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2011.05.03 02:47 dreman Welcome to /r/short!
Welcome to /short: Celebrating being FUN SIZED for 10 years!
2014.11.17 10:29 Vessi Petite Fashion Advice
Welcome to /PetiteFashionAdvice! PetiteFashionAdvice is a fashion forum for petite (5'4" and under) individuals. The definition of petite refers to height. All body shapes, sizes, and weights are welcome.
2008.04.01 04:50 literature
Welcome to /literature, a community for deeper discussions of plays, poetry, short stories, and novels. Discussions of literary criticism, literary history, literary theory, and critical theory are also welcome. Book recommendations and homework help are off topic for this subreddit.
2023.06.11 00:22 Born_Ad7045 Am I "fake trans" if I only really started to think about my gender/*really* want to become a girl after finding online transgender resources?
One of my biggest fears since I've (23 AMAB) started questioning some 3-4 months ago is that I've somehow "convinced" myself that I could be trans, conditioned myself to want to be a girl or something...and that short of waiting literal years in what feels like purgatory to me any step taken towards transition would be a literal disaster or something.
I say this because gender wasn't really something that I thought about too much. I certainly didn't dream about being a girl every day (and didn't dream at all at night), or have recurrent questionning episodes, or stole my mom/sister's clothes...let alone thought *I* was a girl.
I did fantasize about being a girl from time to time for sure, and was jealous of women's bodies in general. I kind of felt shafted that life had given me a penis instead of a vagina, and did have recurring crossdressing fantasies that I rarely induged (and forced fem stuff that I *never* indulged or mentionned). I was a bit sad that I'd never get to experience life as a girl or be a lesbian...but all that stuff was kind of in the background, never too distressing or frequent, so I always thought of it as either a kink, or normal curiosity. And while I wasn't a massive fan of my body (disliked my facial hair and always had this background feeling that my chest was wrong somehow), that's stuff I just dealt with and figured was a normal part of not liking your body (something which tbf I had made massive strides in by exercising). There was other small stuff (dislike for facial hair, hating/being unable to use urinals, hating being shirtless, wanting to be able to lactate, mostly female avatars in games, hating clothes shopping...) but nothing that can't be explained away as something else.In any case, my teens are mostly just one bluvoid in my mind, as I've been dealing with varying degrees of depression since I was like 13.
I didn't exactly hate being a man, and I guess I liked my physical strength and being able to not worry about my personal safety. I'm not exactly the manliest of man out there...but frankly I kinda despise the "bro"-y types and was always more of the quiet introverted type anyway. A nerd, for lack of a better term. I stayed in the shadows, did my own thing.
Had you asked me last year who I was last year what I identified as, I would have told you I was a cis man. Had you dug a little deeper I would probably just have told you I was secure in my masculinity. Mostly, explicit thoughts of me being a girl didn't really enter my conscious mind much.
But now I'm really not sure if that's true anymore. I moved out for college last september, and by the time the semester's end approached I got this urge to buy a dress...which I did, figuring that I lived alone and could do what I wanted. Getting that dress and trying it on awoke something in me, not quite sure what, and I started thinking about crossdressing more, or becoming a femboy in private. A few weeks later I started wondering (for what reason I don't know) if I could be trans and found online ressources such as this subreddit, the GDB, Nightlingbug's twitter thread, turn-me-into-a-girl.com, and all the other usual stuff that gets passed around.
To put it bluntly, that's when it all went to sh*t.
I didn't resonate with everything I was reading, but I certainly did feel very seen by some of the stuff I was reading (exactly what I don't remember). I remember spending about 5-10 minutes with my hand between my head, feeling like suddenly I had "figured out what was wrong with me", like my life suddenly made sense somehow, and feeling the weight of it all come crashing down.
It was fascinating really. I knew that trans people existed, but beyond the usual stuff thrown around by popular media and what can be seen in porn that was just about all I knew. When the topic came up the the family dinner table every so often, trans people were either painted as deeply broken that deserved nothing but pity, or as the usual "crossdressing old man with beard" cliché that my mom in particular seemed to adhere to.
But the idea that I could be trans, that I could be a woman if I wanted to seemed too powerful to ignore somehow. I saw what HRT could do to people, and I wanted it. I didn't want to stop thinking about it. I wasn't entirely sure if I *really* wanted to be a woman, but there was at least some part of me that wanted it, even if its exact motivations were unclear. I got obsessive. My depression worsened considerably, as did my anxiety. For a time my libido and appetite were almost non existent. When I started feeling suicidal I pumped the breaks and got medical help, which certainly helped a lot.
I would have originally told you I didn't have dysphoria. However, since then I've started to feel increasingly uncomfortable with various aspects of my body (facial/body hair, hairline, chest, feet, genitals). Having my body be seen makes me feel uncomfortable. I've gotten to the point of crying about not being a girl several times, and spent many a days feeling melancholy about not being a girl. I even prayed to wake up as one one evening, despite not being religious or anything...I just felt compelled to and figured it couldn't hurt. I keep feeling jealous when I see women outside, wanting their body, clothes, hair... I find myself dissociating more frequently too.
But to be honest, I didn't use to feel this way before. I have no idea what response I would have given you if you had asked me about the button test, or the reverse button test. I didn't feel any dysphoria, and even now it's hardly a constant thing. I didn't see myself as separate from other men, just not very masculine. Even my actual desire to be a woman fluctuates a bit, and while I would definitely press the button now and like the idea of being called she/her... I don't want people to treat me differently either, and I don't necessarily feel super feminine either. I like to imagine myself as a full woman in a decade and kinda feel dread at the idea of being a man forever, but also feel anxious/uncertain about boobs. I get worried that reading about all this has put ideas into my head that aren't really mine and that I've somehow made myself feel or want things that I don't really feel or want, that the "internet made me trans", for lack of a better term. That I only so desperately want to be a woman because I've painted myself an idealized, escapist version of what life as one would look like.
I've started experimenting a bit (earrings, nail polish, dressing fem in private, shaving my legs/arms/body) and loved all of it (kinda feel bad when I can't), but that's gender expression, not ID. I've started seeing a supportive therapist since March (altho I kinda feel fake and undeserving going by a fem name/pronouns in such a setting). I'm going to see an IRL support group in a few weeks, but one of my worries is that I'll see a bunch of people who have clearly suffered with this all their lives while I just toy around with the idea. I worry I'm not trans, but I also worry that these thoughts aren't mine...and that I'll either figure that out somewhere down the line (potentially with a lot of pain and/or embarrassment and needing to tell everyone i was wrong) and just have to find a way to live with myself and how empty it all seems. I don't know if I can do that.
submitted by Born_Ad7045 to asktransgender [link] [comments]
I say this because gender wasn't really something that I thought about too much. I certainly didn't dream about being a girl every day (and didn't dream at all at night), or have recurrent questionning episodes, or stole my mom/sister's clothes...let alone thought *I* was a girl.
I did fantasize about being a girl from time to time for sure, and was jealous of women's bodies in general. I kind of felt shafted that life had given me a penis instead of a vagina, and did have recurring crossdressing fantasies that I rarely induged (and forced fem stuff that I *never* indulged or mentionned). I was a bit sad that I'd never get to experience life as a girl or be a lesbian...but all that stuff was kind of in the background, never too distressing or frequent, so I always thought of it as either a kink, or normal curiosity. And while I wasn't a massive fan of my body (disliked my facial hair and always had this background feeling that my chest was wrong somehow), that's stuff I just dealt with and figured was a normal part of not liking your body (something which tbf I had made massive strides in by exercising). There was other small stuff (dislike for facial hair, hating/being unable to use urinals, hating being shirtless, wanting to be able to lactate, mostly female avatars in games, hating clothes shopping...) but nothing that can't be explained away as something else.In any case, my teens are mostly just one bluvoid in my mind, as I've been dealing with varying degrees of depression since I was like 13.
I didn't exactly hate being a man, and I guess I liked my physical strength and being able to not worry about my personal safety. I'm not exactly the manliest of man out there...but frankly I kinda despise the "bro"-y types and was always more of the quiet introverted type anyway. A nerd, for lack of a better term. I stayed in the shadows, did my own thing.
Had you asked me last year who I was last year what I identified as, I would have told you I was a cis man. Had you dug a little deeper I would probably just have told you I was secure in my masculinity. Mostly, explicit thoughts of me being a girl didn't really enter my conscious mind much.
But now I'm really not sure if that's true anymore. I moved out for college last september, and by the time the semester's end approached I got this urge to buy a dress...which I did, figuring that I lived alone and could do what I wanted. Getting that dress and trying it on awoke something in me, not quite sure what, and I started thinking about crossdressing more, or becoming a femboy in private. A few weeks later I started wondering (for what reason I don't know) if I could be trans and found online ressources such as this subreddit, the GDB, Nightlingbug's twitter thread, turn-me-into-a-girl.com, and all the other usual stuff that gets passed around.
To put it bluntly, that's when it all went to sh*t.
I didn't resonate with everything I was reading, but I certainly did feel very seen by some of the stuff I was reading (exactly what I don't remember). I remember spending about 5-10 minutes with my hand between my head, feeling like suddenly I had "figured out what was wrong with me", like my life suddenly made sense somehow, and feeling the weight of it all come crashing down.
It was fascinating really. I knew that trans people existed, but beyond the usual stuff thrown around by popular media and what can be seen in porn that was just about all I knew. When the topic came up the the family dinner table every so often, trans people were either painted as deeply broken that deserved nothing but pity, or as the usual "crossdressing old man with beard" cliché that my mom in particular seemed to adhere to.
But the idea that I could be trans, that I could be a woman if I wanted to seemed too powerful to ignore somehow. I saw what HRT could do to people, and I wanted it. I didn't want to stop thinking about it. I wasn't entirely sure if I *really* wanted to be a woman, but there was at least some part of me that wanted it, even if its exact motivations were unclear. I got obsessive. My depression worsened considerably, as did my anxiety. For a time my libido and appetite were almost non existent. When I started feeling suicidal I pumped the breaks and got medical help, which certainly helped a lot.
I would have originally told you I didn't have dysphoria. However, since then I've started to feel increasingly uncomfortable with various aspects of my body (facial/body hair, hairline, chest, feet, genitals). Having my body be seen makes me feel uncomfortable. I've gotten to the point of crying about not being a girl several times, and spent many a days feeling melancholy about not being a girl. I even prayed to wake up as one one evening, despite not being religious or anything...I just felt compelled to and figured it couldn't hurt. I keep feeling jealous when I see women outside, wanting their body, clothes, hair... I find myself dissociating more frequently too.
But to be honest, I didn't use to feel this way before. I have no idea what response I would have given you if you had asked me about the button test, or the reverse button test. I didn't feel any dysphoria, and even now it's hardly a constant thing. I didn't see myself as separate from other men, just not very masculine. Even my actual desire to be a woman fluctuates a bit, and while I would definitely press the button now and like the idea of being called she/her... I don't want people to treat me differently either, and I don't necessarily feel super feminine either. I like to imagine myself as a full woman in a decade and kinda feel dread at the idea of being a man forever, but also feel anxious/uncertain about boobs. I get worried that reading about all this has put ideas into my head that aren't really mine and that I've somehow made myself feel or want things that I don't really feel or want, that the "internet made me trans", for lack of a better term. That I only so desperately want to be a woman because I've painted myself an idealized, escapist version of what life as one would look like.
I've started experimenting a bit (earrings, nail polish, dressing fem in private, shaving my legs/arms/body) and loved all of it (kinda feel bad when I can't), but that's gender expression, not ID. I've started seeing a supportive therapist since March (altho I kinda feel fake and undeserving going by a fem name/pronouns in such a setting). I'm going to see an IRL support group in a few weeks, but one of my worries is that I'll see a bunch of people who have clearly suffered with this all their lives while I just toy around with the idea. I worry I'm not trans, but I also worry that these thoughts aren't mine...and that I'll either figure that out somewhere down the line (potentially with a lot of pain and/or embarrassment and needing to tell everyone i was wrong) and just have to find a way to live with myself and how empty it all seems. I don't know if I can do that.
2023.06.11 00:17 MemeQueen1414 Would it hurt my locs retwisting sooner than usual?
Usually palm roll by loctician every 6-8 weeks. Bc of my Dad's Sister dying unexpectedly and having to attend a funeral. My locs which would be 24 weeks & 4 days (172 days) or 5 months & 21 days basically 6 months by then. The Retwist between my last one of May 29th would be lil over 3 weeks and it be my 4th one. Was originally going to do my 4th Retwist in late July before leaving to Student Exchange in Sydney, Australia as the interlocking method for the first time.
Would I be okay just this once to do it in a short amount of time then go my usual method of waiting 6 - 8 weeks? My Dad told me I have to look presentable and he + my family is not a fan of my locs. My locs is not enough to do a ponytail yet and I don't wear makeup as well. I think I would be manageable but my Dad is on me about my appearance atm
submitted by MemeQueen1414 to locs [link] [comments]
Would I be okay just this once to do it in a short amount of time then go my usual method of waiting 6 - 8 weeks? My Dad told me I have to look presentable and he + my family is not a fan of my locs. My locs is not enough to do a ponytail yet and I don't wear makeup as well. I think I would be manageable but my Dad is on me about my appearance atm
2023.06.11 00:11 Lordofthe305 CPWA Deception
 | The show opens with a moment of silence and a ten-bell salute for The late Iron Sheik. submitted by Lordofthe305 to FantasyBookers [link] [comments] The Iron Sheik 1942-2023 https://preview.redd.it/g1ebnfn9y75b1.jpg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0e961d66521de1670340c07a9b54037e25452a79 We open with a video package highlighting Shelton Jordan winning the CPWA World Heavyweight Championship and "The Number One Pick" LeJuan Jones scheming to regain the gold. We then see highlights of Keith Yang's matches and the return of Logan Lemming. We are then shown highlights of the Super Junior Carnival tournament, more specifically, Rory Irvine and "The Korean Idol" Han Sang-Hoon's path to the finals. The video package ends with slowed-down clips of Keith Yang, Logan Lemming, LeJuan Jones, and Shelton Jordan, who raises the CPWA World Heavyweight Championship over his head. Sticky Fingaz's "Man Up" plays in the arena as we see pyro go off for a few seconds, followed by cheering from the crowd. Brian Kinsley: We welcome to CPWA Annihilation! We are coming to you live from Calgary, Alberta, Canada! Brian Kinsley along with Anthony Harris and Sir Samuel Stewart, we have an action-packed pay-per-view that includes six championship matches, including the CPWA World Heavyweight Championship as Shelton Jordan defends his title against Keith Yang, Logan Lemming, and "The Number One Pick" LeJuan Jones. Anthony Harris: Plus, we have the finals of the Super Junior Carnival tournament. I can't wait for that to go down. Sir Samuel Stewart: It's definitely going to be a thriller of an event, and I think we may see some new champions. Brian Kinsley: Let's get right to the action. We cut to the ring. Announcer: The following contest is scheduled for... Crowd: ONE FALL! Leo Arnaud's "Bulger's Dream" plays in the arena Announcer: Introducing first, representing The Olympians, the team of Chip Day, Miles Orozco, and Devon Gatlin-Tyson. Brian Kinsley: Devon Gatlin-Tyson looked like a would-be favorite to win the Super Junior Carnival tournament, but came up short against "The Korean Idol" Han Sang-Hoon in the semifinals. Anthony Harris: Give Chip Day and Miles Orozco credit for helping DGT with those victories up to that point. I still believe he's going to be CPWA Cruiserweight Champion one day. 80s Synth Track Nightscapes plays in the arena. Announcer: And their opponents, introducing first, from Los Angeles, the team of Mark Starr and Ricky Vice, StarrVice! Brian Kinsley: Mark Starr and Ricky Vice competed in the Super Junior Carnival tournament, but it would be Ricky Vice who would face Devon Gatlin-Tyson in the quarterfinals and would lose thanks to the interference of the aforementioned Chip Day and Miles Orozco. Sir Samuel Stewart: It really hurt Ricky's chances, but he wasn't the only one affected by The Olympians' number game. M.O.P.'s "Fly N***a Hill F***a" plays in the arena. Announcer: Their tag team partner, from Brooklyn, New York, he is one-half of the CPWA Cruiserweight Tag Team Champions, "The Hi-Fli Kid," Jerome Evans. Brian Kinsley: "The Hi-Fli Kid" took on Devon Gatlin-Tyson in the first round of the Super Junior Carnival tournament and while it was a tremendous match, it would be soured by the interference of Day and Orozco. Anthony Harris: Best believe all three competitors want some payback on Chip, Orozco, and DGT. Don't get it twisted, however, StarrVice may be teaming up with "The Hi-Fli Kid," but they also got their eyes on regaining the CPWA Cruiserweight Tag Team Championships. Match 1: The Olympians (Chip Day, Miles Orozco, and Devon Gatlin-Tyson) vs. StarrVice (Mark Starr and Ricky Vice) and "The Hi-Fli Kid" Jerome Evans You would think that an opening match like this one would get the crowd hyped for the rest of the event, but it felt underwhelming at times. While the story here was StarrVice and "The Hi-Fli Kid" looking to get a measure of revenge on Chip Day and Miles Orozco, neither competitor was looking sharp in the ring. Devon Gatlin-Tyson carried much of the match for his team, which was the only highlight for the Olympians. The action then became a spotfest, leading toward the end of the match, where DGT nailed Mark Starr with a Split-Second DDT to get the win for his team. 2 out of 5 stars. We cut to backstage and we see Kevin Meyers interviewing CPWA World Heavyweight Champion Shelton Jordan. Shelton says that he's tired of LeJuan Jones's mind games and wants to put him away for good. He also says that he welcomes a challenge from Logan Lemming and Keith Yang, both of whom he will also defeat tonight. We return back to the ring. Announcer: The following contest is scheduled for one fall and it is for the CPWA Television Championship. Nu Breed's "Florida" plays in the arena Announcer: Introducing first, accompanied by his alligator Sunshine, from the Sunshine State, he is the CPWA Television Champion, "Florida Man" Gary Strange Brian Kinsley: The last time "Florida Man" Gary Strange held an open challenge for the CPWA Television Championship, he lost to The Mortician. Sir Samuel Stewart: Only for him to regain it back a few days ago on Octane. Anthony Harris: No thanks to Pretty Boy, who will defend the CPWA Hardcore Championship against The Mortician later on tonight. Gary Strange enters the ring and takes the mic as Nu Breed's "Florida" stops playing. Gary Strange: Well well well, Florida Man holds CPWA gold once again and looking to take on any challengers brave enough to challenge me. Come on, don't be shy. I'm ready for ya. Yoshida Brothers' "Storm" plays in the arena. Announcer: Introducing first, from Kagoshima, Japan, he is Kenshiro Ishii. Brian Kinsley: We haven't seen Kenshiro Ishii since High$takes and he looks more than ready to bring the fight. Anthony Harris: Brotha looks jacked and he knows he means business. Tego Calderon's "Mil Cosas" plays in the arena Announcer: Finally, from San Juan, Puerto Rico, he is Ramon Vega! Brian Kinsley: The last time we saw Ramon Vega, was back in January when he was teaming up with his brother Raymundo. Sir Samuel Stewart: He took some time off to compete in his native Puerto Rico, but now he's back and looking to win some gold. Match 2: CPWA Television Championship: "Florida Man" Gary Strange vs. Kenshiro Ishii vs. Ramon Vega A solid yet rough-around-the-edges kind of match. There was lots of brawling from all three competitors, along with some technical wrestling from Ramon. It looked like Ramon Vega was close to winning the CPWA Television Championship, but "Florida Man" managed to prevent the three count from occurring. Gary Strange continued fighting back, leading to him hitting a WTF (Welcome To Florida) on Vega to get the three count and to retain the CPWA Television Championship. 