Foray spray
Seeking Inspiration For This Baneblade...
2024.05.02 06:40 Thanatos5150 Seeking Inspiration For This Baneblade...
 | Several years ago, we're talking 2010/2011 (which Google tells me was 5th edition), I made my first ill-fated foray into trying to join the Tabletop side of the Warhammer hobby, after throughly enjoying the Dawn of War games and the Dark Hersey Tabletop RPG. I decided I would do an Imperial Guard army and excitedly bought my first model -- a Baneblade. Opening the box intimidated me right out of continuing, and it lingered in my closet for over a decade. submitted by Thanatos5150 to TheAstraMilitarum [link] [comments] A few months ago, my spouse and I decided to give mini painting a shot as a hobby and I began collecting and building a small force of T'au, and built my confidence up to start putting together the old Baneblade (WIP picture attached). Now, I have some general ideas as to overall colour scheme (Primarily Purple/White/Yellow/Black) but am trying to figure out little bits of flair to really make the beast special. I'm thinking in the "lore" or whatever regiment the model will eventually by a part of, that it turned traitor and submitted to The Greater Good as a Gue'vasa armoured column (using all the normal Astra Militarum rules, of course), so I was wondering... What kind of designs do you think would look good on the flat sections where designs can happen? How would you do something that looks like spraypaint (Like spray-painting a T'au Sept symbol over the Aquilas?) How should I do weathering and battle damage on such an old, well-used vehicle? Other various annoyingly newbie questions. |
2024.04.22 19:01 rubickscubed IA frag reviews from someone with no business doing frag reviews
The title here doesn’t come out of some sort of humility or exaggeration for the sake of a Reddit post. I truly have no idea what I’m doing. I’ve never owned a fragrance and probably the only time I’ve ever even sprayed one was my mother’s when I was a kid. It’s just a kind of habit of mine where whenever I’m Going Through™️ something I dive into some new hobby or interest. And thus came about my situation about 2 weeks ago, loading an Imaginary Authors’ Short Story Collection into my cart at 4:15am.
I couldn’t tell you why I chose IA for my first foray into fragrance (the cool bottles might have something to do with it) but had my brain been firing on all cylinders I probably would have considered niche art pieces might be niche art pieces for a reason. That thought didn’t end up occurring to me until about halfway through my set, causing a cold sense of foreboding to wash over me about my Zoologist samples in the mail (but I suppose those we’ll have to deal with those another day). It’s been an…interesting experience for me. Let’s get into it
Cape Heartache — Very coniferous opening with a fresh, briskness that must be the “mountain fog”. It reminds me of a morning hike with frost still on the ground and there’s…out of season strawberries? They’re like an invasive species, choking out all other notes with a sickly, synthetic sweetness. Eventually everything took on that same cloying, synthetic quality as the day went on until I started feeling like I was hotboxing myself with various car fresheners. A strong 3/10 for me.
City on Fire — Smells like stink. I can’t think of any other way to describe the assault of the opening. I was so stoked on it when just smelling the vial and then it punched me in my nose. Underneath BBQ sauce is that campfire scent I was looking forward to, but only if I put my face to it. I instantly wanted to scrub this but I toughed it out. I was not rewarded. 1/10
Bull’s Blood — I saw the rose, I saw the patchouli, I knew this probably wasn’t going to be for me. But I’m a Taurus myself and ran right toward this red flag. It opens strong with those two notes along with something very metallic. From there it gets sticky, overwhelmingly smokey, and a bit musky. It’s like sitting at a bar and a guy walks in covered in blood and sits right next to you, starts chain smoking, leans in and begins talking your ear off for hours before he pisses himself and passes out. Really wasn’t expecting the pissy final boss in the drydown here. 2/10
Every Storm A Serenade — I started looking up what people on Reddit were saying about these frags at this point and was really surprised to see people found this to be masculine-leaning and invoking a lot of imagery of sailing. What I got was a woman eating a watermelon under a tree in the rain. Which is nice, but really not what I’m looking for. A light 6/10
Cobra and the Canary — No “asphalt” for me but definitely lemon, leather, something floral, and lots of hay. Feels like a hot day. A really nostalgic scent, it reminds me of summer vacations as a kid spent in my grandfather’s fields, tossing bales into his hay truck. I’m not quite sure if this is travel-size worthy for me, but the memories it conjures bring a smile to my face :). A light 7/10
O, Unknown — I’m going to be honest, this just smells like straight up purple to me. I can’t pick out any of the individual notes and the picture they painted as whole is also indecipherable. Old books? Makeup? I have no idea but whatever it is, it’s purple. I tried it again, days later, having forgotten my initial impression and all I could think when I sprayed it was “oh wow, that’s purple baby!!” It’s also very powdery. Purple/10
Whispered Myths — I’ve never been a cantaloupe guy, but I loved the opening of this and I found myself chasing the scent, only to be saddened when most of it quickly dissipated into a near-indistinct honeyed sweetness. The dry down brought all the wood I was missing in ESaS, they nailed the “shipwreck” note perfectly. It felt like I was sealed inside a cargo hold with boxes of cantaloupes, though depending on the day I was wearing it the hold felt dry and dusty or almost dank. WM was also the weakest performance-wise of my samples. 5/10
Slow Explosions — I was nervous about the rose in this, but thankfully I didn’t get all that much of it. What I did get was lots of apple (teetering on the edge of shampoo-y but inoffensive) and saffron. It feels like a warm night in late summer at a night market, maybe a little romantic too. Based on the “story” blurb that was exactly what it is going for. But, idk. Maybe this sounds a bit strange from someone who’s been lukewarm on their IA experience to this point, but it just feels a little bit “safe”? I’m giving it a 4/10
TL;DR: Liked: The Cobra and the Canary. Loathed: City on Fire, Bull’s Blood. Judged and found purple: O, Unknown.
Perhaps this could be considered a royal failure to some, but I now know more about my preferences than when I started. I know I love wood, like a bit of leather, and enjoy a degree of freshness in a fragrance. Purple may not be my color, but I think I’m partial to greens. I don’t think I even regret having IA be my first house I checked out, but maybe wish I had gotten The Soft Lawn and St Julep instead of a couple I chose.
I am not deterred.
I will not walk way from this experiment without at least 1 travel-sized bottle of fragrance in my basket.
I swear it.
submitted by rubickscubed to fragrance [link] [comments]
I couldn’t tell you why I chose IA for my first foray into fragrance (the cool bottles might have something to do with it) but had my brain been firing on all cylinders I probably would have considered niche art pieces might be niche art pieces for a reason. That thought didn’t end up occurring to me until about halfway through my set, causing a cold sense of foreboding to wash over me about my Zoologist samples in the mail (but I suppose those we’ll have to deal with those another day). It’s been an…interesting experience for me. Let’s get into it
Cape Heartache — Very coniferous opening with a fresh, briskness that must be the “mountain fog”. It reminds me of a morning hike with frost still on the ground and there’s…out of season strawberries? They’re like an invasive species, choking out all other notes with a sickly, synthetic sweetness. Eventually everything took on that same cloying, synthetic quality as the day went on until I started feeling like I was hotboxing myself with various car fresheners. A strong 3/10 for me.
City on Fire — Smells like stink. I can’t think of any other way to describe the assault of the opening. I was so stoked on it when just smelling the vial and then it punched me in my nose. Underneath BBQ sauce is that campfire scent I was looking forward to, but only if I put my face to it. I instantly wanted to scrub this but I toughed it out. I was not rewarded. 1/10
Bull’s Blood — I saw the rose, I saw the patchouli, I knew this probably wasn’t going to be for me. But I’m a Taurus myself and ran right toward this red flag. It opens strong with those two notes along with something very metallic. From there it gets sticky, overwhelmingly smokey, and a bit musky. It’s like sitting at a bar and a guy walks in covered in blood and sits right next to you, starts chain smoking, leans in and begins talking your ear off for hours before he pisses himself and passes out. Really wasn’t expecting the pissy final boss in the drydown here. 2/10
Every Storm A Serenade — I started looking up what people on Reddit were saying about these frags at this point and was really surprised to see people found this to be masculine-leaning and invoking a lot of imagery of sailing. What I got was a woman eating a watermelon under a tree in the rain. Which is nice, but really not what I’m looking for. A light 6/10
Cobra and the Canary — No “asphalt” for me but definitely lemon, leather, something floral, and lots of hay. Feels like a hot day. A really nostalgic scent, it reminds me of summer vacations as a kid spent in my grandfather’s fields, tossing bales into his hay truck. I’m not quite sure if this is travel-size worthy for me, but the memories it conjures bring a smile to my face :). A light 7/10
O, Unknown — I’m going to be honest, this just smells like straight up purple to me. I can’t pick out any of the individual notes and the picture they painted as whole is also indecipherable. Old books? Makeup? I have no idea but whatever it is, it’s purple. I tried it again, days later, having forgotten my initial impression and all I could think when I sprayed it was “oh wow, that’s purple baby!!” It’s also very powdery. Purple/10
Whispered Myths — I’ve never been a cantaloupe guy, but I loved the opening of this and I found myself chasing the scent, only to be saddened when most of it quickly dissipated into a near-indistinct honeyed sweetness. The dry down brought all the wood I was missing in ESaS, they nailed the “shipwreck” note perfectly. It felt like I was sealed inside a cargo hold with boxes of cantaloupes, though depending on the day I was wearing it the hold felt dry and dusty or almost dank. WM was also the weakest performance-wise of my samples. 5/10
Slow Explosions — I was nervous about the rose in this, but thankfully I didn’t get all that much of it. What I did get was lots of apple (teetering on the edge of shampoo-y but inoffensive) and saffron. It feels like a warm night in late summer at a night market, maybe a little romantic too. Based on the “story” blurb that was exactly what it is going for. But, idk. Maybe this sounds a bit strange from someone who’s been lukewarm on their IA experience to this point, but it just feels a little bit “safe”? I’m giving it a 4/10
TL;DR: Liked: The Cobra and the Canary. Loathed: City on Fire, Bull’s Blood. Judged and found purple: O, Unknown.
Perhaps this could be considered a royal failure to some, but I now know more about my preferences than when I started. I know I love wood, like a bit of leather, and enjoy a degree of freshness in a fragrance. Purple may not be my color, but I think I’m partial to greens. I don’t think I even regret having IA be my first house I checked out, but maybe wish I had gotten The Soft Lawn and St Julep instead of a couple I chose.
I am not deterred.
I will not walk way from this experiment without at least 1 travel-sized bottle of fragrance in my basket.
I swear it.
2024.04.18 19:11 North_South_Side Remnant 2: Just jumped in!
Really surprised so far, in a positive way. I fired it up last night on the PS5. Chose lowest difficulty, and went with Handler. No clue what I was doing (except for a tip that Handler's dog took some heat off the player... also chose Healing Shot for my rifle from an online tip... very handy). My first foray into the alien worlds (whatever the hell it is) took me to a vast plain of gray stone and fog, with rock terraces and old alien architecture. Lots of flying saucer enemies? I don't know what they are exactly, but they attacked me and I shot back. Went into some underground lair full of other enemies (I'm already surprised by wide enemy variety) and found some items, a ring, an amulet, two relic add-on things (?). Killed what seemed to be some kind of (maybe?) a mini boss (? a large gray blob-thing that took a LOT of hits to kill) then explored some more and found a checkpoint. Zipped back to base and upgraded my rifle. By then it was late, so I quit for the night.
So far the difficulty isn't TOO bad. I didn't die once, but came very close. Of course, I didn't get really far. I went really, really slowly, too. My only issue is enemies magically spawning behind me? I guess that's a "thing" in this game I have to watch for. No enemies marked on minimap, but sound clues were very helpful and so far - well done.
I did encounter some graphical glitches: In the dungeons (most noticeably), when my bullets would impact enemies, especially during heated, multi-enemy fights, I saw some glitchy gray geometric shapes appear briefly, flashing. Looks like a glitch? I'm playing on standard performance, not high graphics. I'd say this was annoying, but not really game breaking. These geometric shapes flash briefly over the enemies and only cover them somewhat... I could still kill them and I was basically spray and praying at those points. Does anyone else have this issue?
The dialog and characters are pretty... not great. But it has some charm. For some reason in character creation I was not able to preview the voice samples... so my guy sounds like a 16 year old kid! Doesn't bother me much, but I checked to make a second character and the voice samples worked... so I guess that was another bug.
Not sure I'm going to stick with Handler, as the dog helps... but I had issues figuring out what the special attacks/debuff the dog does actually do? I'd rather have an effect on my personal character, maybe? The constant dog noises are a little annoying too. And I hate seeing a dog put into such a shitty situation! I think I'm going to try the Heavy Armor class to see how that works.
Annoying that Dodge is mapped to X (PS5) versus O (which is nearly standard in every game) so I might fiddle with the controls.
Got the game for less than $30 and I'm pleasantly surprised. Even though the NPCs aren't great, I do enjoy some more "grounded/human" kind of feel, versus the silent, constantly lonely Souls type of game play. It's nice to go back to base and talk to other humans. I'm bracing for inevitable difficulty spikes, but again, I'm taking it really slow.
Q: does starter class inhibit future builds? Or is it more like Elden Ring where it's just a starting thing that can eventually be built out differently?
Q: will loot/items respawn (random) on this same map when I return or do I need to find new dungeons for that? I know basic enemies respawn at rest points.
Any tips based on my experience? Not looking for spoilers, but general advice is appreciated. Really enjoyed my 2 hours last night. Happy with my purchase so far.
submitted by North_South_Side to remnantgame [link] [comments]
So far the difficulty isn't TOO bad. I didn't die once, but came very close. Of course, I didn't get really far. I went really, really slowly, too. My only issue is enemies magically spawning behind me? I guess that's a "thing" in this game I have to watch for. No enemies marked on minimap, but sound clues were very helpful and so far - well done.
I did encounter some graphical glitches: In the dungeons (most noticeably), when my bullets would impact enemies, especially during heated, multi-enemy fights, I saw some glitchy gray geometric shapes appear briefly, flashing. Looks like a glitch? I'm playing on standard performance, not high graphics. I'd say this was annoying, but not really game breaking. These geometric shapes flash briefly over the enemies and only cover them somewhat... I could still kill them and I was basically spray and praying at those points. Does anyone else have this issue?
The dialog and characters are pretty... not great. But it has some charm. For some reason in character creation I was not able to preview the voice samples... so my guy sounds like a 16 year old kid! Doesn't bother me much, but I checked to make a second character and the voice samples worked... so I guess that was another bug.
Not sure I'm going to stick with Handler, as the dog helps... but I had issues figuring out what the special attacks/debuff the dog does actually do? I'd rather have an effect on my personal character, maybe? The constant dog noises are a little annoying too. And I hate seeing a dog put into such a shitty situation! I think I'm going to try the Heavy Armor class to see how that works.
Annoying that Dodge is mapped to X (PS5) versus O (which is nearly standard in every game) so I might fiddle with the controls.
Got the game for less than $30 and I'm pleasantly surprised. Even though the NPCs aren't great, I do enjoy some more "grounded/human" kind of feel, versus the silent, constantly lonely Souls type of game play. It's nice to go back to base and talk to other humans. I'm bracing for inevitable difficulty spikes, but again, I'm taking it really slow.
Q: does starter class inhibit future builds? Or is it more like Elden Ring where it's just a starting thing that can eventually be built out differently?
Q: will loot/items respawn (random) on this same map when I return or do I need to find new dungeons for that? I know basic enemies respawn at rest points.
Any tips based on my experience? Not looking for spoilers, but general advice is appreciated. Really enjoyed my 2 hours last night. Happy with my purchase so far.
2024.04.04 05:18 KCarriere Newb needs advice, please
 | Hi! I'm only on my second booknook and this is my first foray into miniature anything. So I have a question. Make that questions. submitted by KCarriere to booknooks [link] [comments]
5) LONG SHOT -- My touch sensor on the Rose Detective Agency is too short. Like 1/4 of the length it should be. Is there a way I can fix this? Could I just order more wire and splice in a length of wire? If so, what kind of wire and where to get it, please? THANK YOU! https://preview.redd.it/fn8qpbsurdsc1.jpg?width=988&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1a65da4894295ca5814da87b55d33a55dc0f2e2e |
2024.04.03 17:16 ForeverWizard Aphelion 1.5: Breach & Clear
I've posted this a day later than I wanted to (really want to stick to weekly on Tuesday), but now that my wife and I are on the mend, I can dedicate a little more time to writing/editing and art again.
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We had been clearing rooms in Engineering for two hours, and my body felt like seven shades of hell. I leaned against Taga’s back, enjoying the warmth of his scales, while he sat on the ground, forge-welding bulkhead panels together with his bare hands. A few hours ago, I would have been fascinated with how he did it; now, I just closed my eyes and enjoyed the ambient warmth as it did wonderful things to my muscles.
I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s take it back to the beginning.
Heshae and I arrived in the middle of a firefight: Ulketh and his guards were on one side, and the same squad I saw in the hold was on the other. It was a large, diamond-shaped room split into an upper and lower level—a grated observation deck up top for the overseers and a mess of pipes that descended from the ceiling into a labyrinth of machines on the lower level.
A set of stairs that split the diamond in half connected the lower and upper floors; Heshae and I were closer to them, but the attacking group had the straighter route.
Ulketh’s guards were firing kinetic weapons from the balcony on the upper level with practiced ease, using their constructed defenses to their advantage. Behind the safety of his guards was Ulketh, firing off wild, frantic shots of crystal shards with a strange crescent-shaped weapon wherever he found an opening.
Taga was pushing a crate the size of a small car down the main corridor on the lower level, which kept Ulketh and his guards from getting a good angle on him. Whenever the guards’ fire died, his companions would pop out from cover and answer back with cobbled-together crossbows and captured small arms while Taga continued to push toward the stairs.
I winced as their shots bounced harmlessly around the defenders’ barricades. Our side was making a good show of it, but they weren’t taking the time to be precise with their shots. The defenders on the upper level reloaded calmly, almost unconcerned by their advance. A lack of space or ammo would stop them at some point. Even if it didn’t, I didn’t think Taga could carry the crate up the stairs.
I turned back to Heshae and whispered, “I don’t know how they’re going to make that last charge up to the balcony once they’re forced to abandon cover.”
She peeked over my head as I continued to watch things unfold. Something about the defenders’ tactics was…odd. They had an elevated position and superior firepower; it didn’t make sense to try and pick them off. Why not just flank them and take them out? I couldn’t put my finger on it, though.
Heshae’s quarterstaff tapped the ground. She took a deep breath and replied, “Neither do I. Taga is strong, but he’s not made of [warrior-elite-magic-living-metal]. Perhaps we could distract the overseers and give them enough time to advance.”
“Move further down, you morons!” Ulketh shouted, his gun arm gesturing wildly in the air. As soon as he popped his head out to berate his guards, a firebomb arced over Taga’s crate and shattered against the ceiling, raining fire down on the balcony. Liquid flame dripped through the balcony grating, bathing the entire room in an orange-yellow glow, and a scream of frustration burst from the upper level.
Ulketh slid further in our direction with his guards in tow, speaking in a low voice at his guards before he moved to the back of the room and out of my line of sight. I heard something heavy being moved upstairs, but I couldn’t tell what it was from my vantage point.
“Why don’t you go fuck a [ravenous-slaughter-predator-terror-stalker], you [voidborn-refuse-eater]!” A smaller, modulated version of my voice yelled out from behind the barricade. Even without a complete understanding of what was said, I chuckled a bit and nodded to myself.
I started to sneak out from the doorway in a crouch until a thin fragment of purple crystal whizzed past my face and struck the wall. My head whipped upward, and I saw Ulketh looking right at me, his eyebrows raised. His mouth moved, but I couldn’t make out what he was saying.
A second shot struck an inch from the first. I spun back into the doorway beside Heshae, wiping sweat from my forehead.
That guy may act like he’s out of control, but he doesn’t shoot like it. Screw it, let’s get mean.
I blew a lock of hair away from my face and looked at Heshae. “Once I make it to the stairs, have the others follow me up. Push them towards the fire.”
I didn't give her time to agree and dashed from my cover in the doorway, making a beeline for the stairs. The shh-kee shh-kee sound of two more shots peppered my previous position as Ulketh continued to draw a bead on me. I ignored the shards that shattered against the machine behind me as my hands danced in the air.
Excess anima created a white-gray cat’s cradle from my fingertips, which burst into silver ribbons as my casting completed. I didn’t have the time to ensure my casting was efficient, but I got the result I wanted: part of the bulkhead beside me groaned and sagged as I pushed forward.
“Vass, we have a problem,” he said, one hand pressed to the base of his neck, the other firing his weapon repeatedly. One shard pierced my robes before shattering against my skin, another hit my neck and deflected into the wall, and a third caught in my hair and shook out onto the ground a few seconds later.
His rounds shattered when they hit the bulkhead; now, they did the same with me. I couldn’t catch what he said as he turned around, but I saw him motion to the other guards and jog casually for the door at the other end of the balcony.
“You’re fuckin’ right you have a problem!” I yelled back as I slid to the bottom of the stairs. A guard posted at the top of the stairs whipped his rifle over their barricade and trained it on me; I roared at him in response. My blood was pumping in my ears as my hands yanked at the handrail, propelling me up the stairs three at a time.
