Themes para curve 9000 jad

A dysfunctional relationship with my mother

2024.05.19 18:32 No_Queen A dysfunctional relationship with my mother

As an only child, there are moments wherein you really feel alone and pray na sana magka kapatid ako. I have a really dysfunctional relationship with my mom. I want to make a relationship with her pero sya mismo ang rason why i don't want to cultivate a relationship with her. For context, there are times na mabait sya sa akin may times na hindi. My dad is out of the picture, AFAM si papa pero he died (abangan nalang na story) Anyways, we have an event sa school and I live in a different city from my mom kasi i'm studying post-grad. Ngayon, i bought these contact lenses kasi may pa-theme yung event para labas talaga yung foreigner features ko (mas malakas dugo ni mama hahah so there are days na i look like a foreigner and there are days na i look very pinoy) tapos I bought 2 contact lenses: brown-grey and blue para bumagay sa theme ng event.
I showed it to her tapos she told me i look like a cross-eyed daw and this is verbatim kasi through chat: Masira ang Mata mo, Leche ka. (And mind you, humihintay ako ng grab ko while nasa church ako. Nasa loob ng church sya mag say ng things na ganyan)
I have PCOS and my doctor told me I might be a candidate for cervical cancer so my mom told me this in hiligaynon: Wala ka pa nahuman na health problem mo … dugang.an mo na pud ang problema???? Mata pa gid … ( Wala ka pa natapos sa health problem mo, dagdagan mo nanaman ang problema. Mata pa talaga)
And It's just contact lenses and what's worst is when she said: Di jud ko nimo hatagan dugang problema (Wag mo talaga ako bigyan ng problema)
I don't know why im crying while typing this, i feel like kahit anong try ko maging good child wala parin. I feel like grabe ka narcicist nanay ko. Why would she say na i will give her problems kasi sumuot ako ng contacts? I don't get it. Is buying contacts bad? or what?
I know some of you will say something to defend her like she's old so understand her nalang pero it's weird na as a child i became the parent of my parent. My psychologist said na my mom and i have emotional incest kasi grabe ang pagka dysfunctional ng aming dynamic. I love and care for my mom pero ang hirap gumawa ng relationship with her kasi everything that I do is wrong or if it does not align with her values kasi mali and dapat sya lang ang sundin.
submitted by No_Queen to OffMyChestPH [link] [comments]

2024.05.19 17:03 BeardExMachina Clinical Radiology FRCR 2A - Advice and Support

Hello.
Having recently passed the FRCR 2A exam after multiple attempts, I want to try and alleviate as much of the suffering for others as I possibly can.
As such, if anyone has any questions, wants some advice or even free 2A exam resources (I've accumulated quite a collection over the last few years) then feel free to drop me a message or reply / comment on here.
Ill repost the informal guide (With a bit of extra advice) that I've already posted on another thread, which eventually got me a (Decent) pass:
*** START EARLY - Minimum of 6 months prep before the exam ***
  1. Read a core text (i.e: Grainger and Allison - the condensed single volume one), use it for reference and supplementing learning from CtC and questions
  2. Read Crack the Core and try and learn it to the best of your ability - Note that the front of this book has a whole section dedicated to approaching the exam, mental fortitude, wellbeing etc. Worth a read. Ultimately the learning in CtC is all considered "core knowledge" and the information is presented in a very exam-like / condensed way and as such if there's one thing you're going to try and commit to memory it should be this book (in my opinion)
  3. Watch all the Crack the core videos and the SRT summary / 2A videos. Also read all the relevant clinical articles from the RCR journals they send you (the ones that cover "mainstream" clinical topics)
  4. Complete every single MCQ you can get your hands on. Multiple times. FRCR Examprep is quite a poor resource in my opinion but does have 1500 Q for relatively cheap and for the money its probably worth it just to cement core themes / knowledge.
  5. Wildcard - Read random articles / Radiopedia pages (that are within "acceptable possibility") as there are always questions / management stuff that comes up in the exam that you won't come across from the above reading (sad, but true). This is "never ending", and should be done when you have the basics down and any free time.
Re: the exam itself - You should not really be approaching it as if you're going to get full marks. Honestly, unless you are very academic you are unlikely to get above 80%. As such, you are likely going to drop at least 20% (minimum) no matter how much work you do - The challenge is to drop as few marks from beyond this point as possible.
Historically the pass mark is <60% (ish) - Meaning you can drop 80 points across both exams (40 marks / paper) to end up with a mark of about 160/240 - The pass rate varies between sittings, with normally about 50-70% of the sitting cohort passing - The whole thing is done on a bell-curve and as such you just need to be marginally above average (compared to everyone else) to pass. The April 2024 exam the pass mark was 149/240 (62%) so largely sticks to the trend over the last 2 years.
____
Hope this is useful. It's a pretty awful exam, but then I'm not the most academic and so struggled more than some / most. Obviously the above is based on my personal experience and did work for me, but everyone is different.
All the best!
submitted by BeardExMachina to doctorsUK [link] [comments]

2024.05.19 16:46 E_Latimer The old lady in the Bodega isn’t what she seems.

I think a lot about signals. Signals that show people what groups they belong to. Signals that hide the truth. Everybody uses signals to blend, entice, or trap.
Grandma Pearl died not long after her stroke, and I've been making bad decisions ever since. Maybe my expectations are too high, or I'm just an idiot. Either way, I ran away from the group home to be with people who called themselves my "family." They were the wrong people. They used the words family, brother, sister, and love like lock picks, stealing trust, and taking self-respect.
The only person I remember using the word family correctly was Grandma Pearl. She was a small woman who toured the US as an actress before settling with Granddad above their theatrical rentals shop. I was three when the car accident took Granddad and Mom, so I don't know if they used the word "family" correctly, but I hope they did.
I was never as outgoing as Grandma, but that didn't bother her; she taught me how to watch people. How to see their signals, and how to listen. When she died. I forgot a lot of those lessons for a while.
They called it a "family". The "family" moved product. That product could be goods, drugs, or people.
The uninitiated, like me, were distracted with food and a dry place to sleep, but it didn't take long to see behind the curtain. Things got too intense with the new "family" and I ran.
I ran back to my old neighborhood. The buildings were familiar even if my home was gone. The old theatrical shop had been turned into a microbrewery.
After an appropriate amount of self-pity, thirty minutes, I wandered the alleys, picking up cans or scavenging for bits and pieces that could be recycled, used, or bartered.
I recognized old faces, but I tried to stay out of sight. It was safer that way.
The only place I allowed myself to be seen was the old Lutheran church on the park's far side. Most people who might have known me had aged out of the congregation or died. It was worth the risk because St. Lazarus had a food pantry in the basement and gave out lunches most days, so I wasn't always hungry, which was nice.
I found a dry spot near the library to sleep, which seemed like a stroke of luck until it wasn't.
I had the contentment that came with being in a familiar place. Little bits of comfort let me believe, for a moment, that I wasn't a screw-up and hadn't trusted the wrong people. That moment scurried away when Stick found me.
Stick was a scary asshole. He technically wasn't in charge of the " family," but he made it work. He got things done. I have no idea how old he was. He was all corded muscle and could clock in between twenty and fifty. He looked half-starved and moved like a stalking predator, even with his limp.
His left leg was stiff. The knee didn't bend, and anytime he sat, his left leg would be splayed to the side like a kickstand on a bike. The leg was why he walked with a cane. The cane and how he used it was why we called him Stick.
I don't know why he took the time to track me down. It's not like I was wanted. Maybe it was that I had become property. Property shouldn't just wander off.
Sometimes, you feel a person before you see them. The air is different. When Stick was around, the air felt dead and motionless. I knew I was being watched before I opened my eyes.
Stick was sitting on a milk crate, his bad leg cocked to the side and his forehead resting on his cane. I pushed myself out from beneath the ductwork of the HVAC unit I had been sleeping under and slapped the dirt off my jeans.
"I thought that was you," Stick said as his sharp grin curved up to his unblinking dark eyes.
Stick wanted my discomfort. I'd seen him play the intimidation game too many times. He'd act too friendly, and then when you were good and worried, quick movements, a hand around the back of your neck, and violence would be next. Then he'd act like the whole mind fuck was a big joke, like you were friends, and isn't it great that you can joke around with someone who "really" cared.
It worked, too. If you were the unfortunate focus of Stick's attention, you would be grateful when he smiled and said, "Just a joke, kid. Don't be so sensitive." I'd seen the pattern enough times to know Stick trained people like dogs with his hot and cold game. I didn't like the game, or the fear, so I changed the pattern.
"Hey, Stick, did you come to help pick up cans?" I asked, making sure my smile reached my eyes. I was trying to be pleasant while ignoring the burning nervousness in my gut.
It was still dark out, but I could see Stick's expressions well enough.
Stick tapped his cane on the sidewalk and squinted at me skeptically before answering. "Just checking on my little brother."
We were not related.
Stick liked to call the uninitiated his little brothers or little sisters. He forced intimacy into his language. I didn't argue the point. Interactions went best with Stick when you agreed with everything he said.
"Thanks, man," I complimented, trying to sound genuine and ignorant as I stepped forward and offered him my hand.
Stick didn't move, but I could see that this conversation wasn't going as planned for him, and I forced myself not to react to his confusion. I couldn't break character, or he would know I was playing him.
Stick tapped his cane on the ground twice, grasped my hand, and stood. He watched me. I held his stare, but in an open, naive, guileless way that I had perfected in front of the mirror as grandma gave acting advice while she put her face on.
I once asked Grandma Perl why anyone would practice acting stupid. She pointed her mascara brush at me and, in her ditsiest Minnesota Nice character, said, "It's easier to be forgiven when people think you're a little dumb, don't ya know?" Like with most things, Grandma was right.
Before I understood what had happened, Stick pulled me into his side and slung an arm around my shoulder.
"You don't have a name yet. Everyone gets a name, but they don't get to pick it." He paused and gave me a Cheshire cat grin. "I have a name for you, little brother. You are going to be called Slide." Then he held my chin and forced eye contact." Your name will be Slide because I have never seen anyone slide out of shit faster than you. I can't tell if you do it on purpose or not, and I've been watching. I watch everybody. You do, too. Hell, this might be the first time I've ever heard you talk. So let's celebrate your name, Slide." Stick's smile slipped as he pulled me out of the alley. "We'll go do something special."
I stayed silent, knowing full well what was coming. Being named meant doing something you could never take back. It was public and would put you in prison if the police ever took the time to look for you. It meant severing yourself from your life before and relying entirely on the "family." I had been absent each time naming seemed to be in the cards, but I couldn't duck out this time.
There was only one place to go at this time of night that would have an impact, the Bodega.
The Bodega was a red hole in the wall with a glass door papered over with grocery ads years outdated. Canned salmon two for one seemed to be the dominant theme. Although there were two large windows, one on either side of the door, you could barely see in. The right window was a tapestry of cigarette promotions. The left window displayed the only swath of uncovered glass with a view of the interior. From the outside, the view was of tobacco, lottery scratchers, and Old Lady Imitari.
Old Lady Imitari owned the store. She was a short, dark-haired woman who always wore a long floral tank top. Grandma Pearl loved the old woman but said Imitari looked like an old man's thumb all the years she had known her, and Grandma moved to the neighborhood with Grandad thirty years ago. Imitari was a local legend even then because the Bodega was open twenty hours a day, three hundred sixty-five days a year, and no one else worked in the store. Grandma used to make an extra strong coffee called Barako and chat with Imitari sometimes when work in the shop was slow.
I would sneak out at night and try to catch Imitari sleeping. No matter the time, I never caught her snoozing, and she always saw me peeking at her through the window. I know she saw me because she would uncross her arms and wave her flyswatter at me.
All these memories flicked through my mind as Stick smiled his too-wide smile and pushed me into the Bodega.
Imitari flicked her fly swatter at me in acknowledgment, and her attention returned to the small TV she had nestled beside the cash register, which seemed to be the old woman's only real tether to the world outside her shop.
The inside of the Bodega was just a long hallway with shelves of convenience foods, drinks, home supplies, candy, and cold meds covering every available surface from floor to ceiling. The only break in the tunnel of products was the glass counter at the back corner of the store; Imitari presided over her mini domain by casually ignoring her shoppers. I tried to make eye contact with the old woman again as Stick pushed me to the back of the shop, but after her initial acknowledgment of our entrance, Imitari's eyes stayed focused on her TV.
As casually confident as possible, I walked to the cooler and grabbed an iced tea. "Want a drink," I asked over my shoulder, my voice unusually steady, given the electric current of anxiety flowing through me.
Stick sneered and tapped his cane twice on the ground. His eyes found all the security cameras in the tiny store, a frown creasing his angular features.
I followed his line of sight and finally realized what had bothered him. The cameras were fake. They looked like security cameras, but they weren't. There were no wires or lenses, just rectangles and circles in a security camera shape.
Stick took a deep breath and tapped his cane on the ground again. " There… is … so… much… here… to… see… but… no… one… is… watching," he said with a singsong. Then his sneer turned into a cruel smile.
I knew Stick wanted an audience for what he would force me to do. The fact that the security cameras were fakes meant that whatever was going to happen would now have to be significant. An event that the neighborhood wouldn't be able to ignore. My stomach twisted with the thought.
Stick waggled his eyebrows at me. He had been watching. He had seen my thoughts, and we both knew he had something terrible in mind.
The cane twirled in Stick's hand and then tapped twice on the shop tile.
"I think I want a little bit of this," Stick said, gesturing wildly with his cane, sending a row of soup cans tumbling to the floor. "And a little bit of that," Stick added as another wild gesture sent cups of ramen spinning and knocking glass bottles of hot sauce to the floor.
I stood paralyzed, unable to run. I was trapped with nowhere to duck away to. I didn't want Stick to hurt Old Lady Imitari, and I didn't want Stick to hurt me, either. The truth was, he would hurt both of us no matter what I did. That was just the way Stick was. I'd seen him. I'd seen him show us who he was every day.
Then I realized Imitari hadn't moved. She was watching her TV and chuckling at the sitcom as if nothing had happened.
Stick glanced at me, confused. I almost felt sorry for the sociopath. His night was not going to plan.
Imitari chuckled at her TV again, and a crease formed in the middle of Stick's forehead, letting me know that he was beyond angry. He was calm, dangerous, and vicious. People had been left for dead when Stick got this way.
Stick raised his cane and flipped it so the handle jutted like a pickax. He was going to attack Imitari.
Somehow, I moved. I didn't do much, but when I slid forward and grabbed the back of Stick's shirt, the cane missed Imitari, and the sharp handle punctured the thick glass top of the counter just above a roll of Lotto scratchers.
Old lady Imitari slowly looked up into Stick's eyes and smiled. Her wide, gentle frown was replaced with a look of joy and something else, something primal, something hungry. Her pupils were blown, and I had the uneasy feeling that I was watching someone be served their absolute favorite meal.
Before Stick could pull his cane from the punctured glass, Imitari casually reached forward, grabbed the cane, and pulled the wirey man forward. Small, old, and wrinkled, Imitari stared into Stick's eyes and overpowered him.
Stick fell forward across the counter. He tried to push himself back, but Imitari's hand clamped down on his wrist like a vice.
Bones ground together as Imitari pulled Stick's hand to her mouth, and with a swift, subtle movement, she bit off the tips of Stick's pinky and ring finger like she was sampling a cookie.
I jumped back next to the cooler as a thin spray of blood arched toward me.
Stick screamed and thrashed, but Imitari's small form was static and immovable. Stick was a fly in a trap. No matter how much he struggled, punched, poked, or kicked, he could not break the old woman's hold. Then, slowly, she took another bite.
It was strangely fascinating watching the frail form of this old woman I had known for years take bite after bite out of Stick. This man, whom I thought of as a predator, a hunter, an enforcer, was crying and begging while an old woman, who looked like a wrinkled thumb in a floral top, quietly devoured him.
I was surprised by the lack of blood after the first spray. I'm sure it was Imitari's crushing grip that stanched the flow of blood. The flesh of Stick's arm looked white from the pressure.
Hand over hand, Imitari pulled Stick forward. Bones cracked as she gripped higher on Stick's arm, clamped down with her long leathery fingers, and fed the flesh and bone, one concise bite at a time, into her open smiling maw. It was rhythmical in its simplicity: chomp, crunch, chew, chew, swallow. Over and over, the pattern continued until the begging stopped.
Stick wasn't dead. He gave up. Not struggling, he laid over the glass counter like a rag doll. He watched me glassily as Imitari took bite after bite, and I knew he wasn't there anymore. Whatever made Stick Stick had either curled up and hidden in a dark corner of his mind or had been devoured with his arm.
The old woman seemed displeased that her meal had stopped struggling. She shook him, but he flopped, and his head lulled from side to side. Imitari frowned, let go of Stick's arm, and pushed down on the limp man's back. Blood gushed from the ragged stump, and Imitari lowered her mouth and drank from the wound like she was sipping from a garden hose.
Stick didn't move. He just grew pail, and eventually, his panicked, shallow breaths ended, and the blood stopped flowing.
Then Imitari stood. With a quick tug, she pulled Stick's body over the counter and let it flop to the floor at her feet. Her eyes closed. A contented smile bloomed on her face as the explosive sound of crunching and cracking bones echoed through the small shop.
The deafening sound of crunching stopped, and only the buzzing of the drinks cooler reverberated through the small space. Imitari opened her eyes and watched me, a broad smile still on her lips. At that moment, I realized I could hear the drinks cooler so well because I had crawled into it, wedged between the glass door and the shelves.
Imitari held me with her gaze as cords of pink flesh lowered from the ceiling and efficiently tidied up Stick's mess, lapping up blood and hot sauce, placing cans on shelves, and scooping up cups of ramen with whip-like tendrils. Then, the cords of flesh nudged me forward, and I stood before Old Lady Imitari.
The thing that I had always thought of as a stern old woman handed me Stick's cane. With the same benign smile I remembered from buying red hots from it as a ten-year-old, it waved me away with its flyswatter, and the cords of flesh pushed me out the door onto the sidewalk.
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2024.05.19 14:50 theswillmerchant The Great Serpent, The Formless Mother, and The Blood Star

