Parents entrance song
WokeKids
2017.06.02 22:50 _CodyB WokeKids
Incredible children who have amazingly developed senses of social justice that coincidentally mirror those of their parents. This truly is the greatest sub of all time. Our official song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3wkyerSBpw
2011.03.30 16:39 HotDinnerBatman Unsent Letters
A place for the letter you never sent.
2013.04.30 02:06 ZedsBread Electronic Jungle
Modern electronic music with a tribal feel.
2024.05.19 00:45 KayakRifleman Talking with Predators part 4 (NoP Fanfic)
All right here it is finally, thank you all for your patience and let's hope chapter 5 is a little more expedient. As usual I hope you enjoy and would love to get everyone's thoughts.
First Previous
4: Memory transcription subject: Zeak, Harchen orphan, citizen of the Venlil Republic. Date: standardized human time July 13th 2136.
The sky was a roaring mass of fire and pungent black smoke that choked out the light of the sun. As I ran down the street, green blood flowed like a broad shallow river. It splashed up with every step I took, sticking to my scales, the smell of it made me feel sick. As the piercing wail of the emergency sirens seemed to grow louder and louder with every step I took making my ears ring and filling my head with a thunderous pain. My heart pounded, my lungs were on fire, and my legs felt like they were made of lead.
A herd of towering blurry figures appeared out of nowhere and ran past me, some almost knocking me down. In their panic they began to look more like crazed wild animals than people. I cried for help but they couldn't hear me. I waved my paws then grabbed one of them a male Venlil, tightening my grip with all the strength I had hoping this would get his attention. He threw me off like I was trash, less than trash. I turned around and continued pleading for anyone to help me, reaching out for others. But their frantic idiot eyes looked only straight ahead and not down, never down, as the herd passed me.
I turned back around and continued to run, blood splashing up soaking me all the way to my knees. I stumbled, my legs were so tired I could barely stand, and I fell down catching myself, plunging my paws into blood as deep as my wrists. I felt myself scream but I couldn't hear it over the ringing in my ears. A scrap of paper gently floated past me, a single word written on it that echoed in my mind “Weakling.” It passed and four more took its place, “Coward”, “Liar”, “Oath breaker”, “Murderer.” I screamed in rage and slapped the pieces of paper aside, blood splashing onto my snout, but the meanings of those words remained. Getting back up I stumbled forward, and fell down again. Then with an effort born out of sheer desperation I managed to stand again lurching forward. My legs were too tired to run but I had to keep going, I had to save them. Or at least her, please Protector if you're listening please let me save at least her.
It felt like I was searching for an endless time. Lurching forward, stumbling, falling down, getting back up, lurching forward once more. Eventually I saw it and my heart fell into the pit of my stomach. My family's car was turned over on its roof, the driver's side had been caved in. It was engulfed in fire and thick black smoke that rose up into the sky. I struggled forward and when I reached it I collapsed, my knees hitting the hot pavement. The smell of burning metal and something else I didn't know assaulted my senses making my stomach turn. Every muscle in my body begged me to run away. Calling out their names l looked inside, and a wave of nausea and horror flooded through me.
I turned away and vomited, then reached up with my blood soaked paws and covered my eyes. Those words thundered in my head making me think it was going to burst open, as hot tears welled up. “WEAKLING! COWARD! LIAR! OATH BREAKER! MURDERER! MURDERER! MURDERER! MURDERER! “I'm sorry I'm sorry, I should have stayed, I should have helped. Why did I run?” I wailed, still unable to hear myself. Someone rested a delicate paw on my shoulder, and the world went quiet. As the pain in my head melted away.
My eyes snapped open and I was greeted by the gentle ringing of my alarm. In a rush of adrenaline I leaped out of bed not even bothering to wipe the sleep out of my eyes. Running out of my bedroom and down the narrow hallway towards the living room. Convincing myself It had all just been a horrible, horrible nightmare and everything was alright. Mom and Dad would be fixing breakfast, Dad softly singing a Harchen folk song while making something savory and delicious as mom sang along in harmony, preparing something special for my baby sister Naila. Oh yes and Naila, she would probably be sitting on a cushion in the sunny part of the living room. Holding her crooked tail, a birth defect which my parents said could be fixed when she was older. And making excited chirping noises at my arrival, while sunlight shone against her emerald scales. I loved my baby sister, I knew other kids resented having a younger sibling. Dismissing their responsibilities and spending less time with their family and more with their friends. I never once felt that way, the moment Naila hatched I devoted every spare minute I had to her. Finding music that would help her fall asleep, watching over her when my mom needed a break. Excitedly telling her about the day's events and what I learned at school, especially what I learned in computer science which was my favorite class.
“Mom! Dad!” I yelled bursting into the living room. “I just had the worst…” My voice trailed off as I was greeted with nothing “dream.” My heart tightened painfully in my chest, as I frantically ran through the house throwing open every door, knowing that they had to be here somewhere. They were just playing a game on me that was all, a game I would tell them I didn't appreciate. After the final door had been opened and no one was there to yell “Surprise!” My body slumped and I felt heavy as reality set back in, and the memories of what happened hit me like a hammer. I made my way back down the hall to my room, tail dragging behind me as I crawled back into bed. Wrapping myself tightly in a blanket, trying to find some comfort.
It must have been hours I lay there feeling numb all over, wishing I could get up the energy to just cry. I think I might have fallen asleep at one point. If I did it was a dreamless sleep, thank the stars for that. Eventually I did get up, sitting cross-legged on my bed, resting my chin in my paws, staring holes into the wall. I took a deep breath and side numbly looked out the window, searching for anything to distract myself with.
It was overcast, and eerily quiet. The emergency sirens had stopped blaring yesterday mere hours after everyone had gotten to the bunkers. The bodies of the dead had already been collected and their blood cleaned from the pavement. So as to not attract any predators into the neighborhood. I saw my neighbor A'shul was home, his white vehicle was sporting some new dents. I wondered, when he got into his vehicle yesterday morning and drove to the nearest bunker; did he try to help anyone? Or was he thinking only of himself? I suppose it didn't matter really. Nothing mattered.
I turned my head away and looked around my small room taking in everything, every trinket, misplaced item, my old second-hand desk, a big green crackle finished monster. Better suited for a Venlil than a young Harchen, heck I needed a stool just to use it. I had gotten it for basically nothing about a year ago, when the local extermination office was getting rid of their old furniture. All it took was a small bribe and they put it in my bedroom when no one was home. My parents, but especially my mom we're not happy when they saw it the next day. They would tell me at least once a week that It was too big for me and they were going to get rid of that eyesore. “Wouldn't you like something a little more modern dear?” My mom would ask, practically pleading for me to say yes. I used to pray that my parents would just shut up and stop bugging me about that stupid desk. I thought it was great, it made me think of private detective Bal from the exterminators show. Bal was a no nonsense Harchen who was so often pivotal in tracking down the predator or predator diseased person. My desk was very similar to his and that's why I wanted it. But at that moment, I would have given anything to hear those words again.
On the desk there was an ornate wooden box, with a fruit tree in full bloom delicately carved into its lid. There were also scuff marks where it had been dropped, and a deep crack running down the center. It was known as a blessing box, Naila's blessing box to be specific. When she hatched nearly ten months ago the whole neighborhood had been invited to come and write a blessing on a scrap of paper and put it in the box. I had written one too, not a blessing but a promise, a promise I couldn't keep. The belief was that if kept near the infant, the combined power of all those blessings would keep the hatchling safe until their first birthday. Where on that day the box would be set on fire and burned to ash. Releasing those blessings back into the world so they may protect someone else. It was an old tradition and not commonly practiced anymore, but as my dad always said “It is important to keep the old traditions alive my son. Both in song and action.” I remember asking him why? And he looked at me like he had been waiting for that question for a long time. “Because” He said, his tail moving with authority. “Someday when you lose your way, and you don't know where to turn to. You will always have something to guide you back to your center.”
Looking away from the box not wanting to look or think about the damn thing, I shifted my gaze down to my bedside table. There was a little holographic projector showing pictures of me, Mom, Dad and Naila on holiday back on Fahl, the Harchen home world to see family. I was born and raised on Venlil prime, so I didn't really know any of my extended family. There was a picture of my mom and Naila sleeping at the beach. Naila’s crooked tail coiled around mom’s arm, their scales a deep emerald in the light of the sun. The picture changed to me and Dad putting the finishing touches on a sand skyscraper taller than him. I had to sit on his shoulders to place the last bucket full of sand on top. Both of our scales were as blue as the ocean. My tail flicked sadly thinking of that day. I reached over and turned the holo protector off.
My holopad lay next to me flashing, alerting me to an urgent message. I hadn't really looked at my holopad since yesterday morning. Picking it up I tapped the flashing icon. It was an official government statement signed by Governor Tarva herself, saying that the humans Noah and Sarah were peaceful explorers, and that they only wished to be our friends. ‘No, that's impossible, they’re predators. Predators don't want peace, they want to conquer, kill and eat us,’ stunned and confused I kept reading. The rest of the message stated that the two human scientists were completely unaware there was intelligent life of any kind on Venlil prime. ‘No! Lies! Predator lies!’ I yelled inside my head. Something hot began to form in my chest as I read the last bit. Governor Tarver had shown the two predators footage of the Arxur torturing Venlil pups. It said that the humans were capable of empathy and felt deeply saddened and angered by what they saw. They vowed to do everything in their power to get their united nations into the war against the Arxur.
I scrolled all the way down and what I saw stopped me cold. Standing in her office being flanked by General Kam, stood Governor Tarva. Beside them looming over the two Venlil one bigger than the other, both of them covered in some sort of protective suit. Their faces were obscured by dark visored helmets. It said that the larger of the two Noah was male, and the smaller one was Sarah female. Sarah had her hands clasped in front of her, while Noah kept his to his side. Neither were acting threatening, and neither Tarva or Kam looked to be harmed in any way.
Something in me snapped, that hot thing inside my chest erupted and I could feel my scales turn black. I very carefully set my holopad down beside me, then I uncrossed my legs and got out of bed. I stood there in the center of my room shaking slightly, feeling terribly calm as white hot rage flooded my body, spreading to my paws and all the way out to the tip of my long tail. It never had to happen, the panic, the stampede, the death, we could have stayed home and avoided those people. ‘No… no not people,’ a bitter thought came over me. ‘They're not people at all, people stop and help, like that Venlil girl Kayleik, she was a person maybe the only one. But the rest of them were just wild animals, masquerading as sentient beings. ‘Do you really think you're any better, coward?’ Some internal voice said.
A sudden impulse took control of me and I grabbed my desks stool and hurled it against the wall. It dented the wall and bounced off still in one piece. Enraged, I leaped forward grabbing it by the legs, then turned around and slammed it into my desk. The sheet metal dented and the green crackle finish paint flew off, but the stool made of good dense wood from the string fruit tree stayed whole. “DAMN THEM! DAMN THEM! DAMN THEM! DAMN THEM!” I screamed, slamming the stool down again and again, my tail whipping wildly, striking the bed and the floor. The tip of my tail began to hurt, which only fueled my anger. Finally I heard cracking and wood began to splinter off. They didn't have to die, we could have stayed home. The muscles in my shoulders burned and my heart pounded as hot tears began to well up. I brought it down one final time narrowly avoiding the blessing box, and the stool broke in two. I hurled the pieces away from me, one slamming into the corner the other crashing through the window.
I leaned against the desk catching my breath as tears flowed freely. ‘Well that definitely showed them didn't it. Hey I got a great idea! Let's go break some more stuff, that will definitely make you feel better. Idiot!’ That internal voice said all coldness and bitterness. As I cried, the burning in my chest cooled, and I was filled with the same numbness as before. After a while my stomach growled, reminding me I hadn't eaten since yesterday. I moved sluggishly out of my bedroom and went straight to the kitchen, quickly grabbed some fruit and left to go and watch the view screen or something. The moment I entered the living room, memories came flooding back. Mom and Dad laughing, Naila sleeping peacefully, the lingering aroma of breakfast, and the warmth of our home. But now it was all gone and I was alone. For the first time in my life, I had no one to go to.
It was right then I realized I couldn't stay here anymore. This place felt like a tomb, all cold and filled with the memories of the dead. Besides, if I stayed here someone would eventually send the authorities to come and get me. Ship me off to an orphanage, foster care or maybe to my extended family back on Fahl. I balked at the idea of being forced to live with people I didn't know or trust. Memories of yesterday's stampede invaded my mind and I shuddered. I couldn't trust any of them not anymore. No, there was one person I could think of that maybe I could trust. Turning around I went back to my room, found my backpack and grabbed my holopad, the blessing box, the holo projector and my blanket stuffing it into my pack. Then I went to the kitchen and filled my pack up the rest of the way with dried fruit and vegetable snacks. With my backpack looking like it was going to burst I shouldered it and made my way to the front door. When I rested my scaly paw on the door handle I stopped and looked back at the place that was once my home. “Goodbye” I said in a shaky voice, knowing this would be the last time I would never set foot in this house. With my head low I opened the door and stepped out, into the dim light of a new unfamiliar world.
submitted by KayakRifleman to NatureofPredators [link] [comments]
First Previous
4: Memory transcription subject: Zeak, Harchen orphan, citizen of the Venlil Republic. Date: standardized human time July 13th 2136.
The sky was a roaring mass of fire and pungent black smoke that choked out the light of the sun. As I ran down the street, green blood flowed like a broad shallow river. It splashed up with every step I took, sticking to my scales, the smell of it made me feel sick. As the piercing wail of the emergency sirens seemed to grow louder and louder with every step I took making my ears ring and filling my head with a thunderous pain. My heart pounded, my lungs were on fire, and my legs felt like they were made of lead.
A herd of towering blurry figures appeared out of nowhere and ran past me, some almost knocking me down. In their panic they began to look more like crazed wild animals than people. I cried for help but they couldn't hear me. I waved my paws then grabbed one of them a male Venlil, tightening my grip with all the strength I had hoping this would get his attention. He threw me off like I was trash, less than trash. I turned around and continued pleading for anyone to help me, reaching out for others. But their frantic idiot eyes looked only straight ahead and not down, never down, as the herd passed me.
I turned back around and continued to run, blood splashing up soaking me all the way to my knees. I stumbled, my legs were so tired I could barely stand, and I fell down catching myself, plunging my paws into blood as deep as my wrists. I felt myself scream but I couldn't hear it over the ringing in my ears. A scrap of paper gently floated past me, a single word written on it that echoed in my mind “Weakling.” It passed and four more took its place, “Coward”, “Liar”, “Oath breaker”, “Murderer.” I screamed in rage and slapped the pieces of paper aside, blood splashing onto my snout, but the meanings of those words remained. Getting back up I stumbled forward, and fell down again. Then with an effort born out of sheer desperation I managed to stand again lurching forward. My legs were too tired to run but I had to keep going, I had to save them. Or at least her, please Protector if you're listening please let me save at least her.
It felt like I was searching for an endless time. Lurching forward, stumbling, falling down, getting back up, lurching forward once more. Eventually I saw it and my heart fell into the pit of my stomach. My family's car was turned over on its roof, the driver's side had been caved in. It was engulfed in fire and thick black smoke that rose up into the sky. I struggled forward and when I reached it I collapsed, my knees hitting the hot pavement. The smell of burning metal and something else I didn't know assaulted my senses making my stomach turn. Every muscle in my body begged me to run away. Calling out their names l looked inside, and a wave of nausea and horror flooded through me.
I turned away and vomited, then reached up with my blood soaked paws and covered my eyes. Those words thundered in my head making me think it was going to burst open, as hot tears welled up. “WEAKLING! COWARD! LIAR! OATH BREAKER! MURDERER! MURDERER! MURDERER! MURDERER! “I'm sorry I'm sorry, I should have stayed, I should have helped. Why did I run?” I wailed, still unable to hear myself. Someone rested a delicate paw on my shoulder, and the world went quiet. As the pain in my head melted away.
My eyes snapped open and I was greeted by the gentle ringing of my alarm. In a rush of adrenaline I leaped out of bed not even bothering to wipe the sleep out of my eyes. Running out of my bedroom and down the narrow hallway towards the living room. Convincing myself It had all just been a horrible, horrible nightmare and everything was alright. Mom and Dad would be fixing breakfast, Dad softly singing a Harchen folk song while making something savory and delicious as mom sang along in harmony, preparing something special for my baby sister Naila. Oh yes and Naila, she would probably be sitting on a cushion in the sunny part of the living room. Holding her crooked tail, a birth defect which my parents said could be fixed when she was older. And making excited chirping noises at my arrival, while sunlight shone against her emerald scales. I loved my baby sister, I knew other kids resented having a younger sibling. Dismissing their responsibilities and spending less time with their family and more with their friends. I never once felt that way, the moment Naila hatched I devoted every spare minute I had to her. Finding music that would help her fall asleep, watching over her when my mom needed a break. Excitedly telling her about the day's events and what I learned at school, especially what I learned in computer science which was my favorite class.
“Mom! Dad!” I yelled bursting into the living room. “I just had the worst…” My voice trailed off as I was greeted with nothing “dream.” My heart tightened painfully in my chest, as I frantically ran through the house throwing open every door, knowing that they had to be here somewhere. They were just playing a game on me that was all, a game I would tell them I didn't appreciate. After the final door had been opened and no one was there to yell “Surprise!” My body slumped and I felt heavy as reality set back in, and the memories of what happened hit me like a hammer. I made my way back down the hall to my room, tail dragging behind me as I crawled back into bed. Wrapping myself tightly in a blanket, trying to find some comfort.
It must have been hours I lay there feeling numb all over, wishing I could get up the energy to just cry. I think I might have fallen asleep at one point. If I did it was a dreamless sleep, thank the stars for that. Eventually I did get up, sitting cross-legged on my bed, resting my chin in my paws, staring holes into the wall. I took a deep breath and side numbly looked out the window, searching for anything to distract myself with.
It was overcast, and eerily quiet. The emergency sirens had stopped blaring yesterday mere hours after everyone had gotten to the bunkers. The bodies of the dead had already been collected and their blood cleaned from the pavement. So as to not attract any predators into the neighborhood. I saw my neighbor A'shul was home, his white vehicle was sporting some new dents. I wondered, when he got into his vehicle yesterday morning and drove to the nearest bunker; did he try to help anyone? Or was he thinking only of himself? I suppose it didn't matter really. Nothing mattered.
I turned my head away and looked around my small room taking in everything, every trinket, misplaced item, my old second-hand desk, a big green crackle finished monster. Better suited for a Venlil than a young Harchen, heck I needed a stool just to use it. I had gotten it for basically nothing about a year ago, when the local extermination office was getting rid of their old furniture. All it took was a small bribe and they put it in my bedroom when no one was home. My parents, but especially my mom we're not happy when they saw it the next day. They would tell me at least once a week that It was too big for me and they were going to get rid of that eyesore. “Wouldn't you like something a little more modern dear?” My mom would ask, practically pleading for me to say yes. I used to pray that my parents would just shut up and stop bugging me about that stupid desk. I thought it was great, it made me think of private detective Bal from the exterminators show. Bal was a no nonsense Harchen who was so often pivotal in tracking down the predator or predator diseased person. My desk was very similar to his and that's why I wanted it. But at that moment, I would have given anything to hear those words again.
On the desk there was an ornate wooden box, with a fruit tree in full bloom delicately carved into its lid. There were also scuff marks where it had been dropped, and a deep crack running down the center. It was known as a blessing box, Naila's blessing box to be specific. When she hatched nearly ten months ago the whole neighborhood had been invited to come and write a blessing on a scrap of paper and put it in the box. I had written one too, not a blessing but a promise, a promise I couldn't keep. The belief was that if kept near the infant, the combined power of all those blessings would keep the hatchling safe until their first birthday. Where on that day the box would be set on fire and burned to ash. Releasing those blessings back into the world so they may protect someone else. It was an old tradition and not commonly practiced anymore, but as my dad always said “It is important to keep the old traditions alive my son. Both in song and action.” I remember asking him why? And he looked at me like he had been waiting for that question for a long time. “Because” He said, his tail moving with authority. “Someday when you lose your way, and you don't know where to turn to. You will always have something to guide you back to your center.”
Looking away from the box not wanting to look or think about the damn thing, I shifted my gaze down to my bedside table. There was a little holographic projector showing pictures of me, Mom, Dad and Naila on holiday back on Fahl, the Harchen home world to see family. I was born and raised on Venlil prime, so I didn't really know any of my extended family. There was a picture of my mom and Naila sleeping at the beach. Naila’s crooked tail coiled around mom’s arm, their scales a deep emerald in the light of the sun. The picture changed to me and Dad putting the finishing touches on a sand skyscraper taller than him. I had to sit on his shoulders to place the last bucket full of sand on top. Both of our scales were as blue as the ocean. My tail flicked sadly thinking of that day. I reached over and turned the holo protector off.
My holopad lay next to me flashing, alerting me to an urgent message. I hadn't really looked at my holopad since yesterday morning. Picking it up I tapped the flashing icon. It was an official government statement signed by Governor Tarva herself, saying that the humans Noah and Sarah were peaceful explorers, and that they only wished to be our friends. ‘No, that's impossible, they’re predators. Predators don't want peace, they want to conquer, kill and eat us,’ stunned and confused I kept reading. The rest of the message stated that the two human scientists were completely unaware there was intelligent life of any kind on Venlil prime. ‘No! Lies! Predator lies!’ I yelled inside my head. Something hot began to form in my chest as I read the last bit. Governor Tarver had shown the two predators footage of the Arxur torturing Venlil pups. It said that the humans were capable of empathy and felt deeply saddened and angered by what they saw. They vowed to do everything in their power to get their united nations into the war against the Arxur.
I scrolled all the way down and what I saw stopped me cold. Standing in her office being flanked by General Kam, stood Governor Tarva. Beside them looming over the two Venlil one bigger than the other, both of them covered in some sort of protective suit. Their faces were obscured by dark visored helmets. It said that the larger of the two Noah was male, and the smaller one was Sarah female. Sarah had her hands clasped in front of her, while Noah kept his to his side. Neither were acting threatening, and neither Tarva or Kam looked to be harmed in any way.
Something in me snapped, that hot thing inside my chest erupted and I could feel my scales turn black. I very carefully set my holopad down beside me, then I uncrossed my legs and got out of bed. I stood there in the center of my room shaking slightly, feeling terribly calm as white hot rage flooded my body, spreading to my paws and all the way out to the tip of my long tail. It never had to happen, the panic, the stampede, the death, we could have stayed home and avoided those people. ‘No… no not people,’ a bitter thought came over me. ‘They're not people at all, people stop and help, like that Venlil girl Kayleik, she was a person maybe the only one. But the rest of them were just wild animals, masquerading as sentient beings. ‘Do you really think you're any better, coward?’ Some internal voice said.
A sudden impulse took control of me and I grabbed my desks stool and hurled it against the wall. It dented the wall and bounced off still in one piece. Enraged, I leaped forward grabbing it by the legs, then turned around and slammed it into my desk. The sheet metal dented and the green crackle finish paint flew off, but the stool made of good dense wood from the string fruit tree stayed whole. “DAMN THEM! DAMN THEM! DAMN THEM! DAMN THEM!” I screamed, slamming the stool down again and again, my tail whipping wildly, striking the bed and the floor. The tip of my tail began to hurt, which only fueled my anger. Finally I heard cracking and wood began to splinter off. They didn't have to die, we could have stayed home. The muscles in my shoulders burned and my heart pounded as hot tears began to well up. I brought it down one final time narrowly avoiding the blessing box, and the stool broke in two. I hurled the pieces away from me, one slamming into the corner the other crashing through the window.
I leaned against the desk catching my breath as tears flowed freely. ‘Well that definitely showed them didn't it. Hey I got a great idea! Let's go break some more stuff, that will definitely make you feel better. Idiot!’ That internal voice said all coldness and bitterness. As I cried, the burning in my chest cooled, and I was filled with the same numbness as before. After a while my stomach growled, reminding me I hadn't eaten since yesterday. I moved sluggishly out of my bedroom and went straight to the kitchen, quickly grabbed some fruit and left to go and watch the view screen or something. The moment I entered the living room, memories came flooding back. Mom and Dad laughing, Naila sleeping peacefully, the lingering aroma of breakfast, and the warmth of our home. But now it was all gone and I was alone. For the first time in my life, I had no one to go to.
