Michael kors diaper bag
AITA for yelling at my husband and demanding an apology?
2023.06.08 07:23 susaflouse1983 AITA for yelling at my husband and demanding an apology?
So my husband (M, 44) and I (F, 39) have a daughter who is 9 months old. Of course at this age she can make some pretty stinky diapers...yes this is where this post is going today. So to help while we are out I have a diaper bag packed with special plastic bags that have kind of a nice smell that I dispose of the offending diapers in when I am done. Well it doesn't always help of course, she can doll out some doozies. But I got them at my baby shower and just stuck them in the diaper bag to use, whatever.
Two nights ago we were over at a friend's house for game night and there was a BAD diaper that I changed. And it was really bad, not gonna lie. Like kick you in the face now I need to go to church and have the kid blessed bad. And the baggies with the nice smell did absolutely nothing to hide it. I didn't want to throw the diaper away in my friend's trash can, which is in the kitchen, or just leave it in the trash in the bathroom. It was near the end of the night and I figured we would be going home soon and I wouldn't have to change her again, most likely. So I wrapped the diaper up with a couple of the bags, no chance of anything leaking out, and stuffed it in the bottom of by the diaper bag to throw away later. Not what I would prefer, but just trying to make it through here.
So about 20 mins later my husband grabs the diaper bag to get something, opens it up and gets a whiff. I am sure it was awful, not going to deny that, but the he proceeds to make a HUGE production of it. Like loudly saying "what died in here, why would you leave this here", and making that scrunched up face in front of all our friends. I explain I was going to throw it away soon as we got home, but he continues to complain about it. Even my friend, who is trying to help, says it is fine to throw away in their trash, but I am trying to explain why I didn't in the first place. Honestly I was mortified and embarrassed that now all our friends (about 10 people) knew I left the shitty diaper in the bag.
Once we left I immediately got on my husband's case about it. Told him he better never embarrass me like that again, and demanded that he apologize. I definetly raised my voice, I was livid and seeing red. He said he wasn't thinking of it like that, just that it was so disgusting he couldn't help it. No apology given, but asked that I warn him if there is a next time and he will try not to react. I had to take a bit and cool down after, but have been fretting over it since. Now I just feel bad about the whole thing and honestly am mortified. It will be a while before I can hang out with our friends and not be embarrassed about the whole ordeal. I don't think he meant to embarrass me on purpose, but he still doesn't understand where I am coming from and why I got so upset. So AITA for demanding the apology?
submitted by susaflouse1983 to AmItheAsshole [link] [comments]
Two nights ago we were over at a friend's house for game night and there was a BAD diaper that I changed. And it was really bad, not gonna lie. Like kick you in the face now I need to go to church and have the kid blessed bad. And the baggies with the nice smell did absolutely nothing to hide it. I didn't want to throw the diaper away in my friend's trash can, which is in the kitchen, or just leave it in the trash in the bathroom. It was near the end of the night and I figured we would be going home soon and I wouldn't have to change her again, most likely. So I wrapped the diaper up with a couple of the bags, no chance of anything leaking out, and stuffed it in the bottom of by the diaper bag to throw away later. Not what I would prefer, but just trying to make it through here.
So about 20 mins later my husband grabs the diaper bag to get something, opens it up and gets a whiff. I am sure it was awful, not going to deny that, but the he proceeds to make a HUGE production of it. Like loudly saying "what died in here, why would you leave this here", and making that scrunched up face in front of all our friends. I explain I was going to throw it away soon as we got home, but he continues to complain about it. Even my friend, who is trying to help, says it is fine to throw away in their trash, but I am trying to explain why I didn't in the first place. Honestly I was mortified and embarrassed that now all our friends (about 10 people) knew I left the shitty diaper in the bag.
Once we left I immediately got on my husband's case about it. Told him he better never embarrass me like that again, and demanded that he apologize. I definetly raised my voice, I was livid and seeing red. He said he wasn't thinking of it like that, just that it was so disgusting he couldn't help it. No apology given, but asked that I warn him if there is a next time and he will try not to react. I had to take a bit and cool down after, but have been fretting over it since. Now I just feel bad about the whole thing and honestly am mortified. It will be a while before I can hang out with our friends and not be embarrassed about the whole ordeal. I don't think he meant to embarrass me on purpose, but he still doesn't understand where I am coming from and why I got so upset. So AITA for demanding the apology?
2023.06.08 07:01 Connect-Depth9178 I seen somebody on this page mention Nika doesn’t carry and diaper bag & she dont fix her car. All the sudden she’s doing all these shits that lady do definitely be on here😅.
submitted by Connect-Depth9178 to independentshanika [link] [comments]
2023.06.08 05:27 VideoGameChronology My FNAF Timeline Part 1: Fredbear's to the MCI
After figuring out what theories I believe, I decided to make a Timeline of all my ideas. This is Part 1 covering Fredbear's to the MCI. This timeline also incorporates StitchlineGames and the Tales stories. Until all the books release, I will assume that all the Tales stories are in continuity. I'm gonna start with the creation of Fredbear's Family Diner as everything before is essentially headcanon aside from the existence of a Fredbear's Singin' Show but that isn't super relevant. Feel free to ask questions in the comments. The next part I'll try to cover everything from the aftermath of the MCI to FNAF 4's nightmares.
Henry Emily and William Afton come together to create Fredbear's Family Diner containing two springlock animatronics, Fredbear and Spring Bonnie. There will later be a Security Puppet added to the location to look after Henry's daughter, Charlie. This is the location the Security Breach posters are from.
William has a family at this point which is shown in the Staff Bot Family. The members consist of William Afton, Clara Afton (placeholder name), Michael Afton, Garrett Afton (placeholder name), and Elizabeth Afton. William had quit his job to work on Fredbear's with Henry which Clara doesn't approve of as she worries that it won't be successful and that they won't have enough money to support their kids. Clara and William eventually divorce and somehow William gets custody. William is not the best father and is abusive towards his kids as seen in the trilogy novels with how he treats Elizabeth and as will be seen when we go through this Timeline. All this is implied by the Afton Family Staff Bot unused lines and Vanessa's past in the Security Breach CDs that seem to be parallels to the Afton Family.
It's implied by Vanessa's past that after William got custody of the kids, Clara killed herself.
William starts having a drinking problem over the death of his wife, the only person he actually cared about as he's shown as neglectful towards his kids and sometimes even abusive. William is kicked out of Jr's and, still drunk, drives to Fredbear's where he sees Henry's daughter had been locked outside by some bullies. William, not entirely thinking straight and envious of Henry's perfect family, decides to take his anger out on Charlie, killing her. After realizing what he's done, he drives away. However, the Security Puppet had made it's way outside, becoming drenched in the rain and breaks down right after reaching Charlie. Charlie's soul possesses the animatronic.
The wickedness of William manifests into Shadow Freddy, a shadowy version of the mascot of Fredbear's, the location Charlie died at. Shadow Freddy lures Garrett to Fredbear's where he mistakes Shaodw Feeddy as Fredbear. Once at Fredbear's, he sees Charlie's body and assumes Fredbear had killed Charlie, leading to his fear of the animatronics. Meanwhile, William arrives back home to find that his son had run away and promises that he'll be sorry once they return
Inspite of the tragedy, Fazbear Entertainment opens Freddy Fazbear's Pizza which quickly grows in popularity with a cartoon, plushies, masks, and figurines releasing of the characters that year. Fredbear also gets a redesign replacing the black hat and bowtie with a purple hat and bowtie, as well as making him more yellow. Spring Bonnie also gets a redesign, thos time having a buck teeth and little bunny tail out the back. The original versions of Fredbear and Spring Bonnie are used at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza.
As buisness is booming, William started to notice some weird things happening with the Security Puppet that has been decommissioned, it's starting weirdly when he's present, like it's aware, it also seems to be able to go anywhere Inspite of it's programming. This only started happened AFTER Charlie died, something was definitely up. He theorizes that it The Puppet may be possessed in some way by Charlie. If this is true, William could uncover the secret of immortality. So, William gets to work on figuring out how exactly it all works. He theorizes that it may have something to do with the emotions that Charlie felt when she was killed, fear and agony. But, he needed a test subject, someone with a lot of fear towards the animatronics. Luckily for him, his son had just began to fear Fredbear, he didn't know why, but he could use this to his advantage.
He moved his family to a house closer to Fredbear's and kept the old house in the woods as a test house. He placed animatronics with illusion disks that would make the viewer see nightmarish versions of these characters. William placed cameras around the house and started his plan. Every night he would take Garrett from their house near Fredbear's and place him in the previous house. He would then wake Garrett up and let the experiments begin. William didn't care that he was torturing his son, it was all in the name of making himself immortal, which is all he cared about. This torture would continue night after night until Garrett was convinced the animatronics would catch him and eat him. It didn't help that he accidentally saw someone being suited up in the mascot costumes and thought it was the spring characters eating people. These nightmares are shown to have actually happened at some point in the Timeline by Sister Location.
Because William was stuck in his own experiments, Michael had to look after Garrett and Elizabeth. Michael had it rough, his father neglected him and his mother was dead, and it didn't help that he had to essentially babysit his crybaby brother that wouldn't shut up about animatronics trying to eat him. At least he didn't have to deal with Elizabeth too much, she was off at daycare most of the time anyways, but Garrett was too old for that. Mike started taking his anger out on his brother, scaring him with the Foxy mask. He found joy in his brother's tears of fear and continued to do this.
William saw what Mike was doing, but instead if stopping it, he allowed it, this would help increase his son's fear, making experimentation that much easier, and he was already seeing results from his tests on emotions. He decided to turn his son's bullying into an experiment. He placed cameras in the Fredbear Plush that Garrett had and a speaker, using it to watch and talk to Garrett. He pretended to be a friend but was really just trying to scare Garrett by doing things like reminding him of what he saw and telling him his brother was waiting to scare him but not where. Sister Location and some of the Frights stories heavily implies William is the Fredbear Plush in the first 4 minigames
As Garrett's birthday came closer and closer, William forced him to have his birthday at Fredbear's despite his objections to it. As the day came closer and closer, the bullying got worse and worse until the day of the party. Michael had brought his friends and wanted to have some fun with his brother. After some mild teasing, him and his friends took Garrett up to Fredbear to give him a big kiss. However, his head got stuck in Fredbear's mouth, and as Garrett wiggled around to get out, the group just laughed and laughed and laughed until the animatronic malfunctioned, crushing his head. The boys stopped laughing and stared in horror. They quickly tried to think of excuses, "He tripped and fell on Fredbear's teeth. Not our fault." But it was their fault.
Garrett was taken to the hospital and was dying. Michael apologized to his brother who could hear all of it but then he heard the voice of his plushie but it sounded different, yet familiar. It was Charlie, she had came to help Garrett, promising to put him back together, but she doesn't know how, but she'll find a way. After Garrett flatlined, his soul possessed the only metal near him, the Fredbear Plush. William moved the Fredbear Plush to the underground facility where it would stay for a while, not knowing it carried the soul of his son.
Edwin Murray had been working for Fazbear Entertainment since September of 1982 and was helping create the animatronics for other restaurants while also looking after his son, David. He decides to create a robot to look after David for him and spends the next 22 days creating the Mimic. The Mimic starts to mimic David, pretending he was holding the same Tiger plushie David had, being able to play patty cake, learn David's made up sign language, play catch, etc. Soon Mimic started doing more than just mimicking, it started responding and Edwin feels confident enough to leave David in Mimic's care.
A few days later, David goes to play outside, waiting for his dad but Edwin thanks Mimic will take care of him while he wakes up. However, when he gets outside, he sees David chasing the ball into the street where he is hit by a white van, killing him. For the next 2 weeks, Edwin mourns David's death before getting so mad at Mimic for mimicking David that he destroys it, infusing his agony with Mimic, an action which would have unforeseen consequences.
January of 1985, Dominic, Harry, and Glen are sent to Edwin's factory to clean up the mess Edwin left and make repairs after Edwin had vanished. They learn of a team that was sent in December to do the same thing, with that team finding the Mimic endo and repairing it, giving it legs. The trio find the bodies of the previous team mangled in the fridge with one of them hanging with his entrails spilling out. The trio are then picked off by the Mimic in different costumes, first is Harry who gets his brain pulled out, then there's Glen who gets his head slammed into the brick wall, finally there's Dominic who gets his trachea pulled out.
It's now summer of 1985, the Springlock Suits have been discontinued thanks to a failure that happened at one of the sister locations. Fredbear and Spring Bonnie are kept in the building but are told not to be worn. William disregards this, wanting to try another experiment. He thinks that if he were to kill someone and stuff them into an Endoskeleton that it would cause that person to possess the suit. So, William does exactly that. His first victim is Susie who recently had a dog get runover by a car, she's not exactly having the best day. So, William thinks she's an easy target. He dresses up in the Spring Bonnie suit and goes to Susie, telling her that her dog is still alive and that all she has to do is follow him to where he is. Susie follows Spring Bonnie, happy to see her dog only to be killed by William who stuffs her body into Chica.
Next victim is Jeremy whose parents left him alone at Freddy's. He tells him that he can help find his parents, luring him into the Safe Room and stuffing him into Bonnie.
Next victim is Gabriel who is having his 7th birthday party. He's struggling with homework, so William decides to help him, leading him into the Safe Room where he's stuffed into Freddy.
Next is Fritz who he tells about his friends that are all having a party in the Safe Room without him and that it'd be a shame if he was left out. He lures Fritz to the back and stuffs him in Foxy.
At this point, people are starting to catch on that kids are going missing. "Where's Susie?" "Where's Gabriel?" "Where's Fritz?" In the chaos, William takes another victim, Cassidy, she practically ran right into him. She was stuffed into Fredbear.
Finally, there was Andrew, William was specifically brutal with this one. Throwing a bag over his head, knocking him out, and dragging him into the Safe Room where he's stuffed into the only other suit, Spring Bonnie.
Without a suit, William is spotted leaving the Safe Room on camera and becomes a key suspect in a the case of 5 missing kids. Andrew was never reported missing, likely he had no family to report him missing, just some kid in the wrong place at the wrong time. The police knew it was William, there was no way it wasn't, but they couldn't find the bodies and William seemingly had no motive. Why would the owner of Freddy's do something like this at risk of losing their company? The risk didn't make sense. William also seemed very helpful during the investigation, getting another employee arrested, one that was convicted. Either this man was guilty or someone did one hell of a frame up.
This entire event was witnessed by one of the many Mimic robots which caused the program to start Mimicking what happened in the MCI, leading to the shutdown of the project.
All this info on the MCI is shown throughout the games and books but mainly the specifics are only really shown in Fruity Maze, Toy Chica Highschool Years, Pizza Party, and Into The Pit with the order largely coming from the Mangle's Quest code and Security Breach balloons.
submitted by VideoGameChronology to fnaftheories [link] [comments]
Henry Emily and William Afton come together to create Fredbear's Family Diner containing two springlock animatronics, Fredbear and Spring Bonnie. There will later be a Security Puppet added to the location to look after Henry's daughter, Charlie. This is the location the Security Breach posters are from.
William has a family at this point which is shown in the Staff Bot Family. The members consist of William Afton, Clara Afton (placeholder name), Michael Afton, Garrett Afton (placeholder name), and Elizabeth Afton. William had quit his job to work on Fredbear's with Henry which Clara doesn't approve of as she worries that it won't be successful and that they won't have enough money to support their kids. Clara and William eventually divorce and somehow William gets custody. William is not the best father and is abusive towards his kids as seen in the trilogy novels with how he treats Elizabeth and as will be seen when we go through this Timeline. All this is implied by the Afton Family Staff Bot unused lines and Vanessa's past in the Security Breach CDs that seem to be parallels to the Afton Family.
It's implied by Vanessa's past that after William got custody of the kids, Clara killed herself.
William starts having a drinking problem over the death of his wife, the only person he actually cared about as he's shown as neglectful towards his kids and sometimes even abusive. William is kicked out of Jr's and, still drunk, drives to Fredbear's where he sees Henry's daughter had been locked outside by some bullies. William, not entirely thinking straight and envious of Henry's perfect family, decides to take his anger out on Charlie, killing her. After realizing what he's done, he drives away. However, the Security Puppet had made it's way outside, becoming drenched in the rain and breaks down right after reaching Charlie. Charlie's soul possesses the animatronic.
The wickedness of William manifests into Shadow Freddy, a shadowy version of the mascot of Fredbear's, the location Charlie died at. Shadow Freddy lures Garrett to Fredbear's where he mistakes Shaodw Feeddy as Fredbear. Once at Fredbear's, he sees Charlie's body and assumes Fredbear had killed Charlie, leading to his fear of the animatronics. Meanwhile, William arrives back home to find that his son had run away and promises that he'll be sorry once they return
Inspite of the tragedy, Fazbear Entertainment opens Freddy Fazbear's Pizza which quickly grows in popularity with a cartoon, plushies, masks, and figurines releasing of the characters that year. Fredbear also gets a redesign replacing the black hat and bowtie with a purple hat and bowtie, as well as making him more yellow. Spring Bonnie also gets a redesign, thos time having a buck teeth and little bunny tail out the back. The original versions of Fredbear and Spring Bonnie are used at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza.
As buisness is booming, William started to notice some weird things happening with the Security Puppet that has been decommissioned, it's starting weirdly when he's present, like it's aware, it also seems to be able to go anywhere Inspite of it's programming. This only started happened AFTER Charlie died, something was definitely up. He theorizes that it The Puppet may be possessed in some way by Charlie. If this is true, William could uncover the secret of immortality. So, William gets to work on figuring out how exactly it all works. He theorizes that it may have something to do with the emotions that Charlie felt when she was killed, fear and agony. But, he needed a test subject, someone with a lot of fear towards the animatronics. Luckily for him, his son had just began to fear Fredbear, he didn't know why, but he could use this to his advantage.
He moved his family to a house closer to Fredbear's and kept the old house in the woods as a test house. He placed animatronics with illusion disks that would make the viewer see nightmarish versions of these characters. William placed cameras around the house and started his plan. Every night he would take Garrett from their house near Fredbear's and place him in the previous house. He would then wake Garrett up and let the experiments begin. William didn't care that he was torturing his son, it was all in the name of making himself immortal, which is all he cared about. This torture would continue night after night until Garrett was convinced the animatronics would catch him and eat him. It didn't help that he accidentally saw someone being suited up in the mascot costumes and thought it was the spring characters eating people. These nightmares are shown to have actually happened at some point in the Timeline by Sister Location.
Because William was stuck in his own experiments, Michael had to look after Garrett and Elizabeth. Michael had it rough, his father neglected him and his mother was dead, and it didn't help that he had to essentially babysit his crybaby brother that wouldn't shut up about animatronics trying to eat him. At least he didn't have to deal with Elizabeth too much, she was off at daycare most of the time anyways, but Garrett was too old for that. Mike started taking his anger out on his brother, scaring him with the Foxy mask. He found joy in his brother's tears of fear and continued to do this.
William saw what Mike was doing, but instead if stopping it, he allowed it, this would help increase his son's fear, making experimentation that much easier, and he was already seeing results from his tests on emotions. He decided to turn his son's bullying into an experiment. He placed cameras in the Fredbear Plush that Garrett had and a speaker, using it to watch and talk to Garrett. He pretended to be a friend but was really just trying to scare Garrett by doing things like reminding him of what he saw and telling him his brother was waiting to scare him but not where. Sister Location and some of the Frights stories heavily implies William is the Fredbear Plush in the first 4 minigames
As Garrett's birthday came closer and closer, William forced him to have his birthday at Fredbear's despite his objections to it. As the day came closer and closer, the bullying got worse and worse until the day of the party. Michael had brought his friends and wanted to have some fun with his brother. After some mild teasing, him and his friends took Garrett up to Fredbear to give him a big kiss. However, his head got stuck in Fredbear's mouth, and as Garrett wiggled around to get out, the group just laughed and laughed and laughed until the animatronic malfunctioned, crushing his head. The boys stopped laughing and stared in horror. They quickly tried to think of excuses, "He tripped and fell on Fredbear's teeth. Not our fault." But it was their fault.
Garrett was taken to the hospital and was dying. Michael apologized to his brother who could hear all of it but then he heard the voice of his plushie but it sounded different, yet familiar. It was Charlie, she had came to help Garrett, promising to put him back together, but she doesn't know how, but she'll find a way. After Garrett flatlined, his soul possessed the only metal near him, the Fredbear Plush. William moved the Fredbear Plush to the underground facility where it would stay for a while, not knowing it carried the soul of his son.
Edwin Murray had been working for Fazbear Entertainment since September of 1982 and was helping create the animatronics for other restaurants while also looking after his son, David. He decides to create a robot to look after David for him and spends the next 22 days creating the Mimic. The Mimic starts to mimic David, pretending he was holding the same Tiger plushie David had, being able to play patty cake, learn David's made up sign language, play catch, etc. Soon Mimic started doing more than just mimicking, it started responding and Edwin feels confident enough to leave David in Mimic's care.