The Great Serpent, The Formless Mother, and The Blood Star
I believe that the Great Serpent of Mt. Gelmir and The Formless Mother are related through Red Glintstone and The Blood Star. The nature of their relationship is unclear at this time, and although I have a theory I will not make any claim of certainty. Still, I think there is strong evidence that they share some significant ties to one another, and these connections lead to some interesting questions/observations about the nature of the Outer Gods.
Before I start I should acknowledge that:
  1. This game’s lore is often purposefully obtuse and it’s extremely difficult to say anything concrete.
  2. While mechanics and lore interact really well in Fromsoft games, sometimes a mechanic exists because it’s fun and cool, and not because it reveals some deeper truth about the story.
  3. I am not an Elden Ring Lore expert. I am also not a real life anthropologist, historian, writer, or anything else that would give me any real insight into these games and their lore or themes. I just think this stuff is neat.
Red Glintstone and The Blood Star
With that out of the way, let’s begin by talking about Red Glintstone. Most of the information about it comes from a few items, The Staff of the Guilty and Alberich’s Set. The Staff of the Guilty is a staff wielded by Thorn Sorcerers, found in certain areas of Liurnia and the Mountaintops of the Giants. The Thorn Sorcerers are criminals who have been punitively blinded with briars, and placed into servitude as soldiers under the Fire Monks. An excellent video by SmoughTown (which I will reference heavily from this point on) goes into much greater detail on the nature of these aberrant mages.
Alberich’s Set is the clothing of Mad Tongue Alberich, a former servant of the Roundtable Hold and heretical sorcerer. Most players will encounter him when he invades on the ground floor of the Roundtable, however his set is acquired from the Roundtable’s physical counterpart, the Fortified Manor in Leyndell.
The Staff of the Guilty reads:
“A heretical staff fashioned from a smoldering, withered sapling that turns the blood of sacrifices pierced by it into glintstone. Similar to hex magic.
Sorceries are scaled with faith rather than intelligence when wielding this staff which enhances Thorn sorceries in particular.”
Alberich’s Set (specifically the robe) reads:
“Mad Tongue Alberich's robe.
Set with red glintstones said to be formed by the blood of sacrifices. Strengthens thorn sorcery.
Alberich was an aloof yet disturbed heretical sorcerer said to have been driven mad by jeering tongues during his service to the Roundtable Hold long ago.”
What we learn from these items is that Red Glintstone is a form of Glintstone created from the blood of sacrifices. This is an odd property for any type of Glintstone to possess, since all other sources of information surrounding Glintstone imply that it is heavily related to the Stars and the Primeval Current, not something as terrestrial as blood.
The beginnings of an explanation for this come from the descriptions of two spells, namely those used by the Thorn Sorcerers and Alberich himself. These spells are called Briars of Sin and Briars of Punishment which read:
“An aberrant sorcery discovered by exiled criminals. Theirs are the sorceries most reviled by the academy.
Wounds the caster with thorns of punishment, sending a trail of bloodthorns running over the ground to impale enemies from below…
The guilty, their eyes gouged by thorns, lived in eternal darkness. There, they discovered the blood star.”
So the Blood Star seems to be a celestial body that appears to the guilty after they are blinded. Again, SmoughTown’s video goes into great detail on this topic, but the brief summary is that it is an entity in and of itself, as many stars appear to be within Elden Ring’s cosmology. It is also the source of the astral properties necessary for a stone formed of blood to function as Glintstone. Through a combination of faith in this entity, bodily sacrifice, and this specific variant of Glintstone, aberrant magic can be wielded.
Another possible mention of the Blood Star, though less direct, comes from the description of the Great Stars weapon:
“Huge bludgeon with three stars at the striking end. Though primarily a striking weapon, the stars' spikes cause blood loss.
A blood-stained star is an ill omen, a fact not lost upon those against whom this weapon is brought to bear. Landing attacks slightly restores HP.”
The phrasing of this “ill omen”, along with its ability to restore HP, will become relevant later.
The Formless Mother
A logical leap that many people have taken when researching these topics is to assume that the Blood Star is in some way related to The Formless Mother, the Outer God that bestows blood-related power to Mohg and his followers. At the risk of sounding repetitive, SmoughTown again explores this relationship, noting their similarities mechanically (the fact that magic from these sources causes the Hemorrhage/Blood Loss status effect) and thematically (the fact that both of these entities seem to seek bloodshed, demanding sacrifices explicitly or wounds generally). He does however say that there are enough differences in the information known about these figures to cast some doubt on them being one and the same. I agree with this, however I do still believe they are related in a way that I will discuss after mentioning the other source of Red Glintstone present in the game.
The Great Serpent of Mt. Gelmir
In the war ravaged landscape of Mt. Gelmir stands Volcano Manor, home of Praetor Rykard. Within this fortified castle’s prison town are the Man-Serpents, the results of a blasphemous breeding process who patrol and defend against intruders. And one particular man-serpent wields a staff, the Gelmir Glintstone Staff.
“Staff with a forked tip, embedded with red glintstones. Enhances lava sorceries.
The Man-Serpents of Mt. Gelmir draw from faith in addition to intelligence to enhance the potency of their sorcery.”
Once again we see Red Glintstone used in a spell catalyst, and again it imbues this tool with properties reliant on faith. For further detail, we need to look at some of the aforementioned Lava Sorceries that are enhanced by this staff.
Magma Shot reads:
“One of the sorceries developed from the magma of Mt. Gelmir. …
After discovering the ancient hexes of Gelmir, Rykard, son of Queen Rennala, brought them back into practical use as new forms of sorcery.”
These sorceries are ancient, originally practiced by the adherents of a pagan religion that worshiped the Great Serpent of Mt. Gelmir. The timeline of events is not explicit, but it is a reasonable assumption that Rykard's incorporation of these hexes into modern sorcery was a component of his adoption of the ancient Gelmir religion, and his worship and great sacrifice to the Serpent.
In addition, the practices of the Gelmir Pagans provide another tie between Red Glintstone and ritual sacrifice. The Serpent-God’s Curved Sword says:
“Curved sword fashioned in the image of an ancient serpent deity and tool of a forgotten religion practiced on Mt. Gelmir.
Formerly used to offer up sacrifices, this sword restores HP upon slaying an enemy.”
These sacrifices are likely the source of the Red Glintstone used to channel the magic of Mt. Gelmir.
The Connections
Red Glintstone, through its presence in the Gelmir Glintstone Staff, Staff of the Guilty, and Alberich's set, ties together the Thorn Sorceries, and by extension the Blood Star, with the Gelmir magics. If you agree with the idea that the Blood Star and the Formless Mother are also related, then this also bridges together the followers of Rykard and Mohg. But Red Glintstone is not the only commonality between these factions and practices.
In no particular order:
Both Gelmir Sorceries and the Staff of the Guilty mention “Hex Magic”. Along with this being a nod to Dark Souls 2’s magic system, this language seems to distinguish these schools of magic from other Sorceries or Incantations. In particular, it groups both of these into a class of magic deemed heretical by current magic practitioners.
As mentioned above, both the Gelmir Religion and the Blood Star explicitly mention sacrifices as a source of their power.
(Credit to u/rukh999) All of the concepts/factions mentioned here share the theme of Heresy. Rykard and the Gelmir religion are "Blasphemous". The Briars and the Blood Star are tied to "Sin". As for the Formless Mother, the Bloodboon Incantations reads:
"Sacred incantation of Mohg, Lord of Blood.
Thrust arm into the body of the Formless Mother, then scatter the bloodflame to set the area ablaze.
...
The mother of truth craves wounds. When Mohg stood before her, deep underground, his accursed blood erupted with fire, and besotted with the defilement that he was born into."
Given the fact that the "underground" referenced here is likely the Shunning Grounds, a place for the outcasts of Leyndell, along with the explicit usage of the words "accursed" and "defilement" it is clear that the Formless Mother deals in these same themes.
Both Thorn Sorceries and many of the skills of the Formless Mother require a tithe of the user’s blood to be paid. Thorn Sorceries and the skills Seppuku, Bloody Slash, and Blood Blade deal damage to the caster in addition to their enemies, incorporating the thematic idea of sacrifice into gameplay mechanics.
Again speaking mechanically, both the Formless Mother and the Great Serpent offer their adherents methods of healing via combat. The Blasphemous Blade, Serpent-God’s Curved Sword, Devourer’s Scepter, Taker’s Cameo, and Rykard’s Great Rune are all holy artifacts of the Gelmir Religion, either from the ancient era or from Rykard’s. Critically, they all confer the power of healing by defeating enemies, or simply by attacking them in the case of the Blasphemous Blade and Devourer’s Scepter weapon skills. While there are a few other methods of achieving this effect scattered amongst the factions of the Lands Between, one of the most notable practitioners is Mohg, who uses his Sacred Spear to heal himself with his Bloodboon Ritual. It is worth noting that one of the only other ways to achieve the effect of healing via combat is with the Great Stars, providing another possible tie between these groups. Here I will acknowledge that this line of reasoning does not include the Greathorn Hammer, Butchering Knife, Assassin’s Crimson Dagger, or Malenia’s Great Rune, the other notable examples of this type of mechanic. For those curious, I believe that Malenia’s healing is at least partially explained by VaatiVidya in his video on the topic. Vaati is a small up-and-coming lore channel and I’m sure the little guy could really use a like and a sub!
Perhaps most significantly though are the Recusant Finger and Bloody Finger items. These items, bestowed to the player after joining the ranks of Rykard and Mohg’s cults respectively, are functionally identical tools that allow invasions of other players’ worlds. Both are used for the express purpose of spilling Tarnished blood, and I do not believe it is a coincidence that they are related to the two demigods in question.
Given these threads connecting The Formless Mother, the Blood Star, and the Gelmir religion, what is the nature of their relationship? There seems to be a developing theme of "Similar but Different" as if these groups are warped reflections of one another. In my opinion, these cultures and practices share some kind of common ancestry. Again, while I don’t feel confident enough to state it with certainty, I will provide a possible explanation informed, ironically, by the Greater Will.
A Star Bearing a Beast
Most mentions of stars in the game’s text come from sources that are associated with the Glintstone, the Astrologers, Raya Lucaria, Astel, etc. However there is at least one mention of a star that sheds some light on their relationship to Outer Gods, the description of Elden Stars:
“This legendary incantation is the most ancient of those that derive from the Erdtree.
…
It is said that long ago, the Greater Will sent a golden star bearing a beast into the Lands Between, which would later become the Elden Ring.”
It’s worth noting here that a topic often discussed by lore enthusiasts is the voice of the narrator in item descriptions, and the fact that it seems to change between items and vary in its reliability. For instance, rather than saying anything with concrete certainty here, it reads “It is said…” implying there is something apocryphal about the information. It is also worth mentioning that this description in particular is infamous in the community for muddying the waters on the nature of the Elden Ring, inscriptions found in Farum Azula, the timeline of the Lands Between, and many other topics.
Still, if we take this description at face value then it seems to imply that some stars, along with being entities themselves, are within the dominion of Outer Gods, and can be sent to the Lands Between “bearing beasts”. In the case of the Elden Star, a safe assumption would be that the beast in question is the Elden Beast, of frustrating boss fight fame.
Another item that relates ephemeral Outer Gods to corporeal creatures is the Twinbird Kite Shield:
“Shield featuring a vividly painted twinbird.
The twinbird is said to be the envoy of an outer god, and mother of the Deathbirds...”
Once again a presumably physical beast, the Twinbird, is said to be the envoy of an unnamed Outer God. If these two items represent a trend, then we can assume that Outer Gods have the ability to install “Beasts” in the Lands Between. The reason for this is unclear. They may be sent as sentient weapons to fight in proxy wars. It’s also possible that they are intended to be physical manifestations of the Outer Gods to spur worship. Thanks to the existence of the Two and Three Fingers, the Fire Giant, and Malenia, there is no shortage of evidence that the Outer Gods either require avatars in the Lands Between to communicate for them and exert their will, or at the very least prefer an indirect relationship for unknowable reasons. Regardless, it leads me to propose a theory:
The Theory
The Formless Mother, an Outer God, controled the Blood Star. This star was sent long before the current age to deliver a beast to the Lands Between, and this beast was the Great Serpent. Whether simply due to great expanses of time, the dominance of the Greater Will and the subsequent shunning of other Outer Gods, or some other reason that is left undiscovered, the link connecting these entities became faded, if not severed entirely. As a result, their once cohesive goals and principles diverged. The wounds craved by the Formless Mother became the sacrifices of sinners offered to the Blood Star, and the sacrificial practices of the Gelmir worshippers no longer satisfied the Serpent, now driven by world consuming avarice. These once merged forces were now fragmented, fated to fade into relative obscurity. Each sought new adherents in the sewers below the Erdtree, in the mountains overlooking it, and in the sinners exiled from it. The faithful of each deity created their own manner of worship, similar but different. This process can be observed in countless real world cultures who share common ancestry but diverge into discrete civilizations or religions. I believe that this explains the overlap between these seemingly disparate factions, while also accounting for their clear separation. Fromsoft has proven time and time again to be a team obsessed with the layering of culture and the echos of half-forgotten history, and I feel that this is yet another example of this theme.
I will say again that I am far from certain of this, as obviously there is no direct evidence of the Blood Star being "sent", or that every Outer God manifests a Beast. The Outer Gods are difficult to interpret at the best of times, and making generalizations about them is often unwise. Still, I believe strongly that some relationship of this type exists between these groups. I hope that with the DLC looming we may be given more information about the ancient era of the Lands Between and the various religions and cultures that existed prior to the dominance of Marika's Golden Order, but knowing Fromsoft I think it’s likely we’ll get more questions than answers.
Epilogue
If you’ve read this entire thing then the toilet seat is likely cutting off the circulation to your legs and you should stand up, but I greatly appreciate your time. Please let me know what you think of this theory, or if there’s anything you think I’ve misinterpreted or left out entirely.
submitted by theswillmerchant to Eldenring [link] [comments]

2024.05.19 13:48 GuiltlessMaple Best Casio Cash Registers

Best Casio Cash Registers
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Dive into the world of efficient cash handling and discover the Casio Cash Registers - a modern solution for businesses seeking to streamline their transactions and improve their operations. This roundup article takes you on a journey through various models and types of these office products, providing valuable insights into their features, performance, and suitability for different business needs. Don't miss out on this chance to explore the perfect Cash Register choice for your organization!

The Top 6 Best Casio Cash Registers

  1. Royal 100Cx Portable Battery/AC Powered Cash Register - The Royal 100Cx Portable Battery/AC Powered Cash Register is a compact, efficient solution ideal for small businesses, vendors, and market stands, offering automatic tax computation, quick sales entry, and flexible department configurations.
  2. Casio SE-S800 1-Sheet Thermal Cash Register, 3000 PLUs, 20 Department Keys, 10-Line LCD Operator Display - Casio SE-S800 Sleek 1-Sheet Thermal Cash Register: Fast, accurate transactions, user-friendly 10-line LCD display, 25 department keys, secure 7-position mode lock, stylish design for enhanced functionality.
  3. Casio SR-S820-BK Thermal Print Cash Register - The Casio SR-S820-BK Thermal Print Cash Register offers efficient cash register operations with 25 standard department keys, 3,000 PLUs, a thermal printer, and a 10-line LCD display.
  4. Casio SEG1SC Thermal Print Cash Register, Pink - The Casio SEG1SC Thermal Print Cash Register, Pink combines efficiency, hygiene, and personalization with its easy-to-read LCD display, quiet thermal printer, sanitary anti-bacterial keyboard, quick setup, and three color options.
  5. Casio PCR-T2300 Electronic Cash Register - The Casio PCR-T2300 offers versatile and reliable cash register functionality with a 10-line display, 30 department keys, and customizable receipts, perfect for grocery stores and small businesses.
  6. Casio PCR-T2300 Thermal Cash Register with 10-Line LCD & Dual-Tape Receipt - Casio PCR-T2300 Thermal Printer Cash Register - Efficient 10-line LCD, 7,000 PLUS item storage, customizable receipts, five bill & coin compartments, SD card slot, and seven-position mode lock for error-free transactions.
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Reviews

🔗Royal 100Cx Portable Battery/AC Powered Cash Register

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As a small business owner, I've been on the hunt for a reliable, portable cash register to make sales easier at my farmer's market stand. The Royal 100Cx, with its compact design and battery-powered operation, has been a reliable companion for me. The automatic tax computation feature is a game-changer, allowing me to easily manage sales and taxes on-the-go. However, the initial setup can be a bit daunting, and the manual doesn't do a fantastic job of explaining everything.
The preset department pricing and sales analysis by category of merchandise are standout features that have helped me keep track of inventory and sales trends. It's crucial for businesses like mine, where inventory and sales fluctuate frequently. The ink roll printer provides a receipt printout, providing a professional touch to every transaction.
In terms of drawbacks, one thing to note is that the tax computation is limited to only four rates – VAT, Canadian, and a couple of others – which may not cater to everyone's business needs. However, for my small farm market business, it's more than sufficient.
Overall, the Royal 100Cx is a dependable piece of hardware, and it's been a significant asset in streamlining my sales process. It may have a slightly steep learning curve, but once mastered, it's a powerful tool for any small business seeking a portable, autonomous cash register solution.

