Free cute pictures for my cell phone

This is my life now

2014.03.11 19:51 Aitho This is my life now

This is a subreddit with gifs or pics of people and animals accepting their uncommon situations.
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2013.03.15 21:58 tara1 Animals just being bros

A place for sharing videos, gifs, and images of animals being bros.
[link]


2011.12.22 19:28 Photography community ready to help.

Whether you're a seasoned professional or just starting out, this subreddit is the perfect place to ask questions, seek advice, and engage in discussions about all things photography. We're here to foster a supportive and knowledgeable community that shares a passion for capturing the world through the lens. If you're new to photography or have a burning question, don't hesitate to make a post! Our community is filled with experienced photographers who are eager to help.
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2024.05.19 10:09 Asleep-Mycologist333 Imgur v7.10.1.0 MOD APK (Premium Unlocked)

Imgur v7.10.1.0 MOD APK (Premium Unlocked)
https://preview.redd.it/fa1aoslmcc1d1.png?width=512&format=png&auto=webp&s=685f27cca697417ffb9d6782961edf081f353629
Name Imgur: Funny Memes & GIF Maker
Publisher Imgur
Genre Video Players & Editors
Size 45M
Version 7.10.1.0
MOD Premium Unlocked
https://modyolo.co.in/imgur-funny-memes-gif-make
👆👆👆👆Download Link👆👆👆👆
Also Join us on telegram
https://t.me/official_modyolo
Also join us on Instagram
https://instagram.com/modifiedmod.in
Also join us on Discord
https://discord.gg/GQUCUPEeed
Follow us on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAMOg5AInPlcwBnJd2Y
Imgur is the easiest way to discover the amazing things that can be found on the Internet. It features content users have curated just like you, such as hilarious pictures of cats and dogs, hilarious GIFs from movies and TV shows, LOL pictures, amazing scientific facts, puns, comics, and artwork. Undoubtedly something that will have you roaring with laughter and possibly even wetting your pants with laughter.

EXPLORE THE ENDLESS DEPTH OF INTERNET HUMOR ONLINE

There are more websites besides Imgur on the Internet that allow users to watch memes and animated GIFs, and the diversity and brilliant content are in-depth and immense for users to explore. The app is the only website compromised into an app that you need to visit if you are interested in finding amusing pictures and videos of all different kinds. The app is the only location in the known universe that offers a more extensive collection of cat videos or other hilarious moments for you to watch and share with friends effortlessly.

DIVE INTO THE BOUNDLESS COLLECTION OF MEMES

Meme is a form of entertainment; users can search for tons of them here with simple actions. The app even compromises numerous memes from different parts of the words and is ready to share the laughter the memes bear with you. If you’re looking for something humorous, nostalgic, fashionable, or just plain odd and great, the app got memes. It has memes for any occasion you can think of, and you can explore new humor senses of the Internet while thinking of one, present one to others, and share it widely on the Internet.

UPLOAD YOUR PHOTOS WITH HIGH-QUALITY

Besides sharing photos with you, the app can let you share photos with others and the community. You can upload anything on this place, and the app will automatically render it with a higher quality overall. The upload functions even allow you to adjust the format, and you can upload batches to make an album or stitch them together. You can also pick photos directly from other platforms and sources, wherever you want, and have fun with it and make Imgur more vibrant with its hilariousness.

UPLOAD VIDEOS WITH THE CERTAIN CATEGORIES

Do you happen to have any funny videos on your phone? Perfect timing, considering that the team behind Imgur has just revealed a game-changing new feature dubbed “GIFs With Sound,” which is known as “video” in other parts of the Internet. This category allows you to upload and download videos for free, and it’s the opportunity to share the fun with everyone with weird videos you find anywhere. The app has no limit on the video content, so you can post anything you like and let others know about your humor senses.

RECEIVE RANDOM NOTIFICATIONS FROM THE APP

The best thing the app offers is random recommendation from hilarious posts from the app, and the post is well-received by other users, so the app will share them randomly with you. That will keep you more entertained and interested in the app and motivate you to explore the library in your free time.
submitted by Asleep-Mycologist333 to Modifiedmods [link] [comments]


2024.05.19 10:08 DarlinSS HELP with connect the batteries.

HELP with connect the batteries.
I currently have four batteries. Two of them I personally have been using for about three years, and they are quite old, and two are newer, but their problem is that they are exhausted because their previous user was putting a huge load on them for short periods, but they helped me, because the previous batteries did not spend a long time at all in use.
My consumption is approximately 150W≈255VA during the night (400W during the day), and my system is a 3K hybrid inverter with five 335W solar panels produce (1200W≈) to cover my usage and charge the batteries during the day (40A charging current), and in the evening I rely on the batteries completely.
But unfortunately, the device often starts tooting after about four hours due to the low battery voltage, and this remains the case until the battery power is fully consumed after approximately 10/12 hours. (Off at 21V) (When charging 26.5V)
To solve this problem now, I am thinking of changing the battery connections, and rearranging them to make sure there are no problems. I was previously at (2) in the picture, and the matter was disastrous, so I changed them according to the right part of the photo, and now I am thinking of setting them at (1) in the picture so that I can get the highest amperage possible without the voltage being a major problem.
I know that buying batteries is the best solution, but I cannot do that currently. I have 4 more 655W panels that I can plug in instead of the previous set but I don't think my panels are the problem (i.e. they can't fully charge the batteries during the day).
what do you think? Is it better to settle as I am or to change to (1). are there any other solutions?
I have a 900VA ECO-UPS. Would it be better to use it with the two high-voltage batteries at night instead of putting them all on the solar inverter?
And a final question: Does treating these batteries by putting new acid in them after cleaning the cells with boiling water solve the problem partially? Or will this destroy the batteries?
submitted by DarlinSS to solar [link] [comments]


2024.05.19 10:05 ggwplucky [Abandoned Pools] Sony Connect Track by Track Interview