A few days later, David goes to play outside, waiting for his dad but Edwin thanks Mimic will take care of him while he wakes up. However, when he gets outside, he sees David chasing the ball into the street where he is hit by a white van, killing him. For the next 2 weeks, Edwin mourns David's death before getting so mad at Mimic for mimicking David that he destroys it, infusing his agony with Mimic, an action which would have unforeseen consequences.
January of 1985, Dominic, Harry, and Glen are sent to Edwin's factory to clean up the mess Edwin left and make repairs after Edwin had vanished. They learn of a team that was sent in December to do the same thing, with that team finding the Mimic endo and repairing it, giving it legs. The trio find the bodies of the previous team mangled in the fridge with one of them hanging with his entrails spilling out. The trio are then picked off by the Mimic in different costumes, first is Harry who gets his brain pulled out, then there's Glen who gets his head slammed into the brick wall, finally there's Dominic who gets his trachea pulled out.
It's now summer of 1985, the Springlock Suits have been discontinued thanks to a failure that happened at one of the sister locations. Fredbear and Spring Bonnie are kept in the building but are told not to be worn. William disregards this, wanting to try another experiment. He thinks that if he were to kill someone and stuff them into an Endoskeleton that it would cause that person to possess the suit. So, William does exactly that. His first victim is Susie who recently had a dog get runover by a car, she's not exactly having the best day. So, William thinks she's an easy target. He dresses up in the Spring Bonnie suit and goes to Susie, telling her that her dog is still alive and that all she has to do is follow him to where he is. Susie follows Spring Bonnie, happy to see her dog only to be killed by William who stuffs her body into Chica.
Next victim is Jeremy whose parents left him alone at Freddy's. He tells him that he can help find his parents, luring him into the Safe Room and stuffing him into Bonnie.
Next victim is Gabriel who is having his 7th birthday party. He's struggling with homework, so William decides to help him, leading him into the Safe Room where he's stuffed into Freddy.
Next is Fritz who he tells about his friends that are all having a party in the Safe Room without him and that it'd be a shame if he was left out. He lures Fritz to the back and stuffs him in Foxy.
At this point, people are starting to catch on that kids are going missing. "Where's Susie?" "Where's Gabriel?" "Where's Fritz?" In the chaos, William takes another victim, Cassidy, she practically ran right into him. She was stuffed into Fredbear.
Finally, there was Andrew, William was specifically brutal with this one. Throwing a bag over his head, knocking him out, and dragging him into the Safe Room where he's stuffed into the only other suit, Spring Bonnie.
Without a suit, William is spotted leaving the Safe Room on camera and becomes a key suspect in a the case of 5 missing kids. Andrew was never reported missing, likely he had no family to report him missing, just some kid in the wrong place at the wrong time. The police knew it was William, there was no way it wasn't, but they couldn't find the bodies and William seemingly had no motive. Why would the owner of Freddy's do something like this at risk of losing their company? The risk didn't make sense. William also seemed very helpful during the investigation, getting another employee arrested, one that was convicted. Either this man was guilty or someone did one hell of a frame up.
This entire event was witnessed by one of the many Mimic robots which caused the program to start Mimicking what happened in the MCI, leading to the shutdown of the project.
All this info on the MCI is shown throughout the games and books but mainly the specifics are only really shown in Fruity Maze, Toy Chica Highschool Years, Pizza Party, and Into The Pit with the order largely coming from the Mangle's Quest code and Security Breach balloons.
2023.06.08 03:46 Spicysociety_6 Coochie absorption 🤢🤢
 | submitted by Spicysociety_6 to peestickgals [link] [comments] |
2023.06.08 03:40 thereseratops What I packed for an 18 day trip to Morocco, California, and Puerto Rico including 2 weddings, a bachelorette, and my honeymoon
Here’s my packing list for 18 days in May/June including 2 weddings, my own honeymoon, and a bachelorette party. I packed both a carry on backpack (REI Traverse 35L in S) and personal item backpack (North Face Borealis from 2014 which I think is 27L), both not completely full. For the variety of events I was prepared for, the fact that I almost used everything more than once, and the amount I experimented with convertible clothing, I thought it might be worth posting even though it’s 2 bags. We did laundry once ~day 9 or 10.
Events I was packing for
Belt bag - worn on travel days and for more active stuff - hiking, camel ride, quad biking.
Crossbody leather purse - worn to wedding events and days out in cities.
Packable backpack - needed on more active days when I needed to carry extra clothes and a water bottle
Zip close laundry bag (came with an Away carry on rolling suitcase)
Toiletry bag with 4 compartments and a hook to hang in the bathroom - full with mini sizes of almost everything I would use at home including makeup, meds, skincare, curly hair stuff, sunscreen, bug spray, etc.
Tech pouch (came with the Samsonite Silhouette 17 tote) - held phone charging cables for USB-C and USB-A, international plug converter, external battery, headphones, and my travel mini hair straightener.
Jewelry case - with jewelry for the weddings and nice dinners. Stored my engagement & wedding rings on the ring tabs on days I didn’t want to wear them.
Travel towel
Water bottle - Wish I had an insulated water bottle instead of my plastic one for the desert heat. Will be shopping for one.
Turtl pillow - strapped in the bungee cords of the north face backpack
Sun hat - folded flat and also strapped in the bungee cords when I wasn’t wearing it
Sunglasses in a case
Tevas Hurricane XLT2 - Worn for most days in Morocco and Puerto Rico. I bought cheap water shoes from Walgreens the day of the waterfall hike because I was worried about traction for rock climbing with open toed shoes, but a couple of girls on the trip did it all in Tevas without a problem.
Croc sandals - I used these functionally as flip flops for inside the hotels/ showers, especially when the Tevas were still drying off after water activities. I wore them out in the city once but they aren’t comfortable for hours of walking on uneven ground.
Sneakers - light pink color, felt like it looked ok when a little dusty in Morocco
Convertible heels to flats - worn as heels for both weddings, worn as flat sandals for both pre-wedding events. Also converted them into flats after dancing at the weddings. Would've worn for a night out at the bachelorette but my flight there was delayed and I missed it.
Packing cubes (not pictured) with all clothes - Eagle Creek Pack-It Original sizes M x 2, S x 1, XS x 1
Lehenga choli - top & bottom that I dressed up with Indian jewelry for the Indian wedding but dressed down as separates in Morocco. Worn with a dupatta - which I also used to cover my shoulders for sleeveless outfits in Morocco.
Convertible jumpsuit - varied the necklines for a wedding welcome dinner and a dinner while glamping in the sand dunes. Worn as high waisted pants with the bra tank for wine tasting in California and for a day in the Marrakech.
Convertible dress/scarf - worn as a shawl for the black tie optional wedding and dressy casual prewedding event, worn as a scarf for a cold night out in chefchaouen, worn as a dress at the beach in Essaouira and for a day out in Marrakech.
Washable silk slip dress - for the black tie optional wedding. Required steaming so didn’t bother to wear again, but packs tiny.
White midi dress - worn once for pictures in the blue city Chefchaouen, thought I would wear again for clubbing in Morocco but didn’t end up getting to go
Plisse pants - worn for airplane, train and bus days because they’re comfy enough to curl up and sleep in
Linen pants - were great for hot and dusty desert days
Sleep shorts
Spanx for under silk and white dresses
Spanx athletic leggings - necessary for cold weather in chefchaouen and hiking in dades
Patagonia R1 - needed for plane, nights in California, chefchaouen, and Atlas mountains
White linen button down - worn many many times over other clothes
Button down short sleeve shirt - just wore once in the desert
Crochet swim cover up
Bra tank from aerie
Workout top from Target - can pass as a tshirt with pants
Modal black tshirt - comfy enough to sleep in
Cotton T-shirt - instantly got sweaty, will replace with something breezier or sweat wicking next time.
White tank
Convertible strapless bra - for the formal outfits
Merino wool bralette - was skeptical on the price but was super comfy and never felt like it got sweaty
Mesh bralette
1 bikini
1 other light bralette, 8 pairs of underwear and 4 pairs of socks not pictured (including 1 lightweight darn tough wool socks)
My backpacks felt overall light and I was fine on uneven ground and stairs wearing both of them. Someone more minimalist than me could easily get this down to 1 bag by traveling with a smaller toiletry bag and cutting 1-2 sandals, 1-3 shirts, and multiple dresses. I don’t regret bringing anything since I take a lot of pictures, so the variety was nice. I had room for food during travel and small souvenirs, so it was overall a success.
My only regret - I forgot my Columbia rain shell which which would’ve easily fit. It was super windy in California and it rained a ton in parts of Morocco. My R1 had to suffice, which is ok in a drizzle but not a downpour.
I hope someone finds this useful!
submitted by thereseratops to HerOneBag [link] [comments]
Events I was packing for
- 2 California weddings which each also had pre-wedding events the day before - dress codes for the 4 total events were 1) dressy casual in bright orange/yellow colors, 2) dressy casual, 3) black tie optional, 4) Indian formal.
- 12 day honeymoon in Morocco included time in the mountains, desert, cities, and beach. Everything was to be relatively modest and almost everything had to be comfortable enough for plane/train/bus/car travel throughout.
- Bachelorette weekend in Puerto Rico - casual with beach time, city time, and a day of rainforest/waterfall hiking and kayaking.
Belt bag - worn on travel days and for more active stuff - hiking, camel ride, quad biking.
Crossbody leather purse - worn to wedding events and days out in cities.
Packable backpack - needed on more active days when I needed to carry extra clothes and a water bottle
Zip close laundry bag (came with an Away carry on rolling suitcase)
Toiletry bag with 4 compartments and a hook to hang in the bathroom - full with mini sizes of almost everything I would use at home including makeup, meds, skincare, curly hair stuff, sunscreen, bug spray, etc.
Tech pouch (came with the Samsonite Silhouette 17 tote) - held phone charging cables for USB-C and USB-A, international plug converter, external battery, headphones, and my travel mini hair straightener.
Jewelry case - with jewelry for the weddings and nice dinners. Stored my engagement & wedding rings on the ring tabs on days I didn’t want to wear them.
Travel towel
Water bottle - Wish I had an insulated water bottle instead of my plastic one for the desert heat. Will be shopping for one.
Turtl pillow - strapped in the bungee cords of the north face backpack
Sun hat - folded flat and also strapped in the bungee cords when I wasn’t wearing it
Sunglasses in a case
Tevas Hurricane XLT2 - Worn for most days in Morocco and Puerto Rico. I bought cheap water shoes from Walgreens the day of the waterfall hike because I was worried about traction for rock climbing with open toed shoes, but a couple of girls on the trip did it all in Tevas without a problem.
Croc sandals - I used these functionally as flip flops for inside the hotels/ showers, especially when the Tevas were still drying off after water activities. I wore them out in the city once but they aren’t comfortable for hours of walking on uneven ground.
Sneakers - light pink color, felt like it looked ok when a little dusty in Morocco
Convertible heels to flats - worn as heels for both weddings, worn as flat sandals for both pre-wedding events. Also converted them into flats after dancing at the weddings. Would've worn for a night out at the bachelorette but my flight there was delayed and I missed it.
Packing cubes (not pictured) with all clothes - Eagle Creek Pack-It Original sizes M x 2, S x 1, XS x 1
Lehenga choli - top & bottom that I dressed up with Indian jewelry for the Indian wedding but dressed down as separates in Morocco. Worn with a dupatta - which I also used to cover my shoulders for sleeveless outfits in Morocco.
- https://www.azafashions.com/products/use328607?utm_source=emailer&utm_medium=RnS&utm_campaign=newsletter2317_Order-Con
- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LQGU2RC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Convertible jumpsuit - varied the necklines for a wedding welcome dinner and a dinner while glamping in the sand dunes. Worn as high waisted pants with the bra tank for wine tasting in California and for a day in the Marrakech.
Convertible dress/scarf - worn as a shawl for the black tie optional wedding and dressy casual prewedding event, worn as a scarf for a cold night out in chefchaouen, worn as a dress at the beach in Essaouira and for a day out in Marrakech.
Washable silk slip dress - for the black tie optional wedding. Required steaming so didn’t bother to wear again, but packs tiny.
White midi dress - worn once for pictures in the blue city Chefchaouen, thought I would wear again for clubbing in Morocco but didn’t end up getting to go
Plisse pants - worn for airplane, train and bus days because they’re comfy enough to curl up and sleep in
Linen pants - were great for hot and dusty desert days
Sleep shorts
Spanx for under silk and white dresses
Spanx athletic leggings - necessary for cold weather in chefchaouen and hiking in dades
Patagonia R1 - needed for plane, nights in California, chefchaouen, and Atlas mountains
White linen button down - worn many many times over other clothes
Button down short sleeve shirt - just wore once in the desert
Crochet swim cover up
Bra tank from aerie
Workout top from Target - can pass as a tshirt with pants
Modal black tshirt - comfy enough to sleep in
Cotton T-shirt - instantly got sweaty, will replace with something breezier or sweat wicking next time.
White tank
Convertible strapless bra - for the formal outfits
Merino wool bralette - was skeptical on the price but was super comfy and never felt like it got sweaty
Mesh bralette
1 bikini
1 other light bralette, 8 pairs of underwear and 4 pairs of socks not pictured (including 1 lightweight darn tough wool socks)
My backpacks felt overall light and I was fine on uneven ground and stairs wearing both of them. Someone more minimalist than me could easily get this down to 1 bag by traveling with a smaller toiletry bag and cutting 1-2 sandals, 1-3 shirts, and multiple dresses. I don’t regret bringing anything since I take a lot of pictures, so the variety was nice. I had room for food during travel and small souvenirs, so it was overall a success.
My only regret - I forgot my Columbia rain shell which which would’ve easily fit. It was super windy in California and it rained a ton in parts of Morocco. My R1 had to suffice, which is ok in a drizzle but not a downpour.
I hope someone finds this useful!
2023.06.08 02:25 novashocker Nicknamed ‘Bubbles’
 | Esquire’s got ad about Rolex’s ‘Bubbles’ now too.. lets see when people actually get it.. submitted by novashocker to rolex [link] [comments] |
2023.06.08 02:18 cbvv1992 🔥Michael Kors - $79.00 Jet Set Travel Medium Logo Crossbody Bag!!
 | submitted by cbvv1992 to DealAndSale [link] [comments] |
2023.06.08 00:43 JeliPuff Felix Vail: The Pedophile Serial Killer Caught After 54 Years (PART 2)
This is Part 2 of this write-up. Please read part 1 first. This is the link:
https://www.reddit.com/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/143r7l9/felix_vail_the_pedophile_serial_killer_caught/
http://charleyproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/vail_annette6.jpg(A photo of Annette Craver.)
In the summer of 1981, she and her mother, Mary Rose greeted people at a friend’s yard sale in the Montrose neighborhood in Houston, Texas. They had just returned from a vacation in Mexico, and Annette felt heartsick, still infatuated with a boy named Adolfo, who was unable to join her in America.
VAIL MEETS ANNETTE
While people browsed the sale, Vail pulled up on a motorcycle and spoke with Annette. He was 41 and had done some carpentry work in the area. “When I saw her, I thought, ‘That’s going to be my new girlfriend,’” he said about the 15-year-old.
In April 1982, Rose and her daughter invested in a Tulsa home that had a rental cottage behind it. Rose began renovating both. After graduating from high school, Annette joined her mother in Tulsa. Vail appeared a few days later, and convinced Annette to leave with him on his motorcycle. They lived off the $500-a-month Social Security check that she received from her father’s death 3 years prior. It would be over a year before Mary Rose would see her daughter again.
That fall, Annette (who was still 15) would fall pregnant, and Vail would force her to have a painful abortion.
Jerry Woodall, reportedly friends with Vail later recalled an embarrassing scene, where the 42-year-old Vail was in a sleeping bag, having public sex with a 16-year-old Annette, only 20 feet away from him and his then-wife Meredith McMackin. Annette grinned and waved at them. Woodall and McMackin did their best to ignore them.
McMackin would later say that Vail had “this coldness and controlling aspect to his personality. Annette was so open and alive, but I think he just totally dominated her. He would try to convey that he was this higher form of being. At first, I thought maybe he was evolved, but then I realized it was this arrogant act.”
Later that summer, police in California would arrest Vail for violating probation a dozen years earlier. Annette telephoned Woodall, who gave her $200. After Vail walked free from prison, he and Annette decided to get married. However, as a 17-year-old she needed permission.
Annette told her mother that she loved Vail, that they were already “spiritually married” and that they would travel to Mexico and get married there if she refused. Not wanting to lose her daughter completely, Rose said OK.
On August 15th, 1983, in Bakersfield, California, the couple were wed.
AFTER THE MARRIAGE
Four months after the marriage, Annette turned 18, allowing her to collect more than $98,000 ($293,500 today) from life insurance policies on her late father. Accompanied by Vail, she withdrew all the money in cash from a San Antonio bank. She bought a Fiat convertible that Vail liked and paid for his dental work.
In April 1984, Rose returned home to find Annette waiting at her door. She told her she wanted to divorce Vail, and enroll in college. She talked about Vail’s temper, including an incident where he had broken his hand trying to punch his wife. He missed and hit a wall.
A few weeks later, Vail showed up. The couple fought constantly, and Vail left after a few days. Mary Rose said that Vail was “insanely jealous” and would become furious when Annette spoke of her desire to go out with younger men.
She and Annette worked on renovating the two homes after Vail left, enjoying their time together. The 2 even started a garden together.
Annette received a letter from Vail, who vowed their time apart would fuel their love. He wrote to her: “After we hung up, I went out to a park and ran and hung and talked with God and smoked some and shot some pool and rode with the top down out through the marsh playing ‘Iron Butterfly’ [“In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida”] and bathing every inch of your body-spirit being with love.”
He referred to being away from Annette as “deprivation jail” and to her ego as “his jailor.”
“The idea of her cutting away ego’s “feeder roots and creating roots between your spirit and the cosmic ground of loving makes me hot for you. My mind is kissing you everywhere.”
After that, Vail would return to Annette’s life. Rose said, “Annette told me, ‘Felix is the wisest person in the world, and I can’t make decisions without him.’” His influence on Annette had only grown stronger. According to Rose, she even compared Vail to God, a comparison Vail agreed with.
After this, the couple angrily insisted that Rose move out and deed the house to Annette. Accompanied by suicidal thoughts brought on by Vail’s continued control over her daughter, Rose left for California to stay with family and friends, deeding the house to Annette for $7000 ($21,000 today) before she did.
Annette would add Vail to the deed, and a month later had deeded him both homes, leaving him as the sole owner.
ANNETTE’S DISAPPEARANCE
Mere weeks after deeding the houses to Vail, the couple told neighbors they were leaving on vacation. When Vail returned in October, he was alone.
Vail told a neighbor that Annette had a lot of money wither her when he’d left her, and that she was likely visiting friends in Denver.
Upon learning that Annette hadn’t come back with Vail, Mary Rose called him. “He told me that while they were camping, Annette had a sexual dream about being with other men in Mexico, and she wanted to go there,” she recalled to an investigative reporter years later. “He claimed that the dream made them both realize that she should have her freedom.” The next day, Vail told her he had put Annette on a bus with $50,000 ($150,000 today) but didn't elaborate.
On Oct 22, 1984, Rose filed a missing person’s report. She told the Tulsa Police Department that each person who spoke with Vail “gets a different story about the amount of money that Annette took with her and where she might be. We all believe that he knows where she is or has done something with her.”
On January 22, 1985, Detective Dennis Davis and another officer questioned Vail at his home (This is obscenely late to start questioning him). By this point, Vail had filed for divorce, citing an inability to find her after a “diligent search.” Davis said her mother, Mary Rose, mentioned her daughter had received more than $90,000 from her father’s estate. Vail confirmed this was true, saying the couple had spent much of that money traveling in foreign countries. He said they kept their money in cash because they didn’t trust banks and that he had found about $10,000 in cash when he returned home.
The next day, Vail called a lawyer, who promised to talk with the officers and tell them to “leave me alone,” as he wrote in his journal.
When Davis returned five days later, Vail had a detailed alibi: The couple left Tulsa between noon and 3 p.m. on Sept. 13, 1984, and stayed the night in a hotel in Claremont, Oklahoma. After two nights of camping on the river, Annette woke up and told Vail she had decided to leave him. He took her to the Trailways Bus Station in St. Louis and left before she bought the ticket. (There is no Trailways Bus Station in St. Louis, and there has never been a Trailways Bus Station in St. Louis.)
He told the officers that she had told him she was headed for Denver, where she planned to get a fake ID card and leave for Mexico. When asked if he would take a lie detector test, Vail said no.
After Davis left, he wrote a letter to Rose. He blamed her for the “bad things” about Annette, told her that after the couple had returned from Costa Rica Annette had been “seeing friends and relatives --- completing her relationships with them for the purpose of getting ready to drop everybody and start over.” He wrote that Annette “disappeared herself from you” because Rose kept imposing her “value system” on her, and said Annette viewed her mother, grandmother, and herself as “zero self-image whores for approval.”
