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2009.10.12 01:04 cat pictures!
Pictures! Of cats! A welcoming subreddit for images of your cats.
2014.05.06 21:01 Chunkylover369 The Weekly Planet
Official community for The Weekly Planet. A red hot movie news, reviews and general nonsense podcast. Hosted by Nick Mason and Mr Sunday Movies. Grab dat gem.
2010.05.02 20:35 Cavalier King Charles Spaniels
2024.05.19 06:36 Remarkable-Aide5093 Tavern Drinking Contests
Hi all! With less than 3 weeks until my Kickstarter "Let The Games Begin" launches, I thought I'd share with you how I run a Tavern Drinking Contest.
If you enjoy this and want to see more, sign up to get notified when the project launches at: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/avasadventures/let-the-games-begin-50-mini-games-for-dandd-5e
Overview
Nothing riles up and excites a packed tavern quite like a drinking contest, especially when there are free drinks on the line. A row of eager competitors take their seats along the bar table, encouraged by their friends and companions.
Introducing the wide variety of beverages on offer, the barkeeper measures out the drinks and acts as arbitrator of the game to ensure fairness and civility. A rowdy crowd of drunken fools can quickly devolve into a bar brawl if not handled carefully.
Mug after mug is handed to each of the contestants, as they guzzle down the foamy liquid, continuing until only one person remains at the table. The game is a great event for merriment and a bit of gambling on the side. Hopefully, a cure for hangovers is available nearby.
Mechanics
Gathering at the table, each Player begins with one extra life to save them from elimination. The round of drinks is passed across, and each player rolls a Constitution Saving Throw. The game begins with a DC of 8 and increases for each round. If a Player fails the save, they lose their extra life and will be eliminated if they fail another round, through either vomiting, passing out, or calling it quits.
Throughout the game, the rounds increase in difficulty in increments of +1 and +2 to the DC. For example, the first round is DC 8, the second is DC 9, third is DC 10, but fourth jumps to DC 12. The last person remaining wins the game.
Variant Game
An alternative drinking game revolves around the different brands and intensity of alcoholic beverages. Here the objective is to be the first to reach 21 points. The points are acquired by successfully consuming different drinks without falling unconscious or throwing up. The value of the points correspond with the ferocity of the drink.
On a Player’s turn, they will decide which drink they will try to consume that round. With the drink in hand, the Player will roll a Constitution Saving Throw to determine if they successfully guzzle the booze or not. The DC is determined by the strength of the alcohol. If the Player succeeds, they are rewarded with the corresponding points, if they fail, they receive only half the points that round.
With each failed Constitution Saving Throw, a contestant falls dangerously closer to unconsciousness. A Player has 3 strikes before they succumb to sleep and are eliminated from the game. Victory is achieved by being the first contestant to accumulate a total of 21 points.
The strategy of this drinking game lies in the balance of risking stronger drinks to reach the goal quicker, with avoiding falling unconscious too soon. If a Player only chooses the lighter beverages, they may accumulate points too slowly to win, or might be the only person left standing. There is also the factor of still receiving at least half points on a fail, to add into the strategy.
submitted by Remarkable-Aide5093 to DnD5e [link] [comments]
If you enjoy this and want to see more, sign up to get notified when the project launches at: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/avasadventures/let-the-games-begin-50-mini-games-for-dandd-5e
Overview
Nothing riles up and excites a packed tavern quite like a drinking contest, especially when there are free drinks on the line. A row of eager competitors take their seats along the bar table, encouraged by their friends and companions.
Introducing the wide variety of beverages on offer, the barkeeper measures out the drinks and acts as arbitrator of the game to ensure fairness and civility. A rowdy crowd of drunken fools can quickly devolve into a bar brawl if not handled carefully.
Mug after mug is handed to each of the contestants, as they guzzle down the foamy liquid, continuing until only one person remains at the table. The game is a great event for merriment and a bit of gambling on the side. Hopefully, a cure for hangovers is available nearby.
Mechanics
Gathering at the table, each Player begins with one extra life to save them from elimination. The round of drinks is passed across, and each player rolls a Constitution Saving Throw. The game begins with a DC of 8 and increases for each round. If a Player fails the save, they lose their extra life and will be eliminated if they fail another round, through either vomiting, passing out, or calling it quits.
Throughout the game, the rounds increase in difficulty in increments of +1 and +2 to the DC. For example, the first round is DC 8, the second is DC 9, third is DC 10, but fourth jumps to DC 12. The last person remaining wins the game.
Variant Game
An alternative drinking game revolves around the different brands and intensity of alcoholic beverages. Here the objective is to be the first to reach 21 points. The points are acquired by successfully consuming different drinks without falling unconscious or throwing up. The value of the points correspond with the ferocity of the drink.
On a Player’s turn, they will decide which drink they will try to consume that round. With the drink in hand, the Player will roll a Constitution Saving Throw to determine if they successfully guzzle the booze or not. The DC is determined by the strength of the alcohol. If the Player succeeds, they are rewarded with the corresponding points, if they fail, they receive only half the points that round.
| Drink Name | DC | Point Value |
|---|---|---|
| Ale | 10 | 1 |
| White Whistle | 12 | 2 |
| Red Dog | 13 | 3 |
| Barrage No. 4 | 15 | 4 |
| Snake Brew | 17 | 5 |
| Nighty Night | 20 | 6 |
The strategy of this drinking game lies in the balance of risking stronger drinks to reach the goal quicker, with avoiding falling unconscious too soon. If a Player only chooses the lighter beverages, they may accumulate points too slowly to win, or might be the only person left standing. There is also the factor of still receiving at least half points on a fail, to add into the strategy.
2024.05.19 06:23 rdk67 Spring Day 60: Petal-in-the-Rose-Oil Retreat
I’m one of the good people, I say to myself – ah, but on the borderline, says my contrarian voice, wagging a finger at some abstract wall of my mind, on which likely hangs a mirror, making the futility of the gesture complete. At the silent Buddhist retreat, I fight the urge to sexualize every single person in the room, one by one, all day long, instead of meditate, and I resist that – but I do indeed sexualize a bit, not graphically so, just the willingness of the mind to wander, which is such a strange thing to do under any circumstance, like your mind is a restless dog that paces from room to room or like the shadows on the floor decide to leap up, make love on the ceiling. The light seems to flicker now and then when the silent retreat folks and I lean into it. I picture high school meditation teams taking on other high school meditation teams, tournaments even.
I don’t want to make too much of this, but there’s an obvious contrarian dimension to the ethos of silent retreats – this is my take – in that they seem so serious from the outside, but once you get into it, you notice the essential feeling is erotic, as least on an interpersonal level. See, when you commit to staying silent all day – as you sit together, as you pass each other in the hall, as you hold doors open for each other – you are hearing the body, and you are listening to your own. The body is the star of the show at a silent retreat, as least among those new to it, meeting as strangers, and when bodies are principally speaking to bodies, if you aren’t actively forcing each other to grow crops or dig minerals out of the ground – if what you are all doing is sitting on big pillows and comfy chairs – then eroticism is in the air. Pleasure is adjacent to inner peace.
The petal in the rose oil is that some of us are living through two-fold consciousness and thus, in various stages of suffering and duress, and so the eroticism must be steered toward empathy and not, for instance, condemnation, which is like what bad bosses get off on. The silent retreat is very anti-bad boss, punctuated by the sort of crises that distinguish mature human concerns from all the rest, and many people in the room are grieving. A father dies. A mother dies. Some part of our lives comes apart – you open the door to see, and the room once there is missing – open air, blue sky, some scrap of a curtain where a window used to be. When the time comes to dedicate the retreat to others outside of the circle, a third of the room says Gaza. Faith and the encampment protestors, I add. Anti-bad boss – may a benevolent spirit make the world right.
Over lunch, I sit in the grass, eat seasoned tofu and pasta, then lay back and let the sunshine throw cosmic fragments through my body, which distinguishes between the impermeable and the permeable by heating up my skin. The rest, which is most of it, goes right through me and then right through the planet, on its way to the end of the universe probably. What I remember, though, is the heat – my body listening to the sun like its singing high notes, especially across my clavicle and along the bridge of my nose. A clavier is the keyboard of a musical instrument, and adversaries swap prisoners every time I sneeze. Does that make sense? The sun is investing my body with a belief in levitation, like its growing the way a dandelion does, and soon I’ll float away. Maybe gravity is going to seed – carried inside lighter-than-air clouds of indeterminacy.
The clouds – my gosh, the clouds – cumulonimbus sweethearts with passion blooming in their breasts. When someone says clouds look like curds of cauliflower, they mean that the same sort of influence that makes cauliflower look that way is likewise producing these formations on the cloud deck. Or maybe they look like mashed potatoes, scoops of lemon sorbet, but none of this really captures the manifestation of such things in the sky. When the edges of the clouds catch the sun, I have to squint to look at them, and the potential for transmogrification seems present – like the clouds become beach sand, the sky the absence of our discontent. The clouds become flashbulbs, and fame-seekers down below keep waiting for it to rain. The clouds are utterly still, like a personal insight that causes the body to stop, the mind to freeze – hours that way. Years.
Later, sitting on a set of steps miles away from the silent retreat, I see the clouds from a different angle, as different seeds float past. Someday the former will pour forth upon the land, and then the latter will pour forth into the air – one tiny seed producing a plant that grows taller than me, like tossing a brick down a well and watching a whole city erupt from it. Above and behind me, beneath the eaves of the auditorium, the sudden and familiar sound of baby birds cheeping for a meal, and I picture a parent pouring everything their child will ever need into their wide open beaks, one after another. The cheeping is continuous, like a rolling metal wheel, so my attention turns to a photographer snapping pics of a recent graduate in white heels, tasteful skirt and red lipstick. A clicking sound comes from a shutter opening and closing, camera set on burst mode.
submitted by rdk67 to MetaphysicalWeather [link] [comments]
I don’t want to make too much of this, but there’s an obvious contrarian dimension to the ethos of silent retreats – this is my take – in that they seem so serious from the outside, but once you get into it, you notice the essential feeling is erotic, as least on an interpersonal level. See, when you commit to staying silent all day – as you sit together, as you pass each other in the hall, as you hold doors open for each other – you are hearing the body, and you are listening to your own. The body is the star of the show at a silent retreat, as least among those new to it, meeting as strangers, and when bodies are principally speaking to bodies, if you aren’t actively forcing each other to grow crops or dig minerals out of the ground – if what you are all doing is sitting on big pillows and comfy chairs – then eroticism is in the air. Pleasure is adjacent to inner peace.
The petal in the rose oil is that some of us are living through two-fold consciousness and thus, in various stages of suffering and duress, and so the eroticism must be steered toward empathy and not, for instance, condemnation, which is like what bad bosses get off on. The silent retreat is very anti-bad boss, punctuated by the sort of crises that distinguish mature human concerns from all the rest, and many people in the room are grieving. A father dies. A mother dies. Some part of our lives comes apart – you open the door to see, and the room once there is missing – open air, blue sky, some scrap of a curtain where a window used to be. When the time comes to dedicate the retreat to others outside of the circle, a third of the room says Gaza. Faith and the encampment protestors, I add. Anti-bad boss – may a benevolent spirit make the world right.
Over lunch, I sit in the grass, eat seasoned tofu and pasta, then lay back and let the sunshine throw cosmic fragments through my body, which distinguishes between the impermeable and the permeable by heating up my skin. The rest, which is most of it, goes right through me and then right through the planet, on its way to the end of the universe probably. What I remember, though, is the heat – my body listening to the sun like its singing high notes, especially across my clavicle and along the bridge of my nose. A clavier is the keyboard of a musical instrument, and adversaries swap prisoners every time I sneeze. Does that make sense? The sun is investing my body with a belief in levitation, like its growing the way a dandelion does, and soon I’ll float away. Maybe gravity is going to seed – carried inside lighter-than-air clouds of indeterminacy.
The clouds – my gosh, the clouds – cumulonimbus sweethearts with passion blooming in their breasts. When someone says clouds look like curds of cauliflower, they mean that the same sort of influence that makes cauliflower look that way is likewise producing these formations on the cloud deck. Or maybe they look like mashed potatoes, scoops of lemon sorbet, but none of this really captures the manifestation of such things in the sky. When the edges of the clouds catch the sun, I have to squint to look at them, and the potential for transmogrification seems present – like the clouds become beach sand, the sky the absence of our discontent. The clouds become flashbulbs, and fame-seekers down below keep waiting for it to rain. The clouds are utterly still, like a personal insight that causes the body to stop, the mind to freeze – hours that way. Years.
Later, sitting on a set of steps miles away from the silent retreat, I see the clouds from a different angle, as different seeds float past. Someday the former will pour forth upon the land, and then the latter will pour forth into the air – one tiny seed producing a plant that grows taller than me, like tossing a brick down a well and watching a whole city erupt from it. Above and behind me, beneath the eaves of the auditorium, the sudden and familiar sound of baby birds cheeping for a meal, and I picture a parent pouring everything their child will ever need into their wide open beaks, one after another. The cheeping is continuous, like a rolling metal wheel, so my attention turns to a photographer snapping pics of a recent graduate in white heels, tasteful skirt and red lipstick. A clicking sound comes from a shutter opening and closing, camera set on burst mode.
2024.05.19 06:08 kagura_143 Sudden Digestive Issues, what is happening to me?
Age: 22
Sex: F
Height: 5’1”
Weight: 164 lbs
Race: hispanic
Duration of complaint: 3 months
Location: abdomen
Currently have high cholesterol. bad cholesterol count of 103 according to my primary care.
Current medications: metoclopramide 5mg. sertraline 25mg, pantoprazole 40mg
i’ll include pictures of some tests that i’ve had done in the comments if i can.
Gonna try to include as best of a description of my symptoms as i can, i’ll also try to edit anything if it makes my description better.
this all started 2 months ago. literally the last week of february. at the time i wasn’t on any type of medication. nothing changed in my eating habits, except for the fact that i’d had panda express for the 1st time ever starting in february.
i became constipated suddenly one afternoon and this continued for a week. went to the doctor and i was sent to get a ct scan. but obviously, i’m not familiar with medical terms. from what i understand, there’s evidence of slow transit through my small bowel, but don’t know where or why exactly.
symptoms include: constipation accompanied by side and abdominal discomfort/aches/ pains. my upper abdominal area aches a lot some days. it feels as if the area right under the breast bones wants to cramp up. i feel burning in my stomach and abdomen too. gas is hard to pass somedays and feels trapped. i also have upper back aches. doctor told me it’s because of my small intestine. i also have lower back aches as well, but was told it could be because of kidney stones i didn’t even know i had, but just thought i’d mention this. i have diarrhea (once i went and it was very watery,) loose stools, stools with mucus of varying shapes and consistencies. the mucus on my stool is clear and white and appears like strings on my stool. sometimes i’ll have a semi normal movement, but with mucus. sometimes my stool will be thin, in small pieces, or just very loose even after a “normal” bowel movement. other times i’ll go but it’s just mucus. all my stools are also slimey in texture from what i can tell. also, everytime i wipe my stool it’s yellow in color with mucus and/or clear fluid.
also, not sure if this has to do with my current condition but have been wiping light red blood after i go, both with my more solid stools and loose ones. in one instance i even wiped only blood. there’s also been times where i’ve seen streaks of blood on my stool too. clear fluid also seems to be leaking out of my anal area…. clear mucus sometimes too. the mucus that comes out sometimes has pieces of stool/liquid that is the color of my stool. even with the supplements and meds i’ve been given i’m lucky if I go even once a day now, but constipation is getting worse in my opinion.
in late march/early april i started to experience nausea, heartburn, acid reflux, and severe loss of appetite. all of these symptoms have persisted since. i no longer eat any of the food i used to. i can’t eat fast food or meat any more. i’m sticking to fruit, no citrusy fruits, crackers, soups, and cereal with almond or lactose free milk. even with these changes in diet my symptoms have persisted.
i eat very little because i just don’t feel hunger like i used to at all. even if i do i find that i get full very easily. i’m bloated after i eat as well. also, like i said i’m constipated so my bowel movement are little to none.
i currently still have all of the symptoms above and they don’t seem to be improving.
in a addition to a ct scan i’ve gotten tested for a blood infection, negative. celiac disease blood test came back negative. stool test for h pylori came back negative. a test to find if there was any blood digested and present in my stool came back negative. a stool test that was done to measure levels of fat in my stool came back indicating normal levels of fat in my stool. i also got an ultra sound for lumps that appeared on my abdomen but it was found that they were just fatty lumps. i also got an endoscopy in late april where 3 tissue biospies were taken. apparently, the 3 things they tested for all came back negative. other than a bacterial infection, i have no idea what else they ruled out. i’m not even white sure what bacterial infections they ruled out.
honestly, i’m getting more questions than answers at the moment and just want to know if there’s any more testing that i should ask for. what could possibly be happening to me and why?
submitted by kagura_143 to AskDocs [link] [comments]
Sex: F
Height: 5’1”
Weight: 164 lbs
Race: hispanic
Duration of complaint: 3 months
Location: abdomen
Currently have high cholesterol. bad cholesterol count of 103 according to my primary care.
Current medications: metoclopramide 5mg. sertraline 25mg, pantoprazole 40mg
i’ll include pictures of some tests that i’ve had done in the comments if i can.
Gonna try to include as best of a description of my symptoms as i can, i’ll also try to edit anything if it makes my description better.
this all started 2 months ago. literally the last week of february. at the time i wasn’t on any type of medication. nothing changed in my eating habits, except for the fact that i’d had panda express for the 1st time ever starting in february.
i became constipated suddenly one afternoon and this continued for a week. went to the doctor and i was sent to get a ct scan. but obviously, i’m not familiar with medical terms. from what i understand, there’s evidence of slow transit through my small bowel, but don’t know where or why exactly.
symptoms include: constipation accompanied by side and abdominal discomfort/aches/ pains. my upper abdominal area aches a lot some days. it feels as if the area right under the breast bones wants to cramp up. i feel burning in my stomach and abdomen too. gas is hard to pass somedays and feels trapped. i also have upper back aches. doctor told me it’s because of my small intestine. i also have lower back aches as well, but was told it could be because of kidney stones i didn’t even know i had, but just thought i’d mention this. i have diarrhea (once i went and it was very watery,) loose stools, stools with mucus of varying shapes and consistencies. the mucus on my stool is clear and white and appears like strings on my stool. sometimes i’ll have a semi normal movement, but with mucus. sometimes my stool will be thin, in small pieces, or just very loose even after a “normal” bowel movement. other times i’ll go but it’s just mucus. all my stools are also slimey in texture from what i can tell. also, everytime i wipe my stool it’s yellow in color with mucus and/or clear fluid.
also, not sure if this has to do with my current condition but have been wiping light red blood after i go, both with my more solid stools and loose ones. in one instance i even wiped only blood. there’s also been times where i’ve seen streaks of blood on my stool too. clear fluid also seems to be leaking out of my anal area…. clear mucus sometimes too. the mucus that comes out sometimes has pieces of stool/liquid that is the color of my stool. even with the supplements and meds i’ve been given i’m lucky if I go even once a day now, but constipation is getting worse in my opinion.
in late march/early april i started to experience nausea, heartburn, acid reflux, and severe loss of appetite. all of these symptoms have persisted since. i no longer eat any of the food i used to. i can’t eat fast food or meat any more. i’m sticking to fruit, no citrusy fruits, crackers, soups, and cereal with almond or lactose free milk. even with these changes in diet my symptoms have persisted.
i eat very little because i just don’t feel hunger like i used to at all. even if i do i find that i get full very easily. i’m bloated after i eat as well. also, like i said i’m constipated so my bowel movement are little to none.
i currently still have all of the symptoms above and they don’t seem to be improving.
in a addition to a ct scan i’ve gotten tested for a blood infection, negative. celiac disease blood test came back negative. stool test for h pylori came back negative. a test to find if there was any blood digested and present in my stool came back negative. a stool test that was done to measure levels of fat in my stool came back indicating normal levels of fat in my stool. i also got an ultra sound for lumps that appeared on my abdomen but it was found that they were just fatty lumps. i also got an endoscopy in late april where 3 tissue biospies were taken. apparently, the 3 things they tested for all came back negative. other than a bacterial infection, i have no idea what else they ruled out. i’m not even white sure what bacterial infections they ruled out.
honestly, i’m getting more questions than answers at the moment and just want to know if there’s any more testing that i should ask for. what could possibly be happening to me and why?
2024.05.19 06:02 karenvideoeditor The Zoo [Part 8]
First / Previous
Suzanne thought it was absolutely brilliant of me to put books on a flash drive for Sun. She explained that Sun wasn’t as sophant (her word, not mine) as she might seem, more of a repository of information, but she was fairly intelligent. It was how she was able to connect Andrew being in pain to the fact that I was friends with Andrew, and that I would want to know that he was in trouble. Apparently some of Sun’s species had given some ‘wisdom’ to others in the past and it had made its way into mythology.
The key fact was that she was not smart enough to protect herself and her kind from the clever, organized poachers. With that information in mind, it was fascinating for me to think of how Sun took in and organized what she learned. It was almost as if she was a walking, talking library.
On the topic of tours, my first one went wonderfully, and I’m almost hoping Suzanne lets me do more of them. I know not all the tourists are going to be as awesome as these people were, but Suzanne gave me a lot of slack when it comes to dealing with them. She actually said that being a smartass is not grounds for dismissal, and that if I’m sarcastic or facetious to guests who are being ‘daft’ and they complain, she really doesn’t care. Is this the perfect job for me or what?
There were four guests in this party, two adults who were sisters and two children of one of the women, brothers aged thirteen and seventeen. The tour was a birthday gift for the older of the boys from his aunt, since apparently he was passionate about animal protection and conservation.
When they arrived at the front gate, I was sitting at Andrew’s desk, going over the booklet of information one last time. When the visitors pressed the button that sounded the alert buzzer, I tucked away in a drawer and let them in. I did have a cheat sheet with information about the animals on my phone just in case, a brief notation of each of them and which enclosure they were in, but I really didn’t need to use it.
Exiting through the front door, I saw them walk up the path toward me. “Hi, I’m Ripley,” I said, holding out a hand toward the woman closest to me.
She shook it firmly. “I’m Denise. This is my sister Carla and my nephews, Wesley and Jason,” she said, motioning to each of them in turn.
“I heard it’s your birthday,” I said to Wesley, giving him a smile. “You’re interested in animal conversation?”
“Back where we live, yeah,” he said, nodding. “The animals that you’ve got here are incredible. I can’t wait to see them.”
“Well, I can’t wait to show them to you,” I said. “Right this way.”
I led them on the path around the building, toward enclosure one. Despite the horrific memories of the animal killing Stanley’s friends, I knew it was just an animal, and I had to push past my feelings on what had happened. Keeping a small smile on my face, I motioned to the enclosure. “Fiercely territorial and amazing hunters, despite their large size, they’re arboreal and known to dart from tree to tree with barely a sound. This is one of only about two thousand left in existence.”
“Two thousand, three hundred and fifty six at last count,” spoke Wesley, his eyes on the trees.
I blinked, surprised and impressed. “Well that was fantastic. Do you plan on stealing my job when you graduate?”
Wesley looked at me with a grin. “Nah, everyone knows Suzanne only offers humans this gig. And I want to help animals like this one get off the endangered species list. The zoos are great for awareness and fundraising, but then the money has to go somewhere. I want to be doing the real work.”
“That’s really great,” I told him. “I wish you all the best in that career path.” At that, we saw the animal climb down from the tree, wandering a few yards from the tree line. This was because 90% of the time, when humans were at their enclosure and making noise, whether it was speaking to each other or calling out to the animal, it was someone bringing them prey to eat. Or, in my case, enrichment toys to play with.
“Whoa,” Wesley whispered.
“How close can we get?” spoke up Jason.
“The warding starts at the fence,” I told him with a small gesture. “So, just there.”
Both boys wandered closer and I glanced at their parents. It seemed that Suzanne’s zoo had a serious reputation for high quality invisible walls, because they didn’t look worried in the slightest about the boys being hurt or killed.
“They prefer dense forest as their home and have been known to make their nests in trees up to twenty meter in the air,” I continued. “And when hunting, they’ve been seen dropping eight meters straight down. They have incredibly dense yet flexible musculature, which allows them to tackle their prey without injuring themselves.”
There was more information about the animal that I continued to rattle off, though Wesley chimed in at certain points with the info I was about to convey. That was highly entertaining and very cool. When I’d been in school, I’d never met anyone who had my level of passion about endangered animals. I wondered if things were better where these folks came from, but realized that considering there were so few of these animals left, I guessed not.
The animal paced a little bit, seemingly waiting to see if we were the kind of humans that came bearing food, before deciding we weren’t and climbing back up into the trees as easily as I would climb some stairs.
As we moved onto enclosure two, Jason spoke up. “Are there any animals here we can touch or feed or something?”
I sighed inwardly before slowing to a stop. “Well, can you show me your hands?” Jason looked bemused, holding out his hands. “I mean…they both look like they’re in great shape. You can stand to lose one.”
The two women chuckled and Wesley smirked as Jason shoved his hands into his pockets. “Very funny.”
Grinning, I started walking again. “The animals here are all carnivores and all predators. You get to see them, but that’s it.”
“Alright.”
When we reached enclosure two, I started on my next spiel. “We’ve got three reanimated dead in this enclosure,” I spoke. They were just coming out from the trees as we arrived, presumably having heard our approach. “Marissa, Connor, and Bradley. They were donated by families who knew where they would be exhibited. Their next of kin, whoever they are, can’t stand the idea of putting them down. But we need to make sure they don’t have access to corpses, because one of them plus one corpse equals two of them.”
“They eat flesh though, don’t they?” Wesley asked.
I nodded. “Oh, yeah, but it’s from bodies that have already been dismembered. There’s no chance of them being affected by the transformation because it’s all parts.”
“Oh, got it.”
The creatures with blueish-white skin had superhuman strength, which is why they qualified for the security of Suzanne’s zoo. They also were likely the source of any Earth tales of people being brought back to life as zombies, specifically draugr, according to my research. They smelled like rotting flesh, so even as I kept talking about them and giving a background to the people they used to be, we were quick to move on once Wesley had gotten a good, long look at them.
“Enclosure four’s animal is a vampiric spirit. He’s a small, hairy humanoid creature with pointed ears. He wears a hat, and if he somehow loses it, he freaks out,” I said.
“They eat horses,” Wesley noted. “Also anything that gives them the chance to sit on it, usually catching them by surprise while they’re sleeping.”
The creature came out from the brush, giving us a suspicious look. He wasn’t in his humanoid form though; for some reason, he’d chosen to shapeshift to a dog.
I nodded. “Yep, indeed. Once the prey is dead, then he’ll eat it, and he has a voracious appetite. We have two wolves and two bears in the forest, which is one of the reasons I’ve got some self-defense items,” I said, patting my belt where my pepper spray (rated for bear) and my taser. “But the wards keep them out of this area of the zoo, so it’s really not much of a worry. It’s also a known shapeshifter, preferring the form of a dog, as you can see, as well as a cat, a snake, or even white butterflies, though the last one is rare.”
