Breat buds pictures
Weedhauls
2020.03.07 09:01 Rectum34 Weedhauls
A place for people to post pictures of either their dispensary or plug weed hauls.. include description if you want and “weed” includes all forms of intake not solely buds. Cheers !!
2018.03.22 22:57 oatmealrasincookies Hemp: Helping the masses
Discussion of hemp, and hemp accessories.
2019.08.05 00:56 Policing of the thots
In the era of swipe-to-fuck and dumb ass social media profiles, ratchet fuckery is considered especially heinous. On the web, the dedicated detectives that investigate and expose this silly female bullshit belong to an elite squad known as the Thot SWAT. These are their stories.
2024.05.14 13:11 Sweet-Count2557 Family Hiyaa in Dharavandhoo, Maldives
 | Family Hiyaa in Dharavandhoo, Maldives submitted by Sweet-Count2557 to worldkidstravel [link] [comments] Family Hiyaa: The Ultimate Family Getaway in Dharavandhoo, Maldives Price Level: Hotel Class: 0 Family Hiyaa, located in the picturesque island of Dharavandhoo in the Maldives, is a true gem for families seeking a memorable vacation. This charming hotel offers a perfect blend of comfort, luxury, and convenience, making it an ideal choice for travelers of all ages. With its spacious and well-appointed rooms, Family Hiyaa ensures a relaxing stay for families, allowing them to unwind and create lasting memories. The hotel's prime location provides easy access to the island's pristine beaches, crystal-clear waters, and vibrant marine life, offering endless opportunities for snorkeling, diving, and other water activities. Moreover, the friendly and attentive staff at Family Hiyaa go above and beyond to cater to the needs of families, ensuring a hassle-free and enjoyable experience. Whether you're looking to explore the natural wonders of the Maldives or simply relax by the pool, Family Hiyaa is the perfect choice for an unforgettable family getaway. Amenities of Family Hiyaa in Dharavandhoo, Maldives Family Hiyaa in Dharavandhoo, Maldives offers a range of amenities to ensure a comfortable and enjoyable stay for guests. The resort provides spacious and well-appointed rooms, equipped with modern facilities and amenities. Guests can indulge in the resort's swimming pool, perfect for a refreshing dip or lounging under the sun. For those seeking relaxation, the spa and wellness center offers a variety of treatments and massages to rejuvenate the mind and body. Additionally, the resort features a restaurant serving delicious local and international cuisine, catering to all taste buds. With its excellent amenities, Family Hiyaa ensures a memorable and relaxing vacation experience for families visiting Dharavandhoo. Contact of Family Hiyaa in Dharavandhoo, Maldives +960 799-1987 6060 http://www.familyhiyaa.com/ Location of Family Hiyaa in Dharavandhoo, Maldives Pictures of Family Hiyaa in Dharavandhoo, Maldives Tips for Staying in Family Hiyaa Keep the room clean and tidyOpen the windows for fresh airTurn off lights and electronics when not in useUse curtains or blinds to control sunlightKeep the temperature comfortableOrganize belongings and avoid clutterUse air fresheners or plants for a pleasant smellKeep noise levels downLock doors and windows for securityReport any maintenance issues promptly Reviews of Family Hiyaa in Dharavandhoo, Maldives Book Family Hiyaa Now !!! Tags |
2024.05.14 12:41 More_Helicopter_688 Post trip report Two weeks with a toddler (Lake Como, Gardaland, Venice)
We just got back from a wonderful trip in the northern part of Italy with our 3-year-old. Having spent 2 weeks on one of our best trips so far, I really want to thank a bunch of fellow redditors who helped refine our itinerary and suggested places which otherwise would not have made it to our plan!
Day 1 Milan: We took a flight from India and landed in Milan in the afternoon. Milan was just the arrival point for us and we did not intend to visit Milan as such, so we ended up booking a room in the hotel at the Malpensa Airport itself. Nothing much that day; a bit of rest and a delicious dinner were a great start to our trip.
Day 2 Drive from Milan to Bellagio: Woke up after a good night's sleep (a much needed one after the long sleepless flight the day before). Breakfast at the hotel was really good with a lot of options for everyone. We had booked a car through SIXT at the Malpensa airport. Getting the car was a breeze with great service from the representative at the SIXT counter. The drive to Bellagio was a very good one. I was still getting used to the car, since I come from a land of right-hand drive and switching to a left-hand drive meant putting in a lot more focus on the road. Driving along the Lake Como was a fantastic experience. We reached Bellagio by lunch time and our AirBnB was ready for us. The rest of the day was at leisure, with a casual walk around Bellagio, through the city center and along the lake.
Day 3 Bellagio to Varenna: Took a ferry to Varenna and had breakfast at a lake side cafe. With great weather on our side, a cup of coffee and a little pastry seemed more blissful than we thought of! We had signed up for a picnic on the hills of Camaggiore, a 40-minute drive from the Varenna ferry station. We had our representative waiting for us and she drove us to the picnic spot, sharing tales from the towns of Lake Como, showing us amazing views along the way. The picnic itself was surreal, with the most beautiful view of the lake from 1200 meters above. We spend the rest of the day exploring Varenna at our pace, while our little one slept like a log in the stoller.
Day 4 Bellagio: After debating weather to visit the Como town or not, we decided to stay in Bellagio in explore the town a bit more. We took a ride of the Bellagio Express, the toy train that takes you around the town. It was a fun ride, intended for our toddler, who decided to doze off in the train itself! Post that, we saw the gardens of the Villa Melzi. We had rented a boat to explore the lake ourselves during the evening, but rainy weather made us cancel our plans. We spent the rest of the evening, relaxing at our AirBnB, overlooking the lake.
Day 5 Drive from Bellagio to Gardaland: Moving on to the next leg of our trip, which was clearly planned keeping our little boy in mind, we drove to Gardaland reaching there by noon. Thanks to a wonderful fellow Redditor, we got introduced to this wonderland called Gardaland! Our stay was booked at the Gardaland Hotel and while we were waiting for our room to get ready, we decided to pay a visit to the Gardaland Resort park right away. A drizzly weather kept most of the visitors inside the SEA Aquarium, but that also meant we had absolutely no waiting times on most of the rides in the park! The little one was elated to see the Peppa Pig Land, and refused to move away from it. All in all, day one in the park was a super success despite the wet weather. Evening at the hotel was full of fun-filled activities for the kids. The entertainment team at Gardaland Hotel did a fabulous job at keeping kids engaged.
Day 6 Gardaland: Our second day in the Gardaland park was a much more planned one, since we had already explored some of the park on the previous day. We knew the rides we wanted to go on, and so logistics were simpler. Weather was great too, and so we had a wonderful time! The park has a plethora of options to eat, with a ton of sweet treats along the way. The park is huge but very well laid out with clean facilities. Naturally, day two also could not be completed without visiting our favorite Peppa Pig! Evening at the hotel was again fun-filled with the team at Gardaland doing what they do the best!
Day 7 Parco Natura Viva: Gardaland is in proximity to a lot of amusement parks and points of recreation for family and friends. One of them is Parco Natura Viva, a zoo with a drive-through safari. It was a Saturday and the zoo had enormous waiting times for the cars to enter the Safari. After having waited in the queue for over an hour, we finally started the Safari, which turned out to be pretty great. Next, we had the fauna park (the walkable part of the zoo), the one with animals in their enclosures. With the entire park divided into geographical zones, it was fun seeing animals from various continents. The place is well-maintained, and creates a great experience for kids.
Day 8 Verona: We had kept an extra day in Gardaland just in case the little man wanted to visit the park again. However, given the proximity, we decided to do a day trip to Verona instead. We drove to Verona and parked our car in one of the paid parking lots. We had reserved a morning slot for a walking tour, that took us through the streets of Verona, with our very knowledgeable guide sharing tales from historic Verona, the castle and gate to the old city center. The center was bustling with stores and eateries. Very touristy but was all the more fun! Our taste buds were craving for some Indian food and we ended up having lunch at an amazing Indian restaurant named "Maharajah". The food was delectable with very prompt service. As touristy as it sounds, we did go to "Casa di Giulietta", commonly known as Juliet's house that is known for the legacy of Romeo and Juliet having been inspired from there. The so-called Juliet's balcony is missable at best.
Day 9 Drive from Gardaland to Venice: Switching to the last leg of our trip, this was supposed to be the wife's part of the trip. She has wanted to visit Venice for as long as she remembers, and this trip could not have happened without a leisurely stay in the city of canals! This was also the last day of us keeping the car, and we drove to Venice Marco Polo Airport where we returned the car at the SIXT counter. Once again, just like the pick-up the return process was extremely smooth and lasted barely a couple of minutes. Our plan was to catch the Alilaguna airport water bus to the main island, but we decided to splurge at the last moment and took the water taxi instead. And boy were we happy! The water taxi is an experience in itself, especially when entering the canals from the airport. Our AirBnB was located right on the Grand Canal, giving us uninterrupted views of the Canal. For a place that looked better in person than in pictures, what more could we have asked for! We spent the evening walking to the Rialto Bridge, people-watching!
Day 10 St. Marks square and Dodge's Palace: After a good night's sleep, we woke up refreshed, taking in the morning views of the Grand Canal, with the gondola's and the various boats floating by, doing their chores for the day. We had booked a tour of the St. Marks square and the Basilica, along with the Dodge's Palace. Unfortunately, it had to be a rainy day. While we still participated in the tour, the place became very crowded because a lot of people tried to maximize on the time indoors to avoid the rain. Nonetheless, it was a good experience. The little one dozed off in the Basilica and so we let my wife carry on with the tour of the palace, while I took a table under an umbrella at the Cafe Lavena to get myself some coffee, and to let my son enjoy his sleep. We spent the evening loitering around the Rialto market, spoiling ourselves with a few gelatos at Suso!
Day 11 Murano, Burano and Torcello: We woke up early, fixed ourselves some breakfast and were ready to leave. We had booked a tour of the 3 islands and our job was to get to the meeting point as soon as possible. Unfortunately, we missed our group and had to visit the islands on our own. The upside to this was that we could do it at our own pace! This included having a hearty lunch at a beautiful local cafe in Torcello. This place had a chidren's play area too! This also meant spending more time than necessary in Burano, because why not? We loved the colorful houses on the island and we just wanted to be there, taking in everything it had...
Day 12 Leisure and Photoshoot: My wife and I generally have this idea of booking a small photoshoot at every exquisite location we visit. This not only gives us great pictures for memories, but it also allows us to see areas which we would otherwise not know existed. We booked this experience through AirBnB and our photographer was a wonderful man, very learned and a true Venetian at heart! He took us to places that were free of tourists, for some amazing pictures. Not only that, he also arranged for a special Gondola ride for us, which took us through the narrower canals of Venice, adding to the already special experience. A trip to Venice is really incomplete without a Gondola ride, and we were glad we could! This was the last evening of our trip and we could not conclude it without a few more Aperol Spritz's and Gelatos from Suso!
With every trip we take, we learn a lot, that helps us make our future trips better. We consciously chose to skip the more popular locations like Rome and Florence (Tuscany), since we wanted to have ample time of leisure and just do nothing, with a toddler who wanted to just be.
If I could summarize the learnings of this trip, they would be:
submitted by More_Helicopter_688 to ItalyTravel [link] [comments]
Day 1 Milan: We took a flight from India and landed in Milan in the afternoon. Milan was just the arrival point for us and we did not intend to visit Milan as such, so we ended up booking a room in the hotel at the Malpensa Airport itself. Nothing much that day; a bit of rest and a delicious dinner were a great start to our trip.
Day 2 Drive from Milan to Bellagio: Woke up after a good night's sleep (a much needed one after the long sleepless flight the day before). Breakfast at the hotel was really good with a lot of options for everyone. We had booked a car through SIXT at the Malpensa airport. Getting the car was a breeze with great service from the representative at the SIXT counter. The drive to Bellagio was a very good one. I was still getting used to the car, since I come from a land of right-hand drive and switching to a left-hand drive meant putting in a lot more focus on the road. Driving along the Lake Como was a fantastic experience. We reached Bellagio by lunch time and our AirBnB was ready for us. The rest of the day was at leisure, with a casual walk around Bellagio, through the city center and along the lake.
Day 3 Bellagio to Varenna: Took a ferry to Varenna and had breakfast at a lake side cafe. With great weather on our side, a cup of coffee and a little pastry seemed more blissful than we thought of! We had signed up for a picnic on the hills of Camaggiore, a 40-minute drive from the Varenna ferry station. We had our representative waiting for us and she drove us to the picnic spot, sharing tales from the towns of Lake Como, showing us amazing views along the way. The picnic itself was surreal, with the most beautiful view of the lake from 1200 meters above. We spend the rest of the day exploring Varenna at our pace, while our little one slept like a log in the stoller.
Day 4 Bellagio: After debating weather to visit the Como town or not, we decided to stay in Bellagio in explore the town a bit more. We took a ride of the Bellagio Express, the toy train that takes you around the town. It was a fun ride, intended for our toddler, who decided to doze off in the train itself! Post that, we saw the gardens of the Villa Melzi. We had rented a boat to explore the lake ourselves during the evening, but rainy weather made us cancel our plans. We spent the rest of the evening, relaxing at our AirBnB, overlooking the lake.
Day 5 Drive from Bellagio to Gardaland: Moving on to the next leg of our trip, which was clearly planned keeping our little boy in mind, we drove to Gardaland reaching there by noon. Thanks to a wonderful fellow Redditor, we got introduced to this wonderland called Gardaland! Our stay was booked at the Gardaland Hotel and while we were waiting for our room to get ready, we decided to pay a visit to the Gardaland Resort park right away. A drizzly weather kept most of the visitors inside the SEA Aquarium, but that also meant we had absolutely no waiting times on most of the rides in the park! The little one was elated to see the Peppa Pig Land, and refused to move away from it. All in all, day one in the park was a super success despite the wet weather. Evening at the hotel was full of fun-filled activities for the kids. The entertainment team at Gardaland Hotel did a fabulous job at keeping kids engaged.
Day 6 Gardaland: Our second day in the Gardaland park was a much more planned one, since we had already explored some of the park on the previous day. We knew the rides we wanted to go on, and so logistics were simpler. Weather was great too, and so we had a wonderful time! The park has a plethora of options to eat, with a ton of sweet treats along the way. The park is huge but very well laid out with clean facilities. Naturally, day two also could not be completed without visiting our favorite Peppa Pig! Evening at the hotel was again fun-filled with the team at Gardaland doing what they do the best!
Day 7 Parco Natura Viva: Gardaland is in proximity to a lot of amusement parks and points of recreation for family and friends. One of them is Parco Natura Viva, a zoo with a drive-through safari. It was a Saturday and the zoo had enormous waiting times for the cars to enter the Safari. After having waited in the queue for over an hour, we finally started the Safari, which turned out to be pretty great. Next, we had the fauna park (the walkable part of the zoo), the one with animals in their enclosures. With the entire park divided into geographical zones, it was fun seeing animals from various continents. The place is well-maintained, and creates a great experience for kids.
Day 8 Verona: We had kept an extra day in Gardaland just in case the little man wanted to visit the park again. However, given the proximity, we decided to do a day trip to Verona instead. We drove to Verona and parked our car in one of the paid parking lots. We had reserved a morning slot for a walking tour, that took us through the streets of Verona, with our very knowledgeable guide sharing tales from historic Verona, the castle and gate to the old city center. The center was bustling with stores and eateries. Very touristy but was all the more fun! Our taste buds were craving for some Indian food and we ended up having lunch at an amazing Indian restaurant named "Maharajah". The food was delectable with very prompt service. As touristy as it sounds, we did go to "Casa di Giulietta", commonly known as Juliet's house that is known for the legacy of Romeo and Juliet having been inspired from there. The so-called Juliet's balcony is missable at best.
Day 9 Drive from Gardaland to Venice: Switching to the last leg of our trip, this was supposed to be the wife's part of the trip. She has wanted to visit Venice for as long as she remembers, and this trip could not have happened without a leisurely stay in the city of canals! This was also the last day of us keeping the car, and we drove to Venice Marco Polo Airport where we returned the car at the SIXT counter. Once again, just like the pick-up the return process was extremely smooth and lasted barely a couple of minutes. Our plan was to catch the Alilaguna airport water bus to the main island, but we decided to splurge at the last moment and took the water taxi instead. And boy were we happy! The water taxi is an experience in itself, especially when entering the canals from the airport. Our AirBnB was located right on the Grand Canal, giving us uninterrupted views of the Canal. For a place that looked better in person than in pictures, what more could we have asked for! We spent the evening walking to the Rialto Bridge, people-watching!
Day 10 St. Marks square and Dodge's Palace: After a good night's sleep, we woke up refreshed, taking in the morning views of the Grand Canal, with the gondola's and the various boats floating by, doing their chores for the day. We had booked a tour of the St. Marks square and the Basilica, along with the Dodge's Palace. Unfortunately, it had to be a rainy day. While we still participated in the tour, the place became very crowded because a lot of people tried to maximize on the time indoors to avoid the rain. Nonetheless, it was a good experience. The little one dozed off in the Basilica and so we let my wife carry on with the tour of the palace, while I took a table under an umbrella at the Cafe Lavena to get myself some coffee, and to let my son enjoy his sleep. We spent the evening loitering around the Rialto market, spoiling ourselves with a few gelatos at Suso!
Day 11 Murano, Burano and Torcello: We woke up early, fixed ourselves some breakfast and were ready to leave. We had booked a tour of the 3 islands and our job was to get to the meeting point as soon as possible. Unfortunately, we missed our group and had to visit the islands on our own. The upside to this was that we could do it at our own pace! This included having a hearty lunch at a beautiful local cafe in Torcello. This place had a chidren's play area too! This also meant spending more time than necessary in Burano, because why not? We loved the colorful houses on the island and we just wanted to be there, taking in everything it had...
Day 12 Leisure and Photoshoot: My wife and I generally have this idea of booking a small photoshoot at every exquisite location we visit. This not only gives us great pictures for memories, but it also allows us to see areas which we would otherwise not know existed. We booked this experience through AirBnB and our photographer was a wonderful man, very learned and a true Venetian at heart! He took us to places that were free of tourists, for some amazing pictures. Not only that, he also arranged for a special Gondola ride for us, which took us through the narrower canals of Venice, adding to the already special experience. A trip to Venice is really incomplete without a Gondola ride, and we were glad we could! This was the last evening of our trip and we could not conclude it without a few more Aperol Spritz's and Gelatos from Suso!
With every trip we take, we learn a lot, that helps us make our future trips better. We consciously chose to skip the more popular locations like Rome and Florence (Tuscany), since we wanted to have ample time of leisure and just do nothing, with a toddler who wanted to just be.
If I could summarize the learnings of this trip, they would be:
- Travelling with a toddler is great, if you leave a lot of room for rest and leisure. It not only allows you to be, but it also leaves scope to rome around the place and absorb the local life beyond the tourist favourites
- Lake Como has a lot to offer. While day trips from Milan sound good, staying in a Lake Como town lets you enjoy the serenity of the lake in a more intimate manner. A couple of days at the least, three days to make it worth while.
- Driving around Lake Como can be fun, but can also become a bit intimidating if you are trying to drive slow on the roads that circle the lake and there are cars behind you, trying to get ahead. Staying calm is the key!
- Gardaland is unchartered territory for people outside Italy, and if travelling with kids, must find a place in the itinerary.
- We had a lot of people advising us against spending 4 days in Venice, but we do not regret it even a bit. Venice is a city unlike anything we've been to so far. It is very difficult to imagine the daily life of the people living there, unless you decide to stop and slow things down yourself, experiencing the little things that the place has to offer.
- It is absolutely ok to not cover every point of interest at a place you are staying. Ticking everything off the list does not give the same satisfaction as enjoying the few things that you do, at a pace that you like.