3 out of 5 stars We cut to the locker room area and we see "The Number One Pick" LeJuan Jones discussing strategy with Brother Julius about how to deal with Shelton Jordan, Keith Yang, and possibly Logan Lemming. Brother Julius tells LeJuan to focus more on his match and that he will deal with the other competitors tonight. LeJuan nods and Brother Julius sets out to put his plans in motion. We return back to the ring. Announcer: The following contest is scheduled for one fall with a 25-minute time limit. Johann Sebastian Bach's Air on G String plays in the arena. Announcer: Introducing first, from the posh hills of the Hamptons, she is Priscilla Pierce. Brian Kinsley: Priscilla Pierce won big a few days ago on Octane in tag team action with help from "The Dominican She-Devil," Ivy Fernandez. Sir Samuel Stewart: Priscilla Pierce looks to be on the fast track to challenging for the CPWA Women's International Championship. DaniLeigh Ft. Fivio Foreign "Dominican Mami" plays in the arena. Announcer: And her tag team partner, from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, she is "The Dominican She-Devil" Ivy Fernandez Brian Kinsley: "The Dominican She-Devil" may have won gold in Puerto Rico, but word has it that she may challenge for the CPWA Women's Championship. Sir Samuel Stewart: It could be a possibility, but let's see what happens. GACKT's "Redemption" plays in the arena Announcer: Introducing first, from Osaka, Japan, she is the CPWA Women's International Champion, Shiori Yoshimura. Brian Kinsley: Shiori Yoshimura gained a victory over Priscilla Pierce two weeks ago on Octane, but lost in tag team action a few days ago. She's looking to get a measure of revenge. Anthony Harris: Shiori's going to be a fighting champion for CPWA, and I know she's got to be fuming after that loss. Estrada de Estrela plays in the arena Announcer: Her tag team partner, from Sao Paulo, Brazil, she is the CPWA Women's Champion, Cristina Moreira. Brian Kinsley: Cristina Moreira has been kept busy ever since winning the CPWA Women's Championship. She's been on a media whirlwind in her native Brazil, promoting CPWA. Anthony Harris: I would love to do a show in Brazil. To all our Brazilian fans out there, CPWA sees you! Match 3: Shiori Yoshimura and Cristina Moreira vs. Priscilla Pierce and "The Dominican She-Devil" Ivy Fernandez Another solid match that saw some technical wrestling on display. While Cristina, Priscilla, and "The Dominican She-Devil" appear to be improving with their technical wrestling skills, Shiori was leagues ahead of them. Shiori controlled much of the match, even going as far as to utilize some power attacks. The match ended with Shiori hitting a Spinning Bison Bomb on Priscilla to get the win. 3 out of 5 stars. We cut to backstage and we see Kimberly Reynolds interviewing Rory Irvine. Rory says that nobody believed in him when he decided to enter the Super Junior Carnival tournament and that he could go all the way. Rory says that he's made believers out of those who have followed his journey through the tournament and knows that he is going to become the inaugural Super Junior Carnival Tournament winner and challenge for the CPWA Cruiserweight Championship. We return back to the ring. Announcer: The following contest is scheduled for one fall with a 25-minute time limit. Blood Brothers' "Replica" plays in the arena Announcer: Introducing first, representing The Commonwealth, the team of Owen Benoit-Jericho and the CPWA Cruiserweight Champion Kelly Lawton! Brian Kinsley: Both Owen Benoit-Jericho and Kelly Lawton entered the Super Junior Carnival tournament and while OBJ managed to go further than Lawton, neither one was able to reach the grand finals. Sir Samuel Stewart: I know Kelly Lawton has to be feeling some of type way about that loss. Let's hope he can redeem himself should Rory Irvine win the whole thing. Franz Ferdinand's "Take Me Out" plays in the arena. Announcer: And their opponents, from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the team of Steve and Adam, the Odenkirks! Brian Kinsley: Much like OBJ and Lawton, Steve and Adam Odenkirk also competed in the Super Junior Carnival tournament. Steve managed to reach the quarterfinals, while younger brother Adam lost in the first round. Anthony Harris: The Odenkirk brothers look like they got something to prove and they're not looking to hold back anything. Match 4: The Commonwealth (Kelly Lawton and Owen Benoit-Jericho) vs. The Odenkirks (Steve and Adam Odenkirk) A solid tag team match that had a little something of everything: Technical wrestling, brawling, MMA, and high-flying. It was an evenly fought match until the Commonwealth uses underhanded tactics to keep the advantage in their favor, isolating Adam from Steve. Anytime Adam would tag in Steve, the referee did not see it. Eventually, Steve got the tag and was a house of fire, knocking down Lawton and OBJ. Steve looked to have the match won with a 450 Splash but "The Iron Maiden" Mary Addams interfered on behalf of the Commonwealth, pushing Steve off the top rope. This allowed Lawton to hit the Outback Cutter on Steve to get the win for his team. 4 out of 5 stars. We get a one-minute video package hyping up Pretty Boy and his path of destruction. The hype package ends and we return back to the ring. Announcer: The following contest is scheduled for one fall and it is for the CPWA Hardcore Championship. An organ cover to Runaway Casket plays in the arena. Announcer: Introducing first, from Resting Peace Funeral Home, he is The Mortician! Brian Kinsley: The Mortician lost the CPWA Television Championship, thanks to Pretty Boy, who maniacally beat the living daylights out of him. Sir Samuel Stewart: The Mortician knows what it takes to win the CPWA Hardcore Championship, but against Pretty Boy, I don't know. The arena lights go out and we hear an ominous female voice. Ominous Female Voice: Pretty Boy...oh Pretty Boy...punish...them...all! Glitter Wasteland's "Cold War (Nightcrawler Remix)" plays in the arena as blue and red lighting fill the arena. Announcer: And his opponent, he is the CPWA Hardcore Champion Pretty Boy! Brian Kinsley: Pretty Boy has been on a rampage since winning the CPWA Hardcore Championship, and it doesn't seem to be slowing down any time soon. Anthony Harris: That man is cold-hearted. I don't think I've ever seen him blink once. Match 5: CPWA Hardcore Championship: Pretty Boy (c) vs. The Mortician If you wanted a balls-to-the-wall, knock-down, drag-out hardcore match, this one was it! The Mortician and Pretty Boy wasted no time beating the living hell out of each other, but Pretty Boy gained the upper hand. Pretty Boy threw the Mortician around like a rag doll at times, followed by beating him with clotheslines and rainmakers. The Mortician started to fight back, using steel chairs, lead pipes, and even the ring bell on Pretty Boy. The Mortician looked to have made some dents in Pretty Boy, causing him to bleed, but it only made Pretty Boy aggressive as he battered the Mortician, leading to a chokeslam and Tombstone Piledriver for the win. 4 out of 5 stars. After the match, Pretty Boy continued beating the Mortician. Suddenly, Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" (Elliot Loud version) plays in the arena Brian Kinsley: IT'S MANGOD!!! Mangod rushed the ring and started beating up Pretty Boy, causing him to flee. Mangod then headbutts the turnbuckles as the crowd cheers wildly. Mangod helps the Mortician to his feet, raising his hand to the crowd's approval. ***Intermission*** We cut back from intermission and we see Brother Julius walking down a hallway. He stops when Monroe Storm approaches him. Monroe tells Brother Julius that Logan Lemming has his sights on the CPWA World Heavyweight Championship as well and will stop at nothing to get it. Brother Julius warns Monroe that Logan better not cross "The Number One Pick" or he knows what's good for him. Monroe scoffs and walks away. Brother Julius shakes his head and does the same. we return back to the ring. Announcer: The following contest is scheduled for one fall and it is for the CPWA International Championship. The Wellerman plays in the arena Announcer: Introducing first, representing The Commonwealth, from Auckland, New Zealand, Jason Black Brian Kinsley: We haven't seen Jason Black in a long time, and that's because he's been touring between Japan and his native New Zealand. Sir Samuel Stewart: The Kiwi looks like he's poised to bring home some gold to The Commonwealth. The March of Death theme plays in the arena. Announcer: Next, from Guadalajara, Mexico, this is El Colibri Brian Kinsley: El Colibri was one of the favorites to win the Super Junior Carnival, but it wasn't meant to be as he lost in the first round to "The Korean Idol" Han Sang-Hoon. Anthony Harris: It was quite a shock, but let's see if he can rebound and get back to his winning ways. Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth's "The Creator" plays in the arena. Announcer: Finally, from Miami, Florida, he is the CPWA International Champion, Deron "Ron" Jordan. Brian Kinsley: Deron "Ron" Jordan has been helping his brothers in their feud against "The Number One Pick" LeJuan Jones, but here, he's looking to defend his CPWA International Championship. Anthony Harris: Let's hope he can retain it to keep more gold in the family. Match 6: CPWA International Championship: Deron "Ron" Jordan (c) vs. Jason Black vs. El Colibri This match wasn't good, but it certainly wasn't bad either. It was all over the place at times as there were some brawling mixed with some high-flying from Ron and El Colibri. Jason Black had control of the match, beating down El Colibri, but Ron prevented any chance of a three-count from happening. Both Ron and El Colibri double-teamed Jason Black, but they would turn their attention to attacking each other. El Colibri had Ron in the La Mistica, but Jason Black broke the hold. With Ron out of the way, this allowed Jason to hit the Blackout on El Colibri for the win and become the new CPWA International Champion. 2 out of 5 stars. We get a one-minute video package hyping up The Hart Sisters (Crystal and Tracy) and their dominance over the Women's Tag Team Division. The hype package ends and we return back to the ring. Announcer: The following contest is scheduled for one fall and it is for the CPWA Women's Tag Team Championships. "Hitman" plays in the arena Announcer: And their opponents, from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, they are the team of Crystal and Tracy, the Hart Sisters. Brian Kinsley: We are in Canada, and the Hart Sisters are getting a huge ovation. Sir Samuel Stewart: The Hart Sisters look to win big here tonight, and I have a feeling that they will. Eminem's "Venom" plays in the arena. Announcer: And their opponents, they are the CPWA Women's Tag Team Champions, Carnage Ayano and La Venena. Brian Kinsley: Carnage Ayano and La Venena are a dangerous combination of Japanese Strong Style wrestling and Mexican Lucha Libre wrestling. Anthony Harris: These ladies are psychotic in the ring. I've seen their matches in Japan and Mexico, so I know what they can do. Match 7: CPWA Women's Tag Team Championship: La Venena and Carnage Ayano (c) vs. The Hart Sisters (Crystal and Tracy) A somewhat decent match that had some great moments but at times, it was a botchfest, which was unusual for both teams. The Hart Sisters had control of the match, but Venena and Ayano started making a comeback. Crystal Hart managed to win the match for her team, placing Ayano in a sharpshooter to give her team victory and regain the CPWA Women's Tag Team Championship. 2 out of 5 stars. We cut to backstage and we see Kevin Meyers interviewing Keith Yang on his title match. Keith says that he hopes that the third time is the charm and that he will become the new CPWA World Heavyweight Champion. We return back to the ring. Announcer: The following contest is a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match for the CPWA Tag Team Championship. GACKT's "Redemption" plays in the arena Announcer: Introducing first, from Osaka, Japan, the team of Ryota and Daigo Yoshimura Blake Shelton's "Good Ole Boys" plays in the arena. Announcer: Next, from the great state of Tennessee, Roy and Zechariah, the Newton Boys. Franz Ferdinand's "Take Me Out" plays in the arena. Announcer: Finally, from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, they are the CPWA Tag Team Champions, William and Jake, the Odenkirks! Match 8: Tables, Ladders, and Chairs Match for the CPWA Tag Team Championship: The Odenkirks (William and Jake) (c) vs. Ryota and Daigo Yoshimura vs. The Newton Boys (Roy and Zechariah) This was a chaotic match with tons of high spots and lots of brawling. At one point in the match, Jake Odenkirk and Zechariah Newton climbed atop the ladder and beat each other with forearms and fists, leading to both men crashing through a table. This was followed up by a 450 Frog Splash combo from Daigo Yoshimura. Roy Newton saw an opportunity to reach for the gold, only for Ryota Yoshimura to powerbomb him off the ladder and onto some chairs. Unbeknownst to Ryota, William climbed atop the ladder and retrieved the CPWA Tag Team Championships. 2 out of 5 stars. We get a three-minute hype package about the Super Junior Carnival tournament, along with highlights featuring Rory Irvine and "The Korean Idol" Han Sang-Hoon. The hype package ends with clips of Rory Irvine and Han Sang-Hoon staring at each other. We cut back to the ring. Announcer: The following contest is scheduled for one fall and it is the grand finals of the CPWA Super Junior Carnival Tournament. The O'Reillys and Paddyhats' "Barrels of Whiskey" plays in the arena. Announcer: Introducing first, from Dublin, Ireland, he is Rory Irvine. Brian Kinsley: If you were to tell anyone that a young, plucky, yet scrappy wrestler from the Emerald Isle would find himself in the grand finals of the Super Junior Carnival Tournament, after going through numerous trials and battles, no one would've believed it, but here we are. Sir Samuel Stewart: Young Rory Irvine has been waiting for such an opportunity and he's going to make the best of it. Rain's "It's Raining" begins to play in the arena Announcer: And his opponent, from Seoul, South Korea, he is one half of the CPWA Cruiserweight Tag Team Champions, "The Korean Idol" Han Sang-Hoon! Brian Kinsley: "The Korean Idol" Han Sang-Hoon blazed a path of his own throughout the Super Junior Carnival Tournament, defeating the likes of El Colibri, Steve Odenkirk, and Devon Gatlin-Tyson. Could he win it all? Anthony Harris: He may, but also keep in mind that he's also CPWA Cruiserweight Tag Team Champion with "The Hi-Fli Kid" Jerome Evans. How will that all turnout? Match 9: CPWA Super Junior Carnival Tournament: Finals: Rory Irvine vs. "The Korean Idol" Han Sang-Hoon This match was the highlight of the event and the best match overall. Rory had the early advantage, but "The Korean Idol" came fighting back. Rory hit the Celtic Crucifix Drop on Han, only to get a 2 count. Rory look to put the match away but Kelly Lawton, Owen Benoit-Jericho, and Mary Addams provided distractions toward the referee and jumped Rory. Han would get himself involved, chasing off Lawton, Addams, and OBJ, only to be met with a superkick from Chip Day and Miles Orozco, plus a split-second DDT from Devon Gatlin-Tyson. "The Hi-Fli Kid" Jerome Evans, along with StarrVice rushed to the ring and fought The Olympians. It was complete chaos as everyone began fighting on the outside. Rory went for the Celtic Crucifix Drop, only for Han to reverse it into a falcon arrow, leading to the K-Pop Drop for the victory becoming the inaugural CPWA Super Junior Carnival Tournament winner. 4 out of 5 stars. After the match, Han Sang-Hoon extended his hand to Rory for a handshake. Rory accepted the handshake as both competitors celebrated together. Although Han won the tournament, the crowd cheered loudly for Rory, chanting his name. We get a four-minute hype package featuring Shelton Jordan, Keith Yang, Logan Lemming, and "The Number One Pick" LeJuan Jones. The hype package ends and we return back to the ring. Announcer: Our main event is scheduled for... Crowd: ONE FALL!!! Announcer: And it is for the CPWA World Heavyweight Championship. Bambu's "Chairman Mao" plays in the arena. Announcer: Introducing first, from Shanghai, China, he is Keith Yang. Brian Kinsley: IT'S YANG TIME!!! Buckshot, Skyzoo, Promise, and Sean Price's "I'm Better Than You" plays in the arena. Announcer: And their opponents, introducing first, accompanied to the ring by Brother Julius, from Columbus, Ohio, "The Number One Pick," LeJuan Jones. Motley Crue's "Shout At The Devil" plays in the arena. Announcer: His tag team partner, accompanied to the ring by Monroe Storm, from Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, he is Logan Lemming. The Roots' "Do You Want More" plays in the arena. Announcer: And their opponents, introducing first, representing The Jordan family, from Miami, Florida, he is the CPWA World Heavyweight Champion, Shelton Jordan. Match 10: CPWA World Heavyweight Championship: Shelton Jordan (c) vs. Keith Yang vs. "The Number One Pick" LeJuan Jones vs. Logan Lemming There was lots of action going on in this fatal four-way. Everyone seemed evenly matched at first, but Logan Lemming took control of the match, suplexing anyone that got in his way. Not to be outdone, Shelton Jordan performed several Exploder Suplexes on each of his opponents. Although Keith Yang got in some offense, he would be taken out by Ivan Markov. This allowed Logan Lemming and LeJuan to double-team Shelton Jordan. It looked like the double team was working, but both competitors weren't going to allow the other to get the pin. This led to Logan and LeJuan fighting each other. Logan was about to hit LeJuan with Logan's Run, but the Soldiers of Misfortune (General Wade and Guerrilla God) prevented that from happening, saving LeJuan from any harm. The Soldiers of Misfortune double power-bombed Logan and then Shelton, leading to LeJuan to hit a Game Winner on both Logan and Shelton to get the win and regain the CPWA World Heavyweight Championship. 4 out of 5 stars. LeJuan Jones is presented with the CPWA World Heavyweight Championship as the pyro goes off and the crowd jeers and boos. LeJuan Jones and Brother Julius celebrate as Deception fades to black. The results from FedSimulator.com https://preview.redd.it/l7u2k989l95b1.png?width=3320&format=png&auto=webp&s=fa2b9ce976008d24fdf34ee1fb39e5067ab07f07 The full bracket results of the CPWA Super Junior Carnival Tournament. |
2023.06.11 00:07 nerdle_turtle AITA for expecting SIL to pay for her meals?
My husband’s family lives in Europe and so he’s always had a standing offer to pay for 1/2 the flight for any of his siblings if they want to visit us. His sister, who is a 25 year old student, took him up on the offer.
Since arriving she’s paid for absolutely nothing. Every meal out she expects us to pay, and doesn’t even offer to cover her part. She claims she has no money and that her student loans didn’t come through in time. She didn’t even arrange for an international phone plan before traveling.
On top of this, she seemingly packed nothing and has asked to borrow everything (toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, hairbrush, makeup, and more).
AITA for being annoyed at her lack of planning and freeloading? She’s 25, not 15. I’ve spoken to husband about this but he says he doesn’t get to see her often and doesn’t mind treating. I’m 8 months pregnant and on a short fuse right now, so not sure if I’m the one being unreasonable.
submitted by nerdle_turtle to AmItheAsshole [link] [comments]
Since arriving she’s paid for absolutely nothing. Every meal out she expects us to pay, and doesn’t even offer to cover her part. She claims she has no money and that her student loans didn’t come through in time. She didn’t even arrange for an international phone plan before traveling.
On top of this, she seemingly packed nothing and has asked to borrow everything (toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, hairbrush, makeup, and more).
AITA for being annoyed at her lack of planning and freeloading? She’s 25, not 15. I’ve spoken to husband about this but he says he doesn’t get to see her often and doesn’t mind treating. I’m 8 months pregnant and on a short fuse right now, so not sure if I’m the one being unreasonable.
2023.06.11 00:04 buzzybeesting [Fully Lost] Doraemon Beach Episode - Nobita Exposes Himself
Not sure if this has been asked already, but I searched many variants of “Doraemon”, “Doraemon beach”, “Doraemon beach episode”, and come up with nothing, so here goes.
People always look at me crazy when I mention my parents not allowing me to watch Doraemon as a kid because of a scene where Nobita’s privates are visible as he takes his clothes off to go on a swim in the ocean, but now I am interested in knowing whether such an episode exists, or whether my mom made it up as an excuse to limit my screen time. I believe it exists, because of certain details:
submitted by buzzybeesting to lostmedia [link] [comments]
People always look at me crazy when I mention my parents not allowing me to watch Doraemon as a kid because of a scene where Nobita’s privates are visible as he takes his clothes off to go on a swim in the ocean, but now I am interested in knowing whether such an episode exists, or whether my mom made it up as an excuse to limit my screen time. I believe it exists, because of certain details:
- It was a classic filler beach episode where the characters are just having fun and no actual plot is happening.
- Nobita wants to take a swim, so he takes off his shorts and reveals a low-effort drawing of his male anatomy, to put it nicely. It’s nothing more than a rounded W and an elongated U, but the connotation is pretty clear.
2023.06.11 00:01 SpookyQueenCerea [H] Some Hedonites of Slaanesh Characters [W] Paypal, Trades (DoK, Soulblight, STE, Sisters, EC) [Loc] USA, MA
Slaanesh Pictures
I have Sigvald, Lord of Hubris, Lord of Pain, and the Masque.
Basically I was really considering doing a Hedonites army but I am deciding against it for the time being. So instead I'm looking to downsize and reinforce armies I currently do play. If possible I would rather sell the whole lot to somebody if possible.
I am looking for a bunch of things but in no particular order. Celestian Sacrosaints, The Triumph of Saint Katherine, Neferata, Veremonds Shamblers, Khainite Shadowstalkers, either Horus heresy legion prator (unassembled please), Fell Bats, Blood Knights, Lord Inquisitor Kyria Draxus, Noise Marines, or Stormcast Protectors.
Cast a wide net so they say. thanks!
submitted by SpookyQueenCerea to Miniswap [link] [comments]
I have Sigvald, Lord of Hubris, Lord of Pain, and the Masque.
Basically I was really considering doing a Hedonites army but I am deciding against it for the time being. So instead I'm looking to downsize and reinforce armies I currently do play. If possible I would rather sell the whole lot to somebody if possible.
I am looking for a bunch of things but in no particular order. Celestian Sacrosaints, The Triumph of Saint Katherine, Neferata, Veremonds Shamblers, Khainite Shadowstalkers, either Horus heresy legion prator (unassembled please), Fell Bats, Blood Knights, Lord Inquisitor Kyria Draxus, Noise Marines, or Stormcast Protectors.
Cast a wide net so they say. thanks!
2023.06.10 23:55 chellllz Am I (27F) taking advantage of my dad by living and working for him?
So lately this has been weighing on my mind and I really need some advice!
Some backstory, I'm a single mom of an almost 4 year old. His dad and I split almost 2 years ago. At the time, my ex and I had just moved in with my dad to (what I thought) save for a house, but we ended up splitting up shortly after. It worked out for the best because I just stayed living with my dad. At the time, I managed a small local catering and events company. I didn't make a ton, but I did enjoy the work and they were very flexible with the schedule as I was (and still am) doing all the childcare. I made enough to cover my car payment, insurance, and daycare and thats it. My ex now lives in another state and comes around ever couple of months for a day or so.
About 3 years ago, my dad started his own company and over the years it's gotten moderately successful, enough to keep him comfortable. He started having too much to do so I started helping him in my spare time. This went on for several months until I quit my job in December of last year and started full time for him. I now make more (not a lot more as I don't need much right now since I live with him. I dont need a huge salary so why waste the company money) and I work from home and have even more flexibility when it comes to my son getting sick or something. (Which happens like once a month because of day care lol)
On top of all that, I obviously rely heavily on my dad's help with my son. We live together, he's always here and he's very involved with my son. He usually takes him out for the day every Sunday so I can do housework or other stuff I need to do. I'm obviously very grateful for the help and I'm so happy they have such a close relationship.
However, I want to get my own place. I want to feel like I'm actually parenting my son on my own. I feel guilty for relying on my dad so heavily. Don't get me wrong, I love my dad, but we're together 24/7. We do everything together and both work from home and it's a lot.
We've talked about it, he knows I want my own place and will help me buy it by giving me a bonus at the end of the year. Something I shouldn't feel guilty for because in reality, I don't make much, especially for the scale of my job. It would basically be a bonus on the profit of the company we run together. But that just feels like I'm relying even more on my dad and taking advantage of him.
I've thought about getting a different job, a friend of mine even had a position open up at her work that she was hiring for and wanted me to apply. I talked to my dad about it and he was open to it if I wanted to do it, but was obviously a bit upset I didn't want to keep working with him and mentioned I'd have to find a replacement for my job. I ended up not applying for the position.
I honestly believe my dad likes that my son and I live with him. He likes being so involved with my son and seeing him all the time. He likes that I work with him and we have a family business we run together and I honestly like the work too.
He's even recently been looking on homes we could buy together but I cannot live with him forever. That's crazy right? I do eventually want to meet someone and get married but I can't really date at the moment. I feel guilty when I'm not here to watch my son or put him to sleep, especially since I already rely on my dad so much.
My brother and sister are both pretty successful on their own. My brother is doctor and my sister runs a high volume store in the mall. They've never said anything to me about my situation and how much I rely on our dad, but my sister in law recently mentioned something to me. She said she felt bad for how much my dad helps with my son (the only grandkid). I asked if she felt like I relied on him too much and she just said "well it's only you, if you had a partner you wouldn't need him as much". Which I honestly don't know how to take. I don't think she meant it maliciously, but it does make me wonder what they think of my situation. And honestly I just feel a little stuck at the moment.
So, what do you guys think? Am I taking advantage of my dad? Should I try to find a different job and separate our lives a bit? Should I feel guilty for basically letting him provide for not only me, but also my son, even though I technically work for it? Is it weird that I'm 27 and still living with my dad and relying heavily on him, especially when I have a son of my own?
submitted by chellllz to Advice [link] [comments]
Some backstory, I'm a single mom of an almost 4 year old. His dad and I split almost 2 years ago. At the time, my ex and I had just moved in with my dad to (what I thought) save for a house, but we ended up splitting up shortly after. It worked out for the best because I just stayed living with my dad. At the time, I managed a small local catering and events company. I didn't make a ton, but I did enjoy the work and they were very flexible with the schedule as I was (and still am) doing all the childcare. I made enough to cover my car payment, insurance, and daycare and thats it. My ex now lives in another state and comes around ever couple of months for a day or so.
