Anna white plans
Joe Biden
2011.10.24 19:15 Joe Biden
Together, we can finish the job for the American people. Are you with us? Join our campaign to re-elect Joe Biden today!
2008.08.27 23:03 Woodworking: all things made from trees.
/woodworking is your home on reddit for furniture, toys, tools, wood, glue, and anything else that has to do with woodworking as a hobby or profession. Please submit links to how-to pages and videos, pictures of beautiful and amazing pieces you made for us to admire, or help you finish.
2013.07.25 16:13 skyrimmaster Where all Breaking Bad theories are posted
Do you like reading ideas on how Breaking Bad season 5B might end? Or maybe clues that help you realise more about the characters? If so you will love /BreakingTheories.
2023.05.29 16:43 Warm_Still_2049 My family's secret. Found some gravestones in the woods near my grandparents home
My name is Shinji “新ニ“. This happened to me more than 15 years ago when I was still living in Japan as an elementary school student.
Interestingly, the catalyst for this event was the discovery of a porn magazine.
Weird I know, just bear with me until the end.
My grandparents used to live in a small isolated town called Ogawa-Machi (小川町) in the Saitama Prefecture. My parents and I would visit them often since my parents owned a junkyard nearby. My dad used to buy used cars and sell their parts overseas.
I enjoyed visiting the junkyard since it had ample space to play. I especially enjoyed it when my dad bought a used car since I could scavenge inside for coins and other things that the previous owner left behind. I would usually just find trash but when I was lucky I would find some 10 yen coins or sometimes 100 yen coins that I usually ended up using it for drinks in the vending machine.
One day I was visiting the junkyard with my parents and a friend from elementary school. Me and my friend were scavenging one of the newly arrived used cars when he hit the jackpot. BAM! We found a porn magazine. We looked at each other and took a peek inside the magazine. We started laughing and when we noticed my parents heading towards us, I hid the magazine deep inside my backpack. We forgot about it and continued with our day.
In the evening, I went to my grandparent's house with my parents and my friend to stay for the night. I grabbed my backpack to look for a change of clothes. I dumbed everything on the floor and from the very bottom of my backpack, the magazine fell. I was greeted with some Japanese titties and a bushy beaver. I panicked. I put the magazine back into my backpack and hid it under my bed.
It was too risky to keep it in my bag since I never knew when my mom will open it. She might open it just to make sure I didn’t pick up any trash from the junkyard and try to take it home. I was too paranoid to hide it in my grandparent's house as well. I still wanted to look at it of course so I decided that I would take the magazine into the woods located behind my grandparent's house where I can slowly look at it and just hide it there afterward.
I told my friend about my plan of hiding the magazine deep inside woods. We were both excited. We wanted to take a look at the magazine but also venturing into the woods at night sounded like an exciting adventure.
That night when everyone was sleeping, I grabbed the magazine and a flashlight and me and my friend snook out of my room's window. (I made sure to leave the window open beforehand just to make sure to not make a sound when everyone was asleep)
I would probably be scared if I was by myself. But with my friend by my side, I was excited and eager to go into the woods for an adventure. My grandparents never let me go into the woods. Not even during the day which made no sense to me. So this was actually my first time venturing deep into the woods. We both took a deep breath and sneaked into the woods.
We walked for just about a couple of minutes when we found a big tree. We hid behind it and took our time looking at the magazine. After enjoying ourselves for about 30 minutes or so looking at them Japanese titties, we decided that we had enough and it was time to find a place to hide it.
It was hard to find a place to hide it since the entire woods looked the same. Most trees were of the same kind and size. There was nothing we could use as a marker to hide it. After looking for a while, curiosity got the better of us so we decided to go way deeper into the woods. The deeper we hid it the better we thought. We could kinda see the town lights far away so we knew which direction to go back to if we ventured too far inside. We walked for a couple of minutes making sure to look back once in a while to see if we can see the town lights to make sure we knew which way to head back to. We were about to give up on finding a good place since we were so tired. I told my friend that he could keep the magazine so we should head back. As we were about to head back, I noticed something white on the ground. After careful inspection, we noticed that it was just a receipt from the supermarket. However, we found it weird since it meant that someone has been here. We looked around to see if we found something else but we found nothing except for some stones. Finding some stones may seem normal, but we noticed that it was the first time we saw some stones in these woods. We walked towards it and grabbed a couple of them thinking that we could maybe use it as a marker to identify where we hid the magazine. However, as we walked towards it we noticed some more stones further away. We walked towards the next set of stones and noticed more stones further away. It seemed to us like someone was using the stones as breadcrumbs to mark a trail.
We kept following the stones until we finally reached an open area. The first thing we noticed was the three big stones with carvings on it. The carvings were some Japanese symbols(kanji) that I could not read. The only kanji I could read was "二” which symbolized the number "2". I was able to read it since numbers are one of the first kanji you learn in school. Oddly enough, all three of the stones had the kanji "2" on them. Also, we noticed that one of the stones had some flowers, a small glass container of milk, and a small car toy next to it. Even as kids, we knew that this was some kind of gravestone. We were absolutely terrified that we both run back in the same direction we came from.
We reached my grandparents' home and snook into the window of my room. We made some noise which woke up my parents. They came rushing inside our room asking what happened. They noticed that we had our dirty shoes on and realized that we were outside. We were so terrified that we told them the truth. Surprisingly, they were not mad at us. They just stayed with us until me and my friend fell asleep.
The next day, my friend went back home. My parents did not talk about what happened the night before. They just acted as if nothing happened.
I never went back to my grandparents' house again after that. I also knew that my mother was having frequent discussions with my grandmother. After a while, me and my family moved overseas. I did not mention it before but I have two sisters. One older than me and one younger.I forgot about all these until I was around 15 or 16 years old. It was around this age that my parents told me I was adopted. It was a shock but I love my parents and still consider them my real parents. Honestly, it kind of made sense since I had curly hair and double eyelids unlike my parents and my sisters who had straight hair and single eyelids. I know most people are expecting a step-sibling erotic situation but nothing like that happened.I had also noticed something about my family. Everyone from my mother's side was female. My mother had a little sister but no brother. My aunt (mom's little sister) had two daughters. I also noticed something very interesting. My mothers name is 一禾 (Ichika) and my aunts name is 三久 (Miku). My mom's name contains the kanji "一” symbolizing the number "1". My aunt's name has the kanji "三" which symbolizes the number "3". I didn't think too much of it until one day it hit me. I realized that the carvings on the tombstones were names. The gravestones on my grandparent's woods all contained the kanji "二” symbolizing the number "2". Probably symbolizing the second offspring. Also, the car toy placed next to one of the gravestones probably meant that the gravestone was made for a boy. This meant that my mom probably had a younger brother with the kanji "二” on his name symbolizing he was the second offspring. My aunt probably had another son that passed away as well .The three tombstones now made sense. One for grandparents' son, one for my aunt's son, and one for my mother's son. It seems that the second offspring in my family is always a male and he always passes away. Another creepy thing I noticed was my name. My name is Shinji. In kanji it's "新二”. "新” means "New" and as mentioned before "二” means "2".
Finally, I just wanted to say that my sister got married a couple of years ago and had a daughter named Kazumi “一美”. She says she wants more children. I am not sure if I should let her know about my discovery. Please advice.
submitted by Warm_Still_2049 to TrueScaryStories [link] [comments]
Interestingly, the catalyst for this event was the discovery of a porn magazine.
Weird I know, just bear with me until the end.
My grandparents used to live in a small isolated town called Ogawa-Machi (小川町) in the Saitama Prefecture. My parents and I would visit them often since my parents owned a junkyard nearby. My dad used to buy used cars and sell their parts overseas.
I enjoyed visiting the junkyard since it had ample space to play. I especially enjoyed it when my dad bought a used car since I could scavenge inside for coins and other things that the previous owner left behind. I would usually just find trash but when I was lucky I would find some 10 yen coins or sometimes 100 yen coins that I usually ended up using it for drinks in the vending machine.
One day I was visiting the junkyard with my parents and a friend from elementary school. Me and my friend were scavenging one of the newly arrived used cars when he hit the jackpot. BAM! We found a porn magazine. We looked at each other and took a peek inside the magazine. We started laughing and when we noticed my parents heading towards us, I hid the magazine deep inside my backpack. We forgot about it and continued with our day.
In the evening, I went to my grandparent's house with my parents and my friend to stay for the night. I grabbed my backpack to look for a change of clothes. I dumbed everything on the floor and from the very bottom of my backpack, the magazine fell. I was greeted with some Japanese titties and a bushy beaver. I panicked. I put the magazine back into my backpack and hid it under my bed.
It was too risky to keep it in my bag since I never knew when my mom will open it. She might open it just to make sure I didn’t pick up any trash from the junkyard and try to take it home. I was too paranoid to hide it in my grandparent's house as well. I still wanted to look at it of course so I decided that I would take the magazine into the woods located behind my grandparent's house where I can slowly look at it and just hide it there afterward.
I told my friend about my plan of hiding the magazine deep inside woods. We were both excited. We wanted to take a look at the magazine but also venturing into the woods at night sounded like an exciting adventure.
That night when everyone was sleeping, I grabbed the magazine and a flashlight and me and my friend snook out of my room's window. (I made sure to leave the window open beforehand just to make sure to not make a sound when everyone was asleep)
I would probably be scared if I was by myself. But with my friend by my side, I was excited and eager to go into the woods for an adventure. My grandparents never let me go into the woods. Not even during the day which made no sense to me. So this was actually my first time venturing deep into the woods. We both took a deep breath and sneaked into the woods.
We walked for just about a couple of minutes when we found a big tree. We hid behind it and took our time looking at the magazine. After enjoying ourselves for about 30 minutes or so looking at them Japanese titties, we decided that we had enough and it was time to find a place to hide it.
It was hard to find a place to hide it since the entire woods looked the same. Most trees were of the same kind and size. There was nothing we could use as a marker to hide it. After looking for a while, curiosity got the better of us so we decided to go way deeper into the woods. The deeper we hid it the better we thought. We could kinda see the town lights far away so we knew which direction to go back to if we ventured too far inside. We walked for a couple of minutes making sure to look back once in a while to see if we can see the town lights to make sure we knew which way to head back to. We were about to give up on finding a good place since we were so tired. I told my friend that he could keep the magazine so we should head back. As we were about to head back, I noticed something white on the ground. After careful inspection, we noticed that it was just a receipt from the supermarket. However, we found it weird since it meant that someone has been here. We looked around to see if we found something else but we found nothing except for some stones. Finding some stones may seem normal, but we noticed that it was the first time we saw some stones in these woods. We walked towards it and grabbed a couple of them thinking that we could maybe use it as a marker to identify where we hid the magazine. However, as we walked towards it we noticed some more stones further away. We walked towards the next set of stones and noticed more stones further away. It seemed to us like someone was using the stones as breadcrumbs to mark a trail.
We kept following the stones until we finally reached an open area. The first thing we noticed was the three big stones with carvings on it. The carvings were some Japanese symbols(kanji) that I could not read. The only kanji I could read was "二” which symbolized the number "2". I was able to read it since numbers are one of the first kanji you learn in school. Oddly enough, all three of the stones had the kanji "2" on them. Also, we noticed that one of the stones had some flowers, a small glass container of milk, and a small car toy next to it. Even as kids, we knew that this was some kind of gravestone. We were absolutely terrified that we both run back in the same direction we came from.
We reached my grandparents' home and snook into the window of my room. We made some noise which woke up my parents. They came rushing inside our room asking what happened. They noticed that we had our dirty shoes on and realized that we were outside. We were so terrified that we told them the truth. Surprisingly, they were not mad at us. They just stayed with us until me and my friend fell asleep.
The next day, my friend went back home. My parents did not talk about what happened the night before. They just acted as if nothing happened.
I never went back to my grandparents' house again after that. I also knew that my mother was having frequent discussions with my grandmother. After a while, me and my family moved overseas. I did not mention it before but I have two sisters. One older than me and one younger.I forgot about all these until I was around 15 or 16 years old. It was around this age that my parents told me I was adopted. It was a shock but I love my parents and still consider them my real parents. Honestly, it kind of made sense since I had curly hair and double eyelids unlike my parents and my sisters who had straight hair and single eyelids. I know most people are expecting a step-sibling erotic situation but nothing like that happened.I had also noticed something about my family. Everyone from my mother's side was female. My mother had a little sister but no brother. My aunt (mom's little sister) had two daughters. I also noticed something very interesting. My mothers name is 一禾 (Ichika) and my aunts name is 三久 (Miku). My mom's name contains the kanji "一” symbolizing the number "1". My aunt's name has the kanji "三" which symbolizes the number "3". I didn't think too much of it until one day it hit me. I realized that the carvings on the tombstones were names. The gravestones on my grandparent's woods all contained the kanji "二” symbolizing the number "2". Probably symbolizing the second offspring. Also, the car toy placed next to one of the gravestones probably meant that the gravestone was made for a boy. This meant that my mom probably had a younger brother with the kanji "二” on his name symbolizing he was the second offspring. My aunt probably had another son that passed away as well .The three tombstones now made sense. One for grandparents' son, one for my aunt's son, and one for my mother's son. It seems that the second offspring in my family is always a male and he always passes away. Another creepy thing I noticed was my name. My name is Shinji. In kanji it's "新二”. "新” means "New" and as mentioned before "二” means "2".
Finally, I just wanted to say that my sister got married a couple of years ago and had a daughter named Kazumi “一美”. She says she wants more children. I am not sure if I should let her know about my discovery. Please advice.
2023.05.29 16:41 chipmunk_cyclotron Loud HVAC return vent (x-post from r/homeowners)
Hi All,
Posting this here for additional visibility. I'm some having some issues with the noise generated from our HVAC return. We have an open plan living room / dining room / kitchen and the HVAC return is located on the shared wall of those three spaces next to our dining table. When the fan is running, it creates loud white noise that makes it hard to hear or talk. The fan/AC runs frequently in the summer due to the heat in our area and the constant background noise is grating.
I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on how to mitigate this. I have two ideas right now: 1) rotate the vent 90 degrees around the corner, build a baffle into the bottom of a custom table/cabinet (so it doesn't look out of place), put the baffle against the vent or 2) completely relocate the return to our front room.
I'm hesitant to do #1 as I don't know how easy it will be to just rotate the intake but I believe I can match airflow specs with a custom cabinet/baffle design. #2 seems like it could be pricey but at this point it may be worth the cost. I'm just worried that moving it to another room may not completely solve the issue. There are no doorways in between the front room and our main living area so sound could still reverberate.
We've also maxed out our wallspace with some sound dampening art canvases but it hasn't reduced the noise enough.
Does anyone have any suggestions or insights on how to deal with this? Thanks for reading and for any help!
pictures
submitted by chipmunk_cyclotron to HomeImprovement [link] [comments]
Posting this here for additional visibility. I'm some having some issues with the noise generated from our HVAC return. We have an open plan living room / dining room / kitchen and the HVAC return is located on the shared wall of those three spaces next to our dining table. When the fan is running, it creates loud white noise that makes it hard to hear or talk. The fan/AC runs frequently in the summer due to the heat in our area and the constant background noise is grating.
I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on how to mitigate this. I have two ideas right now: 1) rotate the vent 90 degrees around the corner, build a baffle into the bottom of a custom table/cabinet (so it doesn't look out of place), put the baffle against the vent or 2) completely relocate the return to our front room.
I'm hesitant to do #1 as I don't know how easy it will be to just rotate the intake but I believe I can match airflow specs with a custom cabinet/baffle design. #2 seems like it could be pricey but at this point it may be worth the cost. I'm just worried that moving it to another room may not completely solve the issue. There are no doorways in between the front room and our main living area so sound could still reverberate.
We've also maxed out our wallspace with some sound dampening art canvases but it hasn't reduced the noise enough.
Does anyone have any suggestions or insights on how to deal with this? Thanks for reading and for any help!
pictures
2023.05.29 16:38 chipmunk_cyclotron Loud HVAC return vent
Hi All,
I'm some having some issues with the noise generated from our HVAC return. We have an open plan living room / dining room / kitchen and the HVAC return is located on the shared wall of those three spaces next to our dining table. When the fan is running, it creates loud white noise that makes it hard to hear or talk. The fan/AC runs frequently in the summer due to the heat in our area and the constant background noise is grating.
I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on how to mitigate this. I have two ideas right now: 1) rotate the vent 90 degrees around the corner, build a baffle into the bottom of a custom table/cabinet (so it doesn't look out of place), put the baffle against the vent or 2) completely relocate the return to our front room.
I'm hesitant to do #1 as I don't know how easy it will be to just rotate the intake but I believe I can match airflow specs with a custom cabinet/baffle design. #2 seems like it could be pricey but at this point it may be worth the cost. I'm just worried that moving it to another room may not completely solve the issue. There are no doorways in between the front room and our main living area so sound could still reverberate.
We've also maxed out our wallspace with some sound dampening art canvases but it hasn't reduced the noise enough.
Does anyone have any suggestions or insights on how to deal with this? Thanks for reading and for any help!
pictures
submitted by chipmunk_cyclotron to homeowners [link] [comments]
I'm some having some issues with the noise generated from our HVAC return. We have an open plan living room / dining room / kitchen and the HVAC return is located on the shared wall of those three spaces next to our dining table. When the fan is running, it creates loud white noise that makes it hard to hear or talk. The fan/AC runs frequently in the summer due to the heat in our area and the constant background noise is grating.
I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on how to mitigate this. I have two ideas right now: 1) rotate the vent 90 degrees around the corner, build a baffle into the bottom of a custom table/cabinet (so it doesn't look out of place), put the baffle against the vent or 2) completely relocate the return to our front room.
I'm hesitant to do #1 as I don't know how easy it will be to just rotate the intake but I believe I can match airflow specs with a custom cabinet/baffle design. #2 seems like it could be pricey but at this point it may be worth the cost. I'm just worried that moving it to another room may not completely solve the issue. There are no doorways in between the front room and our main living area so sound could still reverberate.
We've also maxed out our wallspace with some sound dampening art canvases but it hasn't reduced the noise enough.
Does anyone have any suggestions or insights on how to deal with this? Thanks for reading and for any help!
pictures
2023.05.29 16:34 Go0Ld1e Anxiety or something more? Do I need to go to the ER? F14
About me:
Age: 14 (15 soon)
Height: 4'9-5'0
Weight: underweight
I'm British, I also don't smoke, or drink anything.
No meds, or therapists etc.
I'm pale, and have a bad diet. (Eating like rubbish) and i never go outside. (i'm pale.) and my sleep routine is horrible.
So basically, my dad died back in 2019. From lung cancer. I was 10 at the time, and I already knew he was gonna. You know. And after he died. I couldn't really believe it? but the grief didn't click in, until September / November, of 2019. But then at the time, I started going through really stressful, things like, bullying. Name-calling. Harassment. (These had happened online. I know it may not seem like such a big deal but it ruined my self-confidence, and mental health.) And it got worse in 2020, because I got abused online as well And my mental health, got worse to the point where I had urges to kill / harm myself, (I hardly have them anymore, which I'm glad about. Family issues. Stressed Almost constant crying
(The reasons why I'm saying this, is because it could explain why I'm dealing with the stuff I'm about to put down.)
December, 8th, 2020, was the time I got sick.
It was in my stomach, and I though "oh I'm just sick it will pass", but it just got worse. And it would keep, growling, and I lost my appetite fully and didn't even wanna eat. But the thing I realised was that I was stressed / worried about it. Because I though it was stomach cancer. (Still do.) And it would make me feel like I was gonna throw up,
And in 2021. I still had. It. No appetite still, no nothing. Just feeling sick. But I still ate, and drank everyday. But online stuff happened again. (Which I think made it worse? I don't know. And my mental health worse.) But then I started thinking my stomach was gonna collapse. And I started worrying more about it.
And in this year, same stuff. With my stomach. But in April 2022. I had a panic attack? I also had left arm aches / pains. So basically went downstairs, and told my mum about it. And we started talking, about stuff. And i stood up from the chair, and then all sudden, my head started feeling SUPER weird. And I said "mum my head feels weird!" And she said "your probably having a panic attack." And then i started panicking, and said "mum, mum I think I'm dying!!" And I went down on to the kitchen floor.and my brother said "your fine." And my mum said "this is because of your dad." And then she went to open the door for me to get air. And I still felt weird. And my hands were shaking. (I can't remember but I think my mouth /lips was dry.) But the thing is I felt like I was forcing the shaking. Because I was making myself shake (but again I probably wasn't. I did not do it for attention, I know that would of been bad. etc I was seriously scared, that I was gonna die in front of my mum and brother.) . But when I stopped my body felt like nothing. And my breathing was a bit weird a swell. And my mum was trying to talk me out of it. And then a few minutes later, I went to stand up, and go upstairs, but my whole body, and legs felt weird. Very weird. But then I felt the whole night, watching tiktok to distract myself. But then next day, my mum told my older brother that I was having panic attacks. That same day, I felt like I was freak, out and call an ambulance, because I felt like I was going to die. And I was worrying about my health. (Still do.)
and i am also getting forgetfulness. feeling like something is in my throat for a few minutes, and feeling sweaty,(doesn't last long.) when i panic over something. stuttering, headaches. weird head feelings, and weird feeling slightly under my stomach by my hips. dry, mouth / lips sometimes, and feeling like i will gag? on my foods / drinks now.
And my symptoms kept changing.
