Bust in bubble letters
Project 2025 is religious tyranny, threatening the freedom & liberty we fought for
2024.02.29 18:24 graneflatsis Project 2025 is religious tyranny, threatening the freedom & liberty we fought for
Project 2025 is a comprehensive transition plan organized by ultra conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation to guide the next GOP presidential administration. It includes a 900 page set of policy proposals, a vetted list of workers to replace the federal workforce, a secret 180 day plan to facilitate drastic change and an academy to teach loyalist employees how to enact it's extremist, Evangelical agenda.
2024.06.02 09:19 Pretend-Change-2809 Another lyrics interpretation
So, i’m a native Russian speaker,and i am highly aware of the sound of the Russian accent, so i tried to do a lyrics interpretation considering the accent, and based on the interviews, the fact that they maybe weren’t that sober. So here goes nothing:
Fuck Fuck! Love is mine/lonely smile, drink awhile Closed out, i had to picture us We’re falling down, heavy hand(s) And it’s still hard to live it up A lot of words are useless now I’ll seek my ignorant peace Can’t sit/see side, wake up! Ah, it’s a mirror from the sky Busted/busy roads, empty streets In hyperrealism (they had only yellow leaves) And it’s somewhere hidden deadeep And you can never find it!
Today you’ll see, I’m back in your dreams! I’m so unkind, your heart is mine! I waste my time, i’m sure it’s alright You try to find some words in your mind
A lot of time, it’s alright Write a letter, it’s for sure Creating things not too hard But if i leave because of this From the evening, turn it up Until the dark i’ll be alright “There is nothing truly down”-the five words why!
Today you’ll see, I’m back in your dreams! I’m so unkind, your heart is mine! I waste my time, i’m sure it’s alright You try to find some words in your mind. Today you’ll see, I’m back in your dreams! I’m so unkind, your heart is mine! I waste my time, i’m sure it’s alright You try to find some sense in my eyes!
submitted by Pretend-Change-2809 to WasteMyTime [link] [comments]
Fuck Fuck! Love is mine/lonely smile, drink awhile Closed out, i had to picture us We’re falling down, heavy hand(s) And it’s still hard to live it up A lot of words are useless now I’ll seek my ignorant peace Can’t sit/see side, wake up! Ah, it’s a mirror from the sky Busted/busy roads, empty streets In hyperrealism (they had only yellow leaves) And it’s somewhere hidden deadeep And you can never find it!
Today you’ll see, I’m back in your dreams! I’m so unkind, your heart is mine! I waste my time, i’m sure it’s alright You try to find some words in your mind
A lot of time, it’s alright Write a letter, it’s for sure Creating things not too hard But if i leave because of this From the evening, turn it up Until the dark i’ll be alright “There is nothing truly down”-the five words why!
Today you’ll see, I’m back in your dreams! I’m so unkind, your heart is mine! I waste my time, i’m sure it’s alright You try to find some words in your mind. Today you’ll see, I’m back in your dreams! I’m so unkind, your heart is mine! I waste my time, i’m sure it’s alright You try to find some sense in my eyes!
2024.06.02 08:00 Neldere An unsent love letter
Dearest,
I want you to understand me fully, because I find it immensely difficult to communicate any of this unless it is all laid out as one mindset, for I fear being misconstrued as ill-intended when for me this is an exercise of truth and speaking that truth which I feel. It is an exercise of honesty, and one of humility as I lay bare before your conscious attention the fullness of my feeling.
I have loved and I have lost. A number of times now, in various ways. I have explored depths of despair, loneliness, grief, trauma, and other shadowy sides to myself and after entertaining death itself for years, I have emerged refreshed and cleansed. I choose life and all that this incarnation has in store for me while my lungs continue to take breath and my heart continues to beat.
My orientation to life has long been to clench and grip and grab and tightly hold on to illusions of control and security. To ensnare people with untenable relationship arrangements founded on a lack of self-acceptance and love. To entertain conditional and transactional experiences with other humans, for fear of being taken advantage of. These seeds I have allowed to take root have sprung up many times, as I have continued to water and enrich them with anxieties and fears. No longer. I choose to live and to love. I choose to cultivate a space of love that welcomes and accepts and validates and entertains without the need for gripping and containing those who enter it. And as the space expands the walls of my heart, the incalculable depths of loving potential arise to the surface and saturate my being. I choose to be love itself, incarnate as far as my current form will allow. I honor my limitations and find great serenity in accommodating and challenging them in due course.
One of my core powers is understanding the nature of limitation itself. Thus I recognize that in terms of my love, a limit does not exist that can ever long persist. My love is infinite. As I fall into the space of love, I too am infinite as a whole and no longer feel a need to leave this form, or end things, or to do anything especial to avoid suffering. I am just love itself, and that is enough to satisfy my mind and my heart and my soul. All that exists that may limit the outpouring of this love is the nature of my form, and that blessedly is ever changing—seemingly to the benefit of all, and will ever grow alongside the expansion of my heart.
This space is supremely difficult to remain in forever. But when I am with you dearest, I am always in that space. I am always in that space of love with you. Even right now. I am in love with you. Do you get what I am saying? I love you as a person, a human, a being in general. I adore so many aspects of you. But I am also IN the space of love WITH you. I am in love WITH you. I love you, but I am also in love with you.
I have no fear stating this. How could I be afraid of loving utterly she for whom I hold all desire? How could I fear you, dearest, when your embrace is pure comfort and pleasure? You are divinely saturated in feminine expression and attract every atom of my being like a super-magnet. In fact, you instead take all my fears away and alchemize them into precise and pristinely perfect inspiration for me to cheerfully ingest, effortlessly. You ARE my inspiration, my muse, my lady, my woman, and my lover in my mind and in my heart.
Your laugh is a fountain of music and your speech an enchantment for my ears. Your smile as you grin at me is so wonderfully and delightfully silly, mischievous, cheerful, hopeful, and full of desire all at once. I have never felt my capacity to love so challenged as by you, but neither have I ever recognized just how utterly willing I am and will ever be to fully explore that capacity with you.
The way your eyes sparkle with celestial radiance, and draw me down into their depths is a fantasy ride into the very dreamy undertones of my most private subconscious sensualities. And with a bright unserious laugher bubbling up in the blink of said eyes, you make me go to pieces with chagrin and humility in the best possible way. Often, your glance pierces with icy diamond sharpness, but gives way to pools of the most vibrant tropical paradise blue that are wells of the deepest wisdom; a spring from the mountains that begins a stream that will take a lifetime to meet the sea. I would swim in the depths of those pools forever, were I so fortunate as to be invited closer than the leaves of the trees on the edge of the forest. The Keen-Eyed I name you, for there exists no veil or shroud over me that your gaze cannot penetrate with swift and unyielding overtones of warmth and delight. No shadow can endure that light.
Your skin is taut; your muscles wrought—of strength, and powerful endurance. You make the lands vibrate with joy and excitement as the wind chases your feet as they dance through the world. When it is out, the sun glows dazzlingly, glittering with tiny rainbows of color as it plays across your aesthetic and athletic form, and all the wildflowers yearn in anticipation as you pass—hoping for the glory and chance of being picked and tucked behind your ear—to their greatest delight and honor. Framing the soft expanse of your brow, the tresses of your hair flash with a rare and glorious golden radiance that only the light of the stars glittering in the inky darkness of night could produce. Their glow traverses the infinite emptiness of space only to at long last become ensnared and woven into the soft strength of each strand, to radiate that light anew.
When I hug you, I realize that if I could, I would freeze time and spend an eternity just holding you in my arms, lovingly caressing your hair and back as your soft gentle weight presses into me, comforting me utterly with the honoring of the full humility of my stark humanity. Feeling your acceptance, and validation and encouraging enrichment through holding you makes me possessed by great sorrow, knowing I must let you go, but it also leaves me with a lasting serenity and pleasure, knowing that within the space of this long lifetime, I somehow have been so unbelievably fortunate as to have been graced by so loving of an embrace. Humans go entire lifetimes without ever experiencing such a wondrous experience, and I treasure it every time it occurs.
You will never owe me anything, nor suffer any binding at my hand, save those of your own choosing. I offer you infinite depths of connection and reassurance amidst the wide world, but I do not seek to contain or cage you. You have a path to walk just as I do, but I would have yours lead back to me each moment that it may. I would cherish and love you all the days of my life, and never would I intentionally overstep your boundaries nor subject you to violence. I would uphold your honor and work to emphasize your grace with my own stature and beauty and power. Such that is granted to me by the space of each moment, anyways. There is great potential for mutual growth and fulfillment between us over the length of a lifetime if we are willing to invest in developing a deeper intertwining of our bodies and our souls. I recognize many limits but no limit to the depths we might explore together. The universe is vast, but perfection abounds from the highest highs to the deepest depths, and as long as I have you nearby, I may envision it and establish it in turn, for the benefit of our family, should you choose to spend your time in my company in a home of our own.
And if your choice is to seek a path that follows a diversion from my own, I will accept it with graceful resignation, wishing you only the utmost happiness for all your days. I may strain to understand how any other might love you with greater ardor than my heart is aflame with, but the cosmos does not revolve around me, and I recognize that there persist many potential partners of greater consideration and so I willingly let go of any claim I might try to lay for your hand. Instead I offer only a blessing, that should the universe favor me at long last, that this letter will not fall astray and will arrive to a welcome reception in the halls of your heart. Should it not, I will sit with contentment, recognizing my own bravery and madness in sending it, and regretting not the choice to seek your fancy.
You are a treasure dearest, and I am a treasure seeker. I covet many gems and beautiful minerals and crystals that this wondrous planet has grown and shaped. But no crystal radiates as you do. No crystal has so beautiful of colors. Nor is as delightfully energizing as you are. I find no greater assurance in any rock or stone than I do holding your hands and being within the sphere of your aura. I have faith that I will become as strong or as harmonious or supportive as ever you might wish me to be, if only were the smile in your eyes to wake me from dreamspace each morning alongside the rays of the sun and so inspire me to greatness.
May this wishful boat of heartfelt intention and deep desire sail gently into the cavernous depths of your being beneath the mountainous wall of the outer bulwark of your defenses, and may it receive safe harborage in the twilight pools of dreams that glow like galaxies in the soft glimmer of crystal-laden caves that house your soul. May it meet there the doorway to your heart, and may it pass over the threshold, to begin anew the conjugation of the universe with itself through the vehicle of our mutual love.
For K,
Who never received it, having chosen another lover.
submitted by Neldere to TrueOffMyChest [link] [comments]
I want you to understand me fully, because I find it immensely difficult to communicate any of this unless it is all laid out as one mindset, for I fear being misconstrued as ill-intended when for me this is an exercise of truth and speaking that truth which I feel. It is an exercise of honesty, and one of humility as I lay bare before your conscious attention the fullness of my feeling.
I have loved and I have lost. A number of times now, in various ways. I have explored depths of despair, loneliness, grief, trauma, and other shadowy sides to myself and after entertaining death itself for years, I have emerged refreshed and cleansed. I choose life and all that this incarnation has in store for me while my lungs continue to take breath and my heart continues to beat.
My orientation to life has long been to clench and grip and grab and tightly hold on to illusions of control and security. To ensnare people with untenable relationship arrangements founded on a lack of self-acceptance and love. To entertain conditional and transactional experiences with other humans, for fear of being taken advantage of. These seeds I have allowed to take root have sprung up many times, as I have continued to water and enrich them with anxieties and fears. No longer. I choose to live and to love. I choose to cultivate a space of love that welcomes and accepts and validates and entertains without the need for gripping and containing those who enter it. And as the space expands the walls of my heart, the incalculable depths of loving potential arise to the surface and saturate my being. I choose to be love itself, incarnate as far as my current form will allow. I honor my limitations and find great serenity in accommodating and challenging them in due course.
One of my core powers is understanding the nature of limitation itself. Thus I recognize that in terms of my love, a limit does not exist that can ever long persist. My love is infinite. As I fall into the space of love, I too am infinite as a whole and no longer feel a need to leave this form, or end things, or to do anything especial to avoid suffering. I am just love itself, and that is enough to satisfy my mind and my heart and my soul. All that exists that may limit the outpouring of this love is the nature of my form, and that blessedly is ever changing—seemingly to the benefit of all, and will ever grow alongside the expansion of my heart.
This space is supremely difficult to remain in forever. But when I am with you dearest, I am always in that space. I am always in that space of love with you. Even right now. I am in love with you. Do you get what I am saying? I love you as a person, a human, a being in general. I adore so many aspects of you. But I am also IN the space of love WITH you. I am in love WITH you. I love you, but I am also in love with you.
I have no fear stating this. How could I be afraid of loving utterly she for whom I hold all desire? How could I fear you, dearest, when your embrace is pure comfort and pleasure? You are divinely saturated in feminine expression and attract every atom of my being like a super-magnet. In fact, you instead take all my fears away and alchemize them into precise and pristinely perfect inspiration for me to cheerfully ingest, effortlessly. You ARE my inspiration, my muse, my lady, my woman, and my lover in my mind and in my heart.
Your laugh is a fountain of music and your speech an enchantment for my ears. Your smile as you grin at me is so wonderfully and delightfully silly, mischievous, cheerful, hopeful, and full of desire all at once. I have never felt my capacity to love so challenged as by you, but neither have I ever recognized just how utterly willing I am and will ever be to fully explore that capacity with you.
The way your eyes sparkle with celestial radiance, and draw me down into their depths is a fantasy ride into the very dreamy undertones of my most private subconscious sensualities. And with a bright unserious laugher bubbling up in the blink of said eyes, you make me go to pieces with chagrin and humility in the best possible way. Often, your glance pierces with icy diamond sharpness, but gives way to pools of the most vibrant tropical paradise blue that are wells of the deepest wisdom; a spring from the mountains that begins a stream that will take a lifetime to meet the sea. I would swim in the depths of those pools forever, were I so fortunate as to be invited closer than the leaves of the trees on the edge of the forest. The Keen-Eyed I name you, for there exists no veil or shroud over me that your gaze cannot penetrate with swift and unyielding overtones of warmth and delight. No shadow can endure that light.
Your skin is taut; your muscles wrought—of strength, and powerful endurance. You make the lands vibrate with joy and excitement as the wind chases your feet as they dance through the world. When it is out, the sun glows dazzlingly, glittering with tiny rainbows of color as it plays across your aesthetic and athletic form, and all the wildflowers yearn in anticipation as you pass—hoping for the glory and chance of being picked and tucked behind your ear—to their greatest delight and honor. Framing the soft expanse of your brow, the tresses of your hair flash with a rare and glorious golden radiance that only the light of the stars glittering in the inky darkness of night could produce. Their glow traverses the infinite emptiness of space only to at long last become ensnared and woven into the soft strength of each strand, to radiate that light anew.
When I hug you, I realize that if I could, I would freeze time and spend an eternity just holding you in my arms, lovingly caressing your hair and back as your soft gentle weight presses into me, comforting me utterly with the honoring of the full humility of my stark humanity. Feeling your acceptance, and validation and encouraging enrichment through holding you makes me possessed by great sorrow, knowing I must let you go, but it also leaves me with a lasting serenity and pleasure, knowing that within the space of this long lifetime, I somehow have been so unbelievably fortunate as to have been graced by so loving of an embrace. Humans go entire lifetimes without ever experiencing such a wondrous experience, and I treasure it every time it occurs.
You will never owe me anything, nor suffer any binding at my hand, save those of your own choosing. I offer you infinite depths of connection and reassurance amidst the wide world, but I do not seek to contain or cage you. You have a path to walk just as I do, but I would have yours lead back to me each moment that it may. I would cherish and love you all the days of my life, and never would I intentionally overstep your boundaries nor subject you to violence. I would uphold your honor and work to emphasize your grace with my own stature and beauty and power. Such that is granted to me by the space of each moment, anyways. There is great potential for mutual growth and fulfillment between us over the length of a lifetime if we are willing to invest in developing a deeper intertwining of our bodies and our souls. I recognize many limits but no limit to the depths we might explore together. The universe is vast, but perfection abounds from the highest highs to the deepest depths, and as long as I have you nearby, I may envision it and establish it in turn, for the benefit of our family, should you choose to spend your time in my company in a home of our own.
And if your choice is to seek a path that follows a diversion from my own, I will accept it with graceful resignation, wishing you only the utmost happiness for all your days. I may strain to understand how any other might love you with greater ardor than my heart is aflame with, but the cosmos does not revolve around me, and I recognize that there persist many potential partners of greater consideration and so I willingly let go of any claim I might try to lay for your hand. Instead I offer only a blessing, that should the universe favor me at long last, that this letter will not fall astray and will arrive to a welcome reception in the halls of your heart. Should it not, I will sit with contentment, recognizing my own bravery and madness in sending it, and regretting not the choice to seek your fancy.
You are a treasure dearest, and I am a treasure seeker. I covet many gems and beautiful minerals and crystals that this wondrous planet has grown and shaped. But no crystal radiates as you do. No crystal has so beautiful of colors. Nor is as delightfully energizing as you are. I find no greater assurance in any rock or stone than I do holding your hands and being within the sphere of your aura. I have faith that I will become as strong or as harmonious or supportive as ever you might wish me to be, if only were the smile in your eyes to wake me from dreamspace each morning alongside the rays of the sun and so inspire me to greatness.
May this wishful boat of heartfelt intention and deep desire sail gently into the cavernous depths of your being beneath the mountainous wall of the outer bulwark of your defenses, and may it receive safe harborage in the twilight pools of dreams that glow like galaxies in the soft glimmer of crystal-laden caves that house your soul. May it meet there the doorway to your heart, and may it pass over the threshold, to begin anew the conjugation of the universe with itself through the vehicle of our mutual love.
For K,
Who never received it, having chosen another lover.
2024.06.02 07:30 anonnumous Dear H
here i am at 9:33pm, journaling to occupy myself, knowing that you’re 27 now. last year’s halloween party pops in my mind, the mental instagram reel of us posing together in our costumes. i deleted the picture yet I still remember it, clear as day. my eyes were slightly crossed from alcohol and you were smiling, hard. you told me that i looked fine, just slightly drunk, but i always wondered if you just liked how you looked in it with your broad shoulders in your roommate’s ironic costume idea.
I remember all these things. do you? do you remember the night i attempted to tell you of my mistake, and you kissed me in the dark. the nights we laughed and talked, woke up together, planned our sundays together. it’s as if it was yesterday we were running to Aldi’s to help you with your grocery shopping. When we would make breakfast and binge Kitchen nightmares and Breaking Bad, rushing to get our work done so we could sneak a couple beers in before the night ended to fall asleep in each others arms. do you remember? or do i mean nothing to you now? a stranger, a crazy ex, a story you’ll tell to your next SO someday who’ll scoff and call me a bitch the same way I did with your ex. the night when I sang a childhood song and everyone joined in despite our driver’s anime music playlist. so so many stupid “instagram reels”.
how difficult the days have become pursuing my career when you’re all i can fucking think about. I’m sorry, I’m a girl; it sickens me to have possibly been a source of... entertainment. But I know it’s not like that. I know you care. how pathetic i am at how much time i allowed myself to waste because of how the world seemed to stop and everything felt okay when i looked into your big, beautiful eyes. eyes that looked so innocent and beautiful to me then. the puppy like expression when you’d lay in my lap as i played with your hair, the pleasure of watching the weight of the world leave your shoulders when i massaged them because knowing i could make your day just 0.01% made my world shine just a little bit brighter.
the nights we spent talking Winter Break, the drunk calls you’d unknowingly make because you claimed you missed me. I loved you so stupidly much. the laughing, giggling, the favors you’d do for me. the spot in your bathroom that you somehow let me occupy for whatever reason. the time i got my period and nearly flushed in tears from sharing a traumatic experience, being fascinated by your love for our culture in a way id never seen, your love for houses, cars, real estate. the times you’d show me your emails and let me proofread them with my Nazi grammar. all of it. i fucking miss all of it. every moment. every day. every second. it’s you i can’t get out of my fucking mind. it’s your stupid laugh, that grin, that smile that drove me nuts, i wish i could burn the memories like pieces of paper in the fireplaces. small pieces of paper like the ones i’d use to write you love letters and reminders and hide them under your pillow; god I’m so sorry I smothered you. Know that I am so, so, sorry for everything. the idiotic allergies you’d get for no reason like a nerd, calling me a nerd, the nerdy acne you’d get right around your nose, that fucking one adorable dimple that’d creep out when you’re about to laugh or you’re making a stupid joke. my mind is a fucking hellfire of these stupid memories that i can’t extract. i want my heart to stop breaking every time i see someone at my job doing their fucking rotations. i want my soul back. i want my life back. i want my fucking emotions back. i used to be so happy and bubbly, your friends bullying me for being so naive and i never would’ve imagined you’d be the one to pop my bubble and make me feel so scarred. watching the beautiful moments turn into a living hell and just feeling like a skeleton of the girl i used to be because of the amount of pain you inflicted on me.
I love you.
submitted by anonnumous to letters [link] [comments]
I remember all these things. do you? do you remember the night i attempted to tell you of my mistake, and you kissed me in the dark. the nights we laughed and talked, woke up together, planned our sundays together. it’s as if it was yesterday we were running to Aldi’s to help you with your grocery shopping. When we would make breakfast and binge Kitchen nightmares and Breaking Bad, rushing to get our work done so we could sneak a couple beers in before the night ended to fall asleep in each others arms. do you remember? or do i mean nothing to you now? a stranger, a crazy ex, a story you’ll tell to your next SO someday who’ll scoff and call me a bitch the same way I did with your ex. the night when I sang a childhood song and everyone joined in despite our driver’s anime music playlist. so so many stupid “instagram reels”.
how difficult the days have become pursuing my career when you’re all i can fucking think about. I’m sorry, I’m a girl; it sickens me to have possibly been a source of... entertainment. But I know it’s not like that. I know you care. how pathetic i am at how much time i allowed myself to waste because of how the world seemed to stop and everything felt okay when i looked into your big, beautiful eyes. eyes that looked so innocent and beautiful to me then. the puppy like expression when you’d lay in my lap as i played with your hair, the pleasure of watching the weight of the world leave your shoulders when i massaged them because knowing i could make your day just 0.01% made my world shine just a little bit brighter.
the nights we spent talking Winter Break, the drunk calls you’d unknowingly make because you claimed you missed me. I loved you so stupidly much. the laughing, giggling, the favors you’d do for me. the spot in your bathroom that you somehow let me occupy for whatever reason. the time i got my period and nearly flushed in tears from sharing a traumatic experience, being fascinated by your love for our culture in a way id never seen, your love for houses, cars, real estate. the times you’d show me your emails and let me proofread them with my Nazi grammar. all of it. i fucking miss all of it. every moment. every day. every second. it’s you i can’t get out of my fucking mind. it’s your stupid laugh, that grin, that smile that drove me nuts, i wish i could burn the memories like pieces of paper in the fireplaces. small pieces of paper like the ones i’d use to write you love letters and reminders and hide them under your pillow; god I’m so sorry I smothered you. Know that I am so, so, sorry for everything. the idiotic allergies you’d get for no reason like a nerd, calling me a nerd, the nerdy acne you’d get right around your nose, that fucking one adorable dimple that’d creep out when you’re about to laugh or you’re making a stupid joke. my mind is a fucking hellfire of these stupid memories that i can’t extract. i want my heart to stop breaking every time i see someone at my job doing their fucking rotations. i want my soul back. i want my life back. i want my fucking emotions back. i used to be so happy and bubbly, your friends bullying me for being so naive and i never would’ve imagined you’d be the one to pop my bubble and make me feel so scarred. watching the beautiful moments turn into a living hell and just feeling like a skeleton of the girl i used to be because of the amount of pain you inflicted on me.
I love you.
2024.06.02 04:18 Inside_Job_5259 So ummm, I unlocked a secret character?
Guys you're not gonna believe me, but you can play as TONY HUYNH in Multiversus! I just unlocked him! Just follow these steps to the letter:
1) You must have at least 20 characters unlocked.
2) When you boot up the game, you want to hold L1+R1 on your controller before syncing account data shows up. You can let go once it appears. Not sure what buttons those are for keyboard.
3) Everything will look normal, that's part of the process so don't worry. You want to go STRAIGHT to the multiversal mayhem rift on crushing specifically. DO NOT go anywhere else or it will void the attempt and you will have to restart your game.
4) Next you will need to play from the start to finish, even if you have already completed them. The path you choose does not matter.
5) After beating the boss (Joker), head to pvp (1v1 only) and play against 10 separate people (rematches don't count). On your 10th fight, you will be put up against a bot, which will be the one and only Tony Huynh. You each will have three stock like normal, but will have a time limit of 2 minutes. Warning: This is an incredibly difficult fight. If you want to unlock Tony, you will need to be skilled at the game. If you lose, you will have to do the entire process all over again.
6) If you manage to beat Tony, it will show that you have unlocked him after the results screen. Congratulations, you now have the most mysterious and obscure fighter in your roster!
It took me about four attempts, but it was worth it as his moveset is absolutely insane. I think it's safe to say that he is the most busted character in Multiversus. I hope my guide was helpful, and good luck!
submitted by Inside_Job_5259 to MultiVersus [link] [comments]
1) You must have at least 20 characters unlocked.
2) When you boot up the game, you want to hold L1+R1 on your controller before syncing account data shows up. You can let go once it appears. Not sure what buttons those are for keyboard.
3) Everything will look normal, that's part of the process so don't worry. You want to go STRAIGHT to the multiversal mayhem rift on crushing specifically. DO NOT go anywhere else or it will void the attempt and you will have to restart your game.
4) Next you will need to play from the start to finish, even if you have already completed them. The path you choose does not matter.
