All codes below are split where possible unless noted; please only redeem at the place agreed upon; please redeem code soon after sale.
Thanks for looking!
Have multiples of some codes.
Venmo and CashApp Accepted

$1.75 to $5.00 4k Codes

• Avengers: Endgame, 4k iTunes (ports to MA in 4k) $4
• Big Hero 6, 4k MA (ports to MA in 4k) $4
• Captain America: Civil War, 4k iTunes (ports to MA in 4k) $4
• Finding Dory, 4k iTunes (ports to MA in 4k) $3.50
• The Good Dinosaur, 4k iTunes (ports to MA in 4k) $4
• Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story, 4k MA (ports to MA in 4k) (Comes with Sony Rewards Points) $5
• Hook, 4k MA (ports to MA in 4k) (Comes with Sony Rewards Points) $5
• The Last Witch Hunter, 4k iTunes or 4k vudu $3.50
• Maleficent, 4k iTunes (ports to MA in 4k) $3.50
• Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, 4k iTunes (ports to MA in 4k) $4
• Pitch Perfect, 4k iTunes (ports to MA in 4k) (Comes with 500 Universal Rewards Points) $2.50
• Ralph Breaks the Internet, 4k iTunes (ports to MA in 4k) $4
• Snitch, 4k iTunes $1.75
• Thanksgiving (2023), 4k MA (ports to MA in 4k) (Comes with Sony Rewards Points) $5
• Toy Story 4, 4k iTunes (ports to MA in 4k) $4
• Wonder (2017), 4k iTunes $2

$14.00 8 Film High On Your Watch List Collection (1 Code for all 8 Movies, Redeemable via Movies Anywhere)

• Due Date, HD
• Friday, HD
• ⁠Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, HD
• House Party, HD
• ⁠Inherent Vice, HD
• ⁠Project X, HD
• ⁠Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny, HD
• ⁠We're the Millers, HD

$3.00 May Universal Rewards Code

Good for one of the following movies, redeemable via Movies Anywhere.

• Backdraft 2, 4k $3
• Black Christmas, 4k $3
• A Dog's Purpose, 4k $3
• The Sparks Brothers, 4k $3
• Agnes Browne, HD $3
• Antz, HD $3
• Being Frank, HD $3
• Don't Let Go, HD $3
• Final Account, HD $3
• Kicks, HD $3
• Loving, HD $3
• Raw, HD $3

$3.50 Sony Buff Pass

Good for one of the following movies, redeemable via Movies Anywhere.

• Hancock, 4k $3.50
• My Girl, 4k $3.50
• Stripes, 4k $3.50
• The Blob, HD $3.50
• Blue Thunder, HD $3.50
• Born Yesterday, HD $3.50
• Bye Bye Birdie, HD $3.50
• Guess Who, HD $3.50
• Stir Crazy, HD $3.50
• Untraceable, HD $3.50

$3.00 to $4.50 Disney/Marvel/Star Wars HD MA, vudu, or iTunes Movie Codes (All Port to Movies Anywhere)

• Atlantis: Milo's Return, HD MA (ports to MA) $4.50
• Brother Bear, HD MA (ports to MA) $4.50
• Brother Bear 2, HD MA (ports to MA) $4.50
• The Fox and the Hound 2, HD MA (ports to MA) $4
• Hocus Pocus, HD MA (ports to MA) $4
• The Little Mermaid (1989), HD MA (ports to MA) $4
• The Lone Ranger, HD iTunes (ports to MA) $4
• Mary Poppins (1964), HD iTunes (ports to MA) $4
• Mulan (1998), HD MA (ports to MA) $4
• The Nightmare Before Christmas, HD MA (ports to MA) $4
• Oz the Great and Powerful, HD MA (ports to MA) $3.50
• Queen of Katwe, HD MA (ports to MA) $3
• Turning Red, HD MA (ports to MA) $3.50

$1.50 to $3.50 Disney/Marvel/Star Wars HD Google Play Movie Codes (All Port to Movies Anywhere)

• Aladdin (2019), HD gp (ports to MA) $3
• Avengers: Endgame, HD gp (ports to MA) $2.25
• Beauty and the Beast (2017), HD gp (ports to MA) $2.25
• Big Hero 6, HD gp (ports to MA) $2.25
• Black Panther, HD gp (ports to MA) $2.25
• The Call of the Wild, HD gp (ports to MA) $2.25
• Captain America: The Winter Soldier, HD gp (ports to MA) $3
• Captain America: Civil War, HD gp (ports to MA) $3
• Cinderella (2015), HD gp (ports to MA) $2.25
• Coco, HD gp (ports to MA) $3
• Doctor Strange, HD gp (ports to MA) $2.25
• Finding Dory, HD gp (ports to MA) $2
• Frozen, HD gp (ports to MA) $2
• Frozen (Sing-Along Edition), HD gp (ports to MA) $2
• The Good Dinosaur, HD gp (ports to MA) $3
• Guardians of the Galaxy, HD gp (ports to MA) $2.50
• Incredibles 2, HD gp (ports to MA) $3.50
• Inside Out, HD gp (ports to MA) $2.50
• The Lion King (2019), HD gp (ports to MA) $2.50
• Little Mermaid (animated), HD gp (ports to MA) $3
• Maleficent, HD gp (ports to MA) $2
• Mary Poppins (1964), HD gp (ports to MA) $3
• Moana, HD gp (ports to MA) $2
• Monsters University, HD gp (ports to MA) $3.50
• The Nightmare Before Christmas, HD gp (ports to MA), HD gp (ports to MA) $3.50
• Star Wars: The Force Awakens, HD gp (ports to MA) $2
• Star Wars: The Last Jedi, HD gp (ports to MA) $2
• Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, HD gp (ports to MA) $2
• Thor: The Dark World, HD gp (ports to MA) $3.50
• Thor: Ragnarok, HD gp (ports to MA) $2.50
• Toy Story 4, HD gp (ports to MA) $2
• Zootopia, HD gp (ports to MA) $2

$2.00 to $3.00 HD MA, vudu, or iTunes Movie Codes

• Assassination Nation, HD MA (ports to MA) $3
• The Bourne Legacy, HD MA (ports to MA) $2
• Boyhood, HD vudu $2
• Boyhood, HD iTunes $2
• Chicago (Diamond Edition), HD iTunes or HD vudu $2
• Danny Collins, HD iTunes (ports to MA) (Comes with 500 Universal Rewards Points) $2
• The Gunman, HD iTunes (ports to MA) (Comes with 500 Universal Rewards Points) $3
• Home Again, HD MA (ports to MA) $3
• I Feel Pretty, HD iTunes $3
• Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas, HD MA (ports to MA) $3
• Megan Leavey, HD iTunes (ports to MA) (Comes with 500 Universal Rewards Points) $2
• The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature, HD iTunes (ports to MA) (Comes with 500 Universal Rewards Points) $2
• Paranormal Activity 3, HD vudu $2
• The Purge, HD MA (ports to MA) $2
• Rio 2, HD MA (ports to MA) $3
• Same Kind of Different As Me, HD iTunes $2
• Selma, HD vudu $2
• Selma, HD iTunes $2
• Sinister, HD iTunes $2
• Super 8, HD vudu $3
• Tremors 5: Bloodlines, HD MA (ports to MA) $2.50
• Walking With Dinosaurs: The Movie, HD MA (ports to MA) $3

$0.75 to $1.25 HD MA, vudu, or iTunes Movie Codes (Total must be at least $1)

• The Expendables 2, HD vudu $0.75
• Florence Foster Jenkins, HD iTunes $0.75
• The Hunger Games, HD vudu $0.75
• Indivisible, HD MA (Canada only) $0.75
• Paranormal Activity 3, HD iTunes $1.25
• The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2, HD vudu $0.75
• Tyler Perry's Madea's Witness Protection, HD vudu $1.25

$0.50 to $1.00 SD Movie Codes (Total must be at least $1)

• Hugo, SD vudu $0.50
• Rio, SD iTunes (ports to MA) $1
• The Vow, SD MA (ports to MA) $0.50

Venmo and CashApp Accepted

We yet again have another year of Invictus, with new ships and vehicles being released. New updates and new game systems adding consistently. For any new players, welcome to the star citizen universe. I promise you, not all of us bite :P
If you’re looking to get into start citizen during the free fly events, if you’re willing, use code STAR-GG9M-KFZK. If you’re not, disregard this section; no harm, no foul
For anyone who is no or inexperienced and need help, or are just looking for players to fly and fight with, feel free to comment below.
For any experienced/returning players, I would love to hear your opinions on the new releases that we’ve seen so far in invictus. What is your favorite? Pros/cons? Etc etc.

Our house was built around '95 (Austin, TX, we bought in 2020), and as far as we can tell, has a fully-functioning alarm system from Ranger American Security. - The control panel beeps and lights up when buttons are pushed - When windows or doors are opened, the appropriate panels for the zone light up on the control panel - When the power clicks off and on (occasionally), the siren will go off for maybe ~1s - I replaced the battery in the main lockbox about six months ago
We were not provided with a code to the system, in fact when we bought the house the paperwork said there was no security system. So although the system seems functional, we cannot switch it on, presumably because we do not know the code.
The website seems to be https://rangeramerican.org/ , but I have never had anyone answer the phone or respond to a message, despite the banners on the site.
The question is, is there any type of handyman or tech who is not associated with Ranger who can reset the system and let us set our own code? We are almost certain we have a free, functional alarm system, if only we could control it!

