Fake gold rope
shtlibertyhangoutsays
2020.05.30 17:57 Jaywalk66 shtlibertyhangoutsays
We’re here to laugh at the gold coming from our favorite fake libertarians.
2009.01.21 20:01 Sneakerheads Unite!
A subreddit for sneaker lovers.
2019.07.04 05:25 hoipalloi52 Clif High
Free the American people from tyranny, reject the Fed's FRNS (fake money called dollars) and embrace Bitcoin, gold, or silver.
2024.06.02 09:43 _Triple_ [STORE] 900+ KNIVES/GLOVES/SKINS, 100.000$+ INVENTORY. BFK Lore, Gloves Amphibious, Skeleton Fade, Bowie Emerald, BFK Auto, Gloves MF, Talon Doppler, Gloves POW, Bayo Tiger, Gut Sapphire, Stiletto MF, M9 Ultra, Ursus Doppler, Flip Doppler, M9 Stained, Nomad CW, Paracord CW, AK-47 X-Ray & A Lot More
Everything in my inventory is up for trade. The most valuable items are listed here, the rest you can find in My Inventory
Feel free to Add Me or even better send a Trade Offer. Open for any suggestions: upgrades, downgrades / knives, gloves, skins / stickers, patterns, floats.
All Buyouts are listed in cash value.
KNIVES
★ Butterfly Knife Lore (Factory New), B/O: $7194.77
★ Butterfly Knife Autotronic (Minimal Wear), B/O: $2025.74
⎯★ M9 Bayonet Ultraviolet (Field-Tested), B/O: $557.87
★ M9 Bayonet Stained (Well-Worn), B/O: $529.41
★ M9 Bayonet Boreal Forest (Field-Tested), B/O: $465.39
⎯★ Talon Knife Doppler (Factory New), B/O: $1295.27
★ Bayonet Tiger Tooth (Minimal Wear), B/O: $746.28
★ Karambit Bright Water (Field-Tested), B/O: $688.15
⎯★ Flip Knife Doppler (Factory New), B/O: $547.93
★ Flip Knife Autotronic (Minimal Wear), B/O: $476.69
★ Flip Knife Case Hardened (Battle-Scarred), B/O: $278.18
★ Flip Knife Black Laminate (Well-Worn), B/O: $258.83
★ Flip Knife Urban Masked (Field-Tested), B/O: $181.64
⎯★ Stiletto Knife Marble Fade (Factory New), B/O: $686.04
★ Stiletto Knife Doppler (Factory New), B/O: $665.41
★ Stiletto Knife, B/O: $601.39
★ Stiletto Knife Crimson Web (Field-Tested), B/O: $418.25
★ Stiletto Knife Night Stripe (Field-Tested), B/O: $227.80
★ Stiletto Knife Boreal Forest (Field-Tested), B/O: $194.96
★ Stiletto Knife Safari Mesh (Field-Tested), B/O: $192.79
⎯★ Nomad Knife Crimson Web (Field-Tested), B/O: $518.11
★ Nomad Knife Scorched (Field-Tested), B/O: $169.78
★ Nomad Knife Forest DDPAT (Battle-Scarred), B/O: $166.88
★ StatTrak™ Nomad Knife Blue Steel (Field-Tested), B/O: $335.79
⎯★ Skeleton Knife Stained (Well-Worn), B/O: $442.05
★ Skeleton Knife Urban Masked (Minimal Wear), B/O: $426.24
★ Skeleton Knife Boreal Forest (Field-Tested), B/O: $314.03
★ StatTrak™ Skeleton Knife Fade (Minimal Wear), B/O: $2361.28
★ StatTrak™ Skeleton Knife Urban Masked (Field-Tested), B/O: $376.53
⎯★ Ursus Knife Doppler (Factory New), B/O: $557.12
★ Ursus Knife, B/O: $471.42
★ Ursus Knife Blue Steel (Minimal Wear), B/O: $212.37
★ Ursus Knife Case Hardened (Battle-Scarred), B/O: $187.66
★ Ursus Knife Damascus Steel (Field-Tested), B/O: $178.18
★ Ursus Knife Ultraviolet (Battle-Scarred), B/O: $155.13
★ Ursus Knife Boreal Forest (Battle-Scarred), B/O: $124.26
⎯★ Huntsman Knife Black Laminate (Minimal Wear), B/O: $204.83
★ Huntsman Knife Black Laminate (Field-Tested), B/O: $184.50
★ StatTrak™ Huntsman Knife Lore (Battle-Scarred), B/O: $224.11
⎯★ Bowie Knife Gamma Doppler (Factory New), B/O: $2142.02
★ Bowie Knife, B/O: $230.44
★ Bowie Knife Damascus Steel (Factory New), B/O: $209.20
★ Bowie Knife Ultraviolet (Minimal Wear), B/O: $180.51
★ Bowie Knife Ultraviolet (Field-Tested), B/O: $131.03
⎯★ Falchion Knife Night (Field-Tested), B/O: $132.54
★ Falchion Knife Urban Masked (Well-Worn), B/O: $112.81
★ Falchion Knife Scorched (Field-Tested), B/O: $108.81
★ Falchion Knife Forest DDPAT (Field-Tested), B/O: $107.82
★ Falchion Knife Safari Mesh (Field-Tested), B/O: $107.46
★ StatTrak™ Falchion Knife Ultraviolet (Field-Tested), B/O: $143.08
⎯★ Paracord Knife Crimson Web (Minimal Wear), B/O: $486.48
★ Paracord Knife Blue Steel (Battle-Scarred), B/O: $163.12
⎯★ Survival Knife Blue Steel (Battle-Scarred), B/O: $138.26
★ Survival Knife Night Stripe (Field-Tested), B/O: $131.03
⎯★ Gut Knife Sapphire (Minimal Wear), B/O: $1127.79
★ Gut Knife Gamma Doppler (Factory New), B/O: $286.17
★ Gut Knife Doppler (Factory New), B/O: $246.55
★ Gut Knife Marble Fade (Factory New), B/O: $240.77
★ Gut Knife, B/O: $210.49
★ Gut Knife Lore (Field-Tested), B/O: $194.22
★ Gut Knife Case Hardened (Battle-Scarred), B/O: $151.51
★ Gut Knife Blue Steel (Minimal Wear), B/O: $124.94
★ Gut Knife Rust Coat (Well-Worn), B/O: $118.99
★ Gut Knife Boreal Forest (Minimal Wear), B/O: $109.80
★ StatTrak™ Gut Knife Doppler (Factory New), B/O: $237.96
⎯★ Shadow Daggers Gamma Doppler (Factory New), B/O: $264.92
★ Shadow Daggers Marble Fade (Factory New), B/O: $253.03
★ Shadow Daggers Tiger Tooth (Factory New), B/O: $237.22
★ Shadow Daggers Crimson Web (Field-Tested), B/O: $153.40
★ Shadow Daggers Autotronic (Minimal Wear), B/O: $144.42
★ Shadow Daggers Blue Steel (Field-Tested), B/O: $105.20
★ StatTrak™ Shadow Daggers Damascus Steel (Minimal Wear), B/O: $150.46
⎯★ Navaja Knife Fade (Factory New), B/O: $365.99
★ Navaja Knife Doppler (Factory New), B/O: $228.93
★ Navaja Knife Marble Fade (Factory New), B/O: $227.43
★ Navaja Knife Slaughter (Factory New), B/O: $209.06
★ Navaja Knife, B/O: $203.16
★ Navaja Knife Case Hardened (Well-Worn), B/O: $132.57
★ Navaja Knife Damascus Steel (Factory New), B/O: $121.69
★ Navaja Knife Damascus Steel (Minimal Wear), B/O: $109.95
★ Navaja Knife Damascus Steel (Field-Tested), B/O: $100.41
★ StatTrak™ Navaja Knife Fade (Factory New), B/O: $369.01
★ StatTrak™ Navaja Knife Damascus Steel (Field-Tested), B/O: $109.95
GLOVES
★ Sport Gloves Amphibious (Minimal Wear), B/O: $2394.67
★ Sport Gloves Omega (Well-Worn), B/O: $572.33
★ Sport Gloves Bronze Morph (Minimal Wear), B/O: $338.88
★ Sport Gloves Big Game (Field-Tested), B/O: $323.66
⎯★ Specialist Gloves Marble Fade (Minimal Wear), B/O: $1652.07
★ Specialist Gloves Tiger Strike (Field-Tested), B/O: $599.14
★ Specialist Gloves Crimson Web (Well-Worn), B/O: $231.57
★ Specialist Gloves Buckshot (Minimal Wear), B/O: $126.21
⎯★ Moto Gloves POW! (Minimal Wear), B/O: $996.99
★ Moto Gloves POW! (Field-Tested), B/O: $383.31
★ Moto Gloves POW! (Well-Worn), B/O: $276.00
★ Moto Gloves Turtle (Field-Tested), B/O: $180.28
⎯★ Hand Wraps CAUTION! (Minimal Wear), B/O: $502.29
★ Hand Wraps Giraffe (Minimal Wear), B/O: $180.73
★ Hand Wraps CAUTION! (Battle-Scarred), B/O: $178.32
⎯★ Driver Gloves Queen Jaguar (Minimal Wear), B/O: $181.01
★ Driver Gloves Rezan the Red (Field-Tested), B/O: $101.66
⎯★ Broken Fang Gloves Jade (Field-Tested), B/O: $127.88
★ Broken Fang Gloves Needle Point (Minimal Wear), B/O: $124.55
⎯★ Bloodhound Gloves Guerrilla (Minimal Wear), B/O: $127.94
★ Hydra Gloves Case Hardened (Field-Tested), B/O: $102.55
WEAPONS
AK-47 X-Ray (Well-Worn), B/O: $478.95
AUG Hot Rod (Factory New), B/O: $425.83
StatTrak™ M4A1-S Hyper Beast (Factory New), B/O: $413.95
M4A4 Daybreak (Factory New), B/O: $309.51
StatTrak™ AK-47 Aquamarine Revenge (Factory New), B/O: $305.43
AK-47 Case Hardened (Well-Worn), B/O: $196.38
StatTrak™ M4A4 Temukau (Minimal Wear), B/O: $174.64
P90 Run and Hide (Field-Tested), B/O: $167.03
AWP Asiimov (Field-Tested), B/O: $153.33
Souvenir SSG 08 Death Strike (Minimal Wear), B/O: $140.00
M4A1-S Printstream (Battle-Scarred), B/O: $124.70
StatTrak™ M4A1-S Golden Coil (Field-Tested), B/O: $117.48
AWP Asiimov (Well-Worn), B/O: $115.97
StatTrak™ Desert Eagle Printstream (Minimal Wear), B/O: $112.96
StatTrak™ AK-47 Asiimov (Minimal Wear), B/O: $110.85
Souvenir M4A1-S Master Piece (Well-Worn), B/O: $102.42
AK-47 Bloodsport (Minimal Wear), B/O: $100.53
Trade Offer Link - Steam Profile Link - My Inventory
Some items on the list may no longer be available or are still locked, visit My Inventory for more details.
Send a Trade Offer for fastest response. I consider all offers.
Add me for discuss if there is a serious offer that needs to be discussed.
2024.06.02 07:50 Visual_Ability_1229 lord Venkateswara part-5 main idol description contd
disclaimer : I am not endorsing or advertising for anyone to buy the Sri vatsa tracing I cited in the article. moderators, if you think it should be omitted, please let me know. also, no entity connected to the temple in any way is advertising through this.
DETAILS ABOUT ORNAMENTS AND FUTURE INFO ABOUT POSTURE
in my previous post we discussed only a general overview and his feet. also, some measurements . now we discuss the ornaments present in the idol (integral)
note : I am not talking about gold ornaments which are man made
BELT AREA
there are 4 belt like structures here. there is a large "buckler" in front in the middle. it has a "simha mukha" to it. this is generally found in South Indian idols, as a sign of warding off the negative eye.
there are round disc-like structures on the belt, decoratively.
there is a tight band below called the KATIBANDHA , near to the groin area.
below this, is a decorative drooping chain , falling half-way down to near the knees.
on the left side, tucking into the belt , the handle of a Dagger (CHURIKA ) can be made out. there is no sword on the idol, only a half-visible dagger on the left.
this is not visible after decoration, as there are too many ornaments, and a sword is used instead of a dagger for decor.
slightly above the navel , is a think band ( UDARABANDHA). it is very thick and tight. it is plain without any designs or motifs
everything seen here is fully formed on the back. there is no flat rock like base , like generally seen in other idols. everything is 360 degrees.
CHEST AREA
the Chest is strong and wide. the nipples are very prominent. there are no breasts , but the nipples can be very clearly seen.
at the corners of the chest , from shoulder to armpit, deep scars, run on both sides. they are also seen on the backside. characteristic of someone who regularly wears a pack of arrows ( devotee of Lord SRI Rama - rejoice !! )
THE SRIVATSA MARK - MOST IMPORTANT FEATURE IN CHEST AREA
Vishnu idols contain a mark called Sri vatsa. its shape and size varies a lot . it is like a triangle, or like a diamond , and sometimes like a knot (figure of 8 knot ) .
the most unique feature of this idol, is the Sri vatsa here is a fully formed Lakshmi .
this is located on the right chest, above the right nipple .
Due to the very large size of the main idol, it is possible to make out all the features even though the mark is small. it's roughly around 4 inches vertical and 3 inches diagonal. I will share a drawing of what this goddess looks like.
she has 2-arms ,seated in lotus pose (padmasana) on a lotus seat, inside a triangle .
this mark is fully integral to the idol, and has been a subject of great interest. it is exquisitely shaped with very tiny details . even the face and hands can be made out .
as such it is possible to take a Tracing of this mark , and the priests regularly do so on every Friday.
they use a paste of sandalwood, mixed with turmeric and various other items, and press it to the chest of the lord. a very clear impression of the goddess forms in this.
this impression is usually taken as 1 each for the priests doing the service on that day. 1 for the Jeeyangar trust, 1 for the TTD officials , and 1 for the acharya Purshas.
as this has been happening for a long time (hundreds of years), most of them have multiple copies of the impression. the surpluses now are shared with devotees.
( I don't want to debate the ethics of selling it for a certain price. the demand for it is a million times more than the supply. hence they started selling it. also, there were bitter fights by all entities who wanted them to generate more and who should be given. it was resolved to sell it - this is legally done. the ethics maybe not acceptable to some- but It is beyond the scope of this article)
those devotees who want to obtain this, can obtain it in 3 ways.
all sources other than the above 3 are selling fake ones on the market. for devotees who want to obtain this highly-prized possession, please don't fall into the trap.
I have personally seen people who paid exorbitant sums of money and got fake ones . I think it's best not to be so desperate. it's a priceless possession for sure, But Lakshmi devi's blessings will surely be there even without it.
THE YAGNOPAVEETA - the second important feature
there is a unique yagnopaveeta called the PRALAMBA BRAHMA SUTRA. it is made of 6 strands (signifies that he is married , 3 for the husband and 3 for the wife ) . there are some curious points here. it is also exceptionally long, and cane traced underneath the belts all the way upto his knees, ( hence the word - PRALAMBA - extra long ) and runs backwards.
unlike other idols, it only has 2 knots. also, its much thicker and heavier than upaveetas found in other idols. it runs down the length across his torso, but 1 strand cuts away also run to the left side going backwards, and never rejoins the rest. there seem to be some kind of inscriptions on the knots, which no one can understand . the script is unknown .
the entire yagnopaveeta can be fully traced on the backside also.
note : within vaishnavism, this yagnopaveeta and the srivasta mark are used to identify 2 other idols, which resemble vishnu in all other respects. one is VISVAKSENA ( SENAI MUDALIAR) and the other is VIKHANASA MUNI. these features are absent on them. the agama specifies that they should be absent.
also , by Puranas, those who attain lord vishnu's abode, may be blessed with his four ( 4 -arms etc . but these features would be absent in them - this is stated across so many scriptures that I cant even quote here )
CHEST JEWELLERY
there are 4 rows of necklaces each successively longer. on the lowest necklace there is a central round-oval with 4 petals on each side - the Kaustubha mani . its not very big in size unlike certain other idols.
all necklaces run to the back, and their knots and strings are clearly visible on the backside, running till the middle of the back.
THE VAIJAYANTI HAARA and the VANAMALA ( both are not the same) are absent on the idol.
submitted by Visual_Ability_1229 to hinduism [link] [comments]
DETAILS ABOUT ORNAMENTS AND FUTURE INFO ABOUT POSTURE
in my previous post we discussed only a general overview and his feet. also, some measurements . now we discuss the ornaments present in the idol (integral)
note : I am not talking about gold ornaments which are man made
BELT AREA
there are 4 belt like structures here. there is a large "buckler" in front in the middle. it has a "simha mukha" to it. this is generally found in South Indian idols, as a sign of warding off the negative eye.
there are round disc-like structures on the belt, decoratively.
there is a tight band below called the KATIBANDHA , near to the groin area.
below this, is a decorative drooping chain , falling half-way down to near the knees.
on the left side, tucking into the belt , the handle of a Dagger (CHURIKA ) can be made out. there is no sword on the idol, only a half-visible dagger on the left.
this is not visible after decoration, as there are too many ornaments, and a sword is used instead of a dagger for decor.
slightly above the navel , is a think band ( UDARABANDHA). it is very thick and tight. it is plain without any designs or motifs
everything seen here is fully formed on the back. there is no flat rock like base , like generally seen in other idols. everything is 360 degrees.
CHEST AREA
the Chest is strong and wide. the nipples are very prominent. there are no breasts , but the nipples can be very clearly seen.
at the corners of the chest , from shoulder to armpit, deep scars, run on both sides. they are also seen on the backside. characteristic of someone who regularly wears a pack of arrows ( devotee of Lord SRI Rama - rejoice !! )
THE SRIVATSA MARK - MOST IMPORTANT FEATURE IN CHEST AREA
Vishnu idols contain a mark called Sri vatsa. its shape and size varies a lot . it is like a triangle, or like a diamond , and sometimes like a knot (figure of 8 knot ) .
the most unique feature of this idol, is the Sri vatsa here is a fully formed Lakshmi .
this is located on the right chest, above the right nipple .
Due to the very large size of the main idol, it is possible to make out all the features even though the mark is small. it's roughly around 4 inches vertical and 3 inches diagonal. I will share a drawing of what this goddess looks like.
she has 2-arms ,seated in lotus pose (padmasana) on a lotus seat, inside a triangle .
this mark is fully integral to the idol, and has been a subject of great interest. it is exquisitely shaped with very tiny details . even the face and hands can be made out .
as such it is possible to take a Tracing of this mark , and the priests regularly do so on every Friday.
they use a paste of sandalwood, mixed with turmeric and various other items, and press it to the chest of the lord. a very clear impression of the goddess forms in this.
this impression is usually taken as 1 each for the priests doing the service on that day. 1 for the Jeeyangar trust, 1 for the TTD officials , and 1 for the acharya Purshas.
as this has been happening for a long time (hundreds of years), most of them have multiple copies of the impression. the surpluses now are shared with devotees.
( I don't want to debate the ethics of selling it for a certain price. the demand for it is a million times more than the supply. hence they started selling it. also, there were bitter fights by all entities who wanted them to generate more and who should be given. it was resolved to sell it - this is legally done. the ethics maybe not acceptable to some- but It is beyond the scope of this article)
those devotees who want to obtain this, can obtain it in 3 ways.
- high level government contacts, especially endowments department, IAS officials, or TTD officials.
- the Jeeyangar trust. they have the privilege of receiving the first impression on every Friday. you can ask in their mutt for it.
- The vaikhanasa Archaka residence , located on the north side of the temple, beyond the temple tank. you may go and ask there. they may tell you to wait for some weeks. sometimes, they might give it away for free as well. ( but usually the wait time is extensive - there are people willing to pay 10 times more than the price they usually quote which is actually not as much as you might think.
all sources other than the above 3 are selling fake ones on the market. for devotees who want to obtain this highly-prized possession, please don't fall into the trap.
I have personally seen people who paid exorbitant sums of money and got fake ones . I think it's best not to be so desperate. it's a priceless possession for sure, But Lakshmi devi's blessings will surely be there even without it.
THE YAGNOPAVEETA - the second important feature
there is a unique yagnopaveeta called the PRALAMBA BRAHMA SUTRA. it is made of 6 strands (signifies that he is married , 3 for the husband and 3 for the wife ) . there are some curious points here. it is also exceptionally long, and cane traced underneath the belts all the way upto his knees, ( hence the word - PRALAMBA - extra long ) and runs backwards.
unlike other idols, it only has 2 knots. also, its much thicker and heavier than upaveetas found in other idols. it runs down the length across his torso, but 1 strand cuts away also run to the left side going backwards, and never rejoins the rest. there seem to be some kind of inscriptions on the knots, which no one can understand . the script is unknown .
the entire yagnopaveeta can be fully traced on the backside also.
note : within vaishnavism, this yagnopaveeta and the srivasta mark are used to identify 2 other idols, which resemble vishnu in all other respects. one is VISVAKSENA ( SENAI MUDALIAR) and the other is VIKHANASA MUNI. these features are absent on them. the agama specifies that they should be absent.
also , by Puranas, those who attain lord vishnu's abode, may be blessed with his four ( 4 -arms etc . but these features would be absent in them - this is stated across so many scriptures that I cant even quote here )
CHEST JEWELLERY
there are 4 rows of necklaces each successively longer. on the lowest necklace there is a central round-oval with 4 petals on each side - the Kaustubha mani . its not very big in size unlike certain other idols.
all necklaces run to the back, and their knots and strings are clearly visible on the backside, running till the middle of the back.
THE VAIJAYANTI HAARA and the VANAMALA ( both are not the same) are absent on the idol.
2024.06.02 07:29 Legendhate Wanted to make a list too
 | submitted by Legendhate to piercetheveil [link] [comments] |
2024.06.02 07:03 MissMoosy Societies best kept secret… Villains are just as regulated as Heros
Villains secretly are condoned and supported by the government and the HSPC to further the Hero culture pervasive in society. All of the crimes that are committed by “Villains” in tight spandex are actually just fakes who play it up to take the fall for the hero’s.
This serves two fold, one there is now a meta for criminals, a certain way things are done that cause less mayhem on society,the fakes be come the gold standard for villains. Two it makes the heros seem unbeatable since they always win. Both ways help to lower crime!
Maybe this idea is a recent thing, with All For One actually dying against All Might, the heros decide to send in fake villains to fill the power vacuum his empire falling would cause, could even keep the beginning of the series similar and have the break in at the USJ a joint training program between UA and the newly minted Villain Academy!
Could even be a nemesis system where heros have villains directly linked to their names and careers.
submitted by MissMoosy to BokunoheroFanfiction [link] [comments]
This serves two fold, one there is now a meta for criminals, a certain way things are done that cause less mayhem on society,the fakes be come the gold standard for villains. Two it makes the heros seem unbeatable since they always win. Both ways help to lower crime!
Maybe this idea is a recent thing, with All For One actually dying against All Might, the heros decide to send in fake villains to fill the power vacuum his empire falling would cause, could even keep the beginning of the series similar and have the break in at the USJ a joint training program between UA and the newly minted Villain Academy!
Could even be a nemesis system where heros have villains directly linked to their names and careers.
2024.06.02 06:55 mikeramp72 Endgame #10
10th: Jessica “Sugar” Kiper 1.0 (Gabon - 3rd)
oh yeah, jessica kiper from gilmore girlsu/SMC0629:
Sugar has had such a weird history when it comes to her reception among the fandom. It feels like she either didn't get the respect she deserved, or was super misunderstood. I think she has one of the best journeys throughout the entire show, it's almost unparalleled. She goes from being a seemingly insignificant member of Kota, to becoming so much more scrappy on Fang, showing her truly entertaining personality and how she doesn't take shit from anyone. She's even pretty intelligent, and reads people well, something that is CRUCICAL throughout the season in terms of the strategy. I also really appreciate how the show doesn't shy away from showing her emotional moments, as someone who is the same way I think it's super relatable. She's also just got so many quotables, it's ridiculous, even more than Crystal if you ask me. All in all, a near-perfect character who goes toe to toe with Randy in terms of being my favorite on Gabon.
~
u/DryBonesKing:
Like with Shane, I really wonder how Sugar passed her psyche evaluation to make the cast, but I’m so grateful she did. Sugar is contention for having one of the best stories of all time, filled with religious metaphor, deep story moments, and just plain old simple “fucking hilarious scenes”. Sugar simultaneously gives too many fucks and not enough fucks at any given point, and she’s able to balance both mindsets at any point to a literal perfect degree.
I’ve seen some takes that praise Sugar for single-handedly making the narrative of Gabon about herself, and while I do think the story does revolve around her, I do want to pushback just ever so slightly since I think there is sometimes a soft implication that Sugar might be acting. I think it sometimes is not acknowledged how fragile of a state Sugar really was in this game and how truly emotionally devastating the events of the game were. It’s especially notable in her relationships this game with Ace, Kenny, and Bob, and how tight she is with all three of them and how betrayed she ends up feeling by the first two. There is just a natural spontaneous energy within her as she wrestles with her actions and what she needs to do to make peace with herself and it’s just so engaging.
u/Schroeswald had an amazing write-up that I recommend everyone read when you all get the chance. I’d love to add my own deeper thoughts on her as well, but I’ll just leave it at this for now. So glad she made it back to Endgame.
Overall Rank - 11/821 ~
u/Zanthosus:
I’m not the biggest fan of Gabon. I’ve made that clear throughout the rankdown. But one thing I will say about the season is that Sugar is absolutely incredible and singlehandedly saves the entire thing from being an overly negative and pessimistic slog. She wears her heart on her sleeve, plays with her emotions first, and creates a lot of fun chaos both intentionally and by accident. She’s spectacular. Simple as that.
~
u/Regnisyak1:
Sugar, Sugar! Sugar is a woman of many characters, but more importantly the main character of Gabon. Sugar’s emotional outbursts can be a lot, but I think they are tied very nicely to the story about her playing for her father, and it creates a variable season like Gabon that thrives off of its emotions and allows people to be themselves. Her relationships with Crystal, Bob, Matty, and Ace were incredible, and the pin-up model, one that would expect to be underestimated, eventually ran the season like the Marines, though in a chaotic way to the end. Love her, when I rewatched Gabon she flew to my endgame.
Personal Rank: 13/821. 10/10.
~
u/ninjedi1:
Sugar is unique, as there is multiple ways to look at her story. She could be the girl out there dealing with her emotions and managed to grow as a person, someone who was dragged along and once had power abused it to get her way, or many others. No matter what way you choose to interpret Sugar, there's something interesting about each perspective of her and is another person that helps make Gabon as great of a season as it is.
~~~~~
Tommyroxs45:
Sugar Kiper 1.0:
Sugar, a substance often known as sweet, good to the taste, bad for the health. Does sugar taste good in the moment? Yeah, but overtime it rots the teeth, becoming a negative presence on your life. Had good intentions and felt good but too much hurts.
You know exactly who this definition also applies to… Sugar Kiper.
Sugar has one of the top 3 best stories in the history of Survivor. Period. Paragraph. Her complete control of the game, while being a complete mess made for some of the most complex emotional gameplay ever seen on the show. Every single person she interacted with, had a relationship with her and usually was betrayed by her due to her emotions getting in the way of her gameplay, and I absolutely love it.
At the start, she's just seen as this pin-up girl, but as the game goes on, she becomes more and more wrecked with her emotions and doesn’t even play for herself. She wants to play the hero, by letting all of the good guys get to the end while blowing up her own game, but when she tries to play hero we get everyone else seeing her as “evil”. Becoming one of the most emotional and well told stories of the downfall of a person who was ultimately grieving and trying to play to help others.
We almost never see a hero get a downfall arc, because what is there to give, they are the selfless ones they should always be on the rise. But the great thing about Gabon, is that when someone is a hero, everyone else sees them as a villain because everyone is the villain and they feed off each other.
She throws everything away, her relationships, her game, and even her morals to make sure that the bad guys don’t win and someone she likes does. She will do anything to let that happen. And what makes it so tragic is that she doesn’t get rewarded for it ultimately, she is panned and driven to breakdowns over the feelings everyone else has for her. She was trying to make everyone feel good but it doesn’t work out because of the way she does it, and it’s a dark story but it’s what makes her so amazing.
This is present all throughout her story allowing for her to build as she goes, making it so deep. With her idol find on Exile Island and then her relationship and eventual betrayal of Ace. The premerge does a great job of setting her up, while not having a particular breakout moment. We see how her emotions and grief are impacting her and how it just gets worse and worse as the game goes on. While her story and overall memorability ultimately ramps up a lot at the merge. The premerge sets up a really good tone for the post merge portion to follow.
You can tell she has such good intentions and a big heart but just doesn’t know how to show it and is struggling with grief at the same time. She wants to be loved, and give everyone else the best chance they can get and have an optimal outcome but she can’t do that without pissing everyone off. You know it’s not coming from a place of malice, while her comments towards people like Corinne, Randy, and Crystal were negative, they weren’t wrong, they were bullies, and she called them out on it and sent them home so the nice people like Susie, Bob, and Matty could all get to the end.
That’s what makes her rivalries with these people so legendary, especially Randy obviously. While she has great dynamics with everyone on the season, and we see them explored to their fullest potential, by far her most notable ones are with 6 people, YES 6 PEOPLE! That’s how damn good her influence is that she single handedly in a key point in 6 peoples stories. (7 if you include Ace pre merge)…
Bob, Matty, Kenny, Crystal, Corinne, and Randy. So much of these people’s stories revolve around Sugar and her antics. Every single one of them is legendary, through either her grief, her quips, her heart, or her strategy she makes these stories what they are, none of these people would be the same without her.