5) After beating the boss (Joker), head to pvp (1v1 only) and play against 10 separate people (rematches don't count). On your 10th fight, you will be put up against a bot, which will be the one and only Tony Huynh. You each will have three stock like normal, but will have a time limit of 2 minutes. Warning: This is an incredibly difficult fight. If you want to unlock Tony, you will need to be skilled at the game. If you lose, you will have to do the entire process all over again.
6) If you manage to beat Tony, it will show that you have unlocked him after the results screen. Congratulations, you now have the most mysterious and obscure fighter in your roster!
It took me about four attempts, but it was worth it as his moveset is absolutely insane. I think it's safe to say that he is the most busted character in Multiversus. I hope my guide was helpful, and good luck!
2024.06.02 03:52 comedianbrookie whats up with delivery lately??
two 3.95 sprays and i'm paying 10.99 shipping, for them to either give me a big ass box with no bubble wrap or anything, or a tiny box with a few of those plastic air pockets in it. thankfully i've never had busted products but they need to do better. ik delivery price goes down more you buy but still.
(repost cause my sleepy ass deleted my original post.)
submitted by comedianbrookie to bathandbodyworks [link] [comments]
(repost cause my sleepy ass deleted my original post.)
2024.06.02 02:06 M1chaelLanz Unqualified Space Chapter 14
It took her into the next day, but she did come up with a plan. She was arguably one of the more brilliant minds on the ship, yet her hours of toiling yielded a conflicting result. Captain Tarkey paced back and forth, watching the note she had written on the island.
“I didn't go too far…did I? No, it's not that bad. It's not like it's a real threat,” Captain Tarkey said to herself. “He won't even know I wrote it. It is harmless.”
She picked up the note to reread what she wrote out loud.
Captain Tarkey,
You will pay for your treachery. Blood for blood, on the land of your ancestors, I will have my revenge.
Sincerely,
Your Doombringer
She looked over it again, examining it closely to ensure no stroke of her pen resembled her actual handwriting, rather than questioning the strangely polite and formal letter. There were better ways to make a threatening letter for the intent of getting Cam to accompany her planetside. In fact, there were better ways to simply get Cam to accompany her at all. None of those were deemed realistic to her overworked brain, so this is what she came up with. A fake assassination threat seemed like a logical choice with minimal downside.
“Why do I still have a bad feeling about this?” Captain Tarkey mused to herself and the door slid open. She threw her hands behind her back and stood up straight. The sudden interruption flustered her all the more when she realized it was Cam entering her place.
“Sorry I'm late,” Cam said. “I ran into Jack in the hallway.”
“Oh, it's alright. How are you feeling? When I found you sleeping on my couch, I was worried.”
That wasn't a dream? Shit. “I promise, that isn't normally like me.”
“You don't need to worry. I had no idea Parroon made humans sleepy. Vani told me when I called her to check on you.”
“Oh, that's good to know then.” His shoulders relaxed, relieved he hadn't developed narcolepsy. “Next time I want to knock myself out, I need to raid your refrigerator.”
“You're welcome anytime.” Captain Tarkey smiled, remembering the note still behind her back. “So, what were you and Jack talking about?”
“Just plans for when we get to Ohar. Jack can't leave until the second day after we hit orbit, but I see no reason to wait around for him. Just wish I knew what to do for a whole day.”
This was her moment. There would be no better time. She stowed the note in her waistband and took the shot she never thought would happen.
“Seeing as you're free, I was wondering if you would like to join me for the day? I'm visiting my parents and I'm sure they would love to meet you. They love hosting guests.”
Cam’s face elongated with intrigue. He wanted to see how locals lived and they would probably offer a place to stay for the night, which gave him more money to spend on silly souvenirs later. It sounded like a great idea, but he wanted to be careful not to impose.
“Would they mind on such short notice? I don't want to intrude or anything.”
“You won't be. You are my guest.”
“Okay then.” Cam nodded. “Is there anything I should be aware of, culturally? Like am I supposed to bring a gift or…”
“Nope. No gifts. The only thing I would say is don't wear your uniform. My mom thinks it makes our family seem more normal.”
Cam saluted her casually. “Can do. Wasn't planning on wearing it anyways.”
“Perfect,” Captain Tarkey said. “I have a lot to get done before we are cleared to land, so you can take the day off today.”
“Seriously? You don't mind?”
“Not at all. It will give you more time to plan the rest of your leave. Seeing as it's your first time, you will want to make it count.”
“Thanks, Banyani! I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
“See you soon.” Captain Tarkey called back as Cam left. As per usual, once the door closed, she let out her true emotions. She punched the air and danced around her room. “Yes! He said yes!” He’s going to meet my family!”
Captain Tarkey pulled the letter out of her waistband, wadded it up into a ball, and drained the shot into the trashcan. The plan she spent hours on was nothing more than history. She was happy to rid herself of it. In hindsight, she knew the letter would only cause more problems than solutions long term. With it out of the way, she was free to relax and tell her parents the good news.
She went into her room and came back out with a slate, which she propped up on the island. Navigating through the contacts, she clicked on the one labeled ‘Home.’ The loading screen spun and a fun jingle played. Captain Tarkey was all smiles when the screen changed to her mom showing up on the screen.
Her mother, Gwendolyn, would pass as an older sister in the right light. Her cheeks were a tad plumper and her braid was thicker than both of her daughters’. Gwendolyn’s blue eyes sparkled upon seeing her daughter for the first time in far too long.
“Banyani, my beautiful girl, I was wondering when you were going to call. It is good to see you.”
“It is good to see you too, Mom.”
“Kenny, come over here. Banyani is calling,” Gwendolyn said to her husband, Kenton, in the other room before returning her focus back on her daughter. “How are you? When are you coming home?”
“I'm going to be there soon,” Captain Tarkey said, spotting her dad coming into frame. There was no mistaking his trim, salt and pepper beard or proud smile. She always felt his warmth radiate from a simple look, no matter how far away she was. “Hey Dad.”
“There's my little captain. You working hard up there?”
Gwendolyn slapped her husband's hand that rested gently on her shoulders. “Oh stop it. No talking about work you two. I haven't heard from you in ages. What is new in your life? Meet any cute boys?”
Captain Tarkey blushed. “Actually Mom, I was calling to let you know we will have one more joining us tomorrow.”
“Eeee! I knew you would find someone! What's his name? What does he do? How long have you been seeing him?” Gwendolyn rapidly fired off, unwilling to hide her excitement. Her dad was less enthused, keeping his poker face until more was said.
“Easy mom. We aren't dating, but I would hope after he gets to know me better, he might see me as more than just his boss.”
“His boss? He’s enlisted?” Kenton asked.
“Oh shhh you.” Gwendolyn waved him off. “Come on girl, details. Momma needs to know.”
Captain Tarkey smiled. “His name is Cameron, although he lets me call him Cam. And…he’s my personal security officer.”
“Oooh, what is that?” Gwendolyn asked, looking up and back at her husband who wore a disapproving gowl.
“Why does my daughter need a bodyguard?” Kenton asked plainly.
“She doesn't. It just gives her a reason for a late night booty call,” Vani said, coming into frame, leaning on her dad, while nibbling on something resembling celery.
“Vani? What are you doing there? We haven't gotten clearance yet.”
It wasn't entirely true. Captain Tarkey hadn't given the crew the approval to disembark. Clearance was given sometime in the early morning. She couldn't remember when exactly, since she was mostly focused on her trashed note.
Kenton turned his frustration toward the daughter on his shoulder. “You said she let you go early.”
“She didn't stop me. That's basically the same thing.” Vani took another bite of her crunchy vegetable. “So, you got the hot human to come to dinner. Please tell me you didn't order him to. That's tacky.”
“He’s a human!” Gwendolyn gasped and clapped her hands. “I have always wanted to meet a human!”
“First off, I didn't order him to. I asked him and he wanted to see you all. And second, Vani, which shuttle did you steal?”
“I’ll never tell.” Vani waved goodbye. “I’ll see you when you get here sis. Tell Cam I said hi.”
Captain Tarkey wanted to be mad at her sister for breaking several protocols, but she was too excited about bringing Cam tomorrow. She saw her mom happy as can be, but her dad was a different story.
“Banyani, this is a bad idea,” Kenton said. “You’re the captain.”
“And I think our daughter is responsible enough to make her own decisions.” Gwendolyn defended. “Don't listen to your father. If you like him, I say go for it. When are you two coming in?”
She was about to answer when another call came in. It was one she always dreaded to see. High Command.
Captain Tarkey sighed. “I'm getting another call I need to take. We’ll be there in the afternoon sometime tomorrow.”
“I can’t wait to see you tomorrow! Don't work too hard,” Gwendolyn said.
“I won't, Mom. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Captain Tarkey signed off and her finger floated over the screen to answer the next one. High Command was the last group she wanted to talk to, but she had a feeling this would happen. Making a new position is a rather irregular situation, which likely needed more explanation beyond the boilerplate form. Was she ready to give a plausible explanation for needing a bodyguard? No, but if she wanted Cam a little closer to her, she would need to be creative.
***
A bang came from below Lisa's cubicle desk as she hit her head on the countertop. Lisa let out the usual explicative and climbed back in her chair. The device on her desk was beginning to be far more than she bargained for. Cables ran under and over her desk, all going to other instruments of the trade. Many of the devices she was using were completely foreign to her months ago. Lisa caught on quick, but when it came to this, she felt frustratedly inadequate.
“Why won't you decrypt and make my life easier?”
A red light blinked on the device at a consistent pace. It was the most she was getting from it. No answer or, if it was an answer, it was speaking the wrong language. A blinking light wasn't exactly a language for any discernible person, alien or not.
“If you weren't the key to stopping this hacker, I would smash you. You understand me!”
Again, the device did not. The blinking continued as if it was mocking her, enjoying the sound of its own soulless and soundless voice. Computers were weird like that.
“I'm insane. I'm talking to a computer.” Lisa threw up her hands and stood up from her chair. “I need a break.”
Lisa left everything where it was and went for a walk around the ship. Normally, her go to brain cleanser was playing video games, but this was different. She didn't need a distraction. She needed to think. Her travels along the halls led her to one person she did not expect to find.
“Cam? What are you doing here?” Lisa asked, although happy to see a friendly face.
“I got the rest of the day off.”
“How did you swing that?”
“I guess she had a lot of work to do before we get into orbit. I don't blame her. I'm already going to be spending the next day with her. I’d want some time away from me too.”
Lisa smirked. “Sounds to me like she is preparing for more than our arrival.”
“What do you mean? Her parents are the ones hosting me.” Cam cocked his head. He truly was the epitome of clueless.
“You’re dense, you know that, right?”
Cam flexed his average looking bicep. “I mean, I have been working out lately. I wouldn't say dense. Built would be more like it–”
“You never thought for one second that she might like you?”
“Banyani? Like me? Come on, Lisa. Let's be realistic.”
“You’re right, you're not six one. Everyone knows women only want tall guys.”
“You calling me short?”
“I'm calling you dumb. Big difference, genius.”
“First you call me dumb, then you say I'm smart. Pick a lane.” He shoulder bumped her and she bumped him back.
Their friendly little razzing session ended up knocking loose some ideas for both of them, albeit about wildly different topics. Lisa was the first to verbalize her sudden epiphany.
“I think you are a genius,” Lisa said and began walking back to the IT office. “Follow me.”
“Where are we going?”
“To crack open the device.”
Cam lengthen his stride to keep up with her. “Device? What device?”
“The one Jack took. Or have you already forgot?”
“No, I didn't forget…” I have no idea what she's talking about. Was I even there? Dang, that parrot meat really did a number on me.
Lisa opened the door and rushed to her cubicle, excited to try out her new theory. At her desk, she unplugged different cables and plugged in new ones with the urgency of a surgeon losing their patient. She switched over to her keyboard typing with the same speed and intensity. It was a lot for Cam to take in.
“What exactly are you doing?” Cam asked, hoping her explanation will fill in a lot of gaps.
“I am reversing the modular polarity, fixing the capacitor output, and injecting a revised version of code for decrypting. How did I not think of it sooner.”
Cam was fairly certain half of what she said was complete nonsense. It still didn't stop his amazement when the device light turned from red to green. Lisa kicked her seat back and jumped in the air.
“Yes! I was close all along!”
“You did it?” Cam said, inching closer with his pointer finger to poke the device.
Lisa swatted his hand. “Don't touch it. I don't want you screwing it up.”
“How can touching it screw it up?”
“Ever heard of static electricity?”
“Nope,” Cam said, shocking Lisa when he turned his finger on her.
“Hey,” Lisa said. “See what I mean. You could've fried it.”
“How do you know all this stuff?”
“I'm just gifted, I guess.”
“I wish I was gifted at my job.”
“You must not be doing too bad. The captain is still alive.”
Cam shrugged. “She did most of the fighting. All I did was help her up when she fell.”
“You make a good point. Better start filling out your registration paperwork,” Lisa mocked.
“No way. It pays too well,” Cam said.
“Then you're buying us drinks when we get to the beach.”
“Only for you. If I know Jack, he’ll pick the most expensive bottle.”
“Don't you owe him money though?”
“Exactly why I'm not paying for his. He’ll end up owing me money. And we both know he won't pay that back,” Cam said and made his way to the door.
“Where are you going?”
“It looks like you got your hands full. I'm going to get ready for tomorrow.”
Lisa waved. “Make sure you dress up nice for the in-laws.”
“Not my in-laws.”
“Not yet.”
Cam shook his head, but it didn't shake the thoughts already planted there. Banyani doesn't actually like me…does she? Naw, that's ridiculous. She's the captain and my boss. Lisa's just teasing me. Yeah, that's it…
***
Lisa had made some progress, but like all solutions in IT, sometimes the hardest thing to do was to wait and see. Nothing had failed yet, which was a good sign in her eyes. The negative was it gave time for her annoying partner to return.
“Get any farther on your little project?” Lotan asked, fully expecting her to say no.
“Did you go through those logs yet?”
“I did. Last entry was you and then naturally me as I swiped in. Otherwise, the other entries were all around the normal times engineering would be doing expected work.”
Lisa looked back at her screen, seeing the progress bar inching forward at a snail's pace. With the logs being a bust, this was her last chance at finding out who was there. Lotan didn't need an answer to his question, nor would he get one from her as Captain Tarkey called. Lisa tapped on her slate to answer.
“Lisa, good, you're still awake.”
Lisa lifted her slate to show Lotan in frame as well. “Yes, ma'am. We’re both still at it.”
Captain Tarkey paused for a moment, thankful Lisa clued her in on who else was with her. What she wanted to discuss was far from professional in nature.
“How is the progress?”
“It's coming along. I had Lotan check the security logs for a different lead, but he came back with nothing. Now I'm just stuck waiting for this device to be decrypted.”
“So, you have some time to see me in my quarters?”
“Of course we do, ma’am,” Lotan said.
“Sorry, I was talking to Specialist Smots.”
“I guess so.”
“Good. Meet me here as soon as you can. And Specialist Lotan, if anything changes on the status of that device, you let me know right away.”
Lotan saluted. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Good,” Captain Tarkey said. “Lisa, I’ll see you soon.”
The screen went blank and Lisa sprung up from her chair. She hoisted her bag over her shoulder and headed for the door. Lisa had not the slightest idea why she was needed, but it seemed important. It wasn't long before she found herself at Captain Tarkey‘s door. She knocked and heard a muffled, “Come in.”
Lisa swiped the door, not actually thinking it would open for her, but it did. “Wow, since when did I get access?”
She continued inside, where she heard clothes hangers rattling in the other room and plops of heavy cloth hitting the floor. Lisa stepped cautiously to the noise, worried something could be wrong.
“Captain? Is everything alright?”
“I think I need some help,” Captain Tarkey admitted. Lisa came into her room, where a tornado had hit.
Uniforms were tossed all over the bed and floor. Hangers were piled up and more casual clothes littered the floor. Captain Tarkey held two tops up, one purple with thin straps and the other, a blue blouse with a floral design.
“I don't know what I'm doing?”
“Neither do I,” Lisa said. “Care to explain?”
“I'm trying to figure out what to wear tomorrow. I can't remember the last time I wore anything other than my uniform.”
“I'm not really the best person to ask.”
“No, you are.” Captain Tarkey lowered her clothing choices and grabbed Lisa's shoulders. “Please, you're the only one I can turn to.”
Lisa was surprised by the sudden ambush, yet it wasn't unwelcomed. It beat staring at the slow progress bar and Captain Tarkey genuinely valued her opinion. She never got that vibe from other women she had known.
“Are you okay with me being brutally honest?” Lisa asked.
“I wouldn't ask if I didn't. Last thing I want is to screw this up. Tomorrow is my big opportunity to show Cam I'm more than a captain.”
“Okay, I'll–”
Captain Tarkey gave her a big hug. It wasn't like her to act so impulsive, but she felt Lisa agreeing would be huge for wooing Cam. She recoiled fast and held up the two outfits again, excited to hear Lisa's input.
“What are you two doing tomorrow?”
“I was planning on doing some sightseeing and then visiting my parents for dinner.”
“Is it warm in Ohar?”
“Where my parents live it's a bit cooler, but otherwise fairly comfortable. I think it is twenty one degrees.”
She must be talking celsius. I definitely wouldn't wear either in twenty one degrees fahrenheit.
“They both look cute. Are you planning on wearing leggings?”
“Yes…that isn't too sexual, is it? I don't want him to think I’m a slut.”
“Then go with the blouse. Or you could wear skinny jeans. I never saw them as overly sexual.”
Captain Tarkey went back to her bed and found a pair of white jeans that resembled her uniform pants. “Would these work?”
“I don't see why not?”
Captain Tarkey began putting on the clothes and Lisa sat down on the bed, looking at all the other sad unselected options on the floor. The shirts she had were all rather plain and wrinkled, while her uniforms were all pristine and eerily similar.
“Did you just dig all these clothes out of your dresser or something?” Lisa asked.
“I had to raid my sister's closet. She has much better clothes than me,” Captain Tarkey said, squeezing into her skinny jeans. “She didn't leave much behind to pick from.”
“Leave behind? Where did she go?”
“She stole a shuttle and is already at our parent's place. When I find out how she did it, then I'll consider returning her clothes.”
Lisa chuckled at the innocent level of retaliation. “Couldn't you just reprimand her or something?”
“Tried it. Doesn't work. I threw her in the brig once. Not making that mistake again.”
Lisa bounced on the bed closer to her, eager to hear more. “Okay, there is a story there. Spill it.”
“It was strange. One day, out of the blue, she decided to dress up in my uniform and go give orders on the bridge.”
“Why would she do that? Is she power hungry?” Lisa asked, not knowing anything about Vani.
Captain Tarkey shook her head. “No, she kept blaming it on ‘a Halloween’, whatever that is.”
Lisa burst out in laughter. How could she not? These aliens may have spoken English, but their understanding of human holidays was severely lacking.
“What did I say?”
“Sorry. Nothing. Please continue,” Lisa said, trying to get her composure back.
Captain Tarkey continued, despite the new questions forming in her head. “The problem was, it wasn't a punishment for her. She liked not having to work and somehow still found a way to have sex with guys.”
“No way, how is that possible? Don't you put men and women in different cells?”
“All I'm going to say is tentacles reach much farther than I thought.”
Vani sounds like a wild one. “Speaking of being pleasured, you need to tell me about your hair situation. How does that work exactly?”
Captain Tarkey scratched her head, unsure how to phrase it for her to understand when an idea popped in her head. She slapped the ends of Lisa's hair, getting a minimal response.
“You didn't feel anything did you?”
“Not really.”
“If I pulled on your hair, where do you feel it?”
“In my scalp.”
“See, that's where we are different. I feel it through my whole spine or in some cases my entire body. A simple slap that did nothing for you would tense my back muscles.”
“Really?” Lisa said, looking at Captain Tarkey’s braid.
“Our hair is very sensitive. Mine is less sensitive than most, but still.”
“So, do you like turn yourself on when brushing your hair in the morning?”
Captain Tarkey laughed. “Maybe Vani does. No, for me, the only way that is happening is if I pull on it really hard.”
“Or Cam touches you anywhere?” Lisa teased.
“Not anywhere…” Captain Tarkey blushed.
“You're right. From where I'm sitting, he doesn't even need to touch you.”
“I'm that obvious?” Her voice almost whined and fears entered her mind. Lisa was quick to offer some assurance.
“Unfortunately, Cam is oblivious. I did put in a good word for you.”
Captain Tarkey lit up. “You did?”
“I got him thinking, at least I think so. Hard to tell with him sometimes.” Lisa hadn't finished her sentence for longer than a millisecond before feeling Captain Tarkey’s arms wrap tightly around her.
“Thank you, Lisa. I'm so glad to have a friend like you.”
Lisa patted her on the back, finding it a little hard to breathe with the death grip around her ribs. Despite the minor discomfort, it was nice to feel a warm embrace for a change.
“Me too.”
***
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submitted by M1chaelLanz to WritingsByLanz [link] [comments]
“I didn't go too far…did I? No, it's not that bad. It's not like it's a real threat,” Captain Tarkey said to herself. “He won't even know I wrote it. It is harmless.”
She picked up the note to reread what she wrote out loud.
Captain Tarkey,
You will pay for your treachery. Blood for blood, on the land of your ancestors, I will have my revenge.
Sincerely,
Your Doombringer
She looked over it again, examining it closely to ensure no stroke of her pen resembled her actual handwriting, rather than questioning the strangely polite and formal letter. There were better ways to make a threatening letter for the intent of getting Cam to accompany her planetside. In fact, there were better ways to simply get Cam to accompany her at all. None of those were deemed realistic to her overworked brain, so this is what she came up with. A fake assassination threat seemed like a logical choice with minimal downside.
“Why do I still have a bad feeling about this?” Captain Tarkey mused to herself and the door slid open. She threw her hands behind her back and stood up straight. The sudden interruption flustered her all the more when she realized it was Cam entering her place.
“Sorry I'm late,” Cam said. “I ran into Jack in the hallway.”
“Oh, it's alright. How are you feeling? When I found you sleeping on my couch, I was worried.”
That wasn't a dream? Shit. “I promise, that isn't normally like me.”
“You don't need to worry. I had no idea Parroon made humans sleepy. Vani told me when I called her to check on you.”
“Oh, that's good to know then.” His shoulders relaxed, relieved he hadn't developed narcolepsy. “Next time I want to knock myself out, I need to raid your refrigerator.”
“You're welcome anytime.” Captain Tarkey smiled, remembering the note still behind her back. “So, what were you and Jack talking about?”
“Just plans for when we get to Ohar. Jack can't leave until the second day after we hit orbit, but I see no reason to wait around for him. Just wish I knew what to do for a whole day.”
This was her moment. There would be no better time. She stowed the note in her waistband and took the shot she never thought would happen.
“Seeing as you're free, I was wondering if you would like to join me for the day? I'm visiting my parents and I'm sure they would love to meet you. They love hosting guests.”
Cam’s face elongated with intrigue. He wanted to see how locals lived and they would probably offer a place to stay for the night, which gave him more money to spend on silly souvenirs later. It sounded like a great idea, but he wanted to be careful not to impose.
“Would they mind on such short notice? I don't want to intrude or anything.”
“You won't be. You are my guest.”
“Okay then.” Cam nodded. “Is there anything I should be aware of, culturally? Like am I supposed to bring a gift or…”
“Nope. No gifts. The only thing I would say is don't wear your uniform. My mom thinks it makes our family seem more normal.”
Cam saluted her casually. “Can do. Wasn't planning on wearing it anyways.”
“Perfect,” Captain Tarkey said. “I have a lot to get done before we are cleared to land, so you can take the day off today.”
“Seriously? You don't mind?”
“Not at all. It will give you more time to plan the rest of your leave. Seeing as it's your first time, you will want to make it count.”
“Thanks, Banyani! I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
“See you soon.” Captain Tarkey called back as Cam left. As per usual, once the door closed, she let out her true emotions. She punched the air and danced around her room. “Yes! He said yes!” He’s going to meet my family!”
Captain Tarkey pulled the letter out of her waistband, wadded it up into a ball, and drained the shot into the trashcan. The plan she spent hours on was nothing more than history. She was happy to rid herself of it. In hindsight, she knew the letter would only cause more problems than solutions long term. With it out of the way, she was free to relax and tell her parents the good news.
She went into her room and came back out with a slate, which she propped up on the island. Navigating through the contacts, she clicked on the one labeled ‘Home.’ The loading screen spun and a fun jingle played. Captain Tarkey was all smiles when the screen changed to her mom showing up on the screen.
Her mother, Gwendolyn, would pass as an older sister in the right light. Her cheeks were a tad plumper and her braid was thicker than both of her daughters’. Gwendolyn’s blue eyes sparkled upon seeing her daughter for the first time in far too long.
“Banyani, my beautiful girl, I was wondering when you were going to call. It is good to see you.”
“It is good to see you too, Mom.”
“Kenny, come over here. Banyani is calling,” Gwendolyn said to her husband, Kenton, in the other room before returning her focus back on her daughter. “How are you? When are you coming home?”
“I'm going to be there soon,” Captain Tarkey said, spotting her dad coming into frame. There was no mistaking his trim, salt and pepper beard or proud smile. She always felt his warmth radiate from a simple look, no matter how far away she was. “Hey Dad.”
“There's my little captain. You working hard up there?”
Gwendolyn slapped her husband's hand that rested gently on her shoulders. “Oh stop it. No talking about work you two. I haven't heard from you in ages. What is new in your life? Meet any cute boys?”
Captain Tarkey blushed. “Actually Mom, I was calling to let you know we will have one more joining us tomorrow.”
“Eeee! I knew you would find someone! What's his name? What does he do? How long have you been seeing him?” Gwendolyn rapidly fired off, unwilling to hide her excitement. Her dad was less enthused, keeping his poker face until more was said.
“Easy mom. We aren't dating, but I would hope after he gets to know me better, he might see me as more than just his boss.”
“His boss? He’s enlisted?” Kenton asked.
