What to write in the wedding card

The one stop wedding sub!

2008.04.16 23:48 The one stop wedding sub!

A place for brides, grooms, friends, and family to discuss and share their wedding plans, ideas, and experiences.
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2018.08.20 23:35 napkin_origami Let's shame those weddings

A place to shame wedding themes, brides, grooms, wedding party, in-laws, outlaws, guests, Uncle Bob, vendors... you name it, we shame it! We are NOT a sub for advice, judgement calls, or to gather opinions on if you want to know if something is shameful.
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2012.12.04 19:10 danaadaugherty Weddings Under 10K

A subreddit for brides and grooms to plan their dream weddings for less than $10,000!
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2024.05.21 17:12 schro1248 Mother opened cards in my name and charged 27k to them in gambling debts, what now?

tl;dr: mom committed felony fraud against me, how do I transfer the debt to her without charging her with fraud
My mother has a really bad gambling problem and while I was in college she opened a credit card in my name with her as an "authorized user" to "help me build my credit".
After college I got a call about a missed payment on this card, luckily the limit was only 500, but when I went into the bank because my mom said "oh it was probably stolen" I learned it was only ever used for cash advances for soaring eagle.
At that point I decided to never mix my money with my mother's ever again. Neither a borrower or a lender be. I also got creditkarma, and noticed a few cards that weren't mine on my credit score. I disputed them on creditkarma's internal system a few times but they never fell off. I asked my mom about them and she said they were probably hers and apologized that our credit was intertwined, because she's always had bad credit.
fast forward ~ 10 years later, one of the cards get overcharged. Chase notifies me that my credit was affected and I decide to call about the card. All of the contact information is my mothers, and all of the primary user's is mine. I am assuming this is due to those "you're pre-approved!" mailers you get. I close one for fraud with a note I don't want to press charges because my grandmother who does have enough to cover this says she doesn't want that to happen if it comes to it.
total balance of cards: amex: ~7k (this one is insane because it was closed with a zero balance and 8k was added between feb 2024 and april 2024)
Discover ~15k
citibank: 4k
Can I refinance this debt under her name to recover my credit without charging her for felony fraud? I truly believe in restorative justice and throwing the book at my own mother seems disgusting. I do think online gambling should be banned because it breaks people's brains and it's too easy to do.
What do I do about my credit? it's now 643 (I know, I'm a fucking idiot for not seeing this stuff)
I'm sorry I'm terrible at writing, I blame the American education system
submitted by schro1248 to CRedit [link] [comments]


2024.05.21 17:09 Adventurous_Ride_273 Terrible Customer Experience

SgtRigio here, wanted to share my recent experience with CCP.
On April 26th I was working on my house and I received a few discord messages from my eve friends wondering why I had taken out a significant amount of isk from the corporation wallet. I was immediately confused and denied withdrawing the isk as I had not been online in eve for about a week at which point I was presented with a screenshot of the corp transaction. I immediately attempted to log into my account only to find that all of my passwords had been changed, I began trying to reset my eve online account passwords, however when I tried to log into my email, I was met with numerous messages that there were too many log in attempts and to reset my password. After a long battle of trying to get access back for my email, I was finally able to get in and turn on two factor authentication to stop the brute force attack. I reset all of my passwords for eve online and tried to log in to assess the damage, but quickly learned that I was still logged out due to the hacker turning on a Google authenticator on all of my accounts. I filed a ticket with CCP on April 26th, 2024 and received an automated message saying they have received my ticket.
Since initially filing the ticket I have received zero responses from CCP dispite me sending additional information and a request for either an acknowledgment or an update on the ticket.
I've played even online on and off for over 10 years and I've maybe submitted one or two tickets during that time. I am deeply disappointed with the customer service I have received (or lack thereof). I paid for a full year of omega time on my credit card and have been locked out of my account since April 26th, 2024. As of writing this, it has been 25 days since I have filed the ticket with what feels like zero assistance from CCP.
Tldr: My eve account, email and discord all got hacked. Lost access to all of my accounts and likely lost my assets. Filed a ticket for support April 26th and it has been 25 days and have yet to receive any kind of response from CCP.
submitted by Adventurous_Ride_273 to Eve [link] [comments]


2024.05.21 17:05 Classic-Product6321 my fiance cheated

SORRY FOR LONG POST I DESPERATELY NEED ADVICE PLEASE HELP.
I’m not married, im engaged and we’ve been together 7 years. if not allowed please disregard and remove post, i need advice bad and don’t know where to turn.
my (30m) fiance (30f) has been texting her coworker very sexually for months now. i have been feeling a strong emotional and physical disconnect from her for months as well. ive brought it up many times but its always her “hormones” or “stress” which i 100% agree. we both have very stressful high pace jobs and also two young boys (5,6). i decided i’ll check her phone just to see, ive never felt a disconnect like this between us and she always use to be all over me and over the top lovey and touched so this is far out of character for her. low and behold i see messages going back to february to her 47yo male MARRIED coworker. it wont let me attach images so ill just try to highlight the main concerning texts which is nearly all of them.
it started off because she’s into smut books if you will, and he apparently writes smut short stories. she read him and excerpt from one of her books and he felt the need to text her one of his short super dirty stories. she replies to this saying it’s “hot and he’s a good ass writer” couple messages go by and he’s making obviously but subtle sexual comments to her saying “how did they get a camera in my room to write those books” there’s too much to repeat all the messages but to highlight he keeps making comments sexual in nature, she replies to one about a sex dungeon saying “if you had a room like this one in the book, i’ll be over” to which he says “not anymore i’m married” she says something then he says “i didn’t say i was happily married” more conversation then he says he has “bad knees but that doesn’t mean he still doesn’t get his heartrate up” she says “i have a bad back we would do great together” he says “i would get a swing to swoop you off your feet”, insinuating a sex swing, she says “talking about swings in have one at home collecting dust as we speak 😈 ” (sex swing) a lot of innaproraite conversations happen for months. a few more key things is they have a quiet room at work, it’s like a single person small room with one couch for employees to go relax and unwind at, totally isolated and hidden from plain view, there is a lot of messages about meeting together in the quiet room. he says “i would never knock on that door unless i knew who was in there” she says “if it’s “our” break time you know it’s me “ he says “ it’s super cute she called it “our” break time. and that he “needs written permission to enter the room while she’s in there” she replies a :) and says that he can come in the room anytime he wants if she’s in there. fast forward to next shift all she sends is a time “1730? :)” and he says “as always” then she says “good boy, that was your written invitation”
I’ve also met this dude once at her coworkers party. he sat right next to my fiance, i sat across the table and i noticed with 5 min of meeting this guy that something was suspicious. he was openly being flirt right in front of me so much so that i texted my friend and said i don’t like this guy that sitting next to my fiance he’s scheming.i sent that message as this was going on in front of me. this happened after the messages were sent about going to his private sex dungeon and gun sweeping her off her feet with a sex swing. but the event took place months ago before i knew these messages existed.
my fiance claims nothing has ever happened physically between them, the messages are leading me to highly suspect otherwise. she has no excuse other than she doesn’t know what happened and what she was thinking. she’s extremely apologetic and has him blocked now. i reached out to this guys wife and his wife has no idea about this whole situation and says that this guy has cheated before. prior to this our relationship has been extremely healthy and she’s my, or was, my dream come true. i never expected this.
what would you do? would you call off the wedding? i feel like this is cheating and i know i will never be able to get over this and trust her again 100%. she’s apologetic beyond belief, has blocked him and said anything i need she will do. she still works with this guy and always will. i’ll always have doubt about her now and am worried she will do it again. if i wouldn’t have caught it this time around it would have continued for god knows how long and probably went even further the way things were escalating.
TLDR; my(30m) fiance (30f) has been sexually texting and meeting privately with her (47m) married (previously cheated) coworker. she denies anything happened physically which is very hard to believe with the nature of the messages and private meeting.
submitted by Classic-Product6321 to Marriage [link] [comments]


2024.05.21 17:00 wosieuwu constructive dismissal? disabled discrimination?

i feel like i’m being forced to quit my job, but i need some advice because something feels so off about what they’re asking of me. i’ve worked here since september, i’m in england. sorry this is a bit long i just wanted to make sure i had everything down. whilst most was done in conversation in person i do have me begging them to update my availability multiple times and it being ignored. i am also on LCRWA with universal credit and receive PIP. i do this job because it helps my mental health and honestly i don’t have enough money to live off of. some of my disabilities are BPD, CPTSD, IBS, severe social anxiety & Hemepliegic mirgaines. (suspected autism/adhd but not diagnosed)
-they don’t have my availability open, i take medication that makes me sleepy and i need to take it when i’m on a night shift to have any routine which is necessary for my mental health/disability. they told me i have to resign and they can’t make me redundant because they’re not getting rid of my job role. -they have asked me to get a letter from my doctor proving my disability and my medication and how it affects me, they won’t accept a prescription and research on the NHS website. i have to PAY for a letter from my doctor??? -they’re requesting proof of my therapy as it makes me unavailable on fridays. they don’t ask people proof of the them going to college when it affects their availability, or my coworkers who have children- they don’t ask for proof of their children so they can work 9-3. i’m wondering if they’re doing something shady to me because honestly none of it makes sense, and it’s making me feel uncomfortable and like they don’t believe that i am actually unwell. i have a PIP letter i offered to give them and an access card and they said they won’t accept that as evidence. they’ve also said any of my evidence of disability would be good for them (doctors notes, specialists notes, literally every evidence)
i don’t see why i have to provide all this information, and when i provide what should legally be classed as enough evidence. they say it’s not acceptable. i also was pretty sure they weren’t allowed to ask for it (they're not, apparently)
in one of my return to work reviews my manager questioned my absences asking why i would ever need time off because i only work 3 four hour shifts a week, to which i replied “i’m disabled you know that”, and he literally said “yeah, and?”, i explained “some days i don’t feel very well”, and he replied that “we all feel that way sometimes” - i had to report that to another manager and call him up on it because it made me feel so uncomfortable and judged. they’ve asked what adjustments i need and did it for one shift and then it reverted back to normal. my shift manager kept putting me on for fridays (i have therapy every friday for the foreseeable future. they knew this when i applied for my role) and over my contracted hours(which i can’t go over because one, i can’t physically, and two it will potentially affect my benefits- which i can’t afford to lose) i have consistently messaged my availability and it’s been ignored multiple times and i have to keep chasing it- which makes me uncomfortable. I shouldn't have to tell someone 6 times for them to acknowledge that.
they also keep putting me on the stressful job roles - EG tills & fitting room when i've specifically asked to be on a different department because the stress is too high, and when my IBS plays up i need to immediately go to the toilet and i can't do that on those departments.
my requests for appropriate change according to my disabilities have been ignored/overruled and i no longer feel this is a workplace that cares about my needs, being judged by members of staff has made me incredibly uncomfortable and my friend - another disabled worker at my job - has gone through the exact same issues.
i have been told i only have 9 days of sick leave in a 12 month period, and if i miss another day of work i will get a warning. after that i will be fired. i feel this forces me to work in an unsafe environment, based on the hours i'm asked to do & if i have a flare up i physically cannot work. i can't live in constant fear of losing my job because i'm disabled. i asked my manager if the notice period was 2 weeks and he said yes, upon looking at my contract that is incorrect, it is 1 week and i feel like he lied to me so i still work those shifts.
i want to write a resignation letter, but also potentially take this further. i do not want to resign- but feel like i have been pushed to take action. after i hand in the resignation letter i don’t know if i’ll be able to see my managers because my anxiety will just take over. please help me 😅
submitted by wosieuwu to LegalAdviceUK [link] [comments]