Bob:
Bob and Sugar’s relationship is the seasons close. Her seeing him as her father, after her father had just passed before she came out, is such an impactful and honestly kind of beautiful storyline. It’s riddled with darkness but you see a light there, that she sees him in that light and throws away everything to pave the way for him to win and take control over his moves so he could win in the end. I’ll go into this moment later but one of my favorite scenes in the whole show is when Sugar is about to cry as her vote for Matty is read at the final four vote. It’s just perfect.
Matty:
Another one of the good guys just like Bob. They were close out there and you could see a family bond growing between them. Like brother and sister, and they dictated so much of the game together when Crystal and Kenny started to be too big for their britches. Her having to vote him out at the final four vote is tragic, powerful, beautiful, and symbolic of everything Sugar had done up to that point. You can feel her heart being cut in half after Matty loses, it’s like choosing between her father or her brother, and she completely breaks. The music in the background as Matty loses, knowing it was at the hands of Sugar, someone who he thought he could count on as a best friend and wouldn’t hurt him like that, it’s definitely in my top 10 favorite scenes of Survivor. It just sums up the season in a more impactful way than I have seen anything ever do prior or since.
Kenny:
Ah Kenny, what’s there to say about Kenny and Sugar. Their relationship is complicated, and that is probably an understatement, but damn is it good. Ken in a way, manipulates Sugar, often in her head about what to do and trying to play for the underdog. She knows what he is trying to do, but her heart won’t let her break away from it until the final 6 where she puts her foot down and flips on them. She realizes he’s a villain but doesn’t want to break his heart until he just gets too powerful to where he’s interrupting her journey, her path, her game to make the good guys win, and she can’t have that happen.
Her idol play was more of an act rather than a play. She wanted everyone to see that Kenny was evil and that she was doing this for the greater good. Now did everyone else see it like that, no, and that’s what makes it so great, she has great intentions, but it just doesn’t come off that way. Kenny is ultimately left heart broken and felt entitled to her heart, and for her to take that away from him left him pissed. To where we get a very funny one on one end but also a very telling jury speech from Kenny explaining his feelings for Sugar and how she took away his heart.
Crystal:
Sugar is the reason for Crystal’s downfall. Her relationship with Kenny just got too big for the game and were intruding on Sugar’s perfect story of getting the good guys to the end. Her jury speech to Sugar also represents Sugar’s mishandling of her emotions and calling out Crystal as a bully did not help that. Crystal was somebody on Sugar’s side and laughed with her at Randy’s misfortunes, being turned on definitely left a bad taste in her mouth, just crumbling Sugar’s mental state further and further. Showing how she’s pushing away everybody, even the ones who she aligned with and kept with, because of her motive and her grief.
Corinne:
Before I start I just want to say, fuck Corinne. Okay, now that is out of the way, Corinne is actually really good for Sugar’s story. Corinne is a bitch, a bully, and a terrible person, no bullshit, that’s who she is. However, she really plays up Sugar’s role on the season, being this opposition to her and everything she does. Someone who just has pure hate at the heart that owns it. She underestimates Sugar, until Sugar flips the game on its head for her and is all “woe is me!!” It’s really funny. She falls at the hands of Sugar and it is oh so satisfying.
Of course though what else could I bring up other than her jury speech. It’s awful towards Sugar, and one of the worst things ever said to somebody on the show. However, it really sums up Sugar’s story, with everyone’s opinions on her, her emotions, and her heart just trying to be full while being stomped on at every corner. I hate it as a moment for Corinne but as a moment for Sugar, it’s really works and is a dark way to bring Sugar’s story to a close but it was the only way that was gonna close.
Randy:
This is THE relationship of the season. Their rivalry is one of the most iconic of all time. It’s a lot like Jane and Marty where they just hate each other, do anything to bring out the worst in each other, and do not hold any personal punches back. Randy’s boot episode is in my top 10 favorite episodes of all time because of these two. The auction shenanigans where Randy gets pissed because of Sugar. Then, she tells Bob to give Randy the fake idol, and then laughs after Randy plays it. It is the funniest episode of all time and it’s not close.
They are so iconic together, it’s why Gabon is looked at the way it is today, because of these two and their relationship, or lack thereof. I mostly adore it for entertainment reasons but it also greatly lifts up both of their stories as well. Randy is a grumpy old man who has very little in his life and just spews his hatred out on others, and Sugar doesn’t see it as a lonely old man, she sees him as a complete asshole and someone who just has too much pure vile for no reason. He plays up her role of the “protector” and she plays up his role as “the old ass”. It works perfectly for the season both from a story perspective and especially an entertainment perspective, it’s T.V GOLD!
Sugar’s Final Tribal
I mentioned it previously, but her final tribal is the summation of her character and all the things she did during the game. She has a huge heart and is struggling so much with her emotions and breakdowns, to where this is just the huge snowball crashing into the tree. She is absolutely panned and it’s tragic, dark, but the perfect and most satisfying way to end her story. She is mentally broken at this point being out there for 39 days and just to be beaten down again and again for her chaos even if she had the heart behind it. It's sad but it’s serious and the way it should end.
Final Thoughts
Sugar is an absolutely phenomenal character. Her struggle with grief vs emotions vs game is an iconic story that has never been done as well ever in the history of the show. She genuinely has no faults as a character and has so many of the iconic moments that make Gabon what it is. She has such a sweet soul but it became damaging overtime as too much of her antics intruded on others peoples games.
In any other season, Sugar would be loved, and appreciated and supported, but in Gabon she’s hated and that’s why her dynamics are what make Sugar, Sugar! She works off everybody around her perfectly making some of the most iconic storylines ever seen. She’s such a deep and complex person that anybody that she interacts with is automatically made into a great story because she just has these relationships that feed into her emotions and her grief that are shown and told fantastically by the edit.
I adore Sugar, she is easily in my top 10 of all time and will always be there. She has a story unparalleled by anyone else and for that, I appreciate both her and the edit for being able to pull off one of the best stories of all time. Just like sugar, Sugar is a sweet character but one that has side effects but I still love her anyways.
SMC0629: 12
DryBonesKing: 10
Zanthosus: 8
Tommyroxs45: 5
Regnisyak1: 10
DavidW1208: 17
ninjedi1: 14
Average Placement: 10.857
Total Points: 76
Standard Deviation: 3.394 (5th Lowest)
Won Tiebreaker
2024.06.02 06:26 Pretend_Insect1378 Luna
Luna is wearing one of those old style button down dresses. Its white with tiny yellow flowers perfectly patterned across it. A small fabric ribbon wrapped up the waist and tied to form. The top has a sweetheart neckline with soft white lace that balances just above her cleavage line. Her clavicle is decorated with a single floating pearl. No shoes, hair untamed and free..she's smiling and there's warm.sunshine behind her. The grass is soft and cool beneath her feet, the scent is sweet like summertime honeysuckle in the breeze.
A gentle rain taps a rhythm and the wheat slithers as the trees hum. As she walks, each step she takes leaves a footprint of life. Shes not afraid anymore. Shes under an elephant leaf and she's only about 1 inch tall. A large black hole looms in front of her. Shes always been afraid of it. But not this time.
She walked right up to the edge and knowingly plunged into the unknown with confidence. As she swirled into fractals of existence she collided back into herself, falling into a paradox of her own consciousness. She clawed at the sides of the well she fell into and then she saw a rope. The rope wiggled at her as if inviting her to grab on. She grabs the rope and she's pulled into a hallway that has 13 rooms. She looks st the wall where the keys are stored and there are 13 keys available.
She's acutely aware that she's being offered a choice. But this Luna is smarter then past versions she request knowledge if what lie behind each door. They key all turn glowing gold. She takes the keys and places them on a keyring that is stored with the keys. She opens door number 1 first....
submitted by Pretend_Insect1378 to letters [link] [comments]
A gentle rain taps a rhythm and the wheat slithers as the trees hum. As she walks, each step she takes leaves a footprint of life. Shes not afraid anymore. Shes under an elephant leaf and she's only about 1 inch tall. A large black hole looms in front of her. Shes always been afraid of it. But not this time.
She walked right up to the edge and knowingly plunged into the unknown with confidence. As she swirled into fractals of existence she collided back into herself, falling into a paradox of her own consciousness. She clawed at the sides of the well she fell into and then she saw a rope. The rope wiggled at her as if inviting her to grab on. She grabs the rope and she's pulled into a hallway that has 13 rooms. She looks st the wall where the keys are stored and there are 13 keys available.
She's acutely aware that she's being offered a choice. But this Luna is smarter then past versions she request knowledge if what lie behind each door. They key all turn glowing gold. She takes the keys and places them on a keyring that is stored with the keys. She opens door number 1 first....
2024.06.02 05:30 _Triple_ [STORE] 900+ KNIVES/GLOVES/SKINS, 100.000$+ INVENTORY. BFK Lore, Gloves Amphibious, Skeleton Fade, Bowie Emerald, BFK Auto, Gloves MF, Talon Doppler, Gloves POW, Bayo Tiger, Gut Sapphire, Stiletto MF, M9 Ultra, Ursus Doppler, Flip Doppler, M9 Stained, Nomad CW, Paracord CW, AK-47 X-Ray & A Lot More
Everything in my inventory is up for trade. The most valuable items are listed here, the rest you can find in My Inventory
Feel free to Add Me or even better send a Trade Offer. Open for any suggestions: upgrades, downgrades / knives, gloves, skins / stickers, patterns, floats.
All Buyouts are listed in cash value.
KNIVES
★ Butterfly Knife Lore (Factory New), B/O: $7194.77
★ Butterfly Knife Autotronic (Minimal Wear), B/O: $2025.74
⎯★ M9 Bayonet Ultraviolet (Field-Tested), B/O: $557.87
★ M9 Bayonet Stained (Well-Worn), B/O: $529.41
★ M9 Bayonet Boreal Forest (Field-Tested), B/O: $465.39
⎯★ Talon Knife Doppler (Factory New), B/O: $1295.27
★ Bayonet Tiger Tooth (Minimal Wear), B/O: $746.28
★ Karambit Bright Water (Field-Tested), B/O: $688.15
⎯★ Flip Knife Doppler (Factory New), B/O: $547.93
★ Flip Knife Autotronic (Minimal Wear), B/O: $476.69
★ Flip Knife Case Hardened (Battle-Scarred), B/O: $278.18
★ Flip Knife Black Laminate (Well-Worn), B/O: $258.83
★ Flip Knife Urban Masked (Field-Tested), B/O: $181.64
⎯★ Stiletto Knife Marble Fade (Factory New), B/O: $686.04
★ Stiletto Knife Doppler (Factory New), B/O: $665.41
★ Stiletto Knife, B/O: $601.39
★ Stiletto Knife Crimson Web (Field-Tested), B/O: $418.25
★ Stiletto Knife Night Stripe (Field-Tested), B/O: $227.80
★ Stiletto Knife Boreal Forest (Field-Tested), B/O: $194.96
★ Stiletto Knife Safari Mesh (Field-Tested), B/O: $192.79
⎯★ Nomad Knife Crimson Web (Field-Tested), B/O: $518.11
★ Nomad Knife Scorched (Field-Tested), B/O: $169.78
★ Nomad Knife Forest DDPAT (Battle-Scarred), B/O: $166.88
★ StatTrak™ Nomad Knife Blue Steel (Field-Tested), B/O: $335.79
⎯★ Skeleton Knife Stained (Well-Worn), B/O: $442.05
★ Skeleton Knife Urban Masked (Minimal Wear), B/O: $426.24
★ Skeleton Knife Boreal Forest (Field-Tested), B/O: $314.03
★ StatTrak™ Skeleton Knife Fade (Minimal Wear), B/O: $2361.28
★ StatTrak™ Skeleton Knife Urban Masked (Field-Tested), B/O: $376.53
⎯★ Ursus Knife Doppler (Factory New), B/O: $557.12
★ Ursus Knife, B/O: $471.42
★ Ursus Knife Blue Steel (Minimal Wear), B/O: $212.37
★ Ursus Knife Case Hardened (Battle-Scarred), B/O: $187.66
★ Ursus Knife Damascus Steel (Field-Tested), B/O: $178.18
★ Ursus Knife Ultraviolet (Battle-Scarred), B/O: $155.13
★ Ursus Knife Boreal Forest (Battle-Scarred), B/O: $124.26
⎯★ Huntsman Knife Black Laminate (Minimal Wear), B/O: $204.83
★ Huntsman Knife Black Laminate (Field-Tested), B/O: $184.50
★ StatTrak™ Huntsman Knife Lore (Battle-Scarred), B/O: $224.11
⎯★ Bowie Knife Gamma Doppler (Factory New), B/O: $2142.02
★ Bowie Knife, B/O: $230.44
★ Bowie Knife Damascus Steel (Factory New), B/O: $209.20
★ Bowie Knife Ultraviolet (Minimal Wear), B/O: $180.51
★ Bowie Knife Ultraviolet (Field-Tested), B/O: $131.03
⎯★ Falchion Knife Night (Field-Tested), B/O: $132.54
★ Falchion Knife Urban Masked (Well-Worn), B/O: $112.81
★ Falchion Knife Scorched (Field-Tested), B/O: $108.81
★ Falchion Knife Forest DDPAT (Field-Tested), B/O: $107.82
★ Falchion Knife Safari Mesh (Field-Tested), B/O: $107.46
★ StatTrak™ Falchion Knife Ultraviolet (Field-Tested), B/O: $143.08
⎯★ Paracord Knife Crimson Web (Minimal Wear), B/O: $486.48
★ Paracord Knife Blue Steel (Battle-Scarred), B/O: $163.12
⎯★ Survival Knife Blue Steel (Battle-Scarred), B/O: $138.26
★ Survival Knife Night Stripe (Field-Tested), B/O: $131.03
⎯★ Gut Knife Sapphire (Minimal Wear), B/O: $1127.79
★ Gut Knife Gamma Doppler (Factory New), B/O: $286.17
★ Gut Knife Doppler (Factory New), B/O: $246.55
★ Gut Knife Marble Fade (Factory New), B/O: $240.77
★ Gut Knife, B/O: $210.49
★ Gut Knife Lore (Field-Tested), B/O: $194.22
★ Gut Knife Case Hardened (Battle-Scarred), B/O: $151.51
★ Gut Knife Blue Steel (Minimal Wear), B/O: $124.94
★ Gut Knife Rust Coat (Well-Worn), B/O: $118.99
★ Gut Knife Boreal Forest (Minimal Wear), B/O: $109.80
★ StatTrak™ Gut Knife Doppler (Factory New), B/O: $237.96
⎯★ Shadow Daggers Gamma Doppler (Factory New), B/O: $264.92
★ Shadow Daggers Marble Fade (Factory New), B/O: $253.03
★ Shadow Daggers Tiger Tooth (Factory New), B/O: $237.22
★ Shadow Daggers Crimson Web (Field-Tested), B/O: $153.40
★ Shadow Daggers Autotronic (Minimal Wear), B/O: $144.42
★ Shadow Daggers Blue Steel (Field-Tested), B/O: $105.20
★ StatTrak™ Shadow Daggers Damascus Steel (Minimal Wear), B/O: $150.46
⎯★ Navaja Knife Fade (Factory New), B/O: $365.99
★ Navaja Knife Doppler (Factory New), B/O: $228.93
★ Navaja Knife Marble Fade (Factory New), B/O: $227.43
★ Navaja Knife Slaughter (Factory New), B/O: $209.06
★ Navaja Knife, B/O: $203.16
★ Navaja Knife Case Hardened (Well-Worn), B/O: $132.57
★ Navaja Knife Damascus Steel (Factory New), B/O: $121.69
★ Navaja Knife Damascus Steel (Minimal Wear), B/O: $109.95
★ Navaja Knife Damascus Steel (Field-Tested), B/O: $100.41
★ StatTrak™ Navaja Knife Fade (Factory New), B/O: $369.01
★ StatTrak™ Navaja Knife Damascus Steel (Field-Tested), B/O: $109.95
GLOVES
★ Sport Gloves Amphibious (Minimal Wear), B/O: $2394.67
★ Sport Gloves Omega (Well-Worn), B/O: $572.33
★ Sport Gloves Bronze Morph (Minimal Wear), B/O: $338.88
★ Sport Gloves Big Game (Field-Tested), B/O: $323.66
⎯★ Specialist Gloves Marble Fade (Minimal Wear), B/O: $1652.07
★ Specialist Gloves Tiger Strike (Field-Tested), B/O: $599.14
★ Specialist Gloves Crimson Web (Well-Worn), B/O: $231.57
★ Specialist Gloves Buckshot (Minimal Wear), B/O: $126.21
⎯★ Moto Gloves POW! (Minimal Wear), B/O: $996.99
★ Moto Gloves POW! (Field-Tested), B/O: $383.31
★ Moto Gloves POW! (Well-Worn), B/O: $276.00
★ Moto Gloves Turtle (Field-Tested), B/O: $180.28
⎯★ Hand Wraps CAUTION! (Minimal Wear), B/O: $502.29
★ Hand Wraps Giraffe (Minimal Wear), B/O: $180.73
★ Hand Wraps CAUTION! (Battle-Scarred), B/O: $178.32
⎯★ Driver Gloves Queen Jaguar (Minimal Wear), B/O: $181.01
★ Driver Gloves Rezan the Red (Field-Tested), B/O: $101.66
⎯★ Broken Fang Gloves Jade (Field-Tested), B/O: $127.88
★ Broken Fang Gloves Needle Point (Minimal Wear), B/O: $124.55
⎯★ Bloodhound Gloves Guerrilla (Minimal Wear), B/O: $127.94
★ Hydra Gloves Case Hardened (Field-Tested), B/O: $102.55
WEAPONS
AK-47 X-Ray (Well-Worn), B/O: $478.95
AUG Hot Rod (Factory New), B/O: $425.83
StatTrak™ M4A1-S Hyper Beast (Factory New), B/O: $413.95
M4A4 Daybreak (Factory New), B/O: $309.51
StatTrak™ AK-47 Aquamarine Revenge (Factory New), B/O: $305.43
AK-47 Case Hardened (Well-Worn), B/O: $196.38
StatTrak™ M4A4 Temukau (Minimal Wear), B/O: $174.64
P90 Run and Hide (Field-Tested), B/O: $167.03
AWP Asiimov (Field-Tested), B/O: $153.33
Souvenir SSG 08 Death Strike (Minimal Wear), B/O: $140.00
M4A1-S Printstream (Battle-Scarred), B/O: $124.70
StatTrak™ M4A1-S Golden Coil (Field-Tested), B/O: $117.48
AWP Asiimov (Well-Worn), B/O: $115.97
StatTrak™ Desert Eagle Printstream (Minimal Wear), B/O: $112.96
StatTrak™ AK-47 Asiimov (Minimal Wear), B/O: $110.85
Souvenir M4A1-S Master Piece (Well-Worn), B/O: $102.42
AK-47 Bloodsport (Minimal Wear), B/O: $100.53
Trade Offer Link - Steam Profile Link - My Inventory
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Send a Trade Offer for fastest response. I consider all offers.
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2024.06.02 05:13 Equal-Temporary-1326 Who was Mr. Cruel? A prolific Australian serial home invader, child rapist, child kidnapper, child murderer, and likely serial rapist overall as well. Today, his memory continues to haunt his victims and Melbourne, Australia.
Mr. Cruel is the moniker for an unidentified Australian serial child rapist who terrorized Melbourne, Australia during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Here are the key details about this disturbing case:
Case 41: Mr Cruel - Casefile: True Crime Podcast (casefilepodcast.com)
Was Mr. Cruel active before 1987? There has been speculation among the Voctria police about if Mr. Cruel was already active as a serial rapist before the Lowr Plenty attack.
Here's list on 10 home invasion rapes pre-Lower Plenty that are thought to have been the early work of Mr. Cruel by Victoria police:
What is known about Mr. Cruel?
During the Dec 1988 and July 1990 abductions of Sharon Wills and Nicola Lynas, Mr. Cruel transported his victims in a car:
Mr. Cruel left his victims in secluded locations, that he must have been familiar with. It is likely that he had previously lived, worked, or visited these locations at some point.
Credit: Who is Mr Cruel? – Website dedicated to unmasking Melbourne child predator Mr Cruel
What are the others attacks thought to have been committed by Mr. Cruel?
1.) The abduction and sexual assault of a 14 year old girl in Hampton in February 1985.
2.) The sexual assault of a 30 year old woman in her Warrandyte home on 4 December 1985.
3.) The sexual assault of a 30 or 35 year old woman in her Donvale home on 6 December 1985.
4.) The sexual assault of a woman in Greensborough in March 1987.
5.) The sexual assault of woman in Greensborough in August 1987
6.) The sexual assault of an unknown victim in Hawthorn between 1985-1987.
7.) The sexual assault of an unknown victim in Brighton between 1985-1987.
8.) The sexual assault of an unknown victim in Caulfield between 1985-1987 (unknown if this is the crime referenced in this newspaper article in which a woman was abducted from her Caulfield home on 16 February 1986 and driven to Chelsea Heights).
9.) The sexual assault of an unknown victim in Dingley between 1985-1987.
10.) The sexual assault of an unknown victim in Dingley between 1985-1987.
Mr. Cruel documentary: Mr. Cruel: The Mystery Murderer Of Melbourne - YouTube
submitted by Equal-Temporary-1326 to UnresolvedMysteries [link] [comments]
- Years Active: Mr. Cruel operated between 1987 and 1990, during which he carried out three confirmed attacks.
- Suspected Murder: He is also the prime suspect in the abduction and murder of a fourth girl named Karmein Chan in 1991.
- Modus Operandi: Mr. Cruel meticulously planned each attack, conducted surveillance on victims and their families, left no forensic traces, and covered his face at all times. He even left red herrings to divert attention from his identity.
- Confirmed Attacks:
- Lower Plenty (1987): Armed with a knife and a handgun, he broke into a family home, tied up the parents, and raped an 11-year-old girl.
- Ringwood (1988): He abducted a 10-year-old girl after breaking into her home, leaving her bound and gagged. She was released eighteen hours later.
- Canterbury (1990): He broke into another family home, molested a 13-year-old girl for fifty hours, and then released her1.
Case 41: Mr Cruel - Casefile: True Crime Podcast (casefilepodcast.com)
Was Mr. Cruel active before 1987? There has been speculation among the Voctria police about if Mr. Cruel was already active as a serial rapist before the Lowr Plenty attack.
Here's list on 10 home invasion rapes pre-Lower Plenty that are thought to have been the early work of Mr. Cruel by Victoria police:
What is known about Mr. Cruel?
- Mr. Cruel had forensic knowledge
- Bathed two victims to remove DNA evidence and wiped sinks and benchtops to remove fingerprints
- Transported victim to release site in garbage bags
- Made victims brush teeth and clean nails
- Left no DNA at crime scenes or on victims
- Told Nicola Lynas: “you will be taken to a hospital and they will test you you will be examined by a police surgeon. They’ll be looking for evidence to link me to you and they won’t find anything.”
- Mr. Cruel had access to property under flight path
- Both Sharon Wills and Nicola Lynas heard planes landing while in captivity. Nicola Lynas told detectives she could hear the planes banking after they passed over her.
- An investigation into flights operating that day determined the likely location of the property as under either the Tullamarine east-west or north-south flight paths.2
- Spectrum Taskforce Head David Sprague said that based on how loud the planes were, they might have been just 400m above the house.
- Police searched 30,000 houses in 15 suburbs including Coolaroo, East Keilor, Niddrie and Westmeadows without luck
- Mr. Cruel followed media about his crimes
- Watched Lynas family press conference with Nicola and spoke to her about it, saying “Think you’re worth $25,000?”
- Went out to buy the Sun and seemed to enjoy the stories about his crimes and the parallels being drawn to other abductions
- Photos of at least two of Mr. Cruel’s victims appeared in newspaper articles in the leadup to their attack.
- Sharon saw a wooden tripod at the foot of the bed she was held in
- Mr. Cruel used red herrings
- Pretended to talk to an accomplice during Lynas abduction
- Pretended to be seeking $25,000 ransom during Lynas abduction
- Pretended to make a phone call during Lower Plenty home invasion
- Pretended to be looking for money during Lower Plenty, Wills and Lynas attack
- Spraypainted Chan’s car with words ‘Pay-back Asian drug dealer. More anon. More to come.’
- Left radio on 3TT throughout Wills attack
- Played KZFM in his car during Lynas attack, and had radio on in his bedroom
- Brought in radio and tuned it to 3KZ in Lower Plenty attack to mask sounds of attack
- Slept in until 10am during the Lynas attack on a Wednesday morning in July 1990
- Was unshaven during Lower Plenty attack in August 1987
- Abductions of Sharon Wills, Nicola Lynas and Karmein Chan occurred in or leading up to school holidays
- Was able to conduct extensive stalking and surveillance in the lead up to his attacks
- Used terms “bozo” “worry wart” “yous” and “missy” to his victims.
- Lower Plenty victim and Lynas described his voice as ‘deep’ ‘gruff’ ‘uneducated’
- Wills family described him as ‘no accent, well spoken, fluent English’ suggesting that he was Australian
- “You’re not going to be a hero are you?” to John Wills, “Think you’re worth $25,000?” to Nicola Lynas; “Do you feel brave?” to Lower Plenty victims
- Mr. Cruel could tie knots
- Knots used by sailors, truck drivers, farmers and fishermen.
- Was confident enough in his knots to leave adult victims tied up in other rooms
- Apparently was able to tie knots while wearing gloves
- Controlled multiple adult victims in Wills and Lower Plenty attacks
- Cut phone lines
- Always parked car around corner or in front of vacant blocks to avoid detection
- Entered via various means: removing window pane with knife, forcing roll-out window, pushing key through lock
- Had weapons and handcuffs
- Carried a kit containing housebreaking implements and restraints3
- Evidence of planning suggests offender spent time conducting reconnaissance and surveillance on his victims.4
- Lower Plenty family described his gun as a small black pistol-style handgun.
- Wills family described a dark-coloured handgun with a square grip, a squarish barrel with a silver bit at the end, possibly a pistol.
- The Lynas sisters described the gun as a gun with a silver barrel and a brown wooden handle.
- Karmein Chan was shot with either a .22 calibre weapon (according to Andrew Rule and John Silvester in The Age in Sep 1999) or a .38 calibre weapon (according to the Herald Sun in May 1992)
- Mr Cruel went to extraordinary lengths to ensure he was not seen by his victims and descriptions varied
- Lower Plenty description: aged mid 20s. Australian. 178cm to 183cm tall, slim to medium build with brown, greyish/white hair with white spots in it. Greyish/white bushy eyebrows. Unshaven, with a couple of days growth. Oval face, soft hands, possibly right handed. Wearing blue denim jeans, good condition, close fitting, a brown tweed sports jacket, a blue nylon waterproofed zip up jacket, blue runners with white flashes down the side, white soles in good condition and white cotton socks. Navy blue balaclava with an open face and some type of material covering the eye area. Dishwashing or surgical gloves light in colour, possibly yellow.5
- Wills attack description: Australian. 173cm to 180cms tall, thin to medium build. Had either a moustache or whiskers, possibly an early beard growth. Aged mid 20s to 30s. Right-handed. Hairy chest. Wearing a dark coloured boiler suit, gloves and a dark coloured ski mask or balaclava which had eye and mouth holes and white stitching around the eye and mouth holes, possibly with red stitching as well.6
- Lynas attack description: just under 170cm (though Nicola’s sister estimated his height at 182cm), well built, slightly big stomach, like a beer belly. No body odour; hands felt hairy with rough skin and shortish fingernails; arms were quite solid and stocky with fine hair; that he had fine hair on his chest and no hair on his back.7
- Mr. Cruel took trophies from his victims
- Ecuadorean Shirt Company parka with fake black fur collar
- a gold diamond engagement ring with the number 4132 stamped inside
- classic gold record set by London Philharmonic Orchestra
- Rosemary Lynas’ driver’s licence, Medicare card and credit card
- Ken Done beach bag
- A PLC summer uniform, tracksuit pants and school jumper
- A Melbourne football club beanie
During the Dec 1988 and July 1990 abductions of Sharon Wills and Nicola Lynas, Mr. Cruel transported his victims in a car:
- It was a four-door vehicle with carpeted floor, bucket seats, a low glove box and a floor gear shift
- The vehicle smelt clean but sounded old and he had trouble starting it
- The floor carpet, front door, arm rest and press down lock were all cream coloured
- He told both girls the car was stolen, which may suggest the car was not in fact stolen
- On the night Sharon was released, a White Commodore Vacationer sedan with three blue stripes along the side was seen acting suspiciously nearby
- Three independent witnesses have reported seeing a ‘van’ near Karmein Chan’s house, and a ‘ute’ or ‘truck’ where her remains were discovered – NB these sightings have not been verified by police
Mr. Cruel left his victims in secluded locations, that he must have been familiar with. It is likely that he had previously lived, worked, or visited these locations at some point.
- Bayswater Secondary College, near Dandenong Creek
- Thomastown terminal station, near Edgars Creek
FBI Profile of Mr Cruel
On 24 April 1991, the FBI provided the following profile of Mr Cruel to Victoria police based on their ‘research and investigative experience in similar cases’:- he may reside or work in proximity to his first and last known attacks i.e. Lower Plenty, Templestowe.