He explained the 2 had no plans to communicate, he did not know where she was, and that “I also assure you that even if I did know, I would not tell you.”
When Rose returned to Tulsa in April 1985, she entered the cottage Annette used to live in, only to find almost all the young woman’s belongings were gone, including her clothes and her diary.
Inside a Barbie suitcase, Rose found a photograph of her daughter and several of her identification cards. She also located things that Annette had written, including a Feb. 17, 1984, note that contradicted Vail’s claim that the couple had spent most of her inheritance on their travel to Mexico and Central American countries.
Instead, the note detailed how they used the money to buy the Fiat, pay off all of Vail’s loans, and deposit $36,000 into Louisiana Savings. It said that as of that day, they had $41,600 ($125,000 today) in cash.
Rose shared the information with the police. Detective Davis showed up again, and Vail told Davis the couple divided the money into smaller cashier’s checks, contradicting his earlier statement that they kept the money in cash.
After a while, Davis left, and despite the (seemingly obvious) suspicious behavior of Vail, closed the missing person’s case.
AFTER ANNETTE’S DISAPPEARANCE
Rose kept calling Vail after this and was finally able to reach him on September 14th 1985.
When asked about Annette’s whereabouts he refused to tell her.
When asked about Annette’s missing clothes he said he gave them to charity.
When asked about the insurance money, Vail told her ‘That’s all she really cared about.’ Rose hung up.
Two years later, fed up with the lack of progress in Annette’s case, Rose would return to Tulsa. She spent thousands of dollars on private investigators to locate Vail. When that failed, she simply went and found him herself.
Tipped off that he was staying at someone’s house, she went there with a friend and found him sitting outside. When asked where Annette went, he replied “Mexico.” When asked where in Mexico, he said the 2 had made a pact to contact each other every 5 years, contradicting his statement that the 2 didn’t have plans to communicate. Rose didn’t believe a word of it.
The whole time Vail never looked up, never stood up and never looked her in the eye.
BETH FIELD
Some time after this, Vail began dating Beth Field. Soon the couple had began arguing, and Vail would call her a “whore.” During a December 1987 argument, he would strike her so hard he ruptured her ear drum. She told Vail there was no justification for violence, to which he responded, “If you quit behaving like a whore, I’ll quit hitting you.”
In August 1988 Beth received a call from Rose, sharing details about the disappearance of her daughter, Annette. From that point forward, Field said she began to examine Vail’s words more closely, realizing that he had likely murdered her.
Four months after the call, he entered her home unannounced. Already drunk, he accused her of “imagined promiscuity,” according to a court order. He slapped her, struck her, and threw her across the bedroom. She asked if Vail was going to kill her, to which Vail replied, “It depends on what you tell me.”
A judge gave her a protective order, requiring Vail to keep his distance. Two weeks later, the sheriff reported that Vail was nowhere to be found.
While Field was visiting a meditation center in Texas in 1990, Vail arrived. After composing herself, she told him “There is a part of you that goes off, and it’s sick and it’s dangerous.”
He looked at her and asked, “Really?” She said “yes, really.” This time, the message seemed to go through. Vail left the next day, and with a single exception about five years later, she never saw him again.
MARY ROSE LEARNS ABOUT THE OTHER 2 CASES
In the summer of 1991 (6 years after Annette's disappearance), Rose drove over 2000 miles to Canyon Lake, Texas to speak to Sue Jordan, Felix Vail’s sister. Jordan said that Vail had told her that Annette wanted to leave, that he took her to a bus station and that she left with some Mexican men, heading for Mexico. Jordan also mentioned that Vail’s first wife had drowned, which was news to Rose.
Before she left, Jordan also told her, “Oh, you know, there was another woman that disappeared. I remember her mother calling my mother for years, checking to see if they’d heard from her. I think her name was Sharon.”
After the conversation, Rose sat down at a typewriter, writing every word she could remember. She also called the public library in Lake Charles.
The librarian remembered the 1962 drowning of Vail’s first wife, Mary Horton. She told Rose that he had taken out life insurance policies on his wife prior to her drowning and that the insurance companies were suspicious and didn’t pay the full value. The librarian made copies of newspaper articles and mailed them to her.
After reading them, Rose reached out to Mary’s family in Louisiana, speaking to Will Horton. He shared her suspicions about Vail and a copy of the 1971 National Enquirer article made after Vail's son Bill reported him to the police. When she read it, she learned that Sharon’s last name was Hensley.
In 1994, she read in the newspaper about Dolores Strehlow’s disappearance from Medford, Oregon, seven years earlier. Police had just arrested her husband, thanks to the work of Detective Terry Newell. She contacted Newell, who helped her find the family of Sharon Hensley. When Rose dialed the Hensley family, Sharon’s mother, Peggy, answered. Rose asked if Peggy knew a Felix Vail. Peggy replied with "you bet I do"
THE INVESTIGATION HEATS UP… AND COOLS DOWN
The detective who helped Rose before, Terry Newell, contacted Jim Bell, a national expert in serial killings working for the FBI. When Rose talked with Bell, she felt like she'd finally gotten somewhere. He was interested in working on the Vail case if he could swing the time. He still remained busy with active serial killer cases, helping train task forces across the U.S. Vail’s son, Bill, told Rose that he was willing to testify, as long as authorities provided protection to his family. Both the Tulsa police and the district attorney’s office in Lake Charles revived their investigations into Vail, now considered a suspected serial killer.
Bell suggested the victims’ families gather with authorities at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia, to share information on Vail. He was unable to work on the case and left the FBI in 1995. The meeting in Quantico never materialized, and the cases involving Vail grew cold once again.
A QUICK RUN DOWN OF EVENTS
In the fall of 1997, family and friends held a mural for Annette.
Diagnosed with esophageal cancer, Vail’s son Bill heard from doctors that he didn’t have long to live. He’s quoted saying “now I’ll get to be with my mom.” Months before passing away in 2009, Bill talked about his father in a recorded interview with his pastor at Grace Church in Overland Park, Kansas.
On Jan. 3, 2009, Bill died, and Vail wrote in his journal, “I feel a large empty hole in my being where his life presence has been for 47 years,” before writing about getting a good haircut. He drove to Kansas but didn’t attend his own son’s funeral. If he had, he would have heard the recording, with his son detailing how he had overheard his father talk about murdering Bill's mother, Mary.
When Vail learned of the recording, he wrote to Pastor Tim Howey, asking for a copy. He blamed his son’s statements on “false memories,” saying, “I have not known about it until now and am stunned.”
In 2012, while attempting to confront Vail with reporter Jerry Mitchell whom she had contacted to write about Vial, Rose was stopped by Kaye Faulkner, Vial’s sister. She told Rose and Mitchell of the recording and urged Mitchell to get a copy of it. She also said that she believed Vial had murdered Mary Horton, Sharon Hensley, and Annette Craver.
She gave the reporter Vial’s number, as well as the numbers of her other brother, Ronnie, and her sister, Beth. Vial didn’t answer those calls, so Mitchell left a message. Ronnie promised to speak to his brother on his behalf.
MITCHELL INVESTIGATES
Mitchell arrived in Lake Charles and stopped by the Southwestern Louisiana Genealogical and Historical Library, which shared copies from old city directories. He began tracking down people who had lived in the Maree Apartments with Felix and Mary.
Many described Mary’s fair of drowning. A close friend of Vails, Judson McCann II described Vial as a ladies’ man, and insinuated he was a cheater. “Many nights, his car wouldn’t be home, and Mary would be there with the lights on. When Felix was gone, it wasn’t because he was trotline fishing.”
Another close friend, Bob Hodges described Vial’s story of Mary ‘falling’ in the river as “horse manure.”
A college roommate of Mary, Sandra Sudduth Pratt, said “Nobody believed it was an accident.”
Mitchell shared Mary’s autopsy report with pathologist Dr. Michael Baden of New York City, who concluded that foul play had taken place in her death.
The report showed large bruises with bleeding into tissues on the left side of the neck, which he said suggested she suffered forceful neck trauma before entering the water. There were hemorrhagic bruises to the right calf and left leg above the knee, which he said were consistent with a struggle before her submersion. But most convincingly of all was the scarf authorities found around her neck that extended 4 inches into her mouth, which suggested traumatic asphyxia before entering the water.
“Somebody had to push that scarf into her mouth. She had to have that scarf wedged in her mouth before she was put in the water.”
A cousin put Mary’s brother Will Horton in touch with former detective “Rabbit” Manuel, who had headed up the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff Office’s investigation back in 1962. He had never forgotten Mary’s death. “Felix’s story just didn’t add up. The fishing tackle was dry. The trotline was dry. The boat was dry. Even Felix’s cigarettes were dry, despite him telling the deputies he dove straight in the water to save Mary.”
He and Manuel met with “Lucky” DeLouche, who directed an elite task force unit that investigated homicides. Three young detectives took notes as they talked. Manuel shared details from the case, saying deputies (officers) wanted to prosecute, but the district attorney wouldn’t let them. Horton shared the autopsy report, Vail’s letters and his belief that Vail was a serial killer. Horton said DeLouche replied, “This absolutely fits the profile of a serial killer,” to which the other detectives agreed.
Shortly afterwards, DeLouche left the task force, and for seemingly the hundredth time, grew cold again.
After Mitchell posted a story about Vail titled “Gone” (It’s nearly 9,000 words long, and the precursor to the 35,500 word story I have drawn heavily from) a man named Wesley Turnage contacted him. He told him of a conversation he had had with Vail in 1963 during a car ride.
According to Turnage, Vail called Mary a bitch and said she thought another child would help solve their marriage problems. He quoted Vail as saying, “She wanted to have another kid. I didn’t want the one I got. I fixed that sorry bitch. She will never have another one.”
Mitchell would make another discovery. District Attorney Salter Jr. had ordered that the judge dismiss 882 criminal cases — more than three cases for each working day.
Will Horton told Mitchell the original detectives in the case told him that Salter wouldn’t allow them to present the evidence they had collected against Vail. That matched the stories Mitchell had heard from grand jurors’ families.
Horton then contacted District Attorney John DeRosier, who said he would be willing to reopen the case if there was enough evidence.
Then came an interesting wrinkle in the story. Finding Vail.
He’d disappeared, returning on Labor Day weekend 2012 to sell his property, before disappearing again. Luckily, another reader of "Gone" came to the rescue. He phoned Mitchell, telling him where Vial was. Canyon Lake, Texas.
Mitchell then contacted Enzo Yaksic, founder of the Serial Homicide Expertise and Information Sharing Collaborative. Yaksic then contacted Armin Showalter, acting chief for the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit, which specialized in serial homicide investigations.
Yaksic shared a copy of GONE with Showalter, who in turn called Calcasieu Parish Deputy Randy Curtis, now taking on the Vail case. Curtis phoned Mitchell to find out where Vail was. A few days later, he called back to say the FBI had discovered Vail purchased property at 737 Shadyview Drive in Canyon Lake.
On Jan. 18, 2013, Curtis decided to confront Vail. He found him at that address, living in a storage shed. Curtis said he read Vail his rights before asking him about the death and disappearances of the women. Vail refused to say anything, accusing families and The Clarion-Ledger (Where "Gone" was published) of lying about him. The whole time, Vail couldn’t stop smirking.
Will Horton gave Mitchell the number of his cousin, who was a caretaker for 90-year-old Isaac Abshire Jr. When Mitchell sat down with the man, he shared a haunting story.
Abshire had worked with Vail and offered him a room to rent out. Once Vail and Mary were married, Vail had moved out. Abshire viewed himself as “a big brother” to Mary, calling her “a sweet little girl.”
After the marriage, Vail had become angry at work, talking about how ugly his wife was when she was pregnant, and how he didn’t like his baby. On the Friday before she was killed, the couple visited Abshire, bringing Bill, who was still an infant. Mary privately asked Abshire if he thought Vail could take her baby away.
Two days later, Mary was dead.
Abshire and two other workers went out the next day to drag the river. The next morning, Oct. 30, 1962, he returned with one of them, Jimmy May, to continue dragging.
Abshire said while they were talking, “something popped up. A guy with binoculars asked, ‘Does she have blonde hair?’ I said, ‘Yes, that’s her.’”
They recovered the body, and Abshire could never forget what he saw. Her body was rigid, and a scarf was wrapped around her neck before going into her mouth. Blood boiled on the boat, everyone voicing the same opinion. Vail had killed Mary.
Abshire had kept photos from that day for over 50 years. He said he had given them to Deputy Curtis as well as a copy of the 1962 sheriff’s report, which listed 15 points suggesting Vail’s guilt.
Despite being behind on major bills, Vail had managed to pay an entire year’s premiums in advance for a $50,000 ($150,000 today) life insurance policy on his wife. He had a second life insurance policy on her for $8,000 ($24,000 today), which promised to pay double if she died by accident.
It was almost as if he knew she was about to die.
Deputies had reported witnesses claims that Vail had told them he didn’t love his wife, that she looked stupid and vulgar, and that he had had sexual relations with multiple women, and at least one man.
Vail told deputies that his wife was wearing an off-white leather jacket when she went into the water. But she wasn’t wearing the jacket when her body was recovered. Inside his boat, deputies found two life preservers. Mary had not been wearing one, despite her fear of drowning. As for the trotline the 2 were supposedly running, deputies found it still inside Vail’s tackle box.
Most witnesses the Deputies had spoken too felt that Vail was capable of killing his wife.
When asked if he believed Vail killed his wife, Abshire said “Oh, my God, yes.”
THE CHASE & THE FINAL CLUES:
Ever since Vail had sold his Mississippi property, Mary Rose had wondered if he would eventually sell the Tulsa property, the one she and Annette had lived in. He did. Vail sold it for $149,000. Rose asked the question on the mind of everyone investigating. “What is he going to do with all that money? --- He could be running.”
On April 30th Mitchell got a call saying that Vail had left Texas. He was pulled over by police in Columbus, Mississippi after hopping the fence of his now dead brother Ronnie’s property. Curtis told Mitchell that the Columbus police were sending him a photo of Vail and the white pick-up truck he was pulled over in. He once again warned Mitchell that Vail could be running.
Vail’s sister called again, saying she heard her brother was heading to Montpelier. She wondered if he was driving to the home of possible witness Wesley Turnage.
Mitchell called Turnage to let him know that Vail might be headed his way. Turnage replied “If he sets foot on my property, there won’t be no trial.” He called Mitchell back later, saying no one in Montpelier had seen Vail.
Private Investigator Gina Frenzel, who had questioned Vail herself, including pretending to be his girlfriend, called Mitchell with good news. Vail had contacted her and told her he was back in Canyon Lake. Mitchell informed Curtis.
On May 17th 2012, authorities arrested Felix Vail for the murder of his wife Mary Horton.
In telephone calls from the jail in Lake Charles, he shared his explanation of what happened the night of Oct. 28, 1962, when Mary died.
He referred to his first wife as a “coon-ass lady,” saying she was “half kneeling” on his feet when she “saw one of the float buckets that were on the line.” He said the boat was “going real slow along the edge of the bank when the boat hit a stump ... and it dumped her right out.” Vail said he shut off the motor and dove in “where she had plopped in the water. I mean, nothing. The river had sucked her right in.” He said he “dove around until I was exhausted, and came in immediately to the police station in town and reported the accident and that was it.”
This story differed greatly from his story in 1962 when he said his wife was sitting on top of a boat seat when she fell out, not that she was kneeling on his feet. Back then, he said nothing about hitting a stump — just swerving to miss it.
It also differed from the story he had told his son, where a wave from another boat had dumped Mary out.
Vail told Frenzel that the case “has been an avalanche coming down the mountain all that time, waiting to hit my head, and it finally has.”
He blamed the families and Mitchell, “an evil, shrimpy reporter,” for what had happened, calling the charges “fabricated” and insisting that “a large amount of money, hate and political ambitions are behind them.”
At Vail’s request, Frenzel returned his truck to his home and went inside to take care of a few tasks. While there, she spent 16 hours photographing all his journals, more than 2,400 pages. She also photographed letters, documents, photographs and business cards, some dating back to the 1960s. She found a collection of women’s jewelry, old buttons, pins, and even a glass dildo.
Disturbingly, if at this point unsurprisingly, she found a photograph of a naked 3-year-old girl. Frenzel later spoke with the girl, now a woman. The journals revealed that Vail had stalked her for years.
Frenzel discovered the birth certificate of Annette Craver, who had used it for previous trips to Mexico.
Mitchell and Frenzel poured through the journals she had photographed. They noticed gaps in them that lead them to believe Vail had ripped pages out, including times when he should have been with Sharon and Annette.
His journals were dominated by sex, dreams of sex and reflected an obsession with children. In a March 27, 1986, entry, Vail wrote about the visit of a woman and her daughters in his home. “The little girls were delicious --- We massaged some, hugged & kissed some & it was 12 (midnight) & time for them to go.”
On Aug. 29, 1992, Vail walked into the Wal-Mart in West Point, and as he wrote in his journal “a 1-year-old white girl looked in my eyes loving me like there was no age difference between us.”
When Mitchell interviewed Kert Germany, a co-worker of Vail in 1977 he said that Vail attracted women wherever he went, and that Vail had told him the best sex of his life had been with 2- or 3-year-old girl.
It was that this time that Alexandra Christianson, Vail’s ex-wife called Mitchell and told him her story. She also put him in contact with Bruce Biedebach, the man she had been on a date with when she left with Vail. Biedebach would tell Mitchell that during a party in 1965 that turned into a “boast-fest” Vail had boasted about something he had done, that no one else had done.
Killed his wife.
He told the men at the party that he had held his wife’s head underwater until she drowned.
Biedebach then put Mitchell in contact with Rob Fremont, who had bicycled around California with Vail when he was 13. He said that while riding with Vail, he had told him that he hit his wife on the head and drowned her. Fremont never rode with him again after that.
With as much evidence as they could possibly gather, the case went to trial.
THE TRIAL:
Vail’s trial began on August 8th, 2016.
District Attorney John DeRosier laid out the evidence clearly.
He spoke of the evidence against Vail about Mary’s murder on October 28th, 1962.
He spoke about Vail swearing to Sharon Hensley’s mother that she wanted to start a new life in 1974.
He spoke about his letters to Mary Rose, telling her he wouldn’t tell her where her daughter Annette was “even if he knew.” Vail smirked at that one.
Finally, he spoke to the jurors.
“Mary Horton Vail is gone, Sharon Hensley is gone,” DeRosier said, “and Annette Craver Vail is gone.”
“You’re going to write the last chapter, and it’s simply going to read, ‘And justice was finally done. William Felix Vail, guilty as charged.’”
Prosecutors called all three families to testify.
Will Horton told jurors of his sister, “Mary was the kind of person you would want as a friend.” He broke while talking about visiting his nephew after he death in 1962. “I just wanted Bill to know how much his mother loved him.”
Brian Hensley told jurors that he last saw his sister, Sharon, with Vail before the pair left Bismarck, North Dakota, in 1972. Other than a telephone call and letter in the months that followed, he said no one had seen or heard from her since.
When Mary Rose took the stand, Vail bowed his head.
This was the woman who had been working for 32 long years to bring him into this court.
This was the mother who had waited 32 years for this moment.
She called Annette “a huge light in my life. We were always loving toward each other.” She testified that Vail ran off with her daughter on his motorcycle and married her. She testified that Annette, who inherited nearly $100,000 and received two homes, disappeared weeks after deeding those homes to Vail.
Wesley Turnage, Rob Fremont, and Bruce Biedebach swore under oath that Vail said he killed his first wife. Biedebach said he asked Vail if Mary was a bitch, to which Vail had said yes. Vail laughed in court as he told the story.
The current coroner, forensic pathologist Dr. Terry Welke, testified that in most drownings, the body comes up in a “dead person’s float,” with the back of the head surfacing first and the limbs hanging down in the water.
After sharing a series of pictures to show it, he showed the court two black-and-white photographs of Mary Horton when her body was recovered on Oct. 30, 1962, less than two days after she reportedly drowned. Her body was stiff, with her hands over chest as if she was in a coffin.
They also saw the videotaped testimony of Isaac Abshire Jr, who had died in 2014. He said her body was stiff when it surfaced either sideways or face up when she bobbed up in the Calcasieu River.
That testimony helped contribute to Welke’s homicide conclusion. So did the unbroken grease-like stain across her Chi Omega sweatshirt, which he believed could have come from a tarp covering her. Welke concluded Mary was dead and stiff before her body went into the water, explaining why rigor had set in.
Testimony was heard of Vail not paying for his own wife’s funeral, despite having made thousands from her life insurance.
THE VERDICT
The jury didn’t even take a half hour to reach their verdict.
William Felix Vail Sr was unanimously found guilty of murdering Mary Horton. He was sentenced to life in prison.
After the verdict, the prosecutor also revealed that the FBI had found out that Vail had molested a child over 30 years ago. They were unable to put him on trial for it, as the statue of limitations had passed.