2024.05.21 16:52 SurrealSoulSara Old video of verbal abuse & reading my 10 years old diary made me see my youth in in emotional neglect.

TW: childhood neglect and verbal abuse - me remembering so many things after last night's session. I just need to tell someone! I repressed this childhood since I moved out of my parents. It's like I died that day and moved on like a robot.
It is as though the illusion I've kept up for the past 24 years of me being always 'happy' and living a happy childhood just shattered entirely.
I have this diary I wrote in a lot in 2014, which is from exactly 10 years ago when I was 14. I cherished it a lot and sometimes would look into it to remember the old days. However, just last week I looked into it again after several months of being more focussed on my mental health (and especially on my childhood & parents.). This time, I saw something entirely different in this cute colorful happy diary.
All I see now, is how I was suffering. Suffering alone and always walking on eggshells. Nothing was ever good enough. Almost every page I refer to 'future me', the one who will understand me. I didn't get that from my parents. Old me, who will listen to how I am feeling and give me the comfort and soothing I so desperately needed.
I write about how I was completely exhausted from highschool, and then constantly bash myself with extremly self critical words. I have pictures of me in there with apologies for being ugly, and stories of 'how I didn't work hard enough'. Several pages describe forms of catastrophizing over the smallest mundane things.
In some pages, I casually mention a family member I dearly loved dying but then downplay it with something else. It's ups and downs by the sentence "It was my birthday yesterday, I had a great time! I am exhausted and drained and school is horrible. I did get a nice gift. I hope grandma stays alive" etc.
All this time I was happily keeping up this story of how happy I was. How I had such loving parents who where always there for me. They would shower me with gifts they could barely afford.
In my house, there were no rules. There was no bedtime. There was no structure - no breakfast together or chores I had to do. Everyone was jealous of me, because I was so free, but child and teenage me were constantly longing for someone to care.
I would be gone from home as much as I could. The atmosphere was so hectic. One day you'd come home to a happy loving mom who has all the patience and curiousity to hear about my day and my struggles. The other I would walk in and get scolded about how I was nothing. One day she was willing to help me with my feelings and emotions, but in other days she'd scold me for having them! I should be strong because according to mom, she's cyinic, and the world is 'angry and cruel. The world is unfair.' Now get up and don't wallow in your sadness and self-pity.
It's like they would give a gift sometimes, just to then call me ungrateful every day after. According to them I was unthankful, selfish, and my mom said I'd act as if the world revolved only around me. If I'd say "huh, I never said that?! I would never say such a thing?" she said "that is just what you think you are doing. But in reality, you're ruining it for everyone".
Eitherway, after going through the entire diary without skipping a page, I remembered I once made a video of my mom attacking me. I looked it up, and for the first time in 8 years I had the mental energy to watch it. My jaw dropped to the floor. I never even saw someone act so horrible before but it's me going through it....
t's like my world shattered. My mom was treating me absollutely horribly in this video. I don't even remember! You can see her face, and she is so scary! Here eyes look like pure hurt, as if she was throwing her own traumatic upbringing onto me and blaming me for it. She looks at me as if she's completely disgusted by me! The entire rant of hers is a complete mind trip where she downplays everything I say and spins it around as if I was just a burden who tried to make life for my parents worse.
I would never help with chores. Because, if I asked if she needed help, she didn't. I didn't have to do anything in the house but also did not know how to do anything. Then on other days she'd get angry I wasn't doing enough in the house and mention how our life should be about "giving and taking" and I should participate in that.
Now having read all of this, and watching some more video's of these attacks, I remember many things. How my parents would lock me up in the dark cold hallway because I had a "tantrum". They say it 'wasn't that long' but overstimulated and panicked todler me would bawl her eyes out. I felt so abandoned. In my life, alltogether, my strongest feeling is guilt. I feel guilty for everything. I feel shame. I feel ugly when I cry.
I only managed to teach myself how to release emotions in january this year. I never knew. I couldn't cry since years. When I finally managed this year, I'd notice I'd feel so ugly. My cries sound like my mom crying. She'd cry in our house regularly at some point. Really messy, really loud.
Because of constantly being told I wasn't doing enough, or that I didn't care, I wanted to please. I would muster up the courage and shun myself for how difficult and bad it felt to do so. I would ask her "mom, are you okay? Do you need a hug?"
She'd turn around on her desk chair and YELL. Loud. Screaming at me to get out of her face. Just get out of our life. This happened several times. I'd just walk away from the house. I felt so alone and unwanted. I never could do it right. My dad would just avoid my gaze.
Some days I would be begging my mom for a hug. Just for some attention. But she was so overstimulated that she couldn't even give me a touch. I would feel so lost and alone and just go outside and distract myself with imaginary games. I remember because of this, the moments where I would overheat my parents show off to parents of friends of mine how "I was such an easy kid" and how I could entertain myself and be happy for hours. The other parents would be jealous. I wouldn't know why this would make me cry
My life first going to school was just sheer terror. I felt so abandoned. Every time mom dropped me off I'd kling around her leg crying and screaming. Then afterwards, I wouldn't want to go home either. I remember how later in my childhood I still felt guilty for this behavior, because mom must have been so ashamed. I'd hang around teachers and daycare adults all the time. I wanted to hug everyone, because that was what I so desperately wanted.
My dad could never give hugs. Sometimes he'd allow it, but it would feel so distant. If my mom was starting to freak out about me, he'd sometimes intervere and call me to 'it's done now!' and 'go to bed'! No matter the time. I'd lay in my bed, just trying to curl up and feel somewhat comfortable.
In primary school, I would constantly visit friends. It continued in highschool too. I had two music classes and sports, so for four days a week I was settled after school - not having to go home immediately. Home didn't feel safe. It wasn't a constant. Some days there would be dinner at a nicely put dinner table and we'd eat together, some days I'd just eat some bread myself.
Some days mom would just be lying in bed. I found a video, that's why I remember. She would'nt get out until the beginning of the evening. This was in the time she would normally make me some lunch, or ya-know, take care of me. Suddenly I'd have to do everything alone.
I was constantly entertaining myself with imaginary friends at home. I'd play outside until I was 17 or so, alone. My cat was pure innocence and love but when I told my parents he was 'coughing' they didn't want to believe me. They only took him to the vet when it was too late and never apologized or were able to own up for this.
When I was 14 I wrote in my diary I was looking forwards to visit grandma. She's my mom's mom, and I would sometimes spend up to a week there just to be able to relax and be loved unconditionally. My mom would terroize me with her stress and anger and accusations to a point I couldn't focus on school. I wrote how she'd come into my room calling me names and how I couldn't read my homework papers through the tears.
My dad was never really there. He'd choose himself to be out of the house in the morning before mom and I'd be out and then when he was back he wouldn't make it further into the house than his TV chair. My parents would watch TV for hours when I was a kid. If I asked "what are you watching" they'd both go "Shhhh!". If I'd push it futher, the'd send me upstairs.
I feel like I spend so much time just hiding from my parents. Wheter it was upstairs in my bedroom all day, and night, or if it was outside. I now also remember just biking for hours crying hoping someone would stop and console me. I'd make the wrong friends and smoke weed at 16 just to stop the thoughts.
I would visit friends just because their house was calm and safe. I'd get a nice dinner there, and it would be a whole new experience. My parents would always be easily agitated. I am hyper senstive, hyper aware. I get uncomfortable just seeing them being uncomfortable. I remember I could already feel the energy from streets away. Sometimes I knew it would be wrong and I'd just bike somewhere else and go home later.
In one diary entry, I describe how my parents told me to write a letter to my dad's mom for her birthday. I finish the letter, and only then I allowed myself to take a shower and take care of myself. I would rot in bed, and rot in my dirty hair for days, just like mom. On other days she'd be so happy, she'd be re-decorating the entire house, invite me to go rollerskating.
But I also remember how many times my parents threatened to throw me out of the car. I remember how my 'reaction' to whatever they 'gave me' would never suffice. Then I would be the bad guy, for not being thankful.
My parents, they did everything for me. They paid for everythingg. Ya-da Ya-da, but I never had a proper hug from my dad. I don't know why he's even with my mom. I think he's a fun dude, but he's in mental pain. My mom told me way too young how her trauma's affected her. My dad's childhood would always be an excuse that I had to empathize with when I asked mom as a kid "if dad really loved me".
Other memories involve me running upstairs and then one parent following me. I don't remember getting hurt physically, but I remember all my life the pain I can see in their eyes.
If I look at pictures from my teenage years now, I can finally see the depression in my eyes. It took me up until this year to finally understand that having a clean kitchen and bathroom is something you do because you think you are worthy of a clean space. I had to get out of a depressionhole again over the years many times. I now realize the constant self critisism should have been self love. So that I would feel worthy of taking a shower and brushing my teeth.
I now see how what I saw as 'good experiences' are mostly just my parents taking me somewhere to do some activity and it just fits the perfect family picture. I was their only child but we'd celebrate christmas with many, many presents for me. But once my grandparents didn't live anymore, the birthday parties and tradition celebrations weren't hosted anymore by my parents. I wonder for who they truly did it. I was a golden child, but later in life I was just a burden.
I moved out the first chance I got. They didn't stop me. I was barely 17. I got into partying and drug abuse. I would sleep for weeks in bed. Barely ate. Then I would drag myself out of it again and have missed my mom's birthday. I was the one ruining the relationship to them.
I realized last year my parents had not called me for over 7 months. That was the first time I cried since the last time I did as teen. It's always coming from me.
My depression, my axieties and the treatment my parents gave me were never seen. It was never validated until I could finally read my diary with new eyes and watch those videos. I never got professional help but I will look for this now. I am really longing for someone to tell me what I was going through wasn't normal.
I did not remember this until yesterday, BUT, I am so used to being called weak, sensitive, a cry-baby, a bitch, for telling my mom how her verbal abuse made me feel. I feel so weird, how I repressed all of this for so long and the past years I tried so hard to still visit them and give them hugs and they felt good and now it all just feels fake and weird again.
Well yeah, so this is about everything that's been on my mind today. I feel totally weird. It's a tuesday and I couldnd't even work today. I am lost.
submitted by SurrealSoulSara to CPTSD [link] [comments]