- he is likely to be employed or involved with a school due to the use of school uniforms and timing in school holidays (though NB the Lower Plenty attack and abduction of Nicola Lynas did not occur during Victorian school holidays)
- he will appear genuinely dedicated to students and this may have been recognised with awards which seem to make him above suspicion
- he will have kept home-made pornography including of his victims
- he is a functional individual with steady employment, is generally regarded as a good neighbour, polite, quiet, somewhat introverted, and may be involved in community projects
- if he has a partner they will have been away during the time of his attacks and will know of his sexual dysfunctions, use of pornography and schoolgirl uniforms etc.
- those around him may have noticed changes in behaviour during and after attacks, including uncharacteristic use of alcohol, interest in religion, missing work or appearing distant and preoccupied
Credit: Who is Mr Cruel? – Website dedicated to unmasking Melbourne child predator Mr Cruel
What are the others attacks thought to have been committed by Mr. Cruel?
1.) The abduction and sexual assault of a 14 year old girl in Hampton in February 1985.
2.) The sexual assault of a 30 year old woman in her Warrandyte home on 4 December 1985.
3.) The sexual assault of a 30 or 35 year old woman in her Donvale home on 6 December 1985.
4.) The sexual assault of a woman in Greensborough in March 1987.
5.) The sexual assault of woman in Greensborough in August 1987
6.) The sexual assault of an unknown victim in Hawthorn between 1985-1987.
7.) The sexual assault of an unknown victim in Brighton between 1985-1987.
8.) The sexual assault of an unknown victim in Caulfield between 1985-1987 (unknown if this is the crime referenced in this newspaper article in which a woman was abducted from her Caulfield home on 16 February 1986 and driven to Chelsea Heights).
9.) The sexual assault of an unknown victim in Dingley between 1985-1987.
10.) The sexual assault of an unknown victim in Dingley between 1985-1987.
Mr. Cruel documentary: Mr. Cruel: The Mystery Murderer Of Melbourne - YouTube
2024.06.02 05:08 MathematicianDull664 Disney Trip 5/31 review
WaltDisneyWorld would not let me post my travel thoughts, so posting here for others.
Firstly I want to say that I've been visiting Disney world since regularly for 40 years and I know all the parks and the history very well. In the early 2000's I lived in Windermere directly behind the Magic Kingdom and was a annual passholder. I'm also a Disney stock holder, so I follow the financials of the company and am aware of most if not all of the management decisions that have been made regarding the revenue of the parks and cost of running them. My hope is that this channel is monitored by Disney management personnel and some of my observations from an experience standpoint will fall on (mouse) ears.
I now live in Texas and have not been to any of the Disney parks for many years, so I was eager to take my 9 year old for her birthday to see the new attractions that everyone has been talking about this week (5/28 - 5/31). I had some old park hopper tickets that I was able to update to the new card system, which I immediately found complicated and arbitrary. I received several plastic cards to replace the paper tickets I had, but I could only determine what each of the cards had remaining on them by looking up each cards serial number using the Disney "Experiences" app. Now if you use Genie+ or Lighting Lane pass, every ride you go on requires you scan either your card, phone, or as I later discovered my iWatch if I paired it with the "Experience App". This required me to constantly pull out my card which quickly grew tiresome. My daughter saw everyone with a LED mickey wristband, which I learned was called a Magicband. I found out that it could be used to scan her into the rides and had an added benefit of playing a little audio clip on gold character statues around the park, and vibrated during fireworks, so I bought the cheapest one @ $35. A smart move by Disney to solve a problem with another upsell that they created in the first place.
I'm a software developer, so most technology does not usually confuse me, but the design of the "Experiences" app is pretty bad. It's very hard to get the information you need, the features are categorized poorly, not explained well, and navigation is redundant and unintuitive. I really don't know how the average family makes heads or tails of it. I think that the feature that I utilized the most was the Cast Member Chat, because they were the only one that could make any sense of the extensive rules and restrictions that have been added to all the parks and access. I leaned on the Disney ticket agent who was a 26 year Disney employee veteran to help setup which parks my daughter and I were interested in. I had to purchase an additional child's single day ticket ($5 off the $179 adult ticket) so I had the ticket agent set that up as well. The ticketing process is so confusing that even the 26 year Disney employee had a problem with the setup that I'll explain later.
The first day we went to Epcot for the Guardians Coaster, Ratatouille, and the Frozen ride what I had not seen before. I was told that to reserve the Guardians ride, I needed to get on the "Experiences" app at 7am to reserve a virtual queue in line. I loaded the app at 6:55am and kept refreshing until at 7 the screen switched to "Press to enter the Virtual Queue" button appeared. In the 4 seconds it took me to read the text on the page, the app told me that the virtual queue was already full and I would now have to wait until 1pm to try again or buy a lighting lane pass for $36 for the 2 of us. I wanted to park hop to Magic Kingdom and you are required to be in the park at 1pm to try the queue again so I simply bought the lighting pass to get it over with rather than spend my vacation pulling out my phone out and checking my watch and queue status all day.
Just as a FYI, I was successful queueing the next day for Tron, by using the same technique but hitting the "Press to enter the Virtual Queue" immediately, a process that I estimate took me 2 total seconds. Doing so I received a queue group of 72 which resulted in our group being called at 2:45pm in the afternoon. Needless to say I was left with a very bad taste in my mouth as I had to be on my phone at 7am every morning with mixed success and then even when I was successful I constantly had to check my phone to see where I was in the queue to avoid missing our place. Even my 9 year old was so annoyed by my phone obsession and eventually suggested that we only check the phone after we get off a ride.
We had to scan our fingers on the initial check in, which I'd heard about to lock our tickets to us. As a privacy advocate I'm not super excited about this, nor the idea that I cannot easily swap users of the card to another family member at my choosing, but I'm sure that others have expressed these concerns so I won't elaborate further. We were staying at a Disney Resort, so we arrived at the Epcot back entrance exactly at 8:30am to rope drop Ratatouille. Apparently that was everyone else's idea because the outdoor line queue for Ratatouille was already at 35 minutes when we arrived. When we did get on the ride, I was very underwhelmed with the presentation and felt that the quality of what I had known Disney to produce had severely dropped. I had to wear 3D glasses on a practical dark ride that moved in parts from 3D projection screens to small room breaks that had no characters or effects which required my to constantly remove and again put on the glasses to see anything clearly. As far as I could see there were no animatronics or real characters within the practical scenes and the 3D screens were dark, poorly aligned when attempting to create false parallax, and frequently distorted. Overall it reminded me of a rip-off of the Spiderman ride at Universal that was made about 10 years ago.
I bought 2 Genie+ passes in addition to the $36 Guardians Lighting Lane passes, so that added another $100 to our park tickets. As soon as we got in the park I made a Genie+ reservation for the Frozen ride, but the first available slot was 1:45pm, so I guess that's a popular one too. Since we had some time to wait for our 11:15am Guardians Lighting Lane reserve, we walked around world showcase, which was pretty much how I remember it and walk over to the new Moana water thing. I've probably been to Epcot about 200 times so I thought I knew my way around pretty well, but when I got the old communicore fountain area I got completely lost by the labyrinth of narrow paths and hidden turns. It seems Disney's original rule of designing a park to lead the patron to the next focal point has not been adopted by the current designers. The moana experience was wedged in between the restrooms between The Land and Living Seas pavilions, which was an odd choice when it seems they could have put it where the old communicore fountain was to both add tropical beauty to that previously dull area as well as implement an impressive water feature. As it is installed now, the experience is hidden, cramped, and overall does not really communicate the naturalist messaging that the numerous signs in the pathway claimed to resemble.
There was also a new choke point that was introduced between Spaceship Earth and the Land where the only path on that side of the park was about 12 feet wide. A great idea now that every other family either has a double wide stroller or electric scooter taking up even more of the pathway than they used to. I also noticed this at Hollywood Studios in the new Galaxy Edge area. Not sure why the current Disney design team thinks the paths in the parks should narrower than they were before, but my assumption is that it's a cost saving measure.
We made it on the new Guardians coaster with our lighting pass, and I appreciate that we did not have to wait in the regular queue and got on the preshow portion of the ride in 5 minutes. I thought the ride was ok, not great with heavy use of video projection in both the preshow and ride. The extent of practical effects was a giant planet that you rotate around which seems flat and unrealistic. For a ride that is supposed to be the new high standard of Disney Imagineering, it seems that a nearly completely reliance on some projection screens in a dark coaster seems cheap and uninspired. Does anyone remember the giant glowing future city at the end of World of Motion? How did we go from that to this?
We finished Epcot at the Frozen ride, which was lackluster with no story, cheap animatronic character that had disturbing glowing projection faces with dead stares. Not that the Norway ride was that great, but it at least and some interesting scenery, a troll with fiber optics and a drop with the Miniature practical Storm and Oil Rig which were slightly memorable. To replace it with a bunch of flat, black light painted wood panels to recreate one of the highest grossing animated modern era Disney films seems uninspired and unimaginative. I mean they couldn't even design an interesting mirrocrystal room for Elsa's Ice Palace that would make you feel like your are in a much bigger and impressive space?
The next day we went to Hollywood Studios and I paid another $44 for both of us to go on Rise of Resistance and $70 for 2 more Genie+ passes, so another $114 in addition to the cost of the park tickets. We did Tower of Terror first which thankfully has not been redesigned and still holds up over the years, even though I think the drops have been reduced and shortened, a change I'm sure my 9 year old did not have any objection with.
We made our way over to the new Pixar area which I found to be very garish and infantile, more like if McDonalds designed a theme park, not Disney or Pixar. The wait for Slinks coaster was already 90 minutes at 10:30am and even though we had the Genie+ pass, it was not available so we skipped it. On another note it was already 94 degrees and there is no shade in most areas of the new areas of this park other than some haphazardly placed umbrellas on the sides of the path that guests huddle underneath. It's like the park designers have never visited Florida in summer or simply don't care if anyone bakes in the sun.
We made it to the Star Wars area and I found it very confusing and mazelike. I never knew where I was, as the other areas I mentioned there were multiple choke points in the paths in a area that proved to be the most crowded in the park. The detailing of the buildings and nature features seemed cheapy executed and fake. They didn't really remind me much of the Star Wars universe and would barely hold up in an episode of the Mandalorian. My favorite experience by far was the Millennium Falcon ride where my daughter and I got to pilot the ship which was a dream experience. Even the queue area of this ride is amazing with the level of detail and nostalgia that I would expect from a E-Ticket Disney Ride.
Rise of the Resistance was fine, not worth $44, containing more of the poorly executed fake projection screens effects and motion vehicles traveling though cheaply constructed Empire/Order hallways. I'm also 95% sure that the Kylo Ren animatronic at the end is the recycled from the Wicked Witch from Great Movie Ride. I feel like the animation was even recycled.
Last day we went to Magic Kingdom with the intention of riding Tron and Snow White Mine Train. I bought Lighting Lane passes for both rides adding another $66 ($26 for SN and $40 for Tron) to the tickets. I again got up at 7am to enter the virtual raffle for the Tron queue, and discovered that I could now add my daughter to the queue group. I immediately contacted a Disney chat agent who discovered that the helpful Disney ticket agent who I purchased a single day ticket to Magic Kingdom had put in the wrong date for our visit. By doing so, it effectively made my daughter ticket ineligible for virtual queues (and may have not granted her access to the park for the day I paid for). Thankfully the online agent was able to change to date so I could actually use the $175 single park ticket that I bought the night before I intended to use it.
Snow White was well done and fun, sort of a combination or Matterhorn and Barnstormer. I did notice that it also contained the cheap animatronic characters that had disturbing glowing projection faces like the Frozen ride. Is it that really that hard to maintain facial articulation on audioanimatronics? Disney did it since Carousel of Progress and the projection faces seem like a huge step backward.
Tron was what I was most excited about being envious of the Tokyo version. The building that houses Tron is impressive and clearly designed to be a key feature to draw guests in with an extended walkway and LED effects on the scaffolding. I was able to reserve a virtual queue for the day, so I reserved a 10:00pm Lighting Lane pass. I preferred the night ride, as there was more constant immersion with indoooutdoor areas of the coaster. I thought the reclined ride cars were unique and well done if not a bit uncomfortable. They are slightly constrictive how they hold you in and I noticed that a child in the car in front of me was restrained to tightly and started to have trouble breathing screaming for help from her parents by the end of the ride, which was unsettling, so consider asking for the last car that does not have this type of restraint for little ones. The ride again was plagued with projection screens inside the ride in lieu of practical effects and reminded me or Guardians. We also bought a Diecast Tron lightbike with LEDs in the giftshop and upon getting home the bike was made in China, was broken and did not illuminate.
After all the travel, tacked on cost of all the addons, special ride passes, and the inconvenience of the highly restrictive and expensive park tickets and the cheaper quality of the rides, I don't feel like Disney offers a good value or exceptional experience anymore. I actually felt bad for families with several kids that clearly were spending thousands of dollars for a vacation that honestly felt more like a job most of the time. I also noticed cast members that were either rude, impatient, or audibly complaining about their job position, shift, the heat, or anything else that an average worker would complain about. I understand that Disney employees are regular people and not robots, but previously I always felt that Disney employees were extremely proud to be working at Disney World and it reflected in how they treated guests and it added to the magic. Now I just felt like I'm was six flags and everyone was just counting the minutes until they could go home. I'm glad that I could take my daughter and have the experience with her, but I will not be returning to Disney World any time soon as it seems that the company and how they value the guest experience has diminished significantly from what I remember.
submitted by MathematicianDull664 to themeparks [link] [comments]
Firstly I want to say that I've been visiting Disney world since regularly for 40 years and I know all the parks and the history very well. In the early 2000's I lived in Windermere directly behind the Magic Kingdom and was a annual passholder. I'm also a Disney stock holder, so I follow the financials of the company and am aware of most if not all of the management decisions that have been made regarding the revenue of the parks and cost of running them. My hope is that this channel is monitored by Disney management personnel and some of my observations from an experience standpoint will fall on (mouse) ears.
I now live in Texas and have not been to any of the Disney parks for many years, so I was eager to take my 9 year old for her birthday to see the new attractions that everyone has been talking about this week (5/28 - 5/31). I had some old park hopper tickets that I was able to update to the new card system, which I immediately found complicated and arbitrary. I received several plastic cards to replace the paper tickets I had, but I could only determine what each of the cards had remaining on them by looking up each cards serial number using the Disney "Experiences" app. Now if you use Genie+ or Lighting Lane pass, every ride you go on requires you scan either your card, phone, or as I later discovered my iWatch if I paired it with the "Experience App". This required me to constantly pull out my card which quickly grew tiresome. My daughter saw everyone with a LED mickey wristband, which I learned was called a Magicband. I found out that it could be used to scan her into the rides and had an added benefit of playing a little audio clip on gold character statues around the park, and vibrated during fireworks, so I bought the cheapest one @ $35. A smart move by Disney to solve a problem with another upsell that they created in the first place.
I'm a software developer, so most technology does not usually confuse me, but the design of the "Experiences" app is pretty bad. It's very hard to get the information you need, the features are categorized poorly, not explained well, and navigation is redundant and unintuitive. I really don't know how the average family makes heads or tails of it. I think that the feature that I utilized the most was the Cast Member Chat, because they were the only one that could make any sense of the extensive rules and restrictions that have been added to all the parks and access. I leaned on the Disney ticket agent who was a 26 year Disney employee veteran to help setup which parks my daughter and I were interested in. I had to purchase an additional child's single day ticket ($5 off the $179 adult ticket) so I had the ticket agent set that up as well. The ticketing process is so confusing that even the 26 year Disney employee had a problem with the setup that I'll explain later.
The first day we went to Epcot for the Guardians Coaster, Ratatouille, and the Frozen ride what I had not seen before. I was told that to reserve the Guardians ride, I needed to get on the "Experiences" app at 7am to reserve a virtual queue in line. I loaded the app at 6:55am and kept refreshing until at 7 the screen switched to "Press to enter the Virtual Queue" button appeared. In the 4 seconds it took me to read the text on the page, the app told me that the virtual queue was already full and I would now have to wait until 1pm to try again or buy a lighting lane pass for $36 for the 2 of us. I wanted to park hop to Magic Kingdom and you are required to be in the park at 1pm to try the queue again so I simply bought the lighting pass to get it over with rather than spend my vacation pulling out my phone out and checking my watch and queue status all day.
Just as a FYI, I was successful queueing the next day for Tron, by using the same technique but hitting the "Press to enter the Virtual Queue" immediately, a process that I estimate took me 2 total seconds. Doing so I received a queue group of 72 which resulted in our group being called at 2:45pm in the afternoon. Needless to say I was left with a very bad taste in my mouth as I had to be on my phone at 7am every morning with mixed success and then even when I was successful I constantly had to check my phone to see where I was in the queue to avoid missing our place. Even my 9 year old was so annoyed by my phone obsession and eventually suggested that we only check the phone after we get off a ride.
We had to scan our fingers on the initial check in, which I'd heard about to lock our tickets to us. As a privacy advocate I'm not super excited about this, nor the idea that I cannot easily swap users of the card to another family member at my choosing, but I'm sure that others have expressed these concerns so I won't elaborate further. We were staying at a Disney Resort, so we arrived at the Epcot back entrance exactly at 8:30am to rope drop Ratatouille. Apparently that was everyone else's idea because the outdoor line queue for Ratatouille was already at 35 minutes when we arrived. When we did get on the ride, I was very underwhelmed with the presentation and felt that the quality of what I had known Disney to produce had severely dropped. I had to wear 3D glasses on a practical dark ride that moved in parts from 3D projection screens to small room breaks that had no characters or effects which required my to constantly remove and again put on the glasses to see anything clearly. As far as I could see there were no animatronics or real characters within the practical scenes and the 3D screens were dark, poorly aligned when attempting to create false parallax, and frequently distorted. Overall it reminded me of a rip-off of the Spiderman ride at Universal that was made about 10 years ago.
I bought 2 Genie+ passes in addition to the $36 Guardians Lighting Lane passes, so that added another $100 to our park tickets. As soon as we got in the park I made a Genie+ reservation for the Frozen ride, but the first available slot was 1:45pm, so I guess that's a popular one too. Since we had some time to wait for our 11:15am Guardians Lighting Lane reserve, we walked around world showcase, which was pretty much how I remember it and walk over to the new Moana water thing. I've probably been to Epcot about 200 times so I thought I knew my way around pretty well, but when I got the old communicore fountain area I got completely lost by the labyrinth of narrow paths and hidden turns. It seems Disney's original rule of designing a park to lead the patron to the next focal point has not been adopted by the current designers. The moana experience was wedged in between the restrooms between The Land and Living Seas pavilions, which was an odd choice when it seems they could have put it where the old communicore fountain was to both add tropical beauty to that previously dull area as well as implement an impressive water feature. As it is installed now, the experience is hidden, cramped, and overall does not really communicate the naturalist messaging that the numerous signs in the pathway claimed to resemble.
There was also a new choke point that was introduced between Spaceship Earth and the Land where the only path on that side of the park was about 12 feet wide. A great idea now that every other family either has a double wide stroller or electric scooter taking up even more of the pathway than they used to. I also noticed this at Hollywood Studios in the new Galaxy Edge area. Not sure why the current Disney design team thinks the paths in the parks should narrower than they were before, but my assumption is that it's a cost saving measure.
We made it on the new Guardians coaster with our lighting pass, and I appreciate that we did not have to wait in the regular queue and got on the preshow portion of the ride in 5 minutes. I thought the ride was ok, not great with heavy use of video projection in both the preshow and ride. The extent of practical effects was a giant planet that you rotate around which seems flat and unrealistic. For a ride that is supposed to be the new high standard of Disney Imagineering, it seems that a nearly completely reliance on some projection screens in a dark coaster seems cheap and uninspired. Does anyone remember the giant glowing future city at the end of World of Motion? How did we go from that to this?
We finished Epcot at the Frozen ride, which was lackluster with no story, cheap animatronic character that had disturbing glowing projection faces with dead stares. Not that the Norway ride was that great, but it at least and some interesting scenery, a troll with fiber optics and a drop with the Miniature practical Storm and Oil Rig which were slightly memorable. To replace it with a bunch of flat, black light painted wood panels to recreate one of the highest grossing animated modern era Disney films seems uninspired and unimaginative. I mean they couldn't even design an interesting mirrocrystal room for Elsa's Ice Palace that would make you feel like your are in a much bigger and impressive space?
The next day we went to Hollywood Studios and I paid another $44 for both of us to go on Rise of Resistance and $70 for 2 more Genie+ passes, so another $114 in addition to the cost of the park tickets. We did Tower of Terror first which thankfully has not been redesigned and still holds up over the years, even though I think the drops have been reduced and shortened, a change I'm sure my 9 year old did not have any objection with.
We made our way over to the new Pixar area which I found to be very garish and infantile, more like if McDonalds designed a theme park, not Disney or Pixar. The wait for Slinks coaster was already 90 minutes at 10:30am and even though we had the Genie+ pass, it was not available so we skipped it. On another note it was already 94 degrees and there is no shade in most areas of the new areas of this park other than some haphazardly placed umbrellas on the sides of the path that guests huddle underneath. It's like the park designers have never visited Florida in summer or simply don't care if anyone bakes in the sun.
We made it to the Star Wars area and I found it very confusing and mazelike. I never knew where I was, as the other areas I mentioned there were multiple choke points in the paths in a area that proved to be the most crowded in the park. The detailing of the buildings and nature features seemed cheapy executed and fake. They didn't really remind me much of the Star Wars universe and would barely hold up in an episode of the Mandalorian. My favorite experience by far was the Millennium Falcon ride where my daughter and I got to pilot the ship which was a dream experience. Even the queue area of this ride is amazing with the level of detail and nostalgia that I would expect from a E-Ticket Disney Ride.
Rise of the Resistance was fine, not worth $44, containing more of the poorly executed fake projection screens effects and motion vehicles traveling though cheaply constructed Empire/Order hallways. I'm also 95% sure that the Kylo Ren animatronic at the end is the recycled from the Wicked Witch from Great Movie Ride. I feel like the animation was even recycled.
Last day we went to Magic Kingdom with the intention of riding Tron and Snow White Mine Train. I bought Lighting Lane passes for both rides adding another $66 ($26 for SN and $40 for Tron) to the tickets. I again got up at 7am to enter the virtual raffle for the Tron queue, and discovered that I could now add my daughter to the queue group. I immediately contacted a Disney chat agent who discovered that the helpful Disney ticket agent who I purchased a single day ticket to Magic Kingdom had put in the wrong date for our visit. By doing so, it effectively made my daughter ticket ineligible for virtual queues (and may have not granted her access to the park for the day I paid for). Thankfully the online agent was able to change to date so I could actually use the $175 single park ticket that I bought the night before I intended to use it.
Snow White was well done and fun, sort of a combination or Matterhorn and Barnstormer. I did notice that it also contained the cheap animatronic characters that had disturbing glowing projection faces like the Frozen ride. Is it that really that hard to maintain facial articulation on audioanimatronics? Disney did it since Carousel of Progress and the projection faces seem like a huge step backward.
Tron was what I was most excited about being envious of the Tokyo version. The building that houses Tron is impressive and clearly designed to be a key feature to draw guests in with an extended walkway and LED effects on the scaffolding. I was able to reserve a virtual queue for the day, so I reserved a 10:00pm Lighting Lane pass. I preferred the night ride, as there was more constant immersion with indoooutdoor areas of the coaster. I thought the reclined ride cars were unique and well done if not a bit uncomfortable. They are slightly constrictive how they hold you in and I noticed that a child in the car in front of me was restrained to tightly and started to have trouble breathing screaming for help from her parents by the end of the ride, which was unsettling, so consider asking for the last car that does not have this type of restraint for little ones. The ride again was plagued with projection screens inside the ride in lieu of practical effects and reminded me or Guardians. We also bought a Diecast Tron lightbike with LEDs in the giftshop and upon getting home the bike was made in China, was broken and did not illuminate.
After all the travel, tacked on cost of all the addons, special ride passes, and the inconvenience of the highly restrictive and expensive park tickets and the cheaper quality of the rides, I don't feel like Disney offers a good value or exceptional experience anymore. I actually felt bad for families with several kids that clearly were spending thousands of dollars for a vacation that honestly felt more like a job most of the time. I also noticed cast members that were either rude, impatient, or audibly complaining about their job position, shift, the heat, or anything else that an average worker would complain about. I understand that Disney employees are regular people and not robots, but previously I always felt that Disney employees were extremely proud to be working at Disney World and it reflected in how they treated guests and it added to the magic. Now I just felt like I'm was six flags and everyone was just counting the minutes until they could go home. I'm glad that I could take my daughter and have the experience with her, but I will not be returning to Disney World any time soon as it seems that the company and how they value the guest experience has diminished significantly from what I remember.
2024.06.02 04:37 MathematicianDull664 WDW thoughts after trip 5/31
Firstly I want to say that I've been visiting Disney world since regularly for 40 years and I know all the parks and the history very well. In the early 2000's I lived in Windermere directly behind the Magic Kingdom and was a annual passholder. I'm also a Disney stock holder, so I follow the financials of the company and am aware of most if not all of the management decisions that have been made regarding the revenue of the parks and cost of running them. My hope is that this channel is monitored by Disney management personnel and some of my observations from an experience standpoint will fall on (mouse) ears.
I now live in Texas and have not been to any of the Disney parks for many years, so I was eager to take my 9 year old for her birthday to see the new attractions that everyone has been talking about this week (5/28 - 5/31). I had some old park hopper tickets that I was able to update to the new card system, which I immediately found complicated and arbitrary. I received several plastic cards to replace the paper tickets I had, but I could only determine what each of the cards had remaining on them by looking up each cards serial number using the Disney "Experiences" app. Now if you use Genie+ or Lighting Lane pass, every ride you go on requires you scan either your card, phone, or as I later discovered my iWatch if I paired it with the "Experience App". This required me to constantly pull out my card which quickly grew tiresome. My daughter saw everyone with a LED mickey wristband, which I learned was called a Magicband. I found out that it could be used to scan her into the rides and had an added benefit of playing a little audio clip on gold character statues around the park, and vibrated during fireworks, so I bought the cheapest one @ $35. A smart move by Disney to solve a problem with another upsell that they created in the first place.
I'm a software developer, so most technology does not usually confuse me, but the design of the "Experiences" app is pretty bad. It's very hard to get the information you need, the features are categorized poorly, not explained well, and navigation is redundant and unintuitive. I really don't know how the average family makes heads or tails of it. I think that the feature that I utilized the most was the Cast Member Chat, because they were the only one that could make any sense of the extensive rules and restrictions that have been added to all the parks and access. I leaned on the Disney ticket agent who was a 26 year Disney employee veteran to help setup which parks my daughter and I were interested in. I had to purchase an additional child's single day ticket ($5 off the $179 adult ticket) so I had the ticket agent set that up as well. The ticketing process is so confusing that even the 26 year Disney employee had a problem with the setup that I'll explain later.
The first day we went to Epcot for the Guardians Coaster, Ratatouille, and the Frozen ride what I had not seen before. I was told that to reserve the Guardians ride, I needed to get on the "Experiences" app at 7am to reserve a virtual queue in line. I loaded the app at 6:55am and kept refreshing until at 7 the screen switched to "Press to enter the Virtual Queue" button appeared. In the 4 seconds it took me to read the text on the page, the app told me that the virtual queue was already full and I would now have to wait until 1pm to try again or buy a lighting lane pass for $36 for the 2 of us. I wanted to park hop to Magic Kingdom and you are required to be in the park at 1pm to try the queue again so I simply bought the lighting pass to get it over with rather than spend my vacation pulling out my phone out and checking my watch and queue status all day.
Just as a FYI, I was successful queueing the next day for Tron, by using the same technique but hitting the "Press to enter the Virtual Queue" immediately, a process that I estimate took me 2 total seconds. Doing so I received a queue group of 72 which resulted in our group being called at 2:45pm in the afternoon. Needless to say I was left with a very bad taste in my mouth as I had to be on my phone at 7am every morning with mixed success and then even when I was successful I constantly had to check my phone to see where I was in the queue to avoid missing our place. Even my 9 year old was so annoyed by my phone obsession and eventually suggested that we only check the phone after we get off a ride.
We had to scan our fingers on the initial check in, which I'd heard about to lock our tickets to us. As a privacy advocate I'm not super excited about this, nor the idea that I cannot easily swap users of the card to another family member at my choosing, but I'm sure that others have expressed these concerns so I won't elaborate further. We were staying at a Disney Resort, so we arrived at the Epcot back entrance exactly at 8:30am to rope drop Ratatouille. Apparently that was everyone else's idea because the outdoor line queue for Ratatouille was already at 35 minutes when we arrived. When we did get on the ride, I was very underwhelmed with the presentation and felt that the quality of what I had known Disney to produce had severely dropped. I had to wear 3D glasses on a practical dark ride that moved in parts from 3D projection screens to small room breaks that had no characters or effects which required my to constantly remove and again put on the glasses to see anything clearly. As far as I could see there were no animatronics or real characters within the practical scenes and the 3D screens were dark, poorly aligned when attempting to create false parallax, and frequently distorted. Overall it reminded me of a rip-off of the Spiderman ride at Universal that was made about 10 years ago.