🔥🔥🔥 Hot Items 🔥🔥🔥

From	To	Price
Hull D	Arrastra	$29
Hull D	Carrack	$54
Prowler	Hull D	$45
600i Explorer	M2 Hercules	$49

🔥🔥🔥 Standalone Ships🔥🔥🔥

Ship	Insurance	Price
85X	LTI	$60
600i Exploration Edition	LTI	$445
600i Luxury Edition	LTi	$410
890 Jump Anniversary 2016	48	$890
890 Jump Anniversary 2017	60	$899
890 Jump Anniversary 2018	72	$909
Arrastra	120	$585
Constellation Phoenix Anniversary 2016	48	$360
Constellation Phoenix Anniversary 2017	48	$360
Constellation Phoenix Anniversary 2018	48	$360
Constellation Phoenix - ILW	120	$375
Defender	LTI	$195
Eclipse	LTI	$285
Endeavor *Pods available	120	$360
Dragonfly Black	6	$39
Dragonfly Black	LTI	$49
Dragonfly Yellowjacket	LTI	$65
Fury Plus Leatherback Paint OC	LTI	$60
Fury LX plus Black Star Paint OC	LTI	$60
G12 OC	LTI	$65
G12r OC	LTI	$65
Galaxy *Modules available	120	$390
Glaive	6/48/72	$360/$380/$390
Hammerhead	LTI	$660
Hull E	120	$800
Lynx plus Moonrise Paint OC	LTI	$59
Merchantman CCU'd	LTI	$350
MPUV Cargo OC	LTI	$45
Nox	LTI	$49
Nox Kue	LTI	$49
Odyssey	120	$800
Orion Anniversary 2016	48	$560
Orion	120	$660
Perseus	120	$685
Polaris	LTI	$800
Polaris	120	$760
Storm plus Summit Paint OC *212	LTI	$100

🔥🔥🔥 CCU'd Ships🔥🔥🔥

Ship	Base	Insurance	Price
F7C-M Super Hornet *Includes SQ42, SC Game Package	Hornet F7C Plus	LTI	$220
F7C-M Super Hornet *Includes SQ42, SC Game Package	Hornet F7C	LTI	$190

🔥🔥🔥 Cost saving CCUs🔥🔥🔥

🔥🔥🔥 CCUs🔥🔥🔥

From	To	Price
600i Touring	Prowler	$9
Aurora MR	STV	$14
Constellation Andromeda	Hull C	$29
Constellation Taurus	Scorpius	$34
Cyclone	Cyclone-RC	$9
F7C-M Super Hornet Heartseeker	Scorpius	$29
Freelancer	Legionnaire	$14
Gladiator	Sabre	$9
MPUV Cargo	STV	$9
Redeemer	Starfarer Gemini	$14
Sabre	Vulture	$9
Starfarer Gemini	Crucible	$14
Starfarer Gemini	Endeavor	$14
Ursa	Lynx	$14

🔥🔥🔥 Packages🔥🔥🔥

Package	Price
Aurora MR Foundation Festival Starter Pack	$49
Aurora MR SC Starter UEEE Warbond Version	$39
Drake Loot and Scoot Package	$150
Entrepreneur Pack	$600
For Your Friends Mustang Alpha Pack Holiday 2018	$70
Mustang Alpha Ship Showdown Starter Pack	$55
Mustang Alpha Star Citizen Squadron 42 Combo	$129
Squadron 42 Pledge	$99

🔥🔥🔥 Paints, Gear and Other🔥🔥🔥

Item	Price
Drake Ultimate Ghoulunatics Paint Pack	$69
Arrastra - Nocturne Paint	$19
Cutlass Black - Skull and Crossbones Paint	$14
Spirit - Crimson Paint	$14
Spirit - Intrepid Paint	$14
Spirit - Olympia Paint	$14
Zeus Mk II - Solstice Paint	$14
Dread Pirate Skin (Blackbeard Stealth Skin)	$25
Kastak Arms Custodian SMG Citizencon 2947 Edition (Qty: 16)	$25
Exploration Skin	$25
Operations Pitchfork Skin	$25
Origin Racing Suit	$100
UEEE Distinguished Service Skin *212	$25

🔥🔥🔥 Referral Service🔥🔥🔥

Quantity	Price
1 referral	$20
5+ referral	$15/ea

Information about rewards can be found here - https://robertsspaceindustries.com/referral-programConsider using my referral code STAR-KT99-GKHR when creating a new account and receive 5000 UEC in-game.
🔥Use my referral code, become a recruit and earn store discounts🔥

🔥🔥🔥 Order Information🔥🔥🔥

To order, reply to this post, send me a msg with your email and the items you want to buy (or click the link below to start a msg)

Click Here To Order

A paypal invoice will be sent to your email. Once the invoice has been paid, the items will be gifted to the email used for the paypal invoice.
Orders will be processed quickly during daylight hours (GMT +5, EST). Outside of that within 24 hours.

Hello redditors of antiMLM,
Just this week, I received an email from a relation advertising FOREVER—not to be confused with Forever Living. Searching through this sub, I found a few short references over the last years with little detail. In one, a commentor described FOREVER stating "as mlms go, it seems ethical." Every red light went off while I looked into these “FOREVER Ambassadors.” I then began a search, with much of the ultimate work done by my spouse. It took longer than seemed acceptable to identify this MLM for people who glanced over the internet. FOREVER is not listed on any of the MLM databases I could find from this sub or elsewhere. Based on the mandatory “FOREVER Ambassador Community” on Facebook, now 8 years old, at least 2,500 people have gotten into their clutches at some point (I haven’t linked because I think it might be against the sub rules).
Thus, for the benefit and enjoyment of the people, here are references for the community to identify a yet-another-multi-level-marketing scheme. I am a sarcastic person, so be forewarned. All sources were publicly available and required no logins or access.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
(1) Background of the FOREVER business model
(2) The FOREVER Ambassador program
(3) Costs of serving as an Ambassador
(4) Compensation advertised for Ambassadors
(4a) Income in cash from personal sales
(4b) The downline system used by FOREVER
(4c) Non-monetary-achievement compensation
(5) FOREVER Ambassador Business Training
(6) Conclusion down to brass tax on FOREVER
STUDY OF FOREVER
(1) Background of the FOREVER business model
FOREVER is an online service that advertises it can be a “permanent digital home that lasts for many generations.”[1] This is to be accomplished via a so-called “FOREVER Guarantee Fund” that invests to pay for digital storage for over 100 years.[1] Their website promises me that “permanent” is “not a buzzword”—I think that’s the Platonian ideal of a buzzword.[1] Regardless, this is not a quality review post.
(2) The FOREVER Ambassador program
The sellers used by FOREVER are called “FOREVER Ambassadors.”[2] As advertised, it looks like a classic MLM pitch. You can “earn up to 35%” commission” while having “the freedom to work from home, and the flexibility to make money on your own schedule.”[2] FOREVER lists various opportunities, such as “trainings” and the ability to “learn and grow with friends,” as well as “make life-long friends.”[2] As part of the “Meet our Team” webpage for corporate FOREVER, there are multiple “Executive Ambassadors” listed.[3] There is no barrier to entry on experience required to become an Ambassador.[4] I observed that, throughout the internet and on the FOREVER website, the vast majority of Ambassadors are women—as you know, many MLMs target women and moms.
(3) Costs of serving as an Ambassador
FOREVER has, at minimum, an “Annual Ambassador Fee” that is the primary cost to entry of the program.[2] For $179 a year, one would receive “back office tools,” various marketing materials, and “countless opportunities”—maybe money, but more on that soon.[2] There is a link to an Ambassador’s own selling website.[5, at 22] This Ambassador fee “is subject to change over time.”[5, at 25] There is also a FOREVER Merchandise store where Ambassadors can get their supplies.[6] These include a 40-pack set of catalogs for $44.99 and a $144.99 tablecloth for potential customers during in-person events.[6]
For Ambassadors, FOREVER advertises there are “free training events.”[5, at 25] Each year, for $399 in 2024, Ambassadors can attend the 3-day “FOREVER Live!” event.[7] It is in the destination getaway of… next to their headquarters in Pittsburgh, PA (I’m sorry Pittsburgh, you’re a beautiful city).[5, at 24] It is also possible to pay for a “p2P Virtual Party” and “p2P Live Events,” but is unclear what those mean.[5, at 5] Various “ranks” of Ambassadors receive a “monthly stipend” starting at $25 a month after $15,000 total in personal plus team sales a year.[5, at 9]
(4) Compensation advertised for Ambassadors
(4a) Income in cash from personal sales
FOREVER pays its Ambassadors based on a “cash sales” versus “full sales” system.[5, at 5] The too-long-didn’t-read summary is that some products are paid less commission than others because of “margin” of different products.[5, at 5–6] Critically, the Personal Commission Rate is where our story kicks into gear. At the bottom, an Ambassador who sells less than $2,000 a year in sales receives the windfall of a 15% commission.[5, at 7] The number rises to 34% once sales are $90,000 or greater in one year (I don’t know where the 35% from earlier went).[5, at 7] However, to earn the 20% commission or more once one passes the $2,000 sales amount requires completion of the “FOREVER Ambassador Business (FAB) Training.”[5, at 7] I read it, more on that later.
You might ask, “Is there a sales quota for FOREVER® Ambassadors?” FOREVER says “no.”[8] However, the less one does the less FOREVER pays Ambassadors for what they do (this chart is older than the Compensation Guide cited).[8]
(4b) The downline system used by FOREVER
Of course, while it took forever to reach here, we come to the “downline” process—FOREVER’s words, not mine.[9] FOREVER immediately identified that new Ambassadors “choose another Ambassador to mentor you as you grow your business” (I do not know if this means an upline).[2] Nevertheless, “Team Sales” are compensated by FOREVER down to the 5th Line.[5, at 9] If an Ambassador does not build a team, then they do not earn Team Commissionable Cash Sales Commissions.[5, at 9] FOREVER states that getting new Ambassadors “to sign up under your name” is how you help “further your business.”[9]
However, even if an Ambassador builds a team, they receive a very restricted downline compensation if they do not make a minimum of personal sales.[5, at 9] For future reference, an “Associate Ambassador,” the bottom, makes less than $2,000 and earns no downline sales.[5, at 9] An “Ambassador,” second to last, is the first rank with a downline commission (4% for 1st Line), requiring $2,000/personal a year.[5, at 9] To reach “Senior Ambassador,” third to last, and above, a FOREVER Ambassador must start earning exponentially greater amounts of personal plus team sales to rise in the “ranks.”[5, at 9] A Senior Ambassador requires $8,000/personal but $15,000/gross, and is the first to get 2nd Line commission (4% for 1st Line and 2% for 2nd Line).[5, at 9] It is unclear to me if “new members” must be recruited “each month” to rankup—the website says so, but I see it nowhere in the Compensation Guide.[8]
At the top of hierarchy, there become two “Executive Ambassadors.”[5, at 9–10] These ranks start at $28,000/personal and $250,000/gross a year.[5, at 9] As well, one must have at least three “Team Leaders” in their 1st Line.[5, at 10] Team Leaders refers to Ambassadors who have themselves reached the rank of “Associate Lead Ambassador” ($12,000/personal and $30,000/gross).[5, at 9] FOREVER advertises that the Executive ranks are for—and I am not making this up—those Ambassadors who are “grooming FOREVER Leaders on your team below you.”[5, at 10] Irony is dead folks.
(4c) Non-monetary-achievement compensation
Because being paid to work is overrated, FOREVER will also provide “Additional Benefits” to its various ranks. As an Associate Ambassador, you can join the aforementioned Facebook Group and hear the CEO talk on a monthly phone call.[5, at 11] Regular Ambassadors also get a certificate to put on their wall.[5, at 11] Senior Ambassadors get a standing ovation at FOREVER Live!—you can even be ovated on stage as an Associate Lead Ambassador (I would pay $179 a year to not).[5, at 13–14] My observation is that a lot of ranks mostly provide additional types of standing ovations at FOREVER Live! and reserved seats for dinners there.
But then you can reach the pinnacle of Everest (that much like the real one, other people just carry you up there): the Million Dollar Club.[5, at 20] For making $1 million in personal and team sales in a year, one will earn a single $10,000 dollar bonus.[5, at 20] If you are then a “top-performing Ambassador,” one can be taken on the “Achievement Gathering,” to Jamaica in 2024, to mill around with other top-performing Ambassadors—and the corporate staff.[5, at 24] There is no mention how many people earn it or how much must be earned.[5, at 24]
(5) FOREVER Ambassador Business Training
I mentioned earlier that Ambassadors must complete a “FAB” training to receive more than 15% in commissions.[5, at 7] To hit this post home, I wanted to identify some highlights. The FAB training has 5 Steps to reach regular Ambassador status.[10, at 4] These Steps include such activities as “Meet with your Upline” (Step 1), “Connect with your Upline” (Step 2), “Meet with your Upline” (Step 3), “Meet with your Upline” (Step 4), and “Meet with your Upline” (Step 5).[10, at 7, 10, 12, 14, 16] You also have to join the FOREVER Facebook group and any created by your Team (just “ask your Upline” to find it).[10, at 6–7] There’s a task in Step 2 to create an introductory “Share List,” with five lines each for “Friends,” “Teachers,” and your own “Parents/Grandparents.”[10, at 7–9] For an unclear number of hours, you must attend multiple weekly and monthly “training opportunities” and “calls.”[10, at 6–7, 10] And one last item, to rank up in FOREVER, you must register for an upcoming event.[10, at 12] As of writing, the only one listed on the linked webpage is the $399 FOREVER Live! conference.[11]
(6) Conclusion down to brass tax on FOREVER
I was unable to find an Income Disclosure Statement for FOREVER. However, basic math tells us that an Associate Ambassador, the bottom, can only earn up to $300 a year.[5, at 11] To reach regular Ambassador, which includes signing up and beginning all the time sinks listed above, the maximum personal commission is $1,200, in addition to whatever downline (however big those are on average).[5, at 11] Without a downline, even the top-bracket personal sellers are the only ones to earn more than $30,000 a year.[5, at 7] The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis estimates that the Real Median Personal Income in the United States for 2022 was $40,480.[12]
There is one way to make it with FOREVER: to build a downline. It’s a multi-level-marketing scheme, and no one should join it. Unless of course, you want to join my downline—I promise you'll be rich just like me.
LIST OF REFERENCES
[1] “Our Story,” FOREVER.com (accessed May 18, 2024), https://www.forever.com/our-story
[2] “Become a FOREVER Ambassador,” FOREVER.com (accessed May 18, 2024), https://www.forever.com/opportunity
[3] “Meet Our Team,” FOREVER.com (accessed May 18, 2024), https://www.forever.com/our-story/team
[4] “What is required of me as a FOREVER Ambassador?,” FOREVER.com Support (accessed May 18, 2024 [updated “2 years ago”]), https://support.forever.com/hc/en-us/articles/215823437-What-is-required-of-me-as-a-FOREVER-Ambassador
[5] Ambassador Compensation Guide, FOREVER (Jan. 31, 2024), https://www.forever.com/app/users/forevealbums/ambassador-kit/f3ii4wzeewd0nfwg4nb40kyw1/files/1043b0c6-de01-4aff-a1e3-83db7e6b1b17
[6] “FOREVER Merchandise,” FOREVER.com Ambassador Training (accessed May 18, 2024), https://www.training.forever.com/store
[7] “FOREVER Live! 2024,” FOREVER.com (accessed May 18, 2024), https://www.forever.com/events/forever-live-2024
[8] “Is there a sales quota for FOREVER® Ambassadors?,” FOREVER.com Support (accessed May 18, 2024 [updated “2 years ago”]), https://support.forever.com/hc/en-us/articles/215142548-Is-there-a-sales-quota-for-FOREVER-Ambassadors
[9] “Downline,” FOREVER.com Support (accessed May 18, 2024 [updated “2 years ago”]), https://support.forever.com/hc/en-us/articles/221072448-Downline
[10] FOREVER Ambassador Business Training, FOREVER (May 14, 2024), https://www.forever.com/app/users/ambassador-training/albums/02-forever-ambassador-business-training-booklet/qcg622q43zy6835w9ojq3wkw/files/f0bd2387-bb14-43a2-a46d-344a91470147
[11] “Events,” FOREVER.com (accessed May 18, 2024), https://www.forever.com/events
[12] “Real Median Personal Income in the United States,” Federal Reserve of St. Louis (accessed May 18, 2024), https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/MEPAINUSA672N
POST EDITS
A few formatting errors and a minor phrasing correction.