2024.05.21 16:50 rr24bk State of the Subreddit 2024

Hello, everyone.
The state of the subreddit post is an annual-ish post to review our rules and give you a chance to give the mods feedback on how things are run here.
First, please take a moment and review the subreddit rules.
Next, thank you for coming here for support in your Shipt shopper journey! We have many wonderful members here who are happy to offer advice and support.

Housekeeping

All posts in this subreddit are manually approved. If you post during daytime hours in the US, they are generally approved within 1-2 hours. If you post overnight, the mods may be sleeping and not approve things until morning. All posts will be reviewed within 24 hours. Please do not repost your posts multiple times, just be patient. We have to do this because many of the rules violations occur in screenshots and auto mod can't find violations in images. If you need an immediate answer to a question, you can always join us on Discord.
Over 50% of the posts that are submitted here break rule 5, which is CENSOR PERSONAL INFORMATION. When you make a post, you need to black out the order number, masked phone numbers, customer addresss, and anything else that can be used to tie the image back to you in real life. The best way to do this is to use your markup tool to place a solid box over the information. Don't use the highlighter or scribble with a 0.1" pencil. If even a single digit of any of the numbers can be read the post will be rejected.
Context. Your post title needs to describe the post in 3 or more words. If you are posting an image, you need to add at least a sentence to explain why you are posting it. Don't post "This sucks" with a picture of a tip or an offer card and nothing else. Explain why it sucks instead of getting angry when others tell you it doesn't suck because they don't have all the information.
Be civil in posts and comments. So many times I read a post in the mod queue that has me nodding along and then it ends with an over-the-top rude comment directed at the customestore/other shoppers. Make your point without making a personal attack. If you do see a personal attack in the subreddit, report the comment to the mods and we'll take it down. You don't need to reply back and start a war. Being civil also applies to modmail messages. If you messages the mods to harass them you will be permanently banned from the sub. Mods do not discuss bans with members, so don't modmail us and ask if so-and-so was banned for their comments. Finally, if you message the mods directly, your message will be ignored.

Recent Changes

  1. As our subreddit grows, so does the number of trolls who target us. Posts and comments may be removed automatically for age and karma reasons. These posts and comments are still reviewed and the legit ones are approved.
  2. No more dildo/condom posts. These are a modding nightmare and we just don't have time to constantly monitor them. Yes, you can get sex toys at Target. Some people tip and some people don't. You're a grown-up. Either take the order or move on.

Future Changes

Now it's your chance to give feedback to your mods. What types of posts do you like? What types of posts do you dislike? Are there rules you think should be changed or added?
It's also been over a year since the FAQ has been updated and we all know that Shipt is constantly changing things so if you have any suggestions as to what should be changed there please comment with those as well. None of the mods are in California, so if anyone wants to write up an FAQ about Prop-22 rules and such from an insider prospective that would be appreciated as well.
Thank you everyone!
submitted by rr24bk to ShiptShoppers [link] [comments]


2024.05.21 16:06 damurphy72 Constellation Members and the End Game

Some thoughts occurred to me about the members of Constellation and Unity. This is absolutely going to be filled with massive spoilers. Every member of Constellation plays an important role in the story and has interesting ramifications.
The members of Constellation, ignoring Vasco, include Matteo, Vladimir, Noel, Walter, and the four companions Sarah, Barrett, Sam, and Andreja. Bethesda has given us a deliberate cross-section of the Settled Systems population. You have the former Crimson Fleet pirate, the Akila scion, the Va'ruun agent, the former UC officer, the Freestar industrialist, the Universalist religious guy, the scientist, and the "rogue." Actually, let's not ignore Vasco. The role of AI in this game is VERY ominous in a lot of ways, so Vasco may someday have more of a role than just "companion without strong opinions or personality."
The non-companion members are pretty non-intrusive, though Walter does have a field mission. I suspect that if you're going to have a talent like Armin Shimerman, you want to give him something to work on. Every time I see the interaction between Walter and his wife Issa, I want to find somebody who thinks the writing in this game is bad and hit them with a water balloon filled with maple syrup. Going back to the end-game topic, though, Walter serves as a perfect example of the biggest practical drawback of going through the Unity. He doesn't want to jump because he is rich, and going through means you lose ALL your stuff. It's a pretty sound thing to have somebody call this out explicitly for the player so they don't jump and be like, "wait, where's my customized starship filled with loot?"
Noel and Matteo are interesting in terms of their role. They very much serve as the sounding boards for the scientific and spiritual aspects of the artifacts, temples, and the Unity. Neither of them want to jump because they still have things to do. At first, my impression of them was that they were pretty much pointless once you learn what's really going on with the Starborn. I've reconsidered that, because we very much know what is happening, but not how or why. Ultimately, Noel and Matteo may be the most sensible members of Constellation by knowing what they don't yet know and refusing to leap into the unknown just because an angelic or demonic space dude with super powers tells you to do so.
Vladimir is unfortunately the quest-giver of the group. He's key to sending you along to the artifacts and temples...and the fact that you have to keep going back to him is a common complaint because it gets a little tedious. His role as the quest-giver also tends to overshadow his background with the Crimson Fleet, which I think is a missed opportunity when you're working for SysDef and infiltrating them. Vladimir Sall is the perfect example of an interesting premise that for some reason has largely been relegated to just being one of the mechanics of the game. He has some interesting things to say and a house you can visit, but I can't help but see him as a missed opportunity.
Now we have the four human companions, and it's interesting to me that they divide neatly into two categories. You have Sarah and Barrett on one side and Sam and Andrea on the other. What do I mean by that?
Sarah and Barrett are the most engaged in the Starborn world. Barrett can actually get powers and the Emissary turns out to be a version of Sarah (I did say MAJOR spoilers, didn't I?). What's really interesting, though, is that both of their companion quests are about dealing with the past. Sarah is dealing with the aftermath of her fighting in the war, while Barrett is dealing with the loss of his husband. They're trying to get closure. They have things they need to finish up before going on their next big adventure. They're also both somewhat disconnected from others. Sarah isn't really close with her surviving parent and she doesn't want any of the other members of Constellation at her wedding. Barrett travels alone with a robot and has since the death of his husband. Even the combat in their companion quests involves fighting alien animals rather than other people (because fighting is a form of engagement). The two of them are pretty much setting themselves up to be ready to move on.
Sam and Andreja are in the opposite situation. Sam's companion mission is about dealing with his ex-wife and daughter. Andreja's is about her relationship with her people (and is blatantly left on a cliff-hanger for DLC). In both of their quests, you are fighting other people -- syndicate thugs or zealots -- because both of these characters are still actively involved in this universe. Sure, indications are that both will eventually jump (assuming they survive), but neither of them is ready to move on at this point. Their acceptance of you jumping even seems a little forced to me, like they're agreeing solely for reasons of plot.
What I wonder about is whether or not this dichotomy with the companions was deliberate. You have a male and a female who need closure and are ready to jump and you have another male and female who are very much still actively engaged in life in this universe. Was the idea to give players a romance option with the preferred gender and perspective combination?
I have a sneaking suspicion that a tremendous amount of effort went into crafting the members of Constellation. Even if you find them annoying, I would suggest playing at least a few universes straight with them and seeing what they have to say. It's great that Bethesda gives you the option to ignore them, but there is a lot built up around them and I have to wonder how the eventual "resolution" of the whole Starborn premise may play into what we learn in our first play-through.
submitted by damurphy72 to NoSodiumStarfield [link] [comments]