[Abandoned Pools] Sony Connect Track by Track Interview
A while back I was messing around with the Wayback Machine & came across this diamond in the rough on AP's MySpace page. Also found some photos, but most importantly, a track-by-track [Armed To The Teeth] interview from Sony Connect that they did back in '05 (presumably around the same time they did the Sony Connect set with the acoustic songs).
In the interview, Tommy tells the story behind each track on Armed To The Teeth (except Lucky). You'll also find tidbits about the process, lyrically & sonically of these songs, and much more!
If you want to read it/see it from the "raw" source and discover more, here's a link with the Wayback's capture I found on the interview blog: https://web.archive.org/web/20071005015435/http://www.myspace.com/abandonedpools
Now without further ado, the Sonic Connect Interview:
A track by track discussion of Armed to the Teeth from the Sony Connect Store interview:
LETHAL KILLERS TW: As far as how that [demo of the] song was constructed ... I did this trick where I would take a half-time drum loop and sort of nudge it one way and then put in another track and nudge it the other, and we got this sort of double time, rolling drum feel. So that - plus the sort of round-robin type of guitar parts that we have going - was sort of a very easy construction for a song. And then you start moving the bass part around, and, boom, you've got a song.
But I think that lyrically - I want to make it clear that that song isn't necessarily [about] "church is bad, government's bad." I think it's a little bit more complicated than that, though sometimes if you mix the two of religious power and government power, that can be bad for both of them. And I kinda like the idea of not living a life saying, "Well, you better live life in a certain way because then, you know, everything's gonna be great later in heaven." You know, the idea of, like, if this is all we have now, if that idea was just a little bit more embraced, our world could be a little bit better. I just find that a little bit more satisfying, too, if you think like, this is all you have and then you're gonna die. [Laughs] It seems a little bit more like, "Oh, okay, well!" instead of, like, thinking that there's some other life at some other time and you can put things off.
RABBLE TW: Well, a lot of the songs on this record - about two-thirds of it - have to do with a relationship I had that went south, and you know when you go through relationships you always have such a good 20/20 hindsight about things. And I think "Rabble" is just trying to basically say to somebody, "I just wanted to know you better" . . . It's just one of those things where, with this relationship in particular, I wish it would have turned out better. And there's a lot of things that happened that shouldn't have happened, and it's just sort of one of those "oh, what could have been?" scenarios.
THE CATALYST TW: "The Catalyst" is definitely along the same lines. I think the main line in that one is "I wish I could say something beautiful to make you fall in love again." There's a Coachella reference in there, too: "Love has slowly faded away like spotlights shining into space." Have you ever been to Coachella? Of course you have. You know, there's all those spotlights that shoot up in the air. I just thought that was kinda cool, like, how far do those lights really go? "The Catalyst" was also the last song written for the record. It was demoed while we were in the studio. And it's one of those songs that I said two-thirds of the record was written for somebody. That's one of them.
TIGHTER NOOSE TW: "Tighter Noose" is the oldest song on the record by far. It was probably written back in '99, 2000, or somewhere in there. I was thinking about it for the first record [2001's Humanistic], but it didn't really fit in with those kind of songs, so I kept it around and we'd even play it live occasionally. I think it fits in with these songs way better. [As for what "Tighter Noose" is about,] that song is one of those breaking-off-on-your-own- what-have-you-got-to-lose kind of things, because that was written sort of in the wake of when I was in The Eels. It wasn't a terribly happy situation, so I was like, well screw it, I'm just gonna go off and do my own thing. And then it's sort of like, well, you know: "I'm gonna go start my own thing. Uh, I have to learn to sing and write songs now." [Laughs] It's kinda funny: "Screw you guys! I'm gonna go get a deal!" And then like, "Uh oh." But really, I'm a firm believer in that [idea that] you just gotta go for it. And so it was like, well, this is gonna be difficult, but it's gonna be better than what I had before. And actually, with some distance on that situation, I realized I made the right decision and made a lot more money and was a lot more happy as a result. So that was sort of a leap of faith, you know. I didn't want to be someone's stupid bass player. Now I'm my own stupid bass player.
WAITING TO PANIC TW: There was a lull between record companies. The first record [Humanistic] was on Extasy - I don't know if you know about that company, but we were basically the poster-child for the implosion of an indie label. I came off the road in 2002, the label's folding, and I'm like, well, I'm just gonna go back and give this my best shot and we'll get another deal. It seemed highly unlikely, but we ended up doing it. And there was just a lull in there where nobody was interested. I had attorneys not returning my phone calls - that kinda stuff. It felt like, I'm just waiting around and I'm really anxious. So that was a song of frustration that was written and demoed all in one day - it was a song that just came out of me in like eight hours. We also put an EP out [The Reverb EP] and on the EP is the version of that demo that I did in one day. It doesn't happen [like that] very often. Usually I build bed tracks and come back to it a few weeks later and add something, and then come back a couple of days later. This one was all in one shot.
HUNTING TW: My friend Ross Golan, who has his own band Ross Golan and Molehead, had been following the wake of the relationship. He's like, "You just gotta write her a song and use her name." And I'm like, nah, nah, it's not covered enough. And he's like, "No, just do it. Go for it." So I did. I wrote this song and I wrote it for her for her birthday and I used her name, which is in the first lyric of the song, which is "Ginny." So I just went for it and wrote it. It was basically a birthday gift, and it was basically saying, like, you know, "Oops!" [Laughs] It didn't get me very far, but I like the song. We're friends, she's a good girl, absolutely, but back at that time, it was kinda like, "Erraaghhh! Here's a song!" But I like the song and I just think it was one of those times where I was really putting myself out there, and I know she liked it, too. But then, I think that's a myth where you just write a song and all of a sudden the girl just says, "Oh! Okay!" But, you know, hey. There it is. It's on the record.
That's the romantic notion of how they'll react to the song, at least.
TW: Exactly. And I'm really glad we're past that whole ironic phase, which I was part of with The Eels, where everything was super ironic and we'd play "The Macarena" on stage - [sarcastically] and that was funny! I'm glad we're through all that stuff, even though I was still a Beck fan when he was doing all that stuff, too. But I like being sincere and sappy and romantic. I kinda think that's a great thing.
ARMED TO THE TEETH TW: This is one of the first songs written when we came off the road and I had a lot of momentum. If you look at the state of the industry you can see a lot of corporations that seem to have to buy everything in sight. They just have to own everything, and to what purpose? Does it really make the industry much better? No. There's fewer outlets, there's a lot more gatekeepers. They want to buy stuff and it just kinda makes things bad for everybody. All the radio stations play the same shit - except for Indie 103.1 and KCRW in L.A. In spite of it all, I'm just gonna try to do my best and have a career anyway. When we came off the road I felt like I had a lot of momentum. Performing live is inspiring to writing, so it was just the whole idea of, "Alright, now that I have one record under my belt, I'm gonna really go for it in spite of all the forces that be." Even though they're pretty much indifferent to us, [laughs] their actions do affect us. It's sort of a song of bravado.
Why did you also choose "Armed To The Teeth" as the name of the album, too, which, in turn, implies it as the overall theme?
TW: Yeah, which is funny, since I kinda decided on that theme early on, thinking I was gonna go in a certain way, but then, like I said, two-thirds of the record is love songs. So "Armed To The Teeth" doesn't really fit in a certain way, but I also liked it just because [of] that idea of, like, now I'm really ready to make a record, and also I think it reflects the state of the country a little bit. Everything's a little bit aggressive, we're at war, and I thought it was sort of timely in that way
SOONER OR LATER TW: "Sooner Or Later" is another one of those tracks that was written after we got signed, so it's a newer song. I mentioned that sort of double time drum loop thing with "Lethal Killers" - this is the same thing. It's a half time drum loop that I nudged in one direction and then put in another track and nudge it in the other, then "boom," it's double time. And I like that, it's a good effect. It really sets up this kind of overlapping, rolling sound that a real drummer can't do. And things flam a little bit, and I really like that feel, so this song was constructed in the same manner where you have a rolling drum loop and then you put over a couple of guitar parts here and there and all of a sudden you got a song - I think this song is over six minutes. This is, um, I guess it's a couple things. Lyrically, it's sort of saying, like, whatever you do or whatever you say, there's no point in hiding anything because it all comes out in the end - which is the tagline in the chorus. There's no hiding. And in the verse it says, "Sooner or later / It's all coming down." In some way or another, whether you acknowledge it or if it just eats at your self, you can't really get away with anything. It's sort of fatalistic that way, but also in terms of, like, seeing how I also look at as a bigger picture of, like, politically, and since we're at war right now, it seems like things are getting a little scary. And that's kind of like one of those doomsday scenarios. If you look around a little you can really freak yourself out if you're reading about, like, bio-warfare and things like that. So a lot of this talk about "smoking gun in the shape of a mushroom cloud" and all that, it sort of brought up for me a lot of doomsday scenarios. So it's two-fold: it's that doomsday scenario, in terms of as far as the world is concerned, and then, personally, if you do stupid shit then you're eventually gonna pay for it somehow.
SAILING SEAS TW: Like "Hunting," this is probably the most direct, out-there storytelling song. Instead of using her [real] name, it's switched to "Holly," which is in the chorus. So it's another one of those songs talking straight to somebody. And there's a lot of details in there that I wouldn't talk about in normal conversation. That's the funny thing about songwriting where I wouldn't talk about this, but then I can put it in this song and you can still hear it and you still understand, but it's sort of masked a little bit. It's presented in a certain way where it's somehow okay to say that when you're in a major key or something. Because like, the second verse is about pretending you're outside a room listening to somebody [you love] have sex [with someone else], and that's a situation to put yourself into to really torture yourself. I created this scenario in my head and I put it in a song, and it's kinda brutal, but the [beat of the] song is upbeat and happy.
RENEGADE TW: This is a sample-based type song [with] drum loops. The cello was originally a Bjork sample and we replaced it. This one is sort of hard to explain. To me it’s just sort of like just a creation, because some of the record is social commentary, and I think there's a lot of that in this song, and it's like little snippets and ideas, and not necessarily one unifying idea. I think it's just kind of a song based on looking around and taking stock of things. This song in particular isn't really even about anything. It's just, like, observations, pretty much. And, oh, by the way, Billy Howerdel, the guitarist from A Perfect Circle, is playing guitar on that song. He jumped on that track and he's the one that makes it sound scary.
MAYBE THEN SOMEDAY TW: That was one of the first songs written in the wake of the breakup. It was one of those kind of "well-it-just-didn't-work-out-but-maybe-one-day-we'll-see-what-happens" kind of things. Because the circumstances are such that it wasn't gonna happen immediately so I was kinda like, well, we'll see. I don't have much to say about that; it's just grouped in with "songs about her."
GOODBYE SONG TW: That was also written when there was not a lot going on for me and we hadn't really nailed down the record deal. She [Tommy's ex-girlfriend] always thought she was bad luck - she'd show up and bad things would start happening - so she thought it was her fault that I hadn't got a deal. She actually moved away and soon as she did, we got a deal. [Laughs] I think it's funny to sort of say, like the first line of the song is "I'm not washed up / And you're not bad luck for anyone," so, you know, get off the ledge, really. And it's just one of those things; it's one of those yearning songs. I think with a lot of those songs there's a certain amount of effort spent on presenting evidence, like, "Look, I know this is how you feel, but look at all the other stuff." It's almost like making a case for your self [in a song]. And like I said, it didn't get me far, but it's still a good venting process. And I sort of realize when I say things like, "I wrote this for her" or whatever, it's not really for her. It's more self-indulgent to get this stuff out. And in a way you're saying, "Yeah, I wrote this song for you," but no, you wrote it for yourself so you could say things that you felt like saying. So I realize that and I think I realized that while I was writing them, but my job is to write songs so you take from what's around you to make it happen.
submitted by ggwplucky to AbandonedPools [link] [comments]


2024.05.19 10:00 mizuromo Daily Questions Megathread ( May 19, 2024 )

Hi Trailblazers!
⭐🚂 Welcome to the Daily Questions Megathread! Feel free to ask any general questions about Honkai: Star Rail that don't necessarily require their own dedicated posts.
Any questions that can be answered rather quickly (i.e. anything that can be adequately addressed without any discussion or can be given definitive answers) can be asked in the thread below.
>>> Example: Can my phone run this game?
If your question has discussion potential, please create a separate post, and include the “discussion” flair.
>>> Example: What do you think of March 7th’s combat efficiency? Here's my opinion…
Before making new discussion posts, please be sure to consider if your question could be better suited to this thread!
When both asking questions and sharing answers, be concise and detailed so other players can understand. Please maintain a stellar and respectful attitude toward others, and don't forget to share your appreciation to fellow trailblazers for helping you out!
Looking for another Megathread? See the full list below:
>>> Weekly Megathreads
Astral Express Lounge
Hang out and talk! Discuss whatever you'd like with your fellow Trailblazers!
Weekly Gacha and Drops Megathread
Share your lucky (or unlucky) rolls on Warps and Relics!
Weekly Friend/ID Megathread
Share your ID to make some friends or show off your E6 S5 4k atk 70/140 Seele!
>>> Monthly Megathreads
Monthly Issue Megathread
Post issues you've run into and share solutions with your fellow Trailblazers!
submitted by mizuromo to HonkaiStarRail [link] [comments]


2024.05.19 10:00 HeadBoy9 Prison day #361 (Saturday, May 18, 2024)

The dust from the search early in the week has found no place to settle on. Some aggrieved prisoners (likely the ones whose stuff were found and seized) made a very revealing and damning video about the prison and Authority. They told all in the video – how we're not fed, are extorted, have to pay to buy and fuel generators before we can use light, etc, concluding that they've made a merchandise out of us and we're the ones feeding them.
It went so viral that a national daily picked and published it and it has got the ranks of the correctional service running excited. The state comptroller has been to the yard three times this week alone after. He had a meeting with the key inmates here today and has informed us to get ready for another search. This time, they'd take our generators and cart away and burn our clothes, and would revert and enforce only the use of an official uniform for inmates. He said.
Imagine their hypocrisy! No denial of or addressing the issues raised in the video, but rather resorting to sublime threats. Not like they care to solve these problems, they're only concerned about people outside the four walls knowing what happens inside. That's why their only response would be to up and come seize all phones to rid us of cameras that can bring the searchlight on their crimes against us. Sinners! They deserve prison more than most in it.
On the parts of the inmates who recorded the video, I say it was stupid of them. Nothing good will come of it considering the country where we are. Rather they'd most certainly bring more hardships on us and make things more difficult. This is exactly the reason I'm always as careful as careful can be. One stupid post and I can cause problems for two thousand others. We don't want that.
Prison never settles is one of our sayings here. It's dramas upon dramas. One episode ends and another picks up from the very point where it dropped. The solution is to leave prison and its dramas. And this requires a good lawyer with the will to see you leave. Sadly, my attorney isn't such a lawyer. He seems to want me to remain or just doesn't care whether I leave or remain but just a swindler that goes about taking money from powerless inmates and doing nothing because he can…or thinks he can.
He did the same to an 84 year old man in my cell, also conspired with a complainant against his client, Ben, and got him a rip off of a settlement deal. And there will be others in this yard I don't know yet. God knows I'll make him pay when this is all over.
Tomorrow is Sunday. Church in prison seems like an alien concept now to me.
Goodnight Diary!
submitted by HeadBoy9 to PrisonDiary [link] [comments]