All codes are US, HD/blu-ray unless marked otherwise
also check out my For Sale Post on DCS
UHD/4k movies: Disney/Marvel, no DMDMI, all port UHD/4k to MA: itunes redemptions only (splits) Avengers: Endgame (2019) Big Hero 6 (2014) Iron Man 3 (2013) Maleficent (2014) Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
UHD/4k movies: vudu or MA redemptions only, port 4k to MA none ATM
UHD/4k movies: vudu redemptions only, do not port to MA 3 From Hell (2019) 3 From Hell (Unrated) (2019) Dredd (2012) Expired (2022) Interstellar (2014) John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (2019) Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) Last Witch Hunter (2015)
The Last Witch Hunter (2015)
UHD/4k movies: itunes redemptions only, port 4k to MA Fast & Furious 6 - Extended Edition (2013) Let's Be Cops (2014) Longest Ride (2015) The Longest Ride (2015)
UHD/4k movies: itunes redemptions only, do not port to MA 3 From Hell (2019) Hunger Games (2012) Interstellar (2014) John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (2019) Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) Last Witch Hunter (2015) The Hunger Games (2012) The Last Witch Hunter (2015) Wonder (2017) Wonder Park (2019)
HD movies, MA or vudu redemptions only, port to MA: Fast & Furious 6 - Extended Edition (2013) Fate of the Furious (2017) Fate of the Furious (Theatrical) (2017) Fifty Shades of Grey (Unrated) (2015) Jason Bourne (2016) Jurassic World (2015) The Fate of the Furious (2017) The Fate of the Furious (Theatrical) (2017)
HD movies: itunes redemptions only (splits), port HD to MA Fifty Shades of Grey (Unrated) (2015) Kidnap (2017) Planes (2013)
HD movies: itunes redemptions only, port HD to MA Fifty Shades of Grey (Unrated) (2015) Kidnap (2017) Planes (2013)
HD movies: vudu redemptions only, do not port to MA Chicago (Diamond Edition) (2003) Hunger Games (2012) The Hunger Games (2012) Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 (2012) Wonder Park (2019)
HD movies: itunes redemptions only, do not port to MA Chicago (Diamond Edition) (2003) The Last Stand (2013)
Disney/Marvel HD movies, no DMDMI, all port HD to MA: google play redemptions only (splits) Aladdin (1992) Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) Avengers: Endgame (2019) Avengers: Infinity War (2018) Beauty and the Beast (2017) Big Hero 6 (2014) Captain Marvel (2019) Dumbo (2019) Finding Dory (2016) Frozen (2013) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) Inside Out (2015) Into the Woods (2014) Iron Man 3 (2013) Jungle Book (2016) Lion King (2019) Maleficent (2014) Moana (2016) Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017) Planes (2013) Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018) Raya and the Last Dragon (2021) Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) Spies in Disguise (2019) Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) The Jungle Book (2016) The Lion King (2019) Thor: Ragnarok (2017) Toy Story 4 (2019)

Best Offshore Sportsbook for 2024

Offshore Sportsbooks: Competitive Odds, Diverse Markets, and Freedom to Wager

What Sets Offshore Sportsbooks Apart?
The landscape of sports betting is rapidly evolving, with offshore sportsbooks emerging as a compelling alternative for wagerers. But what exactly are they, and how do they differ from their state-licensed counterparts?
Offshore sportsbooks operate under licenses issued by international regulators, often situated in countries like Costa Rica, Curacao, or Panama. These licenses empower them to cater to customers across numerous jurisdictions, including the US. In essence, this translates to a broader regulatory framework compared to state-by-state restrictions.
Safety and Security: Top Priorities for Offshore Sportsbooks
Security is paramount for any online betting platform. Fortunately, reputable offshore sportsbooks prioritize this aspect. They undergo rigorous licensing procedures, compelling them to demonstrate fair play, robust security measures, and responsible customer protection protocols. This ensures a safe and secure environment for you to wager on your favorite sports.
Beyond the Basics: Unmatched Selection and Competitive Advantages
The best offshore sportsbooks go beyond merely replicating the offerings of state-licensed operators. They often provide a wider array of betting options, competitive odds, and potentially more lucrative bonuses and promotions. This translates to a more dynamic and potentially rewarding betting experience.
So, Are Offshore Sportsbooks Right for You?
The decision ultimately rests on your individual preferences and priorities. Offshore sportsbooks provide a compelling option for those seeking diverse betting markets, competitive odds, and the freedom to wager on their terms. However, it's crucial to choose well-established and reputable platforms that prioritize safety and fair play.

Why Bet at Offshore Sportsbooks

The allure of offshore sportsbooks is undeniable. But what exactly makes them so popular among bettors? Here's a breakdown of the key benefits that keep users coming back for more:

• Boosted Bankrolls: Bigger Bonuses & Regular Promos

Offshore sportsbooks are renowned for their generous bonuses and promotions. New user signup bonuses can reach into the thousands, especially when using cryptocurrency. Plus, there's a constant stream of ongoing promotions throughout the month, maximizing your betting potential.

• Fast and Secure Banking: The Power of Crypto

Cryptocurrency deposits and withdrawals are a staple at offshore sportsbooks. Enjoy the ease of swift transactions with minimal processing times, and in some cases, even instant payouts.

• Wagering Freedom: Available in Most States & No Geolocation Hassles

Unlike state-licensed operators, offshore sportsbooks bypass geolocation restrictions. This means you can wager freely from most US states, without any limitations.

• Keeping Your Winnings: No Taxes Withheld

Federal regulations require licensed operators to report winnings exceeding a certain threshold and withhold taxes accordingly. Offshore sportsbooks, however, don't report winnings to the IRS, leaving you in control of your tax obligations.

• Enhanced Odds: Lower Costs, Better Returns

Offshore sportsbooks benefit from lower operational costs due to the absence of state taxes. These savings translate into more competitive odds for you, potentially increasing your returns.

• Diverse Betting Options

Beyond the perks mentioned above, offshore sportsbooks often boast a wider selection of betting markets compared to their state-regulated counterparts. This allows you to place wagers on a broader range of events and explore new betting opportunities.