“The white butterflies are supposed to be a sign of good luck,” Wesley said, glancing to me. “Too bad we got the dog.”
“Yeah, otherwise you might be able to talk your mom into getting scratch-offs on your way home, huh?”
Wesley smirked at me.
The next enclosure was Spike, and he was waiting for us, dripping wet from having just emerged from the lake. I gave the introductory information about him, which included his propensity for eating animal eyes, nails, and teeth. “Recently, I’ve given him some enrichment activities, and I learned he likes artichokes, pecans, and hazelnuts,” I said, taking a bag out from my cargo shorts. “Wesley, do you want to toss this bag into the enclosure?”
The boy’s eyes widened and he nodded excitedly. He took a look into the paper bag before wrapping down the top to make sure nothing would fly out. Then he chucked it underhand past the fence. It landed a few yards from Spike, who waddled over to it quickly and tearing the bag open, spilling out the prizes inside. As the animal ate the pecans and hazelnuts, Wesley asked, “How’d you figure out he likes those?”
“It’s not all about taste,” I told him. “It’s mainly the difficulty of getting them out of the shells. He’s used to having to work for the parts of his prey he likes the most, so this mimics that activity, and he enjoys the process. I tried a bunch of different foods to find a few he liked.”
“Cool,” Wesley murmured, staring at him.
We watched Spike eat until he’d finished and then he went back into the woods, leaving us to move onto enclosure five. Japanese camellia were plentiful here, a type of pink flower, and that was because they grew anywhere near one of his species made their den. “This girl spends most of her time in the lake also,” I said, as the creature made its way toward the fence separating us from it. “But as you can see, she’s just as curious as the rest about what we’re doing here and whether we have food for her. She eats fish mostly, but she also regularly gets live prey.”
This creature was a spider-like monster, having six legs with long claws on each, and the head of an ox with two sharp horns. She was capable of shapeshifting to look like a human, but I guessed that she wasn’t fond of it, since I hadn’t yet seen her in that form.
“She prefers the easy way of catching prey, so to speak, by hiding in the lake and pouncing when something comes for a drink of water,” I explained. “Apparently humans are some of her favorite prey. She has an advantage of being able to spit poison, which often hits her prey in the eyes. But it’s usually used in defense rather than offense, since it secretes a limited amount.”
“What kind of animal would even go after something like this?” Jason asked, staring at her.
“Never discount one of its own species when you’re thinking about what might attack an animal,” I replied. “There are places that are breeding all of the animals here, but competition for mates is common. That means an advantage in a fight, like poison or venom, can make or break who the winner is.”
“Ah, gotcha.”
“It can’t spit past the warding, right?” Carla suddenly asked.
“Oh, no,” I assured her. “We’re fine. The wards wouldn’t let anything cross over.” She nodded, appeased.
The animal in enclosure six was the ginormous seal-hippo, Fiona, and she was looking at us as if she was imagining sprinkling us with herbs and spices and stuffing us in an oven. “This girl is one animal I’m going to work on enrichment activities for next,” I told them. “She prefers to feed on crayfish, though she’s happy to eat any humans that wander into her territory. She’ll even make a sound like a baby crying to reel us in. I’ve heard it a bunch of times.”
“Can you get her to make the sound?” Jason asked, perking up.
I grinned. “Not on command, sorry.”
“What enrichment are you thinking of trying?” Wesley asked.
“Possibly food placed in puzzle feeders,” I told him, “since she has claws that are pretty dexterous. Maybe a piñata made out of newspaper with flour inside, or a scarecrow that mimics a human.”
“Awesome,” he muttered.
After a little more educational tidbits, we moved onto Yui’s enclosure. “What is that?” Wesley asked, smiling.
“I got Yui the closest thing I could to a ping-pong ball,” I replied. “She quite likes it.”
“That’s so funny,” he said as she came out of the trees in her spider form. “I mean, the idea of her being a bloodthirsty hunter who seduces men to their deaths and eats them alive, but then on the other hand, she likes playing with something like this.”
“It is a little funny,” I agreed. “But when it comes down to it, all the animals here enjoy activities besides hunting.”
“She can shapeshift to look human, right?” asked Jason, trying to be casual about knowing something factual like his nerdy brother.
I nodded. “She looks like a woman from a region of Earth called Japan. And she’ll use strategies like holding out a hand to shake to get you closer. She tried that on me when I first got here but, as you can see,” I said, holding up my hands and waving them, “I didn’t fall for it.”
The boys both laughed as they got closer to the fence, watching her slowly pace near the trees.
Next was Sun, but she didn’t make an appearance as I spoke about her species. “Well…unfortunately we can’t guarantee that every animal comes out to say hi,” I sighed. “But…oh wait, here she is.”
The green lion with several horns and many eyes along her flank came out from the forest. “Hello,” she spoke.
“Hi, Sun,” I replied. “We have visitors.”
“What’s that?” Wesley asked suddenly, pointing at the small plastic bag that was still where I’d left it.
“Oh! That is Sun’s enrichment,” I said with a smile. “I put dozens of books on a flash drive and found that she can read them just like she’d read a shelf of books.”
Wesley’s eyes widened. “Wow. I don’t think I’ve read about anyone trying that before. That’s really cool.”
“The books are new and interesting,” Sun spoke, drawing our attention. “I’m grateful for them.”
I nodded to her. “You’re quite welcome.”
The next animal, unfortunately, wasn’t there, and we waited around for ten minutes as we discussed him. He was large and reptile-like with red eyes, with its hind legs and tail making him look vaguely like a kangaroo. Then, enclosure ten was a terrifyingly disturbing creature, the not-a-centaur with no skin, that I’d only seen a few times while walking my route. It gave a good demonstration of its ferocity, showing its sharp teeth and snapping at us a few times.
“I’m thinking of trying salt licks and other horse enrichment like a big bouncy ball,” I told Wesley, whose eyebrows went up at that. “Maybe give him more things to forage like scattered grains or a box filled with pinecones and seeds. Foraging is a huge part of a horse’s life in the wild, and humans have to do a lot of activities like that to keep pet horses busy. Of course, he also loves the little salt-water lake that was built for him.”
We spent some time looking at the animal before moving past our last stop, the empty enclosure of the animal was stolen. Carla glanced at me with a sad smile, knowing what had happened, it seemed. I gave her a nod as we continued on our way, walking into the office. “So, I hope everyone enjoyed themselves!” I said with a smile.
“That was the coolest birthday present I’ve ever gotten,” Wesley said, looking to Denise. “Thanks so much, seriously.”
“It was my pleasure,” she said with a nod. “I’d never been here before, and knew I’d find it fascinating. Thank you for the educational aspect,” Denise said, glancing at me. “I learned quite a lot.”
“Happy to hear it,” I said, returning the nod.
As I escorted the guests out of the zoo and locked the door behind them, I reflected on how much I’d changed. The first time I’d seen Yui’s tarantula form, I’d nearly passed out from fear. Now here I was, walking tourists around like it was no big deal. Humans really can adapt to anything, it seems.
That afternoon, Suzanne had texted me that she was coming by after my shift, and I met her in Andrew’s office, shutting the door to the security room behind me. “How’s Andrew?” I asked first thing.
“He’s doing well,” she said with a wide smile. “Back on non-hospital food. He’s allowed to order food on his phone, and to hear it from him, that’s the best news he’d received in a long time.”
I chuckled. “I guess some clichés are true for a reason.”
“Indeed.” She took a breath. “All right. Ripley…I would like to discuss something with you.”
My face went slack at the serious tone in her voice. “I’m not… Am I being fired?”
“What? No!” she exclaimed. Then she chuckled softly. “No, it’s nothing like that. Just, here, let’s have a seat.” Suzanne walked over to the couch and sat at one end, and I took the other. “There’s something I need to tell you. Something I’ve kept from you, that I wanted to keep from you until you found your sea legs here.”
“Well…I have,” I said with a nod. “So, what is it?”
Suzanne took a breath. “I knew your mother.”
The words hung in the air for a moment before making their way to my ears. It was a perfectly logical sentence, and yet it didn’t make any sense. “What?” I finally managed.
“When you graduated college, I decided to move the zoo from Italy to within driving distance of your home,” she said softly. “Near enough to your town that you’d see the advert. We ignored any other applicants and I hoped you’d apply. Actually, I expected you’d apply. Not just for the money, but considering the field you wanted to go into. As soon as I’d found out your major, I knew.”
“Wait, wait, wait,” I said, holding up a hand. I pinched the bridge of my nose. “How do you know Patricia?”
“She owned the zoo before I did,” Susan explained. “Fourteen years ago…she was working to track an injured animal that we could bring into the zoo and she was killed by poachers.”
My heart calcified in my chest and a lump lodged in my throat. As my breaths became shaky, I stared at her in shock. “She…she’s really dead?”
“You suspected?” she asked softly.
“It…” I swallowed hard. “We had her declared legally dead after…I don’t know, seven years I think. My dad wanted to go after her for child support, but the police said…they said they couldn’t find…” Tears came to my eyes and I blinked them back before I met Suzanne’s gaze. “She owned the zoo?”
Suzanne nodded. “It was her baby, you’d say. When Patricia passed, I inherited it, which we’d discussed beforehand, a legal just-in-case that I never expected her to need. I’m under the impression that you were told she went to Africa for her photography career, but she was in fact going to remote areas back in my home world almost every time.”
“But I-I saw the photos,” I said, my eyes narrowing. “You’re telling me she put on a show of getting pictures that someone else took for us to see every time she visited? Did my dad even know?”
“I suppose that’s an accurate way to put it, putting on a show. And no, your father was never told. It’s not the way of things to tell humans unless it’s necessary. I won’t bore you with the details, but us and humans, we’re distant relatives, so we can still have children. But it wasn’t planned. Your mother fell in love with your father despite herself; she hadn’t meant to find love. Then she became pregnant with you and…well, the rest is history.”
“I think she had a different definition of love than the one I have,” I said tightly. “You’d think she’d have put her survival as more of a priority. Put being with the man she ‘loved’ as a priority. Her kids needed her. I needed her. She signed up when she became a mom. She could’ve screwed up all the time but she couldn’t even manage that one job: be there. When I was in the hospital, I kept thinking, ‘Where is she?’ and now you’re telling me that she put these animals above being there for her kids, and this whole time she’s been dead.”
“The hospital?” she asked, furrowing her brows.
“Never mind,” I said tersely, averting my gaze.
Suzanne hesitated before she nodded slowly. “I’m sorry for your loss, and not just for her death, Ripley,” she told me. “Patricia was…well, a ‘free spirit’ would be putting it gently. She always assumed the world would be there for her whenever she needed it.”
Staring at her for a long moment, I shook my head. “Why? Why come here and hire me?”
“I thought that would be obvious,” she said, smiling. “Your mother was so passionate about this place and once I found out your college major, I figured you would be as well.”
“Did you know that I hate her?” At that, Suzanne’s expression froze on the edge of shock. “She…she left us,” I whispered. “Didn’t tell us who she was or what she really did for a living and gave us no closure. And even when she was here, it was just visiting. Her real home was her work. She could give me all the presents she wanted, but even when she was here, half the time she was still on her computer doing work. It’s not like that stereotype of never making it to my tennis practice or something; it’s that it always felt like she was only partially here, even when I was sitting next to her. I don’t even know if I appreciate her turning me into a wildlife fanatic because it…it…makes me feel like I’m close to her in a way that’s just infuriating. She loved the animals more than she loved us.”
“Oh, Ripley-”
“Don’t,” I said, shoving myself to my feet. “Don’t try to convince me otherwise.”
“I wasn’t going to,” she said quietly. I pursed my lips. “I was going to say that I’m sorry that was the case. Your mother was…flawed, just like any other person. She had two loves in this world: her family and her work. And often, her work overcame her, her zeal for environmentalism getting in the way of being a good mum. She left your father trying to fill the role of two parents, holding your family together. You and your brother and your father, you all deserved better than that.”
My lower lip quivered but I bit down on it hard. It would’ve been a lot easier for me if she’d been speaking from a place of clueless reassurance about all this. But everything she said was making sense and that meant I didn’t have someone in front of me to be angry with.
“Why didn’t you tell me when Andrew hired me?” I sighed, sitting back down on the couch.
“Well, like I said, I wanted you to find your sea legs,” she said with a small smile. “I didn’t want the truth affecting whether or not you wanted to work here, whether you wanted to stay here after finding out about what the animals are. It would’ve complicated things, the emotions you’ll have to work through now that you know the truth. Whether or not you decide to give another tour, you also know what they’re like. That’s the benchmark I wanted you to reach before you found out about who you are.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Who I-” My face went slack. “Wait.”
Suzanne nodded slowly. “You’re only half human. Your brother too.”
The room seemed to tilt on an axis for a moment. “That means I’m also half…what?”
“We call ourselves Eldritch, these days,” she replied.
My eyes bugged out. “What?” I exclaimed. “So you’re all, like, gods or something?”
Suzanne burst out laughing. “Oh no, goodness, no,” she chuckled. “It’s just a word. We live in a very different world from this one, and a few generations ago we discovered the word and it made its way into our lexicon. But it does mean you can see all the animals. Indeed you did, on the tour you gave.”
“Wait, no, I had the glasses that…” I stopped. “Did those glasses do anything?”
She gave a sly smile and shook her head. “Not a thing. You made incredibly quick progress, and then when it came time for the tour, all you needed was to expect to see the animals, and you did.”
Genetics. That’s what Andrew had said during our interview, that part of how many animals you could see was determined by genetics. I guess having a mother who was originally from the other dimension gave me all the genes I needed to see everything here. “Could I…visit your world?” I asked tentatively. “You said that my mom took photos of the animals there. Could I…” My voice trailed off, not even sure if or how I wanted to finish that sentence.
“Those who are half human, especially those who are raised on Earth, don’t come visit,” she said gently. “I could show you some photos of other animals, and I could loan you as many books as you’d like, but it’s simply not a place where you’d be safe.”
“Oh,” I said, leaning into the couch cushion as I pictured the animals in the zoo. “Yeah, actually that…makes sense.” I paused. “So, what now?”
“It’s up to you,” she said. “I wanted to wait until I was sure you were comfortable with your position here, and then put the ball in your court. And so it is. What do you want to do now?”
What did I want to do? It wasn’t that difficult a question, just a deep, serious one.
I wanted to thrive, as the animals did. This is my enrichment now, working at an incredible, wonderful, terrifying zoo. The experience so far hasn’t been perfect, and I know there are risks, but life isn’t about staying safe. It’s about learning new things and making a difference in the world. And, if you’re lucky, having a job that’s something really special.
THE END
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Suzanne thought it was absolutely brilliant of me to put books on a flash drive for Sun. She explained that Sun wasn’t as sophant (her word, not mine) as she might seem, more of a repository of information, but she was fairly intelligent. It was how she was able to connect Andrew being in pain to the fact that I was friends with Andrew, and that I would want to know that he was in trouble. Apparently some of Sun’s species had given some ‘wisdom’ to others in the past and it had made its way into mythology.
The key fact was that she was not smart enough to protect herself and her kind from the clever, organized poachers. With that information in mind, it was fascinating for me to think of how Sun took in and organized what she learned. It was almost as if she was a walking, talking library.
On the topic of tours, my first one went wonderfully, and I’m almost hoping Suzanne lets me do more of them. I know not all the tourists are going to be as awesome as these people were, but Suzanne gave me a lot of slack when it comes to dealing with them. She actually said that being a smartass is not grounds for dismissal, and that if I’m sarcastic or facetious to guests who are being ‘daft’ and they complain, she really doesn’t care. Is this the perfect job for me or what?
There were four guests in this party, two adults who were sisters and two children of one of the women, brothers aged thirteen and seventeen. The tour was a birthday gift for the older of the boys from his aunt, since apparently he was passionate about animal protection and conservation.
When they arrived at the front gate, I was sitting at Andrew’s desk, going over the booklet of information one last time. When the visitors pressed the button that sounded the alert buzzer, I tucked away in a drawer and let them in. I did have a cheat sheet with information about the animals on my phone just in case, a brief notation of each of them and which enclosure they were in, but I really didn’t need to use it.
Exiting through the front door, I saw them walk up the path toward me. “Hi, I’m Ripley,” I said, holding out a hand toward the woman closest to me.
She shook it firmly. “I’m Denise. This is my sister Carla and my nephews, Wesley and Jason,” she said, motioning to each of them in turn.
“I heard it’s your birthday,” I said to Wesley, giving him a smile. “You’re interested in animal conversation?”
“Back where we live, yeah,” he said, nodding. “The animals that you’ve got here are incredible. I can’t wait to see them.”
“Well, I can’t wait to show them to you,” I said. “Right this way.”
I led them on the path around the building, toward enclosure one. Despite the horrific memories of the animal killing Stanley’s friends, I knew it was just an animal, and I had to push past my feelings on what had happened. Keeping a small smile on my face, I motioned to the enclosure. “Fiercely territorial and amazing hunters, despite their large size, they’re arboreal and known to dart from tree to tree with barely a sound. This is one of only about two thousand left in existence.”
“Two thousand, three hundred and fifty six at last count,” spoke Wesley, his eyes on the trees.
I blinked, surprised and impressed. “Well that was fantastic. Do you plan on stealing my job when you graduate?”
Wesley looked at me with a grin. “Nah, everyone knows Suzanne only offers humans this gig. And I want to help animals like this one get off the endangered species list. The zoos are great for awareness and fundraising, but then the money has to go somewhere. I want to be doing the real work.”
“That’s really great,” I told him. “I wish you all the best in that career path.” At that, we saw the animal climb down from the tree, wandering a few yards from the tree line. This was because 90% of the time, when humans were at their enclosure and making noise, whether it was speaking to each other or calling out to the animal, it was someone bringing them prey to eat. Or, in my case, enrichment toys to play with.
“Whoa,” Wesley whispered.
“How close can we get?” spoke up Jason.
“The warding starts at the fence,” I told him with a small gesture. “So, just there.”
Both boys wandered closer and I glanced at their parents. It seemed that Suzanne’s zoo had a serious reputation for high quality invisible walls, because they didn’t look worried in the slightest about the boys being hurt or killed.
“They prefer dense forest as their home and have been known to make their nests in trees up to twenty meter in the air,” I continued. “And when hunting, they’ve been seen dropping eight meters straight down. They have incredibly dense yet flexible musculature, which allows them to tackle their prey without injuring themselves.”
There was more information about the animal that I continued to rattle off, though Wesley chimed in at certain points with the info I was about to convey. That was highly entertaining and very cool. When I’d been in school, I’d never met anyone who had my level of passion about endangered animals. I wondered if things were better where these folks came from, but realized that considering there were so few of these animals left, I guessed not.
The animal paced a little bit, seemingly waiting to see if we were the kind of humans that came bearing food, before deciding we weren’t and climbing back up into the trees as easily as I would climb some stairs.
As we moved onto enclosure two, Jason spoke up. “Are there any animals here we can touch or feed or something?”
I sighed inwardly before slowing to a stop. “Well, can you show me your hands?” Jason looked bemused, holding out his hands. “I mean…they both look like they’re in great shape. You can stand to lose one.”
The two women chuckled and Wesley smirked as Jason shoved his hands into his pockets. “Very funny.”
Grinning, I started walking again. “The animals here are all carnivores and all predators. You get to see them, but that’s it.”
“Alright.”
When we reached enclosure two, I started on my next spiel. “We’ve got three reanimated dead in this enclosure,” I spoke. They were just coming out from the trees as we arrived, presumably having heard our approach. “Marissa, Connor, and Bradley. They were donated by families who knew where they would be exhibited. Their next of kin, whoever they are, can’t stand the idea of putting them down. But we need to make sure they don’t have access to corpses, because one of them plus one corpse equals two of them.”
“They eat flesh though, don’t they?” Wesley asked.
I nodded. “Oh, yeah, but it’s from bodies that have already been dismembered. There’s no chance of them being affected by the transformation because it’s all parts.”
“Oh, got it.”
The creatures with blueish-white skin had superhuman strength, which is why they qualified for the security of Suzanne’s zoo. They also were likely the source of any Earth tales of people being brought back to life as zombies, specifically draugr, according to my research. They smelled like rotting flesh, so even as I kept talking about them and giving a background to the people they used to be, we were quick to move on once Wesley had gotten a good, long look at them.
“Enclosure four’s animal is a vampiric spirit. He’s a small, hairy humanoid creature with pointed ears. He wears a hat, and if he somehow loses it, he freaks out,” I said.
“They eat horses,” Wesley noted. “Also anything that gives them the chance to sit on it, usually catching them by surprise while they’re sleeping.”
The creature came out from the brush, giving us a suspicious look. He wasn’t in his humanoid form though; for some reason, he’d chosen to shapeshift to a dog.
I nodded. “Yep, indeed. Once the prey is dead, then he’ll eat it, and he has a voracious appetite. We have two wolves and two bears in the forest, which is one of the reasons I’ve got some self-defense items,” I said, patting my belt where my pepper spray (rated for bear) and my taser. “But the wards keep them out of this area of the zoo, so it’s really not much of a worry. It’s also a known shapeshifter, preferring the form of a dog, as you can see, as well as a cat, a snake, or even white butterflies, though the last one is rare.”
“The white butterflies are supposed to be a sign of good luck,” Wesley said, glancing to me. “Too bad we got the dog.”
“Yeah, otherwise you might be able to talk your mom into getting scratch-offs on your way home, huh?”
Wesley smirked at me.
The next enclosure was Spike, and he was waiting for us, dripping wet from having just emerged from the lake. I gave the introductory information about him, which included his propensity for eating animal eyes, nails, and teeth. “Recently, I’ve given him some enrichment activities, and I learned he likes artichokes, pecans, and hazelnuts,” I said, taking a bag out from my cargo shorts. “Wesley, do you want to toss this bag into the enclosure?”
The boy’s eyes widened and he nodded excitedly. He took a look into the paper bag before wrapping down the top to make sure nothing would fly out. Then he chucked it underhand past the fence. It landed a few yards from Spike, who waddled over to it quickly and tearing the bag open, spilling out the prizes inside. As the animal ate the pecans and hazelnuts, Wesley asked, “How’d you figure out he likes those?”
“It’s not all about taste,” I told him. “It’s mainly the difficulty of getting them out of the shells. He’s used to having to work for the parts of his prey he likes the most, so this mimics that activity, and he enjoys the process. I tried a bunch of different foods to find a few he liked.”
“Cool,” Wesley murmured, staring at him.
We watched Spike eat until he’d finished and then he went back into the woods, leaving us to move onto enclosure five. Japanese camellia were plentiful here, a type of pink flower, and that was because they grew anywhere near one of his species made their den. “This girl spends most of her time in the lake also,” I said, as the creature made its way toward the fence separating us from it. “But as you can see, she’s just as curious as the rest about what we’re doing here and whether we have food for her. She eats fish mostly, but she also regularly gets live prey.”
This creature was a spider-like monster, having six legs with long claws on each, and the head of an ox with two sharp horns. She was capable of shapeshifting to look like a human, but I guessed that she wasn’t fond of it, since I hadn’t yet seen her in that form.
“She prefers the easy way of catching prey, so to speak, by hiding in the lake and pouncing when something comes for a drink of water,” I explained. “Apparently humans are some of her favorite prey. She has an advantage of being able to spit poison, which often hits her prey in the eyes. But it’s usually used in defense rather than offense, since it secretes a limited amount.”
“What kind of animal would even go after something like this?” Jason asked, staring at her.
“Never discount one of its own species when you’re thinking about what might attack an animal,” I replied. “There are places that are breeding all of the animals here, but competition for mates is common. That means an advantage in a fight, like poison or venom, can make or break who the winner is.”
“Ah, gotcha.”
“It can’t spit past the warding, right?” Carla suddenly asked.
“Oh, no,” I assured her. “We’re fine. The wards wouldn’t let anything cross over.” She nodded, appeased.
The animal in enclosure six was the ginormous seal-hippo, Fiona, and she was looking at us as if she was imagining sprinkling us with herbs and spices and stuffing us in an oven. “This girl is one animal I’m going to work on enrichment activities for next,” I told them. “She prefers to feed on crayfish, though she’s happy to eat any humans that wander into her territory. She’ll even make a sound like a baby crying to reel us in. I’ve heard it a bunch of times.”
“Can you get her to make the sound?” Jason asked, perking up.
I grinned. “Not on command, sorry.”
“What enrichment are you thinking of trying?” Wesley asked.
“Possibly food placed in puzzle feeders,” I told him, “since she has claws that are pretty dexterous. Maybe a piñata made out of newspaper with flour inside, or a scarecrow that mimics a human.”
“Awesome,” he muttered.
After a little more educational tidbits, we moved onto Yui’s enclosure. “What is that?” Wesley asked, smiling.
“I got Yui the closest thing I could to a ping-pong ball,” I replied. “She quite likes it.”
“That’s so funny,” he said as she came out of the trees in her spider form. “I mean, the idea of her being a bloodthirsty hunter who seduces men to their deaths and eats them alive, but then on the other hand, she likes playing with something like this.”
“It is a little funny,” I agreed. “But when it comes down to it, all the animals here enjoy activities besides hunting.”
“She can shapeshift to look human, right?” asked Jason, trying to be casual about knowing something factual like his nerdy brother.
I nodded. “She looks like a woman from a region of Earth called Japan. And she’ll use strategies like holding out a hand to shake to get you closer. She tried that on me when I first got here but, as you can see,” I said, holding up my hands and waving them, “I didn’t fall for it.”
The boys both laughed as they got closer to the fence, watching her slowly pace near the trees.
Next was Sun, but she didn’t make an appearance as I spoke about her species. “Well…unfortunately we can’t guarantee that every animal comes out to say hi,” I sighed. “But…oh wait, here she is.”
The green lion with several horns and many eyes along her flank came out from the forest. “Hello,” she spoke.
“Hi, Sun,” I replied. “We have visitors.”
“What’s that?” Wesley asked suddenly, pointing at the small plastic bag that was still where I’d left it.
“Oh! That is Sun’s enrichment,” I said with a smile. “I put dozens of books on a flash drive and found that she can read them just like she’d read a shelf of books.”
Wesley’s eyes widened. “Wow. I don’t think I’ve read about anyone trying that before. That’s really cool.”
“The books are new and interesting,” Sun spoke, drawing our attention. “I’m grateful for them.”
I nodded to her. “You’re quite welcome.”
The next animal, unfortunately, wasn’t there, and we waited around for ten minutes as we discussed him. He was large and reptile-like with red eyes, with its hind legs and tail making him look vaguely like a kangaroo. Then, enclosure ten was a terrifyingly disturbing creature, the not-a-centaur with no skin, that I’d only seen a few times while walking my route. It gave a good demonstration of its ferocity, showing its sharp teeth and snapping at us a few times.
“I’m thinking of trying salt licks and other horse enrichment like a big bouncy ball,” I told Wesley, whose eyebrows went up at that. “Maybe give him more things to forage like scattered grains or a box filled with pinecones and seeds. Foraging is a huge part of a horse’s life in the wild, and humans have to do a lot of activities like that to keep pet horses busy. Of course, he also loves the little salt-water lake that was built for him.”