“Oh shhh you.” Gwendolyn waved him off. “Come on girl, details. Momma needs to know.”
Captain Tarkey smiled. “His name is Cameron, although he lets me call him Cam. And…he’s my personal security officer.”
“Oooh, what is that?” Gwendolyn asked, looking up and back at her husband who wore a disapproving gowl.
“Why does my daughter need a bodyguard?” Kenton asked plainly.
“She doesn't. It just gives her a reason for a late night booty call,” Vani said, coming into frame, leaning on her dad, while nibbling on something resembling celery.
“Vani? What are you doing there? We haven't gotten clearance yet.”
It wasn't entirely true. Captain Tarkey hadn't given the crew the approval to disembark. Clearance was given sometime in the early morning. She couldn't remember when exactly, since she was mostly focused on her trashed note.
Kenton turned his frustration toward the daughter on his shoulder. “You said she let you go early.”
“She didn't stop me. That's basically the same thing.” Vani took another bite of her crunchy vegetable. “So, you got the hot human to come to dinner. Please tell me you didn't order him to. That's tacky.”
“He’s a human!” Gwendolyn gasped and clapped her hands. “I have always wanted to meet a human!”
“First off, I didn't order him to. I asked him and he wanted to see you all. And second, Vani, which shuttle did you steal?”
“I’ll never tell.” Vani waved goodbye. “I’ll see you when you get here sis. Tell Cam I said hi.”
Captain Tarkey wanted to be mad at her sister for breaking several protocols, but she was too excited about bringing Cam tomorrow. She saw her mom happy as can be, but her dad was a different story.
“Banyani, this is a bad idea,” Kenton said. “You’re the captain.”
“And I think our daughter is responsible enough to make her own decisions.” Gwendolyn defended. “Don't listen to your father. If you like him, I say go for it. When are you two coming in?”
She was about to answer when another call came in. It was one she always dreaded to see. High Command.
Captain Tarkey sighed. “I'm getting another call I need to take. We’ll be there in the afternoon sometime tomorrow.”
“I can’t wait to see you tomorrow! Don't work too hard,” Gwendolyn said.
“I won't, Mom. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Captain Tarkey signed off and her finger floated over the screen to answer the next one. High Command was the last group she wanted to talk to, but she had a feeling this would happen. Making a new position is a rather irregular situation, which likely needed more explanation beyond the boilerplate form. Was she ready to give a plausible explanation for needing a bodyguard? No, but if she wanted Cam a little closer to her, she would need to be creative.
***
A bang came from below Lisa's cubicle desk as she hit her head on the countertop. Lisa let out the usual explicative and climbed back in her chair. The device on her desk was beginning to be far more than she bargained for. Cables ran under and over her desk, all going to other instruments of the trade. Many of the devices she was using were completely foreign to her months ago. Lisa caught on quick, but when it came to this, she felt frustratedly inadequate.
“Why won't you decrypt and make my life easier?”
A red light blinked on the device at a consistent pace. It was the most she was getting from it. No answer or, if it was an answer, it was speaking the wrong language. A blinking light wasn't exactly a language for any discernible person, alien or not.
“If you weren't the key to stopping this hacker, I would smash you. You understand me!”
Again, the device did not. The blinking continued as if it was mocking her, enjoying the sound of its own soulless and soundless voice. Computers were weird like that.
“I'm insane. I'm talking to a computer.” Lisa threw up her hands and stood up from her chair. “I need a break.”
Lisa left everything where it was and went for a walk around the ship. Normally, her go to brain cleanser was playing video games, but this was different. She didn't need a distraction. She needed to think. Her travels along the halls led her to one person she did not expect to find.
“Cam? What are you doing here?” Lisa asked, although happy to see a friendly face.
“I got the rest of the day off.”
“How did you swing that?”
“I guess she had a lot of work to do before we get into orbit. I don't blame her. I'm already going to be spending the next day with her. I’d want some time away from me too.”
Lisa smirked. “Sounds to me like she is preparing for more than our arrival.”
“What do you mean? Her parents are the ones hosting me.” Cam cocked his head. He truly was the epitome of clueless.
“You’re dense, you know that, right?”
Cam flexed his average looking bicep. “I mean, I have been working out lately. I wouldn't say dense. Built would be more like it–”
“You never thought for one second that she might like you?”
“Banyani? Like me? Come on, Lisa. Let's be realistic.”
“You’re right, you're not six one. Everyone knows women only want tall guys.”
“You calling me short?”
“I'm calling you dumb. Big difference, genius.”
“First you call me dumb, then you say I'm smart. Pick a lane.” He shoulder bumped her and she bumped him back.
Their friendly little razzing session ended up knocking loose some ideas for both of them, albeit about wildly different topics. Lisa was the first to verbalize her sudden epiphany.
“I think you are a genius,” Lisa said and began walking back to the IT office. “Follow me.”
“Where are we going?”
“To crack open the device.”
Cam lengthen his stride to keep up with her. “Device? What device?”
“The one Jack took. Or have you already forgot?”
“No, I didn't forget…” I have no idea what she's talking about. Was I even there? Dang, that parrot meat really did a number on me.
Lisa opened the door and rushed to her cubicle, excited to try out her new theory. At her desk, she unplugged different cables and plugged in new ones with the urgency of a surgeon losing their patient. She switched over to her keyboard typing with the same speed and intensity. It was a lot for Cam to take in.
“What exactly are you doing?” Cam asked, hoping her explanation will fill in a lot of gaps.
“I am reversing the modular polarity, fixing the capacitor output, and injecting a revised version of code for decrypting. How did I not think of it sooner.”
Cam was fairly certain half of what she said was complete nonsense. It still didn't stop his amazement when the device light turned from red to green. Lisa kicked her seat back and jumped in the air.
“Yes! I was close all along!”
“You did it?” Cam said, inching closer with his pointer finger to poke the device.
Lisa swatted his hand. “Don't touch it. I don't want you screwing it up.”
“How can touching it screw it up?”
“Ever heard of static electricity?”
“Nope,” Cam said, shocking Lisa when he turned his finger on her.
“Hey,” Lisa said. “See what I mean. You could've fried it.”
“How do you know all this stuff?”
“I'm just gifted, I guess.”
“I wish I was gifted at my job.”
“You must not be doing too bad. The captain is still alive.”
Cam shrugged. “She did most of the fighting. All I did was help her up when she fell.”
“You make a good point. Better start filling out your registration paperwork,” Lisa mocked.
“No way. It pays too well,” Cam said.
“Then you're buying us drinks when we get to the beach.”
“Only for you. If I know Jack, he’ll pick the most expensive bottle.”
“Don't you owe him money though?”
“Exactly why I'm not paying for his. He’ll end up owing me money. And we both know he won't pay that back,” Cam said and made his way to the door.
“Where are you going?”
“It looks like you got your hands full. I'm going to get ready for tomorrow.”
Lisa waved. “Make sure you dress up nice for the in-laws.”
“Not my in-laws.”
“Not yet.”
Cam shook his head, but it didn't shake the thoughts already planted there. Banyani doesn't actually like me…does she? Naw, that's ridiculous. She's the captain and my boss. Lisa's just teasing me. Yeah, that's it…
***
Lisa had made some progress, but like all solutions in IT, sometimes the hardest thing to do was to wait and see. Nothing had failed yet, which was a good sign in her eyes. The negative was it gave time for her annoying partner to return.
“Get any farther on your little project?” Lotan asked, fully expecting her to say no.
“Did you go through those logs yet?”
“I did. Last entry was you and then naturally me as I swiped in. Otherwise, the other entries were all around the normal times engineering would be doing expected work.”
Lisa looked back at her screen, seeing the progress bar inching forward at a snail's pace. With the logs being a bust, this was her last chance at finding out who was there. Lotan didn't need an answer to his question, nor would he get one from her as Captain Tarkey called. Lisa tapped on her slate to answer.
“Lisa, good, you're still awake.”
Lisa lifted her slate to show Lotan in frame as well. “Yes, ma'am. We’re both still at it.”
Captain Tarkey paused for a moment, thankful Lisa clued her in on who else was with her. What she wanted to discuss was far from professional in nature.
“How is the progress?”
“It's coming along. I had Lotan check the security logs for a different lead, but he came back with nothing. Now I'm just stuck waiting for this device to be decrypted.”
“So, you have some time to see me in my quarters?”
“Of course we do, ma’am,” Lotan said.
“Sorry, I was talking to Specialist Smots.”
“I guess so.”
“Good. Meet me here as soon as you can. And Specialist Lotan, if anything changes on the status of that device, you let me know right away.”
Lotan saluted. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Good,” Captain Tarkey said. “Lisa, I’ll see you soon.”
The screen went blank and Lisa sprung up from her chair. She hoisted her bag over her shoulder and headed for the door. Lisa had not the slightest idea why she was needed, but it seemed important. It wasn't long before she found herself at Captain Tarkey‘s door. She knocked and heard a muffled, “Come in.”
Lisa swiped the door, not actually thinking it would open for her, but it did. “Wow, since when did I get access?”
She continued inside, where she heard clothes hangers rattling in the other room and plops of heavy cloth hitting the floor. Lisa stepped cautiously to the noise, worried something could be wrong.
“Captain? Is everything alright?”
“I think I need some help,” Captain Tarkey admitted. Lisa came into her room, where a tornado had hit.
Uniforms were tossed all over the bed and floor. Hangers were piled up and more casual clothes littered the floor. Captain Tarkey held two tops up, one purple with thin straps and the other, a blue blouse with a floral design.
“I don't know what I'm doing?”
“Neither do I,” Lisa said. “Care to explain?”
“I'm trying to figure out what to wear tomorrow. I can't remember the last time I wore anything other than my uniform.”
“I'm not really the best person to ask.”
“No, you are.” Captain Tarkey lowered her clothing choices and grabbed Lisa's shoulders. “Please, you're the only one I can turn to.”
Lisa was surprised by the sudden ambush, yet it wasn't unwelcomed. It beat staring at the slow progress bar and Captain Tarkey genuinely valued her opinion. She never got that vibe from other women she had known.
“Are you okay with me being brutally honest?” Lisa asked.
“I wouldn't ask if I didn't. Last thing I want is to screw this up. Tomorrow is my big opportunity to show Cam I'm more than a captain.”
“Okay, I'll–”
Captain Tarkey gave her a big hug. It wasn't like her to act so impulsive, but she felt Lisa agreeing would be huge for wooing Cam. She recoiled fast and held up the two outfits again, excited to hear Lisa's input.
“What are you two doing tomorrow?”
“I was planning on doing some sightseeing and then visiting my parents for dinner.”
“Is it warm in Ohar?”
“Where my parents live it's a bit cooler, but otherwise fairly comfortable. I think it is twenty one degrees.”
She must be talking celsius. I definitely wouldn't wear either in twenty one degrees fahrenheit.
“They both look cute. Are you planning on wearing leggings?”
“Yes…that isn't too sexual, is it? I don't want him to think I’m a slut.”
“Then go with the blouse. Or you could wear skinny jeans. I never saw them as overly sexual.”
Captain Tarkey went back to her bed and found a pair of white jeans that resembled her uniform pants. “Would these work?”
“I don't see why not?”
Captain Tarkey began putting on the clothes and Lisa sat down on the bed, looking at all the other sad unselected options on the floor. The shirts she had were all rather plain and wrinkled, while her uniforms were all pristine and eerily similar.
“Did you just dig all these clothes out of your dresser or something?” Lisa asked.
“I had to raid my sister's closet. She has much better clothes than me,” Captain Tarkey said, squeezing into her skinny jeans. “She didn't leave much behind to pick from.”
“Leave behind? Where did she go?”
“She stole a shuttle and is already at our parent's place. When I find out how she did it, then I'll consider returning her clothes.”
Lisa chuckled at the innocent level of retaliation. “Couldn't you just reprimand her or something?”
“Tried it. Doesn't work. I threw her in the brig once. Not making that mistake again.”
Lisa bounced on the bed closer to her, eager to hear more. “Okay, there is a story there. Spill it.”
“It was strange. One day, out of the blue, she decided to dress up in my uniform and go give orders on the bridge.”
“Why would she do that? Is she power hungry?” Lisa asked, not knowing anything about Vani.
Captain Tarkey shook her head. “No, she kept blaming it on ‘a Halloween’, whatever that is.”
Lisa burst out in laughter. How could she not? These aliens may have spoken English, but their understanding of human holidays was severely lacking.
“What did I say?”
“Sorry. Nothing. Please continue,” Lisa said, trying to get her composure back.
Captain Tarkey continued, despite the new questions forming in her head. “The problem was, it wasn't a punishment for her. She liked not having to work and somehow still found a way to have sex with guys.”
“No way, how is that possible? Don't you put men and women in different cells?”
“All I'm going to say is tentacles reach much farther than I thought.”
Vani sounds like a wild one. “Speaking of being pleasured, you need to tell me about your hair situation. How does that work exactly?”
Captain Tarkey scratched her head, unsure how to phrase it for her to understand when an idea popped in her head. She slapped the ends of Lisa's hair, getting a minimal response.
“You didn't feel anything did you?”
“Not really.”
“If I pulled on your hair, where do you feel it?”
“In my scalp.”
“See, that's where we are different. I feel it through my whole spine or in some cases my entire body. A simple slap that did nothing for you would tense my back muscles.”
“Really?” Lisa said, looking at Captain Tarkey’s braid.
“Our hair is very sensitive. Mine is less sensitive than most, but still.”
“So, do you like turn yourself on when brushing your hair in the morning?”
Captain Tarkey laughed. “Maybe Vani does. No, for me, the only way that is happening is if I pull on it really hard.”
“Or Cam touches you anywhere?” Lisa teased.
“Not anywhere…” Captain Tarkey blushed.
“You're right. From where I'm sitting, he doesn't even need to touch you.”
“I'm that obvious?” Her voice almost whined and fears entered her mind. Lisa was quick to offer some assurance.
“Unfortunately, Cam is oblivious. I did put in a good word for you.”
Captain Tarkey lit up. “You did?”
“I got him thinking, at least I think so. Hard to tell with him sometimes.” Lisa hadn't finished her sentence for longer than a millisecond before feeling Captain Tarkey’s arms wrap tightly around her.
“Thank you, Lisa. I'm so glad to have a friend like you.”
Lisa patted her on the back, finding it a little hard to breathe with the death grip around her ribs. Despite the minor discomfort, it was nice to feel a warm embrace for a change.
“Me too.”
***
[Previous] Next
2024.06.01 21:35 tropical_rabbit Call of the Tunnels (Part 3)
Part 2
While I was deciding what to do next, Aimee burst through the door. She was soaking wet and shivering. Her clothes were matted down with dirt and mud.
“Where were you?” I asked.
“I was lost in the woods,” she said.
“How did you get there?” I asked.
“I don't know…I just remember going to sleep next to you and then all of a sudden I was in the woods,” she said as she continued to shiver.
I helped her into the bathroom and wrapped my arms around her to try and warm her up.
“You'll get all dirty,” she said.
“It's okay, I don't mind at all,” I said.
She kissed me before leaning her head into my chest. Then she stepped back and looked at me. “Looks like we'll both need a shower now,” she said. “Want to join me?”
She carefully took off her dirty clothes and piled them on the floor. Then she helped me get mine off before grabbing my hand and leading me into the shower with her.
After we were finished and dry, we got dressed. She put on new clothes and I had to put the same ones on again. “Guess I should have gotten clean clothes first,” I said.
“I'll go with you so you can get changed and hopefully Josh will be there…we really need to talk to him,” she said.
“I agree. He's been acting weirder than the rest of us have.”
We took the stairs to my floor and walked over to my room. The door was slightly ajar. We pushed it further open and peeked inside before going in. At first, we didn't see anything, but after we walked in, Aimee was the first to notice him.
“Oh my God!” she shouted.
It was Greg's roommate, Amir. He was lying on the floor behind my bed. Bubbles of drool were coming out of his mouth and his eyes were wide open. He looked terrified and his mouth was twitching but he made no sound.
“Get help!” shouted Aimee before she knelt down beside him.
I called 9-1-1 on my phone while running into the hall and yelling for help. Some of my floormates came over first. Then the RA joined us with a first aid kit. He pulled out a CPR mask and began doing chest compressions before breathing into Amir's mouth.
The paramedics arrived pretty quickly and took over for the RA. Campus police showed up next while the EMTs were putting Amir on a stretcher and wheeling him to the elevator.
We were questioned by the campus police and then by the local police. Greg and Emily came over while we were still talking to them and couldn't believe what happened. The police told us to stay out of my room while they looked around but that we were free to go.
I peeked inside before we walked away and saw a dark shape moving around inside. “Hey, I think someone's in there!” I shouted to the police. They ran inside and looked around. There weren't many places to hide so their search was quick and didn't turn up anyone.
“Sorry,” I said when they came back out. “I thought I saw something move in there.”
“You can stay in our room,” Emily said. “I'll stay with Greg…poor Amir. I wonder what happened?”
“We should look for Josh,” said Greg.
I tried calling Josh but it went straight to voicemail. “Call me back,” I said before hanging up. I also sent him a text message asking where he was and to call me.
“He's probably in the room,” I said.
Emily brightened up. “We should go now and see if he is there,” she said.
“I need something to eat first,” I said. “Want to go to the cafeteria first and then head out?”
“Good idea,” said Greg.
We went to the cafeteria and shared a table after getting our food. All of us, except for Emily, had class today, but we were all okay with skipping so we could find Josh.
After we were finished eating, we went outside. The sun was out but there were a lot of clouds moving in.
“That doesn't look good,” said Aimee, pointing to the low dark gray clouds heading towards us.
Lightning flashed followed pretty quickly by a rumble of thunder.
“Maybe we should go back in and wait this out,” I said.
Before anyone answered, the rain began to quickly fall. We all ran back inside as more lightning lit up the darkening day.
“Now what do we do?” asked Greg.
“I guess we should go to our classes,” I said.
Emily let me borrow her umbrella since I couldn't go back to my room yet and we all went our separate ways.
I sat down near the back in my Economics class and hoped nothing weird was going to happen. The girl that was at Josh's table the other day was a couple rows in front of me. During class she kept looking back at me every so often and smiling.
After class was over she came over to me. “Aren't you Josh's roommate?”
“Yes, I'm John.”
“My name is Nicole. Can I talk to you for a moment?”
“Sure. Let's go out in the hall.”
We found a bench to sit on. Her eyes were wide and she seemed to be having a hard time containing her excitement.
She waited for the last few people from class to clear out of the area before talking.
“Do you know where Josh is? He was supposed to text me earlier so I could go with him to this special place he found.”
I was about to answer, but she cut me off and kept on talking.
“He told us all about this room where the ceiling is alive. None of us believed him at first until he showed us this trick. I don't know how he did it, but he had us come to his room and he did something with the ceiling. I was sure there was a projector but I couldn't find one. Do you know how he did it?”
This time she waited for me to answer. “I don't know how he did it and I am trying to find him too. The room he is talking about might be dangerous…I wouldn't go if I were you.”
“I have to see it! The others want to, too,” she said.
“Who else did he tell about it?”
Her phone buzzed. She quickly pulled it out of her backpack and looked disappointed. “It isn't Josh, but I have to take this.”
She answered her phone as she walked towards the door to go outside. I wondered if she knew what happened to Amir. I felt like I should tell her.
When I stood up to go follow her, I heard a door opening behind me with an audible creak. I turned around and watched the door gently bounce off the rubber wall protector.
The hallway was silent and it didn't sound like anyone was in the room. I looked back outside and I didn't see Nicole…or anyone else. There should be people here for their next class. I looked up at the digital clock on the wall. It showed 1:00.
I pulled out my phone and texted Aimee. She was in class so I didn't want to call her. I heard noises coming from the classroom that I couldn't make sense of. Before I knew it, I was walking towards the open doorway. When I walked inside the room, I saw black fog coming down from the ceiling. The walls seemed to pulse with life and I felt my shoes sticking to the floor. I tried to lift my foot but it wouldn't budge. The fog was growing bigger and filling up the room. I felt it swirl around me and felt voices inside my head. They were trying to tell me something but I couldn't understand.
I looked at the floor again and saw eyes staring up at me. The whispers turned into pictures in my head and I knew what I had to do. I turned around and walked back into the hallway. Pushing my way through the doors out into the cold stormy day.
I walked down the steep hill leading to the baseball field and toward the woods. Thunder rumbled all around me and the strong winds pushed through the trees.
I still hadn't seen anyone, but I didn't care, I just had to get to the room. Voices filled the silence and encouraged me on my path.
Music tool my attention away from the room and I reached for my phone. Aimee was calling.
I stopped and answered. “Hi.”
“Hey, where are you? Your class was done hours ago and no one has seen you,” she said.
It was like the view in front of me glitched. Then blue sky appeared and I could hear cars driving by behind me.
“I'm by the rec center,” I said. “Are Greg and Emily with you?”
“No, they just left to get some food. Are you coming over here?”
I looked towards the woods, which would take me to the room and was trying to think what I should do.
“John…John!” Aimee shouted.
“What? Why are you yelling?” I asked.
“You wouldn't answer me but it sounded like you were mumbling something to yourself,” she said.
“That's weird. What was I saying?”
“I have no idea. It was gibberish to me…so, are you coming over?”
“Yes…yes, I'll be there shortly,” I said.
“Great! Can't wait to see you.”
“Same here,” I ended the call and headed towards the dorms.
A sudden loud rumble of thunder made me jump. I looked up at the mostly clear sky above me and as far as I could see. I heard another loud one just before I ran into the dorms.
I went up to Aimee's room. She ran over and gave me a hug. “We were worried about you.”
We sat down and started talking. At first we spoke about everything but what was currently going on. Finally, Aimee steered the conversation to what we really should have been talking about and asked, “What do you think happened to Amir?”
“I don't know,” I said. “But he looked absolutely terrified.”
“I wonder what he saw,” she said.
My mind was spinning with everything happening and I didn't really want to think about it anymore. I leaned in and kissed Aimee. She wrapped her arms around me and kissed me back. We made out for a while before falling asleep in each other's arms.
I woke up to shadows dancing along the walls and dim light coming in through the window. Aimee was sitting at her desk. She was drawing something.
“Hey, what are you doing?” I asked.
“I had this nightmare,” she said. “And I keep seeing these pictures in my mind when I close my eyes.”
I looked at her drawing. It was mostly water with thick black strands coming out of it in the middle. She pulled out another piece of paper and it was just this scribbled out human shape with long tendrils coming out of its head. There wasn't much detail to the drawing but it reminded me of the shadow I saw on the wall in my class.
“I saw something like that in my class,” I said. “Thought I must have imagined it.”
We met Greg and Emily for breakfast in the dorm cafeteria and made our plan for going back to the tunnels. It was raining outside but there was no thunder or lightning. The way Emily took us last time was mostly outside and we didn't feel like getting drenched before going back to the room.
I was weirdly excited to be going back there and it looked like the others were as well.
“I want to see if I can go back in my room and get changed before we go,” I said.
We finished our food and took the elevator to my floor. When the doors opened, there was a loud boom of thunder and the lights flickered.
“That’s great, maybe we won't be able to go,” said Emily.
“Let's just see how bad it is, maybe we can still just run quickly to the tunnel entrance. Or maybe we can find another way in from the basement of one of the other buildings,” said Aimee.
Lightning flashed outside the windows at the end of the hallway followed by an even louder roar of thunder.
The storm was getting worse and the building shook with each rumble of thunder. The lights flickered a few more times when we walked through my door and then they completely went out. I used my phone light to find my flashlight in the desk drawer while the others sat down.
When my light moved past Josh's desk, I noticed paper everywhere, including on the floor. Each piece had some writing on it.
“What the hell,” I said, picking up a piece of paper. There were unique looking symbols drawn all over this one. They were written in organized columns and were intricately detailed. Another piece had what looked like mathematical equations except there were no recognizable numbers or symbols.
“What is it?” asked Aimee.
“I don't know,” I said.
The others came over and started looking through the pages with me.
“This one looks like cursive writing but doesn't make any sense,” said Emily.
I picked up another one that had random letters spaced out like words but none of them made any sense. I turned towards Emily. “This reminds me…Emily, I forgot to ask about this weird text you sent me.” I opened up my messaging app and showed her what she had sent.
She stared unblinking at the message. Then she apparently tried to read it out loud. “Ph'nglui mglw'nafh umr wgah'nagl fhtagn.”
Emily grabbed the paper I had been holding and started to read that one too. Of course, none of it was making any sense to us, but she was reading it aloud like it was normal English.
“Ngai syha'hrii hupadgh ep shugg. Ngai shagg nafl shuggog ftaghu hrii stell'bsna throd y-s'uhn. R'lyeh hrii kadishtu, ya s'uhn ngai vulgtlagln.” Emily closed her eyes and dropped the paper. There was a rumbling above us that wasn't from the storm.
Aimee, Greg, and I looked up to see the night sky where the ceiling used to be, with the stars brightening the darkened room. A ripple flowed across the ceiling and we stared in amazement at it. It was beautiful just like the room in the tunnels. Time seemed to stand still as I lost myself in the neverending night sky.
I climbed on my bed and raised my arm, stopping my hand just before where the ceiling should be. Then I slowly reached up with one finger breaking the plane into the impossible sky above. There was surface tension that caused more ripples to spread across the ceiling and then my finger broke through.
I shouted in pain, immediately pulling my hand back down. It was freezing cold. My fingertip had no color to it and now felt numb.
“What happened?” Aimee said as her gaze slowly turned away from the ceiling and towards me.
“I don't know,” I said. “But I think we should get out of here.”
Greg was still looking up and didn't move when we called his name. Aimee grabbed my pillow and put it over his face so he couldn't see the ceiling anymore. He looked over at us like he was waking from a dream.
“Come on Greg, let's get Emily and go somewhere else,” I said.