I bought 2 Genie+ passes in addition to the $36 Guardians Lighting Lane passes, so that added another $100 to our park tickets. As soon as we got in the park I made a Genie+ reservation for the Frozen ride, but the first available slot was 1:45pm, so I guess that's a popular one too. Since we had some time to wait for our 11:15am Guardians Lighting Lane reserve, we walked around world showcase, which was pretty much how I remember it and walk over to the new Moana water thing. I've probably been to Epcot about 200 times so I thought I knew my way around pretty well, but when I got the old communicore fountain area I got completely lost by the labyrinth of narrow paths and hidden turns. It seems Disney's original rule of designing a park to lead the patron to the next focal point has not been adopted by the current designers. The moana experience was wedged in between the restrooms between The Land and Living Seas pavilions, which was an odd choice when it seems they could have put it where the old communicore fountain was to both add tropical beauty to that previously dull area as well as implement an impressive water feature. As it is installed now, the experience is hidden, cramped, and overall does not really communicate the naturalist messaging that the numerous signs in the pathway claimed to resemble.
There was also a new choke point that was introduced between Spaceship Earth and the Land where the only path on that side of the park was about 12 feet wide. A great idea now that every other family either has a double wide stroller or electric scooter taking up even more of the pathway than they used to. I also noticed this at Hollywood Studios in the new Galaxy Edge area. Not sure why the current Disney design team thinks the paths in the parks should narrower than they were before, but my assumption is that it's a cost saving measure.
We made it on the new Guardians coaster with our lighting pass, and I appreciate that we did not have to wait in the regular queue and got on the preshow portion of the ride in 5 minutes. I thought the ride was ok, not great with heavy use of video projection in both the preshow and ride. The extent of practical effects was a giant planet that you rotate around which seems flat and unrealistic. For a ride that is supposed to be the new high standard of Disney Imagineering, it seems that a nearly completely reliance on some projection screens in a dark coaster seems cheap and uninspired. Does anyone remember the giant glowing future city at the end of World of Motion? How did we go from that to this?
We finished Epcot at the Frozen ride, which was lackluster with no story, cheap animatronic character that had disturbing glowing projection faces with dead stares. Not that the Norway ride was that great, but it at least and some interesting scenery, a troll with fiber optics and a drop with the Miniature practical Storm and Oil Rig which were slightly memorable. To replace it with a bunch of flat, black light painted wood panels to recreate one of the highest grossing animated modern era Disney films seems uninspired and unimaginative. I mean they couldn't even design an interesting mirrocrystal room for Elsa's Ice Palace that would make you feel like your are in a much bigger and impressive space?
The next day we went to Hollywood Studios and I paid another $44 for both of us to go on Rise of Resistance and $70 for 2 more Genie+ passes, so another $114 in addition to the cost of the park tickets. We did Tower of Terror first which thankfully has not been redesigned and still holds up over the years, even though I think the drops have been reduced and shortened, a change I'm sure my 9 year old did not have any objection with.
We made our way over to the new Pixar area which I found to be very garish and infantile, more like if McDonalds designed a theme park, not Disney or Pixar. The wait for Slinks coaster was already 90 minutes at 10:30am and even though we had the Genie+ pass, it was not available so we skipped it. On another note it was already 94 degrees and there is no shade in most areas of the new areas of this park other than some haphazardly placed umbrellas on the sides of the path that guests huddle underneath. It's like the park designers have never visited Florida in summer or simply don't care if anyone bakes in the sun.
We made it to the Star Wars area and I found it very confusing and mazelike. I never knew where I was, as the other areas I mentioned there were multiple choke points in the paths in a area that proved to be the most crowded in the park. The detailing of the buildings and nature features seemed cheapy executed and fake. They didn't really remind me much of the Star Wars universe and would barely hold up in an episode of the Mandalorian. My favorite experience by far was the Millennium Falcon ride where my daughter and I got to pilot the ship which was a dream experience. Even the queue area of this ride is amazing with the level of detail and nostalgia that I would expect from a E-Ticket Disney Ride.
Rise of the Resistance was fine, not worth $44, containing more of the poorly executed fake projection screens effects and motion vehicles traveling though cheaply constructed Empire/Order hallways. I'm also 95% sure that the Kylo Ren animatronic at the end is the recycled from the Wicked Witch from Great Movie Ride. I feel like the animation was even recycled.
Last day we went to Magic Kingdom with the intention of riding Tron and Snow White Mine Train. I bought Lighting Lane passes for both rides adding another $66 ($26 for SN and $40 for Tron) to the tickets. I again got up at 7am to enter the virtual raffle for the Tron queue, and discovered that I could now add my daughter to the queue group. I immediately contacted a Disney chat agent who discovered that the helpful Disney ticket agent who I purchased a single day ticket to Magic Kingdom had put in the wrong date for our visit. By doing so, it effectively made my daughter ticket ineligible for virtual queues (and may have not granted her access to the park for the day I paid for). Thankfully the online agent was able to change to date so I could actually use the $175 single park ticket that I bought the night before I intended to use it.
Snow White was well done and fun, sort of a combination or Matterhorn and Barnstormer. I did notice that it also contained the cheap animatronic characters that had disturbing glowing projection faces like the Frozen ride. Is it that really that hard to maintain facial articulation on audioanimatronics? Disney did it since Carousel of Progress and the projection faces seem like a huge step backward.
Tron was what I was most excited about being envious of the Tokyo version. The building that houses Tron is impressive and clearly designed to be a key feature to draw guests in with an extended walkway and LED effects on the scaffolding. I was able to reserve a virtual queue for the day, so I reserved a 10:00pm Lighting Lane pass. I preferred the night ride, as there was more constant immersion with indoooutdoor areas of the coaster. I thought the reclined ride cars were unique and well done if not a bit uncomfortable. They are slightly constrictive how they hold you in and I noticed that a child in the car in front of me was restrained to tightly and started to have trouble breathing screaming for help from her parents by the end of the ride, which was unsettling, so consider asking for the last car that does not have this type of restraint for little ones. The ride again was plagued with projection screens inside the ride in lieu of practical effects and reminded me or Guardians. We also bought a Diecast Tron lightbike with LEDs in the giftshop and upon getting home the bike was made in China, was broken and did not illuminate.
After all the travel, tacked on cost of all the addons, special ride passes, and the inconvenience of the highly restrictive and expensive park tickets and the cheaper quality of the rides, I don't feel like Disney offers a good value or exceptional experience anymore. I actually felt bad for families with several kids that clearly were spending thousands of dollars for a vacation that honestly felt more like a job most of the time. I also noticed cast members that were either rude, impatient, or audibly complaining about their job position, shift, the heat, or anything else that an average worker would complain about. I understand that Disney employees are regular people and not robots, but previously I always felt that Disney employees were extremely proud to be working at Disney World and it reflected in how they treated guests and it added to the magic. Now I just felt like I'm was six flags and everyone was just counting the minutes until they could go home. I'm glad that I could take my daughter and have the experience with her, but I will not be returning to Disney World any time soon as it seems that the company and how they value the guest experience has diminished significantly from what I remember.
submitted by MathematicianDull664 to WaltDisneyWorld [link] [comments]
I now live in Texas and have not been to any of the Disney parks for many years, so I was eager to take my 9 year old for her birthday to see the new attractions that everyone has been talking about this week (5/28 - 5/31). I had some old park hopper tickets that I was able to update to the new card system, which I immediately found complicated and arbitrary. I received several plastic cards to replace the paper tickets I had, but I could only determine what each of the cards had remaining on them by looking up each cards serial number using the Disney "Experiences" app. Now if you use Genie+ or Lighting Lane pass, every ride you go on requires you scan either your card, phone, or as I later discovered my iWatch if I paired it with the "Experience App". This required me to constantly pull out my card which quickly grew tiresome. My daughter saw everyone with a LED mickey wristband, which I learned was called a Magicband. I found out that it could be used to scan her into the rides and had an added benefit of playing a little audio clip on gold character statues around the park, and vibrated during fireworks, so I bought the cheapest one @ $35. A smart move by Disney to solve a problem with another upsell that they created in the first place.
I'm a software developer, so most technology does not usually confuse me, but the design of the "Experiences" app is pretty bad. It's very hard to get the information you need, the features are categorized poorly, not explained well, and navigation is redundant and unintuitive. I really don't know how the average family makes heads or tails of it. I think that the feature that I utilized the most was the Cast Member Chat, because they were the only one that could make any sense of the extensive rules and restrictions that have been added to all the parks and access. I leaned on the Disney ticket agent who was a 26 year Disney employee veteran to help setup which parks my daughter and I were interested in. I had to purchase an additional child's single day ticket ($5 off the $179 adult ticket) so I had the ticket agent set that up as well. The ticketing process is so confusing that even the 26 year Disney employee had a problem with the setup that I'll explain later.
The first day we went to Epcot for the Guardians Coaster, Ratatouille, and the Frozen ride what I had not seen before. I was told that to reserve the Guardians ride, I needed to get on the "Experiences" app at 7am to reserve a virtual queue in line. I loaded the app at 6:55am and kept refreshing until at 7 the screen switched to "Press to enter the Virtual Queue" button appeared. In the 4 seconds it took me to read the text on the page, the app told me that the virtual queue was already full and I would now have to wait until 1pm to try again or buy a lighting lane pass for $36 for the 2 of us. I wanted to park hop to Magic Kingdom and you are required to be in the park at 1pm to try the queue again so I simply bought the lighting pass to get it over with rather than spend my vacation pulling out my phone out and checking my watch and queue status all day.
Just as a FYI, I was successful queueing the next day for Tron, by using the same technique but hitting the "Press to enter the Virtual Queue" immediately, a process that I estimate took me 2 total seconds. Doing so I received a queue group of 72 which resulted in our group being called at 2:45pm in the afternoon. Needless to say I was left with a very bad taste in my mouth as I had to be on my phone at 7am every morning with mixed success and then even when I was successful I constantly had to check my phone to see where I was in the queue to avoid missing our place. Even my 9 year old was so annoyed by my phone obsession and eventually suggested that we only check the phone after we get off a ride.
We had to scan our fingers on the initial check in, which I'd heard about to lock our tickets to us. As a privacy advocate I'm not super excited about this, nor the idea that I cannot easily swap users of the card to another family member at my choosing, but I'm sure that others have expressed these concerns so I won't elaborate further. We were staying at a Disney Resort, so we arrived at the Epcot back entrance exactly at 8:30am to rope drop Ratatouille. Apparently that was everyone else's idea because the outdoor line queue for Ratatouille was already at 35 minutes when we arrived. When we did get on the ride, I was very underwhelmed with the presentation and felt that the quality of what I had known Disney to produce had severely dropped. I had to wear 3D glasses on a practical dark ride that moved in parts from 3D projection screens to small room breaks that had no characters or effects which required my to constantly remove and again put on the glasses to see anything clearly. As far as I could see there were no animatronics or real characters within the practical scenes and the 3D screens were dark, poorly aligned when attempting to create false parallax, and frequently distorted. Overall it reminded me of a rip-off of the Spiderman ride at Universal that was made about 10 years ago.
I bought 2 Genie+ passes in addition to the $36 Guardians Lighting Lane passes, so that added another $100 to our park tickets. As soon as we got in the park I made a Genie+ reservation for the Frozen ride, but the first available slot was 1:45pm, so I guess that's a popular one too. Since we had some time to wait for our 11:15am Guardians Lighting Lane reserve, we walked around world showcase, which was pretty much how I remember it and walk over to the new Moana water thing. I've probably been to Epcot about 200 times so I thought I knew my way around pretty well, but when I got the old communicore fountain area I got completely lost by the labyrinth of narrow paths and hidden turns. It seems Disney's original rule of designing a park to lead the patron to the next focal point has not been adopted by the current designers. The moana experience was wedged in between the restrooms between The Land and Living Seas pavilions, which was an odd choice when it seems they could have put it where the old communicore fountain was to both add tropical beauty to that previously dull area as well as implement an impressive water feature. As it is installed now, the experience is hidden, cramped, and overall does not really communicate the naturalist messaging that the numerous signs in the pathway claimed to resemble.
There was also a new choke point that was introduced between Spaceship Earth and the Land where the only path on that side of the park was about 12 feet wide. A great idea now that every other family either has a double wide stroller or electric scooter taking up even more of the pathway than they used to. I also noticed this at Hollywood Studios in the new Galaxy Edge area. Not sure why the current Disney design team thinks the paths in the parks should narrower than they were before, but my assumption is that it's a cost saving measure.
We made it on the new Guardians coaster with our lighting pass, and I appreciate that we did not have to wait in the regular queue and got on the preshow portion of the ride in 5 minutes. I thought the ride was ok, not great with heavy use of video projection in both the preshow and ride. The extent of practical effects was a giant planet that you rotate around which seems flat and unrealistic. For a ride that is supposed to be the new high standard of Disney Imagineering, it seems that a nearly completely reliance on some projection screens in a dark coaster seems cheap and uninspired. Does anyone remember the giant glowing future city at the end of World of Motion? How did we go from that to this?
We finished Epcot at the Frozen ride, which was lackluster with no story, cheap animatronic character that had disturbing glowing projection faces with dead stares. Not that the Norway ride was that great, but it at least and some interesting scenery, a troll with fiber optics and a drop with the Miniature practical Storm and Oil Rig which were slightly memorable. To replace it with a bunch of flat, black light painted wood panels to recreate one of the highest grossing animated modern era Disney films seems uninspired and unimaginative. I mean they couldn't even design an interesting mirrocrystal room for Elsa's Ice Palace that would make you feel like your are in a much bigger and impressive space?
The next day we went to Hollywood Studios and I paid another $44 for both of us to go on Rise of Resistance and $70 for 2 more Genie+ passes, so another $114 in addition to the cost of the park tickets. We did Tower of Terror first which thankfully has not been redesigned and still holds up over the years, even though I think the drops have been reduced and shortened, a change I'm sure my 9 year old did not have any objection with.
We made our way over to the new Pixar area which I found to be very garish and infantile, more like if McDonalds designed a theme park, not Disney or Pixar. The wait for Slinks coaster was already 90 minutes at 10:30am and even though we had the Genie+ pass, it was not available so we skipped it. On another note it was already 94 degrees and there is no shade in most areas of the new areas of this park other than some haphazardly placed umbrellas on the sides of the path that guests huddle underneath. It's like the park designers have never visited Florida in summer or simply don't care if anyone bakes in the sun.
We made it to the Star Wars area and I found it very confusing and mazelike. I never knew where I was, as the other areas I mentioned there were multiple choke points in the paths in a area that proved to be the most crowded in the park. The detailing of the buildings and nature features seemed cheapy executed and fake. They didn't really remind me much of the Star Wars universe and would barely hold up in an episode of the Mandalorian. My favorite experience by far was the Millennium Falcon ride where my daughter and I got to pilot the ship which was a dream experience. Even the queue area of this ride is amazing with the level of detail and nostalgia that I would expect from a E-Ticket Disney Ride.
Rise of the Resistance was fine, not worth $44, containing more of the poorly executed fake projection screens effects and motion vehicles traveling though cheaply constructed Empire/Order hallways. I'm also 95% sure that the Kylo Ren animatronic at the end is the recycled from the Wicked Witch from Great Movie Ride. I feel like the animation was even recycled.
Last day we went to Magic Kingdom with the intention of riding Tron and Snow White Mine Train. I bought Lighting Lane passes for both rides adding another $66 ($26 for SN and $40 for Tron) to the tickets. I again got up at 7am to enter the virtual raffle for the Tron queue, and discovered that I could now add my daughter to the queue group. I immediately contacted a Disney chat agent who discovered that the helpful Disney ticket agent who I purchased a single day ticket to Magic Kingdom had put in the wrong date for our visit. By doing so, it effectively made my daughter ticket ineligible for virtual queues (and may have not granted her access to the park for the day I paid for). Thankfully the online agent was able to change to date so I could actually use the $175 single park ticket that I bought the night before I intended to use it.
Snow White was well done and fun, sort of a combination or Matterhorn and Barnstormer. I did notice that it also contained the cheap animatronic characters that had disturbing glowing projection faces like the Frozen ride. Is it that really that hard to maintain facial articulation on audioanimatronics? Disney did it since Carousel of Progress and the projection faces seem like a huge step backward.
Tron was what I was most excited about being envious of the Tokyo version. The building that houses Tron is impressive and clearly designed to be a key feature to draw guests in with an extended walkway and LED effects on the scaffolding. I was able to reserve a virtual queue for the day, so I reserved a 10:00pm Lighting Lane pass. I preferred the night ride, as there was more constant immersion with indoooutdoor areas of the coaster. I thought the reclined ride cars were unique and well done if not a bit uncomfortable. They are slightly constrictive how they hold you in and I noticed that a child in the car in front of me was restrained to tightly and started to have trouble breathing screaming for help from her parents by the end of the ride, which was unsettling, so consider asking for the last car that does not have this type of restraint for little ones. The ride again was plagued with projection screens inside the ride in lieu of practical effects and reminded me or Guardians. We also bought a Diecast Tron lightbike with LEDs in the giftshop and upon getting home the bike was made in China, was broken and did not illuminate.
After all the travel, tacked on cost of all the addons, special ride passes, and the inconvenience of the highly restrictive and expensive park tickets and the cheaper quality of the rides, I don't feel like Disney offers a good value or exceptional experience anymore. I actually felt bad for families with several kids that clearly were spending thousands of dollars for a vacation that honestly felt more like a job most of the time. I also noticed cast members that were either rude, impatient, or audibly complaining about their job position, shift, the heat, or anything else that an average worker would complain about. I understand that Disney employees are regular people and not robots, but previously I always felt that Disney employees were extremely proud to be working at Disney World and it reflected in how they treated guests and it added to the magic. Now I just felt like I'm was six flags and everyone was just counting the minutes until they could go home. I'm glad that I could take my daughter and have the experience with her, but I will not be returning to Disney World any time soon as it seems that the company and how they value the guest experience has diminished significantly from what I remember.
2024.06.02 03:31 Full-House_Jesse Johanna mason part 3
Johanna was shown to her room She didn't eat dinner that night And barely talked Not because she was upset about this I mean she was a bit Considering how messed up it is What she was thinking About her strategies
A few days later they had an interview Johanna's prep team Made to wear a gold Mermaid style Dress Bright pink and blue Swirls all around With feathers at the end of her dress Your hair was in a massive curly bun With flowers Her face is covered makeup High cheekbones arched eyebrows big eyelashes Bright red lipstick Heavily powdered cheeks Highlights everywhere it was Hideous
When johanna was called she sat next to Caesar Flickerman
"So johanna How do you think on winning? What are your skills?" Ceasar asked
"I don't really have special skills I can barely throw an ax and I'm from the lumber district It's utterly ridiculous I have no chance of winning Even if I tried I'd barely last a day I can't tie knot forged for food Round knives I'm hopeless" Johanna said
"That is a shame But you keep working johanna Will you care to tell us anything about district 7?" Ceasar asked
"Well certainly it's a lovely district tons of trees I love to climb trees But I am afraid of heights so I can't go very high" Johanna said In her fake happy tone That was actually very convincing
"Well times up johanna May the odds be ever in your favor" Ceasar Siad
Johanna left the stage Next with district 89 10 11 then 12
Sry guys i wanted this longer but I'm tired its late here
submitted by Full-House_Jesse to HGfanfictions [link] [comments]
A few days later they had an interview Johanna's prep team Made to wear a gold Mermaid style Dress Bright pink and blue Swirls all around With feathers at the end of her dress Your hair was in a massive curly bun With flowers Her face is covered makeup High cheekbones arched eyebrows big eyelashes Bright red lipstick Heavily powdered cheeks Highlights everywhere it was Hideous
When johanna was called she sat next to Caesar Flickerman
"So johanna How do you think on winning? What are your skills?" Ceasar asked
"I don't really have special skills I can barely throw an ax and I'm from the lumber district It's utterly ridiculous I have no chance of winning Even if I tried I'd barely last a day I can't tie knot forged for food Round knives I'm hopeless" Johanna said
"That is a shame But you keep working johanna Will you care to tell us anything about district 7?" Ceasar asked
"Well certainly it's a lovely district tons of trees I love to climb trees But I am afraid of heights so I can't go very high" Johanna said In her fake happy tone That was actually very convincing
"Well times up johanna May the odds be ever in your favor" Ceasar Siad
Johanna left the stage Next with district 89 10 11 then 12
Sry guys i wanted this longer but I'm tired its late here
2024.06.02 01:57 CaptainBroady 19M [M4F] Singapore/Anywhere - Are people here even real?
Hi, my name's Ray and I come from the tiny and tropical country of Singapore! While some people may find it boring, it's a really interesting, fun and safe country to be in! (Basically a NYC built on an island.)
So, why am I here, you may ask. Well, I ask myself the same thing too, seeing that guys posting here probably have like a 0.0001% of getting a response since some guys are just rude and inconsiderate, and I suppose most people would use dating apps rather than a blogging site (aka Reddit). But I figured it's worth a shot since I haven't had much luck in real life anyways.
Right, so what are my interests and what about me? I'm half Chinese and half local, so I have black hair and black eyes. I wear a pair of black glasses and I'm 1.78m (5'10), weighing roughly 56.5kg (yeah I know I'm really skinny, and it's a thing I'm sort of insecure about). I'm currently in mandatory military service though, so I'm hoping I'll get to build up my muscles and stay fit too!
As for my interests, I usually stick with sci-fi, sometimes horror, current affairs, history and I love writing! Most of my writings these days are alt history though I sometimes dabble a bit in fanfics and short stories. Feel free to let me know if you wanna read them, I have some of my works on AO3! I also game a lot, mostly OW2, Fortnite, Roblox, Squad, strategy games and other first person shooters. Unfortunately I haven't had much time to game since I have to be in the military 5 days a week haha. I'm also a huge fan of the military in general, so you can find me fanboying over fighter jets, ships and weaponry on Instagram.
Alright, so I'm looking for someone who's honest, has a sense of humour, not a gold digger (I have no gold to be dug lmao, I'm basically saving up for university at the moment) and I guess someone who I can easily be myself with and not having to put up a "fake" personality. I'm also someone who can be a little narcissistic at times so it'll be great to have someone to keep me in check by shoving the truth in my face if necessary. And yep, I don't care whether you're fat or skinny or whatever race or skin colour you have, as long as you have a decent personality and the traits I mentioned, I'm willing to be with you! Oh, and I would prefer you to be around my age (18-22) but if you're older I don't mind too!
See you soon, I guess?
submitted by CaptainBroady to ForeverAloneDating [link] [comments]
So, why am I here, you may ask. Well, I ask myself the same thing too, seeing that guys posting here probably have like a 0.0001% of getting a response since some guys are just rude and inconsiderate, and I suppose most people would use dating apps rather than a blogging site (aka Reddit). But I figured it's worth a shot since I haven't had much luck in real life anyways.
Right, so what are my interests and what about me? I'm half Chinese and half local, so I have black hair and black eyes. I wear a pair of black glasses and I'm 1.78m (5'10), weighing roughly 56.5kg (yeah I know I'm really skinny, and it's a thing I'm sort of insecure about). I'm currently in mandatory military service though, so I'm hoping I'll get to build up my muscles and stay fit too!
As for my interests, I usually stick with sci-fi, sometimes horror, current affairs, history and I love writing! Most of my writings these days are alt history though I sometimes dabble a bit in fanfics and short stories. Feel free to let me know if you wanna read them, I have some of my works on AO3! I also game a lot, mostly OW2, Fortnite, Roblox, Squad, strategy games and other first person shooters. Unfortunately I haven't had much time to game since I have to be in the military 5 days a week haha. I'm also a huge fan of the military in general, so you can find me fanboying over fighter jets, ships and weaponry on Instagram.
Alright, so I'm looking for someone who's honest, has a sense of humour, not a gold digger (I have no gold to be dug lmao, I'm basically saving up for university at the moment) and I guess someone who I can easily be myself with and not having to put up a "fake" personality. I'm also someone who can be a little narcissistic at times so it'll be great to have someone to keep me in check by shoving the truth in my face if necessary. And yep, I don't care whether you're fat or skinny or whatever race or skin colour you have, as long as you have a decent personality and the traits I mentioned, I'm willing to be with you! Oh, and I would prefer you to be around my age (18-22) but if you're older I don't mind too!
See you soon, I guess?
2024.06.02 01:07 TheMoxFulder Dark Match [4 .3k] Wrestling Themed Horror Short
Cannibal had made up his mind a few moves ago: If this kid doesn't swing this chair, doesn't absolutely fuckin' nail me, then he's getting taxed, and big time.
The kid's name is Rob Small, and he's supposedly some hot-shot rookie fresh out of the local school. But Cannibal doesn't get it. Everything about the kid bugs him, right down to the name. The sport lost something when people stopped calling themselves ridiculous things, like 'The Big' this, or 'Ultimate' that.
And besides, it's a dirty trick. It's too easy, just like everything the new kids are doing. It's almost too real. And the audience doesn't want real. They only think they do. Cannibal knows this better than just about anyone.
Cannibal feels that he's been carrying them both since the bell. Again, it's this new, soft shit. Flipping, and posing, and nobody wants a single scratch on their pretty mugs. The word fake doesn't exist in this business, but as Rob winds up for another one of his little tricks, all flare, no impact, you can kind of see where people get that idea.
Cannibal takes a knee, then another, but wide, because that's how you take a real hit. Rob pulls the chair back.
"Don't fuck this up," Cannibal says.
The blade of the chair just grazes Cannibal's eyebrow, opening two inches of scar tissue, and perforation.
This is good. Unintentional, but good.
The crowd isn't theirs yet, but the stream of blood pulls a few people forward and gets them almost leaning into the next row down.
The blood is good, no doubt about it. But the sound of skull on steel would've lit them on fire, and that's just science.
Rob moves to the ropes, taking a squeaky-clean moment to acknowledge the crowd. He waves his arms around like he's leading a marching band or something, and it "earns" him a small pop of recognition.
Here's the problem- there's no story here. No tale of the tape. Just some rookie nobody cares about, and an aging prick that people care even less about. This is when every move is supposed to count. Not just every move, but every transition, every facial expression too. The kid's athletic, sure. But so is everybody. He doesn't have the rhythm yet, and his nose is too straight. And Cannibal is tired of carrying this match.
Cannibal starts back on his feet, quickly, counter-intuitively, like a jump scare. The kid's finally connecting with the crowd now, lifting the chair like some intramural trophy. But it's too little, too late, and Cannibal sees his opportunity.
First Cannibal snatches the chair, up, and behind Rob, then steadies his giant, calloused fingers with a well-timed exhale. He whirls Rob around, ready or not, and drives the lip of the chair into the liver side of his waist, which folds him directly in two. The crowd chatters a bit, but he isn't finished.
Cannibal throws the chair less than a foot away, then sets up the move that's going to win the crowd.
He didn't invent the move, not even close. It's not even particularly uncommon. But he made his name off this move. Here's some wisdom from the old school: There are precious few people who make money from this business by looking good. And if you can't look good, you need to look vicious.
Cannibal hooks his arms under Rob's armpits, then wrenches both arms so violently that the triceps almost touch. Operating on pure panic, and instinct, Rob's legs unwind, independently searching for a better position, but never finding it.
"Hey, easy up there," Rob says from somewhere near Cannibal's midsection, but he may as well be speaking to the mat now.
Cannibal wrenches Rob's arms again, but this time the triceps touch for one moment of searing pain. He does this half for show, and half as a warning to keep quiet during his finisher. He looks out at the crowd, and their features form for the first time since he entered the arena. Before then, they were nothing, just a wallpaper pattern of merch, and facial hair. There's a difference between the individual faces in the first row, and the voice that fills the venue, and guides your match.
A single fan can be wrong, but a crowd never is.
But Cannibal takes some of that power back now, and he's staring at the crowd, the entity, right in the face, starting with the first row.
The first few faces that he locks eyes with are rabid, their eyes wild with anticipation. They're gesticulating wildly, like they can't believe, or can't wait for what's coming next. The next face is a little boy who shies away and looks at his dad for help. He scans about a seating section and a half, screaming spittle-seasoned insults along the way.
Mid-taunt, before anybody can count it off, Cannibal hits his finisher, The Flesh Eater.
Cannibal pushes off the toes of his boots, about a foot into the air, bringing Rob's craned arms with him. That's why you really need to wrench. With Rob feeling real pain at each arm's socket, he has no choice but to sell. At the height of his jump, Cannibal shoots his legs straight out in a wide V, unclenching his ass for a nice, cushioned landing.
Rob's face hits the chair a microsecond before Cannibal's legs, and underside absorb the remainder of the blow. It's enough to make the aluminum ring out into the high warehouse ceiling and put a pretty little face-sized dent in the seat.
The crowd reacts with screams, with horror, with finally, some fucking emotion.
Cannibal climbs to his feet, while the lights flick on-and-off, on-and-off in Rob's eyes. Rob props himself on his palms, and knees, finding the floor he wasn't even looking for.
But he loses it again with a big, booted punt to the ribs. The crowd boos now from every direction.
This is good. It means that right now, they hate Cannibal. It means that when they go home, they'll remember how much they hated him. It means that he did his job.
Cannibal takes a victory lap around the ring while Rob writhes in presumably authentic agony. Cannibal leans over the top rope, pointing at the front row again, dissolving the boundary between them. He's screaming at a fan. He may even be screaming at one hundred fans when he notices a face that shouldn't be in attendance.
Was it section B? He looks over but can't find the face anymore.
He darts his eyes wildly, unfocusing them so that the crowd transforms into nothing but eyebrows, and merch, approval, and disgust.
He glances back toward Section B, right around where he thinks he saw the face, right as Rob crawls from behind, hooks his leg, and rolls him into a three count.
Both men roll onto their backs; Rob, because the pain from his neck, down to his waist puts him there. Cannibal, because he's defeated and confused.