- Lastly, strollers are a boon, even with the cobbled streets. They serve a great deal for quick afternoon naps, as well as meal times. It indeed is a pain carrying them over the hundreds of bridges in a place like Venice, but the pros still outweigh the cons.
2024.05.14 12:08 WoodpeckerWise3362 27M looking for new online friends!
Hey! So I’m looking for more online friends to chat with, call here and then, maybe send random selfies on snap with. I’d prefer if you’re female as I barley have any girl mates, but I’m not going to be picky😅
Alright, let me give you a glimpse into who I am! Picture a 6-foot-1 guy with a short beard and a whole lot of tattoos. Cooking is my jam, and I can whip up some mouthwatering dishes that will make your taste buds dance. I love anime and horror movies! I thrive on spontaneity and love going on unplanned adventures that keep life exciting. And let's not forget about my legendary shower concerts!😂
By the way, I have to admit that I'm not the best at talking about myself, so if there's anything else you'd like to know, just ask! I'm an open book. Maybe we can trade a selfie too so we can see who we’re talking to! Let's keep the conversation going and get to know each other better. Looking forward to hearing from you!
submitted by WoodpeckerWise3362 to MakeNewFriendsHere [link] [comments]
Alright, let me give you a glimpse into who I am! Picture a 6-foot-1 guy with a short beard and a whole lot of tattoos. Cooking is my jam, and I can whip up some mouthwatering dishes that will make your taste buds dance. I love anime and horror movies! I thrive on spontaneity and love going on unplanned adventures that keep life exciting. And let's not forget about my legendary shower concerts!😂
By the way, I have to admit that I'm not the best at talking about myself, so if there's anything else you'd like to know, just ask! I'm an open book. Maybe we can trade a selfie too so we can see who we’re talking to! Let's keep the conversation going and get to know each other better. Looking forward to hearing from you!
2024.05.14 12:07 WoodpeckerWise3362 27M looking for new online friends!
Hey! So I’m looking for more online friends to chat with, call here and then, maybe send random selfies on snap with. I’d prefer if you’re female as I barley have any girl mates, but I’m not going to be picky😅
Alright, let me give you a glimpse into who I am! Picture a 6-foot-1 guy with a short beard and a whole lot of tattoos. Cooking is my jam, and I can whip up some mouthwatering dishes that will make your taste buds dance. I love anime and horror movies! I thrive on spontaneity and love going on unplanned adventures that keep life exciting. And let's not forget about my legendary shower concerts!😂
By the way, I have to admit that I'm not the best at talking about myself, so if there's anything else you'd like to know, just ask! I'm an open book. Maybe we can trade a selfie too so we can see who we’re talking to! Let's keep the conversation going and get to know each other better. Looking forward to hearing from you!
submitted by WoodpeckerWise3362 to MeetNewPeopleHere [link] [comments]
Alright, let me give you a glimpse into who I am! Picture a 6-foot-1 guy with a short beard and a whole lot of tattoos. Cooking is my jam, and I can whip up some mouthwatering dishes that will make your taste buds dance. I love anime and horror movies! I thrive on spontaneity and love going on unplanned adventures that keep life exciting. And let's not forget about my legendary shower concerts!😂
By the way, I have to admit that I'm not the best at talking about myself, so if there's anything else you'd like to know, just ask! I'm an open book. Maybe we can trade a selfie too so we can see who we’re talking to! Let's keep the conversation going and get to know each other better. Looking forward to hearing from you!
2024.05.14 12:02 WoodpeckerWise3362 27 [M4F] Looking for someone to take out and hang with #London
Hey everyone! My name is River, and I'm on the hunt for a fantastic girl to get to know and spend quality time with. I'm not looking for anything super serious right off the bat, but rather a genuine connection and a solid friendship as a starting point. I want someone I can take out, hang out, and just enjoy each other's company. If things naturally progress into something romantic, that would be the icing on the cake! So, if you're up for some fun adventures and building a meaningful connection, let's make some unforgettable memories together!
Alright, let me give you a glimpse into who I am! Picture a 6-foot-1 guy with a short beard and a whole lot of tattoos. Cooking is my jam, and I can whip up some mouthwatering dishes that will make your taste buds dance. But that's not all, I also have a knack for mixing killer cocktails that will have you saying 'cheers' in no time! I thrive on spontaneity and love going on unplanned adventures that keep life exciting. And let's not forget about my legendary shower concerts that are guaranteed to make you laugh! 😂 Of course, I also enjoy those lazy days where we can cuddle up, watch movies, and indulge in some delicious junk food. So, if you're up for a mix of fun, flavor, and cozy moments, let's create some amazing memories together!
By the way, I have to admit that I'm not the best at talking about myself, so if there's anything else you'd like to know, just ask! I'm an open book. Also if you don’t mind, please add a selfie with your message, you’ll get one right back in return too! Let's keep the conversation going and get to know each other better. Looking forward to hearing from you!
submitted by WoodpeckerWise3362 to ForeverAloneDating [link] [comments]
Alright, let me give you a glimpse into who I am! Picture a 6-foot-1 guy with a short beard and a whole lot of tattoos. Cooking is my jam, and I can whip up some mouthwatering dishes that will make your taste buds dance. But that's not all, I also have a knack for mixing killer cocktails that will have you saying 'cheers' in no time! I thrive on spontaneity and love going on unplanned adventures that keep life exciting. And let's not forget about my legendary shower concerts that are guaranteed to make you laugh! 😂 Of course, I also enjoy those lazy days where we can cuddle up, watch movies, and indulge in some delicious junk food. So, if you're up for a mix of fun, flavor, and cozy moments, let's create some amazing memories together!
By the way, I have to admit that I'm not the best at talking about myself, so if there's anything else you'd like to know, just ask! I'm an open book. Also if you don’t mind, please add a selfie with your message, you’ll get one right back in return too! Let's keep the conversation going and get to know each other better. Looking forward to hearing from you!
2024.05.14 08:14 luxurykeralavilla Discover Exquisite Luxury: Unveiling the Splendor of Kerala's Holiday Villas
Are you yearning for a getaway that transcends the ordinary and immerses you in pure luxury amidst nature's grandeur? Look no further than Kerala's exquisite holiday villas, where opulence meets tranquilly in a harmonious embrace. Nestled amidst the verdant landscapes and serene backwaters of this enchanting region, these villas redefine the essence of holiday homes, offering discerning travellers a haven of indulgence and cultural immersion like no other.
Step into a world where every detail is meticulously curated to ensure an unparalleled experience of comfort and sophistication. From elegantly appointed interiors that seamlessly blend traditional Kerala motifs with contemporary design elements to an array of modern amenities catering to your every need, each villa is a testament to craftsmanship and refinement. Whether you're seeking a romantic retreat for two or planning a family getaway, there's a villa to suit every preference and occasion.
Picture yourself lounging by the private pool, surrounded by lush greenery and the soothing sounds of nature, or indulging in a leisurely breakfast served al fresco on your spacious veranda. With private chefs on hand to whip up delectable Kerala delicacies using the freshest local ingredients, every meal becomes a culinary masterpiece, tantalising your taste buds and nourishing your soul.
Beyond the confines of your luxurious villa sanctuary, a wealth of experiences await. Explore the rich tapestry of Kerala's culture through bespoke excursions curated to showcase the region's hidden gems, from tranquil backwater cruises to immersive spice plantation tours. Immerse yourself in the vibrant rhythms of traditional dance and music performances, or embark on a culinary odyssey through bustling markets and quaint villages, sampling the diverse flavours of Kerala cuisine.
As the sun sets over the horizon, casting a golden hue upon the landscape, indulge in moments of pure bliss and relaxation. Gather around a crackling bonfire under the star-studded sky, savouring the camaraderie of loved ones and the warmth of shared memories. Or retreat to the comfort of your villa's elegant interiors, where plush furnishings and luxurious amenities await, promising a restful night's sleep amidst the tranquil embrace of Kerala's natural beauty.
Whether you're seeking a romantic escape, a family adventure, or a rejuvenating retreat, Kerala's holiday villas offer the perfect blend of luxury, serenity, and cultural immersion. So why wait? Embark on a journey of discovery and indulgence, and experience the splendour of Kerala's holiday villas for yourself. Your unforgettable getaway awaits.
submitted by luxurykeralavilla to u/luxurykeralavilla [link] [comments]
Step into a world where every detail is meticulously curated to ensure an unparalleled experience of comfort and sophistication. From elegantly appointed interiors that seamlessly blend traditional Kerala motifs with contemporary design elements to an array of modern amenities catering to your every need, each villa is a testament to craftsmanship and refinement. Whether you're seeking a romantic retreat for two or planning a family getaway, there's a villa to suit every preference and occasion.
Picture yourself lounging by the private pool, surrounded by lush greenery and the soothing sounds of nature, or indulging in a leisurely breakfast served al fresco on your spacious veranda. With private chefs on hand to whip up delectable Kerala delicacies using the freshest local ingredients, every meal becomes a culinary masterpiece, tantalising your taste buds and nourishing your soul.
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2024.05.14 06:37 matchamentality 22 [F4M] Be the PB to my J?
hii take 2 haha (hmu only if looking for a long term thing)
hellooo! shooting my shot here :> pls be nice and WHOLESOME AND SFW lang pls! let’s go on cute picnic dates or study dates? food crawl in different parts of the metro or just coexist on discord calls in silence :) looking for a long term thing (like a constant study bud?)
abt me: - 22, F, third year education student, 170cm, mestiza (if that matters), and normal bmi. looks maybe 5/10 and 7/10 on a good day xd
personality - a social butterfly - loves taking pictures of the sky - super empath 😔 - social batt never dies - sings sometimes - does not require too much attention - can cook - loves pets
pros of dating me: - parents r not strict - willing to split the bill on some dates - respects ur time - is a chameleon, whatever u love to do, i will learn to love or support u :>
cons: - loves matcha a lil too much - broke college student - tamad and slow replies most of the time (im sorry in adv)
about u (not required, just a pref): - knows how to carry a conversation - speaks good english - has both kanal and aircon humour
non nego: - knows about social issues - has hatred towards the ph govt
sorry ang dami!! send a fun n punchy intro together with a pic of u :> see u in the dms _^
submitted by matchamentality to PhR4Dating [link] [comments]
hellooo! shooting my shot here :> pls be nice and WHOLESOME AND SFW lang pls! let’s go on cute picnic dates or study dates? food crawl in different parts of the metro or just coexist on discord calls in silence :) looking for a long term thing (like a constant study bud?)
abt me: - 22, F, third year education student, 170cm, mestiza (if that matters), and normal bmi. looks maybe 5/10 and 7/10 on a good day xd
personality - a social butterfly - loves taking pictures of the sky - super empath 😔 - social batt never dies - sings sometimes - does not require too much attention - can cook - loves pets
pros of dating me: - parents r not strict - willing to split the bill on some dates - respects ur time - is a chameleon, whatever u love to do, i will learn to love or support u :>
cons: - loves matcha a lil too much - broke college student - tamad and slow replies most of the time (im sorry in adv)
about u (not required, just a pref): - knows how to carry a conversation - speaks good english - has both kanal and aircon humour
non nego: - knows about social issues - has hatred towards the ph govt
sorry ang dami!! send a fun n punchy intro together with a pic of u :> see u in the dms _^
2024.05.14 03:11 OttoVonBlastoid Nature Of A Homeless Musician: Special Thanks/Announcements
 | Hello all! Otto here. And, as you all now know. NoaHM has finally come to an end. It's been a hell of a ride that I'll never forget. But before I move on to thanking specific people and telling you all what's in store, I wanted to be a bit mushy for a minute if you'll indulge me... submitted by OttoVonBlastoid to NatureofPredators [link] [comments] When I first heard of NoP, I was in the middle of the night shift that I'm still working to this day. I had a single ear bud in, which was TECHNICALLY against the rules, and still is but fuck 'em. And to pass the time, I listened to stories. Either Mr. Creeps' Creepypasta compilations or, in this case, Agro Squirrel's Tales From Outer SPACE series. And eventually, I heard the name, The Nature Of Predators...and it all went downhill from there as you all can well imagine. Jokes aside, I fell in love with the story and universe and decided to check out the community. And soon, I found the very first fic I ever read on here, "My Floridian Arxur Daughter". From that point on, I was hooked. I read "Arxur Nursery", "The New Terran Refugee", "Feathers Of Deceit", "Lost In Found", "Recipe For Disaster", "Playing By Ear", and so, SO many more. The sheer amount of creativity on display was amazing. And so...I decided to try my hand at it. I'd already written a short creepypasta, as well as a small five-part miniseries based off of one of my friends DnD campaigns, so I had a LITTLE experience, but I still hadn't taken a single writing course or knew...anything about what I was doing, so I decided to try something small. (That worked out well...) I was in the middle of rereading "Floridian Arxur Daughter" for...maybe the sixth time when a particular scene stuck out to me. Something about it...made something click in my head. After evacuating young Chalta from the house, her big bother Carlos and his girlfriend Salisek decide to take her out on a drive, and while their driving, Carlos mentions his ability to sing, and after both Chalta and Salisek both ask for a demonstration, he sings a beautiful rendition of "Send Me A Peach" from Over The Garden Wall. It was a touching scene, and hearing the song from Chalta's point of view clicked with me. It was by this point that I'd also discovered "Playing By Ear" by u/VeryUnluckyDice, which was essentially this "listening to music through the perspective of someone else's mind" idea made manifest. And that's where it all began. I made a post, proposing the premise of my story, and while I didn't get a LOT of feedback, most of the feedback I got was positive. And a few days later, "Nature Of A Homeless Musician: Prologue" was born, in all of its overly edgy glory. And well...you know the rest from there... I never could have imagined just how big this story would get. It was NEVER supposed to grow this much, touch so many people, inspire so many others to make stuff themselves. Sure, I hoped that it might, but I never thought it would! But now...here we are... I...can't put into words, how thankful I am to each and every single one of you, who gave my little idea a chance. It means more to me then I could ever describe. Ever since I was a kid, I knew I wanted to make my living by making things! At first, I thought that just meant being a Youtuber, like every cringy middle schooler does, but now...I think I get it... I've always wanted to be able to make things, and for those things to make OTHER people happy. Make them laugh, make them cry, make them smile, and make their days just a little bit brighter. I've...long since given up that old dream... I just didn't think it was possible, not for me anyways. But you all proved me wrong. Every comment, every meme, every bit of art you guys make...proves me wrong. When I got my first bit of fanart, I cried at my monitor. Because for the first time in so long that I can't even remember, I was happy. I was so, so happy, because it genuinely felt like this dream that I've had since I was a kid was finally possible. Someone discovered something I made, and enjoyed it enough, loved it enough, got invested enough, to make something themselves just to show me and everyone else just how much they loved it.... And it made me happy, so, so damn happy. So thank you. Thank you all so much for everything you do. Thank you for reading, commenting, replying, suggesting, joking, laughing, creating, and expressing with me. It means more than you'll ever know. And even if I don't end up pursuing writing after this, my life will never be the same, thanks to all of you. If you're reading this, right here, right now, YOU, yes YOU... Thank you...for everything you do. And even if you don't think so, I think you're one of the most amazing people in this ass-backwards galaxy of ours. Thank you. Now then, on to specific thanks: u/Bow-tied_Engineer: You were literally the first person to tell me that this fic was a good idea. If you hadn't been there in the comments, I might not have gone through with it. And even since then, you've still been an absolute chad. We might not have the same taste in romance sub-plots, but I'll always respect you and your takes. Thank you, for giving me the confidence to give this a try. u/CaptainChristopher02: The man himself. Your fic, "My Floridian Arxur Daughter" as well as "My Brazilian Arxur Nursery" were, as stated before, the very first fic I read on the sub. And your work was the first tiny spark that slowly became NoaHM. I've said it multiple times, and I'll say it again, if there was no "Arxur Daughter", there would be no "Homeless Musician". When I first started writing, I didn't even think I'd ever even meet you, but the fact that I have, and that you've joined my own little community of music and Tohba memes means the world to me. u/VeryUnluckyDice: Reading through "Playing By Ear" for the first time was an experience I'll never forget. It was so interesting and different to almost everything else on the sub at the time except "Venlil Metal". You've done so much to inspire me and my work and even now, you're still an absolute chad and someone this community just wouldn't be the same without. I'm really looking forward to the day when our two stories really do cross. It'll be a grand sonata of sound the likes of which this sub has never seen, I just know it! u/JulianSkies: Ever since you first started commenting on my chapters, you have been an absolutely ENDLESS source of positivity, helpful advice, information on the setting, proofreading, and all around good vibes. I always look forward to seeing what you have to say on the most recent post, and I hope you decide to stick around for whatever comes next. Thank you. u/xskipy10: Good lord, where to even begin with you? Before, when I mentioned that first bit of fanart that made me cry, that was YOUR artwork. And that one picture, of Michael and the rest of the main cast has had such an enormous impact on not just me, but the rest of the sub as a whole. It was that one picture that gave me hope that the dream I've had since I was a kid was possible. It was your artwork of Tohba that, TO THIS DAY, Dovah is still using to award people who beat him to the precious title of "SPEED". I mean it when I say you are an absolute treasure, not just to me and my story, but to the entire NoP community. u/OmegaOmnimon02: Before there was GuyWhoExists, there was Omega, the fastest memer in The West. You were the architect of the origianl "Rejoice! Tohba Be Upon Ye" meme, and it has since been used to this day as a form of mutual celebration for all. You've been one of my avid supporters for a long time now, and seeing another of your shitposts in the Discord never fails to brighten my day. Thank you for all that you do. u/DOVAHCREED12: I swear, if you aren't SPEED when this post drops, I'm gonna be so disappointed. Jokes aside, I have loved and appreciated every single Venbig hug I have ever received from you. Back when I first started writing this, the "Official Venbig Seal Of Approval" was this vaunted, holy, symbol that a lowly peasant such as myself would never be able to earn. And then one appeared in my comments and it felt like freaking Christmas. Thank you so much for giving my story a chance. u/Ben_Elohim_2020: I'll never get over just how hilarious our first meeting was. What was meant to be a quick one-to-two chapter long side trip with some shady dude in an alley completely spiraled into a giant, five-part, spat with the actual Space Mafia known as The Family. While the Twilight Valley Arc was divisive for a lot of people reading, I hope you know I had a MASSIVE amount of fun writing it with you, and I can't wait to see where you're future projects lead. Papyroo: (Sorry, I can't remember your new Reddit name) Along with Omega, I've always looked forward to seeing what you have to say when it comes to my fic. And the impact you've had on my story can't be overstated. The Ficnapping you did is the reason that Tohba now has his blue "Tiwfish" plushie. And the events of your addition to my canon will continue to be referenced and fondly looked back on by my characters for a long time to come. u/Spacer_Catgirl4969: I remember a time when you were still SpacerNEKO. You were always one of my most avid commenters way back when, and I always appreciated your kind words. And I still can't express how cool it was that you actually made a pixel art music video for Dohkar. It still holds up, even now. You and Guywhoexists should TOTALLY work on a project together. With your combined pixel art skills, who knows what's possible?! u/Mini-Tonk: Well, if it isn't the Rat boi, himself. You have never once faltered in your efforts to not only support my work, but also protect Tohba from the shadows. Your efforts have not gone unnoticed, and you canonically making ME a character in your fic is still hilarious and heartwarming. Thank you for everything you do. u/Guywhoexists2812: While you are one of the newest members of our little NoaHM