About 3 years ago, my dad started his own company and over the years it's gotten moderately successful, enough to keep him comfortable. He started having too much to do so I started helping him in my spare time. This went on for several months until I quit my job in December of last year and started full time for him. I now make more (not a lot more as I don't need much right now since I live with him. I dont need a huge salary so why waste the company money) and I work from home and have even more flexibility when it comes to my son getting sick or something. (Which happens like once a month because of day care lol)
On top of all that, I obviously rely heavily on my dad's help with my son. We live together, he's always here and he's very involved with my son. He usually takes him out for the day every Sunday so I can do housework or other stuff I need to do. I'm obviously very grateful for the help and I'm so happy they have such a close relationship.
However, I want to get my own place. I want to feel like I'm actually parenting my son on my own. I feel guilty for relying on my dad so heavily. Don't get me wrong, I love my dad, but we're together 24/7. We do everything together and both work from home and it's a lot.
We've talked about it, he knows I want my own place and will help me buy it by giving me a bonus at the end of the year. Something I shouldn't feel guilty for because in reality, I don't make much, especially for the scale of my job. It would basically be a bonus on the profit of the company we run together. But that just feels like I'm relying even more on my dad and taking advantage of him.
I've thought about getting a different job, a friend of mine even had a position open up at her work that she was hiring for and wanted me to apply. I talked to my dad about it and he was open to it if I wanted to do it, but was obviously a bit upset I didn't want to keep working with him and mentioned I'd have to find a replacement for my job. I ended up not applying for the position.
I honestly believe my dad likes that my son and I live with him. He likes being so involved with my son and seeing him all the time. He likes that I work with him and we have a family business we run together and I honestly like the work too.
He's even recently been looking on homes we could buy together but I cannot live with him forever. That's crazy right? I do eventually want to meet someone and get married but I can't really date at the moment. I feel guilty when I'm not here to watch my son or put him to sleep, especially since I already rely on my dad so much.
My brother and sister are both pretty successful on their own. My brother is doctor and my sister runs a high volume store in the mall. They've never said anything to me about my situation and how much I rely on our dad, but my sister in law recently mentioned something to me. She said she felt bad for how much my dad helps with my son (the only grandkid). I asked if she felt like I relied on him too much and she just said "well it's only you, if you had a partner you wouldn't need him as much". Which I honestly don't know how to take. I don't think she meant it maliciously, but it does make me wonder what they think of my situation. And honestly I just feel a little stuck at the moment.
So, what do you guys think? Am I taking advantage of my dad? Should I try to find a different job and separate our lives a bit? Should I feel guilty for basically letting him provide for not only me, but also my son, even though I technically work for it? Is it weird that I'm 27 and still living with my dad and relying heavily on him, especially when I have a son of my own?
2023.06.10 23:54 IJustWantPeace202301 Is this abuse or am I crazy?
I (24F) want to try to keep this as short as possible, but this goes back a lot farther than this one incident. I am starting therapy as soon as hopefully next week, but this whole situation is eating me alive. I need help, I'm losing sleep, I can't stop crying, I'm irritable, I'm not myself at all. I need advice on how to move forward. I know this is the internet and honestly, I feel incredibly stupid for even resorting to this but please go easy on me as I'm really in a fragile state of mind right now.
2 years ago, I lost contact with my mom (43F) due to an issue between her and I that really is not related to this situation but helps with timeline. Only on occasion my mom would contact me through email since I had changed numbers and had no intention of giving her my new number as I was only comfortable with this form of communication between her and I. I started therapy the second year I lost contact, unfortunately due to it being incredibly expensive recently. I had to stop. So early November of last year I felt like I was ready to finally respond to one of her emails, there were only 2 since she only contacted me for my birthday. I responded, the following day she responded back inviting me to see her for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I only opted for one holiday, I really needed to prepare myself to see my family again.
My boyfriend (24M) and I get to my mom's for Christmas, the first day nothing really happened but we also arrived really late in the day. So, the following day was when I feel things started to spiral. My mom pulled me into her room and said she wanted to have a discussion with me. I of course oblige, at the time I was not really thinking she was trying to corner me but looking back I feel as though I was. Since I really was not allowed to speak unless it was me apologizing. She tells me that I needed to apologize to her and her boyfriend about something I said 2 years ago as it caused a huge fight. I asked for more detail as I honestly did not remember what I had said since it was so long ago. But when she answered me, I knew right away what incident caused me to say what I said.
She says this is not abusive, I thought otherwise but maybe I am wrong? This happened months before my mom and I had a falling out, but I can't get the image and the sound out of my head. My brother who was (15) at the time, now (17) was punished for watching porn on his tablet. I was not physically there for the whole thing I was working, but when I got home my mom showed me a picture and video of a smashed-up tablet both of which I know she posted on social media but shortly after posting also deleting them. The video consisted of my mom's boyfriend (45M) taking a hammer to the tablet on the kitchen table in close proximity of my brother, my brother is just standing there crying hysterically, my mom is laughing, my mom's boyfriend looks like he's enjoying the whole thing. I told her right when she showed me this video that it made me uncomfortable, and I thought that the punishment was a bit extreme considering he just watched porn. Of course, she did not like this response and walked away with nothing left to say. I went and talked to my brother who was still shaken up and crying, I felt I needed to give him some sort of advice because still to this day his situation isn't the healthiest. I had told him if he ever felt he needed to defend himself (in any situation) then he should do so but to never put his hands on anyone first. Shortly after I said that I realized really quickly that I had given him bad advice so I switched it and told him if he ever needed me for anything to not hesitate to call me if he ever got a phone and that defending himself should be a last resort. My mom was unaware of this advice up until he used it. Now during this conversation in December of last year she brought to my attention that he got into a fight with her boyfriend, I'm unaware of what caused the fight, she refused to give me that information when I asked her because I was thinking well why would my brother feel the need to fight him when generally he does as he's told, he listens, he's not normally one to fight I should know I've been around him his entire life. When I knew I wasn't going to get the information I wanted I just decided for the sake of my sanity I'd just apologize and move on.
Flashforward to today, I feel like I should not have apologized, I feel like I was right in thinking that this is abusive, and it should not have happened. I blame myself for the fight of course that's my fault, terrible advice. But I'm also blaming myself for not being there for my brother when he really needed me. I've taken care of all of my siblings from the time they were newborns up until now, and with everything that's going on with them I feel like I've been a terrible older sister by not being there for them, not being able to save them. Am I crazy? Is this not abusive?
TL;DR My mom's boyfriend (45M) took a hammer to my brother's (at the time 15 now 17M) tablet for watching porn, my brother was standing right next to him crying and very clearly upset, my mom (43F) recorded the whole thing you could hear her laughing in the video. Is this abusive or am I crazy?
submitted by IJustWantPeace202301 to family [link] [comments]
2 years ago, I lost contact with my mom (43F) due to an issue between her and I that really is not related to this situation but helps with timeline. Only on occasion my mom would contact me through email since I had changed numbers and had no intention of giving her my new number as I was only comfortable with this form of communication between her and I. I started therapy the second year I lost contact, unfortunately due to it being incredibly expensive recently. I had to stop. So early November of last year I felt like I was ready to finally respond to one of her emails, there were only 2 since she only contacted me for my birthday. I responded, the following day she responded back inviting me to see her for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I only opted for one holiday, I really needed to prepare myself to see my family again.
My boyfriend (24M) and I get to my mom's for Christmas, the first day nothing really happened but we also arrived really late in the day. So, the following day was when I feel things started to spiral. My mom pulled me into her room and said she wanted to have a discussion with me. I of course oblige, at the time I was not really thinking she was trying to corner me but looking back I feel as though I was. Since I really was not allowed to speak unless it was me apologizing. She tells me that I needed to apologize to her and her boyfriend about something I said 2 years ago as it caused a huge fight. I asked for more detail as I honestly did not remember what I had said since it was so long ago. But when she answered me, I knew right away what incident caused me to say what I said.
She says this is not abusive, I thought otherwise but maybe I am wrong? This happened months before my mom and I had a falling out, but I can't get the image and the sound out of my head. My brother who was (15) at the time, now (17) was punished for watching porn on his tablet. I was not physically there for the whole thing I was working, but when I got home my mom showed me a picture and video of a smashed-up tablet both of which I know she posted on social media but shortly after posting also deleting them. The video consisted of my mom's boyfriend (45M) taking a hammer to the tablet on the kitchen table in close proximity of my brother, my brother is just standing there crying hysterically, my mom is laughing, my mom's boyfriend looks like he's enjoying the whole thing. I told her right when she showed me this video that it made me uncomfortable, and I thought that the punishment was a bit extreme considering he just watched porn. Of course, she did not like this response and walked away with nothing left to say. I went and talked to my brother who was still shaken up and crying, I felt I needed to give him some sort of advice because still to this day his situation isn't the healthiest. I had told him if he ever felt he needed to defend himself (in any situation) then he should do so but to never put his hands on anyone first. Shortly after I said that I realized really quickly that I had given him bad advice so I switched it and told him if he ever needed me for anything to not hesitate to call me if he ever got a phone and that defending himself should be a last resort. My mom was unaware of this advice up until he used it. Now during this conversation in December of last year she brought to my attention that he got into a fight with her boyfriend, I'm unaware of what caused the fight, she refused to give me that information when I asked her because I was thinking well why would my brother feel the need to fight him when generally he does as he's told, he listens, he's not normally one to fight I should know I've been around him his entire life. When I knew I wasn't going to get the information I wanted I just decided for the sake of my sanity I'd just apologize and move on.
Flashforward to today, I feel like I should not have apologized, I feel like I was right in thinking that this is abusive, and it should not have happened. I blame myself for the fight of course that's my fault, terrible advice. But I'm also blaming myself for not being there for my brother when he really needed me. I've taken care of all of my siblings from the time they were newborns up until now, and with everything that's going on with them I feel like I've been a terrible older sister by not being there for them, not being able to save them. Am I crazy? Is this not abusive?
TL;DR My mom's boyfriend (45M) took a hammer to my brother's (at the time 15 now 17M) tablet for watching porn, my brother was standing right next to him crying and very clearly upset, my mom (43F) recorded the whole thing you could hear her laughing in the video. Is this abusive or am I crazy?
2023.06.10 23:27 KyleKKent Out of Cruel Space, Part 709
First
Capes and Conundrums
“Alright, watch and learn kiddo.” Deadshot says as he brings his gun into position. “Most people think that a rifle is a point and click answer to their problems. Point, pull the trigger and problem solved. Those people are idiots.”
“Oh?” The Merc beside him says. Since Deadshot was categorically a solo act and maybe on occasion has some mooks to do the heavy lifting having someone hang around close would be an issue. So the excuse was he was training another sniper. Franchising as it were.
“Okay, really quick out of character.” Silicon says.
“Yeah?” Pavel asks.
“How the hell are you going to cause half of that construction to come apart with a bullet? I understand it’s not massively up to code, but at the same time. A bullet is small. It has only so much kinetic energy it can carry and if you bring Axiom into this you’re setting up a flare.”
“Architecture and physics.” Pavel says as he adjusts the gun and then leans away from it. “Look down the scope. It should start to make sense.”
“That’s one of the main cables of that sign. But there’s at least one more and it only needs one to stay upright.”
“Look at the angle, also remember I’ve got a reinforced bullet for this one. It’s designed to stay intact and ricochet.” Pavel says and Silicon rises up to look at the back of the sign again and mentally trace where the bullet will go.
“You’re going to shatter one support and weaken the other.”
“Yes.”
“That is an absurd level of accuracy.”
“When the Undaunted claim to be better than the best of the best, it’s not idle boasting.” Pavel states as he takes a full shooting position again.
“So what’s the event in question?”
“We’re going to move along five positions and they have to find our ‘safe house’ in the point between them all. For that we’re going to need to leave some clues at each one. This first position to let people know they need to look is going to have the bullet casing, the bipod and of course the imprints we’re leaving on the roof gravel. For the next one we’re butting a type of polish on our boots that will get easily rubbed off so they get that, the casing and the imprint.”
“Are we leaving three clues at each place?”
“Yes. Some more obvious than others. Which reminds me.” Pavel says before digging out and tossing a wrapped bar at Silicon. “Eat that. It’s the third clue for the third location. Each one gets a bullet casing and the imprint of us hanging around.”
“What’s the fourth clue then?”
“A novelty sticker from a nearby business. It’ll let all the girls on the case know that Deadshot is staying nearby and has at least a hotel room, if not a full on base of operations.”
“And the last one?”
“Hardest one of all. Only two clues. The imprint and the casing.”
“And the ultimate place is in the middle of all of it...”
“Not exactly middle, but a place where you can reach all five locations without being spotted on a camera. Which is why we’re going there and then back out to relocate each time. So I hope you’re ready to take the stairs, because we got cardio in our future.”
“Oh joy.” Silicon says before a small timer goes off and Pavel grins.
“Show time.” He says as he double checks the wind, tastes the air and then slowly squeezes the trigger on his rifle.
The rifle is silenced and therefore the first sound that the danger makes is the calamitous clang as the grip of the frist cable is shattered and the still very active bullet goes careening downwards and slams into the base that holds the second cable. Cracking it ever so slightly.
Even from their position on the building, both men can hear the screaming groan as the metal slowly gives before the sign suddenly collapses forward and slams into the ‘civilians’ that Deadshot was hired to kill.
“Time to go.” Pavel says rising up as he disengages the bipod mount.
“Really? We’re just going down the stairs?” Silicon asks.
“The elevators have cameras, and the stairwells only have camera’s above the doors. However, the five buildings we’re using are in the middle of a maintenance upgrade that was massively overbooked as about fifteen different buildings decided they wanted the upgrades all at the same time. So these five are at the end of the list.” Pavel explains as he walks down.
“But the older security networks...” Silicon says.
“Pardon, I should have been more clear. The removal of the old equipment is already done for these five buildings, the actual replacement parts are not currently available.”
“And since the stairs are rarely used the security cameras in here are the last of the last priority.” Silicon says and Pavel nods.
“That’s right. Now we need to be able to get to our next location in a hurry. So time to skip some stairs.” Pavel says as he jumps down one flight and then flings himself down the next.
Silicon teleports down to the bottom but only has a few moments before Pavel arrives. He then waves for Silicon to follow him and then leads him through the building in a very strange, roundabout manner.
“We’re avoiding all the cameras they have left aren’t we?” Silicon asks and Pavel nods as he casually exits the building. He also points up and Silicon sees many Sonir in the air, a lot of them in Batman outfits of some kind and clearly scanning the upper areas and completely missing the two men casually walking around dressed like Deadshot with one of them lugging around a gun roughly as big as he is.
“Hey! Hey hey hey! You’re one of the actors right? Playing a bad guy?” A young Sonir girl asks flapping up to them. She’s tiny, dressed in all pink and clearly has gotten into at least a small amount of glitter lately.
“That’s right. Is there something you want?” Pavel asks in amusement.
“Can I take a picture?” She asks holding up her communicator.
“Sure thing little lady.” Pavel answers and she all but throws herself at him and turns in midair.
“Say boogers!” She exclaims.
“Boogers?!” Pavel demands before he hears the little camera go off a few times and she slides down with a giggle to examine her new selfie with the supervillain.
“Thank you mister badguy! Have fun!” She says rushing off with a laugh.
“Well that was adorable. Let’s keep moving.” Pavel states before they cross the street and make it into an a mall. A mall where he immediately leads Silicon into a side passage that’s lacking any kind of signs whatsoever.
“Where are we?”
“The building layout had some design fails. There are unregistered rooms back here. Well... not so much rooms as unused space, gaps between the stores. No security, no cameras, not even on the registration.”
“So is this tresspassing?’
“Even if we hadn’t informed the owners and legally rented the space? No. The place isn’t technically on the building plans so even if we squatted here it wouldn’t be a crime. But since we’re renting it, as is, we’re not only allowed in here, but are the only ones allowed.” Pavel explains as he opens a semi-hidden doorway to reveal.
“A sniper’s lair.” Silicon notes.
“That’s right.”
“This is an almost unfair test. They have to figure out that you weren’t spotted because you avoided the cameras, then look at a building’s blueprints and find out that there’s one place with none whatsoever.”
“That’s right. This is what level four puzzle challenge is about. If they catch us, it’s a win. But catching us is the hard part.” Pavel says and Silicon considers.
“I mean... this seems a little... I don’t know? Unfair?”
“It’s a riddle. Not every problem is solved by shooting things or using brute force.” Pavel replies as he fetches his replacement bipod. “Alright. Time to go. After I fire my shot the girls will all be given a warning about the second crime scene. They can then trace the bullet trajectory to our new location.”
“I still say it’s asking a bit much of people.”
“It’s far more data than Batman in the comic gets.”
“I don’t think comparing people to a person who’s superpower seems to be hyper-intelligence and a hefty dose of denial is fair either.” Silicon notes before Pavel leads him out.
“Probably not.” He admits and they’re shortly out of the mall and climbing up the stairs of another high rise.
•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•
She rushes to the scene of the next crime. It’s just like the last one. Massive collateral damage, one shot. A single attack, a single actioan and dozens of lives are done. It’s meticulous, it’s brilliant, it can only be Deadshot with that kind of aim and...
“Hey we got one too deep here!” Someone calls out and she’s pulled out of her head.
“What? That... I what?” She asks and looks around. The mannequins in a state of placement. The ‘explosion’ caused by the perfect unleashing of a gas valve that was sheered by a bullet. It blew out the front of a restaurant and left it a mess with all the mannequins in pieces.
“You were brooding girl! I could tell! You were forgetting to pull yourself out!” The other Sonir says and she holds her head.
“I was, wasn’t I?” Damn that’s not good.
“You alright there Batman?” The Undaunted playing the part of Jim Gordon asks.
“Fine, I’m... fine...” She says examining the area again. She lets out tiny pulses of sound and hears the place. The tiny hole where the bullet went through. The scalpel precise sheering of the pipe. No actual restaurants here used gas stoves, so it HAD to be part of the entire event. But still...
She lets out a little click and then imagines a straight line going backwards. Directly from the hole. She turns and sees the top of a large building nearby lines up nearly perfectly with it. “Up there!”
That said she takes off and gains altitude fast. Climbing upwards on the ash flecked wind until she crests over top. Empty already. She lets out a supersonic pulse and there’s a shape far different from the rest among the gravel atop the roof. A little cylinder. One that still stinks ever so slightly as she leans in close.
She steps around the slight indents suggesting where Deadshot laid and sees a slight smudging of some substance on the gravel as well. She doesn’t know what it is but...
“This... what is the puzzle?” She asks herself out loud. “There has to be some kind of answer to this.”
“There’s something up with you isn’t there?” Another Sonir asks as she alights on the landing. She looks back to where more are joining. “If you want it to stay private, keep it in your head. We all have good hearing sister.”
“I...” She begins before swallowing it.
“If you’re not up for these challenges then you’re not up for them and that’s that, there’s nothing to be ashamed of. These are for fun. No one’s lives actually depend on them. There’s no one getting hurt if you don’t do them.”
“Except maybe her ego!” One of the other Sonir calls out and there’s laughter from a friend that lands beside her.
There’s another indicator of the next part of the scene in just a few minutes and they all get the address. A police dispatch stating that a vehicle has had it’s tire shredded and gone wildly out of control.
She stays behind a bit as she thinks. Before sighing and deciding to fly away. Not really feeling her best today. Although completely unsure as to why. Something’s up, but she can’t figure out what.
She sends a message that she’s bowing out of the rest of the little context and will not be taking part of any more for the rest of the day. There’s a brief moment where she smirks as she confirms that no, it’s not something The Undaunted have done, she’s just not at her best.
She swoops downwards and lands at street level in a few moments.
•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•
“Excuse me miss.” Pavel says as he moves around the freshly landed Sonir woman and she outright stares at both him and Silicon as they move towards the next sniping positin. “Something wrong?”
“I bow out of the competition and I stumble on you moving?”
“Life’s funny isn’t it? Sorry, but I have to go.” Pavel says before rushign away with Silicon in tow.
First Last
PS: I really need to figure out what's killing my motivation. My mind keeps wandering and I just can't focus. I don't want to start guzzling caffeine again... but this is getting out of hand.
submitted by KyleKKent to HFY [link] [comments]
Capes and Conundrums
“Alright, watch and learn kiddo.” Deadshot says as he brings his gun into position. “Most people think that a rifle is a point and click answer to their problems. Point, pull the trigger and problem solved. Those people are idiots.”
“Oh?” The Merc beside him says. Since Deadshot was categorically a solo act and maybe on occasion has some mooks to do the heavy lifting having someone hang around close would be an issue. So the excuse was he was training another sniper. Franchising as it were.
“Okay, really quick out of character.” Silicon says.
“Yeah?” Pavel asks.
“How the hell are you going to cause half of that construction to come apart with a bullet? I understand it’s not massively up to code, but at the same time. A bullet is small. It has only so much kinetic energy it can carry and if you bring Axiom into this you’re setting up a flare.”
“Architecture and physics.” Pavel says as he adjusts the gun and then leans away from it. “Look down the scope. It should start to make sense.”
“That’s one of the main cables of that sign. But there’s at least one more and it only needs one to stay upright.”
“Look at the angle, also remember I’ve got a reinforced bullet for this one. It’s designed to stay intact and ricochet.” Pavel says and Silicon rises up to look at the back of the sign again and mentally trace where the bullet will go.
“You’re going to shatter one support and weaken the other.”
“Yes.”
“That is an absurd level of accuracy.”
“When the Undaunted claim to be better than the best of the best, it’s not idle boasting.” Pavel states as he takes a full shooting position again.
“So what’s the event in question?”
“We’re going to move along five positions and they have to find our ‘safe house’ in the point between them all. For that we’re going to need to leave some clues at each one. This first position to let people know they need to look is going to have the bullet casing, the bipod and of course the imprints we’re leaving on the roof gravel. For the next one we’re butting a type of polish on our boots that will get easily rubbed off so they get that, the casing and the imprint.”
“Are we leaving three clues at each place?”
“Yes. Some more obvious than others. Which reminds me.” Pavel says before digging out and tossing a wrapped bar at Silicon. “Eat that. It’s the third clue for the third location. Each one gets a bullet casing and the imprint of us hanging around.”
“What’s the fourth clue then?”
“A novelty sticker from a nearby business. It’ll let all the girls on the case know that Deadshot is staying nearby and has at least a hotel room, if not a full on base of operations.”
“And the last one?”
“Hardest one of all. Only two clues. The imprint and the casing.”
“And the ultimate place is in the middle of all of it...”