Had he really seen that face? He knows he hadn't. One, because that would make no sense. And two, because, and he only saw it for a second, but the face was significantly younger than it should have been. About 20 years younger. Which would put it right around a time that he doesn't think, or speak about. Cannibal decides that he didn't see the face after all. He doesn't believe in ghosts. Especially not ghosts that haven't even died.
***
Cannibal collects his pay, and the doc plugs up his gash, in that order. He's got a show in a bigger market tomorrow, so the butterfly stitches just need to hold until then.
He unlaces his boots in the parking lot, then trades them for some once-white Adidas from the back seat of his gray Toyota Camry. Then he thinks about the ghost again. The one that he didn't see, the one that isn't even dead as far as he knows.
He stands still in his untied sneakers and thumbs a few reps through his social pages. If he had died, the news would have picked it up by now. An old friend would have even messaged,
"Here if you need to talk." Or, "It's not your fault"
Something like that, anyway. But Cannibal doesn't see anything, no messages, neither of their names gracing, or disgracing any headlines. And besides, that doesn't exactly solve the issue at hand. Maybe the kids are right, he thinks. I've officially taken too many blows to the skull.
For twenty years, Cannibal has always driven to the next city, or the next stop on the road, the night prior. Tonight, he checks into the nearest hotel/rest stop that connects to the main road. It's only about a four-hour drive, three if he can avoid traffic, and the need to piss. He doesn't even need to check into the venue until 5 pm. That's ample time, he decides for the first time in his career.
"I just need a bed and a shower", Cannibal tells the night clerk, a pimply boy who has deepened his voice since the exchange intensified.
He's the only employee, except for a few maids pushing yellow baskets around the parking lot, and a few unofficially affiliated girls prowling around from the local skin bar.
The boy wants to avoid a hassle. He knows that the nearest signs of life are the old warehouse a few exits down, and the sheriff's office even further.
"I'm sorry sir," he begins, and he's really using diaphragm now, speaking to the back of the house, "But all's we got left tonight is the honeymoon suite."
"So it's $30 extra for a dirty mirror on the ceiling, and a vase full of plastic fuckin' roses?"
The clerk winces at the swear, then gleams over Cannibal's right shoulder into the mostly empty parking lot. Cannibal gives the kid his best mean mug, the same one that he'd shoot toward a new opponent or a crowd that hates his guts. The quiet moment lingers, and then, wouldn't you guess it, just like that, thirty dollars gets shaved off the tab.
Cannibal tosses his duffel onto the frilly red sheets, then rolls off his sneakers as his reflections oblige in both the ceiling and wall-length mirrors. He sits on the bed, then wiggles his toes a bit generating a sound like gravel crunching in a driveway. He wants to get up and shower off some of the dried blood that's clotted his hair to his face, but the world rocks, and spins, and he lays down and falls asleep without even killing the bedside lamp.
He can't remember the ramp, the fans, or the bell. He can't remember the promos, or what angle he's supposed to be taking. But judging from the dark cherry splatted canvas, and the ringing in ears, it's been a fuckin' barn-burner so far. He looks directly ahead, at the high, pipe-laden ceiling, and realizes he's on his back. A boot lands next to his head, then another. Maybe it's the high-intensity discharge lights that are stinging his eyes, maybe he's still rattled from whatever move put him on his ass, but as his opponent steps over him, he can't seem at all to make out their face.
Whoever his opponent is, he begins to pick him up by the hair, and that's when Cannibal notices that the abstract art on the mat has mostly come from the back of his head. Drops of blood race down his opponents wrists, and pool near his elbows. Cannibal is bent over looking down at the mat, at his opponent's standard-issue black boots, and at the fresh coat of bright red, which will soon dry darker.
His opponent cranks his arms clumsily but with intensity. He can feel his blood greasing his opponent's grip, not allowing for any real traction. Then his opponent's knees square up, then bend, and Cannibal realizes. "Hey, that's my fucking move!" he says, or tries to say, but his opponent's airborne, and then so is he.
Usually, there's a nice thud when you hit the mat, but not this time. This time it sounds more like a series of wet pops, like cracking your knuckles underwater. Cannibal tries to roll over and assess the situation. Then he tries to roll over again.
Oh. Shit.
He's face down on the mat, and he intuits, rather than feels his opponent hurry off him, and in that same foggy way, he can feel the crowd. The beast with one thousand eyes is silent, but it isn't bored. It's murmuring, but with a sort of upward inflection, like it's asking him a question can't answer. Now a referee rolls him over. Cannibal awakens in a panic and tries to jump out of bed, away from the red sheets, but his body is uncooperative. His head lolls at an unnatural angle toward the mirrored wall. He can move his eyes, but nothing else.
He wants to scream for the pimply-faced boy or one of the night girls, but nothing comes out of his mouth. He can see his reflection, the collapsed muscles in his face, and the pool of spit that's collected on the pillow by his ear. The parts of the bed directly under him appear a darker red than the rest of the sheets. His eyes roll wildly and take in different parts of the same wall that he's frozen on. He can barely feel his breathing, but he knows that it's sporadic and shallow. He keeps rolling his eyes, searching for a modicum of control over his own body. And that's when he sees him again.
The ceiling mirror casts its reflection into its wall counterpart, and with the furthest strain of his eyeball muscles, Cannibal can just barely recognize him. He's a little older than he looked in the crowd earlier, but it's unmistakable this time. Fucking ghosts. Ghosts who aren't even dead yet. From somewhere behind his eyes Cannibal feels the onset of rage.
His eyes blink involuntarily, and a well of tears are pushed, and guided down into the spit-soaked pillow. He imagines himself rocking forward and tries to send this signal to a part of his body that doesn't exist. He imagines it again. He tries to kick a leg, throw an elbow, he'll settle for anything. He sends that signal in random intervals like he's trying to surprise his own faculties. He "throws" another elbow.
Except this time his arm releases from his side and soars out in front of him. His body follows, and he feels a vile concoction of fear, and relief as he falls off the bed, with arms and legs too weak to break his fall. He narrowly avoids contact with the corner of the nightstand and lands with a thud on the carpeted floor. He wiggles his toes, and the sound of tires on gravel rings out into nothing. ***
After regaining some strength, Cannibal uses his recently renewed limb strength to tear through every creak, and crack of the hotel room. He finds nobody in the room, nobody in the mirrors, just himself and his aching fucking cranium. Exhausted, but no longer tired, Cannibal grabs his duffel and checks out of the hotel room by tossing his key in the general direction of the unsuspecting clerk. He tears his car door open, then drives off with only half a plan in mind.
The morning sun breaks as Cannibal pulls up to a red light, and re-reads his early morning text to the promoter, 'Can't make it tonight. I'll make it up to you somehow.'
He's never backed out of a show before, and he knows that he'll have to confront that fact soon, but right now, it doesn't seem to matter. He needs to see him. He cobbles his route out of headlines and news stories that he manages to search up between red lights and stop signs.
Where are they now? 6 Wrestlers Whose Careers Ended In Tragedy The Real Story of Ernie "The Eagle" Samson Former World Champion Contender in Hospice After 20-Year Battle
Cannibals mind races as single sentences fire out at him like shrapnel. He scrolls past his own names, both gimmick and government a few times over. He feels the rage, and tears form behind his eyes again.
You weren't the only one that lost your legacy that day, you prick.
After twenty years he knows these roads well. Well enough to cruise over to the hospice unassisted by a map, or GPS. He acknowledges his thoughts as his motions become routine.
Ernie Samson was poised to be the next big thing back before all the wrestling territories got swallowed up by the Big Guy in the corporate machine. He was a handsome bastard, and a city man with the strength of a farm boy. He could talk fear into the crowd without raising his voice, and he pulled women who didn't know and didn't care what he did for a nightly living. Cannibal hated him, but in a brotherly way that was steeped in admiration. Even in those times, Cannibal was more brutish and uglier than everyone in the locker room. It was a stroke of momentary genius when some otherwise dipshit promoter first suggested that they pair up. Some sort of beauty and brawn type gimmick. The monster and his mouthpiece.
And you know what? It worked. People ate that shit right up. Cannibal chewed through his opponents with ferocity, while Ernie dazzled the crowd with his mixture of strong style, flips, and tricks. They melted the imaginary territory perimeters and became shooting stars in every market they played. Men paid off their tabs at the bar, and Ernie was gracious enough to send some trim Cannibal's way every now and again. It was a nice system, comfortable even.
Then that dipshit promoter had another bright idea. The team was ready to break up.
The way he described it, they'd take all that heat they had amassed together, and cover double the ground. This storyline was a natural, mostly because it was real. What the promoter was saying, in his dickhead way, was that Cannibal had served his purpose. He'd put the real star in place for his meteoric rise. Cannibal looked at where his career was, and how far it had come, and he agreed. They'd go out in one final bloodbath of a match, and defeat their current rivals, The Maniacs. Then Cannibal would attack Ernie, severing their ties, and launching their individual careers. Cut, dry.
Right up until the end, that match stands in Cannibal's memory as his finest work. If he'd been vicious before, he was rabid in this match. The hits were real, the emotions were high, and the crowd invested in every last pectoral twitch. After nearly half an hour of slogging and bruising, Cannibal hit his finisher and covered his opponent to the tune of twenty-something-thousand screaming fans. As the three-count fell, the crowd hit a decibel that he'd never heard before. They were screaming so loud, that it almost dampened in volume, and became a whisper in his ears.
The Maniacs had done their jobs well, bloodying and bruising Cannibal and Ernie for a gruesome glamor shot that would make the following day's paper. That image, of Ernie raising Cannibal's arm before the inevitable turn, would haunt almost every article written about either of them from that day forward.
Soaked in the moment, and each other's blood, Ernie hoisted Cannibal's arm, and they spun the ring, facing every single fan in attendance. Normally you'd wait for a break in the volume before the next big moment, but this crowd had no intention of quieting down. They faced each other, and Ernie mouthed the words.
"You ready?"
To this day Cannibal doesn't exactly know what went wrong. First, he felt sadness. Then he felt anger. He realized that the cheers wouldn't end for Ernie, but there was a very real possibility that this was his own last big pop. He went ahead as planned. First with an absolutely brutal kick to the midsection, which softened Ernie's abs into dough. Ernie let out a real, dry cough as the crowd's cheers morphed into shock and confusion. Then he cranked his arms, clumsily, but with intensity. Ernie's arms were slick with blood, and Cannibal couldn't sink in his hooks correctly. His legs shot out gracelessly, and rather than hearing the cushioned thud of his own ass, all he heard was a sick, wet pop.
Cannibal notes that he is about one exit from the hospice, and shakes his head vigorously as if to erase his thoughts. The exit approaches, and he cuts in deftly. He is immediately greeted by a green, bustling town, in a decent Midwestern neighborhood.
He cruises toward the hospice, passing a few young couples, and their church-clothed children. Bells chime nearby, and a dog emits a medium-sized bark from a nearby public park.
Cannibal glances in his rear-view as he changes lanes. Ernie is seated behind the middle console, smirking, but with no joy in his eyes. Cannibal tries to scream, but can't.
With the wheel slightly angled for his turn, Cannibal cruises subtly across lanes, onto the sidewalk, then into the park.
The first few couples dive out of the way with synchronized, but inharmonious shrieks. A young man pushes his wife and child to the ground, and the driver's side front wheel crunches, and shatters his ankle. The next few people aren't so lucky.
A group of friends sprawled across a picnic blanket snap around toward the source of the commotion just in time to greet the Toyota Camry's fender. Cannibal's eyes dart between his windshield and the rearview where Ernie sits smirking. He sees a young woman snatched from his sight line and hears a gunshot of a pop as the back of her skull smacks against some concrete. Tears roll down Cannibal's face as he wills his arms, legs, or fucking anything to move. The litter of bodies test the car's shocks, as the wheels find their way over strange terrains of bone and flesh. Then, a street lamp.
Cannibal's forehead smacks against his wheel a millisecond before the airbags deploy. He flinches, and his arms twitch as the bag chafes his nose and brow. He has regained control of his movement, if only slightly. He kicks open the door but does not face the trail of mayhem that succumbed to his vehicle. Instead, he realizes that he is just one block away from the hospice. With the remaining screams a comfortable distance behind him, he half runs, half stumbles to the reception desk.
People react to Cannibal's arrival with appropriate confusion and terror. The butterfly stitches have ceased to hold, and a rigid pattern of blood trails him as he staggers across the linoleum tile.
"Sir, do you need help?"
"Samson. I need Ernie fucking Samson."
He peers over the desk and sees a directory of sorts, like a cheat sheet of hospice patients, and their assigned rooms. He leaks blood from his brow over the counter, and onto the sheet, and the seated receptionist recoils with disgust as he snatches and reads it.
Ernie Samson 211
Cannibal marches now on sturdy feet to the nearest stairwell. A small security guard attempts to stand in his way, but Cannibal dwarfs his face with his gigantic palm, and smashes it into the drywall behind him, eliciting a collective gasp from the lobby waiting room. He kicks open the stairwell door and drags himself up the single flight of stairs onto the landing. Then he kicks open the second door.
Nurses gasp and take a step back as he emerges from the stairwell, ferocity emblazoned across his face and written in his scar tissue. He observes the direction in which the numbered rooms flow and stomps toward Room 211.
Half a dozen people are stood outside the room, with hospital staff accounting for only two of them.
"Bradley?" an older woman asks, as Cannibal tears past her, and into the room.
Inside the room is a white sheet spread over a series of lumps on a lightly inclined bed. A young man is seated near the side of the bed where the railing has been temporarily removed. His eyes are bloodshot, and his cheeks are damp.
"Brad, what the fuck is-" he begins to say.
Cannibal lifts his leg and boots the man right off the green cushioned chair. Then he turns to the white lumps and tears the blanket off.
Ernie's face appears as it did in his back seat but without the rigid smirk. The muscles in his face are weak and sag as if they'd collapsed several years before his death. His dull eyes are still open, still staring at Cannibal.
"Ernie, you fucking prick," Cannibal starts, "You fucking prick, you get back here right now! You gonna fuck with me? You gonna fuck with me, Ernie? I fucking made you Ernie! We both fucking died that day!"
A small militia of security guards pour into the room, and it takes every last one of them to restrain Cannibal. He fights, and squirms as the fattest guard sits on the wide of his back, and pulls his arms. Cannibal thrashes and screams like an animal as he is restrained. He bashes his face into the tiled floor, leaving increasingly large spots of blood at the sight of impact. The fat guard applies some pressure to his hold, as small, wet pop emits from Cannibal's back.
There's no story here. No tale of the tape. Just a has-been wrestler in tomorrow's headlines, and a family mourning a loss that begun two decades prior. The crowd of mourners gasp and scream as all the fight leaves Cannibal's body at once. Then a woman breaks into sobs. She used to know Bradley Hughes. The real Cannibal. But nobody wants real.
They only think they do.
submitted by TheMoxFulder to WritersGroup [link] [comments]
The kid's name is Rob Small, and he's supposedly some hot-shot rookie fresh out of the local school. But Cannibal doesn't get it. Everything about the kid bugs him, right down to the name. The sport lost something when people stopped calling themselves ridiculous things, like 'The Big' this, or 'Ultimate' that.
And besides, it's a dirty trick. It's too easy, just like everything the new kids are doing. It's almost too real. And the audience doesn't want real. They only think they do. Cannibal knows this better than just about anyone.
Cannibal feels that he's been carrying them both since the bell. Again, it's this new, soft shit. Flipping, and posing, and nobody wants a single scratch on their pretty mugs. The word fake doesn't exist in this business, but as Rob winds up for another one of his little tricks, all flare, no impact, you can kind of see where people get that idea.
Cannibal takes a knee, then another, but wide, because that's how you take a real hit. Rob pulls the chair back.
"Don't fuck this up," Cannibal says.
The blade of the chair just grazes Cannibal's eyebrow, opening two inches of scar tissue, and perforation.
This is good. Unintentional, but good.
The crowd isn't theirs yet, but the stream of blood pulls a few people forward and gets them almost leaning into the next row down.
The blood is good, no doubt about it. But the sound of skull on steel would've lit them on fire, and that's just science.
Rob moves to the ropes, taking a squeaky-clean moment to acknowledge the crowd. He waves his arms around like he's leading a marching band or something, and it "earns" him a small pop of recognition.
Here's the problem- there's no story here. No tale of the tape. Just some rookie nobody cares about, and an aging prick that people care even less about. This is when every move is supposed to count. Not just every move, but every transition, every facial expression too. The kid's athletic, sure. But so is everybody. He doesn't have the rhythm yet, and his nose is too straight. And Cannibal is tired of carrying this match.
Cannibal starts back on his feet, quickly, counter-intuitively, like a jump scare. The kid's finally connecting with the crowd now, lifting the chair like some intramural trophy. But it's too little, too late, and Cannibal sees his opportunity.
First Cannibal snatches the chair, up, and behind Rob, then steadies his giant, calloused fingers with a well-timed exhale. He whirls Rob around, ready or not, and drives the lip of the chair into the liver side of his waist, which folds him directly in two. The crowd chatters a bit, but he isn't finished.
Cannibal throws the chair less than a foot away, then sets up the move that's going to win the crowd.
He didn't invent the move, not even close. It's not even particularly uncommon. But he made his name off this move. Here's some wisdom from the old school: There are precious few people who make money from this business by looking good. And if you can't look good, you need to look vicious.
Cannibal hooks his arms under Rob's armpits, then wrenches both arms so violently that the triceps almost touch. Operating on pure panic, and instinct, Rob's legs unwind, independently searching for a better position, but never finding it.
"Hey, easy up there," Rob says from somewhere near Cannibal's midsection, but he may as well be speaking to the mat now.
Cannibal wrenches Rob's arms again, but this time the triceps touch for one moment of searing pain. He does this half for show, and half as a warning to keep quiet during his finisher. He looks out at the crowd, and their features form for the first time since he entered the arena. Before then, they were nothing, just a wallpaper pattern of merch, and facial hair. There's a difference between the individual faces in the first row, and the voice that fills the venue, and guides your match.
A single fan can be wrong, but a crowd never is.
But Cannibal takes some of that power back now, and he's staring at the crowd, the entity, right in the face, starting with the first row.
The first few faces that he locks eyes with are rabid, their eyes wild with anticipation. They're gesticulating wildly, like they can't believe, or can't wait for what's coming next. The next face is a little boy who shies away and looks at his dad for help. He scans about a seating section and a half, screaming spittle-seasoned insults along the way.
Mid-taunt, before anybody can count it off, Cannibal hits his finisher, The Flesh Eater.
Cannibal pushes off the toes of his boots, about a foot into the air, bringing Rob's craned arms with him. That's why you really need to wrench. With Rob feeling real pain at each arm's socket, he has no choice but to sell. At the height of his jump, Cannibal shoots his legs straight out in a wide V, unclenching his ass for a nice, cushioned landing.
Rob's face hits the chair a microsecond before Cannibal's legs, and underside absorb the remainder of the blow. It's enough to make the aluminum ring out into the high warehouse ceiling and put a pretty little face-sized dent in the seat.
The crowd reacts with screams, with horror, with finally, some fucking emotion.
Cannibal climbs to his feet, while the lights flick on-and-off, on-and-off in Rob's eyes. Rob props himself on his palms, and knees, finding the floor he wasn't even looking for.
But he loses it again with a big, booted punt to the ribs. The crowd boos now from every direction.
This is good. It means that right now, they hate Cannibal. It means that when they go home, they'll remember how much they hated him. It means that he did his job.
Cannibal takes a victory lap around the ring while Rob writhes in presumably authentic agony. Cannibal leans over the top rope, pointing at the front row again, dissolving the boundary between them. He's screaming at a fan. He may even be screaming at one hundred fans when he notices a face that shouldn't be in attendance.
Was it section B? He looks over but can't find the face anymore.
He darts his eyes wildly, unfocusing them so that the crowd transforms into nothing but eyebrows, and merch, approval, and disgust.
He glances back toward Section B, right around where he thinks he saw the face, right as Rob crawls from behind, hooks his leg, and rolls him into a three count.
Both men roll onto their backs; Rob, because the pain from his neck, down to his waist puts him there. Cannibal, because he's defeated and confused.
Had he really seen that face? He knows he hadn't. One, because that would make no sense. And two, because, and he only saw it for a second, but the face was significantly younger than it should have been. About 20 years younger. Which would put it right around a time that he doesn't think, or speak about. Cannibal decides that he didn't see the face after all. He doesn't believe in ghosts. Especially not ghosts that haven't even died.
***
Cannibal collects his pay, and the doc plugs up his gash, in that order. He's got a show in a bigger market tomorrow, so the butterfly stitches just need to hold until then.
He unlaces his boots in the parking lot, then trades them for some once-white Adidas from the back seat of his gray Toyota Camry. Then he thinks about the ghost again. The one that he didn't see, the one that isn't even dead as far as he knows.
He stands still in his untied sneakers and thumbs a few reps through his social pages. If he had died, the news would have picked it up by now. An old friend would have even messaged,
"Here if you need to talk." Or, "It's not your fault"
Something like that, anyway. But Cannibal doesn't see anything, no messages, neither of their names gracing, or disgracing any headlines. And besides, that doesn't exactly solve the issue at hand. Maybe the kids are right, he thinks. I've officially taken too many blows to the skull.
For twenty years, Cannibal has always driven to the next city, or the next stop on the road, the night prior. Tonight, he checks into the nearest hotel/rest stop that connects to the main road. It's only about a four-hour drive, three if he can avoid traffic, and the need to piss. He doesn't even need to check into the venue until 5 pm. That's ample time, he decides for the first time in his career.
"I just need a bed and a shower", Cannibal tells the night clerk, a pimply boy who has deepened his voice since the exchange intensified.
He's the only employee, except for a few maids pushing yellow baskets around the parking lot, and a few unofficially affiliated girls prowling around from the local skin bar.
The boy wants to avoid a hassle. He knows that the nearest signs of life are the old warehouse a few exits down, and the sheriff's office even further.
"I'm sorry sir," he begins, and he's really using diaphragm now, speaking to the back of the house, "But all's we got left tonight is the honeymoon suite."
"So it's $30 extra for a dirty mirror on the ceiling, and a vase full of plastic fuckin' roses?"
The clerk winces at the swear, then gleams over Cannibal's right shoulder into the mostly empty parking lot. Cannibal gives the kid his best mean mug, the same one that he'd shoot toward a new opponent or a crowd that hates his guts. The quiet moment lingers, and then, wouldn't you guess it, just like that, thirty dollars gets shaved off the tab.
Cannibal tosses his duffel onto the frilly red sheets, then rolls off his sneakers as his reflections oblige in both the ceiling and wall-length mirrors. He sits on the bed, then wiggles his toes a bit generating a sound like gravel crunching in a driveway. He wants to get up and shower off some of the dried blood that's clotted his hair to his face, but the world rocks, and spins, and he lays down and falls asleep without even killing the bedside lamp.
He can't remember the ramp, the fans, or the bell. He can't remember the promos, or what angle he's supposed to be taking. But judging from the dark cherry splatted canvas, and the ringing in ears, it's been a fuckin' barn-burner so far. He looks directly ahead, at the high, pipe-laden ceiling, and realizes he's on his back. A boot lands next to his head, then another. Maybe it's the high-intensity discharge lights that are stinging his eyes, maybe he's still rattled from whatever move put him on his ass, but as his opponent steps over him, he can't seem at all to make out their face.
Whoever his opponent is, he begins to pick him up by the hair, and that's when Cannibal notices that the abstract art on the mat has mostly come from the back of his head. Drops of blood race down his opponents wrists, and pool near his elbows. Cannibal is bent over looking down at the mat, at his opponent's standard-issue black boots, and at the fresh coat of bright red, which will soon dry darker.
His opponent cranks his arms clumsily but with intensity. He can feel his blood greasing his opponent's grip, not allowing for any real traction. Then his opponent's knees square up, then bend, and Cannibal realizes. "Hey, that's my fucking move!" he says, or tries to say, but his opponent's airborne, and then so is he.
Usually, there's a nice thud when you hit the mat, but not this time. This time it sounds more like a series of wet pops, like cracking your knuckles underwater. Cannibal tries to roll over and assess the situation. Then he tries to roll over again.
Oh. Shit.
He's face down on the mat, and he intuits, rather than feels his opponent hurry off him, and in that same foggy way, he can feel the crowd. The beast with one thousand eyes is silent, but it isn't bored. It's murmuring, but with a sort of upward inflection, like it's asking him a question can't answer. Now a referee rolls him over. Cannibal awakens in a panic and tries to jump out of bed, away from the red sheets, but his body is uncooperative. His head lolls at an unnatural angle toward the mirrored wall. He can move his eyes, but nothing else.
He wants to scream for the pimply-faced boy or one of the night girls, but nothing comes out of his mouth. He can see his reflection, the collapsed muscles in his face, and the pool of spit that's collected on the pillow by his ear. The parts of the bed directly under him appear a darker red than the rest of the sheets. His eyes roll wildly and take in different parts of the same wall that he's frozen on. He can barely feel his breathing, but he knows that it's sporadic and shallow. He keeps rolling his eyes, searching for a modicum of control over his own body. And that's when he sees him again.
The ceiling mirror casts its reflection into its wall counterpart, and with the furthest strain of his eyeball muscles, Cannibal can just barely recognize him. He's a little older than he looked in the crowd earlier, but it's unmistakable this time. Fucking ghosts. Ghosts who aren't even dead yet. From somewhere behind his eyes Cannibal feels the onset of rage.
His eyes blink involuntarily, and a well of tears are pushed, and guided down into the spit-soaked pillow. He imagines himself rocking forward and tries to send this signal to a part of his body that doesn't exist. He imagines it again. He tries to kick a leg, throw an elbow, he'll settle for anything. He sends that signal in random intervals like he's trying to surprise his own faculties. He "throws" another elbow.
Except this time his arm releases from his side and soars out in front of him. His body follows, and he feels a vile concoction of fear, and relief as he falls off the bed, with arms and legs too weak to break his fall. He narrowly avoids contact with the corner of the nightstand and lands with a thud on the carpeted floor. He wiggles his toes, and the sound of tires on gravel rings out into nothing. ***
After regaining some strength, Cannibal uses his recently renewed limb strength to tear through every creak, and crack of the hotel room. He finds nobody in the room, nobody in the mirrors, just himself and his aching fucking cranium. Exhausted, but no longer tired, Cannibal grabs his duffel and checks out of the hotel room by tossing his key in the general direction of the unsuspecting clerk. He tears his car door open, then drives off with only half a plan in mind.
The morning sun breaks as Cannibal pulls up to a red light, and re-reads his early morning text to the promoter, 'Can't make it tonight. I'll make it up to you somehow.'
He's never backed out of a show before, and he knows that he'll have to confront that fact soon, but right now, it doesn't seem to matter. He needs to see him. He cobbles his route out of headlines and news stories that he manages to search up between red lights and stop signs.
Where are they now? 6 Wrestlers Whose Careers Ended In Tragedy The Real Story of Ernie "The Eagle" Samson Former World Champion Contender in Hospice After 20-Year Battle
Cannibals mind races as single sentences fire out at him like shrapnel. He scrolls past his own names, both gimmick and government a few times over. He feels the rage, and tears form behind his eyes again.
You weren't the only one that lost your legacy that day, you prick.
After twenty years he knows these roads well. Well enough to cruise over to the hospice unassisted by a map, or GPS. He acknowledges his thoughts as his motions become routine.
Ernie Samson was poised to be the next big thing back before all the wrestling territories got swallowed up by the Big Guy in the corporate machine. He was a handsome bastard, and a city man with the strength of a farm boy. He could talk fear into the crowd without raising his voice, and he pulled women who didn't know and didn't care what he did for a nightly living. Cannibal hated him, but in a brotherly way that was steeped in admiration. Even in those times, Cannibal was more brutish and uglier than everyone in the locker room. It was a stroke of momentary genius when some otherwise dipshit promoter first suggested that they pair up. Some sort of beauty and brawn type gimmick. The monster and his mouthpiece.
And you know what? It worked. People ate that shit right up. Cannibal chewed through his opponents with ferocity, while Ernie dazzled the crowd with his mixture of strong style, flips, and tricks. They melted the imaginary territory perimeters and became shooting stars in every market they played. Men paid off their tabs at the bar, and Ernie was gracious enough to send some trim Cannibal's way every now and again. It was a nice system, comfortable even.
Then that dipshit promoter had another bright idea. The team was ready to break up.
The way he described it, they'd take all that heat they had amassed together, and cover double the ground. This storyline was a natural, mostly because it was real. What the promoter was saying, in his dickhead way, was that Cannibal had served his purpose. He'd put the real star in place for his meteoric rise. Cannibal looked at where his career was, and how far it had come, and he agreed. They'd go out in one final bloodbath of a match, and defeat their current rivals, The Maniacs. Then Cannibal would attack Ernie, severing their ties, and launching their individual careers. Cut, dry.
Right up until the end, that match stands in Cannibal's memory as his finest work. If he'd been vicious before, he was rabid in this match. The hits were real, the emotions were high, and the crowd invested in every last pectoral twitch. After nearly half an hour of slogging and bruising, Cannibal hit his finisher and covered his opponent to the tune of twenty-something-thousand screaming fans. As the three-count fell, the crowd hit a decibel that he'd never heard before. They were screaming so loud, that it almost dampened in volume, and became a whisper in his ears.
The Maniacs had done their jobs well, bloodying and bruising Cannibal and Ernie for a gruesome glamor shot that would make the following day's paper. That image, of Ernie raising Cannibal's arm before the inevitable turn, would haunt almost every article written about either of them from that day forward.