It was right then I realized I couldn't stay here anymore. This place felt like a tomb, all cold and filled with the memories of the dead. Besides, if I stayed here someone would eventually send the authorities to come and get me. Ship me off to an orphanage, foster care or maybe to my extended family back on Fahl. I balked at the idea of being forced to live with people I didn't know or trust. Memories of yesterday's stampede invaded my mind and I shuddered. I couldn't trust any of them not anymore. No, there was one person I could think of that maybe I could trust. Turning around I went back to my room, found my backpack and grabbed my holopad, the blessing box, the holo projector and my blanket stuffing it into my pack. Then I went to the kitchen and filled my pack up the rest of the way with dried fruit and vegetable snacks. With my backpack looking like it was going to burst I shouldered it and made my way to the front door. When I rested my scaly paw on the door handle I stopped and looked back at the place that was once my home. “Goodbye” I said in a shaky voice, knowing this would be the last time I would never set foot in this house. With my head low I opened the door and stepped out, into the dim light of a new unfamiliar world.
2024.05.19 00:40 Shreson What should I do about this guy?
Sorry if my post is long....Its my first time taking advise from anyone regarding such things.🙈
I have mostly studied in institutes only for girls. As I grew, talking to guys became difficult for me. Also, I was very naive always. I am the " good fun intelligent girl " as per others & "unlike other girls". Due to my family problems & fights, which promotes inferiority complex, I am not someone who considers herself beautiful all the time... to the point that once i didn't want to attend my institute's freshers party but just went there because 2 classmates called me beautiful so I thought i won't look bad maybe ( i am not much of a makeup person) & ended up being the winner ( it included looks, quizzes, debate & games ) So i found out i look pretty if I give few minutes to get ready & take care of myself a bit. I always saw myself as someone a guy won't like but after attending birthday parties etc, girls used to say their boyfriends were talking about me in a very good way later and praising me a lot. They used to feel jealous but not insecure as they saw me as a girl not interesting in dating. I never had a boyfriend. For a long time, I didn't care. Now for past 1 year, I too feel like having someone. Most of the friends who knew me ever use words like " pure " & " decent " for me though I know these things don't define purity or goodness. Have you seen " beautiful people " song video by Edsheeran? I am somewhere between those " beautiful people " & that couple. I don't know if its normal but when guys approach me through insta & start showing romantic interest just in single day, i dislike it.. like you don't even know me dude. I have a big thing for decency & friendship first. & I always have my guards up. It's self destructive maybe.
I have evolved now but since despite being a bright person, I gave up on many good opportunities so currently I don't like the current version of myself much & I feel like i should work on myself & be with others ( even friends ) when i would be a better version of me. This year is crucial for me.
Now, THE MAIN PART - Now... I have an extra anonymous type instagram account. I rarely scroll it but one day, i saw a viral reel of a girl with normal number of followers with her foreigner boyfriend. There were other reels too showing their first meeting in LDR after meeting on a dating app. At first it made me happy & smiling but I remembered something & guess what? I knew about that girl's very very bad intentions ( specially about her plan about how she would manipulate her would be boyfriend & eventually cut him off from his family)..don't ask me what & how but if i tell you.. you would ask to let the innocent man know anyhow. Well.. I dm'd that guy but only hinted indirectly for the sole purpose of humanity ( that anonymous account doesn't indicate my gender or picture ). I also wrote that it was not my main account to signify that i was not a fake troll. To my surprise, he understood the hint & even elaborated a bit & replied that such things may already be happening & he won't fell into such traps. He thanked me & said I could also come from my main account. I didn't think much & followed him from main account. He followed very very very few people but followed me back too. I decided not to talk further on this issue as he had already understood more than i hinted. But he himself thanked me again & said bad things are happening from her side & they are fighting too & he may even break up if it goes on like this. My intention was just to make him aware & at the end of the day, he is in relationship with that girl so I just replied with formal answers. I also became scared later that what if its a trap & they make me viral later picturing me as a villain. I told him this directly but he said i could trust him & he knows the situation himself & understands that I worried genuinely for him. I replied that I did this because every human is precious to their parents. Later i deleted my such texts. He said he wants to learn a language & if I could help him. I said yes. We have talked a bit since then. He seems a nice, well mannered, hardworking guy. Once my closest friend asked me to describe a guy very particularly i would like to go on few dates with just once. So I told her that all nice guys but if you ask me very specifically then a fine guy with this one particular characteristic & of this particular country. & He fulfils both. I have started to like him. It's not a dreamy crush. Believe me. I know what that is. It's more like I would like to get to know him & go on coffee date sometime. But obviously I won't take any step because - i can't even take first step in befriending someone & no matter what, there is a girl in his life. But I think if it would be good or bad if i totally give up on texting him. I can't carry on with short talks.. i am not that of a conversation expert. There is a bit of language barrier too. He likes my stories..only the ones in which i am present. But currently I am focused on important things so I don't even have much to post. He rarely posts his pictures...just work sort of stuff.
Please don't think me as a *%## waiting for breakup. It's never my intention ever for anyone. I annoyed you by telling about the way i am to show that i just don't wanna regret anything from now on because of introvertedness or naivety or whatever & I am afraid that I might mess it up even if something happens further. I have lost precious friends in the past due to this self inferiority complex & not being able to keep on the conversation & understanding their references later on. Since, I know i have to be better.. should i just keep working on my life & myself till I make myself deserving?
What should I do? Should I just keep liking his posts and be silent... or... I can think of no other option. That's why I am here.
submitted by Shreson to dating_advice [link] [comments]
I have mostly studied in institutes only for girls. As I grew, talking to guys became difficult for me. Also, I was very naive always. I am the " good fun intelligent girl " as per others & "unlike other girls". Due to my family problems & fights, which promotes inferiority complex, I am not someone who considers herself beautiful all the time... to the point that once i didn't want to attend my institute's freshers party but just went there because 2 classmates called me beautiful so I thought i won't look bad maybe ( i am not much of a makeup person) & ended up being the winner ( it included looks, quizzes, debate & games ) So i found out i look pretty if I give few minutes to get ready & take care of myself a bit. I always saw myself as someone a guy won't like but after attending birthday parties etc, girls used to say their boyfriends were talking about me in a very good way later and praising me a lot. They used to feel jealous but not insecure as they saw me as a girl not interesting in dating. I never had a boyfriend. For a long time, I didn't care. Now for past 1 year, I too feel like having someone. Most of the friends who knew me ever use words like " pure " & " decent " for me though I know these things don't define purity or goodness. Have you seen " beautiful people " song video by Edsheeran? I am somewhere between those " beautiful people " & that couple. I don't know if its normal but when guys approach me through insta & start showing romantic interest just in single day, i dislike it.. like you don't even know me dude. I have a big thing for decency & friendship first. & I always have my guards up. It's self destructive maybe.
I have evolved now but since despite being a bright person, I gave up on many good opportunities so currently I don't like the current version of myself much & I feel like i should work on myself & be with others ( even friends ) when i would be a better version of me. This year is crucial for me.
Now, THE MAIN PART - Now... I have an extra anonymous type instagram account. I rarely scroll it but one day, i saw a viral reel of a girl with normal number of followers with her foreigner boyfriend. There were other reels too showing their first meeting in LDR after meeting on a dating app. At first it made me happy & smiling but I remembered something & guess what? I knew about that girl's very very bad intentions ( specially about her plan about how she would manipulate her would be boyfriend & eventually cut him off from his family)..don't ask me what & how but if i tell you.. you would ask to let the innocent man know anyhow. Well.. I dm'd that guy but only hinted indirectly for the sole purpose of humanity ( that anonymous account doesn't indicate my gender or picture ). I also wrote that it was not my main account to signify that i was not a fake troll. To my surprise, he understood the hint & even elaborated a bit & replied that such things may already be happening & he won't fell into such traps. He thanked me & said I could also come from my main account. I didn't think much & followed him from main account. He followed very very very few people but followed me back too. I decided not to talk further on this issue as he had already understood more than i hinted. But he himself thanked me again & said bad things are happening from her side & they are fighting too & he may even break up if it goes on like this. My intention was just to make him aware & at the end of the day, he is in relationship with that girl so I just replied with formal answers. I also became scared later that what if its a trap & they make me viral later picturing me as a villain. I told him this directly but he said i could trust him & he knows the situation himself & understands that I worried genuinely for him. I replied that I did this because every human is precious to their parents. Later i deleted my such texts. He said he wants to learn a language & if I could help him. I said yes. We have talked a bit since then. He seems a nice, well mannered, hardworking guy. Once my closest friend asked me to describe a guy very particularly i would like to go on few dates with just once. So I told her that all nice guys but if you ask me very specifically then a fine guy with this one particular characteristic & of this particular country. & He fulfils both. I have started to like him. It's not a dreamy crush. Believe me. I know what that is. It's more like I would like to get to know him & go on coffee date sometime. But obviously I won't take any step because - i can't even take first step in befriending someone & no matter what, there is a girl in his life. But I think if it would be good or bad if i totally give up on texting him. I can't carry on with short talks.. i am not that of a conversation expert. There is a bit of language barrier too. He likes my stories..only the ones in which i am present. But currently I am focused on important things so I don't even have much to post. He rarely posts his pictures...just work sort of stuff.
Please don't think me as a *%## waiting for breakup. It's never my intention ever for anyone. I annoyed you by telling about the way i am to show that i just don't wanna regret anything from now on because of introvertedness or naivety or whatever & I am afraid that I might mess it up even if something happens further. I have lost precious friends in the past due to this self inferiority complex & not being able to keep on the conversation & understanding their references later on. Since, I know i have to be better.. should i just keep working on my life & myself till I make myself deserving?
What should I do? Should I just keep liking his posts and be silent... or... I can think of no other option. That's why I am here.
2024.05.19 00:35 Fun-Truth-1134 2 years ago I never had picked up a guitar. Today, I’m in a successful rock band. AMA
Hey everyone,
Wanted to share this story to hopefully inspire some of you on this forum to pursue your passion musically.
I’m 36 years old and grew up glued to VH1 and MTV. Some of my fondest memories as a kid were staying up late on New Years Eve watching the top 100 songs of the year countdown.
After discovering The Beatles through my parents vinyl collection, I asked for their CD’s for my 8th birthday. For my 9th birthday, I asked for an electric guitar. I only had that guitar for a couple weeks before my sisters complained and I had to trade it in for an acoustic. It was way too big and after unsuccessfully trying to play it I put it back in its case where it remained for a decade.
About every 5 years I would take it out and attempt to learn. When I got into my Alice In Chains phase senior year of high school I went for lessons but nothing stuck. When Chris Cornell died in 2017 I ordered a new guitar that night. Again, I gave up when I couldn’t form the chords.
In 2021 I started running with a man named Robert “Raven” Kraft in my hometown, Miami Beach. Ravens story requires more than a few paragraphs, but to some it up, this man has run 8 miles on the beach every single day since January 1st 1975. The run started out of heartbreak after he found out a hit song he had written was stolen from him.
Ravens dream is to have a hit. Him and I would discuss music every run (to date I have run with him over 220 times). We would fantasize about me learning guitar and him providing lyrics, starting a real rock and roll band.
In the winter of 2021 my job was on strike so I had a lot of extra downtime. I decided once again to pick up the guitar. This time, inspired my Ravens dedication, I decided I would play 1 hour a day, everyday, for the entire year of 2022.
By June, I was comfortable playing in front of my girlfriend. By October, my best friend was coming over once a week and we started forming songs. By November, we felt the music was good enough and all we were missing was lyrics.
We invited Raven over, who penned his 1701st song in about 10 minutes, our first single, Digging Her Grave.
Another runner joined us from Haiti and plays bass, another runner from Serbia came over and introduced his native Tambura to the band. Finally, a man named Bryan we found on Facebook came over and decided he wanted to produce the album.
In 2023 we became Raven and the Dark Shadows. Our first live performance was a disaster, but we regrouped and practiced more. We found a studio and recorded 10 tracks. Through my connections and Raven’s fame we convinced Dave Abbruzzese (Pearl Jam), Ian Grushka (New Found Glory), Keli Gunnarson (Agent Fresco) and Dave Pastorious (tech 9) to guest on several tracks.
We released our album, An Unkindness, in November of 2023. To celebrate, we had a show at the Wolfsonian with over 150 people attending.
Jack White’s Third Man Pressing is currently producing Blue and Yellow vinyl editions of An Unkindness that should be ready by the summer.
Our song Dracula just reached 30,000 streams. In addition to our music, I produced 4 music videos for our band. A fifth animated one will be out next week. Total views on YouTube are north of 20,000.
At a recent Florida Panthers hockey game, our song, Dead End Road, was played after the Panthers scored a goal. It’s also been used at various Spring Training stadiums around Florida this spring. The Miami Marlins have it on their batting practice playlist. Our upcoming song “Feel Like a Fugitive” is on the Grand Theft Auto 6 soundtrack, and last year we played Stephen King’s 75th birthday bash.
We are currently preparing our second album. All the songs have demos, we just have to find the time to enter the studio and begin the process. We hope to have our second album released by October of 2024.
On January 1, 2025, Raven celebrates his 50th year of the streak. We are hoping for more exposure for the band when this happens.
I hope this inspires you all. In my mid 30s I definitely didn’t expect something like this to happen, but if you really commit to something, dreams can come true.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on the project and the sound. I’d also love to get recommendations on what we can do better, as we prepare for album number 2. Here is a link to our Spotify, thank you!
submitted by Fun-Truth-1134 to postpunk [link] [comments]
Wanted to share this story to hopefully inspire some of you on this forum to pursue your passion musically.
I’m 36 years old and grew up glued to VH1 and MTV. Some of my fondest memories as a kid were staying up late on New Years Eve watching the top 100 songs of the year countdown.
After discovering The Beatles through my parents vinyl collection, I asked for their CD’s for my 8th birthday. For my 9th birthday, I asked for an electric guitar. I only had that guitar for a couple weeks before my sisters complained and I had to trade it in for an acoustic. It was way too big and after unsuccessfully trying to play it I put it back in its case where it remained for a decade.
About every 5 years I would take it out and attempt to learn. When I got into my Alice In Chains phase senior year of high school I went for lessons but nothing stuck. When Chris Cornell died in 2017 I ordered a new guitar that night. Again, I gave up when I couldn’t form the chords.
In 2021 I started running with a man named Robert “Raven” Kraft in my hometown, Miami Beach. Ravens story requires more than a few paragraphs, but to some it up, this man has run 8 miles on the beach every single day since January 1st 1975. The run started out of heartbreak after he found out a hit song he had written was stolen from him.
Ravens dream is to have a hit. Him and I would discuss music every run (to date I have run with him over 220 times). We would fantasize about me learning guitar and him providing lyrics, starting a real rock and roll band.
In the winter of 2021 my job was on strike so I had a lot of extra downtime. I decided once again to pick up the guitar. This time, inspired my Ravens dedication, I decided I would play 1 hour a day, everyday, for the entire year of 2022.
By June, I was comfortable playing in front of my girlfriend. By October, my best friend was coming over once a week and we started forming songs. By November, we felt the music was good enough and all we were missing was lyrics.
We invited Raven over, who penned his 1701st song in about 10 minutes, our first single, Digging Her Grave.
Another runner joined us from Haiti and plays bass, another runner from Serbia came over and introduced his native Tambura to the band. Finally, a man named Bryan we found on Facebook came over and decided he wanted to produce the album.
In 2023 we became Raven and the Dark Shadows. Our first live performance was a disaster, but we regrouped and practiced more. We found a studio and recorded 10 tracks. Through my connections and Raven’s fame we convinced Dave Abbruzzese (Pearl Jam), Ian Grushka (New Found Glory), Keli Gunnarson (Agent Fresco) and Dave Pastorious (tech 9) to guest on several tracks.
We released our album, An Unkindness, in November of 2023. To celebrate, we had a show at the Wolfsonian with over 150 people attending.
Jack White’s Third Man Pressing is currently producing Blue and Yellow vinyl editions of An Unkindness that should be ready by the summer.
Our song Dracula just reached 30,000 streams. In addition to our music, I produced 4 music videos for our band. A fifth animated one will be out next week. Total views on YouTube are north of 20,000.
At a recent Florida Panthers hockey game, our song, Dead End Road, was played after the Panthers scored a goal. It’s also been used at various Spring Training stadiums around Florida this spring. The Miami Marlins have it on their batting practice playlist. Our upcoming song “Feel Like a Fugitive” is on the Grand Theft Auto 6 soundtrack, and last year we played Stephen King’s 75th birthday bash.
We are currently preparing our second album. All the songs have demos, we just have to find the time to enter the studio and begin the process. We hope to have our second album released by October of 2024.
On January 1, 2025, Raven celebrates his 50th year of the streak. We are hoping for more exposure for the band when this happens.
I hope this inspires you all. In my mid 30s I definitely didn’t expect something like this to happen, but if you really commit to something, dreams can come true.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on the project and the sound. I’d also love to get recommendations on what we can do better, as we prepare for album number 2. Here is a link to our Spotify, thank you!
2024.05.19 00:33 Fun-Truth-1134 2 years ago I never had picked up a guitar. Today, I’m in a successful rock band. AMA
Hey everyone,
Wanted to share this story to hopefully inspire some of you on this forum to pursue your passion musically.
I’m 36 years old and grew up glued to VH1 and MTV. Some of my fondest memories as a kid were staying up late on New Years Eve watching the top 100 songs of the year countdown.
After discovering The Beatles through my parents vinyl collection, I asked for their CD’s for my 8th birthday. For my 9th birthday, I asked for an electric guitar. I only had that guitar for a couple weeks before my sisters complained and I had to trade it in for an acoustic. It was way too big and after unsuccessfully trying to play it I put it back in its case where it remained for a decade.
About every 5 years I would take it out and attempt to learn. When I got into my Alice In Chains phase senior year of high school I went for lessons but nothing stuck. When Chris Cornell died in 2017 I ordered a new guitar that night. Again, I gave up when I couldn’t form the chords.
In 2021 I started running with a man named Robert “Raven” Kraft in my hometown, Miami Beach. Ravens story requires more than a few paragraphs, but to some it up, this man has run 8 miles on the beach every single day since January 1st 1975. The run started out of heartbreak after he found out a hit song he had written was stolen from him.
Ravens dream is to have a hit. Him and I would discuss music every run (to date I have run with him over 220 times). We would fantasize about me learning guitar and him providing lyrics, starting a real rock and roll band.
In the winter of 2021 my job was on strike so I had a lot of extra downtime. I decided once again to pick up the guitar. This time, inspired my Ravens dedication, I decided I would play 1 hour a day, everyday, for the entire year of 2022.
By June, I was comfortable playing in front of my girlfriend. By October, my best friend was coming over once a week and we started forming songs. By November, we felt the music was good enough and all we were missing was lyrics.
We invited Raven over, who penned his 1701st song in about 10 minutes, our first single, Digging Her Grave.
Another runner joined us from Haiti and plays bass, another runner from Serbia came over and introduced his native Tambura to the band. Finally, a man named Bryan we found on Facebook came over and decided he wanted to produce the album.
In 2023 we became Raven and the Dark Shadows. Our first live performance was a disaster, but we regrouped and practiced more. We found a studio and recorded 10 tracks. Through my connections and Raven’s fame we convinced Dave Abbruzzese (Pearl Jam), Ian Grushka (New Found Glory), Keli Gunnarson (Agent Fresco) and Dave Pastorious (tech 9) to guest on several tracks.
We released our album, An Unkindness, in November of 2023. To celebrate, we had a show at the Wolfsonian with over 150 people attending.
Jack White’s Third Man Pressing is currently producing Blue and Yellow vinyl editions of An Unkindness that should be ready by the summer.
Our song Dracula just reached 30,000 streams. In addition to our music, I produced 4 music videos for our band. A fifth animated one will be out next week. Total views on YouTube are north of 20,000.
At a recent Florida Panthers hockey game, our song, Dead End Road, was played after the Panthers scored a goal. It’s also been used at various Spring Training stadiums around Florida this spring. The Miami Marlins have it on their batting practice playlist. Our upcoming song “Feel Like a Fugitive” is on the Grand Theft Auto 6 soundtrack, and last year we played Stephen King’s 75th birthday bash.
We are currently preparing our second album. All the songs have demos, we just have to find the time to enter the studio and begin the process. We hope to have our second album released by October of 2024.
On January 1, 2025, Raven celebrates his 50th year of the streak. We are hoping for more exposure for the band when this happens.
I hope this inspires you all. In my mid 30s I definitely didn’t expect something like this to happen, but if you really commit to something, dreams can come true.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on the project and the sound. I’d also love to get recommendations on what we can do better, as we prepare for album number 2. Here is a link to our Spotify, thank you!
submitted by Fun-Truth-1134 to folkrock [link] [comments]
Wanted to share this story to hopefully inspire some of you on this forum to pursue your passion musically.
I’m 36 years old and grew up glued to VH1 and MTV. Some of my fondest memories as a kid were staying up late on New Years Eve watching the top 100 songs of the year countdown.
After discovering The Beatles through my parents vinyl collection, I asked for their CD’s for my 8th birthday. For my 9th birthday, I asked for an electric guitar. I only had that guitar for a couple weeks before my sisters complained and I had to trade it in for an acoustic. It was way too big and after unsuccessfully trying to play it I put it back in its case where it remained for a decade.
About every 5 years I would take it out and attempt to learn. When I got into my Alice In Chains phase senior year of high school I went for lessons but nothing stuck. When Chris Cornell died in 2017 I ordered a new guitar that night. Again, I gave up when I couldn’t form the chords.
In 2021 I started running with a man named Robert “Raven” Kraft in my hometown, Miami Beach. Ravens story requires more than a few paragraphs, but to some it up, this man has run 8 miles on the beach every single day since January 1st 1975. The run started out of heartbreak after he found out a hit song he had written was stolen from him.
Ravens dream is to have a hit. Him and I would discuss music every run (to date I have run with him over 220 times). We would fantasize about me learning guitar and him providing lyrics, starting a real rock and roll band.
In the winter of 2021 my job was on strike so I had a lot of extra downtime. I decided once again to pick up the guitar. This time, inspired my Ravens dedication, I decided I would play 1 hour a day, everyday, for the entire year of 2022.
By June, I was comfortable playing in front of my girlfriend. By October, my best friend was coming over once a week and we started forming songs. By November, we felt the music was good enough and all we were missing was lyrics.
We invited Raven over, who penned his 1701st song in about 10 minutes, our first single, Digging Her Grave.
Another runner joined us from Haiti and plays bass, another runner from Serbia came over and introduced his native Tambura to the band. Finally, a man named Bryan we found on Facebook came over and decided he wanted to produce the album.
In 2023 we became Raven and the Dark Shadows. Our first live performance was a disaster, but we regrouped and practiced more. We found a studio and recorded 10 tracks. Through my connections and Raven’s fame we convinced Dave Abbruzzese (Pearl Jam), Ian Grushka (New Found Glory), Keli Gunnarson (Agent Fresco) and Dave Pastorious (tech 9) to guest on several tracks.
We released our album, An Unkindness, in November of 2023. To celebrate, we had a show at the Wolfsonian with over 150 people attending.
Jack White’s Third Man Pressing is currently producing Blue and Yellow vinyl editions of An Unkindness that should be ready by the summer.
Our song Dracula just reached 30,000 streams. In addition to our music, I produced 4 music videos for our band. A fifth animated one will be out next week. Total views on YouTube are north of 20,000.
At a recent Florida Panthers hockey game, our song, Dead End Road, was played after the Panthers scored a goal. It’s also been used at various Spring Training stadiums around Florida this spring. The Miami Marlins have it on their batting practice playlist. Our upcoming song “Feel Like a Fugitive” is on the Grand Theft Auto 6 soundtrack, and last year we played Stephen King’s 75th birthday bash.
We are currently preparing our second album. All the songs have demos, we just have to find the time to enter the studio and begin the process. We hope to have our second album released by October of 2024.
On January 1, 2025, Raven celebrates his 50th year of the streak. We are hoping for more exposure for the band when this happens.