🔗Casio SE-S800 1-Sheet Thermal Cash Register, 3000 PLUs, 20 Department Keys, 10-Line LCD Operator Display

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The Casio SE-S800 Cash Register is like your best buddy in the world of retail transactions. It's sleek, easy to use, and man, does it make life simpler! Imagine scanning items effortlessly and having that 10-line LCD display help you verify transactions—no more slip-ups! Plus, it comes with a two-line pop-up rear display for customers to see the price and subtotal, which is perfect for keeping them in the loop about their purchases.
But don't let its good looks fool you! It might not be the easiest thing to program, especially if you're not a tech person. You might find yourself on the phone with customer service more than you'd like. And, oh boy, they just love decimals! But once you get the hang of it, it's smooth sailing.
One more thing, make sure you get the right paper, because it doesn't play well with just any thermal paper. But overall, if you need a reliable way to manage your sales and keep your customers happy, the SE-S800 is a solid choice.

🔗Casio SR-S820-BK Thermal Print Cash Register

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I recently got the chance to use the Casio SR-S820-BK Thermal Print Cash Register in my small café, and I must say it's been quite a ride. The thermal printer is a game-changer for us, as it allows us to generate receipts and track our sales activity with ease. The 25 standard department keys have been incredibly helpful in categorizing our various products, and the 10-line LCD display makes it super easy to check on customer transactions.
One of the things that stand out about this cash register is its ability to be mobile. As a café owner, I love that I can move it around to different areas of my store, depending on my needs. The built-in receipt printer also helps us provide a more professional service to our customers.
However, there are a few drawbacks that I've noticed during my time using this cash register. For starters, the software that comes with it could use a bit more functionality. Additionally, some users have reported having issues with the blue tooth connectivity, which can be quite frustrating.
Overall, I'm pretty happy with the Casio SR-S820-BK Thermal Print Cash Register. It has definitely made my life a lot easier when it comes to managing transactions and keeping track of sales. If you're in the market for a new cash register, this one is definitely worth considering.

🔗Casio SEG1SC Thermal Print Cash Register, Pink

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I recently purchased the Casio SEG1SC Thermal Print Cash Register in a striking pink color. It's perfect for my small boutique and fits our vibrant theme perfectly. I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to set up and get running. The large LCD display is incredibly clear, making it straightforward to input prices and manage product sales.
One of my favorite features is the quiet thermal printer. It doesn't disrupt the ambiance of my store like our old, noisy register did. Plus, the anti-bacterial keyboard is a great added touch for hygiene.
However, I did find that the plastic casing feels a bit flimsy compared to more substantial cash registers. And while the instructions were mostly comprehensive, I did have to resort to YouTube tutorials for some aspects of programming.
Overall, I'm very satisfied with my purchase. The Casio SEG1SC Cash Register not only looks great in my store but also helps streamline our billing process. I would highly recommend it to anyone in need of a reliable, affordable cash register.

🔗Casio PCR-T2300 Electronic Cash Register

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I recently got my hands on the Casio PCR-T2300 Electronic Cash Register and let me tell you, it's been a game-changer for my business. With its 10-line LCD display, it's incredibly easy for me to check the current transaction and eliminate errors. The raised keyboard with 30 department key locations makes inputting data a breeze. Plus, with the built-in pop-up customer display, I can ensure my customers always know exactly what they're paying for.
One of my favorite features of this cash register is the ability to customize receipts with a graphic logo or programmable top and bottom messages, adding a personal touch to each transaction. The heavy-duty metal cash drawer provides more than enough space for five bill compartments and five coin compartments, making it perfect for a busy retail environment.
However, there are a few drawbacks that I've noticed during my time using this product. The instructions provided for programming the cash register could be more clear, leaving some users (like myself) scratching their heads at certain points. Additionally, while the register performs well overall, I have found that there can be some issues with the tape feeding, which can be frustrating at times.
All in all, the Casio PCR-T2300 Electronic Cash Register has proven to be a reliable and efficient addition to my business operations. With its user-friendly design and robust feature set, it's definitely worth considering for any small retailer or grocer looking to streamline their cash-handling processes.

🔗Casio PCR-T2300 Thermal Cash Register with 10-Line LCD & Dual-Tape Receipt

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I've been using the Casio PCR-T2300 Thermal Printer Cash Register in my small retail store for the past month, and I must say, it's made a significant difference in my day-to-day operations. The dual-tape thermal system ensures quick and error-free transactions while the 10-line LCD display keeps both me and the customer informed about the ongoing purchase.
One of the standout features of this cash register is its flexibility. The 30 department keys can be preset with specific prices or left open for manual entry, allowing me to adapt to the ever-changing needs of my store. Additionally, with up to 7,000 PLUs available, tracking individual item sales has never been easier.
Customization is another strong suit of this cash register. I can add a graphic logo to our receipts, program top and bottom messages, and even adjust each item's description for detailed reporting. Plus, the heavy-duty metal cash drawer provides ample space for organizing bills and coins, making it easier to manage my funds.
However, the instruction manual left something to be desired. Some steps were not as clear as I would have liked, requiring me to seek help on YouTube for more advanced programming functions. Nonetheless, overall, the Casio PCR-T2300 has been a reliable and efficient addition to my store, helping streamline my operations and improve customer experience.

Buyer's Guide

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Important Features in Cash Registers

When choosing a cash register for your business, several essential features must be considered to ensure you are getting a reliable and efficient system. These include:
  • Display and User Interface: A cash register with an easy-to-use interface and clear display makes transactions smooth and reduces errors. Look for models with touchscreens or well-lit displays that are easy to see in bright or dim lighting.
  • Peripherals Compatibility: Make sure the cash register you choose is compatible with peripherals such as bar code scanners, receipt printers, and customer displays. This ensures that you can add these devices later if needed without replacing the entire system.
  • Reporting and Analytics: Some cash registers come with built-in reporting capabilities that can help you manage your inventory, sales, and customer data. Consider whether this feature would be beneficial to your business operations.
  • Security Features: To protect your transactions and customer information, look for a cash register with security features such as user authentication and transaction tracking.

Considerations for Choosing a Cash Register

Before making your decision on a cash register, consider these factors:
  • Volume of Business: If you have a high volume of transactions or inventory, opt for a more advanced cash register with features like inventory management and quick transaction processing times.
  • Integration with POS Systems: If you plan to use a point-of-sale (POS) system in addition to a cash register, ensure compatibility between the two systems to streamline your operations.
  • Environmental Factors: Consider the environment in which the cash register will be used (e. g. , temperature, humidity, etc. ) and choose a model designed to withstand these conditions.
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General Advice for Using Cash Registers

To maximize the usefulness and longevity of your cash register, follow these tips:
  • Perform Regular Maintenance: Keep your cash register clean and free of dust, and replace consumables such as rolls of thermal paper or ribbons as needed.
  • Update Software and Firmware: Ensure your cash register's software and firmware are up-to-date to take advantage of new features and improvements and avoid potential security risks.
  • Train Employees: Provide thorough training on using the cash register and processing transactions accurately to reduce errors and improve customer service.

FAQ

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What are the key features of Casio cash registers?

Casio cash registers are designed with a variety of features, such as digital displays, built-in printers, and easy-to-use keypads to streamline transactions and enhance productivity. Some models also offer special functions like programmable keys and multiple tax calculations.

How do Casio cash registers help in managing inventory?

Casio cash registers offer extensive inventory management capabilities, including tracking and reporting of incoming and outgoing merchandise. This allows you to monitor your inventory levels effectively and make informed decisions about restocking or adjusting order quantities.
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Are Casio cash registers compatible with payment processors?

Yes, most Casio cash registers are compatible with popular payment processors like Verifone, Ingenico, and Elavon, enabling seamless integration with existing POS systems and payment solutions.

Does Casio offer warranties on its cash registers?

Yes, Casio offers a standard one-year warranty on all its cash register products, covering defects in material and workmanship under normal use. Some models may also come with extended warranties for added peace of mind.

How difficult is it to install a Casio cash register?

The installation process for Casio cash registers is generally user-friendly and can be done without assistance from a professional technician. Most models come with easy-to-follow instructions and all necessary cables, making it easy to set up quickly.

Do Casio cash registers support multiple tax rates?

Yes, many Casio cash registers offer multi-tax functionality, allowing you to define and apply multiple tax rates for different items or transactions. This can be especially useful for businesses in regions with varying tax requirements.

What type of support does Casio provide for its cash register products?

Casio offers comprehensive support for its cash register products, including a dedicated customer service line, online resources, and product manuals. Additionally, some models may come with extended support plans, offering priority access to technical assistance.

How do I choose the right Casio cash register for my business?

When selecting a Casio cash register, consider factors such as the number of registers you need, the type of your business, and any unique features you require, such as inventory management or multi-language support. It's also essential to ensure that the cash register you choose is compatible with your existing POS system and payment processors.
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submitted by GuiltlessMaple to u/GuiltlessMaple [link] [comments]

2024.05.19 13:32 NorthStar6ix $2500-3000 1440p 120FPS+ OC Build

**What will you be doing with this PC? Be as specific as possible, and include specific games or programs you will be using.**
Intense High-Res, High FPS Gaming
**What is your maximum budget before rebates/shipping/taxes?**
$3000
**When do you plan on building/buying the PC? Note: beyond a week or two from today means any build you receive will be out of date when you want to buy.**
Next Month
**What, exactly, do you need included in the budget? (ToweOS/monitokeyboard/mouse/etc\)**
Tower, OS, Monitor
**Which country (and state/province) will you be purchasing the parts in? If you're in US, do you have access to a Microcenter location?**
United States, Florida. There isn't a Microcenter location in Florida yet.
**If reusing any parts (including monitor(s)/keyboard/mouse/etc), what parts will you be reusing? Brands and models are appreciated.**
Razer Ornata V3 X Keyboard, Logitech G502 X Mouse
**Will you be overclocking? If yes, are you interested in overclocking right away, or down the line? CPU and/or GPU?**
I'm interested in overlocking both the CPU and GPU right away.
**Are there any specific features or items you want/need in the build? (ex: SSD, large amount of storage or a RAID setup, CUDA or OpenCL support, etc)**
1440p Resolution (Important), 2TB SSD, DisplayPort capability, 32gb+ of DDR5 RAM. For the monitor, 27" minimum, 240hz minimum refresh rate. DisplayPort & HDMI capability. Preferably curved but not entirely necessary. Highest recommended power supply for the system to give the max performance.
**Do you have any specific case preferences (Size like ITX/microATX/mid-towefull-tower, styles, colors, window or not, LED lighting, etc), or a particular color theme preference for the components?**
I'm not too picky, but I do prefer the best case to supplement cooling systems. RGB would be cool. As many fans as possible. Highest recommended power supply.
**Do you need a copy of Windows included in the budget? If you do need one included, do you have a preference?**
Yes. I prefer Windows 10, but I wouldn't mind 11 if the system would run better on it.
**Extra info or particulars:**
submitted by NorthStar6ix to buildapcforme [link] [comments]

2024.05.19 10:44 Maya-VC Need to say this out loud: The Alchemy is NOT about Travis Kelce

This song is the song where I have the most issue with when it comes to the fans' interpretation of it. Their biggest argument for this is the football references, but they fail to consider that the football metaphors were just a way for Taylor Swift to draw parallels between the (American) football world and her situation.
In this analysis, I'll be doing a line-by-line breakdown of why this is not a Travis Kelce song, but is instead a song that she wrote where she is directly addressing her fans, much like how "But Daddy I Love Him", and "Who's Afraid of Little Old Me" were written.
Here it goes. Please bear with me!
This happens once every few lifetimes
These chemicals hit me like white wine
What if I told you I'm back?
The hospital was a drag / Worst sleep that I ever had
I circled you on a map
I haven't come around in so long / But I'm coming back so strong
So when I touch down / Call the amateurs and / Cut 'em from the team / Ditch the clowns, get the crown / Baby I'm the one to beat
Cause the sign on your heart / Said it's still reserved for me
Honestly, who are we to fight the alchemy?
Hey you, what if I told you we're cool? / That child's play back in school / Is forgiven under my rule
Now, let's move on to the bridge!
Shirts off, and your friends lift you up over their heads / Beer sticking to the floor / Cheers chanted, cause they said
There was no chance, trying to be / The greatest in the league / Where's the trophy? / He just comes running over to me
These blokes warm the benches / We been on a winning streak
He jokes that it's heroin but this time with an "E" / Cause the sign on your heart said it's still reserved for me
and finally, this line....

Addressing the (American) football references in this song:

As mentioned before, the football references in this song are simply metaphors to help illustrate the themes of competition, triumph, and teamwork.
TLDR: If you switched the "you" in this song to reference "the fans", this song will make complete sense. Now, try giving this song a listen, and think of "you" as "yourself" (the fans).
Taylor Swift's song "The Alchemy," is basically a powerful ode to her fans, chronicling her journey through public scrutiny and her triumphant return to the music industry. It draws parallels to her tumultuous period following the "snake gate" incident with Kim Kardashian and her subsequent hiatus before the release of "Reputation," the lyrics reflect a narrative of resilience, redemption, and the unwavering bond between Swift and her fans.
Once you are able to interpret "you" as "the fans", you'll be able to see, without having to do too much mental gymnastics, that the song is about the transformative and enduring connection Swift shares with her loyal supporters.
If you've made it this far, thank you for reading. Sorry for any typos or grammatical errors - but I hope I helped you made sense of the song!
submitted by Maya-VC to travisandtaylor [link] [comments]

2024.05.19 09:19 AdTrick7283 The Bollywood film ‘Mohabbatein’ (2000) is a groundbreaking sex-ed film about male masturbation.