Soaked in the moment, and each other's blood, Ernie hoisted Cannibal's arm, and they spun the ring, facing every single fan in attendance. Normally you'd wait for a break in the volume before the next big moment, but this crowd had no intention of quieting down. They faced each other, and Ernie mouthed the words.
"You ready?"
To this day Cannibal doesn't exactly know what went wrong. First, he felt sadness. Then he felt anger. He realized that the cheers wouldn't end for Ernie, but there was a very real possibility that this was his own last big pop. He went ahead as planned. First with an absolutely brutal kick to the midsection, which softened Ernie's abs into dough. Ernie let out a real, dry cough as the crowd's cheers morphed into shock and confusion. Then he cranked his arms, clumsily, but with intensity. Ernie's arms were slick with blood, and Cannibal couldn't sink in his hooks correctly. His legs shot out gracelessly, and rather than hearing the cushioned thud of his own ass, all he heard was a sick, wet pop.
Cannibal notes that he is about one exit from the hospice, and shakes his head vigorously as if to erase his thoughts. The exit approaches, and he cuts in deftly. He is immediately greeted by a green, bustling town, in a decent Midwestern neighborhood.
He cruises toward the hospice, passing a few young couples, and their church-clothed children. Bells chime nearby, and a dog emits a medium-sized bark from a nearby public park.
Cannibal glances in his rear-view as he changes lanes. Ernie is seated behind the middle console, smirking, but with no joy in his eyes. Cannibal tries to scream, but can't.
With the wheel slightly angled for his turn, Cannibal cruises subtly across lanes, onto the sidewalk, then into the park.
The first few couples dive out of the way with synchronized, but inharmonious shrieks. A young man pushes his wife and child to the ground, and the driver's side front wheel crunches, and shatters his ankle. The next few people aren't so lucky.
A group of friends sprawled across a picnic blanket snap around toward the source of the commotion just in time to greet the Toyota Camry's fender. Cannibal's eyes dart between his windshield and the rearview where Ernie sits smirking. He sees a young woman snatched from his sight line and hears a gunshot of a pop as the back of her skull smacks against some concrete. Tears roll down Cannibal's face as he wills his arms, legs, or fucking anything to move. The litter of bodies test the car's shocks, as the wheels find their way over strange terrains of bone and flesh. Then, a street lamp.
Cannibal's forehead smacks against his wheel a millisecond before the airbags deploy. He flinches, and his arms twitch as the bag chafes his nose and brow. He has regained control of his movement, if only slightly. He kicks open the door but does not face the trail of mayhem that succumbed to his vehicle. Instead, he realizes that he is just one block away from the hospice. With the remaining screams a comfortable distance behind him, he half runs, half stumbles to the reception desk.
People react to Cannibal's arrival with appropriate confusion and terror. The butterfly stitches have ceased to hold, and a rigid pattern of blood trails him as he staggers across the linoleum tile.
"Sir, do you need help?"
"Samson. I need Ernie fucking Samson."
He peers over the desk and sees a directory of sorts, like a cheat sheet of hospice patients, and their assigned rooms. He leaks blood from his brow over the counter, and onto the sheet, and the seated receptionist recoils with disgust as he snatches and reads it.
Ernie Samson 211
Cannibal marches now on sturdy feet to the nearest stairwell. A small security guard attempts to stand in his way, but Cannibal dwarfs his face with his gigantic palm, and smashes it into the drywall behind him, eliciting a collective gasp from the lobby waiting room. He kicks open the stairwell door and drags himself up the single flight of stairs onto the landing. Then he kicks open the second door.
Nurses gasp and take a step back as he emerges from the stairwell, ferocity emblazoned across his face and written in his scar tissue. He observes the direction in which the numbered rooms flow and stomps toward Room 211.
Half a dozen people are stood outside the room, with hospital staff accounting for only two of them.
"Bradley?" an older woman asks, as Cannibal tears past her, and into the room.
Inside the room is a white sheet spread over a series of lumps on a lightly inclined bed. A young man is seated near the side of the bed where the railing has been temporarily removed. His eyes are bloodshot, and his cheeks are damp.
"Brad, what the fuck is-" he begins to say.
Cannibal lifts his leg and boots the man right off the green cushioned chair. Then he turns to the white lumps and tears the blanket off.
Ernie's face appears as it did in his back seat but without the rigid smirk. The muscles in his face are weak and sag as if they'd collapsed several years before his death. His dull eyes are still open, still staring at Cannibal.
"Ernie, you fucking prick," Cannibal starts, "You fucking prick, you get back here right now! You gonna fuck with me? You gonna fuck with me, Ernie? I fucking made you Ernie! We both fucking died that day!"
A small militia of security guards pour into the room, and it takes every last one of them to restrain Cannibal. He fights, and squirms as the fattest guard sits on the wide of his back, and pulls his arms. Cannibal thrashes and screams like an animal as he is restrained. He bashes his face into the tiled floor, leaving increasingly large spots of blood at the sight of impact. The fat guard applies some pressure to his hold, as small, wet pop emits from Cannibal's back.
There's no story here. No tale of the tape. Just a has-been wrestler in tomorrow's headlines, and a family mourning a loss that begun two decades prior. The crowd of mourners gasp and scream as all the fight leaves Cannibal's body at once. Then a woman breaks into sobs. She used to know Bradley Hughes. The real Cannibal. But nobody wants real.
They only think they do.
2024.06.02 00:24 magistersmax [WTS]/[WTT] 14K Gold Bracelets: Rope, Curb, and Figaro
Proof
Selling three yellow gold bracelets, all are lightweight but that just means more bling for the buck. Prices are based on current estimated melt value of $2,340/ozt, or $75.23/g of gold content as of 6/1/2024. That’s $43.89/g for 14K gold.
Shipping is $5, or for $9 Priority Mail. Buy all and shipping is free.
I accept PayPal FF, Venmo, or Zelle. I’ll also entertain trade offers, specifically coins, bars, or rounds of any metal.
2FA enabled, don't share password, all that stuff.
submitted by magistersmax to Pmsforsale [link] [comments]
Selling three yellow gold bracelets, all are lightweight but that just means more bling for the buck. Prices are based on current estimated melt value of $2,340/ozt, or $75.23/g of gold content as of 6/1/2024. That’s $43.89/g for 14K gold.
Shipping is $5, or for $9 Priority Mail. Buy all and shipping is free.
I accept PayPal FF, Venmo, or Zelle. I’ll also entertain trade offers, specifically coins, bars, or rounds of any metal.
2FA enabled, don't share password, all that stuff.
1: $100 – 7.5” 14K yellow gold rope chain bracelet, approx. 3mm diameter. Weight is 1.88g, melt value is $83. Length Weight Stamp
2: $180 – 8.5” 14K yellow gold figaro chain bracelet, approx. 5.5mm width. Weight is 3.54g, melt value is $155. Length Weight Stamp
3: $250 – 8.5” 14K yellow gold curb chain bracelet, approx. 6mm width. Weight is 5.08g, melt value is $223. Length Weight Stamp
2024.06.02 00:06 Groszkov Is tinder showing you fake likes and messages?
Today I made myself a profile on tinder. I already got 3 "likes" and one of these persons had send me a message I can't see. I assume without gold I can't see anybody who liked me unless I like them back to get a match. The thing is I heard that dating apps often use this tactic with fake likes in order to bait you to buy premium account. Is it something often or they don't do that to this point? I already got out of likes and yeah even if one of those person would be real I don't even have a chance to get a match today.
So are they doing this to the point I'm getting three fake likes in a row or are they not that scammy?
submitted by Groszkov to DatingApps [link] [comments]
So are they doing this to the point I'm getting three fake likes in a row or are they not that scammy?
2024.06.01 23:38 everlostmagedb Deep Dive into Team Dynamics and Role Specialization
Welcome to League Coaching Grounds: Your Pathway to Mastery in League of Legends
Embark on your journey to dominance in League of Legends right here at League Coaching Grounds. Whether you're a novice learning the ropes or a veteran looking to polish your skills, our subreddit provides comprehensive guidance, community support, and expert strategies to help you excel in every match.
A well-rounded team composition can often be the deciding factor in League of Legends. Mastering this element requires a thorough understanding of how different roles and champions interact within a team:
Specializing in a role enhances your understanding and impact on the game:
Improving your micro-management skills can significantly boost your performance by allowing you to outmaneuver opponents in key moments:
Understanding and exploiting cool downs and power spikes gives you a tactical edge:
Taking the role of a shot caller requires not only knowledge but also the confidence to lead:
Understanding the phases of the game and the associated risks can help guide your strategic decisions:
We believe in learning together through interactive and community-driven approaches:
submitted by everlostmagedb to LeagueCoachingGrounds [link] [comments]
Embark on your journey to dominance in League of Legends right here at League Coaching Grounds. Whether you're a novice learning the ropes or a veteran looking to polish your skills, our subreddit provides comprehensive guidance, community support, and expert strategies to help you excel in every match.
Deep Dive into Team Dynamics and Role Specialization
Understanding Team CompositionA well-rounded team composition can often be the deciding factor in League of Legends. Mastering this element requires a thorough understanding of how different roles and champions interact within a team:
- Balancing Your Team: Learn how to build a team that balances damage, tankiness, control, and support to handle various threats and strategies encountered in-game.
- Adapting to Meta Shifts: Stay agile with strategies that adapt to the latest meta, ensuring your team composition remains effective against prevailing champion picks and tactics.
Specializing in a role enhances your understanding and impact on the game:
- Role Mastery: Whether you’re a Top Lane Bruiser, a Mid Lane Assassin, or a Bot Lane Support, master the nuances of your chosen role, including optimal champion picks, lane tactics, and transition strategies.
- Inter-role Synergies: Discover how to synergize your role with other roles on your team to maximize your impact in lane swaps, ganks, and team fights.
Advanced Techniques in Player Mechanics and Micro-Management
Skill Refinement and Micro-ManagementImproving your micro-management skills can significantly boost your performance by allowing you to outmaneuver opponents in key moments:
- Precision Last-Hitting: Enhance your CS (creep score) with techniques that ensure you maximize every gold earning opportunity in lane.
- Skill-Shot Accuracy: Develop your ability to land skill-shots consistently, a crucial skill for champions reliant on precision to dominate opponents.
Understanding and exploiting cool downs and power spikes gives you a tactical edge:
- Cool Down Tracking: Learn to track both your own and your opponent’s ability cool downs to time your engagements for maximum effect.
- Recognizing and Utilizing Power Spikes: Identify the stages of the game when your champion is strongest and learn strategies to capitalize on these moments.
Strategic Playmaking and Decision Making
Effective Shot Calling and LeadershipTaking the role of a shot caller requires not only knowledge but also the confidence to lead:
- Developing Leadership Skills: Build your ability to make decisive calls that can lead your team to victory.
- Strategic Map Plays: Master the art of strategic planning, from orchestrating split pushes to setting up ambushes or securing vital objectives.
Understanding the phases of the game and the associated risks can help guide your strategic decisions:
- Early Game Risks vs. Rewards: Weigh the risks of early aggression against potential rewards to set the pace of the game.
- Late Game Decision Making: Learn to make sound decisions under pressure, especially when games are on the line during the late phase.
Building and Sustaining a Learning Community
Interactive Learning and Community EngagementWe believe in learning together through interactive and community-driven approaches:
- Live Analysis Sessions: Join live sessions where we analyze and break down gameplay, offering real-time insights and learning.
- Community Challenges and Competitions: Engage in regular community challenges that test your skills and encourage growth through practical application.
Elevate Your Game with League Coaching Grounds
Thank you for being a part of League Coaching Grounds, where aspiring champions are molded. Whether you are looking to deepen your understanding of League or find a community that supports your growth, you are in the right place. Subscribe for continuous learning, interact with our rich content, and together, let's climb the ranks of League of Legends.2024.06.01 23:10 Kurhandolly Ed the Goblin
So me and my new group started today our new campaign. I chose to play phandelver and below the shattered obelisk. Changed a lot of things and used a lot of advice from older posts here.
My players rode along Gundren and got to talk a bit. Meet each other and get little information on dwarf and his plans. Sildar showed up, whispered something to Gundren and they both left. Gundren asked players to bring supplies to Phandalin and they agreed. They talk a little bit more, played tic-tac-toe and poker.
They noticed abandoned horses ans a lot of arrows. They knew it was a trap but one of them said that he will not leave it like this and he needs to help people that got attacked. Then they ubderstood that horses belonged to Sildar and Gundren. Goblins attack...and...they captured one of them.
Goblin said that his name is Goblin number 7 and he wasnt part of the attack group (lie) and he created work union with his now captured friends. He told players about hideout and everything and even helped them mark the cart with supplies. He told them that he knows specifi sign that other goblins fear and wont touch the cart. He draw a circle on the cart and that was it. He got rid off the traps along the way. They named him Ed. One of the players said that Ed is a short form for Seven in elvish. Goblin was happy.
He told them about wolves and where Sildar can be. Players put some goblins to sleep, run next to wolves and then one of them used spell to get some light. The goblin on the bridge noticed and then Ed said that players are his prisoners. Player took out rope and was acting like prisoners. Dont get me wrong, players were giving hints to Ed what he should do. He grew, he was proud.
They helped Sildar and got a bit of info about Klarg, Gundren and psionic goblins. Then they wanted to meet Klarg. Goblins near him treated Ed like trash. Players couldnt look at it and attacked with full power. Fight was tough. Klarg destroyed one of the players, twice. Goblins were fighting really good. Players were low but managed to beat them. Unfortunetely Klarg escaped.
But there was no sight of Ed. Then they heard fighting. And then they saw... Ed was on the bridge fighting another goblin one on one. Ed rolled nat 20 and beheaded the other goblin. He was so proud. They screamed for him.
They wanted to give Ed gold but he said that he wasnt after gold. He was after justice.
So Ed is temporarly in the party. I made him as a ranger Hunter. He will become npc in Phandalin. He took a bag of flour and wants to feed the hungry.
I had fun, players had fun, Ed had fun. If its okay I will update next time what happrnd to Ed.
submitted by Kurhandolly to LostMinesOfPhandelver [link] [comments]
My players rode along Gundren and got to talk a bit. Meet each other and get little information on dwarf and his plans. Sildar showed up, whispered something to Gundren and they both left. Gundren asked players to bring supplies to Phandalin and they agreed. They talk a little bit more, played tic-tac-toe and poker.
They noticed abandoned horses ans a lot of arrows. They knew it was a trap but one of them said that he will not leave it like this and he needs to help people that got attacked. Then they ubderstood that horses belonged to Sildar and Gundren. Goblins attack...and...they captured one of them.
Goblin said that his name is Goblin number 7 and he wasnt part of the attack group (lie) and he created work union with his now captured friends. He told players about hideout and everything and even helped them mark the cart with supplies. He told them that he knows specifi sign that other goblins fear and wont touch the cart. He draw a circle on the cart and that was it. He got rid off the traps along the way. They named him Ed. One of the players said that Ed is a short form for Seven in elvish. Goblin was happy.
He told them about wolves and where Sildar can be. Players put some goblins to sleep, run next to wolves and then one of them used spell to get some light. The goblin on the bridge noticed and then Ed said that players are his prisoners. Player took out rope and was acting like prisoners. Dont get me wrong, players were giving hints to Ed what he should do. He grew, he was proud.
They helped Sildar and got a bit of info about Klarg, Gundren and psionic goblins. Then they wanted to meet Klarg. Goblins near him treated Ed like trash. Players couldnt look at it and attacked with full power. Fight was tough. Klarg destroyed one of the players, twice. Goblins were fighting really good. Players were low but managed to beat them. Unfortunetely Klarg escaped.
But there was no sight of Ed. Then they heard fighting. And then they saw... Ed was on the bridge fighting another goblin one on one. Ed rolled nat 20 and beheaded the other goblin. He was so proud. They screamed for him.
They wanted to give Ed gold but he said that he wasnt after gold. He was after justice.
So Ed is temporarly in the party. I made him as a ranger Hunter. He will become npc in Phandalin. He took a bag of flour and wants to feed the hungry.
I had fun, players had fun, Ed had fun. If its okay I will update next time what happrnd to Ed.
2024.06.01 22:32 iheartbgls Further proof her Cartier watch is fake. She posts all designer she gets.
 | Why fake Cartier but buys Prada? At least gold will always have value she’s so dumb submitted by iheartbgls to darcymcqueeny [link] [comments] |
2024.06.01 22:23 Apolleun All is gone... (Part 3)
Part 3: „It was the only real lie I ever told her “
Back to the time when I was at university and before all the medical problems. I was invited to a friend’s party. You know, the whole student stupidity; drinking, dancing and listen to terrible music. There was one girl that stood in the corner of the room that evening. She was there with some students from other departments and seemed not too thrilled by the gathering. I could clearly see a fake smile to the conversations and the surroundings. After a while I saw a familiar girl and we chatted for a minute or so. She was very drunk. I also had that fake smile of “enjoying” this gathering. The music, which was played, got even worse. I turned to that girl in the corner and our gazes met. She looked at me with a face that said it all: “How the what can I get out of here? “
I just shrugged slightly, formed a pistol with two fingers and pointed to my head and then faked a happy expression. She began to laugh very heavily. Like I learned, her name was Anna and she wasn’t drunk, not even tipsy but something about her had caught me. She was attractive, no doubts, but she seemed to be more “present” in the room than others.
From that day on we were like one. We met, chatted, laughed and after some time; well, did a little more. I was stunned what happened. Not even had I dreamed of a girl like her as my partner. She was everything I searched for without even not knowing that I needed it. I was madly in love. And through our conversations she confessed the same to me. I am not handsome or attractive. I was definitely not even close to her league. And she was no “Sandy” with no brain. I even questioned if this was a set-up or a trap. But I am coming from a worker’s family. No gold digger would stay with me for money. My career options were prosperous but this can be seen like a trifecta-bet. Why did she love me? When I asked her, she just said: “Because you are so stupid to ask!”
The most beautiful and mind-blowing about her were, in the end, the little things: the look of her eyes when I brushed her hair behind her ear, holding my hand as if she sometimes knew that I needed it and her good heart. She was the one calming me down when I was rushing forward of achieving things in a harsh manner. She understood me even if I didn’t tell her what happened. This was vice versa. When she was sad, I could cheer her up (okay, mostly the chocolate I always had in stock). When she was insecure, I helped her to find a solution for herself.
And yes, she was beautiful. She was natural and everything on her seemed to be the perfect combination. Her mannerisms and her movements were so classic and gracious.
How deep our relationship developed in just six months was unbeknown to most our friends and even my family. Sadly, she was on only child, raised alone by her mother after the sudden death of her father at the age of seven. Her mother died in an accident when she was 19. She had no grandparents left, even no uncles, aunts or cousins. She felt lonely. At the time I wanted to introduce her officially to my family as “the one”, there was an issue.
She was a little distant for a week or so. She said: „It’s nothing “. Although I was not married, every man with more than three active brain cells just knows: „It’s nuclear! “
It’s unbelievable how a little plastic object with indicator stripes can change your world forever. She was pregnant. And to my shame, I was a complete dumbfounded idiot with a blank mind and sat beside her and asked the dumb question: “How?” This was dedicated to the fact that we used protection and pills.
And Anna, looking at me with a mischievous smile said: “Come on Idiot, don’t pretend that you missed biology classes.”
That brought me back to reality. I was shocked but also kind of happy. It was not the best moment for having a baby, but it’s happening. I told her, more mockingly, that we should marry. She said: “Okay. That’s probably better. But don’t dare to wait too long to put a ring on my finger”.
Again, everything seemed to be on lightspeed. How should I explain this to my family? Well at least the finances where not a big problem. I was on a rarely full “stipendia funding” and she had a scholarship. But, damn! This was too early for that seriousness. But that’s life, I thought.
I was confused, shocked, happy, proud and terrified for the next days. Anna left for three days for an excursion with one of her classes at the university. She told me that she made an appointment with her doctor for confirmation of the pregnancy and for other check-ups after the excursion. When she was back, I have sorted more things out for myself. We wanted to meet in the late evening of Thursday at her place across the town. She had her doctor’s appointment on Friday and I prepared myself for the following conversation and wanted to tell her that we should go together to the appointment, if she wanted that. Before leaving my mobile rang. The number was unfamiliar. I answered the call with a “Hello?”
At this point my world collapsed with the words:” This is nurse …… from the ……. Hospital. I am calling about your fiancé Anna ……”
After discovering her pregnancy, she always has a small piece of paper with all necessary information about medical problems and an emergency contact in her purse.
I came to the hospital and rushed to the Emergency Unit. I told my name and whom I was there for. They called a doctor and informed me to wait for her. There were a lot of people, who waited for their call to be treated by the ER staff. I was crying and my heart felt like it’s almost shredded in thousand pieces. I waited about 10 minutes. A female doctor (let’s call her Dr. F.) called my name and I followed her to a small office.
Dr. F. came strict to the point. She told me first about the accident and then about Annas constitution.
Then Dr. F. (what I am remembering and in short) explained: “Your fiancé had a car accident. A driver lost control over his vehicle and hit her. Passengers called the ambulance immediately and she was brought to us. She has multiple broken bones and bruises. But that is nothing to the inner bleedings. We can’t stop them. We are trying to stabilize her. But there is no hope that her body will recover from these inner bleedings. She is now in one of our ER-Rooms and partially conscious. You can go to her, if you want. But be aware that she is under medication and maybe not awake. I must inform you that the fetus (she should have said: the baby) hasn’t survived. I am truly sorry. Do you want to see her. She always asked about you, if she is awake.”
I nodded my head. There was a hurricane insight of me but I felt like being in the eye of that monster. I was empty and calm. I didn’t cry anymore. I was weak and empty.
The doctor led me to Anna’s room. There in the hospital bed with a mass of equipment attached to her, was my Anna. Her face wasn’t bruised badly but the sheets must have covered her dishevelled body. On the floor were the remains of the bloody massacre. But not as much as expected; I thought. I went to her bed with small steps and stood over her. Her eyes were closed. I gently touched her cheek and calmly spoke to her with a voice like a whisper: “Anna. I am here.”
She didn’t respond. I said the same words again, this time a little louder and gently touched her shoulder. She opened her eyes slightly.
She smiled slightly and said: “Hi love.”
I cried instantly and managed or fabricated a smile and said back: “Hi Curly”
Curly (I hope this is the correct term in English) was my nickname for her because of her natural curly hair that I adored so much. The short version of our conversation is:
She asked me: “Is it really so bad?”
I said: “Yes dear.”
She said after some seconds: “I am so sorry. I don’t want to leave you. I am afraid.”
I reached out for her hand and hold it and said: “You have done nothing wrong. You are perfect. I love you so much. Please don’t leave me.” It was more a beg than a statement.
She whispered: “I love you too and I don’t want to die but I feel so weak and I am tired.”
I gave her a small kiss on the lips and hold her hand. She closed her eyes again. After some seconds she opened them again and asked: “Is everything okay with our baby?”
I said: “Yes. You will be the best mother and always watch after our baby. I love you, Anna.”
Anna said: “I love you too.”
She smiled and closed her eyes. This time she never opened them again and around 20 minutes later the EKG mad it’s devastating sound, indicating no heart activity, no pulse, no blood pressure and no Anna anymore.
The medical staff send me out of the room and tried to reanimate her but there was no hope. And 20 minutes later a doctor declared her dead.
I wanted to die too. This emptiness I felt, the loss, the pain, the anger, the disbelief and the broken bond were too much. My mind was on autopilot. I don’t remember many things that happened afterwards.
I was in the hospital for hours before I left.
Remember the beginning of my medical problems. It began in this night. I got the virus somewhere in or around the hospital.
Because she had no relatives to contact, I took the responsibilities with the funeral. She was cremated and buried in a small ceremony with only a few friends.
I never lied to Anna, except for typical questions like: “Do these pants look good on me?”
But the last statement I said to her wasn’t true, expect for the part where I told her that I loved her. I think she knew it. But it gave her peace in the end. It was the only real lie I ever told her.
submitted by Apolleun to offmychest [link] [comments]
Back to the time when I was at university and before all the medical problems. I was invited to a friend’s party. You know, the whole student stupidity; drinking, dancing and listen to terrible music. There was one girl that stood in the corner of the room that evening. She was there with some students from other departments and seemed not too thrilled by the gathering. I could clearly see a fake smile to the conversations and the surroundings. After a while I saw a familiar girl and we chatted for a minute or so. She was very drunk. I also had that fake smile of “enjoying” this gathering. The music, which was played, got even worse. I turned to that girl in the corner and our gazes met. She looked at me with a face that said it all: “How the what can I get out of here? “
I just shrugged slightly, formed a pistol with two fingers and pointed to my head and then faked a happy expression. She began to laugh very heavily. Like I learned, her name was Anna and she wasn’t drunk, not even tipsy but something about her had caught me. She was attractive, no doubts, but she seemed to be more “present” in the room than others.
From that day on we were like one. We met, chatted, laughed and after some time; well, did a little more. I was stunned what happened. Not even had I dreamed of a girl like her as my partner. She was everything I searched for without even not knowing that I needed it. I was madly in love. And through our conversations she confessed the same to me. I am not handsome or attractive. I was definitely not even close to her league. And she was no “Sandy” with no brain. I even questioned if this was a set-up or a trap. But I am coming from a worker’s family. No gold digger would stay with me for money. My career options were prosperous but this can be seen like a trifecta-bet. Why did she love me? When I asked her, she just said: “Because you are so stupid to ask!”
The most beautiful and mind-blowing about her were, in the end, the little things: the look of her eyes when I brushed her hair behind her ear, holding my hand as if she sometimes knew that I needed it and her good heart. She was the one calming me down when I was rushing forward of achieving things in a harsh manner. She understood me even if I didn’t tell her what happened. This was vice versa. When she was sad, I could cheer her up (okay, mostly the chocolate I always had in stock). When she was insecure, I helped her to find a solution for herself.
And yes, she was beautiful. She was natural and everything on her seemed to be the perfect combination. Her mannerisms and her movements were so classic and gracious.
How deep our relationship developed in just six months was unbeknown to most our friends and even my family. Sadly, she was on only child, raised alone by her mother after the sudden death of her father at the age of seven. Her mother died in an accident when she was 19. She had no grandparents left, even no uncles, aunts or cousins. She felt lonely. At the time I wanted to introduce her officially to my family as “the one”, there was an issue.
She was a little distant for a week or so. She said: „It’s nothing “. Although I was not married, every man with more than three active brain cells just knows: „It’s nuclear! “
It’s unbelievable how a little plastic object with indicator stripes can change your world forever. She was pregnant. And to my shame, I was a complete dumbfounded idiot with a blank mind and sat beside her and asked the dumb question: “How?” This was dedicated to the fact that we used protection and pills.
And Anna, looking at me with a mischievous smile said: “Come on Idiot, don’t pretend that you missed biology classes.”
That brought me back to reality. I was shocked but also kind of happy. It was not the best moment for having a baby, but it’s happening. I told her, more mockingly, that we should marry. She said: “Okay. That’s probably better. But don’t dare to wait too long to put a ring on my finger”.
Again, everything seemed to be on lightspeed. How should I explain this to my family? Well at least the finances where not a big problem. I was on a rarely full “stipendia funding” and she had a scholarship. But, damn! This was too early for that seriousness. But that’s life, I thought.
I was confused, shocked, happy, proud and terrified for the next days. Anna left for three days for an excursion with one of her classes at the university. She told me that she made an appointment with her doctor for confirmation of the pregnancy and for other check-ups after the excursion. When she was back, I have sorted more things out for myself. We wanted to meet in the late evening of Thursday at her place across the town. She had her doctor’s appointment on Friday and I prepared myself for the following conversation and wanted to tell her that we should go together to the appointment, if she wanted that. Before leaving my mobile rang. The number was unfamiliar. I answered the call with a “Hello?”
At this point my world collapsed with the words:” This is nurse …… from the ……. Hospital. I am calling about your fiancé Anna ……”
After discovering her pregnancy, she always has a small piece of paper with all necessary information about medical problems and an emergency contact in her purse.
I came to the hospital and rushed to the Emergency Unit. I told my name and whom I was there for. They called a doctor and informed me to wait for her. There were a lot of people, who waited for their call to be treated by the ER staff. I was crying and my heart felt like it’s almost shredded in thousand pieces. I waited about 10 minutes. A female doctor (let’s call her Dr. F.) called my name and I followed her to a small office.
Dr. F. came strict to the point. She told me first about the accident and then about Annas constitution.
Then Dr. F. (what I am remembering and in short) explained: “Your fiancé had a car accident. A driver lost control over his vehicle and hit her. Passengers called the ambulance immediately and she was brought to us. She has multiple broken bones and bruises. But that is nothing to the inner bleedings. We can’t stop them. We are trying to stabilize her. But there is no hope that her body will recover from these inner bleedings. She is now in one of our ER-Rooms and partially conscious. You can go to her, if you want. But be aware that she is under medication and maybe not awake. I must inform you that the fetus (she should have said: the baby) hasn’t survived. I am truly sorry. Do you want to see her. She always asked about you, if she is awake.”
I nodded my head. There was a hurricane insight of me but I felt like being in the eye of that monster. I was empty and calm. I didn’t cry anymore. I was weak and empty.
The doctor led me to Anna’s room. There in the hospital bed with a mass of equipment attached to her, was my Anna. Her face wasn’t bruised badly but the sheets must have covered her dishevelled body. On the floor were the remains of the bloody massacre. But not as much as expected; I thought. I went to her bed with small steps and stood over her. Her eyes were closed. I gently touched her cheek and calmly spoke to her with a voice like a whisper: “Anna. I am here.”