2024.05.19 09:59 HeartOfStone1407 Ghosted by my long distance girlfriend

I cant even think straight, my heart feels heavy and my eyes are filled with tears running down my cheeks. My ldr girlfriend (whom i met on reddit) with whom i was in a relationship with for five months ( i have never met her irl yet, but was planning to in a week) was on a trip with her family yesterday, and she asked me to lend some money to get some cute stuff. I lent her a couple of bucks and after she came back, she told me that her phone was going through something and she couldnt text or call properly. She texted in gibberish saying that she is gonna drop the phone at the service centre and i asked her whether i should get her a new phone, she said " i promised myself that i would only get an iphone after this, and i cant settle for anything less" and she said the service will take 3-4 days and went. We both said "i love you" before she cut off contact yesterday night and i slept. When i woke up, i saw her snapscore increase a hell lot, so i confronted messaging her asking if what is happening, and i got a reply from her snap "Bro, the phone's on service, i am the guy who's working on the phone, i needed to check everything" and cut off. And my messages were being read, but not replied. I took to whatsapp and literally gave her a lot of messages to which there was not even a blue double tick. Am i being ghosted?🥺 This was a woman who told me that she would do anything for me. I am going crazy right now, since i dont have anyone to talk to about this or express the pain i am feeling deep inside.Can someone Please help with some comforting words? I'm a grown ass man with an amazing job and an amazing life, yet i cant even feel the happiness anymore. Please can someone help me get through this?🥺
submitted by HeartOfStone1407 to ghosting [link] [comments]


2024.05.19 09:57 random-guy-abcd A pirate's guide to android apps

Recently, a comment I made under another post (https://www.reddit.com/Piracy/s/OWvN8UNd0e) explaining what apps I use kinda blew up and people really found it useful, so I'm turning it into a proper guide! Here are some apps I think you all could find useful:
Getting apps
F-droid: the alternative to the play store, it needs extra repositories to unlock its full potential. I'd recommend adding at least IzzyOnDroid, Guardian Project and Newpipe's repositories, but there are more. Many apps from the rest of this list come from f-droid.
Obtainium: an app that allows you to get updates for your other app from any source, including github and f-droid. The only thing I don't like about it is that you can't easily discover new apps from there, otherwise I'd immediately get rid of f-droid lol
Mobilism: where you can get all the modded apps you want
Lucky Patcher: lets you patch your apps yourself, only recommended for experienced users
Honourable mentions: droid-ify, a client for f-droid; aurora store, it allows you to download stuff from the play store without logging in; apkmirror, where you can get clean .apk files for most apps
Media
Aniyomi: manga, comics, anime, movies, tv series, everything in a single app. I can't recommend it enough.
Cloudstream: alternative to Aniyomi, doesn't have manga/comics and it's more focused around western movies and series.
ReVanced: if I have to explain it to you, you're the most inexperienced pirate sailing the seas of android. It's the way to use youtube without ads and with a ton of extra features. It needs an external app for downloads, I'd recommend either newpipe or seal. Oh, and they also have patches for other apps like twitter, not just youtube!
PurpleTV: twitch client with adblocking and extra emotes
Seal: downloading stuff from pretty much everywhere
Honourable mentions: any fork of tachiyomi for mangas and comics works; there are some unofficial forks of revanced (like revanced extended), I haven't tried any of them though so idk if they're safe and/or worth it; newpipe and grayjay as youtube alternatives; tubemate, an alternative youtube downloader
Music
Spotify: the default way to listen to music for most people. There are 5000 modded versions of it, so just pick one
Musicolet: the GOAT of offline music players, it's free and it's the best one I've ever tried
Automatic Tag Editor (Automatag): edit tags (artist, name, album art, etc) of your music
SongSync: add lyrics to your downloaded music through .lrc files (only works if supported by the music player)
Honourable mentions: fildo, an alternative to cracked Spotify that I only use to download stuff in FLAC
Browser
Just use firefox with a truckload of add-ons, it's the best. Brave is ok too I guess, and Tor might be useful sometimes, but just use firefox.
Utility
MiXplorer: the best file manager in existence, period. Takes a while to set it up, but it's worth it, trust me.
Hypatia: antivirus. Not necessary, but doesn't hurt either.
FolderSync: lets you sync folders between devices and with cloud services. Extremely useful for backups and file sharing
Syncthing: sync folders between your device without needing to use cloud services, alternative to FolderSync
Aegis: authenticator app for 2FA, safer alternative to Google Authenticator
KeePassDX or Bitwarden: password managers. Both have their pros and cons, personally I use keepass but most people suggest self-hosted bitwarden. Just look into them and decide yourself.
AdAway: adblocker. There are other options that are just as valid, no reason to pick this one in particular.
Notesnook: encrypted notes with automatic backups and syncing between devices
AntennaPod: where I get my podcasts from
Proton: free VPN, not for torrenting tho.
OpenWeather: weather app
Honourable mentions: MEGA: the goat of clouds; AccuBattery: info about your battery's health; Calyx VPN or RiseUp VPN are alternatives to Proton... If you trust them; modded Picsart is the best picture editor; I didn't mention any torrenting app because I don't torrent stuff on my phone, feel free to suggest them in the comments!
Sources: years of fucking around and finding out, and FREEMEDIAHECKYEAH
submitted by random-guy-abcd to Piracy [link] [comments]


2024.05.19 09:55 kjthegoldfish34 Texting someone in Latvia

I'm not sure if this is the correct subreddit for this, so if there's a better one, please let me know. Also, not sure if I'm using the right flair so if I'm wrong, I'm really sorry.
My friend is studying abroad in Latvia, and she's been texting me while on wifi. I have texted back, but while on 5G/cellular data. For reference, I am in the United States, and we both have American cell phone numbers. I'm not sure what her phone plan is, but I have ATT. My question is, am I going to be charged extra because I texted her back because she's in a foreign country, even if she's on wifi when she texts me?
submitted by kjthegoldfish34 to ATT [link] [comments]


2024.05.19 09:45 PatientFrame5052 Am at the same place i was a year ago, physically and mentally, how to win against my own brain??

Sorry for the long paragraph. I don't know which community is right. I am new here.
just to give you a bit of background, yes I changed it a little,
I would appreciate it if any of you take the time to read it. it took a lot to share my problems.
So, um when I was in class 8. We have a board exam that year. So I kinda started my year with a banger. I was studying more attentively. I was being more present in class. I was answering questions. I never answer unless the teacher picks me, which rarely happens. I am a good student. This makes me a bit arrogant, cuz if I got such decent results by not even properly studying, I don't need to stress. So yeah. My year was going super good. And boom covid fucking started. And even tho I was super studying. I am way too lazy too. Now that we were in lockdown. I completely abandoned my books. Forget studying. I was on my phone all day. Like actually all day. To give a bit more info. Class 8 has a board exam. Class 9,10 are studied with the same books, it's where we choose majors like science, commerce, and arts, I was a science student. 11,12 is college and we still have majors like science, commerce, and arts, still choose science. After that is uni. Class 8,9 went like this. Then in class 10. We finally went to school. Like I said classes 9, and 10 are the same book. Soo, I didn't touch my book for a year now I know nothing. That went like this. In the class sitting helpless cuz I know nothing. Then my sister told me about her tutor, so me and my friend went to him. He, we will call him C, introduced us to his friend, and we'll call him K who also became our tutor. Side note, I got comfortable with K, way more than C. K was kinda of my motivation, I wanted to make him proud, but I didn't, I failed. I haven't called him in a year. I am so sorry. I didn't want to disappoint you of all people. But I did.
I think since all I did during lockdown was be on my phone I am still kind of stuck at that age in some ways, mentally. I am almost 18. I was 13 when COVID started. Me and my mum were in some bad blood at that time, probably she asking me to study, but I not. Other than studying for my tutor's homework. I didn't touch my books enough. Suddenly it was exam time. It was a fucking board exam. It would decide my college. To be honest, even at that point I don't think I ever realized the importance, the gravity of the exam. I was prepared I'd say 60%. And yeah. when it was exam time, she became all affectionate. Bringing me milk, stay with me at night. You better believe I fucking hated that. I wanted to be alone. she didn't leave me alone. She was in my room. I hated her sooo much at that time. Just leave me alone na. So just to fucking spite her I didn't study until she was here. I would be on my phone and phone and she still wouldn't leave so I went to study at around 1 or 2 at night. In case you couldn't tell I was heavily dependent on my phone at that time just to well forget what's happening in my life. I kinda got addicted, maybe. So even if I was watching videos I was making plans about how I would study and all. In my head. I was preparing myself mentally. Guess who it took to crash all of this down. Yes, my one and only mum. While I was encouraging myself and all, my mum would come and be like you don't study, look at the maid's daughter doing much better than you ever will. My luck was this bad that I was your mum and all that shit. My maa always talks about how she didn't have to worry about me ever cuz I did everything myself. I don't understand what she thinks this will make me feel. Maybe I didn't want to do shit alone. Now that I truly want to be left alone, yall up my ass.
You think I will study now. Hell, nahh. So I didn't. Some day I went to my exam after barely reading the book at around 8. My exam starts at 10. Yeahhh. good times. It went like this all exam season. Of course, I didn't do well. I got a GPA of 4.52. Of course, I wasted all my free time for 6 months after the exam. I bed rotted the whole 6 months and more. I put on a lot of weight. Soo, I got very insecure. So when me and my friends went to the same tutor I also went there. But suddenly everything was new. I couldn't get past if I went like I was before. I went for a month maybe. I got behind them. I got so scared and insecure. All of them got into the government college there. Only I didn't. I got more insecure being there. I felt like I couldn't catch up even if I tried. So I did what I am best at. Run away. The college started with me bed rotting. I put on a lil more weight. I got even more insecure. It's been almost a year since then, I can count the times I went. Not more than a week. And the half-yearly exam, I failed it's my fault. I didn't study. Only time was passing by. I still am where I was a year ago. In my bed rotting. I haven't touched them, my textbooks, I mean it, they are still brand new. Now my final is in a month. I am still in my bed rotting. I just am soo insecure with my weight and study now. I can't bring myself to study. I feel like I already failed. More my mum started staying with me cuz it's hella hot. I felt like me studying would make her win. I would lose the battle I started. My brain is like unless someone tells me step-by-step detailed instructions on how to do life, I can't do shit. What do I do?? I am so lost mentally. I am just soo scared that I will be the one left behind. I mean I already am. My friends are not mine anymore. I am just one of many of theirs. I fear I would be left behind to rot. I know I am not some saint. I know what I am doing isn't what I of all people should be doing. But how do I win against my brain? It's like if I can't catch up with everyone in a day then it isn't worth trying. If I can't lose that weight, it isn't worth trying. What do I do?? I can't go to a gym. Can't jog or stuff. My mother becomes angsty if I starve. What do I do? Sometimes I just want to disappear for a while.
truth be told, I have no motivation. I don't have anyone, I am willing to work for, not even myself, parents, a better life, everything I dreamt of, future, nothing seems worthy. the only thing I can do is daydream. I understand I am not hardworking as much as I should be. I am quite privileged in life. but I don't know what to do. I am like a sponge, I am all my environment is. I don't want to do this anymore. I hate myself like this. I want to change. I like studying. I like knowing things. I just physically can't bring myself to do the necessary things. it feels like I already lost, I can never catch up. it's upon me to get into a good fucking university, even if I plan to go abroad for higher study.. see I have soo many dreams, yet I can't bring myself to work for them. it's like I am being physically stopped. I am just waiting for something to happen that will be the push I need, but I fear it will be too late then. it's my life I don't need a reason to change myself, especially when I know that this version is doing me more damage than good. I guess it seems from the fact that others know this version, and change is terrifying, especially when you are alone. I am always jealous of the people that have somebody to look up to. I have a lot to add. But I just need to do this it's been 2 days since I wrote it. Sorry if there are any typos. Thank you, if you took the time to read all that. -♡♡
submitted by PatientFrame5052 to selfimprovement [link] [comments]


2024.05.19 09:37 redrendezvous3 Recent Thrift Haul!