Spoilers ahead.
Bollywood’s roster of adult films is a barren wasteland, dotted by the occasional Tusshar KapooMilap Zaveri release. Yet, there may be hope for the genre as long as trailblazing production house YRF keeps churning out experimental masterpieces. For well before there were Kyaa Kool Hain Hum, Masti, and Ragini MMS, there was Mohabbatein. As on several other occasions, YRF embraced the role of innovator and at the turn of the millennium brought to Bollywood what is till date the industry’s only sex-ed film. Unlike Bollywood’s other attempts at adult cinema, Mohabbatein seeks to educate—not titillate—as moustachioed maestro Aditya Chopra examines attitudes towards male masturbation, specially amongst adolescents. To avoid offending conservative sensibilities, this sociological examination is cleverly hidden within a family-friendly romantic drama tale and presented in allegorical terms.
Mohabbatein features an ensemble cast, led by Amitabh Bachchan and DDLJ background actor Shah Rukh Khan, with Aishwarya Rai as a guest star. Although the cast also includes celebrated thespians Uday Chopra, Jugal Hansraj, and Shamita Shetty, a complete listing is omitted here for the sake of brevity. Bachchan plays Narayan Shankar, headmaster of the prestigious Gurukul boys’ college. Shankar is a stickler for rules, and imposes upon his students the need for tradition, prestige, and discipline. His rules extend to a blanket ban on romantic relationships, which forms the crux of the film’s conflict. SRK plays Raj Aryan, a music teacher and disgraced Gurukul alumnus who has returned to the institute under anonymity, with the single goal of melting Shankar’s icy heart and impressing upon him the power of love. Finally, Aishwarya Rai plays the deceased Megha, Shankar’s late daughter and the love interest of Raj Aryan.
In a figurative sense, Gurukul—with its forced confinement, all-male student body, and rigid rules—is a portrayal of restrictive societies that enforce adolescent sexual repression through gender segregation and harsh oversight. Narayan Shankar, as headmaster, is the enforcer of said oversight and abides by his oppressive regulations to set an example. Gurukul’s official motto—‘Parampara Prathishta Anushasan’—may be shortened to ‘PP Anushasan’, the word ‘PP’ being slang for a man’s meat pole of love and ‘Anushasan’ meaning discipline or regulation. Thus through its motto, the institution reveals its intention to exercise total control over its students’ genitalia.
Metaphorically, Narayan Shankar’s rejection of all things romantic/sexual, and his stubborn opposition to any form of change—stated by him multiple times throughout the film—is an allusion to his opposition to puberty and the sexual changes it brings along with it. His choice of garments throughout the film—dull black trousers coupled with matching black sherwanis—prevents viewers from getting a view of his lush curves and adds to his thoroughly sexless demeanour. Additionally, Shankar takes pride in his habit of staring right at the sun for several minutes every morning, which is a clever allusion to the popular myth about masturbation causing damage to eyesight—a lifetime of total abstinence from masturbation has prevented Shankar’s eyes from taking any damage, and therefore he can stare full-bore into the sun for as long as he pleases. Given all this, it is unknown how he fathered a daughter in his state of permanent prepubescence, so it may be deduced that he somehow reproduced asexually. In sum, Shankar is a man struggling to indefinitely delay his own sexual maturity, and thereby desperately clinging on to a simple, childlike innocence of all sexual matters.
Raj Aryan exists as the foil to Narayan Shankar, having arrived at Gurukul with the singular purpose of altering Shankar’s stunted outlook towards sexual maturity. In an allegorical sense, he portrays the biological agents and changes that act as messengers of puberty and sexual maturity, such as gonadotropin-releasing hormones and testosterone. Visually, his urbane, well-dressed appearance, along with his suave and cultured manner, stands in contrast to the dull cluelessness of Narayan Shankar and his wards, and is indicative of his sexual confidence and maturity.
Furthermore, his choice of musical instrument—the violin—is hardly coincidental. A violin requires precise, well-timed stroke-like movements to be made using a long, cylindrical piece of wood. The sight of Raj Aryan lounging comfortably in a chair and playing the violin with long, languid strokes, whilst wearing an expression of both contentment and pleasurable exertion, is certainly suggestive without appearing crass. The fact that his lover Megha is deceased does not decrease Raj Aryan’s passion in the slightest, as she makes an appearance in his imagination every time he leans back, closes his eyes, and handles his violin. Through such a combination of clever visual double entendres, the film conveys Raj Aryan’s use of masturbation and masturbatory fantasies as a healthy outlet for sexual expression and release.
To Gurukul’s ignorant masses, Raj Aryan is nothing short of a revelation. Like a masturbatory Pied Piper, he draws the ignorant, curious, and hypnotized students to his lessons, where he impresses upon them the need to break free of Gurukul’s restrictive confinements and open their hearts and prostate glands to the power of love. In a metaphorical sense, he encourages the students to accept the changes coursing through their bodies, and let puberty begin to run its course.
To best educate Gurukul’s students, Raj Aryan organises a secret dance ball, inviting over students from a neighbouring women’s college. Considering the allegorical nature of storytelling in Mohabbatein, the college and its students are likely imaginary, and the secret dance ball is actually an educational musical lesson on some of the more practical and logistical aspects of masturbation. YRF films have always been renowned for making their song-and-dance routines an integral part of the story, and Mohabbatein is no exception to this tradition of artistic excellence. As Gurukul’s students shuffle into the dance ball, Raj Aryan takes the centre stage and croons, ‘Aankhein khuli ho ya ho band/Deedar unka hota hai/Kaise kahoon main o yaara ye/Pyaar kaise hota hai’, with the lyrics making it clear that while there are many paths to self-pleasure, the path one takes does not matter so long as the destination is the same. With sufficient practice, a master of the art may hone his skills to the point where imagination is all that is required. Meanwhile, the less-skilled are free to keep their eyes open and rely on whatever visual aids they may prefer. Bearing in mind the wide variety of means and techniques employed, it is not for one man to tell another how best to beat his meat.
This educational demonstration, however, is cut short upon the surprise appearance of Narayan Shankar, who discovers Raj Aryan's attempt to arouse Gurukul’s pupils to rebellion against his rules. Shankar uses his authority to turn Raj Aryan’s movement temporarily flaccid, but a defiant Raj Aryan takes up Shankar’s opposition as a challenge, and vows to bring about love in every heart, a cramp in every right hand, and a scraggly hair sprouting from every smooth chin. Raj Aryan begins his campaign by asking Gurukul’s pupils to each write a love letter upon orange maple leaves. The orange maple leaf is a common visual theme throughout the movie, and for good reason—a maple leaf with its five lobes bears an uncanny resemblance to an outstretched palm with its five fingers, coloured an inflamed red perhaps due to excessive use. Thus, the act of writing a love letter upon an orange maple leaf is a clever visual metaphor for the students actually expressing gratitude and affection towards their own hands for the newly-discovered joys their hands have provided them with.
However, the ever-vigilant Narayan Shankar eventually catches onto Raj Aryan’s actions, and realizes that his fearsome gaze is no longer capable of wilting students’ defiant boners. Faced with this prospect, a desperate Shankar begins expelling students, hoping to discourage their peers and Raj Aryan, and therefore stave off the advent of puberty and sexual maturity amongst his wards. This leads to the film’s climax, wherein a gratuitously dripping-wet Raj Aryan meets Shankar, and defiantly tells him that whilst he may have won the battle, he has lost the war, for despite all his authority, Shankar will be forever left alone, because he lacks the powers of imagination and fantasizing that Raj Aryan possesses. Raj Aryan then reveals to Shankar that despite the death of Megha (Shankar’s daughter, it may be remembered), he still fantasizes about her with perfect clarity. However, as previously mentioned, Shankar had likely reproduced asexually to sire Megha, and asexual reproduction leads to genetically-identical offspring. A horrified Shankar realizes that therefore, by masturbating to Megha—his clone—Raj Aryan has been indirectly masturbating to Shankar himself for the past several years. Left shaken by this discovery of the transitive properties of masturbation, a broken Shankar is unable to recover from his shock and resigns as headmaster of Gurukul, leaving Raj Aryan to take the helm and finally bring about his purpose to a glorious conclusion.
Over two decades after release, Mohabbatein stands alone in Indian cinema. Few films have ever attempted such deftly-layered storytelling in treatment of such delicate subject matter. Indeed, if the bar were ever raised, it was only by YRF’s own other creations in subsequent years. No other films, however, have ever had the courage and wit to portray sex-ed as Mohabbatein so well did, and if the subject shall ever make an appearance in the educational curriculum, there can be no doubt that Mohabbatein shall be required viewing for all students, educators, and educational policymakers.
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2024.05.19 09:03 Majestic_Scar_850 22 [F4M] UPD cuddly study / walking buddy

hello, try lang as an anxious cuddly person in need of hugs at may limang majors this sem. wanna be study buddies kahit this sem lang + may onting lambing? pwede ring kasama lang maglakad around UPD as a mahilig maglakad
strictly sfw and mostly platonic lang. open to being romantic kung mag-connect tayo. pass agad sa naghahanap ng nsfw :))
about me: - cssp - single - morena - wears glasses - 161 cm - slim na may curves - 6-7 looks - malambing and cuddly as long as we’re both comfortable - can be your quiet study buddy na ka-body double mo lang while doing reqs or your annoying accountability buddy that will nag you to stay on task - alloromantic asexual (sex-indifferent) if it matters - physical touch and acts of service ang love language - mahilig maglakad - commuter pero mahina sa usok kaya di po pwede sa smokevaper - very introverted so i’m quiet at first pero di na tumitigil after a while - mas magaling makinig kaysa magsalita so you can talk to me about anything - may pagka-slow burn. let’s get to know each other - respectful and will make sure you’re comfortable - animal lover and kinda sings so pwede tayong jamming during breaks - beige flag: pagod na sa internet and halos walang socmed so di updated sa current trends😶‍🌫️ - maraming papers na kailangang isulat😩
about you: - 20 to 25 or basta student din - single - may actual reqs din saa para di lang tayo magtitigan HAHAHA - not looking for nsfw - in need of hugs/cuddles lang din - respectful sa boundaries at may sariling clear boundaries - clean - can hold a conversation / willing to get to know each other - doesn’t smoke/vape, or at least not while studying - preferrably isko rin pero just dm as long as nasa katipunan/diliman - open to something more - plus sa madaldal hehe
i love meeting people and masaya naman ako sa major ko pero hirap talaga ako sa social interactions and holding myself accountable sa reqs so this is me trying to hit two birds with one stone
dm me your pics at yung pinaka-masayang nangyari sayo today🌻 let’s see if we get along. good luck sa may exams pa!
submitted by Majestic_Scar_850 to r4rpeyups [link] [comments]

2024.05.19 08:56 VoboBuns Infinix ZERO 30 5g review

I bought this phone around the first week of January 2024. So far okay naman siya and it gets the job done (I'm a student and mainly use the phone for online classes and casual gaming) pero here are my thoughts and concerns after 4 months of using it:
Ayun lang so far. If may questions kayo regarding the phone, ask lang kayo. I'll try to get back to it agad.
Edit: Add ko rin pala, curved yung edge ng screen ng phone. I was already set on buying this dahil sa specs for a low price pero when i saw the model in real life medyo nagulat ako kasi i didn't know it had a curved screen.
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2024.05.19 08:06 Mantis_Shrimp47 The monster in the sand dunes turned my brother into a bird

"You gotta know that there's an art to it, Ezra," Hitch said, cutting another piece of duct tape.
The sleeves of his weather-beaten coat were shoved all the way up his arms, to stop the fabric from falling over his knuckles while he was working, and goosebumps lined his skin. He was strapping a rubber chicken to the back of his truck, over the lens of the shattered backup camera, with the legs pointing down so that they hung a couple inches above the ground. There were dents in the hood from the crash last week, and scratches along the door from scraping into a curb. The chicken, hopefully, would keep him from breaking anything else.
"You can't go cheap," Hitch said. "The cheap rubber chickens only make noise when pressure lets go. That's no good. As soon as I back up into something, I want this chicken to be screaming like it’s in the depths of hell."
“Sure thing,” I said in a monotone, leaning against the side of the truck.
There were scrambled electronic parts piled in the back of the truck, the innards of a radio, a broken computer, tangled wires, a couple loose pairs of earbuds. He found the parts in alleyways or bummed them off his friends for a couple bucks or stole them from the vacation homes that were left empty for most of the year. Then he sold them for a profit at the scrapyard. Hitch had bounced between minimum-wage jobs for a while after high school, spending a couple months as a bagger at the grocery store or as a seasonal worker at the farm two hours down the highway. He'd never stuck with it. At the very least, the scrapyard got him enough money to eat and occasionally spend a night in a motel when he got tired of sleeping in his car.
Hitch pressed the last piece of tape in place and grinned up at me. "I've got something for you, duck."
The nickname came from when I’d broken my leg as a child and waddled around in a cast until it was healed. I hated it with a burning passion, and I glared at Hitch with the ease of twenty-one years of practice. He had a duck tattoo at the base of his thumb that he’d gotten in a back-alley shop as a teenager. He said that he’d gotten it to remind him of me, and the fact that I hated the nickname was just a bonus. It was shaky-lined, with an uneven face, but he loved it anyway.
The handle stuck when Hitch tried to open the door, a consequence of the rust collecting in the crevices of the car and running down the sides like blood from a cut. The car groaned when the door finally popped open, a metal against metal screech that had me flinching away. Hitch dug through the cluttered fast food containers in the passenger-side footwell, eventually coming up with a crinkly paper bag. He waved away the flies buzzing around the opening of the bag and held it out to me.
The last time Hitch had brought me food, I’d gotten food poisoning because he’d left it out in the midday sun for two days. The donut was squished slightly, and the icing was stuck to the bag. I still ate it, grimacing at the harsh citrus flavor. Taking Hitch’s food was an instinct engraved from the days when Dad had given us a can of kidney beans for dinner and Hitch had drank the juice, leaving the beans for me.
I rarely went hungry anymore, three mostly square meals a day and granola in my pockets just in case, but habits didn’t die easy.
These days, Hitch only brought me food when he wanted my help, like when he saw a place he wanted to hit but was worried about doing it alone.
I got in the car, like I always did.
We drove past the cluster of seafood-themed restaurants with chipped paint decks, the beachfront park where there were always shifty-eyed men sitting under the slide, the single room library where all the books had been water damaged in the flood last year. The change was quick as we drove across Main Street, heading closer to the beach. The roads were freshly paved, the concrete a smooth black except where the sun had already started to pick away at it. The three-story homes lining the sides of the street were crouched on elegant stilts, with space underneath for a car or three. Most of the garages were empty, with the lights off and curtains drawn in the house. Come summer, the streets would be swarming with tourists and vacationers, but until then, most of the buildings nearest to the beach were unoccupied.
Hitch stopped as the sun started to go down at a house that was leaning precariously out towards the beach, tilted ever so slightly, the edge of its foundation buried in the shifting sand of the beach. It certainly looked deserted, with an overgrown yard and blue paint peeling off the door in sheets.
Hitch took his hammer out of the backseat, hoisting it over his shoulder. It was two feet of solid metal with rags wrapped around the head to muffle the sound of the hits. Hitch squared up, bending his knees and holding the hammer like a baseball bat. Before he could swing, though, the door creaked open on its own, the hinges squeaking. The house beyond was dark enough that I could only make out general shapes, glimpsing the curve of a sofa to the left, what was maybe the shimmer of a chandelier on the other side.
Hitch lowered his hammer, looking vaguely disappointed that he didn’t get to use it. “That’s…weird as hell.”
“Maybe the deadbolt broke, maybe they forgot to lock it, it doesn’t matter,” I hissed, checking our surroundings for other people again. “Just hurry up and get inside before someone calls the cops.”
Hitch flicked the lightswitch on the wall, and the lights flickered on. They were dim, buzzing audibly and blinking off occasionally. The walls were plastered with contrasting swatches of wallpaper and splattered with random colors. There was neon orange behind the dining table, a galaxy swirl in the kitchen, and on the ceiling there was a repeating floral pattern covered in nametag stickers. Each of the stickers was filled out with The Erlking. Chandeliers hung in every room, three or four for each, and rubber ducks sat on every table. A miniature carousel sat in the corner along with a towering model rocket.
Sand was heaped on every surface, at least a couple inches everywhere. It was piled in the corners and stuck to the walls, and it covered the floor in a thick blanket. Our hesitant steps into the house left footprints clearly outlined in the sand.
Hitch took a cursory look around and headed immediately for the TV mounted on the wall. “Look out the windows and tell me if anyone is coming.”
I shook the sand out of the blinds and pulled them open, then had to brush sand off of the window before I could see anything.
Hitch was quick, practiced at finding and appropriating the things that were worth taking. He came back to me with an armful of electronics and chandeliers, dumping it at my feet before turning to head deeper into the house again.
There was a thump, somewhere upstairs, and then footsteps, slow and deliberate. Hitch froze at the threshold of the room, then ran for the door with me just ahead of him, sand flying out from under our feet.
My hand was almost brushing the doorknob, close enough that I could see the light from the streetlamp outside streaming in through the cracks in the door. My fingers touched the wood and it gave under my touch, becoming malleable and warm. I yelped, stumbling backwards, and the door started to melt. The paint ran down in thick drops, pooling at the bottom of the door, and the wood warped like metal being welded. The soft edges of the door ran into the walls until there was no sign of an exit ever being there.
“Well, well, well,” said a cultured voice with just an edge of snooty elitism. “What do we have here?”
The man was well over eight feet tall, with long black hair covering his eyes. He was wearing a yellow raincoat with holes cut out of the hood to accommodate the deer antlers jutting upwards from his head. There was sand settled on his shoulders and hovering around his head like a halo.
“Who the fuck are you?” Hitch said, inching towards a window.
He smiled, just a little bit, and his teeth shone in the dim light. “I am the Erlking.”
Hitch nodded, and seemed about to respond. I grabbed him by the hand and pulled him towards the window. I could feel sand in the wind roaring against my back as the Erlking growled in anger, the grains scraping harshly against my cheeks.
We were almost to the window when Hitch was ripped away from me, and I came to a startled halt. The sand had formed long grasping arms that pressed Hitch against the floral wallpaper. His wrists were held tight, and as I watched, a sandy hand wrapped around his mouth and forced its way between his teeth. He gagged, and sand trickled out of the corners of his mouth.
The Erlking strolled towards him, not seeming to be in any sort of rush. “You know, I’m not very fond of your yapping.”
He made an idle gesture and the sand wrapped around my ankles, tethering me in place.
“I yap all the time,” Hitch said. “Three-time olympic yapper, that’s me. Best to just let me go now and save yourself some trouble.”
The Erlking tapped a manicured nail against Hitch’s mouth, hard enough to hurt, judging by the way he flinched away. “But why would I ever let you go when I’ve gone to this much trouble to catch you and your sister? It’s so hard, these days, to find people that no one will miss.”
Hitch struggled against the sand, trying to escape and failing. “What do you want with us, then? You just said it, we’re nobody.”
“I’m fae, dear one,” the Erlking said. “I get my power from my followers. And I think that you two will make lovely additions to my flock.”