The eyes of the Gaal guard widened in shock as I rushed him, and he sprayed a hail of fire down at me. Two shots smacked into me that felt like someone driving their fist into my chest, and I tried to ignore it. Another shot hit me in the stomach and knocked the wind out of me, driving me to one knee. The next shot felt like someone jamming their boot into my right shoulder, and the pain drove me to the ground.
I was now officially pissed off.
My left hand reached through the railing to my left toward the droplets of flame and tensed into a claw, then raked across my body like I was tossing something. I dredged up a recollection of a flamethrower and merged it with the memory of a snowstorm that blew so hard the snow seemed to come from the side instead of above me. Anima trailed from my hands like silver-white claw slashes, and the puddles of flame on the ground raked up at an angle, spraying the guard with gouts of flame.
Before the screaming started I was already up on my feet and scrambling up the stairs. My hand gripped around the barrel of his weapon and tore the weapon from his hands. I must have broken a finger or two because his screaming got louder and he clutched at his hand, still smoking from the temporary blast of flame.
The screaming abruptly stopped once I choked up on the rifle with both hands and smacked it against his shoulder, sending him tumbling against the nearby wall. He struck with a dull whump, but I didn’t have time to inspect my handiwork; I was already shoving his cover into a position I could use to continue my assault.
“…Understood. We’re moving,” Ulketh said with a cold calm, his burning white eyes sizing me up with ruthless curiosity. “Fall back and burn the door shut.”
He bowed to me—actually bowed to me, the bastard—and fired another trio of shots against my cover, then dipped through the doorway on the other side of the upper level. His guards continued to fire their shots in rotating bursts as they followed him.
Three of the people on our side made it up the stairs moments later and dashed for the door, followed by Taga and Heshae. Their pounding on the door was ceaseless, but through it all, I heard Heshae say, “…Very headstrong.”
I smirked and sat down against the barricade as Taga stood over us, watching the door. I wasn’t going to lie to myself, those shots had hurt. I’d probably be sporting bruises tomorrow. Taga’s massive pangolin-crocodile head swung from smiling at me (at least, I hoped it was smiling) to the three at the door.
“WON’T OPEN. WELDED SHUT. WAIT FOR OTHERS.”
Holy shit, his voice was loud. Well, my voice in his mouth was loud. After the initial confusion, Heshae explained how I was able to talk to them, which saved me the trouble. I checked myself for any lasting damage, Taga helped me to my feet, and we retreated a few rooms away while the engineers worked on the door. I looked at the two new holes in my robes with no small amount of regret; it felt like I was whittling on a memory of home.
Overall, it was one hell of an introduction.
The next two hours were a crash course in species and personalities. While I was already well acquainted with the various personalities and vagaries of different species that lived in close proximity to my own, those groups banded together out of necessity and tradition. We stopped thinking of ourselves as a series of different species and just felt like we were the “survivors.”
These people had a common language and a common goal, but that was where the camaraderie stopped.
Rexiel was the fox-lizard with four arms from the cargo hold. He was from a species called the Udari, part of the Corath caste. Over the last two hours, I heard him say a total of six words; he tended to use sign language to converse with the others. That is, when he wasn’t sharpening his shortsword, slinking through the shadows to try and dispatch someone, or brooding like broody people do when they’re psyching themselves up for something self-destructive.
I got the feeling Rexiel was completely comfortable ending people on a regular basis. Either that, or he was a damn fine actor.
The smaller creature from earlier in the hold was another Onalir named Messec. He sported an environmental suit with the same coloring as Duguf and used a weapon that looked like a crossbow mixed with a combustion engine that shot quills dipped in neurotoxin. His neurotoxin. He explained that Onalir stay inside their suits when they’re not in an enclave because of it; if you brush up against them, you’ll find it pretty hard to breathe in the next minute or so.
He disabled the engines during the initial uprising but got separated from his group during his escape from primary propulsion. The mad little guy traversed the access tunnels from one end of the ship to the other just to join back up and continue the fight.
He was the one who chucked the firebomb earlier. I liked him.
The Firoma’s name was Ereia, and she was absolutely stunning. When I was growing up, I found several Pact species and genders attractive, but she put them all to shame. Her dark skin had a scattering of dusky lavender freckles, and her long, straight sunset-colored hair framed her face like a splash of twilight. She wore her hair tied into a long braid that she wrapped around her neck and pinned to the collar of her short cloak.
After the third or fourth skirmish, we found ourselves sitting next to one another passing a waterskin back and forth, and she complimented my hair. I replied, “Yeah, uh… you too… yeah.”
Hooray for eloquence; Gods preserve us.
We actually had a decent conversation once I found my voice again. I learned that her beauty was the reason her parents sold her into slavery. She was trained and eventually auctioned, and I was surprised and disheartened that she didn’t seem bitter about it. I gave her some insight into human anatomy, and she revealed that she had seduced Ulketh and destroyed his “Circlet of Authority,” which was the catalyst for the entire uprising.
I didn’t need much explanation to figure out what the Circlet was for, and her description of the pain it inflicted was so matter-of-fact that I got queasy. My skin crawled when I thought of my attraction to her, especially after knowing her story. It took a little time for me to circle around to apologize for it, but she responded with a nonchalant shrug and said, “You can’t help what you like.”
I still felt like crap about it.
Last but certainly not least, Taga Night-Breaking-Clear, the Embrial the size of a freight train. Of all of the creatures that composed this assault group, he was the most open. My stunt in the cargo hold that nearly got me killed made me somewhat of a good luck charm in his eyes, and he was going to make sure that I and everyone else knew it, too.
His unshakable faith in me was because of his unshakable faith in Lasaret, a two-faced God who practiced honesty and deceit in equal measure.
Here’s how he explained it: acting without warning my enemy was deceitful. But, I also worked out of a need to free an innocent (myself), and there was no guile in that action. So, it was an honest action done deceitfully—the ultimate expression of Lasaret’s will on the universe. Seeing as it was my first action after being released from my chrysalis, Taga took it as a sign that he was acting within Lasaret’s auspices.
I mentioned that almost every action could have ulterior motives but ultimately benefit someone. Taga brightened—and by that, I mean the light under his scales increased in brightness—and he said that was part of the point. I still didn’t get it. I replied that I’d have to read the pamphlet later, but I don’t think he got the joke.
Life settled into a strange rhythm. We’d clear a room of personnel and traps, mark it off our map, breach whatever barricades the defenders had made, reset the doors' codes, and do it all over again. It was grating work. The fighting part of the process lost its luster after the fourth or fifth skirmish when Ulketh and his various Rent-a-Bastards managed to slip away.
Mercifully, we were making progress, and people started talking about the Lifeweaver Nexus in more urgent tones. After listening for a bit, I spoke up, “So the Lifeweaver Nexus controls air, heat, and water. Why haven’t they turned those off, just asphyxiate us or make us freeze to death?”
Messec said, “Safeguards won’t let them. Those systems are ‘always on,’ which keeps owners and captains from threatening their vassals or crew with it. Morality safeguards, the Confederacy calls them.”
“And there’s no way to turn them off,” I said, “No override; they can’t grab something and pry out those safeguards?”
“It’d be like committing suicide, if it even worked in the first place. No, they’re holed up in there because it’s the location most hardened against attack,” Messec said.
“RUSH THEM. FINISH THIS, THEN WE LEAVE,” Taga said, bumping his knuckles against the ground with a whump.
“If we move hastily, we’re likely to have more casualties,” Heshae responded.
Rexiel clapped his hands and pointed to his eyes, then gestured in the direction of the Nexus. We all watched him make an intricate series of signs before he said, “Spy.”
Ereia nodded and shouldered her rifle, “Rex is right: he can get in and see what’s happening, then report back. Until then, we wait.”
I slumped down against the wall and rubbed my stomach, which growled about ten minutes ago. I hated waiting.
Messec drew Rexiel aside, hastily sketched a series of diagrams on a piece of paper, and passed it to Rexiel. He spun slowly as he oriented himself to the map, and then stalked into the gloom of the portside door. The others broke out and passed around wafers that smelled vaguely of soap while I continued to get grumpier over not being able to eat anything. I chugged some more water and pitied the next unfriendly person who crossed my path.
Like clockwork, I closed my eyes and checked my Tether: about a third left in the tank.
I was afraid of that. Since I came to consciousness, most of my time had been spent repeatedly casting translation spells. The spells I cast didn’t have a chance to settle into a rhythm where they’d sip at my anima. Instead, I was casting them, dispelling them, then casting them again. I was causing my anima to surge every time I’d cast, like flipping the switch on a cold light bulb. Repeated casting had chipped away at my reserves.
It didn’t help that I was also being slapdash with my casting; when a Human’s casting is “complete,” it doesn’t emit excess Anima. It just happens. I was sacrificing efficiency for speed. Well, if it worked, I wasn’t going to complain. The sooner we get out of here, the sooner we can find out where I need to go, and the sooner we can get there.
This brought up another important point: I hadn’t actually set the price for my aid. I had just done it without negotiating. Was that okay? Was that how things worked around here? I was used to just doing things when I was asked or if I saw they needed to be done. So naturally, I just did the same thing here.
Oh well. They might not like it, but I’ll get them to help. Maybe I could just get Taga to bully them into doing it.
That made me snicker, which in turn made Heshae look at me and raise an eyebrow. I shook my head and mentally grabbed at the other tangled web in proximity: what in the hell were the overseers up to? There had to be a reason for the delaying tactics.
Heshae had been worried that they were trying to find a way to cut off life support, but Messec said it was nearly impossible for them to break the safeguards. So if it wasn’t to buy more time to cut off this Lifeweaver Nexus thing, then it had to be—
It made more sense the more I thought about it.
Our side is worried about being recaptured, and they need to control engineering to get away. They’re not the only ones who can prioritize their needs. Someone on the other side must have thought the same, or they had planned for this eventuality. They’re waiting us out until someone shows up to reclaim their property.
I snapped back to the active conversation; I had to know if they were thinking the same thing I was. “…knew what had been said in the Gathering Hall, even though she was unconscious at the time,” I heard Heshae say before she turned toward me and asked, “Amelin? Are you able to explain how you knew what happened during your transport to the infirmary?”
I stopped trying to interrupt and thought, It's not a bad idea, but—
“When I’m sleeping, I’m not here," I said, “I’m somewhere else, in a place where my magic comes from. That’s where all of our surface thoughts, our emotions, our [dreams] go. But more importantly—”
“DREEM? WHAT IS DREEM?” Taga said, inching closer to me.
Godsdamnit, I thought to myself, Let's get this over with.
Many things separated Humans from other species, but the difference that stood out above all the others was the ability to recall our dreams. A tek might growl or bark in their sleep. An Orval, Tevelish, or Alvi might wake up with a start. Ask any of them to recall their dreams, and you’d end up with confused stares.
Hell, most Humans forgot what happened in their dreams by the time they had breakfast. But the ones that remember, that can truly recall what happened? Those are the ones that can become Conduits.
“They’re… thoughts and images,” I said, “that your brain processes when you’re asleep; like a memory, but different. Most of the time they just happen to you, but some of my people learned how to change them. Then, they learned how to store them. Eventually, they figured out how to connect them to reality. It’s how our magic works.”
Blank stares all around. Ereia blinked once and said, “Can we use these dreams to see into the Nexus?”
I was dubious about that idea. I had never attempted a dive into the Gossamer outside of natural sleep before. I had seen it done with narcotics—it was standard practice to do recon before a foray into the wastes—but it was a skill that was restricted to more experienced Conduits.
“Maybe, but I’ve never tried it before. And I wouldn’t try it with the anima I have left. But—”
Heshae’s shoulders drooped slightly, but the others’ expressions didn’t change much. Rexiel was still out there, so I figured they were just asking to see what other tricks I had.
Taga huffed and said, “YOU HAVE DONE MUCH TODAY. TRY THIS LATER.”
Finally, I could get a word in edgewise and blurted out, “Have any of you thought that the reason we’re being hindered is because they’re stalling for reinforcements?”
Understanding blossomed on their faces, and the silence that followed devoured any talk of dreams. A new conversation took its place; one where even Heshae recommended haste. We needed to get to the Nexus and deal with the stragglers, now.
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I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s take it back to the beginning.
Heshae and I arrived in the middle of a firefight: Ulketh and his guards were on one side, and the same squad I saw in the hold was on the other. It was a large, diamond-shaped room split into an upper and lower level—a grated observation deck up top for the overseers and a mess of pipes that descended from the ceiling into a labyrinth of machines on the lower level.
A set of stairs that split the diamond in half connected the lower and upper floors; Heshae and I were closer to them, but the attacking group had the straighter route.
Ulketh’s guards were firing kinetic weapons from the balcony on the upper level with practiced ease, using their constructed defenses to their advantage. Behind the safety of his guards was Ulketh, firing off wild, frantic shots of crystal shards with a strange crescent-shaped weapon wherever he found an opening.
Taga was pushing a crate the size of a small car down the main corridor on the lower level, which kept Ulketh and his guards from getting a good angle on him. Whenever the guards’ fire died, his companions would pop out from cover and answer back with cobbled-together crossbows and captured small arms while Taga continued to push toward the stairs.
I winced as their shots bounced harmlessly around the defenders’ barricades. Our side was making a good show of it, but they weren’t taking the time to be precise with their shots. The defenders on the upper level reloaded calmly, almost unconcerned by their advance. A lack of space or ammo would stop them at some point. Even if it didn’t, I didn’t think Taga could carry the crate up the stairs.
I turned back to Heshae and whispered, “I don’t know how they’re going to make that last charge up to the balcony once they’re forced to abandon cover.”
She peeked over my head as I continued to watch things unfold. Something about the defenders’ tactics was…odd. They had an elevated position and superior firepower; it didn’t make sense to try and pick them off. Why not just flank them and take them out? I couldn’t put my finger on it, though.
Heshae’s quarterstaff tapped the ground. She took a deep breath and replied, “Neither do I. Taga is strong, but he’s not made of [warrior-elite-magic-living-metal]. Perhaps we could distract the overseers and give them enough time to advance.”
“Move further down, you morons!” Ulketh shouted, his gun arm gesturing wildly in the air. As soon as he popped his head out to berate his guards, a firebomb arced over Taga’s crate and shattered against the ceiling, raining fire down on the balcony. Liquid flame dripped through the balcony grating, bathing the entire room in an orange-yellow glow, and a scream of frustration burst from the upper level.
Ulketh slid further in our direction with his guards in tow, speaking in a low voice at his guards before he moved to the back of the room and out of my line of sight. I heard something heavy being moved upstairs, but I couldn’t tell what it was from my vantage point.
“Why don’t you go fuck a [ravenous-slaughter-predator-terror-stalker], you [voidborn-refuse-eater]!” A smaller, modulated version of my voice yelled out from behind the barricade. Even without a complete understanding of what was said, I chuckled a bit and nodded to myself.
I started to sneak out from the doorway in a crouch until a thin fragment of purple crystal whizzed past my face and struck the wall. My head whipped upward, and I saw Ulketh looking right at me, his eyebrows raised. His mouth moved, but I couldn’t make out what he was saying.
A second shot struck an inch from the first. I spun back into the doorway beside Heshae, wiping sweat from my forehead.
That guy may act like he’s out of control, but he doesn’t shoot like it. Screw it, let’s get mean.
I blew a lock of hair away from my face and looked at Heshae. “Once I make it to the stairs, have the others follow me up. Push them towards the fire.”
I didn't give her time to agree and dashed from my cover in the doorway, making a beeline for the stairs. The shh-kee shh-kee sound of two more shots peppered my previous position as Ulketh continued to draw a bead on me. I ignored the shards that shattered against the machine behind me as my hands danced in the air.
Excess anima created a white-gray cat’s cradle from my fingertips, which burst into silver ribbons as my casting completed. I didn’t have the time to ensure my casting was efficient, but I got the result I wanted: part of the bulkhead beside me groaned and sagged as I pushed forward.
“Vass, we have a problem,” he said, one hand pressed to the base of his neck, the other firing his weapon repeatedly. One shard pierced my robes before shattering against my skin, another hit my neck and deflected into the wall, and a third caught in my hair and shook out onto the ground a few seconds later.
His rounds shattered when they hit the bulkhead; now, they did the same with me. I couldn’t catch what he said as he turned around, but I saw him motion to the other guards and jog casually for the door at the other end of the balcony.
“You’re fuckin’ right you have a problem!” I yelled back as I slid to the bottom of the stairs. A guard posted at the top of the stairs whipped his rifle over their barricade and trained it on me; I roared at him in response. My blood was pumping in my ears as my hands yanked at the handrail, propelling me up the stairs three at a time.
The eyes of the Gaal guard widened in shock as I rushed him, and he sprayed a hail of fire down at me. Two shots smacked into me that felt like someone driving their fist into my chest, and I tried to ignore it. Another shot hit me in the stomach and knocked the wind out of me, driving me to one knee. The next shot felt like someone jamming their boot into my right shoulder, and the pain drove me to the ground.
I was now officially pissed off.
My left hand reached through the railing to my left toward the droplets of flame and tensed into a claw, then raked across my body like I was tossing something. I dredged up a recollection of a flamethrower and merged it with the memory of a snowstorm that blew so hard the snow seemed to come from the side instead of above me. Anima trailed from my hands like silver-white claw slashes, and the puddles of flame on the ground raked up at an angle, spraying the guard with gouts of flame.
Before the screaming started I was already up on my feet and scrambling up the stairs. My hand gripped around the barrel of his weapon and tore the weapon from his hands. I must have broken a finger or two because his screaming got louder and he clutched at his hand, still smoking from the temporary blast of flame.
The screaming abruptly stopped once I choked up on the rifle with both hands and smacked it against his shoulder, sending him tumbling against the nearby wall. He struck with a dull whump, but I didn’t have time to inspect my handiwork; I was already shoving his cover into a position I could use to continue my assault.
“…Understood. We’re moving,” Ulketh said with a cold calm, his burning white eyes sizing me up with ruthless curiosity. “Fall back and burn the door shut.”
He bowed to me—actually bowed to me, the bastard—and fired another trio of shots against my cover, then dipped through the doorway on the other side of the upper level. His guards continued to fire their shots in rotating bursts as they followed him.
Three of the people on our side made it up the stairs moments later and dashed for the door, followed by Taga and Heshae. Their pounding on the door was ceaseless, but through it all, I heard Heshae say, “…Very headstrong.”
I smirked and sat down against the barricade as Taga stood over us, watching the door. I wasn’t going to lie to myself, those shots had hurt. I’d probably be sporting bruises tomorrow. Taga’s massive pangolin-crocodile head swung from smiling at me (at least, I hoped it was smiling) to the three at the door.
“WON’T OPEN. WELDED SHUT. WAIT FOR OTHERS.”
Holy shit, his voice was loud. Well, my voice in his mouth was loud. After the initial confusion, Heshae explained how I was able to talk to them, which saved me the trouble. I checked myself for any lasting damage, Taga helped me to my feet, and we retreated a few rooms away while the engineers worked on the door. I looked at the two new holes in my robes with no small amount of regret; it felt like I was whittling on a memory of home.
Overall, it was one hell of an introduction.
These people had a common language and a common goal, but that was where the camaraderie stopped.
Rexiel was the fox-lizard with four arms from the cargo hold. He was from a species called the Udari, part of the Corath caste. Over the last two hours, I heard him say a total of six words; he tended to use sign language to converse with the others. That is, when he wasn’t sharpening his shortsword, slinking through the shadows to try and dispatch someone, or brooding like broody people do when they’re psyching themselves up for something self-destructive.
I got the feeling Rexiel was completely comfortable ending people on a regular basis. Either that, or he was a damn fine actor.
The smaller creature from earlier in the hold was another Onalir named Messec. He sported an environmental suit with the same coloring as Duguf and used a weapon that looked like a crossbow mixed with a combustion engine that shot quills dipped in neurotoxin. His neurotoxin. He explained that Onalir stay inside their suits when they’re not in an enclave because of it; if you brush up against them, you’ll find it pretty hard to breathe in the next minute or so.
He disabled the engines during the initial uprising but got separated from his group during his escape from primary propulsion. The mad little guy traversed the access tunnels from one end of the ship to the other just to join back up and continue the fight.
He was the one who chucked the firebomb earlier. I liked him.
The Firoma’s name was Ereia, and she was absolutely stunning. When I was growing up, I found several Pact species and genders attractive, but she put them all to shame. Her dark skin had a scattering of dusky lavender freckles, and her long, straight sunset-colored hair framed her face like a splash of twilight. She wore her hair tied into a long braid that she wrapped around her neck and pinned to the collar of her short cloak.
After the third or fourth skirmish, we found ourselves sitting next to one another passing a waterskin back and forth, and she complimented my hair. I replied, “Yeah, uh… you too… yeah.”
Hooray for eloquence; Gods preserve us.
We actually had a decent conversation once I found my voice again. I learned that her beauty was the reason her parents sold her into slavery. She was trained and eventually auctioned, and I was surprised and disheartened that she didn’t seem bitter about it. I gave her some insight into human anatomy, and she revealed that she had seduced Ulketh and destroyed his “Circlet of Authority,” which was the catalyst for the entire uprising.