And now this year, my symptoms have pretty much changed like they have been.
but my stomach still keeps growling for no reason I lost my appetite, 2-3 years ago when this started, but I feel weird, like very weird like the weird feelings you get when you feel like you're about to end up in a hospital? I can't explain my weird feelings, and I feel like I can't think straight? But I can? But I keep looming at things without blinking for a few seconds and my face was just been blank? In a way, and I'm getting weird fuzzy feelings at the side of my face. and I'm scared I'm dying, or it's an illness. But the weird feelings do go away, but they come back after a few hours, or minutes, I know I need therapy, and help but the waiting lists. I'm trying to learn to cope with it. Because I know it won't go away just by ignoring it, and I know as much as I'm worried for my health know I been through a lot of stress, etc and now I been going puberty for a couple years.Anxiety feels like a nightmare, and I hate it. I wish I could stop feeling constantly weird, and strange etc. It's a very very weird and strange feeling and it's odd. I can't explain anything.
But I can't keep letting it get the best of me because I will just need to learn, to accept it as much as its hard to. I'll just accept it and I'll keep telling my mum for therapy or even see a doctor It's terrifying but i know I can get through this oll run around my house etc etc etc for distractions etc until I can get a therapist which I know will take long, but I hope I won't be like this forever and ever.
And I also have a white patch on my tongue it kinds looks like milk? And sometimes I feel a very weird weird feeling that something will happen? And most times I breathe I feel something in my throat lime its my heart beat? Or if my heart skips a beat or something when I breathe sometimes?
But also a good thing is, is that I can drink and eat fine, and I'm not in any bad pains at all, I just physically feel weird, and I can't explain the feelings. But when I sleep, I wake up In the middle of the night for no reason, so that might be from stress.
Does anybody else experience or know what I mean? I don't know why I keep worrying about my health I constantly seek reassurance and it kinda makes me feel a attention seeker.but i also have this weird cold feeling at my back (the cold feeling you get when you're sick?) but i have it at my back, and i don't have a lot of symptoms of anxiety and it's scaring me. are people different with anxiety and stress? do they have different things with it? because i know everybody is different but i'm still scared.
has anybody else had this? i feel like i'm the only person. i think i actually have a illness or something i just feel sick and strange constantly. but i'm planning on getting stress/anxiety gummies i'm terrified.
and i'm thinking about therapy? but i just wanna take small steps for starters.
and i also never see anybody with this same thing as me so i'm scared.
and my hear also makes a drop feeling, even when my heart isn't racing etc it happens out of nowhere, and it's weird, and when i breathed in, i like felt it in my throat? and i just feel awful, and weird constantly, it sucks. it really does suck. i just feel like i'm gonna die or if i have some type of serious/deadly illness etc, i just want it to stop. i don't even have a clue if this is normal or not. i just hope others have, had the same things/thing has me. it sucks i feel alone. it feels like something is wrong inside my body and i can't explain it i'm so sick of it. i feel like i'm about to die any second.okay my body just did something weird and i think my body just bought something up into my throat? i can't explain it i'm scared. am i okay?
I'm sorry if I'm bothering anybody, I know others have more serious problems but I'm just scared.
should i change my diet, and sleep routine? and get anxiety/stress gummies from amazon? (they probably won't work but i wanna take small steps.)
submitted by Go0Ld1e to AskDocs [link] [comments]
Age: 14 (15 soon)
Height: 4'9-5'0
Weight: underweight
I'm British, I also don't smoke, or drink anything.
No meds, or therapists etc.
I'm pale, and have a bad diet. (Eating like rubbish) and i never go outside. (i'm pale.) and my sleep routine is horrible.
So basically, my dad died back in 2019. From lung cancer. I was 10 at the time, and I already knew he was gonna. You know. And after he died. I couldn't really believe it? but the grief didn't click in, until September / November, of 2019. But then at the time, I started going through really stressful, things like, bullying. Name-calling. Harassment. (These had happened online. I know it may not seem like such a big deal but it ruined my self-confidence, and mental health.) And it got worse in 2020, because I got abused online as well And my mental health, got worse to the point where I had urges to kill / harm myself, (I hardly have them anymore, which I'm glad about. Family issues. Stressed Almost constant crying
(The reasons why I'm saying this, is because it could explain why I'm dealing with the stuff I'm about to put down.)
December, 8th, 2020, was the time I got sick.
It was in my stomach, and I though "oh I'm just sick it will pass", but it just got worse. And it would keep, growling, and I lost my appetite fully and didn't even wanna eat. But the thing I realised was that I was stressed / worried about it. Because I though it was stomach cancer. (Still do.) And it would make me feel like I was gonna throw up,
And in 2021. I still had. It. No appetite still, no nothing. Just feeling sick. But I still ate, and drank everyday. But online stuff happened again. (Which I think made it worse? I don't know. And my mental health worse.) But then I started thinking my stomach was gonna collapse. And I started worrying more about it.
And in this year, same stuff. With my stomach. But in April 2022. I had a panic attack? I also had left arm aches / pains. So basically went downstairs, and told my mum about it. And we started talking, about stuff. And i stood up from the chair, and then all sudden, my head started feeling SUPER weird. And I said "mum my head feels weird!" And she said "your probably having a panic attack." And then i started panicking, and said "mum, mum I think I'm dying!!" And I went down on to the kitchen floor.and my brother said "your fine." And my mum said "this is because of your dad." And then she went to open the door for me to get air. And I still felt weird. And my hands were shaking. (I can't remember but I think my mouth /lips was dry.) But the thing is I felt like I was forcing the shaking. Because I was making myself shake (but again I probably wasn't. I did not do it for attention, I know that would of been bad. etc I was seriously scared, that I was gonna die in front of my mum and brother.) . But when I stopped my body felt like nothing. And my breathing was a bit weird a swell. And my mum was trying to talk me out of it. And then a few minutes later, I went to stand up, and go upstairs, but my whole body, and legs felt weird. Very weird. But then I felt the whole night, watching tiktok to distract myself. But then next day, my mum told my older brother that I was having panic attacks. That same day, I felt like I was freak, out and call an ambulance, because I felt like I was going to die. And I was worrying about my health. (Still do.)
and i am also getting forgetfulness. feeling like something is in my throat for a few minutes, and feeling sweaty,(doesn't last long.) when i panic over something. stuttering, headaches. weird head feelings, and weird feeling slightly under my stomach by my hips. dry, mouth / lips sometimes, and feeling like i will gag? on my foods / drinks now.
And my symptoms kept changing.
And now this year, my symptoms have pretty much changed like they have been.
but my stomach still keeps growling for no reason I lost my appetite, 2-3 years ago when this started, but I feel weird, like very weird like the weird feelings you get when you feel like you're about to end up in a hospital? I can't explain my weird feelings, and I feel like I can't think straight? But I can? But I keep looming at things without blinking for a few seconds and my face was just been blank? In a way, and I'm getting weird fuzzy feelings at the side of my face. and I'm scared I'm dying, or it's an illness. But the weird feelings do go away, but they come back after a few hours, or minutes, I know I need therapy, and help but the waiting lists. I'm trying to learn to cope with it. Because I know it won't go away just by ignoring it, and I know as much as I'm worried for my health know I been through a lot of stress, etc and now I been going puberty for a couple years.Anxiety feels like a nightmare, and I hate it. I wish I could stop feeling constantly weird, and strange etc. It's a very very weird and strange feeling and it's odd. I can't explain anything.
But I can't keep letting it get the best of me because I will just need to learn, to accept it as much as its hard to. I'll just accept it and I'll keep telling my mum for therapy or even see a doctor It's terrifying but i know I can get through this oll run around my house etc etc etc for distractions etc until I can get a therapist which I know will take long, but I hope I won't be like this forever and ever.
And I also have a white patch on my tongue it kinds looks like milk? And sometimes I feel a very weird weird feeling that something will happen? And most times I breathe I feel something in my throat lime its my heart beat? Or if my heart skips a beat or something when I breathe sometimes?
But also a good thing is, is that I can drink and eat fine, and I'm not in any bad pains at all, I just physically feel weird, and I can't explain the feelings. But when I sleep, I wake up In the middle of the night for no reason, so that might be from stress.
Does anybody else experience or know what I mean? I don't know why I keep worrying about my health I constantly seek reassurance and it kinda makes me feel a attention seeker.but i also have this weird cold feeling at my back (the cold feeling you get when you're sick?) but i have it at my back, and i don't have a lot of symptoms of anxiety and it's scaring me. are people different with anxiety and stress? do they have different things with it? because i know everybody is different but i'm still scared.
has anybody else had this? i feel like i'm the only person. i think i actually have a illness or something i just feel sick and strange constantly. but i'm planning on getting stress/anxiety gummies i'm terrified.
and i'm thinking about therapy? but i just wanna take small steps for starters.
and i also never see anybody with this same thing as me so i'm scared.
and my hear also makes a drop feeling, even when my heart isn't racing etc it happens out of nowhere, and it's weird, and when i breathed in, i like felt it in my throat? and i just feel awful, and weird constantly, it sucks. it really does suck. i just feel like i'm gonna die or if i have some type of serious/deadly illness etc, i just want it to stop. i don't even have a clue if this is normal or not. i just hope others have, had the same things/thing has me. it sucks i feel alone. it feels like something is wrong inside my body and i can't explain it i'm so sick of it. i feel like i'm about to die any second.okay my body just did something weird and i think my body just bought something up into my throat? i can't explain it i'm scared. am i okay?
I'm sorry if I'm bothering anybody, I know others have more serious problems but I'm just scared.
should i change my diet, and sleep routine? and get anxiety/stress gummies from amazon? (they probably won't work but i wanna take small steps.)
2023.05.29 16:33 Adventurous-Song-402 Need suggestions on a rug color and any other comments
 | Trying to decorate our new place. It does look cramped in the picture because of the angle but spacious enough to go in an out. submitted by Adventurous-Song-402 to HomeDecorating [link] [comments] I know many do not like the TV above the fireplace but it works for us as we don't have to constantly remind our 4 year old not to touch it. I plan to ,
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2023.05.29 16:31 SleeplessFromSundown The Séance Club - The End of Windhaven Manor [Final]
This post is the final part of this story. Sorry it has taken so long to get through. And I'm not sure I even understand all of it yet. If you're new, this all started here. The previous part (Part 7) is here. Thank you to everyone who followed along.
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“Do you see her?” I asked in a meek voice.
“You mean that girl in black?” Harvey answered.
It was her, in the flesh. Her lips parted and formed a malevolent smile. Her dark eyes fixed on mine. My legs turned to solid lead. My feet refused to move. The anxiousness to reach Parker and Juliet and Beth in the cellar crumbled like the wood turning to ash behind us. She demanded my attention.
A hand rocked my shoulder. Harvey. I pushed him away.
“You have to go. Help them. I’ll take care of her.”
“What about you?”
“I’ll be right behind you.”
A mirage of Harvey flitted past Ally and disappeared into the kitchen. Everything blurred, everything but her.
She tilted her head to one side and bridged the gap between us with four slow and deliberate steps. She pushed her right hand out from a long sleeve and ran the black painted nail of her index finger across my cheek, the smooth lacquer cold against my skin. I shuddered as the chill spread like ice creeping up a window.
“It is such a shame to be losing you so soon. We’ve only just met, and yet I feel like we’ve known each other our whole lives. Do you feel it too?”
I shook my head. “Let me go.”
“We’re past that now Sam. I considered if we could coexist, you and I. It gave me a thrill knowing there is another one out there like me. But you insist on meddling with my work.”
“You mean locking all those girls in that filthy dungeon where they met their end? And Jane here.”
“The work is sometimes unpleasant.”
“But the pay is good?”
“This isn’t about money Sam. You and I are the same. The pain you felt from not fitting in. The lonely nights lying awake, wishing you could be like everyone else. The stares and the whispers. The rejection from those who are supposed to love us the most. I too know. But where you hid, I searched out a path where my talents were appreciated and rewarded. You don’t hate me Sam. You hate yourself for not thriving like I have.”
“Thriving? Is that what you call it?”
“By all measures yes. I am good at what I do. The best. The only. Or so I thought. And then there is you. A naïve, sheltered little boy who can barely put on his own pants in the morning. It is such a shame. And these so-called friends of yours, that was always doomed to failure. Oh and if you harbour any thoughts of them escaping, know that we blocked the little secret entrance the stable boy showed you. There’s no escape except through the fire. When they pick through the ashes of this building they will find their bones, and yours. Is this how you imagined it turning out?”
I flexed the muscles in my legs, but they refused to move. Ally smiled.
“It’s useless now Sam.”
I heard the faint whisper of Juliet’s voice in my head. She pleaded with me. Come on Sam, you can do this. I remembered the last encounter with Ally, outside the wall separating Windhaven Manor from the world. Ally had put me in the white room. I had broken free. I had overcome her power once. I had to do it again.
I took a deep breath in through my nose and cried out and willed my feet to move. Electricity coursed through my body and I directed it down to the floor. My left heel separated from the floor and that set the whole thing in motion. The dam burst. I lurched forwards and overbalanced and sprawled to the floor.
Ally crouched beside me and chuckled. “Some would call it a tragedy for a child to die so soon after learning to walk.”
I looked back towards the front of the house. The fire burned hot. Thick black smoke circled up the huge open space of the gallery. Portraits hanging on the wall bubbled and curled as flames consumed them.
A figure appeared at the foot of the staircase. The spectre of Crown. The goons had dragged his lifeless corpse out of the house, but stood before me was the spirit with unfinished business. The ugliness of his actions showed through now in death. His skin was sallow and wrinkled. His head too big for his body and his teeth yellowed. A grotesque monster made worse by his mortal demise.
Ally whispered in my ear. “He knows it was your meddling that brought about his end. I’ll leave you two alone.”
She brushed my cheek with the back of her hand and stood. As she walked away leather straps materialised out of thin air and pinned my body to the floor.
The spectre of Crown grew before me, swelling in size until he had to crouch to stay below the chandelier. He clenched his fists and with burning red eyes let out a guttural growl that skipped my ears and penetrated directly into my skull.
I tried to pull my hands to my ears but they would not come. It made no difference. The roar coming from Crown stabbed the inside of my head like a thousand daggers. I lifted my head and the growl grew to a scream that ricocheted around the inside of my skull. I couldn’t take much more. It felt as though my head would explode.
Guilt bubbled up and mingled with the fear and I shrank into the floor and wished for it to swallow me. They were down there, the only friends I had known, banging against a locked door denying their escape. I sobbed. I sobbed like I had the night my parents turned from me.
In the pit of my stomach something else grew. A seed of frustration born of a lifetime existing in a world that didn’t make sense. A world where I had no idea who I was and what I could or should do. A world in which I hid. I couldn’t do that now.
Juliet’s voice as clear as day, cutting through the racket of Crown’s scream. Do it Sam. I gritted my teeth and electricity buzzed somewhere deep inside, at first dull and imperceptible, and then amplified and resonating until it peaked into a deafening roar.
Above Crown the bulbs in the chandelier glowed white. He swivelled his head and watched them dumbly.
I concentrated, felt the energy forming an extra limb. Like the arms and legs of a newborn it flailed spasmodically. I fought to control it, to turn it to my will. I focussed on the straps pinning me to the floor. The electricity fed into the straps and turned them hot. For a moment I feared they would scold my skin, and then in a moment of release they split and flung upwards.
I picked myself up off the floor and faced the spectre of Crown. Like a spent boxer throwing one final punch I threw out my hands and screamed, willing Crown to be quiet and be still. Demanding he be so.
The floor shook. The dozens of bulbs in the chandelier shattered. The giant spectre of Crown diminished and the screaming inside my head softened until it was no more. Crown’s eyes opened wide as his mouth stitched together and his arms wrenched behind his back. I flicked my hand like I was swatting a fly and Crown flew into the corner of the room and slumped to the floor.
I bent over and rested my hands on my knees. My muscles ached, like I had run a marathon. Shadows played on the floor. I sucked in air and smoke and spluttered and coughed.
In the hallway the silhouette of Ally. She turned and shook her head. The heat of the fire intensified and crackled at my skin. If we were to make our escape, she could not be here to block us. I straightened and strode towards her.
I cycled furiously through the events of the last few days, searching for something to defeat Ally. I had to do to her what she had done to me. The time for running and breaking her spells was through.
I closed my eyes and concentrated. I stripped away everything except for the two of us. The crackle of the fire replaced with silence. The smell of the smoke disappeared. The heat washed away. One by one I shut down all my senses. When I opened my eyes a monotone room of white. Sterile calm had replaced the burning insides of Windhaven Manor.
Her eyes scanned the room and she giggled. “Cheap tricks won’t get you far,” she said. “And you learned this one from me.”
The white rippled as if the walls were made of water. She was fighting it. I concentrated, focussing all my energy, all my will. The ripples slowed and then stopped.
“You’re a fast learner,” she said. “But I have been doing this for more than a weekend.”
Strips of colour permeated the white. A rectangle of tile appeared on the floor. And then some blue from the curtain. Enough of a smouldering wall to let in some smoke. The acrid smell reached my nose and I spluttered. As each wedge of colour appeared, I filled it back in white. But it was a sinking ship and the pail I held to bail out the water would not be enough.
Ally grunted under her breath. A grunt of frustration. The white room shook and made a sound like a train bearing down.
I had to bind her. I raised my palm and coils of rope rose from the ground and oscillated like snakes around her. She swatted them away and wrenched them from the ground and flung them at my feet, limp and unmoving.
“It won’t be that easy,” she sneered.
My arms jerked behind my back. She bound my wrists and then my ankles. She pursed her lips and blew as if extinguishing a single candle on a birthday cake, and it was enough to send me to the floor. I couldn’t do this on my own. I needed help.
I shut my eyes and concentrated my energy not on my bindings, but on the woods at the back of Windhaven Manor. On the girls who escaped the dungeon and now roamed the forest, watching the house burn from behind the barrier Ally constructed.
I fed the energy coursing through my body into the giant snowdome structure until it burned hot and then like the globes in the chandelier, it cracked and exploded into the night sky. The spirits of the girls watched the shards disappear and then strode towards the Manor.
I turned my attention to the tiny room beside the pantry, where Jane Laughlin lay bound to the bed. I stood beside her and lay my hand on the shackles binding her to the bed. She shuddered as the mask came free from her mouth and then stood as the shackles broke.
I opened my eyes and the white of the room flickered off and then back on again like bad reception on a television. I had to keep the white walls up long enough for them to draw near. For them to be ready when the façade fell. Ally strode towards me, exuding confidence.
“You can’t beat me Sam.”
Ally squeezed her hands into fists and screamed. In a burst of energy she wiped the white room clear and we were back in the burning house. The air was thick with smoke. Behind me a timber beam tumbled from the ceiling and crashed to the floor. The heat and smoke sucked the moisture from my insides and I heaved out a series of coughs.
Ally opened her eyes and smiled. She had bested me. But then they came. The girls from the dungeon and Jane Laughlin surrounded her. The sum total off all the pain and hurt inflicted in this place. Everything Ally had worked to keep hidden from the world.
They lurched at Ally. She raised her hands and pushed them back one by one as they went for her. She spun on the spot, trying to keep them at bay. She could not hold them all back. The sheer weight of numbers overwhelmed. They leaned in and pushed their heads into hers and showed her what those men had done. Made her feel it. The fear and despair and anger of each individual stacked together and Ally crumpled to the floor holding her head.
“Make it stop,” she said.
They kept at her.
Jane Laughlin sidled over to the base of the stairs where Crown sat, bound and with his mouth stitched. She considered him, restrained and helpless on the floor as she had been. He fought with his restraints, and then whimpered, as she had. As I ran for the pantry and the wine cellar, the corridor filled with the muffled sound of his screams.
The door to the cellar stood open and I made the descent of the stairs in three leaps. The enclosed space already full with smoke. At the end of the long corridor leading outside, Parker and Harvey shouldered the door. Juliet and Beth screamed encouragement. The door would not budge.
“We can’t go that way,” I yelled.
They raced back up the long corridor. A sudden rush of emotion bubbled up to the surface. I was so happy to see them all still alive. My lower jaw rattled and my hands shook. I fought to hide it.
Beth reached me first. “Sam, you’re ok.”
I blubbered a response and took in a lung full of smoke. We had to get out.
The fire raged outside the kitchen door. A wave of flame climbed up and spread across the ceiling. A subtle cracking sound from above intensified and a chunk of the upstairs floor came crashing down through the ceiling, blocking the rear door. We couldn’t get out the back. The only way now was back through the house. A ball of flame whooshed through the doorway and I put my arm up too late, my eyebrows wilting in the heat.
We crouched together in the middle of the kitchen, lowering our heads to get the last of the remaining oxygen. Malicious red flames and choking black smoke surrounded us on all sides.
“Where do we go now?” Parker’s words came out between coughs. Tears streaked down his cheeks. Soot covered his brow. I wished I had an answer.
Then he was there, standing over Parker’s shoulder. Leon. With the protective bubble gone, he too was free to come in the Manor.
“The fire has not yet consumed the dining room. But you don’t have long.”
I looked vaguely in the direction of the kitchen door and blinked back the stinging from the smoke. “I don’t think we can find it in this.”
“Follow me.”
I pulled my shirt up over my head. “We have to go. The dining room, we can make it. All together on three.”