“Not exactly middle, but a place where you can reach all five locations without being spotted on a camera. Which is why we’re going there and then back out to relocate each time. So I hope you’re ready to take the stairs, because we got cardio in our future.”
“Oh joy.” Silicon says before a small timer goes off and Pavel grins.
“Show time.” He says as he double checks the wind, tastes the air and then slowly squeezes the trigger on his rifle.
The rifle is silenced and therefore the first sound that the danger makes is the calamitous clang as the grip of the frist cable is shattered and the still very active bullet goes careening downwards and slams into the base that holds the second cable. Cracking it ever so slightly.
Even from their position on the building, both men can hear the screaming groan as the metal slowly gives before the sign suddenly collapses forward and slams into the ‘civilians’ that Deadshot was hired to kill.
“Time to go.” Pavel says rising up as he disengages the bipod mount.
“Really? We’re just going down the stairs?” Silicon asks.
“The elevators have cameras, and the stairwells only have camera’s above the doors. However, the five buildings we’re using are in the middle of a maintenance upgrade that was massively overbooked as about fifteen different buildings decided they wanted the upgrades all at the same time. So these five are at the end of the list.” Pavel explains as he walks down.
“But the older security networks...” Silicon says.
“Pardon, I should have been more clear. The removal of the old equipment is already done for these five buildings, the actual replacement parts are not currently available.”
“And since the stairs are rarely used the security cameras in here are the last of the last priority.” Silicon says and Pavel nods.
“That’s right. Now we need to be able to get to our next location in a hurry. So time to skip some stairs.” Pavel says as he jumps down one flight and then flings himself down the next.
Silicon teleports down to the bottom but only has a few moments before Pavel arrives. He then waves for Silicon to follow him and then leads him through the building in a very strange, roundabout manner.
“We’re avoiding all the cameras they have left aren’t we?” Silicon asks and Pavel nods as he casually exits the building. He also points up and Silicon sees many Sonir in the air, a lot of them in Batman outfits of some kind and clearly scanning the upper areas and completely missing the two men casually walking around dressed like Deadshot with one of them lugging around a gun roughly as big as he is.
“Hey! Hey hey hey! You’re one of the actors right? Playing a bad guy?” A young Sonir girl asks flapping up to them. She’s tiny, dressed in all pink and clearly has gotten into at least a small amount of glitter lately.
“That’s right. Is there something you want?” Pavel asks in amusement.
“Can I take a picture?” She asks holding up her communicator.
“Sure thing little lady.” Pavel answers and she all but throws herself at him and turns in midair.
“Say boogers!” She exclaims.
“Boogers?!” Pavel demands before he hears the little camera go off a few times and she slides down with a giggle to examine her new selfie with the supervillain.
“Thank you mister badguy! Have fun!” She says rushing off with a laugh.
“Well that was adorable. Let’s keep moving.” Pavel states before they cross the street and make it into an a mall. A mall where he immediately leads Silicon into a side passage that’s lacking any kind of signs whatsoever.
“Where are we?”
“The building layout had some design fails. There are unregistered rooms back here. Well... not so much rooms as unused space, gaps between the stores. No security, no cameras, not even on the registration.”
“So is this tresspassing?’
“Even if we hadn’t informed the owners and legally rented the space? No. The place isn’t technically on the building plans so even if we squatted here it wouldn’t be a crime. But since we’re renting it, as is, we’re not only allowed in here, but are the only ones allowed.” Pavel explains as he opens a semi-hidden doorway to reveal.
“A sniper’s lair.” Silicon notes.
“That’s right.”
“This is an almost unfair test. They have to figure out that you weren’t spotted because you avoided the cameras, then look at a building’s blueprints and find out that there’s one place with none whatsoever.”
“That’s right. This is what level four puzzle challenge is about. If they catch us, it’s a win. But catching us is the hard part.” Pavel says and Silicon considers.
“I mean... this seems a little... I don’t know? Unfair?”
“It’s a riddle. Not every problem is solved by shooting things or using brute force.” Pavel replies as he fetches his replacement bipod. “Alright. Time to go. After I fire my shot the girls will all be given a warning about the second crime scene. They can then trace the bullet trajectory to our new location.”
“I still say it’s asking a bit much of people.”
“It’s far more data than Batman in the comic gets.”
“I don’t think comparing people to a person who’s superpower seems to be hyper-intelligence and a hefty dose of denial is fair either.” Silicon notes before Pavel leads him out.
“Probably not.” He admits and they’re shortly out of the mall and climbing up the stairs of another high rise.
•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•
She rushes to the scene of the next crime. It’s just like the last one. Massive collateral damage, one shot. A single attack, a single actioan and dozens of lives are done. It’s meticulous, it’s brilliant, it can only be Deadshot with that kind of aim and...
“Hey we got one too deep here!” Someone calls out and she’s pulled out of her head.
“What? That... I what?” She asks and looks around. The mannequins in a state of placement. The ‘explosion’ caused by the perfect unleashing of a gas valve that was sheered by a bullet. It blew out the front of a restaurant and left it a mess with all the mannequins in pieces.
“You were brooding girl! I could tell! You were forgetting to pull yourself out!” The other Sonir says and she holds her head.
“I was, wasn’t I?” Damn that’s not good.
“You alright there Batman?” The Undaunted playing the part of Jim Gordon asks.
“Fine, I’m... fine...” She says examining the area again. She lets out tiny pulses of sound and hears the place. The tiny hole where the bullet went through. The scalpel precise sheering of the pipe. No actual restaurants here used gas stoves, so it HAD to be part of the entire event. But still...
She lets out a little click and then imagines a straight line going backwards. Directly from the hole. She turns and sees the top of a large building nearby lines up nearly perfectly with it. “Up there!”
That said she takes off and gains altitude fast. Climbing upwards on the ash flecked wind until she crests over top. Empty already. She lets out a supersonic pulse and there’s a shape far different from the rest among the gravel atop the roof. A little cylinder. One that still stinks ever so slightly as she leans in close.
She steps around the slight indents suggesting where Deadshot laid and sees a slight smudging of some substance on the gravel as well. She doesn’t know what it is but...
“This... what is the puzzle?” She asks herself out loud. “There has to be some kind of answer to this.”
“There’s something up with you isn’t there?” Another Sonir asks as she alights on the landing. She looks back to where more are joining. “If you want it to stay private, keep it in your head. We all have good hearing sister.”
“I...” She begins before swallowing it.
“If you’re not up for these challenges then you’re not up for them and that’s that, there’s nothing to be ashamed of. These are for fun. No one’s lives actually depend on them. There’s no one getting hurt if you don’t do them.”
“Except maybe her ego!” One of the other Sonir calls out and there’s laughter from a friend that lands beside her.
There’s another indicator of the next part of the scene in just a few minutes and they all get the address. A police dispatch stating that a vehicle has had it’s tire shredded and gone wildly out of control.
She stays behind a bit as she thinks. Before sighing and deciding to fly away. Not really feeling her best today. Although completely unsure as to why. Something’s up, but she can’t figure out what.
She sends a message that she’s bowing out of the rest of the little context and will not be taking part of any more for the rest of the day. There’s a brief moment where she smirks as she confirms that no, it’s not something The Undaunted have done, she’s just not at her best.
She swoops downwards and lands at street level in a few moments.
•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•
“Excuse me miss.” Pavel says as he moves around the freshly landed Sonir woman and she outright stares at both him and Silicon as they move towards the next sniping positin. “Something wrong?”
“I bow out of the competition and I stumble on you moving?”
“Life’s funny isn’t it? Sorry, but I have to go.” Pavel says before rushign away with Silicon in tow.
First Last
PS: I really need to figure out what's killing my motivation. My mind keeps wandering and I just can't focus. I don't want to start guzzling caffeine again... but this is getting out of hand.
2023.06.10 23:25 CheesyArtist713 [INTRO] Properly Introducing Myself To This Sub!
Hello, /GiftofGames! My name is Cheesy, and I wanted to properly introduce myself to this subreddit!
I previously posted my first request (which was fulfilled by a kind friend of mine), but I realized that it was my first post to the sub without any prior introduction. And while I did write a bit of one in said request, I figured that it would be best to make a separate introduction post before joining the community. Some of what I mention here may already have been stated, so I apologize in advance.
Without further ado, hello! I would like to start things out by discussing my gaming background and the kinds of games I like.
I have been playing games for as long as I can remember, with the very first game I ever played being the original 1991 Sonic the Hedgehog. Since then, video games have become a major part of my life, giving me something to do when I'm bored or want to have a fun time with family and friends.
When it comes to my favorite types of games, I love older video games, especially from the era of early 2000s PC games.
There's something about the old 3D renders of these games and the simplistic, yet still well-designed UI that I really enjoy, invoking a very comfy and "home-y" feeling when I play them.
A great example of these would be games by PopCap. I love their games like Plants Vs. Zombies and Peggle for this reason, and they hold nice memories when it comes to playing these games with my sisters.
In terms of my own personal background, I am currently a Computer Science major hoping to get into game development or something along those lines. I can't for certain say that that's exactly what my future has in store, but it's something I would love to get into.
I really enjoy being able to work on projects that involve computers, such as making spreadsheets or managing websites or other social media outlets, thus leading me to go into the CS field.
My favorite genres of music include Jazz, Hip-Hop, and Drum & Bass. Funny enough, I feel like they're all connected, in a sense. Jazz I like for the (generally) slower and smooth tones, Hip-Hop has a bit of a faster pace while still sometimes being around the same speed, and finally, Drum & Bass has a great sense of energy, while still maintaining a "cool" demeanor.
Hopefully, these descriptions make sense, but long story short, I love these genres of music for the smooth and cool vibes they give off.
When it comes to discovering this subreddit, I thought it was a really nice idea for people to be able to give games and receive games from random people, being able to make their day by simply being kind.
I may not be able to give any games to others, which makes me feel a bit bad, in a sense, but it is what it is. That being said, I aim to be as grateful as possible to anyone who may fulfill any request I make in the future, as I understand that no one is entitled to fulfill them.
I hope that this introduction helped give a good background as to who I am when it comes to gaming, and I hope that I can be welcome within this community. Thanks for reading and thanks for your time. :)
Steam Profile (Name: Burning Daisies)
submitted by CheesyArtist713 to GiftofGames [link] [comments]
I previously posted my first request (which was fulfilled by a kind friend of mine), but I realized that it was my first post to the sub without any prior introduction. And while I did write a bit of one in said request, I figured that it would be best to make a separate introduction post before joining the community. Some of what I mention here may already have been stated, so I apologize in advance.
I have been playing games for as long as I can remember, with the very first game I ever played being the original 1991 Sonic the Hedgehog. Since then, video games have become a major part of my life, giving me something to do when I'm bored or want to have a fun time with family and friends.
When it comes to my favorite types of games, I love older video games, especially from the era of early 2000s PC games.
There's something about the old 3D renders of these games and the simplistic, yet still well-designed UI that I really enjoy, invoking a very comfy and "home-y" feeling when I play them.
A great example of these would be games by PopCap. I love their games like Plants Vs. Zombies and Peggle for this reason, and they hold nice memories when it comes to playing these games with my sisters.
I really enjoy being able to work on projects that involve computers, such as making spreadsheets or managing websites or other social media outlets, thus leading me to go into the CS field.
My favorite genres of music include Jazz, Hip-Hop, and Drum & Bass. Funny enough, I feel like they're all connected, in a sense. Jazz I like for the (generally) slower and smooth tones, Hip-Hop has a bit of a faster pace while still sometimes being around the same speed, and finally, Drum & Bass has a great sense of energy, while still maintaining a "cool" demeanor.
Hopefully, these descriptions make sense, but long story short, I love these genres of music for the smooth and cool vibes they give off.
I may not be able to give any games to others, which makes me feel a bit bad, in a sense, but it is what it is. That being said, I aim to be as grateful as possible to anyone who may fulfill any request I make in the future, as I understand that no one is entitled to fulfill them.
Steam Profile (Name: Burning Daisies)
2023.06.10 23:10 Saint-Andros Out of Our Elements A NoP FanFic 6
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Lots of thanks to u/Killsode-slugcat for helping me work through this chapter with editing.
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Memory transcription subject: Tevri, Venlil Romanticist
Date [standardized human time]: August 11, 2137
With eyes still closed, I stretched my legs and arms, paws pushing up against the inside of my sleeping bag. A sigh of contentment escaped my mouth.
I let the world in—light falling down in shafts that struck my still-waking eyes. No trees were around to provide cover from the rising sun that hung low in the east. The sounds of life surrounded me, occasionally being broken up by particularly strong gusts as well as a hint of something else.
My head turned to that hint, who still slept somewhat soundly off to my side. Last night Jack had set up his own sleeping bag less than an arm’s length from my own, citing our lack of a fire as the reason to gather closer to each other.
He tossed and turned, occasionally, muttering incoherently. At least he’s found some rest. After carrying me for over half of yesterday, he had certainly earned it.
It was actually quite surprising how well he had managed it all. His slim build compared to other humans that I had seen was betrayed by a hidden strength and incredible endurance. I suppose millions of years of evolution tends to allow such a thing.
Some part of me still felt bitter about what he had done the night prior to our last, but it was clear to me that his apology was sincere. I gave a quiet snort. He probably wouldn’t have carried you on your shoulders if he wasn’t at least somewhat sorry.
The covers of my too-big bag were thrown off and I sat up, holding my knocked knees with my paws.
Rocky rolling hills with low-grown shoots of grass lightly waved towards me. The nearby mountain range looked down upon us with its well-kept snow despite the summer season. Even three days of standing beneath them didn’t eliminate their wondrously looming presence.
I reached over to my nearby pack and grabbed my pen and journal. I clung to every thought that passed its way through my mind, marking them down the old fashioned way. There was something special about writing my feelings down on something physical rather than some pad or computer. It felt real in comparison to the alternative.
It was incredible to me how one of, if not the most dangerous planet to be found within known space was simultaneously one of the most fantastically beautiful worlds I ever had the pleasure of setting foot on. What a travesty it would have been had the federation actually managed to glass the biosphere. Ironically it had been the Arxur that prevented such a disastrous outcome. Those same savages had…
“Gah!”
Jack shot upright from where he had lain. He heaved harsh breaths, chest rising and falling as though he had just sprinted up the incline of a hill. I looked on with alarm, but didn’t think to disrupt the startled man. His eyes stared down at the dirt in front of him as he hung his hands between his legs.
“You okay?” I asked. He whipped to look at me like he had forgotten I was there. Slowly, he turned back to face the dirt. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.” He took a curt sniff and ran his hands across his face as he took a deep sigh.
He was lying.
The restless sleep, the violent rise into consciousness, the obvious distress within those wild eyes—all signs of nightmares. It had been years now since I last worried about such things, but I knew all too well how difficult they were to deal with.
A thought, as intrusive as it was unwelcome, pushed its way through the crowded thoughts of my mind, forcing my heart to skip a beat. What would be enough to scare a predator—human—to scare a human within their dreams? Instantly, I shoved it back from wherever it had come. He needs you right now, just like how you needed her.
I gently crawled over to the distraught man and set a paw on an arm while he leaned forward. At my touch, he turned his head towards me, staring with those forward-facing eyes. “Are you sure you’re okay?” I asked.
A slight snarl of a smile crossed his face, but no answer came. Jack stood up and stretched his arms outward, leaning back and forth.
“C’mon, let's pack up and head out. S’always good to start out early.” He extended a hand down to me where I sat still. How could he just brush something so terrifying off so easily? My tail flicked absently I guess they always have been a rather resilient species. Why should they be any different mentally? I relented to his proposal, grabbing his hand and allowing him to pull me upright.
Breakfast—much like last night’s meal—consisted of dry pre-prepped rations. Without surrounding trees from which drywood could be scavenged, we were left fireless. The ‘breakfast bars’ as Jack called them were a sufficient substitute for warm food. Every meal with the human increased my interest in the cuisine of his species. I hadn’t imagined it would all be so wonderfully varied and delicious.
The bar itself was chewy, made of oats, filled with dried fruits and sweetened by sugar. Each bite gave a satisfying crunch as my taste buds reveled in the impeccably delightful taste.
After hydrating and filling ourselves with calories, we set off once more on the trail.
This time, I was actually able to walk properly, though less than an hour after we departed, I was left wishing that Jack could scare me sleepless again—that way I could guilt him into carrying me.
While we continued, I walked without thinking much about the placement of my paws. I worried for my human friend. His mind was clearly plagued by something terrible, but the answer of what continued to evade me. The only lead I had were my own experiences, and in chasing that lead, my mind wandered back to the past.
As I was dragged from our home without protest, Devra lambasted our parents. Velnik cowered to the side as he watched the ordeal, helpless with widened eyes. Dad practically had to peel my sister away from mom as I was shoved into our vehicle. The echo of her shouts faded away.
It was the first time my parents admitted me for predator disease screenings.
An iron grip held my hand and led me forward through the stark featureless halls of the facility. A glance over my shoulder revealed my parents walking along. They dared not to risk a look in my direction. Tears welled at the edge of my eyes as the echoes of distant screams shocked my ears and flooded my brain with fear-chemicals.
My tail wrapped around my body and my ears bent towards the ground. Why did they want to throw me in here with the monsters? All I did was explore.
The facility worker threw me in a chair within a purely white room other than the single large black wall. From the ceiling hung a projector that faced one of the three white surfaces. After the worker left, my eyes floated through the room, narrowing at a sight that practically screamed of its existence. Dark lines were scrawled into the furthest corner of the sterile chamber.
I didn’t have the time to think about its implications when the screen clicked on and the lights dimmed, enhancing the image before me.
The metal chair fell backward with me in it, creating a resounding clang that bounded back and forth across the walls.
My hands slipped and slid across the slick floor, carrying my body backwards. This scramble led the wall to smash against my back. Without a thought, my claws joined the countless other marks of those who had come before me.
A towering, onyx-shaded visage of the malevolent beast prowled beyond the edge of my vision, obscured by tears of terror that practically blinded me. The blood-orange eyes glowed greedily and its mouth was stuck in a perpetual snarl. Viscera of a horrifically familiar color dribbled down its chin from where the meat was in the Arxur’s razor-sharp teeth.
With a click, the sanguine show moved forward to yet another horrific display. Another click. Another. One more. Click. Click. Click. Silence.
My eyes were as raw as my bloodied paws. Their scraping and scrabbling joined me with the other souls who had faced this same experience. When the lights flicked on and the worker came back to collect me, I curled up trying and failing to back away. She stood me up, patting me down before pulling me from the room. Everything was a collective white blur, compressed into a single moment of unfocused voices until I heard the vehicle’s door slam.
The ride home was silent as I leaned my head against the padded surface of my seat. Shallow breaths rose and fell from my chest while Mom and Dad stared ahead. They hadn’t looked at me once since we left the facility—or even talked to me—since we left the facility.
Among the many questions I had, one clung to the surface of my mind before being swallowed by its sea of screams. Why?
When at last we arrived at home, I barely even noticed. Only when the door to the passenger cabin flung open did I somewhat rise from my stupor. A sudden surprise wrapped around me and pulled me from the car, dragging away from my supposed guardians.
In an instant, I was rushed to my room and placed upon the familiar comfort of my bed before being coated by two layers of warmth; one was the plush cloth of a blanket and the other the fluffy warmth of my sister’s fur. “It’s ok, Tev. You’re home. You’re safe.” My empty eyes had no tears left to give, so Devra lent me hers.
You’re home. You’re safe.
“Tev? Tevri?”
My repeated name yanked me from the memory. Ugh, I’ve got to stop wandering off like that.
“You in there sheep?”
With a grumble, I responded. “I told you to stop calling me that.”
Jack uttered a mischievous chuckle. “C’mon, let's get over this next hill then break for lunch. Sure seems you could use a rest.” Despite it going unnoticed moments prior, I now felt my heart pumping hard and each breath heaved just as harshly. A short break will probably do me some good.
Together, we crested the hilltop and sat down both our packs and ourselves. I greedily lapped up water from my bottle while the man beside me calmly took several swigs from his own canteen. The food he grabbed was a pair of packaged items that he called ‘pasta salad.’
The small noodles were coated in a layer of creamy sauce and mixed with a variety of colorful vegetables that I didn’t recognize, but just like everything else cooked up by these humans, it was delicious. The sweet, creamy sauce contrasted nicely with the savory taste of the noodles and the soft texture of the pasta paired with the lovely crunch of the vegetables made for a wonderful meal.
As I munched on my food, the wind lazily played with my tail. My heart drummed onward, steadying into an agreeable rhythm before finally, my breathing leveled out.
A field of purple flowers greeted us, climbing and falling with the rolling land. Down below us was the river we had loosely followed, bordered by nondescript bunches of shrubbery. Rapid white waters splashed up and against rocks, breaking the flow and sending up spray.
When together we finished our food, we sat there, enjoying the world around us. “So, Tevri,” as Jack spoke, I met his forward eyes, “we’ve been out here for two days now and I still know next to nothing about you. Why don’t you tell me a bit more ‘bout yourself.”
The sudden question caught me by surprise, but I tried my best to answer anyway. “There isn’t much to tell. I write stories and poetry about the nature of worlds I’ve visited.”
“Well, you must be one hell of a writer to throw around money like you do.”
At the compliment, I felt a rush of warmth to my face. “I—”
Jack’s calm demeanor became one of surprise in an instant. “Is your face ‘sposed to do that?” A pair of my paws clapped to my face, trying and failing to hide the spreading orange.
“Y-yes!” I squeaked. “It’s p-perfectly fine.”
“Huh, right.” He didn’t sound convinced in the slightest. “Well, uh, what about your family? You’ve met mine already, why don’t you tell me about yours?”
Just as the orange began to fade away, a shroud of mist met my eyes and my voice sunk with my ears. “I’d rather not.” The whiplash of jumping from a sense of contentment, to embarrassment, to sad longing was jarring to say the least.
“Ah.” He held his silence for a moment, allowing the blowing breeze and the distant rush of water to fill the space between.
“I’m sorry.”
“S-sorry? Sorry for what?”
Jack gave a huff. “You know it's funny really. You Venlil, us Humans. I never really saw it before, but even just a few days around you, it’s shown me just how similar our people really are.”
Again, wind and water.
“If it means anything, I’ve felt your loss.”
What?! How does he know? How could he possibly know?
He must have picked up my confusion before he responded. “After the battle of Earth I got used to hearing that answer of yours.”
Oh.
Jack rose, swinging his pack around his shoulders. “C’mon sheep, sun’s not getting any higher. Let's get going.”
“YOU—!” The dour mood was immediately washed away by my guide’s hearty laughter. Again with the emotional whiplash.