Recent Thrift Haul!
My local thrift was having a buy 1 get 1 free sale so all of this was 3 bucks! (i bought 6 cds one of them i gave to someone so its not in the picture) got 2 copies of Fall Out Boy From Under The Cork Tree for fun :]
submitted by redrendezvous3 to Cd_collectors [link] [comments]


2024.05.19 09:33 Imaginary_Corgi_5252 Should I bring up my husbands (27m) and friends (30f) weird text messages?

I (26F) and my husband (27M) have been married for over 3 years and have 1 child and another on the way. Recently my husband was showing me something on his IG and his explore page was filled with half naked girls. We had a fight about it and how it made me uncomfortable and he acknowledged and said he wouldn’t look at that anymore. I am totally ok with watching porn but I feel like looking up specific people on social media crosses a boundary. This happened about a week or two ago and since then things have been fine.
Tonight though I was using my husbands phone bc I don’t have Netflix logged in on mine (we both are 100% ok with each other being on the other persons phone as well as have both have each others Face ID on both phones). While I’m watching my show a twitter notification appears and my nosy self opens it. It’s from a friend (30sF) and it was a picture of some half naked anime girl and her thirsting over it. I’m instantly weirded out and decide to scroll through the messages, a little more than half of them are normal convos about movies/anime/video games but the other half are the weird pictures of half naked/full naked anime girls with both parties (friend and my husband) sending messages talking about how hot they are/thirsting over them.
Is this a normal thing to send to friends??? I haven’t talked about it with my husband as he is sleeping, but I feel like this isn’t normal? Should I bring this up to my husband or just pretend I didn’t see it? Idk if I’m just being overdramatic and hormonal bc of my pregnancy or if this is weird to do. Thanks for any help!
TLDR: Husband (27m) and friend (30f) exchanging half naked pictures of anime girls to each other. I’m unsure if I should bring it up to him or not.
submitted by Imaginary_Corgi_5252 to relationships [link] [comments]


2024.05.19 09:32 boydie Rate my idea: B2B reviews and traffic sharing

Business Plan: TrustWave

Executive Summary

Business Name: TrustWave
Business Concept: TrustWave is a global review platform designed specifically for businesses to leave testimonials for one another. The platform provides high-quality reviews and allows businesses to add backlinks to their websites, enhancing SEO and generating relevant traffic. The service includes a testimonial page for WordPress or Shopify websites, an SEO-friendly standalone site option, an easy-to-install plugin for automatic updates, and tools for SMS review requests, social media content creation, and review management.
Target Market: Small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) across various industries worldwide looking to enhance their online presence and credibility.
Competitive Advantage: Unique focus on B2B reviews, integrated SEO benefits, easy-to-use plugin, comprehensive review management tools, and added marketing features.

Business Description

Mission Statement: To empower businesses globally by providing a platform that facilitates the exchange of high-quality testimonials, enhancing their online reputation and SEO performance.
Business Objectives: 1. Launch and establish the TrustWave platform within the first year. 2. Achieve a user base of 20,000 businesses worldwide within two years. 3. Generate a monthly recurring revenue of $100,000 within the first two years. 4. Continuously innovate and add new features based on customer feedback and market trends.

Market Analysis

Industry Overview: The digital marketing and SEO industry is growing rapidly as businesses increasingly recognize the importance of online presence and reputation management. Testimonials and reviews are critical for building credibility and trust.
Target Market: - Demographics: SMBs with an existing online presence globally. - Geographics: Businesses across North America, Europe, Asia, and other regions. - Psychographics: Businesses that value online reputation, SEO, and customer feedback.
Market Needs: Businesses need reliable platforms to gather and showcase testimonials, improve their SEO, and manage their online reputation efficiently.

Competitive Analysis

Direct Competitors: - Trustpilot - Feefo - Google My Business
Indirect Competitors: - Social media platforms (Facebook, LinkedIn) - SEO service providers
Competitive Advantage: - Focus on B2B interactions. - SEO-friendly features. - Integrated review management and marketing tools. - Seamless integration with existing websites.

Marketing Plan

Product: - Review platform for businesses. - WordPress/Shopify plugin. - Standalone SEO-friendly website option. - SMS review requests. - Social media content creation tools. - Review management dashboard.
Price: - Freemium model: Basic features free, premium features at $49/month. - Enterprise plan: Custom pricing for larger businesses with advanced needs.
Place: - Online platform accessible via website and app. - Partnerships with web development agencies and digital marketing firms globally.
Promotion: - Digital marketing campaigns (SEO, PPC, social media). - Content marketing (blogs, webinars, case studies). - Email marketing to SMBs. - Partnerships and collaborations with industry influencers. - Referral programs offering discounts for bringing new users.

Operations Plan

Technology: - Development of the review platform and plugins. - Cloud-based infrastructure for scalability. - Regular updates and feature enhancements.
Customer Service: - 24/7 customer support via chat, email, and phone. - Comprehensive help center with tutorials and FAQs.
Team: - Founders/Management: Overseeing strategy and operations. - Development Team: Building and maintaining the platform. - Marketing Team: Promoting the platform and acquiring users. - Customer Support Team: Assisting users with any issues or inquiries.

Financial Plan

Startup Costs: - Platform development: $100,000 - Marketing and promotion: $50,000 - Operational costs (salaries, office space, utilities): $50,000 - Total: $200,000
Revenue Projections: - Year 1: $100,000 - Year 2: $600,000 - Year 3: $1,200,000

Risk Analysis

Potential Risks: - Slow user adoption. - Competition from established platforms. - Technical issues with the platform or plugins.
Mitigation Strategies: - Aggressive marketing and partnership strategies. - Continuous platform improvements and feature additions. - Robust customer support and regular user feedback sessions.
submitted by boydie to smallbusiness [link] [comments]


2024.05.19 09:31 Stoned_Wookiee Taking plush and and/or on vacation - this is my latest experience.

Taking plush and and/or on vacation - this is my latest experience.
Since a common subject seems to involve taking plush out in public and/or on vacation, I figured I'd talk about my most recent experience. I took Casper on an 8 day trip to Hawaii and he went everywhere with me. Several people asked about him and/or thought it was cute seeing him with me. I'd say the most memorable one was while at the Polynesian Cultural Center. BTW, if you ever visit Hawaii, I really suggest visiting the PCC. The package we got included a personal tour guide. He loved my bear and even had me take pictures of him holding Casper with his own phone.
On an additional note, OF the 9 flights I've gone on over the past 12 months, I don't think I've seen any kids carrying plushies. I've seen several adults with them though. One had a Squishmallow, Another had a BAB longhorn. While in Hawaii, I saw someone with a teddy bear wile visiting one of the black sand beaches.
Picture of me holding Cssper with Toa. I can't remember his full name. It was 6 letters starting with Toa and he's from Tahiti.
https://preview.redd.it/mu16pcdm5c1d1.jpg?width=2268&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=14da9b70d7f38be82901c9a08aac04bb4debc241
submitted by Stoned_Wookiee to plushies [link] [comments]


2024.05.19 09:29 Secret-Tomatillo5044 I Accepted a Job to Film on the Dark Web pt1