Emily was now sitting at Josh's desk flipping through the papers and whispering fast. It was more of the nonsense words she was reading before.
“Emily…we need to go,” said Greg.
She continued reading and didn't move. Then she stood up and raised her hands towards the ceiling. As she moved them, we could see the stars above moving just like what Josh had done the other night when I thought I was dreaming.
New stars appeared as the night sky circled around above us. Aimee and Greg appeared to be stuck looking at it again. Although I wanted to see what would happen, I think the pain in my finger must have allowed me to keep some focus on the real world around me.
We stood there watching for a long time as the sky continued to move. A brighter star appeared with planets spaced out around it. The biggest planet grew closer and eventually took up the whole ceiling. Then the middle of the ceiling began to droop down like a slow drip of syrup. I felt a low rumble inside my head and could hear some of the words Emily had been speaking. Pictures of a barren planet with a vast ocean appeared before me. Something big was coming out of the water. I started to focus back on the pain in my finger and the room around me.
I grabbed Aimee by the arm and pulled her towards the door. She didn't even seem to notice what I was doing. After I got her through the door, I ran back and did the same for Greg.
The part of the ceiling that was dripping down formed into a large tentacle and began reaching for me. Another one emerged and went towards Emily. I ran to her and pulled her to the ground with me. The rumble in my head grew louder, causing excruciating pain. I fought through it and crawled along the floor dragging Emily with me and staying just out of reach of the appendages. When we reached the door, one of them slid across Emily's leg. She screamed. I stood up and pulled her quickly out the door, slamming it shut behind me.
Aimee and Greg were just standing there in a daze. Emily was crying with her eyes wide, frantically looking around. The thunder outside was almost constant, but I didn't hear any when we were in the room. It must have masked the sound of Emily's scream as I didn't see anyone else in the hall.
I shook Aimee and Greg and called their names. It took a while but they both eventually returned to consciousness.
“Emily needs help,” I said.
I looked at her leg and it was much worse than the marks on Aimee's back. There was a thick patch where the skin was gone and blood was coming out. Greg kneeled down beside Emily, who didn't even seem to notice he was there while Aimee and I went to get help. We knocked on a few doors but no one answered. I ran to the bathrooms and grabbed some paper towels to use to stop the bleeding.
In a minor pause between thunder, I heard the tornado siren as I ran back to Emily. Greg took the paper towels from me and held them to her leg.
“I heard a siren,” I said. “Everyone must be in the storm shelter in the basement.”
“What do you think is happening in your room?” Aimee asked.
“I'm afraid to check,” I said. “But at least nothing is trying to break down the door.”
Greg had grabbed Emily's head and was looking in her eyes. “Emily, it's me.”
He kept talking to her and trying to get her attention. Aimee and I grabbed Emily's arms and pulled her up. She still didn't seem to be aware of her surroundings but she could at least stand with minimal help from us.
“Let's take her to her room,” said Greg.
We led her down the stairs and into her room. Then we got her to lie down on her bed while Aimee ran to the bathroom for antibiotic ointment and bandages.
“I should go see what is happening in my room,” I said.”
“I'll go with you,” said Aimee. “Greg, we'll be back soon.” She grabbed her flashlight and we went out the door.
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While I was deciding what to do next, Aimee burst through the door. She was soaking wet and shivering. Her clothes were matted down with dirt and mud.
“Where were you?” I asked.
“I was lost in the woods,” she said.
“How did you get there?” I asked.
“I don't know…I just remember going to sleep next to you and then all of a sudden I was in the woods,” she said as she continued to shiver.
I helped her into the bathroom and wrapped my arms around her to try and warm her up.
“You'll get all dirty,” she said.
“It's okay, I don't mind at all,” I said.
She kissed me before leaning her head into my chest. Then she stepped back and looked at me. “Looks like we'll both need a shower now,” she said. “Want to join me?”
She carefully took off her dirty clothes and piled them on the floor. Then she helped me get mine off before grabbing my hand and leading me into the shower with her.
After we were finished and dry, we got dressed. She put on new clothes and I had to put the same ones on again. “Guess I should have gotten clean clothes first,” I said.
“I'll go with you so you can get changed and hopefully Josh will be there…we really need to talk to him,” she said.
“I agree. He's been acting weirder than the rest of us have.”
We took the stairs to my floor and walked over to my room. The door was slightly ajar. We pushed it further open and peeked inside before going in. At first, we didn't see anything, but after we walked in, Aimee was the first to notice him.
“Oh my God!” she shouted.
It was Greg's roommate, Amir. He was lying on the floor behind my bed. Bubbles of drool were coming out of his mouth and his eyes were wide open. He looked terrified and his mouth was twitching but he made no sound.
“Get help!” shouted Aimee before she knelt down beside him.
I called 9-1-1 on my phone while running into the hall and yelling for help. Some of my floormates came over first. Then the RA joined us with a first aid kit. He pulled out a CPR mask and began doing chest compressions before breathing into Amir's mouth.
The paramedics arrived pretty quickly and took over for the RA. Campus police showed up next while the EMTs were putting Amir on a stretcher and wheeling him to the elevator.
We were questioned by the campus police and then by the local police. Greg and Emily came over while we were still talking to them and couldn't believe what happened. The police told us to stay out of my room while they looked around but that we were free to go.
I peeked inside before we walked away and saw a dark shape moving around inside. “Hey, I think someone's in there!” I shouted to the police. They ran inside and looked around. There weren't many places to hide so their search was quick and didn't turn up anyone.
“Sorry,” I said when they came back out. “I thought I saw something move in there.”
“You can stay in our room,” Emily said. “I'll stay with Greg…poor Amir. I wonder what happened?”
“We should look for Josh,” said Greg.
I tried calling Josh but it went straight to voicemail. “Call me back,” I said before hanging up. I also sent him a text message asking where he was and to call me.
“He's probably in the room,” I said.
Emily brightened up. “We should go now and see if he is there,” she said.
“I need something to eat first,” I said. “Want to go to the cafeteria first and then head out?”
“Good idea,” said Greg.
We went to the cafeteria and shared a table after getting our food. All of us, except for Emily, had class today, but we were all okay with skipping so we could find Josh.
After we were finished eating, we went outside. The sun was out but there were a lot of clouds moving in.
“That doesn't look good,” said Aimee, pointing to the low dark gray clouds heading towards us.
Lightning flashed followed pretty quickly by a rumble of thunder.
“Maybe we should go back in and wait this out,” I said.
Before anyone answered, the rain began to quickly fall. We all ran back inside as more lightning lit up the darkening day.
“Now what do we do?” asked Greg.
“I guess we should go to our classes,” I said.
Emily let me borrow her umbrella since I couldn't go back to my room yet and we all went our separate ways.
I sat down near the back in my Economics class and hoped nothing weird was going to happen. The girl that was at Josh's table the other day was a couple rows in front of me. During class she kept looking back at me every so often and smiling.
After class was over she came over to me. “Aren't you Josh's roommate?”
“Yes, I'm John.”
“My name is Nicole. Can I talk to you for a moment?”
“Sure. Let's go out in the hall.”
We found a bench to sit on. Her eyes were wide and she seemed to be having a hard time containing her excitement.
She waited for the last few people from class to clear out of the area before talking.
“Do you know where Josh is? He was supposed to text me earlier so I could go with him to this special place he found.”
I was about to answer, but she cut me off and kept on talking.
“He told us all about this room where the ceiling is alive. None of us believed him at first until he showed us this trick. I don't know how he did it, but he had us come to his room and he did something with the ceiling. I was sure there was a projector but I couldn't find one. Do you know how he did it?”
This time she waited for me to answer. “I don't know how he did it and I am trying to find him too. The room he is talking about might be dangerous…I wouldn't go if I were you.”
“I have to see it! The others want to, too,” she said.
“Who else did he tell about it?”
Her phone buzzed. She quickly pulled it out of her backpack and looked disappointed. “It isn't Josh, but I have to take this.”
She answered her phone as she walked towards the door to go outside. I wondered if she knew what happened to Amir. I felt like I should tell her.
When I stood up to go follow her, I heard a door opening behind me with an audible creak. I turned around and watched the door gently bounce off the rubber wall protector.
The hallway was silent and it didn't sound like anyone was in the room. I looked back outside and I didn't see Nicole…or anyone else. There should be people here for their next class. I looked up at the digital clock on the wall. It showed 1:00.
I pulled out my phone and texted Aimee. She was in class so I didn't want to call her. I heard noises coming from the classroom that I couldn't make sense of. Before I knew it, I was walking towards the open doorway. When I walked inside the room, I saw black fog coming down from the ceiling. The walls seemed to pulse with life and I felt my shoes sticking to the floor. I tried to lift my foot but it wouldn't budge. The fog was growing bigger and filling up the room. I felt it swirl around me and felt voices inside my head. They were trying to tell me something but I couldn't understand.
I looked at the floor again and saw eyes staring up at me. The whispers turned into pictures in my head and I knew what I had to do. I turned around and walked back into the hallway. Pushing my way through the doors out into the cold stormy day.
I walked down the steep hill leading to the baseball field and toward the woods. Thunder rumbled all around me and the strong winds pushed through the trees.
I still hadn't seen anyone, but I didn't care, I just had to get to the room. Voices filled the silence and encouraged me on my path.
Music tool my attention away from the room and I reached for my phone. Aimee was calling.
I stopped and answered. “Hi.”
“Hey, where are you? Your class was done hours ago and no one has seen you,” she said.
It was like the view in front of me glitched. Then blue sky appeared and I could hear cars driving by behind me.
“I'm by the rec center,” I said. “Are Greg and Emily with you?”
“No, they just left to get some food. Are you coming over here?”
I looked towards the woods, which would take me to the room and was trying to think what I should do.
“John…John!” Aimee shouted.
“What? Why are you yelling?” I asked.
“You wouldn't answer me but it sounded like you were mumbling something to yourself,” she said.
“That's weird. What was I saying?”
“I have no idea. It was gibberish to me…so, are you coming over?”
“Yes…yes, I'll be there shortly,” I said.
“Great! Can't wait to see you.”
“Same here,” I ended the call and headed towards the dorms.
A sudden loud rumble of thunder made me jump. I looked up at the mostly clear sky above me and as far as I could see. I heard another loud one just before I ran into the dorms.
I went up to Aimee's room. She ran over and gave me a hug. “We were worried about you.”
We sat down and started talking. At first we spoke about everything but what was currently going on. Finally, Aimee steered the conversation to what we really should have been talking about and asked, “What do you think happened to Amir?”
“I don't know,” I said. “But he looked absolutely terrified.”
“I wonder what he saw,” she said.
My mind was spinning with everything happening and I didn't really want to think about it anymore. I leaned in and kissed Aimee. She wrapped her arms around me and kissed me back. We made out for a while before falling asleep in each other's arms.
I woke up to shadows dancing along the walls and dim light coming in through the window. Aimee was sitting at her desk. She was drawing something.
“Hey, what are you doing?” I asked.
“I had this nightmare,” she said. “And I keep seeing these pictures in my mind when I close my eyes.”
I looked at her drawing. It was mostly water with thick black strands coming out of it in the middle. She pulled out another piece of paper and it was just this scribbled out human shape with long tendrils coming out of its head. There wasn't much detail to the drawing but it reminded me of the shadow I saw on the wall in my class.
“I saw something like that in my class,” I said. “Thought I must have imagined it.”
We met Greg and Emily for breakfast in the dorm cafeteria and made our plan for going back to the tunnels. It was raining outside but there was no thunder or lightning. The way Emily took us last time was mostly outside and we didn't feel like getting drenched before going back to the room.
I was weirdly excited to be going back there and it looked like the others were as well.
“I want to see if I can go back in my room and get changed before we go,” I said.
We finished our food and took the elevator to my floor. When the doors opened, there was a loud boom of thunder and the lights flickered.
“That’s great, maybe we won't be able to go,” said Emily.
“Let's just see how bad it is, maybe we can still just run quickly to the tunnel entrance. Or maybe we can find another way in from the basement of one of the other buildings,” said Aimee.
Lightning flashed outside the windows at the end of the hallway followed by an even louder roar of thunder.
The storm was getting worse and the building shook with each rumble of thunder. The lights flickered a few more times when we walked through my door and then they completely went out. I used my phone light to find my flashlight in the desk drawer while the others sat down.
When my light moved past Josh's desk, I noticed paper everywhere, including on the floor. Each piece had some writing on it.
“What the hell,” I said, picking up a piece of paper. There were unique looking symbols drawn all over this one. They were written in organized columns and were intricately detailed. Another piece had what looked like mathematical equations except there were no recognizable numbers or symbols.
“What is it?” asked Aimee.
“I don't know,” I said.
The others came over and started looking through the pages with me.
“This one looks like cursive writing but doesn't make any sense,” said Emily.
I picked up another one that had random letters spaced out like words but none of them made any sense. I turned towards Emily. “This reminds me…Emily, I forgot to ask about this weird text you sent me.” I opened up my messaging app and showed her what she had sent.
She stared unblinking at the message. Then she apparently tried to read it out loud. “Ph'nglui mglw'nafh umr wgah'nagl fhtagn.”
Emily grabbed the paper I had been holding and started to read that one too. Of course, none of it was making any sense to us, but she was reading it aloud like it was normal English.
“Ngai syha'hrii hupadgh ep shugg. Ngai shagg nafl shuggog ftaghu hrii stell'bsna throd y-s'uhn. R'lyeh hrii kadishtu, ya s'uhn ngai vulgtlagln.” Emily closed her eyes and dropped the paper. There was a rumbling above us that wasn't from the storm.
Aimee, Greg, and I looked up to see the night sky where the ceiling used to be, with the stars brightening the darkened room. A ripple flowed across the ceiling and we stared in amazement at it. It was beautiful just like the room in the tunnels. Time seemed to stand still as I lost myself in the neverending night sky.
I climbed on my bed and raised my arm, stopping my hand just before where the ceiling should be. Then I slowly reached up with one finger breaking the plane into the impossible sky above. There was surface tension that caused more ripples to spread across the ceiling and then my finger broke through.
I shouted in pain, immediately pulling my hand back down. It was freezing cold. My fingertip had no color to it and now felt numb.
“What happened?” Aimee said as her gaze slowly turned away from the ceiling and towards me.
“I don't know,” I said. “But I think we should get out of here.”
Greg was still looking up and didn't move when we called his name. Aimee grabbed my pillow and put it over his face so he couldn't see the ceiling anymore. He looked over at us like he was waking from a dream.
“Come on Greg, let's get Emily and go somewhere else,” I said.
Emily was now sitting at Josh's desk flipping through the papers and whispering fast. It was more of the nonsense words she was reading before.
“Emily…we need to go,” said Greg.
She continued reading and didn't move. Then she stood up and raised her hands towards the ceiling. As she moved them, we could see the stars above moving just like what Josh had done the other night when I thought I was dreaming.
New stars appeared as the night sky circled around above us. Aimee and Greg appeared to be stuck looking at it again. Although I wanted to see what would happen, I think the pain in my finger must have allowed me to keep some focus on the real world around me.
We stood there watching for a long time as the sky continued to move. A brighter star appeared with planets spaced out around it. The biggest planet grew closer and eventually took up the whole ceiling. Then the middle of the ceiling began to droop down like a slow drip of syrup. I felt a low rumble inside my head and could hear some of the words Emily had been speaking. Pictures of a barren planet with a vast ocean appeared before me. Something big was coming out of the water. I started to focus back on the pain in my finger and the room around me.
I grabbed Aimee by the arm and pulled her towards the door. She didn't even seem to notice what I was doing. After I got her through the door, I ran back and did the same for Greg.
The part of the ceiling that was dripping down formed into a large tentacle and began reaching for me. Another one emerged and went towards Emily. I ran to her and pulled her to the ground with me. The rumble in my head grew louder, causing excruciating pain. I fought through it and crawled along the floor dragging Emily with me and staying just out of reach of the appendages. When we reached the door, one of them slid across Emily's leg. She screamed. I stood up and pulled her quickly out the door, slamming it shut behind me.
Aimee and Greg were just standing there in a daze. Emily was crying with her eyes wide, frantically looking around. The thunder outside was almost constant, but I didn't hear any when we were in the room. It must have masked the sound of Emily's scream as I didn't see anyone else in the hall.
I shook Aimee and Greg and called their names. It took a while but they both eventually returned to consciousness.
“Emily needs help,” I said.
I looked at her leg and it was much worse than the marks on Aimee's back. There was a thick patch where the skin was gone and blood was coming out. Greg kneeled down beside Emily, who didn't even seem to notice he was there while Aimee and I went to get help. We knocked on a few doors but no one answered. I ran to the bathrooms and grabbed some paper towels to use to stop the bleeding.
In a minor pause between thunder, I heard the tornado siren as I ran back to Emily. Greg took the paper towels from me and held them to her leg.
“I heard a siren,” I said. “Everyone must be in the storm shelter in the basement.”
“What do you think is happening in your room?” Aimee asked.
“I'm afraid to check,” I said. “But at least nothing is trying to break down the door.”
Greg had grabbed Emily's head and was looking in her eyes. “Emily, it's me.”
He kept talking to her and trying to get her attention. Aimee and I grabbed Emily's arms and pulled her up. She still didn't seem to be aware of her surroundings but she could at least stand with minimal help from us.
“Let's take her to her room,” said Greg.
We led her down the stairs and into her room. Then we got her to lie down on her bed while Aimee ran to the bathroom for antibiotic ointment and bandages.
“I should go see what is happening in my room,” I said.”
“I'll go with you,” said Aimee. “Greg, we'll be back soon.” She grabbed her flashlight and we went out the door.
2024.06.01 21:31 Billy_NoMate List of every time more than 4 words fit a category
To clear up a common misconception that this is something that only happens extremely rarely, here's a list of every time more than 4 words have fit one of the categories and what number puzzle it occurred in. The first 4 words are the answers and every word after that in parenthesis are words that fit that category but were part of another group. Also, category names might not be exactly the same as the ones used.
submitted by Billy_NoMate to NYTConnections [link] [comments]
#4 Cleaning Verbs
Possible answers: DUST, MOP, SWEEP, VACUUM, (IRON)
#5 Condiments
Possible answers: KETCHUP, MAYO, RELISH, TARTAR, (MUSTARD)
#5 Clue Characters
Possible answers: GREEN, MUSTARD, PLUM, SCARLET, (PEACOCK)
#6 Shades of Blue
Possible answers: BABY, MIDNIGHT, POWDER, ROYAL, (SEA)
#6 Rappers
Possible answers: COMMON, FUTURE, ICE CUBE, Q-TIP, (CHANCE)
#9 Shirts
Possible answers: CAMI, HALTER, TANK, TEE, (POLO)
#9 Vegetables