family, that hasn't stopped you from being one of the most active and creative folks we have to offer. The sheer amount of memes and pixel art you've created is downright INSPIRATIONAL. Along with Skipy, whenever someone comes up with a cute idea for art, I know you'll find some way to pull through. Keep creating, King. You are no mere "Guy". You are a KING who exists! And of course, u/SpacePaladin15 for creating this awesome universe to begin with, without whom, none of use would be here right now. There are two other names missing on this list, but that's mostly because I'm currently working on a project with them and I don't want to spoil anything...yet. And speaking of future projects! ANNOUNCEMENT TIME!!!! It's been one hell of a wild ride, hasn't it? But I tell you this: THE RIDE AIN'T OVER YET!!!!! But...it will be slowing down for a while... After working on this story for so long, (especially that triple upload. GOD, what was I thinking?!) I am in dire need of rest. So, for now, I will be going on about a month-long hiatus from posting, except for a small occasion here and there. I'll still be active in the community, especially on Discord, but you won't get any big story updates for a while. Does this mean that I'm done and the story's over? No. This was but the first arc in the tale of Michael Ruiz Andrews and his family. There will INDEED be MOAR!!! More music! More hijinks! More action! More romance! More drama! More touching family moments! And, of COURSE, MORE TOHBA!!!! There will be MOAR!!! Just not yet. My Hiatus will officially start tomorrow after a belated NoaHM Mother's Day Special. I also have a Father's Day Special planned for next month as well. But other than the occasional announcement post, you won't be getting anything story-related out of me until my break is over and I'm ready to unveil the next project I and three other creators have been working on. I won't say anything more on the project, but I will say to keep an eye out... "But Otto!", I hear you ask. "If there won't be any more big story updates, how will I get my fix of Baby-roo induced dopamine?! My brain requires more Tohba and Ven-floof memes to give me the goody good chemicals!!!" Well my friend, I have just the solution for you!!! A SHAMELESS SELF-PLUG!!! Most of you may already know, but Nature Of A Homeless Musician has its OWN DISCORD SERVER!!!!!! We've got MEMES, STORY IDEAS, FOOD SO FULL OF LOVE THAT MAMA-ROO HERSELF COULD'VE MADE IT! We got fanart, gaming chats, and we even plan the occasional movie night! As well, as soon as this post goes live, I'll be adding a new channel specifically for Q&A and Trivia! For Example: Did you know that NoaHM was originally meant to only be ten chapters long? Did you know Trilly and Dailo were created entirely on accident? Did you know that the events of the FINALE have been remade, reorganized, and rewritten at LEAST four times? Did you know...THAT TOHBA WAS BASED OFF A REAL PERSON?! All of these things are true! And if you want to learn more about the making of this series, direct from my brain, the come on in and ask away! All I ask in return is that you follow the rules I've laid out a generally not be a jerk. We're here to have fun and be wholesome, so let's keep it that way. I hope to see you there! https://discord.gg/YSysvHHx And now, lastly, here's nearly EVERY single meme bit of fanart I've received: And once again, from the bottom of my heart, with all the love I can muster, thank you. https://preview.redd.it/2nxhg18mia0d1.jpg?width=2388&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5887802bce7c20b6fe2f190ce0992be17a3f6a58 https://preview.redd.it/u9i0zbgtia0d1.jpg?width=2048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d0ff76b390ec3f7daed9d66a4d556db0a063fc97 https://preview.redd.it/pg860rcvia0d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2d6fa595bb160514ce214c1594e70ffdf9c8c4e3 https://preview.redd.it/u94h5np0ja0d1.jpg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=373918e5c84b606979efd9f793418068e6cbc468 https://preview.redd.it/609h59x3ja0d1.jpg?width=1334&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9b09601d8f19c0b7aaf262bdd887b24317e95a6d https://preview.redd.it/01pbmbs6ja0d1.jpg?width=524&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c5cdbf19cfa75be452cdfb4c54e19924d0b5b1aa https://preview.redd.it/6iz7wh8bja0d1.jpg?width=512&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2257a778a87bb3013b08bac4ce9021d1de8e56d1 https://preview.redd.it/zxry3gddja0d1.jpg?width=500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2f0a0b18130d8e3283970f3e8f97002362c957e0 https://preview.redd.it/qfx79v5gja0d1.jpg?width=1164&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0d5db5c8624a18513160ebb6f9648f2486a238cb https://preview.redd.it/metjjzphja0d1.jpg?width=888&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6adabe3c438808bbeb623f5690e9f34766d7e04f https://preview.redd.it/8yrync9lja0d1.png?width=1024&format=png&auto=webp&s=d75e3c651c99936f2eccd6135ba769aeab119208 https://preview.redd.it/0uawe15aka0d1.jpg?width=500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5999790ce154f9022ca51812b857aeefd348b66f https://preview.redd.it/uug3dq1bka0d1.jpg?width=1668&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ca76e5a6939143aad5dc148607934b896eeb9305 https://preview.redd.it/lr2gzj6cka0d1.jpg?width=1521&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d4b2ec5e86862c8268aa0efdfde022b1a3ce37c1 https://preview.redd.it/sk0rz05eka0d1.jpg?width=500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0eedf45cb5627708f6c5449a4d4ce96f5820cca7 https://preview.redd.it/hwztvo5vka0d1.jpg?width=577&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d2492936771668389e1e33eb37adfdde5ff898e9 https://preview.redd.it/ns5mvayvka0d1.jpg?width=960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=78658096eda7cd47a2faf0add5806d78a2b9ea20 https://preview.redd.it/cn5ruxxwka0d1.jpg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e36414e11ee37f23418a5d7b9d3fce6f13b7d57c https://preview.redd.it/3w08uzb2la0d1.png?width=2048&format=png&auto=webp&s=84608636603a71dba3863d02cf3e0d655062fbe7 Thank you... Thank you all... |
2024.05.14 02:06 Brocklyboy1990 Rose noob looking for advice
 | Hey y’all, I’m a total rose noob looking for advice… submitted by Brocklyboy1990 to Roses [link] [comments] I bought my house with these roses already planted, so I am not sure what variety they are. They seem to be more of a bush variety, with medium/small flowers that bloom once per year around June (located in western Oregon). There are lots of blooms per stalk. This year I pruned them way back in mid-February, and they seem to be relatively happy, with lots of buds forming. However, every year I end up with this situation where the bushes grow in a strange way. Basically what happens is the stalks that grow buds seem to stay close and compact to the bush, and at the same time there are a couple stalks that grow really long but don’t create buds. I attached a couple of pictures showing what I mean. Picture 1 shows the general shape of my bushes, pictures 2/3 are close ups of the stalks (blue are the ones with buds and red the long bud less stalks) and 4 is them in bloom from a previous year. Unfortunately I don’t have any pics from when I pruned them. So my questions are: Is this normal? Does it have something to do with the way I am pruning them? Should I remove the long bud less stalks? And if so how far back should I prune them? Or should I just let them be? Will they form buds eventually? They look kind of strange sticking far out from the bush. Any advice would be appreciated! |
2024.05.13 22:35 defeater33 Flower bud rot what is the cause
 | Ventrata( common clone) and the other is Josefita. Not in pictures Splendiana perfect flower buds. They are outside with 95F temperatures at highest during the day. Naturally high humidity. In mostly full sun with Ventrata haveing a few less hours. All three are sun resistant and ultralowland resistant. submitted by defeater33 to Nepenthes [link] [comments] |
2024.05.13 19:28 midnitemuzing “A lot of [SWR’s] music sucked” - Jakob says with 16k followers between his 2 shit bands 🤡
![“A lot of [SWR’s] music sucked” - Jakob says with 16k followers between his 2 shit bands 🤡](https://a.thumbs.redditmedia.com/-nEWYWXLZe5Z5-oVV9cqnEpF9tfTF1QfLBwz_ZPICZ8.jpg "“A lot of [SWR’s] music sucked” - Jakob says with 16k followers between his 2 shit bands 🤡") | This nepo-baby needs to take several seats. Like him or not, Rome is a fantastic artist all around. He writes great music, has a great voice, and plays guitar (far better than Jakob), bass, drums, and keys. submitted by midnitemuzing to sublimewithrome [link] [comments] No doubt it must have been hard for Jakob to see another dude playing his dad’s music, but Rome never at one point tried to overshadow or disrespect Brad, in fact it was the opposite, and Eric and Bud approached HIM to reignite Sublime anyway! At first I thought it was cool that Jakob was coming into the picture, but every time I see some stupid shit he or Eric says, it just makes me dislike them more to the point that I now skip Sublime songs when they come across my shuffle on Spotify. So disappointing how they continue to shit on Rome, all the while Rome continues to be kind, gracious, and respectful. Anyway. Get fucked, Jakob. You too, Eric. |
2024.05.13 17:03 Just_Cycle_8389 Help with mystery rose
 | On a whim last year at a middle school auction I bid on and won a rose from Heirloom Roses labeled Children’s Hope. I had a bloom within a few weeks but it looked nothing like the picture of that variety on their website. I reached out to customer service but they said to give it some time since the blooms can change as the plant matures. submitted by Just_Cycle_8389 to Roses [link] [comments] The plant did surprisingly well with a hot summer and late hard freeze this winter and is now starting to bloom again. I’m convinced that the rose was mislabeled and am curious to know what folks think it could be. The plant is about 3’ tall with shiny medium green foliage. The flowers are on single stems, buds are a dark brick red, then open up to a 3” orange-red flower with a light, traditionally rosy scent. The colors of the flowers in the vase are closest to real life. Thanks in advance for any help you can provide! I love this one so much that I just bought three more from their Mother’s Day sale (Julia Child, Tchaikovski, and State of Grace). |
2024.05.13 15:05 kumarmangal15 Best Hotel in Manesar
 | The Lemon Tree Hotel, Tarudhan Valley stands as a beacon of luxury and comfort, offering an unparalleled experience to its guests. Situated in the heart of Manesar, this exquisite hotel seamlessly blends modern amenities with nature’s tranquilly, making it the epitome of hospitality in the region. Renowned as the Best Hotel in Manesar, the Lemon Tree Hotel continues to exceed expectations, providing guests with unforgettable stays and unparalleled service. submitted by kumarmangal15 to u/kumarmangal15 [link] [comments] As you enter the premises of the Lemon Tree Hotel in Tarudhan Valley, you are greeted by a serene ambiance that instantly transports you away from the hustle and bustle of city life. The sprawling landscape, dotted with verdant trees and manicured gardens, creates a picture-perfect setting for relaxation and rejuvenation. Accommodation at the Lemon Tree Hotel is nothing short of opulent. The rooms and suites are tastefully designed, exuding elegance and comfort in every corner. Whether you opt for a cosy deluxe room or indulge in the lavishness of a suite, you are guaranteed a stay that surpasses all expectations. Each room is equipped with state-of-the-art amenities, ensuring a seamless blend of luxury and functionality. One of the highlights of Lemon Tree Hotel, Tarudhan Valley, is its culinary offerings, which promise to tantalise your taste buds. The in-house restaurants serve a delectable array of dishes, ranging from traditional Indian delicacies to international cuisines. Whether you crave authentic flavours or prefer to experiment with fusion cuisine, the expert chefs at Lemon Tree Hotel leave no stone unturned to delight your palate. https://preview.redd.it/7h9a4ft2070d1.jpg?width=810&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6d1111306492a2aefb6c7a95e7c1a24735e41285 For those seeking relaxation and recreation, the Lemon Tree Hotel offers a plethora of options to unwind and indulge. Take a refreshing dip in the sparkling swimming pool, surrounded by lush greenery and a tranquil ambiance. Or, pamper yourself with a rejuvenating spa treatment that soothes your senses and revitalises your body and mind. The hotel also boasts world-class facilities for corporate events and social gatherings. Whether you are planning a business conference, a grand wedding, or a special celebration, Lemon Tree Hotel provides the perfect venue, complemented by impeccable service and attention to detail. What sets the Lemon Tree Hotel apart is its unwavering commitment to sustainability and responsible tourism. The hotel takes pride in its eco-friendly practices, striving to minimise its carbon footprint and preserve the natural beauty of the Tarudhan Valley for generations to come. In conclusion, the Lemon Tree Hotel, Tarudhan Valley, stands as a testament to luxury, comfort, and hospitality in Manesar. Whether you are seeking a peaceful retreat amidst nature or a lavish getaway filled with indulgence, this iconic hotel surpasses all expectations, promising an unforgettable experience that lingers in your memories long after you bid adieu. Experience the epitome of hospitality at the Lemon Tree Hotel, Tarudhan Valley, and embark on a journey of luxury and tranquilly like never before. |
2024.05.13 15:04 Crazy-Concern8080 Accept
Well, this is the final story I can think of for Naeriu. If there are any more situations you'd like to see him in, be sure to comment on them and I’ll see if I can’t work with them. I’ve been inspired by comments before, it can absolutely happen again.
The first story is here: Endure
The second story is here: Persist
And the thrid story's here: Strive
Being accepted is something everyone wants to be, but sometimes people can’t accept you for who you are. Sometimes, in the most heartbreaking cases, it’s someone you are close to.
Shout out to SpacePaladin15 for the universe.
Memory Transcription Subject: Naeriu, Kolshian Missionary
Date [Standardized Human Time]: January 11, 2150
I couldn’t help but feel nervous as I rode in the shuttle. Even if I knew I was safe here, I wasn’t scared of anything physically dangerous. This planet had gone mostly untouched by the wars that had plagued the outside universe, left alone orbiting an insignificant star in an unimportant location. The only thing useful in this solar system was the planet itself, an agro-world devoted to having as many high-yield farms as possible.
It was a beautiful marble from above, swirling vibrant colors painting the surface intricately. The polar oceans almost made it look like a tennis ball, funnily enough. I could even see some of the larger farms from above, large patches of brown, miscolored green, or any other number of colors broadcasting what vegetables were being grown.
Where there weren’t farms, there were prairies or small forests, the only refuge for any animal, predator or not, to avoid the ire of the farmers. Herbivores would ruin crops and carnivores would taint them, there was no winning against the farmers. However, in recent years, there has been an ecological comeback with the help of the Humans.
Forests were a little bit larger, pests were killed a little less ruthlessly, and the farmers' hatred toward Humans grew evermore. While they were not outright hostile, I could only be thankful I had not heard what they had said behind closed doors.
This planet, Toktkala, was once my home, but now it couldn’t feel any more strange to me. I could only pray for more strength for what I was about to face, being a supporter of Humans and an open believer of Christ was sure to have me ostracized by everyone. I had a feeling that there were only two refuges for me; the UN embassy, something that was never not swarmed with protesters, and my childhood home.
That was the reason my stomach felt like it was turned inside out, I had finally found the time to find my family again. It wasn’t difficult, they hadn’t moved away from the house, but I had broken all contact with them after the Battle of Earth. That was fourteen Earth years ago, fifteen on Toktkala. Fifteen years of no contact, left wondering the fate of their oldest son, I couldn’t fathom what that could have done to them. I wondered if they were even still together, after losing my little sister they were already stressed, losing me might have broken them. It made me feel guilty already, and I didn’t even know if it was true. Hopefully, they managed to stay together for my little brother, Bolop always deserved the best.
I wonder if he hated me, blaming me for our parents’ divorce. I wonder if he hated me for leaving for the military in the first place. I wonder what my parents will say, seeing their dead son on their doorstep.
The uncertainty ate away at me, but the only way to cure it was to face it, and I intend to face it head-on and with full honesty. I’ll take everything they throw at me on the chin and keep walking, relieved no matter the outcome.
The shuttle touched down in one of the very few spaceports built on the planet, all of which were humble in the worst way. Frequent traffic wasn’t a problem, so they had all been equipped with the bare necessities to be classified as a spaceport. Most were little more than a pad, a few administrative buildings, and a luggage check. The only one with any extra expense was located in the only city on the entire planet, on the complete opposite side of where I needed to be.
However, the underfunded port might have been a boon in the end, as it let me experience the rural air sooner. Nostalgia flooded my mind as the familiar scent reignited memories from my childhood. Running through fields with my mother, watching the sunset with my father, eating a home-cooked bowl of kotla on the porch, climbing the lone tree in the backyard when I was sad, swinging from it when I was happy, there were so many melancholic memories tied to this smell, and I would never get tired of them.
I gathered what little luggage I brought with me and waited for a bus to pick me up, mixed feelings caused me to stare off into the distance. It felt great to finally be back in the warm, welcoming, slightly humid air of Toktkala, but that just meant I was one step closer to facing my family. I wouldn’t and couldn’t back down, but that didn’t make me any less nervous.
“Feeling okay, deary? You look like you’re about to run away.”
I blinked as I turned to face the lady, slightly surprised that anyone would bother talking to me. She was an older Kolshian, decorated in old-timey jewelry and carrying an expensive-looking bag. I could tell from her thick accent that she was a Toktkala native, the people from her tended to take their time in everything, including speaking.
I accepted the distraction with a sigh, causing her to sit down and pay attention. “I’m fine, just nervous.”
“Aww, what for? I don’t know anyone who could be down in weather like this. Haven't had a nice day like this in a while.”
“Well, you see, I haven’t been home in a long time. Fifteen years, give or take.”
“Oh deary, that’s wonderful! I’m so glad you could finally make it home.”
“Yeah… I guess. It’s just, what has changed since I left. I haven’t said or heard a single word from my parents since the war, I don’t even know if they are still together. I-I know where they live, but that’s about all I know about my parents. What if they don’t recognize me? What if they hate me for leaving and not saying anything? And I’ve changed so much, I’m not sure they would even accept me for who I am now. I know I have to do this, I’m not backing down no matter what, but that doesn’t make me any less anxious.”
She was quiet for a long moment. “That is quite the predicament. Fifteen years is a long time to not speak with someone, but always remember, it is never too late to reconnect.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle and grab my cross. “Kinda like me and…”
“What was that deary?”
“Uh, nothing important. Now that I’ve given you my side, I think it’s only fair you give me yours.”
She shifted on the bench. “Oh well, there’s not much to say. Just going back to town after a visit off planet. A buyer was looking to buy some crops in bulk and I went out to meet him for some discussion. Really nice boy, almost as old as you.”
“Ma’am, I’m thirty-two.”
She waved a tentacle in chucked. “Well everyone is a boy when you are as old as me, deary.”
I let myself laugh. “Oh you can’t be that old, you barely look a day over sixty!”
She pressed a tentacle to her chest. “Well, I’m flattered. I guess there still are some gentlemen in this world.”
“Oh I think there are plenty, they just don’t get the chance to act like them.”
She tilted her head to the side. “That’s one way of looking at it.”
We fell into silence for a moment, but with no bus in sight, it would be better to keep talking. “If you don’t mind my asking, what kind of crops do you sell?”
She clicked her tongue. “Oh, all kinds, but I think the one you're asking about is the stuff I talked about earlier, am I right?”
I raised a tentacle as if I were surrendering, noticing a bus cresting over the horizon as I did. “You got me.”
“That was some dlut, you know the stuff. Tall stocks, bright purple, sweetish tasting fruit.”
I leaned back. “Ah, dlut. I bet that would be good in a kotla in this weather.”
“It sure would. I just can’t get over who I was selling to.”
I turned to face her head-on. “And that is?”
“A Human, can you believe that?”
I laughed. “You know? I can actually. I’m…”
I considered my wording carefully. I didn’t want to offend this nice old lady accidentally. After a brief pause, I found the right words. “I’m surprised that someone from Toktkala would even be willing to talk with them though, considering the popular sentiment.”
“Oh I know, and I think it’s just dreadful that those people get so much hatred. I’ll be honest, I was in the same wagon at the beginning, but I came around once they became the only people buying my products. After what was revealed about our history… well, I don’t think I need to tell you of all people how Kolshians were treated.”
“Trust me, I know. I just think it’s kind of ironic that Humans, people we all seemed hell-bent on making hate us, were the first to forgive.”
She sighed. “I just wish some of the other foolhardy people here could see that too. With any luck, your parents are like us.”
I nodded as the bus pulled to a stop. “Yeah, maybe. This was a nice chat, hope you have a wonderful day.”
She waved me off. “With a little luck, we’ll see each other again. Oh, what’s your name.”
I paused and pivoted before I stepped on the bus. “I’m Naeriu, and you are?”
“I’m Moelly. And I hope to see you too.”