He flicked Hitch's nose and Hitch gasped. Feathers started to form on his arms, popping out from under his skin in a spray of blood.
Hitch pushed off the wall, using his bound hands as a fulcrum, and his knees crashed into the Erlking’s stomach. The Erlking fell backwards, wheezing, and the sand around my ankles loosened.
Hitch made desperate eye contact with me as feathers shot up his neck and jerked his head towards the window. The message was obvious. Run.
The last thing I saw before crashing out the window and into freedom was Hitch’s body twisting, his arms wrenching into wings and feathers covering every inch of his skin. By the time I landed on the concrete outside, he was a small black bird, held tightly in the Erlking’s hands. The whole building was sinking into the ground, burnished-gold sand piling up over top and streaming from the windows.
Thirty years later, I saw Sam’s Supernatural Consultation and Neutralization written in neat, looping handwriting on a piece of paper taped to the door. The tape was peeling at the corners and the paper was yellowed with age, but there was obviously care put into the sign, in its perfectly centered text and looping floral designs drawn over the edges in gold marker.
I knocked, hesitantly, drawing my woolen coat closer around my shoulders. I’d bought it as a fiftieth birthday gift for myself, and I took comfort in the heavy weight of it over my shoulders.
“Coming!” someone called from within the depths of the office.
There were a couple crashes, and the sound of paper shuffling. Eventually, the door was opened by a young woman with ketchup stains on her shirt and pencils stuck through her hair.
“Hi, I’m Sam, I specialize in supernatural consultation and hunting, how may I help you today?” Sam said, customer-service pep in her voice. She stood in the doorway, solidly blocking entry into the office.
“My name is Ezra, I’m for a consultation. I emailed you but you didn’t respond?” I shifted in place, suddenly feeling awkward.
“Oh! Yeah, I lost the password for the email ages ago. Sorry for the bad welcome, I get lots of people thinking I’m crazy or pulling a prank and harassing me.”
She ushered me into the office, clearing papers off one of the chairs to make room for me to sit down. There was a collection of swords along one wall, all of them polished to perfection, several with deep knicks in the metal which indicated that they’d been used heavily.
“So what can I help you with?” Sam asked again, more sincere this time.
“Thirty years ago, my brother was turned into a bird,” I started. I’d told this story so many times that it barely felt ridiculous to say anymore. I was used to the disbelieving looks, the careful pity. But Sam just nodded along, face open and welcoming.
“I’ve almost given up on finding him, at this point,” I said. “But I saw your ad in the newspaper, and…here I am, I suppose.”
“Here you are,” Sam echoed, smiling. She pulled one of the pencils out of her hair and took a bit of paperwork off of one of her stacks, turning it over so that the blank side sat neatly in front of her. “Tell me everything.”
I told Sam everything, and she wrote it all down, pencil scratching along the paper.
The last part of the story was always the hardest to tell. “I left him there. I ran and I didn’t look back.”
I had been to dozens of detectives and investigators over the years, once the police had dropped Hitch’s case. I’d been to professional offices with smartly-dressed secretaries and met scraggly men in coffee shops. All of them had given me the same look, pity and annoyance all mixed up into a humor-the-crazy-lady soup. Sam, though, just seemed thoughtful.
Sam leaned forward and put a hand over mine, carefully, like she thought that I would pull away. “Sometimes you have to leave people behind.”
I tightened her hold on Sam’s hand and drew it towards me, like I could make Sam listen if only I squeezed tight enough. “But that’s why I’m here. I don’t want to leave him behind.”
“Okay then. I’ll do my best to help you.” Sam agreed, finally. Then she paused, and said softly, “You know…I think I met your brother once. He might have saved my life. He’s certainly why I started in this business.”
“Really? What happened?” I asked.
This is the story that Sam told me, related to the best of my abilities:
It was a new moon, so the only illumination came from the stars gazing idly down and distant porch lights shining across the scraggly brush of the dunes. Sam’s neighbors were decent people who cared about baby turtles, so the lights were a low, unobtrusive red, and the ocean sloshed like blood. Sam walked on the beach almost every night, drawing back the gauzy pink curtains and clambering out her bedroom window. She didn’t often bother to be quiet; her mama worked the late shift and came home exhausted. As long as Sam got home before the sun, her mama would never find out that she paced the shoreline and dreamed of inhaling sand until her lungs became their own beach.
The sky was lightening. The sun would come up soon, and that meant Sam’s time on the beach was over. She needed to get back to her real life, go to her fifth grade class and stop that nonsense, as her mother would say. Her mother loved to say things like that, pushing Sam into her proper place by implication alone.
“She’s a good kid, of course, but she’s a bit…” Her mother would trail off there, usually getting a commiserating expression from whoever she was talking to. Sam always wondered how that sentence would have finished. She’s a bit strange, maybe. She’s a bit intense. She’s a bit abrasive. She’s quiet enough but when Jason tried to steal her pencil in math class, she stabbed him in the hand so hard that the lead tattooed him.
Her mother was better, for the most part. The days of her stocking up the fridge, and leaving a post-it note on the counter, and leaving for days at a time were gone. But Sam still stepped around the place on the kitchen tile where her mother had collapsed and caved her head in, even though the bloodstains had been replaced with new tile.
“Your auntie got an abortion, you know,” her mother had said from her place on the couch, slurring her words. “Pill in the mail and then bam, no more baby.”
She had clapped her hands together to illustrate her point. Her mother jerked forward and grabbed Sam by the wrist, then, staring up at her until Sam met her eyes.
“I love you, you know? But sometimes I wonder…” She settled back onto the couch. “Yeah. I wonder.”
She’d gotten up, then, back to the kitchen. She’d been stumbling, a shambling zombie of a woman. The ground in the entryway of the kitchen was raised, ever so slightly, and her mother went down hard. Her head cracked against the tile, chin first, and she didn’t move.
Sam had been the one to call the ambulance. She had stared at the scattering of loose teeth on the ground while she waited, and considered what her life would be like with a dead mom. Not so bad, she thought, and immediately felt guilty for it.
Her mom was better, now, for the most part. But Sam still stepped around the place on the kitchen floor where she had collapsed. There was still a matchbox hidden under her bed with the gleaming shine of her mother’s lost teeth, two canines and a molar. It was nice, having a piece of her mom to keep. Even if she left again, Sam would still have part of her.
Sam sighed, and turned away from the ocean. As she faced towards the low dunes further up the beach, she saw a sandcastle sitting nestled among them. It was such a strange sight that her eyes skipped over it at first, almost automatically, disregarding it because it was so out of place.
Sam found sandcastles out on the beach sometimes, usually half-collapsed and on the verge of being washed away by the waves, but she had never seen anything like the sandcastle in front of her. It was life-sized, something that wouldn’t have looked out of place in the Scottish highlands, with spires shooting up above her head and carefully etched out bricks lining each side. The front wall was dominated by an arched set of double doors, twice her height, with a portcullis nestled at the top, ready to be dropped. All of it was lovingly detailed, down to the rust on the tips of the towers and the wood grain of the door. It was made out of wet, densely-packed sand, held together impossibly. It had not been there two hours ago, when she had come to the beach.
There was a bird sitting on the overhang of the door, small and black.
As soon as she took a step towards the sandcastle, the bird shook out its feathers and swooped down towards Sam, landing at her feet with a little stumble.
“Hey, kid, get out of here,” said the bird.
Sam closed her eyes, very deliberately. When she opened them, the bird was still there. Sam considered herself a very reasonable person, so she immediately drew the most logical conclusion. The bird was, she was almost certain, a demon.
“Trust me, you don’t want to run into Mr. Salty, the queen bitch himself,” the bird said.
“Mr. Salty?” Sam inquired, polite as she knew how to be. She edged to the side, trying to get a good angle to kick the bird like a soccer ball.
The bird did something similar to a wince, all its feathers fluffing up then settling back down. “Ah, don’t call him that. He’d turn you into a toad.”
The bird gestured with its head, towards the looming sand structure. “That’s his castle. He’s in there, probably scuttling along the ceiling or some shit because that’s the sort of weirdo he is.”
Sam nodded, encouraging. She pulled back her foot and lined up her shot, the way she’d seen athletes do on TV. She aimed right for its sharp beak and let loose. The bird saw it coming, its beady eyes widening, and it cawed in distress. It flapped away, avoiding her kick only to fall backward into the sand in a scramble of wings.
“What’s your fucking problem?” it squawked. “I was trying to help you!”
“I don’t need the help of a demon,” Sam yelled, trying to remember the exorcism that her mama had taught her once, because her mama believed in being prepared for anything.
“I’m not a demon,” the bird said indignantly.
It was at about that moment that Sam gave up and just decided to roll with it.
“What are you, then?” Sam asked.
The bird shuffled its clawed feet, looking about as awkward as it could, given that it didn’t really have recognizable facial expressions. “Technically I’m a familiar of the Erlking, prince of the fae, but I prefer to be called Hitch.”
“You can’t blame me for assuming, though,” Sam said. “Ravens do tend to be associated with murder.”
“Hey, excuse you,” Hitch said. “I’m a rook, not a raven. Ravens are way bigger.”
“Sure,” Sam said, not really paying attention. Her eyes had caught on the details of the sandcastle, and she was transfixed by the slow spirals of the sand, the strange beauty of it. She found herself stepping towards the great doors, lifting a hand to knock, and as she did, the sand warped in front of her eyes, heaving itself towards her with bulging slowness. The door creaked open before her, revealing a vast, empty room. Just before she stepped inside, she felt a piercing pain in her foot, and she yelped, leaping backwards.
Hitch pecked her again, really digging his beak in. “Don’t be an idiot.”
Sam glared at him, rubbing her foot. About to retort, she finally really took in the room inside the sandcastle, and her words died in her throat.
There was a body just past the threshold of the door, face down and limbs hanging limp at its sides. Long hair splayed out in a halo around its head.
“Don’t,” Hitch warned, suddenly serious. “Just leave, kid, I mean it. I’ve seen too many people go down this road and you don’t want to be one of them.”
Sam ignored him. She made her way across the beach, slipping with every step. The sand felt deeper, piling up around her feet in silent drifts. She picked up the nearest stick and poked the body with it through the door, ready to leap back if anything went wrong, staying firmly outside of the sandcastle.
This close, Sam could tell that it used to be a woman. Her head wasn’t attached to her body. It hadn’t been a clean amputation, either. Her upper body was bruised, with chunks taken out of it, and the bones in her neck hung mangled, not connected to anything.
“Well, I warned you,” Hitch said, defeated. “I did warn you.”
Sam nudged the head with the end of the stick, nudging it over so that she could see the face. Her mother stared back at her, torn to pieces, breath still wheezing from her lungs. She wasn’t blinking, just gazing forward with glazed eyes. Sweat dripped down from her hairline.
Sam screamed and dropped the stick, tripping over herself in her haste to get away.
Her mother’s eyes were wide and pleading, and she was mouthing desperate words at Sam. Her vocal cords were broken to bits, and the only sound that came out was a strained groan.
The head rolled, inching closer to Sam like a grotesque caterpillar.
Her mother gasped for air, torn lips fluttering. Finally, comprehensible words came out. “Help. Help me, daughter.”
“That’s not your mother,” Hitch said, quiet.
Sam knew that. Her mother was sleeping back at home, and anyways her mom had never asked for her help. She had an aversion to accepting charity, as she put it.
“Okay,” Sam said, shaking all over. “Okay.”
She backed away from the sandcastle, not looking away.
“Failure,” her mother hissed as she stepped away. “I never wanted a daughter like you.”
The sun came up over the horizon. The sandcastle, Hitch, and her mom all disintegrated into sand as the light hit them.
The beach, the next night, was almost exactly how I remembered it. The beams of our flashlights sent light bouncing across the dunes, illuminating the waves, and I imagined faces in the foam of the waves.
“I’ve been back here a hundred times. There’s nothing left,” I said.
Sam took the car key out of her purse and pointed it at the sand, adjusting the sword slung over her shoulder in order to do it. The key had belonged to Hitch; Sam had requested an item of his, and it was the only thing I had left. She rested the key on the sand and drew a circle around it, inscribing symbols around the borders.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
Sam shrugged. “Not much, really. I’m…I guess you could say that I’m knocking.”
The key laid inert on the sand for long enough that I was just about to give up and go home, admit to myself that Hitch was dead and that I was a fool to believe that Sam could actually help me. Then a building started to take shape, flickering in and out like it was struggling to get away. With a pop of displaced air, the sandcastle settled into existence.
Sam banged on the entryway. Nothing happened. She did it again, harder, and scowled when the door still didn’t open.
“We demand entrance, under your honor,” Sam yelled. There was a hard rush of wind, and I gripped Sam’s arm to keep my balance, but the doors cracked open reluctantly.
The inside of the sandcastle consisted of one enormous hall, the roof arching up out of sight. Rafters crisscrossed from wall to wall, and a cobbled path led further into the building, but other than that, it was completely empty, except for the birds. There were thousands of them, perched on the rafters or hopping along the ground. They parted in front of Sam and I, and reformed behind us, leaving us in a small pocket of open space. They were all black-feathered, with sharp beaks and beady eyes.
The Erlking sat on a throne at the end of the hall, lounging across it with his feet up on the armrest. He watched them as they came forward, the soft caw of the birds the only sound.
“I am here to bargain for the life of my brother,” I said, with as much dignity as I could muster, before the Erlking could say anything.
The Erlking ignored her, tilting his head to look at Sam. “I remember you. I almost got you, once.”

Sam glared at him but didn’t respond.
“You want your brother,” The Erlking said to me, and he almost sounded amused. “Then go get him.”
As if by some sort of silent signal, every bird in the room took flight at once, and their cawing made me think of screams. I covered my head against the flapping of their wings, and my vision was quickly obscured by the chaotic movement of them. I found myself on my knees, just trying to escape them.
A hand met my shoulder. Sam urged me to my feet, and together we ran for the edge of the room, where the swarm was the thinnest. We pressed ourselves into the corner and the swarm spiraled tighter and tighter at the center of the room. It went on until there seemed to be no differentiation between the birds, all of them fused together into one creature.
When the chaos died down, the birds had become one mass, with wings and eyes and talons sticking out of its flesh, thrashing and chirping. Human body parts stuck out of it, bulging out from the feathers. It was hands, mostly, with a couple knees or staring eyes. The bird amalgamation had no recognizable facial features, but there was one long beak extending from the front of its head. Most of the body parts were concentrated around the beak, and they peeked out from where the beak connected with muscle, or grew from the tongue, nestled between the two crushing halves of the beak.
It turned its beak down and crawled forward, using the hands to balance. The fingers scrambled over the ground. I was afraid of centipedes as a child, and I felt that same crawling dread when it started moving.
“Holy shit,” Sam whispered, which was rather disappointing, because I had been hoping that at least one of us knew what to do.
The creature turned, a lurching movement that crushed some of the hands underneath it, and started heaving itself slowly towards our corner.
“Better hurry up!” the Erlking called from his throne.
It was blocking the exit, by then. The shifting body of it had moved to block us off. It ambled towards us and I tried to sink further into the corner.
As it approached, getting close enough that I could smell the stink of it, I saw a flash of a tattoo on one of the hands. I leaned in, trying to find it again, like looking for dolphins surfacing in the ocean. And again, I caught a glimpse of a duck tattoo, the tattoo that Hitch had gotten on his hand as a teenager.
I ripped away from Sam’s death grip and ran for the monster.
I fell to my knees in front of it, wincing as I impacted the ground, and reached into the nest of hands. I could feel them tearing at my forearms and ripping into me with their sharp nails, but I kept going. I pressed further in, up to my shoulder in a writhing mass of limbs, aiming for the spot where I had last seen that tattoo.
The hands were tugging at me, wrapping around my back and hair. They were pulling together, trying to draw me completely into the mass of them. I was aware of Sam at my side, anchoring me in place and bashing any hand that got too close with her sword or the sparks that leapt from her hands with muttered words. But I didn’t think it would be enough. They were too strong, and there were too many of them.
I was up to my waist in the hands when something grabbed my palm. I felt the way it clung to me, and the calluses on its palm, and I knew that I had found my brother.
I flung herself back. The hands didn’t want to let me go, and they fought the whole way, but slowly, I made progress. I kept hold of Hitch’s hand in mine the whole time, gripping it as hard as I could. I finally broke free, Hitch with me, and Sam was immediately charging the creature, able to use her sword with much greater strength without being worried about injuring Hitch. She swung it forward, and it sliced through the wrist of one of the hands. It fell without a sound, red sand flowing out of it. It deflated until it looked like dirty laundry, just a piece of limp flesh. The creature shrieked, scuttling away enough that the door was finally accessible. The three of us ran for it, Sam and I supporting Hitch between us.
I looked back as I left and found the Erlking staring right at me.
“Interesting,” he murmured, his voice carrying impossibly across the vast space between us.
The sandcastle collapsed behind us, the great walls falling in on themselves. We were out in the morning sun, the sandcastle disappearing as we watched. Hitch was on the ground in front of me, as young as he’d been thirty years ago, when he was captured. He started laughing, feathers puffing out of his mouth. He laughed until he cried and I hugged him in the way that he’d held me when I was young, in the times when my life had been defined by hunger and fear.
Hitch left, afterwards. He scratched at the pinhole scars covering his body, where feathers burst through his skin, and pulled his long sleeves down around his wrists. He didn’t know where he was going but he told me that he needed time
I had spent thirty years worth of time without him. I wanted to grab my brother by the shoulders and beg him to stay. But he flinched when I hugged him goodbye and he refused to go near sand and he stared distrustfully at the birds chirping in the trees. Hitch needed to go away and I loved him too much to stop him.
I sat out on the beach every morning. I felt the sun on my face and I waited for Hitch to come home.
submitted by Mantis_Shrimp47 to nosleep [link] [comments]

2024.05.19 05:32 Suspicious-Laugh3896 How do I change this?

