me on his team.

I thought Lucid would say something terrible in response, but he actually stood up for me. He told them that they never saw the real side of me- but he had. He’d seen the Nate that’s able to be brave enough to go on risky investigations, the Nate who’s able to keep track of evidence and clues, the Nate who even if no one believes in him, still tries his best and doesn’t let others get to him. I had never known what Lucid thought of me until that point. To think that Lucid- one of the smartest and best agents in the DPF thought all that and more about me… it really shifted everyone’s attitude towards me.

After that, people have been nicer to me and I’d say were even afraid to speak bad about me lest Lucid hear about it. If you’ve heard stories of Lucid portrayed as the “kindest” person you might meet, those stories aren’t wrong. Lucid’s been through a lot and sometimes I ask why he doesn’t just snap one day. I think all of us are lucky that Lucid is kind because he could’ve gotten revenge for what they did to him, and yet he hasn’t and won’t. Lucid means so much to me… I just hope one day people can forgive him and he can be free once more.

Dear Nate, what do you wish for your birthday this year?

By: Kay K.

Hiya Kay! You remembered about my birthday! Hehe, well as I previously stated, when you get to my age, there’s only so much you can wish for. Maybe a thousand years ago I would’ve had a wish, but the older I’ve gotten, I’ve run out of wishes!

Actually, you know something? Ever since I was moved to the IAA, I’ve wondered if I would get the one rare chance to visit the real world? There is a special team in the IAA that gets access to do just that, but I’ve been stuck gathering and analyzing intelligence from other intel officers. It’s not the most exciting work, but if Director Ferekides moved me here, there must be a bigger reason…

In any case, I’ve grown more and more curious about the real world. Getting to visit would be sort of a dream come true! Lucid’s been there before, but that was many years ago! Lucid hasn’t told me he’s been in the real world since, but between you and me, I kind of wish he had. I mean, hiding in the dream world can be boring, but I think Lucid would be brave enough to hide out in the real world. He’d be untouchable there! Maybe I should go give him that idea…