Finally, nearly 54 years after she was murdered, Mary Horton had found justice.
Finally, 42 years after her disappearance, Sharon Hensley had found justice.
And Annette Craver, with the help of her mother Mary Rose’s tireless efforts, had finally found justice after 32 years.
https://content.api.news/v3/images/bin/f75084c7dce4fb08e12e45ccba5e40a1
This a photo of Mary, Sharon and Annette. I felt it was fitting to end off with. May they all rest in peace.
MY SOURCES:
https://www.namus.gov/MissingPersons/Case#/8284?nav
https://charleyproject.org/case/annette-michelle-craver-vail
https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/local/felixvailgone/2016/12/29/felix-vail-gone-one-wife-dead-two-other-missing-jerry-mitchell/95895894/
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/5796622/mary-elizabeth-vail
https://charleyproject.org/case/sharon-hensley
https://www.namus.gov/MissingPersons/Case#/20525?nav
submitted by JeliPuff to UnresolvedMysteries [link] [comments]
https://www.reddit.com/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/143r7l9/felix_vail_the_pedophile_serial_killer_caught/
PART 2:
ANNETTE CRAVER:
Born on the 7th of December 1965, Annette Craver was intelligent and creative. At 15 she was a singer-songwriter and in her senior year at a private school that specialized in medicine. Her dream was to become a midwife.http://charleyproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/vail_annette6.jpg(A photo of Annette Craver.)
In the summer of 1981, she and her mother, Mary Rose greeted people at a friend’s yard sale in the Montrose neighborhood in Houston, Texas. They had just returned from a vacation in Mexico, and Annette felt heartsick, still infatuated with a boy named Adolfo, who was unable to join her in America.
VAIL MEETS ANNETTE
While people browsed the sale, Vail pulled up on a motorcycle and spoke with Annette. He was 41 and had done some carpentry work in the area. “When I saw her, I thought, ‘That’s going to be my new girlfriend,’” he said about the 15-year-old.
In April 1982, Rose and her daughter invested in a Tulsa home that had a rental cottage behind it. Rose began renovating both. After graduating from high school, Annette joined her mother in Tulsa. Vail appeared a few days later, and convinced Annette to leave with him on his motorcycle. They lived off the $500-a-month Social Security check that she received from her father’s death 3 years prior. It would be over a year before Mary Rose would see her daughter again.
That fall, Annette (who was still 15) would fall pregnant, and Vail would force her to have a painful abortion.
Jerry Woodall, reportedly friends with Vail later recalled an embarrassing scene, where the 42-year-old Vail was in a sleeping bag, having public sex with a 16-year-old Annette, only 20 feet away from him and his then-wife Meredith McMackin. Annette grinned and waved at them. Woodall and McMackin did their best to ignore them.
McMackin would later say that Vail had “this coldness and controlling aspect to his personality. Annette was so open and alive, but I think he just totally dominated her. He would try to convey that he was this higher form of being. At first, I thought maybe he was evolved, but then I realized it was this arrogant act.”
Later that summer, police in California would arrest Vail for violating probation a dozen years earlier. Annette telephoned Woodall, who gave her $200. After Vail walked free from prison, he and Annette decided to get married. However, as a 17-year-old she needed permission.
Annette told her mother that she loved Vail, that they were already “spiritually married” and that they would travel to Mexico and get married there if she refused. Not wanting to lose her daughter completely, Rose said OK.
On August 15th, 1983, in Bakersfield, California, the couple were wed.
AFTER THE MARRIAGE
Four months after the marriage, Annette turned 18, allowing her to collect more than $98,000 ($293,500 today) from life insurance policies on her late father. Accompanied by Vail, she withdrew all the money in cash from a San Antonio bank. She bought a Fiat convertible that Vail liked and paid for his dental work.
In April 1984, Rose returned home to find Annette waiting at her door. She told her she wanted to divorce Vail, and enroll in college. She talked about Vail’s temper, including an incident where he had broken his hand trying to punch his wife. He missed and hit a wall.
A few weeks later, Vail showed up. The couple fought constantly, and Vail left after a few days. Mary Rose said that Vail was “insanely jealous” and would become furious when Annette spoke of her desire to go out with younger men.
She and Annette worked on renovating the two homes after Vail left, enjoying their time together. The 2 even started a garden together.
Annette received a letter from Vail, who vowed their time apart would fuel their love. He wrote to her: “After we hung up, I went out to a park and ran and hung and talked with God and smoked some and shot some pool and rode with the top down out through the marsh playing ‘Iron Butterfly’ [“In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida”] and bathing every inch of your body-spirit being with love.”
He referred to being away from Annette as “deprivation jail” and to her ego as “his jailor.”
“The idea of her cutting away ego’s “feeder roots and creating roots between your spirit and the cosmic ground of loving makes me hot for you. My mind is kissing you everywhere.”
After that, Vail would return to Annette’s life. Rose said, “Annette told me, ‘Felix is the wisest person in the world, and I can’t make decisions without him.’” His influence on Annette had only grown stronger. According to Rose, she even compared Vail to God, a comparison Vail agreed with.
After this, the couple angrily insisted that Rose move out and deed the house to Annette. Accompanied by suicidal thoughts brought on by Vail’s continued control over her daughter, Rose left for California to stay with family and friends, deeding the house to Annette for $7000 ($21,000 today) before she did.
Annette would add Vail to the deed, and a month later had deeded him both homes, leaving him as the sole owner.
ANNETTE’S DISAPPEARANCE
Mere weeks after deeding the houses to Vail, the couple told neighbors they were leaving on vacation. When Vail returned in October, he was alone.
Vail told a neighbor that Annette had a lot of money wither her when he’d left her, and that she was likely visiting friends in Denver.
Upon learning that Annette hadn’t come back with Vail, Mary Rose called him. “He told me that while they were camping, Annette had a sexual dream about being with other men in Mexico, and she wanted to go there,” she recalled to an investigative reporter years later. “He claimed that the dream made them both realize that she should have her freedom.” The next day, Vail told her he had put Annette on a bus with $50,000 ($150,000 today) but didn't elaborate.
On Oct 22, 1984, Rose filed a missing person’s report. She told the Tulsa Police Department that each person who spoke with Vail “gets a different story about the amount of money that Annette took with her and where she might be. We all believe that he knows where she is or has done something with her.”
On January 22, 1985, Detective Dennis Davis and another officer questioned Vail at his home (This is obscenely late to start questioning him). By this point, Vail had filed for divorce, citing an inability to find her after a “diligent search.” Davis said her mother, Mary Rose, mentioned her daughter had received more than $90,000 from her father’s estate. Vail confirmed this was true, saying the couple had spent much of that money traveling in foreign countries. He said they kept their money in cash because they didn’t trust banks and that he had found about $10,000 in cash when he returned home.
The next day, Vail called a lawyer, who promised to talk with the officers and tell them to “leave me alone,” as he wrote in his journal.
When Davis returned five days later, Vail had a detailed alibi: The couple left Tulsa between noon and 3 p.m. on Sept. 13, 1984, and stayed the night in a hotel in Claremont, Oklahoma. After two nights of camping on the river, Annette woke up and told Vail she had decided to leave him. He took her to the Trailways Bus Station in St. Louis and left before she bought the ticket. (There is no Trailways Bus Station in St. Louis, and there has never been a Trailways Bus Station in St. Louis.)
He told the officers that she had told him she was headed for Denver, where she planned to get a fake ID card and leave for Mexico. When asked if he would take a lie detector test, Vail said no.
After Davis left, he wrote a letter to Rose. He blamed her for the “bad things” about Annette, told her that after the couple had returned from Costa Rica Annette had been “seeing friends and relatives --- completing her relationships with them for the purpose of getting ready to drop everybody and start over.” He wrote that Annette “disappeared herself from you” because Rose kept imposing her “value system” on her, and said Annette viewed her mother, grandmother, and herself as “zero self-image whores for approval.”
He explained the 2 had no plans to communicate, he did not know where she was, and that “I also assure you that even if I did know, I would not tell you.”
When Rose returned to Tulsa in April 1985, she entered the cottage Annette used to live in, only to find almost all the young woman’s belongings were gone, including her clothes and her diary.
Inside a Barbie suitcase, Rose found a photograph of her daughter and several of her identification cards. She also located things that Annette had written, including a Feb. 17, 1984, note that contradicted Vail’s claim that the couple had spent most of her inheritance on their travel to Mexico and Central American countries.
Instead, the note detailed how they used the money to buy the Fiat, pay off all of Vail’s loans, and deposit $36,000 into Louisiana Savings. It said that as of that day, they had $41,600 ($125,000 today) in cash.
Rose shared the information with the police. Detective Davis showed up again, and Vail told Davis the couple divided the money into smaller cashier’s checks, contradicting his earlier statement that they kept the money in cash.
After a while, Davis left, and despite the (seemingly obvious) suspicious behavior of Vail, closed the missing person’s case.
AFTER ANNETTE’S DISAPPEARANCE
Rose kept calling Vail after this and was finally able to reach him on September 14th 1985.
When asked about Annette’s whereabouts he refused to tell her.
When asked about Annette’s missing clothes he said he gave them to charity.
When asked about the insurance money, Vail told her ‘That’s all she really cared about.’ Rose hung up.
Two years later, fed up with the lack of progress in Annette’s case, Rose would return to Tulsa. She spent thousands of dollars on private investigators to locate Vail. When that failed, she simply went and found him herself.
Tipped off that he was staying at someone’s house, she went there with a friend and found him sitting outside. When asked where Annette went, he replied “Mexico.” When asked where in Mexico, he said the 2 had made a pact to contact each other every 5 years, contradicting his statement that the 2 didn’t have plans to communicate. Rose didn’t believe a word of it.
The whole time Vail never looked up, never stood up and never looked her in the eye.
BETH FIELD
Some time after this, Vail began dating Beth Field. Soon the couple had began arguing, and Vail would call her a “whore.” During a December 1987 argument, he would strike her so hard he ruptured her ear drum. She told Vail there was no justification for violence, to which he responded, “If you quit behaving like a whore, I’ll quit hitting you.”
In August 1988 Beth received a call from Rose, sharing details about the disappearance of her daughter, Annette. From that point forward, Field said she began to examine Vail’s words more closely, realizing that he had likely murdered her.
Four months after the call, he entered her home unannounced. Already drunk, he accused her of “imagined promiscuity,” according to a court order. He slapped her, struck her, and threw her across the bedroom. She asked if Vail was going to kill her, to which Vail replied, “It depends on what you tell me.”
A judge gave her a protective order, requiring Vail to keep his distance. Two weeks later, the sheriff reported that Vail was nowhere to be found.
While Field was visiting a meditation center in Texas in 1990, Vail arrived. After composing herself, she told him “There is a part of you that goes off, and it’s sick and it’s dangerous.”
He looked at her and asked, “Really?” She said “yes, really.” This time, the message seemed to go through. Vail left the next day, and with a single exception about five years later, she never saw him again.
MARY ROSE LEARNS ABOUT THE OTHER 2 CASES
In the summer of 1991 (6 years after Annette's disappearance), Rose drove over 2000 miles to Canyon Lake, Texas to speak to Sue Jordan, Felix Vail’s sister. Jordan said that Vail had told her that Annette wanted to leave, that he took her to a bus station and that she left with some Mexican men, heading for Mexico. Jordan also mentioned that Vail’s first wife had drowned, which was news to Rose.
Before she left, Jordan also told her, “Oh, you know, there was another woman that disappeared. I remember her mother calling my mother for years, checking to see if they’d heard from her. I think her name was Sharon.”
After the conversation, Rose sat down at a typewriter, writing every word she could remember. She also called the public library in Lake Charles.
The librarian remembered the 1962 drowning of Vail’s first wife, Mary Horton. She told Rose that he had taken out life insurance policies on his wife prior to her drowning and that the insurance companies were suspicious and didn’t pay the full value. The librarian made copies of newspaper articles and mailed them to her.
After reading them, Rose reached out to Mary’s family in Louisiana, speaking to Will Horton. He shared her suspicions about Vail and a copy of the 1971 National Enquirer article made after Vail's son Bill reported him to the police. When she read it, she learned that Sharon’s last name was Hensley.
In 1994, she read in the newspaper about Dolores Strehlow’s disappearance from Medford, Oregon, seven years earlier. Police had just arrested her husband, thanks to the work of Detective Terry Newell. She contacted Newell, who helped her find the family of Sharon Hensley. When Rose dialed the Hensley family, Sharon’s mother, Peggy, answered. Rose asked if Peggy knew a Felix Vail. Peggy replied with "you bet I do"
THE INVESTIGATION HEATS UP… AND COOLS DOWN
The detective who helped Rose before, Terry Newell, contacted Jim Bell, a national expert in serial killings working for the FBI. When Rose talked with Bell, she felt like she'd finally gotten somewhere. He was interested in working on the Vail case if he could swing the time. He still remained busy with active serial killer cases, helping train task forces across the U.S. Vail’s son, Bill, told Rose that he was willing to testify, as long as authorities provided protection to his family. Both the Tulsa police and the district attorney’s office in Lake Charles revived their investigations into Vail, now considered a suspected serial killer.
Bell suggested the victims’ families gather with authorities at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia, to share information on Vail. He was unable to work on the case and left the FBI in 1995. The meeting in Quantico never materialized, and the cases involving Vail grew cold once again.
A QUICK RUN DOWN OF EVENTS
In the fall of 1997, family and friends held a mural for Annette.
Diagnosed with esophageal cancer, Vail’s son Bill heard from doctors that he didn’t have long to live. He’s quoted saying “now I’ll get to be with my mom.” Months before passing away in 2009, Bill talked about his father in a recorded interview with his pastor at Grace Church in Overland Park, Kansas.
On Jan. 3, 2009, Bill died, and Vail wrote in his journal, “I feel a large empty hole in my being where his life presence has been for 47 years,” before writing about getting a good haircut. He drove to Kansas but didn’t attend his own son’s funeral. If he had, he would have heard the recording, with his son detailing how he had overheard his father talk about murdering Bill's mother, Mary.
When Vail learned of the recording, he wrote to Pastor Tim Howey, asking for a copy. He blamed his son’s statements on “false memories,” saying, “I have not known about it until now and am stunned.”
In 2012, while attempting to confront Vail with reporter Jerry Mitchell whom she had contacted to write about Vial, Rose was stopped by Kaye Faulkner, Vial’s sister. She told Rose and Mitchell of the recording and urged Mitchell to get a copy of it. She also said that she believed Vial had murdered Mary Horton, Sharon Hensley, and Annette Craver.
She gave the reporter Vial’s number, as well as the numbers of her other brother, Ronnie, and her sister, Beth. Vial didn’t answer those calls, so Mitchell left a message. Ronnie promised to speak to his brother on his behalf.
MITCHELL INVESTIGATES
Mitchell arrived in Lake Charles and stopped by the Southwestern Louisiana Genealogical and Historical Library, which shared copies from old city directories. He began tracking down people who had lived in the Maree Apartments with Felix and Mary.
Many described Mary’s fair of drowning. A close friend of Vails, Judson McCann II described Vial as a ladies’ man, and insinuated he was a cheater. “Many nights, his car wouldn’t be home, and Mary would be there with the lights on. When Felix was gone, it wasn’t because he was trotline fishing.”
Another close friend, Bob Hodges described Vial’s story of Mary ‘falling’ in the river as “horse manure.”
A college roommate of Mary, Sandra Sudduth Pratt, said “Nobody believed it was an accident.”
Mitchell shared Mary’s autopsy report with pathologist Dr. Michael Baden of New York City, who concluded that foul play had taken place in her death.
The report showed large bruises with bleeding into tissues on the left side of the neck, which he said suggested she suffered forceful neck trauma before entering the water. There were hemorrhagic bruises to the right calf and left leg above the knee, which he said were consistent with a struggle before her submersion. But most convincingly of all was the scarf authorities found around her neck that extended 4 inches into her mouth, which suggested traumatic asphyxia before entering the water.
“Somebody had to push that scarf into her mouth. She had to have that scarf wedged in her mouth before she was put in the water.”
A cousin put Mary’s brother Will Horton in touch with former detective “Rabbit” Manuel, who had headed up the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff Office’s investigation back in 1962. He had never forgotten Mary’s death. “Felix’s story just didn’t add up. The fishing tackle was dry. The trotline was dry. The boat was dry. Even Felix’s cigarettes were dry, despite him telling the deputies he dove straight in the water to save Mary.”
He and Manuel met with “Lucky” DeLouche, who directed an elite task force unit that investigated homicides. Three young detectives took notes as they talked. Manuel shared details from the case, saying deputies (officers) wanted to prosecute, but the district attorney wouldn’t let them. Horton shared the autopsy report, Vail’s letters and his belief that Vail was a serial killer. Horton said DeLouche replied, “This absolutely fits the profile of a serial killer,” to which the other detectives agreed.
Shortly afterwards, DeLouche left the task force, and for seemingly the hundredth time, grew cold again.
After Mitchell posted a story about Vail titled “Gone” (It’s nearly 9,000 words long, and the precursor to the 35,500 word story I have drawn heavily from) a man named Wesley Turnage contacted him. He told him of a conversation he had had with Vail in 1963 during a car ride.
According to Turnage, Vail called Mary a bitch and said she thought another child would help solve their marriage problems. He quoted Vail as saying, “She wanted to have another kid. I didn’t want the one I got. I fixed that sorry bitch. She will never have another one.”
Mitchell would make another discovery. District Attorney Salter Jr. had ordered that the judge dismiss 882 criminal cases — more than three cases for each working day.
Will Horton told Mitchell the original detectives in the case told him that Salter wouldn’t allow them to present the evidence they had collected against Vail. That matched the stories Mitchell had heard from grand jurors’ families.
Horton then contacted District Attorney John DeRosier, who said he would be willing to reopen the case if there was enough evidence.
Then came an interesting wrinkle in the story. Finding Vail.
He’d disappeared, returning on Labor Day weekend 2012 to sell his property, before disappearing again. Luckily, another reader of "Gone" came to the rescue. He phoned Mitchell, telling him where Vial was. Canyon Lake, Texas.
Mitchell then contacted Enzo Yaksic, founder of the Serial Homicide Expertise and Information Sharing Collaborative. Yaksic then contacted Armin Showalter, acting chief for the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit, which specialized in serial homicide investigations.
Yaksic shared a copy of GONE with Showalter, who in turn called Calcasieu Parish Deputy Randy Curtis, now taking on the Vail case. Curtis phoned Mitchell to find out where Vail was. A few days later, he called back to say the FBI had discovered Vail purchased property at 737 Shadyview Drive in Canyon Lake.
On Jan. 18, 2013, Curtis decided to confront Vail. He found him at that address, living in a storage shed. Curtis said he read Vail his rights before asking him about the death and disappearances of the women. Vail refused to say anything, accusing families and The Clarion-Ledger (Where "Gone" was published) of lying about him. The whole time, Vail couldn’t stop smirking.
Will Horton gave Mitchell the number of his cousin, who was a caretaker for 90-year-old Isaac Abshire Jr. When Mitchell sat down with the man, he shared a haunting story.
Abshire had worked with Vail and offered him a room to rent out. Once Vail and Mary were married, Vail had moved out. Abshire viewed himself as “a big brother” to Mary, calling her “a sweet little girl.”
After the marriage, Vail had become angry at work, talking about how ugly his wife was when she was pregnant, and how he didn’t like his baby. On the Friday before she was killed, the couple visited Abshire, bringing Bill, who was still an infant. Mary privately asked Abshire if he thought Vail could take her baby away.
Two days later, Mary was dead.
Abshire and two other workers went out the next day to drag the river. The next morning, Oct. 30, 1962, he returned with one of them, Jimmy May, to continue dragging.
Abshire said while they were talking, “something popped up. A guy with binoculars asked, ‘Does she have blonde hair?’ I said, ‘Yes, that’s her.’”
They recovered the body, and Abshire could never forget what he saw. Her body was rigid, and a scarf was wrapped around her neck before going into her mouth. Blood boiled on the boat, everyone voicing the same opinion. Vail had killed Mary.
Abshire had kept photos from that day for over 50 years. He said he had given them to Deputy Curtis as well as a copy of the 1962 sheriff’s report, which listed 15 points suggesting Vail’s guilt.
Despite being behind on major bills, Vail had managed to pay an entire year’s premiums in advance for a $50,000 ($150,000 today) life insurance policy on his wife. He had a second life insurance policy on her for $8,000 ($24,000 today), which promised to pay double if she died by accident.
It was almost as if he knew she was about to die.
Deputies had reported witnesses claims that Vail had told them he didn’t love his wife, that she looked stupid and vulgar, and that he had had sexual relations with multiple women, and at least one man.
Vail told deputies that his wife was wearing an off-white leather jacket when she went into the water. But she wasn’t wearing the jacket when her body was recovered. Inside his boat, deputies found two life preservers. Mary had not been wearing one, despite her fear of drowning. As for the trotline the 2 were supposedly running, deputies found it still inside Vail’s tackle box.