I waved to her one final time as the bus accelerated away, feeling much better having talked with someone instead of just dwelling on my feelings. I felt more hopeful about my future now that the idea of my parents not hating Humans was rolling around in my head, it let me believe there was a chance my parents might not disown me. Dad was always supportive of me when I said I wanted to join, he had always had complete faith in the Federation, but Mom might be a little more lenient, even if she also held the Federation in high regard.
I wonder if they became the type to claim the Humans faked it all and Nikonus’ accidental confession was fabricated. There were a lot of those kinds of people still around to this day, almost twenty years after the war ended. I could only pray that they would realize the error in their ways and accept reality sooner rather than later.
I stared out of the window for a long time, passing the time by reliving every field, tree, and house that passed by the window. I couldn’t pull my eyes away even for a second, everything looked so familiar, but at the same time, just different enough to make it strange. Some things were out of place or missing, while others were just how I remember them. It was surreal to see how my childhood home had changed, and I could feel my anxiety bubbling back up just as we reached the stop I needed to get off at.
I tugged the suitcase behind me, thanking and tipping the bus driver as I left. He responded with a simple huff of acknowledgment before driving off. I watched him for only a moment before turning around.
At the end of a long driveway, standing just as tall as I remember it, flanked on both sides by fields of budding crops, was my childhood home. Vines crawled up one side of the house, a decoration that Mom refused to cut down despite Dad’s objections. There was an ever-so-slightly rusted shed peeking out from the back, inside should be all of the farming equipment used to control the drones and irrigation systems. Even further behind that, there was a tall, lonely-looking tree with a small swing hanging from one of its sturdy branches.
Everything looked the same, down to the plants on the window sill.
I decided I needed to pray one last time before I met my parents, silently mumbling to myself as I did. I asked God for the wisdom to know what to say, for the courage to face their questions, and for the strength to stand tall if they ridicule me for my path in life. I had prayed like this many times before, and I was surely going to continue praying after.
I finished the prayer with the sign of the cross and a gentle kiss on the cross around my neck as I reached the porch, looking up with hesitation as I climbed the steps. I set my luggage aside and took a deep breath, staring at the doorbell. Every question and wandering thought I had raced through my mind, causing me to stand stunned for at least a minute until finally I shook them out of my head and pressed the button with all of my might.
A strange sense of release and simultaneous anxiety flooded me. There was no turning back now, even if I ran away they could still easily see me. All I could do now was stand here and face the music.
There was a commotion inside, some thumping going down the stairs, and a loud voice calling out. “Hold on, I’m coming.”
It was Mom’s voice. Even if it was muffled through the walls and slightly more hoarse than the last time I heard it, it was still Mom’s. The first of the doors was opened, but Mom hadn’t seen me through the glass one yet. She was looking off to the side, setting something on the side table as she spoke.
“I’m sorry it took so long, Bullo, I was in the middle of making a meal.”
She reached up and began opening the glass door, only to stop in her tracks as she finally saw me.
“Who…”
I could see the gears turning in her head, and the slow realization dawned upon her of just who I was. Tears began welling up in her eyes and her mouth hung open. With a quiet sob, she covered her mouth, trying to form any words. She could only cry and shake her head before stepping forward and hugging me warmly.
“I always knew…”
I returned the hug eagerly, rubbing the back of her head. I tried to find words to convey the flurry of emotions, but couldn’t. “I’m back, Mom.”
She pulled away for a second, wiping a final few tears in her eyes. Suddenly her demeanor changed from overwhelming joy to concern. “Where have you been? Oh, my little baby, where have you been?”
I sucked in a nervous breath. “On Earth, Sillis, Fahl, Skalga… I’ve been everywhere.”
I could see her freeze up for a second. “Then… then why didn’t you come back?”
“I… I felt like you wouldn’t accept me. And every day I didn’t return, I felt like you would only grow to hate me.”
Mom stepped forward, caressing my face with a gentle touch. “Sweetie, I could never hate you. There is nothing you could ever do to make me hate you.”
“I… Thank you, Mom, you don’t know how much I needed to hear that.”
She stepped back and held the door open. “Of course, sweetie, now come inside. You have to tell me all about, well, everything that has happened to you, from the beginning. And while you are at it, I’ll finish making dinner. I bet you missed your mom’s kotla, didn’t you?”
I laughed as I tugged my luggage through the door. “More than you will ever know. Every other bowl I’ve had has left me wanting something more, but I know that the only place I could find it was here.”
Mom laughed as she pulled out a few plates. “Love, a mother’s specialty. Is that the reason you came back, just for some food?”
I sat at the dinner table, taking in the house around me. It would be considered old-timey by modern standards, though that just meant that not everything was super high-tech. There were still rustic aspects to my house, pictures still in frames and not screens, religious symbols that have been passed down for generations, wood used over metal in some places, and rustic pieces of tech that my father refused to change, claiming that it would outlast all of us. It was old, slightly musky, and it was home.
“That’s not the only reason, it’s more like a bonus. I just kept thinking about home, how I effectively abandoned you, and I needed to come back to give you closure. Thoughts of home would pop into my head at the most random times, like signs that I should come back, so I followed.”
Mom turned around from the stove, setting down a steaming pot on the counter before sitting next to me. “Well, I am certainly glad you decided to do so. Your father and I have both been torn up by what we thought was your death, having you here now is a blessing for us both.”
“Speaking of, where is Dad?”
Mom waved a tentacle. “Oh, he’s off protesting at the embassy again. At his age, he should be staying home and watching the field, but he’s a stubborn oaf and when he’s determined to do something he does it, you know that. I told him to give it up and to come home, but he resents the Humans and won't rest ‘till they are off this planet, maybe not even then.”
I closed my eyes for a moment and looked away. This was the worst outcome. Not only did Dad not like the Humans, it sounded like he outright hated them. I’m glad I prayed because I had a feeling that a shouting match was on the horizon.
“Is something wrong?”
I sighed. “Well, we might have… conflicting opinions on the Humans. I’m worried that we might fight.”
Mom sucked in a breath as if she was preparing a response, but it died in her throat before she could speak. She took a moment to recollect her thoughts, confusion growing in her eyes, before shaking her head.
“It’ll be fine. Your father loves you, no matter who you’ve become. You will always be his son, our son. There is nothing that can change that. I don’t know the experiences you've had, maybe I don’t want to know, but I know that you’re an adult now and can choose your own path, even if I don’t agree with it wholly.”
I grabbed Mom’s tentacle. “Thank you, Mom, you have no idea how much that means to me. I was so worried that you wouldn’t accept me, it was eating me alive. I just hope that Dad feels the same way. He is stubborn, you said it yourself.”
“I know he-”
The sound of the garage door opening cut Mom off and caused my nerves to flare up again. Through the walls, I could hear him shut the car door and stomp his way into the house. He had always been a heavy-stepper, but these seemed a little heavier than normal. Maybe he had just put on a little weight since I last saw him.
“Muola, I’m-”
Dad froze as he turned into the dining room, stopping suddenly as he saw me. He looked me up and down, putting the pieces together in his mind. He dropped a bag to the floor carelessly and took a half-step forward.
“Naeriu… you’re… you're alive!”
He rushed forward as fast as his old limbs could carry him, meeting me with a hug just as I stood from my seat. He rocked me back and forth, blubbering with joy and trying to bury his head in my chest.
“My son’s alive!”
He pulled himself back. “Where have you been? I thought…”
His breath hitched in his throat. “I thought you were dead.”
I held his tentacle with compassion. “I’m sorry, I was just so… I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be, all that matters now is that you are back with us, safe and sound.”
We stared at each other for a moment before Dad couldn’t sit still any longer, almost jumping toward the table. “You have to tell me all about it. Start to finish. You must have some interesting stories for us, right? I mean, you were gone for fifteen years, there has to have been something interesting going on, right? You could start with the story of that necklace, it looks pretty interesting. Is it something from Sillis?”
I glanced down to the cross on my neck as I pulled out a chair for him, sitting back down in mine with a huff after I did. “Not quite. It’s a later story. Why don’t we start from the beginning, like you said?”
Dad flung a tentacle in excitement. “Sure, yeah, from the beginning.”
I took in a deep breath. “After my last call with you, the Battle of Earth started. There wasn’t much I could do with my training, so all I could do was watch and wait. I was scared, and I only got more scared when boarding alarms went off. After they captured the ship, we had to evacuate. With no other option, I had to get in a life pod with the Humans.”
Both Mom and Dad gasped. “That must have been horrible, sweetie, how did you get out?”
Dad shook his head. “That must have been a terrible experience. I couldn’t imagine being trapped in such a cramped space with those monsters. Muola is right, how did you get out?”
I brushed past the casual Human-hate and continued with my story. “I didn’t. We landed in the northern part of the planet and it was late fall. All you need to know is that it was very, very cold. We had to travel with the Humans to avoid freezing to death, clinging to the belief that maybe we would be handed off to an authority later on and not be eaten. In the end, that was the best choice I had ever made. We made it to a cabin, but not after losing two others, a Harchen named Tekt and a Krakotl named Kulilim. It was just me and Kotern.”
Mom gasped. “How is Kotern? You two seemed like such good friends.”
I didn’t respond immediately, letting Dad’s mind run wild. “Did… T-they ate him, didn’t they?”
I shook my head. “No, in fact, they never even hit us. For the next few days, all we did was talk with each other. Just Me, Kotern, the Humans, and a Venlil named Leenek that we had picked up along the way. We just sat and talked.”
I could see the confusion building on Dad’s face. “Were they threatening you?”
I shook my head again. “Only one, Billy, the leader. He was the only one to make any threats, but he never acted on it. He was just angry. Some never even spoke to me, a few had very deep conversations, but only one ever made threats. One, named Brandon, talked to me about God for a while, after I told him that he had probably lost his entire family.”
Dad tilted his head in confusion, but didn’t make any comments, letting me continue with my story. “One day, Kotern goes out to gather some wood. The Humans had rope so we tied it on to him, but he didn’t come back. They sent a soldier named Valya out to find him, and comforted me the entire time he was gone. Around an hour passes and Valya returns, but Kotern isn’t with him.”
Mom leaned forward, engrossed in the story. “So what happened?”
I sighed. “I hid away in a room for a while, depressed that I had lost my friend, when I heard a bunch of arguing. I come out to see what’s happening, and Kotern is there, standing in the middle of the room, waving a pistol around and screaming for them to give me back to him. There were a bunch of people with him, led by a captain named Suklal. They wanted the cabin for shelter, but it ended up in a gunfight. Kotern died first.”
Dad sunk his head in sadness. “He was such a nice boy, you two seemed to get along so well. It’s a shame the Humans did that to him.”
“It wasn’t the Humans. Suklal shot him in the head after Kotern wouldn’t fall back. The Humans only started shooting after Suklal shot first.”
I let out a deep sigh, remembering how everything played out right in front of me. Even now his death brings tears to my eyes, he was such a nice man, he had just been misguided by the horrible teachings of the Federation. Teachings that I knew my Mom and Dad still clung to.
Wanting something to take my mind off of his death, I looked over to Mom. “I think I want some kotla now.”
Mom let out a breath. “Of course sweetie, I was wondering when you would ask.”
Mom got up to get some dishes, but Dad kept staring at me with a growing look of concern and confusion. “Hey son, what’s your opinion on the Humans.”
The bowls in Mom’s hands clattered slightly as everyone froze. I was hoping that I would be able to ease Dad into my opinion, but it seemed he wanted to take the more direct approach. “Well, I’m going to be honest, I like them. In fact, I love them. I love them the same way that I love everyone else. I wouldn’t be here without them, I wouldn’t be the man I am here today without them. It was a Human who pulled me out of the gutter and gave me direction in life.”
Dad sunk his head slightly. “They got to my son…”
I raised a tentacle. “Now, Dad, they didn’t get me. I came to this decision on my own. I looked at all the facts and saw that they were just as sapient as everyone else. They feel empathy, sadness, and regret just like all of us, and not just watered-down versions.”
He closed his eyes and raised his head. “Son, it’s going to be fine, we'll get you some help a-and cure this brainwashing.”
“I’m not brainwashed, Dad, that doesn’t exist. I’m-”
I sighed. “I’m not being controlled by anyone, I’m still the same Naeriu, just older and with more experienced. I’ve been gone for fifteen years, I’m going to change a little, but I’m still me. I just want to come back and reconnect.”
Dad stuttered in his own breath. “But the Humans tried to kill you.”
“Only after we attacked them first. And I forgave them long ago. A-”
I cut myself off before I told Dad that I was a Christian, that might just send him over the edge. I’d have to save that for later, when he’s calmed down a little.
“Can we eat something before we get too into this, please?”
Mom set the bowls down, eagerly accepting the distraction. “Of course, the kotla should be finished setting now anyway.”
Mom reached over and grabbed a wooden ladle, scooping up hearty spoonfuls into the bowls before setting them in front of Dad and me. I could feel the warm steam hit my face, carrying the savory taste of the various vegetables with them. Among the healthy chunks, I could spot the purplish color of dlut floating, slightly lighter now that it had been boiled.
“It looks amazing Mom, I can’t wait to try it.”
But just as I raised my tentacle, I froze. I glanced at my father, who was watching me with concern, confusion, and a little bit of fear. “What’s wrong son?”
I had never eaten a meal without praying beforehand. Sure, I might have sped up a prayer if I was excruciatingly hungry or late for something, but I always found a way to include it. Dad would freak out if he found out about my faith, it would start a full-blown fight.
Should I skip this one time to avoid making a scene?
I blinked and shook my head, feeling disappointed in myself. No, I had never missed a prayer before now, and I wasn’t about to start. I am not ashamed of who I am, I am a Christian and I am proud of it. If that means that my father is going to fight with me, then so be it. I don’t care if he doesn’t accept me, I don’t need him to. I am a grown man, and even if the words he says hurt, I know that I am being true to myself and God.
I am not skipping my prayer.
Slowly, I raised my tentacle and tapped my forehead, before lowering it to my chest, then my left shoulder followed by my right. “Bless us, O Lord, and these Thy gifts, which we are about to receive from Thy bounty. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.”
I repeated the sign of the cross and closed my prayer, keeping my eyes closed for a moment before grabbing the spoon and taking a bite. “It tastes amazing, Mom.”
She was too confused to speak, but Dad wasn’t. “What was that?”
“A prayer.”
“To who?”
“Christ.”
Dad shared a glance with Mom. “I don’t recognize any god named Christ.”
“That is because He is from Christianity, a Human religion.”
Everyone went silent for a moment, the words I said still ringing in their ears. Mom’s confusion only deepened, while Dad’s turned to anger. “What?! You-You worship a Human god?”
“Yes, I worship God. I am a Christian, a believer in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.”
Dad shook his head and laughed. “You’re not kidding… You really mean it. H-how?”
“I was at the lowest point in my entire life, Kotern had just died, I was alone on an alien planet, I was hungry, thirsty, tired, homeless, and broke. A Human named Ben brought me to a church, the St. Louis Cosmic Christian Church, and that’s where I found God. I opened myself up to Him, and I’ve never felt more safe in my entire life.”
Mom remained stunned, falling back into a seat while Dad stood up. “I-I don’t… I can’t believe this. I cannot accept this. You’re not my son. Naeriu would never… H-he’d never…”
Mom leaned forward. “Solue, calm down. Take a deep breath and-”
“I can’t calm down! Not after that reveal. My son worships Humans. My son…”
“No, Dad, I don’t worship Humans, I worship God.”
“A Human god! Who is a Human! I don’t know if this is better or worse than you coming out as a Linked Chains member, at least they don’t think predators are gods! What does your god call for, hmm? Killings? Blood sacrifices?”
“Dad, hold on, slow down and give me a chance.”
“No. I want you out of my house, now.”
Mom gasped. “Solue! That is our son.”
Dad didn’t even glance at Mom, ignoring the building tears in his eyes. “No, he’s not. He’s some freak trying to impersonate our son. I hate to tell you Muola, but our son died in that war, and he’s never coming back.”
His words sank into my heart, causing me to wince away and take a deep breath. With my eyes closed, barely holding back the tears, I set my spoon down and stood slowly from the table. “If that’s what you think, then I won’t bother you any longer. Mom, it was wonderful to have your food one last time. Dad, I’m sorry that you can’t accept the facts. I’m glad I could at least give you some closure, goodbye.”
I turned to gather what little luggage I had as Mom frantically jumped up from her seat. “Naeriu, wait! Just give us some time to talk, Solue and I are just confused, is all. Please, wait here, for me.”
I paused at the door and sighed. “Anything for you, Mom. I’ll be by the tree in the back.”
As soon as I closed the door behind me, I started to sob. Dad’s words had hurt me more than I imagined they would, twisting my insides around like he knew exactly what to say to hurt me the worst. I stumbled my way around the house, wiping tears away with each step. I could hear Mom and Dad arguing loudly through the wall, both of them screaming with each other over what to think about the situation, though the words were muffled enough that I couldn’t understand them. By the time I reached the tree, there was no hope of me catching a single word.
I wiped away a few final tears and looked up into the tree. The first thing I noticed was that the branch I had fallen from long ago had finally healed, however, it was fixed in a completely new direction. I can vividly remember when I fell from that branch and broke my leg. I had never seen my parents so worried in their entire lives. Dad must have broken every traffic law on the planet to get me as quickly as he could to a hospital. Mom told me that he couldn’t sit still while they were x-raying me, every second that passed felt like an eternity for him.
He cares for me, a lot, and that makes it difficult for him to accept that I’ve gone on my own path now. Of course, I’d be ecstatic to have him and Mom join me, but something told me that they wouldn’t be diverting from their generational ways. They were both rooted in the past, and the tradition that came with it, and that shaped their worldview to a rigid stance where everything stays the same. At least Mom was a little more accepting, though I knew she felt about the same as Dad did, she just didn’t vocalize it.
With a sigh, I slid against the tree, looking out over the fields as the sun set in the distance. It seemed as if my worst fears were coming true, they wouldn’t accept me for who I was. I had changed too much from the last time they had seen me, I might as well have been a new person to them.
After a long moment, Mom finally exited the house through the back door, closely followed by Dad. I stood with a huff as they approached, preparing myself for whatever they would say.
Mom spoke first. “Sweetie, uhm, we are sorry for the fight. It’s just, well, we have a hard time accepting what you say to be true.”
Mom paused for a moment and Dad picked up where she left off. “The last time we saw you, you were still just a boy, barely an adult, and you held… beliefs that aligned with ours.”
Mom glanced between Dad and me. “And now seeing you here in front of us, the age we were when we last saw you, with beliefs that completely go against everything we believed, that our religion taught…”
Dad sighed. “It’s a little much, son, and I’m… I’m sorry I… lashed out like that.”
I looked between them and stepped forward. “Mom, Dad, I don’t expect you to understand me, especially not on the first day of me being back, but just know that you accepting me means more than you will ever know. Thank you, and I love you, both of you.”
I embraced them both in a big group hug, rocking back and forth. Dad only hugged me for a brief moment before pulling away, but Mom clung to me for a long time. After she finally pulled away, she sniffled once more and wiped away a few final tears.
She laughed slightly and shook her head. “I just hope you can forgive us.”
I couldn’t help but melt at Mom’s concern. “Mom, Dad, you never even needed to ask. I forgave you as soon as the words were said. I love you both with all my heart, it will take more than harsh words to prevent me from forgiving you.”
I smiled. “Though, I wish I could have gotten some more kotla before it went cold.”
Dud huffed and turned around. “It should still be warm in the pot, but you better hurry.”
Mom and I watched him disappear into the house, not looking back to see if we were following him at all. Mom sighed before speaking. “He’ll come around, you know he will. He’s just principled. He has his way that he thinks is right and there is not a lot you can do to change that.”
I nodded. “I know that, but I’m sure he’ll be more accepting once he gives me a chance to explain what I believe in. And tell the rest of my story.”
“That will be nice to hear. I’d love to understand what you have been doing all of this time that prevented you from coming home.”
I opened my mouth to respond, only to realize something. “Oh! Now that I think about it, where is Bolop?”