It was amazing how easily he managed to do that. Try as I might, I couldn’t stay mad at him. As I shook my head, I followed my guide’s motions and grabbed my bag to join him.
For a while we walked quietly, but once again, Jack tried to strike up a conversation. “So, you mentioned you’ve visited other worlds. What were they like?”
I gave the human equivalent of a shrug with my tail. “Some were better than others, but for the most part, they were quite beautiful.”
“You have any favorites?”
My ears perked up. “Oh yes! The sky cities of Nishtal were incredible. Dwelling among the clouds, it was a rather uplifting experience.” Jack groaned with a smile still on his face.
“That might be one of the worst puns I’ve ever heard.” In response, I simply chuckled.
“Nishtal, huh?” The smile on his face faded. “That’s the world of feathered sacks-of-shit, right?”
“What? The Krakotl? Don’t be dense now, they aren’t all that bad.”
Jack scoffed. “That’s easy for you to say. They didn’t try to wipe the Venlil from existence.”
“If they succeeded during the battle of earth, they very well could have. Not that it matters anymore. Nishtal’s skies are clouded by the ash of their once-lush swamps and their cities have been plucked from the skies. Their world died.”
Jack gave a gruff grunt. “What goes around comes around I guess.”
I was genuinely shocked at what I heard. The anger that began to bubble within me was not the same lighthearted stuff from earlier. “How can you say something like that?”
“They brought it upon themselves,” he barked.
“That bastard Kalsim was the one who brought destruction to his people and you know it. Billions of Krakotl were killed or captured by betterment. Can you honestly tell me, or even yourself, that any species deserves such a fate?”
Silence.
“No. No I guess I can’t” Mentally, I gave a sigh of relief.
With my tail, I gave him a gentle flick. “The Krakotl are functionally endangered now, you know? They may have killed a billion humans, but for each life taken, tens of their own were paid.”
My voice began to choke. “I had—have—friends among the Krakotl. If you think that the mourning you humans experienced was harsh, I just want you to think; how would you feel if less than a percent of your people survived death or capture”
These words of mine were followed by an air of silence. I wasn’t sure what it was exactly, but something I had said clearly struck a chord with the man. Unlike me, Jack seemed to ground himself in reality, but for the first time since I met him, his distant unfocused eyes made it clear enough that his mind was elsewhere.
The remainder of the day flew by beneath this same blanket of silence.
We passed from the wide grassy knolls into a sparse forest that was more brush than tree. The trail led beneath their branches and through the tall shrubbery, rarely veering one way or the other.
When we eventually stopped to make camp for the evening, the sun was still slightly above the horizon. The campsite was similar to the one we had stopped at on our first day. An old steel fire-pit was set in the middle and a steel food container lay to the side.
Even as we set up, the cold quiet remained.
Progress was slow. Jack usually did the majority of the work, but tonight, his movements were taken with less purpose than I was used to. More than once, his hands fumbled, dropping something only for him to robotically reach down and pick it up again.
Once he did finally unpack his belongings, he left to find wood for the fire. At least this time, I found myself less frightened than when he had last done so. The deafening silence of my thoughts was more disconcerting than the idea of any hunters prowling nearby.
Whatever I had said, it didn’t just strike a chord. No, this had shaken him. Not even those nightmares of his had affected him this deeply.
In much the same way that I hadn’t wanted to talk about my own family, it was clear that whatever this was, he had no desire to elaborate further. I did find it odd however that only after mentioning the near-annihilation of the Krakotl did he seem to change. Perhaps it had to do with whoever he had lost? If this was the case, then I couldn’t fully blame him for his hatred towards the Krakotl. Grief is a powerful accelerant for the fires of rage.
On the other paw, my poor heart broke for the poor avians. So many lost. So few left. When the news had arrived back on Venlil prime, I devoted every moment possible to comforting my grieving friends; to Dualo, Oqui, Icatl and Haiula.
For some though, the grief of their new reality was too strong. Several of my dear friends had been unable to overcome that grief. My ears fell and my head bowed. If nobody else would remember them, I would ensure I never forgot them. They deserved that much.
Despite the clouds looming over my mind, my ears perked up at the sound of footfalls and I turned to see a bundle beneath Jack’s arms. Minutes later, a brilliant blaze burned before us.
It felt good to have a fire again. The protective warmth felt like a familiar embrace. From my pack, I grabbed the same blanket my guide had lent me the day before and wrapped it across my body.
While I found myself shrouded in comfort, Jack prepared our food above the pit. It was yet another warm meal of packaged food. The smell of spice wafted up to the tips of my taste buds as he stirred it about with a metal ladle.
The clink of utensils against our metal bowls rose above the crackling flames. Their sun still peeked out from behind the trees, though soon enough, it fell and with it, came the night’s chill.
Countless stars that you simply didn’t get to see on Venlil Prime appeared in the night sky. A glance told me that I wasn’t the only one impressed by their appearance. My wide field of vision managed to capture nearly the entire sky. I wonder, which of those stars is home?
A gust of wind blew by sending shivers down my spine. The effect of the Wendigo’s story hadn’t been completely lost on me, but the terror it inspired had at least died down to a manageable amount. Staying near to Jack certainly helped.
Speaking of him, I’d had enough of this silence.
“Hey Jack, how would you like to hear a campfire story?” I asked, tossing aside the quiet that had covered.
“Hmph. A promise is a promise. Didn’t really have a fire last night to tell a story ‘round did we. Guess it’s only fair to give you a chance.”
My tail gave a flick of excitement at his agreeance. “I must warn you, this is a bit less of a story and more of a poem. It’s one of the last few that I wrote before my travels across the Federation ended. It isn’t quite as long of a tale as that Wendigo story you told me, but it means a lot to me.
Jack gave a thoughtful nod. “Very well, I call this poem ‘The Wandrer’s Curse.’”
“Across the stars we wandrers go, not caring much for threat or foes, The skies we see are not our own, But from them wonder’s always shown.
From Nishtal’s clear and crystal skies, To Fahl where golden deserts lie, And ‘cross the cradle’s fruitful lands, Our own horizons do expand.
It is amidst these very sights, That we the wandrers oft delight, For friends we seek and friends we find, Across the worlds of species kind.
Thru mountains, oceans and the woods, Where those long past once walked and stood, The wandrers seek to find the past; A simpler time, no clouds o’er cast.
Despite the friends which we have made, The clouds above us cast their shade, Upon the surface of our minds, And seek our hearts with chains to bind.
It is our lot to flee from pain, Brought on by smashing, lashing rains. Til weary broken and undone, We fall with legs which fail to run.
But such is life—that beautiful thing, That brings one joy and suff’ring. So with this final cloudless verse, Remember thee, the wandrer’s curse.”
At the end of my poem, the crackling fire picked up where my words left off. My eyes raised to the heavens once more and I realized just how wonderful this life was. There was something truly sublime about existing right here during this exact moment; under the stars, surrounded by trees the whistling, beside a warm fire that staved off the cold.
Sharing it with Jack made it that much better.
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https://pix4free.org/assets/library/2020-12-13/originals/alaska022.jpg (Cover Image)
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submitted by Saint-Andros to HFY [link] [comments]
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Lots of thanks to u/Killsode-slugcat for helping me work through this chapter with editing.
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Memory transcription subject: Tevri, Venlil Romanticist
Date [standardized human time]: August 11, 2137
With eyes still closed, I stretched my legs and arms, paws pushing up against the inside of my sleeping bag. A sigh of contentment escaped my mouth.
I let the world in—light falling down in shafts that struck my still-waking eyes. No trees were around to provide cover from the rising sun that hung low in the east. The sounds of life surrounded me, occasionally being broken up by particularly strong gusts as well as a hint of something else.
My head turned to that hint, who still slept somewhat soundly off to my side. Last night Jack had set up his own sleeping bag less than an arm’s length from my own, citing our lack of a fire as the reason to gather closer to each other.
He tossed and turned, occasionally, muttering incoherently. At least he’s found some rest. After carrying me for over half of yesterday, he had certainly earned it.
It was actually quite surprising how well he had managed it all. His slim build compared to other humans that I had seen was betrayed by a hidden strength and incredible endurance. I suppose millions of years of evolution tends to allow such a thing.
Some part of me still felt bitter about what he had done the night prior to our last, but it was clear to me that his apology was sincere. I gave a quiet snort. He probably wouldn’t have carried you on your shoulders if he wasn’t at least somewhat sorry.
The covers of my too-big bag were thrown off and I sat up, holding my knocked knees with my paws.
Rocky rolling hills with low-grown shoots of grass lightly waved towards me. The nearby mountain range looked down upon us with its well-kept snow despite the summer season. Even three days of standing beneath them didn’t eliminate their wondrously looming presence.
I reached over to my nearby pack and grabbed my pen and journal. I clung to every thought that passed its way through my mind, marking them down the old fashioned way. There was something special about writing my feelings down on something physical rather than some pad or computer. It felt real in comparison to the alternative.
It was incredible to me how one of, if not the most dangerous planet to be found within known space was simultaneously one of the most fantastically beautiful worlds I ever had the pleasure of setting foot on. What a travesty it would have been had the federation actually managed to glass the biosphere. Ironically it had been the Arxur that prevented such a disastrous outcome. Those same savages had…
“Gah!”
Jack shot upright from where he had lain. He heaved harsh breaths, chest rising and falling as though he had just sprinted up the incline of a hill. I looked on with alarm, but didn’t think to disrupt the startled man. His eyes stared down at the dirt in front of him as he hung his hands between his legs.
“You okay?” I asked. He whipped to look at me like he had forgotten I was there. Slowly, he turned back to face the dirt. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.” He took a curt sniff and ran his hands across his face as he took a deep sigh.
He was lying.
The restless sleep, the violent rise into consciousness, the obvious distress within those wild eyes—all signs of nightmares. It had been years now since I last worried about such things, but I knew all too well how difficult they were to deal with.
A thought, as intrusive as it was unwelcome, pushed its way through the crowded thoughts of my mind, forcing my heart to skip a beat. What would be enough to scare a predator—human—to scare a human within their dreams? Instantly, I shoved it back from wherever it had come. He needs you right now, just like how you needed her.
I gently crawled over to the distraught man and set a paw on an arm while he leaned forward. At my touch, he turned his head towards me, staring with those forward-facing eyes. “Are you sure you’re okay?” I asked.
A slight snarl of a smile crossed his face, but no answer came. Jack stood up and stretched his arms outward, leaning back and forth.
“C’mon, let's pack up and head out. S’always good to start out early.” He extended a hand down to me where I sat still. How could he just brush something so terrifying off so easily? My tail flicked absently I guess they always have been a rather resilient species. Why should they be any different mentally? I relented to his proposal, grabbing his hand and allowing him to pull me upright.
Breakfast—much like last night’s meal—consisted of dry pre-prepped rations. Without surrounding trees from which drywood could be scavenged, we were left fireless. The ‘breakfast bars’ as Jack called them were a sufficient substitute for warm food. Every meal with the human increased my interest in the cuisine of his species. I hadn’t imagined it would all be so wonderfully varied and delicious.
The bar itself was chewy, made of oats, filled with dried fruits and sweetened by sugar. Each bite gave a satisfying crunch as my taste buds reveled in the impeccably delightful taste.
After hydrating and filling ourselves with calories, we set off once more on the trail.
This time, I was actually able to walk properly, though less than an hour after we departed, I was left wishing that Jack could scare me sleepless again—that way I could guilt him into carrying me.
While we continued, I walked without thinking much about the placement of my paws. I worried for my human friend. His mind was clearly plagued by something terrible, but the answer of what continued to evade me. The only lead I had were my own experiences, and in chasing that lead, my mind wandered back to the past.
As I was dragged from our home without protest, Devra lambasted our parents. Velnik cowered to the side as he watched the ordeal, helpless with widened eyes. Dad practically had to peel my sister away from mom as I was shoved into our vehicle. The echo of her shouts faded away.
It was the first time my parents admitted me for predator disease screenings.
An iron grip held my hand and led me forward through the stark featureless halls of the facility. A glance over my shoulder revealed my parents walking along. They dared not to risk a look in my direction. Tears welled at the edge of my eyes as the echoes of distant screams shocked my ears and flooded my brain with fear-chemicals.
My tail wrapped around my body and my ears bent towards the ground. Why did they want to throw me in here with the monsters? All I did was explore.
The facility worker threw me in a chair within a purely white room other than the single large black wall. From the ceiling hung a projector that faced one of the three white surfaces. After the worker left, my eyes floated through the room, narrowing at a sight that practically screamed of its existence. Dark lines were scrawled into the furthest corner of the sterile chamber.
I didn’t have the time to think about its implications when the screen clicked on and the lights dimmed, enhancing the image before me.
The metal chair fell backward with me in it, creating a resounding clang that bounded back and forth across the walls.
My hands slipped and slid across the slick floor, carrying my body backwards. This scramble led the wall to smash against my back. Without a thought, my claws joined the countless other marks of those who had come before me.
A towering, onyx-shaded visage of the malevolent beast prowled beyond the edge of my vision, obscured by tears of terror that practically blinded me. The blood-orange eyes glowed greedily and its mouth was stuck in a perpetual snarl. Viscera of a horrifically familiar color dribbled down its chin from where the meat was in the Arxur’s razor-sharp teeth.
With a click, the sanguine show moved forward to yet another horrific display. Another click. Another. One more. Click. Click. Click. Silence.
My eyes were as raw as my bloodied paws. Their scraping and scrabbling joined me with the other souls who had faced this same experience. When the lights flicked on and the worker came back to collect me, I curled up trying and failing to back away. She stood me up, patting me down before pulling me from the room. Everything was a collective white blur, compressed into a single moment of unfocused voices until I heard the vehicle’s door slam.
The ride home was silent as I leaned my head against the padded surface of my seat. Shallow breaths rose and fell from my chest while Mom and Dad stared ahead. They hadn’t looked at me once since we left the facility—or even talked to me—since we left the facility.
Among the many questions I had, one clung to the surface of my mind before being swallowed by its sea of screams. Why?
When at last we arrived at home, I barely even noticed. Only when the door to the passenger cabin flung open did I somewhat rise from my stupor. A sudden surprise wrapped around me and pulled me from the car, dragging away from my supposed guardians.
In an instant, I was rushed to my room and placed upon the familiar comfort of my bed before being coated by two layers of warmth; one was the plush cloth of a blanket and the other the fluffy warmth of my sister’s fur. “It’s ok, Tev. You’re home. You’re safe.” My empty eyes had no tears left to give, so Devra lent me hers.
You’re home. You’re safe.
“Tev? Tevri?”
My repeated name yanked me from the memory. Ugh, I’ve got to stop wandering off like that.
“You in there sheep?”
With a grumble, I responded. “I told you to stop calling me that.”
Jack uttered a mischievous chuckle. “C’mon, let's get over this next hill then break for lunch. Sure seems you could use a rest.” Despite it going unnoticed moments prior, I now felt my heart pumping hard and each breath heaved just as harshly. A short break will probably do me some good.
Together, we crested the hilltop and sat down both our packs and ourselves. I greedily lapped up water from my bottle while the man beside me calmly took several swigs from his own canteen. The food he grabbed was a pair of packaged items that he called ‘pasta salad.’
The small noodles were coated in a layer of creamy sauce and mixed with a variety of colorful vegetables that I didn’t recognize, but just like everything else cooked up by these humans, it was delicious. The sweet, creamy sauce contrasted nicely with the savory taste of the noodles and the soft texture of the pasta paired with the lovely crunch of the vegetables made for a wonderful meal.
As I munched on my food, the wind lazily played with my tail. My heart drummed onward, steadying into an agreeable rhythm before finally, my breathing leveled out.
A field of purple flowers greeted us, climbing and falling with the rolling land. Down below us was the river we had loosely followed, bordered by nondescript bunches of shrubbery. Rapid white waters splashed up and against rocks, breaking the flow and sending up spray.
When together we finished our food, we sat there, enjoying the world around us. “So, Tevri,” as Jack spoke, I met his forward eyes, “we’ve been out here for two days now and I still know next to nothing about you. Why don’t you tell me a bit more ‘bout yourself.”
The sudden question caught me by surprise, but I tried my best to answer anyway. “There isn’t much to tell. I write stories and poetry about the nature of worlds I’ve visited.”
“Well, you must be one hell of a writer to throw around money like you do.”
At the compliment, I felt a rush of warmth to my face. “I—”
Jack’s calm demeanor became one of surprise in an instant. “Is your face ‘sposed to do that?” A pair of my paws clapped to my face, trying and failing to hide the spreading orange.
“Y-yes!” I squeaked. “It’s p-perfectly fine.”
“Huh, right.” He didn’t sound convinced in the slightest. “Well, uh, what about your family? You’ve met mine already, why don’t you tell me about yours?”
Just as the orange began to fade away, a shroud of mist met my eyes and my voice sunk with my ears. “I’d rather not.” The whiplash of jumping from a sense of contentment, to embarrassment, to sad longing was jarring to say the least.
“Ah.” He held his silence for a moment, allowing the blowing breeze and the distant rush of water to fill the space between.
“I’m sorry.”
“S-sorry? Sorry for what?”
Jack gave a huff. “You know it's funny really. You Venlil, us Humans. I never really saw it before, but even just a few days around you, it’s shown me just how similar our people really are.”
Again, wind and water.
“If it means anything, I’ve felt your loss.”
What?! How does he know? How could he possibly know?
He must have picked up my confusion before he responded. “After the battle of Earth I got used to hearing that answer of yours.”
Oh.
Jack rose, swinging his pack around his shoulders. “C’mon sheep, sun’s not getting any higher. Let's get going.”
“YOU—!” The dour mood was immediately washed away by my guide’s hearty laughter. Again with the emotional whiplash.
It was amazing how easily he managed to do that. Try as I might, I couldn’t stay mad at him. As I shook my head, I followed my guide’s motions and grabbed my bag to join him.
For a while we walked quietly, but once again, Jack tried to strike up a conversation. “So, you mentioned you’ve visited other worlds. What were they like?”
I gave the human equivalent of a shrug with my tail. “Some were better than others, but for the most part, they were quite beautiful.”
“You have any favorites?”
My ears perked up. “Oh yes! The sky cities of Nishtal were incredible. Dwelling among the clouds, it was a rather uplifting experience.” Jack groaned with a smile still on his face.
“That might be one of the worst puns I’ve ever heard.” In response, I simply chuckled.
“Nishtal, huh?” The smile on his face faded. “That’s the world of feathered sacks-of-shit, right?”
“What? The Krakotl? Don’t be dense now, they aren’t all that bad.”
Jack scoffed. “That’s easy for you to say. They didn’t try to wipe the Venlil from existence.”
“If they succeeded during the battle of earth, they very well could have. Not that it matters anymore. Nishtal’s skies are clouded by the ash of their once-lush swamps and their cities have been plucked from the skies. Their world died.”
Jack gave a gruff grunt. “What goes around comes around I guess.”
I was genuinely shocked at what I heard. The anger that began to bubble within me was not the same lighthearted stuff from earlier. “How can you say something like that?”
“They brought it upon themselves,” he barked.
“That bastard Kalsim was the one who brought destruction to his people and you know it. Billions of Krakotl were killed or captured by betterment. Can you honestly tell me, or even yourself, that any species deserves such a fate?”
Silence.
“No. No I guess I can’t” Mentally, I gave a sigh of relief.
With my tail, I gave him a gentle flick. “The Krakotl are functionally endangered now, you know? They may have killed a billion humans, but for each life taken, tens of their own were paid.”
My voice began to choke. “I had—have—friends among the Krakotl. If you think that the mourning you humans experienced was harsh, I just want you to think; how would you feel if less than a percent of your people survived death or capture”
These words of mine were followed by an air of silence. I wasn’t sure what it was exactly, but something I had said clearly struck a chord with the man. Unlike me, Jack seemed to ground himself in reality, but for the first time since I met him, his distant unfocused eyes made it clear enough that his mind was elsewhere.
The remainder of the day flew by beneath this same blanket of silence.
We passed from the wide grassy knolls into a sparse forest that was more brush than tree. The trail led beneath their branches and through the tall shrubbery, rarely veering one way or the other.
When we eventually stopped to make camp for the evening, the sun was still slightly above the horizon. The campsite was similar to the one we had stopped at on our first day. An old steel fire-pit was set in the middle and a steel food container lay to the side.
Even as we set up, the cold quiet remained.
Progress was slow. Jack usually did the majority of the work, but tonight, his movements were taken with less purpose than I was used to. More than once, his hands fumbled, dropping something only for him to robotically reach down and pick it up again.
Once he did finally unpack his belongings, he left to find wood for the fire. At least this time, I found myself less frightened than when he had last done so. The deafening silence of my thoughts was more disconcerting than the idea of any hunters prowling nearby.
Whatever I had said, it didn’t just strike a chord. No, this had shaken him. Not even those nightmares of his had affected him this deeply.
In much the same way that I hadn’t wanted to talk about my own family, it was clear that whatever this was, he had no desire to elaborate further. I did find it odd however that only after mentioning the near-annihilation of the Krakotl did he seem to change. Perhaps it had to do with whoever he had lost? If this was the case, then I couldn’t fully blame him for his hatred towards the Krakotl. Grief is a powerful accelerant for the fires of rage.
On the other paw, my poor heart broke for the poor avians. So many lost. So few left. When the news had arrived back on Venlil prime, I devoted every moment possible to comforting my grieving friends; to Dualo, Oqui, Icatl and Haiula.
For some though, the grief of their new reality was too strong. Several of my dear friends had been unable to overcome that grief. My ears fell and my head bowed. If nobody else would remember them, I would ensure I never forgot them. They deserved that much.
Despite the clouds looming over my mind, my ears perked up at the sound of footfalls and I turned to see a bundle beneath Jack’s arms. Minutes later, a brilliant blaze burned before us.
It felt good to have a fire again. The protective warmth felt like a familiar embrace. From my pack, I grabbed the same blanket my guide had lent me the day before and wrapped it across my body.
While I found myself shrouded in comfort, Jack prepared our food above the pit. It was yet another warm meal of packaged food. The smell of spice wafted up to the tips of my taste buds as he stirred it about with a metal ladle.
The clink of utensils against our metal bowls rose above the crackling flames. Their sun still peeked out from behind the trees, though soon enough, it fell and with it, came the night’s chill.
Countless stars that you simply didn’t get to see on Venlil Prime appeared in the night sky. A glance told me that I wasn’t the only one impressed by their appearance. My wide field of vision managed to capture nearly the entire sky. I wonder, which of those stars is home?
A gust of wind blew by sending shivers down my spine. The effect of the Wendigo’s story hadn’t been completely lost on me, but the terror it inspired had at least died down to a manageable amount. Staying near to Jack certainly helped.