We spent some time looking at the animal before moving past our last stop, the empty enclosure of the animal was stolen. Carla glanced at me with a sad smile, knowing what had happened, it seemed. I gave her a nod as we continued on our way, walking into the office. “So, I hope everyone enjoyed themselves!” I said with a smile.
“That was the coolest birthday present I’ve ever gotten,” Wesley said, looking to Denise. “Thanks so much, seriously.”
“It was my pleasure,” she said with a nod. “I’d never been here before, and knew I’d find it fascinating. Thank you for the educational aspect,” Denise said, glancing at me. “I learned quite a lot.”
“Happy to hear it,” I said, returning the nod.
As I escorted the guests out of the zoo and locked the door behind them, I reflected on how much I’d changed. The first time I’d seen Yui’s tarantula form, I’d nearly passed out from fear. Now here I was, walking tourists around like it was no big deal. Humans really can adapt to anything, it seems.
That afternoon, Suzanne had texted me that she was coming by after my shift, and I met her in Andrew’s office, shutting the door to the security room behind me. “How’s Andrew?” I asked first thing.
“He’s doing well,” she said with a wide smile. “Back on non-hospital food. He’s allowed to order food on his phone, and to hear it from him, that’s the best news he’d received in a long time.”
I chuckled. “I guess some clichés are true for a reason.”
“Indeed.” She took a breath. “All right. Ripley…I would like to discuss something with you.”
My face went slack at the serious tone in her voice. “I’m not… Am I being fired?”
“What? No!” she exclaimed. Then she chuckled softly. “No, it’s nothing like that. Just, here, let’s have a seat.” Suzanne walked over to the couch and sat at one end, and I took the other. “There’s something I need to tell you. Something I’ve kept from you, that I wanted to keep from you until you found your sea legs here.”
“Well…I have,” I said with a nod. “So, what is it?”
Suzanne took a breath. “I knew your mother.”
The words hung in the air for a moment before making their way to my ears. It was a perfectly logical sentence, and yet it didn’t make any sense. “What?” I finally managed.
“When you graduated college, I decided to move the zoo from Italy to within driving distance of your home,” she said softly. “Near enough to your town that you’d see the advert. We ignored any other applicants and I hoped you’d apply. Actually, I expected you’d apply. Not just for the money, but considering the field you wanted to go into. As soon as I’d found out your major, I knew.”
“Wait, wait, wait,” I said, holding up a hand. I pinched the bridge of my nose. “How do you know Patricia?”
“She owned the zoo before I did,” Susan explained. “Fourteen years ago…she was working to track an injured animal that we could bring into the zoo and she was killed by poachers.”
My heart calcified in my chest and a lump lodged in my throat. As my breaths became shaky, I stared at her in shock. “She…she’s really dead?”
“You suspected?” she asked softly.
“It…” I swallowed hard. “We had her declared legally dead after…I don’t know, seven years I think. My dad wanted to go after her for child support, but the police said…they said they couldn’t find…” Tears came to my eyes and I blinked them back before I met Suzanne’s gaze. “She owned the zoo?”
Suzanne nodded. “It was her baby, you’d say. When Patricia passed, I inherited it, which we’d discussed beforehand, a legal just-in-case that I never expected her to need. I’m under the impression that you were told she went to Africa for her photography career, but she was in fact going to remote areas back in my home world almost every time.”
“But I-I saw the photos,” I said, my eyes narrowing. “You’re telling me she put on a show of getting pictures that someone else took for us to see every time she visited? Did my dad even know?”
“I suppose that’s an accurate way to put it, putting on a show. And no, your father was never told. It’s not the way of things to tell humans unless it’s necessary. I won’t bore you with the details, but us and humans, we’re distant relatives, so we can still have children. But it wasn’t planned. Your mother fell in love with your father despite herself; she hadn’t meant to find love. Then she became pregnant with you and…well, the rest is history.”
“I think she had a different definition of love than the one I have,” I said tightly. “You’d think she’d have put her survival as more of a priority. Put being with the man she ‘loved’ as a priority. Her kids needed her. I needed her. She signed up when she became a mom. She could’ve screwed up all the time but she couldn’t even manage that one job: be there. When I was in the hospital, I kept thinking, ‘Where is she?’ and now you’re telling me that she put these animals above being there for her kids, and this whole time she’s been dead.”
“The hospital?” she asked, furrowing her brows.
“Never mind,” I said tersely, averting my gaze.
Suzanne hesitated before she nodded slowly. “I’m sorry for your loss, and not just for her death, Ripley,” she told me. “Patricia was…well, a ‘free spirit’ would be putting it gently. She always assumed the world would be there for her whenever she needed it.”
Staring at her for a long moment, I shook my head. “Why? Why come here and hire me?”
“I thought that would be obvious,” she said, smiling. “Your mother was so passionate about this place and once I found out your college major, I figured you would be as well.”
“Did you know that I hate her?” At that, Suzanne’s expression froze on the edge of shock. “She…she left us,” I whispered. “Didn’t tell us who she was or what she really did for a living and gave us no closure. And even when she was here, it was just visiting. Her real home was her work. She could give me all the presents she wanted, but even when she was here, half the time she was still on her computer doing work. It’s not like that stereotype of never making it to my tennis practice or something; it’s that it always felt like she was only partially here, even when I was sitting next to her. I don’t even know if I appreciate her turning me into a wildlife fanatic because it…it…makes me feel like I’m close to her in a way that’s just infuriating. She loved the animals more than she loved us.”
“Oh, Ripley-”
“Don’t,” I said, shoving myself to my feet. “Don’t try to convince me otherwise.”
“I wasn’t going to,” she said quietly. I pursed my lips. “I was going to say that I’m sorry that was the case. Your mother was…flawed, just like any other person. She had two loves in this world: her family and her work. And often, her work overcame her, her zeal for environmentalism getting in the way of being a good mum. She left your father trying to fill the role of two parents, holding your family together. You and your brother and your father, you all deserved better than that.”
My lower lip quivered but I bit down on it hard. It would’ve been a lot easier for me if she’d been speaking from a place of clueless reassurance about all this. But everything she said was making sense and that meant I didn’t have someone in front of me to be angry with.
“Why didn’t you tell me when Andrew hired me?” I sighed, sitting back down on the couch.
“Well, like I said, I wanted you to find your sea legs,” she said with a small smile. “I didn’t want the truth affecting whether or not you wanted to work here, whether you wanted to stay here after finding out about what the animals are. It would’ve complicated things, the emotions you’ll have to work through now that you know the truth. Whether or not you decide to give another tour, you also know what they’re like. That’s the benchmark I wanted you to reach before you found out about who you are.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Who I-” My face went slack. “Wait.”
Suzanne nodded slowly. “You’re only half human. Your brother too.”
The room seemed to tilt on an axis for a moment. “That means I’m also half…what?”
“We call ourselves Eldritch, these days,” she replied.
My eyes bugged out. “What?” I exclaimed. “So you’re all, like, gods or something?”
Suzanne burst out laughing. “Oh no, goodness, no,” she chuckled. “It’s just a word. We live in a very different world from this one, and a few generations ago we discovered the word and it made its way into our lexicon. But it does mean you can see all the animals. Indeed you did, on the tour you gave.”
“Wait, no, I had the glasses that…” I stopped. “Did those glasses do anything?”
She gave a sly smile and shook her head. “Not a thing. You made incredibly quick progress, and then when it came time for the tour, all you needed was to expect to see the animals, and you did.”
Genetics. That’s what Andrew had said during our interview, that part of how many animals you could see was determined by genetics. I guess having a mother who was originally from the other dimension gave me all the genes I needed to see everything here. “Could I…visit your world?” I asked tentatively. “You said that my mom took photos of the animals there. Could I…” My voice trailed off, not even sure if or how I wanted to finish that sentence.
“Those who are half human, especially those who are raised on Earth, don’t come visit,” she said gently. “I could show you some photos of other animals, and I could loan you as many books as you’d like, but it’s simply not a place where you’d be safe.”
“Oh,” I said, leaning into the couch cushion as I pictured the animals in the zoo. “Yeah, actually that…makes sense.” I paused. “So, what now?”
“It’s up to you,” she said. “I wanted to wait until I was sure you were comfortable with your position here, and then put the ball in your court. And so it is. What do you want to do now?”
What did I want to do? It wasn’t that difficult a question, just a deep, serious one.
I wanted to thrive, as the animals did. This is my enrichment now, working at an incredible, wonderful, terrifying zoo. The experience so far hasn’t been perfect, and I know there are risks, but life isn’t about staying safe. It’s about learning new things and making a difference in the world. And, if you’re lucky, having a job that’s something really special.
THE END
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2024.05.19 05:36 Scottishjapan Dog with popcorn APK/add on
Does anyone remember an APK or add on that when opened had a dog in sunglasses with popcorn sitting in front of a movie screen. Screen was mainly red.
submitted by Scottishjapan to firetvstick [link] [comments]
2024.05.19 05:33 Otherwise-Common770 Sitter was away for 12+ hours on a 24ish hour house sit.
Sorry for the long read but I’d appreciate your input! So to preface this, I am also a Rover sitter, but this is my first time ever using it for my two dogs and cat. Im not sure if I just have high standards because it is what I would do or if this sitter was just bad? To begin, we had a meet and greet and loved the sitter, loved her energy, she was great with the dogs and the cat and even works with a dog rescue. The only red flag at the time is that she was not too good at communicating through text (would take a day to respond to a text). But honestly I just thought maybe she was really busy. Fast forward to day of sit, we asked her to come at noon and then told her she was good to leave the next day at 3. She didn’t get there until one, which is completely fine but she just didn’t communicate that with me and i dont know I feel like that’s something I would just let the owner know. (maybe that’s a little high maintenance?) she was there for a few hours then she left at about 4:30. We have two cameras outside and one camera that faces the front door and a Furbo in the basement inside. We are able to see when she leaves and stuff but I even told her if the indoor ones make her uncomfortable she can turn them around or unplug them, just to plug them back in if she leaves. We were enjoying our trip when around 9pm we realized she hadn’t come back. We were a little nervous because their dinner time is at 6pm and they had been left alone for a long time. I waited about an hour then I texted her close to 10:30pm just checking in. I asked if she would be back soon or if I should have my neighbor go over and let them out since at that point it had been 6 hours since she left. She never responded to me, then I got a notification at 11:15ish from our cameras saying there was a person. I was relieved that she was back but she never texted me or anything so I went in to check the indoor camera to see if she had fed them (the camera shows part of the kitchen where their food is). I did see that she fed them before she left at 4pm. While I’m glad they were fed I left very detailed Instructions to feed them around 6pm and one of my dogs has separation anxiety, which we discussed, and she said she would stick to our schedule to provide consistency. Our dogs also eat at 12:30 am because one of our dogs will not eat all of his food in 2 meals and has to have it broken up a little, which she assured me was completely fine, I even told her she could just feed them before she goes to bed. At around 2am I went to check to see if she fed them their last meal and from what I could see they were not fed. I then checked the Furbo down stairs and she had fallen asleep on the couch. Another thing we had talked about is keeping their night time routine as our dog with separation anxiety is crate training and sleeps in her crate. She assured me in the meet and great once again that she would sleep in our bedroom to keep things consistent and that she was absolutely comfortable with this. ( I told her if not we could move the kennel into the guest room or where she wanted to sleep and she said no). Fast forward to the next morning when we wake up we check to make sure she fed them breakfast and she fed them at 4am which our instructions said 9-10am. She then leaves for three hours, comes back for a few hours then leaves again at 1:30pm. At this point I thought she had left for good and just ignored our agreed upon time of 3pm. I waited until around 4pm then I texted my neighbor to see if she could let the dogs out and literally 10 minutes later the sitter shows back up and sends me a text asking if she needs to feed them and sent some pictures. I just feel like this is kind of crazy…also on the dogs rover profiles I have the time they can be left alone as 1-4 hours. And we discussed how my dog with separation anxiety shouldn’t be left alone for more than 3-4. I feel terrible leaving a dog for 3 hours when I do house sits I just feel like this was crazy. She also never addressed my text about when she was coming back even though it said read on IMessage. She didn’t address anything at all just sent some pictures. Im really just upset about her lack of communication and the fact she was gone for 7 hours. Am I overreacting? Are my expectations set too high?
submitted by Otherwise-Common770 to RoverPetSitting [link] [comments]
2024.05.19 05:00 3psilon2288 Radiation- small hard lumps under skin?
I've currently done 20/25 radiation treatments. I have expanders in. I just noticed a bunch of small hard lumps under the skin on the area that's currently most red from the radiation. The whole area is very tender. Has anyone else experienced this? Is this normal?
submitted by 3psilon2288 to breastcancer [link] [comments]
2024.05.19 04:55 seveneleven0215 I (34f) am 32 weeks pregnant, found Snapchat messages to another woman on my fiancé's (29m) phone, and I'm about to confront him.
TL:DR: My fiance is messaging another woman, and i am devastated. And very pregnant. How do i navigate this?
Background: We've been together for 5 years, engaged for 2.5. We have an 18-month old together and I am currently 32 weeks pregnant. I also have a 9 yo from a previous marriage. We bought a house together 2 years ago. I lost my job in March and he has his own business.
Full disclosure: I've been in some rocky relationships. I've been cheated on, I've been the cheater. But I have never loved anyone like this, and I've never even considered cheating on my fiance. In fact, I outgrew my "wild" phase when we started getting serious, and I have never been more happy, loved, satisfied, and wanted.
Until recently. 2 weeks ago, he had to go out of town for work. He asked me to go, but we had nobody to take care of our dogs, so I stayed home with my 18-month old (my 9 yo was with other parent). We had been in a weird funk for a couple of weeks before this, and I really didn't know why. I thought the distance would maybe help, and it did. We flirted, talked dirty, said how much we missed each other, & we were both super lovey. I couldn't wait for him to get home.
However, one odd thing happened. He told me he'd like to watch me with another woman. This immediately sent up red flags, because he knows that I HAVE done that before but he's never said he wanted that to happen. All kinds of thoughts went through my head.. "Is he wanting to see someone else? Am I not good enough anymore? am I not satisfying him sexually?" But, I told him I would do that since it was his fantasy. I asked him who he had in mind, because I KNEW he had to be thinking of someone. He said he didn't know, but suggested the person I did it with before, which happens to be my best friend. We were young and experimenting, we've grown past it, and I'm not interested in that with her at this point. So, i told him as much. He said okay, then we can go on a dating app or something together, and reassured me that he would NOT go on any without me or look for anyone without me.
Nothing much more has been said about it.. he worked at home for a week, then last week our son and I joined him out of town. I thought we were good.
Last night, I was in the bathroom getting ready for a surprise congratulatory dinner I threw for him for obtaining a new license for his business, and he left his phone in the bathroom with me. His Snapchat went off, it didn't phase me, but he hurried into the bathroom and snatched his phone up. It ended up being his brother and he announced that to me like.. I care? So it was weird. Later, he ran into the store and left his phone in the car and I snooped.
There was a message thread from a lady that I don't know. His last message to her was along the lines of, "I hope I didn't freak you out last night by asking you to fool around." She hadn't yet responded. I almost threw up. I didn't dare scroll up to see the rest of the conversation because I knew I wouldn't be able to handle it. I closed Snapchat and set his phone down, and drove home like nothing happened. I got my kids to bed, then sat in my bed and cried for 3 hours. He was in the basement watching TV.
I vented to my aforementioned best friend, who confessed to me that after we had talked about his fantasy, he messaged her to ask if she would be interested.. after I told him I didn't want that. Why didn't she tell me when it happened? Because she's an awful friend and always has been, but I can tell her anything. Now, though, I don't even want to talk to her.
I had no idea what to do. I'm broken. I text him to say that I wanted to get my tubes tied after this baby (we'd been debating on having another) because if something happened to us, we'd have 4 kids with split parents. Idk why, it was the only thing I could think of that would alert him to the fact that something was wrong, without having the full-on conversation. He asked why I was thinking like that, said that he would never leave me, blah blah blah, a bunch of total horse shit in my opinion. I eventually went to "sleep" (if you can even call it that), and he came to bed and snuggled up to me. I pretended to be snoozing.
We had a big fun day planned today, so I didn't want to ruin it for my kids. Which is why I chose to not confront him last night. I held it together pretty well, except in the shower and now. But he can tell something is wrong. He asked me about 100x what's wrong, if he did something wrong, etc. He also had a very bad upset stomach today. Maybe nerves?
Anyway, I'm now getting my kids to bed and then I'm going to sit down with him. I really don't know what to expect. I don't think there is anything he could say that will make me ever feel secure again. I truly thought this was my forever, my happy ending. I could go on and live this life, where I'm constantly second guessing myself and being suspicious any time he kisses me, but I don't want that. I'm in the most vulnerable position I've ever been in, and it is fucking terrifying. I have no one. I have no job, soon to be 3 kids, and hell, maybe homeless.
Please send me good vibes, prayers, whatever you believe. And if you have a similar story and you were able to move past it and be happy again, please tell me how.
submitted by seveneleven0215 to relationships_advice [link] [comments]
Background: We've been together for 5 years, engaged for 2.5. We have an 18-month old together and I am currently 32 weeks pregnant. I also have a 9 yo from a previous marriage. We bought a house together 2 years ago. I lost my job in March and he has his own business.
Full disclosure: I've been in some rocky relationships. I've been cheated on, I've been the cheater. But I have never loved anyone like this, and I've never even considered cheating on my fiance. In fact, I outgrew my "wild" phase when we started getting serious, and I have never been more happy, loved, satisfied, and wanted.
Until recently. 2 weeks ago, he had to go out of town for work. He asked me to go, but we had nobody to take care of our dogs, so I stayed home with my 18-month old (my 9 yo was with other parent). We had been in a weird funk for a couple of weeks before this, and I really didn't know why. I thought the distance would maybe help, and it did. We flirted, talked dirty, said how much we missed each other, & we were both super lovey. I couldn't wait for him to get home.
However, one odd thing happened. He told me he'd like to watch me with another woman. This immediately sent up red flags, because he knows that I HAVE done that before but he's never said he wanted that to happen. All kinds of thoughts went through my head.. "Is he wanting to see someone else? Am I not good enough anymore? am I not satisfying him sexually?" But, I told him I would do that since it was his fantasy. I asked him who he had in mind, because I KNEW he had to be thinking of someone. He said he didn't know, but suggested the person I did it with before, which happens to be my best friend. We were young and experimenting, we've grown past it, and I'm not interested in that with her at this point. So, i told him as much. He said okay, then we can go on a dating app or something together, and reassured me that he would NOT go on any without me or look for anyone without me.
Nothing much more has been said about it.. he worked at home for a week, then last week our son and I joined him out of town. I thought we were good.
Last night, I was in the bathroom getting ready for a surprise congratulatory dinner I threw for him for obtaining a new license for his business, and he left his phone in the bathroom with me. His Snapchat went off, it didn't phase me, but he hurried into the bathroom and snatched his phone up. It ended up being his brother and he announced that to me like.. I care? So it was weird. Later, he ran into the store and left his phone in the car and I snooped.
There was a message thread from a lady that I don't know. His last message to her was along the lines of, "I hope I didn't freak you out last night by asking you to fool around." She hadn't yet responded. I almost threw up. I didn't dare scroll up to see the rest of the conversation because I knew I wouldn't be able to handle it. I closed Snapchat and set his phone down, and drove home like nothing happened. I got my kids to bed, then sat in my bed and cried for 3 hours. He was in the basement watching TV.
I vented to my aforementioned best friend, who confessed to me that after we had talked about his fantasy, he messaged her to ask if she would be interested.. after I told him I didn't want that. Why didn't she tell me when it happened? Because she's an awful friend and always has been, but I can tell her anything. Now, though, I don't even want to talk to her.
I had no idea what to do. I'm broken. I text him to say that I wanted to get my tubes tied after this baby (we'd been debating on having another) because if something happened to us, we'd have 4 kids with split parents. Idk why, it was the only thing I could think of that would alert him to the fact that something was wrong, without having the full-on conversation. He asked why I was thinking like that, said that he would never leave me, blah blah blah, a bunch of total horse shit in my opinion. I eventually went to "sleep" (if you can even call it that), and he came to bed and snuggled up to me. I pretended to be snoozing.
We had a big fun day planned today, so I didn't want to ruin it for my kids. Which is why I chose to not confront him last night. I held it together pretty well, except in the shower and now. But he can tell something is wrong. He asked me about 100x what's wrong, if he did something wrong, etc. He also had a very bad upset stomach today. Maybe nerves?
Anyway, I'm now getting my kids to bed and then I'm going to sit down with him. I really don't know what to expect. I don't think there is anything he could say that will make me ever feel secure again. I truly thought this was my forever, my happy ending. I could go on and live this life, where I'm constantly second guessing myself and being suspicious any time he kisses me, but I don't want that. I'm in the most vulnerable position I've ever been in, and it is fucking terrifying. I have no one. I have no job, soon to be 3 kids, and hell, maybe homeless.
Please send me good vibes, prayers, whatever you believe. And if you have a similar story and you were able to move past it and be happy again, please tell me how.
2024.05.19 04:47 Ordinary_Maize_8693 I can't take this much longer.
So, my saga....I've been getting mysterious bites (on neck, upper chest, face, hands, and forearms- skin that is exposed when I sleep) since beginning of April. It started with getting a ton of bites one day all of a sudden, and then 1-5 a day thereafter. I've seen some blood on my pillow and sheets as well. Also while sitting on my couch one night, the part of my arm that touched the couch suddenly started burning and then broke out in red welts. I've inspected the everloving crap out of my bed, nightstand, dresser, everywhere the shits could be. Although I can't really inspect inside my couch. If they're in there I'll never find them. Nothing conclusive. I did find a blood smear inside my mattress, so that's concerning, but the PCOs said that's not bed bug related. What the hell else would leave blood smears INSIDE A MATTRESS?? I've had one inspection by apartment maintenance who quickly shined a flashlight around the bed and said there was nothing. Then a professional a month later who said I definitely have a light infestation (although he found no proof and was going on my evidence) and recommended treatment. Then the PCO who came in to do the treatment searched again and found nothing, but agreed to treat anyway, just once, but I will have to have an actual bug or hard proof for him to come back. So, I've been treated once. Not seeing any bugs, dead or alive, or shed skins. And I know that can sometimes take months to find. And now I have to just live with this anxiety possibly for months. Thinking about getting a dog to come in and sniff, but I wonder if that would even be enough proof for another treatment. Oh, also, they could be coming in through the walls which is why I can't find a harborage, but I don't know if the adjacent units have even been inspected. I would honestly just throw out everything and move if I wasn't unemployed at the moment. And this has halted my job hunt for now too, so I may lose it all anyway.
submitted by Ordinary_Maize_8693 to Bedbugs [link] [comments]
2024.05.19 04:42 Fuzzy-Stuffy Many Fatty Tumors
 | Hello! submitted by Fuzzy-Stuffy to DogAdvice [link] [comments] My cattle pup, Capone, just got groomed for the season and I’ve now seen sooo many fatty tumors and lumps on him. I knew he had 4 but with less fur from winter I now see many large ones as well. Even one on his man parts. Anyone else’s fur babies have these. I’ve never had a dog get them before. (We already tested them earlier this year and yes they are fatty). What was your babies life like, did it start to bother them on day, and why are there so many growing so fast and so large. |
2024.05.19 04:32 tokiahonta Low Platelets Dog
Species: Dog Age: 3-4 Sex/Neuter status: Female Spayed Breed: Collie X (unsure of what she’s crossed with) Body weight: 19.5kg History: Rescue dog not sure about her full history. Got her and changed diet due to poor bowel movements and been healthy ever since. Had her since January 2023. Took to vet due to shaking which turned out to be anxiety related but they done blood which showed low platelets which were at 73 when they should be 200-500. Clinical signs: None (Hematoma from first bloods in neck) Duration: Ongoing since Friday last week Your general location: Scotland
Took our dog Sage to the vets last week due to shaking which we ended up pinpointing to anxiety due to a clicking noise in the wall. She’s a very anxious little dog but loves people but not other dogs. No other signs of any other issues, she’s happy, eats well, bowels fine and playful.
She had bloods drawn on the 10th May from her Jugular which caused a Hematoma down her neck. Bloods came back on the Monday with low platelet levels which they thought was due to their local machine. Took more from front leg and sent to lab came back same again. Then Thursday took more bloods to investigate to rule out Lymes, Lung Worm etc. All negative but regenerative response in red blood cells, although red and white counts healthy and organs etc.
Vet has given the suggested diagnosis of immune-mediated thrombocytopenia and placed her on steroids. Re do her bloods again in 7 days to check platelet levels.
I’m just so confused and worried because otherwise she’s very healthy and her bruising has healed fastly, also her clotting time is fast as well.
submitted by tokiahonta to AskVet [link] [comments]
Took our dog Sage to the vets last week due to shaking which we ended up pinpointing to anxiety due to a clicking noise in the wall. She’s a very anxious little dog but loves people but not other dogs. No other signs of any other issues, she’s happy, eats well, bowels fine and playful.
She had bloods drawn on the 10th May from her Jugular which caused a Hematoma down her neck. Bloods came back on the Monday with low platelet levels which they thought was due to their local machine. Took more from front leg and sent to lab came back same again. Then Thursday took more bloods to investigate to rule out Lymes, Lung Worm etc. All negative but regenerative response in red blood cells, although red and white counts healthy and organs etc.
Vet has given the suggested diagnosis of immune-mediated thrombocytopenia and placed her on steroids. Re do her bloods again in 7 days to check platelet levels.
I’m just so confused and worried because otherwise she’s very healthy and her bruising has healed fastly, also her clotting time is fast as well.
2024.05.19 04:21 2Samoyeds Mastitis
I’m pretty positive I have mastitis (yesterday my fever was 102.8, chills, pain/ warm red spot on my left breast). I messaged my doctors office yesterday and a nurse replied recommending the BAIT method which I’ve been doing. Today the red/ warm spot is there but it’s a little less painful and my fever seems to have gone away (yesterday it was back up before the 6 hour mark to take ibuprofen, today I’ve been going a few hours past and it hasn’t come back so far). The nurse said to reach back out if “symptoms are not improving in 24 hours, if a hard lump remains in your breast, and any time you feel acutely unwell,” but they’re closed for the weekend.
Just wondering what other peoples experiences have been and if it’s likely this will clear up without antibiotics? I don’t know if I should go to ER or urgent care if it seems to be improving. From the information the nurse gave me she said antibiotics are not usually needed but I’m still worried.
submitted by 2Samoyeds to breastfeeding [link] [comments]
Just wondering what other peoples experiences have been and if it’s likely this will clear up without antibiotics? I don’t know if I should go to ER or urgent care if it seems to be improving. From the information the nurse gave me she said antibiotics are not usually needed but I’m still worried.
2024.05.19 04:16 wanryavka 36 [M4F] MN/Midwest - Seeking a Connection that lasts a lifetime
Hello there! I'm Marty, I'm 36 from the upper Midwest region of the US. Hoping to meet someone here that's looking for a committed relationship and someday start a family with. Having kids someday is something that is important to me.