She didn’t respond. I said the same words again, this time a little louder and gently touched her shoulder. She opened her eyes slightly.
She smiled slightly and said: “Hi love.”
I cried instantly and managed or fabricated a smile and said back: “Hi Curly”
Curly (I hope this is the correct term in English) was my nickname for her because of her natural curly hair that I adored so much. The short version of our conversation is:
She asked me: “Is it really so bad?”
I said: “Yes dear.”
She said after some seconds: “I am so sorry. I don’t want to leave you. I am afraid.”
I reached out for her hand and hold it and said: “You have done nothing wrong. You are perfect. I love you so much. Please don’t leave me.” It was more a beg than a statement.
She whispered: “I love you too and I don’t want to die but I feel so weak and I am tired.”
I gave her a small kiss on the lips and hold her hand. She closed her eyes again. After some seconds she opened them again and asked: “Is everything okay with our baby?”
I said: “Yes. You will be the best mother and always watch after our baby. I love you, Anna.”
Anna said: “I love you too.”
She smiled and closed her eyes. This time she never opened them again and around 20 minutes later the EKG mad it’s devastating sound, indicating no heart activity, no pulse, no blood pressure and no Anna anymore.
The medical staff send me out of the room and tried to reanimate her but there was no hope. And 20 minutes later a doctor declared her dead.
I wanted to die too. This emptiness I felt, the loss, the pain, the anger, the disbelief and the broken bond were too much. My mind was on autopilot. I don’t remember many things that happened afterwards.
I was in the hospital for hours before I left.
Remember the beginning of my medical problems. It began in this night. I got the virus somewhere in or around the hospital.
Because she had no relatives to contact, I took the responsibilities with the funeral. She was cremated and buried in a small ceremony with only a few friends.
I never lied to Anna, except for typical questions like: “Do these pants look good on me?”
But the last statement I said to her wasn’t true, expect for the part where I told her that I loved her. I think she knew it. But it gave her peace in the end. It was the only real lie I ever told her.
2024.06.01 22:19 99-Magic U Washington Michael Penix Jr Jersey
 | This is from super_awesome who had great reviews on here . Pretty disappointing honestly. The nameplate looks like it was cut out freehand with a pair of kitchen scissors and sloppily stitched on. The gold is too dark. The 12 in the PAC12 patch is 8 sizes too small. The adidas logo is part of some ugly patch instead of stiched on like it should. Its a really obvious fake. Terrible quality from super_awesome and wont be using them again. Yeah i know $20, from china, what do you expect. Just expected more based on how much love this guy gets on here. submitted by 99-Magic to DHGateJerseys [link] [comments] |
2024.06.01 21:37 02321 I wish I never found that Monster Dating Website.
I was extremely bored one night and bad things tend to happen when there was nothing to keep me out of trouble. I found myself down a rabbit hole looking at old or interesting websites. I think I saw the Space Jam site still up like a small internet time capsule. Seeing that had been a bit of a trip down memory lane. Through clicking random links, I found a site claiming to be a monster blind dating site. I only saw it for a second and the entire thing went down before I got a good look at it. After digging for information about it I read that it could only be accessed at midnight. If you clicked on the link at 12:01, you may get a glance of it but then it would go down before you could fill out a dating profile.
I thought it was a cute little gimmick. There was no way it could be real. I mean, a monster dating site sounded like something my kid sister would read. But I kinda did want to see what the site looked like. The second it was up I saw a chunky mouse cursor and blocky sidebars that reminded me of what the internet looked like in the 90’s. I can still remember the dial-up tone and my Neopets username...
The next night I found myself counting down the seconds until midnight. I refreshed the page a second after the clock rolled over. An odd excitement came when I saw the site go live. It reeked of the early internet, and I loved it. The webpage didn’t lag and didn’t have any terrible design choices that made it impossible to read text or find links like real older sites.
I didn’t plan on filling out a dating profile. Just to look around. I had a countdown of 13 minutes and not much else to look at. The home page displayed a few dating profiles of monsters complete with grainy images making it hard to really see their features. All of them were booked up. When I refreshed the page a few of the profiles changed and at least two had some availability. When I clicked on them, they became booked up within a second.
Were other people on this site? Or was it just a script running in the background? Was this just a fun little joke or some sort of code for people to actually hire sex workers but in a discreet way? I thought I would never find out the answer.
Another option was to make your dating profile instead of trying to book a certain monster. It asked very basic questions and thankfully lacked a spot to fill out your credit card information. As a joke I filled out a fake profile and used my burner email address I made just for things like this. My time ran out and the site went down. At least I'd been fun while it lasted. I wanted to get a screenshot of it but when I did, the image was black. I didn’t find that strange, but I felt a little disappointed I didn’t have any proof of the odd website.
That was until my cellphone pinged showing I had a text. I read the message of dread coming to my stomach. This could not be right. It was from an unknown number saying a date was arranged at ten PM next Friday with a Google Street View image of a nearby street corner.
I tried to think of a way this joke site got my phone number. I was under a family plan, so my number wasn’t even under my own name if they somehow got my name from, what? Hacking my computer somehow? Did I click a bad link somewhere? My Anti-Virus was normally so good at protecting me from my own mistakes. Maybe I should stop being cheap and pay for a VPN. Just to be safe I deleted the message and blocked the number. I then did a massive password overhaul and a few virus scans that came up empty.
I kept an eye on my bank and emails to see if anyone tried getting into my accounts to have nothing happen in the next few days. I learned my less than just clicking random links and going on a sketchy site wasn’t worth it.
I also avoided the street corner for the rest of the week. I needed to take a long way home from work but refused to be anywhere near the place. I got worried about how they got my address. Did they really have my address or just a general location and send the text to freak me out? I couldn’t really do anything about it besides keeping my doors locked and an eye out for anything strange. The cops would laugh in my face if I brought this to them.
I fully planned on staying on Friday night. Best not to even be outside in case this wasn’t a prank pulled by someone with a bad sense of humor. But a friend of mine called me over requesting I bring him some soup from a restaurant down the street. Everything was within walking distance and my buddy was sick as hell. He didn’t want to pay the ten-dollar delivery fee, plus the tip when he could just ask me to do it and give me the tip instead. I put aside my fear and did him the favor to get him his damn broccoli and cheddar soup. He'd done a bunch of stuff for me in the past, so I needed to help him out.
On the way back from his place I kept my hands in my pockets and looked around expecting someone to be following me. It was Friday night and almost ten. The sun has long since set and the street empty of other people. I took the long way again, still refusing to go near that street corner. My pulse rose every time I heard a sound on my walk. Only two blocks to go from home and I relaxed a little. I felt silly letting that site get to me so badly.
From behind I heard some papers fluttering in the wind. Nothing strange about that so I didn’t turn around to look. If I did, I would have gotten a head start at running.
“Mr. Stevens...?”
A voice came from behind and I stopped dead in my tracks. The voice sounded paper thin and hard to hear over the other rustling sounds. I realized that papers could not be fluttering in the wind because there wasn’t a breeze. Slowly, I turned only my head, trying to see the source of the voice that called my name.
The street was lined with lamp posts. From between two posts, a shape came out of the darkness and into the same light I stood under. The thing is at least ten feet tall and long. The body was in constant motion and made of different-sized pieces of dark stained paper. I didn’t see any kind of arms or legs on the creature, instead, it appeared to float a few inches off the ground. I darted my eyes upwards to look at the face. A large scroll hung down from the forehead attached to a massive twisted golden horn. The paper covering most of the face had odd golden writing on it. Under the paper, I saw a pair of sunken dark eyes and a mouth that reached to each end of the face. The hair was also made up of those papers flowing outwards. They were covered with the same golden writing. We made eye contact, and a smile came that showed off countless needle-pointed teeth.
Yeah, no.
I booked it. I wasn’t going to deal with whatever this thing was. I ran down the block, my legs burning within seconds. I wished I stayed in shape. The thing following behind, easily keeping pace. The countless papers rustled with each movement and the damn thing started to laugh making my heart nearly stop from fear.
Laughter grew making my head get dizzy. The sound echoed off the empty road and sounded so clear, almost as if someone was clicking glasses together. My vision faded and I found myself running the wrong way. I should have taken a left to get home but I turned it right and towards a park. When I pulled through the brain fog, I didn’t have a chance to correct myself. If I turned around, I would run right into the creature chasing me.
I couldn’t keep up running for much longer. My face dripped with sweat, my face red from effort. I ducked inside some trees a part of the very small park thankful my city even had a park like this. I slammed into a tree, panting and listening for the monster. The laughter stopped and I didn’t hear the paper rustling again. Was I going crazy There is no way that thing was real. I shook my head trying to figure out what I should do. I pulled out my phone to call for help. Even if it wasn’t real, I needed someone to come down here to get me to a hospital to get my brain looked at.
I stood sweating and fear turning my body cold. My phone refused to turn on. I held down all the side buttons forcing the phone to restart. It came back on, but the screen showed a glowing golden symbol and not the photo of my baby sister as my lock screen. This simply could not be happening. I needed to find a person, a real person to help.
I looked up through the dark trees and saw some leaves that looked a bit strange. All at once, golden writing flickered on showing the outline of the monster wrapped around a tree staring in my direction. I let out a scream that in any other situation would be embarrassing. Blinded by fear I ran right into a tree, smashing my nose and causing it to bleed.
I ran again, mind blank. I had no thoughts but to just get the hell out of there. I spilled out from the trees and into the park. The play equipment was off in the distance, but no one was in sight. I also considered trying to hide in the plastic slide, or inside the worn-out hollow plastic dinosaur that had seen better days. My feet became tangled trying to race up the hill and I fell forward.
The papers were on me at once. I rolled on my back, looking up at the creature and directly at the face inches away from my own. The eyes glittered in twisted joy at my fear. I was mistaken about this thing not having any limbs. A set of arms came from under the papers to grab my own. The ice-cold skin made my entire body crawl. I kicked my feet, and more arms shot out. Soon I was pinned down to the hard ground with too many hands to count. The creature let out another ringing laugh that made me nearly pass out. I snapped back, when the thing flicked out a tongue to run it over my face, tasting the blood from my nose.
“I Do not normally kiss on the first date, but you are a precious little thing.” The monster spoke, the whispery voice causing my body to shake.
“D-date...?” I choked out, mind moving slowly.
Was that damn monster dating website real? I didn’t have a chance to really think about it. The face came down over my own, the flesh colder than anything else I’ve ever felt. The sheer cold hurt my skin. Second passed and the pain became bearable, and the icy feeling started to fade. The hands gripped tighter, bruising in some places. When the monster pulled away, I gasped for air, unable to do anything else. I looked up and did not like the look in that creature’s eyes. It looked starving. Mouth wide and twisted in an uneven smile with saliva starting to drip out of the corners of the mouth. The long tongue came out and licked it away, but it was a losing battle to keep its face clean. I started to worry this thing had other ideas for me besides tearing my organs out as a snack.
“You are such a darling creature. I cannot help myself. I do hope you forgive my forward nature.” The monster spoke, and the tone sounded as hungry as it looked.
I struggled again against those hands knowing I wouldn’t get free. To my horror, the papers fanned out and they all came down wrapping around my body and blacking out my vision. I assumed this was another way this monster could eat me and was thankful it was fairly painless.
I jumped awake, finding myself in my bed safe and sound. Well, not entirely sound. My body had hand-shaped bruises everywhere that monster grabbed me. I looked around stunned by the previous events. It was early in the morning, and I wore the same thing I did the night before. I even still had my shoes on. I heard pans moving coming from my small kitchen and smelled of cooking.
Slowly I started to leave the room holding a bowling trophy as a weapon. I really didn’t have anything else and thought the heavy base might do some damage. I didn’t get the jump on the one inside my kitchen. The person turned around from where they stood at the stove and gave such a wide and blinding smile it made my head stop working. They were tall with an androgynous body. They were wearing my clothing that didn’t fit on their frame. I’ve never seen someone with such a beautiful shade of dark skin. Every feature was perfect down to evenly arranged pulled-back long dreadlocks.
“I made you some breakfast. I can’t stay long. You need to buy more food, there isn’t much here. Do you need money? Hang on.”
My mind was still in shock leaving me unable to respond. I watched as the stranger placed some scrambled eggs on a plate and set them down on the counter. I didn’t own a table and just ate my computer desk. When the person stopped in front of me, I became so spellbound by their golden eyes that I didn’t even notice they took my weapon away and placed something in my hand. I shook my head to look down to see a small pile of glittering gold pellets in my hand. No, they had a shape I recognized and wanted to toss the gold when I saw they were human teeth of different sizes.
“I can turn things to gold. I had these just taking up space, so I made them useful. Get yourself something nice and don’t be late for our date next Friday. Although I don’t mind chasing you down. That was the most fun I’ve had in a while.”
I couldn't find my voice. I had a million questions. The first one was why they just had human teeth. With so many questions I found it impossible to pick one to speak. This person didn’t look like the monster from the night before. They didn’t look like a monster at all. When a quick kiss was placed against my cheek, and I felt the cold feeling all over again I knew who this creature was.
“I... What... date this Friday?” I croaked out stunned thoughts jumbled together.
“Oh, you are too much!”
Three more quick kisses were placed on my cheek and if it was anyone else, it would be a cute action. The monster drew away and then quickly headed towards the door, face shining with a smile.
“I normally eat my partners quickly, but I’ll keep you around for a bit. We’ll have a great time together until I can’t hold back.”
Without being able to stop them, the monster left through the front door with a wave. A second after it peeked a head through to add one more thing.
“My name is Guild!”
And then they were gone again leaving me standing in the middle of my kitchen with a handful of golden human teeth and the first breakfast someone had made for me since I was a child.
I put the teeth down first and ate the eggs with some issues. My stomach turned. Somehow, I’d gotten myself into a huge mess. I would need to keep seeing the nightmare of a monster for dates until it decided to eat me. My life is now to be decided by someone else. I quickly sent a text to my sister telling her I loved her in case Guild came right back for brunch. She was confused at the random message, but I figured it was long overdue.
The only upside to this entire nightmare I found myself in was Guild looked cute disguised as a human. And I suppose I didn’t have to worry about money either, but I didn’t want to ask Guild for gold fearing what I may be handed next. My new relationship started with hundreds of red flags I can’t do a damn thing about.
Do me a favor and if you do come across a monster dating website, don’t humor it. I wish I never made that mistake. Just don’t go clicking on random links online. You’ll never really know where it might take you and what kind of horrible outcome it may have on your life.
submitted by 02321 to nosleep [link] [comments]
I thought it was a cute little gimmick. There was no way it could be real. I mean, a monster dating site sounded like something my kid sister would read. But I kinda did want to see what the site looked like. The second it was up I saw a chunky mouse cursor and blocky sidebars that reminded me of what the internet looked like in the 90’s. I can still remember the dial-up tone and my Neopets username...
The next night I found myself counting down the seconds until midnight. I refreshed the page a second after the clock rolled over. An odd excitement came when I saw the site go live. It reeked of the early internet, and I loved it. The webpage didn’t lag and didn’t have any terrible design choices that made it impossible to read text or find links like real older sites.
I didn’t plan on filling out a dating profile. Just to look around. I had a countdown of 13 minutes and not much else to look at. The home page displayed a few dating profiles of monsters complete with grainy images making it hard to really see their features. All of them were booked up. When I refreshed the page a few of the profiles changed and at least two had some availability. When I clicked on them, they became booked up within a second.
Were other people on this site? Or was it just a script running in the background? Was this just a fun little joke or some sort of code for people to actually hire sex workers but in a discreet way? I thought I would never find out the answer.
Another option was to make your dating profile instead of trying to book a certain monster. It asked very basic questions and thankfully lacked a spot to fill out your credit card information. As a joke I filled out a fake profile and used my burner email address I made just for things like this. My time ran out and the site went down. At least I'd been fun while it lasted. I wanted to get a screenshot of it but when I did, the image was black. I didn’t find that strange, but I felt a little disappointed I didn’t have any proof of the odd website.
That was until my cellphone pinged showing I had a text. I read the message of dread coming to my stomach. This could not be right. It was from an unknown number saying a date was arranged at ten PM next Friday with a Google Street View image of a nearby street corner.
I tried to think of a way this joke site got my phone number. I was under a family plan, so my number wasn’t even under my own name if they somehow got my name from, what? Hacking my computer somehow? Did I click a bad link somewhere? My Anti-Virus was normally so good at protecting me from my own mistakes. Maybe I should stop being cheap and pay for a VPN. Just to be safe I deleted the message and blocked the number. I then did a massive password overhaul and a few virus scans that came up empty.
I kept an eye on my bank and emails to see if anyone tried getting into my accounts to have nothing happen in the next few days. I learned my less than just clicking random links and going on a sketchy site wasn’t worth it.
I also avoided the street corner for the rest of the week. I needed to take a long way home from work but refused to be anywhere near the place. I got worried about how they got my address. Did they really have my address or just a general location and send the text to freak me out? I couldn’t really do anything about it besides keeping my doors locked and an eye out for anything strange. The cops would laugh in my face if I brought this to them.
I fully planned on staying on Friday night. Best not to even be outside in case this wasn’t a prank pulled by someone with a bad sense of humor. But a friend of mine called me over requesting I bring him some soup from a restaurant down the street. Everything was within walking distance and my buddy was sick as hell. He didn’t want to pay the ten-dollar delivery fee, plus the tip when he could just ask me to do it and give me the tip instead. I put aside my fear and did him the favor to get him his damn broccoli and cheddar soup. He'd done a bunch of stuff for me in the past, so I needed to help him out.
On the way back from his place I kept my hands in my pockets and looked around expecting someone to be following me. It was Friday night and almost ten. The sun has long since set and the street empty of other people. I took the long way again, still refusing to go near that street corner. My pulse rose every time I heard a sound on my walk. Only two blocks to go from home and I relaxed a little. I felt silly letting that site get to me so badly.
From behind I heard some papers fluttering in the wind. Nothing strange about that so I didn’t turn around to look. If I did, I would have gotten a head start at running.
“Mr. Stevens...?”
A voice came from behind and I stopped dead in my tracks. The voice sounded paper thin and hard to hear over the other rustling sounds. I realized that papers could not be fluttering in the wind because there wasn’t a breeze. Slowly, I turned only my head, trying to see the source of the voice that called my name.
The street was lined with lamp posts. From between two posts, a shape came out of the darkness and into the same light I stood under. The thing is at least ten feet tall and long. The body was in constant motion and made of different-sized pieces of dark stained paper. I didn’t see any kind of arms or legs on the creature, instead, it appeared to float a few inches off the ground. I darted my eyes upwards to look at the face. A large scroll hung down from the forehead attached to a massive twisted golden horn. The paper covering most of the face had odd golden writing on it. Under the paper, I saw a pair of sunken dark eyes and a mouth that reached to each end of the face. The hair was also made up of those papers flowing outwards. They were covered with the same golden writing. We made eye contact, and a smile came that showed off countless needle-pointed teeth.
Yeah, no.
I booked it. I wasn’t going to deal with whatever this thing was. I ran down the block, my legs burning within seconds. I wished I stayed in shape. The thing following behind, easily keeping pace. The countless papers rustled with each movement and the damn thing started to laugh making my heart nearly stop from fear.
Laughter grew making my head get dizzy. The sound echoed off the empty road and sounded so clear, almost as if someone was clicking glasses together. My vision faded and I found myself running the wrong way. I should have taken a left to get home but I turned it right and towards a park. When I pulled through the brain fog, I didn’t have a chance to correct myself. If I turned around, I would run right into the creature chasing me.
I couldn’t keep up running for much longer. My face dripped with sweat, my face red from effort. I ducked inside some trees a part of the very small park thankful my city even had a park like this. I slammed into a tree, panting and listening for the monster. The laughter stopped and I didn’t hear the paper rustling again. Was I going crazy There is no way that thing was real. I shook my head trying to figure out what I should do. I pulled out my phone to call for help. Even if it wasn’t real, I needed someone to come down here to get me to a hospital to get my brain looked at.
I stood sweating and fear turning my body cold. My phone refused to turn on. I held down all the side buttons forcing the phone to restart. It came back on, but the screen showed a glowing golden symbol and not the photo of my baby sister as my lock screen. This simply could not be happening. I needed to find a person, a real person to help.
I looked up through the dark trees and saw some leaves that looked a bit strange. All at once, golden writing flickered on showing the outline of the monster wrapped around a tree staring in my direction. I let out a scream that in any other situation would be embarrassing. Blinded by fear I ran right into a tree, smashing my nose and causing it to bleed.
I ran again, mind blank. I had no thoughts but to just get the hell out of there. I spilled out from the trees and into the park. The play equipment was off in the distance, but no one was in sight. I also considered trying to hide in the plastic slide, or inside the worn-out hollow plastic dinosaur that had seen better days. My feet became tangled trying to race up the hill and I fell forward.
The papers were on me at once. I rolled on my back, looking up at the creature and directly at the face inches away from my own. The eyes glittered in twisted joy at my fear. I was mistaken about this thing not having any limbs. A set of arms came from under the papers to grab my own. The ice-cold skin made my entire body crawl. I kicked my feet, and more arms shot out. Soon I was pinned down to the hard ground with too many hands to count. The creature let out another ringing laugh that made me nearly pass out. I snapped back, when the thing flicked out a tongue to run it over my face, tasting the blood from my nose.
“I Do not normally kiss on the first date, but you are a precious little thing.” The monster spoke, the whispery voice causing my body to shake.
“D-date...?” I choked out, mind moving slowly.
Was that damn monster dating website real? I didn’t have a chance to really think about it. The face came down over my own, the flesh colder than anything else I’ve ever felt. The sheer cold hurt my skin. Second passed and the pain became bearable, and the icy feeling started to fade. The hands gripped tighter, bruising in some places. When the monster pulled away, I gasped for air, unable to do anything else. I looked up and did not like the look in that creature’s eyes. It looked starving. Mouth wide and twisted in an uneven smile with saliva starting to drip out of the corners of the mouth. The long tongue came out and licked it away, but it was a losing battle to keep its face clean. I started to worry this thing had other ideas for me besides tearing my organs out as a snack.
“You are such a darling creature. I cannot help myself. I do hope you forgive my forward nature.” The monster spoke, and the tone sounded as hungry as it looked.
I struggled again against those hands knowing I wouldn’t get free. To my horror, the papers fanned out and they all came down wrapping around my body and blacking out my vision. I assumed this was another way this monster could eat me and was thankful it was fairly painless.
I jumped awake, finding myself in my bed safe and sound. Well, not entirely sound. My body had hand-shaped bruises everywhere that monster grabbed me. I looked around stunned by the previous events. It was early in the morning, and I wore the same thing I did the night before. I even still had my shoes on. I heard pans moving coming from my small kitchen and smelled of cooking.
Slowly I started to leave the room holding a bowling trophy as a weapon. I really didn’t have anything else and thought the heavy base might do some damage. I didn’t get the jump on the one inside my kitchen. The person turned around from where they stood at the stove and gave such a wide and blinding smile it made my head stop working. They were tall with an androgynous body. They were wearing my clothing that didn’t fit on their frame. I’ve never seen someone with such a beautiful shade of dark skin. Every feature was perfect down to evenly arranged pulled-back long dreadlocks.
“I made you some breakfast. I can’t stay long. You need to buy more food, there isn’t much here. Do you need money? Hang on.”
My mind was still in shock leaving me unable to respond. I watched as the stranger placed some scrambled eggs on a plate and set them down on the counter. I didn’t own a table and just ate my computer desk. When the person stopped in front of me, I became so spellbound by their golden eyes that I didn’t even notice they took my weapon away and placed something in my hand. I shook my head to look down to see a small pile of glittering gold pellets in my hand. No, they had a shape I recognized and wanted to toss the gold when I saw they were human teeth of different sizes.
“I can turn things to gold. I had these just taking up space, so I made them useful. Get yourself something nice and don’t be late for our date next Friday. Although I don’t mind chasing you down. That was the most fun I’ve had in a while.”
I couldn't find my voice. I had a million questions. The first one was why they just had human teeth. With so many questions I found it impossible to pick one to speak. This person didn’t look like the monster from the night before. They didn’t look like a monster at all. When a quick kiss was placed against my cheek, and I felt the cold feeling all over again I knew who this creature was.
“I... What... date this Friday?” I croaked out stunned thoughts jumbled together.
“Oh, you are too much!”
Three more quick kisses were placed on my cheek and if it was anyone else, it would be a cute action. The monster drew away and then quickly headed towards the door, face shining with a smile.
“I normally eat my partners quickly, but I’ll keep you around for a bit. We’ll have a great time together until I can’t hold back.”
Without being able to stop them, the monster left through the front door with a wave. A second after it peeked a head through to add one more thing.
“My name is Guild!”
And then they were gone again leaving me standing in the middle of my kitchen with a handful of golden human teeth and the first breakfast someone had made for me since I was a child.
I put the teeth down first and ate the eggs with some issues. My stomach turned. Somehow, I’d gotten myself into a huge mess. I would need to keep seeing the nightmare of a monster for dates until it decided to eat me. My life is now to be decided by someone else. I quickly sent a text to my sister telling her I loved her in case Guild came right back for brunch. She was confused at the random message, but I figured it was long overdue.
The only upside to this entire nightmare I found myself in was Guild looked cute disguised as a human. And I suppose I didn’t have to worry about money either, but I didn’t want to ask Guild for gold fearing what I may be handed next. My new relationship started with hundreds of red flags I can’t do a damn thing about.
Do me a favor and if you do come across a monster dating website, don’t humor it. I wish I never made that mistake. Just don’t go clicking on random links online. You’ll never really know where it might take you and what kind of horrible outcome it may have on your life.