2024.05.21 16:04 rpkat [F4A/M] various plots

Hi there! I’m 26, CST, and female!
SFW ONLY.
Message me with your age, timezone (US Timezones Preferred), what plot you’re interested in, and a sample of your writing if you’re interested!
Partner requirements: must be 21 to 35 years old - Must play male - write in third person - 2+ paragraphs - must be able to post once a day - Discord Only. - No asterisks - Proper grammar and punctuation please.
Super into enemies to lovers and/or love triangles right now.
Also would love to do something ACOTAR inspired or Hades x Persephone.
Cool, confident characters only. I am not interested in shy/reserved/soft/etc.
Alien x Superhero This is meant to be sort of Avenger-ish with aliens not being liked on Earth. I was thinking maybe your character is one of the heroes against the whole aliens being on the Earth. There’s a march being rumored to happen where aliens wanting to gain citizenship and demand the end of their races being killed. What your character doesn’t know is that his beloved girlfriend is an alien (my character). She’s a shapeshifter type that’s been sneaking out of the house lately for meetings concerning the march.
Rivals I have a few ideas for this one. One resolving around two college aged adults going to the same college, their parents are mafia rivals. Slowly they fall for each other before finding out who they really are, or even an arranged sort of marriage that ties both families together and ends the rivalry... just for a while.
Arranged Marriage: Looking for a more modern to almost futuristic kind of setting. Our characters being forced to marry each other due to a war ending or some other sort of treaty. I would be more than happy to also have some fantasy elements in this.
The Selection: Basically a slightly futuristic twist on the BacheloBachelorette. One prince or princess comes of age and must go through an event called The Selection where they must find love from a specific amount of contestants.
Royal Mistake: a prince from another country comes to America for school under a disguise and fake name, and falls for a regular American commoner.. It calls for big scandals if anyone finds out who the noble in disguise really is.
Fake Fiancée: Y/C and his fiancée have recently called things off. There’s only one real problem to this... He was supposed to bring her to meet the family at a huge family reunion/wedding/event of your choice. He resorts to calling M/C his college best friend or his best friend’s sister… we can discuss that a bit more.
submitted by rpkat to Roleplay [link] [comments]


2024.05.21 15:55 Luck9599 Additions to future F1 games (*long post alert*)

Hello everyone
With F1 24 being announced and being copy and paste again (basically just an F1 23 DLC at this point), I thought I'd write this post to maybe, just maybe, help (in any way) the next future F1 games become more realistic, which I think should be the main goal of these games (and also to express my deep disapointment with how the series is going).
Before we begin: this is completely based on my opinion, you don't need to agree with me, specially because I know some stuff may be considered completely delusional, as EA would never implement these things. With that out of the way, it's light out and away we go.
Here are additions/ideas that would turn the F1 game into an incredible experience:
As you guys can see, all these additions would be more oriented towards realism. I addressed changes to career mode and MyTeam, since those are the only modes I really play, but I know that online modes are in need of some changes as well.
Please feel free to comment what you think as well :D
submitted by Luck9599 to F1Game [link] [comments]


2024.05.21 15:48 Passingthruah [FxM] Looking for partners

All Players must be 24+, all characters 18+
Hello! I am looking for a roleplay partner or two to rp with. I play in 3rd person ONLY, paragraph style (3-5+ per post) though my starters can be longer than that! I play POC's for my mains, but NPC's come from all types of backgrounds. I reply at least 4x a week or more if I am not too busy. I enjoy open communication and OOC (though it is not a requirement). Love to world build. I only do F/M pairings with me playing the F role. And play via Discord.
For my partners I prefer semi-lit partners who can write 3-5+ paragraphs per post (3rd person pov), who also enjoys playing nps and contributing to the plot. I don't really care what gender you are in rl as long as you play the M role. I would like someone who can reply 3x a week at least and is open with communication. Don't rush me as I will never rush you.
The Prince & The Pirate Queen
Yc is the crown prince of a holy kingdom who was content with his life as he was next in line to take the throne. Everything was going as it should, he was engaged to a beautiful woman, he had the support of his father and his people. He thought all was well, but it seems his half brother has other plans. His brother hired assassins to dispose of him. Luckily for him the assassin didn't do a good job and missed his vitals before tossing him into the sea to die.
All hope is lost, until he ends up getting pulled up on a ship. On the ship of the cutthroat pirate; Madam Black. Known for her pitch dark hair and eyes. A Ruthless pirate of the sea and skies.
She's none too happy about having someone from the royal family on her ship and tells her crew to toss him back. But desperate the prince tells her if she lets him stay on the ship until he can fully recover he will show her the way to Eosphia. The island of treasures that she had been looking for all this time.
They draw up a contract and agree. But both of them may be hiding a much bigger secret.
Mid to high fantasy, romance, can be as dark or light as we like. More discussions in pms.
Arranged marriage:
The southern territory is known for having monsters on its borders, its harsh winters and its black diamonds. The jewels are rare and controlled by the Duke of the territory, much to the royal family's dismay (and everyone else in the capital). They can't stand the thought of the “barbarians” having something over them. So they devise a plan to arrange a marriage between the “hidden” princess and the southern Duke.
The Duke is unable to refuse. So the two are we'd and he brings the princess to his territory. All this time she did not utter a word, but once they arrive, she smiles at the duke and ask for a contract Claiming to know how to take care of 3 of his problems (One being able to retrieve the ashes of his sister from the noble who killed her) and in return she wants him to protect her for 5 years and then she will give him a divorce since she knows he doesn't want to be married to her.
Will it all be worth it? Or is there something more sinister at play?
Mid fantasy (magic stones and weapons, few people with actual magic). Can flesh it out more in dms.
If interested dm.
I can provide writing samples if needed.
submitted by Passingthruah to roleplaying [link] [comments]


2024.05.21 15:45 Passingthruah [FxM] Looking for partners

All Players must be 24+, all characters 18+
Hello! I am looking for a roleplay partner or two to rp with. I play in 3rd person ONLY, paragraph style (3-5+ per post) though my starters can be longer than that! I play POC's for my mains, but NPC's come from all types of backgrounds. I reply at least 4x a week or more if I am not too busy. I enjoy open communication and OOC (though it is not a requirement). Love to world build. I only do F/M pairings with me playing the F role. And play via Discord.
For my partners I prefer semi-lit partners who can write 3-5+ paragraphs per post (3rd person pov), who also enjoys playing nps and contributing to the plot. I don't really care what gender you are in rl as long as you play the M role. I would like someone who can reply 3x a week at least and is open with communication. Don't rush me as I will never rush you.
The Prince & The Pirate Queen
Yc is the crown prince of a holy kingdom who was content with his life as he was next in line to take the throne. Everything was going as it should, he was engaged to a beautiful woman, he had the support of his father and his people. He thought all was well, but it seems his half brother has other plans. His brother hired assassins to dispose of him. Luckily for him the assassin didn't do a good job and missed his vitals before tossing him into the sea to die.
All hope is lost, until he ends up getting pulled up on a ship. On the ship of the cutthroat pirate; Madam Black. Known for her pitch dark hair and eyes. A Ruthless pirate of the sea and skies.
She's none too happy about having someone from the royal family on her ship and tells her crew to toss him back. But desperate the prince tells her if she lets him stay on the ship until he can fully recover he will show her the way to Eosphia. The island of treasures that she had been looking for all this time.
They draw up a contract and agree. But both of them may be hiding a much bigger secret.
Mid to high fantasy, romance, can be as dark or light as we like. More discussions in pms.
Arranged marriage:
The southern territory is known for having monsters on its borders, its harsh winters and its black diamonds. The jewels are rare and controlled by the Duke of the territory, much to the royal family's dismay (and everyone else in the capital). They can't stand the thought of the “barbarians” having something over them. So they devise a plan to arrange a marriage between the “hidden” princess and the southern Duke.
The Duke is unable to refuse. So the two are we'd and he brings the princess to his territory. All this time she did not utter a word, but once they arrive, she smiles at the duke and ask for a contract Claiming to know how to take care of 3 of his problems (One being able to retrieve the ashes of his sister from the noble who killed her) and in return she wants him to protect her for 5 years and then she will give him a divorce since she knows he doesn't want to be married to her.
Will it all be worth it? Or is there something more sinister at play?
Mid fantasy (magic stones and weapons, few people with actual magic). Can flesh it out more in dms.
If interested dm.
I can provide writing samples if needed.
submitted by Passingthruah to RoleplayPartnerSearch [link] [comments]


2024.05.21 15:42 MyInnerCulture Living Well With Chiari - Without Surgery - Untethering / What do we get out of being sick?

Hello...again. I'm still crusading with everything that has helped me live (mostly) Chiari symptom free for many years, and the next idea I want to share is uncomfortable. It won't feel good to read but if you think it doesn't relate to you I promise you--it relates to everyone and anyone who has a chronic condition or is sick in any way.
Little info about me:
Type 1 Chiari, 20mm. Diagnosed 2016; surgery was offered but not taken. My primary symptom was/occasionally is debilitating head pain from strain/pressure.
Links to my previous posts on the subject:
Living Well With Chiari - Without Surgery
Take a Life Inventory
Reducing Triggers
Improving Overall Health
Now...
Don’t hate me for asking, but…what do you get out of being sick?
No one consciously likes being sick. No one longs for the skull-splitting pain that can accompany a Chiari malformation. No one relishes dizzy spells and nausea and eye sensitivity and poor coordination or the other twenty dozen symptoms that our doctors may or may not take seriously, that there may or may not be treatment for, and that may or may not rule our lives BUT with every illness there is always some kind of advantage.
At my worst, Chiari was the BEST at getting me out of things. Excruciating pain excused me from everything. Family gatherings, friend parties, work events…cleaning the house, taking care of myself, or doing anything other than watching TV and drinking wine. I didn’t have to do SHIT. Because I couldn’t. And the Chiari was permission to give no fucks what anyone else wanted or needed or how they felt about my withdrawal from life. It was the ultimate get-out-of-jail-free card.
I mean, I was miserable…but I was basking in that misery.
I was in so much pain I couldn’t think about how to live better. I couldn’t worry about such things as my weight or the future of my writing or how filthy my floors were. I was barely living. And it was awful.
It was also a way out.

i was a sick person.

To my core, that was me: SICK. I didn’t realize how bad it was until my husband—who never gets a cold—complained of a virus and my internal dialogue went something like this: What? He thinks he’s sick? What a laugh! He’s not sick. NOBODY is sick like me.
I owned illness above all else. I hated it, but it was MINE. Every coughing fit, every spike of head pain, every wall I stumbled into, every night I cried myself to sleep. Being sick was who I became.
And I would never get well until I stopped being a sick person.
The Chiari had its sneaky tendrils snaked into every facet of my life, like we were woven together in a most elaborate tapestry of illness and pain. To begin healing, I had to untether from it. I had to separate myself from every Chiari strand until every fiber of my being was free.
If it sounds metaphorical, it’s not. It’s literal and simple (though seldom easy). Every time Chiari became a thought or an excuse, that was my cue to change the dialogue. For example, when I was contemplating changing jobs, I remembered my brief stint as a bartender in 2011 and immediately my brain said: I can’t do that anymore; what if I have a coughing fit behind the bar? Limiting beliefs running rampant in my brain needed to get shut down and rewritten into something more supportive, like: I would love to work with animals or in nature. That’s the kind of job I should be looking for!
In that kind of rewrite, I’m not denying that I might encounter pain or discomfort, but I’m choosing not to let pain or discomfort be the focus or run the show. Instead of looking at what I don’t want to experience, I’m putting my attention on the things that I do.
More than changing my thoughts, I had to stop using Chiari as an excuse to get out of living…and everything else…which meant showing up one minute at a time in all the places that I used to avoid, being present with all the people and situations the Chiari had shielded me from.

if i wanted to live without its pain, i also had to live without its protection.