I'm 5'7", 130 lbs, with red hair and blue eyes. I'm a total ginger lol.
I have your typical nerd hobbies: anime, tinkering with computers, video games, reading both fiction and some historical non fiction, dabbled with D&D, and target shooting. I like going on long walks with my husky and exploring forest trails with him. I love all animals, but dogs are my favorite.
I work in IT for a living and love having a job doing what I love. I am very laid back and have a sarcastic sense of humor. I have some SFW pics pinned in my profile if you'd like to check. If you're a woman from the US and would like to chat, hit me up with a corny joke, latest book you read, or just tell me a little about how your day went!
submitted by wanryavka to r4r [link] [comments]
I'm 5'7", 130 lbs, with red hair and blue eyes. I'm a total ginger lol.
I have your typical nerd hobbies: anime, tinkering with computers, video games, reading both fiction and some historical non fiction, dabbled with D&D, and target shooting. I like going on long walks with my husky and exploring forest trails with him. I love all animals, but dogs are my favorite.
I work in IT for a living and love having a job doing what I love. I am very laid back and have a sarcastic sense of humor. I have some SFW pics pinned in my profile if you'd like to check. If you're a woman from the US and would like to chat, hit me up with a corny joke, latest book you read, or just tell me a little about how your day went!
2024.05.19 04:12 pizzapillowfort FMH Master Doc
The moment a lot of you have been waiting for is here!
A couple of notes before you read (or after because I would just jump into the list right away too)
Mentioned on Tiktok and on the pod once
Myspace Boyfriend
Mentioned on Tiktok
Third Boyfriend
Met on eCrush.com in 2002 and this was mentioned on the Cracked Up podcast, The Dave Glaser Podcast and Tiktok
The Kiwi
Met on a 2 week Model UN type youth trip in high school when Ali was 15, never a boyfriend but she had a huge crush on him, he tried to kiss Ali and she literally ran away, didn’t talk the rest of the trip but exchanged numbers and screen names (Ali’s was FineGal13 or BeachJewel760), she made him a mixtape cd called “Ali’s really cool mix for The Kiwi” but never sent it and she still has it. In 2021, he DM’d her when she posted photos of her and her mom in France and invites her to visit him in London, she says she can’t but says they should catch up if he comes to NYC
Fourth Boyfriend
Met on OkCupid when you had to use it on the computer, this was mentioned on Tiktok
The Homecoming Date or Light Switch
First boyfriend? (she goes back and forth calling him her first bf or a situationship), a family friend, a month younger than Ali, dated in high school but went to different high schools, football player, made him ask her to her Homecoming dance over email (her words), Ali hid in the bathroom the whole Homecoming dance, 3-4 revisits of this situations as adults, saw him on Bumble a few years ago and texted him that he had a typo in his bio, “he very much wanted to be with me” and now he’s married with a kid. His mom is still “obsessed” with Ali and she listens to FMH
Random college guy
Freshman year of college, Ali doesn’t have a nickname for him/doesn’t remember his real name, met this guy through a friend, was texting him to invite him over to hot tub but her phone autocorrected to “how about some hot rubbing tonight?” but Ali didn’t noticed/didn’t correct it and he never replied, Ali had a house party and got really drunk and was all over him, he left the party early, she messaged him on MySpace 3-4 times asking why he left
The Resident
Matched on Match.com, first guy she dated in NYC after college, older than Ali, a doctor, lasted 3 months ”maybe”, he didn’t like Ali’s friends, got a card from him on her birthday and it said “Love, The Resident” and it took Ali back a little, Ali drinks black coffee because of him, he coordinated having her mom visit NYC for her birthday then he broke up with her a week later
The Ghost
Met at a bar when she was 25, turns out they matched on OkCupid and they already had a date scheduled next week, they dated for 6-8 weeks, had sleepovers, “The worst ghosting experience I’ve ever had”, he borrowed The Great Gatsby from Ali’s roommate, planned to make dinner together after a beach trip in August with her friends and never showed up, Ali is blowing up his phone and gets no reply, two weeks later she finally texts “are you alive? check yes or no” and he responds “Yes”, Ali then ask if he could return the book and gets no reply again, 5 months go by and she receives the book in the mail with the note: “Here’s the book back. Sorry. P.S. sorry about last summer. I was in a bad place. You’re a great person and your salmon is amazing”, since then she has ran into him twice on the streets and matched with him on Bumble
The Coach/Mr. Adorable
First serious boyfriend at 26/27 in 2013, matched on Match.com or met through work depending if you’re listening to the pod or reading her OG blog, clean-cut look, played volleyball, Ali invited him to a friend’s birthday party and they made out in the streets at 4am, on their second date he asked Ali if she was seeing any one and when Ali said no he ask her to be his girlfriend 3 days after their first date, dated for almost 1.5 years or almost 2 years depending on if you’re listening to the pod or the Patreon, first time saying “I love you” to a guy, “lovely guy“, never would posted Ali on his instagram until Ali said something, he “lived” with her for two weeks while he was in between apartments, tried blind folding/hair pulling during sex and she didn’t like it, by the end of their relationship Ali didn’t like sex and thought she wasn’t a very sexual person, after they broke up Ali drunk texted him at 2am and he picked her up and she spent the night and she took her things in the morning in a rolly suitcase, from her blog in 2015: “I just want to be careful I don’t end up with another Mr. Adorable situation, where I find myself dating my platonic best friend”, had drinks with him in 2016 from the blog: “Not in a romantic way (at least on my end)”, Ali still talks to him sometimes through casual instagram DMs, he’s currently (as of 2021) dating someone for 4+ years and Ali thinks they’re going to get engaged
Trouble
OG 2015 FMH blog, never mentioned on the pod, “I was immediately enamored with him”, met at a Beer Olympic party but he worked with one of Ali’s best friends (Ali was still dating The Coach at the time), lived in BK, tattoos and stubble, Ali’s best friend said he was a “fuck boy”, “he very much made me see that it was the right thing for me and The Coach to not be together”, from her blog in 2015: “he has this look in his eye like he’s constantly laughing at me – in a super sexy way”, he texted her saying he didn’t see anything romantically with her and she sent a gif of someone shrugging
Personal side note: Ali has mentioned she has cheated on someone but never disclosed who she cheated on or with. I feel like she cheated on Mr.A/The Coach with Trouble because of the timeline. Just a guess.
Waffles
Matched on Bumble, OG 2015 FMH blog, he asked Ali fuck/marry/kill breakfast foods, dated 2 months around summer time, on Fourth of July while watching fireworks he said how they had a great day and Ali replied with something along the lines with “yeah, it would be better if I could call you my boyfriend”, he said he wanted a relationship but just not with Ali and shortly afterwards they stopped seeing each other
The Buffalo
Lived in Buffalo NY, 6’5, Scorpio, met in 2015 at Adults National volleyball (Ali’s team won that year) where he was heckling her while she was playing, asks Ali’s mom for her number and Ali’s mom said “I guess you’re tall enough” and told him to ask her himself, he flew her out and she met his parents, dated over summer, exclusive but never boyfriend/girlfriend (but called him her LD boyfriend on TikTok), texted and talked on the phone a lot, Ali’s best friend’s favorite ex “they had really good banter”, in October he invited her to his cousins wedding and she invited him to her friends wedding, after Ali bought her ticket to his cousins wedding (with the promise he would buy her ticket to her friend’s wedding) he ghosted and stonewalled her, she “poured her heart out to him on voicemail” and he never replied, she asked him to pay her back for her ticket and he got mad that she “made this about money”, 2 years later he told Ali that he freaked out because he really liked her and saw a future with her but knew she would never move to Buffalo and it would “never work”, Ali said at the time she would have considered moving for him, Ali used to have him blocked on Facebook and told all her friends not to update her on info about him (unless she asked). He’s now married and goes to Disney with his wife (which Ali kind of scoffs at?), Ali said on TikTok that she dodged a bullet
Baby Bic
Met him at Adults National years ago, had a flirtationship with him in 2016 when he was 19 years old, ran into him at the Adults Nationals 2021, last texts she got from him were about getting his fake ID taken away at the bar and him visiting her in NYC but Ali didn’t want to buy him beer and drink at her apartment
The Chef
Matched on Tinder around 2016, he loved karaoke, “total shit”, asked Ali to be his girlfriend and to meet his mom after a month, off and on dating, broke up the first time because he was talking to his ex, lied and flew to Mexico to see his ex while dating Ali, that ex sent Ali a Snapchat of them in bed together on that Mexico trip, Ali broke up with him via text and called him a shitty boyfriend, he’s the reason Ali deleted her Snapchat because of drunk Snaps he would send post break up, FB messaged Ali 6 years later (while Roark was visiting/staying with Ali) and said sorry for being a shit head. Ali’s best friends hated him
The Dentist
Met on Halloween in the wild, Canadian, dated NYE 2016- May 2017 “nice guy, not my guy”, one of Ali’s best friend’s favorite ex “he adored you, “he was too sweet for me” and “he had no edge to him”, he painted Ali’s cat for her 30th birthday but she was annoyed it was just Rory and not both cats, The Chef texted Ali while on a date/sleeping at his house
ASV - Aspiring Sober Vegan
Met through a friend (her best guy friend’s college roommate) the day before she had to fly out to her dad’s memorial, a doctor, into meditation, remembered him “being cuter” when they went on a first date, felt “the spark”, had “omg this is awesome sex”, Ali described this relationship as a “slow burn” and “the most attracted she ever been to a partner” even thought she didn’t think he was that cute in the beginning, dated 2-3 months before he tried to ghost Ali but they talked and broke up, four months later they start casually dating/FWB because he’s moving but this turns into a ‘middle distance relationship’ and he moves to Philly, had a lot of communication issues but didn't have a lot of fights, wants to live in Ohio and give a % of his income to charity, Ali was close to saying ‘I love you’ but didn’t, he uninvited her to meet his extended family and they got in a fight, broke up with her a couple weeks before their 6 month anniversary at the park while on a picnic and told her that she’s still his favorite person, Ali used to think he was “the one that got away” and would frequently have dreams about him. From what Ali knows, he's sober but not vegan
The Scientist
2017 or 2018ish, from San Diego, went on one date, Ali ended up ghosting him due to the decline in her dad’s health, saw him on Hinge while she was in San Diego for 3 months in 2020, texted him and apologized for ghosting him, ended up going on 2-3 more dates, took a selfie in front of his house and sent it to him but acted like she didn’t know that was his house and made a TikTok about it, things ended up not working but she doesn’t make it clear on who ended it. She can now see she shouldn’t have been going on dates during this time when her dad was sick.
Good on Paper Divorced Dude
Met a couple of years ago (she told this story on TikTok in 2020) on Bumble
The Groomsman
Met at her friend Ashley’s wedding in Chicago Oct 2019, had a “two night stand” with him, texted/talked/FT’d for 3-4 months, divorced, never dated seriously/FWB, saw each other a couple time when he came to NYC, Ali stopped talking with him due to FMH and her trying to find a serious relationship, he starts dating someone, follows FMH on insta, slid into her DM in 2022 and then sent her soup while she was sick, turns out he’s single again, 2 months later Ali is heading to Chicago and texts him “Hello! Reminder that my arrival to your neck of the woods is imminent” and turns out he is now seeing someone and Ali doesn’t see him while in Chicago (at least she doesn’t mention it)
Unnicknamed person
He was her plus one at her best friend from college’s NYE wedding 2019/2020, met and hung out with Ali’s mom, posted photos of them together on her personal Insta story, “fully dating but weren’t official hehe” doesn’t have a nickname/never gave him a nickname? This could be The Latvian/the person she texted her friend in DC about saying “I think I’m on a date with my husband”
He was browsing Bumble while Ali was in the bathroom during their first date, he was banned from Bumble and was using his grandma phone number. Ali turned down a second date
The Duke
Early FMH, went for long periods of time in between texts, 7-8 Zoom dates while Ali was in San Diego and he was in NY, Ali said you could see three of his ex’s on his instagram page (without scrolling), they finally went on one date and it was “meh” but they did kiss on their date
The Oyster
Matched on Bumble (he had one photo and no bio) two weeks before Valentines Day, Gemini, a lawyer, part of the 13 First Dates in 30 Days series (he was #13), dated Feb 2020-Aug 2020, love bomber, felt “the spark” and became official after 3 dates, best first date ever??? at the time, said “I love you” to Ali after two weeks, “For most of my relationship with The Oyster, he didn’t live in the city he had moved to Connecticut without telling me”, would fight all the time, opposite political views, Ali felt like a “fucking summer camp director” because she planned all their dates and he would get upset if Ali didn't have a plan, sought out a therapist (Megan) because of her relationship struggles because of him, went to Mass/church, he wanted a traditional marriage/life/wife/kids (at one point had Ali thinking she wanted that), didn’t want to live in NYC, didn’t support BLM, Cindy hated him
The Pilot
Went on 3 dates, texted a lot, didn’t hear back from him in four days and when she said she was looking to date someone who showed more consistency, he replied saying he met someone the day after their last date who seems to have more free time than Ali and he wants to pursue that but would like to be friends, Ali said on TikTok that this other women “bent her schedule to his schedule” and she was unwilling to do that. Mostly talked about him on TikTok
The Analyst
Matched on Bumble two years ago and went on one date, re matched in 2021 and he stood Ali up, she send him a text “getting stood up” script and he never replied. Only mentioned him on TikTok (?)
First date on the pod? I couldn't find anything else about him
The Scuba Diver
The Music Man
One date, “he didn’t do anything wrong, he’s just not for me”, amped up small talk, complimented Ali a lot which made her feel awkward cause she wasn’t feeling it, he texted her and asked for a second date and Ali sent the no ghosting script
The Bet
Uses the phrase “ok bet”, 28 years old shoe designer, only went on one dinner date to a spot he picked, turns out its cash only and he didn’t bring cash, was not into him , not looking for the same thing
The Dinosaur
Nickname was previously The Hawaiian, first date at Dinosaur BBQ, stood in a parking spot to save for Ali, he asked for a kiss after their date and Ali declined saying maybe next time
The Rose
He sent her a rose on hinge, first date was an hour long walk in the park while drinking beer
The Comic
Matched on Hinge, older than Ali (Ali’s friends express how happy they were to hear that), had brunch on their first date (was the first part of a double header but the second guy canceled), listed as “moderate” politically on Hinge, good and easy convo, went back and forth twice over text and then never heard back from him, “technically not ghosting...”
The Camper
Met in the wild at a volleyball tournament in July, lives in Chicago, 27 years old, hung out the whole time, over heard Ali asking someone to get her a make out partner, gave Ali his number, drunkly ask him for a FT date in the future and he didn’t reply, Ali texts him again about a volleyball thing and he replied back with not a lot of enthusiasm, Ali is going to Chicago in Sept for a volleyball tournament and she’s already planning on playing 4-on-4 with her best friend vs. his roommate and maybe The Camper, he texts her saying he has to work on the date of the tournament and won’t be able to do the 4-on-4 game, “I feel like I got broken up with someone I never want to date in the first place”
Went on a dinner date, was chatting up the waitress in a kind of creepy way, was bragging about a lot of things and it turned Ali off and Ali texted him her no ghosting script
The Accountant
1st matchmaker match, 31 years old, lives in BK, his dad has also passed away, easy to talk to, on the third date she wasn’t sure if she saw a future with him and in her gut doesn’t feel like this would be a slow burn, Ali breaks things off with him, months (?) later he sent Ali a 5 min long voice memo and they said they were both down to see each other as friends. He later on dated and ghosted Erica
The Aussie
Matched on Hinge, in politics, from Australia but lived all over the place, asked Ali what she’s looking for on the first date and he said he’s “casually looking for something serious”, Ali accidentally walks up to a different person on their second date, Ali texts him saying she would love to see him before he leaves on a trip and she wasn’t happy that it took him till the next day to reply and he can’t see her before he leaves
The Goalie
Was supposed to be Ali’s 2nd match, he’s a paying client, Ali didn’t hear back from him for a while when she told him where she lived, he wrote to the matchmaker saying that she lived too far away even though it states where she lives in her matchmaker profile
The Journalist
2nd matchmaker match, ended things because she was dating/pursuing things with The Discoball and paused her matchmakers matches
The Threepeat
Matched multiple times on dating apps but this recent time with Hinge, Amazon seller, first date was a pizza lunch date (with bubbles aka champagne) and he gave her a single yellow carnation, talked a lot about her “side hustles” aka her food blog, coaching, FMH and the pod (Ali didn’t mentioned the name on FMH), had an awkward half kiss during the date and then gave her a peck when they said goodbye, he had no night stands by his bed?, spent the night but told public pod they had a movie night, different kissing styles, 6 dates, broke things off with Ali two days before her first date with The Rower WHILE Ali was on a Halloween girls trip
The Rower
Dated from Halloween 2021 till early Feb 2022, Pisces who is 6 days older than Ali, has an ex-fiancé (they dated for 8 years, engaged for two of them, she broke off the engagement with him 1.5 years ago once he started dating Ali), has a shared dog with this ex, slept together around Xmas on the fourth date and Ali got a UTI, first time having “omg this is awesome sex” since ASV, first person Ali slept next to wearing an eye mask "that's a big step for me", had him watch 90 Day Fiancé, on New Years Day told her that he sees “long term relationship potential” with her but doesn’t want to be exclusive after 5 dates, “we didn’t talk all week”, he said he wasn’t as ready as he though to date someone seriously and “I don’t know why I don’t want to be in a relationship with you” they broke up over the phone, Ali said he’s a good human and wants to date someone like him, 3.5 weeks later Ali drunk texted him at 3:00 am saying “its really hard not to talk to you” which Ali said was a lie, he replied back (few days? A week later?) while Ali was on another date and it made her cry a bit, she replied back saying “the door is closed but not locked” in regards if he wants to get back together. “Fin… for now”
Matched on Hinge but didn’t go on a first date for two week, Gemini, used to be a singer in a band, moved from DC to NYC, went on 7 dates in 2022, had a dog w/ ex and ex got full custody once he moved, met one of his friends on the second date, slept with him on the second date “morning and night”, he tried to find the podcast without knowing the name, podcasted from his house in DC, he would send Ali photos of them together “all the time”, gave a virtual presentation from his hotel room, did Molly together in DC, had him watch 90 Day Fiancé, moved to BK (didn’t see each other for 2 months pre-move), had a sex-less sleepover (a milestone for Ali), he showed up for her on her dad’s death date (something that a person she’s dating has never done), used to listen to the pod but stopped before they stopped seeing each other, ghosted her after they had a talk about moving things forward to exclusive and Ali texted him something along the lines of “your silence is the answer” when she didn’t hear back from him for a week and he ghosted her. Ali said he sucks in #77 AUA
Lisbon
The Brit
M&M
The Come Back Kid
They went on 2-3 dates in Nov 2018 and reconnected in May 2022, "felt immediately comfortable", sat next to a very drunk lady on their second 1st date and was supportive but "didn't step on Ali's toes" when the drunk lady said something offensive to Ali, couldn’t remember if they slept together or not, knows about FMH, ghosted Ali
The Trainer
The Cold Brew
The Nomad
3rd matchmaker match, reminded Ali of The Oyster, wanted kids and didn’t want to live in NYC forever, Ali was upset at first because her matchmaker was supposed to screen for that but the matchmaker DID check and it wasn’t mentioned when she was screening The Nomad, no second date because those are dealbreakers to him
The Catcher
Matched on Bumble, “good not great” after their first date, ~April 2022, talked about sports a lot on their first date
The Gentleman
4th matchmaker match, knew about Ali’s FMH socials before their date, Ali didn’t like his texting style, awkward intro on their first date “like hugging a 2 x 4”, he runs a dating event company and actually email Ali to be a guest on the pod when FMH first started, awkward goodbye, didn’t discuss the actual first date on the main pod because she doesn’t want to give him a reason to reach out again
The Tennis Pro
Ali had a good time on their date, “He is an adult, he’s mature” BUT “I don’t think he was into it”
The Padre
Matched on Bumble, 3 dates, from San Diego, “energy mismatch”, doesn’t want to know or listen to FMH, no psychical connection/kiss, only a kiss on the cheek on their last date, “I haven’t spoken to him since Friday night [a week]”, she didn’t want to do what The Threepeat did to her (break up while on vacation/traveling), she said it might be a MOO
5th matchmaker match, found him on Bumble before their in-person date, ghosted Ali AND the matchmaker???
6th matchmaker match
Last match and Ali states she will not talk about this date or anything about it
JFK Kirk?
Matched on Bumble, didn’t realize he’s located in SD, exchanged personal instagram info, not sure where things went or how things ended
Kirk #1
Met in the wild, make out a lot the night they met, “stealing kisses throughout the night”, exchanged numbers, planned a date (no specifics, just the day) but when Ali texted him day of he asked to reschedule (no specifics again), he replied back that he’s picking up a rental car, told him she’s looking for someone to respect her time and he never replied back
First date of 2023, matched on The League, first nickname was “League Kirk”, hard to talk to, felt like Ali was always reaching for the next topic, likes to travel, “there wasn’t a vibe”, MOO
The Roommate
Used to be her friend’s roommate and have met before (Ali doesn’t remember but it was the day after that exclusive convo with The Rower), “totally cute”, reunited at their mutual friend’s engagement party January 2023, made out at the bar, comes back to her place and sleeps over (no sex), Ali questions why her friends never set them up and its because he was taking a break from dating, first date they made out a lot at the bar (again), “I really felt like we were already a couple”, “It didn’t feel like a first date”, mentions her FMH content has popped up on his FYP, tried texting him after their date and he wasn’t giving effort, she’s glad she didn’t sleep with him because “one night stands aren’t my thing”, MOO
The Belgian
Matched on Bumble, accidentally had their first date during a trivia night at a bar, easy to talk to
The Viking
Ali forgot they had a first date on the day of said date
Tinder Man
Matched on Tinder (duh) on Valentine’s Day, first Tinder date in three years, good convo on first date but got a pushy vibe from him at the second bar they went to, put his hand up her sweater and was kissing her in the bar, made Ali uncomfortable and she told him that after her asked her on a second date
The Historian
Matched on Bumble, good conversation on the first date with a wide range of topics like “urban planning and its impact on feminism”, he’s in grad school
The Georgian
Matched on Hinge, he asked if she was free on Friday and she said yes but didn’t hear back from him in two days and in that time she made plans for Friday, rescheduled for a Saturday afternoon date at a dive bar, ate on her way to her date “it would be next level rude to eat on the subway”, good first date, talked about places he wants to take her to
The Publicist
Matched on Tinder, lives in BK, Jewish, one year younger then Ali, good first date, invited him to the Chaotic Singles Party that night, came over to Ali's apartment (which Ali said was messy) before and he made her favorite cocktail for her, a couple of listeners met him at the CSP, goofy and silly convo mixed with deep and serious convos, second date was at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens and a tasting menu dinner, he made a Resy reservation and Ali got an email saying she was added to it ”fuck receiving gifts, THAT’S my love language”, he's into words like Ali, he sneezed and Ali said "God bless you" but then corrected herself and said "gesundheit" and he leaned over and kissed her and said he loves that she cares about her words, he met her friends on the third date ”It felt so easy. It felt so comfortable”, her friends took “sneaky” picture and videos of them together which Ali said she loves a sneaky pic, took all their date recap videos on his phone, cooked Ali steak on their fourth date, "it's very comfortable", had him watch 90 Day Fiancé, Ali met two of his friends and some of his teammates he plays a rec sport with, had sex the day they took a trip outside of the city, Erica met him before their trip to Greece and I said “he’s dorky in a good way”, WhatsApp video chatted while in Greece and told her “see you in two days!” at the end of their call, said she felt less anxious about him compared to other relationships while on vacation, sent him a birthday present while she was in Greece, felt an energy shift coming back from vacation and didn’t hear back from him 3 days after she came home, Ali requested a call to talk about this distances she was feeling, ”I did the 12 date rule and it didn’t work!”, she said the distance help her see that they’re not compatible, went on a total of 9 dates. Ali talks about the “break up” on episode 123
Mr. Chaotic
Matched on Tinder but he saw Ali at the Chaotic Singles Party and Cassidy the host is there mutual friend, went to a brewery and played games on their first date (Ali said this was her favorite first dates in episode 147 where they recapped 2023), works in entertainment industry, very high energy, knows about FMH and he said she's entertaining to watch, splits his time between NYC and some unknown city, texted while she was in Greece, ”The man gives good texts”
Random Matchmaker Match
Withdrew his match to Ali because he found her FMH socials. Talked about on #71 AUA
Gone with the Wind
Matchmaker match, said some gross things about women in volleyball outfits on their first date, Ali told her matchmaker about this, ”I would describe him as misogynistic overall”, Ali was glad he did say those weird things so early on so she didn’t waste her time, the matchmaker flagged his account. This was around June 2023
The Rock
Ali knows him from an activity that they used to be involved with in the city (she's very vague about what this is) from 8 years ago, he had a very serious/long term GF when they met, follows her personal Insta, has never talked about him because he’s never been a “prospect”, summer 2023 they met up to catch up and found out that he’s now recently single but he’s moving out of NYC for work, Ali texts Cindy saying she thinks this is a date, Cindy said to tell him that you really want to kiss him, he ends up telling Ali “I really want to kiss you”, made out at the bar, Ali invited him back to her apartment and they had sex the night before Ali ended things with The Publicist, “one night stand vibes” but she said she was down to do it again, Patreon only and talked about on #75 AUA
The Tourist
Matched on Hinge, just moved to Brooklynn, went to a brewery in BK for their first date, Ali showed up to the date dripping in sweat, allergic to cats, he sent Ali a ‘no ghosting’ text the next morning
The Stout
Matched on Bumble, ”we had really great banter right away”, laughed the whole time on their first date, talked about going on a second date during their first date
Speed Racer
Matched on Bumble, drinks first date, axe throwing second date, made out after their second date, MOO, randomly texted Ali ~6 months later because he said one of Ali’s date recap videos about him popped up on his FYP (Ali and Erica think this is a lie), he thought Ali wasn’t into him, he claims he was doing all the work with texting even though there was only a few messages since they exchanged numbers after their second date
Billy Joel
Recently sober, Ali said she felt like they had several inside jokes before they met in person, ate pizza on her way to their first date, second date was getting coffee and going to the museum, they cooked dinner together for their third date at Ali’s apartment and they watched 90 Day Fiancé (he didn’t like it), he Googled how to clean a red wine stain when it spilled on her countertop, he asked if she wanted to have sex and she turned it down, the next day/the day before a 7am flight Ali booty called him and they had sex, she was drunk and said the sex wasn’t good/they stopped mid way, helped Ali pack for her flight, Ali said he’s at a crossroad and he doesn’t seem like a long term fit, Erica found a condom on the ground while cat sitting, Ali said she didn’t regret hooking up with him but wishes she hadn’t done it, MOO
Sales Cycle
30 seconds in and Ali said he was very boring, only really talked about his job, stared at Ali’s boobs, “might be a MOO”, texted her ‘merry christmas’
Matched on The League, 34 years old, requested a nickname change from Pie Guy to Dr. Laundry, he had to cancel their second date because he got hit by a car, went on two dates, Ali sent him a pic of his subway stop saying something along the lines of “the stop isn’t looking as cute today” and turns out someone he dated with in that photo, were supposed to go on a third date the night she got back from a bachelorette party but he didn't answer her text when she said she landed, the next day he asked her how her trip was not acknowledging her previous text at all, Ali expressed her disappointment and he replied that he was tired last night, she said she would've been understanding if he said something then ghosted her
Andddd I stopped listening to the podcast around the Dr. Pie Laundry Guy but have stayed up to date with everything via this sub.