I Accepted a Job to Film on the Dark Web
Man, I am pumped to tell you chronically online content addicts my story. Wait is that too mean of an intro? Will this get taken down for harassment since I painted too accurate a picture of the people on this site? Sorry, everyone, I’m sure you all smell like an expensive bakery and have touched grass this morning. Anyway, I promise I have something interesting. It even involves the dark web you uncreative writers cream yourselves over! I mean, totally real people speaking about their strangely similar experiences. Okay, fine I’ll stop bullying you through the screen before you click off.
This all started when I was seven years old and my parents were killed in front of me in an anti-indigenous hate crime, but let's be real you don’t care. I’m just some annoying Cherokee kid with dead parents so I’ll skip to the good parts. I spent years in an orphanage, gradually becoming more interested in death and violence. As bad as it is, I went out of my way to expose myself to that content in the hopes of desensitizing myself. Which ended up working too well, since now I’m obsessed with causing and viewing pain, though I don’t find any joy in hurting myself.
I got adopted at twelve and after a few months of staying at my new family’s home on the reservation, I went with them to a state sweatier than the average Reddit user, California. Long story short, both of my caretakers, whom I referred to as Uncle and Auntie because they could never be my parents, died. Leaving me in the care of their older son, who I call cousin. I’m not stupid enough to give up any real names, so I’ll call him Brick, cause he’s as dumb as one. He was in his early 20s when he was tasked with taking care of me and is the world’s worst excuse for a babysitter.
I’m almost always alone at the apartment, with him only coming by to drop off supplies and stay for a few hours so the neighbors don’t get too worried. Unless I get in trouble at school, then he’d suddenly give a shit. It's useful because he doesn't about the gory stuff I look at, but some display of interest would be nice. Oh well, ninety percent of the population sucks so he’s just part of the majority. Now, with that said, you’ll be able to understand the perfect storm that led me here. During my time on the deep web, I found a particular website that caught my eye. They had new footage relatively consistently and they were the easiest for me to access since I didn't go too far into the dark web, especially with all the honey pots lying around.
I even bought a couple of files for myself to study and admire. One thing irritated me though, the cameraman. He was always sobbing, breathing, shaking, or some combination of those. It seriously killed the vibe of the killings. Something I commented on under many videos, often saying I would do a better job filming. A choice that in hindsight was me asking to end up in one of those recordings. I didn't think anything of it at the time. I was mostly the only one who commented but I was sure they wouldn't care. I was embarrassingly wrong.
I was staying up like usual, but it was past one AM on a school night, and back then that was a lot so I tried to sleep. Closing my eyes, tossing and turning, the works. I had just started drifting off when I heard the front door open. I remained calm but immediately found it weird since Brick never showed up this late. The thuds of the individual's feet grew louder as they got closer to my bedroom. I tried to convince myself it wasn't a stranger, especially since they got in with ease, but I knew that was wishful thinking.
They hummed as they opened my door. My dumbass had left it unlocked. I remained on my side, trying to look like I was asleep. They turned on the flashlight of their phone, shining it in my face. It was hard but I stayed still while they traced it over my features. I could tell they were smiling as they clicked their tongue.
“Heh, I knew it was a brat,” they whispered to themselves, pulling tangles out of my hair. Something I struggled not to groan from. They pulled up the hair over my ear and got so close spit got on my ear lobe.
“I know you’re awake kid,” they murmured, putting a blade to my neck. I let them grab my shoulder and move me onto my back, I knew how to fight but I wasn't about to take that big a risk with the position they had me in.
“You think you’re so cool saying you can do better than our guy.” they snickered, kneeling, their flashlight still shining in my face.
“Do you seriously believe that?” they questioned, moving the light away.
“Yeah, I do.” I stood my ground, they might have been intimidating but I wasn't gonna let that stop me from being honest.
“I wouldn't sound like I’m gonna piss myself every time it gets gory. I’m confident I could get better footage too, getting up close is something I’ve fantasized about.”
They clicked their tongue again and ran their finger over the bridge of my nose.
”Well, I know you’re a big fan of what we do, and you’re confidence makes me think you got something to back those claims up, so how’d you like a deal?”
I was surprised by how civil they were being aside from the touching and weapon against my throat.
“What kind of deal?” I asked, for all I knew this guy wanted me to lick their feet or some weird shit like that. They placed a finger underneath my eye, tracing a half moon with their nail.
“You have till this Friday to film a video of you killing an animal and put it on a flash drive that I’ll pick up here. If it impresses me and the crew we’ll hire ya with a handsome salary.” They began, moving their hand down to my cheek.
“But if you don't show, or it doesn't meet our standards, then I’m fucking up one of the parts of your face.” They warned, pinching my skin harshly.
“And if I say no to this deal?”
They put their hand over my mouth, scratching my lips.
“That’s cute, if you say no I’ll just slit your throat.” they grinned.
“Or rip it open with my teeth if you got a preference,” they smirked, before running their tongue across their sharp teeth.
“Okay, since I have no choice I’ll go with it, but I’m telling you now I can give you something way better than what you likely expect of me.” I prefaced, looking into their sunken eyes. They scratched my scalp, including the side of my head that was shaved.
“Good choice, I’ll be back to pick it up and if you're not here I’ll assume you don’t have the video. I genuinely wish you luck, because you’ll need it.” they removed the blade from my neck and walked away. I sat still for a few minutes in the dark, processing what had happened and wondering how they got into my apartment with such ease. I was confident I could blow their sniveling excuse of a cameraman out of the water, but I was worried about the people I was getting caught up with.
Sure, I had been on a lot of gore sites over the years but I was always just watching and occasionally commenting. Compared to most in the scene I wasn't much of a threat. I could defend myself and have contemplated killing for years but I hadn't murdered anyone or worse. Plus, I am part of way too many targeted groups to not be constantly at risk. Teenage, fem-leaning, two-spirit, indigenous kid with trauma? Yeah, I might as well be walking sign screaming “Hate crime me”.
So yeah, there was a lot to worry about. Regardless, I couldn't let that fear hold me back. I had a job to do and a group of sickos to appease. The next morning was rough, I got no sleep cause I’d spent all night brainstorming. I barely mustered the energy to change and drank straight mouthwash instead of brushing my teeth. Slogging onto the bus with drool on my cheek, I went to the back like usual. No one sat there cause, the seats were extra worn down, and I scared off anyone who attempted to with my active, rabies-infected bitch face. That day was different though.
I blanked on his name and where I knew him from, but I recognized his wavy hair and prominent curved nose. He glanced at each seat on the bus, before somehow settling on my area. He tried to give me space but ultimately seated himself beside me after realizing it was the only spot that didn't look like it would give him cancer. I glared at him as I did with everyone, but it didn't phase him.
“You know you could pick anywhere else right?” I murmured. He stared at the floor, then at me.
“I’m aware, but a few months ago I started a mission to sit on every part of this bus, and this is the last place.” he smiled, his lips softly curving at the sides.
“What’s the point of that?”
His mouth moved into a more neutral position, but his eyes kept smiling.
“I just thought it would be neat to see the same place from a bunch of different perspectives.” he took out his phone and snapped a photo from the point of view where he was sitting. Maybe my sleepiness made my bitch face less effective, cause he hadn't shown a hint of fear, which kind of annoyed me.
“That’s cool I guess, but I wouldn't do that if I were you. I’ve done some back here alone that would make your skin crawl.” in hindsight my attempt at unnerving him just made me sound like a pervert, which is probably why he held back laughter. Trying to hide a chuckle by clearing his throat.
“Hey, it's not my business what you do, no matter how Haram it is. It’s your life so that’s between you and whatever you believe in. Just don’t shake hands with me.” he joked, playfully putting his hands up. Strangely, I remembered his name at that moment.
“Oh shit, you’re Abdul! We have art together.” I sat up, haphazardly slamming my hand down on my leg.
“Uh yeah, I’ve seen some of your paintings, they’re pretty cool. I like the way you texture them, I’m trying to work on that.” he complimented, seeming more weirded out by my sudden energy than my accidental insinuation. I felt a little stupid for yelling his name but decided not to dwell on it.
“Thanks, you’re stuff is nice, and you’re good at shading.”
He stretched his arms while thanking me. We talked for a few more minutes, taking jabs at each other throughout. Turns out he was better at being an asshole than his artsy charismatic appearance made me think. The thing setting our insults apart being that you could tell he was a loving person underneath. It was the nicest conversation I had with anyone in a while. Though he could tell I was tired so he quieted down, letting me sleep, waking me when we got to school. We went our separate ways until the last two periods we shared. All that time, I spent my remaining energy plotting how I was going to handle the video. What I’d kill, record with, and how to dispose of the evidence. It was a lot to consider, but through three classes I devised a plan.
I’d find a stray around my apartment complex and take it out in my room. Record it on a portable camera since I broke the ones on my phone, no, I will not be answering how that happened. Then once I had my footage I’d put the body in a trash bag, throw it in the complex’s garbage, and clean the blood off my floor. It didn't seem like Brick would come by so he wasn't a factor I thought I’d have to consider. The plan was almost too easy, but I decided to believe in Occam’s razor. I got so lost in thought that by the time I reached Art, which was my second-to-last period, I didn't process that we were moving seats.
“She called your name,” Abdul reminded me. Our teacher placed us next to each other at our four-person table. The two girls sitting with us were already friends, so I didn't bother to say anything, but I was interested in talking to him more.
“So, what do you think of this assignment?” He shrugged, taking out his sketchbook.
“I’m not that good at drawing people, but the idea of combining two people’s faces into a portrait seems interesting. Any ideas on who you’ll pick?”
“Probably the members of the music duo Brain Tumor, they’re my favorite artists and they both look weird as hell.”
“Wow way to talk about your favorites, if that’s what you say about them I can‘t imagine what you have to say about me.” he joked, pulling up reference pictures.
“First, it’s not an insult, second I don’t have anything to say about you. Brain and Tumor have features and styles that make them stand out. Sure they’re ugly, but it just adds to their visual charm. Hot people are boring, there’s nothing to pick at.” I explained, unzipping my bag.
“Oh, so you’re saying you think I’m hot.”
His comment wasn’t serious but it kind of got to me.
“Shit, that’s not what I meant, I was trying to say you’re boring. All hot people are boring, but not all boring people are hot, okay?” I explained, flipping to a clean page.
“Alright, but if I’m so bland then why talk to me?”
I hesitated, contemplating how much of a dick I was gonna be.
“Because it means you probably need some spice in your life, which I can provide.”
He began sketching a head on his paper.
“I like spices, but I feel like you’re the kind of person to dump a cabinet’s worth onto me.”
I flicked my pencil over to his side of the desk, putting on a mocking grin.
“Aww, you scared I’m gonna get you into trouble?”
He picked up the pencil and started using it, putting his on my side.
“No, ‘cause I’m good at setting boundaries. I’m more concerned that you’ll get annoyed with how unafraid of you I am.”
I stared at him for a moment, I hadn't expected to hear that.
“Jeez, man you didn't have to read me like that.”
He shrugged, observing the red paint from past projects that lay on my pencil.
“It's not hard to figure out, just this morning you were trying to push me away on the bus. Lucky, or unlucky, for you I want you to have a friend and you seem like a fun person.”
“Wait are you saying I have no friends?” I squinted at him.
“Well, do you?”
I didn't answer.
“If your response is silence I suggest you take up my offer.”
I was stunned, to be honest. No one had offered to be my friend since 6th grade, and that didn't last long. Of course, I accepted it, but for the rest of the period, there was an awkwardness in my mind. As pathetic as it sounds I wasn't used to others genuinely enjoying my company like he did. Which was partly by design cause I get joy out of scaring people away, but still. I forgot how it felt to have conversations about normal things like art. He had such a nice smile too, usually when I see a grin I want to slap it off, but I liked his. His voice was also nice, it’s hard to describe what in particular but it was easy on the ears.
Okay, I’m starting to get off-topic. I’ll skip to the important part. Toward the end of class, he started talking about how he was interested in filmmaking and got a portable video camera as a gift at last year’s Eid. He didn't have it on him, but he showed me a picture.
“Heh, that’s funny, I bought the same one a month ago.” I pointed out.
“Yeah, it's a popular model, I’m still getting the hang of it though cause I’m so used to using my phone.”
“Well, maybe I could bring you over to my place or vice versa after school and I can help you out.” I suggested.
He smiled, putting his phone back in his pocket.
“I thought you said you’ve only had it for a month? You know I can always look up tutorials from trained professionals.” he reminded me with a notable smugness that I'd used with him before.
“Well those guys are stuffy and I’m a fast learner.”
He redirected his attention back to his page, picking his pencil up.
“Alright, I suggest we go somewhere public instead. You’re not exactly the kind of person I want to bring home to my parents right away. Plus they always need to meet my friends and their guardians before I hang out at their home.”
I gave an exaggerated sigh, stretching my back.
“Aw man, looks like we can’t get high in my murder pit during our first hangout.”
He didn't respond for a solid few seconds.
“Wait, you do know I'm joking right?”
He shrugged, the smile in his eyes appearing again.
“I mean, one of those things is a little less believable than the other.” he snickered, and I laughed with him.
We set up a time and a date, which is where I screwed myself. He ended up being busy with projects from his other classes and family which just left us with Friday, the same day I had to submit the video. Now, did I tell him I wouldn't be able to make it? No, of course not, because I decided to be stupid and even more overconfident. I said that I’d one hundred percent be able to hang out with him after school like I didn't have a mutilator who was going to drop by my place at an unknown time.