I shouted out the numbers, the sound drowned out by the roar of the fire. I grabbed Beth’s hand and yanked her into action. Leon led the way and I kept my eyes on his heels. Together we were a flurry of arms and legs bounding for the dining room. I gritted my teeth against the heat. We burst through the doorway and everything turned orange.
From below the sweater pulled tight down over my hair, I shot a glance over to the floor of the grand gallery where I had left Ally writhing on the floor. She was not there now. Nor were the spectres of the girls.
I followed Leon’s heels into the dining room. The great wooden table smouldered in the centre of the room. Brilliant orange flames consumed the thick curtains. Parker spotted his camera still atop the tripod and set to pulling the camera free before Harvey grabbed his arm and yelled something that sounded like ‘leave it’.
Harvey grabbed one of the heavy chairs with their high backs and velvet cushions and heaved it at the window in the back corner of the room. The chair disappeared into the darkness of the night and Harvey kicked at the glass shards left behind. Parker joined. We piled out the opening.
I drank in the fresh cool air of night, staggering over the narrow path beside the house and to the small strip of grass beyond. Parker collapsed beside me and pulled the laptop out from under his shirt. He tapped at the casing and for a moment a brief smile flashed across his face, but it did not last long. He wiped soot and sweat from his face with shaking hands.
Harvey checked us all in turn, like a parent fussing over their children. We had scrapes and bruises and our skin was red and raw, but we were alright. We had survived. He ran to the front of the house and came back with palms held out by his sides. The man in the black suit, the goons Ponytail and Beanie, and Ally were all gone, along with the black van and the BMW.
Huddled together, we watched the fire consume Windhaven Manor, bright reds and oranges lighting up the windows and thick black smoke tumbling into the purple haze of sky. It was almost morning, the horizon signalling the coming of the sun.
Leon stood apart on the grass. I went to him.
“Thank you for coming back for us.”
He shrugged. “It’s something. It isn’t enough to make up for the rest.”
“You saved our lives. And those girls, they had their chance to meet their tormentors. That’s something too.”
He nodded. “What happens now?”
I turned my head sideways. “I’m still learning how all this works.”
The red of the fire reflected in his eyes. “Me too. I might go for a walk in the woods. I always liked it out there.”
He glided across the lawn and entered the trees and was gone.
The sound of sirens fought with the crackle of the fire. The fire brigade and the police. I got to my feet and shuffled to the front of the Manor. The burnt out carcasses of our cars stood by the low height wall. Black soot smudged the stone façade above the windows and the doors.
By the oak tree on the ocean side of the house stood Jane Laughlin. She peered down into a hole dug at the base of the tree. A pale and withered hand poked up out of the dirt. Her hand. They had meant to remove the body, but had aborted the task and fled.
A fire truck appeared at the head of the driveway and then another. They sped down the gravel and came to a sliding stop. A lone police car followed. Harvey sidled over.
Jane looked to the horizon. Out on the cliff edge stood a figure in a red dress. She recognised her sister Kylie immediately and ran down the slope. The two sisters embraced in the first light of the sun. I turned to the whoosh of water through a hose from the fire trucks and when I turned back, the Laughlin sisters were gone.
The members of The Séance Club, which I now consider myself a part, sat together on the low-height stone wall as the firefighters extinguished the flames consuming Windhaven Manor. The house was quiet now. The nausea and vibration I had felt that first night replaced with calm.
The police stripped the compound clean for the best part of a week. They identified Kyle the sketch artist and Hugo from the teeth that survived the fire of the hovel built over the dungeon. Hugo’s wife lay on the back lawn where Beanie and Ponytail had left her. But as to specific evidence of the crimes that occurred, they could not find enough to put a case together.
The two fires and the disappearance of Crown made some headlines, but there wasn’t enough to hang anyone else. The police claimed publicly that there was no link between the fire at Windhaven Manor and the fire at the squalid residence over the back fence. At Harvey’s behest they searched the area with cadaver dogs for the remains of the girls, but they found nothing.
Parker turned his laptop over to the police. They identified the two goons, Ponytail and Beanie, low level thugs who had disappeared from the streets years earlier. Those in the know presumed them dead. It made tracing them almost impossible. Tracing their vehicles lead to a dead end.
The man in black the suit on the other hand might as well be a ghost. On him they found nothing. They have a face, but nothing else.
As for Ally, the girl somehow managed to always turn her face away from the cameras, as if she knew where they were.
I sat in a small room at the police station for three days with Harvey putting the pieces together. He showed me a photograph of an old and gaunt man with a bent back, the last owner of Windhaven Manor before it was sold after his death. He had to be the man with the bent back from the ceremony in the dungeon, but I could not be certain. I never saw his face. Of the faces I did see, we knew Crown and Kyle and Hugo, but the others were harder to pinpoint.
At the end of it all Harvey sighed. There was nothing more we could do. But we could rest on the knowledge that the key players in the ceremony were all now dead.
Questions nagged at me. Where was Ally and what was she doing? Would she try to find me? Who was she working for?
That was the biggest question of all. Who was at the top and pulling the strings? Harvey wasn’t giving up. He was a dog with a bone at the best of times, and now he had a taste of blood. He refused to go back to the police even after Crown’s departure, which he described as the removal of a cancerous limb.
Harvey called me after the dust settled on everything. I told him that the trail had gone cold and I had no idea where Ally was. For all I knew she had evaporated into thin air. Harvey thought it unlikely, and I agreed. He told me it was time for some old-fashioned detective work. The names of the goons would be a start.
And there was something else Harvey mentioned, something that I had almost forgotten. He had always believed that his investigation into the disappearance of the girls was the reason one of his colleagues was murdered. Crown confirmed as much in the bedroom right before he was shot. Harvey thinks there is something to it. Another thread to pull, and he has a hunch. For now he’s keeping his cards close to his chest until he has some proof. I almost pressed him on the issue but decided I’d rather put it all behind me.
The story made headlines in the local press for a while, but ultimately it fizzled into a non-story, quickly forgotten by a public with a short attention spans. We all waited for a reckoning from within the police ranks, but it never came. Harvey predicted that’s the way it would go, and he was proven right.
The one item they did recover was a gold necklace with a heart pendant. The necklace Jane Laughlin wore the night of her death. The police found it where the black van had parked. After a few days in the possession of the police, Harvey arranged to have the necklace released to the family of its former owner.
The following day Mr. and Mrs. Laughlin appeared on the local news, thanking the efforts of those who recovered the remains of their daughter. It was closure, though not the kind they had hoped for. Both their girls were dead.
A week later The Séance Club convened in Beth’s apartment. Parker and Juliet were already there when I arrived. It was cathartic to talk about the events at Windhaven Manor, to compare stories and scars. I guess that’s why they have the saying about a problem shared.
After a brief silence, Beth asked, “Are you going to talk to the parents of Jane and Kylie?”
I shook my head. “What will I tell them?”
“That their daughters found each other out by the cliff edge.”
“And what about the agony of their deaths? Should I tell them that too? Besides, it doesn’t feel right. None of this feels right to me yet. And what weight do my words hold over those of some Priest talking about how he knows their souls are at rest.”
“Because you really do know.”
I shrugged. “I can’t prove any of it.”
Truth was I had no idea how to integrate the things I could see and do into my life. From childhood all I had wanted was to be like everyone else. For people not to stare or whisper as I walked by. To find acceptance. Sitting with my three new friends at Beth’s tiny kitchen table, with our shared experience behind us, I finally had it. This could be the start of something.
Parker was already planning the next Séance Club trip. An abandoned farm up north with mysterious sightings going back centuries. Juliet was already on board. I told them to wait. I couldn’t jump back in right away.
I was the last to leave, Beth and I sipping mug after mug of coffee and sharing comfortable silence. When I sighed and told her I should go, she grabbed my arm.
“I’ve never had a real family, and then I found Juliet and Parker. The Séance Club became my family. Whatever happens we are there for each other. And we mean it when we say we want you to join.”
I thought about that all night, unable to sleep.
The next morning I called Parker.
An abandoned farm up north you say?
* * * *
I navigated to the narrow alley and checked the time. The Exchange should be open. It looked out of context in the Saturday morning light. No bright light spilling from the window. No surge of Friday night after work traffic.
I slipped in the front door. A lone man lifted upturned stools down from the bar. He had his back to me and I crept across the hardwood floor in the direction of the stairs down and the bathrooms.
The vibration swelled in my chest, but I did not fear it. A dull pain rose in the base of my skull, but I gritted my teeth. A man wearing a pair of rough leather shoes came from the other end of the corridor and stopped before me.
“Are you here to help?”
I nodded.
X
submitted by SleeplessFromSundown to nosleep [link] [comments]
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“Do you see her?” I asked in a meek voice.
“You mean that girl in black?” Harvey answered.
It was her, in the flesh. Her lips parted and formed a malevolent smile. Her dark eyes fixed on mine. My legs turned to solid lead. My feet refused to move. The anxiousness to reach Parker and Juliet and Beth in the cellar crumbled like the wood turning to ash behind us. She demanded my attention.
A hand rocked my shoulder. Harvey. I pushed him away.
“You have to go. Help them. I’ll take care of her.”
“What about you?”
“I’ll be right behind you.”
A mirage of Harvey flitted past Ally and disappeared into the kitchen. Everything blurred, everything but her.
She tilted her head to one side and bridged the gap between us with four slow and deliberate steps. She pushed her right hand out from a long sleeve and ran the black painted nail of her index finger across my cheek, the smooth lacquer cold against my skin. I shuddered as the chill spread like ice creeping up a window.
“It is such a shame to be losing you so soon. We’ve only just met, and yet I feel like we’ve known each other our whole lives. Do you feel it too?”
I shook my head. “Let me go.”
“We’re past that now Sam. I considered if we could coexist, you and I. It gave me a thrill knowing there is another one out there like me. But you insist on meddling with my work.”
“You mean locking all those girls in that filthy dungeon where they met their end? And Jane here.”
“The work is sometimes unpleasant.”
“But the pay is good?”
“This isn’t about money Sam. You and I are the same. The pain you felt from not fitting in. The lonely nights lying awake, wishing you could be like everyone else. The stares and the whispers. The rejection from those who are supposed to love us the most. I too know. But where you hid, I searched out a path where my talents were appreciated and rewarded. You don’t hate me Sam. You hate yourself for not thriving like I have.”
“Thriving? Is that what you call it?”
“By all measures yes. I am good at what I do. The best. The only. Or so I thought. And then there is you. A naïve, sheltered little boy who can barely put on his own pants in the morning. It is such a shame. And these so-called friends of yours, that was always doomed to failure. Oh and if you harbour any thoughts of them escaping, know that we blocked the little secret entrance the stable boy showed you. There’s no escape except through the fire. When they pick through the ashes of this building they will find their bones, and yours. Is this how you imagined it turning out?”
I flexed the muscles in my legs, but they refused to move. Ally smiled.
“It’s useless now Sam.”
I heard the faint whisper of Juliet’s voice in my head. She pleaded with me. Come on Sam, you can do this. I remembered the last encounter with Ally, outside the wall separating Windhaven Manor from the world. Ally had put me in the white room. I had broken free. I had overcome her power once. I had to do it again.
I took a deep breath in through my nose and cried out and willed my feet to move. Electricity coursed through my body and I directed it down to the floor. My left heel separated from the floor and that set the whole thing in motion. The dam burst. I lurched forwards and overbalanced and sprawled to the floor.
Ally crouched beside me and chuckled. “Some would call it a tragedy for a child to die so soon after learning to walk.”
I looked back towards the front of the house. The fire burned hot. Thick black smoke circled up the huge open space of the gallery. Portraits hanging on the wall bubbled and curled as flames consumed them.
A figure appeared at the foot of the staircase. The spectre of Crown. The goons had dragged his lifeless corpse out of the house, but stood before me was the spirit with unfinished business. The ugliness of his actions showed through now in death. His skin was sallow and wrinkled. His head too big for his body and his teeth yellowed. A grotesque monster made worse by his mortal demise.
Ally whispered in my ear. “He knows it was your meddling that brought about his end. I’ll leave you two alone.”
She brushed my cheek with the back of her hand and stood. As she walked away leather straps materialised out of thin air and pinned my body to the floor.
The spectre of Crown grew before me, swelling in size until he had to crouch to stay below the chandelier. He clenched his fists and with burning red eyes let out a guttural growl that skipped my ears and penetrated directly into my skull.
I tried to pull my hands to my ears but they would not come. It made no difference. The roar coming from Crown stabbed the inside of my head like a thousand daggers. I lifted my head and the growl grew to a scream that ricocheted around the inside of my skull. I couldn’t take much more. It felt as though my head would explode.
Guilt bubbled up and mingled with the fear and I shrank into the floor and wished for it to swallow me. They were down there, the only friends I had known, banging against a locked door denying their escape. I sobbed. I sobbed like I had the night my parents turned from me.
In the pit of my stomach something else grew. A seed of frustration born of a lifetime existing in a world that didn’t make sense. A world where I had no idea who I was and what I could or should do. A world in which I hid. I couldn’t do that now.
Juliet’s voice as clear as day, cutting through the racket of Crown’s scream. Do it Sam. I gritted my teeth and electricity buzzed somewhere deep inside, at first dull and imperceptible, and then amplified and resonating until it peaked into a deafening roar.
Above Crown the bulbs in the chandelier glowed white. He swivelled his head and watched them dumbly.
I concentrated, felt the energy forming an extra limb. Like the arms and legs of a newborn it flailed spasmodically. I fought to control it, to turn it to my will. I focussed on the straps pinning me to the floor. The electricity fed into the straps and turned them hot. For a moment I feared they would scold my skin, and then in a moment of release they split and flung upwards.
I picked myself up off the floor and faced the spectre of Crown. Like a spent boxer throwing one final punch I threw out my hands and screamed, willing Crown to be quiet and be still. Demanding he be so.
The floor shook. The dozens of bulbs in the chandelier shattered. The giant spectre of Crown diminished and the screaming inside my head softened until it was no more. Crown’s eyes opened wide as his mouth stitched together and his arms wrenched behind his back. I flicked my hand like I was swatting a fly and Crown flew into the corner of the room and slumped to the floor.
I bent over and rested my hands on my knees. My muscles ached, like I had run a marathon. Shadows played on the floor. I sucked in air and smoke and spluttered and coughed.
In the hallway the silhouette of Ally. She turned and shook her head. The heat of the fire intensified and crackled at my skin. If we were to make our escape, she could not be here to block us. I straightened and strode towards her.
I cycled furiously through the events of the last few days, searching for something to defeat Ally. I had to do to her what she had done to me. The time for running and breaking her spells was through.
I closed my eyes and concentrated. I stripped away everything except for the two of us. The crackle of the fire replaced with silence. The smell of the smoke disappeared. The heat washed away. One by one I shut down all my senses. When I opened my eyes a monotone room of white. Sterile calm had replaced the burning insides of Windhaven Manor.
Her eyes scanned the room and she giggled. “Cheap tricks won’t get you far,” she said. “And you learned this one from me.”
The white rippled as if the walls were made of water. She was fighting it. I concentrated, focussing all my energy, all my will. The ripples slowed and then stopped.
“You’re a fast learner,” she said. “But I have been doing this for more than a weekend.”
Strips of colour permeated the white. A rectangle of tile appeared on the floor. And then some blue from the curtain. Enough of a smouldering wall to let in some smoke. The acrid smell reached my nose and I spluttered. As each wedge of colour appeared, I filled it back in white. But it was a sinking ship and the pail I held to bail out the water would not be enough.
Ally grunted under her breath. A grunt of frustration. The white room shook and made a sound like a train bearing down.
I had to bind her. I raised my palm and coils of rope rose from the ground and oscillated like snakes around her. She swatted them away and wrenched them from the ground and flung them at my feet, limp and unmoving.
“It won’t be that easy,” she sneered.
My arms jerked behind my back. She bound my wrists and then my ankles. She pursed her lips and blew as if extinguishing a single candle on a birthday cake, and it was enough to send me to the floor. I couldn’t do this on my own. I needed help.
I shut my eyes and concentrated my energy not on my bindings, but on the woods at the back of Windhaven Manor. On the girls who escaped the dungeon and now roamed the forest, watching the house burn from behind the barrier Ally constructed.
I fed the energy coursing through my body into the giant snowdome structure until it burned hot and then like the globes in the chandelier, it cracked and exploded into the night sky. The spirits of the girls watched the shards disappear and then strode towards the Manor.
I turned my attention to the tiny room beside the pantry, where Jane Laughlin lay bound to the bed. I stood beside her and lay my hand on the shackles binding her to the bed. She shuddered as the mask came free from her mouth and then stood as the shackles broke.
I opened my eyes and the white of the room flickered off and then back on again like bad reception on a television. I had to keep the white walls up long enough for them to draw near. For them to be ready when the façade fell. Ally strode towards me, exuding confidence.
“You can’t beat me Sam.”
Ally squeezed her hands into fists and screamed. In a burst of energy she wiped the white room clear and we were back in the burning house. The air was thick with smoke. Behind me a timber beam tumbled from the ceiling and crashed to the floor. The heat and smoke sucked the moisture from my insides and I heaved out a series of coughs.
Ally opened her eyes and smiled. She had bested me. But then they came. The girls from the dungeon and Jane Laughlin surrounded her. The sum total off all the pain and hurt inflicted in this place. Everything Ally had worked to keep hidden from the world.
They lurched at Ally. She raised her hands and pushed them back one by one as they went for her. She spun on the spot, trying to keep them at bay. She could not hold them all back. The sheer weight of numbers overwhelmed. They leaned in and pushed their heads into hers and showed her what those men had done. Made her feel it. The fear and despair and anger of each individual stacked together and Ally crumpled to the floor holding her head.
“Make it stop,” she said.
They kept at her.
Jane Laughlin sidled over to the base of the stairs where Crown sat, bound and with his mouth stitched. She considered him, restrained and helpless on the floor as she had been. He fought with his restraints, and then whimpered, as she had. As I ran for the pantry and the wine cellar, the corridor filled with the muffled sound of his screams.
The door to the cellar stood open and I made the descent of the stairs in three leaps. The enclosed space already full with smoke. At the end of the long corridor leading outside, Parker and Harvey shouldered the door. Juliet and Beth screamed encouragement. The door would not budge.
“We can’t go that way,” I yelled.
They raced back up the long corridor. A sudden rush of emotion bubbled up to the surface. I was so happy to see them all still alive. My lower jaw rattled and my hands shook. I fought to hide it.
Beth reached me first. “Sam, you’re ok.”
I blubbered a response and took in a lung full of smoke. We had to get out.
The fire raged outside the kitchen door. A wave of flame climbed up and spread across the ceiling. A subtle cracking sound from above intensified and a chunk of the upstairs floor came crashing down through the ceiling, blocking the rear door. We couldn’t get out the back. The only way now was back through the house. A ball of flame whooshed through the doorway and I put my arm up too late, my eyebrows wilting in the heat.
We crouched together in the middle of the kitchen, lowering our heads to get the last of the remaining oxygen. Malicious red flames and choking black smoke surrounded us on all sides.
“Where do we go now?” Parker’s words came out between coughs. Tears streaked down his cheeks. Soot covered his brow. I wished I had an answer.
Then he was there, standing over Parker’s shoulder. Leon. With the protective bubble gone, he too was free to come in the Manor.
“The fire has not yet consumed the dining room. But you don’t have long.”
I looked vaguely in the direction of the kitchen door and blinked back the stinging from the smoke. “I don’t think we can find it in this.”
“Follow me.”
I pulled my shirt up over my head. “We have to go. The dining room, we can make it. All together on three.”
I shouted out the numbers, the sound drowned out by the roar of the fire. I grabbed Beth’s hand and yanked her into action. Leon led the way and I kept my eyes on his heels. Together we were a flurry of arms and legs bounding for the dining room. I gritted my teeth against the heat. We burst through the doorway and everything turned orange.
From below the sweater pulled tight down over my hair, I shot a glance over to the floor of the grand gallery where I had left Ally writhing on the floor. She was not there now. Nor were the spectres of the girls.
I followed Leon’s heels into the dining room. The great wooden table smouldered in the centre of the room. Brilliant orange flames consumed the thick curtains. Parker spotted his camera still atop the tripod and set to pulling the camera free before Harvey grabbed his arm and yelled something that sounded like ‘leave it’.
Harvey grabbed one of the heavy chairs with their high backs and velvet cushions and heaved it at the window in the back corner of the room. The chair disappeared into the darkness of the night and Harvey kicked at the glass shards left behind. Parker joined. We piled out the opening.
I drank in the fresh cool air of night, staggering over the narrow path beside the house and to the small strip of grass beyond. Parker collapsed beside me and pulled the laptop out from under his shirt. He tapped at the casing and for a moment a brief smile flashed across his face, but it did not last long. He wiped soot and sweat from his face with shaking hands.
Harvey checked us all in turn, like a parent fussing over their children. We had scrapes and bruises and our skin was red and raw, but we were alright. We had survived. He ran to the front of the house and came back with palms held out by his sides. The man in the black suit, the goons Ponytail and Beanie, and Ally were all gone, along with the black van and the BMW.
Huddled together, we watched the fire consume Windhaven Manor, bright reds and oranges lighting up the windows and thick black smoke tumbling into the purple haze of sky. It was almost morning, the horizon signalling the coming of the sun.
Leon stood apart on the grass. I went to him.
“Thank you for coming back for us.”
He shrugged. “It’s something. It isn’t enough to make up for the rest.”
“You saved our lives. And those girls, they had their chance to meet their tormentors. That’s something too.”