Offshore Sportsbook Bonuses: Bigger Bankrolls, Better Bets

Offshore sportsbooks have carved a niche in the betting landscape, and a major reason for their popularity lies in their enticing bonus structures. Unlike state-licensed operators, offshore sportsbooks offer a wider array of bonuses with significantly higher values. Let's delve into the treasure trove of bonuses that await you:

• Welcome Offers: A Kickstart for Your Betting Journey

Signing up at an offshore sportsbook unlocks a generous welcome bonus, typically a deposit match bonus. This bonus essentially matches a percentage of your initial deposit, potentially doubling your bankroll right from the start. Some welcome packages might even include free bets or bonus bets, further amplifying your betting power.

• Deposit Match Bonuses: Fueling Your Bets with Extra Cash

A staple in the world of offshore sportsbook bonuses, deposit match bonuses are straightforward and rewarding. The sportsbook matches your deposit by a predefined percentage, up to a specified maximum amount. For instance, a 100% deposit match bonus up to $500 would double your initial deposit, providing you with an extra $500 to wager on.

• No Deposit Bonuses: Free Money, Free Play

Considered the holy grail of sportsbook bonuses, no deposit bonuses are rare gems. These bonuses grant you free credit to use at the sportsbook, allowing you to place bets without risking your own funds. While the credit amount might be modest, it's a fantastic opportunity to try out the platform and potentially turn it into real winnings.

• Bonus Bets: Taking a Free Shot at Victory

Bonus bets, often part of welcome packages or bundled with deposit match bonuses, are essentially free wagers. Any winnings accrued from a bonus bet (minus the initial stake) are yours to keep. Imagine a $25 bonus bet that wins you $75; you'd pocket a cool $50 in profit!

• Ongoing Promotions: A Stream of Rewards for Loyal Bettors

The party doesn't stop at the welcome bonus. Offshore sportsbooks keep their customers engaged with a steady stream of ongoing promotions. These can encompass deposit bonuses, bonus bets, special event wagers, parlay offers, and the ever-popular odds boosts.

• Odds Boosts: Enhanced Profits for Savvy Bettors

Odds boosts elevate the potential payout on specific wagers, increasing your earning potential. These are typically offered for marquee events or specific bet types within an event or sport.

• Parlay Insurance: A Safety Net for Your Multi-Leg Wagers

A parlay bet combines multiple wagers (legs) into a single bet. Parlay insurance softens the blow of losing a parlay by just one leg. While you won't receive your full winnings, you might get your original stake or a portion of it back, mitigating your losses.

• Loyalty Bonuses: Reap the Rewards of Being a Regular

Engaging with a sportsbook's loyalty program unlocks exclusive bonuses not available to casual bettors. These bonuses can mirror any of the previously mentioned options or even extend to real-world rewards like tickets to sporting events.
By understanding and leveraging the diverse array of offshore sportsbook bonuses, you can significantly enhance your bankroll, explore new betting opportunities, and potentially maximize your profits. Remember to explore various sportsbooks and compare their bonus structures to find the one that best suits your betting preferences.

Offshore Sports Betting in the US: A Comprehensive Guide

The world of sports betting is rapidly evolving, and offshore sportsbooks have emerged as a compelling option for American bettors. But with so much information to navigate, it's crucial to understand the legalities, accessibility, and benefits of offshore wagering.
Is Offshore Sports Betting Legal in the US?
The legality of offshore sports betting hinges on two key factors:

• PASPA Repeal: In 2018, the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) was repealed, giving individual states the authority to regulate sports gambling within their borders. Many states have since legalized and launched their own sports betting markets.
• Federal Laws: There are currently no federal laws prohibiting US citizens from wagering at offshore sportsbooks. These entities operate under licenses issued by international gaming authorities, allowing them to serve customers in the US.

The Mobile Advantage: Betting on the Go
While you won't find dedicated apps for offshore sportsbooks, all our recommended operators offer seamless mobile betting through their websites. Simply visit the site on your smartphone or tablet, sign up, deposit funds, and start placing wagers. These mobile platforms are designed for optimal functionality and provide an experience comparable to dedicated apps.
Finding the Right Offshore Sportsbook
With numerous offshore sportsbooks catering to US players, choosing the best fit requires careful consideration. Here are some factors to keep in mind:

• Reputation and Licensing: Look for established sportsbooks with licenses from reputable gaming jurisdictions like Curacao. These licenses ensure fair play, security measures, and responsible gambling practices.
• Betting Markets and Odds: Explore the variety of sports and events offered, along with the competitiveness of the odds. Top offshore sportsbooks boast a wide range of markets and attractive odds for bettors.
• Bonuses and Promotions: Take advantage of generous welcome bonuses, reload promotions, and ongoing loyalty programs to maximize your bankroll and potential returns.

Some of the highly-rated offshore sportsbooks for US players include BetOnline, Everygame, Bovada, BetWhale, and TG Casino. Popular alternatives encompass Jazz Sports, SportsBetting.ag, BetUS, and BetNow.
Taxes and Reporting:

• Offshore Sportsbooks: Offshore sportsbooks themselves do not report winnings to the IRS. However,
• US Taxpayers: It's your responsibility to report gambling winnings to the IRS and your state tax authorities. Consulting a tax professional is recommended to ensure compliance with all applicable regulations.

Funding Your Bets: Payment Methods
Offshore sportsbooks typically provide two main deposit and withdrawal options:

• Cryptocurrency: Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Litecoin offer fast, fee-free transactions (excluding minimal mining fees) and eliminate the need for third-party involvement.
• Traditional Methods: Credit/debit cards are convenient but may incur fees and are not always suitable for withdrawals. Bank wire transfers are another option, but often come with high processing fees.

Important Note: As of now, offshore sportsbooks do not accept PayPal or other popular eWallets (Neteller, Skrill) due to limitations imposed by these payment processors.
By understanding the legalities, mobile accessibility, key considerations for choosing a sportsbook, and payment methods, you can confidently navigate the world of offshore sports betting in the US. Remember to gamble responsibly and always prioritize licensed and reputable platforms.

Ready to Start Betting?

Top Offshore Sportsbooks for 2024

1. Bovada – Best Online Sportsbook for US customers

• Why #1: Closest offshore site to Fanduel & Draftkings
• Founded: 2011
• Licensed by: Curacao
• Payment Methods: 6+ cryptocurrencies, credit/debit cards, courier, wire transfer, vouchers
• Withdrawal Speed: Instant to 24h
• Restricted States: DE, MD, NV, NJ, NY
• Promo Code: BTCSWB750 = 75% First Deposit Bonus to $750

See current Bovada new customers promotions HERE

2. MyBookie – Fast mobile betting & lots of promotions

• Why #2: Prop bets and more props added constantly
• Founded: 2014
• Licensed by: Curacao
• Payment Methods: 10 cryptocurrencies, credit/debit cards, person2person
• Withdrawal Speed: 48-72 hours
• Restricted States: DE, MD, NV, NJ, NY
• Promo Code: CRYPTO100 = 100% Bonus to $1,000

See current MyBookie new customer promotions HERE

3. SportsBetting.ag – Operates in all 50 states

• Why #3: 100% welcome bonus & travel anywhere & still bet
• Founded: 2003
• Licensed by: Panama Gambling Control Board
• Payment Methods: 15+ cryptocurrencies, credit/debit cards, person2person, money orders, wire transfers, checks
• Withdrawal Speed: 24-48 hours
• Restricted States: None
• Promo Code: DOUBLEUP = 100% Bonus to $500 use 2x

See current Sportsbetting ag new customer promotions HERE

4. BetOnline – Clone of Sportsbetting ag but not as good of a welcome bonus

• Why #4: Casino, poker, esports, racebook - bet everything
• Founded: 2001
• Licensed by: Panama Gaming Commission
• Payment Methods: 15+ cryptocurrencies, credit/debit cards, money orders, wire transfers
• Withdrawal Speed: Instant to 48h
• Restricted States: NJ
• Promo Code: CRYTPO100 = 100% Bonus to $1,000

See current BetOnline new customer promotions HERE

5. XBet – MyBookie clone for lower limit bettors

• Why #5: Lower limits & rewards program designed for smaller bettors
• Founded: 2014
• Licensed by: Curacao
• Payment Methods: 10 cryptocurrencies, credit/debit cards, person2person
• Withdrawal Speed: 48 hours
• Restricted States: NY, NJ, NV, PA
• Promo Code: XBET50 = 50% First Deposit Bonus to $500

See current XBET new customer promotions HERE

These last two Sportsbooks are more for higher limit bettors

1. BetUS – High limits on sides and totals

• Why #1: If you want to make a living betting you need high limits
• Founded: 1994
• Licensed by: Curacao
• Payment Methods: 4 cryptocurrencies, credit/debit cards, cash transfers, wire transfers, ewallets
• Withdrawal Speed: 24-48 hours
• Restricted States: None
• Promo Code: JOIN200 = 200% up to $5,000

See current BetUS new customer promotions HERE

2. BUSR – High limits and a $2,500 welcome bonus

• Why #2: US focused on major sports and horse betting
• Founded: 2020
• Licensed by: Curacao
• Payment Methods: 4 cryptocurrencies, credit/debit cards, person2person
• Withdrawal Speed: 72 hours
• Restricted States: None
• Promo Code: SPORTS100FP = 100% First Deposit Bonus to $1,500

See current BUSR new customer promotions HERE
For more sports, casino, poker and other online gaming promotions from top offshore casinos.
Visit XSportsbook https://xsportsbook.com/bonuses/