I didn’t need much explanation to figure out what the Circlet was for, and her description of the pain it inflicted was so matter-of-fact that I got queasy. My skin crawled when I thought of my attraction to her, especially after knowing her story. It took a little time for me to circle around to apologize for it, but she responded with a nonchalant shrug and said, “You can’t help what you like.”
I still felt like crap about it.
Last but certainly not least, Taga Night-Breaking-Clear, the Embrial the size of a freight train. Of all of the creatures that composed this assault group, he was the most open. My stunt in the cargo hold that nearly got me killed made me somewhat of a good luck charm in his eyes, and he was going to make sure that I and everyone else knew it, too.
His unshakable faith in me was because of his unshakable faith in Lasaret, a two-faced God who practiced honesty and deceit in equal measure.
Here’s how he explained it: acting without warning my enemy was deceitful. But, I also worked out of a need to free an innocent (myself), and there was no guile in that action. So, it was an honest action done deceitfully—the ultimate expression of Lasaret’s will on the universe. Seeing as it was my first action after being released from my chrysalis, Taga took it as a sign that he was acting within Lasaret’s auspices.
I mentioned that almost every action could have ulterior motives but ultimately benefit someone. Taga brightened—and by that, I mean the light under his scales increased in brightness—and he said that was part of the point. I still didn’t get it. I replied that I’d have to read the pamphlet later, but I don’t think he got the joke.
Life settled into a strange rhythm. We’d clear a room of personnel and traps, mark it off our map, breach whatever barricades the defenders had made, reset the doors' codes, and do it all over again. It was grating work. The fighting part of the process lost its luster after the fourth or fifth skirmish when Ulketh and his various Rent-a-Bastards managed to slip away.
Mercifully, we were making progress, and people started talking about the Lifeweaver Nexus in more urgent tones. After listening for a bit, I spoke up, “So the Lifeweaver Nexus controls air, heat, and water. Why haven’t they turned those off, just asphyxiate us or make us freeze to death?”
Messec said, “Safeguards won’t let them. Those systems are ‘always on,’ which keeps owners and captains from threatening their vassals or crew with it. Morality safeguards, the Confederacy calls them.”
“And there’s no way to turn them off,” I said, “No override; they can’t grab something and pry out those safeguards?”
“It’d be like committing suicide, if it even worked in the first place. No, they’re holed up in there because it’s the location most hardened against attack,” Messec said.
“RUSH THEM. FINISH THIS, THEN WE LEAVE,” Taga said, bumping his knuckles against the ground with a whump.
“If we move hastily, we’re likely to have more casualties,” Heshae responded.
Rexiel clapped his hands and pointed to his eyes, then gestured in the direction of the Nexus. We all watched him make an intricate series of signs before he said, “Spy.”
Ereia nodded and shouldered her rifle, “Rex is right: he can get in and see what’s happening, then report back. Until then, we wait.”
I slumped down against the wall and rubbed my stomach, which growled about ten minutes ago. I hated waiting.
Messec drew Rexiel aside, hastily sketched a series of diagrams on a piece of paper, and passed it to Rexiel. He spun slowly as he oriented himself to the map, and then stalked into the gloom of the portside door. The others broke out and passed around wafers that smelled vaguely of soap while I continued to get grumpier over not being able to eat anything. I chugged some more water and pitied the next unfriendly person who crossed my path.
Like clockwork, I closed my eyes and checked my Tether: about a third left in the tank.
I was afraid of that. Since I came to consciousness, most of my time had been spent repeatedly casting translation spells. The spells I cast didn’t have a chance to settle into a rhythm where they’d sip at my anima. Instead, I was casting them, dispelling them, then casting them again. I was causing my anima to surge every time I’d cast, like flipping the switch on a cold light bulb. Repeated casting had chipped away at my reserves.
It didn’t help that I was also being slapdash with my casting; when a Human’s casting is “complete,” it doesn’t emit excess Anima. It just happens. I was sacrificing efficiency for speed. Well, if it worked, I wasn’t going to complain. The sooner we get out of here, the sooner we can find out where I need to go, and the sooner we can get there.
This brought up another important point: I hadn’t actually set the price for my aid. I had just done it without negotiating. Was that okay? Was that how things worked around here? I was used to just doing things when I was asked or if I saw they needed to be done. So naturally, I just did the same thing here.
Oh well. They might not like it, but I’ll get them to help. Maybe I could just get Taga to bully them into doing it.
That made me snicker, which in turn made Heshae look at me and raise an eyebrow. I shook my head and mentally grabbed at the other tangled web in proximity: what in the hell were the overseers up to? There had to be a reason for the delaying tactics.
Heshae had been worried that they were trying to find a way to cut off life support, but Messec said it was nearly impossible for them to break the safeguards. So if it wasn’t to buy more time to cut off this Lifeweaver Nexus thing, then it had to be—
It made more sense the more I thought about it.
Our side is worried about being recaptured, and they need to control engineering to get away. They’re not the only ones who can prioritize their needs. Someone on the other side must have thought the same, or they had planned for this eventuality. They’re waiting us out until someone shows up to reclaim their property.
I snapped back to the active conversation; I had to know if they were thinking the same thing I was. “…knew what had been said in the Gathering Hall, even though she was unconscious at the time,” I heard Heshae say before she turned toward me and asked, “Amelin? Are you able to explain how you knew what happened during your transport to the infirmary?”
I stopped trying to interrupt and thought, It's not a bad idea, but—
“When I’m sleeping, I’m not here," I said, “I’m somewhere else, in a place where my magic comes from. That’s where all of our surface thoughts, our emotions, our [dreams] go. But more importantly—”
“DREEM? WHAT IS DREEM?” Taga said, inching closer to me.
Godsdamnit, I thought to myself, Let's get this over with.
Many things separated Humans from other species, but the difference that stood out above all the others was the ability to recall our dreams. A tek might growl or bark in their sleep. An Orval, Tevelish, or Alvi might wake up with a start. Ask any of them to recall their dreams, and you’d end up with confused stares.
Hell, most Humans forgot what happened in their dreams by the time they had breakfast. But the ones that remember, that can truly recall what happened? Those are the ones that can become Conduits.
“They’re… thoughts and images,” I said, “that your brain processes when you’re asleep; like a memory, but different. Most of the time they just happen to you, but some of my people learned how to change them. Then, they learned how to store them. Eventually, they figured out how to connect them to reality. It’s how our magic works.”
Blank stares all around. Ereia blinked once and said, “Can we use these dreams to see into the Nexus?”
I was dubious about that idea. I had never attempted a dive into the Gossamer outside of natural sleep before. I had seen it done with narcotics—it was standard practice to do recon before a foray into the wastes—but it was a skill that was restricted to more experienced Conduits.
“Maybe, but I’ve never tried it before. And I wouldn’t try it with the anima I have left. But—”
Heshae’s shoulders drooped slightly, but the others’ expressions didn’t change much. Rexiel was still out there, so I figured they were just asking to see what other tricks I had.
Taga huffed and said, “YOU HAVE DONE MUCH TODAY. TRY THIS LATER.”
Finally, I could get a word in edgewise and blurted out, “Have any of you thought that the reason we’re being hindered is because they’re stalling for reinforcements?”
Understanding blossomed on their faces, and the silence that followed devoured any talk of dreams. A new conversation took its place; one where even Heshae recommended haste. We needed to get to the Nexus and deal with the stragglers, now.
2024.03.15 10:06 harshaljaiswal27 Agricultural Adjuvants Market Size, Share and Demand
The global agricultural adjuvants market is gaining momentum from the rising adoption of protective crop cultivation measures. According to a report, published by Fortune Business Insights, titled, “AGRICULTURAL ADJUVANTS: GLOBAL MARKET ANALYSIS, INSIGHTS AND FORECAST, 2015-2026” the increasing demand for crop protection chemicals is driving the market. Moreover, the global market is anticipated to rise at a CAGR of 5.77% between 2015 and 2026. In 2015, the market was valued at US$ 2.893 Bn and the report suggests that the global market is likely to reach US$ 4.55 Bn by 2026.
North America and Europe Cover the Maximum Share in the Market
The two largest markets for agricultural adjuvants are in North America and Europe. These two regions account for the maximum share in the global market. Governments in these two regions have formulated strict regulations and guidelines on use of crop protection chemicals and to protect the environment. This, in turn, will help to protect the environment from hazardous chemicals, in turn driving the market. Activator adjuvants are increasingly penetrating in North America and Europe. This, coupled with the recent introduction of cost-effective and novel products, is expected to create growth opportunities for the market in the forecast years. Growing awareness about modern agricultural procedures, especially in North America is enabling growth in the market.
Information Source -
https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/industry-reports/agricultural-adjuvants-market-100769
Other regions such as Asia Pacific and South America are expected to register strong growth potential in the forecast horizon. Rising use of crop protection chemicals is the chief factors driving the market in these regions. Crop farmers and farmers are becoming more aware of the benefits offered by using agricultural chemical adjuvants. This is further expected to spur growth in the market and increase demand for adjuvants with spray chemicals in these two regions.
Adjuvants Help to Improve the Agrochemical Efficiency, thus Promoting Sustainability
Agricultural adjuvant chemicals are added to pesticides by users with an aim to enhance pesticide efficiency, as per the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The growing importance and need for precision farming is acting as a potential growth enabler to the market. With precision farming, farmers can use agricultural adjuvants to implement agrochemical applications. Use of surfactants, emulsifiers, and oils will help in the effective use of crop protection chemicals, which is expected to push the market’s growth. Recent technological improvements in cultivation crops will aid the expansion of the overall market. Furthermore, farmers around the world have become well aware of advanced farming techniques to protect their crops and enhance crop yield. This is expected to augment demand for agricultural adjuvants over the years to come.
Rising population is compelling farmers and crop producers to use adjuvants and pesticides. As per the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the global population is estimated to reach approx. 9.8 billion by 2050 from 7.6 billion in the year 2017. This exponential rise in population will fuel demand for crops. This, coupled with the rising focus towards sustainable agriculture, will contribute to the expansion of the agricultural adjuvants market.
Product Innovations to Push the Market Growth
In July 2018, Sapec Agro Business acquires SDP with an aim to enter the adjuvant sector. The company further plans to strengthen its position especially in specialty crop nutrition across various markets. In August 2018, Brandt announced the launch of an innovative adjuvant called TriTek. This insecticide adhesive will provide additional nutrients and strengthen to plants.
Some of the companies that are currently leading the global agricultural adjuvants market are Solvay, Evonik, BASF, Clariant, Croda International, DowDuPont, and AkzoNobel. Several new companies are planning to foray into the market, which will intensify the competition.
submitted by harshaljaiswal27 to u/harshaljaiswal27 [link] [comments]
North America and Europe Cover the Maximum Share in the Market
The two largest markets for agricultural adjuvants are in North America and Europe. These two regions account for the maximum share in the global market. Governments in these two regions have formulated strict regulations and guidelines on use of crop protection chemicals and to protect the environment. This, in turn, will help to protect the environment from hazardous chemicals, in turn driving the market. Activator adjuvants are increasingly penetrating in North America and Europe. This, coupled with the recent introduction of cost-effective and novel products, is expected to create growth opportunities for the market in the forecast years. Growing awareness about modern agricultural procedures, especially in North America is enabling growth in the market.
Information Source -
https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/industry-reports/agricultural-adjuvants-market-100769
Other regions such as Asia Pacific and South America are expected to register strong growth potential in the forecast horizon. Rising use of crop protection chemicals is the chief factors driving the market in these regions. Crop farmers and farmers are becoming more aware of the benefits offered by using agricultural chemical adjuvants. This is further expected to spur growth in the market and increase demand for adjuvants with spray chemicals in these two regions.
Adjuvants Help to Improve the Agrochemical Efficiency, thus Promoting Sustainability
Agricultural adjuvant chemicals are added to pesticides by users with an aim to enhance pesticide efficiency, as per the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The growing importance and need for precision farming is acting as a potential growth enabler to the market. With precision farming, farmers can use agricultural adjuvants to implement agrochemical applications. Use of surfactants, emulsifiers, and oils will help in the effective use of crop protection chemicals, which is expected to push the market’s growth. Recent technological improvements in cultivation crops will aid the expansion of the overall market. Furthermore, farmers around the world have become well aware of advanced farming techniques to protect their crops and enhance crop yield. This is expected to augment demand for agricultural adjuvants over the years to come.
Rising population is compelling farmers and crop producers to use adjuvants and pesticides. As per the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the global population is estimated to reach approx. 9.8 billion by 2050 from 7.6 billion in the year 2017. This exponential rise in population will fuel demand for crops. This, coupled with the rising focus towards sustainable agriculture, will contribute to the expansion of the agricultural adjuvants market.
Product Innovations to Push the Market Growth
In July 2018, Sapec Agro Business acquires SDP with an aim to enter the adjuvant sector. The company further plans to strengthen its position especially in specialty crop nutrition across various markets. In August 2018, Brandt announced the launch of an innovative adjuvant called TriTek. This insecticide adhesive will provide additional nutrients and strengthen to plants.
Some of the companies that are currently leading the global agricultural adjuvants market are Solvay, Evonik, BASF, Clariant, Croda International, DowDuPont, and AkzoNobel. Several new companies are planning to foray into the market, which will intensify the competition.
2024.03.14 23:22 PowerShellGenius Log Analytics
Does anyone here have any experience with Azure Log Analytics? I want it, to have the flexibility to set up alerting on Entra ID sign in logs for a few purposes, including the use of an emergency break-glass account, out-of-country sign in with valid credential but blocked by Conditional Access, etc.
We don't have an Azure subscription (we use Azure AD / Entra ID but no actual Azure stuff like VMs in the cloud). So this would be our first (and only, for the foreseeable future) foray into other Azure services. While I have heard Azure is great to work with, it's proving very difficult to find pricing. Not all institutions (especially public sector) have the authority to sign a blank check based on a rough estimate.
While the pricing is readily available "per GB" for Azure Monitor / Log Analytics, I cannot find any official sources saying how many sign-in log entries take up a GB in the format they are sent to Azure Monitor. In other words, there is no way to get even a ballpark estimate on the consumption-based pricing, even with knowledge of our sign-in attempt volume.
Also, I'm wondering if anyone is aware of any fixed options or better ways of doing what I'm describing. Consumption based pricing seems dangerous and predatory for this, because of attacks:
submitted by PowerShellGenius to AZURE [link] [comments]
We don't have an Azure subscription (we use Azure AD / Entra ID but no actual Azure stuff like VMs in the cloud). So this would be our first (and only, for the foreseeable future) foray into other Azure services. While I have heard Azure is great to work with, it's proving very difficult to find pricing. Not all institutions (especially public sector) have the authority to sign a blank check based on a rough estimate.
While the pricing is readily available "per GB" for Azure Monitor / Log Analytics, I cannot find any official sources saying how many sign-in log entries take up a GB in the format they are sent to Azure Monitor. In other words, there is no way to get even a ballpark estimate on the consumption-based pricing, even with knowledge of our sign-in attempt volume.
Also, I'm wondering if anyone is aware of any fixed options or better ways of doing what I'm describing. Consumption based pricing seems dangerous and predatory for this, because of attacks:
- If we were hosting a server here that had a web based portal, it would be our responsibility to have the proper firewalls in place, subscribe to services that provide IP blacklists of known malicious hosts, and generally speaking do whatever it takes to prevent a massive password spray from making log sizes unmanageable
- But in Entra ID, we cannot control who attempts to log in. Even if we geo block with Conditional Access AND the user never had valid credentials, an attempt will register in the logs. Only Microsoft can ban a bot from trying again and again and filling up our logs, so only Microsoft is responsible for the size of the resulting log. And they have no incentive to manage this well, since they still get to bill us for how big the log becomes if we are doing any analytics.
2024.03.11 19:09 doalittledance_ Carry on only clothing suggestions for Prague in April 🙏
I’ll be honest and say this is my first foray into “onebag” lifestyle, I’m a maximalist at heart, but we travel often and I need to get better at traveling light, so have come hopefully seeking your advice! I do fully believe one bag is achievable here, I’ve got faith in myself lol but definitely need direction. I’m the type of person who likes to pack “options”, and stuff for every “worst case scenario” to have all bases covered. I’m talking basically the full medicine cabinet, 18 pairs of underwear and emergency snacks. Do I need anti sickness medication if I’m going no where near a boat? Likely not, but I’ll take it just in case vibes. I hope you get the gist. I really want to move away from that mindset. My husband would lovingly classify me as a high maintenance traveller.
Prewarning, this is a long post!
So, hubs and I are travelling to Prague for 4 nights/5 day stay in about a months time. We’re taking carry on only at 10kg + personal bag, each. The first time I’ve ever flown carry only. AFAIK from my own experiences, the personal bag isn’t weighed. I will be taking my Antler 4 wheel cabin case (juno 2.0, 39l packing capacity) and Longchamp le Pilage tote as my personal bag, which is roomy, so I’ll likely have another 4-5kg to play with if needed.
We do have the option to take a checked bag, but I’d really like to avoid this if I can. I’ve never been to Prague before, but have heard there’s a ton of steps and lots of areas inaccessible to vehicles. I really don’t want to be lugging a big heavy suitcase around with us on foot on the way to the hotel. We’re staying in the outskirts of the old town so pretty central. If you lovely people can do 4 months in Asia with a backpack, I’m convinced I can cope 5 days with carry on!!
I live in the UK so weather wise we aren’t too dissimilar from Prague, but I am truly useless in the cold. I know I’m going to need a winter coat, my plan is to wear this on the plane to save space, but I’m at a loss at what other clothing to take. I like to look put together, so I believe capsule will be key, but I don’t think my planned capsule is capsule enough! 🙈
The planned itinerary is mainly sightseeing, eating and shopping with a few trip excursions, these are still TBC. We aren’t planning on any hiking, or visiting locations where terrain specific clothing is required.
My current list, which I’m not 100% convinced will all fit;
I normally don’t bother decanting as I usually put them in my check bag but I’ve found lots of 5-15ml thin tube pump bottles for makeup/skincare and I will take those pouch style bottles for shampoo/conditionelotion. I’ve got a clear PVC bag to carry them in.
Im planning on taking my bare essentials, which feels like a ton of stuff now I’ve typed it out 😂 😭🫠;
Please send help 😩
submitted by doalittledance_ to HerOneBag [link] [comments]
Prewarning, this is a long post!
So, hubs and I are travelling to Prague for 4 nights/5 day stay in about a months time. We’re taking carry on only at 10kg + personal bag, each. The first time I’ve ever flown carry only. AFAIK from my own experiences, the personal bag isn’t weighed. I will be taking my Antler 4 wheel cabin case (juno 2.0, 39l packing capacity) and Longchamp le Pilage tote as my personal bag, which is roomy, so I’ll likely have another 4-5kg to play with if needed.
We do have the option to take a checked bag, but I’d really like to avoid this if I can. I’ve never been to Prague before, but have heard there’s a ton of steps and lots of areas inaccessible to vehicles. I really don’t want to be lugging a big heavy suitcase around with us on foot on the way to the hotel. We’re staying in the outskirts of the old town so pretty central. If you lovely people can do 4 months in Asia with a backpack, I’m convinced I can cope 5 days with carry on!!
I live in the UK so weather wise we aren’t too dissimilar from Prague, but I am truly useless in the cold. I know I’m going to need a winter coat, my plan is to wear this on the plane to save space, but I’m at a loss at what other clothing to take. I like to look put together, so I believe capsule will be key, but I don’t think my planned capsule is capsule enough! 🙈
The planned itinerary is mainly sightseeing, eating and shopping with a few trip excursions, these are still TBC. We aren’t planning on any hiking, or visiting locations where terrain specific clothing is required.
My current list, which I’m not 100% convinced will all fit;
- a long wool winter coat, smart enough to be dressed up for evenings but warm enough for cold days (travel in)
- 1 silk shirt
- 3 pairs trousers (travel in a pair of stretch black jeans, and pack a pair of thick comfy treggings and a pair of smarter slacks)
- 4 T-shirts (2 long sleeve, 2 short, travel in one)
- 1 denim over shirt (travel in)
- 2 light loose cashmere sweaters (for layering over tees/under over shirt for extra warmth)
- 2 dresses for evenings (lightweight floaty ones)
- 1 knit midi sweater dress (I would love to take this as I live in them usually, but it’s bulky af)
- a weeks worth of underwear
- 2 pairs tights/pantyhose
- sturdy flat boots (travel in - they’re well broken in so planning on wearing these daily, not sure if it’s sensible to add a pair of sneakers for warmer days/incase the boots get wet?)
- pair of heels for evenings
- small daytime crossbody (will travel with this and just throw it in my personal bag on the plane)
- small evening WOC bag
- wooly beanie hat/leather gloves
- mid weight midi trench coat
I normally don’t bother decanting as I usually put them in my check bag but I’ve found lots of 5-15ml thin tube pump bottles for makeup/skincare and I will take those pouch style bottles for shampoo/conditionelotion. I’ve got a clear PVC bag to carry them in.