Most witnesses the Deputies had spoken too felt that Vail was capable of killing his wife.
When asked if he believed Vail killed his wife, Abshire said “Oh, my God, yes.”
THE CHASE & THE FINAL CLUES:
Ever since Vail had sold his Mississippi property, Mary Rose had wondered if he would eventually sell the Tulsa property, the one she and Annette had lived in. He did. Vail sold it for $149,000. Rose asked the question on the mind of everyone investigating. “What is he going to do with all that money? --- He could be running.”
On April 30th Mitchell got a call saying that Vail had left Texas. He was pulled over by police in Columbus, Mississippi after hopping the fence of his now dead brother Ronnie’s property. Curtis told Mitchell that the Columbus police were sending him a photo of Vail and the white pick-up truck he was pulled over in. He once again warned Mitchell that Vail could be running.
Vail’s sister called again, saying she heard her brother was heading to Montpelier. She wondered if he was driving to the home of possible witness Wesley Turnage.
Mitchell called Turnage to let him know that Vail might be headed his way. Turnage replied “If he sets foot on my property, there won’t be no trial.” He called Mitchell back later, saying no one in Montpelier had seen Vail.
Private Investigator Gina Frenzel, who had questioned Vail herself, including pretending to be his girlfriend, called Mitchell with good news. Vail had contacted her and told her he was back in Canyon Lake. Mitchell informed Curtis.
On May 17th 2012, authorities arrested Felix Vail for the murder of his wife Mary Horton.
In telephone calls from the jail in Lake Charles, he shared his explanation of what happened the night of Oct. 28, 1962, when Mary died.
He referred to his first wife as a “coon-ass lady,” saying she was “half kneeling” on his feet when she “saw one of the float buckets that were on the line.” He said the boat was “going real slow along the edge of the bank when the boat hit a stump ... and it dumped her right out.” Vail said he shut off the motor and dove in “where she had plopped in the water. I mean, nothing. The river had sucked her right in.” He said he “dove around until I was exhausted, and came in immediately to the police station in town and reported the accident and that was it.”
This story differed greatly from his story in 1962 when he said his wife was sitting on top of a boat seat when she fell out, not that she was kneeling on his feet. Back then, he said nothing about hitting a stump — just swerving to miss it.
It also differed from the story he had told his son, where a wave from another boat had dumped Mary out.
Vail told Frenzel that the case “has been an avalanche coming down the mountain all that time, waiting to hit my head, and it finally has.”
He blamed the families and Mitchell, “an evil, shrimpy reporter,” for what had happened, calling the charges “fabricated” and insisting that “a large amount of money, hate and political ambitions are behind them.”
At Vail’s request, Frenzel returned his truck to his home and went inside to take care of a few tasks. While there, she spent 16 hours photographing all his journals, more than 2,400 pages. She also photographed letters, documents, photographs and business cards, some dating back to the 1960s. She found a collection of women’s jewelry, old buttons, pins, and even a glass dildo.
Disturbingly, if at this point unsurprisingly, she found a photograph of a naked 3-year-old girl. Frenzel later spoke with the girl, now a woman. The journals revealed that Vail had stalked her for years.
Frenzel discovered the birth certificate of Annette Craver, who had used it for previous trips to Mexico.
Mitchell and Frenzel poured through the journals she had photographed. They noticed gaps in them that lead them to believe Vail had ripped pages out, including times when he should have been with Sharon and Annette.
His journals were dominated by sex, dreams of sex and reflected an obsession with children. In a March 27, 1986, entry, Vail wrote about the visit of a woman and her daughters in his home. “The little girls were delicious --- We massaged some, hugged & kissed some & it was 12 (midnight) & time for them to go.”
On Aug. 29, 1992, Vail walked into the Wal-Mart in West Point, and as he wrote in his journal “a 1-year-old white girl looked in my eyes loving me like there was no age difference between us.”
When Mitchell interviewed Kert Germany, a co-worker of Vail in 1977 he said that Vail attracted women wherever he went, and that Vail had told him the best sex of his life had been with 2- or 3-year-old girl.
It was that this time that Alexandra Christianson, Vail’s ex-wife called Mitchell and told him her story. She also put him in contact with Bruce Biedebach, the man she had been on a date with when she left with Vail. Biedebach would tell Mitchell that during a party in 1965 that turned into a “boast-fest” Vail had boasted about something he had done, that no one else had done.
Killed his wife.
He told the men at the party that he had held his wife’s head underwater until she drowned.
Biedebach then put Mitchell in contact with Rob Fremont, who had bicycled around California with Vail when he was 13. He said that while riding with Vail, he had told him that he hit his wife on the head and drowned her. Fremont never rode with him again after that.
With as much evidence as they could possibly gather, the case went to trial.
THE TRIAL:
Vail’s trial began on August 8th, 2016.
District Attorney John DeRosier laid out the evidence clearly.
He spoke of the evidence against Vail about Mary’s murder on October 28th, 1962.
He spoke about Vail swearing to Sharon Hensley’s mother that she wanted to start a new life in 1974.
He spoke about his letters to Mary Rose, telling her he wouldn’t tell her where her daughter Annette was “even if he knew.” Vail smirked at that one.
Finally, he spoke to the jurors.
“Mary Horton Vail is gone, Sharon Hensley is gone,” DeRosier said, “and Annette Craver Vail is gone.”
“You’re going to write the last chapter, and it’s simply going to read, ‘And justice was finally done. William Felix Vail, guilty as charged.’”
Prosecutors called all three families to testify.
Will Horton told jurors of his sister, “Mary was the kind of person you would want as a friend.” He broke while talking about visiting his nephew after he death in 1962. “I just wanted Bill to know how much his mother loved him.”
Brian Hensley told jurors that he last saw his sister, Sharon, with Vail before the pair left Bismarck, North Dakota, in 1972. Other than a telephone call and letter in the months that followed, he said no one had seen or heard from her since.
When Mary Rose took the stand, Vail bowed his head.
This was the woman who had been working for 32 long years to bring him into this court.
This was the mother who had waited 32 years for this moment.
She called Annette “a huge light in my life. We were always loving toward each other.” She testified that Vail ran off with her daughter on his motorcycle and married her. She testified that Annette, who inherited nearly $100,000 and received two homes, disappeared weeks after deeding those homes to Vail.
Wesley Turnage, Rob Fremont, and Bruce Biedebach swore under oath that Vail said he killed his first wife. Biedebach said he asked Vail if Mary was a bitch, to which Vail had said yes. Vail laughed in court as he told the story.
The current coroner, forensic pathologist Dr. Terry Welke, testified that in most drownings, the body comes up in a “dead person’s float,” with the back of the head surfacing first and the limbs hanging down in the water.
After sharing a series of pictures to show it, he showed the court two black-and-white photographs of Mary Horton when her body was recovered on Oct. 30, 1962, less than two days after she reportedly drowned. Her body was stiff, with her hands over chest as if she was in a coffin.
They also saw the videotaped testimony of Isaac Abshire Jr, who had died in 2014. He said her body was stiff when it surfaced either sideways or face up when she bobbed up in the Calcasieu River.
That testimony helped contribute to Welke’s homicide conclusion. So did the unbroken grease-like stain across her Chi Omega sweatshirt, which he believed could have come from a tarp covering her. Welke concluded Mary was dead and stiff before her body went into the water, explaining why rigor had set in.
Testimony was heard of Vail not paying for his own wife’s funeral, despite having made thousands from her life insurance.
THE VERDICT
The jury didn’t even take a half hour to reach their verdict.
William Felix Vail Sr was unanimously found guilty of murdering Mary Horton. He was sentenced to life in prison.
After the verdict, the prosecutor also revealed that the FBI had found out that Vail had molested a child over 30 years ago. They were unable to put him on trial for it, as the statue of limitations had passed.
Finally, nearly 54 years after she was murdered, Mary Horton had found justice.
Finally, 42 years after her disappearance, Sharon Hensley had found justice.
And Annette Craver, with the help of her mother Mary Rose’s tireless efforts, had finally found justice after 32 years.
https://content.api.news/v3/images/bin/f75084c7dce4fb08e12e45ccba5e40a1
This a photo of Mary, Sharon and Annette. I felt it was fitting to end off with. May they all rest in peace.
MY SOURCES:
https://www.namus.gov/MissingPersons/Case#/8284?nav
https://charleyproject.org/case/annette-michelle-craver-vail
https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/local/felixvailgone/2016/12/29/felix-vail-gone-one-wife-dead-two-other-missing-jerry-mitchell/95895894/
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/5796622/mary-elizabeth-vail
https://charleyproject.org/case/sharon-hensley
https://www.namus.gov/MissingPersons/Case#/20525?nav
2023.06.08 00:25 softening What fits in my Kelly 32
 | What’s in my bag, Kelly 32 edition! submitted by softening to handbags [link] [comments] I’ve been using my Hermès Kelly 32 as my daily driver (unless it’s raining). I also have a toddler, so I MUST always include them when I’m thinking about the bag I’m taking out! This bag is about 10 years old and retourne, so it’s a bit slouchy to begin with. I’m using a Mai Tai insert, which I adore. Here’s what fits in my bag: * 1 Lipstick. In this case, it’s something from Rare Beauty. * 2 Tampons. I always leave these in there, but if it’s that time of the month, I also put a pad in here, which fits just fine. * 1 Teething Stick. My toddler is teething, so it’s a necessity. * 2 Snacks. They’re my toddler’s favorites, so I pack them in case they get a little cranky. * 1 Meal Pouch. Doesn’t have to be refrigerated and my toddler is more of a snacker, so I use this as the afternoon “meal” to get them to eat. * Pack of Wipes. I use them for what they’re supposed to be used for or for sticky toddler hands! * 1 Diaper. I haven’t ever needed more than one, so I typically only pack one. When my toddler was a little younger, I used to fold or roll them and secure them with a rubber band (like you would on a diaper cake) and stack them on top, which works well because there’s a lot of space on top of the insert. * Dior Saddle Wallet. It’s easy to find and really cute. It’s got a slim profile and it’s goatskin, so I’m not too concerned about it. * Keys. I removed all of my identifiable keychains because I have a big key ring but this is the important part! The first picture is what it looks like naturally with no insert or pillow. The last picture is what it looks like WITH the stuffing pillow. This bag is perfect for me and my lifestyle. It’s not brand new so I’m not too concerned about it. Everything I need to carry fits inside. It has a shoulder strap. The bag itself is quite light. Obviously packed with things it’s a little heavier but it isn’t really an issue for me. I know the 28 is a more popular size, but the 32 fits what I need! |
2023.06.07 23:06 slickhedstrong Weird Bad Experience Seeking Advice
 | How do you rate drivers if you miss that pop up prompt? submitted by slickhedstrong to doordash [link] [comments] Driver spent extra long time around taco bell, was in and out of the restaurant a couple of time and the estimated delivery time went up by 20 minutes. when it finally got here driver dropped off the 2 drinks that were part of the two combo meals i ordered, took a picture. $35, after $10 tip for a 2 mile delivery. door dash only refunded me half. listen, if taco bell gave him the drinks they gave him the whole meals they come with. i know he took the food. tried calling and texting him first. wouldn't respond to text. wouldn't pick up until the 4th call and then hung up on me. Michael, you are a d bag. |
2023.06.07 23:03 Resident_Turnip_1305 Some of the owner responses for Henderson Mall in Coquitlam are wild!
 | submitted by Resident_Turnip_1305 to u/Resident_Turnip_1305 [link] [comments] |
2023.06.07 22:44 wenisforever People Littering my Yard?
Hey all,
I bought my house roughly three years ago. The neighborhood is pretty nice, and I’m even a few doors down from an elementary school. I’m also situated on a corner lot. Over the years, I’ve gotten quite a bit of trash thrown into my yard and flower beds like fast food cups, paper scraps, that kind of thing. That doesn’t worry me too much since I figure it just falls off the garbage trucks, but the littering has gotten increasingly worse in the past month. I was doing yard work and found a full, dirty diaper that was thrown in one of my flower beds a week and a half ago. I just walked outside to find a FULL kitchen sized garbage bag of trash in another flower bed. How does a person accidentally lose an ENTIRE bag of trash in my flower bed that isn’t even near the road? I am at my wits end. I’m thinking of putting a camera in, but it’s really far from the base station in my house, and I’m not sure it would connect, and cameras are pretty expensive. But that’s my situation. Any advice? Thank you very much in advance.
Edit: my plan so far is just to put up no dumping signs showing that there is surveillance. I can’t afford really new cameras right now, so I’m going to install some dummy cameras near where people dump, along with the signs. Fingers crossed it’ll be a deterrent.
submitted by wenisforever to homeowners [link] [comments]
I bought my house roughly three years ago. The neighborhood is pretty nice, and I’m even a few doors down from an elementary school. I’m also situated on a corner lot. Over the years, I’ve gotten quite a bit of trash thrown into my yard and flower beds like fast food cups, paper scraps, that kind of thing. That doesn’t worry me too much since I figure it just falls off the garbage trucks, but the littering has gotten increasingly worse in the past month. I was doing yard work and found a full, dirty diaper that was thrown in one of my flower beds a week and a half ago. I just walked outside to find a FULL kitchen sized garbage bag of trash in another flower bed. How does a person accidentally lose an ENTIRE bag of trash in my flower bed that isn’t even near the road? I am at my wits end. I’m thinking of putting a camera in, but it’s really far from the base station in my house, and I’m not sure it would connect, and cameras are pretty expensive. But that’s my situation. Any advice? Thank you very much in advance.
Edit: my plan so far is just to put up no dumping signs showing that there is surveillance. I can’t afford really new cameras right now, so I’m going to install some dummy cameras near where people dump, along with the signs. Fingers crossed it’ll be a deterrent.
2023.06.07 22:38 Luxoptimus123 My payroll paper checks expired and the bank won’t take my 4 checks. they were paper checks. Who do I contact ?
It has been over 180 days but not a full year since I received the paychecks. I work at Michael Kors as a sales associate. Who do I contact and by law do they have to give my money? Has anyone been in this situation?
submitted by Luxoptimus123 to u/Luxoptimus123 [link] [comments]
2023.06.07 22:26 Luxoptimus123 My payroll paper checks expired and the bank won’t take my 4 checks. they were paper checks. Who do I contact ?
It has been over 180 days but not a full year since I received the paychecks. I work at Michael Kors as a sales associate. Who do I contact and by law do they have to give my money? Has anyone been in this situation? Please give me an email or a phone
submitted by Luxoptimus123 to Michael_Kors [link] [comments]
2023.06.07 22:02 nagle8589 My second annual 90 man roster analysis, including a list of 40 players I believe are locks to make 53 man roster
A little over a year ago in this forum, I correctly predicted 39/39 locks to make the 53 man roster out of camp (although I was convinced by a fellow user to remove my 40th player (Sam Eguevoen), who turns out also made the team!). Given my success a year ago with this exercise, I figured it was worth giving it another shot in 2023.
https://www.reddit.com/miamidolphins/comments/ugbujd/i_only_count_14_available_53_man_roster_spots_as/
*Of note, last year's post was prior to the signing of Melvin Ingram on 5/14/22, who would of also been considered a lock upon signing for $3.5 million in guarantees.
*I recognize the 53 man roster's importance has lessened somewhat since the change in practice squad rules in 2020. Still, I believe this exercise is informative in terms of overall roster construction, trying to predict players who will be in the organization come the fall, and identifying remaining areas of weakness.
*I will cite dead cap figures frequently. A good rule of thumb is to consider all players contracts that contain a dead cap charge of >500k if cut as likely to remain on the roster. For reference, Solomon Kindley had a $350k dead cap figure this team a year ago, and this was the highest figure of any player cut at the end of camp. Grier probably views the nearly $9 million in 2023 dead cap as too high as is, based on figures from prior years since he has been in charge.
I utilize an approach to making these predictions that can be summed up with the old expression, "follow the money". I also use this approach to review players on the roster bubble headed into camp, and then lump them into several neat(ish) categories. Below I will list my roster locks (with brief explanation as needed), review bubble players (think mostly everyone who isn't a high priority UDFA or a inconsequential futures signing), and offer a few musings about the roster construction that I feel warrant further discussion among the fanbase (not Dalvin Cook!!).
Locks (40)
QB: Tua, White, Skylar
RB: Mostert, Wilson Jr., Achane, *Ahmed
FB: Ingold
WR: Hill, Waddle, *Berrios ($3 mill dead cap hit)
TE: Smythe
OT: Armstead, Jackson, *Wynn ($2 mill dead cap)
OG/C: Williams, Hunt, Eichenberg, *Feeney (3.1 mill dead cap hit), Jones
DT: Wilkins, Sieler, Davis
Edge: Philllips, Chubb, Ogbah, AVG
LB: Baker, Long, Riley, *Tindall
CB: X, Ramsey, Kader, Cam Smith
S: Holland, Jones, Elliot
K/P/LS: Sanders, Ferguson
*Ahmed: First off, I firmly believe he played his way into roster safety late last season. He is also still very cheap at his $1.4 cap figure, which was negotiated down from the cost of his right to first refusal tender. It would be pretty bad business to cut Ahmed after convincing him to take a decrease from his tender, thus forgoing his shot at free agency.
*Tindall: Former third rounders in their second camp are mortal locks to make it onto the 53. Patrick Turner was the last Dolphins 3rd round pick to not make it into his second season, for reference. And as I have now reminded myself, even Michael Egnew got a second season here.
*Berrios, Feeney, Wynn: Each of these players were guaranteed enough money on their deals this offseason that it would be a colossal front office failure if they were to be cut after camp.
Roster Bubble (13 spots available)
Too Expensive? (2)
Last year there was a group of 4 role players that I deemed vulnerable to release/trade at this stage, primarily because they were relatively expensive and could be replaced by a cheaper option with virtually no dead cap hit if released. Of the 4 players listed a year ago, two of them were in fact moved before the season, with Adam Butler waived/injured and Adam Shaheen traded and then traded back and put on IR. This year, I only identified one player that fits this specific description:
Keion Crossen $3.155 cap hit, $0 in dead cap hit
-Now, I still believe Crossen is likely going to be here, as he was signed to be a special teams ace, and also showed himself to be serviceable at CB when thrust into duty in 2022. However, at his premium cost for a 5th corneST ace and no guaranteed money, he is absolutely vulnerable to being replaced by a younger player who can replicate his production.
-Another expensive role player that is impossible to lock into a roster spot at this point is Cedric Wilson, though the reasons are pretty much the exact opposite of Crossen. Wilson is going to count $8 million against the cap, and his release would incur a $7 million dead cap. And yet, he might the team's 5th best receiver right now. In fairness to Grier, this is a good problem and a direct result of the unexpected Hill trade.
Trading Wilson has been discussed at ad nauseum in fan circles, but I do want to note, this depth chart makes very little sense with both Wilson and Robbie Chosen on it come week 1. Given Berrios projects as getting a heavy snap count in the slot and also as PR, the team would likely be keeping one of Chosen or Wilson inactive as a 5th receiver. That level of depth is excessive given other need areas, and also potentially blocks Ezukanma's path to playing time. While Wilson being traded would be the ideal scenario for cap purposes, don't discount Chosen being moved instead given his enticing vet minimum salary.
Swing and a miss? (6)
Last year I had another group of players who either had too much in guarantees or enough draft standing to at least have a strong chance to make the roster. These were guys that if they were released, the team is owning up to a (major or minor) personnel flub, whether it be a failed FA signing (or re-signing), or a whiffed draft pick. Most notably, Trent Sherfield and Solomon Kindley fit this profile a year ago. This year I have identified 6 such players to watch:
Noah Igbinoghene $2.4 mill dead cap
Jake Bailey: $1.1 mill dead cap
Eric Saubert: $850k dead cap
Nik Needham: $750k dead cap
Malik Reed: $750k dead cap
Erik Ezukanma: $545k dead cap
(Outside of EE, the other 5 players profile as veterans with a decent shot to make roster, who still could conceivably be outplayed for their spot).
-Noah has finally reached an amount of owed guaranteed money where it is realistic for Grier to finally cut his losses, although he would still cost them $1.4 mill whether he is here or not. There are a number of factors at play here, but there is a scenario in which other corners proving their health and a resulting numbers game makes Grier grit his teeth and move on. Of note, I would not be putting any old player owed $1.4 mill here or elsewhere on this list. Noah is on this list for his inability to prove his value.
-Bailey is pretty straight forward, fighting with the young Turk for the punter job.
-Saubert I feel is very likely to make it, though the Phins also have tough decisions to make at TE. They are unlikely to have space for 5 tight ends, and thus to keep Saubert they would have to move on from either one of Elijah Higgins/Tanner Conner or cut veteran Tyler Kroft, who costs you nothing to release, but is also cheaper than Saubert and more of an analogue to Durham Smythe.
-Pains me to put Needham off the lock list, but the Achilles tear is so unpredictable. I think there is a decent chance he starts out on PUP and provides depth in back half of season.