Become a star citizen.
https://robertsspaceindustries.com/enlist?referral=STAR-DP7P-GD4P
use code STAR-DP7P-GD4P
If you don't already have a Roberts Space Industries (RSI) account, you'll want to take advantage of the Star Citizen referral code program. Doing so benefits the code provider and grants only you a bonus 5,000 United Earth Credits (UEC), the in-game currency for Star Citizen!
Thanks!!!
Improved New Player Experience : Play the tutorial
Star Citizen features a beautiful sprawling universe full of wonder, adventure, and action. However, it’s easy for new citizens to feel overwhelmed as they take their first steps into life in the 30th century.So, from Alpha 3.19, a whole-new guided mission will welcome new players to the ‘verse, including showing them how to get around, use the mobiGlas, and fly a ship in atmosphere and in space.
Invictus end free fly Celebration May 17-29 Invictus Launch Week 2954 - Roberts Space Industries Follow the development of Star Citizen and Squadron 42
Letter from the chairman https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/19848-Letter-From-The-Chairman
Alpha 3.22 https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/19565-Star-Citizen-Alpha-322-Wrecks-To-Riches
Alpha 3.21 https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/19477-Star-Citizen-Alpha-321-Mission-Ready
CitizenCon October 21st and 22nd https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKWa4WoTkV4&list=PLVct2QDhDrB15f0diWl9YaDmL4Je1BkX3
Welcome Back, Pilot! https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/18359-Welcome-Back-Pilot
STAR CITIZEN & SQUADRON 42 EXPLAINED
There are two components to Cloud Imperium Games' (CIG) project. Star Citizen is the MMO component, a first-person experience in a simulated 30th-century universe. Squadron 42 is the single-player component, a story-driven campaign where you enlist as a UEE Navy combat pilot. Our current understanding is you will be given the option of having your Squadron 42 character, who musters out of the Navy at the conclusion of the campaign, carry over into the Star Citizen persistent universe, taking with them the reputation and relationships they've built with NPC entities.
[Customers interested the Squadron 42 standalone only] If you only want the single-player campaign, after creating your account (next section) you can buy the Squadron 42 standalone here. You need only wait for the game to be released and become available for download. But take note that when you buy Squadron 42 you also get immediate access to Arena Commander, the online dogfighting module, and Star Marine, the online first-person shooter.
Squadron 42: I Held The Line https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDtjzLzs7V8
UNDERSTANDING THE PLEDGE STORE
There are a couple of points I want to make about recognizing what comes with a package. First, game packages may include only Star Citizen, only Squadron 42, or both games. Look at the package's contents for "Star Citizen Digital Download" and/or "Squadron 42 Digital Download." I will show you an easy way to add Squadron 42 to a Star Citizen-only package during the checkout process.The second point of interest concerns ship insurance (also found in the package's contents). Ship insurance covers the ship's hull and factory stock equipment in the event of complete loss. As a part of promotional offers, ships are sometimes sold with lifetime insurance (commonly referred to as LTI), but there are tricks to get LTI on almost any ship and many people will advise you to take advantage of them (often at a cost of $20-$35 USD = Token LTI ). To properly assess of the "value" of lifetime insurance, you should know a few things.
guide https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/18381-New-Player-Guide-Star-Citizen

Stake.us is the go-to social casino in the USA because of the free daily dollar, bonus codes, poker and weekly stream where tons of free money is given out in bonus codes. Stake is well trusted, and this sign up bonus is no strings attached.
If you haven't already signed up, definitely give Stake.us a try. They're offering a one time $25 signup bonus (no deposit required) . Sign up to Stake.us here
To claim the $25 of SC, once you've signed up, go to settings -> offers and under "Welcome Offer" input the code Camoooo. Make sure you've verified your email, once you have you should get your $25 SC credit within 72hrs of signup. If you sign up and have any questions about how to get the most out of your bonus, feel free to message me.
https://preview.redd.it/rcfhu357y91d1.png?width=1205&format=png&auto=webp&s=4a1fa69485611ce1aa9e318048c6298984fa0e2a

Monthly Trade Thread can be found here, and always on the sidebar.

Hi and welcome to succulents and this Week's Questions Thread!

Do you:

• Have questions which don't feel worthy of an entire post?
• Wanna postulate what would happen if you did ____?
• Need input from more experienced people?

Post away! If you have questions which have gone unanswered in one of the previous threads, post 'em again!
If you feel the need to create a new post, please search the sub before posting. Soil type, soil mixes, grow lights, etc. are common questions and there are many threads already discussing them.

New to our Sub?

Be sure to familiarize yourself with our Rules and Posting Guidelines.

Succulents Rules

Be Nice: Please be kind to your fellow succulent friends. Downvoting is discouraged. We want everyone to feel welcome here!
Good Photos: Clear, in focus photos in natural light give you the best chance at assistance. Heavily edited or filtered photos that alter the original colors of a plant are not allowed, as this is unrealistic, and succulents are already a vivid range of colors! Photos that specifically link to an Instagram post are not allowed and will be removed.
Advertising: Advertising is allowed provided you flair your post correctly, and stay to answer any user questions. A short description of yourself/shop/nursery in the comments would also be appreciated. This applies for self-promotion of YouTube channels or affiliated Blogs. T Shirts are not allowed to be posted. Plant sales must be posted in our Monthly Buy/Sell/Trade Thread.
Appropriate Flair Required: Flair is required. Flair your posts accurately.
Not OC/Uncredited Post. Reposts: Photos taken from other places (Instagram, Facebook, the internet, a store's website etc.) are not considered OC and must have a source for the photo. Please link the place where you saw the image in the comments. Failure to follow this rule may result in removal of the post. This rule also applies to meme/joke reposts.
Max 5 posts Per Day (24 hours): If you have more than 5 photos you wish to share, or have identified, they must be posted as an album. You can utilize Reddit's own image uploading, or an external image upload site, such as Imgur. This is to keep the sub relatively clear, and to keep posts from getting reported as spam.
No Pictures Complaining of Painted Plants or Glued Flowers: We know they exist; and your post will not be the first to exclaim disdain. Any such posts will be removed. This rule does not apply to any Help requests, or potential progress pictures for such plants.

New to succulent care?

Be sure to take a look at the FAQ and the Beginner Basics Wiki.
Lithops, Split Rocks and other Mesembs care can be found here.
Be sure to familiarize yourself with the sidebar, as it is full of great resources. It can be easy to miss on some platforms; on mobile, click this link circled, and you’re taken to the sidebar. On the app, either swipe right to About, or click the ••• at the top right to pull up a menu, and select “Community info” See circled.
The search bar is also incredibly useful, as almost any question you have has surely been asked here many times over.

Got a grow light question?

A hot topic, and often asked about for newcomers realizing just how much sun their plants need! A search of the sub itself should yield enough posts for you to have a good idea what to look for. Beyond that, you can look through previous years' Overwintering Megathreads.
We also have a dedicated section on Grow Lights in our FAQ. For a rundown of basic light specs, check this post out.

Have a plant health question? Help us help you by using the below guidelines:

Information, information, information! Try to keep your answers to the below concise and easy to read (bullet points are easier on the eyes than paragraphs).

• Description: A well lit photo and/or detailed description of the issue.
• Drainage: Is the plant in a container? What kind? Does it have a drainage hole?
• Potting medium: What kind of mix is the plant potted in?
• Water: How often do you water and how much?
• Sunlight: Where is the plant situated and what is its exposure to sun like? Direct/indirect sunlight? Hours per day?
• History: How long have you had the plant, when did this start, and have any changes been made recently? (E.g., repotting, location change.)
• If concerned about rot: Are any sections of the stem, roots, or leafs mushy to the point where there is no structural integrity? Any unusual odor or changes in color?

If you ever have any questions, feel free to send a mod mail for us mods to help you out.
Welcome once again to our sub, and happy growing!

Weekly Thread: What's Everyone Working On This Week? 🛠️

Hello /Python! It's time to share what you've been working on! Whether it's a work-in-progress, a completed masterpiece, or just a rough idea, let us know what you're up to!

How it Works:

1. Show & Tell: Share your current projects, completed works, or future ideas.
2. Discuss: Get feedback, find collaborators, or just chat about your project.
3. Inspire: Your project might inspire someone else, just as you might get inspired here.

Guidelines:

• Feel free to include as many details as you'd like. Code snippets, screenshots, and links are all welcome.
• Whether it's your job, your hobby, or your passion project, all Python-related work is welcome here.

Example Shares:

1. Machine Learning Model: Working on a ML model to predict stock prices. Just cracked a 90% accuracy rate!
2. Web Scraping: Built a script to scrape and analyze news articles. It's helped me understand media bias better.
3. Automation: Automated my home lighting with Python and Raspberry Pi. My life has never been easier!

Let's build and grow together! Share your journey and learn from others. Happy coding! 🌟