Speaking of him, I’d had enough of this silence.
“Hey Jack, how would you like to hear a campfire story?” I asked, tossing aside the quiet that had covered.
“Hmph. A promise is a promise. Didn’t really have a fire last night to tell a story ‘round did we. Guess it’s only fair to give you a chance.”
My tail gave a flick of excitement at his agreeance. “I must warn you, this is a bit less of a story and more of a poem. It’s one of the last few that I wrote before my travels across the Federation ended. It isn’t quite as long of a tale as that Wendigo story you told me, but it means a lot to me.
Jack gave a thoughtful nod. “Very well, I call this poem ‘The Wandrer’s Curse.’”
“Across the stars we wandrers go, not caring much for threat or foes, The skies we see are not our own, But from them wonder’s always shown.
From Nishtal’s clear and crystal skies, To Fahl where golden deserts lie, And ‘cross the cradle’s fruitful lands, Our own horizons do expand.
It is amidst these very sights, That we the wandrers oft delight, For friends we seek and friends we find, Across the worlds of species kind.
Thru mountains, oceans and the woods, Where those long past once walked and stood, The wandrers seek to find the past; A simpler time, no clouds o’er cast.
Despite the friends which we have made, The clouds above us cast their shade, Upon the surface of our minds, And seek our hearts with chains to bind.
It is our lot to flee from pain, Brought on by smashing, lashing rains. Til weary broken and undone, We fall with legs which fail to run.
But such is life—that beautiful thing, That brings one joy and suff’ring. So with this final cloudless verse, Remember thee, the wandrer’s curse.”
At the end of my poem, the crackling fire picked up where my words left off. My eyes raised to the heavens once more and I realized just how wonderful this life was. There was something truly sublime about existing right here during this exact moment; under the stars, surrounded by trees the whistling, beside a warm fire that staved off the cold.
Sharing it with Jack made it that much better.
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https://pix4free.org/assets/library/2020-12-13/originals/alaska022.jpg (Cover Image)
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2023.06.10 22:33 youngandweird6 Look I just wanted to share this. he’s kinda eating this bob 😟
 | submitted by youngandweird6 to Episode [link] [comments] |
2023.06.10 22:30 Lepus_ol The Singers, the Madar-Balna and the Western Colonies
 | The Western Colonies were established with the Money of Merchants from Ninua and the blood, work and sweat of the Lower Folks of an overcrowded Ninua seeking a better chance for themselves and their children. The Idea was in the begining to build trading outposts to replenish ship provisions cheaply and establish fixed trading points with the barbarian folks and traders in the west and northwest, where most of Ninuas tin and coal for the bronze production came from. In exchange finished Bronze, fine textiles, fish, oliveoil and pottery from Ninua, the Northern Cities and the Kawriq Empire were exported. This happened so many generations ago, that only tales tell of this. submitted by Lepus_ol to Peirn [link] [comments] But at the time of King Sikarmattans rule, Hyrum Grandfather, a curious thing happened. The Madar-Balna were magnificent beasts of the seas, obviously intelligent and if not attacked or threaded peaceful to seafaring humans. To see them on a voyage was generally a sign of good luck, as there were stories and myths of seafarer that went overboard being saved by Madar-Balna and brought safely to shore or even to a boat. However, at the time of King Sikarmattans rule, in the western colony of Uyvaros a girl called Hannikartmel sang to the Madar-Balna that were regularly in a Bay near the City and to the astonishment of everyone one day she came into the harbour riding one of the Madar-Balna. The Teenage girl swiftly gained a prominence and following first in her Colony where she taught other girls her songs. And even though not everyone managed to sing them and thus build a bond to the Madar-Balna, there were some who succeeded. News travel fast and so King Sikarmattans heard of this curious girl who was clearly gifted by Kartmel to balance the magnificent Madar-Balna and the King invited her to Ninua. Soon after the invitation to the astonishment of all of Ninua Hannikartmel rode over the waves of the sea into the Western Harbour accompanied by two of her singing sisters also on their Madar-Balna. After a kingly audience and the King even taking a ride alongside Hannikartmel on a Madar-Balna there were two days of celebrations to Kartmel announced in Ninua as Kartmel has blessed the City. And it truly was a blessing for the City, because some merchants on the City Council right away saw the benefits of fast, reliable messengers across the sea. So shortly after the visit it was proposed and paid for by the council to establish a Holy Order of the Singers in Uyvaros where Hannikartmel and Followers would teach the Songs exclusively to their members. Soon after it was also discovered that one even could pull whole ships this way, and even though this was expensive, because the Order would charge for their service, sometimes Speed is more worth than anything else. To some extent the Singers and the Madar-Balna were even used in Warfare. Not only to bring a fleet into positions with speed and against the wind that surprised the enemies but also to attack them by diving and rocking boats. But as the Madar-Balna were usually peaceful it was hard to attack with them, and they often just refused. And if they were attacked, they might get wild and defend themselves but in the process they might throw of their singer and / or stop listening to them and flee. Altogether the Madar-Balna changed the city and seafaring greatly added to the prosperity of Ninua unmemorably, but of course also contribute to the envy of other cities, as Ninua closely guarded its seafaring advantage. (Big thanks to u/Entity904 for the picture!) https://preview.redd.it/gabaynu1395b1.jpg?width=3508&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5de4f728bae7b345803b36f5a4ddf96b57fc3af1 |
2023.06.10 22:26 Leanbandit My cat has been having difficulty urinating. Vet has been unable to correctly diagnose as of yet.
Species: Cat
Age: 2.5 years
Sex/Neuter status: Female, Neutered
Breed: Domestic Short Hair
Body weight: ~4kg
History: Ongoing issue duration roughly 8-10 months.
Your general location: UK
Hi All,
For the last 8 months roughly my cat has had a lot of difficulty peeing. She will go backwards and forwards between all three litter trays and stay in them for up to 5 minutes at a time, squatting down to wee but rarely a lot comes out. after a urine examination she was found to have crystals in her bladder, I quote "on the ultrasound, her bladder looked like a snowglobe" this was confirmed in the lab through a urine sample taken with a syringe. She was put on a crystal management food and her symptoms seemed to go away. They chalked this issue up to an undiagnosed UTI that worsened and resulted in the above. At this time we were also given a bottle of Meloxicam to be taken orally once a day to alleviate some of the pain she was experiencing.
That was around 6 months ago and maybe 6-8 weeks ago she has started up again unable to urinate. We took her back to the vets and they recommended another round of lab work on her urine. At this point as well we were told that her bladder felt normal. We got the results back and they have informed us that there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with her this time, the prescription food is working and there is no infection. There was a small amount of blood in the urine however but they did not seem to be too concerned about it and advised us to continue administering the Meloxicam as and when she needed it. Her condition seems to be worsening and we just feel awful for her, we want some answers but our vet doesn't seem to be able to give us any.
A couple of things to note. Her sister, from the same litter, had the same crystal problem in the past after our vets informed us that it was extremely unlikely that they would be suffering from the same problem. The food worked for her as well and she has had no further issues.
She also will urinate almost exclusively on our clothes as well if left on the floor. When she does this she doesn't seem to have any issue with it but she gets very irritated when we pick her up and put her back in the litter tray, likely due to the fact that we are lifting her when she is trying to go about her business. I figure it may be due to our clothes smelling like us and that making her feel comfortable enough to go. I have sacrificed an old shirt that we have put on top of one of the puppy pads and she immediately squatted over it and tried to go, albeit unsuccessfully.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated and i am happy to answer any and all questions necessary.
submitted by Leanbandit to AskVet [link] [comments]
Age: 2.5 years
Sex/Neuter status: Female, Neutered
Breed: Domestic Short Hair
Body weight: ~4kg
History: Ongoing issue duration roughly 8-10 months.
Your general location: UK
Hi All,
For the last 8 months roughly my cat has had a lot of difficulty peeing. She will go backwards and forwards between all three litter trays and stay in them for up to 5 minutes at a time, squatting down to wee but rarely a lot comes out. after a urine examination she was found to have crystals in her bladder, I quote "on the ultrasound, her bladder looked like a snowglobe" this was confirmed in the lab through a urine sample taken with a syringe. She was put on a crystal management food and her symptoms seemed to go away. They chalked this issue up to an undiagnosed UTI that worsened and resulted in the above. At this time we were also given a bottle of Meloxicam to be taken orally once a day to alleviate some of the pain she was experiencing.
That was around 6 months ago and maybe 6-8 weeks ago she has started up again unable to urinate. We took her back to the vets and they recommended another round of lab work on her urine. At this point as well we were told that her bladder felt normal. We got the results back and they have informed us that there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with her this time, the prescription food is working and there is no infection. There was a small amount of blood in the urine however but they did not seem to be too concerned about it and advised us to continue administering the Meloxicam as and when she needed it. Her condition seems to be worsening and we just feel awful for her, we want some answers but our vet doesn't seem to be able to give us any.
A couple of things to note. Her sister, from the same litter, had the same crystal problem in the past after our vets informed us that it was extremely unlikely that they would be suffering from the same problem. The food worked for her as well and she has had no further issues.
She also will urinate almost exclusively on our clothes as well if left on the floor. When she does this she doesn't seem to have any issue with it but she gets very irritated when we pick her up and put her back in the litter tray, likely due to the fact that we are lifting her when she is trying to go about her business. I figure it may be due to our clothes smelling like us and that making her feel comfortable enough to go. I have sacrificed an old shirt that we have put on top of one of the puppy pads and she immediately squatted over it and tried to go, albeit unsuccessfully.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated and i am happy to answer any and all questions necessary.
2023.06.10 22:18 Dragonproof_Castle M4F: Valkyrie Down: A 40k plot
Metal screeched into the sky, followed by thick gouts of smoke and sparks as the engine died, spluttering out with its turbines. The Valkyrie transport seemed to slump, dipping it’s nose before the pilot yanked back on the stick. Panicked, his partner twisted in his seat to check on the cargo, even as shells from Ork Autocannons slammed into the hold. Below, the toxic ash wastes beckoned, promising radioactivity and death. All this, just for a damned box!
Miles away from the Valkyrie and it’s plight, an enormous lander ship set itself down upon a hive city’s landing pads ungracefully. Grotesque servitors and tech priests scurried around the huge, boxy ship like ants as steam hissed from the unfurling ramps, allowing daylight to flood into the ship. The massive object within stood patiently like a coiled spring, waiting for clearance to move out even as a welcoming party assembled to watch the spectacle.
For the stricken Valkyrie, there was no welcoming committee. There was only industrial waste leaning up from the radioactive fog, cranes and beams reaching up toward the craft as it’s altitude got lower and lower. With.the wastes eager to claim their prize, the co pilot began frantically lobbing things out of the side doors. Food, ammunition, even seat cushions crossed the short distance to the toxic, fog shrouded sands below . For a brief moment, he considered throwing the box out too, before he remembered who had given them their mission. It was imperative that the cargo stayed. Not like a box that small would affect the weight.
The hive’s pads and strurs trembled as shockwaves rolled through them,, heralding the arrival of the lander’s occupant: the Phoenix Imperator. The collosal, twelve metre tall Imperial Knight stepped out onto the pads, pistons and servos powering huge feet that crashed onto the worn metal of the pad. It was hard to believe that all the power the war machine held was controlled by a single man, encased in Adamantium and Ion shields, with a Thunderstrike Gauntlet and heavy stubber to protect it. The true power of the Imperial Knight however was in it’s Thermal Cannon, capable of reducing tanks to a pool of molten metal in an instant, or vaporising bunkers in the blink of an eye.
Out amongst the Ash Wastes, no amount of adamantium could protect the pilots of the Valkyrie from it’s fate. Leering up from the toxic smog, the Valkyrie’s pilots didn’t spot a piece of rubble until it was far, far too late. The Valkyrie blundered into it’s doom as steel ripped apart the remaining engine. An explosion bloomed like a flower, beautiful and deadly before shrapnel eagerly tore through the pilot’s helmet. The aircraft span out of control wildly, ploughing into the radioactive soil and scraping out a long trench before it came to a rest on it’s side, it’s cargo strung out all over the terrain.
The crash meant nothing to most of the figures circling the Phoenix Imperator as it strode across the pad, almost shrouded in incense. As the vibrations from the Knight’s footsteps passed through the teeming mass of spectators, it unknowingly entered a second battlefield, far more destructive than the teeming hordes of Orks beyond the hive’s walls. A battlefield where it was prey.
Even as the knight's scion moved his war machine past her podium, the governess of the world remained scowling. Not only had her court techpriest ordered one her own Valkyries on an unsanctioned mission, she'd chosen to do so using two of her best pilots. Privately, she hoped it crashed. That way, it'd sabotage the Techpriest's schemes and allow her to send out a search party to steal whatever it was she wanted, right from under her nose. She already had the party lined up, including a promising girl from her own retinue of bodyguards. Besides, she could lure the Knight scion in with promises of power and wealth. If only that damned inquisitor would keep her nose out...
Arethia Jyre. That, as far as the governess was concerned, was the name of the inquisitor. An alter ego, but she didn't care what some bratty little governess thought. The inquisitor was here on the business of her ordo, especially where the Adeptus Mechanicus was concerned. She knew one of them had sent out a Valkyrie- even put a tracker on it. What she didn't know was what the cargo was. Still, she could always send out a party of inquisitorial agents to seize it, or recover the cargo should it crash. It would be a good test for a particularly enterprising young woman in her retinue. She'd be able to report back on this knight as well. If he was any good, he'd be a valuable addition to an inquisitorial retinue...
Of course, the governess and the inquisitor would want the Valkyrie and it's cargo. But, as far as the Adepta Sororitas Abbess was concerned, the relic contained within should be hers. After all, the ecclesiarchy dealt with faith and relics. Her sisters in the Orders Famulous knew what roughly the cargo would be, after all. Still, a rapid response unit of Sisters was prepared for anything, especially if the Valkyrie should fail to arrive. She'd ensured one of her own protégés was amongst the force. It would be a good test, if nothing else. Perhaps she'd even convince the Knight scion to save his soul and align with her convent...
The techpriest had given the now-wrecked Valkyrie it’s mission, after all. She'd damned the pilots of the gunship to slow deaths, be it through the blood that left the pilot’s body or the onslaught of radiation that now ensnared his partner. She had plans and grand designs for the cargo they had been ordered to carry at any cost, and would stop at nothing to see those plans come to fruition...
Hey there! Here I go again, posting a 40k prompt for the upteenth time! You'd have thought I'd learn my lesson by now but no, here my persistent ass is!
You may have also guessed by now that I’m a huge 40k fan! Also a fan of big stompy robots and forbidden romances, so it’s fairly natural that I’d make a knight focused plot. To set things in stone:
We’re on a hive world being visited by the local Ork Waaaagh! and you know what that means.
Meanwhile, there’s a 4 way political cold war between the governess of this planet, the sisters of battle, the admech and the Inquisition. To help turn the tide against the greenskins, I’ve just arrived in my Imperial Knight, completely unaware of the mess I’ve wandered into! Of course, this being the Imperium, everyone wants an Imperial Knight for an ally. Depending on how the dice rolls, we could be fighting orks, tyrannids, the Imperium or chaos.
AS FOR YOUR CHARACTER You’ll notice I’ve left your character pretty much open ended. That’s intentional! Ideally, you'll play a character within the retinue of either the Inquisitor, governess, techpriestess and the abbess, where you'll be sent with me on a mission that then kicks off the plot and its many consequences.
Obviously, there's a lot to read here, and a lot of lore backing it up. With that being said, Don't be too concerned or intimidated if you don't know too much about 40k. I don't bitemuch and the great part about being a 40k nerd is sharing the knowledge, so I'm happy to help out! I mainly RP on discord, but I’m happy to do PMs!
submitted by Dragonproof_Castle to RoleplayPartnerSearch [link] [comments]
Miles away from the Valkyrie and it’s plight, an enormous lander ship set itself down upon a hive city’s landing pads ungracefully. Grotesque servitors and tech priests scurried around the huge, boxy ship like ants as steam hissed from the unfurling ramps, allowing daylight to flood into the ship. The massive object within stood patiently like a coiled spring, waiting for clearance to move out even as a welcoming party assembled to watch the spectacle.
For the stricken Valkyrie, there was no welcoming committee. There was only industrial waste leaning up from the radioactive fog, cranes and beams reaching up toward the craft as it’s altitude got lower and lower. With.the wastes eager to claim their prize, the co pilot began frantically lobbing things out of the side doors. Food, ammunition, even seat cushions crossed the short distance to the toxic, fog shrouded sands below . For a brief moment, he considered throwing the box out too, before he remembered who had given them their mission. It was imperative that the cargo stayed. Not like a box that small would affect the weight.
The hive’s pads and strurs trembled as shockwaves rolled through them,, heralding the arrival of the lander’s occupant: the Phoenix Imperator. The collosal, twelve metre tall Imperial Knight stepped out onto the pads, pistons and servos powering huge feet that crashed onto the worn metal of the pad. It was hard to believe that all the power the war machine held was controlled by a single man, encased in Adamantium and Ion shields, with a Thunderstrike Gauntlet and heavy stubber to protect it. The true power of the Imperial Knight however was in it’s Thermal Cannon, capable of reducing tanks to a pool of molten metal in an instant, or vaporising bunkers in the blink of an eye.
Out amongst the Ash Wastes, no amount of adamantium could protect the pilots of the Valkyrie from it’s fate. Leering up from the toxic smog, the Valkyrie’s pilots didn’t spot a piece of rubble until it was far, far too late. The Valkyrie blundered into it’s doom as steel ripped apart the remaining engine. An explosion bloomed like a flower, beautiful and deadly before shrapnel eagerly tore through the pilot’s helmet. The aircraft span out of control wildly, ploughing into the radioactive soil and scraping out a long trench before it came to a rest on it’s side, it’s cargo strung out all over the terrain.
The crash meant nothing to most of the figures circling the Phoenix Imperator as it strode across the pad, almost shrouded in incense. As the vibrations from the Knight’s footsteps passed through the teeming mass of spectators, it unknowingly entered a second battlefield, far more destructive than the teeming hordes of Orks beyond the hive’s walls. A battlefield where it was prey.
Even as the knight's scion moved his war machine past her podium, the governess of the world remained scowling. Not only had her court techpriest ordered one her own Valkyries on an unsanctioned mission, she'd chosen to do so using two of her best pilots. Privately, she hoped it crashed. That way, it'd sabotage the Techpriest's schemes and allow her to send out a search party to steal whatever it was she wanted, right from under her nose. She already had the party lined up, including a promising girl from her own retinue of bodyguards. Besides, she could lure the Knight scion in with promises of power and wealth. If only that damned inquisitor would keep her nose out...
Arethia Jyre. That, as far as the governess was concerned, was the name of the inquisitor. An alter ego, but she didn't care what some bratty little governess thought. The inquisitor was here on the business of her ordo, especially where the Adeptus Mechanicus was concerned. She knew one of them had sent out a Valkyrie- even put a tracker on it. What she didn't know was what the cargo was. Still, she could always send out a party of inquisitorial agents to seize it, or recover the cargo should it crash. It would be a good test for a particularly enterprising young woman in her retinue. She'd be able to report back on this knight as well. If he was any good, he'd be a valuable addition to an inquisitorial retinue...
Of course, the governess and the inquisitor would want the Valkyrie and it's cargo. But, as far as the Adepta Sororitas Abbess was concerned, the relic contained within should be hers. After all, the ecclesiarchy dealt with faith and relics. Her sisters in the Orders Famulous knew what roughly the cargo would be, after all. Still, a rapid response unit of Sisters was prepared for anything, especially if the Valkyrie should fail to arrive. She'd ensured one of her own protégés was amongst the force. It would be a good test, if nothing else. Perhaps she'd even convince the Knight scion to save his soul and align with her convent...
The techpriest had given the now-wrecked Valkyrie it’s mission, after all. She'd damned the pilots of the gunship to slow deaths, be it through the blood that left the pilot’s body or the onslaught of radiation that now ensnared his partner. She had plans and grand designs for the cargo they had been ordered to carry at any cost, and would stop at nothing to see those plans come to fruition...
Hey there! Here I go again, posting a 40k prompt for the upteenth time! You'd have thought I'd learn my lesson by now but no, here my persistent ass is!
You may have also guessed by now that I’m a huge 40k fan! Also a fan of big stompy robots and forbidden romances, so it’s fairly natural that I’d make a knight focused plot. To set things in stone:
We’re on a hive world being visited by the local Ork Waaaagh! and you know what that means.
Meanwhile, there’s a 4 way political cold war between the governess of this planet, the sisters of battle, the admech and the Inquisition. To help turn the tide against the greenskins, I’ve just arrived in my Imperial Knight, completely unaware of the mess I’ve wandered into! Of course, this being the Imperium, everyone wants an Imperial Knight for an ally. Depending on how the dice rolls, we could be fighting orks, tyrannids, the Imperium or chaos.
AS FOR YOUR CHARACTER You’ll notice I’ve left your character pretty much open ended. That’s intentional! Ideally, you'll play a character within the retinue of either the Inquisitor, governess, techpriestess and the abbess, where you'll be sent with me on a mission that then kicks off the plot and its many consequences.
Obviously, there's a lot to read here, and a lot of lore backing it up. With that being said, Don't be too concerned or intimidated if you don't know too much about 40k. I don't bite
2023.06.10 22:07 HelmetBoiii The Anime Adaptation is a Masterpiece
They nailed the adaptation. I'm now confident in saying that the way that they rearranged the episodes, while weird at first, is a pure stroke of mastery that has me suspecting that Norio herself orchestrated it.
The best example of this is in the current episode. Who expected that "puppet master call" scene to be in this episode? I know a lot of people thought it was going to be the ending piece, myself included. But to include it in an already pre-established phone call scene is brilliant, alongside with the extra bonus of sending a beautiful picture of the moon. (Though I missed some of the paneling details of the manga, the placement of the scene is superb).
Also, can we talk about the Karte card? When I saw it halfway through the episode, I was like, no way this episode was this short, but I realized the deliberate genius behind it. The last episode, the climax of the entire season, is centered around that Akita Dog so the Karte card was used early to emphasize the significance! (All the Karte placements throughout the show are my favorite addition to the manga, but this one takes the cake, highlighting the anime's comprehensive understanding of the source material). Nowadays, when there's a bunch of terrible anime adaptions and a majority of mediocre ones, that only try to copy the manga panel for panel with some flimsy animation and music holding it together, it's invigorating to see one done so masterfully with genuine love and attention and foresight, especially for such subtle and powerful source material. That's not even accounting for the anime's monologue about how he and his sister are "a bit alike" in their anxiety, and the Karte card explicitly draws parallels with Yamada. A BIT ALIKE YOU SAY? BokuYabai has the best two-way dynamic, period, especially when considering that we only see Ichikawa's perspective, and this momentous adaptation nails this concept too.