How do I change this?
Hi! I’m editing a friend’s website and there’s this white dome/curve that I can’t figure out. I can’t select it, haven’t found a way to remove it either. In the editor I was able to change its color black (as you can see in picture two) by going to Site design > Change theme (to a dark palette) > Side background > Color (to a dark color). Now it stays black in the editor, but when I visit the site’s link the dome/curve is still white (in picture one). What can be done about this?
submitted by Suspicious-Laugh3896 to WixHelp [link] [comments]

2024.05.19 03:03 Capital_Promise8420 [M 4 anyone playing female] looking for some long term partners

Hiya! I’m Jude (FTM) I’m happily partnered, a elder millennial , and a long time role player. I just purchased a used bookstore/coffee shop that I run in the cozy Pacific Northwest, but am mostly available daily to rp.
I wrote in third person past tense, I’m a literate multiple para to novella style writer. If there are action or dialogue heavy scenes, I tend to do a shorter back and forth and honestly quality over quantity is more important to me.
I only do M x F (with me in the male role) I don’t double, but I’m more than happy to write side characters of either gender to help move the story along. I prefer to use discord but can use Reddit chat if it’s a deal breaker.
I'm really hoping to find a partnership/ friendship , someone who can add to our story, and most importantly, someone who wants a long-term connection. I love chatting ooc with my partners, love gushing about our characters, setting up mood boards, sound tracks, etc. I’m also good for a kitty picture or two I own four of them!
I have a list of tropes, genres, themes and plots that would be happy to send. I’m also fine with trading writing samples as well but it isn’t a must.
I am fine with writing about anything except for high fantasy. I have a fondness for the supernatural, paranormal, mysteries, thrillers, even a bit of horror however I like all my stories to have romance. Dark Forrest’s, small spooky towns, werewolves, cults, things that go bump in the night, modern tellings of fairytales are my kind of vibe.
I’d love to hear from you, drop me a note, chat or private message.
submitted by Capital_Promise8420 to RoleplayPartnerSearch [link] [comments]

2024.05.18 18:54 esva_fashion Exploring the World of Western Party Dresses for Women

Exploring the World of Western Party Dresses for Women
When it comes to dressing up for a party, finding the perfect outfit can make all the difference. Western party dresses for women offer a range of stylish options that can make you stand out at any event. Whether you’re attending a formal gala, a casual gathering, or a fun night out, there’s a western party dress that will suit your style and the occasion. In this guide, we’ll explore different types of western party dresses, tips for choosing the right one, and how to accessorize to complete your look.
https://preview.redd.it/xxoerp6dt71d1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=43326215f662977c5b079bf28c104472b7ef5e63

Understanding Western Party Dresses

Western party dresses come in various styles, each bringing a unique flair to your wardrobe. Here are some popular types:
  1. Cocktail Dresses
Cocktail dresses are perfect for semi-formal events. They usually fall just above or below the knee and come in a variety of designs, from simple and sleek to elaborate and embellished. Look for dresses with unique necklines, interesting textures, and vibrant colors to make a statement.
  1. Maxi Dresses
Maxi dresses are long, flowing gowns that exude elegance and grace. They are ideal for formal parties or outdoor events. Floral prints, bold patterns, and solid colors are all popular choices. A maxi dress with a high slit or a low back can add a touch of sophistication and glamour.
  1. Little Black Dress (LBD)
The little black dress is a timeless classic that can be dressed up or down for any occasion. It’s versatile, flattering, and a staple in every woman’s closet. Choose an LBD with interesting details like lace, sequins, or ruffles to add a modern twist.
  1. Bodycon Dresses
Bodycon dresses are form-fitting and highlight your curves. They are great for parties where you want to make a bold statement. These dresses often come in stretchy fabrics that hug your body, ensuring a snug fit. Look for bodycon dresses with ruching or cut-out details for added interest.
  1. A-Line Dresses
A-line dresses are fitted at the top and flare out from the waist, creating a flattering silhouette for all body types. They are perfect for any party, offering both comfort and style. A-line dresses come in various lengths and fabrics, making them suitable for both casual and formal events.

Choosing the Right Dress for the Occasion

When selecting a western party dress, it’s important to consider the type of event you’re attending. Here are some tips to help you choose the right dress:
  1. Formal Events
For formal parties, such as galas or weddings, opt for elegant maxi dresses or sophisticated cocktail dresses. Rich fabrics like satin, silk, and chiffon are ideal. Consider dresses with embellishments like beads, sequins, or embroidery to add a touch of glamour.
  1. Casual Gatherings
For more casual parties, such as a friend’s birthday or a backyard barbecue, you can go for a more relaxed look. A-line dresses, sundresses, or simple bodycon dresses in comfortable fabrics like cotton or jersey are great choices.
  1. Themed Parties
If you’re attending a themed party, make sure your dress fits the theme. Western-themed parties might call for dresses with fringe, cowboy boots, and hats. For a 1920s-themed event, consider a flapper dress with fringe and pearls.

Accessorizing Your Western Party Dress

Accessories can make or break your outfit. Here are some tips for accessorizing your western party dress:
  1. Shoes
Choose shoes that complement your dress and the occasion. For formal events, heels or elegant flats are a good choice. For casual parties, you might opt for sandals, wedges, or even stylish sneakers.
  1. Jewelry
Your jewelry should enhance your dress without overpowering it. For a minimalist look, go for delicate pieces like stud earrings and a simple necklace. If your dress is more understated, feel free to wear bolder jewelry like statement necklaces or chandelier earrings.
  1. Bags
Your bag should be both stylish and practical. Clutches or small handbags are perfect for formal events. For casual parties, a trendy crossbody bag or a small shoulder bag will work well.
  1. Hats
If you’re attending a western-themed party, a stylish hat can add an extra touch of authenticity to your outfit. Choose a hat that matches the color and style of your dress.
  1. Belts
A belt can help define your waist and add interest to your dress. Wide belts look great with A-line dresses, while thin belts can be paired with bodycon dresses to accentuate your figure.
FAQ

1. What is the best dress style for a formal party?

For formal parties, elegant maxi dresses or sophisticated cocktail dresses are ideal. Look for rich fabrics like satin, silk, and chiffon, and consider dresses with embellishments like beads, sequins, or embroidery.

2. How can I accessorize a little black dress?

A little black dress can be accessorized with statement jewelry, such as a bold necklace or chandelier earrings. Pair it with elegant heels and a stylish clutch for a polished look.

3. What type of dress is best for a casual gathering?

For casual gatherings, opt for relaxed styles like A-line dresses, sundresses, or simple bodycon dresses in comfortable fabrics like cotton or jersey.

4. How do I choose the right size when shopping online?

To choose the right size, know your measurements (bust, waist, hip, and inseam) and compare them to the size chart provided by the retailer. Reading customer reviews can also provide insights into how the dress fits.

5. Can I wear a western party dress to a themed party?

Absolutely! For a western-themed party, look for dresses with fringe, cowboy boots, and hats. For other themed parties, choose a dress that matches the theme, like a flapper dress for a 1920s event.

6. What shoes should I wear with a maxi dress?

For a maxi dress, heels or elegant flats are suitable for formal events, while sandals or wedges are great for more casual settings.

Conclusion

Western party dresses for women offer a wide array of options to suit any event, from formal gatherings to casual get-togethers. By understanding the different styles available and knowing how to accessorize, you can create a stunning look that reflects your personal style. Remember to choose a dress that makes you feel confident and comfortable, and you’ll be ready to shine at any party.
Whether you prefer the timeless elegance of a little black dress, the romantic flow of a maxi dress, or the bold statement of a bodycon dress, there’s a western party dress out there for you. Happy shopping and enjoy your next party in style!
submitted by esva_fashion to u/esva_fashion [link] [comments]

2024.05.18 15:04 PrincipleOtherwise70 [Kings Dominion + Busch Gardens] in one day! Trip review

Hello! Just wanted to share my fantastic experience yesterday going to both Kings dominion and Busch gardens all in the same day. I currently live in VA, but one of my best friends who is also a theme park person like me drove from GA to see me so we planned an action packed itinerary for the weekend. KD and BG for one day, and then Hershey Park for the next day. He’s never been to any of these parks so I get to be his guide :)
Anyways on to day 1. We started at Kings Dominion. Going in we knew we wouldn’t be getting on literally every single ride. I wanted to hit the highlights so we could have time to then drive to BG (1.5 hours away) and hit highlights there. So we get to KD around 11. It’s Friday so even though people are in school LOTS of band camps and choir programs were attending. The crowds weren’t crazy crazy but the operations were a little slow. Not horrible horrible but not great either. Here are the rides we did:
Flight of fear: to start the day we went to flight of fear. The line wasn’t ‘long’ but the way they had the attendant set up they were only letting a certain amount of people in the main queue at a time so it was moving very slow. The ride itself was fun! I always enjoy FOF even though it isn’t the best in the park it’s still has a fun launch that has a nice kick. Very disorienting in the dark
Project 305: this was the obvious next ride and I was excited for my friend to experience this. Line wasn’t long so that was a plus. The ride was running WONDERFULLY. While I always liked I305 it has lowered in my personal rankings just because the G forces take a toll on me after repeated rides, so it’s not super re rideable IMO. BUT today it was running probably better than I’ve ever experienced it in the past. Super intense still greyed out but what a fantastic creation!
Twisted Timbers: I always juggle between this and 305 as my favorites in the park with TT typically beating out 305 for the already mentioned reasons + it’s such a kick ass ride. Anyways the line was a little long for this and there was a breakdown but we stayed in line and they got it back running albeit they took a train off and were doing 1 train ops. As usual the ride is just fantastic. The triple camel backs are just so amazing!
Grizzly: I hadn’t yet experienced the retrack so I was looking forward to this. They were running one train but the line was getting full so they shut down temporarily to add the second. I enjoyed the ride and can say it is running really good. It runs like a smooth wooden coaster ! Not jack hammery at all. Lot of laterals. A couple good airtime pops. The layout is outclassed by other good coasters in the park but I thought it was very fun.
Dominator: best ops were with dominator they were flying with dispatches. Dominator was running GREAT! It always runs good, but I felt it was running better than I had noticed. I would say Dom is a little underrated no one ever talks about it but it’s a very solid addition to KD rounding out their top 3. Forceful layout.
All in all every coaster was running fantastically so kudos to maintenance team.
It was 3:00 After we got off Dominator so we headed to Busch Gardens to finish the day. There was a big difference in crowd levels between BG and KD. Busch felt almost empty. So I knew we were going to get a good amount of rides in. Here’s what we did.
Pantheon (2x): Rode once we got there and then circled back for a dusk ride. Pantheon is THE BEST roller coaster in VA and I have to state that very plainly because it just is. Coaster enthusiasts almost under rate pantheon because they keep trying to compare it to VC and I would encourage people to stop doing that to really appreciate this gem of a roller coaster. I love the back for the spike, but I actually think this is a front row ride for everything else. You’re cresting the top of the larger elements (top hat and outer bank hill) a little faster in the front as the rest of the train catches up so I would argue you get better airtime up front on those. But you really cannot go wrong seating wise you yanked backwards over that bunny hill and it’s just insane every single time, it does not get old. The inverted stall on this is incredible. The length of hang time on this is fantastic and the speed it’s taken at is perfect.
Apollos Chariot: Honest was running better this year compared to last year. Got some pretty good airtime and forces in the back. This ride I typically skip just because it’s a little tame to me, but it felt more intense this year. Running really well.
Verbolten: love this ride. For the life of me I don’t really understand why they ever added DarKoaster when this accomplishes everything that DarKoaster does just better…much better.
Invadr: a quick but punchy little GCI. I enjoy this ride and it’s worth it when the line is short.
Griffon: Man this is such a fantastic ride. The view at the top where you see all of the James river is one of the best views I’ve ever seen. Coaster enthusiasts complain about dive coasters a little too much about the one trick pony thing but this ‘one trick’ does not get old. That drop is immaculate. Every time. My second favorite in the park.
Loch Ness: I typically skip this one, but since they did a revamp I tried it. I was very impressed they did a really good job thematically. Especially in the tunnel. To me this ride wasn’t really rough before and it’s not rough now. A little jerk here or there on the loop transitions. In the back car you get ejected out your seat because of the constant radius curve of the descents I love it! I was very pleasantly surprised with this one and I’m glad I decided to ride it.
TLDR: great day going to two parks in one day. All the rides in both parks were running very well. Pantheon is Virginia’s best roller coaster.
submitted by PrincipleOtherwise70 to rollercoasters [link] [comments]

2024.05.18 07:57 Curious_Kitty1234 ABYG for telling my bff "Hindi ka naman ikakasal."

Hi, Me (F28) and my partner (M30) recently got engaged after less than a year of dating. I was single for a few years after I broke up with my first ex-boyfriend so my bestfriend (F28) was really ecstatic when I finally got engaged. For context, my best friend and I have known each other since highschool and we never cut contact.
I've decided to make her my maid of honor because I don't think there's another person who's suited for that role other than her. Everything was great not until a few days after the proposal.
She started asking me about what motif, theme and wedding gown I want to get. She knows that I've always loved the color combinations of beige and champagne or light earthy colors with white, yung mga aesthetic colors na nauuso ngayon. That's also the colors of my apartment because I like how elegant and clean it looks. Nagustuhan namin pareho ng partner ko yung beige and champagne color palette.
I told my bestfriend about it when she asked me and she said, "I want that motif for my wedding kaya maghanap ka ng iba." Then she sent me a bunch of wedding color palettes.
It was fine at first but I felt a bit off when I showed her what gown I wanted. She told me, "Bakit ganyan? Ibahin mo kasi ganyan ang off-shoulder na gusto ko para sa wedding gown ko." It was an off-shoulder A-line ivory gown with some embroidery on the chest part. I really like how the off-shoulder lace of the gown covers my arms, and it also have some embroidery. I like how elegant and modest it looks.
Hindi lang diyan natatapos ang kwento. She even decided not to get the gown from the rental shop we got and that is fine. Kaso she showed me what gown she wants and it almost looked like a ball gown and she decided her own color which is very different from the bridesmaids. I told her to keep it simple and not to over dress. But she just dismissed it and jokingly said, "Syempre kasal ng bestfriend ko kaya gusto ko maging extra!"
She asked me if I have found HMUA because she's planning to bring her own HMUA during the wedding. I showed her the makeup artist that I really wanted to hire. The next day, she told me that she might hire that HMUA on my wedding because she liked her works. So she politely asked me not to hire that HMUA.
She told me to get his boyfriend to be the best man because she doesn't want anyone to be her partner which I refused. Then she asked me if she can have her partner to seat on the presidential table with her. I flatly told her "no" again.
When she found out I am looking for a photobooth, she called it "old school", "outdated", "not aesthetic" and "not sikat". She even told me to get a perfume bar, a live band and organized an afterparty after the wedding. When I say afterparty, she meant a different venue and just us barkadas and the other young guests. She even went out to asked some suppliers and keep sending them to me even if I told her we are only having a simple wedding.
Next na nangyari, she overheard me and my partner talking about songs na gagamitin sa wedding. May specific na kantang nagustuhan ang partner ko para sa bridal march ko but I told him, "Uhm, let's pick another song."
Before he can ask why, my bestfriend came to me. Tinignan nya ako ng masama habang nakasimangot at sinabing, "Wag na wag mong gagamitin yang kanta na yan. I told you before diba na I want that song for my first dance at my wedding?"
I sighed and told her nonchalantly, "Hindi ka naman ikakasal."
She walked out on me but the next day, she acted like nothing happened.
For the record, my bestfriend is in a long-term relationship for 4 years but marriage is something they haven't really decided on. She complained to me before dahil nga daw parang wala syang balak pakasalan ng boyfriend nya. She asked him and the guy said na gusto naman daw syang pakasalan sa tamang panahon but in those 5 years, I've never seen him make an effort to take their relationship to the next level. Or it might be just me.
She actually told me about her dream fairytale wedding. Iyong mga ganoon sa fairytale na maraming flowers and ilaw na kumikinang. Yung mala-Crazy Rich Asians ang datingan which they can probably both can afford. She's the type of woman who wants grand big weddings whereas, I only wanted a practical simple wedding.
ABYG sa pagsasabi ng ganon sa bestfriend ko? May nagawa ba akong mali? Ayoko ng away and misunderstanding sa amin pero pakiramdam ko may nagawa akong masama.
submitted by Curious_Kitty1234 to AkoBaYungGago [link] [comments]