I hope this inspires you all. In my mid 30s I definitely didn’t expect something like this to happen, but if you really commit to something, dreams can come true.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on the project and the sound. I’d also love to get recommendations on what we can do better, as we prepare for album number 2. Here is a link to our Spotify, thank you!
2024.05.19 00:33 Fun-Truth-1134 2 years ago I never had picked up a guitar. Today, I’m in a successful rock band. AMA
Hey everyone,
Wanted to share this story to hopefully inspire some of you on this forum to pursue your passion musically.
I’m 36 years old and grew up glued to VH1 and MTV. Some of my fondest memories as a kid were staying up late on New Years Eve watching the top 100 songs of the year countdown.
After discovering The Beatles through my parents vinyl collection, I asked for their CD’s for my 8th birthday. For my 9th birthday, I asked for an electric guitar. I only had that guitar for a couple weeks before my sisters complained and I had to trade it in for an acoustic. It was way too big and after unsuccessfully trying to play it I put it back in its case where it remained for a decade.
About every 5 years I would take it out and attempt to learn. When I got into my Alice In Chains phase senior year of high school I went for lessons but nothing stuck. When Chris Cornell died in 2017 I ordered a new guitar that night. Again, I gave up when I couldn’t form the chords.
In 2021 I started running with a man named Robert “Raven” Kraft in my hometown, Miami Beach. Ravens story requires more than a few paragraphs, but to some it up, this man has run 8 miles on the beach every single day since January 1st 1975. The run started out of heartbreak after he found out a hit song he had written was stolen from him.
Ravens dream is to have a hit. Him and I would discuss music every run (to date I have run with him over 220 times). We would fantasize about me learning guitar and him providing lyrics, starting a real rock and roll band.
In the winter of 2021 my job was on strike so I had a lot of extra downtime. I decided once again to pick up the guitar. This time, inspired my Ravens dedication, I decided I would play 1 hour a day, everyday, for the entire year of 2022.
By June, I was comfortable playing in front of my girlfriend. By October, my best friend was coming over once a week and we started forming songs. By November, we felt the music was good enough and all we were missing was lyrics.
We invited Raven over, who penned his 1701st song in about 10 minutes, our first single, Digging Her Grave.
Another runner joined us from Haiti and plays bass, another runner from Serbia came over and introduced his native Tambura to the band. Finally, a man named Bryan we found on Facebook came over and decided he wanted to produce the album.
In 2023 we became Raven and the Dark Shadows. Our first live performance was a disaster, but we regrouped and practiced more. We found a studio and recorded 10 tracks. Through my connections and Raven’s fame we convinced Dave Abbruzzese (Pearl Jam), Ian Grushka (New Found Glory), Keli Gunnarson (Agent Fresco) and Dave Pastorious (tech 9) to guest on several tracks.
We released our album, An Unkindness, in November of 2023. To celebrate, we had a show at the Wolfsonian with over 150 people attending.
Jack White’s Third Man Pressing is currently producing Blue and Yellow vinyl editions of An Unkindness that should be ready by the summer.
Our song Dracula just reached 30,000 streams. In addition to our music, I produced 4 music videos for our band. A fifth animated one will be out next week. Total views on YouTube are north of 20,000.
At a recent Florida Panthers hockey game, our song, Dead End Road, was played after the Panthers scored a goal. It’s also been used at various Spring Training stadiums around Florida this spring. The Miami Marlins have it on their batting practice playlist. Our upcoming song “Feel Like a Fugitive” is on the Grand Theft Auto 6 soundtrack, and last year we played Stephen King’s 75th birthday bash.
We are currently preparing our second album. All the songs have demos, we just have to find the time to enter the studio and begin the process. We hope to have our second album released by October of 2024.
On January 1, 2025, Raven celebrates his 50th year of the streak. We are hoping for more exposure for the band when this happens.
I hope this inspires you all. In my mid 30s I definitely didn’t expect something like this to happen, but if you really commit to something, dreams can come true.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on the project and the sound. I’d also love to get recommendations on what we can do better, as we prepare for album number 2. Here is a link to our Spotify, thank you!
submitted by Fun-Truth-1134 to rockabilly [link] [comments]
Wanted to share this story to hopefully inspire some of you on this forum to pursue your passion musically.
I’m 36 years old and grew up glued to VH1 and MTV. Some of my fondest memories as a kid were staying up late on New Years Eve watching the top 100 songs of the year countdown.
After discovering The Beatles through my parents vinyl collection, I asked for their CD’s for my 8th birthday. For my 9th birthday, I asked for an electric guitar. I only had that guitar for a couple weeks before my sisters complained and I had to trade it in for an acoustic. It was way too big and after unsuccessfully trying to play it I put it back in its case where it remained for a decade.
About every 5 years I would take it out and attempt to learn. When I got into my Alice In Chains phase senior year of high school I went for lessons but nothing stuck. When Chris Cornell died in 2017 I ordered a new guitar that night. Again, I gave up when I couldn’t form the chords.
In 2021 I started running with a man named Robert “Raven” Kraft in my hometown, Miami Beach. Ravens story requires more than a few paragraphs, but to some it up, this man has run 8 miles on the beach every single day since January 1st 1975. The run started out of heartbreak after he found out a hit song he had written was stolen from him.
Ravens dream is to have a hit. Him and I would discuss music every run (to date I have run with him over 220 times). We would fantasize about me learning guitar and him providing lyrics, starting a real rock and roll band.
In the winter of 2021 my job was on strike so I had a lot of extra downtime. I decided once again to pick up the guitar. This time, inspired my Ravens dedication, I decided I would play 1 hour a day, everyday, for the entire year of 2022.
By June, I was comfortable playing in front of my girlfriend. By October, my best friend was coming over once a week and we started forming songs. By November, we felt the music was good enough and all we were missing was lyrics.
We invited Raven over, who penned his 1701st song in about 10 minutes, our first single, Digging Her Grave.
Another runner joined us from Haiti and plays bass, another runner from Serbia came over and introduced his native Tambura to the band. Finally, a man named Bryan we found on Facebook came over and decided he wanted to produce the album.
In 2023 we became Raven and the Dark Shadows. Our first live performance was a disaster, but we regrouped and practiced more. We found a studio and recorded 10 tracks. Through my connections and Raven’s fame we convinced Dave Abbruzzese (Pearl Jam), Ian Grushka (New Found Glory), Keli Gunnarson (Agent Fresco) and Dave Pastorious (tech 9) to guest on several tracks.
We released our album, An Unkindness, in November of 2023. To celebrate, we had a show at the Wolfsonian with over 150 people attending.
Jack White’s Third Man Pressing is currently producing Blue and Yellow vinyl editions of An Unkindness that should be ready by the summer.
Our song Dracula just reached 30,000 streams. In addition to our music, I produced 4 music videos for our band. A fifth animated one will be out next week. Total views on YouTube are north of 20,000.
At a recent Florida Panthers hockey game, our song, Dead End Road, was played after the Panthers scored a goal. It’s also been used at various Spring Training stadiums around Florida this spring. The Miami Marlins have it on their batting practice playlist. Our upcoming song “Feel Like a Fugitive” is on the Grand Theft Auto 6 soundtrack, and last year we played Stephen King’s 75th birthday bash.
We are currently preparing our second album. All the songs have demos, we just have to find the time to enter the studio and begin the process. We hope to have our second album released by October of 2024.
On January 1, 2025, Raven celebrates his 50th year of the streak. We are hoping for more exposure for the band when this happens.
I hope this inspires you all. In my mid 30s I definitely didn’t expect something like this to happen, but if you really commit to something, dreams can come true.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on the project and the sound. I’d also love to get recommendations on what we can do better, as we prepare for album number 2. Here is a link to our Spotify, thank you!
2024.05.19 00:03 Personal_Importance2 Nestling or fledgling? Believed to be song sparrow due to parents. Currently shivering against trash can (it's damp out) NW USA.
 | submitted by Personal_Importance2 to WildlifeRehab [link] [comments] |
2024.05.18 23:56 Neyverde theory about the true names
i'd like to propose what the true names really are, they purpose, and why they're even exists.
first of all, the true names DON'T COME from the spell. when i was reading the 3rd nighmare i started to imagine the true names like a rope, one side is tied with the being, while the other is tied with the own destiny.
so what, what this means? how more strong is the rope, more tied you are with your destiny. sunny used his true name to dont lose himself or to kept is own sanity while shadow dancing, he was actually holding the rope.
following this line, the true name are yourself from the past, present, and future. and how more strong is, more "fated" ou are. let's see cassie for example, she's true name means that she will carry the song of the fallen, and she know how she will die and even her parents.
sunny realise that he would follow neph, and how they cant stay together because of shadow bond (one of the reasons for he choose be free), while neph would probably kill the sovereigns and end the chances of survival of the human, star of changing and so, star of ruin.
and with that, what comes?
now we have the ultimate variable that is an unkillable cockroach that is disconnected with fate. how more variables he creates, more improbable the fate will be, and with that, the names will change.
like, in the other hand, star of change and song of the fallen are cool names. perhaps G3 just keep them and say, "oh, the runes of their names changed a bit" and star of change meaning could change to be "star of hope" or something else.
important to remember, sunny already changed his aspect before, so change a true name isn't something really impossible to do.
i'd like to read other's opinions, feel free to disagree or give your theories too!
submitted by Neyverde to ShadowSlave [link] [comments]
first of all, the true names DON'T COME from the spell. when i was reading the 3rd nighmare i started to imagine the true names like a rope, one side is tied with the being, while the other is tied with the own destiny.
so what, what this means? how more strong is the rope, more tied you are with your destiny. sunny used his true name to dont lose himself or to kept is own sanity while shadow dancing, he was actually holding the rope.
following this line, the true name are yourself from the past, present, and future. and how more strong is, more "fated" ou are. let's see cassie for example, she's true name means that she will carry the song of the fallen, and she know how she will die and even her parents.
sunny realise that he would follow neph, and how they cant stay together because of shadow bond (one of the reasons for he choose be free), while neph would probably kill the sovereigns and end the chances of survival of the human, star of changing and so, star of ruin.
and with that, what comes?
now we have the ultimate variable that is an unkillable cockroach that is disconnected with fate. how more variables he creates, more improbable the fate will be, and with that, the names will change.
like, in the other hand, star of change and song of the fallen are cool names. perhaps G3 just keep them and say, "oh, the runes of their names changed a bit" and star of change meaning could change to be "star of hope" or something else.
important to remember, sunny already changed his aspect before, so change a true name isn't something really impossible to do.
i'd like to read other's opinions, feel free to disagree or give your theories too!
2024.05.18 23:56 LOTRWEST "Where We Gonna Go From Here"
There's a song by Mat Kearney with that title and I've been listening to it a lot these last couple of days. The kids left yesterday and so far things seem to be going well. Their mom said they had a good night last night.
I'm going to give us both a few days to adjust before I tell her where I'm at. Not really for her, but for me. She might already know. At one point I told her if she expects things to be fixed then she should find us a counselor which she hasn't even looked into. I'm staying with my parents tonight and then going on a day trip out of town with a couple friends tomorrow (thanks u/w_i_s_l_e_y)
I have an actual meeting (not just a consultation) with the attorney again Monday.
submitted by LOTRWEST to u/LOTRWEST [link] [comments]
I'm going to give us both a few days to adjust before I tell her where I'm at. Not really for her, but for me. She might already know. At one point I told her if she expects things to be fixed then she should find us a counselor which she hasn't even looked into. I'm staying with my parents tonight and then going on a day trip out of town with a couple friends tomorrow (thanks u/w_i_s_l_e_y)
I have an actual meeting (not just a consultation) with the attorney again Monday.
2024.05.18 23:41 Sweet-Count2557 Best Travel Toys For 5 Month Old
 | Best Travel Toys For 5 Month Old submitted by Sweet-Count2557 to worldkidstravel [link] [comments] Exploring the world with a baby can be an exciting adventure. But, while they may not have any say in where you go and what you do, it’s important to bring along some of their favorite things too! Choosing the right travel toys for your 5 month old is essential for ensuring that both your little one and yourselves are happy on the road. As a travel expert specializing in infant journeys, I'm here to guide you through selecting the Best Travel Toys For 5 Month Old that will keep them entertained and content during those long car or plane rides! Rattles And Teethers Traveling with an infant can be a daunting task, but it doesn't have to be! With the right travel toys for your 5-month-old baby, you can make sure that every journey is enjoyable. Rattles and teethers are essential for any trip - they give babies something to hold, soothe them when upset, and provide hours of entertainment. For traveling purposes, lightweight rattles are ideal - look for ones made from soft materials like cloth or silicone, as those will easily fit in a diaper bag. If possible, find options that come with different textures and shapes; this way you'll keep your little one's attention longer. Soothing sounds are also key: pick out some musical options that will help lull them into peaceful slumber while on the go. When choosing rattles and teethers for your 5 month old baby, always consider portability and convenience over size and complexity. Traveling should never mean sacrificing comfort; by equipping yourself with the right tools you can ensure your child has all the sensory stimulation they need without having to lug around extra items along the journey. And who knows? You might even enjoy it too! Books And Music Now that you have chosen the rattles and teethers for your 5 month old, it is time to think about other toys they can enjoy while traveling. Books and music are great options since they both provide an educational opportunity as well as entertainment during long trips. For books, look into interactive ones with bright colors and fun characters. These types of books will keep your baby entertained throughout the journey: A touch-and-feel book with different textures on each page An alphabet board book that teaches letter recognition A pop-up book made from sturdy paper that stands up to wear and tear Interactive music is also a great tool for keeping your infant engaged during travel. Consider these musical items: A toy instrument like a xylophone or drum set so your little one can make their own tunes Educational songs featuring animal noises, counting, letters, etc. Playlists of calming classical music for naps in transit With books and music at hand, you'll be able to create a learning environment no matter where you are! Keep in mind that safety comes first when selecting any type of toy; always double-check age recommendations before purchasing anything for your 5 month old. Soft Toys It won't be long before you and your 5-month old baby are packing up the car for a road trip. As an expert in infant travel, I recommend having soft toys, to keep them entertained as well as comfortable during their travels. Here's a list of some of my favorite travel toy companions: ToyAge RangeWeightTeddy Bear Rattle0+ Months2 lbs.Cuddle & Coo Owl3+ Months.99 lbs.Soft Book0+ Months1 lbLamaze Activity Gym0+ Months4 lbs. Soft toys are great when traveling with an infant because they provide sensory stimulation through bright colors and engaging textures. They also give babies something familiar to hold onto while exploring new sights, sounds, and smells on the open road. Plus, they're small enough to fit into diaper bags or backpacks without taking up too much space! When it comes time to say goodbye to home comforts, these beloved friends can serve as a reminder that no matter how far away from home we may go, there will always be something along for the ride that is sure to make us feel loved and secure - even if it’s only just a little plush bear rattle! Activity Mats Traveling with a 5-month old can be both exciting and daunting. To make it easier, having the right travel toys is essential. Activity mats are perfect for keeping your baby entertained during long trips. They’re lightweight, foldable, and easily stored away when not in use. Plus they come in many different designs that promote imaginative play and sensory exploration through tactile materials. Activity mats provide endless hours of fun at home or on the go because they’re made from durable yet soft baby-safe materials like cotton and foam which makes them travel-friendly too! Your little one will love exploring all the textures and colors of the mat while developing motor skills as well as hand-eye coordination. They’ll also love getting lost in their own world of pretend play using various shapes, patterns, and objects found on the activity mat! Your 5 month old deserves to enjoy every journey with you just as much as you do! With an activity mat, they won’t only have something entertaining to play with but something that promotes learning too – making it a win-win situation for everyone involved! So why wait? Get creative with your travels by investing in some portable toys that your baby can cherish no matter where life takes them. Stacking Blocks And Puzzles Ah, the joys of traveling with an infant! Nothing quite compares to it. It's a special time - and one that can be made even more enjoyable when you have the right travel toys for your 5-month old little one. Here are some ideas that just might make life on the go a bit easier: Stacking blocks and puzzles: These are great for helping babies develop their fine motor skills while learning about colors, shapes, numbers, letters and other concepts. Not only do they provide hours of fun but also help create strong cognitive connections in young minds. Building Blocks: This is another favorite among five month olds because they allow them to experiment with gravity as well as discover new ways to build structures by connecting pieces together. Plus, building blocks come in all sorts of colors and shapes which helps stimulate tactile senses as well sensory development too. Sensory Toys: Finally, consider investing in a few sensory toys (rattles, teethers, or stuffed animals) that will help engage the baby’s sense of hearing, touch, and sight while on the move. Just make sure they aren't too noisy so as not to disturb other travelers! Traveling with an infant doesn't need to be stressful – especially if you plan ahead and pick up a couple of age-appropriate items like stacking blocks or puzzles before heading out on your journey. With these simple tips in mind, you'll be able to enjoy yourselves during those long days spent away from home without breaking the bank either! Push And Pull Toys When it comes to traveling with a 5-month old, push-and-pull toys can provide an invaluable source of entertainment. From bouncy seats to travel strollers, these items are guaranteed to keep your little one engaged during even the longest trips. If you're searching for something that's easy to transport and set up quickly, a bouncy seat is ideal. Its lightweight design makes it simple to move from place to place without taking up too much space. Plus, its soft material is comfortable enough for prolonged periods of use. Travel strollers offer more stability than traditional ones due to their durable frames and tight turns capabilities. The ergonomic handlebars make them particularly convenient when navigating busy streets or tight corners in airports. Furthermore, they contain ample storage compartments so parents can easily store all the essentials while on the go – like snacks, extra clothes, and diapers! All in all, push and pull toys are must-haves for any parent looking for a stress-free experience when travelling with young babies. Activity Centers When it comes to travel toys for a 5 month old, activity centers offer a great range of educational benefits. Not only can they help promote cognitive development, but they also provide a stimulating environment to help your little one practice their motor skills. Before you buy an activity center, it's important to ensure you're following all safety guidelines to ensure the safety of your baby. Educational Benefits When it comes to educational benefits, activity centers are a great way for 5 month olds to learn and develop new skills! They're designed with language development and motor skill growth in mind. Plus, the bright colors and fun sounds provide plenty of stimulation for their growing minds. And when you're traveling, these all-in-one toys can be easily packed away or even attached to the stroller so your little one has access to them wherever they go. With an activity center, you can rest assured that your child's learning process is not put on pause during your travels - allowing them to continue to grow and have fun along the journey! So why wait? Invest in an activity center today for your 5-month-old traveler – because nothing beats being able to take education on the road. Motor Skill Development As a dedicated travel expert and consultant for baby/infant travels, I know how important it is to help your little one grow even while on the go. Motor skill development can be achieved in many different ways with an activity center! Playing with buttons, pulling strings, pushing levers, or turning knobs - they're all great ways to enhance their motor skills. Plus, these activities will also encourage socializing as you talk about what each part does. What's more? These toys are designed so that they can easily transition from playtime to bathtime without any fuss. So don't wait - get an activity center today and watch your child learn new skills wherever the road takes them! Safety Guidelines When traveling with an infant or toddler, it's important to consider safety guidelines. This is especially true when using activity centers! Make sure that the center has a secure base and won't move once placed on any surface. Additionally, avoid leaving your little one unattended for long periods of time - even if they are sitting in their activity center. Babysitting tips such as having another adult present can help you enjoy some well-deserved freedom while still keeping your child safe. Don't forget: use common sense and make sure all parts are age appropriate before letting them play! With these simple rules, there's no reason why both parents and children alike shouldn't be able to travel safely while enjoying the benefits of an activity center. Baby Gyms The activity centers are great for keeping your 5 month old occupied at home, but when it comes to travel safety and entertainment on the airplane, baby gyms have you covered. Baby gyms come in different shapes and sizes that easily fold away so they can fit into your carry-on luggage with no problem. Many of them even come equipped with a mirror, hanging toys, and activities designed specifically to stimulate developing minds. Baby gyms provide ample opportunities for exploration during flights, as well as being safe enough to use in confined spaces like an airplane cabin or hotel room. You don't need to worry about loose parts or small pieces getting lost; most models incorporate all the elements into one interactive unit. Traveling parents will also appreciate that the setup is quick and easy – just unroll it from its compact carrying case and pop out the connecting rods - so there's plenty of time left over for exploring new places! These versatile items make long journeys more enjoyable by providing endless hours of fun without taking up too much space in your travel bag. Plus, given their unique designs, your 5 month old won't be able to resist discovering what lies inside these colorful play areas! Playpens As a travel expert specializing in baby/infant travel, I recommend playpens as one of the best options for keeping your 5 month old safe and entertained during trips. Playpens offer convenience and portability, allowing you to keep an eye on your little one wherever you go. Plus, they can make any unfamiliar environment more secure and comfortable for babies. Here are some tips when choosing the right playpen: Look for models with adjustable heights so that it can grow with your child’s needs. Select lightweight designs that fold easily and come with carrying cases or straps for extra mobility. Choose materials that are easy to clean and transport without taking away from comfort. Make sure the playpen meets safety standards like ASTM International Standards before purchasing. When traveling with your infant, it's important to have a secure place where you can set them down safely while still having access to their belongings such as toys or diapers. Playpens provide peace of mind by giving parents control over their child’s surroundings without sacrificing freedom or spontaneity of movement during holidays or excursions abroad. The key is finding a balance between practicality, portability, and kid-friendly features—playpens provide just that! Stuffed Animals Stuffed animals may seem like a classic, but often overlooked option when it comes to travel toys for 5-month-olds. But don't be fooled: they can provide just as much comfort and entertainment on the road as all those other fancy gadgets. Portable cuddles and soft sensory stimulation are what make these playthings so great – not to mention that there's something special about loving a stuffed animal from infancy through adulthood. One of the best things about travel toys in this category is their size. Tiny teddy bears, bunnies, and dinosaurs fit easily into carry-on bags (or even pockets) without taking up too much space or adding extra weight. These small wonders also come at an affordable price point, allowing parents to stock up on multiple items without breaking the bank. Plus, since most babies love snuggling with something soft, it's easy to find one that suits your little one's individual preferences. You can have some fun playing around with different textures when you select your baby's new companion. Experimenting with fabrics like plush fur and corduroy gives them plenty of tactile exploration opportunities while providing comforting companionship whenever needed during your travels together. So go ahead and give the tried-and-true stuffed animal a chance: odds are it'll become your infant's favorite toy in no time! Frequently Asked Questions What Age Should My Child Be Before I Start Traveling With Them? When it comes to traveling with your infant, the most important factor to consider is their age. Generally speaking, you should wait until at least 6 months before beginning any kind of travel plans for a baby - this gives them time to build up an immunity and strength in order to handle the stresses and environmental changes associated with being on the go. Additionally, having all your packaging essentials (diapers, wipes, formula, etc) ready beforehand will help make sure that everything goes as smoothly as possible when you leave home. When done right, traveling with a young child can be a fun and rewarding experience – just remember to plan ahead! How Much Should I Spend On Travel Toys For My 5 Month Old? When it comes to travel toys for your 5 month old, one of the most important things to consider is how much you should spend. As a travel expert specializing in baby and infant travel, I recommend carefully selecting quality toys that suit your budget so that both mommy and baby can have an enjoyable trip. With such a wide selection available nowadays, there are plenty of options when it comes to finding the perfect toy - just make sure they meet all traveling requirements! Taking into account cost as well as safety and entertainment needs will help ensure a successful journey with your little one - allowing freedom to explore while still having peace of mind. Are There Any Safety Considerations To Keep In Mind When Selecting Travel Toys? When selecting travel toys for your 5 month old, it is important to consider safety first. Choosing materials that are non-toxic and durable will ensure your baby's health and well-being. Additionally, you should look out for toy features such as removable parts or button attachments that could present a choking hazard. As a travel expert specializing in infant travel, I highly recommend considering these factors when choosing the best travel toys for your little one! How Can I Make Sure That My 5 Month Old Stays Entertained While Traveling? Traveling solo with a 5-month-old can be quite the challenge, especially when it comes to keeping them entertained. However, with some clever planning and socializing tips, you can make sure your little one has an enjoyable journey. You'll need to select toys that are age-appropriate, small enough to fit in their bag, and safe for travel use. Look for items like teething rings or rattles that will keep them interested while also helping them learn new skills such as grasping and reaching. Additionally, provide plenty of stimulation through conversations and songs during long trips! With these strategies in place, you can ensure a fun-filled adventure for both parent and baby alike! How Often Should I Replace Or Upgrade My 5 Month Old's Travel Toys? A travel expert's dream, upgrading and replacing your 5 month old's travel toys are an absolute must for parents on the go! To make sure that your little one stays entertained while traveling, you should always have a variety of toy types and travel gear readily available. From teething rings to stuffed animals, there are countless options that will help keep them content no matter how long their journey may be! With the right selection of toys and a bit of creative thinking, you can ensure that your baby stays happy and occupied - making it easier than ever to explore new places together. Conclusion Traveling for a 5-month-old can be daunting, but it doesn't have to be. With the right travel toys and safety considerations in mind, you'll be able to ensure your little one stays entertained while on the go. You don't need to break the bank when selecting toys; investing in a few good quality items that last is key. It's also important to keep an eye out for upgrades as your baby grows. As long as you're prepared, traveling for a 5-month-old is like taking a journey of discovery - full of fun surprises along the way! |
2024.05.18 23:36 Bastionism Is this an effective opening hook? Short story (Part 1/2)
The lights in the hospital’s waiting room buzzed incessantly. The floor was freshly bleached from last night's cleaning. A lady in the middle of her third trimester sat with her husband near the entrance. She could feel a headache beginning to come on.