He nodded. “What happens now?”
I turned my head sideways. “I’m still learning how all this works.”
The red of the fire reflected in his eyes. “Me too. I might go for a walk in the woods. I always liked it out there.”
He glided across the lawn and entered the trees and was gone.
The sound of sirens fought with the crackle of the fire. The fire brigade and the police. I got to my feet and shuffled to the front of the Manor. The burnt out carcasses of our cars stood by the low height wall. Black soot smudged the stone façade above the windows and the doors.
By the oak tree on the ocean side of the house stood Jane Laughlin. She peered down into a hole dug at the base of the tree. A pale and withered hand poked up out of the dirt. Her hand. They had meant to remove the body, but had aborted the task and fled.
A fire truck appeared at the head of the driveway and then another. They sped down the gravel and came to a sliding stop. A lone police car followed. Harvey sidled over.
Jane looked to the horizon. Out on the cliff edge stood a figure in a red dress. She recognised her sister Kylie immediately and ran down the slope. The two sisters embraced in the first light of the sun. I turned to the whoosh of water through a hose from the fire trucks and when I turned back, the Laughlin sisters were gone.
The members of The Séance Club, which I now consider myself a part, sat together on the low-height stone wall as the firefighters extinguished the flames consuming Windhaven Manor. The house was quiet now. The nausea and vibration I had felt that first night replaced with calm.
The police stripped the compound clean for the best part of a week. They identified Kyle the sketch artist and Hugo from the teeth that survived the fire of the hovel built over the dungeon. Hugo’s wife lay on the back lawn where Beanie and Ponytail had left her. But as to specific evidence of the crimes that occurred, they could not find enough to put a case together.
The two fires and the disappearance of Crown made some headlines, but there wasn’t enough to hang anyone else. The police claimed publicly that there was no link between the fire at Windhaven Manor and the fire at the squalid residence over the back fence. At Harvey’s behest they searched the area with cadaver dogs for the remains of the girls, but they found nothing.
Parker turned his laptop over to the police. They identified the two goons, Ponytail and Beanie, low level thugs who had disappeared from the streets years earlier. Those in the know presumed them dead. It made tracing them almost impossible. Tracing their vehicles lead to a dead end.
The man in black the suit on the other hand might as well be a ghost. On him they found nothing. They have a face, but nothing else.
As for Ally, the girl somehow managed to always turn her face away from the cameras, as if she knew where they were.
I sat in a small room at the police station for three days with Harvey putting the pieces together. He showed me a photograph of an old and gaunt man with a bent back, the last owner of Windhaven Manor before it was sold after his death. He had to be the man with the bent back from the ceremony in the dungeon, but I could not be certain. I never saw his face. Of the faces I did see, we knew Crown and Kyle and Hugo, but the others were harder to pinpoint.
At the end of it all Harvey sighed. There was nothing more we could do. But we could rest on the knowledge that the key players in the ceremony were all now dead.
Questions nagged at me. Where was Ally and what was she doing? Would she try to find me? Who was she working for?
That was the biggest question of all. Who was at the top and pulling the strings? Harvey wasn’t giving up. He was a dog with a bone at the best of times, and now he had a taste of blood. He refused to go back to the police even after Crown’s departure, which he described as the removal of a cancerous limb.
Harvey called me after the dust settled on everything. I told him that the trail had gone cold and I had no idea where Ally was. For all I knew she had evaporated into thin air. Harvey thought it unlikely, and I agreed. He told me it was time for some old-fashioned detective work. The names of the goons would be a start.
And there was something else Harvey mentioned, something that I had almost forgotten. He had always believed that his investigation into the disappearance of the girls was the reason one of his colleagues was murdered. Crown confirmed as much in the bedroom right before he was shot. Harvey thinks there is something to it. Another thread to pull, and he has a hunch. For now he’s keeping his cards close to his chest until he has some proof. I almost pressed him on the issue but decided I’d rather put it all behind me.
The story made headlines in the local press for a while, but ultimately it fizzled into a non-story, quickly forgotten by a public with a short attention spans. We all waited for a reckoning from within the police ranks, but it never came. Harvey predicted that’s the way it would go, and he was proven right.
The one item they did recover was a gold necklace with a heart pendant. The necklace Jane Laughlin wore the night of her death. The police found it where the black van had parked. After a few days in the possession of the police, Harvey arranged to have the necklace released to the family of its former owner.
The following day Mr. and Mrs. Laughlin appeared on the local news, thanking the efforts of those who recovered the remains of their daughter. It was closure, though not the kind they had hoped for. Both their girls were dead.
A week later The Séance Club convened in Beth’s apartment. Parker and Juliet were already there when I arrived. It was cathartic to talk about the events at Windhaven Manor, to compare stories and scars. I guess that’s why they have the saying about a problem shared.
After a brief silence, Beth asked, “Are you going to talk to the parents of Jane and Kylie?”
I shook my head. “What will I tell them?”
“That their daughters found each other out by the cliff edge.”
“And what about the agony of their deaths? Should I tell them that too? Besides, it doesn’t feel right. None of this feels right to me yet. And what weight do my words hold over those of some Priest talking about how he knows their souls are at rest.”
“Because you really do know.”
I shrugged. “I can’t prove any of it.”
Truth was I had no idea how to integrate the things I could see and do into my life. From childhood all I had wanted was to be like everyone else. For people not to stare or whisper as I walked by. To find acceptance. Sitting with my three new friends at Beth’s tiny kitchen table, with our shared experience behind us, I finally had it. This could be the start of something.
Parker was already planning the next Séance Club trip. An abandoned farm up north with mysterious sightings going back centuries. Juliet was already on board. I told them to wait. I couldn’t jump back in right away.
I was the last to leave, Beth and I sipping mug after mug of coffee and sharing comfortable silence. When I sighed and told her I should go, she grabbed my arm.
“I’ve never had a real family, and then I found Juliet and Parker. The Séance Club became my family. Whatever happens we are there for each other. And we mean it when we say we want you to join.”
I thought about that all night, unable to sleep.
The next morning I called Parker.
An abandoned farm up north you say?
* * * *
I navigated to the narrow alley and checked the time. The Exchange should be open. It looked out of context in the Saturday morning light. No bright light spilling from the window. No surge of Friday night after work traffic.
I slipped in the front door. A lone man lifted upturned stools down from the bar. He had his back to me and I crept across the hardwood floor in the direction of the stairs down and the bathrooms.
The vibration swelled in my chest, but I did not fear it. A dull pain rose in the base of my skull, but I gritted my teeth. A man wearing a pair of rough leather shoes came from the other end of the corridor and stopped before me.
“Are you here to help?”
I nodded.
X
2023.05.29 16:26 Warm_Still_2049 My family's secret. Found some gravestones in the woods near my grandparents home
My name is Shinji “新ニ“. This happened to me more than 15 years ago when I was still living in Japan as an elementary school student.
Interestingly, the catalyst for this event was the discovery of a porn magazine.
Weird I know, just bear with me until the end.
My grandparents used to live in a small isolated town called Ogawa-Machi (小川町) in the Saitama Prefecture. My parents and I would visit them often since my parents owned a junkyard nearby. My dad used to buy used cars and sell their parts overseas.
I enjoyed visiting the junkyard since it had ample space to play. I especially enjoyed it when my dad bought a used car since I could scavenge inside for coins and other things that the previous owner left behind. I would usually just find trash but when I was lucky I would find some 10 yen coins or sometimes 100 yen coins that I usually ended up using it for drinks in the vending machine.
One day I was visiting the junkyard with my parents and a friend from elementary school. Me and my friend were scavenging one of the newly arrived used cars when he hit the jackpot. BAM! We found a porn magazine. We looked at each other and took a peek inside the magazine. We started laughing and when we noticed my parents heading towards us, I hid the magazine deep inside my backpack. We forgot about it and continued with our day.
In the evening, I went to my grandparent's house with my parents and my friend to stay for the night. I grabbed my backpack to look for a change of clothes. I dumbed everything on the floor and from the very bottom of my backpack, the magazine fell. I was greeted with some Japanese titties and a bushy beaver. I panicked. I put the magazine back into my backpack and hid it under my bed.
It was too risky to keep it in my bag since I never knew when my mom will open it. She might open it just to make sure I didn’t pick up any trash from the junkyard and try to take it home. I was too paranoid to hide it in my grandparent's house as well. I still wanted to look at it of course so I decided that I would take the magazine into the woods located behind my grandparent's house where I can slowly look at it and just hide it there afterward.
I told my friend about my plan of hiding the magazine deep inside woods. We were both excited. We wanted to take a look at the magazine but also venturing into the woods at night sounded like an exciting adventure.
That night when everyone was sleeping, I grabbed the magazine and a flashlight and me and my friend snook out of my room's window. (I made sure to leave the window open beforehand just to make sure to not make a sound when everyone was asleep)
I would probably be scared if I was by myself. But with my friend by my side, I was excited and eager to go into the woods for an adventure. My grandparents never let me go into the woods. Not even during the day which made no sense to me. So this was actually my first time venturing deep into the woods. We both took a deep breath and sneaked into the woods.
We walked for just about a couple of minutes when we found a big tree. We hid behind it and took our time looking at the magazine. After enjoying ourselves for about 30 minutes or so looking at them Japanese titties, we decided that we had enough and it was time to find a place to hide it.
It was hard to find a place to hide it since the entire woods looked the same. Most trees were of the same kind and size. There was nothing we could use as a marker to hide it. After looking for a while, curiosity got the better of us so we decided to go way deeper into the woods. The deeper we hid it the better we thought. We could kinda see the town lights far away so we knew which direction to go back to if we ventured too far inside. We walked for a couple of minutes making sure to look back once in a while to see if we can see the town lights to make sure we knew which way to head back to. We were about to give up on finding a good place since we were so tired. I told my friend that he could keep the magazine so we should head back. As we were about to head back, I noticed something white on the ground. After careful inspection, we noticed that it was just a receipt from the supermarket. However, we found it weird since it meant that someone has been here. We looked around to see if we found something else but we found nothing except for some stones. Finding some stones may seem normal, but we noticed that it was the first time we saw some stones in these woods. We walked towards it and grabbed a couple of them thinking that we could maybe use it as a marker to identify where we hid the magazine. However, as we walked towards it we noticed some more stones further away. We walked towards the next set of stones and noticed more stones further away. It seemed to us like someone was using the stones as breadcrumbs to mark a trail.
We kept following the stones until we finally reached an open area. The first thing we noticed was the three big stones with carvings on it. The carvings were some Japanese symbols(kanji) that I could not read. The only kanji I could read was "二” which symbolized the number "2". I was able to read it since numbers are one of the first kanji you learn in school. Oddly enough, all three of the stones had the kanji "2" on them. Also, we noticed that one of the stones had some flowers, a small glass container of milk, and a small car toy next to it. Even as kids, we knew that this was some kind of gravestone. We were absolutely terrified that we both run back in the same direction we came from.
We reached my grandparents' home and snook into the window of my room. We made some noise which woke up my parents. They came rushing inside our room asking what happened. They noticed that we had our dirty shoes on and realized that we were outside. We were so terrified that we told them the truth. Surprisingly, they were not mad at us. They just stayed with us until me and my friend fell asleep.
The next day, my friend went back home. My parents did not talk about what happened the night before. They just acted as if nothing happened.
I never went back to my grandparents' house again after that. I also knew that my mother was having frequent discussions with my grandmother. After a while, me and my family moved overseas. I did not mention it before but I have two sisters. One older than me and one younger.
I forgot about all these until I was around 15 or 16 years old. It was around this age that my parents told me I was adopted. It was a shock but I love my parents and still consider them my real parents. Honestly, it kind of made sense since I had curly hair and double eyelids unlike my parents and my sisters who had straight hair and single eyelids. I know most people are expecting a step-sibling erotic situation but nothing like that happened.
I had also noticed something about my family. Everyone from my mother's side was female. My mother had a little sister but no brother. My aunt (mom's little sister) had two daughters. I also noticed something very interesting. My mothers name was 一禾 (Ichika) and my aunts name is 三久 (Miku). My mom's name contains the kanji "一” symbolizing the number "1". My aunt's name has the kanji "三" which symbolizes the number "3". I didn't think too much of it until one day it hit me. I realized that the carvings on the tombstones were names. The gravestones on my grandparent's woods contained the kanji "二” symbolizing the number "2". Probably symbolizing the second offspring. Also, the car toy placed next to one of the gravestones probably meant that the gravestone was made for a boy. This meant that my mom probably had a younger brother with the kanji "二” on his name symbolizing he was the second offspring. My aunt probably had another son that passed away as well.
The three tombstones now made sense. One for grandparents' son, one for my aunt's son, and one for my mother's son. It seems that the second offspring in my family is always a male and he always passes away.
Another creepy thing I noticed was my name. My name is Shinji. In kanji it's "新二”. "新” means "New" and as mentioned before "二” means "2".
Finally, I just wanted to say that my sister got married a couple of years ago and had a daughter named Kazumi “一美”. She says she wants more children. I am not sure if I should let her know about my discovery. Please advice.
submitted by Warm_Still_2049 to BackwoodsCreepy [link] [comments]
Interestingly, the catalyst for this event was the discovery of a porn magazine.
Weird I know, just bear with me until the end.
My grandparents used to live in a small isolated town called Ogawa-Machi (小川町) in the Saitama Prefecture. My parents and I would visit them often since my parents owned a junkyard nearby. My dad used to buy used cars and sell their parts overseas.
I enjoyed visiting the junkyard since it had ample space to play. I especially enjoyed it when my dad bought a used car since I could scavenge inside for coins and other things that the previous owner left behind. I would usually just find trash but when I was lucky I would find some 10 yen coins or sometimes 100 yen coins that I usually ended up using it for drinks in the vending machine.
One day I was visiting the junkyard with my parents and a friend from elementary school. Me and my friend were scavenging one of the newly arrived used cars when he hit the jackpot. BAM! We found a porn magazine. We looked at each other and took a peek inside the magazine. We started laughing and when we noticed my parents heading towards us, I hid the magazine deep inside my backpack. We forgot about it and continued with our day.
In the evening, I went to my grandparent's house with my parents and my friend to stay for the night. I grabbed my backpack to look for a change of clothes. I dumbed everything on the floor and from the very bottom of my backpack, the magazine fell. I was greeted with some Japanese titties and a bushy beaver. I panicked. I put the magazine back into my backpack and hid it under my bed.
It was too risky to keep it in my bag since I never knew when my mom will open it. She might open it just to make sure I didn’t pick up any trash from the junkyard and try to take it home. I was too paranoid to hide it in my grandparent's house as well. I still wanted to look at it of course so I decided that I would take the magazine into the woods located behind my grandparent's house where I can slowly look at it and just hide it there afterward.
I told my friend about my plan of hiding the magazine deep inside woods. We were both excited. We wanted to take a look at the magazine but also venturing into the woods at night sounded like an exciting adventure.
That night when everyone was sleeping, I grabbed the magazine and a flashlight and me and my friend snook out of my room's window. (I made sure to leave the window open beforehand just to make sure to not make a sound when everyone was asleep)
I would probably be scared if I was by myself. But with my friend by my side, I was excited and eager to go into the woods for an adventure. My grandparents never let me go into the woods. Not even during the day which made no sense to me. So this was actually my first time venturing deep into the woods. We both took a deep breath and sneaked into the woods.
We walked for just about a couple of minutes when we found a big tree. We hid behind it and took our time looking at the magazine. After enjoying ourselves for about 30 minutes or so looking at them Japanese titties, we decided that we had enough and it was time to find a place to hide it.
It was hard to find a place to hide it since the entire woods looked the same. Most trees were of the same kind and size. There was nothing we could use as a marker to hide it. After looking for a while, curiosity got the better of us so we decided to go way deeper into the woods. The deeper we hid it the better we thought. We could kinda see the town lights far away so we knew which direction to go back to if we ventured too far inside. We walked for a couple of minutes making sure to look back once in a while to see if we can see the town lights to make sure we knew which way to head back to. We were about to give up on finding a good place since we were so tired. I told my friend that he could keep the magazine so we should head back. As we were about to head back, I noticed something white on the ground. After careful inspection, we noticed that it was just a receipt from the supermarket. However, we found it weird since it meant that someone has been here. We looked around to see if we found something else but we found nothing except for some stones. Finding some stones may seem normal, but we noticed that it was the first time we saw some stones in these woods. We walked towards it and grabbed a couple of them thinking that we could maybe use it as a marker to identify where we hid the magazine. However, as we walked towards it we noticed some more stones further away. We walked towards the next set of stones and noticed more stones further away. It seemed to us like someone was using the stones as breadcrumbs to mark a trail.
We kept following the stones until we finally reached an open area. The first thing we noticed was the three big stones with carvings on it. The carvings were some Japanese symbols(kanji) that I could not read. The only kanji I could read was "二” which symbolized the number "2". I was able to read it since numbers are one of the first kanji you learn in school. Oddly enough, all three of the stones had the kanji "2" on them. Also, we noticed that one of the stones had some flowers, a small glass container of milk, and a small car toy next to it. Even as kids, we knew that this was some kind of gravestone. We were absolutely terrified that we both run back in the same direction we came from.
We reached my grandparents' home and snook into the window of my room. We made some noise which woke up my parents. They came rushing inside our room asking what happened. They noticed that we had our dirty shoes on and realized that we were outside. We were so terrified that we told them the truth. Surprisingly, they were not mad at us. They just stayed with us until me and my friend fell asleep.
The next day, my friend went back home. My parents did not talk about what happened the night before. They just acted as if nothing happened.
I never went back to my grandparents' house again after that. I also knew that my mother was having frequent discussions with my grandmother. After a while, me and my family moved overseas. I did not mention it before but I have two sisters. One older than me and one younger.
I forgot about all these until I was around 15 or 16 years old. It was around this age that my parents told me I was adopted. It was a shock but I love my parents and still consider them my real parents. Honestly, it kind of made sense since I had curly hair and double eyelids unlike my parents and my sisters who had straight hair and single eyelids. I know most people are expecting a step-sibling erotic situation but nothing like that happened.
I had also noticed something about my family. Everyone from my mother's side was female. My mother had a little sister but no brother. My aunt (mom's little sister) had two daughters. I also noticed something very interesting. My mothers name was 一禾 (Ichika) and my aunts name is 三久 (Miku). My mom's name contains the kanji "一” symbolizing the number "1". My aunt's name has the kanji "三" which symbolizes the number "3". I didn't think too much of it until one day it hit me. I realized that the carvings on the tombstones were names. The gravestones on my grandparent's woods contained the kanji "二” symbolizing the number "2". Probably symbolizing the second offspring. Also, the car toy placed next to one of the gravestones probably meant that the gravestone was made for a boy. This meant that my mom probably had a younger brother with the kanji "二” on his name symbolizing he was the second offspring. My aunt probably had another son that passed away as well.
The three tombstones now made sense. One for grandparents' son, one for my aunt's son, and one for my mother's son. It seems that the second offspring in my family is always a male and he always passes away.
Another creepy thing I noticed was my name. My name is Shinji. In kanji it's "新二”. "新” means "New" and as mentioned before "二” means "2".
Finally, I just wanted to say that my sister got married a couple of years ago and had a daughter named Kazumi “一美”. She says she wants more children. I am not sure if I should let her know about my discovery. Please advice.
2023.05.29 16:25 PM_ME_YOUR_DELTA-V Little Saint James Estate Profile - House & Garden Magazine - April 1993
 | submitted by PM_ME_YOUR_DELTA-V to Epstein [link] [comments] |
2023.05.29 16:25 Automatic_Gur_9570 Please help! Dress color choice
I’m very undecided. I am planning on a sparkly evening dress. I am trying to decide between pink sparkly / ivory or champagne
I wanted to pick pink, but just a slight blush pink ( not a dark pink) and I’m just afraid of looking to pink because it’s going to be all over. I am now leaning towards ivory or champagne but my seamstress says champagne can seem a bit yellow at night in the dark -> so thinks maybe Ivory.
I really don’t know. It is a wedding. I thought pink would be fun. But it’s also the specific occasion to wear white. Can I please get your opinions? The issue is I need to decide very soon to order fabric to stay in the right timeframe.
I forgot to add we ordered all the fabric sample. I find it hard to now having a small sample of pink. For the other colors, I hardly see the difference between the ivory and champagne! Thank you 🙏
submitted by Automatic_Gur_9570 to weddingplanning [link] [comments]
I wanted to pick pink, but just a slight blush pink ( not a dark pink) and I’m just afraid of looking to pink because it’s going to be all over. I am now leaning towards ivory or champagne but my seamstress says champagne can seem a bit yellow at night in the dark -> so thinks maybe Ivory.
I really don’t know. It is a wedding. I thought pink would be fun. But it’s also the specific occasion to wear white. Can I please get your opinions? The issue is I need to decide very soon to order fabric to stay in the right timeframe.
I forgot to add we ordered all the fabric sample. I find it hard to now having a small sample of pink. For the other colors, I hardly see the difference between the ivory and champagne! Thank you 🙏
2023.05.29 16:21 daniedo22 Jewish Brides and Grooms - where are y'all buying your smash glass?!
I'm completely overwhelmed by the amount of seemingly repetitive options on Etsy, and unfortunately, none seem to be just what I want. I'm looking for just the glass (think colorful: a summertime bouquet with blues, pinks, lilac, white, yellow) which seems a bit impossible, everything is dark in color, or clear with gold, or non-customizable (not sure if I'd expect it to be but if this exists that would be amazing). I'm not a big Amazon fan, but will go with them if there's a compelling option (which I can't seem to find). My plan is to just buy the glass now and then decide after the wedding what we want to do with it.