Mom sighed. “He moved away, wanted to be free from Totkala’s chains, he said. Just like you, only he didn’t join the military, thankfully. Just moved away. Haven’t had much contact with him, as far as I know he’s on Fahl, but you know him. He can’t sit still to save his life, he might be all the way in Sivkit territory for all we know.”
“But you still have his info?”
“Yes, but with the time it takes for a message to reach him and the distance he has to travel to get to us…”
“I understand, but I’d still like to have it. I’d like to set up a meeting time sometime later.”
Mom stepped up the stairs to the back door, but paused when I didn’t follow her in. “Something wrong sweetie? The kotla is only going to get colder.”
“Nothing’s wrong, Mom, I just want a second to be alone. I’ll be right in.”
She nodded understandingly and slipped inside, leaving me alone to reflect. I turned around to face the sunset, taking a deep breath as it passed below the horizon slowly. My life had been completely turned around since I left home all those years ago. I became a soldier, attacked a planet, survived the freezing Alaska wilderness, lost my closest friend, and fell into a deep depression, even losing contact with my family. But it was anything but bad, from there I built my life back from nothing, found my faith in God, traveled all across the galaxy doing missionary work, met and talked with an Arxur, only to return home to my family finally. I’ve had some extreme ups and heart-wrenching downs, never knowing just what would happen next, but even now I don’t have any regrets.
Even when I’m being ridiculed for my faith or spat on for my species, I don’t regret a thing. I accept the challenges, uncertainty, and hate, even welcome it, because I know that I am living my best life.
I let out a content breath, smiled a warm smile, and turned to open the door, welcoming whatever would come next.
submitted by Crazy-Concern8080 to NatureofPredators [link] [comments]
The first story is here: Endure
The second story is here: Persist
And the thrid story's here: Strive
Being accepted is something everyone wants to be, but sometimes people can’t accept you for who you are. Sometimes, in the most heartbreaking cases, it’s someone you are close to.
Shout out to SpacePaladin15 for the universe.
Date [Standardized Human Time]: January 11, 2150
I couldn’t help but feel nervous as I rode in the shuttle. Even if I knew I was safe here, I wasn’t scared of anything physically dangerous. This planet had gone mostly untouched by the wars that had plagued the outside universe, left alone orbiting an insignificant star in an unimportant location. The only thing useful in this solar system was the planet itself, an agro-world devoted to having as many high-yield farms as possible.
It was a beautiful marble from above, swirling vibrant colors painting the surface intricately. The polar oceans almost made it look like a tennis ball, funnily enough. I could even see some of the larger farms from above, large patches of brown, miscolored green, or any other number of colors broadcasting what vegetables were being grown.
Where there weren’t farms, there were prairies or small forests, the only refuge for any animal, predator or not, to avoid the ire of the farmers. Herbivores would ruin crops and carnivores would taint them, there was no winning against the farmers. However, in recent years, there has been an ecological comeback with the help of the Humans.
Forests were a little bit larger, pests were killed a little less ruthlessly, and the farmers' hatred toward Humans grew evermore. While they were not outright hostile, I could only be thankful I had not heard what they had said behind closed doors.
This planet, Toktkala, was once my home, but now it couldn’t feel any more strange to me. I could only pray for more strength for what I was about to face, being a supporter of Humans and an open believer of Christ was sure to have me ostracized by everyone. I had a feeling that there were only two refuges for me; the UN embassy, something that was never not swarmed with protesters, and my childhood home.
That was the reason my stomach felt like it was turned inside out, I had finally found the time to find my family again. It wasn’t difficult, they hadn’t moved away from the house, but I had broken all contact with them after the Battle of Earth. That was fourteen Earth years ago, fifteen on Toktkala. Fifteen years of no contact, left wondering the fate of their oldest son, I couldn’t fathom what that could have done to them. I wondered if they were even still together, after losing my little sister they were already stressed, losing me might have broken them. It made me feel guilty already, and I didn’t even know if it was true. Hopefully, they managed to stay together for my little brother, Bolop always deserved the best.
I wonder if he hated me, blaming me for our parents’ divorce. I wonder if he hated me for leaving for the military in the first place. I wonder what my parents will say, seeing their dead son on their doorstep.
The uncertainty ate away at me, but the only way to cure it was to face it, and I intend to face it head-on and with full honesty. I’ll take everything they throw at me on the chin and keep walking, relieved no matter the outcome.
The shuttle touched down in one of the very few spaceports built on the planet, all of which were humble in the worst way. Frequent traffic wasn’t a problem, so they had all been equipped with the bare necessities to be classified as a spaceport. Most were little more than a pad, a few administrative buildings, and a luggage check. The only one with any extra expense was located in the only city on the entire planet, on the complete opposite side of where I needed to be.
However, the underfunded port might have been a boon in the end, as it let me experience the rural air sooner. Nostalgia flooded my mind as the familiar scent reignited memories from my childhood. Running through fields with my mother, watching the sunset with my father, eating a home-cooked bowl of kotla on the porch, climbing the lone tree in the backyard when I was sad, swinging from it when I was happy, there were so many melancholic memories tied to this smell, and I would never get tired of them.
I gathered what little luggage I brought with me and waited for a bus to pick me up, mixed feelings caused me to stare off into the distance. It felt great to finally be back in the warm, welcoming, slightly humid air of Toktkala, but that just meant I was one step closer to facing my family. I wouldn’t and couldn’t back down, but that didn’t make me any less nervous.
“Feeling okay, deary? You look like you’re about to run away.”
I blinked as I turned to face the lady, slightly surprised that anyone would bother talking to me. She was an older Kolshian, decorated in old-timey jewelry and carrying an expensive-looking bag. I could tell from her thick accent that she was a Toktkala native, the people from her tended to take their time in everything, including speaking.
I accepted the distraction with a sigh, causing her to sit down and pay attention. “I’m fine, just nervous.”
“Aww, what for? I don’t know anyone who could be down in weather like this. Haven't had a nice day like this in a while.”
“Well, you see, I haven’t been home in a long time. Fifteen years, give or take.”
“Oh deary, that’s wonderful! I’m so glad you could finally make it home.”
“Yeah… I guess. It’s just, what has changed since I left. I haven’t said or heard a single word from my parents since the war, I don’t even know if they are still together. I-I know where they live, but that’s about all I know about my parents. What if they don’t recognize me? What if they hate me for leaving and not saying anything? And I’ve changed so much, I’m not sure they would even accept me for who I am now. I know I have to do this, I’m not backing down no matter what, but that doesn’t make me any less anxious.”
She was quiet for a long moment. “That is quite the predicament. Fifteen years is a long time to not speak with someone, but always remember, it is never too late to reconnect.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle and grab my cross. “Kinda like me and…”
“What was that deary?”
“Uh, nothing important. Now that I’ve given you my side, I think it’s only fair you give me yours.”
She shifted on the bench. “Oh well, there’s not much to say. Just going back to town after a visit off planet. A buyer was looking to buy some crops in bulk and I went out to meet him for some discussion. Really nice boy, almost as old as you.”
“Ma’am, I’m thirty-two.”
She waved a tentacle in chucked. “Well everyone is a boy when you are as old as me, deary.”
I let myself laugh. “Oh you can’t be that old, you barely look a day over sixty!”
She pressed a tentacle to her chest. “Well, I’m flattered. I guess there still are some gentlemen in this world.”
“Oh I think there are plenty, they just don’t get the chance to act like them.”
She tilted her head to the side. “That’s one way of looking at it.”
We fell into silence for a moment, but with no bus in sight, it would be better to keep talking. “If you don’t mind my asking, what kind of crops do you sell?”
She clicked her tongue. “Oh, all kinds, but I think the one you're asking about is the stuff I talked about earlier, am I right?”
I raised a tentacle as if I were surrendering, noticing a bus cresting over the horizon as I did. “You got me.”
“That was some dlut, you know the stuff. Tall stocks, bright purple, sweetish tasting fruit.”
I leaned back. “Ah, dlut. I bet that would be good in a kotla in this weather.”
“It sure would. I just can’t get over who I was selling to.”
I turned to face her head-on. “And that is?”
“A Human, can you believe that?”
I laughed. “You know? I can actually. I’m…”
I considered my wording carefully. I didn’t want to offend this nice old lady accidentally. After a brief pause, I found the right words. “I’m surprised that someone from Toktkala would even be willing to talk with them though, considering the popular sentiment.”
“Oh I know, and I think it’s just dreadful that those people get so much hatred. I’ll be honest, I was in the same wagon at the beginning, but I came around once they became the only people buying my products. After what was revealed about our history… well, I don’t think I need to tell you of all people how Kolshians were treated.”
“Trust me, I know. I just think it’s kind of ironic that Humans, people we all seemed hell-bent on making hate us, were the first to forgive.”
She sighed. “I just wish some of the other foolhardy people here could see that too. With any luck, your parents are like us.”
I nodded as the bus pulled to a stop. “Yeah, maybe. This was a nice chat, hope you have a wonderful day.”
She waved me off. “With a little luck, we’ll see each other again. Oh, what’s your name.”
I paused and pivoted before I stepped on the bus. “I’m Naeriu, and you are?”
“I’m Moelly. And I hope to see you too.”
I waved to her one final time as the bus accelerated away, feeling much better having talked with someone instead of just dwelling on my feelings. I felt more hopeful about my future now that the idea of my parents not hating Humans was rolling around in my head, it let me believe there was a chance my parents might not disown me. Dad was always supportive of me when I said I wanted to join, he had always had complete faith in the Federation, but Mom might be a little more lenient, even if she also held the Federation in high regard.
I wonder if they became the type to claim the Humans faked it all and Nikonus’ accidental confession was fabricated. There were a lot of those kinds of people still around to this day, almost twenty years after the war ended. I could only pray that they would realize the error in their ways and accept reality sooner rather than later.
I stared out of the window for a long time, passing the time by reliving every field, tree, and house that passed by the window. I couldn’t pull my eyes away even for a second, everything looked so familiar, but at the same time, just different enough to make it strange. Some things were out of place or missing, while others were just how I remember them. It was surreal to see how my childhood home had changed, and I could feel my anxiety bubbling back up just as we reached the stop I needed to get off at.
I tugged the suitcase behind me, thanking and tipping the bus driver as I left. He responded with a simple huff of acknowledgment before driving off. I watched him for only a moment before turning around.
At the end of a long driveway, standing just as tall as I remember it, flanked on both sides by fields of budding crops, was my childhood home. Vines crawled up one side of the house, a decoration that Mom refused to cut down despite Dad’s objections. There was an ever-so-slightly rusted shed peeking out from the back, inside should be all of the farming equipment used to control the drones and irrigation systems. Even further behind that, there was a tall, lonely-looking tree with a small swing hanging from one of its sturdy branches.
Everything looked the same, down to the plants on the window sill.
I decided I needed to pray one last time before I met my parents, silently mumbling to myself as I did. I asked God for the wisdom to know what to say, for the courage to face their questions, and for the strength to stand tall if they ridicule me for my path in life. I had prayed like this many times before, and I was surely going to continue praying after.
I finished the prayer with the sign of the cross and a gentle kiss on the cross around my neck as I reached the porch, looking up with hesitation as I climbed the steps. I set my luggage aside and took a deep breath, staring at the doorbell. Every question and wandering thought I had raced through my mind, causing me to stand stunned for at least a minute until finally I shook them out of my head and pressed the button with all of my might.
A strange sense of release and simultaneous anxiety flooded me. There was no turning back now, even if I ran away they could still easily see me. All I could do now was stand here and face the music.
There was a commotion inside, some thumping going down the stairs, and a loud voice calling out. “Hold on, I’m coming.”
It was Mom’s voice. Even if it was muffled through the walls and slightly more hoarse than the last time I heard it, it was still Mom’s. The first of the doors was opened, but Mom hadn’t seen me through the glass one yet. She was looking off to the side, setting something on the side table as she spoke.
“I’m sorry it took so long, Bullo, I was in the middle of making a meal.”
She reached up and began opening the glass door, only to stop in her tracks as she finally saw me.
“Who…”
I could see the gears turning in her head, and the slow realization dawned upon her of just who I was. Tears began welling up in her eyes and her mouth hung open. With a quiet sob, she covered her mouth, trying to form any words. She could only cry and shake her head before stepping forward and hugging me warmly.
“I always knew…”
I returned the hug eagerly, rubbing the back of her head. I tried to find words to convey the flurry of emotions, but couldn’t. “I’m back, Mom.”
She pulled away for a second, wiping a final few tears in her eyes. Suddenly her demeanor changed from overwhelming joy to concern. “Where have you been? Oh, my little baby, where have you been?”
I sucked in a nervous breath. “On Earth, Sillis, Fahl, Skalga… I’ve been everywhere.”
I could see her freeze up for a second. “Then… then why didn’t you come back?”
“I… I felt like you wouldn’t accept me. And every day I didn’t return, I felt like you would only grow to hate me.”
Mom stepped forward, caressing my face with a gentle touch. “Sweetie, I could never hate you. There is nothing you could ever do to make me hate you.”
“I… Thank you, Mom, you don’t know how much I needed to hear that.”
She stepped back and held the door open. “Of course, sweetie, now come inside. You have to tell me all about, well, everything that has happened to you, from the beginning. And while you are at it, I’ll finish making dinner. I bet you missed your mom’s kotla, didn’t you?”
I laughed as I tugged my luggage through the door. “More than you will ever know. Every other bowl I’ve had has left me wanting something more, but I know that the only place I could find it was here.”
Mom laughed as she pulled out a few plates. “Love, a mother’s specialty. Is that the reason you came back, just for some food?”
I sat at the dinner table, taking in the house around me. It would be considered old-timey by modern standards, though that just meant that not everything was super high-tech. There were still rustic aspects to my house, pictures still in frames and not screens, religious symbols that have been passed down for generations, wood used over metal in some places, and rustic pieces of tech that my father refused to change, claiming that it would outlast all of us. It was old, slightly musky, and it was home.
“That’s not the only reason, it’s more like a bonus. I just kept thinking about home, how I effectively abandoned you, and I needed to come back to give you closure. Thoughts of home would pop into my head at the most random times, like signs that I should come back, so I followed.”
Mom turned around from the stove, setting down a steaming pot on the counter before sitting next to me. “Well, I am certainly glad you decided to do so. Your father and I have both been torn up by what we thought was your death, having you here now is a blessing for us both.”
“Speaking of, where is Dad?”
Mom waved a tentacle. “Oh, he’s off protesting at the embassy again. At his age, he should be staying home and watching the field, but he’s a stubborn oaf and when he’s determined to do something he does it, you know that. I told him to give it up and to come home, but he resents the Humans and won't rest ‘till they are off this planet, maybe not even then.”
I closed my eyes for a moment and looked away. This was the worst outcome. Not only did Dad not like the Humans, it sounded like he outright hated them. I’m glad I prayed because I had a feeling that a shouting match was on the horizon.
“Is something wrong?”
I sighed. “Well, we might have… conflicting opinions on the Humans. I’m worried that we might fight.”
Mom sucked in a breath as if she was preparing a response, but it died in her throat before she could speak. She took a moment to recollect her thoughts, confusion growing in her eyes, before shaking her head.
“It’ll be fine. Your father loves you, no matter who you’ve become. You will always be his son, our son. There is nothing that can change that. I don’t know the experiences you've had, maybe I don’t want to know, but I know that you’re an adult now and can choose your own path, even if I don’t agree with it wholly.”
I grabbed Mom’s tentacle. “Thank you, Mom, you have no idea how much that means to me. I was so worried that you wouldn’t accept me, it was eating me alive. I just hope that Dad feels the same way. He is stubborn, you said it yourself.”
“I know he-”
The sound of the garage door opening cut Mom off and caused my nerves to flare up again. Through the walls, I could hear him shut the car door and stomp his way into the house. He had always been a heavy-stepper, but these seemed a little heavier than normal. Maybe he had just put on a little weight since I last saw him.
“Muola, I’m-”
Dad froze as he turned into the dining room, stopping suddenly as he saw me. He looked me up and down, putting the pieces together in his mind. He dropped a bag to the floor carelessly and took a half-step forward.
“Naeriu… you’re… you're alive!”
He rushed forward as fast as his old limbs could carry him, meeting me with a hug just as I stood from my seat. He rocked me back and forth, blubbering with joy and trying to bury his head in my chest.
“My son’s alive!”
He pulled himself back. “Where have you been? I thought…”
His breath hitched in his throat. “I thought you were dead.”
I held his tentacle with compassion. “I’m sorry, I was just so… I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be, all that matters now is that you are back with us, safe and sound.”
We stared at each other for a moment before Dad couldn’t sit still any longer, almost jumping toward the table. “You have to tell me all about it. Start to finish. You must have some interesting stories for us, right? I mean, you were gone for fifteen years, there has to have been something interesting going on, right? You could start with the story of that necklace, it looks pretty interesting. Is it something from Sillis?”
I glanced down to the cross on my neck as I pulled out a chair for him, sitting back down in mine with a huff after I did. “Not quite. It’s a later story. Why don’t we start from the beginning, like you said?”
Dad flung a tentacle in excitement. “Sure, yeah, from the beginning.”
I took in a deep breath. “After my last call with you, the Battle of Earth started. There wasn’t much I could do with my training, so all I could do was watch and wait. I was scared, and I only got more scared when boarding alarms went off. After they captured the ship, we had to evacuate. With no other option, I had to get in a life pod with the Humans.”
Both Mom and Dad gasped. “That must have been horrible, sweetie, how did you get out?”
Dad shook his head. “That must have been a terrible experience. I couldn’t imagine being trapped in such a cramped space with those monsters. Muola is right, how did you get out?”
I brushed past the casual Human-hate and continued with my story. “I didn’t. We landed in the northern part of the planet and it was late fall. All you need to know is that it was very, very cold. We had to travel with the Humans to avoid freezing to death, clinging to the belief that maybe we would be handed off to an authority later on and not be eaten. In the end, that was the best choice I had ever made. We made it to a cabin, but not after losing two others, a Harchen named Tekt and a Krakotl named Kulilim. It was just me and Kotern.”
Mom gasped. “How is Kotern? You two seemed like such good friends.”
I didn’t respond immediately, letting Dad’s mind run wild. “Did… T-they ate him, didn’t they?”
I shook my head. “No, in fact, they never even hit us. For the next few days, all we did was talk with each other. Just Me, Kotern, the Humans, and a Venlil named Leenek that we had picked up along the way. We just sat and talked.”
I could see the confusion building on Dad’s face. “Were they threatening you?”
I shook my head again. “Only one, Billy, the leader. He was the only one to make any threats, but he never acted on it. He was just angry. Some never even spoke to me, a few had very deep conversations, but only one ever made threats. One, named Brandon, talked to me about God for a while, after I told him that he had probably lost his entire family.”
Dad tilted his head in confusion, but didn’t make any comments, letting me continue with my story. “One day, Kotern goes out to gather some wood. The Humans had rope so we tied it on to him, but he didn’t come back. They sent a soldier named Valya out to find him, and comforted me the entire time he was gone. Around an hour passes and Valya returns, but Kotern isn’t with him.”
Mom leaned forward, engrossed in the story. “So what happened?”
I sighed. “I hid away in a room for a while, depressed that I had lost my friend, when I heard a bunch of arguing. I come out to see what’s happening, and Kotern is there, standing in the middle of the room, waving a pistol around and screaming for them to give me back to him. There were a bunch of people with him, led by a captain named Suklal. They wanted the cabin for shelter, but it ended up in a gunfight. Kotern died first.”
Dad sunk his head in sadness. “He was such a nice boy, you two seemed to get along so well. It’s a shame the Humans did that to him.”
“It wasn’t the Humans. Suklal shot him in the head after Kotern wouldn’t fall back. The Humans only started shooting after Suklal shot first.”
I let out a deep sigh, remembering how everything played out right in front of me. Even now his death brings tears to my eyes, he was such a nice man, he had just been misguided by the horrible teachings of the Federation. Teachings that I knew my Mom and Dad still clung to.