Her husband was flipping through a magazine he found on the rack near the middle of the room. His deep brown eyes scanned its pages, and his brows were furrowed.
“Jack,” she said, “are you alright?”
“Yeah,” he replied, glancing at her. “Why?”
“You seem mad, is all.”
“Mad? Why would I be mad?”
“Oh. I don’t know. You just look; it is all,” she said, placing her hand on the rim of her belly.
“Trust me. I’m not mad,” he said, flipping to another page.
“Well, we were lucky Mrs. Carter let me work a little overtime for this, huh?” She adjusted herself on the seat cushion.
“We are.”
“It only took two months of scrimping by, but we got our reservation, didn’t we? I mean, how many parents, you know, get to see their child before they’re really here?”
“Not many. That’s for damn sure,” he replied.
Her husband closed the magazine and stood up to go get another one.
“Could you get me one?” she asked him.
“They don’t have anything you would like.”
“It doesn’t matter to me.”
“Alright.”
She looked at him from behind and thought he would be a good father. The baby kicked the wall of her belly, and she chuckled. She could overhear the conversation between one woman and another near their seats.
“This is my second time,” one of the women said. “Second?” the other asked.
“Carlos and I came in when I was at the beginning of my second trimester. You know what they say. The earlier you come, the less accurate the reading is.”
“What happened?”
“Our daughter is going to be beautiful. That we know for certain, but around her early twenties, she goes to prison. For murder.”
“What. Really?”
“Yeah. But again, we came early in the pregnancy. We haven’t been able to sleep since that reading. So, we set up another appointment much later. My date is a month away, so the reading should be pretty accurate,” the first woman said.
“What are you going to do if the reading is the same?”
“What most parents would. We can always try again for another.”
The woman’s stomach did a somersault, and her eyes searched for the nearest waste bin, but the feeling subsided when her husband came over and handed her a magazine.
“Thank you, hon’,” she said, swallowing.
“You alright, Em?” he asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little nausea.”
“You going to throw up?”
“Only if you keep talking about it,” she said, looking up and closing her eyes.
“I’m sorry,” he said, sitting down. This was the one I thought you would find most interesting.”
She opened her eyes and glanced down at the magazine in her lap. It was a magazine about car parts and overall car maintenance.
“Thank you. I just needed something to pass the time.”
“No problem. How long have we been waiting for? It feels like we have been here forever. I must’ve read every magazine on that rack by now,” he said, smiling.
The woman pressed her thumb and middle finger at her temples.
“Jack?” she asked.
“Yeah?”
“Do you think he will turn out alright?”
The man looked at his wife’s stomach, and his smile faded.
“I am sure he will turn out fine,” he said, grabbing her hand.
She felt a little better now. His words always seemed to soothe her when she needed it most. Though, she felt stupid asking the question she had asked him a thousand times.
“What if he’s an astronaut? Or finds the cure for cancer?”
“If our kid finds the cure for cancer, the doctors will make sure he is born. Whether we want him or not,” he said, laughing.
She only smiled, and it was faint.
“You do want him, right?”
“What?” he asked. She could see his cheeks flush. “Of course I do; why would you ask that?”
She apologized for asking the question. Her eyes darted to the door where the nurse would appear and call people names.
“Why would you ask that?” he asked again.
“I am sorry. I already apologized. I’m just flustered. Pregnancy. It does things to you.”
Her husband’s expression loosened, and he opened the next magazine he grabbed.
The woman skimmed through hers without really reading anything. Motors are for sale, and the “Eight Easy Steps to Keep Your Car’s Battery” did nothing for her.
The door near the front desk opened, and the nurse called her name. Her husband sat up promptly and helped her from her seat. As they walked toward the smiling nurse, the only thing she could think about was the future.
submitted by Bastionism to writers [link] [comments]
Her husband was flipping through a magazine he found on the rack near the middle of the room. His deep brown eyes scanned its pages, and his brows were furrowed.
“Jack,” she said, “are you alright?”
“Yeah,” he replied, glancing at her. “Why?”
“You seem mad, is all.”
“Mad? Why would I be mad?”
“Oh. I don’t know. You just look; it is all,” she said, placing her hand on the rim of her belly.
“Trust me. I’m not mad,” he said, flipping to another page.
“Well, we were lucky Mrs. Carter let me work a little overtime for this, huh?” She adjusted herself on the seat cushion.
“We are.”
“It only took two months of scrimping by, but we got our reservation, didn’t we? I mean, how many parents, you know, get to see their child before they’re really here?”
“Not many. That’s for damn sure,” he replied.
Her husband closed the magazine and stood up to go get another one.
“Could you get me one?” she asked him.
“They don’t have anything you would like.”
“It doesn’t matter to me.”
“Alright.”
She looked at him from behind and thought he would be a good father. The baby kicked the wall of her belly, and she chuckled. She could overhear the conversation between one woman and another near their seats.
“This is my second time,” one of the women said. “Second?” the other asked.
“Carlos and I came in when I was at the beginning of my second trimester. You know what they say. The earlier you come, the less accurate the reading is.”
“What happened?”
“Our daughter is going to be beautiful. That we know for certain, but around her early twenties, she goes to prison. For murder.”
“What. Really?”
“Yeah. But again, we came early in the pregnancy. We haven’t been able to sleep since that reading. So, we set up another appointment much later. My date is a month away, so the reading should be pretty accurate,” the first woman said.
“What are you going to do if the reading is the same?”
“What most parents would. We can always try again for another.”
The woman’s stomach did a somersault, and her eyes searched for the nearest waste bin, but the feeling subsided when her husband came over and handed her a magazine.
“Thank you, hon’,” she said, swallowing.
“You alright, Em?” he asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little nausea.”
“You going to throw up?”
“Only if you keep talking about it,” she said, looking up and closing her eyes.
“I’m sorry,” he said, sitting down. This was the one I thought you would find most interesting.”
She opened her eyes and glanced down at the magazine in her lap. It was a magazine about car parts and overall car maintenance.
“Thank you. I just needed something to pass the time.”
“No problem. How long have we been waiting for? It feels like we have been here forever. I must’ve read every magazine on that rack by now,” he said, smiling.
The woman pressed her thumb and middle finger at her temples.
“Jack?” she asked.
“Yeah?”
“Do you think he will turn out alright?”
The man looked at his wife’s stomach, and his smile faded.
“I am sure he will turn out fine,” he said, grabbing her hand.
She felt a little better now. His words always seemed to soothe her when she needed it most. Though, she felt stupid asking the question she had asked him a thousand times.
“What if he’s an astronaut? Or finds the cure for cancer?”
“If our kid finds the cure for cancer, the doctors will make sure he is born. Whether we want him or not,” he said, laughing.
She only smiled, and it was faint.
“You do want him, right?”
“What?” he asked. She could see his cheeks flush. “Of course I do; why would you ask that?”
She apologized for asking the question. Her eyes darted to the door where the nurse would appear and call people names.
“Why would you ask that?” he asked again.
“I am sorry. I already apologized. I’m just flustered. Pregnancy. It does things to you.”
Her husband’s expression loosened, and he opened the next magazine he grabbed.
The woman skimmed through hers without really reading anything. Motors are for sale, and the “Eight Easy Steps to Keep Your Car’s Battery” did nothing for her.
The door near the front desk opened, and the nurse called her name. Her husband sat up promptly and helped her from her seat. As they walked toward the smiling nurse, the only thing she could think about was the future.
2024.05.18 23:12 EverlastingBeast0708 Custom entrance music
Who else thinks we should be able to have our own entrance music, I think it would be cool to see what songs people add
Now obviously we may not be able to do licensed music by others but if 2K gets us a library of music we can use I think it would be interesting. It would also bring verity in enterance instead of having the same song as another superstar
submitted by EverlastingBeast0708 to WWEGames [link] [comments]
Now obviously we may not be able to do licensed music by others but if 2K gets us a library of music we can use I think it would be interesting. It would also bring verity in enterance instead of having the same song as another superstar
2024.05.18 23:00 xk_Silhouette First 2 Nights from Different Sections (Pro Tips and Observations)
Friends, I did the first two nights from different sections. I was second row in 207 the first night, and then second row of 307 the second night. (I'll be doing third night in the 100s for a floor comparison and can update this later with a third experience.) I wanted to add some notes on my experience here in case it helps.
Note: I turned on the spoiler tag because of the level of detail, but have tried to not give anything away other than as needed to report.
(Edited to add a few details.)
Yes, it's worth it. It is incredible. The shows are great, and it will be its own experience to see them here. The Sphere is like getting an entire second show visually on top of the music. They have put something really special together. No reason to be on the fence: if you can make it, you should.
Section comparison. I don't think there is a bad seat in the Sphere, and everyone I talked to enjoyed it wherever they were (though I didn't talk to anyone with an obstructed view).
That said, there are some tradeoffs. Down on the floor seemed to be the die hard fans and best energy. Several people said they thought the overall view in the 300s was probably the best for taking everything in with the height and that little extra distance. I found the 300s a little bit less immersive and little more chill--a great night 2 seat for me. The 200s are a balance between the Sphere and the Band and best of both worlds. I definitely felt more "in it" in the 200s.
I do think that being towards a center section of the Sphere is more important than being down a level and closer, and more important than being a few rows closer inside of a section. On the wings it seems like the visuals would be less immersive because you have a stronger sense of where the wall is in your vision field.
I didn't find the 200s to be steep, but the 300s were a bit as you're getting in and out. It took a few minutes to adjust, but I had no issues after that. This does seem to be a bigger concern in the 400s, so consider moving down if you don't care for heights and if that will impact your experience.
And, compared to other venues (especially baseball stadiums) that are a bit cramped, I found the seats themselves comfortable and had plenty of space. The incline also makes it easy to see the band from anywhere.
I really liked seeing shows from different seats the last two nights and encourage that if it's an option for you. It's a different view and experience each time and keeps it fresh.
Visuals. I don't know who dreamed this up but it is surreal. It fills your vision and is like wearing a VR headset with 15k other fans. It feels at times like you are sitting in a space ship, or on a roller coaster. It's a ride-- Photos and video cannot capture it because of the sheer scale of it.
The opening visuals for the first song are chill, then they blow the doors off the place with the second song. Because of that, I think opening set songs will be a little more warm up, and the second song in the first set will bring the energy. The closing visuals appear to also be the same night to night.
In between, they do repeat many of the visuals night to night, but several of them are generic enough where they can be used for many different songs (and still fun to watch and impressive). Some of those are more "static" than the headline videos that you are seeing circulating, and that puts the emphasis back on the music for stretches.
There were some new visuals on Night 2, maybe 20% or so of them. We'll see in time as they continue to roll new ones out and mix and match what songs they play to what.
The visuals can be a little disorienting. This is because it's intense. Even when you know it's a screen, it is so big it tricks you. Night 1 I found myself needing to sit down for a minute. Two things that helped me: One, turn around and look back at the seating, especially where the screen ends at the top. That helped my brain remember where we were. Second, looking at it through my phone when I took a few videos also grounded me. Overall, this was minor for me, I bounced back in a minute or so, and I loved it.
Sound. I found it plenty loud, but saw some comments that it wasn't enough for some others liking. I think if you are acclimated to the outdoor tour amphitheater experience, that tends to be louder because they push volume out further outdoors. In the Sphere they don't need to do that. What you get in exchange is a more balanced sound. No complaints here.
They did seem to dial it in a bit and got more bass second night. I didn't notice it so much, but a few folks around me commented. Making some minor adjustments as they learn by playing the venue and getting fan feedback is to be expected, and I'm glad to see it.
Haptics. Night one there were a few songs where they turned on the seat haptics, but it did not feel sync'd to the music until D&S. Night 2 they were only used for drums and space, and somehow Mickey controls them or they are sync'd to certain of his kit. I thought it was very cool N2 and how I hope it goes. They are amazing for D&S and I highly recommend sitting for that and not treating it like a second intermission. The seats and the visuals make it a totally different experience.
Encore. They will do an encore-type song, but they don't leave the stage. Without spoiling, there is a short visual presentation (about a minute) after set 2 closer and then they play one more. This was consistent both nights, so don't expect more tunes after that, that's how they're fitting it in this go round.
Intermission. The bathroom lines really did get long. I guess that's always true at intermissions, but this felt longer than other venues, though they did keep it moving. This was the only minor complaint I had.
If the line on your floor is long, it seemed to move faster and less crowded on the lower levels. Sphere staff was excellent, and was communicating with each other and were telling fans they could go down a level for a shorter line.
Food and drinks at the Sphere. They have a bit of both, but a lot more barstands than food. I didn't eat there, but they had decent cocktails. There are bars on each level, and for beer and seltzers they had some wall coolers grab-and-go style. Other than intermission, the lines were never too bad. Stadium pricing hurts, but is to be expected.
Dead Experience at the Venetian. This was cool to see and is easy to check out while you're around. You can do it all in 30-60 minutes. It is on the lower level where Palazzo starts by the LOVE sign, near the restaurants and shopping. There are some fun photo ops around there too, and staff to help take pictures of you.
Be sure to go upstairs: the photo collection exhibit and Mickey Hart's artwork are up there and both neat. There was no line while I was there. They do sell tour posters, but were already selling out morning of Day 2.
Merch. The merch at the Dead Experience at the Venetian during the day is different than what they have at the Sphere during shows. There is overlap, but there were some of the same styles in different colors. So far, none of it is available online.
Posters. Yes, there is a different poster each night. They also have weekend posters (with all three nights on them) and full tour posters. Tour posters had a limited run in foil, and then regular matte posters.
Security. They did not seem to be checking or care about vapes. It looked like every third person in line held theirs up in their hand with their phone as they walked through.
Getting in and out of the Venue. This overall ran really smoothly. I am not staying at the Venetian, so the first night I took a cab from the south end of the strip for about $20. Some traffic getting in, but once I was dropped off it was really quick getting into general entrance. Second night I got dinner at Venetian and took their sky bridge. That was a longer line, but still got through in about 15 minutes.
So if you're having dinner at the Venetian, I'd plan to walk over by about 645. It was about a fifteen minute walk, then a bit of line at security, but you'll get in with no stress and should have time to grab a drink. A 5pm reservation somewhere should give you plenty of time if you tell your server.
Shows get out around 11.30, and then it's either a walk back to Venetian or to the cab line. I was getting back to my hotel around midnight. If you started with dinner at 5 before the show, it's a long night.
Pace Yourself. Three days is a lot anywhere, but in Vegas you're on your feet during the day, it's hot, and the Sphere is an intense experience. It'll add up. Take it easy where you can.
Travel safe, and may the four winds blow you all safely home.
submitted by xk_Silhouette to deadandcompany [link] [comments]
Note: I turned on the spoiler tag because of the level of detail, but have tried to not give anything away other than as needed to report.
(Edited to add a few details.)
Yes, it's worth it. It is incredible. The shows are great, and it will be its own experience to see them here. The Sphere is like getting an entire second show visually on top of the music. They have put something really special together. No reason to be on the fence: if you can make it, you should.
Section comparison. I don't think there is a bad seat in the Sphere, and everyone I talked to enjoyed it wherever they were (though I didn't talk to anyone with an obstructed view).
That said, there are some tradeoffs. Down on the floor seemed to be the die hard fans and best energy. Several people said they thought the overall view in the 300s was probably the best for taking everything in with the height and that little extra distance. I found the 300s a little bit less immersive and little more chill--a great night 2 seat for me. The 200s are a balance between the Sphere and the Band and best of both worlds. I definitely felt more "in it" in the 200s.
I do think that being towards a center section of the Sphere is more important than being down a level and closer, and more important than being a few rows closer inside of a section. On the wings it seems like the visuals would be less immersive because you have a stronger sense of where the wall is in your vision field.
I didn't find the 200s to be steep, but the 300s were a bit as you're getting in and out. It took a few minutes to adjust, but I had no issues after that. This does seem to be a bigger concern in the 400s, so consider moving down if you don't care for heights and if that will impact your experience.
And, compared to other venues (especially baseball stadiums) that are a bit cramped, I found the seats themselves comfortable and had plenty of space. The incline also makes it easy to see the band from anywhere.
I really liked seeing shows from different seats the last two nights and encourage that if it's an option for you. It's a different view and experience each time and keeps it fresh.
Visuals. I don't know who dreamed this up but it is surreal. It fills your vision and is like wearing a VR headset with 15k other fans. It feels at times like you are sitting in a space ship, or on a roller coaster. It's a ride-- Photos and video cannot capture it because of the sheer scale of it.
The opening visuals for the first song are chill, then they blow the doors off the place with the second song. Because of that, I think opening set songs will be a little more warm up, and the second song in the first set will bring the energy. The closing visuals appear to also be the same night to night.
In between, they do repeat many of the visuals night to night, but several of them are generic enough where they can be used for many different songs (and still fun to watch and impressive). Some of those are more "static" than the headline videos that you are seeing circulating, and that puts the emphasis back on the music for stretches.
There were some new visuals on Night 2, maybe 20% or so of them. We'll see in time as they continue to roll new ones out and mix and match what songs they play to what.
The visuals can be a little disorienting. This is because it's intense. Even when you know it's a screen, it is so big it tricks you. Night 1 I found myself needing to sit down for a minute. Two things that helped me: One, turn around and look back at the seating, especially where the screen ends at the top. That helped my brain remember where we were. Second, looking at it through my phone when I took a few videos also grounded me. Overall, this was minor for me, I bounced back in a minute or so, and I loved it.
Sound. I found it plenty loud, but saw some comments that it wasn't enough for some others liking. I think if you are acclimated to the outdoor tour amphitheater experience, that tends to be louder because they push volume out further outdoors. In the Sphere they don't need to do that. What you get in exchange is a more balanced sound. No complaints here.
They did seem to dial it in a bit and got more bass second night. I didn't notice it so much, but a few folks around me commented. Making some minor adjustments as they learn by playing the venue and getting fan feedback is to be expected, and I'm glad to see it.
Haptics. Night one there were a few songs where they turned on the seat haptics, but it did not feel sync'd to the music until D&S. Night 2 they were only used for drums and space, and somehow Mickey controls them or they are sync'd to certain of his kit. I thought it was very cool N2 and how I hope it goes. They are amazing for D&S and I highly recommend sitting for that and not treating it like a second intermission. The seats and the visuals make it a totally different experience.
Encore. They will do an encore-type song, but they don't leave the stage. Without spoiling, there is a short visual presentation (about a minute) after set 2 closer and then they play one more. This was consistent both nights, so don't expect more tunes after that, that's how they're fitting it in this go round.
Intermission. The bathroom lines really did get long. I guess that's always true at intermissions, but this felt longer than other venues, though they did keep it moving. This was the only minor complaint I had.
If the line on your floor is long, it seemed to move faster and less crowded on the lower levels. Sphere staff was excellent, and was communicating with each other and were telling fans they could go down a level for a shorter line.
Food and drinks at the Sphere. They have a bit of both, but a lot more barstands than food. I didn't eat there, but they had decent cocktails. There are bars on each level, and for beer and seltzers they had some wall coolers grab-and-go style. Other than intermission, the lines were never too bad. Stadium pricing hurts, but is to be expected.
Dead Experience at the Venetian. This was cool to see and is easy to check out while you're around. You can do it all in 30-60 minutes. It is on the lower level where Palazzo starts by the LOVE sign, near the restaurants and shopping. There are some fun photo ops around there too, and staff to help take pictures of you.
Be sure to go upstairs: the photo collection exhibit and Mickey Hart's artwork are up there and both neat. There was no line while I was there. They do sell tour posters, but were already selling out morning of Day 2.
Merch. The merch at the Dead Experience at the Venetian during the day is different than what they have at the Sphere during shows. There is overlap, but there were some of the same styles in different colors. So far, none of it is available online.
Posters. Yes, there is a different poster each night. They also have weekend posters (with all three nights on them) and full tour posters. Tour posters had a limited run in foil, and then regular matte posters.
Security. They did not seem to be checking or care about vapes. It looked like every third person in line held theirs up in their hand with their phone as they walked through.
Getting in and out of the Venue. This overall ran really smoothly. I am not staying at the Venetian, so the first night I took a cab from the south end of the strip for about $20. Some traffic getting in, but once I was dropped off it was really quick getting into general entrance. Second night I got dinner at Venetian and took their sky bridge. That was a longer line, but still got through in about 15 minutes.
So if you're having dinner at the Venetian, I'd plan to walk over by about 645. It was about a fifteen minute walk, then a bit of line at security, but you'll get in with no stress and should have time to grab a drink. A 5pm reservation somewhere should give you plenty of time if you tell your server.
Shows get out around 11.30, and then it's either a walk back to Venetian or to the cab line. I was getting back to my hotel around midnight. If you started with dinner at 5 before the show, it's a long night.
Pace Yourself. Three days is a lot anywhere, but in Vegas you're on your feet during the day, it's hot, and the Sphere is an intense experience. It'll add up. Take it easy where you can.
Travel safe, and may the four winds blow you all safely home.
2024.05.18 22:55 mstarrbrannigan The Justice System is a Bastard
I'm pissed off at the so called justice system and need to rant and I figure plenty of other pod listeners have experienced what a bastard it is and might relate. Feel free to share your story in the comments and we can all commiserate and bitch together.
I work the front desk of a motel and I love it. The owner pays a living wage, and I'm not required to smile in the face of Karen nonsense.
For the most part, the property is safe and quiet, but we have been having issues with this one particular loiterer for a few years now. In general, we really don't want people who are not guests or here with guests to be hanging around the property. He did more than just hang around though. He actively bothered guests, trying to bum money, cigarettes, alcohol and rides off of people while stinking drunk. He'd bother anyone but women were his favorite. He'd hit on them and try to get their numbers, even staff members. It didn't matter how many times he was told to leave, he'd keep coming back. Usually this happened at night, but he'd show up stumbling drunk during the day as well.
He's not homeless. When we figured out his name, we were able to determine he lives in an apartment complex a stone's throw away. We learned his name after an employee saw his mugshot, and that he'd been charged with trespassing and indecent exposure at a nearby business. Looking up his past criminal history, he's no stranger to run ins with the police. Criminal Mischief, False Imprisonment Of Child Under 13 Yoa, Child Abuse, Battery, Possession Of Drug Paraphernalia, Disorderly Conduct, Trespass In Occupied Structure, Possession Of Cocaine all from one encounter with police. Others include another count of indecent exposure, assault on a female and breaking and entering.
When we learned all this, we realized he was more than just a nuisance and we needed to try harder to get him to stay the hell away before he hurt one of our guests or a member of staff. Then he ended up being gone for awhile anyway. Jail? Another state? We don't know and I'm not that good at reading court records.
But he came back with a vengeance toward the end of 2022 and started zeroing in on our night auditor who was a very pretty but naïve girl which I guess he took as an invitation. When we learned about this she was told to just call the police whenever he'd show up so we could finally get him trespassed. I'm sure it will come as no surprise to any of you that the police never showed up in time to get him on the property, so they kept saying they couldn't do anything about it. Months later the planets aligned and he was finally trespassed.