2024.06.01 21:31 Billy_NoMate List of every time more than 4 words fit a category
To clear up a common misconception that this is something that only happens extremely rarely, here's a list of every time more than 4 words have fit one of the categories and what number puzzle it occurred in. The first 4 words are the answers and every word after that in parenthesis are words that fit that category but were part of another group. Also, category names might not be exactly the same as the ones used.
submitted by Billy_NoMate to NYTConnections [link] [comments]
#4 Cleaning Verbs
Possible answers: DUST, MOP, SWEEP, VACUUM, (IRON)
#5 Condiments
Possible answers: KETCHUP, MAYO, RELISH, TARTAR, (MUSTARD)
#5 Clue Characters
Possible answers: GREEN, MUSTARD, PLUM, SCARLET, (PEACOCK)
#6 Shades of Blue
Possible answers: BABY, MIDNIGHT, POWDER, ROYAL, (SEA)
#6 Rappers
Possible answers: COMMON, FUTURE, ICE CUBE, Q-TIP, (CHANCE)
#9 Shirts
Possible answers: CAMI, HALTER, TANK, TEE, (POLO)
#9 Vegetables
Possible answers: BEET, CARROT, CORN, ONION, (SQUASH)
#9 Insects
Possible answers: ANT, BEETLE, MANTIS, TERMITE, (CRICKET)
#10 Countries
Possible answers: CHAD, GEORGIA, JORDAN, TOGO, (TURKEY)
#10 Birds
Possible answers: CRANE, JAY, TURKEY, SWALLOW, (KIWI)
#11 Spices
Possible answers: CARDAMOM, CLOVE, CORIANDER, CUMIN, (GINGER)
#11 Terms of Endearment
Possible answers: BOO, HONEY, SUGAR, SWEETIE, (BABY)
#12 Animal Group Names
Possible answers: FLOCK, PACK, POD, SCHOOL, (PRIDE)
#12 Deadly Sins
Possible answers: ENVY, GREED, LUST, PRIDE, (SLOTH)
#13 Airlines
Possible answers: FRONTIER, SPIRIT, UNITED, VIRGIN, (DELTA)
#13 Greek Letters
Possible answers: BETA, CHI, DELTA, IOTA, (NU)
#13 Silent G's
Possible answers: GNAT, GNAW, GNOCCHI, GNOME, (GNU)
#14 Famous Brothers
Possible answers: JONAS, MARX, WARNER, WRIGHT, (MARIO)
#14 Honda Vehicles
Possible answers: ACCORD, CIVIC, PASSPORT, PILOT, (CANOPY)
#15 Colors
Possible answers: BROWN, PINK, TURQUOISE, VIOLET, (SILVER)
#15 Fishing Equipment
Possible answers: LURE, REEL, ROD, TACKLE, (HOOK)
#16 Nuts
Possible answers: ALMOND, CASHEW, PECAN, WALNUT (PEANUT)
#17 Neck Accessories
Possible answers: ASCOT, BOLO, TIE, SCARF, (BOW)
#19 Disagreement
Possible answers: QUARREL, ROW, SPAT, TIFF, QUARREL, (BEEF)
#20 Grains
Possible answers: BARLEY, OAT, RYE, SPELT, (RICE)
#20 Royal Titles
Possible answers: BARON, EARL, KING, PRINCE, (DUKE)
#23 60's Band Member
Possible answers: BEACH BOY, BEATLE, BYRD, MONKEE, (ROLLING STONE)
#23 Dance Fads
Possible answers: DOUGIE, MACARENA, MASHED POTATO, TWIST, (VOGUE)
#25 Desserts
Possible answers: CHEESECAKE, FLAN, MOUSSE, TIRAMISU, (FUDGE)
#25 Animals with Tusks
Possible answers: ELEPHANT, HIPPO, NARWHAL, WARTHOG, (WALRUS)
#26 Countries (Holland is technically a region but it's often used as an informal name for the Netherlands)
Possible answers: DENMARK, GREECE, POLAND, PORTUGAL, (HOLLAND)
#26 Spelled with Roman Numerals
Possible answers: DILL, LIVID, MILD, MIX, (MIMIC)
#27 Body Parts
Possible answers: HEART, LIVER, LUNG, KIDNEY, (SPINE)
#28 File Extensions
Possible answers: GIF, PDF, TIFF, ZIP, (DOC)
#28 Fruits
Possible answers: BANANA, COCONUT, MANGO, PINEAPPLE, (KIWI)
#30 Joints
Possible answers: HIP, KNEE, SHOULDER, WRIST, (ELBOW)
#33 Boats
Possible answers: FERRY, JUNK, TUG, YACHT, (SUB)
#33 Cuts of Beef
Possible answers: FLANK, LOIN, ROUND, SHANK, (CHUCK)
#34 Smell
Possible answers: AROMA, BOUQUET, FRAGRANCE, SCENT, (FUNK)
#34 Music Genres
Possible answers: BLUES, COUNTRY, FUNK, SOUL, (ROCK)
#35 Metals
Possible answers: IRON, LEAD, TIN, ZINC, (NICKEL)
#36 Animals
Possible answers: KANGAROO, KOALA, WALLABY, WOMBAT, (MOLE RAT)
#38 Trees
Possible answers: ASH, CEDAR, MAPLE, PINE, (ELM)
#38 Land Formation
Possible answers: HILL, MOUNTAIN, PLATEAU, VALLEY, (PLAIN)
#38 Bagel Flavors
Possible answers: EVERYTHING, ONION, PLAIN, POPPY, (SESAME)
#41 Islands
Possible answers: CUBA, JAPAN, MALTA, PALAU, (FIJI), (JAVA)
#42 Punctuation Marks
Possible answers: COLON, COMMA, HYPHEN, PERIOD, (DASH)
#43 Birds
Possible answers: BOOBY, GULL, PELICAN, PUFFIN, (CANARY)
#45 Modes of Transportation
Possible answers: BOAT, CAR, PLANE, TRAIN, (SUBWAY)
#46 Cities
Possible answers: CHICAGO, MUNICH, PHILADELPHIA, RIO, (MANHATTAN)
#46 Fashion Magazines
Possible answers: ALLURE, ELLE, GLAMOUR, W, (COSMOPOLITAN)
#46 Storms
Possible answers: BLIZZARD, CYCLONE, SQUALL, TORNADO, (HURRICANE)
#48 Apparitions
Possible answers: GHOST, PHANTOM, SPECTER, SPIRIT, (GENIE)
#49 Relatives
Possible answers: AUNT, COUSIN, MOTHER, NEPHEW, (GRANDFATHER)
#49 Offbeat
Possible answers: DAFFY, KOOKY, QUIRKY, WACKY, (CUCKOO)
#49 Fictional Ducks
Possible answers: DAISY, DEWEY, DONALD, SCROOGE, (DAFFY)
#50 Imperial Measurements
Possible answers: FOOT, INCH, MILE, YARD, (QUART)
#52 Rodents
Possible answers: GERBIL, HAMSTER, RAT, VOLE, (MOUSE)
#52 Musical Instruments
Possible answers: HARP, HORN, ORGAN, TRIANGLE, (KEYBOARD)
#52 Complain
Possible answers: CARP, GRIPE, GROUSE, MOAN, (HARP)
#53 Animal Group Names
Possible answers: COLONY, HERD, PRIDE, SWARM, (FAMILY)
#53 AP Classes
Possible answers: BIO, CHEM, GOV, STATS, (LIT)
#54 Places for Worship
Possible answers: ALTAR, RELIQUARY, SHRINE, TEMPLE, (ABBEY)
#54 Presidents
Possible answers: CALVIN, CHESTER, GROVER, HARRY, (GARFIELD)
#56 Dances
Possible answers: HUSTLE, SALSA, SWING, TANGO, (TAP)
#57 Patterns
Possible answers: HOUNDSTOOTH, PAISLEY, PLAID, STRIPES, (DOT)
#58 Arachnids
Possible answers: MITE, SCORPION, SPIDER, TICK, (BLACK WIDOW)
#58 Fish
Possible answers: CHAR, EEL, PERCH, SHARK, (CATFISH)
#58 Superheroes
Possible answers: BLACK WIDOW, BLADE, FLASH, STORM, (TICK)
#59 Quantity
Possible answers: FEW, HANDFUL, SEVERAL, SOME, (PAIR)
#59 Celestial Objects
Possible answers: ASTEROID, COMET, MOON, PLANET, (SUN)
#60 Sports Venues
Possible answers: COURT, DIAMOND, FIELD, RINK, (RING)
#60 Jewelry
Possible answers: ANKLET, BANGLE, BROOCH, PENDANT, (RING), (CHARM)
#62 State Abbreviations
Possible answers: CO, MA, ME, PA, (LA)
#62 Period Table Symbols
Possible answers: FE, HE, NA, NI, (CO), (PA), (LA), (TI)
#63 Slang for Zero
Possible answers: JACK, NADA, NOTHING, SQUAT, (ZIP)
#63 Exercises
Possible answers: CURL, LUNGE, PLANK, PRESS, (SQUAT), (CRUNCH)
#63 Captains
Possible answers: CRUNCH, KANGAROO, OBVIOUS, PLANET, (JACK)
#64 Dog Names
Possible answers: FIDO, LUCKY, ROVER, SPOT, (REX)
#64 Perceive
Possible answers: CATCH, NOTICE, OBSERVE, SEE, (SPOT)
#64 Fishing Terms
Possible answers: BAIT, CHUM, FLY, SINKER, (CATCH)
#65 Energy
Possible answers: JUICE, SPIRIT, STEAM, VIGOR, (GAS), (FIRE)
#66 Time Periods
Possible answers: CENTURY, DECADE, MILLENNIUM, YEAR, (MONTH)
#66 Breakfast Foods
Possible answers: CEREAL, OMELET, PANCAKE, WAFFLE, (BACON), (EGG)
#67 Desserts
Possible answers: CAKE, COBBLER, PIE, TART, (FUDGE)
#67 Occupations
Possible answers: FISHER, MASON, MILLER, SMITH, (DOCTOR)
#68 Extremely
Possible answers: AWFUL, QUITE, SUPER, VERY, (REAL)
#68 Currencies
Possible answers: RAND, REAL, STERLING, WON, (POUND)
#68 _____Cake
Possible answers: CARROT, COFFEE, POUND, SPONGE, (CUP)
#69 Shoes
Possible answers: CLOG, PUMP, SLIDE, WEDGE, (MARY JANE)
#69 Slang for Marijuana
Possible answers: GRASS, HERB, MARY JANE, WEED, (BUD), (POT)
#70 Camping Supplies
Possible answers: COOLER, LANTERN, SLEEPING BAG, TENT, (CAMPER)
#70 Insult
Possible answers: BARB, DIG, DISS, JAB, (SLIGHT)
#71 States
Possible answers: ARIZONA, COLORADO, NEVADA, UTAH, (KANSAS), (MONTANA)
#72 Santa's Reindeer
Possible answers: COMET, CUPID, DASHER, VIXEN, (DANCER)
#72 Seen on Valentine's Day
Possible answers: CARD, HEART, CHOCOLATE, ROSE, (CUPID)
#73 Facial Hair
Possible answers: BEARD, GOATEE, MUSTACHE, STUBBLE, (HANDLEBAR)
#73 Pursue
Possible answers: DOG, FOLLOW, TAIL, TRACK, (SHADOW)
#74 Failures
Possible answers: BUSTS, FLOPS, MISSES, TURKEYS, (DUDS)
#75 Social Gathering
Possible answers: BASH, BLOWOUT, PARTY, SHINDIG, (MIXER)
#75 Found in a Kitchen
Possible answers: COUNTER, MIXER, RANGE, SINK, (ISLAND)
#79 Depart Quickly
Possible answers: BOOK, BOUNCE, RUN, SPLIT, (JET)
#79 Shades of Black
Possible answers: EBONY, JET, ONYX, RAVEN, (BLACK)
#80 Influence
Possible answers: CLOUT, PULL, WEIGHT, SWAY, (IMPACT)
#81 Appetizer Unit
Possible answers: FRY, NACHO, POPPER, WING, (CHIP), (CRACKER)
#81 Response to a Correct Answer
Possible answers: BINGO, CORRECT, RIGHT, YES, (DING)
#82 Drink Vessels
Possible answers: GOBLET, SNIFTER, TUMBLER, STEIN, (FLUTE)
#82 Woodwinds
Possible answers: CLARINET, FLUTE, OBOE, SAXOPHONE, (BASSOON)
#82 American Poets
Possible answers: BISHOP, FROST, OLDS, POUND, (STEIN)
#83 Unclothed
Possible answers: BARE, NAKED, NUDE, UNCLAD, (BUFF)
#83 Football Actions
Possible answers: FUMBLE, PUNT, SACK, SNAP, (TURNOVER)
#83 Finger Actions
Possible answers: BUFF, CLIP, FILE, POLISH, (SNAP)
#84 Female Animals
Possible answers: COW, DOE, HEN, MARE, (EWE)
#84 Pronouns
Possible answers: I, IT, THEY, WE, (YOU)
#84 Roman Numerals
Possible answers: D, L, M, V, (I)
#86 Information Displays
Possible answers: CHART, DIAGRAM, GRAPH, MAP, (PIE)
#86 Additional Benefit
Possible answers: BONUS, EXTRA, ICING, PERK, (GRAVY)
#86 Creatures in Folklore
Possible answers: GNOME, GOBLIN, OGRE, TROLL, (DRAGON)
#89 Alcohol
Possible answers: CIDER, PORT, SAKE, STOUT, (SPIRIT), (SCOTCH)
#89 Pixar Movies
Possible answers: BRAVE, CARS, COCO, UP, (SOUL)
#90 Baseball Calls
Possible answers: BALL, OUT, SAFE, STRIKE, (WALK)
#90 Fish
Possible answers: CARP, CATFISH, FLOUNDER, SMELT, (SALMON)
#91 Jungle Animals
Possible answers: ANACONDA, CAPYBARA, JAGUAR, TOUCAN, (LION)
#91 Lowest Point
Possible answers: BASE, BOTTOM, FOOT, FOUNDATION, (LEGS)
#92 Halloween Decorations
Possible answers: BAT, COBWEB, PUMPKIN, TOMBSTONE, (BONES)
#93 Animal Sounds
Possible answers: BUZZ, CLUCK, MEOW, OINK, (BARK)
#93 Inside Info
Possible answers: DIRT, DISH, SCOOP, SKINNY, (TEA)
#95 Songs that are Names
Possible answers: ALEJANDRO, LOLA, MICHELLE, STAN, (IRIS)
#96 Animals
Possible answers: BUFFALO, COW, GOAT, SHEEP, (HORSE)
#96 Gymnastics Apparatus
Possible answers: FLOOR, HORSE, RINGS, VAULT, (BEAM)
#97 Fairy Tale Figures
Possible answers: GIANT, PRINCESS, WITCH, WOLF, (QUEEN)
#97 "Peanuts" Characters
Possible answers: CHARLIE, PEPPERMINT PATTY, PIGPEN, WOODSTOCK, (LUCY)
#98 Fruits
Possible answers: APRICOT, FIG, GRAPE, LIME, (BERRY)
#98 Luxurious
Possible answers: DELUXE, GRAND, LAVISH, OPULENT, (SWANK)
#99 Intelligent
Possible answers: BRIGHT, CLEVER, QUICK, SHARP, (SMART)
#100 Web Browser-Related
Possible answers: BOOKMARK, HISTORY, TAB, WINDOW, (LINK), (POCKET)
#100 Dirty_____
Possible answers: DOZEN, JOKE, LAUNDRY, MARTINI, (WINDOW)
#101 Bowling Terms
Possible answers: ALLEY, BALL, LANE, PIN, (SPARE)
#101 Common Merch Items
Possible answers: MUG, PEN, TEE, TOTE, (PIN)
#102 Vehicles
Possible answers: BUS, CAR, MOTORCYCLE, TRUCK, (SCOOTER)
#102 Muppets
Possible answers: ANIMAL, BEAKER, GONZO, SCOOTER, (CHEF), (PIGGY)
#103 Soda Fountain Orders (Concrete can mean a type of milkshake or frozen custard)
Possible answers: FLOAT, MALT, SHAKE, SUNDAE, (CONCRETE), (SPLIT)
#104 Robust
Possible answers: FIT, HEALTHY, SOUND, STRONG, (WELL)
#104 Water Sources
Possible answers: FOUNTAIN, SPRING, TAP, WELL, (SINK)
#105 Kitchen Utensils
Possible answers: GRATER, LADLE, PEELER, WHISK, (CLEAVER)
#106 Wedding Items
Possible answers: BOUQUET, RING, TRAIN, VEIL, (CAKE)
#106 Encase
Possible answers: CAKE, COAT, COVER, CRUST, (VEIL)
#107 Snakes
Possible answers: BOA, MAMBA, PYTHON, VIPER, (GARTER)
#108 Produced by Trees
Possible answers: ACORN, CONE, POLLEN, SAP, (GUM), (NEEDLE)
#108 Candy
Possible answers: CHOCOLATE, GUM, LICORICE, LOLLIPOP, (SUCKER)
#108 Target of a Scheme
Possible answers: CHUMP, FOOL, MARK, SUCKER, (SAP)
#109 Rap Subgenres
Possible answers: BOUNCE, CRUNK, DRILL, GRIME, (TRAP)
#110 Golf Clubs
Possible answers: IRON, PUTTER, WEDGE, WOOD, (CLUB)
#112 Coffee Counter Items
Possible answers: CUP, LID, STIRRER, STRAW, (STICK)
#114 Talk
Possible answers: BLATHER, CHAT, GAB, JABBER, (YAK)
#115 Christmas-Related
Possible answers: MISTLETOE, REINDEER, SNOWMAN, STOCKING, (PRESENT), (CANDY CANE)
#116 MLB Teams
Possible answers: ANGEL, CUB, MET, RED, (NAT)
#119 Celebratory Occasion
Possible answers: ANNIVERSARY, BIRTHDAY, SHOWER, WEDDING, (RECEPTION), (SERVICE)
#120 Crops
Possible answers: CORN, CUCUMBER, PEPPER, TOMATO, (MELON)
#121 Bible Books
Possible answers: ACTS, JOB, KINGS, MARK, (GENESIS)
#121 NHL Teams
Possible answers: FLAMES, KRAKEN, STARS, WILD, (KINGS), (RANGER)
#123 Conceal
Possible answers: BLOCK, COVER, HIDE, MASK, (SHIELD)
#124 "L" Cities
Possible answers: LAGOS, LIMERICK, LINCOLN, LUXOR, (LIMA)
#124 Poetry Terms
Possible answers: LINE, METER, RHYME, VERSE, (LIMERICK)
#125 Butt
Possible answers: BOTTOM, BUNS, SEAT, TAIL, (BOOTY)
#126 Tools
Possible answers: HAMMER, FILE, LEVEL, SAW, (WRENCH)
#126 Keyboard Shortcuts
Possible answers: COPY, FIND, PRINT, SAVE, (FILE)
#127 Days of the Week
Possible answers: FRIDAY, SATURDAY, SUNDAY, THURSDAY, (WEDNESDAY), (TUESDAY)
#127 Go Bad
Possible answers: ROT, SOUR, SPOIL, TURN, (FESTER)
#129 Bit of Air
Possible answers: BREEZE, DRAFT, GUST, PUFF, (PANT)
#130 Falsify
Possible answers: FABRICATE, FAKE, FIX, FORGE, (FUDGE)
#130 TV Shows
Possible answers: FARGO, FIREFLY, FLEABAG, FLIPPER, (FRIENDS)
#131 Animal Homes
Possible answers: DEN, LAIR, HIVE, NEST, (WEB), (WARREN)
#131 Equitable
Possible answers: EQUAL, EVEN, FAIR, JUST, (GOOD)
#132 Tableware
Possible answers: BOWL, DISH, PLATE, SAUCER, (CROCK), (CUP)
#133 British Food
Possible answers: MASH, ROAST, SCONE, TRIFLE, (BANGER)
#133 Predicament
Possible answers: BIND, PICKLE, SCRAPE, SPOT, (JAM)
#134 Impel
Possible answers: DRIVE, INSPIRE, MOTIVATE, SPUR, (SPARK)
#135 Compound Words
Possible answers: BACKPACK, BIGWIG, DOWNTOWN, RAGTAG, (TEXTBOOK)
#136 Grammar Tenses
Possible answers: FUTURE, PAST, PERFECT, PRESENT, (SIMPLE)
#136 The 12 Days of Christmas
Possible answers: DRUMMER, LADY, RING, SWAN, (LORD)
#137 Excellent
Possible answers: ACES, KEEN, NEATO, NIFTY, (SWELL)
#137 Bubbles
Possible answers: FOAM, FROTH, HEAD, LATHER, (BUBBLE)
#138 Metals
Possible answers: COPPER, GOLD, NICKEL, SILVER, (BRASS), (MERCURY)
#139 Aesthetics
Possible answers: DRESS, LOOK, MANNER, STYLE, (TASTE)
#140 Mishmash
Possible answers: HASH, JUMBLE, MEDLEY, STEW, (LITTER)
#143 Filler Words
Possible answers: ERM, UH, UM, WELL, (LIKE), (ER)
#146 Clue Weapons
Possible answers: CANDLESTICK, KNIFE, ROPE, WRENCH, (PIPE)
#147 Unchanging
Possible answers: EVEN, LEVEL, STABLE, STEADY, (UNIFORM)
#147 Long, Sharp Objects
Possible answers: LANCE, PIN, SKEWER, SPIT, (PITCHFORK)
#148 Musical Format
Possible answers: LP, PLATTER, VINYL, WAX, (CD)
#148 Cube-Shaped
Possible answers: BOUILLON, DIE, ICE, SUGAR, (STOCK)
#150 Equivocate
Possible answers: HEDGE, SEE-SAW, WAVER, YO-YO, (FLIP-FLOP), (WAFFLE)
#151 Podcasts
Possible answers: RADIOLAB, SERIAL, UP FIRST, WTF, (FRESH AIR), (REPLY ALL)
#152 Intelligent
Possible answers: BRIGHT, QUICK, SHARP, SMART, (SAGE)
#152 Medieval Weapons
Possible answers: CLUB, MACE, SPEAR, SWORD, (AXE)
#153 Filmmaking Equipment
Possible answers: BOOM, DOLLY, LENS, TRIPOD, (GRIP)
#154 Sports Professionals
Possible answers: COACH, GM, PLAYER, SCOUT, (SUB)
#154 Car Companies
Possible answers: BMW, HONDA, JAGUAR, SUBARU, (FORD), (GM)
#156 Vocal Fanfare
Possible answers: BEHOLD, PRESTO, TADA, VOILA, (SURPRISE)
#157 Magazines
Possible answers: O, OK, US, W, (EW), (SI)
#157 Yes
Possible answers: HAI, JA, SI, DA, (OK), (OUI)
#158 Animals
Possible answers: BUFFALO, DEER, FISH, MOOSE, (BULL), (STEER), (SEAL)
#160 Quick Observation
Possible answers: GANDER, GLANCE, GLIMPSE, LOOK, (PEEK)
#160 Parts of a Mountain
Possible answers: CLIFF, CRAG, LEDGE, RIDGE, (BLUFF), (PEAK)
#161 _____Day
Possible answers: EARTH, GROUNDHOG, LABOR, MAY, (BIRTH)
#162 Primates
Possible answers: BABOON, BONOBO, GIBBON, GORILLA, (APE)
#162 Fashionable
Possible answers: CHIC, HIP, HOT, IN, (VOGUE)
#164 Area Between Mountains
Possible answers: CANYON, GULCH, PASS, RAVINE, (GORGE)
#165 Food
Possible answers: PASTY, PIE, TART, TURNOVER, (PARFAIT), (RAGOUT), (CURRY)
#165 Countries
Possible answers: JAPAN, POLAND, TUNISIA, TURKEY, (JORDAN)
#166 Reality Shows
Possible answers: ALONE, CATFISH, CHOPPED, SURVIVOR, (BACHELOR)
#168 Municipalities
Possible answers: CITY, TOWN, COUNTY, VILLAGE, (CAPITAL)
#171 Parts of the Foot
Possible answers: ARCH, BALL, SOLE, TOE, (HEEL)
#171 Dog Commands
Possible answers: COME, DOWN, SIT, STAY, (HEEL)
#173 Ways to Remove Hair
Possible answers: SHAVE, THREAD, TWEEZE, WAX, (CUT)
#174 Hold Back
Possible answers: CAP, CHECK, CURB, LIMIT, (HAMPER)
#175 Excite, with "Up"
Possible answers: AMP, FIRE, HYPE, PUMP, (GAS)
#177 TV Shows
Possible answers: CHEERS, EUPHORIA, FELICITY, GLEE, (FRASIER)
#178 Found on Sheet Music
Possible answers: CLEF, NOTE, REST, STAFF, (SCALES)
#178 Zodiac Symbols
Possible answers: BULL, CRAB, SCALES, TWINS, (VIRGIN)
#180 Absolute
Possible answers: PURE, SHEER, TOTAL, UTTER, (STARK)
#180 Express
Possible answers: AIR, SPEAK, STATE, VOICE, (UTTER)
#181 Cooking Oils
Possible answers: CORN, OLIVE, PALM, PEANUT, (RICE)
#183 Luxurious Fabrics
Possible answers: CHIFFON, SILK, SATIN, VELVET, (LACE)
#185 -ough
Possible answers: BOUGH, COUGH, DOUGH, TOUGH, (ROUGH), (ENOUGH)
#189 Used to Build a Snowman
Possible answers: CARROT, COAL, SNOW, STICKS, (STONES)
#190 NYC Avenues
Possible answers: BROADWAY, FIFTH, MADISON, PARK, (SECOND), (FIRST), (ELEVENTH)
#191 Accessories
Possible answers: BELT, BRACELET, TIE, WATCH, (CHARM)
#199 Name Prefixes
Possible answers: GEN, MS, PROF, REV, (DR)
#200 Parts of a Car
Possible answers: BUMPER, HOOD, TIRE, TRUNK, (DASH)
#201 Single Letter Homophones
Possible answers: BEE, EX, GEE, JAY, (TEE)
#203 New Years-Related
Possible answers: BALL, COUNTDOWN, FIREWORKS, KISS, (PARTY), (RESOLUTION), (CHAMPAGNE)
#207 Gift-Giving Accessories
Possible answers: BOW, BOX, CARD, WRAPPING, (MESSAGE)
#210 Kinds of Exams
Possible answers: BAR, FINAL, ORAL, PHYSICAL, (EYE)
#211 Long, Skinny Objects
Possible answers: POLE, ROD, STAFF, STICK, (CLUB)
#212 Cooking Elements
Possible answers: ACID, FAT, HEAT, SALT, (PEPPER), (SMOKE)
#213 Seen at a Casino
Possible answers: CARDS, CHIPS, DICE, SLOTS, (POKER)
#213 Ways to Prepare Cheese
Possible answers: CRUMBLE, MELT, SHRED, SLICE, (GRATE)
#217 Thieve
Possible answers: PINCH, ROB, STEAL, SWIPE, (JACK)
#218 Medicine Formats
Possible answers: CAPSULE, CREAM, SYRUP, TABLET, (POD)
#221 Colors
Possible answers: BLUE, GREEN, WHITE, YELLOW, (SCARLET)
#222 Minced Oaths
Possible answers: CURSES, DARN, RATS, SHOOT, (FUDGE), (NUTS)
#224 Contains Wax
Possible answers: CANDLE, CRAYON, HONEYCOMB, SEAL, (EAR)
#229 Baseball-Related
Possible answers: BALL, BASE, BAT, GLOVE, (STRIKE)
#233 Mario Power-ups
Possible answers: FEATHER, STAR, MUSHROOM, FLOWER, (HAMMER)
#234 _____Pit
Possible answers: BARBECUE, ORCHESTRA, SNAKE, TAR, (FIRE)
#235 Make Shorter
Possible answers: CLIP, CUT, PARE, TRIM, (PRUNE)
#235 Muscular
Possible answers: BUILT, JACKED, RIPPED, SWOLE, (TRIM), (BUFF)
#237 Farm Fixtures
Possible answers: COOP, PEN, STABLE, STY, (RANGE)
#238 Unexciting
Possible answers: BORING, DULL, MUNDANE, VANILLA, (ROUTINE), (DRY)
#239 Ecclesiastical Titles
Possible answers: BISHOP, CARDINAL, PASTOR, PRIOR, (BROTHER), (LORD)
#251 Media Attention
Possible answers: COVERAGE, EXPOSURE, PRESS, PUBLICITY, (MEDIA)
#254 Little Bit of Liquid
Possible answers: BEAD, GLOB, DROP, TEAR, (DRIP)
#257 Shades of Green
Possible answers: OLIVE, FOREST, LIME, MINT, (CACTUS)
#260 Ilk
Possible answers: KIND, SORT, TYPE, VARIETY, (MANNER)
#263 Propel into the Air
Possible answers: HOP, JUMP, LEAP, SPRING, (VAULT)
#266 Large Amount
Possible answers: MASS, SEA, SLEW, TON, (WAVE)
#266 Fall under Pressure
Possible answers: BUCKLE, CAVE, COLLAPSE, GIVE, (FLOP)
#268 Pop Stars
Possible answers: GRANDE, MARS, STYLES, SWIFT, (LEGEND)
#269 Found at an Airport
Possible answers: HANGAR, RUNWAY, TARMAC, TERMINAL, (WINDSOCK)
#269 Ends in an Article of Clothing (A Mac is a raincoat)
Possible answers: FOXGLOVE, GUMSHOE, TURNCOAT, WINDSOCK, (TARMAC), (LAWSUIT)
#271 Food Preservation Techniques
Possible answers: CAN, CURE, DRY, FREEZE, (SPICE)
#272 Space_____
Possible answers: BAR, CADET, HEATER, STATION, (BLANKET)
#273 Keyboard Keys
Possible answers: COMMAND, CONTROL, OPTION, SHIFT, (SPACE)
#283 Seen at a Sports Stadium
Possible answers: ASTROTURF, JUMBOTRON, SCOREBOARD, SKYBOX, (KISSCAM), (JOURNEYMAN)
#284 Animals
Possible answers: COW, DOE, HEN, EWE, (YAK)
#284 Palindromes
Possible answers: BIB, EYE, GAG, POP, (EWE)
#285 Olympic Sports
Possible answers: BREAKING, HOCKEY, TRAMPOLINE, SKELETON, (CRICKET), (SQUASH), (VOLLEYBALL)
#289 Plant Growths
Possible answers: BLOOM, BUD, SHOOT, SPROUT, (CORONA)
#290 Quarrel
Possible answers: FIGHT, ROW, SCRAP, TIFF, (WAR)
#290 Games of Chance (Poker is technically a game of skill but it's still highly associated with chance)
Possible answers: BINGO, LOTTERY, ROULETTE, WAR, (POKER)
#291 Whale Species
Possible answers: BLUE, FIN, GRAY, RIGHT, (PILOT)
#293 Food Preservation Techniques
Possible answers: CANS, CURES, SALTS, SMOKES, (JAMS), (PICKLES)
#296 Thrust
Possible answers: JAB, POKE, PROD, STICK, (ELBOW)
#301 _____Horse
Possible answers: CHARLEY, CRAZY, DARK, GIFT, (PRIZE)
#302 Brief Moment
Possible answers: FLASH, HEARTBEAT, JIFF, WINK, (ZIP)
#302 Dispute
Possible answers: CLASH, TANGLE, SCRAP, TIFF, (SPAT)
#303 Hair Care Items
Possible answers: BRUSH, COMB, DRYER, IRON, (OIL)
#307 Seen at the Circus
Possible answers: CLOWN, RING, TENT, TRAPEZE, (LION)
#310 Parts of a Theatre
Possible answers: BALCONY, BOX, ORCHESTRA, STAGE, (FLOOR)
#312 Golden_____
Possible answers: FLEECE, GIRLS, PARACHUTE, RULE, (MEAN)
#315 Starting with the Same Sound
Possible answers: CYMBAL, SCIMITAR, SIMMER, SYMPHONY, (SYMBOL)
#318 Mexican Food-Related
Possible answers: CILANTRO, LIME, ONION, SALSA, (PICO), (WRAP), (MOLE)
#328 _____Sale
Possible answers: BAKE, CLEARANCE, GARAGE, SAMPLE, (YARD)
#329 Enjoy
Possible answers: FANCY, LOVE, RELISH, SAVOR, (LIKE)
#330 Quantity
Possible answers: FEW, MANY, SEVERAL, SOME, (COUPLE), (HANDFUL)
#333 Restrict
Possible answers: CHECK, CONTAIN, CURB, LIMIT, (CAP)
#339 Forthright
Possible answers: DIRECT, FRANK, OPEN, STRAIGHT, (PLAIN)
#342 Games
Possible answers: CATEGORIES, CHARADES, FISHBOWL, WEREWOLF, (MOUSETRAP)
#345 Billiards-Related
Possible answers: BALL, CHALK, CUE, RACK, (POCKET)
#348 Things You can Crack
Possible answers: EGG, KNUCKLES, SMILE, WINDOW, (CORN)
#351 _____Iron
Possible answers: PUMP, STEAM, TIRE, WAFFLE, (FLAT)
#355 Things People Shake
Possible answers: HANDS, MARACA, POLAROID, SNOWGLOBE, (BODY)