The rest of the day went over fine but that bad timing led me to feel like a dick later. When I got home I was able to write out my plan, even sketching a few specifics of what I’d do. It was more exciting than when I’d been brainstorming, but this is when the gravity of the situation began to set in. When I said I’d fantasized about killings I meant it. I mean my teddy with twenty-five stab wounds should say enough. Regardless this would be the first time real blood was on my hands.
It made me feel powerful, but a little afraid. I’ve heard stories of people thinking that it would be an awesome experience and then feeling like shit. I doubted I’d be one of those people but still. Plus, I didn't exactly trust the guy who gave me this job. There was a good chance that this whole situation was rigged and they’d kill me no matter how good the video was. Or worse turn me into the feds and expose my collection. Honestly, if that happened I’d probably eat a shot to avoid going to jail. Wait, can I say that on this platform? Okay to the mods, that was a joke, I want to live a long life. Ugh, I’m doing a terrible job of staying on track. The point is there was a lot up in the air despite it being a matter of life or death.
I knew I’d go through with it but it was still a lot less straightforward than it initially seemed. I wracked my brain to remember where most of the cats stayed and tried to come up with a good way to lure one without raising suspicion. This also proved harder than first thought because I didn't think to account for the cat man, an old guy who lived alone and fed all the cats in our dingy complex while also housing a few. Knowing how obsessive he was he’d probably notice if one of them disappeared. Then again not all the cats return consistently or at all. It makes more sense that he’d think one of them was run over rather than slaughtered. It was getting late again so I rested my head for a moment, a bad move cause I ended up falling asleep at my desk. Not even changing out of the clothes I’d worn before, I woke up late and barely caught the bus the next morning.
I went to my usual spot but Abdul had already taken it. He patted the area next to it, which he’d covered in a towel, a smart move knowing how nasty it was. People gave me a few dirty looks as normal, which I smiled at. I stretched, my mind slightly less out of it than the previous morning.
“Uh, you do realize that-”
“Yeah, I know I’m wearing the same clothes.”
Abdul looked me up and down, his eyes remaining soft, but with a mix of concern and judgment. He set his backpack down and took off his sweater handing it to me.
“Dude what are you-”
“Look I don't know what led to you not being able to change but I think you should at least have a fresh top.”
I was surprised he was offering me something to wear but I took it.
“Uh, thanks, I’ll change into it later.”
He nodded as I put it in my backpack.
“You know you didn't have to do that.” I reminded him.
“Well there’s a lot of stuff I don’t have to do, but I do it because I want to, and I wanted to help you out.”
He smiled, his face still warmer than an Arizona summer. I got a strange feeling in my chest at that moment, I still can’t tell if it was good or bad.
“Well, thanks, I'll give it back to you tomorrow.”
We talked a little more and he mentioned something that caught my attention.
“Have you heard about all the animals that have been turning up dead?”
My eyes widened with surprise.
“No, I haven't, when did you hear about that?”
He pulled on his long-sleeve shirt.
“My sister said her friend who works at a shelter noticed a bunch of animals were getting adopted by people around the same time, and since then gore videos with them have been showing up. She found out through her co-worker who was emailed it by some random creep.”
I covered my mouth and looked away to hide the smile growing on my face. He had just given me the perfect cover-up without knowing. Now if I killed an animal people had an entire violent ring to connect it to instead of me! I stayed quiet for a minute because I could tell he’d likely see through any phony sad sounds I made.
“Oh wow, that’s awful, do you think they’ll ever find out the people behind it?”
He sighed, running his hand through his wavy hair.
“I hope so, for now, all we can do is pray that no more animals get hurt.”
I couldn't contain my grin as he said that so sincerely like animals and people didn't die constantly and that taking down one group would somehow stop the issue.
“Is there some joke I don’t get?” he furrowed his brow.
“Uh, no, sorry I smile when nervous.”
His gaze softened again, and he didn't press further.
His bringing up the animal killings ended up being the exact push I needed to get my hands dirty. I’d spent the entire day before planning so it was time to put that plan into action. I stole some cat treats that the cat man had laid out and spread them around my apartment which was on the bottom floor. Waiting for one of them to take the bate outside my window was pretty boring but one of them came after a few minutes. A scraggly brown and black cat with a tuft of fur missing on one side of his head. It's messed up but I felt like a little less of an asshole for taking him in since he looked like he was already struggling. I scooped him up and he didn't attempt to fight back.
“Hey there buddy” I waved, feeding him some more food. His eyes had a lot of crust on them, it was kinda gross but I don’t have the right to say with how often I wash my jeans. After a minute or two he let me pet him. I knew making any kind of attachment was bad but I thought it was the right thing to do so he’d fall into a sense of security. I was just about to take him into my room when the door opened.
“Hey, I’m back with groceries!” my shithead cousin announced with two plastic bags in his hands. He looked down to see me with the cat, his eyebrows raising.
“Aw come on, you know we can’t afford a pet.”
He groaned placing the bags on a table and unloading them.
“I know, but he doesn't look like he’s got a lot of life in him I at least want to help him feel better before he kicks the bucket!”
Brick rolled his eyes, putting the cereal box on top of the fridge
“Jeez, did you even think about what diseases he might have? His eyes look puffy what if he has something that can get you sick?”
He had valid concerns which was surprising since he’s usually stupid, but I was still annoyed with him.
“I’m sure he’s fine, I’ll even try to wash him, just please let me hold onto him for a little.”
He folded his arms looking down at us.
“Have you even named him?”
I froze for a second, before using the first thing that came to mind, which ended up being pretty awful knowing my plans.
“Cash cow.” I blurted, awkwardly patting his head.
“Honestly that’s better than what I was expecting. I was sure you’d pick ‘Hellspawn Mcgee’ or something else corny.”
He meant to make fun of me but honestly, I would have named him that if I had more time.
“Ugh, anyway I got those dumb chips you like.”
He then pulled out a bag of the wrong chips.
“Dude those are the wrong ones, this is the third time you’ve mixed up the flavors.”
He threw them at me, scaring the cat slightly.
“Well, I pay for it so you shouldn't be so picky. Anyway, while I was in line I picked up something you might be into.”
He then tossed me a trashy teen magazine. One of my least favorite sorry excuses for an influencer on the cover.
“This is a joke, right?”
I couldn't believe my own adopted brother gave such little shit in my interests.
“I don't know, you decided to start being a girl for real this time so I thought the makeup tips on page ten would help you out.”
I scrunched my face at his comment.
“Dude I’ve been this way for years, just because I started wearing more makeup and dresses doesn't mean I’m more of a girl than when I didn't. I know you won’t get the two-spirit thing but come on.”
He shrugged, seeing me done with me even though he’d just shown up.
“Yeah well hey I’m trying. Anyway, just so you know a friend of mine is coming here Friday.”
My heart stopped.
“Wait why here? You live elsewhere why can’t you assholes go there or their place!”
He slammed his fist on the table.
“Will you shut the fuck up!”
He screamed with a phrase I’d grown numb to.
“I don't know, to be honest, something about wanting to move into this complex and this being a way to scout it out. I’m just letting you know now so you don’t act like a complete freak.”
“Jokes on you I’ll piss in whatever shitty beer you bring just cause you said that!”
I yelled back raising my voice higher than his. He face-palmed before putting the plastic bags in the drawer under the sink.
“Whatever, you and your ketamine-addict-looking cat have fun,” he told me while seating himself on the couch. I picked up the cat and walked into the bathroom to clean it. I closed the door and placed him in the dry tub. Using a small disposable mouthwash cup I got a little bit of water. I hadn't had a pet before so I wasn't sure how to approach the task. I dipped my fingers in the water and carefully pet it while pouring s small bit down his back. Any other cat would fight back but he just made pissed-off noises without doing anything.
I scrapped my old shampoo bottle and kneaded it into his thin fur. His skin was bumpy and dry beneath the hair so scrubbing it was uncomfortable. I made sure to avoid getting soap in its eyes but I did pull away some of the crust on its lids. His pupils were so clouded I was surprised that he could see at all, making me feel even more sure that he would be on its way out with or without me.
After drying him I set him on a beat-up shirt I wore when modifying clothes. He sunk his claws into it a few times, playing with a loose string. I ignored him for the rest of the night, hopping into the shower and changing for bed. His meows woke me up a few times but I tuned it out after a while, reminding myself that he wouldn’t be my cat for long.
The next day was Thursday and there wasn't a second that passed by where the weight of the murder I’d have to commit didn't weigh on me. I seriously shot myself in the foot by taking care of that scruffy, pubic hair pile. I was supposed to be hyped about killing it, after all, I’d dreamed and seen way worse than what I was going to do. Yet once I got home and started setting up I felt grosser with each step. I decided to record it in my bathroom instead of my bedroom so it would be harder to connect to me. I set down a few fabric scraps and a worn-out beach towel, placing it all inside a tub for easier cleanup later.
“Okay, I guess it's time,” I mumbled to myself. I brought the cat in and placed it down, setting up my camera once it was comfortable. I also wore my most generic clothes in addition to a mask, putting my hair in a bun for sanitation. When I saw the flicker of red showing that the camera was on I felt I was dreaming. I smiled, excited that I’d get to live out my violent desires. Yet, when I looked down at its pathetic frame and confused expression those urges left me.
I rationalized what I was doing, reminding myself how many animals die all the time and that I’d been forced into this, but it didn't help much in the end. I won’t get into it but under the pressure of impressing the group Cash Cow didn't go out as fast as I would have liked for a first task. Getting rid of the evidence was especially rough, the textures were pretty nasty, to put it mildly. It was surreal watching the blood go down the tub drain and gradually drip off my hands as I rinsed them. I couldn't conjure a single thought the entire time I cleaned it up.
Whether I was wringing out the clothes or putting the remains in plastic bags, it didn't matter. All I could focus on was the task at hand, with hints of disgust along the way. I ended up finishing at three AM. My hands were wrinkled and shook once I settled. I won’t deny that during the murder I didn't hate it. Slashing into something was fun and it made me feel strong. Still, it wasn't nearly as fulfilling as I expected it to be. Part of it was guilt, but it was mostly disappointment. I’d built it up for years and it wasn't earth shatteringly good or bad.
Overall, I expected to feel more, but it just left me hollow with an uncomfortable itch. There was no way I’d ever be able to see the tub the same way, hell I don’t think I’ll ever use it again. Luckily I almost always shower anyway so it's not too big of a deal. I watched a few horror game videos, trashed everything, changed and went to bed.
My scalp hurt like a bitch the morning since I kept my hair in that stupid bun. Despite getting less sleep than the past two days I held myself together a bit better in the morning. I brushed my teeth, changed, and had some fried bread before getting on the bus. Regardless I looked like complete shit and struggled to slump into my seat.
“Rough night?” Abdul asked
“Uh, yeah.” I quietly responded looking to the floor.
He frowned, looking at me with concern.
“You can talk about it if you're comfortable,” he assured me. I contemplated giving him a thinly veiled metaphor or vague explanation so he'd comfort me but stopped myself before my mouth could run a muck. He wouldn't be able to do much of anything and I don’t like opening up.
“Uhm, thanks but it's something I have to deal with alone.”
He nodded, respecting my boundaries.
“You know, I understand if you can’t hang out today it seems like you have a lot going on.”
I avoided eye contact with him as he spoke. For once I was feeling hints of guilt toward a person. I wanted to spend time with him, but I knew that I wasn't in the state to do that.
“Yeah, I think it’ll have to wait, I’m-” I cut myself off before apologizing. A fact about me that should surprise no one is that I hate apologizing. Even when I do feel kinda bad the act fills me with embarrassment.
“You what?” he asked, his eyes telling me that he knew what I was going to say.
“I’m emotionally not great.” I spat out in an admittedly poor attempt to get out of saying sorry. As always he remained calm but I could tell he saw through me.
“Okay, like I said I understand, whatever it is I hope you feel better.”
I told him thank you and we didn't speak for the rest of the day. At home I changed into more comfortable clothes and brushed my teeth. Unfortunately, I wasn't bouncing back from killing nearly as much as I expected.
“It wasn't even that bad! That thing was on its last legs anyway.” I grumbled to myself, smacking my forehead. I was feeling worse than when I did it which is weird. I ended up spontaneously decorating a ratty tie from the bottom of an accessory drawer to distract myself. It helped me get my mind off things, for a little. I had zero plan, just wanting to make something needlessly complex. Hours that felt like minutes passed and soon it was covered in patches, frills, and beads. I just tried it on when I heard the front door open.
“Man, that shit was wild!” I heard Brick laugh groggily. I didn't have to see or smell him to know he’d gotten lit. I rolled my eyes, closing my bedroom door.
“Hey, who’s there?” his friend asked, seemingly referring to me.
“Oh, that’s my little sis, don’t mind her she’s just on her emo shit!” he joked, which pissed me off for the petty reason that I didn't even listen or dress emo.
“Hey, that’s alright with me, I went through one of those phases,” they responded, their words less slurred than my cousin’s.
I fucked up and forgot to lock it when I closed it so they were able to swing it open, almost smacking my desk.
“Hey emo girl!” they waved as Brick haphazardly pulled them back.
“Okay, man, seriously I think she wants to be left alone.”
The way his friend looked at me made me uncomfortable. Like they’d snap my neck if I pissed them off. They clicked their tongue while stepping through the door frame.
“Alright, but I gotta say calling her an emo is inaccurate, they look like they watch gore and most emos just say they do.” they flashed a sharp toothy grin. At that moment I began to connect the dots.
“Easy, she’ll get pissy with you dude, now come on.” Brick warned tugging their opened button pushed him away. They looked me dead in the eyes.
“I don’t think she minds, in truth, I feel like we’ll have a lot to discuss later.” they smiled again, finally walking back into the living room. A chill ran up my spine when I saw them. The sharp teeth, New York accent, unsettling gaze, that motherfucker was the person who recruited me! They were able to get into my place so easily cause my dumbass cousin probably gave them a spare key or the opportunity to make one, and now they were a room away from me!
I dug my hands into my pillow as I contemplated what to do, no matter what happened next, I knew it was gonna be a rough visit.
submitted by Secret-Tomatillo5044 to libraryofshadows [link] [comments]