You guys know what an alpine coaster is? They are like a small roller coaster you find in the mountains. They are also called summer toboggans or mountain coasters and I think there’s some long German compound word they are called in parts of Europe. They are like a roller coaster, but with much smaller one or two person sleds you just sit on instead of multi-person cars you ride in, and instead of being built with like a scaffolding or a framework the tracks are just on the ground, using the elevation of the mountain. Basically it’s a coaster track on the side of a mountain where you ride a sled down.
They are pretty fun. Or at least I used to think so. They are more “personal” than roller coasters and although you get nowhere near the speed on them that you do on a good traditional roller coaster and they can’t do corkscrews or loops or anything like that the openness and simplicity of the ride gives an impression of a much greater speed. You’re just sitting there with nothing but a little plastic sled and the track between you and the ground as it goes zooming by. It’s like the difference between how fast a go-cart feels compared to how fast a sports car feels. You know the sports car goes faster but the open, simpleness of a go-cart feels a different kind of fast. There’s plenty of POV Youtube videos if you want to get the basic idea of what they are.
I used to love alpine coasters. Used to.
My family used to go to Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge and up and down the Smokey Mountains for vacations when I was a kid and they are common in that area and I’d always rode them every chance I got.
But as with so many things after I grew up and went to college they just became part of my childhood that slipped away. They aren’t exactly common once you get away from the mountains.
Until one cool spring afternoon in 2004. I was in my final year at college and I was driving back to campus in Tennessee after a short visit to my folks in North Carolina. It was only like a 4 or 5 hour drive via the most efficient route and I had no need to be back at campus early so instead of taking the freeway all the way I got off and took part of my trip through the mountains. The scenery was nicer and I admit I liked pushing my Camaro just a little faster than I should through the twisty mountain roads.
Just after lunchtime happened upon one of those little by-the-highway tourist towns deep somewhere in the Smoky Mountains near the Carolina/Tennessee border. Nothing fancy, a gas station/truck stop, a diner, a couple of places selling tourist merch nestled deep in the mountains. I pulled into the gas station. My tank was getting low and I needed to stretch my legs, maybe grab something to eat. It was still early and I only had another couple of hours. I could kill an hour or so and still make it back to campus at a decent hour.
I pulled into the gas station and was filling my tank when I happened to glance across the road and… well I’ll be damned. There it was. “The Blue Ridge Alpine Coaster.” Nestled on the side of the mountain was a building, a mockup of a red barn, where a single railed track that led up into the mountains, where it soon got lost in the greenery. Wooden hand painted standees of cartoon character bears dressed in stereotypical “Hillbilly” getup stood around, some of them holding signs showing the ride hours and ticket costs and other info. I had to admit, as silly as it was, it made me smile.I finished pumping my gas and, well, nostalgia is a helluva thing. I decided then and there I could waste a little time riding an Alpine Coaster again after all these years before getting back on the road.
I parked my car in a corner of the truck stop's parking lot, put my phone in the center console, this being the days before smart phones when people didn’t keep their phones with them 24/7 and I didn’t want my old Nokia brick phone to fall out during the ride, locked my car and walked across the mountain highway to the Alpine Coaster building.
Getting closer, the place was less inviting. The half hearted attempt at a whimsical faux-Americana kitsch was far less effective when it brushed up against the actual decaying, run down wooden building. Hell calling it a building was generous. It was a wood frame holding up a long roof that covered the area where you got on the sleds. The wood boards creaked under my footsteps.
The only real enclosed structure was a shack that held, what I assumed, was a ticket booth. A door on the side had both a single occupancy bathroom with an out of order sign on it. An old Pepsi machine buzzed and glowed next to it.
Still the place looked alive. Ahead of me a bored looking attendant was helping a mother and her young son into one of the sleds while in a bored monotone repeating the safety brief. A few people were waiting in line at the ticket booth. Up in the mountains the playful shouts of people on the ride echoed down. Fond memories of my own childhood rides flooded my mind.10 minutes and 15 dollars later I was settling into the hard plastic seat of a bright red sled sat atop a simple aluminum rail.
I couldn’t help but grin as the sled slowly climbed the track up the mountains, making click-clack ratcheting sounds that hit my nostalgia centers hard. I felt good. The air was cool and crisp and smelled of pine.Higher and higher in the mountains we went. I don’t know if this is my mind trying to make sense of it after the fact but when I remember these moments, the last good moments, I sometimes think I remember a very slight, very subtle pit of fear in my stomach. I honestly don’t know if I felt it at the time or not or it’s just how my mind tries to make sense of it looking back at.
But either way mostly I was enjoying myself. I smiled. I was a kid again. I could hear riders in front of me let out that initial yell of terrified glee you get at the first drop of any good ride.
It peaked. I glanced around. I could see for miles, rolling hills and mountains. I the sled tipped over and zoomed down the mountain and I let out the same happy yell I heard from the other passengers.The ride zoomed down the mountain, catching speed. The mountain forest floor zoomed past, only a few feet under me. Trees zoomed past. I gave out a happy whoop as the ride banked hard around a curve and then looped back under itself.Another dip, another curve. I closed my eyes, enjoying the feel of the G-forces pulling me every which way.
There was no one exact single moment where things started to go “wrong.” The ride kept going. And going. At this point the first creeping thought entered my head.
The ride… was still going.
It just started to hit me… this ride was going on for a really long time. I had taken a dozen rides on various coasters of this type before that day and they topped out at about 5 minutes or so, and that was the long ones. Longer than a traditional roller coaster but not that long. This one had been going on for what felt like 10, maybe even 15 minutes.
I looked back over my shoulder and could only see trees, moving too fast to really get a bearing on where I was at in relation to anything.
I wasn't exactly really worried yet. Okay so I had found a particularly long alpine coaster. At the time I wasn’t 100% wasn't sure they didn’t exist or anything like that. I was a little… unnerved but nothing was happening that was impossible. Yet.
I was trying to talk myself back into just enjoying the ride and stop overthinking it, and halfway succeeded, when out of nowhere I suddenly banked hard, the track jutting out almost over a sheer cliffside. I gripped the sled more tightly as I was whipped around. The ride then dipped hard and picked up speed, barreling down the side of the mountain.
I was pushed back against the seat by the force of the drop. Jesus I didn’t remember them being this rough. I was feeling slightly nauseous. And where had this elevation drop come from I wondered? I was still in the foothills and I didn’t remember seeing anything but gentle rolling hills and light drops from looking at the ride’s route earlier. How the ride had managed such a long, steep drop in this area I didn’t know. . For the first time I hoped that the ride would be over soon. I had no idea then how much I would want that same hope to be true so much more as time went on.
With a whiplash motion I was whipped forward and then back as the ride leveled out on flat ground again, but by this point I was going fast, too fast. My neck hurt from the mild whiplash and I felt sour in my throat and for a moment the contents of my stomach threatened to come back up. For the first, but hardly the last time the ride felt unsafe. Alpine Coasters are tame affairs, much slower and gentler than full on roller coasters but this thing was throwing me around like no thrill ride I had ever been on.
I looked around. I mean I wasn’t that deep into the woods. I should have been able to see a glimpse of something; the highway, the gas station, the tourist shops, the Alpine Coaster office, something, anything. But nothing. Just trees.
I forced back some panic for the first time. I closed my eyes and counted to ten. The ride zoomed along. I counted to 60. I counted to 60 again. And again. Okay this was getting uncomfortably harder and harder to explain.
Suddenly I noticed that up ahead the track seemed to just end, for one brief, terrible moment I thought the track just ended but I was wrong. Almost without warning the track dipped in an almost vertical drop. I almost screamed as I plummeted for 20, maybe 30 seconds before flattening out again.
By this point the voice in my head that was telling me something was wrong was louder and I could no longer tell myself it was wrong. This ride could not have been this long. I tried to make sense of it, wondering if somehow I had gotten diverted onto some kind of maintenance track or, hell for one brief irrational moment even entertaining the idea that I had wound up on an actual train track somehow. But that was absurd. The rail below me was not a train track, it was still just the simple, aluminum rail of an alpine coaster and there had been no diversions or junctions in the track. I was still on the ride, as insane as that was starting to feel. Had the ride somehow looped? Again after having the thought I immediately dismissed it as crazy. There’s no way I could have missed the ride building where I got on. And what kind of ride loops over and over?
The sled zoomed through the forest, oddly never seeming to lose speed despite the relatively flat grade of the track. I cursed myself for leaving my phone in the car and not wearing a watch. I don’t know exactly how long I had been on the ride at that point but it felt like I had been on the ride for a half hour, maybe more. But time is a funny thing when you’re in a situation you’ve never been in. Could have been more, could have been less, at that point.
My pride finally failed me. I started to scream for help. I screamed out that the ride was broken, to stop it, that I needed help. I did that for about ten minutes or so I think. The ride kept going. Mostly flat, level track with occasional mild dips and turns. But the simple length of the ride grew more and more unnerving and unexplainable.
I thought about just bailing out. But the ride, impossibly, was still not slowing down and chunks of mountain rock and thick tree trunks were all around me. Bailing out without risking smashing into a rock or a tree seemed impossible.
The ride kept going.
Up ahead the forest was clearing out some, I could see the forest brightening, more sunlight making it through the canopy.
I wasn’t prepared for what I saw.
The trees stopped and I had just enough time to take in a flat, open area of rock maybe 40, 50 yards at most before another sheer cliff. The tracks twisted and turned and then shot straight down. But that wasn’t the worst of it. For a moment, a very short moment, I had a clear view for miles and the landscape was, to be blunt, totally impossible. Any possibility that I had just stumbled on some incredibly long ride was blasted out of my head. Barren, volcanic looking rock stretched for miles. Jagged, black rocky outcroppings as far as the eye could see. I was in the goddamn Smoky Mountains. They don’t look like that.
I had a few moments for the terror of that view to settle in before the cart plunged into another horrifying drop. I gripped the handles of the cheap plastic sled until my knuckles turned white. The drop felt completely vertical, like I was falling at terminal velocity. I screamed. My stomach dropped and turned. I imagined the sled coming away from the track and me just plummeting screaming to my death on the rocks below. But somehow the ride still functioned. I closed my eyes tightly and just waited for whatever was going to happen. Eventually after several what felt like a full minute of steep plunging the track again leveled out, and I opened my eyes to see myself moving at breakneck speed over that black, rocky landscape.
Now that I was moving on a more or less flat horizontal track again I took a few deep breaths. I looked over the edge of the track. Nothing but that black, jagged rock, almost looking like obsidian, zooming past. I had no idea how fast the sled was moving now. Fast. Faster than a gravity powered sled should be moving. And the track was higher off the ground now. Alpine slides usually stick pretty close to the ground, but I was 20 feet or so in the air, the track suspended in the air, a simple metal tube tower like a power pylon every few yards.
Without any immediate threat and the sled moving fast but steadily and level I was able to think about my situation again, for all the good that did me. Ahead of me the track just continued to the horizon, nothing but the same rocky landscape as far as I could see. I craned my neck to look back over my shoulder and looked back behind me and it looked the same. Even the mountains were but distant specs on the horizon behind me.
This was insane. There’s not a giant seemingly endless field of black jagged rock in the goddamn Smoky Mountains. There’s no cliff faces tall and steep enough for a multi-minute vertical drop. And alpine coasters were small affairs, not major engineering projects that span miles with pylons and vertical tracks. It made no sense.
Sadly it wasn’t going to start making any more sense anytime soon.
The ride kept going.
I was on this rocky landscape for several hours. I feel comfortable saying this because I could actually notice the sun getting lower in the sky. And the sled wasn’t slowing down despite the grade of the track being flat. I was getting cramped from sitting and stretched my legs and twisted my back as best I could. Didn’t do much help. My eyes were starting to get irritated from the constant wind in them. Worst of all it was starting to get chilly. I only had on a light jacket, a windbreaker, just something to keep the breeze off me, no real insulation. I was cold, my joints were stiff, I was hungry and thirsty. My eyes watered and my throat was so dry it was sore.
But none of that was as bad as just how little sense this all made. There’s nothing like this place anywhere near the Smoky Mountains. This was like some volcanic rock landscape. The more I thought about it the less sense it made.
The ride kept going.
My mind didn’t even try to process this. Whatever I was experiencing simply couldn’t be possible. I was crazy. I was dreaming. The CIA had kidnapped me and dosed me with some new version of LSD and I was in a straightjacket in a padded room at Area 51.
The sled kept zooming along as the sky turned to dusk. Soon the bridge disappeared from my view and I continued on along the endless, rocky, featureless landscape.
I sat back against the sled, mentally and physically numb. I was exhausted. I was thirsty. I was cramping up. I was hungry. I had to pee. I held it for as long as I could, then had no choice but just wet myself. I cried until I had no more tears left. Then I just sat there.
The ride kept going.
By the time the sun dipped below the horizon my throat felt like sandpaper. I dug around in my jacket pockets hoping to find a stick of gum or piece of candy. Nothing. I checked again, having nothing else to do. Under a crumpled store receipt in the inner pocket of my jacket was a single old, forgotten cough drop. I unwrapped it from the paper and popped it in my mouth. Saliva flooded back into my mouth and I was overwhelmed by the methanol and medicine taste. It was something at least, although I knew it would be a brief and temporary fix at best.
I felt my eyes get heavy. It was getting colder. That mountain cold. That deep cold the mountains have even into the early spring when the sun goes down. That kind that just pulls the heat right out of you. I shivered. A terrible, horrible certainty came to me. I would ride until I passed out from exhaustion or the hypothermia set in. My body would tumble off the sled to fall and skip across the rocky ground like a stone skipping across a lake, my bones breaking as I tumbled until my body finally came to a stop. If I was lucky I would be killed and not have to lie for days, broken and bruised, on the ground until death took me.
The ride kept going. The ride kept going. The fucking ride kept going.
“Fuck you” I said to the ride, my voice a horse whisper. I pulled my jacket closer around me, for all the good it did. The cold wind was slowly but surely pulling my body heat away. My shivering got worse, crossing the line from a simple normal shiver into those deep, almost violent full body ones.. I wasn’t anything you could call an experienced outdoorsman, but I knew enough to know that wasn’t a good sign.
It was getting dark. There was a full moon at least so I wasn’t totally in the dark.
About then I noticed something. The landscape, what little I could see in the fading light, was changing. It was smoothing out, becoming less rocky and craggy. Up ahead an odd, shimmering light was starting to appear on the ground.
I was over it before I even realized what it was. The tracks were going over a smooth surface.