This kept him away briefly. The night auditor left and a new one was hired who was not aware of the loiterer. Unfortunately for her, he took an even bigger shine to her, escalating to very sexual comments. We hadn't seen him for a bit, so we foolishly thought having him trespassed would work and hadn't warned her about him. One day last summer she is telling me about a guy who keeps coming around on her shift, and she doesn't think he's a guest. As she's describing him I realize she's talking about the loiterer. I tell her next time he comes around, just call the police.
To make a long story short (too late), by November he'd been arrested on our property three times for trespassing. And one time for communicating threats when he came screaming at the night auditor demanding to know why the general manager was at the hotel in the middle of the night. Clearly having him trespassed was not a deterrent. We kept being told to just keep calling because it would build a stalking case against him. Private security options around here are a joke, so instead the night auditor's boyfriend was given a free room during her shifts because her stalker would stay away when her boyfriend was around. But he would watch the property from somewhere because if her boyfriend went to run an errand or was away from the desk long enough, guess who would come creeping?
Don't worry, we finally got stalking charges against him though. Early November I was working a 16 hour shift because I'm a workaholic and I like OT. I was also pet sitting for my parents so as my day drew to a close I was absolutely running on fumes. Guess who turns up on the property bothering our guests again? We do the same song and dance where I call the police and they don't show up on time. The night auditor he likes was working that night and she arrived without her boyfriend, long story but he couldn't be there.
I desperately needed to get out of there because I had to be back in 8 hours and also needed to take care of the dog, but I could not in good conscience leave her by herself when I knew her stalker was prowling around. Sure enough, as I'm about to leave we see him on the security cameras heading toward the desk. The lobby has big glass windows and he walked by them, presumably looking to see if she was alone, but he kept going because I was here.
Something in me snapped. If the law wasn't enough to deter him from coming around, we'd have to find alternative methods to discourage him. I grabbed the pepper spray we have because of him and went outside to confront him like a lunatic. I shouted "hey!" to get him to turn around and I pepper sprayed him in the face as he was eating a cheeseburger and then I did it again. I got his face and his cheeseburger and he was so drunk he kept eating it as he cursed me and called me a crazy bitch, which is a fair thing to call the crazy bitch who just pepper sprayed you even though you deserved it.
I had dialed 911 on the way out the door, so they got to hear me yelling at him and told me to stop following him and I lied and said I wasn't following him, I was just yelling at him. In reality I was doing both though I only followed him to the edge of the property. The reality of the situation hit me at that point because I absolutely just attacked him and called the police on myself. My biggest concern in the moment though was the fact that my parents were out of town and there was no one else to take care of their dog.
Anyway, cop shows up like ten minutes later to take our statements and whatever. My eyes are stinging because I'd walked through a cloud of pepper spray, so I recommend gel not spray because it apparently doesn't do that. Fortunately I did not get in trouble and the cop was like huh, if your reaction to seeing him is to just immediately pepper spray him, perhaps we have enough for stalking charges. Yay, finally. They didn't catch him that night though.
And it turns out pepper spray wasn't that good of a deterrent. He was back bothering people two days later. Fortunately his favorite target was off for a few days and the other NA was working and called the police. They showed up and talked to him AND DIDN'T ARREST HIM. They said they couldn't because he wasn't on property when they arrived, which is bullshit because all they need is proof he was here which we have because we have security cameras and he has been busted another time that way. They just didn't want to do their job.
I started bringing my gun to work at that point in case the stalker decided he wanted revenge for the pepper spray. But honestly his brain is so liquor cooked I'm not even sure he remembers I did that.
Over the next couple days we say him a few more times, learned he had a warrant out for his arrest on the stalking and trespassing charge, but the cops kept not showing up in time. Then we didn't see him for a few weeks. I'd check on the local arrest records to see if he'd been arrested, and he finally was about 6 weeks after the incident. He was bonded out a couple days later and bond conditions included staying away from the hotel as well as my coworker and I.
After that he stayed off the property, but would sometimes shout at the NA from the sidewalk out front, telling her he loved her and would never hurt her. He never stuck around long enough that she felt it was worth calling the police over.
He would still hang around the fast food restaurant parking lot next door and bother guests whose rooms faced that direction. There wasn't anything we could do about it and they weren't interested in doing anything about it. This changed at the end of March when he was arrested there for being drunk and disorderly. He bonded out on that charge as well. We didn't see him around after that but knew better than to celebrate.
End of April, he gets arrested again this time at the gas station across the road. Drunk and disorderly, indecent exposure, and resisting an officer. Bonds out again.
Just a couple days later, the other day shift person spots him hanging around the property though he didn't stay long. She warned night shift about him when she left that night. Sure enough, he turns up again IN THE FUCKING LOBBY. NA scares him off with the stun stick that was also purchased because of him and calls the police. As is tradition, they don't arrive in time. But we have proof of him violating bond, so we're hopeful that maybe he'll get locked up and give us a longer break.
But he wasn't done with his chaos for the night, the NA learned the next morning when the police came back to talk to her. He went to hang around the gas station where he'd just been arrested. He was loitering around with another guy, generally being suspicious and touching themselves. Then comes the escalation no one saw coming (/s). He and his creep buddy attempt to sexually assault a woman at the gas station. Fortunately they fail, unfortunately buddy gets away, fortunately stalker does not.
But you wouldn't know about any of that looking at his charges. All you would see is that he was trespassing at the gas station, had an open container of alcohol, damaged a police car, resisted an officer, did a disorderly conduct, and he pissed on an officer. Nothing about the sexual assault, or trespassing at the hotel and violating bond. Also apparently pissing on a cop is a felony.
On the bright side, his bail was set to $25k and I kept checking to see if he had posted bond and he hadn't. So we were enjoying a reprieve. I checked every couple of days for updates on that, and when doing so today I noticed the status of the stalking case had changed from pending to disposed.
I looked into that and discovered the stalking charge had been dismissed because the victims and officer had not shown up to court. Showing up to court is kind of difficult to do WHEN NO ONE TELLS YOU YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE THERE. There was absolutely no communication with any of us regarding the stalking charge. Everything I did know I knew from arrest and court records which I barely know how to decipher.
We've done everything we were supposed to do, but fuck us I guess right? We're having to take our safety into our own hands because the justice system doesn't give a fuck. He's not getting whatever help he needs to not be a predator because it doesn't give a fuck.
I'm so fucking angry right now. We're going to call the DA on Monday, for all the good that is likely to do. Maybe the owner can band together with other business owners in the area and get something done about him since money talks. I don't fucking know.
I'm not scared of him for myself, I'm scared of what he might do to a guest or one of my coworkers. He wouldn't be the first pervert to attack a housekeeper, thinking they're an easy target. One guy flashed his dick at a housekeeper a couple years ago and the owner chased him down and held him at knife point until the cops showed up. At least that cop had the good nature to claim not to have heard the owner when he said he was going to cut the guy's dick off.
The cop the stalker pissed on probably deserved it.
How has the justice system fucked you over?
submitted by mstarrbrannigan to behindthebastards [link] [comments]
I work the front desk of a motel and I love it. The owner pays a living wage, and I'm not required to smile in the face of Karen nonsense.
For the most part, the property is safe and quiet, but we have been having issues with this one particular loiterer for a few years now. In general, we really don't want people who are not guests or here with guests to be hanging around the property. He did more than just hang around though. He actively bothered guests, trying to bum money, cigarettes, alcohol and rides off of people while stinking drunk. He'd bother anyone but women were his favorite. He'd hit on them and try to get their numbers, even staff members. It didn't matter how many times he was told to leave, he'd keep coming back. Usually this happened at night, but he'd show up stumbling drunk during the day as well.
He's not homeless. When we figured out his name, we were able to determine he lives in an apartment complex a stone's throw away. We learned his name after an employee saw his mugshot, and that he'd been charged with trespassing and indecent exposure at a nearby business. Looking up his past criminal history, he's no stranger to run ins with the police. Criminal Mischief, False Imprisonment Of Child Under 13 Yoa, Child Abuse, Battery, Possession Of Drug Paraphernalia, Disorderly Conduct, Trespass In Occupied Structure, Possession Of Cocaine all from one encounter with police. Others include another count of indecent exposure, assault on a female and breaking and entering.
When we learned all this, we realized he was more than just a nuisance and we needed to try harder to get him to stay the hell away before he hurt one of our guests or a member of staff. Then he ended up being gone for awhile anyway. Jail? Another state? We don't know and I'm not that good at reading court records.
But he came back with a vengeance toward the end of 2022 and started zeroing in on our night auditor who was a very pretty but naïve girl which I guess he took as an invitation. When we learned about this she was told to just call the police whenever he'd show up so we could finally get him trespassed. I'm sure it will come as no surprise to any of you that the police never showed up in time to get him on the property, so they kept saying they couldn't do anything about it. Months later the planets aligned and he was finally trespassed.
This kept him away briefly. The night auditor left and a new one was hired who was not aware of the loiterer. Unfortunately for her, he took an even bigger shine to her, escalating to very sexual comments. We hadn't seen him for a bit, so we foolishly thought having him trespassed would work and hadn't warned her about him. One day last summer she is telling me about a guy who keeps coming around on her shift, and she doesn't think he's a guest. As she's describing him I realize she's talking about the loiterer. I tell her next time he comes around, just call the police.
To make a long story short (too late), by November he'd been arrested on our property three times for trespassing. And one time for communicating threats when he came screaming at the night auditor demanding to know why the general manager was at the hotel in the middle of the night. Clearly having him trespassed was not a deterrent. We kept being told to just keep calling because it would build a stalking case against him. Private security options around here are a joke, so instead the night auditor's boyfriend was given a free room during her shifts because her stalker would stay away when her boyfriend was around. But he would watch the property from somewhere because if her boyfriend went to run an errand or was away from the desk long enough, guess who would come creeping?
Don't worry, we finally got stalking charges against him though. Early November I was working a 16 hour shift because I'm a workaholic and I like OT. I was also pet sitting for my parents so as my day drew to a close I was absolutely running on fumes. Guess who turns up on the property bothering our guests again? We do the same song and dance where I call the police and they don't show up on time. The night auditor he likes was working that night and she arrived without her boyfriend, long story but he couldn't be there.
I desperately needed to get out of there because I had to be back in 8 hours and also needed to take care of the dog, but I could not in good conscience leave her by herself when I knew her stalker was prowling around. Sure enough, as I'm about to leave we see him on the security cameras heading toward the desk. The lobby has big glass windows and he walked by them, presumably looking to see if she was alone, but he kept going because I was here.
Something in me snapped. If the law wasn't enough to deter him from coming around, we'd have to find alternative methods to discourage him. I grabbed the pepper spray we have because of him and went outside to confront him like a lunatic. I shouted "hey!" to get him to turn around and I pepper sprayed him in the face as he was eating a cheeseburger and then I did it again. I got his face and his cheeseburger and he was so drunk he kept eating it as he cursed me and called me a crazy bitch, which is a fair thing to call the crazy bitch who just pepper sprayed you even though you deserved it.
I had dialed 911 on the way out the door, so they got to hear me yelling at him and told me to stop following him and I lied and said I wasn't following him, I was just yelling at him. In reality I was doing both though I only followed him to the edge of the property. The reality of the situation hit me at that point because I absolutely just attacked him and called the police on myself. My biggest concern in the moment though was the fact that my parents were out of town and there was no one else to take care of their dog.
Anyway, cop shows up like ten minutes later to take our statements and whatever. My eyes are stinging because I'd walked through a cloud of pepper spray, so I recommend gel not spray because it apparently doesn't do that. Fortunately I did not get in trouble and the cop was like huh, if your reaction to seeing him is to just immediately pepper spray him, perhaps we have enough for stalking charges. Yay, finally. They didn't catch him that night though.
And it turns out pepper spray wasn't that good of a deterrent. He was back bothering people two days later. Fortunately his favorite target was off for a few days and the other NA was working and called the police. They showed up and talked to him AND DIDN'T ARREST HIM. They said they couldn't because he wasn't on property when they arrived, which is bullshit because all they need is proof he was here which we have because we have security cameras and he has been busted another time that way. They just didn't want to do their job.
I started bringing my gun to work at that point in case the stalker decided he wanted revenge for the pepper spray. But honestly his brain is so liquor cooked I'm not even sure he remembers I did that.
Over the next couple days we say him a few more times, learned he had a warrant out for his arrest on the stalking and trespassing charge, but the cops kept not showing up in time. Then we didn't see him for a few weeks. I'd check on the local arrest records to see if he'd been arrested, and he finally was about 6 weeks after the incident. He was bonded out a couple days later and bond conditions included staying away from the hotel as well as my coworker and I.
After that he stayed off the property, but would sometimes shout at the NA from the sidewalk out front, telling her he loved her and would never hurt her. He never stuck around long enough that she felt it was worth calling the police over.
He would still hang around the fast food restaurant parking lot next door and bother guests whose rooms faced that direction. There wasn't anything we could do about it and they weren't interested in doing anything about it. This changed at the end of March when he was arrested there for being drunk and disorderly. He bonded out on that charge as well. We didn't see him around after that but knew better than to celebrate.
End of April, he gets arrested again this time at the gas station across the road. Drunk and disorderly, indecent exposure, and resisting an officer. Bonds out again.
Just a couple days later, the other day shift person spots him hanging around the property though he didn't stay long. She warned night shift about him when she left that night. Sure enough, he turns up again IN THE FUCKING LOBBY. NA scares him off with the stun stick that was also purchased because of him and calls the police. As is tradition, they don't arrive in time. But we have proof of him violating bond, so we're hopeful that maybe he'll get locked up and give us a longer break.
But he wasn't done with his chaos for the night, the NA learned the next morning when the police came back to talk to her. He went to hang around the gas station where he'd just been arrested. He was loitering around with another guy, generally being suspicious and touching themselves. Then comes the escalation no one saw coming (/s). He and his creep buddy attempt to sexually assault a woman at the gas station. Fortunately they fail, unfortunately buddy gets away, fortunately stalker does not.
But you wouldn't know about any of that looking at his charges. All you would see is that he was trespassing at the gas station, had an open container of alcohol, damaged a police car, resisted an officer, did a disorderly conduct, and he pissed on an officer. Nothing about the sexual assault, or trespassing at the hotel and violating bond. Also apparently pissing on a cop is a felony.
On the bright side, his bail was set to $25k and I kept checking to see if he had posted bond and he hadn't. So we were enjoying a reprieve. I checked every couple of days for updates on that, and when doing so today I noticed the status of the stalking case had changed from pending to disposed.
I looked into that and discovered the stalking charge had been dismissed because the victims and officer had not shown up to court. Showing up to court is kind of difficult to do WHEN NO ONE TELLS YOU YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE THERE. There was absolutely no communication with any of us regarding the stalking charge. Everything I did know I knew from arrest and court records which I barely know how to decipher.
We've done everything we were supposed to do, but fuck us I guess right? We're having to take our safety into our own hands because the justice system doesn't give a fuck. He's not getting whatever help he needs to not be a predator because it doesn't give a fuck.
I'm so fucking angry right now. We're going to call the DA on Monday, for all the good that is likely to do. Maybe the owner can band together with other business owners in the area and get something done about him since money talks. I don't fucking know.
I'm not scared of him for myself, I'm scared of what he might do to a guest or one of my coworkers. He wouldn't be the first pervert to attack a housekeeper, thinking they're an easy target. One guy flashed his dick at a housekeeper a couple years ago and the owner chased him down and held him at knife point until the cops showed up. At least that cop had the good nature to claim not to have heard the owner when he said he was going to cut the guy's dick off.
The cop the stalker pissed on probably deserved it.
How has the justice system fucked you over?
2024.05.18 22:33 Penta_cheeseburger Entrance song goa trance
 | submitted by Penta_cheeseburger to DoxaHominik [link] [comments] |
2024.05.18 22:30 funny_names_are_hard I made this in a cold sweat after watching the new episode (no spoilers, all in good fun I promise)
 | Apologies for the horrific quality, that almost-illegible square at the top says "benign background noise becomes sinister in context" submitted by funny_names_are_hard to DoctorWhumour [link] [comments] |
2024.05.18 22:20 PlumeyTail Physician, heal thyself..
 | This took place in 1990 when I was 18 and still living at home with my parents and siblings in a quiet suburb outside of Philadelphia. I had graduated high school and was about to start courses at the local community college. submitted by PlumeyTail to LetsReadOfficial [link] [comments] I was working part-time as a cashier at a local grocery store and had been since my sophomore year of high school. When you work in retail, particularly a grocery store, you often get to know the regular customers and become sort of familiar with their personalities. But all these years later there is only one family that I still remember clear as day, and I know that I’ll probably never forget them. I was pretty shy and typically would greet my customers with some pleasantries and then engage in ringing up their groceries, not paying much attention to anything but the task at hand. But when this one particular family of three entered the store, I would always find myself watching their every move, not because they were threatening or suspicious, but because of the strange dynamics and air of mystery that seemed to surround them. The family consisted of an Indian father and his two children, a boy and a girl who appeared to be in their pre-teen years. The man was quite tall and had a quiet, elegant air about him. He almost never spoke to any of the store employees, except for maybe a quiet “thank you” when his groceries had been totaled and the transaction was over. His son was equally quiet and I don’t recall ever hearing him utter a single word, even to his father. What kept everyone’s attention including mine riveted to this family every time they came in was the daughter. She appeared to be around 11 or 12, was almost as tall as her father, and was extremely overweight for a girl of her age. She always appeared disheveled in stained, mismatched clothing, and her shoulder length hair was usually an uncombed mess. Her eyes had a wild, unfocused look to them. She usually had candy or a half-eaten pastry in her hand that she had taken from the shelves that her father always handed over to the cashier to be included in his grocery total. Whatever it was she was eating at the time was always equally smeared on her face and clothing. Where her father and brother were unusually quiet and reserved, this girl was like the proverbial bull in a china shop. She would literally run up and down the aisles of the store singing and shouting unintelligible songs and phrases while she grabbed at items and frequently knocked over displays, generally leaving a retailer’s nightmare of a mess in her wake. Other customers would stare in horror as she ran amok and shouted random words at people. Her father and brother would trail meekly behind, quietly picking up or straightening the merchandise she had displaced. It fascinated me to watch them because the father never reprimanded or tried very hard to restrain her from this behavior, and I often wondered why there was never a mother figure along with them. I always felt sorry for this man as he silently trailed his wild, out-of-control daughter around the store with an air of quiet shame and resignation. It would usually take him an hour or more to navigate the aisles and collect his needed groceries while simultaneously performing damage control as he went. The boy always stuck to his father’s side, never saying a word or showing any signs of surprise or horror at his sister’s disruptive behavior. For 2 or 3 years I routinely observed this little family of three on a weekly basis, and one day in the summer of 1990 it occurred to me that I hadn’t seen them for a few weeks. That day in the breakroom I overheard another cashier mentioning their relief that this man and his 2 children had not appeared for a while, and to my utter shock a different employee asked this person if he or she had not heard the “news” about them. This got my full attention and I asked what had happened. The answer was so unexpected and shocking I actually felt physically ill after hearing it. This man, our regular, quiet customer and father of two, had made national news. He was Dr. A. Paul, a highly regarded doctor of oncology at a local cancer research and treatment center. He, his wife and 2 children lived in a beautiful 10-bedroom mansion in a very affluent part of town. On a hot Monday in July, he left notes for his workplace superiors before returning home for the day. When these notes were eventually discovered the police were called and the doctor’s house was forcefully entered. What the police discovered was horrific and unimaginable. Upon returning home from work that day, Dr. Paul had put sedatives in his unsuspecting wife and children’s food. The police found the 2 children and their mother slumped against the wall in an upstairs bedroom, dead from intravenous lines in their veins that hung from picture hooks on the walls. The doctor himself was found lying dead on the bed, though I can’t recall if he was hooked up to an IV or not. In his notes to his colleagues, he had explained that his financial difficulties, his wife’s health problems, and his daughter’s retardation were all too much for him to bear, and that he didn’t want to leave his son as an orphan, so he took their lives along with his in order to end the hopelessness. To say that we were all shocked is an understatement. For years this man and his children had been our regular customers, and I felt such shame that we had all openly gawked and secretly snickered at this poor, dysfunctional family. Looking back, I wish I had smiled at them more, and maybe attempted a little small talk with the father whenever they came through my line at the register. I know it wouldn’t have changed the outcome, but a little friendliness and empathy from a stranger certainly wouldn’t have hurt this man. Dr. Paul, wherever you are now, please know that, though the world has moved on and your tragic end is old news, there are still a few of us that remember and still think of you and your family. May all of you rest in peace. https://preview.redd.it/t68bdcs0u81d1.png?width=468&format=png&auto=webp&s=dff592fcb5d51da75c677be837406ab2eadabbe4 |
2024.05.18 22:09 TheBigBelly01 Look what came today!
 | submitted by TheBigBelly01 to GriseldaxFR [link] [comments] |
2024.05.18 22:06 lolswainbot World Beast: Ti4mat
O
“World Beasts… are innately different to humans and other forms of 'life'. Those created in the Goddess’s image are bound only by fate and time, able to lead their own destiny if they will it so. For us, it’s different. We are born with a function in mind — a purpose. Sometimes it’s clear, sometimes it’s not.
I still have no clue why Har-Meggidos was created.”
Sacrosanct was still unsure whether to engage or not — whether this was his battle to fight. Such indecisiveness faltered his flames, but noticing that Blodelshein was about to be crushed by one of the chunks, he quickly pushed her out of the way with a dive but got squashed into a bloody pulp himself.
“Sacrosanct!”
While the white-haired girl continued the battle, Sacrosanct soon lifted the mass, covered in his own blood. The hero spat out a dozen teeth from his mouth, though they soon healed back thanks to his flames. Now he was truly fired up.
However, he was not quite ready yet. It would take a few more steps to enter the ‘LIMITLESS’ state.
The dual-wielding warrior ran up Tiamat’s right arm while massively damaging it along the way. The light katana moved like a needle, while the longsword swung like a hammer; the two weapons synergized in a negative tempo, creating a dissonance of destruction.
Meanwhile, Sacrosanct stretched, ran in place, push-ups, sit-ups, jumping-jacks, all in impossibly quick succession. His heart rate began to increase rapidly, and so did the fire surrounding him.
The golden-eyed swordswoman was able to stab the World Beast Directly in its forehead, and while it caused excruciating agony and great damage, it was still not yet enough as roots sprouted from the wound and knocked her all the way to the ground, where a wooden spike much larger than she awaited.
Meanwhile, Sacrosanct began to sing to himself… No, he created rhythms. Songs? Humming? It was strange how he seemed to be listening to something in his head, but it was somehow working as his flames grew multiple times in size.
The girl quickly turned to face the ground using the weight of her swords, and in the split second before contact, her blades cut the spike directly in half, landing in its new crevice. However, the broken spike was then coiled in vines, and was shut in a matter of microseconds by the pressure surrounding it, and the hero was forced to struggle to keep herself uncrushed.
Meanwhile… Sacrosanct was finally ready — with just one more step. Now he took a good look at his enemy, the colossal demonic titan, much stronger than him; of course, he could beat her. He was Sacrosanct. With this newfound confidence, the hero began to concentrate the massive flame surrounding him toward himself, compressing the heat. Soon, a massive flash of light blinded the spectators, including Tiamat, and from the blinding light emerged Sacrosanct. The hero was now surrounded by an electrical storm running throughout his body, as well as blue flames contrasting with the previous red. He was not just any other hero, he was THE hero. He was Sacrosanct.
“Alright, bring it on!”
Tiamat could not fully gauge the hero’s strength and instead chose to finish the girl off by crushing her completely with her fist. However, as she turned her attention away, the World Beast was suddenly kicked in the face, snapping her massive head instantly. He was fast.
The World Beast quickly composed herself and healed her neck. Demonic spiders began to emerge from her wings; perfect for dealing with pests. However, Sacrosanct was no mere fly, and he began to easily set the spiders ablaze with his contagious flame, which then spread to the World Beast’s hair.
“Let’s go!”