Im planning on taking my bare essentials, which feels like a ton of stuff now I’ve typed it out 😂 😭🫠;
- 5ml foundation
- 5ml facial sunscreen
- mini mascara
- 5ml liquid blush (will just half fill)
- 5ml liquid highlight (half fill)
- 5ml liquid bronzecontour (half fill)
- mini liquid concealer
- small jar of brow wax
- 5ml primer
- 10ml setting spray (if I can fit it in)
- mini lipstick
- chapstick
- 10ml moisturiser
- 10ml cleansing balm
- 10ml cleansing milk
- mini eye makeup remover
- ziplock snack bag with 5 pre-moistened toner pads
- 2 muslin cloths
- 20ml tub blow out balm
- 10ml hair serum
- 10ml spray heat protector
- travel hairspray
- 1 perfume mini
- mini deodorant
- mini toothpaste (will share with hubs so this can go in his liquids)
- hair ties
- 1 claw grip
- Dyson air wrap (will take just the brush, blow dryer and 1 curl barrel attachments)
- shower puff
Please send help 😩
2024.03.07 22:10 SirChickenBurger Killer Kittens from Outer Space- Chapter Ten
[First Chapter]
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Mirai
I can’t believe we got suckered into this.
It was the first day of her crew’s new role as security contractors for an Imperium military base, and Captain Mirai was feeling like a rotisserie bric’ek as she turned her head once more to allow the relentless yellow eye of the star above to sear at the left side of her body instead of the right.
The radiation shouldn’t have been a huge problem; her crew and the rest of the fleet had been issued a cream that blocked all but the smallest amount of harmful UV from penetrating the surface of their sensitive kespan skin. Unfortunately, as the day wore on it quickly became apparent that there were patches where she’d been less than thorough in her application, and there was nothing to be done about the rolling waves of heat that built steadily between the half-hearted puffs of a light afternoon breeze.
She had no idea how the humans had developed unprotected skin like theirs in such conditions. It reminded her a little of her stint on Uxium-5 during the last 30 days of basic training when she’d been an Imperial cadet. There, the landscape had been sparsely populated with life, mostly microbial colonies living on rocks speckled with a ubiquitous scrub that formed most of the sunbaked planet’s land-based biodiversity. On Uxium-5, the sun’s scorching heat had laid waste to much of the planet, and they’d been forced to rely on resources scavenged from the planet’s vast oceans to survive.
The terrain was no less extreme but far more diverse in the southern regions of the continent that the humans referred to as ‘Australia’. Despite the dry acridity, most of the land was covered in thick vegetative undergrowth, from which spindly shrubs and even large trees grew at regular intervals in an uneven sandy soil that made expeditions on foot tedious things.
There were hidden dangers to contend with, too. Their suits kept them largely safe from the clouds of flying insects and the venomous reptiles and arachnids that seemed to lurk in every crevice. Still, vigilance was a hard thing to maintain. Mirai had heard horror stories of cadets whose attention to detail had slipped for long enough to allow enormous crawling and biting things into their boots and helmets, only to discover their mistake in the worst possible way.
Even the plants on this goddess-damned planet were actively trying to kill them. On a foray in the northern regions of the continent, a private from the 102nd had brushed her exposed tail up against a leaf that had immediately administered a nasty sting that rendered her crippled with pain. Examinations of samples taken from the plant revealed a bed of needle-sharp trichomes laden with a potent neurotoxin. The private in question had survived, but the toxin had proved resistant to many attempts at negation, and her story had been made even more sobering by the rumour that she had requested an amputation a full week later.
Fortunately, the location that Mirai’s team had been called in to provide security for was far from the reported habitat of that particular plant. The consulate was being constructed on the western outskirts of one of the country’s largest cities, Melbourne. While the military had formally surrendered, it had remained an Amber zone for several months following the botched induction, with roving bands of mostly male freedom fighters attempting to inflict what damage they could on the Imperial forces.
Now, a full year after the arrival of the Imperium, and several months after relief crews had started to arrive, the inevitability of facing up against an entire galaxy of beings armed with weapons and armour that far surpassed human technology had taken its toll. Without the deep-seated revenge-driven hatred that fuelled the women of the northern continents, things were finally settling down into a new normal in this region of the world.
Of all the postings she could have been assigned to, it was far from the worst, but there were complicating factors.
Speaking of which…
“Valiir! Eyes front! We are here to provide security, not be provided with a peep show!”
The tips of the guilty ensign’s long ears were already red where she had also misapplied her radiation blocker, but now they flushed all the way to their base as she slid her eyes away from the trio of human youths, all male, whose bare shoulders were disappearing down the road.
“J-just keeping an eye out for any troublemakers, ma’am!” Valiir squeaked out. She made a show of sweeping her gaze left and right again, lingering momentarily on the men before returning to parade rest. “We’re all clear!”
“Where do you suppose they’d be hiding a weapon if they had one?” Security Officer Rowla ribbed back, and the rest of the ensign’s face flushed the same scarlet as her ears.
“I suppose that depends on whether there’s any spare room in those shorts of theirs, that one on the left might have been packing something.” Imrir, the second officer, couldn’t help but add before stopping as Mirai turned to her with a sharp look. “Sorry, Ma’am.”
Mirai sighed, rubbing at sore eyes with a gloved claw. “We’re here to do a job, ladies. We might not be soldiers, but we are representing the Imperium, so keep it professional. Remember those soldiers from yesterday? The locals have plenty of good reasons to hate our guts. Let’s not give them any more.”
The mood change was immediate, and Mirai kicked herself when her crew slumped as one, eyes returning to the field and banter dying on their lips. Sometimes she forgot that this war was being fought on two fronts.
“This sucks,” Rowla noted darkly, shading her eyes with a gloved hand. “All these good-looking males, and not one of them wants anything to do with us.”
“One of them spat at me the other day.” Valiir offered. “I guess that’s kinda hot.”
“Fucking weirdo.” Rowla sniggered, and some of the tension dissolved. “But yeah, this was meant to be the best gig of our lives. I can’t believe the brass managed to screw it up so ba-“
“Look alive.” Imrir interrupted sharply, straightening up. An Imperial ATV was approaching through the heat shimmer, bright flashes of light reflecting off the sleek, angled metal of its grill. It was almost comically oversized on the human roads, occupying an entire lane and a half, and as it hurtled down the street towards them, it forced a civilian vehicle off to the side and onto the curb. Mirai winced; that was another public relations hurdle they’d need to overcome eventually.
As it drew closer, the flags on its hood came into view, and Mirai snapped to attention. “Eyes front, no slouching. It’s the Admiralty, and they’re in a hurry.” The consulate itself wasn’t finished, but there was a command centre and an active landing pad that had been completed as a matter of priority. She assumed that was where they were headed, but they should have been slowing down by now; there were protocols in place.
The vehicle held its brisk pace as it neared the first improvised checkpoint just ahead of theirs. Then it blew through the gate, sending the troops there scattering in every direction. Mirai’s breath hitched in her throat, and a hand dropped to her sidearm. They weren’t coming under any fire, so why the spectacle? A stolen military vehicle? Unlikely but possible.
Just as she was about to make the call on whether to open fire, her transponder crackled into life. A stilted voice— Duradian from the even tone and slight hisses— piped through in untranslated kespan. “Stand down, Captain Mirai. Stand down. Allow them through.”
“Let them pass! Emergency orders!” she yelled, and her crew jumped to each side of the road, those quicker on the draw lowering their weapons.
The truck roared past, forcing Mirai to shield her eyes from the spray of dusty earth that leapt up in its wake. As it skidded to a halt some thirty metres into the compound, the door was already opening, and before the wheels had finished turning, a long-eared kespan officer stepped out in a fluid dismount. She was adorned with livery, medallions and ribbons forming a solid block of colour on her slate grey coat. She was also ignoring the usual pomp and circumstance, waving off the consulate staff as she stalked down the path, spittle flying from between sharp teeth as she approached the landing pad above which, seemingly summoned by fury alone, a shuttle tore from the sky, moving altogether too fast for Mirai’s comfort.
The pilot was skilful at least, clearing the cloud cover and spearing toward the ground before abruptly lifting the nose and bleeding off speed as quickly as any hot landing Mirai had ever seen in her stint with the military. By the time the Admiral, because that was most certainly what she was, had made it two-thirds of the way down the path, the ramp of her shuttle was already opening. Two military personnel scuttled out, barely reaching the bottom of the ramp in time to throw a pair of crisp chest-high salutes.
Ignoring them, the crimson-faced Admiral as good as leapt aboard, clearing the ramp in three or four steps and disappearing into the belly of the shuttle. As the soldiers followed and the ramp rose back up, a new sound tore from the vessel, over even the roar of the engines. A horrific keening screech, of a kind that the death angels of old, celestial arbitrators worshipped back when Keshmin was a solitary speck in a dark and unknown galaxy, were said to have bestowed to their people. Mirai’s ears drew back, as did her troops, their curiosity and annoyance sated. That cry was equal parts fury and mourning.
“That’s not good,” Imrir muttered as the ramp inched shut and the wailing subsided. “That was Rear Admiral Shessix, right? I didn’t get a good look.”
“I heard one of her daughters was working special operations planetside,” Rowla offered. “Maybe something happened while she was out chasing glory.”
“Keep your goddessdamned traps shut about it, either way.” Mirai cut across the discussion. “Whatever that was, the less it affects us, the better. The last thing I need is attention from an Admiral while she’s in a mood like that.”
The rest of the day’s guard duty was uneventful, save for the occasional pretty human male wandering by, and a spot of fun when Valiir’s eyes had drifted shut, and Rowla ordered her to dance a ‘wake-up jig’. It wasn’t until they’d been relieved by the regular navy and settled into their temporary lodgings that they heard anything more about the commotion.
As the most junior crewmember of the security team, Valiir had been sent to collect dinner, and when she returned from the mess hall with the packaged dinners set aside for the private contractors, her ears were twitching, and her tail quirked in agitation.
“Spit it out then,” Rowla prompted. “What’s got your tail in knots?”
“Cookie says, and mind you, this is just barracks rumours, nothing confirmed yet, but…” the ensign hesitated. “We lost two full detachments of quickpaws in the north. It happened early this morning, evening over there.”
“Not possible,” Imrir replied immediately. “No operation on this planet is big enough to need two special forces detachments. The humans don’t pose that kind of threat. We locked down their nukes, how the…”
“Cookie says it was a trap,” Valiir shrugged. “Apparently the rebels had good intel and stolen tech. Spoofed a distress call that claimed the governess' security team was under attack. The quick response teams arrived with guns blazing and the whole building was rigged to blow.”
“How was that call not verified? Did the humans actually manage to kidnap a governor?” Rowla raised an eyebrow.
“That’s the worst part. Apparently, and this is just a rumour, but apparently, the governess was… indisposed at the time of the attack. Off the clock with a local if the stories are to be believed. She’s been arrested, so there might be some truth to it.”
“Fuck.” Mirai muttered. The last thing they needed was more scandals at the command level. Morale was already at an all-time low.
“The distress call went out as shifts were changing. Orders were for all hands on deck. It was close to the airstrip, so they all got there at the same time. The humans had grenades and armour-piercing rifles on the rooftops too. From what I heard, out of the entire rescue operation, there were no survivors. Twenty-four special operatives blown to pieces. Including Admiral Shessix’s daughter.”
The air in the room grew heavy.
“The rebels will only get bolder after a win like that,” Rowla muttered darkly. “If they managed to get their hands on the intel to pull off that kind of operation, they’ll know how exactly how much it hurts us. The fleet is not equipped for a full-scale invasion of a hostile planet. The fact that we’re here is proof enough of that.”
“Whoever jumped the gun and sent half our quickpaws off on the same call needs to be hung up by the tail.” Mirai agreed, her voice low. “Shessix will be out hunting for blood in every direction.”
“Someone fucked up bad” Rowla frowned. “I have a sister on the ISF Hunts With Pride who mentions Shessix sometimes. Says she’s bad news on a good day, heavy on discipline and easy to rile up. Apparently, she was in line for a promotion and this whole nasty business put the stops on that for a while. If she decides she’s got a bone to pick with the humans, then our job just got a whole lot harder.”
A vengeful Admiral isn't the way you want to start your day, but maybe she had it coming.
We're up to Chapter 20 on Patreon! As well as being a big personal milestone for me, it's twice as much content as is available here or on Royalroad. If you're liking the story, please consider checking it out, one of my tiers might be right for you.
Hope you all have a stress-free end to your week and a relaxing weekend. It's a long weekend here, so I'm pissing off to the beach. I'll see you all on Monday (US time) as usual.
Thanks for Reading!
Sir ChickenBurger
[First Chapter]
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submitted by SirChickenBurger to HFY [link] [comments]
[Previous] [Patreon] [Next]
Mirai
I can’t believe we got suckered into this.
It was the first day of her crew’s new role as security contractors for an Imperium military base, and Captain Mirai was feeling like a rotisserie bric’ek as she turned her head once more to allow the relentless yellow eye of the star above to sear at the left side of her body instead of the right.
The radiation shouldn’t have been a huge problem; her crew and the rest of the fleet had been issued a cream that blocked all but the smallest amount of harmful UV from penetrating the surface of their sensitive kespan skin. Unfortunately, as the day wore on it quickly became apparent that there were patches where she’d been less than thorough in her application, and there was nothing to be done about the rolling waves of heat that built steadily between the half-hearted puffs of a light afternoon breeze.
She had no idea how the humans had developed unprotected skin like theirs in such conditions. It reminded her a little of her stint on Uxium-5 during the last 30 days of basic training when she’d been an Imperial cadet. There, the landscape had been sparsely populated with life, mostly microbial colonies living on rocks speckled with a ubiquitous scrub that formed most of the sunbaked planet’s land-based biodiversity. On Uxium-5, the sun’s scorching heat had laid waste to much of the planet, and they’d been forced to rely on resources scavenged from the planet’s vast oceans to survive.
The terrain was no less extreme but far more diverse in the southern regions of the continent that the humans referred to as ‘Australia’. Despite the dry acridity, most of the land was covered in thick vegetative undergrowth, from which spindly shrubs and even large trees grew at regular intervals in an uneven sandy soil that made expeditions on foot tedious things.
There were hidden dangers to contend with, too. Their suits kept them largely safe from the clouds of flying insects and the venomous reptiles and arachnids that seemed to lurk in every crevice. Still, vigilance was a hard thing to maintain. Mirai had heard horror stories of cadets whose attention to detail had slipped for long enough to allow enormous crawling and biting things into their boots and helmets, only to discover their mistake in the worst possible way.
Even the plants on this goddess-damned planet were actively trying to kill them. On a foray in the northern regions of the continent, a private from the 102nd had brushed her exposed tail up against a leaf that had immediately administered a nasty sting that rendered her crippled with pain. Examinations of samples taken from the plant revealed a bed of needle-sharp trichomes laden with a potent neurotoxin. The private in question had survived, but the toxin had proved resistant to many attempts at negation, and her story had been made even more sobering by the rumour that she had requested an amputation a full week later.
Fortunately, the location that Mirai’s team had been called in to provide security for was far from the reported habitat of that particular plant. The consulate was being constructed on the western outskirts of one of the country’s largest cities, Melbourne. While the military had formally surrendered, it had remained an Amber zone for several months following the botched induction, with roving bands of mostly male freedom fighters attempting to inflict what damage they could on the Imperial forces.
Now, a full year after the arrival of the Imperium, and several months after relief crews had started to arrive, the inevitability of facing up against an entire galaxy of beings armed with weapons and armour that far surpassed human technology had taken its toll. Without the deep-seated revenge-driven hatred that fuelled the women of the northern continents, things were finally settling down into a new normal in this region of the world.
Of all the postings she could have been assigned to, it was far from the worst, but there were complicating factors.
Speaking of which…
“Valiir! Eyes front! We are here to provide security, not be provided with a peep show!”
The tips of the guilty ensign’s long ears were already red where she had also misapplied her radiation blocker, but now they flushed all the way to their base as she slid her eyes away from the trio of human youths, all male, whose bare shoulders were disappearing down the road.
“J-just keeping an eye out for any troublemakers, ma’am!” Valiir squeaked out. She made a show of sweeping her gaze left and right again, lingering momentarily on the men before returning to parade rest. “We’re all clear!”
“Where do you suppose they’d be hiding a weapon if they had one?” Security Officer Rowla ribbed back, and the rest of the ensign’s face flushed the same scarlet as her ears.
“I suppose that depends on whether there’s any spare room in those shorts of theirs, that one on the left might have been packing something.” Imrir, the second officer, couldn’t help but add before stopping as Mirai turned to her with a sharp look. “Sorry, Ma’am.”
Mirai sighed, rubbing at sore eyes with a gloved claw. “We’re here to do a job, ladies. We might not be soldiers, but we are representing the Imperium, so keep it professional. Remember those soldiers from yesterday? The locals have plenty of good reasons to hate our guts. Let’s not give them any more.”
The mood change was immediate, and Mirai kicked herself when her crew slumped as one, eyes returning to the field and banter dying on their lips. Sometimes she forgot that this war was being fought on two fronts.
“This sucks,” Rowla noted darkly, shading her eyes with a gloved hand. “All these good-looking males, and not one of them wants anything to do with us.”
“One of them spat at me the other day.” Valiir offered. “I guess that’s kinda hot.”
“Fucking weirdo.” Rowla sniggered, and some of the tension dissolved. “But yeah, this was meant to be the best gig of our lives. I can’t believe the brass managed to screw it up so ba-“
“Look alive.” Imrir interrupted sharply, straightening up. An Imperial ATV was approaching through the heat shimmer, bright flashes of light reflecting off the sleek, angled metal of its grill. It was almost comically oversized on the human roads, occupying an entire lane and a half, and as it hurtled down the street towards them, it forced a civilian vehicle off to the side and onto the curb. Mirai winced; that was another public relations hurdle they’d need to overcome eventually.
As it drew closer, the flags on its hood came into view, and Mirai snapped to attention. “Eyes front, no slouching. It’s the Admiralty, and they’re in a hurry.” The consulate itself wasn’t finished, but there was a command centre and an active landing pad that had been completed as a matter of priority. She assumed that was where they were headed, but they should have been slowing down by now; there were protocols in place.
The vehicle held its brisk pace as it neared the first improvised checkpoint just ahead of theirs. Then it blew through the gate, sending the troops there scattering in every direction. Mirai’s breath hitched in her throat, and a hand dropped to her sidearm. They weren’t coming under any fire, so why the spectacle? A stolen military vehicle? Unlikely but possible.
Just as she was about to make the call on whether to open fire, her transponder crackled into life. A stilted voice— Duradian from the even tone and slight hisses— piped through in untranslated kespan. “Stand down, Captain Mirai. Stand down. Allow them through.”
“Let them pass! Emergency orders!” she yelled, and her crew jumped to each side of the road, those quicker on the draw lowering their weapons.
The truck roared past, forcing Mirai to shield her eyes from the spray of dusty earth that leapt up in its wake. As it skidded to a halt some thirty metres into the compound, the door was already opening, and before the wheels had finished turning, a long-eared kespan officer stepped out in a fluid dismount. She was adorned with livery, medallions and ribbons forming a solid block of colour on her slate grey coat. She was also ignoring the usual pomp and circumstance, waving off the consulate staff as she stalked down the path, spittle flying from between sharp teeth as she approached the landing pad above which, seemingly summoned by fury alone, a shuttle tore from the sky, moving altogether too fast for Mirai’s comfort.
The pilot was skilful at least, clearing the cloud cover and spearing toward the ground before abruptly lifting the nose and bleeding off speed as quickly as any hot landing Mirai had ever seen in her stint with the military. By the time the Admiral, because that was most certainly what she was, had made it two-thirds of the way down the path, the ramp of her shuttle was already opening. Two military personnel scuttled out, barely reaching the bottom of the ramp in time to throw a pair of crisp chest-high salutes.
Ignoring them, the crimson-faced Admiral as good as leapt aboard, clearing the ramp in three or four steps and disappearing into the belly of the shuttle. As the soldiers followed and the ramp rose back up, a new sound tore from the vessel, over even the roar of the engines. A horrific keening screech, of a kind that the death angels of old, celestial arbitrators worshipped back when Keshmin was a solitary speck in a dark and unknown galaxy, were said to have bestowed to their people. Mirai’s ears drew back, as did her troops, their curiosity and annoyance sated. That cry was equal parts fury and mourning.
“That’s not good,” Imrir muttered as the ramp inched shut and the wailing subsided. “That was Rear Admiral Shessix, right? I didn’t get a good look.”
“I heard one of her daughters was working special operations planetside,” Rowla offered. “Maybe something happened while she was out chasing glory.”
“Keep your goddessdamned traps shut about it, either way.” Mirai cut across the discussion. “Whatever that was, the less it affects us, the better. The last thing I need is attention from an Admiral while she’s in a mood like that.”
The rest of the day’s guard duty was uneventful, save for the occasional pretty human male wandering by, and a spot of fun when Valiir’s eyes had drifted shut, and Rowla ordered her to dance a ‘wake-up jig’. It wasn’t until they’d been relieved by the regular navy and settled into their temporary lodgings that they heard anything more about the commotion.