I have a huge interest in dating culture, human behavior and data similar to Ali and this little project of mine was really interesting once I got the framework of this list. I started this list once I found this sub in December 2023 and started re listening to the Patreon while working out (and lost 10 lbs ayeee) and writing down information in my notes app. I did my best to keep this list unbiased and just give facts and information that was said.
My own thoughts after making this list is that I'm very sad for Ali. I didn't realize the extent of her dating history. I think about my own dating history or even my friends who are in their 30's and dating and Ali's dating lore runs so deep. Is Ali unlucky with love? Did she pass on someone that could have been great for her? How has she had so many dates with little success in a long term partner or even going beyond 6-8 dates? Or is Skyline the person she has been waiting for? What's the pattern with all this dates/men? So many questions.
I truly do hope Ali finds her guy because I believe theres someone for everyone. Until then, I'll be hopping into this sub (cause y'all are too funny and give the best advice) and waiting for Ali to find Mr. Height.
Enjoy and I look forward to everyone thoughts! I'll keep my eye out for any edits that need to be made.
Bonus quotes:
“Longest relationship was a little under a year and a half. Haven’t made it past 6 months with anyone else” - AUA #7 11/27/21
“I spent the first 10+ years of my dating life being sort of perennially single” -1. The Actual First One episode 2/21/21
"I think my parent's story is the reason why I think that I can romantically get back together with an ex and it'll work out" -The Dave Glaser Podcast 4/5/21
“Almost every relationship I’ve ever been in, with a couple of exceptions, started as a situationship.” -21. The Undefined One 7/11/21
“All of my boyfriends have been white” -Ali’s BFF Special on Patreon 4/23/22
“You definitely need an older guy” -Cindy on Ali’s BFF Special on Patreon 4/23/22
“I’ve been on the dating apps since high school. Dating websites at the time” -Ali’s BFF Special on Patreon 4/23/22
“Who would be the perfect man for Ali?”
“Clearly a combination of the The Dentist and [the early stages of] The Buffalo” -Cindy on Ali’s BFF Special on Patreon 4/23/22
“Do you consider The Rower or Disco ball to have been situationships?”
“No, I don't consider either The Rower or The Disco Ball to be situationships” -question asked on TikTok 11/9/22
submitted by pizzapillowfort to findingmrheight [link] [comments]
A couple of notes before you read (or after because I would just jump into the list right away too)
- Direct quotes from Ali herself are in italics.
- I tried my best to keep everything in timeline order. Some people like The Come Back Kid I placed in the order where they reconnected/talked about on the pod. But I did my best to note this.
- All this information came from the FMH podcast, the Patreon, the original FMH blog, TikTok and other podcast that feature FMH/Ali. I also crossed reference information with this sub. I got most of this done with the help of the Patreon and listening to 1.75x speed but I lost accessed to the Patreon because my subscription ended.
- I'm open to edits! Things around the matchmaker era confused me and if anything is incorrect or if I'm missing someone, please let me know! I will note where corrections are made.
- Some people don't have anything simply because only a name was said or I couldn't find any details about the person/date
- And of course, please be respectful of all the sub rules!
- Mr. Adorable aka The Coach
- Trouble
- Waffles
- Future Husband Brian (FHB)
- Cookie
- Peter Pan
- Ambiguous Goodbye Guy
- Bad Bitch Man
Mentioned on Tiktok and on the pod once
Myspace Boyfriend
Mentioned on Tiktok
Third Boyfriend
Met on eCrush.com in 2002 and this was mentioned on the Cracked Up podcast, The Dave Glaser Podcast and Tiktok
The Kiwi
Met on a 2 week Model UN type youth trip in high school when Ali was 15, never a boyfriend but she had a huge crush on him, he tried to kiss Ali and she literally ran away, didn’t talk the rest of the trip but exchanged numbers and screen names (Ali’s was FineGal13 or BeachJewel760), she made him a mixtape cd called “Ali’s really cool mix for The Kiwi” but never sent it and she still has it. In 2021, he DM’d her when she posted photos of her and her mom in France and invites her to visit him in London, she says she can’t but says they should catch up if he comes to NYC
Fourth Boyfriend
Met on OkCupid when you had to use it on the computer, this was mentioned on Tiktok
The Homecoming Date or Light Switch
First boyfriend? (she goes back and forth calling him her first bf or a situationship), a family friend, a month younger than Ali, dated in high school but went to different high schools, football player, made him ask her to her Homecoming dance over email (her words), Ali hid in the bathroom the whole Homecoming dance, 3-4 revisits of this situations as adults, saw him on Bumble a few years ago and texted him that he had a typo in his bio, “he very much wanted to be with me” and now he’s married with a kid. His mom is still “obsessed” with Ali and she listens to FMH
Random college guy
Freshman year of college, Ali doesn’t have a nickname for him/doesn’t remember his real name, met this guy through a friend, was texting him to invite him over to hot tub but her phone autocorrected to “how about some hot rubbing tonight?” but Ali didn’t noticed/didn’t correct it and he never replied, Ali had a house party and got really drunk and was all over him, he left the party early, she messaged him on MySpace 3-4 times asking why he left
The Resident
Matched on Match.com, first guy she dated in NYC after college, older than Ali, a doctor, lasted 3 months ”maybe”, he didn’t like Ali’s friends, got a card from him on her birthday and it said “Love, The Resident” and it took Ali back a little, Ali drinks black coffee because of him, he coordinated having her mom visit NYC for her birthday then he broke up with her a week later
The Ghost
Met at a bar when she was 25, turns out they matched on OkCupid and they already had a date scheduled next week, they dated for 6-8 weeks, had sleepovers, “The worst ghosting experience I’ve ever had”, he borrowed The Great Gatsby from Ali’s roommate, planned to make dinner together after a beach trip in August with her friends and never showed up, Ali is blowing up his phone and gets no reply, two weeks later she finally texts “are you alive? check yes or no” and he responds “Yes”, Ali then ask if he could return the book and gets no reply again, 5 months go by and she receives the book in the mail with the note: “Here’s the book back. Sorry. P.S. sorry about last summer. I was in a bad place. You’re a great person and your salmon is amazing”, since then she has ran into him twice on the streets and matched with him on Bumble
The Coach/Mr. Adorable
First serious boyfriend at 26/27 in 2013, matched on Match.com or met through work depending if you’re listening to the pod or reading her OG blog, clean-cut look, played volleyball, Ali invited him to a friend’s birthday party and they made out in the streets at 4am, on their second date he asked Ali if she was seeing any one and when Ali said no he ask her to be his girlfriend 3 days after their first date, dated for almost 1.5 years or almost 2 years depending on if you’re listening to the pod or the Patreon, first time saying “I love you” to a guy, “lovely guy“, never would posted Ali on his instagram until Ali said something, he “lived” with her for two weeks while he was in between apartments, tried blind folding/hair pulling during sex and she didn’t like it, by the end of their relationship Ali didn’t like sex and thought she wasn’t a very sexual person, after they broke up Ali drunk texted him at 2am and he picked her up and she spent the night and she took her things in the morning in a rolly suitcase, from her blog in 2015: “I just want to be careful I don’t end up with another Mr. Adorable situation, where I find myself dating my platonic best friend”, had drinks with him in 2016 from the blog: “Not in a romantic way (at least on my end)”, Ali still talks to him sometimes through casual instagram DMs, he’s currently (as of 2021) dating someone for 4+ years and Ali thinks they’re going to get engaged
Trouble
OG 2015 FMH blog, never mentioned on the pod, “I was immediately enamored with him”, met at a Beer Olympic party but he worked with one of Ali’s best friends (Ali was still dating The Coach at the time), lived in BK, tattoos and stubble, Ali’s best friend said he was a “fuck boy”, “he very much made me see that it was the right thing for me and The Coach to not be together”, from her blog in 2015: “he has this look in his eye like he’s constantly laughing at me – in a super sexy way”, he texted her saying he didn’t see anything romantically with her and she sent a gif of someone shrugging
Personal side note: Ali has mentioned she has cheated on someone but never disclosed who she cheated on or with. I feel like she cheated on Mr.A/The Coach with Trouble because of the timeline. Just a guess.
Waffles
Matched on Bumble, OG 2015 FMH blog, he asked Ali fuck/marry/kill breakfast foods, dated 2 months around summer time, on Fourth of July while watching fireworks he said how they had a great day and Ali replied with something along the lines with “yeah, it would be better if I could call you my boyfriend”, he said he wanted a relationship but just not with Ali and shortly afterwards they stopped seeing each other
The Buffalo
Lived in Buffalo NY, 6’5, Scorpio, met in 2015 at Adults National volleyball (Ali’s team won that year) where he was heckling her while she was playing, asks Ali’s mom for her number and Ali’s mom said “I guess you’re tall enough” and told him to ask her himself, he flew her out and she met his parents, dated over summer, exclusive but never boyfriend/girlfriend (but called him her LD boyfriend on TikTok), texted and talked on the phone a lot, Ali’s best friend’s favorite ex “they had really good banter”, in October he invited her to his cousins wedding and she invited him to her friends wedding, after Ali bought her ticket to his cousins wedding (with the promise he would buy her ticket to her friend’s wedding) he ghosted and stonewalled her, she “poured her heart out to him on voicemail” and he never replied, she asked him to pay her back for her ticket and he got mad that she “made this about money”, 2 years later he told Ali that he freaked out because he really liked her and saw a future with her but knew she would never move to Buffalo and it would “never work”, Ali said at the time she would have considered moving for him, Ali used to have him blocked on Facebook and told all her friends not to update her on info about him (unless she asked). He’s now married and goes to Disney with his wife (which Ali kind of scoffs at?), Ali said on TikTok that she dodged a bullet
Baby Bic
Met him at Adults National years ago, had a flirtationship with him in 2016 when he was 19 years old, ran into him at the Adults Nationals 2021, last texts she got from him were about getting his fake ID taken away at the bar and him visiting her in NYC but Ali didn’t want to buy him beer and drink at her apartment
The Chef
Matched on Tinder around 2016, he loved karaoke, “total shit”, asked Ali to be his girlfriend and to meet his mom after a month, off and on dating, broke up the first time because he was talking to his ex, lied and flew to Mexico to see his ex while dating Ali, that ex sent Ali a Snapchat of them in bed together on that Mexico trip, Ali broke up with him via text and called him a shitty boyfriend, he’s the reason Ali deleted her Snapchat because of drunk Snaps he would send post break up, FB messaged Ali 6 years later (while Roark was visiting/staying with Ali) and said sorry for being a shit head. Ali’s best friends hated him
The Dentist
Met on Halloween in the wild, Canadian, dated NYE 2016- May 2017 “nice guy, not my guy”, one of Ali’s best friend’s favorite ex “he adored you, “he was too sweet for me” and “he had no edge to him”, he painted Ali’s cat for her 30th birthday but she was annoyed it was just Rory and not both cats, The Chef texted Ali while on a date/sleeping at his house
ASV - Aspiring Sober Vegan
Met through a friend (her best guy friend’s college roommate) the day before she had to fly out to her dad’s memorial, a doctor, into meditation, remembered him “being cuter” when they went on a first date, felt “the spark”, had “omg this is awesome sex”, Ali described this relationship as a “slow burn” and “the most attracted she ever been to a partner” even thought she didn’t think he was that cute in the beginning, dated 2-3 months before he tried to ghost Ali but they talked and broke up, four months later they start casually dating/FWB because he’s moving but this turns into a ‘middle distance relationship’ and he moves to Philly, had a lot of communication issues but didn't have a lot of fights, wants to live in Ohio and give a % of his income to charity, Ali was close to saying ‘I love you’ but didn’t, he uninvited her to meet his extended family and they got in a fight, broke up with her a couple weeks before their 6 month anniversary at the park while on a picnic and told her that she’s still his favorite person, Ali used to think he was “the one that got away” and would frequently have dreams about him. From what Ali knows, he's sober but not vegan
The Scientist
2017 or 2018ish, from San Diego, went on one date, Ali ended up ghosting him due to the decline in her dad’s health, saw him on Hinge while she was in San Diego for 3 months in 2020, texted him and apologized for ghosting him, ended up going on 2-3 more dates, took a selfie in front of his house and sent it to him but acted like she didn’t know that was his house and made a TikTok about it, things ended up not working but she doesn’t make it clear on who ended it. She can now see she shouldn’t have been going on dates during this time when her dad was sick.
Good on Paper Divorced Dude
Met a couple of years ago (she told this story on TikTok in 2020) on Bumble
The Groomsman
Met at her friend Ashley’s wedding in Chicago Oct 2019, had a “two night stand” with him, texted/talked/FT’d for 3-4 months, divorced, never dated seriously/FWB, saw each other a couple time when he came to NYC, Ali stopped talking with him due to FMH and her trying to find a serious relationship, he starts dating someone, follows FMH on insta, slid into her DM in 2022 and then sent her soup while she was sick, turns out he’s single again, 2 months later Ali is heading to Chicago and texts him “Hello! Reminder that my arrival to your neck of the woods is imminent” and turns out he is now seeing someone and Ali doesn’t see him while in Chicago (at least she doesn’t mention it)
Unnicknamed person
He was her plus one at her best friend from college’s NYE wedding 2019/2020, met and hung out with Ali’s mom, posted photos of them together on her personal Insta story, “fully dating but weren’t official hehe” doesn’t have a nickname/never gave him a nickname? This could be The Latvian/the person she texted her friend in DC about saying “I think I’m on a date with my husband”
Starts FMH on January 2020 on Instagram/TikTok
The TravelerHe was browsing Bumble while Ali was in the bathroom during their first date, he was banned from Bumble and was using his grandma phone number. Ali turned down a second date
The Duke
Early FMH, went for long periods of time in between texts, 7-8 Zoom dates while Ali was in San Diego and he was in NY, Ali said you could see three of his ex’s on his instagram page (without scrolling), they finally went on one date and it was “meh” but they did kiss on their date
The Oyster
Matched on Bumble (he had one photo and no bio) two weeks before Valentines Day, Gemini, a lawyer, part of the 13 First Dates in 30 Days series (he was #13), dated Feb 2020-Aug 2020, love bomber, felt “the spark” and became official after 3 dates, best first date ever??? at the time, said “I love you” to Ali after two weeks, “For most of my relationship with The Oyster, he didn’t live in the city he had moved to Connecticut without telling me”, would fight all the time, opposite political views, Ali felt like a “fucking summer camp director” because she planned all their dates and he would get upset if Ali didn't have a plan, sought out a therapist (Megan) because of her relationship struggles because of him, went to Mass/church, he wanted a traditional marriage/life/wife/kids (at one point had Ali thinking she wanted that), didn’t want to live in NYC, didn’t support BLM, Cindy hated him
The Pilot
Went on 3 dates, texted a lot, didn’t hear back from him in four days and when she said she was looking to date someone who showed more consistency, he replied saying he met someone the day after their last date who seems to have more free time than Ali and he wants to pursue that but would like to be friends, Ali said on TikTok that this other women “bent her schedule to his schedule” and she was unwilling to do that. Mostly talked about him on TikTok
The Analyst
Matched on Bumble two years ago and went on one date, re matched in 2021 and he stood Ali up, she send him a text “getting stood up” script and he never replied. Only mentioned him on TikTok (?)
Ali and Roark start FMH: The Podcast February 2021
The BoomerangFirst date on the pod? I couldn't find anything else about him
The Scuba Diver
The Music Man
One date, “he didn’t do anything wrong, he’s just not for me”, amped up small talk, complimented Ali a lot which made her feel awkward cause she wasn’t feeling it, he texted her and asked for a second date and Ali sent the no ghosting script
The Bet
Uses the phrase “ok bet”, 28 years old shoe designer, only went on one dinner date to a spot he picked, turns out its cash only and he didn’t bring cash, was not into him , not looking for the same thing
The Dinosaur
Nickname was previously The Hawaiian, first date at Dinosaur BBQ, stood in a parking spot to save for Ali, he asked for a kiss after their date and Ali declined saying maybe next time
The Rose
He sent her a rose on hinge, first date was an hour long walk in the park while drinking beer
The Comic
Matched on Hinge, older than Ali (Ali’s friends express how happy they were to hear that), had brunch on their first date (was the first part of a double header but the second guy canceled), listed as “moderate” politically on Hinge, good and easy convo, went back and forth twice over text and then never heard back from him, “technically not ghosting...”
The Camper
Met in the wild at a volleyball tournament in July, lives in Chicago, 27 years old, hung out the whole time, over heard Ali asking someone to get her a make out partner, gave Ali his number, drunkly ask him for a FT date in the future and he didn’t reply, Ali texts him again about a volleyball thing and he replied back with not a lot of enthusiasm, Ali is going to Chicago in Sept for a volleyball tournament and she’s already planning on playing 4-on-4 with her best friend vs. his roommate and maybe The Camper, he texts her saying he has to work on the date of the tournament and won’t be able to do the 4-on-4 game, “I feel like I got broken up with someone I never want to date in the first place”
Ali’s Matchmaker contract starts in August 2021 - 6 matches
The SchmoozerWent on a dinner date, was chatting up the waitress in a kind of creepy way, was bragging about a lot of things and it turned Ali off and Ali texted him her no ghosting script
The Accountant
1st matchmaker match, 31 years old, lives in BK, his dad has also passed away, easy to talk to, on the third date she wasn’t sure if she saw a future with him and in her gut doesn’t feel like this would be a slow burn, Ali breaks things off with him, months (?) later he sent Ali a 5 min long voice memo and they said they were both down to see each other as friends. He later on dated and ghosted Erica
The Aussie
Matched on Hinge, in politics, from Australia but lived all over the place, asked Ali what she’s looking for on the first date and he said he’s “casually looking for something serious”, Ali accidentally walks up to a different person on their second date, Ali texts him saying she would love to see him before he leaves on a trip and she wasn’t happy that it took him till the next day to reply and he can’t see her before he leaves
The Goalie
Was supposed to be Ali’s 2nd match, he’s a paying client, Ali didn’t hear back from him for a while when she told him where she lived, he wrote to the matchmaker saying that she lived too far away even though it states where she lives in her matchmaker profile
The Journalist
2nd matchmaker match, ended things because she was dating/pursuing things with The Discoball and paused her matchmakers matches
The Threepeat
Matched multiple times on dating apps but this recent time with Hinge, Amazon seller, first date was a pizza lunch date (with bubbles aka champagne) and he gave her a single yellow carnation, talked a lot about her “side hustles” aka her food blog, coaching, FMH and the pod (Ali didn’t mentioned the name on FMH), had an awkward half kiss during the date and then gave her a peck when they said goodbye, he had no night stands by his bed?, spent the night but told public pod they had a movie night, different kissing styles, 6 dates, broke things off with Ali two days before her first date with The Rower WHILE Ali was on a Halloween girls trip
The Rower
Dated from Halloween 2021 till early Feb 2022, Pisces who is 6 days older than Ali, has an ex-fiancé (they dated for 8 years, engaged for two of them, she broke off the engagement with him 1.5 years ago once he started dating Ali), has a shared dog with this ex, slept together around Xmas on the fourth date and Ali got a UTI, first time having “omg this is awesome sex” since ASV, first person Ali slept next to wearing an eye mask "that's a big step for me", had him watch 90 Day Fiancé, on New Years Day told her that he sees “long term relationship potential” with her but doesn’t want to be exclusive after 5 dates, “we didn’t talk all week”, he said he wasn’t as ready as he though to date someone seriously and “I don’t know why I don’t want to be in a relationship with you” they broke up over the phone, Ali said he’s a good human and wants to date someone like him, 3.5 weeks later Ali drunk texted him at 3:00 am saying “its really hard not to talk to you” which Ali said was a lie, he replied back (few days? A week later?) while Ali was on another date and it made her cry a bit, she replied back saying “the door is closed but not locked” in regards if he wants to get back together. “Fin… for now”
2022
The DiscoballMatched on Hinge but didn’t go on a first date for two week, Gemini, used to be a singer in a band, moved from DC to NYC, went on 7 dates in 2022, had a dog w/ ex and ex got full custody once he moved, met one of his friends on the second date, slept with him on the second date “morning and night”, he tried to find the podcast without knowing the name, podcasted from his house in DC, he would send Ali photos of them together “all the time”, gave a virtual presentation from his hotel room, did Molly together in DC, had him watch 90 Day Fiancé, moved to BK (didn’t see each other for 2 months pre-move), had a sex-less sleepover (a milestone for Ali), he showed up for her on her dad’s death date (something that a person she’s dating has never done), used to listen to the pod but stopped before they stopped seeing each other, ghosted her after they had a talk about moving things forward to exclusive and Ali texted him something along the lines of “your silence is the answer” when she didn’t hear back from him for a week and he ghosted her. Ali said he sucks in #77 AUA
Lisbon
The Brit
M&M
The Come Back Kid
They went on 2-3 dates in Nov 2018 and reconnected in May 2022, "felt immediately comfortable", sat next to a very drunk lady on their second 1st date and was supportive but "didn't step on Ali's toes" when the drunk lady said something offensive to Ali, couldn’t remember if they slept together or not, knows about FMH, ghosted Ali
The Trainer
The Cold Brew
The Nomad
3rd matchmaker match, reminded Ali of The Oyster, wanted kids and didn’t want to live in NYC forever, Ali was upset at first because her matchmaker was supposed to screen for that but the matchmaker DID check and it wasn’t mentioned when she was screening The Nomad, no second date because those are dealbreakers to him
The Catcher
Matched on Bumble, “good not great” after their first date, ~April 2022, talked about sports a lot on their first date
The Gentleman
4th matchmaker match, knew about Ali’s FMH socials before their date, Ali didn’t like his texting style, awkward intro on their first date “like hugging a 2 x 4”, he runs a dating event company and actually email Ali to be a guest on the pod when FMH first started, awkward goodbye, didn’t discuss the actual first date on the main pod because she doesn’t want to give him a reason to reach out again
The Tennis Pro
Ali had a good time on their date, “He is an adult, he’s mature” BUT “I don’t think he was into it”
The Padre
Matched on Bumble, 3 dates, from San Diego, “energy mismatch”, doesn’t want to know or listen to FMH, no psychical connection/kiss, only a kiss on the cheek on their last date, “I haven’t spoken to him since Friday night [a week]”, she didn’t want to do what The Threepeat did to her (break up while on vacation/traveling), she said it might be a MOO
Roark leaves and Erica joins the pod Oct 31st 2022
Captain Kirk5th matchmaker match, found him on Bumble before their in-person date, ghosted Ali AND the matchmaker???
6th matchmaker match
Last match and Ali states she will not talk about this date or anything about it
JFK Kirk?
Matched on Bumble, didn’t realize he’s located in SD, exchanged personal instagram info, not sure where things went or how things ended
Kirk #1
Met in the wild, make out a lot the night they met, “stealing kisses throughout the night”, exchanged numbers, planned a date (no specifics, just the day) but when Ali texted him day of he asked to reschedule (no specifics again), he replied back that he’s picking up a rental car, told him she’s looking for someone to respect her time and he never replied back
2023
The FalconFirst date of 2023, matched on The League, first nickname was “League Kirk”, hard to talk to, felt like Ali was always reaching for the next topic, likes to travel, “there wasn’t a vibe”, MOO
The Roommate
Used to be her friend’s roommate and have met before (Ali doesn’t remember but it was the day after that exclusive convo with The Rower), “totally cute”, reunited at their mutual friend’s engagement party January 2023, made out at the bar, comes back to her place and sleeps over (no sex), Ali questions why her friends never set them up and its because he was taking a break from dating, first date they made out a lot at the bar (again), “I really felt like we were already a couple”, “It didn’t feel like a first date”, mentions her FMH content has popped up on his FYP, tried texting him after their date and he wasn’t giving effort, she’s glad she didn’t sleep with him because “one night stands aren’t my thing”, MOO
The Belgian
Matched on Bumble, accidentally had their first date during a trivia night at a bar, easy to talk to
The Viking
Ali forgot they had a first date on the day of said date
Tinder Man
Matched on Tinder (duh) on Valentine’s Day, first Tinder date in three years, good convo on first date but got a pushy vibe from him at the second bar they went to, put his hand up her sweater and was kissing her in the bar, made Ali uncomfortable and she told him that after her asked her on a second date
The Historian
Matched on Bumble, good conversation on the first date with a wide range of topics like “urban planning and its impact on feminism”, he’s in grad school
The Georgian
Matched on Hinge, he asked if she was free on Friday and she said yes but didn’t hear back from him in two days and in that time she made plans for Friday, rescheduled for a Saturday afternoon date at a dive bar, ate on her way to her date “it would be next level rude to eat on the subway”, good first date, talked about places he wants to take her to
The Publicist
Matched on Tinder, lives in BK, Jewish, one year younger then Ali, good first date, invited him to the Chaotic Singles Party that night, came over to Ali's apartment (which Ali said was messy) before and he made her favorite cocktail for her, a couple of listeners met him at the CSP, goofy and silly convo mixed with deep and serious convos, second date was at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens and a tasting menu dinner, he made a Resy reservation and Ali got an email saying she was added to it ”fuck receiving gifts, THAT’S my love language”, he's into words like Ali, he sneezed and Ali said "God bless you" but then corrected herself and said "gesundheit" and he leaned over and kissed her and said he loves that she cares about her words, he met her friends on the third date ”It felt so easy. It felt so comfortable”, her friends took “sneaky” picture and videos of them together which Ali said she loves a sneaky pic, took all their date recap videos on his phone, cooked Ali steak on their fourth date, "it's very comfortable", had him watch 90 Day Fiancé, Ali met two of his friends and some of his teammates he plays a rec sport with, had sex the day they took a trip outside of the city, Erica met him before their trip to Greece and I said “he’s dorky in a good way”, WhatsApp video chatted while in Greece and told her “see you in two days!” at the end of their call, said she felt less anxious about him compared to other relationships while on vacation, sent him a birthday present while she was in Greece, felt an energy shift coming back from vacation and didn’t hear back from him 3 days after she came home, Ali requested a call to talk about this distances she was feeling, ”I did the 12 date rule and it didn’t work!”, she said the distance help her see that they’re not compatible, went on a total of 9 dates. Ali talks about the “break up” on episode 123
Mr. Chaotic
Matched on Tinder but he saw Ali at the Chaotic Singles Party and Cassidy the host is there mutual friend, went to a brewery and played games on their first date (Ali said this was her favorite first dates in episode 147 where they recapped 2023), works in entertainment industry, very high energy, knows about FMH and he said she's entertaining to watch, splits his time between NYC and some unknown city, texted while she was in Greece, ”The man gives good texts”
Random Matchmaker Match
Withdrew his match to Ali because he found her FMH socials. Talked about on #71 AUA
Gone with the Wind
Matchmaker match, said some gross things about women in volleyball outfits on their first date, Ali told her matchmaker about this, ”I would describe him as misogynistic overall”, Ali was glad he did say those weird things so early on so she didn’t waste her time, the matchmaker flagged his account. This was around June 2023
The Rock
Ali knows him from an activity that they used to be involved with in the city (she's very vague about what this is) from 8 years ago, he had a very serious/long term GF when they met, follows her personal Insta, has never talked about him because he’s never been a “prospect”, summer 2023 they met up to catch up and found out that he’s now recently single but he’s moving out of NYC for work, Ali texts Cindy saying she thinks this is a date, Cindy said to tell him that you really want to kiss him, he ends up telling Ali “I really want to kiss you”, made out at the bar, Ali invited him back to her apartment and they had sex the night before Ali ended things with The Publicist, “one night stand vibes” but she said she was down to do it again, Patreon only and talked about on #75 AUA
The Tourist
Matched on Hinge, just moved to Brooklynn, went to a brewery in BK for their first date, Ali showed up to the date dripping in sweat, allergic to cats, he sent Ali a ‘no ghosting’ text the next morning
The Stout
Matched on Bumble, ”we had really great banter right away”, laughed the whole time on their first date, talked about going on a second date during their first date
Speed Racer
Matched on Bumble, drinks first date, axe throwing second date, made out after their second date, MOO, randomly texted Ali ~6 months later because he said one of Ali’s date recap videos about him popped up on his FYP (Ali and Erica think this is a lie), he thought Ali wasn’t into him, he claims he was doing all the work with texting even though there was only a few messages since they exchanged numbers after their second date
Billy Joel
Recently sober, Ali said she felt like they had several inside jokes before they met in person, ate pizza on her way to their first date, second date was getting coffee and going to the museum, they cooked dinner together for their third date at Ali’s apartment and they watched 90 Day Fiancé (he didn’t like it), he Googled how to clean a red wine stain when it spilled on her countertop, he asked if she wanted to have sex and she turned it down, the next day/the day before a 7am flight Ali booty called him and they had sex, she was drunk and said the sex wasn’t good/they stopped mid way, helped Ali pack for her flight, Ali said he’s at a crossroad and he doesn’t seem like a long term fit, Erica found a condom on the ground while cat sitting, Ali said she didn’t regret hooking up with him but wishes she hadn’t done it, MOO
Sales Cycle
30 seconds in and Ali said he was very boring, only really talked about his job, stared at Ali’s boobs, “might be a MOO”, texted her ‘merry christmas’
2024
Pie Guy/Dr. LaundryMatched on The League, 34 years old, requested a nickname change from Pie Guy to Dr. Laundry, he had to cancel their second date because he got hit by a car, went on two dates, Ali sent him a pic of his subway stop saying something along the lines of “the stop isn’t looking as cute today” and turns out someone he dated with in that photo, were supposed to go on a third date the night she got back from a bachelorette party but he didn't answer her text when she said she landed, the next day he asked her how her trip was not acknowledging her previous text at all, Ali expressed her disappointment and he replied that he was tired last night, she said she would've been understanding if he said something then ghosted her
Andddd I stopped listening to the podcast around the Dr. Pie Laundry Guy but have stayed up to date with everything via this sub.