While Tiamat was distracted by the flames, Sacrosanct lept from her shoulder directly toward the spike in which the katana-wielding hero was imprisoned. The sheer impact of cannonballing into the wooden structure was enough to blow it open, and the warrior was freed.
“You still haven’t told me your name yet!”
“...?”
The two looked up to see that Tiamat had already fully recovered. There must’ve been some way to kill her, for why else was she reincarnated?
“...Acata, could you tell us how you defeated her preciously?” asked Blodelshein in her native tongue.
The girl turned to find the source of the voice, but none lay in sight.
“I’m speaking to you telepathically. I’m afraid I won’t be much of a help — the demon lord has a powerful soul. Anyways, you said you met her before right? Then you must be the 15th hero, the one who defeated this demon lord. How did you do it?”
“...It was not I who killed Tiamat,” said Acata, “I suppose you could say that the entire world killed her.”
“...So you’re saying you lured her here without a plan to kill her?!”
“The plan is to slice and dice until it is done.”
“...”
It seemed that Blodelshein was surrounded by true warriors.
Now killing her was no longer an option, the best they could do would be to immobilize her until a method was found. However, things would not be so simple as Tiamat began to attack once again, interrupting the hero mid-thought.
A slit positioned directly at the centre of Tiamat’s breast opened like a vertical eye, and from the entrance began to stream a river of energy, the current of which soon turned into a torrent, then a storm. The energy began to form a sphere in the form of fire, like the heavenly ornament in the sky. The heroes could already feel its heat from the ground. As the World Beast began to power this attack, Sacrosanct came up with a brilliant plan — a Sacrosanct original.
“Alright, hero, I’ll neutralize this blast, then you attack her directly in that weird source — that must be her core or something!”
“...Fine.”
In the heat of the battle, language barriers can be fatal. As such, instead of listening to the words themselves, Acata decided to simply react to Sacrosanct’s action. Judging from his tone, it seemed that he had prepared a plan. Though she did not understand what his course of action would be, there was no other choice as the inevitability of decimation loomed over them.
Tiamat soon released the attack, and Sacrosanct released an attack of his own as well. All the flames surrounding him concentrated on his two fingers outstretched toward his target, leaving the rest of his body vulnerable and bare. As it was compressed into an atomic volume, it instantly flipped from a bright white to a blackhole void surrounded by dark lightning.
“Go!”
As the pseudo-sun continued to approach, the grass began to wilt and burn. However, neither Sacrosanct nor Acata moved an inch. Sacrosanct’s black hole was soon consumed by the flame, but Acata knew that his act was not yet over. The dark elf began to immediately calculate in his mind the time required for the sphere to reach the centre of Tiamat’s sun, and soon activated his spell:
“⌈Nuclear Starburst⌋!”
The black hole immediately increased a thousandfold in volume, completely enveloping Tiamat’s attack. It then folded in upon itself, erasing both attacks from existence. While Tiamat was shocked, Acata took no time to hesitate. She tested Sacrosanct’s theory by leaping a thousand paces into the air and plunging both her blades into Tiamat’s chest — the source of the strange energy.
As Blodelshein watched on from behind the rubble, she sincerely hoped that this would be the end. It did seem that the damage was massive, and the World Beast began to disintegrate as it wailed in pain. However, it soon clenched its teeth, and through its bloodied eyes, cast a desperate spell.
From the slit emerged a sphere — a flesh-pink, translucent sphere. Acata could see that her sword was stuck deep into it, and she could almost see inside, a small world. Like a minature garden, a microcosm…
A massive flash of light enveloped the area, and all three heroes were blinded. Through the brightness, however, Blodelshei,n could catch glimpses of stars passing by her, turning into lines, as if travelling through space.
Within the microcosm, three shooting stars — never seen before — entered the world.
submitted by lolswainbot to EonsRequiem [link] [comments]
“World Beasts… are innately different to humans and other forms of 'life'. Those created in the Goddess’s image are bound only by fate and time, able to lead their own destiny if they will it so. For us, it’s different. We are born with a function in mind — a purpose. Sometimes it’s clear, sometimes it’s not.
I still have no clue why Har-Meggidos was created.”
- Reginn Magina, World Beast, when asked about World Beasts
Sacrosanct was still unsure whether to engage or not — whether this was his battle to fight. Such indecisiveness faltered his flames, but noticing that Blodelshein was about to be crushed by one of the chunks, he quickly pushed her out of the way with a dive but got squashed into a bloody pulp himself.
“Sacrosanct!”
While the white-haired girl continued the battle, Sacrosanct soon lifted the mass, covered in his own blood. The hero spat out a dozen teeth from his mouth, though they soon healed back thanks to his flames. Now he was truly fired up.
However, he was not quite ready yet. It would take a few more steps to enter the ‘LIMITLESS’ state.
The dual-wielding warrior ran up Tiamat’s right arm while massively damaging it along the way. The light katana moved like a needle, while the longsword swung like a hammer; the two weapons synergized in a negative tempo, creating a dissonance of destruction.
Meanwhile, Sacrosanct stretched, ran in place, push-ups, sit-ups, jumping-jacks, all in impossibly quick succession. His heart rate began to increase rapidly, and so did the fire surrounding him.
The golden-eyed swordswoman was able to stab the World Beast Directly in its forehead, and while it caused excruciating agony and great damage, it was still not yet enough as roots sprouted from the wound and knocked her all the way to the ground, where a wooden spike much larger than she awaited.
Meanwhile, Sacrosanct began to sing to himself… No, he created rhythms. Songs? Humming? It was strange how he seemed to be listening to something in his head, but it was somehow working as his flames grew multiple times in size.
The girl quickly turned to face the ground using the weight of her swords, and in the split second before contact, her blades cut the spike directly in half, landing in its new crevice. However, the broken spike was then coiled in vines, and was shut in a matter of microseconds by the pressure surrounding it, and the hero was forced to struggle to keep herself uncrushed.
Meanwhile… Sacrosanct was finally ready — with just one more step. Now he took a good look at his enemy, the colossal demonic titan, much stronger than him; of course, he could beat her. He was Sacrosanct. With this newfound confidence, the hero began to concentrate the massive flame surrounding him toward himself, compressing the heat. Soon, a massive flash of light blinded the spectators, including Tiamat, and from the blinding light emerged Sacrosanct. The hero was now surrounded by an electrical storm running throughout his body, as well as blue flames contrasting with the previous red. He was not just any other hero, he was THE hero. He was Sacrosanct.
“Alright, bring it on!”
Tiamat could not fully gauge the hero’s strength and instead chose to finish the girl off by crushing her completely with her fist. However, as she turned her attention away, the World Beast was suddenly kicked in the face, snapping her massive head instantly. He was fast.
The World Beast quickly composed herself and healed her neck. Demonic spiders began to emerge from her wings; perfect for dealing with pests. However, Sacrosanct was no mere fly, and he began to easily set the spiders ablaze with his contagious flame, which then spread to the World Beast’s hair.
“Let’s go!”
While Tiamat was distracted by the flames, Sacrosanct lept from her shoulder directly toward the spike in which the katana-wielding hero was imprisoned. The sheer impact of cannonballing into the wooden structure was enough to blow it open, and the warrior was freed.
“You still haven’t told me your name yet!”
“...?”
The two looked up to see that Tiamat had already fully recovered. There must’ve been some way to kill her, for why else was she reincarnated?
“...Acata, could you tell us how you defeated her preciously?” asked Blodelshein in her native tongue.
The girl turned to find the source of the voice, but none lay in sight.
“I’m speaking to you telepathically. I’m afraid I won’t be much of a help — the demon lord has a powerful soul. Anyways, you said you met her before right? Then you must be the 15th hero, the one who defeated this demon lord. How did you do it?”
“...It was not I who killed Tiamat,” said Acata, “I suppose you could say that the entire world killed her.”
“...So you’re saying you lured her here without a plan to kill her?!”
“The plan is to slice and dice until it is done.”
“...”
It seemed that Blodelshein was surrounded by true warriors.
Now killing her was no longer an option, the best they could do would be to immobilize her until a method was found. However, things would not be so simple as Tiamat began to attack once again, interrupting the hero mid-thought.
A slit positioned directly at the centre of Tiamat’s breast opened like a vertical eye, and from the entrance began to stream a river of energy, the current of which soon turned into a torrent, then a storm. The energy began to form a sphere in the form of fire, like the heavenly ornament in the sky. The heroes could already feel its heat from the ground. As the World Beast began to power this attack, Sacrosanct came up with a brilliant plan — a Sacrosanct original.
“Alright, hero, I’ll neutralize this blast, then you attack her directly in that weird source — that must be her core or something!”
“...Fine.”
In the heat of the battle, language barriers can be fatal. As such, instead of listening to the words themselves, Acata decided to simply react to Sacrosanct’s action. Judging from his tone, it seemed that he had prepared a plan. Though she did not understand what his course of action would be, there was no other choice as the inevitability of decimation loomed over them.
Tiamat soon released the attack, and Sacrosanct released an attack of his own as well. All the flames surrounding him concentrated on his two fingers outstretched toward his target, leaving the rest of his body vulnerable and bare. As it was compressed into an atomic volume, it instantly flipped from a bright white to a blackhole void surrounded by dark lightning.
“Go!”
As the pseudo-sun continued to approach, the grass began to wilt and burn. However, neither Sacrosanct nor Acata moved an inch. Sacrosanct’s black hole was soon consumed by the flame, but Acata knew that his act was not yet over. The dark elf began to immediately calculate in his mind the time required for the sphere to reach the centre of Tiamat’s sun, and soon activated his spell:
“⌈Nuclear Starburst⌋!”
The black hole immediately increased a thousandfold in volume, completely enveloping Tiamat’s attack. It then folded in upon itself, erasing both attacks from existence. While Tiamat was shocked, Acata took no time to hesitate. She tested Sacrosanct’s theory by leaping a thousand paces into the air and plunging both her blades into Tiamat’s chest — the source of the strange energy.
As Blodelshein watched on from behind the rubble, she sincerely hoped that this would be the end. It did seem that the damage was massive, and the World Beast began to disintegrate as it wailed in pain. However, it soon clenched its teeth, and through its bloodied eyes, cast a desperate spell.
From the slit emerged a sphere — a flesh-pink, translucent sphere. Acata could see that her sword was stuck deep into it, and she could almost see inside, a small world. Like a minature garden, a microcosm…
A massive flash of light enveloped the area, and all three heroes were blinded. Through the brightness, however, Blodelshei,n could catch glimpses of stars passing by her, turning into lines, as if travelling through space.
Within the microcosm, three shooting stars — never seen before — entered the world.
2024.05.18 21:54 Grand_Sundae_5703 Can anybody recommend some some Jay songs like this
 | I’m a 18 yr old new fan of jay Z and really enjoy these type of songs. The mixture of Just Blazes production and Jays effortless flow is really motivating and inspiring. So if you got any songs like this lmk!! submitted by Grand_Sundae_5703 to jayz [link] [comments] |
2024.05.18 21:00 Sola_Sista_94 Cookies 'n' Dreams: Parts Fifteen and End (Fanfic)
Kokichi and Himiko hurried over to Himiko's secret magic room. Once there, Himiko threw open the pages of "Inside the Magical Mind" over to the "Build the Perfect Dream" chapter. She flipped through the pages until she found what she was looking for.
"A-ha!" she squeaked with excitement, placing her finger on the horror section. Kokichi grinned at her.
"Nee-heehee...I know we're supposed to be serious, and all, but that 'a-ha!' was super cute, Monkey Buns!" Kokichi said, giving Himiko a squeeze.
"Nyeh...that's because I'm super cute...thank you very much," Himiko said, sassily flipping her hair.
"Yes, you are," Kokichi murmured in a low, flirty voice, leaning his head against Himiko's. "I wuv my cute, wittle Monkey Buns." He gave Himiko a few soft kisses on her lips. Himiko giggled in delight.
"Okay, okay, it's back to being serious," she said suddenly, clapping her hands with a purpose.
"Yup, yup! It's go time!" Kokichi said, nodding enthusiastically. Himiko studied the horror section of the book:
~HORROR:~
Want a more terrifying experience in your dreams? No? Would you like to give your enemies nightmares, then? If that's the case, try filling up your enemy's mind with the most horrific thing they could ever imagine! Or, use a more lighthearted, yet creepy, potion to prank a friend! That works, too! Take them on a night filled with monsterific fright!
Himiko skimmed the first two potions, "Thriller Night dream," and the "Goosebumps dream." She stopped straight at the "Nightmare Fuel dream."
"Nyeh...this is the one that we need," she said, grinning deviously. Kokichi grinned along with her.
"Oooo...I love when my Supreme Lady gets all mischievous," he said with a ghoulish giggle as he kissed her cheek. Himiko giggled with him, as well, before reading on:
Nightmare Fuel dream: Want your enemies to experience the ultimate nightmare? Then, the Nightmare Fuel dream is the perfect one for you...or should I say, your enemy. Huhuhu! Give them them a night full of what they fear the most, whether it's a bunch of wriggly spiders, or a terrifying ghost!
Kokichi and Himiko grinned at each other impishly.
"Perfect!" they murmured in unison, and giggled deviously as Himiko poured in the ingredients. As she stirred the potion, eerie wisps of green and purple mist emanated from the cauldron. Himiko waved her hands mysteriously over her cauldron to part the mists away. Kokichi was mesmerized by her movements. Her face glowed bright in beautiful shades of shimmering green and purple. Kokichi felt his heart beat faster. If they weren't making cookies, this could be the perfect romantic setting. He couldn't resist her mischievous grin as she continued to pour and mix the ingredients. He felt as if he were falling in love all over again. Himiko looked up at him, catching him staring. She batted her eyelashes seductively at him, beckoning him closer. Finding her alluring and completely irresistible, Kokichi moved closer to her. He placed his hands on her waist and pulled her into a deep, passionate kiss. He then wrapped his arms tightly around Himiko. He couldn't resist. Heart raging against his chest, he reached up her shirt, caressing her back with his hands. His hand slowly moved up towards her bra to unhook it.
Snoozydoodle, my ass, he thought to himself. All my dreams are coming true right here! Suddenly, he moved his lips down to her neck. Himiko gasped softly and smiled. She placed her lips next to Kokichi's ear.
"Kokichi," she whispered seductively.
"Mmmm...yes...my Supreme Lady...?" Kokichi murmured in response, using his lips to move Himiko's shirt collar to gently bite Himiko's shoulder.
"The cookies, Kokichi..." Himiko reminded him in a sultry whisper. Kokichi's hands froze right as he was about to unhook her bra. He squeezed her longingly, but in the end, reluctantly released her.
"Right..." he mumbled. "Sorry..." He sighed, feeling dizzy. He had to admit that he loved the way Himiko made him feel. He shook his head to clear his mind. His breathing slowed back to a steady pace, as well as his heart. Now wasn't the time for feelings. They had to focus on the task at hand. Himiko smiled and bit her lip flirtatiously at him. He could tell she wanted him just as badly in that moment. But, she continued mixing the potion. He turned away from her, as if to block out any lustful temptations.
"Nyeh...it's finally done," Himiko said, breaking the silence. She poured the potion into a potion bottle.
"Ready to go?" Kokichi asked, trying to overcome the spell he was just under. Himiko nodded. Once they left the room, Kokichi grabbed Himiko's wrist. "Himiko...what happened back there...you didn't...do that to me, right?" Himiko smiled as she blushed bright red and shook her head.
"Nope," she replied. Kokichi nodded slowly.
"I thought so," he said. They both took deep breaths. "Pheeew! That was something, huh?" he said, scratching his head with a sheepish blush splashed onto his face.
"Nyeh...it was probably just a heat-of-the-moment type thing," Himiko said.
"Yeah, er, um...sorry about...y'know...reaching up your shirt and..." Kokichi began. Himiko looked at him with a seductive gleam in her eye and smiled naughtily as she placed her hand on his chest.
"You can do whatever you want to me..." she murmured in a low voice. "...and that's the truth." She bit her lip and winked flirtatiously at him before turning and walking away without another word. Kokichi stared after her, stunned, as she walked along the train tracks leading to the abandoned train station. Suddenly, a devilish grin crossed his face as he ran to catch up to her. He wrapped an arm around her waist and gave her a kiss on the lips before both breaking off into a run with mischievous giggling to D.I.C.E. headquarters to bake cookies for the final time.
End
"Don't go chasin' waterfalls. Listen to the rivers and the lakes that you're uuused to," Four sang, holding a broom handle like a microphone. Five paused from polishing some furniture and turned to him with a scoff.
"Ugh...dummy! Hello! It's 'Please stick to the rivers and the lakes that you're used to,'" she corrected.
"Well...whatever," Four grumbled. "I don't like that dumb song anyway."
"Hahaha...why, cuz you got the words wrong?" Six cackled.
"N-No!" Four stammered, going back to sweeping the floor. Two held the dustpan out so Four could sweep the dirt into it. "I just...think it's dumb! How can someone chase a waterfall when it doesn't even move?!"
"Pffft! I don't know, I didn't come up with the lyrics! Why don't you ask DLC?" Six answered. Five rolled her eyes.
"TLC!! " she corrected.
"Whaaaateveeeerrrrr!!" Six shouted back. Suddenly, the front doors of the headquarters burst open, and in walked Kokichi and Himiko.
"Boss! You're here!" Four said, blocking Kokichi's way. "Can I ask you something?"
"Not now, Ichiro, Himiko and I have some business in the kitchen," Kokichi replied urgently. He swerved around Four, but Four ran up to block his way again. "Ugh! What, Ichiro?!" Kokichi exclaimed testily.
"Um...is it 'Don't go chasing waterfalls, listen to the rivers and the lakes that you're used to,' or is it, 'please stick to the rivers and the lakes that you're used to?'" Four asked timidly.
"The latter," Kokichi replied briefly, then dashed away quickly to the kitchen.
"DAMMMIIIIIT!!" Four cried, falling to his knees in defeat. Five grinned smugly at him.
"Told ya!" she said before continuing her polishing.
In the kitchen, Kokichi and Himiko got to work on the last batches of the Snoozydoodles. Kokichi preheated the oven. Himiko poured the ingredients, including some of her potion, inside, and Kokichi mixed afterwards. Right after sticking one batch into the oven, they immediately got started on a second batch. After a few hours of baking, they had finally come up with enough batches for the entire school.
"Nyeh...that was exhausting," Himiko sighed, leaning against the wall.
"Well, that was only half the battle, HimiCocoa Bean," Kokichi said, pulling her up. "We gotta get these cookies to Hope's Peak."
"Ooo! Can I have one?" Four asked, reaching for a cookie.
"No!" Kokichi said, slapping his hand away.
"Nyeh...Kokichi? How are going to carry all these cookies?" Himiko asked, gesturing to the stacks upon stacks of cookies on the counter.
"Kazuki!" Kokichi called to Eight. Eight silently walked in and saluted. "Bring the confetti cannon."
"Yes, boss," Eight replied, then hurried away. He came back a few minutes later lugging a large, black, tubular contraption with a long, black hose with ridges similar to a one on a vacuum cleaner.
"Thank you!" Kokichi replied. Eight saluted in response. "It's clear of confetti, right?"
"Yes, sir," Eight replied.
"Great!" Kokichi said. "Takehiko!" Ten now appeared in the kitchen, taking his place next to Eight.
"You rang, boss?" he asked.
"Yup! Fire up the Happycopter and wait there for us," Kokichi ordered.
"On it like a bonnet!" Ten promised and scurried off.
"Monkey Buns, help me pour the cookies into this hole right here," Kokichi said, opening up a lid on top of the cannon similar to a fuel cap on a car.
"Nyeh...got it, boss," Himiko replied with a smile. Kokichi smiled back at her and stroked her cheek affectionately. They both began pouring the cookies inside the confetti cannon. Once all the cookies were inside, Kokichi closed the lid.
"Alright, babe, we're ready to roll!" he said to Himiko. Himiko nodded firmly in response. Kokichi turned to Eight. "Kazuki, give us a hand." Eight saluted and helped Kokichi and Himiko carry the cannon up the stairs all the way to the rooftop, where Ten was waiting for them in the Happycopter. The three hoisted the cannon inside. Kokichi hopped in and helped Himiko inside.
"Where to, boss?" Ten asked.
"Drop us down on the roof of Hope's Peak," Kokichi replied.
"Caaaan do!" Ten said, then took off. He landed the Happycopter on the roof of the academy, and helped Kokichi lug the cannon out.
"Alright, Ten! We'll take it from here!" Kokichi shouted over the blades of the Happycopter. Ten answered with a salute, then flew the Happycopter back to D.I.C.E. headquarters. The final bell to Hope's Peak rang, and the students began pouring out of the front entrance far below. Kokichi pulled out a megaphone.
"He-eeeey, everyoooone!" he sang, his voice ringing loud and clear. The students looked up at him.
"Hey! It's Kokichi!" Kaito said, pointing up at the roof.
"And Himiko's with him!" Ibuki added. Himiko felt dizzy from such a great height.
"Nyeeeh...I feel woozy," she muttered. "I'm glad I'm only 4' 11." I don't think I could stand being taller than that."
"That's alright, HimiCocoa Bean, I'll do all the talking," Kokichi said. "Just get ready to flip that switch when I tell you to." Himiko went to the cannon and waited by a tiny, black lever.
"Hey, Kokichi!! Tell Himiko to give us more cookies!" Kazuichi cried.
"You guys want Snoozydoodles?" Kokichi asked through the megaphone. Everyone cheered. "I saaiiid...do you guys want Snoozydoodles?" Kokichi repeated louder, increasing suspense. Everyone cheered louder.
"Hurry up and give us the damn cookies!!" Miu screamed at the top of her lungs. Kokichi turned to Himiko.
"Flip the switch, Monkey Buns!" he said. Himiko flipped the tiny lever, activating the confetti cannon. Kokichi held up the ridged hose, and out flew dozens of cookies. The students below cheered and clamored for the cookies. Everyone grabbed a cookie and headed home. Kokichi turned to Himiko and gave her a high five.
"Well done, Himiko!" he said. "Now all we gotta do is wait!"
***
The next morning, Himiko woke up to see Tenko sitting on the edge of her bed in horror. Her eyes were wide and she was pale as if she had seen a ghost. Himiko crept slowly over to her.
"Nyeh...Tenko? Are you okay?" Himiko asked worriedly. Tenko jumped back in fear.
"WAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!" she screamed, jumping back under her blanket.
"Nyeh! T-Tenko! It's just me!" Himiko said. Tenko peeked out from under her blanket.
"H-H-Himiko...?" she stammered.
"That's right. It's just me," Himiko said. Shivering violently, Tenko crawled out from under blanket again. "Tenko, what happened?"
"H-H-Had...nightmare..." Tenko stammered. "N-N-nothing b-b-but...darkness. And...c-c-creepy singing. I couldn't move! It's like I was trapped inside a...a...cage! The next thing I know...there was a sharp p-p-pain in my neck!"
"Oh, my!" Himiko exclaimed.
"Th-Th-That's when I w-w-woke up," Tenko said, holding her blanket up to her face. Then, she slowly lowered her blanket with an apologetic expression. "Himiko...i-i-if it's okay with you...I d-don't think I want another S-Snoozyd-d-doodle..."
"Yeah! Okay!" Himiko nodded. It was exactly what she wanted! She hurried to get dressed, then headed downstairs to the dining room to see the others' faces filled with woe and misery, as if their nightmares had drained every ounce of life from their bodies.
"Nee-heehee...looks like all their hopes and dreams got shattered, huh?" Kokichi whispered, suddenly appearing next to Himiko, leaning his elbow on her shoulder. Himiko grinned and nodded.
"But, I wanna make sure they don't crave my Snoozydoodles at all, anymore," she said. She walked into the dining room. "Nyeh...anyone in the mood for more Snoozydoodles?" Everyone snapped to attention with sheer horror in their eyes.
"NOOOOOOOO!!!" Kaito wailed.
"Keep those cookies from hell away from us!!" Miu cried, tears streaming from her eyes. "There was nothing but...t-t-toilet paper everywhere!! And some buff guy I couldn't identify was running after me with one of the rolls tryin' to strangle meeee!!"