Wanting something to take my mind off of his death, I looked over to Mom. “I think I want some kotla now.”
Mom let out a breath. “Of course sweetie, I was wondering when you would ask.”
Mom got up to get some dishes, but Dad kept staring at me with a growing look of concern and confusion. “Hey son, what’s your opinion on the Humans.”
The bowls in Mom’s hands clattered slightly as everyone froze. I was hoping that I would be able to ease Dad into my opinion, but it seemed he wanted to take the more direct approach. “Well, I’m going to be honest, I like them. In fact, I love them. I love them the same way that I love everyone else. I wouldn’t be here without them, I wouldn’t be the man I am here today without them. It was a Human who pulled me out of the gutter and gave me direction in life.”
Dad sunk his head slightly. “They got to my son…”
I raised a tentacle. “Now, Dad, they didn’t get me. I came to this decision on my own. I looked at all the facts and saw that they were just as sapient as everyone else. They feel empathy, sadness, and regret just like all of us, and not just watered-down versions.”
He closed his eyes and raised his head. “Son, it’s going to be fine, we'll get you some help a-and cure this brainwashing.”
“I’m not brainwashed, Dad, that doesn’t exist. I’m-”
I sighed. “I’m not being controlled by anyone, I’m still the same Naeriu, just older and with more experienced. I’ve been gone for fifteen years, I’m going to change a little, but I’m still me. I just want to come back and reconnect.”
Dad stuttered in his own breath. “But the Humans tried to kill you.”
“Only after we attacked them first. And I forgave them long ago. A-”
I cut myself off before I told Dad that I was a Christian, that might just send him over the edge. I’d have to save that for later, when he’s calmed down a little.
“Can we eat something before we get too into this, please?”
Mom set the bowls down, eagerly accepting the distraction. “Of course, the kotla should be finished setting now anyway.”
Mom reached over and grabbed a wooden ladle, scooping up hearty spoonfuls into the bowls before setting them in front of Dad and me. I could feel the warm steam hit my face, carrying the savory taste of the various vegetables with them. Among the healthy chunks, I could spot the purplish color of dlut floating, slightly lighter now that it had been boiled.
“It looks amazing Mom, I can’t wait to try it.”
But just as I raised my tentacle, I froze. I glanced at my father, who was watching me with concern, confusion, and a little bit of fear. “What’s wrong son?”
I had never eaten a meal without praying beforehand. Sure, I might have sped up a prayer if I was excruciatingly hungry or late for something, but I always found a way to include it. Dad would freak out if he found out about my faith, it would start a full-blown fight.
Should I skip this one time to avoid making a scene?
I blinked and shook my head, feeling disappointed in myself. No, I had never missed a prayer before now, and I wasn’t about to start. I am not ashamed of who I am, I am a Christian and I am proud of it. If that means that my father is going to fight with me, then so be it. I don’t care if he doesn’t accept me, I don’t need him to. I am a grown man, and even if the words he says hurt, I know that I am being true to myself and God.
I am not skipping my prayer.
Slowly, I raised my tentacle and tapped my forehead, before lowering it to my chest, then my left shoulder followed by my right. “Bless us, O Lord, and these Thy gifts, which we are about to receive from Thy bounty. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.”
I repeated the sign of the cross and closed my prayer, keeping my eyes closed for a moment before grabbing the spoon and taking a bite. “It tastes amazing, Mom.”
She was too confused to speak, but Dad wasn’t. “What was that?”
“A prayer.”
“To who?”
“Christ.”
Dad shared a glance with Mom. “I don’t recognize any god named Christ.”
“That is because He is from Christianity, a Human religion.”
Everyone went silent for a moment, the words I said still ringing in their ears. Mom’s confusion only deepened, while Dad’s turned to anger. “What?! You-You worship a Human god?”
“Yes, I worship God. I am a Christian, a believer in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.”
Dad shook his head and laughed. “You’re not kidding… You really mean it. H-how?”
“I was at the lowest point in my entire life, Kotern had just died, I was alone on an alien planet, I was hungry, thirsty, tired, homeless, and broke. A Human named Ben brought me to a church, the St. Louis Cosmic Christian Church, and that’s where I found God. I opened myself up to Him, and I’ve never felt more safe in my entire life.”
Mom remained stunned, falling back into a seat while Dad stood up. “I-I don’t… I can’t believe this. I cannot accept this. You’re not my son. Naeriu would never… H-he’d never…”
Mom leaned forward. “Solue, calm down. Take a deep breath and-”
“I can’t calm down! Not after that reveal. My son worships Humans. My son…”
“No, Dad, I don’t worship Humans, I worship God.”
“A Human god! Who is a Human! I don’t know if this is better or worse than you coming out as a Linked Chains member, at least they don’t think predators are gods! What does your god call for, hmm? Killings? Blood sacrifices?”
“Dad, hold on, slow down and give me a chance.”
“No. I want you out of my house, now.”
Mom gasped. “Solue! That is our son.”
Dad didn’t even glance at Mom, ignoring the building tears in his eyes. “No, he’s not. He’s some freak trying to impersonate our son. I hate to tell you Muola, but our son died in that war, and he’s never coming back.”
His words sank into my heart, causing me to wince away and take a deep breath. With my eyes closed, barely holding back the tears, I set my spoon down and stood slowly from the table. “If that’s what you think, then I won’t bother you any longer. Mom, it was wonderful to have your food one last time. Dad, I’m sorry that you can’t accept the facts. I’m glad I could at least give you some closure, goodbye.”
I turned to gather what little luggage I had as Mom frantically jumped up from her seat. “Naeriu, wait! Just give us some time to talk, Solue and I are just confused, is all. Please, wait here, for me.”
I paused at the door and sighed. “Anything for you, Mom. I’ll be by the tree in the back.”
As soon as I closed the door behind me, I started to sob. Dad’s words had hurt me more than I imagined they would, twisting my insides around like he knew exactly what to say to hurt me the worst. I stumbled my way around the house, wiping tears away with each step. I could hear Mom and Dad arguing loudly through the wall, both of them screaming with each other over what to think about the situation, though the words were muffled enough that I couldn’t understand them. By the time I reached the tree, there was no hope of me catching a single word.
I wiped away a few final tears and looked up into the tree. The first thing I noticed was that the branch I had fallen from long ago had finally healed, however, it was fixed in a completely new direction. I can vividly remember when I fell from that branch and broke my leg. I had never seen my parents so worried in their entire lives. Dad must have broken every traffic law on the planet to get me as quickly as he could to a hospital. Mom told me that he couldn’t sit still while they were x-raying me, every second that passed felt like an eternity for him.
He cares for me, a lot, and that makes it difficult for him to accept that I’ve gone on my own path now. Of course, I’d be ecstatic to have him and Mom join me, but something told me that they wouldn’t be diverting from their generational ways. They were both rooted in the past, and the tradition that came with it, and that shaped their worldview to a rigid stance where everything stays the same. At least Mom was a little more accepting, though I knew she felt about the same as Dad did, she just didn’t vocalize it.
With a sigh, I slid against the tree, looking out over the fields as the sun set in the distance. It seemed as if my worst fears were coming true, they wouldn’t accept me for who I was. I had changed too much from the last time they had seen me, I might as well have been a new person to them.
After a long moment, Mom finally exited the house through the back door, closely followed by Dad. I stood with a huff as they approached, preparing myself for whatever they would say.
Mom spoke first. “Sweetie, uhm, we are sorry for the fight. It’s just, well, we have a hard time accepting what you say to be true.”
Mom paused for a moment and Dad picked up where she left off. “The last time we saw you, you were still just a boy, barely an adult, and you held… beliefs that aligned with ours.”
Mom glanced between Dad and me. “And now seeing you here in front of us, the age we were when we last saw you, with beliefs that completely go against everything we believed, that our religion taught…”
Dad sighed. “It’s a little much, son, and I’m… I’m sorry I… lashed out like that.”
I looked between them and stepped forward. “Mom, Dad, I don’t expect you to understand me, especially not on the first day of me being back, but just know that you accepting me means more than you will ever know. Thank you, and I love you, both of you.”
I embraced them both in a big group hug, rocking back and forth. Dad only hugged me for a brief moment before pulling away, but Mom clung to me for a long time. After she finally pulled away, she sniffled once more and wiped away a few final tears.
She laughed slightly and shook her head. “I just hope you can forgive us.”
I couldn’t help but melt at Mom’s concern. “Mom, Dad, you never even needed to ask. I forgave you as soon as the words were said. I love you both with all my heart, it will take more than harsh words to prevent me from forgiving you.”
I smiled. “Though, I wish I could have gotten some more kotla before it went cold.”
Dud huffed and turned around. “It should still be warm in the pot, but you better hurry.”
Mom and I watched him disappear into the house, not looking back to see if we were following him at all. Mom sighed before speaking. “He’ll come around, you know he will. He’s just principled. He has his way that he thinks is right and there is not a lot you can do to change that.”
I nodded. “I know that, but I’m sure he’ll be more accepting once he gives me a chance to explain what I believe in. And tell the rest of my story.”
“That will be nice to hear. I’d love to understand what you have been doing all of this time that prevented you from coming home.”
I opened my mouth to respond, only to realize something. “Oh! Now that I think about it, where is Bolop?”
Mom sighed. “He moved away, wanted to be free from Totkala’s chains, he said. Just like you, only he didn’t join the military, thankfully. Just moved away. Haven’t had much contact with him, as far as I know he’s on Fahl, but you know him. He can’t sit still to save his life, he might be all the way in Sivkit territory for all we know.”
“But you still have his info?”
“Yes, but with the time it takes for a message to reach him and the distance he has to travel to get to us…”
“I understand, but I’d still like to have it. I’d like to set up a meeting time sometime later.”
Mom stepped up the stairs to the back door, but paused when I didn’t follow her in. “Something wrong sweetie? The kotla is only going to get colder.”
“Nothing’s wrong, Mom, I just want a second to be alone. I’ll be right in.”
She nodded understandingly and slipped inside, leaving me alone to reflect. I turned around to face the sunset, taking a deep breath as it passed below the horizon slowly. My life had been completely turned around since I left home all those years ago. I became a soldier, attacked a planet, survived the freezing Alaska wilderness, lost my closest friend, and fell into a deep depression, even losing contact with my family. But it was anything but bad, from there I built my life back from nothing, found my faith in God, traveled all across the galaxy doing missionary work, met and talked with an Arxur, only to return home to my family finally. I’ve had some extreme ups and heart-wrenching downs, never knowing just what would happen next, but even now I don’t have any regrets.
Even when I’m being ridiculed for my faith or spat on for my species, I don’t regret a thing. I accept the challenges, uncertainty, and hate, even welcome it, because I know that I am living my best life.
I let out a content breath, smiled a warm smile, and turned to open the door, welcoming whatever would come next.
2024.05.13 14:09 Effective-Big-706 Savor Savings with Swiggy Gift Cards: Your Ticket to Foodie Paradise!
 | https://preview.redd.it/l0finkryp60d1.jpg?width=239&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=507030e70f4c60a18fa2d7d370ea99137ef23a8a submitted by Effective-Big-706 to u/Effective-Big-706 [link] [comments] Hey there, foodies and deal seekers! If you're someone who loves good food and saving money (who doesn't, right?), then you're in for a treat with Swiggy Gift Cards. Imagine having your favorite dishes delivered right to your doorstep while enjoying sweet discounts and exclusive offers. Sounds like a food lover's dream come true, doesn't it? So, what's the buzz about Swiggy Gift Cards? Let's dive in and uncover why they're the talk of the town. First off, let's talk savings. Who doesn't love a good discount? With Swiggy Gift Cards, you can snag some fantastic deals that'll make your taste buds and your wallet happy. Picture this: you're craving a delicious meal from your go-to restaurant, and with a Swiggy Gift Card, you get to enjoy your food while saving some bucks. Win-win! Now, let's get down to the nitty-gritty. How do you get your hands on these awesome gift cards? It's as easy as pie (pun intended). Just hop onto Bajaj Finserv's platform, where you'll find a treasure trove of Swiggy Gift Cards waiting for you. Oh, and did I mention there are special promo codes like SWBFLDIS that can get you an extra 4% off? Yep, it's like getting a cherry on top of your already delicious dessert. But wait, there's more! Swiggy isn't just about delivering scrumptious meals anymore. They've upped their game with Instamart for grocery deliveries and Swiggy Genie for quick package deliveries. It's like having your own personal genie fulfilling all your wishes, but instead of granting three wishes, they bring you your favorite goodies right to your doorstep. Talk about convenience! Now, let's talk strategy. Swiggy Gift Cards aren't just for personal use; they're also perfect for corporate gifting. Imagine being the office hero who treats everyone to mouth-watering meals while saving the company some dough. It's a win for team morale and the budget spreadsheet! And let's not forget special occasions. Birthdays, anniversaries, or just because—it's the perfect excuse to gift someone a Swiggy Gift Card. Show your loved ones that you care with the gift of delicious food and savings. It's a gesture that'll surely bring smiles and satisfied stomachs. But how exactly do you use these magical gift cards? Fear not, it's a breeze. Once you've purchased your Swiggy Gift Card, simply head over to the Swiggy app or website. Pick out your favorite dishes, enter your gift card details during checkout, and voila! Your tasty meal is on its way, and you've saved some cash in the process. It's like having your cake and eating it too (or in this case, having your biryani and saving on dessert). So, to sum it all up, Swiggy Gift Cards are your ticket to foodie paradise. With discounts, convenience, and a wide range of offerings, they're a game-changer for anyone who loves good food and smart savings. Whether you're treating yourself, gifting others, or making corporate gestures, Swiggy Gift Cards have got you covered. So what are you waiting for? Grab your Swiggy Gift Card today and indulge in a world of flavors without breaking the bank. Happy eating and saving! |
2024.05.13 14:07 OrlonDogger A Witch at Midnight - Chapter 11
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An old desk phone stands on a marble pedestal, lost in the middle of a dark room. A perfectly circular, dark room, dug deeply into the bedrock of a city far, far away from anywhere important to our story. Silence reigns in this room… until the phone starts ringing. It rings for such a long time, uninterrupted, insistent, inconsiderate even! It rings for longer than any person should be willing to wait, longer than anyone would stomach. A sane person would simply give up and call later… But this caller? No. This caller refuses to be ignored.
So it rings, even while a set of long, skeletal fingers stretch from the shadows. Knuckles and joints crack as the hand does a few stretches, taking the time to caress the nasty, annoying phone for a moment without picking it up.
“Oh bother… I wonder who that could be…?”
The voice was raspy, nasal and grumbly. It loved to complain, and it had done so for so long that even when it wasn’t complaining, it sounded annoyed and legitimately upset. The hand stopped uncomfortably caressing the vibrating phone for a moment to grab the caller ID. Its dim green light was perfectly reflected on the hand’s glossy white skin.
“Ah… G again, huh…?”
Understanding that it couldn’t simply ignore this annoying sound forever, and that the call may actually mean something important (and lucrative), the hand returned to the phone and finally picked it up.
“You interrupted my nap.” The raspy voice said.
“You shouldn’t sleep for so long. It’s bad for you.” The young boy’s voice answered, legitimately concerned.
“Oh yeah? You suggest I should go out instead? Take a shower, get dolled up, and then bask under the full concentrated power of the Sun?”
“Come on now, don’t be like that. You know what I mean.”
“You better mean something important, to interrupt my nap like that, you old bastard.”
The white, skeletal hand made a few sassy snaps, loud enough to be heard over the phone.
“Alright alright, I am done beating around the bush. Sorry.” The calm, youthful voice sighed over the phone, these conversations were enough to exhaust him.
“Yeah that’s right, bitch.”
“It’s just… we have a new visitor in The Forum, and I’d like you to give us a little check on who or what.”
“What, are you afraid of a few gremlins and jinxes finally finding their way over your precious forum? Or is this a troll hunt?” The raspy voice finally got up from the sea of cushions and empty bags, and with another snapping of his fingers, he activated the widescreens that covered every single spot of his walls with the exception of a single metal door. The lights were warm and orangey, designed to avoid straining the eyes.
The room had returned to life! It was an absolute disaster, pillows and empty bloodbags laid scattered around without a care, and the whole place had a disgusting aura of filth to it.
Blanco was fully illuminated now. His figure was enough to cause nightmares to a few children: a tall, lanky and wide-shouldered man, skin white as marble and cracked as an old dry cookie, full of darker spots and nasty scars. His arms were long enough for the knuckles of his free hand to feel the floor.
But what was worst of all was his face: a perfectly round, perfectly smooth face, lacking hair, eyes and ears, only showing a few dark veins underneath the glossy skin. His mouth was another crack in this otherwise flawless surface, showing myriads of sharp, black teeth.
“Now let’s see…”
The screens all showed the same picture of Blanco’s face, a toothy smile covering his visage. With a mere gesture of his hand, a wireless keyboard came floating to the creature, big and wide enough for his disproportionate hands. The keys were shining in beautiful purple, producing a hypnotic wave effect across its length.
After cracking his knuckles, the creature began typing and accessing one of the many screens, the one permanently connected to Dejima 08. Blanco stretched again, sitting in the air and crossing his lanky legs as he checked the analytics.
“Yep. You have a new visitor, and they immediately registered. ‘Tav’, huh? Too generic.”
“Can you give me a bit more info on them?” The young man asked.
“Are you officially commissioning me now? Because this is as far as our friendship will get me without pay.” Blanco smirked, a purple tongue licking his nonexistent lips.
“...I’ll have the payment sent immediately. I want an hour of your time.” There was hesitation on the old voice. He clearly didn’t feel good about this, but one could never be too careful.
“Oh boy!” The creature clapped rapidly, and before he knew it, there was a notification on another screen. Ka-ching! The sound of money going straight into his PayBud. “Ohhh Giovanni, you gotta be my best client, really. Most people whine about my prices.”
“You probably tell that to every client you get.” G chuckled, taking it like a good sport.
“I do!” Blanco admitted with a bright, big smile, and then slid over to face a cluster of 9 screens on a wall. “This will take just a moment…”
The screens would go to black at the same time, before glyphs of many sizes, shapes and forms began flooding them, spiraling to the center of each display. The lines that draw them were a pale, regular blue at first, before suddenly taking a bright octarine hue. Blanco’s fingers tapped wildly on his keyboard, while his mind focused on the seeking runes that took him straight into the second layer of reality.
Mages didn’t usually deal with the technology of the Sleepers. Not because they felt it was below them (even though many of them would certainly take that posture to protect their fragile egos), but for protection: Technology born out of the mundane rules of the natural world did not meddle well with magic, and even in a world that had lost 95% of its magical population, infusing magic on mechanisms and electrical circuits was a great way to attract pesky fairies.
Blanco, however, was not just any mage. After several lifetimes of work and study, he had mastered the art of using magic in conjunction with the power of the Internet itself, turning him into one of the most prolific hackers and trackers in the whole world of Jericho. Perhaps even the single most requested man in the business!
He, of course, didn’t accept just any job. He only took the work that interested him, that made him think outside of the box, or that paid particularly well. But Giovanni here? The old man was an exception. Giovanni had been good to Blanco in a time where no one else would even look at the creature, and as much as he hated showing gratitude for things, Blanco was a man of honor… to a certain extent.
He at least appreciated a friend when he had one.
The screens began changing one by one as the creature found information. A national registry page, a Vapor gaming profile, a VirtualZone profile…
“This one’s not dumb. They keep good opsec, rarely sharing personal information. That’s good.” Blanco smirked. “Sadly, that’s not enough to stop me.”
Soon a picture appeared on one of the screens, the face of a smiling, bright child. An honor student with many dreams and possibilities in the future.
Then, on a fifth screen, a grainy image stolen from an unsecured webcam. A burnout stares at the screen with dead eyes and no spirit in their posture.