Possible answers: BEET, CARROT, CORN, ONION, (SQUASH)
#9 Insects
Possible answers: ANT, BEETLE, MANTIS, TERMITE, (CRICKET)
#10 Countries
Possible answers: CHAD, GEORGIA, JORDAN, TOGO, (TURKEY)
#10 Birds
Possible answers: CRANE, JAY, TURKEY, SWALLOW, (KIWI)
#11 Spices
Possible answers: CARDAMOM, CLOVE, CORIANDER, CUMIN, (GINGER)
#11 Terms of Endearment
Possible answers: BOO, HONEY, SUGAR, SWEETIE, (BABY)
#12 Animal Group Names
Possible answers: FLOCK, PACK, POD, SCHOOL, (PRIDE)
#12 Deadly Sins
Possible answers: ENVY, GREED, LUST, PRIDE, (SLOTH)
#13 Airlines
Possible answers: FRONTIER, SPIRIT, UNITED, VIRGIN, (DELTA)
#13 Greek Letters
Possible answers: BETA, CHI, DELTA, IOTA, (NU)
#13 Silent G's
Possible answers: GNAT, GNAW, GNOCCHI, GNOME, (GNU)
#14 Famous Brothers
Possible answers: JONAS, MARX, WARNER, WRIGHT, (MARIO)
#14 Honda Vehicles
Possible answers: ACCORD, CIVIC, PASSPORT, PILOT, (CANOPY)
#15 Colors
Possible answers: BROWN, PINK, TURQUOISE, VIOLET, (SILVER)
#15 Fishing Equipment
Possible answers: LURE, REEL, ROD, TACKLE, (HOOK)
#16 Nuts
Possible answers: ALMOND, CASHEW, PECAN, WALNUT (PEANUT)
#17 Neck Accessories
Possible answers: ASCOT, BOLO, TIE, SCARF, (BOW)
#19 Disagreement
Possible answers: QUARREL, ROW, SPAT, TIFF, QUARREL, (BEEF)
#20 Grains
Possible answers: BARLEY, OAT, RYE, SPELT, (RICE)
#20 Royal Titles
Possible answers: BARON, EARL, KING, PRINCE, (DUKE)
#23 60's Band Member
Possible answers: BEACH BOY, BEATLE, BYRD, MONKEE, (ROLLING STONE)
#23 Dance Fads
Possible answers: DOUGIE, MACARENA, MASHED POTATO, TWIST, (VOGUE)
#25 Desserts
Possible answers: CHEESECAKE, FLAN, MOUSSE, TIRAMISU, (FUDGE)
#25 Animals with Tusks
Possible answers: ELEPHANT, HIPPO, NARWHAL, WARTHOG, (WALRUS)
#26 Countries (Holland is technically a region but it's often used as an informal name for the Netherlands)
Possible answers: DENMARK, GREECE, POLAND, PORTUGAL, (HOLLAND)
#26 Spelled with Roman Numerals
Possible answers: DILL, LIVID, MILD, MIX, (MIMIC)
#27 Body Parts
Possible answers: HEART, LIVER, LUNG, KIDNEY, (SPINE)
#28 File Extensions
Possible answers: GIF, PDF, TIFF, ZIP, (DOC)
#28 Fruits
Possible answers: BANANA, COCONUT, MANGO, PINEAPPLE, (KIWI)
#30 Joints
Possible answers: HIP, KNEE, SHOULDER, WRIST, (ELBOW)
#33 Boats
Possible answers: FERRY, JUNK, TUG, YACHT, (SUB)
#33 Cuts of Beef
Possible answers: FLANK, LOIN, ROUND, SHANK, (CHUCK)
#34 Smell
Possible answers: AROMA, BOUQUET, FRAGRANCE, SCENT, (FUNK)
#34 Music Genres
Possible answers: BLUES, COUNTRY, FUNK, SOUL, (ROCK)
#35 Metals
Possible answers: IRON, LEAD, TIN, ZINC, (NICKEL)
#36 Animals
Possible answers: KANGAROO, KOALA, WALLABY, WOMBAT, (MOLE RAT)
#38 Trees
Possible answers: ASH, CEDAR, MAPLE, PINE, (ELM)
#38 Land Formation
Possible answers: HILL, MOUNTAIN, PLATEAU, VALLEY, (PLAIN)
#38 Bagel Flavors
Possible answers: EVERYTHING, ONION, PLAIN, POPPY, (SESAME)
#41 Islands
Possible answers: CUBA, JAPAN, MALTA, PALAU, (FIJI), (JAVA)
#42 Punctuation Marks
Possible answers: COLON, COMMA, HYPHEN, PERIOD, (DASH)
#43 Birds
Possible answers: BOOBY, GULL, PELICAN, PUFFIN, (CANARY)
#45 Modes of Transportation
Possible answers: BOAT, CAR, PLANE, TRAIN, (SUBWAY)
#46 Cities
Possible answers: CHICAGO, MUNICH, PHILADELPHIA, RIO, (MANHATTAN)
#46 Fashion Magazines
Possible answers: ALLURE, ELLE, GLAMOUR, W, (COSMOPOLITAN)
#46 Storms
Possible answers: BLIZZARD, CYCLONE, SQUALL, TORNADO, (HURRICANE)
#48 Apparitions
Possible answers: GHOST, PHANTOM, SPECTER, SPIRIT, (GENIE)
#49 Relatives
Possible answers: AUNT, COUSIN, MOTHER, NEPHEW, (GRANDFATHER)
#49 Offbeat
Possible answers: DAFFY, KOOKY, QUIRKY, WACKY, (CUCKOO)
#49 Fictional Ducks
Possible answers: DAISY, DEWEY, DONALD, SCROOGE, (DAFFY)
#50 Imperial Measurements
Possible answers: FOOT, INCH, MILE, YARD, (QUART)
#52 Rodents
Possible answers: GERBIL, HAMSTER, RAT, VOLE, (MOUSE)
#52 Musical Instruments
Possible answers: HARP, HORN, ORGAN, TRIANGLE, (KEYBOARD)
#52 Complain
Possible answers: CARP, GRIPE, GROUSE, MOAN, (HARP)
#53 Animal Group Names
Possible answers: COLONY, HERD, PRIDE, SWARM, (FAMILY)
#53 AP Classes
Possible answers: BIO, CHEM, GOV, STATS, (LIT)
#54 Places for Worship
Possible answers: ALTAR, RELIQUARY, SHRINE, TEMPLE, (ABBEY)
#54 Presidents
Possible answers: CALVIN, CHESTER, GROVER, HARRY, (GARFIELD)
#56 Dances
Possible answers: HUSTLE, SALSA, SWING, TANGO, (TAP)
#57 Patterns
Possible answers: HOUNDSTOOTH, PAISLEY, PLAID, STRIPES, (DOT)
#58 Arachnids
Possible answers: MITE, SCORPION, SPIDER, TICK, (BLACK WIDOW)
#58 Fish
Possible answers: CHAR, EEL, PERCH, SHARK, (CATFISH)
#58 Superheroes
Possible answers: BLACK WIDOW, BLADE, FLASH, STORM, (TICK)
#59 Quantity
Possible answers: FEW, HANDFUL, SEVERAL, SOME, (PAIR)
#59 Celestial Objects
Possible answers: ASTEROID, COMET, MOON, PLANET, (SUN)
#60 Sports Venues
Possible answers: COURT, DIAMOND, FIELD, RINK, (RING)
#60 Jewelry
Possible answers: ANKLET, BANGLE, BROOCH, PENDANT, (RING), (CHARM)
#62 State Abbreviations
Possible answers: CO, MA, ME, PA, (LA)
#62 Period Table Symbols
Possible answers: FE, HE, NA, NI, (CO), (PA), (LA), (TI)
#63 Slang for Zero
Possible answers: JACK, NADA, NOTHING, SQUAT, (ZIP)
#63 Exercises
Possible answers: CURL, LUNGE, PLANK, PRESS, (SQUAT), (CRUNCH)
#63 Captains
Possible answers: CRUNCH, KANGAROO, OBVIOUS, PLANET, (JACK)
#64 Dog Names
Possible answers: FIDO, LUCKY, ROVER, SPOT, (REX)
#64 Perceive
Possible answers: CATCH, NOTICE, OBSERVE, SEE, (SPOT)
#64 Fishing Terms
Possible answers: BAIT, CHUM, FLY, SINKER, (CATCH)
#65 Energy
Possible answers: JUICE, SPIRIT, STEAM, VIGOR, (GAS), (FIRE)
#66 Time Periods
Possible answers: CENTURY, DECADE, MILLENNIUM, YEAR, (MONTH)
#66 Breakfast Foods
Possible answers: CEREAL, OMELET, PANCAKE, WAFFLE, (BACON), (EGG)
#67 Desserts
Possible answers: CAKE, COBBLER, PIE, TART, (FUDGE)
#67 Occupations
Possible answers: FISHER, MASON, MILLER, SMITH, (DOCTOR)
#68 Extremely
Possible answers: AWFUL, QUITE, SUPER, VERY, (REAL)
#68 Currencies
Possible answers: RAND, REAL, STERLING, WON, (POUND)
#68 _____Cake
Possible answers: CARROT, COFFEE, POUND, SPONGE, (CUP)
#69 Shoes
Possible answers: CLOG, PUMP, SLIDE, WEDGE, (MARY JANE)
#69 Slang for Marijuana
Possible answers: GRASS, HERB, MARY JANE, WEED, (BUD), (POT)
#70 Camping Supplies
Possible answers: COOLER, LANTERN, SLEEPING BAG, TENT, (CAMPER)
#70 Insult
Possible answers: BARB, DIG, DISS, JAB, (SLIGHT)
#71 States
Possible answers: ARIZONA, COLORADO, NEVADA, UTAH, (KANSAS), (MONTANA)
#72 Santa's Reindeer
Possible answers: COMET, CUPID, DASHER, VIXEN, (DANCER)
#72 Seen on Valentine's Day
Possible answers: CARD, HEART, CHOCOLATE, ROSE, (CUPID)
#73 Facial Hair
Possible answers: BEARD, GOATEE, MUSTACHE, STUBBLE, (HANDLEBAR)
#73 Pursue
Possible answers: DOG, FOLLOW, TAIL, TRACK, (SHADOW)
#74 Failures
Possible answers: BUSTS, FLOPS, MISSES, TURKEYS, (DUDS)
#75 Social Gathering
Possible answers: BASH, BLOWOUT, PARTY, SHINDIG, (MIXER)
#75 Found in a Kitchen
Possible answers: COUNTER, MIXER, RANGE, SINK, (ISLAND)
#79 Depart Quickly
Possible answers: BOOK, BOUNCE, RUN, SPLIT, (JET)
#79 Shades of Black
Possible answers: EBONY, JET, ONYX, RAVEN, (BLACK)
#80 Influence
Possible answers: CLOUT, PULL, WEIGHT, SWAY, (IMPACT)
#81 Appetizer Unit
Possible answers: FRY, NACHO, POPPER, WING, (CHIP), (CRACKER)
#81 Response to a Correct Answer
Possible answers: BINGO, CORRECT, RIGHT, YES, (DING)
#82 Drink Vessels
Possible answers: GOBLET, SNIFTER, TUMBLER, STEIN, (FLUTE)
#82 Woodwinds
Possible answers: CLARINET, FLUTE, OBOE, SAXOPHONE, (BASSOON)
#82 American Poets
Possible answers: BISHOP, FROST, OLDS, POUND, (STEIN)
#83 Unclothed
Possible answers: BARE, NAKED, NUDE, UNCLAD, (BUFF)
#83 Football Actions
Possible answers: FUMBLE, PUNT, SACK, SNAP, (TURNOVER)
#83 Finger Actions
Possible answers: BUFF, CLIP, FILE, POLISH, (SNAP)
#84 Female Animals
Possible answers: COW, DOE, HEN, MARE, (EWE)
#84 Pronouns
Possible answers: I, IT, THEY, WE, (YOU)
#84 Roman Numerals
Possible answers: D, L, M, V, (I)
#86 Information Displays
Possible answers: CHART, DIAGRAM, GRAPH, MAP, (PIE)
#86 Additional Benefit
Possible answers: BONUS, EXTRA, ICING, PERK, (GRAVY)
#86 Creatures in Folklore
Possible answers: GNOME, GOBLIN, OGRE, TROLL, (DRAGON)
#89 Alcohol
Possible answers: CIDER, PORT, SAKE, STOUT, (SPIRIT), (SCOTCH)
#89 Pixar Movies
Possible answers: BRAVE, CARS, COCO, UP, (SOUL)
#90 Baseball Calls
Possible answers: BALL, OUT, SAFE, STRIKE, (WALK)
#90 Fish
Possible answers: CARP, CATFISH, FLOUNDER, SMELT, (SALMON)
#91 Jungle Animals
Possible answers: ANACONDA, CAPYBARA, JAGUAR, TOUCAN, (LION)
#91 Lowest Point
Possible answers: BASE, BOTTOM, FOOT, FOUNDATION, (LEGS)
#92 Halloween Decorations
Possible answers: BAT, COBWEB, PUMPKIN, TOMBSTONE, (BONES)
#93 Animal Sounds
Possible answers: BUZZ, CLUCK, MEOW, OINK, (BARK)
#93 Inside Info
Possible answers: DIRT, DISH, SCOOP, SKINNY, (TEA)
#95 Songs that are Names
Possible answers: ALEJANDRO, LOLA, MICHELLE, STAN, (IRIS)
#96 Animals
Possible answers: BUFFALO, COW, GOAT, SHEEP, (HORSE)
#96 Gymnastics Apparatus
Possible answers: FLOOR, HORSE, RINGS, VAULT, (BEAM)
#97 Fairy Tale Figures
Possible answers: GIANT, PRINCESS, WITCH, WOLF, (QUEEN)
#97 "Peanuts" Characters
Possible answers: CHARLIE, PEPPERMINT PATTY, PIGPEN, WOODSTOCK, (LUCY)
#98 Fruits
Possible answers: APRICOT, FIG, GRAPE, LIME, (BERRY)
#98 Luxurious
Possible answers: DELUXE, GRAND, LAVISH, OPULENT, (SWANK)
#99 Intelligent
Possible answers: BRIGHT, CLEVER, QUICK, SHARP, (SMART)
#100 Web Browser-Related
Possible answers: BOOKMARK, HISTORY, TAB, WINDOW, (LINK), (POCKET)
#100 Dirty_____
Possible answers: DOZEN, JOKE, LAUNDRY, MARTINI, (WINDOW)
#101 Bowling Terms
Possible answers: ALLEY, BALL, LANE, PIN, (SPARE)
#101 Common Merch Items
Possible answers: MUG, PEN, TEE, TOTE, (PIN)
#102 Vehicles
Possible answers: BUS, CAR, MOTORCYCLE, TRUCK, (SCOOTER)
#102 Muppets
Possible answers: ANIMAL, BEAKER, GONZO, SCOOTER, (CHEF), (PIGGY)
#103 Soda Fountain Orders (Concrete can mean a type of milkshake or frozen custard)
Possible answers: FLOAT, MALT, SHAKE, SUNDAE, (CONCRETE), (SPLIT)
#104 Robust
Possible answers: FIT, HEALTHY, SOUND, STRONG, (WELL)
#104 Water Sources
Possible answers: FOUNTAIN, SPRING, TAP, WELL, (SINK)
#105 Kitchen Utensils
Possible answers: GRATER, LADLE, PEELER, WHISK, (CLEAVER)
#106 Wedding Items
Possible answers: BOUQUET, RING, TRAIN, VEIL, (CAKE)
#106 Encase
Possible answers: CAKE, COAT, COVER, CRUST, (VEIL)
#107 Snakes
Possible answers: BOA, MAMBA, PYTHON, VIPER, (GARTER)
#108 Produced by Trees
Possible answers: ACORN, CONE, POLLEN, SAP, (GUM), (NEEDLE)
#108 Candy
Possible answers: CHOCOLATE, GUM, LICORICE, LOLLIPOP, (SUCKER)
#108 Target of a Scheme
Possible answers: CHUMP, FOOL, MARK, SUCKER, (SAP)
#109 Rap Subgenres
Possible answers: BOUNCE, CRUNK, DRILL, GRIME, (TRAP)
#110 Golf Clubs
Possible answers: IRON, PUTTER, WEDGE, WOOD, (CLUB)
#112 Coffee Counter Items
Possible answers: CUP, LID, STIRRER, STRAW, (STICK)
#114 Talk
Possible answers: BLATHER, CHAT, GAB, JABBER, (YAK)
#115 Christmas-Related
Possible answers: MISTLETOE, REINDEER, SNOWMAN, STOCKING, (PRESENT), (CANDY CANE)
#116 MLB Teams
Possible answers: ANGEL, CUB, MET, RED, (NAT)
#119 Celebratory Occasion
Possible answers: ANNIVERSARY, BIRTHDAY, SHOWER, WEDDING, (RECEPTION), (SERVICE)
#120 Crops
Possible answers: CORN, CUCUMBER, PEPPER, TOMATO, (MELON)
#121 Bible Books
Possible answers: ACTS, JOB, KINGS, MARK, (GENESIS)
#121 NHL Teams
Possible answers: FLAMES, KRAKEN, STARS, WILD, (KINGS), (RANGER)
#123 Conceal
Possible answers: BLOCK, COVER, HIDE, MASK, (SHIELD)
#124 "L" Cities
Possible answers: LAGOS, LIMERICK, LINCOLN, LUXOR, (LIMA)
#124 Poetry Terms
Possible answers: LINE, METER, RHYME, VERSE, (LIMERICK)
#125 Butt
Possible answers: BOTTOM, BUNS, SEAT, TAIL, (BOOTY)
#126 Tools
Possible answers: HAMMER, FILE, LEVEL, SAW, (WRENCH)
#126 Keyboard Shortcuts
Possible answers: COPY, FIND, PRINT, SAVE, (FILE)
#127 Days of the Week
Possible answers: FRIDAY, SATURDAY, SUNDAY, THURSDAY, (WEDNESDAY), (TUESDAY)
#127 Go Bad
Possible answers: ROT, SOUR, SPOIL, TURN, (FESTER)
#129 Bit of Air
Possible answers: BREEZE, DRAFT, GUST, PUFF, (PANT)
#130 Falsify
Possible answers: FABRICATE, FAKE, FIX, FORGE, (FUDGE)
#130 TV Shows
Possible answers: FARGO, FIREFLY, FLEABAG, FLIPPER, (FRIENDS)
#131 Animal Homes
Possible answers: DEN, LAIR, HIVE, NEST, (WEB), (WARREN)
#131 Equitable
Possible answers: EQUAL, EVEN, FAIR, JUST, (GOOD)
#132 Tableware
Possible answers: BOWL, DISH, PLATE, SAUCER, (CROCK), (CUP)
#133 British Food
Possible answers: MASH, ROAST, SCONE, TRIFLE, (BANGER)
#133 Predicament
Possible answers: BIND, PICKLE, SCRAPE, SPOT, (JAM)
#134 Impel
Possible answers: DRIVE, INSPIRE, MOTIVATE, SPUR, (SPARK)
#135 Compound Words
Possible answers: BACKPACK, BIGWIG, DOWNTOWN, RAGTAG, (TEXTBOOK)
#136 Grammar Tenses
Possible answers: FUTURE, PAST, PERFECT, PRESENT, (SIMPLE)
#136 The 12 Days of Christmas
Possible answers: DRUMMER, LADY, RING, SWAN, (LORD)
#137 Excellent
Possible answers: ACES, KEEN, NEATO, NIFTY, (SWELL)
#137 Bubbles
Possible answers: FOAM, FROTH, HEAD, LATHER, (BUBBLE)
#138 Metals
Possible answers: COPPER, GOLD, NICKEL, SILVER, (BRASS), (MERCURY)
#139 Aesthetics
Possible answers: DRESS, LOOK, MANNER, STYLE, (TASTE)
#140 Mishmash
Possible answers: HASH, JUMBLE, MEDLEY, STEW, (LITTER)
#143 Filler Words
Possible answers: ERM, UH, UM, WELL, (LIKE), (ER)
#146 Clue Weapons
Possible answers: CANDLESTICK, KNIFE, ROPE, WRENCH, (PIPE)
#147 Unchanging
Possible answers: EVEN, LEVEL, STABLE, STEADY, (UNIFORM)
#147 Long, Sharp Objects
Possible answers: LANCE, PIN, SKEWER, SPIT, (PITCHFORK)
#148 Musical Format
Possible answers: LP, PLATTER, VINYL, WAX, (CD)
#148 Cube-Shaped
Possible answers: BOUILLON, DIE, ICE, SUGAR, (STOCK)
#150 Equivocate
Possible answers: HEDGE, SEE-SAW, WAVER, YO-YO, (FLIP-FLOP), (WAFFLE)
#151 Podcasts
Possible answers: RADIOLAB, SERIAL, UP FIRST, WTF, (FRESH AIR), (REPLY ALL)
#152 Intelligent
Possible answers: BRIGHT, QUICK, SHARP, SMART, (SAGE)
#152 Medieval Weapons
Possible answers: CLUB, MACE, SPEAR, SWORD, (AXE)
#153 Filmmaking Equipment
Possible answers: BOOM, DOLLY, LENS, TRIPOD, (GRIP)
#154 Sports Professionals
Possible answers: COACH, GM, PLAYER, SCOUT, (SUB)
#154 Car Companies
Possible answers: BMW, HONDA, JAGUAR, SUBARU, (FORD), (GM)
#156 Vocal Fanfare
Possible answers: BEHOLD, PRESTO, TADA, VOILA, (SURPRISE)
#157 Magazines
Possible answers: O, OK, US, W, (EW), (SI)
#157 Yes
Possible answers: HAI, JA, SI, DA, (OK), (OUI)
#158 Animals
Possible answers: BUFFALO, DEER, FISH, MOOSE, (BULL), (STEER), (SEAL)
#160 Quick Observation
Possible answers: GANDER, GLANCE, GLIMPSE, LOOK, (PEEK)
#160 Parts of a Mountain
Possible answers: CLIFF, CRAG, LEDGE, RIDGE, (BLUFF), (PEAK)
#161 _____Day
Possible answers: EARTH, GROUNDHOG, LABOR, MAY, (BIRTH)
#162 Primates
Possible answers: BABOON, BONOBO, GIBBON, GORILLA, (APE)
#162 Fashionable
Possible answers: CHIC, HIP, HOT, IN, (VOGUE)
#164 Area Between Mountains
Possible answers: CANYON, GULCH, PASS, RAVINE, (GORGE)
#165 Food
Possible answers: PASTY, PIE, TART, TURNOVER, (PARFAIT), (RAGOUT), (CURRY)
#165 Countries
Possible answers: JAPAN, POLAND, TUNISIA, TURKEY, (JORDAN)
#166 Reality Shows
Possible answers: ALONE, CATFISH, CHOPPED, SURVIVOR, (BACHELOR)
#168 Municipalities
Possible answers: CITY, TOWN, COUNTY, VILLAGE, (CAPITAL)
#171 Parts of the Foot
Possible answers: ARCH, BALL, SOLE, TOE, (HEEL)
#171 Dog Commands
Possible answers: COME, DOWN, SIT, STAY, (HEEL)
#173 Ways to Remove Hair
Possible answers: SHAVE, THREAD, TWEEZE, WAX, (CUT)
#174 Hold Back
Possible answers: CAP, CHECK, CURB, LIMIT, (HAMPER)
#175 Excite, with "Up"
Possible answers: AMP, FIRE, HYPE, PUMP, (GAS)
#177 TV Shows
Possible answers: CHEERS, EUPHORIA, FELICITY, GLEE, (FRASIER)
#178 Found on Sheet Music
Possible answers: CLEF, NOTE, REST, STAFF, (SCALES)
#178 Zodiac Symbols
Possible answers: BULL, CRAB, SCALES, TWINS, (VIRGIN)
#180 Absolute
Possible answers: PURE, SHEER, TOTAL, UTTER, (STARK)
#180 Express
Possible answers: AIR, SPEAK, STATE, VOICE, (UTTER)
#181 Cooking Oils
Possible answers: CORN, OLIVE, PALM, PEANUT, (RICE)
#183 Luxurious Fabrics
Possible answers: CHIFFON, SILK, SATIN, VELVET, (LACE)
#185 -ough
Possible answers: BOUGH, COUGH, DOUGH, TOUGH, (ROUGH), (ENOUGH)
#189 Used to Build a Snowman
Possible answers: CARROT, COAL, SNOW, STICKS, (STONES)
#190 NYC Avenues
Possible answers: BROADWAY, FIFTH, MADISON, PARK, (SECOND), (FIRST), (ELEVENTH)
#191 Accessories
Possible answers: BELT, BRACELET, TIE, WATCH, (CHARM)
#199 Name Prefixes
Possible answers: GEN, MS, PROF, REV, (DR)
#200 Parts of a Car
Possible answers: BUMPER, HOOD, TIRE, TRUNK, (DASH)
#201 Single Letter Homophones
Possible answers: BEE, EX, GEE, JAY, (TEE)
#203 New Years-Related
Possible answers: BALL, COUNTDOWN, FIREWORKS, KISS, (PARTY), (RESOLUTION), (CHAMPAGNE)
#207 Gift-Giving Accessories
Possible answers: BOW, BOX, CARD, WRAPPING, (MESSAGE)
#210 Kinds of Exams
Possible answers: BAR, FINAL, ORAL, PHYSICAL, (EYE)
#211 Long, Skinny Objects
Possible answers: POLE, ROD, STAFF, STICK, (CLUB)
#212 Cooking Elements
Possible answers: ACID, FAT, HEAT, SALT, (PEPPER), (SMOKE)
#213 Seen at a Casino
Possible answers: CARDS, CHIPS, DICE, SLOTS, (POKER)
#213 Ways to Prepare Cheese
Possible answers: CRUMBLE, MELT, SHRED, SLICE, (GRATE)
#217 Thieve
Possible answers: PINCH, ROB, STEAL, SWIPE, (JACK)
#218 Medicine Formats
Possible answers: CAPSULE, CREAM, SYRUP, TABLET, (POD)
#221 Colors
Possible answers: BLUE, GREEN, WHITE, YELLOW, (SCARLET)
#222 Minced Oaths
Possible answers: CURSES, DARN, RATS, SHOOT, (FUDGE), (NUTS)
#224 Contains Wax
Possible answers: CANDLE, CRAYON, HONEYCOMB, SEAL, (EAR)
#229 Baseball-Related
Possible answers: BALL, BASE, BAT, GLOVE, (STRIKE)
#233 Mario Power-ups
Possible answers: FEATHER, STAR, MUSHROOM, FLOWER, (HAMMER)
#234 _____Pit
Possible answers: BARBECUE, ORCHESTRA, SNAKE, TAR, (FIRE)
#235 Make Shorter
Possible answers: CLIP, CUT, PARE, TRIM, (PRUNE)
#235 Muscular
Possible answers: BUILT, JACKED, RIPPED, SWOLE, (TRIM), (BUFF)
#237 Farm Fixtures
Possible answers: COOP, PEN, STABLE, STY, (RANGE)
#238 Unexciting
Possible answers: BORING, DULL, MUNDANE, VANILLA, (ROUTINE), (DRY)
#239 Ecclesiastical Titles
Possible answers: BISHOP, CARDINAL, PASTOR, PRIOR, (BROTHER), (LORD)
#251 Media Attention
Possible answers: COVERAGE, EXPOSURE, PRESS, PUBLICITY, (MEDIA)
#254 Little Bit of Liquid
Possible answers: BEAD, GLOB, DROP, TEAR, (DRIP)
#257 Shades of Green
Possible answers: OLIVE, FOREST, LIME, MINT, (CACTUS)
#260 Ilk
Possible answers: KIND, SORT, TYPE, VARIETY, (MANNER)
#263 Propel into the Air
Possible answers: HOP, JUMP, LEAP, SPRING, (VAULT)
#266 Large Amount
Possible answers: MASS, SEA, SLEW, TON, (WAVE)
#266 Fall under Pressure
Possible answers: BUCKLE, CAVE, COLLAPSE, GIVE, (FLOP)
#268 Pop Stars
Possible answers: GRANDE, MARS, STYLES, SWIFT, (LEGEND)
#269 Found at an Airport
Possible answers: HANGAR, RUNWAY, TARMAC, TERMINAL, (WINDSOCK)
#269 Ends in an Article of Clothing (A Mac is a raincoat)
Possible answers: FOXGLOVE, GUMSHOE, TURNCOAT, WINDSOCK, (TARMAC), (LAWSUIT)
#271 Food Preservation Techniques
Possible answers: CAN, CURE, DRY, FREEZE, (SPICE)
#272 Space_____
Possible answers: BAR, CADET, HEATER, STATION, (BLANKET)
#273 Keyboard Keys
Possible answers: COMMAND, CONTROL, OPTION, SHIFT, (SPACE)
#283 Seen at a Sports Stadium
Possible answers: ASTROTURF, JUMBOTRON, SCOREBOARD, SKYBOX, (KISSCAM), (JOURNEYMAN)
#284 Animals
Possible answers: COW, DOE, HEN, EWE, (YAK)
#284 Palindromes
Possible answers: BIB, EYE, GAG, POP, (EWE)
#285 Olympic Sports
Possible answers: BREAKING, HOCKEY, TRAMPOLINE, SKELETON, (CRICKET), (SQUASH), (VOLLEYBALL)
#289 Plant Growths
Possible answers: BLOOM, BUD, SHOOT, SPROUT, (CORONA)
#290 Quarrel
Possible answers: FIGHT, ROW, SCRAP, TIFF, (WAR)
#290 Games of Chance (Poker is technically a game of skill but it's still highly associated with chance)
Possible answers: BINGO, LOTTERY, ROULETTE, WAR, (POKER)
#291 Whale Species
Possible answers: BLUE, FIN, GRAY, RIGHT, (PILOT)
#293 Food Preservation Techniques
Possible answers: CANS, CURES, SALTS, SMOKES, (JAMS), (PICKLES)
#296 Thrust
Possible answers: JAB, POKE, PROD, STICK, (ELBOW)
#301 _____Horse
Possible answers: CHARLEY, CRAZY, DARK, GIFT, (PRIZE)
#302 Brief Moment
Possible answers: FLASH, HEARTBEAT, JIFF, WINK, (ZIP)
#302 Dispute
Possible answers: CLASH, TANGLE, SCRAP, TIFF, (SPAT)
#303 Hair Care Items
Possible answers: BRUSH, COMB, DRYER, IRON, (OIL)
#307 Seen at the Circus
Possible answers: CLOWN, RING, TENT, TRAPEZE, (LION)
#310 Parts of a Theatre
Possible answers: BALCONY, BOX, ORCHESTRA, STAGE, (FLOOR)
#312 Golden_____
Possible answers: FLEECE, GIRLS, PARACHUTE, RULE, (MEAN)
#315 Starting with the Same Sound
Possible answers: CYMBAL, SCIMITAR, SIMMER, SYMPHONY, (SYMBOL)
#318 Mexican Food-Related
Possible answers: CILANTRO, LIME, ONION, SALSA, (PICO), (WRAP), (MOLE)
#328 _____Sale
Possible answers: BAKE, CLEARANCE, GARAGE, SAMPLE, (YARD)
#329 Enjoy
Possible answers: FANCY, LOVE, RELISH, SAVOR, (LIKE)
#330 Quantity
Possible answers: FEW, MANY, SEVERAL, SOME, (COUPLE), (HANDFUL)
#333 Restrict
Possible answers: CHECK, CONTAIN, CURB, LIMIT, (CAP)
#339 Forthright
Possible answers: DIRECT, FRANK, OPEN, STRAIGHT, (PLAIN)
#342 Games
Possible answers: CATEGORIES, CHARADES, FISHBOWL, WEREWOLF, (MOUSETRAP)
#345 Billiards-Related
Possible answers: BALL, CHALK, CUE, RACK, (POCKET)
#348 Things You can Crack
Possible answers: EGG, KNUCKLES, SMILE, WINDOW, (CORN)
#351 _____Iron
Possible answers: PUMP, STEAM, TIRE, WAFFLE, (FLAT)
#355 Things People Shake
Possible answers: HANDS, MARACA, POLAROID, SNOWGLOBE, (BODY)
2024.06.01 20:51 DrUniverseParty [QCRIT] Adult Literary/Upmarket, THE RUDE MECHANICALS (81k words), 4th Attempt + First 300
Hello! Thanks to everyone who's commented and critiqued my queries & first 300 before, as it's helped me tremendously. (First, Second, Third attempts.)
I've taken some time to make some manuscript revisions. I decided to cut a lot of the novel--and start in a new place. So my first 300 are different, too.
I've decided to include this as Upmarket, since I think it has some crossover. I also switched up my comps to reflect the new direction of my revisions. I'm especially interested if anyone has any ideas/critiques about either of those areas. But, as always, any and all feedback is appreciated.