As the most junior crewmember of the security team, Valiir had been sent to collect dinner, and when she returned from the mess hall with the packaged dinners set aside for the private contractors, her ears were twitching, and her tail quirked in agitation.
“Spit it out then,” Rowla prompted. “What’s got your tail in knots?”
“Cookie says, and mind you, this is just barracks rumours, nothing confirmed yet, but…” the ensign hesitated. “We lost two full detachments of quickpaws in the north. It happened early this morning, evening over there.”
“Not possible,” Imrir replied immediately. “No operation on this planet is big enough to need two special forces detachments. The humans don’t pose that kind of threat. We locked down their nukes, how the…”
“Cookie says it was a trap,” Valiir shrugged. “Apparently the rebels had good intel and stolen tech. Spoofed a distress call that claimed the governess' security team was under attack. The quick response teams arrived with guns blazing and the whole building was rigged to blow.”
“How was that call not verified? Did the humans actually manage to kidnap a governor?” Rowla raised an eyebrow.
“That’s the worst part. Apparently, and this is just a rumour, but apparently, the governess was… indisposed at the time of the attack. Off the clock with a local if the stories are to be believed. She’s been arrested, so there might be some truth to it.”
“Fuck.” Mirai muttered. The last thing they needed was more scandals at the command level. Morale was already at an all-time low.
“The distress call went out as shifts were changing. Orders were for all hands on deck. It was close to the airstrip, so they all got there at the same time. The humans had grenades and armour-piercing rifles on the rooftops too. From what I heard, out of the entire rescue operation, there were no survivors. Twenty-four special operatives blown to pieces. Including Admiral Shessix’s daughter.”
The air in the room grew heavy.
“The rebels will only get bolder after a win like that,” Rowla muttered darkly. “If they managed to get their hands on the intel to pull off that kind of operation, they’ll know how exactly how much it hurts us. The fleet is not equipped for a full-scale invasion of a hostile planet. The fact that we’re here is proof enough of that.”
“Whoever jumped the gun and sent half our quickpaws off on the same call needs to be hung up by the tail.” Mirai agreed, her voice low. “Shessix will be out hunting for blood in every direction.”
“Someone fucked up bad” Rowla frowned. “I have a sister on the ISF Hunts With Pride who mentions Shessix sometimes. Says she’s bad news on a good day, heavy on discipline and easy to rile up. Apparently, she was in line for a promotion and this whole nasty business put the stops on that for a while. If she decides she’s got a bone to pick with the humans, then our job just got a whole lot harder.”
A vengeful Admiral isn't the way you want to start your day, but maybe she had it coming.
We're up to Chapter 20 on Patreon! As well as being a big personal milestone for me, it's twice as much content as is available here or on Royalroad. If you're liking the story, please consider checking it out, one of my tiers might be right for you.
Hope you all have a stress-free end to your week and a relaxing weekend. It's a long weekend here, so I'm pissing off to the beach. I'll see you all on Monday (US time) as usual.
Thanks for Reading!
Sir ChickenBurger
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2024.03.06 21:15 FeeltheVelvetBaby Please help me fix my itsy-bitsy leak!
I replaced an old refill valve that was spraying out the top, but was having trouble attacking the old ballcock coupling to the locknut. I tried replacing the supply tube and it seemed perfect, until I detected a tiny dribble, so I adjusted that a bit and noticed a tiny dribble around the supply valve, I keep adjusting but can't quite seem to solve it. Any tips or tricks? Apologies for my ignorance or if I misuse terminology, this is my first foray into toilet repair and I'm leaning on google images of parts for reference.
2024.02.29 20:28 Virtuous_Paragon Noob questions for detailing my first new car
So I recently purchased a 2024 Mazda CX30 and it’s my first new car ever. Consequently, this is also my first foray into any kind of auto-detailing.
I’ve been scouring Reddit and YouTube for beginner products and DIY tips but I’m getting information overload.
Basically I can’t afford PPF or a professional ceramic coating at the moment. I live in an apartment and don’t have a garage. I want to protect the paint, exterior, interior to keep it like new for as long as possible.
So right now I’m planning on doing a two bucket wash every 2 weeks or so using ONR and the big red sponge. I also picked up some edgeless 300 rag company microfibers to help dry? I got some 303 protectant for the exterior plastic and the tires but can also use it on the interior plastic and vinyl as well? I’ve seen some conflicting opinions on stoners invisible glass? So I did get some but not sure if I’m going to use it yet.
My biggest question after washing with ONR, do I apply some kind of sealant like optiseal or something like griots 3in1 spray? I want to get that high gloss beading. Do I buff it after I apply? Do I just apply it to the paint or all surfaces including glass? I’m still learning about clay bars and decontamination but I’m nervous about damaging the existing clear coat.
For the interior, I was initially planning on just using damp MFs to wipe dust off of the dash, center console, doors, and seats. What's a good all purpose cleaner for leatherette?
TL/DR: how/what to apply after using ONR? Hyperseal, optiseal, griots 3-in-1, do I need a clay bar, do I need to decon, interior cleaners/protectants, etc?
Sorry for the wall of text. I’m on mobile.
submitted by Virtuous_Paragon to AutoDetailing [link] [comments]
I’ve been scouring Reddit and YouTube for beginner products and DIY tips but I’m getting information overload.
Basically I can’t afford PPF or a professional ceramic coating at the moment. I live in an apartment and don’t have a garage. I want to protect the paint, exterior, interior to keep it like new for as long as possible.
So right now I’m planning on doing a two bucket wash every 2 weeks or so using ONR and the big red sponge. I also picked up some edgeless 300 rag company microfibers to help dry? I got some 303 protectant for the exterior plastic and the tires but can also use it on the interior plastic and vinyl as well? I’ve seen some conflicting opinions on stoners invisible glass? So I did get some but not sure if I’m going to use it yet.
My biggest question after washing with ONR, do I apply some kind of sealant like optiseal or something like griots 3in1 spray? I want to get that high gloss beading. Do I buff it after I apply? Do I just apply it to the paint or all surfaces including glass? I’m still learning about clay bars and decontamination but I’m nervous about damaging the existing clear coat.
For the interior, I was initially planning on just using damp MFs to wipe dust off of the dash, center console, doors, and seats. What's a good all purpose cleaner for leatherette?
TL/DR: how/what to apply after using ONR? Hyperseal, optiseal, griots 3-in-1, do I need a clay bar, do I need to decon, interior cleaners/protectants, etc?
Sorry for the wall of text. I’m on mobile.
2024.02.21 17:11 Diligent-Car3263 Every Sweet/Vanilla Perfume I tried in 2023
Every Sweet/Gourmand Perfume I tried in 2023
Since the year has drawn to a close and I have found myself going on quite the quest to find my perfect everyday scent, I’ve ended up trying a LOT of sweet, vanilla, coffee, or otherwise edible perfumes. A lot of them actually differed a ton from what I saw on this subreddit, so I figured I’d leave a little review for everything you guys inspired me to try this year. I’ve posted this on another subreddit, but since this one is full of gourmand girlies I thought y’all would appreciate it!
Philosophy Fresh Cream Warm Cashmere- This smells great, a very basic sweet vanilla that’s good for layering. Unfortunately, it lasts probably an hour if sprayed on my clothes, and less than that on my skin. For me, definitely not worth buying again.
Billie Eilish Eilish No. 1- This was my first foray into more expensive scents. In the beginning I really loved it, it’s another warm, basic vanilla that I could wear everyday. However as I got to the end of my travel spray I started to notice a weird chocolaty note in it that bothered me. Think like advent calendar chocolate. Bleh.
Ariana Grande Mod Vanilla- This is one I still wear, just bought the full size actually. I wouldn’t say it’s a warm, comforting vanilla like the others i’ve mentioned, more a sweet fruity marshmallow. I was able to wear this in the summer without issue. Lasting power is also phenomenal for a celebrity scent.
Aquolina Pink Sugar- This was really sweet, even for me. I liked it, but it has this powdery astringent note that I didn't like. Performance was okay, and I often wore this layered with Mod Vanilla, which was really nice.
Sabrina Carpenter Sweet Tooth- This perfume was like if Mod Vanilla was strictly gourmand and lacked its fruity notes. It's a very sweet, girly vanilla that has the powdery-ness of Pink Sugar but done a lot better in my opinion. For the price point it lasted a lot longer than I thought it would, I have no complaints, but this is better layered with other scents.
Angel Mugler- I have a weird relationship with this perfume. I do like it, don't get me wrong, and the projection is fantastic, but it smells very apple heavy on me. It is sweet, but I don't get any of the vanilla, caramel, chocolate notes that other people have described. Still a nice perfume, but it smells like sweet apple juice on me.
Mugler Alien Goddess- I tried this once and hated it, but ended up smelling it again at Ulta and loved it. I thought it would be really coconut heavy, which I hate, but it's just a really nice tropical sweetness. I think this pulls way more sweet vanilla than Angel.
SDJ Cheirosa 71- I was really excited about this perfume, it sounded right up my alley and the body spray wasn't too expensive. I liked it at initial spray, but as time passed it slowly turned into a straight up buttered popcorn smell on me. I can smell nothing but popcorn in this and eventually just gifted it away.
Khamrah Lattafa- I wanted to like this, I really did, but it's awful on me. This was my first blind buy (never again) and I got it for fall thinking it would smell like sweet apple pie. I was sorely mistaken, and it smelled like nothing other than sharp spice on me. Not even apple pie spices, just generic spicy. Not for me.
Prada Candy- This was another perfume that smelled nothing like what I expected, but not in a bad way. I was still searching for a caramel scent, and figured I'd give this one a go. There was caramel, but not at all in a warm, comforting way. This smells exactly like Coke on me, sweet, synthetic cola. And I like it, not for every day, but it's a fun perfume.
Kayali Vanilla 28- I was skeptical about Kayali for awhile, I tend to avoid anything that's been super hyped on on Tik Tok, but this perfume was great. I sprayed it on my skin at first and was disappointed with the smell and lasting power, it pulls really spice forward on my skin, so I sprayed on my clothes and finally got that sweet, vanilla extract smell everyone talks about. I love it, it doesn't project as much as I expected, but it's still really nice.
Burberry Goddess- I wasn't going to try this perfume because the notes seemed so simple and I dislike lavender, but I received a travel spray for Christmas. I have mixed feelings about this one, I absolutely love the dry down, but that lavender note in the beginning is just awful and way too floral for me. If I wear this one, I'll spray it on before I do my makeup so it can dry down before I leave.
7 Virtues Vanilla Woods- This has kind of the opposite issue that Goddess has on me. I love how it smells for about 2 hours, and then it gets really smokey and woody. If the vanilla would stay and blend with the woody notes, it would be great, but the vanilla disappears after a few hours.
The Good Scent Manifest- This perfume was an absolute shocker for me. I picked it up at Marshell's because the packaging was cute, and my god did it exceed my expectations. This was that tasty apple desert I was hoping for with Lattafa. The opening was very sweet, caramel apple forward, and the dry down adds a wonderful layer of vanilla cookies. Performance was great for a $12 perfume.
Rebecca Minkoff- This is the only tobacco perfume I can stand. It's a super sweet tobacco, and I think it blends the sweetness really well. Its super warm and comforting, but definetly not something for the summer. I wish I saw more love for this perfume.
Black Opium Le Parfum- I’ll start this by saying that I hate black opium, i’ve never been able to get that sweet vanilla/coffee smell that everyone else loves, but when I tried this version— totally different story. It’s sweet and vanilla heavy but has a nice floral fruitiness to it to round out the smell. I love it.
V&R Good Fortune Elixer- I was pleasantly surprised by this perfume, it’s a nice, sweet and smokey incense blended with creamy jasmine. Definitely worth a try if you haven’t smell it. (and the bottle is gorgeous!)
DefineMe Barbie- I never would have tried this on my own, but I received a sample from a friend. And oh my god, this is what I wanted from Pink Sugar. It’s SO sugary sweet and bright and fruity, and by god it projects like a beast. I always layer this with a fruity vanilla, like Mod Vanilla, to soften the smell a little. This is my boyfriends absolute favourite, and absolutely what Barbie would smell like. I will say that if you get a burnt plastic note from sweet perfumes like the ariana grande line, you may also get that in this scent.
Outreamer Vanille- I tried this because I saw it recommended everywhere, and it’s cheap. It certainly wasn’t what I was expecting. I get straight cotton candy from this and nothing else. Don’t get me wrong, I still like it, but definitely more of a layering perfume. Longevity is best when on my clothes.
Commodity Milk+- I have very strange feelings about this scent. I don’t hate it, but it pulls very woodsy on me, it’s really strong and tend to overpower my nose. Sometimes though, especially if I layer it with a sweeter vanilla, I’ll get a whiff of that creamy, marshmallow sweetness that is listed in the notes. I definitely don’t reach for this unless i’m going for a mare masculine profile though.
Anyway, what are your favourite vanillas/sweet smells and any you think I should try?
submitted by Diligent-Car3263 to FemFragLab [link] [comments]
Since the year has drawn to a close and I have found myself going on quite the quest to find my perfect everyday scent, I’ve ended up trying a LOT of sweet, vanilla, coffee, or otherwise edible perfumes. A lot of them actually differed a ton from what I saw on this subreddit, so I figured I’d leave a little review for everything you guys inspired me to try this year. I’ve posted this on another subreddit, but since this one is full of gourmand girlies I thought y’all would appreciate it!
Philosophy Fresh Cream Warm Cashmere- This smells great, a very basic sweet vanilla that’s good for layering. Unfortunately, it lasts probably an hour if sprayed on my clothes, and less than that on my skin. For me, definitely not worth buying again.
Billie Eilish Eilish No. 1- This was my first foray into more expensive scents. In the beginning I really loved it, it’s another warm, basic vanilla that I could wear everyday. However as I got to the end of my travel spray I started to notice a weird chocolaty note in it that bothered me. Think like advent calendar chocolate. Bleh.
Ariana Grande Mod Vanilla- This is one I still wear, just bought the full size actually. I wouldn’t say it’s a warm, comforting vanilla like the others i’ve mentioned, more a sweet fruity marshmallow. I was able to wear this in the summer without issue. Lasting power is also phenomenal for a celebrity scent.
Aquolina Pink Sugar- This was really sweet, even for me. I liked it, but it has this powdery astringent note that I didn't like. Performance was okay, and I often wore this layered with Mod Vanilla, which was really nice.
Sabrina Carpenter Sweet Tooth- This perfume was like if Mod Vanilla was strictly gourmand and lacked its fruity notes. It's a very sweet, girly vanilla that has the powdery-ness of Pink Sugar but done a lot better in my opinion. For the price point it lasted a lot longer than I thought it would, I have no complaints, but this is better layered with other scents.
Angel Mugler- I have a weird relationship with this perfume. I do like it, don't get me wrong, and the projection is fantastic, but it smells very apple heavy on me. It is sweet, but I don't get any of the vanilla, caramel, chocolate notes that other people have described. Still a nice perfume, but it smells like sweet apple juice on me.
Mugler Alien Goddess- I tried this once and hated it, but ended up smelling it again at Ulta and loved it. I thought it would be really coconut heavy, which I hate, but it's just a really nice tropical sweetness. I think this pulls way more sweet vanilla than Angel.
SDJ Cheirosa 71- I was really excited about this perfume, it sounded right up my alley and the body spray wasn't too expensive. I liked it at initial spray, but as time passed it slowly turned into a straight up buttered popcorn smell on me. I can smell nothing but popcorn in this and eventually just gifted it away.
Khamrah Lattafa- I wanted to like this, I really did, but it's awful on me. This was my first blind buy (never again) and I got it for fall thinking it would smell like sweet apple pie. I was sorely mistaken, and it smelled like nothing other than sharp spice on me. Not even apple pie spices, just generic spicy. Not for me.
Prada Candy- This was another perfume that smelled nothing like what I expected, but not in a bad way. I was still searching for a caramel scent, and figured I'd give this one a go. There was caramel, but not at all in a warm, comforting way. This smells exactly like Coke on me, sweet, synthetic cola. And I like it, not for every day, but it's a fun perfume.
Kayali Vanilla 28- I was skeptical about Kayali for awhile, I tend to avoid anything that's been super hyped on on Tik Tok, but this perfume was great. I sprayed it on my skin at first and was disappointed with the smell and lasting power, it pulls really spice forward on my skin, so I sprayed on my clothes and finally got that sweet, vanilla extract smell everyone talks about. I love it, it doesn't project as much as I expected, but it's still really nice.
Burberry Goddess- I wasn't going to try this perfume because the notes seemed so simple and I dislike lavender, but I received a travel spray for Christmas. I have mixed feelings about this one, I absolutely love the dry down, but that lavender note in the beginning is just awful and way too floral for me. If I wear this one, I'll spray it on before I do my makeup so it can dry down before I leave.
7 Virtues Vanilla Woods- This has kind of the opposite issue that Goddess has on me. I love how it smells for about 2 hours, and then it gets really smokey and woody. If the vanilla would stay and blend with the woody notes, it would be great, but the vanilla disappears after a few hours.
The Good Scent Manifest- This perfume was an absolute shocker for me. I picked it up at Marshell's because the packaging was cute, and my god did it exceed my expectations. This was that tasty apple desert I was hoping for with Lattafa. The opening was very sweet, caramel apple forward, and the dry down adds a wonderful layer of vanilla cookies. Performance was great for a $12 perfume.
Rebecca Minkoff- This is the only tobacco perfume I can stand. It's a super sweet tobacco, and I think it blends the sweetness really well. Its super warm and comforting, but definetly not something for the summer. I wish I saw more love for this perfume.
Black Opium Le Parfum- I’ll start this by saying that I hate black opium, i’ve never been able to get that sweet vanilla/coffee smell that everyone else loves, but when I tried this version— totally different story. It’s sweet and vanilla heavy but has a nice floral fruitiness to it to round out the smell. I love it.
V&R Good Fortune Elixer- I was pleasantly surprised by this perfume, it’s a nice, sweet and smokey incense blended with creamy jasmine. Definitely worth a try if you haven’t smell it. (and the bottle is gorgeous!)
DefineMe Barbie- I never would have tried this on my own, but I received a sample from a friend. And oh my god, this is what I wanted from Pink Sugar. It’s SO sugary sweet and bright and fruity, and by god it projects like a beast. I always layer this with a fruity vanilla, like Mod Vanilla, to soften the smell a little. This is my boyfriends absolute favourite, and absolutely what Barbie would smell like. I will say that if you get a burnt plastic note from sweet perfumes like the ariana grande line, you may also get that in this scent.
Outreamer Vanille- I tried this because I saw it recommended everywhere, and it’s cheap. It certainly wasn’t what I was expecting. I get straight cotton candy from this and nothing else. Don’t get me wrong, I still like it, but definitely more of a layering perfume. Longevity is best when on my clothes.
Commodity Milk+- I have very strange feelings about this scent. I don’t hate it, but it pulls very woodsy on me, it’s really strong and tend to overpower my nose. Sometimes though, especially if I layer it with a sweeter vanilla, I’ll get a whiff of that creamy, marshmallow sweetness that is listed in the notes. I definitely don’t reach for this unless i’m going for a mare masculine profile though.
Anyway, what are your favourite vanillas/sweet smells and any you think I should try?
2024.02.10 18:20 Dependent_Answer2603 Some random reviews!
I got 3 samples from the Sunday swap and they came in today! Here are my thoughts: —- Dessert first by Poesie The description: Notes: a delicate brew of black tea leaves laced with citrus peel and rose petals, finished with a drizzle of amber honey and the tiniest splash of cream
I really really LOVE THIS. It’s giving this energy of like you are one of the friends of the main character in some regency romance and feeling unfulfilled with your life and like to journal and dream over a super indulgent tea and you are there at the same time as an accomplished business man who likes to read his newspaper there and has the same order and you’ve made meaningful eye contact but not much else but it’s the highlight of your day.
This is my first foray with Poesie! Unfortunately I don’t think they sell this one anymore? Is there any way to get more? I just have a tiny sample. I clearly need to build up a collection because wow I love love love this! I’ll be on the lookout for more.
——-
Wicked Grace from Siren Song Elixirs
Description: White rose, peach, grapefruit, black tea, lily
Very much like taking a long peach bubble bath after a long day — the kind where you get all wrinkled because you are in the bath so long because you just have a lot on your mind and don’t want to escape the bath and meet the world yet.
First from this house too! I will have to wear test it. I don’t get much tea from it mostly just peach and that bubble bath kind of smell also gives kind of champagne? I like the idea of it and I’ll do a wear test but I worry it might read a little too young like the body sprays I used in high school
—-
Berry iced tea from coco pink!
Description: A frosted glass filled to the top with refreshing instant iced tea infused with ripe raspberry juice and golden peach syrup on the rocks. Summer in a glass!
It’s giving two teenagers on their first date after talking for hours via Snapchat or messages and there in person and there’s this bubbly excitement but they aren’t sure what to say but they’ve said it all. It’s a little awkward but also excitement just to be near each other after all the talking.
This is absolutely coming off very very young on me but I might try it. For sure for a younger cousin or sister. It’s not unpleasant but too sweet for me. I will try to wear it again!