2024.05.18 04:30 AntiqueSea8948 INTACC & COSTACC pls pajudge po ng pagkatao ko jk

Hello po :( alam ko po paulit-ulit nalang ‘yung questions about sa grades at curving pero hindi ko na po talaga alam kung anong dapat kong mafeel.
Cost Acc was very frustrating. Simula Quiz 2 hanggang Quiz 3, hindi ako confident. Nahirapan ako nang sobra sa Quiz 3. 74 lang din ‘yung prelim grade ko. Though I made sure na okay ‘yung Quiz 4 ko, and so far I think maayos naman siya since nasagutan ko lahat nang maayos — mapa-theories and problems. Do you think, if magiging okay ‘yung kalalabasan ng final exams ko, that would be enough para ma-meet ko ‘yung cut off?
IntAcc naman, ewan ko. 60 lang ‘yung prelim grade ko, kahit aral na aral pa ako. Siguro every quizzes, nasa 2-3 items palagi ‘yung careless mistakes ko. Sakit. ‘Yung quiz 3 ko was my lowest. 50 lang, dahil sa 5 items na nagkamali ng numbering sa pagtransfer. Dinagdagan pa ng nakakapanlumong quiz 4. Hay hahaha pls, kaya pa po kaya ito ma-hila ng curve if ever maayos ang final exams ko?
submitted by AntiqueSea8948 to amvians [link] [comments]

2024.05.18 02:21 Cassius_Jah Be careful sa mga wealth-related humble brag posts ⚠️

Madami dyan sa mga wealth-related humble brag posts is nag lu-lure lang ng tao.
Mapapansin nyo masyadong constructed yung statements and replies nila. Yung tipong may theme and/or format na sinusundan.
Ang ending nyan either hihikayatin kayong sumali sa religious group nila, or sa motivational whatever seminar. Or worse, multi-level marketing. 😅
Yung mga scams na nasa ibang social media like Facebook nagkalat na dito. 😵
Naalala ko yung isang post dito niyayabang ng older na kapatid nya yung 6 digits na kita nya. Pero in reality malayong malayo sa figure na yun yung totoo... Napaisip tuloy ako, baka nagwowork sa mga motivational speaker seminar thinggies yung kuya nya at nang-eenganyo lang para may pumunta sa seminars nila. 🤔
submitted by Cassius_Jah to adultingph [link] [comments]

2024.05.18 00:11 Sweet-Count2557 Best Water Parks United States in 2023

Best Water Parks United States in 2023
Best Water Parks United States in 2023
Are you ready for the ultimate summer experience? Nothing says 'summer fun' quite like a visit to one of America's best water parks. Whether you're looking to cool off during those long, hot days or just want an adrenaline-filled adventure, these top water parks in the United States offer something for everyone! From thrilling slides and jaw-dropping rides to lazy rivers and wave pools – it's time to grab your swimsuit and dive into the exciting world of water parks.
The next question is: which destination should be on your list? Here we've curated a guide showcasing some of the best water parks united states. Whether you're searching for family-friendly attractions or extreme thrill seekers, each park offers unique experiences that will make memories that last a lifetime. So pack up your sunscreen and get ready for adventure; here are our picks for the best water parks in the United States!
No matter what kind of vacationer you are, there's sure to be something special at these amazing destinations. Get set for endless thrills, chills, and spills as you explore all that these incredible places have to offer! With so much excitement packed into every corner of each park, it won't take long before you feel free from everyday worries and stressors - allowing yourself to truly enjoy this one-of-a-kind experience!
Cedar Point Shores: Sandusky, Ohio
Cedar Point Shores in Sandusky, Ohio is one of the best water parks in the United States. Located near Lake Erie and open seasonally from May to September, visitors can take a break from reality with thrilling rides like the six-story tall Riptide Race that sends two four-person rafts down a series of waves at lightning speeds. The park also has an enormous wave pool called Breakers Bay, where guests can relax or bravely test their skills against larger-than-life swells. For those looking for something more daring, there's Volcano Bay - an erupting volcano whose waterslides will have you screaming with joy!
With over 22 acres of aquatic attractions, Cedar Point offers something for everyone. Visitors can enjoy adrenaline-pumping slides such as Flags White Water Rapids Ride which features five intertwining rapids linked together by bridges and tunnels, or they can cool off on lazy rivers like Crossroads Creek which winds its way through the park’s picturesque landscape surrounded by lush foliage and palm trees. There are plenty of chairs around the park so no matter what age you are or what kind of adventure you’re looking for, Cedar Point Shores provides enough thrills to last all day long!
The amenities don't stop there: food stands offer delicious snacks and drinks while souvenir shops give vacationers the opportunity to bring home memories that will last a lifetime. So why not add a splash of excitement this summer with Cedar Point Shores? You won't regret it!
Dollywood’S Splash Country: Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
Just when you thought it was impossible to top the thrills of Cedar Point Shores, Dollywood’s Splash Country in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee provides even more excitement and adventure than ever before. With its picturesque views of the Smoky Mountains and abundant attractions, this water park will captivate your senses with its dazzling beauty!
At Dollywood’s Splash Country, you can cool off during a hot summer day by taking an exhilarating plunge down one of their many slides or simply float lazily along on a lazy river. Whether you prefer high-speed slides or slower-paced activities like wave pools and activity centers, there is something for everyone at this incredible waterpark.
For those who crave thrill rides that make your heart race, enjoy some of Splash Country's most popular attractions such as:
“Big Bear Plunge” – a thrilling four-story slide featuring twists and turns;
“RiverRush” – a multilevel coaster where riders zoom through dark tunnels and steep drops;
“Mountain Scream” –a freefall experience from thirty feet above ground level;
“Cove Mountain Wave Pool” – guests can splash around in a giant wave pool surrounded by majestic mountains.
Dollywood’s Splash Country offers endless fun for all ages with exciting features that include interactive aqua play areas, large tube slides, and multi-person rafting adventures. Enjoy refreshing drinks at any of the restaurants located throughout the park while soaking up the sun rays or go shopping for souvenirs at one of the shops after spending time in the show-stopping water park. It truly is an enjoyable experience worth visiting again and again!
Camelbeach Mountain Water Park: Tannersville, Pennsylvania
Camelbeach Mountain Water Park in Tannersville, Pennsylvania is a thrilling escape from the mundane. The park offers over 37 water slides and attractions that can cater to all ages. From daring speed slides like Tantrum Alley and Triple Venom to lazy rivers for relaxation, Camelbeach has something for everyone. Families enjoy splashing around on the Boogie Bear Surf Pool or racing down one of their signature multi-person mat racer slides. There are also plenty of activities off the water too, such as zip lining, rock climbing walls, mini golf courses, and even paintball arenas – making it a great choice for an action-packed family getaway.
The surrounding mountains provide spectacular views while visitors cool off at this mountain waterpark paradise. With its vast array of rides and attractions, families are sure to make unforgettable memories here throughout the summer season. In addition, there are several dining options available so you won't go hungry after hours spent swimming or playing games in the sun! Whether you're looking for an exciting adventure full of thrills or just want to relax beside gentle waves with your feet up, Camelbeach Mountain Water Park provides an unbeatable experience in Tannersville, Pennsylvania.
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Phoenix: Glendale, Arizona
Plunging from Pennsylvania to Arizona, Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Phoenix in Glendale is a watery wonderland. Positioned perfectly for family fun and adventurous aquatic activities, this park offers the opportunity to explore and experience all that the Southwestern state has to offer.
ActivityThrill LevelDurationWave PoolMild-High2 HoursTornado SlideHigh Adrenaline Rush1 MinuteLazy RiverRelaxation Vibes Only!30 Minutes - 1 Hour
The perfect destination for summertime splendor or winter warmth, Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Phoenix encompasses an array of attractions and activities. From high adrenaline rides such as the Tornado Slide, which takes you on a wild ride through twisting tubes up into a giant funnel before dropping you back down again; to more relaxed options like their lazy river – meandering along offering gentle waves – there’s something for everyone at this park. Additionally, visitors can enjoy some time lounging around in the sun with friends or families by taking advantage of their expansive wave pool.
At Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Phoenix, guests have access to amenities such as private cabanas, showers/lockers/changing areas, restaurants serving both healthy snacks and fast food favorites alike, special events throughout the season (like Dive In Movies), and free parking when entering early enough–allowing them plenty of opportunities to make memories while having fun! With so much available here in Glendale, it's no surprise why people come back year after year for another day filled with thrills and excitement!
Zoombezi Bay: Powell, Ohio
Zoombezi Bay in Powell, Ohio is a great place to take the family for some water adventures. It's full of exciting attractions that will keep everyone entertained and amused all day long! Here are three features you won't want to miss:
A wave pool perfect for surfing or relaxing
15 slides including two tube rides and an inner-tube slide
A lazy river with twists and turns to enjoy while soaking up the sun
The park also has plenty of activities designed especially for kids, such as Fort Rapids Indoor Water Park and Water Country USA. There are plenty of shaded spots throughout Zoombezi Bay where families can relax together between rides. With so many options, it’s easy to find something fun for every age group here at Zoombezi Bay. Plus, there’s no need to worry about safety since lifeguards are on duty at all times.
Whether you're looking for adventure or just want to float around in the Lazy River all day, Zoombezi Bay offers a variety of experiences sure to make lasting memories for your entire family. From thrilling water slides to laid-back relaxation, this popular attraction provides everything needed for a memorable summer outing.
Typhoon Texas Waterpark: Katy, Texas
The sun gleamed brightly in the sky, beckoning those who had a subconscious desire for freedom. For them, Typhoon Texas was just what they needed - an adventure-filled water park located in Katy, Texas that offered thrills and excitement with its many attractions.
Like a phoenix rising from the ashes of summer boredom, Typhoon Texas provided countless opportunities to cool off while having fun. With slides ranging from gentle curves to fast plunges; wave pools with mild or wild surf sessions; lazy rivers to float down on inner tubes, and other features like kiddie area play structures, kids' tipping buckets, and floating obstacle courses – there was something for everyone at this tropical paradise!
Typhoon Texas outdid itself by offering exciting amenities such as free sunscreen stations throughout the facility and private cabanas with TVs and fans so visitors could catch up on sports scores or watch their favorite show while lounging in comfort. In comparison to other popular United States water parks such as Typhoon Lagoon, Cedar Point Shores Water Park in Ohio, and Lagoon Water Park in Utah, Typhoon Texas stands tall with its unique offerings and attractions sure to provide hours of entertainment.
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor: Jackson, New Jersey
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor in Jackson, New Jersey is a water park that offers thrills and fun for visitors of all ages. Its wide array of attractions makes it one of the best water parks in the United States. From thrilling slides to relaxing pools and lazy rivers, this Six Flags amusement park has something for everyone.
AttractionThrill LevelFamily Friendly?Wave Pool🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊💚Speed Slides🤪😱❌Lazy River🐢💚
The wave pool at Six Flags Hurricane Harbor provides an adrenaline rush with five-foot swells while still allowing children to play safely. It's perfect for families who are looking for some excitement during their trip. For those seeking even more thrill, they can take on the speed slides which provide heart-stopping drops and twists! Children should be accompanied by an adult when riding these rides as they are not suitable for young ones. Last but certainly not least, there is also a lazy river available where guests can float along without having to worry about any sudden surprises or dangers.
For those looking to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Phoenix is a great option. This Arizona desert oasis features exhilarating body slides, tube slides, and plenty of other activities such as mini golfing or lounging around in one of its four swimming pools. Whether you're just visiting or spending multiple days here, there's something new to discover each time! Finally, don't forget to check out White Water Bay - another wonderful addition to the Six Flags family located nearby in Oklahoma City!
From fast-paced action-packed rides to peaceful relaxation spots, Six Flags Hurricane Harbor provides endless entertainment possibilities for visitors of all ages making it one of America’s most popular destinations for summertime fun!
Six Flags White Water: Marietta, Georgia
The next stop on our tour of the best water parks in the United States is Six Flags White Water in Marietta, Georgia. This thrilling park has something for everyone, from daredevil slides to leisurely river floats and everything in between. It's adventure time!
Features
Thrill rides:
Thunderbolt - A dueling slide where riders race side-by-side down steep drops and tight curves before hitting a grand finale splashdown; guaranteed to get your adrenaline pumping!
Dive Bomber - Brave this near-vertical body slide through darkness followed by a free fall into an incredible pool of white water below.
Family fun:
Adventure Island - An interactive play structure with spray jets and geysers as well as an endless lazy river winding around it for all ages to enjoy.
Monsoon Lagoon - Splash around in this tropical-themed area that features mini slides perfect for kids.
Experience the beauty of nature while whizzing down one of their many tube slides or take it easy at the wave pool, which can be seen from miles away due to its huge size! With such variety available, you're sure to have a blast no matter what activity you choose. From classic thrill rides like Dive Bomber to family-friendly attractions like Adventure Island, there’s something here to satisfy every type of waterpark enthusiast. So grab your swimsuit and towel and come join us at Six Flags White Water – we guarantee you won't regret it!
Splish Splash: Calverton, New York
Dreams of freedom and summer fun come alive at Splish Splash in Calverton, New York. Nestled on the east end of Long Island, this water park is a paradise for those looking to escape from the everyday hustle and bustle. With its lagoon-style waterslides, state-of-the-art Typhoon Lagoon Waterpark, and indoor water playgrounds – there’s something here for everyone!
You can take a plunge down one of their thrilling slides such as Riptide Racer or Big Kahuna Wavepool; float along with friends in the lazy river; or hang out under some palm trees while soaking up the sun's rays. There are also plenty of family-friendly attractions like Kiddie Kove and Pirate Blaster that will keep your little ones entertained all day long. Plus, they offer an array of snacks and refreshments so you don't have to worry about going hungry during your visit.
Splish Splash offers something for every type of thrill seeker - whether it's relaxing by the poolside or riding some adrenaline-pumping rides. So if you're looking for a great way to kick off your summer vacation this year, then look no further than Splish Splash!
Schlitterbahn Waterpark Galveston: Galveston, Texas
The Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Galveston, Texas is a must-visit destination for anyone looking to escape the hot summer days. This park boasts adrenaline-filled rides and slides that will keep anyone entertained all day long. From thrilling water coaster rides to leisurely tube float trips, there's something here for everyone.
AttractionLocationDescriptionMASSIV Monster BlasterBuena ParkThis ride takes passengers on an exhilarating uphill blast of water followed by a wild slide through tunnels and turns!Tadpole SwirlSan Antonio TexasA combination of four side-by-side enclosed tubes that whip around tight curves with sudden dropsBoogie BahnNew BraunfelsAn open flume inner tube ride with twists and turns over a 1,000-foot courseBlizzard BeachGalvestonA relaxing lazy river perfect for floating down under palm trees as you take in the sights and smells of tropical foliage.
Whether you're looking for some extreme thrills or just want to relax on a warm afternoon, this waterpark has it all. With its variety of attractions, there's no better place than Schlitterbahn to get your fill of sun, fun, and excitement. So don't wait any longer – come join us at Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Galveston!
Aquatica San Antonio: San Antonio, Texas
Aquatica San Antonio is a water park located in San Antonio, Texas that offers visitors plenty of thrilling attractions and activities. The park boasts over 50 rides and slides, including the world's first hybrid coaster-aqua tube combo slide, the Taumata Racer. Visitors can also enjoy two wave pools, a lazy river, five unique children’s areas, several restaurants, snack bars, and much more!
Here are just some of the fun things to do at Aquatica San Antonio:
Ride on “The Falls” – This tube ride lets you zoom through a wild sequence of drops and turns before ending with a splash into an 8-foot-deep pool below.
Take on “Calypso Coaster” – This one-of-a-kind roller coaster takes riders for an exhilarating plunge down nearly 4 stories of twists and turns.
Float along the “Lazy River” – Unwind as you float around the 1/4 mile long Lazy River while soaking up the sun or admiring views from atop your own inner tube raft.
Relax in “Big Surf Shores" - Enjoy gentle waves created by eight massive surge pumps at Big Surf Shores perfect for swimming, floating, or lounging around with friends or family.
Located only 45 minutes away from nearby New Braunfels Texas, Aquatica San Antonio is easily accessible for anyone looking to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life and take a break from nature's beauty. With miles of shoreline to explore, fantastic food options, and tons of exciting attractions Aquatica San Antonio has something for everyone! It truly stands out among other popular parks like Holiday World Splashin Safari in Santa Claus Indiana and Wet n Wild Emerald Pointe in Greensboro North Carolina when it comes to providing guests with all they need for an unforgettable day full of adventure and relaxation!
Adventure Island : Tampa, Florida
The sun beating down on the glimmering pools of water in front of us symbolizes something greater. It’s a reminder that life is meant to be enjoyed, and Adventure Island Tampa, Florida does just that! This 30-acre park offers up all sorts of fun for everyone from thrill seekers to those who just want to relax in the sun. The large wave pool is great for families with young children or anyone looking to cool off and has some fun splashing around. There are also plenty of slides ranging from mild to wild. For daredevils, they can take on the six-story tall Manta-Ray slide or the daring Congo River Rapids.
If you need a break from all the excitement, there are other attractions including two lazy rivers perfect for floating along without a care in the world. Other aquatic Orlando-themed areas like Splashin' Safari and Holiday World Splashin' Safari provide even more fun opportunities like raft rides, animal encounters, and interactive play structures. And no trip would be complete without enjoying Soak City Water Park next door where guests can ride tube slides through dark tunnels and splash their way down giant slides into cooling swimming pools below.
Adventure Island Tampa is an unforgettable experience that's sure to make lasting memories for everyone involved - whether it's an individual seeking thrills or an entire family simply wanting quality time together. With its mix of exciting rides, relaxing environments, and many different activities, this tale waterpark has something special for everyone!
Water Country USA: Williamsburg, Virginia
Water Country USA in Williamsburg, Virginia is an aquatic playground for the whole family. It boasts a variety of slides and attractions to provide hours of entertainment for everyone. From Harbor Phoenix--an aqua coaster that spirals through loops and tunnels--to Splash Country Pigeon River Rapids' exhilarating ride through rapids, there's something for every thrill seeker here.
The kids will love taking a trip into the Enchanted Forest Water Works where they can explore waterfalls, geysers, water jets, and more. They'll even get their own lazy river with gentle ripples! For added fun, Santa Claus Lake has plenty of activities like kayaking or just relaxing as you float along.
This water park is great for spending quality time together while enjoying some summer sun. With its convenient location close to historic Williamsburg, it makes the perfect day trip or weekend escape from reality. Take a break from everyday life and experience all that Water Country USA has to offer today!
Schlitterbahn Waterpark New Braunfels :New Braunfels ,Texas
For a thrilling adventure that will make your heart race, look no further than Schlitterbahn Waterpark New Braunfels in Texas. This park is an aquatic paradise and offers something for everyone with its numerous attractions. From the rushing rapids of the Torrent River to the relaxing lazy river, you’re sure to find something that fits your needs. For those looking for a thrill, there are multiple water slides ranging from mild to wild as well as interactive water play areas. The kids can enjoy an array of activities such as mini golf or floating down the kid-friendly rivers on colorful tubes. Get ready to be immersed in the fun as you explore this spectacular park!
When it comes to food options, Schlitterbahn has everything from hot dogs and pizza to ice cream and other sweet treats. You can even grab a cold beer at one of their many bars if desired. After refueling, take some time out of your day and lounge under one of their cabanas while listening to live music or watching exciting shows performed by local artists. No matter what activity you choose, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to soak up all the sun and water play experiences Schlitterbahn has to offer!
Frequently Asked Questions
Are There Age Restrictions For The Water Parks?
One of the most important questions to ask when selecting a water park is whether or not there are age restrictions in place. After all, no one wants to end up somewhere that isn't suitable for them and their family's needs! Age limits vary from water park to water park, so it's essential to check before you go.
The good news is that many of the best water parks in the United States have little to no age limit on admission. This means that you can bring anyone along with you, regardless of their age – making these spots perfect for families with young children and adults alike. However, some parks may still impose minimum height requirements or other rules based on safety considerations. It's always worth looking into those details beforehand if they're available online.
Another thing to keep in mind is that certain rides at a given water park might be restricted due to age or physical size constraints. For instance, some thrill-seeking attractions could require riders to be over 14 years old (or even 16), while others may only accept adults 18 and up. In any case, it pays off to double-check what activities your group can partake in before hitting the road!
No matter where you decide to visit this summer season, being aware of potential age restrictions will help ensure everyone has an enjoyable time - without compromising safety standards or breaking any rules!
Do Any Of The Water Parks Offer Discounts For Large Groups?
Are you looking to take a group of people on an exciting water park adventure? Before you plan your trip, it’s important to know if any of the water parks offer discounts for large groups. It could make or break your budget!
Fortunately, many popular water parks across the United States have special offers for larger parties. For instance, some may require at least ten guests in order to receive a discount, while others are more flexible and will give discounts even when there is only a small party size.
It's also worth considering other money-saving options such as family packages or season passes. These can be great value deals that provide access to the best attractions throughout the summer months. Furthermore, some water parks even host special events where entrance fees are reduced – allowing everyone to enjoy all the thrills without breaking the bank!
No matter what type of savings you're after, researching different options beforehand is always recommended before visiting any of America’s top water parks. That way, you can find out which ones suit your needs best and have an unforgettable time with friends and family.
Are There Lifeguards On Duty At All Times?
Are there lifeguards on duty at all times? Talk about the million-dollar question! It's a hyperbole, but it feels like your safety is worth its weight in gold when you're splashing around and having fun at a water park.
The answer to this crucial query is – yes! Most if not all water parks have certified lifeguards patrolling every area of their premises and ensuring that everyone follows the rules. They are well-trained and experienced professionals who can assist visitors with any concerns or issues they might have during their visit. Furthermore, many of these lifeguards also possess advanced first aid certifications, making them ideal for dealing with medical emergencies should they arise.
Not only do these lifeguards play an important role in keeping guests safe while enjoying the attractions and slides, but they also help ensure that everyone has a pleasant and enjoyable experience by enforcing policies that guarantee everyone’s enjoyment without compromising anyone’s safety or privacy. With attentive eyes watching over proceedings, you can rest assured knowing that you’re in good hands no matter what kind of situation arises.
It goes without saying then; next time you're off to enjoy some wet n' wild fun at a water park make sure to take comfort in the fact that there will be experienced professionals providing continuous supervision throughout your stay!
Are There Any Water Parks That Are Open Year-Round?
Are there any water parks that are open year-round? We all know how much fun it is to visit a water park during the summer, but what about if you want to go swimming and splash around outside of the traditional season? Fortunately, there are some great options available for those looking for an aquatic adventure that doesn't have to be limited by time.
These days, more and more water parks are offering extended hours or even being open all year round. This means that you can enjoy thrilling rides, cool off in refreshing pools, and lounge on deck chairs whenever you, please! Plus, many of these parks offer additional attractions such as mini golf courses or arcades so that visitors can make the most out of their day trips.
When choosing which water park to visit, it's important to consider whether or not lifeguards will always be present. Most popular spots employ qualified staff who monitor the facilities at all times – ensuring everyone has a safe experience while having fun. Additionally, most locations also offer discounted admission prices for seniors and memberships for frequent visitors. So no matter when you decide to take your next plunge into a pool of fun, rest assured knowing that safety isn't something you'll need to worry about when planning your aquatic escape!
Is There A Way To Purchase Discounted Tickets For Multiple Water Parks?
Are you looking for a way to experience the joy and excitement of multiple water parks without breaking the bank? If so, then you're in luck! There are plenty of ways to purchase discounted tickets for multiple water parks throughout the US. From special deals on group tickets to discount programs available at certain locations - this article will guide you through everything you need to know about finding the best value when it comes to visiting different American water parks:
Look out for promotions from individual park websites
Check social media platforms for limited-time offers
Take advantage of student discounts
If you’re willing to do some research, there are countless opportunities that can help make your aquatic adventure more affordable. Visiting multiple water parks over the course of one summer is a great way to get outdoors while having fun with friends or family – but only if you can find an economical option that fits your budget. That's why researching online ahead of time is key. Many parks have regular specials and promotions which include discounts on tickets, food, merchandise, and even complimentary admission days!
It's also helpful to search social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter as well as various other online forums where people post exclusive deals they've come across during their own visits. Additionally, many universities offer student discounts making it easier than ever before for college students who want to explore America's finest water parks on a shoestring budget!
So don't let money be an obstacle preventing you from experiencing all the thrills and chills associated with water rides, wave pools, and lazy rivers across our nation - whether it's just one trip or several trips throughout the year. With a little bit of research and planning upfront it’s possible to make your dream vacation happen!
Conclusion
In conclusion, water parks are a great way to have some family fun in the United States. With so many options available for safe and enjoyable experiences, it can be hard to choose which one is right for you and your group. However, by asking questions such as age restrictions, discounts for large groups, lifeguard availability, and year-round operating hours before booking tickets, you can make sure that everyone has an amazing time.
The joy of riding down a waterslide or floating on a lazy river symbolizes freedom from everyday stressors. The energy created when laughing with friends while splashing around brings people together as no other activity can. Each person should take advantage of the opportunity of visiting these spectacular places during their travels across America - creating memories to last a lifetime!
So if you're looking for a place to cool off this summer – why not visit one of the best waterparks in the United States? Whether I'm young or old there's something here for everyone – making it perfect for families and friends alike. I know I'll be planning my next trip soon!
submitted by Sweet-Count2557 to worldkidstravel [link] [comments]