I have a huge interest in dating culture, human behavior and data similar to Ali and this little project of mine was really interesting once I got the framework of this list. I started this list once I found this sub in December 2023 and started re listening to the Patreon while working out (and lost 10 lbs ayeee) and writing down information in my notes app. I did my best to keep this list unbiased and just give facts and information that was said.
My own thoughts after making this list is that I'm very sad for Ali. I didn't realize the extent of her dating history. I think about my own dating history or even my friends who are in their 30's and dating and Ali's dating lore runs so deep. Is Ali unlucky with love? Did she pass on someone that could have been great for her? How has she had so many dates with little success in a long term partner or even going beyond 6-8 dates? Or is Skyline the person she has been waiting for? What's the pattern with all this dates/men? So many questions.
I truly do hope Ali finds her guy because I believe theres someone for everyone. Until then, I'll be hopping into this sub (cause y'all are too funny and give the best advice) and waiting for Ali to find Mr. Height.
Enjoy and I look forward to everyone thoughts! I'll keep my eye out for any edits that need to be made.
Bonus quotes:
“Longest relationship was a little under a year and a half. Haven’t made it past 6 months with anyone else” - AUA #7 11/27/21
“I spent the first 10+ years of my dating life being sort of perennially single” -1. The Actual First One episode 2/21/21
"I think my parent's story is the reason why I think that I can romantically get back together with an ex and it'll work out" -The Dave Glaser Podcast 4/5/21
“Almost every relationship I’ve ever been in, with a couple of exceptions, started as a situationship.” -21. The Undefined One 7/11/21
“All of my boyfriends have been white” -Ali’s BFF Special on Patreon 4/23/22
“You definitely need an older guy” -Cindy on Ali’s BFF Special on Patreon 4/23/22
“I’ve been on the dating apps since high school. Dating websites at the time” -Ali’s BFF Special on Patreon 4/23/22
“Who would be the perfect man for Ali?”
“Clearly a combination of the The Dentist and [the early stages of] The Buffalo” -Cindy on Ali’s BFF Special on Patreon 4/23/22
“Do you consider The Rower or Disco ball to have been situationships?”
“No, I don't consider either The Rower or The Disco Ball to be situationships” -question asked on TikTok 11/9/22
2024.05.19 04:03 Awkward-Turtle92 My mother ruined our wedding day
My husband and I have been together for thirteen years this year.
Around a month after we started dating, we got engaged (fast I know) because he knew right away that I was his person.
From the start we knew we wanted a courthouse wedding with immediate family followed by a BBQ afterwards. Due to health issues, we had to delay it for several years, but once we were finally ready, we told our family about our plans.
Pretty much immediately my mother threw a fit, essentially manipulating us both into having a “proper” wedding. She told us that because I was her “only daughter”, she just wouldn’t accept anything other than a proper wedding and refused to go if we had a courthouse wedding.
Being the people pleasers we are, we agreed but told her it would have to be small both because of our anxiety and financial constraints.
She told us that finances wouldn’t be an issue because she would pay for everything and not to worry. We protested for quite a while before eventually giving in because we’d already felt like we’d lost at that point.
Heck we’d even considered doing our ceremony beforehand at the courthouse with only his family, but considering one of her closest friends would be the celebrant, there’s no doubt she’d find out and we wouldn’t hear the end of it so we complied.
We already knew it would be her wedding before it even began. It started with the wedding dress shopping. She made sure to pick a dress that covered my tattoos because they would look “tacky” if they were on show. So right away I knew she’d control the entire day.
We then brought up the fact that we wanted our dog to be involved as the ring bearer. We had bought her one of those wedding outfits a few years back when we saw it, but she flat out said no. Our dog is extremely well behaved and calm, so it wouldn’t have been an issue but again, she didn’t approve of dogs being involved so we had to have my youngest sister in law be the ring bearer (something we both didn’t want).
Then came the catering and cake. We both didn’t get a say in either, which were both full of food we didn’t eat, and our wedding cake was a coffee cake, despite us apparently ordering white chocolate (apparently it had been changed last minute).
The decor had to be entirely changed because apparently my scheme of lavender wasn’t practical so it was changed to a bright red. So far nothing was as we planned, so we were already dreading the day.
The guest list went from under 20 people to 50, most of which were extended family we never saw or spoke to and ALL of my mums close friends, which alone made up 12 people. Again, this was HER day.
The night before, while going through the wedding playlist, she demanded we change our first dance and fathedaughter, motheson dance song. Now I had picked these from the start, especially my husband and I’s song, which has been ours since the beginning of our relationship YEARS prior. Of course this had to change to a song she liked, as did the fathedaughter dance.
Fast forward to the wedding morning. My hair was being done and because I had it cut a few months prior due to a health issue making it fall out, the extensions looked ROUGH. Again, I had said that I needed them cut in to match (which I would pay for), but no, they would apparently look fine.
Then came the makeup, which I did myself and apparently had to do my sisters as well, leaving me little to no time to get ready. Mum demanded I remove my lip ring because again it was “tacky” and when I tried putting on a Lacey white bra, she lost it and demanded I remove it because it would “ruin” the dress. You couldn’t even see it underneath the sleeves of the detachable, Lacey coat!
This made me extremely uncomfortable and anxious because I NEVER leave the house without one and it’s not like I have the melons to fill it out without one!
As we were about to leave, she told me to take my glasses off because they would ruin the photos. You know, the glasses I use to SEE! So the entire day I was squinting in every picture, which essentially ruined the photos anyway!
Then she insisted I drink some champagne on the way there. I don’t drink because of the medication I’m on for my epilepsy but of course I had to because again, she made a big deal out of it being a “normal” wedding.
When we got to the location, I saw my younger sister in law (ring bearer), wearing the same dress she’d been wearing all week, complete with CROCS. I knew at that point she’d make it about herself somehow. She’s the most spoilt, selfish and self centred person I know and I was soon proven right when she rushed to the bathroom pretending to be sick before the reception began (later confirmed she wasn’t at all sick, just didn’t wanna be there).
Her mother (MIL) left before the reception because she couldn’t possibly be left at home alone despite living 2 minutes away and being 13 years old!
We were asked about her several times during the reception so yes, she still managed to make everyone focus on her.
The entire reception , my husband and I were panicking because we hate large crowds, especially when we are the focus (birthdays are the WORST). We had to keep going outside for air because we kept getting overwhelmed by everything.
When it was all over we went home and the next day, my mother and I were going through our gifts (mostly money) when she confiscated it all saying we wouldn’t spend it wisely and that she would keep it until we found something she considered appropriate.
Despite telling us not to bother about paying her back, she still manages to bring it up to this day, as does my brother, who cruelly taunted us leading up to the day, telling us that it was embarrassing that we were relying on the family to pay for our wedding and that he would never get married if he couldn’t afford it.
Essentially we were manipulated into having a bigger wedding despite only wanting a smaller wedding and accused of being ungrateful when we mentioned how anxious the day made us both.
I regret everything about that day and can’t even look at photos without getting anxious and upset. My husband and I never celebrate that day as our anniversary and honestly wish we had just gone ahead with our original plans and stood our ground.
submitted by Awkward-Turtle92 to CharlotteDobreYouTube [link] [comments]
Around a month after we started dating, we got engaged (fast I know) because he knew right away that I was his person.
From the start we knew we wanted a courthouse wedding with immediate family followed by a BBQ afterwards. Due to health issues, we had to delay it for several years, but once we were finally ready, we told our family about our plans.
Pretty much immediately my mother threw a fit, essentially manipulating us both into having a “proper” wedding. She told us that because I was her “only daughter”, she just wouldn’t accept anything other than a proper wedding and refused to go if we had a courthouse wedding.
Being the people pleasers we are, we agreed but told her it would have to be small both because of our anxiety and financial constraints.
She told us that finances wouldn’t be an issue because she would pay for everything and not to worry. We protested for quite a while before eventually giving in because we’d already felt like we’d lost at that point.
Heck we’d even considered doing our ceremony beforehand at the courthouse with only his family, but considering one of her closest friends would be the celebrant, there’s no doubt she’d find out and we wouldn’t hear the end of it so we complied.
We already knew it would be her wedding before it even began. It started with the wedding dress shopping. She made sure to pick a dress that covered my tattoos because they would look “tacky” if they were on show. So right away I knew she’d control the entire day.
We then brought up the fact that we wanted our dog to be involved as the ring bearer. We had bought her one of those wedding outfits a few years back when we saw it, but she flat out said no. Our dog is extremely well behaved and calm, so it wouldn’t have been an issue but again, she didn’t approve of dogs being involved so we had to have my youngest sister in law be the ring bearer (something we both didn’t want).
Then came the catering and cake. We both didn’t get a say in either, which were both full of food we didn’t eat, and our wedding cake was a coffee cake, despite us apparently ordering white chocolate (apparently it had been changed last minute).
The decor had to be entirely changed because apparently my scheme of lavender wasn’t practical so it was changed to a bright red. So far nothing was as we planned, so we were already dreading the day.
The guest list went from under 20 people to 50, most of which were extended family we never saw or spoke to and ALL of my mums close friends, which alone made up 12 people. Again, this was HER day.
The night before, while going through the wedding playlist, she demanded we change our first dance and fathedaughter, motheson dance song. Now I had picked these from the start, especially my husband and I’s song, which has been ours since the beginning of our relationship YEARS prior. Of course this had to change to a song she liked, as did the fathedaughter dance.
Fast forward to the wedding morning. My hair was being done and because I had it cut a few months prior due to a health issue making it fall out, the extensions looked ROUGH. Again, I had said that I needed them cut in to match (which I would pay for), but no, they would apparently look fine.
Then came the makeup, which I did myself and apparently had to do my sisters as well, leaving me little to no time to get ready. Mum demanded I remove my lip ring because again it was “tacky” and when I tried putting on a Lacey white bra, she lost it and demanded I remove it because it would “ruin” the dress. You couldn’t even see it underneath the sleeves of the detachable, Lacey coat!
This made me extremely uncomfortable and anxious because I NEVER leave the house without one and it’s not like I have the melons to fill it out without one!
As we were about to leave, she told me to take my glasses off because they would ruin the photos. You know, the glasses I use to SEE! So the entire day I was squinting in every picture, which essentially ruined the photos anyway!
Then she insisted I drink some champagne on the way there. I don’t drink because of the medication I’m on for my epilepsy but of course I had to because again, she made a big deal out of it being a “normal” wedding.
When we got to the location, I saw my younger sister in law (ring bearer), wearing the same dress she’d been wearing all week, complete with CROCS. I knew at that point she’d make it about herself somehow. She’s the most spoilt, selfish and self centred person I know and I was soon proven right when she rushed to the bathroom pretending to be sick before the reception began (later confirmed she wasn’t at all sick, just didn’t wanna be there).
Her mother (MIL) left before the reception because she couldn’t possibly be left at home alone despite living 2 minutes away and being 13 years old!
We were asked about her several times during the reception so yes, she still managed to make everyone focus on her.
The entire reception , my husband and I were panicking because we hate large crowds, especially when we are the focus (birthdays are the WORST). We had to keep going outside for air because we kept getting overwhelmed by everything.
When it was all over we went home and the next day, my mother and I were going through our gifts (mostly money) when she confiscated it all saying we wouldn’t spend it wisely and that she would keep it until we found something she considered appropriate.
Despite telling us not to bother about paying her back, she still manages to bring it up to this day, as does my brother, who cruelly taunted us leading up to the day, telling us that it was embarrassing that we were relying on the family to pay for our wedding and that he would never get married if he couldn’t afford it.
Essentially we were manipulated into having a bigger wedding despite only wanting a smaller wedding and accused of being ungrateful when we mentioned how anxious the day made us both.
I regret everything about that day and can’t even look at photos without getting anxious and upset. My husband and I never celebrate that day as our anniversary and honestly wish we had just gone ahead with our original plans and stood our ground.
2024.05.19 04:01 throwaway3312345 Confident dog is very anxious after spay
I was hoping someone could help me before I take my dog into the vet because I’m getting concerned. She got spayed 5 days ago and her incision doesn’t seem to be healing. It’s not getting any worse but it just looks the same as when I took her home last Tuesday. It is swollen to maybe large pea size and a little red. Dead skin or something around it but no discharge. She has become extremely anxious the last 24 hours which is new. She can’t sit still and is very jumpy from house noises & AC. She would probably remain hidden under the couch all day if I’d allow her to (I don’t so I can keep an eye on her to make sure she’s not licking wound). She’s been eating fine since I brought her home but this evening she refused dinner for the first time in her life. Is this a normal hormone reaction or something or is it something worse?
submitted by throwaway3312345 to AskVet [link] [comments]
2024.05.19 03:59 Gabe0212 [WTS] A whole lot of Gold, from 5 Gram Engelhard to a variety of 1/10 ounces, poured silver from Hayleybug, variety of junk silver, variety in governmental silver, lots of spot and under spot silver deals, and so much more!
Proof Picture
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Howdy! Before getting into todays sale, I want to briefly address the ongoing security concerns with the current scam.
Buy with Confidence! Every applicable item is Sigma Verified!
Prices are based on Kitco Ask.
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Gold (Items in this lot)
Pending 10 Gram Gold Bar Koi Fish Imperfect - $776 SPOT
5 Gram Gold PAMP Lakshmi - $650
5 Gram Gold PAMP in Assay - $395 Each (6 available)
5 Gram Gold Engelhard #1 - $465
5 Gram Gold Engelhard #2 (Small Copper Spot) - $460
Pending 2.5 Gram Gold PAMP in Assay (Protective film is off) - $202
2.5 Gram Gold Credit Suisse in Assay - $215
2020 1/4 OZ Gold Australia Marlin - $610
Pending 1984 1/10 Oz Gold Krugerrand - $250
Pending 1988 1/10 Oz Proof American Gold Eagle (Coin in capsule only) - $270
2020 1/10 Oz Gold Canada Bald Eagle Sealed - $251 Each (7 available)
2014 1/10 Oz Proof American Gold Eagle NGC PF 70 Ultra Cameo Angela M. Buchanan SIgned - $350
2018 1/10 Oz Proof American Gold Eagle NGC PF 70 Ultra Cameo John M. Mercanti Signed - $350
1989 1/4 Gold Panda in Black Onyx,14K Gold Bezel at Below MELT - $719 (1/4 Oz Gold Panda. Bezel is about 3.3 Grams of 14k Gold)(Melt is around $752)
1985 1/20 Oz Gold Panda - $129 Each (15 available)
1993 Australian Nugget (Kangaroo) 1/20 Oz Gold - $128
2023 1/20 Oz Gold Year of the Rabbit - $150
1990 1/20 Oz Gold Kangaroo - $126
Pending Mexico Dos Pesos Gold - $129
1911 $5 Gold Indian - $615
Geiger Club Set (1 Gram Gold and 1/2 Oz Silver) Set Number 234 - $145
World's Smallest Gold Coins, Statue of Liberty (.5 Grams of 14k Gold) - $37
World's Smallest Gold Coins, Krugerrand toned (.5 Grams of 14k Gold) - $37 Each (2 available)
World's Smallest Gold Coins, Abraham Lincoln (.5 Grams of 14k Gold) - $37
Pending World's Smallest Gold Coins, Rembrandt van Rijn (.5 Grams of 14k Gold) - $37
Pending .10 Gram Gold KaratPay - $15 Each (11 available)
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Bullion Silver (Items in this lot)
Silver Dragon Laser Engraved .999 Fine (898 Grams) (Unmarked but Sigma Tested) #1 Under Spot! - $880 ($30.50/Ozt)
Silver Dragon Laser Engraved .999 Fine (981 Grams) (Unmarked but Sigma Tested) #2 Under Spot! - $961 ($30.50/Ozt)
4 Ozt Silver Gilded Round in Capsule - $122 (SPOT)
5 Oz Silver Alexander the Great - $156 Each (Below Spot!) (8 available)(Some have had their plastic broken)
22 Troy Ounce Ironman Silver Helmet by Pit Bullion Bellow Melt - $682 ($31/Ozt)(Below Spot)
2018 5 Oz Proof Libertad (Capsule is scruffy) - $235
2 Oz Silver Privateer High Relief "The Captain" - $68
Pending 2009 5 Oz BU Silver Libertad - $195
Generic Silver Pours (Unmarked but Sigma Tested) Below Spot at $30.50/Ozt - $96.25 for the 3.16 Ozt one and $102 for the 3.345 Ozt one.
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Poured Silver (Items in this lot)
5 Ozt Hayleybug Silver Puck - $165
3.92 Ozt Silver Gun Pour - $$119.50 ($30/Ozt)(Under Spot)
Wild Pig 2 Ozt Silver Octopus - $68
Hayleybug 1 Ozt Silver Pour Design #1 - $36
Hayleybug 1 Ozt Silver Pour Design #2 - $36
Hayleybug 1 Ozt Silver Pour Design #3 - $36
Hayleybug 1/2 Oz Silver Pour - $18
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Government/Sovereign Minted Silver Rounds (Items in this lot)
2022 1 Oz Libertad in Fabulous 15 Holder (Milky) - $35 Each (3 available)
Pending 2016 1 Oz Silver Kookaburra Monkey Privy - $33
Pending 2022 1 Ozt Silver Phoenix (Cracked Capsule) - $32
Pending 1986 Proof Silver Eagle Capsule and Velvet Case only - $52
2019 1 Oz Proof Krugerrand - $44 (Milky)
All Pending Proof Silver Eagles all with Box and COA - $49 Each
Years available (1) 2001, (2) 2002, (2) 2003, (2) 2004, (1) 2005, (1) 2006, (1) 2014
2021 1 Oz Silver Swan - $33
2012 1 OZ Year of the Dragon (minor toning) - $48
2020 1 OZ Australia 1 Dollar - $32
2001 Silver Eagle "9/11" Colorized - $31.50
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Silver Bars (Items in this lot)
1 Oz Silver Shitters Full - $44
2022 3 Oz 40th Anniversary Libertad Bar - $225 (2 Oz Silver Bar with a 1 Oz Libertad inside)
10 Gram Silver Geiger in Assay - $17 Each (2 available)
1 Oz PAMP "Am Yisrael Chai!" - $95
5 Gram Geiger Silver in Assay - $11
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Fractional Silver
All Pending 1 Gram Silver MPM Fish - $1.50 Each (70 available)
1/10 Silver Medjugorje Queen of Peace - $3.50 Each (69 available)
1 Gram Silver - $1.50 Each (500 available)
1/10 Oz Silver Morgan Rounds (Milky) - $3.50 Each (3 avaialble)
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1 Oz Silver Rounds (Items in this lot)
Pending Worlds Wildlife "The Bear" 1 Oz - $32
1 Oz Silver Vikings in Capsule - $31.50 Each (1 available)
2024 Samoa Year of the Dragon with Black Rhodium Plating Coin - $55
1 Oz Generics - $31 Each (9 available)(Under Spot)
2 Pending 1 Oz Engelhard Rounds - $33 Each (5 available)
1 Oz New Aztec Calendar Design #1 - $32 Each (6 available)
1 Oz New Aztec Calendar Design #2 - $32 Each (10 available)
2022 Liberty 1 Oz (Norfed Type)(Milky) - $32.50 Each (7 available)
1 Oz Silver John Wick Round - $31.50
Pending 1 Oz African Wildlife "The Giraffe" Proof - $32 (Minor Milk)
1 Oz Silver "Connect #6" - $32
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90% Silver (Items in this lot)
1999-2020 Silver Proof Quarter Sets - $695 about $25 Per FV (22 individual lenses, 111 silver proof quarters. Includes 1999-2009 Statehood and US Territories, 2010-2020 America the Beautiful. (2019/2020 quarters are .999 fine and 1999-2018 are .90 fine)
90% Silver Proof Quarters in Lenses (Some toned) - $29 Each Lens (8 available)
$3 FV Lot of 90% Silver - $70 for the Lot
90% Silver Proof Dimes (Slight Milk) - $2.30 Each (4 available)
90% Silver Roosevelt Dimes - $2.15 Each ($20 FV available)(Slightly under melt)
90% Silver Proof Quarters (Slight Milk) - $5.75 Each (3 available)
.999 2022 Silver Proof Quarters - $9 Each (2 available)
90% Silver Proof Kennedy (Slight Milk) - $11.50 Each (2 available)
90% Silver Kennedy Half Dollars - $11.37 Each (10 available)
40% Silver Kennedy Half Dollars Under Melt - $4.25 Each (24 available)
3 Pending Peace Dollars - $25.50 Each (6 available)
Pending Peace Dollar Key Chain - $27
1934 S Peace Dollar #1 - $29
1934 S Peace Dollar #2 - $29
Pending 1926 S Peace Dollar - $29
Pending 1904 O Morgan Silver Dollar - $33
1991 USO 90% Silver Dollar Proof with Box and COA (Slight Milk) - $24 Each (2 available)
2001 US Capital Silver Dollar Proof with Box and COA - $24
1995 Civil War Battlefield Silver Dollar and Clad Half Dollar - $26
1991 Mount Rushmore 90% Silver Dollar and Clad Half Dollar (Milky) - $24
1990 Prestige Proof Set - $27
1999 Silver Proof Set With Box and COA (Slight Milk) - $44 Each (2 avaialble)
1962 Proof Set (Some are loose) - $22
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Slabs (Items in this lot)
1986-2005 Proof Silver Eagle Set (20 Coins/Slabs) All Graded by NGC as PF 69 Ultra Cameo! - $1,325 for set, includes NGC Slab Box.
2018 Australia 1 Oz Kookaburra Dog Privy PCGS MS 70 - $69
2021 S PCGS MS 70 Silver Eagle - $44
2021 PCGS MS 70 Silver Eagle (Last Production) - $44
2006 W Proof Silver Eagle NGC PF 69 Imperfect - $54
2023 Dragons of the World 1 Oz Egyptian Dragon NGC MS 70 Antiqued - $110 (Thick Slab)
2021 The Red Flag Fleet Ching Shih NGC MS 70 - $50
2019 South Korea Silver Proof Medal NGC PF 70 Ultra Cameo - $78 (Minor Milk on reverse)
2018 W Silver Eagle NGC MS 70 Mercanti - $
1995 1 Oz American Silver Eagle MS 69 ANACS - $37
2011 Great Britain S5PND Olympics Countdown NGC PF 69 Ultra Cameo - $39
1986 S Proof Silver Eagle PCGS PR 69 DCAM - $75
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Copper
1 Oz Copper Will Myers - $2
5 Ozt WildPig Copper Poured Bar - $14 Each
2.21 Ozt WildPig Copper Poured Bar - $10 Each
WildPig Copper Fossil Round - $8.5 Each (4 available)(Weights Range from 45-49 Grams Each)
WildPig Copper Frankenstein Round - $6 Each (7 available)(Weights Range from 24-29 Grams Each)
1 Oz Copper Bar - $1.50
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Random Items (Last 4 are NSFW)(Items in this lot)
2022 1 Gram Platinum Panda in OGP - $77
1 Gram PAMP Platinum - $42
Sterling Silver, "The Virgin of the Rocks" Gold Gilded - $61 (Melt, 65.60 Grams)
2 Oz Silver Revolver - $195
Pending 2 Oz Silver Doggaebi - $74
Pending 2 Oz Silver Doggaebi (Cracked Capsule) - $68
Pending 2 Oz Silver Michelangelo's Eyes - $75
Both Pending 2 Oz Silver South Korea Shield of St Michael - $88 Each (2 available)
Sterling Silver - Wild Pig Pours Modern Solid Cuff Bracelet - 77.7 Grams - $85 (Melt is around $72)
Lockermint 1 Oz Holiday Wenches Colorized Sealed - $85
Lockermint 1 Oz Locker Wenches - $
CMG Mint 1/10 Oz Silver Bar "Happy Birthday" NSFW - $10 Each (3 available)
St Louis Mint 1/10 Oz Silver Bar "Jasmine" NSFW - $10 Each (3 available)
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Shipping
Shipping ranges from $5-$6.50 for Ground Advantage. Heavier packages can ship ground advantage or Priority Mail for $9. Insurance can be added upon buyer request. I pack securely with bubble wrap and other packing materials. Packages go out within two days, Monday through Sunday. It usually takes 1-2 days for USPS to scan packages.