2024.05.19 09:24 kmoposts Need some advice for a beginner - Moving to China for work.

I recently accepted a job offer in China and have begun lurking on this subreddit. I was naïve to think that all I needed was Astrill. After diving deeper into this whole new world of abbreviations and keywords, everything has been overwhelming. I’m a complete beginner with basic knowledge of VPNs. Essentially, I’ve only ever used NordVPN six years ago to torrent before I started sharing streaming services.
I have done my best to understand everything by watching videos and reading posts. I have the basics of what I want, but I need some advice. Here are my needs for a VPN in China:
  1. I predominantly use OneDrive for my personal life. I have a Microsoft family account where I upload photos and videos and play around with Premiere Pro when I have free time.
  2. I will use Google Drive for my work life. Although I will have VPN access at my workplace in China, I’d like to access western websites so I can work from home as well. Since many western websites are blocked, I would hate to be restricted to working only at work. I’m more productive at home on my dual-screen PC compared to a 15-inch Lenovo laptop.
  3. I've begun to use ChatGPT a lot these days for everything from general inquiries to language learning. Unfortunately, this is blocked in China.
  4. I like using Spotify, and it sucks that it’s blocked. I just want to come home, turn on my PC, and decompress with a playlist running in the background.
  5. Connecting with my family through Signal and WhatsApp
  6. I use YouTube to upload private vlogs for my family. If VPN speeds are slow or disconnect, I’m afraid I won’t be able to update them with new vlogs. I’ve read that some VPNs work in China but are slow, and some require changing servers every 15-45 minutes.
Here are some questions:
  1. It seems like the general consensus is to use Xray with VLESS (I’m not sure if I’m using these terms correctly). As an absolute beginner, is it better to host my own VPS server and use Putty, or is it better to buy Xray servers to use with the Xray client?
  2. If it’s better to buy Xray servers, can someone DM me a reliable website to buy a personal Xray server?
  3. If I decide to build my own VPN using VPS -> SSH -> Xray, can someone provide a link, comment, or DM me regarding the basic maintenance process for keeping my VPN up to date? I’ve read that personal VPNs can sometimes get blocked. With a generic VPN service, you typically just change the server, but I assume it’s different with a personal VPN. If my VPS gets blocked, does that mean I’d have to buy a new one?
  4. I plan to use three devices for the VPN server (My PC, My phone, My wife's phone - she just uses social media - insta, facebook, youtube, tiktok). Will it start getting complicated the more devices used on one VPN? If so, I'm willing to just use PC only, but let me know.
To anyone who has gotten this far, Thank you so much for reading through it all. I really appreciate your time considering I'm just a basic nobody on the internet who has little networking skills. Any advice or direction will be a huge help.
submitted by kmoposts to dumbclub [link] [comments]


2024.05.19 09:23 RandomAppalachian468 The return of the tree painter, big life changes, and story update!

Hey everyone! Random Appalachian here. I just wanted to check back in with you all and provide some updates, as well as some exciting, if personal, news. I have to type this quick, as my work break ends soon, so pardon any typos, grammatical errors, or weirdly structured sentences.
For those of you who don’t know, I’m a park ranger in real life, and work at a wildlife reserve in Ohio. We’ve been having some issues with vandalism in our northern woods for a few months, and despite our best attempts, haven’t been able to find the culprit. It’s been immensely frustrating, especially when more paint has shown up on more trails, ranging from slashes, lines, and crosses, to dots and even letters. Normally we wouldn’t get too bent out of shape over a few trees being painted, but it’s well over 60 at this point, and widespread throughout the forest. None of the official people who help us maintain the trails in that area say they are responsible, and yet many of the markings seem to be blazes for trails. However the markings are at times absurdly close together, or in abstract places that make no logical sense. One “trail” is no more than perhaps 30 yards long and runs right along a massive clearing in a semi-circle, within plain sight of the clearing, and goes to nowhere; it goes into the woods, and pops back out into the clearing only 30-ish yards away. Most of our established trails that have been painted already have well-made trail markings of our own, and the trails are well-blazed. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to why these things are there at all. I don’t think it’s anything sinister, though the painter has left his/her paint cans in the woods before, so at the very least, they’re a litterbug. There is the concern about potential poaching, which can be a problem in our area. Sure, deer and turkey are commonplace in my rural community, but they are only that way because of conservation and game laws that keep populations intact. Local hunters play a big part in conservation, and if someone starts taking more than their fair share through poaching, that means less for everyone else, and upsets the balance of things. The sad thing is, unlike legal hunters who often hunt for meat for their families, (food is expensive nowadays) poachers usually do it for trophies, antlers, or ‘fans’ from the turkey tail-feathers. But our painter has yet to take any game to our knowledge. We’ve found no gut piles, blood, or discarded gear anywhere. So, if he’s not poaching . . . what on earth does he want?
Then a few weeks ago, we did find a camera inside our central perimeter.
To put this into perspective, we have roughly 10,000 acres to our little reserve. Only 1/3 is fenced in, containing our exotic animals for our tours, and our buildings that we use to operate. Offices, mechanical garages, barns, and storage sheds, that sort of thing. Usually if we have trespassing issues, it's in the northern woods, which is open to the public for walking/biking trails. Sometimes in the southern prairie reserve we get some wanderers, but it's pretty open, so people tend to shy away from it. But our interior, the central area, most of which is fenced in, is sacred ground for us. We have a children’s camp in there for kids to learn about nature, we have our animal barns, and even some staff housing. For people to walk around in there would be like a stranger walking through your bedroom at night, while you’re in the shower.
Not cool. Not cool at all.
One of our ecology survey teams found the camera in a lesser-used section a mile or so north of the children’s camp. Naturally, they assumed it was one of ours, until one of the staff innocently asked another ranger why we’d put a camera by that lake. When the ranger told her that we didn’t have any cameras there, it began to sink in.
We either have two trespassers, or the painter has decided to move his game further into our land.
I’m hoping it’s the former, that I’m overthinking things, but after all, the mystery painter had to have seen a few of the trail cameras we put up in the north to catch him. Could he be doing this as a form of tit-for-tat? I don’t know, but it’s got us rangers frustrated, and our ecology team is spooked. It was fun and games in the unpopulated north, but now he’s getting close to our people, our guests, and our animals. This is serious now. We removed the camera, but there’s not really much we can do without more patrols, more cameras, and more rangers. With our budget already restricted, the last part just isn’t possible.
My foray into trail cameras yielded no results as to a culprit. In fact, the day I came in early to pull them out of the field, it seemed nothing went right. Only two came off the tree, as I forgot the keys for the locks for the other two. I couldn’t find the last one at first, and darkness fell before I could locate it, so that I was wandering around in the northern district in the blackness searching for it. Inadvertently this helped me find the camera in the end; I saw the red light flash as it took my picture and was able to retrieve the SD card. It was in my long return trek to the patrol truck that I discovered the marks on a remote trail I hadn’t walked yet. A capital O and a capital N were scrawled in various places, with dots over the letters. I took German in university, so I know they aren’t grammatical marks from that language, known as umlauts (pronounced as “oomlout” for my fellow English speakers; for all my German speakers, if I spelled that wrong, I apologize). I’d left my phone in the truck (stupid rookie move for a seasoned ranger, I know) so I couldn’t take any photos, and didn’t want to follow the trail too far in the pitch dark. I had a flashlight with spare batteries, as well as my gun (I’m not a complete moron after all) but I didn’t have time to do much exploring, since I had other duties in the park that were waiting on me. I had some VIP’s that were coming in late, and had to be escorted, which meant I had to clamber back to my truck, swatting at mosquitos the whole way. Nothing on the cameras showed any definitive proof, though we might have a lead on a guy with a bow case on his back. Could be nothing though; it’s not illegal to wear camo or carry things, and it could very well have been a camera case, a backpack, or an empty bow case.
In any event, we rangers are working on a strategy for changing up our patrol routes and putting more cameras in the field, as well as checking in on the children’s camp frequently throughout the night. So far, this mystery person hasn’t actually hurt anything that we know of, but even if this is just local kids having a prank, it’s not funny anymore.
Anyway, on to the other news. For the aforementioned reasons, as well as others, I’ve been super swamped this past month, and so writing on the third book in the Barron County trilogy has been slow. I wanted to release it at the beginning of June, but at this rate, I’m going to have to push that back to late June, possibly early July. I hate to think I’ve disappointed you all, but it’s just not ready yet. That, and I’ve been busy with something else . . . something big.
I’m getting married next week.
It’s been a long time coming, but my fiancé and I are super excited. We’ve known each other since kindergarten and have been best friends since forever. We’ve both been running like chickens with our heads cut off to get everything ready, and naturally, we’re both exhausted/somewhat nervous. Our honeymoon will require some flying, and since my fiancé has never been on a plane before, that’s a point of nervousness for her. I’m sure she’ll be fine once we’re in the air, but until then, she’s a bundle of nerves.
All that is to say, I am working on the story, it’s just taking a bit. I cannot wait to get back into the swing of things for all of you and thank you again for your supreme patience in this. You guys and gals are great, and entertaining you all is a massive privilege. Stay tuned for the third installment of the Barron County trilogy, and the epic conclusion of Hannah Brun’s journey into the unknown! Until next time.
submitted by RandomAppalachian468 to u/RandomAppalachian468 [link] [comments]