God, from that drawing bit tying together episodes 1-3, and just the entirety of rearranging of chapters for episode 9, I Hate Yamada, and probably a dozen things I forgot, while the adaption does miss at times (notably, by explicitly showing Yamada sniffing Ichikawa's jersey), it continues to show heart and passion, just the pacing and the grouping and the styling doing the manga supreme justice. This is one of the best adaptations I could have asked for.
But god, if there's one reason to watch the anime over the manga, it's the music. I've actually never enjoyed a soundtrack more than in this show. IT'S SO GOOOOOD, THIS SHOW IS AMAZING! GIVE ME THE FULL OST PLEASE! TEN MORE SEASONS PLEASE!
submitted by HelmetBoiii to bokunokokoro [link] [comments]
The best example of this is in the current episode. Who expected that "puppet master call" scene to be in this episode? I know a lot of people thought it was going to be the ending piece, myself included. But to include it in an already pre-established phone call scene is brilliant, alongside with the extra bonus of sending a beautiful picture of the moon. (Though I missed some of the paneling details of the manga, the placement of the scene is superb).
Also, can we talk about the Karte card? When I saw it halfway through the episode, I was like, no way this episode was this short, but I realized the deliberate genius behind it. The last episode, the climax of the entire season, is centered around that Akita Dog so the Karte card was used early to emphasize the significance! (All the Karte placements throughout the show are my favorite addition to the manga, but this one takes the cake, highlighting the anime's comprehensive understanding of the source material). Nowadays, when there's a bunch of terrible anime adaptions and a majority of mediocre ones, that only try to copy the manga panel for panel with some flimsy animation and music holding it together, it's invigorating to see one done so masterfully with genuine love and attention and foresight, especially for such subtle and powerful source material. That's not even accounting for the anime's monologue about how he and his sister are "a bit alike" in their anxiety, and the Karte card explicitly draws parallels with Yamada. A BIT ALIKE YOU SAY? BokuYabai has the best two-way dynamic, period, especially when considering that we only see Ichikawa's perspective, and this momentous adaptation nails this concept too.
God, from that drawing bit tying together episodes 1-3, and just the entirety of rearranging of chapters for episode 9, I Hate Yamada, and probably a dozen things I forgot, while the adaption does miss at times (notably, by explicitly showing Yamada sniffing Ichikawa's jersey), it continues to show heart and passion, just the pacing and the grouping and the styling doing the manga supreme justice. This is one of the best adaptations I could have asked for.
But god, if there's one reason to watch the anime over the manga, it's the music. I've actually never enjoyed a soundtrack more than in this show. IT'S SO GOOOOOD, THIS SHOW IS AMAZING! GIVE ME THE FULL OST PLEASE! TEN MORE SEASONS PLEASE!
2023.06.10 22:02 Aaron_Locke Formal Attire for Thai Wedding
Hello! I've been invited to a wedding in Thailand, and we are just a few short weeks away. For the ceremony, we will wear traditional Thai formalwear. For the reception, I've been asked to find a pink suit. I plan to rent while there and my sister-in-law promises I will be able to find "big boy" sizes. I'm trying to figure out what kind of suit to look for, what to wear with it, and I would like to figure out how to accessorize.
I purchased a nice dark brown pair of Rockports that I needed for work anyway and am hoping to wear. I bet they won't be as dark as the pictures/may need a shine and seal. https://www.rockport.com/products/rockport-style-leader-2-apron-toe-new-brown-gradient?variant=42951234027690&utm_source=google&utm_medium=shopping&utm_campaign=sshop_brand_rockport_male_multi&utm_content=761128_no-promo&gclid=CjwKCAjwvpCkBhB4EiwAujULMi8wkZjENG4CRYsQMdaJI6iuTe5uUKyA_9S4choMt6JUFi_oJFuOShoCGzQQAvD_BwE
I tend to like velvety suits, and I was hoping to find a kind of velvety pink. I'm hoping a darker pink may be available, but I may need to settle for light pink(it's extremely important that it reads as pink though). I still need to figure out what color dress shirt to wear(not scared of patterns but would need to look good obvs), what accessories I need/may want/would look good, and if the shoes are the right move. As I mentioned, I am a pretty bigger guy tummy wise. Please help?
submitted by Aaron_Locke to mensfashion [link] [comments]
I purchased a nice dark brown pair of Rockports that I needed for work anyway and am hoping to wear. I bet they won't be as dark as the pictures/may need a shine and seal. https://www.rockport.com/products/rockport-style-leader-2-apron-toe-new-brown-gradient?variant=42951234027690&utm_source=google&utm_medium=shopping&utm_campaign=sshop_brand_rockport_male_multi&utm_content=761128_no-promo&gclid=CjwKCAjwvpCkBhB4EiwAujULMi8wkZjENG4CRYsQMdaJI6iuTe5uUKyA_9S4choMt6JUFi_oJFuOShoCGzQQAvD_BwE
I tend to like velvety suits, and I was hoping to find a kind of velvety pink. I'm hoping a darker pink may be available, but I may need to settle for light pink(it's extremely important that it reads as pink though). I still need to figure out what color dress shirt to wear(not scared of patterns but would need to look good obvs), what accessories I need/may want/would look good, and if the shoes are the right move. As I mentioned, I am a pretty bigger guy tummy wise. Please help?
2023.06.10 21:55 MissLeaaa Ex-Best Friend.
I [27F] fell out with someone [26F] who was my best friend since we were 14/15 years old. I have not talked to her since March 2022. Long story short, I moved away from our home state - where she was still living at that time - and eventually ended up in a nasty domestic violence situation where I was abused (2020-2021). After we went no contact, my ex made several fake IG pages and was harassing a lot of the ppl I knew, making nasty comments about ME. Everyone knew to just block him. I hadn’t spoken to him in months at that point and I was in the process of getting my restraining order against him extended. Well he eventually commented on my ex-best’s Insta and she came at me harshly via text as if I told him to do that. I told her to just block him and that I was handling the situation, but she was just upset and blamed me for his actions. I felt as though she had no empathy for what I was going thru, for someone who I called a sister. Anyway, I just sent her a DM on Instagram as my way of reaching out to discuss what happened and to apologize for being rude to her (even though she was being rude/dismissive to me first). I’m a little anxious. I wouldn’t mind rebuilding our friendship because she meant a lot to me, but am ok if we are never friends again because what she did was so insensitive.
submitted by MissLeaaa to domesticviolence [link] [comments]
2023.06.10 21:48 MissLeaaa Rebuilding w/ Ex-Best Friend?
I [27F] fell out with someone [26F] who was my best friend since we were 14/15 years old. I have not talked to her since March 2022. Long story short, I moved away from our home state - where she was still living at that time - and eventually ended up in a nasty domestic violence situation where I was abused (2020-2021). After we went no contact, my ex made several fake IG pages and was harassing a lot of the ppl I knew, making nasty comments about ME. Everyone knew to just block him. I hadn’t spoken to him in months at that point and I was in the process of getting my restraining order against him extended. Well he eventually commented on my ex-best’s Insta and she came at me harshly via text as if I told him to do that. I told her to just block him and that I was handling the situation, but she was just upset and blamed me for his actions. I felt as though she had no empathy for what I was going thru, for someone who I called a sister. Anyway, I just sent her a DM on Instagram as my way of reaching out to discuss what happened and to apologize for being rude to her (even though she was being rude/dismissive to me first). I’m a little anxious. I wouldn’t mind rebuilding our friendship because she meant a lot to me, but am ok if we are never friends again.
submitted by MissLeaaa to friendship [link] [comments]
2023.06.10 21:44 gcjbr How much IBJJF should care for you when you compete? AKA: Melqui claims someone died in the last Brasileiros
 | Rodolfo Vieira recently posted on Instagram commenting on his sister being nearly choked to death during the Worlds, right in front of the referee. This incident has brought to light an ongoing concern within the community about referees' lack of preparedness when it comes to ensuring the well-being of athletes. Despite being a recurring issue, it rarely receives significant attention. submitted by gcjbr to bjj [link] [comments] Another issue is the level of preparedness of the first responders at these events, especially considering each IBJJF tournament is a gold mine. One would expect the medical support provided to be top-notch. Unfortunately, the reality seems to fall short of these expectations. In the comments section of Rodolfo's post, Melqui claimed to have witnessed someone dying at the last Brasileiros. Several other people confirmed being present during the incident and expressed their dissatisfaction with the quality of first aid provided. While it appears that the cause of death may have been a sudden heart attack, it is concerning that such incidents often go unreported and fail to garner attention. https://preview.redd.it/uqnn1yect85b1.jpg?width=1640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b7ce363bd4756ae50589fcc23b2e22ced94fd35f https://preview.redd.it/wjdetyect85b1.jpg?width=1572&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=72649f1bba11f8532b83907d5b1efd2ac7da9abc |
2023.06.10 21:42 Lawile Worried that my sister may have inherited narcissistic traits
For context, she's 10 years younger than me. My mother kicked me out of the house when she was 8 but I've always been involved in her life in one way or another, I almost raised her so she's like a daughter to me (she used to call me mom haha). We are very close. I'm the scapegoat and she's the GC, altough since I went NC with our parents (both narcs) I believe she has become the target but tbh my parents aren't as bad with her as they were with me. They never were and I''m (kinda) glad that I took that damage instead of her.
The topic of discussion: Recently she told me she had an argument with her BF. The problem they had it's not important at all, what I'm worried about is how my sister is behaving. The guy is a little clingy, like anxious attachment and my sister is the opposite. She's cold. She never shares her deep feelings or show strong emotions, I've seen her cry with a movie or anime but she has never cried about things happening to her...like when a prior BF ghosted her and disappeared out of the blue. She chugged it and talked about it like you had just asked about her weekend. Something like that would have affect me. Not her.
Now, the reason I'm worried is that I think the way she's handling her argument with her BF is not healthy at all. She applied the silent treatment. The guy wants to talk to her to solve the problem, to communicate and she's been avoiding him for 10 days. She even told him not to go back to their shared flat (they live together and right now the guy is visting his family) because she needs space and doesn't want him there. But she didn't tell him until when. It's his home too...
Yesterday her BF talked to me looking for advice, because he feels she's punishing him and he admited that he handled their argument badly by being jelaous and overly attached and he wants to apologize. He wasn't looking for my help to intervene, it was more like "help me understand your sister because I love her and I don't know what's happening".
She does answer his texts tho, vaguely. He ask her how was her day or if she did good in her exams and she replies with short answers, totally uninterested. "Yeah" "Good" things like that. Never engaging and never texting first. She ignores him.
I'm trying to not intervene but as I said I know my sister is cold and sometimes it even looks like she lacks empathy... This behaviour sounds like my mother. When our mother was mad at you she would apply the cold shoulder and silent treatment for long period of times. You didn't exist to her, you didn't matter. You were below everything else. This is a form of abuse.
I know people deal with arguments differently, some people need space to cool down (I do) others need to solve it right away but there's a fine line between needing space and applying the silent treatment. When I'm angry at my own partner I tell him I need to cool down first and when I'm better I make the effort to talk about it. If my partner is feeling really hurt, I can't helpt it and I react to it.
I think the nuance is that my sister didn't give her BF any date or anything to hold onto or look foward to and she doesn't seem to care if he's hurt or overthinking what happened without answers or the chance to talk about it...
EDIT TO ADD: Her BF already told her she's hurting him with this behaviour. She knows he's hurt and she doesn't care. She told me that yesterday when I told her about her BF asking me for advice. I told her I pity him because he sounds depressed, her words were "I know. He's always like that. I don't feel pity about him" That answer shocked me.
IDK, maybe I'm wrong. Sorry this is very long. What do you think?
TLDR: My sister is ignoring her BF after and argument. She forbid him to go back home and doesn't care he is extremely sad and desperate to solve things between them. I'm worried this behaviour (conciously or not) could be inherited from our nmom that used the silent treatment to punish people.
submitted by Lawile to raisedbynarcissists [link] [comments]
The topic of discussion: Recently she told me she had an argument with her BF. The problem they had it's not important at all, what I'm worried about is how my sister is behaving. The guy is a little clingy, like anxious attachment and my sister is the opposite. She's cold. She never shares her deep feelings or show strong emotions, I've seen her cry with a movie or anime but she has never cried about things happening to her...like when a prior BF ghosted her and disappeared out of the blue. She chugged it and talked about it like you had just asked about her weekend. Something like that would have affect me. Not her.
Now, the reason I'm worried is that I think the way she's handling her argument with her BF is not healthy at all. She applied the silent treatment. The guy wants to talk to her to solve the problem, to communicate and she's been avoiding him for 10 days. She even told him not to go back to their shared flat (they live together and right now the guy is visting his family) because she needs space and doesn't want him there. But she didn't tell him until when. It's his home too...
Yesterday her BF talked to me looking for advice, because he feels she's punishing him and he admited that he handled their argument badly by being jelaous and overly attached and he wants to apologize. He wasn't looking for my help to intervene, it was more like "help me understand your sister because I love her and I don't know what's happening".
She does answer his texts tho, vaguely. He ask her how was her day or if she did good in her exams and she replies with short answers, totally uninterested. "Yeah" "Good" things like that. Never engaging and never texting first. She ignores him.
I'm trying to not intervene but as I said I know my sister is cold and sometimes it even looks like she lacks empathy... This behaviour sounds like my mother. When our mother was mad at you she would apply the cold shoulder and silent treatment for long period of times. You didn't exist to her, you didn't matter. You were below everything else. This is a form of abuse.
I know people deal with arguments differently, some people need space to cool down (I do) others need to solve it right away but there's a fine line between needing space and applying the silent treatment. When I'm angry at my own partner I tell him I need to cool down first and when I'm better I make the effort to talk about it. If my partner is feeling really hurt, I can't helpt it and I react to it.
I think the nuance is that my sister didn't give her BF any date or anything to hold onto or look foward to and she doesn't seem to care if he's hurt or overthinking what happened without answers or the chance to talk about it...
EDIT TO ADD: Her BF already told her she's hurting him with this behaviour. She knows he's hurt and she doesn't care. She told me that yesterday when I told her about her BF asking me for advice. I told her I pity him because he sounds depressed, her words were "I know. He's always like that. I don't feel pity about him" That answer shocked me.
IDK, maybe I'm wrong. Sorry this is very long. What do you think?
TLDR: My sister is ignoring her BF after and argument. She forbid him to go back home and doesn't care he is extremely sad and desperate to solve things between them. I'm worried this behaviour (conciously or not) could be inherited from our nmom that used the silent treatment to punish people.
2023.06.10 21:25 Smoking-Bandit Hunter x Hunter: Ratings & Thoughts (51 - 60 + Phantom Rouge)
First time watcher, no spoilers beyond the final episode listed, please. And preferably no "hints" of what's to come either. I'm aware seeing the movie where I did is controversial, but please also refrain from telling me whatever it is the movie supposedly "spoiled" for me by seeing it in this order. I have heard they do that, but as of now, I am still unaware of what that would be. Let's keep it that way :)
51. A × Brutal × Battlefield - 4/5 (Basho and Melody is such a funny pairing due to how drastically different they both are, looks AND personality wise. And their discreet outfits make it even funnier. Anyway, Neon's fortune telling ability finally plays a role in the story. Only the ability though, not her as a character. She's just an annoying ditz who's selfishness causes problems for others. In this case, she straight up aided Chrollo with a fortune that'll likely ensure the Phantom Troupe a more successful attack. Speaking of; THAT'S Chrollo? He looks drastically different from before! His face looks way more round. But it probably isn't, and it's only the let down hair that's fooling me.
Oh my lord, seeing the assasin who's been half-eaten by Nen fish was absolutely cursed. But it's supposedly completely painless, which is a bit of a relief, because that actually makes it less cursed. He passes immediately as the fish disappear, so, pretty much instant. That's more merciful than I'd expect of Chrollo. I definitely enjoyed the atmospheric ending where there's no sound effects but only dramatic music during the Phantom Troupe's attack. It struck even harder that "shit's going down" when the music kept playing even during the end credits. Hunterpedia kinda ruined the mood, though...)
52. Assault × And × Impact - 4/5 (I find it kind of endearing how much Light Nostrade has begun to trust Kurapika. He's straight up begging him to stay, not demanding. A much nicer employer than I was lead to believe at first. It's hard to decipher how Kurapika feels, because he acts like it's all business, but I'd wager he's growing a closer connection to the Nostrade family than he realizes. Partially because I'm not sure why Light and Neon would even get so much screentime if that weren't so. Though he was obviously not very happy that Light forced him back just as he was about to face Chrollo. No issue though, since Zeno and Silva is on that case. That was definitely an intense fight, and it shows how powerful the Zoldyck's really are, if even the leader of the Phantom Troupe, the group who has been talked about as all-powerful, is surviving the fight by a hair.
Side note: That's one Albert Einstein-looking ass doctor. I always get suspicious when characters look distinct as opposed to generic, because it naturally makes you assume they'll actually be important, otherwise why would they look unique? That said, this is probably not one of those cases, and he just happened to be a distinct looking background character. Also, I find it amusing that Hisoka isn't even taking part of the attack. He's just looking)
53. Fake × And × Psyche - 4/5 (Illumi's not just ruining things for his brother, but his father and grandpa as well, I see. That was a bit of an anticlimactic end to the fight. It feels a bit weird to see Chrollo so talkative and casual in tone. From the little I've of him, he came off much as more of a calculative man of few words, not someone who would ask smug questions or fall down and groan after a fight. Would sooner expect him to act like it was barely a scratch. The heist plan itself is pretty calculated though. But on the other hand, I also don't get why they bother hosting the entire auction only to pond off fake items, given Chrollo is able to use Owl's shrinking cloth ability. They can just steal the stuff and leave.
Wow, the latter half of this episode sure was depressing (barring Leorio and Zepile getting drunk). Seeing Kurapika defeatedly bid on the Kurta eyes and all that. To be fair, he could have just NOT called Light and mentioned that the auction was active, but I digress. I suppose he'd rather Light owns them than someone else. I'm glad that I finally got to experience the full context of the "Kurapika is now drowning in an indescribable emptiness" meme at last. Also, was Hisoka really trying to call Kurapika while he's within hearing vicinity of the entire Phantom Troupe? I guess it's a GOOD thing Kurapika couldn't pick up)
54. Fortunes × Aren't × Right? - 4/5 (Wow, the animation of Gon and Killua playing around and having an eating contest was oddly expressive. That bit of Kurapika laughing, too. Wholesome moment. Anyway, this episode is mostly just the Phantom Troupe bickering in their hideout, which is entertaining in and of itself, because they thought they were such bigshots, and now they're fretting about ONE guy. There's some infodumping about Meteor City, which is like, a literal giant garbage dump? That people live in? Not much of a "city" if you ask me, though they do say the population is quite large, so there's gotta be housing around there, surely. But all we see of it in this episode is just miles of trash.
Hisoka being discovered as a traitor is an interesting note to leave on, I guess. I liked the little emoticon of himself he texted to Kurapika. ⭐-_-💧)
55. Allies × And × Lies - 3/5 (Hisoka pretending that the Chain User has set a condition on him to avoid suspicion was incredibly clever. It's just amusing to see him play both sides. Much like the previous episode, this is mostly the characters sitting around and strategizing, but this time it's the protagonists. I'm a little confused why Gon asked Kurapika to put a Nen condition on him. Did he want the condition to be that it'll kill him if he squeals, or one that'll kill him if he doesn't do the mission? It's probably the former, but I guessed the latter initially because he seemed unsure about the mission, so he could have wanted a condition that would end him if he didn't do his part, essentially giving him no choice. Also, it's funny that he's doubting that he'll be able to distract the Troupe for one mere second. ONE. A valid concern given how perceptive they are, it's just crazy that even a seconds distraction is a tough task.
That aside, I adored the wholesome moment when Kurapika shows appreciation for his friends and admits that he would never use his Nen dagger on them. Instead, he's just emotionally manipulating them. LOL. Side note: When Neon and her bodyguards were leaving, did Squala and Eliza use telepathy to speak to each other? What the heck was that?)
56. Beloved × And × Beleaguered - 5/5 (LOL at Basho falling in the opening. Anyway, my goodness, this episode is beautiful. The dark sky, the rain, the shiny and dimly lit streets etc. Even the water droplets on glass windows look so good that you have to appreciate them. It all makes it so atmospheric. And it sure helps that the episode itself is very thrilling. I loved that Kurapika called Melody in to help the mission, I really enjoy her. She and Killua stalking the Phantom Troupe together was exciting. I find it amusing that the Phantom Troupe, the most notorious deadly gang of thieves in the world with insane Nen abilities, are casually using public transport.
Kurapika, Gon and Killua tailing the troupe was even more exciting. The chase got so intense and I loved how casually and abruptly it ended with Gon revealing himself to save Kurapika's skin. Pretty convenient that Killua just arrived in the same alley as Kurapika so that he could exit and make them none the wiser that there was a third person there, though. But I liked that too. I thought they were going to lie and say that they were following them because they changed their mind about joining. That would have probably been more clever than pretending to be unaware that the bounty was off.
I can see now why Squala got that scene saying goodbye to his girlfriend in the last episode, and the one here about looking for a new job. It was all to take him away at the end anyway! Dammit! Anyway, while I feel pretty bad for him, I kept thinking more about those poor dogs. I'm glad the Troupe didn't hurt them, and that Squala just let them walk away during the confrontation, but what's gonna happen to them now? Are they going to live as strays in the streets of Yorknew City? That's so sad. Anyway, Kurapika's outfit in this episode is epic)
57. Initiative × And × Law - 4/5 (Why did they play Just Awake on the radio in the beginning of this? Pretty distracting. Regardless, Leorio giving coded clues under the guise of an angry businessman was very clever. I loved everything about this plan. It's so amusing to watch the Phantom Troupe frantically keep on their toes out of fear. It's always satisfying watching characters with such huge egos get humbled. And boy do they get humbled here. Kurapika bosses them around like crazy through the phone, and it's funny how powerless they are to do anything about it. I especially loled when they put Killua on the phone, he started squealing about them planning to disobey, and they immediately yank it away from it.