Where are you all getting your smash glasses and where would you recommend?
submitted by daniedo22 to weddingplanning [link] [comments]
Where are you all getting your smash glasses and where would you recommend?
2023.05.29 16:03 DriftingPyscho 28 Days/4 Weeks
Let's boogie! 🕺
No worries, I plan on posting at 30 days as well, just happy I've made it this far.
I have gamed and read tons for distractions. Plus Sweet Tarts have become my new favorite candy. There have been a few nights of white knuckling it but I persevered.
If I can do it you can too!
IWNDWYT
submitted by DriftingPyscho to stopdrinking [link] [comments]
No worries, I plan on posting at 30 days as well, just happy I've made it this far.
I have gamed and read tons for distractions. Plus Sweet Tarts have become my new favorite candy. There have been a few nights of white knuckling it but I persevered.
If I can do it you can too!
IWNDWYT
2023.05.29 15:55 Dianthaa 2023 Ignyte Awards Finalist
The Ignyte Awards are organized annually by Fiyah Lit Mag.
Congrats to everyone that got nominated! This year's finalists are:
A neat addition this year, from L.D. Lewis' twitter:
submitted by Dianthaa to Fantasy [link] [comments]
Congrats to everyone that got nominated! This year's finalists are:
BEST NOVEL: ADULT
for novel-length work (40k words) Works intended for an Adult audience- BABEL – R. F. Kuang (Harper Voyager)
- KAIKEYI – Vaishnavi Patel (Redhook)
- SIREN QUEEN – Nghi Vo (Tordotcom)
- THE BLOOD TRIALS – N. E. Davenport (Harper Voyager)
- THE SPEAR CUTS THROUGH WATER – Simon Jimenez (Del Rey)
BEST NOVEL: YOUNG ADULT
for novel-length (40k+ words) works intended for the young adult audience- BALLAD & DAGGER – Daniel José Older (Rick Riordan Presents)
- BLOODMARKED – Tracy Deonn (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers)
- BLOOD SCION – Deborah Falaye (HarperTeen)
- LAKELORE – Anna-Marie McLemore (Feiwel & Friends)
- THE KINDRED – Alechia Dow (Inkyard Press)
BEST IN MIDDLE GRADE
for works intended for the middle grade audience- RUBY FINLEY VS. THE INTERSTELLAR INVASION – K. Tempest Bradford (Farrar, Straus and Giroux BYR)
- THE LAST MAPMAKER – Christina Soontornvat (Candlewick Press)
- THE MARVELLERS – Dhonielle Clayton (Henry Holt & Company)
- WITCHLINGS – Claribel Ortega (Scholastic Press)
- YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE, DAVID BRAVO! – Mark Oshiro (HarperCollins)
A neat addition this year, from L.D. Lewis' twitter:
This year, we've added a slate of judges aged 12-18 to help select the YA and Middle Grade finalists! The philosophy is that kidlit categories should heavily weigh the opinions of the people they're written for. Simple, no?
BEST NOVELLA
for speculative works ranging from 17,500-39,999 words- BISHOP’S OPENING – R.S.A. Garcia (Clarkesworld)
- EMPIRE OF THE FEAST – Bendi Barrett (Neon Hemlock)
- EVEN THOUGHT I KNEW THE END – C. L. Polk (Tordotcom)
- HELPMEET – Naben Ruthnum (Undertow)
- INTO THE RIVERLANDS – Nghi Vo (Tordotcom)
BEST NOVELETTE
for speculative works ranging from 7,500-17,499 words- IF YOU FIND YOURSELF SPEAKING TO GOD, ADDRESS GOD WITH THE INFORMAL YOU – John Chu ( Uncanny Magazine)
- MEN, WOMEN, & CHAINSAWS – Stephen Graham Jones (Tor.com Originals)
- MURDER BY PIXEL: CRIME AND RESPONSIBILITY IN THE DIGITAL DARKNESS – S. L. Huang (Clarkesworld)
- THE EPIC OF QU-SHITTU – Tobi Ogundiran (The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction)
- TO CARVE HOME IN YOUR BONES – Aigner Loren Wilson (The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction)
BEST SHORT STORY
for speculative works ranging from 2,000-7,499 words- GIRL OIL – Grace Fong (Tor.com)
- THE LADY OF THE YELLOW PAINTED LIBRARY – Tobi Ogundiran (Tordotcom)
- THE LOCKED POD – Malka Older (The Sunday Morning Transport)
- THE VOICE OF A THOUSAND YEARS – Fawaz Al-Matrouk (The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction)
- WANDERLUST – LP Kindred (Anathema: Spec From the Margins)
BEST IN SPECULATIVE POETRY
- IN STOCK IMAGES OF THE FUTURE, EVERYTHING IS WHITE – Terese Mason Pierre (Uncanny Magazine)
- I SHALL NOT SURRENDER – Beatrice Winifred Iker (Anathema: Spec From the Margins)
- THE RECIPE FOR TIME TRAVEL – Monique Collins (FIYAH)
- WE SMOKE POLLUTION – Ai Jiang (STAR*LINE)
- YEAR OF THE UNICORN KIDZ – Jason B. Crawford (Sundress Publications)
CRITICS AWARD
for reviews and analysis of the field of speculative literature- Aigner Loren Wilson
- Bogi Takács
- Charles Payseur
- Christina Orlando
- Nerds of a Feather
BEST FICTION PODCAST
for excellence in audio performance and production for speculative fiction- Beneath Ceaseless Skies
- Black Women Are Scary
- Good Morning Antioch
- PodCastle
- Pseudopod
BEST ARTIST
for contributions in visual speculative storytelling- Aimee Campbell
- Terri Chieyni
- N’kai DeLauter
- Taj Francis
- Raymond Sebastien
BEST COMICS TEAM
for comics, graphic novels, and sequential storytelling- Changa And The Jade Obelisk #2 – Matteo Illuminat, Loris Ravina, Massimiliano Veltri & Robert Jeffrey II (MVMedia)
- Squire – Nadia Shammas & Sara Alfageeh (HarperCollins)
- Where Black Stars Rise – Marie Enger & Nadia Shammas (Tor Nightfire)
BEST ANTHOLOGY/COLLECTED WORKS
- Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century – Kim Fu (Tin House Books)
- Night of the Living Rez – Morgan Talty (Tin House Books)
- Reclaim the Stars – Zoraida Córdova, ed. (Wednesday Books)
- The Memory Librarian: And Other Stories of Dirty Computer – David Pomerico and Kyle Dargan, eds. (Harper Voyager)
- Voodoonauts Presents (Re)Living Mythology – Shingai Njeri Kagunda, Yvette Lisa Ndlovu, H.D. Hunter & LP Kindred (Android Press)
BEST CREATIVE NONFICTION
for works related to the field of speculative fiction- Indigeneity in SFF Gaming: The Ongoing Need for Respectful, Native-Centered Storytelling – Chesley Oxendine (SFWA)
- Preliminary Observations From An Incomplete History of African SFF – Wole Talabi (SFWA)
- The H Word: Horror in a Country that Is Not Afraid of Death – Dante Luiz (Nightmare Magazine)
- The Line Between Science Fiction and Fantasy is Blurring and I’m Into It – Joy Sanchez Taylor (Apex Magazine)
- When Black Boys Find Magic – LaDarrion Williams (FIYAH)
THE EMBER AWARD
for unsung contributions to genre- Afronauts Podcast
- Alex Brown
- Kate Elliott
- Maurice Broaddus
- Ruoxi Chen
THE COMMUNITY AWARD
for Outstanding Efforts in Service of Inclusion and Equitable Practice in Genre- Carl Brandon Society
- Clarion West
- dave ring
- Flights of Foundry
- Loyalty Bookstore’s Crowdcast
2023.05.29 15:55 sexyforeverme Bloodwork of 5th day of water fasting. WBC rising!
Hello, I wanna share some blood test. Always had white blood cells in the lower range 4-5 today while 5th of fasting I did bloodwork and my WBC 11 while range is 4-9.8
Btw my Hemoglobin and hematocrit rise a lil bit above the range too. Anyone know what process make it happen? Would be nice if you share your bloodwork test's too.
Today I was planned to quit fasting when 120h hits because it's very hard to sleep. But I'm not sure maybe a little bit longer fasting has more benefits?
submitted by sexyforeverme to fasting [link] [comments]
Btw my Hemoglobin and hematocrit rise a lil bit above the range too. Anyone know what process make it happen? Would be nice if you share your bloodwork test's too.
Today I was planned to quit fasting when 120h hits because it's very hard to sleep. But I'm not sure maybe a little bit longer fasting has more benefits?
2023.05.29 15:53 Famas_1234 Whose track is this? How to spot FFXIV music composer by hearing (analysis + review)
 | submitted by Famas_1234 to ffxiv [link] [comments] Cover image: Composers of FFXIV Endwalker (Famitsu, Feb 2022). Staffs (left-right): T. Imamura, M.Soken, D. Ishikawa Yeah it's me talking about FFXIV soundtrack again. The TLDR is in Part 1 (scroll below) It seems that FFXIV has so many tracks then some people recently figured it out which track is composed/arranged by whom just by hearing. I don't have experience on music producing, but at least I can hear and spot a bit for newer tracks including 6.4. This is for me the naive method to find and spot the composer style and pattern. Although this post can be "in-depth", I'm a bit not sure as that needs proper knowledge on music composing and producing, which I don't have that much for now. If you're working on music stuffs, you can also share the composition breakdown too. I assume you know better than me for this. The scope I'm using is composers of Shadowbringers and up because we no longer saw previous composers done something after those. I refer to previous composers like ARTUS Inc. and other companies. Although I want to include Yukiko Takada, I'm not sure if she's still working for FFXIV or SE after 5.x so I opted her out as ongoing composer pls hope she's in FFXVI. However, the tracks are not limited to past expansions like Soken's work in the past such as pre-ShB. Currently the composer lineup is the lead M. Soken himself, T. Imamura, D. Ishikawa, and the new one Saya Yasaki, who debuted from patch 6.1 and up. In case of Yasaki, I'll plan for a separate appreciation post but I have to wait until full 6.x album which is kinda long. Third party composers like Y. Suzuki usually get hired again for few orchestral tracks, at least for each album, so I can still opt him in the guide. The Primals is included. but still discussed in the style of the music for a bit. As I said above, each composer has distinct style in other ways. The purpose of the writing is to guess and spot the composer. Let's get started. Please beware the tracks maybe a spoiler up to 6.4, but if you don't mind it's fine too. Part 1: GeneralThis will be a short explanation on what and how they usually do in the composition. I'll say this is basically the TLDR for Parts 2 and beyondAssignmentsUsually some composers are assigned to do their own scope. For example, composer A only does particular series whereas others like B and C do another series. Sometimes they collaborate together to produce a track. That also describes their style on doing tracks. For example in this current case, Imamura is assigned to do more modern tracks like rock and techno genre, Ishikawa is assigned for orchestral tracks, Yasaki is assigned for more calming tracks, and so on. For example:
General mixingThis one is a bit tricky to hear because some are similar. However, the mixing is combined with samples so composers have characteristics in terms of mixing. Example:
General composition styleAssignments can influence composition style. Recurring leitmotifs usually used for driving the melody. Some composers break those leitmotifs apart to carefully place into most crucial moments in their composition
Part 2: Instrument and Genre UsageIn this part, I will break their instrument usage by its genre, from the samples to individual composition style. For tracks, I intentionally don't include the link as I will mentioned repeated examples. Go find in Youtube, at least in private browsing in case you don't want to screw your recommendations. Seriously, annotation is as mess in long posts.DrumsSamples, soundfonts, whatever you say...In case they're doing arrangements involving drum set, those tracks become obvious. Each composer has their own drum samples. Here are the examples just to hear the drums:
On Heavensward, he's started not to shy away for his quirks about genre exploration. But we're talking about drums now. The best example is Alexander series (Locus, Brute Justice, Exponential Entropy, and Rise). You can hear today how old that sound is. Onward to Stormblood, at that time the drum composition split into two samples, the "retro" one and the "modern" one. The retro one is used when he was arranging Uematsu's music back in Omega raids, and the modern one was what he usually composed during these days, including his work on The Four Lords series. Here are the examples:
Back to the scope. Imamura has his own samples which is kinda different if we hear the others. His samples are a bit modern, with clear sounding of cymbals and kick. I can hear it clearly. It's something that we can praise for the sound upgrade. Ishikawa rarely done some band arrangements but his premise was at least there. The sound is at least clearer too. The style The second one is the style. Some are simple, some are great, but some are maybe unrealistic. Each composer has their own style on composing the drums and percussion. Let's hear again, I'll post the obvious:
Soken on the other hand...what just happened? Alright you got it, the style is drastically different. He likes fast paced drums with unconventional writing, perhaps too ambitious it can become unrealistic. I appreciate its complexity though. This becomes apparent during The Primals arrangement where the drum composition is a bit different. Compare A Long Fall the original version to band version as the example, or Rise band version too if you want to hear again. How about the fanmade cover? At least I found Joe Muntal doing great drum cover on HSL and Embers. That aside, Soken's not always fast, you can hear the slow parts even though it's still fast, eScape for example when the music towards refrain. He likes to change drum progression and movements, something that becomes a challenge for drum covers. To differentiate Imamura and Soken composition, another evidence between these two is how it's constructed. Sleeping Penguin did some transcription for HSL and Scream. Then, you know the picture. That's all for the drums, but how about the other aspects? GuitarsGuitars are the powerful part of FFXIV music, ranging from leads and rhythms. But don't forget about the acoustic part. I assume composers already done guitars in some ways and methods. Let's (re)hear the following:
Historically, Soken's guitar style is kinda different for each expansions. The most obvious is his Stormblood era where he liked to spam one chord for the buildup. What's that? I'll give the example:
Have I mentioned retro stuffs in drums section? Yes, with addition, there are some treble sounding guitar compositions he usually likes to do. The examples are here:
PS: seriously, pre-ShB tracks are a bit like wild west like there's no standard of it. At least late Stormblood was getting stable As a compilation, the amalgamation of those styles since ARR are into one track which is Endwalker - Footfalls. Each movement has different guitar style. There is one chord spam, the known progressions, warm leads, and more. BassYou want some fat bass or clear, trebled bass? I'll give example of how they sound like by the composers:
Piano (and Keyboard)Alright now this is something. If we're talking about piano, there's no BS whether it's a custom filtering or not, because we're talking about techniques here. Yes, you are probably thinking about Keiko, but what if it's not her? You can see Flow's piano is performed by Soken and The Exarch's farewell scene "Forever at Your Side" was performed by Imamura. Who do what then? I'll give examples for the piano section:Piano as main instrument
Voice FiltersThis one is easy. FFXIV relies on voice filters until today. As for the experience whether you like it or not, it varies. Let's get to the point:Soken is the one who likes to use filters as they (the staffs) have professional experience on singing (it's okay). He intended to use heavy filters for their staffs and himself, but minimal for professional singers like Jason Miller or such. For me, there are types of filters he use:
Imamura also jumped to the ship with filters, except his is different with somehow updated filters.
Part 3: EnsemblesWhether you like classical or electronic, this section will analyze the overall style in respective genreClassic instrumentsClassic instruments especially programmed ones become a challenge for composers to make it right. That's no exception for FFXIV composers. The most prominent is how they use strings and brass for the composition. It's hard to break down, but at least given with their composition style, you can finally see the picture.However, the first thing I want to say is about the evolution of them doing samples, especially Soken. From ARR to Heavensward. the violin solo he used is still robotic at that time. Examples like "Hard to Miss" and "Infinity" is I believe the same font he used. Compare that to Stormblood's "Into the Dragons Wake" where there are solo/duet violin involved but it's much smoother in terms of note changes. That's only one aspect, I believe they also changed the samples for mimicking real instruments. Orchestra environment Back to today. Here are examples of how they do in orchestra environment:
The thing about orchestra setting is when they're being assigned to do orchestral tracks together, it's kinda hard to differentiate as their sound is almost the same, except some circumstances where the instrument is a bit updated/outdated. This is noticeable in Soken's composition. Some old instruments since ARR or Heavensward are used until today but in reality it's kinda off-putting combined with updated instruments. That's different to "In The Balance" with double arranger setup. All setups are modern and more clearer. PS: "In the Balance" is a perfect track. It is their best work on mixing and instrument ensemble usage Yasaki is a bit new, but I'm going to include here on this environment. Yasaki did some calming tracks, but that's what i only know so far. The best I can do is wait. Band environment This is where it gets different even with classic instruments. You can hear the drums I mentioned before. I give you examples again:
Electronic instrumentsPS: to be fair, most tracks here are MIDI-powered including synth orchestra. Also another note: this is the last section before I post itGet ready to dance for electronic instruments, ranging from simple electronic beats to fast paced DnB. In this section, I'll include Pulse album because that also influences composer's style until this time. We've seen techno instruments here for a while. Sometimes, we notice the samples used and composition style for techno music. There are subgenres but I don't want to get deep because I don't really verse on this much, but you get the picture. The track examples are:
Imamura's work is prominent on his mixing. As I said earlier, the mixing is in the wide sound range. You can hear the bass louder this time. The best examples are what he's done in the dance subgenre Although last two can do electronic music, the sample is still few so I can't really describe much on them PS: Twice Stricken is one of Imamura's best work on electronic style Part 4: Conclusion and SuggestionThey're simply great.The only suggestion is make sure to update/upgrade/change the samples if it feels old. But if don't want to, it's fine. Sometimes you don't need to fix what's already stable. Does the Another thing I want to note is that some composers have their own samples per instrument. I wonder if they can share their samples especially the essentials like drums, strings, and brass Predicting patch 6.4 and unpublished tracks until the official EP comesSo, how to demonstrate all these patterns to the music with unidentified data like orchestrion roll? I'll demonstrate my prediction for 6.4 tracks. Obviously as the announcement said, we got new MSQ, raids, and criterionsBased on the evidence and analysis I've done above, I can speculate whose track are those: Panda:
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2023.05.29 15:46 thecolgu AI MAKES NEW PREDATOR MOVIE
Opening Shot:
The camera pans over a dense, lush jungle, reminiscent of the original Predator film.
We see an older Dutch (Arnold Schwarzenegger), still a rugged and battle-hardened veteran, living in a secluded cabin on the outskirts of the jungle.
Anna (Elpidia Carrillo) is seen by Dutch's side, indicating their marriage.
Introduction of a Threat:
Dutch and Anna receive news about a series of mysterious disappearances in the nearby village. The survivors describe an invisible creature slaughtering their people.
Dutch recognizes the signs and realizes that the Predator has returned.
Gathering the Team:
Dutch contacts old comrades, including Anna, who has stayed by his side over the years. She joins Dutch in his mission.
Dutch assembles a new team of experts, including a skilled sniper, a combat medic, an ex-Navy SEAL, a tech specialist, and other experienced individuals.
Training and Preparation:
Dutch, Anna, and the team train rigorously, honing their skills and preparing for the encounter with the Predator.
They upgrade their arsenal with modern weapons and advanced technology, including infrared goggles and motion sensors.
Infiltrating the Jungle:
The team ventures deep into the jungle, using their knowledge of the terrain to their advantage.
They encounter traps and markers left behind by the Predator, realizing they are being hunted.
First Confrontation:
The team is ambushed by the Predator, which picks them off one by one using its advanced camouflage and deadly weaponry.
Some team members die during the intense battle, adding tension and raising the stakes.
Land Mines:
As the team becomes aware of the Predator's deadly tactics, Dutch advises them to watch out for land mines placed by the Predator.
Despite the warning, a cocky rookie disregards the danger and triggers one of the Predator's land mines, resulting in their death.
Accidental Discovery:
Exhausted and seeking shelter, Dutch, Anna, and the remaining team members take refuge in a cave they stumbled upon.
While resting, they accidentally trigger a hidden mechanism within the cave, causing a section to collapse and revealing the crashed ship of the Predator from the first movie.
Setting the Trap:
Recognizing the Predator's cunning, Dutch devises a plan to set up a trap similar to the one in the finale of the original movie.
The team works together to prepare the trap, utilizing the environment and their skills to create a deadly surprise for the Predator.
Failed Trap and Desperation:
The trap is sprung, but the Predator manages to evade and counter it, revealing its advanced capabilities and resilience.
With their plan failing, Dutch realizes that desperate measures are needed to stop the Predator.
Sacrifice for Victory:
Dutch retrieves one of the Predator's land mines and devises a new plan.
He lures the Predator toward him, engaging in a tense battle while leading the creature towards the crashed ship.
As a last resort, Dutch activates the self-destruct mechanism of the land mine and charges towards the Predator and the ship.
The explosion engulfs the ship and the Predator, destroying them both and ensuring they pose no further threat.
Closing Scene:
Anna and the surviving team members mourn the loss of Dutch and their fallen comrades but acknowledge their bravery and sacrifice.
They reflect on the importance of preserving Dutch's legacy and continuing the fight against future threats.
Returning to their secluded cabin, Anna and the team honor their fallen comrades, vowing to carry on their mission and protect humanity.
submitted by thecolgu to predator [link] [comments]
The camera pans over a dense, lush jungle, reminiscent of the original Predator film.