2024.05.19 09:20 BeachFinancial824 TIL yogurt, pasta, and curry were invented in the 70s

TIL yogurt, pasta, and curry were invented in the 70s submitted by BeachFinancial824 to BoomersBeingFools [link] [comments]


2024.05.19 09:20 Charming-Lime3944 I need help with an essay I’m working on

So I am a university student majoring in English and I have a cause and effects essay that I am working on but I'm pretty much struggling to finish it. My professor did not give me a clear feedback and I don’t know who to ask for help 😿 if anyone is free to check my essay and they can help me with it, I would be very grateful 🙏🏻 its a bit long and I can’t post a picture here
submitted by Charming-Lime3944 to WritingHub [link] [comments]


2024.05.19 09:20 Ok-Photograph5200 20 [F4M] from USA new york

Hi!! I don’t really know what to write about myself but I’m looking for a kind and patient person who matches my energy. Hopefully long term. :) I’m very introverted, shy, and lonely but Id love to talk to people! I have horrible anxiety that affects me daily so bear with me. I’m always up late.
i draw sometimes, I’m a digital artist, and I occasionally enjoy doing video editing. I like to play video games (though I’m not very good at them.) I love music, feel free to share your favorites with me, I’m always open to new music recommendation. I also love animals, I have a cat.
I’m around 5’1, skinny and I have short black hai brown eyes. I have a very girly sense of style and I love generally cute things.
Feel free to Dm me and introduce yourself! I don’t bite. Or maybe i do.
submitted by Ok-Photograph5200 to ForeverAloneDating [link] [comments]


2024.05.19 09:20 throwaway_helpp123 How do you deal with a parent who acts like a martyr?

Hey guys. My mom has always been really unwell mentally but It's getting to a point where I feel like I need to start making a plan for her.
I grew up with drug-addicted parents but my mom was the one who stuck it out and stayed with me. She no longer does drugs ( She was mostly just drugged by my dad, But occasionally she did meth herself so she could stay up later and work longer hours) but shes a hoarder. It's weird to say but she "hoarded me" too. She didn't tell any of my family members that we didn't have hot water or access to heating or food for years. CPS came to my house and my aunt took me in when she found out when i turned 14. She gets very angry when I bring it up, even just the hoarding or advice about curbing her spending. She always has. My mom has been evicted at least 4 times, I lost count. She never showered regularly or brushed her teeth regularly or took care of herself regularly at all. It's gotten to the point where her health is so bad that she can no longer hold in her urine very well. She now constantly smells like urine, and leaks urine in her daipers everywhere she sits.
The worst part is that she's a nurse. She takes people's blood on a regular basis. She is completely functional at her job. But when it comes to being around me in person, she almost sounds psychotic. She points out parts of my body that she thinks are cute and funny because they've "developed" so i look "grown". Im 29 years old. She keeps trying to sleep in my bed whenever I visit because she wants to cuddle with me. I'm having to explain with her that i have boundaries that are healthy but she just doesn't understand and she doesn't really care. She just sits and watches TV and pees on herself.
I moved across the country and have lived across the country for about 2 years. She often sounds intelligent over the phone, but when I visit she acts like a sad little puppy. Her car is filled completely to the brim with her hoard. Even walking up the stairs makes her so tired that she makes a big deal out of it. She wants pity really badly from me and whenever I visit I have to pay for everything. She gives me a lot of bullshit reasons why she doesn't have money, but she works more than 40 hours a week. Her rent is only $400 because she lives in a spare room that her friend has. I tell her this doesn't add up and she just gets angry with me and starts talking about how she keeps pissing herself and passing out at her job from period blood loss because her health is deteriorating. The doctor's really struggle to diagnose her because she didn't have a papsmear in over 30 years. (Which I don't believe but they have no idea how to prove it or disprove it)
The thing is my mom is mentally unwell but she does a lot of this to herself, And she acts like she has no idea so I have no idea if she's playing a martyr or if she's actually unwell. My boyfriend says that I have to just let her be her, she acts so sad and pathetic around me, it guilt trips me so badly. And it sucks because my mom is so friendly to everyone so people love her. She even tells me things like " Your number one you can do anything! You're such an amazing person you're better than anyone else in the world!!" At first I used to love the attention but I realized later I think her entire interactions with me are starting to verge on love bombing. And when I'm physically around her she sees me as a source of pity and attention. But she's also peeing on herself now and her health is deteriorating so bad that she can barely climb stairs or walk far distances. Shes only 58. Yet she drinks multiple bottles of Mountain Dew daily. Her mother was severely depressed, wasted away on the couch for years, and died from an anurism at 62.
When do you step in? This is going to sound incredibly harsh but... do your parents have to earn that help? My mom has been mentally ill my entire life so I have no idea what she's supposed to act like. I've never had a normal parent, I don't know where to start I don't know what I'm supposed to do. I already told myself that I would never take care of my father but I have no idea what to do with my mother. She's convinced all my family members to pity her but they would never lend her money. She's just acts so pathetic that people feel sorry for her and I don't really know what to do because she's way stronger and better than that. Every time I tried to talk to her about her retirement she just brings up my dad and how he ruined her life, It's almost like she just doesn't want to move forward and only wants to lean on me. She hypnotized by the television too, Even as a child I noticed that my mom would miss appointments and completely destroy vacations ( There rare ones that we were able to have) by getting stuck just watching tv.
Please help me figure out what I am supposed to do with her. I have to remind her to change her diaper so she doesn't smell like piss when I visit. When I visit her it feels like I'm dealing with a toddler... Do you think her brain is deteriorating? How the hell is she still able to do her job?? This doesn't add up and I feel gas lit I don't know how to feel I don't know what to do....
submitted by throwaway_helpp123 to raisedbynarcissists [link] [comments]


2024.05.19 09:19 Imaginary_Corgi_5252 Husband (27m) and friend (30f) weird text exchange, should I bring it up or just drop it?

Husband (27m) and friend (30f) sending weird pictures to each other, is it normal?
I (26F) and my husband (27M) have been married for over 3 years and have 1 child and another on the way. Recently my husband was showing me something on his IG and his explore page was filled with half naked girls. We had a fight about it and how it made me uncomfortable and he acknowledged and said he wouldn’t look at that anymore. I am totally ok with watching porn but I feel like looking up specific people on social media crosses a boundary. This happened about a week or two ago and since then things have been fine. Tonight though I was using my husbands phone bc I don’t have Netflix logged in on mine (we both are 100% ok with each other being on the other persons phone as well as have both have each others Face ID on both phones). While I’m watching my show a twitter notification appears and my nosy self opens it. It’s from a friend (30sF) and it was a picture of some half naked anime girl and her thirsting over it. I’m instantly weirded out and decide to scroll through the messages, a little more than half of them are normal convos about movies/anime/video games but the other half are the weird pictures of half naked/full naked anime girls with both parties (friend and my husband) sending messages talking about how hot they are/thirsting over them. Is this a normal thing to send to friends??? I haven’t talked about it with my husband as he is sleeping, but I feel like this isn’t normal? Should I bring this up to my husband or just pretend I didn’t see it? Idk if I’m just being extra or and hormonal bc of my pregnancy or if this is weird to do. Thanks for any help!
submitted by Imaginary_Corgi_5252 to relationship_advice [link] [comments]


2024.05.19 09:18 SammyTabGuy Yeah I'm not doing great. More of a rant post than anything. OCD attack pls help w/o CBT or ERP.

Recently, my OCD has shot me in the chest and its causing all hell to break loose.
Recently I've been comparing my audio gear to what other people have and the objective sound curves to it. I tried on my friend's headphone a couple months ago and ever since I've started obsessively comparing what I have to other headphones on the market. I don't have money lately to replace my headphones though. But I just can't stop comparing how the bass sounds on it because it's not as good as other headphones.
It's also been causing havoc on my electronics too. Ever since I bought a cute small laptop for school, I can't stop comparing my tablets size to the laptop since they are the same size. And also the specs of a Kindle sized tablet I have for reading to others on the market in search for a better one.
Jesus christ I'm taking a beating and this is fresh out of therapyabuse level shit where the system chewed me out because of a 988 phone call that went drastically wrong and kicked me out of school because of that outburst.
My life is already hell why is my ocd making things worse.
I need help to combat my ocd without having to use the tools the MH system provides. Is there anyone with ocd that can help? This is driving me to insanity and I've lost a lot of money comparing other products to what I have and ocd isn't fun and starting to cause me significant stress I can't function.
Please no ERP or CBT. they are junk from the MH system that forces people to be content with their situation rather than change it.
submitted by SammyTabGuy to radicalmentalhealth [link] [comments]


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