2024.05.17 23:04 zynemisis RGB build for my 7yo (and maybe me when he's asleep)

**What will you be doing with this PC? Be as specific as possible, and include specific games Fornite, Wizard101, Roblox, and Minecraft, Racing Sims, FPS games
FortNite, Roblox, Minecraft, and the big goal of... Feed and Grow Fish. For after hours gaming, it'll be Apex Legends and DayZ (if the machine is capable in my price range. If not, it is his PC and not mine.)
What is your maximum budget before rebates/shipping/taxes?
Like to stay close to $600. His grandparents are going half and I don't want to give them a heart attack.
When do you plan on building/buying the PC? Note: beyond a week or two from today means any build you receive will be out of date when you want to buy.
Order now and build soon.
What, exactly, do you need included in the budget? (ToweOS/monitokeyboard/mouse/etc)
Tower and OS. The M/KB I can send out as gift ideas.
Which country (and state/province) will you be purchasing the parts in? If you're in US, do you have access to a Microcenter location?
Southern KY
If reusing any parts (including monitor(s)/keyboard/mouse/etc), what parts will you be reusing? Brands and models are appreciated.
Curve Samsung 27"(?) 1080p display.
Will you be overclocking? If yes, are you interested in overclocking right away, or down the line? CPU and/or GPU?
I'm a noob to PC's and haven't done the research on overclocking.
Are there any specific features or items you want/need in the build? (ex: SSD, large amount of storage or a RAID setup, CUDA or OpenCL support, etc)
Wifi built in. At least a 1080p high frame rate video card with (hopefully) the possibility to run dual monitor later. Ram and storage is whatever will satisfy the needs
Do you have any specific case preferences (Size like ITX/microATX/mid-towefull-tower, styles, colors, window or not, LED lighting, etc), or a particular color theme preference for the components?
Large viewing window with enough RGB parts to make a kid giddy.
Do you need a copy of Windows included in the budget? If you do need one included, do you have a preference?
Yes and whatever basic windows OS I need to make it all work.
Extra info or particulars:
My soon to be 7yo is still convinced he wants to PC game. Been on this kick for over a year. I bought a 2nd Xbox a year ago so we could game together. That hasn't scratched his itch and he is once again asking for a PC. I PC gamed a very small amount when I was younger, but have always been a console gamer. So I know nothing of PCs. Through my research and comparing, it seems to be that building one is better than buying one. I am tech savvy and mechanical, so assembly won't be a problem. But that's as far as my skills go.
submitted by zynemisis to buildapcforme [link] [comments]

2024.05.17 22:36 Fuzzy-O Tales from Naoniscon 2024 (Italian convention)

Tales from Naoniscon 2024 (Italian convention)
Howdy guys,
So last sunday me and my gaming group buddies went on an expedition to Naoniscon 2024. Naoniscon is one of the largest events in north-east Italy dedicated to games, comics & more. It's the third time we go there to promote our hobby & gaming group, and this year we went big. We basically colonized most of the wargames section of the con with a total of 4 bolt action tables, 1 hail caesar table, 1 saga table, 1 impetus table and 1 large black powder table.
It was a very nice experience, with plenty of people stopping by to take a look at the various tables, and a couple of them joining us for hours captivated by the beauty of bolt action (I cannot stress enough how well made the game is made, simple enough to show to a new player allowing him/her to start playing and enjoying themselves, while at the same time possessing a deeper tactical layer that makes for a good challenge for the veterans).
The first Bolt Action table was a normandy-themed one exclusively devoted for onlookers that wanted to try to play some bolt action in a classic US vs Germany duel. We didn't bother checking points for the units on the field, just putting down something that looked cool and interesting, going with a classic "the us paras are defending a building from a german counterattack, but army forces are coming in for the rescue".
The second table was a north africa themed one, where the italian and german forces fought the allies in a mostly open field. This table also quickly ended up having guests stopping by to throw some dice with us.
The third table was an italian one, with the brits attacking a small italian settlement garrisoned by the forces of germany (rather unsuccessfully, as it turned out)
The fourth and final table was a stalingrad one, playing a scenario from the stalingrad campaing book,
It was a long day between arriving early in order to set everything up and packing back in the end, but a blast was had by all.
*edit: forgot the pics*
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https://preview.redd.it/z1o4f0y9w11d1.jpg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a612178413268bb78a7f989f8513ddab65fae1e2
https://preview.redd.it/mh4o9zx9w11d1.jpg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0ce28707ea827c9ee7dacd4d1a6b264bb0179e6c
submitted by Fuzzy-O to boltaction [link] [comments]

2024.05.17 21:38 EventideAuroras [QCrit] YA Fantasy - ANIMHAEM: ASCENSION (72k words/3rd Attempt)

Hi All, Putting this out there again as I have a new version of my query I'm hoping to get some feedback on! Big thanks to everyone who gives feedback, it is very appreciated! (Second Attempt, if interested.)
Dear [Agent Name],
I am seeking representation for ANIMHAEM: ASCENSION, a 72,000 word YA Fantasy in which an acolyte must decide whether to follow the fate chosen for her or navigate a path of unimaginable power and crippling doubt that may destroy everything she’s ever believed.
Kaia lives for her faith, yearning to prove her devotion to the Animhaem. Within the Animhaem’s realm, which is the plane of the mind, devotion is rewarded with power. A blessing of incredible strength and speed beyond the limits of the physical world. Kaia and the other acolytes use this to duel in the Animhaem and rise in the Order’s rankings, and Kaia is certain her fate is to reach rank one and earn enlightenment.
But as those around her grow stronger, eclipsing her, Kaia’s certainty shatters. Does the Animhaem see something lacking in her worship? When she runs into a Forsaken, one of the defeated, and one was once her closest friend, it feels like a sign. A mirror showing her doom. Terrified, Kaia gives in to her weakness and approaches her former friend, even though she knows it’s wrong to show compassion for a Forsaken. A decision that seems catastrophic when Kaia goes to the Animhaem and feels only excruciating pain.
Kaia is sure she is being punished for her weakness and doubts, until she gets challenged to a duel and suddenly has more strength than she ever dreamed possible. A miracle Kaia can’t help but question. What really happened with the Forsaken that night, and is this power truly the Animhaem’s blessing? As Kaia begins investigating this connection to the Forsaken she uncovers secrets buried within the Order. Secrets that threaten everything she’s ever known and truths that may force Kaia to choose between the Order, the Animhaem, and herself.
ANIMHAEM: ASCENSION is a standalone novel with series potential. It will appeal to fans of the complex, introspective heroine and themes of faith and obedience in Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson.
Thank you for your consideration.
Best Regards,
EDIT: Adding the first 300 words!
CHAPTER ONE
We here assembled, Archons of the Order of the Animhaem and prophets of the Animhaem’s divine will, set down these Precepts to govern and guide those who seek to follow its path.
My devotion burns within me as I wait for the ascendant’s life to depart her body. Today she will leave behind flesh and blood and bone forever, those prisons of the physical world. From now on she will revel in the world of the mind among the enlightened, united with the Animhaem for all eternity.
Torchlight flickers over our hooded figures, casting long shadows onto the cavern’s curved walls. More than a hundred murmuring voices echo off the rough stone, each acolyte and pupil reciting the Precepts of the Order of the Animhaem in their own time, in their own rhythm. The result is a discordant clash of words and harmony that buzzes against my feverish skin.
I let the words drip off my tongue slowly and softly, little more than a whisper, tasting sweeter than honey with their promise.
“Let my mind be devoted to the Animhaem,” I say, beginning again with the First Precept. My heartbeat thuds in my ears as I put forth this humble offering of my faith. My skin is flushed, sweat dripping between my shoulder blades. “I will obey the will of the Animhaem and devote myself to it, body and soul. May I forsake my body so my consciousness shall join with a higher purpose.”
These words are ingrained into my soul, the first of the Precepts I’ve recited every day for the twelve years I’ve been a disciple of the Order. These words have fueled me, driven me, and saved me. They have filled any chasms of doubt and fear within me, until only faith and resolve remain.
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