Water. It was a lake. The odd lights I had seen were the moon, reflected in ripples on the lake.
Within minutes I was out of the view of the land. After the nearly endless rocky landscape and everything else I had seen, it scared me how little I was shocked. I didn’t like how mentally numb I was getting. I leaned over. There was enough moonlight to see the water, 15 or 20 feet below the track. The pylons holding up the track went into the water, the light wasn’t good enough to even make a guess at how far they went down or how deep the water was.I leaned back in the sled. My eyes were red and bloodshot from the constant wind. I closed them. This was a mistake.I jerked awake. I don’t know if I dozed off for a split second or an hour. My weight had shifted and I caught myself as my center of gravity was in danger of sending me off the sled and into the water.
I screamed in anger. A deep primal scream. I hurt so bad. My joints felt like they were full of glass. My limbs were full of pins and needles. I glanced over at the water. For the first time on the very edges of my brain a tiny voice started to speak up, telling me that I could be all over if I just jumped. I shut the voice up, but it scared me still.
I sat there as the ride went on. It felt like hours. Eventually the lake ended in a rocky shore line. The damned ride. There was no safe place to bail out. If the ride slowed down, it was high in the air, if it moved toward the ground it sped up. Sharp rocks, big trees, nothing you could safely bail out into.
I kept having to force myself awake. I kept dozing off. Once I felt myself falling asleep and drove a vicious uppercut into my own nose to stave it off.
I seriously started to think about how much longer I could hang on. The voice came back again. This time I didn’t shut it up. I wasn’t admitting it to myself yet, but I was starting to think about the best way to land that would end it quickly if I needed to.
Something was ahead. The track seemed to dip into the ground. I was too tired, too beaten to even get scared. I was just resigned to whatever happened at this point.
With little warning the track took my sled into a tunnel in the ground. Everything went completely pitch black. After several moments even the dim moonlight was gone.
This was the worst part. The creepy forest, the immense rocky landscape, the eerie lake… those were bad. But this was just nothing. Nothing to look at, nothing to hear, nothing for reference or sense of where I was going. The walls of the tunnel felt like they were inches from me in every direction. The air felt thick, like there wasn’t enough oxygen.
With every moment I was in that tunnel I lost a little more hope. After a long, long time I made a decision. When I got out of this tunnel, I would jump. I didn’t care anymore. Hopefully there would be a spot where I could be certain the fall would instantly kill me. I was done. The ride had beaten me. I sat there, waiting for a chance to end this on my terms. That was all I had left.
Eventually up ahead, a tiny speck of light appeared. I gathered my strength, ready to end it. I sat up, getting my legs under me so I could jump as soon as we were clear. The sled burst out of the tunnel. The dim light of the full moon was enough to be momentarily blinding after the pitch black of the tunnel.. I gave my eyes a moment to adjust.
I was back in a normal looking Appalachian forest. Rolling hills, green trees. The air smelled of pine again. I heard an owl hoot off somewhere.
Slowly I lowered myself back into a setting position, in shock. At first I refused to believe it but the ride was slowing down. I held still, making sure my mind wasn’t playing tricks on me, but no, the cheap plastic sled that had been my world for what felt like an eternity was slowing down.
Up ahead, a structure was visible, peeking out from among the trees in the dim lighting as the sled moved down the track.
It was the Alpine Slide building. The crappy fake red barn where I had boarded this cursed ride so long ago. I blinked and rubbed my eyes, sure it was either my mind or the cursed ride playing tricks with me. But the building stayed there.
It grew closer and closer. The track leveled completely out. The sled slowed down more. Before I had the time to really come to terms with it I arrived back at the building.
The sled slowed to a stop, gently pumping against another sled parked on the track. I sat there for a few moments, gasping in great big gulping fear breaths, trying to assure myself the ride didn’t have one last trick of its sleeve.
I looked around. The place was empty, deserted. The overhead lights were still on and the old Pepsi machine still glowed and buzzed, but the ticket booth was dark and empty, a metal gate pulled down over the ticket window.
Suddenly it hit me that I was free and I practically leapt out of the sled and onto the platform. I immediately collapsed. My legs were jelly and my head was spinning. I tried to stand up again and doubled over, dry heaving. Have you ever been out on a boat for a day and have that weird reverse motion sickness when you’re back on solid land? It was like that times a hundred. My inner ear was literally pounding, all the motion had really done a number on it.
I laid there for a few moments and eventually forced myself to stand up on my two wobbling legs. I looked around, a horrible certainty creeping into my mind that there would be no exit, no way off the platform but to my relief an exit turnstyle, one of those full height ones, was set into the fence that surrounded the ride property.
I went through it and found myself back on the main road. The truckstop was still there, still open but far less busy. My car sat in the same corner of the parking lot I had left it.
I allowed myself one look back, just one quick one. The metal skeleton of the Alpine Slide track sat there, dark and quiet but otherwise normal.
I stumbled-ran back to my car, dug the keys out of my pocket, and collapsed inside. When the door shut I let out a primal scream, the tons of fear and confusion and anger all fusing into a single, raw emotion. I screamed again and again.
After a few moments I felt like I was emotionally at least back to a place where I could act, although I wasn’t sure yet what to do next. Not really knowing what to do I cranked the car. The A/C had been on low when I shut off the car and it came roaring back to life and cold air blowing on me almost sent me back into a full on panic attack. I fumbled with the climate controls until the air stopped blowing directly on me, then calmed down enough to turn the heat on, helping to get the chill out of my bones. There was a half full bottle of water in the center console cup holder and I grabbed it and chugged it. Nothing ever tasted as good before or sense as that few ounces of water.
That was when I noticed the clock on the radio head unit. It was 4:17 in the morning. It had been about one, one thirty or so in the afternoon when I got on the accursed ride.
Over 15 hours. I had been on the goddamn ride for over 15 hours. Over half a day.
I just sat there. Warming up. Calming down. I was exhausted. I was dehydrated. I can’t even describe how my head felt. I probably had at least a minor case of hypothermia. I thought about going into the gas station and asking for help but what would I even say, and more than anything I just wanted to get away from this place. And I just wanted to get away. I wanted to be nowhere near that damn ride.
I put the Camaro in gear and pulled into the street and in panic I immediately slammed on the brakes. I was lucky there was no traffic on the road at that moment. The feeling of accelerating to just normal surface street speeds made me sick to my stomach. I gathered myself and very slowly accelerated the car I usually treated with a very heavy foot up to 30 miles an hour. Every time I tried to accelerate at a pace faster than “Old Lady Going to Church, Uphill” I would have a panic attack. I was okay once I was up to speed, but accelerating freaked me out after being on that ride.
I drove about 30 minutes, putting some arbitrary amount of distance between myself and the coaster. Eventually I made it back to where the twisty mountain road met back up with a major road that would eventually meet back up with the highway. After a few more minutes of driving I saw the onramp for the highway. There was one of those big truckstop travel plazas and pulled in, parking right up at the door. I smelled like pee and I can only imagine how I looked, but I didn’t care.
I kept a couple of emergency 20s in the back of my wallet and spent it on the biggest bottle of water the store had, an overpriced bottle of eye drops, and a huge travel mug of coffee. The clerk looked at me as if he was expecting me to either drop dead or rob him the entire time.
Back in my car I downed the coffee. I put a few eye drops in each of my eyes and sat there as the caffeine took effect until I felt like I could make it back to my apartment. The sun was just coming up when I finally pulled out of the truck stop and got on the freeway. I slowly, very slowly, accelerated up to highway speed, put the Camaro in cruise control, and let the miles start to drift away. I turned on the radio, I needed to hear human voices. Every time my mind went back to what had just happened I turned the radio up louder, eventually drowning it out with painful levels of rock music. I wasn’t ready to think about it yet. Yes looking back I know I was just in denial. I finally made it back to the crappy little apartment I had off campus, a little two story walk up studio. I let myself in and collapsed on the cheap couch. I was asleep before I even had the time to decide whether or not to do anything else. I woke up later that afternoon. I took a shower and ate a meal and didn’t think about the ride. I washed the pee stained filthy clothes I had been wearing and didn’t think about the ride. I went back to class and didn’t think about the ride. Every time I thought about the ride I forced it out of my head. I’m sure this wasn’t the most mentally healthy thing to do but what can you say?
I didn’t forget about it, don’t be silly. This isn’t the kind of thing you forget. One day while looking up something else in the university’s library my curiosity got the better of me and I looked up the Alpine Slide. No website but a few Google Map and Yelp mentions. None of them mentioned anything weird, certainly nothing even remotely like what I experienced. Near as I can tell it closed sometimes in the winter of 2012.
Life went on. I mean, that’s what it does. The next day was a little better. And the day after that a little better. And the day after that a little better still. I met a nice girl. Graduated. Got married. Got a nice house in the suburbs. Got a dog. Had a daughter. Spent a lot of time happy and not thinking about being trapped on an endless alpine coaster.And that was my life for many, many years after that.
Until a few weeks back when as a very different person I found myself driving a boring and safe mid sized family SUV through those same mountains. My wife Carol, 5 months pregnant, sat in the passenger seat, our 6 year old daughter Emily in a booster seat in the back, and Max our mixed breed mutt next to her. It had been a nice pleasant trip, driving back from visiting her folks.
I hadn’t thought about that fucking ride in so long I barely registered that I was in the same general area until it was too late. Suddenly I realized that little mountain tourist trap town was only a few minutes down the road. I swallowed hard and gripped the steering wheel hard. Carol was looking out the window at the scenery and Emily was deep into some kid’s Youtube video on an iPad. I forced myself to keep my breath steady as we rounded the corner.The town was still there, sorta. Time had not been kind to it. The gas station was still there, at some point it had been bought out by Shell. The tourist trap shops were still there. One of them was now a vape shop. The diner was closed, the building looking like it sat unused for a long time.
But of course that’s not what I cared about. A looked over at the site where the Alpine Coaster once stood. It was gone. The kitschy fake barn was gone. The site was just a bare concrete slab with a chainlink fence around it. Faded “no trespassing” and “for sale” signs hung off the fence. A pile of old, decaying lumber that might have once long ago been part of the structure covered part of the old lot. No sign of the track remained outside of some old concrete support posts dotting the side of the mountain.
I exhaled out a breath I hadn’t even realized I had been holding in. Soon the little town disappeared in my rear view mirror.
About a half hour later we stopped for gas. I pulled up to a gas pump across from a massive motorhome. Max stuck his head out the window and started barking at a little white dog, a toy breed of some kind, in the window of the motorhome. Carol and Emily immediately headed into the store to restock on snacks while I fueled up.
I stood there, a half smile on my lips as Max barked and wagged his tail in an attempt to attract the attention of the other dog while I filled up the tank, said dog doing an admirable job of ignoring him.
Right about the time I finished fueling up and cleaning the bugs off the windshield Carol returned from inside the store, Emily in tow, arms filled with two full sized bags of Salt and Vinegar Potato Chips and what looked to be a half dozen individually wrapped pickles.
I raised an eyebrow at the collection of food but knew better than to question a pregnant woman's snack choices.
“Should we take Max for a quick walk?” Carol asked. The travel plaza had a nice little gated dog walking area off to the side.
“Yeah probably not a bad idea, he’s been cooped up in the car for a few hours.” I said. Max, upon hearing his name and the word “walk” , forgot about the other dog and upgraded from wagging his tail to wagging his entire body while making whining sounds and staring right at me.
About this time I became half aware that the big motor home next to us was pulling away. I didn’t think much of it, outside of doing a quick automatic mental check to make sure Emily was well clear of the moving vehicle, but she was safely between me and our SUV, well out of the way.
But that was when Emily looked behind me and cheerfully yelled “Daddy look a roller coaster! Can I ride the coaster?”
It’s cliche as fuck I know but my blood went cold.
I turned around slowly, certain in my knowledge that terrible old decrepit Alpine Coaster would be there, having just popped into existence to trap me again.
That.. is not what I saw. Sure enough there was a coaster there, one I hadn’t noticed earlier because it had mostly been blocked by the motor home, but there it was. It was even an Alpine Coaster.
But it was not the same coaster I had encountered those years ago. That was immediately obvious. It was a small but modern and newish looking setup with neon lights and a bunch of people. There was an actual building where you bought tickets and a little snack stand.
“Daddy! Can we go on the coaster!” Emily asked again.
My mouth made motions but no words came out. I glanced over at Carol, hoping she’d say we didn’t have time but to my horror she smiled and said “You know what? That does sound like fun. Daddy will take you while I take Max for a walk.”
My mind raced, trying to think of a way to get out of it. But Emily was already dragging me across the parking lot to the entrance.
I patted my pocket, making sure my phone was in it. Every fiber of my being was screaming to run away. I slept walked through the line and the ticket booth while Emily bounced happily.
We got into a two seat plastic sled. This one was actually a lot nicer than the one my mind wouldn’t stop thinking about. It had two nice cushioned seats, big grab handles, even a nice rollbar.
The sled started up the track. I fought back the panic. I swerved my head around, keeping the building in my view. I was terrified of losing sight of it. We made it to the top and Emily did a happy squeal as we started down the side of the mountain.
My heart raced. Any second, any second my mind told me we’d lose sight of the building and then the ride would never end. The ride sped down the mountain. My mind tortured me with thoughts of not only going through it again, but seeing Emily go through it. The ride went around a big, banking turn. Emily kept shouting happily. How long before Carol reported us missing I wondered? Could I keep Emily calm? What if it lasted even longer this time? What if this time it never ended?
And then we were back at the start of the ride. The same attendant who had helped us into the sled was helping Emily out. I stepped out. The attendant gave me a brief look but said nothing. I guess I looked a little wild eyed.
I was fine. Emily was fine. It had been a perfectly normal, fun ride.
“That was fun Daddy! Thank you!” Emily said. I forced a smile back. “It was fun.” I responded, hoping like I sounded like I meant it.
I took Emily’s hand and we walked back to the car. Max saw us coming and barked happily. Carol looked up from the pint of Ben and Jerry’s she had somehow acquired and added to her snack collection while we were gone and smiled at us.
“Did you have fun?” she asked.
“It was so fun Mommy!” Emily said.
Carol smiled down at her, but then looked at me and frowned. “Are you okay?” Carol could read my face a lot better than the attendant could. “You’re pale.”
I smiled and this time the smile felt real. “Ya know what. Yeah, I think I am okay.”
Carol looked a little puzzled, but didn’t press it. We loaded Emily back in her booster seat, stopped Max from trying desperately to eat half a discarded gas station hot dog off the ground and got him back in the car. Carol and her small collection of snack food took her place in the passenger seat and I got in the driver's seat.I smiled. I cranked the car. I put it in gear. I pulled out of the gas station and back on the road, this time accelerating just a little faster than I had in years.