Now, it’s true that there are plenty of legitimate physical limitations that accompany illnesses, Chiari included, but the problem comes when you talk yourself out of anything and everything because of them. I could get out of bed, I just chose not to. I could show up in life, I just chose not to. I could write a book or clean my house or have a kid…I just chose not to.
Or, rather, the Chiari chose for me.
Pandering to Chiari’s whims wasn’t limited to thoughts. It was in every decision I made, every choice to live small, every act to hide and shut down. It was in the purse that I carried (will it fit a water bottle to stave off a coughing fit?), the places that I went (can’t go there, the air in that store is guaranteed to tickle my lungs), the way I spent my time (I can’t visit those friends…I’ll have too much fun and want to laugh and laughing hurts so my head so much), and plans for the future (how can I have children when I can’t even take care of myself?).
Untethering from Chiari took work. And it’s still ongoing. Most of the ways that I have used Chiari to limit myself have been eradicated. My life, as a result, looks vastly different than it did in 2016 at the height of the pain. Today I’m a stay at home mom with a son, I have energy, I take Zumba classes, I write every day, my fiction has been produced by podcasts, I spend time outdoors every day, I laugh (sometimes it still hurts), I go into stores (sometimes) without bottles of water, I don’t drink wine every night (I don’t need to), and I’m free from the anxiety and depression that was once as crippling as the head pain that I only seldom experience. I am living.
If there’s one strand that I haven’t untethered from yet, it’s the fear around getting sick. I am terrified of being around sick people. I can’t even blame COVID, though it certainly contributed to the anxiety. I don’t know if I’ll ever be comfortable with someone coughing in my vicinity, knowing how bad it will hurt my head if I catch whatever they’re hacking up, and I don’t know if it’s necessarily a bad thing to keep my distance when I know someone is sick (I mean, shouldn’t we be doing that anyway?) but I’m trying to be less afraid. Or, at least, I’m trying to be less of a jerk about it when that fear takes over and people don’t understand why their cold is literally my kryptonite.
What I don’t do is use Chiari as an excuse to get out of living. I show up every day in every way and life keeps getting better. Bigger. Chiari Free.
submitted by MyInnerCulture to chiari [link] [comments]


2024.05.21 15:39 Aliex013 BlackVue DR970X hardwire battery questions

Hi all,
I'm looking at installing a BlackVue DR970X into my car and hardwiring the camera to my fuse box.
I am a little concerned with my car battery being drained due to parking mode, but I definitely want to have parking mode enabled... so looking to get more information at this point.
I know there is a voltage check cut-off which will turn the camera off if the camera doesn't detect a level of power, but I don't think this is what I want as the camera will then basically turn off within a couple of minutes of me turning off my car and not record events after this.
My questions:
  1. Will the camera constantly draw power while my car is turned off/parked? From what I've read, parking mode just stops the camera from writing to the SD card memory unless there is an event but it is constantly drawing power in order to be ready for these events.
  2. If the above is true: If I decide to not drive my car for two days - will the camera have drained my car battery since it was in parking mode constantly for those two days?
  3. Is there possibly less power draw while in parking mode?
If anyone can answer the questions above or If anyone has their own personal experience to share, that would be appreciated!
Thanks in advance!
submitted by Aliex013 to blackvue [link] [comments]


2024.05.21 15:25 AOtl180 After 5 years i rewatched Steven Universe and it made me realize how wrong i was

Yesterday from today's date i finish the last episode of the original series Steven Universe, Change your Mind; i came from a pastnwhere i would watch Steven Universe and has all this opinions from youtube that it suck, that Rebecca was the worst, that the series was transphobic, has bad writing and all bad things imaginable; I , as a kid, bite on those trends and started to saw SU as a bad series, when people would mention something about it i would cringe and just say " i dont watch SU, it is bad"....oh boy i was wrong. 5 years later, a video pop in my Youtube page with the title "Lily orchard was wrong and here is why" from the youtuber HidinginPrivate and it made me realize that a lot of the conventions and arguments that people had against the serie was down right a misinformation and homo/transfobic propaganda even. Now after rewatching all together i realize that if Steven Universe tries to imply anything, is love for oneself and respect to our pairs Im so sad that i couldn't enjoy this series as i should when i was a kid, i removed myself from the fandom out of fear and a misinformed opinions that ultimately hurt how i see myself as a trans person; and the worst part is that people still hate so much on one of the must influencial and liberating series of all time (It literally has the first LGBTQ wedding in it, thats one big win for us) So to wrap it all out, Thank you to everyone who fought and is still fighting for the series, you made the discussion evolve and show other people like me what Steven Universe truly is, you let us gave a new chance to the series, not blinded by any hate view I dont know how active is the fandom now but i still want to make some art out of graditude to the Steven Universe Crew and all this fandom
submitted by AOtl180 to stevenuniverse [link] [comments]


2024.05.21 15:06 AplabTheSamurai Name a movie that was underwhelming but you feel is overhated.

Name a movie that was underwhelming but you feel is overhated.
My pick: I could go with the usual spiel about how Tiger 3’s storyline didn’t resonate with the Indian audience, but that’s not why it disappointed me. In my initial review, one of my biggest criticisms was how the supporting cast was treated—the biggest offenders being Hassan (Vishal Jethwa) and Javed (Danish Bhat).
I quite liked the direction the writers were going in with Hassan in this film, but then they decided to make him pull the sacrifice card in a manner that effectively undid his character arc from Tiger Zinda Hai. And this was well after Abrar and Karan (also both unnecessary deaths) had already died.
As for Javed…oh boy. What can I even say about this? The twist only makes rewatches of TZH much more awkward.
Does this mean I think Tiger 3 is a bad film? Far from it. Aside from the Pakistan plot, the writing of the supporting cast’s character arcs and how boring the Pathaan sequence was, there were plenty of things that I found well done.
submitted by AplabTheSamurai to bollywood [link] [comments]


2024.05.21 15:01 kjmichaels r/ Fantasy's Top Podcasts - Results

It's here! The results for the 2024 Fantasy Top Podcasts Poll have been tabulated and we have the results! Before we share those results with you, a quick preamble about participation and how we categorized the podcasts. The original voting thread can be found here.
Participation
In total, 77 people participated in this poll and cast a total of 360 votes for 183 podcasts. That's a big uptick from the last time this poll was undertaken but not as much participation as we'd hoped. The vote spread was remarkably similar to last time but as we suspected, the popular podcasts have changed wildly. For instance, Writing Excuses was the most popular podcast last time with 16 votes and this time it only received one vote.
Only 2 podcast votes were disqualified: 1 for not seeming to be a podcast (not found on any podcast app and it did not describe itself as a podcast on its YouTube channel) and the other was only available on a website that my antivirus software wouldn't let me go to so I couldn't confirm anything about it.
Breakdown
There were 7 main categories of podcast:
Fiction and Audio Drama are definitely the blurriest categories. In general, I counted something as audio drama if it had multiple actors and sound effects. This meant that stuff like Night Vale, which is arguably an audio drama, was counted as a fiction podcast since it doesn't have these elements. This decision was partially informed by Night Vale calling itself a fiction podcast instead of an audio drama which helped me figure out where to draw the line using Night Vale as a boundary marker. However this also means that delineations between Audio Dramas and Fiction may not be consistent as I did defer to podcast descriptions if they described themselves as Fiction or Audio Drama.
Our most popular podcast categories in order of most to least popular were:
  1. Audio Drama - 62 podcasts Discussion - 62 (17 of the discussion podcasts were watchalongs or readalongs)
  2. Fiction - 24
  3. TTRPG - 21
  4. Folklore/Mythology - 4 Writing - 4
  5. Improv - 3

The Results

To save space, only podcasts that received 3 or more votes are displayed in the table below. Podcasts with only one or two votes can still be seen in our Fantasy Top Podcasts of 2024 Google Sheet.
Rank Podcast Category Votes
1 The Magnus Archives Audio Drama 18
2 Welcome to Night Vale Fiction 16
3 The Adventure Zone TTRPG 10
3 Wolf 359 Audio Drama 10
5 Alice Isn't Dead Fiction 6
6 Alzabo Soup Discussion/Readalong 5
6 Critical Role TTRPG 5
6 Green Team of the Legendarium Discussion 5
6 Imaginary Worlds Discussion 5
6 Intentionally Blank Discussion 5
6 Worldbuilding For Masochists Writing 5
6 Worlds Beyond Number TTRPG 5
13 2toRamble Discussion 4
13 ars PARADOXICA Audio Drama 4
13 Dungeons & Daddies TTRPG 4
13 I Am In Eskew Audio Drama 4
13 Limetown Audio Drama 4
13 Midnight Burger Audio Drama 4
13 Old Gods of Appalachia Audio Drama 4
13 The Silt Verses Audio Drama 4
13 The Strange Case of Starship Iris Audio Drama 4
13 The White Vault Audio Drama 4
13 Wizards Vs. Lesbians Discussion 4
24 Be the Serpent Discussion 3
24 Escape Pod Fiction 3
24 Girl In Space Audio Drama 3
24 Not Another D&D Podcast TTRPG 3
24 Page Break Discussion 3
24 Podcastle Fiction 3
24 Pseudopod Fiction 3
24 The Bright Sessions Audio Drama 3
24 The Locked Tomb Podcast Discussion/Readalong 3
24 Uncanny Magazine Podcast Fiction 3
24 We Fix Space Junk Audio Drama 3
24 Within the Wire Fiction 3
Miscellaneous Info
Closing Thoughts
So that's the poll. What are your thoughts on the rankings? Are you surprised any specific podcasts didn't make the list?
submitted by kjmichaels to Fantasy [link] [comments]