We see an older Dutch (Arnold Schwarzenegger), still a rugged and battle-hardened veteran, living in a secluded cabin on the outskirts of the jungle.
Anna (Elpidia Carrillo) is seen by Dutch's side, indicating their marriage.
Introduction of a Threat:
Dutch and Anna receive news about a series of mysterious disappearances in the nearby village. The survivors describe an invisible creature slaughtering their people.
Dutch recognizes the signs and realizes that the Predator has returned.
Gathering the Team:
Dutch contacts old comrades, including Anna, who has stayed by his side over the years. She joins Dutch in his mission.
Dutch assembles a new team of experts, including a skilled sniper, a combat medic, an ex-Navy SEAL, a tech specialist, and other experienced individuals.
Training and Preparation:
Dutch, Anna, and the team train rigorously, honing their skills and preparing for the encounter with the Predator.
They upgrade their arsenal with modern weapons and advanced technology, including infrared goggles and motion sensors.
Infiltrating the Jungle:
The team ventures deep into the jungle, using their knowledge of the terrain to their advantage.
They encounter traps and markers left behind by the Predator, realizing they are being hunted.
First Confrontation:
The team is ambushed by the Predator, which picks them off one by one using its advanced camouflage and deadly weaponry.
Some team members die during the intense battle, adding tension and raising the stakes.
Land Mines:
As the team becomes aware of the Predator's deadly tactics, Dutch advises them to watch out for land mines placed by the Predator.
Despite the warning, a cocky rookie disregards the danger and triggers one of the Predator's land mines, resulting in their death.
Accidental Discovery:
Exhausted and seeking shelter, Dutch, Anna, and the remaining team members take refuge in a cave they stumbled upon.
While resting, they accidentally trigger a hidden mechanism within the cave, causing a section to collapse and revealing the crashed ship of the Predator from the first movie.
Setting the Trap:
Recognizing the Predator's cunning, Dutch devises a plan to set up a trap similar to the one in the finale of the original movie.
The team works together to prepare the trap, utilizing the environment and their skills to create a deadly surprise for the Predator.
Failed Trap and Desperation:
The trap is sprung, but the Predator manages to evade and counter it, revealing its advanced capabilities and resilience.
With their plan failing, Dutch realizes that desperate measures are needed to stop the Predator.
Sacrifice for Victory:
Dutch retrieves one of the Predator's land mines and devises a new plan.
He lures the Predator toward him, engaging in a tense battle while leading the creature towards the crashed ship.
As a last resort, Dutch activates the self-destruct mechanism of the land mine and charges towards the Predator and the ship.
The explosion engulfs the ship and the Predator, destroying them both and ensuring they pose no further threat.
Closing Scene:
Anna and the surviving team members mourn the loss of Dutch and their fallen comrades but acknowledge their bravery and sacrifice.
They reflect on the importance of preserving Dutch's legacy and continuing the fight against future threats.
Returning to their secluded cabin, Anna and the team honor their fallen comrades, vowing to carry on their mission and protect humanity.
2023.05.29 15:45 strawberryalfredo Help requested: inherented house plants with moldy soil
Just like the title reads, I really would like to keep some house plants I've inherited, but I can see & smell that the soil has a white mold. The plants still look ok, but obviously could be doing better. I'm a plant novice. I plan to repot them in pots with drainage. What other things do you recommend that I do to help reduce the amount of mold transfer and help make these plants healthier? Thanks.
submitted by strawberryalfredo to IndoorGarden [link] [comments]
2023.05.29 15:41 CharacterOpening1924 Friendship Challenge
I have been avoiding processing this and taking action on this and I would really appreciate advice related to this poor behavior towards my friend. I last saw this friend in early March- we had a wonderful time hanging out, taking a walk, and going out to eat. Ever since I have been expertly and incredibly rudely just avoiding her like the plague. I always make excuses like I am so grateful for this friendship and I don’t want to lose you but I feel unwell I’m busy with work I have family obligations I’m tired etc when she asks if I want to hang out. I also don’t take her calls any more because I am not strong enough to say that over a call- I can only say it over text (cowardly yea). When we have gotten together in the past she always is like we should do A, B, C, D, X, Y,Z - usually related to either joining a workout group, going for a run, going to the gym, going rock climbing, going to a gala for her work, going to a speaker, going to a networking event. Another thing is she may ask if I want to plan to do something in advance but idk how I will be feeling that day or if I will have enough energy for said activity but also like I don’t want to spontaneously plan something when I’m feeling good b/c nerves or other various things. Also she always is taking about self improvement and I think wanted me to be a self improvement partner. I have in no way been a perfect friend to her - I like vented about really negative experiences in my life to like prove the point that I felt she didn’t understand my life - if an outsider were to look at her vs me I have a lot of privilege that can be identified just by looking at me ( aka I’m white and my family has resources). Also I wasn’t a good friend in that I would go hang out with her becuase i felt like she was the only friend I had during a time when I felt incredibly depressed and isolated due to my job. Now that I have a better fitting job that does not cause depression and isolation I have started avoiding her. She told me she was tired of me being like yes let’s hang out I love you and would hate to loose you and then canceling at the last minute because I feel shitty/ don’t have the energy for socialization ans then avoid her calls. I understand I’m a horrible friend to her- and acknowledging that kinda makes me want to avoid her more out of shame.
So - does anyone have any similar experiences? Is this friendship salvageable? (Also other price of context- we were friends in high school, lost touch in college, then reconnected maybe a year ago which brings us to this post)
Also I understand this is related to boundaries - I have a hunch that I did not have any boundaries with her when we reconnected about a year ago and did eveything she wanted to do and I probably which caused me to act how I’m acting now But I also am not sure if that is everything b/c that feels like I’m avoiding responsibility for being an incredibly horrible friend. So last I guess - how do I practice and learn boundaries? I SUCK at boundaries - this one girl at work literally asked me to tie her shoes multiple times and now I’m worried that is the like gateway to her taking full advantage of me
submitted by CharacterOpening1924 to adhd_anxiety [link] [comments]
So - does anyone have any similar experiences? Is this friendship salvageable? (Also other price of context- we were friends in high school, lost touch in college, then reconnected maybe a year ago which brings us to this post)
Also I understand this is related to boundaries - I have a hunch that I did not have any boundaries with her when we reconnected about a year ago and did eveything she wanted to do and I probably which caused me to act how I’m acting now But I also am not sure if that is everything b/c that feels like I’m avoiding responsibility for being an incredibly horrible friend. So last I guess - how do I practice and learn boundaries? I SUCK at boundaries - this one girl at work literally asked me to tie her shoes multiple times and now I’m worried that is the like gateway to her taking full advantage of me
2023.05.29 15:35 abecidofuga Alan Watts on KPFA
 | submitted by abecidofuga to AlanWatts [link] [comments] |
2023.05.29 15:29 xtremexavier15 TSWT 21 (pt 1)
Girls: Eva, Izzy
Boys: Ezekiel, Mal, Owen, Topher
Episode 21: African Lying Safari
"Last time, on Total Drama World Tour!" Chris opened, the recap montage beginning with a long-distance shot of the cast assembled by the Great Wall of China. "Thaaanks, China, we had a blast," the host said over a shot of Sadie hitting a landmine on her tricycle and an explosion being seen in the distance. "Just not the kind associated with fun," Chris added as Sadie had her tricycle stuck and Owen was shown getting knocked off the Great Wall by Ezekiel's donkey.
"Especially for Mal," Chris said as the troublemaker was shown pedaling his bike after colliding with an explosion, "who not only had to lose to Topher," Topher was shown overlapping Mal on his skateboard, "but he also had his cover blown, thanks to Topher." The Chris wannabe was shown announcing Mal's existence to the rest of the contestants.
"And since she doubted everyone's suspicions when it came to Mal," Chris explained over a clip of Sadie exchanging gifts with Ezekiel, "Sadie was the one to get dropped off!" Sadie was shown receiving her parachute in shock, "right after she learned the truth about Mike not being in control," he added as Mal chucked Sadie out of the plane.
The scene moved to the cockpit. "We're down to the Final Six!" Chris told the camera. "Who won't make the Final Five, and how will everyone band up against Mal? Find out right now, on Total! Drama! World Tour!"
XXXXX
The episode opened to the traditional shot of the plane in flight before quickly moving to economy class where Mal was smirking at Topher, Eva, and Ezekiel.
"So you've been taking control of Mike's body all this time?" Ezekiel griped. "You've gotten some of us eliminated and hurt Sadie and Ella."
"Noah was right about you when he noticed how slimy you were," Eva grimly said.
"I don't even regret any of it," Mal shamelessly said. "And don't even direct all of your hatred towards me. Topher's caused some eliminations as well and worked with me in the process."
Ezekiel and Eva briefly scowled at Topher. "That is true. I did get Amy, Rodney, and Noah voted off, but I simply wanted drama," Topher tried to defend himself. "Mal, on the other hand, has gotten others severely injured and has no redeeming qualities."
"You still decided to collaborate with me even after I made you peeve off Chris in New York," Mal gloated.
"You two are jerks, and I'll have no problem getting you guys off the plane by the next challenge as payback," Eva threatened.
\
The scene flashed to first class, focusing on Owen and Izzy sitting on the couch.
"So what is that thing you're holding?" Izzy pointed at the tea bag Owen was holding.
"It's love tea," Owen confessed. "This was given to me in China. It's supposed to make us love each other more or something like that."
Izzy snatched the bag and chucked it away. "Why would you think we'd need to drink this? I love you enough as it is," she said and sat on Owen's lap.
"Wait. Really!" Owen's eyes lit up.
"Of course I do. I've missed having you around on the plane for the past days," Izzy admitted. "No matter what, you'll always be my special marshmallow."
Izzy hugged Owen affectionately. "You're a wild gal indeed," he giggled coolly.
\
The footage skipped ahead to a shot of an open and sunny savanna, the jumbo jet parked in the background on the left, and a mountain range further beyond it. The landscape was dotted with acacia trees and low shrubs and a few rocks, and a compilation of hissing, hollow notes signified the heat as the camera panned to the right.
Mal, Topher, Ezekiel, and Eva were all waiting in a line. Izzy and Owen were nowhere to be seen as of yet, but Chris did soon appear in a red robe, wearing beaded necklaces and bracelets and a bald cap, and holding a spear. The appropriated outfit earned chuckles from the three boys, and Eva grinned as well.
"Nice dress!" Mal said through his laughter.
"It's traditional Maasai warrior garb," Chris explained, "and, it came with this!" He grinned as he held up his spear, and threw it towards Mal. The malevolent one yelped and moved to the side, the weapon sailing past his torso.
"Watch it!" Mal complained.
"Trust me," Chris told him. "That's the least dangerous thing that'll happen to you today. Welcome, to beautiful Tanzania," he said. "Home of the Serengeti plains, and over seventy different kinds of animals that can kill you."
"Sorry we're late!" the voice of Owen called from off-screen, distracting the group as he and Izzy ran into the shot from the left. "We got a little distracted."
"Whatever do you mean by that?" Chris wondered.
"One minute, Big O was showing me his love tea, and then the next minute, we're both talking about our favorite drinks and movies," Izzy replied.
"Are you two a couple or what?" Mal said rudely.
"No, but we're getting somewhere around that part," Owen said.
"Okay, challenge time!" Chris piped in.
\
A flash took the scene forward to a small clearing, the camera moving in past a few tufts of long grass to show the host and contestants on the left; and Chef dressed in his winter wear, a pile of purple fruit, six gourds of various shapes lined up on pedestals, and a pair of giant wooden heads flanking the whole display on the right.
"Part one combines two of Africa's most popular sports: soccer and cricket." Chris began, holding up a soccer ball and a cricket bat as the camera finished moving in for a close-up. "I call it 'Socc-et To Me'!" he declared dramatically, adding "The 'me' being you, of course."
"Why is Chef dressed up for a blizzard?" Ezekiel asked in confusion.
"Behold, the Penalty Parka!" Chris answered as the camera cut to a close-up of the sweating pilot. "I accidentally rented this coat, and since it can't fit me, I'm making Chef wear it so I can make my money's worth. Lookin' hot Chef," he taunted.
"Each player must run, one at a time," Chris continued as he spun the soccer ball on his finger, "from the starting line to that pile of African safou plums," the camera cut over to the large box of fruit. "Grab as many as you can carry, and run back. And you'll be doing all of this while your fellow competitors pummel you with soccer balls," he added with a smile as he spun his own ball around again.
"Hold on just a minute," Topher said nervously. "Do you have helmets for us to protect our faces?"
"It's Chris. The answer is obviously no," Eva told him.
"Next, take the plums you've brought back," Chris continued, "and whack 'em with the cricket bat to smash those gourds open. Like this," he said, tossing a safou high up into the air and smacking it with the bat when it came down. The fruit sailed through the air, and cracked Chef on the head, causing him to fall to the ground.
"Whoever cracks their gourd open first wins a reward that will be muy helpful in the next challenge," Chris said, ignoring his assistant. "Now, positions people! Izzy, you're up first! Kickers, get ready."
\
Another flash, and the other five players were shown in position with several soccer balls at their feet: Topher, Ezekiel, and Eva looking ready; then a side view of a smirking Mal and worried Owen.
Izzy took a deep breath at the starting line, and got into running position. "Let's do this," she said confidently.
"Ready, steady, Serengeti!" Chris called out, and a blow from his whistle signaled the start of Izzy's run.
She took off at a dash. The camera zoomed in to show her passing Topher, Ezekiel, and Eva in the background, and the three started kicking. "Is that all you got?" she called out as she turned around and kicked the ball back.
She reached the plums, scooped up an armful, and ran back to the start. Mal was shown watching her go past in the foreground, then smirked and kicked a ball her way. It hit the wild girl in the back, causing her to drop some plums and trip on the ones she'd dropped. With a startled wail, she let the rest of them fly from her hands and fell to the ground.
"Awesome!" Chris laughed. "Ezekiel, top that." He blew his whistle, and the footage skipped ahead.
\
Ezekiel gulped from his runner's start and went forward.
The first ball came from the foreground and hit him in the arm, earning a "Hey," as he slogged forward. Another "Ugh," came from a second foreground ball, and a third from a ball from the background.
"Quit complaining!" Eva said. "You're already there!"
Ezekiel smiled in revelation as he realized he'd gotten to the safous intact. "Hey, you're right!" he said in excitement, grabbing an armful of plums then turning and tripping over his own legs and landing face-first in the dirt.
"Owen, your go!" Chris announced, blowing his whistle again.
\
Owen jogged away from the starting line. The soccer balls hit him, but he managed to move on. "Dad was right. Being big does pay off!" he said positively.
The funniest guy around made it to the plums and grabbed two armfuls. He ran back to the line, and even though the balls were being kicked harder and faster, he prevailed and crossed the line with a lot of plums.
"I'd like to see anyone beat him!" Chris said. "Your turn, Topher!"
\
"I should just get this over with," Topher said to himself, racing off the starting line and immediately jumping over a ball kicked his way from behind the camera. "Please don't hit my face! I need my face!" he yelled, avoiding a second ball and covering his head. He was able to grab a load of plums.
"Maybe I could-" he said, a head-on perspective showing him running back...and getting tripped by a soccer ball on the leg from the right.
"Hey! Who did that?!" Topher asked irately, and Mal just snickered in response.
"Alright! Mal is next!" Chris declared before blowing his whistle yet again.
\
Mal took off running, and had to duck under a ball almost immediately. "Careful where you kick that!" he shot at Topher.
"No way!" Topher countered, launching another soccer ball.
"I'm going to aim for the head," Eva told him before kicking a ball of her own.
The shot cut to Mal as he narrowly dodged the second ball, but then seemed unable to dodge the third...but a ball came from the other side and struck the one Eva had kicked, and both fell to the ground harmlessly. "You have to try harder than that!" Mal taunted.
The scene skipped ahead to show Mal grabbing his plums, then turning around. Ezekiel kicked another ball, only for it to miss; the shot from Izzy that had been intended to intercept it also missed its target, though it did come close to hitting Mal.
"I am not sorry about that!" Izzy called out.
Owen kicked a ball himself, and on the other side Topher did as well. The two were shown in split-screen, Topher's going wide but then bounced back on course by Owen's, hitting Mal in the gut and knocking him over.
"How do you like that?!" Topher called out to Mal, looking somewhat pleased.
"And then there was one," Chris announced. "Bring it on, Eva!" He blew his whistle.
\
Eva's start was strong, and she immediately did a series of kicks at the first four balls sent her way. The rest of the contestants stopped and looked on in shock.
The female bully managed to bring an armload of plums back across the line without issue.
Confessional: Eva
"Is it any surprise to you that I'm a pro at soccer?" Eva gruffly told the camera. "I should just ask the producers to give me the million dollars already."
Confessional Ends
"Remember," Chris told the cast as the footage cut back to the six lined up at the starting line with their cricket bats, "first person to smash through gets the advantage! Aaaaand go!"
Izzy and Owen were shown tossing their first plums into the air and making their first swings; Owen missed and groaned in disappointment, but Izzy managed to smack her safou on the first go. The camera cut to the gourds, where Chef was sweating too profusely to try and dodge the plums that were flying his way and completely missing their intended targets but hitting him.
The shot cut in closer to Eva as he wound up and swung, then followed the plum as it shot across the field and struck a gourd on the other side: it was cracked, but not broken. "I'm more into smashing things with the bat," Eva said as the shot cut back to her.
"Mal doesn't seem to be having much trouble," Chris commented as the villain struck another plum; it, too, sped across the playing field and struck the gourd opposite and deepened an already existing crack.
"It's all in the wrist! I can feel it!" Topher confidently declared, tossing a safou of his own and twirling the cricket bat with his wrist as he swung. They connected, but the plum went up in an arc, and ended up hitting Mal in the head and interrupting his swing.
"Don't make me hit you with my bat!" Mal complained, rubbing where he'd been hit.
"You can save that for later," Ezekiel told him, taking a powerful swing himself; it managed to hit the plum straight through his gourd, finally breaking it. "Because I just won this!" he declared proudly.
"And the winner of our first challenge is, Ezekiel!" Chris announced.
"Yes!" Ezekiel announced in triumph.
\
The footage skipped ahead a little, showing Ezekiel standing on the sidelines with Chris while the other five readied their bats again, "The rest of you have ten seconds left to crack your gourd," the host told them. "And trust me, you want what's inside!"
\
Another flash ahead, and Mal was shown swinging his cricket bat and smacking a safou straight through his gourd, finally smashing it. Eva looked at him, scowled, then spun around and tossed her cricket bat like a hammer; by sheer luck, she managed to smash her own gourd with it.
Topher, taking inspiration from the girl, threw his bat as well. It cracked his gourd successfully.
Izzy was next, smacking her two safous as hard as she could, and managed to knock the gourd clear off its pedestal. Luckily, it cracked open when it hit the ground.
Last was Owen, who took a breath and readied a more traditional swing. "Okay, last one,"she said to herself, tossing the safou up and smacking it hard when it came back down. Unfortunately, however, he missed his gourd and hit Chef in the groin instead, the pilot groaned in pain and fell over.
"Broken, but not a gourd," Chris told him. "No success for Owen will make it much harder for him to deal with this!"
He pointed dramatically to the side, where a tall crate had just been wheeled in by a white male intern. Whatever was inside the crate seemed angry, growling, snarling and making the box shake.
"Uhh, should we be running right now?" Ezekiel asked as he and Izzy gave the crate nervous looks.
"Yes, you should be scared," Chris said, mostly ignoring the comment as he walked over to the crate. "Part two of our challenge is a genuine African safari. And the prey?" He knocked on the crate, which shook again as another angry growl came from inside. The contestants gasped. "Why only the most dangerous animal of all," Chris said dramatically, the intern nervously prying open the crate to reveal a metal cage within, with a familiar shadow inside.
"A clone of Ezekiel!" Chris finished, the camera zooming in on the form inside the cage.
The clone snarled from in the cage. It still looked like Ezekiel, but its clothes were torn and shabby, his footwear and hat was gone completely, and his skin had turned greenish. In addition to that, his hair was gone and only a few strands could be seen.
The cast gasped again. "Where did that thing come from?!" Topher squimished.
"Turns out it got on the plane back in Area 51!" Chris said, looking back at the cage and flinching at the glare Ezekiel Clone was giving him. "Once I checked the security footage," Chris explained as the clone snarled, "Chef went a-hunting and found the possible alien down in the hold."
"I should warn you, though," Chris said from off-screen, "he's totally feral thanks to all that time with the animals." The clone gave the camera a frightening look.
Chris turned back to the contestants. "Whoever nabs the beast known as Ezekiel Clone wins invincibility, and! First class seats to our next destination."
"With the player of our choice," Matthew said. "Where's my reward?"
"In a second!" Chris replied snippily. "Go to your gourds and check inside," he said as the camera pulled back to show Ezekiel Clone trying to reach him from his cage. "They contain what you'll use to hunt with."
"A slingshot! Cool!" Izzy said in excitement, holding up the weapon and practicing pulling it back. "I've broken a lot of windows with these as a kid!" She released the rubber band and it snapped forward.
"What's the pouch for?" Eva asked, holding up a small leather belt and pouch. "Magic beans?"
"Close," Chris told her before reaching inside her opened gourd and taking out a small, squishy pink ball. "Tranquilizer balls!" he announced with glee. "Sling 'em with enough velocity and they burst on contact, numbing the area and releasing a hearty dose of sleepy-time goodness." He turned his attention to the side. "Watch, as this intern demonstrates."