"Gonta not wanna get stabbed by bug again!!" Gonta sobbed into his hands. "Bugs betray Gontaaaaaa!!"
"I...had boiled water thrown on me..." Kiyo said, his face pale and sweaty. "Then, to add salt to the wound, Sister threw salt on my wounds." He shuddered violently.
"I was surrounded by a bunch of piranhas," Ryoma said. "And then, they started biting me. I...could actually feel the biting." Everyone was holding themselves, rocking back and forth, trying to erase their nightmares from their minds.
"Himiko...if it's alright with you...I'm done with Snoozydoodles," Tsumugi said. Himiko pretended to appear despondent.
"I understand," she said. Then, she turned to Kokichi with a huge grin. Kokichi gave her a thumbs up.
"That's my Supreme Lady," he murmured in her ear and gave her a kiss.
***
Weeks later, the time finally came for the surprise field trip. Usami ushered the students onto the buses.
"Where do you think we're going, Monkey Buns?" Kokichi asked Himiko.
"Nyeh...I'm not sure," Himiko replied.
"Tuh...wherever it is, it better not have anything to do with cookies," Miu muttered bitterly. She was hanging over their seat from behind.
"Uh...this is a private conversation between me and my Supreme Lady," Kokichi said. "So, back off, bitch!"
"Eeeeeeee!!! Okay, okaaaayyyy!!" Miu whined, shriveling back down into her seat. The buses lurched forward, and drove a few hours, passing cities like Osaka and Kobe. From Kobe, they drove through Awaji island to one of Japan's main islands, Shikoku, to Ehime prefecture. From there, they took a ferry ride to a small island.
"Heeey, you're taking us to an island?!" Kazuichi asked in annoyance. "How annoying! What's so great about a damn island?! We live on one! Japan is made of a bunch of them!"
"Don't worry! You'll like this place, I'm sure!" Usami promised.
"Oh, my! If that island is what I think it is, we shall definitely have the best time of our lives!" Sonia cried.
"What is it?" Kaede asked.
"I...do not want to tell," Sonia said. "I do not want to get my hopes up." Himiko turned to Kokichi.
"Do you know what she's talking about, Kokichi?" she whispered. Kokichi shrugged.
"Beats me," he replied. "Honestly, I think it'll be fun to find out." Finally, the ferry pulled in to dock. The students climbed off the ferry, and were startled by Sonia's cry of pure joy.
"I KNEW IT!!!" she exclaimed. The students turned to see what she was so happy about, and gasped in delight. There before them, were a bunch of cats! Cats laying around, cats pouncing on birds, cats being petted by tourists. There were cats everywhere!
"Students...welcome to Aoshima Island!" Usami announced grandly. "Feel free to pet the kitties to your heart's content!" The students rushed over to them with glee.
"Awwww...hey, there, wittle kitty-wittyyyyy...!" Kaede gushed, holding a cat up to her nose. then, she held it to Shuichi. "Wanna pet him, Shuichi?" Shuichi patted the cat politely on his head.
"Fuhahahahaaaa!! I shall set up my feline army here!" Gundham said. Many cats surrounded him. "Behold, feline warriors! It is I, your king, Gundham Ta-nyah-kaaa!!"
"Huh...I didn't think someone like you was capable of making puns," Kazuichi said.
"I thought it was a wonderful pun!" Sonia said.
"Pretty cute, huh, Himiko?" Kokichi asked, holding up a black and white cat. Himiko held up a cat with ginger fur.
"Nyeh...this one, too!" she said with a nod.
"Heeeey...these two look like they'd make a great couple!" Kokichi said. They held their cats together. One black and white, and the other, with its fiery red-orange fur.
"I couldn't agree more, Kokichi," Himiko replied, batting her eyelashes at him. The black and white cat's green eyes twinkled with mischief, while the ginger cat just hung there lazily in Himiko's arms. The black and white cat playfully swiped at the ginger cat. The ginger cat made an annoyed noise and pawed at the black and white one. The black and white cat nuzzled its head against the ginger's, and the ginger cat seemed to smile. Kokichi and Himiko giggled and set the cats down. The black and white cat nudged the ginger. He ran a few feet ahead, then stopped, waiting for the ginger to follow. The ginger stood up and trotted after the black and white. The black and white hopped up and down excitedly and broke off into a run. Kokichi wrapped his arm around Himiko's waist as they watched the the ginger catching up to the black and white, running alongside each other off to another adventure, no doubt.
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"A-ha!" she squeaked with excitement, placing her finger on the horror section. Kokichi grinned at her.
"Nee-heehee...I know we're supposed to be serious, and all, but that 'a-ha!' was super cute, Monkey Buns!" Kokichi said, giving Himiko a squeeze.
"Nyeh...that's because I'm super cute...thank you very much," Himiko said, sassily flipping her hair.
"Yes, you are," Kokichi murmured in a low, flirty voice, leaning his head against Himiko's. "I wuv my cute, wittle Monkey Buns." He gave Himiko a few soft kisses on her lips. Himiko giggled in delight.
"Okay, okay, it's back to being serious," she said suddenly, clapping her hands with a purpose.
"Yup, yup! It's go time!" Kokichi said, nodding enthusiastically. Himiko studied the horror section of the book:
~HORROR:~
Want a more terrifying experience in your dreams? No? Would you like to give your enemies nightmares, then? If that's the case, try filling up your enemy's mind with the most horrific thing they could ever imagine! Or, use a more lighthearted, yet creepy, potion to prank a friend! That works, too! Take them on a night filled with monsterific fright!
Himiko skimmed the first two potions, "Thriller Night dream," and the "Goosebumps dream." She stopped straight at the "Nightmare Fuel dream."
"Nyeh...this is the one that we need," she said, grinning deviously. Kokichi grinned along with her.
"Oooo...I love when my Supreme Lady gets all mischievous," he said with a ghoulish giggle as he kissed her cheek. Himiko giggled with him, as well, before reading on:
Nightmare Fuel dream: Want your enemies to experience the ultimate nightmare? Then, the Nightmare Fuel dream is the perfect one for you...or should I say, your enemy. Huhuhu! Give them them a night full of what they fear the most, whether it's a bunch of wriggly spiders, or a terrifying ghost!
Kokichi and Himiko grinned at each other impishly.
"Perfect!" they murmured in unison, and giggled deviously as Himiko poured in the ingredients. As she stirred the potion, eerie wisps of green and purple mist emanated from the cauldron. Himiko waved her hands mysteriously over her cauldron to part the mists away. Kokichi was mesmerized by her movements. Her face glowed bright in beautiful shades of shimmering green and purple. Kokichi felt his heart beat faster. If they weren't making cookies, this could be the perfect romantic setting. He couldn't resist her mischievous grin as she continued to pour and mix the ingredients. He felt as if he were falling in love all over again. Himiko looked up at him, catching him staring. She batted her eyelashes seductively at him, beckoning him closer. Finding her alluring and completely irresistible, Kokichi moved closer to her. He placed his hands on her waist and pulled her into a deep, passionate kiss. He then wrapped his arms tightly around Himiko. He couldn't resist. Heart raging against his chest, he reached up her shirt, caressing her back with his hands. His hand slowly moved up towards her bra to unhook it.
Snoozydoodle, my ass, he thought to himself. All my dreams are coming true right here! Suddenly, he moved his lips down to her neck. Himiko gasped softly and smiled. She placed her lips next to Kokichi's ear.
"Kokichi," she whispered seductively.
"Mmmm...yes...my Supreme Lady...?" Kokichi murmured in response, using his lips to move Himiko's shirt collar to gently bite Himiko's shoulder.
"The cookies, Kokichi..." Himiko reminded him in a sultry whisper. Kokichi's hands froze right as he was about to unhook her bra. He squeezed her longingly, but in the end, reluctantly released her.
"Right..." he mumbled. "Sorry..." He sighed, feeling dizzy. He had to admit that he loved the way Himiko made him feel. He shook his head to clear his mind. His breathing slowed back to a steady pace, as well as his heart. Now wasn't the time for feelings. They had to focus on the task at hand. Himiko smiled and bit her lip flirtatiously at him. He could tell she wanted him just as badly in that moment. But, she continued mixing the potion. He turned away from her, as if to block out any lustful temptations.
"Nyeh...it's finally done," Himiko said, breaking the silence. She poured the potion into a potion bottle.
"Ready to go?" Kokichi asked, trying to overcome the spell he was just under. Himiko nodded. Once they left the room, Kokichi grabbed Himiko's wrist. "Himiko...what happened back there...you didn't...do that to me, right?" Himiko smiled as she blushed bright red and shook her head.
"Nope," she replied. Kokichi nodded slowly.
"I thought so," he said. They both took deep breaths. "Pheeew! That was something, huh?" he said, scratching his head with a sheepish blush splashed onto his face.
"Nyeh...it was probably just a heat-of-the-moment type thing," Himiko said.
"Yeah, er, um...sorry about...y'know...reaching up your shirt and..." Kokichi began. Himiko looked at him with a seductive gleam in her eye and smiled naughtily as she placed her hand on his chest.
"You can do whatever you want to me..." she murmured in a low voice. "...and that's the truth." She bit her lip and winked flirtatiously at him before turning and walking away without another word. Kokichi stared after her, stunned, as she walked along the train tracks leading to the abandoned train station. Suddenly, a devilish grin crossed his face as he ran to catch up to her. He wrapped an arm around her waist and gave her a kiss on the lips before both breaking off into a run with mischievous giggling to D.I.C.E. headquarters to bake cookies for the final time.
End
"Don't go chasin' waterfalls. Listen to the rivers and the lakes that you're uuused to," Four sang, holding a broom handle like a microphone. Five paused from polishing some furniture and turned to him with a scoff.
"Ugh...dummy! Hello! It's 'Please stick to the rivers and the lakes that you're used to,'" she corrected.
"Well...whatever," Four grumbled. "I don't like that dumb song anyway."
"Hahaha...why, cuz you got the words wrong?" Six cackled.
"N-No!" Four stammered, going back to sweeping the floor. Two held the dustpan out so Four could sweep the dirt into it. "I just...think it's dumb! How can someone chase a waterfall when it doesn't even move?!"
"Pffft! I don't know, I didn't come up with the lyrics! Why don't you ask DLC?" Six answered. Five rolled her eyes.
"TLC!! " she corrected.
"Whaaaateveeeerrrrr!!" Six shouted back. Suddenly, the front doors of the headquarters burst open, and in walked Kokichi and Himiko.
"Boss! You're here!" Four said, blocking Kokichi's way. "Can I ask you something?"
"Not now, Ichiro, Himiko and I have some business in the kitchen," Kokichi replied urgently. He swerved around Four, but Four ran up to block his way again. "Ugh! What, Ichiro?!" Kokichi exclaimed testily.
"Um...is it 'Don't go chasing waterfalls, listen to the rivers and the lakes that you're used to,' or is it, 'please stick to the rivers and the lakes that you're used to?'" Four asked timidly.
"The latter," Kokichi replied briefly, then dashed away quickly to the kitchen.
"DAMMMIIIIIT!!" Four cried, falling to his knees in defeat. Five grinned smugly at him.
"Told ya!" she said before continuing her polishing.
In the kitchen, Kokichi and Himiko got to work on the last batches of the Snoozydoodles. Kokichi preheated the oven. Himiko poured the ingredients, including some of her potion, inside, and Kokichi mixed afterwards. Right after sticking one batch into the oven, they immediately got started on a second batch. After a few hours of baking, they had finally come up with enough batches for the entire school.
"Nyeh...that was exhausting," Himiko sighed, leaning against the wall.
"Well, that was only half the battle, HimiCocoa Bean," Kokichi said, pulling her up. "We gotta get these cookies to Hope's Peak."
"Ooo! Can I have one?" Four asked, reaching for a cookie.
"No!" Kokichi said, slapping his hand away.
"Nyeh...Kokichi? How are going to carry all these cookies?" Himiko asked, gesturing to the stacks upon stacks of cookies on the counter.
"Kazuki!" Kokichi called to Eight. Eight silently walked in and saluted. "Bring the confetti cannon."
"Yes, boss," Eight replied, then hurried away. He came back a few minutes later lugging a large, black, tubular contraption with a long, black hose with ridges similar to a one on a vacuum cleaner.
"Thank you!" Kokichi replied. Eight saluted in response. "It's clear of confetti, right?"
"Yes, sir," Eight replied.
"Great!" Kokichi said. "Takehiko!" Ten now appeared in the kitchen, taking his place next to Eight.
"You rang, boss?" he asked.
"Yup! Fire up the Happycopter and wait there for us," Kokichi ordered.
"On it like a bonnet!" Ten promised and scurried off.
"Monkey Buns, help me pour the cookies into this hole right here," Kokichi said, opening up a lid on top of the cannon similar to a fuel cap on a car.
"Nyeh...got it, boss," Himiko replied with a smile. Kokichi smiled back at her and stroked her cheek affectionately. They both began pouring the cookies inside the confetti cannon. Once all the cookies were inside, Kokichi closed the lid.
"Alright, babe, we're ready to roll!" he said to Himiko. Himiko nodded firmly in response. Kokichi turned to Eight. "Kazuki, give us a hand." Eight saluted and helped Kokichi and Himiko carry the cannon up the stairs all the way to the rooftop, where Ten was waiting for them in the Happycopter. The three hoisted the cannon inside. Kokichi hopped in and helped Himiko inside.
"Where to, boss?" Ten asked.
"Drop us down on the roof of Hope's Peak," Kokichi replied.
"Caaaan do!" Ten said, then took off. He landed the Happycopter on the roof of the academy, and helped Kokichi lug the cannon out.
"Alright, Ten! We'll take it from here!" Kokichi shouted over the blades of the Happycopter. Ten answered with a salute, then flew the Happycopter back to D.I.C.E. headquarters. The final bell to Hope's Peak rang, and the students began pouring out of the front entrance far below. Kokichi pulled out a megaphone.
"He-eeeey, everyoooone!" he sang, his voice ringing loud and clear. The students looked up at him.
"Hey! It's Kokichi!" Kaito said, pointing up at the roof.
"And Himiko's with him!" Ibuki added. Himiko felt dizzy from such a great height.
"Nyeeeh...I feel woozy," she muttered. "I'm glad I'm only 4' 11." I don't think I could stand being taller than that."
"That's alright, HimiCocoa Bean, I'll do all the talking," Kokichi said. "Just get ready to flip that switch when I tell you to." Himiko went to the cannon and waited by a tiny, black lever.
"Hey, Kokichi!! Tell Himiko to give us more cookies!" Kazuichi cried.
"You guys want Snoozydoodles?" Kokichi asked through the megaphone. Everyone cheered. "I saaiiid...do you guys want Snoozydoodles?" Kokichi repeated louder, increasing suspense. Everyone cheered louder.
"Hurry up and give us the damn cookies!!" Miu screamed at the top of her lungs. Kokichi turned to Himiko.
"Flip the switch, Monkey Buns!" he said. Himiko flipped the tiny lever, activating the confetti cannon. Kokichi held up the ridged hose, and out flew dozens of cookies. The students below cheered and clamored for the cookies. Everyone grabbed a cookie and headed home. Kokichi turned to Himiko and gave her a high five.
"Well done, Himiko!" he said. "Now all we gotta do is wait!"
***
The next morning, Himiko woke up to see Tenko sitting on the edge of her bed in horror. Her eyes were wide and she was pale as if she had seen a ghost. Himiko crept slowly over to her.
"Nyeh...Tenko? Are you okay?" Himiko asked worriedly. Tenko jumped back in fear.
"WAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!" she screamed, jumping back under her blanket.
"Nyeh! T-Tenko! It's just me!" Himiko said. Tenko peeked out from under her blanket.
"H-H-Himiko...?" she stammered.
"That's right. It's just me," Himiko said. Shivering violently, Tenko crawled out from under blanket again. "Tenko, what happened?"
"H-H-Had...nightmare..." Tenko stammered. "N-N-nothing b-b-but...darkness. And...c-c-creepy singing. I couldn't move! It's like I was trapped inside a...a...cage! The next thing I know...there was a sharp p-p-pain in my neck!"
"Oh, my!" Himiko exclaimed.
"Th-Th-That's when I w-w-woke up," Tenko said, holding her blanket up to her face. Then, she slowly lowered her blanket with an apologetic expression. "Himiko...i-i-if it's okay with you...I d-don't think I want another S-Snoozyd-d-doodle..."
"Yeah! Okay!" Himiko nodded. It was exactly what she wanted! She hurried to get dressed, then headed downstairs to the dining room to see the others' faces filled with woe and misery, as if their nightmares had drained every ounce of life from their bodies.
"Nee-heehee...looks like all their hopes and dreams got shattered, huh?" Kokichi whispered, suddenly appearing next to Himiko, leaning his elbow on her shoulder. Himiko grinned and nodded.
"But, I wanna make sure they don't crave my Snoozydoodles at all, anymore," she said. She walked into the dining room. "Nyeh...anyone in the mood for more Snoozydoodles?" Everyone snapped to attention with sheer horror in their eyes.
"NOOOOOOOO!!!" Kaito wailed.
"Keep those cookies from hell away from us!!" Miu cried, tears streaming from her eyes. "There was nothing but...t-t-toilet paper everywhere!! And some buff guy I couldn't identify was running after me with one of the rolls tryin' to strangle meeee!!"
"Gonta not wanna get stabbed by bug again!!" Gonta sobbed into his hands. "Bugs betray Gontaaaaaa!!"
"I...had boiled water thrown on me..." Kiyo said, his face pale and sweaty. "Then, to add salt to the wound, Sister threw salt on my wounds." He shuddered violently.
"I was surrounded by a bunch of piranhas," Ryoma said. "And then, they started biting me. I...could actually feel the biting." Everyone was holding themselves, rocking back and forth, trying to erase their nightmares from their minds.
"Himiko...if it's alright with you...I'm done with Snoozydoodles," Tsumugi said. Himiko pretended to appear despondent.
"I understand," she said. Then, she turned to Kokichi with a huge grin. Kokichi gave her a thumbs up.
"That's my Supreme Lady," he murmured in her ear and gave her a kiss.
***
Weeks later, the time finally came for the surprise field trip. Usami ushered the students onto the buses.
"Where do you think we're going, Monkey Buns?" Kokichi asked Himiko.
"Nyeh...I'm not sure," Himiko replied.
"Tuh...wherever it is, it better not have anything to do with cookies," Miu muttered bitterly. She was hanging over their seat from behind.
"Uh...this is a private conversation between me and my Supreme Lady," Kokichi said. "So, back off, bitch!"
"Eeeeeeee!!! Okay, okaaaayyyy!!" Miu whined, shriveling back down into her seat. The buses lurched forward, and drove a few hours, passing cities like Osaka and Kobe. From Kobe, they drove through Awaji island to one of Japan's main islands, Shikoku, to Ehime prefecture. From there, they took a ferry ride to a small island.
"Heeey, you're taking us to an island?!" Kazuichi asked in annoyance. "How annoying! What's so great about a damn island?! We live on one! Japan is made of a bunch of them!"
"Don't worry! You'll like this place, I'm sure!" Usami promised.
"Oh, my! If that island is what I think it is, we shall definitely have the best time of our lives!" Sonia cried.
"What is it?" Kaede asked.
"I...do not want to tell," Sonia said. "I do not want to get my hopes up." Himiko turned to Kokichi.
"Do you know what she's talking about, Kokichi?" she whispered. Kokichi shrugged.
"Beats me," he replied. "Honestly, I think it'll be fun to find out." Finally, the ferry pulled in to dock. The students climbed off the ferry, and were startled by Sonia's cry of pure joy.
"I KNEW IT!!!" she exclaimed. The students turned to see what she was so happy about, and gasped in delight. There before them, were a bunch of cats! Cats laying around, cats pouncing on birds, cats being petted by tourists. There were cats everywhere!
"Students...welcome to Aoshima Island!" Usami announced grandly. "Feel free to pet the kitties to your heart's content!" The students rushed over to them with glee.
"Awwww...hey, there, wittle kitty-wittyyyyy...!" Kaede gushed, holding a cat up to her nose. then, she held it to Shuichi. "Wanna pet him, Shuichi?" Shuichi patted the cat politely on his head.
"Fuhahahahaaaa!! I shall set up my feline army here!" Gundham said. Many cats surrounded him. "Behold, feline warriors! It is I, your king, Gundham Ta-nyah-kaaa!!"
"Huh...I didn't think someone like you was capable of making puns," Kazuichi said.
"I thought it was a wonderful pun!" Sonia said.
"Pretty cute, huh, Himiko?" Kokichi asked, holding up a black and white cat. Himiko held up a cat with ginger fur.
"Nyeh...this one, too!" she said with a nod.
"Heeeey...these two look like they'd make a great couple!" Kokichi said. They held their cats together. One black and white, and the other, with its fiery red-orange fur.
"I couldn't agree more, Kokichi," Himiko replied, batting her eyelashes at him. The black and white cat's green eyes twinkled with mischief, while the ginger cat just hung there lazily in Himiko's arms. The black and white cat playfully swiped at the ginger cat. The ginger cat made an annoyed noise and pawed at the black and white one. The black and white cat nuzzled its head against the ginger's, and the ginger cat seemed to smile. Kokichi and Himiko giggled and set the cats down. The black and white cat nudged the ginger. He ran a few feet ahead, then stopped, waiting for the ginger to follow. The ginger stood up and trotted after the black and white. The black and white hopped up and down excitedly and broke off into a run. Kokichi wrapped his arm around Himiko's waist as they watched the the ginger catching up to the black and white, running alongside each other off to another adventure, no doubt.
2024.05.18 20:42 dR_ExpLiciT Golf+// Contractors Showdown // Les mills Bodycombat // Resident Evil 4 //Asgards Wrath 2 // Walkabout mini golf // Beat saber // Contractors // Pavlov Shack // Creed // Into the radius // Song in the smoke //
Thank-you to anyone using my referral link to buy a game.
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Asgards wrath 2 https://www.oculus.com/appreferrals/dR_ExpLiciT/2603836099654226/?utm_source=oculus&utm_location=2&utm_parent=frl&utm_medium=app_referral
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submitted by dR_ExpLiciT to MetaQuest_Referrals [link] [comments]
Contractors showdown https://www.oculus.com/appreferrals/dR_ExpLiciT/4963431797114722/?utm_source=oculus&utm_location=2&utm_parent=frl&utm_medium=app_referral
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Contractors https://www.oculus.com/appreferrals/dR_ExpLiciT/2436897736439055/?utm_source=oculus&utm_location=2&utm_parent=frl&utm_medium=app_referral
Pavlov Shack https://www.oculus.com/appreferrals/dR_ExpLiciT/2443267419018232/?utm_source=oculus&utm_location=2&utm_parent=frl&utm_medium=app_referral
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Walkabout mini golf https://www.oculus.com/appreferrals/dR_ExpLiciT/2462678267173943/?utm_source=oculus&utm_location=2&utm_parent=frl&utm_medium=app_referral
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2024.05.18 20:36 FishAffectionate1268 My Experience At Rythmia (1st time)
Preface: After doing some digging, I now see that Rythmia is a very controversial place. And frankly I think some of that is warranted. My intention with this review is not to suggest you go or not go to Rythmia. I don't really care what you decide to do with your life. I just hope this helps someone out there make the decision one way or the other. I think I have a very nuanced perspective and I feel like it's worth sharing for any people - like me - who are researching for their first trip. Thanks for reading this far! I'm going to try to make this as brief as possible, and limit how deep I go into my own personal experience.
My first impressions of Rythmia:
Won't say much here, but from what I've seen, Rythmia has the best lodgings, food, etc. It's pretty expensive, even for what it is, but I rationalized it as you are paying for the safety. Which, at the end of the day may or may not even be true. I've read those stories too. But it definitely gives off a safer vibe than some of the more rustic scenarios. This is, obviously, a totally subjective and personal decision on what you would want more - modern or rustic. I personally thought Rythmia was a good first time location.
Staff/Leadership
All the support staff were wonderful and extremely helpful. Most of them had experience at the top resorts on the coast.