2024.05.21 14:55 FirmGroup8926 A girl I had a crush on really confused me by (seemingly) liking me back

I (21M) have been single for a couple months now after an abusive 5yr LDR. I really dislike being alone and desperately want to be in a relationship, but I also know better than to just jump straight into random relationships. That notwithstanding, I recently started speaking with a girl I knew in highschool that I had always had a crush on but for various reasons never got to act on it in any way. Things were awkward initially because neither of us knew much about each other's interests, but we got over it and were texting every day.
I didn't want to assume that anything romantic would come of it, primarily because I wanted to try to build a friendship at first. I'm not much of a flirt anyway, I have lots of self-esteem issues. As I talk to her I start to get the impression that she's like me, and if she felt anything she would either not mention it or do so in a very subtle way. Either way, I wasn't expecting anything like that to happen this early in our friendship so I just kept talking with her. It was mostly small talk, and I would always try to wait a bit to respond as with previous relationships I would text the other person obsessively and start laying in bed just waiting for them to text, which obviously isn't healthy.
Anyway, a week or so after we started texting, she asked me out of nowhere if I knew that she had a crush on me in High School. This really caught me off guard, and both excited me and scared me. We weren't reminiscing or anything just before then and I interpreted it as a subtle confession. I told her that I had felt the same. I'm away from my home town doing research at a university, but I live close enough that I can visit on the weekends. She told me that the next time I was in [hometown] that I should let her know. So that Sunday I went there and we ended up hanging out for like three hours, talking in a parking lot all the way until dark. She told me all about her hobbies, her aspirations, we reminisced about High School, etc.
Anyone who really knows me knows that I only have one big aspiration in my life, which is to have a partner. Due to my upbringing I am really used to companionship, and that is why I always want a relationship. I had not told this to her at all because it hadn't come up, but randomly in the middle of our conversation she said, "some people might think it's stupid, but I've always just wanted to have a wife or a husband," and I said that I related. After that we had the following exchange:
She said, "So when are we going to get married?"
"Tomorrow? How's 5?"
"I don't get off until then. How about 5:30?"
"Sure."
"I like black diamonds"
... etc.
I'm not writing out the rest (and I'm slightly paraphrasing) because the exchange lasted a bit longer. Either way, to me this really seemed like we were hitting it off, especially since it was her idea to hang out and everything. She also stared at me for a long time after this with a half-smile on her face so I thought I was in the bag, so to speak. That was two days ago. Yesterday we texted all day, and we had agreed to hang out again soon. I even teased her about missing our "wedding." After a while yesterday she didn't respond and I couldn't figure out why, and so I just went to sleep. I woke up this morning and texted her asking if she was alright (my hometown is a dangerous place at times and I was genuinely starting to worry something bad had happened). She responded saying that she was fine, she had just been busy last night because she had been asked out on a date. I was bewildered, because I was under the impression something had been building between us. I apologized and explained to her what I thought was happening between us and she simply responded with "OH... I'm sorry."
That was this morning. I'm honestly a little distraught and I don't know what to do with my emotions so I decided I would just write this here as a way to get my thoughts out. I've been really down and insecure since my last relationship failed, and having this happen so soon on top of things has really got me down. I was finally starting to be happy again at the prospect of not being alone, but I think I'm gonna have to be for a while. I also have major self-esteem issues in the sense that I don't think that people can find me attractive due to bullying in middle school. So this has kind of set me back in that department too.
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2024.05.21 14:55 Spiritual-Tree-77 31 [M4F] South Wales/UK (or online) - Making the most of summer, and beyond!

Hello and prynhawn da (Welsh for good afternoon)! After a long grey winter and spring, summer seems to have found my corner of the world and it’s got me in a great mood. I’ve been enjoying a long weekend this weekend with a mix of spending some in the local countryside and heading into Cardiff to go to the theatre last night. I hope you’re having a fun weekend too!
And while the alone time is fantastic and I’m more than happy in my own company, it would also be nice to have someone with whom I can share those sorts of experiences. Getting out and into the world and making memories that can be talked about and enjoyed together. If that sounds good then there’s more about me below.
I’m an open-minded guy willing to try new things and love exploring new places. I’m excited to travel to South America later in the year and am aiming to go to every continent at least one, I’ve covered the Northern hemisphere but this is my first time going below the equator! At home, I like all the usual things, films, reading, tv and music, have eclectic tastes in all of them and I’m up for giving recommendations and excited to hear your favourites too. I’m also learning Welsh, doing a bit of writing from time to time (should do more), enjoy cooking and getting out in the countryside for some casual photography.
Personality wise, I’m non-judgemental, passionate, with a dry sense of humour and enough of an ego to hopefully be endearing. I definitely wear my heart on my sleeve and am open about how I feel. While there’s not much I expect in a partner, openness definitely is, so if you’re one to play your card close to your chest or keep people at arm’s length, we’re probably not compatible.
On the subject of being open, I’m more than happy to see where things take us. I don’t have any specific relationship goals in mind, so up for discussing and figuring out what works.
Diolch for reading and I look forward to hearing from you.
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2024.05.21 14:47 GreedyPersonality390 Power of Ayat karima for love marriage

Power of Ayat karima for love marriage
Ayat karima for love marriage
Choosing the right life partner in marriage or in Matrimony is that dream that seems to be embraced by many people all over the world. According to ISLAM, marriage is not only allowed but also valued and the ISLAMIC people usually do consult the QUR’AN I, on issues concerning marriage. Another verse that you may come across more often and read or suggested for people for marriage or love is Ayat Al-Kursi which means “The Throne Verse” or “The Verse of the Throne”. ”
What is Ayat Al-Kursi? Ayat karima for love marriage
Ayat Al-Kursi is among the verses of the Surah al-Baqarah of the Holy Quran, and its’ number is 255th in the Quran. It has some of the aspects of God, in addition, it is one of the surahs of the Quran that its magical aspects are considered to be very high.
In the second verse of the An Nasriyah Surah, the fact of Tawhid comes into focus again and the status of Allah as the only God, the eternal and existent being who is the creator of whole existence and life is elaborated. I suppose he does not work with someone else, and he is not involved in a team; Ayat karima for love marriage he does not need anything and does not owe anything to anyone. And what he knows, and what he is able to do and what he does control, is not limited to earth but also reaches the heavens. It is used in daily practice where just by reciting this verse, one can prevent the evil from affecting them and may just be blessed with wealth and prosperity.
Why Should There Be Recitation of Ayat ul kursi before Saying A marriage Contract?
There are a few reasons why Ayat Al-Kursi may be recommended for those seeking marriage or love:Said that, there can be a few possible reasons which may make Ayat Al-Kursi useful for those people who look for marriage or love:
  1. Blessing – Through reciting Ayat karima for love marriage and showering the praises to the lord Allah, the muslims get to wish to be intervene or be blessed by the lord Allah and pray so as to get a good husband/wife. The followers of this particular verse help in appreciating understanding that in matters of marriage, all things are in the control of Allah Almighty.
  2. Shelter from the forces of evil – Some scholars they recommend that one should recite Surah Baqarah: 255 or Ayat Al Kursi as a shield from the troubles that are precipitated by Jinns or the evil eye for example, during marriage. It is believed that it will help protect the newlyweds from any bad energies, or people who have envy against the successes that the couple has.
  3. Reinforcing love – Here the chorus thereof asserts the proposition that however much Allah may love a creature or thing, he loves it more than he does the former. According to some people, there is a certain way that ‘A’ can remove the arrogance and replace it with love or mercy and make a man compatible with his wife. It is a way of showering blessings of love in a marriage and is mostly associated with bringing forth good energy in marriage.
It is now common knowledge that reading Ayat karima for love marriage is among the most powerful du’a in the whole of Islam and as such, it can by no means be insignificant to learn when and in what manner to read it.
As to the scenario of when to recite Ayat Al-Kursi, Ayat Al-Kursi can be recite at any time when one wishes to attract more love, blessings or protection in ones life. Some recommended times for reciting it include:As for the proper time to recite it, some of them include:
  • While searching for a marriage partner: Before going to bed or any specific week repeat or whisper in one’s mind that one is asking Allah for a loyal partner. If you hold the opinion that the right partner will arrive if he has intentions of doing so.
    • Before and after the marriage contract/ceremony: It is advisable to read Ayat Al-Kursi before Nikah Contract is signed and then, again when the Nikah Contract is about to be signed, for prosperity, protection, and may the blessings of Allah be showered on the couple and there may be firmness and steadiness on both their sides.
    • During the wedding: It maybe chanted on the wedding day especially before the bride and groom hold hands to bless their union. It may also be played during the ceremony I hope you enjoyed my writings and found this guide helpful for planning your fabulous day.
    • At the beginning of marriage: This, the verse can be recited by both the newlyweds every night of their married life as they prostrate to Allah and beseech divine bounties and protection.
For this reason, Ayat karima for love marriage functions as prayer for the happy marriage that is built upon love and respect within the framework of the Islamic faith in Allah. They also have chords that reflect Tawakkul [Dependence on Allah] which is needed for the journey coming next.
It is somewhat of a poem, you know, and has so many blessings and strengths. Understanding and analysis of the verses and their repetition would also increase spirituality in relations with the Lord and the aspects of the marital relationship during the various phases.
Online Free Consultation With Maulana Ji Please Visit:
https://www.onlinemaulana.com/

AyatKarima #LoveMarriage #MuslimCouples #IslamLove #DuaForLoveMarriage #PowerOfPrayer #MarriageBlessings #IslamicBeliefs #LoveAndFaith #SpiritualGuidance #IslamicRemedies #ManifestLove #CouplesGoals #RelationshipAdvice #WeddingVows #DivineIntervention #SacredUnion #InshaAllah #HalalLove #QuranicVerses #MaritalBliss

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2024.05.21 14:36 Pirate-Winter Helping u all and answering here so u wont waste time