Priority Mail Express/UPS are also available.
Payment
I accept PPFF, Venmo, Cash App and Zelle to a certain extent.
Miscellaneous
Feel free to let me know if you have any questions. And as always, I try my best to be competitive on prices. Thats the point of buying from the community. So if any of my prices are off, please let me know.
Best, Gabe
submitted by Gabe0212 to Pmsforsale [link] [comments]
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Howdy! Before getting into todays sale, I want to briefly address the ongoing security concerns with the current scam.
- I will never disclose my password to anyone.
- Not only does my reddit account have 2FA, all my emails associated have 2FA. In general, every account I possess, has 2FA.
- I will never accept Crypto for any reason.
- And lastly, just take precaution. Always ask for proof pictures, check the Ban List, middlemen are worth every penny for the protection it provides to both parties.
Buy with Confidence! Every applicable item is Sigma Verified!
Prices are based on Kitco Ask.
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Gold (Items in this lot)
Pending 10 Gram Gold Bar Koi Fish Imperfect - $776 SPOT
5 Gram Gold PAMP Lakshmi - $650
5 Gram Gold PAMP in Assay - $395 Each (6 available)
5 Gram Gold Engelhard #1 - $465
5 Gram Gold Engelhard #2 (Small Copper Spot) - $460
Pending 2.5 Gram Gold PAMP in Assay (Protective film is off) - $202
2.5 Gram Gold Credit Suisse in Assay - $215
2020 1/4 OZ Gold Australia Marlin - $610
Pending 1984 1/10 Oz Gold Krugerrand - $250
Pending 1988 1/10 Oz Proof American Gold Eagle (Coin in capsule only) - $270
2020 1/10 Oz Gold Canada Bald Eagle Sealed - $251 Each (7 available)
2014 1/10 Oz Proof American Gold Eagle NGC PF 70 Ultra Cameo Angela M. Buchanan SIgned - $350
2018 1/10 Oz Proof American Gold Eagle NGC PF 70 Ultra Cameo John M. Mercanti Signed - $350
1989 1/4 Gold Panda in Black Onyx,14K Gold Bezel at Below MELT - $719 (1/4 Oz Gold Panda. Bezel is about 3.3 Grams of 14k Gold)(Melt is around $752)
1985 1/20 Oz Gold Panda - $129 Each (15 available)
1993 Australian Nugget (Kangaroo) 1/20 Oz Gold - $128
2023 1/20 Oz Gold Year of the Rabbit - $150
1990 1/20 Oz Gold Kangaroo - $126
Pending Mexico Dos Pesos Gold - $129
1911 $5 Gold Indian - $615
Geiger Club Set (1 Gram Gold and 1/2 Oz Silver) Set Number 234 - $145
World's Smallest Gold Coins, Statue of Liberty (.5 Grams of 14k Gold) - $37
World's Smallest Gold Coins, Krugerrand toned (.5 Grams of 14k Gold) - $37 Each (2 available)
World's Smallest Gold Coins, Abraham Lincoln (.5 Grams of 14k Gold) - $37
Pending World's Smallest Gold Coins, Rembrandt van Rijn (.5 Grams of 14k Gold) - $37
Pending .10 Gram Gold KaratPay - $15 Each (11 available)
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Bullion Silver (Items in this lot)
Silver Dragon Laser Engraved .999 Fine (898 Grams) (Unmarked but Sigma Tested) #1 Under Spot! - $880 ($30.50/Ozt)
Silver Dragon Laser Engraved .999 Fine (981 Grams) (Unmarked but Sigma Tested) #2 Under Spot! - $961 ($30.50/Ozt)
4 Ozt Silver Gilded Round in Capsule - $122 (SPOT)
5 Oz Silver Alexander the Great - $156 Each (Below Spot!) (8 available)(Some have had their plastic broken)
22 Troy Ounce Ironman Silver Helmet by Pit Bullion Bellow Melt - $682 ($31/Ozt)(Below Spot)
2018 5 Oz Proof Libertad (Capsule is scruffy) - $235
2 Oz Silver Privateer High Relief "The Captain" - $68
Pending 2009 5 Oz BU Silver Libertad - $195
Generic Silver Pours (Unmarked but Sigma Tested) Below Spot at $30.50/Ozt - $96.25 for the 3.16 Ozt one and $102 for the 3.345 Ozt one.
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Poured Silver (Items in this lot)
5 Ozt Hayleybug Silver Puck - $165
3.92 Ozt Silver Gun Pour - $$119.50 ($30/Ozt)(Under Spot)
Wild Pig 2 Ozt Silver Octopus - $68
Hayleybug 1 Ozt Silver Pour Design #1 - $36
Hayleybug 1 Ozt Silver Pour Design #2 - $36
Hayleybug 1 Ozt Silver Pour Design #3 - $36
Hayleybug 1/2 Oz Silver Pour - $18
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Government/Sovereign Minted Silver Rounds (Items in this lot)
2022 1 Oz Libertad in Fabulous 15 Holder (Milky) - $35 Each (3 available)
Pending 2016 1 Oz Silver Kookaburra Monkey Privy - $33
Pending 2022 1 Ozt Silver Phoenix (Cracked Capsule) - $32
Pending 1986 Proof Silver Eagle Capsule and Velvet Case only - $52
2019 1 Oz Proof Krugerrand - $44 (Milky)
All Pending Proof Silver Eagles all with Box and COA - $49 Each
Years available (1) 2001, (2) 2002, (2) 2003, (2) 2004, (1) 2005, (1) 2006, (1) 2014
2021 1 Oz Silver Swan - $33
2012 1 OZ Year of the Dragon (minor toning) - $48
2020 1 OZ Australia 1 Dollar - $32
2001 Silver Eagle "9/11" Colorized - $31.50
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Silver Bars (Items in this lot)
1 Oz Silver Shitters Full - $44
2022 3 Oz 40th Anniversary Libertad Bar - $225 (2 Oz Silver Bar with a 1 Oz Libertad inside)
10 Gram Silver Geiger in Assay - $17 Each (2 available)
1 Oz PAMP "Am Yisrael Chai!" - $95
5 Gram Geiger Silver in Assay - $11
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Fractional Silver
All Pending 1 Gram Silver MPM Fish - $1.50 Each (70 available)
1/10 Silver Medjugorje Queen of Peace - $3.50 Each (69 available)
1 Gram Silver - $1.50 Each (500 available)
1/10 Oz Silver Morgan Rounds (Milky) - $3.50 Each (3 avaialble)
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1 Oz Silver Rounds (Items in this lot)
Pending Worlds Wildlife "The Bear" 1 Oz - $32
1 Oz Silver Vikings in Capsule - $31.50 Each (1 available)
2024 Samoa Year of the Dragon with Black Rhodium Plating Coin - $55
1 Oz Generics - $31 Each (9 available)(Under Spot)
2 Pending 1 Oz Engelhard Rounds - $33 Each (5 available)
1 Oz New Aztec Calendar Design #1 - $32 Each (6 available)
1 Oz New Aztec Calendar Design #2 - $32 Each (10 available)
2022 Liberty 1 Oz (Norfed Type)(Milky) - $32.50 Each (7 available)
1 Oz Silver John Wick Round - $31.50
Pending 1 Oz African Wildlife "The Giraffe" Proof - $32 (Minor Milk)
1 Oz Silver "Connect #6" - $32
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90% Silver (Items in this lot)
1999-2020 Silver Proof Quarter Sets - $695 about $25 Per FV (22 individual lenses, 111 silver proof quarters. Includes 1999-2009 Statehood and US Territories, 2010-2020 America the Beautiful. (2019/2020 quarters are .999 fine and 1999-2018 are .90 fine)
90% Silver Proof Quarters in Lenses (Some toned) - $29 Each Lens (8 available)
$3 FV Lot of 90% Silver - $70 for the Lot
90% Silver Proof Dimes (Slight Milk) - $2.30 Each (4 available)
90% Silver Roosevelt Dimes - $2.15 Each ($20 FV available)(Slightly under melt)
90% Silver Proof Quarters (Slight Milk) - $5.75 Each (3 available)
.999 2022 Silver Proof Quarters - $9 Each (2 available)
90% Silver Proof Kennedy (Slight Milk) - $11.50 Each (2 available)
90% Silver Kennedy Half Dollars - $11.37 Each (10 available)
40% Silver Kennedy Half Dollars Under Melt - $4.25 Each (24 available)
3 Pending Peace Dollars - $25.50 Each (6 available)
Pending Peace Dollar Key Chain - $27
1934 S Peace Dollar #1 - $29
1934 S Peace Dollar #2 - $29
Pending 1926 S Peace Dollar - $29
Pending 1904 O Morgan Silver Dollar - $33
1991 USO 90% Silver Dollar Proof with Box and COA (Slight Milk) - $24 Each (2 available)
2001 US Capital Silver Dollar Proof with Box and COA - $24
1995 Civil War Battlefield Silver Dollar and Clad Half Dollar - $26
1991 Mount Rushmore 90% Silver Dollar and Clad Half Dollar (Milky) - $24
1990 Prestige Proof Set - $27
1999 Silver Proof Set With Box and COA (Slight Milk) - $44 Each (2 avaialble)
1962 Proof Set (Some are loose) - $22
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Slabs (Items in this lot)
1986-2005 Proof Silver Eagle Set (20 Coins/Slabs) All Graded by NGC as PF 69 Ultra Cameo! - $1,325 for set, includes NGC Slab Box.
2018 Australia 1 Oz Kookaburra Dog Privy PCGS MS 70 - $69
2021 S PCGS MS 70 Silver Eagle - $44
2021 PCGS MS 70 Silver Eagle (Last Production) - $44
2006 W Proof Silver Eagle NGC PF 69 Imperfect - $54
2023 Dragons of the World 1 Oz Egyptian Dragon NGC MS 70 Antiqued - $110 (Thick Slab)
2021 The Red Flag Fleet Ching Shih NGC MS 70 - $50
2019 South Korea Silver Proof Medal NGC PF 70 Ultra Cameo - $78 (Minor Milk on reverse)
2018 W Silver Eagle NGC MS 70 Mercanti - $
1995 1 Oz American Silver Eagle MS 69 ANACS - $37
2011 Great Britain S5PND Olympics Countdown NGC PF 69 Ultra Cameo - $39
1986 S Proof Silver Eagle PCGS PR 69 DCAM - $75
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Copper
1 Oz Copper Will Myers - $2
5 Ozt WildPig Copper Poured Bar - $14 Each
2.21 Ozt WildPig Copper Poured Bar - $10 Each
WildPig Copper Fossil Round - $8.5 Each (4 available)(Weights Range from 45-49 Grams Each)
WildPig Copper Frankenstein Round - $6 Each (7 available)(Weights Range from 24-29 Grams Each)
1 Oz Copper Bar - $1.50
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Random Items (Last 4 are NSFW)(Items in this lot)
2022 1 Gram Platinum Panda in OGP - $77
1 Gram PAMP Platinum - $42
Sterling Silver, "The Virgin of the Rocks" Gold Gilded - $61 (Melt, 65.60 Grams)
2 Oz Silver Revolver - $195
Pending 2 Oz Silver Doggaebi - $74
Pending 2 Oz Silver Doggaebi (Cracked Capsule) - $68
Pending 2 Oz Silver Michelangelo's Eyes - $75
Both Pending 2 Oz Silver South Korea Shield of St Michael - $88 Each (2 available)
Sterling Silver - Wild Pig Pours Modern Solid Cuff Bracelet - 77.7 Grams - $85 (Melt is around $72)
Lockermint 1 Oz Holiday Wenches Colorized Sealed - $85
Lockermint 1 Oz Locker Wenches - $
CMG Mint 1/10 Oz Silver Bar "Happy Birthday" NSFW - $10 Each (3 available)
St Louis Mint 1/10 Oz Silver Bar "Jasmine" NSFW - $10 Each (3 available)
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Shipping
Shipping ranges from $5-$6.50 for Ground Advantage. Heavier packages can ship ground advantage or Priority Mail for $9. Insurance can be added upon buyer request. I pack securely with bubble wrap and other packing materials. Packages go out within two days, Monday through Sunday. It usually takes 1-2 days for USPS to scan packages.
Priority Mail Express/UPS are also available.
Payment
I accept PPFF, Venmo, Cash App and Zelle to a certain extent.
Miscellaneous
Feel free to let me know if you have any questions. And as always, I try my best to be competitive on prices. Thats the point of buying from the community. So if any of my prices are off, please let me know.
Best, Gabe
2024.05.19 03:53 MyVirgoIsShowing Petition for a Cats & Dogs Refresh
Squad. It’s time, can we as a community rally around a Cats & Dogs refresh?
For everyone who has pets, probably feel the same as me. The cats & dogs pack leaves so much to be desired. Especially with all of the new packs, some integration is in order. I would love to get the community talking about this ❤️
Here are some of my thoughts for a cats & dogs refresh. Let me know some of your ideas and how you would feel about a cats & dogs refresh
Cats & Dogs Refresh Ideas
Gameplay
Cross Pack Compatibility - Knittable clothing for cats and dogs (Nifty Knitting) - cats & dogs included in family dynamics, I would love to see this, it may be #1 on my wish list (Growing Together) - “guards” chickens, horses, goats/sheep from foxes or other intruders (Cottage Living & Horse Ranch)
If you read this far you are a real hero! I don’t expect this much in a refresh, but dang this would impact my game in so many ways! I would even buy this pack again to see these features added.
Thoughts?
submitted by MyVirgoIsShowing to Sims4 [link] [comments]
For everyone who has pets, probably feel the same as me. The cats & dogs pack leaves so much to be desired. Especially with all of the new packs, some integration is in order. I would love to get the community talking about this ❤️
Here are some of my thoughts for a cats & dogs refresh. Let me know some of your ideas and how you would feel about a cats & dogs refresh
Cats & Dogs Refresh Ideas
Gameplay
- Click on pets to and view sim profiles, inventory, family tree, skills, etc. Not quite fully playable, but I would like to see their sims panels
- cats/dogs training tricks have a skill bar (for each or lumped together, and skills for hunting, and obedience)
- dogs sleep in bed with you if there is an open slot (and a training option to ask them to not jump on the bed)
- pet competitions for pets to compete and earn an income, rabbit hole that gives random ribbons and prizes. Pet training skill for both sim and pet impact performance
- go look for dog interaction where sims go into rabbit hole and have a 10% chance of finding them
- add fear training, to help them get over fears (see fears in pet sim profile as a train, like human sims fears) and maybe a new fear or two like separation
- increase pool autonomy and more dog pool interactions (like lay on a pool floatie and fetch)
- train puppies, simple commands like sit, lay down, and stay
- allow kids to walk the dog
- walk 2 dogs at once per sim (either a double leash or one in each hand)
- walk dogs together interaction where multiple sims walk multiple dogs together, like a hike from snowy escape. Also I haven’t used the hike interaction much but if you can’t bring dogs, update allows you to bring dogs on a hike
- pets autonomously interact with each other more, I want to see them cuddle and play and sniff and clean each other, be silly together (I would LOVE if dogs could reject these too! Like when you give a cautious greeting - based on traits)
- a mental stimulation toy, something to decrease pet energy and increase fun and skills (lots of options: puzzle toys, snuggle mats, lick mats, a kong)
- bones! A consumable item for pets (mostly dogs) that they chew with the same effects as a mental stimulation toy, thibk bully stick, dried yak (llama) cheese, a classic bone, etc.
- cat shelves, a set of shelves (not modular) that cats can climb on
- crate for each size, for smaller size it could also be a carrying crate used for training and as a bed
- slow feeder pet bowl (no effect needed)
- more dog beds! Especially for large breeds, the bends in game are way too big and need more styles
- more toy bin styles, like a wicker or fabric basket
- a new cat tree
- a new scratching post
- a new version of the existing agility course objects
- a new harness, less bulky
- a matching pj set to the basegame pjs
- Loves water: loves baths, autonomously plays in puddles, jumps in the pool, plays in the pool and ponds, plays in the rain
- Protector: autonomously sits and lays down by the door and “guards”, growls at strangers (ugh if only we had burglars), “guards” other pets
Cross Pack Compatibility - Knittable clothing for cats and dogs (Nifty Knitting) - cats & dogs included in family dynamics, I would love to see this, it may be #1 on my wish list (Growing Together) - “guards” chickens, horses, goats/sheep from foxes or other intruders (Cottage Living & Horse Ranch)
Thoughts?
2024.05.19 03:47 everytingalldatime My newest pet client
 | This is Nutmeg, my newest doggy drop in client. submitted by everytingalldatime to petsitting [link] [comments] I let her have some zoomies today in the yard and it was her favorite. She’s a sweetheart. I wish I had video of it but apparently she’s a fearful dog. I wouldn’t have known it because she greeted me at my car door with her toy. Haha. I was kind of forced into starting my pet biz, but no regerts. And I feel a little miffed that I HAD to start this, instead of doing it for funzies on the side. But you know what? These pets don’t care that I profusely sweat (tropical climate). They actually like it. Haha. Thankful there are pet parents here that care for their pets enough to trust and pay me to care for them when they’re gone! Also, super fortunate so far to get excellent leash walkers! Also, gonna recommend getting yourself some neon shirts! I got this one through RedBubble and used that to put my business name/logo on it. This worked out perfectly tonight when I had to walk this doggo closer to sunset than I prefer. I felt like cars could see me better (have to walk on a main road). I’m gonna get myself a few more! |
2024.05.19 03:40 PaleoWorldExplorer My Headcannon for the Start of the Titan War
The beginning of the bitter rivalry between the Gojiras and the Great Apes started around the late Neogene to early Quaternary period. The Iwi people were at their highest point, accomplishing many feats in architecture, technology, and art. The Iwi expanded their range across the Hollow Earth to the point of splitting off into different factions and adapting to new environments, developing their own culture independently. This cultural shift has been correlated with the first well-established instances of religion by the Iwi, and the gods they worshipped were none other than the Titans. It is well established that the Iwi regarded the Great Apes with reverence, but this is an oversimplification, as the Iwi are a diverse people, and various factions of the Iwi worshipped different Titans due in part to the different relationships they had with them.
Iwi factions that resided in the jungles or plains typically worshipped the Great Apes, intelligent Titans that also achieved many of the same feats as they did. They exchanged information and ideas with each other, built monuments, settlements, and advanced plumbing systems together, and the Great Apes protected the Iwi from hostile Titans. Iwis aligned with the Great Apes were more independent from nature and could obtain their resources from their crops and livestock. Iwi factions that lived in more coastal regions such as mangroves and beaches worshipped the Gojiras. While the Gojiras were not their defenders in the same manner as the Great Apes were, these Iwi still worshipped them as protectors of balance, neutral forces that do not obligate themselves to defend any one particular people or animals. Still, archaeological records indicate the Gojiras had a soft spot for humans and even developed symbiotic relationships with them. These Iwi, while not as proactive in building monuments as the Great Ape aligned Iwi, still built impressive monuments for their reptilian lords to rest in. They also would pick out dermal parasites on Gojiras for food, freeing them from pesky parasites. And there are even reported cases of seafaring Iwi working with young Gojiras to hunt fish, much like surface world humans and orcas. The Gojira aligned Iwi were hunter gatherers and relied on gathering resources from the wild, especially from aquatic environments. There are also many other Iwi factions that worshipped Mosura, the moth god, or regarded more than one or even all Titans as benevolent gods. Most of these Iwi factions reached a middle ground as hunter-gatherers and architects and farmers.
The Gojiras and the Great Apes, along with their human allies, initially coexisted. Both sides did not have overlapping territories, and even when they did, their niche portioning avoided conflict over the same resources. Tensions began to arise when the Great Apes and their Iwi allies began to expand their range, destroying habitats and displacing local flora and fauna. They also brought invasive species along with them, both intentionally and unintentionally. One of these species was the MUTO, the young of which are a delicacy to the Great Apes, but a deadly parasite to the Gojiras. The aqueducts constructed by the Great Apes and their Iwi allies, however, was a bigger problem, as they expelled a dangerous amount of wastewater, polluting the waters that the Gojiras and their Iwi allies heavily depended on. The Gojiras were the first to open fire, destroying entire settlements that they found to be too close for comfort. While their goal was to destroy the settlements and not kill the Great Apes or Iwi, collateral damage could not be avoided. Current research indicates that these attacks did not lead to any fatalities, but in response, the Great Apes would launch attacks of their own, usually by hurling objects (rocks, dung, etc.) at Gojiras to intimidate them into fleeing the territory. This sparked a cold war between the Gojiras and Great Apes, with their Iwi allies accompanying them in their conflict. Neither side wanted a full-on war, but they both wanted the other side to leave. The Mosura worshipping Iwi were the mediators in this conflict, as Mosura had a symbiotic relationship with both Gojiras and Great Apes. Mosura would relay messages from the Gojiras and their Iwi allies to the Great Apes and their Iwi allies and vice versa. This diplomacy seemed to have worked, and the Great Apes, for the most part, were willing to adjust their ways to continue their lifestyles without a cost to the Gojiras. But not all Great Apes were happy with this.
There were two types of Great Apes in the Hollow Earth, the Pankongs (which includes Kong) and the Orangutitans (which includes Skar King). The Orangutitans, initially thought to be a different species of ape, have been confirmed by DNA analysis to be a unique ecotype adapted for life in the mountainous cloud forests of the Hollow Earth. They are distinguished by their leaner, more athletic build and red hair is a dominant trait. The Orangutitans were an isolationist culture and unlike other Great Apes, they did not have many Iwi allies. They built megamonuments much like their counterparts, but had a clear social hierarchy, with the king, the son of royal blood, at the top, middle class workers, and slaves at the bottom. They believed that the Gojiras were an evil force that had to be destroyed and the Great Apes that found a way to co-exist with them were traitors to their species. Despite this extreme ideology, the Orangutitans seemed to have a high moral code, regarding each individual with value, care, and respect; even their slaves were guaranteed a humane lifestyle, even if denied freedom. And their number one rule that could not be broken was that they could not kill another ape, not even traitors.
However, things changed during the rule of the Manic King (The name I would give to Skar King's father). This king neglected his duties in protecting his people, focusing more on planning a crusade against the Gojiras and their allies to finally eradicate them. He also broke their moral codes in that he allowed his soldiers to kill each other in mortal combat. According to records, he believed that in order to win against the Gojiras, he needed to weed out inferior blood and promote only the strongest and healthiest bloodlines. These records also indicated that the king truly believed he was morally right and had no interest in conquering the Great Apes or the world, only in destroying the Gojiras. However, he died before he could carry out these plans. His son, Skar King, ascended to the throne and picked up where his father left off, but he had other plans.
The Skar King had no interest in upholding his peoples' morals or serving anyone else but himself, and he wanted control over the Titans and the Hollow Earth and the surface world underneath his foot. So instead of attacking the Gojiras as his father planned, he sent his forces, which included other kaiju such as domesticated Wart Dogs and Skullcrawlers to invade the settlements of other Great Apes and the Iwi, conquering them and taking the inhabitants captive as slaves. The strongest of the conquered were either converted into loyal soldiers for executed if they were disloyal. Mosura, Godzilla and some of the other Gojiras responded with force, seeing this invasion as an existential threat, but most of the Gojiras did not intervene, seeing this as an ape-only conflict that did not directly impact them. This changed when the Skar King began to send war parties hunting Gojiras, some of which he partook in, which ultimately caused the Titan War. Most Gojiras indiscriminately targeted all Great Apes and their Iwi allies, even those who escaped Skar King and did not do his bidding, forcing these refugees to fight back. When they were outmatched, they were exiled by the Gojiras to Skull Island. As for Skar King's empire, this fight waged on for much longer until the Gojiras trapped them deep within the Hollow Earth. At the end, both sides took heavy losses, with the Gojira species being brought to the brink of extinction, and now Godzilla is the endling of the species. The fate of the Great Apes looked grim as well. The refugees on Skull Island had a rough time, and a very small number of Skar King's goons who were fortunate enough not to be present at the final battle between the Gojiras and Great Apes released a swarm of Skullcrawlers to exterminate the rest of the refugees, leaving just one sole survivor. The rest of the Great Apes would continue to live under the tyrannical iron fist of the Skar King, who now developed a deep hatred for Godzilla, not for killing many of his people, but for getting in his way of conquest and confining him to a prison for millennia. From that point on, he continued to plot his global conquest, rallying his supporters and claiming control of the ancient ice Titan, Shimo.
submitted by PaleoWorldExplorer to Monsterverse [link] [comments]
Iwi factions that resided in the jungles or plains typically worshipped the Great Apes, intelligent Titans that also achieved many of the same feats as they did. They exchanged information and ideas with each other, built monuments, settlements, and advanced plumbing systems together, and the Great Apes protected the Iwi from hostile Titans. Iwis aligned with the Great Apes were more independent from nature and could obtain their resources from their crops and livestock. Iwi factions that lived in more coastal regions such as mangroves and beaches worshipped the Gojiras. While the Gojiras were not their defenders in the same manner as the Great Apes were, these Iwi still worshipped them as protectors of balance, neutral forces that do not obligate themselves to defend any one particular people or animals. Still, archaeological records indicate the Gojiras had a soft spot for humans and even developed symbiotic relationships with them. These Iwi, while not as proactive in building monuments as the Great Ape aligned Iwi, still built impressive monuments for their reptilian lords to rest in. They also would pick out dermal parasites on Gojiras for food, freeing them from pesky parasites. And there are even reported cases of seafaring Iwi working with young Gojiras to hunt fish, much like surface world humans and orcas. The Gojira aligned Iwi were hunter gatherers and relied on gathering resources from the wild, especially from aquatic environments. There are also many other Iwi factions that worshipped Mosura, the moth god, or regarded more than one or even all Titans as benevolent gods. Most of these Iwi factions reached a middle ground as hunter-gatherers and architects and farmers.