The specialty staff - massage therapists, breathework coaches, healers/shamans, etc. - were all equally amazing. I had amazing experiences with each of these people and I felt very deeply that they were there to help me be a better person. They really cared and it showed. Again, some of them seemed very young, but since I'm so new to this type of stuff, I felt like I really got some value from them. This includes the medical staff, but I just want to reiterate, none of the medical staff seemed like any doctor I had ever met. In fact, I didn't feel like 1 person I met the whole weekend was really skilled or experienced in dealing with crazy people or any real health concern. But, there were plenty of hands on deck at least.
The leadership, I have to say, was not impressive. For starters, half the people they brag about being involved in Rythmia, you never get any contact with. You're essentially guided through the program by the same 3-4 people, plus a few special guest speakers they have. I felt like leadership was fairly cold and uninterested in actually facilitating healing. Which makes perfect sense. They see 80 new people every week. But for whatever reason, the support staff are able to get it right, and these people can't. The only person who appeared to care was the 1 woman they have on staff (don't want to say her name). She's the only one that truly mingled with, and gave up her time for the residents. A lot has been said on this reddit about leadership, and I can't really confirm any of that, but I did come away feeling like they were a bunch of self-centered, ego-driven people.
Program
Like I said, I initially thought the program was amazing. You stay 7-8 days, 4 days of aya, and every day is full of classes. It just seems like there are so many resources at your disposal. I think, on some level, this is probably a good thing. I've read a lot about the more rustic experiences and people just having 0 tools to go into this process. So I think they've obviously put some effort into it, which is nice.
That being said, I think most of their classes ended up being pretty redundant for me, and borderline cultish. There were a lot of "hype" stories, including the owner's story, which I found to be an incredibly arrogant creation myth. You never hear about him actually making amends with all the people he apparently was terrible to in his previous life. He just ran away to Costa Rica. A lot of the leadership gave off vibes that they’re running from something. Idk, I just found it all kinda odd and it sort of hit me wrong.
For one, their intentions, and all the advice they give is necessarily vague and not really that helpful at giving context to the situation we are all about to experience. Beyond that, I really felt strongly that they were pushing the whole trauma thing a little heavy. Having heard a few different experiences from other people, I was shocked to not hear a damn thing about finding self love, acceptance, or a higher power in these required classes. It was all about how fucked up this journey is about to be, and you guys better strap in and face your fears head on. I just feel like this was a very iresponsible way of preparing a bunch of clearly traumatized people. They also REAAALLLY pushed consuming a lot of the medicine. The basic rule is, don't think, drink. Sounds like some weird frat rule. I feel like they are so focused on pushing people to the edge, just to induce this vague "miracle" they keep talkiing about. Anyways, didn't like that aspect.
By Tuesday night after my experience, I decided to stop going to the classes/meetings and just spent that time relaxing and integrating my experiences from the night before. After reflecting on it a bit, I really feel like the program is sort of dangerous for certain types of people - anyone who is highly unstable as it is. I just feel like it's not really the setting to have a highly unstable person (of which there seemed to be a handful) do 6-8 cups of medicine or whatever... I feel like it’s just asking for bad things to happen.
Last thing I’ll say is that it was abundantly clear to me that this program was meant to be some cookie-cutter thing. They don't have any real 1-on-1 support available. I talked to the "integration specialist" and it was a joke - just sat there and tried to sell me his books and shit. If you have a bad experience, I think you will be lucky to get any real help on that front.
Shaman Quality
I'm very torn about this aspect of the trip. I will say that I really felt like these people were there for the right reasons. There was only one head shaman I didn't care for out of the four nights (yage night, night 4). Overall, I got pretty good vibes from all the groups and saw numerous people make amazing connections with some of the healers that helped them throughout the week. That being said, all but 1 of the shaman groups seemed to have a lot of trouble keeping watch over our group. And we only had 45 people, rather than the usual 70-80. The thought of having that many people is terrifying to me.
Both night 1 & 2 got very hectic, and included them shutting down the "bar" early in the night. Multiple staff commented on how "fucked up" we must be the next day. I just felt like the shamans lost the rooms on those days. However, Day 3 - the divine feminine night - was absolutely amazing and the energy was entirely different. Some of the shares from that night were just incredible.
I've read reports on what is going on with rythmia and the shaman "industry" and how they've pushed out a lot of good ones and now it's all inexperienced people that don't really have a connection to the lineage. I could definitely see that. I do feel like they did a great job at other aspects of the ceremony though, like cleaning up and just responding to people that needed help. I'm not sure they always knew how to help but the vibe I got was that they were there to genuinely help.
I also felt very connected to the shaman's approach to the medicine - which seemed to differ immensely from Rythmia's approach - and I was saddened by the fact we don't really get to interact with the shaman or healers much throughout the program. Only when we are in a fucked up state at the end of the night do we get any sort of real wisdom from them. That side was a little disappointing. I wish the shaman were more involved in the program itself.
The Ceremony
There were parts of the ceremony I loved and thought were really cool, but overall I would say it was ruined by the number of random, traumatized people you're forced to do this with. Love all you guys, but damn that was horrifying at times. I can't imagine doing it with 80 people. The energy in the maloca was so dark come midnight, especially on the male side. I think if you can find a solid group to go with, it wouldn't be so bad, but I would not want to go solo, especially if I was a woman. I can't exactly describe it but there was just a lot of bad energy coming from the male side and the women there seemed so vulnerable. I've already heard one story of sexual assault from the week I was there and I heard of multiple people sleeping together during this retreat, which I just feel like is a terrible idea on something like this. So yeah, that weird sexual energy is there and worth watching out for.
Beyond that, I did actually have a pretty incredible experience. First, I want to say that I was totally into the music. I thought they did an amazing job curating the music and it was obviously very intentional at certain times of the night. I had a tough time telling what was being played live and what was on the speakers at times, but I think that points to how good of musicians they had there. The weird thing is you could definitely tell certain songs agitated the room. The harmonica in particular seemed to rile up the bad spirits. But yeah, overall I really enjoyed the music.
I also really liked the ritual aspect of it all. I thought the shamans really gave it an authentic feel. I’ve obviously never done it with a super legit well known shaman, but it definitely beats doing it in some guys apartment off the freeway. There was something special about the ritual itself. I found myself, throughout the process, imagining being in some maloca in a jungle 1500 years ago, and what that might have looked like or felt. I also felt like they had enough healers/facilitators to manage the room, which was nice. I’d say it was probably 2.5-3:1. If they didn’t exactly have experience, at least they had numbers and overall did a fantastic job given how crazy the scene was at times.
My Personal Experience
I want to preface this by saying I don’t consider myself a deeply troubled person. I have my fair share of “normal” traumas - past drug/alcohol abuses, toxic romantic relationships, parent traumas, etc. But I feel like I’m at a really great point in my life and feel very at peace with many of my past experiences. Also, I didn’t really buy into what Rythmia was pushing as far as their process and approach. Not that I think it was inherently bad, I just didn’t feel like it was right for me. As a result, I think I had a much different experience than most people.
First off, I didn’t really purge on the same level that most people did. Most nights I pooped once, and I only puked once in the 4 nights. They kept the bathrooms surprisingly clean. According to rythmia, I wasn’t “purging my traumas” but for the most part I didn’t have to fight it. I just focused on relaxing and trying to stay calm when I felt sick and most of the time it subsided. And a lot of the trauma stuff I wanted to work on going in, seems so insignificant now.
On average I did 2-3 cups per night. Of course, each night's brew seemed to be different. I had my most beautiful experience on just 1.5 cups (day 2). I didn’t appreciate all the pressure to consume so much, but I suppose it might make sense for some people.
Day 1, I had 3 cups and nothing really happened. I would equate it to taking about 3 grams of shrooms in terms of the body high. And then I just basically had pretty chill conversations with myself all night. Little did I know that most of those conversations would come back up in night 2 with much more significance.
The main theme for me day 1 was just managing my own energy in a room full of very fucked up energy. The energy was DARK and there was a very palpable sense that things were just barely in control of the shamans.
Day 2 was very nerve wracking for me. I was confused and frustrated with my lack of results the night before but I focused on just trying to stay centered in my own energy, and to surrender fully to whatever the medicine wanted to show me. Early in the night I had a mantra - “you are loved, you are protected, you are safe”. I pulled on the unconditional love from my mother and my beautiful girlfriend and this gave me an incredible sense of peace to start out the night.
Ultimately I was able to stay centered and received a full download from the universe that night. It was revealed to me what my purpose was in life, and the meaning/nature of life in general. I was shown my previous life as a healeshaman, and the medicine taught me to focus inward in order to project my positive energy into the world. I had visions about my girlfriend and our relationship. I had the most incredibly spiritual experience, where I felt like I was communicating directly with god (I’m not religious in the slightest). It was honestly amazing. I felt the deepest sense of gratitude and self love I had ever felt in my life.
That lasted probably half the night and then I was bitten by some bug and had to seek help. Through that sequence of events, I ended up connecting with an amazing healer who was working there and she was able to help me break down what I had just experienced and put it into perspectives for me. The last 3-4 hours of the night I just spent outside on a blanket staring up at the stars. Partly because I was called to nature, but partly because the maloca was a fucking horror show and I couldn’t focus on my own shit while in there lol.
Day 3 was interesting. I got no pintas, and no consultations. The best way I can describe it is I got to know myself more intimately and I experienced the most amazing sense of peace & joy. The energy inside and outside the maloca was beautiful. I got some downloads from the universe on how to live my life, and mainly spent the night in a hammock integrating my experience from the night before. I did 4 cups that night and had an amazing time.
One thing I do want to bring up is the number of people that were just calmly walking around outside, staring into nothing, touching trees, etc. I saw such a deep appreciation that night for nature and it was a beautiful thing.
Day 4, again, nothing much happened. It was a slightly more difficult night in terms of the physical discomfort. I also just didn’t feel connected to the medicine at all. I think part of this was the fact they didn’t really play music most of the night and a lot of time was spent on these group blessings which I just felt were kinda useless. By the time they got to me, even the shamans didn’t seem that interested. I was not a fan of how the day 4 shamans ran things, even tho I think they were the most experienced group of the week. Personal preference.
Overall, I’m incredibly happy with my personal experience. It seemed like most of my peers were going thru hell and back, and I felt pretty lucky to have had such a beautiful experience. As much shit as people seemed to be going thru in ceremony, I have to say I could really feel the healing in the room, especially on the 3rd night. A lot of people seemed to have breakthroughs by the end of it, which was a beautiful thing to see.
Final Thoughts
submitted by FishAffectionate1268 to Ayahuasca [link] [comments]
My first impressions of Rythmia:
- Pretty nice digs, but I wouldn't call them 5-Star from resort standards. That being said, I'm pretty sure this is the nicest, most comfortable experience out there, in terms of just the facilities.
- Resort support staff are amazing. Leadership seems a little disconnected and culty. The program itself seemed pretty comprehensive and valuable at first. The "medical staff" I met with did not seem like doctors at all. They were extremely pretty, young, tattoo'd costa rican women. But maybe it's different down there? Immediately made me dubious of the whole "medically licensed facility" thing, but definitely nice people. The fact they do any sort of medical screening is probably a good sign.
- The food is amazing
- Immediately gained some insight and value from their classes. But by Monday I was starting to get a little turned off by some of what I was seeing/hearing (more on this below).
- I really thought the Shamans, especially 2 of the 4, did a pretty good job facilitating - all things considered. I will mention, that on the first day my immediate thought was "wow these shamans are really young!". I would have liked someone who seemed a little more seasoned, but I'm not entirely familiar with all of the shaman industry/culture, like some people.
- This place clearly calls out to the sick & hopeless. I expected some of that, but did not realize the extent of both physical & emotional trauma, baggage, and overall bad energy would be at a place like this. I grew to have a lot of love and compassion for the people I spent the week with, but I have to say it was pretty intense at times.
- The group experience, which they promote endlessly, is actually pretty horrifying. I would never do this as a solo person, especially if I was a woman. While I think I would probably come back, I’m definitely bringing a bigger group next time.
- Overall, I had a wonderful experience there with my girlfriend, but I don't think everyone would have the same experience as me. If you are in a dark place in your life, I could totally see this doing you more harm than good.
Won't say much here, but from what I've seen, Rythmia has the best lodgings, food, etc. It's pretty expensive, even for what it is, but I rationalized it as you are paying for the safety. Which, at the end of the day may or may not even be true. I've read those stories too. But it definitely gives off a safer vibe than some of the more rustic scenarios. This is, obviously, a totally subjective and personal decision on what you would want more - modern or rustic. I personally thought Rythmia was a good first time location.
Staff/Leadership
All the support staff were wonderful and extremely helpful. Most of them had experience at the top resorts on the coast.
The specialty staff - massage therapists, breathework coaches, healers/shamans, etc. - were all equally amazing. I had amazing experiences with each of these people and I felt very deeply that they were there to help me be a better person. They really cared and it showed. Again, some of them seemed very young, but since I'm so new to this type of stuff, I felt like I really got some value from them. This includes the medical staff, but I just want to reiterate, none of the medical staff seemed like any doctor I had ever met. In fact, I didn't feel like 1 person I met the whole weekend was really skilled or experienced in dealing with crazy people or any real health concern. But, there were plenty of hands on deck at least.
The leadership, I have to say, was not impressive. For starters, half the people they brag about being involved in Rythmia, you never get any contact with. You're essentially guided through the program by the same 3-4 people, plus a few special guest speakers they have. I felt like leadership was fairly cold and uninterested in actually facilitating healing. Which makes perfect sense. They see 80 new people every week. But for whatever reason, the support staff are able to get it right, and these people can't. The only person who appeared to care was the 1 woman they have on staff (don't want to say her name). She's the only one that truly mingled with, and gave up her time for the residents. A lot has been said on this reddit about leadership, and I can't really confirm any of that, but I did come away feeling like they were a bunch of self-centered, ego-driven people.
Program
Like I said, I initially thought the program was amazing. You stay 7-8 days, 4 days of aya, and every day is full of classes. It just seems like there are so many resources at your disposal. I think, on some level, this is probably a good thing. I've read a lot about the more rustic experiences and people just having 0 tools to go into this process. So I think they've obviously put some effort into it, which is nice.
That being said, I think most of their classes ended up being pretty redundant for me, and borderline cultish. There were a lot of "hype" stories, including the owner's story, which I found to be an incredibly arrogant creation myth. You never hear about him actually making amends with all the people he apparently was terrible to in his previous life. He just ran away to Costa Rica. A lot of the leadership gave off vibes that they’re running from something. Idk, I just found it all kinda odd and it sort of hit me wrong.
For one, their intentions, and all the advice they give is necessarily vague and not really that helpful at giving context to the situation we are all about to experience. Beyond that, I really felt strongly that they were pushing the whole trauma thing a little heavy. Having heard a few different experiences from other people, I was shocked to not hear a damn thing about finding self love, acceptance, or a higher power in these required classes. It was all about how fucked up this journey is about to be, and you guys better strap in and face your fears head on. I just feel like this was a very iresponsible way of preparing a bunch of clearly traumatized people. They also REAAALLLY pushed consuming a lot of the medicine. The basic rule is, don't think, drink. Sounds like some weird frat rule. I feel like they are so focused on pushing people to the edge, just to induce this vague "miracle" they keep talkiing about. Anyways, didn't like that aspect.
By Tuesday night after my experience, I decided to stop going to the classes/meetings and just spent that time relaxing and integrating my experiences from the night before. After reflecting on it a bit, I really feel like the program is sort of dangerous for certain types of people - anyone who is highly unstable as it is. I just feel like it's not really the setting to have a highly unstable person (of which there seemed to be a handful) do 6-8 cups of medicine or whatever... I feel like it’s just asking for bad things to happen.
Last thing I’ll say is that it was abundantly clear to me that this program was meant to be some cookie-cutter thing. They don't have any real 1-on-1 support available. I talked to the "integration specialist" and it was a joke - just sat there and tried to sell me his books and shit. If you have a bad experience, I think you will be lucky to get any real help on that front.
Shaman Quality
I'm very torn about this aspect of the trip. I will say that I really felt like these people were there for the right reasons. There was only one head shaman I didn't care for out of the four nights (yage night, night 4). Overall, I got pretty good vibes from all the groups and saw numerous people make amazing connections with some of the healers that helped them throughout the week. That being said, all but 1 of the shaman groups seemed to have a lot of trouble keeping watch over our group. And we only had 45 people, rather than the usual 70-80. The thought of having that many people is terrifying to me.
Both night 1 & 2 got very hectic, and included them shutting down the "bar" early in the night. Multiple staff commented on how "fucked up" we must be the next day. I just felt like the shamans lost the rooms on those days. However, Day 3 - the divine feminine night - was absolutely amazing and the energy was entirely different. Some of the shares from that night were just incredible.
I've read reports on what is going on with rythmia and the shaman "industry" and how they've pushed out a lot of good ones and now it's all inexperienced people that don't really have a connection to the lineage. I could definitely see that. I do feel like they did a great job at other aspects of the ceremony though, like cleaning up and just responding to people that needed help. I'm not sure they always knew how to help but the vibe I got was that they were there to genuinely help.
I also felt very connected to the shaman's approach to the medicine - which seemed to differ immensely from Rythmia's approach - and I was saddened by the fact we don't really get to interact with the shaman or healers much throughout the program. Only when we are in a fucked up state at the end of the night do we get any sort of real wisdom from them. That side was a little disappointing. I wish the shaman were more involved in the program itself.
The Ceremony
There were parts of the ceremony I loved and thought were really cool, but overall I would say it was ruined by the number of random, traumatized people you're forced to do this with. Love all you guys, but damn that was horrifying at times. I can't imagine doing it with 80 people. The energy in the maloca was so dark come midnight, especially on the male side. I think if you can find a solid group to go with, it wouldn't be so bad, but I would not want to go solo, especially if I was a woman. I can't exactly describe it but there was just a lot of bad energy coming from the male side and the women there seemed so vulnerable. I've already heard one story of sexual assault from the week I was there and I heard of multiple people sleeping together during this retreat, which I just feel like is a terrible idea on something like this. So yeah, that weird sexual energy is there and worth watching out for.
Beyond that, I did actually have a pretty incredible experience. First, I want to say that I was totally into the music. I thought they did an amazing job curating the music and it was obviously very intentional at certain times of the night. I had a tough time telling what was being played live and what was on the speakers at times, but I think that points to how good of musicians they had there. The weird thing is you could definitely tell certain songs agitated the room. The harmonica in particular seemed to rile up the bad spirits. But yeah, overall I really enjoyed the music.
I also really liked the ritual aspect of it all. I thought the shamans really gave it an authentic feel. I’ve obviously never done it with a super legit well known shaman, but it definitely beats doing it in some guys apartment off the freeway. There was something special about the ritual itself. I found myself, throughout the process, imagining being in some maloca in a jungle 1500 years ago, and what that might have looked like or felt. I also felt like they had enough healers/facilitators to manage the room, which was nice. I’d say it was probably 2.5-3:1. If they didn’t exactly have experience, at least they had numbers and overall did a fantastic job given how crazy the scene was at times.
My Personal Experience
I want to preface this by saying I don’t consider myself a deeply troubled person. I have my fair share of “normal” traumas - past drug/alcohol abuses, toxic romantic relationships, parent traumas, etc. But I feel like I’m at a really great point in my life and feel very at peace with many of my past experiences. Also, I didn’t really buy into what Rythmia was pushing as far as their process and approach. Not that I think it was inherently bad, I just didn’t feel like it was right for me. As a result, I think I had a much different experience than most people.
First off, I didn’t really purge on the same level that most people did. Most nights I pooped once, and I only puked once in the 4 nights. They kept the bathrooms surprisingly clean. According to rythmia, I wasn’t “purging my traumas” but for the most part I didn’t have to fight it. I just focused on relaxing and trying to stay calm when I felt sick and most of the time it subsided. And a lot of the trauma stuff I wanted to work on going in, seems so insignificant now.
On average I did 2-3 cups per night. Of course, each night's brew seemed to be different. I had my most beautiful experience on just 1.5 cups (day 2). I didn’t appreciate all the pressure to consume so much, but I suppose it might make sense for some people.
Day 1, I had 3 cups and nothing really happened. I would equate it to taking about 3 grams of shrooms in terms of the body high. And then I just basically had pretty chill conversations with myself all night. Little did I know that most of those conversations would come back up in night 2 with much more significance.
The main theme for me day 1 was just managing my own energy in a room full of very fucked up energy. The energy was DARK and there was a very palpable sense that things were just barely in control of the shamans.
Day 2 was very nerve wracking for me. I was confused and frustrated with my lack of results the night before but I focused on just trying to stay centered in my own energy, and to surrender fully to whatever the medicine wanted to show me. Early in the night I had a mantra - “you are loved, you are protected, you are safe”. I pulled on the unconditional love from my mother and my beautiful girlfriend and this gave me an incredible sense of peace to start out the night.
Ultimately I was able to stay centered and received a full download from the universe that night. It was revealed to me what my purpose was in life, and the meaning/nature of life in general. I was shown my previous life as a healeshaman, and the medicine taught me to focus inward in order to project my positive energy into the world. I had visions about my girlfriend and our relationship. I had the most incredibly spiritual experience, where I felt like I was communicating directly with god (I’m not religious in the slightest). It was honestly amazing. I felt the deepest sense of gratitude and self love I had ever felt in my life.
That lasted probably half the night and then I was bitten by some bug and had to seek help. Through that sequence of events, I ended up connecting with an amazing healer who was working there and she was able to help me break down what I had just experienced and put it into perspectives for me. The last 3-4 hours of the night I just spent outside on a blanket staring up at the stars. Partly because I was called to nature, but partly because the maloca was a fucking horror show and I couldn’t focus on my own shit while in there lol.
Day 3 was interesting. I got no pintas, and no consultations. The best way I can describe it is I got to know myself more intimately and I experienced the most amazing sense of peace & joy. The energy inside and outside the maloca was beautiful. I got some downloads from the universe on how to live my life, and mainly spent the night in a hammock integrating my experience from the night before. I did 4 cups that night and had an amazing time.
One thing I do want to bring up is the number of people that were just calmly walking around outside, staring into nothing, touching trees, etc. I saw such a deep appreciation that night for nature and it was a beautiful thing.
Day 4, again, nothing much happened. It was a slightly more difficult night in terms of the physical discomfort. I also just didn’t feel connected to the medicine at all. I think part of this was the fact they didn’t really play music most of the night and a lot of time was spent on these group blessings which I just felt were kinda useless. By the time they got to me, even the shamans didn’t seem that interested. I was not a fan of how the day 4 shamans ran things, even tho I think they were the most experienced group of the week. Personal preference.
Overall, I’m incredibly happy with my personal experience. It seemed like most of my peers were going thru hell and back, and I felt pretty lucky to have had such a beautiful experience. As much shit as people seemed to be going thru in ceremony, I have to say I could really feel the healing in the room, especially on the 3rd night. A lot of people seemed to have breakthroughs by the end of it, which was a beautiful thing to see.
Final Thoughts
- Rythmia is one of the nicer options out there, but there does seem to be a disconnect between the support staff & healers vs. leadership. I didn’t really care for the vibes of the place, but I do feel like a lot of the healers and what not really did have the best intentions for you.
- I would personally never go here alone, especially if I was a woman. I really feel like you need some sort of support on this journey.
- While I did see a lot of healing going on over the last couple days, I wouldn’t necessarily suggest this for people who haven’t done a significant amount of work before their first ceremony. It just doesn’t seem like the right thing to do if you’re unstable as is.
- I’m very interested in the shaman tradition and what they believe. Just from hearing them talk a bit each night, I could sense they took a little different approach to it than Rythmia. They talked about it in much different ways. I would have loved to hear more from them throughout the week.
- To me, the medicine is about connecting with your true self (not “who you’ve become”). It’s about realizing your purpose, your special gift on this earth. It’s about finally realizing all the small joys we miss out on by being in our head. It’s about connecting to the deepest sense of self-love, peace, compassion, etc. - all of the higher level energies. It’s about forgiveness, not just for others but for yourself. It’s about letting go of this person you think you are and accepting that there is better out there for you. It’s about feeling worthy. It’s about connecting to nature on an entirely different level. It's about understanding what’s sacred in your life and worth fighting for. I can totally see why they focus so much on trauma, but I feel like you miss out on this much deeper experience. But that’s just my perspective…