-Reed I believe is up against a few undrafted kids, as well as the veteran edge rusher market, as the team needs as much reliable depth at edge rusher as possible and Reed has had a difficult time since he last played for Vic Fangio. Remember, a year ago he was traded from Denver to Pittsburgh for a bag of footballs right around the cut down to the 53 man rosters, which is code for he was otherwise going to be cut by Denver at final cuts.
-EE is a classic case of a kid with draft investment goin up against over achievers like River Cracraft and Braylon Sanders.
Veterans in an uphill battle (9)
Then you have your vets who are guaranteed very little money (if any at all), and have enough competition, that they are directly in the line of fire and have an uphill battle to make the team if not for a change in circumstances. These players are all pretty much clinging to their NFL lives at this stage:
Myles Gaskin $0 dead cap
River Cracraft $0 dead cap
Robbie Chosen $125k dead cap
Geron Christian $350k dead cap
Kendall Lamm $200k dead cap
Cedric Ogbuehi $50k dead cap
Tyler Kroft $25k dead cap
Justin Bethel $75k dead cap
Elijah Campbell $0 dead cap
-It is very hard to see Gaskin's pathway to a roster spot. I remain unsure why he re-signed here.
-Cracraft would be the perfect depth wr or practice squad call up if Wilson or Chosen are moved. If not, I don't see how he sticks on 53 and how he gets back on field barring major injuries.
-It was tough to put Chosen on this list given his talent level and with things remaining so up in air. FWIW, I fully believe he makes zero sense to release while signed at the vet minimum. If his head is on straight, he could get us through an extended absence from Tyreek or Waddle, which is not something we can say for any other receiver on roster.
-Christian, Lamm, Ogbuehi, and rookie 7th rounder Ryan Hayes potentially could all be battling for a fourth OT spot, unless Hayes is moved inside to guard. I give Christian the inside track given the highest dead cap and his remaining upside at age 27. Realistically, the fourth tackle may not be on the roster, or they could even keep only 3 OT's given some of the interior guy's versatility.
-Kroft's status was already largely addressed. If Smythe is gonna be the guy, I'd think we need another guy who can be a poor man's version. Perhaps Ingold allows for that guy to be a PS guy.
-Bethel I believe is likely to be a victim of a numbers game.
-Don't sleep on Campbell as the fourth safety. He is a survivor.
Young Pups, will they bite? (12)
With any roster, the last few spots are often taken by low draft pedigree players with cheap contracts and perceived upside, as opposed to low ceiling vets making 1 million+. The following young pups I believe are the most likely to challenge for a 53 man spot:
UDFA Year 2 WR Braylon Sanders
UDFA year 2 TE Tanner Conner
6th round 2023 TE Elijah Higgins
7th round 2023 OT Ryan Hayes
UDFA year 1 DT Brandon Pili ($100k guaranteed)
UDFA year 1 LB Aubrey Miller ($100k guaranteed)
UDFA year 1 LB Mitchell Agude
UDFA year 3 CB/S Trill Williams
UDFA year 1 S Keidron Smith ($125k guaranteed)
UDFA year 2 S Verone Mckinley
XFL stand out S Bryce Thompson
UDFA year 1 P Michael Turk
-I've thought about Higgins and Conner battling for one spot behind Saubert, as they all aim to replace Gesiki's snaps. It is also hard for me to envision Mcdaniel and Grier giving up on Higgins or Conner so soon, given the investment and hype for both.
-Hayes as a 7th round pick will definitely be given a real chance to make it. The organization has had a lot of success with 7th round picks in the last decade, but also whiffed on the only one they recently used on OL (Larnel Coleman).
-Based on the current roster, 1-2 udfa's are likely to make it on defense, either to fill a ST role or add depth. Look out, however, for veteran signings between now and training camp.
-They are going to keep 10-11 in the secondary. This is the unit I fear most in terms of losing a player to waivers with upside. I also always overestimate how much the league values our players, so take it with a grain of salt. Keidron Smith is here because he has the most guaranteed money of any UDFA, which has been predictive in recent years, as Kader and Robert Jones both garnered hefty UDFA bonuses.
Thanks for reading. And thanks for spotrac
https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/miami-dolphins/cap/
submitted by nagle8589 to miamidolphins [link] [comments]
https://www.reddit.com/miamidolphins/comments/ugbujd/i_only_count_14_available_53_man_roster_spots_as/
*Of note, last year's post was prior to the signing of Melvin Ingram on 5/14/22, who would of also been considered a lock upon signing for $3.5 million in guarantees.
*I recognize the 53 man roster's importance has lessened somewhat since the change in practice squad rules in 2020. Still, I believe this exercise is informative in terms of overall roster construction, trying to predict players who will be in the organization come the fall, and identifying remaining areas of weakness.
*I will cite dead cap figures frequently. A good rule of thumb is to consider all players contracts that contain a dead cap charge of >500k if cut as likely to remain on the roster. For reference, Solomon Kindley had a $350k dead cap figure this team a year ago, and this was the highest figure of any player cut at the end of camp. Grier probably views the nearly $9 million in 2023 dead cap as too high as is, based on figures from prior years since he has been in charge.
I utilize an approach to making these predictions that can be summed up with the old expression, "follow the money". I also use this approach to review players on the roster bubble headed into camp, and then lump them into several neat(ish) categories. Below I will list my roster locks (with brief explanation as needed), review bubble players (think mostly everyone who isn't a high priority UDFA or a inconsequential futures signing), and offer a few musings about the roster construction that I feel warrant further discussion among the fanbase (not Dalvin Cook!!).
Locks (40)
QB: Tua, White, Skylar
RB: Mostert, Wilson Jr., Achane, *Ahmed
FB: Ingold
WR: Hill, Waddle, *Berrios ($3 mill dead cap hit)
TE: Smythe
OT: Armstead, Jackson, *Wynn ($2 mill dead cap)
OG/C: Williams, Hunt, Eichenberg, *Feeney (3.1 mill dead cap hit), Jones
DT: Wilkins, Sieler, Davis
Edge: Philllips, Chubb, Ogbah, AVG
LB: Baker, Long, Riley, *Tindall
CB: X, Ramsey, Kader, Cam Smith
S: Holland, Jones, Elliot
K/P/LS: Sanders, Ferguson
*Ahmed: First off, I firmly believe he played his way into roster safety late last season. He is also still very cheap at his $1.4 cap figure, which was negotiated down from the cost of his right to first refusal tender. It would be pretty bad business to cut Ahmed after convincing him to take a decrease from his tender, thus forgoing his shot at free agency.
*Tindall: Former third rounders in their second camp are mortal locks to make it onto the 53. Patrick Turner was the last Dolphins 3rd round pick to not make it into his second season, for reference. And as I have now reminded myself, even Michael Egnew got a second season here.
*Berrios, Feeney, Wynn: Each of these players were guaranteed enough money on their deals this offseason that it would be a colossal front office failure if they were to be cut after camp.
Roster Bubble (13 spots available)
Too Expensive? (2)
Last year there was a group of 4 role players that I deemed vulnerable to release/trade at this stage, primarily because they were relatively expensive and could be replaced by a cheaper option with virtually no dead cap hit if released. Of the 4 players listed a year ago, two of them were in fact moved before the season, with Adam Butler waived/injured and Adam Shaheen traded and then traded back and put on IR. This year, I only identified one player that fits this specific description:
Keion Crossen $3.155 cap hit, $0 in dead cap hit
-Now, I still believe Crossen is likely going to be here, as he was signed to be a special teams ace, and also showed himself to be serviceable at CB when thrust into duty in 2022. However, at his premium cost for a 5th corneST ace and no guaranteed money, he is absolutely vulnerable to being replaced by a younger player who can replicate his production.
-Another expensive role player that is impossible to lock into a roster spot at this point is Cedric Wilson, though the reasons are pretty much the exact opposite of Crossen. Wilson is going to count $8 million against the cap, and his release would incur a $7 million dead cap. And yet, he might the team's 5th best receiver right now. In fairness to Grier, this is a good problem and a direct result of the unexpected Hill trade.
Trading Wilson has been discussed at ad nauseum in fan circles, but I do want to note, this depth chart makes very little sense with both Wilson and Robbie Chosen on it come week 1. Given Berrios projects as getting a heavy snap count in the slot and also as PR, the team would likely be keeping one of Chosen or Wilson inactive as a 5th receiver. That level of depth is excessive given other need areas, and also potentially blocks Ezukanma's path to playing time. While Wilson being traded would be the ideal scenario for cap purposes, don't discount Chosen being moved instead given his enticing vet minimum salary.
Swing and a miss? (6)
Last year I had another group of players who either had too much in guarantees or enough draft standing to at least have a strong chance to make the roster. These were guys that if they were released, the team is owning up to a (major or minor) personnel flub, whether it be a failed FA signing (or re-signing), or a whiffed draft pick. Most notably, Trent Sherfield and Solomon Kindley fit this profile a year ago. This year I have identified 6 such players to watch:
Noah Igbinoghene $2.4 mill dead cap
Jake Bailey: $1.1 mill dead cap
Eric Saubert: $850k dead cap
Nik Needham: $750k dead cap
Malik Reed: $750k dead cap
Erik Ezukanma: $545k dead cap
(Outside of EE, the other 5 players profile as veterans with a decent shot to make roster, who still could conceivably be outplayed for their spot).
-Noah has finally reached an amount of owed guaranteed money where it is realistic for Grier to finally cut his losses, although he would still cost them $1.4 mill whether he is here or not. There are a number of factors at play here, but there is a scenario in which other corners proving their health and a resulting numbers game makes Grier grit his teeth and move on. Of note, I would not be putting any old player owed $1.4 mill here or elsewhere on this list. Noah is on this list for his inability to prove his value.
-Bailey is pretty straight forward, fighting with the young Turk for the punter job.
-Saubert I feel is very likely to make it, though the Phins also have tough decisions to make at TE. They are unlikely to have space for 5 tight ends, and thus to keep Saubert they would have to move on from either one of Elijah Higgins/Tanner Conner or cut veteran Tyler Kroft, who costs you nothing to release, but is also cheaper than Saubert and more of an analogue to Durham Smythe.
-Pains me to put Needham off the lock list, but the Achilles tear is so unpredictable. I think there is a decent chance he starts out on PUP and provides depth in back half of season.
-Reed I believe is up against a few undrafted kids, as well as the veteran edge rusher market, as the team needs as much reliable depth at edge rusher as possible and Reed has had a difficult time since he last played for Vic Fangio. Remember, a year ago he was traded from Denver to Pittsburgh for a bag of footballs right around the cut down to the 53 man rosters, which is code for he was otherwise going to be cut by Denver at final cuts.
-EE is a classic case of a kid with draft investment goin up against over achievers like River Cracraft and Braylon Sanders.
Veterans in an uphill battle (9)
Then you have your vets who are guaranteed very little money (if any at all), and have enough competition, that they are directly in the line of fire and have an uphill battle to make the team if not for a change in circumstances. These players are all pretty much clinging to their NFL lives at this stage:
Myles Gaskin $0 dead cap
River Cracraft $0 dead cap
Robbie Chosen $125k dead cap
Geron Christian $350k dead cap
Kendall Lamm $200k dead cap
Cedric Ogbuehi $50k dead cap
Tyler Kroft $25k dead cap
Justin Bethel $75k dead cap
Elijah Campbell $0 dead cap
-It is very hard to see Gaskin's pathway to a roster spot. I remain unsure why he re-signed here.
-Cracraft would be the perfect depth wr or practice squad call up if Wilson or Chosen are moved. If not, I don't see how he sticks on 53 and how he gets back on field barring major injuries.
-It was tough to put Chosen on this list given his talent level and with things remaining so up in air. FWIW, I fully believe he makes zero sense to release while signed at the vet minimum. If his head is on straight, he could get us through an extended absence from Tyreek or Waddle, which is not something we can say for any other receiver on roster.
-Christian, Lamm, Ogbuehi, and rookie 7th rounder Ryan Hayes potentially could all be battling for a fourth OT spot, unless Hayes is moved inside to guard. I give Christian the inside track given the highest dead cap and his remaining upside at age 27. Realistically, the fourth tackle may not be on the roster, or they could even keep only 3 OT's given some of the interior guy's versatility.
-Kroft's status was already largely addressed. If Smythe is gonna be the guy, I'd think we need another guy who can be a poor man's version. Perhaps Ingold allows for that guy to be a PS guy.
-Bethel I believe is likely to be a victim of a numbers game.
-Don't sleep on Campbell as the fourth safety. He is a survivor.
Young Pups, will they bite? (12)
With any roster, the last few spots are often taken by low draft pedigree players with cheap contracts and perceived upside, as opposed to low ceiling vets making 1 million+. The following young pups I believe are the most likely to challenge for a 53 man spot:
UDFA Year 2 WR Braylon Sanders
UDFA year 2 TE Tanner Conner
6th round 2023 TE Elijah Higgins
7th round 2023 OT Ryan Hayes
UDFA year 1 DT Brandon Pili ($100k guaranteed)
UDFA year 1 LB Aubrey Miller ($100k guaranteed)
UDFA year 1 LB Mitchell Agude
UDFA year 3 CB/S Trill Williams
UDFA year 1 S Keidron Smith ($125k guaranteed)
UDFA year 2 S Verone Mckinley
XFL stand out S Bryce Thompson
UDFA year 1 P Michael Turk
-I've thought about Higgins and Conner battling for one spot behind Saubert, as they all aim to replace Gesiki's snaps. It is also hard for me to envision Mcdaniel and Grier giving up on Higgins or Conner so soon, given the investment and hype for both.
-Hayes as a 7th round pick will definitely be given a real chance to make it. The organization has had a lot of success with 7th round picks in the last decade, but also whiffed on the only one they recently used on OL (Larnel Coleman).
-Based on the current roster, 1-2 udfa's are likely to make it on defense, either to fill a ST role or add depth. Look out, however, for veteran signings between now and training camp.
-They are going to keep 10-11 in the secondary. This is the unit I fear most in terms of losing a player to waivers with upside. I also always overestimate how much the league values our players, so take it with a grain of salt. Keidron Smith is here because he has the most guaranteed money of any UDFA, which has been predictive in recent years, as Kader and Robert Jones both garnered hefty UDFA bonuses.
Thanks for reading. And thanks for spotrac
https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/miami-dolphins/cap/
2023.06.07 21:06 StrugglingGhost Summer prepping with kids
I've got two young kids, and with summer being here, I thought I'd ask, dads especially, what are some things you regretted not keeping in your vehicle for kids?
I'm asking for stuff beyond the typical diaper bag suggestions and spare clothes, after all, what kind of dad would I be if I didn't have those?
I've got a small-ish first aid kit that I need to inspect, so anything that wouldn't normally be included in an off the shelf first aid kit would be good.
Related, how would I best store stuff so as to minimize the amount of space required?
submitted by StrugglingGhost to preppers [link] [comments]
I'm asking for stuff beyond the typical diaper bag suggestions and spare clothes, after all, what kind of dad would I be if I didn't have those?
I've got a small-ish first aid kit that I need to inspect, so anything that wouldn't normally be included in an off the shelf first aid kit would be good.
Related, how would I best store stuff so as to minimize the amount of space required?
2023.06.07 21:02 Poseidon___ Going To Work During The End Of The World
"Michael."
"Yes?"
"What are you doing here?"
"Working."
"Why?"
"Because I like to get paid."
"Terrorists have thrown a bomb into the sun and it will go supercritical before tomorrow."
"And?"
"It is literally the end of the world."
"Then why are you here?"
"I like that one flavor of shmurple chips, I've never found them anywhere else, and I've got nothing else to do because the world is ending. I sure as turgo am not going to work to work."
"Fair enough. I'd like to be home with my wife, but nooo Lacy has to have this done by Monday. I'm not getting fired over the end of the world."
"Michael, Lacy will not exist tomorrow, let alone Monday."
"You say that now, but I'll bet you a bag of those shmurple chips she'll still want it on Monday."
"There will not be any of the shmurple chips for you to bet me because I will be taking all of them from the vending machine. Because it is the end of the world."
"That just means you should keep a bag in reserve to give me on Monday."
"There will not be a Monday. Or a Tuesday, for that matter. Because this planet will be scattered apart into atoms, or whatever happens when a planet is caught in the blast radius of an exploding star."
"Just watch, with my luck I won't even get hazard pay even with all the riots going on."
Just then, the lights flickered and then went out.
Michael sighed. "Still probably not getting any bonus for this. One sec, I need to call Lacy."
Smeegledorp just stared as Michael pulled his communicator out of his pocket and proceeded to initiate a voice call.
"Hey Lacy. ... Yep, still working on it. Not sure if I can get it to you Monday, the power just went out here. I'll see if there's a backup generator, but I doubt there is. I'll need to go out and buy one myself, then set it up tomorrow. ... Yeah, I can probably get it to you Tuesday. Sorry for the inconvenience, the world's ending and the xenos here are going nuts. ... Yeah, I know! ... Well, I've gotta get going. I have some other projects I can do without power to the building that need doing. ... Well, it's not like anyone else is gonna do 'em. ... Could you? That would be great. ... You know Lacy, you're not so bad. Say hi to Harald for me. ... Yup, mmhm. Yeah, later."
Smeegledorp was still staring.
"I'm still willing to make that bet, by the way."
"You know what, Michael? Sure. If we are all here on Monday I owe you a bag of shmurple chips. Whatever flavor you want. Even if it doesn't exist. I'm leaving, and I'm eating every last bag except one just to humor your insanity."
"Awesome. See you Monday."
"No, you won't."
----
BREAKING: BUSINESS COMPANY, INC. SAVES WORLD! HUMANS INSANE? MONDAY AS USUAL?
"Yes, they are in fact insane." Smeegledorp said to no one in particular as he rode a shuttle to work Monday morning. Michael was going to be unbearably smug.
submitted by Poseidon___ to HFY [link] [comments]
"Yes?"
"What are you doing here?"
"Working."
"Why?"
"Because I like to get paid."
"Terrorists have thrown a bomb into the sun and it will go supercritical before tomorrow."
"And?"
"It is literally the end of the world."
"Then why are you here?"
"I like that one flavor of shmurple chips, I've never found them anywhere else, and I've got nothing else to do because the world is ending. I sure as turgo am not going to work to work."
"Fair enough. I'd like to be home with my wife, but nooo Lacy has to have this done by Monday. I'm not getting fired over the end of the world."
"Michael, Lacy will not exist tomorrow, let alone Monday."
"You say that now, but I'll bet you a bag of those shmurple chips she'll still want it on Monday."
"There will not be any of the shmurple chips for you to bet me because I will be taking all of them from the vending machine. Because it is the end of the world."
"That just means you should keep a bag in reserve to give me on Monday."
"There will not be a Monday. Or a Tuesday, for that matter. Because this planet will be scattered apart into atoms, or whatever happens when a planet is caught in the blast radius of an exploding star."
"Just watch, with my luck I won't even get hazard pay even with all the riots going on."
Just then, the lights flickered and then went out.
Michael sighed. "Still probably not getting any bonus for this. One sec, I need to call Lacy."
Smeegledorp just stared as Michael pulled his communicator out of his pocket and proceeded to initiate a voice call.
"Hey Lacy. ... Yep, still working on it. Not sure if I can get it to you Monday, the power just went out here. I'll see if there's a backup generator, but I doubt there is. I'll need to go out and buy one myself, then set it up tomorrow. ... Yeah, I can probably get it to you Tuesday. Sorry for the inconvenience, the world's ending and the xenos here are going nuts. ... Yeah, I know! ... Well, I've gotta get going. I have some other projects I can do without power to the building that need doing. ... Well, it's not like anyone else is gonna do 'em. ... Could you? That would be great. ... You know Lacy, you're not so bad. Say hi to Harald for me. ... Yup, mmhm. Yeah, later."
Smeegledorp was still staring.
"I'm still willing to make that bet, by the way."
"You know what, Michael? Sure. If we are all here on Monday I owe you a bag of shmurple chips. Whatever flavor you want. Even if it doesn't exist. I'm leaving, and I'm eating every last bag except one just to humor your insanity."
"Awesome. See you Monday."
"No, you won't."
----
BREAKING: BUSINESS COMPANY, INC. SAVES WORLD! HUMANS INSANE? MONDAY AS USUAL?
"Yes, they are in fact insane." Smeegledorp said to no one in particular as he rode a shuttle to work Monday morning. Michael was going to be unbearably smug.
2023.06.07 20:45 thrownawaz092 I don't THINK I'm an assassin? - Chapter 3 - Stalking the streets
As day turned to dusk, the reality of the situation Mike had found himself in was starting to dawn on him. It was already established he was in monster central, and in another world, and alone, and had no idea what was going on around him, but after the initial need of not getting spotted and probably mauled was satisfied, a whole new slew of problems were arrayed before him. Where would he eat? Drink? Sleep? If he injured himself, where could he get medical supplies? Where was he going? How could he get back home?
Could he get back home?