Dear Agent,
Shakespearean fiddler Liam loves to drink. If it wasn't for his busted liver, he'd happily spend all his nights at the pub. But when he met his wife, Sabine, he made her think he was a health nut, not an alcoholic tapering his drinking on doctor's orders. Now, ten years later, he's embraced his new persona. He doesn't drink, he eats organic, and he's a good dad to his and Sabine's three young children.
But he panics when he receives a drunken email from Henry, the son he fathered with an ex-bandmate over twenty years ago. Henry, now in college, wants to meet and find out why Liam has denied his existence all these years. Liam's not ready to face that. Not to mention, he's never told Sabine about Henry or why he signed his rights away to him. And he's not sure how to come clean now without exposing all his other lies. Therefore, he tells Henry to get lost.
The subsequent guilt and anxiety prompt Liam to start drinking again. At a preseason theatre meeting for A Midsummer Night's Dream, he befriends "Nick," a new actor, over a bottle of whiskey they swipe from the director's stash. They instantly hit it off. But Liam doesn't realize his new drinking buddy is actually Henry in disguise, come to confront him one way or another.
THE RUDE MECHANICALS is a dual POV literary/upmarket novel, complete at 81,200 words. It's one part Shakespearean homage in the vein of Allen Bratton's Henry, Henry, one part exploration of addiction like Hannah Halperin's I Could Live Here Forever, with the heart and humor of a flawed guy attempting to become a better version of himself like in Dolly Alderton's Good Material.
[bio] I'm a recovering alcoholic in ______. My work has appeared in ______.
Thanks in advance for your time and consideration!
FIRST 300:
Each night, Liam watched the lovers die. At rehearsals, they collapsed in t-shirts and yoga pants. At performances, in dresses and doublets. He watched in black box theatres, high school auditoriums, drafty churches. The play started as a comedy but took a turn halfway through, shifting the dancing and revelry into swordfights and banishments. Once they hit the point of no return, Liam always hoped things would happen differently. The letter might find its way, the rivals might drop their swords. Even now—closing night, Act Five, in the crypt—he prayed for the lovers to come back to life. To run off to the countryside, change their names, start new lives. Most people got second chances, even those who didn’t deserve them.
Fans blew through the church, making the scene more dramatic. When the actress stabbed herself, she released red sashes from her dress. The audience and orchestra remained hushed. Rain splattered the windows. Downstairs, an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting was starting. The rumble from their chatter rose through the floor, interrupting Liam’s concentration. He counted his breaths and looked to his wife, waiting for her cue.
When Sabine lifted her wand, Liam drew his bow. Soon the other violins joined, followed by the oboe and flute. The Montagues and Capulets stormed the stage to discover their dead children. The cellist plucked heavy strings. The prince delivered his speech of pardons, punishments, and woe.
At the end of the show, Sabine guided the orchestra into a gentle tempo. The crowd stood and cheered. Volunteers walked the aisles, waving donation forms. The Rude Mechanicals worked out of a black box theatre but traveled to other communities to perform each season. It reminded Liam of his old band days, playing different towns, different venues each night.
submitted by DrUniverseParty to PubTips [link] [comments]
I've taken some time to make some manuscript revisions. I decided to cut a lot of the novel--and start in a new place. So my first 300 are different, too.
I've decided to include this as Upmarket, since I think it has some crossover. I also switched up my comps to reflect the new direction of my revisions. I'm especially interested if anyone has any ideas/critiques about either of those areas. But, as always, any and all feedback is appreciated.
Dear Agent,
Shakespearean fiddler Liam loves to drink. If it wasn't for his busted liver, he'd happily spend all his nights at the pub. But when he met his wife, Sabine, he made her think he was a health nut, not an alcoholic tapering his drinking on doctor's orders. Now, ten years later, he's embraced his new persona. He doesn't drink, he eats organic, and he's a good dad to his and Sabine's three young children.
But he panics when he receives a drunken email from Henry, the son he fathered with an ex-bandmate over twenty years ago. Henry, now in college, wants to meet and find out why Liam has denied his existence all these years. Liam's not ready to face that. Not to mention, he's never told Sabine about Henry or why he signed his rights away to him. And he's not sure how to come clean now without exposing all his other lies. Therefore, he tells Henry to get lost.
The subsequent guilt and anxiety prompt Liam to start drinking again. At a preseason theatre meeting for A Midsummer Night's Dream, he befriends "Nick," a new actor, over a bottle of whiskey they swipe from the director's stash. They instantly hit it off. But Liam doesn't realize his new drinking buddy is actually Henry in disguise, come to confront him one way or another.
THE RUDE MECHANICALS is a dual POV literary/upmarket novel, complete at 81,200 words. It's one part Shakespearean homage in the vein of Allen Bratton's Henry, Henry, one part exploration of addiction like Hannah Halperin's I Could Live Here Forever, with the heart and humor of a flawed guy attempting to become a better version of himself like in Dolly Alderton's Good Material.
[bio] I'm a recovering alcoholic in ______. My work has appeared in ______.
Thanks in advance for your time and consideration!
FIRST 300:
Each night, Liam watched the lovers die. At rehearsals, they collapsed in t-shirts and yoga pants. At performances, in dresses and doublets. He watched in black box theatres, high school auditoriums, drafty churches. The play started as a comedy but took a turn halfway through, shifting the dancing and revelry into swordfights and banishments. Once they hit the point of no return, Liam always hoped things would happen differently. The letter might find its way, the rivals might drop their swords. Even now—closing night, Act Five, in the crypt—he prayed for the lovers to come back to life. To run off to the countryside, change their names, start new lives. Most people got second chances, even those who didn’t deserve them.
Fans blew through the church, making the scene more dramatic. When the actress stabbed herself, she released red sashes from her dress. The audience and orchestra remained hushed. Rain splattered the windows. Downstairs, an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting was starting. The rumble from their chatter rose through the floor, interrupting Liam’s concentration. He counted his breaths and looked to his wife, waiting for her cue.
When Sabine lifted her wand, Liam drew his bow. Soon the other violins joined, followed by the oboe and flute. The Montagues and Capulets stormed the stage to discover their dead children. The cellist plucked heavy strings. The prince delivered his speech of pardons, punishments, and woe.
At the end of the show, Sabine guided the orchestra into a gentle tempo. The crowd stood and cheered. Volunteers walked the aisles, waving donation forms. The Rude Mechanicals worked out of a black box theatre but traveled to other communities to perform each season. It reminded Liam of his old band days, playing different towns, different venues each night.
2024.06.01 20:20 Singer_TwentyNine At some point in the movie, zazu says "sorry to bust your bubble", implying that, at the very least, zazu knows what a bubble is. I can't totally remember, but I think that Simba and Nala looked confused at him when he said that, which may imply that they don't know what a bubble is, and anyways how
Did he know what a bubble is?
submitted by Singer_TwentyNine to lionking [link] [comments]
2024.06.01 19:32 wagonwheelrockme [M4F] Welcome to the Dollhouse!
Nicholas Mattison bumped his shoulder as he stretched his arms over his head, pulled back the soft pink curtain that draped over his bed like a canopy, and rubbed the sleep out of his green eyes as his bare feet met the plush carpeting of his bedroom.
If Nicholas was any more alert than his still-sleepy, bedheaded current self, he might have astutely recognized that the bed was a little too small for his lanky frame, or recalled that the bed in his freshman dorm definitely didn't have lacy, rose-hued canopy curtains.
The unlikely array of unfamiliar accoutrements in Nicholas' room only properly crystallized once he squinted and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, glancing around a space that resolutely wasn't his. Gone were the haphazard textbooks splayed across his desk, the guitar that had been propped against the mirror hanging on his closet door, and the laundry basket he promised himself he'd get to on Saturday morning, first thing.
Instead, Nicholas' field of view was met with walls painted a garish shade of bubblegum pink, a neat row of posters advertising pop stars he'd never heard of before, and an ornate door with a sign that read "Nick's Room" in bubble-letter script.
With a surge of panic, he pulled open the closet door, biting his lower lip with a brow-furrowing frown when he saw a walk-in selection of elegant ball gowns and starchy-frilled ballerina tutus.
Where WAS he?
**
Hello! Thanks for reading a silly prompt. I wanted to leave it mysterious so we can fill in some blanks together, but the gist of the prompt is this: Our protagonist discovers that, one way or another, he's found himself living in (read: trapped) a dollhouse. Like the post's title says, a daring escape ensues!
And that brings us to your character: Who is she? A fellow college student who found herself plucked from her normal life and brought to the dollhouse? Is she a brought-to-life doll who already lives there? Is she the supervillainess/mad scientist/crazy gal who owns the dollhouse and is gleeful to have a new plaything in Nicholas? It's your call!
If you're interested, please send a message my way! I ask that you be at least 20 as well, with a knack for descriptive, detailed posts that are at least 200 words or so long. (I break Discord's character limit like it's my job, so there's no shame there!) Let me know what you think of the idea, any concepts you might have, and who you may write as a character opposite Nicholas. See you in the dollhouse soon!
submitted by wagonwheelrockme to roleplaying [link] [comments]
If Nicholas was any more alert than his still-sleepy, bedheaded current self, he might have astutely recognized that the bed was a little too small for his lanky frame, or recalled that the bed in his freshman dorm definitely didn't have lacy, rose-hued canopy curtains.
The unlikely array of unfamiliar accoutrements in Nicholas' room only properly crystallized once he squinted and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, glancing around a space that resolutely wasn't his. Gone were the haphazard textbooks splayed across his desk, the guitar that had been propped against the mirror hanging on his closet door, and the laundry basket he promised himself he'd get to on Saturday morning, first thing.
Instead, Nicholas' field of view was met with walls painted a garish shade of bubblegum pink, a neat row of posters advertising pop stars he'd never heard of before, and an ornate door with a sign that read "Nick's Room" in bubble-letter script.
With a surge of panic, he pulled open the closet door, biting his lower lip with a brow-furrowing frown when he saw a walk-in selection of elegant ball gowns and starchy-frilled ballerina tutus.
Where WAS he?
**
Hello! Thanks for reading a silly prompt. I wanted to leave it mysterious so we can fill in some blanks together, but the gist of the prompt is this: Our protagonist discovers that, one way or another, he's found himself living in (read: trapped) a dollhouse. Like the post's title says, a daring escape ensues!
And that brings us to your character: Who is she? A fellow college student who found herself plucked from her normal life and brought to the dollhouse? Is she a brought-to-life doll who already lives there? Is she the supervillainess/mad scientist/crazy gal who owns the dollhouse and is gleeful to have a new plaything in Nicholas? It's your call!
If you're interested, please send a message my way! I ask that you be at least 20 as well, with a knack for descriptive, detailed posts that are at least 200 words or so long. (I break Discord's character limit like it's my job, so there's no shame there!) Let me know what you think of the idea, any concepts you might have, and who you may write as a character opposite Nicholas. See you in the dollhouse soon!
2024.06.01 19:31 Adamovich Septimius Severus 202 - identified but raises more questions
 | I purchased this coin (my first ancient) a few months back but yesterday I decided to do a bit of digging to find out more info about it and see what the value was. After a fair bit of searching through Septimius coins I found the exact match [RIC 182]. Having looked at other examples of the coin they are all slightly different with design elements that differ e.g. differences on bust, placement of letters. This may be a bit of a naïve question but shouldnt all coins from the same year, mint look exactly the same design wise? Beyond this question is there any more research I can do with the catalogue number now I've found it? submitted by Adamovich to AncientCoins [link] [comments] Also interesting to see that both the British Museum and Münzkabinett museums have one of these coins but in considerably worse condition than mine, does this in any way point to the fact of mine being fake? Finally I wanted to check rough valuations online and I found a few auctions (below) of similar coins from what I'd say is comparable condition, these sold for $240 and $170 respectively so assuming mine is worth somewhere around that? If anyone has any tips for grading, comparing, valuing coins online that'd be much appreciated. Cheers! |
2024.06.01 14:46 IllustriousPop5394 S@k pride?
Anyone know if we do anything for pride?? Anyone know if I bust my cricut out and make a Sephora shirt with the letters being rainbow I’ll get in trouble? 😂 We don’t have clear guidelines on our dress code other than all black 🥲
submitted by IllustriousPop5394 to employedbykohls [link] [comments]
2024.06.01 14:39 ChasHodges Deadly Premonition: Director's Cut Installation Guide (FULLY WORKING, NOT EMULATION)
EDIT EDIT EDIT: It's not working. I played a couple hours of the game, then had a hard crash when a pre-rendered cutscene should have loaded. I'm experimenting with different Proton setups, but I think this could be a bust.
Getting Deadly Premonition to work on the Steam Deck through its native PC port has been an absolute nightmare. Thought I'd type up the steps here to try and save some of you poor souls the hassle if you ever want to give it a blast, but also, as safekeeping for myself in case I forget the steps I took in the future!
Following these steps to the letter SHOULD get you up and running. File locations assume you are installing the game to the Steam Deck's hard drive. If you are using an SD card you will need to adapt steps 6 and 11 to reflect the install directory of the game.
EDIT: If step 9 is throwing an error, install Flatseal from the Discover store, find protontricks on the left, scroll down to Filesystem and enable 'All User Files'. Credit to u/Famf9983**!**
EDIT EDIT: Step 17 is vital for making the controller function properly on Deck, but it may also break video again (i.e. the Intro and certain pre-rendered cutscenes. I'm working on this one to see if there is a version of Proton that satisfies both video and controller dependencies)
submitted by ChasHodges to SteamDeck [link] [comments]
Install the game from Steam. Obviously. Don't run it yet.Use the Steam settings menu, navigate to 'Properties' and then the 'Compatibility' tab. Choose Proton 3.16-9 from the dropdown.Run the game and let Steam finish its installation. When the Deadly Premonition config tool pops out, just close down the whole game.Head to Desktop mode.Downloadthis versionof the PhysX installer. (version 9.13.0725 in case the link eventually goes down). Rename the downloaded filePhysX_SystemSoftware.msiIn the Dolphin file browser, navigate to:Home/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/common/Deadly Premonition The Director's Cut/redist. Drag your downloaded and renamedPhysX_SystemSoftware.msihere, overwriting the existing file.Downloadthis file. It's basically a text file with instructions for Proton which we'll be using shortly. The file should be namedvc1decoder.verb. If you can't find the download link at the github page, look in the top right for a download symbol which when you hover over it reads 'Download raw file'.In the Dolphin file browser, move thevc1decoder.verbfile toHome/deckOpen the Konsole app from the 'start' bar (I don't know what it's called in Linux!) and type the following line EXACTLY:/usbin/flatpak run --branch=stable --arch=x86_64 --command=protontricks com.github.Matoking.protontricks 247660 -q quartz qedit devenum /home/deck/vc1decoder.verbKonsole will start displaying some installation data - if any windows pop up just press ok to clear them.Next, grab DPFixfrom here. Unzip the file and place the entire contents inhome/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/common/Deadly Premonition The Director's Cut/DPFix enables much improved graphics / resolution / texture injection / all sorts. You can edit individual settings by openingDPFix.iniin a text editor. Under the 'Graphics Options' section, make any desired tweaks - the file is really nicely annotated so you shouldn't need much help from me here. Under the 'Window Options' section make your settings read:forceWindowed 1andborderlessFullscreen 0.SAVE your changes!Back to Game Mode. Use the Steam settings menu, navigate to 'Properties' and then in the 'General' tab enter the following command EXACTLY under the 'Launch Options' section:WINEDLLOVERRIDES="d3d9=n,b" %command%We're almost there, gang! Run the game. When the DP Config file boots, click 'Settings' and ensure Controller settings are set to default - any eventual tweaks will be done using Steam Input.Boot the game - after the company and developer logos play you should be presented with a video cutscene / intro. If this is playing with sound / video, we're just about there. If all is well, quit the game one final time.Back in the Steam settings menu, navigate to 'Properties' and then the 'Compatibility' tab. Choose either Proton Experimental (not tested) or the most recent Proton GE (I'm using GE-Proton9-5) from the dropdown. This step is super important as otherwise controls will not work properly!Boot the game! Enjoy!(If using the Steam Deck OLED, cap the framerate using the '...' button to 60fps otherwise physics in game will be busted.)
2024.06.01 13:58 Horror-Outside7972 Maison Alhambra - The Serpent 🐍
 | Background: Short version: The serpent was made after the Gucci - The voice of the snake. submitted by Horror-Outside7972 to fragranceclones [link] [comments] Long version: As written on their own site, Gucci Fragrances introduced Luxury Collection: The Alchemist’s Garden, featuring unisex fragrances customizable by layering various scents for a unique, long-lasting aroma. The Voice of the Snake Eau de Parfum as a part of collection, was inspired by a snake's movement through a forest, blends oud with patchouli and saffron, resulting in a provocative and hypnotizing scent. The bottles were crafted to evoke the allure of vintage apothecary containers, with opulent gold lettering and enigmatic symbols, turning them into must-have treasures for mystery buffs. Maison Alhambra, true to form, skipped the brainstorming session and just hit Ctrl + c, Ctrl + v on the bottle design. I guess originality took a vacation there! 🤷♂️ Here is the fun part, Alberto Morillas described the collection as creating mesmerizing individual statements, allowing personalization by combining oils, floral waters, and eau de parfum. -roughly translates to "Not really meant to wear individually, better result can be obtained when mixed with others from the collection"- Naturally, Maison Alhambra tossed that description straight into the recycling bin and decided to forge ahead with the cloning process. I mean, why not, right? Orginal Maker: Alberto Morillas How is the scent exactly? Short version: Imagine a fragrance so wild, it's like a rollercoaster for your nose, not in a good way. It's like a band-aid and Dettol had a collision course, leaving the nose in disbelief. And just when you think it can't get worse, it dries down to something ashy. 🥲 Not a crowd pleasing and pretty wild at that. Long version: well, as soon as you spray it, it blasts the spicy, dry, slightly sweet saffron. 10 mins in, it pulls herbal patchouli into the picture. Please note that patchouli is not chocolatey sweet in here, it's more earthy and medicinal. As patchouli takes center stage, overshadowing the saffron which now plays a game of peek-a-boo in the background, both stars are enveloped in a balsamic oud embrace. The oud in here is not a typical white oud, having no sweet tone whatsoever. Almost sterile clean, setting the stage for patchouli and saffron. As the scent progresses towards the dry down, it turns more ashy, medicinal and puts the woody, spicy and little warm aspects upfront. So, It's like wearing the scent of a tough guy who's also a closet germaphobe (Hey! Happy pride month btw 🙃🫣). Masculine, antiseptic, and also contradictory, like a tough guy in a hazmat suit! When, where and who can wear it? This perfume is strictly for cold weather, evening time, mostly for casual wear (or just funerals?! ...maybe). It's like, yeah, it's for everyone, but if I had to pick, I'd vote for the guys to sport that scent rather than the gals. It's like scent democracy, with a twist! Performance, longevity, sillage?! It projects when sprayed and stays like that for next half hour, gets close to 2 ft mild bubble and kinda becomes skin scent after 5-6hrs. How close is it to the original? Only God knows. PS - First image was downloaded from the internet for the reference. |
2024.06.01 13:54 Horror-Outside7972 Maison Alhambra - The Serpent 🐍
 | Background: Short version: The serpent was made after the Gucci - The voice of the snake. submitted by Horror-Outside7972 to DesiFragranceAddicts [link] [comments] Long version: As written on their own site, Gucci Fragrances introduced Luxury Collection: The Alchemist’s Garden, featuring unisex fragrances customizable by layering various scents for a unique, long-lasting aroma. The Voice of the Snake Eau de Parfum as a part of collection, was inspired by a snake's movement through a forest, blends oud with patchouli and saffron, resulting in a provocative and hypnotizing scent. The bottles were crafted to evoke the allure of vintage apothecary containers, with opulent gold lettering and enigmatic symbols, turning them into must-have treasures for mystery buffs. Maison Alhambra, true to form, skipped the brainstorming session and just hit Ctrl + c, Ctrl + v on the bottle design. I guess originality took a vacation there! 🤷♂️ Here is the fun part, Alberto Morillas described the collection as creating mesmerizing individual statements, allowing personalization by combining oils, floral waters, and eau de parfum. -roughly translates to "Not really meant to wear individually, better result can be obtained when mixed with others from the collection"- Naturally, Maison Alhambra tossed that description straight into the recycling bin and decided to forge ahead with the cloning process. I mean, why not, right? Orginal Maker: Alberto Morillas How is the scent exactly? Short version: Imagine a fragrance so wild, it's like a rollercoaster for your nose, not in a good way. It's like a band-aid and Dettol had a collision course, leaving the nose in disbelief. And just when you think it can't get worse, it dries down to something ashy. 🥲 Not a crowd pleasing and pretty wild at that. Long version: well, as soon as you spray it, it blasts the spicy, dry, slightly sweet saffron. 10 mins in, it pulls herbal patchouli into the picture. Please note that patchouli is not chocolatey sweet in here, it's more earthy and medicinal. As patchouli takes center stage, overshadowing the saffron which now plays a game of peek-a-boo in the background, both stars are enveloped in a balsamic oud embrace. The oud in here is not a typical white oud, having no sweet tone whatsoever. Almost sterile clean, setting the stage for patchouli and saffron. As the scent progresses towards the dry down, it turns more ashy, medicinal and puts the woody, spicy and little warm aspects upfront. So, It's like wearing the scent of a tough guy who's also a closet germaphobe (Hey! Happy pride month btw 🙃🫣). Masculine, antiseptic, and also contradictory, like a tough guy in a hazmat suit! When, where and who can wear it? This perfume is strictly for cold weather, evening time, mostly for casual wear (or just funerals?! ...maybe). It's like, yeah, it's for everyone, but if I had to pick, I'd vote for the guys to sport that scent rather than the gals. It's like scent democracy, with a twist! Performance, longevity, sillage?! It projects when sprayed and stays like that for next half hour, gets close to 2 ft mild bubble and kinda becomes skin scent after 5-6hrs. How close is it to the original? Only God knows! PS - First image was downloaded from the internet for the reference. |
2024.06.01 06:49 Endlessly_Scribbling End of another Journal
 |
|
2024.06.01 06:12 Pag089 I feel like I’ve been hit with a ton of bricks
This post is rather long but it’s the best way I know how to express what’s going on right now, so bear with me. Here it goes…
Back in 2nd grade, 1997ish, I had been having a lot of behavioral issues in school. My parents were at the end of their rope, and I think I was on the verge of being sent to alternative school. Shortly before giving up, my parents took me to a Psychologist, who for the purpose of this story, we’ll call Dr. Jones. His name wasn’t Dr. Jones, but we’ll say it was. I began seeing Dr. Jones, and our sessions had an amazingly positive impact on my behavior in school.
Almost from our first appointment, I had always looked up to Dr. Jones, aspired to be like him, and held him in very high regards. Dr. Jones, in my opinion, was second only to God himself throughout a significant period of my childhood.
He had a profound impact on who I became as an adult. He was a role model, a guide, and a listening ear. He taught me how to deal with the crap going on in my life, and completely changed my outlook on life.
I continued seeing Dr. Jones through the rest of my elementary school years until he abruptly stopped seeing me in 2001. He had rescheduled our appointment in September and then sent a letter to all of his patients shortly before the rescheduled date, stating that his practice had suspended appointments indefinitely “due to personal reasons”.
Through a chance meeting, I made contact with Dr. Jones again sometime around 2004, and he explained that he had had a heart attack and it rendered his health such that he was unable to practice. That encounter in 2004 was the last time I saw him in person.
Since that encounter in 2004, I have occasionally tried to look him up, if nothing else to thank him for the help he gave me when I was younger. I’m in my 30’s now and have since gone through college and am a practicing therapist myself. I feel that I owe this accomplishment to him, for guiding me back to the right path, and I have always wanted to thank him for that. To date, I have not had any luck finding him or his practice, and have always assumed he probably retired.
Well, last Friday, I got another burning desire to look Dr. Jones up again, and I decided to try to find him on LinkedIn. I found him, but he looked like he had gone about 5 rounds with Mike Tyson in the profile picture on his LinkedIn.
When I knew him, he was always clean- cut. My first thought was “maybe that’s his son?” My next thought was “well, he would potentially be pushing 80, maybe he just didn’t age well…” but I also couldn’t help but notice that there was no mention of him ever having been a psychologist on his LinkedIn page. Nothing at all.
That’s when I did something I wish to hell I hadn’t have done. I don’t know what possessed me to do this, but I went to the state licensing verification website and looked up Dr. Jones. And that’s when I found out what I wish I didn’t know.
This person, who I held in such high regards, who I felt was an expert in his field, who I trusted, and loved… was not who he said he was the whole time.
Dr. Jones has never held a license to practice Psychology in my state, and the lesser license he did hold as a Professional Counselor (a license that requires a person to work under an independently licensed supervisor in my state) was revoked because of multiple instances of professional misconduct.
A 27 page consent agreement from 2005 outlined 24 findings of fact. I had to stop reading after page 13, I couldn’t take it anymore. I couldn’t believe what I was reading.
He had been passing himself off as a psychologist since 1993, and had been busted for it 3 times. The 3rd time resulted in a permanent ban from ever holding any professional license in my state. 2 of the reprimands happened while I was his patient.
I looked up to this man. I believed he was who he said he was. I believed he was indeed a psychologist because I had no reason to not believe him. The consent agreement made it very clear that a lot of what I believed to be true about his qualifications and background were all fabricated.
There was no heart attack. He closed his practice down on the fly because the state threatened criminal charges if he continued practicing psychology without a license.