Well sorry for late/no replies , im in a fixed schedule soo i cant look each and every msg and reply them personally (not rude but getting soo many dms about almost same or inter realted stuff ) so making it easier for you and for me aswell.
You all have many similar questions , so all common questions im answerining here , is someone wants to talk u can dm but im not sure when i will open it or even if i did , the chances are i wouldnt get enough time to open it and reply in a very nice and guideful way.
Most of you are asking how and where did i done my preprations .. I was completely relyed on mog test and jee mains pqys , i dont know how bad or good you are but doing it will help you alot , i havent prepared anything extra , im an integrated student so all i did was coaching modules and dpp, i was not the brightest in the coaching buy my chem teacher got my back and made me revise it thoroughly so im strong in chem (30 ques in almost 20-25 mins) ...
For Phy , i made a formula /cheat sheet type of thing and i look at it for 30 mins whenever i get time , or i just recall formula and try to check if im missing anything out and after giving test if i find something new i add inside it.
For maths , i was only doing modules , no yt channel , no maths unpluggged no NV sir nothing , just stick to that coaching modules and pqys , i found marks app very useful because it contained a lot jee mains pqys.
doing maths has been a really hard challenege for me , i was never good at it because of my coaching , but all i relayed on dpps , i used to check sols online as well (nothing too bad , because where would u go if u get stuck ?) but yeah only jee mains ques because the level was slightly higher soo,
I gave mog test till 9 and i was averaging around 310 , i have done lr for my ntse prep so i did nothing for this , all i did was giving tests in mog
for english i use read books soo i have develop a vast vocab thats why eng+lr was win win for me and it got me a rank push , now if u dont do this all dont worry about it , i got u covered . I will write about problems just be patient.
my order of attempt was Chem Lr phy eng maths (dont follow mine , but ur own because i cant tell u when i used to switch in between and generalised things never work irl). After mains all i did was pqys and theory revision , for theory i used my own class notes.
Now thins u might question again...
1 How can prep for june , just solve more and more question and realise ur mistake nothing new. 2. Can u achieve it , ofc u can i came from 91 to 319 , if i can , then u too can. 3. U dont have notes ? scroll a bit in google and yt , u will find short notes to revise stick with them. 4. Solve jee mains ques (atleast it is all what i did , u can have diff approach ) 5. Try attempting as many mocks as many u can , until u achieve ur target 6. Where to do maths? if u have BITSAT PREP BY ARIHANT , use it , it will help u , if u dont , i have a drive link i will attach below dont waste money , invest it. 7. Build ur own attempting strategy and dont google it how to get 300+ in 2 days , its just bs , u cant ! 8. If u have exam tomo , just relax today , go outside in fresh air and listen to some songs , dont panic at all , tum 2 saal padkh ke kuch nahi kar paye toh last 2 our m kn kar paoge , overthink karke , jo ara wo bhi mind se slip off ho jayehga. 9. before exam pack ur stuff , id card , admit card and ur pen and go to bed with the attitude of giving best. 10. Yes u can reach at ur center latest 30 mins after the reporting time but its better to be early than on time ig. 11. U have exams in 2-3 days later , give mocks , and dont give up on urself , u can do it ! and even if u couldnt make it , u would be satisfied with the prep atleast , u wont be regretting it i can swear on it 101%
ALL THE VERY BEST , (UPVOTE IT SO IT CAN REACH TO EVERYONE AND SHARE IT ATLEAST SO WHO EVER ASKED IN MY DMS CAN GET ANSWERS , IF U STILL HAVE ANYTHING COMMENT IT I WILL REPLY WHENEVER I GET TIME TO , OK ? )
GOOOD LUCK U ALL <333 KEEP CALM STAY COOL.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1j9a5b1QuxN8G71m8An3eU8LqdKyFJbyE/view (Bitsat prep Guide by arihant )
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2024.05.21 14:26 pohltergiest Catching up on the Tohoku Times