A stiff wind blew around him and stole the heat from his body, leaving him cold in an encroaching dark. 'How do I know I can even get back?' besides knowing it existed, Mike knew nothing about magic. He was fairly certain that kobold had sent him back the first time, but by the looks of it they had also summoned him in the first place. Something else pulled him in the second time, so there was a very real chance that he wouldn't be able to do anything. 'and of course, that all comes before the fact I have no idea how to find the little lizard.' Mike ducked into an alley to avoid some kind of flying fish as he considered his situation. Hopeless as it was, finding a needle in a haystack was the only option to present itself, so he reluctantly chose his only option.
Things hit an all time low as Michael sat under a bridge that would serve as his shelter for the night. Sure, there were plenty of haunted houses to choose from, but they all ran the risk of him being found by the monsters that lived in monster city. The bridge was a solid piece of work, being composed mostly of concrete and some kind of wood, and it passed over a wide river that was pretty turbulent for its size. Mike was suprised by the lack of metal, but it seemed to be holding up well enough so he let it go.
Slinging off his backpack, Michael decided to occupy himself by taking stock of his inventory and situation. Laying everything out, he had:
The gym clothes he was wearing, just a tee shirt and shorts. They were sweaty, dirty and didn't cover much
His regular clothes, thick jeans, another tee shirt and an over shirt
His phone, which had no service and 67% battery life. 'yeah, let's turn on airplane mode and the battery saver.' it wouldn't last long, but the calculator, flashlight, stopwatch, notepad and compass tools could all be useful.
Earphones, 'ha! I downloaded all my songs and can listen to them forever if I find a charger! Suck on that Spotify elitists!'
Shoes, nothing special about them
A bag of chocolates that monsters think they're too good for
An almost empty water bottle. 'pro tip, if you're lost in the desert, conserve sweat, not water.' Remembering that bit of survival trivia, he downed the last few gulps.
His pocket knife, score! The salesman had told him this thing could withstand his own weight on the blade, and Mike had really put it through its paces to confirm that claim. It was also a swiss army knife and had several tools in it, even a firestarter! That alone tripled his chances out here.
His wallet, full of useless bills, coins and cards
A gym membership, also useless
Ankle and wrist weights, with detachable pieces of metal to change the weight. 'Should I keep these on or off?' On one hand, he would like to be as physically capable as possible for whatever was coming, and the constant work out would only help with that, but on the other, they would slow him down and tire him out. Not good without a food source. He took them off for now.
And a gym bag, which is always good to have.
The first thing Mike did was change back onto his normal clothes. They would keep him a little warmer and weren't so smelly, which would be good for werewolves that might sniff him out. Walking down to the river, it seemed clear, so he filled his bottle - he could always not drink it later - and began washing the gym clothes.
As he scrubbed his mind moved onto the situation he was in. Another world, monsters, magic and local superpowers are all established. Judging by the state of things, that being the ruins and monsters, this was probably once a thriving nation that had since been overrun and was now populated with the monsters that did so. The biggest concern that came out of that was that this clearly hadn't been a medieval society. True, just about everything was alien to him but he could recognize a TV screen or a car, this place was just as if not more advanced than earth, and they still got wiped out by monsters.
As Mike started wringing out his shorts, his introspection was interrupted when he heard voices overhead. He immediately stopped and turned his head up. It was getting dark by now and whatever was above him had a light, he couldn't understand what the two, no three voices were saying, but he didn't like the tone or the fact that the light source seemed to be getting closer to the side of the bridge. He tensed, and slowly put his sopping clothes into his bag as quietly as he could.
With a loud grunt, whoever has the light jumped over the edge of the bridge, still out of view behind a support but that was as close as he was willing to get. Mike took off as fast as he could in the opposite direction of the ravine the bridge crossed. The ones still on the bridge pulled out another light and called out to the one on the ground, who growled a response back. 'crap, crap, crap!' rang through Mike's head as he put on more speed, the sounds of pursuit not far behind. Between the weights and wet clothes, Michael was worried he might have to ditch his bag again, but it wasn't weighing him down nearly as much as the thought it should. 'just wish adrenaline would come this easy at the gym!' he was making good speed all things considered and was glad to hear his pursuer falling behind.
His hopes of escape were shattered however as one of them proved able to fly, because he heard a screech overhead and saw a silhouette giving away his position! Come on, that's not fair! He had to lose the little cheater and soon, otherwise the others could just run him down at their leisure! Mike turned, slipping on the grassy turf as he aimed to go back in the city. If the universe would just throw him a bone for once, there wouldn't be many other monsters, and he could shake these jerks.
He ducked into an alley, left onto a street before swinging behind some buildings again. Looking up he could still see that cheeky little spy plane was still on him, and from the sounds of the voices, the ones on foot were taking a direct route instead of weaving around, they were closing in. Thanking the universe for actually not putting other monsters in his way, Mike ducked into another alley and saw what he was looking for; a dumpster (he assumed) right under an open window. The only issue was the chain link fence between him and it. 'Really though, who sets up a fence right in an alley like this?' another call from above reminded him of his situation. 'right, deal with it now, ponder neighbors who probably hated each other later.' despite his dismay at the obstacle, he practically leapt over the fence, which was at least 6 feet tall. Adrenaline was one hell of a drug, but there was no way he could do that!
He mentally stored that away as well as he hopped on the dumpster and into the window, waited a couple seconds and hopped back out. He couldn't see the spy anymore which meant they couldn't see him either. He just managed to crawl down a basement window of a building on the other side of the alley before his pursuers burst into the alley as well.
Watching through the window, Michael finally got a good look at the one on foot. That was a big guy, like 8 feet tall and built like a truck kind of big. He was the one with the light in his hand, a glowing ball that floated in his palm, and it cast a rather terrifying shadow over his crocodilian face. He was a crocodile man, no other way about it. Thick tail, heavy green scales that are more yellow on the underside, whatever you're imagining is probably right. The teeth didn't look too sharp but they made up for that in size and number. Besides, if he was anything like earth crocs he had enough bite force to make gums probably work.
Mike was thanking his lucky stars he hadn't been caught when suddenly a second head popped out from behind the first, and he realized the croc had a bucket strapped to his back with something poking out of it. After a bit of chatter, a second creature slithered out of the bucket and onto the ground. It was... Strange to say the least.
The creature stood at four feet tall, and was clearly an aquatic being, being covered in fins from head to toe to tail, along with burgundy scales so small he might've mistaken them for skin. Looking at its head it was decidedly a moray, with a mouth full of sharp teeth and an eels... Tail? Body? Let's say tail, coming out of the back of its head. Or would it be a humanoid body coming out of the moray's neck? 'This thing is weird to look at! Why do you need two bodies!?' Michael mentally screamed at the merfolk. He was just getting a grip on his mental image of it when the merfolk threw a wrench into his poor brains attempt to understand it, by flying. Well ok it wasn't flying flying, but with a little hop and spreading its wing-like fins it was able to glide along while hardly touching the ground. 'well this just keeps getting less and less fair.'
A call from above, undoubtedly from their flier, probably told Mr. Crocodile that Mike was in the building that he double backed out of, because his made some growling sounds of their own before he and the merfolk entered in through the window. Mike released a breath he hadn't even realized he was holding and took a look around the room he was in. It was dark in here, with only a bit of light coming from the twilight of a single window, but he could see place was almost empty, with little more than the occasional rug or bit of furniture that had been strewn about and a bit of debris by the stairs.
Seeing his way out, he ran to the stairs before noticing that there was more debris in the way than he saw in the dark. Turning on the flashlight on his phone, his hopes were dashed as he saw that the upper floor had caved in, blocking his access out. He hadn't seen the flier come down to enter the other building, so they were most likely keeping overwatch in case he tried to give them the slip, which he already kinda had, but he needed to make the same trick to work twice, and that always goes well.
Peeking out the window, Mike caught sight of what he assumed to be the flier making rounds overhead. There were only a few seconds on the far side that line of sight was broken, not enough time to run, but there were other hiding spots. Taking a chance, Mike crawled back out of the window as soon as the flier was out of sight and hopped into the confirmed dumpster. It was around now that he realized he didn't exactly have a plan, and his situation wasn't exactly improved either. 'I'm just making sure that I'm not cornered in case they find me. Yeah that's it!' now he had a plan, and his situation had improved too! Sort of, stop asking questions. A few seconds later he was out and under a shutter, and on the next loop he was out of the alley.
Turns out, it's not that easy. Mike had thought he was safe, after rounding a corner he ran until he was sure he'd lost them, only to hear more footsteps from behind. The flier must have seen him and Mr Croc was in pursuit again, at least Mike had enough of a lead he couldn't see them yet. Testing a theory, Mike found a balcony and jumped for it. Yep! Lower gravity was confirmed as he made it nearly two meters off the ground! He also undershot it and smacked his head on the underside of the balcony, eliciting a (hopefully) dignified shriek, ruining the momentous occasion. Still, he was able to hit the ground running and made for another escape.
It had not taken long for a pattern to establish, Mike would hide and lose pursuit only to be spotted by the flier as soon as he got any distance. His best bet was, somehow, to stay close, under the radar so to speak and lead them away. He wasn't sure how they always knew what direction he was in, considering how well he kept out of sight, until he saw Mr. Croc kneel down and sniff a footprint. Ahh, they were tracking him.
That might actually be a blessing in disguise, because they were moving from an abandoned looking residential area to an industrial complex that was more populated, seeing a bit of foot traffic and lights in windows. He just might be able to lose them in there. Mike had a bit of a laugh at the fact that monsters were living on a jobsite when there were some perfectly fine - ok dilapidated, but so is everything else - houses a few streets over. He snapped his attention back to the situation at hand, he was still being chased after all, and now he planned on escaping by walking through Monster City night life. 'how did I let this become my best option?' there was nothing for it though, he just had to hope he could still keep out of sight.
After a couple close calls where Mike had turned a corner only to see a wall or monsters that somehow hadn't noticed him, he got enough of a lead that he could try hiding. Finding a road with hundreds of footprints up and down it, he backtracked a few meters before diving behind a couple pipes that were sticking out of a building.
Mr. Croc showed up not long after with the eel in tow, and signed the flier to come down. He could finally see that dirty little spy plane! It was a... Moth! 3 feet tall with big black eyes, droopy antennae and some soft looking fluff on its head and body, Mike would have thought it adorable if it hadn't been snitching on him!
Being unfamiliar with monsterese, Mike had no idea what was being said, but the body language made it clear they were arguing. It actually looked like a parent scolding their children, with Mr. Croc being 8 feet tall while the others were in the 3-4 foot range. That didn't stop fire being flung both ways as the small pair clearly gave the kind of back talk that would have gotten the taste slapped out of Michael's mouth if he tried it on his dad. With someone saying something the conversation suddenly came to an end with Mr. Croc spitting on the ground and turning away. He fiddled with a latch on his chest and the bucket on his back came loose, hitting the eel on the head and soaking it, undoubtedly on purpose. With a few snide remarks the three went their ways, leaving Mike gracefully alone.
...In the middle of monster city.
Why did the universe insist on not improving the situation? 'Ok that wasn't fair universe, you're trying very hard, and I appreciate you getting me out of that.'
Karmatic retribution for his insolent thoughts hopefully averted, Mike got moving again.
.
Much to his own chagrin and with a hint of irony, Mike found himself tailing Mr Croc. Looking back it was ridiculous that nobody had noticed him running through the streets but he was found squatting under a bridge. Mr. Croc clearly had a reputation of some kind, because people seemed to avoid him like the plague. When Mike tried to backtrack he found himself relatively surrounded by monsters compared to the empty streets he was chased through, and he ended up finding sanctuary in the invisible bubble of Mr. Croc's presence, causing no end of irritation on Mike's end.
.
After nearly an hour of following, Michael's blood was boiling. Maybe because it was due to the lack of sleep, maybe it was due to being chased for hours for no reason, maybe it was due to being forced to hang around his least favourite semi-aquatic reptile. Or maybe it was because he was witnessing a mugging.
While sneaking along behind his quary, Mike did his best to hang back aways and keep an eye out for an escape route. They were still in the industrial complex, but must have been leaving the populated area, judging by the fact that fewer and fewer monsters were coming out after the crocodile had passed. Michael was just about ready to finally get away from him when he spotted someone walking in their direction, clearly having missed the memo to stay away.
The Croc was on them in a flash and the old bird -that's not an insult, she had feathers and a beak- tried to run but didn't get more than a couple steps away before the Croc had gotten a hold of her. Michael watched from the shadows as the bird lady was shaken, growled at and nearly had her head taken off by the snapping maw of an Egyptian god who had a chip on his shoulder. She was panicked, trying to run and begging, but the actual monster had her arm in a firm grip, and with his other hand he grabbed a pouch of some kind of the lady before shoving her onto the ground and walking away like nothing happened.
Michael was fuming. All that just to snatch a purse!? This thug who had chased him all throughout town, acted like he owned the place, who could probably rip Mike in half, did all that over a freaking handbag! His anger froze cold as the victim slowly picked herself up. Now that she wasn't being actively assaulted he could see she really was an old bird, with patches of feathers, wrinkles, generally frail looking, he was looking at someone's grandmother! And that crocodile... No, he would not get away with this!
.
Michael's anger had been subdued by the realization of what he was doing, now tailing the 8-foot lizard man a lot closer than before and armed with a pocket knife, one that felt a lot smaller in his hand as he realized what he was doing, he wasn't sure how to actually do this. The bastard deserved what was coming, but after cooling off Mike knew rushing in was a bad idea. Luckily this industrial complex, or whatever it was, was packed with rails, pipes, and other things so tightly there was practically a second road overhead. Mike's plan, if you could call it that, was to jump down onto the guy and take him out before he even knew what was happening.
Michael barely made a sound as he went up and over, stopping only when his target looked around. It seemed he could tell something was off, but wasn't ready to act on the feeling just yet, which wasn't the kind of opportunity that Mike was one to waste. He dropped, silent as a shadow.
The crocodile may have been 8 feet tall, built like a brick and was in a lower gravity setting, but the simple fact was that he wasn't ready for someone to suddenly land on his neck. He went down like a sack of potatoes with Mike clinging on, the tumble having left him momentarily disoriented. Still, he quickly righted himself, this needed to end fast, or it would turn into an actual fight where he would have the disadvantage. Wrapped around the monster's head Michael brought the knife to its neck and... Hesitated. Mike had been in fights before, but those were scuffles in the school yard, now he was about to kill. He knew his opponent deserved nothing less, but that seemed to fade in the face of taking a life. It was enough to take the fire out of him.
And so, instead of pushing the blade into his windpipe he only pressed it to the Crocs neck instead. "Alright listen up you big bastard," but the big bastard did not listen up, a fact made clear when a large hand grabbed and threw him off. Mike rolled as he landed and quickly got his feet back under him, knife luckily still in hand. The croc slowly stood up, cracking his neck as he did so before speaking. "Ev'uoy tsuj edam ym yad." It said with a toothy grin. Mike just glared from his crouched position. 'different language, nice to know I wasted my time!' kind of obvious in retrospect, but there's nothing for it now. Mike kept low to the ground, with a two foot difference in height he wouldn't even try to match his opponent in strength or reach, so he opted to keep low.
The Croc tensed for a moment before lunging at Mike, maw open and ready to swallow him whole. Mike lunged himself, keeping low to the ground and barely ducked under the attack and swiped at the exposed neck. He didn't expect to land the hit, but his opponent was taken off guard by his offence and didn't quite pull back fast enough, taking a superficial cut below the chin. Shock flashed in the croc's eyes and he lept back, lashing out with claws to keep Mike at bay. Unfortunately for him, Michael knew that playing fair was for suckers, and that you kick opponents when they're down, so he didn't let up. He was moving forward before the Croc had even landed, stayed below the counter and was in his guard again.
This time he didn't hesitate, and plunged his knife in the croc's side eliciting a shocked gasp from the titan and, keeping his momentum, moved just beside his opponent's shoulder before jumping just a little higher than intended and striking again. Still reeling from the first stab, the croc had only managed to make eye contact as Michael's knife sought his throat again, and this time did not stop. Michael landed on his feet as the croc sunk to his knees, blood leaking freely from his neck as he tried to stop the bleeding with his bare hands but it was already done. The crocodile was dead before he hit the ground, and Michael breathed a sigh of relief.
.
That purse wasn't the only property Mr. Croc had appropriated, as Michael found plenty of interesting things on his person. His things now, as he had no way of returning them. Despite the haul, his mind was elsewhere as he walked.
That guy did not know how to fight, probably used to just intimidating people around him. When an actual fight came he was honestly kinda sluggish, and didn't even think to use magic or the shiv that was in his pocket. Even so, that was a dumb thing to do. What was he thinking, attacking someone like that? What if he had known what he was doing!? Mike could not afford these kinds of mistakes in a survival situation, even if he did get lucky, even if he somehow got out unscathed! You just don't rely on that happening, and Michael resolved to remember that in the future.
Finding a good spot, he set the purse down in the middle of a road and retreated to a hiding place. Soon enough the bird lady passed by even slower than before, the only reason Mike got ahead of her was because she was slowly limping along. Seeing that made his hatred flare up again, but his anger faded away as with a shocked look, the bird lady found the purse, looked inside and sagged with visible relief before looking around suspiciously and continuing with just a bit more pep in her step. 'Well,' Mike thought, 'maybe that wasn't such a dumb move after all.'
____________________________________________________Author's note
Alright part 3 is out! Hope y'all enjoy.
In case anyone had missed it, large portions of Reddit will be going dark in protest of the removal of third party software on June 12th. I had originally planned to join the protest, but then I read the HFY 's official take on the matter (remaining neutral to act as an escape from stressful situations like this) and decided that's worthwhile. As such I will continue posting but otherwise will be off of Reddit in protest.
The first shall be previous and the next shall be in a week or so.
submitted by thrownawaz092 to HFY [link] [comments]
Could he get back home?
A stiff wind blew around him and stole the heat from his body, leaving him cold in an encroaching dark. 'How do I know I can even get back?' besides knowing it existed, Mike knew nothing about magic. He was fairly certain that kobold had sent him back the first time, but by the looks of it they had also summoned him in the first place. Something else pulled him in the second time, so there was a very real chance that he wouldn't be able to do anything. 'and of course, that all comes before the fact I have no idea how to find the little lizard.' Mike ducked into an alley to avoid some kind of flying fish as he considered his situation. Hopeless as it was, finding a needle in a haystack was the only option to present itself, so he reluctantly chose his only option.
Things hit an all time low as Michael sat under a bridge that would serve as his shelter for the night. Sure, there were plenty of haunted houses to choose from, but they all ran the risk of him being found by the monsters that lived in monster city. The bridge was a solid piece of work, being composed mostly of concrete and some kind of wood, and it passed over a wide river that was pretty turbulent for its size. Mike was suprised by the lack of metal, but it seemed to be holding up well enough so he let it go.
Slinging off his backpack, Michael decided to occupy himself by taking stock of his inventory and situation. Laying everything out, he had:
The gym clothes he was wearing, just a tee shirt and shorts. They were sweaty, dirty and didn't cover much
His regular clothes, thick jeans, another tee shirt and an over shirt
His phone, which had no service and 67% battery life. 'yeah, let's turn on airplane mode and the battery saver.' it wouldn't last long, but the calculator, flashlight, stopwatch, notepad and compass tools could all be useful.
Earphones, 'ha! I downloaded all my songs and can listen to them forever if I find a charger! Suck on that Spotify elitists!'
Shoes, nothing special about them
A bag of chocolates that monsters think they're too good for
An almost empty water bottle. 'pro tip, if you're lost in the desert, conserve sweat, not water.' Remembering that bit of survival trivia, he downed the last few gulps.
His pocket knife, score! The salesman had told him this thing could withstand his own weight on the blade, and Mike had really put it through its paces to confirm that claim. It was also a swiss army knife and had several tools in it, even a firestarter! That alone tripled his chances out here.
His wallet, full of useless bills, coins and cards
A gym membership, also useless
Ankle and wrist weights, with detachable pieces of metal to change the weight. 'Should I keep these on or off?' On one hand, he would like to be as physically capable as possible for whatever was coming, and the constant work out would only help with that, but on the other, they would slow him down and tire him out. Not good without a food source. He took them off for now.
And a gym bag, which is always good to have.
The first thing Mike did was change back onto his normal clothes. They would keep him a little warmer and weren't so smelly, which would be good for werewolves that might sniff him out. Walking down to the river, it seemed clear, so he filled his bottle - he could always not drink it later - and began washing the gym clothes.
As he scrubbed his mind moved onto the situation he was in. Another world, monsters, magic and local superpowers are all established. Judging by the state of things, that being the ruins and monsters, this was probably once a thriving nation that had since been overrun and was now populated with the monsters that did so. The biggest concern that came out of that was that this clearly hadn't been a medieval society. True, just about everything was alien to him but he could recognize a TV screen or a car, this place was just as if not more advanced than earth, and they still got wiped out by monsters.