This information hit me like a ton of bricks. In the moment, so many emotions coursed through my body it felt like I was going to puke. I’m still at a loss for words. It feels like my whole childhood was a lie. I’ve had a week to deal with it and I’m still in shock
I’m okay now, still rattled, but I’ll be okay. It’s just… shocking.
submitted by Pag089 to GetOffMyChest [link] [comments]
Back in 2nd grade, 1997ish, I had been having a lot of behavioral issues in school. My parents were at the end of their rope, and I think I was on the verge of being sent to alternative school. Shortly before giving up, my parents took me to a Psychologist, who for the purpose of this story, we’ll call Dr. Jones. His name wasn’t Dr. Jones, but we’ll say it was. I began seeing Dr. Jones, and our sessions had an amazingly positive impact on my behavior in school.
Almost from our first appointment, I had always looked up to Dr. Jones, aspired to be like him, and held him in very high regards. Dr. Jones, in my opinion, was second only to God himself throughout a significant period of my childhood.
He had a profound impact on who I became as an adult. He was a role model, a guide, and a listening ear. He taught me how to deal with the crap going on in my life, and completely changed my outlook on life.
I continued seeing Dr. Jones through the rest of my elementary school years until he abruptly stopped seeing me in 2001. He had rescheduled our appointment in September and then sent a letter to all of his patients shortly before the rescheduled date, stating that his practice had suspended appointments indefinitely “due to personal reasons”.
Through a chance meeting, I made contact with Dr. Jones again sometime around 2004, and he explained that he had had a heart attack and it rendered his health such that he was unable to practice. That encounter in 2004 was the last time I saw him in person.
Since that encounter in 2004, I have occasionally tried to look him up, if nothing else to thank him for the help he gave me when I was younger. I’m in my 30’s now and have since gone through college and am a practicing therapist myself. I feel that I owe this accomplishment to him, for guiding me back to the right path, and I have always wanted to thank him for that. To date, I have not had any luck finding him or his practice, and have always assumed he probably retired.
Well, last Friday, I got another burning desire to look Dr. Jones up again, and I decided to try to find him on LinkedIn. I found him, but he looked like he had gone about 5 rounds with Mike Tyson in the profile picture on his LinkedIn.
When I knew him, he was always clean- cut. My first thought was “maybe that’s his son?” My next thought was “well, he would potentially be pushing 80, maybe he just didn’t age well…” but I also couldn’t help but notice that there was no mention of him ever having been a psychologist on his LinkedIn page. Nothing at all.
That’s when I did something I wish to hell I hadn’t have done. I don’t know what possessed me to do this, but I went to the state licensing verification website and looked up Dr. Jones. And that’s when I found out what I wish I didn’t know.
This person, who I held in such high regards, who I felt was an expert in his field, who I trusted, and loved… was not who he said he was the whole time.
Dr. Jones has never held a license to practice Psychology in my state, and the lesser license he did hold as a Professional Counselor (a license that requires a person to work under an independently licensed supervisor in my state) was revoked because of multiple instances of professional misconduct.
A 27 page consent agreement from 2005 outlined 24 findings of fact. I had to stop reading after page 13, I couldn’t take it anymore. I couldn’t believe what I was reading.
He had been passing himself off as a psychologist since 1993, and had been busted for it 3 times. The 3rd time resulted in a permanent ban from ever holding any professional license in my state. 2 of the reprimands happened while I was his patient.
I looked up to this man. I believed he was who he said he was. I believed he was indeed a psychologist because I had no reason to not believe him. The consent agreement made it very clear that a lot of what I believed to be true about his qualifications and background were all fabricated.
There was no heart attack. He closed his practice down on the fly because the state threatened criminal charges if he continued practicing psychology without a license.
This information hit me like a ton of bricks. In the moment, so many emotions coursed through my body it felt like I was going to puke. I’m still at a loss for words. It feels like my whole childhood was a lie. I’ve had a week to deal with it and I’m still in shock
I’m okay now, still rattled, but I’ll be okay. It’s just… shocking.
2024.06.01 04:44 Kayoz_Hydra Alternate Really Acolytes: Introduction
 | Ancient legends from thousands of years’ past once told of a magical portal that resided in a forest in the north. A tale that a portal as black as night which bore three rings on its frame would sing a song of chaos before unleashing forces of calamity upon the world. While this portal was easily found, every attempt to destroy the ruinous portal was left unsuccessful. Heroes’ swords would shatter upon its cold, metallic frame. Dwarven forged magma would cool instantly upon contact. No form of magic could move, much less scratch it. In the end, instead of attempting to destroy the device, researchers studied it in an attempt to reduce the damage of whatever could come from the other side. submitted by Kayoz_Hydra to wizardposting [link] [comments] Countless centuries had passed. The building that surrounded the portal had changed several times, from a temple of worship, to an altar to appease the unknown gods beyond, to a facility of study. Scholars, researchers, and the top scientists have come and gone. Even to this day, nothing could be figured out about the device. Its metal was stronger than any alloy ever known and its makeup couldn’t even be determined. The runes on its rings were never translated, for no correlation could be found from any written language. As time went by, people gave up and soon after, the legend fell into obscurity, the protection spells cast upon and around the portal had expired long ago, and the world forgot about the calamity that was supposed to come. The facility that now housed the ruins had fallen into disarray long ago. The only thing that remained the same was the black sheen of the portal’s rings, unmoved, untouched, and unchanged. One day, a group of juvenile kids broke through the rusted doors of the facility, “You sure you know where we are going?” one of the kids, a teenage human boy, asked, “You said we’d find an ancient artifact, but all I’ve seen so far is a bunch of junk machinery.” “Quit complaining,” a young elf boy replied, “I’ve been exploring this place for about a century and the building has been abandoned for longer. The artifact can’t be moved at all, so it’s not like it’s going to have gone anywhere.” “So, what are we going to do with it that hundreds of adults haven’t done?” a tiefling girl questioned, “It’s not like we’ve got the ability to do much, Jaz. Seriously, only one of us is from a sorcerer bloodline, and he’s the youngest of us three.” “That’s exactly why I brought him with us Tal,” Jaz brushed the comment aside as he shoved a sliding door back into its socket, “Erick isn’t just from any old sorcerer bloodline, but from a wild magic bloodline. While most people claim that there’s only a select amount of reactions that could happen when magic goes wild, my grandfather claims that to be untrue, so we’re going to test that theory tonight.” The three trekked through the ruins of the derelict testing site, passing by multiple research halls and storage facilities holding ancient machines, artifacts, and constructs from generations’ past. Along the way, Erick spoke up, “Even if we do manage to activate the portal, what do you expect to happen? Wasn’t there an old tale of the portal bringing calamity?” “Oh please,” Jaz waved Erick’s concerns aside, “That crummy old legend is so long overdue. If the portal was to bring the end times, it would have been done by now. I’m sure whatever that was supposed to come about had already done so before the legend was even created.” “So, we’re opening a portal to a realm where an old disaster came from. I highly doubt anything would go wrong with that idea,” Tal mocked sarcastically. “Sheesh, no one here has that spirit of adventure that we had five years ago, I see,” Jaz huffed to himself. Eventually, after passing through expansive corridors, the three made it to the center of the building, coming across a pair of bunker doors, “Oh, wow. Looks like a portal, alright,” Tal deadpanned. “Jeeze, no need to be an ass about it. I saw the portal frame beyond these doors by looking through reinforced glass on the sides of the room,” Jaz retorted. “So why aren’t we going through those rooms instead of trying to bust our way through a heavy set of doors?” Tal asked. “Because those pathways are nothing but catwalks above a pit I can’t even see the bottom of. And if I recall correctly, explosions tend to not be good on catwalks, and none of us can fly.” “So we are getting through this door… how?” Jaz smirked, “That’s where you come in. You know how your infernal powers are extremely potent? Strong enough to melt that old bunker tank we found a few months ago with ease?” Tal thought back to that moment and recalled how she melted a tank in several seconds while her other tiefling friends struggled to even warp the plating. “Well, if it’s strong enough to melt a tank, I’m sure it’s strong enough to melt a door. So give it a crack.” “Fine, I’m not sure how well this will go, but I’ll give it a shot.” Tal passed by Erick and Jaz before stopping in front of the right bunker door. She rubbed her hands together before placing them on the metal front of the door, focusing on channeling her innate magic through her hands. Slowly, the area of metal she was pressing against started to give off heat, even turning red before Tal began to sweat from straining herself. With a gasp, she let go of the door, a faint pair of handprints barely indented the door, “That’s all I got. We ain’t getting through.” “Seriously, Taffy? That’s all you got?” Jaz blurted out. “Hey! Don’t call me Taffy! You know I hate that name!” Tal shot back. “Oh, yeah? What are you going to do? Taffy!” Jaz mocked, “Ta-” he was interrupted by a fireball flying at him. Jaz barely ducked out of the way, singing his hair almost to the roots, leaving a giant hole in his hair and a large scorch mark behind him. “Oh it’s on.” The two got in each other's faces, looking like they were about to trade blows. Meanwhile Erick simply studied the doors, tracing the exterior until he found a subtle mark in the corner. He gave it a closer look and found that it was actually a welding indent, probably hiding the wires that powered the giant doors. He traced them back several rooms to find an electrical panel. Upon opening it, he found that the fuses were all corroded heavily. Tossing the ruined material away, Erick found a set of wires that didn’t seem to have weathered much decay. Taking a deep breath, he focused his magic in his best attempt to keep it from going wild, stuck his hand into the panel, and cast his magic, causing a large surge of electricity to go through the wires. Red emergency lights turned on as a siren began to blare. Returning to the room in front of the doors, he found that the two had actually come to blows while he was gone. Jaz was in a half nelson grapple while trying to space himself by holding Tal at arm’s length by the chin, he had a large bruise on his cheek while Tal had a small chipping on one of her horns. The two apparently stopped when the doors were activated. When the doors stopped and the sirens returned to silence, Jaz and Tal turned towards Erick with their mouths agape, “There, solved the problem,” Erick said nonchalantly, passing by his friends and into the room ahead, “Now c’mon, we have a portal to activate, don’t we?” Jaz and Tal shook their heads as they got off each other and caught up with Erick, only to find him at the top of a set of stairs with his mouth agape this time. They followed his gaze and reacted the same when they realized that the portal they’ve been after this whole time, was glowing, “That wasn’t how it looked like a week ago,” Jaz confirmed. The glow quickly became an afterthought when the portal rumbled as the rings began to move for the first time in centuries. They slowly accelerated until the runes became impossible to track. Once the rings reached their apex speed, the droning sound of what sounded like chants were heard coming from the portal. The droning died out quickly as the rings quickly stopped, before turning the opposite direction and the droning began again. This became a pattern as more sounds followed in suit: ticking, clicking, scraping, hissing, chirping, and an eerie whistle all followed in a somehow harmonious tune, all following the chant of the portal. “A portal that would sing a song of ruin before releasing disaster upon the world,” Jaz whispered. “What do we do now?” Erick asked, “Should we get someone? Wasn’t this supposed to be a dangerous artifact?” “I don’t know,” Tal breathed through clenched teeth, “Would anyone be able to react fast enough? Should we contact the magic council? I mean, we aren’t supposed to be here. What do you think, Jaz? Jaz?!” she turned to find that Jaz had turned tail and fled the scene not too long ago, “Jaz!” she called again. No response. Not soon after, the portal’s rings froze in place suddenly, a moment of pure silence filled the room as the rings suddenly burst into its segments, all floating in orbit around its center. From each segment, a beam of energy emerged from it and coalesced into an orb of plasma at the center, slowly growing wider until it filled the original empty space the portal had. From within the ball of plasma, two beings emerged from its core. A man with jet black hair, tanned skin, and dark jade green eyes emerged first. His clothing looked like he came right from an apocalypse. He looked around the room before turning back around and reached back into the portal, pulling a woman out from the core. The woman had white hair, pale skin, and radiant purple eyes. Her clothing looked like it was in an even worse state, her black robes were completely tattered. She looked around as well before turning back to the man. The language she spoke was completely foreign to the two young teens. The man conversed in the same unknown language before turning back to the area around them. Eventually, the two beings found Erick and Tal. The kids were paralyzed by both fear and awe at what just happened, both holding their breath in hope that the two beings from beyond ignore them. Alas, that hope was squandered as the two approached them. The man and woman approached the two, Erick locked eyes with the man as he stared through the kid. Irregular eyes was the first thing Erick noticed, his left being rectangular like an octopus, while his right was sharp like a lizard’s. The woman stared in turn at Tal, her purple eyes faintly glowed and revealed a sense of curiosity, the only emotion Tal could find on the woman’s face. With a breath, the man spoke, “Ahf' ye'bthnk ymg' ah ai, gof'n?” Erick was stunned, he was expecting a language that would pierce the fabric of reality, or make his head explode. Instead, it was simply a sentence that he just didn’t know or understand, “Uh… um… I don’t know what you said, sir…” he wasn’t even sure if the beings were male and female at the time, or if they had a concept of gender where they were from, but he spoke on pure instinct, worried any word he uttered would result in the being to become enraged and turn him inside out. Tal eyed Erick with baited breath, hoping this encounter with the unknown wouldn’t result in either of their demise. The result was a rather tame one compared to their wildest expectations. Instead, the male being studied Erick before clearing his throat, “Apologies, it’s been a few centuries since I spoke in this language. I didn’t expect the first people we would meet to be so young.” “There’s a third, running away from here,” the woman pointed in a direction between the facility and the village the three kids were from, her eyes glowed brighter for a brief moment, “Older, age-wise, but still young physically and mentally,” her voice was monotone, like someone who couldn’t portray emotion. The male nodded before turning back to Erick and Tal, “What’s this world like? Does magic exist here? Creatures of legend and beings as old as time?” “T-there’s plenty of magic around,” Tal explained, “Almost every living thing has at least some magic within them.” “And there have been times where the gods have roamed the land,” Erick added, “It’s not often they are seen though, mostly within or around the wizard council.” The male hummed, seeming pleased with the answer, “It seems our hunch was right. I think we’ll be around for a while, Sister.” “Very well,” the woman replied, “Let’s get settled, then.” The two proceeded to pass by Erick and Tal, heading towards the facility’s entrance. “W-wait!” Erick blurted out, causing the two to stop and turn back towards the kids. As Tal looked like she was about to have a heart attack, Erick summoned the courage to ask, “There was an old prophecy, or I guess a legend about that portal,” he pointed back to the portal, which had now converted back to it’s original position, no trace it was active at all once more, “The stories tell that beings of calamity would come through and destroy this world. Are you two those beings of calamity?” The two stared at each other before returning back to the kids, both speaking in unison, “We can be,” before turning back to the entrance and continuing onward. Erick and Tal watched the two leave their sight before looking at each other with both confusion and dread. After several minutes, the rundown atmosphere started to get to the kids and they hastily took their leave. Upon returning to the village, they were promptly scolded by family members for being out so late, but both refused to tell any details regarding their adventure. They met up with Jaz the following morning and after a verbal beatdown for chickening out despite being the one to bring up the idea of going to the facility, Jaz confirmed that he didn’t tell anyone about what happened the prior day either. The three swore to not speak of the incident unless the world was about to end, for fear that they would be not believed at least, or ostracized for their actions at most. Decades later, none of them spoke a word of that fateful day, but all three wonder what happened to the two that came from the portal, or where they could now be. The elder brother sighed, “Be thankful that your fire skeleton incident caused me to promptly fireproof my home. I’m sure a salamander wouldn’t burn this house down, but it makes me more at ease that your lover won’t cause me any financial pain. Sure, Aurora, you can bring Glo over here from now on. Just make sure she doesn’t damage the electrical plant.” Aurora’s eyes beamed with joy, “Yay!” she threw her hands into the air, symbolizing the excitement her voice couldn’t portray, “Thank you, Arcturus.” “Yeah, yeah, just don’t cause a mess.” Arcturus groaned as the doorbell rang. He got up from his sofa and approached the door, opening it to find a young man in a delivery uniform, “Grubber Eats order for… Arcturus?” “Yep, that’s me…” he looked at the nametag on the guy’s uniform, “Erick? With a C and K?” Erick sighed, “Yeah, the parents back in our home village had a weird tradition for giving their kids weird names, like Eric with a second letter that makes the same sound, a name that’s been long ago shortened to either a C or K mind you, or Taffy for my fiance’s name, but don’t tell her I called her that, she’s hated that name since our childhood.” “Fiance eh?” Arcturus asked as he accepted the food, “This your primary job?” Erick shook his head, “No, I have another as the village’s local sorcerer. Being the only one in my family to actually be able to control their magic tends to open a lot of jobs when most people there aren’t as magically gifted compared to other towns. This is just a second job for us to pay for a new house.” “Well that’s cool. Good luck with your future endeavors.” Arcturus studied the man’s appearance, recognizing some features from someone long ago, “Say, any chance your girl is a tiefling?” Erick looked stunned, “Why, yes… how did you-” he made a double take upon see Arcturus’ jade green eyes, “Are… are you that man that came from the portal a few decades ago?” Arcturus laughed, “Yes, that was me, and my sister, Aurora. Nice to formally meet you, the name’s Arcturus Maestas, my sister still has the same last name, too.” Arcturus held out his hand. Erick nervously shook his hand in return, “Nice to meet you too… You aren’t going to destroy this world any time soon, are you?” he asked, “Or your sister, or anyone you guys know?” “No, nothing like that for a while,” Arcturus shook his head, “Our patron hasn’t scheduled any formal chaos within this universe from our end for the next…” he pulled out a parchment that looked both in and out of tune with the visuals of their current world, “collapse and reformation of the universe, plus one point seven trillion years. So basically around a similar time after this universe has reset itself.” The parchment disappeared as suddenly as it appeared. “I… I see,” Erick laughed sheepishly, “Well, it’s nice to meet you again, Mr. Maestas. I should get going now,” Erick turned heel as he prepared to leave. At that moment, Arcturus noticed something only he could see. After a bit of hesitation, he decided to follow through with it, “One moment, Erick,” Arcturus called out, causing the human to freeze and turn back around, “How are things going financially? You expect to pay off that house in a reasonable time?” Erick paused for a moment, considering if he should answer honestly, “To be frank, no, things aren’t reasonable right now. Even with the payment from both of my jobs, Tal had to get herself some as well to keep up with expenses. Even then, our average profit is about a dozen gold per month. And we bought a house without a down payment for about thirty thousand…” “Sounds a bit out of reach for someone like you two,” Arcturus admitted. “It is, but it was the only one we could get within reason. Despite being of use to our village, my family has a reputation for its debt due to wild magic incidents. My parents both died recently, so the village placed the debt upon me. Fortunately, things could be even worse. I heard that small towns can still often find scorn against infernal beings like tieflings, so going beyond our village isn’t really an option for better housing of reasonable size. This is the best we can do without working ourselves to death or traveling farther than what we are comfortable with,” Erick lamented. Arcturus thought for a bit before asking Erick to wait a moment. He ventured into his basement and pulled out a small bag of coins. Upon returning to the door, he tossed the bag to Erick, “Here’s a tip, twenty platinum should suffice,” “Are… are you sure I can have this?” Erick asked as he counted the coin, to which Arcturus nodded, “T-thank you. How can I repay you for such generosity?” “Like I said, it’s a tip, so that’s already paid for in just,” Arcturus explained, “However, I can offer more if you so desire. The only cost is you help me and my sister with some basic endeavors. You said you have been learning to control your magic?” Erick nodded, “Good, then you can help us with some things. We can pay you much more for much less than what your current jobs will force you through. Think it over. Come knocking again if you ever consider. There will be a bit of danger, so the pay will be well beyond reasonable if accidents do occur. I will ensure you’re not in mortal peril, though.” “Really? Thank you. I’ll discuss this with my fiance. I hope to see you again, Mr. Maestas. Have a good rest of your day.” “You too, Erick.” Arcturus waved the young man off before closing the door and placing his order on the table, “Food.” Aurora stared at her brother, “Don’t incite the one word incantation, Arc. We don’t need him here right now.” Nonetheless, she got up from the couch and opened her share of the meal. “Who was that? I’ve never seen you give a courier such a generous tip before.” “An old acquaintance from our early years here. He performed a favor for us greater than he even knows, I’m just simply offering to repay such generosity. I doubt he would have accepted the payment in full outright if I didn’t give him a job. The favor would be miniscule to him from an outside perspective after all.” Arcturus winked as three draconic eyes and a crown of jagged horns warped into the fabric of reality around him, giving Aurora a clear message of what he meant. “I see. If we shall repay him, then we shall do so to what he would consider acceptable.” And with that, their conversation ended. The two sat in silence as they ate while a couple of towns over, a recently engaged couple would soon discuss what fortune had been offered to them. Little did the latter half know what this fortune would truly entail, and that a lifetime’s worth of adventures would soon follow. Meanwhile in the forest of the north, the frame of the portal flickered to life once more, causing an eerie drone to echo throughout the facility. |
2024.06.01 03:14 PsychologicalBaby250 The Viltrumites are way stronger than just "City-level" WITH PROOF
(This is my first post, so please forgive me when you find that I inevitably made an error somewhere in this post.) I think we've all seen the "Invincible is city level" meta at some point. I'm not here to argue that the Viltrumites are planet-level or moon level, although I do see them as somewhere in between with the context in mind—small planet busting. But there seems to be some controversy because no one has outright debunked the main arguments for the city level meta. So that's why I'm making this post once and for all.
City-level argument #1: "Invincible was pinned down by Universa's staff, which was said to destroy cities."
Refute: This argument would ignore the fact that Universa also says it can "End Civilizations." (4th panel). One important piece of context is that Universa can absorb energy and unleash energy from her staff. The same staff that was blasting Invincible. This is important because Universa says her planet is eight times larger than Earth (5th panel) and has enough energy to power her entire planet. This alone can not be in good faith argued as a city level antifeat.
City-level argument #2: "Thragg/Allen was knocked out from Viltrum's explosion."
Refute: I'm pretty sure we can chalk this up to picking and choosing who's facial expressions to focus on, with "Thragg" just happening to be a lookalike of him. In this page, we see from the blood splatter coming from Mark's face that he's still in the middle of being pushed away from the explosion. The very next page right after shows everyone totally fine, and Mark immediately flies to Oliver's body. If we wanted to look at what a character being knocked out from Viltrum's explosion would look like in Ryan Ottley's style, pay attention to Tech Jacket. He is in the middle, firing a purple beam. He is not being jumped like the good Viltrumites are. Here he is being blasted away somewhere beneath Allen's arm on the left of the page. While Thragg is butchering Thaddeus, Mark, Nolan, and Battle Beast, Tech Jacket is passing out (4th panel) despite not having a single action scene since Viltrum's destruction.
City-level argument #3: "Invincible was hurt by 1/50th of the explosives that glassed Las Vegas."
Refute: First things first, Robot says the bombs that destroyed Las Vegas were "localized hydrogen bombs." (4th panel, 4th speech bubble). [Synonyms for localize: limit, restrict, confine, contain, restrain, constrain, circumscribe, concentrate, and isolate.] That proves their attack potency was greater than their destructive output, which makes sense since Dinosaurus was a pretty echo friendly-ish anti villain. But there's much more to it than just that. Dinosaurus armed around eighteen of these same bombs that were able to tear apart the country of Greenland. Las Vegas and Mark were caught in the midst of a whopping FIFTY (4th panel) of these explosives. And before you say Mark was caught in 1/50th of that explosion, that's not true. Robot shows that a single bomb replica (3rd panel) can create dozens of plasma balls, even as small as The Pentagon. Mark was caught in a good amount of overlapping explosions in Las Vegas because of this. Since we don't know the full scale these explosives could have had, all we know is that they were massively more powerful than the Mauler Missile which would have caused the largest solar flare in the sun ever recorded (1st panel), which Mark was completely unhurt from. Not even his costume was damaged. Seeing as a regular nuke (Source: Tech Jacket 2014) could puncture a starship the size of EuroAsia (2nd speech bubble) and still leave a bottemless pit, it is not far fetched to believe the Mauler Missile would be capable of surface-wiping levels of power, even in space since both examples take place there.
This post is not about how powerful or how fast I believe the Viltrumites are, since that is another topic for another time. This is just to clear the air for these supposed "anti-feats." With all of these examples explained in full context, hopefully we can stop using this silly argument in the future.
submitted by PsychologicalBaby250 to PowerScaling [link] [comments]
City-level argument #1: "Invincible was pinned down by Universa's staff, which was said to destroy cities."
Refute: This argument would ignore the fact that Universa also says it can "End Civilizations." (4th panel). One important piece of context is that Universa can absorb energy and unleash energy from her staff. The same staff that was blasting Invincible. This is important because Universa says her planet is eight times larger than Earth (5th panel) and has enough energy to power her entire planet. This alone can not be in good faith argued as a city level antifeat.
City-level argument #2: "Thragg/Allen was knocked out from Viltrum's explosion."
Refute: I'm pretty sure we can chalk this up to picking and choosing who's facial expressions to focus on, with "Thragg" just happening to be a lookalike of him. In this page, we see from the blood splatter coming from Mark's face that he's still in the middle of being pushed away from the explosion. The very next page right after shows everyone totally fine, and Mark immediately flies to Oliver's body. If we wanted to look at what a character being knocked out from Viltrum's explosion would look like in Ryan Ottley's style, pay attention to Tech Jacket. He is in the middle, firing a purple beam. He is not being jumped like the good Viltrumites are. Here he is being blasted away somewhere beneath Allen's arm on the left of the page. While Thragg is butchering Thaddeus, Mark, Nolan, and Battle Beast, Tech Jacket is passing out (4th panel) despite not having a single action scene since Viltrum's destruction.
City-level argument #3: "Invincible was hurt by 1/50th of the explosives that glassed Las Vegas."