“Oof. Growth has been rough on this one.” The creature commented sarcastically, taking a moment to stop and crack their knuckles. “This is your guy, G. Real name: Santino Belnades. A random kid from Wohl.”
“Wohl?” Giovanni was beyond surprised.
“Yeah, you know. The country in the north. The one that looks like a pen–”
“Yes yes, I know Wohl. I just… didn’t expect to hear from the mages of the north. It’s been a while.”
“Ah, no this is not a born mage. This is a sleeper.”
“Impossible. They passed the Le Guin test and made an account in the Forum.”
“Alright then, a Bastard Mage for sure.”
There was a moment of silence as Giovanni meditated on the implications of this… only broken by the camera feed’s catching Tav screaming.
“Spy Medic, Spy Medic! Kill that motherfucker!”
“Ahhh… TS2. I really should get back into it one of these days.” Blanco commented with a bit of nostalgia. “So? What do we do? You still have some minutes of my time, G! I could scare them real good if you want them out of the forum.”
“No, that won’t be necessary. It’s just another mage in the world…they’ll probably benefit from learning a few things.”
“Eighty Two will get really, really mad if she finds out you allowed a Bastard Mage in her precious project.”
“Mustafá will get angry no matter what, but she rarely shows up in the Forum anyways.”
“Hah. Old bastard.”
There was another moment of silence, interrupted by the heavy clicking and intense gaming from the webcam feed.
“... So.” Blanco finally spoke up. “What now?”
“I’ll just say hi to them and let them be.” Giovanni said, probably smiling. “They are probably scared and insecure, after all.”
“Are you serious? I mean, this is a Bastard Mage. They shouldn’t have had the means to find your forum and yet, here they are. Don’t you find that suspicious in the slightest?”
“Hmmmn…”
“And this is happening just as we had that Temporal Displacement alarm, remember? I really doubt that’s a coincidence.”
“Keep an eye on them, please. Just to make sure they don’t get in trouble.”
“That will cost you extra.”
“Fiiiine.”
“Yes, excellent.” Blanco rubbed his hands together, before stretching lazily and tapping a few keys. He would start a file on this ‘Tav’ person now.
“Whatever the case may be… I really hope this doesn’t get them in trouble. I mean, more trouble than they already are in.” With a heavy sigh, Giovanni finally decided that enough was enough. “I’ll leave you to it. I trust that you’ll inform me if anything happens.”
“If I can trust you to keep paying me, of course!”
Giovanni sighed again before finally hanging up. Blanco, now with something to do with his day, stretched in his invisible chair and looked at the webcam feed for another moment before turning it off. If he kept it on for too long, he risked Tav realizing that the webcam was suddenly on, and he really didn’t want to scare them.
For now, at least.
He wanted to pretend he wasn’t interested, and that this would just be another boring, fruitless job with nothing to show for it but a few factoids about a random mage’s life… but he had a strange feeling about this one. There was an odd trinkle in the dead, depressed eyes of that bastard.
“Let’s hope you know what you’re doing, kid…”
submitted by OrlonDogger to HFY [link] [comments]
An old desk phone stands on a marble pedestal, lost in the middle of a dark room. A perfectly circular, dark room, dug deeply into the bedrock of a city far, far away from anywhere important to our story. Silence reigns in this room… until the phone starts ringing. It rings for such a long time, uninterrupted, insistent, inconsiderate even! It rings for longer than any person should be willing to wait, longer than anyone would stomach. A sane person would simply give up and call later… But this caller? No. This caller refuses to be ignored.
So it rings, even while a set of long, skeletal fingers stretch from the shadows. Knuckles and joints crack as the hand does a few stretches, taking the time to caress the nasty, annoying phone for a moment without picking it up.
“Oh bother… I wonder who that could be…?”
The voice was raspy, nasal and grumbly. It loved to complain, and it had done so for so long that even when it wasn’t complaining, it sounded annoyed and legitimately upset. The hand stopped uncomfortably caressing the vibrating phone for a moment to grab the caller ID. Its dim green light was perfectly reflected on the hand’s glossy white skin.
“Ah… G again, huh…?”
Understanding that it couldn’t simply ignore this annoying sound forever, and that the call may actually mean something important (and lucrative), the hand returned to the phone and finally picked it up.
“You interrupted my nap.” The raspy voice said.
“You shouldn’t sleep for so long. It’s bad for you.” The young boy’s voice answered, legitimately concerned.
“Oh yeah? You suggest I should go out instead? Take a shower, get dolled up, and then bask under the full concentrated power of the Sun?”
“Come on now, don’t be like that. You know what I mean.”
“You better mean something important, to interrupt my nap like that, you old bastard.”
The white, skeletal hand made a few sassy snaps, loud enough to be heard over the phone.
“Alright alright, I am done beating around the bush. Sorry.” The calm, youthful voice sighed over the phone, these conversations were enough to exhaust him.
“Yeah that’s right, bitch.”
“It’s just… we have a new visitor in The Forum, and I’d like you to give us a little check on who or what.”
“What, are you afraid of a few gremlins and jinxes finally finding their way over your precious forum? Or is this a troll hunt?” The raspy voice finally got up from the sea of cushions and empty bags, and with another snapping of his fingers, he activated the widescreens that covered every single spot of his walls with the exception of a single metal door. The lights were warm and orangey, designed to avoid straining the eyes.
The room had returned to life! It was an absolute disaster, pillows and empty bloodbags laid scattered around without a care, and the whole place had a disgusting aura of filth to it.
Blanco was fully illuminated now. His figure was enough to cause nightmares to a few children: a tall, lanky and wide-shouldered man, skin white as marble and cracked as an old dry cookie, full of darker spots and nasty scars. His arms were long enough for the knuckles of his free hand to feel the floor.
But what was worst of all was his face: a perfectly round, perfectly smooth face, lacking hair, eyes and ears, only showing a few dark veins underneath the glossy skin. His mouth was another crack in this otherwise flawless surface, showing myriads of sharp, black teeth.
“Now let’s see…”
The screens all showed the same picture of Blanco’s face, a toothy smile covering his visage. With a mere gesture of his hand, a wireless keyboard came floating to the creature, big and wide enough for his disproportionate hands. The keys were shining in beautiful purple, producing a hypnotic wave effect across its length.
After cracking his knuckles, the creature began typing and accessing one of the many screens, the one permanently connected to Dejima 08. Blanco stretched again, sitting in the air and crossing his lanky legs as he checked the analytics.
“Yep. You have a new visitor, and they immediately registered. ‘Tav’, huh? Too generic.”
“Can you give me a bit more info on them?” The young man asked.
“Are you officially commissioning me now? Because this is as far as our friendship will get me without pay.” Blanco smirked, a purple tongue licking his nonexistent lips.
“...I’ll have the payment sent immediately. I want an hour of your time.” There was hesitation on the old voice. He clearly didn’t feel good about this, but one could never be too careful.
“Oh boy!” The creature clapped rapidly, and before he knew it, there was a notification on another screen. Ka-ching! The sound of money going straight into his PayBud. “Ohhh Giovanni, you gotta be my best client, really. Most people whine about my prices.”
“You probably tell that to every client you get.” G chuckled, taking it like a good sport.
“I do!” Blanco admitted with a bright, big smile, and then slid over to face a cluster of 9 screens on a wall. “This will take just a moment…”
The screens would go to black at the same time, before glyphs of many sizes, shapes and forms began flooding them, spiraling to the center of each display. The lines that draw them were a pale, regular blue at first, before suddenly taking a bright octarine hue. Blanco’s fingers tapped wildly on his keyboard, while his mind focused on the seeking runes that took him straight into the second layer of reality.
Mages didn’t usually deal with the technology of the Sleepers. Not because they felt it was below them (even though many of them would certainly take that posture to protect their fragile egos), but for protection: Technology born out of the mundane rules of the natural world did not meddle well with magic, and even in a world that had lost 95% of its magical population, infusing magic on mechanisms and electrical circuits was a great way to attract pesky fairies.
Blanco, however, was not just any mage. After several lifetimes of work and study, he had mastered the art of using magic in conjunction with the power of the Internet itself, turning him into one of the most prolific hackers and trackers in the whole world of Jericho. Perhaps even the single most requested man in the business!
He, of course, didn’t accept just any job. He only took the work that interested him, that made him think outside of the box, or that paid particularly well. But Giovanni here? The old man was an exception. Giovanni had been good to Blanco in a time where no one else would even look at the creature, and as much as he hated showing gratitude for things, Blanco was a man of honor… to a certain extent.
He at least appreciated a friend when he had one.
The screens began changing one by one as the creature found information. A national registry page, a Vapor gaming profile, a VirtualZone profile…
“This one’s not dumb. They keep good opsec, rarely sharing personal information. That’s good.” Blanco smirked. “Sadly, that’s not enough to stop me.”
Soon a picture appeared on one of the screens, the face of a smiling, bright child. An honor student with many dreams and possibilities in the future.
Then, on a fifth screen, a grainy image stolen from an unsecured webcam. A burnout stares at the screen with dead eyes and no spirit in their posture.
“Oof. Growth has been rough on this one.” The creature commented sarcastically, taking a moment to stop and crack their knuckles. “This is your guy, G. Real name: Santino Belnades. A random kid from Wohl.”
“Wohl?” Giovanni was beyond surprised.
“Yeah, you know. The country in the north. The one that looks like a pen–”
“Yes yes, I know Wohl. I just… didn’t expect to hear from the mages of the north. It’s been a while.”
“Ah, no this is not a born mage. This is a sleeper.”
“Impossible. They passed the Le Guin test and made an account in the Forum.”
“Alright then, a Bastard Mage for sure.”
There was a moment of silence as Giovanni meditated on the implications of this… only broken by the camera feed’s catching Tav screaming.
“Spy Medic, Spy Medic! Kill that motherfucker!”
“Ahhh… TS2. I really should get back into it one of these days.” Blanco commented with a bit of nostalgia. “So? What do we do? You still have some minutes of my time, G! I could scare them real good if you want them out of the forum.”
“No, that won’t be necessary. It’s just another mage in the world…they’ll probably benefit from learning a few things.”
“Eighty Two will get really, really mad if she finds out you allowed a Bastard Mage in her precious project.”
“Mustafá will get angry no matter what, but she rarely shows up in the Forum anyways.”
“Hah. Old bastard.”
There was another moment of silence, interrupted by the heavy clicking and intense gaming from the webcam feed.
“... So.” Blanco finally spoke up. “What now?”
“I’ll just say hi to them and let them be.” Giovanni said, probably smiling. “They are probably scared and insecure, after all.”
“Are you serious? I mean, this is a Bastard Mage. They shouldn’t have had the means to find your forum and yet, here they are. Don’t you find that suspicious in the slightest?”
“Hmmmn…”
“And this is happening just as we had that Temporal Displacement alarm, remember? I really doubt that’s a coincidence.”
“Keep an eye on them, please. Just to make sure they don’t get in trouble.”
“That will cost you extra.”
“Fiiiine.”
“Yes, excellent.” Blanco rubbed his hands together, before stretching lazily and tapping a few keys. He would start a file on this ‘Tav’ person now.
“Whatever the case may be… I really hope this doesn’t get them in trouble. I mean, more trouble than they already are in.” With a heavy sigh, Giovanni finally decided that enough was enough. “I’ll leave you to it. I trust that you’ll inform me if anything happens.”
“If I can trust you to keep paying me, of course!”
Giovanni sighed again before finally hanging up. Blanco, now with something to do with his day, stretched in his invisible chair and looked at the webcam feed for another moment before turning it off. If he kept it on for too long, he risked Tav realizing that the webcam was suddenly on, and he really didn’t want to scare them.
For now, at least.
He wanted to pretend he wasn’t interested, and that this would just be another boring, fruitless job with nothing to show for it but a few factoids about a random mage’s life… but he had a strange feeling about this one. There was an odd trinkle in the dead, depressed eyes of that bastard.
“Let’s hope you know what you’re doing, kid…”
2024.05.13 13:13 Shark_Bait19 27 [M4F] Looking for a femboy (please read) #London
Hey everyone! My name is River, and I'm on the hunt for a fantastic femboy/catboi to get to know and spend quality time with as that’s what I’m super attracted to the most. I'm not looking for anything super serious right off the bat, but rather a genuine connection and a solid friendship as a starting point. I want someone I can take out, hang out, and just enjoy each other's company. If things naturally progress into something romantic, that would be the icing on the cake! So, if you're up for some fun adventures and building a meaningful connection, let's make some unforgettable memories together!
Alright, let me give you a glimpse into who I am! Picture a 6-foot-1 guy with a short beard and a whole lot of tattoos. Cooking is my jam, and I can whip up some mouthwatering dishes that will make your taste buds dance. But that's not all, I also have a knack for mixing killer cocktails that will have you saying 'cheers' in no time! I thrive on spontaneity and love going on unplanned adventures that keep life exciting. And let's not forget about my legendary shower concerts that are guaranteed to make you laugh! 😂 Of course, I also enjoy those lazy days where we can cuddle up, watch movies, and indulge in some delicious junk food. So, if you're up for a mix of fun, flavor, and cozy moments, let's create some amazing memories together!
By the way, I have to admit that I'm not the best at talking about myself, so if there's anything else you'd like to know, just ask! I'm an open book. Also if you don’t mind, please add a selfie with your message, you’ll get one right back in return too! Let's keep the conversation going and get to know each other better. Looking forward to hearing from you!
submitted by Shark_Bait19 to ForeverAloneDating [link] [comments]
Alright, let me give you a glimpse into who I am! Picture a 6-foot-1 guy with a short beard and a whole lot of tattoos. Cooking is my jam, and I can whip up some mouthwatering dishes that will make your taste buds dance. But that's not all, I also have a knack for mixing killer cocktails that will have you saying 'cheers' in no time! I thrive on spontaneity and love going on unplanned adventures that keep life exciting. And let's not forget about my legendary shower concerts that are guaranteed to make you laugh! 😂 Of course, I also enjoy those lazy days where we can cuddle up, watch movies, and indulge in some delicious junk food. So, if you're up for a mix of fun, flavor, and cozy moments, let's create some amazing memories together!
By the way, I have to admit that I'm not the best at talking about myself, so if there's anything else you'd like to know, just ask! I'm an open book. Also if you don’t mind, please add a selfie with your message, you’ll get one right back in return too! Let's keep the conversation going and get to know each other better. Looking forward to hearing from you!
2024.05.13 09:21 jad_rad Surgery with Dr. Victoria Rose at Parkside, London
Hi everyone!
I had top surgery in London with Victoria Rose on 18/03 and I thought I’d breakdown how it went for people considering her!
I first got in touch with Victoria Rose’s office in August 2023 and immediately got a date for a consultation in November. She asked for 2 references for surgery but I got away with just one because I went for a psych referral from Dr. Kirpal Sahota who works with her apparently? I have a friend who got a referral letter from Dr. Lorimer and another one from their GP so I guess that’s an option as well. The wording was “Miss Rose requires a referral letter from a recognised gender clinic, usually with a 2 signature referral, one of which has to be a consultation psychiatrist, although she will accept single signature referrals if she has worked with the referrer before.“
The consultation with Dr. Sahota was £450 - which I had to settle entirely about 2 weeks before my consult with her. I first got in touch with her in August 2023, her office got back to me immediately but didn’t offer a specific date - they got back to me in September with a date for October. The consult itself was a video consult and from what I remember I was asked to explain my whole history with gender, mental health, family, sex, chest-related dysphoria, how long I wanted that surgery, how I was feeling on T… All the questions, some really intrusive ngl. I had read beforehand on Reddit that Dr. Sahota is not particularly understanding with non-binary people (which I am) so I very much toned down the whole genderfuck aspects of me and went for a full hyper masculine narrative which worked wonders… She was very happy to give me the piece of paper I needed. I don’t really want to get into more details on what I said publicly but if anyone wants to get in touch directly about it don’t hesitate!
The consultation with Victoria Rose was £250, which I paid for a couple of weeks before it happened. It took place at the Nuffield Parkside Hospital in Wimbledon (where the actual surgery took place too!). Victoria Rose is a very energetic friendly person, she went over a bunch of the same questions that Dr. Sahota did - gender history mostly, feelings about chest, testosterone - but in a much less invasive way, she made it sound like more of a formality. Then I showed her my chest. She had a look and a squeeze (eh that’s what we were here for you know) and said there was a bit too much overhang for peri (which I was expecting anyways and I had already made my mind up to get DI). I brought up that another surgeon said I had a lot of fat around the top of my chest, she had a look and said we could do a bit of lipo around my armpits to harmonise the results. She then showed me plenty of her results. They all looked really good - she is able to do so many different scar shapes (from almost right angle to rounded scars). She really emphasised that she wanted to fit to the patient’s aesthetic goals as much as possible. Nipples looked all sorts on the weird-to-great scale, as it tends to be the case. For nipples she offers:
After that I received documentation from her office reiterating everything, consent forms etc. and maybe a week later her her office sent me a date for the operation - in March 2024! I had to send in a £750 deposit. Between November and March I had a very short zoom call with Miss Rose where we went over the same things we did on the consult - felt like she was double checking that I knew what I was getting in for. I had some questions about recovery which she did not know how to answer and she invited me to ask her specialist nurses). A week later I had another zoom call with nurse Sandie… I was really taken aback because she asked me a bunch of questions about my gender; and dysphoria and everything which I am pretty angry about. I did not expect it so I kind of dissociated for the rest of the consult and got it to finish as fast as possible. But I seem to remember we went over some recovery stuff, she sent me the link to buy the post op binder, etc.
I had one final pre-op assessment in the Parkside clinic in Putney with some of the nurses from her service. They did a blood test, asked me questions about my health and waked me through was was going to happen on the day of the surgery.
Worth mentioning as well that my zoom call with Dr. Rose was rescheduled to a week earlier than previously planned; and that my top surgery date moved from the 12/03 to the 19/03 (with months notice) to the 18/03 (with weeks notice) - just so people are aware that it can happen! Also: her admin staff are super helpful, polite and responsive through email and through phone. Which is good because there was a lot of emails and I got confused a bunch of times.
On the day of the surgery I had to stop eating before 7am and stop drinking before 11am, which was also the time I was asked to arrive at the Parkside Nuffield in Wimbledon. I got shown into my room, and asked to chose my dinner for that night (they actually have a full menu it’s madness). Then I watched TV for hours with the friend who came with me. Got a visit from the nurse and from the anaesthetist, then from the surgeon herself who ironed out the last details with me. Everybody got me signing consent forms left right and centre. Then I waited some more (turns out she did 2 surgeries before me that day). Then at 5pm right when I was starting to turn crazy with anticipation and hunger nurses come in and we walk to a little room downstairs. I got cannulated in my left hand, and next thing I know I wake up boobless (and crying?, apparently that’s really common with anesthesia) around 9:30pm.
I spent the night at the hospital with drains in, a nurse came in to check my blood pressure every couple of hours and help me to the bathroom, I was very numb from the anaesthesia. I only had a paracetamol drip through the night and a couple of ibuprofens. Absolutely no pain! Very confusing night though but the hardest part wait waiting to get food (around midnight - the nurse said I had to wait to avoid nausea, and to be fair I did not feel nauseous at any point so I’m grateful for that!). The next day, Victoria Rose came in to check on me and change my nipple dressings. Then the nurses removed my drains and canulation I felt fine and everything seemed to be going all good so my friend drove me home that day!
Recovery-wise I haven’t been given much tips - I got operated on the Monday eve and I was told to stay without a binder until the Friday to avoid compressing the nipples right away. All my bandages from the surgery stayed on until my 1 week post op appointment (they changed the nipple dressing) and at 3 week post op they removed the surgical tape on the incisions. I feel like I’ve had the easiest recovery tbh, which is probably due to a mix of surgeon skills and my own genetics/health (I’m able bodied, no medical issues whatsoever, and 28 years old). I was able to move my arms loads right away, I had loads of energy, didn’t need any painkillers after the operation. My nipples never looked scary at all and I’ve had a bit of swelling but not even that much.