This is long to read if your on mobile (I am) any advice helps, thanks.
I, (17f) am about to be a senior in high school and I’ve kind of realized how behind I feel in life.
For background I have very strict parents, and one of them is emotionally absent (I think she’s a narcissist but we will never know) and I don’t think she likes me very much. That’s besides the point however, but she’s kind of hands off in my life not in the “I don’t care what you do” way, but in the “I don’t want you to do anything but school and home” way but she won’t help me do anything else.
My dad however he’s involved more with me and I really appreciate him, but he’s still strict in the sense that if I go somewhere he has to be the one to take me and bring me back, and I have to let him know weeks in advance. This makes it really inconvenient for me socially because we live in the middle of nowhere. Or not nowhere, but an EXTREMELY car dependent area. Like a shopping center a 10 minute drive away, but a 3 hour walk along a narrow empty road kind of nowhere. Meaning no public transport, and without him I’m physically stuck at home. (Ubers not allowed). My parents also don’t really do family bonding stuff to get new experiences. Every somewhat interesting experience I’ve had in my life thus far has come from my oldest brother and his fiance who I also consider my sister who are both twice my age. Meaning I can’t really relate to them on a personal level, but since my brother knows how my parents are he really makes and effort to be there and help me in basically everything. Like if I didn’t have him, I’d never know what an amusement park like six flags is like, I would never have been to Panera bread, I’d never see a movie, id be typing this on a leapfrog, and I’d literally never do anything. at all. That’s how mundane my parents lives are and since they’re older(60s), and come from a really rough life (they migrated here) they’re kind of content with work, home, eat, sleep, repeat. Maybe once in a blue moon go out to eat, or shop at a department store for furniture or something. My mom in particular has also kind of given up being a parent because of me and my siblings age gap, it’s like I’m a ghost to her. I do a lot of stuff myself not by choice. Like If I was told to pack only my things and go, I’d literally pack my entire room. Everything in it except for the mattress and major furniture was purchased by me, or my brother and sister (his fiance). All my shoes, 80% of my clothes, and all else have been bought by me/siblings since I was 15 i think?
I’ve never had a family trip/vacation even to like somewhere local/close. Everywhere we go has to have some sort of legitimate purpose, and when I bring this up to my parents they bring up those types of trips. “Remember when we went to Florida!” But we stayed for literally a day and a half soley for the purpose of attending my brother’s graduation when I was like 8. “Remember when we went to Canada” again for a day and a half just for some church program thing (super Christian). Again when I was like 12. I’m too young to do anything for fun in their eyes or take public transport, but I’m allowed to have my job. Even then I can’t work more than once a week because they’ll complain about having to take me and pick me up as I’m reliant on them for transportation. I’ve been pushing them to get my lisence, but they keep stalling for god knows why. And to knock this out, no they are not financially struggling. On top of that I have no family aside from them/my siblings in the US, so I literally have nobody. My brother, I love him and his help but I feel like I’m holding him back from truly being able to let them go and be free of constant contact with them for other reasons, because he still wants to be in my life and help me.
Earlier I said one of my parents is emotionally absent, it’s no secret but it’s my mom, pretty sure she hates me and I don’t know why, but I’m over it. Suddenly after I turned 11 she just has this constant need to argue with me, put me down, or literally do anything just to assume the worst of me or not be happy for me. The issue with that is, she also doesn’t DO anything. My dad does literally EVERYTHING. He cooks, he takes me to school, he picks me up, he takes me to the doctor, he goes to any ceremonies, everything. It’s so bad that some of my friends deliberately avoided bringing up mothers because they thought my dad was a single dad (my mom is hands off my life so I never bring her up and she’s never in a position to meet them). So I feel 10x guilty anytime I want to even go to the grocery store because I know it’s going to fall on my dad alone and I don’t want to make it harder for him when he does a lot already. I can’t go out with any friends, but when I want to do something alone I can’t do it because it’s suspicious that I want to do it alone. Relationships have always been out of the question, the romance isn’t worth the shit show aftermath at home. And as I get older when I see people my age driving, going out, getting piercings, dye jobs, tattoos, doing weekday shifts, relationships, it kind of hits me that I’m literally so behind and have accomplished nothing outside of academics. It’s led to “what’s the point” thoughts which I have to work through alone because just my luck in the eyes of my parents depression and sewerslidal thoughts are diseases. It’s so bad that when my mom (shocker) asked me if I was depressed a few days ago I instantly said no because I knew it was not genuine. It was 100% bait that would’ve turned into a long lecture as to why I’m wrong even though I hate to self diagnose but I honestly think I have been for a while. The constant isolation (not by choice) has gotten terrible to the point where I’m starting to hear shit and see shit when I’m alone and it’s kind of freaking me out. My one and only vice is impulsive spending online because I literally have nothing to look forward to having money for.
My brothers done so much for me. He bought me my first phone, everything. I keep telling myself to just wait until I’m 18 to live life, but I then think I’d still have missed a decent or somewhat normal high school experience. All that alone time gives me the opportunity to learn a lot of random stuff, and I always end up viewed as the “mature” or “smart-experienced-therapist-like” figure (key word figure because I’m NONE of that) in my friendships and it sucks because due to past experiences of opening up to my mom, I have trouble expressing how I feel to others. No im not mature and handling my own, I just have no idea how to talk about my issues/feelings to others in person. Like no I’m not some know it all fortune teller. Sometimes I literally just want to have someone to feel stupid with you know? Like I want to be able to leave my brain at home with someone and not feel like I’m breaking character or something. I hate being told I carry myself maturely, or I’m an old soul or down to earth by people older than me etc. I don’t want to be. I hate being looked at weird or with wide eyes when I laugh, smile, or joke because for some reason people think it’s not “like me”. I don’t even know what to do, or where to start. Everyone thinks I just have shit sorted and just make moves in silence or something when I’m literally in crisis. I feel weird to even cry, ME a 17 year old girl feels like it’s a crime to cry infront of anyone. None of my friends have ever seen me cry. And I almost did once infront of two of them because of a really bad moment of clarity that my life sucks. They just stared at me like I was some specimen because they didn’t know I was capable of crying I guess? If anyone even reads this I don’t even know what to do. I don’t even know if I make any sense. And I read this over and edited it in less detail because I think my feelings are corny and it sounds stupid and ik that’s my problem even on Reddit UGH.
And disclaimer, no I am not a danger to myself or anyone else, I’m not itching to kick the bucket it’s just a big “ugh” moment.