As Mike started wringing out his shorts, his introspection was interrupted when he heard voices overhead. He immediately stopped and turned his head up. It was getting dark by now and whatever was above him had a light, he couldn't understand what the two, no three voices were saying, but he didn't like the tone or the fact that the light source seemed to be getting closer to the side of the bridge. He tensed, and slowly put his sopping clothes into his bag as quietly as he could.
With a loud grunt, whoever has the light jumped over the edge of the bridge, still out of view behind a support but that was as close as he was willing to get. Mike took off as fast as he could in the opposite direction of the ravine the bridge crossed. The ones still on the bridge pulled out another light and called out to the one on the ground, who growled a response back. 'crap, crap, crap!' rang through Mike's head as he put on more speed, the sounds of pursuit not far behind. Between the weights and wet clothes, Michael was worried he might have to ditch his bag again, but it wasn't weighing him down nearly as much as the thought it should. 'just wish adrenaline would come this easy at the gym!' he was making good speed all things considered and was glad to hear his pursuer falling behind.
His hopes of escape were shattered however as one of them proved able to fly, because he heard a screech overhead and saw a silhouette giving away his position! Come on, that's not fair! He had to lose the little cheater and soon, otherwise the others could just run him down at their leisure! Mike turned, slipping on the grassy turf as he aimed to go back in the city. If the universe would just throw him a bone for once, there wouldn't be many other monsters, and he could shake these jerks.
He ducked into an alley, left onto a street before swinging behind some buildings again. Looking up he could still see that cheeky little spy plane was still on him, and from the sounds of the voices, the ones on foot were taking a direct route instead of weaving around, they were closing in. Thanking the universe for actually not putting other monsters in his way, Mike ducked into another alley and saw what he was looking for; a dumpster (he assumed) right under an open window. The only issue was the chain link fence between him and it. 'Really though, who sets up a fence right in an alley like this?' another call from above reminded him of his situation. 'right, deal with it now, ponder neighbors who probably hated each other later.' despite his dismay at the obstacle, he practically leapt over the fence, which was at least 6 feet tall. Adrenaline was one hell of a drug, but there was no way he could do that!
He mentally stored that away as well as he hopped on the dumpster and into the window, waited a couple seconds and hopped back out. He couldn't see the spy anymore which meant they couldn't see him either. He just managed to crawl down a basement window of a building on the other side of the alley before his pursuers burst into the alley as well.
Watching through the window, Michael finally got a good look at the one on foot. That was a big guy, like 8 feet tall and built like a truck kind of big. He was the one with the light in his hand, a glowing ball that floated in his palm, and it cast a rather terrifying shadow over his crocodilian face. He was a crocodile man, no other way about it. Thick tail, heavy green scales that are more yellow on the underside, whatever you're imagining is probably right. The teeth didn't look too sharp but they made up for that in size and number. Besides, if he was anything like earth crocs he had enough bite force to make gums probably work.
Mike was thanking his lucky stars he hadn't been caught when suddenly a second head popped out from behind the first, and he realized the croc had a bucket strapped to his back with something poking out of it. After a bit of chatter, a second creature slithered out of the bucket and onto the ground. It was... Strange to say the least.
The creature stood at four feet tall, and was clearly an aquatic being, being covered in fins from head to toe to tail, along with burgundy scales so small he might've mistaken them for skin. Looking at its head it was decidedly a moray, with a mouth full of sharp teeth and an eels... Tail? Body? Let's say tail, coming out of the back of its head. Or would it be a humanoid body coming out of the moray's neck? 'This thing is weird to look at! Why do you need two bodies!?' Michael mentally screamed at the merfolk. He was just getting a grip on his mental image of it when the merfolk threw a wrench into his poor brains attempt to understand it, by flying. Well ok it wasn't flying flying, but with a little hop and spreading its wing-like fins it was able to glide along while hardly touching the ground. 'well this just keeps getting less and less fair.'
A call from above, undoubtedly from their flier, probably told Mr. Crocodile that Mike was in the building that he double backed out of, because his made some growling sounds of their own before he and the merfolk entered in through the window. Mike released a breath he hadn't even realized he was holding and took a look around the room he was in. It was dark in here, with only a bit of light coming from the twilight of a single window, but he could see place was almost empty, with little more than the occasional rug or bit of furniture that had been strewn about and a bit of debris by the stairs.
Seeing his way out, he ran to the stairs before noticing that there was more debris in the way than he saw in the dark. Turning on the flashlight on his phone, his hopes were dashed as he saw that the upper floor had caved in, blocking his access out. He hadn't seen the flier come down to enter the other building, so they were most likely keeping overwatch in case he tried to give them the slip, which he already kinda had, but he needed to make the same trick to work twice, and that always goes well.
Peeking out the window, Mike caught sight of what he assumed to be the flier making rounds overhead. There were only a few seconds on the far side that line of sight was broken, not enough time to run, but there were other hiding spots. Taking a chance, Mike crawled back out of the window as soon as the flier was out of sight and hopped into the confirmed dumpster. It was around now that he realized he didn't exactly have a plan, and his situation wasn't exactly improved either. 'I'm just making sure that I'm not cornered in case they find me. Yeah that's it!' now he had a plan, and his situation had improved too! Sort of, stop asking questions. A few seconds later he was out and under a shutter, and on the next loop he was out of the alley.
Turns out, it's not that easy. Mike had thought he was safe, after rounding a corner he ran until he was sure he'd lost them, only to hear more footsteps from behind. The flier must have seen him and Mr Croc was in pursuit again, at least Mike had enough of a lead he couldn't see them yet. Testing a theory, Mike found a balcony and jumped for it. Yep! Lower gravity was confirmed as he made it nearly two meters off the ground! He also undershot it and smacked his head on the underside of the balcony, eliciting a (hopefully) dignified shriek, ruining the momentous occasion. Still, he was able to hit the ground running and made for another escape.
It had not taken long for a pattern to establish, Mike would hide and lose pursuit only to be spotted by the flier as soon as he got any distance. His best bet was, somehow, to stay close, under the radar so to speak and lead them away. He wasn't sure how they always knew what direction he was in, considering how well he kept out of sight, until he saw Mr. Croc kneel down and sniff a footprint. Ahh, they were tracking him.
That might actually be a blessing in disguise, because they were moving from an abandoned looking residential area to an industrial complex that was more populated, seeing a bit of foot traffic and lights in windows. He just might be able to lose them in there. Mike had a bit of a laugh at the fact that monsters were living on a jobsite when there were some perfectly fine - ok dilapidated, but so is everything else - houses a few streets over. He snapped his attention back to the situation at hand, he was still being chased after all, and now he planned on escaping by walking through Monster City night life. 'how did I let this become my best option?' there was nothing for it though, he just had to hope he could still keep out of sight.
After a couple close calls where Mike had turned a corner only to see a wall or monsters that somehow hadn't noticed him, he got enough of a lead that he could try hiding. Finding a road with hundreds of footprints up and down it, he backtracked a few meters before diving behind a couple pipes that were sticking out of a building.
Mr. Croc showed up not long after with the eel in tow, and signed the flier to come down. He could finally see that dirty little spy plane! It was a... Moth! 3 feet tall with big black eyes, droopy antennae and some soft looking fluff on its head and body, Mike would have thought it adorable if it hadn't been snitching on him!
Being unfamiliar with monsterese, Mike had no idea what was being said, but the body language made it clear they were arguing. It actually looked like a parent scolding their children, with Mr. Croc being 8 feet tall while the others were in the 3-4 foot range. That didn't stop fire being flung both ways as the small pair clearly gave the kind of back talk that would have gotten the taste slapped out of Michael's mouth if he tried it on his dad. With someone saying something the conversation suddenly came to an end with Mr. Croc spitting on the ground and turning away. He fiddled with a latch on his chest and the bucket on his back came loose, hitting the eel on the head and soaking it, undoubtedly on purpose. With a few snide remarks the three went their ways, leaving Mike gracefully alone.
...In the middle of monster city.
Why did the universe insist on not improving the situation? 'Ok that wasn't fair universe, you're trying very hard, and I appreciate you getting me out of that.'
Karmatic retribution for his insolent thoughts hopefully averted, Mike got moving again.
.
Much to his own chagrin and with a hint of irony, Mike found himself tailing Mr Croc. Looking back it was ridiculous that nobody had noticed him running through the streets but he was found squatting under a bridge. Mr. Croc clearly had a reputation of some kind, because people seemed to avoid him like the plague. When Mike tried to backtrack he found himself relatively surrounded by monsters compared to the empty streets he was chased through, and he ended up finding sanctuary in the invisible bubble of Mr. Croc's presence, causing no end of irritation on Mike's end.
.
After nearly an hour of following, Michael's blood was boiling. Maybe because it was due to the lack of sleep, maybe it was due to being chased for hours for no reason, maybe it was due to being forced to hang around his least favourite semi-aquatic reptile. Or maybe it was because he was witnessing a mugging.
While sneaking along behind his quary, Mike did his best to hang back aways and keep an eye out for an escape route. They were still in the industrial complex, but must have been leaving the populated area, judging by the fact that fewer and fewer monsters were coming out after the crocodile had passed. Michael was just about ready to finally get away from him when he spotted someone walking in their direction, clearly having missed the memo to stay away.
The Croc was on them in a flash and the old bird -that's not an insult, she had feathers and a beak- tried to run but didn't get more than a couple steps away before the Croc had gotten a hold of her. Michael watched from the shadows as the bird lady was shaken, growled at and nearly had her head taken off by the snapping maw of an Egyptian god who had a chip on his shoulder. She was panicked, trying to run and begging, but the actual monster had her arm in a firm grip, and with his other hand he grabbed a pouch of some kind of the lady before shoving her onto the ground and walking away like nothing happened.
Michael was fuming. All that just to snatch a purse!? This thug who had chased him all throughout town, acted like he owned the place, who could probably rip Mike in half, did all that over a freaking handbag! His anger froze cold as the victim slowly picked herself up. Now that she wasn't being actively assaulted he could see she really was an old bird, with patches of feathers, wrinkles, generally frail looking, he was looking at someone's grandmother! And that crocodile... No, he would not get away with this!
.
Michael's anger had been subdued by the realization of what he was doing, now tailing the 8-foot lizard man a lot closer than before and armed with a pocket knife, one that felt a lot smaller in his hand as he realized what he was doing, he wasn't sure how to actually do this. The bastard deserved what was coming, but after cooling off Mike knew rushing in was a bad idea. Luckily this industrial complex, or whatever it was, was packed with rails, pipes, and other things so tightly there was practically a second road overhead. Mike's plan, if you could call it that, was to jump down onto the guy and take him out before he even knew what was happening.
Michael barely made a sound as he went up and over, stopping only when his target looked around. It seemed he could tell something was off, but wasn't ready to act on the feeling just yet, which wasn't the kind of opportunity that Mike was one to waste. He dropped, silent as a shadow.
The crocodile may have been 8 feet tall, built like a brick and was in a lower gravity setting, but the simple fact was that he wasn't ready for someone to suddenly land on his neck. He went down like a sack of potatoes with Mike clinging on, the tumble having left him momentarily disoriented. Still, he quickly righted himself, this needed to end fast, or it would turn into an actual fight where he would have the disadvantage. Wrapped around the monster's head Michael brought the knife to its neck and... Hesitated. Mike had been in fights before, but those were scuffles in the school yard, now he was about to kill. He knew his opponent deserved nothing less, but that seemed to fade in the face of taking a life. It was enough to take the fire out of him.
And so, instead of pushing the blade into his windpipe he only pressed it to the Crocs neck instead. "Alright listen up you big bastard," but the big bastard did not listen up, a fact made clear when a large hand grabbed and threw him off. Mike rolled as he landed and quickly got his feet back under him, knife luckily still in hand. The croc slowly stood up, cracking his neck as he did so before speaking. "Ev'uoy tsuj edam ym yad." It said with a toothy grin. Mike just glared from his crouched position. 'different language, nice to know I wasted my time!' kind of obvious in retrospect, but there's nothing for it now. Mike kept low to the ground, with a two foot difference in height he wouldn't even try to match his opponent in strength or reach, so he opted to keep low.
The Croc tensed for a moment before lunging at Mike, maw open and ready to swallow him whole. Mike lunged himself, keeping low to the ground and barely ducked under the attack and swiped at the exposed neck. He didn't expect to land the hit, but his opponent was taken off guard by his offence and didn't quite pull back fast enough, taking a superficial cut below the chin. Shock flashed in the croc's eyes and he lept back, lashing out with claws to keep Mike at bay. Unfortunately for him, Michael knew that playing fair was for suckers, and that you kick opponents when they're down, so he didn't let up. He was moving forward before the Croc had even landed, stayed below the counter and was in his guard again.
This time he didn't hesitate, and plunged his knife in the croc's side eliciting a shocked gasp from the titan and, keeping his momentum, moved just beside his opponent's shoulder before jumping just a little higher than intended and striking again. Still reeling from the first stab, the croc had only managed to make eye contact as Michael's knife sought his throat again, and this time did not stop. Michael landed on his feet as the croc sunk to his knees, blood leaking freely from his neck as he tried to stop the bleeding with his bare hands but it was already done. The crocodile was dead before he hit the ground, and Michael breathed a sigh of relief.
.
That purse wasn't the only property Mr. Croc had appropriated, as Michael found plenty of interesting things on his person. His things now, as he had no way of returning them. Despite the haul, his mind was elsewhere as he walked.
That guy did not know how to fight, probably used to just intimidating people around him. When an actual fight came he was honestly kinda sluggish, and didn't even think to use magic or the shiv that was in his pocket. Even so, that was a dumb thing to do. What was he thinking, attacking someone like that? What if he had known what he was doing!? Mike could not afford these kinds of mistakes in a survival situation, even if he did get lucky, even if he somehow got out unscathed! You just don't rely on that happening, and Michael resolved to remember that in the future.
Finding a good spot, he set the purse down in the middle of a road and retreated to a hiding place. Soon enough the bird lady passed by even slower than before, the only reason Mike got ahead of her was because she was slowly limping along. Seeing that made his hatred flare up again, but his anger faded away as with a shocked look, the bird lady found the purse, looked inside and sagged with visible relief before looking around suspiciously and continuing with just a bit more pep in her step. 'Well,' Mike thought, 'maybe that wasn't such a dumb move after all.'
____________________________________________________Author's note
Alright part 3 is out! Hope y'all enjoy.
In case anyone had missed it, large portions of Reddit will be going dark in protest of the removal of third party software on June 12th. I had originally planned to join the protest, but then I read the HFY 's official take on the matter (remaining neutral to act as an escape from stressful situations like this) and decided that's worthwhile. As such I will continue posting but otherwise will be off of Reddit in protest.
The first shall be previous and the next shall be in a week or so.
2023.06.07 20:33 deathfire123 Some of the owner responses for Henderson Mall in Coquitlam are wild!
| | submitted by deathfire123 to vancouver [link] [comments] |
2023.06.07 20:28 simpforsquirrels Baby/mom group help
I posted this in beyondthebump but thought I would get some advice on here too.
Hi everyone. I need to rant for a second and also need advice on if I’m overreacting.
I’ve gone three times to the weekly baby mom group in my town. The first time was super overwhelming due to a lot of the moms asking me my feeding/ diaper methods and just trying to get information about baby and I. I totally understand that this is a way for moms to connect but I felt like I was being judged for not using certain things/ combo feeding. The second time was great, not a lot of babies and moms there so easier to socialize.
Now today, it was busy. About 10 moms and babies. We were close to the door so a lot of traffic around our corner. A young( teen) mom comes with her grandfather and baby. The lady beside me was getting her baby checked out so the teen throws her things down and almost hits my baby with her diapers bag. I didn’t say anything but then she steps on my hand (which was right beside my baby) I just kind of says “oops” to get her attention that she needed to be careful. It was my turn to get my baby weighed but her grandfather was standing behind me. (he stayed like 30 mins or so) I tried to squeeze by and said excuse me but he wouldn’t move. While I was getting my baby checked out, the teen moved my phone and drink, and my babies toys off the mat and spread her things out to close the gaps of the circle. When I tried to sit back down I had realized what happened and asked her to love but she didn’t. So we sat on the outside of the circle and then left after I realized none of the moms were going to make room for us. Is this normal behaviour for a mom group? I feel so upset set that my baby isn’t given the chance to play with other babies. But I also don’t want to be a bitch and say something wrong.
Am I overreacting? I’m just so worked up I don’t know if I want to give it another chance
submitted by simpforsquirrels to Mommit [link] [comments]
Hi everyone. I need to rant for a second and also need advice on if I’m overreacting.
I’ve gone three times to the weekly baby mom group in my town. The first time was super overwhelming due to a lot of the moms asking me my feeding/ diaper methods and just trying to get information about baby and I. I totally understand that this is a way for moms to connect but I felt like I was being judged for not using certain things/ combo feeding. The second time was great, not a lot of babies and moms there so easier to socialize.
Now today, it was busy. About 10 moms and babies. We were close to the door so a lot of traffic around our corner. A young( teen) mom comes with her grandfather and baby. The lady beside me was getting her baby checked out so the teen throws her things down and almost hits my baby with her diapers bag. I didn’t say anything but then she steps on my hand (which was right beside my baby) I just kind of says “oops” to get her attention that she needed to be careful. It was my turn to get my baby weighed but her grandfather was standing behind me. (he stayed like 30 mins or so) I tried to squeeze by and said excuse me but he wouldn’t move. While I was getting my baby checked out, the teen moved my phone and drink, and my babies toys off the mat and spread her things out to close the gaps of the circle. When I tried to sit back down I had realized what happened and asked her to love but she didn’t. So we sat on the outside of the circle and then left after I realized none of the moms were going to make room for us. Is this normal behaviour for a mom group? I feel so upset set that my baby isn’t given the chance to play with other babies. But I also don’t want to be a bitch and say something wrong.
Am I overreacting? I’m just so worked up I don’t know if I want to give it another chance
2023.06.07 20:26 simpforsquirrels Baby/mom group help
Hi everyone. I need to rant for a second and also need advice on if I’m overreacting.
I’ve gone three times to the weekly baby mom group in my town. The first time was super overwhelming due to a lot of the moms asking me my feeding/ diaper methods and just trying to get information about baby and I. I totally understand that this is a way for moms to connect but I felt like I was being judged for not using certain things/ combo feeding. The second time was great, not a lot of babies and moms there so easier to socialize.
Now today, it was busy. About 10 moms and babies. We were close to the door so a lot of traffic around our corner. A young( teen) mom comes with her grandfather and baby. The lady beside me was getting her baby checked out so the teen throws her things down and almost hits my baby with her diapers bag. I didn’t say anything but then she steps on my hand (which was right beside my baby) I just kind of says “oops” to get her attention that she needed to be careful. It was my turn to get my baby weighed but her grandfather was standing behind me. (he stayed like 30 mins or so) I tried to squeeze by and said excuse me but he wouldn’t move. While I was getting my baby checked out, the teen moved my phone and drink, and my babies toys off the mat and spread her things out to close the gaps of the circle. When I tried to sit back down I had realized what happened and asked her to love but she didn’t. So we sat on the outside of the circle and then left after I realized none of the moms were going to make room for us. Is this normal behaviour for a mom group? I feel so upset set that my baby isn’t given the chance to play with other babies. But I also don’t want to be a bitch and say something wrong.
Am I overreacting? I’m just so worked up I don’t know if I want to give it another chance
submitted by simpforsquirrels to beyondthebump [link] [comments]
I’ve gone three times to the weekly baby mom group in my town. The first time was super overwhelming due to a lot of the moms asking me my feeding/ diaper methods and just trying to get information about baby and I. I totally understand that this is a way for moms to connect but I felt like I was being judged for not using certain things/ combo feeding. The second time was great, not a lot of babies and moms there so easier to socialize.
Now today, it was busy. About 10 moms and babies. We were close to the door so a lot of traffic around our corner. A young( teen) mom comes with her grandfather and baby. The lady beside me was getting her baby checked out so the teen throws her things down and almost hits my baby with her diapers bag. I didn’t say anything but then she steps on my hand (which was right beside my baby) I just kind of says “oops” to get her attention that she needed to be careful. It was my turn to get my baby weighed but her grandfather was standing behind me. (he stayed like 30 mins or so) I tried to squeeze by and said excuse me but he wouldn’t move. While I was getting my baby checked out, the teen moved my phone and drink, and my babies toys off the mat and spread her things out to close the gaps of the circle. When I tried to sit back down I had realized what happened and asked her to love but she didn’t. So we sat on the outside of the circle and then left after I realized none of the moms were going to make room for us. Is this normal behaviour for a mom group? I feel so upset set that my baby isn’t given the chance to play with other babies. But I also don’t want to be a bitch and say something wrong.
Am I overreacting? I’m just so worked up I don’t know if I want to give it another chance
2023.06.07 16:39 Big-Apricot-2651 Michael Kors Lexington Steel Watch - -66% off
submitted by Big-Apricot-2651 to deals_tower [link] [comments]