He shot a tranq ball at the intern who had wheeled in the cage, and was now eating a sandwich. The ball struck him in the shoulder and released a small cloud of pink gas, which promptly caused the man's eyes to roll back in his head before he fell over. He landed in front of Ezekiel Clone, who immediately snarled and tried to grab the fallen sandwich from his hands.
"See?" Chris said as the shot cut back to the cast. "It's like paintball, only with naps! Now, stand back people. We're gonna give the violent alien a head start. Hey Frosty!" he called back towards the cage with a laugh.
Chef was sweating through his outfit as he shakily moved a key towards the cage's lock, and at the host's call of "Release the beast!" He put it in the keyhole, turned it, and was promptly trampled as the door was slammed open and Ezekiel Clone jumped out, snarled, and ran.
"It doesn't even look like Ezekiel," Mal responded.
"That's because I'm the real deal," Ezekiel said.
"Okay!" Chris said with his usual grin. "Since Ezekiel won the first challenge, he gets six tranq balls," he said before handing over a handful of pink pellets to the grinning prairie boy. "Mal and Izzy, you cracked yours open so you get three," he told the troublemaker and psycho, handing over the ammunition as Eva and Topher looked on. "Eva and Topher, two each," the host told the pair.
"Why are you giving us two?" Eva squinted.
"We cracked our gourds too!" Topher protested.
"Technically, the two of you beat your gourds with cricket bats," Chris corrected as Ezekiel Clone could be seen chasing the intern in the background before turning to the last contestant. "And Owen, since you didn't put a dent in your gourd, you get these," he handed the food fanatic a pair of safety goggles, "and one tranq ball."
"No slingshot?" Owen asked in disappointment. "I have a lot of plums still."
"Nope. You're just gonna have to throw the balls hard enough to make 'em burst," Chris told him. "Which will be hilariously unsuccessful, I'm sure."
"Aaand," he said, the shot pulling back as Chef blew on a large horn, "go!"
At the signal, the six teens, all now wearing safety goggles, ran off.
\
The scene flashed forward to a rightward pan across the savanna, Topher speaking before the camera reached him.
"Can one of you give me an extra tranquilizer ball?" Topher said, eventually being shown traveling with Ezekiel and Mal. "Having two sucks."
"I have one more than you, and I'm going to go alone," Mal refused and left the two alone. "See you dorks after I win."
Ezekiel squinted his eyes at him. "He's a total knob. I swear."
Topher put his arm around Ezekiel. "How about we team up and take him down?" he suggested. "If he doesn't win invincibility, everyone will vote him off."
"I do like the idea of seeing him jump off the plane," Ezekiel agreed. "I'm in."
Confessional: Topher
"I know I'll be targeted next after Mal is gone, but I'll think about what to do after this day is over," Topher admitted.
Confessional Ends
"I remember watching you guys catch the Ripper back in London, but I forgot how you did it," Owen told Izzy and Eva while the three navigated.
"We had to use a burlap sack to do it, but this time, we have to roll with tranquilizer balls," Eva said.
"If you combine them all as a group, we have six overall," Izzy said.
"Six divided by three equals two, and each of us should have two tranq balls just to be safe," Owen explained.
"Keep an eye out for that clone," Eva advised her team. "We have no idea what it can do."
Confessional: Izzy
"I'm relentlessly good at tracking down prey," Izzy said. "The last time I had a date planned, this guy stood me up just to move to another state. I tracked him down, and what happened after wasn't pretty."
Confessional Ends
The scene moved to a low-to-the-ground shot of a rustling bush. Mal walked in from the left, and smirked at the bush. "Are you ready for your nap, alien reject?"
He was answered by a low roar, and a yellowish paw stepped out from the bush.
"A lion?" Mal said blankly as a male lion stepped out. "I wasn't going to tranquilize you. There's this alien-"
The lion interrupted with a roar, causing Mal to take a step back.
"I'm not wasting my ammo on this lion!" Mal yelled before turning and fleeing, and it looked like the lion was going to give chase before the sudden appearance of Chris in the foreground distracted it.
"Who will survive?" he asked the camera. "King of the Jungle, or King of the Fumble? Find out right after this, on Total! Drama! World Tour!"
The lion roared at him, and he turned and fled screaming as well.
\
(Commercial Break)
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submitted by xtremexavier15 to u/xtremexavier15 [link] [comments]
Boys: Ezekiel, Mal, Owen, Topher
Episode 21: African Lying Safari
"Last time, on Total Drama World Tour!" Chris opened, the recap montage beginning with a long-distance shot of the cast assembled by the Great Wall of China. "Thaaanks, China, we had a blast," the host said over a shot of Sadie hitting a landmine on her tricycle and an explosion being seen in the distance. "Just not the kind associated with fun," Chris added as Sadie had her tricycle stuck and Owen was shown getting knocked off the Great Wall by Ezekiel's donkey.
"Especially for Mal," Chris said as the troublemaker was shown pedaling his bike after colliding with an explosion, "who not only had to lose to Topher," Topher was shown overlapping Mal on his skateboard, "but he also had his cover blown, thanks to Topher." The Chris wannabe was shown announcing Mal's existence to the rest of the contestants.
"And since she doubted everyone's suspicions when it came to Mal," Chris explained over a clip of Sadie exchanging gifts with Ezekiel, "Sadie was the one to get dropped off!" Sadie was shown receiving her parachute in shock, "right after she learned the truth about Mike not being in control," he added as Mal chucked Sadie out of the plane.
The scene moved to the cockpit. "We're down to the Final Six!" Chris told the camera. "Who won't make the Final Five, and how will everyone band up against Mal? Find out right now, on Total! Drama! World Tour!"
XXXXX
The episode opened to the traditional shot of the plane in flight before quickly moving to economy class where Mal was smirking at Topher, Eva, and Ezekiel.
"So you've been taking control of Mike's body all this time?" Ezekiel griped. "You've gotten some of us eliminated and hurt Sadie and Ella."
"Noah was right about you when he noticed how slimy you were," Eva grimly said.
"I don't even regret any of it," Mal shamelessly said. "And don't even direct all of your hatred towards me. Topher's caused some eliminations as well and worked with me in the process."
Ezekiel and Eva briefly scowled at Topher. "That is true. I did get Amy, Rodney, and Noah voted off, but I simply wanted drama," Topher tried to defend himself. "Mal, on the other hand, has gotten others severely injured and has no redeeming qualities."
"You still decided to collaborate with me even after I made you peeve off Chris in New York," Mal gloated.
"You two are jerks, and I'll have no problem getting you guys off the plane by the next challenge as payback," Eva threatened.
\
The scene flashed to first class, focusing on Owen and Izzy sitting on the couch.
"So what is that thing you're holding?" Izzy pointed at the tea bag Owen was holding.
"It's love tea," Owen confessed. "This was given to me in China. It's supposed to make us love each other more or something like that."
Izzy snatched the bag and chucked it away. "Why would you think we'd need to drink this? I love you enough as it is," she said and sat on Owen's lap.
"Wait. Really!" Owen's eyes lit up.
"Of course I do. I've missed having you around on the plane for the past days," Izzy admitted. "No matter what, you'll always be my special marshmallow."
Izzy hugged Owen affectionately. "You're a wild gal indeed," he giggled coolly.
\
The footage skipped ahead to a shot of an open and sunny savanna, the jumbo jet parked in the background on the left, and a mountain range further beyond it. The landscape was dotted with acacia trees and low shrubs and a few rocks, and a compilation of hissing, hollow notes signified the heat as the camera panned to the right.
Mal, Topher, Ezekiel, and Eva were all waiting in a line. Izzy and Owen were nowhere to be seen as of yet, but Chris did soon appear in a red robe, wearing beaded necklaces and bracelets and a bald cap, and holding a spear. The appropriated outfit earned chuckles from the three boys, and Eva grinned as well.
"Nice dress!" Mal said through his laughter.
"It's traditional Maasai warrior garb," Chris explained, "and, it came with this!" He grinned as he held up his spear, and threw it towards Mal. The malevolent one yelped and moved to the side, the weapon sailing past his torso.
"Watch it!" Mal complained.
"Trust me," Chris told him. "That's the least dangerous thing that'll happen to you today. Welcome, to beautiful Tanzania," he said. "Home of the Serengeti plains, and over seventy different kinds of animals that can kill you."
"Sorry we're late!" the voice of Owen called from off-screen, distracting the group as he and Izzy ran into the shot from the left. "We got a little distracted."
"Whatever do you mean by that?" Chris wondered.
"One minute, Big O was showing me his love tea, and then the next minute, we're both talking about our favorite drinks and movies," Izzy replied.
"Are you two a couple or what?" Mal said rudely.
"No, but we're getting somewhere around that part," Owen said.
"Okay, challenge time!" Chris piped in.
\
A flash took the scene forward to a small clearing, the camera moving in past a few tufts of long grass to show the host and contestants on the left; and Chef dressed in his winter wear, a pile of purple fruit, six gourds of various shapes lined up on pedestals, and a pair of giant wooden heads flanking the whole display on the right.
"Part one combines two of Africa's most popular sports: soccer and cricket." Chris began, holding up a soccer ball and a cricket bat as the camera finished moving in for a close-up. "I call it 'Socc-et To Me'!" he declared dramatically, adding "The 'me' being you, of course."
"Why is Chef dressed up for a blizzard?" Ezekiel asked in confusion.
"Behold, the Penalty Parka!" Chris answered as the camera cut to a close-up of the sweating pilot. "I accidentally rented this coat, and since it can't fit me, I'm making Chef wear it so I can make my money's worth. Lookin' hot Chef," he taunted.
"Each player must run, one at a time," Chris continued as he spun the soccer ball on his finger, "from the starting line to that pile of African safou plums," the camera cut over to the large box of fruit. "Grab as many as you can carry, and run back. And you'll be doing all of this while your fellow competitors pummel you with soccer balls," he added with a smile as he spun his own ball around again.
"Hold on just a minute," Topher said nervously. "Do you have helmets for us to protect our faces?"
"It's Chris. The answer is obviously no," Eva told him.
"Next, take the plums you've brought back," Chris continued, "and whack 'em with the cricket bat to smash those gourds open. Like this," he said, tossing a safou high up into the air and smacking it with the bat when it came down. The fruit sailed through the air, and cracked Chef on the head, causing him to fall to the ground.
"Whoever cracks their gourd open first wins a reward that will be muy helpful in the next challenge," Chris said, ignoring his assistant. "Now, positions people! Izzy, you're up first! Kickers, get ready."
\
Another flash, and the other five players were shown in position with several soccer balls at their feet: Topher, Ezekiel, and Eva looking ready; then a side view of a smirking Mal and worried Owen.
Izzy took a deep breath at the starting line, and got into running position. "Let's do this," she said confidently.
"Ready, steady, Serengeti!" Chris called out, and a blow from his whistle signaled the start of Izzy's run.
She took off at a dash. The camera zoomed in to show her passing Topher, Ezekiel, and Eva in the background, and the three started kicking. "Is that all you got?" she called out as she turned around and kicked the ball back.
She reached the plums, scooped up an armful, and ran back to the start. Mal was shown watching her go past in the foreground, then smirked and kicked a ball her way. It hit the wild girl in the back, causing her to drop some plums and trip on the ones she'd dropped. With a startled wail, she let the rest of them fly from her hands and fell to the ground.
"Awesome!" Chris laughed. "Ezekiel, top that." He blew his whistle, and the footage skipped ahead.
\
Ezekiel gulped from his runner's start and went forward.
The first ball came from the foreground and hit him in the arm, earning a "Hey," as he slogged forward. Another "Ugh," came from a second foreground ball, and a third from a ball from the background.
"Quit complaining!" Eva said. "You're already there!"
Ezekiel smiled in revelation as he realized he'd gotten to the safous intact. "Hey, you're right!" he said in excitement, grabbing an armful of plums then turning and tripping over his own legs and landing face-first in the dirt.
"Owen, your go!" Chris announced, blowing his whistle again.
\
Owen jogged away from the starting line. The soccer balls hit him, but he managed to move on. "Dad was right. Being big does pay off!" he said positively.
The funniest guy around made it to the plums and grabbed two armfuls. He ran back to the line, and even though the balls were being kicked harder and faster, he prevailed and crossed the line with a lot of plums.
"I'd like to see anyone beat him!" Chris said. "Your turn, Topher!"
\
"I should just get this over with," Topher said to himself, racing off the starting line and immediately jumping over a ball kicked his way from behind the camera. "Please don't hit my face! I need my face!" he yelled, avoiding a second ball and covering his head. He was able to grab a load of plums.
"Maybe I could-" he said, a head-on perspective showing him running back...and getting tripped by a soccer ball on the leg from the right.
"Hey! Who did that?!" Topher asked irately, and Mal just snickered in response.
"Alright! Mal is next!" Chris declared before blowing his whistle yet again.
\
Mal took off running, and had to duck under a ball almost immediately. "Careful where you kick that!" he shot at Topher.
"No way!" Topher countered, launching another soccer ball.
"I'm going to aim for the head," Eva told him before kicking a ball of her own.
The shot cut to Mal as he narrowly dodged the second ball, but then seemed unable to dodge the third...but a ball came from the other side and struck the one Eva had kicked, and both fell to the ground harmlessly. "You have to try harder than that!" Mal taunted.
The scene skipped ahead to show Mal grabbing his plums, then turning around. Ezekiel kicked another ball, only for it to miss; the shot from Izzy that had been intended to intercept it also missed its target, though it did come close to hitting Mal.
"I am not sorry about that!" Izzy called out.
Owen kicked a ball himself, and on the other side Topher did as well. The two were shown in split-screen, Topher's going wide but then bounced back on course by Owen's, hitting Mal in the gut and knocking him over.
"How do you like that?!" Topher called out to Mal, looking somewhat pleased.
"And then there was one," Chris announced. "Bring it on, Eva!" He blew his whistle.
\
Eva's start was strong, and she immediately did a series of kicks at the first four balls sent her way. The rest of the contestants stopped and looked on in shock.
The female bully managed to bring an armload of plums back across the line without issue.
Confessional: Eva
"Is it any surprise to you that I'm a pro at soccer?" Eva gruffly told the camera. "I should just ask the producers to give me the million dollars already."
Confessional Ends
"Remember," Chris told the cast as the footage cut back to the six lined up at the starting line with their cricket bats, "first person to smash through gets the advantage! Aaaaand go!"
Izzy and Owen were shown tossing their first plums into the air and making their first swings; Owen missed and groaned in disappointment, but Izzy managed to smack her safou on the first go. The camera cut to the gourds, where Chef was sweating too profusely to try and dodge the plums that were flying his way and completely missing their intended targets but hitting him.
The shot cut in closer to Eva as he wound up and swung, then followed the plum as it shot across the field and struck a gourd on the other side: it was cracked, but not broken. "I'm more into smashing things with the bat," Eva said as the shot cut back to her.
"Mal doesn't seem to be having much trouble," Chris commented as the villain struck another plum; it, too, sped across the playing field and struck the gourd opposite and deepened an already existing crack.
"It's all in the wrist! I can feel it!" Topher confidently declared, tossing a safou of his own and twirling the cricket bat with his wrist as he swung. They connected, but the plum went up in an arc, and ended up hitting Mal in the head and interrupting his swing.
"Don't make me hit you with my bat!" Mal complained, rubbing where he'd been hit.
"You can save that for later," Ezekiel told him, taking a powerful swing himself; it managed to hit the plum straight through his gourd, finally breaking it. "Because I just won this!" he declared proudly.
"And the winner of our first challenge is, Ezekiel!" Chris announced.
"Yes!" Ezekiel announced in triumph.
\
The footage skipped ahead a little, showing Ezekiel standing on the sidelines with Chris while the other five readied their bats again, "The rest of you have ten seconds left to crack your gourd," the host told them. "And trust me, you want what's inside!"
\
Another flash ahead, and Mal was shown swinging his cricket bat and smacking a safou straight through his gourd, finally smashing it. Eva looked at him, scowled, then spun around and tossed her cricket bat like a hammer; by sheer luck, she managed to smash her own gourd with it.
Topher, taking inspiration from the girl, threw his bat as well. It cracked his gourd successfully.
Izzy was next, smacking her two safous as hard as she could, and managed to knock the gourd clear off its pedestal. Luckily, it cracked open when it hit the ground.
Last was Owen, who took a breath and readied a more traditional swing. "Okay, last one,"she said to herself, tossing the safou up and smacking it hard when it came back down. Unfortunately, however, he missed his gourd and hit Chef in the groin instead, the pilot groaned in pain and fell over.
"Broken, but not a gourd," Chris told him. "No success for Owen will make it much harder for him to deal with this!"
He pointed dramatically to the side, where a tall crate had just been wheeled in by a white male intern. Whatever was inside the crate seemed angry, growling, snarling and making the box shake.
"Uhh, should we be running right now?" Ezekiel asked as he and Izzy gave the crate nervous looks.
"Yes, you should be scared," Chris said, mostly ignoring the comment as he walked over to the crate. "Part two of our challenge is a genuine African safari. And the prey?" He knocked on the crate, which shook again as another angry growl came from inside. The contestants gasped. "Why only the most dangerous animal of all," Chris said dramatically, the intern nervously prying open the crate to reveal a metal cage within, with a familiar shadow inside.
"A clone of Ezekiel!" Chris finished, the camera zooming in on the form inside the cage.
The clone snarled from in the cage. It still looked like Ezekiel, but its clothes were torn and shabby, his footwear and hat was gone completely, and his skin had turned greenish. In addition to that, his hair was gone and only a few strands could be seen.
The cast gasped again. "Where did that thing come from?!" Topher squimished.
"Turns out it got on the plane back in Area 51!" Chris said, looking back at the cage and flinching at the glare Ezekiel Clone was giving him. "Once I checked the security footage," Chris explained as the clone snarled, "Chef went a-hunting and found the possible alien down in the hold."
"I should warn you, though," Chris said from off-screen, "he's totally feral thanks to all that time with the animals." The clone gave the camera a frightening look.
Chris turned back to the contestants. "Whoever nabs the beast known as Ezekiel Clone wins invincibility, and! First class seats to our next destination."
"With the player of our choice," Matthew said. "Where's my reward?"
"In a second!" Chris replied snippily. "Go to your gourds and check inside," he said as the camera pulled back to show Ezekiel Clone trying to reach him from his cage. "They contain what you'll use to hunt with."
"A slingshot! Cool!" Izzy said in excitement, holding up the weapon and practicing pulling it back. "I've broken a lot of windows with these as a kid!" She released the rubber band and it snapped forward.
"What's the pouch for?" Eva asked, holding up a small leather belt and pouch. "Magic beans?"
"Close," Chris told her before reaching inside her opened gourd and taking out a small, squishy pink ball. "Tranquilizer balls!" he announced with glee. "Sling 'em with enough velocity and they burst on contact, numbing the area and releasing a hearty dose of sleepy-time goodness." He turned his attention to the side. "Watch, as this intern demonstrates."
He shot a tranq ball at the intern who had wheeled in the cage, and was now eating a sandwich. The ball struck him in the shoulder and released a small cloud of pink gas, which promptly caused the man's eyes to roll back in his head before he fell over. He landed in front of Ezekiel Clone, who immediately snarled and tried to grab the fallen sandwich from his hands.
"See?" Chris said as the shot cut back to the cast. "It's like paintball, only with naps! Now, stand back people. We're gonna give the violent alien a head start. Hey Frosty!" he called back towards the cage with a laugh.
Chef was sweating through his outfit as he shakily moved a key towards the cage's lock, and at the host's call of "Release the beast!" He put it in the keyhole, turned it, and was promptly trampled as the door was slammed open and Ezekiel Clone jumped out, snarled, and ran.
"It doesn't even look like Ezekiel," Mal responded.
"That's because I'm the real deal," Ezekiel said.
"Okay!" Chris said with his usual grin. "Since Ezekiel won the first challenge, he gets six tranq balls," he said before handing over a handful of pink pellets to the grinning prairie boy. "Mal and Izzy, you cracked yours open so you get three," he told the troublemaker and psycho, handing over the ammunition as Eva and Topher looked on. "Eva and Topher, two each," the host told the pair.
"Why are you giving us two?" Eva squinted.
"We cracked our gourds too!" Topher protested.
"Technically, the two of you beat your gourds with cricket bats," Chris corrected as Ezekiel Clone could be seen chasing the intern in the background before turning to the last contestant. "And Owen, since you didn't put a dent in your gourd, you get these," he handed the food fanatic a pair of safety goggles, "and one tranq ball."
"No slingshot?" Owen asked in disappointment. "I have a lot of plums still."
"Nope. You're just gonna have to throw the balls hard enough to make 'em burst," Chris told him. "Which will be hilariously unsuccessful, I'm sure."
"Aaand," he said, the shot pulling back as Chef blew on a large horn, "go!"
At the signal, the six teens, all now wearing safety goggles, ran off.
\
The scene flashed forward to a rightward pan across the savanna, Topher speaking before the camera reached him.
"Can one of you give me an extra tranquilizer ball?" Topher said, eventually being shown traveling with Ezekiel and Mal. "Having two sucks."
"I have one more than you, and I'm going to go alone," Mal refused and left the two alone. "See you dorks after I win."
Ezekiel squinted his eyes at him. "He's a total knob. I swear."