Big takeaway — time to look into Poesie for sure!!!!!
submitted by Dependent_Answer2603 to Indiemakeupandmore [link] [comments]
I really really LOVE THIS. It’s giving this energy of like you are one of the friends of the main character in some regency romance and feeling unfulfilled with your life and like to journal and dream over a super indulgent tea and you are there at the same time as an accomplished business man who likes to read his newspaper there and has the same order and you’ve made meaningful eye contact but not much else but it’s the highlight of your day.
This is my first foray with Poesie! Unfortunately I don’t think they sell this one anymore? Is there any way to get more? I just have a tiny sample. I clearly need to build up a collection because wow I love love love this! I’ll be on the lookout for more.
——-
Wicked Grace from Siren Song Elixirs
Description: White rose, peach, grapefruit, black tea, lily
Very much like taking a long peach bubble bath after a long day — the kind where you get all wrinkled because you are in the bath so long because you just have a lot on your mind and don’t want to escape the bath and meet the world yet.
First from this house too! I will have to wear test it. I don’t get much tea from it mostly just peach and that bubble bath kind of smell also gives kind of champagne? I like the idea of it and I’ll do a wear test but I worry it might read a little too young like the body sprays I used in high school
—-
Berry iced tea from coco pink!
Description: A frosted glass filled to the top with refreshing instant iced tea infused with ripe raspberry juice and golden peach syrup on the rocks. Summer in a glass!
It’s giving two teenagers on their first date after talking for hours via Snapchat or messages and there in person and there’s this bubbly excitement but they aren’t sure what to say but they’ve said it all. It’s a little awkward but also excitement just to be near each other after all the talking.
This is absolutely coming off very very young on me but I might try it. For sure for a younger cousin or sister. It’s not unpleasant but too sweet for me. I will try to wear it again!
Big takeaway — time to look into Poesie for sure!!!!!
2024.02.09 22:54 headofachicken Where to apply Advion spray vs. gel
I live in NYC so was not able to get my hands on Alpine via domyown.com. I purchased Advion WDG spray and Advion gel bait but just noticed the bait instructions say it shouldn’t be placed anywhere that’s sprayed. If so, where should I spray and where should I bait? This is my first foray into treatment so I’m not sure if I should start with one thing over the other or a combination of the two products. Thank you!!
p.s. - I’ve read the sticky but didn’t see an answer on there
submitted by headofachicken to GermanRoaches [link] [comments]
p.s. - I’ve read the sticky but didn’t see an answer on there
2024.01.27 15:45 Smart-Set-7106 Brand it Like Beckham: A Masterclass in Digital Marketing
 | submitted by Smart-Set-7106 to u/Smart-Set-7106 [link] [comments] Image c/o Fredrik (@F_Edits) Imagine a world where a single Instagram post generates over £10 million in revenue. A universe where dedication to brand building transcends the pitch, reaching billions across continents. Welcome to the world of David Beckham, where the beautiful game and the beautiful game of digital marketing intersect in an impressive display of strategy, skill, and influence. Today, we lace up our digital cleats and embark on a masterclass, dissecting Beckham’s digital prowess through the lens of key marketing elements. “The name David Beckham generates great interest as he is a legend and an icon. He has been a fantastic ambassador for football, not only in England but all around the world; he is a fan’s player and wherever he goes he captures the supporters’ and media’s attention.“ -Terry Butcher (from Sky Sports)---- Key TakeawaysDavid Beckham’s digital success hinges on authenticity, strategic audience targeting, and embracing innovation: He isn’t just a sports icon; he’s a master storyteller who crafts engaging content, builds strong partnerships, and adapts to the ever-changing digital landscape.
Move 1: Building Brand Authority — The Golden Ball of Visibility Beckham, like any successful brand, understands the power of visibility. He's omnipresent with over 138 million social media followers and a carefully curated online presence. But it’s not just about numbers; it’s about authenticity. His content blends behind-the-scenes glimpses, family moments, and meticulously crafted brand collaborations. This transparency fosters trust and connection, laying the foundation for a loyal digital fan base. Move 2: Targeting the Right Audience — Crossing the Midfield of Relevance Anyone who’s watched Beckham play knows he doesn’t spray passes hoping for the best. He identifies his target audience with laser precision. From high-end fashion endorsements to grassroots football initiatives, his ventures cater to diverse demographics, united by a love for the man and his values. This targeted approach ensures engagement and maximizes conversion rates. “Whereas Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan are respected, Beckham is loved, adored, worshipped in some parts of the world. He has an almost godlike status.“ -Ellis Cashmore (Staffordshire University Professor)Move 3: Content is King, Creativity is Queen — Playing the Perfect Tika-Taka Beckham’s digital game isn’t a solo act. He collaborates with renowned creators, and studios like his own, Studio 99, to produce engaging content transcending language and cultural barriers. From captivating short films to interactive social media campaigns, his content strategy is a dynamic symphony of storytelling and brand messaging. Move 4: Mastering the Art of Storytelling — Captivating the Crowd with Every Pass David Beckham’s journey to superstardom. Beckham understands the power of narrative. His digital presence isn’t just about product placements; it’s about weaving stories of passion, perseverance, and family. He highlights his journey from a working-class London boy to a global icon, inspiring and resonating with audiences worldwide. Move 5: Leveraging the Power of Community — Building Walls Together, Not Against Like football, marketing is a team game. Beckham actively engages with his online community, responding to comments, participating in Q&A sessions, and fostering a sense of belonging. This two-way dialogue strengthens brand loyalty and creates a powerful network of advocates. Move 6: Embracing Innovation — The Long Ball of Emerging Channels Beckham doesn’t stick to the tried-and-tested. He embraces new platforms like TikTok and Chinese social media giants Weibo and Douyin, tailoring his content to suit their unique nuances. This openness to innovation keeps him ahead of the curve and expands his reach exponentially. Move 7: Utilizing Data-Driven Insights — Analyzing the Game After Every Match The Beckham effect on social media. Graphic c/o Comscore Like post-game analysis, Beckham evaluates and analyzes his performance in the world of marketing. He leverages social media analytics and engagement metrics to understand his audience’s preferences and refine his strategy. This data-driven approach ensures his content stays relevant and impactful. Move 8: Collaborating with Strategic Partners — Finding the Perfect Assist Building partnerships with brands like Tudor watches and Haig Club whisky allows Beckham to align his image with premium products that share his values of excellence and sophistication. These strategic collaborations not only generate revenue but also enhance his brand image. David Beckham in a promotional shot for Tudor’s Pelagos in 2021. Image c/o WatchPro Move 9: Embracing Social Responsibility — Scoring for a Greater Cause Beckham uses his platform for good, advocating for UNICEF and Malaria No More. This commitment to social responsibility attracts positive attention and resonates with audiences who value ethical brands. Move 10: Maintaining Relevance — Keeping the Ball Rolling Not content to rest on his laurels, Beckham constantly reinvents himself, undertaking new ventures like Inter Miami FC and Haig Club House, keeping his brand vibrant and engaging. David Beckham presents Inter Miami CF to the public. Image c/o GOAL Move 11: Adapting to Changing Landscapes — Pivoting like a Pro Midfielder The digital world is dynamic, and Beckham recognizes this. He adapts his strategies to changing trends, consumer behaviors, and technological advancements, ensuring his digital reign remains unchallenged. This was evident in his early adoption of Instagram and his recent foray into NFTs, showcasing his ability to read the digital room and capitalize on emerging opportunities. ---- The Final WhistleDavid Beckham’s digital mastery isn’t just about fame and fortune; it’s about a strategic approach built on authenticity, audience awareness, and constant evolution. By following his moves, we can learn valuable lessons about building and sustaining a successful brand in the digital age.Remember, the beautiful game of digital marketing demands dedication, creativity, and a willingness to adapt. With these lessons in mind, lace up your digital boots, embrace the Beckham way, and go out there and bend it to your will. ---- I hope you enjoyed reading. Please click the ‘Follow’ button to receive updates whenever I publish new content, and feel free to share this post with your family, friends, and followers. Like post-game analysis, Beckham evaluates and analyzes his performance in marketing. He leverages social media analytics and engagement metrics to understand his audience’s preferences and refine his strategy. This data-driven approach ensures his content stays relevant and impactful. ---- I hope you enjoyed reading. Please click the ‘Follow’ button to receive updates whenever I publish new content, and feel free to share this post with your family, friends, and followers. Most importantly…I want to hear from YOU 🫵. What do you consider to be David Beckham's greatest branding/marketing legacy? Let us know in the comments below 🤙 !!! |
2024.01.25 19:05 TheEvilBall A novice's review of my entire collection so far.
Hey there everyone, I've seen a few posts on here recently of other newcomers to the world of fragrance sharing their thoughts and wanted to give a try to reviewing my collection as well. A bit about myself, I've been browsing this sub and Fragrantica for a few weeks before I blindbought my first perfume (Terre d'Hermes Eau Tres Fraiche) less than a year ago, after seeing a comment saying it was about to be discontinued. It is a nice fragrance and I still have a bit of it left, but more on that later.
My first foray into a perfume that is (in my opinion) a bit less starndard, for lack of a better term, came this winter, when my mother got (and subsequently gave me) a free 30ml bottle of...
Noveau Genre by Yves Rocher
The nose behind this is Marie Salamagne, who is also responsible for Black Opium by Yves Saint Laurent and Mugler's Alien Goddess (at lest these were the two I recognised the most). As an absolute newcomer when it came to perfume, this one opened my mind to what a scent could be.
The opening leaves the impression of a vat of bubbling super dark chocolate into which a mad scientist added, among other spices a bit of gasoline. As it settles, it gets more and more conventionally nice and sweet (which I assume is the tonka bean coming through), ending with this sort of vanilla-y smell that I just love.
It is quite heavy and once, when I sprayed it, I got a "What is that terrible smell?" (to this day the only comment about a fragrance I've gotten), so it certainly isn't for everyone, but I love how offbeat it smells.
Overall a great scent, but not sure whether I would buy it on my own.
Terre d'Hermes Eau Tres Fraiche
Made by Jean Claude-Ellena, whose other perfumes I don't recognise by name, but he seems to be a Hermes mainstay.
My first perfume, which I have not worn much since autumn, but put on again for this review.
The opening is very juicy citrus, like I just peeled a sour orange, with this woody undertone (I assume the vetiver although I'm not sure). The citrus fades into the background as it progresses, fading entirely after a few hours.
I find this one a bit more boring than the previous perfume, but maybe that is because I wore it exclusively this summer. Either way, I will try to keep the bottle I have as long as possible, because its not being made anymore.
A good summer-y scent which I would probably buy again if I had the chance.
Toy Boy by Moschino
Made by Yann Vasnier, who seem sto have created scents for a whole bunch of houses including Tom Ford and Le Labo.
I bought this after smelling it from a sample and loving the playful sweet rosiness.
It opens with most of the scent it is known for, sweet pears and rose, but for the first 30 or so minutes the pink pepper is acting as an opener, still in the same genre, but with an edge of not giving a damn about what others think. After that it evolves into the full late summer package before settling down at a pleasant mild sweetness.
Certainly lighter than Noveau Genre, as I mentioned I bought this one and would do so again in an eyeblink.
Cozumel by Laboratorio Olfattivo (sample)
Created by Marie Duchêne, none of whose other perfumes do I recognise.
I bought this one in a build-your-own sample set because it was the only scent by LO that the site had, and I'm happy I did.
I would say that this is the exact opposite to the sharp sweetness of Toy Boy. It is very creamy and feels like how muted green would smell, linering in the nose for quite some time. I am not exactly sure how to describe it, but if this is what santalwood smells like, I want more of it.
I find this one great and would buy it if it wasn't sold out at all the retailers in the country and were I to have more disposable income.
Un Jardin à Cythère by Hermes (sample)
The nose behind this is Christine Nagel, an in-house perfumer of Hermes who is also behind H24, another scent I sampled.
This one begins with a fruity note, but it certainly isn't a fruit I know about. It kind of feels like if olives were orange, this is what they would smell like. This imaginary life cycle of olives continues with them turning green like normal, but a bit mushy and soft before finally turning into the wood that they came from.
Mixed feelings abouth this one, but would probably buy it on sale just because of how intriguing it is.
H24 by Hermes (sample)
Continuing with another Cristine Nagel scent.
I don't love this one as much as I thought I would, but it certainly is at least a bit interesting. It starts with a coniferrous needles note, although I couldn't tell you the exact tree. This then becomes just a ferrous one, smelling to me like how I'd imagine an aluminium railing to smell, but in a good way, with a slight undertone of a lumberyard somewhere in the distance.
This is a good one, but I wouldn't buy a full bottle.
L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme by Issey Miake (sample)
Made by Jacques Cavallier, who seems to be working primarily for Loius Vuitton and Bvlgari and also created the regular, non Pour Homme version of L'Eau d'Issey.
I can certainly smell the yuzu at the start and it certainly lasts longer than the citrus from Terre d'Hermes ETF, but to me it gets really nondescript and busy on the drydown. I still like how it smells, but can't really pick out anything other than a bit of fresh woodiness that comes through.
I like the smell, but wouldn't buy it as the longevity on me is attrocious compared to other perfumes I sampled.
Green Wood and Original Wood by DSquared2 (samples)
This one was created by Daphné Bugey, who seem to have been all around the perfume world doing things for the likes of Le Labo, Jean Paul Gautier and Mugler.
This one is pleasant, smelling, like the title would suggest, of wood. Green Wood doesn't smell markedly different than the original version, and I don't really smell much of the greenness from it. It's evolution is also pretty linear and it doesn't change much on my skin.
It is likeable, but I feel like I could get a very simmiliar from Avon for half the price.
CK Everyone EDP by Calvin Klein (sample)
(I am doing these in order of how much i liked them, which my be coming through at this point.)
CK Everyone was made by Gabriela Chelariu, whose main output seems to have been for Avon.
I don't have that much to say about this one, as I virtually wasn't able to smell it on my skin. From the notes I saw online I was excited for the green tea, but I got only the faint smell of lemon.
Can't really have an opinion on something I wasn't able to smell. Wouldn't buy.
1 Million Elixir by Paco Rabanne (sample)
I wasn't able to find who made this one, but I assume it was one the authors of the original 1 Million, I have no clue which one.
I've heard the praises for this scent sung to high heavens online, so I decided to give it a shot, and was terribly dissappointed. To me, it smells like a vanilla extract into which someone poured an ungodly amount of sugar. Somewhat fruity at the begginning, but then it settles into just straight sweetness.
Didn't like, and I would highly considere whether I would buy it even if I did as the bottle is honestly one of the most obnoxious things I've ever seen.
Young by Eisenberg (sample)
And we're at the last one, again authorless.
This one just smelled like a fruit covered in chockolate, if that fruit was left out on the counter for a week too long. This funky smell persisted all the way through, and I'm not sure whether I'd like it even if it hadn't.
Didn't like and wouldn't buy.
Whew, this was way longer of a writeup than I expected.
I would love to do reviews of of the more local and less known local perfumers. I currently have my eye on Pigmentarium and Aatma, a small Slovak perfumer.
submitted by TheEvilBall to fragrance [link] [comments]
My first foray into a perfume that is (in my opinion) a bit less starndard, for lack of a better term, came this winter, when my mother got (and subsequently gave me) a free 30ml bottle of...
Noveau Genre by Yves Rocher
The nose behind this is Marie Salamagne, who is also responsible for Black Opium by Yves Saint Laurent and Mugler's Alien Goddess (at lest these were the two I recognised the most). As an absolute newcomer when it came to perfume, this one opened my mind to what a scent could be.
The opening leaves the impression of a vat of bubbling super dark chocolate into which a mad scientist added, among other spices a bit of gasoline. As it settles, it gets more and more conventionally nice and sweet (which I assume is the tonka bean coming through), ending with this sort of vanilla-y smell that I just love.
It is quite heavy and once, when I sprayed it, I got a "What is that terrible smell?" (to this day the only comment about a fragrance I've gotten), so it certainly isn't for everyone, but I love how offbeat it smells.
Overall a great scent, but not sure whether I would buy it on my own.
Terre d'Hermes Eau Tres Fraiche
Made by Jean Claude-Ellena, whose other perfumes I don't recognise by name, but he seems to be a Hermes mainstay.
My first perfume, which I have not worn much since autumn, but put on again for this review.
The opening is very juicy citrus, like I just peeled a sour orange, with this woody undertone (I assume the vetiver although I'm not sure). The citrus fades into the background as it progresses, fading entirely after a few hours.
I find this one a bit more boring than the previous perfume, but maybe that is because I wore it exclusively this summer. Either way, I will try to keep the bottle I have as long as possible, because its not being made anymore.
A good summer-y scent which I would probably buy again if I had the chance.
Toy Boy by Moschino
Made by Yann Vasnier, who seem sto have created scents for a whole bunch of houses including Tom Ford and Le Labo.
I bought this after smelling it from a sample and loving the playful sweet rosiness.
It opens with most of the scent it is known for, sweet pears and rose, but for the first 30 or so minutes the pink pepper is acting as an opener, still in the same genre, but with an edge of not giving a damn about what others think. After that it evolves into the full late summer package before settling down at a pleasant mild sweetness.
Certainly lighter than Noveau Genre, as I mentioned I bought this one and would do so again in an eyeblink.
Cozumel by Laboratorio Olfattivo (sample)
Created by Marie Duchêne, none of whose other perfumes do I recognise.
I bought this one in a build-your-own sample set because it was the only scent by LO that the site had, and I'm happy I did.
I would say that this is the exact opposite to the sharp sweetness of Toy Boy. It is very creamy and feels like how muted green would smell, linering in the nose for quite some time. I am not exactly sure how to describe it, but if this is what santalwood smells like, I want more of it.
I find this one great and would buy it if it wasn't sold out at all the retailers in the country and were I to have more disposable income.
Un Jardin à Cythère by Hermes (sample)
The nose behind this is Christine Nagel, an in-house perfumer of Hermes who is also behind H24, another scent I sampled.
This one begins with a fruity note, but it certainly isn't a fruit I know about. It kind of feels like if olives were orange, this is what they would smell like. This imaginary life cycle of olives continues with them turning green like normal, but a bit mushy and soft before finally turning into the wood that they came from.
Mixed feelings abouth this one, but would probably buy it on sale just because of how intriguing it is.
H24 by Hermes (sample)
Continuing with another Cristine Nagel scent.
I don't love this one as much as I thought I would, but it certainly is at least a bit interesting. It starts with a coniferrous needles note, although I couldn't tell you the exact tree. This then becomes just a ferrous one, smelling to me like how I'd imagine an aluminium railing to smell, but in a good way, with a slight undertone of a lumberyard somewhere in the distance.
This is a good one, but I wouldn't buy a full bottle.
L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme by Issey Miake (sample)
Made by Jacques Cavallier, who seems to be working primarily for Loius Vuitton and Bvlgari and also created the regular, non Pour Homme version of L'Eau d'Issey.
I can certainly smell the yuzu at the start and it certainly lasts longer than the citrus from Terre d'Hermes ETF, but to me it gets really nondescript and busy on the drydown. I still like how it smells, but can't really pick out anything other than a bit of fresh woodiness that comes through.
I like the smell, but wouldn't buy it as the longevity on me is attrocious compared to other perfumes I sampled.
Green Wood and Original Wood by DSquared2 (samples)
This one was created by Daphné Bugey, who seem to have been all around the perfume world doing things for the likes of Le Labo, Jean Paul Gautier and Mugler.
This one is pleasant, smelling, like the title would suggest, of wood. Green Wood doesn't smell markedly different than the original version, and I don't really smell much of the greenness from it. It's evolution is also pretty linear and it doesn't change much on my skin.
It is likeable, but I feel like I could get a very simmiliar from Avon for half the price.
CK Everyone EDP by Calvin Klein (sample)
(I am doing these in order of how much i liked them, which my be coming through at this point.)
CK Everyone was made by Gabriela Chelariu, whose main output seems to have been for Avon.
I don't have that much to say about this one, as I virtually wasn't able to smell it on my skin. From the notes I saw online I was excited for the green tea, but I got only the faint smell of lemon.
Can't really have an opinion on something I wasn't able to smell. Wouldn't buy.
1 Million Elixir by Paco Rabanne (sample)
I wasn't able to find who made this one, but I assume it was one the authors of the original 1 Million, I have no clue which one.
I've heard the praises for this scent sung to high heavens online, so I decided to give it a shot, and was terribly dissappointed. To me, it smells like a vanilla extract into which someone poured an ungodly amount of sugar. Somewhat fruity at the begginning, but then it settles into just straight sweetness.
Didn't like, and I would highly considere whether I would buy it even if I did as the bottle is honestly one of the most obnoxious things I've ever seen.
Young by Eisenberg (sample)
And we're at the last one, again authorless.
This one just smelled like a fruit covered in chockolate, if that fruit was left out on the counter for a week too long. This funky smell persisted all the way through, and I'm not sure whether I'd like it even if it hadn't.
Didn't like and wouldn't buy.
Whew, this was way longer of a writeup than I expected.
I would love to do reviews of of the more local and less known local perfumers. I currently have my eye on Pigmentarium and Aatma, a small Slovak perfumer.