Refute: First things first, Robot says the bombs that destroyed Las Vegas were "localized hydrogen bombs." (4th panel, 4th speech bubble). [Synonyms for localize: limit, restrict, confine, contain, restrain, constrain, circumscribe, concentrate, and isolate.] That proves their attack potency was greater than their destructive output, which makes sense since Dinosaurus was a pretty echo friendly-ish anti villain. But there's much more to it than just that. Dinosaurus armed around eighteen of these same bombs that were able to tear apart the country of Greenland. Las Vegas and Mark were caught in the midst of a whopping FIFTY (4th panel) of these explosives. And before you say Mark was caught in 1/50th of that explosion, that's not true. Robot shows that a single bomb replica (3rd panel) can create dozens of plasma balls, even as small as The Pentagon. Mark was caught in a good amount of overlapping explosions in Las Vegas because of this. Since we don't know the full scale these explosives could have had, all we know is that they were massively more powerful than the Mauler Missile which would have caused the largest solar flare in the sun ever recorded (1st panel), which Mark was completely unhurt from. Not even his costume was damaged. Seeing as a regular nuke (Source: Tech Jacket 2014) could puncture a starship the size of EuroAsia (2nd speech bubble) and still leave a bottemless pit, it is not far fetched to believe the Mauler Missile would be capable of surface-wiping levels of power, even in space since both examples take place there.
This post is not about how powerful or how fast I believe the Viltrumites are, since that is another topic for another time. This is just to clear the air for these supposed "anti-feats." With all of these examples explained in full context, hopefully we can stop using this silly argument in the future.
2024.06.01 03:12 Pag089 I feel like my childhood was a lie
This post is rather long but it’s the best way I know how to express what’s going on right now, so bear with me. Here it goes…
Back in 2nd grade, 1997ish, I had been having a lot of behavioral issues in school. My parents were at the end of their rope, and I think I was on the verge of being sent to alternative school. Shortly before giving up, my parents took me to a Psychologist, who for the purpose of this story, we’ll call Dr. Jones. His name wasn’t Dr. Jones, but we’ll say it was. I began seeing Dr. Jones, and our sessions had an amazingly positive impact on my behavior in school.
Almost from our first appointment, I had always looked up to Dr. Jones, aspired to be like him, and held him in very high regards. Dr. Jones, in my opinion, was second only to God himself throughout a significant period of my childhood.
He had a profound impact on who I became as an adult. He was a role model, a guide, and a listening ear. He taught me how to deal with the crap going on in my life, and completely changed my outlook on life.
I continued seeing Dr. Jones through the rest of my elementary school years until he abruptly stopped seeing me in 2001. He had rescheduled our appointment in September and then sent a letter to all of his patients shortly before the rescheduled date, stating that his practice had suspended appointments indefinitely “due to personal reasons”.
Through a chance meeting, I made contact with Dr. Jones again sometime around 2004, and he explained that he had had a heart attack and it rendered his health such that he was unable to practice. That encounter in 2004 was the last time I saw him in person.
Since that encounter in 2004, I have occasionally tried to look him up, if nothing else to thank him for the help he gave me when I was younger. I’m in my 30’s now and have since gone through college and am a practicing therapist myself. I feel that I owe this accomplishment to him, for guiding me back to the right path, and I have always wanted to thank him for that. To date, I have not had any luck finding him or his practice, and have always assumed he probably retired.
Well, last Friday, I got another burning desire to look Dr. Jones up again, and I decided to try to find him on LinkedIn. I found him, but he looked like he had gone about 5 rounds with Mike Tyson in the profile picture on his LinkedIn.
When I knew him, he was always clean- cut. My first thought was “maybe that’s his son?” My next thought was “well, he would potentially be pushing 80, maybe he just didn’t age well…” but I also couldn’t help but notice that there was no mention of him ever having been a psychologist on his LinkedIn page. Nothing at all.
That’s when I did something I wish to hell I hadn’t have done. I don’t know what possessed me to do this, but I went to the state licensing verification website and looked up Dr. Jones. And that’s when I found out what I wish I didn’t know.
This person, who I held in such high regards, who I felt was an expert in his field, who I trusted, and loved… was not who he said he was the whole time.
Dr. Jones has never held a license to practice Psychology in my state, and the lesser license he did hold as a Professional Counselor (a license that requires a person to work under an independently licensed supervisor in my state) was revoked because of multiple instances of professional misconduct.
A 27 page consent agreement from 2005 outlined 24 findings of fact. I had to stop reading after page 13, I couldn’t take it anymore. I couldn’t believe what I was reading.
He had been passing himself off as a psychologist since 1993, and had been busted for it 3 times. The 3rd time resulted in a permanent ban from ever holding any professional license in my state. 2 of the reprimands happened while I was his patient.
I looked up to this man. I believed he was who he said he was. I believed he was indeed a psychologist because I had no reason to not believe him. The consent agreement made it very clear that a lot of what I believed to be true about his qualifications and background were all fabricated.
There was no heart attack. He closed his practice down on the fly because the state threatened criminal charges if he continued practicing psychology without a license.
This information hit me like a ton of bricks. In the moment, so many emotions coursed through my body it felt like I was going to puke. I’m still at a loss for words. It feels like my whole childhood was a lie. I’ve had a week to deal with it and I’m still in shock
I’m okay now, still rattled, but I’ll be okay. It’s just… shocking.
submitted by Pag089 to Vent [link] [comments]
Back in 2nd grade, 1997ish, I had been having a lot of behavioral issues in school. My parents were at the end of their rope, and I think I was on the verge of being sent to alternative school. Shortly before giving up, my parents took me to a Psychologist, who for the purpose of this story, we’ll call Dr. Jones. His name wasn’t Dr. Jones, but we’ll say it was. I began seeing Dr. Jones, and our sessions had an amazingly positive impact on my behavior in school.
Almost from our first appointment, I had always looked up to Dr. Jones, aspired to be like him, and held him in very high regards. Dr. Jones, in my opinion, was second only to God himself throughout a significant period of my childhood.
He had a profound impact on who I became as an adult. He was a role model, a guide, and a listening ear. He taught me how to deal with the crap going on in my life, and completely changed my outlook on life.
I continued seeing Dr. Jones through the rest of my elementary school years until he abruptly stopped seeing me in 2001. He had rescheduled our appointment in September and then sent a letter to all of his patients shortly before the rescheduled date, stating that his practice had suspended appointments indefinitely “due to personal reasons”.
Through a chance meeting, I made contact with Dr. Jones again sometime around 2004, and he explained that he had had a heart attack and it rendered his health such that he was unable to practice. That encounter in 2004 was the last time I saw him in person.
Since that encounter in 2004, I have occasionally tried to look him up, if nothing else to thank him for the help he gave me when I was younger. I’m in my 30’s now and have since gone through college and am a practicing therapist myself. I feel that I owe this accomplishment to him, for guiding me back to the right path, and I have always wanted to thank him for that. To date, I have not had any luck finding him or his practice, and have always assumed he probably retired.
Well, last Friday, I got another burning desire to look Dr. Jones up again, and I decided to try to find him on LinkedIn. I found him, but he looked like he had gone about 5 rounds with Mike Tyson in the profile picture on his LinkedIn.
When I knew him, he was always clean- cut. My first thought was “maybe that’s his son?” My next thought was “well, he would potentially be pushing 80, maybe he just didn’t age well…” but I also couldn’t help but notice that there was no mention of him ever having been a psychologist on his LinkedIn page. Nothing at all.
That’s when I did something I wish to hell I hadn’t have done. I don’t know what possessed me to do this, but I went to the state licensing verification website and looked up Dr. Jones. And that’s when I found out what I wish I didn’t know.
This person, who I held in such high regards, who I felt was an expert in his field, who I trusted, and loved… was not who he said he was the whole time.
Dr. Jones has never held a license to practice Psychology in my state, and the lesser license he did hold as a Professional Counselor (a license that requires a person to work under an independently licensed supervisor in my state) was revoked because of multiple instances of professional misconduct.
A 27 page consent agreement from 2005 outlined 24 findings of fact. I had to stop reading after page 13, I couldn’t take it anymore. I couldn’t believe what I was reading.
He had been passing himself off as a psychologist since 1993, and had been busted for it 3 times. The 3rd time resulted in a permanent ban from ever holding any professional license in my state. 2 of the reprimands happened while I was his patient.
I looked up to this man. I believed he was who he said he was. I believed he was indeed a psychologist because I had no reason to not believe him. The consent agreement made it very clear that a lot of what I believed to be true about his qualifications and background were all fabricated.
There was no heart attack. He closed his practice down on the fly because the state threatened criminal charges if he continued practicing psychology without a license.
This information hit me like a ton of bricks. In the moment, so many emotions coursed through my body it felt like I was going to puke. I’m still at a loss for words. It feels like my whole childhood was a lie. I’ve had a week to deal with it and I’m still in shock
I’m okay now, still rattled, but I’ll be okay. It’s just… shocking.
2024.06.01 02:46 Ok_Video488 I've Been Playing "Adopt Me!" For Over 2 Years. But After My Experience, I'll Never Look At "Adopt Me!" The Same Again.
I've been logging into "Adopt Me!" for over 2 years. I'll one day get my 1,000th day streak, a milestone I doubt anyone reached, but after what I went through, I don't think I'd play "Adopt Me!" anytime soon.
On the day where I should've gotten by 1,000th day streak, I knew something was off as the game loaded. Instead of having the familiar and cheery intro screen, I was already in the game (it just popped up). The usual iconic music was replaced by a stinging silence. I once prided as a very rich player, but I now had no bucks and only one Flare-age Neon dog named Alex, and a Luminous-age Neon cat named Lilly.
It had been a long time ago since I played "Adopt Me!" for the first time, but I couldn't bring up anytime where I had a Neon dog which I named Alex, nor a Neon cat named Lilly.
I didn't even think that was possible, because I never recalled creating a new account, and even if I did, only either a dog OR a cat would hatch from the Starter Egg, and it definitely wouldn't have a Neon cat/dog of ANY age.
I began getting worried. Had I been hacked? Had I loaded into the wrong server (I realized I had been playing alone)? Or was some other technical issue? But if it was a technical issue, how could I just get two Neon pets for free?
I looked further into my pets, and found something that was DEFINITELY not right. Why did the pets have healthbars, along with a stamina, energy, hunger, and thirst bar? Was this a survival game? "Adopt Me!" hadn't ever been a survival game- it was always an RP and pet-raising game!
Not even my avatar was the same. It was reduced to the standard Roblox Noob, when I really had a lot of Robux. Had I logged into a doppelganger account?
I looked into my 'Toys' section, and all I had were a Flashlight and Toy Sword. Had someone hacked this into a survival game? If so, what kind?
But I wasn't gonna sit around to find out. I called the Roblox support number, but the voicemail was just dead silence even as I turned up to full volume, almost as if it was off-duty.
When I looked back in my game screen, I found a note on the ground, I picked it up by pressing E, and it read:
"I know you. I know you're wondering why this game seems so out of place, and you tried to call Roblox support. A virus has just started spreading in the Nursery and much of Adoption Island has been destroyed by its hosts. The infection doesn't spread by air, but if they touch you, well, you know. Wait... someone's-" I immediately put the note down and ran my avatar back home, not thinking of looking back. But then a dialogue box opened.
LILLY: Wait! I can't keep up!
I wanted to slow down, but I was afraid of what was behind me. I realized my avatar was almost out of stamina, so I cut behind a tree to recharge. I realized Lilly's healthbar was completely red, and I dreaded to think on what would happen if either pets' or my HP reached 0. I tried carrying them both, but that left me defenseless. As I listened closely, I didn't hear anything, so it might be safe again. But I couldn't relax as a message popped up that said, "DON'T MAKE A NOISE!" with an audio recording waveform that had a bar limit. I held my breath and remained as quiet as possible, not as quiet as the game's ambience.
After quietly breathing in and out of what felt like forever, the warning message finally faded. I picked up the two pets, and snuck quietly back into my home. When I got home, though, I realized there had been a crate in there.
"Do I open the crate?" I asked myself. "What if it's infected?" I drew my Toy Sword and pressed 'E' to open it. What I found inside washed most of my worries away. Inside there was a Flame Sword, with the typical blade replaced by a 2D fire icon. I didn't know what this new weapon would do, but I wasn't gonna keep my blunt Toy Sword around.
Suddenly, a speech bubble popped up on what seemed to be behind me. "ANNA: You've upgraded your weapon." I dragged my camera around, and there was Anna, the young girl typically from the Nursery with blonde hair and a pink onesie with a rabbit tail.
"What's going on?" I typed in the chat.
I didn't expect her to respond, as she's just an NPC. But merely 3 seconds later, she replied, "I... I don't know." She responded. "But I think the source is in the Nursery."
Another chat bubble popped up from behind.
"ALEX: But what if we die, even if we destroyed the beacon?"
"We have no choice," I typed back. "It's either us, or them. But maybe, if we just work together, we could make it out alive."
As we stepped out with my volume as high as possible to sense any infected, suddenly, as we were about to enter the Nursery, the ground below us suddenly gave away, and it was dark, too dark, so dark I worried that if I were to turn on my flashlight, I would get jump scared.
I equipped my flashlight and covered my eyes and slowly pressed the left mouse button, preparing for the worst. But nothing happened. The cave was lit up slightly, and after a few tense seconds, no monster came.
But another thing made me flinch- the torches around suddenly burst alight, nearly making me spill water all over my keyboard. I could vividly hear my avatar's footsteps as I inconsistently tapped the 'W' key to try not to make too much noise.
After tapping the 'W' key on what felt like forever, we came across a very questionable door. As I selected the Flame Sword, I realized it had a series of abilities. I used 'One Slash,' which had the least required energy, but it easily sliced the hinges off and the door fell.
But we were met with a horrible sight. I expected the source to be some like reactor core, but I nearly puked over my computer screen. It was a number of masses of unknown fluid tied together by what appear to be veins. But one mass in the center seemed to be distinctive from the rest, almost as if it had an eye in it.
But I realized that all too late as the central mass began to crack, as if it were an egg. As I drew my Flame Sword open, a huge tentacle burst open from the center mass. I nearly froze. As I panned my camera back facing the door, the door was shut. I tried pressing 'E' opening the door and running, but a dialogue box popped up.
"ANNA: We can't leave yet! Otherwise, the virus would spread out of control!"
I reluctantly panned my camera back to the single tentacle, and shakily pressed the '1' key, equipping my Flame Sword again. But I noticed all too late that that single imposing tentacle was a mere decoy as 8 other tentacles popped open from the other masses.
I quickly popped open my Flame Sword move lists, and I scrolled left to right at what felt like the speed of light, desperately trying to find a good attack. I figured that "Fire Cage" would trap the thing and slow it down as I try to find a new attack.
As I thought, the tentacles were immobile and couldn't move. As I scrolled left to right amid the Flame Sword's attacks, one of them caught my eye, "Infernadius Executionis." It sounded rather powerful, but just as I hovered my mouse over the button, I quickly saw a message:
"DO NOT USE UNLESS LAST RESORT. THIS WILL UNPOWER YOUR SWORD."
But I figured I wouldn't need it as the cage seemed to be burning the thing itself. Without hesitating, I began clicking my left mouse button as fast as I could. I began thinking my finger would create a trance because of how fast I was clicking, then, as the multiple slashes piled up, I was faced with a "time-it-perfect" press circle and ring. I pressed almost perfectly, and the slashes blew the being into nothing.
There was no time to celebrate, though. Almost immediately, a hole appeared in place of the being. The place around began crumbling and a wall of very toxic materials of what seemed to contain the virus began tracing the hind wall. I pressed 'E' as fast as I could to try to push open the heavy door. But it didn't work and I clicked the left mouse button. That triggered a slice which bust the door down into two molten pieces.
As we ran out of the main chamber, we saw more infected monsters that began charging at us immediately followed by a jump scare. But I was so focused on killing the monsters I merely blinked.
I swiped my camera down and slashed, jumping into the air with an incendiary jump. Then, an idea immediately sparked into my mind. I scrolled my camera backwards and looking down about 45 degrees. As I swiped the sword repeatedly about 2 times per second, the monsters began falling like bowling pins.
But all that stopped when I hit a wall on the other side. At this point my Flame Sword was completely drained of energy and was basically a Toy Sword now. But my avatar automatically dropped it and I really couldn't fight off all of them with a mere Toy Sword.
I swiped my camera around in all directions, trying to look for some way to get out. I even spammed the left mouse button to try and see if I could escape. But it all stopped as I heard repeated gunshots behind me and I quickly swiped my camera.
It was Anna, and she seemed to now be around in her teens, with an assault rifle in her hands. Before I could type anything in chat, she spoke up in a voice bubble, "ANNA: Don't worry. I've been in Arsenal before."
Another voice bubble popped up.
"ALEX: But we still have to get out. I can smell the virus from here. If we don't get out, we'll all get infected."
My camera view began developing a red, blurry, vignette. I feared what would happen if my camera became completely opaque. I thought I heard the ceiling crack as I slashed it, so I panned up as hard as I could, and began clicking faster than I ever had.
I thought my mouse was gonna shatter, but all that faded away as the ceiling opened and the camera refreshed. Back out of the ground, the ground patched back up, almost as if nothing was there.
The sky had been clear again, and one last message appeared.
"Congratulations! You've saved Adoption Island from certain extinction, thanks to your party's hard work and determination."
This would be an experience I would never forget or unsee. As I finish this post, I want to remind you that after what I've been through, I'll likely never see "Adopt Me!" the same way ever again.
After all, who knows if the virus is really dead? Is it still buried underground? All I can hope is that another disaster doesn't happen which triggers the virus to be released again, and I REALLY hope this cruel hacker doesn't spread the virus to other games.
submitted by Ok_Video488 to horrorstories [link] [comments]
On the day where I should've gotten by 1,000th day streak, I knew something was off as the game loaded. Instead of having the familiar and cheery intro screen, I was already in the game (it just popped up). The usual iconic music was replaced by a stinging silence. I once prided as a very rich player, but I now had no bucks and only one Flare-age Neon dog named Alex, and a Luminous-age Neon cat named Lilly.
It had been a long time ago since I played "Adopt Me!" for the first time, but I couldn't bring up anytime where I had a Neon dog which I named Alex, nor a Neon cat named Lilly.
I didn't even think that was possible, because I never recalled creating a new account, and even if I did, only either a dog OR a cat would hatch from the Starter Egg, and it definitely wouldn't have a Neon cat/dog of ANY age.
I began getting worried. Had I been hacked? Had I loaded into the wrong server (I realized I had been playing alone)? Or was some other technical issue? But if it was a technical issue, how could I just get two Neon pets for free?
I looked further into my pets, and found something that was DEFINITELY not right. Why did the pets have healthbars, along with a stamina, energy, hunger, and thirst bar? Was this a survival game? "Adopt Me!" hadn't ever been a survival game- it was always an RP and pet-raising game!
Not even my avatar was the same. It was reduced to the standard Roblox Noob, when I really had a lot of Robux. Had I logged into a doppelganger account?
I looked into my 'Toys' section, and all I had were a Flashlight and Toy Sword. Had someone hacked this into a survival game? If so, what kind?
But I wasn't gonna sit around to find out. I called the Roblox support number, but the voicemail was just dead silence even as I turned up to full volume, almost as if it was off-duty.
When I looked back in my game screen, I found a note on the ground, I picked it up by pressing E, and it read:
"I know you. I know you're wondering why this game seems so out of place, and you tried to call Roblox support. A virus has just started spreading in the Nursery and much of Adoption Island has been destroyed by its hosts. The infection doesn't spread by air, but if they touch you, well, you know. Wait... someone's-" I immediately put the note down and ran my avatar back home, not thinking of looking back. But then a dialogue box opened.
LILLY: Wait! I can't keep up!
I wanted to slow down, but I was afraid of what was behind me. I realized my avatar was almost out of stamina, so I cut behind a tree to recharge. I realized Lilly's healthbar was completely red, and I dreaded to think on what would happen if either pets' or my HP reached 0. I tried carrying them both, but that left me defenseless. As I listened closely, I didn't hear anything, so it might be safe again. But I couldn't relax as a message popped up that said, "DON'T MAKE A NOISE!" with an audio recording waveform that had a bar limit. I held my breath and remained as quiet as possible, not as quiet as the game's ambience.
After quietly breathing in and out of what felt like forever, the warning message finally faded. I picked up the two pets, and snuck quietly back into my home. When I got home, though, I realized there had been a crate in there.
"Do I open the crate?" I asked myself. "What if it's infected?" I drew my Toy Sword and pressed 'E' to open it. What I found inside washed most of my worries away. Inside there was a Flame Sword, with the typical blade replaced by a 2D fire icon. I didn't know what this new weapon would do, but I wasn't gonna keep my blunt Toy Sword around.
Suddenly, a speech bubble popped up on what seemed to be behind me. "ANNA: You've upgraded your weapon." I dragged my camera around, and there was Anna, the young girl typically from the Nursery with blonde hair and a pink onesie with a rabbit tail.
"What's going on?" I typed in the chat.
I didn't expect her to respond, as she's just an NPC. But merely 3 seconds later, she replied, "I... I don't know." She responded. "But I think the source is in the Nursery."
Another chat bubble popped up from behind.
"ALEX: But what if we die, even if we destroyed the beacon?"
"We have no choice," I typed back. "It's either us, or them. But maybe, if we just work together, we could make it out alive."
As we stepped out with my volume as high as possible to sense any infected, suddenly, as we were about to enter the Nursery, the ground below us suddenly gave away, and it was dark, too dark, so dark I worried that if I were to turn on my flashlight, I would get jump scared.
I equipped my flashlight and covered my eyes and slowly pressed the left mouse button, preparing for the worst. But nothing happened. The cave was lit up slightly, and after a few tense seconds, no monster came.
But another thing made me flinch- the torches around suddenly burst alight, nearly making me spill water all over my keyboard. I could vividly hear my avatar's footsteps as I inconsistently tapped the 'W' key to try not to make too much noise.
After tapping the 'W' key on what felt like forever, we came across a very questionable door. As I selected the Flame Sword, I realized it had a series of abilities. I used 'One Slash,' which had the least required energy, but it easily sliced the hinges off and the door fell.
But we were met with a horrible sight. I expected the source to be some like reactor core, but I nearly puked over my computer screen. It was a number of masses of unknown fluid tied together by what appear to be veins. But one mass in the center seemed to be distinctive from the rest, almost as if it had an eye in it.
But I realized that all too late as the central mass began to crack, as if it were an egg. As I drew my Flame Sword open, a huge tentacle burst open from the center mass. I nearly froze. As I panned my camera back facing the door, the door was shut. I tried pressing 'E' opening the door and running, but a dialogue box popped up.
"ANNA: We can't leave yet! Otherwise, the virus would spread out of control!"
I reluctantly panned my camera back to the single tentacle, and shakily pressed the '1' key, equipping my Flame Sword again. But I noticed all too late that that single imposing tentacle was a mere decoy as 8 other tentacles popped open from the other masses.
I quickly popped open my Flame Sword move lists, and I scrolled left to right at what felt like the speed of light, desperately trying to find a good attack. I figured that "Fire Cage" would trap the thing and slow it down as I try to find a new attack.
As I thought, the tentacles were immobile and couldn't move. As I scrolled left to right amid the Flame Sword's attacks, one of them caught my eye, "Infernadius Executionis." It sounded rather powerful, but just as I hovered my mouse over the button, I quickly saw a message:
"DO NOT USE UNLESS LAST RESORT. THIS WILL UNPOWER YOUR SWORD."
But I figured I wouldn't need it as the cage seemed to be burning the thing itself. Without hesitating, I began clicking my left mouse button as fast as I could. I began thinking my finger would create a trance because of how fast I was clicking, then, as the multiple slashes piled up, I was faced with a "time-it-perfect" press circle and ring. I pressed almost perfectly, and the slashes blew the being into nothing.
There was no time to celebrate, though. Almost immediately, a hole appeared in place of the being. The place around began crumbling and a wall of very toxic materials of what seemed to contain the virus began tracing the hind wall. I pressed 'E' as fast as I could to try to push open the heavy door. But it didn't work and I clicked the left mouse button. That triggered a slice which bust the door down into two molten pieces.
As we ran out of the main chamber, we saw more infected monsters that began charging at us immediately followed by a jump scare. But I was so focused on killing the monsters I merely blinked.
I swiped my camera down and slashed, jumping into the air with an incendiary jump. Then, an idea immediately sparked into my mind. I scrolled my camera backwards and looking down about 45 degrees. As I swiped the sword repeatedly about 2 times per second, the monsters began falling like bowling pins.
But all that stopped when I hit a wall on the other side. At this point my Flame Sword was completely drained of energy and was basically a Toy Sword now. But my avatar automatically dropped it and I really couldn't fight off all of them with a mere Toy Sword.
I swiped my camera around in all directions, trying to look for some way to get out. I even spammed the left mouse button to try and see if I could escape. But it all stopped as I heard repeated gunshots behind me and I quickly swiped my camera.
It was Anna, and she seemed to now be around in her teens, with an assault rifle in her hands. Before I could type anything in chat, she spoke up in a voice bubble, "ANNA: Don't worry. I've been in Arsenal before."
Another voice bubble popped up.
"ALEX: But we still have to get out. I can smell the virus from here. If we don't get out, we'll all get infected."
My camera view began developing a red, blurry, vignette. I feared what would happen if my camera became completely opaque. I thought I heard the ceiling crack as I slashed it, so I panned up as hard as I could, and began clicking faster than I ever had.
I thought my mouse was gonna shatter, but all that faded away as the ceiling opened and the camera refreshed. Back out of the ground, the ground patched back up, almost as if nothing was there.
The sky had been clear again, and one last message appeared.
"Congratulations! You've saved Adoption Island from certain extinction, thanks to your party's hard work and determination."
This would be an experience I would never forget or unsee. As I finish this post, I want to remind you that after what I've been through, I'll likely never see "Adopt Me!" the same way ever again.
After all, who knows if the virus is really dead? Is it still buried underground? All I can hope is that another disaster doesn't happen which triggers the virus to be released again, and I REALLY hope this cruel hacker doesn't spread the virus to other games.