Catching up on the Tohoku Times
Finally finding some time after resting to do my writing. The bike shop experience was a little sweaty in the hot weather, and while we were outside working on our bikes, not only did the wife of the mechanic go get us an iced coffee and an ice cream, she later made us care packages with an energy gel and a bunch of electrolyte tablets. Looking inside, it would seem this shop has been the home of a pro-level team for a long time, so I imagine they have a lot of these things on hand, but it was still very nice.
My wheel repair went well, the bumps and wobbles straightening out with the spoke repair. Bryce had them look at his front wheel, which had a different problem. He took a look at it, and after some consideration he said it was a "maintenance challenge" and proceeded to pull out a lot of wrenches. Bryce gleaned that the hub of the wheel needed tightening, and he did not have the correct wrenches to deal with this decidedly north american model. But he did have ones that were close enough and with some effort he managed to make it better to ride. After all was said and done we asked how much for the repairs and he tells us that he's a volunteer for the day, that this is his son's shop and he's just hanging out for the day because it's a holiday! We were flabbergasted but again he would not take any payment. We talked with him a bunch and he told us that he's in his 70's and attributes his good health to his biking, which he proudly states he's been doing for over 60 years now. We said he was an inspiration and said our goodbyes.
We were lucky to get the repairs done so quick, as it gave us just enough time to hit up the aquarium. We needed to ride just 12km to get there, and a nice tunnel took us through a mountain range instead of us having to go over it. I was tired, the stress of the string of repairs really getting to me. But we arrived with an hour and a half til closing and got to see the aquarium which was a big white building tucked up against sea cliffs on the sea of Japan. I felt instantly more at ease, the temperature feeling more moderate by the water, which was calm as the day went on.
The aquarium was lovely, with an obvious focus on jellyfish. I don't usually like aquariums or zoos due to what appears to be inadequate facilities for the inhabitants, but jellyfish in a tank? I don't think jellyfish care, or have the ability to care. This is like having a series of terrariums in my mind, jellyfish are one step above insects in my mind. And jellies they had, loads and loads of jellies, some on the larger side and lots of teeny tiny ones that almost can't be seen at all without magnification. They really do look like little automatons, just wiggling around. The tanks were all very tastefully lit, highlighting UV reactive cells, long streaming tendrils (that I'm sure have a proper name), and rainbow shimmering reflective cells that look deceptively like teeny tiny LEDs on little ridges. The prime attraction was the dream theatre, a dark room with a 5m tall tank circulating with hundreds or thousands of jellies and lit with a dreamy blue and purple light. We saw posters of famous artists performing in front of the jellyfish tank, the theatre being aptly named.
We missed out on the jellyfish ramen noodles, it being a bit too late in the day, but we did get to enjoy the late day views from on top of the aquarium. Why did we ever leave the ocean? Flat roads, sunsets unmarred by dumb terrain, beaches. It's the best. I love beaches. Looking at the map, we'd have to cover 120km to get to Akita to take the ferry to hokkaido, so we decided to cover some ground while we still had light so as to not overload the next day should something happen. On we went. We zoomed past pastel-lit beaches, seeing folks sitting in pairs, waiting for the sunset. We've seen people stop right on highways if they have a good view of the sunset. We had no such time to enjoy it today.
An hour or so later, we covered 20km to Sakata. Bryce wanted fried chicken for dinner, so we went to a takeout place and got way too much chicken for the two of us to eat. It can be hard to tell what you're getting, as one piece of karaage can be anything from a morsel to a meal, in this case we had more of a meal per piece along with rice and cabbage. We got some drinks from a vending machine and ate the food by a river, watching the water go by as the light faded. For once, we couldn't finish all the food, which was a shock. I always finish the food. Good job, random chicken place, you win this round.
I found a big empty looking beach in the middle of nowhere on the map about 10km north of our position, so we prepared to set out for a night ride. Rain was in the forecast for the next morning, which meant we needed a private place that we wouldn't be bothered for an extended time during daylight hours. And we'd need to reduce our kilometers for the next day as we'd probably have to bike some of it in the rain, which sucks. As we were biking through the city, we happened upon a summer festival, people filling the streets. The usual assortment of festival treats didn't steal our attention, but I stopped for a moment to examine a line of white painted ladies in front of a stage that were talking turns talking about something or another. If only we had the time to watch the performance!
We instead used our valuable time biking to a convenience store to one again get water, food, and some canned coffee for the next morning. Always an exciting time. We left the city, things now fully dark. The highway was not the best, lots of cracks and parts filled in with patches, and my focus wasn't the best. Obstructions become much harder to see in the light of a headlight, even harder to see when you have to use the dimmest setting as the headlamp always seems to be close to dying. My body bitched that it was the wrong time of day to be biking, I should already be setting up camp and kicking back, not pressing for an extra 10km.
We did eventually make it to the beach intact, if a bit worn out, rolling down a sandy road until we had to push our bikes over dune-encrusted paths. Nobody here except a handful of night fishers, but they only care about fish. We pushed our bikes along the beach until we found a lonely pair of shelters for picnics and began setting up there. It seemed like a good spot, and we could tie up the tarp for extra rain protection. Giant wind fences on the beach would help with any gusts coming off the sea, but we weren't expecting a lot of wind anyways. Feeling like I'd have extra time in the morning, I got to sleep instead, feeling more tired than ever.
I slept very long, clearly the need for sleep piling up on me. We got to bed a little later than I wanted, but it was indeed raining when I woke in the morning, so I went back to sleep and luckily got a few more hours. We discovered in the morning light that we were not the only ones to think highly of the shelters, with little ants crawling all over the outside of the tent. Not a big deal, but a little unnerving considering we haven't always been perfect about getting the zippers all the way closed. We had some breakfast in bed (which inevitably led to a spilled coffee) and read for a little bit, but debates about getting going started pretty quickly. The rain didn't look like it was going to let up, which meant we were going to have to get going or risk riding at night again.
It was late in the morning when we were ready to go, rain gear donned and our spirits as high as they would be all day. We had 95km to ride, half a day to do it, and we were already soaked. On we went. Rice planting is in full swing now, everywhere we go there's farmers hurredly planting thousands of tiny sprouts in prepared fields. Early on there was a bit of a roadside attraction in the form of a curiously coloured pond, which we dutifully checked out. The pond was indeed a brilliant blue green colour and very clear, like the water of some onsens we've seen. Reading a sign, the pond was the source of the little rivers nearby and the water was extremely cold which kept it from fouling.
As we rode, the mist rising off the hills looked like smoke. We hoped the rain would turn to just mist soon. Wiping my face for the hundredth time, we slowly pedaled on. Rain pants tug on my skin, making knee pain feel more prominent. We bike slower too, I think the water on the road is just harder to bike on. Feels like slow motion compared to fair weather riding. After 30km, I needed to stop and get some real food in me, I found a mandarin restaurant serving spicy ramen, which sounded perfect for a cold, stiff day like this. We left our dripping rain gear outside where it might get slightly dryer simply by gravity, and went in, still sorta dripping anyways.
Inside, the restaurant was filled to the brim with knickknacks and collectables and was bright and cheery despite the weather outside. I found a place to plug in my headlamp and we both ordered big bowls of spicy soup and colas for the sugar and caffeine boost we'd need to keep going. The soup was flavorful and delicious, with a ground pork that was sweet instead of savoury. Last time I made sweet pork it was kinda gross so it was neat to have a sweet pork that wasn't bad. I ate my whole bowl, needing all the calories I could get, and settled down a bit to check the radar for the area.
As can be expected for the coast, the weather was temperamental. It was good we got going, as the section behind us was being hammered, while we could expect a bit of a reprieve from the rain as we moved forward. That was about as good as we could hope for and with the clock striking 2 (and playing a song) in the restaurant, we departed.
The sky brightening a bit from a dreary grey to a less dreary grey, our moods lifted for a while while our jackets dried off in the breeze. The sights were beautiful, in a desolate sort of way. Something about staring off into seemingly infinite ocean is unsettling to me. The evergreens on rocky spits in the ocean reminded us of the west coast trail, a few unbothered sections of coast here and there revealing what this land is supposed to look like under all the concrete pylons and coast management techniques Japan loves.
After an hour, I began having some real issues. My heart rate had spiked, my vision was a little odd, and I was starting to not feel well. Not good. I drank a bunch of water, which helped, but eventually my body decided the spicy ramen was too oily and spicy for my guts and I went to destroy a convenience store. I felt better after, but I really should know better by now. There's so much oil in the cooking here though, it's hard to avoid sometimes.
We kept riding, now with no rain gear and keeping up a respectable pace. We went on a desolate road, giant windmills standing guard on the coast overlooking fields of windburnt trees all bent away from the water. Looks like this coast gets absolutely hammered by the wind, maybe I shouldn't complain too much about the rain if it's not windy as well. Things were looking up, our pace put us on schedule to arrive at 6, well before dark which put us in better spirits. Better spirits until Bryce's tire blew out.
Pulling apart the tire layers, incredulous that the so-called "flatless" tires would fail us now, we found a shard of black glass stabbed straight through the thickest part of the tire and a centimeter into the tube section. Well there's no bike tire on earth that can survive that, that one's just bad luck. We felt a little better about that as we set about replacing it. At least with the new rim Bryce had it was much less of a fight to get the tire on and off to replace the tube. Getting the bead to set was a pain, Bryce cycled the tube pressure three times and we even soaped the edge to get it to budge. It seemed good enough to me, but the rim of the tire definitely seemed a little inconsistent. The rain starting again, we debated what we should do, I argued that if he was careful and avoided bumps the bead might set itself and we didn't have any other techniques we could try. He wasn't able to pull the tire over any more and my hands were too weak to be of much help. We were wet and cold by this point, so Bryce agreed with this and we remounted and got moving. We could always take the train if we had to, but that wasn't an option we wanted to do just yet.
I was in the rear and I could immediately see and hear something was wrong with Bryce's bike, even though I was focused on the tire bead to see if it was setting properly. It looked like his front and back tires were tracking different paths and one or both seemed to be leaning? I know the front tire had a hub issue so I thought maybe they're just a bit off but after a while I called a halt as it looked just too messed up not to try reseating the axle. While we were redoing the rear axle, we discovered that a bolt holding the rear pannier rack was close to coming out altogether, the source of the terrible rattling I've been hearing for weeks now! That was a relief to fix, and the wheel seemed to be sitting better. Now we were quite a bit later, projections looking more like 7 o'clock and getting dark by the time we got to the city.
The sky was getting lighter, but it was the sun starting to sink below the cloud layer, signaling the end of the day and the last of our riding light. I was so tired by this point, bone tired. The rain makes every kilometer feel like two, I was sneezing again, feeling sad. Lots of harsh feelings were welling up, life starting to roar back into focus as all the things I pushed away for the past year demanded answers right now. I tried my best to file away the petitions as I could, but mostly I just tried to keep my head up as my mood sunk lower with the sun. My sinuses decided they'd had enough and shut down, making my head feel like it was a size too big. In the last light of the day we got to Akita, the end of our Tohoku adventure. The kindness of the people we met saved us from finding the whole region cursed.
I demanded burgers and fries to lift my soggy mood, nothing in my tool box keeping me happy. Luckily there was a good looking place near our hotel to try and it was a countertop kinda place. We went in to find a fully charming establishment full of locals and a pair of chefs working the counter. I was feeling just awful but Bryce had a good time interacting with people. Everyone was very curious about the two colourful and very wet foreigners who had wandered in after parking very large and heavy bikes. I joined in on the answers, having the better language skills whenever Bryce couldn't parse what was being asked, but I was more focused on the pile of fries and the chili burger I ordered. People were flabbergasted that we came all the way from the southern end of the country, the chefs assuming we must have come from Tokyo instead. Some of the other patrons started rattling off Canadians they knew, with Justin Bieber ("Justinoo Beeberu!") and Celine Dion topping the list. I ordered a BLT sandwich as I was still starving even after a whole meal. The chef brought over a bottle of nice sake to have as a toast to the brave travellers, which I had to refuse as I would like to recover from this cold sometime this century. There's so much booze that it's hard not to here.
To alleviate the embarrassment of having to refuse the booze, he offered me a ginger ale instead, which I graciously accepted. The other chef laughed as they pulled out a bottle "Canada Dry" she said, to the laughter of the bar. Taste of home in a strange place. I polished off my BLT (and considered a second) and while I'm sure Bryce could have spent all evening taking free shots of excellent sake with the bartender, we had to be up early, so we said our goodbyes and waved as we wheeled our bikes into the dark city. I left in a good mood, but tired as hell. Bryce was positivity beaming from the fun interactions, and the four drinks he had. The hotel was nearby, so it wasn't too hard. A parking attendant ushered us to a spot near the guardhouse, and we locked up there. He asked us when we were thinking of getting the bikes the next day, and when we said 430 in the morning he was a little taken aback. He understood that the ferry was early but that was too early for him.
The hotel room was nice enough, but all I wanted was a bath and sleep. There were bath salts at the front desk and we took turns soaking in the tub. I wasted no time, doing my thing, arranging my clothes for the morning, setting an alarm and going to sleep. 415 would be just around the corner.
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2024.05.21 14:17 RotaVitae Spiral Diaries: Easy nature journaling for beginners and experienced alike

Introduction
Spiral diaries are simple nature walks/sits with journaling, and are useful for both beginners and experienced who are looking to (re)connect with natural cycles. I didn't invent this; I'm sure it goes by many other names. I call it "spiralling" since you should ideally do it for two years. The spiral dance moves us both forward and around; we're never static creatures. It's important to look back and understand how you've changed when you've returned to the same spot on the wheel this time next year. You're not the same person today that you were this time last year, or yesterday, nor will you be years from now. You're finding out who you might be now, connecting to a state of constant metamorphosis, as the seasons transform the Earth, the ecosystems within it, and ourselves.
Materials
You only need a couple of notebooks, and writing or drawing tools. If you're more digital, you can keep an e-journal on a phone or a tablet.
Dress appropriately. If the weather is particularly violent you can stay indoors by a window or on a porch/balcony, but the goal is to get outside as much as possible, even and especially in yucky weather that we'd prefer to avoid for personal comfort! Enjoy the sun responsibly, be spattered by rain, covered in snow, blown by wind! Stay hydrated as needed. If mobility is an issue, choose an open window or a backyard space with a pleasing view.
Walk or Sit - 5-60 minutes/day
At least five minutes a day, but usually no more than an hour because it can be draining. 15-30 happens to be my best window and still feeling energetic. Go for a walk or sit in the fresh air, even in yucky weather. If you have a favourite spot where you can go to observe the impact of changing seasons over the year, use it. You could time your outings by sunrise or sunset, visibility of the moon, etc. But don't feel restricted; go when convenient. You can experiment with varying times and see how your observations differ.
Urbanites remember that it isn't harder for us to find our space. "Nature" is more than trees and brooks. It's the sky above us and the ground below us, even if the sky is pierced by skyscrapers or the ground paved with asphalt. You may also have the advantage of rooftop patios very high up.
Observations & Recording
Close or open your eyes, open your ears, be silent, observe and listen. What do you see/hear in the sky, in the trees, in the grass, in animals? What is Nature saying to you at that moment? How does it impact your mood from before you started? How might it apply to your day? If you happen to be travelling to another part of the world, how do differing weather patterns and surroundings impact "home base thinking" at this time of year?
Record messages you receive. It can be as simple or as elaborate as you like: one word, one sentence, a small drawing, a short or long paragraph. You can purposely change up your style as your mood suits you. Be flexible, be creative, never get bored!
Date every entry. You can use the upper half of the pages of a notebook for one year, then the next year in the lower half. Or use every other page for Year 1 and the facing pages Year 2.
Year 2 Entries
The Year 2 entry can combine what you're experiencing that day with reflection on the corresponding Year 1 entry. See how you've grown, what has changed, how the pairs of entries are alike or different, etc. You may be surprised.
If you feel inspired, keep going for longer! And don't kick yourself if you miss days or don't feel like going every day; nobody's evaluating your work. Do as much as you feel is useful; Nature will still be there at every opportunity. The goal is to center Nature in your thoughts and direct experience as much as possible.
submitted by RotaVitae to u/RotaVitae [link] [comments]


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