2024.01.24 20:09 myiege VFT Dormancy - Mold?
 | I know that VFT Dormancy is a pretty frequent question, but I am in need of some advice. I purchased this VFT in January and have kept it consistently moist and in an unheated greenhouse since arrival. It now seems to have grown a covering of greyish mold. This is my first foray into VFTs and I'm not sure what to do. My first instinct is to spray with diluted hydrogen peroxide and to let it dry out a bit, but I'm not sure this is the right course of action. submitted by myiege to SavageGarden [link] [comments] |
2024.01.23 04:44 nista002 KO Mackerel with Jalapeños
Apologies for no photos, I had no idea the impression this would make on me.
I'm relatively new to the tinned fish game, but one thing I established early on was that I greatly preferred Pilchards to Sprats, based on texture. This lead me to other brands after early forays into the King Oscar product line. Seasons is my staple at the moment.
I did swing by Walmart to try the KO Salmon with Lemon after seeing some here (It was good, nothing to write home about though). While I was there, I grabbed a can of the titular Mackerel with Jalapeños.
I had it tonight, with some lentils and rice. The fish itself was good - moister than Seasons' Mackerel, easier to flake off in the tin for no mess serving. A slight sweetness to it, which I think came from the Jalapeños. It had 4 rounds of Jalapeño in the tin, one of which was full of seeds. Not spicy at all (which is making me think that maybe making spicy tinned fish just doesn't work because of some weird chemical reaction).
The oil - Lord have mercy. I drizzled it over the lentils and rice, and I got a spoonful that was comically flavorful. It couldn't have been more than 4-5 ml of oil and olive oil was the only thing I could taste among this huge mouthful of lentils. It was almost like it had been sprayed with artificial olive oil flavoring, it was so strong and over the top. It was delicious, but I have never, ever tasted oil that was this intense, not even sesame oils. I saved the rest in a little jar and I'm going to use it for something tomorrow.
Has anyone else had this tin? Did you have a similar experience with the oil? Why would it possibly be so different from the oil in other K.O. products?
Is it actually possible it could have been an artificial flavor?
submitted by nista002 to CannedSardines [link] [comments]
I'm relatively new to the tinned fish game, but one thing I established early on was that I greatly preferred Pilchards to Sprats, based on texture. This lead me to other brands after early forays into the King Oscar product line. Seasons is my staple at the moment.
I did swing by Walmart to try the KO Salmon with Lemon after seeing some here (It was good, nothing to write home about though). While I was there, I grabbed a can of the titular Mackerel with Jalapeños.
I had it tonight, with some lentils and rice. The fish itself was good - moister than Seasons' Mackerel, easier to flake off in the tin for no mess serving. A slight sweetness to it, which I think came from the Jalapeños. It had 4 rounds of Jalapeño in the tin, one of which was full of seeds. Not spicy at all (which is making me think that maybe making spicy tinned fish just doesn't work because of some weird chemical reaction).
The oil - Lord have mercy. I drizzled it over the lentils and rice, and I got a spoonful that was comically flavorful. It couldn't have been more than 4-5 ml of oil and olive oil was the only thing I could taste among this huge mouthful of lentils. It was almost like it had been sprayed with artificial olive oil flavoring, it was so strong and over the top. It was delicious, but I have never, ever tasted oil that was this intense, not even sesame oils. I saved the rest in a little jar and I'm going to use it for something tomorrow.
Has anyone else had this tin? Did you have a similar experience with the oil? Why would it possibly be so different from the oil in other K.O. products?
Is it actually possible it could have been an artificial flavor?
2024.01.22 01:03 _M_I_A_W_S_ The Ultimate Indie Switch Games List... Kind Of (Part 7)
 | Can you believe it? Seven of these things already. Oh, how time files. Today we are finally going to put a cap on top-down action games. List number six included all top-down shooters, and this list includes all top-down games that focus on melee. submitted by _M_I_A_W_S_ to TreasureChest [link] [comments] As I've said before, these are only the Switch indie games that I own. If your game isn't here, it either sucks, I've never heard of it, or I've never played it... Okay, here we go again. TOP-DOWN ACTION GAMES ----- 17: Swords of Ditto: Mormo's Curse (Rogue-lite / Top-Down Action)Boss Fight I think... I wouldn't know. Mormo’s Curse. . . Hmmm…. Mormo’s Curse. You know, I’ve done my best to keep negative critique out of these blurbs because they are not intended to be reviews. Having said that, Mormo’s curse is certainly not a bad game, and there is plenty to love here. It’s a top-down open-world action game with some of the best hand-drawn artwork on the Switch. There’re dungeons to explore, entertaining puzzles, and a heap of enemy types. I just couldn’t get very far into it. Walking is a little slow and when you die, you begin again from scratch. This is typically okay in other rogue-lites, but here, re-treading an open world to fill out the map over and over becomes a slog. For those who can make it deeper than I did, there is a way to stop permanent death, but the game didn’t interest me long enough for me to get there. After the third death, I'd had enough. Items and weapons are very expensive as well, so most of my time in this game was spent grinding and exploring, only for it all to come undone exploring too far. I apologize for the lack of detail here, but this one just took too long to get going. If enough of you disagree with this placement, I'll force myself to have another go. Sword of Ditto: Mormo's Curse's Trailer 16: Tumbleseed (Rogue-like / Top-Down Action)Roll 'em if you got 'em. Many of you may be wondering what the hell this has to do with melee and the answer is: I have no fucking idea. But where the hell else am I going to list this game? It's in a league of its own. It's one of the most unique indie games out there. You play as a seed that must reach the top of a mountain filled with deadly hazards. The catch is you can only move the seed upward by balancing it on a rotating platform. As the seed rolls left and right, you'll need to collect power-ups, circumnavigate pitfalls, and dodge enemies. It's extremely difficult and very addicting to learn about this world. Tumbleseed's Trailer 15: UnderDungeon (Top-Down Action-adventure / RPG)Retro-love at its best. This little Zelda-like follows Kimuto, an anthropomorphic delivery cat on their first day at Unlimited Distributions. Of course, the places they must go to complete their deliveries to are crawling with monsters. Like ye days of old, you'll venture dungeons collecting items, weapons, perks, battling an array of enemies and bosses with your trusty sword. This is a short and sweet retro romp, perfect for those seeking something to squeeze in after work. UnderDungeon's Trailer 14: Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King (Top-Down Action / RPG)Are you man enough? Big and bad enough? I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking if anyone sees you playing this game, you will be forced to turn in your man card. I get that. It looks like some happy-pants lollipop fantasy where you collect blossoms and plant daises. Been there. So, do what I did. Play the entire Blossom Tales series when no one’s looking. Go back to your parent’s basement, or cuddle up with that meth-addicted homeless man you avoid eye-contact with every time you drive by him on your way to work. Wherever you need to hide, play this game. IT’S WORTH IT. Blossom Tales is one of the better classic Zelda-like games on Switch. It’s a bedtime tale about a young knight named Lily destined to save the King, who has been cursed into an everlasting sleep by his evil wizard brother, Crocus. Armed with sword, shield, and (of course) bombs, Lily ventures out into an open world filled with side-quests, dungeons, secrets, and powerful bosses. The Blossom Tales games may not be very difficult, but they are charming, light-hearted and fun for anyone in the family. Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King's Trailer Blossom Tales 2: The Minotaur Prince's Trailer 13: Akane (Arena Twin-Stick Shooter / Hack N’ Slash)Tokyo Ghost who? There's not much to Akane. It's the first of three wave games on this list but that doesn't necessarily you mean you will not like it more than the others. You play as ronin Akane, whose parents were slaughtered by the Yakuza when she was a young girl. She's sworn to avenge them by killing every Yakuza member, but now she's trapped in what appears to be Shinjuku Square. Here, you'll fight wave after wave of enemies completing as many sub-missions as you can before you die. These include shooting 50 enemies in one run, or killing a certain amount of enemies in short time. They are tough but fair, and completing them will make the pain oh, so worth it. See, as you complete these sub-missions, you'll unlock new weaponry, armor and abilities to make you more powerful, letting you string more enemies together and letting you kill every Yakuza boss that much quicker. This one is purely about fast bloody vengeance. Akane's Trailer 12: Death Road To Canada (Rogue-lite / Top-Down Action)This chick is fucked.... The following blurb was ripped from The Top Switch Indie Games List... Kind Of (Part 1). Death Road To Canada isn’t the most beautiful game on the planet, and the UI is downright atrocious, but if you can get past it, the game is probably the best zombie invasion indie on the switch, especially when playing in local co-op. It reminds me of The Oregon trail in that you and your party set off in a car toward Canada to escape the zombie apocalypse. On the way, you’ll be prompted with decisions that could either benefit you, or get you, or someone in your party killed. Between these prompts, you’ll have to leave your car and enter into zombie-filled towns to scavenge for whatever you can find for survival. This includes, food, gas, guns, melee weapons, ammunition and more. There’s also a permanent upgrade system for custom characters. I made all my friends and gave them douchebag attitudes. My friends were thrilled. You can also customize character loadouts and upgrade those as well. This game is definitely a strong case for "Don’t judge a book by its cover." Death Road To Canada’s trailer 11: Moonlighter (Rogue-lite / Top-down Action / Management)Hey there big guy... In Moonlighter, you play as Will, a shopkeeper with secret aspirations to become a legendary hero. By day, he keeps a shop where he sells curios of the ancient ruins, but by night, he explores those ruins, gathering more items for his shop, as he searches for the four keys that will unlock the fifth and final dungeon. What this game lacks in story (because what I’ve mentioned is pretty much all you get outside of some NPC chat), it makes up for in content. Not only can you upgrade your shop with your well-earned revenue, you can upgrade the entire village. These meta-progressions are more interesting than many other rogue-lites because you can see the effects your business is making on the village as you proper. You can really get into the management side of things with this game, experimenting with different prices to see how your customers react. Happier customers means more business, but higher prices means unhappy customers. Balancing this is a joy and the developers did a fine job of keeping it quick and interesting. Obviously, the other side of this game is the combat, which doesn’t slouch either. The five procedurally-generated dungeons are filled with unique enemies and challenging boss encounters that make frequenting the ruins addictive. Day or night in Moonlighter, you’re going to be hooked. Moonlighter's Trailer 10: Brotato (Rogue-like / Bullet-Heaven)This is basically the only background scheme, but that's not the point. Imagine having a potato you could customize. No, not like that little pussy Mr Potato Head. Fuck that guy. I'm talking about customizing a potato... to kill. Oh, yeah. A potato you can load up with guns, knives, swords, sticks, maybe a hammer, whatever the hell you're into, all in an effort to rid the world of scum... or aliens... or something like that. There's really no story to this game at all. In Brotato, your only goal is to survive wave after wave of enemy attacks. Each wave allows you to upgrade and customize your potato further. This is similar to other traditional rogue-lites, but what I love about Brotato is you have a little more say in the RNG. In Brotato, if you see an upgrade that costs too much or you simply want it for later, the store (so to speak) can hold it for a smaller fee. It's like putting weapons and items on lay-away. It's surprisingly more strategic than you think, and it will definitely take several runs to really understand Brotato's depth. The best part is Brotato is very fast-paced. If you enjoy the upgrade speed and gameplay of Vampire Survivors, you'll quickly fall in love here. It's pick-up-and-play heaven. Brotato's Trailer 9: Furi (Top-down Action / Hack N' Slash / Boss-Rush)It's so beautiful. You'd have a hard time finding an indie game that does hack n slash and bullet hell better than Furi. You play as The Stranger, a man locked deep within a prison that tortures you endlessly. One day, a man named The Voice sets you free and explains that in order to escape, you'll need to kill your way out. He hands you a sword and a gun, and you're on your way. It's light, and simple, and that's okay because story is not the focus here. It's gameplay. Furi is series of violent sword fights with excellent multi-tiered bosses that spray bullets everywhere. The fights are incredibly difficult, long, and well- designed, and the gameplay feels quick and responsiveDeaths always feel fair here. If all that and its intriguing cyber aesthetic isn't enough, check out the original soundtrack because it features music from Scattle, Carpenter Brut, Waveshaper, Lorn, The Toxic Avenger, and Kn1ght. Furi's Trailer 8: Crawl (Top-Down Melee Action)You can see who each player is playing as here. Probably one of the best multiplayer games on the Switch, Crawl is about robbing your friends of happiness. You see, the goal is to survive a randomly-generated dungeon filled with horrific monsters, and then enter an exit portal and slay one of three final bosses. The catch is, up to three other players (or bots) control spirits who want to possess you so they can escape instead. The problem for them is they must kill you without the ability to physically touch you in order to posses you. So, instead, they will take control of traps and possess monsters to get the job done. If they succeed, you become a spirit and must regain your body using those same tactics. This game will stay fresh forever. Each run unlocks new monsters for spirits to possess, or new weapons that can help the dungeon-crawler survive. It’s wildly entertaining. Crawl's Trailer 7: Eldest Souls (Souls-like / Top-down Action / Boss Rush)Good luck. Eldest Souls is without a doubt the best top-down souls-like boss-rush game to date. It encourages close combat with a “Bloodthirst” mechanic where slashing violently after charging in regenerates your health. Obviously, the caveat here is you’re more susceptible to damage, and that’s the beauty in it. True to souls-like gameplay, the key to survival is balancing your damage output with defensive strategy, so weaving in and out, timing your dodge-rolls between enemy attack patterns demands perfection. It’s an act that make you feel like you’re conducting a flawless symphony. Every boss grants you skill points to spend on new abilities and stats, only improving upon this gameplay design. With twelve intricate boss-encounters to master, you’ll have one of two things: A game to sink fifteen intense hours into, or a $1500 tv that needs a Switch controller surgically removed from its components. Eldest Souls' Trailer 6: Hades (Rogue-lite / Top-Down Melee Action)Hell never looked more vibrant. You’ve probably heard of Hades. It’s listed in nearly every mainstream publication’s “Top Ten Indie Games” list, and for good reason. Hades changed the rogue-lite game by making every death more than just a restart. Each death became an opportunity to learn more about the world and those living within it. Everyone has distinct character and intertwining pasts that they reveal to you bit by bit with every death. This makes every failed foray through the depths of Hell feel like turning a page in a well-written book about the life of Zagreus, son of Hades. Now sleeve that book with a tight, action-packed rogue-lite that includes a slew of weapons and play-styles to choose from, varied enemy-types with intricate move-sets, well-designer boss encounters, a great soundtrack, A-tier voice acting, loads of content to upgrade and unlock, the kitchen sink, breakfast in bed, other things that are really good, and bam…. Hades. Hades' Trailer 5: Vampire Survivors (Rogue-lite / Top-Down Action)The best game of tag, you're dead. The following blurb was ripped from The Top Switch Indie Games List... Kind Of (Part 1) Vampire Survivors is another totally different concept. Instead of shooting enemies, you simply avoid them and let your character automatically attack. The longer you survive, the more weapon upgrades you get and the more enemies appear. The more enemies you kill, the more money you make, and the more shit you can unlock on the main menu. Initially, this idea sounded a little dull, but after filling my screen with literally hundreds of skeletons, ghosts, vampires, bats, spiders and all sorts of evil creatures, I realized it’s incredibly intuitive as well as ADDICTING. It's pick-up-and-play fun and there's loads to unlock. New characters, menu options, songs, missions, permanent upgrades; it just keeps growing. And the chicks dig it! The game... not... anyway, survive a single run to thirty minutes and you’ll see what I mean. Vampire Survivor’s Trailer 4: Ape Out (Top-Down Melee Action)Is it just a hug he wants? The following blurb was ripped from The Top Switch Indie Games List... Kind Of (Part 1) Jesus Christ, this game’s got style. From the art to the music, I don’t have a single bad thing to say about Ape Out, except for maybe that I wish there was MORE. You play as a violent Gorilla attempting to escape various facilities. As you toss enemies into the wall, they’ll explode into a bloody mess leaving limbs you can grab and toss at other enemies. And get this, the music adapts to your play. So, as you wreak havoc, you’ll be boppin' your head to some sweet jazz rappa-tap-taps that burst with rhythm after every kill. Ape Out isn’t very long, but I say it’s short and sweet, and never overstays its welcome. Not only that, it's a friend favorite. Everyone I’ve showed this one to has bought and loved it. It’s violent, it’s fast, it’s spectacular. Ape Out’s Trailer 3: Ember Knights (Top-Down Action)Gorgeous four-player fun! I should start by saying this game runs like absolute dog-shit on Switch when playing multiplayer so pick it up somewhere else. Now that that’s out of the way… ahem* The evil sorcerer Praxis has stolen the mystical Ember Tree’s life force, leaving the universe on the brink of total annihilation! It’s up to you, the titular Ember Knight, to track down that purple bastard and stop him once and for all! ….Yeah, it sounds kind of like a Power Ranger wrote this one, but that’s not the point. Ember Knights is sort of like a multiplayer version of Hades. There are a lot of rogue-lites that try to do this, but this game actually got it right. It’s packed with different enemy-types and bosses—the latter of which are challenging and very well designed. There are plenty of weapons, skills and modifiers to unlock. That change the way you play, and best of all, you can play with up to four players. You would think this might make the game fairly easy, but it’s balanced perfectly no matter how many players you have. Ember Knights' Trailer 2: Hyperlight Drifter (Top-Down Action / RPG)Sci-fi masterpiece. I’m not a smart man, so though I know Hyperlight Drifter’s story is excellent, it requires an intelligence vastly superior to my own. For score and seven years ago, many perspicacious Redditors banded together to discuss educated theories of Hyperlight Drifter’s complex lore, and to piece together its shattered history in order to envision the greater whole. Because of their efforts, today, few things are left to interpretation, and we have a better understanding of this phenomenal classic’s world. I’ll put a link to where “The Great Ones” spoke below for those that can decipher their advanced language. What I can tell you about Hyperlight Drifter is it’s fucking cool. The massive open-world map and atmosphere is like really sci-fi-ish and the gameplay is like slash, slash, slash, blood, blood, blood. You know? There’s tons of upgrades to purchase with collectibles, amazing boss fights, puzzles, it’s all really really fun and addicting and stuff. Check out the trailer! Link to The Great Ones Hyperlight Drifter's Trailer 1: Death’s Door (Top-Down Action / RPG)The best top-down melee game in the last five years easily. Death's Door isn't very long. I think the credits rolled for me on hard mode somewhere around the ten hour mark. Usually, I prefer more length to my games, but this game does absolutely everything right. The art style is charming, the music is memorable, the enemies and boss fights are unique, intriguing, powerful and bountiful. Gameplay feels tight and responsive, difficult yet fair. Even the story is engaging and humorous. I have nothing bad to say about this game. Death's Door's Trailer ----- Final Word: Okay, now that another list is down, I'm going on vacation. Yes, I'm off to Japan for two weeks, so the next list won't be up until the first or second week of February. Please consider sharing these lists with your friends or other subreddits while I'm gone. If I can sustain readers and possibly make some profit, I intend to make a game reviews / news website. I know there are already too many of those, but I enjoy writing about games. Our podcast will also begin soon so keep your head poked in the TreasureChest for that link. I'll always be updating these lists, but as we move on from these 145+ indie games, I'll begin a new collection of indie game reviews. I also realize this post needs a lot more editing than the last. I'm late for my flight, though. Bye! |
2024.01.17 01:29 Straight_Leopard_614 Unpopular Opinion: Nostalgia and Thoughts on Baccarat Rouge 540
A few days ago I received my order of a decant of BR540. I'm not on TikTok and only know of its virality from my Reddit feed and going down rabbit holes thereafter.
This'll probably get me banned from planet Earth but...I am not a fan. It's not terrible, but I'd never seek it out. It's nothing like I expected, even from reading the notes and reviews. For me, it leans very caramel and a little cotton candy.
TBH, the very first thing I thought of was Burberry Classic, which yoinked me down memory lane.
Burberry Classic was my first foray into "grown-up" fragrances when I was around 21, graduating from body mists and sprays, yogi-esque roll-on oils from the import store at the mall, Victoria's Secret Divine, and Tommy Girl and Lucky. It was 2004 circa. I was living at home in a very rural part of the U.S. and had recently started a job as an office manager and broker's assistant at a real estate office. I grew up in a place where hoodies and cargo pants were daily uniforms, but this new job had me making the big bucks--a whopping $10 an hour, which was huge in that time and place--and I wanted to feel fancy, even though our clientele were lumberjacks and backwoods folk.
One Saturday, I remember I drove the hour to civilization and headed to the Younkers store at the mall. I was a pudgy thing and could literally never fit in the high fashion world--you know, because our midwest department store was so high fashion, even a step above Kohl's, which would later move into the mall and replace it. Because of this, I sashayed straight past the Clinique counter that I so often graced with a hope and a prayer that the gigantic bar of soap in their three-step system would clear my acne, and directly to the fragrance counter. After 45 minutes of losing myself in a heady cloud of perfume, I finally settled on Burberry's Classic scent. I also left the store with a purse and some hoop earrings.