One spot on my incision bled for like a week but that’s it, and I had some surgical dissolvable staples resurface at week 5 which was a little bit scary. I was meant to wear a binder for 6 weeks but I stopped at week 5 because it was hurting my back too much, and I could tell that I was mostly fine swelling wise.
I'm 7 weeks post op and very happy! I'm really happy with how my results look (I posted pics in another sub if you're interested). Still a tiny bit swollen but not even that much, and I can feel everywhere in my chest apart from my nipples for now!
Cost breakdown:
Consultation with Dr. Sahota £450
Victoria Roses’ consultation £250
Victoria Roses’ fees £5000
Hospital stay fees £4600
Anesthetist £1000
Blood tests from the hospital £182
submitted by jad_rad to FTM_UK [link] [comments]
I had top surgery in London with Victoria Rose on 18/03 and I thought I’d breakdown how it went for people considering her!
I first got in touch with Victoria Rose’s office in August 2023 and immediately got a date for a consultation in November. She asked for 2 references for surgery but I got away with just one because I went for a psych referral from Dr. Kirpal Sahota who works with her apparently? I have a friend who got a referral letter from Dr. Lorimer and another one from their GP so I guess that’s an option as well. The wording was “Miss Rose requires a referral letter from a recognised gender clinic, usually with a 2 signature referral, one of which has to be a consultation psychiatrist, although she will accept single signature referrals if she has worked with the referrer before.“
The consultation with Dr. Sahota was £450 - which I had to settle entirely about 2 weeks before my consult with her. I first got in touch with her in August 2023, her office got back to me immediately but didn’t offer a specific date - they got back to me in September with a date for October. The consult itself was a video consult and from what I remember I was asked to explain my whole history with gender, mental health, family, sex, chest-related dysphoria, how long I wanted that surgery, how I was feeling on T… All the questions, some really intrusive ngl. I had read beforehand on Reddit that Dr. Sahota is not particularly understanding with non-binary people (which I am) so I very much toned down the whole genderfuck aspects of me and went for a full hyper masculine narrative which worked wonders… She was very happy to give me the piece of paper I needed. I don’t really want to get into more details on what I said publicly but if anyone wants to get in touch directly about it don’t hesitate!
The consultation with Victoria Rose was £250, which I paid for a couple of weeks before it happened. It took place at the Nuffield Parkside Hospital in Wimbledon (where the actual surgery took place too!). Victoria Rose is a very energetic friendly person, she went over a bunch of the same questions that Dr. Sahota did - gender history mostly, feelings about chest, testosterone - but in a much less invasive way, she made it sound like more of a formality. Then I showed her my chest. She had a look and a squeeze (eh that’s what we were here for you know) and said there was a bit too much overhang for peri (which I was expecting anyways and I had already made my mind up to get DI). I brought up that another surgeon said I had a lot of fat around the top of my chest, she had a look and said we could do a bit of lipo around my armpits to harmonise the results. She then showed me plenty of her results. They all looked really good - she is able to do so many different scar shapes (from almost right angle to rounded scars). She really emphasised that she wanted to fit to the patient’s aesthetic goals as much as possible. Nipples looked all sorts on the weird-to-great scale, as it tends to be the case. For nipples she offers:
- no nips
- nipple grafts (from her document: full thickness grafts – these have dressings stitched over them for the first week. They are showerproof so you can shower during this period, but do not soak them in a bath/swimming pool/sea. This dressing is then removed by our specialist nurses at Parkside Hospital and further dressings are normally needed for 1-2 weeks. You will be given these and instructions on how to apply them by our nurses. Nipple grafts can vary in colour, shape, size and position. They are normally insensate and the nipple bud will be flatter. Very rarely they can fail and a residual scar is left that may require further reconstructive surgery or a tattoo.)
- nipple pedicle (from her document: in this technique the nipple is left attached on a small amount of breast tissue and button holed through the skin into its new position. This technique sometimes preserves some sensation. Dressings are not stitched on. You will need to come to see the nurses at Parkside at 1 week for a wound check. The nipple tends to be more uniform in colour and shape but the nipple bud size cannot be altered. The nipple can also fail in this technique if it does not receive adequate blood supply. It then heals as a scar which may require further surgery. In this technique the breast tissue the nipple is left attached to may produce a visible bulge in the lower pole of the breast. This may need to “debulked” in a second operation.)
After that I received documentation from her office reiterating everything, consent forms etc. and maybe a week later her her office sent me a date for the operation - in March 2024! I had to send in a £750 deposit. Between November and March I had a very short zoom call with Miss Rose where we went over the same things we did on the consult - felt like she was double checking that I knew what I was getting in for. I had some questions about recovery which she did not know how to answer and she invited me to ask her specialist nurses). A week later I had another zoom call with nurse Sandie… I was really taken aback because she asked me a bunch of questions about my gender; and dysphoria and everything which I am pretty angry about. I did not expect it so I kind of dissociated for the rest of the consult and got it to finish as fast as possible. But I seem to remember we went over some recovery stuff, she sent me the link to buy the post op binder, etc.
I had one final pre-op assessment in the Parkside clinic in Putney with some of the nurses from her service. They did a blood test, asked me questions about my health and waked me through was was going to happen on the day of the surgery.
Worth mentioning as well that my zoom call with Dr. Rose was rescheduled to a week earlier than previously planned; and that my top surgery date moved from the 12/03 to the 19/03 (with months notice) to the 18/03 (with weeks notice) - just so people are aware that it can happen! Also: her admin staff are super helpful, polite and responsive through email and through phone. Which is good because there was a lot of emails and I got confused a bunch of times.
On the day of the surgery I had to stop eating before 7am and stop drinking before 11am, which was also the time I was asked to arrive at the Parkside Nuffield in Wimbledon. I got shown into my room, and asked to chose my dinner for that night (they actually have a full menu it’s madness). Then I watched TV for hours with the friend who came with me. Got a visit from the nurse and from the anaesthetist, then from the surgeon herself who ironed out the last details with me. Everybody got me signing consent forms left right and centre. Then I waited some more (turns out she did 2 surgeries before me that day). Then at 5pm right when I was starting to turn crazy with anticipation and hunger nurses come in and we walk to a little room downstairs. I got cannulated in my left hand, and next thing I know I wake up boobless (and crying?, apparently that’s really common with anesthesia) around 9:30pm.
I spent the night at the hospital with drains in, a nurse came in to check my blood pressure every couple of hours and help me to the bathroom, I was very numb from the anaesthesia. I only had a paracetamol drip through the night and a couple of ibuprofens. Absolutely no pain! Very confusing night though but the hardest part wait waiting to get food (around midnight - the nurse said I had to wait to avoid nausea, and to be fair I did not feel nauseous at any point so I’m grateful for that!). The next day, Victoria Rose came in to check on me and change my nipple dressings. Then the nurses removed my drains and canulation I felt fine and everything seemed to be going all good so my friend drove me home that day!
Recovery-wise I haven’t been given much tips - I got operated on the Monday eve and I was told to stay without a binder until the Friday to avoid compressing the nipples right away. All my bandages from the surgery stayed on until my 1 week post op appointment (they changed the nipple dressing) and at 3 week post op they removed the surgical tape on the incisions. I feel like I’ve had the easiest recovery tbh, which is probably due to a mix of surgeon skills and my own genetics/health (I’m able bodied, no medical issues whatsoever, and 28 years old). I was able to move my arms loads right away, I had loads of energy, didn’t need any painkillers after the operation. My nipples never looked scary at all and I’ve had a bit of swelling but not even that much.
One spot on my incision bled for like a week but that’s it, and I had some surgical dissolvable staples resurface at week 5 which was a little bit scary. I was meant to wear a binder for 6 weeks but I stopped at week 5 because it was hurting my back too much, and I could tell that I was mostly fine swelling wise.
I'm 7 weeks post op and very happy! I'm really happy with how my results look (I posted pics in another sub if you're interested). Still a tiny bit swollen but not even that much, and I can feel everywhere in my chest apart from my nipples for now!
Cost breakdown:
Consultation with Dr. Sahota £450
Victoria Roses’ consultation £250
Victoria Roses’ fees £5000
Hospital stay fees £4600
Anesthetist £1000
Blood tests from the hospital £182
2024.05.13 08:28 YiMyonSin Belated Mother's Day Post for Amy Adams Strunk
I've been busy as of late moving back home for the summer, but that doesn't mean I haven't thought about an owner that many of us have dubbed "Mom": Amy Adams Strunk. Most outside fans seem to hate her for the whole debacle with the Oilers rights and who owns what colors, but this is not a lecture on copyright. Furthermore, her team's fans don't live in Houston, they live in Tennessee. With that in mind, let's dive into how she's done since she took over in late March of 2015.
NOTE: For this exercise, I will not include 2015 as she was largely stuck with Whisenhunt and Webster as the hiring cycle that year was long over by the time she took ownership of the team. Ergo, I do not think that including a year where she did not have control over her front office and coaching staff is entirely fair to her.
This table below demonstrates how she's done since 2016.
This doesn't even do justice to quite possibly the most defining characteristic of her ownership: she doesn't settle for mediocrity. For our team specifically, a massive shock came when Mike Vrabel was fired last January. He had previously led the Titans to four straight winning seasons and three playoff berths but really struggled the last two postseasons he was in despite a pass rush that got 14 combined sacks in the two most recent playoff losses due to offensive ineptitude. This ineptitude was further highlighted in the AJ Brown trade, where we've been the only team in the last two years to never put up 30 in a single game. Jon Robinson was fired midseason following the reunion with AJ Brown the previous year despite creating a roster that got us to the AFC Championship, and Mike Mularkey's deficiencies became too glaring to ignore even for stumbling ass backwards into a playoff win (what let us bring in Vrabel to begin with). Many will claim that she's petty and backstabbing, but I'd be more terrified if these guys were not fired when they were. For instance, the Oilers debacle against Houston last year was the last straw following years of Vrabel chasing after Tim Kelly's mediocrity and saw some of the most braindead playcalling you will ever find, one of myriad incidents of Vrabel losing his touch as a coach in those close games and discipline fraying (top 10 in penalties taken the last two years). Jon Robinson had flunked three straight drafts before facing the axe. All in all, she is only as patient as she needs to be. While Callahan and Carthon still have yet to etch their legacies here, both of their presences demonstrate her willingness to take bold risks to improve her team, the former in the need to correct our lack of a competent passing offense since the days of run and shoot and the latter to bring a modern outlook to a front office that has whiffed hard on several offseasons and many more beforehand.
Houston fans and nfl can claim whatever they want about Strunk. While I would discourage you from trying to argue about the Oilers rights due to how unpopular relocation is in general, especially how this team left Houston and how she's looking for a new stadium instead of trying to renovate the rotting old Adelphia like Bud did for the decayed Astrodome first, that does not diminish what has happened in the eight years that she's been in charge of the league. Ever since 2016, we are the only team in the AFC South to not finish with a top 5 pick that came from our season. Furthermore, this is the first season under her that we had a top 10 pick at the end from our season's efforts. For reference, let's take a look at other teams in the AFC South and see how often they've had top 5 and 10 draft picks from their seasons.
Houston Texans: 4 (2017, 2020-2), 4
Indianapolis Colts: 2 (2017, 2022), 2
Jacksonville Jaguars: 3 (2017, 2021-2), 5 (2017, 2019-22)
In essence, we just don't bottom out under her watch. In this timeframe, only Jacksonville has gone to the AFC Championship alongside us, and we're tied with them and Houston for total playoff wins (Indy hasn't won the division and only one playoff game lmao). The timeframe also has us tied with Houston for most playoff berths at four while Indy and Jacksonville have two apiece.
All in all, there are better owners out there, and our future looks murky. Nonetheless, calling Strunk a bad owner paints an incomplete picture of her leadership. The morality of fighting about the Oilers rights remains dubious put charitably, but we've for the most part been a solid if not outright good team under her ownership, and I would hardly have anyone else owning this team.
submitted by YiMyonSin to Tennesseetitans [link] [comments]
NOTE: For this exercise, I will not include 2015 as she was largely stuck with Whisenhunt and Webster as the hiring cycle that year was long over by the time she took ownership of the team. Ergo, I do not think that including a year where she did not have control over her front office and coaching staff is entirely fair to her.
This table below demonstrates how she's done since 2016.
| Regular Season Record (Win Percentage) | 72-61 (.550) |
|---|---|
| Playoff Record | 3-4 |
| Conference Championship Game Berths | 1 |
| Winning Seasons | 6 |
| Worst Season by Record | 6-11 |
| Bottom 10 Finishes (Seasons w/ Top 10 Pick) | 1 |
Houston fans and nfl can claim whatever they want about Strunk. While I would discourage you from trying to argue about the Oilers rights due to how unpopular relocation is in general, especially how this team left Houston and how she's looking for a new stadium instead of trying to renovate the rotting old Adelphia like Bud did for the decayed Astrodome first, that does not diminish what has happened in the eight years that she's been in charge of the league. Ever since 2016, we are the only team in the AFC South to not finish with a top 5 pick that came from our season. Furthermore, this is the first season under her that we had a top 10 pick at the end from our season's efforts. For reference, let's take a look at other teams in the AFC South and see how often they've had top 5 and 10 draft picks from their seasons.
Houston Texans: 4 (2017, 2020-2), 4
Indianapolis Colts: 2 (2017, 2022), 2
Jacksonville Jaguars: 3 (2017, 2021-2), 5 (2017, 2019-22)
In essence, we just don't bottom out under her watch. In this timeframe, only Jacksonville has gone to the AFC Championship alongside us, and we're tied with them and Houston for total playoff wins (Indy hasn't won the division and only one playoff game lmao). The timeframe also has us tied with Houston for most playoff berths at four while Indy and Jacksonville have two apiece.
All in all, there are better owners out there, and our future looks murky. Nonetheless, calling Strunk a bad owner paints an incomplete picture of her leadership. The morality of fighting about the Oilers rights remains dubious put charitably, but we've for the most part been a solid if not outright good team under her ownership, and I would hardly have anyone else owning this team.
2024.05.13 06:49 DMOSGentics96 r/OldSchoolCannabisSeed. What's your favorite landrace ?
 | Mine are Hawaiian, Columbian Gold and Chocolate Thai submitted by DMOSGentics96 to OldSchoolCannabisSeed [link] [comments] First set is vintage Maui Wowie 2017, the pheno is the rare pine/minty one Second set, Colombian Gold (inbred) dispo bag seed. I have this crossed to Xmas Bud in seed. First inaugural test Third set, Chocolate Haze Royal Queen ID. 3 Chocolate Thai pheno's, and one Chocolope pheno. 2 are sativa classic and 1 turn purple (pictured) and Chocolope indica buds (pictured) ALL are inadvertently crossed to Xmas Bud 79. I'm growing the Chocolope x Xmas Bud now, will be doing a cut run shortly The grow is my INAUGURAL return and ALL from seed I collected before. The hydro is no more, the water Ph isn't stable enough nor can I keep it cool enough but Superponics 16 is a BEAST with the proper water quality. |
2024.05.13 05:49 toddkong7 A Review of Spy X Family [Ch98]
Hoo boy, Martha and Henry had it pretty rough. War and the tragedies that it had brought loomed over the budding romance of these two, sadly cutting it short. They both had their own beliefs on how to cope and that was the start of the rift between them. It's so sad. So well-written, but so sad...
Also, the radio was invented in 1901. So Henry bringing up that radio is a recent invention gives us an approximate timeline of when these events occured. Roughly around the turn of the 20th century.
Regardless, this war in particular is called the "War of Unification." I'm sure the winner would get the right to expunge the losing side from the history books, seeing as propaganda--or "inelegant filth" as Henderson so eloquently described it--spewed out everywhere, even on the radio. And seeing as Ostania and Westalis are still seperate today, that needless war ended in a stalemate. No one got what they wanted and people suffered for no reason...
The \"War of Unification,\" huh? It seems both Ostania and Westalis do in fact want to unify. Just not willing to do so on the other side's terms...
Also-also, poor Martha...
I had at first thought that she had given up on her dream for a greater cause. But in reality, she had no choice. This War of Unification killed her dream after all. So her motivation to join the military was then a simple desire to preserve whatever else she had left, now that her dream and aspirations were dead.
If only Henry knew just how precious he was to Martha...
In war everything you care for is fleeting. And people are then forced to either cherish it, fight for it, or both.
Also-also-also, the fall out between Martha and Henry was heartbreaking. Both of them cared for the other, but disagreed on how the other had expressed it. Henry's idealism made him blind to Martha's desperatation in keeping those that she cherished--like Henry--safe. And Martha only saw Henry's anger, but not his desperation in keeping her from throwing her life away.
War had made them both desperate in keeping the cherished parts of their lives in tact. How heartbreaking is it then that such desperation led to the destruction of what they fought to keep alive.
I mean, just look at what happened to tea time (pictured below)... The very place that represented Henry and Martha's friendship had been abandoned by both of them. And it was because they were powerless. Powerlessness leads to desperation. And their desperation is what rifted them apart, even despite Martha's love for him.
It hurt to see these words said over this image.
Also-also-also-also, Martha and Henry HAD danced before! Yays!!
Oh, and I love love LOVE that Henry apologizes here. As stubborn in his ideals as he his, Henderson still had the integrity to try and mend things with Martha. Of course, she was going to forgive him regardless, and was even going to confess to boot...!
The honor and humility of this man! It knows no bounds!!
.
.
.
But war just had to be the biggest cock-blocker in the history of cock-blocking...
LEAVE THESE TWO IN PEACE, DAMMIT, ENDO!!
Lastly, this review was WAY too sad...
Let's fix that by laughing at how uncoordinated Henderson was lmao!
How it started.
At least he eventually got some eleganto rhythm!!
How it's going.
submitted by toddkong7 to SpyxFamily [link] [comments]
Regardless, this war in particular is called the "War of Unification." I'm sure the winner would get the right to expunge the losing side from the history books, seeing as propaganda--or "inelegant filth" as Henderson so eloquently described it--spewed out everywhere, even on the radio. And seeing as Ostania and Westalis are still seperate today, that needless war ended in a stalemate. No one got what they wanted and people suffered for no reason...
The \"War of Unification,\" huh? It seems both Ostania and Westalis do in fact want to unify. Just not willing to do so on the other side's terms...
I had at first thought that she had given up on her dream for a greater cause. But in reality, she had no choice. This War of Unification killed her dream after all. So her motivation to join the military was then a simple desire to preserve whatever else she had left, now that her dream and aspirations were dead.
If only Henry knew just how precious he was to Martha...
In war everything you care for is fleeting. And people are then forced to either cherish it, fight for it, or both.
War had made them both desperate in keeping the cherished parts of their lives in tact. How heartbreaking is it then that such desperation led to the destruction of what they fought to keep alive.
I mean, just look at what happened to tea time (pictured below)... The very place that represented Henry and Martha's friendship had been abandoned by both of them. And it was because they were powerless. Powerlessness leads to desperation. And their desperation is what rifted them apart, even despite Martha's love for him.
It hurt to see these words said over this image.
Oh, and I love love LOVE that Henry apologizes here. As stubborn in his ideals as he his, Henderson still had the integrity to try and mend things with Martha. Of course, she was going to forgive him regardless, and was even going to confess to boot...!
The honor and humility of this man! It knows no bounds!!
.
.
.
But war just had to be the biggest cock-blocker in the history of cock-blocking...
LEAVE THESE TWO IN PEACE, DAMMIT, ENDO!!
Let's fix that by laughing at how uncoordinated Henderson was lmao!
How it started.
At least he eventually got some eleganto rhythm!!
How it's going.
2024.05.13 02:09 dadsayswhat Capjunky 99 is fire.
 | Capjunky 99, amazing 🤩 looking almost done. Far exceeded my expectations. Picture don't do justice. Super dence buds too. submitted by dadsayswhat to brothersgrimmseedbank [link] [comments] |