Topher put his arm around Ezekiel. "How about we team up and take him down?" he suggested. "If he doesn't win invincibility, everyone will vote him off."
"I do like the idea of seeing him jump off the plane," Ezekiel agreed. "I'm in."
Confessional: Topher
"I know I'll be targeted next after Mal is gone, but I'll think about what to do after this day is over," Topher admitted.
Confessional Ends
"I remember watching you guys catch the Ripper back in London, but I forgot how you did it," Owen told Izzy and Eva while the three navigated.
"We had to use a burlap sack to do it, but this time, we have to roll with tranquilizer balls," Eva said.
"If you combine them all as a group, we have six overall," Izzy said.
"Six divided by three equals two, and each of us should have two tranq balls just to be safe," Owen explained.
"Keep an eye out for that clone," Eva advised her team. "We have no idea what it can do."
Confessional: Izzy
"I'm relentlessly good at tracking down prey," Izzy said. "The last time I had a date planned, this guy stood me up just to move to another state. I tracked him down, and what happened after wasn't pretty."
Confessional Ends
The scene moved to a low-to-the-ground shot of a rustling bush. Mal walked in from the left, and smirked at the bush. "Are you ready for your nap, alien reject?"
He was answered by a low roar, and a yellowish paw stepped out from the bush.
"A lion?" Mal said blankly as a male lion stepped out. "I wasn't going to tranquilize you. There's this alien-"
The lion interrupted with a roar, causing Mal to take a step back.
"I'm not wasting my ammo on this lion!" Mal yelled before turning and fleeing, and it looked like the lion was going to give chase before the sudden appearance of Chris in the foreground distracted it.
"Who will survive?" he asked the camera. "King of the Jungle, or King of the Fumble? Find out right after this, on Total! Drama! World Tour!"
The lion roared at him, and he turned and fled screaming as well.
\
(Commercial Break)
\
2023.05.29 15:22 GamecubeAdopter The NBA scriptwriters have indoctrinated my autistic friends (you guys).
I’ve seen the script with my own two eyes. This was always intended to be the backup plan in the event that the SFB MVP (sloppy fat boy MVP) and his merry band of retards decided to be uncooperative and knock the golden boy Lechoke out of the playoffs.
There is ZERO marketability in a Nuggets v Heat NBA finals…unless you’re Serbian or Rachel Nichols.
The only way for Adam Silver to have his modern day “David Stern moment” and save the NBA for decades to come is by orchestrating the first ever 0-3 comeback with one of the league’s most decorated franchises.
This was always meant to be the Celtics destiny. Resurrect Al Horford from his tomb, sign Derrick White to confuse racist Boston fans, bring in a bug eyed psychopath for you coach…and finally…reverse sweep the 8 seed Miami heat to make the NBA finals in epic fashion.
DON’T LET THIS SUB FALL VICTIM TO A FATE THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN DECIDED!!!!
submitted by GamecubeAdopter to nbacirclejerk [link] [comments]
There is ZERO marketability in a Nuggets v Heat NBA finals…unless you’re Serbian or Rachel Nichols.
The only way for Adam Silver to have his modern day “David Stern moment” and save the NBA for decades to come is by orchestrating the first ever 0-3 comeback with one of the league’s most decorated franchises.
This was always meant to be the Celtics destiny. Resurrect Al Horford from his tomb, sign Derrick White to confuse racist Boston fans, bring in a bug eyed psychopath for you coach…and finally…reverse sweep the 8 seed Miami heat to make the NBA finals in epic fashion.
DON’T LET THIS SUB FALL VICTIM TO A FATE THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN DECIDED!!!!
2023.05.29 15:19 AdventurousAerie7151 [PI] Hive 29, Chapter 8
Ethan
I return to my HQ while Zek’lor gets to eat and drink what it wants, the big beetle seems still scared shirtless by my drones so I think I will give it time to adapt in the old factory with the guards there.I don’t have trouble finding Lemela, as she is awaiting me right at the stairs, so she’s that eager to give me an earful huh?
-Ethan, finally. I saw. I must admit that I am very concerned about our present situation. You've shared your memories with me, I saw them as if they were my own. You can see mine the same way I assume. It's a vulnerability I'm not used to, and it bothers me very much.-
She pauses looking at me and I sigh.
-If it’s worth anything I shared it so you know too. I wanted you to understand my past, where I come from, and the challenges I faced when I woke up here. It was meant to create trust between us.-
She makes a complicated cat-like expression that Virgil hints at being conflicted.
-I don’t know how to tell you this Ethan.- She pauses fidgeting - It's just that your existence is a troubling mystery.-
-Well I’m here, I can’t be that bad of a deal- I try to joke but she doesn’t find it funny.
-Look the discovery of FTL technology by humans occurred approximately eight hundred standard years ago. Your memory does not correspond to how humanity was at the time.-
I scratch the metal slate that covers my head out of habit.
-That’s how much in human years?-
“79 5 human years. Error! Data mismatch. Data from creators suggest an earlier occurrence in earth’s year 2063, approximately forty years after the last human timestamp you recorded.”
I make a mental note reminding Vigil that we agreed on the data from its creators was a possible steaming pile of crap.
I also make a gesture to stop Lemela from telling me, I don’t need to know I’m out of my time.
-Look I know that I am way out of my time here, but what’s the big deal?-
Lemela sighs clearly frustrated by my inability to comprehend.
-First: Cryogenics alone could not keep a body alive for such an extended period of time. The nanites responsible for healing your tissues defy logic.
Second: You are merged with an IA, The only one I know extinguished all life in the next galaxy over!
Third and most important: You just don’t give such things to Pre-FTL species! It’s like giving a kid a weapon of mass destruction to play with!-
She gives me the stink eye again and I speak.
-You know I don’t have the answers on nanites if you want I can have Virgil get you up to speed on them with all the data it has. Virgil is the IA, and while it’s a bit of a devil on the shoulder, I doubt it will conquer the galaxy on my watch. I’m human remember, Earth is somewhere out there. So your people made themselves a prime directive of sorts?-
Lemela gives me a bit of a stink eye before answering, she didn’t like the chuckle one bit I believe.
-No, I wouldn’t understand technology on that level. I can only hope you can contain that monstrosity. And we aren’t in Star Trek here!-
She frowns clearly asking herself how she knows the show I referenced, but I chuckle.
-Welcome to Earth’s science fiction corner, or how we imagined our venture into space back when we didn’t know any better. If we do know better now. Anyway, that’s the hand I was dealt, Lemela, I can only hope to be able to use it-
Lemela
The Versel still finds this all too complex to elaborate, and on such short notice.With new memories, and new experiences flowing, daily life on a death world like Earth is strangely more normal than it sounded when experienced firsthand.She sighs looking at the abomination in front of her, Ethan, before speaking.
-How… do you manage to cope with all of this?-
Ethan caressed the metal plate he had hiding what was left of his face with his still fleshy hand before answering.
-Training, focusing on things I can solve rather than on things I can’t deal with or solve.
You know my training now. That’s the life of a U.S. Navy seal. The easy part was yesterday.
You know how I dealt with what I had to do and to see. With what happened to me.
If you allow me I will show you how to apply it to your case. It won’t be easy. It won’t go away. It won’t be the same. Never. But it will be your path. You will stumble. You will fall. And if you allow it I will be here.-
She sighed, it wasn’t that easy, but the human didn’t even pretend it would be, so what she was supposed to do?
-I just don’t know Ethan.- The human offered his hand to her. -We will figure it out Lemela. You need to help me figure out this modern stuff, those alien races. I freed a slave down there, so I will need to figure out with you how to deal with him or her.-
Lemela could only nod, to Ethan each species of alien was a first-contact situation after all.
-So that’s what this was about. I will help you to stay on the right path of technology. So what specie is the slave?-
- A Nolthoran.- The human replied. -Name is Zek’lor. For now, Zeklor is under watch and probation, the first sign of trouble I want to know.-
Lemela sighed, that was something she feared. -I assume you don’t trust this Zek’lor.-
The human confirmed her suspicion with a clear gesture. -I see. I will go talk to Zek’lor. What will you do?-
Ethan then assumed a more serious attitude, straightening his posture, and said.
-I will interrogate our last guest, depending on how this goes we may begin a war.-
Her fur would’ve stood on end if it was still natural, a human belonging to the warrior caste was actually saying he was gonna wage war. Humans as a specie were universally deemed crazy loons, there was too much variance between individuals to establish a baseline for the specie as a whole.
This human, in particular; Lemela knew him now, and a declaration of war from him meant business.
The worst part was there wasn’t much she could say to him he didn’t already know.
-How many of those zombies drone do you plan to have when this is over?-
Ethan sighed understanding her question perfectly.
-Lemela, I appreciate your concern. I don't think I can answer that question. I know some may want to join us in the collective voluntarily. I … still haven’t decided. What I know is that I'll use asymmetrical tactics, focusing on strategic objectives while minimizing unnecessary killing.
Hopefully, I will manage to stir an uprising. How many will die as that happens I don't know. I can control my actions and that's all I can promise. All I know it's that there's a steep price for freedom. In the end, it all depends on our last guest. The Krynnak was well protected by all others and attempted to flee. This tells me he should not be military, not the kind of our resident Li’thirwisz -
-The li’tjwisz belongs to a warrior caste?- She asks interrupting Ethan.
-I understand your people have a caste system in place, you belong to the navigator caste, right? -
She frowns, there’s no such caste and he should know it, still, she corrects him.
-I am from the scientist caste, you should know that Ethan.-
-I know- He replied -I know also that navigation is not really something a scientist does, even if I understand it involves a lot of science. What I mean to say is you should try to pinpoint what an individual actually does rather than pinning a hat and be done with it.-
She could only nod and Ethan started walking past her.
-I need your full discretion, your ability to tell black from white, and all the colors that fall within. With Zek’lor, with all the future encounters with people down here and with my plans. Especially with me and my plans. If I do too outlandish things let me know.-
Lemela frowned -Ethan, your people do outlandish things by definition. I mean they even threw an asteroid at an enemy warship destroying it!-
Ethan chuckled -well let me know regardless, at least I will have a good laugh.-
Ethan
As I proceed through the lab and the sewer the marvelous chime of Virgils pings me again.“Query: Please define the devil on the shoulder analogy.”
-That’s because you always offer me the easy option.- I reply -It’s not inherently wrong mind you Virgil, but it can lead to bigger issues along the way.-
“Query: please elaborate. Functional explanation.”
I chuckle a little at the machine mimicking me.
-Well you’re taking some pages from my book now, aren’t you? Fine, fine. It’s simple really, take the instance of Zek’lor and Xalrak ok? You suggested integration for both. We would know all the information Xalrak and Zek’lor know right?-
Virgil acknowledges my reasoning
-I don’t know about Zek’lor yet, but Xalrak? Xalrak would have definitely found a way to damage the collective.-
“You are stating a factual impossibility”
-Am I? Do you think that scratching a wall will damage this collective?-
Virgil negates this notion.
-Still, it could. Xalrak is military. There are countless signs I could use to alert my fellow marines of my presence. One of those in the wrong place, and the group Xalrak is part of would be on our ass. And there are hundreds of tricks like that.-
“Acknowledged. Should we terminate Xalrak?”
-See? Easy option again, killing would solve the issues but would deny the possibility to flip Xalrak which would be more beneficial in the long run.-
“Still you expect betrayal in this alternative you propose. Why would you do that?”
-Hope for the best, prepare for the worst Virgil. Now shush, I need to concentrate on this one.-
I pass the vigil and climb the stairs to enter the room and look at the Krynnak, it shudders at my presence. Good.
-Alright, let's get started. What is your name?-
The Krynnak, with what I could call a cautious expression, responds.
-Names don't mean much in my line of work, but you can call me Vexx.-
Not really good, but not bad as a beginning.
-Well, at least I know how to call you outside the name of your specie, Vexx. So, do you know where you are?-
-I know exactly where I am. This is the belly of Taboo, under City 29 a treacherous place ruled by Dexton’s dogs.-
I smile under the plate of metal that hides my face. Let's see how Vexx reacts to a little theatre.
-Well I don't see any of those famed Dexton's dogs you speak of, do I?-
Vexx glances around nervously and looks at the various blinking lights before lowering the tone of its voice.
-They may not be present right now, yet their presence can be felt everywhere. Trust me, they're always on the lookout for anyone who steps out of line.-
Well if they can make some random lizard this paranoid they either mean business or have a better grasp on the populace than I anticipated.
-And I'll be prepared to meet them. So, what were you doing in such an area? You appear to fear those Dexton’s Dogs a lot.-
Vexx shifts uncomfortably and appears to choose the words spoken carefully
-... I was just doing my job, you know? Taking care of the... the operations. Moving things, ensuring the processes run smoothly. It's not an easy task, but someone's gotta do it.-
-The operation, yeah- I hate people when they are vague -the famous operation.- I continue -That operation where you were turning dead bodies into food.- I cut the chase on a lower note -I get it, this planet ain’t natural but are you so desperate for food you have to rely on that method?-
Vexx recoils a bit, in front of my serious tone then its eyes dart around nervously before responding.
-Look, we don't have a lot of options here. The processed bodies... it's a method of survival-
I get the feeling this one ain’t telling me the whole story, it feels slimy; I mean first down here there are also beasts, why not hunt them?
But I want to go another route to see where it leads first, besides Vexx doesn’t show the telltale signs of Lemela or Zek’lor so at least I guess Vexx isn’t in the same position.
-You could always trade with other planets, I mean, ain't commerce a thing in the galaxy anymore?-
Vexx's reptilian eyes narrow, is that sincere frustration I see?
-It's not that simple. Taboo got this name from humans because it is now a forbidden planet, isolated from most interstellar trade routes they hold.
The risks involved in transporting goods in and out of this place are tremendous.
Dexton's dogs are one of them. Sure they offer protection, the kind of protection you have to pay for. Basically, you either trade with them, involve them somehow, or well… things happen.
Bad things, you will see. Look, it’s a matter of survival, even if it means resorting to unconventional methods. You must have slept long here, machine of the old empire-
I let the comment of the machine slide, I am not a machine but it doesn’t hurt that Vexx believes my cognitive functions are restricted by programming.
No offense intended, Virgil.
The thing that irks me is the indirect threat Vexx just used.
-I get it, Vexx. So just for reference, other than these pirates and me, what other threats are down here?-
Vexx's scaled face contorts with a mix of fear and apprehension when I qualify myself as a threat.
-There are creatures, monstrous and vicious, that inhabit the depths of Taboo. They are unlike anything you've ever seen.
Ferocious beasts that prey on anything they come across. We've lost many of our own to their relentless attacks.
It's a constant battle for survival down here.
That’s why if and when you go down you usually have to bargain for Dexton’s services.
There are times when the opposite happens. When things do stop working for those above usually.-
Interesting side comment here, those above where? I don’t want to follow Vexx’s lead in this conversation for now but I make a mental note that there must be above-surface levels to this mechanical planet.
I have a more interesting pattern to test Vexx reactions upon.
-Creatures like the Brahumthraks? They are still beasts in narrow passageways, with the weaponry you have shown, you wouldn't have issues hunting those for food right?-
Vexx's eyes widen at the mention of the Brahumthraks, the alien lizard gulps audibly before speaking.
-The Brahumthraks... the tunnel stalkers... There are worse things down here. True enough, their meat might provide sustenance, but hunting them is an incredibly risky endeavor. Their agility and strength make them formidable opponents. Dexton doesn’t lend his mercenaries to hunt them down. The risks just outweigh the rewards.-
Now let’s see if I can use Vexx for my plans.
-What if someone hunted those for you? Do you think you could establish a market for proper meat?-
Vexx's eyes widen and I believe for a moment that those sleek pupils became dollar signs.
-If someone were to hunt the Brahumthraks and other things down here and provide a steady supply of their meat, it could indeed open up new possibilities. The market for proper meat, untainted by the reprocessing methods, would be highly sought after. Especially by those that live in the upper layers of the city.-
Vexx’s enthusiasm suddenly drops as does the posture it kept until now.
-Dexton would surely try and have a cut of the profits anyway. You can never be safe here. Alluring as this is the challenges are too much.-
I decide to give Vexx a little nudge rather than resorting to playing punching ball with his or her snout for trying to be a smartass.
Does Vexx things I am an idiot? If this big crocodile can afford an armed escort it means that some kind of sanctioned activity on the surface carries Vexx’s name, and given what this one was doing, I believe to know what it is.
- That is ...unfortunate. If only somebody here knew anybody who sold meat on the surface...-
Vexx raises a scaly eyebrow, maybe I put too much sass in that and I blew my cover as a machine; in the end, Vexx appears intrigued by my statement.
- Let’s say I know a business on the surface? What then?-
Vexx leans in closer, his reptilian features revealing a mix of curiosity and suspicion.
-If you truly can offer me a steady supply of meat, then we might have something to discuss.-
Vexx cautiously looks around the room, ensuring no one else is listening, eyes fixed on the blinking lights when continuing.
-Let's be clear, my survival is absolutely necessary here. If you can guarantee I will remain alive we can go and discuss a potential partnership for you. Until then, forgive me if I remain skeptical. And what of my slaves?-
No Virgil, don’t even ask, there’s no way I will ever make this one a part of the collective. Not even if Vexx begs for it, or is dying.
“Query: incompatibility of thoughts process involved?”
Long story short: yes. Look I will gladly explain another time, but I mean look Vexx is just too greedy and self-centered.
I need to drive another thing into this dirty lizard skull.
-I ordered the death of all those who were with you. So tell me, why should I trust you and keep you in the first place Vexx?-
I notice a flicker in Vexx's eyes as my words resound in the room.
Vexx takes a step back, his demeanor shifting to a mixture of defensiveness and desperation.
-You... you intend to kill me?- Vexx stammers, his voice betraying the fear it must be feeling.
-Listen… please… I… I can do what you want. Look I can sell the meat you provide! I won’t make a question! Please… just please don’t kill me! I have a wife! I have eggs to attend to!-
That's better, even though I think he's exaggerating to appeal to my pity, does he think I have emotions as a machine?
I cross my arms and motion to Vexx to continue.
Anyway, it appears I won't have to flip a coin on this one; I'll presume Vexx is male because it's more likely than the alternative.
I mean he would lie about the partnership, but the lie has to be fluent and believable, and if humanity's standards hold for aliens too I only have about a 30% chance of being wrong.
I focus on Vexx as he takes a long breath, attempting to calm himself.
-I can prove to you that you can trust me and my capabilities. Just protect me from Dexton's dogs. And don’t kill me. Please.-
Vexx's eyes still dart around, looking at the blinking light on the old instruments in the lab.
I don’t really like people who can’t lock eyes with others, and I don't trust them, but Vexx seems genuinely scared of the technology down here.
Virgil, did you encounter signs of wiretapping when you inhabited the network of your creators?
"The creators had an external connection to order bodies, Ethan"
Not really what I wanted to know, but well I need to concentrate on another thing right now.
-The things that slaughtered your people are at my beck and call. You will be protected of course, by the beings I command. Needless to say, any signs of betrayal and you will die.-
Vexx's reptilian eyes widen in a mixture of astonishment and fear as he comprehends the weight of my words.
He swallows hard, his throat visibly constricting.
It’s not like he didn’t know, he saw me after all, his gaze flickers between me and the passage I came from.
Don’t run. It’s a bad idea pal. I could capture you amid a battle, now you’re just target practice.
Vexx chose to be smart and stay,
- It seems I have no choice but to join you.- Vexx says, his voice laced with resignation.
-Not really, you can be my guest in this room until you die.-
I reply earning a stink glare from Vexx, surprisingly he extends one of his four, scaled hands; cautiously offering a handshake. Weird.
Virgil, is a handshake a universal gesture?
“According to the data in my network and Lemela’s memories, it is a gesture limited to humans and those who traded with them directly. Warning! Data mismatch. Trade in this region should be limited according to Vexx’s information”
I don’t know Virgil, people lie by telling the truth sometimes. I wouldn’t rule out there are human criminals on the planet.
I shake the pawed hand with my mechanical hand since he offered me one of his right appendages.
-We have a deal. You will remain here in this cell for now. You will be provided with food and water. When I have enough meat to trade I will send you on an escorted trip to the surface and I will expect you to keep your end of the bargain.-
But you won’t get anywhere near my base, and I will blindfold you for good measure. I will need to find an alternative route to the surface.
Vexx nods, his reptilian features displaying a mix of relief and apprehension. He understands the situation he is in and at least.
-I will await your signal- He replies, I think there is a blend of gratitude and cautious optimism in his voice. - I will not disappoint you. I am prepared to fulfill my end of the bargain.-
With that, I simply leave Vexx in his cell, I will test this new alliance soon.
The path to change will be treacherous, but if Vexx values life and profit like I believe he does, perhaps there is a path for a new beginning.
I will not count my chickens before they hatch, I need multiple venues for this to work, a planet is a big place after all.
Why do bad guys talk about world domination like it’s an easy venture?!
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2023.05.29 15:17 wackojedi911 My DIY lego minifigure frame is completed
 | I have been wanting to make a minifigure frame for a while. I was deterred by the prices of completed ones. I decided to scour the internet for DIY ideas and was able to complete my own. My plan is to build a second one to accommodate more minifigures. 1x IKEA sannahed 19 x 19 frame White heavy weight paper to cover the wood panel 98 - Inverted 45 2 x 2 orange bricks Guerilla super glue submitted by wackojedi911 to lego [link] [comments] |