I wore that scent out. I loved the warm caramel scent it portrayed on my skin, which I think was a combo of the apricot, sandalwood, and all the base notes. For the next year, I started voyaging into learning about perfumes to feel elite, eventually leveling up to the only label thing I could fit into: a Burberry scarf (100% authentic from eBay, of course). I became obsessed with Burberry and ended up owning most of their fragrances at the time--Classic, Brit, London, Brit Sheer, Beat, along with Paris Hilton by Paris Hilton. I was so fancy coming from my little pond, but I didn't have the budget to try all the classic favorites I read about on Basenotes and Frangrantica.
I moved away to a big city and continued adopting the more mid-2000s office chic-meets-MySpace look, and ended up exploring more fragrances, moving away from Burberry. My taste changed with time and experience, being influenced by my catapult into world travel and living abroad, discovering my true self on a Cordoban patio at the dead end of a cobblestone street, beneath layers of nostalgia for memories that were never mine.
Over the next decade, I went through a weird evolution of fragrances that as I attempted to express my innermost being, but fell a little short: Gucci Envy Me, Armani Code (an unfortunate sickening chemical fake from eBay), Versace Eros, Intimately Beckham, and Carthusia Corallium. I then discovered smaller niche perfume houses and became a devotee of Ormond Jayne for a few years, with Ta'if and Frangipani in my collection, but also liked Tolu, Orris Noir, and Ormond Woman for a time. I tried to love Acqua di Gioia because the gorgeous little commercial with Emily Didonato really resonated with me, but it didn't stick. Apart from fragrance, I burned through all the masculine, musky, and warm wood candles I could find.
I had a period of limbo until Phlur caught my eye. I loved a handful of their fragrances, owning Hanami, Moab, and Añoranza. Hanami is still probably my current favorite perfume and yes, I stocked up when they announced it was being discontinued. Their perfume didn't feel quite as dizzying as all the others I had owned, and I appreciated that. I also have been on the Ffern ledger for a year and it's been an interesting discovery. So many little niche perfumes have been popping up in ads attempting to separate me from my daily bread--I've ordered too many sample kits over the past couple of years, though surprisingly I haven't done Lelabo. With Phlur's rebrand and my three favorites going out of commission, my step-daughter coming home occasionally with new perfumes and me telling her all about my past perfume obsession, I decided to start exploring fragrance again and found this Reddit thread and all the hype mentioning BR540, so I had to find out for myself.
It's interesting how a smell that started it all can be revisited and completely strike out.
The current scents that I wear most are Phlur Hanami, Phlur Añoranza, and Noteworthy no. 743, though I blame this mostly on not being as up-to-date in the fragrance world anymore. I tend to lean into musks and scents that are just great to wear when you're only in your skin, so I'm surprised I just don't love BR540 the way I thought I would. Seems I like white floral and green notes more than I realize I do these days, though I'm still convinced of my love for warm, wood, spice, and musk. It may have to do with how my life has evolved over the past few years, too...I don't travel very much, and I feel less sense of freedom and sensuality overall.
Anyone else share a similar opinion on the scent?
submitted by Straight_Leopard_614 to fragrance [link] [comments]
This'll probably get me banned from planet Earth but...I am not a fan. It's not terrible, but I'd never seek it out. It's nothing like I expected, even from reading the notes and reviews. For me, it leans very caramel and a little cotton candy.
TBH, the very first thing I thought of was Burberry Classic, which yoinked me down memory lane.
Burberry Classic was my first foray into "grown-up" fragrances when I was around 21, graduating from body mists and sprays, yogi-esque roll-on oils from the import store at the mall, Victoria's Secret Divine, and Tommy Girl and Lucky. It was 2004 circa. I was living at home in a very rural part of the U.S. and had recently started a job as an office manager and broker's assistant at a real estate office. I grew up in a place where hoodies and cargo pants were daily uniforms, but this new job had me making the big bucks--a whopping $10 an hour, which was huge in that time and place--and I wanted to feel fancy, even though our clientele were lumberjacks and backwoods folk.
One Saturday, I remember I drove the hour to civilization and headed to the Younkers store at the mall. I was a pudgy thing and could literally never fit in the high fashion world--you know, because our midwest department store was so high fashion, even a step above Kohl's, which would later move into the mall and replace it. Because of this, I sashayed straight past the Clinique counter that I so often graced with a hope and a prayer that the gigantic bar of soap in their three-step system would clear my acne, and directly to the fragrance counter. After 45 minutes of losing myself in a heady cloud of perfume, I finally settled on Burberry's Classic scent. I also left the store with a purse and some hoop earrings.
I wore that scent out. I loved the warm caramel scent it portrayed on my skin, which I think was a combo of the apricot, sandalwood, and all the base notes. For the next year, I started voyaging into learning about perfumes to feel elite, eventually leveling up to the only label thing I could fit into: a Burberry scarf (100% authentic from eBay, of course). I became obsessed with Burberry and ended up owning most of their fragrances at the time--Classic, Brit, London, Brit Sheer, Beat, along with Paris Hilton by Paris Hilton. I was so fancy coming from my little pond, but I didn't have the budget to try all the classic favorites I read about on Basenotes and Frangrantica.
I moved away to a big city and continued adopting the more mid-2000s office chic-meets-MySpace look, and ended up exploring more fragrances, moving away from Burberry. My taste changed with time and experience, being influenced by my catapult into world travel and living abroad, discovering my true self on a Cordoban patio at the dead end of a cobblestone street, beneath layers of nostalgia for memories that were never mine.
Over the next decade, I went through a weird evolution of fragrances that as I attempted to express my innermost being, but fell a little short: Gucci Envy Me, Armani Code (an unfortunate sickening chemical fake from eBay), Versace Eros, Intimately Beckham, and Carthusia Corallium. I then discovered smaller niche perfume houses and became a devotee of Ormond Jayne for a few years, with Ta'if and Frangipani in my collection, but also liked Tolu, Orris Noir, and Ormond Woman for a time. I tried to love Acqua di Gioia because the gorgeous little commercial with Emily Didonato really resonated with me, but it didn't stick. Apart from fragrance, I burned through all the masculine, musky, and warm wood candles I could find.
I had a period of limbo until Phlur caught my eye. I loved a handful of their fragrances, owning Hanami, Moab, and Añoranza. Hanami is still probably my current favorite perfume and yes, I stocked up when they announced it was being discontinued. Their perfume didn't feel quite as dizzying as all the others I had owned, and I appreciated that. I also have been on the Ffern ledger for a year and it's been an interesting discovery. So many little niche perfumes have been popping up in ads attempting to separate me from my daily bread--I've ordered too many sample kits over the past couple of years, though surprisingly I haven't done Lelabo. With Phlur's rebrand and my three favorites going out of commission, my step-daughter coming home occasionally with new perfumes and me telling her all about my past perfume obsession, I decided to start exploring fragrance again and found this Reddit thread and all the hype mentioning BR540, so I had to find out for myself.
It's interesting how a smell that started it all can be revisited and completely strike out.
The current scents that I wear most are Phlur Hanami, Phlur Añoranza, and Noteworthy no. 743, though I blame this mostly on not being as up-to-date in the fragrance world anymore. I tend to lean into musks and scents that are just great to wear when you're only in your skin, so I'm surprised I just don't love BR540 the way I thought I would. Seems I like white floral and green notes more than I realize I do these days, though I'm still convinced of my love for warm, wood, spice, and musk. It may have to do with how my life has evolved over the past few years, too...I don't travel very much, and I feel less sense of freedom and sensuality overall.
Anyone else share a similar opinion on the scent?
2024.01.13 23:23 Diligent-Car3263 Every Sweet/Gourmand Perfume I tried in 2023
Since the year has drawn to a close and I have found myself going on quite the quest to find my perfect everyday scent, I’ve ended up trying a LOT of sweet, vanilla, coffee, or otherwise edible perfumes. A lot of them actually differed a ton from what I saw on this subreddit, so I figured I’d leave a little review for everything you guys inspired me to try this year.
Philosophy Fresh Cream Warm Cashmere- This smells great, a very basic sweet vanilla that’s good for layering. Unfortunately, it lasts probably an hour if sprayed on my clothes, and less than that on my skin. For me, definitely not worth buying again.
Billie Eilish Eilish No. 1- This was my first foray into more expensive scents. In the beginning I really loved it, it’s another warm, basic vanilla that I could wear everyday. However as I got to the end of my travel spray I started to notice a weird chocolaty note in it that bothered me. Think like advent calendar chocolate. Bleh.
Ariana Grande Mod Vanilla- This is one I still wear, just bought the full size actually. I wouldn’t say it’s a warm, comforting vanilla like the others i’ve mentioned, more a sweet fruity marshmallow. I was able to wear this in the summer without issue. Lasting power is also phenomenal for a celebrity scent.
Aquolina Pink Sugar- This was really sweet, even for me. I liked it, but it has this powdery astringent note that I didn't like. Performance was okay, and I often wore this layered with Mod Vanilla, which was really nice.
Sabrina Carpenter Sweet Tooth- This perfume was like if Mod Vanilla was strictly gourmand and lacked its fruity notes. It's a very sweet, girly vanilla that has the powdery-ness of Pink Sugar but done a lot better in my opinion. For the price point it lasted a lot longer than I thought it would, I have no complaints, but this is better layered with other scents.
Angel Mugler- I have a weird relationship with this perfume. I do like it, don't get me wrong, and the projection is fantastic, but it smells very apple heavy on me. It is sweet, but I don't get any of the vanilla, caramel, chocolate notes that other people have described. Still a nice perfume, but it smells like sweet apple juice on me.
Mugler Alien Goddess- I tried this once and hated it, but ended up smelling it again at Ulta and loved it. I thought it would be really coconut heavy, which I hate, but it's just a really nice tropical sweetness. I think this pulls way more sweet vanilla than Angel.
SDJ Cheirosa 71- I was really excited about this perfume, it sounded right up my alley and the body spray wasn't too expensive. I liked it at initial spray, but as time passed it slowly turned into a straight up buttered popcorn smell on me. I can smell nothing but popcorn in this and eventually just gifted it away.
Khamrah Lattafa- I wanted to like this, I really did, but it's awful on me. This was my first blind buy (never again) and I got it for fall thinking it would smell like sweet apple pie. I was sorely mistaken, and it smelled like nothing other than sharp spice on me. Not even apple pie spices, just generic spicy. Not for me.
Prada Candy- This was another perfume that smelled nothing like what I expected, but not in a bad way. I was still searching for a caramel scent, and figured I'd give this one a go. There was caramel, but not at all in a warm, comforting way. This smells exactly like Coke on me, sweet, synthetic cola. And I like it, not for every day, but it's a fun perfume.
Kayali Vanilla 28- I was skeptical about Kayali for awhile, I tend to avoid anything that's been super hyped on on Tik Tok, but this perfume was great. I sprayed it on my skin at first and was disappointed with the smell and lasting power, it pulls really spice forward on my skin, so I sprayed on my clothes and finally got that sweet, vanilla extract smell everyone talks about. I love it, it doesn't project as much as I expected, but it's still really nice.
Burberry Goddess- I wasn't going to try this perfume because the notes seemed so simple and I dislike lavender, but I received a travel spray for Christmas. I have mixed feelings about this one, I absolutely love the dry down, but that lavender note in the beginning is just awful and way too floral for me. If I wear this one, I'll spray it on before I do my makeup so it can dry down before I leave.
7 Virtues Vanilla Woods- This has kind of the opposite issue that Goddess has on me. I love how it smells for about 2 hours, and then it gets really smokey and woody. If the vanilla would stay and blend with the woody notes, it would be great, but the vanilla disappears after a few hours.
The Good Scent Manifest- This perfume was an absolute shocker for me. I picked it up at Marshell's because the packaging was cute, and my god did it exceed my expectations. This was that tasty apple desert I was hoping for with Lattafa. The opening was very sweet, caramel apple forward, and the dry down adds a wonderful layer of vanilla cookies. Performance was great for a $12 perfume.
Rebecca Minkoff- This is the only tobacco perfume I can stand. It's a super sweet tobacco, and I think it blends the sweetness really well. Its super warm and comforting, but definetly not something for the summer. I wish I saw more love for this perfume.
submitted by Diligent-Car3263 to fragrance [link] [comments]
Philosophy Fresh Cream Warm Cashmere- This smells great, a very basic sweet vanilla that’s good for layering. Unfortunately, it lasts probably an hour if sprayed on my clothes, and less than that on my skin. For me, definitely not worth buying again.
Billie Eilish Eilish No. 1- This was my first foray into more expensive scents. In the beginning I really loved it, it’s another warm, basic vanilla that I could wear everyday. However as I got to the end of my travel spray I started to notice a weird chocolaty note in it that bothered me. Think like advent calendar chocolate. Bleh.
Ariana Grande Mod Vanilla- This is one I still wear, just bought the full size actually. I wouldn’t say it’s a warm, comforting vanilla like the others i’ve mentioned, more a sweet fruity marshmallow. I was able to wear this in the summer without issue. Lasting power is also phenomenal for a celebrity scent.
Aquolina Pink Sugar- This was really sweet, even for me. I liked it, but it has this powdery astringent note that I didn't like. Performance was okay, and I often wore this layered with Mod Vanilla, which was really nice.
Sabrina Carpenter Sweet Tooth- This perfume was like if Mod Vanilla was strictly gourmand and lacked its fruity notes. It's a very sweet, girly vanilla that has the powdery-ness of Pink Sugar but done a lot better in my opinion. For the price point it lasted a lot longer than I thought it would, I have no complaints, but this is better layered with other scents.
Angel Mugler- I have a weird relationship with this perfume. I do like it, don't get me wrong, and the projection is fantastic, but it smells very apple heavy on me. It is sweet, but I don't get any of the vanilla, caramel, chocolate notes that other people have described. Still a nice perfume, but it smells like sweet apple juice on me.
Mugler Alien Goddess- I tried this once and hated it, but ended up smelling it again at Ulta and loved it. I thought it would be really coconut heavy, which I hate, but it's just a really nice tropical sweetness. I think this pulls way more sweet vanilla than Angel.
SDJ Cheirosa 71- I was really excited about this perfume, it sounded right up my alley and the body spray wasn't too expensive. I liked it at initial spray, but as time passed it slowly turned into a straight up buttered popcorn smell on me. I can smell nothing but popcorn in this and eventually just gifted it away.
Khamrah Lattafa- I wanted to like this, I really did, but it's awful on me. This was my first blind buy (never again) and I got it for fall thinking it would smell like sweet apple pie. I was sorely mistaken, and it smelled like nothing other than sharp spice on me. Not even apple pie spices, just generic spicy. Not for me.
Prada Candy- This was another perfume that smelled nothing like what I expected, but not in a bad way. I was still searching for a caramel scent, and figured I'd give this one a go. There was caramel, but not at all in a warm, comforting way. This smells exactly like Coke on me, sweet, synthetic cola. And I like it, not for every day, but it's a fun perfume.
Kayali Vanilla 28- I was skeptical about Kayali for awhile, I tend to avoid anything that's been super hyped on on Tik Tok, but this perfume was great. I sprayed it on my skin at first and was disappointed with the smell and lasting power, it pulls really spice forward on my skin, so I sprayed on my clothes and finally got that sweet, vanilla extract smell everyone talks about. I love it, it doesn't project as much as I expected, but it's still really nice.
Burberry Goddess- I wasn't going to try this perfume because the notes seemed so simple and I dislike lavender, but I received a travel spray for Christmas. I have mixed feelings about this one, I absolutely love the dry down, but that lavender note in the beginning is just awful and way too floral for me. If I wear this one, I'll spray it on before I do my makeup so it can dry down before I leave.
7 Virtues Vanilla Woods- This has kind of the opposite issue that Goddess has on me. I love how it smells for about 2 hours, and then it gets really smokey and woody. If the vanilla would stay and blend with the woody notes, it would be great, but the vanilla disappears after a few hours.
The Good Scent Manifest- This perfume was an absolute shocker for me. I picked it up at Marshell's because the packaging was cute, and my god did it exceed my expectations. This was that tasty apple desert I was hoping for with Lattafa. The opening was very sweet, caramel apple forward, and the dry down adds a wonderful layer of vanilla cookies. Performance was great for a $12 perfume.
Rebecca Minkoff- This is the only tobacco perfume I can stand. It's a super sweet tobacco, and I think it blends the sweetness really well. Its super warm and comforting, but definetly not something for the summer. I wish I saw more love for this perfume.
2024.01.12 22:18 Additional-Dress-893 Ayond 3 fragrance launch review
Since I've been on the search for perfumes (and buying samples) that don't trigger migraines or nausea... I've been getting targeted adds. Of course 😜
Ayond popped up. It's a natural beauty company and these 3 scents were their foray into fragrance, inspired by the desert and all it provides. And honestly, they sounded intriguing, promising and delightful.
ROCK ROSE - Opening is bitter orange, black pepper, and frankincense. Heart is rock rose, Turkish rose, galbanum resin. Base is patchouli, oakmoss, and cedarwood.
This was the scent I ordered the sample set for. I'm was not disappointed at all.
It opens spicy and green. Almost astringent from the frankincense. The rose follows quickly, light and not overpowering. It's still astringent, almost soapy. I'm definitely smelling the galbanum resin over the base notes. As it dries and the galbanum loses its potency, the very light sweetness from the patchouli starts in, but there is none of the mustyness. The oakmoss grounds it and makes it extremely in the middle of the woods smelling. I can't pick the cedarwood out but I'm still a very new fragrance user.
It's just a lovely skin scent. It's not sweet, or seductive but wild and evokes the color green. This feels like a fragrance you'd wear for yourself if you love natural scents.
METAMORPH - Opening is juniper berries, bergamot, clove buds, frankincense. Heart is armoise, clary sage, jasmine. Base is vetiver, balsam fir, and nagarmothe.
This is my absolute favorite scent but it does not last long without help (lotion or oils). It last maybe 2.5 to 3 hours before the scent is hard to pick up.
This is what I imagine clean smells like as it wears. It is astringent at first, very sharp from the clove but quickly hits an herby, fresh smell. It almost smells cold as it settles and the lightest bit of cream that curtails the astringency of the first notes. I find myself smelling where I spray this over and over again. It feels like taking deep breaths of cool, fresh air. It goes very lightly woody after settling. It's very pleasant, not in your face at all.
TAOS BLUE - Opening in neroli, bergamot, bitter orange, ozonic accord. Heart is blue lilac, freesia, pink pepper, ylang ylang. Base is cedarwood, vetiver, elemi.
First spray is amazing. Light and airy. Like the first light rays hit the delicate blooms and the heat starts to tease the florals scent out; lilac answers first by punching through the air. As the air warms, the heady and seductive ylang ylang perfumes around you and then the freesia decides the air needs maturing. This scent is a pollinators eden. Bees flying punch drunk between flowers, heavy with pollen. The sun beats down and I'm in the middle soaking it all in.
This one is definitely a feeling pretty, want to smell pretty scent. It's a little heavier than I'm drawn to and gives me scent fatigue.
submitted by Additional-Dress-893 to fragrance [link] [comments]
Ayond popped up. It's a natural beauty company and these 3 scents were their foray into fragrance, inspired by the desert and all it provides. And honestly, they sounded intriguing, promising and delightful.
ROCK ROSE - Opening is bitter orange, black pepper, and frankincense. Heart is rock rose, Turkish rose, galbanum resin. Base is patchouli, oakmoss, and cedarwood.
This was the scent I ordered the sample set for. I'm was not disappointed at all.
It opens spicy and green. Almost astringent from the frankincense. The rose follows quickly, light and not overpowering. It's still astringent, almost soapy. I'm definitely smelling the galbanum resin over the base notes. As it dries and the galbanum loses its potency, the very light sweetness from the patchouli starts in, but there is none of the mustyness. The oakmoss grounds it and makes it extremely in the middle of the woods smelling. I can't pick the cedarwood out but I'm still a very new fragrance user.
It's just a lovely skin scent. It's not sweet, or seductive but wild and evokes the color green. This feels like a fragrance you'd wear for yourself if you love natural scents.
METAMORPH - Opening is juniper berries, bergamot, clove buds, frankincense. Heart is armoise, clary sage, jasmine. Base is vetiver, balsam fir, and nagarmothe.
This is my absolute favorite scent but it does not last long without help (lotion or oils). It last maybe 2.5 to 3 hours before the scent is hard to pick up.
This is what I imagine clean smells like as it wears. It is astringent at first, very sharp from the clove but quickly hits an herby, fresh smell. It almost smells cold as it settles and the lightest bit of cream that curtails the astringency of the first notes. I find myself smelling where I spray this over and over again. It feels like taking deep breaths of cool, fresh air. It goes very lightly woody after settling. It's very pleasant, not in your face at all.
TAOS BLUE - Opening in neroli, bergamot, bitter orange, ozonic accord. Heart is blue lilac, freesia, pink pepper, ylang ylang. Base is cedarwood, vetiver, elemi.
First spray is amazing. Light and airy. Like the first light rays hit the delicate blooms and the heat starts to tease the florals scent out; lilac answers first by punching through the air. As the air warms, the heady and seductive ylang ylang perfumes around you and then the freesia decides the air needs maturing. This scent is a pollinators eden. Bees flying punch drunk between flowers, heavy with pollen. The sun beats down and I'm in the middle soaking it all in.
This one is definitely a feeling pretty, want to smell pretty scent. It's a little heavier than I'm drawn to and gives me scent fatigue.