The Gojiras and the Great Apes, along with their human allies, initially coexisted. Both sides did not have overlapping territories, and even when they did, their niche portioning avoided conflict over the same resources. Tensions began to arise when the Great Apes and their Iwi allies began to expand their range, destroying habitats and displacing local flora and fauna. They also brought invasive species along with them, both intentionally and unintentionally. One of these species was the MUTO, the young of which are a delicacy to the Great Apes, but a deadly parasite to the Gojiras. The aqueducts constructed by the Great Apes and their Iwi allies, however, was a bigger problem, as they expelled a dangerous amount of wastewater, polluting the waters that the Gojiras and their Iwi allies heavily depended on. The Gojiras were the first to open fire, destroying entire settlements that they found to be too close for comfort. While their goal was to destroy the settlements and not kill the Great Apes or Iwi, collateral damage could not be avoided. Current research indicates that these attacks did not lead to any fatalities, but in response, the Great Apes would launch attacks of their own, usually by hurling objects (rocks, dung, etc.) at Gojiras to intimidate them into fleeing the territory. This sparked a cold war between the Gojiras and Great Apes, with their Iwi allies accompanying them in their conflict. Neither side wanted a full-on war, but they both wanted the other side to leave. The Mosura worshipping Iwi were the mediators in this conflict, as Mosura had a symbiotic relationship with both Gojiras and Great Apes. Mosura would relay messages from the Gojiras and their Iwi allies to the Great Apes and their Iwi allies and vice versa. This diplomacy seemed to have worked, and the Great Apes, for the most part, were willing to adjust their ways to continue their lifestyles without a cost to the Gojiras. But not all Great Apes were happy with this.
There were two types of Great Apes in the Hollow Earth, the Pankongs (which includes Kong) and the Orangutitans (which includes Skar King). The Orangutitans, initially thought to be a different species of ape, have been confirmed by DNA analysis to be a unique ecotype adapted for life in the mountainous cloud forests of the Hollow Earth. They are distinguished by their leaner, more athletic build and red hair is a dominant trait. The Orangutitans were an isolationist culture and unlike other Great Apes, they did not have many Iwi allies. They built megamonuments much like their counterparts, but had a clear social hierarchy, with the king, the son of royal blood, at the top, middle class workers, and slaves at the bottom. They believed that the Gojiras were an evil force that had to be destroyed and the Great Apes that found a way to co-exist with them were traitors to their species. Despite this extreme ideology, the Orangutitans seemed to have a high moral code, regarding each individual with value, care, and respect; even their slaves were guaranteed a humane lifestyle, even if denied freedom. And their number one rule that could not be broken was that they could not kill another ape, not even traitors.
However, things changed during the rule of the Manic King (The name I would give to Skar King's father). This king neglected his duties in protecting his people, focusing more on planning a crusade against the Gojiras and their allies to finally eradicate them. He also broke their moral codes in that he allowed his soldiers to kill each other in mortal combat. According to records, he believed that in order to win against the Gojiras, he needed to weed out inferior blood and promote only the strongest and healthiest bloodlines. These records also indicated that the king truly believed he was morally right and had no interest in conquering the Great Apes or the world, only in destroying the Gojiras. However, he died before he could carry out these plans. His son, Skar King, ascended to the throne and picked up where his father left off, but he had other plans.
The Skar King had no interest in upholding his peoples' morals or serving anyone else but himself, and he wanted control over the Titans and the Hollow Earth and the surface world underneath his foot. So instead of attacking the Gojiras as his father planned, he sent his forces, which included other kaiju such as domesticated Wart Dogs and Skullcrawlers to invade the settlements of other Great Apes and the Iwi, conquering them and taking the inhabitants captive as slaves. The strongest of the conquered were either converted into loyal soldiers for executed if they were disloyal. Mosura, Godzilla and some of the other Gojiras responded with force, seeing this invasion as an existential threat, but most of the Gojiras did not intervene, seeing this as an ape-only conflict that did not directly impact them. This changed when the Skar King began to send war parties hunting Gojiras, some of which he partook in, which ultimately caused the Titan War. Most Gojiras indiscriminately targeted all Great Apes and their Iwi allies, even those who escaped Skar King and did not do his bidding, forcing these refugees to fight back. When they were outmatched, they were exiled by the Gojiras to Skull Island. As for Skar King's empire, this fight waged on for much longer until the Gojiras trapped them deep within the Hollow Earth. At the end, both sides took heavy losses, with the Gojira species being brought to the brink of extinction, and now Godzilla is the endling of the species. The fate of the Great Apes looked grim as well. The refugees on Skull Island had a rough time, and a very small number of Skar King's goons who were fortunate enough not to be present at the final battle between the Gojiras and Great Apes released a swarm of Skullcrawlers to exterminate the rest of the refugees, leaving just one sole survivor. The rest of the Great Apes would continue to live under the tyrannical iron fist of the Skar King, who now developed a deep hatred for Godzilla, not for killing many of his people, but for getting in his way of conquest and confining him to a prison for millennia. From that point on, he continued to plot his global conquest, rallying his supporters and claiming control of the ancient ice Titan, Shimo.
2024.05.19 03:32 JoshAsdvgi Navajo Skinwalkers
Navajo Skinwalkers
In the Navajo culture, a skinwalker is a type of harmful witch who has the ability to turn into, possess, or disguise themselves as an animal.
This witch is called “yee naaldlooshii” by the Navajo, which translates to “with it, he goes on all fours.”
It is just one of several types of Navajo witches and is considered the most volatile and dangerous.
For the Navajo people, witchcraft is just another part of their spirituality and one of the “ways” of their lives.
As such, witchcraft has long been part of their culture, history, and traditions.
Witches exist alongside humans and are not supernaturals.
The Navajo believe there are places where the powers of both good and evil are present and that those powers can be harnessed for either.
Medicine men utilize these powers to heal and aid members of their communities, while those who practice Navajo witchcraft, seek to direct the spiritual forces to cause harm or misfortune to others.
This type of Navajo witchcraft is known as the “Witchery Way,” which uses human corpses in various ways such as tools from the bones, and concoctions that are used to curse, harm, or kill intended victims.
The knowledge of these powers is passed down from the elders through the generations.
The Navajo are part of a larger culture area that also includes the Pueblo people, Apache, Hopi, Ute, and other groups that also have their own versions of the Skinwalker, but each includes a malevolent witch capable of transforming itself into an animal.
Among these tribes, a number of stories and descriptions have been told throughout the years about the Skinwalkers.
Sometimes, these witches evolved from living their lives as respected healers or spiritual guides, who later chose to use their powers for evil.
Though they can be either male or female, they are more often male.
They walk freely among the tribe during the day and secretly transform under the cover of night.
In order to become a Skinwalker, he or she must be initiated by a secret society that requires the evilest of deeds – the killing of a close family member, most often a sibling.
After this task has been completed, the individual then acquires supernatural powers, which gives them the ability to shape-shift into animals.
Most often, they are seen in the form of coyotes, wolves, foxes, cougars, dogs, and bears, but can take the shape of any animal.
They then wear the skins of the animals they transform into, hence, the name Skinwalker. Sometimes, they also wore animal skulls or antlers atop their heads, which brought them more power.
They choose what animal they wanted to turn into, depending on the abilities needed for a particular task, such as speed, strength, endurance, stealth, claws, and teeth, etc.
They may transform again if trying to escape from pursuers.
Because of this, the Navajo consider it taboo for its members to wear the pelt of any predatory animal. However, sheepskin, leather, and buckskin are acceptable.
The skinwalkers are also able to take possession of the bodies of human victims if a person locks eyes with them.
After taking control, the witch can make its victims do and say things that they wouldn’t otherwise.
Once they were shape-shifted, one way that others could tell that they were not a real animal is that their eyes are very different than those of the animal.
Instead, their eyes are very human, and when lights are shined on them, they turn bright red.
Alternatively, when they are in human form, their eyes look more like animals.
The evil society of the witches gather in dark caves or secluded places for several purposes – to initiate new members, plot their activities, harm people from a distance with black magic, and perform dark ceremonial rites.
These ceremonies are similar to other tribal affairs, including dancing, feasts, rituals, and sand-painting, but were “corrupted” with dark connotations.
The evildoers are also said to engage in necrophilia with female corpses, commit cannibalism, incest, and grave robberies.
During these gatherings, the Skinwalkers shape-shift into their animal forms or go about naked, wearing only beaded jewelry and ceremonial paint.
The leader of the Skinwalkers is usually an old man, who is a very powerful and long-lived Skinwalker.
Skinwalkers also have other powers including reading others’ minds, controlling their thoughts and behavior, causing disease and illness, destroying property, and even death.
Those who have talked of their encounters with these evil beings describe a number of ways to know if a skinwalker is near.
They make sounds around homes, such as knocking on windows, banging on walls, and scraping noises on the roof.
On some occasions, they have been spied peering through windows.
More often, they appear in front of vehicles in hopes of causing a serious accident.
It is said that, in addition to being able to shapeshift, the Skinwalker is also able to control the creatures of the night, such as wolves and owls, and to make them do its bidding.
Some are able to call up the spirits of the dead and reanimate the corpses to attack their enemies.
Because of this, you shouldn't ventured out alone.
Its supernatural powers are uncanny, as they are said to run faster than a car and have the ability to jump high cliffs.
They are extremely fast, agile, impossible to catch and leave tracks that are larger than those of any animal. When they have been seen, they have been described as not quite human and not fully animal.
They are usually naked, but some have reported seeing the creature wearing tattered shirts or jeans.
The Skinwalker kills out of greed, anger, envy, spite, or revenge.
It also robs graves for personal wealth and to collect much-needed ingredients for use in black magic.
These witches live on the unexpired lives of their victims and they must continually kill or perish themselves.
Skinwalkers and other witches have long been blamed for all manner of unexpected struggles and tragedies through the years, including sickness, drought, poor crops, and sudden deaths.
Even smaller or individual problems such as windstorms during dances, alienation of affection by mates, the death of livestock, and reversal of fortune, were often believed to be the work of a witch.
This was most apparent with the Navajo Witch Purge of 1878, which initially evolved from a cultural response to so many people moving across and onto their lands.
After a series of wars with the U.S. Army, the Navajo were expelled from their land and forced to march to the Bosque Redondo (Fort Sumner) in New Mexico in what is known as the Long Walk of the Navajo in 1864.
There, the people suffered from bad water, failed crops, illness, and death, reducing their numbers dramatically.
After four years, the government finally admitted they had made a mistake and the Navajo were allowed to return to their homeland in the Four Corners area.
During these years, many of the tribe’s members were said to have turned to shape-shifting to escape the terrible conditions.
In the meantime, the rest of the tribe were convinced that their gods had deserted them.
Once the people had returned to their homeland, their conditions improved, but the dreaded skinwalkers, for whom they blamed for their years on the bleak reservation, were still among them.
Accusations of witchcraft and the hunting of the skinwalkers began.
When someone found a collection of witch artifacts wrapped in a copy of the Treaty of 1868, the tribal members unleashed deadly consequences.
The “Navajo Witch Purge” occurred in 1878, in which 40 Navajo suspected witches were killed in order to restore harmony and balance for the tribe.
Today, most of the tales of sightings of these witches do not include death or injury, but rather, are more “trickster-like.”
Numerous people have told stories of swift animals running alongside their vehicles, matching their speed. After a short period, however, they run off into the wilderness.
Along the way, these animals sometimes turn into a man, who sometimes bangs on the hood.
Another story tells of a man who was making repairs on an old ranch home when he began to hear loud laughter coming from the nearby sheep pens.
Thinking he was alone, he went to investigate and found all of the sheep but one huddled in one corner of the pen.
However, there was a lone ram separated from the group that was standing upright and laughing in a very human manner.
After the man locks eyes with the ram, he sees that his eyes are not that of an animal, but very like a human’s. The animal then casually walked away on all four legs.
Some say they have seen them running through the night, sometimes turning into a fiery ball, leaving streaks of color behind them.
Others have seen angry-looking humanoid figures looking down on them from cliffs, mountains, and mesas.
In the 1980s one of the most notable events occurred when a family was driving through the Navajo Reservation.
As they slowed to make a sharp curve, something jumped from the ditch.
It was described as black, hairy, and wore a shirt and pants.
A few days after this event, at their home in Flagstaff, Arizona, the family was awakened to the sounds of loud drumming and chanting.
Outside their home were three dark forms of “men” outside their fence.
However, these shadowy creatures were seemingly unable to climb the fence and soon left.
These events have occurred in the Four-Corners area of southwest Colorado, southeast Utah, northeast Arizona, and northwest New Mexico.
In the 1990s, a ranch in northeast Utah, far away from the Navajo Reservation, became the partial focus of the Skinwalkers.
Called the Sherman Ranch, the Skinwalker Ranch, and the UFO Ranch, this place has a history of UFOs, aliens, cattle mutilations, and crop circles.
Located near the Ute Indian reservation, these people have long thought that the Navajo put a curse on their tribe in retribution for many perceived transgressions and since then, the skinwalkers have plagued the Ute people.
Witchcraft represents the antithesis of Navajo cultural values and is not tolerated.
They work to avoid it, prevent it, and cure it in their daily behaviors.
However, when it exists, their laws have always said that when a person becomes a witch, they have forfeited their humanity and their right to exist, so they should be killed.
However, skinwalkers are notoriously hard to kill and attempts are usually unsuccessful.
Trying to kill one will often result in the witch seeking revenge.
Successful killing generally requires the assistance of a powerful shaman, who knows spells and rituals that can turn the Skinwalker’s evil back upon itself.
Another alternative is to shoot the creature with bullets that have been dipped into white ash.
However, this shot must hit the witch in the neck or the head.
Traditionally, the Navajo will not speak with outsiders about these creatures, for fear of retribution by the skinwalkers.
For that matter, it is a taboo subject amongst the natives themselves.
“These are not things that need or should be discussed by outsiders.
At all.
I’m sorry if that seems ‘unfair,’ but that’s how our cultures survive.” – Dr. Adrienne Keene, Native American academic, writer, and activist
submitted by JoshAsdvgi to Native_Stories [link] [comments]
In the Navajo culture, a skinwalker is a type of harmful witch who has the ability to turn into, possess, or disguise themselves as an animal.
This witch is called “yee naaldlooshii” by the Navajo, which translates to “with it, he goes on all fours.”
It is just one of several types of Navajo witches and is considered the most volatile and dangerous.
For the Navajo people, witchcraft is just another part of their spirituality and one of the “ways” of their lives.
As such, witchcraft has long been part of their culture, history, and traditions.
Witches exist alongside humans and are not supernaturals.
The Navajo believe there are places where the powers of both good and evil are present and that those powers can be harnessed for either.
Medicine men utilize these powers to heal and aid members of their communities, while those who practice Navajo witchcraft, seek to direct the spiritual forces to cause harm or misfortune to others.
This type of Navajo witchcraft is known as the “Witchery Way,” which uses human corpses in various ways such as tools from the bones, and concoctions that are used to curse, harm, or kill intended victims.
The knowledge of these powers is passed down from the elders through the generations.
The Navajo are part of a larger culture area that also includes the Pueblo people, Apache, Hopi, Ute, and other groups that also have their own versions of the Skinwalker, but each includes a malevolent witch capable of transforming itself into an animal.
Among these tribes, a number of stories and descriptions have been told throughout the years about the Skinwalkers.
Sometimes, these witches evolved from living their lives as respected healers or spiritual guides, who later chose to use their powers for evil.
Though they can be either male or female, they are more often male.
They walk freely among the tribe during the day and secretly transform under the cover of night.
In order to become a Skinwalker, he or she must be initiated by a secret society that requires the evilest of deeds – the killing of a close family member, most often a sibling.
After this task has been completed, the individual then acquires supernatural powers, which gives them the ability to shape-shift into animals.
Most often, they are seen in the form of coyotes, wolves, foxes, cougars, dogs, and bears, but can take the shape of any animal.
They then wear the skins of the animals they transform into, hence, the name Skinwalker. Sometimes, they also wore animal skulls or antlers atop their heads, which brought them more power.
They choose what animal they wanted to turn into, depending on the abilities needed for a particular task, such as speed, strength, endurance, stealth, claws, and teeth, etc.
They may transform again if trying to escape from pursuers.
Because of this, the Navajo consider it taboo for its members to wear the pelt of any predatory animal. However, sheepskin, leather, and buckskin are acceptable.
The skinwalkers are also able to take possession of the bodies of human victims if a person locks eyes with them.
After taking control, the witch can make its victims do and say things that they wouldn’t otherwise.
Once they were shape-shifted, one way that others could tell that they were not a real animal is that their eyes are very different than those of the animal.
Instead, their eyes are very human, and when lights are shined on them, they turn bright red.
Alternatively, when they are in human form, their eyes look more like animals.
The evil society of the witches gather in dark caves or secluded places for several purposes – to initiate new members, plot their activities, harm people from a distance with black magic, and perform dark ceremonial rites.
These ceremonies are similar to other tribal affairs, including dancing, feasts, rituals, and sand-painting, but were “corrupted” with dark connotations.
The evildoers are also said to engage in necrophilia with female corpses, commit cannibalism, incest, and grave robberies.
During these gatherings, the Skinwalkers shape-shift into their animal forms or go about naked, wearing only beaded jewelry and ceremonial paint.
The leader of the Skinwalkers is usually an old man, who is a very powerful and long-lived Skinwalker.
Skinwalkers also have other powers including reading others’ minds, controlling their thoughts and behavior, causing disease and illness, destroying property, and even death.
Those who have talked of their encounters with these evil beings describe a number of ways to know if a skinwalker is near.
They make sounds around homes, such as knocking on windows, banging on walls, and scraping noises on the roof.
On some occasions, they have been spied peering through windows.
More often, they appear in front of vehicles in hopes of causing a serious accident.
It is said that, in addition to being able to shapeshift, the Skinwalker is also able to control the creatures of the night, such as wolves and owls, and to make them do its bidding.
Some are able to call up the spirits of the dead and reanimate the corpses to attack their enemies.
Because of this, you shouldn't ventured out alone.
Its supernatural powers are uncanny, as they are said to run faster than a car and have the ability to jump high cliffs.
They are extremely fast, agile, impossible to catch and leave tracks that are larger than those of any animal. When they have been seen, they have been described as not quite human and not fully animal.
They are usually naked, but some have reported seeing the creature wearing tattered shirts or jeans.
The Skinwalker kills out of greed, anger, envy, spite, or revenge.
It also robs graves for personal wealth and to collect much-needed ingredients for use in black magic.
These witches live on the unexpired lives of their victims and they must continually kill or perish themselves.
Skinwalkers and other witches have long been blamed for all manner of unexpected struggles and tragedies through the years, including sickness, drought, poor crops, and sudden deaths.
Even smaller or individual problems such as windstorms during dances, alienation of affection by mates, the death of livestock, and reversal of fortune, were often believed to be the work of a witch.
This was most apparent with the Navajo Witch Purge of 1878, which initially evolved from a cultural response to so many people moving across and onto their lands.
After a series of wars with the U.S. Army, the Navajo were expelled from their land and forced to march to the Bosque Redondo (Fort Sumner) in New Mexico in what is known as the Long Walk of the Navajo in 1864.
There, the people suffered from bad water, failed crops, illness, and death, reducing their numbers dramatically.
After four years, the government finally admitted they had made a mistake and the Navajo were allowed to return to their homeland in the Four Corners area.
During these years, many of the tribe’s members were said to have turned to shape-shifting to escape the terrible conditions.
In the meantime, the rest of the tribe were convinced that their gods had deserted them.
Once the people had returned to their homeland, their conditions improved, but the dreaded skinwalkers, for whom they blamed for their years on the bleak reservation, were still among them.
Accusations of witchcraft and the hunting of the skinwalkers began.
When someone found a collection of witch artifacts wrapped in a copy of the Treaty of 1868, the tribal members unleashed deadly consequences.
The “Navajo Witch Purge” occurred in 1878, in which 40 Navajo suspected witches were killed in order to restore harmony and balance for the tribe.
Today, most of the tales of sightings of these witches do not include death or injury, but rather, are more “trickster-like.”
Numerous people have told stories of swift animals running alongside their vehicles, matching their speed. After a short period, however, they run off into the wilderness.
Along the way, these animals sometimes turn into a man, who sometimes bangs on the hood.
Another story tells of a man who was making repairs on an old ranch home when he began to hear loud laughter coming from the nearby sheep pens.
Thinking he was alone, he went to investigate and found all of the sheep but one huddled in one corner of the pen.
However, there was a lone ram separated from the group that was standing upright and laughing in a very human manner.
After the man locks eyes with the ram, he sees that his eyes are not that of an animal, but very like a human’s. The animal then casually walked away on all four legs.
Some say they have seen them running through the night, sometimes turning into a fiery ball, leaving streaks of color behind them.
Others have seen angry-looking humanoid figures looking down on them from cliffs, mountains, and mesas.
In the 1980s one of the most notable events occurred when a family was driving through the Navajo Reservation.
As they slowed to make a sharp curve, something jumped from the ditch.
It was described as black, hairy, and wore a shirt and pants.
A few days after this event, at their home in Flagstaff, Arizona, the family was awakened to the sounds of loud drumming and chanting.
Outside their home were three dark forms of “men” outside their fence.
However, these shadowy creatures were seemingly unable to climb the fence and soon left.
These events have occurred in the Four-Corners area of southwest Colorado, southeast Utah, northeast Arizona, and northwest New Mexico.
In the 1990s, a ranch in northeast Utah, far away from the Navajo Reservation, became the partial focus of the Skinwalkers.
Called the Sherman Ranch, the Skinwalker Ranch, and the UFO Ranch, this place has a history of UFOs, aliens, cattle mutilations, and crop circles.
Located near the Ute Indian reservation, these people have long thought that the Navajo put a curse on their tribe in retribution for many perceived transgressions and since then, the skinwalkers have plagued the Ute people.
Witchcraft represents the antithesis of Navajo cultural values and is not tolerated.
They work to avoid it, prevent it, and cure it in their daily behaviors.
However, when it exists, their laws have always said that when a person becomes a witch, they have forfeited their humanity and their right to exist, so they should be killed.
However, skinwalkers are notoriously hard to kill and attempts are usually unsuccessful.
Trying to kill one will often result in the witch seeking revenge.
Successful killing generally requires the assistance of a powerful shaman, who knows spells and rituals that can turn the Skinwalker’s evil back upon itself.
Another alternative is to shoot the creature with bullets that have been dipped into white ash.
However, this shot must hit the witch in the neck or the head.
Traditionally, the Navajo will not speak with outsiders about these creatures, for fear of retribution by the skinwalkers.
For that matter, it is a taboo subject amongst the natives themselves.
“These are not things that need or should be discussed by outsiders.
At all.
I’m sorry if that seems ‘unfair,’ but that’s how our cultures survive.” – Dr. Adrienne Keene, Native American academic, writer, and activist
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All codes below are split where possible unless noted; please only redeem at the place agreed upon; please redeem code soon after sale.
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Venmo and CashApp Accepted
submitted by guy6288 to DigitalCodeSELL [link] [comments]
Thanks for looking!
Have multiples of some codes.
Venmo and CashApp Accepted
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- The Lone Ranger, HD iTunes (ports to MA) $4
- Mary Poppins (1964), HD iTunes (ports to MA) $4
- Mulan (1998), HD MA (ports to MA) $4
- The Nightmare Before Christmas, HD MA (ports to MA) $4
- Oz the Great and Powerful, HD MA (ports to MA) $3.50
- Queen of Katwe, HD MA (ports to MA) $3
- Turning Red, HD MA (ports to MA) $3.50
$1.50 to $3.50 Disney/Marvel/Star Wars HD Google Play Movie Codes (All Port to Movies Anywhere)
- Aladdin (2019), HD gp (ports to MA) $3
- Avengers: Endgame, HD gp (ports to MA) $2.25
- Beauty and the Beast (2017), HD gp (ports to MA) $2.25
- Big Hero 6, HD gp (ports to MA) $2.25
- Black Panther, HD gp (ports to MA) $2.25
- The Call of the Wild, HD gp (ports to MA) $2.25
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier, HD gp (ports to MA) $3
- Captain America: Civil War, HD gp (ports to MA) $3
- Cinderella (2015), HD gp (ports to MA) $2.25
- Coco, HD gp (ports to MA) $3
- Doctor Strange, HD gp (ports to MA) $2.25
- Finding Dory, HD gp (ports to MA) $2
- Frozen, HD gp (ports to MA) $2
- Frozen (Sing-Along Edition), HD gp (ports to MA) $2
- The Good Dinosaur, HD gp (ports to MA) $3
- Guardians of the Galaxy, HD gp (ports to MA) $2.50
- Incredibles 2, HD gp (ports to MA) $3.50
- Inside Out, HD gp (ports to MA) $2.50
- The Lion King (2019), HD gp (ports to MA) $2.50
- Little Mermaid (animated), HD gp (ports to MA) $3
- Maleficent, HD gp (ports to MA) $2
- Mary Poppins (1964), HD gp (ports to MA) $3
- Moana, HD gp (ports to MA) $2
- Monsters University, HD gp (ports to MA) $3.50
- The Nightmare Before Christmas, HD gp (ports to MA), HD gp (ports to MA) $3.50
- Star Wars: The Force Awakens, HD gp (ports to MA) $2
- Star Wars: The Last Jedi, HD gp (ports to MA) $2
- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, HD gp (ports to MA) $2
- Thor: The Dark World, HD gp (ports to MA) $3.50
- Thor: Ragnarok, HD gp (ports to MA) $2.50
- Toy Story 4, HD gp (ports to MA) $2
- Zootopia, HD gp (ports to MA) $2
$2.00 to $3.00 HD MA, vudu, or iTunes Movie Codes
- Assassination Nation, HD MA (ports to MA) $3
- The Bourne Legacy, HD MA (ports to MA) $2
- Boyhood, HD vudu $2
- Boyhood, HD iTunes $2
- Chicago (Diamond Edition), HD iTunes or HD vudu $2
- Danny Collins, HD iTunes (ports to MA) (Comes with 500 Universal Rewards Points) $2
- The Gunman, HD iTunes (ports to MA) (Comes with 500 Universal Rewards Points) $3
- Home Again, HD MA (ports to MA) $3
- I Feel Pretty, HD iTunes $3
- Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas, HD MA (ports to MA) $3
- Megan Leavey, HD iTunes (ports to MA) (Comes with 500 Universal Rewards Points) $2
- The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature, HD iTunes (ports to MA) (Comes with 500 Universal Rewards Points) $2
- Paranormal Activity 3, HD vudu $2
- The Purge, HD MA (ports to MA) $2
- Rio 2, HD MA (ports to MA) $3
- Same Kind of Different As Me, HD iTunes $2
- Selma, HD vudu $2
- Selma, HD iTunes $2
- Sinister, HD iTunes $2
- Super 8, HD vudu $3
- Tremors 5: Bloodlines, HD MA (ports to MA) $2.50
Walking With Dinosaurs: The Movie, HD MA (ports to MA) $3
$0.75 to $1.25 HD MA, vudu, or iTunes Movie Codes (Total must be at least $1)
- The Expendables 2, HD vudu $0.75
- Florence Foster Jenkins, HD iTunes $0.75
- The Hunger Games, HD vudu $0.75
- Indivisible, HD MA (Canada only) $0.75
- Paranormal Activity 3, HD iTunes $1.25
- The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2, HD vudu $0.75
- Tyler Perry's Madea's Witness Protection, HD vudu $1.25
$0.50 to $1.00 SD Movie Codes (Total must be at least $1)
- Hugo, SD vudu $0.50
- Rio, SD iTunes (ports to MA) $1
The Vow, SD MA (ports to MA) $0.50