Nobunaga being happy to see Gon and Killua and still wanting to recruit them was pretty... Nice? Like, he genuinely seemed glad. This is why I think lying about wanting to join them would have been a pretty good angle to take, but I digress. Kurapika mocking Chrollo for being "fooled" by his female disguise is pretty funny given, you know... He still looks and sounds like a woman regardless of the wig)
58. Signal × To × Retreat - 4/5 (That was honestly a pretty anticlimactic end to the arc. Though it's obviously not the end to the Phantom Troupe's story, just the Yorknew arc, so it makes sense that it doesn't feel like a satisfying finale. There's clearly gonna be more. It felt like there was a message here that implies Kurapika's revenge spree is wrong. It's not stated too blunty, but Gon and Killua say that they don't want him to pursue revenge like this, and the fact that the Phantom Troupe were repeatedly more humanized and shown to be like a family who actually care about each other makes me assume that something like that was the intention, and I honestly couldn't agree less. It doesn't matter if Nobunaga is sad about Uvo or Pakunoda cares about Chrollo, these are all still dangerous murders who deserve to be locked up. But since that's impossible given their abilities, I don't think Kurapika would be wrong to exterimate them.
It's pretty funny that I praised Kurapika for not being like a typical hero protagonist with an "I don't kill" rule, but then he goes on to still abide by a classic "honor code" where he'll actually stick to his words, even though he's dealing with, again, dangerous murderers who will continue to murder once released. Though it's still satisfying enough that he managed to kill two of them (even if the latter wasn't direct) and prevented Chrollo from being able to use Nen or see the Troupe again. And I had a huge laugh at Hisoka's baffled reaction to hearing Chrollo's news)
Movie. Hunter x Hunter: Phantom Rouge - 5/5 (That was a suspenseful and atmospheric opening sequence. Illumi was genuinely terrifying when he rushed towards those innocent children. I was thankful when Killua woke up because that meant it was all a dream. But then I realized it was probably a real memory, so, yeah... Very unnerving to say the least. Arguably more unnerving was the flight attendant's face when she got mad at Gon and Killua... That was ghastly. Though I can't say I blame her; Their "argument" was literally about NOTHING.
Kurapika's backstory wasn't as much of a "backstory" as I was expecting, only one day he spent with his friend Pairo. But I don't mind, since it was a nice sequence. I always like to see smug bastards like the ones who harassed Pairo get their ass kicked. It kind of negates the satisfaction when it's revealed that the Elder hired them to do it as a "test" though, but it's amusing enough that Pairo cheated by swapping the eye drop vile, so the Elder was none the wiser that they revealed their eyes publicly. It's pretty zany how having red eyes is something that makes people consider you a "freak" and worthy of literal public ridecule in the middle of the street, though. Like, we know contact lenses exist in this show, since Kurapika has used them. Why wouldn't red contact lenses exist? Also, maybe if Kurapika didn't have massive anime eyes, his red eyes would probably largely go unnoticed. LOL.
Wow, that was just the opening? That took a whole episode worth of time! But it was great stuff. And once the story actually began, I was impressed by how consistently engaging it was, never boring for a moment. I was very into in Killua's arc throughout the film. The show has dealt with his trauma from Illumi's grooming previously, like when he faced Illumi in the Hunter Exam, or when Nobunaga had him and Gon trapped in a room. But it never felt as genuine as it did here. First, his severe jealousy over the fact that Gon made a new friend was interesting. I liked that inner conflict. Second, his genuine fear during the fight against the Uvo and then Illumi puppet felt incredibly genuine and powerful. I don't know what other words to describe it with. Every scene that focuses on this arc was fantastic. Especially when he was running away from the Illumi puppet, only to see Gon dramatically thrown through the window. I actually found it quite emotional when Gon sacrifices himself and gets his eyes stolen from him, and Killua just runs away becuase he doesn't deserve such a friend according to himself. I actually got a little teary eyed at that train scene.
As for the villain of the film, Omokage, I actually found him quite interesting, and his puppet Nen ability was cool. The subtle hints that Retz was somehow connected to him kept me even more interested. I mean, it was pretty obvious, what with her being introduced as a street puppeteer (Although I hate that CG puppet. Ugly), and then finding out that the thief of Kurapika's eyes also makes puppets. Suspicious much? The mystery of it all was very interesting, basically. And the final reveal that Retz is actually just a puppet made of his dead sister was fricking horrifying. The movie definitely raises some unintentional questions about what it really means to be a "puppet" with this abiliy. The puppets are such genuine replicas that they actually have the memories and feelings of the person they're replicating. So technically, aren't they just a copy of the person they're replicating? Although what's depressing is the fact that they are just that; A copy. Even if the Retz puppet has the same memories as Retz, the actual Retz is still, unfortunately, very much not alive.
The heft and oomph of the battles were incredible. It felt much more rough than usual. Specifically in the fight against puppet Illumi when he flung Gon into a wall, as well as the aforementioned "Gon tossed out window" moment. There's even oomph to his teleporting (or just running so fast he's briefly invisible I guess?). Even though it's not the real Illumi, you can really feel how powerful he is. And creepy, what with how he begins by just saying "Ki ki ki ki ki", and moves like a stiff doll.
The same praise goes to the final battle as well. It was kind of all over the place with characters, but I found it cool that Gon and Kurapika fought while blind. And it was pretty epic that, although brief, even Leorio joined in on the fighting. Specifically when he defended Kurapika against puppet Pairo. He tried rushing Omokage, but failed pretty hard. But it was still a badass effort, so I salute it. And I found it pretty amusing how smugly Omokage rejects Kurapika trying to force a Nen condition on him. Chrollo and Pakunoda agreed pretty easily previously, but this guy absolutely refuses with a big fat "NO". LOL. Hisoka (oh yeah, he randomly showed up in the end) fighting the Chrollo puppet was pretty fun to see, given how much he's wanted fight Chrollo. Not the real one, but the best he'll get at the moment, I suppose. The real Phantom Troupe showing up at the end was definitely a "lolwhat?" moment, but nevertheless I thought it was cool, and an interesting way to end. Overall, I do not understand why people hate this movie. This was great. Side note: That tailor from the clothes shop was weird)
59. Bid × And × Haste - 3/5 (I'm gonna be blunt, the new visuals for the intro are NOT that good. There's barely any action going on in it, mostly just shots of characters standing still. Mostly. It's not completely devoid of action, but it certainly can't beat seeing Kurapika fighting, Leorio running, getting yanked by Gon's fishing rod and then Killua casually kicking some butt. Or the Phantom Troupe showcase.
So, what exactly is Gon's plan if he actually gets accepted to clear Greed Island for Battera? The reason he wants to play the game is to find Ging's clue, which he specifically left in a save file. Gon would need to continue the game on that save file, otherwise there's not gonna be a clue in the game. Duh. Anyway, not a lot else happened in this episode, but it was amusing enough to see Gon and Killua train their special abilities. Or rather, Gon's ears repeatedly steam as he's trying to come up with an ability, lol. Killua trying to master electricity kind of fits him, given he has white, spiky hair, and electric bolts/shocks is often depicted as white and spiky)
60. End × And × Beginning - 3/5 (Goodbye Kurapika and Leorio. Melody complimenting Leorio's heartbeat was very wholesome. Anyway, with the two best of the four main characters once again gone, I'm expecting another quality dip. Not that it'll be garbage or anything. This was a semi interesting start to Greed Island, I guess. The screening being so selective does make me more curious of how intense this game can really be. The guy Gon and Killua met there though, Puhat, looks like a fricking muppet. Freaky. I thought the tutorial room looked pretty cool, and I found it amusing that Ging didn't leave a clue whatsoever, he just tricked Gon into playing the game. Also, Zepile planning to enter the Hunter Exam was very interesting. I assume Killua will likely give it a second go later, so I wonder if we'll see them meet each other there.
So, uh, what exactly was the point of Milluki in the Greed Island auction arc? In 5 short scenes spread out between 23 episodes, he is seen researching Greed Island, going to the auction, bidding and failing, and finally in this epic climax... Going back home in defeat. Arguably the greatest arc in the entire series so far. /s)
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51. A × Brutal × Battlefield - 4/5 (Basho and Melody is such a funny pairing due to how drastically different they both are, looks AND personality wise. And their discreet outfits make it even funnier. Anyway, Neon's fortune telling ability finally plays a role in the story. Only the ability though, not her as a character. She's just an annoying ditz who's selfishness causes problems for others. In this case, she straight up aided Chrollo with a fortune that'll likely ensure the Phantom Troupe a more successful attack. Speaking of; THAT'S Chrollo? He looks drastically different from before! His face looks way more round. But it probably isn't, and it's only the let down hair that's fooling me.
Oh my lord, seeing the assasin who's been half-eaten by Nen fish was absolutely cursed. But it's supposedly completely painless, which is a bit of a relief, because that actually makes it less cursed. He passes immediately as the fish disappear, so, pretty much instant. That's more merciful than I'd expect of Chrollo. I definitely enjoyed the atmospheric ending where there's no sound effects but only dramatic music during the Phantom Troupe's attack. It struck even harder that "shit's going down" when the music kept playing even during the end credits. Hunterpedia kinda ruined the mood, though...)
52. Assault × And × Impact - 4/5 (I find it kind of endearing how much Light Nostrade has begun to trust Kurapika. He's straight up begging him to stay, not demanding. A much nicer employer than I was lead to believe at first. It's hard to decipher how Kurapika feels, because he acts like it's all business, but I'd wager he's growing a closer connection to the Nostrade family than he realizes. Partially because I'm not sure why Light and Neon would even get so much screentime if that weren't so. Though he was obviously not very happy that Light forced him back just as he was about to face Chrollo. No issue though, since Zeno and Silva is on that case. That was definitely an intense fight, and it shows how powerful the Zoldyck's really are, if even the leader of the Phantom Troupe, the group who has been talked about as all-powerful, is surviving the fight by a hair.
Side note: That's one Albert Einstein-looking ass doctor. I always get suspicious when characters look distinct as opposed to generic, because it naturally makes you assume they'll actually be important, otherwise why would they look unique? That said, this is probably not one of those cases, and he just happened to be a distinct looking background character. Also, I find it amusing that Hisoka isn't even taking part of the attack. He's just looking)
53. Fake × And × Psyche - 4/5 (Illumi's not just ruining things for his brother, but his father and grandpa as well, I see. That was a bit of an anticlimactic end to the fight. It feels a bit weird to see Chrollo so talkative and casual in tone. From the little I've of him, he came off much as more of a calculative man of few words, not someone who would ask smug questions or fall down and groan after a fight. Would sooner expect him to act like it was barely a scratch. The heist plan itself is pretty calculated though. But on the other hand, I also don't get why they bother hosting the entire auction only to pond off fake items, given Chrollo is able to use Owl's shrinking cloth ability. They can just steal the stuff and leave.
Wow, the latter half of this episode sure was depressing (barring Leorio and Zepile getting drunk). Seeing Kurapika defeatedly bid on the Kurta eyes and all that. To be fair, he could have just NOT called Light and mentioned that the auction was active, but I digress. I suppose he'd rather Light owns them than someone else. I'm glad that I finally got to experience the full context of the "Kurapika is now drowning in an indescribable emptiness" meme at last. Also, was Hisoka really trying to call Kurapika while he's within hearing vicinity of the entire Phantom Troupe? I guess it's a GOOD thing Kurapika couldn't pick up)
54. Fortunes × Aren't × Right? - 4/5 (Wow, the animation of Gon and Killua playing around and having an eating contest was oddly expressive. That bit of Kurapika laughing, too. Wholesome moment. Anyway, this episode is mostly just the Phantom Troupe bickering in their hideout, which is entertaining in and of itself, because they thought they were such bigshots, and now they're fretting about ONE guy. There's some infodumping about Meteor City, which is like, a literal giant garbage dump? That people live in? Not much of a "city" if you ask me, though they do say the population is quite large, so there's gotta be housing around there, surely. But all we see of it in this episode is just miles of trash.
Hisoka being discovered as a traitor is an interesting note to leave on, I guess. I liked the little emoticon of himself he texted to Kurapika. ⭐-_-💧)
55. Allies × And × Lies - 3/5 (Hisoka pretending that the Chain User has set a condition on him to avoid suspicion was incredibly clever. It's just amusing to see him play both sides. Much like the previous episode, this is mostly the characters sitting around and strategizing, but this time it's the protagonists. I'm a little confused why Gon asked Kurapika to put a Nen condition on him. Did he want the condition to be that it'll kill him if he squeals, or one that'll kill him if he doesn't do the mission? It's probably the former, but I guessed the latter initially because he seemed unsure about the mission, so he could have wanted a condition that would end him if he didn't do his part, essentially giving him no choice. Also, it's funny that he's doubting that he'll be able to distract the Troupe for one mere second. ONE. A valid concern given how perceptive they are, it's just crazy that even a seconds distraction is a tough task.
That aside, I adored the wholesome moment when Kurapika shows appreciation for his friends and admits that he would never use his Nen dagger on them. Instead, he's just emotionally manipulating them. LOL. Side note: When Neon and her bodyguards were leaving, did Squala and Eliza use telepathy to speak to each other? What the heck was that?)
56. Beloved × And × Beleaguered - 5/5 (LOL at Basho falling in the opening. Anyway, my goodness, this episode is beautiful. The dark sky, the rain, the shiny and dimly lit streets etc. Even the water droplets on glass windows look so good that you have to appreciate them. It all makes it so atmospheric. And it sure helps that the episode itself is very thrilling. I loved that Kurapika called Melody in to help the mission, I really enjoy her. She and Killua stalking the Phantom Troupe together was exciting. I find it amusing that the Phantom Troupe, the most notorious deadly gang of thieves in the world with insane Nen abilities, are casually using public transport.
Kurapika, Gon and Killua tailing the troupe was even more exciting. The chase got so intense and I loved how casually and abruptly it ended with Gon revealing himself to save Kurapika's skin. Pretty convenient that Killua just arrived in the same alley as Kurapika so that he could exit and make them none the wiser that there was a third person there, though. But I liked that too. I thought they were going to lie and say that they were following them because they changed their mind about joining. That would have probably been more clever than pretending to be unaware that the bounty was off.
I can see now why Squala got that scene saying goodbye to his girlfriend in the last episode, and the one here about looking for a new job. It was all to take him away at the end anyway! Dammit! Anyway, while I feel pretty bad for him, I kept thinking more about those poor dogs. I'm glad the Troupe didn't hurt them, and that Squala just let them walk away during the confrontation, but what's gonna happen to them now? Are they going to live as strays in the streets of Yorknew City? That's so sad. Anyway, Kurapika's outfit in this episode is epic)
57. Initiative × And × Law - 4/5 (Why did they play Just Awake on the radio in the beginning of this? Pretty distracting. Regardless, Leorio giving coded clues under the guise of an angry businessman was very clever. I loved everything about this plan. It's so amusing to watch the Phantom Troupe frantically keep on their toes out of fear. It's always satisfying watching characters with such huge egos get humbled. And boy do they get humbled here. Kurapika bosses them around like crazy through the phone, and it's funny how powerless they are to do anything about it. I especially loled when they put Killua on the phone, he started squealing about them planning to disobey, and they immediately yank it away from it.
Nobunaga being happy to see Gon and Killua and still wanting to recruit them was pretty... Nice? Like, he genuinely seemed glad. This is why I think lying about wanting to join them would have been a pretty good angle to take, but I digress. Kurapika mocking Chrollo for being "fooled" by his female disguise is pretty funny given, you know... He still looks and sounds like a woman regardless of the wig)
58. Signal × To × Retreat - 4/5 (That was honestly a pretty anticlimactic end to the arc. Though it's obviously not the end to the Phantom Troupe's story, just the Yorknew arc, so it makes sense that it doesn't feel like a satisfying finale. There's clearly gonna be more. It felt like there was a message here that implies Kurapika's revenge spree is wrong. It's not stated too blunty, but Gon and Killua say that they don't want him to pursue revenge like this, and the fact that the Phantom Troupe were repeatedly more humanized and shown to be like a family who actually care about each other makes me assume that something like that was the intention, and I honestly couldn't agree less. It doesn't matter if Nobunaga is sad about Uvo or Pakunoda cares about Chrollo, these are all still dangerous murders who deserve to be locked up. But since that's impossible given their abilities, I don't think Kurapika would be wrong to exterimate them.
It's pretty funny that I praised Kurapika for not being like a typical hero protagonist with an "I don't kill" rule, but then he goes on to still abide by a classic "honor code" where he'll actually stick to his words, even though he's dealing with, again, dangerous murderers who will continue to murder once released. Though it's still satisfying enough that he managed to kill two of them (even if the latter wasn't direct) and prevented Chrollo from being able to use Nen or see the Troupe again. And I had a huge laugh at Hisoka's baffled reaction to hearing Chrollo's news)
Movie. Hunter x Hunter: Phantom Rouge - 5/5 (That was a suspenseful and atmospheric opening sequence. Illumi was genuinely terrifying when he rushed towards those innocent children. I was thankful when Killua woke up because that meant it was all a dream. But then I realized it was probably a real memory, so, yeah... Very unnerving to say the least. Arguably more unnerving was the flight attendant's face when she got mad at Gon and Killua... That was ghastly. Though I can't say I blame her; Their "argument" was literally about NOTHING.
Kurapika's backstory wasn't as much of a "backstory" as I was expecting, only one day he spent with his friend Pairo. But I don't mind, since it was a nice sequence. I always like to see smug bastards like the ones who harassed Pairo get their ass kicked. It kind of negates the satisfaction when it's revealed that the Elder hired them to do it as a "test" though, but it's amusing enough that Pairo cheated by swapping the eye drop vile, so the Elder was none the wiser that they revealed their eyes publicly. It's pretty zany how having red eyes is something that makes people consider you a "freak" and worthy of literal public ridecule in the middle of the street, though. Like, we know contact lenses exist in this show, since Kurapika has used them. Why wouldn't red contact lenses exist? Also, maybe if Kurapika didn't have massive anime eyes, his red eyes would probably largely go unnoticed. LOL.
Wow, that was just the opening? That took a whole episode worth of time! But it was great stuff. And once the story actually began, I was impressed by how consistently engaging it was, never boring for a moment. I was very into in Killua's arc throughout the film. The show has dealt with his trauma from Illumi's grooming previously, like when he faced Illumi in the Hunter Exam, or when Nobunaga had him and Gon trapped in a room. But it never felt as genuine as it did here. First, his severe jealousy over the fact that Gon made a new friend was interesting. I liked that inner conflict. Second, his genuine fear during the fight against the Uvo and then Illumi puppet felt incredibly genuine and powerful. I don't know what other words to describe it with. Every scene that focuses on this arc was fantastic. Especially when he was running away from the Illumi puppet, only to see Gon dramatically thrown through the window. I actually found it quite emotional when Gon sacrifices himself and gets his eyes stolen from him, and Killua just runs away becuase he doesn't deserve such a friend according to himself. I actually got a little teary eyed at that train scene.
As for the villain of the film, Omokage, I actually found him quite interesting, and his puppet Nen ability was cool. The subtle hints that Retz was somehow connected to him kept me even more interested. I mean, it was pretty obvious, what with her being introduced as a street puppeteer (Although I hate that CG puppet. Ugly), and then finding out that the thief of Kurapika's eyes also makes puppets. Suspicious much? The mystery of it all was very interesting, basically. And the final reveal that Retz is actually just a puppet made of his dead sister was fricking horrifying. The movie definitely raises some unintentional questions about what it really means to be a "puppet" with this abiliy. The puppets are such genuine replicas that they actually have the memories and feelings of the person they're replicating. So technically, aren't they just a copy of the person they're replicating? Although what's depressing is the fact that they are just that; A copy. Even if the Retz puppet has the same memories as Retz, the actual Retz is still, unfortunately, very much not alive.
The heft and oomph of the battles were incredible. It felt much more rough than usual. Specifically in the fight against puppet Illumi when he flung Gon into a wall, as well as the aforementioned "Gon tossed out window" moment. There's even oomph to his teleporting (or just running so fast he's briefly invisible I guess?). Even though it's not the real Illumi, you can really feel how powerful he is. And creepy, what with how he begins by just saying "Ki ki ki ki ki", and moves like a stiff doll.
The same praise goes to the final battle as well. It was kind of all over the place with characters, but I found it cool that Gon and Kurapika fought while blind. And it was pretty epic that, although brief, even Leorio joined in on the fighting. Specifically when he defended Kurapika against puppet Pairo. He tried rushing Omokage, but failed pretty hard. But it was still a badass effort, so I salute it. And I found it pretty amusing how smugly Omokage rejects Kurapika trying to force a Nen condition on him. Chrollo and Pakunoda agreed pretty easily previously, but this guy absolutely refuses with a big fat "NO". LOL. Hisoka (oh yeah, he randomly showed up in the end) fighting the Chrollo puppet was pretty fun to see, given how much he's wanted fight Chrollo. Not the real one, but the best he'll get at the moment, I suppose. The real Phantom Troupe showing up at the end was definitely a "lolwhat?" moment, but nevertheless I thought it was cool, and an interesting way to end. Overall, I do not understand why people hate this movie. This was great. Side note: That tailor from the clothes shop was weird)
59. Bid × And × Haste - 3/5 (I'm gonna be blunt, the new visuals for the intro are NOT that good. There's barely any action going on in it, mostly just shots of characters standing still. Mostly. It's not completely devoid of action, but it certainly can't beat seeing Kurapika fighting, Leorio running, getting yanked by Gon's fishing rod and then Killua casually kicking some butt. Or the Phantom Troupe showcase.
So, what exactly is Gon's plan if he actually gets accepted to clear Greed Island for Battera? The reason he wants to play the game is to find Ging's clue, which he specifically left in a save file. Gon would need to continue the game on that save file, otherwise there's not gonna be a clue in the game. Duh. Anyway, not a lot else happened in this episode, but it was amusing enough to see Gon and Killua train their special abilities. Or rather, Gon's ears repeatedly steam as he's trying to come up with an ability, lol. Killua trying to master electricity kind of fits him, given he has white, spiky hair, and electric bolts/shocks is often depicted as white and spiky)
60. End × And × Beginning - 3/5 (Goodbye Kurapika and Leorio. Melody complimenting Leorio's heartbeat was very wholesome. Anyway, with the two best of the four main characters once again gone, I'm expecting another quality dip. Not that it'll be garbage or anything. This was a semi interesting start to Greed Island, I guess. The screening being so selective does make me more curious of how intense this game can really be. The guy Gon and Killua met there though, Puhat, looks like a fricking muppet. Freaky. I thought the tutorial room looked pretty cool, and I found it amusing that Ging didn't leave a clue whatsoever, he just tricked Gon into playing the game. Also, Zepile planning to enter the Hunter Exam was very interesting. I assume Killua will likely give it a second go later, so I wonder if we'll see them meet each other there.
So, uh, what exactly was the point of Milluki in the Greed Island auction arc? In 5 short scenes spread out between 23 episodes, he is seen researching Greed Island, going to the auction, bidding and failing, and finally in this epic climax... Going back home in defeat. Arguably the greatest arc in the entire series so far. /s)